Recipe #20: Crustless Blueberry-Pear Pie

I had some pears that were quite ripe and used them to make this tasty Pinterest recipe.

This is how mine turned out:

CRUSTLESS GINGER BLUEBERRY-PEAR PIE

Serves 8-12

Ingredients:
2 large pears, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/3 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease 9-inch pie plate.
Fan the pears slices out in the pie plate. Top with blueberries.
In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, sugar, eggs, ginger, vanilla, salt and milk. Sift in the flour and whisk until batter is well combined and very smooth, no lumps.
Pour batter over the top of the pears and blueberries.
Bake for 10 minutes, then turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until custard is set and the top is a light golden brown.
Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.
Source: Adapted slightly from Baking Bites.

My revisions to the recipe:
I didn't have ginger, so I used allspice and a dash of cinnamon. The allspice was an nice, unexpected surprise.
I also used frozen blueberries.
I didn't have unsalted butter, so I used regular butter and skipped the salt.
I did not sift my flour.

My friends, parents, and co-workers loved it! It was so easy; I'll definitely make it again!

Recipe #11: Melt in Your Mouth Chicken

So, I'd been making a lot of dessert recipes lately, but had neglected making "real food." Last night, I made "Melt in Your Mouth Chicken." Odd name, I know, I didn't come up with it. Yes, I was brave and tried another Pinterest recipe. :)

Here's the recipe:

Very simple, as you can tell. It turned out really moist and flavorful. It doesn't say how much chicken to use, but I used two chicken breasts and had enough of the mixture left over for another breast. I hadn't previously cooked with greek yogurt before and was quite pleased with the results. I would say that next time, I'll use a little less pepper. It got a little hot for my taste. Try it, I think you'll like it. Let me know.

Recipe 8: Oreo Icebox Cake

So, I had leftover chocolate sandwich cookies and I hate wasting anything, so I remembered seeing this recipe. Thankfully, it called for 3 ingredients: chocolate sandwich cookies, milk, and whip cream. It was very simple to make:
1) Dunk chocolate cookies in milk and line them in the bottom of a glass dish.
2) After the first layer, you cover with a layer of whip cream.
3) You continue to layer until you're out of chocolate sandwich cookies. Then you top with whip cream and I sprinkled with cookie crumbs.
So, I don't think it ended up looking very great, but the guy (yes, guy) that I gave it to said it was "quite good."

Here's the link to my inspiration on Pinterest:

Recipe #7: Red Velvet Poke Cake

I've been waiting to try this recipe from Pinterest since summer and finally I had a potluck to go to.

Ingredients were pretty simple:
-Red velvet cake mix; eggs, oil, water
-2 boxes of cheesecake pudding
-whip cream
-chocolate sandwich cookies

Essentially, it's like a poke cake, which I'm a pro at. I've never tried making a poke cake with pudding instead of Jello.

It was pretty easy to make and I followed the directions this time. ;)

The recipe:


Here's how mine progressed:

1. You make the red velvet cake mix according to the directions on the box:

2. You let it cool for several hours. Then you poke holes in it. When making a poke cake with Jello, I would use a fork to make the holes. With the recipe, I used a wooden skewer stick. Unlike with a poke cake, the pudding doesn't completely soak up into the cake. So, just smooth it out on top and put it in the fridge to set a little.

3. After an hour or so, I smoothed on the whip cream which I'd allowed to defrost on the counter.

4. Next, I added 6-8 sandwich cookies in a ziplock bag and put that in a larger ziplock bag. From there, I smashed the cookies to mid-size chunks. Then I added them to the top of the dessert.


I received several good comments on it. I didn't try it that night. I gave some to friends and my dad. They all really enjoyed it. My dad asked for seconds! I tried it and LOVED it. It feels somewhat light, but very flavorful. This picture kind of shows the layers. I'll definitely be making this recipe again!

Recipe #5 Meatloaf

I love meatloaf, but I just recently found my absolute favorite meatloaf recipe. I found it originally on Pinterest, click here for the recipe. This meatloaf is so yummy, it needs no extra ketchup after it's been cooked. We all know I tweak all my recipes, so here goes: I wouldn't ever add that much onion (1/4 cup total), start with adding 1/2 cup of milk and see how it looks from there, I hate mustard so I don't include that, and I mix bread crumbs or a puff cereal in the beef mix.
I ate my meatloaf with rice and sweet potato. Great dinner! I cut my remaining meatloaf in half and part will be eaten this week and the other is going in the freezer. The topping really makes this recipe. Try the recipe, you'll like it!

Recipe #4: Pan-Fried Chicken Tacos

So, I'm Mexican, but I only made pan-fried tacos for the first time last month. Why haven't I made them before, they're so easy!

I made them again, today. So, I had some chicken I'd cooked and I added it to a pan with some taco seasoning and a little water. Next, I added the seasoned meat to tortillas and pan-fried them. We added avocado, raw cabbaage, red onion, cheese, and salsa. So good!

Needless to say, my friend loved them! :)

Chicken Salad Update:
Shocking news! My grandma LOVED my chicken salad recipe I made last weekend. She normally isn't a huge fan of my cooking, so this is big news! She liked it so much she had two helpings and asked if I had more at home. She's one of the very best cooks I know, so this is truly high praise and I'm one happy girl. :)

I made some for my parents. My mom loved it and asked for my recipe. She's an amazing cook too.

I shared some with a friend who also asked for my recipe.

You know you've done something right when people ask for your recipe. :)

Has anyone tried any of the recipes I've shared?