Cup Of Sugar

Creamy tomato and basil soup

2011-04-18T18:58:00.000-07:00

Recipe taken from Pioneer Woman cookbook

Ingredients:
1 medium white or yellow onion, diced
6 tablespoons butter (3/4 stick)
Two 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes
One 46 ounce bottle/can tomato juice
3-6 tablespoons sugar
3 chicken bouillon cubes
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped basil

Method:
1. Melt butter in large soup pot, saute onion.

2. Add tomatoes and stir. Add tomato juice, combine.

3. Add sugar (I used 4 tablespoons), chicken bouillon, black pepper. Stir to combine and heat until almost boiling.

4. Turn off heat and add cream, parsley, basil and more pepper to taste.

I served this soup with grilled cheese on sour dough and it was perfection.

Gnocchi with ricotta and tomato sauce

2011-04-18T18:47:00.000-07:00

Adapted from Good Housekeeping: Vegetarian Meals cookbook

Ingredients:
1 package gnocchi (16 oz)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
4 medium tomatoes (1 1/2 lbs) chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 - 10 fresh basil leaves chopped
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Method:
1. Cook gnocchi as directed on package.

2. In nonstick skillet heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute.

3. Stir in tomatoes, salt, basil, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes break up slightly - about 5 minutes.

4. Drain gnocchi; transfer to warm serving bowl. Stir in ricotta and permesan.

5. Pour tomato mixture on top; toss before serving.

Serve with a leafy green salad and bread sticks or garlic bread. Use an olive oil, lemon juice, black pepper dressing on the salad.

Lemon-ginger chicken

2011-04-18T18:36:00.000-07:00

Recipe taken from Betty Crocker: Bisquick II cookbook.

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup original bisquick mix
1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Lemon sauce:
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon corn starch
1/4 teaspoon grated ginger

Method:
1. Flatten each chicken breast to about 1/4 inch thickness.

2. Mix Bisquick mix, bread crumbs, lemon zest and ginger.

3. Dip chicken into water and then coat with Bisquick mixture.

4. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken 8 to 10 minutes, turning once.

5. While chicken is cooking, make Lemon Sauce by combining all the sauce ingredient in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat; stirring occasionally, until thickened and bubbly.

Serve chicken over rice. Drizzle sauce over chicken and rice - you might want to double or even triple the sauce recipe.

You could even make an orange version of this and it would be divine!

French onion soup

2011-01-24T08:11:00.000-08:00

This recipe is not fast but surprisingly, it's little hassle. It's also extremely delicious.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
6 medium onions, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups water
1 can (14 1/2 ounces | 1 3/4 cups) chicken or vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
4 slices (1/2 inch thick) french bread - I used french sour dough
4 ounces (1 cup) Gruyère, swiss or muenster cheese grated

Method:
In a large skillet melt butter over medium heat.
Add onions and salt.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are very tender and begin to caramelise - about 45 minutes.
Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring often, until onions are deep golden brown, about 15 minutes longer.

Put onions in a bowl.
Add 1/2 cup of water to skillet; heat to boiling over high heat, stirring until browned bits are loosened from bottom of pan.
Return onions to skillet or transfer liquid and onions to large soup pot.
Add broth, thyme, and remaining water.
Heat to boiling over high heat.
Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer about 30 minutes, until onions are very tender.

Meanwhile pre-heat over to 450'f.
Place bread on baking sheet; bake until lightly toasted, about 5 minutes.

Place four 2 1/2 cup oven safe bowls in jelly-roll pan.
Spoon onion soup in bowls; top with toasted bread pressed lightly into soup.
Sprinkle toast with cheese.
Bake until cheese melts and begins to brown, 12 - 15 minutes.

Chidester Pot Roast

2011-01-22T09:33:00.000-08:00

Description:
This is how we make it in the Chidester household. Please comment on how your recipe differs.

Ingredients:
1 4-5 lb roast
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup with garlic
2 envelopes beefy onion soup mix
1-2 lb baby carrots
1 large onion
8 oz mushrooms, quartered
about 1 c water

Directions:
Put the roast in your crock pot.
Add the vegetables.
Top it with the soups and water.
Cook on low for 6 hours, or until done.

We make ours with mashed potatoes instead of cooking them in the crock, because there is never enough room for them. I just got a bigger crock, but I'll probably still mash because I can never get the potatoes to cook all the way through.

According to my crock pot cookbook, you shouldn't take the lid off while your meal is cooking.

Also, you're only supposed to fill you crock pot 2/3 of the way because that's how high the heating coils go. (I always fill to brimming, and my food cooks just fine.)

BeQui's Non-Greasy Fried Chicken

2011-01-22T09:23:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
Chicken tenderloins (Whole breasts take too long to cook.)
vegetable oil
2 T margarine/butter

Coating:
about 1/2 c flour
any spices you like. I prefer chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, lemon herb seasoning, salt, and pepper. It is next to impossible to put too much seasoning in your flour.

Directions:
Mix flour and spices in a bowl or bag.

Pour just enough oil into a frying pan to cover the bottom. Add the margarine. Heat over medium-high heat. Watch out, this stuff splatters.

Dry your chicken tenderloins with paper towels, then dip in the coating. (I read somewhere that you can put the spices on the chicken first, THEN the flour, and the seasonings will stay on better. I think it tastes fine without the extra step.) Fry in the hot oil. I usually cook for 2 minutes on one side, flip, 2 minutes, and then repeat. This will get the coating really crunchy and golden.

Drain in a metal strainer or on paper towels.

We like it best with mashed potatoes, and broccoli or steamed green beans.

Pumpkin Enchiladas

2010-12-01T11:40:00.000-08:00

1/2 red pepper, diced 1/2 white onion, diced
1 T olive oil
2 tsp chopped garlic (I used the refrigerated kind in a jar)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or more or less - according to your taste)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin (maybe more)
1 tsp cinnamon (I used more of this, too)
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed
1 large can pumpkin puree

small corn tortillas (I used about 17)
1 bag Mexican mix finely shredded cheese
2 cans medium red enchilada sauce (I think I used Old El Paso brand)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil over medium heat in large skillet. Add onions and peppers. When onions become translucent. Stir in garlic. Add remaining spices. Reduce heat to med-low. Add black beans and pumpkin. Mix all ingredients together and remove from heat.

To assemble enchiladas:

Spray 9"x13" or a few 8"x8" baking pans with non-stick spray. Place about 1/2 T of cheese mixture on a tortilla. Add 1/4 - 1/3 C of pumpkin mixture on top and roll tortilla - not too tight - corn tortillas tend to be fragile. Place folded side down in baking pan. Repeat, placing enchiladas closely, side by side, until pan is full or you run out of ingredients. Pour some sauce over enchiladas. Don't drown the enchiladas. You should still be able to see them under the sauce. You'll need more than one can, but still have a lot left over. Sprinkle more of the cheese over the sauce and bake for 20-30 minutes. Enjoy.

Cake Balls

2010-11-12T20:15:00.000-08:00

1 chocolate cake mix (and ingredients on back of box)
1 tub cherry frosting
2 packages milk chocolate almond bark
1 package white chocolate almond bark (opt.)

Bake cake according to directions on box.
While cake is hot and fresh from oven, mix and mash together with tub of frosting till it's one ooey gooey mess.
Place ooey gooey mess in freezer till completely cold.
Roll ooey gooey mess into one-inch balls.
Melt almond bark.
Roll cake balls in chocolate, covering completely.
Place cake balls on wax paper.
Cut small hole in corner of zip-loc bag and put white chocolate inside bag.
Squeeze white chocolate in zig-zags over the cake balls (I did a really sloppy job because the bag exploded).
Leave cake balls on wax paper until chocolate hardens.

You can potentially use any combination of cake and frosting for this recipe. Chocolate cake with cherry frosting is my favorite. I have also added orange extract to vanilla frosting and used that with chocolate cake. That was scrumptious as well. You can also roll cake balls in white chocolate. Be creative!

Apple-Cinnamon Butternut Squash Soup

2010-11-09T08:22:00.000-08:00

8 cups cubed seeded peeled butternut squash (2 medium)

1 large apple, peeled, chopped

1 large onion, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon pepper

4 cups chicken broth

1 container (6 oz) Greek plain yoghurt

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

In a large soup pot combine all ingredients except yoghurt and chives.

Cover and heat to boiling.
Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Blend 1/3 of the mixture at a time or use an immersion blender and blend until smooth.
Return to pot - add yoghurt and mix well.
Serve sprinkled with chives.

recipe modified from here.

Olive Garden Spinach & Artichoke Dip

2010-09-29T11:14:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from food.com, my comments are in parentheses. I love this stuff!!

2 fresh artichokes
1 lemon, juice of, squeezed
1 teaspoon salt

OR

1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and sliced (I used fresh, but I LOVE canned. Mmmmm.)
1 lb cream cheese, room temperature
8 ounces Mascarpone cheese, room temperature (This is Italian cream cheese. It comes in a tub.)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, sifted
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme leave
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 fresh garlic clove, minced
5 green onions, chopped
salt
ground black pepper
1 (6 ounce) package fresh spinach, chopped
(I added 4-5 slices bacon, cooked crisp then crumbled)
8 slices crusty Italian bread (I used a round loaf of sour dough, sliced thin.)
extra virgin olive oil-to drizzle on bread (I didn't do this step)

1. Artichoke Preparation:.
2. TRIM off stems and dry leaves/ends of leaves
3. BOIL artichokes in 3 quarts water with 1 tsp salt and lemon juice for 30 minutes.
4. COOL artichokes. Clean, peel, remove center “choke” (the hairy part) and slice artichoke.
5. FOLLOW Dip Preparation steps below.
6. Dip Preparation:
7. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
8. MIX all ingredients in a large bowl, except bread and extra virgin olive oil. (Room temperature cheese wasn't soft enough to stir, so I microwaved it all together for almost a minute. I figured it was going to get baked anyway.)
9. COAT a large non-stick baking pan with pan spray; fill pan with mixture. Bake at 325ºF for about 25 minutes or until bubbling and center is hot.
10. DRIZZLE both sides of bread with extra virgin olive oil. Grill bread on both sides. (I left out the oil and just used my toaster.)
11. SPRINKLE top of heated dip with Parmesan cheese. Serve hot with grilled bread.

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Cheese

2010-09-29T11:11:00.000-07:00

I wouldn't say this is the most delicious thing I've ever eaten, but if anyone ever gives me Brussels spouts, I will make this again rather than throw them away.

6 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 small onion, julienned
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 small Granny Smith apple, cored and chopped
1 recipe Basic Brussels Sprouts, recipe follows
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon whole-grain Dijon mustard
1-ounce blue cheese, crumbled
Pinch freshly ground nutmeg

Place the bacon into a 10-inch straight-sided saute pan and set over medium-high heat. Cook bacon until crisp and brown. Remove bacon and all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the pan using a slotted spoon. Decrease the heat to low. Add the onion and cook just until they turn semi-translucent, approximately 3 minutes. Add the salt and apple and continue to cook for another minute. Add the Brussels sprouts, heavy cream and mustard and cook just until the Brussels sprouts are heated through, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the bacon, blue cheese and nutmeg. Serve immediately.

Basic Brussels Sprouts

* 1 pound Brussels sprouts, rinsed
* 1/2 cup water
* 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Cut off the stem end of the Brussels sprouts and remove any yellowing outer leaves. Cut each Brussels sprout in half from top to bottom. Place the Brussels sprouts, water and salt into a 3 to 4-quart saucier and cover. Place over high heat and cook for 5 minutes or until tender. Remove and serve immediately.

Olive Garden Stuffed Mushrooms

2010-09-29T11:08:00.000-07:00

A recipe from recipezaar, now food.com. Anthony really likes Olive Garden's stuffed mushrooms, so we gave these a shot. My comments are in parentheses.

8-12 fresh mushrooms (I used 17 large-ish ones)
1 (6 ounce) can clams, drained and finely minced, save 1/4 cup of clam juice for stuffing
1 green onion, finely minced
1 egg, beaten (I used 2 because I had so many mushrooms)
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 cup Italian style breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon oregano leaves
1 tablespoon melted butter, cooled
2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon finely grated romano cheese
2 tablespoons finely grated mozzarella cheese; for stuffing
1/4 cup finely grated mozzarella cheese; for garnish (I substituted all cheeses for Kraft's Italian Cheese Blend)
1/4 cup melted butter
fresh parsley; for garnish (I never use parsley)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Lightly oil a small baking dish.
3. Gently wash and stem mushrooms; pat dry. Save stems for another recipe. (I included the stems to bulk up my stuffing.)
4. Combine clams, onions, garlic salt, minced garlic, butter and oregano in a bowl and mix well.
5. Add Italian bread crumbs, egg, clam juice, mixing well.
6. Add Parmesan, Romano, and Mozzarella cheeses to the clam stuffing and mix well.
7. Place approximately 1 1/2 teaspoons of the clam stuffing mixture inside mushroom cavity and slightly mound (You should be able to stuff between 8- 12 mushrooms depending on the size of mushrooms. I stuffed 17 and had way more than enough left over. Maybe I should have left out the stems...).
8. Place the stuffed mushrooms in slightly oiled baking dish and pour 1/4 cup melted butter over the top of the mushrooms.
9. Cover and place in oven for about 35- 40 minutes. (This is important! I forgot to cover it and all the cheese and butter in the bottom of the pan burned!)
10. Remove cover; sprinkle the 1/4 cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese on top and pop back in oven just so the cheese melts slightly.
11. Garnish with freshly diced parsley.
12. Serve hot.

Apricot-Pineapple Jam

2010-09-27T10:47:00.000-07:00

I looked and looked online and only found one recipe that asks for fresh pineapple. The rest say canned.

This is DELICIOUS! I posted the recipe as I found it, and my notes are after it.

5 cups of apricots, (skins removed and pitted--about 4 pounds)
1 medium sized pineapple, peel and core removed (about 1 cup)
1 Box Pectin
6 cups sugar, divided (4 1/2 cups and 1 1/2 cups)
1 pat butter

EQUIPMENT NEEDED:
Water bath canning pot and rack. (I used a steam canner and it worked fine.)
Clean jars, lids and rims.
Clean towels, long tongs and a jar lifter (or tongs with rubber grips)
Pot of water for metal lids and rims.
Bowl of ice water (to remove apricot skins)

To easily remove apricot skins, cut a small “x” at the bottom of each fruit.
Gently dunk into a pot of boiling water for 1-2 minutes.
Remove, with a slotted spoon.
Starting with the “x”, peel the skins off by sliding with your thumbs. It’s that easy!

Using a food processor (or by hand, if you prefer), pulse the apricots until they are chunky smooth— not pureed. You want bits of apricot for texture.Strain the apricots and reserve the juice.

For the pineapple:
Trim the pineapple by removing the top, cutting off the shell and then cutting into quarters.
Removing the core, is easier.

I like to use my food processor, but you can cut the pineapple, by hand. I pulse the cut pineapple until it’s fine but not pureed.

Strain the pineapple, reserving the juice with the apricot juice. I ended up with about 3/4 cups juice.

In a large pot, add the fruit, box of pectin and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Combine and bring to a low boil.

Slowly stir in the remaining sugar.Bring to a continuous roll, stirring frequently, so it doesn’t stick.

Bring to a gel stage (approximately 10 minutes).

I like to chill a plate in my freezer. Spoon a little of the cooked fruit on the cold plate. Run your finger through it, and see if it separates. Let is sit a minute more and feel the texture. If it gels, it’s ready.

Pour into sterilized clean class jars with lids.

Set the filled jars in a rack, covered by at least 2” of boiling water. Keep the pot covered and set a timer for 10 minutes, from when the water begins to rapidly boil.

Remove from the pot, carefully, with a jar lifter onto a clean towel.

Listen for the “pop” of the vacuum on the lids…and/or press a finger on the top. If it’s firm, you have a good vacuum.

If a jar is not sealed, properly, you can repeat the water bath boil method, or refrigerate this jar and eat within 2 weeks.

A few things happened when I was making the jam.

First: I forgot the butter. No big deal, my sister says it just keeps the jam from foaming. But I scooped the foam into one of the jars and I'm just eating that one first and it's VERY yummy!

Second: The lady says to reserve the juice, but then doesn't say what to do with it. My sister says you use that if you don't have enough fruit to make 5 cups or whatever. This would have been good to know, because I only had 4 cups apricots and I ended up pureeing one cup of pineapple and mixing it in, then chopping up another cup for the pineapple bits. Still tasty, but it gives it a much stronger pineapple flavor.

Third: The tip about the plate REALLY helped. My sister was trying to explain how to test for the gel stage by dipping a spoon in the jam, but when I did it, it still seemed super runny. But when I put it on the plate after the 10 minutes of cooking, it jammed right up.

This is the first time I've ever made jam and it was super easy!

Island Pork Tenderloin Salad

2010-09-27T10:42:00.000-07:00

This is another P90X recipe. OMG, it is the best salad on the planet! I crave it all the time! It's a lot of work, but so worth it!

The Pork:
16 oz Lean Pork Tenderloin
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/2 t chile powder
1/2 t ground cumin
1/2 t cinnamon
2 T olive oil
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 T fresh garlic, finely chopped
1/2 T Tabasco sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1. Stir together salt, pepper, cumin, chile powder, and cinnamon, then coat pork with the spice rub.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over moderately high heat and brown pork, turning, about 4 minutes
3. Stir together brown sugar, garlic, and Tabasco and pat onto top of tenderloin. Place pork in a roasting pan and cook in the oven for 20 minutes. (It took closer to 35 for me, but my oven is wacky.)
**I used a glass brownie pan and covered it with foil, so the juices wouldn't escape. Then I pull the pork instead of cutting it in pieces. I also like to make the meat in double batches, and freeze the leftovers, because this is the most time consuming part of the salad.

The Dressing; Cumin Vinaigrette:
4 T Fresh Lime Juice
1 T Orange Juice
1 T Dijon Mustard
1 t Cumin Powder
1/2 t Salt
1/4 t Black Pepper
2 T Olive Oil

Whisk together. Store covered in refrigerator
**The easiest way to measure fresh juice from something, is to squeeze it into a bowl and then spoon it out. Do NOT try to squeeze straight into the spoon!

The Salad:
1 orange, peeled and cut
3 cups fresh spinach
1.5 red bell pepper, cut in strips
1/2 cup golden raisins
3 cups cabbage, shredded
16 oz Island Pork Tenderloin
cumin vinaigrette dressing

1. Peel and cut oranges crosswise into ¼ inch thick slices and set aside.
2. Toss spinach, cabbage, bell pepper, and raisins in a large bowl.
3. Prepare the dressing.
4. Mound salad mixture on a large plate. Arrange pork and orange slices on top and drizzle with dressing.

Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes

2010-09-27T10:32:00.000-07:00

Since you make these with whole wheat flour, you can pretend they're healthy! Right up until you pour syrup all over them. They are my FAVORITE pancakes, and they taste good even after you refrigerate them.

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk (I used regular milk)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1 cup frozen blueberries

Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine buttermilk, oil, egg, and egg white, stirring with a whisk; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Add frozen blueberries.

Heat a nonstick griddle or nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Spoon about 1/4 cup batter per pancake onto griddle. Turn pancakes over when tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked. Serve with syrup and butter.

Notes:
If you use tiny blueberries, don't use a full cup. it will be blueberry overload!
Sometimes I like to mash in 1 or 2 super ripe bananas. This makes them VERY moist (which I like) but maybe you'd want to cut back on the milk to 1 1/3 cups instead of 1 1/2.

Miso Soup

2010-09-26T20:08:00.000-07:00

We got this recipe from a P90X cookbook, but made a few alterations. I'm also going to give you some tips:

*Miso is soy bean curd. They sell it at Asian grocery stores. It's about a pound, and in the refrigerated section. I used yellow Miso.
*Tofu goes bad after about a week. If the water is discolored, or it's extra slimy, or it smells bad, throw it away. To prolong the life of your tofu, you should replace the water every day and keep it in an airtight container. Tofu is also found in the refrigerated section, but you can get it at most grocery stores.

Miso Soup

½ t Dark Sesame Oil

⅓ c Onions -- finely chopped

3 T Miso

1 quart Vegetable Stock

¼ c Firm Silken Tofu – diced

Optional: 3-6 finely sliced mushrooms

3 T Green Onion -- sliced for garnish

1. Heat the sesame oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent.

2. Add the vegetable stock and bring to a simmer. Remove a small amount of stock and dissolve miso in it. Add miso, tofu, and mushrooms to stock. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.

3. To serve, ladle into bowls and garnish each serving with green onion.

Sorry I don't have any pictures!

Almost Vegetarian Lemon Zucchini Cornmeal Cookies

2010-08-01T13:55:00.003-07:00

Somehow, we’ve got three full bags of powdered sugar in our 2 bedroom apartment. I have a suspicion they are leftovers from cupcakes never made, but I couldn’t tell you for certain. Anyway, when I happened upon a recipe that would use the leftover summer squash in my fridge and powdered sugar, I was sold. Luckily, these little cookies taste great too and are fairly healthy for you too. Well, healthy enough that I didn’t feel too guilty about eating them for breakfast and Kelli triumphantly called them “Vegetarian Cookies!” (Somehow she’s embraced my almost-vegetarianism as much as I have). When Kelli ate them, she said that she loved them so much she wanted to get them pregnant. Now, if that’s not a voucher for these cookies-I’m not sure what is. Enjoy!

Adapted from Everyday Food

Lemon-Zucchini Cornmeal Cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon packed finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/2 cup fine cornmeal
1 medium summer squash or zucchini, grated on small holes of a box grater (about 1 cup)

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, mix butter and sugar with a wooden spoon until pale and fluffy. Stir in vanilla, lemon zest, and salt. Add flour and cornmeal and mix until mixture is crumbly. Add zucchini and stir until a thick dough forms.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoons, 2 inches apart, onto two parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until cookies are light golden brown at edges, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cool completely on wire racks.

Makes 25 cookies.

Notes: I only had summer squash in my fridge so I used it. The cookies were delicious, and although the green specks of a zucchini would make the cookies a little less yellow or orange-feel free to use what you have.

The next time I make these I may add a little bit of spice, but they aren’t lacking for flavor at all.

Oatmeal choc chip cookies

2010-07-14T17:48:00.000-07:00

This is my new favourite cookie recipe. I used to have a picture but I can't find it. You should probably thank me.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup rolled oats, regular or quick
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 eggs
2 cups (1 bag) choc chips

Method:
Preheat over to 350'f.
Cover baking sheets with foil.
Blend oats until finely ground.
Combine oats, flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a mixing bowl.

In another bowl cream butter, sugars, vanilla and lemon juice.
Add eggs and beat until fluffy.

Stir flour mixture into egg mixture.
Blend well.
Add chocolate chips and mix well.
Scoop dough into balls and place on baking sheet.

Bake until lightly browned 16-18 minutes.
Transfer to cooling rack and cool completely.

Penne alla Betsy alla Laura

2010-07-04T18:00:00.000-07:00

This recipe is a Pioneer Woman recipe modified. It can be found on page 188 of her cookbook or here.

1 pound penne pasta
1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped - 1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 1/2 cups tomato sauce (14.5 ounces)

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup chopped parsley

6 basil leaves, cut in chiffonade

salt

pepper

Cook penne until al dente. Drain and set aside.

Heat oil and butter in sauce pan.
Add onion and garlic. Saute until onion is translucent.

Add chicken stock and simmer.

Pour in tomato sauce and stir.
Reduce heat.

Pour in cream and stir.
Simmer.
Add basil and parsley. Stir.
Add cooked pasta and stir gently.
Add more broth if too thick.

Season well.

Serve.

You can add shrimp, chicken, bacon, sausage or olives. Dress it up, dress it down. Sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top... YUM!

Stuart's Pico

2010-06-27T15:12:00.000-07:00

6 tomatoes
2 med. onions
~10 tomatillos
1/2 a bunch of cilantro
salt
pepper
lime juice
lemon juice

Dice and mix all vegetables.
Finely chop cilantro
Add lime and lemon juice to taste along with salt and pepper
For some heat and a nice flavour add a couple of jalapeños

Black Beans

2010-06-27T13:38:00.001-07:00

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/3 c. tomato juice
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro

In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it.
Add beans, tomato juice, and salt.
Continually stir until heated through.
Just before serving, stir in the cilantro.

(**NOTE** you can add a can of corn, drained, to the beans with a dash of cumin and chili powder.)

Bajio Sweet rice

2010-06-27T13:32:00.000-07:00

1/2-1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 of a white onion, chopped (add more or less to your taste or use green onion)
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
1 1/3 cups raw white rice
3 cups chicken broth
1/4-1/2 cup white sugar

Directions

Put a little oil in bottom of pan (maybe about 1/2-1 tablespoon).

Saute chopped onion until translucent. Add the chopped cilantro (no big stems) and saute a minute more.

Add the rice, cooking until it is light brown (being careful not to burn).

Combine the chicken broth and sugar, letting sugar dissolve. Then stir into rice until combined. Bring to a boil.

Cover and let cook on low, med-low until rice is done, about 25-30 minutes.

Fluff with a fork before serving.

Scalloped Potatoes

2010-05-23T20:47:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
1 (8 ounce) package Cream Cheese
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1 cup chicken broth
3 pounds potatoes, thinly sliced
1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
Handful of chopped green onion

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix cream cheese, sour cream and broth in large bowl until well blended.
Add potatoes, onion, 1-3/4 cups of the cheese; stir gently to coat all ingredients.
Spoon into 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.
Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake 1 hour or until casserole is heated through and potatoes are tender.

This is such a versatile recipe - add ham, different cheese etc. This recipe accompanied the sugar glazed pork below... don't trust the potato picture, it's much tastier than it looks.

Sticky, yummy, brown sugary pork roast.

2010-05-23T20:38:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
1 pork roast, about 5 pounds (pulled pork roast)
1 clove garlic, cut in half (a teaspoon of minced garlic)
salt and pepper

Glaze:
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (normal yellow mustard)
3 tablespoons balsamic or cider vinegar (normal distilled vinegar)
Preparation:

Rub pork roast all over with cut sides of the garlic; sprinkle with
salt and pepper.
Place roast on a rack in a roasting pan.
Roast at 325° for about 2 hours.

Brush with glaze (see below)
Continue roasting for about 30 minutes longer, or until pork registers 160 to 170 degrees F. when a meat thermometer is inserted into a meaty part of the roast (not touching bone).

Brown Sugar Glaze:
Combine glaze ingredients in a saucepan; blend well.
Stir over medium-low heat until bubbly.
Set aside.

Let roast rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Serves 6 to 8.

Text in bold is changes I made to the recipe. It turned out DELICIOUS.

Summer Strawberry Tart!

2010-05-03T17:21:00.000-07:00

What you need:
1 pie crust
1 pint of whipping cream, whipped and sweetened
1 punnit of strawberries
1 tub of strawberry glaze

Whip the cream and put it in the crust.
Half the strawberries and put on top of the cream.
Smother with strawberry glaze.
Chill.

(If you have the will power to chill it rather than just digging in don't forget to cover it. Cream sucks up the smell of anything in the fridge and makes it taste like it.)

What are your favourite summer recipes?

Chicken Pie & Garlic Mashed Potatoes

2010-02-11T11:38:00.000-08:00

This is a variation on a pie that my brother's girlfriend made for us over Christmas. The ingredients in brackets are my variation. You can make it either way and feel free to add your own extra's.

Ingredients:
Roast chicken, stripped (2 cooked chicken breasts cubed)
1 chopped onion
4 rashers of bacon, raw (10 rashers of streaky/American bacon, raw)
2-3 cans of Campbell's cream of mushroom soup (3 cans of Campbell's cream of mushroom soup)
puff pastry

(I added: a good shake of paprika and a few handfuls of baby carrots cut into thirds.)

Method:

Put chicken, onion, bacon (chopped and raw), soup and anything else you fancy into a bowl and mix.
Put mixture into a 9x13 pyrex dish.
Cover with pastry. I use one package of Pepperidge Farm puff pastry. Fold under the extra dough around the edges to lift it off of the soupy mixture a little.
Score the top of the pastry but don't cut all the way through it - this helps it puff up better.

Bake at 375'f for 45 minutes.

Garlic Parmesan Mashed potatoes
Ingredients:
Potatoes with skins still on - I make enough for leftovers to go with the leftover pie.
Butter
Milk/sour cream
Garlic powder
Salt and Pepper
Parmesan cheese

Boil the potatoes until soft and strain
Put potatoes, a good nob of butter, good shake of garlic powder and a splash of milk in a big bowl.
Use a handheld whisk or food mixer to whisk the potatoes.
Once chunks are all out add more milk, salt and pepper, mix again.
Taste. Add more of what you think it needs. You can also add some cream cheese to it.

Once it's the consistency you like - I like them light and fluffy so I whisk them on high for a bit and add a touch more milk to fluff them up.
Once it tastes good put it in an over safe dish, don't squish it down.
Put a few pats of butter on top and sprinkle parmesan cheese over.
Put in the oven with the pie for the last 20 minutes or so of baking.

Cheesy Chicken Chowder:

2010-01-30T12:39:00.000-08:00

From page 33 of Taste of Home's Prize Winning Recipes cookbook.

3 cups chicken broth
2 cups diced, peeled potatoes
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced onion
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
2 cups milk
2 cups grated cheese
2 cups diced, cooked chicken

In a 4 quart saucepan bring chicken broth to a boil.
Reduce heat; add potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, salt and pepper.
Cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium saucepan; add flour and mix well.
Gradually stir in milk; cook over low heat until slightly thickened.
Stir in cheese and cook until melted.

Add cheese mixture to broth and add chicken.
Cook and stir over low heat until heated through.

Yield: 6-8 servings.

*I didn't add celery but did add a lot more onion. Broccoli would be a good add to this as would bacon. It's so good!

Rocky Road Fudge

2009-12-09T23:02:00.000-08:00

1 package (12oz) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 tbsp margarine or butter
1 package (10.5oz) mini marshmallows

Grease 8x8 or 9x9 metal baking pan; line with plastic wrap. Get the wrinkles out.
In a 4 quart saucepan combine chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, peanut butter and margarine.
Cook over medium heat 2-3 minutes or until ingredients are melted, stir constantly.
Remove from the heat.
Stir marshmallows into fudge mixture.
Pour evenly into lined pan - if you have any left over marshmallows you can sprinkle them on top.
Cover with plastic wrap and squish it all down so it's all level and the corners are filled.
Refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours.
Turn fudge onto cutting board.
Remove plastic wrap and cut.

Try and share it. I dare you.

Tortellini Caeser Salad

2009-11-09T17:48:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
Romaine hearts
Crutons
Grated parmesan cheese
Caesar dressing
Tortellini's

Method:
Cook the tortellini's.
Toss them in a bowl with some butter and salt.
Assemble salad in a big bowl.
Add tortellini's and toss with salad.
Serve with dressing.

It's so simple and hearty. I could eat it every day. Yum! You can also substitute tortellini's for ravioli.

Super basic Sweet and Sour sauce

2009-11-08T18:11:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 (13 1/4 oz.) can pineapple chunks
1/3 c. white vinegar
1 tbsp. soy sauce

Method:
Mix brown sugar and cornstarch in skillet.
Stir in pineapple with juice, vinegar and soy sauce.
Heat to boiling, stirring constantly; reduce heat.
Simmer a while.

I poured the sauce over frozen meatballs in the crockpot and cooked for a few hours then served it over rice.

This sauce is really easy and pretty basic. Feel free to add more things for flavour. Next time I might add some hot chilli paste to give it more flavour and zing.

2009-06-28T15:36:00.000-07:00

Skillet Potatoes and Onions!

EASY No Flour Cookies

2009-05-21T14:01:00.000-07:00

So Laura showed me this recipe a long time ago when we all lived back in Idaho! (okay... not really THAT long) They are yummy and delicious and SO EASY!

1 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup Peanut Buter
1 egg
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4tstp salt
chocolate chips

(I like to add a little vanilla for flavoring but thats up to you)

Bake in the oven at 350 for 8-10 min depending on pan and altitude.

Enjoy!

Chicken Enchiladas

2009-05-07T15:07:00.001-07:00

Chicken enchiladas

1 lb chicken cut into strips (I usually buy the already cooked chicken at Costco.)
1 8oz package cream cheese, cut into cubes
1 4.5oz can chopped green chiles
1 package of soft flour tortillas
2 cans of green chile enchilada sauce (it's green sauce, not red. made that mistake once!)
shredded cheese

Oven 400*. Spray a 13x9 baking dish with spray.

Cook chicken. (I sprinkle in some taco seasoning cuz we like it hot)

Add cream cheese and chiles to cooked chicken pan. Stir until melted. (Keep on eye on it, the cream cheese burns pretty fast.)

Spoon chicken filling into tortillas; roll up and place seam sides down in baking dish. Pour enchiladas sauce over the top; sprinkle with cheese.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes.

This is my basic recipe. I add things to it like corn, or peppers, or whatever is in the fridge.

We top them off with sour cream and salsa.

It makes a whole pan full of enchiladas.

Taco Soup

2009-04-06T10:16:00.000-07:00

This is a family favorite and is super easy! I will post a picture the next time I make it.

1lb ground beef
1 taco seasoning packet
1 can pinto beans
1 can black beans
1 can white beans
2 cans kidney beans (do not drain any of the beans)
1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can corn (you can use frozen corn too)

Brown the ground beef, drain off fat, then add taco seasoning. Put beans, tomatoes, and corn in crock pot or large pot on stove, add the ground beef. Cook on the low in the crock pot for about 2hrs, cook for about 1 hr on the stove on low. It basically just needs to warm up but is much more savory if you cook it for a bit.

Serve with shredded cheese and sour cream on top. We like to add tortilla chips or Fritos to it to give it a little crunch. It freezes fabulously as well. Enjoy.

Skillet Enchiladas

2009-03-18T14:33:00.000-07:00

These are easy and delicious.

You need:
1lb of meat - ground beef or chicken
Diced onion

1/2 cup of milk
1 10oz can of enchilada sauce - green or red, either is fine
1 can cream of mushroom soup undiluted
flour toritillas
grated cheese

2 tblsp diced green chili

Heat skillet and brown meat and onion.
Add enchilada sauce, soup, milk and chilis
Bring to a boil.
Turn down. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Fill tortillas with cheese and roll up.
Bury in soupy sauce mixture.
Cover with cheese.

Cover and heat for 5 minutes or so until cheese is melty.

Serve with salsa and sour cream.

*You can use less meat and add some black beans to it instead. Whatever you fancy.

Thai Red Curry:

2009-01-23T12:08:00.000-08:00

For this delicious recipe go here. You won't be sorry!

Hello and thank you for the warm oven welcome.....

2009-01-18T15:21:00.000-08:00

This is such a simple recipe that I think it funny to even post but for the fact that many of us have extra potatoes ...We all need something warm to eat and this is so inexpensive to do ..Gama Idell taught me how to to this oh so easy and yummy potato recipe ...

Please forgive me as most of my recipes are from my mind measurements and I really do cook to taste....That is why I have given you all pictures ...lol

Pre-Heat Oven to 375ish depends on where you live altitude and all

Take 4 to 6 baking potatoes and cut them up into cubes
(Or the size that makes you happy)
Chop two onions
(What ever kind you have or like)
Now add chopped Garlic
(One clove is good but again your taste is important)
Now mix it all together on the baking sheet coating it all in Olive oil
Season to taste
Salt ---pepper---Paprika
and any other seasons that you like

Place it on the middle rack in the oven turn the potatoes once while cooking about 20 minutes in...then they become a bit brown yet not crunchy....

Voila yummy in the tummy roasted potatoes for all

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

2008-12-15T13:55:00.000-08:00

This may not be kosher, and may be a little tacky but my first recipe contribution can be found on my blog here.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas:

2008-12-09T12:51:00.000-08:00

This is a recipe Stuart makes when we're having people over. They always ask for the recipe and I never get around to giving it to them... Today is your lucky day.

Indgredients:
12 flour or corn tortillas
¼ cup chopped onion
4 cups sour cream
1 tsp. garlic powder
2-3 cups cooked chicken, cut up
1tbs or more chili powder
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2-3 cups grated cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 large can refried beans
1 small can green chilies

In a large bowl, mix together chicken, sour cream, soups, chilies, onions, garlic powder, and chili powder.
Add 1 ½ cups grated cheese.
Mix.
Down the center of each tortilla, spread a line of refried beans, then a line of sour cream mixture.
Fold ends to middle and roll up.
Place seam side down in a 13x9” pan.
Continue with all tortillas.
Then spread remaining sour cream mixture on top.
Sprinkle remaining cheese over all.
Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Kimbap (Korean style sushi)

2008-12-09T11:54:00.000-08:00

This one is a little bit exotic but is one of my most favorite healthy foods ever!

After having lived in Korea I get occasional cravings for seaweed rice roll its SO good! (I made the video for another post last summer while experimenting with my new mac!)

Basically each roll makes about eight pieces minus the end’s. Kimbap stores ok wrapped in foil and kept refrigerated. but It's best eaten right after it is made.

Good kimbap has about 7 different fillings- which ingredients I can not find here! For one simple roll kimbap you will need:

a bamboo mat to roll sushi with

1 sheet sushi nori (seaweed)

1 parboiled carrot cut into strips length wise but not too cooked, you want it with some chew to it!

1 cucumber cut strips length wise
2 fish (crab) sticks sliced in half longways

1 egg beaten lightly with a fork and fried, then cut into strips

1 smoked sausage and/or 4 crabsticks

1tsp sesame oil for brushing (tastes great and helps sesame seeds stick)

1/2tsp toasted sesame seed’s to garnish

Soy sauce to acompany

You need rice that is sticky, you can use sushi rice or.. what I do- a MUCH cheaper alternative- use pudding rice instead I wouldn’t even know the difference really after even having eaten loads of it in Korea. Rice cookers can cook the rice to perfection, otherwise I think two cups of water to every cup of rice about does it. Once rice is cooked you can mix in some rice vinegar (optional) then put the rice aside and let cool.

meanwhile parboil carrots, and slice all vegetables, smoked sausage, fishsticks, thinly scrambled eggs (whatever your filling) in long slender strips (not too chunky) I also make another one using just processed cheese and tuna that kids often prefer.

Put the seaweed on bamboo mat shiny side down and spread rice on about 1cm thick careful not to cover the edges (wetting your fingers with water will stop the rice sticking to them and make rice easier to spread!)

Put the fillings in the center of the layer of rice

Roll using the bamboo mat (this can take some practice first)

Wet the inside of the edge being rolled towards with water and roll firmly over it to seal

Before slicing, brush top with sesame oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds

serve with a small accompaniment of soy sauce.

For more on how to roll with bamboo mat see video below.

Enjoy!

Chili and Spaghetti Squash

2008-12-07T23:27:00.000-08:00

Thanks for inviting me, Laura. If there's one thing I enjoy talking or reading about, it's food. Tonight I made chili. It's so simple, I don't even want to share it for fear of being scoffed at. But I will anyway.

1 lb ground turkey
1 onion
1 can black beans
2 28- oz cans diced tomatoes
1 package of chili seasoning

Dice the onion. Throw the meat into a skillet. Add onions. When the meat is brown, dump it into a big pot with the rest of the stuff. I wasn't sure I added enough seasoning with all the tomatoes, so after that, I threw in some cumin, oregano, ground pepper, cayenne pepper and garlic salt without measuring. Then just before serving, I put in about 5 dashes of hot sauce, like Cholula. This is the worst recipe in the world. Then we put shredded cheese on top, the Kraft Mexican blend. I also got out the sour cream for a topping, but I was the only one who used it. So I'd say it's an option you can do without.

As for the spaghetti squash, it was my first time cooking it, so I just looked for an online recipe and the one I found was gross. It's got ricotta and sage in it. I already had some sage, that's why I went with this recipe. Don't use it! My husband ate it but he eats everything. I only finished my portion because I kept thinking it would taste better if I ate more. There's also garlic in it and you throw some roasted pine nuts on top. I spent $5 for a little package of those things. What a waste. Good thing I only wasted half the squash on that recipe. Now I've got to find something good to do with the rest of it.

Hearty Lasgna Soup

2008-12-03T14:06:00.000-08:00

This is a quick and really easy soup recipe I got off campbellskitchen.com.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. dried parsley flakes
3 1/2 cups Swanson® Beef Broth (Regular, 50% Less Sodium or Certified Organic)
1 can (14 .5 oz.) diced tomatoes
1/4 tsp. dried Italian seasoning, crushed
1 1/2 cups uncooked mafalda or corkscrew-shaped pasta
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Cook beef, onion, garlic and parsley in 3-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat 10 min. or until beef is well browned, stirring often. Pour off fat.

Stir broth, tomatoes and Italian seasoning in saucepan and heat to a boil.

Stir pasta in saucepan. Reduce heat to medium. Cook 10 min. or until pasta is tender. Stir in cheese. Serve with additional cheese, if desired.

Picture courtesy of: campbellskitchen.com

"Bad Day Soup" ~ or ~Tortilla Soup

2008-11-18T13:52:00.000-08:00

"Bad Day" Tortilla Soup

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Ingredients:

1/4 bunch cilantro, well washed (cut off the stems)

2-3 garlic cloves

1/2 small onion

4 oz can of green chilies

6 cups of chicken broth
2 cups of water

2 14.5 oz cans of tomatoes (at least one diced)
1 can of black beans drained and rinsed
1 can of corn drained and rinsed
1 Small can of chopped olives (OR lol a big can of whole.you decide!)
1 cup uncooked minute rice (about really it is up to you)
1 chicken bullion cube

1 tsp. ground cumin

1tsp. salt

2 Tbsp cornstarch (dissolved in a small amount of water to make it thicker)
1-2 cups cooked chicken or..lol (or I like 3 breasts or so)
Toppings:

Monterrey Jack cheese
1-2 avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced

sour cream

salsa
(I even life some fresh chopped red onion as well)

(Corn tortillas about 10 cut into thin slices and fry them in
vegetable oil)

(When it comes to food I'm no minimalist, I include all the toppings on my plate, so I didn't list anything as optional because I believe it shouldn't be. But if you can't even read the ingredient with out your stomach flipping by all means don't include it. But you're missing out.)

Preparation:

Puree cilantro, garlic, onion, chilies and 1 can of tomatoes in a food processor.

Heat chicken stock and add pureed mixture along with cumin and salt and water.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 40 minutes.
Add the beans, the can of diced tomatoes, olives and the corn at this point :)

Stir dissolved cornstarch into stock. (Don't add if you like thinner soup, add more- which I did, if you like more)

Add the chicken & rice to the stock. Cook for about 25 more minutes.

Fry cut tortilla strips in oil in batches until crisp (I add a little salt as I fry them) drain well.

Garnish or top with shredded cheese, tortilla strips, avocado, sour cream and salsa and whatever else you prefer. I suggest going with a fresca type salsa.

The avocado and sour cream taste so creamy and cool with the warm soup then you have the creaminess of the cheese and the crunchiness of the tortilla strips and chunks of chicken and salsa. This soup is a melody of textures, temperatures and tastes - my bad days totally melt away in this soup along with the cheese~

Stuffed Mushrooms:

2008-11-10T15:37:00.000-08:00

I made these for a fancy potluck dinner and they were delectable.

You need:
mushrooms
1 package cream cheese; softened
handful of green onions; finely sliced
1/4lb sausage, browned
pepper
1 tsp chopped garlic
hot sauce

Pull the stems out the mushrooms and chop them finely.
Heat a little butter in a frying pan and saute the chopped stems, onion and sausage with the garlic and pepper.
Once browned and nice put the mixture on a paper towel on a plate to cool.
Mix softened cream cheese with a shake of hot sauce and garlic powder if you want.
Once mushroomy mixture is cooler chuck it in the cream cheese and mix well.
Fill mushroom caps with cream cheese mixture.

Bake in a preheated oven at 400'f for 15-20 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender and clear juices are visable.

You can thicken the mixture by adding some parmesan cheese if you like. I meant to but it turned out fine without.

Tip: Use a cookie scoop to get cheese mixture into mushrooms.

Eggnog Cream Pie

2008-11-09T21:07:00.000-08:00

Eggnog cream pie

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes, chilled, divided
1 tablespoon cold water
1 cup whole milk
1 cup eggnog
1/2 cup sugar
6 egg yolks
1 teaspoon cinnamon, plus additional for garnish
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, plus additional for garnish
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons rum, brandy or whiskey (optional)

In a large bowl, stir together 1 cup of the flour and the salt. Add the chilled cubed butter. Use your hands or a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour until the butter pieces are slightly smaller than a pea and the mixture resembles cornmeal. Add the water and gently stir the mixture together with your hands or a fork just until the mixture is moist but not sticky. If the mixture is too dry, add cold water 1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches the desired consistency.
Alternatively, in a food processor combine 1 cup of the flour and the salt. Pulse to mix. Add the chilled cubed butter and pulse until the butter pieces are slightly smaller than a pea and the mixture resembles cornmeal. Add the water and pulse until the mixture is moist but not sticky. If the mixture is too dry, add cold water 1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches the desired consistency.
Lay a sheet of plastic wrap on the counter and turn the dough onto it. Push the dough together to form a ball and wrap well in the plastic. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days.
Heat the oven to 400 F.
Lightly dust the counter with flour. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out to about 1/8 -inch thickness. Transfer dough to a 9-inch pie plate and press it gently into the plate.
Trim the overhanging dough to about 1 inch all around the edge. Fold the overhang under itself so that it rests on the lip of the pie plate and decorate the edges as desired.
Use a fork to prick the bottom of the pie crust several times. Line the crust with a piece of foil large enough to hang over the edges. Fill the shell with enough baking weights or dried beans to cover the bottom and go halfway up the sides.
Bake the crust until pale golden brown, about 15 minutes, then remove the foil and baking weights and continue baking until deep golden brown, about 10 minutes more. Transfer the pie shell to a cooling rack and cool to room temperature.
To make the filling
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the milk, eggnog and 1/4 cup of the sugar. Bring to a gentle simmer.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl whisk together the egg yolks, remaining 1/4 cup of flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. When the milk and eggnog mixture is at a simmer, remove the pan from the heat.
While whisking, slowly pour about 1 cup of the warm milk mixture into the egg mixture. Then pour the egg mixture into the pan with the remaining milk and eggnog.
Return the pan to a medium heat. Stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, cook the mixture until it thickens to consistency of a heavy pudding, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Pour the mixture into the cooled pie shell and place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top, gently pressing so it touches the surface of the cream. Refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
Before serving the pie, whip the cream and liquor (if using) together until the cream holds stiff peaks. Remove the plastic wrap from the surface of the pie and evenly spread the whipped cream over the surface. If desired, lightly dust the top of the pie with cinnamon and nutmeg. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Makes 8 servings.

Baked Potato Soup!

2008-11-07T01:05:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year for comfort foods. The air is crisp and the skies are getting crowded. Here's one of my many winter recipes.

Baked Potato Soup

The indredients are: 6 To 8 slices bacon
1 cup Diced yellow onions
2/3 cup Flour
6 cups Hot chicken stock
4-6 cup Diced -- peeled baked Potatoes (Yeah I said baked. MUCH better flavor)
2 cup Heavy cream
1/4 cup Chopped parsley
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp Dried basil
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 tsp Coarse black pepper
1 cup Grated Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup Diced green onions -- white Part only
Additional chopped bacon -- Grated cheese and Chopped parsley for Garnish

I Fry bacon until crisp. Chop bacon and reserve drippings. Cook onions and garlic in remaining drippings over medium-high heat until transparent, about 3 minutes. Add flour, stirring to prevent lumps. Cook 3 - 5 minutes until mix just begins to run golden. Add chicken broth gradually, whisking to prevent lumps, until liquid thickens. Reduce heat to simmer and add potatoes, cream, chopped bacon, parsley, basil, salt, and black pepper. Simmer 10 minutes; DO NOT ALLOW TO BOIL. Add grated cheese and green onions. Heat until cheese melts smoothly.

Garnish with chopped bacon, grated cheese and chopped parsley.

Try it in a bread bowl and let me know how ya like it!

Pork Chops with a twist

2008-11-05T14:20:00.000-08:00

So last night, I defrosted some pork chops and went to get my can of chicken broth or cream of chicken (I have used both) and I didn't have either one!! (I know what is this world coming to?)
Anyway I had to cook them because I was not going to waste the $7 of meat. This was what I came up with.

4 pork chops
1 can of broccoli and cheddar soup
1 can of milk (I just filled the soup can with milk and poured it in)
1 cup of rice
some frozen broccoli (maybe 1/2 cup)
water

I put the soup and the milk together so it's mixed. Poured it into a 9x13 pan. Put the defrosted pork chops in there. Scattered the rice and frozen broccoli. And put enough water in there to cover the pork chops.

Put it in the oven at 375 for 15 minutes. Stirred it, making sure the broccoli was covered with water and put it back in for 10 more minutes.

It was sooooooo good. My hubby asked me to make it next week.

I went to take a picture and it was all gone. Someone (my hubby) had gone back for thirds!

Apple Streusel Muffins/Bread

2008-11-04T15:48:00.000-08:00

My mother-in-law gave us a HUGE box of apples, so I am desperately trying to find ways to use them all. I found this really good recipe for apple bread/muffins.

I doubled this recipe because I was trying to use as many apples as possible. I also made some changes to it to make it more heart healthy. I used wheat flour for 1 cup of the flour needed, splenda for the sugar, half applesauce for the oil, and egg whites instead of eggs. It turned out SO good!

1 1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1 cup apple, pared & shredded

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 egg, beaten

Streusel topping:

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 TB flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 TB butter

Voila!

Chinese spare ribs:

2008-11-04T14:51:00.000-08:00

Mmmmm! I made these a while ago but think I should share on here.

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 clove garlic minced
1/4tsp pepper
chunk of ginger
squirt of honey
squirt of hot sauce

Mix it all up and pour over meat - you could go as far as marninating it overnight.
Put meat and saucy juices in pan and bake at 400'f for 1 hour or BBQ the suckers.

Tom Venuto’s “pumpcakes” (pumpkin pancakes).

2008-11-04T14:19:00.000-08:00

7.5 oz (212 g) of canned pumpkin
1/3 cup (27 g) oatmeal dry
1/3 cup (40 g) multigrain or whole wheat pancake mix
1 scoop (26 g) vanilla (or plain) protein powder
4 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
Sweetener (brown sugar, stevia or splenda): Optional
Yield: makes 2 large (5 inch wide) pancakes

Nutrition information for 2 pancakes, unsweetened
Calories: 507
Protein: 44.1 g.
Carbs: 69.7 g.
Fat: 5 g.

Stuffed Mushrooms

2008-11-03T22:23:00.000-08:00

In the picture in the post below there's some stuffed mushrooms that are delicious and super easy. The recipe is here.

Stuart's Blackened Chicken Alfredo

2008-11-03T22:16:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
chicken breasts
1 cup diced red pepper
1 cup chopped scallions
1 cup button mushrooms (sliced)
2 Tbsps. olive oil
buttersalt & pepper
Cajun spices to coat chicken
Pasta sauce
pasta.

So all you have to do is cut the chicken up (I do one breast per person) and throw it in a ziplock bag with the cajun spices to coat the chicken. If you want more of a coating add more spices. I also like to use shrimp in place of the chicken.

Heat up a pan at about med-high and add about 4 tbls of butter to the pan. You may need to add more depending on how much chicken you are cooking.

After the chicken cooked set it aside and keep it warm.

Now it's time to cook the mushrooms. in a pan at medium heat add the olive oil, mushrooms and scallions.

Just sautee the mushrooms and salt and pepper to taste. I use an alfredo sause out of a jar, ragu works well.

While cooking everything else I have my pasta boiling.

After the pasta is done and the sauce has been heated serve and enjoy.

Chicken Parmesan

2008-10-31T13:06:00.000-07:00

Okay...well this is the cheater version that I made up the other day...& it only takes about as much time as it takes to boil your noodles.

Ingredients:
Noodles
Sauce
Frozen Chicken Patty (the kind that is breaded)
Parmesan

1. Boil your noodles...how ever much you normally cook when making spaghetti. I actually used cheese ravioli the other day because it sounded really good.

2. Cook up your chicken patties...I would say one per person & I cook mine in the toaster oven so that they aren't soggy. Once it's cooked I like to cut it up into strips just so it doesn't look like a chicken patty.

3. Heat up your sauce...I just use the stuff out of a bottle and nuke it for a bit.

4. Put some noodles on your plate, put some sauce on top, put the chicken on top of that and then add some parmesan.

5. Eat. I promise this is super good, and just as good as the real stuff from a restaurant.

This isn't the most appealing picture, but it get's the point across.

The best Roast EVER!!

2008-10-26T02:00:00.000-07:00

Hi girls!

K I don't have the recipe for this Best Roast EVER....cuz it's pretty-gosh-darn- easy!!

List:

Roast (we buy the cheap kind and about as big as a football)
<--A jar of pepperoncini (or banana peppers as Subway like to call them)
A can of beef broth
some water
Salt and Pepper
Red Peppers (like from a pizza place)

1. Put roast in the crockpot first. (It's okay if it's a little frozen in the center. I usually take it out of the freezer the night before and put it in the fridge.)

2. Pour the juice and everything of the pepperoncinis.

3. Pour in beef broth.

Add salt and pepper and red peppers, if you like.

Then cover roast with water.
(It will depend on how big you crockpot is, on how much water you put in. Don't worry about how much. All the flavor will stick around and the water will go away.)

Turn on low for 6 hours OR high for 4 hours.

This is a perfect Sunday meal. You stick in the crockpot just before you get ready to go to church. When you come home, make some mashed potatoes and you are set for dinner! Gotta love it!!

Tell me if you make this, and let me know what you think!PS This isn't my picture...I can't find mine...but it looks just as good, if not better!

PSS Leftovers are GREAT on sandwiches with melted cheese...I'm just saying!! YUM!

Spanish Style Beef and Rice

2008-10-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

I didn't have green pepper (that's a first), so I used red instead.
From Rachael Ray

I've taken this to pot lucks and gotten rave reviews.

2 cups beef stock
1 3/4 cups water
1 T butter
2 cups white enriched rice
1 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb ground sirloin
Salt and pepper
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 T Worcestershire sauce
2 cups tomato sauce
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Heat beef stock, water and butter to a full boil. Add rice, reduce heat and cover pot. Cook 20 minutes, until tender and liquids are absorbed. Heat a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and beef and season with salt and pepper. Brown meat, 2 or 3 minutes. Add onion, garlic, bell pepper, Worcestershire. Cook together 5 to 7 minutes, until veg are just tender. Add tomato sauce, cloves, cumin and parsley. Bring mixture up to a bubble and reduce heat to low. Combine cooked rice with meat mixture and serve.

This recipe is very versatile, you can even use it to stuff peppers.

Delicious Cabbage Rolls!

2008-10-22T20:05:00.000-07:00

Vola!

They look like this after you roll them

And this just before the oven

Ingredients
Sauce:
2 teaspoons butter
1 cup chopped yellow onions
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 (28-ounce) can chopped tomatoes and their juices
3/4 to 1 cup cream
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 head cabbage, cored and scalded in hot water until soft and easy to separate
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1 cup chopped yellow onions
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
1 cup cooked long-grain white rice
2 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 egg
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

To make the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and cream and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the vinegar and sugar and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and adjust the seasoning to taste.

Separate the cabbage leaves and remove the hard spine from each leaf. Spread on paper towels and pat dry. Set aside.

To make the stuffing, in a medium skillet melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until very wilted and starting to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

Lay the cabbage leaves, rib side down, on a flat work surface. Spread a thin layer of the sauce over the bottom of a baking dish. In a large bowl, combine the beef, pork, rice, Essence, salt, pepper, egg, and cooked onions. Mix well with a heavy wooden spoon or your hands.

One at a time, spoon the filling into the center of the cabbage leaves, about 1/4 cup in each, depending upon the size of the leaves. Roll each into a neat cylinder and place in a layer on the sauce in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining ingredients, stacking the cabbage packages, as necessary. Pour the remaining sauce over the rolls, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and bake until the meat is cooked through and the rolls are tender, about 2 hours. Remove from the oven and serve the rolls with the sauce spooned over the top.

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Yield: about 2/3 cup

I had been craving my Grandmas homemade cabbage rolls for weeks, and finally tried to make some. These were sooo good, and easy to make too! I might even go as far as they were a little better then Grandmas! lol I added one more tablespoon vinegar and one more tablespoon sugar into the sauce, just because I like that flavor. I also used short grain rice because I didn't have the other. yum

Paula Deen's Creamy Mac & Cheese

2008-10-20T20:14:00.000-07:00

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (an 8-ounce box isn't quite 2 cups)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stuck) butter, cut into pieces
2 1/2 cups (about 10 ounces) grated sharp Cheddar cheese
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed Cheddar cheese soup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions
Boil the macaroni in a 2 quart saucepan in plenty of water until tender, about 7 minutes.
Drain.
In a medium saucepan, mix butter and cheese.
Stir until the cheese melts.
In a slow cooker, combine cheese/butter mixture and add the eggs, sour cream, soup, salt, milk, mustard and pepper and stir well.
Then add drained macaroni and stir again.
Set the slow cooker on low setting and cook for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

Smelling this whilst it cooks will drive you insane. Mmmmm. I do prefer my own macaroni from scratch but it was nice to have this in the crock pot whilst going about my daily business and it tasted quite close to my own...

Fettuccine Alfredo

2008-10-18T08:19:00.000-07:00

I have an actual recipe today for you and it is sooo good and sooo easy! My sister-in-law actually gave it to me a long time ago and I never made it until the other day. It was really yummy & I should have used it sooner.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 lb. fettuccine (uncooked)
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breats, cut into strips (dont make the strips too small)
1 1/4 C chicken broth
4 tsp flour
4 oz (1/2 of 8oz pkg) Cream Cheese, cubbed
3 Tbs Parmesan Cheese (or more)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Cook pasta as directed on package.
Meanwhile heat large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high head. Add chicken; cook 5-7 min. or until chicken is cooked through, stirring occasionally. Remove from skillet. Mix broth and flour in same skillet. Stir in Cream Cheese, Parmesan Cheese, garlic powder and pepper; cook 2 min., stirring constantly until mixture boils and thickens. Stir in chicken. (add more water or broth if too thick)
Drain pasta; place in large bowl. Pour chicken mixture over pasta; toss to coat. Sprinkle with more Paremsan Cheese.

EAT AND ENJOY!

FYI- I was in a hurry and just used spaghetti noodles, and cut out the chicken so I could be fast and it was real yumy still.

Guacamole

2008-10-11T12:44:00.000-07:00

The following recipe is taken from the Rick Bayless cookbook, Authentic Mexican. This man is a genius! He's been on Iron Chef, has a plethora of books and has even hosted his own show on PBS. After you make this guacamole, you'll never buy any from the dairy section again.

1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno or 2 serrano peppers, stemmed seeded and finely chopped
1 ripe, medium large tomato, cored and very finely chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and very finely chopped
10 sprigs of fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped
3 ripe, medium avocados
salt, about 1/2 teaspoon
1/2 lime, juiced

1. In a medium-sized bowl, mix the finely chopped onion with the peppers with the tomato, garlic and coriander.

2. Close to the time you are going to serve, halve the avocados lengthwise from cutting from the stem to the flower ends, around the pits. Twist the avocado in opposite directions to loosen the meat from the pits, then scoop out the pits then reserve.

3. Using your hand or a spoon, roughly mash the avocado while mixing in the other ingredients , making a course, thick mass. Flavor with salt, then enough lime juice to add a little zing, if you wish. Return the pits to the guacamole and cover with a sheet of plastic wrap pressed directly ont0 the surface of the mixture. Set aside for a few minutes to let the flavors blend.

Returning the pits to the guacamole with help slow down the browning -- if it lasts that long.

4. The guacamole is very attractive in a pottery bowl or Mexican mortar, sprinkled with chopped onion, coriander, radish slices and crumbled fresh cheese; radish roses really dress it up.

QUICK Chicken Tortila Soup

2008-10-10T09:13:00.000-07:00

Okay well I am not a very technical cook. I just sort of add until it tastes good. Therefore it's sort of hard for me to give exact measurements, but here are my best directions:

3-4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
Chicken Broth
Rotel (or something with stewed tomato and green pepper)
Crushed Red Pepper
Minced Onion
Cheese
Corn Tortilas or Chips

Okay hopefullly this will make sense...sorry for not having EXACT measurments, but really I don't think you can screw this up...especially if I can do it.

Okay put your chicken in your soup pot and add your broth. As to how much broth to use: make sure that your chicken is covered. Your pot should be about half full of broth....make sense? Haha. Okay. Then your going to cook the chicken. Once it is cooked through I pull out the chicken breasts and shred it up into smaller pieces...you could cube it if you prefer that way. Then put your chicken back into your boiling broth. I then add a couple shakes of Crushed Red Pepper and a couple shakes of dehydrated onion in there, but you could use a real onion too, I just normally don't have a real one on hand.

It should look something like this:

Okay then you will add your Rotel. I used 2 cans of Rotel and this is what it looked like after I added it:

Then bring it back to a rolling boil.

Then while my soup is boiling I start to make some crunchy things for the soup. I like to use corn tortillas and kinda fry them up in vegetable oil until they are golden brown. I like this way better than chips because they stay crunchier longer when they are sitting in your soup, but I have used tortila chips before and that works great as well.

Check your soup, and by check I mean stick a spoon in there and taste it. If it tastes too salty or condensed add some more water and bring it to a boil again. If it still doesn't taste right add some more onion or maybe some chicken boulion cubes until it tastes yummy.

Once your soup is done put some of your crunchy things in your bowl and pour your soup over them. Then sprinkle some cheese over top.

Did that make any sense? It might sound harder than it actually is, but really it shouldn't take too long and it's really good!

I've also done this in my crockpot as well and that works too. If you want to do a longer version then instead of Rotel use fresh tomato, green pepper, and onion...it will take longer to cook, but it's really good as well.

Eggs Benedict.

2008-10-10T09:09:00.000-07:00

The trickiest part of this meal is the hollandaisse sauce. It takes a little attention but is absolutely worth it. I'll break down the recipe seeing as you'll have 3 different things going at once. You need to make sure you have your wits about you so you don't get flustered!

Hollandaisse Sauce:
2 tablespoons white vinegar or lemon juice.
4 tablespoons boiling water (I pull this from the pot for the double boiler before placing the bowl in it.)
3 large egg yolks
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon cayenne or hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Method:

Melt the butter and keep it warm.

Heat the vinegar or lemon juice until just warmed.

Boil water in a small pot for double boiler. *Bowl placed in it should not touch the water

When water is boiling dunk in a measuring cup and pull out enough for 4 tablespoons.

Place the top of the double boiler over hot water.

Place the egg yolks in the top of double boiler and whisk until they begin to thicken.

Add 1 tablespoon of boiling water. Continue to beat the sauce until it begins to thicken. Repeat with remaining 3 tablespoons of water, one tablespoon at a time and beating mixture after each addition.

Now add the warmed vinegar or lemon juice.

Remove double boiler from the heat.

Beat the sauce briskly with a wire whisk.

Continue to beat the mixture as you slowly pour in the melted butter.

Add salt and cayenne and beat sauce until thick.

Serve immediately.

Poached Eggs:
Set a saucepan to boil that is about two-thirds full of water.

Add a dash of white vinegar.

Crack the egg into a small bowl.

Spin the boiling water to cool down the water before you drop in the egg.

Drop the egg into the center of the whirlpool. Make sure that you do not drop the egg into boiling water or they'll come out tougher.

Wait 3-4 minutes until cooked.

Remove with a slotted spoon being sure to drain off any water.

Serve immediately.
* If you crack the yolk before putting it in the water don't. That egg's a goner.

Prepare toast fried bread, biscuit or an English muffin.

Add a slice of ham or a rasher of bacon, slice of cheese etc...

Put egg on top and then top with sauce.

Don't forget to season it.

Nachos

2008-10-08T14:37:00.000-07:00

We are nachos lovers in this house. Usually we just do the normal doritos, cheese, sour cream and salsa BUT this time we mixed things up a bit.

We used Sweet chili doritos, cheese, black beans, corn, salsa, sour cream and thick and creamy ranch. Mmmmm...

Peanut Butter Popcorn

2008-10-08T14:31:00.000-07:00

1 bag of popcorn popped
1 c. white sugar
1 c. light corn syrup
1 c. peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Put popcorn in a large bowl - make sure to shake it so the unpopped ones go to the bottom of the bag.
Combine sugar and corn syrup in a saucepan over low heat; bring to a boil stirring constantly.
Remove from heat; stir in peanut butter and vanilla.
Pour over popcorn; stir well.

You can make them into popcorn ball or like me, just pour it all out on a sheet of wax paper on the table and let cool. Then eat it all at once and feel sick. :)

I add some chocolate chips or chopped up peanut butter cups to mine :)

Cream Cheese stuffed Jalapeno Poppers.

2008-10-05T15:22:00.000-07:00

These are simple and delicious.

Get a bunch of decent sized Jalapeno Peppers - 2-3 inches long,
Slice them in half length ways and scoop out the seeds - you might want to wear goggle when you do this :S
Fill them up with cream cheese and then wrap them in a 1/3 of a rasher of bacon,
Use a toothpick to spear the whole creation together.

Bake them at 375'f for 20-25 minutes.

Peanut Butter Truffle Cookies.

2008-10-05T15:20:00.000-07:00

1 cup Peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1-2 cups chocolate chips
Mix Peanut butter, brown sugar, baking soda and egg.
Add chocolate chips and mix well.
Drop onto greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350’ for 9 minutes.
Be sure to cool for 5 minutes before moving to cooling rack - they're crumbly/truffly soft.

Cake mix cookies

2008-10-04T16:29:00.001-07:00

1 Cake mix - any kind. I like Cherry Chip
1/4 cup water
1 egg
1/3 cup oil
1 cup choc. chips/ nuts/ coconut or whatever else you fancy

Mix cake mix, water, egg and oil well.
Add 1 cup of whatever (or 1 cup of nothing, that works too) mix well.
Drop by the tablespoon onto a cookie sheet.

*I use a 1 tblsp cookie scoop and get about a dozen and a half cookies from one batch.

Bake for 8-10 minutes at 350'f

Belgian Waffles

2008-10-04T12:03:00.000-07:00

In honor of Conference Weekend, I'm making Belgian Waffles, homemade!

They are soo light and yummy!

This makes about 8 waffles.

3 egg whites, beaten stiff
(I always start with these in my Kitchen Aide cuz it takes awhile to get stiff)

1 3/4 cup flour
2 tsp Baking powder
3 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Mix these things together. (The recipe says sift but I don't have a sifter and they still turn out great.) Set aside.

3 egg yolks, beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cup milk

Combine these together. Then mix in with flour mixture.

CAREFULLY fold in egg whites. Do NOT overmix. It will be lumpy-the bigger lumps the better.

Pour approx 2/3 cup batter to griddle.

So yummy! We have put strawberries on them, or the regular butter and syrup.

Have a great weekend!!

Welcome!

2008-10-03T16:02:00.000-07:00

This here is a recipe blog for us all to share and steal recipes from each other!
Including pictures with your recipes are encouraged - you know you'll skip the recipe in the book if there's no picture... or is that just me?