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Shrimp Gumbo with Andouille Rice

Shrimp Gumbo with Andouille Rice

Shrimp Gumbo with Andouille Rice is a hearty soup filled with celery, onions, green pepper, andouille sausage, okra and shrimp. It’s topped with an andouille rice pilaf. I served this gumbo for lunch, but it would also make a terrific dinner, accompanied by a green 

Bread Machine Blueberry Bagels

Bread Machine Blueberry Bagels

Bread Machine Blueberry Bagels are sweet, blueberry filled bagels with a cinnamon sugar topping. They are served with Blueberry Cream Cheese and are perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack. The Equipment You’ll Need A Bread Machine- You will need a bread machine for this 

Tarragon Chicken Stuffed Avocados

Tarragon Chicken Stuffed Avocados

Tarragon Chicken Stuffed Avocados are pretty avocado rings filled with creamy tarragon and lemon chicken salad. This is a pretty lunch to serve to the ladies; for my husband I just smashed the whole thing between two slices of white bread and he was perfectly happy.

The Equipment You’ll Need

  • A Dutch oven- I think chicken tastes best when roasted in an uncovered enameled iron pot, but you could use a sheet pan or casserole.
  • A Food Processor- This is handy for finely mincing the chicken.
  • A Ring Mold or Large Circular Cookie Cutter- You need one of these to form the avocado into a ring. I used a plastic cookie cutter.

The Ingredients You’ll Need for Tarragon Chicken Stuffed Avocados

  • Chicken Breasts with skin and bones- Roasting the chicken with the skin and bones adds flavor and keeps the chicken from drying out. Save the skin and bones for making stock.
  • Mayonnaise- I always use Hellman’s .
  • Tarragon- This adds great flavor to the salad.

How I Made It

  • First, I roasted my chicken.
  • Next, I made the chicken salad.
  • Then, I was sure to chill it for two hours.
  • Finally, I made the avocado into a ring, stuffed it with the salad, and served it right away.

I think chicken salad makes a terrific summer lunch. It is so refreshing to bite into a cool, creamy salad on a hot day. The avocado ring really elevates the appearance of the salad, making it seem like a restaurant meal. Instead of chicken, you could also make a lobster or shrimp salad using the same ingredients.

Chicken salad is one of those dishes that is really best made at home. I never order it out, but so many times I see it sitting in deli displays looking so crusty and just plain icky. Actually, the last time I bought some at my very favorite market it was quite yummy, but so salty that I thought for sure it was going to terribly thirsty for the rest of the day. So, I really hope you’ll soon try these not too salty, absolutely yummy Tarragon Chicken Stuffed Avocados.

tarragon chicken stuffed avocados
Tarragon Chicken Stuffed Avocados
Tarragon Chicken Stuffed avocados

Tarragon Chicken Stuffed Avocados

Creamy chicken salad with lemon and tarragon, in an avocado ring.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Lunch
Cuisine American
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 2 chicken breasts on the bone
  • 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • ½ tsp. black pepper
  • ¼ tsp. garlic powder
  • â…” cup minced celery and celery leaves
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • ¼ cup minced red onion
  • â…” cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp. minced tarragon
  • 2 avocados

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • Put one tablespoon of oil in the bottom of a Dutch oven, followed by the chicken breasts. Cover the breast with a quarter teaspoon each of the salt and pepper, and all the garlic powder. Top with the rest of the oil. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
  • Take the chicken off the bones, discarding the skin and bones.
  • Chop the chicken and then pulse it ten times in a food processor until it's minced. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, except for the avocado. Chill for two hours.
  • Slice the avocados thinly, and place them in a ring mold or large cookie cutter, in overlapping slices. Spoon in the chicken salad, and then carefully remove the mold.
Keyword Chicken, chicken salad
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Poutine with Chicken and Thyme Gravy

Poutine with Chicken and Thyme Gravy

Poutine with Chicken and Thyme Gravy is an amazing Canadian appetizer that combines French fries with cheese curds and rich chicken gravy. We tried to visit some restaurants that specialized in poutine in both Boston and Walt Disney World, but we just never timed it 

Creme Fraiche and Bacon Tarte Flambee

Creme Fraiche and Bacon Tarte Flambee

Creme Fraiche and Bacon Tarte Flambee is a French style pizza topped with creme fraiche, fontina cheese, red onion, thyme, and bacon. It is a lovely change from the typical Italian style pizza, that bacon lovers will especially enjoy. The Equipment You’ll Need A Bread 

Old-Fashioned Nectarine and Raspberry Slump

Old-Fashioned Nectarine and Raspberry Slump

Old-Fashioned Nectarine and Raspberry Slump is a traditional American dessert featuring baked fruit topped with a sweet dumpling and syrup. This particular slump contains nectarines and raspberries and a cinnamon brown sugar, and is topped with raspberry ice cream. I just love reading about historic recipes, and I adore the old time name of this dessert.

The Equipment You’ll Need

  • 4 six inch cast iron skillets- I used these to bake off my slumps, but you could also use a casserole pan.
  • A pastry blender- This is a tool used to cut the butter into the flour. You could also use two knives, or your fingers to rub the butter into the pastry.

The Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Old-Fashioned Nectarine and Raspberry Slump

  • Butter- Only real butter will do for this recipe.
  • Nectarines- Only fresh nectarines will do for this recipe. I like hard nectarines, but they baked up nice and soft.
  • Raspberries- I used frozen, thawed raspberries for this recipe.
  • Milk- You need to use whole milk for this recipe.
  • Ice Cream- I used raspberry ice cream, but you could use vanilla, or any flavor you like.

How I Made This Recipe

  • First, I greased up my skillets.
  • Next, I placed the fruit in the skillets.
  • Then, I started making the dough for the dumplings, when our power went out for 6 hours.
  • Six hours later, I finished making the dough and made the syrup.
  • Finally, I baked the slump off, topped it with ice cream, and had a delicious afternoon snack.

This is a great quick and easy dessert that would be good for a beginning baker. As I said earlier, I really like these traditional American desserts. And, I think it’s practically a crime to make non-fruit desserts in the summer, since so many fruits have such a short season. All winter long I look forward to cooking and baking with summer fruit. If you’re in the mood to bake something fruity and yummy, I highly recommend this terrific Old-Fashioned Nectarine and Raspberry Slump.

Old-fashioned nectarine and raspberry slump
Old-Fashioned Nectarine and Raspberry Slump
Old-fashioned nectarine and raspberry slump

Old-Fashioned Nectarine and Raspberry Slump

Tender nectarines and raspberries baked in a sweet cinnamon sauce and topped with sweet dumplings.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 4

Equipment

  • 4 six inch cast iron skillets

Ingredients
  

  • 4 tsp butter (for buttering pans)
  • 2 chopped nectarines
  • 1 cup raspberries
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1½ tsp. baking powder
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 3 tbsp. unsalted butter (cut in half inch pieces)
  • 6 tbsp. whole milk
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ½ tsp. cinnamon
  • 4 scoops raspberry ice cream

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • Rub the skillets with a teaspoon of butter each, until they're greased all over.
  • Divide the nectarines and raspberries between the skillets.
  • Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Then using a biscuit cutter, cut the butter into the flour, until small peas sized clumps appear. Then, using a fork, stir in the milk, until a loose dough is formed. Drop the dough on top of the fruit in the skillets.
  • In a three quart saucepan, heat a half cup of water with the brown sugar and cinnamon, just until the sugar dissolves. Pour it on top of the dumplings.
  • Bake for 30 minutes, and serve topped with raspberry ice cream.
Keyword necrarines, raspberries, slump
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Strawberry Glazed Baked Doughnuts

Strawberry Glazed Baked Doughnuts

Strawberry Glazed Baked Doughnuts are light and fluffy yeast doughnuts with a fresh strawberry glaze. This recipe makes 30 small doughnuts (and 30 doughnut holes), but because they are so airy, it’s easy to eat two or three and not feel at all full. The 

Chicken and Strawberry Chopped Salad

Chicken and Strawberry Chopped Salad

Chicken and Strawberry Chopped Salad is a delicious mixture of fried chicken, strawberries, kale, blue cheese, pistachios, strawberries, and red onion. Everything is chopped up and tossed with a balsamic vinaigrette. This is a great family meal because picky kids can just eat the chicken, 

Strawberry Jelly Doughnut Muffins

Strawberry Jelly Doughnut Muffins

Strawberry Jelly Doughnut Muffins are mini muffins that taste like jelly doughnuts, because they’re rolled in cinnamon sugar and are filled with homemade strawberry jelly. Some people call these doughnut muffins, duffins. Other people, like to call them muff-nuts, or moughnuts. Then names are fun and so are these doughnut muffins.

The Equipment You’ll Need

  • A 24 cup mini muffin pan- You will need this to bake your muffins.
  • A food scale- I highly recommend this so that you can weigh your flour to get exactly the right amount. Too much or too little flour can really mess up your doughnut muffins.

The Ingredients You’ll Need for the Strawberry Jelly Doughnut Muffins

  • Strawberries- You’ll need fresh strawberries to make this recipe.
  • Cornstarch- This is used to thicken the berries so they stay inside the duffins.
  • Sour Cream- You’ll need full fat sour cream for this recipe.

How I Made Them

  • First, I made the strawberry jam.
  • Next, I creamed the butter and sugar together in my electric mixer, although you can absolutely do this by hand.
  • Then, I added my egg. Actually, I accidentally added two eggs, which is why this batch of doughnut muffins isn’t my prettiest. But, they still tasted great!
  • Then, I sifted together my dry ingredients. Whenever I skip this step, one of my kids tells me they can taste baking soda. So, I always sift!
  • Next, I stirred my dry ingredients into my wet ingredients, being very careful not to overmix them. At this point, I was sorry I was using the mixer. I could have been much gentler mixing by hand.
  • Then, I stirred in my sour cream and vanilla, again being careful not to overmix.
  • Next, I filled my muffin tins. I smoothed out every layer with a teaspoon.
  • Then, I baked the muffins and let them cool.
  • I melted my butter, and mixed together the cinnamon and sugar.
  • Finally, I dipped my duffins first in the butter and then rolled them in the cinnamon sugar.

These Strawberry Jelly Doughnut Muffins were so much fun to make! And, they were a nice change from regular muffins, and much lighter than doughnuts. Recipes like this are one of the reasons I think it’s so much fun to be a cook in today’s world. So many people are coming up with inventive and creative ways to transform all kinds of foods.

I’ve always loved doughnuts, and now I love these doughnut muffins, too. Some people like to listen to the radio when they’re alone in the car. I, however, like to talk to myself about what changes I can make to classic recipes to make them unique. If I’m lucky, a picture of what the finished product will look like begins to form in my head, too. If you like to try out new food trends, too, I hope you’ll try these adorable little muff-nuts.

Strawberry Jelly Doughnut Muffins
Strawberry Jelly Doughnut Muffins
Strawberry Jelly Doughnut Muffins

Strawberry Jelly Doughnut Muffins

Mini doughnut-like muffins filled with strawberry jelly and rolled in cinnamon sugar.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
cooling time 15 minutes
Total Time 47 minutes
Course Bread
Cuisine American
Servings 8

Equipment

  • 24 cup mini muffin pan

Ingredients
  

  • 4 tbsp. softened unsalted butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup all purpose flour (120g)
  • ½ tsp. baking powder
  • ½ tsp. baking soda
  • â…› tsp. salt
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • ½ tsp. vanilla
  • 1 cup chopped strawberries
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1½ tsp. cornstarch
  • 1 tbsp. water
  • 4 tbsp. melted butter
  • ¼ cup sugar (for cinnamon sugar)
  • ½ tsp. cinnamon

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and grease your muffin tin very well with melted butter.
  • To make the strawberry jam: in a small saucepan cook the berries, sugar, cornstarch and water just until the mixture thickens, about two minutes.
  • In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar, and then add the egg.
  • Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and then stir them gently in the mixing bowl. Mix until just combined and then add the sour cream and vanilla.
  • Divide half of the batter between the 24 muffin cups. Then, divide all the strawberry jelly between the 24 cups. Finally, top each of the cups with the rest of the batter.
  • Bake 10 minutes. Then let them cool in the tin on a wire rack for 5 minutes and then take them out of the pan and let them cool on the rack for 10 minutes.
  • Dip each muffin in the bowl of melted butter, and then roll each one in the sugar mixed with cinnamon.
Keyword doughnut muffin, duffin, mini muffin
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Buffalo Cauliflower with Chipotle Ranch Dip

Buffalo Cauliflower with Chipotle Ranch Dip

Buffalo Cauliflower with Chipotle Ranch Dip is a terrific appetizer or vegetable side dish to serve to your friends and family. I started to make this dish because cauliflower is one of my kids’ favorite vegetables. My husband is actually not a huge fan of