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.

Black-bottom carrot cupcakes!

So yesterday I had a bunch of carrots I needed to use. So instead of something healthy, I had an idea of trying to make black bottom cupcakes, but instead of making them with chocolate I thought I would try carrot cake cupcakes with the cream cheese baked in and a little fresh cream cheese frosting on the outside. They turned out super super super delicious! Matt said they're his 3rd favorite cupcake ever! (I of course asked what his first and second favorite are and being the sweet husband that he is said, I can't think of any right now, but I'm sure they're one's you made me.) I left the pecans out of the recipe. This carrot cake recipe in general is really good. Carrot Cake III

Rated: Submitted By: Tammy Elliott Photo By: Allrecipes Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 1 Hour Ready In: 2 Hours Servings: 18

"I've tried many carrot cakes, and this is my favorite recipe. If you don't like pecans, feel free to leave them out."

Ingredients:

4 eggs 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil 2 cups white sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3 cups grated carrots 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
2.	In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, white sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Fold in pecans. Pour into prepared pan.
3.	Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Cream Cheese Filling

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 egg

1/3 c sugar

1/8 t salt

Frosting:

4 oz cream cheese

½ c butter

1 c powdered sugar

(Cream cheese & butter together, add sugar and beat until fluffy & light)

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Mix cupcakes according above carrot cake directions. It should make 24 cupcakes.

3. Fill 24 paper lined cupcake pan with cupcake mixture. Fill each one about 3/4 full.

4. Beat cream cheese. Then add egg, sugar and salt and mix until creamy.

5. Put 2 t of cream cheese mixture over cupcake batter.

6. Bake for about 20-22 mins or until done (test side of cupcake with a fork).

7. Chill until completely cooled.

8. Top with frosting (since there is already cream cheese in the cupcake you don’t need much)

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

I saw this recipe recently, but I can't remember where! It's beef stroganoff in the crockpot. It's SO easy & delicious!! It says you can put it over rice or pasta. I usually like stroganoff on pasta, but I think this would be better over rice.

The Ultimate Beef Stroganoff

Put in crock pot:

2-3 pounds stew meat

1 tsp. salt

dash of pepper

1 onion, sliced

Mix in a bowl and pour over meat:

¼ tsp. garlic salt

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 ½ cups beef broth or stock (made up from cubes or granules)

1 tablespoon ketchup

Cook in crock pot on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. When cooked make a simple roux by whisking 1/3 cup flour with enough apple juice (about 5-6 tablespoons) to make a thick but still pourable flour mixture. Whisk the roux into the crock pot and add 4 ounces sliced mushrooms.

Cook on high for 15-30 minutes. Then stir in ½ cup sour cream. Serve over pasta, rice or baked potatoes

Bishopric Dinner

My Bishop asked my friend Heather and I to make food for a stake bishopric meeting they were having last night. We had a lot of fun! I included some of the recipes here. Some of the others I will have to get from Heather.

Aunt Kim's mini cheesecakes

1 lb cream cheese (2 pkgs)

1 c sugar

1 t vanilla

1 t flour

2 eggs

24 vanilla wafers

cupcake tins

cherry pie filling (you can use whatever filling you like, blueberry tastes really good!)

Cream all of the ingredients together. Line 24 muffin cups. Put one vanilla wafer in each cup. Pour 2-3 T of the mixture into each cup (distribute evenly). Bake the cakes approx. 15 mins. Cool, then refrigerate the cakes for 2 hours. Top with chilled pie filling.


Chicken Salad

1 rotiserie chicken
8 slices of bacon, cooked & diced
1/2 c diced celery
3 stalks green onion, chopped
1/2 c grape tomatoes quartered
1/2 c chopped pecans
1 c mayo
salt & pepper to taste
1 t paprika

Shred the chicken & combine everything else together.

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.

Schoen Family Spinach Dip

2 packages, 8 oz cream cheese
1 c mayo
1 10 oz package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed & drained
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 8 oz can water chestnuts (minced)
5 strips of bacon, cooked & crumbled
1 green onion chopped
2 t dill
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 t salt
1/8 t pepper
1 unsliced round loaf sourdough bread

In mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and mayo. Stir in the next nine ingredients. Cut at 1 1/2 inch slice off the top of the bread; set aside. Carefully hollow out the bottom of the bread leaving a 1/2 inch shell. Fill the shell with the spinach mixture. Replace top. Wrap in heavy duty tin foil and place on baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 1 - 1/1/2 hours or until the dip is heated through.

Salmon Bake with Pecan Crunch Coating

This is my favorite favorite recipe for salmon. It's a recipe I found a long time ago on allrecipes.com. I forgot to take an after picture, so here's one of Madeline helping me make it.

Alaska Salmon Bake with Pecan Crunch Coating

Rated: Submitted By: Chris Photo By: EMU3 Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 10 Minutes Ready In: 30 Minutes Servings: 6

"Baked salmon makes an excellent Christmas main course!"

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.

Cranberry Salsa

My sister-in-law Laura shared this recipe with me for Thanksgiving, but halfway through Thanksgiving dinner I realized I forgot to make it! So instead I made it the next week for cooking club. It's so so good. It's really easy, unique and beautiful. I served it with crackers. Laura said they also serve it with Laughing Cow cheese sometimes. Thanks Laura!

Cranberry Salsa

1 (12 oz.) pkg. Ocean Spray Fresh or frozen cranberries

¾ c. sugar

1 medium jalapeno, cut in quarters

1 green onion, cut in quarters

1 tsp. dried cilantro

¼ tsp. cumin

Put all ingredients in food processor. Process until mixture is coarsely chopped. (Or chop with knife or chopper). Store in refrigerator overnight to let ingredients blend. Makes about 3 cups.

Great holiday salsa served with crackers and Laughing Cow cheese. Use as condiment with beef, pork, or poultry.