This Little Piggy's Food Blog

Cheesy Broccoli chowder

2012-01-16T11:59:00.000-08:00

Boil 7 cups of water and 4 chicken bullion cubes (or use 7 cups of chicken broth)

Add 2 cups of diced potatoes, 1 pound of broccoli cut into pieces, diced onions to taste, shredded carrots for color. Cook for 10 minutes.

Add 2 cans cream of chicken soup, turn heat down to low and cook 10 more minutes.

Transfer to a slow cooker, add 1 lb velveeta cheese and cook until cheese is melted and heated through. (I have done this on the stove in the same pot I cooked the other stuff in, but you have to stir a lot and keep it low or it will scorch, so it's a little easier in the slow cooker)

I loved this served with rolls. And I think it makes good leftovers too.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

2011-12-31T09:37:00.000-08:00

This is a great sauce to dip chicken nuggets in.

Makes 3/4 cup

Ingredients
3/4 cup apple jelly, apricot jelly, or hot pepper jelly
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch ground ginger
Pinch cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper

Instructions

Whisk jelly, vinegar, soy, garlic powder, ginger, and cayenne in medium bowl until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Chicken Nuggets

2011-12-31T09:35:00.000-08:00

This recipe is from Cooks Country. It is very flavorful.

Serves 4 to 6

Don’t brine the chicken longer than 30 minutes or it will be too salty. To crush the panko, place it inside a zipper-lock bag and lightly beat it with a rolling pin. This recipe doubles easily and freezes well.

Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 cups water
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup panko bread crumbs, crushed
2 teaspoons onion powder
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 large egg whites
4 cups peanut or vegetable oil

Instructions

1. CUT AND BRINE Cut each chicken breast diagonally into thirds, then cut each third diagonally into ½-inch-thick pieces. Whisk water, tablespoon salt, and Worcestershire in large bowl until salt dissolves. Add chicken pieces and refrigerate, covered, for 30 minutes.

2. COAT CHICKEN Remove chicken from brine, discard brine, and pat chicken dry with paper towels. Combine flour, bread crumbs, onion powder, remaining salt, pepper, garlic powder, and baking soda in shallow dish. Whisk egg whites in second shallow dish until foamy. Coat half of chicken with egg whites and dredge in flour-crumb mixture, pressing gently to adhere. Transfer to plate and repeat with remaining chicken (don’t discard flour-crumb mixture). Let sit 10 minutes.

3. FRY Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat to 350 degrees. Return chicken to flour dish and turn to coat, pressing flour-crumb mixture gently to adhere. Fry half of chicken until deep golden brown, about 3 minutes, turning halfway through cooking. Drain chicken on wire rack set inside rimmed baking sheet and place in oven. Return oil to 350 degrees and repeat with remaining chicken. Serve with dipping sauces (see related recipes.)

MAKE AHEAD: Cool fried nuggets, transfer to zipper-lock bag, and freeze for up to 1 month. To serve, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Place nuggets on rimmed baking sheet and bake, flipping once, until heated through, about 15 minutes.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

2011-12-31T09:33:00.000-08:00

I love garlic. These are so yummy. They are faster than roasting a head of garlic.

Serves 8 to 10

Cutting the potatoes into 1/2-inch pieces ensures that maximum surface area is exposed to soak up garlicky flavor.

Ingredients
4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, quartered, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
12 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1/2 cup water
Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Place cut potatoes in colander. Rinse under cold running water until water runs clear. Drain thoroughly.

2. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook garlic and sugar, stirring often, until sticky and straw colored, 3 to 4 minutes. Add rinsed potatoes, 1 1/4 cups half-and-half, water, and 1 teaspoon salt to pot and stir to combine. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered and stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, 25 to 30 minutes.

3. Off heat, add remaining butter to pot and mash with potato masher until smooth. Using rubber spatula, fold in remaining half-and-half until liquid is absorbed and potatoes are creamy. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Roasted Broccoli

2011-12-19T17:48:00.000-08:00

This recipe makes my heart skip a beat! Its so super delicious that I just can't get enough! I have made it every night for the last couple of days. I am pretty sure I could eat it all day long. So, anyways, please try this because I know that you will love it.

2-3 heads of broccoli, chopped
4-5 cloves of garlic
Olive Oil or Grape Seed Oil
Lemon Zest and juice from the lemon
Salt and Pepper
Pine Nuts
Parmesan Cheese

Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees. Chop your broccoli into pieces (however big you like them) and place them on a cookie sheet. Then slice up your garlic and mix it in with your broccoli. Then put a healthy drizzle of whatever oil you decide on top. Then fresh cracked pepper and salt. Mix together well and so that everything is coated and then stick it in the oven for 20-25 min.

While that is roasting you will zest your lemon and juice it. Then you can start to roast your pine nuts. Heat up a little bit of oil in a skillet and then drop a good sized handful of pine nuts in there. Stir them around until they start to brown. Take them off immediately because even when you take them off of the heat they will continue to cook and they will burn.

Once your broccoli is done you will top with lemon juice and zest. Then add pine nuts and sprinkle on some parmesan cheese. Give it one big last stir and then completely devour it. You will want to go back for seconds and thirds- so you might want to double this.

Happy Eating!!

Rosemary Ranch Chicken

2011-12-13T12:25:00.001-08:00

My sister in law Gabe made this really yummy chicken up at our family reunion and I have made it a ton since then. It is soooo good! Here it is-

Rosemary Ranch Chicken

1/2 cup Olive Oil

1/2 cup Ranch Dressing

3 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

1 Tablespoon minced Fresh Rosemary

2 teaspoons Salt

1 teaspoon Lemon Juice

1 teaspoon White Vinegar

1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper

1 Tablespoon Sugar

5 boneless Chicken Breasts

Instructions:

Stir together all ingredients in meduim sized bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes, then add chicken. Cover and refridgerate for atleast 30 min. Pre-heat grill for medium heat. Place chicken on grill and cook for 8-12 minutes.

Enjoy!

Cooper's Broccoli Cheese soup

2011-10-14T09:34:00.000-07:00

My son has an intense love for broccoli and his mother has an intense love for soup. Combine our loves together and you get Broccoli Cheese Soup.

Now, my mother has a fantastic broccoli cheese soup recipe. It is what I grew up on and anytime we were sick or it rained we requested her broccoli cheese soup.
But that's not the recipe I'm posting here.
This is a different recipe.
This is our recipe: Cooper and I's. (My Mom's recipe is here, and it is delicious, you should try it.)

So, as genetics would have it, I now have myself a child who requests broccoli cheese soup all the time (and at the oddest of times as well... breakfast? afternoon snack?)

Together, Cooper and I, have concocted this quick and also fantastic broccoli soup recipe.

And it's special because it's ours.

And it's special because it's yummy.

And it's extra special because when my son requests broccoli soup I can say you bet. Because it's quicker than a box of macaroni, about as much work as a pb&j and far superior for our very discerning tastes. (my son and I also share a pension for food snobbery)

Cooper's Broccoli Cheese Soup

1 head of broccoli, cut into florets (or one bag of frozen broccoli florets)
1/2 cup water
Chicken bouillon (either one cube, or if you use the mexican granule variety, like we do, 2 tsps)
3 Tbs butter
1/4 cup flour
3 cups milk
Cheese
salt and pepper to taste

In a small saucepan on medium high heat, combine your broccoli, water and bouillon. Cover and cook/steam until broccoli is tender and bright green.

Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan, melt your butter. Add your flour and whisk until smooth (you are making a rue). Allow your rue to cook a minute or so to get rid of the raw flour flavor. Then slowly whisk in your milk. Add milk until you've reached a consistency slightly thicker than you want your finished soup to be. Add your cheese and stir until melted.

Finally, combine your broccoli pot with your cheese sauce pot. Taste, salt and pepper accordingly and then watch your very happy son devour and come back for seconds.

Roasted Pear Shortcakes with Warm Toffee Sauce

2011-10-09T08:40:00.000-07:00

The house I currently live in has a pear tree. After getting sick of eating pears, we needed to find a recipe to use them all. This was what we found. Thus, if you have too many pears, this may be your answer.

Roasted Pear Shortcakes with Warm Toffee Sauce

2½ cups all-purpose flour

1 cup plus 3 tablespoons light brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2½ sticks plus 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 large egg

2 cups heavy cream, 1 cup whipped

6 pears (about 2½ pounds)—peeled, halved, cored and sliced about ¼ inch thick

Preheat the oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using an electric mixer, beat the flour with 1/4 cup brown sugar, the baking powder and salt. Add 1½ sticks butter and mix on low until crumbly. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and ½ cup unwhipped heavy cream. Add the liquid to the mixer and mix until just combined. Pat the dough out until about 1 inch thick on the prepared baking sheet and cut into 6 equal pieces. Place the pieces 1 inch apart and bake until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool on a rack.

Meanwhile, place the pears with the 3 tablespoons brown sugar and the 3 tablespoons butter on a rimmed baking sheet and toss to coat. Cover the pears loosely with foil and roast until tender and caramelized, about 15 minutes.

In a small saucepan, combine the remaining 1 stick butter with the remaining ½ cup unwhipped heavy cream and the remaining 3/4 cup brown sugar and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium-high and simmer the toffee sauce until thickened, about 5 minutes.

To serve, slice each shortcake in half and layer the bottom halves with the toffee sauce, roasted pears and whipped cream. Drizzle more toffee sauce over the whipped cream and cover with the shortcake tops.

The picture and recipe can be found here.

Butterfinger Cake

2011-09-26T19:25:00.000-07:00

You know BTS cake, or Family Night Cake, or Better Than Anything Cake, etc. (Basically whatever your family wants to call it)? I'd actually never heard of it until college and never made it until this year. But that's a whole other story entirely...

This cake is kind of like that.

But different.

But the same.

I found it on pinterest... because that's what I do: find amazing things on pinterest.
I thought this cake was better than it's chocolate counterpart. Husband thought it was fantastic but still prefers the original.
We made this tonight for Family Night and everyone got to help, and in my book, that's a "winner-winner-butterfinger-cake-dinner"

Ingredients:
1 yellow cake mix (plus the ingredients needed to make it as per the instructions on the back of the box)
1 bottle caramel sauce
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 tub Cool Whip
3 Butterfinger candy bars, crushed

Directions:
Have one of your children, along with the help of his father, make the yellow cake just like it says on the back of the box.
When the cake comes out of the oven have another child (or yourself) poke a bazillion holes all over the hot cake (use something bigger than a fork, like chopsticks, the round end of a wooden spoon, or one of those big meat pitchforks)
While the cake is still warm pour your caramel and sweetened condensed milk all over it. (I only use half of each but I know the majority of people who make this use the whole container of each)
You can let the cake cool at this point before "frosting" it with the cool whip but we just let the girl frost it warm because we could.
Have your used to be youngest goes bezurk on the candy bars until the are nice and crumbly, and then dump them all over the top of the cake.
Then have your little brother (who is visiting for a month and making everybody ridiculously happy) be the taste tester. (He's company so he got the bestest job)

I know people conventionally eat this kind of cake after it has cooled down, but I have to say, eating this while it was still warm was truly fantastic. There is something special about warm cake. It makes my heart happy.

By the way, here's a little bit of "my kid's are so dang cute!" goodness:

My used to be youngest took one bite of this and said:
"This is absolutely my yummiest thing EVER!"
I love him, and he loves this cake.

He is not even my foodie child (the one that makes a point to comment on the status of every meal) so this must have made some impression on him.

Lettuce Wraps

2011-09-26T18:40:00.000-07:00

My family has a lettuce wrap recipe that we love, but honestly, it's A LOT of work. And so I don't really ever make it for just us. However, I've seen recipes for them out and about on the food blogs lately and it's gotten me craving them.

Tonight they were on the menu and I didn't have the time, ingredients, or energy for them. But they sounded SO GOOD! So I went on the hunt for a simpler recipe and found one in this recipe from food.com. I tweaked all of the preparation instructions but kept the ingredients exactly as they said.

Guess what? They were delicious and so so simple.

Little girl ate practically a billion.

I think this recipe might replace my current recipe (although delicious) based solely on the fact that it was equally delicious and far easier... plus it had a yummy sauce which we have never truly nailed before in other attempts.

So there you go.

I found this image on the internet somewhere...not precisely sure where.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons oil
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cans water chestnuts, drained
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, roughly chopped
3 teaspoon garlic, minced

iceberg lettuce leaves

Stir fry sauce:
4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar

Special sauce:
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon hot mustard
1 -2 teaspoon garlic and red chile paste

In a small bowl, combine all 3 stir fry sauce ingredients, stir, and set aside.
To make your special sauce I just combined all the ingredients in my blender and gave it a whirl, although you are more than welcome to just stir it up in a bowl. Feel free to adjust the amounts of chile paste and hot mustard according to your taste. Set in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
In a food processor, pulse the mushrooms until they are in pieces about the size of a pea. Follow this same step for the water chestnuts and then again for the onion.
In a large skillet, heat oil on high heat. Add all the minced veggies (inc. garlic) and cook for a couple minutes. Then remove them from the pan.
This next step sounds bizzare but I promise, if you've ever tried to do this by hand you will thank me. Cube your chicken breasts into 2 inch pieces and then pulse them in your food processor until very fine. It will essentially resemble ground chicken. Add a little more oil to your screaming hot skillet and stir fry the chicken until cooked through (this also just takes a few minutes)
Add your cooked veggies back in with the chicken and dump your stir fry sauce right on top.
To serve, scoop a couple tablespoons of this filling in lettuce leaves, add a little special sauce if you please, wrap these babies up like a taco, devour, and then pat yourself on the back for making something so sublimely delish and special in under 30 minutes.

Go you!

Perfect Pot Roast

2011-09-25T12:22:00.000-07:00

Pioneer Woman cooked this up yesterday on her food network show. I watched it and went out and bought a roast right away for our Sunday dinner. I am definitely not new to roasts...I'm a rancher's daughter and we pretty much had roast almost every Sunday dinner and I've definitely cooked my fair share of them in the last 10 years of marriage. And they've always been...ok. I cook them more out of tradition than for the taste (sad, I know). This recipe.....WOW! Do everything she says, EXACTLY as she says and you will have an AMAZING roast dinner. I've had to stop myself from picking at the roast after already eating two helpings of it! SO GOOD!!!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/09/2008_the_year_of_the_pot_roast/

Oven Hot Dogs

2011-09-21T10:37:00.001-07:00

You know how there just are some foods you are supposed to like, but you don't?
Hot dogs are that food for me.
I eat them. Every summer. Sometimes I even crave them, and then I eat them, and I don't like them.
Crazy right?

So, a couple weeks back I was introduced to foodgawker.com and died.
Pretty much.
Right then.
(same thing happened when I discovered pinterest)
The first recipe that got me there?: OVEN HOT DOGS.

Like I said, not a hot dog fan. But, something about this picture and this recipe told me my life just wouldn't be complete without trying these at least once.
Now, funny thing, I told my husband about these the very second he came home for lunch and he seemed not the least bit curious. However, I talked to one of my girl friends during that exact same lunch break and she had also found this recipe (through my link on facebook) and being a hot dog LOVER rushed out that same day and acquired the necessary ingredients to make these. Then she called me, later that evening, to assure me that these were, indeed, the best thing she had ever tasted.
So, naturally, I had to make them. It was destiny, you see.

Now, if all truth be told, I really liked these... but only to the extent that I like anything with a hot dog in it, so actually, I didn't really like them that much. HOWEVER: my entire family, including husband who wasn't that jazzed in the first place, absolutely loved them and gobbled them straight up. So, please use that as your incentive to dive into this deliciousness.

This recipe post is dedicated to my brother Jeron: I knew the second I made this that this recipe was meant to belong to him and he was meant to belong to it and they would be happy forever.

Recipe and Photo from here

Oven Hot Dogs
8 hot dogs
8 hot dog buns
1 can of chili
1/2 an onion, diced
cheddar cheese
mayonnaise
mustard
sweet relish

Line inside of hot dog buns with mayonnaise and sweet relish. Evenly add mustard. Fill with hot dogs and squish into a 13×9″ baking pan.

Top hot dogs with chili, cheese, and diced onion. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350F for 45 minutes.

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

2011-08-11T11:42:00.000-07:00

I know, sounds wierd. I had some cottage cheese I needed to use up and had heard about cottage cheese pancakes. So I did a quick search for a recipe and modified it a bit. My kids LOVED them. Husband even ate one and said it was good, but wouldn't eat another one after I told him there was cottage cheese in them (see, it's all in his head! ;) It's a good way to get some more protein into your kids breakfast for sure!

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

*makes about 6 large pancakes

1 cup cottage cheese
3 eggs
2 TBS oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup flour

Mix together and cook on skillet. (these are pretty thick and take a little longer to cook on each side)

*you could also substitute oil for applesauce and the 1/3 cup flour for 1/4 cup whole wheat flour. Since I was trying them for the first time I decided to play it safe (and make sure my kids would eat them), but I'm definitely going to try the healthy alternatives next time.

White Cheese Chicken Lasagna

2011-08-10T12:27:00.000-07:00

picture from allrecipes.com

We had this for lunch today.

YUM!

It goes against all of my normal recipes since it takes some prep time, quite a few ingredients, dirties a couple different pots, and is SO not low in the calories. But IT IS GOOD!

A Month of Menus: June 25 - July 22

2011-06-24T12:48:00.000-07:00

In talking to my Mom this morning we came to the realization that the menus she was trying to make back in April, when she visited me after Max's birth, are still in the early stages of not completed. In fact, she commiserated that it was so bad my Dad was begging her to make menus.

I've been there. Honestly, I've been there a lot. I'm a frequent visitor to the town of "What's for Dinner"

And since my Mom is the one who taught me to make menus, and because I enjoy being my Mom's absolute favorite child, I am posting what we are eating for dinner for the next 4 weeks... give or take.

But seriously, this really is what's on the menu for the next 28 days:

(As always, if we like a recipe, and it's not already on the blog, it'll get it's own spot of infamy right here on Little Piggy Food.)

25. Mango Chicken and Cilantro Rice
26. Roast Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Corn on the Cob, Spinach Salad, Jello Fluff Salad
27. Carbonara (or this one, or this one...)
28. Mango Chicken Salad (Think Cafe Rio/Costa Vida style. Using the leftover chicken, salsa and rice from the 25th and topped with cilantro lime ranch)
29. Chicken Rolls (using leftover roast chicken from the 26th)
30. Chicken Flautas (using leftover roast chicken from the 26th)
1. Cowboy Burgers (hamburgers topped with pepperjack cheese, onion rings, bacon, and bbq sauce. Going to try these buns)
2. Tinfoil Dinners
3. Pork Milanesa (this is an Olive Garden one my husband had me recreate after having it once. I haven't written down my recipe yet but I used this video as inspiration.)
4. FOURTH OF JULY!!! (We will be BBQ-ing with family this day.)
5. Corn Chowder (My son's birthday and this was his request.)
6. Yakisoba (we're going to wing it, but the link I've included is inspiration)
7. Pina Colada Salad (Inspiration taken from Zupas... hence the Zupas link. I found a dressing recipe here that we'll try)
8. Stromboli
9. Chicken Kabobs
10. Ham and Funeral Potatoes
11. Pesto Pasta (I'm thinking this one or this one or I might just wing it.)
12. California Turkey Sandwiches and Nuts about Berries Salad (once again, it's all about taking inspiration from Zupas; My favorite place that does not exist in my state)
13. Coconut Chicken
14. Taco Pizza
15. Schnitzel and Spaetzle (First time trying this but it looked delicious so I'm going for it!)
16. Hot Dogs and Baked Beans
17. Cola Pot Roast
18. Lemon Chicken Linguine
19. Spicy Honey Chicken Salad
20. Super Spuds (Husband's family's term for a potato bar)
21. Cafe Rio style Burritos (using the leftover beef from the 17th and this rice.)
22. Pizza Party (our favorites are garlic ranch chicken, bbq chicken, and I'm dying to do a Milano)

Any reason to my rhyme?
Glad you asked, our newest "Menu Schedule" goes as follows:

Mondays = Pasta (my 3 year old LOVES pasta and wants it for every meal, so I figure, why not embrace it. Pasta once a week it is.)
Tuesdays = Salad/Sandwiches (It's summer, so let's face it, the majority of the time we want something light and easy. This fits the bill. Poor husband is going to have to start thinking of salads as a meal. But, the two girls in this family need to be represented. It can't be male domination all the time)
Wednesday = Rice/Potatoes (That's not all we're eating, we just used it as a guide to pick dishes that went well or incorporated either rice or potatoes)
Thursdays = Mexican (Like the pasta, let's face it, we LOVE Mexican food in our house so we are going for it.)
Fridays = American (The good old US of A. I find this is a catch all kind of genre. As well as one that plays well to copy cat recipes. And I love a copy cat recipe, especially out here in the "not so much a city")
Saturdays = Grill (It's summer, let's break it out)
Sundays = Sunday Dinner (What else? Down home Sunday food.)

And there you have it. A month of menus and inspiration for those of you who still need to figure out what's for dinner... Mom ;)

Mango Chicken

2011-06-23T08:04:00.000-07:00

This is a recipe I got from Gwen, who got it from our friend Kari. It is the perfect summer meal and the chicken in this marinade is DELICIOUS!!!

Mango Salsa:
1 8oz can pineapple tidbits, drained (reserve juice for marinade)
3/4 cup fresh mango/peaches diced
1/3 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1/3 cup red onion, chopped
2 Tbs fresh cilantro, chopped
1 Tbs lime juice
1 tsp jalepeno pepper, diced
1/2 tsp ground ginger

Combine all salsa ingredients and refrigerate until ready to serve. I have found that this is best if you let it sit awhile for all the flavors to blend together.

Chicken Marinade:
reserved pineapple juice
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 glove garlic

Combine all marinade ingredients in a ziploc back, Add your boneless skinless chicken breast and refrigerate. You can marinade for as little as 1 hour or up to as long as overnight. I suggest at least 2-3 hours. This chicken comes out so moist and delicious. We usually grill it.
Serve chicken with mango salsa and rice. Yummy!

Cowboy Quiche

2011-06-17T21:48:00.000-07:00

I like to call this casserole cowboy quiche because it is the "American" version of a French favorite of mine. No self respecting French person would put half of these ingredients in a quiche, but it is scrumptious all the same and very fast & easy to prepare which is nice.

10 eggs
1 lb of Monterey Jack Cheese, grated, (Medium Cheddar works fine too)
1 t Baking Powder
1/2 c Flour
16 oz cottage cheese (2 cups)
1/2 c melted butter
1 can diced green chilies
1/2 t salt

Mix all ingredients and pour into a 9x13 glass baking dish and bake for 50 minutes at 350.

Oatmeal Fudge Bars

2011-05-24T09:48:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine makes these all the time.

In fact, she just brought me two plates of them a couple weeks after I gave birth to baby Max (two plates because I have a BIG family now). Kind of a "Good job for having such a ridiculously good looking baby!" gift.

Well, being the health conscience nursing mother I am, I made sure to eat one of those plates by myself... you know, take one for the team, make sure the family cuts down on their sweet intake and all that jazz.

They were delicious, as always. So, naturally, a week or so later I found myself craving them. Only, it was Sunday and my friend was at church so I had to use my google search to try and find a recipe to replicate them.

I can't say this is the recipe she uses, but they look and taste EXACTLY as I remember them. Also, it is said that Starbucks offers a treat just like these on their menu. (The recipe I used said it was a "Starbucks copycat") I can't verify that these taste like those offered and Starbucks because I've never been. But, if they do offer these there they've got to be a best seller.

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups oats
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Cream butter, sugar and eggs.
Mix flour, soda and oats and add slowly to creamed mixture.
Spread 3/4 of this into 9x13 pan.
Melt remaining ingredients in a saucepan (adding the vanilla add the very end after everything is melted) and pour over dough in pan.
Blob the remaining oat mixture on top.
Bake at 350° for 25 minutes.

The oat batter and fudge filling will come out rather gooey. Do not fret the oats sets up nicely. The fudge does however always remaining deliciously soft and fudgey.
Naturally.
If you wait for them to cool they will firm up but my husband loved it straight out of the oven all hot and gooey.
To each his own.

*My only change that I might make is to instead put the mixture on a sheet tray instead of a 9x13, making for thinner bars. Either way they are ridiculously delicious but none together healthy. Also, perhaps to save money (not calories) I might whittle the butter down 3/4 cup in the batter and 1/4 cup in the fudge filling. I haven't tried it yet so I'm not entirely sure it won't be missed ;)

Lemon Blueberry Crumb Bars

2011-05-19T21:59:00.000-07:00

I just made these with my friend, Kennedy. They were super yummy. Definitely cool them before you eat. It's way better.

what you need

1/2 cup butter

1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow cake mix

2 eggs, divided

2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tbsp. zest and 3 Tbsp. juice from 1 lemon

2-1/2 cups fresh blueberries

make it

HEAT oven to 350ºF.

LINE 13x9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides. Microwave butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 to 1-1/2 min. or until melted. Add cake mix and 1 egg; beat with mixer until well blended. Press 2/3 of the mixture onto bottom of prepared pan.

BEAT cream cheese and sugar with mixer until well blended. Add remaining egg, zest and juice; mix well. Pour over crust; top with berries. Pinch small pieces of the remaining cake mix mixture between your fingers; press lightly into cream cheese layer.

BAKE 55 min. to 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely. Use foil handles to lift dessert from pan before cutting into bars. Keep refrigerated.

This recipe was found at: http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/lemon-blueberry-crumb-bars-124533.aspx

Chicken Pastina

2011-05-12T12:27:00.000-07:00

1 cup of pastina pasta (or any small pasta)
2 T Olive Oil
1/2 cup chicken breast (cubed)
1/2 c diced onion
1 garlic clove
1 can diced tomatoes with juice
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 c chopped fresh parsley
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/4 c bread crumbs
1/4 c parmesan
1 T Butter

Preheat oven to 400
-salt water & cook pasta for five minutes & drain.
-In saute pain, add the olive oil and cook the chicken for three minutes on medium
-add the onions & garlic to the saute pan and cook for another five mintues
-add chicken mixture to the pasta along with the tomatoes, cheese, parsley, salt & pepper, and stir well.
-put in 8x8 glass dish
-mix bread crumbs, parmesan and cheese and sprinkle over the top of pasta.

Bake 30 minutes.

Baked Orzo

2011-05-12T12:21:00.000-07:00

I love orzo pasta, and it is generally really kid friendly. This is a versatile dish where I can usually throw in whatever "extras" I have on-hand in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 400 and butter a 9x13 glass baking dish.

-Bring 4 cups of chicken broth to boil, add 1 pound of orzo & cook 7 minutes over medium high.
-Set aside Orzo (it should not be quite al dente because it will continue to cook in the oven)
-In a skillet saute 1 chopped onion, some mushrooms (sliced), 1 cup of Marsala wine (you can substitute chicken broth, but trust me the Marsala tastes better). After the onions are translucent and the mushrooms nicely cooked combine skillet mixture with orzo.
-Add to the orzo: 1/2 cup evaporated milk, 2 cups of mozzarella cheese (fontina is also excellent), some frozen peas, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.
-pour into baking dish and top with: 1/4 c freshly grated Parmesan, 1/2 cups of bead crumbs & 1 teaspoon of Thyme

Bake 25 minutes

Versatile Salsa Verde

2011-05-09T14:33:00.000-07:00

Whenever I make empanadas, I usually make this salsa verde, but it is really great with any Mexican food dish. This recipe is a basic one you can modify easily depending on how spicy you like your salsa.

12 tomatillos, husked & rinsed
4 serrano peppers or 2 jalapeno chiles or 1 can of diced green chilis (I use whatever I have on hand)
2 cloves garlic
1/4 t salt
1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
2 T fresh cillantro minced (I usually add more because I'm obsessed with cilantro)

Put the tomatillos and chilies in a saucepan over medium heat and add water to cover. Bring to a simmer and cooke uncovered for about 15 minutes until tomatillos are soft. (If you want your salsa verde to be less spicy you can take out some or all of the seeds from the peppers before you do this)

Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of liquid. Add the garlic to the tomatillos & peppers and blend up, adding the liquid to create the consistency you like. Stir in the minced onions & cilantro and serve!

Ciabatta

2011-05-02T08:26:00.000-07:00

Last night at the Bowens we were watching a show on food network that had some amazing looking sandwiches on ciabatta. So...tonight we are making this.

Makes 2 loaves

Two tablespoons of nonfat milk powder can be used in place of the liquid milk; increase the amount of water in the dough to 1 cup. As you make this bread, keep in mind that the dough is wet and very sticky. The key to manipulating it is working quickly and gently; rough handling will result in flat, tough loaves. When possible, use a large rubber spatula or bowl scraper to move the dough. If you have to use your hands, make sure they are well floured. Because the dough is so sticky, it must be prepared in a stand mixer. If you don’t have a baking stone, bake the bread on an overturned and preheated rimmed baking sheet set on the lowest oven rack. The bread will keep for up to 2 days, well wrapped and stored at room temperature. To recrisp the crust, place the unwrapped bread in a 450-degree oven for 6 to 8 minutes. The bread will keep frozen for several months wrapped in foil and placed in a large zipper-lock bag. Thaw the bread at room temperature and recrisp using the instructions above.

Ingredients
Biga
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (5 ounces)
1/8 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast 1/2 cup water (4 ounces), at room temperature
Dough
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (10 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt 3/4 cup water (6 ounces), at room temperature
1/4 cup milk (2 ounces), at room temperature (see note)
Instructions
1. FOR THE BIGA: Combine flour, yeast, and water in medium bowl and stir with wooden spoon until uniform mass forms, about 1 minute. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature (about 70 degrees) overnight (at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours).

2. FOR THE DOUGH: Place biga and dough ingredients in bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Mix on lowest speed until roughly combined and shaggy dough forms, about 1 minute; scrape down sides of bowl as necessary. Continue mixing on medium-low speed until dough becomes uniform mass that collects on paddle and pulls away from sides of bowl, 4 to 6 minutes. Change to dough hook and knead bread on medium speed until smooth and shiny (dough will be very sticky), about 10 minutes. Transfer dough to large bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let dough rise at room temperature until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

3. Spray rubber spatula or bowl scraper with nonstick cooking spray; fold partially risen dough over itself by gently lifting and folding edge of dough toward middle. Turn bowl 90 degrees; fold again. Turn bowl and fold dough six more times (total of eight turns). Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes. Repeat folding, replace plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes longer. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to lower-middle position, place baking stone on rack, and heat oven to 450 degrees at least 30 minutes before baking.

4. Cut two 12- by 6-inch pieces of parchment paper and liberally dust with flour. Transfer dough to liberally floured counter, being careful not to deflate completely. Following photos 6 through 9 above, liberally flour top of dough and divide in half. Turn 1 piece of dough so cut side is facing up and dust with flour. With well-floured hands, press dough into rough 12- by 6-inch shape. Fold shorter sides of dough toward center, overlapping them like business letter to form 7- by 4-inch loaf. Repeat with second dough piece. Gently transfer each loaf seam-side down to parchment sheets, dust with flour, and cover with plastic wrap. Let loaves sit at room temperature for 30 minutes (surfaces of loaves will develop small bubbles).

5. Slide parchment with loaves onto inverted, rimmed baking sheet or pizza peel. Using floured fingertips, evenly poke entire surface of each loaf to form 10- by 6-inch rectangle; spray loaves lightly with water. Carefully slide parchment with loaves onto baking stone using jerking motion. Bake, spraying loaves with water twice more during first 5 minutes of baking time, until crust is deep golden brown and instant-read thermometer inserted into centers of loaves registers 210 degrees, 22 to 27 minutes. Transfer to wire rack, discard parchment, and cool loaves to room temperature, about 1 hour, before slicing and serving.

Chicken Primavera Pasta

2011-03-22T18:59:00.000-07:00

So we all know that I am a girl that loves food and that I love an easy great tasting meal that appears you were a slave to the kitchen when in reality, well lets just keep that our little secret! Kraft Philadelphia has a new product called Cooking Cream and it is amazing, I mean AMAZING! So here is my take on the recipe that we tried last night and wow!
(If you want the original recipe go and pick up an Italian Cheese and Herb Cooking Creme at your local store as it's on the back)

1 box of Whole Wheat Penne Pasta
1/2 bag of Match Stick Carrots
1 Red Pepper sliced thinly
2 Chicken Boobs sliced/chopped (I prefer mine thinly sliced across the grain)
2 containers of Philadelphia Cooking Creme in Italian Cheese and Herb

Directions:

Pull out a pot to cook your noodles according to the package directions. While your pasta is cooking grab your wok add a little veggie oil and cook your chicken when the chicken is done add all of your veggies at once and stir until cooked/ heated thoroughly. By then your pasta should be cooked drain those and add them to the mixture in the wok and add the Cooking Creme. Stir until well combined and serve! Seriously it was that easy and super yummy! I can't wait to try all of the other Cooking Creme's!

Meatballs with Cream Sauce

2011-03-22T07:34:00.000-07:00

This recipe was on our menu to try on Thursday. Well, as sometimes happens, I got a little antsy and last night's menu item didn't sound as good as Thursday's. So I switched it up.

Holy cow! So yummy.

Everyone licked their plate clean. My youngest son and husband licked their plates clean twice. And, my adopted teenage son/brother cleaned his plate 3 times. Then, this morning, my youngest begged me to reheat the leftover meatballs for him for breakfast.
I'd say that was a success. And so easy! Seriously... YUM!

photo and recipe credits go to Mel's Kitchen Cafe

MEATBALLS:
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup milk
2 T. ketchup
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup quick oats
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef
3 T. flour

CREAM SAUCE:
2 T. butter
3 1/2 T. flour
1/4 t. dried thyme
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
14 oz. can chicken broth
2/3 cup milk
2 T. minced fresh parsley

1 12oz package egg noodles

In a bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients EXCEPT the beef and flour. Add beef and mix well. Shape into balls. Roll in flour, shaking off excess. Place 1 inch apart on cookie sheet and bake, uncovered, at 400 for 10 minutes. Turn meatballs, bake 8-10 minutes longer or until no longer pink.
Meanwhile, start the water to boil for your pasta and once boiling, throw your noodles in to cook.
While your noodles and meatballs are cooking you can make the sauce. For the sauce, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour, thyme, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually add broth and milk; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes, until slightly thickened.
Drain meatballs on paper towels; transfer to a serving dish. Top with sauce and parsley. Serve over egg noodles. (You can also serve over rice if you would like, but when I mentioned that as an option my husband said "I don't know why you'd ever do that. The noodles were so good with that." In fact, the vote was unanimous so this will always be served over noodles at our house.)

Chili Mac

2011-03-20T14:03:00.000-07:00

Do you know how sometimes things just look good and you have no rhyme or reason as to why?

Well the other day I was food blog surfing and came across a recipe for chili mac.

Umm... sounds kind of hamburger helper doesn't it? I don't know, maybe it's this baby inside me, but I knew, with every fiber of my being that I HAD TO HAVE chili mac.
I don't understand.

But you know what, strange as it sounds, this was the most satisfying meal I have had all week.
I set out to follow a recipe, and 2 steps in I realized I didn't have a single one of the spices required. That never happens to me... it must have been fate I suppose because I just had to wing it. And the end result was something easy (like might even be easier than hamburger helper itself. I don't know though, I don't think I've ever made hamburger helper) and super delicious that everyone of my children LOVED. (Especially the one currently residing inside me)

So, if you're adventurous enough to try something so humble, give this a go.

Chili Mac: (image and inspiration from here)
Serves 6-8

1 Tbs vegetable oil
1 lb ground beef
I onion, minced
1/2 chili packet - roughly 2 TBS (we used McCormick I believe, it was what was in our pantry)
1/2 tsp salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs brown sugar
2 8oz cans tomato sauce
2 cups water
2 cups elbow macaroni
1 cup frozen corn

In a large skillet over medium heat, saute ground beef, onion, chili packet, and salt in oil until the hamburger is no longer pink. If necessary, drain off any excess fat. Add brown sugar and garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds) Stir in tomato sauce, water, and macaroni. Cover and cook, stirring often, until the macaroni is tender 12-20 minutes.
Stir in the cheese and corn. Remove from heat. The left over heat from the chili mac should be enough to warm the corn and melt the cheese.
Sit down and enjoy.

Chinese Egg Rolls

2011-03-19T19:25:00.000-07:00

We tried these egg rolls last night. We liked them so well we had them again tonight with stirfry. They are way easy and quick.

12 egg roll wraps
1/2 - 1 lb ground pork (or chicken or beef) we used chicken
2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 (16 ounce) bags shredded cabbage and carrot coleslaw mix (not quite the whole bag)
(I just shredded 2 carrots and 1/2 head cabbage, cheaper and fast)
4 green onions, sliced
1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water
oil (for frying)

Directions:
1. Brown pork with ginger and garlic in pan, drain any grease
2. Mix salt, sugar, soy sauce and sesame oil. Add to meat and mix well
3. In large bowl combine cabbage mix and onions.
4. Pour hot meat over vegetables and stir well. Let cool slightly
5. Lay wrap in front of you so that it looks like a diamond.
6. Place 3 tablespoons filling in center of egg roll wrapper.
7. Fold bottom point up over filling and roll once.
8. Fold in right and left points.
9. Brush beaten egg on top point.
10. finish rolling.
11. Set aside and repeat with remaining filling.
12. Heat 2-3 inches oil in large frying pan to very hot (350*)
13. Fry a few egg rolls in pan at a time, 2-3 minutes per side.
14. Drain on paper towels.
We just fried them in our deep fryer and weighted them down with a hand potato masher, then we didn't have to turn them.

Frito Salad

2011-03-18T11:45:00.001-07:00

I went to link to this recipe in my menu post this week only to find out it had never been posted on the blog. How do things like this happen. This is one of our all time favorite side salad/summer salad recipes. I first had it at a family reunion where my Aunt Jana made it (she always has such delicious recipes) and so I credit this recipe to her.

1 can black beans

1 can small red beans

1 can kidney beans

4-5 green onions

4-6 tomatoes

bottled Catalina dressing

Grated cheddar cheese

Frito Corn Chips (small)

Chop green onions and tomatoes. Rinse and drain the beans. Place the vegetables and the beans in a bowl and pour the dressing over them till quite saucy. Let marinate for awhile. When you are ready to serve (meaning AFTER the prayer has been said) add the fritos and cheddar cheese. We actually usually just serve the fritos and cheese on the side.

Cola Pot Roast

2011-03-18T11:22:00.000-07:00

Recipe and photo courtesy of allrecipes

This is a slightly nostalgic meal for us. Back in the early days of our marriage we were very poor. We lived away from family in the "middle of nowhere", had no internet, no tv, no long distance... all we had for recipes were these 5 allrecipes cookbooks my mom had given me for Christmas. This recipe (and several other sentimental and family favorites) came from those books.

Ingredients:

4 pounds beef sirloin roast

3 carrots, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 (.75 ounce) packet dry brown gravy mix

2 tablespoons water

1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream

of mushroom soup

10 fluid ounces

cola-flavored carbonated beverage

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Place meat in roasting pan and sprinkle carrots, celery, and garlic around. (I like to add a little onion as well...)
In a separate bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients. Pour this mixture on top of the roast.
Cover and cook for 1 hour in preheated oven.
Reduce temperature to 225. Cook for 2 hours. Turn the roast over and continue to cook covered for at least another 2 hours. Let meat rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Santa Fe Soup

2011-03-18T10:47:00.000-07:00

Recipe and image from Joy's Hope

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef browned and drained

1 can kidney beans

2 cans Ro-tel
(Ro-tel can get spicy, even the mild version, so feel free to sub one or both cans with petite diced tomatoes. That's what my family did.)

1 can stewed Mexican style tomatoes

1 can corn (drained)

2 Tbs. taco seasoning

16 0z. Velveeta cubed

Dump everything in your crockpot, stir and just go for it. (Just make sure you have turned your crockpot on... and plugged it in. Am I the only one to forget this crucial step?...)
It takes 3 hours on high. Stir it once half way through.
We served it with sour cream, tortilla chips, and additional shredded cheese. Yum!

Also, if you want this desperately but dinner is supposed to be in 30 minutes not 3 hours never fail. The same concept will work in your soup pot. Just cook on Medium - Medium High and be sure to stir it more frequently. ;)

Menu Monday: Dinners for the rest of March 2011

2011-03-18T10:02:00.000-07:00

Well it is obvious I am quite behind on my menu posts... yep no excuses. However, I decided it might just be slightly easier (on me) if I just went ahead and posted our menus for the rest of the month. So here goes:
(Given the fact that this is going to be a lot, I won't be posting breakfast or lunch menus in this post. If I change my mind and feel like posting breakfast menus for the rest of March I will do it in a separate post.)

Monday. March 14:

Baked Potatoes. Always a favorite. We usually do butter, sour cream, shredded cheese, and bacon bits on our potatoes. This week I also made a cheese sauce and ate my potato with cheese sauce, ham, green peas, and green onions. YUM! *A little tip on making baked potatoes, after you have washed your potatoes and pricked them with your fork coat the entire potato in olive oil and then a hefty sprinkling of kosher salt. Bake them at 425 for roughly an hour (depending on potato size) and you won't regret it.

Tuesday. March 15:

Penne Rustica. If you haven't tried this yet you haven't lived. Although, there is a strong chance you will live longer than me do to the large amounts of heavy cream I have consumed...

Wednesday. March 16:

Chinese/Costco/Five Guys. It was a late night shopping and what more can you say, we got hungry.

Thursday. March 17:

Lasagna. It was a Relief Society function and so the lasagna was provided by Costco. One day I promise to post our favorite lasagna recipe... just not today.

Friday. March 18:

Chicken Pot Pie... Soup. Okay, this is going to be an experiment. Cooper, my 4 year old loves chicken pot pie (we use this recipe) but he doesn't so much like the crust. He keeps asking me if I can make him a soup with chicken, potatoes, corn, and peas. I have leftover corn and peas from Sunday and Monday respectively and so I am going to play around and see what I get. I'll post what we come up with if it is a success.

Saturday. March 19:

Hawaiian Haystacks

Sunday. March 20:

Chicken Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, and Country Gravy. This has got to be one of my husband's favorite meals (and mine too) I just love country gravy and this meal is so homey and delicious. Mmm... we are both excited just thinking about it.

Whoa! Jr. Miss week for me this week so everything has got to be make ahead or 2 second simple. Here is what I've come up with:

Monday. March 21:

French Dip Sandwiches. Yum. One of my favorite sandwiches of all time. Some thinly sliced deli roast beef, swiss cheese, hoagie or french bread subs, and some aus jus. Delicious.

Tuesday. March 22:

Chicken Tortellini Bake. We thought we would give this a try this week. I've got some extra tortellini in the fridge and Landon, my youngest, seems to think it is the best ever. As always, if we love it lots you will see it appear on the blog.

Wednesday. March 23:

Santa Fe Soup. This recipe is VERY similar to my mom's taco soup recipe which everybody loves... except husband. For some reason husband never thought he loved my mom's recipe, but he did love this one (probably because he didn't realize it was essentially the exact same recipe... and I used smaller tomatoes) Either way, both are worth trying.

Thursday. March 24:

Meatballs with Cream Sauce. I'm excited to try this recipe. I'll be sure to post our reactions. As a side note, the site this recipe came from has a lot of meatball recipes and I have tagged everyone of them into my delicious account. Here are their links for you as well. If you try them be sure to share. Teriyaki Meatballs, Pineapple Meatballs, Sweet and Sour Meatballs.

Friday. March 25:

California Chicken Yet another one to try. If you haven't noticed the trend yet, all of my to-try recipes this week are coming from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. If you feel like wasting 2 hours of your day looking at one delicious looking recipe after another head on over there. But don't blame me when your house looks like you've neglected your children for the better part of the day mmkay?

Saturday. March 26:

Hot Hoagies This is the actual night of Jr. Miss so my family will need something simple and filling. Here is to hoping this is it.

Sunday. March 27:

Cola Pot Roast

Monday. March 28:

Cheeseburgers and Fries Depending on how ambitious I feel we might pair this with one of our favorite side salad recipes: Pasta Salad or Frito Salad. I might even go for homemade hamburger buns, just because they are delicious.

Tuesday. March 29:

Asian Lettuce Wraps We have a copy cat recipe for PF Chang's lettuce wraps which is really yummy, but it makes far too much for my little family. I decided to try this recipe since I really love lettuce wraps.

Wednesday. March 30:

Chicken with Cream Cheese and Black Beans... in the crockpot We've tried very yummy things similar to this but without the cream cheese. Being the firm believer in adding extra calories that I am I figured "why not?"

Thursday. March 31:

Pork Chops and Funeral Potatoes My mom had such rave reviews for this recipe she posted that I am excited to try it out. I grew up in a pork chop eating family but my husband didn't and so he is never really chomping at the bit to try pork chops. However, my daughter loves them and we rarely, almost never, have them on the menu. So this month we do. Now, I'm pretty sure everyone has a recipe for funeral potatoes. If I am mistaken please let me know and I will post it. (Actually, I'll probably post it anyway... eventually.)

Chicken Marsala

2011-03-12T13:44:00.000-08:00

This was one of my favorite dishes at the restaurant Ottavios. I've searched for a long time to come up with my own version of it (especially since Ottavios went out of business) This one does not taste exactly the same, but it does taste awesome and it is really easy and quick to prepare!

1. Take your chicken breasts and pound them between two sheets of wax paper until they are about 1/2 inch thick. This helps the chicken cook more evenly/quickly and also somewhat tenderizes them.

2. Mix about one cup of flour with salt & pepper (I use about 1 teaspoon of each). Dredge Chicken in flour mixture.

3. Heat up your pan with about 2-3 T of canola oil.

4 Add chicken and quickly brown on both sides (about two minutes each)

5. Add 1.5 cup of Marsala wine (this is assuming you are using four chicken breasts in your pan), and one package of mushrooms that have been washed and sliced.

6. The alcohol should all burn off in a couple of minutes and the sauce begin to reduce. Continue to cook your chicken on medium until cooked through. If the sauce begins to reduce to much, you can add some chicken stock in to keep it a nice consistency.

7. Serve the chicken with the mushrooms & Marsala sauce. I feel this pairs nicely with rice or pasta.

Lemon Pudding Cake

2011-03-12T11:26:00.000-08:00

Recipe & Photo Courtesy of America's Test Kitchen

This dessert is best served warm or at room temperature the same day it is made. Scoop it out and serve in a bowl.

Serves 8 .

Ingredients
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 1/4 cups sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter , softened
2 tablespoons grated zest and 1/2 cup juice from 4 lemons
5 large eggs , separated
1 1/4 cups whole milk , room temperature
2 quarts boiling water

Instructions
1. MIX BATTER Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease 8-inch square baking dish. Whisk flour and cornstarch in bowl. With electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat 1/2 cup sugar, butter, and lemon zest until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in yolks, one at a time, until incorporated. Reduce speed to medium-low. Add flour mixture and mix until incorporated. Slowly add milk and lemon juice, mixing until just combined.

2. BEAT EGG WHITES Using clean bowl and whisk attachment, beat egg whites on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. With mixer running, slowly add remaining sugar until whites are firm and glossy, about 1 minute. Whisk one-third of whites into batter, then gently fold in remaining whites, one scoop at a time, until well combined.

3. BAKE Place kitchen towel in bottom of roasting pan and arrange prepared baking dish on towel. Spoon batter into prepared dish. Carefully place pan on oven rack and pour boiling water into pan until water comes halfway up the sides of baking dish. Bake until surface is golden brown and edges are set (center should jiggle slightly when gently shaken), about 60 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool at least 1 hour. Serve.

Icebox Strawberry Pie

2011-03-12T11:08:00.000-08:00

In step 1, it is imperative that the cooked strawberry mixture measures 2 cups; any more and the filling will be loose. If your fresh berries aren’t fully ripe, you may want to add extra sugar to taste in step 2. Use your favorite pie dough or use our recipe. Chill the heavy cream in step 4 to help it whip more quickly.

Serves 8.

Ingredients
Filling
2 pounds frozen strawberries (see related tasting)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
1 cup sugar
Pinch salt
1 pound fresh strawberries , hulled and sliced thin
1 (9-inch) pie shell , baked and cooled (see note)
Topping
4 ounces cream cheese , softened
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream

Instructions
1. COOK FROZEN BERRIES Cook frozen berries in large saucepan over medium-low heat until berries begin to release juice, about 3 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until thick and jamlike, about 25 minutes (mixture should measure 2 cups).

2. ADD GELATIN Combine lemon juice, water, and gelatin in small bowl. Let stand until gelatin is softened and mixture has thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir gelatin mixture, sugar, and salt into cooked berry mixture and return to simmer, about 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

3. ADD FRESH BERRIES Fold fresh berries into filling. Spread evenly in pie shell and refrigerate until set, about 4 hours. (Filled pie can be refrigerated for 24 hours.)

4. MAKE TOPPING With electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth, about 30 seconds. With mixer running, add cream and whip until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. Serve pie with whipped cream topping.

Monkey Bread

2011-03-12T07:10:00.000-08:00

Recipe and Photo Courtesy of Cooks Country TV

KeiLani made this last night. It was yummy. Lani says he likes it better than cinnamon rolls.

Ingredients
For the Dough
2 tablespoons unsalted butter , softened, plus 2 tablespoons melted
1 cup warm milk (about 110 degrees)
1/3 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 package rapid-rise yeast or instant yeast
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour , plus extra for work surface
2 teaspoons table salt
For the Brown Sugar Coating
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
For the Glaze
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons milk

Instructions
For the Dough:

1. Adjust oven rack to medium-low position and heat oven to 200 degrees. When oven reaches 200 degrees, turn it off. Butter Bundt pan with 2 tablespoons softened butter. Set aside.

2. In large measuring cup, mix together milk, water, melted butter, sugar, and yeast. Mix flour and salt in standing mixer fitted with dough hook, (see below for making Monkey Bread without a mixer). Turn machine to low and slowly add milk mixture. After dough comes together, increase speed to medium and mix until dough is shiny and smooth, 6 to 7 minutes. Turn dough onto lightly floured counter and knead briefly to form smooth, round ball. Coat large bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Place dough in bowl and coat surface of dough with cooking spray. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in warm oven until dough doubles in size, 50 to 60 minutes.

For the Sugar Coating:

3. While dough is rising, mix brown sugar and cinnamon together in bowl. Place melted butter in second bowl. Set aside.

To Form the Bread:

4. Gently remove dough from bowl, and pat into rough 8-inch square. Using bench scraper or knife, cut dough into 64 pieces. (See photos 1 and 2 on page 9.)

5. Following photo 3 on page 9, roll each dough piece into a ball. Working one at a time, dip balls in melted butter, allowing excess butter to drip back into bowl. Roll in brown sugar mixture, then, following photo 4 on page 9, layer balls in Bundt pan, staggering seams where dough balls meet as you build layers.

6. Cover Bundt pan tightly with plastic wrap and place in turned-off oven until dough balls are puffy and have risen 1 to 2 inches from top of pan, 50 to 70 minutes.

7. Remove pan from oven and heat oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap pan and bake until top is deep brown and caramel begins to bubble around edges, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out on platter and allow to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.

For the glaze:

8. While bread cools, whisk confectioners' sugar and milk in small bowl until lumps are gone. Using whisk, drizzle glaze over warm monkey bread, letting it run over top and sides of bread. Serve warm.

Monkey Bread Without a Mixer:

In step 2, mix flour and salt in large bowl. Make well in flour, then add milk mixture to well. Using wooden spoon, stir until dough becomes shaggy and is difficult to stir. Turn out onto lightly floured work surface and begin to knead, incorporating shaggy scraps back into dough. Knead until dough is smooth and satiny, about 10 minutes. Shape into taut ball and proceed as directed.

To Die for Blueberry Muffins

2011-03-11T09:56:00.000-08:00

recipe (and photo) courtesy of allrecipes.com

Okay, here is the deal about these muffins: This happens to be the very best muffin recipe I have ever tried in my history of muffin making.
Phew!
Big statement right?
If you remember in my menu post I had 4 I was trying to pick from. Now, I only tried this one so I can not say it was the best of the 4, but, like I said, it was the best I have ever tried to date. So, I'm a little leary of trying another one just in case I regret not making these.

A couple things I loved about these muffins in particular: The texture. About 5 years ago I had a blackberry muffin in a coffee shop bakery in New Zealand. I have been trying to replicate it's delicious "coffee cake" texture ever since. These muffins finally did. YAY!!! Also, they came together very easily. I mean we are talking 5 minutes, max. So simple that I can make these for breakfast for my school kids. And, an odd one, but they only made 8 muffins, which is great for my little family. Usually muffin recipes make 20-24 and that is just far too many muffins for us.
So, with that, I would have to heartily agree that these muffins are, indeed, "to die for" YUM!

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1/3 - 1/2 cup milk

1 cup fresh blueberries (Walmart had absolutely no fresh blueberries this week. So I used frozen that I had semi - defrosted. They still worked great.)

1/2 cup white sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup butter, cubed

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.

Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.

To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

* The crumb topping makes enough for a double batch of muffins. So, if you double the muffin recipe, don't bother doubling the struesel, you'll have plenty. (trust me, I'm a HUGE struesel fan, I had enough left over for another 8 muffins easy.)

Menu Monday: Week of 3/7/2011

2011-03-08T17:49:00.000-08:00

We are celebrating spring break so this is a little late... sorry.

Monday

Breakfast: Pancakes

We broke the menu "rules" so we could try this recipe my mom just posted.

Dinner: "Cafe Rio" Sweet Pork Burritos.

Always a favorite and definitely a staple at our house.

Tuesday

Breakfast: Cold Cereal

... it was day 2 of spring break... I kind of just dropped the ball.

Dinner: Steak Bites, Baked Potatoes, Popcorn Shrimp and Chipa.

So, we were supposed to have steak bites a couple weeks ago, but for some reason never did. They got transported to this week's menu with the addition of chipa. Little word of warning... the chipa is so delicious it will ruin your appetite. So, maybe use a little moderation. Or at least make sure it finishes the exact time the rest of your dinner does or you'll end up with a full plate of delicious food and not an ounce of room for it in your belly. (But you'll still be happy)

Wednesday

Breakfast: Hash/Breakfast Potatoes

We have leftover baked potatoes from dinner tonight (Tuesday) and so I will cube them up and fry them in a skillet with some crisp bacon pieces, onion, and then finish it off with eggs. If you are unfamiliar with hash, look at this recipe from food network.

Dinner: Zuppa Toscana, Potato Corn Chowder, and White Chicken Chili

I am hosting an appreciation dinner this night and we are serving soup, hence the three different soups. These three are three of our very favorite soup recipes.

Thursday

Breakfast: Dutch Baby

We have German pancakes (or puffy pancakes) all the time. In looking at the recipe a dutch baby seems very similar so I am excited to give it a try. I will post the recipe if it is a success.

Dinner: Poppy Seed Chicken

Poppy Seed Chicken is a regular on our dinner menus at our house. It is so yummy and super easy. You couldn't ask for more.

Friday

Breakfast: Blueberry Muffins and bacon (and orange juice)

It's my birthday and I like to have the same thing for breakfast every year. This year is no exception, YUM! Now if I could just narrow it down to a new recipe to try. Here are my top four contenders. 1, 2, 3, and 4. Aagh! Somebody help me.

Dinner: No "in the kitchen" dinner plans for me this day.

Saturday

Breakfast:

The girl and I are going to be away at Disney on Ice, so husband is most likely going to make fried eggs and sausage for breakfast for the boys. It's their favorite and husband is kind of an expert at it.

Dinner:

Husband is on his own again... I'm picking up hot dog fixins for him.

Sunday

Breakfast: Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

Dinner: This is going to be my birthday dinner day.

Big yummy plans. I will be making our favorite ham (this one), mashed potatoes and gravy, the most delicious spinach salad with poppy seed dressing (I'll try and post this recipe later this week) and then, naturally some dessert. My pregnant belly is currently wrestling with strawberry shortcake (always a birthday favorite) and creme brule... decisions.

Good Old Fashioned Pancakes

2011-03-06T08:07:00.000-08:00

This last week was National Pancake Day. We decided to try some new recipes. This one was a big hit. They are really fluffy.

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, melted

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter. Mix until smooth.

Heat a lightly goiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximatedly 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides. (Note:this batter is really thick. If you don't want your pancakes so fluffy, spread the batter out a bit)

Bok Choy Stir Fry/Soup thing

2011-03-03T17:34:00.000-08:00

1 lb shrimp (frozen & cooked, or uncooked and thawed)
1 lb of mushrooms sliced
1 T red cooking wine
1 tsp cornstarch
2 T sesame oil
3 T soy sauce
3 T canola oil
1/2 c chicken broth
1 bunch green onions, trimmed & sliced
1 head of broccoli
2 T FRESH ginger
1 large bunch of Bok Choy, cut into slices
6 oz snow peas
6 oz whole wheat spaghetti

-Cook Pasta al dente and set aside in large bowl, stir in sesame oil

-In a small bowl combine broth, soy sauce, cooking wine.

-In a wok (or large pan) heat the canola oil. Add in the onions, ginger, mushrooms and shrimp. Heat for a while until shrimp is pink and then add in the bok choy, snow peas, broccoli. Cook until you like the veggies (I like them on the crunchier side). Add in the bowl of liquid and then toss in the spaghetti. Stir until everything is well incorporated and serve immediately. Yum!

Menu Monday: Week of 2/28/2011

2011-02-28T07:35:00.000-08:00

This week's menu is going to be a little bit different. We will only be home for dinner 2 nights this week. So, you see, a two day menu wouldn't exactly suffice now would it.
I decided, in lieu, to post my "method" for menu making.
I have a system that makes sure we get a "well balanced week", but mainly it just makes it easier when trying to come up with what to make for dinner every night.
In short, I assign topics for each meal of the day and each day of the week. Here is how it breaks down for us:

And if you are in the mood to be reading for the next day or so, here is the "holy cow, will she ever stop talking?" version:

Mondays:

Breakfast: Hot Cereal whether that be Malt O'Meal, Cracked Wheat, or Oatmeal
Lunch: Sandwiches I'm not a sandwich fan generally... but they are cheaper and quicker than the alternative. So I pretend to force myself to make sandwiches a couple lunches a week. I usually end up making something a little more elaborate though. Aagh! lunch is the worst meal of the day.
Dinnner: Crockpot I teach piano lessons until late on Mondays. So, I like to plan crockpot meals because it is something I can do earlier in the day and then not have to worry about at 6:00 at night when my last piano lesson gets over.

Tuesdays:

Breakfast: Eggs Any kind of eggs; scrambled, poached, fried, etc. Things like breakfast burritos, egg mcmuffins, baked eggs, and so on all fall into the egg category for us.
Lunch: Leftovers Ha! I'm not a leftover girl. I always make way more food then necessary to feed our family, I just generally don't eat leftovers. (Which is why I like to make friends with the teenage boys in the neighborhood so I can make them eat my leftovers.) Once again, this is a ploy to try to get me to do something manageable for lunch...
Dinner: Casserole This is another late piano lesson night for me so I try to keep it manageable. In our house, anything that can essentially be put in one dish, assembled ahead of time or with very little prep is considered a "casserole"

Wednesdays:

Breakfast: Pancakes Oh man, I love pancakes! Especially in my pregnant state. In the off chance I'm not in a pancake mood, waffles and french toast also qualify in the pancake genre
Lunch: Sandwiches
Dinner: Soup!!! Yay! Wednesday is my favorite food day. Soup has got to be one of my all time favorite food genres. It's also quick and easy. With Wednesday being my last piano lesson day of the week it is also just another little trick I use to keep things under control. In the spring/summer months, which, let's face it, in Idaho don't usually happen until mid June, we swap out the soup genre for something more season friendly like grilling

Thursdays:

Breakfast: Muffins Coffee cakes as well. And sometimes I even consider biscuits and gravy as a muffin. It's a "baked good" for breakfast
Lunch: Salads Okay, now I would have this everyday for lunch. My husband, however, would not. So it gets Thursdays... which happen to be the day of the week that my husband has his work meetings. Win win for all.
Dinner: Ethnic Another favorite genre of mine. So in this bundle we have Italian, Chinese, Mexican, etc. Yum

Fridays:

Breakfast: Eggs Once again. With so many options it is always easy to come up with two egg dishes a week. Plus, if my kids had their way, they would eat eggs for every meal every day
Lunch: Lunch misc. In this category we put things like chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, quesadillas, hot dogs... none of which are things I like. Which is why I don't like lunch.
Dinner: Quick and Easy/Date Night Friday nights are hard dinner nights. If Husband and I are on a date I like to plan food that is quick and easy to prepare for my kids. If we are home, I like to plan date night food, like restaurant copy cats and such. (When you live in the middle of nowhere, or are on a budget, or pregnant, you get really good at mimicking your favorite restaurant dishes.)

Saturdays:

Breakfast: Chef's choice Saturday mornings are our big breakfast days. I usually let myself pick whatever suits my fancy. I make things like quiche, eggs benedict, biscuits and gravy, hashbrowns eggs and bacon, breakfast burritos, etc. You name it. If I crave it on Saturday morning, or Monday morning when I make my menus, then I make it on Saturday. Yay for breakfast food!
Lunch: Sandwiches it's a crock
Dinner: pasta/rice We have a lot of pasta dishes and rice dishes in our repetoire and in general my children just love pasta. So, we couldn't just contain it to ethnic night. Although, I do try to mix it up. If we had a pasta dish ethnic night we have a rice dish Saturday night and so on.

Sundays:

Breakfast: Cold Cereal We used to have early morning church and I would have to have all the kids and myself out the door by 8:15. Now, church is two hours later, but I still just think Sunday mornings have enough going on without worrying about a big breakfast.
Lunch: Quick Fix If on the off chance we don't have dinner ready as soon as we walk in the door from church, we eat things like nachos...
Dinner: Sunday Dinner Roasts, potatoes, rolls, salads, etc. Lunch and dinner are pretty much interchangeable on Sundays.

And, in case you were curious, on this weeks dinner "menu" is:
Navajo Tacos,
Cream Cheese Chicken,
and the possibility of some beef stew in the crock pot, using the leftover brisket from yesterday.

Happy menus!

Pan Fried Pork Chops

2011-02-26T16:38:00.000-08:00

Chops between ¾ and 1 inch thick will work in this recipe.

Serves 4.

Ingredients
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 bone-in rib or center-cut pork chops . about 3/4 inch thick
3 slices bacon , chopped
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Instructions
1. COAT CHOPS Combine garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper, and cayenne in bowl. Place flour in shallow dish. Pat chops dry with paper towels. Cut 2 slits about 2 inches apart through fat on edges of each chop. Season both sides of chops with spice mixture, then dredge chops lightly in flour (do not discard flour). Transfer to plate and let rest 10 minutes.

2. RENDER BACON Meanwhile, cook bacon in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until fat renders and bacon is crisp, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate and reserve for another use. Do not wipe out pan.

3. FRY CHOPS Add oil to fat in pan and heat over medium-high heat until just smoking. Return chops to flour dish and turn to coat. Cook chops until well browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Serve.

Apple Strudel Muffins

2011-02-25T07:24:00.001-08:00

Recipe and photo from here

2 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 C butter
1/2 C white sugar
1/2 C brown sugar

2 eggs

1 1/4 tsp vanilla
3 granny smith apples, peeled (1-shredded and 2 chopped)
1/2 C cinnamon chips (I couldn't find any cinnamon chips so we did without. I can only imagine they would make these better though.)

Topping
1/3 C brown sugar
1 Tbsp flour

1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp cold butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease muffin pan.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg

In another bowl, beat the butter, sugars and eggs together until smooth. Mix in vanilla. Add in apples and cinnamon chips. Gradually add in the flour mixture. Note that this is a thick batter. Spoon the mixture into greased or lined muffin pan.

In another small bowl combine the topping ingredients: brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture is like course crumbs. Sprinkle over tops of mixture in muffin pan.

Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to sit 5 minutes before removing muffins from pan. Cool on a wire rack.

Ginger Lime Stir Fry

2011-02-25T07:24:00.000-08:00

My cousin Jandee posted the link to this recipe on her blog as part of a menu post. As soon as I saw it I knew it had to go on our list. Let me tell you, I looked forward to this meal all week. It did not disappoint! Actually, I loved it so much that I called 3 different people in between bites just to tell them how delicious it was. (yes, I may be that lame.) This will be added to our "regulars" list. Which is huge because we try so many new recipes most, regardless of how delicious, never make it to the "regulars" list. But this one will.

This image is from here. Sorry, I'm just not a food photographer...

My favorite quote about this dinner came from my 4 year old son Cooper. When I sat the bowl down in front of him he said "Oh wow! Yum yummy!" Then after his first bite, "Mom, I love the spices on these noodles. And I love the broccoli. And I love the carrots. And I love the chicken. I love this because it has everything I love." and then a little later on he guestured to the bowl and said "Are we going to keep this?" I said yes, to which he responded "Oh good, because I want to eat this again and again." And there you have it.

I made a couple adjustments from the original recipe found here... my cooking process was just a little different.

This recipe serves our family of 5:

1 1/2 chicken breasts sliced on the diagonal as thin as possible
2 cups of chopped broccoli florets
1 cup sliced asparagus
1/2 cup carrots (cut in matchsticks)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbs oil
1/2 of a 16oz box of thin spaghetti
ginger lime sauce:
4 T. soy sauce
2 T. brown sugar
1 T. ginger, I used fresh
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. lime juice
1/4 tsp. black pepper
pinch red pepper flakes
1 to 2 tsp. cornstarch for desired thickness
2 T. water

combine all ingredients in a glass bowl. cover and let sit in the fridge until ready to use. let sit overnight, if you can. will keep in fridge for 2 weeks.

Special Note: This recipe comes together rather fast, so it is best to prep all your chicken and vegetables before you begin cooking. Also, you can really use whatever veggies tickle your fancy. We found the asparagus, broccoli, and carrots combination to be absolutely PERFECT. But my family loves, loves broccoli and asparagus.

In a large skillet, heat your oil over medium-high heat. Also, start cooking your spaghetti. (When your pasta is done, drain it and set it aside)
Salt and pepper your chicken and then stir-fry in your hot oil. This won't take very long. Remove from heat as soon as the chicken is fully cooked.
Add your chopped vegetables to the same pan your chicken was in. Salt these for best flavor. Stir them around and saute until they change color. Your broccoli and asparagus will turn bright green. They won't be fully soft, more of a crisp tender. For us this took about 5-6 minutes.
While your veggies cook, put together your ginger lime sauce if you haven't already.
When your veggies are done add the pasta, chicken, and sauce to the pan. Stir well to coat and cook for just another minute or so. Then dig in... and show a little more restraint than I did.

Cheesy Broccoli and Rice Casserole

2011-02-22T17:53:00.000-08:00

We had this for dinner tonight and it was definitely a winner. All of my kids loved it. (I loved it) Now, it is not your typical dump and pour casserole; it does take some extra work and time. But we really did love it. We will be making it again.

Serves 8-10 as a side dish

2 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into pieces
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons butter, melted; plus two tablespoons chilled
1 garlic clove, minced
2 pounds broccoli (about 3-4 medium heads of broccoli), florets cut into 1-inch pieces, stems chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 1/4 cups long grain white rice
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/4 cups half-and-half
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9X13-inch baking dish. Pulse bread, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and melted butter in a food processor until coarsely ground. Add garlic. Set aside.

Microwave broccoli florets (save stems for later), covered, in a large bowl until bright green and tender, 2 to 3 minutes (no need to add water). Be careful not to overcook or they will become soggy and discolored. Melt remaining butter in a large pot over medium heat. Cook onion and broccoli stems until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, until rice is translucent, about 1 minute. Stir in broth, half-and-half, and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, until rice is tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Off the heat, stir in cheddar cheese, cayenne, remaining parmesan and broccoli florets.

Pour the mixture into prepared baking dish and top with bread crumb mixture. Bake until the sauce is bubbling around the edges and the top is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Serve.

Add some chopped cooked chicken and make it a full course meal.

Recipe originally from here and they got it from Cook's Country

Menu Monday: Week of 2/21/11

2011-02-21T21:00:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to post menus for a while. So here is the first installment. This is what we are eating this week. The majority of the recipes this time are ones we haven't tried but I will try to rate them after we eat them... try being the operative word. ;)

Oh, and one more explanation: I don't like lunch... so no lunch plans.

Monday

Breakfast: Fried eggs, sausage patties and hash browns with country gravy
Dinner: Carne asada tacos.

Loved them!!! I've now posted the recipe on the blog here.

Tuesday

Breakfast: Baked Oatmeal.

Also on our blog now, here

Dinner: Roast Chicken with a Broccoli and Rice Casserole.

Double thumbs up. This was definitely yummy. Now you can find the recipe on our blog here. Also, my very favorite tutorial for how to cook chicken is found here at Our Best Bites.

Wednesday

Breakfast: Pancakes our favorite recipe found here.
Dinner: Tortellini Soup and French Bread

This was good... but not "oh my gosh this is so good!" My youngest had almost 3 helpings, so it is definitely child friendly. It was also VERY simple to make. However, I was just expecting more. So, I'll keep looking for a tortellini soup recipe because this isn't it for me. (If you have one you love, please share)

Thursday

Breakfast: Apple Strudel Muffins

originally I was thinking this wasn't my favorite... until my kids loved them and kept eating them all day long... and then, of course, I ate my fair share before bed. So, I've posted the recipe here on our blog.

Dinner: Ginger Lime Stir Fry

Okay WOW!! I'm not sure but it kind of seemed like every other recipe this week was a little disappointing. Not this one though. I loved it! I mean LOVED it! I've now posted it here on our blog for all to use. Fantastic. (Much thanks to my cousin Jandee who originally posted this on her blog so I could find it and love it)

Friday

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs and sausage and cream cheese roll ups

Little lack of planning on my part this morning. I guess my sausage wasn't still good... whoops. So, we didn't exactly make these for breakfast. Instead we made this and I loved it again. I did take a few liberties however, like just spreading the filling and jam on the crescent and then rolling it up normal crescent roll style. It worked great and was a lot less work.

Dinner: Sticky Finger Salad. Take our favorite sticky finger recipe, put it on top of some lettuce with shredded cheddar cheese, craisins, and ranch dressing. TaDa: Healthy!

Saturday

Breakfast: Fluffy French Toast
Dinner: Steak bites and baked potatoes. Our kids just love steak bites. So do Brandon and I. I might even throw some popcorn shrimp in the oven as well.

Sunday

Breakfast: Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
Dinner: Braised Beef Brisket with Onions, Mushrooms, and Balsamic. (I'm so excited to try this recipe)

Also, for a special treat, we are going to try this recipe for Coconut Custard

So, wish us luck. Feel free to join the menu band wagon. I would love to see what's on your list for your bellies this week.

Baked Oatmeal

2011-02-21T19:48:00.000-08:00

This is a recipe I found a couple summers ago on Tasty Kitchen. I'd never had baked oatmeal before, and, being a fan of oatmeal, I really liked it. It is kind of like a combination of granola on top and custard like oatmeal on the bottom. We also love it with yogurt (vanilla is my favorite) or some pie filling spooned in the bottom of the pan.
My only recommendation: Definitely Half This! Even a half recipe makes a ton. (this is based on a 1/4 - 1/2 cup serving size and a 4 breakfast eater family)

6 cups Oatmeal (quick Or Rolled Oats)
2 cups Brown Sugar
2 cups Milk
1 cup Oil
4 whole Eggs, Lightly Beaten
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
2 teaspoons Salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients together and pour into a greased 9X13-inch baking pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Serve warm with milk….or not.

Carne Asada Tacos

2011-02-21T19:36:00.000-08:00

from Tyler Florence

Tacos:

Steak (skirt steak, flank steak, whatever. Brandon went to the store and actually picked up "carne asada" sliced steak)

Mojo sauce (recipe below)
avocados
onions, small dice
cilantro, chopped
lime wedges
queso fresco
corn tortillas

Marinate the steak in the mojo sauce for 1 - 8 hours (don't go longer than 8 hours or your meat will get mushy) Preheat your grill (or grill pan). Pull your steak out of the marinade and season with salt and pepper. Grill to the desired doneness and then pull of grill and let the meat rest for a couple minutes before slicing.
Prepare your taco according to your tastes and devour.

Mojo:

4 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno, minced
1 large handful fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 limes, juiced
1 orange, juiced
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil

Mash together the garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, salt, and pepper to make a paste. (I did this in my food processor) Add the lime juice, orange juice, vinegar, and oil. Use as marinade.

Magleby's Chocolate Cake

2011-02-20T12:12:00.000-08:00

This cake is extremely rich, but oh so good.

1 Cup butter

1 Cup water

4 T. heaping cocoa

Sift together the following:

2 Cups flour

2 Cups sugar

½ t. salt

Pour chocolate over dry ingredients, gently mix

In separate bowl combine the following:

2 Eggs, lightly beaten

1 t. soda -- dissolved in little water

1 t. vanilla

Combine with chocolate ingredients... then add

½ Cup sour cream

Gently mix. Do not over mix.

Can be baked how you like... cup cakes, 8.5 X11 pan, 8 or 9 in rounds, cookie sheet to get brownie like cakes... you decide. You an also decide how to bake it. The author of this cake could be anyone... *it is said that it is the Magleby’s Restaurant cake... and well... if you bake it at 325 for 50 to 60 minutes then you can call it that. Or you can bake at 375 for 20-40 minutes. This cake can also be called Texas Fudge... some people use sour cream (Magleby’s) or you can use buttermilk or regular milk with a tablespoon of vinegar, or just regular old milk.

Below I will also give you tips on making a basic buttercream / chocolate frosting recipe into a Magleby’s recipe. Basically, do it by hand. Let your butter sit out and become room temperature, then gently work the ingredients by hand and you have Lenora’s method. Others whip it.... and use the microwave to soften butter. You can also melt the butter and milk in a sauce pan and get yet another texas fudge like consistency. You decide!

Have fun, enjoy!

Frosting (PS, Magleby’s freeze the cakes before frosting)

1 cup butter -- let sit until room temperature

½ cup milk

3 T cocoa

3½ cup pd sugar

t vanilla

Alternate ingredients while stirring by hand with whisk or your favorite hard spoon

Cold Oven Pound Cake

2011-02-20T12:01:00.000-08:00

You'll need a 16-cup tube pan or angel food cake pan for this recipe; if not using a nonstick pan, make sure to thoroughly grease a traditional pan. In step 2, don’t worry if the batter looks slightly separated.

Serves 12
3 cups cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
20 tablespoons (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter , softened
2 1/2 cups sugar
6 large eggs

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position. Grease and flour 16-cup tube pan. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in bowl. Whisk milk and vanilla in measuring cup.

2. With electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until combined. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with 2 additions of milk mixture. Mix on low until smooth, about 30 seconds. Use rubber spatula to give batter final stir.

3. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Place cake in cold oven. Adjust oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake, without opening oven door, until cake is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 65 to 80 minutes.

4. Cool cake in pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours. Serve. (Cooled cake can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.)

Coconut Layer Cake

2011-02-20T11:33:00.000-08:00

Makes one 9-inch, 4-layer cake

Cream of coconut is often found in the soda and drink-mix aisle in the grocery store. One 15-ounce can is enough for both the cake and the buttercream; make sure to stir it well before using because it separates upon standing.

Ingredients

Cake

1 large egg
5 large egg whites
3/4 cup cream of coconut
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract
2 1/4 cups cake flour (9 ounces), sifted
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon table salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), cut into 12 pieces, softened, but still cool
2 cups packed sweetened shredded coconut (about 8 ounces)

Buttercream

4 large egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
pinch table salt
1 pound unsalted butter (4 sticks), each stick cut into 6 pieces, softened, but still cool
1/4 cup cream of coconut
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions
1. For the Cake: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans with shortening and dust with flour.
2. Beat egg whites and whole egg in large measuring cup with fork to combine. Add cream of coconut, water, vanilla, and coconut extract and beat with fork until thoroughly combined.
3. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Mix on lowest speed to combine, about 30 seconds. With mixer still running on lowest speed, add butter 1 piece at a time, then beat until mixture resembles coarse meal, with butter bits no larger than small peas, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes.
4. With mixer still running, add 1 cup liquid. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 45 seconds. With mixer still running, add remaining 1 cup liquid in steady stream (this should take about 15 seconds). Stop mixer and scrape down bowl with rubber spatula, then beat at medium-high speed to combine, about 15 seconds. (Batter will be thick.)
5. Divide batter between cake pans and level with offset or rubber spatula. Bake until deep golden brown, cakes pull away from sides of pans, and toothpick inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes (rotate cakes after about 20 minutes). Do not turn off oven.
6. Cool in pans on wire racks about 10 minutes, then loosen cakes from sides of pans with paring knife, invert cakes onto racks and then re-invert; cool to room temperature.
7. While cakes are cooling, spread shredded coconut on rimmed baking sheet; toast in oven until shreds are a mix of golden brown and white, about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring 2 or 3 times. Cool to room temperature.
8. For the Buttercream: Combine whites, sugar, and salt in bowl of standing mixer; set bowl over saucepan containing 1 1/2-inches of barely simmering water. Whisk constantly until mixture is opaque and warm to the touch and registers about 120 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 2 minutes.
9. Transfer bowl to mixer and beat whites on high speed with whisk attachment until barely warm (about 80 degrees) and whites are glossy and sticky, about 7 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-high and beat in butter 1 piece at a time. Beat in cream of coconut and coconut and vanilla extracts. Stop mixer and scrape bottom and sides of bowl. Continue to beat at medium-high speed until well-combined, about 1 minute.
10. To Assemble the Cake: Slice each layer in half. Fill with frosting between layers and then frost the outisde of the cake. Push coconut into the frosting. (Wrap leftover cake in plastic and refrigerate; bring to room temperature before serving.)

Brown Sugar Bundt Cake

2011-02-20T11:27:00.000-08:00

I have been meaning to post this for quite some time. I first made this recipe when we were planning a cake bar for Jeron's missionary homecoming. It is yummy. The sauce was originally made for a chocolate cake, but we all loved it on this one.

1 (18 ounce) box yellow cake mix
1 (3 1/2 ounce) box instant vanilla flavor pudding and pie filling
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans

Grease a 10-inch bundt pan well and sprinkle pan with granulated sugar (even if using non-stick pan).
2 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3 Combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, oil and water in large bowl and beat on medium speed until well mixed, about 4 minutes.
4 (Shorten to 2-3 minutes if using stand mixer).
5 Add brown sugar and pecans and mix to combine well.
6 Pour batter evenly into prepared bundt pan and bake for 1 hour or until cake tester comes out clean.
7 Place bundt pan on wire rack and cool 15 minutes.
8 Invert cake onto rack and slip pan off cake.
9 Let cool on rack.
10 Can be stored covered at room temperature.

Chocolate Cake Sauce

1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Cook and stir first 4 ingredients on medium heat until thickened. Allow to slightly cool, then stir in the vanilla. Serve over milk chocolate cake warm or cold.

Spinach & Cheddar Souffle

2011-02-17T11:11:00.000-08:00

3 T butter
1/4 c finely grated Parmesan
3 T flour
1 c scalded milk
1/4 t nutmeg
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt & Pepper
4 extra large egg yolks
5 egg whites (yes you will have to throw away one egg yolk)
1/2 c cheddar
3 cups of fresh spinach chopped or 1 package of frozen chopped spinach
1/8 t of cream of tartar

Tip: It seems to me that when you start making the souffle you need all of the ingredients ready pretty quickly or something will burn -- so do yourself a favor and prepare every ingredient beforehand and then it only takes about five minutes to assemble everything and toss it into the oven.

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease on 6-8 cup souffle dish or use ramekins (I usually use four 2 cup ramekins)
2. Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in flour and stir constantly for two minutes. Add scald milk (I scald mine in the microwave) and the nutmeg, cayenne, & salt and pepper. Cook over low heat, whisking constantly until thickened and smooth (about one min.)
3. Off the heat stir in the egg yolks, parmesan, cheddar, and spinach.
4. Beat Egg whites with cream of tartar until glossy peaks are formed.
5. Whisk 1/4 of egg whites into cheese sauce to lighten and then fold in the rest with a rubber spatula. Pour batter into prepared dishes and draw a circle on top with a spatula.
6. Place in oven and then turn the temp down to 375. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Don't peek or your souffle will fall --use the oven light.

Serve immediately

Roasted Eggplant Hummus

2011-02-17T11:06:00.000-08:00

-1 eggplant (cut into 2 inch pieces --you can leave the skin on-- drizzled with oil & salt and pepper)
-1/2 t salt
-1/4 t fresh ground pepper
-1 can of garbanzo beans
-1 T fresh parsley
-3 T fresh lemon juice
-1 clove of garlic
-About 1/3 c olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 and roast eggplant for 20 to 25 minutes.
In food processor combine cooled eggplant and other ingredients

Granola

2011-02-17T10:54:00.000-08:00

6 cups of rolled oats
1 cup of wheat germ (I usually use just regular whole wheat)
1/2 bag of unsweetened coconut (about 2 cups)
3 T of flax seed
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 c of nuts (in any combination)
1 c of vegetable oil
1 c of honey
2 t vanilla

Mix dry ingredients and then add wet. Spread on well-oiled cookie sheet and bake at 325 for 30-40 minutes or so until it is golden. Periodically stir while baking. After its done baking immediately put it into a large mixing bowl or it is difficult to get out of the cookie sheet. At this point I usually mix a bit more honey and add dried fruit if I desire (such as craisins, raisins, or dried bananas, etc.)

Crescent Rolls

2010-11-22T13:18:00.001-08:00

Preheat oven to 400, 20 minutes before rolls are ready to bake.

1/2 c milk
1/3 c sugar (I half honey half sugar)
1 t salt
1 c butter
3 T yeast
1/2 c warm water
2 eggs
4 1/4 c flour

-scald the milk and add the sugar, salt, and butter (cool to lukewarm)
-dissolve yeast in water.
-Add milk mixture to yeast mixture, eggs and half the flour and beat until smooth.
-Add in the rest of the flour and mix to make a soft dough
-Knead either by hand for ten minutes or in a machine with a dough hook for 4-5
-let dough rise for one hour (covered)
-Divide the dough into quarters and shape them into four circles each about 1/8 of an inch.
-Cut the circles into eight wedge each and roll them up forming crescent rolls
-Cover and let them rise about an hour and then bake at 400 for 20 minutes.

Rosemary Bread

2010-09-30T12:15:00.000-07:00

2 1/2 t yeast
2 cups water
1 T sugar
2 t salt
4 cups flour
Fresh Rosemary
Melted Butter
Sea Salt

-Put the yeast, water, sugar, salt and some rosemary (you can use fresh or dried --the flavors are different but both are good) and swirl just until mixed
- Add four cups of flour and mix until all of the flour is combined (do not knead)
-Let rise in mixing bowl for one hour
-Using wet hands (dough should be really sticky) shape the dough into two round loaves on a greased cookie sheet
-Let raise an additional hour
-Melt some butter (about 2 T) and brush over loaves and sprinkle loaves with sea salt and more rosemary
-Bake in preheated oven at 425 degrees for 10 minutes and then lower the temperature to 375 for an additional 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Texas Flour Tortillas

2010-09-21T20:00:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago my husband took me to dinner at "On the Border". LOVE that place! I had the Carne Asada Tacos and they were divine. My favorite part is the thick flour tortillas and I've been craving them ever since. Brittany should be very proud of me for two reasons:

1. I'm posting a recipe on the blog and...

2. I gave into my craving this afternoon, found a recipe to try and satisfy the craving, made something from SCRATCH, and made a huge mess of my kitchen in the process. I'm not normally a "from scratch" kinda girl, and I'm DEFINITELY not a "make ANY type of mess while cooking" girl either! If I have a craving and it requires effort...I usually just eat chocolate instead.

BUT, I will admit that today it was worth it to step outside of my comfort zone and be a little more like Brittany. Worth it enough to even share the recipe ;)

I found this recipe on HERE on homesicktexan.blogspot.com

Ingredients:

Two cups of all-purpose flour (can make them whole wheat by substituting one cup of whole-wheat flour for white flour)

1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon of salt

2 teaspoons of vegetable oil

3/4 cups of warm milk

Method:

Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and oil.

Slowly add the warm milk.

Stir until a loose, sticky ball is formed.

Knead for two minutes on a floured surface. Dough should be firm and soft.

Place dough in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap for 20 minutes.

After the dough has rested, break off eight sections, roll them into balls in your hands, place on a plate (make sure they aren’t touching) and then cover balls with damp cloth or plastic wrap for 10 minutes. (It’s very important to let the dough rest, otherwise it will be like elastic and won’t roll out to a proper thickness and shape.)

After dough has rested, one at a time place a dough ball on a floured surface, pat it out into a four-inch circle, and then roll with a rolling pin from the center until it’s thin and about eight inches in diameter. (If you roll out pie crusts you’ll have no problem with this.) Don’t over work the dough, or it’ll be stiff. Keep rolled-out tortillas covered until ready to cook.

In a dry iron skillet or comal heated on high, cook the tortilla about thirty seconds on each side. It should start to puff a bit when it’s done.

Keep cooked tortillas covered wrapped in a napkin until ready to eat.

Can be reheated in a dry iron skillet, over your gas-burner flame or in the oven wrapped in foil.

While you probably won’t have any leftovers, you can store in the fridge tightly wrapped in foil or plastic for a day or so.

Makes eight tortillas.

Chicken Spiedie Sandwiches

2010-09-10T14:47:00.000-07:00

I was talking to my friend Gwen this morning about the "thousands" of recipes I use all the time that aren't on this blog.

Gasp!

She told me I needed to get on that. (wise advice)

And so, when I was craving this for lunch... and then again when I devoured this at lunch, I said to myself, spend the 15 minutes to post it on the blog. You'll be happy I did.

I adapted this recipe from My Kitchen Cafe (which is were the picture came from... sorry I ate mine way to quickly to even think of taking a picture myself) She adapted the original recipe from Cook's Kitchen

1/2 cup olive oil

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

2 Tbs fresh basil, finely chopped (or 1/2 Tbs dried basil)

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 Tbs lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts about 1 1/2 pounds

salt and pepper for seasoning chicken

6 6-inch sub rolls (buy the costco ones, you won't regret it.)

2 Tbs butter

Prick chicken breasts all over with fork, cut into 1 1/4 inch chunks, season with salt and pepper and place in a ziploc bag. Combine oil, garlic, basil, oregano, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and pepper flakes in a large bowl. Pour all but 2 tablespoons oil mixture over chicken, seal bag and set in refrigerator to marinade. Marinade chicken for 30 minutes to 3 hours.

Whisk mayonnaise and vinegar into reserved 2 Tbs of oil mixture. Sauce can be made ahead of time and refrigerated, covered for 2 days.

Remove chicken from marinade and place on grill. (You can thread it onto skewers if you're worried about the chicken falling through your grate. I always just cook it on my foreman.)

Grill chicken until cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes, turning once or twice if necessary.

Split your rolls in half lengthwise and butter. Place them on your grill or griddle and get them nice and toasty (this is an essential step to yummy-ness. Don't skip it unless you hate yourself.) Place your cooked chicken on your toasted sub rolls and drizzle with mayo mixture.

Yes, that's all. That's it.

You may be tempted to add cheese, cucumbers, lettuce, onions, etc. but just go ahead and try it plain and simple once. Believe me, I'm a "I bet I could make this a little better by adding ____" but this one... I just don't know. I always love it the most just plain and simple, chicken, bun, and sauce.

Anyway, enjoy!

Jandee's Pumpkin Muffins

2010-09-08T12:11:00.000-07:00

Beat 5 eggs.
Add:
1 1/3 cup oil
16 oz pumpkin pure
2 c flour (I've used whole wheat too and its great)
1 c sugar
1 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1 t baking soda
1 3 oz package of instant vanilla pudding

Mix until creamy. (optional) Add in a couple handfuls of chocolate chips (lets be honest this usually isn't optional for me, I love pumpkin & chocolate chips, but really the muffins are still fabulous without them).

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Makes two dozen.

**If I want to make these as cupcakes instead of muffins I usually add in 1/2 cup more of sugar and another package of vanilla pudding, it just makes them sweeter and a bit more "cakey" instead of dense.

Teriyaki Sauce

2010-06-30T08:34:00.000-07:00

This is the closest I have been able to find to "Very Very Teriyaki". We love this teriyaki sauce and it is very easey. We eat it on rice, chicken, steak, pork. Yum

1 cup soy sauce
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 to 3/4 cup water (I like 1/2)
1 Tbl. fresh garlic - minced
1 Tbl. fresh ginger - minced

Mix all ingredients together and heat until sugar is dissolved. I usually simmer it for about 5 minutes to give the flavors a chance to meld. Store in refrigerator.

Strawberry Lemonade Bars

2010-06-25T17:17:00.000-07:00

pic via Homemade by Jill

This lovely little number was found via Homemade by Jill and the actual recipe is found here. Maybe I can blame these for my weight gain?

Crust
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

Filling
1 cup fresh lemon juice
2-3 tsp lemon zest
1/2 cup pureed strawberries (about 3/4 cup berries)
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 350*F. Lightly grease a 9x13" baking pan

Crust directions:

cream together sugar and butter until smooth
add flour and salt it'll become crumbly
press into prepared pan
bake 17 minutes @ 350*F
while baking prepare filling

Filling directions:

In a food processor or blender combine lemon juice, lemon zest, strawberry puree, sugar, and eggs until smooth
Add flour, baking powder and salt until smooth

When crust comes out of the oven quickly and gently poor filling on top and place back in the oven for 23-26 minutes; until filling is set.

Cool completely before slicing and use a damp knife to ensure clean slices.
Store bars in the refrigerator,
Yield 24 bars depending on who slices them...

Steak Tacos

2010-06-15T09:11:00.000-07:00

Last night B and I had steak tacos. We used this marinade recipe from Tyler Florence. Delicious!

Ingredients

Marinade:

1 orange, juiced
2 limes, juiced
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
3 chipolte chiles, in adobo sauce (this makes it SUPER spicy. I recommend 1-3)
3 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 pounds skirt or flank steak, trimmed of fat cut into thirds or 8-inch pieces (okay we used regular sirloin steaks... because that's what I had and it was DELICIOUS!)
Salt and pepper

Directions

Combine all the marinade ingredients. In a blender, puree the marinade until smooth. Transfer to a re-sealable plastic bag and add the steak, seal and shake to coat. Refrigerate the beef for 2 to 4 hours to tenderize and flavor the beef.

Preheat a ridged grill pan on high heat.

Drain the marinade from the beef. Lightly oil the grill or grill pan. Season liberally with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Grill the steak over medium-high heat and cook for 4 minutes on each side and then transfer to a cutting board and let rest. (This is SUPER important: set a timer and cook for 4 minutes on each side- DO IT. It makes it deliciously perfectly medium.)

While steak is resting, heat up the tortillas. Turn any free burners on a medium low flame. Place a tortilla on each flame and let it char about 30 seconds to 1 minute, flip the tortilla and repeat on the second side. Once heated and charred remove the tortilla to a clean tea towel and wrap to keep warm. Repeat until you have warmed all of your tortillas.

You can also heat your tortillas in a microwave, lightly dampen a tea towel with some water, wrap the tortillas in the damp towel and heat in the microwave for about 1 minute. Check to see if they are warm, if not repeat the heating at 1 minute intervals until they are warm and pliable.

Thinly slice the steak against the grain on a diagonal.

To serve:

We ate ours with some diced onions and chopped cilantro. We also had avocado slices. The only thing I though was missing was some queso fresco. Tyler Florence recommends serving it with guacamole, sour cream, salsa, possibly cheese and then grilled peppers and onions if you want it fajita style.

Hearty Beef Stew

2010-05-26T15:29:00.001-07:00

Ingredients:
1 Chuck or Rump Roast
1 large onion chopped
Some minced garlic
Several large carrots, chopped
Lots of red potatoes cut into one inch cubes
2 cups of good red cooking wine
4 cups of beef broth
1 can of whole tomatoes (diced) plus the juice of the can.
Spice (I used some fresh thyme, marjoram, garlic salt,

1. Cut up a rump roast or chuck roast into one inch cubes.
2. In large dutch oven pot brown meat in about 1 Tbsp of olive oil, salt & pepper the meat generously as you go. The point of this browning is not to cook the meat through, but to sear in the juices so I did this on high and it only took a few minutes with me flipping the meat frequently.
3. As beef is browning chop the onion. Just as the beef is seared, drain excess fat from pan (I used homegrown meat so I didn't really have any) and through in the onion and minced garlic and let those cook together for a few minutes. Also at this stage you can create a roux by adding in some cornstarch or flour to the oil and meat before you stir in the beef broth, but I like my stew brothy so I didn't bother with the roux.
4. Add in beef broth & cooking wine, bring the heat down to low and simmer for two plus hours (I did three hours on the lowest setting on my burner and the meat was amazingly tender and flavorful).
5. Add in red potatoes, and large carrots and any other veggies that strike your fancy (if you are a celery fan that would be good) and cook until potatoes are tender.
6. Add spices and whole tomatoes with the juice. Bring back to boil than stir and serve.

Four-in-one cookies

2010-04-20T09:46:00.000-07:00

These are the new favorite cookies in our home! This is my modified version of the Four-in-one cookies recipe (original recipe can be found in Deseret Recipes pg. 193 ).

1. Combine and beat together............3/4 cup shortening, soft

1/4 cup butter, soft

1cup granulated sugar

1cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2. Sift together...................................1 3/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3. Add to creamed mixture and blend well.

4. Stir in.............................................3 cups regular rolled oats (uncooked)

1 cup flaked shredded coconut

1 1/2 cups butterscotch chips

5. drop by the teaspoonful on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes then remove from pan to cooling rack.

Apple Butter

2010-03-04T20:45:00.000-08:00

This is the recipe I use for canning each year; however if you want to make a small fresh batch at home just boil a few apples (if you have a Victorio you can boil them whole; otherwise peel & deseed them first), puree them to a pulp, and adjust the recipe depending on how many cups of pulp you have.

Apple Butter:
16 cups of thick apple pulp
1 cup vinegar
8 cups of sugar
4 t cinnamon

Put this all in a pot and cook down until it reaches desired consistency. Cool for 1.5 hours. Bottle in jam jars or pints and process for 10 minutes in a water bath.

Super Soft Sugar Cookies

2010-02-15T15:36:00.001-08:00

1 cup butter (softened)
2 cups + 2 T powdered sugar
2 eggs
8 oz. sour cream (1 cup)
1 t vanilla
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
4 t baking powder
approx. 4 1/2 cups flour

Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.
You MUST chill these before rolling them out. I chilled them in the fridge for 1 hour and then in the freezer for about 10 minutes right before rolling them out.

Vanilla Pudding Cinnamon Rolls

2010-02-14T16:08:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I tried a new cinnamon roll recipe (because it looked yummy - and sometimes I just do that, make recipes on a whim because they look yummy) I found the recipe here on My Kitchen Cafe.
I have the following to say about it:

If I were ever to open a restaurant and sell cinnamon rolls, these would be the cinnamon rolls I would sell.
The. End.

photo from My Kitchen Cafe as well - check her out, she has AMAZING recipes

Vanilla Pudding Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting
from A. Marilyn

Rolls:
½ cup warm water
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
3 ½ ounce package instant vanilla pudding
½ cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
6+ cups flour

Filling:
1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
2 cups brown sugar
4 teaspoons cinnamon

Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese
½ cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups confectioner’s sugar
2-3 tablespoons milk

In a small bowl combine water, yeast and sugar. Stir until dissolved. Set aside. In large bowl, take pudding mix and prepare according to package directions. Add butter, eggs and salt. Mix well. Then add yeast mixture. Blend. Gradually add flour; knead until smooth. Do not overflour the dough! It should be very soft but not sticky. (The dough is very delicate - and beautiful) Place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled. Then roll out on floured board to 34 X 21 inches in size. Take 1 cup soft butter and spread over surface. In bowl, mix 2 cups brown sugar and 4 teaspoons cinnamon. Sprinkle over the top. Roll up very tightly. With knife put a notch every 1 1/2 inches. Cut with thread or serrated knife. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet 1 inch apart. Cover and let rise until double again. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Remove when they start to turn golden (don’t overbake). Frost warm rolls with cream cheese frosting (combine butter and cream cheese and mix well, then add vanilla and sugar and mix again, then add milk for desired consistency). Makes about 24 very large rolls.

*Freezable Recipe: After shaping the rolls and placing them on the baking sheet, cover with lightly greased saran wrap and a layer of tin foil. Store in the freezer. The night before you want to serve them take out the rolls and put them in the refrigerator. Let them thaw in the refrigerator. Take them out about 8-9 hours after being in the refrigerator and let them rise until doubled. Bake according to the recipe. (If you have less time, you can take the rolls out of the freezer and let them come to room temperature on the counter - about 4 hours, then let rise until doubled).

Artisan Bread

2010-02-11T09:33:00.000-08:00

This recipe makes four 1 pound loaves, although I usually double it and make eight for one week -- however be aware that you must have at least a 5 quart mixer bowl to use your mixer for the double recipe.

Ingredients:
3 c lukewarm water
1 1/2 T yeast
1 1/2 T kosher salt
6 1/2 cups of flour (I only use 6 cups as I live in an arid climate)
cornmeal for the pizza peel (or you can just use the back of a smooth pan)

Instructions:
Dump water into the mixer. Add yeast & sat with mixing paddle going slowly. Immediately add your flour. Do not sift the flour just scoop it and level it off with a butter knife. Mix until the flour is incorporated. DO NOT KNEAD. Promptly dump the dough into a large bowl that has been sprayed with Pam. The dough will be extremely sticky. Cover with Saran Wrap and let rise about 2 hours.

Once the dough has risen put the bowl in the refrigerator. Here the dough will keep for up to 10 days. Each day, about an hour before you want to serve dinner you should cut off a grapefruit size piece of dough. With floured hands simply shape the dough into a round boule. Don't handle for more than 30 seconds, you don't want to knead this. Put this ball on your peel (or other flat surface) that has been sprinkled with cornmeal. Let raise for 40 minutes. After the first 20 minutes you should start preheating your oven to 450 with a baking stone placed on the middle rack and an empty broiler tray below it. After the additional 20 minutes, you should dust the ball with some flour, slash the top with a sharp knife in some pretty design and place the dough on the stone. Immediately dump 1 cup of water into the broiler tray and close the oven (this water helps give your crust that wonderful crispy crustiness). Bake for 30 minutes. Enjoy the amazingness.

Nutter Butter Cookies

2010-02-01T09:13:00.000-08:00

This recipe is adapted from the NY times version, found here. Some of my modifications were made specifically because I live in a high altitude area & I love lots of filling :)

Cookie Dough:

2 1/4 cup flour
2 t baking powder
4 t baking soda
1 lb of butter
2/3 c creamy peanut butter
2/3 c granulated sugar
2/3 c brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 t vanilla
1/3 c chopped peanuts
2 1/2 c oats
1 1/2 T room temperature water

- Preheat oven to 375
-In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and baking soda; set aside. Using a mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and peanut butter. Add sugars and beat at medium speed. Add water.
-At low speed, add eggs and vanilla. Add flour mixture and beat at low speed until well mixed, frequently scraping down bowl. Add peanuts and oats, and mix well.
-Put 1 T balls onto greased cookie sheet (this makes a smaller more bite-sized cookie than the ice cream scoop size recommended in the times)
- bake until edges are browned (about 8 ish minutes)
-make filling
-assemble cookies

Filling:
2 sticks of butter (room temp)
1 cup of peanut butter
2 1/4 c powdered sugar

Penne Rustica - Your Homebased Mom

2010-02-01T08:16:00.000-08:00

It is a shame I have never posted this recipe. I make it all the time and it is my staple for when I need to take a meal to someone or am having a big "dinner party" because it makes a TON, plus, it's super DELICIOUS!
My mom found this recipe about a year ago on Your Homebased Mom (right here) and it has been a favorite ever since. Enjoy.
(Oh, one more thing, cut it in half. It still makes 2 9x13's. - it does freeze well, by the way.)

image from homebased mom as well

Ingredients:
12 oz. grilled chicken breast (marinate in olive oil and garlic salt overnight, then grill on barbecue for best flavor)
½ pack thick bacon
48 oz. (3 boxes) penne pasta
2 large red bell peppers- diced
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
½ tsp paprika

Gratinata Sauce:
2 tsp butter
2 tsp chopped garlic
1 cup marsala wine OR 1/3 cup apple juice + 2 tbsp red wine vinegar +enough chicken broth to equal 1 cup
1 tsp dijon or dry mustard
1 tsp salt1 tsp chopped rosemary
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
8 cups heavy cream

Directions:
Sauté garlic in butter in large pan. Add marsala wine, mustard, salt, rosemary, cayenne pepper, and heavy cream.Cook pasta according to directions. Cook bacon. Slice chicken into medium-bite size pieces.Combine sauce, cooked pasta, diced chicken, cooked bacon, bell peppers, parmesan cheese, and paprika and mix thoroughly. Spread in pans. Top with chopped rosemary and mozzarella cheese.

Bake @ 475 for 10 minutes. If frozen, thaw in refrigerator the day of. Cover with foil and bake @ 375 for 1 hour. Remove foil during the last 15 minutes.
Number Of Servings: Yields one 8×8 and two 9×13 casserole dishes.

Crockpot Lasagna

2010-01-25T10:43:00.000-08:00

I love Lasagna, and I love my crockpot. I've been experimenting with different ways to prepare my favorite dishes in the crockpot and this is one that has proved a hit:

1 box lasagna noodles (the ones that want you to boil before assembling the lasanga)
1 lb of ground beef, or sausage (my favorite) or italian/spicy sausage, or turkey sausage (if you want to be weird & healthy)
1 jar of spaghetti sauce (I use the one I can each year, but you could use any grocery store variety)
1 regular package of fresh sliced mushrooms
1 can of black sliced olives
8 oz. of Ricotta cheese (if you are still using cottage cheese for lasagna, seriously stop. now. ricotta is so much better)
1 -2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

Optional add ins: a chopped green pepper, 1 tsp Italian seasoning (I would recommend this if you are using ground beef or turkey sausage), a layer of pepperoni slices

Instructions:
1. Brown meat (add additional seasoning as desired)
2. Mix browned meat, sliced mushrooms, sliced olives (other desired chopped veggies --I'm excited to add Zucchini come summer!) with spaghetti sauce (reserving 2 T of sauce for bottom of crockpot)
3. Mix together ricotta cheese & mozzarella (reserving a small handful of mozzarella for the top)
4. In crock pot put a thin layer of sauce on the bottom, put down layer of noodles (you'll have to break them up a bit to fit), put a layer of meat/veggies/sauce mix, put a layer of cheese mixture, repeat, ending with just the plain mozzarella on top.
5. Cook on low for 4-5 hours

Garlic Lime Crockpot Chicken

2010-01-25T10:36:00.000-08:00

This recipe, is one I got from 365 days of crockpot, that I adapted to meet my needs.

5 chicken breast halves
1/2 c soy sauce
1/3 c lime juice
Lime zest
1 T Worcestershire sauce
2 garlic cloves finely minced
1/2 t dry mustard
1/2 t ground pepper

-place chicken in crockpot, combine other ingredients and poor over it. Cook on low for about 4 hours. check periodically as this dish cooks quickly and chicken can dry out. When your chicken is done, take out & cover with aluminum. Take sauce and poor into sauce pan, over medium heat stir in about 2 T of cornstarch. Stir constantly until "gravy" reaches desired consistency. Serve chicken & gravy over rice!

Lemon Pepper Orzo Risotto

2010-01-25T10:30:00.000-08:00

This is a quick easy recipe that is marvelous comfort food!

2 1/2 cups of chicken broth
1 cup of Orzo pasta

Bring this to boil and simmer until there is only some excess liquid & pasta is still crunch. Turn off the heat and stir in:

Juice of one lemon
lemon zest
1 T pepper (don't be shy with this)
1/4 cup of half & half or cream
1/2 cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano (I use the good stuff, but in a pinch the green can will work too)
2 T of marscapone cheese (I often substitute sour cream or even cream cheese)
Fresh green chives chopped (optional)
2 T of butter

Put a lid on the pot and let it all melt together for a couple minutes, than stir well and serve!

Jandee's Variable Bundt Cake

2010-01-25T10:15:00.000-08:00

Over the years I've tried a lot of cake recipes, this is recipe I've developed that uses mainly things I usually have on-hand and that I modify to suit my desire for that day. This recipe is easily modified make several variations:
1) Lemon Cake
2) Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
3) Vanilla Poppyseed Cake
4) Vanilla Coconut Cake
The possibilities are endless with just a few tweaks

Here is the basic recipe:
1 cake mix
1 pkg instant pudding
4 eggs
1 cup of sour cream or ricotta cheese or vanilla yogurt (whatever you have on hand and/or prefer)
1/2 c water
1 t rum flavoring
1/2 cup of melted butter

Mix together, bake at 350 in bundt pan for 45 minutes. Now here is how to specialize it:

1) If you want lemon cake, use a lemon cake mix, and lemon pudding mix, add the juice of one fresh squeezed lemon and grate in some lemon zest
2) If you want Lemon Poppyseed, just add 1/4 cup of poppyseeds
3) If you want to go the Vanilla route, use a White or Yellow or Vanilla cake mix, use vanilla pudding mix and add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
4) for Vanilla Coconut, I usually use a coconut pudding mix and I'll add about 1/2 cup of grated coconut to the batter

This cake is very moist and is nice served on its own, with a glaze, or with full frosting. For the lemon cake I have pictured above I used an easy lemon glaze:
mix about 5 Tablespoons of lemon juice with 2 cups of powdered sugar, adjust powdered sugar until you reach desired consistency and drizzle over cake.

Enjoy!

Asian Chicken BBQ

2009-12-19T17:43:00.000-08:00

We tried out this recipe from 365 days of crock pot tonight. She gave it 5 stars and we AGREE! My husband (Mr. super picky eater) loved it and said he would be happy if I made it every week. So, since I never have recipes of my own to share, I thought I would pass the link along to this one. Definitely worth a try and very easy to make.

BTW, we served ours with ham fried rice and it was the perfect side dish.

Best Creamy Pasta Ever

2009-12-19T07:42:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe off of Jeanette Lynton's blog this morning. I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds so yummy, it has to be good. Can't wait to try it out!

Sauce
7 ½ tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons chopped garlic
3 ¾ tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 ¼ cup chicken broth
2 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
1 ¼ cup milk
2 ½ tablespoons dijon mustard
5 tsp. fresh rosemary
1 ¼ tsp. salt
1 ¼ tsp. fresh thyme
¾ tsp cayenne pepper

2 ½ cup parmesan cheese
2 cooked breast cut in bite size pieces
6 slices of bacon cooked cut in 1” pieces
17.5 oz. of dried penne pasta, cooked as directed on package

1. Melt butter and sweat garlic (don’t brown).
2. Dissolve cornstarch in small amount of chicken broth.
3. Add all sauce ingredients EXCEPT FOR CHEESE, stir with a whisk; and simmer about 10 minutes until thickened.
4. Stir in 2 ½ cup parmesan cheese,set aside.
5. Layer cooked pasta with chicken and bacon in casserole dish.
6. Spoon sauce over top.
7. Top with additional 1/4 c.parmesan cheese mixed with paprika (to add color).
8. Cook at 475 ̊F for around 10-15 minutes until bubbly.

Drumsticks (Ice cream)

2009-11-19T08:08:00.001-08:00

A friend posted this fun idea awhile back.

12 waffle cones
1 Bottle Magic Shell Chocolate
Nuts
Ice Cream
caramel
empty egg carton
wax paper

Poke holes in bottom of egg carton and put the cones in. Holds them up really well.

Shake the Magic Shell really well. Pour Magic Shell into each cone and swirl around to coat entire cone. Put them into the freezer to harden up, and remove ice cream to soften.

This is a good time to cut the wax paper. You'll have to play around with it a bit to get the size and shape you want. Click the link below to get pics of the final product and you'll get the idea. You'll also want to chop the nuts now.

Wrap each cone with the wax paper and tape it. You should have 2 inches of paper above the cones. Now fill them up with ice cream, and then back into the freezer to harden up some more.

When the ice cream is firm again, use a straw to make a good sized hole in the center of each cone. Drizzle more magic shell (or caramel if you'd like) into the hole. Back into the freezer again.

Once the ice cream is nice and hard again, add magic shell to the top of each and immediately sprinkle nuts on. Back into the freezer until you're ready to enjoy!

This did take quite a long time, and I got nice and sticky. But the outcome was yummy, and Bailee loved helping.

Here's the LINK to the blog with step by step pictures.

White Chicken Chili

2009-11-19T08:04:00.000-08:00

I saw this recipe on Good Things Utah the other day. It sounded so good, so I had to try it. I really loved it. Luke liked the flavor, but isn't a fan of soups. Bailee thought it was spicy. I will be making it again though, and probably leave out the red pepper (or put a little less) for Bailee's sake.

So because Luke's not a fan of soups, he took some of this for lunch but just drained the broth and ate it on a tortilla. Yummy. For lunch today I made a plate of nachos using the left overs and also draining the broth. Love recipes like this, where you can cook once and have different meals. Enjoy!

2 (14 oz) cans chicken broth
3-4 chicken breast, trimmed of fat
3 cloves garlic
2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tsp dried oregano leaves
1 tsp salt
1 tsp crushed red pepper
2 cans great northern beans
1 can white shoepeg corn
3 TBS lime juice
2 TBS chopped fresh cilantro

Add chicken, broth, cumin, oregano, garlic, salt, and red pepper to slow cooker. Cover and let cook for about 6-8 hours on low or until chicken falls apart. Shred the chicken with two forks. Drain and rinse the beans and corn and add them to the slow cooker. Add chopped cilantro and lime juice to slow cooker. Put cover back on and let cook for 30 more minutes until heated through.

And here's the link to the blog this recipe came from.

Easy White or Wheat or White/Wheat Bread

2009-11-18T12:08:00.000-08:00

I usually make fresh bread on Tuesdays. Recently this has been my favorite Tuesday recipe. This recipe makes four loaves, but it is difficult to make if you don't have a 6 quart mixer. It is very easy to halve and make two loaves in any regular size mixer.

In your mixer bowl place:

6 cups of hot water
3 T of yeast
2/3 cup of honey

Stir for 30 seconds and then let stand for five minutes. Add the following ingredients in order while stirring with the paddle attachment.
2/3 cup oil
2 T of salt
1-2 t of dough enhancer (optional)

Switch your attachment to the kneading dough hook and add 12-15 cups of either whole wheat or white flour or any combination ( I typically do half & half). Knead for eight minutes and then cover the bowl and let dough raise for 15 minutes.

Place dough on floured surface, briefly knead and shaped into loaves. Let raise.

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.

Easy Fudge

2009-10-05T17:05:00.000-07:00

This one comes from my Auntie Mo. She says she clipped it long ago and finally rolled around to make it. "It was loved by all. Very yummy, very easy, very fast."

1 pkg. Bakers semi-sweet baking chocolate
1 stick butter
1/3 cup water
1 sm. pkg. instant chocolate pudding
3 cups powdered sugar

Microwave 4 squares of chocolate, 6 tablespoons butter and water in microwavable bowl for 2 minutes or until butter is melted.

Add dry pudding mix and stir until well blended.

Add powdered sugar one cup at a time, stiring until well blended.

Put into a foil lined 8 inch square pan.

Microwave the other 4 chocolate squares and 4 tablespoons butter for 1.5 minutes or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is melted then spread over pudding mixture.

Refrigerate until firm and cut into squares (about 64)

Store in air tight container in the refrigerator with wax paper to separate.

Cinnamon Biscuits

2009-09-23T08:30:00.001-07:00

Do you ever crave cinnamon rolls at 8:00 in the morning and then curse the fact that they take an hour plus to see the final result? It's just me isn't it. Well, nevermind, here is the deal. Yesterday I stumbled across this recipe over at mmm...cafe. Of course I put it in my delicious account (highly recommend delicious, by the way) and this morning, Kami helped me decide between cinnamon biscuits and snickerdoodle pancakes.
As we were eating breakfast this morning Kami said to me "This was a good pick huh mom?"
That it was.
These are quick to throw together, bake up really quick, and dissapear just as quickly.

I got this recipe from mmm...cafe. She got the recipe from someone named Melissa. I motified the recipe a bit, and below I've posted my version.

2 cups flour

3 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

1/2 tsp salt

3 Tbs. sugar

1/2 cup cold butter, cut in cubes

Combine all of the dry ingredients, then cut in butter with a pastry cutter until mixed well and slightly crumbly.

Then, slowly stir in:

2/3 cup milk

When dough begins to clump, knead with hands for about 30 seconds, or until dough forms a ball. Flour your surface WELL to prevent sticking, and roll out your dough in a rectangle. Cut off edges to make perfectly straight sides of your rectangle.

Next, apply the filling:

3/4 stick butter, melted

1/4 cup sugar

1 HEAPING Tbs. cinnamon

Spread filling evenly to each edge of the rectangle. Cut rectangle from left to right (long-ways) into 5 strips and stack directly on top of one another. Slice stack into 12 even pieces and flip them into lined muffin tins. Bake 10-12 minutes.
While they bake, mix up your glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar
3 Tbs Milk
1/4 tsp vanilla

Glaze will be very thick. Drizzle glaze over warm biscuts and enjoy.

Jandee's Baking Powder Pie Crust

2009-09-21T14:10:00.000-07:00

photo by me

I regularly make pies several times a month and over the years have tried countless pie crust recipes. Typically I end up using this one, which is pretty basic and shapes really easily; however, my husband is not the biggest fan of the texture of regular pie crust so I went in search yet again for another recipe he might like better. Finally I hit upon this one, which is an invention of my own inspired by three different recipes. It has a more "bready" texture and I find that I cannot get the curls in the edges to shape as nicely as my regular recipe, but what you give up in aesthetics you definitely get back in taste/texture. My husband has declared this his favorite crust and now whenever I make a pie he begs and pleads for this recipe:

3 cups flour
1 t salt
2 t baking powder
8-14 T ice water
1 T sugar
1 cup shortening

Mix dry ingredients
Reserve 1/2 cup of dry mixture and mix with ice water to make paste
cut shortening into remaining dry
blend paste with shortening mixture
chill for 30 minutes

This yields enough crust for two nice size pies (top & bottom crust).

Tips for this recipe: When deciding how much water to use the altitude & humidity of your location is the number one factor. I like to make the paste pretty runny before I add it to the rest of the dry ingredients and since I live in a high arid place I am always closer to the top of the water requirements in the recipe. One thing that I have found really helpful is to roll out the crust in between two sheets of wax paper, this is nice because you don't have to use more flour, which can make your crust more dry.

Sticky Coconut or "Tar" Chicken

2009-07-14T17:02:00.000-07:00

Yet another recipe from Your Home Based Mom.
What can I say, I was hungry the other day while looking at her blog. Really hungry. So everything I saw ended up on my menus. And, let me say, she has yet to disappoint.
We really liked this one. It does have a spicy kick, so if you aren't a fan of a slightly burning tongue sensation, I recommend decreasing the amount of red pepper flakes in both the marinade and the sauce.
Next time I make this (which there will definitely be a next time) I'm going to make a coconut rice to go with it. This time I served it with plain brown rice. Which was very yummy, by the way. But I have 1/2 a can of coconut milk in my fridge leftover from this recipe so I figure, why not right?
Picture also from your home based mom

Sticky Coconut Chicken or “Tar” Chicken

6-8 boneless chicken thighs

3/4 cup canned coconut milk (I usually am cooking about 10-12 thighs so I just use the whole can)

1 Tbsp. minced ginger

1 tsp. fresh ground pepper

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

Marinade chicken in coconut milk, ginger, pepper and red pepper flakes at least one hour. Grill on barbecue.

Chili Glaze:

3/4 cup rice vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

3 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

Bring above ingredients to a boil over high heat and cook until mixture is reduced and thickened. 8-10 minutes depending on the size of your pan. Glaze both sides of chicken and serve.

Steak Bites

2009-07-10T17:37:00.000-07:00

This recipe comes from pioneer woman cooks (so does the image) I'm sure y'all have heard of it, and if you haven't run right over there and take a looksy.
Just a simple sentence for this recipe: Best steak we've cooked to date.
(It's too simple to be so delicious... lucky you.)

Steak Bites

1 sirloin steak

1 pkg. pre-cut beef tips

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Butter

Trim off the large obvious pieces of fat that run along the side of the meat. Cut strips less than 1 inch wide. Rotate the meat and cut into small bite-sized pieces. If you see anymore large chunks of fat, gristle or long silvery membranes cut them off.

Sprinkle generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss the meat around a bit to thoroughly coat with the seasonings.

Turn on your ventilation fan overhead. Heat the skillet over medium high to high heat. As the pan heats, add about 2 tablespoons butter to the skillet. The point here is to allow the butter to melt, then brown, before you add the meat.

Place some of the meat in the pan in a single layer. It should sizzle loudly when it hits the pan - if it doesn’t, the pan isn’t hot enough. Don’t stir or disrupt the meat for 30 to 45 seconds. You want it to sizzle and brown on one side. Now scoop as many steak bites as you can with your spatula and flip them over. Repeat until all the meat is turned. Cook for an additional 30 seconds or so - just long enough to sear the outside of the meat but NOT cook the inside. (If you like it cooked more well done leave it longer. However, make sure to remove it before they are all the way done to your liking. Carryover cooking: it's a beast.)

Remove the meat to a clean plate. Add a little more butter to the pan and repeat the cooking process with the next batch just as before. Lastly when all the meat is nicely browned and removed to the plate pour all that browned/blackened butter all over the meat.

Pioneer woman has step by step instructions including pictures. Just a tip.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

2009-07-10T17:28:00.000-07:00

Okay, HOLY SAMOLEE! Wow, first, we weren't so sure how we were going to feel about this dessert, but the lady over at your home based mom (where the recipe and image came from) said it was one of her all time favorite desserts. She wasn't kidding! Wow. We are fans.
Plus guys, this has easy in the bag. Try it. Try it today. Throw out any reservations you have and just try it. You're going to die.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

1/4 lb. butter (1 stick or cube), melted and cooled

1 C sugar

1/2 C flour

2 eggs, well beaten

1 tsp vanilla

1 C walnuts or pecans, I left these out

1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

9″ unbaked pie shell

Mix all ingredients and pour into pie shell. Bake 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees. It will still be nice and gooey. Serve warm or at warm temperature

By the way, this should be gooey. Don't fight it, just go with it. The gooeyness = goodness.

Jalapeno Chicken

2009-07-10T17:21:00.000-07:00

This is a recipe my husband and I tried back in the early stages of our family and we loved it. We have made a few adaptations as far as prep goes but I have included it as it is in the cookbook (for convenience sake)

INGREDIENTS

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
1 (16 ounce) bottle Italian dressing
3 fresh jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
6 slices bacon
toothpicks

DIRECTIONS

Place chicken breasts in a dish with the Italian dressing. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours.
Preheat the grill for high heat.
Stuff each jalapeno half with cream cheese. Roll chicken breasts around jalapeno peppers. Wrap each chicken breast with a slice of bacon. Secure with toothpicks.
Lightly oil the grill grate. Arrange wrapped chicken breasts on the prepared grill. Cook for 20 minutes, turning frequently, or until bacon is browned and the chicken juices run clear.

Pasta Salad

2009-07-06T16:02:00.000-07:00

This is our absolute favorite pasta salad recipe. Hope you love it.

Pasta Salad

1 ¾ cup farfalle pasta

½ cup mayonnaise

½ cup sour cream

½ cup chopped green onions

2 cups diced ham

1 ½ cups diced sharp Cheddar cheese

2 cups seedless green grapes, halved

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 ½ tablespoons prepared Dijon-style mustard

1/4 teaspoon dried dill weed

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon white sugar

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water until al dente. Drain and rinse in cold water. In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, sour cream, cider vinegar, mustard, sugar, black pepper, dill weed and salt. In a large bowl, combine pasta, grapes, ham, green onions and cheese. Toss with dressing. Cover, and chill overnight or for at least 6 hours.

Crisp Bean Burritos

2009-06-22T11:38:00.000-07:00

This is kind of lame that I am actually posting this as a "recipe"... but here's why: If you are tired of the same old, same old quesadillas for lunch, this is your perfect solution. It's cheap, cheap. (we are talking $1.75 total, for all 5 of us) It's quick. It's filling. And it's vegetarian... if you swing that way. Plus my kids ABSOLUTELY LOVE THESE, and my husband can make them all on his lonesome.

Here's the run down:

Ingredients:
Refried beans (one can will do 5-6 burritos - perfect for mommy and kids) - We prefer the taco bell variety just because it is usually the cheapest and it doesn't taste like dog food (the way some inexpensive refried beans can)
Shredded Cheese
Flour Tortillas (we use soft taco size)

That's it.

Now for the cooking: A fryer works best for this (yes they are fried, that is why they are crisp and OH SO DELICIOUS.) But you can use just oil in a pan. Heat it up (your oil) to 375*.
Spread a layer of beans in a strip down the center of the tortilla. Be sure to keep the beans at least 1 inch from the edges. Sprinkle about a tablespoon of cheese on top. Now roll it up burrito style. (Roll up half way, tuck in edges, roll up the remainder) and stick a toothpick in it to secure.
Fry it in your hot oil until nice and crispy. Be careful when serving these because they do have a tendency to get a little hot. My kids like these dipped in ranch. (but, of course, I have yet to find anything my kids don't like dipped in ranch)
These also freeze well. After you have rolled them up, skip the toothpick step and roll them tightly in saran wrap and then again in foil. Stick in the freezer until you are ready for them. They don't need to thaw before they are popped into the oil. Just make sure you remove the plastic wrap.
* Add taco meat for a non-vegetarian version. However, they definitely don't need the meat, they can stand on their own two feet in the scrumptious department.

French Bread Rolls

2009-05-13T10:01:00.000-07:00

So here's the deal...

I should be cleaning my house, prepping for the onslaught of piano lessons.

Yeah... I'm not.

And here's why:

you should go make these

now.

seriously now!

(and then again tomorrow, and the next day, and the next...)

and then you should dream about them.

really.

make them.

now.

go.

now.

(you can send me your thank you cards later.)

French Bread Rolls
adapted from allrecipes.com and found here as well (which is where I got the pic)

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

4 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.
Deflate the dough, and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 12-14 equal pieces, and form into round balls. Place on lightly greased baking sheets at least 2 inches apart. Cover the rolls with a damp cloth (or greased saran wrap), and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Bake for 12-13 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

For that nice french bread crust (which I love) Take a squirt bottle and mist the inside of your oven with water a couple times during the first 5 minutes of baking time.

Aagh! I'm in love!

(here's the deal. I'm not a roll/bread person. Really, I'm not. But these...oh heavens. I am a believer.)

Crescent Roll Danish

2009-05-13T09:37:00.000-07:00

(Image is from here as well. I don't take pretty food pics.)

This is what we are eating for breakfast, right this second (yes it is 10:30. Don't judge.) I stumbled across this recipe this morning here and thought "hey, I actually have all the ingredients for this!" Shock since my list of ingredients I do have is incredibly smaller than my list of ingredients don't have. You know it's bad when I can see the glass of my fridge shelves. I can never see the bottom of my fridge shelves. NEVER! (Maybe I should go to the store...)

Randomly, I don't usually have crescent rolls in my fridge, but I had purchased them for this recipe (hmm..never mind, I guess I don't have that recipe posted on here yet. I'll get on that.) and then my kids had eaten all my apples and they were just bumming around until I could make it back to the store to purchase more apples... what a happy coincidence.

Here goes:

1 (8 0z) pkg of cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

2 (8 oz) cans refrigerated crescent roll dough

4 tsp. preserves or jam

Glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 to 3 tsp milk

Heat oven to 350. In a bowl, combine the cream cheese, sugar and lemon juice. Beat until smooth. Separate crescent dough into 8 rectangles, firmly pressing perforations to seal. (You know how each crescent roll tube comes with 8 little triangle rolls. Press the perforations together to form 4 rectangles per roll, or 8 rectangles in total) Spread each rectangle with about 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture. Don't go all the way to the edges or it won't seal. (really not that huge of a deal in hind site.)

Roll up jelly roll style starting on long side, rolling to long side. Firmly pinch edge and ends to seam. (I didn't do this...too lazy I guess.) Gently stretch each roll to around 8-10 inches. On an ungreased cookie sheet, coil each roll into a spiral with the seam side on the inside, tucking end under. (I kind of just tied a knot, making sure to tuck the end under) Make a deep indentation in the center of each roll and fill with 1/2 tsp. jam or preserves. (we used triple berry jam: strawberry, raspberry, and blackberry, and it was so yummy! My next choice would have been raspberry.)

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until deep golden brown.

In a small bowl blend glaze ingredients, adding enough milk to make drizzling consistency. Put glaze in a small plastic zipper bag. Snip a small amount off the corner of the bag, creating a small hole. Drizzle glaze from bag using hole over warm rolls.

Pantry Secrets: How to make Bread in less than an hour

2009-05-12T08:06:00.000-07:00

This recipe makes 4 loafs. I cut it in half though because that much won't fit in my KitchenAid, and we wouldn't eat 4 loafs before they went stale. You can make pretty much anything with this one recipe. Tortillas, cinnamon rolls, calzones, hot dog and hamburger buns, dinner and desert braids, different kinds of rolls, focacia bread, pizza.... and a lot others. Somethings, like pizza, don't have to raise, so it takes way less than an hour to make. I've never really been into making bread or rolls, but I've been using this for more than a month and haven't bought a loaf of bread or frozen rolls for dinner in that time.

10 1/2 cups of white Bread Flour (don't use all purpose)
1/2 cup of Sugar
1 Tablespoon salt
3 Rounded Tablespoons Saf-instant yeast
3 Tablespoons of Liquid Lecithin (This is a natural soy/vegetable based product found at your local health food store. It's too sticky to measure, so you guestimate. A Tablespoon is a puddle about the size of a quarter.)
4 cups hot tap water.

Mix dry ingredients. Add lecithin and water. Mix for 1 minute and check consistency. If dough is too dry, dd more water. If dough is too moist, add more flour. Mix for 5 minutes. (Do not add water or flour to the dough after it has finished mixing.) Spray counter and pans with Pam. Shape loaves and cover with a dish towel. Let raise 25 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

For whole wheat bread, use the same recipe but add one cup of applesauce as part of the hot tap water. Mix for 10 minutes.

Pantry Secrets Websit e They have a DVD you can buy to show you how to make all the different things, and it has recipes on it. I borrowed it from a friend, but I think it's worth the $20 so I may get my own copy.

Alfredo Sauce

2009-05-04T11:31:00.000-07:00

This is another recipe I got from mmmcafe. I had almost given up on all homemade alfredo (with the exception of this, of course) until I decided to give this recipe the good old college try.
Wow. Was this yummy.

1/4 Cup butter
3/4 Cup flour
1 1/2 Cup 2% milk
1 1/2 Cups chicken broth
3/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
1 tsp. Parsley Flakes
2 tsp. Oregano

Melt the butter on low heat. Add flour, milk and broth and cook until slightly thicken. Add Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup at a time. Heat until parmesan is melted, then add parsley flakes and oregano.
I like to pulse mine in my food processor. It's quicker and makes for a more velvety texture, and it's quicker...wait, did I already mention that? Maybe it's an important fact not to be forgotten...

Stromboli

2009-05-04T11:20:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had stromboli? We hadn't until we tried this recipe. Let's just say, we were fans. You should try it some time. It's basically a cross between a loaf of bread and pizza/calzones. The possibilities are endless. Here are the two we tried. (The cheesy garlic is a must! Don't skip out on it.)
By the way, this recipe says it will serve 4, I say closer to 8. Seriously, we had 2 teenage boys, 3 adults, and 3 kids and still had one whole one left over, and that is not due to a lack of trying. We ate and ate (and enjoyed eating, might I add) but we were no match for this magnitude of food. Don't be scared though, it's not that much food. Just by no means think you have to double it for your family of 6.

Dough:
2 ½ cups lukewarm water
2 tsp. yeast
1 Tbs. salt
3 Tbs. sugar
3 Tbs. vegetable oil
6 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in water, add remaining ingredients, let sit for 20 minutes knead for 2-3 minutes. Divide dough in half, let sit 10 minutes. Roll each out into a rectangle.
-OR-
Rhodes Frozen Loaf dough
Thaw 1 loaf of bread by following package directions. Divide dough in half. Roll each out into a rectangle.

(This dough recipe is really yummy. We like to use it for our calzones as well.)

Cheesy Garlic filling:
We really loved this one, it was our favorite!
2 egg yolks(save whites for topping)
1 Tbs. oil
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. pepper
3/4 cup mozzarella

Mix together and brush evenly over one rectangle. This one is great as a "side dish" to your more filling roll.

Alfredo Deluxe filling:
1/3 cup Alfredo Sauce
1 piece boiled, shredded chicken
3 slices turkey bacon, cooked and chopped
1/8 cup canadian bacon, cooked
3/4 cup mozzarella
Spread other rectangle with Alfredo sauce. Top with chicken, turkey bacon, canadian bacon, and mozzarella.
This one didn't have quite enough big brass flavor to stand up to all the bread. Still yummy though, and the alfredo sauce was divine! (but yes, you can use store bought alfredo sauce as well)

Roll rectangle lengthwise and pinch together at seam. Place seam down on a greased 9x13 cookie sheet. Tuck ends under to prevent fillings coming out during baking. Both rolls can be placed on the same baking sheet. Top generously with egg whites, garlic salt, and oregano. Cook rolls together at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Monterey Chicken

2009-05-04T11:01:00.000-07:00

BBQ chicken is a go-to quick meal staple in our house. Not the bbq chicken you are thinking of, this is your "cook a chicken breast in a skillet and drizzle it with bbq sauce" kind of chicken. Well a month or so I decided to kick it up a notch by adding bacon. My husband is so glad I did.

SUPER YUMMY,

SUPER EASY,

SUPER DE DUPER!

Inspiration from: The Open Pantry
4 boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts
8 Bacon strips, cooked (don't cook it all the way, it will sit in the oven for a couple minutes... you don't want overly crispy bacon, unless you like that)
1 cup BBQ sauce (I use kraft honey BBQ sauce, it's cheap and it makes us smile)
1/2 - 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (We are cheese people...)
2 Roma tomato's, chopped
2 green onions, chopped

Preheat oven to 325. Heat your favorite skillet on medium high heat, add some olive oil. Salt and pepper both sides of your chicken breast. (you may want to go easier on the salt then you normally would because the bacon and cheese tend to up the salt anty.)
Cook your chicken in skillet 3-4 minutes on each side. They don't need to be cooked through, I usually pull mine out of the skillet when they still have a couple minutes left. (Let me rephrase that, my skillet goes straight from stove top to oven, so I don't actually pull my chicken out, I just cut the heat to my skillet.)
Place your mostly-cooked chicken in a baking dish. Top your chicken with bbq sauce (I usually just make sure it is covered) and then sprinkle with cheese. Place at least 2 pieces of bacon on each breast (we are of the go big or go home variety in our house, so we usually do 4 pieces of bacon per breast...don't hate us, just be jealous of our high caloric intake...)
Bake chicken breasts in the oven for about 5-7 minutes. (This will vary depending on how well done your chicken was before you transferred it to the oven, so be mindful of that.)
Top the chicken breasts with the chopped tomato and green onions. (unless your hubby won't eat that stuff)
Sit back and get the most compliments you've ever had on a meal so simple.
Pair it with this, at least that's what we do.

Chocolate Lover's Frosting

2009-05-04T10:56:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe over off of mmmcafe. We really really liked it. I loved how she described it "Since I am an avid food blogger, you would think that I would have every word to explain the flavor, texture, and pure deliciousness of this frosting. Guess what? I DON'T! All that I can think to say is that I WILL NEVER GO BACK. AMEN."
We will leave it at that.

3 cups sifted powdered sugar, divided
2/3 cup baking cocoa
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
5 to 6 Tbsp. milk, divided
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Beat 1 cup powdered sugar, cocoa, butter, 2 Tbsp. milk and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in remaining sugar and milk until smooth.

365 days of Crockpot Recipes

2009-05-01T17:20:00.000-07:00

Since I don't have any new and yummy recipes of my own to share, I thought I would pass on the link to my new favorite recipe blog (besides this one of course!)

It's 365 days of crockpot recipes. Anytime I hear the word crockpot, I'm there! I also like that she gives each recipe her own rating. So....

Check it out

Cheesy Crunchy Bread

2009-05-01T16:49:00.000-07:00

This is a recipe that we got from Shannon Swain. (Nicole's mom) It is amazing!!!

Ingredients:

2 small loaves of Artisan Bread or one large (sourdough or something crusty)
2 cups Mayonnaise
1 pkg. Italian dressing packet
1 cup Parmesan
2 cups Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Directions to awesomeness:

Place all the ingredients into a bowl except the bread and mix. Hollow out the bread to form a bowl and save the guts of it for later. Fill up the "bread bowl" with the cheese mixture and place in the oven on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

To serve allow guests/family to use the leftover guts of bread to scoop out cheesy goodness and then cut leftover bread and serve. Super Yummy! Thank you Shannon for this great recipe!

Old-Fashioned Ham with Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze

2009-04-13T07:27:00.000-07:00

This was our Easter ham this year and man was it good! It was really simple as well. My mom found this recipe for me, and I'm so grateful she did (As were our dinner guests) Give this one a try. I guarantee you won't be disappointed. Best ham I've had in probably forever. No joke. (Unfortunately, it was so delicious I didn't have time to take a picture of how gorgeous it was before it was devoured. I guess that's a good thing though, right?)

1 10-pound smoked ham with rind, preferably shank end
1 cup unsweetened apple juice or apple cider
1/2 cup whole grain Dijon mustard
2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/4 cup honey

Preheat oven to 325°F. Place ham in large roasting pan. Pour apple juice over ham. Cover ham completely with parchment paper, then cover ham and roasting pan completely with heavy-duty foil, sealing tightly at edges of pan. Bake ham until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of ham registers 145°F, about 3 hours 45 minutes. (Ours only took 2 hours...peculiar)
Remove ham from oven. Increase oven temperature to 375°F.
Remove foil and parchment from ham. Drain and discard liquids from roasting pan. Cut off rind and all but 1/4-inch-thick layer of fat from ham and discard. Using long sharp knife, score fat in 1-inch-wide, 1/4-inch-deep diamond pattern. Spread mustard evenly over fat layer on ham. Pat brown sugar over mustard coating, pressing firmly to adhere. Drizzle honey evenly over. Bake until ham is well glazed, spooning any mustard and sugar glaze that slides into roasting pan back over ham, about 30 minutes.
Transfer ham to serving platter.

Additional Glaze: We made a little bit more glaze mixture to serve as a sauce along the side. In a small saucepan, heat 4 Tbs brown sugar, 3 Tbs coarse ground mustard, 1 Tbs honey, and 1/3 cup apple juice. Cook until slightly reduced. Serve along side your ham.

Applesauce Muffins

2009-04-07T15:32:00.000-07:00

Dry Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice (I used apple pie spice)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1 stick, plus 3 Tbs butter, melted
1 cup applesauce

Topping:
2 Tbs sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice (once again, I used apple pie spice)
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 400*
Sift dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredient mixture. Stir until just combined. Do not over mix.
Spoon evenly into 12 greased muffin cups. Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle evenly over the tops of your muffins. Bake for 20 minutes.

Chili Pasta Bake (or Mexican Lasagna if you prefer)

2009-03-27T07:37:00.001-07:00

I found this recipe on a can and adapted it to use only ingredients I keep on hand and make it my own. It was extra quick, easy & hearty & we enjoyed it, hope you do too!

Servings: 6 Hearty portions

10 oz. penne pasta
1 lb. ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
2 T chili powder
1 can diced tomatoes with juice
1 can tomato sauce (those little cans)
1 jar salsa (I used our homemade pint jar.......so that is about two cups worth if you are using it from a big bottle)
1 c diced green chilies, drained
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese

**preheat oven to 350
1. Cook pasta & drain
2. Meanwhile brown meet, add onion
3. Once meat is cooked and excess liquid drained, add in chili powder, salsa, chilies & tomato sauce and cook 5 minutes.
4. Toss with pasta , spoon into 13 x9 pan and top with cheese. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.
5.