Table For 7

Cheesecake Ice Cream Pie

2010-05-10T17:48:00.000-07:00

A while back, I noticed a recipe on the side of a carton of Breyers Natural Vanilla ice cream. I cut it out of the carton and saved it for a special occasion. The recipe is originally called Breyers Cherry Cheesecake, but I took the liberty to rename it something I think is more fitting. I made this for Mother's Day and it was a big hit. We loved it. It has the perfect ratio of cheesecake to ice cream. You'll have to try it out.

Cheesecake Ice Cream Pie
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup melted butter
3 Tbsp Sugar

1.5 qt. natural vanilla or vanilla bean ice cream (I think you could experiment with other flavors here, but would highly recommend trying it first with the vanilla bean or natural vanilla)

2 packages (8 oz each) Cream Cheese
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2/3 cup sugar

1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling (Or fresh berries. I used fresh strawberries with a little sugar added to bring out the juices. I think any combination of fresh berries would be delicious.)

Combine crumbs, butter and 3 tablespoons sugar; press into 9-inch springform pan.

With electric mixer, beat cream cheese, 2/3 cup sugar and vanilla until smooth.

Spoon ice cream into pan on top of graham cracker crust, pressing to form an even layer. Spread on cream cheese mixture. Cover; freeze at least 5 hours.

Top cheesecake with pie filling or fresh berries and serve.

Spring Cupcakes and Buttercream Frosting

2010-05-02T20:57:00.001-07:00

I made cupcakes last week for a church training event. For simplicity, I just used a lemon cake mix for the cupcakes themselves. To decorate the cupcakes, I used Dots for the center, and then cut large marshmallows into 4 pieces each with scissors. If you do this, it helps to spray your scissors with a cooking spray like Pam. You will have to wash your scissors every once in a while to get the bits of marshmallow off them. Otherwise, they stick, making cutting difficult. If you want to get fancy, you can dip the sticky side of the marshmallow in colored sugar for a fun look. While the decorating isn't really a recipe, it is a fun idea to use for spring.

The recipe I wanted to share is for the buttercream frosting. In the past, I have always just made buttercream frosting by guessing how much butter, powdered sugar and milk to use. It would always turn out fine. This time, I found a recipe that has changed my opinion of buttercream frosting. This will now be my go-to recipe. I found it online and someone said it is the frosting recipe that is used at the cupcake shop called Sprinkles. I can't confirm that, but will give credit where credit is supposedly due.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

1 Cup Butter
3 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. milk

Combine butter (at room temperature), powdered sugar and salt and mix until blended. You will think the mixture won't come together without liquid, but I promise it does. Keep mixing. Then add the vanilla and milk. Mix for 4-5 more minutes until smooth and creamy. I think this is the key to making the frosting so yummy. In the past I have made frosting with my hand mixer and stopped mixing when everything was combined. This time I put it all in my Bosch mixer and let it mix for the full 5 minutes. It was so easy to work with and tasted delicious.

Favorite Spring Salad

2010-03-29T14:37:00.000-07:00

OK, this is a recipe my friend Kat concocted. I LOVE it and have served it often. My kids and husband even love it. It is light and delicous and perfect for spring.

Honey Lime Vinaigrette
1/2 cup oil
2 TBS vinegar
Juice of 2-3 limes
1 clove garlic peeled
1/8 cup honey
1 handful of cilantro (I just twist off a handful of the bunch they sell at the store)
1/2 tsp salt (maybe more)
1/4 tsp pepper (maybe more)

I throw all of these ingredients in a blender (or you could use a food processor) until it's smooth and green. Then I taste it to make sure I love it, which I always do. After drizzling a little bit over my salad I put the rest in an enclosed container and it stays well in the fridge for a few days. Its flavor is really bold so you don't need a ton.

The rest of the salad is pretty standard. Pan seared chicken breast pounded thin and seasoned with some s&p and garlic powder. Spring mix greens and a little extra spinach for good measure. Sliced strawberries, feta and some chopped pecans. Ta da! SO easy. Really I promise. And if you don't feel like cooking chicken and that whole mess the salad is just as outrageous on it's own. (One more side note here. If I go to the trouble of cooking chicken I always pound out and cook two breasts at a time. That way I only use a half of a breast on my salad and have 1 1/2 for leftovers of any kind.) Go for it! Try it! You'll like it!

ganache pie

2010-03-11T11:49:00.001-08:00

i'm a concept cooker. tell me what your fovorite flavors are and i will concoct something in that blessed kitchen of mine. i did the desserts for a bridal shower last week. the bride loves chocolate, thus, ganache pie was born. at this shower i attended no one knew what ganache was. (insert a gasp) ganache, said ganosh, was one of my first frosting encounters as a beginning cook. i made these fabulous little chocolate cupcakes from ina garten, then turned them into marshmallow filled cupcakes topped with ganache and i never, ever looked back. the concept of a ganache is to break down the chocolate with cream just enough to achieve a high gloss and when it cools, it will firm up. it is a beautiful addition to any cake or pie in this case.

i started with these cute mini graham cracker pie shells. at my local wal mart they are in the cooking isle by the pre made pie shells. Keebler makes 6 for $1.42, you can't beat it.

to make your ganache, remember 2 to 1. two parts chocolate to one part cream, heavy cream. for example, 1 cup chocolate chips to 1/2 c heavy whipping cream. it depends on how many pies you are making, so use your judgement here. i know, i know, people hate when i concept cook and concept recipe give. i'm sorry, i can't get these things to a science. i am a tasting dessert cooker. sorry. on the stove over low heat, put your chocolate and cream together. i usually add these ingredients to the pan before the heat is on. one burned chocolate morsel and the whole thing goes down the drain. over low heat, whisk these 2 ingredients together until you get a beautiful glossy chocolate sauce. immediately take it off the heat once that is achieved. i got a little spoon and coated the bottom of these pie shells with the chocolate sauce and then set them in the fridge to set up for about 10 minutes.

in my kitchen aid i took a brick of cream cheese that had been left to room temperature (or you can put it in the microwave for 8 second intervals, turning after each, 2 times is great for me) and put that in the mixer with the whisk attachment. i slowly added powdered sugar until i achieved the sweetness i was looking for. slowly add some ganache to the cream cheese mixture. it is all how chocolaty you want it. you can see below, my cream cheese mixture is a medium brown. set aside chocolate cream cheese mixture and beat some heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. sweeten your cream as you go. gently fold the whipped cream (about half and half) into the chocolate cream cheese mixture. fill your sweet chocolate pie crusts with the chocolate mixture and top it with whipped cream cheese. i fanned some strawberries on these ones below. for the shower i topped some with raspberries, and others with a cashew, coconut, chocolate sprinkle mixture. the picture below is a birthday present i did for my bestie brooke for her birthday, the plate being the gift.
sorry for non recipe haters. i just don't do well with cooking inventions. if i ever do a cook book it would be called the book of concepts, hence a failed cook book!:)

Chocolate Caramel-Almond Tart

2010-03-10T19:40:00.000-08:00

This, my friends, is a dessert to remember. It is definitely a labor of love, but so so worth it. The bittersweet chocolate went so well with the whipped cream and sweeeeet caramel. Perfect! A big thanks to Fine Cooking magazine for the recipe. Also, chocolate and nuts are perfect for a late winter dessert, so hurry up and make it before spring! There are a few steps in the recipe that may be a bit difficult for beginning baking, but why not try it and practice some skills? Enjoy!

Cooking tip: Don't be afraid of anything when cooking and baking! Just dive right in. If it's a complete failure, chalk it up as learning something and know that you will be better next time. Also, don't EVER apologize for your cooking and baking - it makes people feel uncomfortable.
Now go to and have fun while doing.

For the Crust:

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling the dough

3 Tbs granulated sugar

pinch of table salt

6 Tbs cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

For the caramel-almond layer:

3/4 cup blanched whole almonds

1cup granulated sugar

1/4 tsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 Tbs unsalted butter

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp table salt

For the chocolate layer:

2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 Tbs unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Lightly sweetened whipped cream

Make the crust: Put the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter pieces and pulse until the mixture is the texture of coarse meal with some pea-sized butter pieces. Sprinkle 2 Tbs ice-cold water over the flour mixture and process until the dough just begins to come together in small, marble-sized clumps. Don't overprocess; the dough should not form a ball.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface and shape it into a thick 4-inch-diameter disk. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm enough to roll, about 1-2 hours.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into an 11 inch circle, lifting and rotating often, while lightly dusting the work surface as needed. Transfer to a 9 1/2 inch fluted tart pan. Gently press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Trim the excess dough. Lightly prick the bottom with a fork. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350

Line the dough with foil and pie weights or beans. Put on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Lift the weights and foil out and bake the crust until golden brown, 13-17 minutes. Cool completely. Raise oven temp to 375

Make the caramel almond layer: Toast the almonds on a baking sheet in the oven for about 5-10 minutes. Let cool briefly and then chop coarsely. Make caramel by stiring the sugar, lemon juice, and 1/4 cup of cool water together in a heavy-duty saucepan. Brush down the sides of the pan with water to wash away any sugar crystals (keep doing this throughout the whole process). Bring to a boil and cook until the mixture starts to color around the edges, 5-8 minutes. Gently swirl the pan once to even out the color and prevent the sugar from from burning. Continue to cook until the sugar turns med amber, about 30 seconds more. (Or use a candy therm. like i did!)

Immediately remove from heat and swirl in the cream. Add butter. Whisk in vanilla, salt, and almonds and coat the nuts completely. Pour the hot mixture into the cooled pie crust. Let cool 30 minutes and then refrigerate for about one hour.

Make the chocolate layer: Put choc and cream in saucepan over low heat and stir until choc is melted. Add the butter and stir until melted. Stir in the vanilla. Pour over the caramel layer and tilt the pan as needed to smooth the chocolate into an even layer that covers the caramel. Refrigerate until choc is set, at least one hour and up to one day. Serve with whipped cream (I piped some on and made a pretty design). Now go and eat this lovely dessert!

s'more sandwich cookie

2010-03-09T18:06:00.000-08:00

taste of home is what i learned to cook on. i love that magazine and you can bet the pictures of the cooks match the recipes. this was a cookie contest winner. the contests are my favorite part of taste of home, they test a bazillion recipes to come up with a winner. when ever i take these cookies to someone i always get the "husband loved them" comment. so they automatically qualify as dude food, which ranks high.

3/4 c butter, softened
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1 egg
2 TB milk
1 t vanilla
1 1/4 c flour
1 1/4 c graham cracker crumbs (about 20 squares)
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/8 t ground cinnamon
2 c semisweet chocolate chips
24-28 lg. marshmallows

in a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. beat in egg, milk and vanilla. combine the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; gradually add to creamed mixture. stir in chocolate chips.

drop by tablespoonfuls 2 in apart onto a greased baking sheet. bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. remove to wire racks to cool.

place four cookies bottom side up on a microwave-safe plate; top each with a marshmallow. microwave, uncovered, on high for 16-20 seconds or until marshmallows begin to puff (don't overcook). top each with another cookie. repeat.

i love these for camping with a nice camp fire marshmallow in the middle!

outstanding easy fettucine alfredo

2010-03-09T17:50:00.000-08:00

my neighborhood did a little cook book and i was quite taken with the contents. i wouldn't say my area thrives on cooking, most of my neighbor friends hate cooking. so i was quite pleased with some gem recipes i have gotten from it. i did switch things up a bit, but i fell head over heels for this recipe. the flavor must be so awesome because of the constant cooking you do to the cheese, anyway. i combined a recipe from my bestie brooke, and that is where the italian dressing addition comes in. i serve this with addie's non bakers bread (superb) and call it a night. i have also found you can double this, store what you don't use of the sauce in a container in the fridge or freezer for a good 10 days. i make this in large batches and love having it on hand.

fettuccine alfredo

1 pt. heavy cream
1 stick butter
2 TBSP cream cheese
3/4 c. kraft parmesan cheese ( i tried to save .20 one time and bought an off brand, not worth it, tasted like plastic, must use kraft!)
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 TBSP prepared italian salad dressing or 1 tsp. dry italian dressing mix, i used good seasons.

1 pkg fettuccine noodles

cook fettuccine in a large pot of boiling water. if you add a tsp of olive oil it will prevent sticking and boiling over.

in a sauce pan combine butter, heavy cream, and cream cheese. simmer until all is melted and mixed well. add the parmesan cheese and garlic powder. Simmer for 10 -15 minutes stirring constantly.

you can also make this with chicken, cooking the chicken in italian dressing makes for a delicious dinner.

spoon sauce over noodles or put into containers to store in fridge or freezer. to reheat i just warmed over the stove on medium heat.

enjoy!

crazy good hot shrimp peanut salad

2010-02-20T17:21:00.000-08:00

this qualifies as a quick meal that is out of this world good. i love thai food and this seems to compensate for the fact that i have found only one thai restaurant in my area. :(

butter lettuce
1 lb shrimp (i used cooked tail on)
rice sticks

peanut sauce

1 TB fresh chopped ginger
1 c. water
1/2 c. hoisin sauce (your asian isle should have this, even my podunk town had it)
3 TB. creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 TB sugar

Over medium heat combine all ingredients until thick. it took about 6-7 minutes for me.

cook your rice sticks. i used peanut oil for mine. get it to 400 degrees and it will only take 5 seconds for them to puff up. turn them over so the other side can get puffy as well. remove immediately and place on a paper towel to drain.

lay a bed of lettuce, combine the shrimp with the peanut sauce and make sure it is warm. drizzle that generously over the lettuce, using the sauce as dressing and top with rice sticks and sesame seeds.

this was as my husband said, ridiculous good. it does possibly require a thai food love.

gyoza dipping sauce

2010-02-19T17:19:00.000-08:00

gyoza dipping sauce

1/3 c soy sauce
3 t. sesame oil
2 t sugar
2 t rice wine vinegar
1 t fresh chopped ginger

mix together and store in fridge until ready to dip.

gyoza

2010-02-19T17:07:00.000-08:00

if you can't tell, i have been craving asian food of all types as of late. i mean, really, really needing asian food. my grocery list this week was all entirely made of asian food ingredients. i have perused recipes and combined and changed and well, here you go.

gyoza

gyoza wrappers
sesame oil
2 c. chopped cabbage
1-2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1/2 c. chopped carrots
1 TB. fresh finely chopped ginger root
1/2 lb. ground pork ( i used jimmy dean sausage)
1/2 lb. ground beef
1 egg
salt and pepper

combine the above ingredients in a bowl. i used my hands to incorporate this. over a medium heat skillet cook above mixture until meat is no longer pink.

let cool before you place them in gyoza wrappers.

i used the round wrappers. wet the edges of the wrapper with water and place a teaspoon of the mixture in the wrapper. seal the edges pinching the seam until you have a pretty half moon shape. we used an entire package of wrappers and still had some left over meat mixture.

in a pan over medium-high heat coat the bottom of your pan with the sesame oil. now, you can use a vegetable oil, but the sesame infuses it with a rich flavor. once it is hot, place the gyoza in to to brown on the bottoms. once the bottoms have browned turn them over so the browned side is looking at you. add enough water to give these a shallow bath to steam in. cover the pan and allow the gyoza to steam and cook the wrapper, maybe 2 minutes. the water will be evaporated when they are done. if you put too much water in that is okay too. take them out after about 2-3 minutes of steaming.

orange chicken

2010-02-18T17:06:00.000-08:00

i was slobbering over at tastespotting today. i typed in asian and some really beautiful things came up. for dinner tonight i settled on the orange chicken. it was absolutely divine. so much better than a restaurant, even panda express. the best part was that it was super fast. the original recipe called for battering your own chicken. i opted out of this to stick with a quick and easy night. i used the chicken fingers you can get at costco. they started carrying these at my costco about a year ago. they are made by simmons. the best part is that they are the kind they use in restaurants, not the greasy gal bladder attack balls. at only 7 grams of fat a serving, they are great to have on hand for wraps, pasta and now, orange chicken. i am also a label checker, a very serious label checker. so that will tell you that the ingredient list for these tenders is not a mile long, it is really simple with no horrible preservatives you can't pronounce. in fact, i knew everything on the list.

orange chicken (with my own revisions)

1 1/2 c. water
1 TB orange juice concentrate
1 TB fresh squeezed orange juice (you can omit both of these for 2 TB reg. orange juice)
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/3 c. rice vinegar
2 1/2 TB. soy sauce
1 TB orange zest
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 t. fresh ginger
1/2 t. fresh garlic
2 TB green onion
3 TB corn starch
2 TB water

Combine the water, orange and lemon juice, rice vinegar and soy sauce over medium heat. Once combined add zest, brown sugar, ginger, garlic and green onion. ( you can add some hot pepper flakes at this point if you want some heat. 1 tsp.)

Bring all of these ingredients to a boil.

In a separate bowl combine the cornstarch and water and pour in to the sauce over the stove.
Boil constantly whisking until it turns thick or coats the back of a spoon.

Add the cooked chicken strips cut into 1 inch chunks to the sauce. Serve this hot, the sauce gets super sticky the second it cools just a little. Serve over rice.

I know these aren't everyday ingredients, but it is worth putting on your menu and getting the ingredients, so YUMMY! and yes, better than PANDA!

LEMONS!

2010-02-17T20:36:00.000-08:00

It's that time again for making citrus desserts! Winter is a great time to buy citrus fruits, not only because they are in season and affordable, but also because they brighten up the dreary winter days. I just made some lovely lemon bars and their bright flavor made me happy (I need all the brightness I can get during these winter days)!
I found this recipe on joyofbaking.com. The bars are really simple to make and I was very pleased with the taste - not overly sweet or tart, but just right. I hope you enjoy!

Crust:
1/2 cup of unsalted butter
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
Filling:
1 cup granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about two large lemons)
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
Topping:
powdered sugar

For the crust: cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the flour and salt and beat until the dough just comes together. Press into the bottom of your greased pan and bake for about 20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool while you make the filling.

For the filling: beat the sugar and eggs until nice and smooth. Add the lemon juice and zest and stir to combine. Stir in the flour. Pour the filling over the shortbread crust and bake for about 20 minutes, or until filling is set. Place on wire rack to cool. Cut into squares and dust with powdered sugar. Makes about 16 small squares.

non-bakers bread

2010-02-10T21:18:00.000-08:00

OK, so I am not a great baker. I love all the yummy confections bakers make but I have never had a mixer and I often skip dessert. I do love home made bread and as soon as my budget will afford I would love to have a great standing mixer on my counter. My friend Lili, who gives me a lot of great recipes, just passed on one of my new faves. This bread is so easy!!! Even my mixer less kitchen can do it. I love it too because it takes less time from start to finish than my staple, Sunday Rhodes rolls. It is also very delicious. It is so good I promise you will think it is straight from the Macaroni Grill.

Mix together with a spoon
2 Cups warm water
1 Tbs. yeast
1 Tbs sugar

add
4 cup flour
2 tsp salt

Let rise in bowl with a rag over it for 40 min. to 1 hour until doubles in size. Pinch dough in half roll into two little balls (about the size of a soft ball). Grease cookie sheet and spread corn meal over grease. Set your two dough balls on the cookie sheet. Let rise another 45 min. covered. Melt about 1 Tbs. of butter and brush on tops of dough.

bake at 425 degrees F. for 10 min. Reduce heat to 375 degrees F. Bake for another 15-20 minutes.

We like to slice it in wedges and eat it with salads or dinner. I think it would also be good with balsamic and EVOO for dipping.

Where's the Love?

2010-01-16T18:17:00.001-08:00

...all those yummy recipes we used to post have become way too few and far between - what do you say we all make a goal to post at least one recipe per month?
Love, Cortney

Feels like Summer Chicken Pitas

2009-07-21T16:20:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from Graham's cousin Kelly. It is so yummy. I love the taste of the curry in this dish and it really does remind me of Summer! Enjoy!

Chicken Pitas
2 c. cooked chicken, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 c. white onion, finely chopped (I didn't use quite this much, more like 1/4 c.)
1/2 c. cashew halves
1/2 c. chopped apple (we used Gala)
1/2 c. chopped red pepper

Dressing
1/2 c. mayo
6 T. sour cream or plain yogurt
1 T. honey
2 tsp. curry
dash of salt

In a medium bowl, mix the first six ingredients and stir to combine. Mix the dressing ingredients in a smaller bowl and then gently stir over the chicken mixture. We served this in pitas with basil tucked inside. Don't forget the garden chair and a sky full of sunshine!

Baked Oatmeal

2009-07-14T10:51:00.000-07:00

I keep meaning to post my baked oatmeal recipe because we love it around our house. I saw a baked oatmeal recipe on another blog today and it reminded me to post this.

2 cups old fashioned oats (I've heard quick-cooking work fine, too.)
1/2 cup brown sugar (I usually only use 2-3 TB. and it is plenty sweet!)
1 tsp baking powder
about 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1 1/2 cups milk
1 egg
1/2 cup applesauce (I use unsweetened)
2 Tbsp. butter

Combine the dry ingredients in an 8x8 baking dish. Then mix the wet ingredients together and add to the dry ingredients, mixing until combined. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. I've also had great success substituting the applesauce for the same amount of mashed banana. It just gives variety to the flavor. My 18 month son can eat more of this than I can! He loves it. Sometimes, if needed, we'll add a little milk over the top once it is baked and in our bowls. For a real treat, we add mixed berries.

Strawberry Shortcake

2009-06-07T17:58:00.000-07:00

I really love traditional Strawberry Shortcake. I don't think I ever had it this way until Becca made it for dessert one night when we had dinner with her and Shane. Growing up, Strawberry Shortcake was always made with Angel Food Cake, which is also good. However, I really love this recipe that comes from the Joy of Cooking.

BISCUITS

Pre-heat the oven to 450.

Sift together in a large bowl:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar

Cut in, using a pastry blender or 2 knives, until the size of small peas:
4-6 Tbsp chilled butter
(it needs to be really cold butter, I take a cube of butter out of the freezer and only leave it out a few minutes before using it. I also do this part in my food processor to make it easier).

Make a well in the center. Add all at once:
3/4 cup milk (For added riches, use half-and-half instead of milk)

Stir just until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board. Knead gently and quickly, about 8 to 10 times, Roll out with a lightly floured rolling pin (or pat out with your hands) to 3/4" thickness. Cut into squares and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Brush the tops with a little milk and sprinkle sugar over the top. Bake until lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes.

Strawberry Filling:
Wash, pat dry and hull strawberries. Crush one-quarter of the berries in a bowl with a potato masher or fork. Slice the remainder. Combine the sliced and crushed berries and add sugar to taste.

To assemble, cut each biscuit in half horizontally. Place one half on a plate, spoon the berry mixture over, and top with the other half of the biscuit. Spoon a generous dollop of whipped cream (it must be real whipped cream!) on top and serve.

Something about food...

2009-06-03T20:31:00.000-07:00

Good, wholesome food makes me incredibly happy. When I cut into a juicy watermelon, I am immediately taken back to childhood summers. Last week, I cut up some basil from by garden and was overwhelmed with the beautiful smell and the memories of summers past. Food is a part of my good memories. Food brings us together and makes us happy. I am passionate about good food. Because of this passion, I have to adhere to a basic rule - you must always cook and bake with the foods of the season. I can't bear to make something in the winter that calls for fresh strawberries or tomatoes. Strawberries remind me of spring, and I can't be eating them in the dead of winter -that would be like playing Christmas music in July. Tomatoes belong to late summer and into the autumn. Chocolate, citrus fruits, and nuts get my mind twirling with ideas of winter desserts. Juicy peaches and crisp apples are the best in autumn desserts. A raspberry tart would be perfect for a late summer dinner party outdoors. Although I have only been to Nantucket once and have never picked any berries there, I imagine picking blueberries in the middle of the summer and taking them back in a basket to my summer cottage. I have found that Europeans respect the foods of the seasons more than we do. I'm not sure why. Why is it that Europeans always have to out-shine us in the food catergory? That's okay - it just makes me love the different countries of Europe that much more. Oh, I love their love for food. And I'm grateful for all those of you out there who inspire me with your love of food. So here's to summer and all the fresh foods we can eat this season!

Green Salad with Almond Orange Dressing

2009-04-05T19:52:00.000-07:00

I kind of forgot about how much I love this salad until I made it over the weekend to take to a friends house. It is very refreshing and one of those salads you can't get enough of. I'm happy to say that I have some leftover ingredients in the fridge and will be making this again tonight.

Green Salad with Almond Orange Dressing

1 lg. head of red leaf lettuce
1 bermuda onion (I couldn't find one, so used about half a small red onion instead)
2 oranges, peeled and sliced or 1 can mandarin oranges- especially good with fresh oranges
1 small jicama, cut in strips
4 oz. sliced almonds
3 Tbsp. sugar - heat sugar and glaze almonds

Dressing:
1/2 tsp. grated orange peel
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. Good Seasons Dry Italian Dressing Mix

Combine the dressing ingredients and refrigerate several hours. Toss the salad with the dressing just before serving.

Pasta Primavera

2009-03-07T09:35:00.001-08:00

This is one of our favorite pasta dishes. The recipe is very versatile and you can add any fresh vegetables you like. Serve with a green salad and some crusty garlic bread and you've got yourself a great, tasty, vegetarian meal.

Pasta Primavera
12 oz. Rotini Pasta (I really like the Barilla Plus Multigrain Pasta)
2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Garlic Cloves- crushed with press
2 Cups Broccoli Florets, Asparagus or fresh Green Beans (We used asparagus this time)
1 ½ Cups Shredded Carrots
½ - 1 Pint cherry or grape tomatoes cut in half
½ Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
½-1 Cup Heavy Cream
½ tsp Salt

Cook pasta. Meanwhile heat oil in 12" skillet or wok. Add garlic and broccoli and cook 2 minutes. Add carrots and cook 4 minutes or until veggies are tender crisp. Stir in tomatoes, cook 1 minute. Add parmesan, cream and salt. Heat to boiling. Remove from heat. Drain pasta (reserve ½ cup cooking water). Toss veggies with pasta and reserved water. Serve with Parmesan on top.

...

2009-02-25T16:54:00.000-08:00

Sorry, I posted the wrong recipe in the last post. Here is the right one http://www.joyofbaking.com/LemonMeringueTart.html
The other one is a whipped cream topping and looks very good.

Lemon Meringue Tart

2009-02-25T11:42:00.000-08:00

When My sister-in-law came to visit over the holidays from Tucson, I was telling her how much I love having lemons around in my kitchen for baking and cooking. A couple of months later, I opened up my door on my birthday and found a big unexpected box on my front porch. I opened the box and found a dozen or more lovely large lemons. They were so fragrant and beautiful. Apparently, her neighbor has a big lemon tree in her yard and she went over and picked a bunch just for me. I put a few in a pretty glass bowl on my table and then went to work finding lemon recipes so they wouldn't go to waste. I found a recipe for a lemon meringue tart and made it last Sunday. It was so refreshing and fun to have in the winter time. It kept well too and last night Rob polished off the last four pieces (I think he liked it!). Here is the link for the recipe: http://www.joyofbaking.com/LemonTart.html.

p.s. to avoid lemon waste, juice the lemon and then freeze. Just thaw the juice for use in later recipes!

Orange-Buttermilk Pancakes

2009-02-24T16:40:00.000-08:00

In honor of National Pancake Day, we had pancakes for dinner. My mother in law made these pancakes for us over the holidays and my baby loved them. We loved them, too. Here are some facts I gathered about National Pancake Day:

Known also as Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras, National Pancake Day dates back several centuries to when the English prepped for fasting during Lent. Strict rules prohibited the eating of all dairy products during Lent, so pancakes were made to use up the supply of eggs, milk, butter and other dairy products…hence the name Pancake Tuesday, or Shrove Tuesday.

Orange Buttermilk Pancakes

Combine Dry Ingredients:
2 1/4 cup flour
3 Tb sugar
1 Tb baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Combine wet ingredients:
2 tsp. orange zest
1 cup orange juice
1 Cup buttermilk
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 Tb. oil

Combine wet and dry ingredients together. Cook on a griddle.

Star French Toast

2009-02-24T15:04:00.001-08:00

This french toast is delicious. It tastes similar to some mascarpone stuffed french toast that I had at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas last year.

Star French Toast

8 slices french bread cut into 1 inch slices

4 eggs

1 cup heavy cream (I used 1/2 cream and 1/2 milk so I could feel a little better about it)

¼ cup honey (heated in the microwave until runny)

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 Tablespoons grated orange zest

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ cup butter

Directions:
Cut bread into one inch slices. In a medium bowl, beat together, eggs, cream, honey, salt, cinnamon, orange zest and vanilla extract.

On a griddle melt butter over medium high heat. Dip both sides of bread in the mixture, transfer to the hot griddle. Brown on both sides and transfer to a warm plate. Serve with whipping cream, fresh raspberries, and chopped pecans.

P.S. These taste great with the buttermilk syrup that Heidi has posted on this site.

Beef Pot Roast in Red Wine

2009-02-17T09:08:00.000-08:00

This gravy sauce is so savory and yummy. I think we all just wanted to drink it. It was so great over mashed potatoes and roast. Seriously, you're going to love this...
1 3 1/2 to 4 pound boneless beef chuck pot roast
3 Tlbs olive oil
2 ounces pancetta, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup hearty red wine
2 cups beef broth
28 ounce can Italian peeled tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 cup sliced carrot
1/2 cup sliced celery
2 Tlbs snipped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley
1. Trim excess fat from meat. In a 4-6 quart Dutch oven,brown roast on all sides in hot oil. Remove meat from pan; season with salt and pepper.
2. Pour off most of fat, reserving 2 Tlbs of drippings. Add pancetta, onion and garlic to drippings. Cook and stir about five minutes or until onion is tender. Remove from heat; let stand for about 1 min. Carefully add the wine. Return to heat; bring to boiling. Boil gently, uncovered, about 10 min or until most of liquid evaporates.
3. Return meat to dutch oven. Add beef broth, tomoato, carrot, celery, and parsley. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until meat is tender. Uncover and simmer until sauce is desired consistency. (I added some corn starch here). Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with a parsley sprig, and serve over mashed potatoes or polenta. YUM!

Carmelized Panettone Bread Pudding

2009-01-03T08:29:00.000-08:00

This is seriously good bread pudding. The original recipe comes from a book called Classic Home Desserts (my favorite). However, I have changed it a bit because the carmel part just wasn't working out for me. Panettone is a traditional Italian Christmas bread - it includes raisins and candied orange peel. I used challah (pronounced halla) bread because I don't like raisins in my dessert. I served this at a Christmas dinner and everyone loved it. I think it's going to be a new tradition for Christmas Eve dinnner.

3-4 cups cubed (1 inch), day old pannettone, challah, brioche or other egg bread, crusts left on.s
2 1/4 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, or 1 Tlbs pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks

for the caramel:
1 cup heavy cream, divided
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Butter six to eight ramekins, custard cups, or disposable foil baking cups. Place the ramekins in a large roasting pan.

Fit a heavy bottomed pan w/ a candy thermometer ( I don't have one, but you probably need one if you're not familiar with making candy, or you can just guess and hope it's right.) Over high heat cook 3/4 cup of the cream, corn syrup, butter, and sugar to 280 degrees (firm ball); at this point the syrup will be golden. Remove from the heat and carefully swirl in the remaining 1/4 cup cream and the vanilla.

Carefully pour about 1/4 inch hot caramel into each ramekin. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, combine the bread cubes with 1 cup of the milk. Set aside, stirring occasionally, until needed. Meanwhile, in a heavy saucepan, *scald the remaining 1 1/4 cups milk with the cream or milk and vanilla bean ( if using vanilla extract, do not add it now). Cover and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees, with a rack in the center. In a bowl, whisk the eggs, egg yolks, the remaining 3 Tlbs sugar and the scalded cream mixture until smooth. Scrape the vanilla seeds from the pod into the custard (or add the vanilla extract now). Strain this mixture ove the soaked bread mixture and stir gently to combine.

Ladle the pudding mixture into the ramekins, filling them nearly full. Place the roasting pan in the oven. Pour in enough hot tap water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Lay a sheet of buttered foil, buttered side down, directly over the puddings.

The original recipe says to bake for 30 minutes, but mine took almost an hour to be done. The guy that wrote this recipe probably has a super efficient and super expensive oven. Anyway, when the custards are just set and a toothpick comes out clean, then they are done.

Carefully remove the ramekins from the water bath to a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes then transfer to the fridge and chill for at least two hours ( this is nice because you can bake them a day ahead).

Right before serving, place on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven until the caramel bubbles around the edge (10-15 minutes).

* to scald means basically to burn the milk or bring it almost to a boil. They used to do this before milk was pasteurized,so we really don't do it anymore except when you are using it in bread pudding - something about the proteins binding to the bread and such.

Holiday Feasting

2008-12-31T15:57:00.001-08:00

I never appreciated how much good holiday food I've eaten in my life until I had to make it myself. Of course, Thanksgiving means that the turkey and all the fixin's make it to the [beautifully decorated] table. Christmas means another huge feast, not to mention, special breakfast, cookies, neighbor treats, gingerbread for the gingerbread houses, and oranges and nuts finding their way to the bottom of our stockings. Somehow, all these years, the tasty food has always made it to the table, and the only considerations I made were how I could fit both the mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes on that little space still available on my plate.

This being my first Christmas as the mom, it was enlightening to create the holiday food traditions. In some ways, it was fun to bring old classic dishes from my home and new recipes that call for such a festive occasion. In other ways, I missed sitting in my childhood kitchen, doing something small like peeling potatoes or making the salad while chatting with my mom, who was probably making five dishes simultaneously, pots on all burners, gently simmering away. But, after all, I felt a kinship with my mom and her mom and all the mothers who came before, because our tradition of cooking holiday meals transforms any old December 25th into Christmas Day, the day of the Savior's birth! What a good reason to celebrate!

This was our Christmas Eve feast:

Honey-Orange Ham

This recipe came from an old Martha Stewart Christmas issues--maybe 2004? Anyway, it actually features the family of an old mission buddy of my husband's--Matt H., if you are our there, thank your mom for her great ham recipe! Your Christmas in Midway was picture perfect!

1 whole smoked ham (14 to 18 pounds), bone in and rind on

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 large onion, cut into 6 wedges

1 large orange, cut into 6 wedges

4 sprigs rosemary

1/2 cup cider vinegar

3 1/2 cups chicken stock

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Rinse ham with cool water; dry with paper towels. Let stand, uncovered, at room temperature 1 hour. Meanwhile, whisk together honey, orange juice, balsamic vinegar, and mustard; set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees, with rack in lower third. FIt a roasting pan with a rack and place ham, with the thicker rind on top, on rack. Scatter onion and orange wedges and rosemary around ham on rack. Transfer to oven and cook 1 hour.

3. Remove pan from oven and let ham cool slightly. Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees. Trim fat all over the ham to a layer of about 1/4 inch (it does not need to be perfectly even; the bottom will have less fat and more skin). Turn ham, bottom side down. Score fat on top of ham in a diamond pattern, each 1 to 2 inches, cutting about 1/4 to 1/2 inch through the fat and into the meat. Baste with honey mixture. Add enough water to roasting pan to fill the bottom by about 1/4 inch.

4. Return ham to oven, and cook 1 hour more, basting often with remaining marinade (do not baste with pan juices). If necessary, add water to pan to keep juices from burning. Remove from oven; transfer ham to a serving platter; discard orange, onion, and rosemary. Let stand 30 minutes before carving ham.

5. Meanwhile, make gravy: Strain liquid from roasting pan into a liquid measuring cup or bowl, and skim off fat from surface with a large spoon. Place roasting pan over medium-high heat. Add cider vinegar, and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated. Return defatted juices to pan along with 2 cups stock. Bring to a boil, and let simmer.

6. In a small bowl, whisk together remaining 1 1/2 cups stock and the flour; whisk into sauce. Continue simmering until liquid is reduced by half and slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot with ham.

Green Bean, Watercress, and Crispy Shallot Salad
Coarse Salt and Ground Pepper
1 Pound Green Beans, trimmed
1 cup vegetable oil, such as safflower
3 Shallots, thinly sliced crosswise into rings
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from one lemon)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 bunch watercress, tough stems removed

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. [they say to have a big bowl of ice water ready to go to dunk the beans, but I just scoop up the green beans with my seive and rinse the beans in cold water from the faucet. Less messy and a lot less work.] Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Cook green beans in boiling water until bright green and crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Rinse in cold water to stop cooking. Cool green beans completely, then transfer to lined baking sheet and pat dry.

2. In a small saucepan, heat vegetable oil over medium-low. In a small bowl, toss shallots with flour. Working in three batches, fry shallots in oil until golden and crispy, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer shallots to paper towels and season generously with salt.

3. In a small bowl, whisk lemon juice, mustard, and olive oil to combine; season dressing with salt and pepper. Place watercress on a serving platter and drizzle with half the dressing. Toss with green beans and remaining dressing. Serve sprinkled with shallots. [not being a huge fan of fried things, I couldn't get over how much I loved these shallots!! They seem like a sophisticated indulgence, even though they are glorified onion rings.]

And, for something sweet, I made another apple pie and a chocolate pistachio torte . Love that death by chocolate.

I chickened out of making rolls, even after a good pep-talk and fabulous recipe from my friend and roll mentor, Kristy. Instead, I delegated the rolls, along with a few other dishes to our gracious dinner guests. Kristy, I will make dinner rolls successfully and give the full report. That's a new year's resolution.

For Christmas morning, however, I attempted baking with yeast, for better or for worse. I was equipped with an acclaimed orange roll recipe, tried and true among good friends, and can you imagine the perfect Christmas picture of opening presents, while the aroma of orange rolls waft through the house from the kitchen?! I know!

I attempted Tiffany's famous recipe:

Out of this World Rolls

2 packages dry yeast

1/3 cup warm water
3 eggs, well beaten
4 ½ cups flour
1 cup warm water
½ cup shortening
½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
Butter

Soften yeast in ¼ cup warm water. Let stand 10 minutes. Combine dissolved yeast, eggs, 2 ½ cups flour, 1 cup warm water, shortening, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Beat until smooth. Add remaining flour to make a soft dough. Cover. Let rise until double in bulk (about 1 hour.) Punch down and refrigerate overnight. Three hours before baking, roll out as desired. For dinner rolls, divide dough in half. Roll each half into a ½” thick rectangle. Spread with butter. Starting with the long side, roll up jelly-roll style. Cut in 1” slices. Place in greased muffin tins, cut side down. Cover. Let rise 3 hours. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 7 to 8 minutes or until slightly brown. YIELD: 2 ½ dozen rolls.

VARIATION: ORANGE ROLLS
1/3 cup butter
½ cup sugar
Rind of 1 orange, grated

Combine ingredients. After rolling dough into two ½” thick rectangles, divide above mixture and spread on ½ of each rectangle. Fold rectangles in half. Cut each into 12 strips with a pizza cutter. Pick up each strip and gently stretch, then tie into a knot. Place on greased baking sheet with edges, making sure the ends of the dough are tucked underneath roll. Let rise 3 hours. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 7 to 8 minutes or until slightly brown. Make sure they are baked through so they are not doughy. Drizzle with powdered sugar icing while warm. (Powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, dash of salt.)

Mine were good for the most part, except I think I made them maybe 3 times the size that they were intended. My yield was maybe 12, instead of the recipe's suggested 2 1/2 dozen....so...when I pulled them out, they were pretty doughy in some spots. I cut out the dough, and we enjoyed them thoroughly.

To round things out, I made some yogurt parfaits. I loved it, even though I suspect that the boys thought they were too girly somehow. Sorry, guys, no egg casserole today! Let's keep things a little lighter, shall we?

Pretty Pink Parfaits

2 cups strawberry yogurt

granola

frozen berries, thawed

1 banana

sweetened whipped cream

Layer in a parfait glass: yogurt, granola, berries, banana. Repeat until parfait reaches the top of the glass and top with whipped cream and a tad more granola.

a giveaway...

2008-12-30T09:29:00.000-08:00

on my family blog that includes food that is divine.

click HERE to read up.....

Christmas Guacamole

2008-12-27T19:14:00.000-08:00

Who am I kidding? I'll pretty much eat this guac year-round as long as I can find pomegranates. It is especially festive for Christmas with the green avocado and red tomatoes and pomegranate seeds. I know it sounds different, but give it a try. It's delicious!

Christmas Guacamole
Seeds of 1 ripe pomegranate
1 avocado, chopped
1 tomato, chopped,
2 Tbsp. red onion, finely chopped
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp. Lemon or Lime juice
Salt to taste

Combine all ingredients together and serve with tortilla chips. I love the "hint of lime" tortilla chips served with dips that have avocado in them. Click HERE for a great tutorial on de-seeding a pomegranate that won't leave your clothes, fingers and sink stained red. Also, did you see Jane's (of This Week for Dinner) tip about how to select good, ripe avocados? If not, click HERE.

Wassail

2008-12-27T18:58:00.000-08:00

This is my new favorite wassail recipe. I have traditionally used the Lion House Cookbook recipe, but this will be my new go-to recipe. My sister gave this to me a couple weeks ago after attending a cookie exchange. She said it best: "it tastes like you want wassail to taste." And, guess what else? It's easy!

Wassail:
4 Cups Apple Juice
2 Cups Cranberry Juice
1 Cup Orange Juice
1 can (12 oz.) Apricot Nectar
1 Cup Sugar
2 cinnamon sticks

Combine all ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve hot.

Apricot Nectar is kind of a unique ingredient. It is typically sold by the 12 oz. can in the juice aisle at the grocery store. Some brands I am familiar with are Kerns and Goya. At my grocery store I could only find a six-pack of small 5.5 oz cans.

party dip

2008-12-27T18:30:00.000-08:00

this comes from my ever wonderful anut ann. she was a big influence on my love of food from childhood. we did a lot with her family growing up and i could ALWAYS, ALWAYS count on something good from her kitchen. she brought this to a family get together last christmas and i have never been the same. i have made this to death. i used fresh corn this summer when it was in abundance and it was marvelous! this is a great party dip, i highly recommend it coming to your parties......

FIESTA CORN DIP

3 cans mexicorn – drained
1 jalapeno pepper chopped (or use canned jalapeno’s to
taste)
3 green onions chopped
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1 can diced green chilies – drained
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
dash of cayenne pepper

Blend ingredients and chill before serving (minimum
2-3 hours).
Serve with Fritos Scoops.
This recipe makes a large amount . . . ingredients can
be easily adjusted to make 1/3 of the recipe.

thanks aunt ann. fab. really fabulous...

Winter Bark and Christmas Cookies

2008-12-25T15:46:00.000-08:00

I can't recommend the winter bark enough--it's as simple as melting chocolate and it is really tasty. From my few experiences with making chocolate bark, my observation is that the quality of the finished product lies completely with the quality of the ingredients. I know, this is true of all cooking, but since there are so few ingredients in this treat, it makes all the difference. You can find the recipe and cute packaging ideas here. Yum. I bought the big pound of bittersweeet chocolate with almonds at Trader Joe's, and left out the peanuts. The almonds and dark chocolate make it a very healthy option for Christmastime snacking. Right? right.

I made a variety of Christmas cookies. I didn't venture into any new recipes, but just the tried and true, soft, tasty, I-want-to-eat-a-whole-batch sort of cookies.

I made Ina Garten's Outrageous Chocolate Cookies:

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped [I use chocolate chips]

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chunks

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat chopped chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-second increments, stirring in between, until almost melted; do not overheat. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

2. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla on high speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; beat in melted chocolate. Mix in flour mixture until just combined. Stir in chocolate chunks.

3. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough 2 to 3 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are shiny and crackly yet soft in the centers, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on sheets 10 minutes; with a thin metal spatula, transfer to racks to cool completely

*Don't worry if the batter seems thin. It should look more like brownie batter than cookie dough.

Here is a great chocolate chip cookie recipe. I use 1/2 cup shortening and 1/2 cup butter, rather than doing 1 cup butter. The cookies firm up a bit better. It's a winner.

And, finally, here is my mom's trustworthy gingerbread people and gingerbread house dough recipe:

1 cup sugar

1 cup shortening

1 cup molasses

1 egg

1/2 cup hot water

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ginger

5 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Cream together sugar and shortening. Beat in molasses and egg. Add the hot water.

2. Sift together dry ingredients and gradually add to the wet mixture; at the end, I always end up using my hands to mix this together.

3. Form dough into 3 large balls, wrapping them in plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to use them.

4. Bake at 350 degrees, 6-8 minutes for gingerbread mean and a little more for larger pieces, or until lightly browned.

Here's her Royal Icing recipe, which is great glue to hold together gingerbread houses:

3 egg whites (room temperature)

3 1/3 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter

1. Combine and beat at a high speed for 7-10 minutes. This dries very quickly, so keep covered with a damp cloth.

Merry Christmas!

award winning chili

2008-12-12T09:43:00.000-08:00

and it's not your typical chili. i know i posted the unrevised version.

this year our neighborhood had a chili cook off to help earn money for the local scout troop. i wanted to have a different chili that still had all of the chili components. beans, meat and tomato base.

so, i revamped the chili dumpling stew, and would you know, I WON! ecstatic i was. so here you go:

chili stew with dumplings

2 cans red kidney beans, partially drained. ( i got out most of the oil but left a little for flavor)
2 1/2 c. cubed potatoes raw (now, i use raw a lot, but if i am in a hurry i use canned diced potatoes and you can't tell the difference. there aren't many vegetables i like to use canned, but potatoes are wonderful. if you do this, you can skip the boiling stage and just add the beans and potatoes to water that has warmed over the stove.)
5 c. water
1 lb. jimmy dean HOT sausage
2 cans condensed tomato soup
1 TB. salt
1 t pepper
1/2 c chopped onions ( you could also use a dried onion 2-3 TB)
2 TB chili powder
1 c. sour cream

if your potatoes are raw, boil the water and cook until tender. add the kidney beans the last few minutes to heat them. add a pinch of salt and pepper to the boiling potatoes so you are seasoning each layer of the soup. while this is going on, saute your sausage and onions with 1 TB of chili powder, 1 t. salt and 1/2 t pepper in a skillet over medium heat until meat is no longer pink.
(i only drain my meat if there is a ton of excess oil, the oil adds so much of the flavor)
add the cooked meat mixture to potatoes and kidney beans adding the tomato soup also. add another 1 TB chili powder, 1/2 t pepper and 1 t salt at this point.
this needs to simmer for 1 hour covered.

after the hour has passed, try not to slobber all over yourself, it smells really good at this point. cover the soup and bring to a boil. (be careful not to burn the bottom, use a really good pan)
drop the dumplings onto the boiling stew at this point. let them cook for about 10-15 minutes. cut thru one and check to see if it is nice and fluffy inside.

need the dumpling recipe? here you go:
Egg Dumplings
sift together:
2 c flour
4 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
in another small bowl mix together 1 egg and 3/4 c milk.
mix all together.
your dough will be sticky but not runny. be super careful with your measurements and don't guesstimate here. i tried that last night and had to start over because i overestimated on my milk and ended up with a runny mess. anyway. they will be uneven and will puff up quite a bit.

now after you have cooked the dumplings remove them and put them on a plate. once you have your naked soup, add the 1 c sour cream to the soup and then put the dumplings back in the soup.

enjoy!

Pumpkin Squares

2008-12-01T15:19:00.000-08:00

If you are wanting a little slice of pumpkin heaven, then you need to make this! It is so yummy! I got this recipe from my friend Kristen a few years ago and I make it every Fall/Winter. I took pictures but they didn't really turn out but I will tell you, it looks great in person and my house smells divine!

**important note, reserve 1 C. of dry cake mix**

Bottom layer:
1 box white cake mix
1/2 C. melted butter
1 beaten egg
-Take 1/2 C. of melted butter, 1 beaten egg and remainer of the dry cake mix and combine all together and spread into the bottom of a 9X13 pan.

Filling:
1 large can of pumpkin (29 oz)
2/3 C. evaporated milk
2/3 C. sugar
3 more beaten eggs
1 T cinnamon
-Take 3 beaten eggs, evaporated milk, can of pumpkin, sugar and cinnamon and combine and pour on top of the bottom layer.

Topping:
1/2 C. chopped nuts (pecans are the best!)
1/4 C. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 T. melted butter
-Crumble together the reserved 1 C. of cake mix, 1 tsp of cinnamon, chopped nuts, sugar and melted butter. Sprinkle on top of the filling.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour Enjoy!

Roasted Chicken (or leftover turkey) Salad

2008-11-30T16:34:00.000-08:00

I love this salad, because, as far as salads go, it's kind of cozy for the winter months. And this will be a very good final destination for any leftover turkey. But, honestly, leftovers last maybe 24 hours after the big meal at our house, so we just go to Costco and get our $5 rotisserie chicken. This makes quite a bit, so I often cut the recipe in half.

1 cup pecan halves (about 3 ounces), broken in half lengthwise

1 whole roasted chicken (about three pounds), skin removed

8 scallions, white and light-green parts only, trimmed and thinly sliced

2 stalks celery, strings removed and thinly sliced

2 Fuji apples, cored and sliced into bite-size pieces

5 tablespoons golden or dark raisins

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh oregano leaves

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Sour Cream Dressing (recipe follows)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread pecans in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in oven until fragrant, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Remove from pan; let cool completely. [this step may seem unnecessary, but it really does make the pecans taste fancy. It's worth it!]

2. Pull chicken from the bone; discard bones, and cut meat into 3/4-inch pieces. Transfer to a medium bolw; add scallions, celery, apples, raisins, and oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Add dressing; toss to combine. Chill, covered, until ready to serve.

Sour Cream Dressing:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons sour cream

1/4 cup cider vinegar

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayo, sour cream, and vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to use, up to 4 days.

Grandma Stahle's Turkey Dressing

2008-11-24T21:24:00.000-08:00

With Thanksgiving this week, I thought I'd share my family's beloved recipe for dressing/stuffing. Growing up, this dish was present at every single Thanksgiving dinner that I can remember. And horribly, I have to admit that I "didn't like" stuffing when I was young! Can you believe that? I flat out didn't eat it until I was in Jr. High and finally decided to actually try it - mmm. There's been no turning back since. And it wasn't until I was away from my family for a couple of Thanksgiving holidays, where this stuffing wasn't present, that I realized that not all stuffings taste the same. There are so many different kinds out there, but this one is the one that makes my heart sing. It brings back so many memories of home, my grandma, my family, and years of wonderful holidays.

GRANDMA STAHLE'S TURKEY DRESSING:
3 cubes butter
5 to 6 cups liquid (chicken broth & milk)
Lipton chicken soup flavoring (not noodles) or 3 to 4 Tbsp. chicken base
2 cups chopped onions
2 cups chopped celery
salt & pepper, to taste
LOTS of sage (most of a 0.5-oz. bottle)
2 loaves white and 1 loaf whole wheat bread, crumbed (or 2 (10-oz.) boxes bread crumbs + 1 loaf wheat bread)

Melt butter with water and Lipton soup stock or chicken base; add celery and onion. Pour seasonings over bread crumbs, then pour liquid over top and mix in (can add milk if not moist enough--crumbs should be soft, not too crunchy). Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.

{stuffed chops}

2008-11-24T18:32:00.001-08:00

i am in charge of gathering people when someone in the neighborhood needs something. or to mormon folk, i am the compassionate service lady. which is pretty much a dream come true for me, silly? anyway, tonight i got 3 families to feed and i was super excited. yes, i really was. this recipe jumped out in my head as one i made 2 years ago but didn't love and i knew i could make it better. so, here we go - chops ala heidi!

5 pork chops (i used those pretty costco ones and cut them in half as they are usually bigger than my head)
1 c. shredded swiss cheese
1 pkg. fresh sliced mushrooms
2 TB butter
1/4 c minced fresh parsley ( i used about 2TB. dried)
dried sage (1-2 TB)
1 egg
1/2 c buttermilk
2 cups seasoned bread crumbs (i seasoned mine with sage, sea salt, pepper)
2 TB olive oil
1 c water
2 TB flour

Saute mushrooms in butter. (you could also mince a clove of garlic in there too) let them cool a minute and then add the swiss cheese and the parsley. (i chopped my mushrooms very fine.)
make a really nice pocket in the center of your pork chop with a knife and stuff the cheese mixture in the pocket. secure the pocket with a toothpick.

mix the egg with the buttermilk. this makes the most awesome adhesive for your bread crumbs. dip the pork chop in the buttermilk mixture and then the bread crumbs.
over medium high heat, heat olive oil, sage and a pinch of salt and pepper in a medium sized skillet. drop the pork chop in there and let it get a nice brown, crusty edge. even if it goes a little black, it can be redeemed by the sauce.

brown the pork chop on one side, and then turn to the other side and add 3/4 c water. cover and turn heat to medium and cover for 20-30 minutes.

remove pork chops ( i transferred them to the oven on a platter to keep warm while i was making the sauce). now you have this pan with beautiful bits of cheese, mushrooms, drippings - try not to lick it. (you can add another TB of sage, salt and pepper, taste it and see) add your flour and 1/4 c. cold water. whisk and wait until it gets bubbly and thickens. slather that sauce over your chops.

this dish is amazing, sage and i are becoming quite comfortable together, i have used almost a half a bottle since last week with all this thanksgiving love around here.

i served this with mashed potatoes and plated them with the potatoes on the bottom, pork chop on top and sauce drizzled over top. i also served them with fresh cranberry sauce. they were FAB!

D's Favorite Whole Wheat Bread

2008-11-23T11:39:00.000-08:00

We make a lot of bread in our house, especially since my husband, Todd decided to become a master at artisan bread baking. So I tend to leave most of the white flour-based breads to him, but whole wheat is my domain. I grew up in a house where we ate whole wheat everything - bread, pancakes, waffles . . . you name it. So when it comes to sandwich bread (artisan breads are a whole separate matter), quite honestly, I have a hard time even looking at white wonder bread-types, let alone the thought of eating them. (The only white sandwich bread I will eat is Grandma Sycamore's, which can be found out in Utah - that's my one exception).

So, this is my family's favorite whole wheat bread recipe, which my mom passed on to me from Walton Feed. It is incredibly moist and oh-so-yummy!!!

Since I'm a huge fan of whole wheat, let me just share a few tips with you. Nowadays, I use almost exclusively hard white wheat. There are a lot of people out there who aren't crazy about whole wheat because of the texture or density of it. The hard white wheat, as opposed to hard red wheat, is not as dense or quite as nutty flavored, but still contains all the same nutritional value as the red wheat. For this reason, I can often substitute up to half of the wheat in things like cookies, etc. and people don't even know the difference.

I've had people ask me where to buy the hard white wheat, and it's super easy if you live out west, especially Utah, where you can get it at grocery stores like Macy's or emergency preparedness places. Out here in Iowa, I have to drive to an Amish store and buy it there, but I can buy it in bulk and it's great.

My next tip is that if at all possible, it is ideal to use freshly ground wheat because after it is ground, it starts losing some of its nutritional value as it sits on your shelf. That doesn't mean that the ground whole wheat you've had for several months isn't still healthy - it is - but it is at it's absolute nutritional best if you use it straight from the grinder.

Ok, you're probably sick of my ranting, so I'll get on with the recipe! This recipe makes 4 loaves and fills my Bosch mixer completely. So if you have a smaller kitchen aid or other smaller mixer, you should probably cut the recipe in half or it won't fit.

D's FAVORITE WHOLE WHEAT BREAD:

3 Tbsp. yeast

1 tsp. sugar

1 cup warm water

3/4 cup honey

3/4 cup oil

2 Tbsp. salt

3 3/4 cups hot water

5 Tbsp. lemon juice or vinegar

12 cups whole wheat flour, divided

Dissolve yeast and sugar in water. In a large bowl (or mixer), mix the honey, oil, salt, 3 3/4 cups water, lemon juice and 6 cups of the whole wheat flour. Add the dissolved yeast mixture to the bread mixture and mix for 7-10 minutes to get the gluten working.

Gradually add in another 6 cups whole wheat flour; knead for 5 minutes in mixer (if kneading by hand, mix all ingredients and knead by hand for 10 minutes. If dough seems too sticky, add enough flour to get past sticky point, but remember that too much flour causes bread failure).
Let stand for 10 minutes. Divide and shape into 3 to 4 loaves (I always get 4 big loaves out of this). Place in greased bread pans and let rise until doubled in size. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. This is so good while it's still warm with homemade jam!

how lucky am i?

2008-11-23T08:20:00.000-08:00

my husbands parents will be tour guides for an asian trip over thanksgiving so we got to celebrate a little early, we had a thanksgiving last night. i feel a little like i have cheated on something, oddly. it got me to work early on the things we will be contributing to this thursday. i have been scouring, finding and cooking- here is what i have come up with!

lindsay never disappoints.ever. i tried a bunch of her recipes and was so happy. also, some inclusions of our family recipes. click on each title for the recipe!

day before prep:

butternut, apple sage soup.
{i think this would be awesome with a thinly sliced and toasted baguette with some melted brie right on top of a cute drinking cup with this soup (like french onion soup concept)}

fresh cranberry sauce

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
12 oz fresh cranberries (in the produce section this time of year)
1 orange {zest and juice}

combine all ingredients together in sauce pan and bring to a gentle rolling boil for 10 minutes. store in fridge until ready to serve.
{please take the pledge to never, ever buy canned cranberry! please, this is so easy, there's no excuse!}

holiday salad.

raspberry honey butter

{lindsey and cafe johnsonia turned me onto this one - fabulous!}

The Inn at Temple Square’s Raspberry Honey Butter

½ lb. butter, room temperature (2 sticks or 1 cup)
4 ounces honey
4 ounces good-quality raspberry preserves
½ tsp. vanilla
In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to whip the butter until light and fluffy. Slowly add the honey while mixing. Add the raspberry preserves and vanilla. Continue to whip until completely mixed. (You may have to beat it for a little while if it has separated.)

english toffee

rice pudding almondine

4 eggs
5 c. milk
1 c. cooked rice (up to 2 or 3)
1/2 c sugar
1 t. vanilla
dash salt
Combine all ingredients above and warm in a saucepan. Bake for 1 1/2 hours at 325. stir three times during cooking process. cool completely and add 2 cups (to your liking) of slightly sweetened whipped cream with 1 t. almond extract. serve COLD.
{this is a great recipe to have on hand thanksgiving day, there are some who don't love pumpkin pie, this goes along with the seasonal spirit and offers a different twist that makes a great dessert!}

cranberry slush
{thanks jane}

{i did all of the above the day before}

Holiday Turkey

sweet potatoe souffle
{try it, you will never ever look back!}

butterhorn rolls

now, there are some recipes here that called for canned cranberry, you can use the canned stuff, you can also use the fresh stuff and be just fine!

this is how an ideal thanksgiving would go for me:

1:00
soup and salad

2:00
the big meal....

3:30
a thanksgiving walk (it's tradition at our house)

4:30
pie

5:30
watch "it's a wonderful life" (another must tradition at our house)

during this movie watching time, you are allowed to reheat turkey and rolls for sandwiches, eat the toffee and the pudding.

yes, this is my idea of a perfect thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is coming...

2008-11-22T20:36:00.000-08:00

I have Thanksgiving on my brain. My in-laws will be traveling to spend Thanksgiving with us this year and we are really looking forward to having them. I have been working to finalize our menu and my grocery shopping list. So, I have to ask...what is your favorite Thanksgiving dish and will you share your recipe with us?

Please leave us a comment, or if you post on this blog, let's see your recipes!

(ps. Heidi- I'm pretty sure you need to post sweet potato souffle. Sweet potatoes will never be the same again.)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

2008-11-22T20:19:00.001-08:00

This really is the best pumpkin chocolate chip bread. It is so moist and has great flavor. It can also be made into muffins. The cinnamon sugar sprinkled in the pan and on top of the batter prior to baking makes a delicious crust.

Pumpkin Bread

3 cups sugar

1 cup oil

4 eggs, beaten

1 (16oz) can pumpkin puree

3 ½ cups flour

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp allspice

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp cloves

2/3 cup of water

1 cup chocolate chips, optional (toss with 1 Tbsp. flour to prevent chips from sinking to the bottom of the loaf while baking.)

Cream sugar and oil together. Add eggs and pumpkin; mix well. Sift together dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients alternately with water. Mix well. If adding chocolate chips, gently fold them into the batter at this point. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans. Sprinkle pans with cinnamon sugar. Pour batter into the two pans and sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the top of the batter. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Once bread has cooled (at least 30-40 minutes), remove from the pans. Waiting for the bread to cool prior to removing it from the pans will ensure that your bread won't split with half of it coming out onto the cooling rack and half staying in the pan.

Tamales!

2008-11-21T12:23:00.000-08:00

We have quite a few hispanic families in our ward, and at a recent Cooking Club activity, they were kind enough to teach us all how to make tamales! This was a totally new experience for me and a lot of fun. I especially liked the chicken ones. Here's how to make them:

Basic Tamale Ingredients:

Corn husks (Hojas – found in Latino Food section of Walmart)
Manteca (lard) or shortening
Tamale flour (Arina para tamales – found in Latino Food section of Walmart)

Corn Husk (Hojas) Preparation:

Soak in saltwater (with roughly ½ cup salt in 8 cups of water) for ½ hour, then wash husks until soft enough that the strands start to pull off. While soaking, begin preparing filling of your choice: verde, raja, or sweet.

Green Sauce (Salsa Verde):

10 tomatillos
1 jalapeno
1 garlic clove
5 chicken breasts
½ T. black pepper
salt to taste

Take off stems of tomatillos, jalapeno, and garlic. Boil these in water together until soft, about 10 minutes. Drain; puree in blender. Return to saucepan. Add in 5 cooked and shredded chicken breasts and ½ T. black pepper. Boil these together for 5 minutes.

Mix flour (arina para tamales) with water as directed on package to prepare for tamale filling. Cover lower half of soft corn husk with a thick layer of flour mixture, then add a spoonful of green chicken sauce. Roll the tamale and then fold the top down.

Raja Filling:

4 bell peppers
2 onions
3 garlic cloves
4 large tomatoes
1 container of queso fresco (Mexican cheese – found to the left above the cream cheese in Walmart)

Sauté bell peppers (your choice of color), onion, garlic, and tomatoes in light oil until soft. Cut the queso fresco into small rectangles, big enough to fit into half of a corn husk. As with green sauce, spread flour mixture on lower half of tamale. Place rectangle of queso fresco in the middle and spoon sautéed vegetable mixture on top. Roll tamale and fold top down.

Sweet Filling:

If you would like to make some dessert tamales, reserve some corn husks to soak in sugar water instead of saltwater. If desired, add red food coloring with flour mixture. After filling tamale with red flour mixture, add in crushed pineapple, raisins, craisins, cinnamon/apple, or whatever sounds good to you!

Steam tamales for 30-45 minutes, or until none of the filling sticks to the outer corn husk when gently pulled away. Enjoy!

Balsamic Chicken with Baby Spinach

2008-11-17T17:53:00.000-08:00

This tasty dish is from the Food Network. I love it because it has loads of flavor, its healthy and its super easy!

1 T. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 (8 oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved (I used about 6 tenders)
8 oz. baby spinach (I use a whole bag because I love it)
2 T. balsamic vinegar
1/3 C. chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 box of couscous, cooked (I have made it with plain before but this time I used the couscous with garlic and it was great!)

Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add the oil and heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken and cook for about 4 minutes/side. Remove the chicken and set aside. To the same pan, add the spinach and cook just until wilted (1-2 minutes). Remove from pan and set aside. Lower the heat to medium and add the balsamic vinegar and chicken broth to the pan and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any browned bits. Add the tomatoes, bring to a simmer and cook 3-5 minutes.

Place couscous in a serving bowl. Top with spinach, chicken and balsamic-tomato sauce.

Hearty Fall Soups

2008-11-16T15:37:00.000-08:00

While I live in a warm climate where it is still in the 80's and 90's out side, I still feel the need for some hearty fall flavors. Here are two soup recipes I recently fell in love with.

Potato Cheese Soup
3 tbsp butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 tbsp flour
1 (14.5 oz can) chicken broth - (I always add a little more than this, also depends on how thick you want it!)
4 medium baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper (I've never used this because I don't have any...)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried basil
dash of Tabasco sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 cup half/half
1 1/2 cups shreaded Sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 lb. of bacon cut in squares and cooked in sauce pan

Garnish with grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, crumbled bacon or chopped green onions

Melt butter in a 2-quart sauce pan on medium heat. Add onion and saute for 2 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the onions and cook about 5 minutes, stirring often. Gradually add chicken broth. Add potatoes, salt, pepper, basil, tabasco and garlic salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. Stir in half and half, cheese and bacon; heat through. Serves a generous portion for four people and can easily be doubled or tripled!

Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder

1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 to 2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tbsp butter
2 chicken bouillion cubes
1 cup hot water
1/2 to 1 tsp ground cumin
2 cups half and half
2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
1 (14.75 oz) can creamed corn
1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies undrained
1/4 tsp tabasco sauce
1 medium tomato, chopped (or you can used a can of diced tomatoes, drained)
fresh cilantro

In a saucepan, brown chicken, onion and garlic in butter until chicken is no longer pink. Dissolve the bouillion cubes in hot water. Add to pan along with cumin; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for five minutes. Add half and half, cheese, corn, chilies and tabasco sauce. Cook and stir over low heat until the cheese is melted. Stir in chopped tomatoes and serve immediately. Garnish with cilantro if desired.

Whats a Frittata?

2008-11-16T15:30:00.000-08:00

I would say a Frittata is like a quiche with out a crust. My mother and sisters prefer them because they are low carb freaks. I just think, either way, they are delicious. I just made this one for a baby shower and I thought it was beautiful and very good.

Artichoke Frittata:6 servings

1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 cup chopped onions
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 10 oz package frozen spinach
5 large eggs
2 6-ounce jars marinated artichoke hearts, drained
1 1/2 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese (6 oz)
Slice mushrooms and saute with onions in oil. Thaw spinach and drain well. (Allow 3-4 hours for spinach to thaw and drain). Beat eggs lightly and combine with mushrooms, spinach, artichoke hearts and cheese. Bake covered in buttered 1 1/2 qt. casserole at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

P.S. I am not a huge mushroom fan so I leave these out.

Cinnamon Syrup

2008-11-13T07:47:00.000-08:00

maybe i posted this one already? please forgive the repition if i have, but it is worthy of 2 posts.

cinnamon cream syrup

5 T melted butter
1 cup heavy cream
3 T brown sugar
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t maple extract (i have done without before)

combine all ingredients in a saucepan. cook, whisking constantly until sugar has dissolved and mixture thickens slightly.

serve warm over your favorite breakfast food, we served this recently with the baked french toast i did a couple days back, it was the favorite!

my lunching ways

2008-11-12T07:05:00.000-08:00

sometimes i wonder what all of the stay at home moms in the world eat.

i am a grazer, usually eating this that baby didn't finish or that bread slice that didn't get nabbed at breakfast. this has been what's on me plate as of late...

and that yellow stuff in the bottle?

the dressing from dad's favorite salad i posted a while back.

here it is again:

1 c oil

1/3 c sugar

1/3 c white vinegar

1/2 c onion, chopped

1 T mustard

1 t celery seed (i have used celery salt also)

1/2 t salt

1/2 t pepper

blend together in blender.

as you can see here, it went wonderfully with avocados, tomatoes and pickled beets.

Vermont Maple Walnut Bars

2008-11-11T16:17:00.000-08:00

These bars are so easy and so yummy. They really make your home smell like the holidays. It calls for a cup of pure maple syrup, which seems like a lot but it makes them so moist and tasty. I buy my maple syrup at Costco. I think this is one of those staple items you need to have on hand.

Bars:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup salted butter, softened (or use unsalted butter and add a pinch of salt)
1 cup pure maple syrup
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup walnuts, chopped

Maple Frosting:
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 Tlbs light brn sugar, packed
3 Tlbs pure maple syrup
1/4 cup + 2 Tlbs confectioners' sugar
Walnut halves

Preheat oven to 325. Grease and 8-by-8 inch baking pan.
To make bars: In a med bowl combine flour and soda. Mix well with a wire whisk and set aside.
In a large bowl with an electric mixer blend sugar and butter to form a grainy paste. Scrape down sides of bowl, then add syrup, egg and vanilla. Beat at med speed until smooth.
Add the flour mixture and walnuts, and blend at low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.
Pour batter into pan and smooth the top with a spatula. bake 40-45 min. Cool in pan 15 min, then invern onto cooling rack. cool completely before icing.
To make frosting:
In a med bowl cream butter and cream cheese with electric mixer at high speed. Add brown sugar and maple syrup, and beat until smooth. Reduce mixer speed to medium and slowly add confectioners' sugar. Once sugar is incorporated, increase speed to high, and mix until smooth. If frosting appears thin, add sugar until thickened.
Frost the bars and top with a walnut.

that reminds me....

2008-11-11T07:40:00.000-08:00

about my soup, well not mine, but- you know. when you serve it enough and it gets coined yours?

Creamy Mexican Bliss Soup (i made that name up)

1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken cut up in little cubes (you could also use rotisserie chicken)
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 minced garlic clove about 1 TB, or 1 t of garlic powder
1 T olive oil
2 cans (15 1/2 oz. each) great northern beans {drained and rinsed}
1 can {14 1/2 oz} chicken broth
2 cans {4 oz. each} chopped green chilies ( i use 1 can if the kidlets are eating it)
1 t salt
1 t cumin
1 t oregano
1/2 t pepper {white pepper is best in this one but black will work too}
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c whipping cream

in a large sauce pan, saute chicken, onion, oil and garlic until chicken is no longer pink. {you could also use a rotisserie chicken and warm the meat in a saucepan with the onion and garlic}

Add beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in sour cream and cream, serve immediately.

{commentary}
i would say this would satisfy 4 adults. double it for a crowd. also, one day, a very good thing happened. that is when i had a beautiful tomato from the garden at the height of ripeness. i sliced it up and tossed it in at the very end after i had done everything else. i served it to a crowd of women and it had them all a buzz as to what the red things were. it added the right amount of saltiness.

ENJOY!

baked french toast

2008-11-10T06:11:00.000-08:00

now, there is a thing i have about soggy french toast. i cringe as i type it. just "say no to the sog" in your early morning. i think this recipes concept is a bread pudding, but that is what rescues it from the sogginess.

baked french toast

10 slices bread (i use a french loaf, it think it avoids sogginess and soaks in liquid with style)
8 ounces of cream cheese, room temperature
1 orange
1/2 c powdered sugar
1 dozen eggs
2 c milk (of course i use cream)
1/3 c maple syrup (i used mrs butterworths regular, my maple was gone)

cube bread. place half of the bread in a 11X14. (this recipe calls for a 9X13 but i find with a bread pudding if you use a larger pan you get the most wonderful crispiness to your dish)

mix cream cheese, juice and zest from your orange along with your powdered sugar until smooth. taste your concoction. i like it on the sweet side because that sweetness will diffuse as all the ingredients sit overnight.

pour evenly over first layer of cubed bread.

then, add the rest of the bread atop that.

in a bowl, mix eggs, milk (opt. cream) and syrup.
pour over the top of french toast.

put it in the fridge overnight or about 10 hours.

cook at 375 for 45 minutes uncovered.
serve with buttermilk syrup over the top, ENJOY!

i've been feeling morning love lately...

2008-11-08T08:58:00.000-08:00

we have been indulging in some lovely breakfasts as of late. i love cold weather, it makes us focus on indoor things and at this house that means good food. the next few days will be posts of some things we have been eating to enjoy the time together in the house~

Buttermilk Syrup

1 cube butter
3/4 c sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 t baking soda
1 t vanilla

over medium heat melt butter, sugar and buttermilk in a saucepan. i like to let it all dissolve and get a little bubbly.
remove from heat and add vanilla and soda. keep stirring until incorporated. it will foam and froth up when you do this, so be sure to call all the kids around for the "magic" show.

serve hot.

or you can store for 2 weeks in the fridge

{commentary}
this is so savory. it doesn't rock your world with sweetness, rather accents a fruit or a dollop of cream. i will also post more on how we have eaten this lately.

the best mac and cheese...

2008-10-24T17:54:00.000-07:00

this recipe came from a childhood favorite. it came from the mormon cooking book.
as always, i added my own twist too.

2 1/2 c. elbow macaroni (measure before you cook it)
4 TB flour
4 TB butter
2-3 TB chopped onion
1/2 t salt
dash of pepper
2 c cream (or milk, it called for milk but i had some cream ready to expire and i tell you, it was a beautiful thing...)
2 c cubed american ( i didn't want to resort to kraft singles so i found this in my deli and i used a half pound)

topping (my addition and oh so YUMMY)
1 c panko bread crumbs (you can also use regular, panko rock tho)
3 TB butter, melted.
1/2 t basil
1/2 t oregano
2 TB parmesan cheese

cook elbow macaroni according to directions.

in a saucepan melt butter. add onions and flour. stir together until it takes a paste shape. add cream slowly whisking. let flour and butter paste incorporate with cream and add cheese last.

whisk until all incorporated.

toss cheese sauce with cooked macaroni into a 9X13 dish. mix together topping ingredients and sprinkle over top of mac and cheese.

bake at 350 for 30 minutes uncovered.

{thanks for the pretty photo martha}

*commentary*

i've made a lot of mac and crack (as kristy calls it) and this is hands down the best, most simple recipe. we like to eat it with a piece of ham with applesauce adorning the ham. i also doubled this recipe and froze the rest so next week when i feel lazy my kids will think i'm cool.

other entertaining ideas:
did you see jordan's post on how she served her mac and cheese? i used it and scooped out 2 individual servings and put them in some cute ramekins. they were a perfect lunch for a mom and a sick baby. and i do think this is company worthy, just so you know. i have a christmas party brewing in my head with this lovely and a beautifully dressed ham.....

Little Owls

2008-10-23T09:07:00.001-07:00

I bought this magazine last fall because I thought these cupcakes were adorable. There are lots of other fun and festive recipe ideas in the magazine, too. If you are interested, you can purchase it here. I made these cupcakes a couple weeks ago. The cupcakes themselves weren't great, but I do love these little owls. The cupcake recipe included for these was a white cake with shredded coconut (this says spring to me...not fall) and cream cheese frosting. When I make them again, I'll probably use a spice cake or carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Anyway, here's what you need for the decorations if you want to try them.

Eyes: place two butterscotch candies for the eyes. Dip chocolate chips in a little frosting and place in the center of the butterscotch candies.

Nose: whole cashew

Feathers: slivered almonds placed around the eyes.

Enjoy!

Vegetarian Lighter Lasagna

2008-10-15T10:05:00.000-07:00

I have been inspired by my friend Jill to try cooking more vegetarian meals. For some reason cooking vegetarian is a little intimidating to me. I think it is because I don't have many vegetarian recipes, nor have I tried too many vegetarian main dishes. I typically think pasta and soup when I think about vegetarian main dishes...but I know there are many options out there and I'm on a quest to find some good recipes to incorporate into our weekly menus. To start off, I tried a lighter lasagna recipe that Jill posted on her blog. This lasagna is delicious and simple to make. I love lasagna where you don't have to precook the noodles! What's your favorite vegetarian dish and where do you get your best vegetarian recipes? Please share your favorites...and try this recipe- you'll like it.

Lighter Lasagna, from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites
This lasagna is so rich with vegetables, herbs, and wine that you'll never miss the extra cheese and fat that we're accustomed to finding in standard recipes. Serves 6-8, preparation time 40 minutes, baking time 60-70 minutes.

2 cups cubed zucchini
1 cup cubed bell peppers
1 cup chopped tomatoes
4 cups sliced mushrooms (about 12 ounces)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup dry red wine (I used chicken stock)
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil
10 ounces fresh spinach, rinsed
2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
1 cup grated low-fat mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 recipe Tomato Wine sauce (page 350) or 3 1/2 cups prepared tomato sauce
1 pound uncooked lasagna noodles (uncooked)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, salt, and wine in a saucepan, bring to a boil, cover, and then simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes, until all of the vegetables are tender and juicy. Stir in the basil and set aside.

Cover and cook the spinach on high heat in just the water clinging to the leaves for 3 minutes, until wilted but still bright green. Drain and chop coarsely. Combine with the cottage cheese, mozzarella, and Parmesan and set aside.

Spread 1 cup of the tomato sauce evenly on the bottom of a 3-inch deep nonreactive 8 x 12-inch baking dish. Layer with 5 or 6 noodles, 1 generous cup of undrained veggies, and 1 cup of the spinach-cheese mixture. Cover with a second layer of noodles, 1 cup of sauce, 1 heaping cup of veggies, 1 cup of the spinach-cheese mixture, and a third layer of noodles. Finally, add the rest of the veggies, the remaining spinach-cheese mixture, a fourth layer of noodles, and the rest of the sauce. Cover tightly with foil and bake until the noodles are tender, about 60 minutes. Let sit at least 10 minutes before cutting.

Baked French Toast with Apples and Caramel Sauce

2008-10-12T14:01:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I decided to make something special for Sunday morning breakfast. We had recently been to the apple orchard and so I wanted to use up some of the apples we had picked. We decided to try this baked french toast recipe that a friend gave me a while ago. It was delicious. Now, the ingredients in this make it seem a little more like a dessert than breakfast, but it's okay to indulge every now and then. This recipe is absolutely worth the indulgence. It is really good.
Baked French Toast with Apples and Caramel Sauce
A glass baking pan will help prevent the toast from sticking. This recipe must refrigerate overnight, so work that into your planning and prep time.

Ingredients
1 (1 pound) loaf French bread sliced
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups skim milk
1/3 cup white sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla
4-6 apples (peeled, cored and sliced)
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 Tbsp. white sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup margarine, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla

Directions
1) Cut bread into 1 1/2 inch thick slices and place in a lightly greased 9 X 13 inch baking pan. In a large bowl, beat eggs with 1 1/2 cup skim milk, 1/3 cup white sugar, and 1 Tbsp. vanilla. Pour egg mixture over bread slices. Make sure all the bread gets soaked so it doesn't leave any dry spots. The liquid left in the bottom will all be soaked up by morning.

2) Arrange apple slices on top of bread. Mix together cinnamon, nutmeg and 2 Tbsp. white sugar then sprinkle over the apples. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

3) After mixture has refrigerated overnight, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

4) Bake toast in preheated oven until golden brown, about 1 hour.

5) While toast is baking, prepare caramel sauce by combining 1/2 cup white sugar, flour and melted margarine in a small sauce pan. Stir in brown sugar, 1/2 cup skim milk and 2 tsp. vanilla. Cook until thick, stirring often.

Serve French toast hot with warm caramel sauce.

Black Bean Soup with homemade breadsticks

2008-10-08T11:00:00.000-07:00

Sorry for another soup recipe, but like Becca says, I embrace Fall too and all I want to eat during the cool, fall/winter months is yummy soup with some sort of bread! This one is one of my family favs. Not only is it good, but healthy.

Black Bean Soup
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 T. cumin
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 T. veggie oil
1 can chicken broth
3 cans black beans, undrained
1 medium jar of salsa (I used my homemade recipe because I am not a fan of store bought-recipe below)
3 T. lime juice

In a 4 qt. sauce pan, heat oil and put garlic, onion, cumin and red pepper flakes in. Then in a blender, blend 1 can black beans with 1/2 of the chicken broth and then add to the garlic and onion mix. Add the other 2 cans of black beans and broth to mix and then add salsa and lime juice.

Homemade Salsa (we all have our own salsa recipe, but I thought I would list my brother's rendition.)
This was the perfect way to use up the rest of my garden tomatoes!
5-6 tomatoes, chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
2-4 jalapenos, remove seeds and finely chop
1/2 bunch cilantro
2 large limes juiced
1-2 T. olive oil
salt to taste
I am not a huge fan of chunky salsa, so what I do is chop my tomatoes and onion, then throw them in the blender to sort of puree them.

Thirty-Minute breadsticks (I know we all have our own breadstick recipe too, but I just thought I would add this one from my Pinch of Salt Lake cook book)
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 T. honey
1 1/2 C. warm water
1 tsp. salt
3-4 1/2 C. flour
1 egg, beaten

In a large mixing bowl soften yeast and honey in warm water. Add salt; blend. Add flour gradually, blending in until dough pulls away from sides of bowl and forms a ball. Divide dough into 24 pieces. Roll each piece between hands to make sticks about 10 inches long. Place crosswise on 2 large greased baking sheets. (dough can be divided into 12 pieces and placed on one pan to make thicker and softer sticks). Brush with beaten egg; sprinkle with desired seasonings (sesame seeds, poppy seeds, Parmesan cheese, salad supreme).
Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Soup

2008-10-04T17:11:00.001-07:00

Fall, I embrace you! While we don't have the summer days at the beach anymore, we now have pumpkin picking and brisk morning runs. There is something about fall breezes that makes me excited! We can't wait for school to start (even though it always starts in the hot humid August days...but, isn't it much more fun keep pretending that it starts in the fall?), we can't wait for the harvest time of apples, pears, peaches, squash and the smells of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg that accompany these foods and, admit it--we can't wait for Christmas. All the good times are ahead of us in the autumn season, and I'm totally not thinking about that January/February/March stretch. Just put that right out of my mind.

To get in the mood, I made some butternut squash soup. It was delicious--my husband said "this is perfect." um, wow, I felt like a rock star. I like this recipe, because I only needed to make one cut down the length of the squash prior to roasting. I like this because cutting up butternut squash, to me, is risky business, and I'd like to keep all of my fingers intact, thank you very much. There is quite a bit of handling in this recipe--roasting and stewing and blending. At one point, I was ladling boiling squashy liquid into my blender, half of it dripping all over everything, while Pete was pulling at my pants and yelling "MAMA! Mama, I need that" and everything was spilling all around and life seemed pretty nutso for about 15 minutes. One of these definitely would have come in handy. But, the beauty of this soup is it tastes even better a day or two later, so, today, when the boys were out playing, I sat down by myself to a beautiful bowl of homemade soup and read a magazine and felt really, really happy.

Here's the recipe adapted from Joy of Cooking:

Butternut Squash Soup

1 medium butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeded

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 large leeks, cleaned thoroughly and chopped

4 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger

6 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3/4 cup whipping cream

chopped fresh parsley or cilantro

croutons

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place squash cut side down on oiled baking sheet. Bake until the squash can easily be pierced with a fork, about 1 hour. Let cool, then scoop the pulp from the squash skin and discard the skin.
Melt butter in a soup pot over medium-low heat. Add leeks and ginger and cook, stirring, until tender but not browned, 5 to 10 minutes.
Stir in 4 cups of stock and the squash pulp. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring and breaking up the squash with a spoon, for 20 minutes. Puree until smooth. Return soup to the pot.
Stir in cream, and thin with stock, a little at a time, until you reach the desired consistency of soup. Heat soup through and ladle into warmed bowls. Garnish with herbs and/or croutons.

Bagels and Schmears

2008-10-04T08:03:00.001-07:00

I'm trying to make my breakfasts a bit more respectable. It has proven quite the challenge to break my college routine of cold cereal for days and months and years in a row. So, we're exploring many *quick* morning meals and this veggie spread just made our breakfast list!

From the November 2007 Everyday Food:

Creamy Vegetable Spread on Whole-Wheat Bagel

1 package (8 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese

1 medium carrot, grated or finely chopped

1 red bell pepper (ribs and seeds removed), finely chopped

1 scallion, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

coarse salt and pepper

small whole-wheat bagels, split and toasted for serving

In a medium bowl, stir together cream cheese, carrot, bell pepper, scallion, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Spread bagel halves with vegetable spread, and serve. (Store remaining spread in an airtight container, up to 5 days.)

autumn in a dish.....

2008-09-30T08:14:00.000-07:00

i know i have posted this recipe before, but i am going to do it again, since it is season appropriate and all. i have made few revisions to this recipe as well.

first let me say...

my fabulous mother always made this and a pot of soup in the fall and took us to our local campground many, many, many fall nights. creating such a flood of warm memories for us kids. we now do the same thing in our family. this is me crowning my childhood friend kellie with the first piece of autumn in a dish for the season, quite an honor!

apple pudding

1 C sugar
1/2 C butter
1 egg
4 lg apples, shredded
2 C flour
2 t soda
2 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1 C pecans (optional)
1/2 t. salt

cream sugar and butter. add egg and apples. add flour and dry ingredients. bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes in a 9 by 13 pan.

caramel sauce

1 C butter
2 C sugar
1 C cream or canned milk
1 1/2 t vanilla (add after removed from heat to ensure the flavor)

bring to a slow rolling boil, about 5-6 minutes.

DRENCH a piece of cake in this and you will be so happy....

*we cooked this in a dutch oven. 8 coals on top, 9 on bottom, 35 - 40 minutes {heaven}

dutch oven quiche....

2008-09-27T08:05:00.000-07:00

is the best way to eat my quiche. i thought i had eaten until i had it from the dutch oven....

mercy! it cooks perfectly, 9 coals on the bottom, 8 on top and cook for 45 minutes. it comes out perfect. i think next time we cook it, i will pop it in the dutch oven and cook it in the oven....

orange fritters with cinnamon cream syrup

2008-09-26T08:32:00.000-07:00

sound delightful don't they. truly they are. i ate these first years ago dining here for breakfast. they were so good. on our last excursion here i found they took them off the menu and i was glad the year before i came up with my own recipe.

well, this is a concept really, i can't give you an exact recipe, it will depend on what scone mix you like.

i have found a really good boxed scone dough by a local company, honeyville.
i buy their scone box and follow the directions adding a few ingredients.

i add the zest of one orange. for the liquid, i squeeze one orange and whatever i get from that i use as part of the liquid requirement for the recipe.

here is a picture of the dough once it rises.

we took this camping and after it was done rising i put it in a container and kept it in the cooler {fridge if you are not camping} until i was ready to use it.

i fried them in oil until they were brown on each side. they are wonderful!

especially with this syrup: {which can be used on a wide variety of breakfast foods, pancakes, french toast, or you can drink it, ahem......}

Cinnamon Cream Syrup

5 T melted butter
1 C heavy cream
3 T brown sugar
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t maple extract (i have left this out before and it was fine)

combine all ingredients in a small saucepan on medium to high heat. cook, whisking constantly until sugar dissolves and mixture thickens slightly (3-4 minutes)

you can make this ahead and heat to serve when you are ready for it!

Apple Crumb Pie

2008-09-25T19:25:00.000-07:00

OK, I just took another trip out to the apple orchard today to pick some fabulous apples and I am always just inspired by the feeling of fall in the air this time of year. It's amazing! And every time that I have a stock of apples on hand, this delicious dessert comes to mind and I have to make it. I like apple pie. It's a good thing. I really, truly, passionately LOVE crumb topping from apple crisp. The beauty of this recipe is that it combines the goodness of both of those desserts into one, amazing whole.

I got this recipe several years back from another one of our New Haven friends, Jen Brewer. We made it while she so graciously hosted our family for an away rotation at the Mayo Clinic. I learned a lot of great recipes from her on that trip that I adore. Thanks, Jen! BTW, I seem to remember this recipe coming from an ex-girlfriend of Jerry's! Kinda funny :-)
APPLE CRUMB PIE:
Filling:
10-15 apples, peeled & cut into chunks
2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 cup sugar (+)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon (+)
1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Topping:
1 cube butter, chilled, but not too hard
1/3 cup heaping sugar
1/2 cup heaping flour
1/2 cup oats
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 pie crust

Put pie crust in bottom of pie dish. Load apple mixture on top - should be heaping. Make the topping by cutting the butter into sugar and flour until crumbly, then sprinkle over top of apple pie. Wrap tin foil around edges of crust to keep from burning. Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour. This tastes fabulous served warm with ice cream.

Don't you just love that this recipe uses "heaping" so many times. That's just my kinda thing :-) Enjoy!

heaven, bliss and good fortune

2008-09-25T07:31:00.000-07:00

my favorite new recipe....

i love lindsays blog, she has my kind of taste you see. everything i make from her turns to gold and this is no exception! this one is super easy but takes patience as it needs time to freeze. it is best when frozen overnight.

frozen coconut key lime tart

you can find lindsays recipe and tutorial here.

i browned some coconut in the oven and then added some lime green food coloring to my whipped cream. i piped it with a large ziploc and cut a little hole in the tip and kind of swirled it.

additional info - i made this and served it in quantity at my recent coupon class. in an effort to make all of it pretty, i wanted to use my 1 tart pan for all 5 tarts, but i decided to try and make this in a large pyrex. i made the crust and cooked it in the tart pan and then crumbled it and put it in the pyrex adding the filling and cream over top, it was a great way to serve in quantity and tasted great even tho it wasn't as pretty!

{p.s. the cream of coconut is right by the drink mix section of the drink isle, and make sure to note it is cream of coconut, not coconut milk. and stock up, you will want this often!}

hired...

2008-09-24T07:25:00.000-07:00

here is grayce's birthday cake, in a stunning photo shoot with my mountain man brother. too bad he lives in the great white north....

you can find the recipe here

Ranchero Mexi-Chicken Crostada

2008-09-23T20:31:00.000-07:00

As I have been browsing other food blogs, I came across this food blog called, "The Picky Palate" As I have gone threw this gals recipes, I have been so impressed! She is so creative with the way she makes her food and I found this yummy recipe on there that I wanted to share with you all. Follow the link here. This recipe was so easy and so flavorful! I served this with a side of seasoned black beans and watermelon. We loved it!

Chicken Stew with Dumplings

2008-09-05T20:17:00.000-07:00

The weather has really cooled off this week and yesterday it was rainy and cold. I was craving some kind of soup and ended up making this. It was really yummy and total comfort food.

STEW:
3 cups cooked and shredded chicken (I used part of a rotisserie chicken)
5 cups chicken broth
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
3/4 pound new potatoes, quartered
3 carrots cut into 2-inch pieces (I just used baby carrots)
2 celery ribs, sliced
1 medium onion, cut into eighths
1 (10oz) package frozen peas

Bring chicken broth to a boil. Add all the ingredients except the chicken and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 15-20 minutes. Add the cooked chicken.

Dissolve 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch in 1 cup of half and half, cream or milk and stir into soup mixture. This step is optional but helps to thicken the stew a little bit.

DUMPLINGS:

1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons butter
3/4 cup of milk
1/4 cup fresh minced parsley (I just used a few shakes of dried)

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in milk and parsley. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls into simmering stew. Cover and let cook for about 15 minutes or until the dumplings are tender.

Wheat Sandwich Bread

2008-09-04T15:02:00.001-07:00

I'm no great breadmaker, but I love the texture of this bread--while other homemade breads crumble, this bread is sturdy enough for the sandwich challenge. For white bread, use all white flour.

This recipe is from The Joy of Cooking (the format to the recipe is a little different than most, so read through it entirely before starting)

*Combine in a bowl of a heavy-duty mixer and let stand until the yeast is dissolved, about 5 minutes:
4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup (110-115 degrees) water

*Warm to 105 degrees:
1 cup milk

*Add to the milk and stir to dissolve the sugar:
1 cup warm (105 degrees) water
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter or shortening, softened
2 tablespoons sugar or honey
1 tablespoon salt

*Stir the milk mixture into the yeast. Have ready:
2 cups whole-wheat flour
2 1/2-3 cups bread flour

*Add 3 cups of the flour to the yeast mixture and mix on low speed for 1 minute. Gradually add the remaining flour until the dough is moist but not sticky. Knead for about 10 minutes on low to medium speed until the dough is smooth and elastic. Transfer to an oiled bowl and turn it over once to coat with oil. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Knead the dough briefly, return it to the bowl, and let rise again until doubled, about 1 hour.

Grease 2 8 1/2x4 1/2-inch loaf pans. Punch the dough down, divide in half, and form into 2 loaves. Place seam side down in the pans. Cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until the loaves crest about the pan, making a nice dome, about one hour.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Bake the loaves for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake until the bottom of the loaves sound hollow when tapped, about 30 minutes more. Remove the loaves from the pans to a rack and let cool completely.

So, there's my bread recipe, but I'd love to read any others (hint, hint, Ebberts!) I'm always on the lookout for bread-making tips, so leave some if you've got 'em!

Grilled Pork Tenderloin?

2008-08-31T17:29:00.000-07:00

I really want to try grilling pork tenderloin but I don't have a clue how to do it. Do you marinade it first? What do you marinade it in? How long do you grill it? Do you wrap it in tinfoil or put it directly on the grill? I have cooked pork tenderloin many different ways but I have yet to attempt it on the grill. Please share your ideas and recipes with me. I have a pork tenderloin in the freezer just waiting to be used! Thanks!

my fruit stand find...

2008-08-26T11:35:00.000-07:00

i was beyond curious when i saw a sign that said strawberry popcorn at a local fruit stand.

they were the most lovely shade of red and i begged the cashier to tell me more about them. she said the ear of corn they come from is shaped like a strawberry and they have the most beautiful red color. yes, indeed. so....

we took them home and put them in a pan with a shallow layer of olive oil. we turned the stove to high and let the oil heat up. we added some fresh minced garlic, salt and pepper and put a lid on it. at first i thought it was burning because the red kernels tend to get really dark. after it was done popping i couldn't resist some butter and parmesan cheese... it was beyond lovely, we were in love and i am off to find more to fill in glass jars and place around the kitchen...

a royal birthday cake...

2008-08-26T11:25:00.000-07:00

the barking orders for a birthday cake this year were chocolate double cake with chocolate frosting.
simple enough, but i hate a plain cake with plain old frosting.

i almost never eat it unless i know it was fancied up by the baker, so.....

i bought a cake mix let my mind wander.

it called for 1 1/2 cups of water. ugh, how boring. so i had some creme fraiche on hand and used 3/4 c of that and the rest water. i followed the rest of the called for ingredients and baked as directed in 2 9 inch pans. it made for the most moistalicious cake.

then....

i thought about how good a cream cheese filling would be. so i used 1 brick of softened cream cheese, with 1/2 c of ganache frosting (recipe forthcoming) and 3/4 c powdered sugar. i put those in the blender and put them in a ziploc and froze it for a few minutes to firm it up.

the ganache..
first, might i bear my testimony of it?
okay, i love the gloss, the taste and the ease of cooking it, i love how i dream about all of the things it could go on. okay, done.

it is 2 parts chocolate to
1 part cream.
i used 2 cups of hershey's chocolate chips (milk chocolate)
and
1 cup heavy whipping cream.
stir with a whisk on medium heat until chocolate starts to get shiny. remove from heat and set aside.
{you can use this for cupcakes, just dip those pretty little tops in it, or a fondue dip also.}

to assemble:

cool your cakes and cut the tops off making a flat surface for the cakes to rest on top of one another without falling over.
you can see i put the cake on a square serving dish with sides so the ganache wouldn't spill over.
so, put your first cake down and clip the tip of the baggie you stored your cream cheese filling in. i piped this in a big circle and then spread it with the back of a spoon. add your second layer of cake on top of that.
{make sure both cake surfaces that were cut are facing each other. so the first cake should have the uncut surface as the side touching the plate, the bottom of the second cake should be the cut side so the top doesn't get crumbs everywhere.}
make sure the ganache isn't too hot to the touch but not too cool. about body temperature, dip your finger in to test {and lick your finger too ;)}
i spread the ganache starting in the middle of the cake, pouring it from the pan and working from the center to the edges, letting the ganache drizzle down the sides until it filled the corners of the plate. this was especially nice because it covered any crumbs or filling spills. i refrigerated it for a few minutes to help the ganache firm up a bit.

i fanned some strawberries by slicing them thin from bottom to top in 5 or 6 slices per strawberry. they sure looked pretty. and i thought this was a fabulous taste and something different. we served it with vanilla ice cream.

Quick Summertime Dinner: Pesto Pasta Salad

2008-08-23T09:58:00.001-07:00

What is the perfect summer recipe? Well, there are several criteria: 1) No oven involved, 2) should take no longer than the amount of time to cook pasta, and 3) should be eaten and enjoyed by all family members. A tall order indeed, but this week, I found a new favorite summer dish: Pesto Pasta Salad.

1/2 lb. penne pasta, cooked as directed and drained
1 15.5 can chickpeas, roughly chopped
1/2 of a jar of roasted red peppers, drained and thinly sliced
12 black olives (I like kalamata), pitted and roughly chopped
1 stalk celery, thickly sliced
1/2 cup steamed green beans
1 6-oz can tuna, drained
4 tablespoons homemade or store-bought pesto
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

In a large bowl, combine the chickpeas, red peppers, olives, celery, tuna, pesto, salt, and black pepper. Divide among individual plates. Voila!

And as you read through this recipe, you may be thinking, "Ew! Tuna?!" But, give it a try. You may just fall in love with tuna in a whole new way. My first heavenly encounter with tuna in a salad was eating a Salad Nicoise at a cafe in Orange, France, and I have never looked back. Dude, it's so good.

And here's a picture of Orange. I posted it just to remember myself, there, eating a Salad Nicoise. Sigh.

Peach Pie (my favorite)

2008-08-21T16:35:00.000-07:00

I like to make pies quite a bit. I have made many, many pies, but peach still stands alone as my favorite. There's the sweetness of the peaches that only lasts a few weeks a year, the beautiful lattice top (or not!), and the late-summer-sit-around-the-picnic-table quality to eating peach pies, requiring any pie-eating participants to slow down, tell some stories, laugh out loud, and get that old familiar feeling that life is so good....ahhh...

We made a weekend of our late-summer peach pie by going to the orchards and picking our peaches. Some of the peaches were truly bigger than a baby's head. Have you ever heard the pregnancy descriptions of size, like during such-and-such week, your baby is the size of a walnut? Well, I think the 36th-week fetus is the size of an August Peach at Lyman Orchards. These peaches are enormous, and most branches were nearly touching the ground, being heavily burdened by the weight of these incredible peaches.

Ta da! Here it is! I opted out of the lattice crust for this one. Why? Well, one, I was feeling lazy. If I had the neat-o fluted pastry wheel from Williams Sonoma, there would be a much greater likelihood that I'd go for the lattice (hint hint husband).

But, heck, it's summer, which is meant for sipping lemonade and not fiddling in the kitchen with my pizza-cutter and a ruler to create a lattice crust. I'll save the pretty pies for Thanksgiving.

I used my favorite pie dough recipe, which I rarely stray from, it's on page 862 of The Joy of Cooking, Deluxe Butter Flaky Pastry Dough....how could this not be good, right?!

The key element of pie crust is the temperature. I cut up 2 sticks of UNSALTED butter and stick it in the freezer. Martha says to also put the flour in the freezer, which I guess could be helpful on really humid days, but seems to be just a tad much. You know how Martha can be sometimes...

I then get 1/3 cup ice water ready to go.

Next, I put 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon white sugar, 1 teaspoon salt in the food processor and pulse until mixed.

Then I put the butter and 1/4 cup of Crisco in the food processor, and pulse it just a few times until the butter is in pea-sized clumps.

I add the water next. This is the most tricky part of the whole process and can make or break your crust--too much water, and it's totally soggy, too little, and it's like eating flour. I remove the ice from the water, turn on the processor and stream the water in through the top until I hear what I call the crust rumble. It really is a rumbling sound that is the sound of the crust binding together. Here's what it looks like:

I take the dough out of the processor bowl and put it in 2 saran wrapped disks. I stick it in the fridge overnight.

The next day, I roll out the first crust, put it in the pie dish, and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes. There's kind of a tricky way I transfer the crust so it doesn't fall apart on me during the move--I roll it around the rolling pin and unroll it into the dish.

In the meantime, I made the filling. My favorite peach pie filling is also from Joy, Peach Pie on page 876:
2 1/2 pounds peaches (5 cups peeled, pitted, and sliced 1/4 inch thick*)
1/2 to 3/4 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca or cornstarch (use cornstarch for a lattice pie)
3 tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/8 teaspoon salt.
2 to 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 egg yolk
1 to 2 Tablespoons heavy cream

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine ingredients in a large bowl and let stand for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour filling into the bottom crust and dot with butter. Roll out top crust and cover filling, sealing the edges by fluting the edges with my knuckles. And here's the big secret to a beautiful-looking crust: I always mix 2 Tb. heavy cream with an egg yolk and brush it on right before I stick it in the oven. I'm telling you, it does wonders.

If the crust seems warm and starts to stick, put it in the fridge for a half hour. If it seems nice and firmed and chilled, go ahead and slip a baking sheet underneath the pie and cook it for 30 minutes at 425. Reduce the temperature to 350 and continue to bake for 30 more minutes.

*I have tried the boiling water technique for peeling peaches, and, to me, it's all too much work, sloshing around boiling and freezing water everywhere. I find that peeling peaches with a vegetable peeler, especially when they are a touch firm is faster and less wet.

And who doesn't love a big dollop of whipped cream?! I just dump a cup of whipping cream with a 1/4 cup of sugar and a little vanilla if I think of it, and whip it in my KitchenAid on the highest setting for a minute or two. Whoop, there it is.

Southwestern Chicken Wraps

2008-08-10T12:30:00.000-07:00

We've been really loving these wraps lately. It seems like every time we've had them we've also had impromptu guests who have also enjoyed these. Good thing it makes more than what Paul and I could eat! Try these...but be warned that they may attract visitors to your door at mealtime! :)

Oh yeah, and full credit goes to Everyday Food magazine for this one.

Dressing:

3/4 cup reduced fat sour cream
2 Tbsp. chopped pickled jalapenos (find these by the green chilies at the grocery store)
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
Freshly ground pepper and coarse salt

4 Sandwich Wraps (10-inch), We've used whole wheat and tomato basil but any kind is fine.
3 Cups baby spinach
3 Cups shredded, cooked turkey or chicken
1 Can (15 oz) drained and rinsed black beans
1 large tomato, thinly sliced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 avocado, thinly sliced

Combine sour cream, jalapenos, lime juice and salt and pepper in a bowl. Spread sour cream sauce on the wraps, leaving a 2 inch border. In center of wraps, layer equal amounts of baby spinach, shredded chicken, black beans, tomato, onion, and avocado. For each wrap, fold two sides of wrap over filling, then roll tightly, ending seam side down.

baked beans...

2008-07-29T08:21:00.000-07:00

and the beauty of a good baked bean recipe.

please, never open a can of baked beans and leave them naked in a dish somewhere. let us all save the beans and dress them to perfection. you will get mounds of compliments on this recipe my sweet grandma helen found. i think they are the best i've ever had.....well, truthfully, i didn't like any until i found these years ago..

apple sausage baked beans

3 14 oz cans pork n beans ( i used bush's honey)
1/4 bottle BBQ sauce ( i use kraft honey)
1 lb. jimmy dean sausage ( i used sage or maple, make sure either are spicy. if you double the recipe, try both - delicious)
1 lg. onion chopped (save your tears. i used dried, about 3-4 TB.)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 green pepper chopped finely
2-4 TB. Worcestershire (i err on the side of more here, i like the flavors)
2-4 TB. prepared mustard (repeat above, i like the bold flavor 4TB gives it)
1 c. apples (about 2 apples, you can grate them with the grater or chop them real fine)

brown sausage in onion and green pepper. mix all ingredients together and bake at 325 for one hour.

(don't try to crock pot these, they turn to mush, don't over cook, don't under cook. i once made these for 200 people, i multiplied the batch by 6 and baked them in a roaster oven at the above cooking instruction)

my love....

2008-07-20T23:45:00.000-07:00

was discovered on a hot and muggy new haven, CT day. and not any day, but BBQ sunday. the lovely and talented becca introduced me to key lime pie. it didn't help that i was pregnant and about to move cross country shortly. translation is i was in search of a good comfort food. becca made me a very traditional and classic key lime and i had to call her in my "missing the hood so bad" phase and tell her how i dream of her key lime pie. i was so large and pregnant, really i was, i couldn't dream of putting a lot of time into recreating it, but i found it was so easy i couldn't resist.

i was in love. the sharp lime taste and the sweet sugar that caresses your tongue was mesmerizing. so, when i found that lindsay at cafe johnsonia had the same obsession, i thought i was in heaven. our neighborhood had a little key lime contest and i entered 2 of lindsays suggestions. here is the first one that made me feel pretty good i was able to make this and not feel flustered with the concepts.

this is what mine looked like - tada!

lindsay has a great tutorial and recipe here
instead of the 2 smaller ones, i did the big one as you can see. i love her addition of sweetened condensed to the coconut reduction. the consuming of these morsels were other planet fabulous, try it, you'll like it!

how we cow....

2008-07-18T23:25:00.000-07:00

i am no meat connoisseur, i leave that to todd and deanna. yes, they have corrected us of our overdone meat eating ways and introduced us to a whole new world of medium rare with NO steak sauce.

i am not up to the task of cooking this yet, so i rely on a favorite and trusted family marinade to appease me until i can get here to eat real meat.

flank steak is a great cut for this marinade. this cut can be tough and this makes it melt in your mouth.

1 c tomato juice
1/2 c oil
1 TBSP meat tenderizer
fresh minced garlic (and don't skip this, if you have powdered, okay, you win- 1TBSP)

let this marinate up to 3 days. the longer the better, but it is also good over night. cook to your liking on the GRILL. 7-9 minutes on each side suites me, but check with your company and see what it takes to retain the friendship. you might have to go longer here.

the tomato juice beats the meat into submission and calls it to tenderness. i have used a spicy organic V8 which i highly recommend in place of the plain tomato juice.

the chicken...

2008-07-17T23:09:00.000-07:00

this is going to give you some moist chicken. it is so versatile, but you have to give it some time, okay. chicken is so temperamental and all, drying out like the desert if you don't pamper it. well, this chicken lets you abuse it, over cooking and everything. anyway.

marinate a part of a feathery friend in this savory liquid:
(i usually do a skinless breast or tender)
2 parts 7UP
to
1 part soy sauce
fresh minced garlic (maybe one to two cloves)

*and, maybe you like rosemary like i do. i think rosemary should run for office so i could see and smell it all the time. so, if you want to jump aboard the rosemary campaign to change the world, add it to your marinade.

now, if you can wait 2-3 days of this marinating in a nice ziploc in your fridge, put a star on your forehead and enjoy the most moist chicken EVER!

grill the chicken until no longer pink and enjoy a variety of ways, including and not limited to:

{atop a bed of lettuce with a savory salad dressing such as the shrimp one i posted about,

or

{throw some vegetables such as (mushrooms, zucchini, summer squash, onion,carrot, sweet potatoes or asparagus) into the marinade as well and grill them in a nice metal grill cage for about 15-20 minutes. they come out crisp and so tender. the rosemary is especially nice to the veggies in this setting. they just might sing you a lullaby.

{we kind of like this chicken in a kabob with some fresh cut pineapple and a mushroom, all dripping in this marinade, grilled to perfection.

i love a good starch...

2008-07-16T22:59:00.000-07:00

i see things on blogs and translate them into what i would eat and enjoy. mostly, what i would eat again. some things i see i try and say, no thanks. but, if you tweaked this and put that there, i would eat you over and over, giving no mercy. so, here is a heart attack in a platter quite honestly.

i boiled some beautiful red potatoes, boiled until my sweet little fork tenderly slid right on thru. then, i mashed them up a bit, smashed them with the bottom of a drinking glass. put some olive oil on the bottom of a glass baking dish with generous amounts of S&P then, i cooked up some bacon in a frying pan. put a little of that bacon all crumbled on the top and SOME OF THE (grease)smattered on the potatoes and shhhh. don't tell my dieting father who ate them up mercilessly, he would never, ever forgive me.

then, pop them into the oven on 415 until you see a good browning process going on, maybe 25-30 minutes. and maybe, you might get a big wet kiss from your hubby afterwards, they are sinful....

the best chicken secret

2008-07-14T22:47:00.000-07:00

these my friends are a little secret becca told me about, i will now impart....

these beautiful things are chicken thighs. have you never ever?

reconsider....

becca told me they were so wonderful, juicy and flavorful.

she was right.

honestly. i can't get enough of the things.
you must grill them. or your husband must. and, if he works nutty hours sewing people up, well, get inventive and come up with your own ideas.

i am scared the grill will revolt and try to cook me instead of my meat, so i tend to let scotty grill. so, one day, when my craving overtook any reasoning, i made my own.

do let the little thighs marinate in any bbq sauce you want. maybe a day or two, it just rocks this thigh. i turned the oven up to 375, placed a cookie rack below to save a smoky mess and cooked them for 1 hour.

the skin is so crunchy, the chicken dances in your mouth and begs you to eat more and more. the flavor is off the charts, so please, try a thigh....

Asian Spinach and Pasta Salad

2008-06-24T19:35:00.000-07:00

I have a delicious salad recipe to share. I took it to a church activity and everyone loved it. You definitely have to try this one!

Asian Spinach and Pasta Salad
Toss together:
1 small bag of spinach
8 oz. bowtie pasta (cook, strain, cool)
2-4 Tbsp. Sesame seeds
1/2 C. Sunflower seeds
1 can sliced water chestnuts
3 chicken breasts - season heavily with lemon pepper, grill and cut into bite size pieces
1 C. bean sprouts

Dressing:
1/2 C. Canola oil
1/2 C. sugar
1tsp salt
1 tsp sesame oil
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp Seasoned Rice vinegar (unseasoned works too)
1/2 tsp sesame SEED oil
1 tsp grated fresh garlic
store in fridge. Return to room temp before combined.

aunt marion's shrimp salad dressing

2008-06-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

i found this in an old cook book of my mom's that encompassed all of the ladies in the area growing up. they were all related and i knew marion personally. she was sweet. i love the idea of this dressing served in the prime of the 50's under a shady tree while the kids were playing out in the pool. ahhh.

i served this at my sister in laws shower as one of 3 salad options. i have to say, it was the hit.

i served it will marinated chicken and spinach and romaine.

the accompanying veggies were avocado, tomato and cucumbers. there is so much flavor in this dressing. made the night before, the flavors become more bold and wonderful!

2/3 qt. mayo
1 jar chili sauce (i used a small jar here)
2 cans small shrimp (fresh ones would be awesome too)
2 TBSP sweet pickle juice ( i only had sweet relish on hand, it worked great)
1 TBSP dill pickle juice
1-2 tsp horseradish sauce
2-3 TBSP lemon juice ( i did use a fresh lemon)
2-3 TBSP sugar
2-4 TBSP worcestershire

mix all together the night before. refrigerate and serve cold.

the pulled pork

2008-06-17T21:27:00.000-07:00

always, always asked for this recipe. started with cafe rio, then kalee unlocked the secret and i made some up along the way to present this masterpiece to you.

cook for 12 hours on low.....some pork

i have used many kinds. i love a costco tenderloin roast. they are dark and small and really tender. but this recipe will make any cut of a large part of pork submit to goodness.

so get that crock pot out. put your little meat in ( i usually fit 3 small ones) and pour coke over it. thats right, as in classic. cola. mr coke. you could also add a jar of salsa. it does help with a depth of flavor that does make a difference.

i usually do this before bed. it will give you strange nightmares when you sleep smelling bold flavors like this. running from pigs all night and all.;)

anyway. 12 hours. then, get that pork outta there. discard the liquid. i put the cooked pork in a ziplock and put it in the fridge until i am ready to serve it. then, i move onto making the succulent sweetness that boggles your mind.

offenders below

i have come up with a simple and bold sauce that makes this sing even tho there was a recipe with exact measurements at one time.

equal parts of:
ketchup
BBQ sauce ( i use kraft honey or hickory or whatever)
and brown sugar.

mince a couple of cloves of garlic too. it will make you happy.

mix it all together and warm it in the crock pot. put it on one of those cute little costco dinner rolls that come in the big bags in quantities of 36 and you will say, thank you heidi.

or, eat it over a salad with beans and rice and cheese.

maybe, a burrito. just eat it......

Tomato Basil Pizza

2008-06-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

This pizza is so good! Its Graham's fav! It is very quick and easy and the smell of fresh basil while baking in your oven is so divine! This is a great pizza for the summer served with a side salad-hey why not Heidi's greens? (see post below) and some fresh cut up melons.

Dough
(I will admit, I bought some pre-made dough at Dick's Bakery because its heavenly and quick, but I have made this pizza dough before).
1 pkg. yeast
1 C. warm water
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 T. oil
2 1/2 C. flour

2 C. mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 clove pressed garlic
2 T. fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
2 T. fresh basil, chopped (you can also use dried basil)
1 C. mayo
3 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced (obviously we aren't able to eat Roma tomatoes right now due to the salmonella warning, however, I used regular vine tomatoes and they worked out great).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in sugar, salt and oil. Mix in flour and knead until smooth; set aside. Combine all remaining ingredients except tomatoes and set aside. Roll out pizza dough. Spread cheese mixture over pizza dough. Place tomato slices on top. Bake 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.

**I also love to add cooked chicken breasts chunks to this pizza which tastes great!

my salad

2008-06-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

because i like to eat this one, have made it so many ways, but this is the way, as of late it gets served.

heidi's greens

dressing

1/2 c oil
1/4 c cider vinegar
1/4 c sugar
1 TB parsley

blend in a blender or something fast and spinny. really. it turns white and nice.
pour that dresing over these:

sliced apples, a nice granny smith does fine or a pink cameo
raspberries
slices strawberries

let these marinate an hour or so, or not. just put the dressing on these first.

the nuts:

i like cashews. you can use walnuts (i get cankers when i smell a walnut and so do most americans, but hey) or pecans. but....i like cashews.

then. turn a sauce pan on medium heat and cover the bottom with white sugar. maybe a cup. add a tsp. of salt and a dash of pepper. (the savory comes unglued) then. watch very carefully, your sugar will start to turn to the most beautiful brown caramel. when it does, add the nuts and stir vigorously. i like to pour these out on a microwave safe bowl lid. they slide off easily enough and don't melt the lid.
chop the nuts coursely with a chopper or a knife.

the greens.

don't use iceberg, that's my only plea. i like spring baby greens mixed with spinach or plain spinach, maybe butter lettice. your choice, just don't use iceberg, save it for tacos.....

the cheese.

always use feta with this. the dressing makes the feta sing an opera.
the end.

short version:
greens
feta cheese
sugared nuts
dressing
fruits

this salad was enjoyed at a picnic with these people.

in this setting. my kind of happy....

bac*k

2008-06-14T20:53:00.000-07:00

and better than ever! i am determined to get all of my recipes on this blog if it is the last thing i do, so get ready for a storm.

i finally got a new camera and have been busily snapping away at what is in my kitchen lately.

sticky buns.

so i know there are a lot of recipes for these tender morsels out there, but* this is the one my family made every sunday morning for years. i knew it was the sabbath if i could smell these cooking. it did the job and got me out of bed, very eager i admit.

so basic, and your creative minds could switch it up however you want. but, this is how we do it here.

18 Rhodes rolls (or any frozen roll)
1 1/2 cubes butter
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 pkg butterscotch pudding
1/2 c nuts chopped (optional)
pinch cinnamon (i love this stuff and usually do a POP of it :read 1/2 TB)
over medium heat mix all ingredients together until incorporated.

in a bundt pan lay out the frozen rolls and then drizzle caramel mixture over top.
let sit overnight in a bundt pan. be eager to be greeted in the morning by beauties that need 15-20 minutes in a 350 degree oven. get a pretty serving plate and dump bundt pan so the caramel adequately suffocates every bit of white the roll may try to show. then, sin. eat. repeat over and over. and then, go to church making everyone want to sniff you.......

i admit to an idea that made me feel like a sinner. i have never, ever mixed this recipe up. something about the fear of marring a childhood memory. well, don't let that stop you here. i added some sweetened, flaked coconut, milk chocolate chips and chopped cashews. (it will be a good fathers day for all at this house)

Fabulous Meat Strips with Broccoli Salad

2008-05-05T09:07:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my sister in-law, Janice for the recipe, I made this marinade for the flank steak.
This marinade is so good! Enjoy!

1 1/2 lb. Flank Steak cut on the diagonal in 1/4 -1/2 inch strips
1/2 C. apple juice
2/3 C. sugar
1/2 C. soy sauce
1/2 Oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 onion coarsely chopped

*Mix all ingredients together and put in ziplock or container to marinate for 3-4 hours. Grill on BBQ or broil at 475 for about 5 minutes on each side. Watch closely because the meat cooks up fast!

Broccoli Salad
I got this recipe from my friend Mindy. Its really good and a great side dish for a good summer salad! A couple of things I did different were I omitted the red onion and I added slivered almonds rather than sunflower seeds.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

2008-04-19T19:37:00.000-07:00

The following recipe is a bit of a twist on your typical enchiladas. We love these and have made them a couple of times. Enjoy! They are really good topped with a little sour cream, lettuce and tomato.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:
• 6 Tb. Honey
• 5 Tb. Lime Juice (1 large lime)
• 1 Tb. Chili Powder
• ½ tsp. Garlic Powder
• 1 Lb. Chicken, cooked and shredded
• Flour Tortillas
• 1 lb. Shredded Colby or Monterey Jack Cheese
• 16 oz. Green Enchilada Sauce
• 1 Cup Heavy Cream (optional but makes it really yummy)

Directions:
Mix the first four ingredients and toss with shredded chicken. Left-over rotisserie chicken works great. Let marinade at least 30 minutes or longer (I have put it together and let it marinate in the fridge all day). Pour about ½ cup enchilada sauce in the bottom of the pan. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top. Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream and leftover marinade. Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover for the last 5 minutes to brown the top.

Roasted Pork Loin with Black-Bean & Sweet Potato Salad

2008-04-07T20:56:00.000-07:00

This pork loin is so yummy! I love the flavor of cumin with it. It comes out so tender and juicy. The salad was so good with the refreshing taste of lime juice combined with the beans and potatoes. Enjoy!

3 lbs. center cut boneless pork loin
4 T. plus one teaspoon vegetable oil, divided
2 tsp. ground cumin
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
1/4 tsp. red-pepper flakes

2 T. fresh lime juice (from one lime)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
1/2 C. chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees with racks set in upper and lower thirds. Place pork on rimmed baking sheet. Rub with 1 tsp. oil; season with cumin, salt and pepper. Roast on upper rack for 35-40 minutes or until instant-read thermometer inserted in the meat registers to 145 degrees.
Remove from oven, and cover loosely with aluminum foil; let rest about 10 minutes.

2. About 15 minutes after pork has begun roasting, place sweet potatoes on another rimmed baking sheet; drizzle with 2 T. oil. Season with red pepper flakes, salt and pepper; toss to coat. Roast on lower rack, until tender, tossing once during cooking, 25-35 minutes.

3. In large bowl, whisk lime juice with remaining 2 T. oil; season with salt and pepper. Add sweet potatoes, beans, onion, and cilantro; mix gently to combine. Thinly slice pork and serve with salad.

inspired cooking space

2008-03-17T11:28:00.000-07:00

via cafe johnsonia, i found this link- and an inspired post including purdy kitchens.

seeing as we are in the process of drawing up house plans, i am enjoying every ounce of pictures like this. so, props to a room somewhere for the kitchen beauty and cafe johnsonia to turning me on to her....

{.good.kitchens.make.my.clock.tick.............}
really a turn on, seriously. how pretty do these cookbooks look here?

if i were hooked up to medical equipment while looking at this stove, the beeping just might kill someone.......and i am still up in the air about the mantle over the stove. i am really trying to focus on classic....

again, totally turned on here to this "classy" design. i heart white cupboards. they echo timeless stuff really. any stain on wood, unless a deep beautiful mahogany dates a place to me. the sink is so pretty and those windows, but.. my favorite part is the shelf woodwork above, so simple. i.love.it.......

a family favorite

2008-03-16T20:47:00.001-07:00

quiche, you say it keesh

this is a fabulous recipe we have every year christmas morning. there are certain techniques you have to use folks, you just do.

i love this recipe because i can buy 2 frozen pie shells already in their shell ready to go (sorry becca, i cheat sometimes)
then, the night before, i do this-

i go to the deli and ask for a 1/3 lb steak of the black forrest ham.
you cut this in half so you have enough for 2 quiche.
then.
you get about a 16 oz block of swiss, you can also get this in a block at the deli or the cold section of the grocer. slice this in half as well and shred. make sure you have 2 piles folks.
so i put that in the fridge the night before and in the morning mix this for each quiche:
in a bowl combine 3 eggs, 1 cup of milk or cream (sinfully awesome with cream), 1/4 t salt, 1/4 t dry mustard (i often take it to a 1/2 t). mix, mix, mix and then add:
your chopped ham

now, do this or else you will FLOP!
in you pie shell get 4 t flour and your swiss cheese, coat the cheese with flour-this will prevent the cheese from sogging together and oiling you out {yes i made that word up}
after you are flour coated, add your eggs to the pie shell.
rinse, lather and repeat if you are doing 2 quiche.
bake for 45 minutes at 375. now, this day my picture was taken i had an ornery oven that likes to cause me quiche grief, so if you experience the joy of serving oven time before you can appreciate a nice one, make sure the top is golden. after it is golden, let it set up for 10 minutes.
it will melt your heart and you will want it over and over.......

i love her stuff

2008-03-16T20:39:00.000-07:00

i had this at a german restaurant smothered in the most rich brown gravy, imagine my delight when this wonderful gal posted details of this most amazingly simple and fabulous dish here

i am going to serve this chicken over the top of the above, sounds quirky, but i will let you know how it goes. i made this a couple weeks back, it was so simple and i wanted to lick the sauce lingering on my plate, so i thought it would be good over the above. i am prepared for disaster, but possibly, it just might turn out great! fingers crossed.....

i got this recipe from thisweekfordinner.com it wouldn't pull up the specific link so i will give the recipe here, giving full credit to jane:

BISTRO CHICKEN
From: My Mom's Friend Jen :)
Bistro Chicken easy recipe ... chicken breasts browned in a skillet, remove & cook 1/2 c chopped onions 5 min, add 1 14oz can diced tomatoes, italian seasoning, 1 can of Campbell's french onion soup, cook that together to reduce liquid 5 min, pour sauce over chicken in a casserole dish, add swiss cheese on top & bake for 20 min!

how stupid easy......

2008-03-16T20:23:00.000-07:00

stupid easy, bistro tasty
yep, that sums it up.

i tried this recipe out of the Taste of Home magazine and thank goodness this reader submitted it to allrecipes.com, totally saved me when i was dreaming of this fabulous soup. it seeps into your bones and you need it....... it is so stupid easy, as one taster puts it, but bistro delicious another says.

we are going to partake of this dreamy treat this week with a mozzarella and tomato panini on some crusty bread........please pinch me!
and try it, won't disappoint....

Sesame Red Curry Chicken with Coconut Rice

2008-03-13T12:31:00.000-07:00

Using a slow cooker is one of my favorite things to cook with. I love how easy and convenient it is-especially with having 2 little ones around needing your constant attention! The smell that comes from your slow cooker is so yummy with this recipe! I love the flavors of the sesame oil, ginger and rice vinegar. This dish is so easy and very tasty.

4 C. chopped bok choy
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts halves (4 halves)
Salt and pepper
1/2 C. chicken broth
1/2 C. rice vinegar or sake if you have some on hand
2 tsp. sesame oil
1 T. fresh ginger, minced
1 T. red curry paste
1/4 C. flaked coconut
2 C. quick cooking jasmine rice
2 (14 oz.) cans light coconut milk
1/4 C. freshly chopped cilantro for garnish

-Arrange bok choy and red pepper in bottom of slow cooker. Season 4 chicken breast halves all over with salt and pepper and place on top of bok choy.
-In a small bowl, whisk together broth, rice vinegar (or sake), sesame oil, ginger and curry paste. Pour mixture over chicken.
-Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours.

In a small skillet, toast flaked coconut on low heat until lightly toasted (5-8 minutes). In a medium saucepan, add rice and coconut milk and set pan over medium-high heat, bring to a simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Stir in toasted coconut.

Spoon rice onto a serving platter. Top with chicken, bok choy, bell peppers an sauce from slow cooker. Garnish with cilantro.

Butternut Squash Risotto

2008-03-09T17:31:00.000-07:00

I really like squash but it hasn't always been that way. Let me tell you a story of squash that my family will never let me live down. I think I was probably 4 or 5. The scenario is the dinner table. On the menu was something and squash. The conversation must have gone something like this:

Mom: Kristy, you need to eat your squash or you can't have dessert after dinner.
Kristy: I don't like squash.
Mom: Well, veggies are good for you so you need to eat it.

We always used those tupperware cups when we were little. Did you have them as a child, too?
The glorious thing that was that you couldn't see through those plastic cups. I thought that I could trick my mom into thinking I had eaten my squash. I would put a bite in my mouth and then take a drink and proceed to spit the squash into my cup. Gross, I know. Well, I "ate" all the squash off my plate and must have thought I was home free. That was until my Mom was doing the dishes and dumped out my cup to find a whole lot of mushy squash in the bottom of the cup. I don't remember what happened from there but I think we just laughed about it. This story comes up on occasion, whenever squash is served.

OK. Moving on....the moral of that whole story is that I have really come to love squash over the years and it is always one of my favorite side dishes. A friend brought me this butternut squash risotto and after tasting it, knew I HAD to have the recipe. So, here is the really yummy risotto recipe, courtesy of my friend Kim T.

Butternut Squash Risotto

you will need :

1 32 oz box of chicken broth
1 small onion
1 clove garlic
2 cups aborio rice (this is a fatter italian rice)
1 12 oz pkg of cubed butternut squash (you can also buy a small whole squash and cube it or buy a box of frozen squash puree)

nutmeg
salt/pepper
1 cup grated parmigiano - reggiano cheese
2 T butter
1/4 cup fresh sage cut into really fine pieces

In a large sautee pan cook onion and garlic in a little bit of olive oil until soft (few min) add the rice and cook for about another 2-3 min or until mostly translucent. Add hot chicken stock 1 cup at a time and stir until the liquid evaporates. repeat until all of the broth is used up. Sometimes you need to add a little more water as well because the rice isn't quite cooked by the time all of the liquid stock is absorbed. This process usually takes about 20 min on med-low heat. Meanwhile, steam your squash until tender and then puree it and add it to the rice. If you are using frozen puree , then just thaw it and dump it in. season with a dash of nutmeg and salt and pepper and then right before you are about to finish add the cheese and butter and sage.

I love that this is a healthier version of risotto because it is like you replace the cream with the pureed squash. SO yummy! This works as a great main dish, served with a green salad.

The Pioneer Woman Cooks

2008-03-09T12:01:00.000-07:00

It was love at first sight, really. The moment I clicked on the link for The Pioneer Woman Cooks, I knew I had found a gem of a site. She's witty, creative and her posts are so fun to read. Her recipes usually include step by step instructions and pictures. Her recipes are great (though not necessarily your "go to" for light and healthy meals). For me, her site is all about indulgences. I feel like just reading her site is an indulgence in and of itself. The recipes I have tried have been really yummy.

I made this steak for Valentine's dinner for my hubby and I. It was awesome and the best steak I have ever made (hands down). A word of warning to the wise...if you live in Whitehall or some other place where the smoke detector is sensitive, open a window before putting your steak in the pan. It'll be smokin' baby...but it gives the steak that nice crusty outside!

Check her site out. It's a good one. And hey, we all need an indulgence once in a while!

bacon cups?

2008-03-07T13:49:00.000-08:00

yes.
don't they look divine?

here is the recipe, and oh how my mind is spinning with visions of these with some fabulous dressing:
(from dad's favorite salad recipe)
1 c oil (salad oil)
1/3 c sugar
1/3 c vinegar
1/4 an onion quartered
1 T mustard
1 t celery seed
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
mix all ingredients in a blender. can store in fridge for a while (maybe a month or so)
i am going to attempt these for a little dinner party we have saturday, i can't wait for the ooh's and aaah's

this month....

2008-03-07T13:27:00.000-08:00

we get to share our inspirations with you, our faithful readers and friends.

this month, i have been so inspired with this gal. she has such a fresh, quirky perspective. her posts are so visually appealing and oh, i need this ice cream!

summer squash

2008-02-24T21:38:00.001-08:00

i fixed this the other night in cold winter spirits and somehow with every bite i could smell fresh grass clippings, feel sun on my pale skin and so on. it's warm...

you need 2 of these,

yellow squash, sliced
1/4 c chopped onion {i use about 2 TB of dried onion}
1 egg
1/4 c mayonnaise (no substitutions)
2 t sugar
pepper to taste
1/4 c shredded cheddar cheese
2 TB crushed cornflakes w/ 1-1/2 t butter melted
or i use 1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
in a small saucepan, combine squash, onion, and 1/4 t salt. cover with water. bring to a boil. reduce heat;simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes or until squash is crisp tender. drain
in a bowl, beat the egg, mayonnaise, sugar, pepper and remaining salt until blended. stir in cheese and squash mixture. transfer to a greased 2 cup baking dish. toss the cornflakes or breadcrumbs over top. bake, uncovered, at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

softest breadsticks ever

2008-02-24T21:22:00.000-08:00

you haven't had a bread stick until you have eaten these.

1 T yeast
1 1/2 c water
2 T sugar
1/2 t salt
3 C flour
1 cube butter
dissolve yeast in water. mix dry ingredients and then add water mixture. mix and knead for 3 minutes (you can do this in a mixer, bosch or kitchen aid)
cover and rise for 10 minutes
roll our to 1/2 inch thickness. melt 1 cube of butter and pour over cookie sheet. cut dough with pizza cutter and dip each bread stick in butter~both sides {that's right}

flavoring these bad boys - i like.....
parmesan over the top regardless but, sometimes, i add to the butter some crushed rosemary and a TB or 2 of honey to the butter. mmmmmmm. and i like to cut the bread sticks and twist them fancy if my artistic expression is screaming to get out. sure makes it purdy.
or else, i like to add some oregano, basil and fresh minced garlic to the butter.
use your favorite combos
after you get them gussied up, let rise one more time for 15 minutes and the cook for 20 minutes at 350.
i like to sprinkle the parmesan on right before they go in, they tend to absorb the butter if you mix them in with the butter.

Ranch Chicken Pizza

2008-02-22T10:55:00.000-08:00

My friend Kari brought this pizza over the day we brought our son Ethan home from the hospital. It was so good and is the epitome of comfort food. I am craving it just looking at these pictures. It is really easy to make, too.

Kari used a pillsbury pizza crust (you know, the kind that comes in a can?) and it is really good. I haven't had a lot of luck with pizza crust, so this is the way to go for me. I know you are thinking, "pizza crust from a can?" but I promise it is good. And easy.
Ranch Chicken Pizza

1 prepared pizza crust (first cook for 7 minutes at 350 before adding toppings). I am sure you can use a homemade pizza crust too, if you want.

mix together:
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1 package/3 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 T tomato paste or sauce or marinara

saute the following ingredients:
1 cup chopped cooked chicken (last time I made this I just used some leftover rotisserie chicken)
1/2 cup roasted red pepper strips
1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 - Partially bake crust before toppings go on (7 mins. at 350)
2 - Spread cream cheese mixture over crust
3 - Sprinkle on meat and veggies
4 - Sprinkle 1 can/2 1/4 oz. sliced olives, drained
5 - Sprinkle on 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

bake another 7 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown.