recipes – The Wild Gems

Custard Filling For Pastries

February 12, 2023February 12, 2023 The Wild Gems2 Comments

Great custard recipe for filling pastries or donuts or eating as is with some fresh fruit!

What You Need:

4 egg yolks

1 2/3 cups of whole milk

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/4 cup of corn starch

2 tablespoons of unsalted butter

1/2 cup of sugar

Steps:

1. In medium mixing bowl whisk together the corn starch, salt, and sugar. Next add the egg yolks until well combined into a beautiful yellow color. Set aside.

2. In a small/medium pot add the milk and vanilla extract. Place on stove on a low/medium heat watching intently. When the sides begin to slightly bubble (not boiling) remove from the heat and slowly add to the batter. (Careful not to add quickly to the batter otherwise it could cook the egg yolks).

3. Transfer back to pot and heat on medium/low heat. Continuously whisk the batter in the pot until it begins to thicken into a custard consistency. (a few minutes).

4. Once thickened, remove from the heat and add the 2 tablespoons of butter immediately. Mix well. Cover with plastic wrap, and place in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Custard With Puff Pastry

Servings: one puff pastry box will make 8 pastries.

Cut puff pastry into 8 squares folding in half (brushing egg wash on the inside and out) baking at 400 for 20 mins. Cut pastry open and insert custard and fresh strawberries. Top with powdered sugar! So yummy!

3 Ingredient Baked Ranch Chicken

February 8, 2023February 8, 2023 The Wild Gems1 Comment

First of all I know the picture isn’t the prettiest. I discovered this recipe and wasn’t sure if I was even going to like it.

Once I pulled the chicken out of the oven I took a quick snap just in case I might share this. Well, once I tried the chicken I was going to have to share this! The chicken wasn’t overcooked and the flavor wasn’t overpowering with ranch, it was simple and delicious!

This is an easy and very kid and husband approved dinner! My kids ate this up!

What You Need:

1/4 cup of buttermilk ranch dressing (give or take)

1/2 cup of Italian breadcrumbs (give or take)

1 1/2 lbs of chicken breasts (butterfly cut each breast if the chicken is very thick)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 375 and line a cooking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Coat chicken breast in the ranch dressing and then immediately coat in the breadcrumbs.

4. Place the chicken on the cooking pan and bake at 375 for 30 mins. Once the 30 minutes is up pull the chicken out immediately and allow to rest for 8 to 10 minutes. Then serve with suggested sides.

Enjoy!

Suggested sides; mashed potatoes and veggies

Apple Cider Vinegar Marinade For A Pot Roast In The Slow Cooker – So Juicy!

February 3, 2023February 5, 2023 The Wild GemsLeave a comment

What You Need:

3-4 lbs of boneless chuck roast

1 sweet onion cut in 4 chunks

1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 tablespoon of unsalted butter

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

1 teaspoon of chili flakes

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

1/2 teaspoon of turmeric

1/2 teaspoon of thyme

1 tablespoon of rosemary

1 teaspoon of parsley

1 tablespoon of soy sauce

Steps:

1. Place your meat in the slow cooker, along with the chunks of onion. In a small mixing bowl mix together the rest of the ingredients, except for the butter. Pour marinade mixture over the meat. Top the meat with the butter. Place lid.

2. Cook on low for 8 hours. Once the 8 hours are up shred the meat well and serve immediately.

Serve over white rice or with some corn tortillas. Enjoy!

Note: when putting away the leftovers I did drain a lot of the oil from the meat. We ate it for 3 days and every day was better!

Ree Drummond’s Waffle Recipe Is The BEST EVER

January 30, 2023January 31, 2023 The Wild Gems2 Comments

I think I won some mom brownie points with these waffles this past weekend. They are scrumptious! And well, with a stick of butter of in there, of course they are!

Don’t you love when you try a new recipe and you are pleasantly surprised! Of course sometimes you try something new and you experience disappointment. But sometimes the recipe risk is the best thing ever!

I’ll be making these today and actually freezing them so my girls can eat them for the rest of the week. We topped our waffles with fresh strawberries, powdered sugar, and maple syrup. I hope you enjoy these as much as our family did!

For the direct link to the recipe CLICK HERE

Ree Drummond Waffle Recipe

What You Need:

2 cups of all-purpose flour

1/4 cup of sugar

1 tablespoon of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 1/2 cups of milk (preferably whole milk)

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

2 eggs plus 2 additional egg whites

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted (original calls for salted, I’m just not a fan of salted butter)

Steps:

1. Mix the dry ingredients together (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt)

2. Mix the wet ingredients (milk, eggs, egg whites, vanilla extract, and melted butter)

3. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and mix well.

Enjoy!

25 Cute Breakfast Art Ideas That Will Make Your Children Or A Loved One Smile

January 28, 2023January 28, 2023 The Wild Gems1 Comment

Cute breakfast food art doesn’t have to just be for children! As I was searching for ideas for my girls I thought, you know what, my husband would loved these too.

Which is why the title is for ‘A Loved One’ .

I’m so excited to try some of these out.

Which numbers will you make?

Note: Most of these photos don’t have watermarks so I don’t know who should receive credit! If any readers know please let me know!

This would be perfect for Valentine’s Day or maybe an anniversary.

Imagine making this as a hint and surprising your kids with a trip to Disneyland!

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Perfect for our malt o meal breakfast days.

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Imagine being served this as a surprise breakfast :).

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Bagel and cream cheese and berries. yum.

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Which on is your favorite?

Roasted Poblano And Chicken Chili Soup With The Use Of A Crockpot

January 20, 2023January 23, 2023 The Wild GemsLeave a comment

Love when you discover a delicious recipe on accident! I call this a chili soup because my intentions were to make a chili but at the end of this whole thing the consistency was more like a soup, but I was not upset! This is so good! With the perfect amount of heat! I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Total Cook Time: 6 hours and 15 minutes

What You Need:

A crockpot***

1 1/2 – 2 1/2 lbs of chicken thighs (not breasts or tenders)

1 4oz can of green chiles

1 1/2 cup of chicken broth low sodium

5 poblano peppers

1 8oz block of cream cheese

1/2 to 1 cup of frozen corn

2 15.5oz cans of Bush’s Best White Beans in Chili Sauce

1 tablespoon of olive oil

For The Spices:

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon of onion powder

1/2 teaspoon of thyme

1/2 teaspoon of turmeric

1/2 teaspoon of basil optional

Toppings (Definitely Would Not Skip):

Freshly Diced avocados

Shredded Monterey cheese or Pepper Jack for even more of a kick

Fresh Chopped cilantro

Crushed up tortilla Chips

Steps:

1. Add your chicken thighs, chicken broth, Green Chiles, 1 poblano pepper with the top cut off and seeds removed, the olive oil, and spices. Set for LOW at 6 hours.

2. At 4 1/2 hours, line a cooking sheet pan with foil and place the remaining 4 poblanos on the pan. Broil both sides (3- 5 mins on each side) until charred. Immediately place the peppers into a large ziplock bag and allow to steam for 10 mins. After the 10 minutes, peel the skin and cut in strips.

3. By now there should be about an hour left to cook. Quickly open the lid and add the block of cream cheese, the 2 cans of beans undrained, the corn, and the roasted poblano peppers. Place lid back on crockpot adding about 15 to your cooking time. (Total crock pot time 6 hours and 15 minutes)

4. Turn crockpot off, remove lid, and begin to mix and shred the meat. Taste and add additional salt or spices as needed.

Serve immediately with fresh cilantro, Monterey cheese, and diced avocado!

So good!

Note: if this is too spicy, just add a dollop of sour cream to your serving. Enjoy!

Lasagna Soup

December 15, 2022January 6, 2023 The Wild GemsLeave a comment

What You Need:

12 lasagna noodles broken up into little pieces

1 pound of ground beef

1 pound of sausage

1 medium onion cut in half and sliced in pieces

4 garlic cloves chopped

1 6oz can of tomato paste

1 tablespoon of oregano

1 tablespoon of thyme

3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 teaspoon of Salt

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

4 cups and 3/4 of chicken stock

1/2 cup of heavy cream

Ricotta Dumpling’s so good

1 cup ricotta cheese

1/2 cup of Parmesan Cheese

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning

A few pinches or fresh chopped parsley

Steps:

1: In a large dutch oven pot sauté the onions with the olive oil, garlic, oregano, and thyme until softened.

2. In a separate pot cook the lasagna noodles as directed, drain, and set aside.

3. In the Dutch oven add both the ground beef and sausage, the salt and pepper, and cooking until all brown and mixed well. Drain the fat.

4. Next add the tomato paste, the can of crushed tomatoes, some chopped fresh parsley, and the chicken stock. Allow to simmer for 20 mins.

5. While the soup is simmering, in a small mixing bowl add the ingredients for the ricotta dumplings and mix throughly. Set aside. Taste it, it’s so good! Would be great on Bruschetta too!

6. Add the heavy cream and mix well. Then add the lasagna noodles and simmer for 5 mins.

7. Serve in bowls with dollops of the ricotta mixture.

Enjoy!

Chicken And Dumplings

December 7, 2022December 10, 2022 The Wild GemsLeave a comment

What You Need:

For The Chicken Soup

2 to 3 lbs of chicken drum sticks and chicken thighs ( I get one pack of drumsticks and one pack of just chicken thighs. As long as the weight combined is 2 to 3 pounds)

1/2 cup of chopped carrots

1/2 cup of chopped celery

1/2 cup of apple cider or apple juice

6 cups of chicken broth

1 medium onion finely chopped

4 to 5 garlic cloves finely chopped

4 tablespoons of unsalted butter

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1/2 teaspoon of thyme

1/4 teaspoon of turmeric

1 teaspoon of oregano

1/2 cup of half and half

Salt and pepper for additional seasoning

For The Dumplings

1 1/2 cups of flour

1/2 cup of corn meal

1 tablespoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

1 1/2 cups of half and half

A handful of chopped fresh parsley

Steps:

1. Chop up all your veggies (onion, celery, carrots) and place in a bowl. Combine your spices and place in a separate small bowl.

2. Heat up a large skillet on medium high heat. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and add a tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet. Brown both sides of the drumsticks. Remove from skillet and place on a sheet pan lined with foil. Add 2 more tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sear both sides of the chicken thighs. Then place on the sheet pan with drumsticks.

3. In the same skillet sauté the veggies until softened. Add the spices to the veggies and mix well.

4. Heat up a large pot on medium high heat and add the chicken broth and apple cider. Add the veggies along with the remaining oils from the skillet to the pot. Next add all the browned chicken. Reduce heat to low once it begins to boil. Cover lid loosely and cook chicken for 25 mins. (ensure it’s on a simmer, not a full blown boil)

5. At the 15 minute mark add the oregano and begin to season with salt and pepper. Tasting the broth until desired flavor.

6. While the chicken is simmering combine all the ingredients for the dumplings in medium bowl and mix well. Set aside.

7. The chicken should be done by now. You will know the chicken is complete when the meat pulls easily off the bones (again, simmer close to 20 to 25 mins) Remove chicken from the pot and begin to shred the chicken, discarding the bones.

8. Add the 1/2 cup of half and half to the pot and then add the chicken. Keeping the pot on a very low simmer. Begin to add tablespoon size dollops of dumpling mixture. Until the surface is covered in floating dumplings.

9. Lightly place cover on pot and simmer for 15 mins. Checking periodically and probing to check if the dumplings are fully cooked.

10. Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

Pesto Sliders With Turkey And Salami Brushed With Melted Honey Butter

October 17, 2022October 17, 2022 The Wild GemsLeave a comment

Servings: 12 sliders

What You Need:

For the Sliders

1 pack of Kings Hawaiian sweet rolls (12 rolls)

1 jar (8oz) of Classico Basil Pesto

12 slices of Turkey deli meat (I used Hillshire Farm Ultra Thin)

12 slices of salami or 24 pieces of snack sized salami (2 snack size on each slider if you use those)

12 slices of mozzarella cheese or a few handfuls of shredded mozzarella cheese

For The Butter Spread

1/4 cup of unsalted butter melted

1/2 – 1 teaspoon of raw honey

A dash of garlic powder

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 375 and lightly butter a 9×13 glass dish.

2. Place the bottoms of the rolls into the glass dish and layer with 1/2 of the jarred pesto, turkey meat, salami, and cheese. Spread the remaining pesto on the bottoms of the tops of the sweet rolls. Press down rolls to secure.

3. Brush the rolls evenly with the melted honey butter leaving just a little to spare for when the rolls are done.

4. Cover baking dish with foil and bake at 375 for 10 mins. Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 to 12 minutes or until cheese is melted and tops are golden.

5. Brush rolls once more lightly with the butter and enjoy!

Soften The Heart: Devotional #19

October 8, 2022October 11, 2022 The Wild Gems1 Comment

“…for all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Luke 18:14

Let’s define a few of these words so we can better understand this scripture and message.

The definition of the word humble is having or showing a modest or low estimate of one’s own importance.

The definition of the word exalt is hold (someone or something) in very high regard; think or speak very highly of.

If you reread the scripture with those definitions you could say it says that whoever thinks very high of themselves will be brought to their knees and a person who lives a humble life will come out on top. Possibly a more fulfilling, peaceful life.

This scripture instructs us to not look down on others. We are instructed to remain humble at all times. And if we fail to do so God will definitely interrupt and remind us of our place. We will be reminded that we know very little to what we think we may know.

Erase the mentality that you are more deserving than another person. Truth be told, we don’t know what others do in secret. One person may share their charity work publicly while another chooses to remain anonymous.

Erase the thoughts of it will never happen to me or assuming you have more time than another. No one is more righteous than another. We are all sinners and we are all broken in search of repairing and rescuing.

Many walk this life living unconsciously. Unaware that the past still has control over their wheel. They are stuck in their conditioning and haven’t gained the courage or knowledge to break the cycle. We are in constant need of God’s grace to revive us.

We must be patient and again humble ourselves. Change can be extremely difficult for many. And we are not judge those. Some do not change their lifestyles because it’s what they know. They are comfortable, and they feel safe even when their environment is questionable to another. They don’t know any different.

When Jesus was on the cross, during his death, he remained humble. He didn’t say anything cruel nor did he exalt himself. He said, “forgive them Father, for they do not know.”

Recognize how fragile life truly is and offer compassion and offer it fully to everyone. There was a time when you didn’t know. Just as children don’t know many things. With time they begin to understand.

But God calls us at different times. And when we are called we are to be examples.

Pray to God to correct you when you are exalting yourself, pray to be humbled and pray to be humbled often.

May we live with love.

– m.g.