Strawberry Nutella Crepe Stackers

I had never had Nutella until about a year ago. Some good friends invited us over for dinner and dessert was warm french bread spread with some Nutella. I was instantly smitten. In fact I may have consumed an entire jar and loaf of french bread the following week. I've learned to temper my addiction since then, but there is always a jar in my pantry, and when I see a Nutella inspired recipe my heart beats just a little bit faster.

This was my dish for this month's cooking club. The theme this month was strawberries, and this was a real winner! I wanted something that was small enough to eat without utensils, and while this was good, I think next time I might try to bake the cooked crepes in a muffin tin to make sturdy little cups. I also think that I would toast the hazelnut before grinding next time so that it brings out the flavor a little more.

Strawberry Nutella Crepes

1/2 c flour

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1 tablespoon ground hazelnuts (use a food processor)

1 tablespoon pureed strawberries

1 egg

3/4 c milk

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon butter, melted

Mix everything together & pour batter in small 1 inch rounds on a skillet heated on medium. Cook on both sides until lightly browned.

Strawberry sauce

1 c strawberries

1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon orange juice

1/2 teaspoon corn starch

Puree everything together in a small food processor. Pour into a small saucepan and cook on medium heat until sauce is bubbling and has thickened.

Strawberry Nutella Crepe Stackers

Strawberry Nutella Crepes

Strawberry sauce

sliced strawberries

Nutella

ground hazelnuts

Place a strawberry slice on each crepe. Top with a dollop of Nutella. Pour a bit of strawberry sauce over it. Top with a tiny sprinkle of ground hazelnuts.

Source

Inspired by Closet Cooking

Zucchini "Cookies"

These were really good. I really enjoyed the way these tasted even though Philip said they weren't his favorite. Michaela absolutely loooooved these little things. Shhh, come close and I'll tell you why.

I may have told her they were cookies.

Yeah, I know that tricking your kids into eating vegetable by telling them they are something else isn't the best idea. But she ate them. 'Nuf said.

I may have also coerced her into eating the rest of dinner by telling her she could have more cookies if she finished. Don't judge, she actually ate meat because of this!

Ingredients

1 zucchini, shredded finely

1 tablespoon flour

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1 egg

1/4 cup cheese, shredded

Directions

Mix all ingredients together, then form into patties. Fry the patties in a skillet in a scant amount of canola oil until browned.

Source

Itty Bitty Bistro

Real World Wednesday - Calabazitas

This is one of my favorite side dishes to make whenever we have enchiladas. I love squash and that taste mixed with corn and green chile is oh so delicious. Not to mention this is super easy to put together!

Ingredients*
1/4 c onion
1 clove garlic
1 zuchinni
1 yellow crookneck squash
1/2 c corn (frozen or stripped from the cob)
1/4 c green chile, roasted, peeled, and chopped
1/8 c milk
1/2 c cheese (cheddar or pepperjack)

Directions
Saute the onion, garlic, squashes and green chile in a little bit of olive oil. When tender, add corn & stir. Put in a casserole dish or pyrex bowl, add milk, cover with cheese, and place in 350 oven just until cheese is melted.

*Measurements in this recipe are approximate. I just do it to taste, and adjust the measurements based on how many I'm serving, their tolerance for green chile, etc. Trust me, there's not much you can do too mess up this dish. Any combination of the ingredients would be tasty!

Strawberry Mousse

Strawberries were on sale for .97/lb last week, so I've been on a pretty big strawberry kick. This was the perfect light dessert and tasted great served with graham crackers for dipping. I think this would be yummy atop pound cake too.

Ingredients

1lb strawberries, rinsed & hulled

juice from 1/2 lemon

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c whipping cream

4 egg whites

pinch of salt

Directions

Puree strawberries, lemon juice & sugar. In a seperate bowl whip cream until stiff, then mix gently with strawberry mixture. Beat egg whites and salt until stiff in a seperate bowl. Fold gently into berry mixture. Refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.

Source

Easy French Food

Blackberry Fauxjito

One of my favorite drinks back before I was a full-time breeder/nurser was a mojito. In fact, every time I smell fresh mint, I am instantly transported back to our honeymoon in Puerto Vallarta where I lay by the ocean and sipped a continuous stream of refreshing Mojitos. Yum. I was looking for ways to use up some blackberries when I ran across this recipe and I couldn't resist! This was delicious, and was almost as good as a real one. :)

Ingredients

1/4 c blackberries

6 large mint leaves or equivalent smaller

2 teaspoons sugar

juice from 1/2 lime

crushed ice, enough to fill glass 3/4 full

lime sparkling water

Directions

Muddle blackberries, mint leaves, sugar & lime juice in a glass. Add crushed ice. Pour sparkling water over ice, stir a bit, and serve!

Source

SlashFood and CD Kitchen

Crab Fondue

The theme this month for my cooking club was fondue. I was afraid everyone would be bringing a sweet dish, so I decided to try a savory one. This was pretty good, but it tasted a bit tangy. I think I put too much lemon in it, and also I probably should have used regular mayonnaise instead of Miracle Whip. I think with these changes it would be fantastic.

Ingredients
18 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 c mayonnaise
1 tsp mustard
2 tbsp powdered sugar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1-2 tsp Cajun seasoning
1/2 c white wine
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
3/4lb lump crab meat, fresh or canned
1/4 c chives, chopped
day old french bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
pears, sliced

Directions
Mix all ingredients and place in an electric fondue pot or double broiler on medium-low heat, except bread and pears. Stir continuously until everything is melted and well combined. Serve with bread and pear slices.

Notes
I don't have a double broiler, so I boiled water in a saucepan, and placed the ingredients in a metal bowl placed over the boiling water.

Source
Adapted from Simply Recipes

Strawberry Banana Bites

I woke up yesterday morning and realized that every single skillet in my house was dirty. Iusually make scrambled eggs for Michaela's breakfast, but ever since we got our new dishwasher, I try as hard as possible not to wash dishes by hand. I immediately thought of this recipe, and whipped up a quick batch. I made some "normal" ones, then added some pureed strawberries to the batter to make these Strawberry Banana versions. I imagine this would be delicious with any type of pancake batter. These are so yummy and easy to make. The banana caramelizes a bit and they are the perfect size for little hands. Michaela couldn't put them down!

Ingredients

pancake mix, boxed or homemade

strawberries, pureed

bananas, sliced

syrup (optional)

Directions

Prepare pancake batter as normal, exept replace 1/2 liquid with pureed strawberries. Pour pancake batter onto hot greased griddle about the size of a banana slice. Put a banana slice on top, then cover with more batter, flipping when bubbles start to appear. Alternately, you could coat the banana slices in batter, then cook on griddle. You could serve with syrup, but they were pretty sweet as is, so I didn't bother.

Source

Adapted from Weelicious