Fruit Pizza

I used packaged puff pastry to make this fruit pizza. It makes the fruit pizza taste like cream cheese strudel with fruit. The family LOVED it!

Recipe:

Crust...

cookie sheet sprayed with non stick spray
refrigerator puff pastry, rolled out out on a cookie sheet and bake according to package directions
*Leave rolled out pastry in the over for around 10 minutes. You'll need to check it so it doesn't over bake.

** The package directions on the brand I used were for filled puff pastry baking and I realized to late that leaving the pastry in the oven for the full 15 to 20 minutes was too much.

Let the pastry cool completely. It'll be easier to spread the cream cheese mix on and easier to get the pastry off the pan once cut into squares.

Cream Cheese Spread...

1 package cream cheese (8 oz package) softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Fruit Topping...

2 kiwi peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup halved or cubed strawberries
1 cup fresh blueberries

**Stay away from fruits that turn brown like bananas and apples.

Spread the cream cheese mixture on the cooled puff pastry and then add cut up fruit.

Cut your fruit pizza into squares and serve.

NOTES...

You can use a sugar cookie recipe for the crust just follow the recipe and pat out in a round pizza pan and then bake according to recipe temperature and time.

You can also use the packaged sugar cookie recipe and just do as above.

As always, if you try this recipe or have tried another one, let me know how it went.

Deep Fried Shrimp

I love shrimp but always steam it because it's an easy peasy recipe for me but tonight I thought I would try deep frying it instead. I found the recipe I used in my Betty Crocker 1980's cookbook and thought I would give it a try.

I learned a few tips while making this so follow along and the recipe is at the end.

I had one pound fresh shrimp with shells on so the first thing I did was take the shells off. Trick to this is to pinch the tail until that comes off and then take the rest of the shell off.

The recipe says to get your oil heated as you are prepping. I was using a cast iron Dutch oven and discovered the oil got too hot way before I was done prepping the shrimp.

I found that the flour mixture that is used first in the recipe can be combined in a bowl and poured over the shrimp and then the flour mixture bowl can be used again at the end to put the fried shrimp in once you fried them.

Sorry the pictures blurred. I usually take multiple pictures to ensure a good one but didn't this time. Yikes!

I found it's easiest to put only a few shrimp in the egg mixture at a time and then the key to not having the bread crumbs clump on the shrimp is to shake the excess egg off before dredging the shrimp in the breadcrumbs.

I also found using a spoon to spoon the breadcrumbs over the shrimp was a lot easier then trying to move them around in the breadcrumbs.

Finally, make sure to use a thermometer that reaches at least 375 degrees. I couldn't find mine for the first batch and they were a little on the overdone side. I also discovered that my shrimp cooked in less than 2 minutes like the recipe calls for. That could be because of using the cast iron Dutch oven and because I only cooked small batches at a time. You'll know they're done when they break apart from the clump that they are in when you first submerge them and float to the top. You'll be able to see the brownness of the breadcrumbs.

Here is the recipe...

Deep Fried Shrimp

Vegetable oil for frying
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper or to taste
1 pound shelled shrimp
2 eggs, beaten (the recipe says slightly beaten but I think it's better to beat them fully.)
1 cup dry bread crumbs (I used Progresso parmesan breadcrumbs.)

Get oil ready in deep fryer or dutch oven. Turn temperature on low to begin. Once shrimp are ready to fry, get oil temperature up to 375 degrees F.

Shell shrimp.

Mix flour, salt and pepper. Coat shrimp with flour mixture; dip into beaten eggs, and then coat with bread crumbs. 

Fry until golden brown around 2 minutes or less.

*Recipe from the Betty Crocker Cookbook revised edition 1989.

Thanks for stopping by and let me know if you try this recipe.

iKon i Decide CD Unboxing

Chicken and Spinach easy recipe

I love making fancy recipes but I also love the ease of a quick and easy one and I find Campbell's soups to be a big time saver that makes a terrific comfort food meal.  Here is another one for you to try.

Ingredients for this simple recipe.

1 regular sized Campbell's Cream of Chicken with herbs soup
1/2 soup can of heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 T. minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1 to 2 T. olive oil
4 T. butter
1 bag (22 oz) Tyson already grilled Chicken Breast Strips

1/2 bag of frozen spinach

1 lb. bag of thin spaghetti

Directions:

Cook chicken according to package directions. You can throw it in the pot frozen with the olive oil and let it thaw out and heat in the pan. Break up chicken into small bite size pieces as it becomes tender.

..Place chicken on the side when it's done cooking

Cook spaghetti according to package directions and place on the side.

Using the same frying pan, add 4 T. butter, minced garlic and mushrooms.  Cook them until tender but not overcooked. Add this to the cooked chicken.

Add can of Campbell's Cream of Chicken with herbs soup to same frying pan.

Measure out a half a can of heavy whipping cream and add to soup.

..Use the whisk to mix soup 

Add in grated parmesan cheese and continue to whisk until it's melted.

Add salt, pepper and any other seasoning to taste.

Mix chicken, mushrooms and garlic into the cheese and soup mixture and stir it altogether.

Dump a half a package of frozen Spinach on top. Place a cover on it and let it simmer a few minutes until the spinach is thawed and heated through.

Take off the cover, mix everything together and serve!

A simple comfort food recipe that is fast and yummy. 

STUFFED GREEN PEPPERS WITH CAMPBELL'S SOUP

I went looking in the refrigerator and found a pound of sausage, three cups left over rice, and three green peppers and a red one. What to make for dinner with this? Stuffed green peppers.

This is a quick and simple recipe that is a family pleaser.

RECIPE

3 cups cold rice

6 bell peppers

1 pound ground sausage

1 half sweet or white onion

1 package of mushrooms

2 cans of Campbell's Cheddar Cheese soup

1/2 soup can of milk

1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese plus extra for sprinkling on top

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Slice the tops off the peppers and clean out the seeds and ribs.
• Place the peppers cut side down in a brownie or cake dish. 
• Add 1 1/2 cups of water to the dish.
• Cover the dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
• While peppers are cooking, prepare the sausage as directed on package. Break the meat up while cooking.
• Add the onion to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes or until softened. 
• Add chopped up mushrooms to the sausage and onion mixture and cook that also.
• Add the rice and mix everything together
• Add two cans of Campbell's Cheddar Cheese soup and 1/2 soup can of milk. 
• Mix everything together and then add in 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese and stir everything until the cheese is melted.
• Remove the peppers from the oven and drain off the water. Turn the peppers over and fill each one with the sausage and cheese mixture.
• Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. 
• Sprinkle extra shredded cheese on top of each bell pepper and serve.

If you try this, let me know in the comments what you think. 

Enjoy!

Jearise

Disney Themed Arts and Crafts Party

Our theme for the Sunday, May 31st ZOOM arts and crafts party was DISNEY. It was suppose to be Disney Villains but I am drawing challenged and there was no way I was going to be able to draw one of those Disney bad guys so I made it a more general term - DISNEY.

My Disney themed scarp booking paper from Michael's finally arrived so I thought I would do a Disney scrapbook layout. My friend, Carina, has been to Disney World like 20 times, so I reached out to her for some photos. My colored printer isn't working like is use to so the pictures are on the red side but they worked to get the layout done for now.

These are the full pages I did and here are some close ups of the different embellishments I made. The Mickeys, Mickey's gloves and words are cut out with my Cricut and from Cricut Disney cartridges. The castle is my own design. I used a glitter pen on the castle and glitter glue in red for Mickey.

Here are the other projects that were done by participants in our fun Disney ZOOM party.

Drawing by Mya.

Tracing by Mya.

Drawing by Bev.

Tracing by Bev.

Pencil drawing by Carina.

Acrylic painting by Chris.

Acrylic painting by Chris.

Pencil and chalk drawing by me.

Thanks for stopping by and comment below and I'll share with the other artists. 

Happy day to y'all.

Lorby

On Line Crafting Video Chats

While we've been stuck inside and not able to physically socialize, I decided to get creative and put together an online crafting party. We started in April and meet in a Zoom chat every two weeks and while in the chat we present things we have made. Each meeting has a theme so all projects must involve that theme in some way.

Our firts Zoom Craft event theme was Moon. I don't care what type of art or craft project people do as long as the involve the theme.

Actylic moon painting by Jeairse

Card made using a Cricut cuting machine design by Jearise

Acrylic painting by Chris.

Acrylic painting by Chris.

Quilt block by Tanya

Ink drawing by Carina.

Pencil drawing by Irene.

Acrylic painting by Chris.

Pencil drawing by Jearise.

Cards made by Jearise

Mobile made by Jearise

Pencil drawing by Maurine.

Bear drawing by Maya

Pencil drawing by Maya

Pencil drawing by Mya

 Rock painting by Vicki

Rock painting by Vicki

Great job ladies and look for our May 17th craft/art ZOOM project. I'll have it up in the next few days.