Recipe Hunter Lisa

Stacked Enchiladas

2012-02-10T16:46:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from a recent Taste of Home but changed it up a bit. I try to make meatless dinners 2-3 times a week and find that Mexican food is the easiest to do this with because beans taste great in every dish. So this recipe calls for chicken and I just left it out and added more beans and veggies instead. We loved this and it was so much easier to make compared to regular enchiladas.

STACKED ENCHILADAS

2 teaspoons canola oil
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon each of cumin, chili powder and black pepper
1 8-ounce jar of enchilada sauce
9 6-inch round corn tortillas
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

In a large skillet, saute the pepper, corn, beans, garlic and onion in the oil for 5 minutes. Once everything is heated through and crisp-tender, season with spices and add enchilada sauce. Transfer to a bowl.

In a greased 9-inch pie plate, place three tortillas in a clover shape. Add 1/3 of the bean and veggie mixture on top of the tortillas and sprinkle with 1/3 cup of the cheese. Repeat this layer twice.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until heated through. Remove to a serving plate and cut into wedges.

Pulled Pork Cheese Ball

2012-02-07T09:13:00.000-07:00

I had some leftover pulled pork from dinner the other night and wanted to find an appetizer that I could use it in for a Super Bowl snack. I scoured my cookbooks until I found a recipe for a cheese ball that called for chipped beef and thought that I could substitute that for pork - and it turned out great! I served it with tortilla chips and everyone loved it. So here's my version of The Favorite Cheese Ball from the Worldwide Ward Christmas Cookbook.

PULLED PORK CHEESE BALL

1 8-ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoon chives, chopped
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 cup pulled pork

With an electric mixer, mix all the ingredients. Carefully form a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until served. Makes 8 servings.

Orange Broccoli and Carrots

2012-01-22T20:09:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com when I was looking for a way to use up a bunch of broccoli and carrots that I had on hand. The recipe doesn't call for carrots, but I threw them in anyways and they were a great addition! This was really easy and quick to throw together, so I'm sure I'll use this recipe a lot.

ORANGE BROCCOLI AND CARROTS

2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 head broccoli, cut into small pieces with stalks peeled
12 baby carrots, cut in half lengthwise
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add the orange zest and red pepper flakes and allow to heat briefly, about 1 minute. Stir the broccoli and carrots into the mixture; season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking about 5 minutes more; transfer to a serving bowl. Pour the orange juice over the broccoli and carrots and toss to coat. Serve hot.

Cinnamon Roll Cake

2011-09-11T19:31:00.000-06:00

So I have an obsession with Pinterest.com right now and found this recipe on it recently. I made it for my family this past weekend and everyone loved it! It was similar to a coffee cake, but less dense. I think it would be perfect to serve at a brunch. If you like cinnamon rolls, then you'll love this!

CINNAMON ROLL CAKE

Cake:

3 c. flour
1/4 tsp.salt
1 c. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. butter, melted

Topping:

1 c. butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Glaze:

2 c. powdered sugar
5 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix everything together except for the butter. Slowly stir in the melted butter and pour into a greased 9x13 pan. For the topping, mix all the ingredients together until well combined. Drop evenly over the batter and swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 for 28-32 minutes. While warm drizzle the glaze over the cake.

Tikka Masala Pizza

2011-09-07T20:47:00.000-06:00

Last week I was watching a show on FoodNetwork where they go to popular restaurants in popular cities, I can't remember which one, and they were highlighting some unique pizzas. It got me thinking about what kind of pizza I would want to eat that you can't find in most restaurants and the idea hit me - Tikka Masala Pizza! Indian food is my favorite, and I love eating tikka masala with naan bread, so why not make it into a pizza? I made it tonight for dinner and we all loved it. If you're an Indian food fan, make this!

TIKKA MASALA PIZZA

1 pizza crust - you can buy it premade or make it yourself
1 jar/sauce packet of tikka masala
1 pound of chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces and cooked
1 large bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 cup of mozzarella cheese, shredded (more or less to your tasting)

Cook the tikka masala according to directions on jar/packet. Once that's done, mix with chicken. Pour this sauce onto the pizza crust, then add the bell pepper, cilantro and cheese on top. Cook at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

Honey Garlic Chicken

2011-09-02T21:16:00.000-06:00

There's a really great food blog called Taste and Tell and this is where I got this recipe from (she got it from Rachel Ray) . This meal was so easy to put together and we all really loved it. I want to do one slowcooker meal a week, so I'll for sure add it to the rotation.

HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I used breasts)
3 garlic cloves, chopped or grated
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup honey
fresh basil, shredded, for garnish

Place the chicken in the bottom of a 4-quart slow cooker. In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, soy sauce, ketchup and honey. Pour over the chicken and cover.
Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours. Remove chicken, place on a plate and tent with foil to keep warm. Transfer the remaining sauce to a saucepan and reduce down over medium heat until desired consistency is reached. Serve over the chicken and garnish with fresh basil.
Serve over rice.

Zucchini Blueberry Muffins

2011-08-07T10:26:00.000-06:00

I love growing zucchini and having it overflowing so that I can try new recipes with them! I had a bunch of blueberries so I wanted to find a recipe that uses both the berries and zucchini and I ran across this bread recipe on AllRecipes.com. Since I had already made zucchini bread, I decided to turn these into muffins and they were delicious!

ZUCCHINI AND BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup vegetable oil
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups white sugar
2 cups shredded zucchini
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 pint fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 24 muffin cups. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar. Fold in the zucchini. Beat in the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Gently fold in the blueberries. Transfer to the prepared muffin cups. Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Dirt Cake

2011-06-26T14:46:00.000-06:00

For Colton's birthday this year I thought I'd steal a brilliant idea from Cassie and make him a dirt cake that I could put in a toy for him to eat. I wanted to put it in a dump truck like Cassie but when we were at the store Colton threw a huge fit that he didn't want a dump truck but a farm tractor instead. It's his birthday, after all, so I let him win that battle. Colton loved helping me make the cake, especially licking the spoons and putting the gummy worms in it! This recipe is very easy and requires no baking, so I will be repeating this one a lot.

DIRT CAKE

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
3 1/2 cups milk
1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
32 ounces chocolate sandwich cookies with creme filling
A fun serving dish - a toy, flower pot with fake flowers, etc.

Chop cookies very fine in food processor. The white cream will disappear. Mix butter, cream cheese, and sugar in bowl. In a large bowl mix milk, pudding and whipped topping together. Combine pudding mixture and cream mixture together. Layer in a serving dish, starting with cookies then cream mixture. Repeat layers. Chill until ready to serve.

Nectarine Salad with Mint Vinaigrette

2011-06-23T19:36:00.002-06:00

Joe and I planted another big garden this year and while our veggies are fairing so well because of the cool weather we've been having, our herbs are growing like crazy! I planted spearmint and peppermint and they are becoming huge bushes, so I've been looking for recipes that I could use them in. I found this salad, happened to have all the ingredients on hand and we ate it with dinner tonight. It was so delicious! We all loved it and I probably had three helpings of it. I'll for sure be making this throughout the summer.

NECTARINE SALAD WITH MINT VINAIGRETTE

Dressing:
1 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salad:
1 cup chopped seeded cucumber
1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted
2 tablespoons minced red onion
3 nectarines, chopped, peeled, and pitted
Salad mixing of your choice, about 5 cups worth

To prepare dressing, place mint and sugar in a food processor; process until finely chopped, scraping sides of bowl. Add vinegar, juice, salt, and pepper, and process 30 seconds to combine.
To prepare salad salad mix of your choice in a medium bowl. Combine cucumber, pecans, onion, and nectarines and top them on the salad. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss well to coat.

Orzo with Parmesan and Basil

2011-06-20T19:04:00.000-06:00

This recipe got emailed to me from AllRecipes.com and looked easy and like a perfect summer side dish. I also loved that it had basil in it. YUM! I made it tonight for a bbq and everyone loved it! I think I had like three servings of it. =)

ORZO WITH PARMESAN AND BASIL

2 tablespoons butter
1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Melt butter in heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in orzo and saute until lightly browned.

Stir in chicken stock and bring to boil. Cover. Reduce heat and simmer until orzo is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 15 - 20 minutes.

Mix in Parmesan cheese and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to shallow bowl. Garnish with basil sprigs.

Ice Cream in a Bag

2011-06-17T19:04:00.000-06:00

Today we went to Dairy Days at Thanksgiving Point and made Ice Cream in a Bag that was so easy and fun to do. I thought it would be a really fun activity to do with kids this summer and wanted to share the recipe with y'all!

ICE CREAM IN A BAG

1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup milk
1 cup half & half
1 cup crushed ice
1 cup rock salt
1 quart sized Ziploc freezer bag
1 gallon sized Ziploc freezer bag
Duct tape

Put the milk, half & half, sugar and vanilla in the quart sized freezer bag and seal. For security, fold a piece of duct tape over the seal. Place the quart sized bag within the gallon sized bag. Pack the ice and salt in the gallon sized bag.

Seal the bag and shake for about 10 minutes. Wipe the quart sized bag to be sure the salt water doesn't get into the ice cream. Cut a corner of the bag and squeeze into Dixie cups. One bag should fill about 5 cups. Add desired toppings, eat and enjoy!

Chili Lime Corn on the Cob

2011-06-12T18:58:00.000-06:00

This is a wonderful summer dish that I plan on making often. I love the taste of grilled corn on the cob over boiling it, plus the flavors of the butter mixture are amazing! Guy Fieri made this on The View last week and it's from his new cookbook, Guy Fieri's Food. I'm quite tempted to buy this cookbook!

CHILI LIME CORN ON THE COB

4 ears of corn, in husk
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon lime zest
1 teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon granulated garlic
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper, freshly cracked

In a small bowl, combine butter, zest, chili powder, salt and pepper and set aside.
1. Carefully peel back husk from ear, without detaching from the bottom, remove silk from corn, fold the husk back around the ears and soak in water for 30 - 45 minutes. Make sure to weigh down the ears so that they are fully submerged.
2. Preheat a BBQ to medium, indirect heat. Remove ears from water, drain, open husk, dry ear with paper towel and spread butter mixture evenly on corn. Fold husk back over corn and grill for 15-20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Lemon Honey Chicken

2011-06-03T09:18:00.000-06:00

I have a wonderful slow cooker cookbook that I would recommend to anyone called 200 Slow Cooker Creations. The recipes are easy to follow, use simple ingredients, and I personally know one of the authors and she's awesome! We all loved this recipe and I will definitely be making it again. It's a nice light dish for the summer!

LEMON HONEY CHICKEN

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 teaspoons ginger
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 cup honey
2 (14-ounce) cans chicken broth

Place chicken in a greased slow cooker. Combine the remaining ingredients and pour over the chicken. Cover and cook the chicken on low heat for 6-8 hours or on high heat 3-4 hours.

Note: Sauce can be thickened by adding small amounts of instant potato flakes until the desired consistency is reached.

Strawberries with Sweet Cream

2011-05-29T19:44:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite desserts is Strawberries and Cream at the Pleasant Grove Strawberry Days Rodeo. It's worth going to the rodeo JUST to eat the Strawberries and Cream. YUM!! Well, this recipe is as close to theirs that I can find and I just love it. The whole family loved it and I haven't seen Colton eat so many strawberries as he does with this cream. I got the recipe from Pioneer Woman and just substituted the berry she used to one that is more readily available to me. Please try it this summer!! You won't regret it. (I'm listing half the ingredients that PW uses because this was plenty for our family, plus leftovers.)

STRAWBERRIES WITH SWEET CREAM

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar, divided
5 whole egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
Fresh berries of your choice

Combine cream with half the sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a strong simmer, but don’t boil.
Whisk egg yolks in a bowl (I used my electric mixer w/ whisk attachment) with the other half of the sugar. Add vanilla extract.
After whisking on medium for a minute, begin slowly pouring in the hot cream.
After all cream is added, turn off mixer. Pour mixture into the top of a double boiler (or a glass bowl fitted over a saucepan). Cook in the double boiler over medium heat. Stir gently but constantly as the egg/cream mixture slowly thickens.
Watch the mixture: if it starts to really thicken up, remove it immediately from the heat. You want this to be more of a thick, pourable cream than a thick, heavy pudding texture. As soon as you remove the pan from the heat, set the bottom of it in a bowl of ice to stop the cooking process (but be careful not to let ice or water drip over the edge of the pan.) Stir to cool. If you need to use the cream right away, keep it in the ice bath and stir to cool.

Luncheon Chicken Salad

2011-05-10T19:12:00.000-06:00

I was in the mood for a chicken salad for dinner tonight and turned to a very reliable source for a recipe - Taste of Home. I loved all the fruit in this recipe so it became the one that I quickly chose! We all really enjoyed this, even Colton. I served it on Romaine and spinach but I think it would be equally good on bread as a sandwich.

LUNCHEON CHICKEN SALAD

4 cups of cooked chicken, diced
1 20-ounce can of pineapple chunks, drained
1 11-ounce can of mandarin oranges, drained
1 cup celery, chopped
6 green onions, chopped
1 red or green bell pepper, chopped
1 apple, chopped
2/3 cup mayonnaise
7 teaspoons mustard
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced

In a large bowl, gently combine the chicken, pineapple, oranges, celery, onions, bell pepper, and apple. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Pour over salad and toss to coat. Serve over lettuce.

Sourdough Bread Stuffing

2010-11-19T19:55:00.002-07:00

Ever since I saw this recipe air on Foodnetwork, I've been making it for Thanksgiving (I think it's been 5 or so years). My family didn't know that you could make stuffing from scratch, it was just always assumed that it came in a box. =) This stuffing tastes wonderful and is really easy to make. If you're looking for a new Thanksgiving recipe, give this one a try!!

SOURDOUGH BREAD STUFFING

1-pound sourdough bread loaf
8 tablespoons butter
10 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced 1/2-inch thick
Salt and pepper
2-4 stalks of celery with leaves, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
About 10 sprigs of thyme, leaves stripped from the stem
10-12 sage leaves, chopped
3 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons parsley

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 2-quart baking dish.

Tear the bread into bite-sized pieces and spread out onto 2 baking sheets. Toast the bread in the oven for about 20 minutes and then transfer to a mixing bowl.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet and add the mushrooms; saute for about 6 minutes. Then add 2 more tablespoons of butter and the celery, onion and thyme. Saute for about 5 minutes. Add the sage and 4 more tablespoons of butter. Add the broth and stir to combine. Salt and pepper to taste.

Pour this mixture over the toasted bread and mix. Pour this mixture into the baking dish and bake for 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Hummus and Veggie Sandwich

2010-11-16T11:23:00.003-07:00

I have a friend named April who introduced me to a very yummy sandwich this summer. We were having a picnic with our kids at a museum and I was quite intrigued with what she was eating. It was a hummus sandwich with shredded carrots, cucumbers, sprouts, and maybe a couple of other vegetables. Joe and I love hummus so I was anxious to try this. Her tip was to be sure to shred the carrots, which for some reason does make it taste better, and then we added veggies that we love and usually always have on hand - cucumbers and bell peppers. It was so good and healthy! We've since shared it with Colton, my mom and Grandpa B. They all love it and we make it very often. I would highly encourage everyone to try it for a healthy sandwich and your kids may end up loving it too!

HUMMUS AND VEGGIE SANDWICH

Whole wheat sandwich bread
Hummus - whatever brand you like or you can make it yourself!
Shredded carrots
Any other veggies you like, cut thin (bell peppers, cucumbers, broccoli, sprouts, artichoke hearts, spinach, tomatoes, etc.)

Make a sandwich of these ingredients and you're done!

Orange Julius

2010-11-09T19:29:00.003-07:00

I had a friend when I was in Junior High that would always make an Orange Julius for us every time I spent the night at her house. I loved it so much! I had some extra frozen orange juice so I thought I'd make this drink to go with breakfast on Sunday. I could drink it every day it was so yummy. I think I'm going to make it a tradition to make this drink on birthdays and holidays from now on.

ORANGE JULIUS

12 ounces frozen orange juice concentrate
2 cups milk
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
about 16 ice cubes

Combine all the ingredients, except the ice cubes, in a blender and make smooth. Add the ice cubes and mix until smooth.

Macaroni and Cheese Soup

2010-11-07T08:27:00.003-07:00

Now that it's getting cooler I'm in a soup mood and I wanted to try out some new recipes. I got this one out of a Taste of Home Holiday cookbook but you can also get it on their site here. I think this is a great family soup and a wonderful way to sneak some vegetables in for your kids. The shredded carrots in the soup actually look like shredded cheese (my sister thought it was the whole time she was eating it). This was really easy to make and I'll for sure make it again! The recipe below is half of what the original recipe called for and this still made plenty for us plus leftovers.

MACARONI AND CHEESE SOUP

1 1/2 quarts water
2 1/2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
3/4 cup sliced celery
1 large carrot, shredded
1/2 large onion, chopped
1/2 medium green pepper, chopped
1 1/4 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
1/2 pound process American cheese, cubed

In a soup kettle or Dutch oven, bring water and bouillon to a boil. Add celery, carrots, onion and green pepper; cook for 4 minutes or until tender. Add macaroni. Cover and return to a boil; boil 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; let stand for 8-10 minutes or until macaroni is just tender.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan. Add flour, stirring until smooth. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in cheese until melted; add to undrained macaroni mixture.

Pizza Carbonara

2010-10-20T08:37:00.002-06:00

I had a lone puff pastry sheet in my freezer that I wanted to use up and had the idea that it would make a great pizza crust. I then went on the search for a new pizza recipe and turned to trusty ol' AllRecipes.com. I decided to go with this Pizza Carbonara recipe but might some slight changes. It was delicious! Joe and I gobbled it down and want to make it again already. This is pretty garlicky, so if you don't like that then you probably won't enjoy this pizza too much.

PIZZA CARBONARA

1 (10 ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust (or a puff pastry sheet)
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 pound sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I use Mozzarella cheese)
3 green onions, thinly sliced (I didn't have this so I omitted it)
5 mushrooms, sliced (optional)
3 slices of ham, chopped (optional)

Unroll pizza crust. Press onto a greased 12-in. pizza pan; build up edges slightly. Prick dough thoroughly with a fork. Bake at 425 degrees F for 7-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, saute onion and garlic in butter until tender. Stir in flour and pepper until blended. Gradually add milk and bouillon.

Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat; stir in Parmesan cheese. Spread over hot crust. Sprinkle with bacon, Monterey Jack cheese, green onions, mushrooms and ham. Bake at 425 degrees F for 8-12 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.

Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling

2010-10-13T14:15:00.004-06:00

This recipe I half-way made up. I saw a picture of a pumpkin muffin with cream cheese filling and thought that I could probably do that myself with my awesome pumpkin chocolate chip bread recipe that I have. I only had half of a bag of chocolate chips so I made a dozen muffins with those and then a dozen of just pumpkin bread with pecans on top. They were both delicious!

So for the muffin, use this recipe. Then add chocolate chips (I'd recommend it) or leave it out and add nuts. Or do both if you are daring! So here's the recipe for the filling:

CREAM CHEESE FILLING

8 ounces cream cheese
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix this up with your handmixer. Grease a muffin tin or insert paper lining. Fill a quarter of the muffin cup with pumpkin mix, then drop a rounded teaspoon of the cream cheese mix into the middle of the pumpkin. Finally add more pumpkin mix on top of the cream cheese until the muffin cup is about 3/4 full. You should get 2 dozen muffins with this recipe. Bake at 350 degrees for 16-18 minutes.

Mushroom and Spinach Biscuits

2010-10-09T09:57:00.003-06:00

I bought a huge container of mushrooms recently so I've been experimenting with different mushroom recipes that I'm finding. Have you ever checked out Tastespotting? If not, you need to right now. You can submit pictures of your wonderful food creations and then people like me peruse through the beautiful pictures and find recipes to make. I saw the picture of these biscuits which led me to this blog where they were posted. I made them to go with my baked ham last night and they were DELICIOUS! They weren't hard to make at all and they tasted like something you'd eat at a fancy restaurant. Even Colton liked these, so they made be a good way for moms to sneak some veggies into a meal. I made some slight changes to the recipe and here's my version:

MUSHROOM AND SPINACH BISCUITS

About 1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
1 cup mushrooms (I used baby portobellos), chopped
1/2 cup finely-grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup butter
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
3/4 cup milk

Line baking sheet with parchment paper or coat with non-stick spray. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Saute mushrooms and onion in olive oil on medium heat. Once mushrooms are cooked, add spinach on top. Fold in spinach and saute until wilted. Allow to cool and then mix in Parmesan cheese. Set aside.

Mix flour, baking powder, salt, white pepper and thyme in a bowl. Cut in butter with a pasty cutter or two forks until the mixture forms fine crumbs. Stir in milk, then stir in cooled mushroom/spinach mixture. Don't stir too much, just until dough will form a ball. Then knead ball lightly on a floured surface (it will be sticky!).

Roll dough out to 3/4-inch thick on a floured surface. Cut into circles using a biscuit cutter or a glass cup. If you use a biscuit cutter you'll get 6 biscuits and you'll want to bake them for 15 minutes. If you use a glass cup to cut out your biscuits, you'll get 8-9 and you'll only want to bake them for 12 minutes. Cool the biscuits before eating.

Zucchini and Corn Tacos

2010-10-06T10:35:00.003-06:00

I wanted to find a recipe for zucchini that was different from what I normally make, so I turned to Epicurious.com. I found an interesting looking recipe for tacos and thought I'd try it out. Apparently this recipe was featured in SELF magazine, so you know they're going to be healthy! These are not your typical Latin-type tacos at all. There's nothing Latin-y about them, but in fact taste herb-y instead. We all loved these and also liked that they were so healthy. I'll for sure make these when I have extra zucchini around!

ZUCCHINI AND CORN TACOS

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided2 cups fresh white or yellow corn kernels
1 cup chopped white onion
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
3 medium zucchini, diced
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 leaves fresh epazote, (or 1 teaspoon fresh oregano), finely chopped
8 warm corn tortillas
1/4 cup tomatillo (green) salsa
8 teaspoons grated Monterey Jack cheese (or queso fresco

Heat half of oil in a large skillet over high heat. Toast corn 5 minutes, stirring; season with salt. Remove corn; set aside. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in skillet. Cook onion, stirring, until it caramelizes, 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add tomatoes; cook 10 minutes. Add zucchini; cook until tender, 10 to 12 minutes; season with salt. Add corn, beans, epazote and pepper. Cook 3 minutes. Split filling among tortillas; top each with 1 1/2 teaspoons salsa and 1 teaspoon cheese.

Sauteed Mushrooms

2010-09-30T13:09:00.002-06:00

I absolutely love mushrooms. Luckily so does my husband and son, which I have to say I'm quite shocked that Colton loves them as much as he does. What 2 year old likes mushrooms? Anyways, these are an easy and delicious way to serve up some mushrooms that are a perfect side dish for any meal. I got them from my Taste of Home cookbook and you can also find them online here.

SAUTEED MUSHROOMS

1/4 cup butter
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce (make sure it's the low-sodium kind otherwise it's too salty)

In a large skillet, melt butter. Add the mushrooms, lemon juice and soy sauce. Saute for 6-8 minutes or until mushrooms are tender.

Lemon Ricotta Cookies

2010-09-25T18:41:00.002-06:00

I recently saw this recipe being made on a local news show and wanted to try them really bad! I love lemon and ricotta so these had to be delicious. Guess what? They were! They have a different texture than most cookies because of the ricotta but the lemon in the cookie and also in the glaze that you put on top make them so light and refreshing. My family, parents, and the leaders of the Cub Scout unit I serve in all loved them too! You can find the original recipe here.

LEMON RICOTTA COOKIES

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 15 ounce container of Ricotta Cheese
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest (about 1 lemon)

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time until incorporated. Mix in the ricotta cheese, lemon juice and zest. Slowly add the flour mixture until well mixed. Scoop onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes at 375 degrees. Let cookies cool completely before glazing.

LEMON GLAZE

1 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest

Mix together the sugar, lemon juice and glaze until creamy. Glaze the tops of the cookies and set on cooling rack to let the glaze set.

Taste of Home WINNER!

2010-09-24T21:22:00.004-06:00

I asked Joe tonight to pick a number 1-4 and he chose 1 so that means my awesome friend Julia is the winner!!! Congrats Julia! You are the lucky recipient of a 1-year subscription to Taste of Home.

Taste of Home Giveaway!

2010-09-22T12:37:00.002-06:00

Taste of Home is one of my favorite cooking magazines and I'm going to be giving away a 1-year subscription to a lucky winner on my blog. Yay!

How you win is pretty simple: leave a comment and tell me your favorite recipe that you've tried on my blog OR a recipe that you plan on making from my blog soon. I'll be choosing the lucky winner this Friday at 9pm. Good luck!

ABC Sandwich

2010-09-20T12:45:00.004-06:00

The sandwich is absolute heaven. I literally could eat it every day and never tire of it. "ABC" stands for apple, bacon and cheddar cheese. YUMMIEST combo on earth. Throw some spinach in there for good health and then add the lemon dressing to take it over the top. The lemon dressing alone is pure bliss - I used the leftover dressing as an apple dip and it was perfect. I got this recipe from a local news channel and you can find the original here.

ABC SANDWICH

8 pieces of hearty white bread, like French country, sourdough, ciabatta, etc.
8 strips of bacon (apple wood smoked is preferable but not necessary)
1 large apple of your choice (I used Pink Lady)
4 slices of cheddar cheese (I used rosemary cheddar)
2-3 cups spinach leaves
Sweet Lemon Dressing (recipe follows)

Generously spread the dressing on all the slices of bread. Then layer the bacon, apple, cheese and spinach on one slice. Place a second slice of bread on top of the spinach. Enjoy!!

SWEET LEMON DRESSING

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Zest from 1 lemon
Juices from half a lemon

In a small bowl, whisk all the ingredients together. Chill until ready to use.

Frito Dish

2010-09-15T09:05:00.002-06:00

This is a recipe that I grew up on and is classic comfort food. It was a favorite as a kid and still is today! I didn't know this until we made a family cookbook but this recipe comes from my Grandma B. I made it for my family and inlaws for the first time a few weeks ago (I usually make my mom make it) and everyone loved it! The meat in this is very juicy so that you don't need any dressing. And it tastes good with both regular Fritos and the chili cheese Fritos. Yum!!

FRITO DISH

1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup flour
3 cups water
1 package taco seasoning
Salt and pepper
2 cups of shredded cheese (cheddar, colby jack, etc)
1 onion, diced
1 tomato, diced
1 head of lettuce, shredded
1 bag of Fritos

Brown the beef with the taco seasoning. Drain most of the grease, but leave some. Add the flour and brown with the meat until flour is brown. Add water, a little at a time, stirring constantly until mixture boils. Let simmer until it thickens. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over Fritos and top with onion, tomato, lettuce and cheese.

Zucchini Bread

2010-08-23T20:34:00.003-06:00

One of my favorite things about summer is the plethora of zucchini that is everywhere. We grow it but you can also buy them cheap at the store/market AND if people know you enjoy cooking they bring lots to you as gifts. So I always have zucchini on hand in the summer/fall...YAY!! Here's a favorite Zucchini Bread recipe that I got and adapted from several recipes I've come across.

ZUCCHINI BREAD

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour (use all-purpose if you don't have any of this)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil (you can use applesauce if you want it healthier)
2 cups sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini (DON'T squeeze the water out of them unless you want dry bread)
1 cup of chocolate chips OR walnuts OR pecans (optional)

Grease and flour two bread pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Sift the flours, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon together in a bowl. In another bowl beat together the eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla. Add dry sifted ingredients to this bowl and mix together. Fold in zucchini and chocolate chips or nuts until combined.

Pour into bread pans and bake for 50-60 minutes (check with a toothpick to see if the middle is done). Cool bread for 30 minutes on a rack and then take it out of the pan. Let it completely cool before slicing. Enjoy!!

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-08-17T11:54:00.005-06:00

Joe and I love watching America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Country on PBS every Saturday. I love watching them cook and Joe loves that they explain the scientific aspects to cooking (kinda like Alton Brown). So we saw the episode where they made these and we wanted to make them immediately!! We made them for a dinner party this past weekend and they were a huge hit! Even people who don't normally like dark chocolate enjoyed these. By browning the butter and using brown sugar it gave a wonderful caramel flavor. Definitely will make these again soon!

PERFECT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
14 tablespoons unsalted butter, separated
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks (the show suggested Ghiradelli's 60% Cocoa chips, so that's what we used)

Adjust oven racks to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour and baking soda together in a medium bowl; set aside.

Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1-3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted.

Add both sugars, salt and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth and shiny. Stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips, giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.

Divide dough into 16 portions, each about 3 tablespoons (or use #24 cookie scoop). Arrange 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets, 8 dough balls per sheet. Bake 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, about 10-14 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely before serving.

Fruit Smoothies

2010-08-11T12:57:00.003-06:00

My friend Cassie at Cassie Craves let me be a guest blogger and I chose to blog about fruit smoothies that I make very often. Click here and read all about it!

Zebra Nipples

2010-08-08T17:49:00.003-06:00

Ok, if that title didn't catch your attention then I don't know what would!! These are a delicious snack that Shellie shared with during game night at my parent's cabin. Our favorite game to play with a large group is Werewolf and our favorite treat to eat are Zebra Nipples! You can use your imagination as to why they are called that. Super easy to make and they taste amazing - make them soon!

ZEBRA NIPPLES

1 bag waffle pretzels (square-shaped ones)
1 bag peanut butter M&Ms
1 bag Hershey Hugs

Unwrap hershey hugs. Line up waffle pretzels on cookie sheet. Place one Hug on each pretzel. Put in 200 degree oven until Hugs look shiny (about 5-7 min) Remove and put 1 peanut butter M&M down into center of Hug. (Place "M" side down for cuter presentation)

Let cool.

Cream Cheese and Pecan Stuffed Berries

2010-08-06T09:17:00.004-06:00

Shellie was kind enough to make a yummy treat for Colton's birthday dinner while she was here and they were eaten very quickly! I had a lot of leftover strawberries so she made this dessert that was my favorite. She helped me out a lot on Colton's birthday so THANK YOU SHELLIE!! She got the recipe here at FoodNetwork.com. I think these would be perfect served at a shower or party as finger food!

CREAM CHEESE AND PECAN STUFFED BERRIES

20 whole large berries, hulled (she used strawberries)
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
2/3 cup chopped pecans

Cut a thin slice from the bottom of each strawberry so the berries stand upright. Place berries, cut side down, on a serving platter. Carefully cut the berries into 4 wedges, cutting almost to, but not through, the bottoms with a criss-cross cut. Fan wedges just slightly, taking care not to break them. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until combined but still stiff. Using a teaspoon or pastry bag with decorative tip, fill the strawberries with the cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle chopped pecans on top of the stuffed strawberries. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

2010-08-04T22:11:00.002-06:00

Shellie made this one for us at the cabin too and it was gone pretty fast! The sour cream and pudding in this cake really makes it moist. Once I find my bundt cake pan (how do you lose that?!) I'm going to be making this one again!!

CHOCOLATE CHIP POUND CAKE

1 box yellow cake mix with pudding
1/2 cup sugar
1 small box instant chocolate pudding
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup water
4 large eggs
1 8-ounce carton sour cream
1 6-ounce bag semisweet chocolate chips
2 teaspoon vanilla
Sifted powder sugar
Cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bundt pan with vegetable spray and sprinkle with cocoa powder . Combine cake mix, sugar and pudding. Stir with a fork to remove any lumps. Add oil, eggs, water and sour cream. Beat until smooth. Beat in vanilla; stir in chocolate chips. Pour into pan and bake for about an hour. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Invert the pan on a serving dish and let the cake drop out of the pan. Sprinkle the cake with powdered sugar when cooled.

Hot Hammie Sammie

2010-08-03T12:22:00.003-06:00

I can't believe that it's been a whole month since I posted on this blog! Here's why - it's summer and I've been playing! My sister-in-law came in to town and was staying with us and she introduced all her yummy recipes to us. And when she wasn't cooking I wasn't experimenting, just remaking old classics. So for the next few recipes I post they will be courtesy of Shellie.

Shellie made this one for us at my parent's cabin and we all loved it! I'm a huge fan of sandwiches, so this was right up my alley.

HOT HAMMIE SAMMIE

3/4 cup oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon water
Sliced ham
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 French bread loaf
Mayonnaise
Mustard

Mix together the oil, salt, sugar, vinegar, garlic powder, and water. Put aside. Cut the French bread down the middle so you have two big pieces. Mix together some mayo and mustard. Spread on each side of the bread. Place the bread on a cookie sheet open faced. Put the ham on the bottom and the cheese on the top. Pour the sauce over the ham. This makes a lot of sauce and you should use the whole thing for one loaf. Place the sandwich open faced in the oven and broil until cheese melts. When done, put the halves together and slice large pieces.

**I personally like the Boar's Head Deluxe Ham shaved.

Strawberry Sheet Cake

2010-07-01T14:18:00.003-06:00

I ran across this blog awhile back and thought it had a lot of wonderful recipes that I wanted to try. The first one that was put in the must-try-soon category was strawberry sheet cake. Being a Texan, sheet cake is a very important dessert that needs to be consumed often, so I was excited to see a variation of your typical chocolate sheet cake. I made it on Monday and everyone who came to my home from Monday-Wednesday had to eat it...otherwise I would have eaten it all myself! It was absolutely delicious and perfect for the summer. The icing was the most amazing icing I've ever eaten....my new favorite. Please try it soon!!

STRAWBERRY SHEET CAKE

12 oz .fresh strawberries, stems removed and chopped (about 3 cups)
2 cups of sugar plus 2 teaspoons
2 cups of flour
2 sticks of butter (1 cup)
2 eggs lightly beaten
1/2 cup of buttermilk
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Over the chopped strawberries, sprinkle 2 teaspoons of sugar and 1/4 cup of water. Let them sit for an hour at room temperature so they can release some of their juices. The berries should reduce to about 1 1/2 cups. In a blender of food processor, crush the berries on a low speed for a few seconds—you want them juicy but still with some texture. Take 1/2 cup of the strawberry mixture for the frosting and leave the remaining crushed strawberries for the cake.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Sift the sugar and flour together in a bowl.

Melt the butter on low in a saucepan and then whisk it with the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla and baking soda. Add the liquid to the flour and then stir in one cup of the crushed strawberries.

Pour batter into greased 9x13 inch pan and bake for 20-25 minutes. Cake is done when a knife comes out clean from the center. Let it cool and then frost with the strawberry cream cheese frosting (recipe below).

Note: The cake will be a little brown. This, I hear, is because of the alkaline reaction of the ingredients. Do not be alarmed!

STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

1/4 pound of butter (1 stick) at room temperature
8 ounces of cream cheese at room temperature
3 cups of powdered sugar
1/2 cup crushed strawberries
2 teaspoons of lime juice (about half a lime)
1/4 teaspoon lime zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whip together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Slowly add the powdered sugar until blended. Add the strawberries, lime juice, lime zest and vanilla. Spread over cooled cake.

Note: Depending on how juicy your berries are, your icing may be runnier than usual. If this is the case, I'd add more cream cheese to thicken it up.

Deviled Egg Pasta Salad

2010-06-28T19:34:00.003-06:00

My friend Cassie posted this recipe on her blog and it looked too tasty not to try. I love hard-boiled eggs and liked the idea of it being in a pasta salad. Joe, Colton and I all loved it and thought it was the perfect summer meal. Next picnic I go on I'm taking this with me! Oh and I didn't take a picture of it so check out Cassie's cute picture of the salad here.

DEVILED EGG PASTA SALAD

1 pound elbow macaroni
3 cups of Miracle Whip or mayo
2 tablespoons mustard
1 teaspoon vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
1/4 to 1/2 cup pickle relish - depending on your liking (I just chopped a few dill pickles up)
Paprika

Cook pasta al dente; drain and rinse in cold water. Drain again.

Mix together the Miracle Whip (or mayo), mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Gently fold the pasta, eggs, and pickle relish into the Miracle Whip mixture. Sprinkle with paprika. Cover and refrigerate until served.

Apple Dip

2010-06-26T11:52:00.004-06:00

This is a dip that I could eat without ever having to dip an apple in to....just give me a spoon and I'll go to town. It surprised me when I went to search for it and discovered that I hadn't put this on my blog already! I've been making this dip for years now and it's one of my favorites to make when apples are on sale and I buy them in abundance. Every time I've taken it to a party or shower I always get asked for the recipe. Here it is! I believe I got it out of Taste of Home a long time ago, but I can't be sure.

APPLE DIP

8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup milk

Combine with a hand mixer until smooth. Serve with apple slices.

Sweet Grape Salad

2010-06-07T13:51:00.003-06:00

My friend Cassie posted this recipe on her blog and I just had to try it! We're big fans of grapes around here....plus all the other ingredients in this salad. I served it to my family last night and it was a hit with everyone. My sister told me that it's her new favorite side dish that I make! Definitely try it this summer!!

SWEET GRAPE SALAD

2 pounds red seedless grapes
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
1 8-ounce container sour cream
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons pecans

Mix the cream cheese, sour cream, white sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Gently fold in the grapes. Sprinkle the brown sugar and pecans on top. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve chilled. YUM!

Honey Snickerdoodles

2010-06-03T10:15:00.002-06:00

I ran across this recipe recently in The Deen Brothers Cookbook that I got as a gift from Shellie years ago and I don't know how I've missed it every other time I've looked in that cookbook. Goes to show that you should reread your cookbooks over and over again!! These cookies are too dang delicious. I thought that tasted like donuts, but maybe that was because I had been craving donuts. Anyways, these were easy to make and very very good.

HONEY SNICKERDOODLES

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, divided
1/2 cup butter
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoon honey
1 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 375. Grease 2 large baking sheets; set aside.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the cinnamon; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and 1 cup of the sugar together until fluffy. Beat in the egg, honey, and vanilla. Slowly beat in the flour mixture.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Form the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll the balls in the sugar-cinnamon mixture. Place the balls 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown and slightly cracked on the top. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Vegetable Lo Mein

2010-05-18T09:30:00.003-06:00

I've been on the search for more vegetarian-based dinners and ran across this one in The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. Funny enough, my mother-in-law was making sweet and sour chicken the same night so we ended up combining forces and making a big Chinese-themed dinner. Everyone really liked this dish and said it tasted authentic, like something you'd get in a restaurant. Yay! I was also surprised at how fast it was to make - under 30 minutes.

VEGETABLE LO MEIN

12 ounces fresh Chinese egg noodles (I couldn't find these so I just used whole wheat spaghetti)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons canola oil
10 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced 1/4-inch thick (I used a bag of frozen organic mushrooms)
1 small head Napa cabbage, sliced crosswise 1/4-inch thick
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and sliced thin
4 scallions, sliced thin
1 tablespoon sliced ginger (I forgot to buy this so I used ground ginger)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons minced cilantro (optional)

Boil the noodles and cook them until they are slightly underdone. Drain the noodles, then rinse under cold water and drain again. Transfer the noodles to a large bowl and toss with sesame oil.

In a separate bowl, mix together the broth, soy sauce and oyster sauce. Set aside.

Heat the canola oil in a skillet over high until shimmering. Add the mushrooms and cook until browned, about 10 minutes. Stir in the cabbage and bell pepper. Cook until the cabbage is just wilted, about 2 minutes. Add the scallions, ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the noodles, soy sauce mixture, and cilantro to the pan. Stir to combine and cook until the noodles are heated through, about 1 minute.

Hot Buttered Pretzels

2010-05-13T14:37:00.002-06:00

Oh. My. Heavens. These are sooooo good! If you love yourself and your family at all then you will make these pronto. This recipe also came out of the King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion, which I would like to add has been a very useful cookbook. I've been getting lots of terrific recipes from it! Anyways, if you're a big a fan of the pretzels you can buy at the mall or at fairs, then this is your lucky day. Quick tip - the pretzels you make with this recipe come out to be half the size of the ones you'd buy at the mall/fair, so feel free to eat lots of them.

HOT BUTTERED PRETZELS

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1 cup warm water

Topping:

1/2 cup warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
Coarse, kosher or pretzel salt
3 tablespoons salted butter, melted

Place all the dough ingredients in a bowl and beat until well combined. Knead the dough, by hand or mixer, for about 5 minutes, until it's soft, smooth, and quite slack. Dust the dough with flour (to keep from sticking) and place it in a plastic bag; close the bag, leaving enough room for the dough to expand, and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Prepare two baking sheets by spraying them with vegetable oil spray or lining them with parchment paper.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface and divide it into eight equal pieces. Let the pieces rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

Roll each piece of dough into a long thin rope (around 28 inches) and twist each rope into a pretzel. Dip the pretzels in the warm water mixed with 1 teaspoon sugar, and place them on the baking sheets. Sprinkle them lightly with the salt. Let them rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Bake the pretzels for 8-9 minutes, until they're golden brown, reversing the baking sheets halfway through.

Remove the pretzels from the oven and brush them thoroughly with the melted butter. Keep brushing butter on until you've used it all up; it may seem like a lot, but that's what gives these pretzels their ethereal taste. Eat the pretzels warm, or reheat them in an oven or microwave.

Blueberry Cream Cheese French Toast

2010-05-10T18:09:00.002-06:00

I had an epiphany the day before on Saturday, the day before Mother's Day - I should prepare some baked French toast and stick it in the fridge overnight so Joe could just pull it out and bake it for me for Mother's Day! Otherwise I'd wind up with cold cereal for breakfast....not very festive. So I found this recipe on AllRecipes.com, made a couple of changes per the reviews for the recipe, and got it all ready. Joe baked it with perfection and it tasted wonderful! It's my favorite new French toast recipe. I bought an extra challah bread loaf so I can make it again soon. YUM!

BLUEBERRY CREAM CHEESE FRENCH TOAST

1 loaf of challah bread (Italian or sourdough would be good too)
4 teaspoons cinnamon, divided
1 8-ounce package of cream cheese, diced
1 cup blueberries (I used frozen and it worked great)
8 eggs
2 cups milk
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla

Tear the bread into small, bite-size pieces and layer half of the bread chunks on the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of cinnamon over the bread and the layer the cream cheese and blueberries on top. Spread the rest of the bread chunks over top and sprinkle with the rest of the cinnamon.

In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, syrup and vanilla. Pour this mixture over the bread. Cover with foil and put in the fridge overnight. The next morning, set the casserole on the counter for 30 minutes to get to room temperature. Bake the casserole at 350 for 30 minutes with the foil covering it and then 30 minutes without the foil.

Serve with maple syrup and enjoy!

Bean and Vegetable Soup

2010-05-07T11:09:00.002-06:00

A lot of people ask me what cookbooks they can get that has easy recipes that are fast to make....well here's one I'd recommend! All the recipes involve a slow cooker which is one of the easiest ways to make a meal. I'm making more of an effort to use beans as a source of protein instead of meat for every meal and that is why I chose to make this, plus it's healthy and low in calories and fat! Also because it's May and frickin' cold still, I wanted some soup. We all loved this soup, even Colton, which automatically makes it a keeper.

BEAN AND VEGETABLE SOUP

8 cups of broth (I went with beef)
1 small head of cabbage, chopped
2 large red potatoes, chopped
2 cups chopped celery
2 cups chopped carrots
4 cups corn
2 15-ounce cans of either kidney or navy beans
2 garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon of each: salt, pepper, basil, oregano, thyme and rosemary

Add all the ingredients to your slow cooker and mix together well. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Homemade Bagels

2010-04-29T20:17:00.003-06:00

I was really excited to try these out. Bagels that are hot out of the oven are soooo good and I wanted to be able to make these and not have to drive to Einstein's to get them. =)

Making them is a lot like baking bread except you have an extra step at the end - boiling. I thought bagels were fried for some reason, never knew they were boiled! So these were easy to make and don't let the fact that you're using yeast scare you from trying them out. Also, I just made plain ones but you could easily make different kinds - cinnamon sugar, chocolate chip, cheese, onion, sesame seed, etc. I got the recipe from the King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion.

BAGELS

1 tablespoon instant yeast
4 cups unbleached bread flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon non-diastatic malt powder, brown sugar, or barley malt syrup (I used brown sugar)
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

Water bath

2 quarts (64 ounces) water
2 tablespoons non-diastatic malt powder, brown sugar, or barley malt syrup (brown sugar again)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Combine all the dough ingredients in a mixing bowl and knead vigorously, by hand for 10-15 minutes, or by machine on medium-low speed for about 10 minutes. The dough will be quite stiff; if you're using an electric mixer it will "thwap" the sides of the bowl and hold its shape when you stop the mixer. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and set it to rise until noticeably puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. (***The way I let my bread dough and this dough rise is by turning the oven on to 200 degrees then turning the oven off once it hits that temp. Right after I turn the oven off I place the dough in it. This ensures that it's rising in a warm place and isn't exposed to drafts or humidity. I also always place plastic wrap over the bowl.)

Transfer the dough to a work surface and divide it into 8 pieces. Working with one piece at a time, roll it into a smooth, round ball. Cover the balls with plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes. They'll puff up very slightly.

While the dough is resting, prepare the water bath by heating the water, malt powder (or brown sugar) and sugar to a very gentle boil in a large pot. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Use a bagel cutter, or use your index finger to poke a hole through the center of each ball, then twirl the dough on your finger to stretch the hole until it's about 2 inches in diameter. Place each bagel on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.

Transfer the bagels, a couple at a time, to the simmering water bath. Increase the heat under tha pan to bring the water back up to a gently simmering boil, if necessary. Cook the bagels for 2 minutes, gently flip them over, and cook 1 minute more. Using a skimmer or strainer, remove the bagels from the water and place them back on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining bagels.

Bake the bagels for 20-25 minutes, until they're as deep a brown as you like, turning them over about 15 minutes, which will help them remain tall and round. Remove the bagels from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack.

Zucchini Lemon Muffins

2010-04-28T12:53:00.002-06:00

Recently I checked the King Arthur Flour's Bakers Companion cookbook and have been trying new muffins, bagels and breads out. The ones that both Joe and I and our family members (who are our guinea pigs) enjoy the most I'll share on here with you. This was our favorite muffin recipe that I tried out. It was very light and flavorful and this summer when zucchini is plentiful I'll definitely be making this one often!

ZUCCHINI LEMON MUFFINS

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulate sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Grate peel of 1 lemon or 1/4 teaspoon lemon oil
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup packed shredded unpeeled zucchini

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon peel in a large bowl. Stir in the walnuts and raisins. In a smaller bowl, combine the eggs, milk, and oil. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients. Stir just until barely combined and then gently fold in the zucchini.

Spoon the batter into a greased 12-cup muffin tin and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the muffins spring back when you press them with your fingertips. Remove from the oven, let cool for 5 minutes on a rack, then turn out of the pans to finish cooling.

Cincinnati Chili

2010-04-16T12:23:00.002-06:00

I must admit that I felt like I had to sneak and make this meal, like I was an adulterer, because being a Texan there's only one kind of chili to make....and it's not Cincinnati chili!!! But I had try this recipe because one of the ingredients was root beer. It was just too tempting. Needless to say that this was AWESOME and Joe said it's favorite meal that I've experimented with in awhile. Yay! I found this recipe in a recent Taste of Home magazine.

CINCINNATI CHILI

1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup root beer
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 beef bouillon cube
Hot cooked spaghetti
Optional toppings: crushed tortilla chips, chopped green onions, and shredded cheddar and Parmesan cheeses

In a large saucepan, cook the beef, onions, green pepper and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add the tomatoes, root beer, chili powder, tomato paste, chipotle peppers, cumin and bouillon. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Serve over spaghetti. Garnish with chips, green onions and cheeses if desired.

Thai Chicken with Basil

2010-04-14T11:28:00.002-06:00

I love Thai food and have never made it so when I saw this recipe in a recent Cook's Illustrated magazine, I thought I'd give it a try! I have never used fish sauce or oyster sauce and when I smelled it, I wasn't a fan. While I was making this dish I kept thinking "this is going to taste so gross, I'm going to have to make PBJ's for backup." Even Joe came home and said the house didn't smell good. So the moment of truth came and we took a bite of the completed meal at the same time.....and we loved it! I don't know how this can happen but it tastes NOTHING like it smells. The basil absolutely makes this dish and the texture of the chicken was wonderful. Even Colton gobbled it all up. If you are a fan of Thai food, I challenge you to make this dish!!

THAI CHICKEN WITH BASIL

2 cups fresh basil leaves, tightly packed
3 medium garlic cloves, peeled
6 green or red Thai chiles, stemmed (or you can use 2 serranos or 1 medium jalapeno)
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 2-inch pieces
3 medium shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Process 1 cup basil leaves, garlic, and chiles in food processor until finely chopped (6-10 pulses). Transfer 1 tablespoon of basil mixture to small bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon fish sauce, oyster sauce, vinegar and sugar; set aside. Transfer remaining basil mixture to 12-inch heavy bottomed nonstick skillet. Do not wash food processor bowl!

Pulse chicken and 1 tablespoon fish sauce in food processor until meat is chopped into approximate 1/4-inch pieces (6-8 pulses). Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Stir shallots and oil into basil mixture in skillet. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until garlic and shallots are golden brown.

Add chicken, increase heat to medium, and cook, stirring until traces of pink remain. Add reserved basil-fish sauce mixture and continue to cook, stirring constantly until chicken is no longer pink. Stir in remaining cup basil leaves and cook, stirring constantly, until basil is wilted. Serve immediately.

Caribbean Chicken Caesar Salad

2010-04-12T18:46:00.002-06:00

I wanted to make a new salad for Easter dinner and saw that I had saved this recipe from Taste of Home back in January. I didn't add the chicken with it this time but definitely will in the future. This was a wonderful salad! The whole family loved it plus it was easy to put together, so it's a keeper. I would highly recommend making this for a tasty summer dish this year!

CARIBBEAN CHICKEN CAESAR SALAD

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup thawed non-alcoholic pina colada mix, divided
1 cup tangerine or mandarin orange segments
1 celery rib, chopped
2 tablespoons crushed pineapple
1 green onion, chopped
4 pitted ripe olives, sliced
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons lemon juice
4 teaspoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 cups torn romaine or iceberg lettuce

Combine chicken and 1/4 cup pina colada mix. In a large skillet coated with cooking spray, cook and stir chicken mixture over medium heat until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from the heat; set aside.

Combine the tangerines, celery, pineapple, onion and olives in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, mayonnaise, cheese, garlic, salt, pepper and the remaining pina colada mix.

Add chicken and romaine to the tangerine mixture; drizzle with dressing and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Cajun Seasoning

2010-04-10T13:26:00.002-06:00

I'm a big fan of making my own seasonings. I like that I can make them fresh, omit certain things that I don't like, and there's no MSG in what I make! I recently made this seasoning and really loved it. It's captures the cajun flavor perfectly!

CAJUN SEASONING

1 tablespoon paprika
2 1/2 teaspoons salt (I like using sea salt)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne
3/4 teaspoon white pepper (use more black pepper if you don't have this)
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme

Bacon Potato Waffles

2010-04-07T12:28:00.002-06:00

I found this recipe in the latest issue of Taste of Home and was really intrigued that the recipe called for mashed potatoes in the batter. Couldn't pass that up! I loved the consistency that it created - soft on the inside and crisp on the out. The bacon was awesome too but I'd add more strips next time. This is a wonderfully hearty breakfast meal!

BACON POTATO WAFFLES

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1-1/2 cups mashed potatoes (I used instant potatoes)
1 cup 2% milk
5 tablespoons canola oil
1/4 cup finely chopped onion (I didn't add this - too weird for me)
3 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled (Next time I'm going to try 5 strips)
Maple syrup or chunky applesauce
Additional crumbled cooked bacon, optional

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, mashed potatoes, milk and oil. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in onion and bacon.

Bake in a preheated waffle iron according to manufacturer’s directions until golden brown. Serve with syrup or applesauce. Sprinkle with additional bacon if desired.

Creamy Berry Salad

2010-03-27T09:50:00.002-06:00

This is a delicious berry salad that we all loved....especially Colton. I'm pretty sure it will be a staple this summer at our house.

CREAMY BERRY SALAD

3 cups boiling water
1 small package of raspberry Jell-o (I used the sugar free kind)
1 small package of tapioca pudding
1 large package of vanilla pudding (I used sugar free again)
1 tub of Cool Whip (try and get the kind that doesn't have hydrogenated oils and other yucky stuff in it. I think it's called Tru Whip.)
1 package of frozen berries

Bring water to a boil. Add the Jell-o and puddings and bring to a boil. Remove from heat once it's boiling and pour it into a heat-safe bowl. Cool until thick; chill for 90 minutes. Add the Cool Whip and berries and chill for 2 hours.

Long Boy "Burgers"

2010-03-24T21:59:00.004-06:00

My newest favorite cooking channel is PBS - specifically Cook's Country and America's Test Kitchen. Since discovering these shows I now subscribe to their magazines and I'm getting so many wonderful recipes from them! This is one that looked awesome and sounded easy so I had to try it. We loved it and when we're craving burgers but the weather isn't permitting us to turn the grill on, we'll definitely be making these! (And I can't do pictures because my laptop is on the fritz. My PC won't load pictures. So just imagine how good my food looks.)

LONG BOY "BURGERS"

3 (6-inch) sub rolls, split in half lengthwise
1 1/4 cup cornflakes, crushed
1/2 small onion, minced
1/2 cup whole or lowfat milk
6 tablespoons ketchup, separated
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 pounds 90% lean ground beef
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Adjust the oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Bake rolls, cut side up, on wire rack inside rimmed baking sheet until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes.

Combine cornflakes, onion, milk, 4 tablespoons ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, garlic powder, egg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in large bowl. Add meat and knead gently until well combined.

Top toasted rolls evenly with meat mixture, spreading meat to edges of rolls. Brush top of meat mixture evenly with remaining ketchup and bake until meat registers 160 degrees, 20-25 minutes. Top burgers with cheese and continue to bake until cheese melts, 3-4 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes. Serve.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pizza

2010-03-24T21:51:00.001-06:00

I got this recipe out of the most recent Taste of Home and we loved it!! We used to live by a pizza place that made a pizza similar to this and we would order it all the time. I'm glad I have a recipe to recreate it! This was also a hit with Colton because chicken nuggets were on it.

CHICKEN CORDON BLEU PIZZA

1 tube refrigerated pizza crust
1/2 cup Alfredo sauce
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt (I used garlic powder)
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 1/2 cups cubed fully cooked ham (I used Canadian bacon)
10 breaded chicken nuggets, thawed and cut in half
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Any veggies you may want to add. This wasn't part of the recipe but I added a red bell pepper and mushrooms.

Unroll dough into a greased 15x10x1 baking pan; flatten dough and build up edges slightly. Bake at 425 degrees for 8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

Spread with Alfredo sauce; sprinkle with garlic salt and Swiss cheese. Top with ham, chicken nuggets and mozzarella. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Cinnamon Popcorn

2010-03-11T13:51:00.004-07:00

There's a monthly neighborhood playgroup that Colton and I attend and we are supposed to bring a snack to share with everyone. As usual, I completely forgot until this morning about the snack part and to make it worse, it was supposed to be a green snack! Aside from some cucumbers, frozen peas, and 2 celery stalks, I had nothing else green on hand. I got the creative juices flowing and thought about making some sort of flavored popcorn that is green since I always have lots of popcorn around here. It turned out awesome and wish there had been more leftover so I could have eaten it all!

CINNAMON POPCORN

1 bag popcorn (I'd go with the lowfat kind since you'll be adding more butter to it)
1/2 stick of butter
2/3 cup white sugar
2 heaping teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
Green sugar sprinkles (optional for St. Patricks Day!)

Pop the popcorn in the microwave. Melt the butter in a saucepan and then add the sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. While that is all melting and coming to a boil, put the popcorn in a large bowl. Once the sugar mixture is boiling, take it off and pour if over the popcorn. Stir the popcorn until everything is mixed.

You can eat it like this if you'd like (make sure it's cooled down) and it would be gooey and delicious. If you want it hard and delicious (I think this is the best route if you're sharing) then bake it on a cookie sheet in the oven at 250 degrees for about 20 minutes. Whichever method you'd like to go with, sprinkle with the sugar sprinkles at the end!

Peach French Toast

2010-02-23T18:13:00.004-07:00

This is a dish that my mother-in-law made for the baby shower that we co-hosted last weekend. This French toast casserole was so good and I watched her make it the night before and witnessed that it wasn't hard to make. This would be perfect for Sundays when you are frantically trying to get everyone ready for church and still need to feed everyone breakfast! She got this recipe from one of her friends.

PEACH FRENCH TOAST

1 cup brown sugar
1 stick of butter, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons water
1 large can sliced peaches (or about 4 fresh peaches)
1 loaf fresh French bread, sliced 1-inch thick
5 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
Cinnamon and sugar

In a saucepan, melt brown sugar and butter. When butter melts, add the water; return to burner and stir constantly until mixture foams, then pour into 9x13 baking dish. Let cool 10 minutes, then line dish with sliced peaches, then layer of French bread, and then remaining peaches. In blender, blend eggs, milk and vanilla. Pour carefully over peaches and bread, making sure all pieces are covered. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour (until golden). Use pan syrup to top, then top with whip cream if desired.

Baked Artichoke Squares

2010-02-21T18:45:00.003-07:00

I made this for a baby shower I co-hosted on Saturday and they were a huge hit! I got asked many times for the recipe and was quite embarrassed when I described how easy they were to make. Anybody can make these. I got them from the Pillsbury.com website.....a great resource for recipes!

BAKED ARTICHOKE SQUARES

2 cans of the crescent seamless dough sheets (next to the crescent rolls in the refrigerated section)
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 box frozen spinach, thawed and drained (squeezed)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2/3 cup sour cream
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder (I minced 1 clove of garlic)

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Unroll the dough sheets from the cans and cut them down the middle so that you have 4 long rectangles. Place them cross-wise in an ungreased 9x13 baking pan; press over the bottom and up along the sides. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden colored.

Meanwhile in a bowl mix together the remaining ingredients. Spread the mixture over the cooked crescent crust. Bake 8-10 minutes longer or until the topping is hot. Cut into 1/2-inch square. Serve warm.

Ruby Red Pretzel Dip

2010-02-18T09:20:00.003-07:00

This is another snack I made for the Super Bowl but with all the chaos I forgot to get it out of the fridge during the game! So Joe and I ate a lot of it and I also took to a play group. Everyone enjoyed it and thought it almost tasted "Christmas-y" because of the cranberries. I would recommend it as a finger food for an open house or something kinda fancy. I got the recipe from a Taste of Home cookbook.

RUBY RED PRETZEL DIP

1 can (14 ounces) jellied cranberry sauce
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cold water
Red food coloring, optional
Pretzels

In a saucepan, combine the first seven ingredients; whisk over medium heat until smooth. Combine flour and cold water until smooth; add to cranberry mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; stir in food coloring if desired. Cover and chill overnight. Serve with pretzels.

Cake Balls

2010-02-11T20:35:00.005-07:00

This year I wanted to try some new things for Valentine treats although my normal tradition of these sugar cookies are going to be missed. If I wasn't dieting I would have made those cookies PLUS these cake balls...and eaten most of both.

Cake balls seem to be really trendy right now so I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon and try them out for myself. They are definitely easy to make - a perfect kid's dessert. They are also deliciously moist and just a perfect treat for the holidays. I really wanted to make a red velvet cake with cream cheese icing and then dip them into dark chocolate (HEAVEN) but the grocery store was sold out of red velvet cake mix and I was too lazy to go to another store. Once that option was out my creativity also went out and I couldn't think of any other good combos. So I stuck with the classic chocolate cake and chocolate fudge icing. Then I dipped them in white chocolate and sprinkled them with red sugar. Pretty!

CAKE BALLS

1 package cake mix of your choosing
1 container prepared icing of your choosing
1 package of bakers chips (the chocolates meant for melting and dipping)

Prepare the cake mix according to the packaged directions. Once the cake is baked, let it cool for 30 minutes. Crumble the cake into a bowl and mix with the icing. Put this mixture into the fridge to cool for a couple of hours. Once cooled, make tablespoon-sized balls with the cake.

In a glass bowl, melt the bakers chips in the microwave until melted....but don't overcook! The best way to melt it is to do it slowly and once half the chips are melted just keep stirring until all the chips are melted.

Dunk the cake balls into the melted chocolate and then place on wax paper to harden. Sprinkle with colored sugar or any other decor before the chocolate has set.

Enchiladas Verde

2010-02-09T09:37:00.003-07:00

I was so proud of myself after making these enchiladas....they tasted so authentic! Although they are slightly time consuming, they are super easy to make. And these are a very healthy, not rich version of enchiladas. Definitely make these the next time you're in the mood for Mexican food! I got this recipe from one of my favorite cooking shows on PBS - America's Test Kitchen.

ENCHILADAS VERDE

4 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 chopped onion
3 minced garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breasts
3 cans whole tomatillos
3 medium poblano chiles (or 4 large jalapenos if you can't find poblanos)
2 1/2 teaspoons sugar
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
8 ounces of Pepper Jack or Monterrey Jack cheese
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas

Adjust oven racks to middle and highest positions and heat broiler. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering; add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons garlic and cumin; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Decrease heat to low and stir in broth. Add chicken, cover, and simmer until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 160 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking. Transfer chicken to large bowl; place in refrigerator to cool, about 20 minutes. Remove 1/4 cup liquid from saucepan and set aside; discard remaining liquid.

Meanwhile, toss tomatillos and poblanos with remaining 2 teaspoons oil; arrange on rimmed baking sheet lined with foil, with poblanos skin-side up. Broil until vegetables blacken and start to soften, 5 to 10 minutes, rotating pan halfway through cooking. Cool 10 minutes, then remove skin from poblanos (leave tomatillo skins intact). Transfer tomatillos and chiles to food processor.
Add 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, remaining teaspoon garlic, and reserved cooking liquid to food processor; process until sauce is somewhat chunky, about eight 1-second pulses. Taste sauce; season with salt and pepper and adjust tartness by stirring in remaining sugar, 1/2 teaspoon at a time. Set sauce aside (you should have about 3 cups).

When chicken is cool, pull into shreds using hands or 2 forks, then chop into small bite-sized pieces. Combine chicken with cilantro and 11/2 cups cheese; season with salt.

Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees. Place warm tortillas on countertop and spread 1/3 cup filling down center of each tortilla. Roll each tortilla tightly and place in baking dish, seam-side down. Pour remaining tomatillo sauce over top of enchiladas. Use back of spoon to spread sauce so that it coats top of each tortilla. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese and cover baking dish with foil.

Bake enchiladas on middle rack until heated through and cheese is melted, 15 to 20 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with scallions, and serve immediately, passing radishes and sour cream separately.

Meat and Bean Empanadas

2010-02-07T20:24:00.003-07:00

For the next few days I'll be posting some awesome food that I made for the Super Bowl today! I hosted my family and Joe's parents and cooked a lot of food. I also learned today that I would not enjoy being a chef or a caterer....my back and feet are KILLING me! I had to book a massage for tomorrow. It's that bad. And if you are in need of a wicked cool massage therapist, call this chica. And when you do, tell her that she has the coolest sister on the planet.

Anyways, these empanadas are a variation from the ones I posted here. I was quite proud of myself because I made this up all by myself....no recipe to follow! That's kinda rare for me. These were the most popular items of the night.

MEAT AND BEAN EMPANADAS

1/2 lb. ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onions
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 packet of taco seasoning
1/2 can fat-free refried beans (or full-fat beans, whatever you want)
1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes
1 cup Colby Jack cheese
1 package of refrigerated pie crust (2 in a pack)

Heat the oven to 425 degrees and grease a baking sheet.

In a skillet, brown the beef with the onions, garlic and taco seasoning. Add the beans and tomatoes and mix all together.

With the pie crusts, using a 3-inch biscuit cutter (or the ring from the bottle of peaches that I just finished off in my case) and cut 7 circles out of each crust. With the extra crust you can get at least 2 more circles - you want to make 16 empanadas.

On one half of each circle add a teaspoon of cheese and about 2 teaspoons of meat. Fold the circle over to make a half moon shape and use a fork to crimp the edges.

Lay the empanadas on the baking sheet and bake for 18 minutes. Serve them either by themselves or with sour cream, salsa and/or guacamole to dip them into. YUM!!

Chubby Hubby Cookies

2010-02-01T21:02:00.003-07:00

My friend Cassie recently posted this recipe for Chubby Hubby Cookies on her blog and I knew I had to make them for Joe pronto - Ben & Jerry's Chubby Hubby ice cream is his favorite! Colton helped me make these as a surprise for "dada" tonight and it was a lot of fun. They were easy to make and turned out delicious.

CHUBBY HUBBY COOKIES

3/4 cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar (I just realized that I forgot to add this and the cookies still tasted great!)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup crushed pretzels

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and either line parchment paper on a baking sheet or grease it up. Beat together the butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and soda. Add this to the batter and mix until blended. Add the remaining ingredients. Drop by rounded tablespoons (or a small scoop) on baking sheet and cook for 11-13 minutes.

Mexican Chocolate Crunch Brownies

2010-01-18T13:23:00.002-07:00

Last night my sister wanted to have a game night with us and some other family members and I got put in charge of treats. I had been wanting to make these brownies ever since I saw them on the Pillsbury website - how was I going to turn down try brownies that have Cinnamon Toast Crunch in them?! These turned out to be DELICIOUS! If you love cinnamon sugar things AND chocolate, this will be your dream come true.

MEXICAN CHOCOLATE CRUNCH BROWNIES

8 cups Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon corn syrup
1 box brownie mix (they obviously suggest Pillsbury brownies but I used Ghiradeli because that's what I had on hand)
the ingredients to make the brownies (oil, egg, etc)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/3 cup chocolate chips
3 tablespoon cinnamon sugar (or 3 tablespoon sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon mixed together)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Place cereal in a food processor and pulse until the cereal is in crumbs. Or you can put the cereal in a bag and with a rolling pin crush it into crumbs.

In a medium bowl, mix the butter and corn syrup together. Add the cereal crumbs and stir to coat. Press evenly in 9x13 pan.

In medium bowl, make brownies as directed but add the 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Pour the brownie batter over the cereal crust in the pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the batter. Cook for 20 minutes. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top and cook for an additional 14-18, or until the brownies are set.

Allow to cool before cutting. Enjoy!

Ritz Cracker Pie

2010-01-09T15:08:00.002-07:00

I ran across this recipe on Heidi's blog and was so intrigued by it. How could a Ritz Cracker Pie be any good? Well let me tell you...it's delicious! I made it for my family on New Years and everyone really liked it. With all the pecans in it it tastes similar to a pecan pie. It was so easy to make that I would highly recommend everyone to try it!

RITZ CRACKER PIE

3 egg whites
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup sugar
20 crumbled Ritz crackers (no substitutes)
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1 tsp vanilla
Cool Whip, Dream Whip or whipped cream

Preheat oven to 325. Grease a 9 inch pie pan. Beat egg whites and baking powder until stiff. Blend in sugar and add crackers, pecans and vanilla. Pour into pie pan and bake 30 minutes. Cool completely and top with whipped topping of choice. Chill in refrigerator.

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup

2010-01-04T10:56:00.003-07:00

I made this soup for my family on New Years and it was a big hit! Very easy to put together and make because you do it all in the slow cooker. It's perfect to eat in the winter when it's so cold outside! I got the recipe from AllRecipes.com (here).

SLOW COOKER CHICKEN TACO SOUP

1 onion, chopped
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer (You can substitute chicken broth here)
2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts
shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
sour cream (optional)
crushed tortilla chips (optional)

Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours.

Remove chicken breasts from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, and continue cooking for 2 hours. Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips, if desired.

Eggnog Bread

2009-12-28T15:20:00.003-07:00

This year we've had tons of eggnog on hand (I think Joe keeps sneaking it in) so I've been trying different recipes using the eggnog. I made this bread for Christmas Eve and it was a big hit! I made them into mini loaves and gave the extra loaves to family members. Definitely try this when you have some extra eggnog around!

EGGNOG BREAD

2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups eggnog
3 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 small box vanilla pudding (non-instant)
2 1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease one large bread pan or mini loaf pan. Blend together the first 5 ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Slowly mix the dry ingredients in with the wet ingredients. Pour into prepared pan and cook 35-40 minutes if you're making small loaves and 40-50 minutes if making a large loaf.

Noodle Kugel

2009-12-24T19:50:00.002-07:00

I can't even remember how I ran across this recipe on AllRecipes.com but I saw and knew I had to make it for Christmas Eve. I like to celebrate other cultures around Christmas, primarily in food form. I've made a Kwanzaa Coconut Cake, popular dishes eaten in European countries on Christmas, etc. So I made this classic Jewish dish (you can read about it's origins here) and it was super easy to make. I was a little hesitant about how it was going to taste but the whole family loved it! My sister said it tastes like an apple struedel in noodle form. I highly encourage everyone to try it.

NOODLE KUGEL

1 (16 ounce) package egg noodle
1/4 cup butter
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cups applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cinnamon, for dusting

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the egg noodles, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 5 minutes. Drain well in a colander set in the sink.

Place noodles in a large bowl. Mix margarine into the noodles until melted. Stir in the eggs, sugar, applesauce, and vanilla extract. Pour noodle mixture into a 9x13 inch baking pan, then sprinkle with cinnamon. Cover baking pan with aluminum foil.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Uncover the kugel and bake until golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes.

Shepherd's Pie

2009-12-22T16:16:00.004-07:00

This is one of our favorite dinners to eat around here. I can remember when I was younger when my best friend told me that her family was going to eat Shepherds Pie for dinner thinking that that sounded like the most disgusting thing in the world. I could only imagine that shepherds would put really gross things into their pies - like lamb. =)

I ran across this recipe on AllRecipes.com years ago and we've been making it regularly ever since. If you've never had it, it's similar to a hamburger pie but a lot better! It's even easier to prepare when you have leftover mashed potatoes.

SHEPHERDS PIE

4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed (I cheat and use instant potatoes or leftover mashed potatoes)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
5 carrots, chopped (I used 1 bag of baby carrots)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 pound lean ground beef (I like to add seasoning to my meat, so do that if you want. I like Montreal Steak seasoning, personally)
2 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon ketchup
3/4 cup beef broth
1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
***Sometimes I like to add other veggies to the meat mixture like peas or green beans. Peas are the best in this dish.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain and mash. Mix in butter, finely chopped onion and 1/4 cup shredded cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste; set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add carrots and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, mash and set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C.)

Heat oil in a large frying pan. Add onion and cook until clear. Add ground beef and cook until well browned. Pour off excess fat, then stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Add ketchup and beef broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Spread the ground beef in an even layer on the bottom of a 2 quart casserole dish. Next, spread a layer of mashed carrots. Top with the mashed potato mixture and sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Mushroom and Swiss Chicken

2009-12-09T22:06:00.003-07:00

This is an excellent and easy dish to make when you want to have an elegant dinner. I made this dinner for Joe for his birthday a few years ago and have been making it ever since. Joe's birthday is this weekend and I plan on making it again! I got it from AllRe cipes.com.

MUSHROOM AND SWISS CHICKEN

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 cloves crushed garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Cajun-style seasoning
1 cup chopped green onion
1 (8 ounce) package sliced fresh mushrooms
4 slices Swiss cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Combine oil and garlic in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Add chicken breasts and coat well with the oil and garlic. Sprinkle with the vinegar and Cajun seasoning.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.

Remove chicken from oven and cover with green onion and mushrooms; then add a few more sprinkles of oil and vinegar and return dish to oven for 15 to 20 minutes more. Remove from oven and immediately place 1 slice of cheese on top of each chicken breast; cheese will melt. Serve immediately.

Bacon Grilled Cheese

2009-12-05T17:45:00.003-07:00

This is such a good sandwich! It was perfect to eat on a cold, snowy night. Warmed us right up!! This will definitely be a regular sandwich that I make. You can find the original recipe on the Better Homes and Garden website here.

BACON GRILLED CHEESE

4 slice of honey wheat bread (I used what we had on hand - sourdough bread)
2 tablespoons butter, softened
3 ounces of smoked cheddar or Pepper Jack slice (we used Pepper Jack)
4 slices bacon, cooked crisp
1 small avocado, pitted, peeled, and sliced
2 tomato slices
1 tablespoon light mayonnaise
1 teaspoon honey

Butter one side of all the bread. On the unbuttered sides of 2 slices place cheese, bacon, avocado, and tomato. Combine light mayonnaise and honey. Spread on unbuttered side of remaining 2 bread slices. Place mayonnaise side down on top of tomatoes.

In skillet or griddle, cook over medium heat 4 to 6 minutes, until toasted and cheese is melted, turning once. Or place in preheated panini maker; cook 2 to 3 minutes. Makes 2 sandwiches.

Twice-Baked Sweet Potato

2009-12-01T19:23:00.002-07:00

A few weeks ago I bought a 10-pound box of sweet potatoes thinking I'd use them up quick because of Thanksgiving and I have found myself with a TON of sweet potatoes leftover. I'm trying out new recipes and I found one that I'm really liking. This recipe for twice-baked sweet potatoes is awesome because it is so versatile. You can follow the recipe (it's really good) or add your favorite toppings - coconut, marshmallows, orange zest, etc. And I also love it because you're not committing yourself to a huge casserole that you'll be eating for leftovers all week. You can just make one per person and also make them to each persons liking! Love it!

I got this recipe from the Kraft website and you can find it here.

TWICE-BAKED SWEET POTATOES

2 large sweet potatoes
2 ounces cream cheese
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (I used pumpkin pie spice)
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Heat the oven to 425. Cut the potatoes in half length-wise; place cut-side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake 30-35 minutes, or until tender.

Scoop out the centers of the sweet potatoes, leaving 1/4-inch thick shells. Add cream cheese, milk, brown sugar, and cinnamon to the potatoes; mash until blended.

Fill the shells with the potato mixture; top with nuts. Bake another 8 minutes, or until heated through and the nuts are toasted.

Oat-Topped Sweet Potato Crisp

2009-11-20T11:19:00.003-07:00

I got this recipe from the Kraft website and decided to test it out on family as a possible contender for Thanksgiving. It was easy to put together and we all loved it! The only problem was deciding if it was a side dish or a dessert. If you are looking for a new sweet potato dish to try out for Thanksgiving, use this one!

OAT-TOPPED SWEET POTATO CRISP

1 pkg. (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened
1 can (40 oz.) cut sweet potatoes, drained
3/4 cup packed brown sugar, divided
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 Granny Smith apple, chopped
2/3 cup chopped cranberries
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats, uncooked
1/3 cup cold butter or margarine
1/4 cup chopped Pecans

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat cream cheese, sweet potatoes, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and cinnamon with mixer until well blended. Spoon into 1.5 qt casserole dish; top with apples and cranberries.

Mix flour, oats, and remaining sugar in a medium bowl; cut in butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in nuts. Sprinkle over the fruit layer in casserole dish.

Bake 35-40 minutes, or until heated through.

Coconut Pancake Syrup

2009-11-18T19:23:00.002-07:00

I recently made a Thai dish (not good enough to post on here) and had a lot of leftover coconut milk and couldn't figure out how to use it. I searched on AllRecipes.com for something and saw this recipe for Coconut Pancake Syrup. It was super easy to make and we all LOVED it! We ate it with waffles one night and then shared it with my inlaws and ate it with Swedish pancakes another morning. Delicious both times!

COCONUT PANCAKE SYRUP

1 can coconut milk
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 cups light corn syrup
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut

Whisk together the coconut milk and cornstarch in a saucepan until the cornstarch is dissolved. Pour in the corn syrup, sugar, and coconut; bring to a boil, stirring continually. As soon as the mixture comes to a rolling boil, remove from heat. Allow to cool completely before serving.

Banana Crumb Muffins

2009-11-06T11:42:00.003-07:00

Shellie made these muffins for us when she was visiting us over the summer and we all loved them - even Joe who hates both bananas and muffins! I had a bunch of bananas that were about to go bad so I requested the recipe of these amazing muffins from Shell and I'd love to share it with everyone! Seriously....make these soon.

BANANA CRUMB MUFFINS

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Shellie's tips

Don't use muffin paper liners. waste of time. and in my opinion waste of muffin. just spray pam into muffin pan and they will come right out.

Also if you have an ice cream scoop with a pushy button that releases the ice cream I use that to fill the muffins. don't get a complete scoop or it will over run. like a 3/4 scoop is perfect.

This recipe makes about 12. but you are probably want to double or triple it cause its that good.

Sweet Potato Minestrone

2009-11-03T19:14:00.002-07:00

I saw this recipe and thought it would be the perfect fall soup to try out so I made it Halloween night. We all absolutely loved it and it was also very healthy. I plan on making this one often. You can find the original recipe here and I'll list the recipe on here with the changed I made.

SWEET POTATO MINESTRONE

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large sweet onion, chopped
2 large stalks celery, chopped
2 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon of each: thyme, oregano, rosemary, and red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
1 (28 ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes
5 cups chicken broth
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 large carrots, sliced thin
1 cup frozen peas
1 can red kidney beans
5 cloves of garlic, minced

Heat oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Saute onion, celery, Italian seasoning, other seasonings, salt and pepper until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, with the juice, broth, sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, beans and garlic. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

Beer Bread

2009-10-18T18:50:00.004-06:00

One of my favorite things to eat with chili is beer bread. The yeast-y, sweet flavor of the bread is perfect with it. This is a new recipe that I tried out on my family and everyone loved it! It's super easy to make so definitely give it a try! This recipe is adapted from this one.

BEER BREAD

3 cups self-rising flour
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 (12 ounce) can of beer
1/4 cup of butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch baking pan. In a bowl, mix the self-rising flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, onion powder, and Italian seasoning. Pour in the beer, and mix just until moistened. Transfer to the prepared baking pan. Top with the melted butter. Bake 45 to 55 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Eggplant Parmesan

2009-10-12T09:59:00.002-06:00

Eggplant has been one of those veggies that I would eye at the grocery and farmers markets but would NEVER attempt to buy it. Gross. Well something just came over me last week and I decided to buy one and make eggplant parmesan. No clue what would come of this but I figured I should try it before concluding that it was disgusting. I took a few recipes and combined them into this one and we loved it! I seriously could have eaten the whole thing by myself. If you haven't ever tried eggplant, try this recipe!

EGGPLANT PARMESAN

1 medium eggplant, peeled and thinly sliced
2-4 tbsp kosher salt
2 eggs, beaten
4 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 jar spaghetti sauce of your choice
1 package of spaghetti noodles, cooked
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Sweat the eggplant by generously sprinkling the eggplant slices with kosher salt (this takes the bitterness out). Let this sit for 30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry with a paper towel. Dip the slices into the beaten eggs and then coat with the bread crumbs. Place on a baking sheet coated with olive oil. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese on the eggplant slices. Bake for 7 minutes at 450 degrees and then flip them over and bake for an additional 7 minutes. While this is baking, combine the spaghetti sauce and noodles. Serve the eggplant over the spaghetti and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese.

Double Delight Peanut Butter Cookies

2009-10-06T15:33:00.003-06:00

YUM YUM YUM is all I have to say about these cookies. I made them for Joe's family and my family over the weekend and everyone loved them! I got the recipe from Janet's blog and she did not disappoint! Everyone needs to try these.

Double Delight Peanut Butter Cookies

1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts, finely chopped
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 roll Pillsbury refigerated peanut butter cookie dough, well chilled
non-stick cooking spray

Directions:

Heat oven to 375* F. In small bowl, mix chopped peanuts, granulated sugar and cinnamon; set aside.
In another small bowl, stir peanut butter and powdered sugar until completely blended. Shape mixture into 24 (1 inch) balls.
Cut roll of cookie dough into 12 slices. Cut each slice in half crosswise to make 24 pieces; flatten slightly. Shape 1 cookie dough piece around 1 peanut butter ball, covering completely. Repeat with remaining dough and balls.
Roll each covered ball in peanut/sugar mixture; gently pat mixture completely onto balls. On ungreased large cookie sheets, place balls 2 inches apart. Spray bottom of drinking glass with non-stick cooking spray; flatten each ball to 1/2 inch thickness with bottom of glass. Sprinkle remaining peanut/sugar mixture evenly on tops of flattened cookies; gently press into dough.
Bake 7 - 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Store tightly covered.

Makes 24 "gooey-in-the-middle" cookies!

Baked Butternut Squash

2009-09-23T16:16:00.003-06:00

In the past when I've gotten butternut squash I always made soup with it. That's very delicious and all but I wanted to try something new. I decided to try this recipe and loved it! It's the perfect side dish for the fall and it was easy to make.

BAKED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a large bowl, combine the parsley, oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Add squash and toss to coat.

Transfer to an ungreased shallow 2-qt. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees F for 50-55 minutes or until squash is just tender.

Creamy Carrot Gelatin Salad

2009-09-14T10:22:00.002-06:00

Ok, so the the title of this sounds a little gross, but don't judge this recipe by its name! I have a lot of carrots that are going to go bad soon so I searched the internet for some new dishes that I could experiment with. Colton LOVES Jell-o with fruit in it, so I wanted to make a Jell-o dish with carrots in it and see if he likes that too. This dish is so delicious, you can't even tell there's carrot in it! I served it to my family and they all asked if coconut was in it. Ha! Here's the link for the salad.

CREAMY CARROT GELATIN SALAD

1 can (8 ounce) of crushed pineapple
24 marshmallows (I used the small kind)
1 jar (5 ounces) cream cheese with pineapple (I just used regular cream cheese)
1 package lemon Jell-o (I used Jell-O's Tropical flavor - it has pineapple, orange, and cherry flavors)
1 1/2 cups boiling water
3/4 cup grated carrots

Drain pineapple; reserve juice. Heat reserved pineapple juice in a small saucepan over low heat; add marshmallows, stirring until melted. Add cream cheese, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat. Dissolve Jello in boiling water; cool. combine marshmallow mixture with gelatin; chill until jelled to the consistency of unbeaten egg white. Stir in crushed pineapple and grated carrot; pour into an 8-inch square pan; cut carrot salad in squares to serve.

Homemade Taco Seasoning

2009-09-02T11:07:00.002-06:00

About a year ago I wanted to make a meal that required taco seasoning and I didn't have any on hand. I checked out some recipes online and decided that it looked easy enough to make it on my own. I've been doing it every since and love it! I think it tastes a lot better than the packets you buy PLUS it doesn't have anything nasty in it like MSG. Did you know that most taco seasoning packets had MSG in it? I didn't until I started making my own and compared the ingredients in both. So here's my version that I love and it's equivalent to using one packet.

HOMEMADE TACO SEASONING

3 teaspoons chili powder
2 1/2 teaspoons paprika
2 1/4 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Mix together and you're done!

Oven Denver Omelet

2009-08-27T16:02:00.002-06:00

I have a lot of peppers and eggs on hand right now, so I wanted to make an omelet. I looked through my Taste of Home cookbook and found this recipe (you can find it online here). It went along perfect with my "one-skillet" theme for the week. The whole family loved it and we'll be making it often!

OVEN DENVER OMELET

8 eggs
1/2 cup half-and-half cream (I used whole milk)
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup finely chopped fully cooked ham (I used bacon)
1/4 cup finely chopped green pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped onion

In a bowl, whisk the eggs and cream until light. Stir in the cheese, ham, green pepper and onion. Pour into a greased 9-in. square baking dish. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Mexican Pasta Skillet

2009-08-24T19:02:00.004-06:00

This is just one of those basic one-pot meals that tastes so good and requires ingredients that you usually always have on hand. In meal planning for the week, I want to simplify things and focus on one-pot meals. So here is my first one I tried this week and you can find it here on the Betty Crocker site. The whole family loved it and I'll definitely be making this one again.

MEXICAN PASTA SKILLET

1 pound extra-lean ground beef (I used ground turkey)
1 jar (16 oz) salsa (I used salsa verde)
1 cup tomato sauce
2 cups macaroni noodles, pre-cooked
1 cup frozen corn
1 bell pepper, diced (this wasn't part of the recipe, I just added it at the last minute)
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

In a skillet, cook until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the salsa and tomato sauce. Heat to boiling. Stir in macaroni, corn, and bell pepper. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and serve warm.

Blueberry BBQ Sauce

2009-08-14T21:15:00.002-06:00

Like I mentioned in the previous post, I have a lot of blueberries on hand and needed new ideas of how to use them before they went bad. Somewhere I had heard of blueberry bbq sauce and so I turned to trusty ol' Google to find me a recipe. I did check my usual sites but had no luck. I found a recipe from The BBQ Report that looked easy enough so I thought I'd give it a go. It was delicious! I was out of chicken to serve it with so I ran over to KFC and picked up some grilled chicken breasts. I loved the fruitiness of the sauce with the chicken.

BLUEBERRY BBQ SAUCE

2 cups fresh blueberries
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ginger powder

Combine all the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Pour the sauce into a blender and blend until smooth.

Blueberry Muffins with Streusel Topping

2009-08-09T21:42:00.003-06:00

I recently bought a lot of blueberries that were on sale and was thinking that I hadn't made blueberry muffins from scratch in a LONG time. This is mainly due to Joe's dislike of any muffin except ones from Costco, so I decided to try this recipe from AllRecipes.com to try and change Joe's mind. I didn't have all the ingredients it asked for (I was low on white sugar) so on here I'm going to list the ingredients that I used. Again, check out the original here.

These muffins turned out to be soooo good and Joe even said that they're better than the Costco ones. Yay! Colton was even a fan of them. I think the key was the streusel topping. Take that Costco!

BLUEBERRY MUFFINS WITH STRUESEL TOPPING

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, diced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease 12 muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.

Combine 2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, nutmeg and 1/2 teaspoon salt in medium bowl. In a small bowl, sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons flour over blueberries, and set aside. (This simple trick will keep you from having "purple" batter)

In a large bowl, beat 1/2 cup butter with 1/2 cup white sugar and 1/4 cup brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, and stir in vanilla and lemon zest. Fold in dry ingredients alternately with milk. Fold in blueberries. Remember, fold gently, don't stir. Spoon batter into prepared cups.

Combine 2 tablespoons flour, 5 tablespoons brown sugar ,and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in 2 tablespoons butter with fork or pastry blender until mixture resembles course crumbs. Sprinkle over batter in muffin cups.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack.

Pineapple and Green Chile Pork Tacos

2009-08-04T19:32:00.002-06:00

These tacos are sooooo good! I got the recipe from Cassie's blog Cassie Craves because she loved it....so naturally I would too. Especially because she's pregnant and is constantly craving BBQ which is my favorite, so right now we're on the same page culinary-wise. =)

Anyways, these tacos are unbelievably easy to make and they taste delicioso!

PINEAPPLE AND GREEN CHILE PORK TACOS

2 pound boneless pork roast
1 20-ounce can of crushed pineapple, with juices
1 16-ounce jar of salsa verde (tomatillo salsa)
2 4-ounce cans of green chiles
2/3 cup brown sugar (I forgot to add this and it still tasted great! So omit it if you want it to be a little healthier)
Tortillas, sour cream, cilantro, cheese, and whatever else you like on tacos

Combine all the ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Shred pork and season with salt and pepper. In a colander, strain the juices from the slow cooker. Serve the pork and pineapple/chile mixture with desired toppings.

Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes

2009-07-29T18:41:00.002-06:00

I had some extra ricotta on hand and did a search online for some recipes I could use so that the ricotta could be used before it went bad. When I saw this recipe I knew I had to try it. I love breakfast foods! We all really liked these pancakes - even Colton! They were a great first pancake for Colton. It's a very healthy version and the pancake came out light and fresh tasting. You can view the recipe from EatingWell.com here.

BLUEBERRY RICOTTA PANCAKES

1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour (use all-purpose if you don't have this on hand)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1/2 cup skim milk
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons canola oil, divided
3/4 cup fresh or frozen (not thawed) blueberries

Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and nutmeg in a small bowl. Whisk ricotta, egg, egg white, buttermilk, lemon zest and juice in a large bowl until smooth. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.

Brush a large nonstick skillet with 1/2 teaspoon oil and place over medium heat until hot. Using a generous 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake, pour the batter for 2 pancakes into the pan, sprinkle blueberries on each pancake and cook until the edges are dry and bubbles begin to form, about 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes more. Repeat with the remaining oil, batter and berries, adjusting the heat as necessary to prevent burning.

Hot and Sweet Chicken

2009-07-21T19:16:00.002-06:00

This recipe is the most recent one that Pioneer Woman put on her site. I was looking at it today and thought it would be great for dinner tonight! This was one of the best chickens that I've made. Definitely try this one!! I made a couple of changes to the recipe to make it easier. My version is here and you can see Pioneer Woman's here.

HOT AND SWEET CHICKEN

1 cup apricot preserves
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons Tabasco
4 chicken breasts

Mix everything except the chicken in a small bowl. Place chicken in a baking dish and pour the sauce on top. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until it's no longer pink inside.

Carrot Orange Salad

2009-07-12T20:39:00.003-06:00

One of my favorite things to do at thrift stores is to look at their cookbooks. I recently got quite a few great ones for $1 each, one being the Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites. This recipe looked like a great summer salad so I made it for Colton's birthday party and everyone loved it! It's very light and flavorful. The cinnamon adds a surprisingly great dimension to it.

CARROT ORANGE SALAD

4 cups shredded carrot (I bought mine pre-shredded)
3 cans mandarin orange slices, drained
6 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

In a medium bowl, combine the carrots and oranges. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, honey, and cinnamon; mix until combined. Add the dressing to the salad and allow to marinade in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Salmon with Strawberry Salsa

2009-07-02T19:02:00.002-06:00

A couple of years ago I signed up on Google alerts to have any news article with the word "recipe" in it to be emailed to me on a daily basis. I have loved this and have gotten some great recipes from it. This is where I got this strawberry salsa recipe - from Freep.com. Whatever that is. Anyways, this dish was soooo good! It's a perfect summer recipe because it's light, fresh, and has a wonderful fruity flavor to it. The recipe said to serve this salsa with grilled chicken or salmon, so we opted for the latter for our seafood night. We grilled the salmon very simply by just brushing it with butter and seasoning it with salt and pepper. If you're a salmon fan, make this recipe this summer!

STRAWBERRY SALSA

1 English or seedless cucumber, finely chopped
1 green onion, washed, ends removed, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, cut into strips
3 to 4 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled, diced small
1 yellow pepper, stemmed, cored, seeded, diced small

In a medium bowl mix the cucumber, green onion, cilantro and vinegar. Cover and chill at least one hour.

Just before serving, fold in the strawberries and yellow pepper.

White Lasagna

2009-06-24T10:01:00.003-06:00

Now that Joe and I have theme nights for dinner, Joe has been such a big help in menu planning! I asked what he wanted and he told me that he wanted white lasagna. I had no clue what that was and he told me that a coworker brought it to work the other day and it looked really good. The only description he gave me, besides the fact that it's white, is that there was chicken in it. So I went to AllRecipes.com and they had this recipe.

We both really liked it! The only change I'd make next time is to add fresh spinach instead of frozen spinach. I don't know if it's the fact that I know it's frozen and gross looking or that it tastes different, but I just don't like it. I would definitely recommend trying this if you haven't had it yet!
WHITE LASAGNA

9 lasagna noodles
1/2 cup butter
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups milk
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 teaspoon dried basil (I used fresh)
1 teaspoon dried oregano (I used fresh)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups ricotta cheese
2 cups cubed, cooked chicken meat
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and rinse with cold water.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic in the butter until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in the flour and salt, and simmer until bubbly. Mix in the broth and milk, and boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in 2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Season with the basil, oregano, and ground black pepper. Remove from heat, and set aside.

Spread 1/3 of the sauce mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer with 1/3 of the noodles, the ricotta, and the chicken. Arrange 1/3 of the noodles over the chicken, and layer with 1/3 of the sauce mixture, spinach, and the remaining 2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Arrange remaining noodles over cheese, and spread remaining sauce evenly over noodles. Sprinkle with parsley and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven.

Pineapple Shrimp Rice Bake

2009-06-17T15:01:00.003-06:00

I got this recipe out of Taste of Home's Casseroles, Slow Cooker, and Soups cookbook. Joe and I loved the taste of this dish and it was pretty healthy too. Next time I would add some heat to it, either fresh ground pepper or maybe even a few shakes of Tabasco.

PINEAPPLE SHRIMP RICE BAKE

2 cups chicken broth
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
1 garlic clove, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, julienned
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1-1/2 pounds cooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1-1/2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
3/4 cup pineapple tidbits, drained

In a large saucepan, bring broth to a boil. Stir in rice. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the garlic, onion and green pepper in oil until tender. Stir in soy sauce and ginger. Add shrimp, ham and pineapple. Stir in rice.

Transfer to a greased 2-qt. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until heated through. Stir before serving.

Chilean Dal

2009-06-08T15:06:00.003-06:00

Joe listened to the "How Low Can You Go" series on NPR which highlighted different recipes that are inexpensive for family dinners. He thought that this recipe sounded really good so we tried it out. I will confirm that this IS a cheap recipe and we both really liked the taste of it. I would consider this to be a vegetarian version of a beef and vegetable stew....the lentils take the place of the beef. Here is the recipe online.

CHILEAN DAL

3 cups cooked lentils
2 cups chopped potatoes (I would chop these into small, bite-size pieces next time)
2 chopped carrots
3 chopped tomatoes
1 hot pepper (I used a jalapeno)
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
16 ounces tomato sauce
1 teaspoon cumin
A little beer or sherry (I used apple juice)
A little red vinegar
Olive oil
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper

Soak and cook lentils till soft. Drain and rinse, set aside. Sautee onions, garlic, hot pepper, and cumin in olive oil. Add beer or sherry. Add potatoes and carrots, cover with water, bring to boil. Add tomatoes and cook till potatoes are soft. Add lentils and tomato sauce. Salt and pepper to taste. (I sometimes add more water or beer if it's too thick, or vinegar if it's too sweet.) Add more cumin or hot sauce if you like it really spicy. Throw in the cilantro, take if off the heat. Serve after a few minutes.

Herbed Salmon

2009-06-04T16:09:00.003-06:00

One of my favorite restaurants is Market Street Grill. They specialize in seafood and fly in fresh fish daily....yum! Well I took a cooking class at Thanksgiving Point and the chef from Market Street Grill was there teaching us all about seafood. It was awesome! He actually made this dish for us and absolutely loved it. You can get many recipes from the restaurant here.

HERBED SALMON

Sauce Ingredients:

2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
1 tablespoon shallots, finely diced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Combine all of the above ingredients one hour before preparing filets. Set aside.

Salmon Ingredients:

2 Six ounce boneless, skinless salmon filets or chicken breasts (pounded for consistent thickness)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon regular parsley, shopped
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
½ tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
½ tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
½ tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Method:
Combine Italian parsley, parsley, basil, rosemary, cilantro, oregano and salt and pepper. Set aside. Brush both sides of filets or chicken breasts with olive oil. Roll in herb mixture until well coated.

Oil a sauté pan with canola oil. Over medium-high heat, cook filets or chicken breasts for three minutes per side. Spoon sauce over top and serve.

Homemade Pasta

2009-06-02T11:57:00.003-06:00

I mentioned in my last post that I attended a cooking class based on different herbs and this was another recipe that we made there. I never had an interest in making my own pasta, especially when it's so cheap! Well, until that night, I don't think I had ever eaten homemade pasta and HOLY COW it's delicious! It tastes soooo much better than the storebought kind. We made this dough and cooked it all within an hour, so it's not as hard as I thought it would be either. If you've never tried to make it before, just do it once to see how much better it is!!

HOMEMADE PASTA

2 cups all purpose flour or wheat flour
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, sage, thyme, basil, cilantro, oregano, or marjoram (optional but well worth it)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Ice water

In a food processor, pulse the flour and salt to blend. With the machine on, add minced herbs and the eggs one at a time. Add one or two tablespoons of cold water as needed. Knead the dough until it forms a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for at least 30 minutes before rolling.

Cut dough into 4 quarters. Working with one quarter at a time, roll out on a floured surface until as thin as you like your pasta. Cut the rolled pasta in long narrow strips or the shape that you desire.

Cook in salted boiling water for 4-6 minutes. Makes about 1 pound.

Fresh Berries with a Mint Vinaigrette

2009-05-27T16:33:00.003-06:00

I am in love with this salad. I have been making it every single week for the past month and can't imagine ever being sick of it. It is so fresh, healthy, and flavorful....what's not to love? A girl in my neighborhood is going to culinary art school and she taught a cooking class about cooking with herbs. Best class I ever took!!

FRESH BERRIES WITH A MINT VINAIGRETTE

3 cups mix of strawberries, blueberries, raspberried, and/or blackberries - hulled and quartered (it tastes great with only strawberries too)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup simple syrup (recipe follows)
About 10 mint leaves

In a large bowl, toss together the berries. In a blender, combine the mint, lemon juice, and simple syrup. Blend until smooth. Pour the mint mixture over the berries, stir together. Top with a light sprinkle of lemon zest and mint leaves.

Simple Syrup:

1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar

In a saucepan, combine the water and sugar over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved. Take pan off heat and cool the syrup. (Any extra syrup can be saved in an airtight container in the fridge).

Roasted Salmon with Cinnamon and Cumin

2009-05-21T10:24:00.002-06:00

I absolutely LOVE this recipe! Not only did it taste delicious but it was also incredibly easy to make and it's healthy. The combination of sweet taste that comes from the cinnamon and brown sugar combined with the smokiness of cumin is wonderful. I got this from the Best of the Best From Utah cookbook.

ROASTED SALMON WITH CINNAMON AND CUMIN

1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 (6-8 ounce) salmon fillets
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons grated orange zest
3/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine orange and lemon juices and pour over salmon in a marinating dish. Refrigerate for up to 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine sugar, orange zest, cumin, cinnamon, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Remove fish from the marinating dish and place in an oiled baking dish. Rub the sugar mixture over both sides of the salmon, and bake in the oven for approximately 10-15 minutes, until the salmon is just opaque.

Chicken and Spinach Tetrazzini

2009-05-19T19:34:00.005-06:00

I got this cookbook from my dad who got it as a gift from a coworker. He didn't re-gift it, I just stole it since I knew he'd never use it. There are some great recipes in this cookbook and it's fun to see what the WWE wrestlers like to eat. This particular recipe comes from the Undertaker.
Also, Joe and I had to pronounce the recipe like this lady all night long:

CHICKEN AND SPINACH TETRAZZINI

4 ounces spaghetti, broken into 4-inch lengths
2 cups bite-size pieces of chicken
1 package frozen creamed spinach, thawed (I used Stouffer's Spinach Souffle)
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 large garlic clove
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, separated

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cook the pieces of spaghetti in large pot of boiling, salted water until tender. Drain thoroughly, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.

In a large bowl, mix the spaghetti, chicken, creamed spinach, ricotta cheese, tomatoes, garlic, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, and the reserved cooking liquid. Season with pepper. Spread the mixture into a 9-inch pie plates and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake 10 minutes, or until the top is a light golden color.

Ultimate Egg Salad

2009-05-17T13:46:00.004-06:00

I love egg salad sandwiches and this recipe is a new twist on that sandwich that we tried today and really liked! Now that I have an herb garden, I'm finding every excuse I can to use them. =)

ULTIMATE EGG SALAD

6 hard-boiled eggs
2 tablespoons fresh dill, basil, or cilantro (I used basil)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon pickle juice
1 tablespoon mayonnaise (I used Miracle Whip)
Salt and pepper to taste
Wholegrain bread

Place all the ingredients except the eggs and bread in a bowl and mix well. Combine with chopped hard-boiled eggs and spread on bread.