Crème Brulee

1 extra-large egg
4 extra-large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for each serving
3 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
1. With an electric mixer, mix the egg, egg yolks, and 1/2 cup of the sugar on low speed until just combined. Meanwhile, scald the cream in a saucepan until it's very hot to the touch but not boiled. With the mixer on low, slowly add the cream to the eggs. Next add the vanilla and pour into 6 to 8-ounce ramekins until almost full.

2. Place the ramekins in a baking pan and carefully pour boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the custards are set when gently shaken. Remove the custards from the water bath, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until firm.

3. To serve, spread 1 tablespoon of sugar evenly on the top of each ramekin and heat with a kitchen blowtorch until the sugar caramelizes evenly. I put mine under the broiler of my oven because I do not have a blowtorch. If you decide to use the broiler watch them VERY closely because the sugar caramelizes MUCH faster than you think it will. Allow to sit at room temperature for a minute until the caramelized sugar hardens.

Green Chile Enchiladas

1 28-ounce can green chile enchilada sauce (can be found at Hispanic markets, or, if you're lucky, your regular supermarket)
3 large chicken breasts, about 1.5 pounds
1 T. chicken base (or 3 cubes of bouillon)
8 ounces shredded cheese (mozzarella, monterey jack, or pepper jack)
1 c. chopped olives
1 c. sour cream (can use non-fat)
10 flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Boil chicken in water and chicken base until cooked. Cool and shred.

While chicken is cooking, heat 1/2 of the can of enchilada sauce in a skillet on medium heat. Dip tortillas in warm sauce one at a time, turning once to cover both sides with sauce. Don't leave them in the sauce too long or they become soft. Remove from sauce and place on a plate. Cover them with foil to keep them warm.

Mix the shredded chicken, sour cream, and olives together.

Fill tortillas with 1/10 of the chicken mix and about 2 T. of cheese. Roll and place in a 9x13 pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Cover enchiladas with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese. Bake for 45 minutes, or until completely heated.

4th of July Dessert

½ gallon vanilla ice cream
½ gallon chocolate
6 heath bars, or heath toffee bits (1 bag)
1 pkg mothers macaroon cookies
1 bottle chocolate fudge sauce (smuckers)

1. Crush the cookies and heath bars into chunks. Let the ice cream sit on the counter to soften (really soft).
2. Sprinkle the bottom of a 9 inch spring form or 9x13 in pan with a 1/3 of the cookies, then layer all of the chocolate ice cream on top of the cookies.
3. Next sprinkle a 1/3 more of the cookies and ½ of the heath bars on top of the chocolate ice cream. Next pour ½ bottle of the chocolate sauce on the heath bars.
4. For the next layers add the vanilla ice cream, then the rest of the cookies, and then the rest of the heath bars.
5. For the last layer drizzle the rest of the chocolate sauce on top.

Grilled Chicken Sandwiches

4 medium skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 recipe Marinade (recipe below)
2 medium onions (cut into 1/2 –inch thick slices (about 4 cups)
2 medium red peppers, cut into bit-sized strips (about 2 cups)
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 Tbsp butter, softened
4 sandwich rolls, split (ciabatta)
4 thin slices provolone cheese

Marinade: (combine the following)
3 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp greek or italian seasoning (dried)
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

1. Between two pieces of plastic, wrap, pound chicken to ½ inch thickness. Place in Ziploc bag. Add marinade; seal bag. Refrigerate 1-2 hours.
2. Drain chicken; discard marinade. In a large skillet cook onions and sweet peppers, covered, in hot oil over medium-low heat 13-15 minutes or until tender; stir occasionally. Uncover; add 2 cloves garlic; cook and stir over medium-high heat 3-5 minutes more or until onions are golden. Stir in vinegar and ¼ tsp each salt and black pepper. Cook until vinegar evaporates. Remove from heat; set aside.
3. Grill chicken on rack of uncovered grill directly over medium coals for 8-11 minutes or until no longer pink; turn once. Combine butter and 1 clove garlic. Spread on cut sides of rolls. Grill rolls, cut sides down, 1-2 minutes until golden. Place cheese on bottom halves of rolls. Top with chicken and vegetables. Add tops.

Makes 4 sandwiches

Chicken Sate

I got this recipe from Familyfun.com.

"This delicious chicken tastes better the longer it marinades. Consider letting it sit overnight for the best flavor.

Chicken and Marinade
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. OJ
1 T. honey
1 T. oil
1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 t. sesame oil
1 1/2 lbs. boneless chicken, cut into 1-inch cubes

Sate Sauce
3/4 c. chicken broth
1/4 cup. OJ
1 T. soy sauce
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 T. sugar
1/4 c. smooth peanut butter

1. For the chicken and the marinade: Whisk all the ingredients except the chicken together in a medium bowl.
2. Add the chicken cubes, turn to coat, and marinade in the fridge for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours (The sauce can be make ahead of time too and chilled for the same amount of time.)
3. Heat oven to 500 degrees. Thread the chicken on to skewers, if you're using them, or just put the pieces on a foil-lined pan. Bake for 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
4. Meanwhile, for the sate sauce: Whisk together everything except for the PB in a saucepan until the sugar has dissolved.
5. Over low heat, whisk in the PB (it will be messy at first) until smooth. Whisking constantly, heat the sauce until it has thickened, about 10 minutes.
6. Serve the sauce as a dip for the chicken. Serves 4."

e-notes: We just made this last nite and our whole family loved it - it is really tasty! The boys loved the dipping part - especially dipping it into PB sauce. How fun is that? I made up my marinade and sauce at about 9am that same day. Of course, for the sate sauce I didn't add the PB until I started cooking it over low heat.

I place mine on foil-lined pan. It probably took 15-20 minutes to cook. I didn't discard the marinade and so the chicken was "wet" looking. I think I'd discard the marinade next time.

I didn't "constantly" whisk my sate sauce for 10 minutes. It turned out good. It wasn't especially thick, but I think it was just fine.

We actually found some "fondue skewers" and let the kids even use them - scary. It was really tasty, different, and fun.

Cake Ice Cream

This really isn't a recipe, but just mixing together some stuff to make some yummy ice cream. I had made cupcakes one day (for our family's Cupcake Day, of course) and then decided to crumble the extra/un-eaten cupcakes a couple days later and put it in the freezer. Then we bought some cheap, fat-free, and sugar-free ice cream. I let it sit out until softened and then I mixed in the crumbled cupcake. Then I put the ice cream in a container and back in the freezer. It was oh-so-good. You can buy the totally cheap ice cream - and fat-free and even sugar-free (I usually hate the sugar-free stuff) - because you are adding the yummy cupcakes (I even did my cupcakes 3 parts applesauce and 2 parts oil - moister and less-fat). It's a very delicious treat.

Incredibly Good Meatballs

These meatballs have great flavor and texture and we find them very utilitarian. We put them in spaghetti, or serve with a sauce (white, brown or sweet & sour) over rice.

3 cloves of garlic
¼ c oil
1 lb ground beef
¼ c grated Parmesan
9 crushed saltine crackers
½ t salt
¼ t black pepper
¼ t oregano
½ t basil
1 T parsley
¼ c water
1 egg
1 t tomato paste

Heat a small skillet over medium high heat. Add 3 unpeeled garlic cloves and toast until skins are spotty brown, about five minutes. Remove from heat, peel, mince, and set aside.

In a big bowl combine meat, garlic, Parmesan, crackers, salt, pepper, oregano, basil, and parsley. Mix lightly with fingers. In a small bowl, whisk water and egg together with tomato paste. Add egg mixture to meat mixture, mix lightly with fingers.

Divide into 24 balls. Cook in batches in an oiled heavy skillet over medium-high heat until browned.

Alternatively you could place meatballs in a single layer on a cooking sheet and cover with a sheet of aluminum foil. Place in a 350° oven for ?? minutes or until meat is cooked through. Baking results in a softer texture, with more uniform browning and better retains the meatball shape.

Berry Dumplings

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 TBS sugar, plus 1 1/2 cups
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon juice, optional
1 quart fresh or frozen berries of your choice (ex: mixed berries)
2 cups water
Vanilla ice cream or fresh cream, for serving

1. Stir flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl. Cut butter into dry ingredients, using a pastry cutter or fork.
2. Add milk and vanilla to form dough. Set dumpling dough aside.
3. In a large saucepan, combine berries, 1 1/2 cups sugar, lemon juice and water and bring to a boil. Drop dumplings into hot boiling berries by the tablespoonful (I roll them into balls).
4. Cover pot, reduce heat to low, and cook slowly for 20 to 30 minutes. Do not remove the lid before 20 minutes has passed, and do not stir dumplings.
5. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or fresh cream.

Serves 8

Notes: This recipe makes a lot of sauce. You may want to add a quarter or double more the dumpling recipe depending on how saucy you like it.

Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

1-1/2 cups quinoa
1-1/2 cups canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1-1/2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1-1/2 cups cooked corn (fresh, canned or frozen)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
4 scallions, chopped
1 tsp. garlic, minced fine
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves, chopped fine
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/3 cup olive oil

1. Rinse quinoa in a fine sieve under cold running water until water runs clear.
2. Put quinoa in a pot with 2-1/4 cups water.
3. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer 20 minutes or until water is absorbed and quinoa is tender.
4. Fluff quinoa with a fork and transfer to a large bowl and allow to cool.
5. While quinoa is cooking, in a small bowl toss beans with vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. 6. Add beans, corn, bell pepper, scallions, garlic, cayenne and coriander to the quinoa. Toss well. 7. In a small bowl whisk together lime juice, salt, cumin and add oil in a stream while whisking. Drizzle over salad and toss well with salt and pepper. Salad may be made a day ahead and refrigerated, covered. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Serves: 8

Crunchy Coconut Chicken Fingers

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 1/2 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 egg white, lightly beaten
3/4 c. crushed cornflakes (about 2 c. uncrushed)
3/4 c. flaked sweetened coconut, chopped
1 t. garlic powder
3/4 t. salt
1/2 t. curry powder
1/2 t. red pepper (I used black)

Cut chicken into 20 (1/4-inch strips). Combine chicken and buttermilk in a shallow dish; cover and chill one hour. Drain chicken and discard the liquid. Combine chicken and flour in a medium-sized bowl, tossing to coat.

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Place baking sheet in oven.

Combine egg and egg white in a small bowl. Combine crushed cornflakes and next 5 ingredients (though pepper) in a shallow dish.

Working with one chicken strip at a time, dip into egg mixture; dredge in cornflake mixture. Repeat process with all strips. Arrange chicken in a single layer on the preheated baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat chicken with cooking spray. Bake for six minutes, or until done. Yield: four servings.

Notes from e: C and I really really liked these! The coconut flavor was mild enough for C, but "there" enough for me. And it really seemed like it made a lot; I easily got 20 strips. I'm guessing kids would love them. And I forgot to preheat the baking sheet and they turned out fine.

Tres Leches Cake

The next in what is turning out to be a series featuring naturalized ethnic foods - you can ask Google to explain to you the suspicious origins of this recipe - but it is nonetheless popular south of the border and undeniably delicious.

1 ½ c sugar
½ c butter, at room temperature
6 eggs
1 ¾ c all-purpose flour
1 ½ t baking powder
4 t salt
12 ounces evaporated milk
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
2 c whipping cream, divided

Preheat oven to 350°. Beat sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition (lots of beating here). In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture to egg mixture. Pour into greased and floured (or use a circle of parchment) 9-inch springform pan. Bake until cake is golden and toothpick comes out clean, 55-60 minutes. While the cake is baking, mix evaporated and condensed milks together with half the whipping cream. When cake is done, immediately pierce with skewer, making lots of holes. Pour milk mixture over cake, about a third at a time, letting milks soak in. Cool. Refrigerate, tightly covered with aluminum foil, for two days. Remove from springform, and place on serving plate. Serve with remaining whipped cream and fruit. 12-16 servings.

Sorry I didn't get this posted in time for you to enjoy it for your Cinco de Mayo fiesta mañana. Maybe you can make the cake tomorrow then eat it on Siete de Mayo instead. That might be just as good.

Chorizo for Americans

This is nonauthentic chorizo, thank you very much. I'm sure this isn't as tasty as the real stuff, perhaps because it excludes some "varietal" ingredients. Google found this recipe for me at recipezaar dot com.

"Ingredients:
2 lbs ground beef or chicken or pork
3 1/2 teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons pure red chili powder
6-20 small hot dried red chili, crushed or 2 teaspoons paprika
4-6 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons dry oregano leaves
2 teaspoons whole cumin seed, crushed
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
4 tablespoons cider vinegar or wine vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons water

Mix well and cook through or add to your favorite recipe. This is great mixed up with scrambled eggs!"

This post is for informational purposes only and is not an endorsement of other recipe sites. The Foodees is where it's at.

Finnish Baked Pancake

from The Great Scandinavian Baking Book
(So not really going with the theme here, except it is an international food???)

* Makes 4 servings

1 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 c. milk
6 eggs
1 T. sugar
1 t. salt
1/2 c. butter for the baking pans

In a bowl whisk together all the ingredients except for the butter - whisk until no lumps remain. Let stand 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450. Put butter into 1 large (14-16 inch) slope-sided pan or into 4 9-inch pie pans and preheat in the oven until butter is melted. Brush entire pan with the butter. Pour in the pancake batter. Bake for 15-20 min. until edges are puffed high and golden.

e-notes: We made the batter up the night before. We used 3 pie pans and 2 loaf pans because that is what we had. In my pie pan I just sprayed it with Pam and it was totally great without all that extra buttery fat. These remind me of thick crepes and are oh-so-very-delicious. We topped ours with just fresh-squeezed lemon juice and powdered sugar.

Cafe Rio

Alright sticking with theme......I thought some of you might want to try these out. They are in fact "copy cat" recipes of Cafe Rio, a Utah favorite. I've tried the dressing, but alas, not the pork. Either way I hope you enjoy and I hope this isn't already on there.....it might be or have been, my bad.......PS we make tons of dressing and keep on hand to dip anything and everything in, my boys are big dippers!!!!

Creamy House Dressing
1 1/3 cups sour cream
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 bunch of cilantro
1 package ranch dressing mix
4 tbsp. salsa verde (green salsa)
2 cloves of garlic
1/8 tsp. Tabasco sauce
juice of one lime

Mix together in the blender... and that's it!

CAFE RIO PORK

1 cup Pace salsa
1 cup brown sugar
pork sirloin roast (about 3-4 lbs.)

Mix salsa and brown sugar together and pour over a pork roast.

Cook on low in crock pot 6-8 hours................ENJOY!!!

Lemon Drop Cookies

1 1/2 cups shortening
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. lemon extract
1 tsp. lemon zest
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
4 cups flour
1 pkg. lemon drops, crushed (1 oz box of lemon heads)

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
Juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tbs, or use Minute Maid frozen lemon juice)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Mix first 6 ingredients. Then add next 4 ingredients.
2. Stir in the lemon heads.
3. Roll into balls and place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
4. Let cookies cool 1-2 minutes on cookie sheet then brush with glaze.

Makes 6 dozen.

Crockpot Lasagna

I got this recipe from a friend way long ago and never tried it out until a few weeks ago. My family really liked it and so I made it again for the missionaries. I've tweaked it a liitle and so here is my version:

9 lasagna noodles
1 lb. ground turkey
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
28 oz. can of diced tomatoes
24 oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 t. basil
1/4 t. oregano
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1 c. cottage cheese (I used low-fat)
1/2 c. ricotta cheese (I used part-skim)
mozarella cheese

Cook the ground turkey and the garlic until done. Add this to the cans of tomatoes (the ounces are slightly off - they might be a few ounces off or something. I can't remember what they are and my trash is already out. Sorry. It really doesn't matter though, of course). Stir in the basil, oregano, salt and pepper.

In another bowl mix together your cottage cheese and ricotta.

In the crockpot put 2 cups of the tomato/meat mixture. Next break up 3 lasagna noodles (1-2 inch sized pieces) and layer them on top. Next place 1/3 of the cottage/ricotta cheese mix in dollops over the noodles. Layer 2 more times with the tomato/noodles/cheese. Top the last layer with the last remaining 2 cups of tomato mixture.

Cook on high for 3 1/2-4 hours or on low for 6. (I have only done it on low since I make this up before church and start it cooking at 10:30. I don't want it done until 4:30ish and so I do it on low. I'm sure high would work well, too.)

You can top it with mozarella cheese. The original recipe calls for 2 cups. I probably shredded about 3/4 - 1 c. and let people top their own servings.

Chicken and Spinach Pasta Bake

8 oz. uncooked rigatoni
1 TBL Olive oil
1 Cup finely chopped onion
1 10 oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach THAWED
3 Cups cubed chicken breast
1 14 oz. can of Italian style tomato (use juice in can)
1 8 oz. chive and onion cream cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 cups Mozzarella


Spread oil on bottom of 11x7 baking dish. Bake onions at 375 for 15 minutes. Drain and press spinach. Cook rigatoni and chicken. Dice chicken and mix all ingredients together. Spoon into baking dish. Top w/ cheese. Bake 375 covered for 30 minutes and then 15 minutes uncovered. ENJOY!!!!

Mimi's Buttermilk Spice Muffins

A few months ago, my friend told me to try these muffins at Mimi's Cafe. Last week when I had a craving for them I checked on the internet and found the recipe:

Buttermilk Spice Muffins

Muffin Batter:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine
3 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspsoons baking soda
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon buttermilk

Nut topping:
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. walnuts finely chopped
1/2 t. each of cinnamon and nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375°. In a mixing bowl, cream the sugar and the butter together with an electric mixer. When they are thoroughly mixed, add eggs and beat one more minute.Sift the flour into a separate bowl, together with the baking soda, nutmeg and the cinnamon.Add the flour and the buttermilk to the first mixture, mix at low speed until smooth. To avoid lumps in the batter, add the wet and dry ingredients alternately, in small amounts.

Make the nut toppping: Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.

Grease muffin tins with butter or margarine. You can also use paper baking cups. Fill each cup 3/4 full of batter. Add a full, rounded tablespoon of nut topping on top of each muffin cup of batter. Bake immediately or the topping will sink to the bottom of the muffin. Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. A toothpick inserted in the middle of the muffin should come out dry. Home ovens heat differently from commercial ovens so you may need to adjust the temperature or the baking time accordingly. (I baked mine for 20 minutes at 350) Recipe yields 12 standard-size muffins, or six Mimis size muffins. If using the jumbo muffin pans, reduce the oven temperature by 25° and increase the baking time 5-10 minutes.

Chorizo-Topped Pizza

8 oz. chorizo sausage
1 cup deli-fresh chunks salsa with corn and beans
Nonstick cooking spray
4 7-8 inch flour tortillas
1 cup shredded mexican cheese blend
1 avocado
4 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup snipped fresh cilantro
lime wedges


1. Preheat broiler. In large skillet cruble and cook sausage over medium hear until no pink remains. Drain in colander. In small saucepan heat salsa over medium heat until heated through.
2. Lightly coat large baking sheet with cooking srpay. Arrange tortillas, two at a time, on bakding sheet, top each with 1/4 cheese. Broil 3-4 inches from heat for about 2-3 minutes.
3. Top with 1/4 salsa, cooked chorizo, avocado, green onion, and cilantro. Add lime juice too taste.

I stole this recipe from my dentists office, who knew??? Questions, comments send to nniederhauser(at)msn(dot)com.............Thanks, and ENJOY :)

Turkey and Artichoke Stuffed Shells

These shells are a family favorite and bound to be one of yours, too! (Click on the word shells and it will link to the recipe.)

Creamy Pesto Pasta with Grilled Chicken and Roasted Asparagus

2 chicken breasts, grilled
1 bunch of asparagus, roasted
1 lb. pasta, cooked
1 container each Buitoni Alfredo & Buitoni Pesto (found in refrigerated pasta section)

Grilled Chicken
Season each side of chicken with salt, pepper and McCormick's Montreal Chicken seasoning. Grill 7-8 minutes on each side. Cut into strips and return any that are undone to the grill for another minute or so on each side. When all strips are finished, cut into bite sized strips. (I use an indoor grill because that's all I have right now.)

Roasted Asparagus
Trim asparagus and put on foil lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast at 425 for 15-20 minutes depending on thickness of stalks. (You could also use zucchini) Cut into 2 inch pieces.

Pasta
I like to use bow ties or penne. Cook according to pkg.

Toss chicken, vegetables and pasta in a bowl. Spoon 1/2 of the container of alfredo and a heaping spoonful of pesto over the other ingredients. Mix together.

Vegetarian Minestrone Soup

6 c. vegetable broth (we used chicken broth b/c that's all I have)
2 carrots, chopped
2 large onions, chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped (whatever does "ribs" mean?)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small zucchini, cubed
1/2 c. dry barley
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 T. parsley
1/2 t. dried thyme
1 t. dried oregano
28 oz. can crushed Italian tomatoes
1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
grated cheese

1. Combine all ingredients except cheese in slow cooker.
2. Cover. Cook on low 6-8 hours, or until vegetables are tender.
3. Sprinkle with cheese.

e-notes: We have done this twice and really enjoy it. I think I do 2 zucchinis just because. I also add dry noodles because my kids are much more apt to eat anything if there is a hint of noodles in it. About an hour before eating (at like 5 hours), I add a 1/2 cup of dry macaroni noodles. Yum.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

4 chicken breast halves
2 15 oz. cans black beans, undrained
2 15 oz. can Mexican stewed tomatoes
1 c. salsa
4 oz. can chopped green chilies
14 1/2 oz. can tomato sauce
tortilla chips
2 c. grated cheese (we didn't do this much)

1. Combine all ingredients except chips and cheese in large slow cooker/crock pot.
2. Cover. Cook on low 8 hours.
3. Just before serving, remove chicken breasts and slice into bite-sized pieces. Stir back into soup.
4. To serve, put a handful of chips in each soup bowl. Ladle soup over chips. Top with cheese.

e-notes: We made this today and really liked it. I did not put the chips in bottom, but, rather, let us all "crush" in our own chips. The kids loved this part of it. It's tasty stuff.

Cinnamon Rolls

I was originally given this recipe as part of a wedding present. On the recipe card they are called Heavenly Cinnamon Rolls. They are heavenly indeed! I used to always use the icing at the bottom of this recipe, but I have since started using a favorite cream cheese icing recipe. To me it has a thicker, more spreadable texture, and a lot more flavor. I have included the cream cheese recipe after the original. Mmmm. I wish you could smell my kitchen right now.

This recipe makes 24 large rolls.

Scald 2 cups milk (5 minutes in microwave on HIGH). Then add 1 stick butter and stir until melted. Add 1 T salt and ½ cup sugar. Mix must be warm not hot. Add 3 beaten eggs. Dissolve 1 ½ to 2 T yeast in 1 cup of warm water. Add to mixture. Add 8 to 9 cups of flour (do this 2 cups at a time, stirring well after each addition--I add the flour two cups at a time and stir about 8 cups with a wooden spoon. I then knead one cup of flour in with my hands). Let rise 2 times. Divide dough in half. Roll out on a greased or floured surface into a large rectangle. Spread about a ½ stick softened butter over dough then sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Roll into one long roll and cut in 1 inch pieces. Lay on cookie sheets and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, until just golden brown. Do not over bake! Roll other half of dough the same way. Frost while hot with ¼ cup melted butter, a little milk, 2-3 cups powdered sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla, dash of salt.

Cream Cheese Icing

1 box powdered sugar

1 8oz. block of cream cheese

1 T milk

1 cap full vanilla

Combine all ingredients well. Use for cookies or cinnamon rolls.

All Bran Muffins

I am sure this recipe came off of a box of All Bran at one time, but it is never on the box when I buy the cereal nowadays. My kids LOVE these, and they are great if you are trying to add more fiber to your diet. I make the mix the night before and cook the muffins in the morning. They turn out great every time.

1 ¼ cups flour
½ cup sugar
1 T baking powder
¼ tsp salt
2 cups All Bran cereal (the sticks)
1 ¼ cups milk
1 egg
¼ cup vegetable oil

Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine cereal and milk. Let stand about 5 minutes or until cereal softens. Add egg and oil. Beat well. Add flour mixture, stirring only until combined. Pour into muffin tins. *I prefer not to use muffin papers for these because the muffin tends to really stick to the paper. I like to spray the muffin tin with non-stick spray and the muffins come out great. Bake at 400 for about 20 minutes.

Walnut and Date Whole-Wheat Round

unsalted butter, at room temp, for greasing the baking dish (or just Pam)
2 c. whole-wheat flour, plus a little bit more (can use white wheat or traditional)
1 T. brown sugar
1 t. salt
1 package (1 scant T.) quick-rise yeast (I used instant)
1 c. hot water
1 c. pitted dates, cut into quarters
1 c. walnut halves, toasted in a 325-degree oven for 10 minutes

Lightly grease a 9-inch round cake pan and lightly sprinkle the bottom with flour.

Combine the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in the large bowl of a stand mixer. Add the hot water and beat on low speed; the dough will form and pull away from the sides of the bowl within 3 minutes. Add the dates and walnuts. Beat on low speed for 5 minutes, stopping to scrape down the beaters when the dough gets bound up.

With lightly-floured hands, gather the dough into a ball and roll it around in the palms of your hands to smooth it. Form into a ball and place in prepared pan; the dough shouldn't touch the edges of the pan. Use a sharp knife to cut a shallow cross in the top of the dough. Sprinkle the top lightly with flour. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature for 30 minutes or until it expands to fill to the edges of the pan. (In my cold house, it took nearly an hour.)

After the dough has risen for 15 minutes (or 45 minutes in my case), position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees. Discard the plastic wrap and bake the bread for about 35 minutes, until the top feels firm and is lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

This bread will remain soft for 2 days if stored at room temp. It can be wrapped and frozen. I thought it was GREAT. C didn't like the texture of the dates, but since he doesn't generally like dates, I wasn't surprised. The toasting of the nuts made a big difference. But YUM.

Honey Citrus Pork Chops with Cranberries

1/3 cup fresh, frozen, or dried cranberries; chopped
2 tablespoons orange marmalade
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 pork chops (boneless)
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons honey

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9x9 inch glass baking dish.

2. In a bowl, mix cranberries, marmalade, and cloves. Make a pocket in each pork chop; fill pockets with cranberry mixture. You can use both bone in or boneless chops. I find it's easier to make a pocket with the boneless pork chops.

3. Place the pork chops in prepared baking pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon 1 tablespoon honey over each chop. Bake uncovered about 45 minutes or until pork is no longer pink in the center.

Notes: For a more intense flavor, use 1/4 cup dried cranberries or cherries instead of fresh or frozen cranberries and do not chop.

Homemade (Lite) Macaroni and Cheese

4 c. cooked elbow macaroni (about half of a 16-ounce box)
2 c. shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
1 c. low-fat cottage cheese
3/4 c. non-fat sour cream
1/2 c. skim milk
1 1/2 t. butter, melted
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten

1/4 c. dry breadcrumbs
1 T. butter, melted
1/4 t. paprika

Combine first 9 ingredients; stir well, and spoon into a 2-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Combine breadcrumbs and next 2 ingredients; stir well. Sprinkle over casserole. Cover and bake at 350º for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 5 minutes or until set.

We really like this and feel it's a great alternative to Kraft. Of course the low-fat options could be replaced with their full-fat friends (with added creaminess, I'm sure), but it's nice to know that the low-fat stuff works. Also, I think the original recipe called for about 1/2 c. of chopped onion, but as C doesn't like onion, we just omit it.

Chilled Sesame Asparagus

In response to the last post...

1 ½ to 2 pounds fresh asparagus, trimmed
2 T plus 2 tsp. dark sesame oil
1 T plus 1 tsp. rice vinegar
1 T plus 1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sugar
1 T sesame seeds, toasted

Cook asparagus in boiling water about 4-5 min. Or until crisp-tender. Plunge asparagus in ice water to stop the cooking process; drain, cover, and chill 2 hours.
Whisk together sesame oil and next 3 ingredients. Chill for 2 hours.
Arrange asparagus on a serving dish; spoon dressing evenly over top. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

What to do with asparagus?

Can I make a request?

I'm looking for yummy recipes/ideas on how to serve asparagus. Thanks!