Mini Cheesecakes

We were having some friends over

for dinner tonight and I wanted a

quick, good dessert.

I love using my ramekins or

martini glasses for individual desserts.

I decided to make some no bake,

individual cheesecakes with 

red raspberries on top.

 Press the crust in ramekin with the bottom of a spoon.

 Fill with cream cheese filling and top with raspberries.

Mini Cheesecakes

Crust

1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

2 Tbsp. sugar

3 Tbsp. butter, melted

2 shakes of cinnamon

Mix together with a fork and press two rounded

tablespoons into each ramekin.

Filling

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. lemon juice

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped

1/4 cup milk

Beat together cream cheese, sugar, vanilla,

and lemon juice. In another bowl beat whipping cream

until it holds soft peaks. Then add to cream cheese mixture

and add the milk to thin it down a little.

Beat just until combined.

Spoon over crust and chill for several hours.

Top with fruit of your choice.

Enjoy,

Hope

Pulled Pork BBQ

Well, here is the second barbecue
recipe within two weeks. 

Summer must be on my mind.

I was trying to think of a way to

do pulled pork barbecue

 within an hour and found

a recipe online that said you

can cook it on your stove top.

Sometimes when I cook it's good,

but not quite what I had imagined.

Tonight was a night the 

imagination turned out right. 

 I bought a 2.5 lb. pork tenderloin and cut it into 

smaller pieces so it would fit in my kettle.

Mix together rub and sprinkle on all sides.

 Add a quarter inch of olive oil to your kettle and

sear all sides of the pork until browned.

 Then drain oil off of the pork and add...

Beer. Yes, it's beer. Beer is a wonderful way to tenderize meats. 

 Beer tenderizes by penetrating and breaking down fatty and non-fat tissues. 

The alcohol burns off during the cooking process, yielding a flavorful 

taste and rich color to any meat.

 Pour the beer over your pork, at first it will be foamy.

Leave your burner on medium and cover your kettle.

Simmer for 1 hour.

This is what you will find after an hour.

Remove pork from skillet and start...

 ... pulling the pork apart with forks.

Add to your simmering barbecue sauce.

Let simmer a few minutes.

Spoon on a bun and top with some slaw.

It's bound to make someone happy.

Pulled Pork Barbecue

1- 2.5 lb. pork tenderloin

olive oil

Rub

1 tsp. paprika

2 tsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. dry mustard

1 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp. seasoned salt

1- 24 oz. can of beer

Mix together rub ingredients and sprinkle all over the pork.

Heat a quarter inch of olive oil in a kettle and

sear pork on all sides until brown.

Drain off oil. Pour beer over pork and cook

on medium heat, covered, for one hour.

Meanwhile make the barbecue sauce

in another pan.

Barbecue Sauce

3/4 cup of ketchup

1/3 cup vinegar

1/2 cup water

3 T. brown sugar

2 tsp. dry mustard

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp. lemon juice

1/4 tsp. liquid smoke

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 cup onion, chopped

Mix together and simmer on low until you are

ready to add the pulled pork.

After the pork is done pull it apart

with two forks and add to the barbecue sauce.

Simmer for a few minutes and serve

on a bun with slaw.

Blessings,

Hope

Chicken Salad

I had today off!

I am taking Tuesdays off

this summer to garden and can.

Needless to say I am super excited.

I spent the day washing, cleaning,

weeding and planting.

My sister spent the day here

with me so I whipped up some

chicken salad for lunch.

I love chicken salad.

 Arrange Throw ingredients in a bowl and mix.

Chill for 15 minutes.

Grab a jar of limeade and head outside to eat.

Chicken Salad

1- 12.5 oz. can of chicken breast

1/2 cup mayo

1/4 cup sweet pickle, chopped

1/4 cup onion, diced

4 eggs, hard boiled and diced

 1 stalk of celery, chopped

1/2 tsp. seasoned salt

 1/2 tsp. pepper

1 Tbsp. honey

2 tsp. vinegar

1/2 tsp. dry mustard

Mix together and chill in the refrigerator

for 15 minutes. Serve on bread or crackers,

or whatever you choose. 

 Don't be afraid to conquer your biggest fears.

It's hilarious to watch these two play.

Charlie literally sits on Duke's head and

Duke knows to play nice with his little friend.

Blessings,

Hope

Sweet Riley

I took some portraits of my

sweet lil' cousin, Riley this evening.

It was hands down the easiest

photo session I have ever done.

He is full of smiles.

A sweet baby indeed.

His Mom wanted a black and white

photo to match portraits

of her other two children.

Blessings,

Hope

Barbecue Ribs

I love anything barbecued.

Ribs, chicken and all sorts of things.

This is a rib recipe I have used for

years, and it's so good I don't

try any other rib recipes.

I fixed ribs for Joshua's birthday

one year when we were dating

and have kept the recipe ever since.

Mix together rub ingredients and sprinkle on

all sides of the ribs. Let set 2 hours.

I just had 30 minutes to spare and that worked fine.

After baking 1 hour at 300, drain off grease.

Top with your barbecue sauce and

bake at 350 for 1 hour more.

Savory and delicious.

 Run get your fork and dig in.

Barbecue Ribs

1 large rack of Pork Spare Ribs

Rub

1 Tbsp. salt

2 Tbsp. pepper

3 Tbsp. brown sugar

Mix together and rub on all sides of the the ribs.

Let set for 2 hours.

Place ribs in a large roasting pan and add 1 inch of water.

Cover and roast at 300 for 1 hour.

Drain the grease and top with the barbecue sauce

Barbecue Sauce

  

1 cup ketchup

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp. liquid smoke

1/4 tsp. red pepper

1 tsp. ground mustard

2 Tbsp. orange juice

Increase oven temperature to 350 and bake another hour.

The ribs should pull apart easily with a fork.

If they do not they need to be roasted longer.

Some ribs are thicker than others.

If you roast two racks of ribs in one

roaster you will need to roast them

1 hour longer on 350 and flip them half way.


Before I've used the large pack of ribs from Costco.
I would recommend them. These were small boneless
ones from IGA. If you get the large pack
of ribs from Costco, you will need to double this
recipe. There are two racks in each pack. 

I usually save a little barbecue sauce

to heat and top the ribs with when they

come out of the oven. 

Enjoy,

Hope 

Snapshots of the Day

Charlie and Louise talking about life and the future.

Charlie telling secrets.

No that's not my bloomers hanging out it's my slip.

Dust is not the only stressful thing about remodeling.

I was running out the door to see my new

camera lens and kind of got caught up on a nail.

It's funny but frustrating to ruin a good dress.

My sister, Charity, and Josh rushed to

the scene for a good laugh

 Need a healthy shake?
Throw a apple, kiwi and a handful of grapes in the
food processor. Add a little agave syrup for
sweetener, a handful ice and spoonful ice cream.
Then thin down with a little milk.
Add some granola to your cup for crunch and top 
with a small spoonful of peanut butter.

Hope your day is great!

Hope

Rosemary Roasted Vegetables

We had roast beef for lunch

today so I decided to to roast

some potatoes, carrots and onions.

I used the recipe my Aunt helped

me come up with for our wedding potatoes.

It's a easy recipe that is delicious on roasted vegetables.

 Start with 8 cups of vegetables.

 Mix together oil and seasonings. Toss well.

 Spread out on a large baking sheet.

Enjoy with roast beef or anything.

The carrots are like candy. I ate most of them.

 A comforting Sunday lunch. All that I need is a nap.

Rosemary Roasted Vegetables

 8 cups of vegetables (carrots, potatoes and onions)

1/3 cup olive oil

1 large spring of fresh rosemary, minced

3 blades of fresh chives, minced
(If forgot to add chives but they are a delicious addition)

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Mix together oil and seasonings.

Toss oil mixture over vegetables and spread

out on a large baking tray. Bake at 425 for 35 minutes.

Enjoy,

Hope

Citrus Glazed Sweet Potatoes

I am super excited to post 

because my new camera came.

I am going to be taking the 

photos for Joshua's parents

new storage building website.

My good ole' Rebel has served

me well but it just needs a few

more updates and options.

I decided on a 7D Canon and

love the results I'm seeing.

It's amazing how advanced

each new model is.

So here are some new camera samples.

 I can't wait to play around with it some more.

Tangy, sweet and delicious.

Citrus Glazed Sweet Potatoes

 

 2 large sweet potatoes, cut in wedges

1/2 lemon, juiced

2 T. olive oil

3 T. honey

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

4 shakes of cayenne pepper

Peel potatoes and cut into wedges.

Mix together glaze ingredients. Place sweet potato

wedges in a 9 x 13 dish and pour the glaze over them.

Toss a few times so all the potatoes are coated.

Bake at 425 for 30 minutes, stirring half way through.

Enjoy,

Hope

Honey Roasted Chicken

Today was a wonderful day.

I woke up to a gorgeous blanket

of snow that I was not expecting.

I didn't go to work so my sister, Charity,

walked over to make cinnamon rolls.

She will be here in Virginia for 6 months

and will be staying next door,

in Joshua's parents basement.

Needless to say, I'm super excited.

We already have big plans for our

garden this summer.

 Cheri and Charlie, their adorable puppy.

Charlie kept whimpering and would not 

take a nap. So we came up with a cage.

We puttered around and made some cinnamon rolls.

After baking today I didn't feel too creative

for dinner. I wanted something I could stick

in the oven and sit down for a little.

So I threw together a 9x13 of chicken to roast in the oven.

It was nice and tender.

Roast some potatoes too. Then all you have to do

is cook some peas and cut a salad.

Honey Roasted Chicken

6 chicken thighs

1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup olive oil

1 large garlic clove, crushed

2 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. rosemary

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Mix together sauce ingredients. Lay chicken in a 9x13

pan and pour sauce over it. Let set for 1 hour. 

Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Turn chicken 

and bake 20 minutes more.

Sprinkle lightly with salt if you think it needs it.

Enjoy,

Hope