What's Cookin?

RIP What's Cookin!

2011-05-16T23:53:00.000-07:00

When I started this post, it was about 11:50PM on Monday, May 16, 2011. What's really ironic about that is that the first post on "What's Cookin" was posted at around 8AM on Friday, May 16, 2008. Happy third birthday little blog!

I really didn't think this blog would take off. It started mostly as a way to compensate for living so far away from my dear friend Laurie. She and I were seventh grade locker partners, and then when we were both new moms (to girls born four days apart) we were neighbors and on our daily walks together I would invariably ask what she was making for dinner. So I started this little blog, to ask everyone out there what they were making for dinner.

And it never really took off in the same way that I had envisioned it would. But I loved it. I loved trying new things and sharing them with my friends. And I got just enough comments and compliments to fuel my fire and keep me going through the times when I wondered if anyone was still listening.

I am not an amazing cook. Just a mom, trying to feed her kids things that are good, and good for them. And when I started this process I am not even sure I really loved to cook. I didn't mind it, but it certainly wasn't a passion. But now....it kind of is. I love trying new things, and most of all, I love making people smile, and the best way I can do that is to plop a tasty meal in front of them.

Anyway, this is all a long way of saying that I am shutting down "itwasamazing". But....don't fear, I've been in the works of creating something better -- well, if not better in theory at least better looking :) Kayla, over at FrecklesinApril was kind enough to put together a redesign for my blog, and with that it has a new name, Lemon Glaze. I like lemons, I like glaze, and mostly I wanted yellow in my color scheme, so it worked : ) (and also almost ever other single bingle blog name I tried was taken :).

Anyway. I will certainly leave this blog up and if anyone wants to throw recipes up on here they are more than welcome. But I will be doing my posting over on lemonglaze.

Thanks for three good years and hundreds of good recipes!

I promise, you will want to come visit lemonglaze. It's so much prettier! Oh and also my finest recipe I have ever made is over there, these delicious Liege Waffles....they. were. amazing.

Teriyaki and pineapple chicken

2011-04-22T11:52:00.000-07:00

Teriyaki and Pineapple Chicken

(recipe from allrecipes.com)
recipe image
Rated: rating
Submitted By: HEZZZ1223
Photo By: blahs4life
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 25 Minutes

Ready In: 40 Minutes
Servings: 8
"Bell peppers, pineapple, mushrooms, and chicken combine to make a hearty main dish that also tastes great as leftovers."
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken
breasts, cut into cubes
1 green bell pepper, sliced thin
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced thin
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
1 1/4 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

1 onion, chopped
1 cup teriyaki sauce
1 (8 ounce) can pineapple chunks,
undrained
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, 7 to 10 minutes.
2. Place the green bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, red bell pepper, mushrooms, onion, teriyaki sauce, pineapple chunks with the juice, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper into the wok, and turn the heat to medium. Bring to a simmer, stir in the flour, and continue simmering 15 minutes until thick.

I give this 4 stars. It was so yummy! we served it over rice,but you could have it in a pita too. i did make a few adjustments. i only put like 1/2tsp red pepper in and it was still a little hot, normally it would have been perfect temperature but for a nursing mom it was a little hotter than i would have liked. second i reduced the flour to like 1/8 of a cup or so, i just added it until it looked thick enough, but having it over rice i wanted the sauce a little thinner. and i left out the yellow pepper, but that's just cuz i didn't have one. and i did saute the vegi's but next time i will just do it like they said because they were a little overdone.

"Give me an orange, Julius!"

2011-04-18T19:21:00.001-07:00

That's how it all started back in 1926. Julius Reed had a succesful Orange Juice stand (shop?) in LA, but OJ made his friends tummy hurt, so his friend (who incidentally was also his real estate broker) figured out how to reduce the acidity in the juice, making the juice creamier, frothier, and better. Business quintupled overnight, and people would come and say "Give me an orange, Julius". And thus the Orange Julius was born, and the world is a better place because of it. I kind of forget about Orange Juiluses every once in a while, but Gwen has had a raging fever all day and we needed a treat for family night, so....ta da! There are approximately ten trillion different ways to make an Orange Julius, and here's one of them that's really tasty!

Orange Julius

1- 6oz can frozen orange juice concentrate (hint: orange juice concentrate comes in 12 oz cans, so double this recipe or only use half the can)

1 cup milk

1 cup water

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup sugar

10 to 20 ice cubes (I kind of like it heavy on the ice cubes)

Blend in blender and enjoy!

* I'd say if you are making it for four people to do the half recipe, any more than that do the full can of concentrate and double the remaining ingredients. Enjoy!

Feta Stuffed Turkey Burgers

2011-04-18T17:47:00.001-07:00

Feta Stuffed Turkey Burgers

Adapted from allrecipes.com

1 pound ground turkey
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced (I used 1/2 cup regular back olives)
1/8 cup pine nuts (or more, or if you don't have them- omit!)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
ground black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
1/8-1/4 cup vegetable or chicken broth (or in desperate times, olive juice from the can of olives)

1. Preheat the grill for medium high heat (or plug in ye olde George Foreman)
2. In a large bowl, combine turkey, feta cheese, olives, pine nuts, oregano, garlic, and pepper and liquid of choice. Mix together and form in to patties.
3. Lightly oil the grate (spray with pam), place patties on the grill. Cook for 10-12 minutes, turning halfway through.

I was going to make Tzitki to put on top of the patties but kind of forgot until too late in the game, so I topped with greek yogurt that I had added a little fresh basil to. Certainly sour cream would get the job done as well. I also served with my failed attempt at baked sweet potato fries.

And also I am waiting for an onslaught of salmonella because Ivy got her hands, and subsequently her mouth, into the uncooked turkey patties. Spring break so far has been epic. And not in a good way.

But these burgers, oh my! They were delicious! Certainly you could serve them on a bun, or just plain, or topped with the greek yogurt, or in a pita, the possibilities are endless!

Quick and Easy Chinese Dumpling Soup Recipe

2011-04-11T12:20:00.000-07:00

I recently went to a photography workshop, hosted by a dear friend who is an amazing photographer (it's practically a requirement for you to be a good photographer to be friends with me, just so you know). She served a really tasty lunch, including this soup. I harrassed her for over two weeks to get the recipe, and received it today - SCORE! Oh and don't assume that by saying I went to a photography workshop that now I take my own pictures of my food. Totally not true, Marisa got the recipe and I got the photo from soupchick.com : ) I can't wait to check out more recipes from there : ) I can't wait to make this again, tonight! She also served a really yummy salad with it too. I'll get that recipe too....if it's the last thing I do. Quick and Easy Dumpling Soup

4 cups chicken stock, homemade or low-sodium store bought (I like Swanson 99%) 1 slice fresh ginger root, 1/4-inch thick, peeled but left whole

2 scallions, sliced 1 Tbsp shao hsing wine (Chinese rice cooking wine) 2 Tbsp dark soy sauce Kosher salt and fresh black pepper, to taste 24 frozen Chinese dumplings with filling of your choice (do not defrost) Hoisin sauce for garnish (optional)

In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the chicken stock, ginger root, scallions, shao hsing wine and dark soy sauce. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Add frozen dumplings, and when the soup returns to the boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes. Divide evenly into serving bowls, and drizzle a bit of hoisin on the dumplings.

Summer Chicken Salad

2011-04-07T20:13:00.000-07:00

We made this for a big dinner the other night where we fed about 120 people. It doubles (and quadruples) easily and we got so many compliments. I think it might be my favorite salad. The box of European Salad Mix was from Costco. For real. So yummy. Try it.

Summer Chicken Salad:

1 Box European Salad Mix
2C Fresh Parmesan
2C Mozzarella
1LB cooked, crumbled bacon
3/4 C Almond slivers
6-8 Chicken Breasts cooked and sliced
2C Craisins
2 Diced Apples

Dressing:
1C Sugar
1/2C Red Wine Vinegar
1t Dry Mustard
1 1/2t salt
1/4C Red Onion Chopped
1C Oil
Combine in blender slowly adding oil

Put all salad ingredients in large bowl and mix well. Make dressing in blender. Pour over salad a little at a time and toss and serve immediately.

Chipotle Sweet Potato Corn Chowder

2011-03-24T21:15:00.000-07:00

* Photo and Recipe credit to Natalie at Perrysplate.com

Do you ever find yourself wondering what the point of my recipe blog is since I basically just repost recipes from perrysplate.com? Don't worry, you're not the only one. The thing is though, last year you probably thought the same thing when I posted a string of recipes from melskitchencafe. So though I go through stints, I sometimes switch things up and start following another recipe blog. So that's why. That and also that the Good Book lets us know that in the mouths of two or three witnesses all things shall be established. So...I like to add my witness to good recipes. Is that blasphemous?

We loved this soup! Probably one of my favorite soups ever. Cleaning up after it was not my favorite thing, however. I curse the frugality in me that will simply not let me buy an immersion blender. I curse even more the frugality in me that returned the immersion blender that was given to me at Christmas and used the money to buy underwear for Gwen. Sheesh. If that's not love, I don't know what is.

Chipotle Sweet Potato Corn Chowder

4 whole sweet potatoes, roasted and cubed
2- ½ cups corn, fresh or frozen
8 slices bacon (if you can resist the urge to use the whole package of bacon you are a stronger person than I)
1 cup leeks, sliced and rinsed well (I used shallots, certainly you could use any type of oniony thing you have on hand)
1 whole sweet onion ( I actually bought the sweet onion, impressed? )
2 tablespoons fresh thyme or 2 tsp dried (I only had like half a teaspoon, sad thymes!)
2 tablespoons fresh marjoram or 2 tsp dried
2 boxes chicken stock (32oz each), divided
2 whole chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, seeded and finely chopped(I'm not messin' around here, FINELY chop them or you will be sad because your mouth might burn off)
1- ½ cup heavy cream (used half and half)

Wrap sweet potatoes in aluminum foil and roast in the oven for about 45 minutes to an hour at 375 degrees F, until fork tender. Once soft, peel and cube.

Fry bacon in a dutch oven or other large heavy bottomed pot. Once crispy, remove and set aside, leaving the drippings in the pot. Add leeks, onion, corn, thyme and marjoram to the pot, stirring constantly until tender. Add cubed sweet potatoes, 1-1 1/2 boxes of chicken stock, and chipotle peppers; simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes. Using an immersion blender, blend 1/2-1/3 of the soup. (Or transfer to a blender and do the same. You'll want to leave some of the corn and potato cubes whole.)

Simmer chowder for another 10 minutes, then add heavy cream and combine well. If your chowder seems too thick, add more chicken stock and/or water to thin until you reach the desired consistency. Top with crumbled bacon. Tips: Serve with corn chips or a nice crusty french loaf.

* So here's the thing....I liked the amount of heat in this recipe. I really did. It was borderline too much heat for comfort in some bites (probably because I am too lazy to "finely chop" anything), so if you want your kids to eat it I might suggest only using one of those adobo peppers, and to rinse it quite thoroughly-- or pull out their soup before you add those peppers. Also, I didn't have leeks (the shame!) but I did have shallots and just cut one of those up. And I used a whole package of bacon (don't tell), but I drained some of the grease (bonus points for me!). I also substituted half and half for the cream with good results. And I was short on thyme, but it still turned out alright. (I also made lots of very witty thyme puns, but I'll spare you).

Enjoy! It really was good! I'll try to branch out and post a recipe from another source next. Maybe even one from an actual cookbook, that would be exhilarating!

Chicken and Roasted Broccoli Salad with Goat Cheese

2011-03-16T08:28:00.000-07:00

* Recipe and photo credit to Natalie @ perrysplate.com (again!)

I think Natalie and I are kindred spirits. She's like a healthier, more creative, more talented photgrapher, cuter dish owning version of myself. And basically what I mean by that is that I love her recipes and they use ingredients that I usually have on hand, plus she seems super nice. Anyway, we LOVED this. I didn't even call it a salad when I served it at my house. I served it as dinner. Blaine drooled over it, the kids actually enjoyed it. It was awesome.

I used the leftover goat cheese from this recipe. You really don't need much, and it is cheapest at Costco. I also used a yellow pepper because that is what I had on hand (random, right?). Oh also, I used a Costco rotisserie chicken because that's how I roll.

Chicken and Roasted Broccoli with Goat Cheese

For the roasted broccoli and pepper:
1 large head of broccoli (about 1 3/4 lbs), cut into 1-2 inch florets
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1/4 c olive oil
1/2 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
pepper to taste

For the rest of the salad:
4 T olive oil
6 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
a couple pinches of crushed red pepper flakes
pinch of dried oregano
juice from 1/2 a lemon (about 2 T), plus additional lemon wedges for garnish
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
3-4 ounces of goat cheese, crumbled

To prepare the broccoli:
Heat oven to 500 degrees and place a sturdy baking sheet on the lowest rack. Place broccoli florets and peppers slices in a large bowl and toss with olive oil, sugar, salt and pepper.

Working quickly, remove baking sheet from the oven and spread broccoli and peppers into an even layer, placing the florets cut-side down when possible. Return to bottom rack of the oven and roast 10-12 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked through and there are caramelized spots scattered throughout. Be sure not to cook until the tips of the florets turn black.

To prepare the rest of the salad:
Heat 2 T olive oil, sliced garlic, and pepper flakes in a small skillet over med-low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is soft and begins to turn golden brown, about 5-7 minutes. Add chicken to the skillet and cook until heated through, about 3-5 minutes. Remove chicken-garlic mixture from heat; stir in oregano and lemon juice.

Toss roasted vegetables with the chicken-garlic mixture and an additional 2 T of olive oil in a large salad bowl. Gently fold in the goat cheese crumbles and serve immediately with lemon wedges.

Sweet Potato Foil Packet Tacos

2011-03-16T08:19:00.000-07:00

* Photo and Recipe Credit to Natalie@ perrysplate.com

These were so fun! Blaine turned up his nose as I was preparing them thinking they were sloppy joes or hobo dinners. Then he couldn't stop "ooooo"ing and "ahhhhhh"ing. He loved them! They were really easy to make and very tasty indeed! I doubled the meat (and beans, tomato sauce, and taco seasoning) in the recipe, because Heaven knows that a half a pound of ground beef would simply never do in this house.

Sweet Potato Foil Packet Tacos

1/2 lb ground beef or turkey
2-3 T taco seasoning
1/2 cup tomato sauce (4 ounces)
1 can black, kidney, or pinto beans, drained
2-3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 6 cups total)
2 T butter
salt
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh spinach
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream, salsa, and/or guacamole for garnish
6 12-inch long pieces of aluminum foil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Brown ground meat in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in taco seasoning, tomato sauce, and beans. Set aside.

To assemble packets, spray the foil with non-stick spray. Place 1 cup sweet potato cubes in the center of each piece. Top with a small piece of butter (about 1 tsp) and a pinch or two of salt. Sprinkle some chopped spinach over the sweet potatoes, followed by about 1/3 cup of taco meat and sprinkle of cheese. Fold the sides in, then bring the top and bottom ends of the foil together in the center and fold, sealing the packet.

Repeat with remaining ingredients, placing the packets on a rimmed cookie sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the sweet potatoes are tender.

Serve with sour cream, salsa, and/or guacamole.

Makes 6 servings.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

2011-03-08T19:17:00.000-08:00

*Recipe and Photo Credit to wearenotmartha.com

Remember how much I love Bountiful Baskets? Well, I kind of got tired of them for a while. Not that I am opposed to fresh fruits and veggies at a discount, it's more like I really wanted to be able to choose my food for a while. I do love the bread though so I've been ordering a basket about once a month and add 40 loaves of bread to my freezer (I think the BB people call me the "bread lady"). Anyway, BB totally bit me in the behind last week. I had gone shopping in the week and bought acorn squash, potatoes, and spinach and then when I picked up my basket...you guessed it MORE acorn squash, MORE potatoes, and MORE spinach. It's like they are mind readers. Anywho, I needed some new ideas for how to prepare acorn squash, since I am now the proud owner of about eight of them.

I simply googled "stuffed acorn squash" and found a recipe that looked good, prepared it, and it knocked my socks off! It was a perfect meal and I felt super healthy eating it, in fact, I feel inspired to create a "healthy" category for the sidebar there, just for this post (lookin' at you Ang).

Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash

1 acorn squash
• 1 T butter
• 1 C quinoa
• 2 C chicken/veggie stock or broth (reduced sodium)
• 1 T extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped finely
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 habanero peppers, chopped finely (remove seeds for less heat)
• 1/2 C mushrooms, chopped
• 2 C spinach, uncooked
• 1/2 feta, crumbled
• 1 T parsley, chopped
• 1 T fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375dgs, slice acorn squash in half.

Once sliced (albeit perhaps unevenly), scoop out all the seedsSprinkle with a little bit of salt and pepper and put 1/2 T butter in each squash half.

Place on a baking tray and roast at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes. Make sure squash is tender to the fork upon removal (otherwise, stick it back in the oven for a few more minutes)In the meantime, start cooking your quinoa, according to directions. You can use water, but I find chicken stock/broth to be a bit more flavorful. I generally try to get low-sodium, so I can control levels of salt. And, of course, use vegetable broth if you want to keep this dish vegetarian-friendlyWhile the quinoa is cooking and the squash is roasting, pour your extra virgin olive oil into a skillet over medium heat. Sauté mushrooms, onion, garlic, and habaneros until they’re slightly browned, about 7-10 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper to taste and squeeze lemon juice over.Now, turn heat to low and add the cooked quinoa to the veggie mixture. Throw in 2 cups of spinach and stir to combine and wilt spinach a bit.

Add in feta cheese and parsley here, as well. Save a little of each for topping, if you want.

Your acorn squash should be looking beautiful by now.

Spoon quinoa mixture into acorn squash halves and top with a little extra feta. And parsley too, if you desire.

Absolutely delicious! And completely vegetarian! I doubled the recipe and was very glad that I did and I served it with this salad, which I dumped bacon bits on (the real kind from Costco), obliterating the vegetarianness of the meal : ) Also, I didn't have habenero peppers but I did have some jalepeno slices (the kind you put on nachos) and chopped a couple of those to put in and what I learned was you definitely want something to give the dish some heat and the jalepeno slices worked great, just work with what you've got. Also, I hope you know that whenever a recipe calls for fresh squeezed lemon juice I squeeze it fresh from the bottle. Now if it calls for zest, that's another story....

Enjoy!

Spinach Panini

2011-02-13T20:31:00.000-08:00

I've kind of become obsessed with the Sonoma Diet. Not obsessed to the point where I am actually participating in the Sonoma Diet, more just to the point where I check out cookbooks with Sonoma Diet recipes and drool on them. Because, how can you not love a cookbook that strives to have olive oil, feta cheese, purple onions and spinach in every recipe. Those are some of my most favorite things.

Anyway, turns out I had most of the ingredients for one of the recipes tonight so I made it, and it was a thousand million times better tasting than I even thought it would be.

I've been wondering lately why I am not a professional recipe blogger, and I've nailed it down to three reasons. 1 - I never take pictures of the food I make and if I do - - it ain't pretty 2- I am not consistent, at all. And finally 3- I simply pilfer recipes off of other recipe blogs, I do not invent recipes, or even get them from cookbooks. Just directly copy other recipe blogs therefore making a recipe blog created by me completely unnecessary.

Anyway, that being said, I did pilfer the image. Photo credit to this completely random website.
My Spinach panini sandwich didn't really look that much like that (but the picture in the recipe book did). But I do get points because this recipe did come from a cookbook and not another recipe blog, so I'm taking drastic strides to becoming a money making recipe blogger. Baby steps.

This was delicious and took approximately two minutes to make.

Spinach Panini
From: The Sonoma Diet Cookbook

Nonstick olive oil cooking spray
4 6-inch whole wheat hoagie rolls, split; 8 slices whole wheat bread; or 2 whole wheat pita bread rounds, halved crosswise and split horizontally.( I opted for the wheat bread option)
4 cups fresh baby spinach leaves (one product I strongly recommend buying at Costco)
8 thin tomato slices (1 medium tomato)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 Tablespoons shredded fresh basil leaves (I wish I could keep a basil plant alive)
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

* Lightly coat an unheated panini griddle, covered indoor electric grill, or large nonstick skillet with cooking spray.
* Place your carb of choice on a work surface, divide half of the spinach leaves among said carb of choice. Top with spinach and tomato, sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and pepper. Add red onion slices and basil. Top with feta and remaining spinach. Top with other piece of bread or pita or whatever carb you chose.
* Preheat griddle and put the sandwiches on. Grill 2-3 minutes until bread is toasted.

Eat. Feel happy and healthy. Try to not remember that you ate a whole chocolate chip cookie pie by yourself the day before.

PS Happy 8 year anniversary to me tomorrow. We made it through the seven year wanderlust. Barely. Whew.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

2011-02-12T19:09:00.000-08:00

Recipe and Photo from: Ourbestbites.com

It's a cookie! It's a pie! It's COOKIE PIE!

And I don't think I have ever had a dessert that was so well received and yet so easy to make. Slap a scoop of vanilla ice cream on this baby and you are golden!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie
Recipe from Nestle

1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust, homemade or store-bought.
2 large eggs
1/2 C flour
1/2 C white granulated sugar
1/2 C packed brown sugar
3/4 C real butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks)
1 C chocolate chips (semi-sweet or dark works best, you might find milk too sweet)
1 C chopped pecans (you are welcome to make it without nuts)

Vanilla ice cream, or sweetened whipped cream for serving (a must! I prefer ice cream)

optional: chocolate sauce (honestly, doesn't really need chocolate sauce, but it looks pretty!)

Preheat oven to 325° F.

Beat eggs in large mixer bowl on high speed until foamy. Beat in flour, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat in butter. Stir in morsels and nuts. Spoon into pie shell.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between edge and center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack or serve slightly warmed. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

PS I am considering going sugar free for a month starting on February 15th (Valentines Day is also my anniversary there's no way I am going sugar free starting today). So, um, wish me well because I will miss things like this....but I am determined to go to a tropical island sometime in the next year and I want to be able to not have love handles when I do. So....you gotta do what you gotta do.

Potato Soup

2011-02-10T22:05:00.000-08:00

No way is this healthy, but it is SO yummy!

Cook and thicken:

1 1/2 sticks butter

6 TBSP flour

2 cups half and half

Then add the following and cook on med heat until cheese melts and soup is hot:

4 cups water

4 chicken bouillon cubes

8 oz Velveeta cheese

6 medium potatoes, cooked and cubed

Serve with toppings like sr. cream, green onion, bacon, shredded carrots, salt and pepper.

Crockpot Italian Beef

2011-02-05T10:20:00.000-08:00

This is Mike's new favorite dinner.

Mix in crockpot:
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley
1 large clove of garlic, smashed
1 c water

Place on mixture 3 pound roast.

Cook on high all day, or until meat is tender. Turn it over a couple of times during the day. Shred the meat and let it simmer in the juice for a while. Serve on buns, italian bread, or hard rolls.

Spinach and Swiss Salad

2011-02-04T13:53:00.000-08:00

Another great salad recipe, because I care!

One of the girls in my new defunct dinner swap group brought this one, one of the best salads ever!

1 large head iceberg or romaine lettuce, torn
1 (10oz) bag fresh spinach, torn
1/2 red onion, chopped
3/4 cup sliced mushrooms, optional
3/4 cup grated swiss cheese
1/2 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled, NOT OPTIONAL : )
1 cup cottage cheese, drain off liquid in small colander
croutons

Dressing
1 C sugar
1 t salt
2/3 C Apple Cider Vinegar
2 C vegetable oil
1 Tbs poppy seeds

Try not to think about how much sugar and oil is in the dressing, I promise you will be happier :)

Delish Coconut Bars

2011-02-01T15:54:00.001-08:00

We had these at Book Club the other night and they were so delish. I couldn't stop eating them. Luckily I can blame my gluttony on my pregnant belly :)

Gooey Coconut Bars

1 box French Vanilla cake mix (I just used white cake mix)

2 eggs

1 stick butter or margarine, melted

8 oz cream cheese, softened

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

1 box (1 lb) powdered sugar

1 1/2 cups coconut

Heat oven to 375. Spray a 13x9 pan.

Mix first three ingredients and press into bottom and 1 inch up sides of pan.

Mix next 6 ingredients and pour over crust.

Bake for 40-45 min, or until golden brown on top.

Cool completely, then cut into small squares.

From Rachel

Chicken Cordon Bleu and a Revolutionary Idea which will CHANGE your life

2011-01-20T19:54:00.000-08:00

*Photo and recipe from melskitchencafe.com

I love bread, and I love bowls, but put the two together and I am usually disappointed. I feel like I eat my soup and then just have a big soggy disgusting waste of a mess at the end . And I don't know why this trick never occurred to me before (because I use the trick with other things), but toasting the suckers turned them from a disgusting mess to a toasty delicious, amaaaaazing thing. So the next time you are making bread bowls for soup, or for anything, might I suggest toasting them for 5 minutes in a 400 dg oven, you'll be so happy.

And you will also be happy if you do something similar to your taco shells. Blaine taught me that a long time ago, an untoasted taco shell is like eating a flat corn flavored rock, but a toasted crispy taco shell...nothing better! Just don't let them burn....like we often do. They reek to high heaven if they burn. Just sit there and watch them toast in the oven for like 45 seconds.

Moving on....these were divine! I loved them! Not much more to say than that!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Bread Bowls

Printable Version with Picture
Printable Version

*Note: if you don’t have apple juice on hand, you can omit the apple juice and increase the chicken broth to 1 3/4 cups.

*Serves 4-6

For the Chicken and Sauce:
4 tablespoons butter
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts cubed (about 2-3 chicken breasts)
1/2 cup minced yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, finely minced (I got a garlic press for Christmas!!! !!!!!)
2 tablespoons flour
½ cup apple juice(we only had cider...but pretty much the same thing, right?)
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream (I used half and half)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2-3 cups broccoli florets
Salt and cayenne pepper to taste (I used chili powder)

To Assemble:
4-6 medium round regular or sourdough bread bowls
8-10 thin slices smoked ham
1 cup grated Swiss cheese (I didn't have that much, but oh how I wish I did!)
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and lightly coat the foil with cooking spray.

Place the broccoli florets in a microwave-safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a tight fitting microwave-safe lid. Microwave on high for 3-4 minutes until tender but still bright green. Remove the plastic wrap and set aside.

In a 10- or 12-inch skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chicken and saute until the chicken begins to brown but isn’t cooked all the way through, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in the onions and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened (when chicken is still slightly pink), about 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the chicken/onion mixture and stir to incorporate. Cook, stirring, constantly for one minute.

Gradually add the chicken broth and apple juice, stirring constantly to avoid any clumps from forming. Stir in the cream, Parmesan cheese, mustard and thyme. Simmer for about 5-6 minutes, until the mixture is thickened and bubbly. Stir in the broccoli; season with salt and cayenne pepper to taste. Remove from heat.

Hollow out the inside of the bread bowls by cutting off the tops and tearing out the insides. I like to leave about a 1/4-inch edge along all sides of the bread bowl. Compress the remaining bread together to firm up the sides and make room for the filling. Place the bread bowls on the prepared baking sheet and toast them for about 5 minutes in the preheated oven.

Remove the toasted loaves from the oven and arrange the ham slices in the bottom of each loaf. Using a slotted spoon, divide chicken mixture evenly between loaves, reserving about 1-2 cups sauce in the pan for serving. Top the chicken mixture in each loaf with shredded Swiss and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

Bake the bread bowls until the cheese melts, about 10-15 minutes. Serve each bread bowl with reserved cream sauce.

Hot Artichoke Dip

2011-01-20T19:45:00.001-08:00

No those are not my purple fingernails : ) A big thanks to Connie427 at www.food.com for the picture .... it's not even a picture of the same recipe, but close enough to give you the idea. I really need to bust out the camera some more.

This recipe has been in the Bassett family for longer than I have, Blaine's mom serves it at parties and it's always a hit. I made a feeble attempt to have a party yesterday (thank you four friends who came!), and this was the first and only dish to disappear.

Hot Artichoke Dip

1 6oz jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped (or a big ol' handful of artichoke hearts from the big ol 24 oz jar you got at Costco....!)
1/2 C Parmesan Cheese
1/2 C Sour Cream
1/2 C Mayo
1 T diced pimentos (by the olives usually in an itttttty bitty jar)

Combine, heat covered 30-60 minutes in crockpot or low oven till hot. Serve with tortilla chips or crusty bread

Sweet and Sour Chicken

2011-01-17T17:01:00.001-08:00

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

take 2 lbs of chicken ( i usually do 2 large chicken breasts, or 3 small breasts)

Cut chicken into bite size pieces, dip in beaten egg and then coat in cornstarch on all sides. Fry in small amount of oil until brown, Sprinkle garlic salt on both sides while cooking.

SAUCE

3/4 cup Sugar
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup wine vinegar ( i do half white wine and half red wine, i also found out substituting it with other types of vinegar is really gross so make sure it is wine vinegar)
3 Tbs Ketchup
1 Tbs Soy Sauce
1 tsp accent
1/2 tsp salt

Stir all ingredients for sauce together and heat in a saucepan. Put chicken in a 9x13 pan. Pour sauce over the top coating chicken. Bake for 50 min, stirring chicken halfway through.
Serve with White rice.

Pasta in tomato cream sauce

2011-01-17T16:41:00.000-08:00

8 oz penne pasta
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatos with garlic and onion
1/2 cup fresh basil
3/4 cup half and half
1/3 cup fresh parmesan cheese

Cook pasta and keep warm.
Cook tomatoes over medium-high heat until thickened, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat, add basil and cream. Heat through. DO NOT BOIL. Toss with pasta and cheese. Serve immediately.

Another EASY dinner. Could add spinach or mushrooms or whatever.

Fusili with spinach and asiago cheese

2011-01-17T16:37:00.000-08:00

This dinner was super tasty and came together in less than 20 minutes. I served it with some grilled chicken breast, but you don't really need the meat.

1 lb fusili pasta (looks just like rotini)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
9 oz fresh spinach, roughly chopped
1 cup grated asiago cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (fresh is best)
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper

Cook pasta until tender. Drain and reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water.
Warm olive oil over med-high heat. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes. Add spinach and cook till it wilts. Add pasta and toss. Add cheeses, salt, pepper, and pasta cooking liquid and stir to combine. (I would actually hold off adding the cheese until you've added the water because it kind of melted together. But it was still really good.)

Stuffed Chicken Parmesan

2011-01-17T16:26:00.000-08:00

This is the best thing I've ever made. Ever.
And it was pretty easy, looked beautiful when it was done like in the picture. You'll love it.

Prep Time 30 MinutesCook Time 30 MinutesDifficulty EasyServings System US MetricUpdate

Ingredients•6 pieces Small, Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

•8 ounces, weight Chive And Onion Cream Cheese - Softened

•10 ounces, weight Package Frozen, Chopped Spinach: Thawed And Drained

•½ teaspoons Garlic Salt

•1-½ cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, Divided

•6 Tablespoons Grated Parmesan Cheese, Divided

•1 whole Egg

•¾ cups Italian-Seasoned Bread/Cracker Crumbs

•1 jar Favorite Pasta Sauce (about 2 Cups)

Preparation Instructions

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2) Place chicken breast between two sheets of cling wrap. Pound chicken evenly all over until about 1/4 inch thick.
3) Mix cream cheese, spinach, garlic salt,1 cup mozzarella and 3 Tablespoons of Parmesan until well blended; spread onto chicken breasts. Starting at one short end of each breast, roll up chicken tightly. Secure with wooden toothpicks, if desired. Set aside.
4) Beat egg in a shallow dish. Mix remaining Parmesan and bread crumbs in a separate shallow dish. Dip chicken bundles in egg, then roll in crumb mixture. Place, seam-sides down, in 13×9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.
5) Bake 30-35 minutes. Remove and discard toothpicks, if using. Serve topped with pasta sauce and remaining mozzarella.

Putting the chicken between the Saran wrap before pounding it is the best idea ever. No mess! Also, if you don't have a meat tenderizer, you can use the heavy part of an ice cream scoop.
I didn't have breadcrumbs, so I just mixed up some old crackers my kids didn't like in the food processor and they worked great.

Oreo Truffles

2011-01-17T06:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday at about 2PM Blaine informed me that he was in charge of taking dessert to a church meeting for about 40 people. Extra awesome was the fact that I had been at the store the day before and bought ingredients for delicious Andes Mint Cookies to take to a dinner party I was going to, but I didn't have enough to make the cookies for that many people. Compound this with the fact that we don't shop on Sundays. Luckily the day before I had also picked up a package or oreos to try a new dessert, oreo truffles. So we decided to make those for the church function since they seemed quick and easy. And they were quick and easy, and though I wasn't at the meeting, Blaine says they were very well received! I tried some when he got home and yep, they were delicious! This would be something that it would be easy to keep the ingredients on hand for, in case your husband springs a fun surprise on you like mine did on me yesterday : )

Ingredients
recipe from: sotastytoo.blogspot.com

1 pkg. Oreos
8 oz. cream cheese
melting chocolates (or chocolate chips)

Crush the Oreos pretty fine and save 1/3 or so out of the bowl.
Soften the cream cheese and mix the two together until they form an ugly dough.
Roll them into balls and put them in the fridge for 30 minutes or so.
Melt a bag of melting chocolates (or chocolate chips, but I find the melting chips so much easier to use and you can do pretty colors!) - I used almond bark
Roll the balls in the choc. and top with a few of the leftover Oreo crumbs and then put them in the *fridge until ready to serve.

Grilled Garlic Shrimp with Quinoa, Nuts and Raisins (if you want)

2011-01-06T23:19:00.000-08:00

*Photo and Recipe from www.perrysplate.com

It's 12:20AM and apparently I will be blogging in bold because despite the fact that I disabled the bold feature, it is still being bold and I have not the patience nor the brain capacity right now to fix it : )

But---- this was really easy and really delicious! You'll love it, and it marks my second recipe that I know to use quinoa for, and everybody raves about the first one, so....you pretty much can't go wrong with the quinoa : ) Or shrimp for that matter.

Enjoy!

Quinoa with Garlic, Nuts, & Raisins
adapted from Food Network Magazine Apr 2010 (Ellie Krieger)

1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or water
1/4 cup nuts (pinenuts or chopped walnuts/pecans recommended)
2 T preferred cooking oil (grapeseed or coconut)
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/3 cup fresh parsley or cilantro
1/4 cup raisins or dried cranberries
1 T fresh lemon juice
pinch of salt and pepper (to taste)

Place the quinoa in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until toasted, about 2 minutes. Add chicken broth (or water) and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until the liquid is absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, toast the nuts in a skillet over medium-high heat, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes; transfer to a plate. Add the oil and garlic to the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer the garlic to the plate, reserving the oil.

Fluff the quinoa with a fork. Add the pine nuts, garlic, reserved oil, parsley, raisins and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and toss.

Serves 3-4.

Grilled Garlic Shrimp
from Perrys' Plate

1 lb large, uncooked shrimp, shelled and deveined
4 T butter, melted
2 cloves garlic, minced
pinch Kosher salt
metal or wooden skewers

Combine melted butter and garlic in a small bowl. Let it sit while you prepare the shrimp.

Preheat BBQ grill or stove-top grill pan to medium-high heat.

Rinse shrimp, pat dry, and place on skewers, piercing each shrimp in two places to keep them from moving around too much. Sprinkle shrimp with a pinch or so of salt, then brush the garlic-butter on one side. Place skewers on the grill, butter-side-down. Brush the other sides with remaining garlic-butter. Cook for about 2-3 minutes or until the shrimp are mostly pink. Flip and cook another 2-3 minutes until fully cooked and pink. Don't overcook them or they'll turn rubbery

* I just sauteed my shrimp in a pan with butter and garlic, and I omitted the raisins because ewwww! Bleck, craisins maybe would be good- but this was plenty good without adding toddler fodder into the mix. And I used olive oil. Enjoy!

Spinach Artichoke Dip

2011-01-05T13:27:00.000-08:00

• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach - thawed, drained and squeezed dry
• 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 7x11 inch baking dish.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth. Mix in the artichoke hearts, spinach and Parmesan cheese. Season with garlic and lemon juice. Spread evenly into the prepared baking dish.
3. Bake covered for 20 minutes. Remove the cover, and let the dish bake uncovered for 5 more minutes, or until the surface is lightly browned.

I served this with tortilla chips.

Greek Seven Layer Dip

2010-12-31T07:52:00.000-08:00

Picture and recipe from www.ourbestbites.com

Made this yummy appetizer yesterday, loved it! And the best news is that you can print a coupon out for hummus and get it free at Smith's! Woot. Hey maybe there is a market for a recipe blog that is also a deal blog...hmmm. Anyway, this is a fun twist on seven layer dip, and supposedly it is better for you than refried beans, sour cream, and cheese : )

1 8oz package cream cheese, softened ( I used low-fat)

1 tsp dill weed or Greek Seasoning (salt free) - I just used the dill

3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

2 tsp lemon juice

1 1/2 C hummus (really easy to make yourself if you don't want to buy it)

1 c seeded, diced cucumbers

1 c seeded, diced tomatoes

1/2 c chopped Kalamata olives

1/3 c chopped green onions

1/2 c crumbled feta cheese (oh. my. gosh. I totally forgot to put this in mine. That is so lame)

1/8 c minced fresh parsley

With an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese, seasoning, garlic and lemon juice until light and fluffy. Spread in the bottom of a pie plate or a small, shallow baking dish. Then spread a layer of hummus. In order, create layers by sprinkling the cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, onions, Feta, and parsley. Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least two hours. Serve with pita chips, fresh veggies, and/or flatbread.

I have to admit I just shed a tear typing this recipe and realizing I forgot to add feta. So lame. Everyone loved this dip! I was afraid the flavors would be too bold for some, but it got an enthusiastic thumbs up from all! Also, I bought the kalamata olives at an olive bar in the grocery store and five minutes after I put them, in their fancy container (clearly marked $8/lb) Blaine called in from the other room "hey! You weren't saving those olives for anything were you?". He was totally feeding them to our children. Apparently he thinks it is normal for me to buy fancy olives in fancy containers to feed to the riffraff who would probably prefer cheez-its. Sigh. So clearly mark your olives ladies and gents. Maybe lock them up.

And don't forget the feta. Ugh!

Happy New Years!

Bread Dip

2010-12-31T07:48:00.001-08:00

Every once in a while when I feel like I am getting too skinny for my own good (haaaahahahahaha) I put some olive oil and salt in a dish and dip bread in it, it's so good! Yesterday though I wanted to ramp up the compexity of my simple little dip. I stumbled across this recipe and I loved it! I couldn't take a picture of it without it looking really weird, so I used the recipe from allrecipes, which also looks kind of weird : )

Enjoy

Olive Oil Bread dip

1/4 cup olive oil
5 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon crushed dried oregano
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
1.Pour the olive oil onto a salad plate. Use a garlic press to press the garlic cloves onto five different spots on the plate. Drizzle the balsamic vinegar over the oil and garlic. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and oregano. Season with black pepper.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancakes

2010-12-22T14:56:00.000-08:00

We're on this kick at our house to eat a real breakfast most days. This was a yummy one I found through allrecipes.com

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup quick cooking oats

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 egg, beaten

3/4 cup canned pumpkin

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1.Stir together flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate large bowl, lightly beat together the milk, egg, pumpkin, and oil. Stir flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture, blending just until moistened. (the reviews said to let this sit for 15 minutes for the oats to moisten up. I did and they turned out perfect.)

2.Heat a lightly greased griddle over medium high heat.

3.Pour batter, 1/3 cup at a time, onto the prepared griddle. Make a jack-o-lantern face in each pancake with the chocolate chips. (I didn't make jack o lantern faces. I just added the chocolate chips in the batter right before I cooked them.) Cook until bubbles appear on the surface, then flip and cook until golden brown on the other side, about 5 minutes per side.

My New Favorite Healthy Eating Cookbook

2010-12-19T08:20:00.000-08:00

My sister introduced this to me. She was ailing (not from cancer), with no appetite - until someone made her something from this cookbook. Every recipe I've tried so far has, like she experienced, been chocker-block full of flavor.

Here is one mmmm recipe I made last week:

Chicken Vegetable Soup with Ginger Meatballs
Serves 4

MEATBALLS:
1 pound ground organic dark-meat turkey or chicken (I used regular ground turkey and it was fine)
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 tsp sea salt
Pinch of cayenne
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup uncooked white basmati or jasmine rice

SOUP:
2 TBS extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced small
Sea salt
1 large carrot, peeled and diced small
1 large celery stalk, diced small
2 cloves garlic, mined
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
8 cups Chicken magic Mineral Broth (page 55) - or store-bought organic chicken broth
1/2 cup fresh or frozen sweet peas
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
1 lime, cut into quarters, for garnish

To make the meatballs:
Line a sheet pan with wax paper. Combine the turkey, ginger, garlic, parsley, salt, cayenne, egg, and rice in a bowl and mix with your hands or a spatula until well combined. Don't overwork the mixture or the meatballs will be tough.

Wet the palms of your hands so the mixture doesn't stick, roll it into 1-inch balls, and place them on the prepared pan.

To make the soup:
Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat, then add the onion and a pinch of salt and saute until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the carrot, celery, garlic, ginger, and 1/4 tsp of salt and continue sauteing for about 3 minutes.

Pour in 1/2 cup of the broth to deglaze the pot and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the remaining 7 1/2 cups broth and another 1/4 tsp of salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to maintain a vigorous simmer, then gently transfer half of the meatballs into the simmering broth. (Refrigerate or freeze the remainder to use later.) Cover and allow the meatballs to simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the peas and cook for 3 minutes more, then stir int he parsley and basil. Serve each bowl garnished with a wedge of lime.

Variation: If you aren't a pea person, use this recipe as an opportunity to get some dark leafy greens into your life. Simply replace the peas with 1 cup of baby spinach leaves.

Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook time: 35 minutes
Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months

Per Serving: Calories: 210; Total Fat: 7 g; Carbs: 23g; Protein: 15g; Fiber: 3 g; Sodium: 380mg

Balsamic Chicken Pasta with Fresh Cheese - repost

2010-12-15T13:22:00.000-08:00

*picture and recipe credit once again to Perrys Plate

Kayla posted this recipe in October and I kept meaning to get to it but, let's be honest, I have a thing about goat cheese. Finally though I just sucked it up and made it and Oh. My. It was so delicious. Blaine came home from work yesterday and said, "I know I had it for dinner yesterday and lunch today but I am kind of disappointed that you aren't making that pasta again for dinner tonight."

For reals.

Anyway, I wanted to do crazy things like add mushrooms to it but I was scared to do that on the first go around. But since my husband now craves this daily I'll get to that real soon for sure : )

Balsamic Chicken Pasta with Fresh Cheese
from: Kayla and Perrys Plate

8 oz Linguine (I used fettuccine)
1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Julienned
2 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar
3 whol Garlic Cloves, Minced
1/2 t Salt
1/4 t Coarsely Ground Black Pepper
6 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 C Fresh Basil Leaves, Thinly Sliced, Divided (I can guarantee I didn't have a whole cup and therefore I did not divide them, I just mixed all in with the dressing, I am sure the pasta would only be better with more basil, but don't sweat it if your tiny (yet very expensive) package of basil doesn't make a whole cup)
2 cups Shredded, Cooked Chicken (I cooked mine on the george foreman with salt and pepper, you could easily omit the chicken though and still have an awesome dish!)
1 cup Small Fresh Mozzarella Balls, Haved OR Regular Mozzarella Cut into 3/4 inch cubes (is it just me or are mozzarella balls gross? I used a brick-- way happy with the result)
1/2 C Goat Cheese Crumbles- I bet I used less than this, just because I had a tiny taste of the goat cheese before I put it in the pasta and about yacked. I am not sure what magical thing happens to the cheese when you toss it around with all of these other ingredients, but all of the sudden it not only becomes tolerable but very, very, VERY good.

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain. Saute bell pepper in a small skillet over medium heat until limp, about 10 minutes (or half that in my case)

Meanwhile, whisk vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl; slowly whisk in oil. Stir in 1/2 C of basil

Place pasta, chicken, cooked peppers, mozzarella, goat cheese, and remianing basil in a large bowl. Pour dressing over top and toss to coat.

Serves 4.

Parmesan-Garlic Tilapia Sticks

2010-12-13T15:14:00.000-08:00

Photo and Recipe from www.perrysplate.com

So I didn't tell my kids that these were fish, and I am pretty sure they thought it was chicken, but regardless, they loved it! I made these on a night when I was going to be gone for dinner but Blaine was going to be home with the kids and they were a major hit.

I don't know why no one has told me about panko bread crumbs before, but they are awesome. It's kind of like getting to eat fried food without actually frying it. They cost slightly more than regular bread crumbs but give the food a completely different taste/texture. I can't wait to try them again

Parmesan-Garlic Tilapia Sticks
by Natalie @ Perrysplate.com

1 lb tilapia or any other firm, white fish such as cod
1 egg
1/4 C buttermilk (we used regular milk and it was fine)
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
A couple big pinches of salt and pepper
Dipping sauce - Natalie suggested marinara, we used ranch, certainly you could make up your own dipping sauce. Whatever tickles your fancy.

Preheat oven to 425 dgs. Cut fish into 1/2-inch strips and sprinkle a little salt on both sides.

In a small shallow bowl whisk together the egg, buttermilk and pressed garlic. In another shallow bowl combine the bread crumbs, cheese, and a big pinch of salt and pepper.

Dip the fish sticks into the wet mixture, letting the excess liquid drip off, then coat in braed crumb mixture. Lay on a baking sheet and repeat with remaining fish sticks. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. If you want them golden brown, broil them for the last minute of baking time.

Serve with sauce of your choice

Makes 3-4 servings

Linguine with Clam Sauce

2010-12-06T07:15:00.000-08:00

What a perfect way to break a fast, we loved this fast, easy and very tasty pasta!

Recipe and Photo from: Annie's Eats

Linguine with Clam Sauce

12 oz linguine pasta
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp unsalted butter
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 (6.5 oz) cans minced clams, juices reserved
1/2 c heavy cream (or half and half)
Salt and pepper
Grated Parmesan, for serving

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta according to the package directions until al dente. Drain will

Meanwhile, in a large skillet or saucepan, heat the olive oil and butter over medium high heat until the butter is completely melted. Add the garlic to the pan and saute until golden and fragrant, about one minute. Add the reserved clam juice to the pain, bring to a simmer, and reduce by about half. With the heat on medium-low, stir in the clams and the heavy cream. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

Portion the pasta into warmed serving bowls. Spoon some of the sauce over the pasta and top with grated Parmesan, if desired. Serve immediately.

A few notes from me :

I sauteed some mushrooms in a little butter and oilve oil and added on top of the pasta as well, yum.

Also what I loved about this recipe was that you could actually do the sauce prep while the pasta was cooking. Usually I have to prepare sauces before hand, but truly you can make the sauce in the 9 minutes it takes to cook the pasta

Also though....if you cook the pasta and have a little bit of work left to do with the sauce (I decided last minute about the mushrooms) and you strain the pasta and put the strainer so it is hanging on the top of the pot and you put the pot back on the stove. Well. Just make sure that you turned the burner off. Yeah my strainer totally melted all over my pan. On the bright side I now have a stock pot/strainer combo, with a nice side of melted plastic carcinogens. Sigh.

Chicken Enchiladas

2010-12-02T16:15:00.000-08:00

Photo: allrecipes.com

1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
10 (8 inch) flour tortillas
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 cup sour cream
3 cups cubed cooked chicken
3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
1 (14.5 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup sliced ripe olives
1 small can diced green chilies
Shredded lettuce

Directions
1.Spread about 2 tablespoons of beans on each tortilla. Combine soup and sour cream; stir in chicken. Spoon 1/3 to 1/2 cup down the center of each tortilla; top with 1 tablespoon cheese. Roll up and place seam side down in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Pour enchilada sauce over top; sprinkle with onions, olives and remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes or until heated through. Just before serving, sprinkle lettuce around enchiladas if desired.
.

Grilled Malibu Chicken

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

*Picture credit to Perrys' Plate!

Sad times at the Bassett house in June when we moved to our new place, we tried to have some family over for a bbq and it turned out that wrapping our grill in plastic wrap, shipping it across the country and then keeping it stored for a year somehow broke it. It was a sad, lonely, bbqless summer. The good news is that you get to know your neighbors real fast when on your second day living in your new place you have to go door to door with a plateful of raw meat asking to borrow a grill. Oh yeah, that's how friends are made.

Anyway, I've learned to work with my George Foreman and I have one of these on my Christmas list, so hopefully the sob story won't continue much longer.

I made this Malibu Chicken from Perrys' Plate on Sunday, it was delicious, mmmmm. Perfect easy meal.

PS I hope you appreciate the recipes I put on here, because somehow copy and paste is disabled on our computer so I painstakingly retype each recipe, by hand, for you.

Grilled Mailbu Chicken
From Perrys Plate via Patio Dadio BBQ via Tasty Kitchen...please someone repost this on their blog so I can be added to the geneology of the recipe.

6 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
2 T Montreal Steak Seasoning, or BBQ seasoning
12 slices deli thin ham (thin)
6 slices canned pineapple
6 slices swiss cheese
1/2 c pineapple juice (from the can)
4T butter, melted
1 T plain yellow mustard
1T honey
1 T molasses ( I used brown sugar)
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 t chili powder

Season both sides of each breast with the BBQ/Montreal Steak seasoning, cover and refrigerate at least an hour (whoops, I did not cover or refrigerate and still tasted fine!)

Combine the butter, pineapple juice, mustard, honey, molasses, worcestershire sauce and chili powder in a medium mixing bowl and whisk until smooth, set asaide.

Prepare your grill for two zone cooking (direct and indirect) at medium-high heat (about 400 dgs) . Or if that last sentence makes you panic, turn on your grill pan to medium high heat. Or plug in the George Foreman

Quickly grill one side of each braest and each pineapple ring over direct heat until they are seared and have nice grill marks (doesn't happen in the George Foreman, sorry peeps), about two minutes. Flip each breast and ring, brush with the sauce, and cook another two minutes.

Move the chicken to the indirect part of the grill (or a not so hot part of your pan) and brush the top of each with sauce. Top each braest with two slices of ham and drizzle the ham with the sauce. Put a slice of cheese on them and a pineapple ring on each braest and drizzle again with the sauce. Continue cooking with the grill lid down (or cover with aluminum foil) until the intermnal temperature reaches 160dgs, about ten mninutes.

Serve with another drizzle of sauce.

* I have raw chicken issues so I divided my sauce in two bowls, one to use to drizzle the raw breasts and stuff and one to serve the chicken with. Do what makes you happy.

Artichoke Parmesan Stuffing

2010-12-01T09:52:00.000-08:00

I LOVE stuffing. With a deep and abiding love. It's kind of weird because I hate soggy bread. Anyways, I nominated myself to make the stuffing this year for Thanksgiving and it turned out really well and left me wondering why I don't make stuffing as a side dish more often. I mean...it's easy, it's tasty and...yeah..mmmmmm

Recipe from Our Best Bites

1 pound mushrooms, cleaned, ends trimmed and sliced or chopped
1 tablespoon butter
2 onions, chopped
1 cup diced celery
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2-2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 loaf (1lb) sourdough bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 jars (6oz each) marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves or 3/4 tsp dried
salt and pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Toast chpped bread in a 400 dg oven until lightly toasted, about 10 minutes

In a frying pan over high heat, cook mushrooms, onions, celery and garlic stirring often, until vegetables are tender and lightly browned, about ten minutes. Pour into a large bowl. Add a bit of broth to pan ( a few tablespoons) and stir to scrape up browned bits. Add to bowl.

Pour two cups broth into bowl and add bread, artichoke hearts, parmesan and spices/herbs, mix well. Salt and pepper to taste. Add beaten egg and mix into stuffing.

Preheat oven to 350 dgs and spoon stuffing into a 9 x13 casserole pan. For moist stuffing, cover with foil or for crusty stuffing (yes, please) do not cover. Bake until hot or lightly browned, about 50 minutes.

Can make up to one day ahead-- make stuffing, put in dish, cover and chill. Allow one hour to bake.

YUM!

Mall Pretzels

2010-11-22T12:58:00.000-08:00

We made these last night and they were so yummy! they tasted just like the Pretzel maker ones, except i didn't have any salt like theirs so we made the cinnamon ones.
Here is the link if you want to read the reviews, they gave some good tips
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Mall-Pretzels/Detail.aspx

Mall Pretzels

recipe image
Rated: rating
Submitted By: Jeannie Yee
Photo By: Allrecipes
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes

Ready In: 3 Hours
Servings: 12
"Those big, soft pretzels rolled in coarse salt are yours to bake at home with basic bread ingredients you probably already have in your pantry."
Ingredients:
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/8 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F
/45 degrees C)
3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup bread flour
2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45
degrees C)
2 tablespoons baking soda
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons coarse kosher salt
Directions:
1. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast, brown sugar and salt in 1 1/2 cups warm water. Stir in flour, and knead dough on a floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover, and let rise for one hour.
2. Combine 2 cups warm water and baking soda in an 8 inch square pan.
3. After dough has risen, cut into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a 3 foot rope, pencil thin or thinner. Twist into a pretzel shape, and dip into the baking soda solution. Place on parchment covered cookie sheets, and let rise 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter, and sprinkle with coarse salt, garlic salt or cinnamon sugar.

Tips from Reviews-
-Knead dough until it is smooth and looses elasticity.
- i didn't really roll mine, it was more holding it in the air and stretching it out.
- after you dip the pretzel in the water, dab on a paper towel for a half a second to get off excess water
- bake on upper middle rack so the bottoms won't burn.
- I didn't use parchment paper, just sprayed my cookie sheets real well and they were fine.

Fall Popcorn

2010-11-18T12:12:00.000-08:00

Okay, if we are incorporating ease of preparation into the ranking scale -- this is the best treat ever. So easy. So---inexpensive! So plentiful. So good. Don't make it though, because I will be giving you some for Christmas, or making it at the next function we are at together!

Recipe from Perrys Plate

1/4 C unpopped popcorn kernels (though I would argue you could use up to 1/2 C and be fine)

4 Tbs Butter

2 Tbs Brown Sugar

1 t pumpkin pie spice

two dashes of salt (mighty dashes)

Pop kernels with your hot air popper. While they are popping melt your butter, add the sugar and spice and salt. When popcorn is ready drizzle sugary mixture over the popcorn and toss to coat.

I had my doubts, but I really really loved this.

Sugar Coated Pecans

2010-11-18T11:45:00.000-08:00

Well making these little goodies was far easier than I had imagined, and the result was awesome! These would make great neighborgifts, holiday snacks, or a great addition to a yummy salad!

Recipe adapted slightly from allrecipes.com

2 egg whites
1 T vanilla
1 lb pecan halves (or almonds!)
1 C white sugar
3/4 t salt
1 t ground cinnamon

whip together the egg whites and vanilla until frothy. Through the nuts in and toss to coat. In a seperate bowl mix together the sugar, salt and cinnamon. When mixed add to the nut/frothy egg white mixture. Toss all around to get them coated. Place on a greased baking sheet and bake on 250 dgs for one hour, stirring every fifteen minutes.

Mmmmmm!

Salad

2010-11-15T13:02:00.001-08:00

I just accidentally posted on my other blog a post that was meant for here, and my computer is dumb and is not letting me copy and paste. And I am so lazy and tired and I want to go take a nap, so until further notice...please see my "how to make an awesome salad" over on The Little Things.

Winger Chili

2010-10-27T13:46:00.000-07:00

We had our ward Halloween party last weekend. Boy Howdy, there was a LOT of chili. I looked for a crockpot with a familiar name on it. See, I don't love chili. But I did love THIS chili, made by my neighbor Steph. It warmed my soul. I have no picture, sorry dudes. Use the Turkey Sausage, that's what made this chili outstanding!

Winger Chili

3 cans tomatoes, pureed

3 cans tomato sauce

1lb ground beef, browned (or turkey sausage)

1 can black beans

1 can kidney beans

1/3-1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2-1 tsp basil

1/2-1 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 medium onion, diced

3-4 Tbs chili powder

Cook in crockpot, or on stove until hot (about 30 minutes after boiling).

The turkey sausage recipe below is what we use entirely in place of ground beef. It's really yummy!

Homemade Turkey Sausage

3 lbs. lean ground turkey

2 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon crushed fennel

5 dashes crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon basil

1 or 2 sprigs parsley, finely chopped or 1 teaspoon dried

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon crushed rosemary

1 teaspoon sage

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon garlic powder

Start browning sausage, add spices, and cook until turkey is done. We love to use this in place of pork sausage. Can use in stuffing, on pizza, in spaghetti, in eggs, etc.

Creamy Orzo Pasta

2010-10-27T13:38:00.000-07:00

I got ten free bricks of cream cheese. That's a big deal in Utah because cream cheese here is TWO DOLLARS (almost) a loaf. Gag me. Anyways I pleaded for recipes from friends and family and Janssen pointed me to this creamy orzo pasta recipe and we loved it!

Creamy Orzo with Chicken, Mushrooms and Red Peppers
from Mel's Kitchen Cafe
*Note: this pasta is best served immediately as it tends to get less creamy as it sits at room temperature – so serve warm right as it finishes cooking! (Incidentally, it heated up just fine the next day in the microwave on low power.)
*Serves 4
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 average-sized chicken breasts (about 1 to 1 ½ pounds), cut into chunks
2 red bell peppers, cut into ½-inch pieces
8 ounces white button mushrooms, quartered
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 pound orzo pasta
8 ounces cream cheese, softened (can use 1/3 less fat cream cheese)
1 cup reserved pasta water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook according to package directions until tender. When the orzo is ready, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water (ladling it into a small bowl is my method) and then drain the orzo and set aside.
While the orzo cooks, in a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the hot oil and brown on all sides. When nicely browned (but not all the way cooked through), add the peppers, mushrooms and thyme. Stir and let cook for about 5 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the mushrooms and peppers have softened and browned and most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
In the skillet over medium heat, add the softened cream cheese (if you forgot to let the cream cheese soften at room temperature, no worries! Pop it in the microwave for one minute on 40% power) in bite sized chunks and stir so that the cream cheese melts and coats the chicken and vegetables. Add the reserved pasta water and bring to a simmer. Add ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Stir. Add the orzo, Parmesan, lemon juice and fresh parsley. Stir to combine and heat through. Garnish with additional Parmesan and parsley.

Lemon and Garlic Chicken Marinade

2010-10-27T13:32:00.000-07:00

I got this marinade recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. It's really awesome. I love it. You can use it with so many recipes and it is so stinkin easy.

Juice of 1 lemon, approximately 3 tablespoons
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic, about 2 medium cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 pound chicken breasts (I usually cut really thick chicken breasts down to thin them out and make the pieces a little smaller so they absorb the marinade better)

Directions

Combine all marinade ingredients. Place chicken in a ziploc bag and pour marinade over chicken. Seal bag and place in fridge overnight. Grill (or cook in frying pan). Serve with sides of your choice or cut into bite sized pieces and add to desired recipe (I’ll be sharing a few with you soon). Note: If you cut your chicken into smaller, bite-sized pieces and then marinate it, you can get away with only letting it marinate for 5 or 6 hours instead of overnight

Seriously. Eat it plain. Use in the Broccoli and Bowtie Pasta recipe I just posted. Use in the Chicken Gyro recipe. Use it however you want, it's gooooood.

Broccoli and Bowties (REPOST)

2010-10-27T13:22:00.000-07:00

I posted this recipe two years ago and thought it could use a repost a) because I took such an amazing picture of it ( *cough * *cough* *choke*) but mostly b) it's one of my absolute favorite meals of all time.

My neighbor made this for me when I was dying of morning sickness with Ivy. It's perfectly light, has a wonderful flavor and is easy to prepare. You should make some! The pinenuts, while a splurge, really make the meal you just need a teeny tiny package, so splurge away and thank me later!

Broccoli and Bow Ties
Recipe from : Awesome neighbor Cheryl

Kosher Salt (or regular if you don't have Kosher)
8 C broccoli florets ( I always just use however the heck much I want/have)
1 lb farfalle (bow tie) pasta
2T unsalted butter
2T Olive Oil
1 t minced garlic
1 lemon, zested (I used to skip this, but don't, it really adds lots of flavor)
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
1T freshly squeezed lemon juice (or more....mmmm)
1/4 C toasted pignolis (pine nuts)
Freshly Grated Parmesan

Cook the broccoli for 3 minutes in a large pot of boiling salted water. Remove the broccoli from the water with a slotted spoon. Place in a large bowl and set aside.

In the same water, cook the bow-tie pasta according to package directions, about 12 minutes. Drain well and add to the broccoli.

Meanwhile in a small saute pan, heat the butter and oil and cook the garlic and lemon zest over medium-low heat for 1 minute. Off the heat, add 1 t salt, the pepper and the lemon juice and pour this over the broccoli and pasta. Toss well. Season to taste, sprinkle with the pignolis and cheese and serve!

To toast pignolis place them in a dray saute pan over medium low heat and cook, tossing often until they start to turn brown. Don't walk away, don't think you will remember to check on them in twenty seconds. Stand there and stir them. To quote Janssen, "unless you like the salty taste of tears in your pasta"(well, she said soup), seriously though nothing ruins this meal faster than burning your pinenuts that you spent FIVE dollars on. Just don't walk away.

Anyway, I love this meal, and the good news is, if you need to beef it up for your dinner group or family function or meat loving husband, I have an awesome chicken marinade for you. Just cook up some of that marinaded chicken and toss it with this pasta and you are set!

Black Bean Soup with Cilantro-Lime Sour Cream

2010-10-16T12:09:00.000-07:00

Thanks Janssen for recommending this great recipe from It's So Tasty Too. We left out the leeks because WHAT are they anyways? Other than that I followed the recipe and loved it, especially with the lime sour cream. Yum! We served with cornbread and an awesome salad that Katie brought and that I will try to obtain the recipe for ASAP!

The other good news about this soup is that I actually did the whole "soak beans overnight" business. I was so darn proud. And in the interest of my arteries I drained about half of the bacon drippings (because dang I had a LOT of bacon drippings), still tasted wonderful!

Ingredients:
1 (16 oz.) package dried black beans (about 2 1/2 cups) or 5 cans (15 oz.) black beans
1 lb. bacon, chopped
3/4 cup finely chopped celery
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup finely chopped carrots
3/4 cup finely chopped leeks
6 cups canned chicken broth
1 large tomato, chopped
1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 tablespoons garlic, minced
1 jalapeno chili, minced, seeds removed
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (I used sherry)
2 teaspoons ground cumin

Cilantro-Lime Sour Cream:
3/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Place beans in a large bowl. Add enough water to cover by 3 inches. Let stand overnight. Drain and rinse well. Cook bacon in heavy large pot over medium heat until done, about 8 minutes. Do not drain drippings. Add beans, chicken broth, tomato, cilantro, parsley, garlic, jalapeno, sherry or vinegar and cumin. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer soup until beans are very tender, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours.

(If you use canned beans, which is perfectly fine!, then just simmer for an hour.)

If you have an immersion blender, process until slightly chunky puree forms. Return soup to pot. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (If you don't have an immersion blender, for Heaven's sake, go out and treat yourself to one - they are amazing! In the meantime, working in batches, transfer soup to a blender and process until slightly chunky and pureed.) Ladle soup into bowls. Place dollop of sour cream mixture atop soup.

Balsamic Chicken

2010-10-09T21:20:00.000-07:00

I feel duty bound to share this recipe. It was amazingly good. I used chicken I canned a few months ago and fusilli pasta. It was perfect. Although, I think the recipe could support more veggies so next time I'll reduce the pasta a bit and maybe throw in some chopped up cauliflower or asparagus or something.

Balsamic Chicken with Fresh Cheese

Pumpkin Oat Pancakes

2010-10-05T09:42:00.000-07:00

We're on a pancake kick around here lately. They're easy, filling, and lend themselves well to our whole foods rules.

Pumpkin Oat Pancakes
(adapted from here)

Wet Ingredients:
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup buttermilk*
1 egg white
1 whole egg
1 T oil
1 T honey
1 t vanilla
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup lowfat or skim milk**

Dry Ingredients:
Very scant 1 cup whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat from King Arthur)
2 T wheat germ
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
dash nutmeg

In a large bowl, combine the oats and buttermilk. Let the mixture sit for 15 minutes to soften the oats. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.

Add the remaining wet ingredients to the oats and milk. Stir in the dry ingredients. Drop by 1/4 cup-fulls on to a greased griddle. Flip when undersides are golden brown (the tops didn't really bubble much for me, so keep an eye on them). Enjoy!

*If you don't have buttermilk, put 1 tablespoon of distilled white vinegar in a measuring cup then add enough milk to make one cup. Let sit for 5 minutes. Alternatively, you can also use a mixture of half milk and half plain yogurt.
**I ended up adding substantially more milk. 1/3 cup makes for really THICK pancakes that were having trouble cooking all the way through. I probably added another half cup.

New mexico green chile breakfast burritos

2010-09-30T10:25:00.000-07:00

These were sooo good! 4 stars! i will give one tip though, if you use fresh green chili's bought from the mexican on the side of the road, don't put too many on because they are really really really hot! i think next time i will try just some canned green chili's, we actually didn't even put hardly any green chili on it because it was so hot, so i am not sure if we got the full effect, but even serving them how we did they were amazing! we made this for dinner with a side of chipotle flavored rice cooked in chicken broth and everyone loved it!

Taken from allrecipes.com
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/New-Mexico-Green-Chile-Breakfast-Burritos/Detail.aspx here is the link if you want to read the reviews, it got 5 out of 5 stars on the website.

New Mexico Green Chile Breakfast Burritos
recipe image
Rated: rating
Submitted By: applejedi1
Photo By: DIZRICH
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes

Ready In: 40 Minutes
Servings: 6
"A hearty recipe for a style of breakfast burrito found in every eatery, taco stand, and gas station around Santa Fe, made with the famous green chiles from Hatch, New Mexico."
Ingredients:
4 potatoes, shredded
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (8 ounce) container frozen Hatch, New
Mexico green chile peppers
1/2 cup chicken broth
12 strips bacon

1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
6 (10 inch) flour tortillas
butter flavored cooking spray
12 extra large eggs, beaten
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
Directions:
1. Place the shredded potatoes in a bowl, cover with water, and set aside. Bring the onion, garlic, green chiles, and chicken broth to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the sauce thickens; turn off the heat.
2. Meanwhile, place the strips of bacon on paper towels on a microwave-safe plate, and cook on High until crisp, about 1 minute per strip; set aside.
3. Heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Drain the potatoes, and add to the skillet. Spoon hot oil over the potatoes; sprinkle with the onion powder, salt, and pepper. Flip the potatoes occasionally, but let them fry until crispy bits form and the potatoes are cooked through, about 15 minutes.
4. Place the tortillas between two damp paper towels. Microwave on High until warm, about 30 seconds.
5. Spray a separate skillet with butter flavored cooking spray and cook the eggs over medium heat, whisking them continuously until the eggs are completely set; turn off the heat.
6. Lay a tortilla flat in front of you. Place some potatoes, scrambled egg, and a strip of bacon on the lower third, leaving about an inch of room from the bottom, and about 1-1/2 inches on the left and right clear for folding the burrito. Spoon on a little of the green chile sauce, and sprinkle with Cheddar cheese.
7. Fold the left and right edges into the middle about 1-1/2 to 2 inches. Take the bottom edge closest to you with the stuffing and pick it up, pulling it OVER the filling, while keeping the sides in place until that edge now touches the tortilla about 7/8 of the way up to the top edge. Check to see that the sides are still tucked well. If they aren't slide them in a bit now that you have the filling covered. Finish by tucking the bottom flap that you pulled over the filling UNDER the filling a bit to seal it, then continue rolling the burrito up to the top edge, forming a tight cylinder. Let it rest

theme
New Mexico Green Chile Breakfast Burritos (continued) 2 of 2
Directions: (continued)
seam-side down, and it will stay nice and tight. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Stuffed Pizza Rolls

2010-09-27T07:39:00.001-07:00

They're like pizza....but more fun.

And you have to decide if that is worth it to you. On the particular day that I made the stuffed pizza rolls it wasn't worth it to me. It wound up being an emotional breakdown, and my kids didn't really think the pizza rolls were that fun. BUT that being said you could do it a lot easier than I did...I made my own roll dough, made my own sauce and had to chop up ham (which I somehow got ham instead of canadian bacon...?), plus I had PMS. But in the end they were delicious and "fun" and the options for different fillings/dipping sauces are endless.

* a good tip for pizza is that if you use a block of mozzerella instead of preshredded your cheese will melt better. Again, I only had shredded which made it a big fat mess : )

BUT They were delicious, Blaine loved them, and for Pete's Sake they were FUN!

Got this recipe from ourbestbites.com

Stuffed Pizza Rolls

1 roll refrigerated pizza dough (or make your own)

pizza sauce (or make your own)

2T grated parmesan cheese

1T olive oil or melted butter

1/2 t garlic powder

1t dried italian seasoning

mozzerella cheese

pizza toppings of your choice: ie, ham and pineapple, pepperoni, sausage, etc.

Preheat the oven to the heat specified on the pizza dough package (usually abt 400dgs).

Unroll your pizza dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat or roll the dough so it is about 8". Cut the dough into about 24 squares with a pizza cutter (again, if I had a pizza cutter this thing would have been easier...just sayin).

Place cheese and desired toppings on each square (not the sauce!)....you are making dough ball things so you can dip them in the sauce later : ) Just place enough toppings on each square so you have enough dough left to make a ball. When all of your dough squares have cheese and toppings on, carefully lift up each sqaure and wrap the dough around the toppings. Pinch to make sure each ball is sealed shut and then place them seam side down in a lightly sprayed pie pan (or similar dish).

Brush the tops of the dough balls with olive oil or melted butter, then sprinkle with garlic and italian seasonings and top with parmesan cheese (or in lieu of all that you can use garlic bread seasoning).

Cook for 15-20 minutes until golden brown on top. You may want to check after 10 minutes since cooking times will vary!

Serve with your warm pizza sauce, and relish in how fun of a mom you are.

I am so fun. For the love, use refrigerated dough and a pizza slicer and a block of mozzerella, you will be happier : ) And maybe wait till you are not having PMS.

Pizza Sauce!

2010-09-27T07:32:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed that I am a saucy person. I can't get enough sauce! It's especially true with pizza. If I am ever the one to call and order our family pizza I order it with extra sauce, and then Blaine doesn't speak to me the rest of the night (I married a not saucy person, the shame!). Anyway, I made some stuffed pizza rolls a few weeks ago and made my own sauce to go with them and it was SO easy and SO tasty !

Pizza Sauce

by: Ourbestbites.com

1 6oz can tomato paste

6oz water (use the empty tomato paste can)

3 Tbs garlic bread seasoning

1 Tbsp sugar or honey (I used sugar!)

3/4 t onion powder

1/4 t red pepper flakes

Empty tomato paste into a bowl and add water a few tablespoons at a time, stirring continuously until combined. Add remaining ingredients, stir to combine, and allow to stand until ready to use.

Enjoy!

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

2010-09-20T16:59:00.000-07:00

This is another recipe i got from Ali, but since she is really bad at posting her recipes i guess i will just have to post this one for her :)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

For Meatballs:
1 1/2 pounds Hamburger
3/4 cup oatmeal
2 eggs
1/2 cup onion chopped
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Dash of Pepper

SAUCE:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vinegar ( I used White)
2 tsp. Mustard
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Mix all 8 ingredients for Meatballs together and shape into medium sized balls. Cover bottom of a 10 x 15 pan with sauce. Place meatballs in Pan. Cover with remaining sauce. Bake at 350 degrees for 25- 30 min. We served this with rice, but i am sure it would be good with potatoes too. makes 6 servings. Yum. 4 stars

Simple Sesame Noodles

2010-09-13T20:56:00.000-07:00

This is the first recipe I've tried from Pioneer Woman. It was so easy and really good.

I did some things differently like:
Used half the amount of oil in the sauce. It was still moist and yummy.
Cut up some chicken into bite size peices, browned it in a pan with oil, splash of soy sauce, and crushed red pepper flakes. Served on top of noodles with green onions, cilantro, and fresh red pepper. Yum!

Sweet and Spicy chicken Sandwiches

2010-09-09T09:20:00.001-07:00

Last time i made this Justin didn't love it but this time I made it a little hotter with medium Salsa and he loved it! This is worth making just because it takes like 5 min to prepare. i would give it 3 1/2 stars

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Sandwiches

Chicken tenders uncooked (about 10-12, just cover the bottom of the pan with them)
1 bottle Salsa ( i used Pace Medium Salsa)
1 Cup Brown Sugar
Some rolls or bread
shredded cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Place Chicken in a 9 x 13 pan sprayed with non stick cooking spray.(it is better if they are thawed so there isn't excess water). pour salsa over the top and sprinkle brown sugar over that (I used a little less than a cup so it wasn't so sweet). Cook chicken in oven for 1 hr and 15 min. Shred chicken and put back in the oven for an additional 10 min. Serve on hard rolls or bread (I did it once on Rhodes rolls and i thought they were too soggy with it), add some shredded cheddar cheese on top of chicken. ENJOY!

Healthy Eating

2010-09-04T10:49:00.000-07:00

My husband and have I committed to 3 months of drastically healthier eating. We're doing as much un-processed organic whole food as we can. We had resigned ourselves to some pretty cruddy meals but, one week in, we've actually eaten pretty well.

We had this roasted vegetable pasta sauce on homemade pasta on Sunday. I blended it up because that was the only way I could bring myself to eat it (I am super picky about veggies). It was quite good and made a TON. I froze the leftovers in 1 1/2 cup portions. It made an appearance later in the week as pizza sauce on whole wheat pizza dough topped with fresh mozzarella, artichoke hearts and spinach. And next week I'm going to use it in this lasagna.

On Monday I sauteed some onion, garlic, chopped asparagus and spinach in little butter. I tossed it with the leftover homemade pasta from Sunday night and it was probably my favorite meal of the week.

On Wednesday I made this gnocci (but subbed half the flour with whole wheat). It also turned out really yummy. I topped it with this pesto.

On Thursday we tried out these mashed potato and roasted vegetable enchiladas. I used real potatoes instead of instant and a red bell pepper instead of the mushrooms. I also added some onion and garlic to the veggie mix and followed the reviewers advice by seasoning it all with some cumin. I also used these tortillas and the enchilada sauce from this recipe. We were pretty worried about how these would go but they were super good. My husband in particular loooved them.

Kristi's whole wheat blender pancakes have made several appearances. My sister is visiting and she said she normally doesn't like whole wheat stuff but she loves the pancakes as much as I do. We've been topping them with frozen berries I cook down with a little bit of honey on the stove. So yummy!

Chicken in Garlic Sauce

2010-08-29T14:13:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe on iVillage, and thought it was not only simple, only used one dish, and tasted pretty good. it paired perfectly with Crash Hot Potatoes.

Ingredients:

15 garlic cloves, unpeeled (didn't have any, so I used dehydrated minced garlic, seemed fine)
1 TBsp butter
1 cup apple juice
1 TBsp EVOO
4 chicken breasts, with skin and bone (I used boneless/skinless, but I think I'll try bone-in next time. Plus, bone-in is usually cheaper and I never have good recipes to use it with.)
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 TBsp chopped thyme (I used dehydrated and decreased amount)

Directions:

-Preheat the oven to 350 degress. Parcook the unpeeled garlic cloves in boiling salt water for 4 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold, running water and peel. Set aside. (I skipped this, since I didn't use fresh)

-Heat the oil and butter in a shallow flameproof casserole over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, skin side down, and cook for about 4 minutes, or until the skin is deep golden brown. Turn over, add the apple juice, garlic cloves, and bay leaf, then bring to a simmer. Cover and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until chicken shows no sign of pink when pierced with a knife.

-Using slotted spoon, transfer chicken and half of garlic cloves to a deep platter and keep warm. SKim fat form the cooking juices, then bring to a boil over high heat. Cook, crushing the garlic into the sauce with a spoon about 5 minutes, or until thickened.

-Add the cream and cook for 1 minute longer. Season with salt and pepper. Return the chicken to the casserole and baste. Sprinkle with the thyme and serve immediately.

The only thing I will do different next time is let the sauce cook down longer, I would have liked it thicker.

Cheesy Stuffed Shells

2010-08-29T14:10:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1 16oz container of low fat cottage cheese
1 10oz pkg. frozen chopped spinach (for our family we omit the spinach)
1 c. mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
20 jumbo pasta shells, cooked, drained
1 26oz jar of spaghetti sauce
1 large tomato chopped

Directions:

Heat oven to 400. Mix cottage cheese, spinach, 1/2 c. mozzarella, Parmesan, and Italian seasoning, spoon into shells. Mix sauce and tomatoes spoon 1/2 into 9x13 dish. Add filled shells, top with remaining sauce. Cover and bake 25 min. Top with remaining cheese and bake uncovered for 2 min.

California Rolls, yum!

2010-08-26T07:50:00.000-07:00

*Photo from melskitchencafe.com

When I lived in Austin once in a while (okay well, once) we had a pre-birth (of Ivy) party and Gretchen made these yummy California Rolls. I thought I didn't like oriental type food until I had these. I ate about ten, which is saying something since when I made them last night Blaine could only eat about four (they are super filling). My rolls didn't turn out looking as pretty as Gretchen's did, but they tasted great and were surprisingly easy to make!

Japanese Sushi Rice (Vinegar Flavored Rice)

by Gretchen Smith

Note: Sushi simply means “cold rice.” This recipe for sushi rice said it was specifically for Maki-zushi (California roll style sushi) but can be used for other sushi.

Ingredients:

Rice:

2 ½ cups short grain rice (short grain or medium grain important so it will stick together, I usually use Calrose rice)

2 ½ cups water

2 ½ inch strip of konbu (I don't usually bother with this – I can't really tell a difference if it is left out) Konbu is a long dark brown to grayish-black seaweed, sometimes simply called kelp. The seaweed is sun-dried and folded into sheets. Konbu has a natural white-powder covering that delivers flavor. Therefore, the surface should be lightly wiped off, not washed.

Vinegar Dressing:

4 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. plain rice vinegar

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 ½ tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Cook the rice the same as you would normally would (rice cooker or stovetop). The only difference is that you add the konbu and boil it together with the rice. The konbu should be removed as soon as the water reaches a vigorous boil. Take the konbu out quickly so the lid can be replaced as soon as possible.

2. In a separate bowl, mix the ingredients to make the vinegar dressing, making sure the salt and sugar are fully dissolved.

3. After turning the heat off for the rice, allow the rice to steam an additional 10 minutes, then empty into a large, flat pan or tray. (If you're not a perfectionist, a very big will do just fine.)

4. Sprinkle the vinegar dressing over the rice. While using a fan or blow dryer on cool setting, mix the rice in a cutting motion (to keep from mashing the rice grains) with a wet wood or plastic spatula. Quickly cooling the rice gives it a glossy texture.

Serves 4 people

Japanese Maki-zushi (California Roll Style Sushi)

by Gretchen Smith

Note: A variety of fillings can be used for sushi, so feel free to experiment. The following is a list of the ingredients I usually use because they are more traditional and easier to find and prepare.

5 sheets toasted nori (dried seaweed)

3 eggs

1 tablespoon sugar

soy sauce

cucumber

imitation crab (I use the “leg style” kind that comes rolled in plastic and separates into long thin little strips)

To prepare ingredients for center of rolls:

1. Beat egg with 1 tablespoon sugar and a dash of soy sauce. Cook egg like one large pancake. Cut into ½ inch wide strips.

2. Cut up the cucumber into ¼ strips, removing the seeds.

3. Separate the crab strips in half.

To make the rolls:

1. Place nori shiny side down. Spread 1/5 sushi rice on nori evenly over the nori, leaving 1 inch uncovered at the top.

2. Place ingredients in horizontal strips on sushi rice closer to the bottom than the top. Moisten fingers in vinegar water and run along the exposed leading edge. Roll the nori into a roll.

3. Using sharp knife cut roll into slices. Wipe knife with wet cloth after each cut to keep it from sticking to rice inside the roll.

4. Serve with soy sauce, wasabi, ginger, and toasted sesame seeds, if desired.

Other possible fillings:

- dried Chinese black mushrooms, softened, cut into strips, cooked into soy sauce and sugar

- boiled spinach w/ soy sauce

- daikon or radish sprouts

- pink powder/flakes made with sugar and fish (I forget what this is called)

- cream cheese

* When I made them I used avacado, cucumber, and imitation crab for the filling, and then I added some cream cheese too....you should do that, just cut it in to thin strips and roll it up with your rolls.

Yum!

Savory Spiral Stuffed Rolls

2010-08-18T19:04:00.000-07:00

These were very easy and very delicious!

Savory Spiral Stuffed Rolls

From: melskitchencafe.com

*Makes 12-16 Rolls

1 recipe roll dough (that yields about 12 rolls) I used this recipe for roll dough

12 oz cream cheese, softened (let's be honest, I only used 8 oz)

1/4 C (1/2stick) butter, softened

2 C chopped ham (leftover ham or deli ham works great - I used deli)

1 1/2 C finely chopped broccoli

2 C shredded cheese (used cheddar)

1 C freshly grated parmesan cheese

1 C finely chopped green onions

Follow the recipe for your roll dough until the dough has risen. Punch down the dough and roll the dough out into a large rectangle about 1/2 inch thick.

In a small bowl, cream together the butter and cream cheese. Spread the rolled out dough with the butter/ cream cheese mixture. Top with ham, broccoli, cheese, parmesan cheese and green onions. Roll the dough up (think like cinnamon rolls), pinching the seam to seal (hint, that step is important, I kind of forgot and that was a mistake). Slice the roll into about 1 inch segments. Place the rolls on a lightly greased baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Let the rolls rise until nearly doubled and bake at 350 dgs for about 20 minutes, until lightly browned and bubbly. [Note: I thought I was special and didn't need to let the rolls rise a second time, not so! Let them rise and life will be better - the second batch that had to rise turned out a lot better).

This was great and delicious and easy, just remember to start early enough so your dough can rise twice before you are hoping to eat!

Grilled Chicken with Lemon and Basil Pasta

2010-07-24T16:51:00.000-07:00

We had this for dinner tonight and it was a hit with every single family member. That means it's a keeper. And because I'm super lazy, you only get the hyperlink.

Magic in the Middle Cookies

2010-07-16T19:19:00.001-07:00

Magic in the Middle Cookies

MMMMM! I took these cookies to a family function and got rave reviews all night. And more importantly, people thought it was kind of magical how I got the peanut buttery filling in the cookie. These were actually really easy to make and really fun to make with kids helping. Gwen made all of the middle peanut butter portion herself and it kept her busy while I was able to get more of the the technical work done.

I got this recipe and the picture from melskitchencafe.com.

Chocolate Dough
1 1/2 cups (6 3/8 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (1 1/2 ounces) unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar (plus extra for dredging)
1/2 cup (3 3/4 ) brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk

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

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.
2. To make the dough: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
3. In another medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the sugars, butter, and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and the egg, beating to combine, then stir in the dry ingredients, blending well.
5. To make the filling: In a small bowl, stir together the peanut butter and confectioners sugar until smooth.
6. With floured hands or a teaspoon scoop, roll the filling into 26 one-inch balls.
7. To shape the cookies: Scoop 1 tablespoon of the dough (a lump about the size of a walnut), make an indentation in the center with your finger and place one of the peanut butter balls into the indentation.
8. Bring the cookie dough up and over the filling, pressing the edges together cover the center; roll the cookie in the palms of your hand to smooth it out. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
10. Roll each rounded cookie in granulated sugar, and place on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between cookies.
11. Grease the bottom of a drinking glass, and use it to flatten each cookie to about 1/2-inch thick.
12. Bake the cookies for 7 to 9 minutes, or until they’re set and you can smell chocolate. Remove them from the oven, and cool on a rack.

PS If you ever want to buy me a gift, you could buy my a cookie cooling rack. Thanks in advance.

Grilled Swiss with Avocado and Tomato

2010-07-14T18:28:00.000-07:00

Since returning home from Disneyland where the Dole Whips flowed like water and the Monte Cristo Sandwiches were aplenty....we've decided to try to be healthier. So tonight I cracked open my trusty "Weight Watchers All-Time Favorites" cookbook and tried this recipe, I loved it!

2 Tbs low fat mayo
8 slices multigrain bread
4 slices low fat swiss cheese
1/2 avocado, pitted, peeled, and thinly sliced
2 carrots, shredded
2 cups alfalfa sprouts
1 tomato cut in 8 slices

* Spread 1 1/2 t mayo on each of the four bread slices; layer with one slice of swiss cheese, on fourth of the avocado, on fourth of the carrots, one half cup of the alfalfa sprouts and two tomato slices. Cover with remaining four pieces of bread.

* Set a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Lightly spray both sides of each sandwich with nonstick spray; place in the skillet. Cook, covered, turning once, until the cheese is melted and the bread well toasted, about four minutes.

* Devour

*4 WW Points

---

I didn't have the alfalfa sprouts or carrots on mine--kudos to you if you keep alfalfa sprouts lying about. Also I used a prepackaged guacamole (that I scored at Costco for cheap!) instead of the avocado.

Very yummy, VERY fast and all made even better with my multigrain bountiful basket bread!

Lettuce Wraps - AWESOME!

2010-07-13T18:44:00.000-07:00

So, um....this dinner was amazing. A-MAZ-ING. A big thanks to April Orgill who pointed me to the recipe on allrecipes.com. This version has been modified to incorporate reviewers suggestions.

I won't be spending the money on PF Changs lettuce wraps again, I can make them at home!

3 Tbs Canola Oil
1 Tbs minced fresh ginger root
1 1/4 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into bite size pieces
1 can water chestnuts, diced
3/4 cup chopped mushrooms
4 Tbs rice vinegar
4 Tbs teriyaki sauce
1/2 t garlic powder
red pepper flakes to taste
1 1/2 C shredded carrots
1/2 C chopped green onion
1/3 C toasted and sliced almonds
12 leaves of iceberg lettuce.

Heat 1 Tbs oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add ginger, water chestnuts, mushrooms and chicken and saute until cooked through, about 7-10 minutes. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together remaining 2 Tbs oil, vinegar, teriyaki sauce, garlic and red pepper flakes.. Add chicken mixture, carrot, green onion and almonds to the sauce, toss together.

To serve spoon 1/12 of the mixture on to the center of each lettuce leaf, roll up leaf around filling and serve.

* In the interest of full disclosure - I used leftover chicken from a rotisserie chicken so I still sauteed it all in the oil, but only for like...three minutes
** also, I loved using my Bosch/food processor and used it to process the mushrooms and carrots on the smallest slicing option.

***Um, these seriously are really good. You should make them

**** My pictures are crappy because I use my iphone. I will make a concerted effort to take amazing pictures with my DSLR in the future.

***** The more adventurous cherry lovers among you may want to try the original recipe found here

MMMMMmmmmm.

Salmon Foil Packets

2010-07-13T18:40:00.000-07:00

This recipe comes from the kitchen of Jeannie McCulloch. And if it comes from the kitchen of J.M. you know it's going to be good!

Salmon Fillets cut into portions
Tomatoes
Red Onions
Lemon Juice
EVOO
Favorite spices (I used lemon pepper and basil)

Cut several squares of tinfoil. Put on the salmon fillet skin side down, rub with spice of choice, top with tomatoes and red onions, put on a dash of lemon juice and a dribble of EVOO. Wrap up the packet, place on baking sheet and cook for about 25 minutes on 350.

Very delicious and flexible recipe...I was tempted to throw in some Feta cheese last night too, but didn't. Yum!

Finnish Pasty

2010-06-21T16:53:00.000-07:00

Here is a tutorial I made for my brother who wanted to learn how to cook our old family favorite recipe. It is called pasty and my great grandmother used to make it and we continue to make it as a family.
We always make it for special occasions.

I read "What's Cooking" but rarely contribute. I thought I would share this recipe for you all.

I normally dice my onions for the recipe, but my brother wanted them big so he could pick them off if he wanted.

Click HERE to see the recipe.

My husband likes this with ketchup or BBQ sauce, although I only eat it with butter and salt. It is a simple recipe, but has good ol' meat and potato flavor.

Best Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo Ever

2010-06-21T09:10:00.000-07:00

Aaron made this for me while we were dating and it sealed the deal. For real. We had it for Father's Day dinner last night with homemade pasta and I remembered WHY it made me decide to marry him. Not exactly waistline friendly but sooo goooood. It's good special occasion food.

For the chicken:
2-3 8oz boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips or cubes
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine oil, garlic, salt and pepper and marinate the chicken for at least half an hour (but longer is better). Drain marinade and grill (or saute) until cooked through. Be careful not to overcook as the chicken will spend a bit of time cooking in the sauce.

For the sauce:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T olive oil
1/4 cup white cooking wine
3 cups heavy cream
4-6 oz parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Salt and pepper to taste

Place cooked chicken in a saucepan. Add olive oil, garlic, wine, cream and parmesan. Reduce in pan over medium heat (this takes a while, like 20-30 minutes). Salt and pepper to taste, toss with pasta.

Generously serves 4.

Avacado Feta Salsa - Repost

2010-06-20T08:06:00.000-07:00

I am coming to accept that no respectable recipe blog posts recipes without pictures. And also I have an iphone which makes posting pictures a zillion times easier. So, I commit to no longer post recipes without pictures, and as I make recipes that were on the site before I will repost them with the picture. They will not be cute pictures. Sorry. Go look at Ralphie's blog after you are here to get your cute picture fix.

This salsa sure is a crowd pleaser! And if you are buying feta anywhere besides Costco you are paying way too much - - they have a big old block of it for cheap!

Avacado Feta Salsa

1-2 tomatoes chopped
1 ripe avocado - peeled, pitted and chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon snipped fresh cilantro (I used more about 1/3 C)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano ( I used dry!)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon red or white wine vinegar (used red)
4 ounces crumbled feta cheese

Mix all ingredients together and chill for up to 6 hours. Yum!

Wild Rice Soup

2010-06-16T18:35:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I am pretty sure Ralphie meant to put this on here (*cough*) but since she didn't the least I could do is steal the picture off of her blog and post it on here for her. Please don't sue me Ralph.

The thing is, this soup should be called something besides wild rice soup--- like Almond Surprise Soup or something, because SURPRISE there are almonds in there and that alone made this one of my favorite soups ever.

This soup had a delicious flavor and yummy texture and, once I blended it up so my kids didn't know there were carrots and mushrooms in it- they gobbled it up with minimal prodding!

So make it!

Wild Rice Soup from: bandralphie.blogspot.com

5Tbs butter

1 finely chopped onion

1 C frozen or canned corn

1/2 lb fresh musrooms, sliced

2 large carrot sticks, sliced (or uh...like 20 baby carrots, sliced)

3/4 C flour

6 1/2 C chicken broth

2 C Cooked wild rice

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed (optional- I didn't put it in and I am glad, this is an awesome vegetarian meal - alright, mostly just cuz I'm lazy and out of chicken)

1/2 t salt

1/2 t curry powder (or more per Ralphie's suggestion)

1/2 t mustard powder (go me for actually having this on hand!)

1/2 t dried parsley

1/2 t black pepper

1 C slivered almonds

2 C half and half (or 1 C half and half and 1 C milk)

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion, corn, and carrots and saute for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute 3-4 minutes more. Then add flour and stir well. Transfer mixture into a large pot (um, I just started it with a large pot...so whatever). Over medium heat, gradually pour in the chicken broth, stirring constantly until all has been added. Bring just to a boil and then reduce heat to low and simmer.

Next add the rice, chicken (if using), salt, curry powder, mustard powder, parsley, black pepper and almonds. Allow to heat through then pour in half and half. Let simmer for 1 hr (or more....or less). Do not boil or the roux will break (that super stressed me out, because break really? yikes!).

Serve with warm crusty bread.

Then give Ralphie grief for not posting on the recipe blog, because everything she makes is super yum.

Thanks Ralph : )

Crockpot Week

2010-06-13T18:52:00.000-07:00

My mom recently got a Crockpot cookbook in a book exchange at work. As I flipped through it I found dozens of recipes I wanted to try so I borrowed it and we had an entire week of only crockpot meals (with a few more planned for next week). Here's how our week went:

Day 1: "Best-Ever Roast"

This was not the best roast I'd ever had but it was a perfectly serviceable Sunday meal that yielded plenty of leftovers to take to my elderly neighbors.

1 beef chuck shoulder roast (3 to 5 pounds)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
4 to 5 medium potatoes, quartered
4 cups baby carrots

Place roast in crockpot. Combine mushroom soup and onion soup mix in a bowl then pour over roast. Cover; cook on low 4 hours.

Add potatoes and carrots. Cover and cook on low 2 hours.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Day 2: Veggie Soup with Beef

This was probably the most flavorless thing I have ever made in my life. I followed the recipe exactly but clearly that is not the way to go. The addition of more garlic and tomato sauce, salt, pepper, etc. and less water would make a world of difference. But it's super easy so I'm including it in case anyone wants to try their hand at making this worth eating.

2 cans (15 oz each) mixed vegetables
1 pound beef stew meat
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
Water

Place all ingredients in crockpot. Add enough water to fill crockpot to within 1/2 inch of top*. Cover, cook on low 8 to 10 hours.

*I didn't add nearly this much water and it was still too much.

Day 3: Parmesan Potato Wedges

One of our favorites from this week. I just served these wedges with a simple salad and it was excellent. Next time I'd probably add some garlic salt.

2 pounds red potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch wedges
1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter, cut into 1/8 inch pieces
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Layer potatoes, onion, oregano, salt, pepper and butter in crockpot. Cover; cook on high 4 hours. Transfer potatoes to a serving platter and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Day 4: Slow Cooker Chicken and Dressing

This was really good though not exactly healthy. We enjoyed it.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and black pepper
4 slices swiss cheese
1 can (14 1/2 oz) chicken broth
2 cans cream of chicken, celery or mushroom soup
3 cups packaged stuffing mix
1/2 cup butter, melted

Place chicken in crockpot. Season with salt and pepper.

Top each breast with cheese slice. Add broth and soup. Spring stuffing mix over top and pour butter over all*. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours or on high 3 to 4 hours.

*Knowing the fat content on this was already going to be astronomical I just left the butter out. It turned out just fine.

Day 5: Spicy Shredded Chicken

Ridiculously easy and something you all probably make already anyway. We used it in tacos.

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 jar (16 oz) salsa

Place chicken in crockpot. Pour salsa over chicken. Cook on low 6-8 hours or until chicken is tender and no longer pink in the center. Shred chicken with 2 forks before serving.

Day 6: Asian Beef with Broccoli

I meant to make this as the recipe directed but I pretty much screwed up right and left. It was still really good though and we'll definitely have it again. We served it over rice.

1 1/2 pounds boneless chick steak, about 1 1/2 inches thick, sliced thin
1 can (10 1/2 oz) beef consomme*
1/2 cup oyster sauce**
2 tablespoons cornstarch***
1 bag (16 oz) fresh broccoli florets
Hot cooked rice
Sesame seeds

Place steak in crockpot. Pour consomme and oyster sauce over meat. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours.

Combine cornstarch and 2 tablespoons cooking liquid in a cup. Add to crockpot and stir well to combine. Cover and cook 15 minutes longer or until thickened.

Steam broccoli florets until tender crisp. Gently toss beef and broccoli together. Served over cooked rice and garnished with sesame seeds, if desired.

*I accidentally bought beef broth instead.
**I accidentally forgot to buy this and used soy sauce instead.
***I totally forgot the step with the cornstarch. It was a little watery but it was fine.

The BBC Salad - Baby Bok Choy

2010-06-11T09:14:00.000-07:00

Okay, any of you who got bountiful baskets last Saturday....holy Moses, I got about five thousand pounds of baby bok choy. I have never had it and had no idea what to do with it. This was all complicated by the fact that I have had no internet for almost a whole week, gasp! And that rendered me totally non functional in the kitchen.

Using the tiny screen of my iphone I was able to find just one recipe for baby bok choy, it was this yummy salad. I didn't have some of the ingredients by my modifications were awesome. I'll post them at the bottom

1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 bunches baby bok choy, cleaned and sliced
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/8 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1/2 (6 ounce) package chow mein noodles

Directions

In a glass jar with a lid, mix together olive oil, white vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce. Close the lid, and shake until well mixed.
Combine the bok choy, green onions, almonds, and chow mein noodles in a salad bowl. Toss with dressing, and serve.

Okay, so here's the deal. I used rice vinegar instead of white (you should do that too!), and I had no green onions or chow mein noodles, so I substituted snap peas and diced red pepper to add the crunch, and it gave it a pretty color too.

Definitely a yummy salad. Which we will be eating every day until our ten thousand pounds of bok choy are gone.

Kellogg's Double-Coated Chicken

2010-06-04T12:30:00.000-07:00

I made this for dinner last nite, and thought it was fantastic. My kids all thought it was great too! Super good with some homemade gravy, if you're up for making some!

Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients
7 cups Kellogg's Corn Flakes® (crushed to 1 3/4 cups)
1 egg
1 cup fat-free milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 pounds chicken pieces, (without or with skin) rinsed and dried
3 tablespoons margarine or butter, melted

Directions
1. Place KELLOGG'S CORN FLAKES cereal in shallow dish or pan. Set aside.

2. In medium mixing bowl, beat egg and milk slightly. Add flour, salt and pepper. Mix until smooth. Dip chicken in batter. Coat with cereal. Place in single layer, in shallow baking pan coated with cooking spray or foil lined. Drizzle with margarine.

3. Bake at 350° F about 1 hour or until chicken is tender, no longer pink and juices run clear. Do not cover pan or turn chicken while baking. Serve hot.

Vegetable Barley Soup

2010-06-01T18:45:00.000-07:00

Since we only have one month until our trip to Disney Blaine and I have made a resolve to eat super healthy this month and try to shed a couple of pounds so we can fit in the space mountain car thing together. We have a dream baby!

I also randomly bought some barley about a week ago.

So, I made this vegetable barley soup tonight and it was super easy and had incredible flavor. I wish it would have been brothier because dipping a warm roll into the soup was just a great combination of flavors. Mmmmm!

Beaker's Vegetable Barley Soup (from www.allrecipes.com)
2 Quarts Vegetable Broth
1 C uncooked barley (per reviews I only used 3/4 C)
2 large carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 (14.5 oz ) can diced tomatoes with juice (I only had stewed tomatoes so I used those)
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
1 onion, chopped
3 bay leaves
1 t garlic powder (I used refrigerated chopped garlic)
1 t white sugar (in the interest of being skinny in disneyland I left this out)
1t salt
1/2 t ground black pepper (important to use plain old pepper and not freshly ground peppercorns)
1 t parsley
1 t curry powder
1 t paprika
1 t Worcestershire sauce (I ran out so I used red whine vinegar with great results)

Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil, then cover and simmer over medium low heat for 90 minutes.

I forgot to cover it, whoops. Maybe I would have had more broth if I would have actually read the directions : ) Regardless add a few extra cups of broth, you'll be happier!

Remove bay leaves before serving

Olive Oil and Garlic Sauce Pasta

2010-05-22T07:21:00.000-07:00

The truth is, I haven't tried this one yet, but I am dying to, I don't really like heavy italian sauces, red or cream, so when I found this I got way excited, thinking I could finally do italian and have it be a little lighter and fresher. I thinking about combining it with some roasted cherry tomatoes, andor some bruschetta on the side!

1 pkg (16 oz) angel hair pasta
1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. pecan halves, coarsley chopped
1/3 c. parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 c. fresh snipped parsley
ground black pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package direstions. Meanwhile in skillet heat oil. Add garlic and pecans; satue 3 minutes. Drain pasta. In large serving bowl combine pasta, garlic-nut mixture, cheese, parselt and pepper; gently toss to caot. Serve immediately.

Frito Salad

2010-05-22T07:10:00.000-07:00

My friend made this the other nite when we got together, and it was fabulous. In fact, I'm going to have it for dinner while my hubby is out of town, might make a good lunch or side dish also! Yum!

4 cans red or pinto beans (or a combo), drained & rinsed
1 grn. pepper, chopped
2-3 grn. onions, sliced
3 Roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
12"ish" oz. bottle Catalina or French dressing*
1 reg. size bag Fritos or Fritos Scoops

Combine all ingre. except for chips. You can make it the day before & refrigerate until ready to serve. At serving time, mix in chips. It will keep fresh for about 1 1/2 hours or you can just let everyone add their own chips. :)

*For our recipe group she halfed the recipe, used Brianna's brand Zesty French dressing and used some "frito" like chips from Sun Harvest.

Slow Cooker Italian Beef

2010-05-20T21:45:00.000-07:00

This. Was. De. Lish. Normally when I cook things in the crock pot I am so sick of smelling them by the end of the day that I just can't stand eating whatever it is. This smelled SO fantastic all day and it tasted even better than it smelled. Mmmmm. So easy, so very very easy and so good. Give it a try! One thing was it might be a touch too peppery for some. I liked it that way but you may want to reduce the pepper a smidge if that makes you nervous.

Slow Cooker Italian Beef
from melskitchencafe.com

1 1/2 C beef broth
1 C water
1 t salt
1 t ground black pepper
1 t dried oregano
1 t dried basil
1 t onion salt
1 t dried parsley
1 t garlic powder
1 bay leaf
1 (.7 oz) package dry Italian-style dressing mix
1 (5 lb) chuck roast

* I only had a 3 lb roast and I have no idea what kind it was : )

Combine water and beef broth with salt, pepper, oregano, basil, onion salt, parsley, garlic powder, bay leaf, and salad dressing mix. Whisk to combine.

Place roast in slow cooker, and pour salad dressing mixture over the meat. Cover, and cook on Low for 10 -12 hours, or on High for 4-5 hours. When done, remove bay leaf, and shred meat with a fork ( you can do this about an hour before eating so that shredded meat will absorb more of the juices). Serve on crusty rolls with cheese and use the excess sauce for dipping, or eat plain old.

Sweet Thai Basil Chicken

2010-05-16T21:41:00.000-07:00

I'm a huge fan of Asian food, but haven't done much Thai cooking. This turned out to be SO good, and the flavors were unexpected-- kind of sweet and tangy. It was also super easy and even the kids liked it!

*Serves 4
1 tablespoon canola oil
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/4 teaspoon – 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you like it – I used 1/2 teaspoon and it perfectly warm but not too spicy)
1 yellow (or other sweet) onion, cut in half and sliced in thin half moon strips
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pound), cut into bite-size pieces
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce(these are both in the Asian food section of the grocery store. You might be tempted to not buy them b/c you think you'll never use the whole bottle, but let me tell ya, I've gone through 3 hoisin sauces so far this year)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 bunch fresh basil (about 1/2 cup), torn into pieces
2 large tomatoes, chopped
Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Stir constantly and cook for 30 seconds to one minute, until fragrant (don’t let the garlic burn!). Add the sliced onions. Cook until translucent, stirring every now and then, about five minutes. Add the chicken and cook for 3-5 minutes, until browned and cooked through.
Add the oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and sugar and stir until everything is well coated. Reduce the heat to medium low and sprinkle the tomatoes over the top of the mixture. Tear the basil by hand and sprinkle it over the tomatoes. Over medium heat, let the tomatoes and basil sit, without stirring, for about 5-7 minutes. Stir the mixture until everything is well combined and heated through.
Serve immediately over rice.

Recipe from www.melskitchencafe.com

Yeasted Waffles with Butter Syrup

2010-05-09T09:36:00.000-07:00

I threw a little Mother's Day brunch yesterday for three close friends and we had these waffles. They were so. stinking. good. The syrup is my friend Crystal's recipe and the combination of the two is beyond amazing. And also, full of butter.

Yeasted Waffles

3/4 tsp yeast
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
3 cups milk
12 tbsp melted and cooled butter
3/4 tsp vanilla
3 eggs, separated

The night before, mix dry ingredients and stir in milk then butter and vanilla. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit overnight at room temperature.

In the morning brush your waffle iron with oil and preheat. Separate the eggs and stir the yolks into the batter. Beat the egg whites until they hold soft peaks and gently stir them into the batter. Cook 3 to 5 minutes on your waffle iron.

Butter Syrup

Boil:
one stick butter
1/2 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup sugar

Take off burner and add:
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda

I also made these sauteed apples from Allrecipes. They were really good alone but also awesome on top of the waffles.

Lime Rice

2010-05-06T18:28:00.000-07:00

I made Kristi's Honey lime enchiladas the other night with this rice (and some beans) and it was a great combo, and if i had a little more time it would have been good with some fresh Pico de Gallo, very Cafe Rio style. This makes a lot of rice, so i did half the recipe, and with the enchiladas i did corn tortillas and it was really good.

Lime Rice

in a sauce pan, saute

2 Tbs butter
1 yellow onion chopped
4 cloves garlic minced

In a large pot bring to boil:
6 2/3 cups water
8 tsp chicken bouillon
1/2 bunch of cilantro ( i didn't have any and so i didn't put this in)
2 tsp cumin
2 small cans diced green chili's
1 Tbs lime juice
1/2 tsp pepper

Add three cups of rice, and the butter/garlic/onion mixture. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 min. (stir occasionally so rice doesn't stick to bottom of pan)

Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Cream Sauce

2010-04-29T20:45:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from Ali, but she hasn't put it up yet, and i think it needs to be on here, it is really yummy and the sauce is so good!

Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Cream Sauce

1 sleeve of Ritz Crackers (crushed)
Parmesan Cheese (I use about 1/2 cup)
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
Butter, plain yogurt, or egg white to dip chicken in
1 can chicken broth
Chive and Onion Cream Cheese Spread

Mix cracker crumbs and Parmesan cheese in bowl. Dip chicken in some melted butter, egg white, or plain yogurt and then in cracker mixture turning to coat. Place in greased baking dish and bake at 350 for about 35-45 minutes or until chicken is done. (If your pressed for time you can also fry this in a skillet).

For the sauce mix 1/2 cup chicken broth and cream cheese in a saucepan (if sauce is too thick, you can add more broth). Cook, stirring constantly. Simmer 3 minutes or until sauce thickens (this happens fast and if you let it go it gets thick and clumpy so as soon as it's all melted and slightly thick it's good to go). Serve sauce over chicken.

I serve this with rice made with Chicken Broth instead of water.

Chili Verde

2010-04-29T07:13:00.000-07:00

3 Tbs worcestershire sauce
1 Tbs garlic pepper ( I used just garlic, because I don't know what garlic pepper is!)
3 lbs pork picnic roast ( I used 6 pork chops)
1 large onion, diced
1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth
2 (4 oz) cans diced green chilies, drained
3 (7 oz) cans green salsa (or one batch of your homemade tomatillo salsa!)
2 (15.5 oz) cans great Northern beans, drained (I used a can of black beans and a can of corn)

1. Pour half of the worcestershire sauce into the pan of the slow cooker, and half of the garlic pepper. Place the roast in the pan and sprinkle remaining worcestershire sauce and garlic pepper over the top. Add the onions, and chilies, and pour in the chicken broth. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours (or high for 5 hours!)
2.b When roast is tender enough to pull apart with a fork, add the green salsa, and the beans, if desired. Continue cooking until heated through. Serve as soup, over chimichangas, or over rice (I served over rice!)

* recipe from allrecipes.com

* The best thing that ever happened to me as a chef was learning to improvise. Obviously I did not have all the ingredients for this recipe, but I made substitutions and the result was awesome, I really loved it. So don't be afraid to improvise!

Tomatillo Salsa Verde

2010-04-29T07:03:00.000-07:00

Last week my bountiful basket was overflowing with tomatillos. I had added a "mexican pack" to my order and so I was the proud owner of all sorts of mexican deliciousness- jalepenos, cilantro, tomatillos, green onions, etc. So rather than opt for the typical cafe rio salad dressing, I decided to make tomatillo salsa verde, it was delicious!

1 pound tomatillos, husked (I had no idea how many this would be so I just used all 8 of mine)
1/2 C finely chopped onion
1tsp minced garlic (I got to use fresh, thanks bountiful basket!)
1 serrano chile pepper, minced ( I used a jalepeno)
2Tbs chopped cilantro (I am sure I used way more than this)
1 Tbs chopped oregano
1/2 t cumin
1 1/2 t salt
2 C water (based on reader suggestions I subbed 1/4 c of water with lime juice!)

1. Place tomatillos, onion, garlic and chile pepper in a saucepan. Season with cilantro, oregano, cumin and salt. Pour in water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the tomatillos are soft, 10-15 minutes.
2. Using a blender, carefully puree the tomatillos and water in batches until smooth.

*recipe from allrecipes.com

* use your tomatillo salsa for dipping chips in, over chimis, in amy's cilantro cream sauce, or in the chili verde recipe I am posting next!

Rio Chicken

2010-04-27T07:41:00.000-07:00

I personally have never had chicken that tastes like this at Cafe Rio, because if you go to Cafe Rio and don't get the pork, you've got issues. But this is an excellent chicken recipe perfect for burritos or salads! Especially when paired with the cafe rio dressing found on this site. Enjoy!

Cafe Rio Chicken

1 small bottle kraft zesty italian dressing
1 Tbs Chili Powder
1 Tbs Cumin
3 cloves garlic- minced
5lbs chicken breasts

Cook all together in crock pot for four hours. Shred chicken with fork and cook an additional hour.

Magical!

Questions...

2010-04-23T08:38:00.001-07:00

How often do you make a recipe you find on the site?

Is there one you tried that you really really loved?

What can I do to make it better? Take pictures? Post more consistently?

Crustless Swiss Chard Quiche

2010-04-20T15:58:00.000-07:00

This was easy to make, used up the Swiss chard from my Bountiful Basket, and tasted great, too.

http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/Crustless-Swiss-Chard-Quiche-311434

Lentejas

2010-04-13T10:53:00.000-07:00

Since I am trying to base my recipes on what I receive in my bountiful basket I got myself into a real pickle this week. I didn't order one for last Saturday and here it is only Tuesday and my pantry is practically bare. Since I don't want to go to the store and have what happened to me two weeks ago happen again (I went to Costco on Wednesday and when my bountiful basket came on Saturday it was everything I had purchased already earlier in the week- not kidding- sweet potatoes, tomatoes, strawberries, blackberries, tangelos, everything), I am trying to hold out and not go grocery shopping until Saturday after my BB arrives.

So, it's been kind of a stretch to make good meals. Janssen sent me a recipe for lentil soup and as I made it I realized it is something we actually have often at our house and Blaine usually makes it. It is something that he ate a lot of in Spain while he was on his mission- lentejas. Anyway, I will post the Janssen/Martha Stewart version here but just know, from Blaine's experimenting that you can add all sorts of things (pepperoni and red peppers are a favorite) to the mix and it makes it all the better.

3 srips bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (duh, use more than this)
1 large onion, chopped
3 medium carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4inch moons
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 T tomato paste
1 1/2 C lentils, picked over and rinsed
1/2 t dried thyme
2 cans chicken broth (3 1/2 C)
1T red-wine vinegar
coarse salt and ground pepper

In dutch oven, or other large pot with tight fitting lid, cook bacon until browned and crisp. Pour off all but 1T fat. Add onion and carrots, cook until softened (5 minutes). Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about thirty seconds. Stir in tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Add lentils, thyme, broth and 2 C water (oooooooohhh I totally forgot to add this, whoops, no wonder it didn't make much. Idiot). Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook until lentils are tender 30-45 minutes.

Stir in vinegar, 1 1/2 t salt and 1/4 t pepper. Serve immediately. If you want to omit the bacon (weirdo) then you can and cook the onions and carrots in 1T olive oil.

This was really yummy and you should totally double it!

Baked Potato Soup II

2010-04-02T10:25:00.000-07:00

I had a bunch of potatoes that I needed to use so I found this recipe and had all the stuff to make it and we really liked it! Got the recipe from www.allrecipes.com

3 bacon strips, diced
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 Tbs flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp basil
1/2 t pepper
3 C chicken broth
2 large baked potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 C half and half
1/2 t hot pepper sauce
shredded cheddar cheese

1. In a large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp. Drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings. Set bacon aside. Saute onion and garlic in the drippings until tender. Stir in flour, salt, basil and pepper, mix well. Gradually add broth. Bring to a boil; boil and stir for two minutes. Add potatoes, cream and hot pepper sauce. Heat through but do not boil. Garnish with bacon, cheese .

Olive Garden soup, salad and breadsticks

2010-03-24T19:33:00.000-07:00

(recipe taken from this blog http://eastridgerecipes.blogspot.com/)

**** So i had to post this one. My husband who is not a salad eater has fallen in love with Olive garden salad. I found this recipe for their dressing and the Zupa Toscana soup, and lets just say he said this is the best meal I have ever made for him. It was so good! I put the whole meal together in about 35 min too. the dressing was a little milkier in color than the one at olive garden, but the taste was really close to the real thing, and i think the soup is better than Olive Garden's.

Olive Garden Salad Dressing

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons corn syrup
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons romano cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Mix all ingredients in a blender until well mixed. If this is a little to tart for your own personal tastes please add a little extra sugar.

For salad- use iceburg lettuce, olives, fresh tomato, croutons and parmesan cheese. They also put on red onion slices and whole jalapeno's but I left that off.

Zupa Toscana (just like Olive Garden's)

1 pound ground Italian sausage

1 large onion, chopped

2 large russet baking potatoes, sliced in half, and then in ¼-inch slices

2 cans chicken broth (or 2 chicken bouillon cubes + 2 cups water)

1 quart water

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ can or jar of bacon bits (I just chopped up cooked bacon)

2 c. kale or Swiss chard, chopped ( i just cut up a 8 0z block of swiss)

1 c. heavy whipping cream

Cook sausage thoroughly. Drain on paper towels. Place onions, potatoes, chicken broth, water and garlic in a pot and cook on medium heat until potatoes are done. Add sausage and bacon. Salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for another 10 minutes. Turn to low heat. Add kale and cream. Heat through and serve.

p.s. I added crushed red pepper to spice it up. The first time I added too much, the second time probably not enough. You'll have to experiment with how spicy you like it!

Breadsticks-
you can be fancy and make your own, but i just used the large rhodes rolls and after they thawed a bit i rolled them in butter and garlic powder, then rolled them out into breadstick form, let them raise until double in size, cooked them for like 15-18 min on 350 degrees.

Tikka Masala

2010-03-21T21:00:00.000-07:00

Again, I thought I had already posted this on here, guess not!

So, everyone, EVERY. ONE. ate this and loved it tonight. If you will recall Bentley normally only eats Cheez-Its. Nothing else. He gobbled this down. So did Gwen, and Ivy. I am just beaming with mortherly pride. Sure it has two cups of cream in it, whatever!

Chicken Tikka Masala

1 C plain yogurt
1Tbs lemon juice
2tsp ground cumin
1tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp cayenne pepper (I substituted paprika so it wouldn't be too spicy for kids)
2 tsp black pepper
1T minced fresh ginger (three cheers for me for actually having this! Dry works too)
1 t salt
3 bnlss skinless chicken breasts

Combine all ingredients except chicken. Pour sauce over chicken and refrigerate for one hour. Grill or cook chicken in frying pan. Discard marinade (or cook it till all the marinade evaporates, and the chicken starts to burn like I did).

1 Tbs butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalepeno pepper finely chopped (I just used some nacho jalepenos I had in the fridge)
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1-8oz can tomato sauce
1 C cream
1/4 c chopped cilantro

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalepeno for one minute. Season with cumin, paprika and salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about twenty minutes. Add grilled chicken and simmer ten minutes. Garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve over hot rice.

* I doubled the sauce part of this. We're saucy people, what can I say!

Pasta, Bacon & Asparagus

2010-03-17T18:03:00.000-07:00

We had this tonight with this homemade pasta and thought it was excellent. I haven't been in a real meat mood lately but the bacon added awesome flavor and it was perfect with some cut up fruit.

Adapted from this recipe, which you might prefer if you have any kind of love for peas (we do not and asparagus was on sale).

1 pound dry pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
3 tablespoons heavy cream
zest of 1/2 lemon
4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 yellow onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 1/2 cups asparagus, thinly sliced on the diagonal
salt and freshly ground black pepper
torn fresh basil leaves (I had to use the dried stuff, unfortunately)

1. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions. Drain the pasta and toss with the olive oil.

2. While the pasta is cooking, in a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, Parmesan cheese, heavy cream and lemon zest.

3. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the bacon pieces and cook until the bacon is crisp and cooked through. Use a slotted spoon and remove the bacon, keeping as much of the bacon drippings in the pan as possible.
4. Return the pan (with the bacon drippings) to medium heat. Add the onions and asparagus and saute until the onions are softened, about 2 minutes. Add the minced garlic and saute an additional 30 seconds until fragrant.
5. Turn the heat to medium-high and whisk in the egg/cream mixture. Let the sauce bubble briefly and then quickly add in the pasta and the cooked bacon (you don't want too much of the egg/cream mixture to evaporate, so work quickly)
6. Toss so that the ingredients are well mixed throughout. When the pasta is heated through (about 4 minutes) season with salt and pepper to taste (go easy on the salt - remember the bacon is salty and you've salted the pasta water.) Toss well with the torn basil leaves and add additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Chicken Azteca

2010-03-11T12:56:00.000-08:00

I am a little bewildered that Chicken Azteca is not already on here. It's simple, it's good....but I couldn't find it on here today.

It's another Ralphie original, but actually I think she may have gotten it from Gretchen or someone. Regardless, yum.

Chicken Azteca

1 15 oz can black beans, draned
1 15 oz can corn
2 cloves minced garlic
3/4 t cumin
1C chunky salsa divided
2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 oz (1/2 pkg) cream cheese, cubed

lemon juice
cooked rice

1. Combine beans, corn, garlic, cumin and half of salsa in crock pot
2. arrange chicken over top (I cut it up so it will cook faster) and pour remaining salsa over chicken
3. cover and cook 4-6 hours
4. Use a couple of forks to shred chicken while in pot
5. stir in cream cheese and lemon juice, cook on high till cream cheese melts
6. spoon over rice

enjoy~!

Tomato Tortellini Soup

2010-03-10T17:24:00.000-08:00

From my mom's Taste of Home magazine:

1 pkg (9oz) refrigerated cheese tortellini

2 cans (10.75 oz) reduced sodium tomato soup, undiluted

2 cups vegetable broth

2 cups milk

2 cups half and half cream

½ cup chopped oil-packed sundried tomatoes

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried basil

½ tsp salt

½ cup shredded parmesan

Additional parmesan for topping

Cook tortellini according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a dutch oven, combine the soup, broth, milk, cream, tomatoes and seasonings. Heat through, stirring frequently. Drain tortellini; carefully add to soup. Stir in cheese and sprinkle each serving w/ addition cheese if desired.

This seriously took less than 10 minutes to prepare (especially since I used fresh tortellini that takes like 2 minutes to cook) and mostly just used stuff I normally have on hand. I served it with garlic toast and we all really enjoyed it. It was perfect for the rainy weather we've been having!

Peppers

2010-03-09T23:03:00.000-08:00

Have you seen these little buddies at Costco? They are like $3 and they are awesome! Way less expensive than buying a bunch of bell peppers, plus they are sweeter and more colorful and just more fun. This is what I buy now and use in all the recipes that call for green or red or yellow pepper. I used these in the fiery fish tacos, and in the Quinoa, and I just thought I would give them a shout out. Also we like to cook some rice and then cook some of these peppers in olive oil and mix it all up for a nice side dish.

And they are a good source of vitamin c.

Just so you know...

Got any food products that I should know about?

Fiery Fish Tacos

2010-03-09T19:14:00.000-08:00

I hopped on Allrecipes.com the other day and this was one of the featured recipes and since I spend a hundred dollars a week on fish tacos at Del Taco I thought I would give this recipe a shot, we loved it! I adapted it slightly, the original recipe called for way more cayenne and all the reviewers thought it was too spicy, I also added avacado.

Fiery Fish Tacos

1 C corn
1/2 c red onion diced
1/2 c diced red pepper
1 avacado cubed
1 C fresh cilantro leaves finely chopped
1 lime zested and juiced
sour cream
1t cayenne pepper
2 t salt
1/2 t ground black pepper
6 tilapia fillets
2T olive oil
12 corn tortillas, warmed

Preheat grill for high heat (we used our george foreman with great results!), in a small bowl combine cayenne pepper (or chili powder would work), salt and pepper. Brush each fish fillet with olive oil and rub the pepper mixture on the fish.

Arrange fillets on grill and grill 3 minutes per side.

Meanwhile mix together corn (I cooked the corn on a hot fry pan with no oil, I guess this is called "blackened corn"), red onion, red pepper, avacado, lime zest and lime juice, mix all together.

Heat the corn tortillas (you don't have to but they hold together much better if you do) for about twenty seconds on each side on a warm fry pan. Or I bet you could wrap them all in foil and stick them in the oven.

layer two corn tortillas (or they'll break, promise!) and top with fish, the salsa, sour cream, and cheese (if you want!).

They were so yum!

Sweet Chicken Tacos

2010-03-08T19:33:00.000-08:00

In a crock pot combine:
3-4 Chicken Breasts
1 tsp mustard
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp vinegar
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cups brown sugar

In 2-3 Tbsp butter saute one small onion. Add to crock pot.

Once cooked, shred chicken, then return to crock pot. Now ready to serve.

For tacos:
Tortillas
heated refried beans
shredded lettuce
diced tomatoes
shredded cheese
guacamole
sour cream

Very simple and delicious.

Keen-wah! Quinoa!

2010-03-07T20:56:00.000-08:00

Quinoa, it's all the craze! It's some super healthy grain that has lots of protein or something. Anyway, I decided to give it a whirl and bought a big bag at Costco, my friend had a yummy salad recipe that I tried, it was awesome! It got all eaten up tonight at a family party, give it a try!

2C uncooked Quinoa
1/2 green/red/or yellow pepper diced
1 can black beans
1 1/2 Tbs Red Wine Vinegar
Salt
Pepper
1 1/2 C frozen corn
Cherry tomatoes cut in half
avacado, diced
1/4 C cilantro

Dressing
-----------
5 Tbs Lime Juice (fresh is best)
1 t salt
1 1/4 t cumin
1/3 C Olive Oil

Cook the Quinoa according to the package directions. While it is cooking soak the beans (rinse them first) in the red wine vinegar with salt and pepper (to taste). When the Quinoa is all cooked add all the other stuff, mix the dressing ingredients and add that too! I served it with fresh slices of lime for people to squeeze on top.

*It's kind of debatable whether this should be served hot or cold. I liked it cold...but uh...not sure what the right way to serve it is : )

If I had it all to do over again I would add more lime to the dressing, but it was pretty good as is. Give it a try, it's pretty yum!

I just posted this recipe then went and re-read it and noticed I had spelled wine "whine". I guess it's official that I am a parent now : )

Buttermilk Blueberry Coffee Cake

2010-03-07T10:17:00.000-08:00

I made this over the weekend and halved the recipe, which was a very good idea, because I have eaten nearly the entire thing on my own!

For the Cake:

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

For the Streusel:

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup cold butter

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9 inch pan.

2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

3. In a bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time until well incorporated. Add vanilla.

4. Slowly add flour mixture, and than buttermilk until just combined. Do not overmix.

5. Stir in blueberries and lemon zest.

6. Pour batter in the pan, it will be slightly thick.

7. Make streusel. Mix sugar, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Add butter and mix with hands, or a pastry blender until mixture is the size pea sized crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over cake batter.

8. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Recipe from here: Stephanie's Kitchen

Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-03-06T06:54:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe from the book "The Essential Mormon Cookbook." They really are the best chocolate chip cookies I've made.

1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 bag chocolate chips

Cream butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla. Add flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix together and stir in chips. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes (mine actually took more like 10-12 minutes).

Asparagus Pasta w/ Spinach Noodles

2010-02-16T12:26:00.001-08:00

I ran across this recipe for Asparagus Pasta yesterday and decided it merited a special trip to the grocery store for asparagus and a rearranging of my menu for the week so we could use up the little bit of cream left in my fridge before it went bad.

And, because I'm trying to eat healthier and squeeze more veggies in, I made spinach pasta instead of using the penne or rigatoni the recipe calls for.

It was all quite good (especially with the addition of garlic. I am physically incapable of cooking without garlic, I think). I was worried it would be TOO vegetable-y but it really wasn't. My two year old gobbled it up and there were no leftovers. Not too bad for a Monday night meal.

BTS Cake

2010-02-05T22:04:00.001-08:00

I imagine you've tried BTS cake at some point in your life. It's pretty good, but its' name is a bit graphic for the family party I was bringing it to. Anyway, here's the original recipe:

1 pkg. devils food cake mix
1/2 can sweetened condensed milk
6 oz. caramel ice cream topping
3 Heath bars, crumbled
1 container cool whip

1. Prepare the cake according to box instructions. I cut my oil in half because the cake gets a lot of moisture added into it, so why keep unnecessary calories?
2. When cake is finished baking, poke holes in it with a wooden spoon. Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the entire thing, then cover with caramel. Sprinkle some of the Heath bars. Let cool.
3. Frost with cool whip and sprinkle the rest of the Heath bars on top. Serve cold.

This is really good. But, as I was making it, I remembered that I have a LOT of peanut butter in my food storage that is close to expiring. So I substituted 1 cup melted peanut butter (microwave it 20 seconds at a time and stir till it's the consistency of melted chocolate) for the caramel and topped with Reese's peanut butter cups instead. It was great, even better than the original recipe b/c it was my husband's birthday cake and he loves peanut butter.

Roasted Tilapia and Veggies

2010-02-01T18:25:00.000-08:00

We aren't total fish lovers, but tried this tonite and it was FABULOUS!

Prep Time: 15 min
Total Time: 40 min
Makes: 4 servings

1/2 lb fresh asparagus spears, cut in half (I used carrots)
2 small zucchini, halved lengthwise, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch strips
1 large onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges, separated
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons Montreal steak seasoning
4 tilapia fillets (about 1 1/2 lb)
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
1/2 teaspoon paprika (Didn't have any, still tasted great!)

1. Heat oven to 450°F. In large bowl, mix asparagus, zucchini, bell pepper, onion and oil. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the steak seasoning; toss to coat. Spread vegetables in ungreased 15x10x1-inch pan. Place on lower oven rack in oven; bake 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Pat tilapia fillets dry with paper towels. Brush with butter; sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon steak seasoning and paprika. Place in baking dish.
3. Place baking dish on middle oven rack in oven. Bake fish and vegetables 17 to 18 minutes longer or until fish flakes easily with fork and vegetables are tender. (I could have stood it to cook a bit longer, and cook out some of the excess water, it was kind of watery.)

*Any firm white fish fillets can be used. Baking time will vary depending on the thickness of the fillets.

**Nutrion Information 1 Serving: Calories 290 (Calories from Fat 110); Total Fat 12g (Saturated Fat 3 1/2g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 100mg; Sodium 520mg; Total Carbohydrate 11g (Dietary Fiber 3g, Sugars 5g); Protein 35g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 40%; Vitamin C 45%; Calcium 6%; Iron 10% Exchanges: 0 Other Carbohydrate; 2 Vegetable; 4 Lean Meat; 1/2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 1
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Delicious ham and potato soup

2010-01-28T18:06:00.000-08:00

4 stars. this got a thumbs up from everyone in the family. we ate it with buttered bread and it was sooo good, and so easy!

Delicious Ham and Potato Soup

Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 25 Minutes

Ready In: 45 Minutes
Servings: 8
"This is a delicious recipe for ham and potato soup that a friend gave to me. It is very easy and the great thing about it is that you can add additional ingredients, more ham, potatoes, etc and it still turns out great."
Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
1/3 cup diced celery
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup diced cooked ham
3 1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper
, or to taste
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
Directions:
1. Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.
2. In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.

Fondant cake frosting

2010-01-22T15:55:00.000-08:00

From the Wilton website
Rolled Fondant
There is no icing that is easier to smooth on a cake than Rolled Fondant. Its dough-like consistency makes it perfect for hand-shaping flowers, 3-dimensional figures and more. Also great for imprinting designs, cut-out accents on cakes and various borders.

Source: Cupcake Fun
Ingredients:

* 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
* 1/4 cup cold water
* 1/2 cup Glucose (i used light Karo syrup)
* 2 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening
* 1 tablespoon Glycerin
* 8 cups (about 2 lbs.) confectioners' sugar, sifted
* Icing color as desired
* flavoring as desired

Makes: About 36 ounces of fondant.

instructions

Combine gelatin and cold water; let stand until thick, about 3 minutes. Place gelatin mixture in top of double boiler and heat and stir until dissolved. Add glucose, mix well. Stir in shortening; just before completely melted remove from heat. Add glycerin, flavoring and color. Cool until lukewarm.

In large bowl, place 4 cups confectioners' sugar; make a well. Pour the lukewarm gelatin mixture into the well and stir with a wooden spoon, mixing in sugar and adding more, a little at a time, until stickiness disappears. Knead in remaining sugar. Knead until the fondant is smooth, pliable and does not stick to your hands. If fondant is too soft, add more sugar; if too stiff, add water (a drop at a time). Use fondant immediately or store in airtight container in a cool, dry place.

Use fondant immediately or store in airtight container at room temperature until needed. If storing longer than 1 week, refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before kneading. Do not freeze. When ready to use, knead again until soft.

This recipe yields enough to cover a 10 x 4 in. high round cake. If fondant becomes dry, either by adding too much sugar or air drying, add small amount of solid vegetable shortening and knead thoroughly

If you want to make this and have questions (I did) you can just email me julianneorth@yahoo.com