Lime Cilantro Rice with Pineapple

1 cup long grain white rice

2 cups water

2 tablespoons real butter

Juice from 1 large lime

1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained

1.2 -3/4 cups chopped cilantro

Kosher Salt and ground pepper to taste

1.    In a large saucepan, combine rice and water.  Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce heat to low, cover tightly and cook for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to stand, covered for 5 minutes, so rice can absorb more water.

2.    After 5 minutes, add the butter and stir to melt.  Ad the lime juice, pineapple, and cilantro.  Stir to combine, and then add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve immediately.

Molten Chocolate Cakes with Raspberry Coulis

This is a tried and true recipe at our house.  We tried 3 other recipes before deciding this is our favorite.  It is taken from Keeping Up Cookbook, but Grace Ivory Rock and Amy Henriksen Foulger.

We use the Raspberry Coulis recipe for a pancake syrup. We prefer to keep the molten cakes a true chocolate cake, vanilla ice cream type experience.  Mike adds a scoop of Peanut butter.  :o)

Here's the recipe:

Molten Chocolate Cakes

With Raspberry Coulis

5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (or 1 cup chocolate chips)

½ cup butter

4 eggs

1 ½ cups powderedsugar

½ tsp salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup cake flour (regular flour works too)

1 tablespoon softened butter for greasing dishes

Generously butter six ½ cup ramekins or custard cups.  Melt chocolate and butter in the microwave at half power, stirring occasionally. Whisk eggs in a large bowl to blend.  Whisk in powdered sugar, salt, vanilla, then the chocolate mixture and finally, the flour.  Our batter into greased dishes, dividing equally.  (Can be made up to 2 days in advance, covered and refrigerated.)

Place ramekins on a baking sheet.  Bake in a 425 degree oven until cakes have risen above rim, but centers remain “molten,” about 11 minutes (14 for refrigerated cakes).  Run a knife or small spatula around edges to loosen cakes, then carefully turn them out onto serving plates.  Decorate plate with raspberry coulis and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Raspberry Coulis:

1 (10-ounce) package frozen raspberries, thawed

2-3 tablespoons sugar

1 tsp fresh lemon juice, or to taste

In a blender or food processor, puree raspberries with sugar and lemon juice.  Pour mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing on seeds.  Coulis keeps for 3 days, covered and chilled.

Toffee Bars

Can't believe we haven't posted this one yet! Every now and then I forget the recipe and want to double check it, so figured we better put this on the blog so I can always have it at the tip of my fingers!

1 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 egg yolk
2 cups flour
1 tsp. vanilla
chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375. Cream butter and brown sugar. Mix all other ingredients, excluding the chocolate chips. Press into the bottom of a baking sheet. Sprinkle top with chocolate chips. Bake for 11-15 minutes.