1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked
1 1/2 quart fresh strawberries
1 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1. Arrange half of strawberries in baked pastry shell. Mash remaining berries and combine with sugar in a medium saucepan. Place saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water. Gradually stir cornstarch mixture into boiling strawberry mixture. Reduce heat and simmer mixture until thickened, about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour mixture over berries in pastry shell. Chill for several hours before serving. In a small bowl, whip cream until soft peaks form. Serve each slice of pie with a dollop of whipped cream.

2 lbs. boneless round steak, 1/2″ thick
1 tsp. ground pepper
2/3 C. teriyaki sauce
1/3 C. soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp. instant meat tenderizer
1/8 tsp. garlic powder

Directions:

Sprinkle round steak with pepper; pierce at 1 inch intervals with a meat fork. Place in a large shallow container. Combine the remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour over steak. Cover dish and marinate for 8 to 10 hours or overnight in refrigerator. Grill over hot coals 3 to 5 minutes on each side or until done as desired. Makes 6 servings.

Makes 4 servings, 6 Points

Ingredients:
1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed of all visible fat
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
3 cups broccoli florets
1 medium carrot, sliced on the diagonal
1/4 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce

To Make:
With a sharp knife, cut the pork into 1 1/2″ x 1/4″ strips and place in a bowl. Add the soy sauce, sherry, and cornstarch; toss to combine.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli, carrot, and pepper flakes. Cook, stirring often, for 3 to 4 minutes.

Remove to a plate. Add the ginger and garlic to the pan and cook for 1 minute more.

Stir in the pork and cook for 4 minutes, or until the pork is no longer pink. Add the broccoli mixture to the pan and toss for 1 minute. Add the orange juice and hoisin sauce and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook for 1 minute more, stirring to coat, until the mixture thickens slightly.

Per serving: 267 calories, 16 g carbohydrates, 26 g protein, 10 g total fat, 75 mg cholesterol, 3 g dietary fiber, 580 mg sodium

1 stick butter, melted
1 c. sugar
2 heaping tbsp. cocoa
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. flour
Nuts, if desired

Mix first 3 ingredients. Beat in eggs. Add vanilla, flour and nuts. Bake in greased glass pie plate for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve with vanilla ice cream and Hot Fudge Sauce (see below).

SAUCE:

1 1/2 c. sugar
4 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. cocoa
1 1/2 c. water
1/4 c. butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Blend together sugar, flour and cocoa in medium mixing bowl. Bring water to boil in medium saucepan. Add sugar mixture; stir until smooth. Add butter; simmer over low flame 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in vanilla. Makes 2 to 2 1/4 cups.

Source: Cracker Barrel Restaurant - Phoenix, Arizona

1 1/2 quarts milk
1 1/4 cups liquid eggs
1/4 cup imitation vanilla extract
1 1/8 cups flour
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
12 ounces Nilla Wafers
1 3/4 bananas, peeled
8 ounces Cool Whip®

Heat milk in pot to 170 degrees F.

Mix eggs, vanilla extract, flour and sugar in separate container. Add mixture to milk; cook until custard-like, stirring constantly.

Spread Nilla Wafers on bottom of baking pan. Slice bananas and place over Nilla Wafers. Pour custard over cookies and bananas; cool.

Spread Cool Whip over top.

Contributed by: NewsUSA

Cook Simply for the Two of You

With eggs in the fridge, it’s easy to add a welcome change of pace to your menus. Eggs can also help you include more vegetables in your diet, as the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend. Quiche in Pepper Pots is a good example of an entree that combines egg protein with the vitamins, minerals and fiber of veggies.

These novel individual quiches are easy on the cook, too. Simply choose any colorful vegetable blend you like to fill the peppers, pour on an egg-and-milk custard and bake. Got company coming? Then just multiply the recipe to suit the number of servings you need.

For fast, nutritious eating other times, you can use the remaining eggs you have on hand in a variety of ways. Toss slices or wedges of hard-cooked eggs with greens and other veggies for a main-dish salad; poach eggs right in your favorite soup; reheat leftover pasta and veggies and pour on eggs to make a skillet scramble; or visit www.aeb.org for other simple, satisfying recipe ideas.

Ingredients:
2 medium (about 4 oz. each) green, yellow or sweet red peppers
1/2 cup (about 8 oz.) frozen vegetable blend, thawed
2 eggs
1/4 cup skim or low-fat milk
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning, crushed

Cut tops off peppers and remove seeds. Sawtooth or scallop pepper edges, if desired. Stand peppers upright in custard cups or muffin-pan cups. Spoon 1/4 cup of the vegetables into each pepper. In small bowl, beat together eggs, milk and seasonings until well blended. Pour about 1/3 cup of the egg mixture over vegetables in each pepper.

Bake in preheated 325 degree F oven until knife inserted near center comes out clean, about 60 to 70 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 2 Servings
Nutritional Information: Per Serving (1/2 recipe using green and yellow peppers; broccoli, sweet red pepper, mushroom and onion vegetable blend; and skim milk): 119 calories, 5 gm total fat, 213 mg cholesterol, 89 mg sodium, 283 mg potassium, 10 gm carbohydrate, 9 gm protein and 10% or more of the RDI for vitamins A, B12 and C, riboflavin, phosphorus

Breakfast Cornbread    

2 Cups of Yellow Cornmeal

1 1/2 Cups Flour

2 Tsp. Baking Powder

1 Tsp. Baking Soda

2 Cups of Milk

1/4 Cup of Melted Butter

1 Lb. Breakfast Sausage (I like mild)

1 Large Onion, chopped fine

2 Cups of Grated Cheddar Cheese

1 Doz. Eggs

(Optional) 1-3 Large Japeleno Peppers, chopped extra fine (I prefer with seeds)

Directions:

Using a 12-14″ Dutch Oven, brown the sausage. Drain the fat, leaving approx. 3 Tablespoons. Since we don’t add cooking oil to the cornbread, this will help prevent sticking. Mix cornmeal, flour, baking soda, baking powder, milk, butter & sausage in the dutch oven. While stirring, beat in the eggs, onions and peppers. Finally fold in the cheese. Cook at 350 degrees until done. (Approx 30 min.)

Ingredients:

Ravioli
40 very thin slices peeled bleeding heart radish, each at least 1
1/2 inches in diameter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Celtic sea salt
1 1/4 cups Herb Cheese (see below)
2 large very ripe yellow tomatoes, seeded and cut into medium dice
2 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sherry wine vinegar
Celtic sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons fresh opal bail flowers or micro leaves

Herb Cheese
Yield 1 1/4 cups
1 cup Cashew Cheese (see recipe below)
4 teaspoons filtered water
1 teaspoon minced shallot
1/4 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon large flake nutritional yeast
1/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

Instructions:

The Ravioli
Use a 2-inch ring mold to cut each radish slice into a perfect
round. Rub the radish slices with the olive oil and lemon juice and
season with salt. Place 1 tablespoon of the cheese in the center of
half of the radish slice. Carefully place a second radish slice on
top of the spoonful of cheese and gently press the outer edges
together to create a seal. Repeat to make 20 ravioli in all.

Combine the tomatoes, chives, olive oil, and vinegar in a bowl and
mix gently. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

The Herb Cheese
Combine the Cashew Cheese, water, shallot, lemon juice, yeast, and
1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl and stir until thoroughly mixed. Stir
in the basil and thyme until evenly distributed. Taste and adjust
with additional salt, if needed. Use immediately, or store in a
covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

To Serve
Using a slotted spoon, spoon one-fourth of the tomato mixture into
the center of each plate. Arrange 5 ravioli over the tomatoes,
overlapping them slightly. Spoon some of the juices from the
tomatoes on top. Sprinkle with the basil flowers.

Serves 4

Puerto Rican Inspired Pork Roast

1 Pork Shoulder Roast 4-5 lbs.

1 Carrot Chopped coarsely

2 Onions Chopped very coarsely

6 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons dried Oregano

1 tablespoons ground Cumin

1 tablespoons Chili Powder

1 tablespoons Salt

1 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar

Olive Oil as needed

2 cups Vegetable Stock (Adjust liquid based on your pressure cooker instructions.)

Trim any excess fat from the roast. Score the remaining fat.

In a blender or food processor add: carrots, half of the onions, garlic, oregano, cumin, chili powder, salt, black pepper and vinegar. Pulse to make a coarse paste adding olive oil as needed to assist in blending.

Coat the roast entirely with all the paste mixture.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 12 hours.

Add stock to Pressure Cooker

Add roast and remaining onions

Cover and cook on meat setting (or high pressure) for 50 minutes. Use natural release. Note: For making pulled pork sandwiches add 20 minutes to cooking time.

Skim off fat from the juice.

Serve with rice or noodles.

If you ever wanted to be a groupie, here is your chance….follow Judy Davids and read her book, Rock Star Mommy 

As a fellow Baby Boomer Diva within the Boomer Diva Nation, I wanted to joined in share about Judy Davids’ book, Rock Star Mommy with my readers. I asked Judy a few questions about her writing journey and here are her answers.

 I am anxious to read your book. I’m sure this is covered in your book, but how do you schedule your time between family, the band and traveling? 

It’s difficult to do it all, so touring with the band doesn’t happen much. Occasionally, we do “road trips” where we’ll do an out of town show, but we’ve never done the bit where you wake up in a different city every night for a month on some stranger’s floor. We’re way too old for that. Plus we don’t want to be known as the “mom band” that leaves their kids!

Who writes your music? 

Most of it is written by our lead singer’s husband John Rasmussen. He channels his inner “mommy” who seems to be very angry. He’s very funny. (He used to be a stand up comedian.) He’s written us songs like “Soccer Mom Stomp”, “Take Out the Trash” and “Never Mind the Laundry”. I write lyrics occasionally and he puts them to music.

How did you promote the band in the beginning?

With guerilla marketing! We passed out flyers. Hung posters in grocery stores, day care centers, soccer domes….you name it. We also printed up dozens of t-shirts and had our kids wear them EVERYWHERE!

Where was your first invitation to perform? 

The first place we performed was at a club called The End of the Park. They do an open-mic night and bands come in and play 3 songs. We met the host of the event in a bar. He was born in 1978–the same year I graduated from high school so I felt we had a lot in common. (LOL) He convinced us to play even though we only knew two songs. We rose to the challenge, learned a third song, and played. Musically, we were a disaster but we packed the venue. I guess all those posters worked.

What is your greatest moment in life? 

Just yesterday my seventh grader said “Mom, they do this thing called Career Day at school and a lot of kids said ‘You should have your mom come in’.” He seemed proud of me and it made me so happy. My real “day job” is a desk job in the world of gray corporate cubeland, so I’m glad I found something exciting to do with my life and, OF COURSE, I’m glad I had my two kids and that I don’t embarass them too much. 

What is one thing you wished you had done in your life? 

I wish I would have gone to radio broadcasting school and I was a morning drive on-air personality. That job would work for me on so many levels. I’m an early morning person and I love to talk, brag about my kids, laugh, and I love music, and I’m obsessed with pop culture. It’s the only job I can think of that pays you to love all those things and you don’t have to get dressed up and wear makeup because no one sees you!

Do you plan on writing more books?

Yes. My husband, John Davids,  is an architect and we have a really funky house. Recently a reporter interviewed me and said “Does your house look like this because you’re in a band?” (My house looks like Pee Wee’s Playhouse.) I and told him “No” that the house came first. It’s an expression of who we are and all the things we love. John and I want to do a book called “Hot Rod Your Home” with some simple DIY projects. (You can see our house on HGTV at http://mydols.com/hgtv.htm.)

Yesterday the Judy Davids’ blog tour was located with Heidi Richards at http://virtualwomensday.blogspot.com

And tomorrow the blog tour continues with Heidi Caswell at http://connectsimply.com/blog

And if you would like to read Judy’s book for yourself, get it at http://www.judydavids.com