Banana Split Icebox Cake

I love to bake.  I enjoy bringing desserts to people's houses and making cupcakes for friends' birthdays.  My husband even had to make a rule that we could no longer take cakes to bars on the bus.  The one thing I don't like about baking is heating up the oven when we have the AC running.  It is such a waste of energy to cool and heat your house at the same time.  One summer I made cupcakes for my friend's birthday (who is also a contributor on this blog!) at three in the morning because it was too hot during the day to turn on the oven.  

Anyway, if you are like me and you like to bring desserts, but hate heating up your oven in the summer, consider making an icebox cake.  I'll admit, when I first bought an "icebox pie" I thought the bakery had made up that term but it turns out it truly is a thing.  

This banana split variety starts with a pan and some graham crackers. 

 Beat the cream cheese until smooth, mix in 1 cup of the vanilla pudding and fold in the whipped topping.  

Spread one third of the mixture on the graham crackers.

Add a layer of sliced bananas and strawberries and 

top with half the remaining pudding.

Repeat the graham cracker, whipped topping mixture, fruit and pudding layers.

Then add your last layer of graham crackers and the rest of the whipped topping mixture.  

Add sliced maraschino cherries, caramel, fudge and walnuts.

This was a big hit and I have to admit that I liked it more than I thought I would.  The graham crackers softened in the fridge and the "cake" pieces held together very well.  It tasted almost exactly like a banana split.  

What should you buy at Aldi?

In order to make a Banana Split Icebox Cake you'll need:

Ingredientes

1 box vanilla pudding mix

3 cups Friendly Farms milk

8 oz Happy Farms cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup Baker's Corner powdered sugar

8 oz Fit and Active Whipped Topping 

1box Benton's graham crackers

1 lb strawberries, washed and sliced

2 Del Monte bananas

1jar Bakers Corner maraschino cherries

chocolate sauce

caramel sauce

handful of chopped walnuts

Instructions

1. Make the pudding according to package directions.

2. Beat together cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth.

3. Add 1/2 a cup of pudding to cream cheese mixture and mix until incorporated.

4. Fold in 2/3 of the whipped topping to cream cheese mixture.

5. Place a single layer of graham crackers in the bottom of a 9x9 pan. 

6. Top graham crackers with half of the cream cheese mixture and spread evenly.

7. Top cream cheese mixture with a layer of thinly sliced strawberries and bananas.

8. Top strawberries with 1/2 of the pudding. 

9. Add another layer of graham crackers.

10. Top with the other half of the cream cheese mixture and spread into an even layer.

11. Add remaining pudding and spread into an even layer.

12. Add another layer of graham crackers.

14. Top with remaining 1/3 of whipped topping and spread evenly.

15. Top with chocolate sauce, caramel sauce and walnuts.

16. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours or until ready to serve.

Recipe adapted from here.  

Crostini platter with Aldi Ingredients

This is a quick and easy appetizer idea.

I sliced a baguette and brushed the pieces with olive oil, then toasted them under the broiler for just a few minutes on each side. I used only ingredients from Aldi plus fresh herbs from the garden.  

Here are the combinations I used:

honey goat cheese, apples, blue cheese

cream cheese, cucumbers, dill, salt and pepper

honey goat cheese, strawberries, balsamic, basil

ricotta, sliced tomatoes, balsamic, basil, salt and pepper

honey goat cheese, apricot marmalade, walnuts

Braciola

I decided to make braciola.  

I had been talking about it for a long time, so when Aldi had flank steak and pine nuts this weekend, I knew it was a sign.

I had most of the other ingredients I needed.

I mixed bread crumbs, parsley (from a pot on our deck) parmesan cheese and pine nuts.

And added lemon juice and olive oil.

I mixed it together and set it aside.

This is what the flank steak looked like when it came out of the package.  It was folded up in the package, so I wasn't sure how big it would actually be.  

I decided to make two rolls so I could freeze one for later.  I cut the steak horizontally, so I ended up with a top layer and a bottom layer.  

I pounded them thin between 2 pieces of plastic wrap...

...and spread on the bread crumb mixture.  

I rolled them into logs and tied them with string, then seared the logs in a pot.  

After I had browned the rolls I took them out of the pot and added sauce and red wine.  

Once it boiled, I put the logs back in, put the cover on and let it cook for 1 hour.  

I did open the lid to add the juice from where the logs were resting.  

I removed the logs from the sauce, cut the string and sliced them.  

What should I buy at Aldi to make braciola?

Braciola

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Chef's Cupboard Italian Breadcrumbs

1/3 cup Priano Parmesan Cheese

2 tablespoons Southern Grove pine nuts, toasted

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon Carlini Extra Virgin Olive Oil, more for searing the rolls

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup minced fresh parsley

1 jar Priano pasta sauce

1 (1 1/2 lb) lean Fresh USDA Choice flank steak

1 cup red wine (whatever you have open)

Directions:

1.  Combine the first 7 ingredients and set aside

2.  Trim and slice the flank steak, pound it flat

3.  Spread breadcrumb mixture, roll and secure with string

4.  Heat a large pot, add olive oil and sear all sides of the roll

5.  Remove rolls

6.  Combine sauce and wine, bring it to a boil

7.  Add roll back into sauce, reduce to simmer

8.  Simmer for 1 hour

9.  Slice and serve with pasta and sauce

Recipe adapted from here.  

Cobb Salad with Aldi Ingredients

This cobb salad is easy, but impressive because it is so colorful.  

I left out the avocado (because I did not have one) and the chicken (because a friend made a pork roast) but they have both at Aldi.  They even have precooked chicken if you are in a rush and don't have time to cook or thaw a chicken breast.  

You do have to boil your own eggs and cook your own bacon.  (Although they do have bacon bits!)  

I used romaine, tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, bacon, green onions, and blue cheese crumbles.  I filled the bottom with chopped romaine and added the toppings in rows.  

Aldi Staple: Yogurt, Berries and Granola

Whenever I go to Aldi, I always pick up Fit and Active Yogurt (Vanilla), berries and granola.  

I tend to stick with blueberries and strawberries, but sometimes I get raspberries and blackberries when they have them.  

Aldi has several kinds of granola.  This is the low fat Sweet Home Farms.  

This is an easy breakfast to bring to work.  If I make it the night before, I keep  the granola separate.  

Review: Cattlemen's Ranch Filet of Beef

Cattlemen's Ranch Filets come in Teriyaki or Original. We tried the Original flavor.  It is pre-marinaded which makes it easy for a weeknight.  

My husband cooked it.  He got a cast iron skillet very hot.  

Then seared all the sides.

And cooked it until the thermometer read 145 degrees.  

OK, we may have pulled it off a little before 145!  We like it rare.  

I would buy this filet again, and next time we will try the teriyaki.  It was delicious with some twice baked potatoes and some ciabatta bread.

Twice Baked Potatoes with Bacon, Cheese and Green Onions

I have seen a ton of variations on twice baked potatoes, but I am not sure you can go wrong with bacon, cheese and sour cream!

First, wash and bake the potatoes.  I baked 5 for an hour and ten minutes at 400 degrees.  I stabbed them with a knife before I put them in the oven, but did not use any olive oil or salt.  

While they were were in the oven I cooked some bacon.  

And chopped some green onions.

I chopped the bacon and added the onions and bacon to a bowl with some butter.  When the potatoes were done I cut the potatoes in half and scooped out the middle.  

I added the insides to the bowl with some cheese.  

And sour cream.

After some mixing...

I was ready to scoop the mixture back into the shells.  

I added a little more cheese on the top and baked them for 25 minutes at 350.  

These require some planning.  (The baking alone takes over an hour and a half) but they were a big hit! 

Recipe from here.