June Recipe Group - Summer Recipes

Pearl Tapioca, Recipe #1
from: Margie Johnson

Soak 1/2 cup pearl tapioca overnight.

Mix 1 quart of WHOLE milk and 3/4 cups sugar. Bring to a boil. Add tapioca and cook and stir until the tapioca is clear - at least 30 minutes, but probably more.

Then combine 3 beaten eggs, 3/4 cups sugar, and 3/4 tsp. vanilla. Add to tapioca mixture and bring to a full boil.

Makes about 2 quarts of tapioca.

Pearl Tapioca, Recipe #2
from: Margie Johnson

Soak 1/2 cup pearl tapioca overnight

2 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup sugar
1 lemon, zested
pinch salt

Place tapioca into slow cooker along with milk, heavy cream, and salt. Cook on high for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Ina small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and sugar. Temper small amounts of the tapioca into the egg mixture until you have added at least 1 cup, then add this back into the remaining tapioca in the slow cooker. Add the lemon zest and stir to combine. Cook for an additional 15 minutes, stirring at least once. Transfer the pudding into a bowl and cover the surface with plastic wrap. Allow to cool at room temperature for 1 hour then place in the refrigerator until thoroughly chilled.


Greek Salad
from: Ann Wright

1 head romaine lettuce, torn into small pieces
Feta cheese
Calamata olives
Red onion, diced
Pepperocinis
Tomatoes, diced
Balsamic Vinaigrette

Combine to taste and serve.


Fruit Dip
from Jenni Bowman

1 small container Cool Whip, thawed
1 small container yogurt, any flavor (I like Strawberry)

Fold yogurt into Cool Whip and gently combine. Use as a dip for any fruit.

April - Economical Meal Ideas

There was only one recipe for this month, but if you have any ideas on economical recipes you'd like to share, just send and email to rivannarecipes@gmail.com.

Homemade Oreo Cookies
by Jenni Bowman

2 boxes Devil's Food cake mix
1 1/2 c. shortening
4 eggs

Filling:
2 Tbsp. margarine
2 oz. cream cheese
1 c. powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla

Mix together: cake mix, shortening, eggs. Roll into one-inch balls and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool completely.

Filling: beat all filling ingredients together. Ice a cookie and place another on top, creating a sandwich.

Birthday Party Recipes

Cafe Rio Style Salad Recipes

Sweet Pork

2 lbs. pork
3 cans coke (not diet)
1/4 c brown sugar
dash garlic salt
1/4 c water
1 can sliced green chiles
3/4 can enchilada sauce
1 c brown sugar

Put the pork in a heavy duty ziploc bag to marinate. Add about a ccan and a half of coke and about 1/4 c brown sugar. Marinate a few hours or overnight.

Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can of coke, water and garlic salt in crock pot on high for 3-4 hours (or until it shreds easily, but don't let it get too dry). Remove pork from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred.

In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can coke, chiles, enchilada sauce and remaining brown sugar (about a cup, you can add a little more or less to taste). If it looks too thick, add more coke little by little.

Put shredded pork and sauce in crock pot and cook on low for two hours. Serve on bed of lettuce, with beans (recipe below), rice, cilantro lime dressing (recipe below), sour cream, guacamole, shredded cheese and/or other salad ingredients of your choice.


Black Beans

2 tbs. olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 1/3 c tomato juice
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tbs. fresh cilantro, chopped
Optional: drained can of corn, chili powder

In non-stick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato juice, and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving, add cilantro.

You can also add a can of drained corn with a dash of chili powder and cumin.


Cilantro Lime Dressing

1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 c mayo
1 c buttermilk
2 tomatillos, husks removed, diced
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime
1 jalepeno, sliced (I only use half and NO seeds to keep it fairly mild)

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth.


Cilantro-Lime Rice

1 c. uncooked rice
1 tsp. butter or margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 can (15 oz) chicken broth
1 c water
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp. sugar
3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, 1 tsp. lime juice, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice and mix in as you fluff the rice.


All of these recipes seem like a lot of work, but it really goes quite quickly. Enjoy!

February - Valentine's Recipes

Devil's Food Trifle
From: Hillory Dahle

2 3 oz. pkgs. Jell-O Devil's Food Pudding
4 cups milk
1 pkg. 8 oz. cream cheese
1 Sara Lee frozen pound cake
12 oz. container Cool Whip
32 Oreos, crushed

Mix 3 cups milk and cream cheese together with hand mixer; add in 2 pkgs. pudding. Layer pound cake in bottom of dish. Use remaining milk to lightly drizzle on top of cake. Next, layer pudding mixture, crushed Oreos, then Cool Whip. Repeat the layers, finishing with a smattering of crushed Oreos on top.

There should be 2 complete layers when trifle is finished + sprinkling of Oreos on top.


No Bake Chocolate Chip Pie
From: Nancy Falls


1 15 oz. pkg. chocolate chip cookies (Chips Ahoy works great)
1 c milk
1 store-bought graham cracker crust
1 8 oz. container Cool Whip

Dip 8 cookies in milk, and place in a single layer in graham cracker crust. Top with 1/3 Cool Whip. Repeat layers with more cookies, milk, remaining Cool Whip. Crumble 2 cookies and sprinkle over pie. Cover and chill 8 hours.


Sugar Cookies
From: Jenni Bowman
(The beautiful cookies above were made by Sherri Waite)

3 c sugar
1 pint sour cream
1/2 cup butter or margarine
4 eggs
8 cups flour
1 tsp. soda
6 tsp. baking powder
Spec of salt
2 tsp. vanilla

Cream first 4 ingredients. In separate bowl combine dry ingredients. Add to wet ingredients and mix. Blend in vanilla. Roll to between 1/8" and 1/4" thickness depending on how puffy you want your cookies (they puff a bit once they bake). Bake at 400 or 375 (depending on thickness) for 7 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Sugar Cookie Frosting

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup margarine
1 tsp. vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. milk

Mix all together and add more powdered sugar if needed.


Chocolate Covered Cherries
From: Jenni Bowman

8 Tbsp. melted butter
6 Tbsp. corn syrup
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 lbs. powdered sugar
3 10 oz. jars maraschino cherries with stems, drained
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 Tbsp. shortening

In large mixing bowl, combine butter, corn syrup, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and sugar. Knead dough and form into one large bowl. Pat drained cherries dry with a paper towel. Pinch off a small amount of fondant dough and flatten it into a circle in the palm of your hand. Form around cherry and place on waxed paper. The ball around the cherry should be approximately the size of a walnut. Repeat until all cherries are covered and place in the freezer to chill.

In a double boiler (or steel bowl placed over a pot of boiling water), melt chocolate chips and shortening together. Dip the cooled balls in the chocolate, let cool on parchment paper.

I found that this makes a LOT of fondant dough, so if you halve the amount you will still have plenty for around 80 cherries. If you store these long enough, the sugared mixture will become liquefied like the kind you buy at the store.


Homemade Peanut Butter Cups
From: Jenni Bowman

2 cups milk chocolate chips
2 Tbsp. shortening
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
Chocolate paper cups

In 1-quart sauce pan, combine chocolate chips and shortening. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally. Loosen top cup from stack but leave in stack for stability. Using paint brush, paint the inside of the cup with 1/8" thickness almost to the top of the cup. Repeat until 30 cups are coated. Refrigerate cups to harden.

In 2-quart sauce pan, combiner butter or margarine and peanut butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until melted. Stir in sugar and graham cracker crumbs. Press about 1/2 tbsp. filling into each chocolate cup. Spoon about 1/2 tsp. melted chocolate on top of filling; spread to cover. Freeze until firm (about 2 hours). Peel off papers carefully. Store refrigerated.

Variations: for Valentine's treats, make peanut butter mixture and press into an 8 x 8 pan lined with wax paper. Chill to firm for an hour. Using a small heart shaped cutter, cut out hearts and place on a cooling rack over waxed paper. Make the chocolate and drizzle over the top of each heart, letting it drip down the sides.

Instead of using cups, just make the peanut butter mixture and press into 8 x 8 pan and cover with the chocolate. Chill until firm and then cut into squares.

They really taste like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups!

September - Crock Pot Dishes

Meat Loaf
From: Teresa Hancock

2 beaten eggs
2/3 c. bread crumbs
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
3/4 c. milk
2 tbs. grated onion
1/2 tsp. sage

Spray crockpot with cooking spray. Put meat mixture in the crock pot and simmer on low for 5-6 hours. Tip on side and spoon off excess grease. Pour sauce mixture (see below) over meat and simmer on high for 15 more minutes.

Sauce:
1/2 c. ketchup
2 tsp. dry mustard
4 tbs. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Alternative oven directions: bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Drain grease and tope with sauce. Bake an additional 15 minutes.


Orange Chicken

1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 c. mayo
1 c. sour cream
1/2 can of orange juice concentrate
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
3-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Mix all ingredients (minus chicken) in bowl. Add to crock pot along with chicken breast. Cook 4-6 hours. Thicken with cornstarch when finished (optional) and serve over rice.


Crock Pot Chicken Soft Tacos

4 frozen chicken breasts
1 16 oz. jar of salsa
1 c. sour cream
Tortillas

Grease crockpot, place chicken in and pour salsa on top. Cover and cook on high for 6 hours or low for 10 hours. Remove chicken and shred. Replace chicken and add sour cream. Fold chicken mix inside tortillas with lettuce, grated cheese, guacamole, sour cream, etc.

Pies

Pie Crust

Margie Johnson

3 Cups Flour 2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar 1 1/2 cups shortening

1 egg
1 tsp. vinegar
2 Tbsp. cold water

Combine flour, salt and sugar. Cut in shortening.
Combine beaten egg, vinegar and water stir into dry mixture.
Divide into 4 equal amounts and roll out or place into freezer for a later date.

For a baked pie shell, bake at 425 degrees for 9 to 10 minutes.

This recipe makes two double crust pies or four single pies shells.


Pumpkin-Apple Pie

Marion Blackford

2 Apples
2 Cups Pumpkin
2 Eggs
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 1/2 Cups Evap. Milk
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
1/4 tsp. Ginger
(Mother Johnsons Pie Crust)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Roll Pastry and Fit into pie plate and chill (the pie plate, not you)

3. Peel and slice apples and place in skillet with 1 Tble spoon butter and cover for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and drain.

4. Place remaining ingredients in bowl and beat till smooth

5. Arrange apple slices in bottom of pie shell and pour pumpkin filling on top.

6. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Then reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake 35-40 minutes more.

Enjoy!


Chocolate Ribbon Pie

Crissy Morgan

4oz. Cream Cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. Sugar
1 Tbsp. Milk
1 (8oz.) Tub Cool Whip, Thawed
1 (6oz. or 9-inch) Prepared Chocolate Flavor Crumb Crust
2 Cups Cold Milk
2 (4 Serving Size pkg.) Chocolate Flavor Instant Pudding and Pie Filling
1 Chocolate Candy Bar

Beat Cream Cheese, Sugar and 1 Tbsp. milk in large bowl until smooth. Gently stir in half of the whip topping. Spread over crust. Pour 2 cups milk into large bowl. Add pudding mixes. Beat with wire whick 2 minutes (mixture will be thick). Pour over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate 4 hours or until set. Just before serving, spread or dollop remaining whip topping over pudding layer. Garnish with shaved chocolate.

March Enrichment

Pesto

April Burton

1 1/2 oz. Fresh basil
3 garlic cloves minced
1/4 cup pinenuts(opt.)
1 1/2 Parmasan Cheese
3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

Take leaves off of basil place into a blender add garlic, pinenuts and cheese blend together. Slowly add olive oil. Serve over hot or cold pasta.