Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Photo from Pioneer Woman blog

Certainly not healthy.  Certainly good.  Very good.  Good enough that it doesn't matter that it wasn't healthy.  At all.

Recipe: Creamy Mashed Potatoes   

Recipe from Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 5 pounds Russet Or Yukon Gold Potatoes
• ¾ cups Butter
• 1 package (8 Oz.) Cream Cheese, Softened
• ½ cups (to 3/4 Cups) Half-and-Half
• ½ teaspoons (to 1 Teaspoon) Lawry's Seasoned Salt
• ½ teaspoons (to 1 Teaspoon) Black Pepper

Preparation Instructions

Peel and cut the potatoes into pieces that are generally the same size. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer and add the potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 to 35 minutes. When they’re cooked through, the fork should easily slide into the potatoes with no resistance, and the potatoes should almost, but not totally, fall apart.
Drain the potatoes in a large colander. When the potatoes have finished draining, place them back into the dry pot and put the pot on the stove. Mash the potatoes over low heat, allowing all the steam to escape, before adding in all the other ingredients.
Turn off the stove and add 1 ½ sticks of butter, an 8-ounce package of cream cheese and about ½ cup of half-and-half. Mash, mash, mash! Next, add about ½ teaspoon of Lawry’s Seasoning Salt and ½ a teaspoon of black pepper.
Stir well and place in a medium-sized baking dish. Throw a few pats of butter over the top of the potatoes and place them in a 350-degree oven and heat until butter is melted and potatoes are warmed through.
Note: When making this dish a day or two in advance, take it out of the fridge about 2 to 3 hours before serving time. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 20 to 30 minutes or until warmed through.

Firehouse BBQ Grilled Chicken

Photo from realmomkitchen

Definitely my new favorite marinade.  I don't do spicy, but this was not spicy at all according to my sensitive taste buds.  


Firehouse BBQ Grilled Chicken
Recipe from realmomkitchen



6 thawed boneless skinless chicken breasts
½ Cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce (I only used 1/4 cup and it was the perfect level of heat for my family)
¾ Cup of your favorite BBQ sauce (I used Cattlemen’s)
4 Tablespoons melted butter
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Place all ingredients in a large ziplock bag and marinate for at least an hour. Preheat stove top grill pan or outdoor grill over medium heat. Grill chicken for 5-6 minutes each side or until chicken is cooked through.

Banana Cinnamon Chip Muffins

Photo from Yourhomebasedmom.com

So--I couldn't find cinnamon chips anywhere, and I still haven't been able to since.  So I made these with chocolate chips.  I think they would be amazing if the elusive cinnamon chips wouldn't mind showing themselves eventually. 

Banana Cinnamon Chip Muffins
Recipe from yourhomebasedmom.com

2 1/4 C all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 C ripe mashed banana
1/2 C granulated sugar
1/2 C sour cream (not low fat)
1/4 C vegetable oil
3 large egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 C pecan or walnut pieces (I didn’t use)
3/4 C cinnamon chips

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, combine the mashed banana, sugar, sour cream, vegetable oil, egg yolks, and vanilla together.

Add all the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until the ingredients are mixed well.  Do not over stir.  Overstiring muffins makes them tough.  Fold in the nuts and chips.
Fill the well-greased tins about 2/3 to 3/4 full.  Makes 12 muffins. 

Bake for 8 minutes at 400 degrees.  Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 8 to 10 minutes or until done.  Let sit for five minutes and remove the muffins from the pan to a rack to cool.  (I didn’t see the part about reducing the temperature so I baked them for the full time at 350 degrees)

Smores Brownies

Photo From Allrecipes.com

 

 

Just look at these.  Do I need to say anything? No, probably not.

Smores Brownies

Recipe from Ashlynn's Place

Here's what you do:1. Make a brownie mix (I used Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie Mix)
2. When the brownies come out of the oven, immediately sprinkle marshmallows and pieces of graham crackers all over the whole thing
3. Set your oven on Broil - and put the brownies back in the oven for 5 minutes on the top rack (don't leave them in too long, the marshmallows and graham crackers will turn brown very quickly)
4. Take the brownies out of the oven and scatter the 1 inch
 pieces of chocolate all over the top.

And that's it!

Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup

This recipe is an original from the sister's cookbook. Julie made it for us in Denver over Thanksgiving a couple of years ago and everyone seriously LOVED it. The homemade noodles knock it out of the park and make it homey and delicious. I'm going to include two ways to prepare this soup- a fast way and a slower way- each yielding the same wonderful result. But, either way, its absolutely delicious!

image

Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup

Julie Boyle

Slower Method:

6 cups water

2 chicken breasts, thawed

3 chopped carrots

2 stalks celery

1 small onion, chopped

2 tsp. salt

3 tsp. chicken bouillon

pinch garlic salt

1 bay leaf

pinch pepper

Combine all ingredients in large pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer until chicken is cooked through (about 35 minutes). Transfer chicken to cutting board and cut into chunks. Return chicken to pot. Immediately add homemade noodles to soup and simmer 10 minutes.

For the quicker method: Instead of water and chicken bouillon, use 6 cups chicken broth. Also, instead of boiling chicken in broth, use already cooked, shredded chicken (I use 1/2 the rotisserie chicken from Costco) and simmer until heated through and vegetables reach desired tenderness (about 10 min.). Add homemade noodles and simmer 10 minutes.

Homemade Noodles: (An absolute MUST for this recipe!)

3/4 cup flour

2 eggs

In a bowl, beat eggs until frothy (1-2 min.). Slowly add flour. Blend well. Roll out very thin- as thin as possibly on a generously floured surface (A Demarle Roulpat works great here). Cut into 1/4 in. strips using a pizza cutter.

Monkey Bread

picture from vegetariansrecipes.org

This recipe is from my sister-in-law, who comes from a large family - they have their own family recipe books that are to envy. This recipe is easy and so yummy! It is great for breakfast or dessert. It is a great dish to bring to a breakfast or brunch party.

Monkey Bread
By: Melissa Wilkinson

18 Rhodes Rolls (or any brand frozen rolls)
Butterscotch pudding - cook n serve
6 T butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon

Put frozen rolls in a pan (bunt, round or square cake pan). My sister in law always uses a bunt pan but I found that my bunt pan was weird shape and too small so I used a 9 inch round cake pan. Sprinkle butterscotch dry pudding mix over rolls.
In saucepan melt butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Once they are all melted together pour over rolls. Cover. Let rolls rise until they are double in size. Or you can whip this recipe together before you go to bed and let them rise overnight.
Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes. Take out of oven and let them sit for 10 minutes then flip pan (invert) over.

Baked Beehive French Toast

Baked Beehive French Toast

1/2 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

2 Tbs. corn syrup

1 loaf cinnamon bread, cut into cubes (I get mine from Costco)

5 oz. cream cheese

6 eggs

2 cups heavy cream

2 tsp. cinnamon

In a small saucepan, heat butter, sugar, and corn syrup until melted. Pour into a 9x13 baking pan. Next, top with 1/2 of the cubed bread. Drop dabs of cream cheese on top of bread. Top with remaining bread. Beat eggs, then add cream and cinnamon; mix well. Pour egg mixture over bread and press down firmly to coat all of the bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake uncovered at 350 for 35 minutes, or until center is cooked through.

Chicken Parmesan Soup

Photo From Your Homebased Mom Blog

Oh my goodness!  Deliciousness in a bowl!  I made this for Soup Sunday and it was to die for and the leftovers were even better--don't you love that?  Please try this.  It was delicious!

Chicken Parmesan Soup    
From Your Homebased Mom Blog


4 Tbsp olive oil
2 chicken breasts, skinless, boneless, pounded thin and cut into bite size pieces
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 qt. chicken broth
salt and pepper
1 C fresh basil, chopped
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 large onion, thinly sliced
8 slices of crusty artisan bread
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 whole clove of garlic
1/2 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook in 2 Tbsp. olive oil.  Cook until just cooked through.  Remove from pan and set aside.

Add remaining olive oil and saute chopped garlic, onions and red pepper flakes.  Cook until onions are beginning to soften.  Add tomatoes and chicken broth and bring to  a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes.  Put the chicken back in and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add the chopped basil and stir.

While soup is cooking, drizzle the sliced bread with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place on a baking sheet under the broiler in the oven and toast until lightly golden.  Watch closely.  Remove from oven and rub each slice with the whole clove of garlic.  Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.  Place back under broiler for 1-2 minutes until cheese is melted.

Place one slice of toast in bottom of bowl and pour soup over the top.  Add a second toast on top.  Enjoy!