Feast On This, Baby!

Zucchini Bread

2011-09-07T13:27:00.000-07:00

Zucchini Bread

3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup oil
3 eggs
2 cups grated zucchini
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. baking powder
3 cups flour
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. nutmet
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Beat together oil and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until creamy. Beat in sifted dry ingredients. Fold in grated zucchini and vanilla. Pour into greased and floured bread pans (2). Bake at 325 for 50 mins - 1 hour.

Creamy Grape Salad

2011-07-28T20:05:00.000-07:00

Large bag of grapes--red, green or both (enough to fill a 9x13 pan)

Creamy mixture:
8 oz. cream cheese
1/3 c. sugar
8 oz. sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
Topping:
1 heaping cup Grape Nuts
2/3 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. coconut flakes

Beat together cream cheese, sugar and vanilla, then fold in sour cream. Stir grapes in with the creamy mixture then spread out in a 9x13 glass pan and refrigerate.
RIGHT BEFORE SERVING: Combine topping ingredients well and add over top of the grapes.

Wedding Water

2011-07-03T21:01:00.001-07:00

1 gallon water
3 cups sugar
1 Tbsp. Pure Lemon Extract
1 Tbsp. Citric Acid

Strawberries may be added to garnish

Baked Beans

2011-06-29T17:39:00.000-07:00

2 large cans Bush's baked beans
1 can drained kidney beans
1/4 c. ketchup
2 to 3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/3 c. brown sugar
Chopped green pepper (optional, I omit)
1 chopped onion
1/2 lb. bacon, cut into pieces and fried with onion (drain fat)

Mix all together in crockpot or warm on the stove.

Chicken Pasta Salad

2011-06-20T08:22:00.000-07:00

12-16 oz. bow tie noodles
12 oz. rainbow spiral noodles
3 c. chopped celery (or peeled, diced cucumbers)
1 c. mayonnaise
1 (16 oz.) bottle Kraft cole slaw dressing
3-4 chicken breast, cooked, cooled, and cubed
1 can cashew halves (added right before serving)
Sprinkling of salt, pepper, and sugar
2 green onions, chopped
2 c. red grapes, halved
1 large can pineapple tidbits, drained
1 large or 2 small cans mandarin oranges, drained

Cook all noodles until done. Drain, cool, and place in a large bowl. Add cut up chicken, celery, green onions, pineapple, oranges, and grapes. Mix together. Combine cole slaw dressing and mayonnaise until smooth. Pour over salad and blend in till completely mixed. Lightly sprinkle some salt, pepper, and sugar over salad. Mix, cover, and refrigerate (it's better if it is refrigerated for 8 hours). Add cashews before serving. Serves 25-30.

From Sharon Kono

Raspberry Marble Cake

2011-06-02T21:30:00.000-07:00

1 box black raspberry Jello
3/4 c. hot water
1/2 c. cold water
1 box marble cake mix (I just used a yellow cake mix)

ICING: (optional)

1 envelope Dream Whip
1 box vanilla instant pudding
1/2 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix a package of black raspberry Jello with 3/4 cup hot water. Add 1/2 cup cold water. Bake marble cake mix; poke holes in cake. Pour Jello over it. Set in refrigerator.Beat icing ingredients together until thick. Put over cake, refrigerate.

Luscious Lemon Lime Cupcakes

2011-05-29T18:25:00.000-07:00

This is kind of long process but they are soooo good! (Recipe from Tricia)

Lucious Lemon Lime Cupcakes

Cake
1 box lemon cake mix
1 small box lime flavored gelatin
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup lime juice (3 limes)
zest from 3 limes
1/3 vegetable oil
3 eggs

Heat oven to 350 degrees Line muffin tins. In a large bowl, beat cake mix with gelatin with electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Add remaining cupcake ingredients. Beat with electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds beat on medium speed for 2 minutes scrapin bowl as necessary. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups filling about 2/3 full bake 18 minutes or until toothpick inseted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan to cooling rack. With toothpick perce top of cupcakes in several places.

Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
2 T lime juice
in a small bowl, mix 1 cup powdered sugar and 2 T lime juice until glaze is smooth and thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle and spread glaze over cupcakes. Cool completely, about 30 minutes

Frosting
8 oz cream cheese softened
1 t Vanilla
2 T lime juice
1 T lemon juice
Lemon and Lime zest (approx 3 limes)
3-4 cups powdered sugar
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. On low speed, beat in vanilla, lime juice, and zest and add in powder sugar until mixed. Beat in medium speed until fluffy. Frost cupakes, mounding and swirling frosting. Store covered in fridge. Top with slice of strawberries

Cucumber Sandwiches with Cream Cheese

2011-03-13T23:32:00.000-07:00

Remove crust from bread and cut to desired shape. Spread with cream cheese mixture:

1 cube cream cheese
1/2 c Mayo
1 packet dry italian seasoning

Place cucumber slice on top, then sprinkle with dill seasoning.

Perfect for tea parties or girly occasions!

"Dizzy Izzys"

2010-08-25T20:19:00.000-07:00

Italian Sodas (aka "Dizzy Izzys"

1. Fill glass with crushed ice
2. Pour 1 inch of favorite flavored syrup in bottom of tall glass
3. Fill remainder of glass with club soda
4. Top with a big dollop of whipped cream.
5. Stir with straw before drinking.

Cool and Crunchy Lettuce Wraps

2010-06-13T18:34:00.000-07:00

I know it's been forever since I posted on this recipe blog. It's because I haven't really cooked anything exciting in a while. We just finished up baseball season last week, and since it always falls in the middle of dinner time, we have had a lot of take-out the last month.

Also, we had a little health scare with my husband. He's doing just great now, but we've made some major eating modifications to try and get healthy here at our house. Now I need to learn how to cook good food that is also low-fat/heart healthy. I don't know how to do that yet. Everything I've tried to adapt has been a little gross. I didn't realize how much cooking I do with tons of cream, cheese, etc. So we've just had a lot of grilled chicken and grilled fish lately.

But I did make a new recipe a couple days ago. It was adapted from a taco recipe I had at a Pampered Chef party about a month ago. Instead of putting it in taco shells, I made the filling into lettuce wraps. It was pretty healthy and good--recipe blog worthy I think. Plus I got to use fresh cilantro from my garden!

Cool and Crunch Lettuce Wraps
1 small head iceberg lettuce
2 limes

3 c. dice grilled chicken breasts

1/2 small jicama

1 small mango, peeled and diced

1/2 cup fresh cilantro

1/4 tsp salt

1 avocado, peeled and sliced (optional)
1/2 cup fat free magonnaise
2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

1. Wash and separate lettuce, set aside.

2. Make sauce using zest and juice from one lime--add to small bowl. Combine with mayonnaise, cumin, and cayenne pepper, if desired. Chill.

3. In a separate bowl, combine chicken, jicama, mango, cilantro, zest and juice from remaining lime, salt, and avocado if desired.

4. To serve: top lettuce with large scoop of chicken mixture, and about a Tablespoon of sauce mixture.

I won!

2010-05-04T21:53:00.000-07:00

I am so very excited about winning the give-away over at One Crazy Cookie, a food blog that I totally enjoy!

You should all go check her out here. She's always cooking up something wonderful!

Thanks again, Tiffanee!

Soft Peanut Butter Cookies

2010-04-15T17:11:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had one of those weeks? Not the really awesome, great weeks, but the other kind? I am having one of those. Sigh. And when I feel stressed I find therapy in my kitchen.

So today when I was nearing the end of my rope I grabbed a wooden spoon and a bowl and held on for dear life.

These peanut butter cookies made my daughter smile. And her smile made me smile. It's getting better already! :)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat the oven to 325.

Cream the peanut butter with the butter and sugars for 3-4 minutes, then beat in the egg.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture and mix until combined. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl so that everything is combined evenly.

Scoop dough by the rounded tablespoonful and roll into balls. Place the balls about 2 in. apart on a baking sheet (can line with parchment paper or aluminum foil if desired), and press down slightly. Using a fork dipped in flour, press down on the cookie to form an "X" pattern.

Bake for 10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. Overbaking will cause these chewy cookies to become crunchy, so try to avoid it.

Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days. For longer storage wrap in plastic and aluminum and freeze for up to a month.

Custard Baked French Toast w/ Raspberry Sauce

2010-04-11T09:24:00.000-07:00

Custard Baked French Toast with Raspberry Sauce From Tasty Sensations

6 TBS butter
French bread loaf
1 1/2 C sugar
6 eggs plus 3 yolks
2 C whipping cream
4 C milk
1 TBS vanilla

Melt butter in a 9X13 inch pan. Slice bread and layer 2-3 deep. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over bread. Let sit overnight in refrigerator. Bake 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Serve topped with raspberry sauce and slivered almonds (optional). Dust with powdered sugar and place a few fresh raspberries on top.

Raspberry Sauce:
1 pkg (10 oz.) frozen raspberries (organic, if you can get them)
1/4 C sugar
1 TBS cornstarch

Combine on stove and cook until thickened, pour over French toast. This sauce is the best part of this breakfast. So yummy.

Chicken Alla Voldostana

2010-04-07T16:39:00.000-07:00

CHICKEN ALLA VOLDOSTANA

Ingredients
4 chicken breasts
4 slices Parma ham (proscuitto)
1 Tbs. flour
1 tsp dried italian herbs
2 Tbs. olive oil (any)
3 Tbs. butter
4 oz hard cheese (gruyere)
1/2 can chicken stock

Method
1. Place the chicken breasts between 2 sheets of waxed paper and beat with a rolling pin until flat.
2. Coat the chicken with flour that has been mixed with herbs, salt and pepper.
3. Melt the butter with the oil and fry the chicken for 5 minutes each side.
4. Place a slice of proscuitto on top of each piece of chicken, cover with sliced or grated cheese. Pour the broth into the pan, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
5. I served with spinach salad and dauphinois potatoes.

Potatoes Dauphinoise

2010-04-07T14:17:00.000-07:00

ingredients:

2 extra large russet potatoes

1 pint half and half

salt

white pepper

1 1/2 cups shredded gruyere cheese, about 5 ounces

1 clove garlic, minced

nutmeg

italian seasoned bread crumbs

directions:

preheat oven to 350 degrees.

peel potatoes, then slice very thin with a sharp knife (i used my mandolin). put them in a medium pot with half-and-half, 2 tsp. salt, and freshly ground white pepper. stir well and simmer the potatoes for 15 minutes, or until they are just beginning to soften.

rub bottom of medium casserole dish with garlic, then transfer one layer of potatoes to the dish. sprinkle with half of grated cheese and nutmeg, then transfer remaining potatoes to dish, along with the half and half mixture. the liquid should come just to the tops of the potatoes. top with remaining cheese, another sprinkle of nutmeg, and a thin layer of bread crumbs. bake for 35-40 minutes or until potatoes are tender and cheese is golden brown.

Mique's Chicken Enchiladas

2010-04-07T09:41:00.000-07:00

3 chicken breast, cooked, shredded
¾ c. sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 c. milk
¾ c. salsa
12 corn tortillas
2 c. shredded cheese

Mix soup, milk & salsa. Heat in microwave on medium heat, 3 minutes. Add sour cream, heat 1 minute. Heat tortillas by wrapping 4 at a time in wet paper towel and heating in microwave for 1 ½ mins. Take 1 tortilla & place in greased 9x13 pan. Put 1 ½ Tbsp. chicken, 1 ½ Tbsp. cheese, 2 Tbsp. soup mix in the middle and roll up placing edge on bottom of pan. Reserve about 1 c. soup mix and 1 c. cheese to cover entire casserole. Bake at 350F for 30-40 mins or until bubbly (may be covered for more moist enchiladas).

I served with black beans and Rainbow Jello (I always love to have something sweet with Mexican food).

From Mique's Tried and Trues. Thanks for sharing Mique. I thought they were delicious!

Rainbow Jello

2010-04-05T18:00:00.000-07:00

Hee hee, this is fun but start early because it takes all day!

Ingredients:

5 boxes (8 oz.) jello in red, orange, yellow, green purple
2 cans evaporated milk

Directions:

Purchase the 8 oz. boxes, but only prepare half of the box at a time.

Layer One: 1/2 box red jello, mix with 3/4 c. boiling water, then when dissolved add 1/2 c. COLD water

Let this set up in the fridge for at least half an hour.

Layer Two: remaining half of red jello, mix with 3/4 c. boiling water, then when dissolved add 1/2 c. evaporated milk

Repeat with the rest of the colors.

Pear and Walnut sandwiches

2010-04-05T11:27:00.000-07:00

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup (4 ounces) tub-style light cream cheese
8 (1.1-ounce) slices cinnamon-raisin bread, toasted
2 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts, toasted
2 Bartlett pears, cored and thinly sliced
1 cup alfalfa sprouts

PREPARATION

1. Spread 1 tablespoon cream cheese evenly over each of 8 bread slices. Sprinkle 1/2 tablespoon walnuts evenly over each of 4 bread slices. Top each evenly with pear slices, sprouts, and 1 bread slice. Cut each sandwich in half diagonally. From Cooking Light.

Annual St. Patricks Day dinner at our house

2010-04-04T20:31:00.000-07:00

2009--green pasta with green alfredo sauce, green jello, green french bread, green salad, green fruit, green Sprite

2008--basically the same

Fried Rice

2010-03-31T17:52:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

3 Tbs. sesame oil
3 cups cooked rice, chilled
1 c. diced ham, or smoked turkey
4-6 scallions, white part only, minced
3 eggs
1 Tbs. sugar
soy sauce
pepper
peas (optional)

In a large skillet or wok, heat oil on med/high. Add rice and stir fry until rice is slightly scorched. Add ham, peas, and scallions. Toss for 1-2 minutes. Push all contents to one side of the skillet. In a bowl, beat eggs with a fork. Add eggs to cleared side of skillet. Scramble until no longer runny. Combine with rice mixture. Pour soy sauce evenly along entire skillet of rice just enough to make the top layer turn brown. Stir, add sugar and pepper to taste. Toss 1-2 more minutes.

Strawberry Shortcake Trifle

2010-03-31T10:11:00.000-07:00

Strawberry Shortcake Trifle

Ingredients:

1 large angel food cake, cut into bite-sized pieces
1-2 carton strawberries, washed and diced, then sprinkled with a couple Tbs. sugar (releases juices)
1 small container Cool Whip
1 large box vanilla pudding, prepared
1 small package strawberry glaze (usually sold right next to angel food cakes)

Layer 1: 1/2 Angel food cake pieces
Layer 2: 1/3 strawberries
Layer 3: Drizzle of strawberry glaze
Layer 4: 1/2 pudding
Layer 5: 1/2 Cool Whip
Layer 6: remainder angel food cake
Layer 7: 1/3 strawberries
Layer 8: drizzle of strawberry glaze
Layer 9: remainder of pudding
Layer 10: remainder Cool Whip
Layer 11: remainder strawberries
Layer 12: final drizzle of strawberry glaze (optional)

Marble Chiffon Cake

2010-03-31T10:03:00.000-07:00

Marble Chiffon Cake

2 squares ( 1 oz. each) unsweetened chocolate
1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
1/4 cup hot water
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 cups flour
1 Tbs. baking powder
1 tsp salt
7 eggs, separated
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup veg. oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. cream of tarter

Frosting:

4 sares (1 oz. each) semisweet chocolate
1 Tbs. butter or margarine
7 Tbs. whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

In a small saucepan, melt unsweetened chocolate over low heat. Add 1/4 c. sugar, hot water, and baking soda. Mix well and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and remaining sugar. Form a well in the center; add yolks, water, oil, and vanilla; blend until moistened. Beat 3 minutes on medium speed; set aside.

In another mixing bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on high until stiff peaks form. Gradually fold into batter. Divide in half; gradually fold chocolate mixture into one portion. Alternately spoon the plain an chocolate batters into an ungreased tube pan. Swirl with a knife.

Bake at 325 for 55 minutes. Increase temperature to 350, bake 10-15 minutes longer or until top springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert cake; cool completely.

For frosting, melt semisweet chocolate and butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir in cream and vanilla. Remove from the heat; whisk in powdered sugar until smooth. Immediately spoon over cake. Cool. Recipe from Taste of Home.

Pw's Chicken-Fried Steak

2010-03-29T08:14:00.000-07:00

3 lbs. cube steak
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups milk, plus 2 cups for the gravy
3 cups flour, plus 1/3 cup for the gravy
2 tsp. seasoned salt
3/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (more if you can handle it)
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
3 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 cup veg. oil for frying

1. Begin with an assembly line of dishes for the meat, milk-egg mixture, and flour mixture with a clean plate at the end to receive the breaded meat.
2. Get cube steak out and ready.
3. With fork, beat eggs and 1 cup milk in a bowl.
4. Mix flour with seasoned salt, paprika, cayenne, and black pepper in bowl.
5. Lightly season a piece of meat with salt and pepper then dip it into the egg-milk mixture. Flip to the other side to coat.
6. Next, place the meat on the plate of seasoned flour. Turn over to coat thoroughly.
7. Now place the meat back in the egg/milk mixture, turning to coat.
8. Finally, dredge in flour one more time. This repetition will create a nice, thick crust-the signature quality of chicken-fried steak.
9. Place the breaded meat on the empty plate until ready to fry and repeat the process with the remaining pieces of meat.
10. Heat the oil in a large skillet over med.-high heat. When the oil is sufficiently heate fry 3 pieces of meat at a time. Cook on one side until the edges start to look golden brown, about 2 1/2 min.
11. Tun over and cook for 2 or 3 minutes, until the other side is golden.
12. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and keep warm. Repeat with remainder of meat.
13. Now it's time to make the gravy.
14. After frying all the meat, pour off the grease into a heat-proof bowl. Withoug cleaning the pan, return it to the stove over med.-low heat. Add 1/4 cup grease back to the pan. Allow the grease to heat up.
15. Sprinkle 1/3 c. flour evenly over grease.
16. Using a whisk, mix the flour with grease, creating a golden brown roux. It needs to attain a deep rich color.
17. After a couple of minutes, whisking constantly, pour in 2 cups milk.
18. Whisk to combine, then let the gravy come to a slow boil. It will thicken gradually, but if it seems too thick add splashes as milk. Cooking process should take 5-10 minutes. Generously season with salt and pepper, careful not to underseason.
19. Serve meat with mashed potatoes and cover both with gravy.

Pw's Creamy Mashed Potatoes

2010-03-28T19:31:00.000-07:00

I got a new cookbook from my mom for my birthday that I have been wanting ever since it came out. I was so excited! Thanks Mom!

The Pioneer Woman is awesome. Her food is great, and her explanations make it so that everyone can do it. Her book is full of amazing pictures, and it has been a delight to dig into.

Disclaimer: her recipes are NOT low fat. :) We're eating great and loving her recipes, but it's time to hit the treadmill.

5 lbs. russet or Yukon Gold potatoes
12 Tbs. butter (1 1/2 sticks) softened, additional 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) optional
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1/2 to 3/4 cup half and half
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
salt to taste
black pepper to taste

1. Bring a large pot of water to a slow boil over medium-high heat.
2. Peel potatoes and rise in cold water. Chop into halves and/or fourths.
3. Add potatoes to the pot. Bring to a full boil and cook for 20-30 min.
4. They are ready when you can slide a fork in with no resistance, and the potatoes should almost but not completely fall apart.
5. Drain in a large colander.
6. Return the potatoes to the pot and turn the heat on low. With a potato masher, mash the potatoes over low heat to allow much of the steam to escape. Continue mashing until all lumps are gone, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat.
7. Add butter.
8. Add cream cheese.
9. Next add the half and half and stir together.
10. Add seasoned salt, salt, and pepper. Be sure not to underseason.
11. Spread the mashed potatoes in a 2 quart baing dish.
12. If you want you can dot the top with butter slices. At this point you can cover the dish tightly with foil and refrigerate for up to 2 days before baking.
13. When you're ready, preheat the oven to 350, cover with foil, and bake for 25-30 minutes until warmed through.
14. Serve piping hot!

Toffee Trifle

2010-03-07T18:27:00.000-08:00

Toffee Trifle

1 pkg. brownie mix, baked

1-2 large pkg. instant chocolate pudding mix (Jello now makes an instant chocolate pudding mix with carmel bits, so I used that this last time and it was delicious)

1 bag of heath toffee chips

1-2 containers whipped topping

1 large blue Symphony bar, chopped

Preparation:
1. Make brownie mix and let cool.
2. Make pudding mix and chill in fridge for 5 minutes.
3. Put whipped topping in fridge to thaw.

Layer One: 1/2 pan of crumbled browies
Layer Two: 1/2 of chocolate pudding
Layer Three: 1/4-1/2 bag of Heath toffee chips, 1/4-1/2 chopped Symphony bar
Layer Four: 1/2 container of whipped topping
Layers Five-Eight: Repeat

I don't have a large family, so when I made this tonight I only used 1 container of whipped topping, 1 box pudding mix, and half a bag of toffee chips. If I were to make this for a party I would use twice as much of those and fill my trifle dish all the way to the top!

7 Layer Salad

2010-03-06T13:22:00.000-08:00

One of my favorites!

7 layer salad

2 cups mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
1 tablespoon sugar
1 head of lettuce, shredded
1 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup radishes, sliced
4 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
10 ounces frozen green peas, uncooked
1 small green onion, chopped
8 slices cooked bacon, crumbled (bacon bits work fine)
1/2 pound cheddar cheese, grated

Combine the mayonnaise and sugar. Mix and refrigerate it until you finish making the salad.

Layer the rest of the ingredients in the following order:

a layer of lettuce on the bottom of the bowl,
then a layer of celery
a layer of radishes
a layer of chopped eggs
a layer of peas
a layer of green onions
a layer of crumbled bacon

Spread the mayonnaise/sugar mixture over the top of the salad like cake icing. Sprinkle grated cheese evenly over it all. Seal the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (or for 8 to 12 hours before serving).

Sausage, Jack, and Egg Breakfast Braid

2010-01-31T14:36:00.000-08:00

Ingredients

1 (13.8-ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust dough
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
4 ounces chicken sausage with jalapeño peppers, chopped
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped seeded jalapeño peppers (I omitted these)
1 large egg white, lightly beaten

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425°.

2. Unroll dough onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; pat into a 15 x 10–inch rectangle.

3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sausage; cook 9 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in eggs; cook 1 1/2 minutes or until set. Remove from heat.

4. Sprinkle Monterey Jack lengthwise down center of dough, leaving about a 2 1/2-inch border on each side. Spoon egg mixture evenly over cheese. Sprinkle cheddar over egg mixture; top with jalapeño peppers.

5. Make 2-inch-long diagonal cuts about 1 inch apart on both sides of dough to within 1/2 inch of filling using a sharp knife or kitchen shears. Arrange strips over filling, alternating strips diagonally over filling. Press ends under to seal. Brush with egg white. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut crosswise into slices. Recipe is from the Cooking Light magazine.

Breaded Ranch Chicken

2010-01-24T14:06:00.000-08:00

3/4 cup crushed cornflakes
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
8 chicken tenderloins
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

In a shallow bowl, combine the cornflakes, parmesan cheese, and salad dressing mix.

Dip chicken in butter, then roll in cornflake mixture to coat.

Place in a greased 13 x 9 baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at a350 for 45 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.

Brunch Enchiladas

2010-01-22T14:05:00.000-08:00

From Taste of Home

These can easily be assembled the night before a brunch/party!

2 cups fully cooked, cubed ham
1/2 cup chopped green onions
10 (8 inch) tortillas
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 Tbs. flour
2 cups half and half cream, or milk
6 eggs, beaten
1/4 tsp salt

Combine ham and onions; place about 1/3 cup down the center of each tortilla. Top with 2 Tbs. cheese. Roll up and place seam side down in a greased 13 x 9 casserole dish. In a bowl, combine flour, cream, eggs, and salt until smooth. Pour over tortillas. cover and refrigerate for 8 hrs. or overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Uncover, bake for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese; 3 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted.

Chocolate Mint Brownies

2010-01-22T13:59:00.000-08:00

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1/2 tsp. salt

4 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 can (16 oz.) chocolate flavored syrup

1 cup sugar

Filling:

2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 Tbs. water

1/2 tsp. mint extract

3 drops green food coloring

Topping:

1 pkg. (10 oz) mint chocolate chips

9 Tbs. butter or margarine

Combine first 7 ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Pour batter into a greased 13 x 9 baking pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes (top of brownies will still appear wet). Cool completely on a wire rack. Combine filling ingredients in a mixing bowl; beat until creamy. Spread over cooled brownies. Refrigerate until set. For topping, melt the chocolate chips and butter over low heat in a small saucepan. Let cool for 30 minutes or until lukewarm, stirring occasionally. Spread over filling. Chill before cutting.

Store in the refrigerator.

These brownies get more moist if you leave them in the refrigerator for a day or two. (Yeah--as if!)

Shortbread Lemon Bars

2010-01-22T13:52:00.000-08:00

From Taste of Home

1 1/2 c. cups flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
1 tsp. grated orange peel
3/4 c. cold butter or margarine

Filling:
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1/3 c. lemon juice
1/4 c. flour
2 tsp. grated lemon peel
2 tsp. grated orange peel
1 tsp. baking powder

Topping:
2 cup (16 oz.) sour cream
1/3 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

In a food processor, combine flour, powdered sugar, and lemon and orange peel. Cut in butter until crumbly; process until mixture forms a ball. Pat into a greased casserole dish or cake pan. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes or until set and the edges are lightly browned. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl combine filling ingredients and mix well. Pour over hot crust. Bake 14 minutes or until set and lightly browned. In another bowl, combine topping ingredients. Spread over filling. Bake 7 minutes longer or until topping is set. Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate overnight. Cut into bars just before serving. Makes about 3 dozen.

Waldorf Turkey Sandwiches

2010-01-22T13:44:00.000-08:00

1 cup cubed cooked turkey breast
1 small apple, chopped
1/4 cup diced celery
3 T. mayo
2 T. plain yogurt'2 T. chopped walnuts
1 T. raisins
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
8 slices bread, toasted
4 lettuce leaves

Makes 4 delicious sandwiches with leftover turkey meat!

In a bowl, combine the first 9 ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Spoon 3/4 c. mixture onto bread and add lettuce leaves.

Chicken Chili Lasagna

2010-01-19T20:05:00.000-08:00

This recipe is a fast version of mild chicken enchiladas.

And guess what? I got a food processor! Finally! I know--I'm so behind the times, but I have been hand chopping everything for so long! My mom got me a really nice, handy-dandy food chopper, and I can tell already that I'm going to love it and use it a ton.

I halved this recipe and made it in a 8 x 8 casserole dish.

2 pkgs. (3 oz. each) cream cheese
1 med. onion, chopped
8 green onions, chopped
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin, divided
1/2 tsp. minced fresh cilantro or parsley
3 cups cubed cooked chicken
1/4 cup margarine
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup (4 oz) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chilies, drained
1/8 tsp. dried thyme
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
12 flour tortillas, halved

In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, onions, 1 1/2 c. Mexican cheese blend, garlic, 1/4 tsp cumin and cilantro. Stir in chicken; set aside. In a saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir in Monterey Jack cheese, sour cream, chilies, thyme, salt, pepper and remaining cumin. Spread 1/2 cup of the cheese sauce in greased casserole pan. Top with six tortilla halves, a third of the chicken mixture, and a fourth of the cheese sauce. Repeat tortilla, chicken and cheese sauce layers twice. Top with remaining tortillas, cheese sauce and Mexican cheese. Cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 10 minutes longer or until heated through.

Tips:

*When covering cheese-topped lasagna with foil before baking, coat the underside of the foil with nonstick cooking spray. That way the melted cheese won't come off with the foil.

*Freeze individual pieces of leftover lasagna in an airtight container for a quick lunch or dinner later.

Sunday Pasta

2010-01-18T09:01:00.000-08:00

1 box farfalle pasta, cooked and drained
1 jar alfredo sauce, add to pasta and warm over medium heat for about 3 minutes

For the picky child eaters, stop there and load up their plates with just that. :) Otherwise your picky seven year old son will start bawling and make himself throw up.

In a frying pan with about 1 Tbs. margarine, saute all of the leftover vegetables in your fridge from the previous week with some frozen pre-cooked chicken. We like to saute together:

1/2 onion, diced
handful mushrooms, sliced
1/2 tomato, diced
pre-cooked frozen chicken breasts, diced

I served with asparagus with creamy herb dressing, and garlic toast for a super quick meal.

Creamy Herb Dressing

2010-01-18T08:45:00.000-08:00

This dressing for vegetables is so easy. You can make it ahead of time on busy days like Thanksgiving, etc. I whipped this up my blender yesterday after church in only a few minutes. I served it over asparagus, and saved half of it in the fridge to serve over green beans or broccoli later.

3/4 cups mayonnaise
1/3 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1 Tbs. minced chives
1 Tbs. lemon juice

In a blender, combine all of the above ingredients and process until smooth. I love asparagus and make it all the time. My favorite method: trim ends, then spread on baking sheet and bake at 350 for about 10 minutes. You can also cook it in a skillet with a small amount of water for about 4 minutes until crisp-tender. Drain well.

Holiday Bacon Appetizers

2010-01-11T20:50:00.000-08:00

Recipe via Pioneer Woman. For a more entertaining narrative, click here. She's funny, isn't she? :)
Picture before baking (obviously)

Ingredients

1 package Club Crackeers
1 pound Thin Sliced Bacon (or More Depending On Number Of Crackers)
Grated Parmesan Cheese
Optional Alternative: Brown Sugar Instead Of Parmesan Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Lay crackers (as many as you want) face up on a cookie sheet.

Scoop about 1 teaspoon of grated Parmesan cheese onto each cracker. Cut your package of bacon in half (or cut pieces individually) and carefully, so the cheese doesn’t fall off, wrap each cheese covered cracker in one half piece of bacon, completely covering the cracker. It should fit snugly around the cracker.

Place the bacon wrapped crackers onto a baking sheet that has a rack on it.

Place in a 250-degree oven for about 2 hours.

Poppyseed Pound Cake

2010-01-11T20:19:00.000-08:00

This is one of those recipes that I remember from my childhood. My mom made this cake a lot, and I just love it. It is quite simple to make, and it is so soft and moist. Plus it just tastes great!

1 pkg. yellow cake mix

1 (3 oz.) pkg. vanilla instant pudding

1 cup. water

1/2 c. oil

4 eggs

2 T. poppy seed (or 1 T.)

2 T. almond extract

Mix all ingredients together for 5 minutes. Pour into greased and floured Bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Turn upside down on plate. Cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

Loaded Potato Skins

2010-01-11T20:09:00.000-08:00

Great as a late-night snack, appetizer, after school treat, or side dish. The potato skins are full of crunchy goodness, and you can make soup, mashed potatoes, and casseroles with the "insides."

6 medium potatoes
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 teaspoon soy sauce (you can omit this and it still tastes great)
Coarse salt
Cheddar cheese, grated
Sour cream
Bacon bits
Chives (optional)

Bake potatoes at 400 for 45 minutes or until tender. Cool, then cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out the pulp, leaving 1/8 inch shells. Increase oven temperature to 500. Combine the butter and soy sauce; brush on both sides of potato skins. Place on baking sheet, fill with grated cheddar cheese and bacon pieces. Bake for 10 minutes or until crisp. Top with salt, sour cream, and chives. Yield: 12 pieces.

Caramel Apple Bites

2010-01-04T21:00:00.000-08:00

Finally getting around to posting some of my Christmas recipes. I took lots of pictures, but didn't have much time for posting everything.

Use dehydrated apples (the kind from the cannery work well).

Dip in caramel sauce (recipe is HERE)

Then dip in melted white chocolate and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

These are G.O.O.D.

And definitely not just for Christmas.

I almost have myself convinced that they are healthy. :)

Santa Cookies

2010-01-04T20:56:00.000-08:00

Take favorite sugar dough recipe, cut out circles and bake.

Frost with white frosting.

Use coconut for beard.

Red sprinkles for hat.

Red hot for nose.

Chocolate chips for eyes.

Leave some for Santa. He likes them. :)

Easy Homemade Doughnuts

2010-01-04T20:51:00.000-08:00

1 large can Pilsbury Grands refrigerated biscuits
1/4 c. whole milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. powdered sugar

Preheat some veg. oil in a saucepan about med/low-medium heat.

Combine milk and vanilla in a saucepan, heat over low until warm. Stir in sugar, whisk until combined.

Cut holes in the center of each refrigerated biscuit dough. Drop biscuit dough (and centers to make doughnut holes) in the oil for a few minutes on each side until lightly browned.

Remove and transfer to pan with glaze one at a time. Then set on a draining rack over a pan.

Easy, fast, yummy, and a fun quick treat with the kids tonight for family night!

Stuffed Zucchini

2010-01-03T19:16:00.000-08:00

Recipe adapted from www.kayotic.nl/blog

Stuffed Zucchini

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. sour cream
1/4-1/2 tsp. salt
pepper
1/4 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tomato, diced
1 tsp. thyme
2 zucchinis
1 onion
1 clove minced garlic
parmesan cheese
1-2 pieces of cooked bacon, crumbled (optional, can leave out for a vegetarian dish)

Preheat oven to 400.
Wash zucchini and slice in half length-ways. You can trim ends if you like, or leave plain for a rustic look. Scrape out the pulp, leaving 1/2 inch on outside edges. Chop up zucchini pulp, then put in large bowl and set aside.
In a pan, sautee diced onion with 1 Tbs. olive oil and minced garlic.
When done, remove from heat and add 1/4 tsp. curry powder. (You do not want to cook the curry powder more than about 30 seconds or the curry powder will turn bitter.)
Transfer to large bowl, and add1 tsp. dried thyme, 1/4-1/2 tsp. salt, 1 heaping Tbs. sour cream, a good pinch of pepper, the chopped zucchini pulp, the tomato, and crumbled bacon.
Lightly grease a baking sheet and put the zucchini boats on. Gill the shells with the mixture, and top with fresh parmesan cheese.
Bake in a preheated oven for about 20 minutes.

Fudge Ribbon Cake

2010-01-01T11:03:00.000-08:00

Recipe from the cookbook Lion House Desserts

1 package chocolate cake mix
4 oz. cream cheese
1 Tbs. butter
1 small egg
1/2 Tbs. cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla
7 oz. or 1/2 can sweetened condensed milk

Chocolate Cream Frosting

1/2 cup plus 4 Tbs. butter
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbs. shortening
3 Tbs. cocoa
4 2/3 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. plus 1 1/2 tsp. water

Cake directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Make cake mix according to directions; fill two 9-inch greased and floured cake pans 1/3 full. Set aside. Blend cream cheese and butter in a small mixing bowl until smooth and creamy. Mix egg, cornstarch, and vanilla and add to cream cheese mixture. Add milk and beat for one minute. Pour half of cream cheese mixture over cake batter in each pan and bake 45-60 minutes or until cake tests done. Frost with Chocolate Cream Frosting.

Frosting directions:

In a large mixer bowl add butter, shortening, cocoa, and powdered sugar. Beat until very creamy. Add vanilla and mix until well blended. Add water and mix until very light.

Crêpe Bar

2009-12-29T13:50:00.000-08:00

For our family Christmas party this year we decided to have a crepe bar. It was a lot of fun! I love crepes, but often forget about them. We need to do this more often!

Crêpe Recipe:

1 cup flour
2 eggs
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. water
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. butter, melted

Make sure that the batter is mixed well so that there are NO LUMPS. Use no more than 1/4 cup, and spread the batter around so it is very thin. Cook on medium heat.

Topping suggestions: bananas, peanut butter, nutella, honey, lemon juice, sugar, powdered sugar, ham, shredded cheese, jams, whipped cream cheese, chopped apples, caramel sauce, cinnamon sugar

My favorite combinations: sugar and lemon juice, ham and cheese, apples with caramel sauce, whipped cream cheese with strawberries and nutella

English Toffee

2009-12-28T10:06:00.000-08:00

pictured here with layered peppermint bark and christmas caramels

Another favorite from "Christmas Recipes from the Lion House"

1 cup butter
5 tsp. water
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup toasted almonds (see below)
1 8 oz milk chocolate bar (chocolate chips also work here)
1/2 finely chopped walnuts (optional)

In heavy saucepan mix butter, water, and sugar. Bring to boil and cook at highest heat, stirring constantly, until golden brown and candy leaves sides of pan. Remove from heat and add vanilla and toasted almonds. Pour onto greased cookie sheet. Break up chocolate bar into small pieces and sprinkle over top of toffee. When chocolate starts to melt, spread evenly over top of toffee with knife. Sprinkle with walnuts, if desired. Allow to cool for 12 hours. Break into pieces. Makes about 12 lbs. candy.

Toasted Almonds:

Spread 1 cup blanched slivered almonds in shallow pan and coat with 1 tsp. salad oil or melted butter. Roast in over at 300 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often.

Layered Peppermint Bark

2009-12-28T09:42:00.000-08:00

17 ounces high quality white chocolate, finely chopped (don’t use chips)
6 ounces peppermint candy canes, crushed
7 ounces high quality bittersweet chocolate
5½ Tbs whipping cream
¾ tsp peppermint extract

1. Turn large baking sheet bottom side up. Cover securely with foil. Mark 12×9-inch rectangle on foil. Stir white chocolate in metal bowl set over saucepan of barely simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water) until chocolate is melted and smooth and candy thermometer registers 110°F. (chocolate will feel warm to the touch). Remove from over water. Pour 2/3 cup melted white chocolate onto rectangle on foil. Using icing spatula, spread chocolate to fill rectangle. Sprinkle with ¼ cup crushed peppermints. Chill until set, about 15 minutes.

2. Stir bittersweet chocolate, cream and peppermint extract in heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat until just melted and smooth. Cool to barely lukewarm, about 5 minutes. Pour bittersweet chocolate mixture in long lines over white chocolate rectangle. Using icing spatula, spread bittersweet chocolate in even layer. Refrigerate until very cold and firm, about 25 minutes.

3. Rewarm remaining white chocolate in bowl set over barely simmering water to 110°F. Working quickly, pour white chocolate over firm bittersweet chocolate layer; spread to cover. Immediately sprinkle with remaining crushed peppermints. Chill just until firm, about 20 minutes. If you let the bark go much longer than this- it will be very hard to cut neatly.

4. Lift foil with bark onto work surface; trim edges. Cut bark crosswise into 2-inch wide strips. Using metal spatula, slide bark off foil and onto work surface. Cut each strip crosswise into 3 sections and each section diagonally into 2 triangles, or squares. You can also just break into large chunks and enjoy.

Adapted from Bon Appetit

Christmas Caramels

2009-12-28T09:34:00.000-08:00

Christmas wouldn't be the same without homemade caramels. I make these every year with this same recipe. The recipe came from my cookbook "Christmas Recipes from the Lion House." I love the Lion House cookbooks.

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
dash of salt

Combine ingredients in heavy pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with wooden spoon. Keep at rolling boil and cook till soft ball forms in cold water (about 15 minutes). Pour into buttered 7x11 inch pan. Cool, then cut into squares and wrap each piece in wax paper. Makes about 75 piece of candy.

Winter Salad

2009-12-26T16:31:00.000-08:00

I am always asked to bring this salad to holiday get togethers. I love making it at Christmastime. And it really tastes as good as it looks!

1 can beets, cubed
2 Tbs. veg. oil
juice from 1 orange (1/4 cup)
1/4 cup pomegranate juice (I've found this at Smith's Marketplace at Target)
1 Tbs. white wine vinegar (or rice vinegar)
1 med. red onion, thinly sliced
2 cans mandarin orange pieces
1 cup pomegranate seeds
5 cups of fresh greens (Spring Mix)

Whisk orange juice, pomegranate juice, vinegar, and 2 Tbs. oil in large bowl to blend. Season vinagrette with salt and pepper. Place onion in small bowl. Cover with cold water. Soak onion 1 minute, drain, and squeeze dry in kitchen towel. Add beets, onion, orange slices, and pomegranate seeds to vinagrette in bowl, toss. Season salad with salt and pepper, arrange on top of a bed of greens.

Veggie Pizza

2009-12-26T16:29:00.000-08:00

2 tubes of crescent rolls

3/4 cup mayo

1 package dry ranch dressing seasoning

1-8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened

1/2-1 cup shredded cheese, cheddar and parmesan

assorted chopped veggies- carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, olives,

tomatoes, onions, peppers, asparagus, mushrooms, ect.

Flatten crescent rolls out onto a cookie sheet to make the crust. Bake according to package directions. Remove from oven; let cool. In a medium bowl: mix cream cheese, ranch, mayo until smooth. Spread ranch mix on top of cooked and cooled crust. Top with shredded cheese and chopped veggies. Chill for 1 hour. Cut into squares.

Brunch Punch

2009-12-25T19:59:00.000-08:00

1 large can pineapple juice
2 cups orange juice
2 cups cranberry pomegranate juice
1/2 container frozen limeade concentrate
1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 liter of Sprite

Float on top for decoration: slices of limes, oranges, lemons.

Mix all ingredients in large bowl with lots of ice.

Hope your day was wonderful! Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas Kiss Centered Brownie Bites

2009-12-24T11:25:00.000-08:00

Original recipe found on Picky Palate. She remembered to take a picture of the inside. Aren't they cute!

I just made up a brownie mix from a box. I greased a mini muffin tin, then pressed the kisses in the center of each tin cup. Be careful not to press the kiss all the way to the bottom or it makes it harder to get them out of the tin.

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes!

Baklava

2009-12-24T11:06:00.000-08:00

Brian has always loved baklava. Last week I heard him banging around in the kitchen, only to discover him in there baking away. He was watching the food network, saw Alton Brown making baklava, and decided to make some. Nothing cuter than watching your husband cooking in the kitchen! It turned out so good. This recipe is a keeper!

Ingredients

For the filling:

1 (5-inch piece) cinnamon stick, broken into 2 to 3 pieces or 2 teaspoons ground
15 to 20 whole allspice berries
6 ounces blanched almonds
6 ounces raw or roasted walnuts
6 ounces raw or roasted pistachio
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon rose water (we omitted because we couldn't find it)
1 pound phyllo dough, thawed
8 ounces clarified unsalted butter, melted

For the syrup:

1 1/4 cups honey
1 1/4 cups water
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 (2-inch) piece fresh orange peel

Directions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the cinnamon stick and whole allspice into a spice grinder and grind.

Place the almonds, walnuts, pistachios, sugar and freshly ground spices into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped, but not pasty or powdery, approximately 15 quick pulses. Set aside.

Combine the water and rose water in a small spritz bottle and set aside.

Trim the sheets of phyllo to fit the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch metal pan. Brush the bottom and sides of the pan with butter; lay down a sheet of phyllo and brush with butter. Repeat this step 9 more times for a total of 10 sheets of phyllo. Top with 1/3 of the nut mixture and spread thinly. Spritz thoroughly with the rose water. Layer 6 more sheets of phyllo with butter in between each of them, followed by another third of the nuts and spritz with rose water. Repeat with another 6 sheets of phyllo, butter, remaining nuts, and rose water. Top with 8 sheets of phyllo brushing with butter in between each sheet. Brush the top generously with butter. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and cut into 28 squares. Return pan to the oven and continue to bake for another 30 minutes. Remove pan from the oven, place on a cooling rack, and cool for 2 hours before adding the syrup.

Make the syrup during the last 30 minutes of cooling. Combine the honey, water, sugar, cinnamon stick and orange peel in a 4-quart saucepan and set over high heat. Stir occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. Once boiling, boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and discard the orange peel and cinnamon stick.

After the baklava has cooled for 2 hours, re-cut the entire pan following the same lines as before. Pour the hot syrup evenly over the top of the baklava, allowing it to run into the cuts and around the edges of the pan. Allow the pan to sit, uncovered until completely cool. Cover and store at room temperature for at least 8 hours and up to overnight before serving. Store, covered, at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Biscuits and Gravy

2009-12-23T16:48:00.000-08:00

8 buttermilk biscuits
3/4 pound of sausage (fatty sausage works best for this)
4 cups of milk
4-6 tablespoons of flour

Prepare biscuits as instructed on package. Brown sausage in skillet. As soon as sausage is completely brown, turn to medium heat. Add flour by the tablespoon, stirring constantly. Let the flour turn BROWN before adding another tablespoon (if you don't, your gravy will taste like flour). After you have added enough flour to make the gravy as thick as you like, add milk and stir with whisk.

Serve over biscuits.

Aloha Chicken

2009-12-21T21:11:00.000-08:00

This is really too easy of a recipe to even post on a recipe blog, but since I often click through here when I'm menu planning, I guess I'll put it on here even though it is only a couple of ingredients. That way I remember to plan it into my menu. It's easy, and my family all likes it.

In crockpot put:
3-4 chicken breasts
1/2 bottle of bbq sauce

Cook for 3 hours on high, then add 1 can of pineapple tidbits and cook 20 additional minutes.

Serve over rice.

Really.

That's it.

I told you it wasn't much!

:)

Lemon Glacier Candy

2009-12-19T15:38:00.000-08:00

2 pkgs. (10 1/4 oz. each) hard lemon drop candies, crushed
8 oz. vanilla candy coating

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spread candies on a lightly greased jellyroll pan. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until candies melt, tilting pan as necessary to evenly cover pan. Place pan on a wire rack to cool. Stirring frequently, melt candy coating in a heavy medium saucepan over low heat. Spread candy coating over candy layer. Chill 10 minutes or until coating hardens. Break into pieces.

These are pretty sour, so you need to really like lemon to enjoy these! (Which I do.) :)

Pasta with Caramelized Onions

2009-12-16T18:04:00.000-08:00

1. Caramelize 2 lbs. sweet onions (vidalia is a favorite of mine), remove from skillet, set aside. (Tutorial for caramelizing onions is HERE.)

2. In skillet, add 8 oz. dry pasta (either angel hair or birds nests). Cook and stir for 4-6 minutes or until pasta is browned.

3. Add caramelized onions plus 2 cups of water to skillet. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and cook 5 minutes. Uncover and cook 5 more minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally. Serve immediately.

You could serve this pasta alone. I served it tonight alongside ham and a few leftovers sides.

Pretzel Turtles

2009-12-16T17:44:00.000-08:00

Pretzels
Rolos
Whole nuts (pecans, walnuts, cashews, any would work)
M n M's
Any other candy you want to use
white chocolate for drizzling over top (optional)

I have a big jar of holiday pretzels (trees, stars, bells). They are so cute. So I decided to use some to make some pretzel turtles. Of course you don't have to have holiday pretzels to make these, the knot pretzels work just great.

To begin, you heat your oven to 350, then spread out pretzels on an ungreased baking sheet. Top each pretzel with an unwrapped rolo, and bake for 3 minutes. This will make them soft and gooey, but they'll still be holding their shape. Remove from oven, and top with candy of your choice.

I topped mine with cashews, M n M's, and cinnamon gummy Santas. I have drizzled these with white chocolate before, but didn't this time.

These are wayyyyy easy. And I am a fan of salty/sweet.

Lemon Star Cookies

2009-12-12T19:34:00.000-08:00

I was in a cooking store in Orem yesterday and I saw yellow sugar crystals. I had just barely seen a recipe in one of my magazine for these cute star cookies with sparkly yellow sugar crystals on them and had wondered to myself where you could purchase yellow sugar crystals. When I saw them in the store I knew it was a sign! I bought them and got excited to make these sparkly little cuties! I love cookie bling.

Recipe from Taste of Home--Holiday Christmas Cookies and Candies

Ingredients:

For Cookies:
1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp. lemon extract (I doubled it)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

For Icing:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
6 Tbsp. butter
3/4 tsp. lemon extract (again, I doubled it)
3 drops yellow food coloring or paste
3 to 4 Tbsp. milk

Yellow colored sugar crystals (I bought mine at the Bosch store, but you could even use regular sugar crystals, mix them with some yellow food coloring, and bake them for a few minutes on a cookie sheet if you can't find the yellow ones)

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and extract. Stir in sour cream and peel. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Divide dough into three balls; cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or until easy to handle.
2. Remove one portion of dough from the refrigerator at a time. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with a floured 2-inch star cookie cutter. Place 1-inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.
3. Bake at 375 degrees F. for 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.
4. For icing, in a bowl combine the powdered sugar, butter, extract, food coloring if desired and enough milk to achieve spreading consistency. Ice cookies; sprinkle with colored sugar.

Makes about 3 1/2 dozen medium sized stars.

Oreo Truffles--revisited

2009-12-10T20:00:00.000-08:00

Remember these SUPER easy, SUPER good "Oreo Truffles"?

They are lovely drizzled with white chocolate, but at Christmas time they become a holiday treat when drizzled with red and green chocolate as well!

Pear and Gorgonzola Pizza

2009-12-10T10:05:00.000-08:00

This is another one of those recipes where I tried to copy a favorite dish from a restaurant. I love the "Pear and Gorgonzola Pizza" from the California Pizza Kitchen. I ordered it everytime we went. Then one day I went to order, and they had discontinued it when they redid their new menus! :( I was sad!

I think that they have actually put it back on the menu since, but I paid close attention so I could recreate it at home in case they ever pull this trick on me again.

I knew my kids would probably freak at this pizza, so of course I had a back up pizza ready too.

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) package refrigerated pizza crust dough
4 ounces sliced provolone cheese
2 Bosc pears, thinly sliced
1 carmelized onion
2 ounces chopped walnuts or pecans
2 1/2 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1/2 package spring greens, tossed in Ranch dressing

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Roll crust out on baking stone and bake crust for 6 minutes.
Remove and cool.
Layer with Provolone cheese. Top cheese with Bosc pear slices. Sprinkle with walnuts, carmelized onions and Gorgonzola cheese.
Bake in the preheated oven 6-8 minutes, or until cheese is melted and crust is lightly browned. Remove from heat.
Top with mixed spring greens tossed in Ranch dressing.

Here's what it looked like before I topped it with salad:

Mmmm, just like I remembered it!

How to carmelize onions

2009-12-08T20:07:00.000-08:00

I love carmelized onions. I like them on a lot of things: potatos, steaks, fajitas, pizza, roast beef sandwiches.... They are just so good! I found this tutorial on Simply Recipes and wanted to post it here so I can easily find it.

How to Caramelize Onions

Quantities depend on how much caramelized onions you wish to make. In this example, 5 large raw onions yielded about 2 cups caramelized onions.

INGREDIENTS

Several medium or large onions, yellow, white, or red
Olive oil
Butter (optional)
Salt
Sugar (optional)

METHOD

1 Slice off the root and top ends of the onions, peel the onions. Cut the onions in half. Lay them cut side down and slice the onions lengthwise to desired thickness. If you want, you can cut a little wedge in the tough rootball end of the onions and discard that part, but we haven't found this to be necessary, as this part of the onion softens and cooks with the rest over the long cooking time.

2 Use a wide, thick-bottomed sauté pan for maximum pan contact with the onions. Coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil, or a mixture of olive oil and butter (about 1 teaspoon per onion). Heat the pan on medium high heat until the oil is shimmering. Add the onion slices and stir to coat the onions with the oil. Spread the onions out evenly over the pan and let cook, stirring occasionally. After 10 minutes, sprinkle some salt over the onions, and if you want, you can add some sugar to help with the caramelization process. (I add only about a teaspoon of sugar for 5 onions, you can add more.)

3 Let cook for 30 minutes to an hour more, stirring every few minutes. As soon as the onions start sticking to the pan, let them stick a little and brown, but then stir them before they burn. The trick is to let them alone enough to brown (if you stir them too often, they won't brown), but not so long so that they burn. After the first 20 to 30 minutes you may want to lower the stove temperature a little, and add a little more oil, if you find the onions are verging on burning. A metal spatula will help you scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan as the caramelization proceeds. As the onions cook down, you may find you need to scrape the pan every minute, instead of every few minutes. Continue to cook and scrape, cook and scrape, until the onions are a rich, browned color. At the end of the cooking process you might want to add a little balsamic vinegar or wine to help deglaze the pan and bring some additional flavor to the onions.

Store refrigerated for several days in an air-tight container.

Shattered Crystal Ball Jello--revisited

2009-12-08T19:02:00.000-08:00

Remember THIS jello recipe from October?

It works great at Christmastime too!

Yum!

Penne Pasta in Tomato Cream Sauce

2009-12-07T19:56:00.000-08:00

My sister posted this one yesterday over on her recipe blog (Heather's Happy Haven), and it looked so

easy and good.

I love easy and good recipes.

And this one totally fit that description.

We had a super busy day running around playing catch up from the weekend, and taxi-ing the kids to their activities. Happily, I was able to swing by the grocery store and pick up the ingredients for this on the way home. I also picked up a bag of salad, pre-made garlic bread that only had to be warmed in the oven, and some frozen mozzarella sticks, and dinner was on the table 20 minutes after I got home. I love that!

Ingredients:

8 oz penne pasta
1 can Del Monte diced tomatoes with Garlic and Onion
1/2 cup fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried
3/4 cup cream
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to directions. Drain and keep warm. Cook tomatoes over medium-high heat in a skillet until thickened, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat, add basil and cream. Heat thoroughly. DO NOT BOIL. Toss with pasta and cheese. Serve.

(Tip: Do not substitute with half n half, use whole cream) The consistency changes with the half n half.

***When I made this I doubled all of the ingredients except for the tomatoes (none of my children will eat them) and used Del Monte diced italian tomatoes with garlic instead because that's all I saw at the store. They tasted just fine with it.

Thanks Sis!

**Incidentally, Giada from the Food Network made a similar dish, but added shrimp. If I weren't allergic, I think I would for sure try making it that way. But for the rest of you shrimp lovers, you should check it out here. It looks good!

Monkey Bread

2009-12-06T20:00:00.000-08:00

(picture from google images--we gobbled mine up too fast to take a picture!)

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 pkg. (25 oz) frozen white dinner yeast rolls, thawed (I made mine from scratch since I was making some dough for a pizza anyway)
1/2 c. butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup butterscotch chips, divided
1/2 cup chopped pecans, divided

In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. Tear each roll into 3 pieces. Dip each piece into melted butter and roll in brown sugar mixture. Place half of dough pieces on a greased 10 inch fluted tube pan. Sprinkle 1/4 cup butterscotch chips and 1/4 cup pecans over dough. Place remaining dough pieces in pan. Sprinkle remaining butterscotch chips an pecans over dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 375. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

**Tip: Cover with aluminum foil if bread begins to brown too quickly.

Cool in pan 10 minutes. Invert bread onto a serving plate. Serve warm.

Sidenote: We just got back from 8 days in Cancun. It sure was fun. Time to start cooking again, I guess. I have to admit, as much as I love my kitchen, I enjoyed my break from it!

ADIOS!

Deviled Eggs

2009-11-26T19:37:00.000-08:00

12 eggs, hard boiled, shelled and cut in half long
1 cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper
garlic salt--dash
squirt of lemon juice
1 heaping T. mustard
yolks of eggs

Beat well. Squeeze filling into egg whites. Sprinkle with paprika and parsley sprig. Sometimes I use a tube (you could just use a plastic bag and cut off corner) with a fancy tip to make them look fancier. Usually I just spoon the filling in though.

Tip: Older eggs are easier to peel than fresher ones.

Hope you all had a GREAT THANKSGIVING!

Easy Holiday Green Beans

2009-11-26T19:29:00.000-08:00

Toss fresh green beans with olive oil and minced garlic and fresh ginger. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.

Candied Yams

2009-11-26T19:21:00.000-08:00

Boil with skins on for 1/2 hour-45 minutes. Remove peels and slice. (This is great to do the day before.) The day of: Pour brown sugar, karo syrup, and sliced butter. Bake for another 30 minutes. Top with mini marshmallows and put back in oven while watching carefully. Remove when browned (these burn easily so watch closely).

Fruit Gobbler

2009-11-26T18:13:00.000-08:00

From the magazine "Family Fun"

Ingredients

Bosc pear (head)
Melon (body)
Cheese (beak and tail feathers)
Red pepper (snood, feet and side feathers)

Raisins (eyes)
Grapes (tail feathers)
Bamboo skewers
Toothpicks

Instructions

Stabilize the melon body by cutting a shallow slice off the rind to form a flat base. Using a section of bamboo skewer, attach a Bosc pear head to the melon, as shown.
Cut a cheese triangle beak and red pepper snood. Attach both, along with raisin eyes, to the head with sections of toothpick.
Cut red pepper feet and set them in place. For tail feathers, skewer cheese cubes and red grapes, then insert the skewers as shown. Pin pepper side feathers in place with toothpicks.

Creamy Chocolate Mousse

2009-11-24T19:36:00.000-08:00

I got this yummy recipe from Heidi (found here), and she got it from the magazine "Simple and Delicious." It was yummy! I made it late last night after my kids went to bed and halved it to make 2 LARGE portions for just me and Brian. Shhh. Don't tell the kids. :) hee hee.

CREAMY CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
2 cups cold milk
1 package (5.9 ounces) instant chocolate pudding mix
1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1/2 cup sour cream

In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Fold in whipped topping and sour cream. Pour into individual dessert dishes. Dollop with whipped topping if desired.

Andes Mint Cookies

2009-11-22T16:41:00.000-08:00

1 Devil's food cake mix

1/2 c. oil

2 eggs

1 pkg. Andes Mints, broken up

Combine all ingredients. Scoop onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 9-10 minutes.

So easy and so delicious. I love everything mint!

New Moon Party Food

2009-11-20T17:51:00.000-08:00

We met at a friends for a New Moon party before going to the midnight opening show. My cute friend Desiree had her house decorated as "Bella's Birthday Party."

I had lots of fun dressing up for this movie!

*Did you have a New Moon party?

*Are you team Edward or Team Jacob?

Twilight Treats

2009-11-19T15:30:00.000-08:00

Are you going to the "Big Movie" tonight at midnight?

Which movie?

Hello!!!

I'll be there.

At midnight for the opening show.

And I will be dressed up. Because I LOVE dressing up.

Last year I went to the opening show of Twilight. A friend rented out an entire theater, and we all went in Prom dresses (if you've read the book you'll get it, if you haven't you'll probably just think I'm crazy).

A few years ago I hosted our book club at my house. We sat around the campfire in my backyard, and discussed the saga of vampires and werewolves, played trivia games, and debated into the wee hours of the morning the pro's and con's of Edward vs. Jacob.

Oh, the important things in life. It really is imperative that we get to the bottom of this. It was a deep discussion. I mean really--debating between whether it's better to be married to a vampire or a werewolf.

Deep stuff.

LOL.

But in case you are headed to a New Moon party yourself this weekend (or even better--tonight!) here are some vampire treats ideas.

Bella's Blood Cupcakes

Cold Kisses (straight from the freezer)

Cherry "BITES"

Recipe for Twilight cupcakes (from my friend Ann):

Cream Together:

8 oz. cream cheese
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
dash of salt (very little salt)
6 oz. chocolate chips

Note: I added red food coloring to get the blood look
Set aside

Sift together:
1 1/2 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. cocoa
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Add:
1 c. water
1tsp. vanilla
1T. vinegar
3/4 c. oil

Beat until smooth.

Fill muffin tins 1/3 cup full with cocoa mixture. Then spoon cream cheese mixture on top. Bake at 350 for 20-25 min.

Enjoy the show!

(Come back tomorrow to see the werewolf treats I'm working on for the party I'm attending tonight.)

(After all, Book 2 is where all of the werewolves come out!)

Chicken 'n Dumplins

2009-11-17T11:21:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
1 rotisserie chicken, remove chicken and dice
1 box chicken stock
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 stalk of celery, diced
1 tsp. garlic (fresh minced or powdered)
1 tsp. salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
flour (approx. 2 1/2 cups)
salt and pepper to taste
Lemon pepper
Seasoning salt

Can you believe I lived in Kentucky for 4 years and never had "Chicken 'n Dumplins." A crime. We really made an effort to dive into all of the good Southern cooking that is to be had there. And believe me, there is a lot of good Southern cooking in KY!

But I digress, and I need to be very careful because when I talk about Kentucky I miss it so much and want to move back. That place holds the dearest of memories for me. Okay, really. I need to stop.....

So back to the Chicken 'n Dumplins.

I found this one in the same recipe book as the Creme Brulee French Toast. That's turning out to be quite a great cookbook. And I just noticed that there is a Christmas edition of it out.

I was having a hard time picturing what it was supposed to look like, and regrettably this cookbook doesn't have but a few pictures, so I googled Chicken 'n Dumplins to see pictures. I also looked at a bunch of other versions of the recipe, and incorporated some of the things into this recipe. For example, this one didn't call for celery, but most of the others did so I added it.

Here's my version.

Fill pot with box of chicken stock (all but 1 cup which you will uses later to make dumplings) and cream of chicken soup. Bring to a boil, then add diced celery, diced chicken, garlic. Allow to continue boiling softly while you prepare dumplings.

In a separate bowl, combine 1 cup of hot (not boiling) reserved broth, 1 tsp. salt, beaten egg, and enough flour to create the consistency of bread dough. Flour a rolling pin, then countertop, and the top of the dough. Roll the dough out until paper thin (I like mine a little thicker). Using a pizza cutter, cut dough into 1 inch by 2 inch pieces. Drop the dumplings one by one into the softly boiling both. Stir very gently. (If there isn't adequate broth to do this because you added a lot of chicken, just add more.) Add salt, pepper, lemon pepper, and seasoning salt to taste. Bring back to a full boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Cover the pot, turn the heat off, and don't peek until you are ready to serve. Serve within 30 minutes. (Note from cookbook: if you keep the heat on, the dumplings tend to stick to the bottom of the pan.)

Comfort food on a cold day, for sure.

And it was cold here today! Summer, I sure do miss you! xoxo

Windswept Leaf Cookies

2009-11-16T07:37:00.000-08:00

I know fall is nearly past, and with all of the snow that fell over the weekend here it's really time to start making the snowflake cookies, but I just couldn't resist. I saw these in Woman's Day magazine about a month ago and I knew I had to make them. It took me a while, but I'm so glad I did. I love them, and my kids think they "are so awesome." It makes a mom happy when she can impress her kids!

I really liked the sugar cookie recipe too. It has a tablespoon of pumpkin spice that gives these cookies a really nice, fall flavor.

***Notes to self: Follow directions exactly next time so you only have to try once. Do not try and take a shortcut and buy pre-made sugar cookie dough. As you found out--it does not work. Chilling the dough really does make a difference, so just do it. And read the directions completely on the icing. I learned many of these the hard way, and had to start over. Lots of wasted time, but they finally turned out in the end. Only variation for me from original recipe is to cook 1-2 minutes less as my oven seems to bake hot.

Preparation Time: 45 minutes Total time including chilling and baking: 3 hours

Ingredients:
1 stick (1/2 c.) unsalted butter (not spread)
1/2 c. sugar
1 Tbs. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp salt (I omitted the salt because the butter I used was already salted)
1 large egg
1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 c. flour
leaf-shape cookie cutter

Decorating Icing:
1 lbs. box confectioners sugar
1/4 c. powdered egg whites (just whites)
1/3 cup water
yellow, orange, red gel food colors

Beat butter, sugar, spice and salt in a large bowl with mixer on mediumhigh until light, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium; add egg and beat until combined. Beat in corn syrup and vanilla. Reduce speed to low; gradually add flour and beat until blended. Shape dough into two disks, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Heat oven to 350ºF. Roll out 1 disk between 2 sheets of wax paper to 1⁄4 in. thick. Remove top layer of wax paper and cut out shapes with cookie cutters. Transfer to a baking sheet. Bake 12 to 14 minutes until cookies are golden. Cool on sheet on wire rack 5 minutes; transfer to rack and cool completely.

Icing: Beat confectioners’ sugar and powdered egg whites in a large bowl with mixer on low speed until combined. Add water; beat until blended. Increase speed to high; beat 8 minutes or until icing is very thick and white.

Divide decorating icing into 3 bowls; tint one each yellow, orange and red. Add a few drops water to thin slightly until easy to spread. Spread a little of each color frosting onto a cookie. Drag a wooden pick through colors to swirl. Let dry at least 1 hour; repeat with remaining cookies and icing.

In case you are wondering about the powdered egg whites (I was, this was the first time I have used them) you can purchase these at craft stores in the baking section (like Roberts) or at cooking stores. Use can use meringue powder (it says on the front of the container that it can be used in place of powdered egg whites). Hmm, I learn something new every day! Actually, I learned a lot of new techniques from making theses cookies. They were fun. I want to make them again next fall!

Creme Brulee French Toast

2009-11-15T19:52:00.000-08:00

I am sitting in a stupor of happiness right now. For real. I am in love with this new dish. I want to be BFF's with this French Toast. I know that sounds ridiculous. But it's G.O.O.D.

Yum.

When we finished eating, we all just kind of sat around the table staring at each other with happy smiles on our face and sighing. Joey (my 6 year old) said, "I'm not sure if I was eating a meal or dessert! That was so good!"

I found this recipe in the cookbook "The Worldwide Ward Cookbook," in the breakfast section. (I've seen this cookbook sold at Deseret Book, Costco, and Walmart in case you are looking for it.)

Um, we will definitely be having this again. It will be perfect for Christmas morning. And conference morning.

Ingredients:

1/2 c. unsalted butter
1 C. packed brown sugar
2 Tbs. corn syrup
bread, sliced, to cover butter mixture (if you are using a reg. casserole dish, it will take 6 pieces)
5 large eggs
1 1/2 C. half-and-half (I used heavy cream because I already had some in my fridge. Oops--not so healthy but very yummy, hee hee)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt (I omitted this because I used salted butter)

In a saucepan, melt butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup. Pour into a 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish. Arrange bread pieces on top. Beat together eggs, half-and-half, vanilla, and salt. Pour egg mixture over the top of the bread. Cover and chill overnight in the refrigerator. The next morning, bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

Happy stupor:

Sweet and Sour Smoothie

2009-11-13T08:58:00.000-08:00

We've been making smoothies for years. This is my all-time favorite!

Blend together:

1/2 frozen banana, sliced

4 large frozen strawberries

1 cup pineapple juice (or whatever juice you have--we use cranberry raspberry a lot)

2 T. vanilla yogurt

1/4 cup limeade frozen concentrate (just chop a big chunk off the top)

couple squirts lemon juice

1 scoop protein powder (vanilla flavored)

Then add lots of ice!

Blend and serve.

My kids call these "slushie drinks." They are a yummy, healthy treat. Also a filling drink to have for summer breakfasts.

(Just a tip: cut your bananas up into slices, put them in a plastic baggie, then put them in the freezer. Then you have them ready to pop into your smoothies every time you make them. This really comes in handy if you made them often. You could throw in some almonds, or even a small scoop of oatmeal.)

Menu Plan Monday

2009-11-09T14:36:00.000-08:00

Monday: tacos, beans and rice, green salad, Sweet Potato Fries

Tuesday: Chicken Pillows, rice pilaf, apples with Toffee Chip Apple Dip

Wednesday: Creme Brulee French Toast, bacon

Thursday: Chicken with Lemon Caper Cream Sauce, asparagus, side of rice or pasta

Friday: Tin foil dinners (hopefully up the canyon)

Saturday: Leftover buffet

What r u cooking this week?
*

Sweet Potato Fries (or are they????)

2009-11-08T13:31:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wondered what the difference was between sweet potatoes and yams? Probably not--you are probably all much smarter than me. But I can tell you I've wondered for a long time. Well, actually I believed for a really long time that they were the same thing. Then I heard that they weren't even biologically related plants.

So when I looked it up I found that the main distinguishing factor is that a sweet potato tends to have pointed ends, and yams tend to have rough scaly skin.

I wanted more of answer than that, so I decided to buy them both and check it out for myself.

The other thing that fueled this experiment is a new local restaurant called The Blue Lemon. I am addicted to their "Sweet Potato Fries." They are delicious and I order them every time I eat there. I wanted to try to replicate them, since I like deconstructing my favorite dishes at home.

The first thing I did was peel both vegetables, and what did I discover? They aren't even the same color! Um, okay that's the first obvious difference between the two. (Although I did read that yams vary in color from white to ivory to yellow to purple).

The other thing I discovered during this experiment is that those Sweet Potato Fries that I've been orderin' and lovin' are not made out of sweet potatoes! They are yams.

I actually liked both the yam fries and the sweet potato fries. I think I lean in favor of the yam fries (but I think I'll keep calling them sweet potato fries too. Old habits die hard.)

Directions:

Peel and cut into fry fry sized slices. Drizzle with olive oil or vegetable oil, then sprinkle with cumin, coriander, and salt. When I made these I just did one of each kind of potato. It was a late night snack for just Brian and I. If making for a family I would probably cook 3-4 of them.

Bake in the oven at 400 degrees until soft, and they start to brown. Just watch them, but it took mine about 30 minutes, and they came out perfect!

Dipping sauce:

3 T. bbq sauce
3 T. mayonnaise
1 tsp. lemon juice

Yummy!

Dulche de Leche and Apples

2009-11-06T21:11:00.000-08:00

When we were trick-or-treating, a neighbor gave us a box of apples from her trees. They are delicious! There are a lot of them, and I was in the mood to try out a new recipe. I came across this on on yourhomebasedmom.com, and I had all of the ingredients already, so I decided to give it a try.

Making your own dulce de leche is an easy process--it just takes time, plan on at least an hour and a half to make the sauce. The dulce de leche can be done ahead of time and refrigerated until you are ready to use it.

Ingredients needed:

3 Tbs. butter
4 apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4 in. slices (using a mix of apples will give it added flavor)
2 tsp. sugar (and cinnamon if you like)

Good quality vanilla ice cream

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Step One:

To prepare dulce de leche: Put unopened can of condensed milk in large heavy saucepan that is higher than the can. Add water to come about three-quarters of the way up the sides of the can and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to a very low simmer, partially cover and cook, turning the can over at the halfway point (45 minutes), for a total of 1 1/2 hours. (You can remove the wrapper in the water with tongs when it falls off.) Remove the saucepan from the heat.

Let the can cool in the pan of water until it reaches room temperature. Open the can and pour the contents into a small bowl. Stir in the vanilla. The mixture should be very thick and taste like a rich caramel sauce. Cover and refrigerate.

Step Two:

In large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add apple slices and saute for about 10 minutes, or until softened and lightly browned. Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon over apples and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until they are nicely browned and softened but not mushy. Remove from heat and keep warm.

Step Three:
Scoop ice cream into individual bowls. Spoon warm apples over and then the warm dulce de leche over the apples. Serve immediately.

Crockpot Chicken Verde

2009-11-06T09:13:00.000-08:00

Cooking is so much fun--I love it. I love experimenting and trying new recipes, and feeding delicious things to my family.

But occasionally I look at the mess in my kitchen afterwards and groan.

Yesterday I just really didn't feel like making a huge dinner mess.

This is why I love my crockpot. Throw everything in, stir it around a little. And that's about it!

Crockpot Chicken Verde Burritos

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts
1/2 packet fajita seasoning
1/2 jar green tomatillo salsa

Cook on low for 2-3 hours or until meat is cooked thoroughly.

Roll up in a tortilla with sour cream, grated cheddar cheese, and anything else you like.

I served this with rice and beans, and it's fiesta time!

Buffalo Wings

2009-11-05T08:24:00.000-08:00

Last night was the last game of the world series. My husband, Brian, was so excited to have a big party and have everyone over to watch it on our big screen. He doesn't watch sports very often, so it was cute to see him get excited over this one.

Unfortunately I woke up throwing up that morning, and consequently the party was OFF. On the upside, he got to eat the whole plate of buffalo wings by himself and didn't have to share with anyone. :) Brian loves his wings, and that was the only party food he'd even mentioned wanting.

My friend Dusty has a recipe blog, and is pretty famous for her wings, so I knew I needed to give them a try. I can see why everyone wants her to bring them all the time--they were a smashing hit, and my husband said they were the best ones he's ever had. Granted, he is so sweet to me and always compliments me on my food even when it is a complete disaster, but I do think he really liked these a lot. I will definitely be making them for him again.

Thanks for sharing Dusty! You can link to her blog and find the rest of her great recipes here: dustysrecipes.blogspot.com.

8-10 Chicken wings, or about 2 lbs. (you can also get the drummets, they are already separated)
1 bottle of Franks red taco sauce (they were out of this one so I got the small bottle of Franks Red Hot--the hotter the better, right?)
1 Tbls Cayenne pepper (or more)
1 cube butter or margarine

Fry chicken in vegetable oil until cooked through. This took me about 20 minutes on medium high heat.

While chicken is cooking: melt butter, add taco sauce, and Cayenne pepper. Once chicken is cooked dip in sauce, place on foil lined baking sheet, bake on 350 for 10-15 min. Repeat for spicier chicken.

Mizithra Cheese Pasta

2009-11-03T10:23:00.000-08:00

When my sister was younger, she used to work at The Old Spaghetti Factory. This worked out nicely for our family, since we love that restaurant. Our family loves all Italian restaurants in general.

My favorite dish that I always get there is pasta with Mizithra cheese and browned butter.

It's been a while since I've eaten there, and I got a craving, so I decided to make my own version of it. It turned out really good, but I wish that I had a different cheese grater that would grate finer.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. of your favorite pasta--I bought angel hair, then cooked half of the 1 lb. box
1/2 cube butter or margarine--brown this over medium heat for a few minutes, or until it darkens in color, careful not to burn
1-2 cups grated mizithra cheese--I found this at Smith's Marketplace in their deli section
1-2 cups grated parmesan cheese--I don't know if OSF uses this or not, but my husband loves it so I threw it on as well. It came grated the size that I wish my mizithra cheese was

The Old Spaghetti Factory spells it "mizithra cheese." Smith's spells it like this:

I served it alongside my standard spinach salad. My husband is always so impressed when I make this salad. He must think I've fussed over it longer than I really have, because honestly it takes me all of 3 minutes to throw this together.

I usually always have a bag of spinach in my fridge, and I ALWAYS have some Brianna's Poppyseed dressing (yes it has to be that brand). I chop up some strawberries and toss on some sugared almonds from a bag, and that's it! All pre-made so it's an easy cheater salad. But we love it and have it all of the time.

Thanks for reminiscing with me about The Old Spaghetti factory. The kids all liked it--especially my six year old. I was so impressed that he had 3 helpings of pasta. I was not as impressed later as I noticed that about half of it was on the floor. *sigh* Gotta love those cute little kids. :)

Creamy Tortellini Soup

2009-11-02T14:54:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween!

I hope your holiday was great! I love dressing up and watching my kids have so much fun. Holidays are so fun with children.

We decided to host a street party this Halloween, so I could have one last chance to feed my kids something healthy before they gorged themselves with sugar for the next few days.

I cooked up 3 pots of soup: my taco soup, my potato soup, and because I was getting tired of my same old recipes and wanted to try something new--Creamy Tortellini Soup.

I made homemade root beer, and everyone on the street brought a side dish or dessert to share. We had a great time!

And I found a new soup recipe that I love! This one was a hit.

Creamy Tortellini Soup (from La Bonne Cuisine)

1 Tbsp. butter or olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
8-10 mushrooms, diced
5 cups water
6 Tbsp. flour
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup frozen corn
1 (14 oz.) can chicken broth
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/2 tsp. garlic powder (I used fresh garlic because I had some already on hand)
1/2 tsp. basil (instead of the basil and oregano, I dumped in some italian seasoning)
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper, optional (I just put in a few dashes, and I thought it tasted great)
1/4-1/2 tsp. salt
2-3 cups frozen tortellini
1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
4 cups spinach (pile it up and slice through it to get thin pieces)

In a large soup pot, heat butter or olive oil. Add onion, carrots, and mushrooms. Saute for about 5 min.

In a separate bowl, combine 1 cup cold water with 6 Tbsp. flour. Whisk until smooth.

Add 4 cups of water to vegetables in soup pot. Stir in the flour and water mixture. Stir to blend well. Add potatoes, corn, chicken broth and all spices and bouillon.

Bring to a boil. Turn to medium and boil for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Stir occasionally.

Add evaporated milk, frozen tortellini, and spinach and cook for 5 more minutes.

Hope you all had a great Halloween!

Teriyaki Pasta Spinach Salad

2009-11-01T17:35:00.000-08:00

I saw this recipe on La Bonne Cuisine, a recipe blog that I think is really cool because it has a lot of french recipes. It reminded me of one I had at a church function a few years ago, and really liked. (Coincidentally, I think she got her recipe at a church gathering as well. Church is a great place to get new recipes, eh?)

My picture above was before I poured the sauce on. I put the original recipe here, as well as notated any changes that I made to it. One other thing I did: I used pre-cooked frozen chicken breast strips (love them, I use them for everything), diced them, and fried them in a pan to thaw it and release natural oils, then dumped a little teriyaki sauce on them for added flavor.

Teriyaki Pasta Spinach Salad

1 bag (10 oz.) spinach
2-3 green onions, sliced
1/4 c. fresh parsley (didn't have any of this so I threw in dried and it was just fine)
1/3 c. craisins (or more!)
1/3 c. honey roasted peanuts (I had a bag of chopped nuts, so I dumped that in this time)
1 can mandarin oranges, drained (can cut in half just to make more pieces)
1-2 c. cooked, cut-up chicken (or she used 1 large can chicken breast)
1/2-1 box (12-16 oz.) bow tie pasta, cooked (I used half a box and it was plenty. She used the mini-size pasta and they looked so cute)

Dressing:
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/3 c. Teriyaki sauce
1/3 c. rice vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Prepare the dressing ahead of time and refrigerate overnight. (Mine got about one hour of refrigeration and it tasted just fine).

Mix all salad ingredients together and add dressing just before serving.

So yummy!

Total girl food.

Nutter Butter Ghost Cookies

2009-10-30T08:55:00.000-07:00

I love this one because it is so easy and quick to make. (This one came from the Martha Stewart Living Magazine in 2001.) These little ghosts are so cute and easy, and it's something the kids can help with too! I had a holiday bake-day with my friend, and our four year olds put the eyes on all of these little ghosts.

Enjoy!

You will need:

1 package Nutter Butter peanut butter cookies
white chocolate bark or white chocolate chips
mini chocolate chips

Dip cookies in melted white chocolate. Lay on waxed paper, add chocolate chips for eyes.

Is it really that simple? Yes it is!

Parmesan Potatoes

2009-10-30T08:39:00.000-07:00

3-4 potatoes - thinly sliced (about 1/4 in.)

1/4 c. melted butter

1/4 c. oil

1/2-1 tsp each. salt/pepper to taste

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese.

Preheat oven to 400.

Arrange thinly sliced potatoes in 9 x 9 pan. If you have a large family or are serving many people, this can easily be doubled and served in a 9 x 13 casserole dish.

In bowl, mix butter, oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and parmesan cheese. Pour evenly over potatoes. Bake for 45 minutes, or until potatoes are tender, and parmesan is browned on potatoes.

Garlic Cheese Biscuits

2009-10-30T07:40:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe off of the Sister's Cafe blog. I have to admit that although it was very, very easy and quick to make, it wasn't really my favorite. I'm not much of a fan of the bisquick/biscuit tasteand these had that trademark, flour/pasty taste. But, you can throw them together and have them on the table as a side dish in about 10 minutes, and there's something to be said for that!

Ingredients

2 c Bisquick mix

2/3 c milk
1/2 c sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1/4 c butter, melted

1/4 tsp garlic salt

1/4 tsp dried parsley

Mix together Bisquick and milk just until moistened. Fold in cheese. Drop by spoonfuls on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. (I have a convection oven and I baked them at 400 for 8 minutes and they were great.) Combine melted butter with garlic salt and parsley and brush over each biscuit. Serve immediately.

Cheese-stuffed Meatloaf

2009-10-29T20:10:00.000-07:00

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

1 jar (26-28 oz.) Ragu chunky garden style sauce, divided

1 large egg, slightly beaten

1/4 c. plain dry bread crumbs

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz.), divided

1 Tbs. finely chopped fresh parsley

1. Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl combine beef, 2/3 c. sauce, breadcrumbs, and egg. Season if desired with salt and pepper. In a 13 x 9 baking or roasting pan shape into a 12 x 8 rectangle.

2. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 c. cheese and parsley down the center leaving 3/4 inch border. Roll starting at long end, jellyroll style. Press ends together and seal.

3. Bake uncovered 45 min. Pour remaining sauce over meatloaf. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 c. cheese. Bake an additional 15. min. or until sauce is heated through and cheese melts.

Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Taco Soup

2009-10-26T20:16:00.000-07:00

We've had lots of different taco soups, and I've played with different recipes. This one is Brian's all time favorite. I usually make corn bread as a side dish with this soup.

1 lb. hamburger, brown, drain, add salt and pepper
1 onion

Add: 1 quart tomatoes
1 can corn with juice
1 can kidney beans with juice
1 small can tomato sauce
1 pkg. Taco seasoning

Simmer for 15 minutes. I always serve with Fritos, grated cheese, and a dob of sour cream. You could also serve with avocados, but Brian and I don't really like them.

Shattered Crystal Ball Jello

2009-10-26T10:15:00.000-07:00

October is a month of lots and lots of P.A.R.T.I.E.S. All of my husband's family was born in October, as well as my oldest daughter and my mom. So consequently we get together a lot in October, for food and fun and presents!

I was looking through my pictures of all of our parties this morning, and noticed that Isabel had taken a picture of this jello. My kids all loved it (my youngest in particular is a big fan of jello, so we make it a lot)! When I saw this picture, I figured I better put the recipe on here so next year when I go to make it I can find the recipe.

It would be fun at Christmastime with red and green jello, and I suppose it can be made anytime of year with whatever color jello you want.

Recipe comes from Taste of Home magazine last year.

Ingredients:

2 pkgs. (3 oz. each) lime gelatin

6 cups boiling water, divided

2 pkgs. (3 oz. each) orange gelatin

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin

1/3 cup cold water

1 1/2 c. white grape juice

1 carton (12 0z.) frozen whipped topping, thawed

1. In a bowl, dissolve the lime gelatin in 3 cups boiling water. Pour into an 8 in. square dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. In another bowl, dissolve orange gelatin in remaining boiling water. Pour into another 8 in. square dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until very firm.

2. In a small saucepan, sprinkle unflavored gelatin over cold water; let stand for 1 minutes. Add grape juice. Heat over low heat, stirring until gelatin is completely dissolved. Pour into a large bowl; refrigerate for 45 minutes or until slightly thickened. Fold in whipped topping.

3. Cut green gelatin into 1/2 in. cubes and orange gelatin into 1 in. cubes. Set aside 8-10 cubes of each color for garnish. Place 2 cups whipped topping mixture in a bowl; fold in remaining green cubes. Spread into a 13 in. x 9 in. dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Fold remaining orange cubes into remaining whipped topping mixture; spread over bottom layer. Sprinkle with reserved green and orange gelatin cubes. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until set. Cut into squares.

Ham Rolls

2009-10-26T09:49:00.000-07:00

This is one of our family favorites. We always have them at family parties, Thanksgiving, and get-togethers. There are only 3 ingredients, so they are very easy to make. I like to make these ahead, put them in a tupperware in the freezer, and then I can pull them out and slice them quickly.

Ham Rolls

2-3 packages ham (thickly slicked rectangles)

2 packages cream cheese, softened

2-3 bunches of green onions

Lay ham out on cutting board, spread layer of cream cheese over ham, put green onion down center and roll lengthwise (so it makes a long skinny roll). Put in covered container and refrigerate overnight.) Slice into 1/2 inch sections and serve. Yummy!

Crunchy Corn Medley

2009-10-20T08:58:00.000-07:00

I LOVE this dish. It tastes really fresh and healthy, and it's not too much work to make. Plus it keeps well in the fridge and you can eat it all week. It's got a tangy flavor because of the vinaigrette dressing.

2 cups frozen peas, thawed
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can white or shoe peg corn, drained
1 can (8 oz.) water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1 jar diced pimientos, drained (I usually leave these out)
8 green onions, thinly sliced
2 celery ribs
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1/2 c. vinegar
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

In a large bowl combine the first eight ingredients. In a small bowl, combine vinegar, sugar, oil, salt and pepper; whisk until sugar is dissolved. Pour over corn mixture; mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Stir just before serving; serve with a slotted spoon.

Fresh Peach Pie

2009-10-06T20:59:00.000-07:00

I got this from one of my new neighbors. It's delicious!

Fresh Peach Pie

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

3 Tbs. cornstarch

1/2 cube butter

yellow food coloring

1 tsp. vanilla

Cook the water, sugar, cornstarch, and butter over medium heat until thick and bubby. Cook to room temperature (I put it in the fridge to hurry it up while I baked my pie crust) and then add the food coloring and vanilla.

Layer peeled and sliced peaches in the bottom of a baked pie crust (about 3 peaches). Cover with filling and top with remaining peaches (probably about 3 more). Chill 1 hour and serve with whipped cream. Filling makes enough for one pie. Recipe doubles well.

Sweet Strawberry Bread

2009-09-25T09:59:00.000-07:00

I saw this recipe for strawberry bread on the sisters cafe blog, and think it sounds like such a fun thing to have at a brunch, baby shower, etc.

3 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

4 eggs

1 c. canola oil

2 c. fresh strawberries, cut small

Mix flour, soda, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Add eggs, sugar, oil. Mix until moist, carefully add strawberries. Batter will be thick. Spoon into greased and floured loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Cool in pans 10 minutes then remove. I made 2 small bread loaves, but I think you could probably make 1 regular sized bread loaf with this amount of batter. (It really is more of a batter consistency than a bread dough. It reminded me of making banana bread.)

Either my oven cooks really hot or their cooktime is a little off, because I took mine out at 45 minutes and feel like it was over cooked. I think I'll take mine out at 30 minutes next time.

We just bought a new house a month ago and I'm trying to get used to new ovens. These definitely cook differently than my old one.

Granny Kay's Caramel Popcorn

2009-08-30T18:53:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup Karo syrup

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Bring first three ingredients to a boil, then add can of milk. Stir constantly. When it reaches a soft-ball stage, add 1 tsp. vanilla and remove from heat.

Pour over popcorn. Note to self: I think today I made 4 batches of popcorn, and it made enough caramel for one large bowl and large square tupperware perfectly.

Chow Mein Haystacks

2009-08-26T20:26:00.000-07:00

2 bags small chow mein noodles

3/4 c. peanut butter

1 bag butterscotch chips

1 c. marshmallows

Melt the peanut butter over medium heat, then add butterscotch chips. Remove from heat and add chow mein noodles. Then after that is thoroughly mixed and it's cooled a bit, add marshmallows.

***Do NOT add marshmallows while sauce is still hot or it will just melt the marshmallows.

Spoon onto waxed paper.

Honey Lime Enchiladas

2009-08-26T20:14:00.000-07:00

Before

After Another great one from here.

.
Honey Lime Enchiladas

1/4 lbs. pork or chicken, cooked and shredded

Sauce:

1/3 c. honey

1/4 c. lime juice

1 Tbs. chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 (10 oz) can green enchilada sauce

equal parts mixed together of:

shredded mozzarella cheese

shredded cheddar cheese

flour tortillas

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

Lightly spray 2 pans with non-stick baking spray. 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. 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.

I served it tonight with spanish rice and black bean salsa.

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

2009-08-24T18:32:00.000-07:00

2 cans black beans, drained

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

1 can shoepeg or white corn, drained

diced jalapenos

2 Tbs. olive oil

1/4 c. diced red onion

1 bunch cilantro, diced

3 Tbs. redwine vinegar

1 cup salsa

salt and pepper

Drain beans, corn, and tomatoes. Mix together. Add cilantro 1-2 hours before serving. Keep chilled.

I don't think you can go wrong with this one. It's a pleaser.

Banana Bread for Joey

2009-08-24T08:35:00.000-07:00

My middle child, Joey, is about as funny as they come. And he is sharp as a tack--he remembers random things forever. About a year ago, my friend Christiana had made some banana bread and had offered Joey a piece. He loved it, and he still talks about it every time her name comes up. And whenever we see her, he asks her if she has any banana bread.

So on the first day of school I made sure to have some banana bread waiting for him when he got home. I was worried that I overcooked it, but Joey gobbled up all three pieces, then ate 3 more so I guess it was okay!

This is the recipe that I used. It will make either 1 larger loaf or 2 small loaves. I made 2. If you make 1 I think you should cook it a little longer.

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
1/2 c. shortening
2 eggs--cream together
3 very very ripe bananas
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Chek if done by putting toothpick in the middle--if it comes out clean it's done.

Granary Bread

2009-08-16T16:45:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Tbs. yeast

3 1/2 cups warm water

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup molasses

1 Tbs. salt

1 1/2 c. quick-cooking oats

1 1/2 c. wheat germ

1/2 c. soy flour (I forgot to buy this so I just added an extra halt cup of wheat flour)

4 1/2 c. whole wheat flour

2 c. white flour

Directions:

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add oil, honey, molasses, salt, oats, cracked wheat, wheat germ, and soy flour. Beat well. Gradually add whole wheat and white flours to form stiff dough. Knead till smooth and elastic. Place in greased bowl; cover and let rise till double in bulk. Punch down, divide into thirds, and mold into loaves. Place in greased loaf pans.

*At this point I had the idea to brush the tops with water and add some oats before I cooked the bread. It made it look pretty, and they toasted in the oven, giving it a nice added flavor.

Let rise till double. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Makes 3 loaves.

From the cookbook Christmas Recipes from the Lion House