Adventureful Mud Pie

 Ingredients: 

• 
  2 pkgs (3.4oz) vanilla or chocolate instant pudding
• 3 3/4 cups milk
• 1 pkg Adventurefuls cookies (crushed)
• 8oz package cream cheese
• 8oz tub of whipping cream
• 
  (can use reduced or non-fat milk, cheese and dessert topping if you prefer)

Directions:

1. Whip pudding and milk. Set aside. 
2. Save 1/4 cup crumbs and spread remaining crumbs in 9"x13" pan.
3. Spoon 3/4 of pudding over crumbs. 
4. Blend cream cheese and remaining 1/4 pudding. Layer it on top of pudding.
5. Layer on the whipping cream.
6. Refrigerate for several hours. 
7. Garnish with remaining crumbs just before serving 

Chocolate Decadent Pie

 This one was absolutely delicious and lived up to the name. My initial try at whipped topping was way too liquidy, so I've edited to just use Reddi-Whip or something similar. Despite my less than stellar first try, it disappeared rather quickly and everyone requested I make this one again. Adult supervision is required, especially when using the oven.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 c Thin Mints, crushed
• 1 1/4c Trefoils, crushed (about 1 1/2 sleeves)
• 1/4 c sugar
• 1/3 c butter, melted
• 1 1/2 c milk chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 c white chocolate chips
• 1 c sweetened condensed milk (divided)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (divided)
• 1 1/2 whipped cream (spray bottle the easiest)

Directions (Total prep time: 90 min)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 
2. Spray the inside of a 9" pie pan with non-stick cooking spray.
3. In a bowl, combine Trefoil cookie crumbs, sugar and melted butter.
4. Press mixture firmly into sprayed pie pan, covering bottom and sides. 
5. Bake 5-7min. 
6. Set aside to cool.
7. While crust is baking, you can use a microwave safe bowl to combine milk chocolate chips, 1/2c condensed milk and 1/2 tsp of vanilla. Alternative: combine all ingredients and melt in a small double-boiler. 
8. Stir until all chips are melted and pour into bottom of cooled crust. 
9. Set in freezer while preparing the second layer.
10. For the second layer, use a microwave safe bowl to combine white chocolate chips, 1/2 c condensed milk and 1/2 tsp vanilla. Alternative: combine all ingredients and melt in a small double-boiler. 
11. When the first layer has cooled sufficiently, pour the second layer over top. 
12. Refrigerate pie for at least 30min to allow both layers to solidify sufficiently. 
13. Top pie with whipped cream. 
14. Sprinkle/decorate the pie with crushed Thin Mint cookies. 

Samoas Coco-Pine Chicken

Ok, I was suspicious of a savory dish made with Girl Scout cookies. This one was surprisingly good, though. Some sweetness, with that kick of garlic flavor. So give it a try and see what you think. 

Marinade

• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 1/2 cup canned coconut milk
• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

Other ingredients

• 4 boneless chicken breasts
• 1/2 box Samoa Girl Scout cookies
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 garlic clove
• 3 cup peanut oil
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 Tbsp ginger powder
• 6oz can crushed pineapple
• 1 cup flour
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste

Procedures

1. Prepare marinade by whisking ingredients listed above together. Make sure your chicken breasts are 1/3 of an inch thick by pounding them with a meat mallet.
2. Cover and refrigerate the chicken in the marinade for at least one hour. 
3. Preheat oven to 350 F. 
4. Take 1/2 of the box of cookies and crush in a food processor.
5. Remove chicken from marinade and season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Set up three bowls so chicken can be dipped in sequence - beaten eggs, then flour, then crushed Samoas.
7. Pan fry chicken until brown in the peanut oil.
8. Finely dice the garlic and mix it with the softened butter and ginger powder. 
9. Once browned, put the chicken into the baking dish. Place the dish in the oven and bake for 30min. 
10. Spoon the ginger garlic paste over the chicken in the dish. You can also pour some of the leftover marinade over the chicken. Top the chicken with pineapple.
11. Place the baking dish into the oven for 30min. 

Tagalong Banana Shake

Ok, so Girl Scout Cookies are delicious, but there are so many ways they can be enjoyed. Zoe and her friend wanted to do some cooking and I suggested they help me downsize our stock of last year's cookies before the new cookies show up for this year. Here's the first recipe they tried. I'd include a photo, but I wasn't fast enough to catch anything but the empty blender on film.

Ingredients:

1 box Tagalongs (peanut butter cookie dipped in chocolate)

1pt Vanilla Ice Cream

2 medium ripe bananas

4oz chocolate sauce

2oz skim milk

Procedure:

1. Soften ice cream, then place in blender

2. Rough chop cookies & add to blender. Blend 2min.

3. Add one rough chopped banana. Blend 1min.

4. Add chocolate sauce and mix until blended. Thin with skim milk, if desired.

5. Garnish with diced banana from remaining banana and serve in parfait glass with spoon.

Note: we substituted Adventurefuls (chocolate cookie with caramel coating) and found the chocolate sauce unnecessary.

To purchase ingredients and try this recipe at home, order online from Penny.

French Toast Strata

This is a great recipe for any morning when you know you've got an early start and you want something filling before you head out. You do have to have some prep time the night before it, though. Many of my Girl Scouts love this recipe at camp, even forgoing syrup as they eat it. They especially like that they wake up to the smell of it baking (I usually just pop it in the oven, then go back to sleep for another 40min or so).

A word about tools: I use my glass 9"x13" baking dish for French Toast Strata to make cleanup easier. I also have a lid to help store any leftovers for future breakfasts. However, I always worry about putting a cold glass dish into a hot oven and having the glass shatter. So...I usually put my glass dish into the cold oven, then preheat it so they warm together...so far no shattered glass dish. On the other hand, an aluminum tray or just metal pan wouldn't have that shattering problem and might not be terrible to clean if properly greased.

If making this dish at camp, do test your oven in advance to see whether it heats properly - they're not as reliable as my oven at home. Might be worth planning some brownies or cupcakes the night before to check oven functionality.

Ingredients

• 1 loaf french bread, sourdough bread, or challah (I've even had rave reviews when I've made this with stale hot dog buns, though)

• 4 ounces (224g) block cream cheese, softened to room temperature (optional - the kids often complain about the cream cheese, but it makes it more filling and I enjoy it)

• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 9 large eggs

• 3 cups (540ml) whole milk

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 2/3 cup (133g) packed light brown sugar

• 1/2 cup raisins (optional - again, kids complain about these)

Crumb Topping

• 1/3 cup (69g) packed light brown sugar

• 1/3 cup (41g) all-purpose flour 

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 6 Tablespoons (86g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed

 

Directions

1. Grease a 9×13 inch or any 3-4 quart oven-safe dish with nonstick spray. Slice then cut the bread into cubes, about 1 inch in size. Spread half of the cubes into the prepared baking pan.

2. Drop random spoonfuls of cream cheese (and raisins) on top of the bread. Layer the remaining bread cubes on top of cream cheese. (I like to make sure some cream cheese is still exposed on top just for looks.) Set aside.

3. Whisk the eggs, milk, cinnamon, brown sugar, and vanilla together until no brown sugar lumps remain. Pour evenly over the bread. Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours and up to 24 hours. Overnight is best.

4. Prepare the crumb topping: Whisk the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Cut in the cold cubed butter with a pastry blender or two forks.

5. The next day: preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).* Remove pan from the refrigerator.

6. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the soaked bread.

7. Bake uncovered for 45-55 minutes or until golden brown on top. It will puff up as it cooks. I usually bake it for 45 minutes because I like it softer. Drizzle with optional maple syrup or dust with confectioners’ sugar. Serve warm.

Cheesy Peppers and Broccoli

What on earth was I to do with all this broccoli and bell peppers? I was pleasantly surprised at how the following turned out - peppers sweet, not overwhelmingly cheesy, that little bit of ham to give the dish some hunger-stopping power. 

Ingredients

• 1 lb broccoli, cut bite-size
• 1 lb sweet bell peppers, cut bite-size
• 1/2 sweet onion
• 1/2 lb egg noodles
• 1 pack instant cheese from mac n cheese box
• 1/2 lb ham, cubed
• 2 tbsp Olive oil 
• 2/3 c milk
• 1 tbsp butter or margarine
• 2 ripe tomatoes, cubed
• salt & pepper to taste

Procedure

1. Boil water for making egg noodles. I chose these noodles because they don't get soggy upon reheating, which is how I serve most of my food. Regular pasta would likely be fine if you're serving everything immediately. Make egg noodles according to directions.
2. Warm the Olive oil in a deep skillet. Once wavy, add in the onion and peppers. When they start to soften, add in the broccoli and ham. Cook until the onions and ham start to have a little brown on them. Add tomato cubes and cook until warmed through. 
3. When pasta finishes cooking, drain it and return it to the pot. Melt the butter or margarine in it, then add the milk. I added a little more milk than the mac n cheese box instructions to help the cheese cover the additional veggies and meat. Finally, add in the dried packet of instant cheese from the mac n cheese box. Stir until well mixed. 
4. Pour pasta into skillet to mix with the veggie mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Serves 4

Caribbean Pork Tenderloin

Caribbean Pork Tenderloin

Succulent Salsa over pork with spinach and pearl barley

Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 40 minutes

3/4 cup pearl barley
1 1/2 cups reduced sodium vegetable broth
(can use chicken broth for more protein and calories)
3/4 cup water
1 ripe mango, peeled and pitted, diced
(can sub canned mandarin oranges for mango)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped ( optional)
1/2 (red) onion, chopped
1/2 tsp lime, grated
1 lime juice
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 tsp salt
4 potions pork tenderloin (about 1 lb)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
dash of sesame seeds (optional)
2 cups baby spinach


1. Preheat oven to 450*

2. Place a large saucepan over medium heat, Add barley and stir constantly until barley is toasted (pale golden), about 5 minutes.

3. Add Broth and water to toasted barley: bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until barley is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 35 minutes.

4. While barley is cooking make salsa by combine mango (or mandarin oranges) bell pepper, jalapeno, onion, lime peel, lime juice, cilantro and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Cover and refrigerate to let flavors blend. ( Can be made ahead of time)

5.Lightly coat a broiler pan with cooking spray. Season pork with black pepper and garlic. Place pork in oven and bake 10 minutes. Brush on sesame oil and bake until juice run clear about 15 more minutes. Remove from oven let sit 5 minutes and then cut.

(Sometimes I don't like cooking with a broiler in the house so I will just stove top cook the pork in a frying pan. I also like the caramelized meat taste I can get with the stove. )

6. Divided the spinach between 4 plates. Top with pork, and spoonful of salsa. Add a portion of barley, serve and enjoy.