the Foodees

Snap peas, Chicken, and Strawberry Salad

2011-12-16T13:01:00.001-05:00

8 ounces fresh sugar snap peas, stringed/trimmed and rinsed
1 pound thinly sliced boneless, skinless chicken breast, or regular chicken breasts pounded to a thickness of 1/4- to 1/2-inch
About 3/8 teaspoon kosher or coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces (1 pint) strawberries, hulled, then cut into bite-size pieces
1 medium carrot, grated (about 1 cup, loosely packed)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Fill a large bowl with water and ice.

Steam or boil the sugar snap peas for 3 to 5 minutes, until just tender. Drain them and transfer to the bowl of ice water. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then drain and let dry. Leave small sugar snaps whole; cut medium ones in half and larger ones into 3 pieces.

Preheat the grill for direct heat. If using a gas grill, preheat to medium-high (450 degrees). If using a charcoal grill, light the charcoal or wood briquettes; when the briquettes are ready, distribute them under the cooking area for direct heat. For a medium-hot fire, you should be able to hold your hand about 6 inches above the coals for 4 or 5 seconds. Have ready a spray water bottle for taming any flames. Lightly coat the grill rack with oil and place it on the grill.

Sprinkle chicken with about 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper to taste over the chicken pieces, then use 1 tablespoon of the oil to brush the chicken.

Place the chicken pieces on the grill; close the lid and cook for 4 to 6 minutes, turning over the pieces once, until they are cooked through and lightly browned. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool for 10 minutes.

Cut the chicken crosswise into 1/2-inch strips, then into bite-size pieces, if desired. Transfer to a large bowl and add the sugar snaps, the strawberries and the grated carrot. Sprinkle the balsamic vinegar, the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt over the salad; toss gently, making sure to distribute all of the oil and vinegar. Taste, and adjust the seasoning as needed.

Serve warm, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes: This was awesome. Seriously so good. The peas were cooked to a nice, soft consistency and blended nicely with the strawberries and chicken. And yes, grilling the chicken makes such a difference; I'm sure of it. So good.

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

2011-12-14T19:12:00.001-05:00

2 c. 2% milk
2 c. heavy cream
1 c. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 t. vanilla extract
1 t. peppermint extract
green food coloring
1 c. semisweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, stir together the milk, cream, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract until the sugar has dissolved. Color to your liking with the green food coloring.

Blend the chocolate chips in a blender until mostly chopped.

Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. After about 10 minutes into the freezing, add the chocolate chips. After the ice cream has thickened, about 30 minutes later, spoon into a container, and freeze for 2 hours.

Notes: Holy moly. Best ice cream we've ever made. Reason enough to get an ice cream maker.

Quinoa with Lemon and Zucchini

2011-11-22T13:47:00.000-05:00

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium zucchini, halved and thinly sliced
1 1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt, divided
1 1/4 cups quinoa, rinsed for 1 minute under running water
2 1/2 cups water
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Lots of chopped fresh dill
Crumbled feta (optional)
Pine nuts (optional)

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, until zucchini is crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Remove zucchini from the pan and add quinoa, water and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer, covered, until quinoa is tender but still chewy and a white spiral-like germ appears around each grain, about 15 minutes.

Toss quinoa with zucchini, zest, lemon juice, and dill. Serve warm or room temperature, topped with feta cheese if you like.

Note: I halved this because it said it made six servings and I knew my house wouldn't eat six servings. If you do this, feel free to keep the zest amount the same, but do not do 2 T. of lemon juice. Wow.

Bacon-Wrapped Apple-Cheddar Rolls

2011-11-15T10:39:00.000-05:00

1 Granny Smith apple, cut into 16 (1/4-inch) slices
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
Dash salt
1 can refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
8 slices (1/4 inch) extra-sharp cheddar cheese, cut in half (from 8-oz block)
16 slices packaged precooked bacon

Heat oven to 375°F. Line cookie sheet with nonstick foil, parchment paper, or silicone baking mat. (Some cheese will melt out during baking so this will make cleanup easier.) In a medium bowl, toss apple slices with brown sugar; sprinkle with salt. On cutting board, unroll dough; separate dough into 8 triangles. From center of longest side to opposite point, cut each triangle in half, making 16 triangles. Place 1 cheese slice on non-point side of each dough triangle; top each with 1 apple slice. Fold sides of dough triangle up slightly; wrap dough around apple and cheese. Wrap 1 bacon slice around outside of each dough roll-up, making sure ends of bacon are on bottom and slightly tucked in. Place on cookie sheet. Bake 12 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Serve warm.

Notes: YUM! These were really good. I didn't bother folding sides of dough, just rolled. The bacon slice will go around a couple of times. And if you don't want to use pre-cooked bacon, just use regular bacon and cook it a little bit first. You don't want it crispy because it still needs to be pliable in order to wrap around roll.

Pumpkin-Ricotta Pasta Bake

2011-10-26T15:30:00.002-04:00

I got this recipe here: http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/main-dish/quick-recipe-pumpkin-ricotta-pasta-casserole-130962

Olive oil
1 pound pasta, such as farfalle, small shells, or elbows
One 15-ounce container ricotta
One 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1/2 cup yogurt
2 teaspoons salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 cup pecans, roughly chopped
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
3/4 cup grated Parmesan, divided

Heat the oven to 375°F. Lightly oil a 9x13-inch baking dish with olive oil. Set aside. Bring a 4-quart pot of water to boil over high heat, and stir about 1 tablespoon of salt. Add the pasta, and turn the heat down to medium. Cook for a slightly shorter amount of time than specified by the package. (For instance, if the package specifies 10 to 12 minutes, cook for 9 to 10, or until just barely al dente.) Drain the pasta and toss lightly with olive oil.

In a large bowl, whisk together the ricotta, pureed pumpkin, eggs, and yogurt. Whisk in the salt, pepper, nutmeg, and ginger.

Stir in the pasta and coat completely with the pumpkin mixture. Stir in the pecans, chopped pecans, sage, and garlic. Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan.

Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared baking dish and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan over top. Bake uncovered for 35 minutes or until golden brown on top. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

e-notes: I didn't have plain yogurt on hand (since that's what I assume is meant by "yogurt.") I used sour cream instead. I also did 1 1/2 t. salt. My husband thought it could have been a little bit more pumpkin-y with a little less of sage. I didn't mind the amount at all. I probably did 1/2 c. nuts b/c I just bought a small baggie. When I had read the comments about this, a lot of people commented about it being dry. So I did cover my casserole for all but the last few minutes. It was slightly dry, more paste-y, really. But so delicious! My husband and I thought maybe you could add some cottage cheese to help it be a little more sauce-y? Totally loved this, as well as all 4 of my kids.

Butternut Squash Bake

2011-10-26T15:25:00.002-04:00

I found this lovely recipe here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/butternut-squash-bake-2/detail.aspx.

Ingredients:

1 (4 pound) butternut squash - peeled, seeded, and cubed
1/3 yellow onion, minced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
6 ounces crumbled blue cheese
sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs

Directions

Preheat an oven to 425 degrees.
Toss the squash, onion, olive oil, 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs, thyme, and blue cheese in a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the mixture into a large baking dish. Sprinkle 1/4 cup bread crumbs over the squash.
Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned on top, 35 to 40 minutes.

e-notes: So I love, love, love this. So does my husband. We put way less blue cheese, though. We put a small amount in the mix and bake it like it says. Then we'll let people sprinkle how much or how little of blue cheese they want. A little goes a long ways in my opinion. My one boy didn't like it too much until he very lightly sprinkled it with the cheese. YUM.

Snickers Cupcakes

2011-10-07T17:50:00.003-04:00

Makes 24-30 cupcakes

For the cake:
1 (18.25 ounce) package devil’s food cake mix
1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs; lightly beaten
1/2 cup warm water
1 teaspoon of vanilla
24-30 frozen Snickers Miniatures

Method
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line (2) 12 cup muffin tins with paper liners.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs, vanilla and water.
4. Evenly divide the batter amongst the prepared pans. {I use a large cookie scoop from OXO to scoop my batter; it holds 3 tablespoons}.
5. Gently push a frozen Snickers Miniature bar into the center of the batter and smooth the surface making sure to cover the candy bar with batter.
6. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean.
7. Cool cupcakes thoroughly on wire rack.

For the frosting:
2 sticks unsalted butter; room temperature
1/2 cup shortening
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 pounds confectioners’ sugar
1/3 cup caramel topping; plus more for drizzling
1/4 teaspoon salt

Method
1. Cream the butter and shortening in the bowl of an electric or stand mixer. Add the vanilla extract, salt and caramel syrup and combine well.
2. Begin adding in the sugar and mixing thoroughly after each addition. After all of the sugar has been added and mixed thoroughly, give it a taste and decide if you want to add in more caramel syrup. For thicker frosting you can gradually add in a little more sugar.
Garnish with chopped Snickers bars and a drizzle of caramel of caramel syrup.

Notes:
Not a fan of Snickers? Sub in your favorite candy bar, just make sure you freeze them first.
Not a fan of vegetable shortening? No worries, simply sub in butter for the shortening.

Zucchini Brownies

2011-08-31T22:05:00.002-04:00

2 C finely shredded zucchini
2 C flour
1 1/2 C sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. soda
1/2 C cocoa powder
1/2 C oil
2 tsp. vanilla
1 C nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour 9 x 13 pan. Set aside.

Mix all wet ingredients together in a large bowl. (oil, zucchini, vanilla) In a separate bowl mix all dry ingredients. Combine the two bowls. Batter will be THICK. Spread in 9 x 13. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Top will look "glazed" almost when finished. Check with toothpick.

Frosting:

4 T cocoa powder
2 T butter (softened)
2 T shortening
Melt in saucepan over medium heat
2 C powdered sugar
1/4 c milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Combine saucepan and remaining ingredients, blend well, by hand or mixer.

Frost when cooled. Enjoy.

This reminds me of my "Deceptively Delicious" recipes, but it isn't. It's from my neighbor who has grown an amazing garden and brings me all the extras. YAY. My kids (4 & 7) even ask to eat these brownies, KNOWING full well they are made with veggies.

Santa Fe Chicken Wrap

2011-07-07T22:29:00.002-04:00

1 ¼ lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup diced onion
1 cup corn kernels
1 4oz can roasted whole green chiles (I used a can of diced)
½ cup chopped tomatillos
1 TBS olive oil
1 TBS minced garlic
1 TBS ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp ground coriander
kosher salt
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup cooked long grain white rice, warm
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cup sour cream
1 TBS fresh lime juice
4 10 inch flour tortillas, or flavored chipotle, or salsa

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the chicken, onion, corn, chiles, tomatillos, olive oil, garlic, cumin, paprika, coriander, 1 tsp kosher salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Mix well.

Spread the chicken mixture evenly into a 9x13x2 inch baking pan. I used a cookie sheet. Bake until the chicken is cooked, 10-15 minutes. Add the rice, cilantro, sour cream and lime juice; mix well, Season with kosher salt. Divide among the tortillas and wrap.

Note: I prefer to add the rice, cilantro, sour cream and lime juice separately on top of the chicken.

Key Lime Pie

2011-06-12T18:14:00.000-04:00

1 9" graham cracker crust (store-bought or make your own)
3 c. sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c. sour cream (I used fat-free)
3/4 c. key lime juice
1 T. grated lime zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Ina medium bowl, combine condensed milk, sour cream, lime juice, and lime rind. Mix well and pour into graham cracker crust.

Bake in preheated oven for 5 to 8 minutes, until tiny pinhole bubbles burst on the surface of the pie. DO NOT BROWN! Chill pie thoroughly before serving. (I did mine on Saturday to eat on Sunday.)

Note: I bought two 14-ounce cans of the sweetened condensed milk, thinking it would be enough. It was more like 2.5 cups (instead of the three) but it worked out fine. Also I used regular lime juice, even though I think that key lime juice would give me a different flavor. But I love lime and this didn't disappoint. It was a lovely, cold dessert for a hot summer day.

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wraps

2011-05-03T19:21:00.000-04:00

Sauce:
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. finely chopped seedless cucumber
1 T. honey
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
ground black pepper to taste

Chicken:
2 T. olive oil
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into thin strips
1 c. thick and chunky salsa
1 T. honey
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
8 (10 inch) flour tortillas
1 (10 ounce) bag baby spinach leaves

Mix together the mayonnaise, cucumber, 1 tablespoon of honey, 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, and black pepper in a bowl until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet on medium-high heat, and cook and stir the chicken breast strips until they are beginning to turn golden and are no longer pink in the middle.

Stir in the salsa, 1 tablespoon of honey, and 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors have blended, about 5 minutes.
Stack the tortillas, 4 at a time, in a microwave oven and heat until warm and pliable, 20 to 30 seconds per batch.

Spread each tortilla with 1 tablespoon of the mayonnaise-cucumber mixture, top with a layer of baby spinach leaves, and arrange about 1/2 cup of chicken mixture on the spinach leaves.
Fold the bottom of each tortilla up about 2 inches, and start rolling the burrito from the right side. When the burrito is half-rolled, fold the top of the tortilla down, enclosing the filling, and continue rolling to make a tight, compact cylinder.

Notes: Although I didn't love the sauce plain, I loved the sauce mixed with the chicken. Chuck, well, not so much. But he could enjoy the "tacos" without it, so it made for a nice compromise in our house.

Hawaiian Banana Nut Bread

2011-03-15T19:05:00.003-04:00

3 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 c. white sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 c. chopped walnuts (opt.)
3 eggs, beaten
1 c. veg. oil
2 c. mashed very ripe banana
1 8 oz can crushed pineapple, drained
2 tsp vanilla
1 c. flaked coconut
1 c. maraschino cherries, diced.

Grease two 9x5 loaf pans. Combine flour, salt, baking soda, sugar and cinnamon. Add walnuts, eggs, oil, banana, pineapple, vanilla, coconut and cherries; stir just until blended. Pour batter evenly into pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes.

Notes: I haven't actually made this myself, however I have tasted it and LOVED it. I must make it for my own family soon.

Baked Potato Soup

2011-02-13T19:25:00.001-05:00

3 bacon strips (or 1 T. oil and bacon bits)
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 T. flour
1 t. salt
1 t. dried basil
1/2 t. pepper
3 c. chicken broth
2 large baked potatoes, peeled and cubed (and YES baked first)
1 c. half and half
1/2 t. hot pepper sauce (like tabasco or something else hot and spicy)
shredded cheddar
minced fresh parsley

In a large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp. Drain, reserving 1 T. drippings.

Saute onion and garlic in the drippings until tender. (I didn't have bacon, so I used olive oil in place of the drippings.) Stir in flour, salt, basil, and pepper; mix well. Gradually add broth. Bring to boil; boil and stir for two minutes. Add the potatoes, cream and hot pepper sauce; heat through but do not boil. Garnish with bacon (or Bacon Bits stuff), cheese, and parsley. This was soooo yummy. Serves 4.

Root Beer Cookies

2011-01-27T21:42:00.003-05:00

Cookie:
1 c. packed dark brown sugar
4 oz. canola oil margarine (see Note)
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg
1 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 3/4 c. flour
2 t. root beer concentrate, such as McCormick's brand (see Note)

Icing:
2 c. confectioners' sugar
2/3 stick (5 1/3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 to 4 T. water
1 t. root beer concentrate

For the cookies: In a large bowl, using a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer on medium speed, beat the brown sugar, margarine, butter and egg for several minutes until well blended and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla extract, baking soda, salt, the flour in increments, and the root beer concentrate. The batter will be stiff. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line several large baking sheets with parchment paper (or just grease some). Drop the dough by teaspoonfuls, spaced about 2 inches apart (the cookies will spread), onto the prepared sheets. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the icing: In a medium bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar with the butter and mix well. In a measuring cup, combine the water and root beer concentrate; add to the sugar-butter mixture and mix well, adding more water as needed to reach the desired consistency. Spread on the cooled cookies. Let set for about 30 minutes before serving.

Notes: I have no idea what the canola oil margarine is, nor did I think these would be harmed if I omitted it. So instead of the 3/4 cups of fats it told me, I used one whole stick of butter. In addition, I could not find the concentrate at home, but found some "Root Beer Flavor Oil" at a Bosch store in Utah and used that. If you do that, I suggest using 3/4 t. of that in place of the 2 t. of concentrate in the cookies because it's stronger. I didn't ice the cookies, but a good way to eat these would be as a sandwich with vanilla ice cream in between (root beer float cookie anyone?). Trust me. It should also be noted that the recipe I was following said it would yield 24 cookies; I got 38.

Marmalade Chicken

2011-01-24T12:47:00.001-05:00

I admit I stole this from Eatingwell.com, but it is pretty delish!

4 servings

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons orange marmalade
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 pound chicken tenders
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
6 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 large shallots, minced
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest

Preparation
Whisk broth, vinegar, marmalade, mustard and cornstarch in a medium bowl.

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 4 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and shallots to the pan and cook, stirring often, until beginning to brown, about 30 seconds. Whisk the broth mixture and add it to the pan. Bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer; cook until the sauce is slightly reduced and thickened, 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Add the chicken; return to a simmer. Cook, turning once, until the chicken is heated through, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in orange zest.

Nutrition
Per serving: 213 calories; 8 g fat (1 g sat, 5 g mono); 68 mg cholesterol; 10 g carbohydrates; 27 g protein; 0 g fiber; 246 mg sodium; 55 mg potassium.

Exchanges: 1/2 other carbohydrate, 3 1/2 very lean meat

Note
I did not use shallots, I used diced onion, and I did not add the orange zest at the end because I did not have an orange on hand. Otherwise, we thought it was great! I got a couple of frowns while it was cooking and even when we pre-tasted the sauce, but once you add the chicken and serve over rice, it was just right. We'll definitely make this again!

Fruit Buckle

2011-01-10T19:22:00.000-05:00

How have I never posted this before? It's such a great dessert that Chuck and I can eat the entire thing by ourselves (I didn't say we do, just that we can).

Batter
1/4 c. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 c. sugar
1 large egg
1 t. vanilla
3/4 c. flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/3 c. milk
2 c. blueberries (1 pint) (See NOTE below)

Topping
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. flour
1 t. cinnamon
6 T. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cold, cut into dice

Preheat oven to 350. Butter an 8-inch square baking dish.

In the bowl of a electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and mix until combined.

In a small bowl, sift or whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add dry ingredients to the batter, alternating with the milk, mixing until smooth and blended.

Scrape batter into prepared pan and spread with a rubber spatula so that it evenly covers the pan. Sprinkle berries over batter.

To make topping, whisk together sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Add butter and work with a fork or your fingers until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle topping over blueberries. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until berries are bubbling and topping is golden brown.

Let cool slightly and serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves about 6 buckle fiends.

NOTE: You can use whatever fruit you want. I've done blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and just last night, cherries. Not one has ended badly. If you're using frozen fruit, defrost first. Serve with ice cream if you want.

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

2011-01-10T19:15:00.000-05:00

Some of you may have seen this on The Idea Room, but I tried it and am giving it a full endorsement by posting it here. You'll see that Rhett agrees.

Filling (and Topping):
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. light brown sugar
5 t. ground cinnamon

Bread:
1/2 c. whole milk (I used 2%), heated on stove top to 110 degrees (or microwaved for 40-45 seconds)
4 T. unsalted butter, (3 of them melted)
3 large egg yolks
4 1/4 c. flour, plus more if needed (can do half white and half wheat)
2 1/4 t. rapid rise yeast (1 pkg.)
1 T. sugar
1 1/2 t. salt

1. In a small bowl, combine your filling/topping ingredients. Measure out 1/4 cup of your mixture and set the rest aside.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, melted butter, and egg yolks. Then, in the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the 1/4 cup of cinnamon mixture, 1 T. sugar, yeast, flour, and salt.

3. Using your dough hook, mix on low and slowly add the milk mixture. After the dough comes together, increase your speed to medium and mix the dough until it is smooth and comes away from the sides of the bowl. Your dough should stick to the bottom of your bowl, but not too the sides. You may need to add more flour if needed.

4. Turn out your dough onto a lightly floured surface and form into a smooth round ball. Place in a greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for about an hour, or until dough has doubled in size. [If using instant yeast, you can skip this. Note that instant is different from rapid.]

5. Spray a 9x5 loaf pan with cooking spray. On a lightly floured surface, press dough into a 20 x 8 inch rectangle, with the short side facing you. Using a spray bottle filled with water, lightly spray the dough. Sprinkle on the cinnamon sugar mixture (reserving about 2-3 T.), leaving a 2-inch border along the top to seal. Lightly spray the cinnamon sugar with the water.

6. Adjust oven rack to middle position, and heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt 1 T. of butter and brush over top of dough. Sprinkle with remaining sugar, and bake until top is deep brown, about 45 to 60 minutes. Turn bread out and cool on wire rack.

Play Dough Frosting

2010-12-29T11:32:00.003-05:00

1/3 C melted butter
1/3 C corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1 lb. powdered sugar
food coloring

Stir together then knead until smooth.

Notes: This frosting is great for little hands wanting to decorate gingerbread people with clothes and the like. Separate the dough before adding food coloring for a variety of dough to decorate with.

Pizza Rolls

2010-12-10T13:27:00.000-05:00

Begin with your favorite recipe of pizza dough. There are three published on Foodees (one, two, three), or you can use another, or buy another. Then gather all your favorite pizza makings (whether it consists of your standard marinara and pepperoni or maybe pesto with pine nuts).

Then, get
1 T. olive oil (or less)
1/2 t. garlic powder
1 t. dried Italian seasoning
Parmesan cheese

Unroll your pizza dough onto a lightly-floured surface. Pat or roll the dough so it's about 12" x 8". You're going to then cut it into 2" x 2" squares. Use a pizza cutter to slice the dough.

Place cheese (not the Parmesan, but part of your toppings) and other desired toppings on each square. (Note: marinara sauce does NOT go on at this point. It's used for dipping later.) When all squares have cheese and toppings on them, carefully lift up each square and wrap the dough around the toppings. Pinch to make sure each ball is sealed shut and then place them seam-side down in a lightly sprayed pie pan (or similar-sized dish).

Brush the tops of the dough balls with the oil, then sprinkle with the garlic and Italian seasoning and top with Parmesan cheese.

Cook them in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Because doughs vary, I'd start checking them after 10 minutes. (I don't think mine were quite done, so I'd go a bit darker than this picture suggests.)

Serve warm with warmed marinara sauce on the side for dipping.

Note: We ate far more of this (re: the entire thing) than we would of a pizza made with same ingredients, so beware. They were just so good.

Creamy White Bean Chicken Chili

2010-12-10T12:40:00.002-05:00

1 large onion, diced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 cube butter (I use less)
¼ cup flour
¾ cup chicken broth
2 cups milk or half-and-half (I use skim milk)
2 cans great northern beans, drained
1 teaspoon Tabasco (I use about ¼ tsp)
1 ½ tsp chili powder (I use about 1 tsp)
1 tsp cumin
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 (4 oz) cans green chilies
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced and cooled
1 ½ cups Monterey Jack cheese
½ cup sour cream

1. Cook the onions and garlic in 2 TBS of butter until softened but not browned. In a large pot melt the remaining butter and whisk in the flour. Cook whisking for about 3 minutes. DO NOT BROWN.

2. Stir in the onions, garlic and gradually add the broth and milk, still whisking. Bring to a boil and then to a simmer, stirring 5 minutes or until thickened.

3. Stir in the drained beans and all remaining ingredients except the cheese and sour cream. Cook stirring over medium heat for about 20 minutes. Serve with cheese and sour cream as a topping.

Cheesy Cornbread

2010-12-10T12:20:00.001-05:00

1 cup melted butter (I use ¾ cup)
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 can cream-style corn
1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
4 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Optional:
1 can green chillies or chopped jalapenos, crumbled Bacon, and/or green onion

Combine butter, sugar, eggs, and corn. Next add the remaining 4 dry ingredients and the cheese. Stir just to combine. Do not over-mix.

Pour the mixture in a 9x13 inch pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Then turn the temperature down to 300 degrees and bake for 50 minutes.

Granola

2010-12-08T13:01:00.002-05:00

3 C. rolled oats
1 C. slivered almonds
1 C. cashews
1/4 C. + 2 Tbs. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 C. + 2 Tbs. honey
1/4 C. oil
3/4 tsp. salt
1 C. dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. In large bowl, combine oats, almonds, cashews, brown sugar and cinnamon. In separate bowl combine honey, oil and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour over one or two cookie sheet pans. Bake for 1 hour, 15 min. stirring every 15 minutes to bake evenly. Remove from oven and add dried cranberries.

notes: obviously there are a lot of recipes for granola out there. this has been my favorite that i have found so far. the original recipe i used called for maple syrup instead of honey and raisins instead of cranberries but since my husband won't come within a 10 foot radius of anything maple or raisins, i made my own substitutions and they work perfectly.

Lasagna Rolls

2010-11-30T12:46:00.006-05:00

I have adapted this recipe from Giada De Laurentiis of the Food Network. Find her original recipe here.

Lasagna:
1 15 oz. container whole milk ricotta cheese
1 10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
1 C. plus 2 tbs. grated parmesan
3 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped
1 lg. egg, beaten
3/4 tsp. salt plus more for boiling water
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 to 2 tbs. olive oil
12 uncooked lasagna noodles
2 to 3 C. marinara sauce
1 C. shredded mozzarella @ 4 oz.

Whisk the ricotta, chopped spinach, 1 C. parmesan, prosciutto, beaten egg, salt and pepper in bowl to blend.

Add olive oil to large pot of boiling salted water. Boil the noodles until just tender but still firm to the bite. Drain. Arrange the noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent them from sticking.

Butter a 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish. Pour some of the sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Spread about 3 tbs. of the ricotta mixture evenly over each noodle. Sprinkle a little mozzarella on each noodle as well. Starting at one end, roll each noodle like a jelly roll. Lay the lasagna rolls seam side down, without touching atop the sauce in the dish. Spoon the remaining marinara sauce over the rolls. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and parmesan over the rolls. Cover tightly with foil. Bake at 375 until heated through, about 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese on top becomes golden, about 20 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes. Any remaining marinara sauce can be heated and served on the side.

Notes: I do not suggest substituting cottage cheese for the ricotta, gross. Ricotta is much tastier and much more smooth. However, if prosciutto is out of your budget, you can use cubed ham. Just make sure to chop it to smithereens before you add it to the ricotta mixture. As far as the baking time, I generally watch to see the sauce inside get bubbly and then take off the foil for the last 15 - 20 min. Just fyi, the pic is of the assembled rolls, pre-baked.

Pumpkin or Banana Muffins

2010-11-09T22:36:00.000-05:00

I know, I know, there are like a thousand versions of this, but I have been trying to pack in as many healthy recipes as I can to my stash. With a husband who is borderline on his blood pressure, and now blood sugar (and no, he is not ginorm, he bikes to work daily and really is quite healthy) we are really conscious of what we eat. Here is an uber healthy version that my kids still enjoy (I think it's because we add the chocolate chips for a little fun). I love serving them at breakfast because they keep my kids feeling so full!

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ground flax (this is optional but we add it to everything now. I buy whole seeds and grind what I need in the blender. The whole seed has a shelf life of two years. I even sprinkle the ground flax on my kids' peanut butter sandwiches and in their fruit smoothies)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 heaping tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/8 tsp. ginger (for banana) or nutmeg (for pumpkin)
1/4 tsp. salt

Put above ingredients in bowl and stir with whisk.

In blender or mixer combine:
3 ripe bananas or 15 oz can pumpkin +1/4 cup water
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup honey (or agave or sugar)
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine wet and dry ingredients and add 1/2 - 1 cup chocolate chips
Cook at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. I use a mini muffin tin. These little guys are super filling!
Makes about 40 mini muffins and they freeze beautifully!

Camping Food: Kielbasa Tin Foil Dinner

2010-11-05T10:35:00.000-04:00

3/4 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and halved
1/2 pound red potatoes, quartered
1 large onion, sliced
1 pound smoked sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces (we used turkey kielbasa)
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
2 t. butter, melted
1/3 c. water

Put everything on a sheet of foil and seal tightly with many layers of foil, leaving only a small opening. Pour water into the opening and seal. If prepping at home, don't add water until just before cooking so it doesn't spill out everywhere while in transit. Cook 20 to 30 minutes in hot coals, turning once.

Camping Food: Orange Cinnamon Biscuits

2010-11-05T10:28:00.000-04:00

orange
pre-made cinnamon roll

Take a large orange and slice it in half along its equator. Scoop out the halves of the orange, keeping the skin intact. Place a pre-made cinnamon roll (the ones in the tube) into one of the orange halves. Replace the other half of the orange skin and wrap the whole thing in foil (or a couple of pieces of foil). Place the foil balls into hot coals for 10 minutes, turning once during cooking. The cinnamon roll will cook, picking up the flavor of the orange.

Note: the scooping of the orange may be easier to do at home.

Camping Food: Baked Apples

2010-11-05T10:23:00.000-04:00

apples
brown sugar
cinnamon

Fill each core of an apple with 1 tablespoon brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Wrap each apple in a large piece of heavy foil (or a couple of pieces, just to be sure not to burn them). Place the apple in the coals of a campfire or barbecue grill and let cook for 5 - 10 minutes (we found 8 worked well). Remove and unwrap, being careful of the hot sugar.

I'm sure this would work in an oven as well.

Velvety Pumpkin Soup. . .

2010-10-16T22:31:00.004-04:00

My husband found this recipe last year on allrecipes.com. Here is the direct link: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Velvety-Pumpkin-Soup-With-Blue-Cheese-and-Bacon/Detail.aspx

Ingredients:

2 (15 oz.) cans pumpkin

1 quart chicken stock

1 c. half and half

1 shallot, minced

1/4 c. molasses

2 T. butter

1 t. pumpkin pie spice

1 t. salt

1/4 t. cayenne pepper

6 slices of bacon

1 c. crumbled blue cheese

Directions:

1. Stir together the pumpkin, chicken stock, half and half, shallot, molasses, butter, spice, salt, and cayenne pepper in a large stockpot over low heat; simmer 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, place bacon in a large skillet and cook until crispy, remove to paper towels to drain, then cool and crumble.

3. Ladle soup into bowls. Top with bacon and blue cheese.

e-notes:

We did not do the shallot. I honestly think it would not be good in this soup. My husband did 1 T. of butter instead of 2 T. (for my sake - he's so good). He did a scant less than 1/4 t. cayenne pepper. He could probably do the full 1/4 t. for his sake, but for mine and the kids he did a little bit less. It depends on how spicy you like things. I read some comments and some people thought it was the perfect amount, and others halved the cayenne. We bought bacon bits instead. Well I think last year we bought bacon bits. I just looked and this year we used a bag from Oscar Mayer called "Real Bacon" (it was already cooked and crumbled). We just let people put how much bacon and cheese they wanted into their own bowls. We did not use nearly 1 c. of blue cheese. I probably put a 1/2 t. - 1 t. in my bowl. Ben maybe a little more? The kids? None. (I had them try it first.).

But let me say I absolutely love, love, love this soup! It is soooooo good. Ben loves it every bit as much. Delicious. One of my favorite meals at the moment and my favorite soup. YUM.

Chicken Sauteed with Apples

2010-10-14T15:58:00.000-04:00

I got this recipe emailed me from realsimple.com. I guess at one point I signed up for daily recipes. We really liked this one. Here is the direct link. It's a really great fall dinner, I think.

Here is the recipe:
4 chicken breasts
1 T. oil
1 apple, cored, halved and cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 c. apple juice
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 minced garlic clove
1/2 t. dried thyme
1/2 t. salt
2 T. dijon mustard

Directions
Place each chicken-breast half between 2 sheets of wax paper and pound with a meat mallet until about 3/4 inch thick.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and saute the chicken until golden, about 3 minutes per side. Add the apple slices, apple juice, onion, garlic, thyme, and salt. Cover and simmer 6 to 8 minutes or until the chicken is fork-tender.

Remove the chicken, apple slices, and onion to a serving platter and keep warm.
Bring the sauce to a boil for about 5 minutes or until slightly reduced. Whisk in the mustard. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve.

e-notes: I had to cook the chicken longer until it was no longer pink. I did two apples, and frankly could have done three. We didn't have thyme and so I did "herbs de provence" which is mainly made with thyme. A lovely fall supper.

Whole-Wheat Banana Nut Muffins

2010-09-24T15:39:00.001-04:00

3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. honey (or 1/4 c. sugar if you prefer, or I did 2 T. sugar and 2 T. honey)
1/4 c. butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 c. mashed very ripe bananas (about three bananas)
1/3 c. low-far sour cream or plain yogurt
1 t. vanilla
1/4 c. nuts, chopped (pecans or walnuts)
1/4 c. packed brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a muffin tin with liners--you'll need about 15-16.

Whisk together the flours, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugar, honey (if using), and butter. Add each egg in one at a time, combining completely after each addition but not over-mixing. Add the mashed banana, yogurt, and vanilla. Slowly add in the flour mixture and beat until just combined (don't over-mix).

Divide the batter evenly (so the cups are about 2/3 full) among 15-16 muffin tins. Combine the chopped pecans and brown sugar and sprinkle them on top of the batter. Bake for 23-28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack and allow to finish cooling. Serve with breakfast or as a snack.

Note 1: My friend Julia hit me up to this lovely site, where I found the recipe for these muffins. They are really, really excellent. I was able to get a dozen regular-sized ones and a dozen mini muffins. So some for me and the husband and some for the kid! We all loved them. Also note that I love nuts IN my muffins, so I added an additional 1/4 cup chopped walnuts to the batter.

Note 2: These are similar to these, but not quite the same. I like the addition of nuts, as well as the sour cream/yogurt.

Meat and Bean Burritos

2010-09-14T14:56:00.003-04:00

recipe from Bridgette

Ingredients:
1 can pinto beans
1 can diced green chilis
1 cup salsa
tortillas
cheese
1/2 to 1 pound ground beef
1 diced medium onion
shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, sour cream and extra salsa for toppings

Preparation:
Brown hamburger and onions together in skillet, add salt and pepper to taste. When the meat is cooked, drain the fat off, put in a separate bowl, and wipe the skillet down with a paper towel. While hamburger is cooking empty beans and chilis in a pot and heat over medium heat for 5-7 minutes. Be careful, do not let the beans begin to stick to bottom of pan, you may need to cook them on low! Remove the beans from heat when they are finished and use a potato smasher to mash them up. Then add salsa and as much cheese as you want to make a completely delicious pot of bean goop! Spread the bean mixture down the middle of a tortilla, add some meat mixture, then fold the sides in and roll up your burrito. Then put the burrito in the skillet you cooked the meat in and brown on each side. This makes them crunchy and yummy! Top with toppings and serve with black beans or rice. I use a package of Spanish rice from the store. When we have beans I cook them in a pot with the juice of 1 lime! SO YUMMY!

e-notes: Our family really loves these burritos. So simple, yet so tasty. I pretty much do everything as said. I do a pound of ground turkey. I also just use one skillet - I brown my meat and onions, then I add the beans and when warmed I smash them with the potato masher. Then I add the can of green chilies and the salsa and cheese. I just mix everything up together and then spread the mixture down the center of my tortillas. I spray my burritos with cooking spray to help them crisp up when browning the filled tortillas on the skillet - using low-fat ground turkey usually doesn't leave a lot of grease to "fry" them on. I love browning the burritos on the skillet because it kind of "seals" them up and makes them less floppy - which makes them so much easier to eat for my little kids.

Chicken Fajita Melt

2010-09-10T11:20:00.000-04:00

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 (6 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, thinly sliced
1/2 cup sliced onions
1/2 cup sliced red bell pepper
1/2 cup tomato juice
2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix
1 cup salsa
8 (1/2 inch thick) slices French bread
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, and cook and stir until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the sliced onions and red peppers, and cook and stir for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the tomato juice and taco seasoning, and mix well. Cook mixture until the juice has thickened and the chicken is well coated with sauce, about an additional 7 minutes.

Preheat the oven's broiler and set the oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source.

Spread 2 tablespoons of salsa over each slice of French bread. Evenly spoon the chicken mixture on top of the salsa topped bread. Sprinkle each sandwich with 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese.

Place sandwiches under the preheated broiler and cook for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown.

Notes: We won't drink tomato juice, so I couldn't see buying an entire thing of it just for half cup. However, I found that you can mix tomato sauce or tomato paste with water to get the juice. If using sauce, use a 1:1 ratio (so use 1/4 c. sauce and 1/4 c. water to get 1/2 c. juice). If using paste, then you'll need a 4:1 ratio (four parts water to one part paste). They were really tasty!

Taco Seasoning

2010-09-10T11:10:00.000-04:00

1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Mix all together and use like you would use a packet of taco seasoning you buy. This makes enough for one pound of meat; you could easily make more and store it until you're ready. If you make more, then note that one serving would be 2 T and 2 t.

I didn't have sea salt and used regular salt. This recipe has less sodium than the packets, so that's good news.

Thai Noodles with Chicken and Snow Peas

2010-08-31T12:04:00.000-04:00

1 pound chicken, cubed
9 ounces Asian-style noodles (can use linguine, but the Asian are good. And FYI, they were sold in a two-pound package for $3, so not that different in price from regular pasta)
1 1/2 c. snow peas
1/4 c. cilantro, chopped

Chicken marinade:
1/3 c. vinegar (rice or regular)
3 T. honey
2 T. peanut butter (chunky or reg)
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. canola oil
1 T. sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 t. red pepper, crushed
1/4 t. ginger, ground

Combined all marinade ingredients. Set aside one-fourth of this in another bowl. Using the remaining, marinate the chicken overnight or at least 30 minutes.

Remove chicken and discard marinade. In a large skillet or wok, cook chicken for 6-10 minutes over high heat until cooked thoroughly. Set aside.

Cook noodles according to package directions (the Asian took only 5-6 minutes). Add snow peas during last three minutes of cooking noodles. Rinse noodles and peas with cold water; drain. Place in large bowl; add cooked chicken and marinade which was set aside. Toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with cilantro.

Serves 5-6.

Pita Bread

2010-08-16T07:45:00.000-04:00

1 1/8 c. warm water
1 1/2 t. sugar
1 1/2 t. yeast
3 c. flour (white or whole-wheat)
1 t. salt
1 T. vegetable oil

Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the water in the bowl of your mixer. Let proof for about 10 minutes. Add the flour, salt, and oil and knead until dough pulls away from the bowl, about 4-5 minutes.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Form into a ball and cut into eight pieces (or you can form it into a rope and cut into eighths). Roll each into a smooth ball. With a rolling pin, roll each ball into a 6- to 7-inch circle. Set aside on a lightly floured countertop. Cover with a towel and let rise about 30 minutes, or until slightly puffy.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place two or three pitas on a wire cooling rack. Place the rack directly on oven rack. Bake pitas 4-6 minutes or until puffed and tops begin to brown. Remove from oven and immediately place in a sealed brown paper bag or cover them with a damp kitchen towel until soft. Once pitas are softened, they can be stored in a plastic bag in the fridge for several days or in the freezer.

Note: I had no problems doing 100% whole wheat pitas. So don't feel like you need to do half and half. Now turn these pitas into pita chips and serve with tzatziki!

Tzatziki Sauce

2010-08-13T07:47:00.002-04:00

1 cucumber, seeded and diced
1/2 T. Kosher Salt
1 T. lemon juice
1/4 clove of garlic, chopped
1/4 t. dried dill (or 1 t. chopped fresh dill)
Dash pepper
1/4 t. salt
6 ounces of Greek yogurt (fat-free, low-fat, whatever)

Peel the cucumber, then cut in half lengthwise and take a small spoon and scrape out the seeds. Discard the seeds. Slice the cucumber into thick slices, then put in colander (placed on a plate or in the sink, to catch the water), sprinkle with the Kosher salt, and let stand for 30 minutes or more to draw out the water. Pat dry with paper towel.

When cucumber is done, put it in a blender with the lemon juice, garlic, dill, and few grinds of black pepper. Process until well blended, and then stir this mixture into the yogurt. Taste before adding salt (it may not need it). Place in refrigerator for at least two hours before serving so flavors can blend.

This will keep for days or more in the fridge, but you will need to drain off any water and stir each time you use it. Serve with pita chips or whatever else you want!

Note on Greek yogurt: This is becoming more and more popular and therefore should be available in most large supermarkets. Even Yoplait is making their own. The brand I found was Chobani and it was about $1.49 for the six ounces. Regular yogurt will not work because of its moisture content. However, if you can't find Greek yogurt, you can strain regular plain yogurt through cheesecloth for about two to three hours to get the general consistency of Greek yogurt.

Pita Chips

2010-08-13T07:44:00.001-04:00

2 pitas
4 t. olive oil
Dash pepper
Scant 1/4 t. garlic salt
Dash basil

Preheat oven to 400º. Cut each pita into eight triangles. Place triangles on cookie lined (with parchment paper, wax paper, or foil) sheet. In a small bowl, combine the oil, pepper, salt, and basil. Brush each triangle with the oil mixture. Bake in preheated oven for about 7-8 minutes, or until lightly browned and crispy. Watch carefully as they tend to burn easily!

Easy Peanut Butter Dip

2010-07-26T08:03:00.004-04:00

One part peanut butter
Two parts vanilla yogurt

Mix the two together using a utensil. Eat with bananas or apples. For a single serving, I did one spoonful of the p.b. and two of the yogurt and it was perfect, and perfectly tasty.

Thai Chicken Wraps

2010-07-14T21:01:00.003-04:00

Peanut Sauce

1/4 c. creamy peanut butter

3 T. water

1 T. sugar

2 t. soy sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

Combine above ingredients in medium saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until mixture is smooth and warm. Use immediately or keep warm over very low heat, stirring occasionally.

6 8-10" spinach, tomato, and/or plain tortillas

1/2 t. garlic salt

1/4 - 1/2 t. pepper

12 ounces pork tenderloin (or 12 ounces chicken), cut into 1/4"-thick strips

1 T. oil

4 c. packaged shredded broccoli (broccoli slaw mix, like this one, found near regular cole slaw, that one package had four cups)

1 medium red onion, cut into thin wedges

1 t. grated fresh ginger

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wrap tortillas in tin foil and warm them in oven for 10 minutes. When done, leave in foil (out of oven) until ready to serve.

Meanwhile, combine garlic salt and pepper. Add meat strips, tossing to coat evenly.

In a 10" skillet, cook and stir seasoned meat in hot oil over medium-high heat for 4-6 minutes or until no longer pink, turning to brown evenly. Turn heat down if meat gets too brown. Remove pork from skillet; keep warm (I wrapped in foil). Add shredded broccoli, onion, and ginger to the skillet. Cook and stir for another 4-6 minutes or until veggies are crisp-tender. Remove from heat.

To assemble, spread one side of tortilla with peanut sauce. Top with meat strips and broccoli mix. Roll up each tortilla, securing with a wooden toothpick if necessary. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

Breakfast Burritos

2010-07-09T18:20:00.005-04:00

1/2 lb. sausage links (we always do turkey sausage)
6 eggs, beaten
4 oz. can of chopped or diced green chiles, drained
4 oz. grated cheese (could do less)

Beat the eggs; add chiles and cheese.

Cook sausage in boiling water; slice and then brown in skillet. Add egg mixture and scramble.

Fill tortillas with scrambled egg mix. Fold up burritos and eat.

Note: When we do this we get three adult-sized burritos, one kid-sized burrito, and maybe enough for one more kid burrito.

Cilantro-Lime Black Bean Salad

2010-07-06T19:20:00.003-04:00

1/2 bunch cilantro (tough stems discarded)
grated zest and juice of one lime (2 t. zest and 2 T. juice)
2 T. white wine vinegar
3 T. olive oil (I did 2)
1/2 t. salt
1 t. sugar
3 c. black beans (about two cans, rinsed and drained)
2 or 3 ribs of celery, diced (about 1 cup)
3 large scallions, white and light-green parts, finely chopped

Combine the cilantro, lime zest and juice, vinegar, oil, salt, and sugar in a blender. Process to form a pureed dressing.

Combine the beans, celery, and scallions in a large bowl; add the dressing and mix well. Let sit for 15 minutes, then stir again and taste; add salt as needed. Serve; or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 12 hours. Mix well before serving.

Pioneer Bread

2010-05-31T13:03:00.002-04:00

I'm not sure how I stumbled upon this blog, but I'm glad I did. Amy, the blog's author, posted a recipe for oatmeal whole wheat quick bread.

Ben made some last nite and we LOVED it and ate the whole thing - except for our doughy parts (I'll get to that later). Ben and I renamed it "Pioneer Bread" because of its simplicity and wholesomeness. It doesn't use yeast - just baking powder as the leavening agent. So it is super quick to make and bake.

I asked Amy if I could post her recipe here and she very kindly let me. But go check out her blog, too, because she has a lot of neat recipes and ideas there - no refined sugar products. Wholesome goodness is what her blog looks like to me.

Anyways, the recipe:

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
11/2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon coconut oil (I used vegetable oil)
1 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Grind oatmeal in a food processor or blender. In a large bowl, combine oatmeal, flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, dissolve honey in oil, then stir in the milk. (I mixed the milk, coconut oil, and honey in a one cup glass measure and microwaved it until the coconut oil melted; the cold milk made it into a solid state, so I needed to liquify it). Combine both mixtures and stir until a soft dough is formed. Form the dough into a ball (I had to add a bit more flour) and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet.
3. Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until bottom of loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

E-notes: Ben made this and for some reason he added 2 T. honey (tho I'm sure 1 1/2 T. would be just as great!). We don't have coconut oil and so I am not sure if Ben added olive oil (don't think so) or vegetable oil (think so). Our blender broke weeks ago (but we just bought a new one today!) and so we couldn't blend up the oats. So we used quick oats as they are slightly more blended-up like. Amy mentioned adding some more flour and Ben did as well. But apparently Ben's ball of dough was a little too high and round - ours didn't quite look like Amy's more oblong-round shape. Ours was more round-round shape. And due to that we think it didn't cook as well in the center and so it was a little doughy. But still oh so delicious - just simple goodness!

Thanks, again, Amy for letting me share this recipe. We are trying to come up with another reason to make some more today - but we don't think our pizza-dinner needs this with it tonite dangit.

Grilled Pineapple

2010-05-17T21:58:00.005-04:00

1 large ripe pineapple
3 Tbs. honey
1 Tbs. freshly-squeezed lemon or lime juice
1/2 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper

Trim, core and peel pineapple. Cut into quarters from top to bottom. Slice out the core from each quarter. Cut each quarter slice into four pieces, once lengthwise and once crosswise. you should have 16 wedges of pineapple about 1 inch by 3 inches.

In small bowl combine honey, lemon or lime juice and black pepper. Brush glaze on each slice of pineapple coating completely.

Preheat grill and spray with a non stick spray. Place wedges on the grill and cook approx. 4 minutes on each side, turning so that grill marks are on all sides, until pineapple becomes fragrant and starts to dry on the surface. Do not overcook or they will by mushy.

Remove and brush with any remaining glaze and enjoy.

Notes: oh my, this is so good I can never get a picture before it disappears. Imagine pineapple wedges with grill marks on them. I have to give credit to the website where I found this recipe but I don't know where it is at this moment. Just know I didn't make it up someone else did and shared it with me which I am now sharing with you. Seriously though, too delicious to describe with words. And don't skip on the pepper, it gives it an extra kick!

Hawaiian Cake

2010-05-04T11:39:00.003-04:00

Cake:

1 pkg. golden butter cake mix (white cake mix is fine too)

1 can mandarin oranges with syrup (small can)

4 whole eggs

1/2 C. vegetable oil

Frosting:

1 lg. container Cool Whip

1 lg. pkg. instant vanilla pudding

1 can (15 oz.) pineapple, crushed with syrup

Cake:

Beat all ingredients with beater all at once until mixed well. Pour into prepared greased and floured pans.

Bake at 350 until layers rise, and then cut temp to 325. Bake until layer springs back and inserted toothpick comes out clean. Time will be similar to time on back of cake mix.

Frosting:

Mix all ingredients with spoon only. Frost cooled cake and keep refrigerated.

(The cake pictured above was made with 6 cake mixes, and a triple batch of the frosting. It was HUGE! and oh, so, delicious.)

Raspberry Walnut Cake

2010-04-27T08:57:00.005-04:00

Cake:
1 3/4 c. cake flour
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 c. ground walnuts
1 1/2 c. heavy cream
1 1/2 c. white sugar
3 eggs
1 T. vanilla

Icing:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 c. sugar
1/8 t. salt
1 t. vanilla
1 1/2 c. heavy cream
1 (12 ounce) jar raspberry preserves

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour two 9 inch pans. In a medium bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and ground walnuts. Set aside. In a small bowl whip 1 1/2 cups cream until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

In a large bowl combine 1 1/2 cups sugar, eggs, and 1 tablespoon vanilla. Beat 5 minutes at highest speed of an electric mixer. Fold in flour mixture alternately with whipped cream.

Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

To make the Frosting: In a large bowl combine cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until smooth. In a separate small bowl, whip 1 1/2 cups whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture.

To assemble cake: Split each layer in half horizontally to form 4 layers. Place 1 layer on serving plate; spread with 1/2 cup frosting. Top with second layer; spread with 1/2 cup preserves. Top with 3rd layer; spread with 1/2 cup frosting. Top with remaining cake layer. Frost sides of cake with frosting, reserving about 1 cup for decorating. Spread remaining preserves on top of cake. Using a pastry bag and a star tip, pipe reserved frosting in a lattice design on the top of cake, pipe border around top and bottom edges of cake. Store in refrigerator.

Notes from me: First, regarding cake flour, I found this substitution online. Mix 1 3/4 c. regular flour with 1/4 c. cornstarch to get 2 c. cake flour. Then use only 1 3/4 c. of it for this recipe.

Second, to grind the walnuts I put them in between two sheets of wax paper and crushed them with a rolling pin. Do not omit these; they make the cake.

Third, I used Neufchatel instead of regular cream cheese. Seemed to work fine.

Fourth, I think I used more preserves than it said. I bought a 20-ounce jar because that's what I could find and used more than 60%. But I'm sure the 12-ounce would be fine. And I'm sure you could substitute other fruit with success.

Fifth, I don't have pastry bags, so used a Ziploc sandwich bag and cut the tip. That's why it's not as pretty.

Sixth, this cake is AMAZING. Chuck said it was the best cake he's had in as long as he can remember. I wish I had taken a picture of the fun layers, but that's for you to experience. Serious yumminess.

P.S. This is how good the icing was:

Banana Oatmeal Cookies

2010-04-23T13:40:00.006-04:00

1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 t. soda
1 t. salt
1/4 t. nutmeg
3/4 t. cinnamon
3/4 c. shortening
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1 c. mashed bananas (about 2 bananas)
1 3/4 c. quick oats
1/2 c. chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Sift together the flour, soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Cream the shortening and sugar; beat until light and fluffy. Add egg, banana, oatmeal, and nuts. Mix well. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Drop by teaspoon on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 14-15 minutes or until edges turn lightly brown.

These were another great way to use overripe bananas. I doubled the batch and had about 9 dozen, so a regular batch would yield about 4.5 dozen (of the erin-sized cookies, of course).

Lemonade

2010-03-23T08:18:00.002-04:00

1 1/2 c. white sugar
8 c. water
1 1/2 c. lemon juice (I used bottled and it turned out fine)

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and 1 cup of the water. Bring to boil and stir to dissolve sugar. Allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until chilled.

Remove seeds from lemon juice, but leave pulp. In pitcher, stir together chilled syrup, lemon juice and remaining 7 cups water. Add some sliced lemons just to make it pretty.

Thai Chicken Fettuccine

2010-03-15T13:27:00.002-04:00

courtesy of Home Cooking the Costco Way

1 tbs vegetable oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 cup Pace picante Sauce
¼ cup chunky peanut butter
2 tbs honey
2 tbs orange juice
1 tsp soy sauce
½ tsp ground ginger
3 cups hot cooked fettuccine (16 ounces)
chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook for 5 minutes, until it’s lightly browned, stirring often.

2. Stir in picante sauce, peanut butter, honey, orange juice, soy sauce, and ground ginger. Cook and stir until the chicken is cooked through.

3. Add fettuccine. Toss the mixture until evenly coated.

4. Top with cilantro if desired. Makes 4 servings.

Brownies

2010-03-14T23:22:00.004-04:00

3 C. flour
4 C. sugar
1 C. cocoa
4 cubes margarine
2 tsp. salt
8 eggs
4 tsp. vanilla
1/2 to 1 C. nuts

Combine flour and cocoa first. Mix all ingredients together by hand for three minutes. Spread in large greased cookie sheet. Bake 350 degrees 30-35 minutes.

frosting:
1 cube margarine
3 1/2 to 4 C. powdered sugar and 1/2 C. cocoa (mixed together)
1/3 C. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Soften margarine in mixing bowl. Alternate adding dry ingredients and milk. Whip after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Adjust amount of milk for desired consistency. This makes enough to cover a large cookie sheet.

Notes: like with any other brownies, you don't want to over mix the ingredients. I usually set the margarine and eggs out long before so they become room temperature. These brownies are very rich. Don't expect them to have the same taste or texture as brownies from a mix. The recipe makes a large amount which is nice for big gatherings since a little goes a long way. You can add the nuts to the batter, put them on top of the frosting or leave them out all together if you like.

Carrot Cake Pancakes

2010-02-27T15:56:00.003-05:00

1 1/4 c. flour
1/4 c. chopped walnuts, toasted
2 t. baking powder
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. ground nutmeg
Dash of ground cloves
Dash of ground ginger
1/4 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. low-fat buttermilk
1 T. canola oil
1 1/2 t. vanilla
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 c. finely grated carrots (about 3/4 pound)

Mix the first eight ingredients (through ginger), stirring with a whisk. Combine brown sugar and next four ingredients (through eggs); add wet mix to dry mix, stirring until just moist. Fold in carrots. Cook like regular pancakes, except you might want to spread the batter on the skillet with a spatula and make sure to grease the pan. YUM!

Easy Pizza Sauce

2010-02-10T17:32:00.002-05:00

(We found that store-bought pizza sauce is quite expensive. However, if we use one of the big cans of generic spaghetti sauce and add spices...YUM!)

26 ounces of spaghetti sauce
3 packets red pepper flakes
2 t. onion powder
2 t. sugar
4 t. garlic
4 t. basil

Mix all together. This makes enough for four pizzas, so we put them in freezer bag, and freeze until we need them. Also, it's a little spicy, but we like it that way. Feel free to cut back on the red pepper flakes.

Soft Tacos with Paprika Sour Cream

2010-02-09T18:29:00.004-05:00

Tacos:
1 medium onion
1 1/2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pound ground chicken (may substitute ground pork or turkey)
1/2 cup water
8 6-inch soft corn tortillas

Sour cream:
1/4 c. lime juice (the juice of 2 to 3 limes)
1 cup low-fat sour cream (or fat-free)
1 teaspoon smoked paprika (or not smoked)
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

For the smoked paprika sour cream: Squeeze enough juice from the limes into a medium bowl to yield 1/4 cup. Add the sour cream, paprika and salt, stirring to combine.

For the tacos: Cut the onion into small dice (about 1 cup total). Cut the tomatoes into halves or quarters, as desired.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, until lightly browned; then add the chili powder, oregano, cumin and garlic powder, mixing to coat the onion evenly.

Add the ground chicken, using your fingers to break it up into small pieces as it falls into the skillet. Stir to combine, then add the water and half of the tomatoes, breaking up the chicken further with a wooden spoon.

Reduce the heat to medium; cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Use the spoon to break up any large clumps that might remain. Add the rest of the tomatoes, stirring to combine; taste and season with salt as needed. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.

Serve meat on tortillas with sour cream. We added cheese because we're crazy like that.

Chocolate Thumb-print Cookies

2010-02-05T14:51:00.001-05:00

recipe taken from the back of Hershey's HUGS Kisses

1/2 c. butter or margarine, softened

2/3 c. sugar

1 egg, separated

2 T. milk

1 t. vanilla extract

1 c. flour

1/3 cup cocoa

1/4 t. salt

1 c. chopped nuts

26 Hershey's HUGS or KISSES

VANILLA FILLING:

1/2 c. powdered sugar

1 T. softened butter or margarine

2 t. milk

1/4 t. vanilla extract

1. Beat butter, sugar, egg yolk, milk and vanilla in medium bowl until fluffy. Stir together flour, cocoa, and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until blended. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm enough to handle.

2. Heat oven to 350. Lightly grease a cookie sheet. Shape dough until 1-inch balls. With fork, beat egg slightly. Dip each ball into egg white; roll in nuts. Place on sheet. Press thumb gently in center of each cookie.

3. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until set. Meanwhile prepare the FILLING by beating all ingredients together until smooth. Remove wrappers from chocolate pieces. Remove cookies from cookie sheet to wire rack; cool 5 min. Spoon about 1/4 t. filling into each thumb-print. Gently press chocolate pieces in center of each cookie. Cool completely. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

e-notes:

My butter is salted and so I probably added less than 1/2 of what the recipe called for. I also used 1/2 the nuts b/c I only dipped 1/2 of the cookies since I know my kids aren't the biggest fans of nuts. The thumb-prints I made did not stay in the cookies while they baked. When I got them out, I had to re-do them - but that worked just fine. It was just a little hot making the prints then, but not a big deal. Also, for a valentiney-look I made my FILLING pink. I also used a baby spoon to scoop up the filling and just guessed on the 1/4 t. amount. Good stuff. My kids love me b/c I made these this morning.

Peppermint Buttercream Frosting

2010-02-05T12:11:00.002-05:00

8 Tbsp (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup finely crushed peppermint candy
3 cups powdered sugar
2-3 Tbsp milk
1-2 Tbsp peppermint schnapps or 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract

Place butter in mixing bowl and blend with an electric mixer on low speed until fluffy. Add peppermint candy, powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp milk, and schnapps or extract. Blend until the sugar is well incorporated. Beat until fluffy and add more milk if frosting seems too stiff.

Chocolate Ganache

2010-02-05T12:05:00.002-05:00

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
8 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped (I don't chop mine if it is in 1 oz. squares)
1 Tbsp. liqueur such as Grand Marnier, framboise, or peppermint schnapps (optional) OR 1/2 tsp. extract such as orange, peppermint, etc.

Place cream in small heavy saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring. Place chopped chocolate in large mixing bowl. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is melted. Stir in liqueur, if desired.

To use as a glaze, let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before spooning over a cooled cake. To use as a frosting or filling, let stand at room temperature for 4 hours, or chill until it thickens and is spreadable.

Lethal Peppermint Chocolate Cake

2010-02-05T11:44:00.004-05:00

Okay, so I don't know if this is "lethal" in flavor, but it is a nice hint of mint that makes this cake yummy.

This one comes from one of my all time favorite books, The Cake Doctor. It is a great book for taking cake mixes and making them just a little bit better.

1 package plain devils food cake mix (not a mix with pudding in it)
3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 recipe Peppermint Buttercream frosting
Chocolate Ganache

Prepare ganache, adding peppermint schnapps(or extract) after the chocolate has melted. Let ganache cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 9-inch round cake pans. Place cake mix, cocoa powder, buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend, scraping sides until thick and combined. Divide batter between pans and bake until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger and start to pull away from the sides of the pan, 28-30 minutes. Cool for ten minutes and then invert onto wire rack and cool completely.

Spread one layer with Peppermint Buttercream frosting, and place second layer on top of the first layer. Frost the top and sides of the cake with Chocolate Ganache that has cooled until it is spreadable. Chill the cake until ready to serve.

I personally like to keep the cake at room temperature. For some reason the cake seems to dry out in the fridge.

Chewy Chocolate Cookies

2010-02-05T11:28:00.003-05:00

Okay, so this one comes right off of the Reese's Peanut butter chip bag, but we LOVE this recipe. Only thing: DO NOT dump everything in the mixer and expect a good cookie. Follow this recipe--cookies just aren't the same if you don't separate the dry and wet ingredients like you are told :)And be sure not to overbake them. Over cooked cocoa is never a good thing!

2 cups flour
3/4 cup Cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
Stir above ingredients in a bowl until well combined.

In mixer:
combine
1 1/4 (2 1/2 sticks) butter, softened/room temperature(not melted)
2 cups sugar
mix until fluffy.

Add:
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Beat well. Gradually add flour mixture until well combined. Stir in 10 oz. bag of peanut butter chips.

Oven 350 degrees. Drop rounded teaspoons (I use a small ice cream scoop) onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-9 minutes (or until tops begin to crack). Do not overbake! Cool slightly, then remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely and store in the freezer so you don't eat the entire batch in one sitting.

Turkey and Pasta with Peanut Sauce

2010-02-02T07:59:00.004-05:00

6 ounces dried fettuccine or linguine
2 c. fresh pea pods, tips trimmed
1 c. cooked turkey or chicken strips
1 c. coarsely chopped fresh pineapple or one 8-ounce can pineapple chunks, drained
1/4 c. chicken broth
2 T. creamy peanut butter (although I think chunky would be fine too)
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. lime or lemon juice
1/4 t. crushed red pepper
1 clove garlic, minced

Cook pasta according to package direction. Meanwhile, halve the fresh pea pods, diagonally. Place pea pods and turkey in a large colander. Pour hot cooking liquid from pasta over pea pods and turkey in colander; drain well. Return the pasta, pea pods, and turkey to the hot pan. Add the pineapple.

Meanwhile, for sauce, in a small saucepan stir chicken broth into peanut butter. Heat and stir with a whisk until peanut butter melts. Stir in soy sauce, lime juice, red pepper, and garlic; heat through.

Add sauce to the pasta mixture. Gently stir to coat pasta with sauce.

(From the Better Homes and Gardens 75th Anniversary Cookbook)

Warm Banana Sundaes

2010-02-02T07:44:00.004-05:00

1 cup (4 ounces) coarsely chopped pecans (or walnuts)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 teaspoons olive oil
4 bananas, peeled and cut crosswise in half, then each half cut in half lengthwise to produce 16 quarters
frozen nonfat vanilla yogurt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

Combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, ginger, butter and salt in a medium bowl. Use your fingers (or a pastry cutter) to work the butter into the mixture until thoroughly incorporated. Then add the nuts. Spread out the mixture on the prepared pan. Bake for 10-15 minutes to form the pecan crisp (don't let it get dark), then let cool. Once cool, break it up like you'd do a toffee.

When done, it should look like this:

Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add as many of the banana quarters, cut sides down, as will fit in a single layer. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the bananas soften and start to brown. Use a spatula to carefully turn over the banana pieces and cook for 1 minute.

Transfer the bananas to individual dessert plates, arranging 2 quarters for each portion.

Use paper towels to wipe out the skillet; return to medium-high heat and add the remaining teaspoon or two of oil. Add the remaining banana pieces to the skillet and reduce the heat to medium; repeat the cooking process. Arrange the banana quarters on the remaining dessert plates.

Place a scoop of frozen yogurt on top of the banana quarters on each plate. Top each serving with 2 tablespoons of the pecan crisp. Serve immediately.

Notes: in order to get the crumb topping to work for me, I have to do it in many steps because otherwise the butter gets too soft. So I'll cut in the butter for a minute, then put everything into the fridge for another 15 minutes. Cut again, chill again. I do this until the crumbly texture I want is achieved.

Also, we like this with more than half a banana, so we gave ourselves each a full banana. The topping is really delicious and is even tempting on its own.

(From The Washington Post)

Applesauce Raisin Muffins

2010-01-31T22:22:00.001-05:00

1 c applesauce
3/4 c brown sugar
½ c oil
1 3/4 c flour
1 t baking soda
½ t salt
1 t cinnamon
½ t ground cloves
½ c raisins (optional)

Combine dry ingredients in bowl and stir together. Add applesauce and oil and blend together. Add raisins, if desired. Fill greased muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake at 375° for 18 minutes.

Peach Crunch Cake

2010-01-30T19:01:00.002-05:00

Peach Crunch Cake

24.5 oz jar of sliced peaches in light syrup
1 package yellow cake mix
1 stick butter (1/2 cup), cut into 16 pieces
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Layer ingredients in a 13 X 9 dish, in order starting with the peaches.
Bake for about 40 minutes.
Serve warm or cold… with or without ice cream.

Enjoy!

It's more like a dessert than cake, it's a BIT gooey, but that's why it's so good.

Found on bakerella.com!!! Yum, yum, YUMMY!!!!!! And E-Z!!!

Banana Filled French Toast

2010-01-02T08:36:00.002-05:00

1 (1 pound) loaf French bread, cut into 1 inch slices
2 bananas, peeled and sliced
4 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 teaspoon water
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon milk
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon orange juice
1 1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest

Create a pocket about 2/3 of the way into each slice of bread by cutting along an edge. Fill pockets with 2 or 3 banana slices each.

In a medium bowl, beat together eggs, water, milk, vanilla extract, orange juice, and orange zest. Dip the bread slices in the mixture, allowing slices to become saturated.

Grease your skillet or griddle with butter or Pam. Place a few slices at a time in the skillet, and cook, turning once, until both sides are golden brown. Dust with confectioners' sugar to serve. Serve with warm syrup.

Lemony Snickets

2009-12-28T20:44:00.004-05:00

These cookies from Parenting Magazine were a huge hit at our home. They make a light, cake-like cookie. The delicious, tangy glaze made it hard to eat just one.

4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon zest
15 oz ricotta cheese (we used cottage cheese)

Glaze:
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
3 Tbs lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
Sprinkles

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy. Beat in eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, and ricotta until blended. Add flour mixture and beat until combined. Cover and chill at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease cookie sheets. Shape dough into balls, and place at least an inch apart on prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 10 minutes, or until bottoms are light brown. Cool on baking sheet for about 1 minute, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.

While cookies cool, prepare glaze: Stir together confectioners' sugar and lemon juice in small bowl until smooth. Drizzle glaze evenly over each cookie. Garnish with sprinkles if desired. Let stand until hardened.

Yields 6 dozen

Peanut Butter Cups

2009-12-15T15:30:00.002-05:00

Here's one of a few Christmas staples from my youth:

2 sticks (1 c.) melted butter
1 3/4 c. crushed graham cracker (about 1 1/2 packages)
1 c. peanut butter (chunky or smooth--your choice)
2 1/3 c. powdered sugar
1 12 ounce bag of milk chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients except chocolate chips together and press into a 9x13 pan. Melt chocolate chips in microwave at 30-second intervals till completely melted and pour and spread over peanut butter mix. Let cool. Cut into small squares.

I think these taste quite like Nutty Bars with the graham cracker texture. Yum. Also, these are very similar to Becky's excellent Buckeye Balls, but may be slightly easier because no dipping or rolling.

Apple Walnut Pancakes

2009-12-11T21:56:00.003-05:00

1 1/2 c. flour

2 t. baking powder

1/8 t. salt

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. ground nutmeg

1/4 c. sugar

1 egg

2 egg yolks

4 T. butter

1 1/3 c. milk

3/4 t. vanilla

1 large tart apple, peeled, cored, and shredded

1/3 c. coarsely chopped walnuts, lightly toasted and cooled completely

Start by prepping the walnuts. Chop them to a coarse chop and then put on cookie sheet in oven at 325 for about 8 minutes. They need to be completely cooled before using. Then, melt the butter and then let it cool completely too.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar.

In a medium bowl, add the egg, egg yolks, melted butter, milk, and vanilla and whisk to blend. Pour the egg mixture over the flour mix and stir just until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Add the apple, walnuts, and stir to combine.

Cook on a griddle that is greased.

Serve the pancakes straight off the griddle, sprinkled with powdered sugar OR with warm syrup. I highly recommend the warm syrup. Also, please don't do this without toasting the walnuts. They're so tasty toasted.

Clam Dip (for Miles)

2009-12-01T18:31:00.002-05:00

8 oz. cream cheese
2 TBLS. mayonnaise
1/2 C sour cream
1/2 TSP salt
1/2 TSP worchestire

Mix/blend all ABOVE ingredients together until smooth

ADD:

1 small can DRAINED minced clams, stir with spoon

TOP with:

1/4 lb. cheddar (shredded)

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes until bubbly. Serve with veggies or tortilla chips.

We had this on Thanksgiving and one CUTE little boy I know wanted to be sure his mom had the recipe, now she does!!! ;)

Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie Filling

2009-10-15T09:18:00.005-04:00

1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup apple butter
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 5-ounce-can (2/3 cup) evaporated milk
1/3 cup whole milk

In a medium bowl, combine the pumpkin, apple butter, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon and mix well. Add the eggs and milks, stirring to combine. Pour the filling into the pie shell. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the center has set. Cool completely before serving or storing in the refrigerator.

Note: This recipe assumes you already have a pie crust, hence the "filling" in the title. Also, if you've never made a pumpkin pie before (as I hadn't until I did this), the batter will be super runny. But it still turned out great. It's a great use of apple butter if you can't find another one for it.

(From the Washington Post)

Bruschetta

2009-10-06T09:06:00.003-04:00

2 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

2 T. olive oil

1 T. fresh oregano

1 t. fresh basil

2 t. fresh parsley

1/2 t. sugar

dash salt

1 clove garlic, minced

dash of balsamic vinegar

Mix everything together. Let sit in the fridge for at least an hour.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Slice loaf of french bread and brush the tops with olive oil. Put the bread in the oven for five minutes. Remove bread from oven and top with bruschetta and parmesan cheese. Put back in the oven for another five minutes.

Any leftovers can be refrigerated and then reheated at 350 degrees for about 5-10 minutes.

Notes from e: Although it would probably be much better with fresh herbs, I couldn't justify the cost for something I thought only I would eat. So I used dried herbs. I use 1 t. of the dried oregano, 1/2 t. of dried basil, and 1 t. of the dried parsley. And it still tasted great.

Banana Cream Pies

2009-09-18T19:35:00.003-04:00

1 instant vanilla pudding
1 instant banana pudding
2 8-ounce cream cheese (can do light), softened
2 c. milk (I used skim)
4-6 bananas

Beat softened cream cheese, adding half of the milk slowly. Add pudding and rest of milk. Beat till smooth and thick. Line sides and bottoms of TWO graham cracker crusts with bananas. Spoon in filling. Top with whipped cream or cool whip. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

Note: I didn't want two pies, so I just halved everything. I used my kitchen scale to halve the puddings. And I hate whipped cream so I left it out. These pies don't need it. I used 2 1/2 bananas for the half recipe.

Pumpkin Waffles/Pancakes

2009-09-18T18:53:00.003-04:00

2 1/2 c. flour

1 T. baking powder

2 t. cinnamon

1 t. ginger

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. nutmeg

1/4 t. cloves

4 eggs

2 c. buttermilk

1 c. pumpkin

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. melted butter

1 t. vanilla

Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cloves in a large bowl.

Whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, pumpkin, sugar, butter, and vanilla in another large bowl until smooth. While whisking, add the flour mixture and blend until smooth.

Cook like regular waffles (which the original recipe said) or pancakes (like I did with happy results). Serve with syrup, powdered sugar, or topping of choice!

Maybe I should have added nuts...Either way, they were great. Using our 1/4 cup measuring cup, we got just over 40 pancakes.

Rich Chocolate and Chocolate Pudding Cake

2009-09-09T15:33:00.001-04:00

¾ cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
¼ cup butter
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1 cup sugar
5 tbs milk
¼ tsp vanilla
heavy cream, for serving

For the Topping
2 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
½ pint hot water
7 tbs dark brown sugar
5 tbs sugar
2 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 inch square non stick baking pan.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a small bowl. Set aside.
3. Melt the butter, chocolate and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, or in a double boiler, stirring occasionally. Remove the bowl from the heat.
4. Add the flour mixture and stir well. Stir in the milk and vanilla extract. Mix with a wooden spoon, then pour the mixture into a prepared baking pan.
5. To make the topping, dissolve the cocoa powder in the water in a bowl. Let cool.
6. Mix the brown sugar, sugar and cocoa powder in a bowl. Sprinkle the mixture over the pudding mixture.
7. Pour the water and cocoa powder mixture evenly over the surface. Bake for 40 minutes or until the pudding had puffed up and set on top. The water mixture will have formed a creamy sauce underneath. Serve immediately with whipped cream.

Nacho Cheese Sauce

2009-09-08T08:07:00.003-04:00

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk (I used whole since I wasn't sure how skim would do)
7 slices processed American cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and stir in flour. Pour in the milk and stir until the mixture thickens. Stirring constantly, mix in cheese and salt. Continue to cook and stir until cheese has melted and all ingredients are well blended, about 15 minutes. If you'd like to add spice, you can add some tabasco sauce as well as chili powder.

(from allrecipes.com)

Eclair Cake

2009-08-30T01:46:00.003-04:00

4 large eggs
1/2 cup butter
1 cup water
1 cup flour
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 cups milk
3 (3-ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
16 ounces container whipped topping
Chocolate icing (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 400°F and grease a 9x13 pan. Whisk eggs in a small bowl and set aside. In saucepan, melt butter in water. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat and beat in eggs all at one time, continue beating until smooth. Spread in prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, then cool completely.
Combine cream cheese and milk, beating until smooth. Add pudding, one package at a time. Spoon over cooled shell. Spread with whipped topping and drizzle with chocolate icing. Chill at least one hour before serving.

Chocolate Icing

3 tablespoons baking cocoa
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon butter, melted
About 2 tablespoons water

In small bowl combine cocoa and powdered sugar, mixing well. Add butter and water and beat until smooth, adding a small amount of water, if needed, until the consistency is right.

Lentils and Rice, or Rice and Lentils

2009-08-14T00:05:00.004-04:00

olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 c rice
1 c lentils, picked over
4 c water or broth
salt and pepper to taste

Sauté onion in olive oil until translucent; add remaining ingredients. Bring to simmer and cover, cooking 25-30 minutes or until moisture is absorbed and rice is tender. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Chicken and Veggies with Dumplings

2009-08-01T13:32:00.005-04:00

This is from allrecipes.com with a few of my own modifications

Mix
1 can cream of chicken (can be reduced fat)
1 can chicken broth (can be low fat, low sodium)
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp oil
1/4 c chopped onion
1/2 c chopped celery (I omit this because I HATE celery)
3 chicken breasts cut into strips
1 tsp celery seed
1 c corn
1 c green beans (or omit the corn and beans and use a can of mixed veggies)

Dumplings
1 c all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c milk
2 tbsp oil

1. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, stir together the cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, and milk. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

2. Heat 1 tsp oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken strips, onion and celery. Sautee until chicken is cooked through, and onions are tender. Transfer the chicken mixture to the soup pot, and mix well. Add corn, green beans, or veggies of choice. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 30-45 miniutes. Season with celery seed and black pepper.

3. Make dumplings: In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, mix together 1/2 c of milk and 2 tbsp of oil. Pour into the dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.

4. Drop tablespoonfuls of the dumpling mixture into simmering chicken stew. Cover pot tightly, and bring to a boil. Simmer for another 12 - 15 minutes without peeking. Ready to serve.

***You may want to add a little extra cream of chicken or chicken broth as I found this not quite soupy enough for my tastes. Regardless, it's a great way to sneak veggies in on the kids!

Creamy Fettuccine Alfredo

2009-08-01T13:16:00.004-04:00

This is from the Great American Recipes cookbook

Serves 4 -6 depending on serving size

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups whipping cream
2 cups grated Parmesan cheese (I use the fresh kind in the cold section of the store)
1 box fettuccine
salt and pepper to taste
fresh basil to taste

1. Place the butter in a large heatproof bowl. Using a wooden spoon or electric mixer set on low, beat until smooth (I always use the mixer because my hand gets way too tired!). Add the cream and Parmesan cheese. Stir until well blended. Set aside.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well and immediately add the hot pasta to the butter mixture in the large bowl. Using two forks or a large noodle serving spoon, toss the fettuccine in the butter mixture to coat well. Add salt and pepper to taste. (Sometimes I'm not fast enough and the cheese will clump or not quite melt. I pop the bowl in the microwave for 30-60 seconds to heat it back up and stir some more. Because of my turtle speed, I mix my pasta and butter in a 13x9 glass baking dish, not a bowl).

3. Sliced basil can be added to the top according to taste.

***This is so yummy! We usually add seasoned cooked chicken strips and/or broccoli to this. Leftovers are great too. I won't tell you the calories because then you won't make this, but we all know 2 sticks of butter and heavy cream aren't the best if you are on a diet. :)

Oatmeal Cookies

2009-07-16T18:15:00.002-04:00

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. sugar

1 c. shortening

2 eggs

1 t. vanilla

1 t. soda

1 t. salt

1 c. flour

1 c. raisins

1 c. chopped dates (optional)

1 c. chopped pecans (or walnuts)

4 c. oatmeal

Cream sugars and shortening. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix soda, salt, and flour. Add to creamed sugar/shortening mix. Then add oatmeal, dates, raisins, and nuts. Mix well. Put on greased baking sheets. Flatten lightly. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes.

Note: I really like these with dates, but made them without because husband said he might eat more if they didn't have dates. I totally chose poorly on that one. Regardless, they're still tasty.

Raspberry Cheesecake Bars

2009-06-20T07:20:00.000-04:00

from Cooking Light

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
3 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light sour cream
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 (8-ounce) package 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and salt, stirring with a whisk.

Combine butter, brown sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and eggs in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Add flour mixture to butter mixture; stir just until moist.

Place 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, granulated sugar, and next four ingredients (through cream cheese) in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until fluffy.

Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with foil that extends 1 inch beyond sides; coat foil with cooking spray. Spread half of batter into pan. Pour cream cheese mixture over batter in pan, and spread evenly over batter. Sprinkle with raspberries. Drop remaining batter by tablespoonfuls over everything. Swirl batter, cream cheese mixture, and raspberries together with a knife. (Note: I struggled with knowing what this meant so Chuck did it for me. In his words he, "put a knife in and did little twirls to mix it together, but not stirring, just twirling.")

Bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack. Remove from pan by lifting foil. Remove foil; cut into 30 bar cookies.

Note: I put these under healthy because while they're certainly not steamed broccoli, for desserts, they're a good option. If you get 30 bars (I got 32 small ones), then they have 111 calories and 4 grams of fat per bar. And although I made these tonight, they are apparently better the next day.

Pesto Burgers

2009-06-19T20:29:00.002-04:00

1 1/2 lbs. ground meat

3/4 c. grated sharp Cheddar or 1/2 c. grated Parmesan

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

1/3 c. mayo

2 T. pesto (store bought or your own)

6 burger rolls

toppings: lettuce, tomatoes, etc.

For the Pesto Mayo:

1/2 c. mayo

2 T. pesto

Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap and set it aside. In bowl, combine meat, cheese, salt 'n pepper, gently tossing the mix with your hands or a large fork, until evenly blended.

In smaller bowl, mix the mayo and pesto, then add it to the ground meat mix and blend all together. Shape the meat into 6 1/2 inch thick patties, placing each one on the baking sheet when done and refrigerate them for at least 30 minutes to firm them (Note: the patties will be softer than traditional hamburgers).

While meat is chilling, prepare the grill and make the Pesto Mayo - by combing mayo and pesto. Grill each side for 5 minutes or until no longer pink. Serve the burgers on the rolls, dressed with the lettuce, tomatoes, and Pesto Mayo.

e-note: so we made these tonite and really enjoyed them. there is definitely a pesto flavor. it's not overbearing, but definitely there and tasty - if you like pesto, of course. the uncooked mixture was really wet. my husband told me the ground meat that comes in "tubes" or "rolls" is more wet - and that is what we had used. luckily i was able to flip out the patties onto my spatula and then flip that onto the grill. it worked out okay. yummy.

Pumpkin Blueberry Muffins

2009-06-16T19:24:00.002-04:00

3/4 c. flour
3/4 c. quick oats
2/3 c. sugar
2 t. baking powder
3/4 t. salt
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/2 c. canned pumpkin
1/2 c. milk
1 egg
1/4 c. butter, melted
3/4 c. fresh blueberries or thawed frozen berries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease and flour muffin pan or use paper liners.

Mix the flour, oats, sugar, powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a mixing bowl until evenly blended. In a separate bowl, stir together the pumpkin, milk, egg, and butter. Gradually stir in the flour mixture, just until all ingredients are moistened. Fold in the blueberries. Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling to the top.

Bake in preheated oven until tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 20 minutes.

Yield: 12 regular muffins or 24 minis.

Note: I did these in mini-muffin tins for a good snack for my babe. I hope he likes them as much as I did! Also, even though I did them in the mini tins, they still needed nearly 20 minutes.

Curry Couscous

2009-06-13T18:26:00.005-04:00

1 1/2 c. couscous
3 c. chicken broth
1 T. curry powder
2 t. salt
1 t. pepper
2 T. olive oil
1/2 c. raisins
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/2 c. slivered almonds, toasted

Pour couscous into a bowl. Mix chicken stock, curry powder, salt, pepper, olive oil, and raisins in a saucepan and bring to a boil; remove from heat. Pour the boiling liquid over the couscous. Seal the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork. Top with cilantro and almonds.

Note: I like this because it was so easy and I had almost everything on hand. What I didn't (cilantro), I simply omitted, although I think it would be good. My 15-month-old ate this quite readily at first but I think there was just too much pepper (did I not halve it like everything else?!) so when I do it again, I'll certainly reduce the pepper. I think that craisins would be just as good in this as the regular raisins. Also, I just boiled everything in a sauce pan, added the couscous, removed from heat, and put lid on for 10 minutes. No need to dirty two pans.

Chocolate Chip Cookies (with peanut butter)

2009-06-04T10:16:00.004-04:00

2 cubes of butter
2/3 cup peanut butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 t. vanilla
2 1/2 c. of flour
12-ounce bag milk chocolate chips

Mix the butter and peanut butter together. Add the sugars and eggs; mix again. Then add soda, powder, salt, and vanilla; mix again. Then add flour and mix again. Finally, add the chocolate chips; mix.

Bake at 375 for 8-10 min. (She watched them closely and took them out when the cookies start to crack, usually it's around nine minutes.)

Yield: When my sister did a half batch, she got four dozen. When I did a half batch, I got three dozen. Finally, a cookie I make that is normal-sized.

Note: I have not made these but did taste of their beauty last night. They are the best chocolate chips cookies I've ever had. And no, they don't taste like peanut butter cookies with chocolate chips. They're more, "chocolate chip cookies with hint of peanut butter, and a smidgen of heaven." Soooo good. (When I make them tomorrow and find out how many they make, I'll edit this post with that information.)

Breaded Pork Chops

2009-05-12T21:03:00.005-04:00

1 c crushed butter flavored crackers (Ritz, for example)
1/2 t garlic salt
1/4 t black pepper to taste
1 beaten egg
4 pork chops
1/4 c butter

Preheat oven to 375°. Combine first three ingredients as the coating. Melt butter in shallow casserole dish. Dredge chops in egg, coat with crumbs and place in casserole dish. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover, flip chops, and bake 15 more minutes.

Very easy, very tender, great flavor. We use boneless chops, about 1/2 inch thick. If you use thicker or bone-in chops, I imagine you'll need to increase cooking time a bit.

Peach Blueberry Crisp

2009-04-21T14:01:00.002-04:00

(from the Washington Post)

16 ounces frozen peaches, defrosted

16 ounces frozen blueberries, defrosted

1/2 t. almond extract

1/3 c. sugar

1 T. cornstarch

1/4 c. oats (quick or regular, but not instant)

1/2 c. flour

1/3 c. brown sugar

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. nutmeg

3 T. cold butter, cut into cubes

Combine the fruit and any accumulated juices, almond extract, sugar, and cornstarch in a large bowl, mixing well. Let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350. Have ready an 8x11 inch (ungreased) shallow baking dish. (I used a 9x9.)

Combine the oatmeal, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a separate bowl. Add the butter and use your fingers (I used a pastry cutter) to thoroughly work it into the dry ingredients. The consistency will be crumbly.

Pour the fruit mixture into the baking dish, distributing the berries and peaches evenly. Scatter the crumb topping over the fruit, covering it as much as possible. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling up the sides of the dish and the crisp topping is starting to brown.

Let it rest for five minutes before serving. Serve with ice cream, if desired.

Notes: Super yummy for a "healthy" dessert (with 8 servings, 190 calories, 5 grams of fat, 26 grams of sugar). I left this unattended while we ate dinner and when the 50 minutes beeped, the topping had almost been completely usurped by the fruit, but it still tasted really good.

Lemon Dream Ice Cream

2009-04-18T21:45:00.002-04:00

1/3 of a 1 pound box graham crackers
1/3 cup sugar
5 tablespoons melted butter
½ gallon vanilla ice cream
6 oz frozen lemonade concentrate

1. Set the ice cream and lemonade on the counter to soften.
2. Crush the graham crackers into crumbs. In a bowl mix the graham crackers, sugar, and melted butter. Press the mixture firmly into a 9x13 inch pan.
3. Mix the ice cream and lemonade together until combined. Then spread the ice cream mixture over the graham cracker crust.
4. Put it in the freezer for a few hours until set.

Notes: I also sprinkle some graham crackers crumbs on top just as a garnish. I have also tried pink lemonade but I don’t like it as well.

Scalloped Pineapple

2009-04-15T21:16:00.003-04:00

8 1-inch slices of French bread, cubed
1 c sugar
1/2 c butter,melted
3 eggs, beaten
2 20-oz cans of pineapple, tidbits or chunks, drained
1/4 c milk

Combine bread cubes, sugar and butter. Combine eggs and milk; mix in pineapple. Combine mixtures in greased 9x13 dish and bake at 350° for 45 minutes.

This makes an excellent side dish for baked ham. I enjoyed it cold with lunch the next day, but I'm weird like that.

Italian Stuffed Chicken

2009-04-02T19:17:00.001-04:00

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tbsp chopped garlic
½ cup sliced mushrooms
1 tbsp oil
¼ marsala wine (optional)
½ cup italian seasoned bread crumbs
½ cup blanched chopped spinach, squeezed dry
3 green onions, sliced
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
8 ounces mild italian sausage, casings removed
¼ seasoned flour
¼ light olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice into the side of each chicken breast to create a pocket. Or pound with to a meat cleaver to ¼ inch thick.
2. Sauté garlic and mushrooms in 1 tbsp oil. Add Marsala and simmer until mushrooms have absorbed the wine (this is optional). Set aside to cool.
3. Add bread crumbs, spinach, green onions, basil, parmesan, salt and pepper to the cooled mushrooms. Mix in sausage until everything is incorporated.
4. Open the chicken breast pockets and fill with the stuffing. Or place stuffing mixture on ¼ inch piece of chicken. Roll the mixture in the chicken and secure with toothpicks. Dredge in seasoned flour and sauté in olive oil over medium heat until lightly browned. Finish cooking in the oven for 15 minutes, or until chicken is firm to the touch and has an internal temperature of 160 degrees.
5. Serve with desired sauce. Marinara sauce is recommended. This is also good served without sauce.

Peep Nests

2009-04-02T18:04:00.005-04:00

Chocolate
Chow mien or crispy rice noodles
Coconut
Whopper Robin Eggs
Peeps chicks

These fast easy chocolate nests are the perfect sweet treat for Easter. I found these on this blog. Unfortunately there are no measurements so go with what you feel. I used 1 bag of milk chocolate chips. 1 and 1/2 (3 oz.) cans of LaChoy rice noodles. After I had formed my nests and stuck the eggs on I put them in the fridge for an hour to solidify them. You can also sprinkle coconut on top and use colored jelly beans instead of robin eggs. Serve with a side of Peeps chicks. Voila!

English Muffin Bread

2009-04-01T13:10:00.002-04:00

I never knew there was even such a thing until my mom came to visit. Now I'm not sure I'll ever buy English muffins from the store again.

2 c. milk (skim worked fine)
1/2 c. water
2 T. cornmeal (I just guesstimated)
6 c. bread flour
2 packages active dry yeast
1 T. sugar
2 t. salt
1/4 t. baking soda

Warm the milk and water in a small saucepan until very warm (125 degrees). Lightly grease two 8x4 inch loaf pans; sprinkle cornmeal inside pans.

In a large bowl, mix together three cups flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and soda. Stir milk into the flour mixture; beat well. Stir in the remaining flour, one cup at a time, until a stiff batter (mine was more doughy) is formed. Spoon batter into prepared pans. Cover and let rise in a warm place until nearly doubled in size, about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes (I had to put foil on mine at minute 20 to prevent darkening). Remove from pans immediately and cool.

Kid-Fare

2009-03-23T08:59:00.002-04:00

I think it is so hard coming up with 3 meals a day and 2 snacks a day for kiddos. But there are a few fun things I've done lately that the kids have really enjoyed. These are not necessary "recipes," but rather just some ideas.

Stackers

My kids love these. I buy cheap crackers from Walmart (wheat or veggie ones) and then give the kids 4 crackers, 4 slices of meat, and 4 slices of cheese. They then "make" their own little stackers and eat every bite of them. I love these, too, and often have them for my lunch - adding yummy tomatoes for me.

Muesli

For this I just scoop out a serving of yogurt into a bowl (whatever flavor your kids like - or you for that matter). Then I take an instant oatmeal packet (I buy Walmart's brand that is something like "Fruit and Cream."). I sprinkle a little of this onto the yogurt - I use one packet for my 3 kids. The kids then get to stir it all up and enjoy the added sweetness from the oatmeal packet, as well as the bits of fruit. It's pretty yummy.

Fruit Dip

Anything is more fun to eat if it can be dipped. I like to make this dip up for my kids to dip their apples and bananas. What I do is simple: 1/2 part yogurt (any flavor) and 1/2 part non-fat cool whip. That simple. And totally yummy. The other day I did a concotion of yogurt, cool-whip, sour cream and some brown sugar. That was very, very good too.

Anyways, I would love more ideas on good and fun food for the kiddos if you have any to share.

Dumplings

2009-03-13T00:03:00.004-04:00

These taste amazing in homemade chicken soup. Sure you could mix up some Bisquick, but these are more substantial and have a richer taste.

4 T softened butter
2 eggs
1/2 c flour
1/4 c parsley
1/4 c minced onion
salt and pepper to taste

Cream butter with a fork, then beat in the eggs. Stir in remaining ingredients. Add a tablespoon or two of the heated soup stock. Drop the batter into the simmering soup in desired sizes. I prefer mine about the size of tennis balls. Cook until set and cooked through, about ten minutes. Serve immediately.

This recipe is from the go-to cookbook in our home: Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything.”

Whole Roasted Chicken

2009-03-08T18:12:00.004-04:00

whole chicken (4-5 pounds)
4 t. salt
2 t. sugar
1/4 t. ground cloves
1/4 t. ground allspice
1/4 t. ground nutmeg
1/4 t. cinnamon
10 cloves garlic, crushed

In a bowl, mix the salt, sugar, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Rub the chicken with the mixture. (If you don't want to eat skin, then make sure you rub under the chicken's skin.) Cover chicken, and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Stuff the chicken cavity with the garlic. Place the chicken, breast side down, on a rack in a roasting pan.

Roast 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce heat to 450 degrees, and continue roasting 15 minutes. Baste chicken with pan drippings, reduce heat to 425 degrees F, and continue roasting 30 minutes, to an internal temperature of 180 degrees F. Let stand 20 minutes before serving.

Notes: As I was given this chicken and having never before cooked a whole chicken, I turned to allrecipes.com and found this recipe. The spices may seem weird on meat, but it was sooooo tasty. We served it with asparagus (thanks for all these cooking hints!) and had, what was probably, our first carb-free meal. I didn't realize there was a 24-hour marinating period, so it got only eight. But I can imagine it would have been that much better given the full 24 hours.

Because our chicken was slightly larger than 4 pounds, it took longer to get to the 180-degree internal temperature, by about 10 minutes. And I have no roasting pan so used a cooling rack on a cooking sheet which worked fine.

Enchil-agna

2009-03-04T21:29:00.004-05:00

Yes, it's enchiladas prepared in classic lasagna style. :) Our kids love this, so we thought we'd share.

12 corn tortillas, quartered
1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1/2 c salsa (optional)
2 c red enchilada sauce
2 c shredded cheese
1/2 pound black beans, cooked

Cook beef and onions in a large skillet over medium heat until beef is browned and onions are translucent. Drain off drippings. Stir in salsa or 1/2 c enchilada sauce.
Coat bottom of 9 x 13 pan with a layer of enchilada sauce, reserving about a cup for the top layer. Beginning with a layer of tortilla quarters in the pan, create layers of meat mixture, beans, cheese, and tortillas as you see fit. I like to create 8 individual stacks of layered ingredients to ease serving, and usually end up with 6 layers in each stack. Pour reserved sauce over all, then sprinkle on the last of the cheese. Cover tightly with foil that has been coated with cooking spray. You can make it in advance and store in fridge until it is time to cook. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes until heated through.

You can buy enchilada sauce in a can or buy a seasoning packet to add to tomato sauce. OR you could make your own, with this recipe from allrecipes.com.

If you don't use dried beans, you can substitute two cans of beans, rinsed and drained.

Red Enchilada Sauce

2009-03-01T21:59:00.000-05:00

1/4 c oil
2 T flour
1/8 c chili powder
8 oz tomato sauce
1 1/4 c water
1/4 t cumin
1/4 t garlic
1/4 c minced onion

Place first three ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir constantly till slightly browned. Add remaining ingredients. Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened.

This yields about 2 cups of tasty sauce that is healthier than sauce from a can, and more cost-effective than the seasoning packets you can buy.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

2009-02-26T22:03:00.004-05:00

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup butter, melted
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. In a medium bowl, stir together graham cracker crumbs, confectioners' sugar, peanut butter and melted butter. Press firmly into the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan.
2. Melt chocolate chips over a double boiler or in the microwave, stirring occasionally. Spread melted chocolate over the crumb crust.
3. Chill for about 5 minutes, then cut into bars before the chocolate is completely set, then chill until ready to serve.

Rice and Beans

2009-02-22T08:25:00.007-05:00

We found this outstanding recipe combo in "Mice and Beans," a children’s picture book by Pam Muñoz Ryan.

Beans:
16 oz dried pinto beans, washed and picked over
1 large chopped onion
4 cloves minced garlic
29 oz. chicken broth
29 oz. water

Combine ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 3 hours, stirring often, until beans are plump and soft.

Rice:
2 T oil
⅓ c minced onion
⅓ c minced pepper
1 ½ c long grain white rice, uncooked
14 oz. chicken broth
¼ c tomato sauce
1 ½ c water

Pour oil in large skillet. Add onion, pepper, rice, and saute over medium heat until rice is lightly toasted. Add broth, sauce, and water. Bring to a boil. Cover. Reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20-25 minutes or until liquid has been absorbed. Do not stir. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Serve rice and beans side-by-side or wrapped in tortillas.

Boursin Cheese Ball

2009-02-21T19:01:00.001-05:00

16 oz. cream cheese – room temp.
4 Tbsp. Butter – room Temp.
1 tsp. lemon juice
4 cloves minced garlic
1 Tbsp. Dried Oregano
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
¼ tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. diced fresh parsley
Plus….
Nuts or parsley to coat the outside.

Combine all ingredients in a mixer. Shape into a ball and wrap in seran wrap and chill over night. Right before serving, cover with nuts or parsley. Serve with crackers.

Callie's Crockpot Potato Soup

2009-02-21T13:00:00.006-05:00

6 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
5 cups chicken stock
1 Tblsp. dried parsley
1/3 cup butter
13 oz. can evaporated milk
corn (fresh, can or frozen)
salt and pepper to taste

Everything in crockpot except milk. Add milk and severeal tablespoons cornstartch to thicken soup one hour before serving. Cook 8-10 hours on low.

Top with cheese and crumbled bacon.

Tortillas

2009-02-15T08:00:00.001-05:00

We have a hard time eating store-bought tortillas now. If you have never eaten fresh tortillas, you won't understand how much better these are. They really are easy to make and everyone should know how to make these. If you have fat, flour and salt stored for emergencies (and you should), it's a great resource. Think of all the things you can do with tortillas.

3 c flour
½ t salt
4 T butter or shortening or lard
7 oz. warm water

Combine flour and salt, cut in the butter. Add water slowly just until dough holds together. Knead until dough is quite smooth and elastic. You may prepare ahead to this point and wrap dough in plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile, divide dough into 12 pieces. On a lightly floured surface, press a piece into a disk, then roll it out as thin as possible (should measure about 7 inches in diameter). Toast the tortillas one at a time in a dry pan over medium heat, turning once. It takes about 2 minutes total (about how long it takes to roll out the next one). Serve warm, or allow to cool and store in plastic wrap. You can easily double the recipe if needed.

Ginger's Tortilla Soup

2009-02-13T15:17:00.007-05:00

1/2 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. cumin
2 cans chicken broth
1 can (4oz.) green chilies (undrained)
1 can (28 oz.) diced or crushed tomatoes
2 chicken breasts (can be frozen!)

Saute the onion and garlic in a little oil. Add cumin and chili powder. Saute. Add 2 cans chicken broth, green chilies, tomatoes and chicken breasts. Boil for 20 minutes.

Remove the chicken to shred.
Drain and rinse 1 can kidney beans, drain 1 can of corn and add those and the shredded chicken to the pot.

Simmer for one hour.

When serving, add toppings such as shredded cheese, sour cream, lime, salsa, cilantro, avocado, tortilla chips.

QUESTION for those who are wiser in the kitchen than I - is there a reason I'm adding chili powder when there are actual chilis in the recipe?

NOTES - This recipe is pretty open to interpretation. You could use fresh tomatoes, fresh corn etc. less or more chicken broth, less or more other ingredients etc. I use 1 chicken breast and 2 cans of kidney beans. Or you could just omit the chicken. Also, I use a hand blender in the pot before I add the corn, beans and chicken back in. None of my family (including me) like chunks of tomato.

This meal is easy and delicious, it looks pretty and my kids love it!