Delicious Dishes

Honey-Lime Enchiladas

2011-11-23T11:56:00.000-08:00

Ok girls, we need to get this recipe blog going again! So I am posting a recipe I recently came across on TheSistersCafe.com. I LOVE this website. It has so many ideas. Anyway, this recipe was awesome and it freezes very well. Hope you like it too.

Honey Lime Enchiladas
recipe from The Sisters Cafe

1.5 lbs pork or chicken, cooked and shredded

Sauce:

1/3 c honey

1/4 c lime juice

1 Tb chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 (10 oz) cans green enchilada sauce

equal parts mixed together of:

mozzarella cheese, shredded

cheddar cheese, shredded

flour tortillas

Mix together sauce ingredients then add to shredded pork or chicken. Let the sauce soak into the meat for about 30 minutes.

Lightly spray 2 pans with non-stick baking spray. (I usually use one 9×13 and one 9×9 but it may vary with how thick you stuff your enchiladas) Pour green enchilada sauce into pans to coat the entire bottom. Fill tortillas with shredded meat and desired amount of cheese. Roll and place in dish.

Pour remainder of sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle more cheese on top – don’t be stingy! (I sometimes use more like 1 1/2 cans- you can freeze left over enchilada sauce in a baggy.) Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Then turn on broiler and place enchiladas nearer the top of oven. Let it broil until cheese is slightly brown and crispy.

Easy Polenta

2010-01-21T12:03:00.000-08:00

Polenta is known as a peasant food, but is actually now served at high end restaurants covered with all kinds of sauces and toppings to make it a gourmet food. It is known for both its heartiness and its nutricious values, so give it a try! Here you go!

Polenta:

3 cups water
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tsp chicken-flavored instant bouillon
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce
1 Tbsp melted butter

In a large saucepan blend 1 cup water and 1 cup cornmeal and bring to a boil and mix until smooth. Then add the remaining 2 cups water, the bouillon, garlic powder, basil, and hot pepper sauce and bring to a boil/

Once boiling bring down to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes or until very thick...stirring frequently.

Pour the polenta into a greased pie pan and let stand for 15 minutes.

Cut the polenta into wedges; place on a broiler pan drizzling the melted butter over the top and then broil for 4-6 minutes or until bubbly.

OPTIONAL IDEAS:
*Sprinkle cheese over the top before broiling
*Once polenta is done, cover with sauteed mushrooms & onions, pico, or fresh, homemade sauces (tomato or onion).

Tortilla Soup

2009-04-23T05:39:00.000-07:00

my friend Jaci posted this on her blog while ago actually

and it's pretty good!

i forgot to take a picture after making it though. sorry no pic.

Rumbi Island Grill Tortilla Soup

-3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
-8 cups chicken broth
-1 cup carrot, diced very thin
-1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
-1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
-1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped
-1 tablespoon garlic clove, minced
-1 cup chopped tomato
-1 cup coconut milk
-1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
-1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
-2 cups white corn tortilla chips, cut into strips
-2 limes, cut into wedges
-salt

Directions:

In a large pot, combine the cooked chicken, water, bouillon and carrot. Season with allspice, thyme, cinnamon, ginger and garlic. Bring to a boil, then simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until carrots are tender. Pour in the tomato, coconut milk and hot pepper sauce. Heat through, but do not boil.

Ladle into bowls, and top with shredded mozzarella cheese and tortilla strips. Squeeze juice onto soup from lime wedges.

You will feel kinda fancy! --
You just made a restaurant soup! :)

*i like to put avocado wedges in my tortilla soup too, but that's just me*

Zucchini Risotto

2009-04-21T09:21:00.000-07:00

This is a really good vegetarian dish! Try it. :)

1 cup arborio rice
2 Tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp garlic salt
3 cups chicken stock
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 zucchini
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
freshly ground pepper

In heavy saucepan, saute rice in butter stirring constantly.
Add onion, red pepper, and garlic salt. Saute until onions and peppers are tender.
Add 1 cup chicken stock, stirring frequently.
As the liquid cooks down, continue adding 1/2 cup stock at a time until all the stock is used and the mixture is creamy. Keep stirring!
Add zucchini.
Stir in milk.
Fold in cheese.
Top with fresh ground pepper.
Serve immediately.

Homemade Flour Tortillas

2009-04-14T09:48:00.000-07:00

3 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

4-6 Tbsp shortening or butter

About 1 and 1/4 cups warm water

Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt

Cut in shortening or butter

Add water little by little, not allowing dough to get sticky

Separate into 12 equal parts and roll out into tortilla shaped flats

Either bake tortillas under the broiler for about 30-60 seconds each side or pan-fry them in a frying pan for a few seconds each side

Enjoy!

Stuffed Cabbage

2009-03-12T18:01:00.000-07:00

*ok, ok. don't judge the poor things by their cover. they look nasty but taste great*

i didn't take this picture-- i forgot to take one of my own:)

Dan's sister, mom and I made this one night in Colorado. It was so tasty!

Stuffed Cabbage

1 large head of cabbage
1-1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
1 1/4 tsp corriander
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
season with pepper
1 TB brown sugar
1 egg
2 dollups tomato paste
1/3 c uncooked rice
1 medium onion finely chopped

Bring large pot of water to boil and steam cabbage head. Cut the center core out as best as you can as this will make it easier to remove the individual leaves when boiling. As leaves fall off the head of cabbage remove them from the pot and set on a plate to cool. Be careful not to overcook cabbage as it will make it difficult to wrap because the leaves will rip.

In a frying pan with 1 TB oil brown the onion and rice for a few minutes. Then mix in with all other ingredients listed above.

Use the very small cabbage pieces from the center of the cabbage to line the bottom of the pot. Roll up your cabbages and put them in the pot. I cut the very large cabbage leaves in half before rolling them just to make more rolls and I usually need all the cabbage to use up all the meat mixture.

Add to the pot
3 Beef Bouillon Cubes
2 - 14 oz cans of diced tomatoes
6-8 cups water...enough to barely cover cabbage rolls

Cover and bring pot to a boil and then simmer for about an hour. Garnish with sour cream and enjoy.

Gumbo

2009-03-11T11:30:00.000-07:00

Here is my attempt at writing down my gumbo recipe. I usually just add stuff and don't really measure, but with gumbo I think it's all a preference and it turns out great every time. So here are my guesstimates - Hope you enjoy!

I use a big pot to make my gumbo in. Start by making a roux (equal parts butter and flour). I usually use 1-2 Tbsp of each. On medium high heat, melt them together, whisking the whole time.

You want to whisk it until it becomes a light brown color, a little darker than the picture below.

After it turns a light brown color I add the following:

1 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 or 3 roma tomatoes (blended in the blender with a little water to make them smooth)
2 tsp chili garlic sauce (found on the ethnic/Asian food isle) - we use this stuff A LOT when we cook.
1 Tbsp. molasses
1 tsp. salt
2-3 cups of chicken broth (depending on if you like it thicker or not)
1 small onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 bay leaves
1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1 1/2 cups sliced smoked sausage (we buy the Jennie-o Lean Turkey sausage - and use about 1/3 of the package)

Cover and let it simmer for at least 30 minutes to let flavors blend. I have made it a couple of hours in advance and let it simmer until we were ready to eat.

Serve over cooked rice. Even Annabelle loves this stuff, but then again her eating habits aren't quite normal ;)

2009-03-06T12:44:00.000-08:00

I'm posting this recipe on the other two *other recipe blogs that I contribute to--not only because I don't have three new recipes to contribute this month, but also because my hubby thought this was SO GOOD (so did I) that I figured I'd share it with everyone.

I made this recipe up for the sole reason that I have never found a good, healthy tuna noodle recipe that wasn't full of butter, sour cream, and cheese. So, I threw together my own ideas and it was a success. Let me know what YOU and YOUR family thinks!

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Boil Egg noodles so that you'll have about 3-4 cups of cooked noodles

Meanwhile, in a large skillet sautee (in about 1-2 tsp olive oil):
1 medium yellow onion (chopped)
8 oz (or 10 medium) mushrooms (chopped)
About 1/2-3/4 cup cooking sherry
1 tsp minced garlic

Once onions are translucent add:
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of cream of celery soup
1 to 1 1/2 cups frozen peas
2 Tbsp dried parsley flakes
2 tsp ground mustard powder
1/4 tsp curry powder
1 to 2 tsp onion salt
1 to 2 tsp garlic powder
1 to 2 tsp salt
1 to 2 tsp pepper

Stir together until its creamy then stir in:
3 cans of tuna (6 oz cans) after draining liquids

When noodles are nearly all the way done boiling, drain the water and stir them in with the creamy tuna mixture in the skilllet. Once thoroughly mixed together pour contents of skillet into a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Sprinkle top of noodles with about 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Place in oven for about 15 minutes or until bread crumbs are browned and top noodles are crisp

Serve hot! Enjoy!

*Pleasant and Plump
*Tried and True Food

Magic in the Middle Cookies

2009-02-25T12:32:00.000-08:00

(picture from My Kitchen Cafe)
Magic in the Middle Cookies
from King Arthur Flour Blog
Chocolate Dough
1 1/2 cups (6 3/8 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (1 1/2 ounces) unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar (plus extra for dredging)
1/2 cup (3 3/4 ) brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk

Peanut butter filling
3/4 cup peanut butter, crunchy or smooth, your choice
3/4 cup (3 ounces) confectioners' sugar

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.
2. To make the dough: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
3. In another medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the sugars, butter, and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and the egg, beating to combine, then stir in the dry ingredients, blending well.
4. To make the filling: In a small bowl, stir together the peanut butter and confectioners sugar until smooth.
5. With floured hands or a teaspoon scoop, roll the filling into 26 one-inch balls. (after I formed them into balls, they were pretty sticky, so I froze them for a little while, and it made it a lot easier to work with.)
6. To shape the cookies: Scoop 1 tablespoon of the dough (a lump about the size of a walnut), make an indentation in the center with your finger and place one of the peanut butter balls into the indentation.
7. Bring the cookie dough up and over the filling, pressing the edges together cover the center; roll the cookie in the palms of your hand to smooth it out. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
9. Roll each rounded cookie in granulated sugar, and place on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between cookies.
10. Grease the bottom of a drinking glass, and use it to flatten each cookie to about 1/2-inch thick.
11. Bake the cookies for 7 to 9 minutes, or until they're set and you can smell the chocolate. Remove from the oven and cool on the rack. (I couldn't tell when they were done so I cooked them longer, and I overcooked them. They came out hard on the bottom, still good, but not as soft...so make sure you only cook them 7-9 min)

Homemade Balsamic Vinegarette Salad Dressing

2009-02-15T12:53:00.000-08:00

6 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
2 tsp honey
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard
2 Tbsp chopped challots (optional)
2 tsp lemon juice

Blend it altogether in a blender so its smooth and creamy and doesn't look separated. Put it in the refridgerator straight away so it doesn't separate too quickly. Shake before you pour on your salad or dip your bread into it.

Enjoy!

Cookie Recipe?

2009-02-12T11:53:00.000-08:00

It's been forever since I've made a good valentines day cookie. Does anyone have a good sugar cookie (and icing) recipe?

Gingerbread Cupcakes

2009-01-18T19:55:00.000-08:00

1 box (18.25 ounces) French vanilla or yellow cake mix
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup molasses
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Bake as directed.

Then for the frosting, I just used the cream cheese frosting from the pumpkin bars that I posted earlier, because, as mentioned, I love it.

8 oz cream cheese
1 stick of butter
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups of powdered sugar
Beat until fluffy.

Then I just put it in a pastry bag with a big circle tip and piped it on. I'm a sucker for gingerbread, so I loved these ones, but I think they might have been even better as mini cupcakes. mmmm...I wish I had some left. :-) I got the recipe for these cupcakes from the book Hello Cupcake

Banana Cream Pie Cupcakes

2009-01-18T12:43:00.000-08:00

In a mixing bowl, cream together 1 cup (2 sticks) butter and 2 cups sugar. Add 4 eggs, one at a time, mixing well. Keep mixing on high until the batter becomes really light and fluffy. It will almost look like frosting it's so fluffy. Slowly add 1 cup milk and 1 tsp vanilla. In a bowl, sift together 3 cups flour, 1 Tbsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt. Spoon into the butter mixture while the mixer is on low speed. The finished product will be light and airy. It will look nothing like a cake mix batter. This will give you a wonderful buttery dense cake. Add 3 medium ripe bananas. Spoon into paper lined muffin pans. This will make 2 dozen cupcakes. Bake at 350* for about 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Dump from the pan and put on cooling rack. While the cupcakes cool, make a box of banana pudding. Slice up a banana and add to chilled pudding. Put the pudding in the fridge and hold until you need it. Take a paring knife and carefully cut the cupcake top. Remove the top.Spoon some of the banana pudding into the cupcake. Pull off the cone part of the top and put the top back on. Put some graham crackers in a ziploc and smash, or put in the food processor. Make whipped cream. Put 1 cup COLD whipping cream in the mixing bowl. Begin whipping on medium speed. If you put it on super HIGH, you'll have cream all over your cabinets and self. When ribbons begin to form in the cream, add 1/4 cup sugar slowly. Kick up the speed to HIGH. When the cream is nice and stiff, add 1 tsp vanilla. You want a nice stiff whip because we will be piping this onto the cupcakes and you don't want it to just slide right off. Put the whipped cream in a piping bag with a large star tip. Pipe in a circular fashion making a nice peak. Sprinkle the top lightly with some of those crushed graham crackers and put a slice of banana on top. Eat immediately or keep in the fridge until serving. Recipe & pictures from creating post it notes.

Taco Soup

2009-01-15T12:53:00.000-08:00

My sister and I just made this soup for my mom's birthday party and it was absolutely delicious! Enjoy.

Cut up 2 chicken breasts into small cubes (or more if you like more meat) and cook in a little olive oil. Add seasonings. (and remember to taste the soup during the process and add more seasoning if necessary)

I use about:

1 Tbsp. chile powder

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

A little salt

Garlic powder

Toss the following into the blender and blend until fairly smooth:

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 medium onion

1/4 c. chopped cilantro

2 large garlic cloves

In a stock pot, combine the following:

1 large (32 oz) can chicken broth

1 to 2 Tbsp. sugar (this reduces the acidity of the tomatoes and enhances flavor)

Blended mixture

Seasoned Chicken

1 can black beans (optional)

1 can corn (optional)

Salt to taste

Simmer for 20 minutes.

Place any or all of the following in your individual soup bowl and ladle hot soup over the top:

Tortilla chips

Monterey Jack cheese

Chopped cilantro

Chopped fresh tomato

Diced avocado

Chopped green onion

Olives

Sour cream

Chile sauce (like Tabasco, etc.)

Squeeze over the top:

Lime wedges (this is what really makes the soup, I think!)

Recipe courtesy of my sister, Katelyn Lowe

Wheatie Ranger Cookies

2009-01-12T11:03:00.000-08:00

Yummy, easy, hearty. Another one I tweaked and made better--and better for you.

CREAM TOGETHER
1 stick butter
1 egg white
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla

ADD AND MIX THOROUGHLY
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup wheat flour
1 cup white flour
1 cup quick oats
1 cup Wheaties or corn flakes
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 Tbsp water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 8 minutes
Enjoy!

Grammy Littlefield’s Molasses Cookies

2008-12-17T13:39:00.000-08:00

Here's a family favorite and holiday tradition to make that isn't too sweet.

Mix thoroughly…
1/3 c. shortening
1 c. brown sugar
1 ½ c. dark molasses

Stir in…
2/3 c. cold water

Sift together, then add to above…
6 c. flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon

Chill dough for 1 hr (cold all the way through). Roll out ½ inch thick, cut out, place on parchment, and bake 350° for 15 min.

Tuna Casserole

2008-12-04T15:37:00.000-08:00

Thanks to GTU I loved this recipe last night! LOL!

Tuna Noodle Casserole with Sour Cream Sauce

8 servings

Ingredients:
3 cups uncooked egg noodles or other pasta
1 (10.75-ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 to 1/2 cup milk (see Note)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 (15-ounce) can corn, drained, or 1 cup frozen peas
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice

TOPPING:
3/4 cup soft white or wheat bread crumbs
1 tablespoon butter, melted
or 3/4 cup crushed potato chips
or 3/4 cup french fried onions

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Cook the noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat the soup, sour cream, milk, and mayonnaise in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir to combine. Mix in the tuna, corn or peas, 1 cup of the cheese, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Stir until heated through. When the noodles are cooked, drain them and put them back in the pot.

Add the tuna mixture. Mix, and pour into the prepared baking dish. Bake 20 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup cheese on the casserole and top with the topping of your choice. Bake 10 to 15 more minutes. Serve with a green salad and corn bread.

Note: Add more or less milk to make the sauce the desired consistency.

Mint Brownies

2008-11-29T09:11:00.000-08:00

I love these brownies because they are easy to make and I always have the stuff on hand to make them. Enjoy!

First Layer:
2 Cups Sugar
1 1/2 Cups Flour
1 tsp. Salt
2/3 Cup Baking Cocoa
1 Cup Oil
4 Eggs
2 tsp. Vanilla

Mix all ingredients and pour into greased 9x13 pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Second Layer:

3 cups Powered Sugar
3 Tbsp. Milk
6 Tbsp. Butter
1 tsp. mint flavoring extract
couple of drops of green food coloring (I use red and also orange for different holidays)
Blend all ingredients together and then spread on cooled brownies. Place into freezer for 30 to 60 minutes to set.

Third Layer:
4-5 Tbsp. Butter
1 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Melt in microwave oven and stir until melted. Pour over top of mint frosting. Chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Oven Kalua Pork

2008-11-10T12:10:00.000-08:00

I make this recipe all the time because it is so yummy, it is so quick - I am done before the oven even finished pre heating, I have all the ingredients on hand all the time (I only have to buy the roast) and because it makes a lot! Ross and I will eat it for dinner the first night with rice and steamed veggies. For the rest of the week we use it to make different dinners (i.e. I make the BBQ sauce found here, serve it on hamburger buns with a salad or corn on the cob if it is corn season one night. We will use it with beans, rice, guacamole and salsa the next night in burritos. I will use it with this sweet and sour sauce , add pineapple tidbits and chopped green peppers over rice another night). Pretty much anything goes. But then it only takes 15 minutes to make dinner the rest of the week - which is how I roll

1/2 cup soy sauce
3 Tbsp. coarse salt
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 small piece of fresh ginger root, crushed (or 1 tsp. ground ginger)
1 clove garlic, minced
5-6 pounds boneless pork roast
1 tsp. liquid wood smoke flavoring

In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, salt, Worcestershire sauce, ginger and garlic. Mix well. Lay 3 sheets of aluminum foil out, one on top of another. Place roast in center of aluminum foil; rub with soy sauce mixture and sprinkle with liquid smoke. Fold all 3 sheets of aluminum foil over top of roast and secure tightly. Place wrapped meat in a baking pan. Roast at 375 for 5 hours. Shred the pork before serving.

** Recipe from the Lion House Entertaining Cookbook**

Thanks for inviting me to join your blog :)

Yogurt Pie

2008-10-30T13:19:00.000-07:00

This recipe is so easy and just delicious. You'd never guess how healthy it is, too.

1 graham cracker crust
2 individual containers yogurt (any flavor is great but we liked banana cream, key lime, and any of the berry kinds...like yoplait or dannon--the 6-8 oz kinds)
1/2 small tub cool whip

Mix yogurt with cool whip until well blended
Pour into pie crust
Freeze until set (about half an hour)
Eat with berries or whipped cream for any meal :)
(Stays in fridge for about 2 days pretty well)

Pumpkin Bars

2008-10-28T08:16:00.000-07:00

(photo from flickr)

4 eggs
1 2/3 c sugar
1 c oil
16 oz pumpkin (I never found a 16 oz can...so I just used 2 cups...not sure if that is right or not, but they were still so good)

beat until fluffy (also, maybe this was me, but they never got fluffy during this stage)

Add
2 c flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Baked at 350 for 25 min in a sprayed cookie sheet

Frosting (the best part)
8 oz cream cheese
1 stick butter
1 tsp vanilla
4 c powdered sugar

beat until fluffy

White Chicken Chili

2008-10-27T19:24:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from Cherie Jorgensen and it is so YUMMY!

3 chicken breasts, cubed
1 med. Onion, chopped
1 ½ tsp. garlic powder
1 T. vegetable oil

Saute until chicken is golden brown and add:

2 cans (15oz) great northern beans (drain and rinse)
1 (14.5 oz) can of chicken broth
2 cans (4 oz) of green chilies
1 T. jalapenos
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp. black pepper

Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and add:

1 C. sour cream
½ pint whipping cream

Stir in and let sit for 5 minutes. Serve with chips, sour cream and cheese.

Pizza Factory Breadsticks

2008-10-27T16:37:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe last night and they taste soo similar to the ones they serve at Pizza Factory.
Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 1/2 c. warm (105-115 degrees) water
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
3-4 1/2 c. flour

In a large bowl (the bowl of your mixer, if you have one), combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly. Add salt and stir.

Add 1 1/2 c. flour and mix well. Gradually add more flour (usually between 3-4 cups, depending on your elevation and your humidity) until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it barely sticks to your finger.Spray a glass or metal bowl with cooking spray and place dough in the bowl.

Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.
Remove from bowl and place on a lightly-floured surface. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Roll into a rectangle and cut into 12 strips with a pizza cutter.

Roll out each piece of dough into a snake and then drape over your forefinger and twist the dough. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining 11 pieces of dough. Try to space them evenly, but it's okay if they're close.

Cover pan and allow dough to rise for another 30 minutes.

When there's about 15 minutes to go, preheat your oven to 425. When done rising, bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Rub some butter on top of the breadsticks (just put a ziploc bag on your hand, grab some softened butter, and have at it) and sprinkle with powdery Parmesan cheese in a can and garlic salt. Or you could sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar. I did that once. It was awesome.

photo and recipe from: www.ourbestbites.com

Creamed Tuna on Toast

2008-10-27T16:25:00.001-07:00

A really simple recipe, a great comfort food and a REALLY cheap meal for a family on a budget.
Hope you like!

Ingredients:
1 tbl. Butter
2 tbl. Flour
2 c. milk
2 cans tuna
1 cup peas canned or frozen (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
6 slices of toasted bread

To make cream sauce:
In a saucepan over Medium High Heat, whisk 1 tablespoon of butter with 2 tablespoons of flour and then very slowly adding a total of 2 cups of milk until it thickens. Whisk the flour and butter mixture constantly while adding the milk to reduce lumps. Then simmer it a bit and as it thickens then add the tuna, we use two cans drained and then add the peas and salt and pepper.

Spoon creamed Tuna over toasted bread and ENJOY!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

2008-10-19T20:32:00.000-07:00

I am usually not a big fan of cream soups, but for some reason I love this one.

Ingredients:
2 TB butter
3/4 c chopped onion
6 c chicken broth
12 oz extra wide egg noodles
2 (10 oz) packages frozen chopped broccoli
1 clove crush garlic (or garlic powder equivalent to one clove)
6 c half and half (hey I didn't promise it was a healthy soup)
1 lb Velveeta Cheese cubed
Salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion in butter over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add chicken brother and heat to boiling. Add noodles and cook uncovered for 3 minutes. Stir in broccoli and garlic; cook for 4 minutes. Add milk, cheese, salt, and pepper, stirring until cheese is melted.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

2008-10-08T13:26:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread recipe. I use it every year in the fall! Enjoy!

Beat together until smooth:
2 eggs
1 1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup softened butter

Add to the smoothed mixture:
1 cup pumpkin puree (or canned pumpkin)
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Whip until thin and add:
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves (but I use cardamom)
1 cup white flour
3/4 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Bake in a 9 x 13 loaf pan at 350 degrees for 65 minutes

Black Bean Soup

2008-10-05T21:17:00.000-07:00

So I love black beans. I always buy way too many cans since I eat so many of them and I'm always looking for new places to use these stinkin beans. Soup. Perfect. Max also loves any and all soup so it's good for the kids too.

10 slices bacon, finely chopped
2 medium onions, chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
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, drained but not rinsed
Kosher 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

Directions

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 onions and cook, stirring, until they start to turn translucent, 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.

Homemade BBQ Sauce

2008-10-04T12:47:00.000-07:00

So I found this on my Boston friend Anna's blog. It's sooo good! I put it over chicken but
it can be pretty darn good on anything. Enjoy

2 bacon slices
3 T. ketchup
1 cup chipped onion
2 T. cider vinegar
1/2 cup stone ground mustard (I used dijon and it was still good)
1/4 tsp. chili powder
5 T. honey
1/4 tsp. ground cumin

Cook bacon in frying pan, remove and crumble. Add chopped onion to pan, cook 4 min. stirring frequently. Add remaining ingredients (including crumbled bacon) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 4 min. or until slightly thick, stirring occasionally.

Hoisin Beef With Vegetables

2008-09-30T15:58:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe while blog surfing but can't remember where I got it from! Oh well. I made it awhile back and it was so tasty. Plus, we need more beef dishes on this blog:)

Hoisin Beef With Vegetables
adapted from Quick Fix Meals

Serves 4

3/4 cup beef broth
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 to 4 cloves garlic - to taste - minced
1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
1 1/4 pounds boneless lean sirloin steak, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 medium yellow bell pepper, seeded and sliced into bite sized pieces
2 cups fresh broccoli

In a small bowl, whisk together the broth, hoisin, and cornstarch. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and ginger and stir fry for 1 minute. Add teh steak and stir-fry until browned on all sides, about 4-5 minutes. Add the vegetables and cook for another 3 minutes.

Add the broth mixture to the skillet, bring to a simmer, and simmer until the sauce thickens and the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.

Serve over rice.

Freezer Dinners from Spaghetti Sauce

2008-09-16T17:49:00.000-07:00

Bulk Spaghetti Sauce
Yield: 13 cups

In large stock pot mix:
2T canola oil
2 onions, chopped
2 t. garlic, minced
2 lbs browned Italian sausage (buy Jimmy Dean bran in a tube, less expensive)
2 lbs browned hamburger

Drain the meat mixture then add:
1 (106 oz) can spaghetti sauce can from Costco or 5 jars (28 oz) commercial spaghetti sauce
1 (106 oz) can of diced tomatoes or 2 (28 oz) cans Italian-style diced tomatoes
4 (2.4 oz) cans sliced black olives (optional)
3 T Italian seasoning
1 T dried basil
1 T salt
1/2 T pepper

*Sauce is used for lasagnas, manicotti, ravioli and can be frozen for spaghetti or pizzas. When defrosting pour off extra liquid.

Chicken Manicotti
Yield: 2 9x13 or 4 8x8 (directions are for 9x13, but I split it down more into 8x8)

1 T garlic powder
1-1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
2 boxes (8oz) manicotti shells
4-5 cups bulk spaghetti sauce
1 lb Jimmy Dean Italian sausage, cooked and drained
4 cups (16 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
2/3 cup water

1. Rub garlic powder over chicken; cut into 1 in strips. Stuff chicken into manicotti shells. Spread 1 cup spaghetti sauce in each of two greased 13x9 baking dishes. (use aluminum ones from store so you can freeze them in container)
2. Place eight stuffed manicotti shells in each dish. Sprinkle with sausage. Pour remaining spaghetti sauce over the top. Sprinkle with cheese.
3. Drizzle water around the edge of each dish. Cover and bake one casserole at 375 for 65-70 minutes or until chicken juices run clear and pasta is tender.
4. Cover and freeze remaining casserole for up to 3 months.

To serve: Thaw in the refrigerator, 24 hours and bake at 375 for 65-70 min. You can also bake frozen at 350 for 2 1/2 hours.

Lasagna
Yield: 3 8x8 lasagnas or 2 9x13

1 (16oz) box lasagna noodles divided into three 8 inch aluminum containers
4 c mozzarella cheese, grated
1 (24oz) container cottage cheese (or ricotta)
1 (8oz) package of cream cheese
1/2 c Parmesan cheese
10 c bulk spaghetti sauce

Don't pre-cook noodles

In three greased (or lined with aluminum foil) 9 inch aluminum baking dishes, make layers in the following order.
1. 3 noodles (break to fit pan)
2. cottage cheese (or ricotta)
3. mozzarella cheese
4. nickel sized cream cheese plopped evenly all over
5. sauce, and repeat

Wrap pans with foil, label, and freeze

To serve: Bake frozen for 2 hours at 350 degrees or thaw overnight in the fridge and bake 350 for 45 min. Take off cover for final 10 minutes of baking. Let stand 10 min before serving. Lasagna will be a bit watery but this is normal. Pour out all but a little water, the rest will soak into the sauce overnight.

Cheesy Ravioli
Yield: 3 9x13 sized dinners
3 bags (13 oz) frozen cheese ravioli
10 cups bulk spaghetti sauce
3 c mozzarella cheese

To Serve:
1. Thaw 10 cups bulk spaghetti sauce completely.
2. Boil frozen ravioli for 5 min. Pour 1/2 c sauce on the bottom of 9x13 pan
3. Drain ravioli, then place in pan. Completely cover the ravioli with remaining sauce and sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top.
4. Cover; bake 350 degrees for 30 min. Uncover and cook 10 more min. Let stand 10 min before serving.

Sorry that was so long! It seems intimidating, but the sauce doesn't take that long to make, then I just assembled the rest and froze them. I did it all during one nap, so it's not as bad as it sounds and it's nice to be able to pull one out of the freezer when I don't feel like making something. Let me know if you have any questions.

Applesauce Muffins

2008-09-16T16:30:00.000-07:00

Topping:
2/3 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons trans-fat free soft tub margarine spread, melted

Batter:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup nonfat skim milk
1/2 cup butternut squash or carrot puree (just steam the veggie then put it in food processor, adding a little water if necessary to make it like paste)
1/2 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 large egg

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray or line with baking cups.
To make the topping, stir together the oats, sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. Stir in the margarine.
To make the batter, combine the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl or zipper-lock bag and stir or shake to mix. In a second bowl, mix the applesauce with the milk, vegetable puree, sugar, oil, and egg with a wooden spoon. Add the flour mixture slowly, stirring until just moistened. Do not overmix, the batter is supposed to be lumpy.
Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups and sprinkle with the streusel topping. Bake until the topping is lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the muffins, 18 to 20 minutes. Turn the muffins out onto a rack and serve warm or cool.

Creamy Black Bean Salsa Chicken

2008-09-16T14:54:00.000-07:00

Lately I need meals that come together really fast. My mom sent me this recipe and its perfect for busy day! Just place ingredients in your crockpot and forget it until your ready to eat!

Ingredients:
2-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup salsa
1 can (15 oz) corn, drained ( I used frozen corn)
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained
1 package taco seasoning
½ cup sour cream (I used nonfat plain yogurt)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Place chicken in greased 3 ½ to 5-quart slow cooker. Pour broth, salsa, corn, beans, and taco seasoning over chicken. Cover and cook on low heat 6-8 hours or on high heat 3-4 hours. Remove Chicken with slotted spoon and place on serving dish. Stir sour cream and cheese into sauce in slow cooker, then pour over chicken. Makes 3-5 servings.

Good ol' Chocolate Chip Cookies

2008-09-11T16:22:00.000-07:00

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter (2 sticks)
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups chocolate chips (we use semi-sweet)

Cream together butter, eggs, sugars, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Add chocolate chips, spoon onto cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 9-11 minutes. The cookies will not look done when you pull them out but give them a few minutes to cool and the cookie sheet and they will be perfect. Enjoy!

Crecent Chicken Squares

2008-09-04T12:41:00.000-07:00

Made this for dinner a couple nights ago. Definitely a keeper, thought I would share with y'all. I guess you could buy a couple of tubes of crecent rolls and make Malia's recipe below as well(;

ps. Sorry about posting my personal stuff on this blog! eek how embarrassing. Its the first blog that shows up on my dashboard and I always hit it first to make a post. Anyways, its gone now.
Now onto this scrumptious recipe:

INGREDIENTS
1 package (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, softened
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives or onion
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon chopped pimientos, if desired
1 can (8 oz) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
3/4 cup seasoned croutons, crushed

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl, mix cream cheese and 1 tablespoon softened butter; beat until smooth. Stir in chicken, chives, salt, pepper, milk and pimientos; mix well.
2. If using crescent rolls: Unroll dough; separate into 4 rectangles. Firmly press perforations to seal. If using dough sheet: Unroll dough; cut into 4 rectangles.
3. Spoon 1/2 cup chicken mixture onto center of each rectangle. Pull 4 corners of dough to center of chicken mixture; twist firmly. Pinch edges to seal. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Brush tops of sandwiches with 1 tablespoon melted butter; sprinkle with crushed croutons.
4. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown

The Classic, Fresh BLT Sandwich

2008-08-31T15:22:00.000-07:00

BLT: Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato

Since its tomato season, there's nothing better than indulging in a fresh-from-the-garden tomato sandwhich. Here's the recipe we tend to use most in our family:

(For two sandwiches)
4 slices sourdough bread (we like our bread toasted)
2 fresh, whole round tomatoes (not roma)
6-8 strips of lean, cooked bacon
4-6 slices of soft Avocado (optional)
Lawry salt to taste--sprinkled on tomatoes
pepper--on tomatoes, too
Mayonaise and/or mustard on bread

Chicken Broccoli Braid

2008-08-27T14:17:00.001-07:00

Post a recipe in August: check. :)

I got this recipe when my sister was doing Pampered Chef and dug it out to make for dinner this week. I love the dill in it. Yum!

INGREDIENTS
2 cups diced, cooked chicken meat
1 cup fresh broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1 clove crushed garlic
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons dried dill weed
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons slivered almonds
1/4 cup diced onion
2 (8 ounce) packages refrigerated crescent rolls
1 egg white, beaten

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, toss together chicken, broccoli, red bell pepper, garlic, Cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, dill weed, salt, almonds and onion.

Unroll crescent roll dough, and arrange flat on a medium baking sheet. Pinch together perforations to form a single sheet of dough. Using a knife or scissors, cut 1 inch wide strips in towards the center, starting on the long sides. There should be a solid strip about 3 inches wide down the center, with the cut strips forming a fringe down each side. Spread the chicken mixture along the center strip. Fold the side strips over chicken mixture, alternating strips from each side. Pinch or twist to seal.

Brush braided dough with the egg white. Bake in the preheated oven 25 to 28 minutes, or until golden brown.

Photo and recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com

Deceptively Delicious

2008-08-24T13:04:00.001-07:00

Hey guys! Not too long ago I bought the Deceptively Delicious cookbook because now that my son isn't eating baby food, he isn't too fond of veggies. I also got a Freezer Dinner cookbook. I have made one from each so far, but didn't know if you guys would be interested in these kinds of recipes or not. Let me know if you'd like them posted or not. Thanks!

Thai Chicken Pizza

2008-08-21T19:21:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from my sister (sorry Barb, you've already seen it), and made it for dinner tonight. It was so easy and delicious. My husband said he 'felt like he was in a restaurant'. Enjoy!

You can make this really easy by buying a pre-made pizza crust, but I make mine cause it is super easy and a hecka lot cheaper. This recipe makes 2 pizza's.
Pizza Dough:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (you can substitute whole wheat flour for 1 cup of the all purpose).

.25 ounces active dry yeast

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup warm water
1/2 - 1 Tbsp. olive oil

cornmeal, for sprinkling

Directions: Mix a little sugar into the warm water. Sprinkle yeast on top. Wait for 10 minutes or until it gets all foamy. Pour into a large bowl. Add flour, salt and olive oil. Combine. Knead for 6-8 minutes until you have a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (add a bit more flour if you need to). Cover and let rest for 10-30 minutes. Lightly grease two 12 inch pizza pans (or cookie sheets if you don't have pizza pans). Sprinkle with a little bit of cornmeal. Divide dough in half. Place each half on a pizza pan and pat it with your fingers until it stretches over the whole pan. Try to make it thicker around the edge. Then spread with toppings of your choice and bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes or until bubbly, hot and the edges are golden brown.

**If you don't want to use all the dough, you can freeze it. Take a portion of the dough, form it into a ball, rub olive oil over it and place it in a freezer bag. Make sure to thaw before using.

Thai Chicken Pizza toppings:

House of Tsang Peanut Sauce (you can get this at Wal Mart usually)

Mozzarella Cheese

Shredded carrots

Chopped cilantro

Sliced water chestnuts (I didn't use these, because I was too cheap to buy 2 things of nuts, and it still was great)

Shredded cooked chicken

I don't measure so just put however much you like. Spread peanut sauce evenly over crust. Then Sprinkle lightly with Mozzarella cheese. Then top evenly with chopped cilantro, sliced water chestnuts, shredded carrots, cashew pieces, and shredded cooked chicken. Sprinkle with a little more cheese and drizzle with peanut sauce. Bake as mentioned above.

Zucchini Bread

2008-08-19T13:54:00.001-07:00

A Healthy, Delicious Zucchini Bread

3 medium eggs (I use one whole egg and two whites)
1 Cup granulated sugar
1 Cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp Vanilla
1/2 Cup Applesauce
1/2 Cup Oil (olive works, too, but I use vegetable)

Mix together until creamy

1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp cinnamon
2 Cups White flour
1 Cup Wheat flour
2 Cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts, pecans, or chocolate chips(optional)

Stir together until smooth
Batter will seem too liquidy, but its not
Spoon into -2- loaf pans

Bake at 325-350 degrees for 60-65 minutes
Done when tooth pick comes out clean
Enjoy!

Raspberry Pudding Jello

2008-08-19T10:42:00.000-07:00

2 small boxes of raspberry jello
2 small boxes of cook n serve vanilla pudding
Cool whip
Raspberries

Mix pudding with 4 cups of water.
Microwave until pudding/water are boiling-stirring every minute.
Mix in jello. Stir jello in until dissolved
Refrigerate to set overnight (or for at least a couple of hours).
Mix in cool whip (desired amount-I use about one medium sized tub) and fruit when set.

Thanks to my friend Tearsa for this new family favorite!

Happy Anniversary

2008-08-19T10:31:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary everyone. This blog will be a year old in September. Thanks to all for contributing! I've put each dish into categories. This will make it easier to search for recipes we want to use again and again. So please when you post add a label at the bottom that it falls into (please add more than one if it applies).

And now I challenge us all to contribute 1 recipe a month. Come on girls! It's not hard it's just hard to remember. Thanks to you who have contributed more regularly!

Oreo Truffles

2008-07-16T20:27:00.000-07:00

We had these last night at a party and you wouldn't believe how good they taste! They're SO easy! Thanks Bri!

8 oz. cream cheese
1 pound Oreos
1 pound milk or dark chocolate
1/2 pound white chocolate

Grind Oreos to find powder in food processor. With a mixer, blend cookie powder and cream cheese until thoroughly mixed (there should be no white traces of cream cheese). Roll into small or large balls and place on wax-lined cookie sheet. Chill 45 minutes.
Line two cookie sheets with wax paper. In double-boiler, melt milk or dark chocolate. Dip balls and coat thoroughly. With slotted spoon or fork, lift balls out of chocolate and let excess chocolate drip off. Place on wax-paper-lined cookie sheet. In separate double boiler, melt white chocolate. Using a fork, drizzle white chocolate over balls. Let cool.
Store in airtight container, in refrigerator.

Chili's Honey Mustard Dressing

2008-07-14T17:10:00.000-07:00

I don't know if any of your are fans of this sauce, but I love it!! It's so good on sandwiches or for dipping! Enjoy!

2/3 cup mayonnaise (you can use light if you like)

1/4 cup honey

2 Tablespoons Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard

1 teaspoon white vinegar

pinch paprika

pinch salt

Combine all ingredients into a bowl and whisk until combined.

Makes 1 cup

Bacon Wrapped Potato with Honey Scallion Sauce

2008-06-27T21:18:00.000-07:00

2 large Idaho potatoes

Canola oil, for frying (about 2 cups)

8 slices applewood smoked bacon, cut in 1/2 vertically

16 toothpicks

1/4 cup softened butter

1/4 cup honey

1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped scallions

1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

1. Cut each potato into 8 wedges and parboil until fork tender.
2. In a preheated large saute pan, heat oil on medium-high heat. Wrap each potato wedge with 1 strip of bacon and secure with 1 toothpick on each end. Pan-fry in oil until bacon and potato are golden brown, approximately 8 to 10 minutes, turning frequently with tongs to brown all sides evenly. Remove and drain on paper towels.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix butter, honey, black pepper, scallions and parsley. Stir with a spoon until fully mixed.
4. Toss potatoes in the glaze. Remove toothpicks and serve.

They made these on The Next Food Network Star a couple weeks ago, so my mom made them for Sunday dinner last week. She had a little trouble finding the applewood smoked bacon, but it was worth the trip to a couple stores because they were AMAZING!!!

Brazillian Limeade

2008-06-24T21:52:00.000-07:00

12 limes
1 can sweetened condensed milk
water
2 cups sugar (or to taste)

Cut six whole limes in half and put in blender. Fill the blender with water until the limes are covered. Pulse a few times.

Pour contents in a colander into a pitcher or bowl. Reserve liquid.

Repeat with the rest of the limes.

Add sweetened condensed milk and sugar.
Mix.
Add up to another blender full of water to pitcher.

Serve with lots of ice!

Ice Cream Cake

2008-06-24T21:48:00.000-07:00

This recipe is so versatile! You can pretty much substitute anything you want.

2 cups Oreo
1/3 cup butter, melted

whole Oreos to line pan

1st Flavor Ice Cream

1 cup chocolate chips
2/3 cup heavy cream

Vanilla Ice Cream

1/2 cup heavy cream
1/8 cup sugar
vanilla

In food processor, blend Oreos. Mix with melted butter and make a crust in the bottom of a spring form pan. Line the sides of the spring form pan with whole Oreos.

Layer your first flavor of ice cream on the Oreo crust. (A rice spoon works really well!)

Freeze

Make a ganache with the chocolate chips and 2/3 c heavy cream either by microwaving chocolate chips and stirring in the cream or doing the same thing in a double broiler.

Pour over your first ice cream layer and freeze.

Layer second ice cream (vanilla) and freeze.

Whip 1/2 cup cream. Then add 1/8 cup sugar and splash of vanilla. Layer.

Freeze.

Fresh Skillet Corn off Cob

2008-06-24T21:42:00.000-07:00

6 ears of corn
3 Tbsp butter
water (varies)
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Husk corn and clean off the silks.

Use a sharp knife and cut corn from the cob into a bowl. You'll want to cut about half way deep into the corn. Then, turn the knife over to the non-cutting side and rub up and down the cob to get the rest of the pulp.

Melt butter in large skillet. Pour in corn. Add enough water to make a gravy consistency.

Add the seasonings - sugar, salt, pepper.

Stirring, cook on high for 3 minutes.

Reduce heat to low and cover with lid. Simmer for about 5-10 minutes, stirring occassionally.

Andes Cream de Menthe Chunk Cookies

2008-06-11T10:54:00.000-07:00

These were eaten up before I could take a pic, they are delicious!!!

1/2 c. salted butter-softened
3/4 c. dark brown sugar
1/2 c. white granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 package (10 oz.) Andes Creame de Menthe Baking Chips
2 2/3 cups sifted all purpose flour

Blend butter, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla and eggs until mixed. Stir in Andes Baking Chips and then flour. Chill approximately 1 hour in refrigerator. Measure out 1 oz. of dough. Form ball and slightly flatten. Raise oven rack one level above middle and bake on non-stick baking pans. Bake at 350 for approximately 8-10 minutes. Cool on pans for two minutes before removing. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Boston Cream Pie Mini's

2008-05-27T20:12:00.001-07:00

I made these today for a BBQ and they turned out really good. My husband hates semi sweet chocolate though, so I melted milk chocolate chips instead..enjoy!

1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow cake mix
1 cup cold milk
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
1-1/2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, divided
4 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate

PREHEAT oven to 350ºF. Prepare cake batter and bake in 24 greased medium muffin pan cups as directed on package. Cool in pans 10 min. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.

BEAT milk and dry pudding mix with wire whisk 2 min. or until well blended. Let stand 5 min. Meanwhile, use serrated knife to cut cupcakes horizontally in half. Gently stir 1/2 cup of the whipped topping into pudding. Spoon about 1 Tbsp. of the pudding mixture onto bottom half of each cupcake; cover with top of cupcake.

MICROWAVE remaining 1 cup whipped topping and the chocolate in small microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 min. or until chocolate is almost melted, stirring after 1 min. Stir until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended. Let stand 15 min. to thicken. Spread onto cupcakes. Refrigerate at least 15 min. before serving. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Curry Chicken Salad

2008-05-22T11:07:00.000-07:00

INGREDIENTS
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cooked and diced
1 stalk celery, diced
4 green onions, chopped
1 Granny Smith apple - peeled, cored and diced
1/3 cup craisins
1/3 cup seedless green grapes, sliced
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
3/4 cup light mayonnaise
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp honey

DIRECTIONS
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.
Serve chilled in a pita pocket, wrap in a wheat tortilla, or eat on a croissant.

Caramel Brownies

2008-05-13T14:41:00.000-07:00

I keep meaning to take a picture of these so I can post this recipe...but I forget before I leave...and there are never any left when I get home....they are dangerously good!

Ingredients:

1 box chocolate cake mix

1 can sweet and condensed milk

1 cup milk chocolate chips

50-60 Werthers Chewy Caramels (about 2 bags)

1 square butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix cake mix, half the can of sweet and condensed milk, and square of melted butter. Press half of the mixture into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake 6 min. Let cool completely. Melt caramels and the other half of the sweet and condensed milk on medium heat on the stove top, continually stirring so it doesn't burn. Pour over the top of the cooled brownie bottom. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over top. Then crumble the other half of the cake mix covering all the caramel. Bake 11-14 min. Cool and enjoy!! Whenever I make this for a party....it's always the thing they ask me to bring next time. I hope you guys like it as much as we all have!

Big Soft Sugar Cookies

2008-05-07T17:14:00.000-07:00

If you like those granny B's big pink cookies, you will love these. They are big, soft and delicious.

cream:
1 c. butter
2 c. sugar

beat in:
4 eggs
2 T. milk
4 t. vanilla
1 T. lemon extract (this slight lemon flavor really sets these cookies apart.)

add:
4 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
5 cups flour

chill 30 minutes to an hour. form into balls then smash down with bottom of floured glass (about 1/4 inch thick, these cookies should be about the same thickness as those pink grandma sycamore's cookies and a little smaller in circumference.) bake at 375° for 6-8 minutes.

frosting:
1/2 c. butter
1/4 c. shortening
1 t. vanilla
1/8 t. salt
4 c. powdered sugar
2-4 T. milk

in large bowl, beat butter and shortening until light and fluffy. add vanilla and salt. beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, scraping down sides of bowl. add 2 T. milk; beat at high speed until light and fluffy. add enough additional milk for desired spreading consistency. **(this frosting may be made up to 2 weeks in advance and kept in and airtight container before serving. bring to room temperature before serving)**

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

2008-04-23T13:26:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
1 container (8 ounces) sour cream
1 cup Picante Sauce
2 tsp. chili powder
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (about 4 ounces)
10 flour tortillas (6-inch), warmed
1 medium tomato, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 green onion, sliced (about 2 tablespoons)

Directions:

Stir the soup, sour cream, picante sauce and chili powder in a medium bowl.

Stir 1 cup picante sauce mixture, chicken and cheese in a large bowl.

Spread about 1/4 cup chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam-side down in a 3-quart shallow baking dish. Pour the remaining picante sauce mixture over the filled tortillas. Cover the baking dish.

Bake at 350°F. for 40 minutes or until the enchiladas are hot and bubbling. Top with the tomato and onion.

Tip for 2 cups of chopped cooked chicken: Heat 4 cups water in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat to a boil. Add 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs, cubed, and cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Drain and chop the chicken.

Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

2008-04-15T16:15:00.001-07:00

If you have ever been to the bakery in American Fork called Dough Boys and Flour Girls, they have these delicious cookies. I searched for a recipe, and though they are not even close to the same, it is still worth trying it for a different cookie.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups butter, softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract (i used almond extract)
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and 2 cups confectioners' sugar. Beat in the vanilla and coconut extracts and salt. Add flour one cup at a time, mixing well after each. Stir in the chocolate chips and pecans.

Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and place them 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten with a fork dipped in confectioners' sugar.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until a light golden brown. While cookies are still warm from the oven, dust with the remaining confectioners' sugar.

*I put mine in the fridge for a bit after cooking so the chocolate wasn't so gooey*

**This recipe makes a TON (96 cookies). I halved it and made my cookies extra big. I got about a dozen cookies out if**

recipe and photo from allrecipes.com

Cinnamon Rolls

2008-04-06T16:31:00.000-07:00

We made these the night before conference, popped them in the fridge, and then let them sit out for about 30 minutes before baking them for conference morning. YUMMY!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F)
1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 cups bread flour

1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, softened

4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS
Turn on oven to 200 degrees.
In a KitchenAid bowl, dissolve the sugar in the warm milk and add the yeast. Let proof for 8-10 minutes until foamy.
Mix the eggs, butter and salt together and add to the yeast mixture. Mix.
Using a dough hook, mix the flour in.
Turn the oven off.
Place a damp kitchen towel over the bowl and set in oven for one hour.

In a small bowl, combine softened butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.
Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Sprinkle dough evenly with butter/sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough (on the long side) and cut into 12 rolls using dental floss about 1.5 inches apart.

Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 25 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

recipe and photo from allrecipes.com

Florentine Shells

2008-04-03T12:50:00.001-07:00

My visiting teacher made this for our lil' family when John got his appendix out. It was soo good that I just made her give me the recipe. I made it last Sunday when my parents were here for dinner and it was a hit again, so thought I would share.

Ingredients:
18 jumbo pasta shells
1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese
1 pkg. (10 oz) frozen, chopped spinach, thawed/drained/squeezed
2 c. Italian cheese blend, divided
3/4 c. half n' half, divided
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/8 tsp. salt
1 jar (26-28 oz) spaghetti sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta shells according to package directions & drain.

Combine ricotta cheese, spinach, 1 1/2 c. Italian cheese blend and 1/4 c. half n' half, parmesan cheese. Add garlic & seasonings. Set aside.

Whisk spaghetti sauce & remaining 1/2 c. half n' half until blended. Reserve 1 c. sauce. Spread remaining sauce over bottom of 9x13 pan. Fill shells w/ cheese mixture & arrange in pan. Top evenly w/ reserved sauce mixture.

Cover w/ foil. Bake for 40 min. Uncover & put remaining 1/2c. Italian cheese blend. Continue cooking uncovered 5 min. or until cheese is melted.

Best brownies ever

2008-03-30T19:24:00.000-07:00

{http://culinography.wordpress.com/}

We're having a primary party at my house. Brownies, Ice Cream and homemade Hot Fudge sauce. Yum!

3 C sugar
3 squares of butter-softened
6 eggs
3 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 C flour
3/4 C cocoa
dash of salt

Combine butter and sugar. Beat in eggs. Add vanilla. Mix dry ingredients together and then combine with batter. Spread batter into greased cookie sheet (This is a large recipe).

Bake @ 350° for 20 mins

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

2008-03-26T19:00:00.000-07:00

Sorry for all the pumpkin recipes! I have a big can of pumpkin, and made these tonight to use up the rest. Yummy(:

Ingredients
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, 1 stick melted, 1/2 stick softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
1 cup canned pure pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon plus 2 pinches salt
1 2/3 cups flour
4 ounces cream cheese, chilled
1 cup confectioners' sugar

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Whisk in the eggs, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon vanilla, the baking powder, the baking soda and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour.
3. Using an ice cream scoop or tablespoon, drop 12 generous mounds of batter, spaced evenly, onto each baking sheet. Bake until springy to the touch, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
4. Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, cream the softened butter with the cream cheese. Add the confectioners' sugar and the remaining 2 pinches salt and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; mix on low speed until blended, then beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
5. Spread the flat side of 12 cakes with the cream cheese frosting. Top each with another cake.
Recipe from: Everyday with Rachel Ray

Apple Pumpkin Muffins

2008-03-22T10:17:00.000-07:00

I made a batch of these muffins for a playdate with Tara, Allegra and the kitties. They requested it, so here it is...
Strange combo apples and pumpkin, but it seems to come together and taste yummy.
I didnt have some of the ingredients, so in parenthesis()are my substitutions and it still turned out good.

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat flour)
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice (I used nutmeg, ground cloves and cinnamon combo)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup canned or cooked pumpkin
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used half cup melted butter)
2 cups finely chopped peeled apples
STREUSEL:
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 teaspoons cold butter or margarine

DIRECTIONS
In a bowl, combine the first five ingredients. In another bowl, combine the eggs, pumpkin and oil; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in apples. Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. In a small bowl, combine sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over batter.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks

Shrimp Scampi

2008-03-02T17:00:00.000-08:00

I wasn't ever really a fan of shrimp, but being married to D i guess I've grown to like it more.

6 T butter
1/4 C. Olive Oil
2 T. chopped parsley
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
2 T. lemon juice
1 lb. shrimp- 1 g raw
1 lb. Fettucini

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Melt the butter and add olive oil, parsley, garlic, salt and lemon juice. mix well.

Shell and De-vein shrimp leaving tails attached. (or get rid of tails.) split down inside lengthwise... be careful not to cut through. Spread open to simulate butterflies.

Place in shallow baking pan, tail end up. Pour sauce over all.

Bake for 5 minutes. Place under broiler for 5 more minutes to brown.

Cook fettucini while shrimp are cooking. Mix shrimp and fettucini and serve.

*picture found on {allrecipies.com}, although the recipe is actually one from Dan's mom.

Baked BBQ Chicken

2008-02-21T07:36:00.000-08:00

This is my favorite oven bbq chicken recipe. Make sure you use chicken drumsticks, they taste the best with this recipe.
INGREDIENTS
10 chicken drumsticks
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon onion powder
5 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons prepared mustard

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
In a small saucepan, melt butter or margarine. Add onion powder, sugar, Worcestershire sauce and mustard; mix well. Dilute ketchup with water and add to saucepan mixture. Let simmer for 15 minutes.
Place chicken wings in a foil covered 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour saucepan mixture over chicken. Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes.

Baked Sugar Doughnuts

2008-02-21T07:28:00.000-08:00

INGREDIENTS
1 can (7.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1/3 cup sugar

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 375°F.
2. Separate dough into 10 biscuits; flatten each to a 2 1/2-inch round. With 1-inch round biscuit cutter, cut hole in center of each round. Dip all sides of biscuits and centers into butter, then into sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Bake 10 to 12 minutes.
recipe and photo: www.pillsbury.com

Chicken Noodle Casserole

2008-02-13T12:09:00.000-08:00

This is one of Josh's new favorites. He loves chicken noodle soup and this is a great variation. Enjoy!

2/3 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 lbs. chicken, chopped (3/4 inch cubes)

1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth

1 1/2 cups chopped carrots

3 ribs celery, chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried savory

3 Tablespoons butter

3 Tablespoons flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

1 1/2 cups 2% milk

1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese

8 oz. bag of wide egg noodles, cooked and drained

**To make it a bit healthier, I like to use whole wheat egg noodles, low sodium chicken broth, 2% cheese, and 1% milk. It still tastes delicious!

1. In a large non-stick skillet, saute onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add chicken and cook. Add the broth, carrots, celery, and savory. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until veggies are tender.

2. Meanwhile, in a sauce pan, melt the butter. Stir in flour, salt and white pepper until smooth. Gradually add the milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat and stir in cheese until melted. Pour over chicken mixture, add noodles and mix well.

3. Bake in a 3 quart dish (greased) at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until bubbly.

photo and recipe provided by: allrecipes.com

Pad Thai

2008-02-13T07:48:00.000-08:00

John and I always order this whenever we go to Thai restaurants. I was craving it yesterday, so I ran to my local store and picked up a few items and tried this recipe below. Turned out delicious.

INGREDIENTS
1 (12 ounce) package rice noodles
2 tablespoons butter
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fish sauce (I left this out and it still tasted great!)
3 tablespoons white sugar
1/8 tablespoon crushed red pepper
2 cups bean sprouts
1/4 cup crushed peanuts
3 green onions, chopped
1 lime, cut into wedges

DIRECTIONS
Soak rice noodles in cold water 30 to 50 minutes, or until soft. Drain, and set aside.
Heat butter in a wok or large heavy skillet. Saute chicken until browned. Remove, and set aside. Heat oil in wok over medium-high heat. Crack eggs into hot oil, and cook until firm. Stir in chicken, and cook for 5 minutes. Add softened noodles, and vinegar, fish sauce, sugar and red pepper. Adjust seasonings to taste. Mix while cooking, until noodles are tender. Add bean sprouts, and mix for 3 minutes.
Garnish with crushed peanuts, chopped green onions and wedge of lime
recipe & photo by: allrecipes.com

Jessie's Carrot Cake

2008-02-01T08:36:00.000-08:00

2 full eggs plus 2 egg whites

1 cup pineapple juice

1/2 cup oil

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup white flour

1 tsp mexican vanilla

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

2 cups sugar

3 cups grated carrots

1/2 cup walnuts or pecans (optional)

1/4 cup raisins (optional)

Mix all wet ingredients together first with the sugar, making it a creamy syrup-looking mixture. Then add dry ingredients plus carrots, nuts, and raisins. Mixture will seem runny.

Bake in a bunt pan for 40 minutes at 375 degrees

Cool, then frost. Here's my favorite recipe:

1 package Neufchatel Cheese (8 oz)

(or cream cheese...N.Cheese is just better for you and tastes the same)

1 stick salted butter

3 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar

1 1/2 tsp mexican vanilla

Thai Chicken Sandwiches

2008-01-29T14:15:00.000-08:00

I made these for dinner the other night and Brandon loved them. They're a little spicy. I couldn't find mango chutney, but they were delish just by themselves.

2 tablespoons plain yogurt or sour cream
1 tablespoon peanut butter
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 cup chopped cooked chicken
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots (from 10-oz. pkg.)
4 oz. (1 cup) shredded hot pepper Monterey Jack cheese
1 (8-oz.) can Pillsbury® Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls
1/2 cup mango chutney

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 375°F. Spray cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray. In large bowl, combine yogurt, peanut butter, curry powder, ginger, garlic powder and soy sauce; mix well. Add chicken, carrots and cheese; mix well.
2. Separate dough into 4 rectangles. Place on sprayed cookie sheet. Firmly press perforations to seal. Press each rectangle to form 5-inch square. Spoon chicken mixture onto squares. Bring 4 corners of each dough square up over filling; press edges to seal.
3. Bake at 375°F. for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.
4. Meanwhile, heat chutney in small saucepan over low heat until hot, stirring occasionally. Serve chutney with sandwiches.

sticky coconut rice

2008-01-28T12:50:00.000-08:00

2 cups short grain white rice
1 can coconut milk
1 cup water
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

rinse rice in small colander to wash.

add ingredients and cook in a rice cooker
or
in large saucepan over high heat, combine ingredients and bring to a boil.
reduce heat. cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.

kalua pig

2008-01-28T12:44:00.000-08:00

this is a good variation of an authentic hawaiian dish loved in hawaii. and easy too!

pork butt or shoulder
hawaiian sea salt (you can find it at Asian stores)
or
rock salt (like you use for ice cream)
liquid smoke flavoring (in the bbq section)
apple juice

rub salt and liquid smoke on pork.
put about 1/2 cup apple juice in the bottom of crock pot and place meat in.
cook on low for 8-10 hours.
shred pork before serving.

lettuce wraps

2008-01-27T18:23:00.000-08:00

INGREDIENTS

16 Boston Bibb or butter lettuce leaves (iceberg is bigger, but works as well)
1 pound ground chicken or pork (don't overcook or it will dry out)
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/2 teaspoons fresh ginger
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon red chile paste (optional - if you like spicy)
1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 teaspoons sesame oil

dipping sauce:
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon red chile paste

DIRECTIONS

Rinse whole lettuce leaves and pat dry, being careful not tear them. Set aside.

In a medium skillet over medium heat, cook the ground chicken in 1 tablespoon of oil, stirring often. Drain, and set aside to cool.

Cook the onion in the same pan, stirring frequently. Add the garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar, and chile paste to the onions, and stir.
Stir in chopped water chestnuts, green onions, and sesame oil, and continue cooking until the onions just begin to wilt, about 2 minutes.

To serve, allow each person to spoon a portion of the meat into a lettuce leaf. Wrap the lettuce around the meat like a burrito, and enjoy!

Hawaiian Haystacks

2008-01-14T08:35:00.000-08:00

Thanks Good Things Utah for this delightful easy recipe.

Ingredients: Makes 4 - 6 servings

10 to 12 chicken tenders (chuck into chunks)
1 cup chicken broth
2 cans (10 3/4 oz each) cream of chicken soup, condensed
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk 6 cups cooked rice

Place chicken in greased 3 1/2 to 5 quart slow cooker.
Combine all remaining ingredients except rice and pour over chicken.
Cover and cook on high heat 3 - 4 hours or on low heat 6 - 8 hours.

Serve over hot rice with a variety of cold toppings that could include grated cheese, peas, pineapple tidbits, shredded coconut, raisins. Chinese noodles, olives, diced tomatoes, diced green peppers, sliced green onions, and other family favorites.

Crock pot dinners

2008-01-10T12:26:00.000-08:00

I LoVe using my crock pot too! So please everyone post great crock pot recipes! The ones I use I've mostly already shared so just look them up, Jessie.

BBQ chicken recipe I posted is great!
Italian Chicken

What do you guys do??

Homemade Hot Fudge sauce

2008-01-10T12:22:00.000-08:00

Ok this is the YUMMIEST recipe! I made it the other night when Legs and Barbs came over. I guess they liked it! So here it is Barbs:

1 cube of butter
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups of sugar
4 oz of biter chocolate or 1/2 cup of cocoa
1 can evaporated milk

melt butter on low
add chocolate and stir
add sugar, milk and salt
cook on low heat, stirring until it boils
if lumpy-stick in the blender :)

Jessie's Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

2008-01-09T11:33:00.000-08:00

I've given this recipe to maybe 4 people in the 5 years since I put it together. Its healthy, its delicious, and its something worth trying. Hope you enjoy!

1 1/2 sticks salted butter
3 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
2 1/2 cups steel cut oats, barley, wheat, and rye flakes mixed together
1 cup chocolate chips, nuts, and/or or raisins (if you add raisins, add 1 tsp cinnamon)

Cream together the first set of ingredients, then add the dry ingredients slowly while mixing into creamed mix. Add chocolate chips, nuts, and/or raisins.

Bake at 375 degrees for 8 1/2 to 9 minutes and let cool on baking sheet

THE DOUGH IS KILLER GOOD, TOO, SO DON'T FORGET TO MUNCH ON IT!

P.S. I have decided that I'd better start learning to use my crock pot. Any recipes out there for good crock pot meals?!

BBQ and Ranch Chicken

2007-12-20T14:45:00.000-08:00

This is SUPER easy and its great for when I'm in a bind and don't have much time to prepare a huge meal (like when Mason is having one of those days).

All you do is pour Ranch and BBQ sauce over some chicken breasts and pop them in the oven. I usually use frozen chicken (easier) and cook them at 400 degrees for about an hour. If not frozen, then they should only take around 30 minutes.

You can serve with rice, potatoes, or as a wrap with some lettuce and black beans. But my favorite thing to do is cut up the chicken and serve as a salad with bow-tie pasta. YUM!

Sopapilla Cheesecake

2007-12-14T07:28:00.000-08:00

I made this Tuesday night for a Girls Night Out with some ladies in my ward. I saw the recipe on Good Things Utah that morning, and knew I had to give it a try. Anything that has cream cheese, crecents, and sugar has to taste good. And I was right, John has already put this one on his favorite list.
Hope you like!

Ingredients:

2 packages crescent rolls
8 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cube (1/2 cup) real butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 can (12-16 oz) fruit topping (apple, cherry, blueberry, etc.)

Press 1 package crescent rolls into 9 x 13 inch pan
Mix cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar and vanilla; spread over rolls
Place 2nd package of crescent rolls on top of mixture (pat thin to cover)
Melt butter; mix with 3/4 cup sugar and cinnamon then pour over top, and spread to edge
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes until brown
Serve with fruit topping

Do not cover tightly or it will get soggy

Roquefort Pear Salad

2007-11-23T15:36:00.000-08:00

Sorry for all the posts lately! I figure I gotta post while I am on this cooking kick.
I brought this salad to our Thanksgiving celebration yesterday. Thought I would share because it turned out soo yummy!
INGREDIENTS
1 head leaf lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
3 pears - peeled, cored and chopped
5 ounces Roquefort cheese, crumbled
1 avocado - peeled, pitted, and diced
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup pecans
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons prepared mustard
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
In a skillet over medium heat, stir 1/4 cup of sugar together with the pecans. Continue stirring gently until sugar has melted and caramelized the pecans. Carefully transfer nuts onto waxed paper. Allow to cool, and break into pieces.
For the dressing, blend oil, vinegar, 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, mustard, chopped garlic, salt, and pepper.
In a large serving bowl, layer lettuce, pears, blue cheese, avocado, and green onions. Pour dressing over salad, sprinkle with pecans, and serve.

Lime Fish Tacos

2007-11-15T19:56:00.000-08:00

This recipe is for the Fish lovers out there. I like seafood, but hate the high price of some fish. Tilapia fish is a great inexpensive alternative. Its healthy, cheap and you can make this scrumptious meal with it. To keep this meal on the lighter side I used fat free sour cream, corn tortilla's (which are also inexpensive) and fat free mayo. Hope you like!

INGREDIENTS
1 pound tillpia fillets
1 garlic clove, minced
7 teaspoons lime juice, divided
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons reduced fat sour cream
2 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
1 dash hot pepper sauce
7 (8 inch) flour tortillas, warmed
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 cup chopped fresh tomato

DIRECTIONS
Remove skin from fish and cut fish into 1-in. cubes. In a nonstick skillet, saute garlic in butter and 5 teaspoons lime juice for 30 seconds. Add fish and pepper. Cook for 6-8 minutes over medium heat until fish flakes easily with a fork.
Meanwhile, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, hot pepper sauce and remaining lime juice. Place as spoonful of fish on each tortilla. Top each with lettuce, tomato and sour cream sauce; fold over.

French Dip Sandwiches

2007-11-15T11:35:00.000-08:00

If your hubby is like mine (loves steak and anything beef) then hes bound to like this. Dan likes it. Its also pretty easy to do which is good for wifey too.

2-3 lbs beef sirloin or london broil, etc

1 can Campbells Beef Consome'

I can Campbells French Onion Soup

I can water

Cook in crock pot for 5-6 hrs on high

or 8-10 hrs on low

Shred beef and serve with juice from the crock pot on yummy sandwich rolls. You're supposed to dip the sandwich in the juice when eating, but i'm sure you all knew that.

reeses peanut butter BROWNIES

2007-11-11T11:53:00.000-08:00

this is my SIL recipe. YUMMY!

Bake 2 Betty Crocker mixes as directed in a 11x17 pan.
Bake until fork is clean.
Cool.
Frost with 1 can Pillsbury chocolate fudge frosting.
Cut up 24 Reeses peanut butter cups into small pieces.
Sprinkle them over top of frosting and gently press into frosting.
Drizzle with 1/3 cup peanut butter (softened in microwave in quart size freezer strength Ziploc bag)
Then drizzle with 2 Hershey chocolate bars (softened like PB)
Let cool/set before serving. Easier to cut if refrigerated first.

Variations:
mini M&M's | chocolate curls (use a vegetable peeler or cheese grater on Hershey bars)
Oreos | white chocolate
Turtle: chocolate chips | pecans | caramels
German Chocolate: german chocolate frosting | toasted coconut | chocolate chips

German Pancakes

2007-11-10T07:22:00.000-08:00

I made these this morning to start off our Saturday. I love to mix things up from just the plain ole' pancakes or french toast, so I decided to make these. They are super easy, and most everyone should have these ingredients in their pantry. The Creamy Syrup recipe goes great with this, and I topped these pancakes off with some frozen peaches I thawed in the microwave. It was splendid! Hope you like...

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
6 eggs, lightly beaten
1/8 teaspoon salt
pinch of cinnamon & nutmeg (optional of course!)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (175 degrees C). Melt butter in a medium baking dish.
In a medium bowl, mix flour, milk, eggs and salt. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
Bake on center rack in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown.

Recipe and photo provided by: allrecipes.com

Lighter Chicken Pot Pie

2007-11-08T10:54:00.000-08:00

This is from Martha Stewart's site, I love this lighter version of chicken pot pie. The crust is the best part, light flakey & tasty!

Serves 4
2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves (12 to 14 ounces each)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 carrots, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups low-fat (1%) milk
1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas, thawed
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
6 phyllo sheets (each 12 by 17 inches), thawed
Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast (avoiding bone) registers 165 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool slightly; discard skin and bones. Shred meat, and set aside.
While chicken is roasting, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan over medium. Add carrots, onion, and thyme; season with salt and pepper, and cook until carrots are crisp-tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add flour, and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Gradually add milk, stirring until smooth. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a simmer and thickens.
Remove from heat; stir in peas, lemon juice, and chicken, and season with salt and pepper. Pour filling into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate.
Stack phyllo on a work surface. Using a paring knife, cut out an 11-inch circle from the stack; discard trimmings. Stack 2 circles on work surface, and brush gently with 1 teaspoon oil; repeat with remaining circles and oil. Place phyllo stack over filling, and press down about 1/2 inch from the edge so phyllo fits inside rim of pie plate. Bake until golden and bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Let potpie cool 15 minutes before serving.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

2007-11-08T10:40:00.000-08:00

I have made this recipe twice already! Its fantastic and I always seem to have all these ingredients on hand in my kitchen. I got it off of this amazingly creative girls site. She also has alot of other yummy recipes on there as well..
Anyways, take a look:
http://armellejewelry.blogspot.com/2007/09/sweet-sour-chicken.html

Powder Milk Biscuits

2007-10-31T16:53:00.000-07:00

While talking to Tara this morning, she told me that she's never made BISCUITS from SCRATCH. That's all I've ever known for a biscuit, so I thought I would post my dad's DELICIOUS recipe! Give them a try! You'll NEVER go back to BISQUICK. (At least I HOPE!)

1 3/4 cups Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
3 tsp Baking Powder
3-5 Tbsp Softened Butter
1/4 cup Powdered Milk & 3/4 cup water (or just 3/4 cup milk--but powdered is better in this recipe)
1 Tbsp Sugar

Preheat Oven 450 degrees
Combine all dry ingredients and cut in butter
Add wet ingredients
Roll out dough onto a floured surface
Use a mason jar lid or some other round cutter to cut out biscuits
Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes or until tops are lightly browned

pumpkin pancakes

2007-10-20T23:32:00.000-07:00

so...to add to our pumpkin library, here is a recipe i just tried.
really yummmy! i ate it with the magelby's syrup recipe barb posted earlier.

Whisk:
1 1/4 cup flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves

Mix:
1 egg
6 Tbsp. pumpkin puree
2 Tbsp. melted butter
1 cup milk

Fold into dry ingredients.

Heat a skillet over medium heat
Pour in 1/4 cup batter for each pancake
Cook about 3 minutes per side

Makes 12 pancakes

2007-10-19T19:13:00.000-07:00

I love salads, and seeing Tara's new blog post got me reminiscing about friends- This is actually my friend Jen's recipe that I got awhile ago, but it was that yummy salad we had for Barbara's bridal shower. Yep, I remember what we ate. I like food that much:) Its a super quick easy, yummy good meal.

bowtie salad

1 bunch of romaine lettuce

1 box of bowtie pasta

3-4 C. bean sprouts

2 large cans of mandarin oranges

1 package of frozen peas

6 chicken breast cooked and cut

1 C. slivered almonds

1 bottle of poppy seed salad dressing

*i like to caramelize the almonds a bit over low heat and some sugar, and also buy the 'brianna's dressing-its the best.

wahoo I posted something! It was about time:)

Salmon with Couscous

2007-10-12T16:12:00.000-07:00

super easy! it's healthy and fast (20 minutes) too!

2 4-oz salmon fillets
1/4 teaspoon lemon-pepper
1/2-1 tsp soy sauce
1 small orange
1 cup small broccoli flowerets
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup quick-cooking couscous

1. rinse fish; pat dry with paper towels. sprinkle with lemon pepper
2. place fish in a greased nonstick baking pan and drizzle with soy sauce. arrange the orange slices on top of the fish. bake, covered, in a 450 degree oven for 8-12 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
3. meanwhile, in a medium saucepan combine the broccoli, broth, water, garlic and salt. bring just to boiling; reduce heat. simmer, covered, about 3 minutes or just until broccoli is crisp-tender. stir in couscous. remove saucepan from heat. cover and let stand for five minutes. fluff gently with a fork.
4. to serve, spoon the couscous mixture onto a serving platter and arrange the orange-topped fish on top of the couscous mixture.

Italian Veggies

2007-10-10T11:09:00.000-07:00

These are so delicious and just TOO easy! We had them at our Primary party last night and they were a hit.

Cut up several different kinds of your favorite veggies (I use carrots, a large red pepper, a medium zucchini, medium yellow crook squash, and a lg. tomatoes)
Spread out on large cookie sheet
Pour one bottle of Italian dressing over the veggies
Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip muffins

2007-09-29T08:01:00.000-07:00

INGREDIENTS

1 pkg Choc chips
4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
4 cups white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
6 eggs
1 (29 ounce) can pumpkin
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C). Grease three 12 cup muffin pans, or line with paper muffin liners.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ground cloves. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, pumpkin, and applesauce, until smooth. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and stir thoroughly to make a smooth batter. Stir the chips and walnuts into the batter. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Grandma's Brownies

2007-09-26T14:06:00.000-07:00

Okay, okay. So, I'm a sucker for a good boxed brownie mix...adding just egg whites and water and calling the batter my treat for the day. However, when it comes to making a good homemade brownie, you can't get much better than these! These are my Gma VB's--Famous in our family for their chewy chocolatey taste! They give boxed brownies a real run for their money! Enjoy!

1 1/2 cups flour (I like to use half white and half whole wheat)

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup cocoa

1 tsp salt

1 cup soft shortening (butter flavor is best...or just use real butter)

3 eggs (again, I like just the whites, myself)

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup nuts or chocolate chips (optional...although walnuts are killer in these!!!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Cream together sugar, vanilla, shortening, and eggs. Add flour, salt, cocoa, and baking powder (and nuts or chips if you so choose) until smooth and delicious. Pour into a greased 13 x 9 inch pan and bake for 30-35 minutes! Good hot or cooled, with or without ice cream!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

2007-09-24T13:58:00.000-07:00

I made these last night and I remembered how much they remind me of fall. I love the fall! Although it is much better in Utah than it is in Spokane Washington.... I will get to experience the fall in Utah again on October 13th because my little sister is getting married. Yeah!!!!

1 cup cooked canned pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
1 egg
2 cups flour (I like to add about 1/4 cup more flour. It makes the cookies more fluffy and less doughy)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda, dissolved in 1 teaspoon milk
1 cup chocolate chips ( I like to use bittersweet...it really compliments the pumpkin flavor)

Combine pumpkin, sugar, oil and egg. Stir together with flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add dissolved baking soda, vanilla to the mixture. Add chocolate chips. Grease cookie sheet. Drop by 1/2 teaspoon. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 13 minutes.

Somthin' Warm for the Cold

2007-09-24T13:13:00.000-07:00

I wanted to make this today because it's FREEZING in Utah. However I didn't have all the ingredients and didn't want to walk to the store-again! But I thought I'd share it. Thanks to Grandma Mona for the Recipe.

ITALIAN TORTELLINI SOUP

4 cans Italian stewed tomatoes (14 1/2 oz)
2 cans of Beef broth (14 1/2 oz)
2 Tbs fresh basil
1/2 tsp grd pepper
1 medium zhuccinni
1/2 lb green beans
3/4 lb italian sausage (crumbled and browned)
1 pkg tortellini and cheese (6-8 oz frozen bag)
Parmesan cheese grated on top

Combine tomatoes, broth, basil and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add zhuccinni , beans, sausage and tortellini. Cook 10-15 mins. Serve with grated cheese.

Pancakes to go with Barb's Syrup (below)

2007-09-15T06:49:00.000-07:00

My dad always made breakfast for us when we were growing up (as he worked at home) and every Monday was "Mancake" day. His recipe is good for any day of the week, though. Enjoy!

1 1/2 cup Flour
1 tsp Salt
3 Tbsp Sugar
1 3/4 tsp Baking Powder
2 Eggs
1 1/2 Tbsp Oil
1 1/4 Cup Milk

Mix all ingredients together until batter is blended and lumpy! To fancy your pancakes up add bananas & cinnamon, blueberries & cardamom, or chocolate chips!

Magleby's Creamy Syrup

2007-09-14T18:29:00.000-07:00

Remember when we used to wake up bright and early for seminary devotionals & then go treat ourselves to Magleby's Fresh for breakfast? Looking back, I think my only motivation for waking up that early was not to feel the sweet spirit, but to scarff some Magleby's french toast with that sweet buttery syrup. Here's a creamy syrup recipe that tastes almost identical to the Magleby's version. Enjoy!

ingredients:
1 stick butter
1 Cup sugar
1 Cup buttermilk
1 T. vanilla
1 T. corn syrup
½ tsp. baking soda

Bring first five ingredients to a boil.
Add in baking soda.
Boil for 10 seconds then remove from heat immediately to avoid boil over.
Serve over French toast, pancakes, crepes or any other yummy breakfast item.

p.s. Speaking of Magleby's, Remember when we got our picture on the wall with the owner? lol I went back there last Feb for my dad's bday party & all of our eyes are poked out with pins! I just had to laugh. We must have some enemies out there jealous of our Magelby's fame..lol

More Italian for Racquel

2007-09-12T18:31:00.000-07:00

Paula's Lasagna (One of my very favorite dishes ever!)

2 pkgs schilling spaghetti sauce
3 cans of 15 oz tomato sauce
about 3/4 cup of water
2 lbs lean ground beef
1- 8 oz pkg wide lasagna noodles
2 cups (1 lb) ricotta or cottage cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (I've used the bottled and it tastes good too)
1 Tbs chopped parsley
3 cups (12 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese

Brown the ground beef. Add 2 pkgs of spag sauce, 3 cans of tomato sauce, and 3/4 cup of water. Slow cook for 10 mins over the stove. Cook noodles until slightly bendy. Grease 9x13 pan. Then layer sauce/meat mix, layer of noodles, thin layer of cottage cheese (1/2 of container), sprinkle with grated mozzarella. Layer of sauce, noodles, cottage cheese, cheese, sauce, cheese. Sprinkle Parsley and Parmesan. Cover with foil and I would put a cookie sheet underneath the pan because they tend to boil over. Bake @ 375 for one hour.

Jessie's Lemon Poppyseed Cake

2007-09-08T14:37:00.000-07:00

A gorgeous cake can always be delightfully eaten at any time of the day! This one is especially good for a lovely brunch, brilliant company, and warm conversation! Its easy to make AND easy to eat!

One Box Lemon or Yellow Cake
One box Lemon pudding (instant)
3 Egg whites
3/4 cup Light Miracle Whip
1 cup of your favorite juice (orange or pineapple are my faves)
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup poppyseeds

Whip together all ingredients until fluffy and thick. Pour into a greesed (and sugared if desired) bunt pan, and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Cool completely before dressing it with icing or frosting. My favorite icing recipe is as follows: 2 cups powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp melted butter, 3-4 Tbsp of your favorite juice, and a tiny splash of vanilla. It goes on runny but cools to a nice glaze over the cake. Enjoy!

Afternoon Comfort Food

2007-09-06T12:57:00.000-07:00

I made these today & they are delish. Especially when you are craving carbs, and you just need some good old fashioned comfort food. They do take a little bit of time, (don't all breads?) but they make lots so I just bag them up, stick in the freezer & microwave to thaw for a great soft & warm dinner roll anytime.

Lion House Rolls:
Ingredients:
2 cups warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
2/3 cup nonfat dry milk (instant or non-instant)
2 tablespoons dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup butter, shortening, or margarine
1 egg
5 to 5 ½ cups all-purpose flour, or bread flour

In large bowl or electric mixer, combine water and milk powder; stir until milk dissolves. Add yeast, then sugar, salt, butter, egg, and 2 cups flour. Mix on low speed until ingredients are wet, then for 2 minutes at medium speed. Add 2 cups flour; mix on low speed until ingredients are wet, then for 2 minutes at medium speed. (Dough will be getting stiff and remaining flour may need to be mixed in by hand). Add about ½ cup flour and mix again, by hand or mixer. Dough should be soft, not overly sticky, and not stiff (It is not necessary to use the entire amount of flour).
Scrape dough off sides of bowl and pour about one tablespoon of vegetable oil all around sides of bowl. Turn dough over in bowl so it is covered with oil. (This helps prevent dough from drying out). Cover with plastic and allow to rise in warm place until double in size, about 45 minutes.

Scrape dough out onto floured board. Turn dough over so it is floured on both sides; gently flatten to about 1 inch thick. With rolling pin, roll out to a rectangle about 18 inches long, 8 inches wide, and ¼ inch thick. Brush with melted butter. With pizza cutter or very sharp knife, cut dough in half to make two strips about 4 inches wide. Make cuts through strips of dough every 2 inches, making about 18 pieces of dough.

Starting with short end, roll up one piece of dough, with butter on the inside. Place roll on parchment-lined pan with other short end down on the paper. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough. Be sure all rolls face the same direction on baking pan. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise until double in size, about 1 to 1 ½ hours. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes, or until light to medium golden brown. Brush tops of rolls with melted butter. Serve with Honey Butter. Makes 1 to 1 ½ dozen rolls.

Racquel requested some Itilian Recipes:

2007-09-05T17:36:00.001-07:00

Italian Chicken:

In crockpot: 1/4 stick of butter, 1 Italian dry season dressing packet. cook in crock pot for 2 hours-stir occasionally. Add 1 pkg softened cream cheese and 1 can of cream of chicken soup. Add milk to texturize. Heat til warm, serve over rice.