The Sisterhood of the Traveling Recipes

October brings Pumpkin Waffles

2011-10-02T08:28:00.000-07:00

It's October and Fall begins! I always feel like using pumpkin in my recipes during this time of year. This morning, I decided to try the recipe we had recieved at my W.O.W. weight loss support group last Fall. After all, this recipe is 173 calories a serving and the pumpkin combines with spices and an orange twist which is mouth-watering to say the least! I'm glad I saved this recipe & I think you'll be happy to try it too.

Even better, I found it shared online from CraftyLady13 on Food.com:

Pumkin Waffles with Orange Syrup

I did make a few slight changes which made it seem more filling by using only one and a half cups of white flour and a half cup of 100% whole wheat flour. I used eggs and not an egg product. I didn't have pumpkin pie spice so I made my own blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice.

Hope you'll like it!

Sister Johnson's No-Fail Pizza Crust

2011-09-11T10:36:00.000-07:00

I love this pizza dough recipe and it hasn't failed me yet. In fact, it seems to get better the more I use it! I hope you think so too.

Pizza Crust
by Melanie Johnson

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Ingredients for 1 pizza(approx. size 16 inch round):

1 cup warm (room temp.) water
1 T yeast (or one packet)
Sprinkle of sugar

Let sit while doing the next step. In a large bowl sift or stir together:

2 cups flour
1 t sugar
1 t salt
1 T olive oil

Ingredients for 3 pizza's for a party or a big family:

3 cups warm (room temp.) water
3 T yeast (or one packet)
Sprinkle of sugar

Let sit while doing the next step. In a large bowl sift or stir together:

6 cups flour
1 T sugar
1 T salt
3 T olive oil

Add the now activated foamy yeast to the flour mixture. Stir until well-blended. Add just a little flour at a time until the dough isn't sticking to the bowl. Flour the counter well, dump out the dough and knead for 5-8 min. Knead the dough only until it is smooth and a few air bubbles start to appear. Add additional four only if needed to prevent sticking to your hands and counter top. At this stage, less flour is better than more.

It is OK to use right now OR the dough can rise for about 30-45 min., punch down and roll out into pizza shape. If you let it rise the dough is a little softer. Roll out the dough with a floured rolling pin just to the size of the pan. Spray the pan with a no-stick spray. Lightly flour the pan, with cornmeal if desired.

Lightly four the 1/2 dough circle. Fold in half. Place the 1/2 circle in pan against the edges and unfold. About 1/4 - 1/2 cup tomato/pizza/pasta sauce is spread on top to the near edges. Then add the grated mozzerella/cheddar/colby jack/monterrey cheeses of your choice. Add other toppings as desired: meat toppings include pepperoni, ham, sausage, hamburger etc... vegetable toppings include mushrooms, peppers, olives, artichoke, spinach, pineapple, etc... as you like!

Bake in the oven for 16-20 min. Carefully check the bottom of the crust for the crustiness that you may like. Let stand 2 min. before slicing. I slice on a breadboard counter top never on the pan. Slice, serve and enjoy!

Almost My Mom's Potato Cheese Soup

2011-01-15T18:14:00.001-08:00

My children love this soup and it is just about my mom's recipe from growing up which I loved so much. Since it has finally been cold enough to make soup, we just can't get enough of our favorite so I thought we'd share this recipe with you.

Potato Cheese Soup

1 cup chopped onion(optional)
4 cups cubed potatoes
1 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 soup can milk
1/2 cup sour cream or 1/2 bar of cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
tiny dash of nutmeg(a.k.a as my secret ingredient)
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste

1. Brown onions in a pat of butter or TBS of olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add potatoes, and only enough water to cover. Cover and cook until potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Stir together soup, sour cream and milk until smooth; add to potato mixture. Heat, but do not boil. Add salt and pepper to taste, and stir in tiny dash of nutmeg.
4. As desired use crumbled bacon, cheese or green onions to sprinkle on top to garnish.

Useful tips:

For a little more taste, I have been known to throw in a chicken bullion cube but I don't add much salt if I do.

[Photo credit from blog: From Single to Married and it's a good overall step by step process for making the soup in photos if you'd like to take a look.]

Just a Different Type of Pan Pizza

2010-09-08T20:59:00.000-07:00

In the picture my crust is traditional and not folded up because my husband wanted it that way. It seems like a fun idea to do it like they suggested below.

I used Jay's Signature Pizza Crust recipe from allrecipes.com for my crust but buying from the stor is probably easier but I like the tast of this crust recipe so for me it's worth it.

I discovered this recipe from one of my friend's Shelfari pages of all places. It turned out well and pretty fun to do with my kids so I thought I'd share it!

Buy 1 pizza crust (in the cans--like pillsbury biscuits come in)
1 pound of ground beef (or sausage)
1 onion
1 green pepper
1 package mushrooms (I used fresh, optional)
1 container blue cheese (or another kind of cheese like feta or mozzerella)

I use a cookie sheet and put tin foil on it and grease/oil the tin foil.

Lay the pizza crust on the tin foil
Put the cooked ground beef, chopped onions, peppers, and mushrooms on the beef/pizza crust
Curl / fold the sides of the pizza crust up over the meat and other toppings (will not completely cover them)
(the middle should not be covered by crust)

Bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes

Top with blue cheese(as desired or you can substitute another cheese like mozzerella) and eat!

Make it kid-friendly:

Use beef and sliced american cheese.

For extra taste:
I brush olive oil on the folded up part of the crust and sprinkle with parm cheese.

Oh, and you could substitute the beef for cut up (cooked) steak pieces and it's really good also.

As always, with pizza, you have lots of options! Enjoy!

Homemade Soft Pretzels

2010-07-31T06:26:00.000-07:00

Do you like the pretzels in the mall or at Sam's club? If so, here is a recipe you might enjoy. My children love to help me make this recipe that my daughter brought home after making it in her Home Ec. class. It is a fun family activity! My children have a blast making the snakes, buttering with the brush, and thinking up pretzel toppings instead of only salt. Their favorite is cinnamon sugar. These are best made in a small batch and eaten hot & fresh right from the oven. I'll rewrite the ingredients below and the method is shown above. It's a fairly standard method for commonly used for making breads or rolls. If I need to type out more information then what I have please let me know in the comments & I'll update it. Let us know how it turns out if you'd like. I hope it is fun and simple!

Ingredients

1 package active dry yeast

1 1/3 cups warm water (105 - 115 degrees F)

1 Tbs sugar

1/2 tsp salt

3 1/2 - 4 cups unsifted, all-purpose flour

1 egg

1 Tbs water

2 Tbs course ground salt

Basic Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Grease 2 large baking sheets.

In a large bowl, sprinkle yeast over warm water; dissolve.

Gradually add in sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, and about 3 1/2 cups flour until the dough is soft and sticky.

Turn dough onto a floured surface; Knead about 5-7 min. Add up to 1/2 cup flour as needed. Dough should be smooth now and not stick to board.

Cut dough in half and then into 6 pieces. Flour your hands and roll dough into snakes. Place snake on baking sheet. Fold to form a pretzel shape.

In small bowl, mix egg and Tbs water; brush on pretzels. Sprinkle with salt. Other sprinkle ideas include cinnamon sugar, lemon or orange zest or herbs like Italian blend, garlic or dill weed.

Bake 15-20 min. until lightly golden brown. Warm is best! Makes about 12.

Recipes from Around the World

2010-02-04T08:36:00.000-08:00

Recently, two of my children were involved in a multicultural fair at school. Nessa did a report on Denmark and Zayah did a report on Sweden. Part of their report was finding and making a recipe from their culture. Here's what we found and made! It turned out so yummy that I thought I'd share.

Danish Cheese Bread - Ostebrod

Swedish Sticky Chocolate Cake - Kladdkaka

Chicken (Nut) Stir-fry

2009-12-08T11:02:00.000-08:00

My daughter, Hopie, recently made this recipe in her Home Ec. class at school and she wanted to make it last night for dinner. So we did! It really turned out yummy and so I couldn't wait to share it with you here. Remember the use of the cashews or peanuts is optional. We used cashews.

You can find the recipe here at Family Fun.

Enjoy!

Homemade Donuts

2009-10-04T12:31:00.000-07:00

I used the recipe below that I got from a friend in my old ward to make homemade donuts last night. I made a couple of different glazes to put on top of them, and they turned out delicous. My favorite was chocolate with sprinkles using this chocolate glaze.

Conference Potato Donuts
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons dry yeast (2 pkgs)
1 cup shortening
6 eggs, beaten
4 tsp. salt
3 cups milk
1 cup sugar
2 cups mashed potatoes (salt before cooking) -- can also substitute 2 cups of instant potatoes
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. grated lemon rind
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
12-13 cups of flour

Dissolve yeast in 1 cup of lukewarm water. Set aside.
Combine milk, shortening, salt, sugar, mashed potatoes in a pot and heat to lukewarm.
Transfer potato mixture to mixing bowl and add beaten eggs and water/yeast mixture.
Add 6 cups flour and beat until well blended and smooth.
Add the lemon juice, rind, and nutmeg and mix.
Add remaining flour to make a soft, but firm, dough. (Firm enough to roll out).
Knead dough until smooth then cover and let rise until double in bulk.
Once doubled, punch down and divide dough in half. Roll out 1/2 inch thick then out donuts with donut cutter or I used glasses and a water bottle top for the donut hole.
Allow donuts to rise until double, covered, for 30-40 minutes.
Fry in vegetable oil, 375 degrees until golden on each side.
Drain on absorbent paper (aka paper towels), then glaze/top however you would like. Makes about 100 doughnuts.

Original Glaze- mix all ingredients together well.

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup warm water (1 tbsp at a time)
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 tbsp corn syrup

Orange Glaze: mix all ingredients together well.

Same ingredients as above just substitute orange juice for the warm water and add orange zest.

Our Version of Texas Biscuits and Gravy

2009-10-02T22:00:00.000-07:00

We love this around our house. Not all of my children like the gravy so I make extra biscuits to eat with jam and butter. You can use your favorite biscuit recipe if you'd like. Here's the one I used.

Here's how we make our gravy:

2 Tbls. butter
2 or 3 beef bullion cubes
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 lb. sausage, ground

Combine ingredients over low heat. Continue until sausage is well done over low-medium heat.

Add to above mixture changing to low heat:

1 8 oz. container of sour cream

Mix below ingredients together for a thickening agent and add a little at a time to get the gravy thickness or thinness you like (you can skip this step if you like the way the gravy already is):

1/4 stick butter to 1/4 cup flour

Slowly add until it's how you like it.

Pour gravy over warm biscuits and enjoy!

Chocolate Mousse Napoleans Wth Strawberries and Cream

2009-09-16T14:04:00.001-07:00

http://www.puffpastry.com/recipedetail.aspx?recipeID=23998&rc=-1
These are so yummy and make a beautiful presentation!

A Nice Mistake Cookies

2009-09-10T21:24:00.000-07:00

Description:
I was aiming to make regular old chocolate chip cookies that my children had requested but these wonderful cookies were discovered when we ran out of flour. Then even after trying to borrow some from a neighbor, apparently they were running out too, we still didn't have enough so after brainstorming in the pantry, Hopie suggested that we added oats. To our luck, it was delicious and my kids really loved them. They wanted me to post them so we could remember our nice mistake as they called it.

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 Tbs. & 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups oats
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 Tbs. and 1/2 tsp. hot water
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Cream sugars and butter. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat well. Mix in flour, oats, baking soda, hot water, and salt. Mix together and then add the chocolate chips.
Bake in a 375 degree oven for 8 - 9 min.
Pretty nice mistake! Oh, I did give some to my neighbor's and I do have flour again for now. Yippee!

Omelet's that you just have to try...

2009-09-06T20:00:00.000-07:00

I've received this in an e-mail that many of you may have received as well. I had always wondered if it actually worked. So, as a family we decided to try it one morning and they worked out great! We've had this breakfast with guests on two separate occasions since and have still enjoyed them. I thought I'd post it here so that you may want to try it as well.

Ta-da!

The ZIPLOC OMELET

This actually works great ! I think it is nice for a group breakfast or good for when all your family is together. The best part is that no one has to wait for their special omelet !

Have guests write their name on a quart-size Ziploc freezer bag with permanent marker.
Crack 2 eggs (large or extra-large) into the bag (not more than 2) shake to combine them.
Put out a variety of ingredients such as: cheeses, ham, onion, green pepper, tomato, hash browns, salsa, etc.
Each guest adds prepared ingredients of choice to their bag and shake. Make sure to get the air out of the bag and zip it up.
Place the bags into rolling, boiling water for exactly 13 minutes [we did 15 minutes]. You can usually cook 6-8 omelets in a large pot. For more, make another pot of boiling water.
Open the bags and the omelet will roll out easily. Be prepared for everyone to be amazed. Ta-da!

Serving Suggestions:

Nice to serve with fresh fruit and a muffin. Everyone gets involved in the process and a great conversation piece also.
Imagine having these ready the night before, and putting the bag in boiling water while you get ready. And in 15 minutes, you've got a nice omelet for a quick breakfast (and healthier too)!

Roasted Garlic and Eggplant Pasta Nests

2009-08-21T18:07:00.000-07:00

And yet another Rachael Ray recipe. Delicious. The eggplant puree gave it a much richer taste than a normal tomato sauce.

Ingredients:
Coarse salt
1 lb angel hair pasta
3 TB EVOO
5 garlic cloves
1 can tomato sauce
20 fresh basil leaves (we used dried basil)
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 medium-sized firm eggplant
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves (we used dried parsley)

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Place the whole eggplant, skin and all, on a rimmed cookie sheet. Pierce the skip on top of the eggplant several times with the tines of the fork. Drizzle a little EVOO on your hands and coat the garlic cloves well.
Wrap the garlic in a single layer of foil. Place the garlic packet next to the eggplant. Place the pan in the lower third of the hot oven and roast for 18 to 22 minutes, depending the thickness of your eggplant. It will look weird, like a blown tire, when removed from the oven.
When the eggplant has been in the oven for 15 minutes, add the pasta to the boiling water with salt.
Heat the tomato sauce in a large, deep skillet, over medium-low heat. Add red pepper flakes and garlic; season with salt and pepper.
When eggplant is done, carefully cut away skin from the cooked eggplant flesh. Careful, it will be hot. You can be messy because you're just trashing the skin.
Unwrap the garlic and pop the pulp from the skins. Place the eggplant and garlic in a food processor with the parsley. Season with salt and pepper and process until fairly smooth.
Mix the eggplant mixture into the hot tomato sauce and stir in the basil to wilt.
Drain the pasta and toss with sauce and cheese.
Grab a meat fork (or just a large one). Stick the fork into the pasta and bring up a heaping forkful. Turn and twist the pasta using your plam to guide the pasta a bit to form a nest. The recipe should yield 8 small nexts, 4 inches wide and 5-6 inches long.
Serve 2 nests per person with a small salad and bread.

Arugula and Pecan Pesto

2009-08-21T17:59:00.000-07:00

Rachael Ray again. We really enjoyed this one, especially the gritiness of the fresh arugula.

Ingredients:
Coarse salt
1 pound pasta (we used penne)
1 cup pecan pieces
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1/2 lb haricots verts or skinny green beans (we used frozen peas and carrots)
coarse black pepper
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups arugula leaves
1/3 cup fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/2 cup shredded carrots (again used frozen peas and carrots)
1/4 tsp freshly grated or ground nutmeg

Heat a deep skillet over medium heat. Add the pecans and toast for five minutes to develop their flavor. Remove the nuts from the pan and cool.
Cook the green beans and carrots for 2-3 minutes in an inch of boiling salted water then drain the vegetables.
Saute the vegetables in 2 TB of EVOO with the garlic for a few minutes.
While the vegetables cook, grind half of the nuts with the arugula and cheese in a food processor then season with salt and pepper and the nutmeg.
Stream in about 1/3 cup of the EVOO and process until a paste forms.
Drain the pasta then toss the pasta with the pesto and vegetables.
Top with whole toasted nuts and grated cheese.

Creamed Mushroom Saute with Artichokes over Penne

2009-08-02T21:08:00.000-07:00

2 Tb Olive Oil
2 T butter, cut into pieces
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 1/2 lbs assorted mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 Tb fresh thyme
salt and pepper
3 Tb flour
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup cream or half and half
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 pound pasta
1 15 oz can artichoke hearts
1/4 tsp grated or ground nutmeg

Instructions:

Cook pasta according to directions.
Heat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add EVOO and butter. When butter melts, add garlic and swish around for 30 seconds, then add mushrooms and combine.
Sprinkle thyme over mushrooms, cook, stirring frequently, until they brown. Add salt and pepper to taste (don't season before they brown).
Sprinkle flour over mushrooms and cook for 1-2 minutes more, stirring to distribute.
Whisk in the chicken broth and thicken for a minute then add the cream and simmer over low heat for five minutes.
Stir in the artichokes. Add nutmeg, add salt and pepper to taste.
Add drained pasta and Parmesan cheese to the pan and toss to combine.
Enjoy.

This was probably my first Rachael Ray recipe that actually took 30 minutes or less, and it was delicious.

Mother's Day Hamburger

2009-05-12T10:19:00.000-07:00

For Mother's Day this year, Jared made me a very scrumptious hamburger and so I thought I'd share it with you.

He made his own patties and here's step by step instructions on that with the only difference is that Jared added finely chopped up onions to his meat. Next he grilled the hamburgers on our BBQ outside, he used charcoal briquettes, but any grill would work as well. I use our George Foreman indoor grill when he's not around.

Then the build-up was this:
Hamburger bun
Brianna's Caesar Dressing
Hamburger Patty
Pepper Jack Cheese
Tomato
Baby Spinach
Bacon
Mayo

For the complete dinner, we had homemade french fries and grilled corn on the cob.

It was so yummy!
Here's a healthy french fry recipe.

Horchata

2009-05-05T21:08:00.001-07:00

HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO!!!

Here a delicious recipe for Horchata, a delicious mexican drink! I've had it a few restaurants around here and this was better than any of them. I got it from a ward member who's mother-in-law is from Mexico. ENJOY!!

Horchata

Soak in a gallon plastic container over night (or all day is serving in the evening):

3 C. Rice

½ tsp. Vanilla

1/3 tsp. Salt

1 ½ qts. Water

Next day drain rice from water. Add to water:

1 can Evaporated Milk

1 ¾ - 2 C. Sugar

¼ tsp. Vanilla

½ tsp. Cinnamon

Enough water to make a gallon

Swift and Easy Chicken Parmesan

2009-04-29T21:56:00.000-07:00

My friend, Marcia, gave this recipe to me. It is swift and easy to make! Tasty too!

Recipe for Chicken Parmesan:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup Italian seasoned dry bread crumbs
1 jar Spaghetti/Pasta sauce (or less to taste - I like it moist)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (or Monterrey Jack is good too)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Dip chicken in beaten egg, then in the bread crumbs.
In a 13 x 9 baking dish, arrange chicken flat.
Bake uncovered 20 minutes in the oven.
Pour sauce over chicken, top with cheese.
Bake 10 more minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

~Tastes great with a garden salad and french bread! This is a great dish to share with company as well.

A Sandwich, A Lettuce Wrap, Anyone?

2009-04-20T13:10:00.000-07:00

I've been on a sandwich kick lately and so I've been trying some fun combination's. I've found that I love Kraft Foods website to get some great ideas to build a great sandwich. This is also my first time to make and eat a lettuce wraps. I don't love iceberg lettuce but I love it in a wrap like this. Nice flavor and a healthier choice. Both of these are my variations from the website. I'll include the link to the original as well.

Chicken Caesar Sandwich

1 Tbsp. Caesar dressing - I used Brianna's Home Style Asiago Caesar dressing
1 French Bread roll, partially split - love Kaiser rolls too!
2 Tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese - I buy a small chunk from the deli and shred my own.
1 romaine lettuce leaf - I washed, patted dry with paper towel and tore up by hand. Cutting lettuce makes it brown faster.
5 slices thin sliced oven roasted chicken breast - I did use Oscar Mayer
1 slice tomato

Prepare as you would any sandwich. It tasted great and reminded me of a Caesar salad on a bun. I think I might even like this better since I'm not usually a fan of Caesar salad all the time. I have to be in the mood.

Deli Lettuce Roll-Ups

1/2 cup coleslaw blend - I used Fresh N' Easy
1 Tbsp. Cucumber Ranch - I used KRAFT. I just don't like coleslaw dressing.
6 slices ham - I used Oscar Meyer Virginia Brand Ham
2 large lettuce leaves - washed and patted dry with paper towel.
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese - I used a brick of KRAFT Sharp cheddar and shredded my own.

Each large lettuce leaf gets 3 slices of ham. Sprinkle with cheese and coleslaw blend. Top with salad dressing. I didn't mix the coleslaw and dressing together like the recipe suggests. Roll up. Eat right away. These taste best fresh and don't keep well.

I hope you like it! I did!

Sloppy Joe's!! YUM!

2009-02-26T08:02:00.000-08:00

1 lb. Ground Beef
1 small onion
1 average green pepper
2 Tbl. Brown Sugar
2 Tbl. Worchestershire Sauce
1 can Tomato Soup

Brown ground been then add onion and pepper. Cook until onion is tender. Add remaining ingredients and let them simmer for about 10 minutes. ENJOY!! They are super delicious.

I am making this for dinner tonight so I will post a picture later!

Avocado Salsa - DELICIOUS!!

2009-02-16T13:53:00.000-08:00

Avocado Salsa

2 cups - Finely Chopped Onion (I only did 1/3 or an onion)
3/4 Cup - Chopped red bell pepper (I did 1/2 large pepper)
3 Tbls. - Finely chopped seeded jalapeno pepper
3 Tbls. - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Tbls. - White Wine Vinegar
1 tsp. - Dijon Mustard
3/4 tsp. - Sea Salt
1/4 tsp. - Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 large - Garlic Clove, minced
1 1/2 cups - Chopped peeled avocado (about 2)
1 1/2 cups - Chopped Plum (Roma) Tomatoes
2 Tbls. - Chopped Fresh Cilantro
1/4 tsp. - Hot Pepper Sauce

Combine first 9 ingredients in a large bowl; toss mixture gently. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours. Stir in Avocado and remaining ingredients just before serving.

I just combined it all, refrigerated for 1 hour and ate it up! It is so delicious! Avocados are cheap and ripe right now too!

Peanut Butter Oatmeal

2009-02-09T07:28:00.001-08:00

I discovered this great thing from a weight watchers meeting. It is called BP2. It is basically dried peanut butter that doesn't have any of the peanut oils. It is a powder so you can put it in smoothies, hot cocoa, oatmeal, stir fry and many other things. I have tried a few things but my recent favorite is oatmeal.

1/2 cup instant oatmeal
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon PB2
1 cup lowfat milk
1 teaspoon canola oil

I mix all the dry ingredients then add the milk and oil and cook it on high in the microwave about 2-3 minutes or until done. It is really good and tastes like a treat instead of like yucky oatmeal.

Fajitas!

2009-02-06T18:12:00.001-08:00

I made fajitas the other day for the first time and they turned out great! Here is what I did.

Cut chicken into thin strips
2 tsp of oil (Canola or olive)
1 tablespoon of taco seasoning
1/2 tablespoon of chili powder
1 bell pepper sliced ( I like red, orange, or yellow)
1 medium onion sliced

4 medium sized whole wheat tortillas
Sour cream
re fried beans or rice
Salsa
Guacamole

Cook chicken with oil in a large fry pan. Add seasonings and stir well. Add onions and stir well. Add bell peppers, stir well. Cover and simmer until peppers are tender and onions are clear and chicken is fully cooked.

Serve on whole wheat tortillas with sour cream, guacamole, and salsa. Beans and/or rice as a side dish.

I hope you like it as much as I did:)

Lighter Libby's Famous Pumpkin Pie

2009-01-15T13:51:00.000-08:00

We had this for my Birthday and it turned out great and is only 6 points a piece.

1 unbaked 9 inch deep dish pie shell
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp conrstarch
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 large egg whites
1 can (15 oz) Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 can (12 fl oz) Fat Free Evaporated Milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt in a small bowl. Beat egg whites lightly in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. pour into pie shell.
Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees; bake for additional 30 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. (Do not freeze as this will cause filling to separate from crust.)

I like it served really cold but don't put it in the freezer

Crackers

2009-01-15T13:21:00.001-08:00

Here is a great and super easy recipe for homemade crackers I found online. They were really fun to make! I am sure my tips and the end will be all you wanted to know and more on how to make them.

Simple Crackers

2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup warm water
1/3 cup olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
2. Lightly grease two large cookie sheets. Combine the dry ingredients, and then stir in the water, oil and mix until a smooth dough forms.
3. Divide the dough in half and flatten each half on a cookie sheet. Use a small rolling pin or even your fingers for a rustic, uneven look. Once the dough is spread thin, use a sharp knife or a pizza cutter to cut the dough into squares. The elasticity in the dough will make the crackers shrink slightly and pull away from each other; this makes them easy to bake without sticking together.
4. Brush lightly with an egg wash(one egg white and 2 tablespoons of water) or spray lightly with olive oil.
5. Sprinkle with the topping of your choice. Experiment with your favorite flavors, or try one of these variations. Chopped rosemary and sea salt, sesame seeds, poppy seeds and onion salt, Parmesan cheese
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the crackers are golden and crispy.

Bonnie's Tips: I found that you need to spread these out pretty thin. Half of the dough should almost fill a normal sized jelly roll pan. Also, I found that to make them crisp you need to bake them like 15-20 minutes and that you really need to watch them so they aren't too dark of a brown color. As for the seasoning, it works best if you mixed it in with your dry ingredients rather than putting a whole bunch on top. I used Mrs. Dash. Also, I did one batch with just white flour and the other with half white half whole wheat. It seems you can use any kind of flour. Also, I used canola oil because that is what I had and they turned out fine but I am sure olive oil tastes better. If you are using a metal jelly roll pan then you may want to roll them out with a drinking class so you can get them to the edge of the pan with no problems. I prefer using stoneware with no lips or edges, like the pizza pan, so that you can roll it out better and it is easier to cut.

5 Minute Fruit Salad

2009-01-06T20:34:00.000-08:00

I tasted this yummy recipe at a friend's party. I believe the recipe is from her mother, Aldine Allen. It is an easy, quick recipe to do for a potluck or luncheon.

1 large container Cool-Whip
1 pkg. any flavor Jell-O, sprinkle over Cool Whip and fold in.
1 can pineapple chunks or tidbits, drained
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
1 large container small curd cottage cheese

Sprinkle Jell-O over Cool Whip and fold in, like as stated above. Add fruit and cottage cheese, combine well, refrigerate and let stand all day or overnight in fridge, covered. Fresh fruit can also be added or used in it.
Serve and Enjoy!

Oriental Veggie Salad

2008-12-31T01:02:00.000-08:00

I didn't take an original photo and thought this one I found online was too pretty not to post with this. The link is here for this photo which I think you will like for some more salad combinations as well.
I recently mistakenly made this recipe up for a luncheon and candle party at a friend's house. I took it anyway, even though I was unsure because it didn't have any meat in it. Surprisingly, it had rave reviews and so I thought I would post it here. Hope you may like it!

Oriental Veggie Salad

Salad:

1 romaine heart, chopped up (or one bag of romaine lettuce)
1 1/2 c. coleslaw mix w/ purple & white cabbage and shredded carrots (or finely shredded carrots and cabbage)
1/3 c. toasted almond slivers or slices (blanched almonds)
1/2 c. thin tortilla strips

Dressing:

1/3 c. vinegar
1/2 c. sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. horseradish or lemon curd
1/4 c. spanish or green onion, finely diced
1 c. canola oil

To make dressing, combine everything but the oil in a blender or food processor and process until liquified.

Continue to blend and slowly drizzle in the oil until blended.

To be really authentic, make coleslaw with the cabbage and the dressing first and top it with the lettuce, almonds and tortilla strips.

I've had good results by layering first the romaine then the cabbage, almonds, carrots and dressing.

Time Saver Note: If you don't have time to make the dressing above, although its really tasty, then I suggest using Ken's Steakhouse Asian Sesame with Ginger & Soy instead. It's a great oriental dressing but it will give the salad a slightly different taste than the dressing above. It will still be good.

Cloning of a Twinkie

2008-12-23T23:02:00.000-08:00

I just watched this on Yahoo video about how to bake the clone of a Twinkie. I thought it was really funny and Todd Wilbur has some great ideas too. Watch and see what you think while learning how to make a Twinkie clone as well.

Christmas Cookie Exchange

2008-12-14T21:31:00.000-08:00

Each year I like to join a Christmas Cookie Exchange. It's a tradition, I love cookies as much as Cookie Monster and I think its fun. I thought I'd post my photos and recipe from the cookies I made from this year '08, Orange Glazed Gingersnaps and last year '07, Raspberry Almond Thumbprint cookies. Maybe you'll like them. Recipe's are linked above on the name of the cookies.

Here's the glaze I used for both but I added orange zest and flavoring for the gingersnaps and left it plain for the thumbprint cookies:

1 1/2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 tablespoons half-and-half cream or whole milk

To make Glaze: Combine powdered sugar, butter, vanilla and enough cream to make glaze of spreading consistency. Beat until smooth. Use a Ziploc bag and cut a small corner hole for a more detailed line like I did for the raspberry cookies. Or drizzle with a spoon on cookies like I did for the gingersnaps and I also put fresh orange zest on the tops as shown in the photo.

Cranberry Orange Muffins

2008-12-07T20:17:00.000-08:00

Cranberry and orange together is one of my favorite combinations, so I'm always looking for good recipes that combine the two. This one did the trick. I made a bunch of substitutions to make it healthier since I'm on WW, but I'll include both the real ingredients and my substitions. Your choice.

Cranberry Orange Muffins (makes 12 large muffins)

2 cups flour (I used whole wheat)
3/4 C sugar (I used 1/2 c Splenda and 1/4 c sugar)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup fresh cranberries (I used dried, which worked just as well)
1 egg (I used two egg whites)
3/4 C orange juice
1/4 c vegetable oil (I used 1/4 c fat free yogurt)
1 tsp orange zest

Combine the dry ingredients together. Stir in cranberries. Mix the egg, orange juice, oil, and zest together. Add in all dry ingredients at once and stir just until moistened. Fill muffin cups 3/4 of the way full. Bake at 400 F for 15-20 minutes. (I cooked mine at 375 for 16 minutes).

Enjoy. If you have all of the substitutions I did, these muffins are only two WW points each.

REALLY EASY PUMPKIN COOKIES

2008-11-01T21:47:00.000-07:00

My favorite recipes usually have 5 ingredients or less (yes, I am a lazy person), so here is a pumpkin cookie that is really easy, and on top of that, it's not too bad if you're on a diet (unless you're like me and eat 15 of them at a time--then they're terrible if you're on a diet). FYI, these cookies don't save that well, so you'll probably want to eat them the same day you make them.

(source: Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

1 (18.25 ounce) package spice
cake mix*
1 (15 ounce) can solid pack
pumpkin

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the cake mix and pumpkin until well blended. (It seems a little dry at first, but keep stirring). Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet.
3. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

You can add chocolate chips, craisins, nuts...etc. to the mixture prior to baking. Some people also suggested making these into "cookie bars" and added a cream cheese frosting. (bake at 325 for 17 minutes).

*If you don't have spice cake mix, you can use white cake mix, and add 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger, and a couple dashes of nutmeg.

Makes 24 cookies. Without any extras like chocolate chips, it has 98 calories, 2.7 g of fat, and 1 g of fiber, per cookie.

Banana Chocolate Chip Whole Wheat Bread

2008-10-16T07:31:00.000-07:00

I love different kinds of warm breads in the fall. This bread turned out really moist and scrumptuous. Enjoy~

1/4 cups packed brown sugar

1/3 cup oil
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups mashed very ripe bananas
2/3 cup plain nonfat yogurt
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon

1-2 cups chocolate chips

Powdered sugar, for dusting

Beat oil and sugar together. Add in eggs, one at a time, beating slowly until incorporated. Add in vanilla, bananas and yogurt. Mix until well blended.Sift together flour, soda, cinnamon and salt. Add into wet ingredients, mixing ONLY until barely combined. Add in chocolate chips, mix a few times until distributed. Over-mixing will make bread dry, so try to mix as little as possible once the flour is in.Pour into two 8x4 inch loaf pans or one 9x5 inch pan. Sprinkle a generous amount of sugar on top. Bake at 350 F for about an hour, or 1 hr. 15 min. for 1 big loaf. Be sure to check center with a knife.

BYU Mint Brownies

2008-10-02T23:06:00.000-07:00

My mother-in-law got this out of the BYU Alumni magazine.

90 minutes prep and cook. Cool 1 hour. (9X13 pan)

Brownies:

1 cup butter/margarine

1/2 cup cocoa

2 T. honey

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 T. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1 cup chopped walnuts

12 oz cholate icing made or bought

Mint Icing:

5 T. butter

dash salt

3 T. milk

1 T. light corn syrup

2 1/3 cup powdered sugar

1/2 t. mint extract

1-2 drops green food coloring

1.) Melt butter and mix in cocoa. Allow to cool. Add honey, eggs, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well and add nuts. Pour batter into 9 by 13 baking pan. Bake 350 degrees for 25 minutes then cool.

2.) Prepare mint icing: soften butter. Add salt, corn syrup, and powdered sugar. Beat till smooth and fluffy. Add mint extract and food coloring. Mix. Add milk gradually until the consistency is a little thinner than cake frosting.

3.) Spread mint icing over brownies. Place brownies in the freezer for a short time to stiffen the icing. Remove from the freezer and carefully add a layer of chocolate icing.

Tender Egg Biscuits

2008-10-01T19:23:00.000-07:00

These are really soft and tasty. Best if eaten the day they are made.

3 cups flour
4 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. sugar
3/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup cold butter or margarine
3/4 cup milk
1 egg, slightly beaten

Mix together flour, baking powder, sugar, cream of tartar and salt. Cut in butter or margarine until mixture is size of small peas. Stir in milk and egg. Knead once or twice on lightly flowered board. Roll to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut with 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter, and bake at 450° on ungreased baking sheet for 10-12 minutes. Makes about a dozen biscuits.

Tropical Berry Spinach Salad

2008-09-23T21:42:00.000-07:00

I'm always in search of simple salad recipe and I recently found this on the back of a Fresh Express bag of spinach. Give it a try!

Salad:
1 bag (9 oz.) spinach
1 pint strawberries, sliced
3 Kiwis, peeled and sliced
1 handful (about 1/4 cup), chopped macadamia nuts (optional)

Dressing:
1/4 cup canola oil
2 Tbsp. raspberry vinegar
2 Tsbp. raspberry preserves

Mix dressing and refrigerate for at least 15 min. Toss together with salad and serve.
Serves 4.

Easy Peasy Shredded Beef

2008-09-17T13:50:00.000-07:00

I got this recipie from my mother-in-law's neighbor, and it is one of my all time favorites. And, it is also one of the easiest things I have ever made. (Alas, no picture, we ate it too quickly)

Start with a rump roast, anywhere from 2.5-5 pounds. Put it in your crockpot (no need to brown, or salt and pepper or anything else) Mix up one packet of Au Jous gravy mix and pour it over the top, plus an extra cup of water. Let it cook on low for anywhere from 4-6 hours, remove the hunk of meaty goodness, and strain the floaties out of the remaining sauce and return it to the crockpot Add another packet of Au Jous to the sauce (just the dry seasoning, not more water). Shred the beef with two forks, and put it back in the crockpot, let cook on low for another hour, or until it is heated through.

You can serve this as a sandwich, with mashed potatoes and corn on the cob, in burritos or taco's, on top of salads, or anywhere else you like shredded beef. Try it, you won't be disapointed.

Black Bean Soup

2008-09-07T17:15:00.001-07:00

Now that fall is upon us, and it's geting a little cooler (well except for today) I'm in the mood for a good soup. Here's one that Richie and I love. You can either make it a little thinner like a soup with a little more chicken broth or make it as a thicker chili type dish with less chicken broth. I like mine thick.

10 slices bacon, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, pressed
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups canned chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
4 (15 1/2-ounce) cans black beans (we use 2), drained but not rinsed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch cilantro
juice of 1/2 lime
Thinly sliced scallions, for garnish
Sour cream, for garnish
Grated cheddar, for garnish

Put the bacon into a large heavy pot and place it over medium heat. Cook until it starts to give up its fat, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until you can smell it, about 1 minute. Add the broth, tomatoes, ketchup, Worcestershire, and chili powder. Stir in the beans, turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the soup is bubbling gently and cook 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, pick off all the thick stems from the cilantro. Wash it and shake dry. Chop the cilantro coarsely and stir it into the soup when it has been simmering 10 minutes. cook until the soup is thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lime juice. Serve with the garnishes.

We add shredded chicken and/or a half cup of rice after it's simmered to give it a little more depth.

Fresh Peach Pie

2008-09-06T19:39:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I'm no food photographer...but this recipe is really good. I've been craving peach pie and my mom gave me this recipe to try out. Let's just say the pie didn't last long...and I didn't offer to share it with any friends--it was even hard to share with Trevor.

Pie Filling:
6 large peeled sliced fresh peaches (better if they aren't freestone)
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
dash cardomom
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp almond

Combine all ingredients and set aside. I used a little more cinnamon and nutmeg than called for.

*Crust:
1 cup crisco
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar

Blend above ingredients with pastry blender, then add 1/3 cup sour milk. Mix with hands, divide in half and roll out to make top and bottom crusts.

*use whatever crust recipe you like. I like this one because it's easy and quick.

Assemble pie and bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then 375 for 45-55 minutes. Cover entire crust with foil for the last 20 minutes of baking to prevent browning.

My Fave Lemon Bars

2008-09-06T17:38:00.000-07:00

I really like lemons just like my mom. So, I love to make lemon bars and I've taken them places and these are always complimented. I hope you may like them too.

Ingredients for Crust:
2/3 cups butter or margarine
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanilla pudding(optional)

Ingredients for Topping:
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 tablespoons flour
4 teaspoons finely shredded lemon peel
6 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Powdered sugar(optional)

First:
In a medium bowl, beat butter/marg. with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and beat until combined. Beat in the flour and vanilla pudding (I say the vanilla pudding is optional because I use this in recipes a lot since I have canned in my food storage, you don't have to use it but I like the taste & texture it adds to the crust) till crumbly. Press mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch baking pan. Bake in 350 degree oven for 15-18 min. until just golden.

Second:
For filling, in a small mixing bowl, combine eggs, sugar, flour, lemon peel, lemon juice, and baking powder. Beat on high 2 min. until combined.

Third:
Pour filling over baked layer. Bake 20 min. more until lightly brown around the edges and the center is set. Cool before serving. As desired, sift powdered sugar on top(I like this on it). Cut into bars and serve. YUMMY!

----------------
Now playing: John Denver - Sunshine On My Shoulders
via FoxyTunes

Creme Brulee

2008-09-03T22:08:00.000-07:00

Creme Brulee is a very rich, dainty custard type dessert that you'll want to have only for special occasions. It is a French dessert.

Jared had us wake up at 7 a.m. and make creme brulee with him before he had to go to work. Jared, I, and Gracie helped make it. I think it turned out well. We did different variations like plain, orange and nutmeg, raspberries and dark chocolate, orange and dark chocolate. My favorite was the orange peel with dark chocolate while Jared liked the orange and nutmeg better. Overall, it turned out well and it was fun for something quite different to eat. It is definately a once in a while type dish.

Here is the link to the recipe we used: Creme Brulee II from allrecipes.com

I hope that it will be something special that you'll have a neat occasion to try it for.

Some of My Favorites:)

2008-09-02T09:34:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my favorite recipes that I was thinking about while walking with a friend this morning. I hope you Enjoy!

Amelia's Carmel Popcorn
Pop 3-4 Bags of regular sized microwave popcorn(make sure to take out the grannies)
Melt together on medium heat in a heavy saucepan:
1 cup of butter or margarine (2 sticks)
1 cup of Brown Sugar
1 bag of mini marshmellows (small 10 oz or for gooey popcorn the large 16 oz bag)

Pour over popped popcorn, mix together and serve.

Quick and Easy Peanut Butter Cookies(from 101 things to do with a cake mix)
1 yellow cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
3/4 cup peanut better(crunchy or plain)
sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degree.

Mix together cake mix, eggs, and oil until powder is completely dissolved into dough. Stir in peanut butter. Drop balls of dough into a small bowl of sugar, then place on a greased cookie sheet. Press fork horizontally and then vertically across each ball to flatten.

Bake 10-12 minutes, or until golden. Remove from pan and cool. (They are good warm but are very sweet and they taste better after they have cooled a little)

Taco Meat (Original is from Deceptively Delicious)

1 pound lean ground meat
1 (14 oz) can of crushed or diced tomatoes with juice(I sometimes us V8 juice instead)
1/2 cup sweet potato, carrot, or butternut squash puree
1/2 packet taco seasoning

Cook meat, then stir in the rest of the ingredients and simmer on medium low until thickened. I usually half the meat and the tomatoes but still add a half cup of puree and then I add an 1/8 cup of taco seasoning. (You can buy taco seasoning in bulk at Costco)
This is my absolute fav!

Sloppy Joes a V8 Recipe(For those that like it)

1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped (or onion flakes work too)
3/4 cup V8 juice
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp of cornstarch(optional for thicker joes)

Cook beef and onion in skillet until browned. Pour off fat. Add V8 juice, ketchup, and Worcestershire (and cornstarch) Heat through and simmer until thickened to your desire.
Serve on a healthy bun and Enjoy! This recipe is from www.campbellkitchen.com. A special shout out to Brooke for getting me hooked on V8 Juice!

Homeade Grands-type Biscuits

2008-08-29T11:27:00.000-07:00

I really like this biscuit recipe from allrecipes.com. I've used it a variety of different ways, i.e., pigs in blanket, biscuits and gravy, biscuits on top of chili or chicken ala king. It hasn't failed me yet. In this picture that I took and posted here, I made these biscuits last night and we had them with soup. I had doubled the recipe for our family and I added half shortening and half butter. They turned out flaky with a nice buttery taste. I hope you'll like them.

Coconut Almond Macaroons

2008-08-27T12:54:00.000-07:00

These are tasty and the drizzled chocolate on top makes a nice presentation!

http://www.odense.com/index.php?page=recipe&id=58

Summer Squash Casserole

2008-08-23T14:31:00.000-07:00

So I didn't get a picture when I made it the other day. But this is one of my families favorite Summer dinner. If you like squash you will love this recipe. Even Paige was enjoying it! Try it out! YUMMY!! (oooh, just talking about it makes me want to make it again!)

Summer Squash Casserole

2 lbs. summer squash, sliced

¼ c. onion, chopped

1 can cream of chicken soup

½ can cheddar cheese soup

1 c. sour cream

1 c. shredded carrots

½ c. melted butter

1 package stovetop stuffing mix

Cook squash and onion in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain. Mix soup, sour cream, carrots, squash, and onions together in large bowl. Combine stuffing and butter together. Spread half of stuffing in baking dish. Spread squash mixture over top. Top with remaining stuffing. Cook for 25-30 minutes at 350.

Jalapeno Bacon Wraps

2008-08-23T14:02:00.000-07:00

Seeing that football season is upon us, and because I like to eat yummy, spicy treats, I present the Jalapeno Bacon Wrap. This is always a people pleaser for any game or event. Although they are not intended for those who are afraid of a little heat (and bacon).

Ingredients:

1 lb bacon

2 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)

1 can jalapeno chilis, whole or halved (halved seems to be less spicy)

skewers

Preparation:

Put bacon in the freezer for a bit so that it will harden and be easier to work with, do not completely freeze. Cut chicken into long strips, about 1/3 to 1/2 inch in width. After bacon is partially frozen, cut in half length wise. Take one 1/2 strip of bacon, one strip of chicken and one jalapeno (halved, with seeds and stem removed if applicable), wrap jalapeno with chicken and bacon (bacon on the outside) as tight as possible and secure with skewer. Skewer can hold up to 5 wraps. Place into preheated oven at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until desired doneness of bacon. Let cool for a couple minutes, serve and enjoy.

Cucumber Cream Cheese Dip (optional):

For those who wish for a cooling agent here is a simple option. Although you can substitute with ranch or blue cheese dressing.

1/3 cup english cucumber (the no-seed kind), peeled and sliced

1/2 cup cream cheese

salt to taste

Put ingredients in food processor and mix until desired consistency. Keep cool.

Cake Mix Brownies

2008-08-20T09:31:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I don't have a picture but these are tasty and soo easy! I don't even like chocolate cake, but these are just the right combination of brownie meets cake.

P.S. You may need a glass of milk to wash these down-they are rich.

What you need:

1 small box of chocolate instant pudding (I think it is 1.7 oz.?)

1 box of cake mix-some kind of chocolate variety

1 bag of chocolate chips

2 cups of milk

Just mix the pudding mix and milk together, then add cake mix (do not add ingredients listed on cake box, just cake mix). Mix until creamy, then stir in 1/2 a bag of chocolate chips.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes in a greased cake pan, then sprinkle the rest of chocolate chips on top! Let it chill and enjoy!

You can also try this same recipe using lemon, or other varieties-I haven't tried it, but I imagine it would work the same!

Simple Banana Cupcakes

2008-08-18T08:56:00.001-07:00

These little babies are so simple and tasty, I have to refrain from whipping a batch up almost daily. They were a big hit at a baby shower I recently threw, and I think they will be a keeper on my "party menu" for a long time. It's really only a simple banana bread with a basic butter cream. Just a good combo. (I'm sure you could substitute any banana bread recipe you'd like).

Cupcakes:

1/2 C butter
1 C sugar
1 C mashed bananas
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

Mix ingredients, fill muffin tins (lined with cupcake liner) 1/3 to 1/2 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 17 minutes. Yield 18 to 21 cupcakes.

Frosting (will frost about 2 batches of cupcakes):

1/2 C shortening
1/2 C butter
1 tsp vanilla (clear: only for color purposes)
4 C powdered sugar
2 T milk (more or less depending on desired texture)
Add: butter flavor (1 tsp)
or almond (< 1/2 tsp)
or lemon (< 1/2 tsp)

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Glaze

2008-08-15T12:06:00.000-07:00

We had guests over for dinner and they made this because it is gluten-free. It's incredible, very fudge-y. They got the recipe at Epicurious.

Serves 10 to 12.

For cake
12 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

6 large eggs, separated
12 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For glaze
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
9 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

Chocolate shavings or Gold-brushed Chocolate Leaves

Make cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter springform pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper or waxed paper; butter paper. Wrap outside of pan with foil. Stir chocolate and butter in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Cool to lukewarm, stirring often.Using electric mixer, beat egg yolks and 6 tablespoons sugar in large bowl until mixture is very thick and pale, about 3 minutes. Fold lukewarm chocolate mixture into yolk mixture, then fold in vanilla extract. Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in another large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 6 tablespoons sugar, beating until medium-firm peaks form. Fold whites into chocolate mixture in 3 additions. Pour batter into prepared pan.Bake cake until top is puffed and cracked and tester inserted into center comes out with some moist crumbs attached, about 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack (cake will fall). Gently press down crusty top to make evenly thick cake. Using small knife, cut around pan sides to loosen cake. Remove pan sides. Place 9-inch-diameter tart pan bottom or cardboard round atop cake. Invert cake onto tart pan bottom. Peel off parchment paper.
Make glaze:
Bring cream and corn syrup to simmer in medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth.Place cake on rack set over baking sheet. Spread 1/2 cup glaze smoothly over top and sides of cake. Freeze until almost set, about 3 minutes. Pour remaining glaze over cake; smooth sides and top. Place cake on platter. Chill until glaze is firm, about 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome; store at room temperature.) Garnish with chocolate shavings or leaves. Serve at room temperature.

Broccoli/Cranberry Salad

2008-08-15T11:54:00.000-07:00

Salad:
4-5 cups broccoli in 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped red onions
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup cooked and crumbled bacon
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup craisins

Dressing:
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp Red wine vinegar
1 cup light mayo

Mix salad ingredients in a big bowl.

Dressing: Mix together and pour over salad. Let chill for several hours for best taste.

Serves: 8-ish

Raspberry Lemon Dessert

2008-08-11T21:12:00.000-07:00

1 box lemon cake mix
1 box cook and serve lemon pudding
fresh raspberries
fresh lemons
fresh mint leaves (optional)

Prepare lemon cake mix according to package directions. Bake in muffin tins for the degree and according to the time on the package.
While the lemon cupcakes are baking, prepare the lemon pudding according to package directions.
Be sure to carefully wash, rinse and pat dry the raspberries as needed. Cut the lemons in thin slices and at the bottom of the circle cut a line so that you can swirl the lemon as pictured. Prepare the mint leaves.
To assemble the dessert, put a warm lemon cupcake upside down on the plate. Cover with the warm lemon pudding. Place raspberries and mint leaves on top and lemon slice on the side. We like these best warm but you could make them ahead and serve them cooled as desired.
My husband, Jared, developed this dessert.

Mom's Cornbread

2008-08-08T17:13:00.000-07:00

I am not sure who's Mom's recipie this is, but it has been in my family for a long time. At least as far back as my great grandpa. He used to have it for breakfast. He would put it into a bowl, while it was still piping hot and pour cold milk on it, and sprinkle with sugar. This was one of my favorite breakfast's growing up. The key is to eat it fast enough that the corn bread is still warm, and hasn't dissolved into crumbs. I made it to go with my leftover Chicken Jambalaya from the other day. It was awesome. (Not my pic... I stole it from Google.)

Mom's Cornbread

1/4 cup melted butter

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup of milk mixed with 1 TB lemon juice)

1/2 tea soda

1/2 tea salt

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup flour

When I was little, my mom didn't have a microwave, so she would put a metal bowl on the stove on low to melt the butter, and then mix everything else into it. I still do it this way, just because that is how my mom did it. While the butter is melting mix the soda and the buttermilk together. Stir the sugar, egg and buttermilk into the melted butter, and then add the cornmeal, flour and salt. Mix until just combined and bake in a greased 8x8 pan at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until the edges are just a little tiny bit crispy. (This recipie can easily be doubled to a 9x13.)

Chicken Jambalaya

2008-08-06T20:10:00.000-07:00

I was looking through my Joy of Cooking book the other day, and decided to try out this new recipie (with a few modifications). I am not sure what got into me, but I have been really into cooking new things lately! I have never had Jambalaya before, but I really liked it, though it was a little too spicy for me. Next time I make it I will use a milder sausage, or maybe ham instead of the Chorizo. (You could add shrimp to this as well, if you are into sea food. I hate sea food, but the Joy Of Cooking God's say it's good, so I had to pass on the info.) It was an easy and very filling meal. You could serve this with tortilla's, cornbread, cheese sprinkled on top or whatever you like. It turned out way better than I expected. Enjoy!

In a large pot heat 2 TB olive oil or butter

Add 3 Large Chicken Breasts* cut into chunks and seasoned with salt and pepper

Cook, turning often until browned on all sides.

Add 12 ounces sliced Chorizo sausage (next time I'll use smoked ham for less heat) and brown. Remove the meat to a plate and cover, add veggies to the drippings in the pot and cook until tender, 7-8 minutes

1 cup chopped onion

1 medium green pepper diced

1/2 cup diced celery

1 clove garlic, minced

Add 1 cup instant brown rice (or you could use regular long grain white rice)

2 TB tomato paste

1 tea crushed red pepper flakes

Stir until everything is evenly coated, and then add

3 cups boiling water

1 15 oz can petite diced tomatoes in juice

3/4 tea salt

1/4 thyme

1/2 tea black pepper

1 bay leaf

Return the chicken and sausage to the pot, and cook, covered over medium low heat for 20 minutes, or until the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked through. Then uncover and let the sauce simmer until it thickens up a little bit. Remove the bay leaf and serve.

*I used three large Costco sized chicken breasts, I think that is probably 4 or 5 regular grocery store sized, or you could use thighs or whatever chicken/turkey you prefer.

PS- After you crush up the almost perfectly crushed red pepper, don't rub your eyes with your fingers. It will burn for 20 minutes.

Pizza Zucchini

2008-08-05T18:38:00.000-07:00

I though a lot of you who may have had wonderful gardens this year perhaps planted them with zucchini which tends to grow and grow. So, I thought I'd share this fun, yummy recipe for you to try if you want.

Pizza Zucchini

2-3 medium zucchini, sliced
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 tbsp. butter
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
salt, pepper and garlic to taste

In a skillet, melt butter. Add zucchini and sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder to your liking. Stir in tomato sauce and simmer for 10 min. stirring occasionally. Stir in half of cheese until melted. Place zucchini in a greased 2 qt. baking dish and top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 min.
Hope you like it!

Chicken and Veggie Soup

2008-08-03T17:22:00.000-07:00

I know most people don't make soup in the summer. It is too hot. But, today I didn't really feel good, I kept getting the chills (even with a sweater and my slippers on) and chicken soup just sounded good. So, I came up with this recipe for dinner, and I was pretty happy with the results.

2 TB butter (could use olive oil)
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 large chicken breasts, cut into chunks*
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can chicken broth/stock
2 1/2-3 cups water
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed*
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped*
2 cups-ish carrots, chopped*
1/2 tea basil
1/2 tea fresh ground black pepper
1/2 tea cumin more to taste

*These don't need to be cut up too small, about 3/4"-1" cubes/pieces.

In a large stockpot melt the butter, and saute the onion until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often until the chicken is no longer pink on the outside. Add the chicken stock, cream of chicken soup and water and bring to a boil. When the soup is boiling, add the vegetables and spices. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the veggies are tender, 12-15 minutes. (The potatoes will cook faster than the celery and carrots. I like my carrots and celery still crisp, so I put all the veggies in at the same time. If you want them cooked through, add the celery and carrots to the soup a few minutes before the potatoes.)

This was the first time that I had ever used cumin. It has a smoky/earthy flavor that was unexpected, but still tasty. It kind of tasted like it was going to be spicy, but it wasn't hot, just... flavorful. When I was halfway done with dinner, I thought I should have added a bay leaf. Maybe next time.

Chicken Veggie Casserole

2008-07-29T18:34:00.000-07:00

This was another of my childhood favorites. This is not a quick dinner. It takes a while to get all the veggies cooked and it takes a few pans, but it is so delicious. If you have a large family, or a very hungry hubby, use a 9x13 pan. When I make it for me and Scott, I usually use two 8x8's and freeze one. When I make this I keep a colander in the sink to drain everything, and a large bowl to mix it all together.

1 12 oz bag of curly noodles, cooked and drained
2 12.5 oz cans chicken in water, break up the large chunks into bite size bits, you can use leftover chicken if you have it, just cut it up small.
1 onion sauteed in 2 TB butter (I usually just put this in the microwave and let it go for a few minutes, stirring a few times, until the onion is translucent.
4-8 cups cooked vegetables. You can use any combo of sliced carrots, brocolli, peas and corn. I like a lot of veggies in mine, so I usually do a full 8 cups of goodness.
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups Cheese Sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cheese Sauce

1/4 cup butter melted in a small sauce pan
1/2 cup flour, added slowly and whisked together
2 cups warm milk, stir with a whisk until it is boiling,
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar, mozerella or jack cheese, adding a little at at time and stirring until it is melted.

Mix everything together in a large bowl and spread in a 9x13 pan (or 2 8x8's). Sprinkle with shredded cheese and bake for 30 minutes at 350, or until heated through. If you freeze half of this, thaw it in the fridge at least 12 hours before you put it in the oven.

Saucy Chops

2008-07-29T18:25:00.000-07:00

When I was growing up, this was one of my absolute favorite meals. I particularly liked the onions on top, and my mom would sometimes cook extra onions for me. It is great with rice and a side of applesauce. Apples and pork go great together! Sorry there isn't a picture, I had devoured it before I remembered.

1 large onion
1 TB butter
6 pork chops, seasoned with salt and pepper
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup water + 1 chicken bullion cube
1/2 cup ketchup
2-3 Tea Worchestershire sauce

Slice the onion into six slices. In an electric frying pan, or large skillet with a lid, melt the butter and cook the onion slices for a few minutes on each side until tender. (Use toothpicks to hold the rings together if necessary.) Remove from pan and brown both sides of the pork chops, adding a little extra butter if necessary.

While the chops are browning, heat the soup, water, bullion, ketchup and worchestershire sauce in a sauce pan, until mostly smooth. After you turn the chops over, put an onion slice on top of each chop, and pour the sauce over everything. (You might want to lift the chops up a little so some sauce gets under each one.) Cover and cook for 45-60 minutes, depending on how thick your chops are. If you have a meat thermometer, it should register at 170 degrees. Enjoy!

*I made these a few weeks ago with thick Costco pork chops, they are more than an inch thick and it took an hour to cook. If they are just regular 1/2"-3/4" chops, 45 minutes will do it. I usually make brown rice with these, it takes about 45 minutes to cook, and then everything is done at the same time.

Curly Noodle Chicken Soup

2008-07-23T21:52:00.000-07:00

This soup tastes INCREDIBLE! The spices are perfect.
1 lb chicken cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, sliced
4 celery ribs
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp olive or canola oil
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 C flour
1 tsp dried basil
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
3 cans (14 1/2 oz each) chicken broth
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
6 oz uncooked tricolor spiral pasta

1.In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, saute chicken, onion, celery, carrots and garlic in butter and oil for 5 minutes.
2. Stir in flour, basil, oregano and pepper until blended.
3. Gradually add broth and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour.
4. Return to a boil; stir in pasta. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 12-15 minutes or until pasta is tender.

Serves: 9

Hawaiian Meatballs & more

2008-07-23T21:29:00.000-07:00

These are sweet and sour, kids may not like it. Great with chow mein noodles on rice.Basic Meatballs:
1 lb ground beef or turkey
1 egg
1-2 Tbsp milk
1/2 C bread crumbs or crushed saltines
salt and pepper to taste

1. Mash ingredients together, roll into balls. Pan fry, rotating the balls frequently so all sides brown. Remove balls from skillet.

(This can also be used as a meatloaf recipe. I like to add BBQ Sauce and onions. Put into a loaf pan and bake at 350 for 30-60 minutes until done. Or you can use it to make hamburgers.)

Hawaiian Sauce:
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 C brown sugar
1 can pineapple tidbits, reserve juice
1/3 C vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce

1. Mix cornstarch and sugar.
2. Stir in reserved pineapple juice, vinegar, and soy sauce until smooth.
3. Pour into skillet, cook until thickened. Boil and stir one minute.
4. Add meatball and pineapple tidbits. Heat thoroughly.

Here are some different sauces to try with the meatballs.

Mushroom sauce:
2 mushroom gravy mixes
1 small can drained mushrooms

1. Spread on meatballs while still in pan until sauce warms.

Chicken sauce: (kids love this one)
1 can cream of chicken
1/2 C sour cream
1/8-1/4 C milk

1. Combine and spread over meatballs while still in pan until warm.

Tomato sauce:
1 can tomato soup
water

1. Combine and spread over meatballs while still in pan until warm.

Strawberry Salad

2008-07-23T21:20:00.000-07:00

I know Miss Erika posted a Strawberry Spinach Salad. But here is one that I like to make.
2 bunches of spinach (I used romaine lettuce since that's what I had)
4 cups sliced strawberries

dressing:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 tsp paprika
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
1 Tbsp poppy seeds

1. In a large bowl, toss together the spinach and strawberries
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Pour over the spinach and strawberries, toss to coat.

Mile High Lasagna

2008-07-18T12:09:00.000-07:00

Here is a great recipe for lasagna or just a great idea of doing it in a loaf pan lined with foil. I got the idea from Rachael Ray so here is the link to her recipe, it is so yummy:) Mile High Lasagna

Pizza Rolls

2008-07-08T05:01:00.000-07:00

This is a fun and easy dinner idea. Simply make Erika's 60 minute rolls as directed but let them rise as big as you can then turn them over and gently stretch them out and put mozzarella cheese and whatever pizza topping you like then pinch them closed. Cook as directed and enjoy them with pizza dipping sauce:)

Mandarin Chicken Salad

2008-07-04T22:08:00.000-07:00

I really love the Wendy's Asian Chicken Salad with the Mandarin Oranges so I developed this recipe so I can make it at home and enjoy it more often. I took it to our ward's fourth of July Festival pot luck lunch this year & it seemed to have good reviews there. I hope you like it!

Mandarin Chicken Salad
Serves 10.

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 3/4 lb.), cooked, cubed and chilled
2 cans mandarin oranges, well-drained & save juice
1 half of a purple onion, chopped finely
1 cup shredded carrots
3/4 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup chow mien noodles, optional
2 heads of Romaine lettuce, washed, patted dry and torn into pieces
Dressing: Ken's Steakhouse Lite Asian Sesame with Ginger & Soy

First, I drain my mandarin oranges and save the juice to use for cooking my chicken in. Next, I cook my chicken in the mandarin juice with a bit of seasoned salt and lemon pepper. Cube the chicken and chill. Then prepare your lettuce, carrots, and onion and toss to combine together. Add your mandarin oranges, chicken, almonds and chow mien noodles just before serving. Toss lightly to combine all. Top with dressing. Take a bite and see what you think.

Easy Broccoli Cheese Rice

2008-07-02T12:47:00.001-07:00

This is so simple, and you can just throw it in the microwave while you're cooking the main course. And it's actually really good!!

Broccoli Cheese Rice
1/2 C long grain rice
2 C chicken stock (or broth)
2 C broccoli
2 T grated Parmesan cheese
soy sauce to taste

Instructions:

1. Place rice and chicken broth in a microwave safe bowl.
2. Microwave on high, uncovered for 15 minutes.
3. Add broccoli, toss to combine.
4. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and cook on high for an additional 3 minutes.
5. Stir in cheese.
6. Season with soy sauce.

Maple Mustard Glaze Pork Chops

2008-06-26T10:48:00.000-07:00

Okay...so I don't have a fabulous picture to tempt you, but these are my absolute favorite (and easy)pork chops.

1 tsp butter
4 (4 oz) boneless pork loin chops (we just get the big pack at Costco and then halve them--as is they're too thick)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup pure maple syrup (can use honey)
2 Tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp chopped fresh sage (I used dried)
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme (again I used dried)
2 tsp heavy cream (I just borrowed some of Liam's whole milk)

1. Melt butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle pork chops evenly with salt and pepper; add pork to pan. Cook 4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Remove from pan and keep warm.
2. Add broth and next 4 ingredients to pan. Bring to a boil and cook 3 minutes or until slightly thick (I didn't notice a huge difference). Stir in cream and reduce heat to medium. Return pork to pan and cover simmering until done (around 3-5 minutes) turning once.

Tastes great with potatoes or rice!!

Banana Muffins with a Crunch

2008-06-25T08:55:00.001-07:00

These are definitely my favorite banana muffins. I made a couple of substitutes to this recipe to make them healthier, and they were still delicious.

Banana Crunch Muffins (courtesy of Ina Garten)
3 cups all-purpose flour (I used whole-wheat flour)
2 cups sugar (I used half real sugar and half artificial sweetener)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted (I used applesauce instead of melted butter)
2 extra-large eggs
3/4 cup whole milk (I used soy milk)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 bananas)
1 cup medium-diced ripe bananas (1 banana)
1 cup small-diced walnuts
1 cup granola
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
Dried banana chips, granola, or shredded coconut, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line 18 large muffin cups with paper liners. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the melted butter and blend. Combine the eggs, milk, vanilla, and mashed bananas, and add them to the flour-and-butter mixture. Scrape the bowl and blend well. Don't over mix.

Fold the diced bananas, walnuts, granola, and coconut into the batter. Spoon the batter into the paper liners, filling each 1 to the top. Top each muffin with dried banana chips, granola, or coconut, if desired. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly, remove from the pan, and serve.

Polar Express Cookie

2008-06-24T21:44:00.001-07:00

These are INCREDIBLE cookies. I found the recipe on the back of a raisins tub, even though I didn't use the raisins... I posted them on my own blog a few months back and decided that they needed to be shared here. MAKE THEM!The Polar Express Cookie
1/2 c butter, softened
1 2/3 c sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla
2 oz (2 squares) unsweetened chocolate, melted
2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 c milk
1 c raisins (I used choc/butterscotch chips)
powdered sugar

Combine butter, sugar and vanilla; beat until light and fluffy. Blend in chocolate. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to chocolate mixture alternately with milk. Stir in raisins (or chips). Cover; refrigerate until firm (we skipped this step). Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheets (skipped this too). Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in powdered sugar. Place on greased cookie sheets. Bake in upper third of oven for 12-15 minutes (do not overbake). Makes 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

Robert's Chocolate Chip Cookies

2008-06-24T18:07:00.000-07:00

This recipe comes from my uncle. The cinnamon makes these really tasty.

1C butter
2 tsp vanilla
1 C white sugar
1/2 C brown sugar
2 eggs
3 C flour
1tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 pkg chocolate chips (I like to do half chocolate and half butterscotch)

Cream together butter, vanilla, sugar and eggs. Add dry ingredients; mix well. Mix in chips. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 375 degrees.

BBQ Pork Chops

2008-06-17T18:07:00.000-07:00

My sister sent me this one. SOOO tasty!

3 pork chops
1/4 C BBQ sauce
1/4 C steak sauce
1/4 C apple juice
1 1/2 Tbsp honey
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a small bowl combine bbq sauce, steak sauce, apple juice, and honey. Reserve 1/3 cup of sauce and set it all aside.
2. Sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 160, basting frequently with remaining sauce. Serve with reserved sauce.

I used my indoor George Foreman Grill.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

2008-06-17T16:22:00.001-07:00

This is a perfect summer salad. The dressing is to die for! I get requests to make this salad all the time, and I just made it for my dad for Fathers Day. It was a big hit.

Salad

1 head Romaine lettuce, chopped

1/2 bag of spinach, stems removed

2-3 pears, peeled and chopped into 3/4" cubes

2-3 granny smith apples, chopped into 3/4" cubes

2 cups sliced strawberries

1 package craisins

1/2 package Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 cups sliced or slivered almonds

Dressing

1/2 cup oil

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

juice of 1 lemon, plus the zest

1 tea dry mustard

1 TB poppy seeds

Mix well and pour over salad before serving, or put the dressing in a small pitcher, and let everyone pour their own. The only risk to doing it that way is that some people will opt out of the dressing, and seriously, the salad is 100 times better with it. This one is a total crowd pleaser, a perfect mix of sweet and tart.

PS This makes a LOT of salad, you might want to cut the salad ingredients in half for a regular family meal.

Creamy Italtian Bow Tie Saute

2008-06-13T10:08:00.000-07:00

I guess I think of summer when I make this because it calls for zucchini and summer squash. I don't have a picture, but I got the recipe from a friend. You can change up the veggies, I never use the red pepper.

Ingredients:
1 lb chicken, cut up in pieces
1 Tbsp oil
1 box cream cheese
1 package Italian dressing mix
bow tie pasta (6 oz)
1 zucchini, sliced
1 summer squash, sliced
1/2 C-1 cup broccoli, chopped
1 red pepper, sliced

Boil pasta and keep warm. Saute chicken in oil, remove and keep warm. Saute veggies, add chicken, add cream cheese and dressing mix. When cream cheese is melted, add pasta. Serve warm.

Summer Foods

2008-06-11T20:10:00.000-07:00

I love summer but I have such a hard time knowing what to cook for dinner. Does any one have any good summer dinner ideas?

Here is a picture of my first veggie tray that I put together and brought over to a friend house. I think it looks good and is a great summer food.

Thanks Erika

2008-06-11T19:57:00.000-07:00

I tried Erika's roll recipe and it is the best roll recipe I have ever made! Thank you so much for posting that. They turned out great! Here is a picture of them and of Clark eating one:)

Chicken Cordon Bleu

2008-06-08T16:16:00.001-07:00

I definitely stole this recipe from another recipe blog; it's really good and actually fairly easy to make. We had it with garlic and rosemary roasted potatoes and green beans with almonds to make out a nice well-rounded meal.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup chicken broth
5 teaspoons butter, melted
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (I omitted this)
1 teaspoon paprika
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 thin slices prosciutto (about 2 ounces)
4 thin slices of Swiss cheese

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place broth in a small microwave-safe bowl; microwave at high 15 seconds or until warm. Stir in butter and garlic.

Combine breadcrumbs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and paprika in a medium shallow bowl; set aside.

Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and pound each to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt, oregano, and pepper. Top each breast half with 1 slice of prosciutto and 1 tablespoon mozzarella. Roll up each breast half jelly-roll fashion. Dip each roll in chicken broth mixture; dredge in breadcrumb mixture.

Place rolls, seam side down, in an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Pour remaining broth mixture over chicken.

Bake at 350° for 28 minutes or until juices run clear and tops are golden.

Yields 4 servings

Potato Cream Cheese Soup

2008-05-27T21:45:00.000-07:00

This is a big hit with the kids and SOOO easy to make.

Potato Cream Cheese Soup
5 large potatoes
5 C chicken broth
1/2 onion, chopped
1 box cream cheese (1/3 fat)
Optional mix-ins: broccoli, corn, cheddar cheese, croutons

1. Peel and cube potatoes. Boil chicken broth, onions and potatoes
2. When potatoes are soft (smash easily against the side of the pot), add cream cheese.
3. Serve when cream cheese is melted.
4. When you add the cream cheese you may want to add: broccoli, corn and/or cheddar cheese.
5. You may want to serve this in bread bowls or put croutons on top.

Bread Bowl recipe:
2 Tbsp yeast
2 tsp salt
2 C warm water
5 C flour
1 Tbsp sugar
cornmeal

1. Dissolve yeast in water with sugar.
2. Add salt and 3 C flour. Gradually add remaining flour to make a stiff dough.
3. Knead on lightly floured surface till dough is smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise till double.
4. Punch down and divide into 8 pieces. Form each piece into a ball and place on baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover and let rise until double in bulk.
5. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool.
6. Cut off tops, scoop out bread to make a bowl, and serve with hot soup. Eat the bowl when you finish the soup.

Makes 8.

Malaysian Chicken Pizza

2008-05-27T21:23:00.000-07:00

This is soo tasty. My sister introduced me to it. My husband always feels like I am treating him when I make this. It's one of our favorites. Great to serve for company. You can add more cheese on top if you like.

1/4 C packed brown sugar
3/4 C rice, wine or cider vinegar (I sometimes use a mixture if I'm running low)
1/4 C soy sauce, low sodium
3 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp chunky peanut butter (I use creamy)
1 Tbsp ginger root, peeled and minced (you can find this in the produce section)
1/2-3/4 tsp crushed red pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2-1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced
1/2 C (2 oz) low-fat swiss cheese, shredded (I just use mozzarella)
1/4 C (1 oz) skim mozzarella, shredded
8 oz pizza dough, refrigerated (or homemade)
1/4 C chopped green onions

1. Combine sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, water, peanut butter, ginger root, red pepper, and garlic in a bowl. Stir well with a whisk and set aside.
2. Coat large skillet with cooking spray; place over med-high heat until hot. Add chicken and saute 2 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. Pour vinegar mixture into skillet; bring to a boil over med-high heat. Cook 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Return chicken to pan; cook 1 minute or until chicken is done.
4. Roll out pizza crust to desired thickness. Place in lightly oiled pan or on a pizza stone.
5. Sprinkle cheeses over crust, leaving 1/2 inch border. Top with chicken mixture. Transfer to oven. Bake at 500 degrees for 12 minutes on bottom rack.
6. Sprinkle with onions and let stand for 5 minutes. Enjoy!

Makes 8 slices; 200 calories per slice

Caramel Popcorn

2008-05-26T16:42:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law gave me this recipe so that is why we named it after her. I am not sure where she got the recipe though. It is so good and some times I have to only do half or even a fourth of a batch so I don't eat too much:)

Amelia' Caramel Popcorn
Pop 3-4 bags of regular sized microwave popcorn(Make sure to get out all the grannies)
Melt together on medium heat in a heavy saucepan:

1 cup of Brown Sugar
1 cup of Butter or Margarine (2 sticks)
1 bag of mini marshmallows (small bag 10 oz or for more gooey popcorn use the large 16 oz size)

I usually melt the butter and brown sugar then I had the marshmallows and heat until melted. Pour over popped popcorn, mix together gently, and serve.

Enjoy!

Orange Julius

2008-05-21T13:25:00.000-07:00

I apologize in advance for not having a photo to go along with this recipe. My children have been requesting this recipe a lot lately because it has been so hot here in TX. I also bought myself a new blender for Mother's Day and these are the ingredients I've had on hand most of the time. Plus, my children love that part of my name is in this recipe.

Julie's Orange Julius

1 6 oz. can of Orange Juice
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
10-12 ice cubes

Blend in blender from low to high until smooth. Serve immediately.
Quite refreshing!

My Great-Grandmother's Snickerdoodles

2008-05-09T23:10:00.000-07:00

1/2 lb butter
1 1/2 C sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 C flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs. Mix flour, tartar, soda and salt separately. Add dry ingredients.

Mix sugar and cinnamon in a dish. Make cookies into round balls and roll in cinnamon sugar mixture. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes (until tops crack). Makes 2-3 dozen.

These cookies are dangerous, I can't stop eating them.

Ginger Snaps

2008-05-09T23:02:00.000-07:00

These are softer than traditional ginger snaps and I LOVE that. I don't like crunchy cookies. These are nice and chewy.1 C sugar
1/2 C shortening
1/4 C butter
1/4 C molasses
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp allspice
1 tsp cinnamon
2 C flour

Cream sugar, shortening and butter. Add egg and molasses. Add remaining ingredients.

Roll into balls, roll balls in sugar.

Bake 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees (until tops crack). Makes 2-3 dozen.

Sandwich Showdown

2008-05-09T19:15:00.000-07:00

I was inspired by the Oprah show today and I decided to make up my own sandwich and I have to say it was TASTY!!! I love Italian Food so I always have ingredients on hand. I guess it should have a name so it will be known as "The Gooey Italian Sandwich."
First I grilled some chicken and seasoned to taste with Italian dressing mix. Then I made an Alfredo sauce. I then melted mozzarella on a toasted bun, added said Alfredo sauce and chopped chicken, a little bit of sun dried tomato and wallah! It was yummy!!!!

-For the Alfredo
add desired amount of whipping cream to saucepan heat till almost boiling and add fresh grated Parmesan cheese till it thickens the cream, add garlic salt to taste.
I know challenge you all to make a sandwich recipe of your own it was fun!

My Favorite Sugar Cookie

2008-05-09T06:28:00.000-07:00

I have tried lots of sugar cookie recipes and none of them compare to this one. I used to make this growing up and finally typed up the recipe.

My Favorite Sugar Cookie (From Better Home and Garden Step by Step cook book)

½ cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
1 egg
¼ cup milk
½ tsp vanilla
2 ¼ cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp nutmeg (or ground mace)

Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, milk and vanilla. Stir in baking powder, salt, nutmeg and flour until soft dough forms. Chill for 1 hour (optional). You may need to add more flour depending on where you live. Roll out on a floured surface about 1/8 to ¼ inch thick. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 375 for 7-8 minutes for thin cookies and 10-12 minutes for thicker cookies. Enjoy:) I use my cinnamon roll frosting for these cookies.

Julie's Favorite Pumpkin Bread

2008-05-09T06:27:00.001-07:00

Here is a great recipe that my sister found.

Julie’s Favorite Pumpkin Bread (From Taste of Home Oct/Nov 2006 Magazine)

3 ¾ cups flour
3 cups sugar
4 tsp pumpkin pie spice OR
2 ½ tsp cinnamon
¾ tsp nutmeg
1/8-1/4 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp cloves
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
4 eggs
1 15 oz can of pumpkin
½ cup oil

In a large bowl combine dry ingredients. In another bowl beat eggs, pumpkin, and oil. Stir dry ingredients in with pumpkin mixture until well blended. Pour into two greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 60-70 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle of the loaf. Cool in pan for 10 minutes and then cool on a wire rack. Enjoy

Easy Tex-Mex Burritos

2008-05-05T19:27:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite recipes for when we're short on time are these Tex Mex Burritos.

1 lb of ground beef
1/2 to 1 whole can of black beans
1 jar of salsa (my favorite is the black bean and corn, but you could use any kind)
tortillas (I actually like the wheat ones)
shredded cheese

Brown the ground beef. Add the can of black beans and the jar of salsa and cook until warm. Spoon into tortillas and add shredded cheese to taste. Since there's just two of us, we seem to have left-overs for days. It probably makes about 8-10 burritos, depending on your tortilla size. It's really easy and really fast.

Taco Salad Bowls

2008-05-05T19:25:00.000-07:00

We made these for Cinco de Mayo tonight and I meant to take a picture, but forgot. Next time! These bowls add a little style and personality to your dinner table and are so easy. Serves 4.

4 flour tortillas (8 in)
1 T chili powder, divided (though you can also just eyeball it)
1 lb ground beef
3/4 cup chunky salsa, divided
2 T light mayo
4 c. torn salad greens
1 large tomato, chopped
1/2 cup cheese (cheddar or four cheese work great)
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Crumble 4 large sheets of foil to make four 3-inch balls; place on baking sheet. Place 1 tortilla on each ball; spray tortilla with cooking spray and sprinkle with 1/2 t. of the chili powder. Bake 6-8 minutes, until golden brown.

Brown meat with remaining chili powder in skillet on med-high heat, stirring occasionally. Add 1/2 c. of the salsa; cook 2 min., or until heated through.

Mix mayo and remaining salsa in bowl. Add salad greens and chopped tomatoes, toss to coat. Spoon into tortilla shells; top with meat mixture, cheese and cilantro. Yummy and easy!

60 Minute Rolls

2008-05-05T11:33:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite quick, easy rolls recipe. I make them every time we need to bring rolls for something and I normally make a double batch so we can have some at home.

60 Minute Rolls

1/4 C butter
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
4 1/2 C sifted flour
5 Tbsp sugar
2 pkgs yeast (4 1/2 tsp)
1/4 C warm water
1 egg, beaten
1 1/4 C milk

Dissolve yeast with 1 tsp sugar and warm water. Heat milk with 5 Tbsp sugar, salt and butter until lukewarm. Add yeast mixture and egg and stir in flour. Dough will be sticky. Cover. Let set for 15 minutes. Knead slightly. Roll out, shape into rolls, and let rise 25 minutes. Bake for 10 minutes in 400 degree oven. Also makes delicious cinnamon rolls ready in 1 hour.

Makes 2 Dozen

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2008-05-02T09:34:00.000-07:00

This one isn't necessarily one for when you are short on time. But if you have cooked chicken already available it is pretty fast. I canned some chicken in pint jars and used that, it worked perfectly, so I'd imagine that store bought canned chicken would work as well. Sorry I don't have a picture, but I ALWAYS serve this when we have company and it ALWAYS gets rave reviews.

4 cups cooked, shredded chicken (I normally do a pounds' worth, so it's probably less than 4 cups- if you need to serve more people, add more chicken to make the soup go further)
48-oz canned great northern white beans (I think navy beans would work too)
2 medium onions, chopped (I just do one)
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 crushed garlic cloves
2-4 cans chopped green chiles
1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
6 cups chicken broth (5 cans)
2 tsp ground cumin
1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese

For tender chicken: Cook chicken with one cup of water in crock-pot, 6-7 hours prior (so it will shred)

Combine all ingredients and simmer.

Serve with:
Lime chips (crumble into the soup)
Monterey Jack cheese (sprinkled in the soup)
Lime juice
Avocado
Cilantro

Serves: 6

My Last Minute Meal

2008-05-02T07:09:00.000-07:00

This is one of our favorites when we're hungry and want something homemade. This is one of Richie's creations that has definitely become a favorite.

Pasta with a Sweet Meat Sauce
16 oz tomato sauce
½-1 lb ground beef (depending on how much meat you want)
salt and pepper to taste
1 T garlic powder
1 T dried oregano flakes
3 T honey
1 lb pasta (farfalle, penne, spaghetti)

Boil water and cook pasta according to package directions.
Brown the meat in a large saucepan. Drain the excess fat off the meat. Stir the tomato sauce into the meat. Stir the spices (garlic, oregano, salt and pepper) into sauce. Stir in honey.
Let simmer covered for ten minutes. Add sauce to pasta and serve hot.

Add a salad and some garlic bread and this makes one yummy quick fix meal.

Dinner Ideas

2008-05-02T05:13:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been a while since any one has posted a recipe so I thought that I would ask a question to get us all started. I love hearing new ideas so I thought to ask this question.

What is your favorite dinner to make when you are short on time?

Mine is Hamburgers
(serves two)
.5 lb lean ground beef
1 tablespoon of chili powder
1/2 tablespoon of Cumin
1/2 tablespoon of onion flakes
2 hamburger buns
butter and garlic salt

Mix thawed meet and seasonings in a bowl with your hands. You can add more or less seasoning if desired. Shape into two 1/4 lb patties (remember if you are using a hamburger press not to press too hard) Cook until well done. Put whatever toppings you desire.
I always toast my hamburger buns and then put butter and garlic salt on them. It adds great flavor! Enjoy:)

Blueberry Pancakes with Blueberry Syrup and Sweet Ricotta

2008-04-24T09:40:00.001-07:00

I got this waffle recipie from my friend Corby, and modified it a little for pancakes. It is absolutely my favorite pancake I have ever tasted.

In a large bowl mix together:

2 eggs, plus 1 egg white
1/4 cup melted butter
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 tea vanila

Then add:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup quick oats
2 pinches wheat germ*
1 3/4 tea baking powder
1/4 tea salt
1/2 tea ground nutmeg

Mix all ingredients together. If you refrigerate the batter overnight, then the oats have a chance to soften up a little, but you don't have to. Pour batter onto a hot griddle. After you pour the batter, drop a handful of fresh blueberries (or chocolate chips) onto the batter. Cook until golden and flip. This recipie makes about 15 very filling pancakes. Serve hot with fresh blueberry syrup.

*Wheat germ is found on the cereal aisle of the grocery store. You have to keep it in the fridge after you open it. You can add a few pinches to any baked goods. It will help you get more whole grain and fiber in your diet.

To make the syrup: Put about a cup of blueberries into the blender, and pulse. Pour this into a saucepan and add a heaping teaspoon of sugar, more to taste. Boil the syrup until the blueberries start to break down a little, but not to long, you don't want to boil away the fresh taste of blueberries. When it is hot, turn the heat down to low. (This makes enough syrup for about 6-8 pancakes... which is enough for me and my husband. I keep the extra batter in the fridge, and make fresh syrup when I want them again). You can top your pancakes with syrup and whipped cream, but I like Sweetend Ricotta better. It adds a little zippy flavor.

For Sweetened Ricotta: Mix about 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese with a teaspoon of sugar, and a little vanilla. Put a little dab on top of the pancakes. This is better for you than whipped cream, and it has a lot of protein in it as well.

Smoothies

2008-04-23T17:56:00.000-07:00

Here is an easy smoothie recipe I found on the back of some frozen mixed fruit. It makes one serving and is a great way to get one or two fruits in.

1 cup frozen fruit
1 to 1 1/2 cup fruit juice or milk

Blend and serve.

I use a magic bullet and it works great but I am sure a normal blender would work as well. Enjoy:)

Cinnamon Rolls

2008-04-21T09:38:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe and all the tips from a great lady in my ward at a cooking class.

Cinnamon Roll Frosting

4-5 cups of powdered sugar (to taste)
1 stick of real butter, room temp. (1/2 cup)
½ cup of shortening
3-8 Tablespoons of heavy whipping cream (until you reach the consistency you want)
2 teaspoon vanilla

Mix the butter and shortening together with hand mixer until well blended. Add about 3 ½ cups of powdered sugar and one tablespoon of heavy whipping. Add whipping cream and powdered sugar until desired thickness and sweetness. Add vanilla in and mix well. I added the vanilla in at the end by mistake and it tasted really good but you could also add it along with the first tablespoon of whipping cream. Also, I do a half batch for every batch of cinnamon rolls.

Cinnamon Roll Filling

¾ cups light or dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon (or to taste)
Blend together

Lion House Dinner Roll Recipe Modified for Cinnamon Rolls

2 cups warm water (110-115 degrees)
2/3 cup nonfat dry milk
2 Tablespoons dry yeast (instant works fine)
¼ cup sugar
2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup real unsalted butter
1 egg
5-51/2 cups bread flour

In a kitchen aid or any electric mixer combine the water and the powdered milk and stir with whisk attachment on low to medium speed until milk dissolves. Add the yeast to this mixture and stir again. Add sugar, salt shortening, egg, and 2 cups of the flour and mix until ingredients are wet. Then mix on medium speed for two minutes. The dough will look like pancake batter. Add two more cups of flour and mix on medium speed again for 2 minutes(using whisk attachment) Change to the dough hook and add the remaining flour ½ cup at a time until dough is tacky(when you touch it, it will stick to your finger but as you pull away it will let go.) The dough should be soft, not overly sticky, and not stiff. You may not need all the remaining flour.

Place dough in a large well oiled bowl, turn over so all dough is oiled, cover with plastic and let double in size, about 20-30 minutes.
Sprinkle counter with flour and lay out the dough in a rectangular blob. Roll out about ¼ inch think or just one big rectangle. Spread a thin layer of unsalted butter on top of dough. Add the cinnamon roll filling and spread evenly. Starting at the long side gently roll the dough up forming a log. (Make sure to roll it up tightly but not too tight) Pinch the seam together and tuck under the ends. With dental floss cut into 9-16 cinnamon rolls depending on desired thickness. The trick with the floss is to hold it tight and quickly slide it under the log then cut it in half, then cut those half’s in half etc… Place on a well greased (or parchment paper or silpat) jelly roll pan, cover with plastic wrap and let double in size again, about 15-20 minutes. Hint: Place the ends of the log end side down so they have that pretty swirl facing up.

Bake at 375 for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown on top.

2008-04-20T17:56:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our new recipe blog. We hope you will enjoy reading and being a part of our new idea of sharing and receiving new recipes.

Our objective is to create a blog that will have recipes from people all over the country so that we can all benefit from each other's ideas. We hope to get a variety of recipes including, but not limited to: dinner ideas, cookies, breads, desserts, basic tips, new ideas of cooking etc... As you can see on our sidebar, we have several Authors for our blog. Each Author has the freedom to post a recipe whenever they like. As a reader(and/or an author) you have an opportunity to get new recipes and comment on other recipes.

Enjoy our blog and happy cooking:)

-Lyndi and Bonnie, Co-Creators