The Recipe Society

NATIONAL PEANUT BUTTER DAY TRIBUTE!

2012-01-24T13:23:00.002-07:00

Wow. I have tried several peanut butter cookie recipes, but this one is my favorite so far. Tawnie sent me a link to this recipe and I traced it back to this website where it was posted a couple of years ago. Thanks, Tawnie! They are fabulous! I didn't have any peanut butter chips so I just used chocolate chips.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 Tbsp. milk
1 cup peanut butter
1 1/4 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup chocolate chips

For sprinkling: 1 tablespoon sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar, vanilla, milk and egg. Mix. Add peanut butter. Mix until relatively smooth. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Then mix all together wet & dry. Add chips if desired. Roll dough into ball and roll into sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Press gently with a fork to criss cross. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Do not overbake. Cookies will just be starting to golden on top and may appear to be underdone. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 1 minute, then remove to a rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Classic Spaghetti & Meatballs

2012-01-23T21:03:00.000-07:00

photo borrowed from here

This recipe is adapted from Pioneer Woman's spaghetti & meatballs. I found the sauce to be delicious and the meatballs were fantastic. I have made other kinds of meatballs before, but this was the first time that I have made meatballs from scratch to go with spaghetti. Loved it!

Ingredients:

Meatballs:

3/4 pounds Ground Beef
3/4 pounds Ground Pork
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
3/4 cups Fine Bread Crumbs
2 whole Eggs
1/4 cup Flat-leaf Parsley, Minced
1/4 teaspoon Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
2 T Milk
1/2 cup Olive Oil

Sauce:

1 whole Yellow Onion, Diced
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 small Can tomato paste
36 ounces Can Crushed Tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Sugar
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1/4 cup Flat-leaf Parsley, Minced
2 t. basil
2 pounds Spaghetti, Cooked To Al Dente

Preparation Instructions

To make the meatballs, combine meat, garlic, breadcrumbs, eggs, salt, pepper, parsley, and milk in a mixing bowl. Mix together well with hands. Roll into 1 1/2-inch balls and place on a cookie sheet. Place cookie sheet into the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes to firm up.
To brown the meatballs, heat olive oil in a heavy pot or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add meatballs 8 at a time, turning to brown. Remove and drain on a paper towel after each batch. Set meatballs aside.
In the same pot, add the onions and garlic and cook for a few minutes, or until translucent. Pour in tomatoes. Add salt, pepper, sugar, parsley, basil. Stir to combine and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes.
Add meatballs to pot and stir in gently. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, stirring very gently a couple of times during the simmer.

Serve over cooked spaghetti. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

Baked Lemon Pudding

2012-01-18T20:43:00.001-07:00

Pin It (Photo from Elsye's cooking blog)

Over the last few years, I've developed quite a love of all things lemon, so when I saw this recipe on Pinterest, I knew I had to try it. And boy, am I glad I did. This is fantastic. Lemony, sweet AND tart, and absolutely mouth-watering. I ate mine warm and it was perfect for a cold winter night. I can imagine it chilled in the summer, though, and I'm sure it would be equally delightful. Make it soon! You'll be glad you did. I made some adjustments, including doubling it for my family. (This is the doubled version)

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup flour
dash salt
1/2 cup lemon juice (I used the juice from the lemons I zested and then added some RealLemon juice
zest from two lemons
2 eggs, separated
2 tbsp melted butter
2 cups milk

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the sugar, flour and salt.

Whisk in lemon zest, beaten egg yolks, butter and milk.

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold into the lemon mixture.

Either pour into a 9 x 13 inch pan, or into separate custard dishes.

Place the pan or the custard dishes in a jellyroll pan and pour hot water into the pan (I used about 1/2 to 3/4 inch)

Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until the top is set and golden brown.

This separates during baking making a cakey layer and a pudding layer. YUM!

Cheese Soup

2012-01-11T14:47:00.000-07:00

This is a great reminder of my mom and comfort food. We've had this in bread bowls and I remember it being a great cabin meal. It is one of my favorites!

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. carrots

1 onion

4-5 celery sticks

2 cubed potatoes

1 1/2 sticks of butter

1 can chicken broth

1 1/2 quarts hot water (use water from the cooked veggies)

1 pkg. frozen peas

Directions:

Boil carrots, onions, celery, and potatoes with enough water to barely cover.

Place Cheese Whiz with lid off in pan of hot water to melt. (I don't do that....oops.)

In large pan, melt butter, add enough flour to make paste, stirring constantly.

Gradually add hot water and chicken broth. Stir until thickened. Remove from heat and add all vegetables (don't forget the peas) and Cheese Whiz. (I think my mom put a little shredded cheese in at this point too.)

1/2 batch feeds 6

Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup

2012-01-05T11:53:00.001-07:00

This soup is so good and creamy. Chicken Noodle soup with a twist. I use to eat this at my friend's house during high school and finally about 10 years later, I got the recipe. It is from one of the Lion House Cookbooks.

Ingredients:
2 tsp. chicken soup base, or 2 bouillon cubes
3 cups canned chicken stock
2 cups chopped carrots
2 cups chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped onion
2 cans (10 1/2 ounces each) cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup evaporated milk, or 1/2 cup whole milk
Roux
2 cups cooked diced chicken
2 1/2 ounces (about 4 cups) cooked noodles
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat chicken soup base and stock together. Add carrots, celery, and onion, and simmer until vegetables are tender. Add cream of chicken soup and milk. Thicken with roux as desired, then add cooked chicken and noodles. Add salt and pepper to taste. Makes about 2 1/2 quarts, or 10 one -cup servings.

*Roux is an equal of amount of melted butter and flour mixed together used to thicken soups, etc. I DO NOT USE ROUX in this recipe. I think the soup is thick enough without it.
*I also chop my vegetables with a chopper so they are very small. My kids tend to eat it better this way.

Christmas Neighbor Gift (Repost): See's Fudge

2011-12-16T13:21:00.000-07:00

THE See's (famous chocolatier) fudge recipe. This fudge is incredible and has been a family tradition my whole life. I don't even make the mistake of trying other recipes because every time I taste someone else's fudge, it leaves me disappointed because of THIS recipe.

Ingredients:

4 1/2 c. sugar
1 can evaporated milk
2 cubes butter
3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (I use 2 full 12 oz bags)
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:

In a heavy pan over medium heat, combine sugar & milk. When you achieve rapid boil, time for 6 1/2 minutes. Stir regularly before boil, and then constantly during boil. In a large glass bowl have the butter & chocolate chips ready to go. After you time your boil, pour hot mixture over ingredients in glass bowl, add vanilla & nuts, and stir vigorously until completely combined. Pour into greased pan (9x13 at least).

Smooth, firm, and delicious!!

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Taco Soup

2011-12-15T09:02:00.005-07:00

This is my favorite Taco Soup. I'm not sure if that is because it tastes the best, because it is so simple, or because of the wonderful memories of who made this soup. I almost lived with a family my senior year in high school and 'the mom' made this soup often and I loved it.

I served it at a neighborhood Christmas party, along with this soup, and it was a hit.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion or dried onion

3 cans kidney beans

3 cans stewed tomatoes

1 15 oz. can tomato sauce

1/2 - 1 package taco seasoning

2 T. sugar

Toppings:

Fritos

cheese

sour cream

Directions:

Brown ground beef with onion in pot. Mix in the beans (I sort of drain them. I'm not actually sure whether they should be drained or not), and the rest of the ingredients. Let simmer for a while. 20-30 minutes. Top with fritos, cheese, and sour cream and serve.

(P.S. I'll work on a better picture)

Christmas Neighbor Gift (Repost):: Ooey Gooey Chex Mix

2011-12-10T17:11:00.002-07:00

I love this mix. I loved it as a kid and I love it now. I made it last year to give to family and friends. I normally don't like coconut but I like it in this. I did not add cashews. Instead I added red and green m&m's for Christmas!

Ingredients:

1 cup butter
1 cup light Karo syrup
1 cup sugar
6 cups Rice Chex
6 cups Honey Grahams
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup coconut
1 cup cashews

Directions:

Mix together the cereals, nuts, and coconut.
Stir butter, syrup, and sugar in pan and bring to a boil for 3-4 minutes.
Pour over the top of the cereal mix. Mix well.
Lay out on wax paper for about an hour.
Wrap it up cute and deliver or devour yourself.
YUM!!!

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Ann's Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-11-03T22:41:00.005-06:00

This is a favorite recipe for sure given to me by John's sister Ann. WARNING: Make these and you'll be hooked.

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/4-2 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
12-16 oz chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter with sugar and vanilla. Add eggs and mix just until combined. In a separate bowl, sift dry ingredients together. Add to the mixer and combine well. Add chocolate chips.

Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown on top. The inside may still seem a bit underdone. Let them sit on the cookie sheet for 2-3 minutes. Enjoy!

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Verna's Baked Beans

2011-10-24T23:15:00.002-06:00

These are my mother-in-law's beans and are somewhat of a legend in John's family. They are amazing. I used to be a Bush's baked bean kind of girl but now I have seen the light (and matured a bit) and I would rather have these than any. They are savory, bold, and sweet-but not like a dessert-sweet. I was surprised to see that Verna's and Pioneer Woman's recipes are almost identical.

2 large (28 oz or so) cans pork & beans, drain about 1/2 the liquid
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 T worcestershire sauce
1 cup ketchup
1 green pepper, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 lb bacon, cooked & crumbled

In a crockpot or large pot, combine all ingredients. Simmer. Enjoy.

Picture borrowed from here until I take one of my own.

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Fettuccini with Ham & Zucchini

2011-10-05T17:20:00.003-06:00

Definitely a favorite recipe of ours for many years now.

Ingredients:

Olive oil
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
2 or 3 small zucchini, julienned
1 (or so) cup cooked ham, diced
1 pint heavy cream
2 T butter
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 package fettuccini pasta

Directions:

Cook pasta according to directions on package. In skillet, start with a couple tablespoons of oilive oil. Sautee onion and garlic on medium heat until onion is tender. Be careful to not burn the garlic. Add the zucchini and ham and stir fry for about 5 minutes. Drain pasta and pour back into pot. Add the cream, butter, zucchini mixture to the pasta. heat this through then add the parmesan last. Serve immediately. You can tweak the recipe to stretch it as much as you want, including adding sour cream, etc.

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Zucchini Casserole

2011-10-03T16:51:00.001-06:00

This is a great recipe when you have extra zucchini or even when you have leftover rice. It is savory and a complete meal in one pan. Because I have a big family, I adjust the ingredients to my liking in order to have this casserole go even further (more rice, more zucchini, more sauce, etc.)

Ingredients:

1 can cream of mushroom
1 cup cooked rice
1 lb. extra lean ground beef
3 tbs. chopped onion
6 small zucchini (or so), sliced
salt & pepper

Directions:

Brown meat. Add onion and cook together until onion is tender. Add cream of mushroom. Add rice. Mix all of that completely and turn off heat.

Lay zucchini slices on bottom of greased casserole dish. I use a 9x13. Then pour above mixture over zucchini.

Prepare the following sauce in a saucepan over medium heat: 2 T butter, 1 c. milk, 2 T flour, salt & pepper to taste. Prepare to a roux. Finally add 1 c. grated cheese. Pour over top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Fall Pumpkin Squares

2011-09-27T21:41:00.000-06:00

TIME TO BREAK OUT THE FALL PUMPKIN SQUARES. YUM!!
This is the ultimate in fall treats. It is simple and oh so delicious. Always a hit!! It was given to me from a good friend at BYU years ago.

Ingredients:
1 cup oil
2 cups canned pumpkin
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:
Mix all together and pour into a cookie sheet/jelly roll pan.
Bake at 350* for 20-30 minutes (Depending on your oven. Check with toothpick.)

When cool, frost with icing. This icing is amazing.

Icing Ingredients:
Mix together:
8 oz. cream cheese
3/4 stick butter
1 T. milk
2 tsp. vanilla
2 - 2 3/4 cups powdered sugar

Beef Tips and Noodles

2011-09-22T09:02:00.006-06:00

My mom made this often when I was young. It has become a favorite of my husbands and even my kids love it. The best part is the simplicity of it and the meat is so tender.

Ingredients:

1 lb. stew meat
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can tomato soup (or cream of mushroom soup)
1 package dry lipton onion soup mix

Directions:

Mix the ingredients together in a crockpot. Cook on High 4-6 hours or Low 5-7 hours.
Serve over egg noodles.

*Last time I made it, I did not use the tomato soup and instead used two cans of cream of mushroom soup (this is the way my uncle makes it). It was really good!
*I buy bulk already cut up stew meat from Costco, seperate it into baggies and freeze it. It's always nice to have different kinds of meat on hand.

Cheese Pastry

2011-09-13T07:58:00.000-06:00

I love cheese pastries. The flaky crust, the cream cheese filling and the sweet icing are a perfect combination. I made this last night and we had it for breakfast this morning. It was easy and delicious. I put the glaze on and then covered it for the night, so the glaze was still runny this morning.

2 cans refrigerated crescent rolls (I got the kind that is a continuous sheet--not perforated)
2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg white

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 pan with Pam. Lay a can of crescent rolls on the bottom of the pan. Beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and egg until smooth and then spread evenly over the crescent rolls. Lay the second can of crescent rolls over the top and brush with egg white.

Bake for 35 minutes. Cool for twenty minutes and then glaze the top.

Glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Banana Cream Bread

2011-09-09T20:09:00.002-06:00

This banana cream bread is AMAZING. So flavorful and moist and delicious. I found it in my neighborhood cookbook.
*I used Turbinado sugar the first two times I made it but today I made it with regular sugar and it was just as good. Although I did sprinkle the turbinado sugar on top for the sweet crispy top. Regular salt can also be used.
Mmmmmmm.

Ingredients:

1 1/3 c.oil
3 c. Turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw)
4 eggs
6 very ripe bananas
1 c. sour cream
1 T. vanilla
1 1/2 t. sea salt
4 c. flour
1 1/2 t. baking soda
2 c. sliced almonds (I did not like it with sliced almonds)

*optional - chocolate chips. In my husbands family, baked goods such as zucchini bread, banana bread, and cinnamon rolls are not complete without chocolate chips. (I don't agree).
*nuts (now this I like)

Directions:

Mash bananas in bowl. Mix in oil, sugar, eggs, sour cream, vanilla and salt on medium speed until smooth. Add flour and baking soda and mix until just blended. Fold in almonds (or nuts or chocolate chips). Divide batter into greased and floured one pound loaf pans. Fill only 2/3 full and sprinkle top of loaves with turbinado sugar (this will form a yummy sugar crust while baking). Bake in a preheated oven at 325* for about 1 hour or until inserted wooden pick comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool in the pans for 5 minutes before turning out onto cooling racks. Cool, wrap and refrigerate at least 1-3 days before serving. (we eat it right away too)

zucchini brownies

2011-09-06T15:26:00.003-06:00

So I have had horrible zucchini brownies (that tasted like dirt) and I have had excellent zucchini brownies. These were excellent. I think because I used pureed zucchini instead of the traditional shredded, this was more like a cake. It reminded me of Texas sheet cake. The recipe is adapted from one I found on allrecipes.com.

ZUCCHINI BROWNIES

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups pureed zucchini

FROSTING:
5 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
3 T. margarine
2 cups powdered sugar
2-4 T. milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 baking pan. In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in the zucchini. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until brownies spring back when gently touched.
FROSTING: In a medium bowl, blend together the margarine, cocoa, powdered sugar, milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Spread over cooled brownies before cutting into squares.

Delicious Breakfast Sandwiches

2011-09-03T19:35:00.000-06:00

Worth a repost! We made it for dinner tonight and it was DELICIOUS!!!!! And simple.

A version of this sandwich is on the menu at Flour Girl and Dough Boy and after having it once, I had to try to duplicate it. It is on their breakfast menu, but I made them for dinner and everyone LOVED them. Easy and sorta special!

Good quality sourdough or country bread
1 egg per sandwich
thin-sliced ham
provolone cheese
raspberry jam

Fry the egg, piercing the yolk, so it all cooks semi-hard
Stack one slice of bread with the ham, cheese and egg
Spread jam on the other slice of bread (be generous)
Put sandwich together and toast (I used a sandwich maker and thinly spread butter on the outside of both slices)

Enjoy with some fresh fruit for a delicious and satisfying meal!

Harvest Spaghetti and Chicken

2011-09-01T00:32:00.000-06:00

I think I made dinner about three times all summer. Isn't that awful?!! Well, a good dinner. We had plenty of last minute Little Caesars, eggs in tortillas, toast and eggs, omelettes, and mac n cheese. School started and I'm back. What also helped is I just got home from visiting family and they spoiled us rotten with their amazing food. I was inspired. And I'M BACK!!

This was quick and easy and yummy. And a great way to use zucchini. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, cut in small pieces

3 T. cooking oil

2 c. zucchini, thinly sliced

3 med. carrots, sliced thin

2 garlic cloves, minced.

1 T. flour

1 1/2 c. milk

1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1 t. salt

1/2 t. basil

8 oz. spaghetti, cooked

Directions:

Sitr fry the chicken pieces in oil until tender and add vegetables and cook until just tender. Sprinkle and stir flour into the mixture and add milk, all at once, and cook until slightly thickened, stirring constantly. Add cheese, salt and basil and fold into the cooked spaghetti and serve. Serves about 8.

Bacon and Swiss Quiche

2011-08-29T08:52:00.000-06:00

This is simple to make and my family really liked it. Of course, we like most breakfast food, but I steamed some vegetables and we had this for dinner. We made two of them and it made great leftovers for breakfast the next morning. It tasted just as good heated up later.

1 pie crust (my favorite is the Marie Callendar frozen pie crust)
4-6 slices bacon cooked and crumbled (Costco has the cooked bacon in a bag that works great)
1 cup grated Swiss cheese
4 eggs
2 cups half and half
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
dash of nutmeg

Prick the pie crust with a fork and bake it for 5 to 7 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

In a bowl, beat the eggs. Stir in other ingredients. Pour into pie shell. Turn oven down to 350 degrees. Bake for 45 minutes. (This is pretty runny, so be careful putting it in the oven.)

Zesty Zucchini Casserole

2011-08-26T10:25:00.001-06:00

In honor of my 93 year old grandma. An incredible cook and if I can inherit something of hers, I would ask for her recipes. She just moved to the other side of the country to live by her daughter and I missed her before she was gone. (Don't let the awful picture fool you.)

Ingredients:

6 Zucchini (about 6" long)

1 pkg. dry spaghetti sauce mix

1 t. oregano

2 T. Parsley flakes

1/4 c. butter

2 c. bread cubes

2-4 tomatoes, sliced

1 pkg. (8 oz.) mozzarella cheese, cubed

parmesan cheese

Directions:

Quarter squash lengthwise and parboil. Prepare spaghetti sauce as directed. Add oregano and parsley. Melt butter in skillet and add bread cubes. Toss until golden brown.

In casserole dish arrange squash in bottom. Spoon part of sauce over. Sprinkle generously with parmesan cheese and add half of the bread cubes.

Top with mozzarella cheese cubes and tomato slices. Add remaining bread cubes.

Bake 375* 35 minutes or until bubbly.

**I have always followed this recipe exact until the last time I made it and it was still wonderful. Instead I used a jar of prego instead of the dry spaghetti sauce mix and I used grated mozzarella cheese.

**The bread cubes are really what make this extra wonderful. There is something about bread cubes cooked in butter. Yum! (Just cut slices of bread into cubes and toss with the butter until golden.)

Ham (or Chicken) Fried Rice

2011-08-23T00:33:00.001-06:00

Is it 5:00 p.m. and you haven't thought of dinner? Well this is the dish for you. This fried rice was soooo good. And as a meal, it can basically stand on its own. I had some leftover rice and so I made it with that and it was soooo easy! As soon as I can find the recipe that I adapted this from, I will share the link!

Ingredients:

6 Tablespoons Butter, Divided
6 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Chopped
1 cup Frozen Peas And Carrots
½ cups Diced Ham Or Cooked Chicken
3 whole Eggs Beaten
3 cups Cooked Rice, Chilled
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce Or More To Taste

Salt And Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a small glass dish in the microwave. Add the minced garlic and lemon juice to the melted butter and stir to combine. Set aside to allow the flavors to mingle.

Chop the onions. Measure out the peas/carrots, ham, rice, and soy sauce. Finally, you should beat the eggs in a small bowl. Doing some of the measuring/prep work before you start cooking is crucial.

In a large, non-stick skillet, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until soft, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the peas and carrots and cook for about 3 minutes. Then add the diced ham or chicken. Cook for 1 minute. Push all of the contents of the skillet to one side to keep them from cooking too much. On the empty side of the skillet, add the beaten eggs. Season with a little salt and pepper and scramble until just set. Integrate the eggs with the veggies and move everything back to the edge of the skillet.

Quickly add the garlic mixture to the pan and use a spatula to break it up. Cook it for about 1 minute or so (longer if you do not want an intense garlic taste). If you are worried about the strong flavor of garlic, you can add the same amount of garlic but add it with the peas and carrots. This will give the garlic ample time to mellow and sweeten by the name everything is cooked.

Add the cold, cooked rice and mix it in with the other ingredients. I made this with leftover rice!!! Add the soy sauce and stir to combine. Stir it every 30 seconds for about 2 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add salt, pepper, and/or additional soy sauce, if desired. Stir one last time and transfer everything to a serving bowl.

Chicken Salad

2011-07-21T20:01:00.001-06:00

Ingredients
1 whole cut up fryer chicken
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 whole green onions, chopped
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup Mayonnaise
1/2 cup cashews, chopped (optional)

Instructions
Cook chicken if not already done (I took the easy route and bought a sumptuous rotisserie chicken from Costco), and chop into bite-sized chunks. Chop up the celery and green onions and throw them in with the chicken. Throw in the dried cranberries, and mix in the mayonnaise and chopped cashews (if you are going that route).

Serve between yummy bread or croissant.

Oreo Surprise

2011-07-12T00:19:00.002-06:00

I have come back to the land of the living. Blogging has not been in the cards for me these last few months. But I'm back and determined to try some new recipes...including some gluten free! This recipe is from my friend Tanya. Thanks for sharing, Tanya! This is definitely a keeper. I actually haven't made it yet. Caroline has made it a couple of times and it is a huge hit. There was one change we made. Instead of using one large box of instant chocolate pudding, we used one small vanilla & one small chocolate.

Ingredients:

1 lg pkg crushed Oreos
1 stick butter, melted
1 lg container cool whip
1 lg box instant chocolate pudding
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
8 oz cream cheese

Directions:

Crush up whole Oreos in a ziploc bag (use rolling pin or whatever). Combine crushed Oreos & butter to make a crust & spread it in a 13x9 pan. Reserve 1/4 c. Oreos for the top. Put into fridge. Mix pudding according to pkg. Layer onto Oreo crust. Combine sugar & cream cheese. Soften in cool whip once it is combined, saving some for a top layer. Put mixture onto pudding. Top w/remaining cool whip & sprinkle with the 1/4 cup Oreos. Eat and enjoy or refrigerate!

Grilled Pineapple

2011-06-18T20:27:00.000-06:00

This is a major treat in our home. This is actually my husband's domain since he is the master of the grill. All I have to do is bring a pineapple home and he does all the rest. The sauce compliments the pineapple so well. Its tropical tang doesn't quite go with the wintery theme of the plate it is sitting on :).

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
1 Tbsp melted butter

Mix all ingredients to make glaze.

Cut pineapple into 8 verticle strips around the core. Remove the core. Place pineapple strips on the grill (about 400 degrees) and baste with glaze. Continue to baste as you turn the strips to cook on all sides. Slather the strips until all the glaze is gone. Keep on the grill until the pineapple has softened from the grilling/carmelizing.

Lemon chicken

2011-05-31T21:35:00.004-06:00

I got this recipe from Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten. I love a good classic chicken and rice meal. This chicken recipe calls for a punch of flavor that really dresses up the mild taste of chicken. Coupled with a savory wild rice, this dish really hits the spot.

1/4 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp minced garlic (9 cloves)
1/3 cup dry white wine (I always use grape juice when a recipe calls for wine)
1 Tbsp grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp minced fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 boneless chicken breasts, skin on (6 to 8 ounces each)
1 lemon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the garlic, and cook for just 1 minute but don't allow the garlic to turn brown. Off the heat, add the white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and 1 tsp salt and pour into a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Pat the chicken breasts dry and place them skin side up over the sauce. Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper. Cut the lemon in 8 wedges and tuck them among the pieces of chicken.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts, until the chicken is done and the skin is lightly browned. If the chicken is browned enough, put it under the broiler for 2 minutes. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the pan juices.

"Chorizo Scramble"

2011-05-29T12:50:00.008-06:00

There is a restaurant in Ashland, Oregon called Morning Glory. All my girl friends here are in love with it. I don't like to hop on the rave-o-rama bandwagon, but I admit, it is good food. They have great and interesting food combination. My favorite plate that I have ordered there is called the Chorizo Scramble, and it goes a little something like this:
light, fluffy scrambled eggs, Monterey jack cheese, chorizo, pico de gallo, cilantro, and here's the clincher, corn tortillas. Mmmmm.

Ingredients: (listed above but too)

eggs (I would say 4 or so)

Monterey jack cheese ( 1/4 - 1/2 cup, shredded)

chorizo or sausage (1/2 cup chopped)

pico de gallo (I used 1/4 cup of the store bought stuff. You do earn extra credit though if you make your own pico de gallo)

cilantro (this is optional, especially since most pico de gallo already has it in there)

corn tortillas (3-4 small corn tortillas, cut into 1/4 " x 1/2 " strips, and sauted in 2 Tbsp. oil).

Instructions:
1. Saute the strips of corn tortillas in the oil for about 2 minutes, until softened.
2. Cook and chop the chorizo or sausage.
3. Crack the four eggs into a fry pan. With a spatula, stir them up until yokes are broken up and mixed with the whites, THEN turn on the stove to medium high heat. Let the eggs sit there for 1 minute before scrapping the bottom and flipping the eggs over (they will only be cooked on the bottom).
4. Add the shredded cheese, cooked chorizo, pico de gallo, and tortilla strips. Mix with the eggs and make a messy scramble.
5. Top with cilantro and serve while warm.

Breakfast Burritos

2011-05-29T12:13:00.005-06:00

There isn't really an exact recipe for these. It all depends on what flavors you are going for. For my kids, they just like eggs and sausage. I brought these to a family potluck. I added onions and cilantro to the basic egg/sausage combination. However you decide to dress these up, they make for interesting spin off from the classic egg.

Ingredients:

flour tortillas - I prefer the uncooked ones from Costco (you cook them of course though to make the burritos)

sausage - I chop up the pre-cooked breakfast sausage links.

eggs

cheese - this could be another spin off for differing flavor combinations. Cheddar, Monterey, Pepper jack, Swiss, Parmesan, feta, whatever floats your boat.

Salt and pepper for the eggs.

Optional additions (cilantro, peppers, broccoli, pico di gallo, hot sauce, etc.)

Instructions:
1. Cook the tortillas if using uncooked tortillas.
2. Cook the sausage if you are not using pre-cooked.
3. Quip up a batch of scrambled eggs, using as many eggs as you will need for the quantity of burritos you want to make. One egg makes 1-2 burritos depending on how full you stuff it, and how many other mix ins you have.
4. Assemble the burritos by placing 1/4 cup eggs in a line in the center of the tortilla. Sprinkle on desired amount of sausage and other flavor enhancers.

I placed my burritos in a 9x13 dish to keep warm in the oven until we were ready to eat.

Garlic Bread

2011-05-26T09:27:00.004-06:00

Ingredients:

1 baguette or french bread sliced lengthwise

1/2 cup softened butter
2 TBS mayo
1/4 tsp dried sage
3 cloves of garlic, chopped (I use chopped jarred garlic)
2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 TBS grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to broil.
Mix everything together.
Spread mixture evenly on bread...be generous!
Put bread, open, on cookie sheet and lightly toast it under broiler.

This recipe was found here.

Coconut Cake

2011-05-21T23:25:00.001-06:00

This cake was good. I don't like coconut but I liked this cake (without the coconut sprinkled on top). I love white and yellow cake so this was a great twist. Super easy and worth a try.

Ingredients:

1 white cake mix

Ingredients for the cake mix

1 small package coconut cream instant pudding

1 can Lopez Coconut Cream (found with the drink mixers)

1 8 oz. cool whip

1 cup coconut

Directions:

Sprinkle the pudding into the cake mix and make the cake according to the package directions. When the cake comes out of the oven, poke holes all over it with the end of a wooden spoon or I used the end of a knife. Pour the coconut cream into the holes. When cooled, frost with cool whip and sprinkle with coconut. Refrigerate.

*I made two round cakes then stacked them. I poked holes in the first layer, poured in some cream and spread cream across that layer then put the top layer on. Poked holes in that layer and put the rest of the cream in. You can make it in any pan. It would even be fun to make cupcakes!

Stuffed Peppers

2011-05-17T11:51:00.006-06:00

My mom made this when I was a kid and I loved it. I just ate the insides as a kid but I've grown up a little and now I eat the insides and the pepper. It is really yummy and simple. Give it a try!

Ingredients:

6 large green peppers

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 c. chopped onion

1 16 oz. can tomatoes, cut up (or stewed)

1/2 c. long grain rice

1/2 c. water

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. Worcestershire

1 c. shredded cheese

Directions:

Cut off tops of green peppers; empty seeds. Chop 1/4 c. of tops, set aside. Boil the peppers uncovered in water for 5 minutes. Drain well and sprinkle insides with salt. In skillet cook beef, onion, 1/4 c. peppers. When meat is brown and veggies tender, drain fat. Add undrained tomatoes, uncooked rice, water, salt, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper. Boil, reduce heat, cover, simmer 15-18 minutes, till rice is tender. Stir in cheese. Stuff peppers with meat mixture. Place 10x6x2 baking dish. Bake covered 350* for 30-35 minutes.

Spinach Salad

2011-05-09T13:14:00.000-06:00

Ingredients:

1 head lettuce

1 bunch spinach leaves

¼ cup cottage cheese

½ cup Swiss cheese, grated

½ lb. bacon (chopped and fried crisp)

½ red onion (cut into rings)

½ lb. sliced mushrooms

Dressing:

1 Tbsp. poppy seeds

1 cup oil

½ cup vinegar

½ cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. dried mustard

Instructions:

Marinate onions and mushrooms in dressing overnight. Pour marinate/dressing on salad ingredients right before serving. Toss to mix.

Masaman Chicken Curry

2011-05-04T07:33:00.006-06:00

I love Thai food and I enjoy the challenge of trying to duplicate a dish I enjoy at a restaurant. Awhile back I had Masaman Chicken Curry at a wonderful Thai restaurant. I've had a bit of a craving and decided to try to duplicate it. I searched recipes online and couldn't find one that had the same ingredients, so I improvised and this is what I came up with yesterday. It was fantastic! The broth wasn't quite as thick as the restaurant, but since we ate it over brown rice instead of just as a soup, it was fine. The flavors were all there and it was delicious. I can't wait for lunch today when I'll be eating leftovers. The picture is without the cashews. Sorry.

3 tbsp. red curry paste
2 cans (approx 13 oz.) coconut milk
3 tbsp. fish sauce
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups water
1/2 tsp. coriandor
1 onion finely chopped
4 cups cut up potatoes
2 cups sliced carrots
3 cups chicken cut in bite-size pieces
1/2 cup cashews

Stir together curry paste, coconut milk, fish sauce, salt and water. Bring to a boil and then immediately turn down to simmer. Add the rest of the ingredients and let it simmer on low for three or four hours. This lets the flavors meld. Add cashews during the last hour or so. (I forgot so my cashews weren't slightly softened like they usually are. They'll be better today.)

I served this over brown rice. เพลิดเพลิน

Hashbrown Casserole

2011-04-19T09:46:00.000-06:00

We first had this on Christmas morning. It was made by John's sister Ann...thanks for the recipe, Ann! We have since made it for some special occasions-like Conference weekend or something like that. My kids eat it really well and it is the perfect recipe because it is simple but delicioso! One tip Ann gave was this:
If you have a deep casserole dish I do a casserole and a half to fill it. But if your dish is not that deep, just a regular cake size pan, this original recipe is enough.
Ingredients:

24 oz hashbrown bag-thawed

1/2 cup melted butter

1 cup grated Swiss cheese

1 cup grated Cheddar cheese

1 cup diced pre-cooked ham

1/8 cup chopped green onion

3 beaten eggs

1 cup 1/2 and 1/2 cream

1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

Stir butter through the thawed hashbrowns and place in a 9 x 13 casserole dish.

Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

Mix together the second group of ingredients and place on top of cooked hashbrowns

and stir somewhat through.

Whip together third group of ingredients and pour over entire casserole. Bake at

375 for 35-40 minutes until knife in the center comes out clean.

Cadbury Egg Chocolate Cookies

2011-04-11T17:54:00.001-06:00

My friend Holly shared this recipe with me. Thanks a lot Holly! As if I needed more baked good recipes! I love the Reese's chocolate cookie recipe which is very similar to this plus Cadbury mini eggs happen to be one of my favorite things...I really couldn't go wrong here.

Adapted from a recipe here.

Ingredients:

1 C butter
1 C brown sugar
1 C white sugar
2 Eggs
1 1/2 t vanilla
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
2 1/2 C flour
6T unsweetened cocoa powder
1 10 oz bag Cadbury Mini-Eggs*

1/2 bag Reese's peanut butter chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. On the original recipe they crushed up the Cadbury Eggs. I did not. I threw them into my mixer and many ended up whole but some broke up into pieces. They were perfect.

Cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar. Add in eggs one at at a time and the vanilla. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, soda, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder. Add flour mixture to the butter mixture to combine and then mix in the candies.

Drop onto a cookie sheet and cook for about 8-10 minutes. Allow to sit on cookie sheet for 2 minutes before removing. Remove to a cooling rack.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

2011-04-04T07:53:00.004-06:00

This pie is a favorite. I usually just make it for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I usually make four of them--two without nuts and two with nuts. I much prefer the ones with nuts, but that's because I love nuts. This is delicious with whipped cream or served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

1 unbaked 9-inch, deep dish pie crust (I prefer the Marie Callendar's brand

2 large eggs

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened, but not melty

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Beat eggs in large mixer bowl on high speed until foamy. Add in flour, granulated sugar and brown sugar and beat until smooth. Beat in butter. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (I prefer to do this with a spoon so that the chocolate chips don't get smashed apart). Spoon into pie crust.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

Enjoy!

Maria's French Toast

2011-04-02T11:14:00.005-06:00

This recipe comes from my sister-in-law Maria. She served it at a family gathering and I enjoyed it thoroughly since it was a little more involved than the french toast I have had in the past. I usually just had eggs, sometimes milk, and a little cinnamon in my batter. So for a little more than basic french toast, enjoy the following...

Maria's French Toast

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

3 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

cinnamon to taste

butter

1-2 dozen day-old rolls or buns (depending on size)

Combine all ingredients except butter and rolls. Cut rolls in half and dip each in batter, covering both sides. Cook in skillet on medium/medium-low heat. Remove from pan when cooked through. (I also like to smash my toast as it cooks with the back of the spatula to get rid of the sogginess that sometimes accompanies french toast:)) Coat pan with butter and place cooked french toast back in pan to cook in butter for 1 or 2 more minutes. This is an important step to add some extra flavor and texture! Serve with powdered sugar and syrup. Enjoy!

White Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chile Sour Cream Sauce

2011-03-29T09:50:00.004-06:00

These were really yummy and really easy. I bought a bag of frozen chicken from Costco and cooked and cubed it all with oregano, basil, and garlic. That made this recipe super easy because the chicken can be frozen in sandwich bags in smaller portions and is ready for a meal like this. I found this recipe here. (Let's Dish)

Ingredients:

8-10 soft taco size flour tortillas

2 cups shredded Monterrey jack cheese, divided

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

3 T. butter

3 T. flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup sour cream

1 4 0z. can diced green chiles

Chopped, fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425*. Mix together 1 cup of the cheese and the chicken. Place equal amounts of the chicken mixture into each tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in a lightly greased 9x13 pan. In a skillet or saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, whisking until smooth. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Stir in the sour cream and green chiles. Pour sauce over the top of the enchiladas; sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro, if desired.

Cheesy Bacon Biscuits

2011-03-25T17:09:00.003-06:00

I had all the ingredients for this so thought I'd give it a try. I bought the mozzarella logs from Costco (2 pack) and used already cooked and crumbled bacon from Costco as well. My kids loved these. They were simple and quick and yummy. I loved them too.

Ingredients:

2 T. melted butter
One roll refrigerated biscuit dough, 8 count
6 thin slices fresh mozzarella, 1/4 inch thick
1 cup cooked and crumbled bacon
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Melt butter in a 9-inch pan or skillet. Place biscuits in pan. Top with slices of mozzarella cheese, bacon crumbles then shredded cheddar.
Bake at 350* for 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melted and biscuits are cooked through. Serve warm.

Marks Chocolate Covered Bacon

2011-03-13T13:48:00.016-06:00

Prep time:__________________5 minutes
Cook time: _________________10 minutes
Culinary Sophistication Level:____Man

Hi, my name is Mark. I am married to one of the recipe society contributors. Today I decided that I would like to make a contribution to the society. I will bring chocolate covered bacon as my pot luck contribution to this wonderful society of recipe variety. The reason behind this desire was that while eating some bacon, I looked in the freezer and found a bag of milk chocolate Guittard chips. The best chocolate chips in the world.
My mind began to wander. I thought of the days last September, while I weaved in and out of the various human conditions at the State Fair, I stumbled upon a small shack selling assorted fried items. One of these items was a deep fried Snickers bar. I subsequently purchased and devoured the bar. I then noticed a small bearded, elfish type boy eating what appeared to be a slice of bacon slathered in chocolate. After paying a small fortune for the Snickers and not willing to pay the $478.00 for one slice of bacon, my trip to the fair felt incomplete and I also felt a slight melancholy that stayed with me until today.
Flash back to the present. Standing there in my kitchen, my wife in the other room watching the kids, a harmonous epiphony. Bacon, fair, chocolate, bearded elf boy, microwave. I heard something. Something seemed to be crying out. I looked down at the freshly cooked bacon. Was it trying to tell me something? I placed my ear close to the pan. Tiny beads of bacon grease jumped, gently kissing my ear with bacony goodness. Amidst the sizzle I heard,"Chocolate makesssss usssssss happy and healthy, sssssizzle sizzle." I took the bacons word for it. Who am I to argue with sizzling bacon? I finally felt like my life and destiny was within my grasp and under my control. I proceeded to assemble my masterpiece.

Ingredients: Bacon and Chocolate.

Lay 10 thick strips of bacon on your wifes favorite cookie sheet.
Place in oven for 10 minutes at 450* or until bacon is crisp and delicious. (careful to not over cook)
Remove bacon from pan and place on a paper towel. This will help in the degreasification process.

Melt 1/2 cup chocolate chips in microwave until chocolate is easily spreadable, stirring every 15 seconds. (careful to not overcook).

Place bacon strips on wax paper.

Slather chocolate on bacon, flip bacon, re-slather, place in fridge for 10 minutes.

Done. Eat bacon.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

2011-03-09T14:01:00.003-07:00

This is so yummy and full of flavor! I got the recipe from a Relief Society activity. I love the variation with cream cheese since I had not had it this way before. Hope you enjoy it as much as we have! Mark is a big fan as well and not always into soup, but loves it when I make this!

Cream of Broccoli Soup

6 cans chicken broth
1 1/2 onions, chopped
3 cups chopped celery
3 small heads broccoli, chopped (use 3 heads about the size of a baseball, with only the small connecting stems, not the large main stem)

Simmer vegetables in chicken broth for about 20 minutes.

3, 8 oz. packages cream cheese
1 1/2 cups milk
2/3 cup flour
2/3 cup butter

Make white sauce in large enough pan for entire soup. First melt butter and whisk in flour, cooking for at least 2 min. at a medium low heat. Slowly add milk, stirring constantly. Remove from heat before it gets too thick -- it should be thick, but not hard.

Now blend one package cream cheese in blender with some of the vegetable/broth mixture. Puree, then whisk into the white sauce. Repeat until all has been pureed and combined. Heat soup over low heat and ENJOY!

PS...I have made this recipe by cutting it to 1/3 recipe and there is still plenty for us for dinner with leftovers too! So the full recipe should generously serve 6-8

Chicken Pillows

2011-03-07T20:09:00.002-07:00

Recipe in next post or by clicking here.

Chicken Pillows

2011-03-07T20:08:00.001-07:00

Picture of this recipe found here.
I knew this was one of my husband's favorites but tonight I found out ALL of my kids love it! They were so excited when they saw what I made. And the fun thing about it is without the sauce on it, the kids just picked them up and ate them like a sandwich. We have eaten them as cold sandwiches the next day and they are good. We seem to always eat these with peas.
I have made these in all the variations. I usually do this recipe with the cream of chicken soup and milk as gravy but my favorite variation is with the mushrooms and pimento and sour cream gravy.
Ingredients:
2 tubes refrigerated crescent rolls
1 8 oz. cream cheese
2 cups cooked and cut up chicken breast (or for super easy, open a can or two of chicken)
Directions:
Mix together the cream cheese and cooked chicken. Unroll the crescents and put a spoonful on each cresent. Roll up and place on a greased cookie sheet.
Bake 375* for about 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. (make sure they are golden or they might be doughy in the middle). Or follow the directions on your can of crescents, still making sure they are golden brown.
Options:
*Heat a can of cream of chicken soup with some milk or chicken broth and use as a gravy.
*Dip the pillows in butter and bread crumbs (plain or italian) before baking.
*Mix a small can of mushrooms, a small bottle of pimento and chopped onion (opt.) in with the cream cheese. Roll in bread crumbs, bake until browned then mix one can cream of mushroom soup or cream of chicken soup with 16 oz. sour cream. Heat and serve over crescents.

Ranger Cookies

2011-02-26T09:00:00.002-07:00

I remember a cookie recipe with rice krispies in it from when I was a kid except they were made with butterscotch chips and we called them Ranger Cookies. I loved them so I had to try this and it was delicious. I love the crispy crunch. I found this recipe here (but she calls them Rocky Mountain Cookies)

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup butter, softened

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

2 cups old-fashioned oats

2 cups crisp rice cereal

2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350*

In large bowl, cream together the sugars and the butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat well. Mix in the flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder. Fold in the oats, cereal and chocolate chips. Drop dough by tablespoonfulls onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden and still soft.

Fruit Smoothie

2011-02-22T15:20:00.000-07:00

My son came home from Jr. High insisting that we make Orange Julius and to get the recipe from his class website. As I was looking I found this recipe and had all the ingredients for it so I whipped it up in about one minute and enjoyed a delicious and refreshing smoothie. I am so glad to have this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries

1 cup fresh orange juice

1 banana

2 T. sugar

1 1/2 cups ice

2 fresh strawberries (for garnish)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except for garnish. Blend in blender until smooth. Pour into glasses and garnish with strawberries.

Brownies with browned butter buttercream

2011-02-20T14:47:00.005-07:00

I found this treasure of a recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe food blog. I was so curious about the browned butter element I just had to try it and find out for myself. I doubted myself the whole time I was browning the butter. I was afraid I was going to burn it, but I kept the heat low and it turned out perfect. The browned butter frosting gave it such an interesting toffee flavor, with the chewiness of a decadent brownie. I thoroughly recommend this recipe.

Brownies:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Browned Butter Frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Glaze:
3 tablespoons butter
4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped ( I used dark chocolate chocolate chips) Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray and cut parchment paper (I used wax paper because I didn't have parchment paper) to fit the bottom of the pan. Lightly grease the parchment paper. Set the pan aside.
For the brownies, in a small saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate, stirring until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, eggs and salt. Mix with a hand-held mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer for 3-4 minutes, until the mixture has lightened in color and is very thick. Fold in the warm (not hot!) chocolate/butter mixture. Stir in the flour and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing evenly.
Bake the brownies for 25-30 minutes until the sides pull away from the pan just slightly. Remove the brownies from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack (about 1 1/2 hours).
For the browned butter frosting, place the stick of butter in a small saucepan and set it over low heat. It is best to not use a non-stick or dark coated pan in this step because it will be difficult to tell when the butter has turned brown. Let the butter melt over low heat and turn a caramel brown color, about 15 minutes. Watch carefully so the butter doesn’t burn. Once it has turned a nice medium-brown color, remove it from the heat. Pour the butter into a medium bowl. Immediately add the powdered sugar, heavy cream and vanilla. Mix well with an electric mixer until the frosting is smooth and thick.
Spread the frosting over the cooled brownies.
For the glaze, melt the butter and chocolate together in the microwave or on the stove top until it is smooth. Pour the warm glaze over the frosted brownies and spread with a knife. Chill the brownies until the glaze is set and the brownies are chilled through, about 1-2 hours. The brownies taste best cold.

Homemade Scones - Easy!!!

2011-02-10T19:23:00.006-07:00

So easy, my husband whipped these up and he has the recipe memorized. The directions come from him!

They were a huge hit. Super simple and super delicious.

We ate them with butter and honey on some and butter and cinnamon and sugar on some.

You can find our favorite honey butter recipe here.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

3 tsp. baking powder

1/4 cup softened butter

3/4 cup milk

Directions:

Mix in bread maker! Or your KitchenAid type mixer.

Otherwise, do what you have to do to get it mixed together. Roll out flat. Cut with a pizza cutter. Fry in oil on one side until golden brown, turn over and fry the other side until golden brown. Slather with butter and honey or whatever topping you prefer and eat. YUM!

*For the best effect, roll them out thin.

O'Henry Bars

2011-01-31T17:38:00.001-07:00

When we were little kids Mom would make these. They were always a hit. We hadn't had these in a long time and we made them again recently. They did not disappoint and are a new favorite with my kids. I have put in the doubled recipe that goes in a cookie sheet (jelly roll pan). If this is too much for your occasion, just cut the recipe in half, use a 9x13 pan and bake for about 2 minutes less.

Ingredients & Directions:

Cream together:

1 1/3 cups butter
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar

Add:

1 cup Karo Syrup (light corn syrup)
6 tsp vanilla - I know it sounds like a lot, but it is correct.
8 cups quick oatmeal

Spread into greased jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 for 16 - 18 minutes.

Remove from oven as soon as the edges start turning golden.
Melt 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips in microwave.Add 1 cup cup peanut butter to chocolate.
Spread on top of bars.
Cut into desired sized squares while still warm. YUM.

Grilled Chicken with Lemon Basil Pasta

2011-01-24T01:18:00.003-07:00

Here's another recipe from Pioneer Woman that I decided to try out. I am a sucker for pasta dishes and the lemon & basil idea intrigued me. I pretty much followed the recipe, although I believe I was a bit short on the basil and I, of course, threw in extra cream. It was fairly quick and easy and ended up being flavorful and different. I especially think this would appeal to people who have a particular affinity for all things lemon. Very fresh-tasting with a bit of a tang.

For the chicken breasts, I followed PW's advice for the marinade:

Olive oil
Juice of four lemons

Dijon

A tiny bit of honey

A dash of salt

Mine marinaded for about 4 hours. Grill them. Set them aside and keep them warm. (Oh and maybe don't overgrill them and completely dry them out like I did.)

Ingredients:

4 whole Grilled Chicken Breasts, Sliced

1 pound Pasta, Cooked Until Al Dente

½ sticks Butter

3 whole Lemons, Juiced

¾ cups Heavy Cream

¼ cups Half-and-half

1-½ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese (or Romano)

Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste

20 whole Basil Leaves, Chopped

Instructions:

Cook pasta, reserving 1 cup of hot pasta water when you drain. Set pasta aside in a colander.

In the same pot, melt butter over medium heat. Squeeze in the juice of 3 to 4 lemons. Whisk together. Pour in cream and half-and-heat. Whisk until hot. Dump in cheese and most of basil and whisk until melted. Add salt and pepper. Check consistency, adding some of the hot pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed.

Pour pasta and sauce into a large serving bowl. Sprinkle remaining basil all over the top, then add sliced chicken breasts. Serve immediately!

Blueberry Muffins Extraordinaire

2011-01-19T11:40:00.006-07:00

I made these a few weeks ago. I made them the very next day to take to my visiting teaching ladies. I had to make the second batch because I ate too many from the first batch to share. From the two batches I ate 8 muffins. I offer this confession of an over-indulgent muffin eater to demonstrate the accuracy of this recipe's title/description. The next week I made a birthday cake for myself. As I ate the cake, I had wished that I had skipped the cake and made another batch of muffins for myself instead. Enjoy!

Lemon-Sugar Topping: (I doubled this topping so I wouldn't have to skimp on it when distributing among the muffins)

Ingredients:

1/3 cup sugar
zest from one lemon or orange

Directions:

For the topping, stir together sugar and lemon zest in a small bowl and set aside.

Muffins:

Ingredients:

2 cups frozen blueberries
1 1/8 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/4 cup oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a standard muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Rinse one cup frozen berries under cold water and spread on a double layer of paper towels to dry well. Bring remaining one cup berries and 1 teaspoon sugar to simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, mashing berries with a spoon, stirring frequently until the berries have broken down and the mixture is thickened and reduced to about 1/3 cup, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and cool to room temperature, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Toss the berries that have dried on the paper towels in with the flour mixture. Whisk remaining 1 1/8 cups sugar and eggs together in a medium bowl until thick. Slowly whisk in the butter and oil until combined. Whisk in the buttermilk and vanilla until combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold egg mixture into flour mixture until just moistened. The batter will be lumpy with a few dry spots of flour – don’t overmix.

Fill the muffin cups until they are about 3/4 full. Spoon a teaspoon of cooked berry mixture into the center of each mound of batter. Using a skewer (or a chopstick), gently swirl the berry filling into the batter using a figure eight motion. Sprinkle lemon sugar evenly over the muffins.
Bake until the top of the muffins are golden and just firm, 17-18 minutes. Cool muffins in the muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe recipe blog:
http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2009/04/lemon-sugar-crusted-blueberry-muffins.html

RED ONION AND BLUE CHEESE FLATBREAD

2011-01-11T18:57:00.006-07:00

RED ONION AND BLUE CHEESE FLATBREAD

The bread:
2 packages Quick Rising Yeast
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 c. hot water

Mix together then add:
3 cups flour (I did half white and half wheat)

Knead dough for 1 minute then divide into 8 balls. Roll out into individual pizzas and layer on a plate divided by wax paper. Let dough raise for about 20 minutes. Grill on medium heat until cooked through. (I used a fry pan)

The topping:

3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 medium red onion
1 1/2 tsp. crushed dried rosemary
3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
3/4 teaspoon red chile flakes (I omitted this, because I forgot to add it in)
4 ounces gorgonzola or other blue cheese, crumbled

Meanwhile, halve onion lengthwise, peel, and thinly slice. In a bowl, combine onion and rosemary with oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and the chile flakes. Set aside.

Place each cooked flatbread on 11x17 cookie sheet and add onion topping. Sprinkle the tops with blue cheese. Bake in preheated oven at 425 degrees. Bake until browned and sizzling, about 15 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough balls, onion mixture, and cheese. Serve hot or warm.

***These were even better than expected. I couldn't stop eating them and they were filling as a main dish, but I just wasn't sure what else you could serve with them. To make even heartier, I am sure bacon or chicken would be good if added to the topping. The original recipe came from here and I decide to use this bread recipe instead. I also wanted more topping so I adjusted the recipe accordingly in my posting. Enjoy!

Sweet & Sour Meatballs

2010-12-29T20:29:00.000-07:00

This recipe is straight from the classic Lion House Cookbook. My friend brought these to me when I had Henry. They are absolutely delicious and simple to make too. I am thinking they'd make a great New Year's Eve finger food (toothpick food) too!

1 to 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
3/4 cup rolled oats
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
Few grains pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Combine all ingredients; mix well. Form into about 12 balls, each about 2 inches in diameter (I used a medium sized cookie scoop). Place in casserole dish. Cover with sauce*. Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 30 minutes. Makes 6 to 8 servings, 2 large meatballs each.

*Sauce: (I double the sauce so there is extra to pour over rice).

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/4 cup barbeque sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Combine ingredients and blend thoroughly. Heat and pour over meatballs.

Winter Salad

2010-12-16T23:11:00.004-07:00

First off, credit is due to Kristi for the salad and dressing but I really just threw in random ingredients based on what we had at Kristi's house and another Winter Salad that I first had when one of my YW leaders made it for some event. Any way this came together nicely, but really could be made with all kinds of combinations. When Kristi served us this it was great and had pecans and mandarin oranges. I am guessing the amounts here since I made this salad for 30+ people so adjust accordingly and to your own desire.

WINTER SALAD

1 head romaine lettuce
1 head green leaf lettuce
1 cup craisins
1 cup feta cheese
1 cup sugared almonds
2 diced fuji apples
salad dressing to taste

Kristi's Fabulous Dressing:

3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp salt
2 T. dried onions (I used fresh because I had those and not dried)
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup oil
1 T. poppy seeds
blend in the blender on low until it gets thick and creamy

To make sugared almonds, melt 1/2 cup sugar with sliced almonds on med-low heat. stir regularly so that the sugar doesn't burn. Remove from heat, let cool, and break apart if needed. Toss all ingredients together and add dressing just before serving. Enjoy!

Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Cookies

2010-12-13T01:39:00.001-07:00

Who doesn't like a shortbread cookie? This was my first attempt at making them and they were divine. This recipe is from Ina Garten of the Barefoot Contessa.

Ingredients:

3/4 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 to 7 ounces very good semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and 1 cup of sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
Roll the dough 1/2-inch thick and cut with desired cookie cutter. Place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges just barely begin to be golden brown. Allow to cool to room temperature. Yields 20 cookies.

When the cookies are cool, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Put 3 ounces of the chocolate in a glass bowl and microwave on high power for 30 seconds. (Don't trust your microwave timer; time it with your watch.) Stir with a wooden spoon. Continue to heat and stir in 30-second increments until the chocolate is just melted. Add the remaining chocolate and allow it to sit at room temperature, stirring often, until it's completely smooth. Stir vigorously until the chocolate is smooth and slightly cooled; stirring makes it glossier.

Drizzle 1/2 of each cookie with just enough chocolate to coat it. (I dipped half of mine in the chocolate and they set up within minutes).

Gooey Chex Mix

2010-12-09T09:40:00.008-07:00

LaRue's Cheese Ball

2010-12-02T11:19:00.005-07:00

Need a holiday cheese ball that is easy to make and simply delicious? One your guests will devour because hard as they try, they just can't stop eating it? Okay then, here it is. This is a recipe Lisa got from her friend at a recipe exchange.

Ingredients:

2 – 8 ounce pkg cream cheese at room temperature

1/3 cup dried onion

1/4 cup green pepper chopped

1 Tablespoon mayonnaise
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

1/4 teaspoon accent

1 teaspoon tobasco sauce

1 teaspoon worcestershire

2 tablespoons pimento cheese

Directions:

Combine ingredients in a bowl with a spoon or hand mixer

Spoon onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Cover completely with plastic wrap and mold into a big ball with hands.

Refrigerate overnight. Serve with your favorite crackers.

Monster Cookies

2010-11-24T11:37:00.003-07:00

I got this recipe from a friend. It is a hearty, chewy cookie. It calls for loads of oats and peanut butter instead of flour. I wouldn't call it healthy, but I would call it healthier than regular cookies. I feel a little less guilty giving my kids a protein and fiber packed cookie than a simple- carbohydrate cookie. Oh, and they taste good too.

Monster Cookies
6 eggs
1 lb. brown sugar
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tb. honey
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
4 1/2 cups oatmeal
3/4 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup M&Ms

Mix in large bowl. Drop by large tablespoons or ice cream scoop, then flatten, 6 large cookies per cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-13 minutes. Do not over bake.

Zuppa Toscana

2010-11-16T09:23:00.005-07:00

This recipe is a perfect copy cat of the original Zuppa Toscana from the Olive Garden. The warm, tender potatoes accompanied with the savory meats make it comfort food during those cold, winter months. This is one of my favorite soups. It is a hit with family and those we share it with every time.

Zuppa Toscana

1 lb. spicy Italian sausage - crumbled (I use Jimmy Dean)
1/2 lb. smoked bacon - chopped
1 quart water
(2) 14.5 cans (about 3 2/3 cup) chicken broth
2 lg. russet potatoes - scrubbed clean and cubed
2 garlic cloves - peeled, crushed
1 small onion - peeled, chopped
2 cups kale or Swiss chard - chopped or torn
1 cup heavy whipping cream
salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown sausage, breaking into small pieces as you fry it; drain and set aside.
In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown bacon; drain and set aside.
Place water, broth, potatoes, garlic, and onion in a pot; simmer over medium heat until potatoes are tender.
Add sausage and bacon to pot; simmer for 10 minutes.
Add chopped Kale and cream to pot. Season with salt and pepper; heat through.

Moist and Easy Crock-pot Turkey Breast

2010-11-12T16:18:00.000-07:00

I hate the word moist. But if I call this not-dry turkey it sounds ridiculous. This is so delicious you won't believe it was this easy.

1 4 to 6 lb turkey breast

1 can jellied cranberry sauce

1 envelope onion soup mix

1 tsp. minced garlic

Mix last three ingredients together in a bowl. Place turkey in crock pot. Pour sauce over the top and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 7 to 8 hours. Delicious!

Smashed Potato Soup

2010-11-05T14:55:00.003-06:00

Even my pickiest eater ate this. It is really good.
Make extra mashed potatoes and use them as leftovers for this. It is super simple and is a great meal to get ready in the morning so at dinner time you can just dump it all in the pan and heat it up. You'll love this meal!! We had it for a rainy Sunday lunch with cheese quesadillas.

Ingredients:

1/2 c. coarsely chopped carrot
1/2 c. coarsely chopped celery
3 cups mashed potatoes (homemade or not) But way better with homemade!!
1 can (14 1/2 oz) chicken broth (I used 14 1/2 oz. water and two chicken bouillion cubes)
1/2 cup milk
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 c. sour cream
2 T. fresh parsley (I didn't use this)

Optional toppings: sliced green onions, cheese, bacon bits

Directions:

Place mashed potatoes in 3 qt. saucepan. Gradually add broth and milk, whisking until smooth. Stir in carrot, celery, garlic, salt, pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered, 10 minutes.
Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and parsley. Put into bowls and top with desired toppings.

**For the quesadillas: butter one side of a flour tortilla. Lay on pan on stove, put cheese on half the tortilla and fold the other half on top. Cook until browned and flip over to cook the other side. These are a favorite.

Homemade Frozen Ice Cream Custard

2010-11-04T09:09:00.001-06:00

Thanks, Pioneer Woman for another great recipe! Vanilla Bean Homemade Ice Cream. This was dense and rich and creamy. It ended up tasting to me more like frozen custard. I absolutely loved it. John prefers his more icey kind of homemade ice cream. I'll have to post that one sometime too. Voila...

Ingredients:

2 tsp. vanilla extract (I used the potent kind from Mexico and it was SUPER for this)

3 cups Half-and-half

2 cups Sugar

9 Large Egg Yolks

3 cups Heavy Cream

Instructions:

Heat half-and-half and 2 cups sugar in a saucepan over low heat, adding vanilla “caviar” to the mixture. (You can also drop in the scraped vanilla bean, just to extract all the flavor. Make sure to discard the bean before moving to the next step.) Turn off heat when mixture is totally heated.

Beat egg yolks by hand or with an electric mixer until yolks are pale yellow and light and fluffy. Temper (I am so fascinated by the concept of tempering and I think there's probably a parable in there somewhere) the egg yolks by slowly drizzling 1 1/2 cups of hot half-and-half mixture, whisking constantly. After that, pour the egg yolk/half-and-half mixture into the pan containing the rest of the half-and-half mixture. Cook over low to medium-low heat (depending on how hot your stove gets) until quite thick, stirring constantly. Drain custard using a fine mesh strainer (I did not drain it but I did lick out the pot and it was unREAL), then pour into a bowl with the heavy cream. Stir to combine.

Chill mixture completely, then freeze in an ice cream maker until thick. My ice cream froze quite nicely in the ice cream maker after only about 30 minutes. Constantly keep adding ice and salt though. You will be able to actually hear the ice cream maker slow down, indicating the thickening. Place container in freezer to harden for at least eight hours.

Serve with something chocolate. I chose this. And another time we made this with it. Whoa. Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Gratin

2010-11-02T21:00:00.002-06:00

This is delicious. Butternut squash is delicious. You can buy a squash and peel and cut it or buy pre-cut, pre-peeled from Costco. I also do not buy or use unsalted butter and it was still delicious.

1 1/2 T. unsalted butter
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs (or not fresh)
1/3 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese (or not fresh)
3 lbs. (about 5 cups) peeled and cut in 3/4 inch cubes
2 cloves garlic, minced (I thought this was too much garlic. Maybe just 1 clove)
2 T. unsalted butter, melted
1 T. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup half and half

Melt butter in small saute pan, add bread crumbs and toast them, stirring until golden brown 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Toss in a small bowl with parmesan cheese. Set aside. Heat oven to 375* Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Put squash in a large bowl. Stir in garlic, butter, flour, salt, and pepper. Spoon mixture into prepared dish and pour half and half on top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with parmesan bread crumbs. Return to oven uncovered for 15-20 minutes more until golden brown and crisp.

Remove from oven and serve. This can also be made ahead of time and reheated just before serving. Makes 4-6 side dish servings.

Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

2010-11-01T22:06:00.003-06:00

This is a favorite during the holidays and every once in awhile on a special occasion throughout the year. It is rich and chocolatey and delicious. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream and you'll think you're in heaven.

1 unbaked 9-inch deep-dish pie shell (I prefer Marie Callendar’s)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup (6 oz.) Nestle Semi-Sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (I prefer walnuts)

Preheat oven to 325° F.

Beat eggs in large mixer bowl on high speed until foamy. Beat in granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat in butter. Add flour. Stir in morsels and nuts. Spoon into pie shell.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between edge and center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Imitation Piroshky

2010-10-29T13:13:00.008-06:00

Last year I went on a weekend getaway up to Seattle with some high school friends. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and all of the fun little places to eat. One of my friends became obsessed with Piroshky's, a little Russian bakery that makes sweet and savory stuffed breads. Having a sweet tooth I always went for the sweet breads, but my friend who raved about the savory breads let me try hers and it was fantastic. Well, here we are a year later. I was thrown back into time when I came upon this recipe from the My Kitchen Cafe food blog. It very much reminded me of Peroshky's savory breads. This recipe calls for the toppings you would put on a baked potato, but it is so much yummier in a warm roll. Go ahead and try your own variations.

Bread Dough

1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, stir together warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

To the yeast mixture, add the oil, salt, and 2 cups flour. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Filling
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
2 cups chopped ham (leftover ham or deli ham works great here)
1 1/2 cups finely chopped broccoli
2 cups shredded cheese (Swiss, Cheddar..options are limitless)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup finely chopped green onions

In a large bowl, stir together warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, cream together the butter and cream cheese. Spread the rolled out dough with the butter/cream cheese mixture. Top with the ham, broccoli, cheese, Parmesan cheese, and green onions. Roll the dough up, pinching the seam to seal. Slice the roll into about 1-inch segments. Place the rolls on a lightly greased baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Let the rolls rise until nearly doubled and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.

Homemade Salsa

2010-10-25T08:02:00.000-06:00

Anybody still have any garden tomatoes rolling in? This recipe is for salsa for canning. I have done this two years in a row and we love it. This was modified from this recipe that Jenny posted on Apron Girls.

Ingredients:

20 large or 40 small tomatoes
5-6 bell peppers
5 onions 6 garlic cloves
4-5 jalapenos
2 T. cilantro
1 1/2 t. cumin
1 C. white vinegar
1/3 C. sugar
4 T. salt
12 oz. tomato paste

Directions:

Wash your tomatoes. (I love romas personally.) Blanch them by plunging them into boiling water for about 30 seconds. Then dip them in cold water and drain. Cut out the cores and remove the skins. Use a blender or food processor to chop the ingredients. Chop the tomatoes, bell peppers, and onions individually and put in a large stock pot. Quarter the bell peppers and onions before putting in your blender/food processor. I chop everything pretty finely because that is what WE like. Puree the garlic, jalapenos, and cilantro together and add to the pot. Stir in everything else EXCEPT the tomato paste. The tomato paste will be added after boiling the salsa. (I didn't use the tomato paste this time because I liked the consistency of my salsa already). Bring salsa to a boil and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomato paste and mix in really well. Fill pint jars leaving about 1 inch head space. Cover with lid and ring. Process in a water bath or steam canner for 30 minutes.

Pulled Pork (Cafe Rio Style)

2010-10-24T06:00:00.000-06:00

This is a family favorite. My kids ask for this all the time. The great thing is that unless you're feeding company, it is good for a couple of meals and a lunch here and there. Don't forget the green sauce--it makes it! Don't skimp on the cooking time. It doesn't take long to do the preliminary steps and it so so tender and delicious. You'll love it!

6lb Pork Roast: Put in Crock Pot and cover halfway up with water. Cook it overnight. Discard Water (or pour over your dog's food). Shred.

In separate bowl mix a 12oz can of salsa, 1 can caffiene-free Coke, and 2 cups brown sugar. Pour over meat. Cook an additional 3 or 4 hours.

Eat on a tortilla or in a taco. You can add rice, black beans, cheese, whatever you'd put on a regular taco or burrito.

Top with this delicious sauce (or pour a giant puddle on your plate and dip each bite like I do.)

In bowl combine
1 Buttermilk Ranch Mix packet.
2 cups mayo
1 cup milk
1 cup sour cream

In a blender combine
2 tomatillos (I use canned and then freeze the rest for the next time I make this)
1 jalapeno, seeded (I use canned and then freeze the rest for the next time I make this)
1/2 - 1 bunch cilantro, washed
1 Tbs lime juice (lemon juice will work in a pinch)
1 clove garlic, crushed

Mix everything together and enjoy on your pork. Delicious!

Italian Crock Pot Chicken

2010-10-23T06:00:00.005-06:00

This recipe is AWESOME!!! I had just a few minutes to get out the door so I threw frozen chicken in the crockpot with the seasoning and sat a stick of butter on top. Turned on my crockpot and ran out the door. Hours later I came home and finished this off quickly. It really was so great to walk in the door and finish this meal as quick as I could make rice.
The chicken is amazingly tender and this meal was so so good.
It came from 4 different people in my neighborhood cookbook. It's a hit and will be a regular around here now.
I used the leftovers to make Chicken Pillows. It was yummy.

Ingredients:

6-8 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 packets Italian dressing seasoning mix
1/4 c. water or 1 cube of butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 8 oz. package cream cheese
Directions:Combine chicken, Italian dressing mix, and water or butter in crock pot. Cook on high 5-7 hours until chicken falls apart and is very tender. Add the cream of chicken soup and cream cheese and mix it together. Let the chicken slightly shred as you stir it then let it all heat together. Serve over rice or noodles.

*Be careful mixing in the cream cheese and soup. I stirred too much and it got mushy.

*You can also add a can of drained mushrooms or serve it over potatoes. YUM!!!

Vegetable Pork Soup

2010-10-22T06:00:00.002-06:00

A perfect, hearty soup for a busy fall day.

Ingredients:

1 lb. Cubed pork

¼ cup dried lentils

4 cups water, divided

¼ cup italian dressing

salt and pepper to taste

2 T. chicken bouillon

6 medium carrots

2 stalks celery, diced

6 med. Potatoes

1 medium onion, chopped

¼ cabbage sliced thin and chopped

Directions:

Brown the pork if desired. Place the pork, lentils, 2cups of water, Italian dressing, salt and pepper into a crock pot. Cook on low for 4-5 hours. When pork is done, turn crock pot on high, adding about 2 more cups of water and chicken bouillon. In a separate pan cook celery and carrots together until done. Boil potatoes until just tender. Don't overcook. While potatoes, celery, carrots are cooking, add onion and cabbage to the crock pot. Cook until translucent and soft. Drain the other vegetables and add them to the crock pot. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Recipe created by Marilyn Hendrickson (my mother)

Spinach & Mushroom Pot Roast

2010-10-21T06:00:00.001-06:00

We love having pot roast and mashed potatoes and gravy on Sundays. I got the idea for the spinach & mushroom from The Domestic Art Cookbook (Vol. II). I normally make a more traditional pot roast but it was nice to try something new. My kids were less than enthused about the spinach in it. But John & I loved it. Next time I wouldn't throw the carrots in, because we like to steam them and candy them with some butter and sugar. I think this pot roast would especially be good for a special occasion because it is more colorful and pretty.

Ingredients:

3 lb. beef roast

1 small onion, sliced

1 packet dry onion soup mix

4-6 cups water (enough so that the roast is 1/2 submerged)

2 cloves minced garlic

2 bay leaves

1 box frozen chopped spinach or

2-3 cups fresh spinach

2-3 cups sliced mushrooms

Directions:

Combine onion, soup mix, garlic, bay leaves, and water, mix. Place roast in crock pot. Cook on high 5-7 hours. (I like to start it the night before on low, especially if it is frozen, and then turn it to high 4 hours before we eat). Add spinach & mushrooms and cook until vegetables are tender (around 1 hour). Mix 1 cup of drippings with 1 packet brown gravy mix (substitute 4 T cornstarch if needed).

Wonderful with mashed potatoes.

Triple Rich Chocolate Crock Pot Cake

2010-10-20T06:00:00.003-06:00

Sounds silly to bake a cake in the crockpot but this cake turned out so moist and delicious. We will do it again!

Ingredients:

1 box Devil's Food Cake mix1 small box (3 oz) Instant Chocolate pudding4 eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup water

1 cup sour cream1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Combine all ingredients by hand in a bowl. Pour batter into a greased crock pot. Cover and cook on low heat 5-6 hours or until done in the center. Do not cook on high heat.

**My cake was done in 3-4 hours!

Chicken Lentil Crock-Pot Soup

2010-10-19T06:00:00.000-06:00

This had a rich, hearty taste. I love lentils. Eating them makes me feel healthier. I served this with a crusty bread and butter and the whole family enjoyed it! I also love ham and lentil soup and next time I'm going to try this soup with ham.

Ingredients:9 cups broth

2 cups lentils, picked over and rinsed

4 medium carrots, peeled and finely diced

3 celery stocks, finely diced

1/2 cup uncooked rice (I used black rice, but you can use any rice you want)

2 tbsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. dried thyme

salt and pepper to taste

3 cups cooked chicken cut or broken into bite-sized pieces

sour creamDirections:

Stir together broth, lentils, carrots, onions, celery, garlic, thyme and salt and pepper in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. With one hour left, remove 2 cups of soup and puree in a blender or food processer until almost smooth. Stir back into soup. Add cooked chicken for the last hour.

Garnish soup with sour cream. I think it would be good with grated cheese as well.

Crock Pot San Fransico Chops

2010-10-18T07:00:00.000-06:00

These have a fantastic salty/teriyaki flavor. I made the meat in the crock pot but then supplemented the meal with rice and a pineapple/veggie stir fry. Turns out that sweetness of the pineapple didn't go great with the meat. Next time I will do a regular stir fry and exclude the pineapple.
This recipe is just for the chops.

San Francisco Chops

Ingredients:

4 pork loin chops (1-inch thick)

1 to 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup soy sauce

¼ cup red wine or chicken broth

2 Tbsp brown sugar

¼ tsp. Crushed red pepper flakes

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 Tbsp. cold water

Hot cooked rice.

Directions:

In a skillet, brown pork chops on both sides in oil; transfer to a slow cooker. Add garlic to drippings; cook and stir for about 1 minute or until golden. Stir in soy sauce, wine or broth, brown sugar and red pepper flakes; Cook and stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour over chops. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until meat is tender. Remove chops. Combine cornstarch and cold water until smooth; gradually stir into slow cooker. Cover and cook for at least 30 minutes or until slightly thickened. Serve over rice. Yield: 4 servings.

join us for...

2010-10-13T01:07:00.000-06:00

Pico de Gallo

2010-10-06T12:00:00.001-06:00

I got this simple & classic pico de gallo recipe from none other than Pioneer Woman. It is delicioso and I could eat it for breakfast. In fact, it would be awesome on an omelet. Or on most anything. The first time I made it, I used the food processor. Oops. Don't do that. Chopping by hand is essential. And I chop super small cause I don't like big chunks of things. Of course we ate it with chips but we also used it as a dressing for the enchiladas I made that night.

Ingredients:

5 whole Plum (roma) Tomatoes (I used roma!)
½ whole Large (or 1 Small) Onion (I used some yellow sweet onion but mostly red onion)
3 whole Jalapeno Peppers
Cilantro
Lime Juice
Salt To Taste

Directions:

Chop jalapenos, tomatoes and onion (I love using some red and some sweet onion) into a very small dice. (Leave seeds in your jalapenos for a hotter pico). Adjust amount of jalapenos to your preferred temperature. Next, chop up a nice-sized bunch of cilantro. Remove stems as best as you can. Place all of these ingredients together in a bowl. Stir.

Squeeze the juice of half of one lime into the bowl. Add salt to taste and stir again. Serve. I assume this will only stay good a few hours, but I really don't know for sure cause as soon as I make it, it is gone.

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

2010-10-01T23:19:00.005-06:00

My sister in law, Christa, told me about these cookies. She asked if I wanted a really easy cookie recipe that Aaron Jr could help me with. Then she told me these ingredients, and I couldn't believe that's all the ingredients I needed. But yes, these are SUPER DUPER EASY.

Ingredients:

1 box spice cake mix
1 small can pumpkin

Mix those two ingredients together. Then add whatever you want to put in them. Chopped nuts, raisins, chocolate chips.

I made some with chocolate chips and some plain. Spray your cookie sheet with cooking spray first, then bake the cookies at 350 * for about 10 to 15 minutes. The smell of these cookies baking is perfect for the autumn season.
Once they are done baking, you can leave them as is or frost them with cream cheese frosting.

Mmm...

White Chicken Enchiladas

2010-09-27T21:44:00.001-06:00

This picture does not do these justice. I absolutely LOVE the flavor of these chicken enchiladas. And I love that it uses corn tortillas. Another trusty recipe, though slightly adapted, from Pioneer Woman. At the end of making this you will have a lot of dirty dishes, but I think you'll find that this dish is a hit with your whole family! The jalapeno & green chiles are so subtle that my kids don't even notice them or pick them out!

Ingredients:

2 1/2-ish cups Cooked, Shredded Chicken

2 cups Reserved Broth From Chicken (remember to do this! that broth is awesome)
3 Tablespoons Canola Oil
appx. 12 whole Corn Tortillas
1 whole Large Onion, Diced
1-2whole 4 Oz Cans Whole Green Chilies, Diced (PW calls for 4 cans...I can't imagine, but if you REALLY love green chilies, then go for it.)
1 whole Jalapeno, Seeded And Finely Diced
1 teaspoon Paprika
1/2-3/4 cup Heavy Cream
2 Tablespoons Butter
2 Tablespoons Flour
1 cup Sour Cream
2-½ cups Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated
Salt And Pepper, to taste
Cilantro, Chopped

Directions:

Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Fry tortillas for no longer than 20 seconds, just to soften (don't let them get crispy.) Place tortillas on a large towel or stack of paper towels to drain. Yes, this adds another step but it really isn't that big of a deal.

Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in separate skillet over medium heat. Add onions and jalapenos and saute for 1 minute, just to start the cooking process. Add chicken, half of the green chilies, and 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Stir together. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth and stir. Add cream and stir, allowing mixture to bubble and get hot. Turn off heat and set aside. (I could literally just eat this mixture for dinner. It is so good.)
In a separate large skillet, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together and cook over medium heat for one minute. Pour in the rest of the chicken broth. Whisk together and cook for another minute or two. Stir in the other half of the chilies. Reduce heat, then stir in sour cream. Add 1 1/2 cups grated cheese and stir to melt. Add 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.

To assemble, spoon chicken mixture on top of tortillas, one by one. Top with plenty of cheese and roll up. Place seam side down in a 9 x 13 casserole dish. My tortillas seem to fall apart and not look pretty, but it doesn't matter. (In fact, this whole recipe could be assembled in an enchilada casserole fashion-alternating the chicken mixture with cheese and tortillas with the sauce on top.)

Pour cheese mixture all over the top of the tortillas. Top with extra cheese if you’d like, then bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Then sprinkle generously with chopped cilantro.
(We served pico de gallo on top. Yum.)

Crock-Pot Cabbage Wraps

2010-09-23T21:36:00.004-06:00

This was pretty easy to make and surprisingly delicious. I took the leftovers to my Dad and Mom's and Dad finished them off. Even most of my kids liked them which is hard to do.

Ingredients:

1 cabbage
1 pound ground turkey
1/4 cup uncooked brown rice
1 egg
1 finely chopped onion
1 finely chopped carrot
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 can tomato sauce (8 oz)
Toothpicks

Directions:

Drop whole cabbage into boiling water and simmer for 5 - 10 minutes. Cool.

In the meantime, mix ground turkey, rice, egg, onion, carrot, salt and pepper in a bowl. In another bowl, mix vinegar, brown sugar and tomato sauce.

When cabbage is cooled enough to handle, remove 12-14 large leaves. Chop up the remaining cabbage and place in the bottom of crockpot. Place approximately 2 tablespoons of meat mixture in the center of each cabbage leaf. Wrap up envelope style and secure with a toothpick. Place in crockpot. Pour sauce mixture over all.

Cook on low setting for 8-10 hours.

Garden Vegetable Soup With Ground Beef

2010-09-21T12:52:00.005-06:00

Ingredients:

1 lb hamburger
1 1/2 quarts water
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. potatoes
1 c. cabbage, shredded
2 crookneck squash, sliced
2 small zucchini, sliced
3 carrots, sliced
3 tomatoes, diced
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp basil
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp salt

Directions:

Brown hamburger. Drain. Cut all vegetables bite size. Put everything together in a big pot. Cook 1-2 hours. Remove bay leaf.

You really can add as much or as little of each vegetable as you prefer, but this is what i mixed up and is shown in the picture. original recipe found here... http://hayleesfood.blogspot.com/2009/04/hamburger-soup.html
This is from my friend that lives across the street. She brought it to me when we had our baby and made it more like what I posted so I followed what she made for us rather than her original recipe because we liked it so much.

Mayonnaise & Parmesan Chicken

2010-09-16T08:07:00.003-06:00

This recipe is one I borrowed from Scott's Mom. This baked chicken is simple and delicious. My entire family loves it. The next time you need to whip something up and throw it into the oven give this a try.

Ingredients
4-5 large chicken breasts
2 cups mayonnaise (I used light)
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
about 3/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs, (I think I may use a little more)

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. *Cut each chicken breast into 3 or 4 pieces. Place all chicken in bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. In a bowl mix together mayonnaise and parmesan cheese. Spread mixture evenly over all of the chicken. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the mayo and cheese mixture. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Yum

*You do not have to cut your chicken into smaller pieces like this, I just prefer to because it is easier to serve my children and I think each little piece gets a little more sauce than when you leave them whole.

Mom's Tomato Soup Spaghetti

2010-09-13T13:43:00.007-06:00

My mom makes this spaghetti sauce. It is ALWAYS a hit. It has a great flavor and I love the chunks of mushrooms and olives. I made it different this time than I've ever made it. I added a quart of bottle tomatoes and I chopped up the olives and mushrooms with my food chopper. I usually slice everything so it usually has bigger chunks of everything and is thicker without the bottled tomatoes. It was just as delicious.

Ingredients:

1 lb. sausage (I use Jimmy Dean)

1 pkg. mushrooms

1 can olives

1 large can tomato soup

1 small can tomato soup

garlic

pepper

Directions:

Brown sausage with garlic and pepper. Slice mushrooms and add to the sausage. When cooked together nicely, add tomato soup. Simmer to blend flavors. Slice olives and add at the end. (I add these at the end because I don't like the taste of the olives if they cook for too long).

Penne with Zucchini Pistou & Chicken

2010-09-08T21:52:00.006-06:00

Pistou: n. A sauce made of garlic, basil, olive oil, and often Parmesan, used on pasta or in soups and stews.

Pistou is to the French what pesto is to Italians. Yum. How can you go wrong with those ingredients plus a bit of heavy cream? You can't. I adapted a recipe I found here and came up with a delicious & different pasta dish for my family. It was wonderful...plus I got to use some of the zucchini(s) that have been sitting on my counter for far too long.
Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 chicken breasts, sliced
3 cups (1/4-inch-thick) slices small zucchini
1 cup packed basil leaves
3/4 cup shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion (about 1small)
1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
8 ounces uncooked penne pasta (I used about 10-12 oz)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until tender and golden. Remove from pan; cool.

Place 1/3 of cooked zucchini, basil leaves, 1/4 cup cheese and garlic in a food processor (or blender); process until finely chopped. (Keep mixture in processor.)

Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook sliced chicken until nearly done. Add onion to pan; sauté 10 minutes or until golden. Add remaining cooked zucchini.

Meanwhile, throw some water & salt in a large pot, and bring to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1/3 cup cooking liquid.
Add reserved liquid to basil mixture; combine until smooth. Add basil mixture to pasta. Everything is now in the pan except the cream & remaining salt, pepper & cheese.) Add cream, remaining salt, and pepper; stir. Top with remaining cheese. Serve.

Peach Pie

2010-08-30T11:07:00.002-06:00

We have a peach tree in our backyard. This spring there was a huge windstorm that knocked off most of the tiny fruit. We went out this weekend and picked all of the remaining peaches and I wanted to use some of them to make something different and yummy. This is what I came up with. I adapted it from a couple of different recipes. If you have peaches to use and you like pie, give this a try, it is super easy!

Ingredients
Your Favorite Pie Crust Recipe - you will need 2 crusts, one for the bottom of the pie and one for the top
(I used Marie Callendar's Frozen Pie Crust.)

6 cups fresh peaches, peeled and sliced
1/3 cup granulated sugar plus 1 Tbsp for sprinkling on the top
3 Tablespoons Minute Tapioca
2 tsp lemon juice
1 Tablespoon Salted Butter, cut into tiny pieces
1 Tablespoon Milk

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and move your baking rack down to the bottom 1/3 of the oven. This will allow the pie to bake without browning the top too quickly.

Prepare your pie pan with the crust. Don't forget to poke holes in the bottom crust with a fork before adding your filling. In a bowl mix together sliced peaches, 1/3 cup sugar, tapioca, lemon juice and butter. Gently stir until combined. Pour into bottom crust. Prepare top crust, lay over filling and seal edges. With a sharp knife cut three or four - 2 inch slits in the top - from the center toward the outer edge to allow steam to escape. Brush the top with the milk and sprinkle the 1 Tbsp of sugar over the top.

Bake on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees for 45-50 minutes, or until crust is nicely browned and the juices are thick and bubbly. Let cool for at least an hour.

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

2010-08-25T09:21:00.005-06:00

My sister got this from her neighborhood cookbook and it is delicious. A great twist on a cheese ball.
Ingredients
1 8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/4 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. powdered sugar
1 c. milk chocolate chips, divided
1/2 c. diced toasted almonds
Directions
Mix together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla. Mix in powdered sugar. Chop 3/4 cup chocolate chips and fold into cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Shape into a ball and refrigerate for 1 more hour. Powder 1/4 c. chocolate chips. Roll the ball into the powdered chocolate chips and nuts if desired.
Serve with graham crackers or graham or chocolate sticks
*I made two of these. One without nuts and the other I melted the cream cheese too much and it wouldn't form into a ball so I mixed the nuts into the mixture and put it all in a serving dish. It was like a thick dip and the first one to go. Yummy!!

Stuffed Zucchini

2010-08-23T13:20:00.004-06:00

My sister in law made up this recipe and I love it. I haven't made it in a long time and I didn't have the cheese to put on top. Grow yourself a LARGE zucchini (or get one from a neighbor of buy one) and enjoy this great healthy (except for the cheese) meal.

1 LARGE zucchini
Tomatoes
1 jar prego or favorite sauce
1 can corn, drained
1 can chicken or cooked chicken breast
chili powder
onion powder
garlic
salt and pepper
mozzarella and cheddar cheese

In saucepan, mix sauce, can or corn, chicken, the middle of the zucchini that you scrape out, and spices. Let simmer for a while to blend flavors.
Cut zucchini in half lengthwise. Dig out the seed center and chop it up. Lay each zucchini on a large piece of foil on a cookie cheet. Slice tomatoes and lay in the middle of zucchini. Broil for a few minutes. (sometimes I do this, sometimes I don't).
Put cheese on top of tomato layer then fill the zucchini with the sauce mixture. (Also, put a little of the sauce under the zucchini to soften while it bakes).
Wrap the zucchini up in the foil and bake at 350 for about an hour.
When it is done, the zucchini will be very soft (I like it mushy). Soft enough that the skin is really soft. Top with cheese and put it back in to melt.
Cut into slices and serve.
I have also fried bread cubes in butter and put this on top at the end. It just adds an extra yummy taste.

Fudge Filled Squares

2010-08-03T14:50:00.003-06:00

This recipe has been a family favorite since I was a child. These cookie bars are rich, chewy and delicious! They are also pretty simple to make which is an added bonus.

Ingredients
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups flour
2 1/2 cups quick oats

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 - 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

Combine butter and sugar. Mix well. Add egg, vanilla, salt and baking soda. Mix well. Add flour and oatmeal. Mix until combined. Press 1/2 to 2/3 of cookie mixture into bottom of 9 x 13 pan. Set aside remaining cookie mixture for later.

Melt chocolate chips (I do this in the microwave using a microwave safe dish. Heat for 1 minute, stir and heat for another 45 seconds to 1 minute. Be sure to stir or the chocolate can burn.) When melted add the can of sweetened condensed milk and stir until smooth. Pour over cookie dough in the 9 x 13 pan. Spread out evenly.

Take remaining cookie mixture and crumble it over the top of the chocolate mixture. The amount of dough on top depends on how much of the cookie dough was consumed by family members while making the chocolate. It doesn't matter, it is good with a little, good with a lot.

Bake at 350 for 22-26 minutes, until top in golden brown. These are best if they are not under-baked, so make sure the top is starting to brown. Let cool, cut, serve and enjoy!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

2010-07-28T17:21:00.002-06:00

This isn't a recipe that screams summer-time meal, but I had all the stuff on hand, it was easy, and it tasted good in my mouth. I got this one from www.picky-palate.com.

Cheesy Chicken Cordon Bleu Rice Casserole

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 clove fresh garlic, minced

½ lb diced ham

2 Cups cooked shredded chicken breast

4 Tablespoons butter

¼ Cup flour

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper

14 oz can chicken broth

3 Cups cooked rice of choice (I used brown rice)

1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 Cup shredded mozzarella or swiss cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat oil into a large 5 qt rimmed skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and bell pepper until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, ham and chicken. Cook for an additional 5 minutes. Melt butter then stir in flour, salt and pepper until combined. Slowly stir in chicken broth until well combined. Stir in cooked rice then transfer to a 9×13 inch baking dish. Top with cheddar and mozzarella cheeses. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cover the dish with foil the last 10 minutes for oozing cheese.

Yolanda's Famous Chicken

2010-07-21T12:29:00.005-06:00

I got this recipe from Cooking Light magazine. I don't know who Yolanda is, but judging from this recipe...I think I'd like her. This was absolutely wonderful. We served it with lemon wedge, as the recipe recommended. Then we had vegetables and mashed potatoes. The chicken with a hint of lemon was perfect. But it would also be delicious with gravy or barbecue sauce. My family absolutely loved them. The recipe states that you can use pre-crumbed bread crumbs. I think this would be quicker and okay, but using the actual bread slices leaves you with some yummy big and small crumbs.

Directly from the magazine:

The family serves these crispy sautéed chicken breasts with lemon wedges only (no sauce). Because they're so flavorful, a spritz of citrus is all they need. You can easily double the recipe to accommodate a larger group—crisp two breast halves at a time in a skillet (or four at a time in two skillets), then finish cooking the whole batch in the oven.

Ingredients:

2 (1 1/2-ounce) bread slices
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (1 ounce) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary, crushed
1 1/2 teaspoons dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon 2% reduced-fat milk
1 large egg
Cooking spray
4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
4 lemon wedges

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°. Tear bread into pieces. Place bread in a food processor; pulse until breadcrumbs measure about 1 3/4 cups.

Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and pound chicken to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet.

Place flour in a shallow dish. Combine breadcrumbs, cheese, and next 4 ingredients (through pepper) in a second shallow dish. Combine milk and egg in a third shallow dish, stirring with a whisk.

Working with 1 breast half at a time, dredge chicken in flour, shaking off excess. Dip into egg mixture; dredge in breadcrumb mixture, pressing to coat evenly on both sides. Place chicken on a large plate. Repeat procedure with remaining breast halves, flour, egg mixture, and breadcrumb mixture; refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray; add 2 teaspoons olive oil, swirling to coat. Add 2 breast halves to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Place on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat chicken with cooking spray. Repeat procedure with remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil and remaining breast halves.

Bake at 375° for 12 minutes or until a thermometer registers 165°. Serve with lemon wedges. Delicioso!

*By the way...I used this same recipe to bread some tilapia (fish) and it was also very tasty.

Easy Picnic Pasta Salad

2010-07-13T23:35:00.004-06:00

This is an easy and tasty pasta salad, perfect for last minute barbecues and get-togethers.

Ingredients:

16 oz. bowtie pasta, cooked
1 - 1/2 cups ranch dressing (depends on how saucy you want your pasta)
3/4 cup bacon crumbles
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
1/2 cup chopped olives
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Directions:

Toss all ingredients together. Chill. Serve.

Simple Tomato Sauce with Onion & Butter

2010-07-11T23:28:00.000-06:00

I plucked this recipe from Smitten Kitchen about a year ago and have planned to make it ever since. So with yummy summer tomatoes just right around the corner, I thought it the perfect time to give it a try. It was simple and fresh and delicious. I think the secret is its simplicity...there aren't spices that are overpowering the essence of the tomato flavor. On our second trip to Italy, John & I ate (with Spencer & Kristi) at a little restaurant in Rome (located on a side street with a direct shot at the Coliseum). I had a simple pasta with tomato sauce. There weren't lots of spices or other things complicating the dish. Just pasta with tomato sauce. It was incredible. This sauce is the closest thing I have ever found to that. I literally could not stop eating this.

Ingredients:

28 ounces (800 grams) whole peeled tomatoes from a can (San Marzano, if you can find them)*
5 tablespoons (70 grams) unsalted butter
1 medium-sized yellow onion, peeled and halved
Salt to taste

Directions:

Put the tomatoes, onion and butter in a heavy saucepan (it fit just right in a 3-quart) over medium heat. Bring the sauce to a simmer then lower the heat to keep the sauce at a slow, steady simmer for about 45 minutes, or until droplets of fat float free of the tomatoes. Stir occasionally, crushing the tomatoes against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat, discard the onion, add salt to taste (you might find, as I did, that your tomatoes came salted and that you didn’t need to add more) and keep warm while you prepare your pasta.

Grilled Chicken & Asian Noodle Salad

2010-07-06T00:16:00.002-06:00

This recipe is a new fave. It really belongs to Kristi, who served it to us while we were there visiting last week. Kristi really knows how to pick amazing recipes. Cooking just really seems to come naturally to her. Anyway! She used this chicken recipe and combined it with this recipe to make a delicious & complete meal with an amazing mix of flavors. I have made it twice since being home from Oregon.
Chicken

The directions for this versatile grilled chicken are in this previous posting.

Dressing

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of rice vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and set aside.

Salad

Ingredients:
1/2 cup cilantro leaves (chopped)
1/2 cup basil leaves (chopped)
2 green onions (chopped)
1/2 red bell pepper (sliced into thin strips)
1/2 yellow bell pepper (sliced into thin strips)
1 cup carrots (shredded)
1/2 cup of toasted peanuts (optional)
1/2 pound noodles, cooked per instructions

Directions:

Prepare all the vegetables. I happen to not like large chunks of certain vegetables, so I actually just threw all of the above, minus the noodles, into the food processor and pulsed about 8 times. The sliced peppers do look prettier though. Cook your noodles according to instructions on package (not a moment over). I used one box of fettuccini for this. Once the noodles have cooked rinse thorougly with cold water and drain. Once the noodles are completely cool, add the remaining ingredients. Mix the dressing again thoroughly then add to the noodles and vegetables. Stir until well combined and serve with sliced, grilled chicken or as a side to another entree. Serves 6.

Banana Cream Pie

2010-06-25T22:42:00.003-06:00

My husband and my Dad both LOVE Banana Cream Pie. Lucky for me this is a delicious pie that is simple to make and one recipe makes 2 pies. I made them each one for Fathers Day. Next time you are in the mood for pie give this one try.

Ingredients

2 frozen pie crusts, baked according to package directions (or if you are ambitious you can make your own)
1 8 ounce pkg cream cheese, room temperature
1 small pkg instant vanilla pudding
1 small pkg instant banana cream pudding
2 3/4 cups milk
2 small containers of cool whip (or you can whip your own cream)
4 bananas

Directions

Bake pie crusts and allow to cool.
In a mixer whip up the cream cheese, add milk and puddings and mix until mostly smooth. There may be some really small lumps, that's okay.
With a large spoon gently fold in one container of cool whip.
Remember this makes 2 pies, so for each pie: Pour a small amount of pudding in bottom of crust, slice a banana into pieces and layer over pudding mixture. Add more pudding, another layer of bananas, more pudding and then top with 1/2 of the other container of cool whip. It is best if it can be chilled for an hour or two, but can also be eaten immediately. Enjoy.

Lemon Water

2010-06-21T16:33:00.003-06:00

My friend served this at a baby shower. She served it out of a large, cute, clear container and put limes in it. We make it often and leave it on the counter in a large drink container with a spigot. That way, everyone, including the 3 year old, enjoy it all day long. It is really good and refreshing. GREAT for summer.

Ingredients:

5 quarts cold water
3 cups sugar
1 T. citric acid
1 T. lemon extract
Ice

Directions:

Mix and serve.
(Add limes, lemons, raspberries or any fruit desired for extra flavor and a great appearance:)

*I found citric acid at a local health food store. It was $2.00 for about a cup and a half.

The Summer 25

2010-06-18T15:32:00.002-06:00

Hooray! Summer is here. We have pulled 25 of our most Summer-friendly recipes just for you! Think barbecues & get-togethers, picnics, parties, camping...and all of the other fun occasions of summer! Fresh ingredients, light dishes, easy & quick, refreshing. These are just some of the criteria we used to come up with our favorite 25 for summer. Enjoy! Click on the 'Summer 25' link on the side ALL SUMMER LONG and we'll keep adding to it!

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

2010-06-14T00:15:00.001-06:00

Ingredients:

1 lb (or less) ground beef (or sausage)

1 quart (28-32 oz canned) tomatoes

1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce

1 can (8 oz) tomato paste

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp parsley

2 tsp oregano

1 tsp basil

1 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp garlic powder (or 1 1/2 tsp crushed, real garlic)

Directions:

Brown meat. Drain grease. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes. Cook pasta according to package directions. Serve. Yum.

Taste of Home Congo Squares (Cookie Bars)

2010-06-07T17:42:00.002-06:00

My mom had a Congo Square recipe that we had growing up. Those were delicious and very basic. So this recipe is a twist on my mom's and the Taste of Home bars. The saucepan technique seemed to make them have even more brown sugary goodness.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup shortening (I used butter of course)
2-1/4 cups packed brown sugar
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter chips
1 cup chopped nuts

Directions:

In a saucepan, melt shortening (or butter) over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar. Cool. I didn't cool mine enough and so when I stirred in the cholocate/peanut butter chips they melted slightly. Next time I would completely cool the mixture. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add gradually with eggs to shortening mixture. Stir in the vanilla, chips and nuts (batter will be very stiff).

Spread into a greased and floured 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out with no LIQUID (it can have some moist CRUMBS though). Cut into squares while warm. Yield: about 48 bars.

Fried Rice

2010-05-29T09:50:00.001-06:00

I found this recipe years ago and enjoy making it every once in a while. It came from the back of a dry Lipton Onion Soup Mix box. It can be served as a side dish or I add chicken or ham to it and it is a complete meal for our family.

Ingredients:

1/4 c. olive oil
4 c. cooked rice
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 envelope onion mushroom soup mix (or just onion soup mix)
1/2 c. water
1 T. soy sauce
1 c. frozen peas and carrots, partially thawed
2 eggs, slightly beaten

Directions:

Heat olive oil in 12 inch nonstick skillet over med-high heat and cook rice, stirring constantly, 2 minutes or until rice is heated through. Stir in garlic.
Blend soup mix with water and soy sauce. Stir into rice and cook 1 minute. Stir in peas and carrots and cook 2 minutes or until heated through.
Make a well in center of rice and quickly stir in eggs until cooked.
Add cooked chicken or ham or shrimp if desired.
Enjoy.

Vegetable Confetti

2010-05-27T23:29:00.002-06:00

This is a very unique recipe I got from a neighbor (Kerri McBride) about 8 years ago. It is savory and tastes so fresh with all of the vegetables. It may seem a bit strange, but we really like it and when it is around we have a hard time not eating too much. My 10 and 12 year old daughters love it too.

Ingredients
2 pkg refrigerated crescent rolls
2 - 8 ounce pkgs. cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup mayonnaise

2-3 stalks celery, chopped small
1/2 green pepper, diced small
5-6 green onions, chopped
2 large carrots, shredded
1/2 bunch radishes, shredded

Directions
Press crescent dough into jelly roll pan (cookie sheet) and bake according to package directions. Let cool. Mix together cream cheese and mayonnaise. Spread over cooled crust. Prepare vegetables as listed above and sprinkle evenly over cream cheese and mayo mixture. Cut into squares and chill for 2-4 hours. Enjoy!

Veggie Dip

2010-05-20T20:56:00.006-06:00

This is my FAVORITE vegetable dip ever. The recipe is from my Mother-In-Law and it is super easy and so tasty. I like it so much better than the regular dips you can make from the packages or that you buy ready made. Next time you need a veggie tray, try this! You will love it too.
Ingredients
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1 Tablespoon dehydrated onion flakes
1 Tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon Bon Appetit seasoning
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
Directions
Mix all ingredients together and chill until ready to use.
I have used regular and light mayo and sour cream and both work great.

Turkey Caprese Sandwich

2010-05-15T10:54:00.002-06:00

I use to live by my sister-in-law and she would make sandwiches often and share them with me. I moved away about a year ago and have craved all of them since. This is one of them and it is so delicious. We made 24 of these and cut them in half for a family get together. They are gourmet and wonderful.

Ingredients (per sandwich):
1 asiago bagel, split and toasted
1 clove garlic
mayonnaise
2 slices turkey
fresh mozzarella cheese
1/2 roma tomato, sliced thinly
1/8 purple onion, sliced really thin
1 sprig fresh basil
kosher salt
10 drops olive oil

Directions:

Split and toast Asiato Bagel. As soon as you remove bagel from toaster, rub with a clove of garlic on the inside of each half. Put mayonnaise on each half. Put two slices of turkey on bottom piece of bagel. Top turkey with fresh mozzarella pieces. Add three slices of tomato. Put sliced onion on top of tomato. Roll up a leaf of basil and cut into strips. Put strips of basil on top of onions. Drizzle olive oil all over onions and basil. Sprinkle kosher salt all over. Top with other half and enjoy!

*I bought the bagels, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and turkey at Costco. It is an easy sandwich to make; it just sounds complicated. I also cut the bagels in half and laid them out on a cookie sheet and broiled them for 30 seconds or so.

Magically delicious, homemade bread

2010-05-13T10:27:00.005-06:00

This recipe is on loan from my friend Joelle Fryer. It is her grandma's recipe, and our family is in love with it.

Ingredients:

7 cups flour (Any flour may be used; white, unbleached, whole wheat, rye, triticale, bread flour, etc. I use “bread flour” for white bread, and use “some” bread flour in the other kinds of bread. For “whole wheat” bread I use 5 or 6 C. stone-ground whole wheat flour with bread flour.)

2 1/2 cups lukewarm water
3/4 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup melted butter

1/2 cup honey (or brown sugar or white sugar)

1 Tbs salt

Softened yeast: 1 Tbs + tsp yeast in ½ cup lukewarm water with 1 Tbs sugar. (Stir yeast, sugar and water in a small bowl and set aside. This yeast mix will bubble and start to foam).

Optional, but fantastic:

2 “globs” liquid lecithin. (This stuff is hard to find. I have never used it in my bread. It is a preservative but we usually eat our bread in a day or two and are fine without it.)

1 cup gluten flour (I found this in the bulk foods section at a few different grocery stores)

Directions:

1. Pour lukewarm water in mixing bowl. Add melted butter, honey or sugar, salt, and start mixing.

2. Gradually add about 4 cups of the flour, then the evaporated milk, gluten flour, and lecithin. (Lecithin is very “sticky.” Pour it into the dough, wipe lip of bottle with paper towel without touching lecithin. Discard towel.)

3. Add more of the flour and then add the softened yeast. (The yeast must be added only after part of the flour has been added. If done before, the yeast will bond to the butter and not be as effective.)

4. Keep adding flour until the mixture forms a ball and is no longer “sticky,” but is a soft dough. (Flour amount may exceed 7 cups, just add until dough reaches the right consistency. If you can kneed the dough without it sticking to your hands, but still have it seem slighty moist, you've got it.) If mixing with a dough hook, knead the dough for about 8 min. If by hand, knead the dough for about 10-15 min. This is important!

5. Place the dough in a big bowl and cover it with a towel. You might also want to spray the dough occasionally with water to prevent it from drying out. Let the dough raise in the oven, no heat, until double in size (30-60 minutes).

6. Divide the doubled dough into two lumps and place the dough in greased bread pans. Let the dough raise in the bread pans in the oven, like you did with the first rising, until they are an inch or so above the rim of the pans. Take the bread pans out of the oven and preheat your oven to 500 degrees. Once the oven has reached temperature, put bread in the oven while lowering the temperature to 450˚. Bake at 450˚ for only 5 minutes, then lower oven temperature to 375˚ for remaining 20-25 min. (I usually keep it in for the full 25 minutes to prevent it from being doughy in the middle.)

7. Once the bread has come out of the oven, remove the bread from the pans and allow to cool on a cooling rack. Let bread cool completely before cutting to prevent bread from changing shape and compacting.