Raspberry Spinach and Pecan salad

Posted on July 15, 2013 by Susan

This delicious and healthy salad goes perfectly with my Bacon Spinach Quiche. Both of these recipes are part of the menu for the blog, Set your Lilliput watches and “Don’t be late.” A writing on how to give a ‘Mad Hatter’s‘ Afternoon Tea, filled with enchantment, ambrosial cuisine, magic, fun and laughter for your loved ones! We all need to let our hair down and enjoy a great time with friends to feel refreshed and pampered! I hope you enjoy this recipe…It’s so easy! 🙂

You will need:

1 large package of fresh and cleaned spinach, 1-2 containers of fresh, washed red raspberries, (you can also substitute with fresh sliced strawberries,) 1-2 small packages of pecan halves, (depending on how large your salad is,) ground black pepper and salt to taste, and your savory dressing.

There are some extraordinary recipes for a Raspberry Walnut dressing…I personally adore the ‘Ken’s Steak House, Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette’ from the grocer. Prepare your salad ahead of time in a pretty salad bowl and refrigerate. About 10 minutes before your lunch is served, take your salad out and toss with the Raspberry Vinaigrette. (The amount of dressing you use is up to you…) Salt and Pepper to taste! Have fun! This salad would be delicious with an ice cold glass of Raspberry tea, and a delicious French Baguette accompanied by creamy, soft butter. 🙂

Additional Link(s): Salad Recipe Books

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***If you would like to learn more about the purpose of the newly incorporated links withing Living Winsomely, please read the blog, “WE NOW HAVE LINKS,” under the category file. Thank you. 🙂

Susan’s Bacon and Spinach quiche.

Posted on July 15, 2013 by Susan

This quiche along with the Raspberry, Spinach Pecan salad, are from my blog; Set Your Lilliput watches and “Don’t be late.”(An afternoon Mad Hatter’s Tea.) All of us need a reprieve, a time to laugh, be crazy, let our hair down, ( and put our hats on,) 🙂 and just have fun! Some of the best motifs for our parties or afternoon Teas for ladies are influenced by the renowned and classical fairy-tales, such as Alice and Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty, The Wizard of OZ, Peter Pan and the memorable Captain Hook. (And a treasury of so many more.) There is a passel of so many wondrous themes for some fabulous get-together’ s with your loved ones! Enjoying competitive games, door prizes, mystery, delicious cuisine and convivial spirit is what rejuvenates our spirits to be able to do the things in life we are committed to! (What I call ‘the have-to’s”. 🙂

A sure to win, crowd pleasing recipe, my homemade Bacon Spinach Quiche! Revel in each savory bite! 🙂

You will need the following ingredients for one quiche...if you are making two for your party or afternoon Tea, just double this recipe.

5 large eggs, 1 cup of heavy cream, 1/3 cup of half and half, 1 bag bag of shredded Monterrey-cheddar cheese, 1 frozen package of “steam-able” spinach, 1 package of a nice cut of bacon, (not to thin,) 1-2 green onions , chopped, salt and pepper to taste, a touch of Tabasco, butter, 2 Pillsbury pie doughs in the refrigerated section at your grocer. (They come two to a package.) *** A dash of nutmeg if you would like …

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Take your 5 eggs… Crack three whole eggs into your bowl, then your last two eggs, you only want the yolks… whisk until blended. Measure your 1 cup of heavy cream and 1/3 of half and half, add to your bowl and whisk with your eggs….add salt and pepper to taste, as well as your Tabasco and a dash of nutmeg if you prefer a tad bit of sweetness.) Set side.

Cook your package of bacon and drain on paper towels. (Keep a little bit of the bacon grease in the pan. ) On the lowest heat, add 1 Tbs of butter in the pan and allow to melt. Add your chopped green onion, (on low heat) cook for a few minutes…do not allow it to get to browned…You just want it slightly sauteed.

Place your steam-able bag of spinach in the microwave and cook as package directs.

Place a Tbsp. of flour on the bottom of your pie plate, (deep dish preferred, but you can use a regular pie dish, I just do not recommend a foil pie plate. ) Shake the flour evenly around the bottom of your pie plate. Take one pie shell dough out, unfold it and place it on the pie plate, fitting it to the pan and don’t forget to pinch the edges for that beautiful pie finish. 🙂 Place your sauteed, chopped green onion in with the bacon drippings mixed with the butter in the bottom of the quiche. (There should not be a lot of liquid, approx 2 Tbsp.) Next, place your spinach upon your pie dough, distributing evenly. Only use half of the spinach and save the rest for your second quiche, or if you are just making one pie, use about 2/3 of your spinach. Break up your cooled and cooked bacon into bite size pieces…place half of your bacon on top of all the spinach if you are making two quiches. If you are only making one, use up most of your bacon, and keep some for a salad or snack. ( Again, it is up to your tastes.) 🙂 Quickly whisk up your egg and cream mixture again, and pour it over your one bacon and spinach pie…cover the top of your quiche with the shredded cheese… Place your quiche in the preheated oven and bake for 40-45 minutes…(All ovens vary so check it at this time and if your knife comes out clean and the center looks done, take it out to cool. When cooking two, it may take a few minutes longer. Keep watching and checking so you don’t over cook your quiche(s).

The amount of cheese you want to put on your quiche is entirely up to your taste. Same thing with the spinach and bacon…for one quiche, I use the entire bag, but for two, I use half on each pie. I cook up about 2/3 of the bacon for one quiche and an entire package for two…everything else is just as it is written above for one quiche.

This is a very easy quiche to prepare and is sure to be a big hit with your friends.

*** The Raspberry Spinach Pecan salad is under the category of “Unforgettable recipes as well.) 🙂

Bon Appetit!’

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My ‘Punahele’ Hawaiian Banana Nut Bread

Posted on July 4, 2013 by Susan

In creating my last writing on “decorating your kitchen in a Mary Engelbreit style,” I decided that this delicious, happy, crowd pleasing and felicitous bread would be the perfect recipe to put within the blog…something that Mary herself would bake, but I used my own recipe. (Again my husbands and families favorite!) 🙂

Mary Engelbriet, also M.E., is a brilliantly talented artist who not only creates her own fabrics, but is a sensational graphic artist, winsome home decorator, cook, painter, author, wife and mom as well as the creator of an abundance of playful, chromatic and nostalgic home decor items. Her designs bring forth an ambiance of laughter, cheerfulness, smiles, and pure happiness. Her decor is certainly at best, a non narcotic mood-changer! 🙂 Here are a few examples of her talented artwork!

Mary’s two dining rooms in her lovely home! All I can say is WOW! 🙂

My ‘Punahele,’ Hawaiian Banana Nut Bread. Punahele means “Favorite ” in the Hawaiian language! 🙂 This would be a choice, delicious and welcoming confection to serve for your guests and family with a pot of tea, in your newly decorated M.E. Kitchen… 🙂 (or any kitchen for that mater!) 🙂

YOU WILL NEED:

3 cups of all purpose flour, 3/4 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. baking soda, 2 Cups of sugar, 1-2 tsp. of cinnamon, 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, 3 eggs, beaten, 1 cup of vegetable oil, 1 cup of coconut, 2 Tbsp. of vanilla extract, 2 cups of ripened and soft bananas, 1 ( 8 oz.) can of crushed pineapple, drained.

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350. Grease two 9×5 baking pans. In a large bowl, combine all of your dry ingredients. ( The flour, salt, sugar, baking soda and cinnamon. ) Stir together. In a second large bowl add all of your moist ingredients… (The 3 eggs already beaten, oil, mashed bananas, vanilla and coconut. ) Mix well until blended.

Fold your moist ingredients after blended into your dry ingredients, stir until blended. Fold in nuts and pour into your two greased pans… Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick or knife inserted into your bread comes out clean. You do not want to over cook this bread… so watch and test it carefully from 45 minutes on… Every ones ovens are different. 🙂 When done, allow to cool for about 15 minutes and then remove from the pans. I always give the first slice to my husband, hot, with melted butter…He loves it with his lattes. 🙂 It’s a delicious, healthy and felicitous bread!

ENJOY!

Bunnie-luscious Coconut Carrot cake

Posted on June 30, 2013 by Susan

Here are some of your beloved childhood rabbits from all the classic fairy tales….which one is your favorite? I always favored Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby, as my grandmother told it to me all the time with such animation. 🙂 Uncle Remus was a great folklore writer.

We are blessed to have a wealth of “muses” to rely upon to help us conjure up creative ideas as to how we want to decorate our havens. Nostalgia is a wondrous troubadour for creating… Whenever I see the ancient, colossal Oak trees with their beards of hanging Spanish moss or read novella’s with stories about the romantic and remote Murrels Inlet or Pawleys island, I get so nostalgic for the South, as a good portion of my heritage is from there. When ever I see ‘The Wizard of OZ,’ I begin to get a little maudlin and sentimental…it’s almost like a sudden down pour of rain…I reminisce about all the joyous times my large family would huddle up together on the couch to watch the scary flying monkeys… I would always shut my eyes tight whenever the wicked witch appeared in her evil, dark aura. The same thing happen when I go to Barnes and Nobles and browse through the Children’s book section…seeing all the beloved stories from my childhood. (Especially all the Folklore with the prominent and mischievous Rabbits in them.) Who can forget Beatrix Potters, Peter Cottontail,? Uncle Remus’ Brer Rabbit, and the Velveteen Rabbit who learns that becoming real is not as easy as he thought, (but surely worth it.) 🙂 In my vignette on the “Enchanted kitchen,” I hope to inspire each reader with ideas to turn there room of ‘cooking and creation’ into an ambiance and aureole of a childhood, enchanted forest.You know, the place where the trees roamed the timberland’s and spoke elegantly of their poignant domain, the kaleidoscopic flowers sang such beautiful, whimsical melodies and the fireflies would dance as they brilliantly glowed, fluttering around the garish weeping willow trees all year long? These are the fairy lands that brought so much comfort to us as youngsters and still do, when we allow the blissful memories to emerge…So why not create a room that takes you back in a time ?

With each Kitchen Blog, I am sharing a recipe conducive to the decor of that particular “cucino.” For this kitchen, I am sharing my “much loved” recipe for a very delicious Coconut carrot cake. I hope you enjoy it!

The Best Carrot Cake in the World! It’s bunny – luscious 🙂

You will need; 2 cups all purpose (unsifted) flour, 2 ½ tsp. Baking soda, 2 tsp. Cinnamon , 1 tsp. Salt, 1 cup oil, 2 cups sugar, 3 eggs, 1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple in juice, 2 cups grated carrots, 1 cup shredded coconut, and ½ cup chopped pecans.

Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in bowl, set aside.

In another bowl beat oil and eggs and sugar until well blended. Add flour mixture, beat until smooth. Blend in remaining ingredients and pour into greased 10 inch tube pan or 13×9 inch pan. Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan then remove and frost.

Frosting, (This is the good part.) 🙂 You will need:

1 (3 oz) package cream cheese, 3 cups of powdered sugar, 1 cup shredded coconut,¼ cup butter + another ¼ cup of butter, 1 tsp vanilla and milk or half and half.

Saute coconut in melted butter until golden brown. Spread out on an absorbent paper towel, allow to cool. Cream ¼ cup butter with cream cheese. Add 3 cups of powdered sugar alternatively with the milk and vanilla, beating until smooth. Add half of your browned coconut and stir into frosting. After your cake is frosted, top with the remaining browned coconut! (I use Coffee Mates liquid vanilla creamer and half and half cream instead of milk, and I still use the vanilla.) I also use a tad more butter, creme cheese and coconut than the recipe calls for…This cake freezes extremely well and tastes just as fresh, when thawed.

If you are serving this for an intimate dinner party or :Mad Hatters” afternoon tea, it looks beautiful on a lovely cake plate.

Enjoy!!!!!!

Additional Links: More Cake Plates

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***If you would like to learn about about the newly incorporated links withing Living Winsomely, please read the blog, “WE NOW HAVE LINKS,” in the category file. Thank you, 🙂

Spicy and delicious Guacamole.

Posted on June 27, 2013 by Susan

In America and all around the world, we have so many superb and diverse CHEFS to bless our pallets, create romantic evenings for us and allow us to abandon the hustle and bustle of our daily lives and enjoy a choice and excellent home cooked meal , amongst a magical, enchanting ambiance. Not only are there word-renowned chefs, but there are also many chefs ‘lying wait’ within many of us…My husband and I love to create, research and try new recipes, create up a myriad of concoctions and cook together in our kitchen. No it’s not gourmet, but it’s ours. 🙂 If you would like to read more on the “Chef’s Dream,” (a kitchen created for a chef,) be sure to check out the blog when you have a chance, in the category file. For each kitchen I am writing about, I am also sharing a recipe that is advantageous to it’s alluring theme. This is a recipe created by a famous “CHEF.” 🙂

Here is a delicious new Guacamole sauce for all of you “spicy people” out there. I hope you enjoy it.

This recipe is for homemade guacamole sauce. It is great for soft tacos, Tostado salads, chicken burritos, fresh pico de gallo and chips. It also perfect for a Sunday brunch with Mexican omelets, fresh fruit and home fries. I hope you like it. 🙂

YOU WILL NEED;

3 Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
1 lime, juiced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced

Directions ;

In a large bowl place the scooped avocado pulp and lime juice, toss to coat. Drain, and reserve the lime juice, after all of the avocados have been coated. Using a potato masher, add the salt, cumin, and cayenne and mash. Then, fold in the onions, jalapeno, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved lime juice. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour and then serve.

This recipe is from Food Chef John Alton.

Living Winsomely

A site to share home decorating ideas as well as ways to bring an abundance of beauty into your lives.

Category Archives: Unforgettable recipes

Raspberry Spinach and Pecan salad

Susan’s Bacon and Spinach quiche.

My ‘Punahele’ Hawaiian Banana Nut Bread

Bunnie-luscious Coconut Carrot cake

Spicy and delicious Guacamole.