Chocolate Peanut Butter Trifle

"A layer of beef, sauteed with peas and onions..."


Just a little Friends humor :) The great thing about trifles is that they look fabulous but are not difficult at all. AND they give you a great reason to actually use the trifle bowl you registered for way back when! I think there are some fancier versions of trifles, but this one comes together very quickly, and come on, who doesn't love a chocolate-PB combo? Plus if you might have some children in the crowd, I'd dare to guess that most kids will eat this! Thank you Kraftfoods.com for sending this to my inbox!

I actually had to leave out a layer of Cool Whip in mine because I ran out, so I'm posting a recommended change for 2 tubs of Cool Whip instead of just one.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Trifle

1 pkg. (3.9 oz.) Jello-O Chocolate Instant Pudding

1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) Jell-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding

3 cups cold milk, divided

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

2 tubs (8 oz.) Cool Whip, thawed, divided (we used sugar-free)

1 bag Chips Ahoy! Cookies, chopped (we just used the regular, but they make all kinds you could try--including some with PB cups or toffee hunks in them)

3 Tbsp. chocolate syrup

Empty pudding mixes into separate medium bowls. Add 1-1/2 cups milk to each; beat with whisk 2 min. Add peanut butter to vanilla pudding; beat until well blended. Stir 1/2 cup COOL WHIP into pudding in each bowl.

Spoon chocolate pudding mixture into trifle bowl; cover with layers of half each of the remaining Cool Whip and chopped cookies. Repeat layers, using vanilla pudding mixture.

Drizzle with chocolate syrup.

Again, I didn't feel like I had enough Cool Whip left over in my one container to make two decent layers with it--so I'd recommend just eyeballing it and doing what you think is best. Even with just one layer of Cool Whip it was delicious!

Hoppin' John Stew with White Cheddar Cheese Grits

So I had never before heard of Hoppin' John Stew, even though it completely sounds like something I would have at least tried before. But it caught my eye around the holidays as I was flipping through my Southern Living Recipes of 2010 cookbook, and everything in it sounded perfect! We've actually had this twice since the beginning of the year because it made enough to freeze leftovers--and both times Bobby all but licked the bowl clean! And so did I, who am I kidding?

I thought it would be timely to post this because I've found myself struggling with recipes as we transition between the seasons and I thought others may feel that way too. The very cold Winter months are a good time for heavy casseroles, stews, chili, etc. but now that we're thawing out of our deep freeze and creeping ever-so-slowly into Spring temperatures, I find myself wishing for tilapia and summer salads--but we're not quite there yet! So it's difficult to find the happy medium. But I do think this recipe is a good one for the end of Winter because although it's a stew and definitely feels like comfort food, it's not TOO heavy and has just enough of a kick to it!

I'll also say this was my first time making grits...and I didn't do very well! I'm not a grits expert by any means, so it was hard for me to gauge when they were fully cooked, and I made them a little underdone the first time around. The second time I called in Bobby and his South Carolinian heritage to offer grits-cooking wisdom. He had a way of knowing just by the resistance he had stirring them at certain intervals how done they were...and they weren't ready until MUCH after I would have taken them off. So if you are new to grits, I advise you keep them on the stove for a while after you think they're done, just to be sure. We also adjusted the recipe some to be low-sodium friendly, and it was all still delicious.

Hoppin' John Stew

1 Tbs butter
1 cup chopped smoked ham (I picked up sliced low-sodium ham from our deli)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 (15-oz.) cans black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
2 (10-oz.) cans diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained (I opted for two cans of No Salt Added tomatoes and added a 10oz can of green chiles separately)
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (couldn't find any, dried cilantro worked fine, but just do a few shakes of it)

Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat; add ham and onion, and sauté 3 to 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in black-eyed peas, tomatoes, green chiles, corn and sugar. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in cilantro. Serve immediately over White Cheddar Cheese Grits.

White Cheddar Cheese Grits

2 cups chicken broth (the first time I did one cup broth and 1 cup water; the second time all water and couldn't tell a difference)
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded white cheddar cheese

Bring chicken broth and butter to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Gradually whisk in grits, and return to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until thickened. Stir in cheese until melted. Serve immediately.

Superfood Salad

I'm obsessed with this salad. Obsessed. It's like someone (or my AllRecipes.com Dinner Spinner app) took all of my favorite things and put them in a salad. This recipe is clearly intended to feed 4 people, and Bobby and I shamelessly ate the whole thing. But when you're eating something that is so packed with superfoods, and they're so YUMMY, that it's just impossible to stop! It was pretty quick for a Tuesday night, too.

Basically, we've had lots of good dinners this week, but nothing will top this salad in my mind.


Superfood Salad

2 salmon fillets, grilled
2 Tbs butter
pepper to taste
4 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced (I just used the whole container)
12 grape tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
a few handfuls of spinach, washed and dried, enough to make a salad (original recipe actually calls for leaf lettuce, but spinach is so much better for you)
1 avocado - peeled, pitted, and cubed
5 sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar (we were out so I used some Champagne dressing)
1 ounce feta cheese, crumbled (I used what was left in our container, probably more like 3 oz)

While grilling salmon (or use leftovers), saute mushrooms in butter over medium heat until tender. In a large salad bowl add Spinach, salmon, tomatoes, mushrooms, avocado, cilantro, jalepeno, and feta. Sprinkle generously with pepper. Toss with olive oil and white vinegar (or other type of vinaigrette you've got on hand) and serve immediately.

Really, there are so many things going on in this salad, that I can understand the doubt about them combining well. But they combine like heaven in my salad bowl and I'm mad at myself because I've had this recipe for over a year and never tried it until this week! But the important thing is I have it now :-)

We finished the evening with homemade chocolate chip cookies (see January 2010 for recipe).

Beef Bourguignon and Sugar-free Pudding Pie

B: So it's beef stew.
A: No, it's Beef Bourguignon.
B. So...it's like beef stew?
A: It's different.
B: It looks like beef stew.

OK fine it's basically beef stew that took me about 3 hours longer than a normal beef stew would have done! This was an experiment out of the American Heart Association's Cookbook, and it turned out well. It doesn't look as pretty as what Julie Powell made in Julie and Julia. But I haven't actually read the Julia Child recipe to see how it varies. But they made it look so yummy in that movie that I had to try it when I saw a recipe for it! And it was good. However, it did take a little while to make...so I would definitely recommend making this on a lazy Saturday or Sunday. It was great Winter comfort food (I think comfort food is the only good thing about Winter, don't you?) It also made delicious leftovers! I'm a little bit of a leftovers snob, but I happily ate leftovers of this the next two days! And sometimes with a soup or stew, it gets a little better as it "settles" and all the flavors mingle together a little longer. Which is why they recommend the long cooking time in the first place! I currently am doing the same thing right now with my spaghetti sauce...must cook a minimum of two hours to get just right.


Beef Bourguignon

2 Tbs flour
pepper to taste
1lb lead beef chuck roast, all visible fat removed, cut into 1 inch cubes
1tsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 med clove garlic, minced
2 cups small whole mushrooms (we used baby portobellos...YUM!)
2 cups finely chopped tomatoes (4 medium) or 14.5oz no salt added diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups water, plus more as needed
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp rosemary
1/8 tsp marjoram
3 cups peeled, coarsley diced potatoes (4 medium)
2 cups coarsly diced carrots (4 medium)

In a large bowl, stir together flour and pepper. Add beef, turning to coat. Heat a Dutch oven over med-high heat. Remove from heat and spray with vegetable oil spray. Add oil, coating the bottom. When oil is hot, cook beef for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in mushrooms and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until mushrooms absorb liquid. Stir in tomatoes, water, wine, and herb seasoning. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 2 hours, stirring occasionally and adding water if necessary to keep bottom of pot covered. Add potatoes and carrots; simmer, covered, for 30 minutes, or until tender.

I actually just used three potatoes and I think it turned out just fine! You can also do a slow-cooker version. Where you coat the meat in flour, and then just add everything to your slow cooker pot for 8-9 hours on Low.

For dessert I made a Sugar-Free Pudding Pie. This looks very fancy, but honestly it wasn't! Bobby had seen these berries in Costco, and insisted on having them...even though January isn't exactly known for it's delicious berries, ya know? However, I was pleasantly surprised with how good they were. So I had a pie crust on hand and some sugar-free pudding and had the idea to mix them all together! Easy, EASY dessert that looks put-together and takes no time at all! And you won't feel too guilty about indulging.




Sugar-Free Pudding Pie

1 reduced fat graham cracker pie crust
1 package sugar-free instant vanilla pudding
1 3/4 cup milk
1 cup blackberries
1 cup blueberries

Instant pudding actually has special directions for making a thicker batch of pudding for pies, and it calls for less milk. I think normally it calls for 2 cups. So make the pudding according to directions and pour directly into pie crust when mixed. Let chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours before topping with berries.

Of course, you can trade out your favorite pudding flavor and toppings. But if you're like me and a little intimidated by baking, this is a great alternative!

Pepper Jelly Pork Chops and Citrus Spinach Salad

OK I'm back for real this time! I was so excited that Bobby moved home in November from his two months away, that I didn't really take into account that he still wasn't going to be here with any regularity because of all his travel for interviews. Which are FINALLY over! I can't tell you the extent to which, last Sunday evening I wrote down a full week of menus on my whiteboard and nearly cried tears of joy! I'm so happy to have Bobby back home with no planned impending travel, and a regular work schedule (Family Med til mid-Feb).

We have several health related goals for 2011, and in particular we're working to lower Bobby's cholesterol and reduce his sodium intake. So you may see some changes in the blog as a result. Also, in recent months, I've started eating more chicken! I make no promises that I'll be making chicken regularly...but I hope to have chicken in the menu plan at least once a week. This week we're having it in sweet and sour stir fry...as soon as I find a recipe for low-sodium sweet and sour sauce.

So the following is what I consider to be my first official new recipe of 2011. Both can be credited to my new Southern Living 2010 Annual Recipes cookbook that I got for Christmas. We really liked this pairing--spicy with citrus--and definitely plan to make it again...maybe with chicken!


Pepper Jelly Pork Chops

4 (3/4-inch-thick) bone-in pork loin chops (about 2 1/4 lb.) (We actually just made two)
3 tablespoons butter, divided
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 large jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup red pepper jelly

Melt butter with oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork chops and cook on one side until they look about half way cooked, then flip and do the other side. The timing on this will vary based on the size of your pork chop, since some are ridiculously thick. When finished, remove from skillet, and keep warm.

Add flour and jalapeño to skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, 1 to 2 minutes or until flour is golden brown. Add wine, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet; cook 1 minute or until almost completely reduced. Add chicken broth, and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken. Whisk in pepper jelly until melted and smooth. Lower the heat and cook 3 to 4 minutes or until thickened. Return pork to skillet; turn to coat. Serve pork with sauce.

It's spicy, but YUM! Then paired with a citrus salad (so great this time of year with all the fresh citrus). I made this salad dressing, and tossed with spinach leaves, toasted almonds, and chunks of a cara-cara navel orange (the pink ones). But you could do a regular orange or a grapefruit.

To toast your almonds, just add half a package of almond slivers to a small skillet and stir on med-low heat until a few begin to turn a golden color.

Citrus Vinaigrette

1 (1/2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped sweet onion
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 cup olive oil

Pulse first 6 ingredients in a blender or food processor until blended. With blender running, add olive oil in a slow, steady stream, processing until smooth.

My little food processor won't run unless the lid is on, so I added the EVOO after the first 6 ingredients were well blended, and it worked out fine! Serve with warm bread (my favorite these days is the Rosemary Olive Oil bread from Costco, and I make a little saucer of good olive oil with some dried basil flecks and Italian seasoning.)