Something for Dinner

Pies, pies and more pies

2011-10-17T15:23:00.000-07:00

With Thanksgiving coming up, I thought I would do a post with some of our favorite pie recipes. These are the pies I made last year for Thanksgiving. Yum!

My favorite pie crust recipe is posted here.

My favorite pecan pie recipe is posted here.

My favorite apple pie recipe is posted here.
My favorite pumpkin pie recipes is here.

Blueberry Pie

1 recipe crust for a double-crust pie.

5 c. fresh or frozen blueberries (it is less runny if you use fresh)

2/3 to 3/4 c. sugar

3 T. flour

2 tsp. finely zested lemon peel OR ½ tsp. cinnamon (I like to use lemon peel)

Line a 9-inch pie pan with pie crust.

In a large bowl combine the sugar and flour. Stir in berries and lemon peel or cinnamon. Gently toss until coated. Transfer berry mixture to the pie shell. Trim bottom pastry to edge of pie pan. Place top crust over filling and seal edges. Cut slits in top crust.

If desired, brush top of pie with milk and sprinkle with sugar. To prevent over-browning, cover edges with foil. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes (or 60 minutes if using frozen fruit). Remove foil and bake for 20 minutes more or until filling is bubbly and pastry is golden. Cool on a wire rack.

Fresh Strawberry Pie

1 baked pie crust

8 cups medium fresh strawberries

2/3 c. water

2/3 c. sugar

2 T. cornstarch

Remove stems from strawberries, wash, and cut in half lengthwise. In a blender or food processor combine 1 cup of strawberries and 2/3 cup water. Cover and blend or process until smooth. Add enough additional water to the mixture to equal 1 ½ cups. In a medium saucepan combine sugar and cornstarch; stir in blended berry mixture. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Cool for 10 minutes without stirring.

Spread about ¼ c. of the glaze over bottom and sides of baked pie crust. Arrange half of the remaining strawberries in pastry. Carefully spoon half of the remaining glaze over berries, making sure all berries are covered. Arrange remaining berries over first layer. Spoon remaining glaze over berries, covering each. Chill for 1 to 2 hours. (After 2 hours, filling may begin to water out.) If desired, top with whipped cream.

Razzleberry Pie

5 C. water

3 1/3 C. sugar

Bring to boil

Add:

1 pkg. frozen blackberries

Bring back to a boil. Thicken ½ C. water with cornstarch (1 Tbsp.) Put back on stove until thickened. Remove from heat.

Add:

1 pkg. frozen raspberries

1 pkg. frozen blackberries

Pour into prepared pie crusts and refrigerate. Makes 5 pies.

Rhubarb Pie

Pastry for 9" two crust pie

1 1/3-1 2/3 C sugar

4 C fresh rhubarb, cut up

1/3 C flour

3 Tbsp. orange juice

1/4 tsp. grated orange peel (optional)

2 Tbsp. butter

Stir together sugar, flour and orange peel. Turn half of the rhubarb into pastry lined pie dish; sprinkle with half of the sugar mixture. Repeat. Dot with orange juice and butter. Cover with top crust; seal and flute. Cover the edge of the crust with foil until the last 15 minutes of baking. Bake at 425 for 45 minutes.

Menu Organization

2011-06-20T21:17:00.000-07:00

My cousin Krystal has a great interior design blog (Sassy Sanctuary), and I got this idea to make a week's menu organizer from her blog a few months ago. I finally got around to making it this weekend. I sent her the picture and she put it on her blog. Fun! I can't wait to use it!

Zebra Stripes

2011-06-20T21:08:00.000-07:00

My daughter needed to take snacks to preschool again and this time it had to start with the letter Z. It took me a while to remember that I had this recipe for Zebra Stripes. Hello, perfect for 5 year olds! It was a lot easier than the recipe makes it seem like.

Zebra Stripes
3 cups of all-purpose flour
1 cup of granulated sugar
2/3 cup of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 1/4 cup of margarine or butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 egg
1/4 cup of cocoa
Mix flour, sugars, vanilla, margarine, salt and egg until dough forms. Divide dough into halves. Mix cocoa into 1 half. Pat or roll each half into 9-inch square. Cut each square into three 3-inch strips. Cut strips crosswise into halves. Lift 1 brown strip half with large metal spatula onto plastic wrap. Top with 1 white strip half; press firmly. Top with remaining 10 brown and white strip halves, alternating colors and pressing firmly to form into a bar, about 4 1/2 inches long, 3 inches wide and about 3 inches high. Wrap into plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, 1 to 2 hours. Heat the oven to 375°. Cut bar crosswise into about eighteen 1/4-inch slices; cut each slice crosswise into halves. Bake cookies until edges begin to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Makes 36 cookies.

Pineapple Cheeseball

2011-06-17T23:23:00.000-07:00

1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese

½ c. crushed pineapple

1 tsp. minced onion

2 tsp. seasoning salt

1 Tbsp. finely chopped green pepper (optional)

Mix everything together. Shape into a ball. (I use saran wrap). At serving time, roll in sunflower seeds or slivered almonds if desired.

Cheese Fondue

2011-03-04T23:13:00.000-08:00

Fondue is so delicious. I love this recipe, because it can be served as a snack, as part of your main course, or as an appetizer!

Cheese Fondue

1 1/2 cups milk

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, cubed

1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

In a large saucepan, cook and stir the milk and cream cheese over low heat until cheese is melted. Stir in Parmesan cheese and garlic salt; cook and stir until heated through. Transfer to a fondue pot or mini slow cooker; keep warm.

My favorite things to dip in cheese fondue:

Blanched broccoli, blanched cauliflower, crusty French bread, sliced pepperoni, sliced summer sausage, raw bell peppers.

To blanch a vegetable, boil in water for 2 minutes; just long enough to soften slightly.

Raspberry Star Cookies

2011-02-23T11:06:00.000-08:00

My oldest is in preschool. Today she got to take snack to school, and it needed to start with the letter "r." I asked her what she wanted to take. She thought for a bit and then said raspberry cookies! So I found this recipe and they turned out pretty good. I skipped the glaze this time since they were for a bunch of preschoolers. That's just too much mess for them. :) I do have to say that the dough had a hard time staying together. It seemed like there was a little too much flour, so maybe next time I will add a bit less flour.

Raspberry Star Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (8 ounce) jar raspberry preserves

2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons almond extract

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg. Combine the flour and salt; stir into the creamed mixture. Dough will be stiff. On a lightly floured surface, roll half of the dough out to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into star shapes using a cookie cutter. Set cookies 1 inch apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. Place a teaspoon of jam onto each cookie and spread out towards the points of the stars. Roll out remaining half of the dough and cut into stars the same size. cut holes in the center of each star, then place them onto the jam stars.

Bake for 7 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden around the edges. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks. In a small bowl, mix together the confectioners' sugar and almond extract to form a glaze. Add water a teaspoon at a time if the mixture is too thick to drizzle. Drizzle glaze over cooled cookies.

Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

2011-02-10T22:32:00.000-08:00

Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

**Note: this can be made as white chocolate or chocolate. To do white chocolate, omit cocoa from crust and change chocolate chips to white chocolate chips.

4 8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese, softened
1 c. sugar
Mix together.
Add:
¾ tsp. almond extract
¼ tsp. raspberry extract
Mix, then add:
4 eggs, 1 at a time
Mix well. Add 2 c. chocolate chips, melted. Pour over graham cracker crust in spring-form pan. Add decorator’s lines of raspberry sauce. Bake 55-60 minutes at 350. Top with raspberry sauce when serving.
Graham Cracker Crust
1 c. graham cracker crumbs
3 Tbsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. cocoa (optional)
1/3 c. melted butter
Bake 360 for 6 minutes
Raspberry Sauce
10 oz. frozen sweetened raspberries
2 Tbsp. sugar
Mix in blender, and then strain seeds out.

Orange Berry Granola

2011-02-01T13:33:00.000-08:00

The first time I looked at this recipe, it really seemed daunting. It was just so LONG. I finally tried making it. It was a LOT easier than it seems.

Granola

(There are eight variations to the master recipe. You can double the recipe, just bake it in two pans. 1 ½ recipe works on a sheet pan.)

Master Granola Recipe (makes about 1 quart)

Adjust oven rack to middle position, and heat oven to 275°. Coat a 9x13 metal pan with cooking spray, then set aside. Mix oats, wheat germ, brown sugar, salt, and extra ingredients (except not dried fruit or anything that gets added after it's cool such as chocolate chips) in a bowl. Bring syrup, oil, water, and any flavoring indicated below to a simmer in a saucepan over low heat. Drizzle over oat mixture and stir to combine. Pour mixture onto prepared pan. Working a handful at a time, squeeze cereal to form small clumps. Bake for 30 minutes. Stir in dried fruit. Continue to bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes longer. Let cool. (Granola can be stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks.)

2 cups old-fashioned oats (don't use quick oats!)

1/2 cup wheat germ (store this in the fridge or better yet the freezer so it won't go rancid)

2 T. dark brown sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup extra ingredients (see complete list below)

1/4 cup maple syrup (or honey or molasses or a combination)

3 T. flavorless oil, such as vegetable or canola oil

1 T. water

flavoring (see below)

Granola Variations:

1. Classic Granola

Extra Ingredients: 1/3 c. chopped walnuts, 1/3 c. sweetened flake coconut, 1/3 cup dark or golden raisins

Flavoring: 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

You can replace the 1/4 c. maple syrup with 2 T. each of maple syrup and molasses.

2. Crunchy Granola

Extra Ingredients: 1/4 c. slivered almonds, 1/4 c. sunflower seeds, 2 T. sesame seeds, 6 T. currants

Flavoring: none

3. Granola with Tropical Flavoring

Add the coconut along with the cashews and banana chips.

Extra Ingredients: 1/4 c. chopped roasted unsalted cashews, 1/4 c. chopped banana chips, 1/4 c. sweetened flake coconut, 1/4 c. chopped dried pineapple

Flavoring: 1/2 tsp. ground ginger

4. Granola with Cherries and Almonds

Extra Ingredients: 1/3 c. sliced almonds, 1/3 c. sweetened flake coconut, 1/3 c. dried cherries

Flavoring: 3/4 tsp. almond extract

5. Trail Mix Granola

Extra Ingredients: 1/4 c. chopped roasted unsalted peanuts, 1/4 c. sweetened flake coconut, 1/4 c. dark or golden raisins, 1/4 c. mini chocolate chips*

Flavoring: none

*Stir chips into the granola only after it has completely cooled.

6. Orange-Berry Granola with Pecans

Extra Ingredients: 1/2 c. chopped pecans, 1/4 c. dried cranberries, 1/4 c. dried blueberries

Flavoring: 1/2 tsp. finely grated orange zest

7. Pear Granola with Hazelnuts and Vanilla

Extra Ingredients: 1/2 c. chopped hazelnuts, 1/4 c. chopped dried cherries, 1/4 c. chopped dried pears

Flavoring: 1 tsp. vanilla extract

8. Orange-Flavored Granola with Pistachios, Mangoes and Dates

Extra Ingredients: 1/2 c. chopped roasted pistachios, 1/4 c. chopped dates, 1/4 c. chopped dried mangoes

Flavoring: 1/2 tsp. finely grated orange zest and 1/4 tsp. allspice

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-12-15T09:48:00.000-08:00

Peanut butter and chocolate. How can your go wrong with this combination? These cookies are delicious and super soft if you cook them for the right amount of time. It is really important with this recipe to not over-bake them!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cream together (Blend at high speed for 4 minutes)
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. shortening
1 c. peanut butter (creamy or chunky)
Add the following, and blend in, the go to high speed for 1 minute
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
Mix the following ingredients in a separate bowl and mix well. Then add to creamed mixture:
2 ½ cups flour
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
Blend in slowly. Then mix for about 1 minute.
Add:
1 ½ to 2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips
Mix until dough comes cleanly off the sides (should be less than 1 minute). Spoon into rounds onto a baking pan. Smash lightly with a fork. Cook at 350 degrees for 12 minutes (bottom of cookies should not brown). Makes 4 dozen cookies.

Another Chili Recipe

2010-11-08T12:04:00.001-08:00

This one is our family favorite for Chili.

Chili

2 lbs. ground beef

1 large onion

6 tsp. chili powder

2 tsp. allspice

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. cumin

2 cans tomatoes (diced)

5 bay leaves

1 tsp. ground red pepper

1 ½ tsp. garlic powder

46 oz. tomato juice

6 dashes Tabasco sauce

6 dashes Worcestershire sauce

3 cans kidney beans

Brown ground beef with onion. You can also use 1 lb ground beef and add an extra can of kidney beans. Combine all ingredients and simmer. (We normally put this in the crock-pot all day)

Soft Pretzels

2010-10-28T17:33:00.000-07:00

Soft Pretzels

1 ¼ c. warm water

2 T. dry yeast

½ tsp. sugar

3 – 3 ½ c. flour

2 T. water

Egg yolk

Pretzel salt

Dissolve warm water, yeast and sugar. Mix in flour. Knead for 8 minutes. Let rise in a greased bowl until double in size (45 min). Punch down and shape. Brush on egg yolk with 2 T. water. Sprinkle on salt. Place on greased cookie sheet. Let rise until double (20-30 min). Bake at 475° for 10 minutes.

Poppy Seed Green Salad

2010-10-19T09:47:00.000-07:00

Poppy Seed Green Salad

Iceberg, Romaine, and Red Leaf lettuce, torn in pieces

½ cucumber, sliced

2 cans mandarin oranges, drained (or sliced strawberries)

2 avocados, chopped

¾ C sliced almonds

Red onion rings (optional)

Crisp Chinese noodles

Poppy Seed Dressing

¾ C sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 C salad oil

1 Tbsp. poppy seeds

1 tsp. dry mustard

Dash of onion juice

½ C white vinegar

Mix dressing ingredients until sugar is dissolved, then refrigerate until serving time. Shake well before adding to greens, right before serving.

Chicken and Dumplings

2010-08-06T13:04:00.001-07:00

Chicken & Dumplings

In a large soup pot, boil a whole chicken for 1 hour. (While chicken is cooking, prepare dumplings. Combine dough and roll out VERY thin. Cut into 1 inch squares. Allow to dry slightly.) Remove chicken from pot and allow to cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, strain liquid and return to pot, skimming fat if you need to. (Remove chicken from bones and reserve to add during last 5 minutes of cooking time.) Add chicken bouillon to taste (5-6 cubes). Add one onion, chopped, and about 1 lb. of carrots, chopped (3/4 c.). Boil until vegetables are soft. 45 minutes to 1 hour before serving, add dumplings a few at a time. Cook covered for 45 minutes, adding chicken for last 5 minutes of cooking time.

Dumplings:
3 eggs
1/3 c. milk
3 T. butter
¼ tsp. salt
3 c. flour

Cooking Hiatus

2010-05-02T11:42:00.000-07:00

As my very few loyal followers most likely know by now, we have bought a house. We are moving within a month, so I am going to be taking a break from this blog. I will be back once we're in our new house. Continue to use the great recipes on this site, and check back in mid-June. Happy cooking everyone!

Enchiladas Verdes

2010-03-02T15:54:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe from my sister-in-law, who is from Mexico. These enchiladas are SO good!

Enchiladas Verdes

1 lb tomatillo tomatoes
5 to 7 serrano peppers (Remove seeds after cooking if you don't want it too spicy)
2 cloves of garlic
1 cube of chicken boullion
1 whole chicken
3 roma tomatoes
1 ½ medium-sized white onion
15 corn tortillas
Sour cream
¼ lb of panela cheese

For the sauce
Start boiling the tomatillos, the peppers, ¼ of the onion and the clove of garlic. Once the tomatillos have taken a yellowish color, they are done. Drain ingredients and add to blender (remove seeds from the peppers if you don't want it too spicy). Blend everything together until completely pureed.
Put a little oil in a pan, only to season the sauce(about 1 tbsp.). Add the content of the blender and bring it to a boil for approximately 2 minutes.

For the chicken
Boil the chicken in a large stock pot with 1/4 of an onion, garlic, and chicken boullion. Cook until done, about an hour. Shred the chicken. Chop the rest of the tomato and the rest of the onion into little squares. Place them in a pan over medium heat until the onion turns out to be transparent and the tomato has extracted all its juice. Then, add the shredded chicken and simmer.

When the sauce and the chicken is ready to serve, submerge the tortillas in the sauce (first, fry them in oil quickly to prevent tearing). Put chicken inside the tortillas and wrap or fold the tortillas neatly on a plate and put chicken on top. Add cream and cheese as desired.

2010-03-02T15:35:00.000-08:00

I was given this award:

Saraplicious gave me this award, because I shared a recipe collection with her. So what are the requirements for this award?

a) I must brag about it.
b) Display the badge on my blog and link to the one who tagged me to prove that I didn't tag myself (how pathetic that would be!)
c) I share 10 things about myself.
d) pass the award to other fellow bloggers by visiting their site.

I am not going to tag anyone specifically, but I will tag all of my faithful readers (all 3 of you). Have fun with this!

Ok, 10 things I want to share about myself...(I am theming this around the kitchen and my family, since that is where (and with who) I spend a lot of my time, and it's the theme of this blog!)

1. I am a stay at home mom to three great kids.
2. Call me old fashioned, but I love being able to have a wonderful meal ready on the table when my husband walks in the door after a long day of work.
3. I am a brand snob. I really think that the no-name brands of food actually taste different.
4. I am cooking something new all the time. I love trying new recipes.
5. I don't like baking nearly as much as I enjoy cooking. Baking is too precise, and you can't experiment quite as much with it.
6. I have almost every appliance known to man.
7. I have a HUGE kitchen and lots of cupboards, but they are all over-flowing.
8. I have quite the "staples stash" in my pantry. You will find a lot of the basic staples in there at any given time. I don't let myself run out.
9. My kitchen is almost never 100% clean - I am using way too much!
10. I am a military wife

Pasta with Herb Cream Sauce

2010-03-02T15:14:00.000-08:00

This recipe I adapted from foodnetwork.com. Their recipe is a lot more fattening (surprisingly enough!), but this still tastes so good! Even my kids devoured it.

Penne Pasta
4 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp. dried rosemary or 1 Tbsp. Fresh rosemary
1 C heavy cream
1 C milk
1/2 C parmesan cheese (or italian cheese blend)
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 Tbsp. Parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium low heat. Stir in flour with a whisk and let cook for 1-2 minutes to create roux. While stirring constantly, slowly add in milk and cream. Cook until thickened. Add remaining ingredients. Serve over cooked pasta. Serves 4.

Butternut squash soup

2010-01-29T16:06:00.000-08:00

This is such a tasty soup. I think it has become my new favorite. For the bread bowls recipe, see this link.

Butternut squash soup
6 cups (about 2 large squash) seeded 2-inch wide chunks butternut squash
Melted butter, for brushing
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus 1 teaspoon
1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper, plus 1/2 teaspoon
3 cups chicken broth
4 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon minced ginger
4 ounces heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Brush the flesh of the squash with a little butter and season with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper. On a sheet pan lay the squash flesh side up. Roast for about 30 to 35 minutes or until the flesh is nice and soft.

Scoop the flesh from the skin into a pot and add the stock, honey, and ginger. Bring to a simmer and puree using a stick blender. Stir in the heavy cream and return to a low simmer. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Potato Casserole

2010-01-04T12:10:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

• 6 cups frozen shredded hash browns
• 1 can (10 ¾ oz.) cond. cream chicken soup
• 1/2 soup can milk
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 1/4 cup grated onion (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 1/4 cup corn flake crumbs

Cook fresh potatoes or thaw frozen potatoes. Place potatoes in a 2-3 quart casserole dish or a 9x13 casserole dish.

Combine soup, milk, sour cream, cheese, and onion and salt and pepper to taste. If a saucier dish is desired, add 2-3 tablespoons additional milk. Mix well. Spread sauce over potatoes.

Melt butter and combine with corn flake crumbs. Sprinkle crumbs over casserole. Bake uncovered at 350 F for 30-45 minutes or until hot and bubbly throughout.

Pecan Pie

2009-12-09T16:58:00.000-08:00

This is my very favorite kind of pie.

3 eggs, slightly beaten

1 C. corn syrup
1 C. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 C. pecan halves
1 unbaked pie shell (You can use your own recipe or see mine here)
In large bowl, stir together eggs, corn syrup, sugar, butter and vanilla until well blended. Pour into pie shell. Add pecans on top and bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes.

Chicken Tacos

2009-12-06T22:17:00.000-08:00

If I had time to go to the store before I made this, there would be lettuce, cilantro and some really yummy home made salsa. They were still good without them.

Chicken Tacos

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite size pieces
1 cup lemonade/limeade
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lime juice
½ teaspoons cumin
¼ tsp chili powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder

1 (12 ounce) package flour tortillas
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 (8 ounce) package shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 (8 ounce) jar salsa
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

In a large skillet over medium heat, combine chicken, lemonade/limeade, olive oil, lime juice. Season with garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, onion powder. Simmer until chicken is no longer pink, and juices run clear, 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, warm the tortillas in the oven or microwave until soft. When chicken is fully cooked, transfer to serving bowl. Place lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, salsa, and sour cream in serving dishes. Each person can create their own wrap, using their preferred ingredients.

Cheese Enchiladas

2009-12-05T22:06:00.000-08:00

Cheese Enchiladas

Corn tortillas
Monterey jack cheese or cheddar cheese
Green chiles
Oil
Shredded chicken (optional)
One recipe white sauce with added Monterey jack cheese and green chiles
Heat oil in small frying pan. Dip tortillas one by one in hot oil to soften. Roll ingredients inside tortillas and place sides touching in 9x13 baking dish. Pour white sauce over top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Basic White Sauce
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 C milk
Melt butter over medium low heat until melted. Add flour and whisk together until blended. Stir constantly until bubbly. Very slowly, add milk while stirring constantly with a whisk. Heat until thick, stirring constantly.

Cooking Tips

2009-11-25T19:04:00.000-08:00

Here are a few noteworthy tips I have picked up through my years of cooking.

- When measuring corn syrup or honey, spray your measuring cup with cooking spray before hand.
- Beware of using foil to store anything with tomato sauce (or other highly acidic foods). It creates a chemical reaction, causing aluminum salt to form, and sometimes it will leave pin-sized holes in the foil.
- When boiling pasta, to prevent boiling over, add a tsp or two of oil to the water.
- Peel your ginger then freeze it. It will last a LOT longer than if you refrigerate it.
- Cottage cheese will remain fresher longer if you store it upside down in the refrigerator. This slows the effects of oxidation.
- Place a piece of bread in the container with your brown sugar if it hardens. This will pull the moisture from the bread and add it to your brown sugar. (But don't leave the bread in there for long!)
- To fix lumpy gravy, simply pour your gravy through a sieve or small strainer.
- A little corn starch and water go a long way to instantly thicken a sauce. Just add 1 tbsp of corn starch to 2 tbsp of water and mix well. Stir it into simmering sauces for an instant thickener. Be careful to use just enough, and add the mixture SLOWLY while stirring constantly to prevent lumps!
- When baking pies, use a pie shield. This will prevent the crust of the pie from browning too much. You can also use aluminum foil around the edge.

- Brush some beaten egg white over your pie crust or pastry before baking to yield a beautiful glossy finish.

- Leftover pie dough? Roll it out and spread it with butter, then cinnamon sugar. Cut into bite size pieces and bake for 2-4 minutes. Delicious pie crust cookies.

- When a chocolate recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of cocoa instead of flour so there is no white "mess" on the outside of your cake or bread.

- Be sure there are no drafts where dough is rising. Drafts cause the dough to rise slowly and unevenly.

- Is your baking powder fresh? Put one tsp in 1/3 cup of water. If it does not fizz toss the baking powder-it's too old.

- When boiling corn on the cob, add a tablespoon of sugar to help bring out the corn's natural sweetness.

- Vegetables and chicken absorb marinades more quickly than pork or red meat. 3-4 hours is generally sufficient for chicken or vegetables, while pork or red meat need 6 or more hours - overnight is best.

Emergency Substitutions

FOR: - YOU CAN USE:

1 Tbsp. cornstarch - 2 Tbsp. flour OR 1 Tbsp. quick cooking tapioca

1 c. cake flour - 1 c. less 2 Tbsp. all purpose flour

1 c. all purpose flour - 1 c. plus 2 Tbsp. cake flour

1 square baking chocolate - 3 Tbsp. cocoa and 1 Tbsp. shortening or butter

1 c. melted shortening - 1 c. oil (not for solid shortening)

1 c. milk - ½ c. evaporated milk and ½ c. water

1 c. sour milk or buttermilk - 1 Tbsp. vinegar and enough milk to measure 1 c.

1 c. heavy cream - 2/3 c. milk and 1/3 c. butter

1 c. heavy cream, whipped - 2/3 c. well chilled evaporated milk, whipped

1 tsp. baking powder - ¼ tsp. baking soda and 1 tsp. cream of tartar OR ¼ tsp. baking soda and ½ c. sour milk, buttermilk, or molasses; reduce other liquid to ½ c.

1 c. sugar - 1 c. honey; reduce other liquid ¼ c.; reduce baking temperature 25 degrees

1 c. miniature marshmallows - 10 large marshmallows, cut up

1 medium onion - 2 Tbsp. dried minced onion OR 1 tsp. onion powder OR 2 tsp. onion salt; reduce salt 1 tsp.

1 garlic clove - 1/8 tsp. garlic powder OR ¼ tsp. garlic salt reduce salt 1/8 tsp. OR ½ tsp. minced garlic

1 Tbsp. fresh herbs - 1 tsp. dried herbs OR ¼ tsp. powdered herbs OR ½ tsp. herb salt; reduce salt ¼ tsp.

1 c. corn syrup - 1 c. sugar and ¼ c. water (or other liquid used in recipe)

1 c. honey - 1 ¼ c sugar and ¼ c. water (or other liquid used in recipe)

1 tsp. vanilla - 1 tsp. grated lemon peel or orange rind (will have a different flavor)

Use these tips and tricks at your own risk! There may be more in the future, so stay tuned.

Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookie Logs

2009-11-20T13:43:00.000-08:00

These little cookies are so melt in your mouth delicious, that it is hard to resist them! They are good without being dipped in chocolate as well, but let's be honest. Where can you go wrong when you add extra chocolate to something? The shortbread cookies are very easy to make, so it's really a win-win recipe!

Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookie Logs

1 c. butter, softened
½ c. sifted powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
2 c. miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 Tbsp. shortening
¾ c. finely chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. Grease baking sheets. Cream together butter and powdered sugar until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Mix in the flour and then one cup of the chocolate chips. Shape dough into 2x1/2 in. logs. Place logs 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 10-13 minutes in preheated oven, or until firm. Let cookies cool completely before removing from pan (shortbread is very brittle). Melt the remaining 1 c. chocolate chips and shortening over a double boiler, stirring frequently until smooth. Dip one end of each cookie into the chocolate then into the nuts. Place onto wax paper until set. Makes approx. 4 dozen.

Italian Bread Bowls and Broccoli Cheese Soup

2009-11-17T08:53:00.000-08:00

Italian Bread Bowls
1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
2 1/2 cups warm water
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
7 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water
In a large bowl (or bowl of an electric mixer), dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
Add salt, oil and 4 cups flour to the yeast mixture; beat well. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well with an electric mixer at medium speed after each addition until a soft but not sticky dough is formed (you may not need to use all 7 cups).
When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes (or let knead in an electric mixer). Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Punch dough down, and divide into 6-8 equal portions. Shape each portion into a round ball. Place loaves on lightly greased baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal (or use silpat liners or parchment paper). Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, until doubled in bulk, about 35 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, beat together egg white and 1 tablespoon water; lightly brush the loaves with half of this egg wash. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Brush with remaining egg mixture, and bake 10 to 15 more minutes or until golden. Cool on wire racks.

Broccoli Cheese Soup
1 can chicken broth
1 small onion, diced
1/3 c. flour
1/4 c. butter
Pepper to taste
2 c. milk
1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 c. shredded Swiss cheese
Steamed chopped broccoli
Simmer chicken broth and chopped onion for 15-20 minutes in a covered small saucepan, until onions are soft. Heat milk in microwave for 1-2 minutes. In a separate medium-sized stockpot, melt butter then add flour and pepper. Cook together for a couple of minutes, then whisk in warmed milk. Stir and heat together on medium-high heat until soup starts to thicken. Next add chicken broth and continue to stir until well blended. Add cheeses and steamed broccoli. Serve immediately.
Makes approximately 4 servings

English Muffin Loaves

2009-11-16T10:18:00.000-08:00

My sister passed this recipe along to me.

I love English Muffins. They are so tasty, but they can get pricey, so we don't always have them on hand. This bread tastes like English Muffins. Just toast a few slices and yum!

2 pkg. yeast
6 C. flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 C. milk
¼ tsp. baking soda
½ C. water
cornmeal

Combine 3 C. flour, yeast, sugar, salt and baking soda. Heat liquids until very warm. Add to dry mixture; beat well. Stir in remaining flour to make a stiff batter. Spoon into 2 loaf pans that have been greased and sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover; let rise in a warm place 45 minutes. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes. Remove from pans immediately and cool. Slice and toast. Makes 16 slices per loaf.

Chicken Marinade

2009-11-15T12:11:00.000-08:00

Chicken Marinade

1 cup soy sauce
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 cup water

Directions:
Marinate chicken strips all day. Broil for 10 minutes or so, depending on how thick you cut the strips. This also works great on chicken breasts on the grill.

Dinner Nachos

2009-11-10T20:21:00.000-08:00

This is my dinner in a pinch solution. I need to go to the store. Desperately. I am out of nearly everything. This is a meal that was thrown together with what I had on hand. It turned out pretty good, and even the kids liked it.

1 pound ground beef

1 package Taco Seasoning Mix
1 can black beans
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
Thick & Chunky Salsa
Shredded Cheddar cheese
Shredded lettuce
Tortilla chips
Cook beef and taco seasoning in skillet until browned. Pour off fat. Add beans, and tomatoes. Heat to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat 5 min. or until done. Pour into casserole dish and top with cheese. Broil for a few minutes until cheese is melted. Top with salsa and lettuce. Serve with tortilla chips for dipping.

Spicy Italian Sausage and Black Bean Soup

2009-11-08T12:45:00.000-08:00

As the cold weather hits us, soup season is here! Here is a recipe we tried out the other day. It was yummy! My three year old loved it, even though the sausage I used was on the spicier side. If you don't want it so spicy, just use a mild italian sausage. I cook spicy things alot, so my kids are used to it. Sometimes I won't feed them the same thing as us if what I am cooking is extra spicy.

I am not a fan of using wine to cook with - I just don't like the flavor. In place of the red wine in this recipe, I just used an extra cup of beef broth. I also had run out of celery and didn't want to go to the store. I used celery seed to give the flavor. I don't like using spinach in soup, so it was really just a personal preference to leave that out. I'm sure it would be just as good with it in it.

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 pound spicy Italian sausage
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 russet potato, cubed
5 stalks celery, diced
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 cup red wine
1 (32 fluid ounce) container beef broth
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 cup uncooked rotini pasta
1 cup baby spinach leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 bunch fresh basil, chopped
salt and black pepper to taste

Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the Italian sausages in the hot oil, turning occasionally, until browned on the outside and no longer pink in the center, 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool; remove all but 1 tablespoon of grease from the pot.

Stir the garlic, onion, carrot, potato, and celery into the hot fat. Cook until the vegetables are tender and the onion has turned translucent, about 7 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste until no lumps remain; pour in the red wine. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until the liquid has reduced by half, stirring frequently to dissolve the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the beef broth, black beans, and diced tomatoes. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 1 hour.

Cut the cooled sausage into 1/2-inch thick slices. Stir the sausage into the soup along with the rotini pasta, spinach, and dried oregano. Simmer until the pasta is tender, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in the chopped basil and season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.

Parmesan Chicken

2009-11-05T19:42:00.000-08:00

My husband raves about this recipe.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 egg
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Flatten chicken to 1/4-in. thickness. I use a freezer zip lock bag, place in chicken, then use a rolling pin to beat the chicken down. In a shallow bowl, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and basil. In another bowl, beat the egg. Dip chicken into egg, then coat with crumb mixture. In a 13X9 baking dish place chicken breasts. Bake in preheated oven on 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Cherry Crunch Cake

2009-11-04T18:01:00.000-08:00

This cake is such a weakness of mine... I love it.

1 can cherry pie filling
1 Tbsp. almond extract
1 cake mix (white or yellow)
1 stick butter, melted
Pecans
Mix cherry pie filling and almond extract in bottom of 8x8 pan. In separate bowl mix dry cake mix, butter and pecans. Layer on top of cherry mixture. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until nicely golden and filling bubbles.

I normally use a yellow cake mix.

Curried Honey Mustard Chicken

2009-11-03T14:15:00.000-08:00

We are big fans of curry at our house (even the kids love it). Add some to a honey mustard sauce, and you have got some seriously yummy chicken on your hands.

1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup Dijon-style prepared mustard
4 teaspoons curry powder
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

In a medium bowl combine the melted butter/margarine, honey, mustard, curry powder and cayenne powder. Mix well. Place chicken breasts in a 9x13 inch baking dish and pour honey/mustard mixture over chicken. Cover and place in refrigerator. Marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Remove dish from refrigerator and bake, covered, in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove cover and bake about 10 minutes more, or until done and juices run clear (baking time will depend a little on how thick your chicken breasts are - I use pretty thick chicken breasts, so I cooked it for 20 minutes covered and another ten or so uncovered).

So I didn't decide to make this until it was way too late to marinate it for that long. I only was able to get about an hour of marinating in. So I used my newest favorite kitchen gadget - the meat injector.

Have you ever used one of these? I mentioned it here, also. I just got some of the sauce in here and injected it right into the chicken. Yum.

Onion Mushroom Meatloaf

2009-11-02T08:51:00.000-08:00

Normally, I use Lawry's meatloaf seasoning to make meatloaf. When our youngest was born, we had a neighbor bring us some meatloaf for dinner. It was so tasty, and I just couldn't resist asking for the recipe. I made it again the other night, and it was a hit.

Preheat oven to 350°

1 envelope Lipton Onion-Mushroom Soup Mix
1 1/2 lbs ground beef (as lean as possible)
1 c. soft bread crumbs
1 egg
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. catsup
In medium bowl, combine all ingredients. Shape into loaf in a shallow pan. Bake uncovered approximately 1 hour
Topping:
1/4 c. catsup
3 T brown sugar
2 T Dijon-style mustard.
Spread topping on top of meatloaf halfway through baking time (1/2 hr) Return to oven.
Serves 6

Fish Cakes

2009-10-27T19:45:00.000-07:00

Fish is not one of my favorite things. I have always liked shellfish and canned tuna. I have also always liked fish sticks....Anyway, I made these with Halibut, and they are now on my "regular dinners" list. So good!

1 lemon

1 ¼ lbs. fresh flaky fish (cod, halibut, mahi-mahi, or canned tuna)
¼ c. vegetable oil
2 tsp. seafood seasoning blend
2 ribs celery (hearts) and their greens, finely chopped
1 small yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
2-3 T. chopped fresh thyme leaves (or 2 tsp. dried thyme)
3-4 T. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
salt & pepper to taste
1 egg
2 c. plain bread crumbs (or 4 slices toast processed to crumbs in food processor)
In a large, nonstick skillet, bring ½ inch water to a simmer. Zest a lemon and reserve. Cut lemon and season the fish with lemon juice and salt and add to simmering water. Cover pan and cook fish about 8 min. Remove and flake fish into a bowl. Discard water and wipe out pan, returning it to medium heat and add oil. To the fish, add reserved lemon zest, seafood seasoning, celery, onion, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper. Add egg and 1 c. of the bread crumbs. Form 8 fish patties (I only made six, but I also only used about a pound of fish) and carefully toss in remaining bread crumbs to set the patties. Cook the patties in the oil for 4-5 minutes on each side until golden brown. Serve with a lemon on the table to squeeze over the patties.

Mom’s Chili

2009-10-24T21:50:00.000-07:00

This is a mild recipe for chili, but still oh so good. Don't worry, you will get a few more chili recipes throughout the winter.

1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained
½ onion, chopped
1 can light kidney beans
2 cans dark kidney beans
1 20 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
½ tsp. - 1 tsp. salt (to taste)
2-3 tsp. chili powder
Dash pepper
Sautee ground beef and onion together. Add all ingredients into a pot and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Magic Cookie Bars

2009-10-24T21:47:00.000-07:00

1 graham cracker crust
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 bag white chocolate chips
1 bag peanut butter chips
1 bag coconut
Line bottom of 9x13 baking dish with graham cracker crust. Then add ½ can of sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips and coconut. Drizzle remaining milk over top. Bake 30 minutes at 350.

Chicken Cannelloni

2009-10-22T17:54:00.000-07:00

I was flipping through the pages of a magazine this afternoon and saw an advertisement for an italian frozen meal. It was not anything I had attempted to make before, or even seen a recipe for. So I went in search. I found a recipe that looked pretty good and changed a few things. My husband had requested teriyaki chicken for dinner, but this just looked too good to pass up. After we finished eating, he said he was very glad that I did not make the teriyaki chicken. Thanks, honey!

Sauce:

1/4 c. (1/2 stick) butter

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/4 c. flour

1 tsp. instant chicken bouillon

1/8 tsp. white pepper

2 c. light cream or half and half

1/2 c. combined grated Parmesan and Romano cheese

Cannelloni:

8 manicotti shells

2 tbsp. butter

3 tbsp. sliced green onion

8-10oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained

2 c. finely chopped chicken

1/2 c. combined grated Parmesan and Romano cheese

2 eggs, beaten

3/4 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp. pepper

Sauce: saute garlic in butter 3 minutes. Stir in flour and seasonings. Remove from heat. Gradually stir in cream. Bring to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Reduce heat to low. Stir in cheese until melted (set aside).

Cannelloni, boil shells according to package directions. Rinse and drain. Meanwhile, saute onion in butter until tender (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat; stir in remaining ingredients.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill shells. Place in buttered 2 quart rectangular baking dish. Spoon sauce over filled cannelloni. Bake 20 minutes. Then broil several inches from source of heat about 5 minutes or until sauce becomes golden and bubbles (serve immediately).

Spiced Cider

2009-10-22T17:51:00.001-07:00

I got this recipe from my neighbor. It was really good. Thanks Kayla!

1/3 c. brown sugar
2 quarts apple juice
1 t. whole allspice
1 1/2 t. whole cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
2 oranges sliced with the peels on

Combine the brown sugar and apple juice in the crockpot. Tie the spices in cheese cloth and add to crockpot. Cover and simmer on low for 2-8 hours.

Pumpkin Pie Bites

2009-10-22T17:33:00.000-07:00

If you don't visit Bakerella's website, I highly recommend it for some baking fun. I got the recipe for these here.

Pumpkin Pie Bites
2 refrigerated ready-to roll pie crusts

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter

Optional

1/2 cup chocolate morsels

vegetable oil

re-sealable plastic bags

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Use cookie cutter to cut 12 pumpkin shapes from each pie crust. You will need to roll the dough thinner than it comes out of the box.Press dough shapes into a 24 cup mini muffin tray. (Make 12 at a time, alternating cups to make sure pie crusts don’t overlap each other.)Apply egg whites from one egg to the top edges of each pie.

Mix cream cheese, sugar, canned pumpkin, remaining 2 eggs, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice together until thoroughly combined.Spoon mixture into each pumpkin-shaped pie crust.Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Remove pies to cool and repeat with second pie crust. Place the muffin tray in the freezer to cool it quickly for re-use.
Makes 24 pies. Keep refrigerated.

To decorate, melt chocolate in a heat-proof bowl in the microwave on medium. Heat in 30 second intervals, stirring in between until melted. Add a little vegetable oil to make the chocolate more fluid. Transfer to a re-sealable plastic bag and cut the corner off. Drizzle or draw faces on pies.

Frozen pizza...or homemade pizza?

2009-10-20T18:23:00.001-07:00

You can buy a frozen pizza at the grocery store for anywhere between $1 and $10. Some taste like cardboard, some taste pretty good. To me, however, homemade pizza is so much better. There are times when a frozen pizza is just too easy to pass up, though. I have found a solution! I made some pizza dough, flattened it out on a pan, then stuck it in the freezer. I also made some extra pizza sauce, put it in a baggie, and stuck it in the freezer, as well. I normally keep some grated mozzarella cheese in the freezer. So there you have it. Fresher ingredients than a frozen pizza, and better tasting, too! Plus it's there and easy for the husband to take out the freezer on nights when you want a break from cooking!

Pizza Dough
1 ½ c. flour
½ tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. oil
1 pkg. active dry yeast
½ c. warm water
Mix yeast in water. Add flour, salt and oil. Knead well. Cover with cloth and let rise approximately 15-30 minutes. (Double for one large round pizza)

Fast Pizza Sauce
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
¼ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. oregano (or Italian seasoning)

Quiche Lorraine

2009-10-20T18:18:00.000-07:00

There are many different types of quiche. There is the crab kind, the ham kind, the vegetable kind, and the bacon kind. This is one of my favorites.

1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch single crust pie (you can get the recipe here)
12 slices bacon
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/3 cup minced onion
4 eggs, beaten
1 ½ cups light cream
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white sugar
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Place bacon in a large skillet, and fry over medium-high heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels, then chop coarsely. Sprinkle bacon, cheese and onion into pastry shell.
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, salt, sugar and cayenne pepper. Pour mixture into pastry shell.
Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce heat to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C), and bake an additional 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted 1 inch from edge comes out clean. Allow quiche to sit 10 minutes before cutting into wedges.

Deluxe Sugar Cookies

2009-10-19T12:45:00.000-07:00

This sugar cookie recipe is my all time favorite. If you don't cook them too long, and cut them thick enough, they are super soft, and oh so good.

Cream together:
2 c. butter, softened
3 c. powdered sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. lemon or almond extract
Blend in:
4 ½ c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cream of tartar
Cover and chill dough for 2-3 hours. Roll dough to desired thickness, about ¼-3/8 inch thick. Cut with cookie cutters, and then place on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake 6-8 minutes at 375, then cool and frost.

Decorators Icing
1 lb. Powdered sugar (3 ¾ c.)
1 tsp. cream of tartar
½ tsp. salt
¼ water
1/3 c. shortening
1 tsp. almond or lemon extract
Beat at least 5 minutes on medium high speed

Stuffed Peppers

2009-10-19T10:09:00.000-07:00

1 pound ground beef

1/2 cup uncooked long grain white rice

1 cup water

4 green bell peppers

3 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbsp Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place the rice and water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and cook 20 minutes. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the beef until evenly browned. Remove and discard the tops, seeds, and membranes of the bell peppers. Arrange peppers in a baking dish with the hollowed sides facing upward. (Slice the bottoms of the peppers if necessary so that they will stand upright.) In a bowl, mix the browned beef, cooked rice, 2 cans tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper, and 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning. Spoon an equal amount of the mixture into each hollowed pepper. Mix the remaining tomato sauce and Italian seasoning in a bowl, and pour over the stuffed peppers. Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, basting with sauce every 15 minutes, until the peppers are tender.

Sesame Pork

2009-10-15T10:06:00.000-07:00

Serves 3-4
3 whole boneless chicken breasts or Pork
Marinade:
2 Tbsp. light soy sauce
1 Tbsp. cooking wine or dry sherry
A few drops of sesame oil
2 Tbsp. flour
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. water
¼ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vegetable oil
Sauce for chicken:
½ c. water
1 c. chicken broth
1/8 – 3/4 c. vinegar (depending on how sweet you want the sauce – for a sweeter sauce, reduce the amount of vinegar)
¼ c. cornstarch
1 c. sugar
2 Tbsp dark soy sauce
2 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. chili paste or more if desired
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
3 ½ - 4 c. peanut oil for deep-frying
Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes. Mix the marinade ingredients and marinate the chicken for 20 minutes, Mix together all of the sauce ingredients. Pour them into a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring continuously. Turn the heat to low and keep warm while deep-frying the chicken. Add the marinated pieces of chicken a few at a time and deep fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remainder of the chicken. Just before you are finished deep-frying, bring the sauce back to a boil. Place the chicken on a large platter and pour the sauce over. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve with rice.

I have had a hard time getting to an asian market to get dark soy sauce, so the dish pictured used regular soy sauce in the sauce. Using dark soy sauce makes for a much better color.

Beef Stroganoff

2009-10-15T10:02:00.000-07:00

1 lb. Ground beef, browned and drained
1 medium onion, chopped (about ½ c.)
¼ c. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic powder or 1 clove garlic, minced
¼ tsp. pepper
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 c. sour cream
hot cooked egg noodles
Cook hamburger and onion in butter until onion is see-through. Stir in everything but soup, sour cream and noodles. Cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in soup. Put back on heat and simmer on low, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Stir in sour cream; heat through. Serve over egg noodles.

Chicken Crepes

2009-10-13T10:21:00.001-07:00

Crepes and chicken are not something you would traditionally put together, but really, they are SO good, when combined with some mandarin oranges, powdered sugar, almonds and sour cream (among other things!).

1 recipe crepes
Filling:
3 c. cubed cooked chicken
11 oz. can mandarin oranges, drained
5 oz. can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
¼ c. mayonnaise
½ tsp. salt
Topping:
½ c. sour cream
¼ c. mayonnaise
½ tsp. vanilla
¼ c. powdered sugar
¼ c. slivered almonds
Spoon filling into crepes and roll; place open side down in glass baking dish. Spoon topping over, then bake at 375 for 20-25 min.

Crepes
4 eggs
1 1/3 c. milk
½ tsp. salt
1 c. flour
Combine eggs, milk and salt in a bowl and beat well. Add flour, and then beat until smooth. Heat a 7 inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Pour batter, a scant ¼ c. at a time into skillet, immediately rotating pan to cover the bottom and spread evenly. When crepe is light brown and set, turn over to brown other side if desired.

Pad Prik King

2009-10-11T10:27:00.000-07:00

Thai food is one of my favorites. This is a red curry chicken with green beans. So good!

4 Tbsp. oil
6 Tbsp. minced garlic
6 kaffir lime leaves, sliced in half (optional)
1 lb. ground chicken
4 Tbsp. Roasted Red Chili Paste
4 Tbsp. Fish Sauce
4 Tbsp. Sugar
2 small Thai chili sliced (optional)
1 lb. green beans, sliced into 1-inch sections
In a wok or frying pan, heat oil over high heat. Stir-fry garlic, kaffir lime leaves and chicken until brown. Add roasted red chili paste, fish sauce, sugar, chili, green beans and water. Stir-fry until meat is cooked and beans are tender. Serve with cooked Jasmine Rice.

Sugar Pecan Snowballs

2009-10-09T12:31:00.000-07:00

1 C. unsalted butter, softened
1/3 C. honey, warmed
2 ½ C. all purpose flour
1 ½ C. finely chopped pecans
½ tsp. salt
Sifted powdered sugar

Beat honey and butter on medium speed. Combine next 3 ingredients, and then add to butter mixture. Beat well. Cover. Chill 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 300. Bake on parchment paper covered cookie sheet. 1” balls, 1” apart. Bake 30 minutes. Cool 5 minutes, then roll in powdered sugar. Cool completely, and then roll in powdered sugar again. Makes approximately 50 cookies.

Loaded Mashed Potatoes

2009-10-08T17:56:00.000-07:00

Sometimes there are days when you just need something quick and easy. You don't want to loose the home-made quality, though. This meal of grilled chicken, loaded mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts took me 20 minutes from start to finish.

Loaded Mashed Potatoes
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces
2 strips of bacon, cooked and cut into pieces
1 Tbsp. chives
1/2 C grated cheddar cheese
1/4 C butter
1/3 C milk
salt to taste
Boil water. Add potatoes. Boil for 14-16 minutes, or until soft. Drain and mash. Add butter and milk. Mix until butter is melted. Stir in bacon pieces, chives, cheese and salt. Garnish with chives.

A tip for quick cooking bacon:
You can cook bacon in the microwave. Put a paper towel down on a microwave safe plate to absorb the grease. Put strips of bacon in single layer on paper towel. Cover with another paper towel and cook in the microwave on high power - 1 minute for each piece of bacon.

I use a bunch of different seasonings when grilling chicken. A few of them were purchased at Cabela's. Just sprinkle on each side of the chicken before grilling. You can see the different varieties they have here.

Potstickers

2009-10-08T10:59:00.000-07:00

Pot stickers

1 lb. ground turkey, chicken or pork, thawed (you can use less than 1 lb. if desired)

Carrots

Cabbage

Wonton wrappers (preferably round)

1 or 2 eggs

Put carrots and cabbage in food processor and process until in very small pieces. Mix with ground meat. Add egg (s) to help mixture stick together. Add one spoonful of meat mixture to center of wonton wrapper. Moisten one side and fold over the wrapper and pinch the end, then overlap and pinch again until you have worked your way around. Place in skillet and fry until slightly golden brown. Make pot stickers and freeze on a cookie sheet and then place in a bag or container after they are frozen.

Dipping Sauce

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. vinegar

A few drops sesame oil

Fresh garlic (minced)

Beef Enchiladas

2009-10-05T12:52:00.000-07:00

It took me a long time to bring myself to try making enchiladas with a red sauce. I had never had it growing up because it was just not something my mom made. I had tried it at a few different restaurants, but it wasn't my favorite. Then, I found a restaurant that had a delicious enchilada sauce that was pretty authentic. I was surprised at how much I liked it. So, I started a search to find a great red enchilada sauce recipe. I found one, that with a few additions and tweaks, is really good.

Red Enchilada Sauce
½ cup vegetable oil
4 tablespoons self-rising flour
½ cup minus one tablespoon New Mexico or California chili powder
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
3 cups water
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon onion salt
salt to taste
2 oz. dark chocolate
Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in flour and chili powder, reduce heat to medium, and cook until lightly brown, stirring constantly to prevent burning flour. Gradually stir in tomato sauce, water, cumin, garlic powder, onion salt, and dark chocolate into the oil, flour and chili powder until smooth, and continue cooking over medium heat approximately 10 minutes, or until thickened slightly. Season to taste with salt.

To prepare enchiladas:
Pour about ¼ c. of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan to prevent tortillas from getting crunchy. Fill flour tortillas with cooked ground beef and onions, cheese, and a few tablespoons of enchilada sauce. Pour remaining enchilada sauce on top once pan is filled. Top with grated cheese, and salsa (if desired). Bake for 25-30 minutes, covered.

Best Ever Zucchini Bread

2009-10-05T12:43:00.000-07:00

I tend to have a lot of zucchini during the fall. I love being able to make a bunch of loaves of zucchini bread. This is my favorite recipe for zucchini bread.

3 eggs

1 c. oil

2 ½ c. sugar

3 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

3 c. flour

2 c. grated raw zucchini

1 c. chopped pecans (optional)

Combine moist ingredients except zucchini; mix, then add dry ingredients. Mix well, and then add zucchini and nuts. Bake in 2 greased and floured loaf pans at 325 for 60-70 minutes.

Chicken Lasagna

2009-10-03T14:17:00.001-07:00

Basic Chicken Alfredo Sauce:
1 stick of butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup flour
1 cup chicken broth
3 cups milk or cream
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups cubed, cooked chicken (or 2 cans drained)
Melt butter in pan; add garlic, sauté 2 minutes. Add flour to make rue. Blend until smooth. Stir in broth and milk, salt and pepper (it helps if you are constantly stirring quickly while pouring in the milk and broth). Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened to Alfredo consistency. Stir in chicken. Set aside.
Filling:
1 10 oz. box frozen spinach thawed and drained well (squeeze it if necessary)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (reserve ½ cup)
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups small curd cottage cheese (ricotta may be used for stronger flavor)
1 egg
2 tsp. dried basil
2 tsp. dried oregano
Mix together, set aside.
To assemble: You’ll need a box of oven ready lasagna noodles, or the regular kind if you want to work that much. Spread about ½ cup sauce over the bottom of a greased 9X13 or Lasagna pan. Layer of noodles, then ½ the spinach and then ½ the remaining sauce and repeat reserving some sauce for the top. The top should end with a layer of noodles and some sauce and the reserved ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with a bit more Parmesan and spices for looks. Bake covered at 400 for 50 minutes, remove cover and bake to bubbling, about 10 more minutes or until top begins to brown. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

2009-09-24T14:15:00.000-07:00

This a non-breaded version of Chicken Cordon Bleu. I have made it with bacon, and without. Both ways are good, but I normally make it without since it bakes for 30 minutes less.

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

6 thin slices ham

Swiss cheese

3 slices bacon

Sauce:

1 c. sour cream

1 can cream of mushroom soup

Lay chicken breast on piece of saran wrap; cover with another piece of saran wrap. Pound to flatten with a glass jar bottom. Put slice of ham and then a piece of cheese about ½ inch square by width of cheese pkg. on breast, then roll. Fasten with toothpick, then arrange in a glass-baking dish so not touching. Put ½ slice of bacon over top, then bake, covered, at 350 for 30 minutes. Pour sauce over, then bake, covered, 1 hour.

Sauteed Zucchini with Thyme

2009-09-22T17:24:00.001-07:00

Do you have zucchini coming out of your ears? It's that time of year, and if you have a garden that produces zucchini, you probably need things to do with it. Here is a quick tasty dish that you can cook up to accompany anything.

Sautee zucchini in a few tablespoons of butter. Add salt and fresh thyme. Sautee until zucchini is cooked through.

Sloppy Joes

2009-09-22T17:21:00.000-07:00

1 lb. Ground beef, cooked and drained
1 can chicken gumbo soup
2 Tbsp. mustard
¼ c. ketchup
Mix together in skillet and heat 5 minutes.

Red Velvet Cake

2009-09-16T22:42:00.000-07:00

I learned a very important lesson today. Replace your baking soda every now and then. I just haven't used it that much, so it's a kind of old box. I have made this recipe several times, but this time, I guess my baking soda was just too old. The cake layers sunk in the middle, so sorry about the bad picture.

I don't have three 8" cake pans, so I make this a two layer cake instead of three and pour the remaining batter into a 9" square pan .

Cake Batter:
1 cup butter, softened
3 cups white sugar
6 eggs
1 ounce red food coloring
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon white vinegar

Frosting:
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
12 ounces white chocolate
1 cup butter, softened

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour three 8 inch pans.
In a large bowl, cream 1 cup butter with sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix food coloring with cocoa and add to mixture.
Add flour alternately with buttermilk. Add vanilla and salt.
Mix baking soda with vinegar, and gently stir into mixture. Be careful not to over mix.
Divide batter into three prepared 8 inch round pans. Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 25 minutes. Allow to cool.
To make the White Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing: Melt the white chocolate and allow to cool to lukewarm. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in melted white chocolate and softened butter. Beat until it is the consistency of whipped cream, then use to fill and frost the cake.

Alfredo Pasta

2009-09-14T22:17:00.000-07:00

Alfredo pasta is a staple at our house. I have tried several different recipes that come close to Olive Garden's alfredo sauce, but this one is the closest so far. I added some grilled chicken to the sauce.

Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce
1 stick unsalted butter
½ Tbsp. minced garlic
2 Tbsp. flour
1/3 cup milk
1 C heavy cream
½ C parmesan cheese
¼ tsp black pepper
Melt the butter on low setting. Add minced garlic when butter is about halfway melted. Add flour when butter is completely melted. Add milk and heavy cream and bring to a boil. Turn heat down and wait about 5-10 minutes. Add parmesan cheese, and pepper. Sauce should start to thicken. Let cool about 10 minutes before serving over pasta.

I use my pizza dough recipe to make breadsticks. I add about 1/2 tsp. of garlic powder to the dough and then roll them into strips. Braid the strips together and bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes.

Apple Pie

2009-09-14T13:54:00.000-07:00

Apple Pie Filling
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling
Freshly ground nutmeg, to taste
7 medium apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 lemon, zested and juiced

3 tablespoons butter, diced
Egg wash, for brushing
Sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Mix together the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl. In another bowl, sprinkle apples with the juice of 1 lemon and toss. Stir in the sugar mixture to evenly coat the apples.
Set aside. Roll out chilled dough into 2 circles and use 1 round to line a 9-inch pie pan. Chill the other round.
Mound the apple and sugar mixture into the pie pan lined with dough. Dot with the cubed butter.
Using a pastry cutter, cut an even number of strips from the remaining rolled out dough. Transfer every other strip to the pie top and weave in the lattice by folding every other strip back onto itself and laying another strip perpendicularly. Fold the strips back across and repeat until completed.
Brush the top of the pie with egg wash and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Trim the overhanging dough and crimp edges.
Bake pie for 45 minutes. Let rest 20 minutes before slicing.

*I made the top crust of this pie by using a cookie cutter on the rolled out dough. Lightly place the cut-out shapes (I did apples) in a pattern on top of the pie before crimping the edges.

Barbecue Spare Ribs

2009-09-14T09:45:00.000-07:00

This dish is good for people who aren't a fan of traditional barbecue sauce, or even for those who are.

Use Boneless Pork Country Style Spare Ribs
In a gallon size baggie, combine:
1 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. chili powder
½ c. brown sugar
Shake ribs into sack to coat. Brown for 30 minutes at 500 in a 9x13 baking dish.
Meanwhile in a bowl mix:
1 can tomato sauce
¼ c. vinegar
Little bit of water to desired consistency
Place browned ribs in 9x13 baking dish and pour sauce over. Sprinkle leftover seasoning mixture on top. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Apple Stuffed Pork Chops

2009-09-10T19:09:00.000-07:00

When I buy pork chops, I buy them really thick (seriously, they are like 2-2 1/2 inches thick). This makes stuffing pork chops easy, but it does take longer to cook. This is where the meat thermometer comes in. I highly recommend getting one if you don't already have one. With this recipe, I also used my meat injector and injected apple juice into the pork, which made it a bit more moist.
1 tablespoon chopped onion
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
2 cups chopped apples
1/4 C apple juice
1/4 tsp celery seed
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 thick pork chops
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a large skillet saute onion in butter until tender. Remove from heat. Add the bread crumbs, apples, celery seed, parsley and salt. Mix all together. Cut a large pocket in the side of each pork chop; season inside and out with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon apple mixture loosely into pockets. In skillet, heat oil to medium high and brown chops on both sides. Place browned chops in an ungreased 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove cover and bake for 25 minutes longer or until juices run clear and internal temperature of the pork is 160.

Green Beans with Slivered Almonds

2009-09-10T19:04:00.001-07:00

This is an easy side dish that is more than just vegetables.

Cook frozen green beans in microwave (covered) for 2 minutes. While green beans are cooking, saute slivered almonds in 1 Tbsp. butter (not margarine). Add slightly cooked green beans and salt to taste, and saute until green beans are cooked through.

Curried Orange Chicken

2009-09-01T17:17:00.000-07:00

½ tsp. curry powder
2 Tbsp. honey
2 tsp. cornstarch
½ orange, peeled, sliced and quartered
¼ C. orange juice
1 Tbsp. prepared mustard
1 Tbsp. cold water
1-2 lbs. chicken, cut up, or 2 chicken breasts
Sprinkle chicken pieces with curry powder and rub into meat. Arrange chicken in small baking dish, skin down. Combine orange juice, honey, and mustard in small saucepan; simmer until blended. Pour over chicken. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Turn chicken and continue baking for 20 minutes, or until tender. Remove chicken and keep warm. In small saucepan, combine cornstarch and water. Stir in pan juices from chicken. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly. Add orange pieces. Heat for 1 minute. Serve sauce separately. Serves 2. We normally double the sauce, too.

Ruth's Chris Sweet Potatoes

2009-09-01T15:18:00.000-07:00

Sweet Potato Mixture
3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs -- well beaten
1 stick butter -- (1/2 cup) melted

Crust
1 cup brown sugar
1/6 cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 stick butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine sweet potatoes, sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs and butter in a mixing bowl in the order listed. Mix thoroughly. Pour mixture into buttered 9x9 baking dish. Sprinkle the surface of the sweet potato mixture evenly with the crust mixture. Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to set at least 30 minutes before serving. (I also broiled it for a few minutes after I baked it to finish off the topping a bit more)

Macaroni and Cheese

2009-09-01T15:11:00.000-07:00

Macaroni and Cheese
4 Tbsp. butter
4 Tbsp. flour
2 C. milk
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 cups cheddar cheese
1 c. Mozzarella cheese
½ C. Parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste
Macaroni noodles, cooked according to directions on box
Melt butter over medium low heat. Mix in flour and stir until smooth. Heat until bubbly, stirring constantly to prevent flour from burning. Slowly add milk while stirring to prevent clumping. Cook over low heat until thickened and bubbly. Add cheeses, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook until cheese has all melted. Add to cooked macaroni noodles.

Cafe Rio anyone?

2009-09-01T14:36:00.000-07:00

I am not normally a salad person. In fact, it is very rare that you will find me eating a salad, but here is one that I will eat all the time. There is a Mexican food chain restaurant nearby called Cafe Rio. They have a great pork salad. In it you have: pork barbacoa, black beans (or pinto beans), rice, cilantro, tortilla strips, guacamole, pico de gallo, and a tomatillo dressing that is great. These are the recipes for the dressing and the pork. There are a lot of copy cat recipes out there for these items, but I think these come the closest.

Cafe Rio Pork Barbacoa
5-6 lb. pork roast
21 oz. Dr. Pepper (or Coke, do NOT use diet soda)
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
7 oz. can chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
6-ish oz. red taco sauce (I used hot)
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Place roast in crock-pot, cover half-way with water and cook on low for 12 hours. (I started my Pork Adventure at midnight and everything worked out perfectly for Sunday dinner at 6:00 pm.) After 12 hours, drain pork (retain liquid if you want sauce for burritos, simply mix with a can of verde enchilada sauce and away you go).
Mix remaining ingredients until sugar dissolves. I didn't keep the actual chilies, I dumped the can into a bowl and added enough Dr. Pepper to get all the sauce off of the chilies, then I tossed them. I also rinsed out the can with Dr. Pepper for more adobo goodness. My version had a fairly good kick to it, but if you LOVE hotness, then blend everything + 2 or 3 chilies in the blender. (Also, the adobo sauce tends to stain plastic, using a glass or metal mixing bowl will make your clean-up of adobo sauce considerably less frustrating).
Add Dr. Pepper mixture to the roast and cook on low an additional 4 hours.
Take out roast and shred, add back into sauce and cook for 2 more hours. At this point the meat was so tender it practically shredded itself.

Cafe Rio Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

2 tomatillos, quarter

1/2 bunch cilantro leaves

1 cup milk

1 pkg. ranch dressing mix

1 tsp garlic, minced

pinch cayenne pepper

1 large jalapeno

1 Tbsp lime juice

1 cup mayo

Blend tomatillos then add all the ingredients except mayo and blend together. Stir in mayo, chill and serve.

French Dip Sandwiches

2009-09-01T14:28:00.000-07:00

French Dip Sandwiches
1 (3 to 4 lb.) roast of your choice
1/3 c. soy sauce
1 envelope onion soup mix

Brown roast in skillet. Transfer to crock pot. Add soy sauce and soup mix. Add just enough water to cover roast. Cook on low for 7 to 9 hours. Shred beef and serve on rolls or buns. Serve crock pot juices on the side as au jus.

Brie in Puff Pastry

2009-09-01T14:26:00.000-07:00

This makes a great appetizer when served with crackers.

Brie in puff pastry
8 oz Brie round
One sheet of puff pastry, thawed
2 Tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted
One of the following: 1/4 cup cranberry sauce, or 1/4 cup apricot preserves, or 1/4 cup raspberry preserves

Preheat oven to 425F. Lightly grease a cookie sheet. Lay puff pastry sheet in the center. Cut Brie in half, so you have two rounds. Lay the bottom round on the puff pastry and top with the 1/4 cup cranberry sauce or preserves. Top that with the almonds and then the other half of the brie. Fold the puff pastry up around the brie so you have a little purse/bag. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes (depends on your oven) or until golden brown. Serve with crackers or just eat with a fork!

Butter Cookies

2009-09-01T14:24:00.001-07:00

Lorelei begged for blue frosting, so that's what she got.

Butter Cookies
1 C butter, softened
½ C. granulated sugar
1 unbeaten egg
3 tsp. vanilla
3 C sifted flour
½ tsp. baking powder

Mix butter, sugar and egg thoroughly. Stir in vanilla. Sift together flour and baking powder. Stir into butter mixture. If you want, chill dough and roll onto floured surface, or you can drop by spoonful onto a greased cookie sheet and press down with a fork. Bake at 425 for 5-7 minutes. Do not overcook. Frost with butter frosting. Makes 2-3 dozen.

Raspberry Chicken

2009-09-01T14:20:00.000-07:00

6 boneless chicken breasts
1/2 C. raspberry preserves (fruit type only)
1/2 C. frozen pineapple juice concentrate (thawed)
1/2 C. soy sauce
2 T. rice wine vinegar
1/2 t. chili powder
1/2 t. curry powder
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/4 C. fresh raspberries mashed
Garnish:
1/4 C. fresh raspberries
Combine preserves, pineapple juice concentrate, soy sauce, vinegar, spices and crushed raspberries. Add chicken to a baking dish. Pour the sauce over it. Bake covered for 35 - 40 minutes at 350°F. Remove from oven and transfer chicken to serving platter. Top with pan juices. Garnish with fresh berries.

Bread Bowls and Clam Chowder

2009-09-01T14:14:00.000-07:00

Now I know it is not quite soup season yet, but how can you resist this, even in the summer?

Bread Bowls
½ C. warm water
1 C. warm milk
2 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 ½ tsp. salt
4 C. flour
2 pkg. yeast
1 egg, beaten
Pour ingredients into a bread machine in the order suggested by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle. After about five minutes of mixing, add 1-2 Tbsp water or flour if needed. Complete dough cycle on bread machine. Divide dough into four equal parts and shape into balls. Place on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled (about 30 minutes). Brush tops with egg. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes. Cool on wire racks. Slice off top ¼ of bread bowl and hollow out. Save the extra bread to dip in your soup.

Clam Chowder
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. diced celery
1 c. diced potatoes
2 cans minced clams
¾ c. butter
¾ c. flour
1 qt. half and half
1 ½ tsp. salt
Pepper to taste
½ tsp. sugar
Drain clams juice from canned clams into saucepan. Add vegetables and water to barely cover. Simmer covered over medium heat until tender (about 20 minutes). Melt butter and add flour. Cook one minute. Add half and half. Stir with wire whisk until thick. Add undrained vegetables, clams and sugar. Heat through.

Best Cornbread

2009-09-01T14:08:00.001-07:00

I was never a big fan of cornbread growing up, unless it was my mom's. I did not like how dry it was, and I still don't. I am posting my mom's recipe for cornbread that really is the best cornbread. It isn't dry like other recipes are.

Mom’s Cornbread
2 c. Flour
1 c. Cornmeal
1/4 c. Sugar
3 tsp. Baking powder
1 3/4-2 c. Milk
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 egg
1/3 c. Oil

Pour into greased loaf pan and bake at 350 for about an hour.

Pie Crust

2009-09-01T14:02:00.000-07:00

I have always had a hard time getting pie crusts just right. My first Thanksgiving that I did not go to my mother's house I tried to make pies, and failed! I made three batches of pie crust and ruined every one of them. I have finally found a recipe that works well and I find pretty easy. My sister gave this recipe to me last year.
Easy Pie Crust (for a 2-crust pie)
2 1/2 c. flour, plus extra for rolling out the dough
2 T. sugar
1 tsp. salt
8 T. shortening, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled
12 T. unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces and chilled (I didn't have unsalted so I used salted and a tiny bit less salt, and it turned out great too)
6 to 8 T. ice water

Process the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined. Scatter the shortening over the top and process until the mixture has the texture of coarse sand, about 10 seconds. Scatter the butter pieces over the top and, using short pulses, process the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs, about 10 pulses. Transfer to a bowl.

Sprinkle 6 T. of the ice water over the mixture. Stir and press the dough together, using a stiff rubber spatula until the dough sticks together. If the dough does not come together, stir in the remaining water, 1 T. at a time, until it does.

Divide the dough into two even pieces and flatten each into a 4-inch disk. Wrap the disks tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Let the chilled dough soften slightly at room temperature before rolling it out and fitting the bottom crust into a pie plate. (I didn't really let it soften, and it was still great for rolling.)

To Make Ahead: The dough can be refrigerated, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 2 months. Let the frozen dough thaw on the counter top until malleable before rolling.

Cinnamon Rolls

2009-09-01T13:59:00.001-07:00

Cinnamon rolls are something that are very hard to get wrong. I found a recipe that works well in my bread machine (yes, sometimes I cheat).
Cinnamon Rolls

½ cup milk
½ cup water
1/8 cup butter
¾ teaspoons salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
¾ tablespoons active dry yeast
¼ cup white sugar
1 egg
2 ½ Tbsp butter, softened
¾ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup raisins (optional)
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 cups confectioners' sugar
1 ½ tablespoons butter, melted
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ tablespoons milk

In saucepan, heat 1 cup milk, water, and 1/8 cup butter until very warm (butter doesn't need to be completely melted). Place milk mixture, salt, flour, yeast, sugar, and eggs in the pan of the bread machine in the order suggested by the manufacturer. Select the Dough cycle. Press Start.

Once Dough cycle is complete, remove the dough from the bread machine. Punch down, and divide into 2 parts. On a floured surface, roll each part into a large rectangle. Smear each rectangle with the softened butter. Combine the cinnamon and sugar. Sprinkle over the rectangles. Generously sprinkle the raisins and/or chopped nuts over the top.

Roll the dough up into two logs starting at the long side. Cut each log into 12 slices. Place the rolls cut side down into two 9x13 inch greased baking pans. Cover, and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled (about 30 minutes).

Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden. Combine the confectioners' sugar, 3 tablespoons melted butter, vanilla, and 3 tablespoons milk. Frosting should be thick. Spread over baked rolls and enjoy.

It's that time of year again!

2009-09-01T13:37:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's jam season. The fruit is ripe and ready to be made into jam. My family and I went berry picking yesterday and came home with quite a haul of raspberries and blackberries.

Today I made blackberry jam. This is my personal favorite type of jam. Especially when it is made with the right recipe. I like to use Sure-Jell pectin. I use the recipe that is printed right inside the package. For blackberry and raspberry jam, it takes 1 package of fruit pectin, 5 cups of crushed berries, and 7 cups of sugar.

Bring the berries and pectin to a full rolling boil (the kind of boil that cannot be stirred down), then add the sugar all at once. Stir constantly and bring the mixture back to a rolling boil. Boil for one minute, then remove from heat.

Pour into jars and process.

Mongolian Beef

2009-08-31T09:26:00.000-07:00

I tried this recipe for the first time yesterday, and it tastes just like PF Chang's. I used green onions and white onion.

Mongolian Beef

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon ginger, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
Vegetable oil, for frying (about 1 cup)
1 lb flank steak
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 large green onions

Make the sauce by heating 2 tsp of vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over med/low heat. Don't get the oil too hot. Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches.

Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, and then raise the heat to about medium and boil the sauce for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Remove it from the heat.

Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4" thick bite-size slices. Tilt the blade of your knife at about a forty five degree angle to the top of the steak so that you get wider cuts. Dip the steak pieces into the cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides of each piece of beef. Let the beef sit for about 10 minutes so that the cornstarch sticks.

As the beef sits, heat up one cup of oil in a wok (you may also use a skillet for this step as long as the beef will be mostly covered with oil). Heat the oil over medium heat until it's nice and hot, but not smoking. Add the beef to the oil and sauté for just two minutes, or until the beef just begins to darken on the edges. You don't need a thorough cooking here since the beef is going to go back on the heat later. Stir the meat around a little so that it cooks evenly.

After a couple minutes, use a large slotted spoon to take the meat out and onto paper towels, and then pour the oil out of the wok or skillet. Put the pan back over the heat, dump the meat back into it and simmer for one minute. Add the sauce, cook for one minute while stirring, then add all the green onions. Cook for one more minute, and then remove the beef and onions with tongs or a slotted spoon to a serving plate. Leave the excess sauce behind in the pan.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-08-27T22:48:00.000-07:00

Chocolate chip cookies. What else can I say? They are the most classic cookie there is. However, there are a MILLION recipes for chocolate chip cookies. How can you tell if one is good? You won't be able to unless you try them yourself, and there are just too many recipes to do that! I have had quite a few different kinds, though, and let me tell you, I always end up back at this recipe. It is the best there is. They aren't crunchy and they aren't bland. They are delicious.

Cream together:
1/3 c. butter
1/3 c. shortening
½ c. sugar
½ c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
Mix, then add:
1 ¾ c. flour
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 ½ c. chocolate chips

Bake at 375 for 6-8 minutes.

Barbecue Meatballs

2009-08-27T22:25:00.000-07:00

I always struggle coming up with something new to do with meatballs. I have a different meatball recipe that I use when I use them in Italian food that I will post next time I make them, but this meatball recipe is great with barbecue sauce and sweet and sour sauce.

Barbecue Meatballs

Meatballs:

1½ lbs. ground beef

1/3 c. minced onion

2/3 c. crackers crumbs

1 egg

1½ tsp. salt

¼ c. milk

Mix together. Roll into balls and place sides touching on a baking sheet. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes, or cook in hot oil in a large skillet. (I have cooked them both ways, and I like the oven best I think)

Barbecue Sauce:
1 (12 ounce) bottle Chile sauce
1 1/4 cups grape jelly
3 Tbsp. spicy brown mustard
In a medium saucepan, mix the Chile sauce, mustard, and grape jelly over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until jelly is melted.

I have also done this in the crockpot. Just mix the sauce, and add cooked meatballs. The jelly won't melt right away, but that's okay. Just stir it up about halfway through.

Teriyaki Chicken

2009-08-27T22:20:00.000-07:00

I have searched for a very long time for a teriyaki sauce recipe that comes close to a Japanese restaurant. I finally found one, and it is really good! I do have to put a disclaimer in here, though. I double the sauce when I make it for chicken, and add just a little less soy sauce than it calls for. It is a little too salty if you use the full two cups. Also, I put some of the sauce aside before I thicken it when I want to marinade and meat. Then I thicken the remaining sauce. Yum!

Teriyaki Sauce
2/3 cup mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
1 cup soy sauce
4 1/2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/3 cup white sugar
7 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 dash red pepper flakes
Black pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. cornstarch mixed with a small amount of water
Bring mirin to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour in soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar. Season with garlic, ginger, pepper flakes, and black pepper; simmer an additional 5 minutes. Add cornstarch and water to thicken. Store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.

White Chocolate Mousse in Chocolate Dessert Cups

2009-08-27T21:53:00.000-07:00

Chocolate Dessert Cups
1 c. semi sweet chocolate chips
1 Tbsp. shortening
In microwave or double boiler, melt the chocolate chips and shortening, stirring often to make sure it doesn’t burn. Brush evenly onto the inside of 8 paper muffin cup liners. Chill until hardened (about 30 minutes). Remove liners. Fill with desired dessert.

White Chocolate Mousse
1 C. white chocolate ¼ c. whipping cream
1 Tbsp. Raspberry sauce
1 ½ c. whipping cream, whipped
Combine chocolate and cream in heavy saucepan. Heat until chocolate melts, stirring constantly. Cool. Stir in raspberry sauce, then fold in whipped cream. Raspberry Sauce: 1 10 oz. pkg. frozen raspberries, thawed 2 Tbsp. sugar Blend raspberries until pureed. Strain to remove seeds. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. To serve: Pipe or spoon into serving dish or molded chocolate. Serve with remaining raspberry sauce. Garnishes: Mint leaves, fresh raspberries.

Here is a step by step picture how-to on the chocolate dessert cups.

Now this is a double boiler. This is something I did not learn how to do until I was out of my parents' house. You take a saucepan and fill it with some water. Bring to a boil and place a glass or metal bowl on top. The steam and heat will evenly melt your chocolate.

There are two different ways that I have made the chocolate dessert cups. The first way is cutting waxed paper into circles. Put the waxed paper circles on the backs of a muffin pan.

I am not a huge fan of the way these look. They aren't as clean cut as the other way, and it's hard to get the wax paper to go around the muffin cups to form enough of a cup to fill. The second way I have made these is on the insides of paper muffin cups. This way is kind of tricky. I will give you a few pointers.

If the chocolate is not thick enough, they WILL break apart when you take the paper off of them.

I put a large spoonful of melted chocolate in the bottom of the paper muffin cup. Then, using a basting brush, brush chocolate up the sides of the paper cup, leaving a little bit of space at the top for peeling off the paper.

I found that the best way to brush the chocolate up the side is to first "push" the chocolate up from the spoonful . Then go back over the sides pulling additional chocolate up to coat the first layer. Then let the chocolate set in the freezer.

You have to be very cautious in handling the chocolate once it sets. The best way to remove the papers is to not touch the chocolate AT ALL. This is why it is best to leave a little space at the top. I just handled the papers at the top, not holding the sides. It is a little difficult to manage the cups gently enough.

Fill the chocolate cups with White Chocolate Mousse and drizzle with raspberry sauce. You can either do this with a piping bag or a baggie with a small whole cut into a corner.

It sure makes them look pretty!

Garnish with fresh raspberries (or when in a pinch, thawed frozen raspberries!) and mint leaves.

What a great looking finished product!