King Cake Pictures

I finally tried out this recipe! My best friend Sharon used to make these when we were roommates back in college (wow, I feel old), and I love eating king cakes when I'm in Louisiana around Mardi Gras. This year (yes, way back in March) I finally tried out the recipe myself, and I thought they turned out well. I've already posted the recipe to this blog; you can find it here.

And yes, I would make this recipe again. :) Next time I might try to add a fruity filling, or a pecan praline-type filling. Mmm....

Grandpa Richardson's Rice Pudding

*From Worldwide Ward Cookbook*

5 eggs

4 C. milk

3/4 C. sugar

1 t. vanilla

3/4 C. minute rice, cooked

In a large bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla. Beat well. Pour mixture into a glass 9 x 13-in baking dish. Sprinkle cooked rice evenly on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 min, or just until the edges tart to bubble. Tastes great with cinnamon sprinkled on top. Makes 8 servings.

My take: Not sure if I did something wrong, but this did not turn out well. It tasted too egg-y, and it had a really wet consistency. I'd rather eat my store-bought Kozy Shack rice pudding than make this again. This recipe won't be repeated.

Chicken and Rice

*From Cooking Light magazine*

1 T. olive oil

8 bone-in chicken thighs, skinned

3/4 t. salt

1/4 t. ground black pepper

2 C. chopped onion

1 carrot, thinly sliced

8 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 C. long-grain white rice

Cooking spray

1 C. fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth

1/4 C. water

3 T. heavy whipping cream

1/3 C. grated fress pecorino Romano cheese (I used parmesan)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add 4 chicken thighs to pan; saute 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove chicken from pan. Repeat with remaining chicken.

3. Add onion and carrot to pan; saute 4 min. Add mushrooms; saute 5 min. Add garlic; saute 1 min. Spoon rice mixture into a 13 x 9 in. baking dish coated with cooking spray; stir in broth, water, and cream. Arrange chicken over rice mixture; sprinkle with cheese. Bak at 350 degrees for 45 min. or until chicken is done. Yield: 4 servings.

My take: I really liked this. It's like a twist to the basic chicken and rice recipe, but I like this one more. The parmesan cheese added a new flavor, and I liked the overall flavor mixture. I thought parmesan worked great in place of the Romano cheese. I'd definitely make this recipe again.

Turkey Wraps

*From Boar's Head ad*

1 lb turkey breast

1/2 lb swiss cheese, sliced

1 med avocado, sliced

4 leaves red leaf lettus

1/4 C. roasted red peppers, coarsely chopped

1 med tomato, sliced

14 oz. garbanzo beans

2 T. lemon juice

4 whole wheat tortillas (8-in)

In a food processor, puree the beans with the peppers and lemon juice until a smooth but somewhat chunky consistency. Spread puree onto the tortillas and a lettuce leaf. Add 2 slices tomato, followed by 3 slices of avocado. Add the turkey breast and Swiss cheese. Fold and wrap. Cut each wrap in half to serve.

My take: These were pretty good. The best part was that the tortilla package had directions on how to wrap "wraps," so I was excited to know how to do this! I didn't love this recipe, but it was easy enough. Not sure if I would ever make it again...I didn't feel like there was enough flavor. I'm more of a ranch wrap type of girl.

Snickers Cake

*From the Worldwide Ward Cookbook*

Snickers Cake

1 chocolate cake mix

1 14-oz bag caramels

1/3 C. milk

1/2 C. butter

1 C. chocolate chips

1/2 C. nuts, chopped

1 C. shortening

1 lb. powdered sugar

1 t. vanilla

1 t. butter flavoring

3-4 T. milk

1 C. mini chocolate chips

Mix cake according to package directions. Pour 1/2 of batter into a greased 9 x 13 in. pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 min. Melt caramels, milk, and butter. Pour over baked cake. Sprinkle with chocolate ships and nuts. Spread with remaining cake batter. Bake at 250 degrees for 20 minutes. Increase oven to 300 degrees and bake an additional 20 min. When cool, prepare frosting: beat together shortening, powdered sugar, vanilla, and butter flavoring. Stir in enough milk to reach desired consistency. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread over cooled cake. Makes 18 servings.

My take: This was good, but not as awesome as I thought it could be. The frosting was really sweet, and the recipe could have done with less. But we always think recipes have too much frosting (especially Jack). I might make this recipe again if I got the craving or wanted to make a yummy-looking treat for visitors.