Adam's Spankin' good chili!

I named this chili myself. My friend Adam (more commonly known as Spanky) gave me this recipe for chili that he won the Rackspace chili contest with. It's delicious!!

I adjusted things a little to lower the heat level, so here's what Adam did followed by the little adjustments I made:

Adam's Spankin' good chili!

1/2 pound Peppered bacon-Dice it up along with a whole white/yellow onion (your choice, I did white), about 5-6 big cloves of garlic and three good sized Serrano peppers seeded. Cook bacon about half way and then add onion, garlic, peppers diced and a couple of bay leaves. Sauté till onion is clear in color. Add the beef. I did 3 lbs. I did 2 lbs of 80/20 and 1 lb of 70/30. I then added 9 T (that's right, table!) of Fiesta Quick Chili seasoning and about 1 T of crushed red pepper seeds. Cooked till all was brown and let simmer for about 30 minutes. I then added 1 can of tomato paste, 1 can rotel, 1 can diced tomato and 1 can of kidney beans rinsed. Then 2 cans of ranch style beans. You know the ones with the black label. MMMMMM! I then let that simmer for about an hour on low. Serve it with cheese and red onion diced! BAM! The next thing you know, 1st place. I didn't drain any grease. You can.

My adjustments:

I did the peppered bacon (it gives the chili a very smoky peppery flavor), white onion, 6 big cloves of garlic minced, 1 good sized serrano pepper seeded and diced (instead of 3), the 3 lbs of meat Adam suggested, 9 T of Fiesta brand chili seasoning, 1 small can of tomato paste, 2 cans mild rotel, 1 can diced tomato, 2 cans rinsed kidney beans, 2 cans ranch style beans. I cooked everything just as he outlined. YUM!

Pound Cake

I made this pound cake from allrecipes.com last night for dessert. It was really good. I did 2 loaf pans instead of 1 big pan. It still took about 90 mins to cook. I served it with vanilla pudding, whipped cream & mixed strawberries and peaches on top.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake



Ready In: 1 Hour 45 Minutes
Servings: 12

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups butter or margarine, softened
3 cups sugar
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese,
softened

6 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Directions:
1. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar and cream cheese. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour and baking powder; mix well. Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. tube pan. Bake at 325 degrees F for about 1 hour and 30 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing. Cake ages and freezes well.

Cheese Bread

My sister-in-law Laura has passed along many many awesome recipes and this is another awesome one she sent me this week. I made it for dinner tonight. SOOO good. & I love a good recipe that I don't have to let rise! I will be making this many more times. Laura said she freezes it in slices so she can just reheat a couple slices at a time. She found the recipe on My Kitchen Cafe, one of my favorite cooking blogs.

http://mykitchencafe.blogspot.com/2009/03/simple-and-delicious-cheese-bread.html

Simple and Delicious Cheese Bread
adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

**If the toothpick comes out with what looks like uncooked batter after testing the bread for doneness, try again in a different spot since the toothpick may have hit a pocket of cheese the first time. You definitely don't want to overbake the bread or it will be dry. According to the original recipe, the texture of the bread improves as it cools, so if you can, resist the urge to slice the bread while it is still very hot. I can attest that this leftover cheese bread makes excellent toast. Use a toaster oven or baking sheet in a 425-degree oven for 5 to 10 minutes (a conventional toaster can be messy because the pockets of cheese will melt and burn).**

3 ounces Parmesan cheese, shredded on large holes of box grater (about 1 cup)
3 cups (15 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
4-5 ounces sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 1/4 cups whole milk (2% milk may be substituted but don't use skim milk)
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 large egg lightly beaten
3/4 cup sour cream

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position in the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 5 by 9-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray, then sprinkle 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese evenly in bottom of pan.

In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper to combine. Using a rubber spatula, mix in cheddar cheese cubes, breaking up clumps, until cheese is coated with flour. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, melted butter, egg, and sour cream. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just combined (the batter will be heavy and thick). Do not overmix. Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan; spread to sides of pan and level surface with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan evenly over surface.

Bake until deep golden brown and toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack 5 minutes; invert loaf from pan and continue to cool until warm, about 45 minutes. Cut into slices and serve.

NOTE: I suggest putting a sheet pan under the loaf of bread. The cheese oozed out of mine while cooking & got on the bottom of my oven.

Chicken a la Sheena

I made this last week for my friend Trenda's baby shower & got some requests for the recipe, so here it is! I'm sorry I forgot to take a picture.

This has been a favorite recipe in my family for several years since my mom got it from a friend. It's a super easy, really tasty dish that serves a lot of people.

CHICKEN AND MUSHROOM ALA SHEENA JOYCE


(British Friend in Maryland and changed by Torie)

This is a recipe you change and develop as you go along.


In bottom of crock place:

2 ½ pound of raw chicken tenders

2 cans sliced or mushroom pieces (Or fresh sautéed)

In a bowl mix remaining ingredients and pour over chicken.

3 jars Classico Tomato Alfredo sauce

2 cups sour cream

1 cup milk

fresh garlic several cloves (I used about 5 cloves) and salt a pepper (3 packages of linguini)

Four snipped sun dried tomatoes (Kerstin used ½ a bag-too much if cooked all day

She cooked it seven hours, 4-5 hours is how the recipe reads, but they sauté the chicken first.

Peanut Butter Everywhere!

My sister-in-law Heather and I were asked to help with a primary activity next month where they're going to be making FHE packets. They asked us to come up with a little recipe book of FHE treats and to demonstrate how to make one of the treats. I saw the Peanut Butter Crunch Snack Balls on My Kitchen Cafe's blog awhile ago and had it tagged to try. I thought they would be a good option since we don't have any peanut allergies in our ward. Then I also remember my sister-in-law Holley telling me about some peanut butter balls she makes for her friends all the time when I was in Seattle last. Holley's a great great cook. I decided to try both of them yesterday. They were both really really really good. & they're both good food storage recipes. Holley's are definitely much less labor intensive.

Holley's Peanut Butter Balls (the chocolate covered ones)

1 c of Peanut Butter
1 c of powdered sugar
1 c rice krispies
1 T of butter
1 t vanilla
Mix all together (I add a little more powdered sugar if it seems too wet to roll into balls)
roll into balls...fairly small ones but you can do them whatever size
Melt Chocolate chips in a double boiler? not sure what that's called but I just put a metal bowl on top of a pot of simmering water.
I usually use about 2 cups of ch chips and then add 1 t of vegetable oil (I used chocolate almond bark coating) and dip the balls in to coat and then put on wax paper on a plate and put in the freezer or fridge. they are so yummy!

Peanut Butter Crunch Snack Balls
adapted from Michelle N.

Makes about 120 balls.

2 cups honey
6 cups peanut butter (creamy or crunchy) (I used half & half)
3 cups rice krispies
1½ cups grape nuts
3/4 cup applesauce
2 cups coconut
3 cups crushed cereal (I used crushed corn flakes)
1½ cups chocolate or butterscotch chips - or substitute dried fruit, like raisins (I did some chocolate and some craisins)
5-8 tablespoons powdered milk
4 cups crushed mini-wheat cereal

Mix all but last two ingredients and mix until well combined. Add powdered milk, like flour, to make a soft, cookie-like dough. Form into 1” ball and roll in crushed mini-wheats. A scoop works very well for this. Refrigerate or freeze.

Banana-Cream Cheesecake

I saw this recipe in the Kraft recipe magazine that comes free in the mail occasionally. I tried it a couple of Sunday's ago. It was really easy and tasty. I didn't have a white cake mix, so I used a lemon one. It just made it a little extra lemony.

Banana-Cream Cheesecake
- kraft.com
http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/banana-cream-cheesecake-111264.aspx


1 pkg. (2-layer size) white cake mix, divided
4 eggs, divided
3 Tbsp. oil
2/3 cup packed brown sugar, divided
2 bananas, sliced
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1-1/2 cups milk
1-1/2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

HEAT oven to 300ºF. Reserve 1 cup dry cake mix. Mix remaining cake mix with 1 egg, oil and 1/3 cup sugar with mixer. (Mixture will be crumbly.) Press onto bottom and 1 inch up sides of greased 13x9-inch baking pan; top with bananas.

BEAT cream cheese and remaining sugar with mixer. Add reserved cake mix, remaining eggs and lemon juice; beat 1 min. Blend in milk. (Batter will be very thin.) Pour into crust.

BAKE 45 to 50 to min. or until center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate 4 hours. Top with COOL WHIP. Refrigerate leftovers.

Caramel Bars & Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

I took these to my young women's class for 2 birthdays last week. I got the idea for the peanut butter cup cookies from a woman in my ward that made them a couple of weeks ago. For those you just use your favorite peanut butter cookie dough and put a heaping tablespoon of the dough in a mini cupcake pan. Then cook them according to cookie directions and when they come out of the oven and are still hot put a peanut butter cup in the middle. They're really good.

I found the caramel bars on allrecipes.com. They are seriously good good & easy.

Caramel Bars

- allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

* 32 individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
* 5 tablespoons heavy cream
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 cup rolled oats
* 3/4 cup brown sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 cup butter, melted
* 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
* 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt together the caramels and heavy cream, stirring occasionally until smooth.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Stir in the melted butter until well blended. Press Half of the mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan. Reserve the rest.
3. Bake the crust for 8 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove and sprinkle with chocolate chips and walnuts. Pour the caramel mixture over the top and then crumble the remaining crust mixture over everything.
4. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 12 minutes, or until the top is lightly toasted. Cut into squares while it is still warm.

Penne Rustica

I took dinner to a family last week and decided to try this recipe from yourhomebasedmom (see my side bar). It was very tasty. Not a healthy dish by any means, but good. I saved some of it in my fridge to reheat for my family later on in the week. I don't think this is a great make ahead dinner because it's cream based, so when you reheat it it makes it a little too oily. The flavor is great though. Just needs to be eaten right when it's made.

Penne Rustica
Ingredients:
12 oz. grilled chicken breast (marinate in olive oil and garlic salt overnight, then grill on barbecue for best flavor)
½ pack thick bacon
48 oz. (3 boxes) penne pasta
2 large red bell peppers- diced
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
½ tsp paprika

Gratinata Sauce:
2 tsp butter
2 tsp chopped garlic
1 cup marsala wine OR 1/3 cup apple juice + 2 tbsp red wine vinegar +enough chicken broth to equal 1 cup
1 tsp dijon or dry mustard
1 tsp salt1 tsp chopped rosemary
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
8 cups heavy cream

Directions:
Sauté garlic in butter in large pan. Add marsala wine, mustard, salt, rosemary, cayenne pepper, and heavy cream.Cook pasta according to directions. Cook bacon. Slice chicken into medium-bite size pieces.Combine sauce, cooked pasta, diced chicken, cooked bacon, bell peppers, parmesan cheese, and paprika and mix thoroughly. Spread in pans. Top with chopped rosemary and mozzarella cheese.

Bake @ 475 for 10 minutes. If frozen, thaw in refrigerator the day of. Cover with foil and bake @ 375 for 1 hour. Remove foil during the last 15 minutes.
Number Of Servings: Yields one 8×8 and two 9×13 casserole dishes.
Preparation Time: More than an hour

Honey Lime Enchiladas

My sister-in-law Laura sent me this recipe a long long time ago to try & then I kept seeing it on various blogs with everyone saying how amazing it is. I finally got around to trying this last Sunday. I loved them. You have to like sweet/heat combo to like them though. Matt is not so big on the sweet/heat combo, so he said he would like them better with a lot less honey. Next time I will cut the honey by at least half. They were really really good though. & super easy!

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas
from Brittany at The Sisters' Cafe

http://mykitchencafe.blogspot.com/2008/03/honey-lime-enchiladas.html

6 tablespoons honey
5 tablespoons lime juice (1 large lime)
1 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded (I used 3 small chicken breasts)
8-10 flour tortillas
1 pound monterey jack cheese, shredded
16 ounces green enchilada sauce
1 cup heavy cream (to lighten them up, I have substituted sour cream with good results)

Mix the first four ingredients and toss with shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least 1/2 hour (I tossed mine together in a ziploc bag in the morning and let it sit in the refrigerator all day). Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas. Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream and leftover marinade. Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until brown and crispy on top.

*Freezable Meal: Freeze prior to baking. To bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake enchiladas, covered (without thawing first) for 1 hour. Uncover and bake 30 minutes longer, until brown and crispy on top.

Pumpkin Chocolate Muffins

I LOVE Lion House's pumpkin bread recipe. It's SO SO good. I was at my friend Cristina's a few weeks ago and she was making pumpkin chocolate chip muffins from a recipe she just got from a friend. The muffins were really good & I wondered how close the recipe was to the Lion House bread recipe. Well...they're the EXACT same recipe except the muffins have choco chips in them. Bread or cupcakes, they're both SOOO good.

Lion House Pumpkin Bread
1 1/3 C Veg oil
5 eggs
1 can (16 oz) pumpkin
2 C flour
2 C sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
2 pkg (6 oz) instant vanilla pudding
1 C nuts (I don't add)

Grease pans. Mix well oil, eggs, pumpkin, beat well. Seperate bowl: sift flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking soda. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Stir in pudding and nuts. Pour into pans. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Makes two loaves.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Bake

I tried this for dinner last week. It was simple and really tasty. Not the most amazing casserole I've ever had, but good & I will make it again.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Bake
Submitted by Melanie @ allrecipes.com

2 Packages reduced sodium Stuffing mix
1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp pepper
3/4 lb sliced deli ham, cut into 1 inch stips
1 cup swiss cheese shredded
2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
2 cups cooked chicken ( I used shredded--but I think cubed would be better)

Prepare stuffing mixes according to directions on box. Meanwhile in a bowl, combine soup and milk. Put chicken in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with pepper. Layer with ham, swiss cheese and 1 cups of cheddar cheese, soup mixture ans stuffing. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese. At this point you can freeze. Thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes longer

Carmel Popcorn

My sister-in-law Laura gave me this recipe. IT'S SERIOUSLY GOOD STUFF! The whole family enjoyed it. Madeline calls it sticky popcorn. It's a gooey carmel corn which is the way I like it.

Best Ever Caramel Popcorn

1 Cup Butter
1 Cup Light Corn Syrup
2 1/2 Cups Brown Sugar
1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk

Bring to full boil. Boil 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour over popcorn. I use about 1 1/2-2 batches of air-popped popcorn (I used 2 bags of microwave popcorn)

Egg Casserole and Jalapeno Grits

I made this for breakfast one of the days my family was here for my brothers wedding. I made half the grits with no peppers for those that don't like hot and the other half with peppers. The egg dish is one of my favorite egg casseroles. The gravy mix adds tons of flavor.

Country Breakfast Casserole
Submitted by: Kristin
Prep Time: 15 MinutesCook Time: 50 Minutes
Ready In: 1 Hour 15 MinutesYields: 8 servings
INGREDIENTS:
1 (16 ounce) package
breakfast sausage
1 chopped green onion
2 cups shredded Cheddar
cheese
6 eggs, lightly beaten (I usually add 2-3 extra eggs)
1 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1 (2.64 ounce) package
country gravy mix
6 slices bread, cut into 1 inch
cubes (I used shredded frozen hashbrowns instead of bread)
2 tablespoons melted butter
(optional)
paprika to taste (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
1.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease an 11x8 (I use 9 x 13) inch baking dish.
2.
Brown sausage in a large skillet; drain fat.
3.
Combine sausage with green onion and spread evenly across the bottom of the baking dish. Top with shredded cheese. Whisk together eggs, water, milk, and gravy mix; add mixture to baking dish. Arrange bread squares evenly on top. If desired, drizzle melted butter over bread, and sprinkle with paprika.
4.
Bake 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Set aside 10 minutes before serving.

Jalapeno Cheese Grits

Recipe courtesy Stephanie March (Bobby Flay's wife)





Ingredients

* 2 cups quick-cooking grits
* 2 1/2 cups grated extra-sharp Cheddar
* 1 stick unsalted butter
* 1 tablespoon hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
* 3 large eggs, well beaten
* 2 jalapenos, finely diced
* 1/4 cup canned chopped green chiles
* Garlic salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook the grits according to the directions on the back of the package. Remove from the heat and add next 6 ingredients (Cheddar through chilies). Stir well and season with garlic salt, to taste. Pour into a buttered 9-inch baking dish and bake for 1 hour. Let cool slightly before slicing and serving.

Cinnamon Rolls

I don't think it gets much better than a homemade cinnamon roll. I use my cousin Stefani's roll recipe.

Stefani's White Bread
Pour:
1 1/2 c boiling water over
1 cube butter
After melted:
Add 1 c sugar
1/4 c yeast - yes you read it right! (I make sure the water has cooled down to a temp that won't kill the yeast before I add it.
1 t salt
5 oz can evaporated milk
4 c flour (start with 4 cups & adjust to a nice not too sticky not too dry bread dough)
Mix or knead together. Let double & punch down. Make into as many loaves, rolls or bread bowls as you want. Let rise again & bake at 350 until golden brown.

Once the dough has risen & you've punched it down, take 1/2 the dough and roll it out on a floured surface to 1/4 inch thick. Rub 1/2 stick melted butter all over the rolled out dough. Sprinkle 3/4 c packed brown sugar over the butter.

Cinnamon Roll Frosting:
1 stick butter melted
1 t cinnamon
1 bag powdered sugar
1/2 c warm milk +
Wisk the cinnamon and powdered sugar into the melted butter. Add milk & wisk. Add more milk if needed until you get to a nice medium thick consistency that will adhere well to the cinnamon roll. Spoon over the hot cinnamon rolls right out of the oven.

O'Henry Bars

I made these bars a few weeks ago. The recipe is from my Sister-in-law Laura's family cookbook. These are seriously good.

O'Henry Bars
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
8-10 cups rice krispies
6 oz. chocolate chips
6 oz. butterscotch chips

Melt butter. Add corn syrup and sugar. Bring just to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter. Add rice krispies and mix well. Press mixture into large baking sheet (11X17). Melt the chocolate and butterscotch chips in the microwave on high for 2 minutes. Stir. Continue microwaving for 30 second spurts until chips are melted. Spread chips on top of rice krispie mixture. Let chocolate set.

Brianna Bars

I took the liberty of naming these after my friend Brianna who introduced me to these delicious bars. She's made these for a few potlucks I've been to & everyone always wants the recipe. Yum!

Brianna Bars

1 package white cake mix
1/2 c plus 1/3 c peanut butter
1 egg
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 package chocolate chips
1 package reeses
walnuts

Mix cake mix, 1/2 c peanut butter & egg. Beat on low until crumbly.
Press into bottom of greased pan. Mix milk & 1/3 c peanut butter &
spread over crust. Top with chips & walnuts. Bake for 30-35 mins at
350.

Baked Coconut Shrimp

I made this a few days ago. It was yummy. I just took about 20 shrimp that were cleaned with the tail left on. I had a bowl of 1 beaten egg white and another bowl of 1 c shredded coconut, 2 T of corn starch and 1/4 t salt. I put all the shrimp in the egg white and mixed until coated. Then I put the shrimp one by one in the coconut mixture and put them all on a cookie sheet covered in foil with about 1 T olive oil covering the cookie sheet. Then I baked for about 8 minutes at 400 degrees. For the dipping sauce I mixed 1/4 c apricot simply fruit jam, 1/4 c mayo and a dash of curry powder. I served it with a mixed green salad and rice pilaf.

Young Women's Dinner

For mutual last night I taught the Beehives how to make a 3 course meal. We had bruchetta, aloha chicken with rice and peanut butter cup bars. It was delicious & a lot of fun.

Cheesecake Factory Bruschetta

1 1/2 cups chopped Roma tomatoes
3 tablespoons diced red onions
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash freshly ground black pepper
1/2 loaf French baguette or crusty Italian bread


Combine tomatoes, red onion, garlic and basil in a medium bowl. Add 1/2 tablespoon of oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and mix well. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for one hour.

When ready to serve, preheat broiler and slice the baguette in 1-inch slices on a 45 degree angle to make 5 to 7 slices of bread.

Combine remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil with the garlic salt. Brush entire surface of both sides of each slice with olive oil mixture. Broil slices for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side, until surface starts to brown. Arrange bread like wheel spokes on serving plate. Spoon the chilled tomato in neatly onto bread slices where they meet at the center of the plate.

Aloha Chicken
- Schoen Family

2 c Aloha Soy Sauce (any Hawaiian brand soy sauce will work.
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs (it really needs to be thighs)
1 c sugar
1 T garlic, minced
2 t ginger, minced

Put all ingredients in a saucepan and boil for 45 mins. I put mine in a crock pot on low for about 6-7 hours.

Reeses Peanut Butter Bars
- Lisa Hinson

two sticks softened butter
4 cups powdered sugar
1 cup powdered milk (I would sift this, mine had some little milk chunks in it)
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups (or so) crunchy peanut butter

Spread in a 9x13 (or so) pan. It's thick, like playdough.

Melt in a pot a 24oz bag of Milk chocolate chips (not semi-sweet)
Spread over peanut butter mixture and refrigerate.
They need to get cold to "set", but they taste better (and cut easier) if they're room temperature.

Halibut in Cartoccio

I love Anne Burrell on the food network. She made this a couple of weeks ago. I didn't have parchment paper, so I used tin foil. I had to increase the cooking time to about 20 minutes. It was really simple, light & delicious. I served it with rice & salad.


Halibut in Cartoccio
Ingredients

* 2 zucchini, green part only, julienned
* 1 small butternut squash, top part only, peeled and julienned
* 1 pint Brussels sprouts, leaves pulled apart
* 1 large leek, julienned
* Extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 tablespoon picked thyme leaves
* Kosher salt
* 4 (6-ounce) halibut fillets
* 4 slices lemon
* 2 cups dry white wine
* Special Equipment: Parchment paper

Directions

Fold 4 (9 by 13-inch) pieces of parchment paper in half and starting at the top of the fold, cut a large half circle from the paper. When the fold is opened it should be a full circle. It is okay if it is not a perfect circle-a heart shape is even better. Reserve.

In a bowl combine the zucchini, butternut squash, Brussels sprouts and leeks. Toss generously with olive oil and season with the thyme leaves and salt. Oil and salt the halibut as well.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.

Open the parchment paper circles (or hearts) and brush the paper with olive oil leaving a 1-inch border around the edge.

Divide the seasoned vegetables between the 4 papers, placing them in the center just above the crease. Lay the fish fillets on top of the vegetables and place a lemon slice on top of each fish fillet. Fold the paper over the fish. Working from 1 end of the parchment to the other fold the bottom of the paper over the top to crease and seal the packets. The closure needs to be very secure so the steam will not escape during the cooking process. Before the package is completely sealed, carefully add 1/2 cup wine in each then seal. Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 9 minutes.

Remove the fish from the oven, place on serving dishes and serve immediately. Have each diner slice open their own parchment package so they can get the full effect of the burst of aromatic steam that will be released from the package.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I love the chicken lettuce wraps at Pei Wei. I found this version at RecipeZaar and decided to try it last night. They were really really good. I preferred them with the sauce, but Matt liked them without the sauce. I didn't use water chestnuts. They're not my favorite thing. I added some shredded carrot.

P. F. Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps Recipe #15865
This recipe is from Todd Wilbur and Top Secret Recipes
by Lali

25 min | 10 min prep

SERVES 2 -3

* 3 tablespoons oil
* 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
* 1 cup water chestnut
* 2/3 cup mushroom
* 3 tablespoons chopped onions
* 1 teaspoon minced garlic
* 4-5 leaves iceberg lettuce (I used bib lettuce)

Special Sauce

* 1/4 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup water
* 2 tablespoons soy sauce
* 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
* 2 tablespoons ketchup
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
* 1 tablespoon hot mustard (didn't have so I used a little dijon)
* 2 teaspoons water
* 1-2 teaspoon garlic and red chile paste

Stir Fry Sauce

* 2 tablespoons soy sauce
* 2 tablespoons brown sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

1. Make the special sauce by dissolving the sugar in water in a small bowl.
2. Add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice and sesame oil.
3. Mix well and refrigerate this sauce until you're ready to serve.
4. Combine the hot water with the hot mustard and set this aside as well.
5. Eventually add your desired measurement of mustard and garlic chili sauce to the special sauce mixture to pour over the wraps.
6. Bring oil to high heat in a wok or large frying pan.
7. Saute chicken breasts for 4 to 5 minutes per side or done.
8. Remove chicken from the pan and cool.
9. Keep oil in the pan, keep hot.
10. As chicken cools mince water chestnuts and mushrooms to about the size of small peas.
11. Prepare the stir fry sauce by mixing the soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar together in a small bowl.
12. When chicken is cool, mince it as the mushrooms and water chestnuts are.
13. With the pan still on high heat, add another Tbsp of vegetable oil.
14. Add chicken, garlic, onions, water chestnuts and mushrooms to the pan.
15. Add the stir fry sauce to the pan and saute the mixture for a couple minutes then serve it in the lettuce"cups".
16. Top with"Special Sauce".

Chicken Divan

This is my Neneie's recipe (my mom's mom). She was a great great cook. This is a family favorite. It's creamy and delicious. It's perfect served over rice.

CHICKEN DIVINE

Neenie

2 bunches of broccoli 6 cooked chicken breasts, sliced

1/4 c butter shredded parmesan cheese

1/4 c flour 2 c. chicken broth

1/2 c heavy cream--I use skim milk 1/2 t salt

pepper to taste

Cook broccoli until just done-still crisp.

Heat butter in a sauce pan and add flour stirring constantly, it will become thick, add broth all at once and stir and cook until it bubbles

add the cream, or milk, salt and pepper. Cook a few minutes.

In a 9 by 13 pan lay the broccoli and pour 1/2 the sauce on it.

Now layer the chicken over broccoli. Now add 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese to sauce, heat through and pour over chicken. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 until heated through and broil until golden on top. 6-8 Servings.

Super easy peach cobbler

We had a friend over for dinner a couple of weeks ago and I wanted an easy peach cobbler recipe to make. This one was so so good. It was perfect. I calls for Peach pie filling, but I didn't have any, so I used 1 large can of peaches in heavy syrup and then I sliced 5 medium fresh peeled peaches into the can of peaches.

EASY PEACH COBBLER
from: cooks.com

2 cans peach pie filling
1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 c. melted butter
1/2 c. chopped pecans (I didn't add this)
2 tbsp. cinnamon/sugar

Spread pie filling evenly in bottom of 13x9 inch pan. Sprinkle with dry cake mix completely covering fruit. Pour melted butter over entire cobbler. Sprinkle top with chopped pecans and cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Spinach Manicotti

My friend Jill's Manicotti is one of our family favorites. I made it last Sunday for dinner. I made a pan of Jill's version and then made a pan of Spinach Manicotti using Jill's filling and the sauce of the spinach enchiladas I posted right before this post. They were super good.

CHEESE FILLED MANICOTTI

Jill Sampson

1 pkg. Manicotti (8 oz)

15 oz ricotta or cottage cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 egg

1 T dried parsley

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

1/8 t. nutmeg

2 cups Spaghetti Sauce

Prepare pasta by package directions and rinse with cold water.

In a large bowl:

Mix Ricotta and 1 1/2 c. mozzarella, 1/4 c parmesan cheese, egg, parsley, salt and pepper and nutmeg.

Spoon mixture into manicotti shells. Put a little of the spaghetti sauce in bottom of 9 by 13 inch pan, and then place each filled shell over sauce. Pour remaining sauce over shells, and remaining mozzarella cheese, and parmesan.

Bake 350 for 35 minutes uncovered. Makes 4 servings.

SAUCE:

I tablespoon butter 1/2 Small onion, minced

1/2 pound mushrooms, finely chopped 1/4 CUP white wine (apple juice)

1 tablespoon seasoned salt 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon

I tablespoon garlic powder

8 ounces fresh spinach, washed and drained

I cup heavy cream



To make sauce: Heat butter in a large skillet, add onion and mush, rooms and sauté until softened. Add wine and cook until liquid has been absorbed, about 2 'minutes more. Meanwhile, in a blender, add the water, seasoned salt, chicken base and garlic powder and blend. Add spinach, a little at a time, and blend until mixture is smooth. Add pursed spinach mixture to skillet and stir to combine. Add heavy cream and bring mixture to a boil; simmer briefly until desired consistency is attained.

Salsalito's Spinach Enchiladas

One of my favorite tex-mex restaurants here is Salsalito's. A few years ago they had their spinach enchilada recipe in the newspaper. It's really good. It's super super super rich though, so be prepared. I think instead of using the filling outlined in the recipe next time I will use a chicken & cheese mixture or maybe a ground beef mixture. The spinach in the middle and on the outside was a little too rich, but still so good.

PINACH ENCHILADAS-Sasalito’s

SPINACH AND MUSHROOM

FILLING:

I tablespoon butter 1/2 small onion, minced

1 clove fresh garlic, minced

1/2 pound mushrooms, chopped 1/4 cup white wine (or apple juice)

12 ounces fresh spinach, washed, drained and coarsely chopped Seasoned

salt, to taste

SAUCE:

I tablespoon butter 1/2 Small onion, minced

1/2 pound mushrooms, finely chopped 1/4 CUP white wine (apple juice)

3/4 c water

1 tablespoon seasoned salt 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon

I tablespoon garlic powder

8 ounces fresh spinach, washed and drained

I cup heavy cream

TO FINISH:

Oil, for softening tortillas 12 corn tortillas

11/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

To make filling: Heat butter in a large skillet over moderate heat. Add onions, garlic and mushrooms and sauté until soft and liquid has

evaporated, about 5 to 7 minutes, Add Wine and cook for 2 minute, more. Add spinach and seasoned salt and cook, stirring, until spinach is wilted and liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and set aside. To make sauce: Heat butter in a large skillet, add onion and mush, rooms and sauté until softened. Add wine and cook until liquid has been absorbed, about 2 'minutes more. Meanwhile, in a blender, add the water, seasoned salt, chicken base and garlic powder and blend. Add spinach, a little at a time, and blend until mixture is smooth. Add pursed spinach mixture to skillet and stir to combine. Add heavy cream and bring mixture to a boil; simmer briefly until desired consistency is attained, To assemble and cook enchiladas: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil in a small pan and dip tortillas briefly in hot oil to soften; drain Well between paper towels. Divide filling events among the tortillas, fill and roll Place enchiladas seam side down in a heat. proof baking dish that is just large enough to hold them comfortably. Pour sauce over enchiladas, top with shredded cheese and bake in preheated oven 15-20 min. Makes 12 enchiladas (4-6 servings)

Baked Ziti

I got this recipe from my sister-in-law Laura's family cookbook when we were in Seattle in June. Laura is a great cook & has passed on some really good recipes to me.

This recipe was so so easy and really really good. Matt loved it & for a meatless dish that's really saying something from him!

Baked Ziti
Renae Chambers

Directions: Cook 1 lb of tube pasta (only have the cooking time). Mix 15 oz ricotta, 1 c mozzarella and 1/4 c Parmesan cheese into the noodles & pour it into a 9 x 13 dish. Spread a bottle of pasta sauce over the noodles. Sprinkle with a little Parmesan and mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes at 350. Then remove foil and bake for 10 more minutes.

Macadamia Nut Crusted Halibut

We had this for dinner this week. It was super super easy but looks like it took a lot of time & effort. It's from Alton Brown. On a side note, this calls for just a little bit of coconut milk & just so you don't have to open a whole can of milk look for powdered coconut milk in the grocery store. HEB has it here. I always keep it on hand for when I need small amounts. It tastes the same as canned coconut milk.

Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2003

Prep Time:
10 min
Inactive Prep Time:
10 min
Cook Time:
15 min

Level:
Easy

Serves:
4 servings

Ingredients

* 5 ounces (about 1 1/4 cups) coarsely ground, roasted macadamia nuts
* 1/2 cup panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1/4 cup butter, melted
* Vegetable oil, for brushing foil
* 4 (6 to 8-ounce) mahi mahi fillets
* Kosher salt and pepper
* 2 tablespoons coconut milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a medium bowl, stir together the nuts, panko, flour, and butter. Set aside.

Place a piece of aluminum foil on a baking sheet and brush it liberally with vegetable oil. Place the mahi mahi on the foil and sprinkle each fillet with salt and pepper on both sides. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush each fillet with the coconut milk. Divide the nut mixture among the tops of the 4 fillets, patting the mixture to spread and adhere to the fillets. Return to the oven and bake for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.

Remove from the oven and allow to stand 10 minutes before serving.

Karokke

Karokke is the Japanese version of a potato croquette. When I was younger and we lived in Japan my friends and I use to go to a restaurant near our house and get Karokke and Chicken Katsu which is chicken breaded with panko crumbs and fried. I guess they have "chicken nuggets & fries" in many countries! ;) This recipe I found tastes just like the ones I ate in Japan. & if you're going to eat Karokke you HAVE to eat it will Bulldog sauce, as pictured.

Potato Korokke Recipe
http://japanesefood.about.com/od/potato/r/potatokorokke.htm

Ingredients:

* 4 medium potatoes
* 1/4 lb ground beef (I left the beef out)
* 1/2 onion, finely chopped
* 1 egg
* 1/2 tsp salt
* salt pepper to season
* vegetable oil for frying
* flour and panko (breadcrumb) for coating

Preparation:
Peel and cut potatoes into medium chunks. Boil potatoes until soften. Drain and mash potatoes while they are hot. Saute onion and beef in a medium skillet. Mix mashed potatoes and onion and beef in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and let it cool. Make flat and oval-shaped patties. Coat each piece with flour. Dip in beaten egg, and coat with panko at last. Fry in 350 F oil until brown.
*Makes 4 servings

Chicken Salad

I love Chicken Salad. Especially in the Summer & a nice cool sandwich hits the spot. I love how versatile it is. I made this chicken salad this week for lunch with some friends. I roasted 2 chicken breasts in the oven, shredded them & let them cool. Then I added about 1/2 c cranberries, 1/3 c walnuts, 1/4 c chopped green onions, salt & pepper, 2 t coarse ground mustard, 1/2 t curry powder and mayo until creamy.

Addiction

Some people call this Heavenly Hash, but my cousin Camille introduced our family to this recipe and she calls it addiction (the name speaks for it self). It's so so good!

ADDICTION

OR HEAVENLY HASH – Camille Batchelor

1 Box Golden Grahams

1 Box Rice Chex

1 Bag M & M's--I set the M & M's aside and add after everything is mixed, because they melt

1 Can Peanuts



Put the above ingredients in an extra large bowl that has been sprayed lightly with spray oil. ( You may need to separate into two large bowls.)

Place the following ingredients in a pan and bring to a boil and continue boiling for 3 minutes.

1 ½ cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup Karo

Drizzle over cereal mixture and toss to coat evenly. I now add the M & M's.

Pizookie

Pizookie is one of my favorite desserts. It's named after a pizza/cookie. You basically under cook a cookie and put ice cream on it while it's still warm. So yummy!

I made this last Sunday with my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe & a new ice cream recipe from allrecipes.com. I really liked the ice cream recipe. It uses sweetened condensed milk instead of sugar. It gave it a nice creamy texture & sweet milk flavor.

The Thin
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown
See this recipe on air Thursday Oct. 05 at 7:00 PM ET/PT.


Recipe Summary
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 2 1/2 dozen cookies
User Rating: 5 Stars


2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
2 ounces milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Hardware:
Ice cream scooper (#20 disher, to be exact)
Parchment paper
Baking sheets
Mixer

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda in a mixing bowl. Combine the egg, milk, and vanilla and bring to room temperature in another bowl.
Cream the butter in the mixer's work bowl, starting on low speed to soften the butter. Add the sugars. Increase the speed, and cream the mixture until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed and add the egg mixture slowly. Increase the speed and mix until well combined.
Slowly add the flour mixture, scraping the sides of the bowl until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for more even browning.
Remove the cookies from the pans immediately. Once cooled, store in an airtight container.


**I halved the recipe and didn't add any fruit**
Fruited Ice Cream




Submitted By: NELL 2

"First Prize ice cream -- use your favorite fruit in place of the strawberries."
Ingredients:
2 (14 ounce) cans sweetened condensed
milk
5 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream

2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups chopped strawberries
Directions:
1. Combine condensed milk, milk, cream, vanilla, salt and fruit in freezer canister of ice cream maker. Freeze according to manufacturer's directions.

Spinach Alfredo Pizza with fresh garden tomatoes

I made pizza last Friday night. One of the pizza's I made was spinach alfredo with slices of our first tomato from our garden! It was really really good. I made my normal pizza crust. Then for the alfredo topping I thawed a box of frozen spinach and drained it. Then I put the spinach in a saucepan and added 1 c cream, 1/2 c milk and 1 package of dry alfredo mix. I mixed until thick and creamy. I cooked the pizza dough on the pan for about 5 minutes to set the dough and then topped it with the spinach mixture. Then I topped that with grated mozzarella and a couple of tablespoons of parmesan, and slices of tomato & baked it. Yum!!

Pizza Dough
Tyler Florence



1 package active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups 0f flour, plus more for dusting

In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water; stir gently to dissolve. Let the mixture stand until the yeast comes alive and starts to foam, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Turn the mixer on low and add the salt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the flour, a little at a time, mixing at the lowest speed until all the flour has been incorporated. When the dough starts to come together, increase the speed to medium; stop the machine periodically to scrape the dough off the hook. Get a feel for the dough by squeezing a small amount together: if it's crumbly, add more water; if it's sticky, add more flour - 1 tablespoon at a time. Mix until the dough gathers into a ball, this should take about 5 minutes.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold it over itself a few times; kneading until it's smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a round and place in a lightly oiled bowl, turn it over to coat. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let it rise in a warm spot (i.e. over a gas pilot light) until doubled in size, about 1 hour. This is a good time to stick a pizza stone in the oven and preheat them to 500 degrees F.

Once the dough is domed and spongy, turn it out onto a lightly floured counter. Roll and stretch the dough into a cylinder and divide into 3 equal pieces. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes so it will be easier to roll out.

Roll or pat out a piece of dough into a 12 inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Dust a pizza paddle with flour and slide it under the pizza dough. Brush the crust with a thin layer of olive oil, and top with your favorite flavors. Slide the pizza onto the hot stone in the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the crust is golden and crisp. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Baked Beans

We had a cowboy party for Ty's birthday this year. I made cream corn that's already on here http://kerstinskitchen.blogspot.com/2008/08/rudys-like-cream-corn.html, pulled pork (cooked large pork roast with Rudy's Rub & cooked it at 300 for about 7 hours), potato salad & baked beans. I found the baked beans recipe on allrecipes.com. It turned out really really good. Matt isn't usually a fan of bean dishes, but he loved it. Instead of the beans in the recipe I used red kidney beans, white kidney beans, pinto beans and black beans.

Pat's Baked Beans



Submitted By: Kelly
Photo By: STEFYAU


6 slices bacon
1 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (16 ounce) can pinto beans
1 (16 ounce) can great Northern beans,
drained
1 (16 ounce) can baked beans
1 (16 ounce) can red kidney beans, drained

1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of drippings, crumble and set aside in a large bowl. Cook the onion and garlic in the reserved drippings until onion is tender; drain excess grease and transfer to the bowl with the bacon.
3. To the bacon and onions add pinto beans, northern beans, baked beans, kidney beans and garbanzo beans. Stir in ketchup, molasses, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and black pepper. Mix well and transfer to a 9x12 inch casserole dish.
4. Cover and bake in preheated oven for 1 hour.

Navajo Fry Bread

My mom made Navajo fry bread for my family growing up & it's always been one of my favorites. She always made homemade chili beans to put on top. It's so good that way. I had some left over marinaded chicken, so I topped my bread with that, lettuce, tomato, cheese & salsa. Yum!

http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/NavajoFryBread.htm

Navajo Fry Bread Recipe
by Cynthia Detterick-Pineda

Fry bread is wonderfully lumpy (puffed here and there). It can be served as a dessert or used as a main dish bread. Our family will often take them and stuff them, much like one might use bread or tortilla to dip into their food.

1 cup unbleached flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon powdered milk
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup water
Vegetable oil for frying

Sift together the flour, salt, powdered milk, and baking powder into a large bowl. Pour the water over the flour mixture all at once and stir the dough with a fork until it starts to form one big clump.

Flour your hands. Using your hands, begin to mix the dough, trying to get all the flour into the mixture to form a ball. NOTE: You want to mix this well, but you do NOT want to knead it. Kneading it will make for a heavy Fry Bread when cooked. The inside of the dough ball should still be sticky after it is formed, while the outside will be well floured.

Cut the dough into four (4) pieces. Using your floured hands, shape, stretch, pat, and form a disk of about 5 to 7 inches in diameter. NOTE: Don’t worry about it being round. As Grandma Felipa would say “it doesn’t roll into your mouth.”

Heat the vegetable oil to about 350 degrees F. NOTE: You can check by either dropping a small piece of dough in the hot oil and seeing if it begins to fry, or by dipping the end of a wooden spoon in and seeing if that bubbles. Your oil should be about 1-inch deep in a large cast-iron skillet or other large fryer.

Take the formed dough and gently place it into the oil, being careful not to splatter the hot oil. Press down on the dough as it fries so the top is submersed into the hot oil. Fry until brown, and then flip to fry the other side. Each side will take about 3 to 4 minutes.

Indian Fry Bread can be kept warm in a 200 degree F. oven for up to 1 hour. They refrigerate well and can be reheated in a 350 degree F. oven for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Salsa, salsa, salsa!!

This past Saturday I threw a baby shower for my friend Cristina. She loves puffy tacos, so I decided to make a puffy taco bar. I went to a local tortilla place and got fresh masa & pressed it into tortillas and then fried them (Jill & Hannah did the frying, they're pros!). I cooked a whole chicken, deboned it and then put it in a crock pot with 1 can of green enchilada sauce and 1 can of red enchilada sauce. I cooked ground beef with onions and a can of diced tomatoes and garlic and then seasoned it with cumin, chili powder and salt. I served my favorite Mahatma Spanish rice. I took a can of ranch style beans and doctored them up with sauteed bacon and onion, a can of sliced jalapenos and a can of diced tomatoes. Then I had a bunch of sauces. I think my favorite of all the salsas was Sara's Salsa from allrecipes.com.

Spicy Bean Salsa




Submitted By: Susan Navarrete


"Also known as 'cowboy caviar', this twist on traditional salsa is enlivened with black beans, corn and black-eyed peas."
Ingredients:
1 (15 ounce) can black-eyed peas
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and
drained
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 (4 ounce) can diced jalapeno peppers
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup Italian-style salad dressing
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, combine black-eyed peas, black beans, corn, onion, green bell pepper, jalapeno peppers and tomatoes. Season with Italian-style salad dressing and garlic salt; mix well. Cover, and refrigerate overnight to blend flavors.


Fresh Tomato Salsa



Submitted By: bluebayou

Ingredients:
3 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup finely diced onion
5 serrano chiles, finely chopped (only needs 1, 5 is way too hot!)
add garlic to your liking

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons lime juice
Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, stir together tomatoes, onion, chili peppers, cilantro, salt, and lime juice. Chill for one hour in the refrigerator before serving.

Sarah's Salsa



Submitted By: EXODUSMOM

Ingredients:
2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 1/2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with
green chile peppers
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, chopped

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
3 drops hot pepper sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
Directions:
1. In a blender, place diced tomatoes, diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, lemon juice, jalapeno pepper, cilantro, yellow onion, hot pepper sauce and garlic. Blend until smooth. Chill in the refrigerator until serving.

Creamy Cilantro Dressing
1 envelope buttermilk ranch dressing
1 c. mayo
1 c. milk
½ bunch cilantro
2 tomatillos
½ serrano peppers with seeds removed

Blend in blender, let sit to thicken.

Chicken & Dumplings

I made this last week for dinner. I thought it was really good, but Matt thought it was just ok.

Chicken Stew with Dumplings


recipe image
Rated: rating
Submitted By: Elizabeth Durance
Photo By: davebuoy
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 1 Hour 35 Minutes

Ready In: 1 Hour 45 Minutes
Servings: 8
"My mother usually didn't care for dumplings. But she raved about this stew...dumplings and all. It's a down-home delicious meal that I make often for my family."
Ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds chicken thighs or legs
5 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 pound new potatoes, quartered
3 carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 celery ribs, sliced

1 medium onion, cut into eighths
1 (10 ounce) package frozen peas
DUMPLINGS:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
Directions:
1. Place chicken and water in a 5-qt. Dutch oven. Cover and cook over medium heat for 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until chicken is tender. Skim fat. Remove chicken from broth; allow to cool. Debone chicken and cut into chunks; return to broth. Add next nine ingredients. Cover and cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Meanwhile, combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in milk and parsley. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls into simmering stew. Cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes or until the dumplings are tender.

Shakey's Mojo Potatoes

When I was younger my family lived in Japan for a few years. One of the things my sister and I really liked to do with our friends was to go to take the train to Machida where they had really cool shops where we would get ID bracelets made and we would have lunch at Shakey's Pizza. We learned to love the pizza with corn on it that the Japanese eat. We never got into the squid pizza though. One of my favorite things at Shakey's was their potatoes. I know a little weird for a pizza place, but so so good. I tried this recipe that I found online for Shakey's Mojo Potatoes. They're not really like Shakey's ones but they were a delicious potato side dish.

Shakey's Mojo Potatoes
http://greensboring.com/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=329
Ingredients:
3 Potatoes
1/2 crushed chicken bouillon cube
3/4 teaspoon of salt
pinch of pepper
1/8 teaspoon of cayenne
1/4 teaspoon of thyme
1/4 teaspoon of paprika
½ teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Breadcrumbs ** Optional (This adds the bread like texture, but not necessary)

Directions:
1. Press potatoes using potato press.
2. Place potatoes on plate and microwave on high for 3 minutes.
3. Salt and allow to sit for 5 minutes
4..In a bowl mix cayenne, paprika, pepper, thyme, garlic, bouillon & oil.
7.Add fries, and mix with tongs.
8.Place on baking sheet.
9.Very Lightly sprinkle with bread crumbs* (optional)
10.Bake in preheated oven at 425F for 8 minutes.
11.Turn over and sprinkle with bread crumbs* & bake for an additional 8 minutes.

Orange French Toast

I made this french toast with Challah bread that I got at Great Harvest. It was really really good. The orange zest is awesome. You have to be a little careful not to let all the orange pool at the bottom when you dip the bread or the last few will be really really orangy. The recipe is from allrecipes.com.

French Toast Stars
Ingredients:
8 thick slices white bread
2 eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons butter
Directions:
1. Place a slice of bread on a cutting board. Align a star-shaped cookie cutter in the center of the slice. Push the cookie cutter through the bread, rocking it gently back and forth. Once the cookie cutter makes it all the way through bread, remove bread outside the cutter. Hold the cutter down on the bread during this step to prevent the star from tearing. Use a sharp knife to trim any bread that lingers outside the cookie cutter. Gently remove the star from the cutter and put aside. Repeat on all slices of bread.
2. In a medium bowl, beat together eggs, whipping cream, honey, salt, cinnamon, orange zest and vanilla extract.
3. In a griddle or frying pan, melt the butter over medium high heat.
4. Dip both sides of the stars in the egg mixture and carefully transfer to the hot griddle. Brown on both sides and transfer to a warm plate while remaining stars cook. Serve hot.

Classic Pancakes

This is a good classic pancake recipe from allrecipes.com. I made them for breakfast yesterday. For the syrup I got the idea from a recent throwdown with Bobby Flay on the food network. I melted 1/4 c butter with about 2 cups of real maple syrup and cooked it until it was all melted together. It was really good.


Good Old Fashioned Pancakes
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar

1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

This is my new favorite favorite favorite salad (yes, 3 favorites!). I'm sure many of you have had versions of this salad. It's has such great flavor! The first time I made it I loved it so much that I served it to friends 3 times that week, just so I could make them try it and so I could eat some more! It came from a fun book my mom gave me called The Essential Mormon Cookbook, by Julie Badger Jensen.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

1/4 c sugar (I leave this out, I don't think it needs any extra sugar)
1 quart fresh strawberries, sliced
1 (10-oz) package washed baby spinach greens
1 c sliced almonds, toasted
Honey Celery Seed Dressing

Lightly sprinkle strawberries with sugar and toss with spinach greens just before serving (I didn't do this. I just sliced the strawberries and put them in the salad. I think the dressing is sweet enough already). Top with desired amount of toasted almonds and dressing and serve.

Honey Celery Seed Dressing

3/4 c sugar
1/2 c honey
1 t paprika
1 t mustard
1 t grated onion
1/2 c lemon juice
1 c vegetable oil
1/2 t celery seed

Mix all ingredients except oil and celery seed in a blender. Gradually add oil and celery seed and continue blending. Keeps for 3 weeks.

Baby Oatmeal

My very very thoughtful older brother got me a book called Organic Baby & Toddler Cookbook a couple of years ago for Mother's Day. (http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?r=1&ISBN=9780789471901&ourl=Organic-Baby-and-Toddler-Cookbook%2FLizzie-Vann) I know, so thoughtful...sorry gals, he's engaged (he lucked out too, she's amazing!)! Sadly this book sat in my kitchen unused until now. I've always just bought baby food at the store. I'm really careful about only buying things that don't have additives & chemicals, but I just thought making the food would be so time consuming and stressful. Boy was I wrong! A couple of weeks ago I thought, I should try to make some of Ty's baby food. So I pulled out this book and read through some of the recipes & I was immediately hooked! I've been making his food ever since. It's been so nice to know exactly what he's eating & it's definitely a money saver surprisingly. My favorite recipes are for breakfast oatmeal. I must admit, after I made the first batch of oatmeal I told Ty, there's a strong possibility I will cry if you don't like this. :) No worries though, he loved it. I usually double or triple the recipe and save the rest for another meal. I will share one of the recipes with you.

Fruit Compote - Baby's First Christmas Oatmeal

1/3 c water
1/2 T oats
1/2 small apple, peeled, cored & finely chopped
1 peeled fresh apricot or 4 dried apricots finely chopped (I love adding dried apricots, figs, prunes & other dried fruit to the cereal)
1/2 dried fig chopped
pinch cinnamon
2 t golden raisins

Place all ingredients in a small band and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and then cover and simmer for about 5 mins, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

Puree the fruit mixture by pushing through a sieve or by using a blender (I use a blender). Add a little more water or a little juice if a thinner consistency is preferred.

When I have my next baby (I'm not announcing anything) I would love to get this thing, it looks awesome!

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/e203/index.cfm?clg=86

Ginger glazed Mahi Mahi

I made this recipe from allrecipes.com for dinner this week and it was really good. I served it with mashed sweet potatoes, roasted asparagus and roasted fresh beets topped with feta. I haven't had beets for years and years. I remember when I was little and one of my aunts made me eat beets at her house and I hated them. She made me eat a lot of them and I was not very happy about it. I was probably 6 or 7 at them time & ever since then I've hated them. I'm sure I've eaten them a few times since then to be polite, but they taste kind of like dirt to me. But I know they're really good for you, so I decided to find a recipe that would make me like them. I was watching Paula Deen a few weeks ago & she made a roasted beet salad where she topped the salad with feta. I love feta, so I thought I would try it. I just roasted the beets and asparagus together at 400 with some olive oil until tender & then topped the beets with some herbed feta &...I liked them! Yeah!

Ginger Glazed Mahi Mahi


recipe image
Rated: rating
Submitted By: DECODIANA
Photo By: Allrecipes
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 12 Minutes

Ready In: 37 Minutes
Servings: 4
"This Ginger Glazed Mahi Mahi is bursting with flavor and combines both sweet and sour taste sensations. The 30 minute prep time includes 20 minutes to marinate. This recipe is a snap and so delicious. You'll love it!"
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
1 clove garlic, crushed or to taste

2 teaspoons olive oil
4 (6 ounce) mahi mahi fillets
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Directions:
1. In a shallow glass dish, stir together the honey, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, ginger, garlic and olive oil. Season fish fillets with salt and pepper, and place them into the dish. If the fillets have skin on them, place them skin side down. Cover, and refrigerate for 20 minutes to marinate.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove fish from the dish, and reserve marinade. Fry fish for 4 to 6 minutes on each side, turning only once, until fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove fillets to a serving platter and keep warm.
3. Pour reserved marinade into the skillet, and heat over medium heat until the mixture reduces to a glaze consistently. Spoon glaze over fish, and serve immediately.

Excellent meatballs!

My new favorite show on the food network is Secrets of a Restaurant Chef with Chef Anne Burrell. She's also an assistant to Mario Batali on Iron Chef. I can't say enough great things about her. She has such a fun personality on her show. She makes me feel like I can cook like a restaurant chef! I saw her make these meatballs a few weeks ago and they looked so good, I knew I had to try them. I make pretty good meatballs, but they're not the best ever & I like to make things over and over until I feel like I have the best recipe ever! These were really really really good. The most surprising ingredient to me was the water. She said it would make the meatballs more moist and it definitely did that. I didn't use her marinara sauce, but I will next time when I have the ingredients, it looked delicious.

Excellent Meatballs

Recipe courtesy Anne Burrell

Prep Time:
40 min
Inactive Prep Time:
hr min
Cook Time:
43 min

Level:
Easy

Serves:
18 to 20 meatballs

Ingredients

* Extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 large onion, 1/4-inch dice
* Salt
* 2 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
* Pinch crushed red pepper
* 1/2 pound ground beef
* 1/2 pound ground veal
* 1/2 pound ground pork
* 2 large eggs
* 1 cup grated Parmigiano
* 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
* 1 cup breadcrumbs
* 1/2 cup water
* Marinara Sauce, recipe follows

Directions

Coat a large saute pan with olive oil, add the onions and bring to a medium-high heat. Season the onions generously with salt and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes. The onions should be very soft and aromatic but have no color. Add the garlic and the crushed red pepper and saute for another 1 to 2 minutes. Turn off heat and allow to cool.

In a large bowl combine the meats, eggs, Parmigiano, parsley and bread crumbs. It works well to squish the mixture with your hands. Add the onion mixture and season generously with salt and squish some more. Add the water and do 1 final really good squish. The mixture should be quite wet. Test the seasoning of the mix by making a mini hamburger size patty and cooking it. The mixture should taste really good! If it doesn't it is probably missing salt. Add more. Add more anyway.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Shape the meat into desired size. Some people like 'em big some people like 'em small. I prefer meatballs slightly larger than a golf ball. Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and bring to a medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs on all sides. Place them on a cookie sheet and bake them in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked all the way through. If using right away, add them to your big pot of marinara sauce. If not using right away, they can be frozen for later use. Serve with pasta and sauce or just eat them straight out of the pot! YUM!
Marinara Sauce:

* 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 1/4 pound diced pancetta
* 2 large Spanish onions, cut into 1/4-inch dice
* Kosher salt
* 4 large garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
* 4 (28-ounce) cans Italian plum San Marzano tomatoes

Coat a large saucepot with olive oil and add the pancetta. Bring the pot to a medium-high heat and cook the pancetta for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onions, season generously with salt and stir to coat with olive oil. Cook the onions for 6 to 7 minutes stirring frequently. The onions should become very soft and aromatic but have no color. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes stirring frequently.

Pass the tomatoes through the food mill. Be sure to pass all of the pulp through the holes leaving only the stems and the seeds, and be sure to scrape the pulp off of the bottom of the food mill. That's all of the big money stuff! Add the tomatoes to the pot and rinse out 1 of the empty tomato cans with water and add that water to the pot (about 2 to 3 cups). Season generously with salt and TASTE IT!!!! Tomatoes take a lot of salt. Season in baby steps and taste every step of the way. Cook the sauce for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally and tasting frequently.

Use the sauce right away on pasta or for any other tomato sauce need. This sauce can also be cooled and stored in the refrigerator for a few days and freezes really well.

Yield: 2 quarts

Spaghetti Pie

This was a family favorite growing up. After I got married I made it one time when I had some left over spaghetti and Matt loved it! Spaghetti is not one of his favorite foods. He likes it ok, but doesn't love it, but he LOVES spaghetti pie. It's really easy to make and a nice way to use left overs. If I make this using left overs I don't make the red sauce in this recipe. I just use the meat sauce from the left overs.

Diana's Spaghetti Pie

6 oz spaghetti (cooked & drained)
1/3 c Parmesan cheese
1 lb hamburger (sometimes I dice up left over meatballs)
1 8 oz can tomatoes cut up
1 t sugar
1/2 t garlic cloves, crushed
2 T butter
2 well beaten eggs
1/2 c chopped onion
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 t oregano
1 c cottage cheese
1/2 c mozzarella cheese, shredded

Stir butter, parmesan cheese and eggs into cooked and drained noodles in a bowl. Form this mixture into a crust in a buttered 9 x 13 pan. In skillet cook beef, add onions and garlic and cook until cooked through. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, oregano and garlic salt. Heat through. Spread cottage cheese over the top of the spaghetti crust. Put meat mixture on top of cottage cheese. Bake at 350 uncovered for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with mozzarella and bake for 5 more minutes or until completely cooked through.

Candy Pops

Last year I made cupcake pops for Madeline's birthday (http://kerstinskitchen.blogspot.com/2008/07/maddies-birthday-cupcake-pops.html). They were really cute, but I didn't think they tasted like anything super special. So I decided to see if I could make them with a peanut butter truffle/buckeye thing I like to make & I think they turned out pretty cute. I just covered them with candy coating & put pre-made flowers on them that I found at Hobby Lobby today.

Peanut Butter Truffles/buckeyes modified

This is one of Matt's favorite things. I just took a recipe for buckeyes and modified it.

1/2 c butter, melted
1 1/2 c peanut butter
4 c powdered sugar

Combine all the ingredients. (I use my hands) Roll the mixture into 1/2 T balls. Refrigerate them for about an hour. Coat them with melted chocolate almond bark and let them set on parchment paper.

Thick Crust Pizza

We made this thick crust pizza last Friday & it was a big winner! It was crusty on the crust and soft and chewy in the middle. It's really good! I got the recipe from a blog called frugal girl. She has some beautiful pictures & great directions on her site if you want to check it out: http://www.thefrugalgirl.com/?p=1164

Deep Dish Pizza

Ingredients

1 medium baking potato (about 9 ounces), peeled and quartered
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 3/4 teaspoons table salt

tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and whatever toppings you desire

Heat 1 quart of water to boiling. Add the potato, and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until tender.

When potato is cool, grate on the large holes of a box grater. Measure 1 cup of lightly packed potato(save any extra for another purpose).

Combine 3 cups of flour, yeast, and salt in a mixer bowl.

Add warm water and two tablespoons oil(the rest is for oiling the pans), and beat for 1 minute. Add grated potato and beat for another 2-3 minutes. Add enough remaining flour to make a manageable dough.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 2-3 minutes, or until smooth and elastic, adding more flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. Place dough in a bowl, cover with a wet tea towel, and let rise in a warm place for one hour.

Pour two tablespoons of oil into each of two round 9 inch cake pans. Tilt the pans to ensure even oil coverage.

Punch dough down and divide in half. Press each half into a 9 inch round, and gently place into the oiled pans. Cook’s says to let the dough rest for 10 minutes and then pat the dough up the sides of the pan. I have never been able to do this successfully(the oil makes the dough slide right back down!), but the pizzas have been fine. I always try(see below), but the dough just ends up looking sort of messy.

Cover the dough with a wet tea towel, and let it rise for 30 minutes, or until soft and puffy. Meanwhile, place a pizza stone on the lower rack of the oven and heat the oven to 425 degrees. If you don’t have a pizza stone, you can instead place a rimless baking sheet on the lower rack of the oven.

When the crusts have risen, poke them all over with a fork, and place them in the oven on top of the pizza stone or baking sheet, and bake for 5-10 minutes(I usually do 10 minutes), or until lightly browned. This will help the dough to develop some structure so that the toppings won’t make it fall and go flat.

Take the pizzas out of the oven and add tomato sauce, cheese, and desired toppings. Bake on pizza stone or inverted baking sheet for another 10-15 minutes or until cheese melts. I sometimes move the pizza stone to the middle rack of the oven for this, because I have problems with my crust getting too brown if I leave it near the bottom of the oven(my oven tends to be hotter at the bottom than at the top).

Move the pizzas to the top rack of the oven and bake for 5 minutes, or until cheese turns spotty brown. Use a knife to loosen the pizzas from the pans, and turn out onto a cutting board. Cut into wedges and serve.

Garlic Chicken & BBQ fries

I made this chicken from allrecipes.com for dinner last night. I seriously can't tell you what amazing aromas were going all throughout my house as the chicken was cooking. It smelled like pure deliciousness! Matt was outside reading a book and he came in and said I can smell that from outside, it smells awesome! I forgot to take a picture of the BBQ fries. They were seriously gobbled up so fast. I've made these fries many times since my sister-in-law Laura gave it to me awhile ago. It's one of our favorite potato recipes.

The only change I made on the chicken recipe is that I cut the breasts in half thickness wise and then pounded out each half. Then I grated the cheddar and mixed it together with the cream cheese. Then I spread the cream cheese cheddar mixture all over the chicken & roll it up.

Garlic-Lemon Double Stuffed Chicken


oil, for greasing pan
8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, cut into
1/2 inch slices
1 (8 ounce) package Cheddar cheese, cut
into 1/2 inch slices
1 cup milk

1 1/2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese (I used parmesan)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon paprika (optional)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly coat a large, shallow baking dish with oil.
2. Butterfly each breast by slicing in half horizontally through the center, cutting almost but not completely through. Place one slice each of Cheddar and cream cheese in the center of each breast. Close again as if placing between the pages of a book. Set aside.
3. Pour milk into a shallow bowl. In a separate bowl, combine breadcrumbs and Romano cheese. Carefully dip each breast first in milk, then in breadcrumb mixture, patting lightly to firmly coat. Place breasts side by side in a single layer in pre-oiled baking dish, tucking edges under to seal.
4. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in lemon juice and garlic, and drizzle evenly over chicken. Season breasts with garlic salt and paprika, if using.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until no longer pink in center and juices run clear.

Barbecue Fries

4 tablespoons olive oil
6 tablespoons barbecue sauce (we use Rudy's BBQ sauce)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
6 to 8 potatoes cut lenthwise into wedges or strips


Heat oven to 450. Use cooking spray to coat a large, rimmed baking sheet. In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, the barbecue sauce, black pepper, paprika, cumin and garlic salt. Add the cut potatoes to the bowl and toss to coat. Spread the potatoes in a singe layer on the prepared sheet. Bake, turning once, until golden and tender, 25 to 30 minutes.

BYU Brownies

I was looking for something fun to make for St. Patrick's Day for Madeline's nursery leaders when I came across this recipe for these BYU mint brownies. They turned out really good. Matt said the brownies at BYU are thinner, maybe only an inch or so. These were thicker, but still good. Of course, I've never eaten one of these at BYU, so I can't really compare them. I will have to try them next time we're in Utah.


BYU Brownie

http://alumni.byu.edu/about/traditions/brownies.cfm
MAKES ONE 9-BY-13 PAN OF BROWNIES.
PREP AND COOK: 90 min. COOL: 1 hr.

1 c. margarine
1/2 c. cocoa
2 Tbsp. honey
4 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. chopped walnuts
12 oz. chocolate icing (Use your own icing recipe or purchase some chocolate frosting. You can also search the Internet for chocolate icing recipes.)
MINT ICING

5 Tbsp. margarine
dash of salt
3 Tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
2 1/3 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. mint extract
1-2 drops green food coloring

1. Melt margarine and mix in cocoa. Allow to cool. Add honey, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Add nuts. Pour batter into a greased 9-by-13 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool.

2. Prepare mint icing: Soften margarine. Add salt, corn syrup, and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Add mint extract and food coloring. Mix. Add milk gradually until the consistency is a little thinner than cake frosting.

3. Spread mint icing over brownies. Place brownies in the freezer for a short time to stiffen the icing. Remove from the freezer and carefully add a layer of chocolate icing.

(For the chocolate frosting on top I just did a ganache. I boiled 1 cup of heavy cream and poured the cream over 1 1/2 c choco chips and stirred until glossy, let it cool a little & then poured it over the top of the cooled mint frosting.)

Egg Enchiladas

A couple of months ago Matt and I went to one of our favorite local places called Grumpy's and had some Egg Enchiladas. They were SO SO good. I decided to re-create them for breakfast for our anniversary last week. I think they're a really good match for the one's at Grumpys. I will be making them many more times!

Egg Enchiladas

6 corn tortillas
8 eggs, scrambled
1 c cheddar cheese, grated
Kerstin's Ranchero Sauce (recipe below) (Ranchero Sauce is like a combination of salsa and enchilada sauce)

Preheat oven to 350. Put tortillas in a paper towel in the microwave for 30 seconds to soften. Roll some of the scrambled eggs into the tortillas and put side by side in a small casserole pan. Once they're all rolled, top with ranchero sauce and cheese and bake until bubbly (about 15 minutes). I served this with hashbrowns, bacon and fruit.

Ranchero Sauce

2 T olive oil
1/2 c diced yellow onion
1/2 c diced multi-colored bell peppers
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t cumin
1-2 t chili powder (depending on how spicy you like it)
1 can rotel
2 c vegetable broth
1 small can tomato paste

Saute the onion, peppers and garlic in olive oil. When the veggies are soft add the cumin and chili powder to taste. Add can of rotel and let the mixture simmer for a couple of minutes. Add vegetable broth and let it all simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and let the mixture simmer until thick and creamy. Taste and add garlic powder, salt, cumin, or chili powder to your liking.

Good-bye Party

One of Matt's friends and co-workers is moving to Rackspace's London office, so we had a little good-bye dinner for them at our house. We're sad to see them go. Their beautiful daughter is close to Ty's age, they had a fun time playing together at the party. We had some yummy food. I made beef tenderloin, salmon, duchess potatoes, salad, nutela cheesecake (already on the blog) and a double chocolate trifle.

Beef Tenderloin With Roasted Shallots



Submitted By: Christine L.


Ready In: 1 Hour 45 Minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients:
3/4 pound shallots, halved lengthwise and
peeled
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
3 cups beef broth
3/4 cup port wine
1 1/2 teaspoons tomato paste

2 pounds beef tenderloin roast, trimmed
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 slices bacon, diced
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
4 sprigs watercress, for garnish
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In 9 inch pie pan, toss shallots with oil to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Roast until shallots are deep brown and very tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.
2. In a large saucepan, combine beef broth and port. Bring to a boil. Cook over high heat until the volume is reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Whisk in tomato paste. Set aside.
3. Pat beef dry; sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper. In a large roasting pan, set over medium heat on the stove top, saute bacon until golden. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels. Add beef to pan; brown on all sides over medium high heat, about 7 minutes.
4. Transfer pan to oven. Roast beef until meat thermometer inserted into center registers 125 degrees F (50 degrees C) for medium rare, about 25 minutes. Transfer beef to platter. Tent loosely with foil.
5. Spoon fat off top of pan drippings in roasting pan. Place pan over high heat on stove top. Add broth mixture, and bring to boil; stir to scrape up any browned bits. Transfer to a medium saucepan, and bring to simmer. Mix 1 1/2 tablespoon butter and flour in small bowl to form smooth paste; whisk into broth mixture, and simmer until sauce thickens. Whisk in remaining butter. Stir in roasted shallots and reserved bacon. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Cut beef into 1/2 inch thick slices. Spoon some sauce over, and garnish with watercress.

(Note: I pureed all the gravy ingredients in the blender and then used a mesh colander to get all the big chunks out and it was perfect.)

Alaska Salmon Bake with Pecan Crunch Coating
Submitted By: Christine L.
*****


INGREDIENTS:

* 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
* 3 tablespoons butter, melted
* 5 teaspoons honey
* 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
* 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
* 3 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
* 6 (4 ounce) fillets salmon
* salt and pepper to taste
* 6 lemon wedges

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). In a small bowl, mix together the mustard, butter, and honey. In another bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, pecans, and parsley.
2. Season each salmon fillet with salt and pepper. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush with mustard-honey mixture. Cover the top of each fillet with bread crumb mixture.
3. Bake for 10 minutes per inch of thickness, measured at thickest part, or until salmon just flakes when tested with a fork. Serve garnished with lemon wedges.

Jamie's Cranberry Spinach Salad


(This is the highest rated green salad recipe on allrecipes.com)
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup almonds, blanched and slivered
1 pound spinach, rinsed and torn into bite
-size pieces
1 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons minced onion
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Directions:
1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook and stir almonds in butter until lightly toasted. Remove from heat, and let cool.
2. In a large bowl, combine the spinach with the toasted almonds and cranberries.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, onion, paprika, white wine vinegar, cider vinegar, and vegetable oil. Toss with spinach just before serving.



DOUBLE CHOCOLATE TRIFLE PIE – Diane Larsen

3-1/4 cups heavy cream, divided

4 oz. bittersweet chocolate baking bar, chopped

4 oz. white chocolate baking bar, chopped

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Assorted cookies and/or lady fingers

Fresh raspberries

Jam glaze

Microwave ½ cup cream at high 30 seconds until hot, but do not boil. Pour hot cream over bittersweet chocolate pieces in a large bowl. Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Repeat procedure but use ¼ cup cream and white chocolate (in a separate bowl). Stir ½ tsp. vanilla into each chocolate mixture. Cool 20 minutes.

Let 2-1/2 cups cream stand at room temperature for 20 minutes. Beat 1-1/2 cups cream until medium peaks form. Gently fold ¼ of whipped cream into the bittersweet chocolate. Repeat procedure with remaining whipped cream.

Beat remaining 1 cup cream and fold into white chocolate, using same procedure as above.

Crush 6-7 cookies to equal ½ cup crumbs. Sprinkle on bottom of lightly greased 9-inch springform pan. Spread half of the bittersweet chocolate over crushed cookies. Arrange other cookies around sides of the pan. Spread white chocolate mixture over bittersweet layer. Spread remaining bittersweet chocolate on top layer. Cover and chill 8-24 hours. Remove sides from pan, mound with raspberries and drizzle with glaze.

Glaze: Heat 3 Tbsp. fruit jam in microwave about 20-25 seconds. Stir til smooth, drizzle over trifle pie.
(Note: Instead of doing fresh berries and jam, I cooked a bag of frozen raspberries with about 1/2 c sugar and simmered it until it was a nice thick consistency. Then you have to cool it completely and then spread it on the top of the trifle.)

Mini-heart attacks

This is my Aunt Kim's recipe. She calls these mini-heart attacks. I've made them tons of times for brunch and showers. They're super super easy and always a hit. I just made them yesterday for a primary inservice meeting.

Cream cheese stuffed biscuits



16 oz cream cheese

1 c cheddar cheese, shredded

½ c green onions diced

½ c ham diced

4 tubes jumbo flaky biscuits



Mix the first 4 ingredients until well mixed. Spray a muffin tin with Pam. Put half of a flaky biscuit in the bottom of each muffin tin. Put a 1-2 T dollop of cream cheese mixture on the biscuit half. Poke a hole through the other half of the biscuit. Put the top half on top of the cream cheese dollop. Make sure you seal the sides of the biscuit so the cream cheese mixture doesn't come out. Bake according to the directions on the biscuit tube.

Aloha Chicken and Cabbage Salad

My friend the Schoen's gave me the Aloha Chicken recipe a long time ago. It's SO SO good. This time I cooked bone in thighs. The cabbage salad is one my mom's been making for a long time. This time I put half cabbage and half spring mix. It turned out great.

Aloha Chicken

2 c Aloha Soy Sauce (any Hawaiian brand soy sauce will work.
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs (it really needs to be thighs)
1 c sugar
1 T garlic, minced
2 t ginger, minced

Put all ingredients in a saucepan and boil for 45 mins. I put mine in a crock pot on low for about 6-7 hours.

Ramen – Cabbage Salad



1 head cabbage shredded (I like to use a mixture of green cabbage & red just for color)

4 T almonds slivered 4 green onions sliced

1 T sesame seeds 2 pkgs ramen noodles (I use either beef or oriental)

½ c oil 4 T sugar

1 t pepper 1/3 c rice vinegar

2 t salt



Shred cabbage (or better yet buy pre-shredded) and toss with onions. Roast seeds and nuts in the oven for a few minutes. Crumble the ramen noodles and set them aside. Combine the oil, sugar, pepper, salt, vinegar and ramen seasoning packet. Put all the ingredients together and add dressing just before serving. Toss.

Fast Sunday Dinner

I was watching the Food Network a couple of days ago and Giada (Everyday Italian) was making what her family likes to eat when they watch awards shows. It looked like such a fun and delicious dinner, so I decided to make it today for Sunday dinner. It was so good & really fun to eat. You cook the meat for a long time and then slice it and serve it will 2 sauces. I think it would be a great dish for a party. Instead of making the salsa verde sauce she made I made a chimichuri sauce. It was good, but super garlicy. Matt and I both thought that the meat was best with the gorgonzola sauce and the chimichuri was good with french bread dipped in it! I also made the macaroni and cheese that I already posted on here, but instead of making it the normal way I sauteed some baby bella mushrooms and spinach and added them in. It was really good. Then for dessert I made a blueberry and peach cobbler. I was using evaporated milk a few days ago and noticed a super easy cobbler recipe on the back of the can of milk so I decided to try it. It was not the best cobbler I've ever had, I think I will add some sugar to the mixture next time. But it was super super easy.

Bollito Misto

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Prep Time:
40 min
Inactive Prep Time:
hr min
Cook Time:
2 hr 40 min

Level:
Intermediate

Serves:
8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

* 4 pounds beef brisket or top round
* Salt and freshly ground pepper
* 4 cups beef stock or broth
* About 4 cups water, enough to cover the beef
* 2 onions, peeled and quartered
* 4 celery stalks, cut in 1/2
* 1 bay leaf
* 4 carrots, peeled and cut into thirds
* 1 pound small boiling potatoes
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* Gorgonzola Sauce, recipe follows
* Salsa Verde, recipe follows

Directions

Heat a large braising pot over medium-high heat. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Sear the beef, browning it on both sides, about 5 minutes a side. Carefully add the stock and enough water to just cover the meat. Add the onion, celery, and bay leaf. Bring the liquid to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 1 hour. Add the carrots and potatoes and cook until the meat is tender, about another hour. Carefully lift out the meat, place on a cutting board, and cover with foil. Strain the vegetables from the stock. Discard the celery, onion, and bay leaf. Arrange the carrots and potatoes on a platter and cover with foil to keep warm. Continue cooking the stock uncovered over medium heat until reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, slice the meat against the grain, on an angle. Arrange the meat alongside the carrots and potatoes on the platter. When the stock has reduced, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and transfer to a gravy dish. Serve the Bollito Misto with the gravy and bowls of the Gorgonzola Sauce and the Salsa Verde.
Gorgonzola Sauce:

4 ounces Gorgonzola

2 cups mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Put all the ingredients in a food processor and combine until smooth. Serve in a side dish.

Yield: 1 1/4 cups

Spicy Salsa Verde:

1 cup chopped parsley leaves, about 1 bunch

2 shallots, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped capers

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons hot sauce, or 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

1 1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil

In a bowl, stir all the ingredients together until combined. Serve in a side dish.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups

Chimichurri Sauce


recipe image
Rated: rating
Submitted By: COOKINCOWGIRLS
Photo By: SPEARL20
Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Ready In: 10 Minutes
Servings: 12
"This famous Argentinean sauce is perfect for any grilled foods. My catering customers love this sauce on garlic crostini with grilled flank steak slices."
Ingredients:
1 cup fresh parsley
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons dried oregano

2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 tablespoon pepper sauce, such as
Franks® Red Hot® or Tabasco™
Directions:
1. Place the parsley, olive oil, red wine vinegar, oregano, cumin, salt, garlic and hot pepper sauce into the container of a blender or food processor. Blend for about 10 seconds on medium speed, or until ingredients are evenly blended.

Hill Country Fair - Mom's Easy Fruit Cobbler
1 c pancake mix
1 12 oz can evaporated milk
3 c drained canned fruit (peaches, pineapples or apples)
1/2 c chopped pecans (optional, I didn't use)
1/4 c sugar

1. Heat oven to 350. Spray a 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray.
2. In a bowl combine pancake mix and evaporated milk. Stir well. Pour mixture into baking dish.
3. Arrange drained fruit evenly over milk mixture. Sprinkle fruit with pecans and sugar.
4. Bake for 30 mins.

Rosemary Bread like Macaroni Grill

This bread is delicious!! Seriously good. It tastes just like the bread they serve at macaroni grill. I couldn't get it quick as crunchy on the outside as the bread they serve, but the taste was awesome. I got the recipe from recipezaar.com. Some the the reviewers suggested putting an egg wash on the bread. I did that and it helped to get a nice brown crust.

Romano's Macaroni Grill Rosemary Bread Recipe #64446
This is an attempt to immitate the excellent bread that is served in the Macaroni Grill Restaurant.
by Hunter

2½ hours | 2¼ hours prep

2 loaves

* 1 tablespoon yeast
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 1 cup warm water
* 2 1/2 cups flour
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 tablespoons rosemary
* 2 tablespoons butter

1. Place yeast, sugar and water in large bowl or food processor and allow mixture to become bubbly.
2. Mix in 1 T butter, salt, and 2 cups of flour.
3. Add one tablespoon of the fresh chopped rosemary.
4. Knead for about 10 minutes by hand or in food processor about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic.
5. Add more flour if necessary.
6. Oil a bowl, put dough in it and cover with a towel.
7. Let dough rise in a warm place for one hour until doubled.
8. Punch down dough and divide in half.
9. Let dough rest about 5 minutes.
10. Spray baking pan or cookie sheet with cooking spray.
11. Shape the dough into 2 small rounded oval loaves.
12. Sprinkle remaining 1 Tablespoon of rosemary over the loaves and press lightly into the surface.
13. Let loaves rise again until doubled, about 45 minutes.
14. Preheat oven to 375°F.
15. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned.
16. Carefully remove from oven, brush with remaining butter (and salt if desired.).

Happy Valentine's Day!

Wedge Salad with Elegant Blue Cheese Dressing
(from allrecipes.com)
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 pound crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons white sugar 1 clove garlic, minced
ground black pepper to taste

1 head iceberg lettuce, cut into 8 wedges
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 pound crumbled blue cheese
DIRECTIONS:
1. Combine 1/2 pound blue cheese, sour cream, buttermilk, mayonnaise, vinegar, olive oil, sugar, garlic, and pepper in a bowl; blend using a hand mixer; chill until serving.
2. Build the salad by placing 1 lettuce wedge on each of 8 plates. Drizzle equal amounts of dressing over each wedge. Scatter tomatoes, onion, and 1/2 pound blue cheese over each salad.

Flan
(from Better Homes and Garden cookbook. I love this book! Thank you Kati!)

1/3 c sugar
3 beaten eggs
1 1/2 c milk
1/3 c sugar
1 t vanilla
dash ground cinnamon

1. To caramelize sugar, in an 8 inch heavy skillet cookie 1/3 c sugar over medium-high heat until sugar begins to melt, shaking skillet occasionally to heat sugar evenly. Do not stir. Once sugar begins to melt, reduce heat to low (I reduced to low and the sugar immediately hardened, so I would say put it down to medium heat). Cook about 5 mins more or until all of the sugar is melted and golden, stirring as needed with a wooden spoon. Immediately divide caramelized sugar among four 6 oz cups. Coat bottoms evenly. Let stand for 10 mins.

2. Meanwhile, combine eggs, milk, the 1/3 c sugar, and vanilla. Beat until well combined but not foamy. Place custard cups in a 2-quart square baking dish. Divide egg mixture into the 6 cups. If desired sprinkle with cinnamon. Place baking dish on oven rack. Pour boiling water into the baking dish into the baking dish around custard cups to a depth of 1 inch. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 30-45 mins or until a knife inserted near the center of each flan comes out clean.

3. Remove cups from wather. Take cups out to cool. You can chill until serving time. To unmold, loosen edges of flans with knife, slipping point between flans and side of custard cups. Invert a dessert place over each flan and turn plate and custard cup over together. Remove cups from flan.

Nutella Cheesecake

Yes, you did read that right, Nutella Cheesecake! Could it get any better?! I made it for cooking club tomorrow. I haven't tried it yet, but I can't wait to! I always email myself recipes I want to try that I find in random places. I can't remember where I found this recipe...

Creamy Nutella Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache and Toasted Hazelnuts

Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup melted butter

Filling:

• 24 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 whole egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 (13 ounce) jar Nutella

Topping:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups toasted hazelnuts

Directions for Crust: Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small mixing bowl, combine crust ingredients. Pat into the bottom of springform pan and bake for 10 minutes.

Directions for Filling: In the bowl of a mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla extract until just combined. Add egg yolks and egg, beat on low until just combined. Add milk and Nutella and mix completely. Pour filling into springform pan. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees F. Place springform pan on a cookie sheet and then place in oven. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, or until center appears set when shaken lightly. Remove and cool on a wire rack.

Directions for Topping: Bring cream to a boil. Pour over chocolate chips. Stir until smooth. Spread evenly over top of cheesecake. Sprinkle toasted hazelnuts over chocolate. Refrigerate cheesecake for at least 4 hours to set.

Chinese New Year Part 2

My friend Tracy brought this super delicious Thai Noodle Salad dish to the party. It was so so good.

Tracy's Thai Noodle Salad

1 lb thin spaghetti

1/4 C sesame oil

1/4 C Corn oil (I use canola corn oil)

1/4 C honey

1/4 C soy sauce (i use the low sodium kind)

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 C chopped cilantro

1/2 C chopped green onions or 1/4 C white onion

1/2 to 1 tsp red pepper flakes (we like it spicy)

1/2 C chopped lightly salted peanuts

Cook spaghetti according to package directions, add salt to water. Drain. Heat oils in small saute pan until just warm (carefull....sesame oil will burn). Pour oil over cooked spaghetti. Add honey and soy sauce. Toss w/cilantro & onion. Add red pepper flakes to taste. Sprinkle on nuts before serving.

This recipe is best made the night before.

Valentine's Day Idea

I got the idea for this from my friend Diana on facebook. I thought it was genius. I ended up using heart shaped sugar cookies (recipe on a previous post, you have to make the cookies extra thick and bake the skewer into the cookie), rice krispie treats in heart shapes (you have to let them cool overnight), peeps hearts, reeses hearts and dove hearts.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Chinese New Year recipe Part 1

Sweet & sour sauce

Ingredients:

2 cups water 2/3 cup distilled white vinegar 1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste 1 (8 ounce) can pineapple tidbits, drained (I just use the liquid and not the bits) 3 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions:

1.	In a medium saucepan over medium heat, mix together water, distilled white vinegar, white sugar, tomato paste, pineapple tidbits and cornstarch. Cook, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes, or until mixture reaches desired color and consistency.

Thai sweet sticky rice. I used the directions on this website. I've tried to make this many times and it's never worked, but it worked perfectly with these directions. I didn't have cheesecloth so I used a pillow cover we don't use anymore. I also don't have a thai steamer basket, so I used the round bamboo steamer that I have.

http://importfood.com/stickyrice.html


Fried Rice

I don't use a recipe for this. I just scramble eggs, set them aside. In a big pan I heat a little oil & add a half a diced onion, sausage chopped up and let it cook for a minute. Then I add frozen veggies and cook until the veggies are soft. Then add as much steamed day old rice as you want. Add soy sauce (as much as you like) and salt a pepper. Then add the scrambled eggs and stir.


Pyong's Beef Broccoli

I met Pyong in Cosmetology school and she was nice enough to share this recipe with me.

1 lb beef sliced thin
1/4 c brown sugar
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 c soy sauce
2 t pepper
broccoli

Mix all the ingredients (except beef and broccoli) in a medium glass bowl. Take beef and put it in the marinade for 2-4 hours or overnight.

Heat a wok with about 1 T of oil in the bottom. Add the marinated meat. Once the meat is cooked add the washed and trimmed broccoli and cook for about 5 mins (you don't want it too mushy, it should be aldente).



Orange Chicken

A couple of weeks ago we had a small group of friends over to celebrate Chinese New Year. We had a lot of fun celebrating the year of the Ox! Here are the recipes:

Orange Chicken

Sauce:

1 1/2 c water

2 T orange juice

1 c packed dark brown sugar

1/3 c rice vinegar

2 1/2 T soy sauce

1/4 c lemon juice

1/2 t minced ginger (fresh)

1/4 t minced garlic

1 t chopped green onion

1/4 t red pepper flakes

2 T corn starch

Chicken:

4 chicken breasts

1 c ice water

1 egg

1/4 t baking soda

1/4 t salt

1 1/2 c cake flour (I've also used all purpose & it works just fine)

vegetable oil

Put all the sauce ingredients in a medium pot & set it aside.

Slice the chicken breasts into 1 inch chunks & set aside.

Heat cooking oil.

Beat together the ice water (take ice out) and egg in a medium bowl. Add baking soda and salt. Add 3/4 c flour and stir with a fork just until the flour is blended into the mixture. The batter will still be lumpy. Sprinkle another 1/4 c flour on top of the batter and mix with only one or two strokes. There should still be some flour floating on top.

Put the remaining 1/2 c flour in another bowl.

When the oil is ready to fry: Dip each piece of chicken first in the dry flour and then into the batter. Put the chicken into the oil & fry until cooked through. Let chicken drain on paper towels once cooked. Cook all the chicken. Put the chicken into a serving bowl.

Heat the sauce mixture until boiling, stirring frequently. Once it comes to a boil take it off the heat and let it cool & thicken a little. Pour the sauce over the chicken & gently mix until covered.

Serve over rice.

Salmon Cakes

I love the bags of frozen salmon at Costco, but it seems like the last couple pieces of fish just don't taste as great as the first after hanging out in the freezer for awhile. So I like to make salmon cakes out of the last couple of pieces. I tried a new recipe tonight and it was really good. I found it on the food network. It looks like it's from a viewer and not from one of the chefs. The salad vinagarette in the recipe is really good. I just made a regular salad and put in on it. Then I made this tartar sauce from allrecipes.com because Matt loves tartar sauce with fish.

Salmon Cakes Over a Mixed Green Salad

Prep Time:

0 min

Inactive Prep Time:

0 min

Cook Time:

0 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

1 1/2 cups poached salmon, flaked
1 scallion , thinly sliced
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 cups fresh bread crumbs
salt and pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

In a large bowl stir together the salmon, scallion, and parsley. In a separate bowl combine the mustard and mayonnaise and season with salt & pepper. Add the mayonnaise mixture to the salmon mixture and gently stir together. Add to up to 1/2 cup of the breadcrumbs to help bind everything together. Shape into 4-6 cakes, depending on desired size, and chill for 1 hour. Dip cakes into remaining bread crumbs. Heat oil in non-stick skillet and cook cakes on each side until golden brown. Serve over mixed greens with lemon vinaigrette.

LEMON VINAIGRETTE DRESSING

4 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil
salt & pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small jar, cover and shake until well combined

Tartar sauce

Ingredients:

1 quart mayonnaise 1/4 cup lemon juice

1 cup diced onion 1 cup finely chopped dill pickle

Directions:

1.	In a stainless steel or glass mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice, onion, and dill pickle. Mix thoroughly. Transfer to a glass or plastic container with a tight lid and refrigerate.