Easy & Yummy

Caramel Brownies

2011-12-23T17:42:00.000-08:00

I found this yummy recipe over on StacyJulian.com. We are already done with our Christmas baking for the year, but that doesn't mean we can't try these for New Years! :)

Caramel Brownies

1 German chocolate cake mix
1 bag of small wrapped caramels
2/3 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup margarine1 cup walnuts (choppped)
6 oz. chocolate chips

Melt the caramels and 1/3 cup evaporated milk together in medium saucepan and set aside. Mix together the cake mix, margarine, 1/3 cup evaporated milk and walnuts. Spread one half of the cake mixture in a 9×13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 6 minutes. Sprinkle chocolate chips and drizzle melted caramel over partially baked mixture, drop remaining cake mixture on top. Bake 15 minutes more and cool completely.

Banana Bread

2011-12-22T20:27:00.000-08:00

I keep finding new and better banana bread recipes. This one is especially moist and perfect. I found it in the Worldwide Ward Cookbooks...Mom's best recipes. It is called Anna's Banana Nut Bread, but I usually leave the nuts out of bread recipes. In the recipe, it says, "My friend calls this 'gourmet' banana bread because it is so moist and flavorful."

1 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter
2 eggs
3 bananas, mashed
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda dissolved in 1 Tbsp. warm water
2 c. flour
3/4 c. walnuts, chopped

Cream margarine or butter and sugar toether. Add eggs and mix well. Stir in mashed bananas, mixing well. Add salt. Stir in baking soda and warm water mixture, stirring well. Mix in flour and stir in nuts. Put batter into two small well-greased loaf pans. Bake at 325 for 45-50 minutes or until loaves test done with a toothpick. Cool on wire rack. When cool, wrap in aluminum foil. Makes 2 small loaves.

Sheffer Green Jello

2011-11-23T17:42:00.001-08:00

Kyle doesn't ask for a lot on holidays. I mostly get to do my holiday foods the way I like them. This is the one recipe he requests for special occasions. Green jello salad. Thanks, Beth, for the recipe. :)

1 large package of lime jello
1 package of cream cheese
pineapple if you like it!

Make the jello and let it set up. Put half the jello in the blender and add some cream cheese. I don't usually use all the cream cheese, just add as much as you want. depending on what you like. Then blend the second half. Mix the two together with a spoon. Put it back in the fridge to set up again.

Mock Apple Crisp...a.k.a. Zucchini Crisp

2011-10-10T15:37:00.000-07:00

If you have ever grown zucchini, you know that overnight your perfectly sized zucchini can morph into a monster-sized squash. When they are that big, the seeds are huge and you can't resort to the normal methods of cooking. This recipe is a great way to use these gargantuan zucchini from your garden, and it is one of Kyle's specialities.

Zucchini Filling
4-5 c. zucchini
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. allspice
1 1/2 t. cream of tartar
2 T. flour or cornstarch
pinch of salt

Crumb topping (I already increased the topping amounts to make it extra yummy)
3/4 c. flour
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 c. oatmeal
1/2 c. melted butter

Preheat oven to 375 F. Peel, de-seed, and slice zucchini to look like an apple. Boil 2 minutes. Drain and cool. Mix the dry ingredients for the filling and stir into the zucchini. Pour filling into the casserole dish (9x13). Combine ingredients for the crumb topping--mix until crumbly and sprinkle over the filling. Bake for 30 min. at 375 F. Top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Serve warm.

Zucchini Bread

2011-08-19T15:06:00.000-07:00

3 c. flour (sifted)

1 T. cinnamon

1 t. salt

1 t. baking soda

1/4 t. baking powder

Mix together in separate bowl.

3 eggs, beaten

1 c. sugar

1 c. brown sugar

1 c. oil

1 T. vanilla

Mix in large bowl.

Stir in sifted ingredients.

2 c. zucchini, grated

1/2 c. nuts

Blend in. (Can mix w/electric mixer.)

Pour into 2 greased and lightly floured 4 1/2 x 8 1/2 loaf tins.

Bake at 325 60-70 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.

Turn out on cooling rack.

For what it's worth, someone tried this with chocolate chips and her grandkids told her not to do it again.

Ukrainian Borscht

2011-08-15T08:36:00.000-07:00

My college roommate Jana served her mission in the Ukraine and loved to cook for us. This is one of the recipes I loved. Her hands always ended up purple from cutting the beets, but she didn't mind. I remember learning why Ukrainian food is so good...they love sour cream on everything! :D Following is Jana's recipe as shared with my by her sister.

Most on-line recipes call for dill and some meat, but this is what she learned in Ukraine from a lady named Vera. It turned out pretty well when I made it. I didn't have quite enough beets, but other than that it was really good.

Ingredients
Equal amounts of carrots and potatoes. Slightly more beets and cabbage.
• 12 cups beef broth
• 2 med onions, peeled, quartered
• 6 large beets, peeled, chopped
• 6 carrots, peeled, chopped
• 4 large russet potato, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 3 cups thinly sliced cabbage
• 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 cup sour cream
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Garlic
• Bay leaf
• Dill opt

Big pot of water
Can sauté veggies first. It gets the process done faster. (Gets a bit of oil in it too-which is traditional). You can also brown and boil a hunk of meat for it like you would for beef vegetable soup (which also adds fat).
Start heating your water.
To save your cutting board from staining cut beets, first and set aside. Then do carrots, onion and end with potatoes to soak up color and onion flavor. Put carrots and onions into water. Once it’s hot add potatoes bay leaf, bouillon and garlic. Then add beets. After they’ve cooked a while if you’ve cut them similarly you should not be able to tell carrots from potatoes etc. Add cabbage toward end otherwise it will disintegrate, but make sure it is soft before serving. Add Tomato sauce. Salt and Pepper. White Vinegar. ½ --1 tbs—(will get stronger when leftover so err on the side of less)

Notes:
I'd use a little 8 oz can of plain sauce (be careful they've starting adding all sorts of stuff to those little cans of tomato sauce and I always accidentally get one with basil or something). If you taste it and it seems to be lacking tomato then add some more. (I bet that's helpful--sorry I can't be more precise)
I's say 12 cups of liquid either water and beef boulioun or beef broth.

Consider this a rough draft of a recipe. I meant to update it after I made it but I didn't. Soup is forgiving though.

And of course the sour cream is put in each bowl when it's served not mixed into the pot.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-08-07T16:46:00.000-07:00

(From Betty Crocker Kids Cook!)

Ingredients:
1 egg
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter (softened)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt (only use a pinch when using salted butter)
1 cup chocolate chips (or add toffee bits or white chips and cranberries, or...)

Directions:

Heat oven to 375. Mix egg, sugars, and butter. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the chocolate chips. Will be a very thick dough/batter. Mush into balls and put on cookies sheet (UNgreased).

Bake 10 - 12 minutes until starting to get very light brown in spots. Makes 24 cookies.

Can pre scoop and freeze. Just bake an extra minute or so.

Kyle has eaten these cookies a few times and raves about how good they are each time. Most recently, Eva made these for the ward party and Kyle said they tasted like "heaven in my mouth." Same recipe, but with white chips. Super easy and super yummy ;) ENJOY!

Our Favorite Cookies

2011-07-14T21:02:00.000-07:00

When we got married, we received quite a few cookbooks. Of all of those recipes in all of those books, this is by far the recipe that we use the most. It is Nestle Good for you Choc Oat Chip Cookies. We have made a few slight variations to make them even healthier...and yummier.

1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour (or substitute whole wheat flour--half white/half wheat seems perfect and not whole wheat tasting)
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1 1/4 c. packed dark brown sugar (light works just fine)
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. (1 stick) margarine or butter
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce (try 3/4 c. applesauce and 1/4 c. butter...you won't notice the difference)
2 egg whites
1 T. vanilla extract
2 1/2 c. quick or old-fashioned oats
2 c. chocolate chips (or butterscotch chips...those are our new favorite for these cookies)
1/2 c. nuts, optional (we never do this)

Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in small bowl. Beat together brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter and applesauce in large mixer bowl. Beat in egg whites and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats, morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto greased baking sheets.

Bake in preheated 375 F oven for 9 to 10 minutes for a chewy cookie or 12 to 13 minutes for a crispy cookie. Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 4 dozen cookies. About 120 calories and 5 grams of fat per cookie.

Onionless Santa Fe Salsa

2011-06-26T20:12:00.000-07:00

You see, I have this friend who kinds spends a lot of time at my house. In fact, we eat together quite a bit. Problem is, she can't eat onions. So I have been on a quest for finding yummy ways to make foods without onions. I made salsa yesterday that actually tasted an awful lot like it had onions in it, but it didn't. And I have to say it was about the tastiest salsa I have had in a long time. If I do say so myself. I happened to use kumatoes, but I don't feel like that is integral to the flavor of the salsa. I didn't measure amounts, I made the salsa to our liking and tasted it a lot along the way.

Tomatoes, diced (I always keep all the seeds and juice, personal preference for ease and we don't mind the liquid)
Canned corn, drained
Black beans, drained
Green chile (medium or hot)
Fresh cilantro
Lime juice, quite a bit to give it that tang
Cilantro cubes (remember there is salt in these, so be generous but don't ruin it with salt)
Garlic (cubes, salt, powder, fresh, whatever floats your boat)

Mix. Let it chill. And enjoy immensly.

Side note:

I don't think we can ever move away from New Mexico, where we regularly go through a 28 oz. container of green chile. Those little 4 oz. containers of canned green chile just would never cut it. We have occasionally gone for the bags of roasted green chiles (what are they...12 lbs., 20 lbs?) found in parking lots all over the state in the fall, but the frozen tubs are much more user friendly.

Side note #2:

If you have never tried this, you are missing out. It looks like a bouillon cube, but you use it like salt and just crumble it over your food. An amazing little seasoning we are never without.

The Best 100% Whole Wheat Bread

2011-06-06T11:36:00.000-07:00

That is what the recipe is called, and I believe it. This recipe has given me my best results yet for whole wheat breat. It isn't heavy and it rose amazingly well. And it is easy, so it's a win win! I got the recipe from my Worldwide Ward Cookbook: Mom's Best Recipes (pg. 38-9).

4 1/2 tsp. yeast (2 packets)
3/4 c. warm water
7-9 c. whole wheat flour from hard white wheat, divided
2 1/2 c. warm water
1/2 c. wheat gluten
1/3 c. honey
1 1/2 Tbsp. salt
2 1/2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Combine yeast with 3/4 c. warm water; add 1 C. flour. Mix vigorously. Let sit for 45 minutes or until it starts to settle back down. Add 2 1/2 C. warm water and 2 C. flour. Stir very well. Add wheat gluten, honey, salt, and oil. Mix well. Slowly add 4-6 C. flour until good bread consistency (dough pulls away from walls well). Knead 10-15 minutes (by hand or in Bosch on level 1). Cut in half and form in two loaves. Place in greased pans, cover with a towel and let rise 45 minutes to 1 hour. Bake at 325 for 30-35 minutes. It should be very light brown and super yummy!

Veggie Pizza

2011-05-05T20:34:00.000-07:00

This is one of those foods I love so much I hardly ever make it. When I do make it, I don't want to share. :) Here's my recipe:

2 pkgs. crescent rolls
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese (lite is fine)
1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix (or dill, or taco seasoning, or nothing, or...)

3/4 c. mayonaise or sour cream (just to make the cream cheese easier to spread; I don't always add this)

assorted fresh veggies, chopped

Press out rolls onto cookie sheet or pizza pan for crust, smooshing together the seams. Prick crust so it doesn't bubble up. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. You don't want to make it crispy, so watch it. Let the crust cool. Mix cream cheese and some of the ranch powder to taste. (I think a whole packet is too much.) Spread over crust. Generously sprinkle on the veggies: broccoli, carrots, celery, green or red or yellow peppers, cauliflower, green onions, tomatoes... whatever you have that looks good! You can also sprinkle on some shredded cheese.

Oh, and you might want to double the recipe: one for you and one to share. :D

S'mores Brownies

2011-05-03T19:44:00.000-07:00

I actually got the idea for these from my niece Angie. I put my own spin on them using the ingredients I had at home. Took them to a scout activity and they were a hit. So, for those who need a good sugar rush, here is my recipe.

S'mores Brownies

1 pkg. fudge brownie mix
approx. 2 sleeves graham crackers (I used cinnamon and it was great)
a couple handfuls of mini marshmallows (you could cut up the big ones but that is really messy)
a couple handfuls of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven according to the brownie package directions. Line a baking pan with foil and spray with Pam. (Or do what I did and use nonstick foil.) Break up graham crackers as desired and fill up baking sheet, leaving a little space between the cracker pieces so the brownie can get through. I broke them along both dotted lines and then broke each small rectangle into 2 squares. You could leave the crackers whole, but I think letting some batter through helps. Distribute the marshmallows and chocolate chips over the crackers. It isn't easy to get them even, so don't try too hard. Mix up the brownies according to package directions for fudgy brownies. Spoon the brownie mix into the pan. I poured it instead and missed getting some on most of the edges. When you bake it, the batter will spread a bit, but not completely. I used a large cookie sheet. You could avoid the problem by using a 13x9 pan instead, but I need to feed a room full of scouts. Bake until the brownies are done to your liking. Cut when warm.

Crock pot? Who needs a crock pot?

2011-04-13T16:21:00.001-07:00

Not when I have this (an enameled cast iron French Iron from Le Creuset):

and it makes meat come out looking like this:

The flavor difference between this and what comes out of a crock pot is amazing. I used my crock pot recipe for Cafe Rio Pork and didn't change a thing. Wow, now you can really taste the flavor. It came out tasting like it was prepared in a smoker. I am so excited to try more recipes in my new pot!

Pioneer Woman's Dr. Pepper pork

2011-03-24T07:40:00.000-07:00

We don't drink cola in our house, but it looks like I've found another reason to buy some. First it was Cafe Rio pork with coke, and now it's Pioneer Woman's:

Spicy Dr. Pepper shredded pork

Recipe: Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork

Prep Time: 5 Minutes | Cook Time: 6 Hours | Difficulty: Easy | Servings: 18

Ingredients

1 whole Large Onion
1 whole Pork Shoulder ("pork Butt") - 5 To 7 Pounds
Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 can (11 Ounce) Chipotle Peppers In Adobo Sauce
2 cans Dr. Pepper
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Peel the onion and cut it into wedges. Lay them in the bottom of a large dutch oven.

Generously salt and pepper the pork roast, then set it on top of the onions in the pan.

Pour the can of chipotle peppers over the pork (include the sauce.) Pour in both cans of Dr Pepper. Add brown sugar to the juice and stir in.

Place lid tightly on pot, then set pot in the oven. Cook for at least six hours, turning roast two or three times during the cooking process. Check meat after six hours; it should be absolutely falling apart (use two forks to test.) If it’s not falling apart, return to the oven for another hour.

Remove meat from pot and place on a cutting board or other work surface. Use two forks to shred meat, discarding large pieces of fat. Strain as much of the fat off the top of the cooking liquid as you can and discard it. Return the shredded meat to the cooking liquid, and keep warm until ready to serve. (You can also refrigerate the meat and liquid separately, then remove hardened fat once it’s cold. Then heat up the liquid on the stovetop and return the meat to the liquid to warm up.

Serve on warm flour tortillas. Top with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, grated cheese, avocado slices, salsa, and whatever else you’d like.

Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

2011-03-24T07:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was looking for a way to use up an almost full can of evaporated milk (NOT sweetened condensed milk, silly Kyle), mushrooms, some leftover spaghetti and an almost full jar of spaghetti sauce. I found this recipe and it was a definite winner! Ben gave it 4.2 stars...out of 4 stars. :) I found the recipe here: allrecipes but added my own touches, like the mushrooms, onions and tomatoes.

Ingredients

1 T. olive oil
1 package chopped fresh mushrooms
1 chopped onion
1 (28 ounce) jar tomato pasta sauce
1 cup half-and-half (I used evaporated milk)
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 chopped tomato
1 (8 ounce) package pasta (angel hair, spaghetti, whatever you want)
1/8 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for topping

Directions

In a large saucepan heat oil then add mushrooms and onions and saute until soft and slightly browned. Add pasta sauce, half and half, garlic, salt, pepper, nutmeg and basil. Simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes. Halfway through, add fresh tomato.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
Serve sauce over pasta, and top with parmesan cheese.

Hello Dollys

2011-02-18T14:04:00.000-08:00

Kyle and I both grew up calling these cookies Hello Dollys. I found this recipe on the back of my Sam's Club size bag of chocolate chips and they call them Outrageous Cookie Bars. Whatever you call them, they are just plain good!

1 stick butter or margarine
1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c. flaked coconut
1 c. chopped walnuts (I use pecans because that is what I like)

Preheat oven to 350. Melt butter in 13x9 baking pan in oven; remove from oven. Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs over butter. Stir well; press onto bottom of pan. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumbs. Sprinkle with chocolate chips, coconut and nuts; press down firmly. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars. Makes 2-3 dozen bars.

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Salad

2011-01-19T11:10:00.000-08:00

At Bunco about a year ago, Erica made us this salad. I have since had it at the restaurant in Utah a few times and this recipe is just as good. I'd say I like it better because I can choose the proportions of the ingredients on my salad. At Bunco this year, Erica made the same recipe for us but with chicken instead. Just as tasty! Just substitute chicken breast for the pork roast. There are a lot of recipes that go into making this salad, so I will just post the link to the recipe Erica shared with us. (By the way, the blogger Erica is not the same as the bunco Erica :) Thanks for opening my eyes to this wonderful meal, Erica!

And here it is, the beloved recipe:
Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Salad

Banana Bread

2011-01-19T09:52:00.000-08:00

I love this recipe because it is super moist. I don't like dry banana bread, so I was glad when I tried this recipe. It is indeed easy and yummy! I found it on Allrecipes here.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

Variations:

Sprinkle brown sugar on top just before baking. Gives the bread a nice sweet crunch on top.

Substitute applesauce for half of the butter.

Add some vanilla and spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.

Use applesauce to compensate for not enough bananas. Doesn't hurt the flavor at all!

Chocolate lava cake

2011-01-10T15:56:00.000-08:00

This is the perfect date night at home treat. It makes two individual servings of chocolate lava cake...and it uses basic ingredients. These recipes often call for coffee, and since we don't drink coffee, I haven't been able to make them. This recipe (which I found on foodgawker) looks yummo and I can't wait to try it!

Molten Chocolate Cakes for Two
from America's Test Kitchen

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
cocoa powder (for the ramekins)
confectioners' sugar (for dusting, optional)

Preheat oven to 400 F. Generously butter two 6-oz ramekins and dust them with cocoa powder.

Place the butter and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted and smooth. I like to do 30-second bursts at 50% power and stir in between each. In total, it'll probably take about 1 1/2 - 3 minutes, depending on your microwave.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg with a hand mixer on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and continue to beat until the egg forms soft, billowy mounds, about 1 minute. Still beating, gradually add the sugar and salt. Once incorporated, beat for another 5-10 minutes, until the mixture is very thick and pale yellow in color.

Use a rubber spatula to transfer the egg mixture to the bowl containing the melted butter and chocolate. Sift the flour over the top, then use a rubber spatula to gently fold everything together, just until incorporated.

Divide the batter between the prepared ramekins, smoothing the tops with your spatula. Put the ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 10-13 minutes, or until the cakes have puffed slighty and jiggle just a bit in the center when gently shaken. Immediately upon removing the cakes from the oven, run a knife around the edges of the ramekins. Invert the ramekins onto serving plates and let them sit for about 1 minute or so, until the cakes release from the ramekins. Remove the ramekins and, if using, dust the cakes with confectioners' sugar then serve immediately.

Marie's tenderlicious bread

2011-01-10T15:23:00.000-08:00

Our former Relief Society president makes this bread all the time to share. It makes about 7 or 8 loaves so you have to share! :)

6 c H20 warm
3 T yeast
2/3 c. honey

Combine first three ingredients and let sit awhile.

2 T salt
3 T dough enhancer
1/4 c. vitawheat (gluten)
2/3 c. oil or applesauce

Add enough whole wheat flour till dough begins to pull away from sides leaving bowl clean. (Maybe 10-12 cups?)
Let the Bosch run as much as 20-30 minutes (really!) before turning it out into an oiled bowl to
rise until double. Or 2 large bowls. I learned my lesson...don't overfill the bowl! :D

Shape the dough on oiled counter into loaves. Let rise in pans. Depending on the size of loaves bake around 35-45 minutes at 350.

Remove, butter tops, and cool on racks.

Janet's easy fudge

2010-12-16T18:56:00.000-08:00

My sister Janet just gave me this easy fudge recipe. Her husband grew up on fancy fudge, but this recipe is so much easier and just as good.

3 c. chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Melt in the microwave. Mix in whatever you want. Pour into a foil lined (butter the foil) 9x9 pan.

Sample mix ins:
Rocky Road, stir in marshmallows and chopped nuts.
Peanut butter
Caramel and nuts and sea salt (have you tried salted caramel hot chocolate???)
Mint extract

Mom's Orange Candy Cake

2010-12-14T10:08:00.000-08:00

2 c. white sugar
2 c. butter
4 eggs
1 t. baking soda
1/2 c. buttermilk (dissolve baking soda in it)

3 1/2 c. flour
1 lb. dates, diced
1 lb. orange gummy candy slices, diced (kitchen shears work well for this)
1 c. coconut
2 c. chopped pecans

1 c. orange juice
1 t. grated orange rind
2 c. powdered sugar

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add buttermilk/baking soda mixture.

In large bowl, mix flour, dates, orange slices, coconut and nuts. Add sugar and egg mixture and mix well.

Pour into greased and floured tube pan (or 4 loaf pans). Bake at 250 for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until it springs back when touched.

Combine orange juice, rind and powdered sugar and pour over cake. (If making loaf pans, it would be good to make a bit more juice mixture to cover all loafs). Let stand in pan overnight. Before removing from pan, heat 10 minutes and cake will loosen from pan easily.

Mom's Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

2010-12-14T10:01:00.000-08:00

Cream together:
2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 t. lemon extract
2 c. sour cream
2 t. vanilla

In separate bowl, mix:
2 1/2 t. baking powder
1t. salt
2 t. baking soda
4-5 c. flour

Mix together. Makes a soft dough. Refrigerate to firm dough. Roll on lightly floured board, but not too thin--maybe 1/4 inch. Cut out with cookie cutters. Bake on greased pans at 375 for 8-10 minutes, or until very lightly browned.

Great with frosting or flavored powdered sugar icing and sprinkles.

Homemade mac & cheese

2010-12-08T19:12:00.000-08:00

Johnny was in charge of dinner for Family Home Evening tonight. He wanted mac & cheese but we didn't have any Kraft so I went looking for a recipe. What we made apparently was a hit because Courtney and Johnny both want a copy of the recipe. :) I had some zucchini that needed to be used so I added it to the recipe and I didn't get a single complaint about the veggies in the mac. I do need to give my kids credit...they have been getting very adventurous in their eating. I am so glad they are generally willing to try new foods. This recipe was taken from The Ultimate Cooking Course and Kitchen Encyclopedia, and modified by me.

Creamy (Zucchini) Macaroni & Cheese

2 c. dry small shells or macaroni
5 c. cubed zucchini (optional, but yummy!)
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. flour
5 c. milk (I use skim because that is what we have and it turned out just fine)
3-4 c. shredded cheddar cheese
2 c. dry stuffing or bread crumbs, crushed
1 c. grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 13x9 pan. Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water until done, but not soft. Drain. Meanwhile, boil cubed zucchini about 6 minutes. Drain.
Melt the butter in a pot. Add flour and cook 2 minutes, stirring. Stir in milk. Bring to a boil over medium, (being careful not to scald the milk) stirring constantly, and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes.

Remove pan from heat. Add the macaroni, zucchini and cheddar cheese and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to the prepared baking dish, spreading it out evenly. Toss together the stuffing and parmesan cheese and sprinkle over the top of the macaroni.

Bake until the top is golden brown and the cheese sauce is bubbling, about 30 minutes.

Ice Cream Bread???

2010-11-23T08:09:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe from today's Foodgawker.com. Thanks to Nikki for sharing the website with us. I love easy recipes and this one is super easy...and sounds yummy!

Ice Cream Bread Recipe

2 cups ice cream, softened (I used a mix of homemade chocolate and mint chocolate chip)
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour (to make self-raising flour, add 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt for every cup to flour)

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Mix ice cream and flour together until well combined. Pour into greased and floured loaf pan.
3. Bake for 35-45 minutes

Rhubarb Cheesecake

2010-10-17T20:29:00.000-07:00

That's right. Cheesecake. And it was awfully good. This was Kyle's birthday cake, a day early. We get boxes of frozen rhubarb every year and it's nice to find another way to use it besides rhubarb crisp. It was a hit with everyone!

Ingredients

1 (9 inch) unbaked pie shell
3 cups chopped fresh rhubarb
1/2 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, toss the rhubarb with 1/2 cup of sugar and the flour. Pour into the pie shell. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove pie and lower the temperature of the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, stir together the cream cheese and 1/2 cup of sugar until smooth. Stir in the eggs one at a time until each is blended. Pour this mixture over the rhubarb in the crust.
Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until set. Remove from the oven, and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and vanilla. Spread over the top of the pie while it is hot. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled before serving

So our variation on this was adding chopped pecans to the pie crust recipe. I used the pie crust recipe I posted the other day. It was an amazing addition and perfect with this pie!

Pie Crust

2010-10-16T12:46:00.000-07:00

This is the recipe I used for the peach mango pie yesterday. It is just the recipe (that Bettie told me about, of course) from the Better Homes and Gardens (aka...red and white) cookbook. This is the recipe for a single crust pie. Don't be afraid. I had a little trouble the first time I tried this recipe when it was a baked shell before filling. But as a filled first shell, it was great! I'm sure it works as a baked first, but I didn't do it right I guess. I think the chilling and pricking would have helped. As well as I've heard of lining with foil and putting in dry beans. Anyway, according to me, as someone who doesn't like pie...it's a great tasting pie crust. And easy too!

1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 t. salt
1/3 c. shortening
3 to 4 T. cold water

In a mixing bowl stir together flour and salt. Cut in shortening till pieces are the size of small peas.
Sprinkle 1 T. of the water over part of the mixture; gently toss with a fork. Push to side of bowl. Repeat till all is moistened. Form dough into a ball.
On a lightly floured surface, flatten dough with hands. [If you aren't going to do this right away, form it in a circle and put it in a ziploc bag in the fridge. Make it a flat circle, that will prevent rough edges later when rolling out.] Roll dough from center to edges, forming a circle about 12 inches in diameter. Wrap pastry around rolling pin. Unroll onto a 9-inch pie plate. Ease pastry into pie plate, being careful not to stretch pastry.
Trim to 1/2 inch beyond edge of pie plate; fold under extra pastry. Make a fluted, rope-shape, or scalloped edge. Do not prick pastry. Bake as directed in individual recipes.

If you need to bake the crust first when called for by the recipe, prick the bottom and sides of pastry generously with the tines of a fork. Bake in a 450 oven for 10-12 minutes or till golden. Cook on a wire rack.

Easy Lasagna

2010-10-15T20:04:00.000-07:00

I have always been wary of making lasagna. But Bettie to the rescue, once again. She gave me this recipe that doesn't require you to cook the noodles first! And it is delicious.

15 oz. ricotta or cottage cheese
2 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella, split in half
1/2 c. parmesan cheese, split in half
1/4 c. fresh parsley or 1 t. dried parsley (whatever looks good)
1 egg, lightly beaten
26 oz. jar spaghetti sauce (I like mine saucy so I usually use an extra half a jar)
1 lb. ground beef/bulk sausage (Kyle's favorite) or 1 c. TVP reconstituted in 1 c. liquid
3/4 c. water
dry lasagna noodles

Preheat oven to 350. Mix ricotta and half of the mozzarella and half of the parmesan with the parsley and egg. Cook and drain meat. Put some sauce on the bottom of your 13x9 pan. Stir remaining sauce in with meat. Pour water in the jar to rinse it out and add the water to the meat and sauce mixture. This water helps cook the noodles. Layer noodles, cheese mixture, meat sauce mixture, ending with noodles. (I usually end up with three layers of noodles and two layers of the cheese mixture). Put meat sauce (or extra spaghetti sauce) on top of the last layer of noodles and sprinkle on remaining cheeses. Cover with foil. Bake 45 minutes. Remove foil. Bake 15 minutes more. Take out of the oven and let sit for 15 minutes.

12 hour rolls

2010-10-15T19:22:00.000-07:00

I got the recipe from my friend Bettie who got it from her Grandma. She taught me how to make them a couple weeks ago and I've made them twice since then. The trick to these rolls is that you let them rise in the pot and there is no kneading involved.

1 c. milk

1 T. yeast

1 T. sugar

1 stick unsalted butter

3 eggs, beaten

1/2 c. sugar

3/4 t. salt

4 C. flour

1/2 stick melted butter

Heat milk in a pot. Heat on low so it doesn't scald. Put a small amount of heated milk in a bowl with the yeast and 1 T. sugar. In the meantime, melt the stick of butter in the milk. Let milk cool to lukewarm and add yeast mixture. Stir in the remaining ingredients and put the lid on the pot. Let rise for 2-3 hours until doubled. Punch down dough and cut in half. Shape each half into a circle. On a lightly floured surface roll out one circle until large and thin (about 18" maybe?). Cut with a pizza cutter into 16 wedges. Roll loosely from large end to the point (like rolling crescent rolls) and place on sprayed pans. Cover with towels or sprayed plastic wrap and let rise 4-5 hours until double. Bake in a preheated 375 oven for 10 minutes. Makes 36 rolls.

Sour Cream Peach Pie

2010-10-15T18:20:00.000-07:00

Another recipe courtesy of Allrecipes.com. It was a hit! We didn't even need whipped cream or ice cream, and that's saying something!

Ingredients

3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
4 cups sliced fresh or frozen peaches
1/4 cup brown sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, stir together the sour cream, white sugar, 1/3 cup flour and almond extract until smooth. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of flour over the pie crust to prevent it from getting soggy. Alternate layers of peaches and the sour cream mixture, beginning with a layer of peaches and ending with a layer of sour cream.
Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Continue baking for an additional 35 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven and sprinkle brown sugar over the top. Set the oven to Broil, and broil for 2 to 3 minutes, until caramelized.

Here's the ways I changed the recipe:

I used vanilla instead of almond extract.

I followed other reviewers' advice and put the brown sugar on for the last 10 minutes, instead of doing the broil.

I used about 1/3 mangoes and 2/3 peaches. It is what I had in the freezer. I defrosted the fruit first and drained the liquid so the juices didn't mess up the recipe.

Chile Relleno Casserole

2010-08-24T07:56:00.000-07:00

A neighbor gave us some fresh green chiles and we were craving Chile Rellenos...but not enough to do the work to make them. This casserole is close enough and yummy! Another from Allrecipes with changes as recommended by reviewers.

Ingredients

2 (7 ounce) cans whole green chile peppers, drained and chopped
8 ounces shredded cheese (use monterey jack, mexican cheese, cheddar, a mix of any of them)
3 eggs, beaten
1 (5 ounce) can evaporated milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 can enchilada sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 8x8-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Lay half of the chilies evenly in bottom of baking dish. Sprinkle with half of the Jack and Cheddar cheeses, and cover with remaining chilies. In a bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, and flour, and pour over the top of the chilies.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, pour tomato sauce evenly over the top, and continue baking another 15 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining Jack and Cheddar cheeses, and serve.

Easy Peach Cobbler

2010-07-29T10:34:00.000-07:00

This is taken from Allrecipes, with changes and comments from the comments on that website. First, the link to the original recipe. Now the better recipe:

12 fresh peaches, pitted and sliced or 2-32 oz. cans sliced peaches
1 cup water }
1 cup white sugar } or 1 c. peach juice from cans
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (18.25 ounce) package white/yellow cake mix
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Spread peach slices evenly into a 9x13 inch baking dish. If using canned peach juice, pour 1 cup of it over peach slices. If using fresh peaches, combine water and sugar in a small bowl. Stir to dissolve, then pour mixture over peaches. Sprinkle cinnamon over peach slices.
Cream together the cream cheese and cake mix. Spread mixture over peaches then drizzle on the butter or margarine. Another option is to cream the unmelted butter in with the cream cheese and cake mix.
Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, until golden.

*Skip the extra sugar if your peaches are already sweet (most fresh ones are if they're ripe and ALL canned peaches are sweet enough). If you're using another fruit, like blackberries or raspberries, then you'd need the extra sugar. Remember, the cake mix has sugar, too.

*Cream the cheese and cake mix together with a pastry cutter or a couple forks until it resembles a crumbly granola-type consistency.

*Melt the butter and pour it over with the liquid (use less liquid if your fruit is really juicy!) Alternately, cream the butter in with the cheese and cake mix (see above).

*Cinnamon is not always appropriate if you are using this with a different fruit. Other options that might sound better to you are nutmeg, vanilla bean specks or vanilla-flavored sugar.

*For a crunchy bonus, sprinkle the top with sliced almonds before baking.

Carrot Rice Pilaf

2010-06-18T09:06:00.000-07:00

The kids have a program at school called Cooking With Kids and they learn how to cook food from all over the world. I don't really think the name of this recipe does it justice. What I need to call it is: Rice for those who don't like rice. Or something else like Yummy rice. We make this all the time, and I don't like rice! It goes great with Hawaiian Haystacks, by the way. And I think for this recipe, you really need to stick with basmati. It is a fragrant rice and the way it cooks up is just wonderful. Give it a try!

1 1/2 c. basmati rice
2 T. butter
3/4 c. grated carrot
3 1/2 c. water
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 t. salt

Put the rice into a bowl with cool water. Swirl the rice around and then pour off the water. Repeat this process 2 or 3 times, until the water is clear.

In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the rice and grated carrots and saute for 2 minutes. Add the water, cinnamon stick, and salt. Bring to a boil, uncovered, for 2 minutes. Reduce the head to medium-low and cover. Cook the rice for about 20 minutes, until all of the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from heat. Let the rice rest for 10 minutes before serving. It says 4 to 6 servings, but this makes a lot of rice and you'll have leftovers for sure!

Bettie's Bread Sticks

2010-06-09T11:23:00.000-07:00

Warning. These are not low fat. But they sure are yummy!

1 1/2 c. warm water
2 T sugar
1 T yeast
3 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c butter or marg.

Dissolve sugar and yeast in water. Mix in flour & salt. Knead for 3 minutes on well floured board. Let rest for 10 min. Roll out into a rectangle about the size of a cookie sheet. Cut into 24 sticks. Melt butter and pour into a cookie sheet. Dip each bread stick and cover both sides with butter. Sprinkle with garlic salt and parmesan cheese. Let rise for 20-30 minutes. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

Easy Chicken Fajita soup

2010-05-09T16:13:00.000-07:00

First, here's the link: Fajita soup recipe on allrecipes. And here is my variation:

Ingredients

2-3 large precooked mesquite chicken breasts (from Sam's Club)
1 (1.27 ounce) packet fajita seasoning
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 orange bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 large onion, cut into thin strips
1 (14.5 ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained
2 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth (half a carton of broth)
chopped green chile to taste
salt and pepper to taste
For garnish:
chopped fresh cilantro
chopped avocado
sour cream
fresh lime wedges
tortilla chips

Directions

Follow package directions to warm up chicken, then cut into strips. Put in large pot and sprinkle fajita seasoning over the chicken and stir well to coat. Add the bell pepper and onion to the seasoned chicken. Stir and cook over medium heat until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.
Pour the fire roasted tomatoes, black beans, and chicken broth into the pot with the chicken and vegetables. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Season the soup with green chile, salt, and pepper to taste before serving.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 143 | Total Fat: 5.5g | Cholesterol: 24mg

Oh man. This is the best soup we've ever had. We hope you like it too!

Cake that doesn't fall apart

2010-02-24T13:04:00.000-08:00

Ever since we moved here to the high desert (7000 ft) I haven't been able to make a cake that would stay together and not crumble when I tried to take it out of the pan. Well, after perusing the internet, I found this from the Cake Mix Doctor:

1 package (18.25 ounces) plain German chocolate cake mix
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs

To make the buttermilk, you mix 4 t. lemon juice with enough milk to make 1 1/4 c and let it sit for 5 minutes. Just blend all the ingredients on low for 5 min, scrape down the bowl, and then on medium for 2 minutes. Bake at 350 until cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan (I used 2 9-inch round pans) and top springs back. Take out and cool for 5 minutes then run a knife around the edges and take out the cake. It is just how I like it: moist and doesn't break when I flip the layer over with my hands. Thanks cake mix doctor! Now to try it with other flavors. I assume it will work. The only drawback with using the german chocolate is that I think the milk make the color lighter than water would. But it's still yummo!

Paula Deen's Chicken Noodle Soup

2009-11-19T08:17:00.000-08:00

The name of this is The Lady's Chicken Noodle Soup. It sounds heavenly...especially now that I think the cold is here to stay. Here's the recipe, slightly modified by Jessica Sprague, a scrapbooker like me looking for more ways to simplify cooking.

1 rotisserie chicken
2 32-oz boxes of chicken stock
2 cups water
1 small onion, diced
2 cups sliced carrots
2 cups sliced celery
2 1/2 cups uncooked egg noodles
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 cup grated Parmesan, optional
3/4 cup heavy cream, optional
Seasoning salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Bring the stock and the water to a boil, add carrots and onion, cook for 3 minutes. Add celery and continue to cook for 5-10 minutes. Add egg noodles and cook according to directions on package.

While the noodles cook, remove the skin from the chicken and shred the chicken breasts finely. When noodles are done, add chicken, parsley, and rosemary. Add Parmesan and cream, if using. Cook for another 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning, if needed, by adding seasoning salt and pepper. Enjoy along with a nice hot crusty loaf of French bread.

Avocado Basil Pasta

2009-08-13T10:10:00.001-07:00

I just found this recipe. Doesn't it look yummy?

Avocado Basil Pasta

8 ounces dried bow tie pasta
2 medium avocados, halved, seeded, peeled and coarsely chopped
6 slices bacon, crisp cooked, drained, and crumbled
2/3 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup finely shredded asiago cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine the avocados, bacon, basil, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, pepper and salt. Add the hot pasta and toss to combine. Transfer to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with cheese. Makes 4 servings.

It doubles just fine. This makes a great chilled pasta salad too if you wait to add the avocados right before serving.

Another good pork recipe

2009-05-27T07:54:00.000-07:00

And again from Pioneer Woman. Clicky

Amazing Roast Pork

2009-05-26T08:39:00.000-07:00

I am not usually a big fan of pork. But when I got an amazing deal on some pork roasts I went to Allrecipes.com in search of a recipe I might like. I made this in the crock pot for some friends and it was a huge hit! And it even uses green chiles...which in Santa Fe makes it a winner. It says it is for tacos, but it is just as good plain. Super tender and moist and makes great leftovers.

Dee's Roast Pork for Tacos (copied from Allrecipes.com)

"This is a dish that will make your tongue jump out of your mouth, slap you in the face, and say 'Oh yeah'. Put meat and maybe some Pico De Gallo or salsa into warm tortillas to make tacos."

INGREDIENTS:

4 pounds pork shoulder roast

2 (4 ounce) cans diced green chilies, drained

1/4 cup chili powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon taco seasoning

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2.	Place the roast on top of a large piece of aluminum foil. In a small bowl, stir together the green chiles, chili powder, oregano, taco seasoning and garlic. Rub onto the roast. Wrap foil around the roast so that it is completely covered, using additional aluminum foil if necessary. Place on top of a roasting rack in a baking dish, or place a cookie sheet on an oven rack below to catch any leaks.
3.	Roast the meat for 3 1/2 to 4 hours in the preheated oven, until falling apart. Remove from the oven, and shred into small pieces using two forks. Season with salt to taste. Variation: Make it in the crock pot on low all night. I used a boneless pork center cut loin (because that is what was on sale) and it was wonderful.

Two recipes from the Pioneer Woman

2009-05-22T12:42:00.000-07:00

Here are two great looking recipes...two of her favorites. A sandwich and a cake. I'm excited to try them!

Sopapilla Cheesecake

2009-04-07T17:31:00.000-07:00

This recipe uses two of my favorite ingredients: cream cheese and crescent rolls. Update...we had this for Easter and it was amazingly good. And rich. We recommend fresh strawberries and whipped cream to top it off. Oh, and eat it warm.

Sopapilla Cheesecake

2 cans crescent rolls
2 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened - not low fat - go for the good stuff!
2 C sugar (divided)
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 C butter
ground cinnamon

*Roll one can crescent dough into bottom of greased 9x13 baking pan.
*Stretch dough and pinch seams together to form crust.
*Blend together cream cheese, 1 C sugar and 1 tsp vanilla
*Spread over dough - not too close to edge
* Stretch second can of crescent rolls over cream cheese layer to form top crust
*Melt butter and 1 C sugar and 1 tsp vanilla and pour over crust
*Sprinkle with cinnamon
*Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes

Brownie in a mug

2009-04-03T08:32:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe on facebook. Why haven't I tried it yet??

Brownie in a Mug

4 Tbsp of flour
4 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp cocoa
a dash of salt
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp water
1/4 tsp vanilla
Chocolate chips (optional)
Whip cream (optional)

Mix together dry ingredients in a large coffee mug. Add oil, water and vanilla. Mix thoroughly. Mix in a few chocolate chips if desired. Microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes. Cool a couple of minutes, add whip cream and enjoy! (This is also great with a small scoop of ice cream and some hot fudge!!)

Variations:

My friend Andrea says she cooks this in a large cup for 3 minutes and it is cake.

Make a lower calorie version by using splenda instead of sugar, sugar-free pudding or yogurt instead of oil.

Zesty Tomato Soup

2009-03-13T14:02:00.001-07:00

Benjamin was in charge of dinner for Family Home Evening this week and we found this recipe online for dressing up canned tomato soup. It was amazing...Courtney even asked for seconds and she never eats tomato soup! Well, I don't know if it was the recipe or the fact that we served it in bread bowls that had her asking for more, but she ate more soup than she did bread bowl, so I'm guessing it's the bread.

2 cans condensed tomato soup

2 cans water

1/2 c. salsa (we used Pace Picante sauce)

Mix in pot and heat on stove. Great with a sprinkle of shredded cheese and some tortilla chips!

Thai Coconut Chicken Soup

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

Kyle and I love Thai food. And I love to order this soup...it is soooo tasty. My Scrapshare friend Elaine posted this recipe that she took from a Weight Watchers cookbook and she says it is very close to the version she loves at her favorite restaurant. I can't wait to try it! (The notes in italics are hers, not mine.)

Thai Coconut-Chicken Soup, from the “In No Time” cookbook, page 99.
Serves 4, 6 WW Points per serving.

2 stalks fresh lemongrass, minced (I used 3/4 tsp of the lemongrass spice blend I found in a tube in the produce department at Publix)
2 tsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced (I used 1 heaping tsp of jarred minced garlic)
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (I crushed it in my hand with my thumb first to release the oils)
1/2 pound ground skinless chicken breast (I used cooked shredded chicken that I poached today… Next time I’ll probably go with firm tofu instead since that’s what’s in the soup at Surin)
2 14.5-oz cans of reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 14-oz can light (reduced-fat) coconut milk (Surin probably uses the full-fat kind, because their soup is a bit heavier/richer)
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tsp Asian fish sauce (nam pla)
4 oz rice sticks (mai fun) (I’ll probably leave these out next time, just because they’re not in the Surin version, and truly, they made it kind of hard to eat. May require further experimentation)
3 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (I probably used a bit more, since I don’t really bother to measure herbs much, and Jerry loves cilantro so I knew it wasn’t a risk.)
Next time I will probably add half of an 8-oz. carton of white mushrooms, thinly sliced. But that’s not in the original recipe.

1. Trim away the tops of the lemongrass, about 4 inches from the root end; trim away the root. Crush the 4-inch pieces with the side of a knife and mince the tender white inner stalk. Discard the outer stalk. (I just squeezed 3/4 tsp out of the tube and called it done. Ha!)

2. Heat the oil in a nonstick Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the minced lemongrass, garlic, and crushed red pepper; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 45 seconds. Add the chicken and cook, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 3 minutes. (With my cooked shredded chicken, I only cooked it until heated through before the next step. Next time I’ll brown the tofu at this step. I’m not sure I’d like it as much with ground chicken.)

3. Add the chicken broth, coconut milk, lime juice, and fish sauce; bring to a boil. Add the rice sticks and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro.

Servings are 1 1/2 cups each.

Variation on Buffalo Wing Dip

2009-01-28T09:02:00.001-08:00

I also got this recipe from my ScrapShare friends, as with the first version. This one I could pretend is healthy because it has celery in the dip! :D

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts; cooked

2 packages (8-oz each) cream cheese, softened

1 cup wing sauce** (I use Texas Pete's wing sauce)

1 cup blue cheese salad dressing (you can also use ranch dressing)

1 cup celery; chopped

4 stalks of celery for dipping

crackers and tortilla chips

Cut chicken into bite sized pieces. Mix with softened cream cheese. Add wing sauce and dressing. Mix well. Stir in chopped celery. Put mixture into 9x13 pan (8x8 if making a smaller batch) and bake at 350* for 20 minutes. Serve with crackers, celery and chips.

** Please note that there is a difference between hot sauce and wing sauce. If you want a milder version of this dip then use 3/4 cup wing sauce and 1 1/4 cup blue cheese.

Cottage Cakes

2008-11-15T16:56:00.000-08:00

This was super good. The kids gobbled it up! I was looking for a pancake recipe...we usually use bisquick, but I wanted something different. I found this recipe online. Very rich!

1 cup cottage cheese

4 eggs, beaten

4 Tablespoons melted butter or margarine

1/2 cup flour

Whisk the first three ingredients. Fold in flour. Bake on a pancake griddle using medium high heat. Serve with Vermont maple syrup, apricot sauce or jam.

Serves: 3

Cream of Chicken and Rice Soup

2008-09-18T19:04:00.000-07:00

So tonight I was looking for an easy dinner and noticed the can of Chicken and Rice soup. It has been sitting there for awhile not looking very appetizing. I decided to make up a recipe to use it...and the soup turned out quite yummy!

1 can Chicken and Rice soup

1 can corn

1 can Cream of Chicken soup

I mixed them all together and rinsed out the cans that needed it...I think I used about one can's worth of water. Then just let it cook as directed on the soup can until warm.

Cheese Fondue

2008-09-13T16:03:00.000-07:00

I love my family's tradition of cheese fondue every New Year's Eve...but there was always the stress of finding a decent recipe that was easy, melty, and non alcoholic. I finally found it! Bettie found the recipe online in preparation for her birthday.

1 lb. medium aged gouda, coarsely shredded

3 c. heavy cream

White pepper

in a medium saucepan, simmer the heavy cream over moderate heat until reduced to 2 cups, about 15 minutes.
Whisk in the Gouda until melted.
Strain the cheese sauce through a fine sieve set over a heatproof bowl or fondue pot and season lightly with white pepper.

Hints and variations:

*We used a mix of gouda and smoked gouda. Did you know the brown edge of the smoked doesn't melt? It looks like worms. Cut them off or strain. We didn't strain it when we did it.

*Serve with crusty bread like french and veggies like celery, broccoli, cauliflower.

*I used a crockpot that sits on a hotplate for my fondue pot. You could put it in a bowl and microwave it every so often to re melt.

*The leftovers separated in the fridge...lots of oil floating on top. We just added a bit more cream when we warmed it up.

Buffalo Wing Dip

2008-08-02T09:05:00.000-07:00

My online friend Beth shared this recipe with me. She calls it "The Best Dip" and says she likes it so much she would lick it off old stinky shoes! I'm not sure I'd go that far, but it is really good!

2 cans of chicken, drained

2 blocks of cream cheese

1/4 c hot sauce

1 c. shredded cheese

1 c. blue cheese dressing

Stir all the ingredients together and heat until warm. I usually do it on the microwave or stove. The original recipe calls for putting it in a casserole dish and mixing in half of the cheese and putting the other half on top and baking in the oven for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Dipping ideas: celery, carrots, pretzel chips, tortilla chips, crackers, fingers.... :D

Variations:

*Works well with ranch dressing too.

*Vegetarian (no chicken) works, it just gives it a different texture.

*It is a slight bit spicy. It needs the flavor of the hot sauce, but you may want to experiment with how much you use. I wouldn't use more than it calls for, personally.

*Make a green chili dip! Use green enchilada sauce instead of the hot sauce, and pepper jack cheese instead of the blue cheese dressing. Wow!

Hawaiian Haystacks

2008-07-15T07:29:00.001-07:00

I remember this from my youth. It's a nice way to get all the food groups in one meal. I've fed it to the missionaries and tonight I'm serving it to my bunco group. Wonderful way to feed the masses!

Rice

Chicken gravy (cream of chicken soup diluted with milk or chicken broth to desired consistency)

Cubed chicken

Cubed ham

Chopped celery

Chopped green onions

Chopped tomatoes

Slivered almonds

Maraschino cherries

Crushed pineapple

Shredded coconut

Chow mein noodles

Shredded cheese

Just lay it all out like a taco bar. Typically, it is gravy over the rice and then whatever toppings people want.

Variations and hints:

*Use any chicken gravy recipe you have.

*Of course, you can customize the list of toppings to your liking. (Don't knock the cherries til you try it!)

*It's easy to make this vegetarian. Omit the meat and use cream of mushroom soup or any other gravy recipe you have.

Applesauce

2008-06-30T12:34:00.000-07:00

I bought cases of frozen apples and rhubarb and was looking for new ways to use them. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and changed it up a bit to include my rhubarb. I am not a rhubarb fan, but I love this applesauce!

8 apples - peeled, cored and shredded
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup water
3/4 cup brown sugar

Place shredded apples in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Sprinkle with cinnamon, then add water and cook until the apple bits become soft and mushy.
Stir in brown sugar and mix well; if desired, top with ice cream and serve.

Variations and hints:

*To make my variation, I used 6 cups frozen apple slices and 2 cups frozen rhubarb slices.

*The original recipe calls for lots more cinnamon. Add it to your taste.

*I used frozen sliced fruit. When the fruit was soft and mushy I used a pastry cutter to cut up the apples. Maybe a potato masher would work too.

*You can probably reduce the brown sugar. It is pretty sweet. If you don't use tart apples, you won't need much sugar at all.

*It's good warm or cold.

Banana Chocolate Chip Dessert

2008-06-30T12:28:00.001-07:00

One of my scrapbooking heroes, Stacy Julian, mentioned a favorite family recipe Banana Brownies. I went in search of something that matched the description, and found this recipe on allrecipes.com. It is now one of our family favorites!

3/4 cup butter
2/3 cup white sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup mashed bananas
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10x15 inch jelly roll pan.
In a large bowl, cream butter, white sugar and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Fold in mashed banana. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Fold flour mixture into butter mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread in prepared pan.
Bake in preheated oven 20 minutes, until set. Cool before cutting into squares.

Variations and hints:

Put in a 13x9 and bake for 30 minutes.

Beef Stroganoff

2008-06-30T12:16:00.000-07:00

This is comfort food for me from Mom's kitchen. This is her simplified recipe. It still tastes the same, only it's now a lot easier.

1 lb. ground beef

1 med. onion, chopped

sliced fresh mushrooms

1 can tomato soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 T worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper

1 c. sour cream

cooked wide egg noodles

Brown beef and saute the onions and mushrooms in a large skillet. Add the soups and seasonings. Just do it to taste. When it is heated through, stir in the sour cream and serve over noodles.

Variations and hints:

*Substitute 1 cup TVP (see taco soup for more on TVP) reconstituted with 1 cup beef broth and some kitchen bouquet for color. Use in place of the beef.

*Use chicken instead of beef.

*Serve over rice or toast (Grandma Sycamore's if you are lucky enough to have it).

*Mom used canned mushrooms, but we prefer fresh.

Chicken enchiladas

2008-06-30T12:02:00.000-07:00

This is definitely a staple around here. We always have the makings for this. Too bad J and C don't like it. Oh well, more for the rest of us!

2 regular size (15 oz?) cans green enchilada sauce

1 pkg. flour tortillas

shredded cheese (your favorite)

1 can chunk chicken breast, drained

2 pkgs. cream cheese, softened

Preheat oven to 350. Pour a little green sauce on the bottom of a 13x9 pan to prevent the tortillas from sticking to the pan. Mix chicken with cream cheese. Spread some down the middle of a tortilla and sprinkle with cheese. Roll up and place in pan. I can usually fit 7-8 enchiladas widthwise in a 13x9. It's ok to scrunch them together. If they are small tortillas, I can also fit one or two lengthwise to fill in the gap. Pour the remaining green sauce over the top and sprinkle on some more cheese. Bake about 25 minutes. Cover with foil if you feel like it needs it. Serve with sour cream.

Variations and hints:

*Red or green sauce? That's the state question in NM. Use your favorite. We love green!

*Substitute about a pound of fresh or frozen chicken breast, cooked and shredded. Canned is just quicker when I'm hungry.

*Replace one package of cream cheese with a can of cream of chicken (or mushroom) soup. Just as yummy!

*Green tabasco sauce is always a winner to have on the table with this.

*We like this even better as leftovers, when the flavors have all soaked in.

*Add some extra green chile to the chicken mixture and the sauce for that matter. This is NM, after all!

*I just tried this with about 1/2 c pepper jack cheese mixed into the cream cheese mixture. Yummo.....especially if you turn this into dip instead of filling and warm up the filling with some cheddar grated on top. Wow!

Oreo Truffles

2008-06-30T11:44:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from a scrapshare friend, I think it was Desiree. It's very fattening, but soooo good!

1 pkg. oreos

1 pkg. cream cheese

Chocolate almond bark

Crush the oreos. Mix in the cream cheese until the color is uniformed and not swirly. Getting your hands dirty is the best way to get this mixed. Roll pieces into balls, about 1", and place on waxed paper on a cookie sheet. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.

Melt chocolate bark and dip frozen cookie balls in chocolate and return to waxed paper and then to the freezer. Eat straight from the freezer.

Variations and hints:

*While the cookie mixture is yummy fresh, it is SO much better if you wait until these truffles are done and frozen.

*Try with nutter butters instead of oreos

*Use other flavors of chocolate coating.

*Mint oreos are yummo in this too!

UPDATE:
*I finally learned that if you add a small amount of shortening to the bark when you melt it, it thins out the coating and makes it easier to dip.
*Use a cookie scoop to make the process easier
*Break cookies in a food processor and add the cream cheese in. Or do in batches in a blender. Much easier.
*Sprinkle toppings on immediately. Like crushed candy cane on mint truffles. Or large salt on truffles dipped in chocolate with butterscotch chips melted in. It is like the yummy salted caramel hot chocolate at Starbucks!

Veggie Pizza

2008-06-30T11:35:00.001-07:00

I can eat a whole pizza all by myself. I love this stuff! I think it is originally a Pampered Chef recipe.

2 pkg. crescent rolls

1 pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 tsp. (or so) dry ranch dressing

chopped raw veggies, such as:

carrots

cauliflower

broccoli

green onion

sweet peas

bell pepper

cucumber

In a cookie sheet, spread out the crescent rolls as much as you can and pinch the seams together. Prick with a fork and bake as directed on the package. I usually bake for 8 minutes and then start checking until it's golden brown. Watch out and don't bake it too long...burnt crust isn't very tasty. Take out and let it cool on the cookie sheet.

While the crust is cooling, mix the cream cheese and ranch seasoning in a bowl. When the crust is cool, spread the cream cheese mixture on the crust. Sprinkle on the chopped veggies and cut. Makes about 15 pieces.

Variations and hints:

*Change out the seasoning: taco, dill, nothing. Whatever you like.

*Choose specific veggies to go with your seasonings (lettuce, tomato, and olive with taco seasoning, for example)

*Use one package rolls on a pizza pan to make a circle pizza

*Add more cream cheese if you like more filling

*I use a Pampered Chef baker's roller to roll out the crust inside the pan

Ramen Foo Yung

2008-06-30T11:25:00.000-07:00

We got this recipe out of the Deseret News. So easy and all three kids love it!

1 pkg. ramen, any flavor

2 eggs

1 T. butter

Cook ramen noodles according to package directions, but reserve the seasoning packet for later. Drain the noodles when they are cooked through.

Beat eggs in a bowl together with the seasoning packet. Add cooked noodles.

Melt butter in a 10" skillet. Add egg mixture and cook on medium. Push down around the edges with a spatula. When you can lift the bottom and it is golden brown, place a plate over top of the skillet and flip it over so the cooked side is facing up on the plate. Slide the food into the skillet so you can cook the other side. When it is firm in the middle, it's done. (It's easier than it sounds, I promise!) Slide it out onto a plate and cut in wedges. Serve hot.

Variations and hints:

*We like it with hoisin sauce (next to the soy sauce in the grocery store) or soy sauce

*Cut in cubes for an appetizer and serve using toothpicks

*The original recipe called for dissolving the seasonings in the melted butter and frying the cooked noodles in the butter before adding the eggs to the pan. We've had better luck with our method...we don't burn the butter as often our way.

*Dad makes this all by himself, so it can't be all that hard, right? LOL

Taco Soup

2008-06-30T11:10:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from my scrapshare friend Stacy. It has been a hit every time I make it. Here's the original recipe:

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

1 can Ranch style beans (or pinto beans if you can't find Ranch)

1 can pinto beans

1 can kidney beans

1 can black beans

1 can diced tomatoes

2 cans corn

1 pkg. dry ranch dressing

1 pkg. dry taco seasoning

Brown the beef and drain then add everything else. Don't drain the cans! Simmer, simmer, simmer then serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, olives, jalepenos, avocados or whatever else sounds good!

Variations and hints:

*Leave out the meat

*Replace the meat with 1 cup TVP

*Replace the beef with chicken

*Rinse out cans with water to get the flavor and extend the soup, making it more soupy

*Freezes well...which is good because it makes a lot!

*Works well in the crock pot, too

Easy & Yummy

Caramel Brownies

Caramel Brownies

Banana Bread

Sheffer Green Jello

Mock Apple Crisp...a.k.a. Zucchini Crisp

Zucchini Bread

Ukrainian Borscht

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Our Favorite Cookies

Onionless Santa Fe Salsa

The Best 100% Whole Wheat Bread

Veggie Pizza

S'mores Brownies

Crock pot? Who needs a crock pot?

Pioneer Woman's Dr. Pepper pork

Recipe: Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork

Ingredients

Ingredients

1 whole Large Onion

Preparation Instructions

Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

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Directions

Hello Dollys

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Salad

Banana Bread

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Directions

Chocolate lava cake

Marie's tenderlicious bread

Janet's easy fudge

Mom's Orange Candy Cake

Mom's Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

Homemade mac & cheese

Ice Cream Bread???

Rhubarb Cheesecake

Ingredients

Directions

Pie Crust

Easy Lasagna

12 hour rolls

Sour Cream Peach Pie

Ingredients

Directions

Chile Relleno Casserole

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Directions

Easy Peach Cobbler

Directions

Carrot Rice Pilaf

Bettie's Bread Sticks

Easy Chicken Fajita soup

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Directions

Nutritional Information

Cake that doesn't fall apart

Paula Deen's Chicken Noodle Soup

Avocado Basil Pasta

Another good pork recipe

Amazing Roast Pork

Two recipes from the Pioneer Woman

Sopapilla Cheesecake

Brownie in a mug

Zesty Tomato Soup

Thai Coconut Chicken Soup

Variation on Buffalo Wing Dip

Cottage Cakes

Cream of Chicken and Rice Soup

Cheese Fondue

Buffalo Wing Dip

Hawaiian Haystacks

Applesauce

Banana Chocolate Chip Dessert

Beef Stroganoff

Chicken enchiladas

Oreo Truffles

Veggie Pizza

Ramen Foo Yung

Taco Soup