"B" dubs cafe

Creamy lemon bars

2012-02-08T14:51:00.000-06:00

I know it is the middle of winter and spring has not sprung :), but I might consider lemon bars a year round treat. They are so delicate and refreshing on a hot summer afternoon, but they also give a little ray of hope that spring will come soon during the winter. These lemon bars topped my list of treats! I loved how proportional the crust was to the creamy lemon filling (which is the best part!) I had to start giving them away when I noticed half the pan was missing and I was the only one home :) These are best if they have had time to chill at least a few hours or even overnight. Enjoy!

Lemon Bars

2 cups flour
1 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 t salt
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup flour
1/2 t baking powder
powdered sugar for garnish

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 in pan. In a medium bowl, combine 2 cups flour, butter, powdered sugar and salt until crumbly. Press the mixture into the prepared pan, making sure it is even. Bake for 15 minutes until light brown on the edges. In another medium bowl, Beat together eggs, sugar, lemon juice, 1/4 cup flour, and baking powder. Pour the lemon mixture over the crust and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until set in the middle. You will know it is set as it will not jiggle. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cool completely before serving.

Recipe from my friend Kadie at barefoot and baking

Mango Quinoa Salad

2012-01-18T14:34:00.006-06:00

I have finally jumped on the quinoa bandwagon :) My sister had made a quinoa salad several years ago for a family get together at the lake and I loved it, I just never felt inclined to cook with it myself. Until now. I was hosting a cooking club for resident/med school spouses with healthy food as our theme. My other sister, who regularly uses quinoa suggested I make that. I did some research in the blog world and found step by step directions that cured my hesitancy to cook with something I had never used before, especially for other people. So, even if you haven't used quinoa before, don't be scared to try it. It is incredibly good for you and easy to cook.

Basic Cooked Quinoa
by Our Best Bites
Yields: about 2 C cooked quinoa
2/3 C dry quinoa
1 1/3 cups water or broth (chicken, vegetable, or beef)
1 pinch salt
Place quinoa in a bowl and cover with 1 inch of water. Gently stir and carefully pour out excess water. Add water again until it covers quinoa by 1 inch. Let sit for 5 minutes.
While quinoa is soaking, bring 1 1/3 C water or broth, and pinch of salt, to a boil on the stovetop. Reduce heat to simmer. Drain quinoa from soaking water using a fine mesh sieve. Add grains to simmering water on stove top. Place tight-fitting lid on pot and simmer for about 15 minutes, until all the water is evaporated. Remove from heat and let sit 5 minutes. Fluff with fork.

I found a recipe for Mango quinoa salad on ourbestbites website, that I knew would be perfect; healthy and delicious. I couldn't get enough of it. After cooking club, I had some leftover and I ate it all by myself the next day. I couldn't stop myself. It was too good. My favorite way to eat it was as a dip for chips (I know, takes some of the healthy away from it). As suggested by ourbestbites, you can put it over chicken or fish for a healthy dinner, or serve it as a side or dip like I did. My kids didn't love the texture, but I am hoping that over time they will get used to it-because this wont be the last time I cook with it.

Mango Quinoa Salad
2 cups cooked quinoa* at room temperature, or chilled
1 14 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium mango, peeled and diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1 handful chopped cilantro (about 1/2 cup)
4 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper
*I cooked my quinoa in chicken broth to give it more flavor, but you can also cook it in water.
Place cooked quinoa in a large bowl. Add mango, red pepper, green onion, black beans, and cilantro. In a small bowl combine vinegar, olive oil, and lime juice. Whisk until smooth and pour on top of salad. Toss to combine and add salt and pepper to taste. Chill for at least one hour before serving.
Recipe from: ourbestbites

Blackened Chicken Pasta in a tomato cream sauce

2012-01-03T08:47:00.001-06:00

UPDATE: Happy New Years! I thought I would start the year off with one of my all time favorite dishes. I had posted this one year ago, but I had some high school friends over for dinner the other night and tweaked this recipe a little bit. I should have taken a new picture too...maybe next time! !

Since I have been posting a bunch of our Superbowl recipes (karmel corn, salsa, bean dip), I thought it was time to post one our all time favorite dinners. I originally got this recipe when I lived in Kirksville, 4 years ago and have played with it ever since to get it just right. You can make this as spicy (or not) as you would like. Go easy at first. I hope you enjoy this as much as we do!

One of the best things about the Cajun mixture is that I always have the ingredients on hand. I typically try to keep the other ingredients for this dish on hand, so we can have a quick meal if we need a last minute dinner idea or change from what we were going to have. This makes great leftovers if we have any (seriously, my 5 year old little girl usually eats more than my husband with this dish!)

Cajun Mixture:

1 Tbs onion powder
1 Tbs dried thyme

2 ½ Tbs paprika
1 Tbs ground red pepper

2 Tbs garlic powder
1 Tbs black pepper

1 Tbs salt

Combine ingredients for Cajun mixture and store in an air tight container.

Blackened Chicken Pasta in Tomato Cream Sauce

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
11/2 tbs butter
8 oz penne or other tube pasta
½ cup fresh basil, chopped or 1 tsp dried

1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes

1/4 cup onion, finely chopped or minced
2 garlic cloves
¾ cup whipping cream
1 1/2-1 3/4 tsp Cajun mixture, divided (recipe above)

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

Rub or sprinkle chicken breasts with 1 tsp of Cajun mixture (recipe above). I tend to cut my chicken in small pieces, then sprinkle with Cajun mixture to make sure each piece gets seasoned well. You do have to watch the chicken when you cook it in bite size pieces to make sure it doesn't cook too long and become dry. Coat a large heavy skillet with 1 Tbs of butter and place over medium high heat until butter melts. Add chicken and cook 7 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from skillet and let cool.

Meanwhile, Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and keep warm.

Melt 1/2 TBS of butter to the same skillet and saute onion and garlic for 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant. Add tomatoes to skillet and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat; add basil and cream. Heat through. Do not boil. Add 1/2-3/4 tsp prepared Cajun mixture to sauce and let simmer. Add chicken to sauce and toss with pasta and cheese. Serve immediately with a little more parmesan cheese on top.

NOTE: You can also use this chicken on top of a salad

Creamy fudge

2011-12-31T08:10:00.000-06:00

I know, I know, this is the last day before our New Year's resolutions to eat better start. BUT...this fudge is decadent, creamy and delicious and totally worth the extra calories! It came out incredibly smooth in texture and the flavor was rich, but not over the top. I think this will be my go to fudge from now on! This would be a yummy New Year's Eve treat to snack on (and share) too. Happy Baking! See ya next year :)

Creamy Fudge
1 12-oz. can evaporated milk
4 cups granulated sugar
2 1/4 cups mini marshmallows
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 sticks butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup Andes mints, divided (optional)

In a large heavy saucepan, combine the milk, sugar, and marshmallows and insert a candy thermometer into the mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently (constantly at the end) until the temperature reaches 240 degrees.
While the marshmallow mixture is cooking, line a 9×13″ pan with foil and spray it with non-stick cooking spray and set it aside.
After you spray the pan, combine the butter, chocolate chips, and vanilla in a large glass or metal bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer). When the marshmallow mixture is cooked, pour it over the chocolate chip mixture.
Beat the mixture with a hand-held electric mixer, your stand mixer, or a hand-held whisk on low speed until the mixture is well-combined, smooth, and just starting to lose its sheen (about 3-5 minutes). Pour it into the prepared pan. Chill completely in the refrigerator before cutting into 1″ squares.

I made a peppermint fudge so I added Andes mints to the batter before I poured it into the pan (which melted nicely since the batter was so warm) and to the top. I didn't measure how many Andes mints I used. You can use as many or as little as you want.

Other mix-ins:
Use 1/2 chocolate chips and 1/2 peanut butter chips (in 2 separate bowls) and then swirl the two mixtures together for peanut butter fudge.
-Add 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts or pecans
-Top with chopped walnuts or pecans and marshmallows for rocky road fudge

Recipe adapted from: ourbestbites

Merry Christmas

2011-12-23T10:29:00.005-06:00

It seems December, mostly Christmas, has come and almost gone! Seriously, where did the time go? I have been trying to keep it simple this Christmas and not overdo it. We are trying to keep the focus on the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ and spending quality time with family. This is my last Christmas living by my family, so I am trying to enjoy their company rather than stress about the little things. We have been baking of course too, but most of the recipes I have made are my go-to Christmas ones that I love. I will share the link with previous posts to them. I hope you all have a Merry Christmas. I will be sharing some yummy recipes once the holidays are over.

We made Hot Chocolate cookies (follow directions closely, if not they become slightly more dense..hypothetically speaking of course :))

Karmel Korn--oh so addicting!

Butter Toffee Popcorn---yum

Oreo Bon Bons..which is the treat of choice we gave to their teachers this year...my absolute must make every year!

I tried my hand at making gingerbread houses with this recipe..super easy. Pictures to come!

I tried Cherry Cheesecake cookies, which were yummy and had a very pretty presentation.

I still am planning on making fudge (new recipe), caramels, nutella hot chocolate, cinnamon rolls (using this roll recipe), hazelnut crescent rolls, and a yummy dessert yet to be decided :) Plus we will be making this brown sugar spiced pork loin for Christmas and these potatotes.

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas!

(This picture is from this week in mormons)

Butter Toffee Popcorn

2011-12-15T11:26:00.001-06:00

I usually make soft karmel Korn, but this year I also wanted to make a crunchier version. I saw this on Mel's kitchen cafe and knew I had to make it. It was great! It is like a jazzed up version of cracker jacks. I found it to taste best the next day, after it had time to cool and harden completely. This is a great treat to take others or for a yummy snack to have on hand during the holidays. Hope you enjoy, careful, it is addicting!
*Makes about 18 cups of toffee popcorn

Butter Toffee Popcorn
Ingredients:
3/4 cup unpopped popcorn kernels, white or yellow
2 sticks butter
2 1/4 cups light brown sugar
3/4 cup dark corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
2-3 cups roasted, salted peanuts
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Grease two large rimmed baking sheets and set aside.
Pop the popcorn kernels, in shifts if needed to ensure your popcorn popper doesn’t burn the popcorn, and place the popcorn in a large bowl, sifting through to remove the unpopped kernels.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. When melted add the brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Bring to a boil while stirring. Once the mixture starts boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring often, for 3 minutes. The mixture will be slightly thickened. Take the pot off the heat and stir in the vanilla and baking soda. The mixture will bubble so be careful. Pour the caramel over the popcorn and mix slightly. Add the peanuts and mix well but gently (so you don’t break apart the popcorn) until the popcorn is evenly coated and the peanuts are distributed through the mixture.
Turn the popcorn out onto the baking sheets, spreading into an even layer. Bake the popcorn for one hour, stirring and tossing every 20 minutes. Move the bottom tray to the upper rack and vice versa each time you stir. The popcorn will deepen in color and harden a bit as the caramel bakes and sets. Cool the popcorn to room temperature. Store in an airtight container. I’ve found the popcorn will keep, stored tightly, for 1-2 weeks.

Baked Garlic Mashed Potatoes

2011-12-05T10:48:00.000-06:00

Sorry this picture is so dark!

I made mashed potatoes the other day to go along with this pork loin. It was a perfect compliment. I love the fact that you can bake these earlier, then just warm them right before you are ready to eat. This makes the rush to finish dinner, SO much better! They were delicious!

Baked Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
5 pounds russet, red or yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
8 ounces light or regular cream cheese
3-4 green onions, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup whipping cream
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9X9-inch baking dish and set aside.
Place the cut potatoes in a large pot and cover with water by one inch. Add 1 teaspoon salt and boil the potatoes for about 10 minutes or until they are tender.
Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot. Mash them a few times and add the rest of the ingredients. Mash and mix well to desired consistency. Scoop the potatoes into the prepared baking pan. Dot with 1-2 tablespoons butter. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the potatoes are lightly browned on top and heated through.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-27T10:30:00.000-06:00

For Thanksgiving, we were lucky enough to make a surprise visit to my husband's family in Utah. We had perfect driving weather and so much fun with his parents. We of course had great food too! I made this broccoli salad. Since my husband doesn't like broccoli, I try to make this as often as I can when we go to gatherings :)

We also made these cute little place settings for each kid. I loved how they turned out!
They are pretty easy and very adaptable. We used fudge strip cookies, but you can use any type of cookie. I even saw some use Oreos and candy corn. We used Lindor truffles (because they are delicious!) for the body, thin mints for the head, licorice for the beak, and chocolate frosting to hold it all together. Super cute place settings and yummy too! I would recommend frosting the two cookies first, then set them at a 45 degree angle once you put the truffle on. This way the cookie rests on the truffle and they seem to stay in place better.

Recipe for turkeys adapted from Taste of Home

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T07:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I will be stuffing my face full of delicious food. Hope you enjoy your day and remember all that you are thankful for :)

Brenda

Brown Sugar Spiced Pork Loin

2011-11-20T21:54:00.001-06:00

I know we are all thinking about Thanksgiving and what to cook, but I quickly wanted to share this A-Mazing pork loin recipe. This was probably the best tasting pork loin I have ever had. To be truly honest, I don't always love pork loin...but this..this is truly amazing. I couldn't stop eating it; even the next day, it was still as tasty. Trust me, if you have a pork loin you want to make, you should try this recipe. It was simple to throw together and yet produced a succulent, moist loin. MMM. I am not sure if I will make it any other way from now on, definitely in my favorites now!

Brown Sugar Spiced Pork Loin
Rub Ingredients:
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pork tenderloins (2 1/2 lb. total), cut into two chunks
2 tablespoons olive oil

Glaze ingredients:
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic (about 6-8 cloves)
1 tablespoon tabasco sauce, depends on how spicy you like it

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, stir together salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and cinnamon, then coat the pork with the spice rub. Heat the oil in a12-inch heavy skillet over medium high heat until the oil is hot and rippling. Brown the pork, turning, about 4 minutes total. Transfer it to a foil-lined baking pan (like a 9X13-inch).

Stir together the brown sugar, garlic, and Tabasco and pat on top of each tenderloin. (Once it cooks, it will be more like a glaze.) Roast in the middle of the oven until a thermometer inserted diagonally in center of each tenderloin registers 140, about 25 minutes. Let pork stand in the skillet at room temperature for 10 minutes. The temperature will rise to about 155 while standing. Slice on the diagonal and serve, spooning the sauce from the skillet on top of the pork.

The first time we made this, I thought it might be a little too spicy for our kids, but when we cut it into small pieces for them, they didn't seem to notice. If you are concerned about the spiciness, you can cut down the tabasco sauce or chili powder, but they do add some great flavor!

Recipe slightly changed from: melskitchencafe

Kit Birthday Cake

2011-11-17T09:56:00.000-06:00

My daughter turned 7 this November and wanted an American Girl cake, specifically, a Kit Kittredge cake. I found a picture online and tried my hand at it. People are hard! Everyone just thought it was a cake that looked like my daughter :) Anyway, here is the cake and the recipe. This is my go-to birthday cake recipe that I have used for a few years now. I like to make it a day or two in advance (freeze it), then frost it the morning of their birthday. Frozen cakes are so much easier to frost. Hope you enjoy!

Vanilla pudding cake

1 box yellow
1 small box vanilla or lemon pudding
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup oil

Mix all ingredients until smooth. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely and frost

Note: I didn't have vanilla pudding, so I used lemon and it tasted great!

BBQ Meatballs

2011-11-04T07:00:00.007-05:00

When I had my baby, my friend Stacey brought us BBQ meatballs with cheesy potatoes. We all loved them! It was the perfect comfort food. After she gave us the recipe, I have made them more times than I can count. Other than the taste, one of the best parts about this recipe is that the meatballs can be frozen and the sauce can be refrigerated for at least a month or two! This has now become one of my favorite meals to take to other people and to put in the freezer for at least 2 other meals. Seriously, this recipe makes a lot. I loved the pairing of cheesy potatoes with the meatballs, so I also make and freeze those. It is the easiest home cooked meal once all the prep work is done. Serve with homemade rolls and you have a complete homemade meal. Hope you enjoy them as much as we do!! I originally posted these meatballs as Monster Eyes in a marinara sauce, but I think serving them in the BBQ sauce is my preferred way..Hard call ;)

Meatballs:

3 lbs. hamburger

1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk

1 cup oatmeal

1 cup cracker crumbs

2 eggs

½ cup chopped onion

½ tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

2 tsp., chili powder

To make meatballs combine all ingredients. Shape into balls. Place meatballs in greased 13 x 9 pan. Meatballs can be frozen at this stage, covered with tin foil. I usually put the meatballs in batches of 10-12 because that is how much my family eats with a few as leftovers the next day. I freeze the rest.

BBQ Sauce

2 cups Ketchup

1 cup brown sugar

½ tsp. liquid smoke

½ tsp. garlic powder

¼ cup chopped onion.

To make sauce, combine all ingredients and stir until sugar is dissolved. The sauce can be refrigerated for up to one month if put in a container with a lid. If using sauce immediately, pour sauce over meatballs. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour. This sauce is just enough for us to use in two different meals. We like a lot of sauce, so if you freeze more than 2 pans, you may need to make more sauce later.

Monster Eyes and Worms AKA spaghetti and meatballs

2011-11-01T07:00:00.009-05:00

I know it is after Halloween, but I wanted to share our fun Halloween dinner idea with you...maybe you can make it next year :) My friend Stacey gave me a really yummy meatball recipe that we have been LOVING! We usually make them in a bbq sauce (which I will share soon), but for Halloween I switched it up and made a marinara sauce instead. This was super yummy too, but I think I still prefer them in a traditional BBQ sauce. I got the idea to do Monster eyes from Mel's kitchen Cafe and used her marinara sauce, but used Stacey's recipe for the meatballs. It was delicious!

Monster Eyes:

Meatballs:

3 lbs. hamburger

1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk

1 cup oatmeal

1 cup cracker crumbs

2 eggs, ½ cup chopped onion

½ tsp., garlic powder

2 tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

2 tsp., chili powder

To make meatballs combine all ingredients. Shape into balls. Meatballs can be frozen. Place meatballs in greased 13 x 9 pan. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

Marinara Sauce:

(makes 6-7 cups of sauce):
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup grated onion, grated on the large holes of a box grater
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 garlic cloves, crushed or finely minced
4 (14.5-ounce each) cans diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon sugar
For the marinara sauce, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, basil, oregano, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, until the onion is softened and translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the diced tomatoes and sugar. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 10-15 minutes, or let it gently simmer for upwards of 45 minutes.You can add more seasoning to your liking.

Recipe Source: slightly adapted from Mel's kitchen cafe

For the Monster Eyes, spoon marinara sauce over the meatballs and stick green peas in for the eyes. Serve over noodles.

We also made monster bones, which can be any bread stick dough, and you tie a small knot at each end before you bake it. This was super easy, but fun for the kids!

Graveyard Jell-o

2011-10-31T16:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween! I love the little kid part of Halloween. My kids get so excited to get all dressed up and have candy just placed in their bags. My son is one of those kids who eats almost all his candy by the time he gets home, while my daughter is the one who eats a piece or two each day, enjoying each one. We will be trick or treating in a really fun neighborhood, then coming back and having soup and chili. MMM...what could be better?! I just wanted to quickly share this simple, yet yummy dessert that my mother-in-law traditionally makes each Halloween and now we have adapted it as one of our traditional desserts. The kids love it (and I do too). It can be made earlier in the day or one day in advance. I actually made this for our Halloween dinner last night, but I think it tastes better today. Happy trick-or-treating! If you see a couple of hillbillies walking around, you might have spotted me and my hubby ;)

Graveyard Jell-o

Crust:

2 ¼ cups oreos, crushed

½ cup (1 stick) butter

Press in bottom of a 9X13 pan and refrigerate while you make the middle.

Middle:

1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

12 oz cool whip, softened

¼ cup sugar

Beat cream cheese, sugar, and half of cool whip. Spread over cookie crumbs. Seal to edges. Put in Fridge while you make top.

Top:

2 cups boiling water (for Jell-o)

1 Pkg (6oz) orange jell-o

1 ½-2 cups water or ice cubes

Boil 2 cups water and add orange Jell-o. I just use ice cubes and throw them in the pan with the hot Jell-o. Once the ice cubes melt, gently spoon the gelatin over the cream cheese layer. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Spread the remaining cool whip over the top. Crush the rest of the package of Oreos and spread them over the cool whip. When ready to serve, put chocolate squares or Nutter butter cookies as gravestones. The chocolate pieces don’t get soft, so those work well. You can be as creative as you want for the top. Instead of spreading all the crushed Oreos on top, you could put them in little mounds for the graves, or you can do what we did this time and put candy bars as the graves. Make this fun and be creative!

Peanut Butter Cookies

2011-10-20T07:00:00.000-05:00

These cookies are delicious! It is hard to only eat one. I got the recipe years ago and have been making it ever since. One of m favorite ways to enjoy it is with a slathering of nutella. WOW, so bad for you, but oh so good ;) I bet these would actually be really good too if you added chocolate chips or Hershey's candy kisses to the top. That reminds me of when I used to go bum free cookies off my friend who worked at the "Cookie Company" at the mall. I think I will try it next time. Try not to overbake them, unless you like your cookies a little more crispy. They do firm up a bit once cooled, so don't worry if they are a little soft when you first pull them out of the oven.

Peanut Butter Cookies
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
Sugar
Hershey's candy kisses or chocolate chips

In a bowl, cream butter or margarine, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, peanut butter and vanilla. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture and beat together. Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and roll in sugar. Or you can tinge with a fork dipped in sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. While still warm, place Hershey's candy kiss on top if using. Makes 4-5 dozen cookies. These can be frozen.
Recipe Source: celebrations cookbook

french bread pizza

2011-10-17T07:00:00.009-05:00

We are always looking for fun new lunch ideas and I love french bread pizza. It is pretty simple to make and you can throw whatever ingredients you want on it, but my kids like it pretty simple: pepperoni and cheese. This is also a great meal to let kids help with. My kids love making pizza with me and this is no exception.

French bread pizza:
1 loaf french bread
1-2 cups pizza sauce
Pepperoni
Mozarella cheese
sharp cheddar cheese
Parmesan cheese
Italian seasoning for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Get out all ingredients. Cut french bread loaf in half, lengthwise and place face side up on a cookie sheet. Bake without toppings for 5-7 minutes, until the top is crispy to the touch. This will help the bread not to become soggy once you add the pizza sauce. Take french bread out of the oven and spread pizza sauce evenly. Add any toppings you like, then top with cheese. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Bake for another 5-7 minutes until the cheese is melted and bread is crisp. Simple!

Note: You can freeze the pizza sauce, which is what I usually do and then you always have an easy dinner or lunch.

Recipe: bdubscafe

mexican rice

2011-10-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

We love enchiladas around here and I had been searching for a delicious Mexican rice to accompany them. I had never been satisfied with the other ones I tried, but then I got this from my friend Kadie, who is a Mexican food connoisseur. We made it twice in the same week! It is now our staple go-to-Mexican rice. This is such a simple dish, you can easily whip it up in minutes.

Mexican Rice

1 cup Basmati or long grain rice

1 T olive oil

1 can chicken broth (about 2 cups)

1/2 cup salsa, the fresher the better

1 t ground cumin

1/2 t minced garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Cook rice in oil on high until white or opaque, be careful not to let it burn. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer with the lid on for about 20 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked.

Recipe source: barefootandbaking

Strawberry, peach and Kiwi fruit leather

2011-10-10T10:42:00.001-05:00

Peaches, Peaches, calling all peaches. My sister told me about this church who buys peaches in bulk (31 pounds in each box) from a great orchard in Colorado. I decided to try my hand at drying peaches and making fruit leather. This was a first for me. I don't even have a food dryer, but my parents do and they were nice enough to let me borrow it. I think I might need to get one in the future. We have been enjoying all our dried peaches and fruit leather I made. I ended up buying 2 (31 pound) boxes, thinking one wasn't enough...baahaha. Shows my lack of knowledge when it comes to drying food! I ended up having to freeze a bunch since we were leaving out of town, but I can't wait to make more fruit leather with it!

My parents made fruit leather all growing up, so I was excited to see what my kids thought. They all loved this recipe! It is a way healthier option than fruit roll-ups at the store!

For the fruit leather, I decided to wing it, instead of following a recipe, and ended up loving it. I just used fruit I all ready had on hand

Strawberry, Peach and Kiwi Fruit Leather:

4-6 peaches

2 kiwis

1-2 cups of strawberries frozen (you can also use fresh)

¼ cup honey

Tear a piece of saran wrap the length of the tray in the food de-hydrator and secure with painters or masking tape on the tray (one that comes off easily, we’re not looking for ultra sticky here J) Set aside.
In a large food processor or blender, puree all ingredients until desired consistency. I blended mine until smooth, but wasn’t too worried about a few small pieces that were not completely pureed.
Pour ½ to 1 cup of pureed fruit (depending on the size of your tray) onto the prepared saran wrap. Spread evenly and thin. The thicker the puree, the longer it takes to dry. The middle also takes longer to dry than the outside, so make sure the middle is pretty thin. You can spread this all the way to the edges of the saran wrap.
I had 7 trays in my De-hydrator and this recipe only filled 2-3 trays. You can double or triple the recipe if you want to fill more.
Cook for 8-10 hours. Around 7 hours, I started going down and checking on it. You will know when the fruit leather is finished if you touch it and it is not sticky or gooey. You will be able to easily pull it off the saran wrap if it is finished. I thought this would be difficult to tell, but you can see the lighter parts that are done and the darker parks of those that are not. It will also tear smoothly. If you cook it too long, it will crack, so towards the end, keep an eye on it.
Once it is finished drying, roll up the saran wrap with the dried leather and store in an airtight container. You can also freeze the fruit leather. When you are ready to use it, pull it out of the freezer and let thaw to room temperature and enjoy.

Note: When strawberries are at their peak, I buy them really cheap and freeze them. This way I have fresh strawberries all year. The peaches are the same. You can even freeze them whole, then boil off their skin and enjoy.

Recipe source: bdubscafe

Cashew Chicken

2011-09-19T07:00:00.005-05:00

This dish was AWESOME! My husband came home the other day from work and commented on his lunch at the hospital cafeteria. My first thought was..he must have been hungry. My second thought was...I bet I can make it better :) I was right; too bad it wasn't my own concoction. Either way, I was completely satisfied with this dish. To make it a little healthier, next time I will use more vegetables and less chicken, even though the chicken was one of the best parts. This really is not a difficult dish, it just calls for a little preparation. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Cashew Chicken
You can whip this up pretty quickly if you first start with the marinade, then chop the vegetables and cook the cashews while the chicken is marinating.

Ingredients

2 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 Tbs vegetable oil
2 Tbs Chili Powder
4 Tbs Soy Sauce
4 Tbs Honey
2 tsp minced fresh ginger
1 to 1 ½ cups raw cashews
1-2 cups roughly chopped onions
Yellow, orange or red bell peppers
Snow Peas
Rice

Optional

· 1/4 cup chopped green onion greens

Method

1 Marinate the chicken. Place the cubed chicken in a medium bowl. Add the oil. Add the soy sauce until the marinade turns dark brown (about 2 Tbsp per breast). Sprinkle the chili powder over the chicken pieces while stirring, so that each piece of chicken gets well coated with the chili powder and marinade. Stir in the honey, about 2 tablespoons for each breast. Add chopped ginger. Marinate for 1/2 hour to several hours.
2. To toast the cashews, heat a skillet on medium high heat, add the cashews, stir until lightly browned.
3 Heat a large skillet on medium high heat. Working in batches if needed so you don't crowd the pan, use tongs to remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and place them in the pan, reserving the extra marinade. Sauté the chicken pieces until just cooked through, remove from the pan and set aside. Place any extra marinade in the pan and simmer for several minutes (to kill any bacteria).
4 In the same pan, sauté the onions on medium high heat for several minutes. Add bell peppers and continue to sauté until onions are translucent and peppers are cooked, but not limp.
5 Combine chicken, peppers, onions, and cashews. Stir in snow peas right before serving.
Serve over rice. Top with green onions if using
6. I ended up making a second batch of marinade and simmered it down on the stove. This way I had more to spoon onto the rice.

Recipe slightly adapted from simply recipes

Bruschetta Chicken

2011-09-14T07:00:00.011-05:00

Like I mentioned in this post, I am loving the basil-tomato-balsamic vinegar combination. There is just something so refreshing about it! I got this recipe from Picky Palate awhile ago and love how easy it is to throw together. It is still warm here and so we are still using our grill for as long as we can! If you like brushetta, then you will love this chicken. You can even make it into a chicken sandwich if you prefer. I ended up having extra bruschetta mixture, so the next day I thew some mozarella on good quality bread and put the tomato mixture on top, broiled it for a few minutes and voila, delicious bruschetta. Happy Grilling!

Balsamic Grilled Bruschetta Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, thawed

Pinch of salt
¼ Cup balsamic vinegar
¼ Cup extra virgin olive oil
8 slices fresh mozzarella cheese

4 Roma Tomatoes, seeded and diced
8 fresh basil leaves, stacked, rolled and thinly sliced into chiffonade
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
Pinch of salt
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1. Preheat a grill pan over medium heat on the stovetop. Spray with cooking spray. Combine balsamic and olive oil in a bowl. Season both sides of chicken with pinches of salt and place on grill. Brush top sides of chicken with balsamic mixture. Cook for 4-5 minutes and flip chicken. Brush with additional balsamic and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes or until cooked through. During the last 2 minutes of grilling place 2 slices of cheese over top each chicken to melt.

2. In a large bowl combine the tomatoes, basil garlic, salt and balsamic. Toss gently to combine. Place chicken breasts on a serving plate and top with tomato mixture. Serve warm.

Recipe source: picky palate

Basil Tomato Grilled Cheese sandwhich

2011-09-12T11:35:00.000-05:00

I have made this sandwich a few times now and it just gets better and better! I am loving the basil-tomato- balsamic vinegar combo right now. I have a yummy brushetta chicken recipe to share next! Anyway, this sandwich is completely gourmet, but comes together quickly and tastes divine. We have made this sandwich on both regular wheat bread and good quality Italian bread; both work, but the sandwich becomes exceptional on the better quality bread (of course!) So use up those end of the year tomatoes and abundant basil..my basil plant unfortunately burned up this year, but the 10 leaves for like $3 basil at the store is totatlly worth the investment in this sandwich! And I don't even really like tomatoes. Enjoy!

Basil-tomato grilled cheese
8 slices Italian bread (1/4 inch thick)

8 slices part skim mozzarella cheese

2 tomatoes, sliced

2 tbs minced fresh basil

2 tsp balsamic vinegar, plus more for marinating

salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup olive oil

3 tbs grated fresh parmesan cheese

¼ tsp garlic powder

Cut up tomatoes and marinate in balsamic vinegar. You only need enough to cover the bottom of the tomatoes...then you can flip the tomatoes to coat the other side. While tomatoes are marinating, get out all your other ingredients. Begin to assemble.

On 4 slices of bread, layer cheese and tomatoes; sprinkle with basil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Top with remaining bread.

In a small bowl, combine the oil, parmesan cheese, and garlic powder; brush over the outsides of each sandwich. On a griddle, cook sandwiches over medium heat until golden brown on both sides. Yield 4

Recipe source: slightly adapted from some magazine..so sorry for not writing down which one!

BBQ chicken pizza

2011-09-09T07:00:00.001-05:00

A while back, my husband and I went to Granite City for his birthday. They had a deal where you could get an appetizer and two meals, so we decided to get their BBQ chicken pizza. It was fantastic! I make pizza, but surprisingly I have never made a BBQ chicken pizza. The very next day, I set out to recreate the one we had at the restaurant. It turned out even better than the one we had. I used a thicker pizza dough because that is what we tend to like, but you could also use a thin crust dough if that is what you prefer.

I made my own BBQ sauce, but we also like Sweet Baby Rays

1 pizza dough crust
1 boneless skinless chicken breast
bbq sauce, divided
red onion
fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
fresh cilantro

I like to cook my chicken in a slow cooker for ease. Add 1/2 to 1 cup bbq sauce to chicken and cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2-3. Remove chicken and chop. Add another 1/2 to 1 cup bbq sauce to moisten and flavor the chicken. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. I used this dough, but feel free to use what you like.
Roll dough out (don't worry about making it a perfect circle) and place it on a pizza stone or baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil on dough and spread evenly. Place pizza on a low oven rack and cook for 7 minutes. Remove from oven and add bbq sauce, chicken, red onion, and sliced mozzarella. Cook for another 7-8 minutes on lowest oven rack. Remove and let cool for 10 minutes. Add freshly chopped cilantro, slice and serve!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

2011-09-06T16:17:00.002-05:00

Fall is one of my favorite seasons...I love the vibrant colors of the trees, football, the pumpkin patches, but most of all, I love the food. Hearty comfort foods..mmm.

I wanted to try these last year, but had pumpkin overload by the time I got around to it. I love these homemade sandwich cookies...(I just realized I haven't posted my favorite homemade Oreo cookie recipe yet! I will try to do that soon) The cream cheese filling has a hint of pure maple syrup, setting this cookie apart from the rest. Using good quality, PURE maple syrup is important, imitation will just not do in this recipe. The frosting is so good, I kept the extra around and am enjoying it on graham crackers and nilla wafers. Happy Fall!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple Cream Cheese Filling
Yield: About 4 dozen assembled whoopie pies (will vary depending on how large you make them)
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Bake Time: 10 to 12 minutes

For the Whoopie Pies:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup canola or vegetable oil
3 cups chilled pumpkin puree (canned pumpkin)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Maple-Cream Cheese Filling:
2 cups powdered sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
4 ounces (½ cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 Tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat..I only had wax paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger and nutmeg. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the granulated sugar, the dark brown sugar, and the oil together. Add the pumpkin puree and whisk to combine thoroughly. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until combined.
4. Gradually add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and whisk until completely combined.
5. Use a small cookie scoop or a large spoon to drop a rounded, heaping tablespoon of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart.
6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, making sure that the cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cookie comes out clean. The cookies should be firm when touched. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool completely on a cooling rack.
7. To make the filling, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth with no visible lumps, about 3 minutes. Add the cream cheese and beat until smooth and combined, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time, then add the maple syrup and vanilla and beat until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.
8. To assemble the whoopie pies: Turn half of the cooled cookies upside down. Pipe or spoon the filling (about a tablespoon) onto that half. Place another cookie, flat side down, on top of the filling. Press down slightly so that the filling spread to the edges of the cookie. Repeat until all the cookies are used. Put the whoopie pies in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to firm before serving.

Recipe from: browneyedbaker.com (I only slightly changed the cream cheese filling, otherwise, the recipe is the same)

The Ultimate Grilled Hamburger

2011-08-31T16:33:00.002-05:00

(I think I forgot the lettuce for the picture..whoops!)

Labor Day weekend is upon us! Do any of you have fun plans? We have been trying to come up with a fun, inexpensive place to go, but we decided too late. All the cabins are rented out and most campsites are also gone. Blast! Oh well, we will make our own staycation as some people call them. But one thing is for sure...we will be grilling this weekend, maybe even multiple times :)

I have made these hamburgers several times over the last few months and we all agree, these are the best hamburgers. The ingredients are simple, but turn out moist and delicious every time. So if you are looking for a good go-to grilled hamburger recipe, you should try this.

The Ultimate Grilled Hamburger
1 pounds ground beef (preferably not extra lean)
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
2 tablespoons BBQ sauce
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup room temperature water

In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients together until well combined. Form the beef into patties about 1/2-inch thick and about 1/4-inch larger in diameter than the buns you’ll be using. Refrigerate the patties until ready to grill. Cook the burgers on a preheated grill over medium-high heat until the burgers are cooked to your liking.

Recipe slightly adapted from mel's kitchen cafe

Apple Crisp

2011-08-25T08:00:00.003-05:00

8/25/11 Update: I updated the pictures and changed a few things. One crucial change I realized is that you need to bake the apple crisp in a deep pan. This way the filling stays moist and the top gets, well "crisp". I also decided I like chopping my apples into cubes rather than thinly slicing them. I feel as though they keep their firmness and texture better. I hate biting into a soggy apple :) I also like using a combination of apples; it makes it tastier..if you can, pick fresh apples, they take this recipe up a notch!

We went to the apple orchard the other day and picked some of the most delicious apples I have ever eaten. We will definitely go back just so I can make this again! I have had this apple crisp recipe bookmarked for years and finally got around to trying it. I can't believe I waited this long! Wow, was this good. It was even great the next day cold, straight out of the refrigerator. This is a sweeter apple crisp than some others I have tried. The filling tastes a little like apple pie filling, but WAY better!

Apple Crisp

Filling:
6 cups apples, peeled, cored and diced (like McIntosh, granny smith, or honeycrisp) (2 lbs)

1 cup sugar

2 Tbsp all purpose flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

dash ground nutmeg

1 Tbsp lemon juice for apples

Toss apples with lemon juice to keep from browning. Mix sugar, flour, and spices and lightly toss with apples. Put into 9 inch square pan (Or ramekins for individual portions) and top with the following mixture:

Topping:
½ cup rolled oats

½ cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup all-purpose flour

½ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ cup butter or margarine

Combine oats, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and dash of salt in a food processor. Cut in butter until mixture resembles course crumbs. Sprinkle mixture over apples. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 30-35 minutes. The top will become brown, but don't overcook it, or it will become dry.

NOTE: I doubled the topping and made individual servings by putting them into ramekins. They were perfect! This would be a great dessert to have for company or during Thanksgiving..what says fall or comfort food better than this! MMMM

Sundried Tomato chicken wraps

2011-08-15T07:00:00.002-05:00

When I asked my husband for dinner ideas, he suggested some kind of wrap. I picked up sun-dried tomato wraps while I was at the store and made this extremely simple recipe that same night. Literally, I got home from the store and had dinner ready and on the table within 30 minutes. It was tasty and easy to throw together. I will definitely be adding wraps to my recipe arsenal!

Sundried Tomato Chicken Wraps
popcorn chicken or other breaded chicken
sun-dried tomato wraps
Monterrey Jack Cheese
Sharp Cheddar Cheese
3 Tbs prepared ranch dressing
3 Tbs salsa
lettuce

Cook chicken according to package directions.

Meanwhile mix ranch and salsa, set aside.

Warm wraps on microwave on high for 15-20 seconds

To fill: spoon ranch mixture on warmed wrap and spread. Add 16-20 pieces of popcorn chicken (less if using larger breaded chicken). Add lettuce and cheese. Fold wrap and secure with toothpicks.

NOTE: I didn't have any corn or red bell peppers on hand, but I think those would have been delicious! Be as creative as you like.

Caramel Brownies

2011-08-12T15:49:00.005-05:00

Do you ever feel like life ever gets out of hand for you? Ever since I had my little boy, I feel like I can't stay on top of things! But let me make up for my lack of posts with this amazingly yummy caramel brownie. I don't tend to love homemade brownies (Gasp!) but this brownie is SO decadent, gooey, fudgy, caramely (is that even a word?) and utterly delicious; I was smitten. Actually, I couldn't stop eating them. The entire pan was gone in one day. Yikes! Just an FYI: this little bugger was not too photgenic for me, but please do not let that stop you from making them. They seriously were amazing!!

Caramel Brownies
For the brownies:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
12 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1½ cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

For the caramel filling:
14 ounces caramel candies, unwrapped
1/4 cup heavy cream
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with foil and grease the foil well with butter or cooking spray. In a large, microwave-safe bowl, combine the chopped chocolate and butter. Microwave in intervals of 1 minute at 50% power until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth, stirring in between intervals. Whisk in the sugar, eggs and vanilla until incorporated. Stir in the flour and salt just until combined. Spread about half of the brownie batter in the bottom of the prepared pan in an even layer. Bake for 18 minutes. Remove from the oven (keep the oven on!) and let the brownies cool for 20 minutes.

To make the caramel filling, combine the caramels and cream in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds at 50% power. Stir. Repeat the process, keeping a close eye on the mixture as it can burn very easily (make sure you use low heat in the microwave). Continue the microwave process until the caramels and cream are melted and combined. Stir in half of the pecans to the caramel mixture. Immediately spread the caramel mixture over the bottom brownie layer. Scoop the remaining brownie batter in spoonfuls over the caramel layer and spread it evenly across the caramel layer (spooning the batter in piles over the caramel will help to get an even layer of batter over the caramel). Sprinkle the chocolate chips and the remaining pecans on top of the final brownie layer. Bake for 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before slicing and serving. I found the brownies sliced easier once they had been cooled and refrigerated for an hour or two.
Lift the brownies from the pan using the edges of the foil. Remove the foil and cut the brownies into individual squares. Store in an airtight container.

Recipe Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Fiesta Chicken enchiladas

2011-07-09T17:31:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately! We have been enjoying family, going to job interviews and making some grilling career decisions. My husband and I have finally decided for him to pursue a pediatric rheumatology fellowship instead of taking a general pediatric job. This has been a really tough decision for us, but I think this decision is the best for our family. We are in the middle of the application process right now and interviews start this fall. Hopefully after the interviews he will still want to continue on ;) I do have some great recipe to share....

This is a bdubs original! I wanted to make enchiladas, but wanted to try something other than these. My mind got to work and this is what I came up with. I have found our new favorite enchilada recipe! I LOVED the flavor of the chicken and combined with the filling...my.oh.my! The filling was incredibly flavorful, so I kept the sauce on top pretty simple, but made up a yummy fiesta sour cream topping, which made these completely irresistible. Even my two little munchkins whose favorite phrase has become "I don't like that" even before they've tried it, loved it. The best part: they are incredibly easy to throw together too. Hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Fiesta Chicken Enchiladas
2-4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
3/4 packet Fiesta Ranch dip (by the Hidden Valley Ranch packets), divided
2-3 tbs butter, melted
1 small can green chilis
1/4 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup Monterrey Jack Cheese, divided
1/2 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 can green enchilada sauce
1/3 cup half and half or heavy whipping cream
8-10 tortillas
sour cream (optional)

Chicken
Mix melted butter with 1/2-3/4 fiesta ranch dip packet. Pour over chicken in crock-pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Shred chicken. Save the extra butter/fiesta ranch mixture.

Filling:
In a small pan, saute onion and garlic for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add green chilies and warm. Add reserved butter/fiesta ranch mixture you used to cook the chicken in. It will look a little runny, but turn the stove to medium-high heat and add the shredded chicken. Add in 1/4 cup of Monterrey Jack Cheese and stir until melted.

Fill tortillas with filling and top with 1 Tbs Monterrey Jack Cheese, then roll up. Place enchiladas in a 9X13 baking dish.

Topping:
Mix green enchilada sauce and half and half in same pan used to saute onion to grab the remaining bits of flavor. Pour over enchiladas. Sprinkle with Cheddar and rest of the Monterrey Jack Cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling. To get a slightly crisp and browned top, broil for 3-4 more minutes; watch carefully so it doesn't burn.

Sour cream topping:
1/4-1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup fiesta ranch packet
Sprinkle sour cream with fiesta ranch packet. Keep tasting and adding to get it as strong of a flavor as you like. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve on top of enchiladas.

Coconut brownies

2011-05-06T07:36:00.004-05:00

Note: our computer got a virus and we lost every.single picture we own..sadly I had never backed up any of my pictures. Luckily for you, I had all ready posted this on my blog, picture intact. So all the yummy recipe photos are gone, which means some of the yummy recipes I wanted to share will have to wait until I make it again. Thank you for understanding ;)

After my friend Kami had her baby, I took her dinner and in return, she gave me back my pan with these amazing brownies in them. They were gone within a day. I even tried to shove them in the back of my freezer, tricking myself into believing that I would be able to resist them. Sadly, (well, not really, maybe just for my hips) I couldn't resist them. I had been craving them ever since. I didn't want to ask for the recipe because I knew I couldn't stop myself from eating the entire pan. I think these are my new favorite dessert. Then I had my baby and Kami kindly made me dinner AND these awesome brownies. They were gone within a few hours. My entire family LOVES them! I got her recipe and now I can share these sinful beauties with you. I dare you to not eat the entire pan in one day ;)

Coconut brownies

base:

1 cube (1/2 cup) butter

1 egg

1 German chocolate cake

topping:

1 cup chocolate chips

2 cups shredded coconut

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together the base ingredients and pat into a greased 9X13 pan

Spread chocolate chips and coconut evenly over the base, then pour sweetened condensed milk until covered.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minuted. The top will brown a bit

heavenly casserole

2011-05-04T07:00:00.004-05:00

My sister Renae made this for my mom while she was visiting her years ago. Ever since then, this has become a staple at my mom's house. Whenever people come into town, my mom makes this before-hand, freezes it, then pulls out a yummy dinner without having to spend hours in the kitchen. Before I had my baby, my mom and I (mostly my mom) made a bunch of meals to put in my freezer. This is one of them. Once I post all the recipes, I will compile them all into a freezer meal post for your convenience. They have been a life saver to me since I have had my baby.

Heavenly Casserole

Boil 2 pounds chicken until tender (chicken breasts work great). Save broth. Cool and break into pieces.

Break 8 ounces of spaghetti into thirds. Cook in the saved chicken broth according to package directions.

Make white sauce with:
4 TBS butter

4 TBS flour

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup chicken broth

When it thickens, add:

1/3 cup chicken broth

1/8 cup lemon juice (we used just less than a ¼ cup of fresh)

½ tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Stir in:

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream

1 cup parmesan cheese

8 ounces sliced mushrooms (we left these out)

Mix in chicken and spaghetti. Pour into a 9X13 inch pan and sprinkle with paprika and Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

easy stir fry

2011-05-02T07:00:00.005-05:00

Easy Stir-Fry
4 cups hot cooked rice or asian noodles
2 Tb soy sauce
2 Tb ketchup
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 lb pork sirloin chops, thinly sliced (or boneless, skinless chicken)
3 Tb canola oil, divided
1 medium onion, sliced into 1/2 inch wedges
1 red bell pepper
broccoli florets
sugar snap peas
carrots, julienned
mushrooms
or any stir fry vegetables of your choice

While your rice is cooking, mix together the marinade. Mix soy sauce, ketchup, ginger and garlic. Add pork and let stand for 15 minutes.
Heat 1 Tb of oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add vegetables (total should be around 3-4 cups) and stir-fry until crisp-tender. Remove mixture from skillet.
Heat 2 Tb oil in same skillet. Add pork, including all the marinade, and stir-fry until cooked. Stir in vegetable mixture. Serve over hot cooked rice.

The first time I made this, I wished I had made more marinade. The second time, I made a second batch of marinade to use at the end with my rice and vegetables. If you like it more saucy, I would suggest making a second batch of sauce, or you could use a store bought stir fry or teriyaki sauce.

Recipe Source: thesisterscafe

Tuscan Garlic Chicken

2011-04-27T12:29:00.012-05:00

Right now, while you are reading this, I am probably moving into my new house. Luckily we only have to move down the street, but moving is a lot of work! I have a few posts all ready scheduled, so you won't have to miss out on any yummy recipes while I am trying to unpack and get settled in.

This was amazing! I don't usually care for wilted spinach..maybe because of a bad experience, but I tend to not cook with it very often. I love spinach salads, but not cooked spinach. With that said, I love this dish! My whole family did. It took a little time to prepare, but was totally worth the effort in my opinion.

Tuscan Garlic Chicken

Note: if the chicken breasts you are using are overly thick, you can butterfly them, cutting all the way through so you end up with two thinner cuts of chicken breast. Second note: I would say this recipe is right on the edge of just having enough sauce but not an overabundance, so if you like things on the saucier end of the spectrum, feel free to double that part of the recipe.

*Serves 4-6 (depending on if you are serving adults or kids)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 tablespoon finely minced garlic (about 4-5 cloves)

1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips or chopped

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

6 ounces fresh spinach (eyeball it)

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 cup lowfat milk

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 pound fettuccine

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a shallow pie plate or similar dish, combine the flour, salt, pepper, basil and oregano. Dip each chicken piece in the flour mixture until both sides are well coated.

In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat until the oil is hot and shimmering. Carefully place the chicken breasts in the pan, cooking them for 2-3 minutes on each side, until they are golden and browned but not cooked all the way through (they'll finish up in the oven). Don't scoot the chicken around once you lay it in the hot oil! Let the oil work it's magic to sear the crust on the chicken. If you get all antsy and try flipping too early and/or moving the chicken around the pan, the breading is lightly to fall off. Gently remove the chicken to a foil-lined, lightly greased baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Set aside and tent with foil until ready to use.

While the chicken is cooking, heat a large pot of water to a boil and add the noodles, cooking until al dente. Heat the skillet on medium heat, adding the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and bell pepper, sauteing for 2-3 minutes.

Stir in one tablespoon flour and stir constantly while cooking for another minute. Add the chicken broth to the skillet and bring the mixture to a low simmer, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 3-4 minutes. In a small liquid measure, whisk together the cornstarch and cream. Add the spinach, milk and cream mixture to the skillet. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the spinach is wilted and sauce is slightly thickened, about 2-4 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.

When the pasta has finished cooking, drain and return it to the pot. Toss the pasta with half of the cheese sauce. Place some of the coated pasta on each plate. Top with a breaded chicken breast and spoon some of the sauce over the top of the chicken and pasta. Serve immediately.

Recipe and directions from Mel's kitchen cafe

batman cake

2011-04-25T11:51:00.002-05:00

My little guy turned 4 the other day! It is so crazy to me how fast time has passed. Per his request, I made a batman cake, using the same cake recipe I used for my daughter's birthday cake. This time, I found my William Sonoma cake tips, which made this SO much easier to frost! It took me half the time of my daughters. I still need a little more practice on frosting, but I really enjoyed decorating his cake.

Vanilla pudding cake

1 box yellow or chocolate cake mix
1 (3.9 oz) vanilla or chocolate instant pudding
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup oil

Mix all ingredients until smooth. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely and frost. I like to make the cake the day before and freeze it to make for easier frosting.
NOTE: I obviously used the yellow cake mix with vanilla pudding variation.

Frosting:
I used vanilla and chocolate canned frosting for the cake for the sake of time. I used Wilton gel for the food coloring (you can buy it at Hobby Lobby or any craft store really) and liquid food coloring that is made specifically for tinting frosting (found at my local grocery store)

Easter Morning Rolls a.k.a. resurrection rolls

2011-04-19T11:44:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the bad picture..no one wanted to wait to eat these...

This is a really fun idea to help kids learn about the resurrection. The other night, for our family home evening, we talked about the resurrection of Jesus Christ in lieu of Easter on Sunday. I originally got the idea from my friend Erin's blog, but changed things slightly to convey the message of Christ's resurrection a little more. We each got to make one and talked about the resurrection while we did. It was a really fun way to help explain why we celebrate Easter, since my little boy thinks we do, so we can get candy...yikes! Guess I have a little more teaching to do ;)

Easter Morning Rolls a.k.a resurrection rolls
1 can large refrigerated crescent rolls (or homemade dough)
6 large marshmellows
2-4 Tbs butter, melted
1/2 cinnamon sugar mix

Give each child one triangle shaped section of crescent roll. This represents the tomb.

Each child takes one marshmallow which represents the body of Christ.

Dip the marshmallow in the butter and roll in cinnamon and sugar mixture. This represents the oils and spices the body was anointed with upon burial.

Lay the marshmallow on the dough and carefully wrap it around the marshmallow.

You can also brush with butter and add a little more cinnamon and sugar if you would like.

Make sure all seams are pinched together well. Otherwise the marshmallow will "ooze" out of the seams, like mine did!

Bake according to package directions. Cool.

Break open the tomb and the body of Christ is no longer there....He is Risen!

Cafe Rio salad

2011-04-19T11:18:00.000-05:00

If you have ever been out west, you probably have heard of Cafe Rio. It is is throw you through the line as fast as possible, over crowded little gem. The first time I went, I didn't love the experience, but the food was amazing. The second time I went through, I knew what I was doing and felt bad for the poor sucker whose first time it was. It is one of those restaurants that you need a guide or someone to explain things to you first ;) And always know what you want to order by the time you get to the front. But I began to enjoy the whole experience and craziness of ordering and make a special trip just to get their pork salad with tomatillo dressing whenever we are in Utah. It really is worth it.

Before I had ever been to the restaurant, my friends had introduced me to the salad and I was in love instantly. I almost think the homemade version is better, minus the time and preparation it takes.

This can take a lot of preparation, but a fun way to do it is get together with friends and have each person bring a different recipe. It cuts down on the preparation and makes everyone feel like they have helped with the meal. Just give the recipes to each person so they know how to make it and voila, a fun girls lunch with little work!

I got each recipe from different places:

the pork recipe is from my friend Jill with the added suggestion of putting coke in to tenderize the meat from my sister Marykaye

Café Rio Pork

3 lb pork roast (butt or shoulder) 1 tsp chili powder

1 cup Worcestershire sauce 2 Tbs dried minced onions

1 tsp powdered ginger 1 tsp salt

1/2-1 cup coke

Cook all ingredients in crock pot all day. One hour before serving, remove roast and shred it, dump out cooking juices. Put shredded pork back into crock pot and add:

1 cup red enchilada sauce

1 cup brown sugar

Let warm to combine ingredients.

Salsa

6 roma tomatoes

bag frozen sweet white corn

4 colored peppers chopped (orange, yellow, red)

1 bunch chopped cilantro

1 bunch chopped green onion

1/2 bottle zesty italian dressing

lime juice

Mix together.

Salsa recipe is from my friend Kami

Cilantro Lime Rice
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 cups rice
2 1/4 cups chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
juice and zest of 1 large lime
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon cumin

In a skillet, melt butter and add rice. Let cook for 1-2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 18-20 minutes. Fluff with fork and serve.

from My kitchen cafe

Café Rio Black Beans

1 can black beans 2 Tbs oil

1/3 cup tomato juice ½ tsp salt

2 cloves garlic, minced 2 Tbs chopped cilantro

1 tsp cumin

In a sauce pan, heat oil, cumin, and garlic. Throw in the rest until warm. You might want to double this if your family loves black beans.
recipe also from my friend Jill

Café Rio Tomatillo Dressing

3 tomatillos 1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup cilantro, minced ½ cup mayonnaise

1 clove garlic, minced 1 pkg ranch buttermilk dressing mix

1/3 cup buttermilk

Husk and cut the tomatillos into quarters, put under a broiler for 7 minutes, then chop or mince. Mix together all ingredients and chill.
recipe from my friend Katherine

or use this really good alternative if you do not have tomatillos:

Cilantro Lime dressing:
3/4 cup mayo
1 bunch cilantro
juice from 1 lime (approx 2 TBS)
1/8 tsp Tabasco sauce
1 ranch seasoning packet
4 TBS salsa verde
1 clove garlic

Blend in the blender. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.
recipe from Kami

Salad Assembly:
On a large flour tortilla, melt a little cheese, then add, romaine lettuce, meat, salsa, rice, beans, and top with dressing. Sprinkle on a little more cheese if you would like and enjoy! MMM, I want this right now!

creamy baked chicken taquitos with cilantro lime dressing

2011-04-11T14:38:00.003-05:00

My sister shared this recipe with me before I had my baby, but I just got around to trying it...I guess those babies take a lot of time ;) It was delicious! My family all LOVED it. The inside was filled with creamy goodness while the outside was slightly crisp. It was great. Plus, I love that it is baked and not fried. You really must try these. My sister also suggested pairing it with cilantro lime dressing, which I thought was amazing, but you could also opt for ranch dressing to make it simple. This would also be good with salsa, guacamole, or sour cream.

You can also make the filling earlier in the day (which is what I did), then all you have to do is fill the tortillas right before cooking. Mine also made enough for us to put some in the freezer. I individually wrapped each taquito in tinfoil, then I can throw them in the oven for a quick nights meal another day.

In these, I actually used shredded turkey because we had some in the freezer that needed to be used. I bet you could also use beef or pork and they would still be delish.

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos
from Our Best Bites

1/3 cup (3 oz.) cream cheese
1/4 cup green salsa (salsa verde)
1 Tb fresh lime juice (1/2 lime)
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp granulated garlic
3 Tb chopped cilantro
1 Tb minced onion or 2 Tbs green onion

2 cups shredded chicken
1 cup grated Monterrey jack cheese

flour tortillas (or small corn tortillas)
cooking spray
kosher salt

Soften cream cheese in microwave for 20-30 seconds. Stir in green salsa, lime juice and spices until well mixed then add cilantro and onion/green onions. Stir in shredded chicken and Monterrey jack cheese and combine well. **this can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line cookie sheet with tin foil, lightly sprayed with cooking oil.

Working with 3-4 tortillas at a time, briefly heat in microwave so they are more malleable and easier to work with. (Any time you want to heat up flour tortillas, it's a good idea to place a damp paper towel draped over a small stack of them in the microwave. If I have more than 5, I will place a damp paper towel in the middle of the stack as well.) Spoon 2-3 Tb of mixture in a row across the bottom third of tortilla, keeping 1/2 inch away from edge. This makes it possible to roll it up very tightly. Place taquitos seam side down on cookie sheet, making sure they are not touching. Lightly spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and edges start to turn golden brown.

Cilantro Lime dressing:
3/4 cup mayo
1 bunch cilantro
juice from 1 lime (approx 2 TBS)
1/8 tsp Tabasco sauce
1 ranch seasoning packet
4 TBS salsa verde
1 clove garlic

Blend in the blender. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

chocolate pretzel rings

2011-04-04T07:00:00.000-05:00

For Valentine's Day, I was in charge of providing the treat in my son's preschool class. The only catch being, it all has to be store bought. Technically, these are. My mom shared this recipe with me years ago, but for some reason, I do not have as much luck as she does using the Hershey kisses. Instead, I used semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted with a little oil to make it smooth. It is a fun and easy finger food to make for any holiday, and the kids always love them.

Chocolate Pretzel Rings
Hershey kisses or 1-2 cups chocolate chips
Round pretzel rings (usually found during Christmas time)
oil
Holiday M&M's of your choice

If using Chocolate chips:
In a double broiler, melt chocolate chips with a cap full of vegetable or canola oil. Or you can use two saucepans, one that is slightly larger than the other. Heat a small amount of water in the larger saucepan and put the smaller saucepan inside of it. Add the chocolate chips to the small saucepan and let heat up gradually. Stir often.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment or wax paper. Lay as many pretzel rings as you would like on the cookie sheet. Spoon chocolate into the center of the pretzel rings. Lightly press M&M's into chocolate. Let cool completely. I like to put mine in the freezer for a few minutes or until they are firm. Enjoy!

If using Hershey Kisses:

48-50 pretzel rings 1 pkg (8oz) milk chocolate kisses

¼ cup M&M’s

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment or wax paper. Lay as many pretzel rings as you would like on the cookie sheet. Place a Hershey kiss in the center of each pretzel ring and bake for 2-3 minutes.

Bake at 275 for 2-3 minutes or until chocolate is softened. Remove from oven. Place an M&M on each, pressing down slightly so chocolate fills the ring. Refrigerate for 5-10 minutes or until chocolate is firm. Store at room temp.

Chocolate Frosting

2011-03-30T21:57:00.010-05:00

In the last post, I shared my mom's Uh-Mazing chocolate cake recipe, and this is the frosting for the top. It would be good on any cake really, but the flavor combination of my mom's chocolate cake and this frosting is pure heaven. If you don't believe me, try it for yourself; you won't be disappointed.

The recipe comes from my friend Josie, who was also my next door neighbor and life saver during the first few years our husbands were in med school. The funny thing is that my mom actually just found this recipe in the cookbook the spouse association made. She must have been holding out on me ;) Josie is also the one who gave me this no-bake cheesecake recipe that I love. Needless to say, she knew her way around the kitchen.

Chocolate Frosting
1 cube butter
4 Tbs cocoa
6 T milk
1 tsp vanilla
4 Cup powdered sugar

Mix first 4 ingredients until well combined. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until desired consistency.

Mom's Chocolate Cake

2011-03-30T21:44:00.000-05:00

Hello again! I have been M.I.A for months, sorry! The end of pregnancy, a funeral and a new baby have kept me a little preoccupied ;) We also just found out we have to move houses, which means a lot of packing and sorting and less time to blog. Sad. But, I have so many recipes I want to share that I will try and post as many as I can in between feeding the baby, changing poopy diapers, packing, and changing more diapers. I forgot how often they need changed! But this chocolate cake recipe is worth the wait, I promise!

My mom is notorious for her chocolate cake. I don't know where the original recipe came from, but she has been making this since I was a kid Usually, I am not a huge fan of chocolate cake, but whenever she made this, I couldn't keep out of it. It was perfectly moist, not too dense and had just the right amount of chocolate.

A lot of homemade chocolate cakes aren't as moist as (gasp!) box mixes. But, hers is different. Just be careful not to over bake it. If the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan, it has cooked too long. Watch it carefully towards the end of cooking.

Mom's Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup Wesson oil
1 TBS vanilla
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa
1 TBS baking soda

Directions:
Mix buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and eggs in large mixing bowl.
Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

Boil 1 3/4 cup water, once is it at a rolling boil, slowly mix in with all ingredients. Pour into 9 X 13 pan
Bake at 350* for 45 minutes

Top generously with chocolate frosting.

Up next, I have a finger licking chocolate frosting recipe to put on top.

Ready for the Superbowl?

2011-01-31T17:09:00.000-06:00

To be honest, I am not that interested in who wins this year, but I do love making superbowl food! This year, I am going to only make a few things since I am pregnant and it is not as easy to lose the extra poundage ;)

For dinner, I am making these enchiladas, with this bean dip and salsa. I might throw in a fruit dip (more for me than anything). Here are a few other good options if you are in need for a few dips. Or if you Just want some snacks, here are some more good options. Enjoy!

Creamy Baked Ziti

2011-01-20T14:45:00.001-06:00

I stumbled on this tasty meatless dish a few months ago and have made it several times since. I have been wanting to cook with less meat to save on money and time, but without still feeling hungry afterwords. This was great! No one missed the meat. It is incredibly filling.

Mine made more than 1 9X13 pan for my family of 4 (who love noodles). I made 2 8X8 pans along with another smaller pan. My mom also made this during Christmas when family was visiting from out of town and it fed all of us with leftovers!

SO...if you need an easy way to feed a lot of people or need some more freezer meals, you should definitely try this. I am gearing up for my baby and trying to stock pile freezer meal ideas so we won't have as many cereal and leftover nights :)

This would be great paired with the make-a-head garlic bread. All done ahead of time for a delicious, fresh tasting meal.

Creamy Baked Ziti-

1 (16 oz.) container cottage cheese
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound ziti or other short, tubular pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 medium garlic cloves , minced
1 (28 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon cornstarch
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)
Salt and pepper, to taste

If not freezing, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk cottage cheese, eggs, and 1 cup Parmesan together in medium bowl; set aside. Prepare pasta according to package directions, cooking only until pasta begins to soften but is not yet cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes. Drain pasta and leave in colander.
Meanwhile, heat oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat until garlic is fragrant but not brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, oregano and basil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.
In a medium saucepan, whisk cornstarch into heavy cream. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove pot from heat and add cottage cheese to thickened cream. Stir cottage cheese/cream mixture into tomato mixture and mix well. Add half of the cubed mozzarella and the pasta and stir until pasta is thoroughly coated with sauce.
Transfer pasta mixture to a 9×13 inch baking dish. If not freezing, sprinkle remaining cubed mozzarella and remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Cover baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue to cook until cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown, about 30 minutes longer. Cool for 10 minutes before serving. Serves 8 to 10.

If freezing,: after you transfer the pasta into a 9x13 inch dish, cover it tightly with foil and freeze.

If frozen: When you are ready to cook it, take it out of the freezer, add ½ cup parmesan cheese and mozzarella; recover with foil. No need to preheat the oven, just put it in a cold oven. You will need to cook it for longer this way.

If thawing it: Add cheeses, then cook it as you would in step 4.

Recipe source: realmomkitchen.com

Muddy Buddies

2011-01-13T07:00:00.005-06:00

I am sure everyone has a recipe for Muddy Buddies or can at least look on the back of the Chex cereal box, but I thought I would post it since this blog is a place for all my favorite recipes. We had this around the house on Christmas Eve and Christmas day and was the perfect snacking food.

Next week, I am going to share a delicious freezer meal that is super easy and feeds a TON of people!

Muddy Buddies

9 cups chex cereal (any kid)

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

½ cup peanut butter

¼ cup butter or margarine

1 tsp vanilla

1 ½ cups powdered sugar

Melt chocolate chips, peanut butter and margarine in a small sauce pan. Add vanilla and pour chocolate mixture over the cereal in a large bowl. Stir until evenly coated. Skowly pour in powdered sugar stir gently. Stir until all the Chex cereal is evenly coated. Spread on wax paper to cool and store in an airtight container.

spinach and artichoke dip

2011-01-10T07:00:00.003-06:00

I had made this spinach and artichoke dip for Thanksgiving, but I lost all my pictures (check this post if you don't remember). I made this again during Christmas and snapped a picture of what was left. I love this stuff! If it wasn't so bad for you, I would make it more often. Even though you are probably trying to eat better, I promise this is worth the calories!

Artichoke and Spinach Dip
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 C mayonnaise
1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 C grated Romano cheese
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 tsp dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
1 (14 ounce) can or jar artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 C frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained or 2 handfuls of fresh baby spinach, chopped
1/4 C shredded mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a small baking dish.
In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese, garlic, basil, garlic salt, salt and pepper. Gently stir in artichoke hearts and spinach.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top with mozzarella cheese. Bake in the preheated oven 25 minutes, until bubbly and lightly browned. Serve with chips, bread, or vegetables.

NOTE: I didn't have romano cheese on hand, so I just used extra Parmesan and a little mozzarella. I think both ways would be great!
NOTE: I used fresh spinach and didn't measure my artichokes.

Recipe source: Your homebased mom

Caramels

2011-01-07T07:52:00.001-06:00

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We had a great time with family and friends, but am a glad to be back to normal life (except having to wake up early to get my kids ready for school!)
One of my favorite things during the Christmas Season is caramels. I remember when we moved to a new house when I was in the 1st grade during Christmas and some extremely nice people gave us the best caramels I had ever tasted. Each year, they dropped off a batch at our house during Christmas time and I even got to help make them one year. It was a HUGE project! I have loved caramels ever since. I have been meaning to get their recipe, but until I do, here is another really great recipe that is sure to please.

Caramels are a little intimidating, but if you watch them closely, they can be mastered! You really should give them a try. In my opinion Christmas isn't Complete without them.

Homemade Caramel

1/2 cup butter (not margarine)

1 1/2 cups light corn syrup

2 cups brown sugar

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided

1-1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

mixed nuts, optional

1. Begin by melting butter in large heavy pan over medium-low heat. Add brown sugar, corn syrup, and half of cream (3/4 cup). Cook over medium-low heat, stirring gently, until sugar dissolves.

2. Cook, stirring occasionally, until candy thermometer reaches 224°. Add rest of cream gradually. Turn up stove to medium heat and continue to cook. At this point I wash down the insides of the pan with a pastry brush and water to get rid of any sugar crystals (left alone they may cause your caramel to turn to sugar). Don't worry about drops of water getting in the caramel - it will boil off. This steps takes awhile. Be patient.

3. Just before it reaches 240° (or 236° for high altitude), add in vanilla. Allow it to come back to a boil and remove from heat as soon as it reaches 240 degrees.
**check tips. If you like nuts, add them about 1 minute before the caramel is done - if you add them earlier they will over cook.

4. Immediately pour into a buttered 9x13-inch pan. Allow to cool, use a spatula to remove caramel onto a cutting board, and cut caramel into small squares. Wrap in waxed paper or plastic wrap.

Tips:

1. Don't stir it when it gets close to the end. In fact, it needs minimal stirring at all!

2. Do not touch or disturb the caramel at all once you've poured it into the 9X13 - wait patiently for it to set up.

3. Remember that the hotter it gets, the harder the caramel will be. Also, it depends on a lot more than just the temperature...so I would suggest checking your caramel the old fashioned way: drop a tiny bit into ice water and if it forms a ball that is the right consistency you like, it's ready. I like it to form a solid ball but still be soft enough to squish between your fingers. Be patient, this takes awhile.

4. I like to wrap in waxed paper. I rip the paper from the roll in 4 1/2 -5 inch strips then cut those in half. (That's perfect for a piece ~1 inch square) Then roll the piece of caramel and twist ends.

Recipe Source and instructions from: sister's cafe

Mom's homemade White Bread

2010-12-27T07:00:00.000-06:00

I just realized I had never posted the white bread recipe that I love. This is another one from my mom (of course!) that she has been making for years and years. I think she originally got the recipe from her sister Judy. Bread is one of my mom's specialties. It is amazing to watch her work with any kind of dough. It just forms to her. My mom made bread every Saturday and my friends would come over specifically on bread making days just to get some. I love fresh bread right out of the oven. The smell permeates the house and the taste pulls me back into my childhood. I love food that brings back good memories.

Like my mom's roll recipe, the ingredients are given, but adjustments can be made depending on how the dough looks. Don't get caught up in exact amounts of flour, go more by feel and texture than anything. I will provide the original directions, and also my observations after watching my mom, time and time again. There are so many tricks to bread making that once you get the feel for what the bread should feel and look like, you are golden. It isn't as intimidating as it may seem.

Aunt Judy’s White Bread-original recipe

1 cup warm water

2 Tbsp yeast

3 cups of hot water

2/3 cups powdered milk

½ cup sugar

1 cup oil

6-8 cups of flour

2 Tbsp salt

Dissolve 2 Tbs yeast in 1 cup warm water (115-125 degrees). In Large bowl, beat with mixer 3 cups hot water (As hot as your sink goes), 2/3 cups powdered milk (milkman is the best), ½ cup sugar, 1 cup oil, 4 cups flour, 2 Tbsp salt. Then add yeast mixture and 4 more cups of flour and knead. Let rise until double, then put into pans. Let rise and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

My observations from mom:

Dissolve 2 Tbs yeast in 1 cup warm water (115-125 degrees), along with maybe ½ tbs sugar and stir slightly with your pinky finger. It works best in a cone shaped container. If it is cold outside, put on a hot oven or other warm place.

Put hot, hot water into mixing bowl to warm it up. Get all ingredients measured before you start and have them sitting right by the mixing bowl.

Pour out the hot water and get 3 cups of new hot hot water to put in mixing bowl. Add powdered milk, sugar, oil, salt and 2 cups of flour and mix with beaters on low or medium to low speed. The mixture should still be runny. If it isn’t, or if the mixture has cooled down too much, add a little more hot water. Now add yeast mixture that has proofed. Stir.

Add aprox. 1 ½ cups of flour to get a good texture. When the mixture gets thick, begin stirring with a large/heavy spoon. Add more flour. As dough becomes soft and pliable begin using your hands to mix it. Pour plenty of flour on your hands so you don’t shred the dough. Scrape around the bowl with your hands to get all the dough off the sides and keep adding flour. Take the ball of dough and roll it around to gather remnants from the sides. Begin kneading by folding the dough into the middle one side at a time. Continue to flour hands and dough and knead until dough is smooth. Try not to overwork the dough. It can become tough and dense. After you’ve pulled the sides into the middle, flip it over. Knead some more and add flour if the dough is still sticky. The dough should be slightly sticky on our hands, but not to the touch.

Put a small amount of oil on your hands and rub over dough. Let dough sit for a minute. Put a lid on the bowl and a dish cloth over top to keep warm. Let dough rise for an hour (over a warm oven in the winter).

Punch down and let it rest for 5 minutes. Take a piece of the dough and cut it off with a sharp knife.

Take bread pan and put butter flavored shortening in pans and heat over a burner to melt it. This only takes a minute. Move the liquefied shortening to grease the entire pan and let sit for a minute before you put the dough in.

Shape into loaves by pulling all sides of dough into the middle and pinch together while in loaf pan, with the pinch part showing on top. Now roll the bread in the greased pan to get shortening on the sides of the dough and flip completely, with the pinch now on the bottom (about 2/3 full). Let dough rise to the top of the pan (Aprox. 30 minutes, more or less depending on the season).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put all the loaves of bread in the oven at the same time and bake for 30 minutes. Check around 30 minutes by flipping the pan over and letting the warm bread fall into your oven mit over (because we greased the sides of the loaves, the bread should come right out. It is done when the bottom is brown. If not, put in for 10 minutes longer (for a total of 40 minutes)

You can also add a little whole wheat flour (up to two cups-I haven’t tried putting more than that in, but you can try if you want) it just makes it a little more dense of a bread.

You can also make this into bread bowls by putting dough into oven safe glass bowl, or ramekins (whatever size you like). Bake for less time.

You can freeze the bread once it has been cooked.

brownie covered oreos

2010-12-22T07:00:00.001-06:00

These were delicious! Oreo covered in Brownie. Honestly, what is there not to love. I needed to bring a few desserts to a church activity that would be easy to make. I made a double batch of the ooey gooey brownies and these. Too bad our church activity got canceled because of the weather. We sure had a lot of treats around our house!

The entire process was pretty simple. You do have to make sure you cover the Oreo with enough brownie batter so that the bottom is coated, but otherwise, they are pretty quick to throw together.

Brownie Covered Oreos

1 Brownie mix (or use your own brownie recipe)

1 package Oreos, I used the Holiday ones

White chocolate, melted for drizzle,

Sprinkles

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare brownie batter according to package directions. Leave in mixing bowl. Dip Oreos in brownie batter then place in bottom of cupcake tins that have been generously sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until brownies are cooked through (doesn’t take long). Do not overcook your brownies. As soon as you remove, take a plastic knife and run along edges, (this is VERY important so you get the cookie out with brownies not stuck to pan

2. Let cool for 5 minutes, remove from pan and drizzle with melted white chocolate, sprinkle and EAT!

Makes entire package of Oreos

Recipe Source: Picky Palate

Orange Creamsicle Cookies

2010-12-21T07:00:00.001-06:00

These are a fun change up for a cookie. I expected them to taste more like the Popsicle I used to eat when I was younger, but they didn't have that exact same flavor. That could have had something to do with the fact that I didn't have orange extract, so I made up my own version to add in. They did taste wonderful though. I liked the orange paired with the white chocolate chips. I added these to the treat plate I took to my son's teachers to go along with the hot chocolate cookies. Perfectly paired I think.

Orange Creamsicle Cookies

1 C butter, softened
2/3 C light brown sugar
1/2 C sugar
1 large egg
1 Tbsp grated orange rind
2 tsp orange extract
2 1/4 C flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 C white chocolate chips

Mix together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add egg, orange rind, and extract, mix well.
Add together the flour, baking soda, and salt; slowly add to sugar mixture, mix just until blended. Stir in white chocolate chips.
Bake on un-greased cookie sheet or parchment covered sheet
Bake at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool for a few minutes on baking sheet and then move to a cooling rack.
NOTE: I substituted orange extract for 2 tsp freshly grated juice from an orange with extra grated orange rind.

recipe source: your homebased mom

Hot chocolate cookies

2010-12-20T20:25:00.000-06:00

Treat making is still going strong at my house. Actually I am completely behind in the treat making game this year. I just started! I have a list of yummy treats I usually make, along with a list of new recipes I want to try. Some are amazing (like this recipe today), while others are not so great. If you recall my post here, you would understand why I knew I HAD to make these. They make a perfect treat to take to my little boy's teachers (he has 4!). Again, my friend Kadie pulled through! She is a fabulous cook with some really great recipes!

I am giving some away and saving the rest to give to Santa this year. I think he would really enjoy these cookies ;)

Hot Chocolate Cookies

2 sticks butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup packed light brown sugar

2 eggs

1 t vanilla

3 1/4 cups flour

4 packages (1 ounce each, NOT sugar free) Hot chocolate mix

1 t salt

1 1/4 baking soda

1/2 t cinnamon (optional)

1 cup each milk, semi-sweet and white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine flour, hot chocolate mix, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add the dry to the wet in 3 or 4 parts, mixing after each. Stir in the chips. Chill dough for about 1 hour. Roll dough into balls and place onto a cookie sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. Let cool on pan for a few minutes before removing. They will flatten once they cool.

NOTE: I didn’t have semi sweet chocolate chips, but I had white swirled with semi-sweet, so I used those instead. I think as long as you use white along with two other kinds of chocolate chips they will taste great.

Samoa Bars

2010-12-17T07:00:00.000-06:00

Every year, my husband's work does secret santa with the co-workers. They do 3 different gifts, the first two are $5 each and the last one is $25. We decided to do a treat for the first one. One of the things he said he liked was Chocolate, so I went on a quest to find a delicious chocolate treat that would store well. I found one that would be perfect at my friend Kadie's blog. They did not disappoint. I was glad I had to give them away! Being pregnant does not bode well with eating extra holiday treats...you can't get rid of it! I kept sneaking in little pieces that would break off, so I probably ate more than I thought. Oh well.

I didn't change the recipe, except for the caramel layer. I didn't have caramels, so I used good quality bottled caramel. I think this made for a stickier bar, but did not affect the taste. You could probably use either.

Homemade Samoas Bars-barefoot and baking

Cookie Base:

1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

First, make the crust. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter, until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Working at a low speed, gradually beat in flour and salt until mixture is crumbly, like wet sand. The dough does not need to come together. Pour crumbly dough into prepared pan and press into an even layer. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until base is set and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack before topping.

Topping

3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
14-oz good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 tsp salt
3 1/2 T milk
10 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)

Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut evenly on a baking sheet and toast, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden and fragrant. Watch them closely so they do not burn. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Unwrap the caramels and melt with milk and salt either in a sauce pan over low heat or in the microwave. I still used the milk and salt, even though I used the caramel sauce from the bottle. This may have added to the stickiness and slightly more runny texture. It did not set or harden like I thought it would. If I used bottled caramel next time, I would not add in the milk or salt, mostly for texture reasons.

When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula. Put dollops of the topping all over the shortbread base. Spread into an even layer. I found that greasing my hands and pressing it down was the easiest. Let topping set until cooled. When cooled, cut into 30 bars with a large knife or a pizza cutter (it’s easy to get it through the topping). Once bars are cut, melt chocolate in a small bowl or saucepan stirring often to avoid scorching. Dip the base of each bar into the chocolate and place on wax paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle bars with chocolate to finish. Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

Makes 30 bar cookies.

Christmas Treat Recipes

2010-12-15T23:24:00.000-06:00

I have a few recipes I wanted to post in case you were looking for some new treat ideas to give away for Christmas this year. I will continue to post other delicious recipes throughout the next few weeks. Happy Baking!

1 of my favorite treats to make during this time of year is the Oreo Bon Bons. So addicting.

One I always give out as gifts is the Merry Mix my friend Melody gave me the recipe for. Yum!

My mom's Karamel Korn (the soft and gooey kind!)

Fudge! who could resist?!

White Chocolate fantasy clusters! Oh boy!

A new one I will add is the Caramel Apple cheesecake bars..please make these!

Ooey Gooey Peanut Butter Truffles. I can honestly say I have no self control with these.

This isn't a treat to take others, but is should be made this holiday season. Glazed Cinnamon Apples with Vanilla Ice cream.

Nutella Cinnamon Hot Cocoa. Trust me, this is delicious!

That's it for now. I will be posting new recipes soon!

Carmel Apple Cheesecake Bars

2010-12-15T21:56:00.001-06:00

I am so excited to share this yummy treat! They were delicious. The bars themselves were fantastic, but when you add the homemade caramel, it became even more decadent. I liked the caramel so much that I put some in a bowl and ate it all by itself. Did I just admit that? Well, it really was good. These are a little more labor intensive, but are SO worth it! They last for a few days in the fridge, so these are great treats to take around to friends and neighbors or for a recipe exchange.
I got the original idea from A hint of Honey, but then saw a slightly varied version at Mel's kitchen cafe. I decided to use a little from each and make my own variation. I thought they turned out great..so here is my version.

Caramel Apple Cheesecake bars

Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

Cheesecake Filling:
3 8-oz. packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Apples:
4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and finely chopped
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

Streusel Topping:
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

Caramel Sauce: (OR use a 12 oz. jar of canned caramel sauce)
1 1/4 cups (packed) brown sugar
1/2 cup salted butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a medium bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two forks until mixture is crumbly but combined. Press evenly into a 9X13-inch baking pan lined with aluminum foil. (I would just spray my pan next time with PAM) Bake for 10-15 minutes or until crust is lightly browned on the edges.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with sugar in an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. Then add eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Pour over warm crust.

In a small bowl, stir together chopped apples, two tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spoon evenly over cream cheese layer.

In a medium bowl, combine all the streusel topping ingredients and mix until crumbly. Spread evenly over apple layer.

To make the caramel sauce, whisk sugar and butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat until it melts. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, and whisk in cream and stir until sugar dissolves and sauce is smooth, about 3 minutes. Let cool. It can be stored in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until filling is set. Drizzle with caramel topping and let cool. Refrigerate until cold. Cut into squares and serve.

Navajo Tacos

2010-12-14T07:00:00.001-06:00

Does anyone else need a slight break from all the treats? I am all ready on sweets overload! It all started with Thanksgiving and went downhill from there. Here is a yummy dinner idea that can be as easy or complicated as you want. I made white bread the other day and decided to see if it would work to freeze it and use it for Navajo Tacos. It did not rise as much after I froze it, which worked perfectly for what I was using it for. Then I just pulled the cut squares out of the freezer and let it rise for 4-5 hours (winter makes it take a lot longer!) before I wanted to make my dinner.

If you don't want to make your own bread, then you can use Rhodes frozen rolls or you could even try the cans of pillsbury biscuits. I haven't done either, but I have heard the frozen rolls work for sure.

The topping is also made from scratch, but if you want to keep it REALLY simple, you could even use a can of chili. This topping comes together quickly though and you could probably even make it earlier in the day and just re-heat it on the stove before you use it. Just don't forget the garnishes, they help add that extra special touch.

This was my first time frying bread and I accidentally heated my oil a little too much, making the smoke detectors go off. My poor daughter was so scared when she saw all the smoke and heard the alarm going off, she ran outside in her short sleeve shirt and bare feet. So, I would recommend only turning the heat onto medium or a little higher and waiting for it to heat up.

I got the topping recipe from my friend Erin and the dough I used was my bread dough.

Navajo Tacos
Your favorite bread dough or Rhodes rolls
1/2 pound ground beef
4 green onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup picante sauce or salsa
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups canned pinto beans
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded lettuce
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
sour cream, if desired

Flatten each roll to a 6-inch circle. You can do this by stretching the dough careful not to make holes in the dough. Also, If the dough is too thick, the middle won't cook as fast as the sides. When you put the dough into the oil, don't let the dough fold over itself or it will do the same thing. Fry in vegetable oil at 375°F until golden brown, turning over once (about 30 seconds). Drain on paper towels.

In another pan, cook ground beef with onions. Drain off fat. Add salsa, minced garlic and beans; heat through. Do not over cook.
Spoon desired amount over warm fried dough. Top with grated cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and green onion. If desired, add more salsa and sour cream.

NOTE: the edges were a little dark from the oil being too hot, but the inside was perfect. So just look past that.

Nutella Cinnamon Hot Cocoa and White Peppermint Hot Cocoa

2010-12-07T22:13:00.001-06:00

Have you ever made your own hot chocolate? I never have. But this recipe might convince me I should. I love hot chocolate, but I had no idea it could taste this GOOD. I all ready have a weakness for Nutella and even more so for hot cocoa, but combining the two, I became completely smitten. This recipe was incredibly easy to make, but yet tasted simply divine.

I am usually one of those who add more than 1 packet or extra spoon fulls to make it more chocolaty, but I think the 1/4 cup of Nutella is rich enough, even for me. You should give yourself a little treat and make this sometime while it is freezing outside! Oh, I can't wait until I can make this again.

Nutella Cinnamon Hot Cocoa
1 cup whole milk (I only have 1% and it was still amazing)
1/4 to 1/3 cup Nutella (depending on how rich you like it)
Pinch Cinnamon
pinch Salt

In a small saucepan over medium, heat the milk until hot but not boiling. Turn off the heat, keeping the pan on the hot burner. Whisk in the Nutella, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk until the Nutella is completely melted. Garnish with whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon if desired.

If you are not a chocolate fan, then you should try this White Peppermint Hot Cocoa, it was equally delicious, I just prefer the milk chocolate version of hot chocolate.

White Peppermint Hot Cocoa
1 cup whole milk (1% is fine)
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 tsp peppermint extract

In a small saucepan over medium, heat the milk until hot but not boiling. Turn off the burner and whisk in the white chips and peppermint extract. Whisk until completely smooth. Enjoy!

Recipe source: cooking express newspaper I got in the mail

Thanksgiving

2010-12-02T10:13:00.001-06:00

I was really excited about the food we had for our big Thanksgiving feast, and between my mom and I, we had some GREAT food I wanted to share with you guys. Unfortunately, as I tried to download my pictures off my camera, the memory card got ruined and lost EVERY. SINGLE. PICTURE. (including my daughter's birthday!) So I will post the recipes just so you have them, but as for pictures, I have none. I usually don't make food unless I have a picture to go with it, so sorry about this! I will include the link to where I found the recipes, which have pictures posted on their blogs and also the changes to the recipes at the bottom. I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. We did. I just don't have pictures to show it! (I think this is the longest post I have ever written!)

Spinach and artichoke dip (this was probably one of my favorite things at the table!)

My mom's famous rolls

Pomegranate fruit salad

5 cup fruit salad (by Paula Dean)

4 layer Jell-o

Green Bean casserole

Sweet Carrots

Spinach Apple Salad

Pumpkin Cream Pie

Raspberry Cream Pie

My mom also made a
pomegranate jell-o salad which was beautiful and delicious
and Potato salad per my husband's request, along with the
turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing...I am sure I am forgetting something..recipes coming soon!

Artichoke and Spinach Dip
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 C mayonnaise
1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 C grated Romano cheese
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp garlic salt
salt and pepper to taste
1 (14 ounce) can or jar artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 C frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained or 2 handfuls of fresh baby spinach, chopped
1/4 C shredded mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a small baking dish.
In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese, garlic, basil, garlic salt, salt and pepper. Gently stir in artichoke hearts and spinach.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top with mozzarella cheese. Bake in the preheated oven 25 minutes, until bubbly and lightly browned. Serve with chips, bread, or vegetables.

NOTE: Next time I wouldn't use the garlic salt the recipe called for because the artichokes and chips are salty enough.
NOTE: I didn't have romano cheese on hand, so I just used extra Parmesan and a little mozzarella. I think both ways would be great!
NOTE: I used fresh spinach and didn't measure my artichokes.

Sweet Carrots
1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced
1 cup chicken broth
1 T butter
1 T sugar
salt and pepper to taste
Place everything together in a small saucepan. Bring to boil and cook until carrots are tender (about 20 minutes). Drain and serve.

5-Cup Fruit Salad

1 cup flaked coconut

1 cup miniature marshmallows

1 cup drained mandarin oranges

1 cup drained pineapple tidbits

1/2 cup sour cream

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and chill for 8 hours.

Pomegranate Salad
1 cup whipping cream, whipped
2 heaping tablespoons of powdered sugar
1 dash of vanilla extract
pomegranate arils, if you have a really large pomegranate you could get by with using have of the arils and save the rest to make another salad the next day.
2 apples, diced
2 banans, sliced
Add the sugar and vanilla to the whipped cream, Taste to make sure sweetness is good, if needed add more powdered sugar. Then mix in fruit and your done.

4 layer Jell-o
2 large packages jell-o gelatin (any flavor combination you want)

middle layer:

1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese

12 oz cool whip, divided

¼ cup sugar

1. Set cool whip out to thaw.

2. Cook 1 package of jell-o according to package directions. Pour in a 9X13 pan. Let set. While the jell-o sets, make the cream cheese layer.

3. Beat cream cheese, sugar and half of cool whip. Spread over set jell-o. Seal to edges. Put in fridge until set.

4. Cook second package of jell-0 according to package directions. Pour over cream cheese layer. Set in refrigerator.

5. Spread the other half of the thawed cool whip over the set jell-o. Let set in refrigerator until firm.

NOTE: I used orange and raspberry for the color. I also used the speed method on the jell-o box, but you can do it the night before to save time.

Spinach Apple Salad

1 (10-oz) bag fresh baby spinach
1 med. Granny Smith apple, cored, and thinly sliced

craisins
1/2 lb. crumbled, fried bacon
3/4 C toasted, slivered almonds
Dressing:
1/4 C granulated sugar
1/3 C oil
1/4 tsp. salt
3T. cider vinegar
1/8 small red onion
Toss salad ingredients together. For dressing, place ingredients in blender. Blend until onion is very fine and mixture is well blended. Dress salad and serve immediately. Garnish with apple slices.

Disclaimer: I don't love green bean casserole, but my husband requested it. So instead of the typical cream of mushroom soup, I found one that makes the base from scratch. I also don't like mushrooms, so I found 1 that had bacon instead. Another reason I don't really like green bean casserole is the french fried onions on top, so I found one that used panko bread crumbs. I actually really liked this version.

Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients

2 pounds Fresh Green Beans, Ends Cut Off
4-6 slices Bacon, Cut Into 1/4 Inch Pieces
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
½ whole Large Onion, Chopped
4 Tablespoons Butter
4 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
2-½ cups Whole Milk
½ cups Half-and-half
1-½ teaspoon Salt, More To Taste
Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
⅛ teaspoons Cayenne Pepper
1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Extra Milk For Thinning If Necessary
1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs

Preparation Instructions

Cut green beans in half if you like pieces to be a little smaller.

Blanch the green beans: drop them into lightly salted boiling water and allow green beans to cook for about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove them from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and immediately plunge them into a bowl of ice cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain beans once they’re cool and set aside.

Add bacon pieces to a skillet over medium heat. Cook bacon for two minutes, then add diced onion and garlic and continue cooking for 3 to 5 minutes, or until bacon is done (but not crisp) and onions are golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside. (I actually cooked my bacon the day before to save on time)

In a separate skillet or saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Sprinkle flour into the pan and whisk immediately to evenly mix it into the butter. Cook for a minute or two, then pour in milk and half and half. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, while sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne then add the grated cheddar. Stir while cheese melts. Turn off heat.

Add bacon/onion mixture. Stir to combine. Pour over green beans and stir gently to combine. Pour into a baking dish and top with panko crumbs.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and panko crumbs are golden.

Pumpkin Cream Pie

Ingredients

FOR THE CRUST:
1-½ package Graham Crackers (about 15 Cookie Sheets)
½ cups Powdered Sugar
1 stick Butter, Melted
FOR THE FILLING:
1 box (3 Oz. Box) Vanilla Pudding (Cook And Serve Variety)
1 cup Half-and-half
½ cups Heavy Cream
Pinch Of Cinnamon
Pinch Of Nutmeg
Pinch Of Ground Cloves
2 Tablespoons Whiskey (optional)
½ cups (plus 3 Tablespoons) Pumpkin Puree
½ cups (additional) Heavy Cream
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
Extra Graham Cracker Crumbs, For Garnish

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Grind graham crackers in a food processor (or, if you don’t have a food processor, place them in a large ziploc and pound ‘em with a rolling pin.) Add powdered sugar and melted butter and process until totally combined. Press into the bottom and sides of a pie pan until nice and firm. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until warm and “set.” Remove from oven and allow crust to cool completely.

In a medium saucepan, mix dry pudding mix with half-and-half and cream. Add spices. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is bubbly and thick. Remove from heat and stir in whiskey, if using. Add pumpkin and stir to combine. Place lid on pot and set aside to cool. When cool enough, place pot in the fridge to cool completely.

When mixture is cool, remove from the fridge. In a mixing bowl, add 1/2 cup heavy cream and brown sugar. Beat until very light and fluffy. Fold in pumpkin cream mixture until combined. Pour into cooled crust.

Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight. Serve with graham crackers crumbled on top.

Raspberry Cream Pie with a graham cracker crust
Crust:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup margarine or butter melted
Preheat oven to 375* Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter and press into a deep dish pie pan. Bake for about 5-6 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.

NOTE: I only used 6 TBS of butter and it was great

Raspberry filling:
1 and 1/3 cups sugar
6 TBS cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
1 and 1/2 cups water (2 cups if using fresh berries)
4 TBS corn syrup
12 oz frozen raspberries thawed, or 1 pint fresh
Mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add 1/2 cup water and stir with wire whisk until smooth. Add remaining water, corn syrup and berries. Cook in saucepan over medium heat until thick. Stir constantly. Set aside to cool. While raspberry filling is cooling, make cream filling. If you are in a hurry you can put the raspberry layer in the fridge to help it cool faster.

NOTE: do not let this boil. It takes awhile for the sauce to thicken, but once it does, it is quick to boil. Watch it closely and stir constantly.

Cream Filling:
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
5 oz whipped topping or whipped cream
Fold cream cheese, sugar and whipped topping together gently until smooth.

NOTE: if you use Heavy Whipping cream 5 oz is about 2/3 cup. Whip the liquid until it forms stiff peaks and looks more like whipped topping. About 4-5 minutes. I also sweetened mine with approximately 2 Tbs sugar.

Assembly of pie

Spoon cream filling over cooled crust. Then spoon cooled berry filling over cream filling. Allow to chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.

Dinner and Cinnamon Rolls (mom)-original recipe

1 cup scalded milk

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

2 Tbsp yeast, dissolved in ½ cup water

2/3 cup sugar

½ cup shortening

approximately 6 cups flour

Scald milk. Mix eggs, sugar, shortening, salt and milk with enough flour to make a cake like batter. Add yeast and the rest of flour until you have a very soft dough. Let rise until double in bulk. For dinner rolls that you are going to freeze, punch dozen and roll out to ¼ inch thick. Spread with butter and shape into crescents. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Put in freezer immediately. DO not allow to rise. The day you want hot rolls, remove from freezer, take tin foil off, let rise on wire rack for 3-4 hours (depending on how warm you house is). Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Brush with margarine.

If you are going to serve these rolls the same day, after punching them down, allow them to rise again to double in bulk. Roll out to ¼ inch thick, spread with margarine and shape into crescents.

Dinner and Cinnamon Rolls-mom-mine and my friend Mary’s observations

1 cup scalded milk

1 tsp salt

2 large eggs (3 medium)

2 Tbs rapid rise or instant yeast, dissolved in ½ cups water (115-125 degrees)

½ cup shortening

2/3 cup sugar

approximately 6 cups of flour

Get all ingredients out (so that they are room temperature) and into their measuring cups before you begin. Put yeast in ½ cups of water (115-125 degrees) and add almost a tablespoon of sugar; mix with your pinky finger. *The 2TB of yeast actually refers to 2 packets of yeast so you can add less (2 ¼ tsp = ¼ oz packet) The yeast proofs better in a cone-shaped bowl that isn’t too big so that the yeast will climb the sides of the bowl. Let yeast rise. Pour a generous cup (almost 1 ¼ cup) into a sauce pan and scald milk over medium high heat. When it begins to boil/be bubbly, take off burner and add shortening to sauce pan with milk to let it melt. In a (large bowl that will hold your final dough product) separate bowl, beat eggs until they are pale yellow in color, and foamy (this gets a lot of air into them and makes the rolls lighter) and then add sugar and salt. Add a little of the hot milk with shortening in because you don’t want to cook the eggs and mix. Then add a little more; mix. Add some more. Then add 1 cup of flour, and add by ½ cup increments, then alternate between flour and shortening mixture to make a cake like batter that is runny. (This is what I watched mom do: after adding 3 small pours of shortening mixture, she added 2 cups of flour in ½ cup increments. She then added some more shortening, followed by 1 cup flour, the rest of the shortening mixture, ½ cup more flour, all the while mixing with beaters. Mix and stir from sides, this is not completely smooth. The temperature should be still warm, not hot, about 106-108 degrees. The batter should still be runny, so the yeast mixes well---this equaled about 3 cups of flour and the entire sauce pan of milk and shortening).

Add yeast (scrap yeast bowl to get all of it) and mix, but not too long or it won’t be soft. Add the rest of the flour until you have a very soft (and somewhat sticky) dough. (this is what I saw mom do: Add 1 ¾ cups flour, add another 2/3 cup and another ¾ cups of flour. When the dough began to thicken, she stopped using the mixer and added one more cup of flour and stirred with a large spoon. Don’t stir too much. Gently stir with spoon and add another 1 ¾ cup flour, scraping off the sides. Add ¼ cup of flour and begin to punch down with your hands (she kind of poked the flour into the dough at first). The dough will be pillow like. Add about ½ cup more flour. It is ready to rise when you can pull the dough from the sides and it will be a little sticky. It is okay if a little flour is on the outside. (she added about 5 ¾ more cups, which equals around 8 ¾ cups total. She said more than how much flour, you have to go on texture and feel…it will be shiny and smooth, and sticky to the touch.) Let it rest, then put a little shortening on your hands and pull in all 4 sides and turn dough over. Put lid on loosely and cover the lid with a kitchen towel. Let rise until double in bulk, or the lid begins to come off…about an hour.

For dinner rolls:

If freezing: punch down dough and put a very small amount of flour on counter. (You should either pinch off or cut off the dough.) Place dough on flour and roll out to ¼ inch thick. Put a little melted butter on fingers. Spread a little melted butter on top of dough and cut into crescent/wedge shapes with a knife. Start at the back of the wedge and tuck in corners, and roll crescent style. Add a little dough as needed (to the center of the wedge) or take some off. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Mom did not grease her pans. Rolls should have about ¼ inch space between them on the cookie sheet. Cover with tin foil. Put in freezer immediately. Do not allow to rise. The day you want hot rolls, remove from freezer, take tin foil off, let rise on wire rack for 3-4 hours (depending on how warm your house is). I usually freeze them on a cookie sheet and once they are completely frozen, I take them off and put them in a ziploc bag. I just grab out however many I need. Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Brush with margarine while they are still hot. (check the rolls before 18 minutes because I put my rolls in before the oven was up to temperature and they baked in roughly 13 minutes.)

If you are going to serve these rolls the same day, after punching down, allow them to rise again to double in bulk. Roll out to ½ inch thick, spread with margarine and shape into crescents. After baking you can rub butter on top of the rolls to make them soft on the outside and taste buttery.

vanilla pudding dora cake

2010-11-17T14:13:00.002-06:00

My sweet little girl turned 6!! She wanted a Dora cake for her family party, but I didn't want to just make a plain old box cake. I found the recipe on my friend's blog and thought it turned out great! It was extra moist from the pudding and sour cream and was incredibly easy to make.

As for the cake decorating, well, don't be calling the bakeries in town telling them how amazingly talented I am. I am busy enough ;)

Vanilla pudding cake

1 box yellow or chocolate cake mix
1 (3.9 oz) vanilla or chocolate instant pudding
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup oil

Mix all ingredients until smooth. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely and frost.
NOTE: I obviously used the yellow cake mix with vanilla pudding variation. I bet either would be good.

Frosting:
I used canned frosting for the cake. I needed to make it easier on myself since I was taking up the feat of decorating. I used Wilton gel for the food coloring (you can buy it at Hobby Lobby or any craft store really) I couldn't find my William Sonoma cake tips (HONESTLY, why can you never find things when you need them?) so I used a ziploc bag to pipe the frosting on..hence the lack of design. For the image, I printed out a coloring page of Dora and then cut her out. Whatever part of her I was working on, I would lay her on the cake, putting toothpicks around the image, then piped frosting inside the toothpick lines. Yeah, it would have been easier with cake tips and a Dora cake pan, but alas, I had neither. Hence the reason it took me 3 1/2 hours to decorate.

Crispy Baked Chicken Strips

2010-11-12T14:01:00.000-06:00

I was looking at my friend's food blog and saw this easy, non fried chicken. I knew my kids would love it. They would eat chicken nuggets for every meal if they had a choice in the matter. I would prefer something less, store bought. My husband and I even loved it! This was the perfect concoction of flavor, but not overbearing. It had a wonderful crispiness to it, without being fried. It was fast and easy. What's not to love? I paired it with the cheesy bread and for a last minute dinner, this turned out fantastic! It will definitely go in my go to recipes.

Crispy Baked Chicken Strips

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips, thawed

1 egg, beaten

2 cups finely crushed cracker crumbs (I used Club crackers)-you could use panko bread crumbs

1 t garlic powder

1/4 t salt

1/4 t pepper

1/4 t chili powder

Preheat oven to 375. Cut chicken breasts into strips (or just use tenderloins whole). Mix cracker crumbs and seasonings well. Dip chicken pieces into egg, then dredge in crumb mixture. Place on greased cookie sheet and cook at 375 for 20. I wanted to make sure they were crispy, so after the 20 minutes of cooking, I put the pan on a lower rack in the oven and upped the temperature to 450 and cooked them for another 3-5 minutes.

Cheesy Bread

2010-11-04T20:57:00.000-05:00

Have you ever had those nights where it is 5 o'clock and you haven't even thought about dinner..until your children are begging for food? Tonight was just that. I found two recipes I had never made before and hoped at least one would turn out. I was pleasantly surprised when BOTH were phenomenal! I am sharing the cheesy bread recipe tonight and I will post the BAKED crispy chicken breasts I paired with it soon.

When we visited Utah last month, my friend Mary had made this really yummy crazy bread for us that my kids (and I) couldn't get enough of. This bread is in honor of that deliciously soft bread. I got the recipe from your homebased mom and only made a few changes. I did have to make this twice. The first attempt resulted in an over-floured, hard lump. The next batch was perfectly soft and pliable. I am posting my adjustments to her recipe.

My husbands first words were "this is really good. It is restaurant quality." I knew it would be delicious. We are what you would say bread snobs at our house. We have certain qualifications for what we consider to be good bread and this had all of them. You must give this a try. It is simple and while you wait for it to rise, you can finish making the other dishes for your dinner. Or this would be a really great appetizer. Either way, trust me, you must try this!

Cheesy Bread
Dough:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 Tablespoon yeast
1 cup warm (hot) water (120*F)
1 Tablespoon oil

Topping:
1/4 cup prepared Italian salad dressing
1/2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground oregano
1/4 tsp dried thyme
dash pepper
1-2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

In a bowl, combine the first four ingredients. Combine water and oil in a separate bowl; begin adding 2 cups of flour to water mixture. Add additional flour if needed to form a soft dough. I used a little less than 2 1/4 cups of flour. Don't add it all at once; after the two cups add the flour a little at a time, while mixing with your hands as little as possible. You want it to be soft, not overworked. Knead for 1-2 minutes or until smooth and elastic.

Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.

Punch the dough down; place on a greased 16″ pizza pan (or cookie sheet) and pat into a 16″ circle. Combine salad dressing and seasonings, brush evenly over dough, all the way to the edges. Sprinkle with cheeses. I only had mozzarella cheese and it still tasted great. I bet any combination of Italian cheeses would be good.

For a fluffier cheese bread, at this point, allow the bread to rest for 15 minutes or so. If you’re in a hurry, just skip this rise. (The bread will rise while it bakes, too.) I did this step too and thought it added a really great texture to the dough overall, so if you have the extra time, try to let it rest. Preheat the oven to 450*F. Bake for 11 minutes or until golden brown. Slice. Serve warm.

NOTE: I love my kitchen aid, but I found through trial and error that this dough works best when I use my hands.

Candy Corn Cupcakes

2010-10-28T09:01:00.004-05:00

I'm finally back! I will begin posting several recipes that I have been wanting to share. Is everyone getting ready for the big Halloween weekend? This year has seemed a little more tame than last year. Maybe I prepared better this time around. So here is a recipe for those of us with Halloween on the brain. Mostly this is an idea, rather than a recipe because any recipe can be substituted for the cupcakes or frosting. I wasn't sold on the recipes I used, so I am including the ones I will use when I make these again. Like I said, it is more for the idea, than the recipe itself.

I found the idea at iheartnaptime for the cupcakes and frosting recipe from ourbestbites

This is the recipe I used, but when I do it again, I will use this recipe:

Candy Corn Cupcakes
1 box yellow cake mix
4 eggs
1/2 Cup vegetable oil
1/2 Cup water
8 oz sour cream
small box instant vanilla pudding mix
Food Coloring (Wilton gel works great): Yellow and Orange
Frosting of Choice
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a stand or electric mixer, beat the cake mix, eggs, oil, water, sour cream and pudding on medium until well combined. Batter will be nice and thick. Divide batter evenly between 2 white or glass bowls. Drop the two different colors of food coloring into each cake batter bowl until you reach your desired colors. Stir well. Spoon yellow batter into paper lined cupcake tins until all are filled. Tap the pan on the counter to even the batter out. Spoon the orange batter over the yellow and tap the pan once more. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until cooked through. Remove and let cool completely. Frost with frosting of choice.
24-36 cupcakes

(This recipe is from the Picky Palate and I LOVE IT!)

Frosting I used. Frosting I would prefer: (you could even use it from the can if you wanted to keep it simple)

That’s the Best Frosting I’ve Ever Had
5 Tablespoons Flour
1 cup Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 cup Butter
1 cup Granulated Sugar (not Powdered Sugar!)

Preparation Instructions
Bake your favorite chocolate cake and let it cool.
In a small saucepan, whisk flour into milk and heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. (If I’m in a hurry, I place the saucepan over ice in the sink for about 10 minutes or so until the mixture cools.) Stir in vanilla.
While the mixture is cooling, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Then add the cooled milk/flour/vanilla mixture and beat until it all combines and resembles whipped cream. Pipe or smooth onto cupcakes.

Here is the link to the original post.

A little behind!

2010-10-04T09:29:00.000-05:00

I know I have been majorly slacking in posting amazing recipes! I am sorry, BUT we have great news, we are pregnant! The only problem is that when I am in my first trimester, food is the last thing I want to think about. I am now 16 or so weeks, so I am starting to be okay with cooking small things like breads and dessert. Dinners are still not easy, but I am hoping that wears off soon. Cereal for dinner is just not cutting it for my kids. One perk is that my husband has been picking up the slack! Maybe I might have to be sick the entire pregnancy ;) I do have a bunch of great recipes to post, and I will be posting those soon, I PROMISE! Thanks for being patient!

Brenda

bbq chicken salad with Cilantro Lime dressing

2010-08-23T09:35:00.007-05:00

I don't know if any of you have been to Cafe Rio, but this salad dressing reminds me of their pork salad with tomatillo dressing. Oh, it is wonderful. I do have the recipe I will be posting soon for the pork, lime rice, and black beans, but I thought I would give you a little taste of the scrumptious dressing first. I normally make mine with tomatillos, but since this was a last minute meal, didn't have any. My friend Kami had a cilantro lime dressing that uses salsa verde (which has tomatillos in it) that tastes very similar. This is a great alternative if you do not have fresh tomatillos! Thanks to Kami for this awesome substitute!

The salad itself is more a list of ingredients than a recipe, but here is what we put on ours. Whatever you have at the time works. The options are endless if you ask me!

Salad

Romaine lettuce

1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained

frozen corn, steamed slightly*

tomatoes, cut up or diced

bbq chicken*

Some type of Mexican cheese (we used colby and monterey jack cheese)

chopped cilantro

cilantro lime dressing*

Other options: tortilla strips, chopped avocado, mango salsa, other salsa

* Cook chicken breasts in slow cooker with bbq sauce over the top. Remove chicken from sauce and cut into cubes. Pour a little bbq sauce over the top of the chicken, until you think it is enough. let sit for 30 minutes to let the flavors combine.

*Put as much corn as you would like into a dish with a lid. Add about 1-2 tbs water, put lid on. Microwave for 2 minutes. Drain corn and add to salad.

Assemble salad ingredients and then and then add cilantro lime dressing.

*Cilantro Lime dressing:
3/4 cup mayo
1 bunch cilantro
juice from 1 lime (approx 2 TBS)
1/8 tsp Tabasco sauce
1 ranch seasoning packet
4 TBS salsa verde
1 clove garlic

Blend in the blender and serve over top bbq chicken salad.

Cilantro Lime Dressing

2010-08-20T13:30:00.000-05:00

Cilantro Lime dressing:
3/4 cup mayo
1 bunch cilantro
juice from 1 lime (approx 2 TBS)
1/8 tsp Tabasco sauce
1 ranch seasoning packet
4 TBS salsa verde
1 clove garlic

Blend in the blender. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

Raspberry Cream pie with Graham Cracker Crust

2010-08-12T09:59:00.002-05:00

I love this pie so much, I had to share it immediately! I have been making this for years and every time I do, I can barely contain myself into eating only one piece. Each bite contains a perfect amount of raspberry, sweet cream, and graham cracker crust. This is truly divine. It does take some preparation with letting it cool and cooking the raspberry layer, so prepare ahead. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Raspberry Cream Pie
Crust:

NOTE: I only used 6 TBS of butter and it was great

NOTE: do not let this boil. It takes awhile for the sauce to thicken, but once it does, it is quick to boil. Watch it closely and stir constantly.

Cream Filling:
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
5 oz whipped topping or whipped cream
Fold cream cheese, sugar and whipped topping together gently until smooth.

Assembly of pie

Spoon cream filling over cooled crust. Then spoon cooled berry filling over cream filling. Allow to chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.

Hazelnut crescent rolls

2010-08-04T15:07:00.000-05:00

These were little drops of heave. OH, who knew something so simple could be so delicious. These are one of my new favorite "special" breakfasts. The warm, nutty flavor of Nutella combined with bits of toffee pieces, all wrapped up in a big and flaky crescent roll, cooked to heavenly goodness.

My husband had a week off after taking his boards and I wanted to make him a little something special. He had served a two year mission in Hungary years ago and fell in love with Nutella. So when I found this recipe, I knew it would be an instant hit. It did not disappoint. If you are looking for a simple, yet incredibly delicious breakfast (that even your kids can help make!), then PLEASE try this...it was amazing!

Hazelnut crescent rolls

1 tube (8 oz) refrigerated crescent rolls

½ cup chocolate hazelnut spread, warmed (found in peanut butter aisle)

1/3 cup chocolate covered English Toffee bits

Confectioners’ sugar

Unroll crescent roll dough; separate into triangles. Spread each with 1 TBSP hazelnut spread; sprinkle with toffee bits. Roll up from the wide end and place pointed sides down 2 inches apart on greased baking sheet. Curve ends to form crescents. Bake at 375 degrees for 11-13 minutes or until lightly browned. Dust with confectioners’ sugar.

I decided to add fresh chopped strawberries to the top of mine and LOVED the contrast of sweet berries with the chocolate flavor. They are good no matter how you serve them.

Yield 8 servings.

NOTE: I bought a heath bar and used a meat mallet to break it into pieces. They also sell toffee bits in the baking aisle.

Lemon Cake with lemon glaze and blueberries

2010-07-22T07:00:00.003-05:00

I know I promised not to post any more dessert recipes for awhile, BUT this is definitely a worthy exception! My birthday was a few weeks ago and this sounded like a perfect birthday cake. I think Lemon and blueberries must be my birthday go to. Last year, I made this Lemon Tart with strawberries and blueberries. It is the perfect summer treat. Slightly tart with a burst of moist delicousness, topped with juicy blueberries. Yum! I made one significant change (to me): I used a yellow cake mix and added the zest from 1 lemon, instead of a lemon cake mix. I think the lemon cake mix might have been too lemony in my taste. I liked the difference in flavor, making the lemon icing stand out even more. In lieu of trying to be a little healthier, I also substituted the oil for applesauce. In my opinion it only increased the moistness of the cake!

Perfect Lemon Cake

Cake:
1 package yellow cake mix (or lemon cake mix)
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup applesauce (or oil)
4 eggs
1 small package lemon instant pudding
Mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients. Mix with electric mixer on medium speed for about two minutes. Pour into a greased 9×11 pan or two round pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Don’t overbake or the cake will be too dry!
You can also make cupcakes and bake them at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. The cupcakes will fall after they come out of the oven, but this is normal. Just fill up the indentation with more frosting.

Frosting: the star of the cake
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, very soft (not melted)
6-8 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of sugar, then the juice and the zest. Beat until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, until icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency (I added about 6-7 cups total). Use and store at room temperature. (Don’t refrigerate and it will last in a covered container for about three days.)

Garnish with berries, if desired.

Recipe from: my kitchen cafe

Tequilla Lime Chicken (minus the tequilla)

2010-07-19T07:00:00.005-05:00

I am loving the summer weather and all the grilling that comes along with it! I saw this recipe on Pioneer Woman Cooks (who doesn't love her!) and wanted it. Immediately! I loved it. I kept it simple by only adding cheese, guacamole, sour cream, and tomatoes, but when I make this for company, I will probably include the rest of the fixins. My kids loved it and asked for more. I love a crowd pleaser, especially to my toughest critics..my kids!

Tequila-Lime Chicken with all the Fixins

Ingredients

3 whole Limes, Juiced
5 cloves Garlic, Peeled
1 whole Jalapeno, Sliced
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
½ cups Cilantro
½ cups Tequila
5 Tablespoons Olive Oil
4 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 cup Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated
Pico De Gallo
Re-fried Pinto Or Black Beans
Mexican Rice
Sour Cream
Avocado Slices
Homemade Flour Tortillas

Preparation Instructions

Combine lime juice, garlic cloves, sliced jalapeno, salt, cilantro, and tequilla in a food processor or blender. Pulse until combined. Turn on the blender/food processor and drizzle in the olive oil until it’s all combined.

Slightly flatten chicken breasts with a mallet or the bottom of a heavy skillet. Place in a plastic bag and pour in marinade. Seal bag and marinate for several hours or (preferably) overnight.

When ready to cook, remove chicken from bag and place on the grill. Cook until completely done. Toward the end of cooking, top chicken breasts with grated Monterey Jack and allow to melt. (You can also top chicken with cheese and melt under the broiler.)

Serve topped with pico de gallo or salsa, alongside re-fried black beans, Mexican rice, sour cream, avocado slices, fresh flour tortillas…and whatever other garnishes make you smile!

This is an absolutely Delicious meal.

NOTE: I DO NOT add the tequila ;)

Honey Lime Fruit Salad

2010-07-15T07:00:00.001-05:00

I never thought fruit needed a lot of doctoring. I love it in it's freshest form. BUT when my husband and I went to Disney World a few years ago, we ate at the Crystal Palace who had the most amazing lime fruit salad. I was introduced to the fresh fruit combined with a sweet honey lime glaze that brought out the best of the fruit. I went back for seconds, thirds, and probably fourths. So when I saw this recipe on my kitchen cafe, I knew it would be good. It was a fun new way to eat fruit and make it a little more fancy, without a lot of work. So try it if you are wanting to dress up your fruit for a special occasion or you just need a little change ;)

Honey Lime Fruit Salad
*Note: This fruit salad is best served right away (or at least within an hour of making)

Serves 4-6
1/2 fresh pineapple, cut into chunks
1 can mandarin oranges, drained well
2-3 ripe kiwi, peeled and sliced into thick half moons
1 cup green grapes, halved
1 cup strawberries, quartered
Zest from one lime, about 1 tablespoon
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon poppy seeds (optional)
Combine the fruit in a medium-large serving bowl. Add the lime zest and poppy seeds, if using, and gently toss. Drizzle the honey over the fruit and again, gently mix until the fruit is evenly coated with the honey. Serve.

NOTE: My kitchen cafe used a 20 oz can of pineapple during off season

Tortellini Spinach Salad

2010-07-12T07:00:00.001-05:00

(Sorry for the poor pictures lately...every time I make food it seems like we are in a rush to leave or eat it)

This salad was AMAZING! I love the combination of flavors; cheese filled tortellini mixed with baby spinach topped with feta with the added punch of red onions. I didn't know if I would like the artichokes, but they added so much more depth to this dish. I don't even think people noticed they were in the salad. They just fit right in. I could eat the little sun dried tomatoes all day long. I also love the combination of colors in this dish. It turns out really pretty and impressive, without all the work. You can easily throw this together, once you cook the tortellini. I made this for a BBQ we had with some friends at a state park and it stayed fresh until we got around to eating it. Just add the dressing right before you serve this.

My husband and I did not love the dressing, but the couple we were with, said they really liked it. I think it was a little..thick in my taste. Maybe that could be solved easily enough. I might give it another go with a little tweaking. So, if you have any dressing suggestions that would go well with this, PLEASE let me know! I tried Red Wine Vinaigrette the next day and that was really good on it too, but I am still searching. Other than that, I only changed the proportions in the salad to fit our likes.

Salad
20 ounce package refrigerated cheese tortellini
1/2 (14.5 oz) can quartered artichokes
1 (9 oz) bag fresh baby spinach
3 oz jar of sun dried tomatoes, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/8-1/4 cup diced red onion

Cook tortellini in boiling water until al dente. Drain and toss with a teaspoon of olive oil to keep from sticking. Let cool in a colander (I was in a hurry, so I washed mine with cold water instead and they turned out great!) In a large bowl, toss all the salad ingredients together after the pasta has cooled.

I am including the dressing ingredients for you to try...
Dressing:
9 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 Tablespoons tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste (about 1/8 tsp each)
3/4 cup olive oil

In a blender add all the dressing ingredients except for the olive oil and process until smooth. Then, while the blender is running, slowly add the olive oil and blend until completely combined. If serving the salad right away, immediately pour the dressing over the salad and toss well. (You may not need all the dressing. Serve. (We let each person put on their own dressing, that way we could have the left overs the next day)

NOTE: I didn't use the entire 20 ounce package of tortellini. Since my family loves tortellini so much, I made all of it and just gave it to my kids plain or with spaghetti sauce the next day.

NOTE: Sun dried tomatoes do not come in a 3 oz jar, so buy the 7 ounce jar and use the left overs for this dish.

Recipe from: My kitchen Cafe

Broccoli, Cheese, and Craisen salad

2010-07-11T21:49:00.000-05:00

UPDATED photo: 7/26/2010. This is probably one of my all time favorite side salads!

When I first tasted this salad, I think I went back for seconds and I tried for thirds, but everyone else beat me to it. Luckily, my friend Heidi made it and was willing to give me the delicious recipe. Thanks Heidi....this salad has changed my life! If only my husband and kids liked broccoli. One thing I love about the recipe is that the craisens red color compliment the green broccoli and orange cheese to make this a very beautiful and appealing salad. This salad of course, made an appearance during our Christmas festivities. Yum!

Broccoli, Cheese and Craisen Salad
1/2 small red onion chopped (I usually leave this out)
8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
2 bunches broccoli florets (cut or break into small bite size pieces)

Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
2 to 3 T white salad vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
Stir dressing ingredients together and pour a little at a time over broccoli mixture.

Cashews
Craisens

Add craisens and cashew pieces to liking (I've never measured them) to broccoli mixture. Stir in a little more dressing if needed. Depending on how big your bunches of broccoli are, you may not use all the dressing.

Chocolate Strawberry Celebration Cake

2010-07-10T21:13:00.003-05:00

Here it is! The cake I was talking about in this post. Oh and was it good. We had to give some to my parents so that the temptation was gone from our house. It is incredibly tasty and has a great presentation as well. The best part is that the cakes can be frozen and then taken out the day you need them. I thought the frosting went on smoother this way (and the time I saved didn't hurt!)

Chocolate-Strawberry Celebration Cake
1 pkg (18 1/4 oz) chocolate cake mix
1 pkg instant chocolate pudding mix
4 eggs
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup canola oil
4 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted
3/4 cup bakign cocoa
1/2 cup 2% milk

Frosting
2 cups butter, softened
4 cups confectioners sugar

Garnishes
2 oz semisweet chocolate, melted
1 lb fresh strawberries, hulled

Ganache
4 oz semisweet chocolate chopped
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Combine the first seven ingredients; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Transfer to two greased and floured 9 in round baking pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 28-32 minutes or until a toothpick comes out cleam. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Beat the butter, cnfectioner's sugar and cocoa until blended; add milk and beat until smooth. Spread frosting between layers and over top and sides of cake.

Pipe or spoon melted chocolate onto waxed paper in decorative designs; let stand until set. Arrange strawberries on top of cake. For ganache, place chocolate in a small bowl. Heat cream just to a boil; pour over chocolate; whisk until smooth. Drizzle over top of cake, allowing ganache to drape down the sides. Top with chocolate garnishes.

Recipe from: taste of home (dec/Jan 2010 issue)

NOTE: if you make the cakes a few days in advance, it cuts down on preparation time.
NOTE: I spread the ganache all over the top, which made it even more rich, but that much better. You can do either.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

2010-06-28T13:54:00.002-05:00

I don't know about you, but my days seem to be almost as hectic as when my daughter was in preschool (those who have older children can laugh now; I know it only gets busier). Summer seems to be flying by and we are always in need of less time consuming dinners so we can stay and play outside longer. This dish is great for a speedy weeknight meal. It comes together quickly and tastes delicious! My husband actually made this for dinner the other night, I just took the picture...so we'll give him the credit ;) I use the same Cajun seasoning that I use in my Blackened Chicken pasta dish, and it gives this meal a little kick. The seasonings that go in the cream are estimates, I usually sprinkle some in and see how it tastes.

Cajun Chicken Pasta SAA

2 chicken breasts, cut into strips

1 pkg penne pasta, cooked and drained

2 tsp Cajun seasoning (more)

2 Tbs butter

1 green pepper, sliced

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

1 green onion, sliced

1 ½ cup heavy cream

¼ tsp basil

¼ tsp lemon pepper

¼ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp black pepper
fresh parmesan cheese, grated

Sprinkle Cajun seasoning over chicken. Sauté chicken in butter for 5 minutes. Add onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat. Stir in heavy cream, basil, lemon pepper, garlic, and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes. Toss with penne. Sprinkle with parmesan. Makes 4-6 servings; prep time is 10 minutes.

Cajun Mixture:

1 Tbs onion powder
1 Tbs dried thyme

2 ½ Tbs paprika
1 Tbs ground red pepper

2 Tbs garlic powder
1 Tbs black pepper

1 Tbs salt

Combine ingredients for Cajun mixture and store in an air tight container.

Recipe Source: I think I got this from the Delectable Delights Cookbook. If I remember right, my 2nd cousin's wife Tiffany submitted this.

Creamy No Bake Cheesecake

2010-06-24T16:27:00.001-05:00

I didn't have time to take more pictures, I didn't have that much self control ;)

My husband who just turned 30, hit the "I'm getting older" stage, and decided to go on a complete health kick, enforcing a no dessert policy. I have to be on board since I usually make the food and this way we will both be able to stay on track, blah blah blah. He pretty much lost me after "no dessert". I decided if we weren't having dessert just for ourselves, that I would make it whenever we went over to friend's houses. We had just gotten home from visiting family and the next day was Father's Day. My parents invited us over to have dinner with a few of my sisters and their families. I knew this was a good opportunity to make something, before we went into complete no dessert. I had no food in my fridge, but I happen to have all the ingredients on hand for this. My friend Josie had submitted it the delectable delights cookbook. I loved it! It was creamy, and fluffy, and just sweet enough to not be overwhelming. I even made this two days later when I went out with some old friends. It is incredibly easy and SO delicious! I have one more dessert to share before our long stretch of no desserts. It is the best double chocolate cake with homemade frosting, topped with chocolate curls and strawberries. Maybe, I can see why my husband suggested having no desserts.

No Bake Cheesecake
1 (8 oz) cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
1 cup Heavy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 prepared graham cracker crust

Chill bowl and beater in the freezer for at least 10 minutes. Whip Heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form; approx. 3-5 minutes. Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Pour into prepared graham cracker crust. Chill and serve.

Graham Cracker Crust
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
¼- ½ cup butter, melted
¼ cup sugar

Mix graham cracker crumbs with butter until moistened. Add in sugar and combine. Spray a pie pan with PAM and pour in graham cracker mixture. Spread evenly over the bottom and sides of pie plate. Bake in 350 degree oven for 5-6 minutes. Let cool Completely.

This would be great with additions like Lemon, oreos or strawberries. Whatever you do, it will be delicious!

NOTE: this recipe calls for whipped cream..I used heavy whipping cream and whipped it until the consistency I liked. If you try the can of whipped cream let me know how it turns out.

NOTE: It also calls for a graham cracker crust, which you can buy pre-made. For this, I like the homemade version, but if that makes it easier, by all means, go for it!

Ooey Goey Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies

2010-06-16T07:00:00.002-05:00

These. Are. Amazing. I absolutely love these brownies, but I can only make them if I take them to other people. The combination of the creamy peanut butter layer combined with the chewy brownie layer, topped off with a bittersweet chocolate layer makes them SO irresistible. My daughter finished up preschool and wanted to take her teachers a treat. I knew these would be perfect. The bottom is a simple brownie box (you could make yours from scratch if you are partial to that :) but I like to keep it simple). They do taste best refrigerated, so plan ahead. I had gotten the recipe from a Betty Crocker Calendar they sent me for free.

Ooey Gooey Peanut butter truffle brownies

Brownie base

1 box (1 lb 6.5 oz) brownie mix, water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on the brownie box

chocolate syrup

Filling

½ cup butter, softened

½ cup creamy peanut butter

2 cups powered sugar

2 tsp milk

Topping

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

¼ cup butter

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom only of 13X9 inch pan with cooking spray or shortening. (I lined the pan with foil, then greased the foil with PAM, it makes for easier cutting)

In a medium bowl, stir brownie mix, chocolate syrup, water, oil, and eggs until well blended. Spread in pan. Bake 28-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from side of pan comes out almost clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

In medium bowl, beat filling ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Spread mixture evenly over brownie base.

In small microwave bowl, microwave topping ingredients uncovered on High 30-60 minutes; stir until smooth. Cool 10 minutes; spread over filling. Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until set. For brownies, cut into 9 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.

Prep time: 20 minutes

start to finish: 2 hour 30 minutes

makes 36 brownies

poppyseed chicken

2010-06-12T07:00:00.002-05:00

The other day I was looking for a few meals that would freeze well and were easy to assemble, when my friend Kami introduced me to this dish. It reminds me of my childhood; the ultimate comfort food. This would be perfect to take to someone who just had a baby or needed a little comfort ;) This is by no way a healthy dish.

Poppyseed chicken

2 chicken breast, cooked and diced

1 cup sour cream

1 can cream of chicken soup

Mix together and put in a casserole dish.

Topping

1 ½ cups ritz crackers

1 Tbsp poppyseeds

1 cube butter, melted

crush crackers and mix with poppyseeds and butter. Sprinkle over the top of chicken mixture. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Or wrap with tinfoil and put in the freezer.

NOTE: 25-26 crushed crackers equals 1 cup

Oven roasted Vegetables

2010-05-27T07:00:00.003-05:00

This is one of my favorite sides. Again, this is one of my mom's recipes and it is fantastic! I love the combination of flavors with the added punch of the red wine vinegar. It is a great way to use vegetables from your garden during the summer (hopfully soon!), and to refresh yourself during the winter. I made this way back in February, and all I had on hand were potatoes and carrots. It was delightful!

Oven Roasted Vegetables

Winter Vegetables

Potatoes

Turnips

Carrots

Squash

Pumpkin

Sweet potatoes

Summer Vegetables

eggplant

green bell peppers

red bell peppers

purple onion, 8 wedges separated

zucchini

whole mushrooms (don’t slice)

Preheat oven to 400* (winter) or 350* (summer).; this is so versatile. Cut up moderate amounts of vegetables. The denser the vegetable, the smaller you need to cut it up. Spray a cookie sheet with PAM, and then put the vegetables on. Sprinkle with fresh or dried basil leaves. In a jar mix the following and shake:

3 T olive oil

2 T red wine vinegar

1 t dried oregano leaves

½ t salt

¼ pepper

Drizzle over vegetables. Roast, covered with tinfoil, until tender...30-45 min. (winter) or 30 min. (Summer)

NOTE: the dressing can be made a few days ahead and refrigerated. I just thought of this, but I bet it would be good..you could cook these on the grill during the summer to keep the heat down in your house. All you would need to do is put the vegetables in tin foil, drizzle with dressing and wrap with the rest of the foil and grill away. Voila. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Best Frosting for Chocolate cakes/cupcakes!

2010-05-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

I ran across this dessert on Pioneer Woman Cook's blog, that she got from tasty kitchen and instantly knew I wanted to try it. The frosting is made with flour! what! and granulated sugar. I know (from experience) that frosting NEEDS to be made with powdered sugar, or at least until I found this recipe. When I was first learning how to cook, I was making a friends recipe for buttercream frosting. easy enough, but I couldn't figure out why mine wasn't turning out like frosting, instead of a grainy mess. I called my friend, a bit irritated, and she asked if I was using powdered sugar. I wasn't. BUT I didn't want to admit it at the time (I've gotten over those issues, finally ;) so I hung up the phone and cried. Well not really, but I wanted to, after all the time and amount of ingredients I had gone through. So, anyway, I HAD to try this recipe and just prove to myself that indeed, granulated sugar can be used, if you know how, in frosting. Not only did this turn out, but was incredibly hard to stop eating. No wonder it is called the best frosting. I do think it isn't as "WOW" by itself, but paired with good chocolate cake or cupcakes, heavenly!

That’s the Best Frosting I’ve Ever Had
5 Tablespoons Flour
1 cup Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 cup Butter
1 cup Granulated Sugar (not Powdered Sugar!)

Preparation Instructions
Bake your favorite chocolate cake and let it cool.
In a small saucepan, whisk flour into milk and heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. (If I’m in a hurry, I place the saucepan over ice in the sink for about 10 minutes or so until the mixture cools.) Stir in vanilla.
While the mixture is cooling, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Then add the cooled milk/flour/vanilla mixture and beat until it all combines and resembles whipped cream.
Grab a spoon and taste this wonderful goodness. If there is any left after your taste test, spread it on a cooled chocolate cake.
Cut yourself a piece and put it on a pretty plate. Grab a fork and prepare to experience the most divine pairing you can imagine. This frosting on chocolate cake is to die for. Sure, the recipe sounds strange — it has flour in it — but it’s sublime. Try it, you’ll see. You’ll love it so much you won’t go back.

NOTE: This makes A LOT of frosting

NOTE: for the cupcakes, I used Pioneer Woman's Chocolate Sheet Cake recipe. Yum!

Creamy lemon squares

2010-05-20T07:00:00.001-05:00

I found these over at Pioneer Woman Cooks, and knew I had to make them. We loved them (of course!) a little too much. I love the subtle hint of lemon cream covered in crumb topping. OH, it is delicious! These would be great to take to a bbq or a large gathering, otherwise, you'll be wearing your swimsuit cover all summer ;)

Creamy Lemon Crumb squares-

Ingredients

1-⅓ cup All-purpose Flour
½ teaspoons Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 stick (1/2 Cup) Butter, Slightly Softened
1 cup Brown Sugar (lightly Packed)
1 cup Oats
1 can (14 Ounce) Sweetened Condensed Milk
½ cups Lemon Juice
Zest Of 1 Lemon

Preparation Instructions

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 DEGREES.

Mix butter and brown sugar until well combined.

Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder.

Add oats and flour to butter/sugar mixture and mix to combine.

Press half of crumb mixture into the bottom of an 8 x 11 inch pan.

Mix together condensed milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Spread onto the bottom layer of the crumb mixture. Top with the other half of the crumb mixture, but don’t press.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Allow pan to sit on counter for 30 minutes after baking. Cut into squares and refrigerate for a couple of hours or until cool.

Serve cool.

Spicy Orange Peel Chicken

2010-05-17T07:00:00.000-05:00

I got this recipe so long ago, I don't remember where it came from! Some magazine, probably. This is a really fresh and good alternative to fajitas. The only thing I recommend is to use fresh ginger. For years I had used powdered (ugh) and then one day I actually had fresh ginger and WHOA the difference in taste blew me away! I read on mykitchencafe that you can freeze ginger. So that is what I did. Then I will always have it fresh when I need it. TRUST ME ON THIS ONE!

Spicy orange peel chicken
Ingredients:
½ cup orange marmalade
3 tbs veg. oil, divided
3 tbs soy sauce, divided
1 ½ tsp lime juice
1 tsp minced ginger
½ tsp red pepper flakes
1 lb boneless skinless chicken tenders
4 cups fresh or frozen stir fry vegetables, such as red and green bell peppers, whatever you want really
chow mein noodles

Directions:
Whisk together marmalade, 2 tbs oil, 1 tbs soy sauce, lime juice, ginger, and red pepper flakes in small bowl. Set aside.
Heat remaining 1 tbs oil in wok or large skillet over high heat. Add chicken an remaining 2 tbs soy sauce, toss to coat. Stir-fry chicken until no longer pink, about 5 minutes on both sides. Add vegetables and stir fry until crisp tender, about 4 minutes
Add prepared sauce, heat 1 minute stirring occasionally. Serve with chow mein noodles

NOTE: This is another recipe that I use the bell peppers I bought fresh, then froze.
Saves me so much time and money!

roasted red peppers and ham linguine

2010-05-13T07:00:00.009-05:00

A while back, I mentioned that I had a bunch of cubed ham I needed to use and I happened to find this recipe at the same time I found this one. My two kids and I loved this one, I literally kept going back and picking at the noodles until they were gone..yikes! but my hubby said it was good, just not his favorite. I'm glad he is honest, but whoa, him and I have differing opinions when it comes to this dish ;) So, I guess you either love it (like me!) or think it is so so. If you make it, let me know what you think. I am curious to see what you all think! Another reason I love this dish is because I usually have all the ingredients on hand (or at least I do now!) and I LOVE that it all goes in one pan on the stove. Little clean up for me!

roasted red peppers and ham linguine

8 ounces uncooked linguine

¼ cup chopped oil packed sun dried tomatoes

1 cup heavy whipping cream

½ cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup cubed, fully cooked ham

Cook the linguine according to the package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet coated with cooking spray, saute the tomatoes for 1 minute. Reduce the heat; stir in the heavy whipping cream and Parmesan cheese. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Simmer, uncovered for 5-7 minutes or until thickened. Drain linguine; stir into sauce mixture. Add ham and heat through. Yield 4 servings.

Recipe source: Taste of Home quick cooking 2010

Chicken salad croissaints

2010-05-10T07:00:00.000-05:00

My mom introduced me to this incredibly tasty chicken salad sandwich. Most chicken salads are pretty similar, but what I love about this one is that is uses a fresh ranch dressing, found in the refrigerated section by the lettuce and fresh salsas. This does taste best the day of, but you can cook the chicken and dice the vegetables in advance to cut down prep time. This is one of my favorite things to make for baby showers, girls lunches, or during conference weekend for our church. That is when I made this...the first week of April! I have so many great recipes to share, so heads up, they'll be comin' soon!

Chicken Salad Croissants (mom)

6 large chicken breast halves cooked and cooled and diced

1 large can crushed pineapple drained well

1 cup diced celery

¾ cup chopped green onion, just the white part (I use way less)

¾ cup slivered almonds, add just before serving

Salt and pepper to taste

Dressing:

1 cup lighthouse ranch dressing

1 cup miracle whip

Mix well and fill about 30 mini croissants just before serving. Let stand in fridge for 30 minutes before filling to help the flavors to mix.

NOTE: I used 4 chicken breasts and thought it worked great. Also, drain your pineapple really well, or it will be runny.