Penzey's Buttermilk Pie

I really enjoyed this old-fashioned buttermilk pie.  It was really easy too, since I used a pre-made pie crust I had on hand.  I just unrolled the crust, mixed the filling (which took about 5 minutes), filled the pie, and baked it.  The filling forms a firm eggy custard in the oven.  I want to try more of these type of old-fashioned pies in the future.  Using my own crust would make the flavor even better.  

Penzey's Buttermilk Pie

adapted from Penzey's

1 single unbaked pie crust
Pie filling:
13/4 Cups sugar
1 TB. (heaping) flour
1 stick butter, melted
3 eggs
1/2 Cup buttermilk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. Penzey's pie spice (or cinnamon)

1.  Preheat oven to 350°. For the filling, combine the sugar and flour. Add the melted butter and eggs and mix. Add the buttermilk, vanilla and pie spice and mix well. Pour into the pie shell and bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes until there is very little movement when you jiggle the pie. (You still want a little jiggle; will set up as it cools.)  Remove from oven and cool well before slicing, at least three hours. Great chilled as well.

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Beef Chili

This is a great, quick and simple recipe from Penzey's for chili in the slow cooker.  I like that it uses beef stew meat instead of ground beef.  I was supposed to use a spice called Arizona Dreaming from Penzey's, but I didn't have it, so I used their Southwest Seasoning.  One could also use Taco Seasoning.  

Beef Chili
adapted from Penzey's

1 lb. beef stew meat
1 15-oz. can chili or pinto beans
1 15-oz. can black beans
1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes
1-2 Cups salsa (your favorite)
1 tsp. sugar
1-2 Tbs. Penzey's Arizona Dreaming, Southwest Seasoning, or Taco Seasoning

1. Add all ingredients to your slow cooker.  Stir to combine. Cook on low for 8 hours in the slow cooker.  Serve with sour cream, shredded cheddar and tortilla chips.

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Pumpkin Spice White Hot Chocolate

I already have a recipe for this, here, but that recipe is kind of awkward where you have to cook and puree a tiny bit of pumpkin (what I had on hand at the time.)  I recently found this recipe, using canned pumpkin puree and it's so easy!  I actually had roasted and pureed a whole sugar pumpkin a few days before, so I used the puree from that, but I'd love to try this with canned puree.  It would make it even easier.

Note: I used Penzey's "Pie Spice" for this and it was perfect. I had an unopened McCormick pumpkin pie spice bottle, but when I opened it, it didn't smell like anything.  The Penzey's Pie Spice was perfect in this.

Pumpkin Spice White Hot Chocolate
adapted from Passion for Savings

1 cup canned pumpkin puree (can use homemade)
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (I used Penzey's "Pie Spice")

½ tsp. Salt
2 tsp. vanilla
1 12 oz. bag real white chocolate chips (some bags are 10oz- this would probably be fine)
3 cups milk
2 cups half-and-half (or 1 cup half and half, one extra cup milk)
Whipped Cream for Garnish

1.  In a regular size saucepan, combine the pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, salt, vanilla, milk and half and half.  Heat over medium heat, whisking well, until everything is mixed and quite warm.

2.  Add in white chocolate chips and stir well until melted.  Taste to make sure it is hot to your liking.  Serve warm and top with whipped cream.  Top with an extra sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice or just cinnamon, if desired.

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Tomato Salad

I really liked this salad.  The little tiny fresh mozzarella balls ("cherry" size, or ciliegia, locally) are the perfect size to go with these halved grape tomatoes (local- get "datterino" tomatoes).  If the tomatoes are too small, you can even cut the mozzarella balls in half.  I made this a few weeks ago, but I think one might still be able to get good tomatoes from farmer's markets or maybe your own garden. :)  If not, save this for next summer.  It's really good.

I LOVE Penzey's spices .  Both their wonderful spices and their values.  I order from them frequently.  I have so many different spices and spice blends now, I'm always looking for ways to use them.  There are many great recipes on their website (or in their catalogs, if you get those).  They sent me a (huge) free sample of the "Mural of Flavor" spice and I found this recipe on the website.  If you don't have that spice blend, just use your favorite spice blend for this recipe.  It will be good.

Penzey's Tomato Salad
adapted from Penzey's 

2 pints red and/or yellow grape tomatoes, halved
6-7 fresh basil leaves, cut in thin strips
6 oz. fresh mozzarella balls (mini sized)
2 tsp. Penzey's Mural of Flavor or fave spice mix
1 tsp. granulated garlic powder
1/8-1/2 tsp. salt, to taste
1/8-1/2 tsp. black pepper, to taste
1/4 Cup olive oil

1. In a serving bowl, combine the tomatoes, basil, mozzarella and seasonings. Stir gently to combine. Add the olive oil and toss to coat.

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4-Ingredient Grilled Pork Chops

These are SO easy to make and very good.  Just make sure you don't grill the pork too long, or it will get a little tough.  You can marinade for 3 hours or up to 24 hours.  To make the small amount of marinade go further, place the pork and marinade in a large ziplock bag (instead of using a bowl or other container).

4-Ingredient Grilled Pork Chops
adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

4-6 boneless pork loin chops
1/4 cup olive oil
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon steak seasoning (I used Penzey's Quebec Beef Spice- use your fave spice/seasoning mix)

1.  Mix olive oil, soy sauce and steak seasoning together in a small bowl.  Add the pork chops to a large ziploc bag or flat dish and pour the marinade ingredients over the top. Refrigerate and marinade for at least 3 hours and up to 24 hours.

2.  Heat a charcoal or propane grill to medium and grill the chops 6-8 minutes per side (depending on how thick they are) until an instant-read thermometer registers between 145 and 155 degrees F. Don't grill too long or they will be dry.

3.  Remove the chops from the grill, tent them with foil, and allow them to rest for 5-7 minutes. Serve.  Slice the chops across the grain.

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Bacon Ranch Chicken Sliders

I made these a few times when we needed a quick dinner.  They're so easy and tasty.  For the dry ranch mix, I use Penzey's buttermilk ranch dry mix.  It's just herbs and spices and contains no MSG.  I love it.  Instead of all mayo, I use half mayo and half Greek yogurt.  I use rotisserie chicken for this recipe, making it super easy.  You won't need the whole chicken, so I save the rest of the meat for other recipes.

Bacon Ranch Chicken Sliders
adapted from Our Best Bites

1 package (12 rolls) Hawaiian Sweet Rolls
1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 Greek yogurt or light sour cream
1 teaspoon dry Ranch mix (I used Penzey's)
1 cup shredded cheese
3/4 cup cooked, diced or shredded chicken
6-8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil.

2.  Without separating rolls, cut entire "loaf" in half like giant sandwich and open-side up on baking sheet.

3.  In a small bowl, combine mayo, yogurt and ranch mix. Spread mixture on both sides of rolls. Sprinkle half the cheese on the bottom half of the rolls, top with chicken, and then bacon, and then remaining cheese. Place top half of rolls on, sandwiching them together. Cover rolls with foil and place in oven for 20-30 minutes, until cheese is melted throughout.

4.  Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before transferring them to a cutting board and slicing individual rolls. 

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Chipotle Hummus

I made this recently to go with a veggie tray.  I love hummus, but forget about making it.  We bought it often last summer to take with us into the National Parks we toured- it's a great and healthy snack.  Making it yourself is super easy, and cheap.  I tried this variation from Penzey's recently.  It uses canned chipotles.  I found some chipotle paste in a tube on Amazon, and used that.  I loved the ease of it.  Use whatever you have.  I also added some chipotle powder.

Chipotle Hummus 
adapted from Penzey's

1 16-oz. can garbanzo beans (chick peas)
2 TB. tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice (juice of 1 lemon)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 small cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
3 TB. olive oil (use more as desired)
1⁄2-1 tsp. ground black pepper, to taste
1-3 chipotle peppers canned in adobo sauce (I used chipotle paste)
1 tsp. ground cumin

1.  Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender. Mix until smooth. If the consistency is too thick for your liking, add a bit more olive oil and blend again. Repeat if necessary. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat. Serve with pita bread, pita chips, crackers, carrots or other vegetables. 

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Banana Buttermilk Muffins

This is another recipe from the Penzey's spice catalog.  I made these one day when we had a bunch of kids staying over here.  The visiting kids all liked them, and they were gone quickly.  I love using buttermilk in baked goods.  And I love the recipes from Penzey's!

Banana Buttermilk Muffins

adapted from Penzey's

Yield: 16

1 1/2 Cups sugar
1/2 Cup butter (1 stick), softened
2 large eggs
1 Cup mashed ripe banana (2 large)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 Cup buttermilk
2 Cups all-purpose flour
1 Cup finely chopped walnuts

Optional Topping:
3 TB. brown sugar
2 TB. crushed walnuts
1-2 tsp. cinnamon sugar

1.  Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the banana and vanilla. Stir the baking soda into the buttermilk and then add to the batter and mix. Add the flour and nuts and stir the batter until it is just combined. Spoon the batter into a greased and floured muffin tin. For a special touch, combine the topping ingredients in a bowl and sprinkle on the muffin tops before baking. (I simply sprinkled cinnamon-sugar on top of raw muffins before baking.) Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes. Yield: 16

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Salted Caramel Squares

First, Happy Back to the Future Day!  Lol.  Ok, these delicious-looking bars were in the last Penzey's Spices catalog.  The recipe is online too.  This recipe comes from an Irishman, so I guess that makes it Irish!  My layers didn't come out as clean-looking as theirs, but these were still so delicious.  I actually made these for our Canadian Thanksgiving Celebration on October 12. We had some extra kids over and most of them seemed to enjoy these, too.  My kids loved these even through they contain coconut (I didn't tell them until they were all gone.... evil laugh).

You could use a can of Dulce de Leche if you have that on hand, instead of cooking the sweetened condensed milk.  I'd melt the butter and add everything into the DDL if you do that.  I still have some cans of Portuguese DDL I brought over from the Azores, but decided to not use it for this (it's harder to find DDL in Italy... I've only seen it in international stores.

Salted Caramel Squares

adapted from Penzey's

Base:
1 Cup self-rising flour
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1 Cup shredded coconut
1/2 Cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
pinch salt

Caramel:
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
2 TB. Lyle’s golden syrup (use half honey, half corn syrup for a sub)
1 TB. butter
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Chocolate:
16 oz. dark chocolate
1 tsp. butter
1/2- 1 tsp. coarse sea salt

1.  Preheat oven to 360°. In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, coconut, butter, cinnamon (if using) and salt. Mix well on low. Press onto an ungreased rectangular baking sheet (about 10x14; a 9x13 pan would also work), about 1/4-inch thick. Bake at 360° for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool a bit, leaving the oven on.

2.  For the caramel, combine the milk, golden syrup and butter in a small heavy saucepan. Heat over medium, stirring constantly, until big bubbles form and the mix is thickened and a light caramel color, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in the vanilla.  Pour and gently spread over the base. Return to the oven for 10 minutes. Let cool.

3.  For the chocolate, melt the chocolate and butter using a double boiler or in a glass bowl placed over a pot of boiling water. Stir until melted. Pour and spread the chocolate over the cooled caramel. Sprinkle with the sea salt. Refrigerate until the chocolate has set, about 2 hours. Cut and serve.  Tastes best at room temperature.

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Basic Chili

This recipe is from Penzey's Spices.  I order spices from them quite often, and got some Penzey's chili powder recently.  I had some ground beef on hand and felt like making an easy chili, so I found this recipe.  I also adapted it for my slow cooker by adding less liquid.  I also used less beef and more beans according to what I had on hand.  (Still brown the ground beef and onion on the stove top). This made quite a lot, so we had it with some tortilla chips one day, and the next, we had good old-fashioned Frito pies using this chili!  It was all delicious.  I love Frito Pies, especially with homemade chili.

Basic Chili (Slow Cooker)
adapted from Penzey's

1 pound lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced or 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground chipotle powder
1/2-1 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper- optional; I omit for kids
3 TB. chili powder
1 cup water
1 26 oz. can tomato puree (I used Italian "passata" for this; worked perfect)
2 16 oz. cans no salt added chopped tomatoes
3 16 oz. cans beans, drained (I used pinto, cannellini, and black)
salt, to taste

1.  Brown beef in a thick-bottomed skillet.  Add onions and  sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring often. Add red bell pepper and garlic, continuing to cook 2-3 more minutes. Add black pepper, ground cumin, chipotle and hot red pepper to taste plus chili powder, while continually stirring until spices begin to stick to bottom of skillet and brown (about 30-45 seconds). Quickly add 1 cup of water, stirring and scraping the bottom.  Scrape mixture into slow cooker.

2.  To the slow cooker, add tomato puree, chopped tomatoes and the juice they were packed in. Add beans and salt. Add the beef but try not to include any fat that may have accumulated. Stir. Cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or on HIGH for 3-5 hours.

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Greek Yogurt Roasted Chicken

We love making whole roasted chicken around here- the whole fam loves it, even the pickiest one.  I'm starting to think that just one chicken isn't enough for my family anymore, but only one will fit in my tiny oven at a time, lol!  So we just have to make sure there are enough side dishes.  

This was one of the most delicious roasted chicken I've ever had.  The method is so simple- just slather plain Greek yogurt on the chicken and then roast- but the flavor was just amazing.  The skin was roasted to perfection too- crispy and just melt in your mouth.  Yes, I do eat the skin and I admit it!  My favorite part!!  I never touch the wings usually, but that was my favorite part of this chicken.  The chicken was very tender and released a lot of very flavorful juices during cooking- I should make gravy next time and serve it over mashed potatoes.  

This recipe comes from the Penzey's Spice Catalog.  They have some delicious recipes in there- and I order many spices from them.  They have everything!!  For this recipe, I used their Greek seasoning for the first time.  If you don't have that, just use anything you want- they suggest rosemary, freshly ground black pepper, and salt.  

Greek Yogurt Roasted Chicken

adapted from Penzey's 

1 whole roasting chicken (5-8 lbs)

8 oz. plain Greek yogurt (use as much as necessary; I used slightly less)

2-3 tsp. chopped dried rosemary (optional)

1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

1-2 Greek seasoning (use in place of salt and pepper, if using)

1 small lemon

1 small onion, peeled, or 1/4 of a large onion

1.  Place the chicken in a roasting pan and coat thoroughly with yogurt.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.

2.  Preheat oven to 400 F.  Season the chicken with rosemary, salt and pepper (or Greek seasoning), and any optional seasonings.  Wash the lemon ad cut in half, lengthwise.  Place in the cavity of the chicken, and then place the onion in the cavity as well.  

3.  Roast at 400 for 60-75 minutes or until done.  Near the end, you may need to tent with foil if the skin is browning too quickly (but will brown quite a bit).  

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Taco Rice

I spotted this recipe in the Summer 2011 Penzey's Spice Catalog.  Besides offering spices for sale, they also feature different recipes using their spices.  This recipe uses thier taco seasoning, but I just used my own. 

This was very good!  I used brown rice, extra-lean ground beef (97% lean, I think), and light sour cream.  This was popular with the whole fam.  I put everything in separate bowls on the table, and everyone could dish up as much rice, meat, and toppings as they wanted.  I will definitely make this again.  Add whatever toppings you want; be creative!

Taco Rice is actually a Japanese dish, surprisingly!  Actually, it comes from Okinawa.  Check out this Wiki article.

(Update 3/18/2013: I've made this many times since I first posted it, and my whole fam loves this.  I took new photos last time.)

Taco Rice

from Penzey's Spices

2-4 cups cooked rice (I used brown)

1 lb. ground beef or turkey

2-4 Tablespoons taco seasoning

3/4 cup water

Toppings:

salsa

shredded lettuce

shredded Cheddar cheese

chopped onion

sliced black olives

diced avocado

chopped tomatoes

sour cream

1.  Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add ground beef or turkey and cook for 5-10 minutes or until nice and browned, breaking it up into chunks and stirring to brown all sides.  Add the taco seasoning, cook, stirring, for a minute.  Add water, stir to combine, reduce heat to medium, and cook 8-10 minutes until most of the water has been cooked away but mixture is still saucy. 

2.  Serve the taco meat over rice, and top with any and all desired toppings.  Enjoy!

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