Peachtree Cooking

Tex-Mex Frito Salad

2012-02-14T12:37:00.000-08:00

photo from realmomkitchen.com

For a side dish for a BBQ or something, this is perfect! I am not a fan of catalina dressing but I really enjoyed it in this combination. Obviously, leftovers would be nasty so eat it all at once!

Tex-Mex Frito Salad
From realmomkitchen.com

1 (14.5 oz)can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained (I prefer Bush’s)
1 (14.5 oz)can pinto beans, rinsed and drained (I prefer Bush’s)
10.5 oz (1 dry pint) container grape tomatoes, halved or quartered depending on their size
1/2 (4.25 oz) can of chopped olives
1 yellow pepper, diced
4 green onions, diced
1 cup celery, chopped
2/3 of a 16 oz. Catalina Dressing
2 1/2 finely shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 (10.5 oz) bag of Chili Cheese Fritos

In a large bowl, combine the beans, tomatoes, olives, pepper, green onion and celery. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Before serving, mix in the cheese and dressing until well combined. Then fold in the chips and serve. You want to fold in the chips when you are ready to serve or they will become soggy.

Cauliflower Soup

2012-02-13T19:17:00.000-08:00

I made this soup for dinner tonight and everyone loved it- even Brian, who isn't necessarily a soup guy. I love that it has a lot of healthy ingredients in it and it makes a ton for leftovers.

courtesy

Cauliflower Soup

Adapted from Zoom Yummy

1 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets

2 carrots, diced

1 onion, diced

3 Tbs. butter

7 cups chicken broth

4 Tbs. flour

3 cups milk

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese

2 tsp. parsley

2 bay leaves

1/4 tsp. pepper

Salt, to taste

Melt 2 Tbs. butter in large saucepan. Saute onions for 3 minutes and then add carrots and saute for 2 additional minutes. Add cauliflower, chicken broth, and spices. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer covered for 25 minutes. While thats cooking, whisk together flour and milk in a bowl. Melt 1 Tbs. butter in smaller saucepan. Add milk and flour mixture and whisk together. Bring to a boil and whisk constantly, while boiling for two minutes. Add milk mixture to soup and simmer for 10 minutes altogether. Remove from heat and add sour cream and cheese. Serve.

Savory Chicken Marinade

2012-02-12T16:44:00.000-08:00

I really wanted to BBQ today. It was sunny and beautiful and it just sounded good. There's nothing like a good chicken mariande so I went on a search on allrecipes.com. This one was rated 4.5 stars and had about 800 reviews. We loved it! I served with it mashed potatoes and rolls.

I halfed this recipe and cut two huge breasts lengthwise, to make four cutlets. It was plenty of marinade. I let is marinate for about 8 hours.

SAVORY CHICKEN MARINADE

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

3/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons dry mustard (used regular mustard)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons finely minced fresh parsley (optional...I did not have so I didn't use)

Strawberry Cheese Danish

2012-02-12T16:03:00.000-08:00

photo from life-as-a-lofthouse.blogspot.com

So danishes are one of my weaknesses whenever I stay in a hotel and have breakfast there. When I saw this recipe it immediately stuck out to me. Here is what I would do differently: I don't love strawberry jam, especially when it tastes fake! So I would do just cream cheese or use blackberry or blueberry preserves--but that's just me!

Strawberry Cheese Danish

From Life-as-a-lofthouse.blogspot.com

Strawberry Cheese Danish

· 1 tube (8 oz) refrigerated crescent rolls

· 4 ounces cream cheese, softened

· 1/4 cup sugar

· 2 tablespoons lemon juice

· 8 teaspoons Strawberry preserves

Glaze:

· 1/4 cup powdered sugar

· 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

· 2 teaspoons milk

Directions: Seperate dough into four rectangles. Seal perforations. In a small bowl whisk together cream cheese, sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Spread 1/4 of the mixture onto each rectangle. Roll up from long side; pinch edges to seal. Holding one end, loosely coil each.

Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Top each coil with 2 teaspoons preserves. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, or golden brown.

For glaze, in a bowl, combine powdered sugar, vanilla and milk. Stir until smooth and drizzle over each danish. Makes 4 danishes.

Apple Pie Dip and Cinnamon-Sugar Tortilla Chips

2012-02-10T12:28:00.000-08:00

photo from thepeachkitchen.com

This looks harder than it is! It was not bad at all to cut the apples up and the dip was so delicious and definitely healthier than most other dips...

Apple Pie Dip & Cinnamon-Sugar Tortilla Chips

From thepeachkitchen.com

Ingredients:

2 cups peeled, cored, and diced apple
2 tbsp fresh lemon/calamansi juice
3 tbsp brown sugar
¼ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 tsp water

♥ for the chips
5 (6-inch) wheat tortillas
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

Directions:

§ You can either cook this on the stove-top or the microwave.

§ Combine all the dip ingredients in a small pan/ microwaveable bowl except the cornstarch-water mixture.

§ Heat for a few minutes until it’s boiling and has extracted juice from the apple.

§ Add cornstarch-water mixture to the “sauce”

§ Put back in the microwave/stove top until boiling and the sauce has thickened.

§ Set aside. You can serve this warm or chilled. It doesn’t matter. It will taste delicious.

§ Cut tortillas into desired size. {wedges}

§ Put in a slightly greased baking pan.

§ Brush the tortillas with butter.

§ Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, and bake at 210º C until golden brown, about 5-8 minutes.

§ Let them cool before serving and serve with the Apple Pie Dip

Southwestern Chicken Barley Chili

2012-02-08T09:10:00.000-08:00

picture courtesy of Mel's Kitchen Cafe

My family really enjoyed this twist on Chili by Mel's Kitchen Cafe.. I have never used barley before and I really enoyed using it and esp. eating it. So good and so good for you! WE put fritos on top and that was yummy!

Southwestern Chicken Barley Chili

INGREDIENTS:
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained ( I blended mine b/c my family does not like tomato chunks!)
1 (16-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup medium barley (not quick cooking)
4 cups water
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
dash cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)
2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into bite-size pieces
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
SALT to taste

Garnishes: shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, sliced green onions, tortilla chips

DIRECTIONS:
In a large pot (about 6-quarts), combine the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, barley, water, chili powder, cumin, dried oregano and cayenne (if using). Stir well. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat and add the chicken. Stir to combine. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer the chili for 40 minutes, until the barley is tender and chewy and the chicken is no longer pink. Stir occasionally, while it simmers to prevent sticking and to make sure it stays at a steady simmer. After 40 minutes, add the beans and corn and salt to taste. Stir to combine and simmer for five more minutes. Serve the chili with optional garnishes, if desired.

The chili will thicken considerably upon cooling. Add chicken broth or water as needed to achieve a desirable consistency (especially if reheating the leftovers). Can freeze!

Creamy Tomato and Sausage Pasta

2012-02-07T18:29:00.000-08:00

photo from yourhomebasedmom

It was refreshing to use sausage instead of the typical beef or chicken with pasta. I loved the marinara/cream sauce too!

Creamy Tomato and Sausage Pasta

From yourhomebasedmom

1 lb. mild Italian Sausage

2 – 3 Tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

2-3 tsp fresh basil, sliced (reserve some to garnish with) or use 2 tsp dried basil

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

3 cans (15 oz.) diced tomatoes

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 1/2 C cream

1 box penne pasta

Brown the sausage . Cook pasta according to the box. Heat olive oil in a pan and add garlic, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Saute until garlic is soft. Add in tomatoes and cream. Stir until it begins to thicken. Add sausage back in and then pour over pasta. If it seems to thick just thin it with some additional cream. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and more fresh basil.

Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake

2012-02-03T13:19:00.000-08:00

photo from alexandracooks.com

Oh, these are so, so good! Let me say that again, these are so good. These beat out blueberry muffin boxes any day!

Buttermilk-Blueberry Breakfast Cake alexandracooks.com

Serves 6-8

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tsp. lemon zest or more — zest from 1 large lemon
7/8 cup + 1 T. sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 cups fresh blueberries
½ cup buttermilk

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cream butter with lemon zest and 7/8 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with ¼ cup of flour, then whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt.

3. Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the blueberries.

4. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan (or something similar) with butter or coat with non-stick spray. Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle batter with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 35 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness. If necessary, return pan to oven for a couple of more minutes. (Note: Baking for as long as 10 minutes more might be necessary.) Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Tortellini Spinach Bake in Creamy Lemon Sauce

2012-01-31T13:41:00.000-08:00

photo from ourbestbites.com

This was listed as one of the favorite recipes on this amazing cooking blog. I thought it was pretty good. Definitely not my favorite, but very delicious and impressive for a crowd!

Tortellini Spinach Bake in Creamy Lemon Sauce

Recipe by Our Best Bites

12 oz bag Barilla Cheese & Spinach Tortelini (find them in the dry pasta aisle)
4 oz bacon or pancetta, (about 4 strips bacon)*
3 cloves garlic, pressed in garlic press or finely minced
2 Tbs flour
2 C milk
¾ tsp kosher salt
⅛ tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp dry basil
¼ tsp red pepper flakes (1/2 tsp or more if you like spicy)
1 medium lemon
2 C loosely packed fresh spinach, roughly chopped
¾ C grated mozzarella cheese, divided
¾ C grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill a large stock pot with water and bring to a boil. Add tortellini and cook according to package instructions.
Place bacon in a medium sized skillet on the stove-top at medium-high heat. Cook until crisp. Remove bacon from pan with slotted spoon and set on paper towels to drain. Reserve two tablespoons bacon drippings in pan and discard the rest. Add garlic to pan and cook until fragrant and tender, about 1 minute. Add flour to pan and stir with a whisk for about 1 minute. Slowly add milk and continue to stir with whisk until smooth. Add salt, pepper, basil, and red pepper flakes and bring sauce to a simmer.
While sauce is heating, use a microplane grater or a fine-holed cheese grater to zest lemon. Then cut lemon in half and remove juice. Add 2 teaspoons zest and 1 tablespoon lemon juice to sauce.

(Note: I really love lemon so I added this to my tastes. If you don’t want as strong of a lemon flavor, I suggest cutting it down to 1 teaspoon zest and 2 teaspoons lemon juice) . Continue to stir until thickened, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
Drain tortellini and place back in stock pot. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the cooked bacon and add the rest to the pasta mixture. Add spinach, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Add sauce and gently stir to combine. Place pasta mixture in an 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish and top with remaining 1/4 cup mozarella and 1/4 cup parmesan and also crumbled bacon.
Cover pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, until cheese on top is melted and pasta is bubbly throughout. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

* For a vegetarian meal, omit bacon.

Serves 4-6

Meatloaf

2012-01-29T12:54:00.000-08:00

Really? Meatloaf. Yes indeed. When it comes to meatloaf I always think of the "Christmas Story" when Ralphie asks what's for dinner and when his mom says meatloaf he responds, "AAAAAAAWWWWW, Meatloaf???". Oh the misery! Meatloaf is a funny thing. Generational wouldn't you say? Well, every once in a while I like to make it on a Sunday afternoon because it seems like a Sunday-y thing to make. And I get dang tired of roast. ANNND, this just happens to be my father-in-law's favorite recipe and is one of my husband's favorites too. This recipe was given to me by my mother-in-law and it was handed down from her mother-in-law. Yup. Its that old. So, tried and true. Its pretty good.

Meatloaf

INGREDIENTS
1 lb hamburger
1/2 lb sausage (spicy if you like)
1 can evaporated milk
S &P
Minced onions (or the real thing...my family doesn't like the real thing)
1 T flour

Sauce:
1/4 c ketchup
dash nutmeg
3 T brown sugar
1 t mustard

Preheat oven to 350. Soak bread crumbs in the milk. Add remaining ingredients for the loaf. Mix until well combined. I used a ginormous fork because I cannot stand using my hands but my MIL uses hers hands. Combine sauce ingredients in a separate bowl with a whisk. Top loaf with sauce. Cook for 1 hour.

Banoffee Pie

2012-01-24T13:20:00.000-08:00

Photo from thesisterscafe.com

I was really hesitant to trust making caramel in a crock pot but it totally worked and it was delicious! A very easy and impressive dessert. I just used cool ship instead of whipped cream because I am slightly lazy when it comes to whipping cream and I like the taste of cool whip better!

Banoffee Pie {Caramel Banana Cream Pie}
From The Sisters Cafe

Ingredients:

1 graham cracker crust

3 Bananas sliced

1 can sweet condensed milk

1 cup whipping cream whipped with 1-2 TB powdered sugar until stiff peaks form

To make the caramel or Dulce de Leche:

Stove Top Method: Remove the label from can of sweet condensed milk. Put in pot and cover completely with water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 2 1/2 hours. Be sure to keep the can totally covered in water to be safe. The can will burst if it is not completly covered in water the whole time! Be careful!! When cooled enough that you can handle with can with your bare hands, it is safe to open.

Crock Pot Method: Take the label of the can and place in crock pot. Cover completely with water. Put lid on and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Just once again make sure there is plenty of water and the cans are covered the entire time! Cool before opening.

Oven Method: Open can of sweet condensed milk and pour into a glass pie plate. Cover with tin foil. Place in a roasting pan and fill pan halfway with water. Place in a 300 degree oven and bake for 40 minutes or until is a rich caramel color.

Banoffee Pie (Caramel Banana Cream) Directions:

Slice the bananas into your pie shell. It does not matter how, just make sure it is somewhat even. Pour the cooled caramel over the banana slices. Cover in sweet whipped cream and garnish with shaved chocolate. Viola! That is it and you have a MAGICAL incredible dessert! Enjoy:)

Easy Philly Cheesesteaks

2012-01-20T13:03:00.000-08:00

Photo from favfamilyrecipes.com

These are amazing. Period. My new favorite go-to meal. I loved them, we all loved them!

Easy Philly Cheesesteaks

From favfamilyrecipes.com

2 c. beef broth
1 pkg onion soup mix
1 lb. Black Angus rare roast beef (regular roast beef works great too, just make sure it's from the deli and thinly sliced)
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 large white or yellow onion, sliced
8 oz. cream cheese
sliced provolone cheese (2 slices per sandwich)
3-4 hoagie rolls

Bring beef broth and onion soup mix to a boil. Add roast beef, reduce heat, and simmer for about 5-10 minutes. In the meantime, in a large skillet saute onion and green pepper. When beef is done simmering, drain juices (you can keep the juice if you want to make an "au jus" dip.. I tried this a couple weeks ago when I made these at my sister's house and it was awesome). Add roast beef to skillet along with about 4 oz. of cream cheese. Spread remaining cream cheese on each hoagie roll. When the cream cheese in the skillet is all melted, generously portion beef mixture onto each hoagie roll. Top with provolone cheese and place sandwiches, open-faced on a large baking sheet. Broil on high for about a minute or until cheese becomes bubbly and bread becomes slightly toasty. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Here is a picture of the sandwich before all the different cheeses are added. I just thought it looked nice and it is a healthier alternative (but let's be honest, what is a cheesesteak sandwich without the cheese?)

Oven Dogs

2012-01-19T13:09:00.000-08:00

Photo from realmomkitchen

I know these sound basic and odd but they were a really good and easy way to spice up an ordinary dinner!

Oven Dogs

From realmomkitchen.com

o 8 hot dog buns

o mayonnaise

o 8 all beef hot dogs (I like Ball Park Franks)

o 1/2 cup sweet relish

o 1 Tbsp butter

o 1/2 medium onion, diced

o 1 (15 oz) can of chili or 2 cups of your own chili

o 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Spread a coating on mayonnaise on the inside of the hot dog buns.

2. Fill the buns with the hot dogs and place in a 9x 13 inch baking dish. You will have to squeeze then into the dish.

3. Top each dog with a Tablespoon of the relish.

4. In a pan, saute the butter and onion until tender. Add the chili to the onions and still until well combined.

5. Top the dogs with the chili and sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

6. Cover with foil at bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Palmyra Hot Chocolate

2012-01-13T12:46:00.000-08:00

Palmyra Hot Chocolate

3 oz. Ghiradelli 66% Cacao chocolate bar

1 cup sugar

8 cups whole milk

1/2 cup Hershey syrup

Melt chocolate bar and sugar together in a pot. Add milk 2 cups at a time, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add syrup and come to a low boil.

Breakfast Cookies

2012-01-10T12:55:00.000-08:00

My friend brought these over to me fresh out of the oven and I ate all 6 right away. I'm sensing a theme here with me devouring a lot of cookies in one sitting! I don't really know why they are called breakfast cookies because they have all the makings of a regular cookie but they were extra soft....

Breakfast Cookies
Recipe from Renee Waterer, in my ward

1/4 c. butter, margarine, or shortening
3/4 c. white sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
2 eggs
1 c. peanut butter
3 c. uncooked oats (rolled better than quick)
1 + 1/4 t. baking soda
3-4 oz. chocolate chips (2/3 c-1 c)
optional: 2 T. flour and 2 T water, for high altitude

Blend butters and sugars. Blend in vanilla and eggs. Combine oats, baking soda, and flour in another bowl. Drizzle in the 2 T. water while stirring into the mixture of oats. Add the oat mixture to butter mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes. The edges only should start to turn golden, let cookies sit for 1-2 minutes to finish cooking the center. Remove to rack and enjoy!

Chicken Salad

2012-01-08T16:17:00.000-08:00

I know there are a million of these recipes out there but the reasons I love this one are: there is a good noodle balance in here, it doesn't taste very mayonnaise-y, I love the fruit ratio too.

Chicken Salad
Recipe from my MIL, Debbie Hutchings

2 c. dry shell macaroni-cooked and drained
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1 c. coleslaw dressing
4 c. cooked, diced chicken
2 c. diced celery
2 c. seedless red grapes
2 c. chopped apples
2 Tbls. diced onion
1 can water chestnuts (sliced)
2-20 oz. cans pineapple tidbits drained
2-11 oz. cans mandarin oranges drained
4 oz. package cashews
4 oz. pkg. sliced almonds

Makes large Tupperware bowl full.

Pizza Crust/Calzone Crust

2012-01-06T14:28:00.000-08:00

We just had our friends over for calzone night and I thought I'd try this recipe for a change. Definite good move. This crust was really easy to make and very tasty!

Pizza Crust
From The Pioneer Woman Cooks
If using as calzone, half the above recipe to make 4 adult calzones, bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Brush tops with olive oil and make slits for ventilation.
Yield: 2 pizza crusts
Ingredients
1 tsp or 1/2 packet active dry yeast
1 1/2 C warm water
4 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1/3 C extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
In a mixing bowl, pour the yeast over 1 1/2 cups of warm water, stirring gently. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and salt. Using an electric mixer on low speed, drizzle in the olive oil until just incorporated. Add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture, mixing until the dough forms a ball. (You can also do this by hand.)
Drizzle a little olive oil into a clean bowl. Toss the ball of dough in the bowl and turn over to coat in oil. Cover the bowl with a moist kitchen towel and set in a warm place for 1-2 hours, or cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Divide the dough in half, then using your hands, stretch the dough to the desired shape, pressing it into an oiled pan with your fingers. The thinner the better. The surface of the dough should be lumpy from finger marks. The other half of the dough may be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerated up to 3 days before use, or frozen for up to 6 months.

thai noodle salad

2012-01-02T14:22:00.000-08:00

i have made this twice now and beau and i are both in love. he DEMANDED that i put this up for you all to see. you can add or take away from the salad ingredients as you please but the key ingredient is the dressing. if you like thai/peanuty stuff this dressing is to die for. this time around i doubled it so that i could keep more in the fridge for when i wanted a swig. ( i also added quite a bit of water at the end to make it not so thick)

Thai Peanut Noodle Salad
Recipe by OurBestBites.com

8 oz Linguine Fini (or regular linguine)- i just used spaghetti
4 C shredded greens: any combo of napa cabbage, romaine lettuce or even spinach
2 C thinly sliced purple cabbage
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 yellow pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, julienned
1/2 medium cucumber, halved and sliced
1/4 of a red onion, thinly sliced
3 C diced grilled chicken
honey roasted peanuts (about 1/2 cup)

Thai Peanut Salad Dressing (save some time and make this part ahead!)

Start by bringing a pot of water to a boil. Add a spoonful of salt and then add your pasta. While pasta is cooking, start chopping those veggies.

You can really use any mix of veggies you want. I have a thing with rainbows, so whenever I make this type of salad I pick the vegetables purely based on color so I can have something in every shade of the rainbow.

You can play around with the leafy greens. I like to use both napa cabbage and romaine lettuce. If you're eating this right away lettuce works great, and spinach is even good in there. However, if you're taking it to a picnic, or serving it on a buffet or anything like that where it will sit a while, I recommend going heavy on the cabbage because it will stay nice and crunchy for ya.

As soon as your pasta is done drain it and run some cold water over it until it's cool. If you're not going to use it right away, add a drizzle of the salad dressing and stir to coat. This will prevent the noodles from getting all clumpy. Keep in the fridge until ready to use.

When you're ready to assemble the salad, place noodles, veggies, and chicken in a large bowl.

Pour the Thai Peanut Dressing over everything, stirring as you go until you have enough to coat. I use it all!

Dressing:

1/2 C peanut butter
1 lime, juiced and zested
2 1/2 t sesame oil
1 T seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 T soy sauce
3 T honey
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 T minced ginger
1/2 C roughly chopped cilantro (stems and all)
1/2 C vegetable oil
1/4 t kosher salt*
2-3 t sriracha chili sauce*
2-4 T water*

*The need for salt may differ depending on the brand of PB you use. Taste first and then add.
*I use 3 t Sriaracha, but you may want more or less depending on your preference of heat levels. Again, taste first and then add.
*Lastly, the addition of the water is purely for consistency which again, depends on the PB brand you use. Add water until you get the consistency you want, or leave it out completely.

Place everything in a blender and mix until smooth. Makes about 2 cups.

Christmas Ribbon Jello Salad

2011-12-22T11:16:00.001-08:00

This jello salad appeared on our Christmas dinner table every year growing up- and for good reason. Its delicious, festive, and easy to put together. I've probably made it for the last 9 Christmases in my own home since I've been married. Its definitely a great tradition.

courtesy google images

Christmas Ribbon Jello Salad

Becky Jewkes

1 3-oz. pkg. Lemon Jello

1 small can crushed pineapple, drained

1 3-oz. pkg. Lime Jello

1 3-oz. pkg. red Jello (I use raspberry)

1 3-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 cup fresh whipped cream + some for topping

Bottom Layer: Dissolve lime jello according to package directions. Pour into a 9X13 dish and set until firm.

Middle Layer: Dissolve lemon jello according to package directions. Let set until partially firm. Mix whipped cream, cream cheese, and pineapple and fold into the lemon jello. Carefully pour over first layer and set until firm.

Top layer: Dissolve red jello according to package directions. Carefully pour on top of the middle layer. Set until firm.

Top jello salad with thin layer of fresh whipped cream.

Sweet Fruit Muffin

2011-12-16T12:20:00.000-08:00

Photo from Tasty Sensations blog

Super yummy! I made these with a mixed frozen fruit from Costco...super good and nutritious feeling!

Sweet Fruit Muffins

Recipe from tastysensations.blogspot.com

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 tsp. pure almond extract
2 c. fresh blueberries - rinsed, drained and patted dry
1 c. chopped strawberries
2 tablespoons white sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray the top of a muffin pan with non-stick coating, and line with paper liners.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, 1 1/4 cups sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Mix together 1 3/4 cup of the flour and baking powder. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk and almond extract, mixing just until incorporated. Crush 1/4 of the blueberries and stawberries, and stir into the batter. Mix the rest of the whole blueberries and chopped strawberries with the remaining 1/4 cup of the flour, and fold into the batter. Scoop into muffin cups. Sprinkle tops lightly with sugar. Makes a dozen very large muffins, or 24 mini muffins + 6 large muffins.

Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until golden brown, and tops spring back when lightly tapped (about 18-20 minutes for mini muffins)

Nantucket Cranberry and Blackberry Pie

2011-12-14T10:02:00.000-08:00

picture courtesy of pioneerwomancooks.com

I wonder what the precentage of recipes on here are desserts? What does that say about us Jewkes women? We LOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVEEEEEE sweets. However, ladies...the sweets are not lovin me back. So....come New Years lets get some low-cal, low fat stuff on here, alrighty? :) Anyway...this recipe is adapted from Pioneer Woman. Nuff said. Her's was just a cranberry pie but my sister-in-law Jen -who turned me on to the recipe- added blackberries and I LURV it. Its called a pie but its a lot like a cobbler. Its perfect for the holidays because it acutally uses cranberries which I never know what to do with but always feel like I should. Y'know?

NANTUCKET CRANBERRY AND BLACKBERRY PIE

■Butter, For Greasing
■1 bag of cranberries and one large container of blackberries
■1.5 cups Pecans, Chopped (measure, Then Chop)
■1 1/3 cups Sugar
■2 cup Flour
■2 cup Sugar
■2 stick Unsalted Butter, melted
■4 whole Eggs, Lightly Beaten
■2 teaspoon Pure Almond Extract
■1/2 teaspoon Salt
■Florida Crystals Demarara Sugar For Sprinkling (brand is important here: use florida crystals brand!)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Generously butter two cake pans or pie pans. Wash berries and add cranberries and blackberries to the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle on chopped pecans, then sprinkle on 2/3 cup sugar on each pie.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, 2 cups sugar, melted butter, eggs, almond extract, and salt. Stir gently to combine.

Pour batter slowly over the top in large "ribbons" in order to evenly cover the surface. Spread gently if necessary.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. 10 minutes before removing from oven, sprinkle surface with demarara sugar for a little extra crunch.

Cut into wedges and serve with ice cream or freshly whipped cream.

no-boil macaroni and cheese

2011-12-12T14:23:00.000-08:00

Photo from plainchicken.com

I loved this recipe because I could cook it without boiling the noodles. Super easy!

No-Boil Macaroni and Cheese

Recipe from plainchicken.com
serves 8

1 (16 oz) pkg elbow macaroni
1 cup milk (I used 1%)
2 cups chicken broth
4 cups shredded cheese - I used a cheddar jack blend
8 oz softened cream cheese, cubed (I used light)
2 tsp onion salt
1 tsp dry mustard
fresh ground pepper
1/2 c flour

In a large bowl, stir together the macaroni, milk and chicken broth. Add the remaining ingredients and mix together using a large wooden spoon. Pour into a very large, deep casserole dish. *Make sure all the pasta is covered. It won't cook if it isn't in the liquid mixture. I just pressed the noodles down in the pan until they were all covered.*

Bake uncovered in an oven preheated to 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until pasta is fully cooked. Turn oven broiler on for the last two minutes of cooking time to brown up the top part of the mac and cheese. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Cinnamon and White Chocolate Caramel Apple

2011-12-09T09:25:00.000-08:00

You guys...seriously. I just need to emphasize that this is one of the BEST desserts I have EVER had. Its amazing. I don't like green apples, don't love white chocolate and don't love cinnamon. Let me just say that the marriage of these flavors is intoxicating. Am I making myself clear? You may think you don't want these apples- YOU DO! I also wanna add that I did not take a pic of my apples b/c whenever I take pics of my food it never looks that good. So...I found this one which is....decent. Mine are prettier because I use demarara sugar (see pic above) and its very coarse and gorgeous!
I keep on saying mine. I need to give credit where credit is due. I got this recipe from my amazing and talented cousin- Katie. And I have probably eaten 12 of these apples in the past couple weeks. I LOVE finding excuses to make them so I can eat them. I shouldn't admit that. Before I go any further though there is one thing that is absolutely imperative with making these: YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW ALL OF THESE TIPS/INSTRUCTIONS for them to turn out. Trust me. Me being impatient, I tried to cut out a few and they were ugly and the caramel was crispy not soft, etc. etc. If you have had problems with caramel apples before (as I have) if you follow these tips you won't! They will be gorgeous. And you MUST MUST MUST buy the coarse sugar. The texture and flavor MAKES these. Ok, do I sound crazy yet? Good. Because I am crazy over these apples. Moving on....

CINNAMON AND WHITE CHOCOLATE CARAMEL APPLES
INGREDIENTS
-One bag of Kraft caramels (Wal-mart sells the "chips" instead of the squares specifically for baking. They are awesome.
-5 medium granny smith green apples
-Popsicle sticks
-One package of white chocolate for candy making ("almond bark", "quick candy", whatever the store has)
-1 cup of demarara sugar (FLORIDA Crystals brand-- very important!...others brands taste different)
-1 t cinnamon
-1/4 t vegetable shortening

DIRECTIONS (listen up folks...do NOT stray from these directions!)
1. Wash and DRY your COLD refrigerated green apples. Insert sticks and make sure they are firmly in, tugging slightly. Make sure apples are fully dried before moving on to step 2.
2. Prepare your "space". Get out cookie sheet or some flat surfaced item (tray for example) that will fit in your freezer. That's right, your freezer. Spray surface with pam.
2. Melt caramels as directed on package. (I used microwave method and its great. Just be sure to NOT to overcook and stir every thirty seconds after the initial 1 minute. The stirring will often times melt remaining small chunks of caramel and you might not even need to put it back in.)
3. You need to work somewhat fast here. That's why we already prepared the tray/cookie sheet. Dip apples into caramel making swirling motion with your wrists. Lift up and let excess caramel drip for a few seconds and then take rubber spatula and scrape caramel off the bottom of the apple. Put on tray and immediately place in freezer. Do not wait until all the apples are dipped to place in freezer. I did this and that ruined it. Those first initial seconds are crucial to the caramel setting evenly around apple. Con't with the other apples and carry each one to freezer and place on tray one at a time after dipping. Katie's little tip here was to have a sliced green apple spread out on a plate in slivers and she drizzled remaining caramel over those. Don't waste ya'll!
4. Prepare your cinnamon sugar in a bowl. Mix 1 c demarara sugar and 1 tsp of cinnamon sugar. Leave the spoon accessible b/c you will use this to sprinkle sugar on top. Set a paper plate beside the bowl with sugar in it.
5. Melt the package of white chocolate in microwave. Add 1/4 t of veggie shortening for workability (its too thick without it. you can also use veggie oil but I prefer shortening). Cook in microwave at 30 second intervals. Chocolate gets hot spots in the microwave so this is super important. Stir white chocolate every 30 seconds. A lot of times stirring will melt the remaining small chunks of chocolate making it unnecessary to put back into the microwave. Again, work fast here. Get the first apple you dipped off the tray (do NOT take tray out of freezer). Dip in DO NOT OVERCOOK. It just needs to be smooth.
Go to the freezer and remove the first apple that you dipped with caramel. Dip in white chocolate let it excess drip for a few second and then scrape bottom with rubber spatula then hold apple over paper plate and using a spoon, sprinkle cinnamon sugar over apple generously. Do not dip in sugar. It doesn't work. This a very messy step and some white chocolate will drip off. That's why we are holding the apple over the plate and NOT the bowl with the sugar in it. Then run the apple back to the freezer and return it to the tray. Get the next apple and con't these steps until apples are covered in chocolate and cinnamon sugar.
6. Take remaining white chocolate and drizzle over the slivered apples then top with cinnamon sugar. Again, this is just to use all the ingredients and not to waste.
7. Let apples set-up in freezer for about ten minutes. Then transfer to fridge. These apples need to be stored in a fridge. If they are left out at room temp for a long period (we're talking hours here, not minutes) of time the caramel will slip off. But before you cut them, let them drop in temp a little. I usually let them sit out for about 10-20 minutes before I cut them. If you cut them too cold, the chocolate chips off in big pieces.

Now....Enjoy the most delicious apples you have ever eaten. And just so ya know, I had to make these three times before I got all the steps right and actually followed the directions and made the apples correctly. The tips work but don't be discouraged there is a HUGE learning curve to this process.

Pumpkin Cream Trifle

2011-12-08T09:17:00.000-08:00

Mom sent me this recipe- they made it for Thanksgiving dinner. It sounds delicious and looks amazing. You can't go wrong with pumpkin and cream cheese.

Pumpkin Cream Trifle

1st Layer:

1 pkg. spice cake

1 small pkg. instant vanilla pudding

1 c. canned pumpkin

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1/2 c. water

3 large eggs

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place all ingredients in a large bowl and blend with electric mixer on low for one minute. Scrape down bowl and blend at medium for two minutes. Spray 9X13 pan and pour batter into it. Bake for 32-39 minutes, or until cake tests done. Cool completely. When ready to assemble trifle, cut into 1-inch cubes.

Second Layer:

1 large pkg. instant cheesecake flavored instant pudding

2 cups cold milk

2 cups freshly whipped cream (unsweetened)

1 bag Heath Toffee bits (by chocolate chips in grocery store)

Combine pudding with milk and blend with whisk until it starts to thicken. Fold in whipped cream.

To assemble the trifle: Place 1/3 of cake into large bowl, followed by 1/3 cream mixture and then 1/3 toffee bits. Repeat two more times. Refrigerate.

Five Star Berry Cobbler

2011-12-05T18:29:00.000-08:00

I am frequently in the mood for cobbler. Over the years I have tried many recipes. All have been a little disappointing. On a funny note I remember I made one about two years and my dad teased me that it should have been called "essence of blackberry cobbler" b/c it hardly had any fruit in it. :) This one is called five star for a reason folks. Its from allrecipes.com and its rated five stars- literally. YUM! Everyone loved it. Oh, and one other thing is that cobbler looks gorgeous and looks like you spent a lot of time making it but we all know that cobbler is a cinch! I made a few changes. I doubled the crust on top, added coarse sugar, used frozen blackberries instead of fresh and the original recipe throws in a cast iron skillet with some complicated steps. Go ahead if you have one.

Five Star Berry Cobbler from allrecipes.com adapted by Claire
• 2 cup all-purpose flour

• 2 cups white sugar, divided and coarse sugar to taste
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoons cold butter
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 4 cups fresh or frozen blackberries (any berries will work...or fruit for that matter. THAW a little if using frozen berries)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. In a large bowl mix the flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 1/2 cup boiling water just until mixture is evenly moist.
3. In a separate bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in cold water. Mix in remaining 1 cup sugar, lemon juice, and blackberries. Transfer to frying pan and bring to a boil on stove top, stirring frequently. Transfer to 8x8 or 9x9 ungreased pan. Drop dough on the top of fruit mixture by spoonfuls. Sprinkle coarse sugar (demerara sugar is YUM) Place on the foil lined baking sheet.
4. Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until dough is golden brown. (mine took slightly longer..maybe 30")

Serve with ice cream- DUH!

Pumpkin Spice Brake

2011-12-04T15:33:00.000-08:00

picture courtesy

I am not a huge fan of pumpkin bread (but its growing on me- no pun intended haha!). However, I LOVE LOVE LOVE spice cake. And the simplicity of this recipe caught my eye as well. This is a combination of a bread and a cake, thus the name "brake". Adapted from bloggingitswhatsfordinner.blogspot.com.

PUMPKIN SPICE BRAKE

1 box of spice cake (I used Duncan Hines)

1/2 cup oil
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
3 eggs
1/2 cup water
Demerara cinnamon sugar (see below!)

Combine demerara sugar (see pic)and cinnamon to taste (about 1/4 c. sugar to 1/4 t. cinnamon). You can use regular sugar but this sugar is worth the investment- its amazing! I will be posting more recipes featuring this sugar later! You can find it next to the other sugars in the baking isle. The brand is florida crystals.

Preheat oven to 350. Spray two to three bread pans. I used three pans and the bread was about 2-3 inches thick. Combine all ingredients in a bowl using a hand mixer except for water and cinnamon sugar mixture. Then add water.
Pour 1/6 batter into one pan, sprinkle some cinnamon sugar, then add 1/6 more batter. Then cover with cinnamon sugar. Repeat two more times to make three loaves. Cook for 40 minutes. Eat hot and spread each piece with butter.

Chili Potato Burritos

2011-12-02T12:53:00.000-08:00

Photo from tasteandtell blog

Before you mark these off--listen! These are really good and practically vegan, if you leave the cheese off. These were a HUGE surprise. They sound weird, but they are really, really good.

Chili Potato Burritos

Recipe from tasteandtell blog

makes 8 burritos
4 baking potatoes, peeled and chopped
milk and butter
1 cup shredded colby-jack cheese
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
8 (6-inch) flour tortillas
1 cup red enchilada sauce

Put the potatoes in a large pot of water and bring it to a boil. Cook until tender but still firm. Drain and mash, adding a bit of milk and butter.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the mashed potatoes, 3/4 cup of the cheese, chili powder, cumin, and garlic. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix in about 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce.

Spoon evenly into tortillas and roll up. If you are going to freeze them, this is the point where you would wrap them for freezing. If you are eating them right away, place them in a baking dish and spread the remaining enchilada sauce on top. Top with the remaining cheese.

Bake in a 350F oven until cheese is melted and bubbly, about 15 minutes.

Granola

2011-11-29T13:25:00.000-08:00

Granola
Recipe from my MIL, Debbie Hutchings

8 c. oats (old-fashioned)
1 c. wheat germ
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. of any or all of the following:
slivered or sliced almonds
cashews
sunflower seeds
flaked coconut
pumpkin seeds
any other raw nut you desire
Mix well in large bowl.

In a saucepan heat:
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. oil
1 c peanut butter
1/2 c. maple syrup
3/4 c. honey

Heat until bubbly then turn off heat and add 2 tsp.vanilla. Pour over granola mixture.

Spread onto 2 extra large baking sheets. Bake at 200 degrees for 2 hours. Do not overcook. It may seem moist, that's how it's supposed to be! Let cool. Put back into bowl and stir in:
2 c. craisins and/or your choice of any other dried fruit.

Store in airtight containers.

Artichoke Dip

2011-11-24T13:01:00.000-08:00

One of my all-time favorite appetizers...

Artichoke Dip

Adapted from a friend

1 large can artichoke hearts, not marinated

1 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1- 8 oz. package cream cheese

small can of diced green chilies, drained (I used 3/4 of the can)

pinch of garlic salt

Dice artichoke hearts fine. Mix together with everything else. Bake, uncovered, in flat casserole dish for 20-30 minutes at 350, or until bubbly. Serve with chilled vegetables or crackers.

Thanksgiving Dressing

2011-11-24T12:06:00.000-08:00

I'm not a big fan of stuffing a turkey. I like mine a little on the drier side rather than a big ball of mush. So I tried this recipe last week for our feast, and I loved it! I couldn't find Mrs. Cubbison's herb dressing in the store, so I used the entire box of seasoned dressing and added my own herbs--sage, thyme, and celery salt.

Thanksgiving Dressing

Jessica Sedgwick

1 cup butter

1 1/2 cups chopped celery, include leaves

1 cup onion, chopped

1/2 box Mrs. Cubbison Herb Dressing

1/2 box Mrs. Cubbison Seasoned Dressing

3/4 cup cooked wild rice

3/4 cup dehydrated cranberries

3/4 cup chopped peeled apples

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

Melt butter in 8-12 quart pot. Saute the celery and onions until limp. Add the herbed and seasoned dressings, rice, cranberries, and apples. Toss to mix well. Pour the chicken stock over the dressing evenly and toss to stir. Spray a 9x13 dish with non-stick vegetable spray. Lightly fill pan level. Do not pack. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Serves 8-10.

IHOP Corn Cake Pancakes

2011-11-22T14:45:00.000-08:00

Photo from tasteandtell blog

Weird, right? I know these sound crazy but they are really good and tastes a lot like the IHOP pancakes. I would add more flour next time to the batter--I thought it was a bit runny. I served it with the delicious buttermilk syrup. Hmm...yummy!

IHOP Corn Cake Pancakes
Recipe from tasteandtellblog
Makes 16 pancakes
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup milk
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup butter, melted

Preheat a griddle to medium.

Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
In another medium bowl, mix eggs and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add the milk, buttermilk and melted butter; mix well.

Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with the mixer until smooth. Let the batter sit for 10 minutes.

Spray the hot griddle with nonstick spray. Spoon 1/4 cup portions of the batter onto the hot griddle and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side until brown. Serve hot with butter and maple syrup.

Pork Roast with Apples and Onions

2011-11-21T13:00:00.000-08:00

Pic courtesy of Pioneer Woman

I saw this recipe a couple weeks ago on Pioneer Woman and it just spoke to me. It looked so yummy and different and Fall-ish. I'm not a huge fan of pork and I really don't do roasts all that often any more, but I knew I just had to try this. I'll quote Pioneer Woman on this, "Oh, how I love life. For life includes dinners like this. " True, true, true. This was so different from any roast I have ever had. I loved the sweetness of the apples and the saltiness of the roast and onions. It's convinced me to start making roasts again (every once in a while isn't so bad, right?!).

Pork Roast with Apples and Onions
adapted from Pioneer Woman

Pork Roast (shoulder, butt, or any roast you prefer)
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Salt And Pepper, to taste
4 cups Apple Juice
1 cup Beef Stock
3 whole Apples, Cored And Cut Into Wedges
3 whole Medium Onions, Sliced
1 whole Bay Leaf

OPTIONAL: Saute onions until brown. (Or you may just add them raw to the roast.)

To make the pork roast, heat olive oil in a large pot over high heat. Salt and pepper pork roast, then sear on all sides to give it some color. Reduce heat to low. Add apple juice, beef stock, apple slices, onions, and bay leaf. Cover and simmer for 3 hours. (Or you may place in a 300 degree oven if you prefer.)

When the roast is done, remove the roast, apples, and onions to a platter. Raise heat to medium-high (to high) and boil liquid, reducing it until thick and rich. For a little extra thickness, whisk 1/4 to 1/2 cup warm water with 2 Tbl flour and then whisk into gravy sauce.

Spoon thick sauce over the roast, then cut the roast into slices. Serve with apples, onions, and mashed potatoes.

Snickerdoodle Muffins

2011-11-18T13:09:00.000-08:00

Photo from tastykitchen.com

These seemed a little high maintenance, but they were easier than I thought they would be and they were really delicious. The dough seemed to runny to roll in cinnamon but it actually worked well.

Snickerdoodle Muffins

From tasty kitchen blog

Ingredients

1 cup Butter, Softened
1 cup Sugar
2 whole Eggs
2 teaspoons Vanilla
2-¼ cups Flour
¾ teaspoons Baking Powder
¾ teaspoons Baking Soda
¾ teaspoons Cream Of Tartar
½ teaspoons Salt
1 cup Sour Cream
¼ cups Buttermilk
_____
FOR THE TOPPING:
⅔ cups Sugar
2 Tablespoons Cinnamon

Preparation Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Prepare a muffin tin with liners. (I learned the hard way that they are too fragile for just cooking spray.)
In a mixer, combine the butter and sugar and cream until fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and combine.
In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Add half of the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add the sour cream and buttermilk and mix to combine. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix until you have a smooth batter.
In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon for the topping.
Use scooper and plop a scoop of batter into the bowl with the sugar and cinnamon. Gently roll the batter in the sugar and cinnamon. Place the ball into the muffin liner.
When you have completed all of the muffins, sprinkle the leftover cinnamon sugar onto the tops of all of the muffins.
Bake the muffins at 350ºF for about 15-18 minutes or until they are golden on top and just baked through.

Baked Pull-Apart Pumpkin French Toast

2011-11-16T09:57:00.000-08:00

I had my doubts about this recipe, but I made it this morning and loved it! It is really rich, so I didn't eat too much. My kids weren't big fans, but if you love pumpkin, this would be a fabulous Thanksgiving morning breakfast--tastes almost like pumpkin pie!

Baked Pull-Apart Pumpkin French Toast

adapted from SimpleBites.net

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

1 loaf hearty whole wheat bread, sliced
3 large eggs
1 cup milk or cream
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup salted butter, melted
2 Tablespoons molasses
2 teaspoons pumpkin spice blend
1/4 cup brown sugar

Instructions

The night before…

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, pumpkin puree, 2 Tablespoons melted butter, molasses and 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice blend.
Dip each slice of bread into the mixture to coat well, then place, one layer thick, on a 13×17 baking sheet. Drizzle any remaining pumpkin mixture on top of the bread.
Place plastic wrap over the soaking bread slices and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

In the morning…

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously butter an 8 x 11 baking dish. Mix together brown sugar with remaining teaspoon of spice blend.
Remove plastic wrap from the soaked bread and brush tops lightly with remaining 2 Tablespoons of melted butter. Sprinkle French toast tops all over with cinnamon sugar mixture.
Starting with the smaller pieces, arrange the slices of bread in the buttered baking dish, propping them up on top of each other until the pan is full. Place on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes until the tops are crispy.
Serve at once with pure maple syrup and whipped cream.

EASY Chicken Lettuce Wraps

2011-11-14T18:39:00.000-08:00

picture courtesy

EASY Chicken Lettuce Wraps

adapted from Katie Worthington

Cook two chicken breasts in 1 T sesame oil. in frying pan (you can use veg.oil- the sesame just adds a lot of flavor). Chop (I use my food chopper). Return to pan.

Add
1 c. fresh mushrooms - chopped small
1 can water chestnuts drained - chopped small (I use a food chopper for these things as well)
5 green onion stalks sliced 3/4 of the way up
1 T. minced garlic
salt and pepper

Sauce for Stir Fry
8 tbsp. soy sauce
8 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. rice wine vinegar (I substituted white wine vinegar and it was great!)
Pour on top of stir fry and saute for another couple of minutes.
Spoon mixture into washed and dried iceburg lettuce cups and top with rice noodles prepared as directed on package (optional).

24 Hour Italian Beef ( a.k.a.French dip)

2011-11-14T11:50:00.000-08:00

picture courtesy

We are such a chicken family. I don't really like red meat for various reasons. But on occasion I like to throw a little variety into my kitchen. I went for this Italian beef recipe that Katie gave to me and I was SO glad I did. Definitely will become a family favorite and will be on our rotation. Don't let the 24 hour thing scare you- it was a beautiful thing! I put the roast in on Saturday night and then we ate on Sunday. It was great, easy and a big crowd pleaser (not to mention impressive!). Recipe adapted from Katie Worthington.

24 Hour Italian Beef
3-5 lb roast (bottom or butt)
2 c water
1pkg Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix
1 pgk. Au Jux Gravy mix (McCormick makes it)
1 t. Italian seasoning
Buttered and toasted french bread or buns
Provolone cheese (optional)

Mix water, dressing, au jus mix, Italian seasoning in bowl. Put roast in crock pot and pour mix over roast. Cook on low overnight. In morning shred and discard any fat. Return shredded roast to crock pot and cook on low until served. Serve on toasted and buttered buns (optional) with a bowl of au jux (the juices from the crock pot) on the side. I also served this with provolone cheese. YUM!

Poppyseed Lemon Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

2011-11-11T14:14:00.000-08:00

Photo from indiansimmer.com

So, don't let the fanciness of this recipe scare you. I never sift anything and it all turned out great. I only used lemon juice from the little plastic yellow lemon and it turned out great. The frosting on these is spectacular! These were super good, please make them--but only when you're having friends over because you want to share these, I promise.

Poppyseed Lemon Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe from Indiansimmer.com
Yield: 12 cupcakes
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 tsp Baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
zest and juice of one meyer lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup poppy seed

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 12 cupcake tins with paper or silicone liners.
2. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a small bowl.
3. In bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until fluffy, about five minutes.
4. Beat in eggs one at a time, ensuring they are completely incorporated before continuing to the next one.
5. Mix in the zest, lemon juice and vanilla.
6. Add flour and buttermilk to batter in two separate additions, beating completely between additions.
7. Fold in poppyseeds.
8. Fill cupcake liners 7/8 of the way to the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes, rotating half way through baking time.
9. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 tbsp vanilla extract (or one vanilla bean + 1 tsp vanilla extract)
1 1/2-3 cups icing sugar

1. Beat butter and cream cheese together until fluffy.
2. Slowly add in vanilla.
3. Slowly stir in icing sugar on low speed one cup at a time.
4. Pipe onto cupcakes and serve immediately.

Cinnamon Bun Popcorn

2011-11-08T16:19:00.000-08:00

picture courtesy

My cousin Katie and I get together-if we are lucky- about once a year. Something that we have done over the past couple years is exchange recipes and cook and of course eat together! She is visiting me now in Augusta and I will be posting several recipes from her over the next couple days. This recipe I would definitely rate five stars. Does cinnamon bun popcorn sound weird? Yeah, kinda. Try it. I promise you will LOVE it. Its not something that would catch my eye and so I am so glad she made it for me. To die for. AND how perfect for a Christmas gift!

Cinnamon Bun Popcorn
Ingredients:
2 regular size bags of popcorn, de-kerneled ( you can used air-popped or something NON buttery. I have used Orville Redenbacher's "Tender White")
1 c. chopped pecans
1 c. brown sugar
3/4 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. baking soda
3 squares of white almond bark
1/4 c. Karo syrup
1 stick of butter
1 t. vanilla

Combine the following in a large glass bowl:
1 c. brown sugar
3/4 t. cinnamon
Add:
1/4 c. light Karo syrup
1 stick butter
Melt in the microwave for 30 seconds, then take out and stir. Microwave for 2 minutes then stir. Two minutes again. Bowl will be very hot! Stir well.

Now combine in a small bowl:
1 t. vanilla
1/2 t. baking soda
Add this to the caramel mixture. It will foam and fizz. When fizz goes down, quickly pour over popcorn mixed with chopped pecans in a very large bowl (maybe even two bowls to have room to mix). Work quickly here. Mix well. Microwave for another 30 seconds and stir again.

Melt three squares of almond bark in a mocriowave safe bowl stirring every 30 seconds until smooth. Spread popcorn out over a sprayed cookie sheet and then drizzle on melted almond bark.
*I like to toss it ALL in almond bark although the recipe calls for a drizzle. I use the same amt.- 3 squares.

Pumpkin Streusel Bars

2011-11-07T12:25:00.000-08:00

Pic courtesy Google images

My SIL, Macy made these for dessert a few weeks ago and I fell in love with them. So much so, that I made them a week later for a dinner party we went to. I'm not usually a huge fan of pumpkin, but these were amazing. Seriously. I think I'm going to forgo the pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving this year and go for these instead.

Pumpkin Streusel Bars

Macy Bell

1 box yellow cake mix

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 egg

Stir together cake mix, melted butter, and egg until well combined. Reserve one cup for topping. Press remaining mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 pan.

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree

1 egg

2/3 cup sugar

1 t. vanilla

1/4 t. salt

1 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. nutmeg

Whisk together pumpkin, egg, sugar, vanilla, salt and spices. Spread filling over pressed crust.

1 cup reserved cake mix

1/2 cup sugar

1 T. cinnamon

3/4 cup old fashioned oats (I used quick oats with great results)

1/2 cup cold butter, cut into pieces

whipped cream , for serving

Stir together reserved cake mix, sugar, cinnamon, and old fashioned oats. Cut in cold butter with a fork or pastry cutter until mixture resembles course crumbs. Sprinkle over filling and bake in a 325 oven for 35-40 min.* , or until topping is lightly browned (do not over bake). Serve with whipped cream.

*Mine took more closer 50 minutes to bake.

Cheddar and Herb Biscuits

2011-11-04T13:28:00.000-07:00

Photo from melskitchencafe.com

Party in your mouth! These things melt in your mouth and then you have to eat like 5 more. Seriously, like 5 more. These are amazing! FYI, I also froze some of these and they tasted great the next time we ate them.

Cheddar and Herb Biscuits
Recipe from melskitchencafe.com

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons shortening
3 tablespoons butter, cold
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/4 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, garlic powder and salt. Cut in shortening and butter until coarse crumbs are formed. Lightly mix in grated cheese. Mix in buttermilk just until moist (dry spots here and there are ok – the biscuits will be tough if they are overmixed). Drop the biscuits onto a greased or lined baking sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until browned and golden. While the biscuits are baking, in a small bowl combine three tablespoons melted butter, 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes, 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder and a pinch of salt. Right when the biscuits come out of the oven, brush the butter/herb mixture over the biscuits evenly (alternately, you can dip the top of the biscuit into the butter mixture). Serve immediately.

Tillamook Baked Macaroni and Cheese

2011-11-03T15:34:00.000-07:00

Recipe from macey's.com pic from allrecipes.com

Kinda bummed that we don't have Tillamook out here in Georgia. Would it have been tastier? Probably. Everything is with that stuff, right? I just made sure to use sharp cheddar and you HAVE to have freshly shredded. None of that waxy pre-shredded junk, mmkay? Anywho...this was still pretty dang good. I served it with the BBQ pulled pork sandwiches (I used chicken though)and that recipe you can find on this blog.

Tillamook Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients
o 1 (12 ounce) packages macaroni
o 4 tablespoons Tillamook butter
o 4 tablespoons flour
o 1 cup milk
o 1 cup cream
o 1/2 teaspoon salt
o fresh ground black pepper, to taste
o 2 cups Tillamook cheddar cheese, shredded
o 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, buttered (I added 2 T butter to crumbs)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Cook and drain macaroni according to package directions; set aside.
3. In a large saucepan melt butter.
4. Add flour mixed with salt and pepper, using a whisk to stir until well blended.
5. Pour milk and cream in gradually; stirring constantly.
6. Bring to boiling point and boil 2 minutes (stirring constantly).
7. Reduce heat and cook (stirring constantly) 10 minutes.
8. Add shredded cheddar little by little and simmer an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese melts.
9. Turn off flame.
10. Add macaroni to the saucepan and toss to coat with the cheese sauce.
11. Transfer macaroni to a buttered baking dish.
12. Sprinkle with buttered breadcrumbs.
13. Bake 20 minutes until the top is golden brown.
14. (You can also freeze this recipe in zip-lock bags for later use - once you have mixed the macaroni along with the cheese sauce allow to cool to room temperature before adding to your freezer - I generally pull it out the night before and allow macaroni and cheese to reach room temperature; I then add the macaroni and cheese to a buttered baking dish, sprinkle with bread crumbs and then bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until golden brown on top and bubbling. (I am sooooo doing this with the leftovers!)

Gooey Chocolate Chip Sandwich bars

2011-11-03T10:53:00.000-07:00

Picture courtesy of recipegirl.com

Hello love. When I looked at this picture (from recipegirl.com) and saw this gooey layer in the middle and read the title I knew these bars had to be made. Um...yeah. I made them for a ward trunk-or-treat. Boy do I regret that! I got the equivalent of a bite. Serious. But I heard all about them. I should've saved and ate the whole pan. :) This is also the time that I should mention that I won the chili contest (with a total of about thirty entries) and served the White Chicken Chili found on this blog. Enjoy!

GOOEY CHOCOLATE FILLING:

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

COOKIES:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated white sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned rolled oats (I used quick- they worked great)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt (I used regular salt)

3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (I only used two here...I thought 5 cups of chocolate chips between the filling and dough was a bit much...so I opted for a more reasonable number of four! AH!!)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a 9x13-inch pan with parchment paper, allowing enough overhang on the long side to lift the bars from the pan.
2. Prepare the gooey chocolate filling: Place the chocolate chips and condensed milk in a small saucepan over the lowest possible heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the chocolate has melted and the mixture has thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, add vanilla, and stir until smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
3. Prepare the cookie dough: Place the butter and sugars in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Beat well. Whisk together the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Add to the butter mixture. Beat until everything is well incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Prepare the bars: Using half of the batch of cookie dough, place dollops into the prepared pan and press down lightly to even it out. Pour the cooled chocolate mixture over the dough and then add small dollops of the remaining dough on top. Don't worry if the dollops don't completely cover the chocolate mixture. Just spread it together as much as you can, and let some chocolate peek through.
5. Bake until lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside to cool completely, then cut into 32 bars.

**TIP: Refrigerate bars to firm up and then cut while chilled. Serve room temperature.

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

2011-11-02T12:57:00.000-07:00

Pic courtesy of Mels Kitchen Cafe

The first time I made these, I pulled them out of the oven and dropped the pan on the floor. After an hour + in prep time, I cried. I just cried. Disclaimer: I'm pregnant. I knew it was good and I was dying to really try it, so I made it again about a week later. And, this time it made it safely from the oven to the cooling rack. And, it was delicious. Truly delicious. Also, you should know that I halved the recipe both times I made it and it was still a ton of dessert.

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars with Streusel Topping
from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

INGREDIENTS:
Base:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

Cream Cheese Layer:
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Apples:
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Streusel Topping:
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

Caramel Sauce:
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
½ cups half-and-half or cream
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, stir together chopped apples, two tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine all the streusel topping ingredients and mix until crumbly. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two forks until mixture is crumbly but combined. Press evenly into a 9X13-inch baking pan lined with aluminum foil. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

While the crust is baking, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Then add eggs, one at a time and then the vanilla. Mix well. Pour over the warm crust.

Spoon the apple mixture evenly over the cheesecake layer. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the apples. Bake for 30 minutes until the filling is set.

Cool the bars to room temperature. Drizzle with the caramel topping (or plate individual slices and drizzle with topping one by one).

For the caramel sauce, mix butter, brown sugar, half-and-half or cream, and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook while whisking gently for 5 to 7 minutes, until thickened slightly. Add the vanilla and cook another minute to thicken further. Turn off the heat and pour the sauce into a jar. Refrigerate until cold. If the caramel sauce has cooled in the fridge long enough to harden, warm slightly before drizzling on bars.

Megan's Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-11-01T13:41:00.000-07:00

Seriously, make these and you will not go back! I don't think I will every make a different chocolate chip cookie. I don't know if it's the vanilla pudding or the almond flavoring but these are to die for!

Megan’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe from Crescent Marchant

2 cubes butter                1 small package vanilla pudding(the powder)
2 eggs                                      3-4 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar      ¾ cup chocolate chips (I'm pretty sure I do more than this...just add til you like)
¾ cup white sugar   2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda               1/2 tsp. almond flavoring
1 tsp. salt                               Heath toffee bits (optional--these are super yummy in them)
½ tsp. baking powder

Roll into balls. Bake at 350 degrees for 13-17 minutes.

Three-Cheese Pasta Bake

2011-10-28T13:06:00.000-07:00

Photo from myrecipes.com

A fancy variation on mac and cheese! This was obviously super cheesy and yummy...just look at it!

Three-Cheese Pasta Bake

Recipe from myrecipes.com

Ingredients

· 1 (16-ounce) package ziti

· 2 (10-ounce) containers refrigerated Alfredo sauce

· 1 (8-ounce) container sour cream

· 1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese

· 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

· 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

· 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

· 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese

Preparation

· Prepare ziti according to package directions; drain and return to pot.

· Stir together Alfredo sauce and sour cream; toss with ziti until evenly coated. Spoon half of mixture into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.

· Stir together ricotta cheese and next 3 ingredients; spread evenly over pasta mixture in baking dish. Spoon remaining pasta mixture evenly over ricotta cheese layer; sprinkle evenly with mozzarella cheese.

· Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Brown Rice and Black Bean Casserole

2011-10-27T18:48:00.000-07:00

We LOVED this casserole...hearty, full of yummy vegetables, and easy to make. Great for leftovers too. We will definitely be making this one again- it really was delicious.

image courtesy allrecipes.com

Brown Rice and Black Bean Casserole

Allrecipes.com

1/3 cup brown rice

1 cup vegetable broth

1 Tbs. olive oil

1/3 cup onion, diced

1 medium zucchini, chopped or thinly sliced

2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced (I used 1/3 of the Costco rotisserie chicken)

1/2 to 3/4 cup sliced mushrooms

1/2 tsp. cumin

Salt, to taste

Cayenne Pepper, to taste

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (4 oz.) can green chilies

1/3 cup carrots, chopped small

2 cups shredded swiss cheese

Mix the rice and chicken broth in pot on stovetop, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 45 minutes, or until rice is tender. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a medium-sized casserole dish. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook the onion until tender. Mix in the zucchini, chicken, and mushrooms. Season with cumin, salt and cayenne pepper. Cook and stir until zucchini is lightly browned and chicken is heated through. In a large bowl, mix the rice, onion, zucchini, chicken, mushrooms, beans, chilies, carrots, and half of the swiss cheese. Transfer to the baking dish and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Cover casserole dish loosely with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 more minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned.

Quick and Easy Orange Rolls

2011-10-25T14:43:00.000-07:00

Photo from Yourhomebasedmom.com

This is the best recipe for a really quick, delicious roll. If you have time make the real ones, but if you need something quick and easy these are really good. Oh, I did not use Orange Essential Oil, I just used orange juice concentrate and it worked great.

Quick and Easy Orange Rolls

Recipe from Yourhomebasedmom.com

12 frozen Rhodes dinner rolls, thawed
grated rind of one orange
1/2 C sugar

Citrus Glaze:
1 C powdered sugar
1 Tbsp melted butter
2 Tbsp orange juice
Mix together until smooth

Add in 2-3 drops Wild Orange Essential Oil or to desired taste (optional but oh so good!)
Thaw dough in the refrigerator over night or 2-3 hours prior to use. Cover with plastic wrap while thawing.
Grate orange rind and mix with sugar. Roll thawed roll in melted butter and then in sugar and rind mixture.
Place on greased cookie sheet or 9 x 13 pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow rolls to double in size – approximately 1 hour. Remove plastic wrap and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
Let cool 5 minutes and frost with citrus glaze while warm.
Enjoy!

Texas Sheet Cake

2011-10-23T19:21:00.000-07:00

This recipe is another original from our sister's cookbook- submitted by Jessica. I've made it twice now and its amazing! It feeds a crowd and is great warm or cold- with or without ice cream. Plus, you should have most of these ingredients in your pantry/fridge. Next time you need a crowd-pleaser for a big crowd, put this one on your menu.

courtesy

Texas Sheet Cake

Jessica Sedgwick

For the Cake:

2 c. flour

2 c. sugar

1 cup butter

4 Tbs. cocoa

1 c. water

1/2 c. buttermilk

2 eggs

1 tsp. soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix flour and sugar in large bowl. Mix butter, cocoa, and water in saucepan. Bring to boil. Turn off heat and stir into flour and sugar mixture. Add buttermilk, eggs, soda, salt, and vanilla. Stir until well mixed. Bake in greased jelly roll pan (cookie sheet) for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove cake from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips (see below) evenly over cake. Let stand about one minute- don't spread. Pour frosting evenly over all. Enjoy!

For the Frosting:

1 stick butter

4 Tbs. cocoa

6 Tbs. milk

1 lb. box powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 bag chocolate chips (use 1/2 milk or 1/2 semi-sweet, or 1 whole bag of each)

Melt all ingredients, except sugar and vanilla and barely bring to boil. Shut off heat and add sugar and vanilla. Consistency should be to pour, not spread over chocolate chips.

Chili Blanco

2011-10-21T10:34:00.000-07:00

Pic courtesy of Google Images

We had a pot luck luncheon in my ward a couple weeks ago and one of the dishes there was this chili. The girl that made it said that her aunt makes it and wins all sorts of cook-offs with it. So, I asked for the recipe and gave it a whirl last night. And, it did not disappoint. It was so yummy and I loved the change up from regular, old tortilla soup. Just FYI, I had to change the recipe up a bit b/c she used dry beans and cooked it over the stove, but it still came out just as scrumptious!

Chili Blanco
adapted from Laura Shelley

3 cans Great Northern Beans
1 onion, diced
1 24-oz can chicken broth
2-3 small chicken breasts (I used frozen. If you use thawed ones, be sure to add more chicken broth)
1 (7 oz.) can chopped green chilies
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 T dried oregano
3 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

Put all ingredients in crockpot , except for the sour cream and cheese. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours. Add cheese and stir until all incorporated. Serve with chips, if desired. (You don't need to garnish with any more cheese or sour cream as there's already plenty!)

Homemade Taco Seasoning

2011-10-18T18:39:00.000-07:00

pic courtesy of allrecipes.com

Mmmmm. My taco seasoning was expired and I was craving tacos tonight. So, I got on allrecipes.com and searched for the highest rated homemade taco seasoning, mixed it up, and crossed my fingers. And, wow- let me tell you- I will never buy another packet of taco seasoning! The flavors were so much more defined and intense. I loved it and so did my family.

Homemade Taco Seasoning
from allrecipes.com

1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (I subbed cayenne pepper to bring down the heat)
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

In a small bowl, mix together chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Store in an airtight container.
Mix with approx. 2 pounds of meat, beans, or whatever your heart desires.

Brazilian Lemonade

2011-10-18T12:45:00.000-07:00

Photo courtesy of Our Best Bites

My friend Andrea made this for us and it tastes so good! The recipe sounds add--adding a whole lime into the blender--but trust me, this is so good and unique! Tastes just like the drink from Tucano's!

Brazilian Lemonade

Recipe from Our Best Bites blog

4 juicy limes (try and find ones with thin, smooth skins; they’re the juiciest and the thin skin cuts down on the chance of your drink being bitter)
1 c. sugar
6 c. cold water
6 Tbsp. sweetened condensed milk

Mix cold water and sugar very well and chill until ready to use. This step can be done ahead of time.

Wash limes thoroughly with soap (I just use hand-dishwashing soap or regular hand soap); you need the soap to get the wax and pesticides off of the limes because you’re using the WHOLE lime, baby. Cut the ends off the limes and then cut each lime into 8ths.

Place 1/2 of the limes in your blender.

Add 1/2 of the sugar water, place the lid on your blender, and pulse 5 times. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a pitcher (the one you’ll serve the lemonade in) and pour the blended mixture through the strainer and into the pitcher. Use a spoon to press the rest of the liquid into the pitcher. Dump the pulp and stuff in the strainer into the trash. Repeat with remaining limes and sugar water. Add sweetened condensed milk; DO NOT leave this step out unless you will die of a horrible sweetened condensed milk allergy because this is the secret ingredient! You may want to taste test it at this point; I used giant, thick-skinned limes tonight and didn’t test it and it came out a little bitter. If it’s bitter, just add some more sugar and maybe a little more milk.
Serve immediately over lots of ice. This does not keep well, so don’t make this in advance (although you can cut the limes, mix the sugar water, and measure the sweetened condensed milk in advance). Serves 4, although I can pretty much guarantee you that people will want more; I usually plan on 1 1/2 servings at LEAST per person.

Never Fail Pie Crust

2011-10-17T13:10:00.000-07:00

Photo from recipesfromhome-online.com

Even I didn't fail at this so it must truly be "never fail". It made me get all kinds of flutters inside to make a pie crust. Makes me feel like one of those perfect mothers from the 1950's...until I started yelling at my kids and realized I am totally from the 2000's!

Never Fail Pie Crust

From: Andrea Tanner

1 cup shortening

2 ¾ cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

5 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon white vinegar

Cut together shortening, flour and salt with a pastry cutter. In a separate bowl, beat together egg, water and vinegar. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and cut together.

Cheese and Veggie Twist

2011-10-17T06:48:00.001-07:00

Dagmar's last...for a while. :) Enjoy!

courtesy

Cheese and Veggie Twist

Dagmar Jewkes

2 large eggs

1/2 c. tomatoes

1/2 c. mushrooms

Shredded Cheese

1/4 c. green onions

Bacon, crumbled (optional)

2 cans reduced-fat crescent roll dough

Mix all ingredients except crescent dough. Season with salt and pepper. With the dough, separate all the triangles and fan them out in a ring, with the narrow sides on the inside of the ring, 1/2 overlapping, corners of the long side pointing out (so it looks like a sun or star). Spread mixture over the inner portion of the ring. Fold the outer tips over to the inside and push edges together. Cook at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. Watch the dough so it doesn't burn- if necessary, cover dough with foil until inside of twist is thoroughly cooked.

Tortellini with Tomato-Zucchini Sauce

2011-10-16T07:19:00.000-07:00

Here's a great, easy pasta for your weekly rotation...thanks again, Dagmar!

courtesy

Tortellini with Tomato-Zucchini Sauce

Dagmar Jewkes

1 lb. cheese tortellini or cheese ravioli (refrigerated section of grocery store)

1 lb. zucchini, cubed or shredded

Salt

1 jar garlic, mushroom, or cheese pasta sauce

Cheese for sprinkling (parmesan or mozzarella)

Boil the tortellini and zucchini together with a hint of salt until fully cooked (or al-dente). Drain and place in serving dish. Add your jar of pasta sauce, toss, and sprinkle with cheese, if desired.

Mexican Meatloaf

2011-10-15T15:51:00.001-07:00

I knew I'd forget to post Dagmar's recipes every day. :) Here goes another one...enjoy!

courtesy

Mexican Meatloaf

Dagmar Jewkes

1 1/2 lb. ground turkey

2 c. salsa

1/2 can tomato sauce, or diced tomatoes

1 pack stuffing mix for turkey or chicken

2 large eggs

Mix all ingredients together. Divide into a 12-muffin baking pan and bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees- or until cooked through. Top with cheese or tomato sauce, if desired.

Broccoli Soup & Turkey Avocado Paninis

2011-10-13T10:23:00.000-07:00

Broccoli Soup & Turkey Avocado Paninis

Dagmar Jewkes

For the Soup:

1 1/2 lbs. broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces

6 bouillon cubes

1 quart water

2 cups milk

1/3 c. flour

1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese

Cook the broccoli in the bouillon and water, stirring occassionally, until tender. Puree in blender with milk and flour (this will guarantee a smooth thickening of the soup). Put back in pan and cook slowly, until thickened. Add cheese until melted.

For the Paninis: (Makes 4 sandwiches)

4 slices of your favorite bread (or roll)

Mustard

Ranch dressing (light)

2 slices of cooked, crispy bacon

8-12 slices of turkey deli

1 avocado

Cheese

Spread a drop of ranch dressing and mustard on one side of bread. Cover with 1/2 slice of bacon. Add 2-3 slices of turkey, 4 thin slices of avocado (@1/4 avocado each), sprinkle cheese on top. Cook in oven at 375 degrees until desired browning occurs and cheese is melted.

Tomato and Avocado Salad

2011-10-12T14:05:00.001-07:00

Thanks again to Dagmar for this one...sounds delicious!

courtesy

Tomato and Avocado Salad

Dagmar Jewkes

3 tomatoes

1 large avocado

Bunch of cilantro

Garlic Salt

Lemon Juice

Green Onions or Regular diced onions (optional)

Dice vegetables and toss with seasonings to taste. Enjoy!

Doritos Chicken

2011-10-11T11:22:00.000-07:00

Another Dagmar original...enjoy!
Doritos Chicken

Dagmar Jewkes

1-2 lbs. of chicken breasts, flattened

1 bag Doritos, crushed

Light Mayo (enough to dip the chicken in)

Salt, Pepper, Seasoned Salt, Garlic Salt (to liking)

Oil

Put the dry Doritos and mayo in separate bowls. Dip the chicken breasts in mayo and then season with desired seasonings. Dip chicken in Doritos and then press the chips into the chicken so they will stick. Lightly fry the chicken in a skillet until cooked through. Serve with salad or veggies.

Peanut Chicken

2011-10-10T15:45:00.000-07:00

This is Dagmar's recipe...she sent me several to post so I'm going to do one each day (if I remember!). She's such a great cook and can throw things together on a whim, so I'm sure these recipes will be keepers. Here's the first one...

courtesy

Peanut Chicken

Dagmar Jewkes

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2-1 cup water

Some lemon juice

2-3 Tbs. peanut butter

1 1/2 lbs. chicken, diced

Cooked rice

Broccoli

Let all ingredients (except rice and broccoli) marinate for 1 1/2 hours. Then cook in skillet until chicken is cooked entirely through. Serve with rice and broccoli.

Marcy's Barbeque Chicken Salad

2011-10-07T08:36:00.001-07:00

Marcy's BBQ Chicken Salad
(Family size)
1 pound skinless, boneless Chicken breast*, brush with barbecue sauce and BBQ on the grill or in oven. Cut into bite-size pieces (2 cups cooked chicken)
8 cups mixed greens (Romaine with some spring mix is good)
1 red apple, core, cut in bite size pieces, leaving on the red peel
(toss with a little lemon juice to keep white)
1/2 cup corn kernels (frozen or defrosted – doesn’t matter)
1/2 cup spicy peanuts
1/3 cup chopped red onion
2 Tbs. chopped cilantro
1 cup tortilla thin strips, or slightly crushed reg. tortillas chips, blue or plain
1 cup dressing , ¾ cup ranch dressing mixed with
¼ cup *barbecue sauce
1 cup blue cheese or *shredded cheese, mix cheddar and jack
*if it’s a non-blue cheese group

Toss ingredients together except for dressing and chips. Let people serve themselves the amount of dressing they prefer. Serve chips to the side so don’t get soggy.
Serves 6-8 generously

Microwave Chicken Tortilla Casserole

2011-10-04T13:38:00.000-07:00

Photo from realmomkitchen.com

This sounds weird but it was really, really good and who doesn't love a really fast meal? Definitely a keeper!

Microwave Chicken Tortilla Casserole
Recipe from realmomkitchen.com

2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded or diced (this is about 2 cups)
1 cup sour cream
2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup french fried onion, divided
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 Tbsp dried cilantro or 3 Tbsp fresh
2 (10 inch) flour tortillas (the big burrito sized ones)

In a large bowl, combine the chicken, sour cream, 1 cup of the cheese, 1/2 cup of fried onions, chopped green chilies, taco seasoning, and chopped cilantro. Mix until well combined combine.
Cut up one of the tortilla into 1 inch pieces using a pizza wheel. Add to the chicken mixture and stir until blended in.
Place the remaining tortilla into a 9 inch pie plate, this will create the crust for your pie. Spoon the mixture into the tortilla/crust.
Place in microwave and microwave on high for about five minutes. Sprinkle the pie with the remaining cheese followed by the fried onions. Microwave for one minute more, or until cheese is melted. Keep in mind that microwave varies, so cooking time may vary too. Makes 6 servings.

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake

2011-09-30T13:50:00.000-07:00

Photo from howsweeteats.com

This is the perfect meal to use up a bunch of leftovers, such as rice and chicken. Wasn't my favorite meal ever but the practicality of it has it's worth!

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake
Recipe from howsweeteats.com

serves 4-6
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled and shredded
4 cups cooked brown rice
3/4 cup frozen corn
1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup plain greek yogurt (you can use sour cream)
1 4 ounce can green chilis
1/2 cup chunky salsa
1 cup grated cheddar & monterey jack cheese (low-fat cheese works too!) + more for topping if desired
cilantro for garnish

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except for cilantro and mix thoroughly to combine. Make sure the yogurt and cheese is stirred in throughout the entire bowl. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Transfer to an oven-safe dish and top with extra cheese if you would like. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until heated through. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

To make this process easier, I always have cooked chicken on hand, and use Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice. If you have those two things, this mean can be throw together in a matter of minutes! It can also easily be made ahead of time and reheated.

Mini Cheese Meatloaves

2011-09-27T13:45:00.000-07:00

Photo from Tasteandtell blog

I know, I know it's weird but I actually loved these! Plus, I love how they are perfect portions. I think I am slowly becoming a meatloaf fan.

Mini Cheese Meatloaves
Recipe from tasteandtellblog
Serves 4

Meatloaves
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheese
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/4 – 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound lean ground beef

Sauce
2/3 cup ketchup
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9×13 baking dish.

In a bowl, beat the egg and milk. Stir in the cheese, oats, 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, onion and salt. Add beef and mix well. Add more breadcrumbs if needed to be able to form loaves. Shape into 8 small loaves, and place in a greased 9×13 baking dish.

In a small bowl, mix ketchup, brown sugar and mustard. Spoon over loaves. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes or until meat is no longer pink.

Texas Roadhouse Rolls

2011-09-23T14:08:00.000-07:00

Photo from eatcakefordinner.com

These are as good as they look though I admit that mine didn't look like this picture. All tastes the same in the mouth!

Texas Roadhouse Rolls - Copycat Recipe

Recipe from Eatcakefordinner.blogspot.com

4 tsp. active dry yeast

1/2 c. warm water

2 c. milk, scalded and cooled to lukewarm

3 Tbl. of melted butter, slightly cooled

1/2 c. sugar

2 quarts all purpose flour (7-8 cups)

2 whole eggs

2 tsp. salt

Dissolve yeast in warm water with a teaspoon of sugar. Add yeast, milk, sugar and enough flour to make a medium batter. Beat thoroughly. Let stand until light and foamy. Add melted butter, eggs and salt. Beat well.

Add enough flour to form a soft dough. Sprinkle a small amount of flour onto counter and let dough rest. Meanwhile, grease a large bowl. Knead dough until smooth and satiny and put in greased bowl; turn over to grease top. (I used the dough hook on my Kitchen-Aid to knead this for about 4-5 minutes). Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in bulk. Punch down. Turn out onto a floured board. Divide into portions for shaping; let rest 10 minutes. Shape dough into desired forms. Place on greased baking sheets. Let rise until doubled.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Baste immediately with butter. Yield: 5 to 6 dozen.

*Jenn's Notes: I shaped my rolls by rolling out the dough into a rectangle, about 1/2-inch thick, then I folded the rectangle in half, making it about 1-inch thick. I used my rolling pin and rolled over the dough, ever so gently, just to seal the two halves together. I then used a dough scraper and cut the rolls into squares and placed those on my greased baking sheet. I cut the recipe in half and I got exactly 12 big rolls and baked them for 16-17 minutes. In order to get the 5-6 dozen rolls like the recipe states, you would have to make really small rolls.

Chicken and Green Bean Stir Fry

2011-09-20T14:32:00.000-07:00

Photo from Yourhomebasedmom.com

Once again, loved this one and even my kids ate it all!

Chicken & Green Bean Stir Fry
Recipe from Yourhomebasedmom.com

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 lb. green beans
2-3 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. minced ginger
3 tsp garlic, minced
5 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp vinegar

Steam green beans by placing them in a ziploc baggie and microwaving on high for about 2 minutes. Until crisp-tender and bright green.

Heat 2 Tbsp. sesame oil in pan over medium heat. Add chicken, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook until cooked through. Remove chicken from pan. Add remaining oil to pan and add green beans, garlic and ginger and stir fry for 1-2 minutes. Add chicken back in. Add in soy sauce and vinegar and cook until sauce begins to thicken – about 2-3 minutes.

Serve over rice.

Lemon-Blueberry Yogurt Loaf

2011-09-18T07:50:00.000-07:00

I made this loaf/cake over the weekend and thought it was really delicious- tart, flavorful and different from your run-of-the-mill breakfast cake. Really though, you could eat this anytime of the day as a delicious and satisfying snack.

courtesy

Lemon-Blueberry Yogurt Loaf

Recipe from Sweet Pea's Kitchen

For the loaf:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour + 1 Tbs. flour, divided

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup plain (not low-fat) yogurt

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs

2 tsp. grated lemon zest (approx. 2 lemons)

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups blueberries (can use frozen, but thaw first), rinsed

For the Lemon Syrup:

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/3 cup sugar

For the Lemon Glaze:

1 cup confectioner's sugar

2-3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter and flour a 9X5 loaf pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 c. flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, vanilla and oil. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. In a small, separate bowl, gently toss the remaining 1 Tbs. flour with the blueberries until coated. Gently fold blueberries into batter. Pour batter into loaf pan and bake for 50-65 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing it to a wire rack placed over a cookie sheet (important!). While the loaf is cooling, make the lemon syrup. In a small saucepan, stir together the lemon juice and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Continue to cook for 3 more minutes and then remove from heat. Poke holes with a toothpick all over top and sides of loaf and pour lemon syrup slowly over the top. Allow loaf to cool completely before making the lemon glaze. To make the lemon glaze, whisk together the sugar and lemon juice. Mixture should be thick, but pourable. Add more lemon juice, if needed. Pour the lemon glaze over the top of the loaf and allow to harden before serving.

Pretzel Dog Dippers

2011-09-17T12:10:00.000-07:00

Photo from laurenslatest.com

BYU vs. Texas: the best thing about the game were these pretzel dog dippers! These were super easy and really quick to make--after you let the dough rise. I think it took me about 5 minutes of prep, no joke!

Pretzel Dog Dippers

Recipe from laurenslatest.com

8 frozen white bread rolls (I used Rhodes)

1 package of hot dogs, or 8 polish sausages (little smokies work too)

1 cup hot water

2 tablespoons baking soda

salt

Defrost and proof dough according to packaged directions (it took me 3 hours to get my dough to defrost and rise a little)

Preheat oven to 350. In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water. Set aside. Cut hot dogs in half or into thirds if you want bite sized snacks. Form dough into 1 large ball. Divide dough into enough equal pieces to cover all pieces of hot dogs. Smooth dough over hot dog pieces and dip into baking soda water. Arrange on greased baking sheet. Sprinkle salt over top. Bake 12-15 minutes or until dough is darker golden brown. Serve with cheesy chili dip (below), or usual hot dog condiments.

Cheesy Chili Dip

1/2 cup velveeta

1 can chili, or 2 cups homemade leftover chili

Microwave velveeta and chili for 1-2 minutes until velveeta is completely melted. Serve with pretzel dog dippers or tortilla chips.

Lehi Orange Rolls

2011-09-16T13:20:00.000-07:00

Photo from Sister's Cafe

Just look at these. They were so good! I froze half the batch and ate them later and they were still so delicious!

Lehi Orange Rolls

Recipe from The Sister’s Cafe

1/3 cup warm water
2 Tb yeast
3 eggs
1 tsp orange extract
1 cup warm water
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
5 1/2 – 7 cups flour, divided
1 cup butter, softened, divided
1 1/3 cup sugar, divided
zest of 2 oranges
Dissolve yeast in 1/3 cup very warm water. Add eggs and beat. Add orange extract, 1 cup warm water, salt, 1/3 cup sugar, oil, and 4 1/2 cups flour. Beat. Add 1/2 to 1 cup flour and knead for several minutes. Place dough in greased bowl and cover with greased plastic wrap. Put in a warm place and let rise for 1 hour, or until doubled.
Knead dough 5 or 6 times. Divide in half. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each half out into a narrow and long rectangle, about 1/2 inch thick. Spread with softened butter, remaining sugar, and orange zest. Roll up lengthwise and pinch to seal edge of dough. Cut rolls about 1 1/2 inches thick. Place in a greased pan fairly close together and cover with greased plastic wrap. Let rise for 1 hour in warm place. Bake at 350 degree for 12 to 17 minutes. Don’t overbake. Let cool slightly, then ice with orange cream cheese icing.

Orange Cream Cheese Icing

1/2 package of cream cheese (4 oz.), at room temperature
1 Tb butter, softened
1/2 package of powdered sugar (about 3 cups)
2 Tb orange juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 – 1 tsp orange extract, to taste

Beat all ingredients together. Add more orange juice, if necessary, for drizzle consistency. Use over orange rolls.

Rasberry Cheesecake Trifle

2011-09-15T14:57:00.000-07:00

Photo from ourfamilytreat.com

Oh my gosh! This has got to be the most amazing piece of heaven I've tasted recently. Plus, you just buy the cake part, you don't even have to make it. Plus, it was good for the next couple of days, too. Not that I needed to confess that.

Raspberry Cheesecake Trifle

Recipe from ourfamilytreat.com

Ingredients:

2 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup sour cream

2 teaspoons vanilla

Mix together cream cheese, powdered sugar, sour cream and vanilla.

1 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Whip heavy cream, sugar and vanilla. Then fold into the cream cheese mixture.

2 prepackaged Angel Food Cake, cubed

2 package raspberry Danish Dessert (I can never find this so I used raspberry jello and unflavored gelatin and then added a little cornstarch mixed with water)

3 cups water

2 package frozen raspberries

Bring water and Danish Dessert to a boil. Stir constantly. Remove from heat and add frozen raspberries. In trifle bowl, begin to layer. Start with raspberry layer, then add cream cheese mixture, then angel food cake, and repeat. Be sure to end with raspberry layer. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

Cafe Rio Style Salad

2011-09-13T12:45:00.000-07:00

Photo from favefamilyrecipes.com

We don't really need a picture do we? I finally found it and I am so, so, so excited! By far the best replica of Cafe Rio salad. I love it!

Cafe Rio Style Salad

Recipe from ventanarecipes.blogspot.com

Cafe Rio Pork

2 lbs pork roast
1 can Coke decaf
1/4 cup water
1 tsp garlic salt
1 can green chiles
1 cup red enchilada sauce (suggested La Palmas mild)
3/4 cup brown sugar

Put pork into a crock pot with 1/2 can Coke, water, and garlic salt. Cook on high for 1 hour and then on low for 3 hours. Shred pork in pot and add rest of Coke, green chiles, enchilada sauce, and brown sugar. Cook on low for 2 more hours. Serves 6

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

2 jalapenos diced
3 cloves garlic diced
2 tomatillos chopped
1 small handful cilantro
2 TBS lime juice
2 cups milk
2 cups mayonnaise
2 envelopes Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix

Blend all ingredients except mayo in blender until smooth. Add mayo and blend until just incorporated. Chill (overnight is best.)

Lime Cilantro Rice

1 cup uncooked rice
1 tsp butter
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp lime juice
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup water
1 TBS lime juice
2 tsp sugar
3 TBS cilantro chopped

In saucepan, combine rice, butter, garlic, 1 tsp lime juice, broth, and water. Bring to a boil and cook for 22 minutes on low. Combine rest of ingredients and stir into rice as you fluff it.

Toppings:

cheese, cheddar and monterey jack
romaine lettuce chopped into 1/4" strips
tomatoes, chopped
sour cream
avocados or guacamole
black beans
pinto beans
crunchy corn tortilla strips or chips

Layer the Cafe Rio Pork Salad as follows:

cooked tortilla, cheese, black/pinto beans, lime cilantro rice, lettuce, Cafe Rio Pork, then your choice of favorite toppings. drizzle with creamy tomatillo dressing. crush corn tortilla chips for final topping.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2011-09-12T15:43:00.000-07:00

picture courtesy of bloggingitswhatsfordinner.blogspot.com

I know there are probably several tortilla soup recipes on here already, but I saw this one (from bloggingitswhatsfordinner.blogspot.com) and it caught my eye because of the fresh cilantro and fresh limes. It was really really easy too unlike some other recipes I have tried. Kids weren't crazy about it with the chunks of tomatoes from the rotel and the cilantro and lime- it was just too much for them! But my husband and I really enjoyed it.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
2 cans of black beans, rinsed
4 cans of chicken broth
1 pkg of frozen corn
2 cans of mild rotel
1/2 small can of tomato paste
Shredded chicken (I just threw 3 breasts in a crock pot with a cup of water...super moist to shred)
Combine the above in a pot and heat until boiling. Add salt and garlic powder to taste (about 1tsp of ea).

Garnish with:
-1 bunch of cilantro chopped, for garnish
-shredded cheese, garnish (we had pepper jack for adults and cheddar for kids...PJ was AWESOME in this)
-two avocados chopped into bits, garnish
-two limes cut into wedges, for squeezing on top-Tortilla Chips for crunching on top

P.S.- this makes A TON. I would half it next time for sure. It makes about 10 adult servings.

Grilled Teriyaki Chicken

2011-09-12T12:00:00.000-07:00


Photo from melskitchencafe.com

I love grilling and I love the flavor of teriyaki. Thus, I love this recipe. I just used the canned pineapple and still loved it all!

Grilled Teriyaki Chicken

Recipe from melskitchencafe.com
*Note: if you don’t have fresh pineapple or choose not to use it, you can use a large can of pineapple chunks, draining and reserving the liquid for the marinade, and serving the pineapple chunks alongside the grilled chicken. I like to serve this teriyaki chicken with baked brown rice (cooked with chicken broth – and after baking, I stir in toasted almonds and sliced green onions).
*Serves 6
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6 ounces (3/4 cup) pineapple juice
1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon molasses
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup canola or olive oil
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Fresh pineapple, for grilling
Hot rice, for serving

In a small bowl, combine the pineapple juice, soy sauce, molasses, brown sugar, oil, vinegar and garlic powder. Whisk to combine. Add the chicken breasts to a large ziploc bag and pour the marinade over the chicken. Seal the bag and let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 hours.

Drain the liquid. Grill the chicken over medium-high heat for 6-7 minutes on each side, until the chicken is cooked through. When the chicken has about 4-5 minutes left to cook, add the rings of fresh pineapple and grill for 2 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate or cutting board, cover with foil and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice the chicken into strips. Serve over hot, cooked rice with grilled pineapple.

Crispy Oven-Baked Chicken

2011-09-09T10:04:00.000-07:00

Pic courtesy of Mel's Kitchen Cafe

I had looked over this recipe on Mel's Kitchen Cafe months ago and passed it up because it just looked ordinary. But, last night I was desperate for something new for dinner and came across this again. And, I'm so glad I didn't pass it up again, because we LOVED it. Christian could not stop raving. I loved it for it's simplicity (I had all the ingredients on hand!). But, it's texture of flavor from the butter to the garlic to the bread crumbs and Parmesan, made it a definite winner in my book. This is definitely going to be making many more appearances at our dinner table.

Crispy Oven-Baked Chicken

adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

*Note: If you don’t have a food processor to make fresh bread crumbs, you can try using a blender and pulsing the crumbs or try using panko bread crumbs (usually found in the Asian foods aisle). If you are using a food processor, you can also add the Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to the bread crumbs and pulse to combine to create an even finer crumb.

4 tablespoons butter
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
1-2 thick slices whole wheat bread (for about 1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs)
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half length-wise

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. Combine butter and garlic in an 8- or 10-inch skillet. Heat over medium heat until the butter has melted. Pour the butter/garlic mixture into a shallow pie plate or similar dish and cool to room temperature. Pound the 4 chicken pieces with a meat tenderizer until they are about 1/4-inch thick.

In the bowl of a food processor, tear the bread into large chunks, and pulse until the bread is ground into crumbs. Pour the bread crumbs into a shallow pie plate or shallow bowl and toss with the Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

Dip each chicken breast in the melted, cooled garlic butter. Transfer to the bread crumb mixture and turn until coated on all sides. Arrange the chicken in one flat layer on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle any of the remaining melted butter over the chicken. Bake the chicken until it is lightly browned and just cooked through, 40-50 minutes. The baking time will depend on the thickness and size of the chicken you are using. Don’t overcook or the chicken will be dry.

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

2011-09-08T14:19:00.000-07:00

Photo from melskitchencafe.com

This was easy and it was really good. I don't love dijon mustard so I substitued honey mustard. But I don't love honey mustard so I would probably make the sauce with sour cream or cheese next time or maybe just leave out the mustard. Jake loved the sauce. To each their own.

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu
Recipe from melskitchencafe.com
*Serves 6
For the Cordon Bleu:
3 large chicken boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half length-wise (to form two thinner chicken breast cutlets)
12 slices deli ham
1 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 to 1/2 pound thinly sliced swiss cheese
For the Parmesan-Dijon Cream Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules (or 1 bouillon cube, crushed)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs and melted butter. Set aside.
Lay the cut chicken breasts in a single layer in the 9X13-inch dish. Layer each chicken breast with two slices of ham and top with 2 slices of swiss cheese, shingling across the chicken breast to make sure the entire chicken breast is covered with ham and cheese. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top of the chicken.
Bake the chicken for 30-35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through completely, the cheese is bubbling and the bread crumbs are golden.
While the chicken bakes, in a medium saucepan, melt the 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in the flour, whisking constantly, while cooking the flour/butter mixture for 1-2 minutes. Slowly pour in the milk while whisking quickly. Stir in the chicken bouillon granules and salt. Whisk constantly over medium heat until the mixture begins to simmer and thicken, about 3-5 minutes. Once the sauce has bubbled and thickened, remove from heat and stir in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce and Parmesan cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted. Keep the sauce warm until the chicken is finished baking.
Serve each chicken cordon bleu portion with warm sauce.

Root Beer Pulled Pork

2011-09-06T14:45:00.000-07:00

Raving reviews from all the gentlemen in the house--and there were 4 of them (grown men that is). I liked it but I think I personally prefer pulled chicken in my sandwiches.

Root Beer Pulled Pork

Recipe from recipegirl.com

Ingredients:

1 (5 to 6 pound) bone-in pork shoulder/butt roast
1 envelope dried onion soup mix (or dehydrated onions)
salt and pepper
1 can root beer
2 cups barbecue sauce, divided
buns

Directions:

1. Trim roast of excess fat. It's okay to leave some on there-- just get rid of the large, visible slabs.
2. Place roast on a work surface and sprinkle with onion soup mix. Use clean hands to rub the mix into the meat, reaching underneath to reach all sides. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Place seasoned roast in your slow cooker.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together root beer and 1/2 cup barbecue sauce. Pour over the roast in the slow cooker.
4. Place lid on the slow cooker and cook on LOW heat for 10 to 11 hours, or until internal temperature is above 190 degrees F. and meat is tender enough to pull away from the bone.
5. Remove roast to a cutting board and let sit to cool for just a few minutes. Pour out all but about 3/4 cup of the juices from the slow cooker. Use two forks to shred the pork, cutting around and discarding any fatty pieces. Place all of your pulled pork back into your slow cooker. Add about 1 1/2 cups of barbecue sauce. Stir to combine and place the lid back on. Heat on HIGH for about 15 to 20 minutes, just until pork and juices are hot and bubbly. Use this time to heat up buns and get the rest of your meal ready.
6. Scoop pulled pork onto buns and serve immediately.

Tips:

*If you don't wish to make such a large roast, you can use the same ingredients for a smaller roast too. You can likely cut down a bit on the cooking time, and use less barbecue sauce when adding it in at the end.
*For the most tender pulled pork, I do not recommend trying to short-cut the recipe by cooking it on HIGH heat. Low and slow is best!

Chocolate Brownies

2011-09-01T13:23:00.000-07:00

These brownies work for a crowd (obviously, since served at Girl's Camp and at our massive family reunion). I doubled them and put them on a large cookie sheet. I used mint chips on top of the chocolate chips. Yummy! I also love how you make it in the microwave. Simple, that's how I roll.

Chocolate Brownies

Recipe from Andrea Bake, served at Girls Camp

3/4 cup cocoa

1 cups butter or margarine

2 cups of sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 cups flour

1 cup chocolate chips

Toffee and mint pieces

Melt butter in microwave, add cocoa and sugar; mix well. Incorporate eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour. Spread on foil lined baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 20-25 min. Immediately after the brownies are removed from the oven, sprinkle with chocolate chips. Allow to sit for 5 min. Spread melted bits evenly over brownies, and top with toffee or mint pieces. Allow to cool before cutting into bars.

Barbecue Sauce

2011-08-31T12:53:00.000-07:00

This is the BEST barbecue sauce- I used it for this salad recipe. But, I also used it for a sauce on barbecue potatoes- you know the ones we all love from Cafe Pig (minus the pork). And it was AMAZING. I know Jenn was just saying that she was looking for a great BBQ sauce recipe and this one is by far my favorite.

courtesy Mel's Kitchen Cafe

The Best Barbecue Sauce

Recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

2 cups ketchup
2 cups tomato sauce
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 1/4 cups red wine vinegar
1/2 cup unsulphured molasses
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
4 teaspoons hickory flavored liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

In a large saucepan, over medium heat, mix together all the wet ingredients and then add the seasonings. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer for at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce will thicken as it simmers (and then as it cools). I try to plan ahead and simmer for at least an hour. Use the sauce to brush onto meats the last ten minutes of grilling or for any other recipe where barbecue sauce is used.

Once cooled, the sauce can be frozen. Thaw in the refrigerator and use as needed.

The Best Lasagna Ever

2011-08-30T14:01:00.000-07:00

Photo from pioneerwoman.com

I would go so far as to use the word "succulent" on this lasagna. It is manly. It is meaty. It is good. And it is meaty, again!

The Best Lasagna Ever

Recipe from Pioneer Woman Blog

Ingredients

1-½ pound Ground Beef
1 pound Hot Breakfast Sausage
2 cloves Garlic, Minced
2 cans (14.5 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes
2 cans (6 Ounce) Tomato Paste
2 Tablespoons Dried Parsley
2 Tablespoons Dried Basil
1 teaspoon Salt
3 cups Lowfat Cottage Cheese
2 whole Beaten Eggs
½ cups Grated (not Shredded) Parmesan Cheese
2 Tablespoons Dried Parsley
1 teaspoon Salt
1 pound Sliced Mozzarella Cheese
1 package (10 Ounce) Lasagna Noodles
(add 1/2 Teaspoon Salt And 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil To Pasta Water)

Preparation Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet or saucepan, combine ground beef, sausage, and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat until browned. Drain half the fat; less if you’re feeling naughty. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons parsley, basil and salt. After adding the tomatoes, the sauce mixture should simmer for 45 minutes while you are working on the other steps.
In a medium bowl, mix cottage cheese, beaten eggs, grated Parmesan, 2 more tablespoons parsley, and 1 more teaspoon salt. Stir together well. Set aside. Cook lasagna until “al dente” (not overly cooked).
To assemble:
Arrange 4 cooked lasagna noodles in the bottom of a baking pan, overlapping if necessary. Spoon half the cottage cheese mixture over the noodles. Spread evenly. Cover cottage cheese with a layer of mozzarella cheese. Spoon a little less than half the meat/sauce mixture over the top.
Repeat, ending with meat/sauce mixture. Sprinkle top generously with extra Parmesan.
Either freeze, refrigerate for up to two days, or bake immediately: 350-degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until top is hot and bubbly.

Peachtree Cooking

Tex-Mex Frito Salad

Cauliflower Soup

Savory Chicken Marinade

Strawberry Cheese Danish

Strawberry Cheese Danish

Apple Pie Dip and Cinnamon-Sugar Tortilla Chips

Southwestern Chicken Barley Chili

Creamy Tomato and Sausage Pasta

Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake

Oh, these are so, so good! Let me say that again, these are so good. These beat out blueberry muffin boxes any day!

Buttermilk-Blueberry Breakfast Cake alexandracooks.com

Tortellini Spinach Bake in Creamy Lemon Sauce

Meatloaf

Banoffee Pie

I was really hesitant to trust making caramel in a crock pot but it totally worked and it was delicious! A very easy and impressive dessert. I just used cool ship instead of whipped cream because I am slightly lazy when it comes to whipping cream and I like the taste of cool whip better!

Banoffee Pie {Caramel Banana Cream Pie}From The Sisters Cafe

Easy Philly Cheesesteaks

These are amazing. Period. My new favorite go-to meal. I loved them, we all loved them!

Easy Philly Cheesesteaks

Oven Dogs

Palmyra Hot Chocolate

Breakfast Cookies

Chicken Salad

Pizza Crust/Calzone Crust

thai noodle salad

Christmas Ribbon Jello Salad

Sweet Fruit Muffin

Super yummy! I made these with a mixed frozen fruit from Costco...super good and nutritious feeling!

Sweet Fruit Muffins

Nantucket Cranberry and Blackberry Pie

no-boil macaroni and cheese

Cinnamon and White Chocolate Caramel Apple

Pumpkin Cream Trifle

Five Star Berry Cobbler

Pumpkin Spice Brake

Chili Potato Burritos

Granola

Artichoke Dip

Thanksgiving Dressing

IHOP Corn Cake Pancakes

Pork Roast with Apples and Onions

Snickerdoodle Muffins

These seemed a little high maintenance, but they were easier than I thought they would be and they were really delicious. The dough seemed to runny to roll in cinnamon but it actually worked well.

Snickerdoodle Muffins

From tasty kitchen blog

Preparation Instructions

Baked Pull-Apart Pumpkin French Toast

EASY Chicken Lettuce Wraps

24 Hour Italian Beef ( a.k.a.French dip)

Poppyseed Lemon Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

1. Beat butter and cream cheese together until fluffy. 2. Slowly add in vanilla. 3. Slowly stir in icing sugar on low speed one cup at a time. 4. Pipe onto cupcakes and serve immediately.

Cinnamon Bun Popcorn

Pumpkin Streusel Bars

Cheddar and Herb Biscuits

Tillamook Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Gooey Chocolate Chip Sandwich bars

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

Megan's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Three-Cheese Pasta Bake

A fancy variation on mac and cheese! This was obviously super cheesy and yummy...just look at it!

Three-Cheese Pasta Bake

Ingredients

Preparation

Brown Rice and Black Bean Casserole

Quick and Easy Orange Rolls

Texas Sheet Cake

Chili Blanco

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Brazilian Lemonade

Never Fail Pie Crust

Cheese and Veggie Twist

Tortellini with Tomato-Zucchini Sauce

Mexican Meatloaf

Broccoli Soup & Turkey Avocado Paninis

Tomato and Avocado Salad

Doritos Chicken

Peanut Chicken

Marcy's Barbeque Chicken Salad

Microwave Chicken Tortilla Casserole

Banoffee Pie {Caramel Banana Cream Pie}
From The Sisters Cafe

1. Beat butter and cream cheese together until fluffy.
2. Slowly add in vanilla.
3. Slowly stir in icing sugar on low speed one cup at a time.
4. Pipe onto cupcakes and serve immediately.