Monday, November 28, 2011

Radiance Fruit Salad

Sent by Linda from Frog Hollow

1/3 cantaloupe, cut into 3/4 inch chunks (about 2 cups)
1 16 ounce container strawberries, quartered (about 3 cups)
5 medium kiwis, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch chunks (about 2 1/2 cups)

Dressing
3 T honey
3 T fresh lime juice
1 t lime zest
3 T finely chopped fresh mint leaves

Place all of the fruit into a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the honey, lime juice, zest and mint. Right before serving, pour the dressing over the fruit and toss gently to combine.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Bars

Bernadette from Frog Hollow

2 packages of refrigerated Chocolate chip cookie dough ( the pillsbury roll works best)
2 8oz. of softened cream cheese
3 eggs
1 cup sugsr
1 teaspoon vanilla

Press 1 roll of cookie dough onto the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Mix the rest of the ingredients and pour over dough. Slice other roll of cookie dough and place on top of cream cheese mixture. Bake @ 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Let cool and then sprinkle with powdered sugar. Refrigerate until serving.

Barley, Bean, and Corn Salad

by Sarah from Frog Hollow in Skippack, PA

2 c pearl barley
6 c water
3/4 c vegetable oil
3/4 c balsamic vinegar
1 bunch parsley leaves (or more, you can't have too much)
Lots of salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cans dark red kidney beans
2 10 oz pkgs of frozen corn

Place barley and water in a pan, bring to boil then simmer partially covered until tender, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the dressing in a large bowl: oil, vinegar, salt, pepper. Mince the parsley and add to dressing. Drain and rinse the kidney beans and frozen corn, add to dressing. When barley is done, drain it and add to the bowl. The warmth of the barley will finish thawing the corn. Toss and adjust seasoning. Serve warm, room temp or cold. Holds in the fridge for days. Great with grilled meat. This recipe makes enough for a crowd. Halve or quarter for a family meal.

Strawberry & Carmelized Walnut Salad with Orange-Basil Vinaigrette

by Cindy from Frog Hollow in Skippack, PA

Juice of 1 orange, about 1/4 cup
1 small shallot, minced
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 tbs. champagne or white wine vinegar
3 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs. finely chopped fresh basil
a pinch of coarse salt and a good grinding of black pepper
1 pint strawberries, sliced
8 thin or 4 regular scallions, sliced thinly
Greens of your choice, figuring about 2 generous handfuls per person
1 cup carmelized walnuts
4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled (or feta, if you prefer)

Whisk first 7 ingredients together in a small bowl. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. May want to add more o.j., sugar or agave syrup, if you prefer sweeter. Will make about 3/4 cup vinaigrette.

Assemble the salad by tossing the greens with the sliced strawberries and scallions. Add the vinaigrette and top with crumbled cheese and carmelized walnuts.

Cindy's Strawberry Salad

by Cindy from Frog Hollow in Skippack, PA

1 cup oil (canola or vegetable tastes best)
1/2 cup vinegar (white, apple cider or rice)
1 tsp. prepared mustard
3/4 cup sugar (may decrease to 1/2 cup if preferred)
1 tsp. onion juice or 1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. poppy seed
1/2 cup whole pecans
1 tbs. butter or margarine
2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 small red onion, diced
1 quart strawberries, sliced
Lettuce, select 1 to 2 types (enough for a large bowl)

Using an electric mixer (or in a shaker), combine first 7 ingredients for dressing, until thick. Saute pecans in butter and cayenne pepper, be careful not to burn them. Fill bowl with mixed greens. Just before serving, add sliced strawberries, pecans and diced onions. If done too early, pecans can soften. At time of serving, add dressing and toss. Tip: all can be prepared a day ahead of time and refrigerated in individual containers (including pecans). The sugar in the dressing will settle and need only to be mixed a little.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Cinnamon-Apple Cake

Sent by Sue B from Frog Hollow Red

1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
3/4 cup (6 ounces) block-style low-fat cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 to 4 cups peeled & diced apples
(I usually use 4 medium sized Honey Crisps)

Preheat oven to 350. Beat 1 1/2 cups sugar, cream cheese, butter and vanilla at medium speed until well-blended, around 4 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Set aside.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, and beat at low speed until blended.

Combine 1/4 sugar and cinnamon. Combine 2 tablespoons of that cinnamon mixture and the chopped apples in a bowl. Stir the apple mixture into the batter. Pour batter into a greased (cooking spray or butter) 9" spring form pan. Sprinkle the top of the batter with the remaining cinnamon mixture.

Bake around 1 hour (when it pulls away from side of pan it should be done). Let rest at least 10 minutes before removing from pan. I usually remove the outside circle of the pan, and let it cool completely before I try to remove the cake from the bottom of the pan.

Yummy as a dessert or a breakfast sweet.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Egg McMaxwell

Sent by Jill Bachman from Frog Hollow in Skippack, PA

Cooking Spray
Egg (or 1 or 2 eggwhites)
Cheese
English Muffin, Bagel, or Sandwich Thin

Coat microwavable bowl with cooking spray. Crack egg into bowl. Poke egg a few times with a fork (or beat it if that's your preference. Microwave it on high (partially covered) for about 35 seconds (until set). Have a glass of wine (this is hard work –you need to rest up for the next step). Once set, put slice of cheese on top and microwave for an additional 8 seconds. Remove from microwave, but on bread, and enjoy your sammy!

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Sent by Jill Bachman from Frog Hollow in Skippack, PA

FIRST LAYER
2 cups coarsely crushed pretzels
3/4 cup melted margarine
3 tablespoons sugar

SECOND LAYER
1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese
1 cup sugar
2 cups whipped topping (small container)

THIRD LAYER
1 lg pkg (6 ounces) strawberry flavored gelatin
2 cups boiling water
1 (10oz) box frozen strawberries (sliced works better than whole)

Preheat oven to 400°. Put first layer in a 9x13x2-inch pan. Bake 8-10 minutes. Remove to cool and harden.
Second Layer - Beat sugar into cheese, stir in whipped topping. Spread over cooled pretzels.
Third Layer - Mix gelatin, boiling water and strawberries together and set aside 10 minutes. Pour over cheese mixture; chill thoroughly until set.

Pumpkin Crunch

Sent by Jill from Frog Hollow in Skippack, PA

1 Large Can Pumpkin
3 eggs
1 1/4 cup sugar
I large can evaporated milk
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon
1 yellow cake mix
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
2 sticks butter

Mix .. Pumpkin, eggs , sugar, milk, salt,and spices. Blend well. Pour into 9x13 pan. Sprinkle dry cake mix over top of pumpkin mix. Melt Butter, pour over top of cake mix. *Place nuts on top. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Double Corn and Cheddar Chowder

Sent by Cindy from Frog Hollow in Skippack, PA

1 tablespoon margarine
1 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 16 oz. can cream-style corn
1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
3/4 cup (3 ozs.) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
black pepper (optional)

Melt margarine in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir 5 minutes. Sprinkle onion with flour; cook and stir 1 minute.

Add chicken broth; bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Add cream-style corn, corn kernels, bell pepper and pepper sauce; bring to a simmer. Cover; simmer 15 minutes.

Remove from heat; gradually stir in cheese until melted. Ladle into soup bowls; sprinkle with black pepper, if desired.

Makes 6 servings

Monday, November 7, 2011

Black Russian Cake

Sent by Sarah from Frog Hollow in Skippack, PA

1 pkg yellow cake mix
1pkg (5 oz) chocolate pudding mix
4 lg eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup vodka
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup Kahlua, divided
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 and spray a bundt pan with baking spray.

Beat first 7 ingredients and 1/4 cup Kahlua at medium speed in mixer just until smooth. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 50 minutes

Cool in pan for 10 min then turn out onto a rack. While cooling, mix remaining 1/4 cup of Kahlua with powdered sugar to make glaze. Poke warm cake all over with a pointy chopstick or skewer. Brush cake all over with glaze and let harden. Keeps up to a few days unrefrigerated under a cake dome. Excellent served with real whipped cream spiked with a few more tablespoons of Kahlua.