Making Home Food

Crock Pot Pork Carnitas & Crock Pot Pinto Beans

2012-01-24T12:50:00.001+08:00

Just wanted to share this recipe that has delighted my family twice in the last 10 days-- it's easy as pie & I've altered it to be completely done in the crock pot.

Here's the link to the original:
Simple Carnitas Recipe

Here's how I've adjusted it:

CROCK POT CARNITAS
Turn your crock pot on high & put in these ingredients:

3-4 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch chunks
2 Oranges, peeled & quartered
1-2 Onions, peeled & quartered
1 whole head garlic, peeled & chopped
1/4 cup salt (kosher/sea salt would be better, but table salt works fine for us)
2 Tbsp oregano
1 Tbsp pepper
2 bay leaves

Cook on high for 4 hours, OR cook on high for 1 hour and then reduce to low & cook on low for 6-8 hours. Use a slotted spoon to remove the pork; reserve juices in crock pot. The meat is delightfully tender, so simply use 2 forks to shred the meat. Use for tacos, garnishing with cheese, salsa, beans, lettuce, tomatoes; or use as a tender flavorful meat over mashed potatoes; or for BBQ pulled pork sandwiches.

CROCK POT PINTO BEANS
A great part of doing it this way is that because you removed the pork from the juices, there is a flavorful broth in which to cook your pinto beans. You can either start right away, or refrigerate the juice overnight and make it the next day.

Leftover cooking broth from pork carnitas
1 pound pinto beans, with any bad beans sorted/removed

All you have to do is pour your 1 pound of beans into the reserved juices from the carnitas, then set your crock pot to high for 3-4 hours, and cook on low an additional 2 or more; OR you can cook on low for 7-8 hours. The beans are amazingly flavorful; just be sure to use a slotted spoon to remove the orange quarters and large onion slices before serving the beans.

These could be used for bean & cheese nachos, as a side item for Mexican food, in chili, or whatever else you want to use them for. They are so very tasty!

The Best Cheesecake? ... so says a friend

2011-12-24T03:49:00.003+08:00

Here's what a friend says is an amazingly good cheesecake recipe. If you try it, leave a comment. I hope to make it sometime soon!

Janet’s Cheesecake Recipe and Baking Instructions

This recipe came to mefrom a woman who had the nerve to walk into a Christmas party at my sister inlaw’s house after I had spent hours making apple pie from scratch. I was sure my dessert would be such ablessing to everyone there. However,when this lady walked in with this beeeeautiful cheesecake with cherries ontop, all heads turned and mouths gaped. Turns out this lady was a former caterer and this was her bestrecipe. By some sort of luck, I managedto wrestle the recipe out of this lady, and have used it so many times to blessmy family and others. It is such ablessing to be able to truly make a wonderfully delicious and beautiful dessertlike this. It’s not hard, but just alittle fussy.

Crust:

3 cups graham cracker crumbs

½ cup melted butter

1/3 cup sugar

Cheesecake:

3 Pounds Cream Cheese softened

1 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons vanilla

6 eggs

15 oz can sweetened condensed milk

¼ cup lemon juice

Optional Toppings:

Cherry Pie filling

Cool Whip or frosting

Melted chocolate chips

Take your springform pan and find a larger pan that is atleast 2-3 inches deep that you can set your springform pan down into forbaking. I use a large aluminum 10x13pan. This is called a ‘water bath’ andisn’t totally necessary, but helps make a smoother, less dry cheesecake. Wrap a double layer of heavy duty foil aroundthe springform pan, to prevent seepage of water into the pan.

Grease springform pan. (note to self: didn’t I put waxed paper down in a circle thefirst time? Helps it come out easier totransfer, or reduces cut marks on my pan when cutting) Mix crust ingredients inthe pan and press up the sides and bottom of pan to make the crust. Keep in mind this will be visible when youserve the cheesecake, so try to make the sides as even as you can. I just put my crust a tiny bit up the sideand that was great. Put your springformpan down into your larger pan to prepare for the ‘water bath’.

With electric mixer, beat all cream cheese untilsmooth. Add sugar and vanilla and beattill creamy. Add 6 eggs and sweetenedcondensed milk and lemon juice. Whenmixture is creamy, pour into crust. NOTE: The cheesecake batter makes a lotmore than fits into my springform pan so I make some cupcakes with it. I might even be able to make two smallercheesecakes if I had another springform pan.

Put 1-2 inches of water (your ‘water bath’) into the largerpan that surrounds your springform pan. Be careful not to let any water seep into your cheesecake pan, nor spillin as you are putting it in the oven.

Bake in 350 degreeoven for 45 min to an hour (maybe longer), OR until the cheesecake begins torise a bit and a little bit of browning on the edges. Do NOT let it rise too much or it willcrack. The cheesecake will be almostset. Let it cool at room temperature andthen chill overnight (or a couple of days). It will come out of the pan easilywhen it’s cold.

Before serving, you may add a border of Coolwhip with apastry bag around the edges to make a pretty border, and add a can of cherrypie filling in the middle. Or you candrizzle melted choc chips over the top (if they don’t melt well enough in yourdouble boiler, add a little bit of Crisco). This looks fancy but is really easy. The cherries also hide any imperfections on the top of the cheesecake,and they look beautiful and very festive!

Sugar-and-Spice Candied Pecans

2011-12-19T06:49:00.002+08:00

A friend of mine brought these to our Sunday school party, and I had to ask for the recipe. These taste like candy (I'm not particularly a pecan fan, and I loved these!)... they are inCREDible! Such a great Christmas dessert, and they go great with hot chocolate!

Sugar-and-Spice Candied Pecans

½ cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 Tablespoons melted, salted butter
1 ½ cups pecan halves
1 egg white, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix sugars, salt, and cinnamon, making sure mixture is well blended and there are no lumps; set aside. Pour melted butter over pecans and toss to cover all the pecans. Beat egg white and vanilla until frothy but not stiff. Add pecans, and stir to coat evenly. Sprinkle nuts with sugar mixture, and toss until evenly coated. Spread sugared nuts in a single layer on a cookie sheet fitted with parchment paper (I used Silpat). Bake for 30 minutes, removing from oven every 10 minutes to stir and return promptly to oven. You will do two good stirs…completely turning and rotating all the pecans. Don’t skip this step!

Remove from oven, and separate nuts as they cool. When completely cool, use a metal spatula to scoop the nuts into a bowl, breaking up any that stick together.

Homemade Dog Food

2011-12-16T11:08:00.001+08:00

I know, I know. That title alone is enough to make some of you want to hurl. Well, for those of you who are still with me, I need to share up front that MY FIRST ATTEMPT at making dog food was today, so I have not yet seen the results.

But having just gotten our precious little Ziggy, I want to try to feed him in healthy, natural, less expensive ways. And he seems to GREATLY prefer Cesar-style wet food to the dry kibble. So I'm going to try my hand at some varieties like the ones I share below, and make it like baby food (freezing it in muffin trays for perfect-sized portions). I think it will be much cheaper and much healthier for him, with less fillers and better quality foods. We'll see.

As I've reviewed a variety of websites & recipes, here are some tips I've found helpful (even if you don't feed a raw diet, the percentages in this one are helpful:

"I usually use raw meat, each recipe contains about 40-50% meat, fairly lean chicken/turkey/beef/heart-liver-gizzard, or salmon (with bones). The next ingredient in volume, about 20-30%, would be an orange cooked vegetable, pumpkin/yams/carrots/or a winter-type squash. Then about 20% is cooked oats/beans/barley/brown rice/quinoa or red potato with skin. Next in volume would be apple/banana or pear. Sometimes a bit of blueberry or cranberry too. Then hard boiled eggs & ground egg shell. Also a green veggie.. cooked and minced; kale, spinach, peas, green beans, broccoli, parsley, or asparagus. Sometimes I'll add PLAIN cooked, diced beets. Then trace amounts (relatively small amount in the entire batch) plain yogurt, a bit of cheese, garlic, flaxseed, Flaxseed or Fish oil, &/or apple cider vinegar." ~One dog owner, Denise

According to one website, raw meat diets are preferable for dogs:

Raw dog food advocates maintain that all grains should be eliminated from our dogs' diets. They also cite that grains have been blamed as culprits for pancreatic stress and tooth calculus, that our dogs were not designed to process these items, and that asking them to thrive on grains is like asking a human to thrive on a red meat diet - most experts would advise against it.
Let's start by discussing what a raw-food dog's diet should consist of. All meat should, obviously, be uncooked, and may include: Eggs (with shell), beef, buffalo, venison, elk, chicken, turkey, emu, ostrich, rabbit, and fish. Small animals, like rabbits and fish, may be fed whole - dogs love it this way.
At least 60-80% of your dog's raw food diet should consist of raw meat. Further broken down, that meat allowance should be roughly 20% organs, 20% skin and fat, and 35% muscle meat.
Vegetables may be combined with meat, to account for 20-40% of your dog's diet. Appropriate ones include: Broccoli, squash, Romaine lettuce, carrots, cabbage, celery, and asparagus.

This recipe sounds extremely simple:

6 cups water
1 pound ground turkey
2 cups brown rice
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 (16 ounce) package frozen broccoli, carrots and cauliflower combination

One commenter suggests an alteration:

I've substituted ground beef for the turkey, and oats for the rice, and she likes both combos. I add 3 eggs, one egg shell very finely ground then strained (for calcium) and 3 Omega 3 tablets. I sometimes use peas and carrots, sometimes a large squirt of catsup and a very tiny sprinkle of garlic.

Tips from other commenters:

I will sometimes add one or two of the following: yogourt, cottage cheese, sardines, lentils and fruits, such as pears, apples, peaches, bluberries and local beef hearts and liver, in small quantities.

A key to success I believe is adding variety during the week: My husband asks if I've "Snacked" the dogs today. They get an extra nutritious something every day: Cottage cheese, canned tuna or mackerel, scrambled eggs, some cheese, yogurt, etc.

I cook fresh ground turkey, add brown rice, cooked chopped carrots and a 1 TBS of plain yogurt and 2 TBS of cottage cheese. My vet told me that cottage cheese and yogurt are great for dogs with upset stomachs. Also adding a touch of canned plain pumpkin (not the kind with spices) to their diet is very good too. Canned pumpkin also helps with constipation!

One natural dog feeder raises some important points:

Also important to note many nutrients, minerals and vitamins come from different sources, therefore ensuring you alternate between ground and root vegetables, adding ground/powdered egg shells for calcium and different oils for the omega fatty acids is a must. Our dogs may look great now, but it is when they hit their older years we will see the affects of what we fed now. Also, soft foods will not promote healthy gums and teeth. Therefore, feeding RAW (and I stress RAW) meating bones are also mandatory.

This website provides information about dog's nutritional requirements.

IMPORTANT NOTE: ALWAYS avoid these foods, as they can be harmful, and even lethal, for dogs: grapes, raisins, onions, chocolate, garlic (sometimes debated), artificial flavorings, and some organizations advise against raw meat.

This homemade dog food recipe sounds great, and has a ton of "likes" on all recipes.com.

I just used that recipe as a foundation for the wet dog food I just made. He just scarfed it down, mixed 1/2 and 1/2 with dry kibble. Here's my recipe, made with items I had on hand in my fridge, freezer, and pantry:

1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. chicken breasts
1 can tuna
1 can black eyed peas
1 large can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
handful soy nuts
handful frozen blueberries
2-3 Tbsp. canola oil
1 c. cooked carrots
2 c. cooked broccoli
3 c. cooked quinoa
small mix of leftover pork roast, potatoes w/ skin, and juice left in that pan.

This mixture filled 4 muffin trays, and I still have a large mixing bowl full of it, ready to refill the muffin tins once the others freeze. Like baby food, I will freeze these in muffin tins, and then heat up before each meal, or let them thaw 1-2 at a time in the refrigerator a day before he'll eat them.

Given his reaction today, it's a tasty mix. Given what I've read on the internet, it's a healthy mix. The only remaining factor is how it will do in his digestive system. If everything goes well, I'll just let the post stand. If we have any problems at all, I will come back and post/remove the recipe.

Beef n' Bean Taco Casserole

2011-12-02T09:05:00.001+08:00

Tried this one tonight, and it was a hit.

Ingredients:

2 cans of crescent rolls, or 2 pie crusts, depending on the kind of crust you want.
1 lb. ground beef, browned w/ taco seasoning added
1 (~15 oz) can refried beans
1/2 cup salsa, if desired
8 oz. cream cheese (I used generic-brand reduced fat cream cheese and the taste was still excellent)
Shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375.
Brown meat & mix in water & taco seasoning packet according to packet instructions. Once seasoned, stir in 1 can refried beans, and salsa if desired.
Layer 9x13 casserole dish with either rolls or crusts, pressing with fingers to seal edges and to conform crust to dish.
Use a spoon to spread the cream cheese to cover the bottom of the crust.
Cover cream cheese with bean & beef mixture.
Bake for 15-20 minutes @ 375 until crust is browned, then sprinkle top with cheddar cheese & put back in oven for 2-5 minutes until melted.

Yummy!

Pumpkin Muffins (or cupcakes) - GREAT for Weight Watchers!

2011-11-29T22:11:00.001+08:00

These muffins are SO easy and so tasty.

In a bowl, dump in:

4 egg whites
1 yellow cake dry mix
1 29 & 1/2 ounce can of pumpkin
and as much pumpkin pie-style spices as you want (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves). I usually shoot for around a tsp of these total, with about 1/2 of that being cinnamon, and only a small pinch of cloves. The muffins also taste good without the spices, if you don't have them on hand.

Bake according to the muffin directions on the cake box.

Yields 24 muffins (or 48 mini-muffins).

For those following Weight Watchers, each muffin is 2 Points Plus, and each mini-muffin is 1 Point Plus. Also, if you eat 2 normal-sized muffins, that counts as 1 fruit/veggie serving. ENJOY!

Sweet Potato Casserole

2011-11-24T10:24:00.001+08:00

(for future reference)

Sweet Potato Casserole3 lg. sweet potatoes
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs, beaten

Topping:
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans or oats
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup butter, melted

Remove skins and ends of potatoes. Chop into appropriate pieces and boil 'til tender. Whip with electric beaters. Add butter and sugar to warm potatoes and continue mixing. Add milk, vanilla, and eggs. Mix well. Put in a buttered casserole dish (about 8 X 12".) Mix topping ingredients and crumble on top of casserole. Bake 25-30 min. at 350 degrees. Serves 8-10.

Chinese Green Beans

2011-09-10T05:13:00.004+08:00

This is my FAVORITE way to eat green beans, taught to me by a friend who was born and lived in China until she was about 40 years old. It is packed with flavor and absolutely delicious.

Buy fresh green beans from the produce section. (1 pound will make one serving for a family of four. 2 pounds will give you enough for either a couple families, or to have a bit for leftovers.)
1-2 large yellow sweet vidalia onions, sliced.
garlic (either 2 garlic heads or 2 Tbsp. of garlic), chopped
Salt & Pepper
Canola oil

(1) Take your green beans to a cutting board and line them up, 10-20 at a time, with the ends all pushed to the same height, and then cut off the ends. Flip the beans, line them back up, and cut off the opposite ends as well.

(2) Take each bean, and slice end to end in long lines (3-4 long, skinny slices to a bean pod). Place in a separate mixing bowl/plate.

(3) Repeat steps 1 & 2 until you're through the whole bunch.

(4) Pour enough canola oil into the frying pan to cover the bottom of the pan, and heat over high heat for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

(5) Place the thin onion slices into the oil & cook until softened and they become more caramelized.

(6) Next, pour the green beans over the top of the onions, and carefully stir and fold the green beans until all are moistened with oil. Then, top with a lid and leave to cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so (replacing the lid each time). The heat should stay on high heat. About 10 minutes into cooking, add in garlic and season with salt & pepper, and cook at least 5 minutes longer. Once the beans are a nice dark green color and softened, and the onions are all browned, remove from heat and serve.

I hope you love these as much as I do!!! Enjoy.

Spanish Rice

2011-02-18T18:46:00.000+08:00

Long-grain rice

Vegetable oil

Tomato paste

water

garlic salt

chicken bouillion cubes

red pepper flakes

In a small omelet-size frying pan (or the bottom of a saucepan), cover the bottom in corn oil. (***If you have extra or want to include it, you can toss in one small chopped onion to the oil at this point.***) Then add in the amount of rice you'd like to use (we generally do 1-2 cups for our family if we're having it as an add-on to our meal). Saute just a minute or two until the rice turns clear and is coated in the oil.

Then, cook rice as you normally would, but to your normal rice & water pot, FOR EACH CUP OF RICE, add in:

2 cups water
1-2 tsp. tomato sauce
1/2-1 tsp garlic salt
1 chicken bouillion cube
red pepper flakes to taste.

Pancakes & Syrup

2011-02-18T09:40:00.000+08:00

Here are my go-to from scratch recipes for pancakes and maple syrup.

Homemade pancakes
Homemade maple syrup (yes, it's fake, but overseas, it's a great pinch-hitter)

Tempura Batter

2011-02-18T00:39:00.002+08:00

This recipe is from my Japanese friend, Ai, who spent several family holidays with us during college, and taught us this basic recipe.

1 egg
2 c. ice water
2 c. flour

Combine, and coat fish, shrimp, veggies, whatever you want, in this batter, drop into frying oil, fry, and serve over rice! Delicious.

Kristy's Enchilada Sauce

2011-02-18T00:36:00.004+08:00

This one is very non-specific, and I'm sorry about that. I just wrote down the basics when my friend made it several years ago, and I'm basically posting it here to remind myself.

Sautee garlic & 1/2 onion in butter.
Add: milk, sour cream, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes (is this the same as paprika? I can't remember...)

Use this to pour over whatever kinds of enchiladas you want.

For chicken enchiladas: Flour/Corn tortillas, each with shredded chicken & salsa inside.

Chicken Cracker Casserole

2011-02-18T00:31:00.002+08:00

3 chicken breasts, or 6-8 chicken thighs

2 sm. cans cream of mushroom soup (or, 2 prepared packs of cr. of mush. soup)

1 pack of twisty/swirled noodles (egg noodles work great for this)

16 oz sour cream

1/2 c. butter

1 pack saltine crackers

Cook & shred chicken.
Melt butter, set aside.
In a 9 x 13 casserole dish, combine chicken, cooked noodles, soup, sour cream & mix well.
Stir crumbled saltines into butter, until moist. Top casserole with buttery crumbs.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until top is golden brown & crunchy.

Serves 8.

Bread Machine- Country White Bread

2011-02-18T00:22:00.003+08:00

This is a classic white bread recipe, good with butter, or for sandwiches. It's intended for use in a bread machine.

1 cup + 1 Tbsp warm (not hot) water

2 & 3/4 cups bread flour (all-purpose works OK too)

2 Tbsp dry milk

3 Tbsp sugar

1 & 1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp butter/margarine, cut into 4 pieces (total)

2 tsp active dry yeast

Add water to the pan.
Then add dry ingredients, except yeast, to the pan. Tap bread pan to settle ingredients, then level with spoon or spatula, pushing some of the mixture into the corners.
Make 4 little "wells" on each corner of the pan, and place 1 piece of butter or margarine in each well.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients; add yeast.
Lock pan into bread maker and set for regular (Basic/Specialty) cycle. Choose desired bread color.
Remove from pan when ready and let cool on metal rack.

It is easy to make up 5-10 baggies of this bread mix at a time, and then just add your water, butter, and yeast to the pan when you're ready to bake bread.

White Hot Chocolate

2011-02-18T00:17:00.002+08:00

2 c. heavy cream

6 c. whole milk

12 oz. white chocolate, finely chopped

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 block dark chocolate

Using a vegetable peeler, shave chocolate into curls; set aside.
Place white chocolate in medium heat-proof bowl; set aside.
Place milk & cream in medium saucepan set over medium heat until bubbles begin to form around the edges of the pan (about 4 mins). Do NOT boil.
Remove mixture from the flame. Immediate pour over white chocolate. When chocolate begins to melt, gently stir to combine.
Whisk in vanilla. Continue whisking until light foam forms.
Serve immediately. Garnish with chocolate shavings.

Recipe makes 8 cups.

Cuban-style Black Beans

2011-02-17T22:56:00.004+08:00

This recipe is for a 1 kg bag of black beans. To do a 1-pound bag, you'd need to divide everything in this recipe by half, and then use slightly less than that amount. Sorry I can't be more specific.

Ingredients:

1000 g. bag dried black beans (sort them, and pull out any bad beans or -gasp!- stones)

1-2 garlic heads, crushed

4 Tbsp. dried oregano

1 bay leaf

4 Tbsp. olive oil

2 lg. yellow onions, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 Tbsp. cumin

2 jalepeno peppers, seeded & chopped

4 Tbsp. vinegar (I use lemon vinegar, it's all we have here, and it works fine.)

salt & pepper to taste

STEP ONE:

Presoak the beans. Choose one of the following (don't do both):

Boil for 2 minutes, remove from heat, and let stand for 2 hours. (I prefer this method, and think the beans are less smushy this way.)
Soak beans for 8 hours overnight in fridge.

After soaking beans, drain in strainer & rinse with cool water.

STEP TWO:

Return beans to pot or dutch oven. Then add:

8 c. water
12+ cloves garlic, crushed
4 Tbsp. crushed oregano
1 bay leaf

Bring to boil. Simmer 2 hours. Drain & return to pot.

STEP THREE:

In small skillet, heat 4 tsp. olive oil. Add 2 lg onions (chopped) & chopped red bell pepper. Heat until softened. Add 2 Tbsp cumin & 2 seeded & chopped jalepeno peppers. Heat 1 minute more.

STEP FOUR:

Add 4 Tbsp. vinegar & onion mixture to beans. Salt & pepper to taste.

If desired, these beans can then be mixed with 2 cups of rice to make black beans and rice, or added to soups, casseroles, Black Bean & Corn salsa (add in chopped red onions, 1 bag frozen corn, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and 2 chopped tomatoes), or any other Mexican dish you can dream up. We often use them as one of the options for make-your-own burritos with large groups of guests. They're delicious just by themselves too! Enjoy!

Double-Crust Pie Dough

2011-01-16T02:07:00.002+08:00

This crust is great for pies, and awesome for quiche. Crispy, with just a hint of sweetness... it's a great crust.

2 & 1/2 c. all-purpose flour, plus extra for counter

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

8 Tbsp. shortening, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

12 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

6-8 Tbsp. ice water

Put 1/2 cup of water in the freezer to be used in a few minutes.

Combine flour, sugar, and salt in food processor. Sprinkle shortening over the top and proces until it looks like sand, about 10 seconds. Scatter butter and pulse 10 times. Mixture should resemble coarse crumbs. DON'T OVERPULSE. Better to need to mix more than to over mix.

Sprinkle 6 Tbsp of ice water over the mixture, and press the dough together with a rubber spatula. If the dough is still not coming together, add ice water, 1 Tbsp at a time, until it can be mixed.

Divide the dough into 2 portions, pressing each portion into a flat 4-inch disc. Cover each disc with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour. *** Remove dough & roll to fit into pie plate.

(*** At this point in the recipe, the dough can be frozen for future use, for up to 2 months***)

Two great Chicken & Broccoli recipes

2011-01-15T21:49:00.002+08:00

This recipe is always delicious, and looks beautiful to serve guests!

Chicken Broccoli Braid

And my friend Bethany shared this recipe, and it's wonderful. This is my standard quiche recipe, and I just alter what's inside (leftover fajita chicken w/ red bell pepper is sooooo tasty).

Chicken Broccoli Quiche

Sesame Chicken

2011-01-15T21:46:00.003+08:00

(Thanks to my friend Jamie for introducing us to this recipe!)

1 pound chicken, chopped
Coat in 1 part flour/1 part cornstarch
Fry on stovetop in small amount of oil
Brown sesame seeds in pan in small amount of oil
Mix together the following for sauce:
- 1 c. water
- 1 c. sugar
- 1/4 c. vinegar
- 4 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
Add to fried chicken pieces, and stir until thickened.
Add sesame seeds, and serve over rice.

Classic Cream Scones

2011-01-15T21:37:00.004+08:00

(from my friend Wendy)

Yields about 14 scones

2 c. flour

1/4 c. granulated sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

1/3 c. chilled unsalted butter

1/2 c. heavy cream

1 lg. egg

1 & 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 egg mixed w/ 1 tsp water (for glaze)

Preheat oven to 425.

In large bowl, stir together dry ingredients. Cut butter into 1/2 inch cubes and distribute over flour mixture, cutting into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

In small bowl, stir together cream, egg, and vanilla. Add cream mixture to flour mixture until combined.

With lightly floured hands, pat dough onto lightly floured cutting board/counter to a 1/2 inch thickness. Using a floured biscuit cutter (or pizza cutter), cut out desired shapes.

Lightly brush scones with glaze if desired, then bake 13-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Fresh Pesto

2011-01-15T21:32:00.003+08:00

(Great recipe for when you have an overabundance of basil leaves to use up!)

3 cups (packed) fresh basil leaves

2 garlic cloves

3/4 c. fresh parsley

1/2 c. olive oil

1/4 c. melted butter

1/3 c. parmesan

Salt to taste.

Process all ingredients in food processor or blender. Serve over freshly cooked pasta, top with parmesan cheese. You can freeze extra in baggies or ice cube trays for future use.

Lasagna Worth Making

2011-01-15T20:36:00.005+08:00

This lasagna happens in several steps. Yes, it takes time to make lasagna... but I guarantee that this lasagna is worth making. Well, I think so anyway... and everyone I've ever served it to has said it's the best lasagna they've ever tasted. So give it a whirl, and tell me if you agree.

Lasagna Worth Making

Sauce Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

1-2 yellow onions

olive oil

1 garlic head

5-8 large tomatoes (or 28 oz. in cans)

6 oz. tomato paste

2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

pinch of red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp dried basil (or 1 Tbsp fresh, chopped basil)

1 bay leaf

2 cups water

Chop up your onions and garlic. Onions can be diced... garlic needs to be minced.
Sautee your onions in olive oil in the frying pan, just enough to coat the onions. Once softened, add in your beef and brown the meat.
While meat is browning, chop up your tomatoes.
Once meat is browned, add in everything else on the list above: (garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, red pepper flakes, sugar, basil, bay leaf, and water). Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to lowest setting. Simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour. Stir occasionally. Sauce will reduce and thicken.

While sauce is cooking, make the following:

Ricotta cheese filling:

8-10 ounces ricotta cheese (leave undrained)

2 large eggs, beaten

whole milk (maybe)

parsley (if you have it)

Combine ricotta cheese with 2 beaten eggs. If thick, add a Tbsp or so of milk until it is a smooshable consistency. That's right, I said smooshable.
If you have parsley, add in about 1 tsp of parsley. Fresh is even better. If not, don't sweat it!

Also, you'll need 1 box lasagna noodles (specifically, you'll need 12 noodles), 1 cup of water and roughly 1 pound shredded mozzerella or meltable white cheese (for those here in Turkey with me, I like the white cheese found at Bim... it comes in 1 kilo blocks, and has a mountain scene on the package. It's the best cheese I've found for general use like this).

Once the sauce is ready, you'll want to have all your ingredients around your 9 x 13 baking dish. To make your lasagna, do the following:

First, take a serving spoon-ful of the liquidy sauce at the top of the sauce pan, and use it to coat the bottom of the baking dish. This will serve as your greasing of the pan.
Then, you'll want to proceed in the following order, repeating yourself 4 times (so for each layer, you'll want to use approximately 1/4th of whatever ingredient you're pulling from.):

Lasagna noodles-- 3 across
Ricotta cheese-- use approximately one heaping forkful on each noodle. Then use your fork to smash down and spread across the noodles. It won't cover it, and that's fine, just get it to where it's evened out throughout the pan, across the noodles.
Sauce-- A few serving-spoon-fuls across the cheese mixture. Try to spread it out, but remember to just use about 1/4th of the sauce for each layer. It should almost cover the layer below. (This is where you get to be Madam Chef. If things look a bit dry, use some of that 1 cup of water to just pour over this layer. We want the noodles to fully cook, and so you can just add a splash of water here or there as needed in this layer. Have confidence in yourself... it won't likely mess up either way!)
Shredded cheese. Use slightly less than 1/4th of the cheese for each layer, so that you can completely cover the dish on the top layer.

That's it.

Then stick it in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes, or until the top is nice and browned, and the sauce is no longer liquidy. This is one of my prized recipes, for company, and just for enjoyment by our family as well. I hope you enjoy it too.

P.S. - this meal is easily doubled and you can serve one to your family, and take another to a friend who just had a baby, just had surgery, etc. Lasagna is a classic meal for those circumstances, but homemade is even more of a treat!

MamaJo's Chili

2011-01-15T20:23:00.002+08:00

We love this chili... delicious, and fairly easy to make:

Sautee 1-2 lg. onions in vegetable oil.
Then add & brown 1 lb. ground beef
Add:
1 minced garlic (not one clove, one garlic)
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 Tbsp cocoa
1/2 tsp red pepper sauce (I never have this, so I add a good few dashes of red pepper flakes)
16 oz. diced tomatoes (I just eyeball this, and dice up 4-8 good-sized tomatoes)
*** I also add in about 1/2 c. tomato paste & 1-2 cups of water, but this is optional, and not part of the original recipe.***
Bring to a boil, then let simmer one hour, stirring occasionally. Then add a 15 ounce can of kidney beans (don't drain it). Let simmer an additional 15-20 minutes, then serve.

Delicious by itself, with crackers, over hot dogs, over Fritos, or any other way you can dream up. Everyone but my dainty daughter loves this chili... and we can forgive her; her tastebuds aren't fully developed. :)

Pizza Crust

2011-01-15T20:18:00.004+08:00

Best recipe I've found:

Jay's Signature Pizza Crust

In addition to making a great pizza, I've also rolled it out even thinner and then used it to make pizza rolls. (For that, you just roll it out thin, cover it in pepperoni and cheese, and then roll up, beginning at the widest side. Then, cut the rolled "log" into 1/2-inch slices. Cook @ 425 for 15 minutes.) That, too, comes out sensational.

Chocoluxe Cookies

2011-01-15T18:16:00.004+08:00

These are the most incredibly chocolatey cookies I've ever eaten. Enjoy.

Ingredients:

2 c. flour
1/2 c. cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp instant coffee
10 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 & 1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
1/2 c. granulated sugar
16 oz. chocolate melted and cooled (I usually do a mix of milk chocolate, bitter chocolate, and white chocolates, but do whatever mix of chocolates you prefer)
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350.
In a large bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt together.
In separate bowl, mix eggs, vanilla, and instant coffee, until coffee dissolves.
In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars together on medium speed until light & fluffy, 3-6 minutes. Beat in egg mixture, then melted chocolate. Scrape down sides as needed.
With mixer on low, mix in the flour mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips until combined.
Cover and leave on counter approx. 30 minutes. Texture should be goopy like fudge.
Take 3 Tbsp of dough at a time and spoon balls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until edges are set and tops are cracked, but the centers are still soft and underdone, 10-12 minutes.
Let cool on sheet 10 minutes, then serve warm or let cool on wire rack.

Peanut Butter Cookies

2011-01-15T18:01:00.003+08:00

These are to die for. Incredible. Can't say enough good things about them. Doug makes them for me for my birthday, and I confess I'm not sorry to say that I horde them like a selfish scallywag.

2 & 1/2 c. flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

16 Tbsp butter

1 c. packed light brown sugar (or for those of us overseas, sugar with molasses added in)

1 c. granulated sugar

1 c. extra crunchy peanut butter (Skippy is awesome!)

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 lg. eggs

1 c. dry-roasted salted peanuts, ground fine

Preheat oven to 350.
In large bowl, whisk dry ingredients together.
In another large bowl, beat butter & sugars together w/ an electric mixer @ medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-6 minutes. Then incorporate the PB, then add the vanilla, then the eggs, scraping down the beaters and bowl as needed.
With mixer on low, incorporate the flour mixture until combined. Then add ground peanuts.
Use 3 Tbsp of dough at a time, roll into balls, and place on parchment-lined baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Make a crosshatch design on the top of each cookie, with a fork. ***see note below*** Bake until the edges are golden and the centers have puffed up and are beginning to deflate, 10-12 minutes. Rotate halfway through baking.
Let cookies cool for 10 minutes, then serve warm, or cool on wire racks.

*** At that point in the recipe, cookies can be frozen for several months, and pulled out to bake as desired. The cookie dough is tasty too. :)

Big Beautiful Muffins

2011-01-15T16:07:00.002+08:00

These muffins are SO tasty, very moist, and definitely a family favorite of ours. Not to mention they are super easy. I often double or triple this recipe. This recipe can also be the basis of many stir-in muffin recipes... add in fruit, like peaches, blueberries, or bananas.

Preheat oven to 375.
Melt 8 Tbsp. unsalted butter.
Grease muffin pan or line with paper cups.
In large bowl, mix:
3 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
In medium bowl, whisk together:
2 large eggs, beaten
1 & 1/2 c. lowfat plain yogurt (I rarely buy lowfat, as the kids need full-fat, so I use normal yogurt, and this comes out fine)
Gently mix the yogurt mixture into the flour mixture, until combined.
Fold in melted butter.
Fill muffin cups roughly 2/3 full, then put into oven.
Bake until golden, roughly 25-30 minutes.
Let cool in pan a few minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely.

These are great warm, and very, very delicious cooled, or served the next day (don't bother refrigerating them, just put in a sealed container on the counter). Enjoy!

Cream Biscuits

2011-01-15T16:00:00.003+08:00

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. (For our family, I multiply this recipe by 3.)

In large bowl, combine:

2 c. flour
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt.

With wooden spoon, stir in:

1 & 1/2 c. heavy cream

Stir just until mostly mixed, then turn out onto lightly floured countertop & knead until smooth. Press dough flat until 3/4 inch thick.

***I used to then cut biscuits out, with biscuit cutters, but recently started just cutting squares. It uses the whole dough and then you don't have the re-mixed more tough biscuits from the 2nd kneading/pressing.*** But if you like nice circle biscuits, feel free. I also like doing little "biscuitlets" (smaller biscuits to go along with soups, or for large groups) with smaller cookie cutouts.

Place onto parchment-lined baking sheet & bake until golden, approx. 15 minutes. Quick and tasty!

Shepherd's Pie

2011-01-15T04:16:00.002+08:00

1 pound, or more, of cubed beef

1 pound, or more, of trimmed, cubed lamb

salt & pepper

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

2 onions, minced

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1 garlic head, minced

2 Tbsp flour

2 & 1/4 c. chicken broth (or 2 & 1/4 c. water w/ 2 chicken bouillion cubes)

1/4 c. dry red wine (we never have this, and thus never use it)

1 tsp. worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. minced dill

pinch of rosemary

Season meat w/ salt & pepper. Heat 1 Tbsp oil over medium heat, and brown beef in a dutch oven. Remove beef to metal bowl, and brown the lamb in the dutch oven w/ more oil. Remove lamb. Then add more oil, and cook carrots, onions, and salt until softened (approx. 5 mins). Stir in tomato paste & garlic, then add in flour & cook 1 minute. Whisk in remaining ingredients, and return lamb & beef to the pot. Scrape up any browned bits, and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat, and let cook approx 25-30 minutes.

Serve over mashed potatoes.

(You can do the whole, in a dish, over the mashed potatoes thing... but I'm too lazy. :) It's tasty just like this. And it goes great over rice if you have leftovers.)

Cream Sauce (to serve over steak)

2011-01-15T03:51:00.002+08:00

We don't eat steak often, but when we do, I like to serve it with this cream sauce. It's easy enough to make, and it's made at the very last minute, once you have juice from the steaks to add in.

1 minced garlic head (yes, the whole head)

1 & 1/2 c. water w/ 1 beef boullion cube, and 1 chicken bouillion cube (or broths can be used in place of these ingredients)

5 Tbsp brandy (we never have, and thus never use, this part... I use pan drippings for this liquid)

1/4 c. heavy cream

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Instructions:

Remove steaks from pan, and put on plate (tent them with foil so they will remain hot while you whip up this sauce).

Reserve a Tbsp. or more of pan drippings from the steaks, and briefly sautee the garlic, less than 30 seconds. Add the water w/ boullions, and simmer about 5 mins. Stir together and add cream. Add in 1 Tbsp butter at a time, whisking to thicken. Then, remove from heat, add salt and pepper to taste, and serve over steaks.

Chicken Teriyaki

2011-01-15T03:40:00.003+08:00

Another family favorite-- mmm mmm mmm!

(Note: This is the amount I make, to feed our family of 6 eaters, plus have a little leftover for the next day. Quantities can be easily halved or cut into thirds for smaller families.)

1-2 pounds chicken thighs, chopped roughly into 1-inch cubes

Vegetable oil

1 & 1/2 cup soy sauce

1 & 1/2 cup sugar

6 Tbsp mirin/white wine (if you don't have this, as I never do, I sub in a splash of lemon vinegar)

2 Tbsp grated ginger

1 garlic, chopped fine/minced

1 & 1/2 tsp cornstarch

roughly 1/2 a tsp of red pepper flakes, give or take, according to your taste

Instructions:

***(as a sidenote, you'll want to start up your rice first, before you even chop the chicken. By the time it's done cooking, your chicken will be ready too.)***

Chop up the chicken. Nearly cover the bottom of a frying pan with vegetable oil, then add in chicken, and brown over medium-high heat. You want the chicken to be cooked, but still tender. Once chicken is cooked, add all other ingredients, in the order they appear above, to the frying pan, combine, turn down the heat, and simmer. Let thicken slightly, and then serve over rice.

Easy & delicious!

Cream Sauce for Ikea Meatballs

2010-08-02T18:42:00.002+08:00

This recipe uses a few simple ingredients and perfectly compliments the frozen Ikea meatballs. Plus, the kids loved it! Success!

Quick, Easy, and Delicious: Bowtie Lasagna

2010-08-01T14:56:00.004+08:00

Here's another recipe via Pioneer Woman:

Billed as a "16-Minute Meal", BOWTIE LASAGNA lives up to the 16 minute promise. Even overseas! :)

Here are the things I changed:

*Because we don't have pre-made jars of marinara sauce available to us here (except at extremely high prices!!!), here's what I did to make the sauce: Instead of dumping in a jar of pre-made marinara sauce, I added an entire garlic head worth of chopped garlic (I like garlic!), and then added in about 1 & 1/2 cups of tomato paste, 1 & 1/2 cups of water, 10 leaves of chopped fresh basil, 1 & 1/2 Tbsp sugar, and garlic salt, pepper, and salt to taste. So, essentially, I made my own marinara sauce in the dish.

*In place of the sour cream, I used ranch dressing. This isn't an overseas change, just a personal preference. It worked great.

This is a yummy, easy recipe!

Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream Pie

2010-07-06T21:17:00.003+08:00

I made this recipe this afternoon, for my oldest son's 8th birthday celebration. YUM! Can't wait to eat it--

(1) Make graham cracker crust... (or buy one)-- I use a graham crackery-cookie we can find here, mix it up with about 1/2 cup of butter + a few Tbsp sugar and let that set for a crust.
(2) Make fudge sauce-- (I used the fudge sauce called for in this recipe)

Combine & heat the following over medium heat until boiling: 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup cornstarch, dash of salt, 1/2 cup water, and 60 g. chopped chocolate (2 bakers' squares)
Add 1/2 cup half & half (I used 1/4 cup cream, 1/4 cup milk), & 1 tsp vanilla. Blend until smooth and thickened.

(3) Add half of that fudge sauce to the bottom of the pie shell, and put in freezer until slightly hardened, about 30 minutes.
(4) Add 1 Liter (or 1 quart-- or 1/4 gallon) of softened chocolate ice cream on top of the fudge sauce-covered pie crust and spread across the dish.
(5) Freeze until ice cream is harder, then sprinkle the top with cropped candy bars of your choice. The pie could stay in freezer like this for at least several days.
(6) Just before serving, drizzle remaining fudge sauce over each slice.

Hawaiian Chicken-- easy and tasty!

2010-06-18T17:10:00.002+08:00

(from a friend)

Last week I enjoyed this recipe at a baby shower... it was so good we all begged our friend to share the recipe, and here it is:

Hawaiian Barbecue Chicken
6 chicken breasts, halved
1 -1 1/4 cups barbecue sauce (depends how you like it)
1/3 cup soy sauce (I used 1/4 cup)
15 oz. crushed pineapple with juice (i pureed some chunks)
1 onion chopped
1 large green pepper chopped

Place chicken in greased 13/9 inch pan (can be a little bigger, chicken was crowded but cooked fine)
Mix sauce and pour over top, and cover.
Bake at 350 for one hour

She served it over rice and it was excellent! There was plenty of sauce to flavor the rice.

Cheesecake Factory's Louisiana Chicken Pasta

2010-01-22T15:25:00.003+08:00

YUM! Made this last night (From RecipeZaar), and it is a GREAT imitation of my favorite dish at Cheesecake Factory (this is one of those meals that I can't help but re-order each time I go because I know it's just so good and don't want to risk having a so-so meal when I can eat this awesome flavorful meal!).

Louisiana Chicken Pasta: SERVES 5 -7

Sauce Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter
1 small yellow pepper (chopped)
1 small red bell pepper (chopped)
3/4 small onion (chopped)
3 whole garlic cloves (minced)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/4 pints whipping cream
1 cup chicken broth (used 1 c. water + 1 chicken boullion cube)
4 tablespoons fresh basil (thinly sliced)
1 cup grated parmesan cheese (I used 1/4 c. since it's expensive here)
1 (12 ounce) package bow tie pasta (I used penne)
1 cup mushroom (sliced) (optional)

Directions

Start your water boiling as you start making the sauce... and cook pasta like normal.
At the same time, let your breaded chicken breasts (thin-cut if possible to be most authentic) cook in the oven until crispy.
On stovetop, for sauce: melt butter in large skillet over medium heat.
Add yellow and red bell peppers, mushrooms if desired, and onion to same skillet,until crisp-tender, about 4 minute.
Add garlic and crushed red pepper to skillet and saute 3 minutes.
Add whipping cream and chicken stock.
Simmer until sauce re-heats and thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.
Add basil and 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese to sauce, stirring to incorporate.
Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low, simmer; sauce will reduce and thicken.
Serve pasta generously covered with sauce and peppers, place thin-cut breaded chicken on top and eat! DELICIOUS!

*** Note: If you want to make your own chicken breasts to use for this recipe, there are instructions in the recipe linked, or you can see my recipe here and bread with parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs with whatever spices you desire.

New Orleans-Style Beignets

2010-01-15T18:22:00.005+08:00

These beignets (pronounced "ben-yays") are incredible! The entire batch (a big batch) was done in less than 90 minutes, and they were absolutely delicious! For me, this is now my donut substitute... donuts are so hard to perfect, and these were quite easy to "get right" the very first time I made them (yesterday morning).

The reviews say they're like Cafe du Monde's beignets-- that's quite a reputation. So if you get a hankerin (I know that may not be as motivating for those of you who live close to a good donut/pastry shop), I highly recommend this recipe:

Costa's French Market Doughnuts (Beignets)

Oh, and by the way, I didn't have evaporated milk and so looked on the web for a quick substitute and used 1/2 cream and 1/2 buttermilk as a substitute and they were delicious!

They're particularly good with coffee within 10-15 minutes of being cooked. Enjoy!

Homemade Ranch-- this is so easy!

2009-12-22T15:12:00.004+08:00

For years, I've used the Hidden Valley Ranch packets, never knowing I could make my own (better tasting!) ranch from scratch for super easy.

MIX THE FOLLOWING:

1 c. mayo
1/4 c. sour cream
1/4 c. buttermilk
14-20 fresh parsley leaves, chopped
1 tsp dried dill (fresh is even tastier)
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic salt
salt & pepper to taste

Refrigerate and eat! YUM!

In search of the perfect brownies.

2009-10-02T16:49:00.002+08:00

One friend recommended THESE brownies as the best; here's what she says:

This 1980's recipe from The Chocolatier is the best. Moist and fudgy. Yum Yum. Super yum. To die for. Boxed mixes just do not compare.

The Chocolatier Brownies
2 sticks real butter
2 cups white sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp real vanilla extract
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup flour

Cream butter and sugar several minutes at high speed of electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla. Mix in flour and cocoa. Bake in greased 9" x 13" metal pan at 350 degrees for 30 minutes exactly. (**if using glass pan or dark coated pan, bake at 325 degrees) Remove from oven. Let cool completely before cutting for clean cut marks.

This recipe even converts well to whole wheat flour and Sucanat. We've been doing all that healthy stuff for quite a few years now, and my brownies still get rave reviews.

So I think I need to try them. Soon.

Another friend says hers are famous. Here's her recipe:

Lori's Famous Brownies
1 1/2 sticks of butter
3/4 cup of the darkest cocoa you can find - none of that pale Hershey's stuff
2 cups sugar
1 t vanilla
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cup flour
1 t salt
1 t baking powder
Mix ins (choc chips, nuts, toffee, andes mints, etc)
Put butter and cocoa in metal mixing bowl over low heat. Stir constantly until well blended and butter is melted. Remove from heat (carefully dip finger in mixture and taste - mmmm, a dark & bitter chocolate lover's delight!) and stir in sugar until well blended (dip finger again - for those of you who like sugar with their chocolate). Add vanilla and eggs, stirring well. (Taste again to make sure nothing has spoiled.) Add flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix well (taste it one more time to make sure it's worth baking) and add whatever mix-ins you like best. Spread in greased 9x13 pan and bake for 30 min at 350*. I don't have a test for doneness, but they should be cracked or crackly on top and the edges starting to pull away from the pan.

These should come out a bit crunchy on the very edges, but fudgy and dark and rich in the center. They aren't a tall, thick brownie - too dense for that!

For a "blondie" (not chocolaty, but still a decadent dessert), these Bakerella Blondies were recommended.

Another friend recommended making any old average brownie mix, pouring half of it into a dish, covering it with a layer of toffee Symphony chocolate bars, and then pouring the rest of the brownie mix into the pan and baking as directed. That sounds tasty.

Do you have a brownie recipe you swear by? If you share, please tell us whether yours come out fudgy or cakey, as that seems to be a classic difference in what people expect from their brownies. I definitely like brownies to be moist, but I don't want it to be so dense that it really tastes and feels like fudge. If I want fudge, I'll make fudge, know what I mean? :)

I guess I'll have to put on my scientist hat and figure out which one of these is the best. Experimentation is the only way to know for sure! :) If you do any experimentation, please share your thoughts and results here!

Dill Potato Salad

2009-07-23T16:48:00.005+08:00

Oh yummy. This is my favorite summer dish, thanks to my friend Kelly. YUM, yum, yum!

Dill Potato Salad

5 pounds smallish new-potato style potatoes
4-8 ounces cream cheese (this is optional, if you don't want it, add a bit more mayo and sour cream to make up for it)
3/4 cup mayo
1/2 cup of sour cream or plain yogurt
5-6 green onions, chopped (both whites & greens chopped finely)
roughly 1/2 cup of fresh chopped dill (I just chop up one bunch-- but not stems)
1/4- 1/2 cup of fresh chopped parsley
Salt to taste

1. Get potatoes that have only a very thin edible skin(cause the skin stays on for these). Clean em. Cut them into roughly 1 inch chunks (it can be slightly less or more... this is not an exact science). Cover them with water & boil for 15-20 minutes, until a fork can go through the potato, but NOT until they are fall-apart soft. Then remove from heat, drain in a pasta strainer, and let cool.

2. Return to pot or a large serving bowl. Dump in all other ingredients and stir. Be sure to add enough salt... the taste of this potato salad has to have enough salt to really be appreciated.

OH me oh my, this potato salad is the only kind I've ever liked- and I don't just like it; I love it! Hopefully you will too.

A Unique & Tasty Pasta Sauce

2009-07-15T23:50:00.002+08:00

Pioneer Woman's Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce really is delish.

I've made it twice so far, and I have one alteration to suggest:

*** After sauteing the onions and garlic in the olive oil, throw them in the blender along with the pureed roasted red peppers.

Get it all nice and itty bitty. THEN put it back in the saucepan, add the cream, and pour over pasta. YUM. We roast the red peppers on a metal grate right over our gas burners and follow the rest of her instructions, and it works smashingly. This is delicious enough to just enjoy as a main dish, or you can add in chicken along with it; either way.

ENJOY!

Pizza Chicken Pasta

2009-06-12T17:30:00.006+08:00

The other day I tried a delicious recipe from my favorite cookbook-- the Family Cookbook by America's Test Kitchen. It goes a little somethin' like this:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Make up about 1 cup (or a little more if you like) of pizza/marinara style sauce. Mine is usually composed of this:

1/2 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup water
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
1/2-1 tsp basil
1/2-1 tsp sugar
add garlic salt, onion salt, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste.

Spread that on the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Take 3/4 - 1 cup of parmesan cheese and put it in a bowl. Season chicken breasts (we did chicken breast cutlets cut pretty thin and it was tasty!) with salt & pepper, then roll until coated in the parmesan cheese. Place chicken on top of sauce and put in the oven for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, layer pepperoni on top of the chicken and sauce, and cover it all up with a generous layer of mozzerella cheese. Bake another 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted and everything looks all scrumptious.

Promptly serve over pasta. Mmm, mmm, MMMM!

Quick Meal Ideas

2009-03-26T02:44:00.004+08:00

These are the things I make when time is of the essence and I just need to get some food in front of my family, quick!

* Rice w/ cream of chicken sauce. Easy. Put the rice on to cook, and then make the sauce in the last 5 minutes of the rice's cook time.
* Chicken Fajitas. Slice up onions, red bell peppers, and put the chicken to cook in the frying pan. Add in some cheese, tortillas, ranch dressing, tomatoes, and it makes an easy meal.
* Breakfast Burritos. Scrambled eggs, and then everything listed above. Notice a pattern? :)
* Dutch Puff. Put the ingredients in the blender, pour it in the pan, and let it bake. Add syrup.
* Maple Granola. This one takes about 30 minutes... but it's filling and tasty!
* Pasta w/ homemade white sauce. Similar to the rice & sauce above-- put the pasta to boil, and then make the sauce in the last couple minutes. Hot, tasty, and easy.
* Fun Lunch!
* Pancakes w/ syrup- easy and delicious!

What are your favorite quick meal ideas?

"Embarrassingly Easy Recipes" from some friends...

2009-01-16T17:41:00.007+08:00

... feel free to try these. I'm just copying and pasting them here so I can revisit them later. All of the instructions, etc, are my friends' words (not mine). The prompt for all these recipes was someone asking for "embarrassingly easy recipes that get rave reviews", and I just pulled out the ones that sound good for the things that our family likes. Enjoy!

And let me know if you try any of these, how they work for you and your family!

Peanut Butter Cookies ~from Michelle
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg

Just mix it together and drop by the spoonful on a cookie sheet. I stick them in at 350 for about 14 minutes.

Italian Chicken Bake ~from Nancy
Cut up several medium potatoes into wedges (I use one per person)
Sprinkle with salt & pepper
Slice one onion and layer over potatoes
Slice one green pepper and layer over onions. (I sometimes use one red, one green for color.)
Pour one large can crushed tomatoes over this.
Top with chicken thighs (one per person or more)
Brush olive oil over chicken thighs, salt & pepper skin.
Slice into 1" pieces one pound italian sausage and wedge between chicken.
Bake at 375 until chicken is crispy...about an hour and 10 minutes.

I serve this with bread and salad, and can make it for four or forty!! It's really very flavorful!

Salsa Chicken ~ From Monica
Brown cut up chicken breasts in a little bit of oil in a skillet. Add a LARGE jar (28 oz) of salsa. Simmer for about 10 min. Serve over pasta. YUM!

Pasta with broccoli and chicken ~From Tanya
Bake three chicken breasts with a little garlic salt
Boil 3 cups of rotini
Steam 2 cups of broccoli
Saute a cup of mushrooms in butter.

Cube chicken and toss together with mushroom, broccoli and pasta. Drizzle a little butter on top and season with garlic salt. Quick and very good.

GARLIC CHICKEN- My picky 10 year old's favorite! ~From bearcreek
Need: Whole chicken, cut up. Ovenproof skillet with lid.

Coat w/olive oil.
Salt and pepper.
Brown both sides.
Meanwhile, peel 10 cloves garlic, 10 shallots.
Cut shallots in half.
Get some rosemary, thyme, and maybe some Italian parlsey from garden (or fridge) wash it.

Tuck herbs, shallots, and garlic in and around chicken.
Pour 1/2 cup of olive oil over chicken.
Put in oven at 350 with lid on for 1 and 1/2 hours.
Done. Total time in front of stove: 10 minutes.
So many possibilities to go with this delicious garlic sauce, use your imaginations. Great on bread!!!

Easy Chicken Divan ~From Jennifer
cooked chicken breast
cut up broccoli
1 can Campbell's healthy request Cream of Chicken soup
1 can Campbell's healthy request Cream of Mushroom soup
Parmesan cheese

Layer chicken breast and broccoli in a lightly greased 9x13 pan (chicken then broccoli works best, IMO). Mix the soup and 1/4-1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese and spread over the broccoli. If you like more sauce you can add another can of soup. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top covering the soup pretty well (it makes a pretty golden-brown topping). Bake at 350 for about 1/3-3/4 hour or until it's bubbly. Serve with steamed rice. mmmmm

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball ~From Julie

In a large mixing bowl, beat 1 pkg. cream cheese (softened), 1/2 C. butter, softened, and 1/4 tsp. vanilla. Gradually add 3/4 C. confectioners sugar and 2 T. brown sugar. Stir in 3/4 C. mini chocolate chips. Cover and chill for 1 hour (or I do it overnight). Shape in ball and you can then roll in 3/4 C. finely chopped pecans. Serve with chocolate or regular graham crackers.

Chicken Without a Name ~From Tonya
I always get compliments on this chicken and it's super easy

Put your chicken pieces on your baking pan or cookie sheet. Top each piece with a spoonful of brown sugar and kind of spread it around with the spoon (make sure you don't stick it back into the brown sugar package!) or your fingers. Sprinkle with garlic powder and salt and pepper. Bake like you normally would chicken pieces and that's it.

Presto Pralines
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup margarine [Note: I usually use all butter, but you do need to use at least 1 stick real butter]
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
12 whole graham crackers [fits perfectly in a 15x10 pan; if your pan is a bit smaller, use what will fit]

Spray jelly roll-type pan with cooking spray. Line the pan with the graham crackers (if they break in half, don't worry -- you may have to break some of them to fit anyway)

In a heavy 2-quart or larger sauce pan, combine butter and brown sugar; cover over low heat, uncovered, until butter is melted. Raise heat to medium and bring mixture to boil. Once it has reached a boil, cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, then reduce heat to low and cook for 1 more minute more, stirring constantly, until butter and brown sugar are well combined.

Remove from heat, stir in pecans, then spoon mixture over graham crackers. (Don't worry if crackers are not completely covered; the mixture will spread during baking).

Bake uncovered for 8 minutes. While still warm, cut or break them into halves (or smaller). Let cool completely; store in airtight tin. 24+ cookies.

(No doubt about it, this is an artery clogger, but you'll hear moans when people start eating these. And the recipe looks more complicated written down -- it's very easy and fast)

Taco Goulash ~from CrochetMama
Brown 1 lb. lean ground beef with onion (fresh, frozen, or dehydrated - amount is your preference). Then add: 15 oz. can rinsed black beans, 14-1/2 oz can diced tomatoes (with liquid), 1-2 Cups frozen corn, 1/4 Cup (or 1 pkg.) taco seasoning, and 3/4 Cup water. Heat through . . . then serve on chips, salad, tortillas (your choice!) - and top with grated cheddar cheese.

chocolate chip muffins made w/pumpkin: ~from Liesl
1 cake mix, any flavor (chocolate is the BEST; spice is great too)
1 can pumpkin (16oz)
1 cup chocolate chips

mix it all together, and bake at 350* according to which type pan - we have made muffins, a 13x9, and layers too.

Hot Dill Dip ~rodalena
Heat oven to 350.

Take one block of cream cheese and place on 2 triangles of refrigerator cresent rolls. Sprinkle the top of the cream cheese with dill weed. Cover the top of the cream cheese block with 2 more triangles of dough. Pinch the sides and top and bottom together to seal the cream cheese inside the rolls. Spread one egg yolk over the top, and bake for 20 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown. Serve hot with your favorite crackers or dipping veggies.

Believe me, it won't have time to cool down.

Easy Homemade (thus no additives or preservatives) Chicken Fingers: ~sourceofjoy

Mix: 1 1/4 cup flour, 2 cups corn flake crumbs(they can be bought this way), 2 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 1/4 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. paprika and 3/4 tsp. coarse pepper.

In another bowl mix 2 eggs (beaten), and 1/4 cup buttermilk.

Cut up ~ 3 lb. chicken breasts into strips. Add chicken to egg mixture and stir till moistened. Add chicken to dry mixture, a few at a time, coat and place onto parchment paper lined cookie sheet(this way clean up is a cinch, chicken doesn't stick to parchment paper and cookie sheet doesn't get baked on hard to clean grime on it). Melt some butter and dot over the chicken strips. Bake at 425F for about 12-15 min. Serves ~8.

Cola Roast, from Fix It and Forget It Cookbook...it just doesn't get any better, or easier, than this! ~shared by Rachel

Ingredients: Roast beef (I've used many different ones but my favorites are the sirloin tip roasts.
1 pkg Lipton onion soup mix
1 can Coke (not diet)

Put roast in crock pot. Put soup mix over roast. Pour Coke over all of it. Cook until done! It is SOOOO good, and so tender. I get asked about this every time I serve it to guests.

Baked Creamy Chicken ~From Jill
Put chicken, breasts, cut up pieces or bonelesss in a casserole dish. Top with 2 -3 cans of Golden Mushroom Soup, cover and bake for about an hour till chicken is done. Serve over rice or with mashed potatoes. The gravy is awesome. You may want to add a bit of water if it seems to thick. I usually uncover the last 15 minutes or so.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole ~From Kristy
3-4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 bag nacho cheese Doritos (store brand works, too)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup enchilada sauce
shredded cheese

Mix chicken with crushed chips and add remaining ingredients. Add more broth or enchilada sauce for more moisture. Place into a 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, or until heated through.

Easy Crockpot Chicken ~From Reese
Place thawed boneless chicken in CP, pour over one can of chicken broth, sprinkle with one envelope dry Italian dressing mix (I use Good Seasons). Cook on low all day (10 hours or so). You can cook some noodles in the broth and it's very tasty.

French Bread recipe if you have a Bosch kitchen machine. ~From Toni
5 cups of flour
1 tbls. Yeast
1 tbls. Olive oil
2 ½ cups of warm water (might need a bit more depending on the humidity in your house)
1 tbls. Salt
Throw it all in the Bosch and mix until the dough cleans the sides. Mix for 2 minutes on low and then put in greased bowl. Let rise for at least 2 hours but all day is great too. Shape into whatever shape loaves you want, cover and let rise until they are the size you want and then bake at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes. I have discovered that if I throw in a few ice cubes in the bottom of the oven when I put the loaves in, it makes the crust even better!
If you want pretty loaves, after you remove the loaves from the oven, brush with a mixture of water and egg white for shiny loaves.

Easy Stuffed Manacotti ~From Bean
1 lb. ground meat
1 onion (fresh or frozen)
1 pkg. manacotti shells
1 lg. jar spaghetti sauce
12 mozzarella cheese sticks (string cheese)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook the manacotti shells according to the directions. Brown the ground meat with the onion and drain. Mix in the sauce. Cover the bottom of a 9x12 baker with some of the meat sauce mixture. Stuff each manacotti shell with one cheese stick and arrange them in the pan. Cover with the rest of the meat sauce. Bake at 350 until bubbly and sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top ten minutes before done.

This is so yummy and I never, never make lasagna anymore!

Sante Fe Chicken ~From Kathy
Place 4-6 boneless chicken breast in crockpot. cover with 1-2 cans of black beans, some frozen corn and salsa. Cook on low all day or high 4 hours. 30 minutes before serving, shred chicken, it will be tender and shred easily. Then cube 8 oz of cream cheese and put into crock pot. Stir and let cook for another 30 minutes.

Serve over rice or on tortillas.

Dip for Apple Slices ~From HSisfun
8oz cream cheese
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. chopped peanuts

Beat together 1st 3 ingredients & stir in other 2 ingredients. Sit down w/a big bowl of sliced apples and devour only as much as your tummy can manage. :-)

Chicken rice (as my dc call it) ~From Jennie
1 cup whole grain rice
2 cups water
(or if you use more rice, you can do 1 /2 to 3 of water...0
1 Tbsp olive oil or butter
1Tbsp dried Parsley
S/P to taste
1 whole chicken

Put all in a big pot with the chicken on top. Bring to a boil, cover and turn down to simmer for an hour. that's it. Add a veggie and it's a meal. The chicken does not brown, but it falls off the bone.

Roasted Garlic ~From Jael
Take a whole, unpeeled head of garlic and slice off the top (the pointy end) to reveal most of the individual cloves. Wrap the head in aluminum foil, leaving the top open and drizzle a couple of tablespoons of olive oil over the exposed cloves. Close up the foil so that it is well sealed, and roast at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. (I use the toaster oven when I do just 1 or 2.) You will know when it is done by the smell, and when it is squishy and soft. A sprinkle of salt will enhance the flavor. Just serve this with an excellent french bread, you can squeeze each clove and spread it with a knife. It is easy, delicious, and so good for you!

PASTA W/ LEFTOVERS ~From Meghan

Make pasta according to directions, any shape. Mix with 1 small can chopped tomatoes and 1 jar spaghetti sauce. Stir in generous amount of cottage cheese or ricotta cheese. My kids love this! Additions: cooked hamburger or chicken or Italian sausage, sauteed veggies (onions, peppers, zucchini are great with this). I think this is what we are having for supper tonight, actually.
Another quick pasta dish -- cook chicken breasts in boiling water until just done and tender, remove meat and use chicken broth to cook pasta. Cut up chicken into bite-sized pieces while pasta cooks. Drain pasta, add pasta and chicken back to pot, stir in a can of chopped tomatoes and a jar of spaghetti sauce and if desired, cooked veggies of whatever kind. I call it chicken cacciatore but it's not authentic; still, my family loves this.
If you have leftover spaghetti, sauced or plain, make a spaghetti omelet (or you can cook up some just for this). Heat oil or margarine in a large nonstick pan. Saute spaghetti until heated through and add scrambled eggs (I usually do 2 per person, we have a family of five). You can add herbs and spices to this or leave plain. After omelet is dry on bottom, carefully cut into wedges with plastic spatula (so you don't scratch pan) and flip each wedge (this takes practice to get this so it's not totally messy). I usually top with cheese, cover pan with foil, and let melt. Often I will top the whole thing with some jarred spaghetti sauce and then put mozzarella on top and heat on lower heat until melted and bubbly.

EASY FRENCH DIP SANDWICHES ~From Cherie
A Good Roast
1 Can Beef Consomme
1 Can Beef Broth
1 Can French Onion Soup

Put in Crockpot on low and cook for 6-8 hours until roast is good and tender. Remove roast from juices and shred. Place on French bread and use broth as a dipping sauce. YUMMM!!

Beef Tips and Rice ~From Anne
Beef tips (or stew meat or leftover roast is good also)
1 can french onion soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup

Put all in crock pot on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over rice.

And that's all, folks. Good list, methinks. :)

A (fairly new) Family Favorite: Stuffed Chicken Breasts

2009-01-14T01:23:00.004+08:00

As Kelly Kapoor would say, these are "a-MAZ-ing!" This is one of our favorite meals... it seems very gourmet and combines some different-than-normal (for us at least) flavors, and gives us some variety while still using fairly basic and easy-to-find ingredients.

STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS

1. Pound out and flatten chicken breasts.
2. Combine the following: 4 oz. goat cheese (or other flavorful soft white cheese), 4 oz. cream cheese, chopped garlic cloves (as many as you like-- it calls for one but I usually do 2 or 3 fat cloves), 1-2 Tbsp Rosemary or Thyme (depending on how much you like those flavors), and salt and pepper (about 1/4 tsp. each).
3. Roll into log rolls and roll the chicken breasts around the rolls, and place in greased dish, seam down.
4. In same bowl as remaining filling, add and mix in the following: 3/4 c. mayo, 2-3 Tbsp honey mustard or dijon mustard, and 1 Tbsp. lemon juice. Spoon this mixture over the chicken breasts.
5. If desired, top with breadcrumbs. (My recipe calls for this, but we rarely do it. It's good either way).

Bake @ 425 for 30 minutes.

It's delicious over rice.

I also like putting baked potatoes in, setting the timer for one hour, and getting started making these. About the time the timer is at 30-35 minutes, I have the whole dish ready to go in (that's with little ones interrupting), and can add it in on a rack above of the already-hot baked potatoes, and it all bakes up beautifully.

The sauce is extra delicious as another flavor with baked potatoes or rice. This tastes like a really fancy meal, but is very easy to do. We have it about once a month now. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

From Scratch BBQ Sauce

2008-12-30T17:14:00.002+08:00

Just found this recipe, called "Kathryn Dupuee's BBQ Sauce", given to me by a friend who also lives overseas. This should be particularly helpful for those of us who live abroad and can't just run down to the grocery store and grab any variety of BBQ Sauce we want.

1/4 c. vegetable oil
3/4 c. chopped onion

Saute slowly until onions are transparent, not brown.

3/4 c. ketchup
3/4 c. water
3 Tbsp. worchestershire sauce
3 Tbsp. of brown sugar (fyi, I use the same amount of sugar and tint it with molasses to substitute for brown sugar since we can't get it here, and it works great!)
2 Tbsp. mustard (American-style, prepared-- not the spice)
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4-1/3 c. lemon juice (fresh is best)

Saute over low heat until thickened.

My friend says this is absolutely delicious, and it sounds easy-peasy. I hope to make it soon. Enjoy!

Maple Granola

2008-12-12T17:50:00.007+08:00

After trying this recipe for the first time a few days ago, this is already a big hit around here, and I'm making it again. We'll store it in an airtight cookie jar and make it probably a few times a month to sub in for expensive cold cereals for breakfast. It's DELICIOUS!!! Enjoy~~~

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Dump into a big bowl, and stir until the oats are evenly coated:

10 cups rolled oats
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup real maple syrup (you can use the fake stuff... we did and it was tasty!)

As with the other granolas I posted about, spread it all out on a large cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes, taking it out every five minutes to stir it around, and keep it in an airtight container shortly after taking it out of the oven, so it stays very crunchy.

If you're reading this and thinking "that sounds too sweet for cereal", well, think of it as a snack then -- it's very crispy and when you're crunching it up in your mouth it really does taste like you're eating some kind of fancy maple cookie.

Aunt Pearl's Coffee Cake

2008-10-11T14:27:00.002+08:00

Preheat @ 350 degrees

SPICE SWIRL INGREDIENTS:
4 T. Brown sugar
1 T. Cinnamon
1 C. finely chopped nuts (optional)

CAKE INGREDIENTS:
2 Sticks of oleo/margarine
2 Eggs
2 Cups of Sugar
1 cup of Sour Cream
1 t. vanilla
2 Cups of Flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt

1. Cream the butter and sugar.
2. Add the eggs, vanilla, and sour cream.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add gently to creamed mixture.
4. Generously grease a tube/bundt pan and dust with 1/2 of the spice mixture. Put 1/3 of the dough in the pan.
5. Sprinkle the remainder of the spice mixture over the dough before adding the other 2/3 of the dough.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes.

DELICIOUS! My sister-in-law Jill made this tasty cake for us the last time I was in Texas. It's a great coffee cake, swirl cake, dessert, or breakfast! ENJOY!!!

Planning & Preparation-- my thoughts-- please add yours!

2008-09-23T01:49:00.005+08:00

I have shared on Making Home how having a four-week rotating meal plan helps me so much. Crystal's online course "Supermarket Savings" (which it appears is no longer available) helped me SO much in this area. Other things I do to save time/money include:

* making double or triple batches of things and freezing things so that I can use them to reduce cook time later.

* bending my "plan" to fit reality (for example, if we are having people over Tuesday night, but Tuesday's "planned" meal is something boring, I'll switch it out with something else planned that week so that I'll for sure have all the ingredients but have something more savory to serve to guests)

* cooking from scratch a lot (while still buying store-bought in some areas to keep things simple)

What ideas do you have for saving money/time, particularly on the planning/preparation end of things in the kitchen?

Lunch Ideas for Busy Moms

2008-09-02T01:26:00.004+08:00

Here are some ideas for lunches:

PB & J sandwiches
Tuna sandwiches
Lunchmeat/cheese sandwiches
Grilled cheeses
~Any and all of these can be served with fruit, pretzels, chips, or yogurt~

Other ideas:

Cheese Quesidillas
Oatmeal w/ cinnamon and sugar swirled in
Homemade breaded chicken strips/nuggets/thighs, warmed up from the freezer
Baked potatoes (w/ cheese, ranch dressing, butter, salt, etc.)
Maple Granola
Fried eggs with french bread (bakeries here are just a quick walk away)
Salad (yes, my kids eat salad- it's seen as big people's food and we do cover it in ranch, so it's coveted.)
Tortillas or bagels with cream cheese
Pasta w/ homemade white sauce
Omelets (egg & cheese with some tomatoes if desired)
Rice w/ warmed up cream of chicken soup (it's delicious, I'm telling you!)
Applesauce
Plain rice (eaten the world over)
Rice with grated cheese on top (don't knock it till you try it)
Carrot slices ~Boiled, with butter and molasses stirred in. yum!
Broccoli florets ~Steamed with garlic
Green beans {Seriously, what's so wrong with serving a whole meal out of vegetables? Try it... after you do this a handful of times, it will be "normal" and they won't know that you're asking them to do something abnormal.}
Pancakes- I use the classic Better Homes & Gardens pancake recipe- easy and quick (and best of all, tasty)!
Dutch Puff
Ikea meatballs with rice or french fries (a good variation is covered in BBQ sauce)

LEFTOVERS (the great secret!)-
~ extra pancakes, lasagne, spaghetti, tacos, egg rolls, whatever from the night before! This is a BIGGIE in our home. It's easy-peasy to make extra of whatever you're making the night before, and then you can just heat it up the next day for lunch~

AND THE EVER-WONDERFUL "FUN LUNCH"
Take all your leftovers, the half-eaten bag of pretzels, the muffins that will go bad in a couple days if no one eats them, whatever fruit is in your fruit basket, etc... and put them on the counter. Give everyone one small portion of everything, make it look pretty, and serve it in a splashy way.
They'll think it's neat, *AND* you get a clean fridge and pantry. NICE!

These are just the ideas that work for our family. Please feel free to share anything that I didn't mention that you like to do for lunches... and I hope this helps!

Meatless Meals: Save Some Serious "Dough"!

2008-07-22T18:16:00.002+08:00

This is our biggest "do without"... instead of always including meat in our meals, several times a week now, we eat meatless meals... variations:

* Rice with cream of chicken sauce.
* Pasta with white sauce
* Cheese quesadillas with salsa (or guac)
* egg spaghetti
* Make-our-own cheese pizzas (I often mix ranch into the pizza sauce for a little pizazz!)
* Homemade pancakes and/or waffles with homemade syrup
* Rice w/ leftover chicken teriyaki sauce (sans chicken, since that's usually eaten up in the first meal )
* Cornbread and milk
* Peanut butter/PBJ sandwiches w/ chips of our choice
* Homemade biscuits with jelly or honey
* Buy one really good fresh veggie and eat a ton of that (buttery carrots or garlic-y green beans fried up in a wok)
* Oatmeal or Cream of wheat (made with non-name-brand semolina, rather than buying the expensive box)
* Egg & Cheese breakfast burritos (or egg & cheese biscuits)

All of these meals cost significantly less than a meal with meat, and are still very tasty and filling. I try to rotate in at least 3 of these into our lunch/evening meals on any given week.

(If you have a question about recipes for any of these, lemme know and I'll post it.)

Authentic Chinese Spring Rolls

2008-06-30T19:57:00.004+08:00

A Chinese friend of mine taught me how to make these, and they are SOOOOO yummy and very easy to make. (I should've taken pictures and I didn't... forgive me.)

Ingredients:
3-4 zucchini, diced small
2 medium-sized purple onions, slivered
1.5-2 pounds chicken thighs, cut into small chunks/pieces/slivers
soy sauce
salt
phyllo dough (cut roughly into 5 x 8 inch rectangles or triangles of that same basic size--it'll work out great either way)

Directions:
Marinate chicken pieces in 1-2 Tbsp (or more, if desired) of soy sauce. Sprinkle with salt.

Mix marinated chicken, zucchini, and onions until well-mixed in bowl. Then use 1-2 heaping Tbsp. of mix per eggroll wrapper/phyllo dough piece.

Place mix at base of wrapper/dough and roll twice. Then fold sides in and keep wrapping to the end of the dough.

Fill corn oil to about 2-3 inches deep in a small sauce pan and heat. Once ready, quickly (and carefully!) place eggrolls side by side in the oil so that they press up against each other to help keep them wrapped. Use tongs or chopsticks to keep the dough from unrolling as needed. Fry in oil until the dough is a nice golden color, then turn over if needed to brown the top.

Place on paper-towel lined plate to cool and serve hot, warm, or room temperature-- it's delicious no matter how it's served! ENJOY!!!

Make-Your-Own Seasoning Mixes

2008-06-24T01:53:00.003+08:00

Here are a few from-scratch seasoning mixes I picked up from an online friend:

Chili Seasoning
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp season salt
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Add 1 Tbsp seaoning to 1/2-1lb browned ground beef. (add 1 can diced tomatoes and 1 can beans and you've got chili)

Taco Seasoning
1 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp onion flakes
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder/salt
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp sugar

Add to 1 lb (or so) browned ground meat along with 2/3 c water.

Italian Salad Dressing Mix
1 Tbsp garlic salt
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried basil
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp celery salt
2 Tbsp salt

Mix together. Store in a tightly sealed container.

To use:
1/4 c white vinegar
2/3 c canola oil
2 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp mix

ANGEL CROCKPOT CHICKEN

2008-04-17T00:15:00.003+08:00

Shared by a Sonlight friend of mine:

Ingredients:
1 ½ lb chicken breast (boneless/skinless)
¼ cup butter
1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix
10 oz can Condensed Golden Mushroom Soup
½ cup dry white wine (note – my friend uses white grape juice and it is fine)
4 oz. Cream cheese with chive and onion
hot cooked angel hair pasta

INSTRUCTIONS:
Place chicken in bottom of electric crockpot. You don’t have to cut it up now. It will be so tender when it is done you can do that as you serve it.

In medium saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the salad dressing mix.
Stir in soup, wine/juice, and cream cheese until combined and smooth. Pour over the chicken.

Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours. Serve chicken and sauce over hot cooked pasta. Sprinkle with chives if desired. Makes 6 servings.

The friend who shared this recipe with me said: "It smells so yummy while it is cooking! You can serve it over spaghetti, and I have in a pinch, but the angel hair pasta is much better with it - I don't know why."

English Muffins to try

2008-03-30T19:11:00.000+08:00

English Muffins

Cornmeal
1 1/4 cups very warm water
1 pkg. dry yeast
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
4 cups flour
1/4 cup butter softened

Grease large cookie sheets and sprinkle with cornmeal. Mix sugar in water; dissolve yeast in sugar-water mixture. When yeast is frothy, add salt and 2 cups flour. Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until batter is smooth (2 to 3 minutes). Add butter and 1 cup flour; continue beating until batter is smooth. Gradually, add in remaining flour, then beat until batter is smooth, sticky and thick. Turn out onto a well-floured pastry cloth, board or sheet. Coat all sides of the dough with flour. Cover with bowl and let rest 5 minutes. Knead dough five minutes until smooth. Roll out ¼ inch thick. With a biscuit cutter or a large can, cut into muffins. Place onto cookie sheet coated with cornmeal. Let rise in a warm place, covered with a towel about 50 minutes or until double in size. Bake muffins on ungreased griddle or skillet until golden brown, about 7 minutes on each side. Cool on wire rack.

Chicken Pocket Sandwiches

2008-02-27T21:33:00.004+08:00

Let me just preface this by saying that this is one of the first recipes I've ever made where the ingredients are native to a place other than America. I *THINK* it's easily adaptable, but you'll have to try it and let me know.

Here's how I make it here in Turkey:

CHICKEN POCKET SANDWICHES
(Thanks to my friend Kelly for this tasty recipe!)

* Milfoy (Frozen pastry dough squares)
* 1.5-2 pounds of chicken, cooked and shredded
* 8 ounces cream cheese
* 1 tsp garlic salt
* one red bell pepper, finely chopped (optional)
* 5 green onions (5 onions, not 5 bunches), finely chopped (optional)

1- Cook & shred chicken, chop bell pepper and green onions.
2- Mix chicken & veggies with cream cheese and garlic salt.
3- Put one heaping Tbsp of mixture in each pastry square and tightly seal.
4- Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

*** So, I think a good substitution for this would be to use something like Pillsbury crescent rolls (*but not break them up into the individual triangles, and instead use 2 of them at a time*) and make oblong pockets, filled with more than just the 1 Tbsp I mentioned above. You'd still seal them up carefully and possibly baked for 10-15 minutes, perhaps a little longer depending on how they cook on bottom. You want them to be crisp, but not burned. ***

These tasty sandwiches are absolutely delicious, and the recipe makes a good amount of them (great for having some left over for kids' lunches, etc.). Eat & enjoy!

(FYI-- I also adapt this same recipe by using taco-seasoned beef mixed with cheddar cheese for the filling, to make taco pockets.)

A Few Christmas Recipes

2007-12-22T17:13:00.001+08:00

I figured I'd consolidate some of the recipes I'm using this Christmas into one post, so I'd have them for future reference.

FOR CHRISTMAS MORNING:

CINNAMON ROLLS 101- these seriously sound like they will cause all who consume them to instantly commence with the "Mmmmm"s. I can't wait to try them.
(And for some other morning, because they look so amazingly delicious: ) Cinnamon Sugar French Breakfast Puffs- Buttery, sugary, cinnamony moist breakfast muffins. They look positively sinful.

FOR CHRISTMAS DINNER:
This year, we're going to do a Texas-themed Christmas, seeing as how it's technically our first Christmas outside of America. So, we're doing chicken & cheese enchiladas, classic beef tacos, enough guacamole to feed a small army, some salsa, and I'm going to try to make refried beans from scratch without pinto beans. :) I honestly have no idea if or how that will work. Here are some recipes I'm going to pick from:

Molly's Refried Beans - These require bacon, which we can't get here. So I might need to get a fatty piece of turkey or something to make them.
Refried Beans with all the facts- This site gives GREAT information about when and why to make beans from scratch, and her recipe sounds great too.
Delicious-sounding refried beans- These sound really good, and she gives the step-by-step basic instructions for those of us who get scared about making things like beans from scratch. (Which sounds so silly, because most of the world makes beans from scratch, but we Texans with our delicious canned refried beans are spoiled!) ;)

Get Your Hot Links Here!

2007-12-08T18:54:00.002+08:00

Here are a couple of "hot links" I've found recently:

Beth Moore's version of KING RANCH CHICKEN! (A Texas favorite that I've eaten many times but have never actually made-- this is DELICIOUS!!!)

Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie, courtesy of Mrs. Sewell of Serving God & Family.

ENJOY!

Simple Cream Cheese Cookies

2007-12-02T13:51:00.000+08:00

Recipe from my SL friend, Kimbo:

1 Cake mix- any kind you like
1 Egg
1 Stick of butter (1/2 cup)
1 Block of cream cheese (8 oz)

Mix it all up, drop and bake at 350 until done to your preference. I do mine about the size of a ping-pong ball. Soooooo yummy and easy!

Sausage, Egg, & Cheese Breakfast Casserole

2007-11-07T20:44:00.000+08:00

Sausage, egg and cheese casserole
(from my sweet cyber-pal & fellow homeschooler, Kelly)

12 eggs
12 slices bread
2 3/4 c. milk
12-16 ozs. cheddar cheese
1 lb. bulk pork breakfast sausage (I use Bob Evans sage)
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp. ground mustard
1 tsp. sage

Brown sausage and set aside. Oh, sometimes I put chopped onion in with it.

Cube bread and put into a bowl.

In another bowl mix eggs, milk, salt, pepper, mustard and sage. Add 3/4 of the cheese. Pour over eggs. Mix in sausage.

Pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Cover and refrigerate over night.

Remove from refrigerater 30 min. before baking so pan isn't so cold (I use a stone, so I always make sure not to forget this step).

Bake at 350*, uncovered, for 30-45 minutes until eggs are set.

YIELD: 12 servings

Farm-style Oatmeal Cookies

2007-11-02T22:08:00.002+08:00

These are, bar none, my favorite cookies, and the dough, bar none, is my favorite cookie dough to eat raw! Try it and you'll see why.

Ingredients:
2 cups packed brown sugar (living where we do, I can't get brown sugar, so I substitute with 2 cups regular sugar and 2-3 Tbsp of molasses)
1 cup lard or shortening
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups quick-cooking oats
1 & 3/4 cups all-purpose* or whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt

* If using self-rising flour, omit baking soda & salt.

Heat oven to 375 F (approx. 190 C).
Mix brown sugar, lard/shortening, buttermilk, and vanilla.
Stir in remaining ingredients.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls.
Place about 3 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet (I line mine with parchment paper).
Flatten with the bottom of a glass that has been dipped in water.
Bake until golden brown, 8-10 minutes.
Immediately remove from cookie sheet and let cool on a rack.

MAKES ABOUT 7 DOZEN cookies, which will all be promptly eaten. :)

Thanks to Betty Crocker for the recipe- these are totally yummy!

Something Festive to Try: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

2007-10-26T23:00:00.000+08:00

PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

1 c. pumpkin
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. oil
1 egg
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. milk
1 c. chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla
Nuts (optional)

Dissolve baking soda in milk; set aside. In large bowl add pumpkin, sugar, oil, and egg; stir. Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda mixture. Mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and vanilla. Spoon onto cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees 10 to 12 minutes or until done.

(From an online friend, Kristen)

[Editor's Note: After my first trial run with this recipe, 12/1/07-- These puff up, kind of like little muffiny cookies... They are soft and moist and everyone loved them! I may try to put them into muffin cups next time just to see how it turns out that way... but they're delicious as cookies too! :) ]

Oatmeal Bread

2007-10-10T23:15:00.000+08:00

(from More with Less) ~via Shannon B. (thanks!)

Makes 2 loaves
Bake at 350 F
30-40 minutes

Combine in a large bowl:
1 c. quick oats
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 T salt
2 T butter/margarine

Pour over:
2 c. boiling water

Stir in to combine.

Dissolve:
1 pkg dry yeast (or 1 T) in
1/2 c. warm water

When batter is cooled to lukewarm, add yeast.

Stir in:
5 c. white flour

When dough is stiff enough to handle, turn onto floured board and knead 5-10 minutes. Place in greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled. Punch down and let rise again. Shape into 2 loaves and place in greased 9x5x3 pans. Bake at 350 F for 30-40 minutes. Cool on rack, brushing loaves with margarine for a soft crust.

Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Muffins

2007-09-11T13:07:00.000+08:00

Thanks to Girl Talk for this recipe - I'm off to make it now!

Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Muffins

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 egg, room temperature
1/2 cup cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar (I used 3/4 cup sugar, but we like ours sweet.)
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease 12 muffin cups or use paper liners.
Beat cream cheese and butter together until fluffy. Beat in egg, cream and vanilla. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir flour mixture into cream cheese mixture until flour is moistened. Fold in chocolate chips. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups filling them 3/4 full.
Bake in preheated oven until tops are golden, about 20 minutes.

Gooey Bar

2007-06-30T04:56:00.000+08:00

Last night I ate one of the best desserts I've ever had... called, simply, "The Gooey Bar". Here's the recipe:

1 box yellow cake mix
1 stick butter -melted
1 egg

Mix these ingredients and spread into pan, pressing into corners. Then combine the following in a separate bowl:

1 pkg cream cheese
1 stick butter
2 eggs
1 box (2 cups) powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla

Mix these ingredients, spreading over bottom layer. Bake 30-40 minutes @ 350 degrees. (Top will be soft set.) Trust me, this is delicious!

Dutch Puff (GREAT for big families)

2007-05-15T21:21:00.001+08:00

Here's a great recipe for families of any size. Called a dutch puff, it's kind of like a puffy eggy creation. Similar in taste to french toast, but totally its own entity, we like it with syrup.

The original recipe is as follows:
Melt 1/3 cup of butter in a glass dish in a 425 degree oven.

Meanwhile, blend/mix the following:
4 eggs
1 cup flour (bread flour works even better, but whatever you can find should work- trust me... I've made this in China when I didn't even know the word for flour, much less bread flour! :) )
1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp + cinnamon (if you like more, use more)
(SERVES FOUR-- for larger families, look below)

Once blended, pull the dish out of the oven (once all the butter has melted), and pour the liquid mixture into the dish. It's OK if butter mixes in a bit, stays around the edges, or gets on top.

Put the dish back in the oven for 20-25 minutes... until it puffs up and the tops of the peaks are brown. That's right... I said "puffs" and "peaks". It will puff up into what might look like a mountain range, with each corner reaching up toward the top of the oven, or with random peaks throughout the pan.

Serve hot, cut up into squares and it will thrill your family. Not only does it taste good, but it's inexpensive & easy to make, AND-- because it's got the eggs in it-- it's full of protein and so it sticks. They're not hungry 20 minutes later like sometimes happens with cereal.

FOR SIX:
1 & 1/2 cups milk
1 & 1/2 cups flour
6 eggs
3 tsp vanilla
1 & 1/2 tsp + of cinnamon

FOR EIGHT:
2 cups milk
2 cups flour
8 eggs
4 tsp vanilla
2 tsp + of cinnamon,

ETC...

Hope you and your family enjoy this delicious recipe!

Chorizo Cod

2007-04-09T06:52:00.000+08:00

This is a recipe I saw on Martha Stewart one day in January. I've made it several times, and it has a delicious mix of flavors. NOTE: WHEN BUYING FISH, buy it transluscent & without any smell. That means it's fresh and unspoiled.

INGREDIENTS:
1 tube Chorizo or Andouille (sp?) sausage
sliced mushrooms
sliced roma tomatoes
Cod fish (or other basic white fish)
spices: sea salt, white pepper, rosemary, thyme, garlic
scallions if desired
lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Oil/grease the metal or glass pan to prepare for baking.
3. Lay out the whole cod filets in the baking dish and cover generously with sea salt & white pepper.
4. Begin layering, on top of the fish in generous rows: chorizo, mushrooms, tomatoes, scallions or garlic, chorizo, mushrooms, etc... (It will look like stripes, and you should see the top of each item. These layers should completely cover the fish.)
5. After the layers are complete, sprinkle the spices over the top as desired (chopped rosemary & thyme, and minced garlic)
6. Pour a generous amount of olive oil (approximately 1/4 cup for every 2 large filets) over the fish
7. Cook for 10 minutes in a 425 degree oven.
8. After removed from the oven, sprinkle fish with lemon juice
9. Serve over rice and use cooking juices to pour back over fish & rice upon serving.

Believe me when I tell you- this is a unique and flavorful dish!

Mountain Dew Dumplings

2007-04-07T23:28:00.001+08:00

Lemme give a little shout out to my sister, Jill (OK, I only have a brother- but she's his wife!), and her mom Donna! They're the ones from whom this most excellent recipe was borrowed! This is like a scrum-diddly-umptious version of apple pie.

2 cans of Crescent Rolls
2 or 3 peeled and sliced apples(6-8 slices per apple)
2 sticks of butter (not Marg.)
1 tsp of cinnamon
1 1/2 cup of sugar
12 oz can of Mountain Dew

Preheat oven to 350. Peel and slice apple. Roll up one apple slice into each of the crescent rolls. Place them in an nongreased pan. In a small saucepan combine the butter, cinnamon, and sugar. Once the butter is melted and the mixture is nice and smooth, spoon over the top of each of the crescent rolls. Pour entire Mountain Dew can in the cracks. (Be sure not to wash off the sugar/cinnamon from the tops of the crescents when pouring the Mountain Dew. This makes for a prettier presentation when baked) Bake for 45 min. Serve while hot with ice cream or whipped cream!

Make-Ahead Burritos

2007-02-16T04:32:00.000+08:00

The other day after making an enchilada dinner, I had a lot of beans and tortillas left over and ended up making up bean and cheese and egg and cheese burritos ahead of time. For the next week, I had additional options for breakfast foods and quick dinners. And whether you use eggs or beans, this is a filling meal that will keep kids hungry through the next meal.

This is something that I'm going to try to have on hand all the time while I'm here in the states. It is SO much simpler to make up a bunch all at once rather than one here or there... cutting down on all the steps and just doing them all once. Here's all I did:

REFRIED BEANS (or eggs, if you are making breakfast burritos)
SHREDDED CHEDDAR CHEESE
FLOUR TORTILLAS

Take the tortillas, put a stripe of cheese down the center, and then do a layer of beans (or eggs). Fold like a burrito, and then you can fit 3-4 of these per ziplock bag. Label them if needed, and then they'll keep for the rest of the week. You can freeze them as well, just make sure you pack them nicely to where they won't stick together. Heat them up as you need them, and you're all set.

(And yes, for all you gourmet chefs out there, I know this is an extremely simple idea, but I like to share the simple things- they help out moms like me when we're in a pinch!)

Holiday Ritz Cookies

2006-12-15T08:54:00.000+08:00

Here's an easy and delicious holiday cookie recipe:

You'll need:
Ritz crackers
Peanut Butter
White Chocolate (also called Almond Bark)

Melt the white chocolate to a creamy state in a pot. (Or you can microwave it, even easier).

Take the Ritz crackers and make little PB sandwiches with them. Sandwich a layer of PB between 2 Ritz crackers. Once you have as many of those as you want made, then dip each cookie entirely into the white chocolate. Let them dry and harden on a sheet of wax paper.

These are easy to make and SINFULLY delicious! Everyone always loves these- they're a huge hit for holiday parties! ENJOY!

Moist Banana Bread (w/ a GREAT crust!)

2006-12-01T14:54:00.001+08:00

This banana bread comes out with a nice hard crust (sweet and delicious) and the inside stays moist for days. It's delicious and the ingredients are easy to find (even overseas, except for the vanilla which I brought with me). In fact, I just buy a bunch of bananas and wait for them to brown/soften and then everything else is already in our home, so I can make it whenever I find a free moment. Hope you enjoy it as much as our family does!

PREHEAT OVEN to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).
INGREDIENTS:
A - 1/2 cup oil
1 cup sugar

B- 2 eggs
1 Cup of mashed bananas

C - 2 Cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

D- 3 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

E- (THESE ARE OPTIONAL, I don't use any of these, but thought some of you might like to try it with these)
1/2- 1 cup walnuts
1/2 - 1 cup choc. chips or raisins

First combine A ingredients , then add B ingredients. In separate bowl, mix the C ingredients, then add them to oil and egg mixture. Add D and E and mix together.

Bake in greased loaf pans @ 180*C (350*F) for 1 hr. (1&1/2 hour in small ovens like we have overseas--toaster oven-size). Test for doneness w/ toothpick.

Everyday Pasta Casserole

2006-11-09T01:21:00.001+08:00

This recipe is all about options, which is why it's so great. You can adapt it based on what you've got on hand and what you want for a particular meal.

A: Pick your pasta. 12-16 oz. of whatever you want: rotini, penne, macaroni, spaghetti, capellini, shells. Whatever you want.

B: Pick your sauce. 12-16 oz. of white sauce, spaghetti sauce (see the white sauce recipe here, or use the spaghetti sauce recipe in my lasagne recipe--the ingredients for it have an asterisk next to them.)

C: Pick a filler. You can do a layer of pre-sliced cheese (easy), or a layer of shredded mozzerella (a little work), or (my favorite) mix 2-3 eggs with 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese (and oregano if desired)

D: Pick your topping. This can be really fattening like a top layer of sliced cheese with butter-saturated crushed Ritz or Saltine crackers, or it can be breadcrumbs, or it can be shredded mozzerella, or it could just be the butter-drenched & crushed saltines/ritz. Your choice.

E: Optional- Pick your veggie. Brocolli, Cauliflower, Tomatoes (allright, that's actually a fruit!);

F: ALSO Optional- Pick your meat. Ground beef, cubed chicken. Whatever you like

Cook your pasta (A). Make your sauce (B), or pull out the can of sauce you're going to use!. If you've chosen a meat (F), cook that as well. Then stir your pasta, sauce, and any meat or veggies (E) you've chosen all together.

Preheat your oven to about 190 Celsius/375 Fahrenheit. Layer half of the pasta mixture (ABEF) in a greased casserole dish. Do a layer of whatever filler you've chosen (C). Spoon in the other half (ABEF) and top with your topping of choice (D). Now cook until heated through. Depending on the thickness of your casserole and size of your dish, it will take approximately 20-35 minutes. ENJOY!

White Sauce

2006-11-09T00:58:00.002+08:00

This is a great sauce recipe for pastas, casseroles, to pour over chicken, etc. It's pretty versatile, and you can change it to suit the flavor you desire.

1. Melt 2 TBSP butter/margarine over low heat.
2. Add in one of the following:

(this is my favorite) Good Seasons' Garlic & Herb seasoning packet
one Hidden Valley Ranch packet
condensed soup seasoning packet
2 TBSP flour with at least 1 tsp of desired seasoning (rosemary, garlic, oregano, etc.) + salt & pepper to taste all mixed together

3. Stir together to form smooth paste.
4. Pour in 12-16 oz. (300-500g) milk
5. Add 8 oz. whipping cream (optional)
6. Melt in 2-4 oz. cheese if desired (any flavor- monterey jack, mozzerella, cheddar, hot pepper jack, it's all good!)
7. Bring to low boil. As it boils, it will begin to thicken. After 1-2 minutes of boiling (you should be able to visually see it thickening), remove from heat and set aside.

Now you can pour it over cooked pasta, use it in a casserole, or use as desired.

Mom's No-Peek Chicken

2006-10-15T11:40:00.002+08:00

Preheat oven to 325.

1- Grease baking dish.
2- Pour 1 & 1/2 cups of rice into the bottom of dish, spread evenly across the bottom.
3- Melt 1/4 cup of margarine or butter and pour over rice.
4- Mix 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup and 2 cans of cream of chicken soup in a separate bowl.
5- Pour 1 soup-can-full of milk over rice.
6- Then spoon soup mixture over the rice
7- Press your chicken down into the soup mixture, so that they're at least halfway down into the mixture (you can use all varieties of boneless or boned chicken; it's all good! Just let people know if there's bones in it!)
8- Then take one packet of Lipton's dry onion soup mix, crush it inside the package (the glass base of a drinking glass can work great for crushing it nice and small), and then evenly pour the crushed mix over the top of the chicken.
9- Cover with foil.
10- Bake at 325 for 2 & 1/2 hours(it's called No-Peek because you DO NOT peek at it until the 2 & 1/2 hours is up!) .

ENJOY! This is my favorite recipe from my mom!

Melanie's Salad

2006-10-15T11:27:00.001+08:00

I would like to call this one the Best Salad in the World, cause in my mind, that's what it is, but I feel I must name the salad for the person who introduced it to me.

~ 3 Tbsp. lemon juice, or one squeezed lemon
~ 1 finely chopped avocado
~ 1/2 tsp. celery salt
~ 1/2 tsp. onion salt
~ 3 chopped green onions
~ 1/4 cup vegetable oil
~ 1/4 cup of Romano or Asiago cheese
~ 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
(Or, you can strike the last 2 ingredients and replace with 1/2 cup of Italian Cheese blend)

Mix ingredients. Toss with romaine lettuce right before serving. (I like to garnish this with additional thin avocado slices because I'm an avocado-fanatic!)

Cheesy Spaghetti-Lasagna

2006-10-15T11:02:00.001+08:00

Ingredients:
~ 8 oz. finely shredded mozzerella
~ 8 oz. sliced mozzerella
~ 3 eggs
~ 8-12 oz. spaghetti noodles
~ parmesan cheese, as desired
~ 1 lb. beef
~ * 16 oz. tomato paste
~ * Basil
~ * Oregano
~ * Garlic Salt
~ * Sugar
~ * Water
* Can strike these ingredients if you just want to use approximately 20 ounces of canned spaghetti sauce.

Preheat oven to 375. Boil noodles according to directions on package. Cook beef until browned.

While those things are cooking, get a separate large mixing bowl. Take tomato paste and add enough water to make smooth, like a spaghetti sauce, approximately 1/2- 1 cup. Add basil, oregano, and garlic salt to taste (I like it with more oregano than garlic salt or basil, and more garlic salt than basil.). Add approximately 1 tbsp (up to 2 tbsp) of sugar (again, to taste). Once beef is browned, mix beef into this spaghetti sauce mixture.

In smaller mixing bowl, beat 3 eggs. Combine with finely shredded mozzerella. If desired, add in 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese as well. Mix together.

Once everything is cooked and ready, layer the lasagne in the following order:
1) spoon small amount of meat sauce mixture into the bottom of the 9 x 13 baking dish, just to lightly wet the bottom.
2) 1/2 of pasta noodles, smoothed out
3) 1/3 of sliced mozzerella, spread out across the dish (it will not cover the noodles)
4) 1/2 of meat sauce mixture
5) other 1/2 of pasta noodles
6) spoon and smooth all of the shredded cheese mixture out over the noodles.
7) other 1/2 of meat sauce mixture
8) top the whole thing with the remaining sliced mozzerella, and (if desired) sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top.

Cook uncovered in 375 degree oven for approximately 45 minutes, or until cheese is melted and starting to brown.

Cheesy Chicken Soup

2006-10-15T10:56:00.002+08:00

Our family's favorite soup, bar none.

~ 5 cooked boneless chicken breasts (or 6-7 boneless chicken thighs), cubed or shredded (your choice; we preferred cubed)
~ 1 lb. Velveeta
~ 7 oz. can diced tomatoes with the juice in can
~ 1 can cream of mushroom soup
~ 1 can cream of chicken soup
~ 1 can cream of celery soup
~ 3 can-fulls of water
~ 2 cloves of minced garlic
~ 6 slices of cooked, chopped bacon (optional)

Combine ingredients and heat in a crockpot, 3-4 hours on high heat, 5-7 hours on low heat. This is one of those recipes you can make early in the day, during a child's nap or something, and let it sit all day. It makes enough that you'll be able to at least have seconds, and maybe thirds, depending on how much you eat for each meal!

My Most Versatile Chicken Recipe

2006-10-15T10:43:00.002+08:00

Here's an easy chicken recipe, easily adaptable to create many different flavors. Each combination is simple and delicious.

Preheat oven to 350.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CHOOSE ONE:
A: Ranch dressing (you can use the already-mixed kind or mix: 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of mayo, and 1 Hidden Valley Ranch packet to make your own). You will only want to use about 1/2 cup or less for the recipe, so set the rest aside.

A: 1/2 cup mayo, 1/2 cup milk. Mix with whisk.

A: if all else fails, and you don't have enough for either of the others, choose one: mayo, water, or milk.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CHOOSE ONE:
B: Crushed potato chips

B: Mix: 1/4 cup of Italian bread crumbs, 1/8 cup parmesan cheese

B: Mix: 1/4 cup parmesan cheese with 1 packet of Italian dressing seasoning mix

B: Crushed corn flakes

Directions: Choose one A grouping and one B grouping. Take boneless chicken breasts, thighs, cutlets, or fingers, and pat dry. Cover and coat with the A mixture. Immediately roll in the B grouping and put in metal or glass baking dish. Bake in 350 degree oven 20-35 minutes, depending on the size of your oven, and eat. Serve with rice, pasta or freshly-cooked vegetables.