from my kitchen to yours

Our (current) Favourite Granola

2011-12-21T18:16:00.000-08:00

We are granola lovers around here, and we love it with fruit in place of the oil. The classic, of course, is applesauce, but we've also used pumpkin, and right now we're crazy about bananas. This little creation is like Banana Nut Bread, but in crunchy, wholesome granola form. It's great as a snack, with creamy whole milk, with yogurt, or just snitched right out of the container. It's that good. You can vary the nuts, of course, and use almonds or pecans or a combination of whatever, but, strange as it seems, I wouldn't do it without the sesame seeds. Somehow they just make it perfect; they are the je ne sais quoi of the granola.

Banana Walnut Granola

5 cups rolled oats
3 cups walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup sliced almonds (or more walnuts!)
3/4 cup sesame seeds

2 ripe bananas
1/2 cup honey
2 Tbsp oil
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Preheat oven to 300˚F. Combine the oats, nuts, and seeds in a large bowl. In a saucepan, combine bananas, honey, oil, salt, sugar, and spices. Mash together with a fork or whisk, or do like I did, and use a stick blender. I love the vroot-vroot. Cook and stir until it's warm and gooey, then pour over the dry ingredients. Mix well with a large spoon, then spread over 2 baking sheets. Bake in the upper and lower thirds of the oven for 40 minutes, stirring every 10 and rotating pans at the 20 minute mark, until browned and starting to crisp. Let cool completely on pans, then store in an airtight container.

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies in the World

2011-12-19T11:07:00.000-08:00

A couple of months ago Justin went to a neighborhood party at which he tasted the best cookies he has ever tasted. I was intrigued and asked him what made them so amazing. He couldn't pin point anything in particular and just told me to get the recipe from our friend. I didn't and time went on...after I had Vida this friend dropped off a plate of cookies for us. I tasted one and couldn't believe it. They were the best cookies in the world! Simple chocolate chip, and I couldn't discern anything that made them special. I meant to ask for the recipe but didn't and time went on...then one day I was making cookies with my sister-in-law and she explained she's been on a quest to find the best chocolate chip cookie recipe in the world and I exploded with excitement! I know where to get it! So, finally I asked for the recipe. It's a very tricky recipe and I haven't gotten it right yet. The trick is that it calls for cold butter and you never let the ingredients mix enough to have smooth dough. You want it chunky. This last time I think I left it too chunky. Picture a consistency in between this and smooth:

And that's what we're shooting for. I'd recommend halving the recipe until you get the consistency right. I asked my friend how she does it and she said she pre-measures everything and adds everything sequentially to her Kitchen Aid mixer, without much pause. She said she doesn't spend more than 5 minutes mixing, total.

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies in the World

2 sticks butter, cold
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups chocolate chips
2 cups walnuts (optional, but my friend always adds these)

Briefly mix sugars and butter. Add eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt and baking soda; incorporate. Add chocolate chips and nuts. Bake at 350 for 11 minutes.

If you'd like to join the quest, please do. Let us know how your attempts turn out!

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

2011-11-16T11:16:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe from Heather, originally from Vicki. It's great by itself - but I also saturated it with Heather's chocolate sauce and topped it with Michelle's Cinnabon cream cheese frosting. So good. I halved each of these recipes to make a small cake. And even then I only used about half the chocolate sauce - so maybe make less of that? Or just save it and eat it on ice cream. It's delicious that way.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup oil
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sour milk

2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4TB cocoa
3/4 tsp salt

2 cups finely grated zucchini

Cream butter, sugar and oil. Add eggs, vanilla and milk and blend. Mix dry ingredients separately then mix with wet. Fold in zucchini. Pour in 9x13 greased baking pan and bake 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Poke holes in cake and pour in:

Chocolate Sauce

1 can evaporated milk
1/2 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Combine ingredients in saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce heat and allow to thicken. Remove from heat.

Frost with:

Cream Cheese Frosting

8oz cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar (or until the consistency is right)
1 TB milk

Combine ingredients in bowl and blend until smooth.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Soup

2011-10-31T10:39:00.000-07:00

This pumpkin soup recipe is sooooooooo good. I bought a big pumpkin for 10 cents a lb (they are now 5 cents a lb so I might just get another), cooked it up and made pumpkin puree just like I did last year. I always pick highly-rated and most-popular healthy recipes from allrecipes.com and I always look at the comments. Always. The comments are extremely helpful, and even they are rated according to how good they are. The comments at the top are the ones users feel make the recipe the best. I added celery and a bay leaf to this recipe thanks to the comments and I think it made all the difference. I've never had a soup that tasted so much like thanksgiving stuffing in my life - and I LOVE stuffing. Marquie and Patrick were here and can testify of how delicious it is. Replace the bouillon cube broth I used with James' homemade chicken stock and this soup would probably be the best soup I've ever had. James and Liz - you must tell me if you make this with your homemade broth.

Pumpkin Soup

6 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 tsp salt
6 cups fresh pumpkin puree
1 med-large onion, chopped
1 tsp dried thyme
3 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 ribs celery, chopped
1 bay leaf
fresh ground pepper, to taste
1 cup milk

Heat all ingredients except the milk in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes [I simmered for about 2 hours because I had the time]. Remove bay leaf, puree in blender or food processor and return to pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for another 30 minutes. Stir in milk and serve.

Autumn Panzanella

2011-10-22T15:20:00.000-07:00

I made this tonight for a family get together, and it's amazing. Panzanella is that salad we all love where you chop up tomatoes and toss it with bread/croutons and herbs and oil. Unfortunately, the season for this is past, so one must improvise. I made homemade croutons, half french bread, half sweet brown bread (from the day-old rack at WalMart) and they are truly amazing. If you're not in the mood to make your own croutons, then just use some pre-made ones and call it a day. It'll work.

This has everything amazing about Autumn—creamy butternut squash, crisp-tender cruciferous vegetables, parmesan cheese, herbs, crusty bread, and rich red onions. I highly recommend it.

Winter Panzanella

Adapted from Michael Chiarello

For the croutons:

1/4 cup unsalted butter

3 cloves finely chopped garlic

2 tsp chopped fresh thyme

6 cups day-old bread, crust removed, cubed

6 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan (I used the shredded stuff from the store)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the salad:

1 small red onion, sliced thinly lengthwise

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

salt

4 cups peeled, seeded, and diced butternut squash (1/2-inch dice)

1/2 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 pound Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed, then quartered (I had small sprouts, so I only halved them)

1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over moderate heat and cook until it foams. Add the garlic and thyme, and immediately add the bread cubes. Toss to coat well. Add most of the grated cheese and stir. Transfer bread to a baking sheet and sprinkle with the remaining cheese and salt and pepper and gently toss again while still warm to melt the cheese. Bake stirring once or twice, until the croutons are crisp and lightly colored on the outside but still soft within, about 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside and let cool. I know I said one could use store bought croutons, but these are amazing. I'm pretty sure I ate enough of them to throw off the intended balance of the salad. Oops!

Soak the sliced onion in the sherry vinegar and a pinch of salt for about 15 minutes. Set aside.

Toss the squash with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil, sage, salt, and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until the squash is tender and lightly caramelized, about 20 minutes. Let cool.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the quartered Brussels sprouts and cook until tender but retain a touch of crispness, about 90 seconds, then drain.

Into the reserved red onions and vinegar, whisk in remaining 1/2 cup olive oil. Season with pepper.

In a large bowl combine the roasted squash, croutons, and Brussels sprouts. Add the vinaigrette and toss. Add the parsley leaves and toss again. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Garnish with grated Parmesan, if you'd like, and serve immediately.

Curried Squash and Red Lentil Soup

2011-10-14T10:43:00.000-07:00

Mom made this soup for me while she was here and it was so good. I'm usually not a fan of non-creamy soups but I looked forward to this every time I had a bowl. We ate it with the squash rolls I posted last year. I had another one of those mammoth banana squashes to use up. Love those. I paid $3 for it and am just now using it for it's 5th dish.
I just happened to have red lentils on hand, that's why this recipe caught our attention. Anyone know more cool stuff to do with red lentils? I love finding new ways to use different kinds of grains that I don't usually cook with. We didn't make the cilantro oil for the topping, but I'm sure it's lovely.

Curried-Squash and Red-Lentil Soup

3 TB canola oil
2 TB butter
1 1/2lb butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces [we used banana squash]
1 large onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped,
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 TB minced peeled ginger [we used ginger powder]
1 TB curry powder
1 cup red lentils, picked over and rinsed
2 quarts water
1 tsp lemon juice
[we added some chicken bouillon at the end to make it more flavorful]

Heat oil with butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat until foam subsides, then cook squash, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, ginger, and 1 teaspoon salt, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and beginning to brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in curry powder and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring frequently, 2 minutes. Add lentils and water and simmer, covered, until lentils are tender, 25 to 40 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

Make cilantro oil:
Purée 1/2 cup cilantro, 1/2 cup oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a blender.

Serve soup drizzled with cilantro oil.

Spinach Quiche

2011-09-30T11:11:00.000-07:00

So, yeah, I got an iPad. I suppose I'll blog about that sometime on my regular blog. Maybe not. Anyways, I've been very much enjoying the ease and convenience of my new Epicurious app. We've still got this breakfast for dinner tradition going on Sundays, and one thing I haven't been enjoying about it is that it seems most breakfast foods take little prep. I can't take the leisure time available to me on Sundays to do something I truly enjoy: cooking. I love a good long cooking prep session as long as the product is a healthy meal that I can really be proud of (and if I get help tending Jaime, which is also available to me on Sundays). But, I decided the problem is only for lack of effort on my part. There are plenty of breakfast foods that involve the kind of prep that makes me feel good and proud of my cooking - chopping lots and lots of produce.

On this particular occasion I had spinach to use up and began my search for a spinach quiche. I found a a great recipe that I then altered to include even more produce and was very proud of the result. I've always had the feeling quiche was pretty unhealthy but I'm really happy with this quiche recipe. I basically filled up the homemade pie shell with sauteed produce and then poured a mixture of eggs and cottage cheese to fill in the holes.

Spinach Quiche

1 TB olive oil
1 onion
1 red bell pepper
1 bunch of spinach (or a 10 oz package frozen chopped spinach)
1 pie crust
1 tsp flour
1/2 cup monterey jack cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
4 eggs
1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp dillweed

Saute onion and pepper over med-high heat in olive oil until onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. Add spinach and stir until spinach is dry, about 3 minutes. Cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sprinkle both cheeses over bottom of crust. Top with spinach mixture. Beat eggs, cottage cheese, and spices in large bowl to blend. Pour over spinach mixture and bake until filling is set, about 50 minutes. Cool slightly, cut into wedges and serve.

Beet Greens

2011-09-02T08:05:00.000-07:00

We got some beats from the ward garden. We are still experimenting with the actual beats, but in the meantime we've discovered a salad we like to use up beat greens. It's delicious and healthy. Enjoy!

Beat Green Salad

2 bunches beat greens
salt and pepper to taste
3 TB olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 TB lemon juice
1/4 red onion, chopped
1 ripe tomato, chopped
1/4 cup almonds, toasted until golden

Rinse the greens thoroughly. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the greens and remove after 1 minute (blanching). Drain and rinse with cold water. Squeeze out the excess liquid and chop coarsely. In a large skillet, heat 2 TB olive oil then add greens, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir constantly for 2 minutes until the greens are tender but still brightly colored. Transfer to a bowl. Whisk lemon juice, salt, pepper and 1 TB olive oil together separately, pour over the greens and toss. Add onion, tomato and almonds. Toss again.

Garlic Roasted Summer Squash

2011-08-19T09:50:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe through a google search (go figure) the other day when I wanted a side dish for some yummy whole wheat pasta. It turned out better than I thought it would, maybe because of all the oil? I think my cooking standards dip lower than normal during pregnancy, so sue me. We all loved it and couldn't get enough. I didn't measure any of the ingredients, just used the recipe as a guideline and eye-balled it all, making some substitutions. Try it out with what you have in your kitchen.

Garlic Roasted Summer Squash

2 summer squash
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp herbes de Provence [substituted with rosemary, thyme, marjoram and fresh mint from the front yard, diced]
salt
pepper

Trim ends of squash and cut into thin wedges, lengthwise. Toss the squash in a bag or bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Spread on baking sheet and roast 5-10 minutes at 450 degrees.

Shepherd's Nachos

2011-08-13T14:55:00.000-07:00

Just dropping in to share a unique idea Justin came up with and I brought to fruition for lunch today. Mashed potatoes topped with beef, red bell pepper, onions and black beans (cooked and seasoned with taco seasoning), sprinkled with cheese and dolloped with sour cream and salsa. We ate it with corn tortilla chips.

Enjoy!

Breakfast for Dinner

2011-08-08T09:49:00.000-07:00

We're trying out a new tradition of having breakfast for dinner on Sundays. At first it was really hard to stick to because I could only think of the same handful of things to make, but lately we've gotten more creative.

Breakfast Pizza

Make a regular pizza "breakfast themed" by adding breakfast sausage and a good amount of drizzled egg. This one had tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, sausage, eggs and cheese. Delicious and incredibly filling.

Homemade English Muffins

Got the recipe here. Make the dough, roll it out, cut 'em out, let 'em rise, and cook 'em in a skillet.

We made ours into breakfast sandwiches by splitting them and adding egg, summer sausage and cheese.

So delicious!

2 New Treats

2011-07-05T21:31:00.000-07:00

Remember how delicious my lemon cheesecake is? Yeah. You'll love this. We had an extra package of cream cheese and an extra container of cool whip left over from the holiday yesterday. I put them to use in a new creation - my lemon cheesecake recipe turned into a lighter, firmer creamy lemon mousse. It is delicious and everyone loved it!

Lemon Cheesecake Mousse

1 graham cracker crust
8oz cream cheese
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup lemon juice
8oz cool whip

Use a hand mixer to smooth the cream cheese; add milk and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add lemon juice and beat until smooth. Add cool whip and beat just until combined (do not over beat or the cool whip will get runny). Pour into graham cracker crust and let set in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.

I created this next tantalizing treat a couple of weeks ago. Again we had two items that needed to be used up...is that how all of my new creations are made? It could be. This time the two items were a devil's food cake mix that was past its expiration date and a can of coconut milk that Jaime ripped the label off of. The result was a succulent better-than-whatever style chocolate coconut cupcake with Nutella frosting. If I could change one thing about what I did, it would be to make it in cake form instead of cupcakes. There are other issues, such as it's overly intense richness and the stiffness of the frosting...but I'll leave that up to you to experiment with.

Coconut Nutella Cupcakes

1 box Devil's Food cake mix
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 can coconut milk
butter
powdered sugar
Nutella
strawberries, or other garnish

Make cake mix according to package directions and add 1/2 can of coconut milk to batter before baking. Let cake cool and then poke holes in it as you do when making 'better-than-whatever' cake (for cupcakes I used a chopstick for smaller holes). Combine the rest of the coconut milk with sweetened condensed milk and pour into holes. Make Nutella frosting by creaming butter, adding powdered sugar and then adding Nutella. Enjoy!

Tell me what you think, what you'd do differently, or if you do make them, how they turn out!

Sausage and Pepper Penne Salad

2011-06-24T04:53:00.000-07:00

We've been busy on the salads this week. This won't be the last one. This was a meaty, grilled winner, and could easily be modified using Italian or any other sausage or skipping the meat entirely. Go with what makes you happy. Also, this is a biggie—it served 7 of us as a main dish, so scale down as needed, or invite someone over to help.

Grilled Sausage and Pepper Penne Salad

2 pounds fresh kielbasa, grilled to perfection

3 bell peppers, various colors, roasted or grilled, then diced

1 pound penne, cooked and drained

2 cups fresh spinach, chopped

2 large, ripe tomatoes, chopped

1 cup shredded cheese

Dressing:

1/2 cup [light] mayonnaise

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar, or to taste

salt and pepper

Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss together. Combine dressing ingredients and pour over, then mix well. Want more mayo? Add it. Need a little more vinegar tang like I did? pour it in! This is a great salad for using up leftovers.

Quick Tomato Salad

2011-06-24T04:49:00.000-07:00

We had this last night with a roasted chicken, and it was summer heaven. Make it now.

Tomato Salad

2 quarts grape or cherry tomatos, halved

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/2-1 cup fresh spinach, chopped

up to 1/4 cup fresh sage, or to taste, chopped

drizzle olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mix and serve. You might want to start easy on the sage and add more if you have a hankering. It can be overwhelming if you overdo it. Try to make the salad about 1/2 hour before you want to eat it so it will settle, mellow, and blend.

It's summer in a bowl.

Chinese Night

2011-05-31T20:26:00.000-07:00

You may already have these recipes, but here's a refresher because these are just too good to ignore.

This first one is an incredibly common dish in China that I had never before attempted before tonight, called Tudou Si. I looked for a recipe and found one on this site. I've also used the site for Smacked Cucumber, another incredibly common Chinese dish usually served as an appetizer. I really like the site and her very Chinese way of giving cooking instructions - no measurements, simply an order to things and descriptions of certain Chinese cooking techniques. It turned out okay but next time I'll cut the potatoes thinner and use less red pepper flakes. In China it usually has chopped dried red pepper instead of red pepper flakes, but I had to improvise.

Tudou Si (Shredded Potatoes)

oil
2 potatoes, julienned length-wise (smaller than the above picture)
1/3 green bell pepper
1-2 shakes red pepper flakes
vinegar
soy sauce

Heat oil in frying pan. Add potatoes and bell pepper and stir-fry over high heat until half cooked. Add the rest of ingredients and cook until potatoes are a pleasant firmness (add a few tablespoons of water every time they start sticking before they are soft enough).

Next is Chao Jidan, or Eggs and Tomatoes. This one wasn't quite as common, but every foreigner we knew ate it. It's a foreign crowd pleaser in China. The most prevalent memory I have of this dish is buying it with rice for less than a buck whenever I was hungry and didn't want to cook. I'd only made this a hand full of times, but after I made it tonight I asked myself "why am I not eating this all the time?" It's so delicious, and very easy. I received the recipe from a Relief Society Chinese cooking activity while in China. It's also on the site I mentioned above.

Chao Jidan (Eggs and Tomatoes)

oil
2 tomatoes, cut into thin wedges
garlic (I did 3-4 cloves)
4 eggs
sugar
salt
chicken bouillon

Heat oil in frying pan. Add eggs and scramble (this is a different kind of scrambling - dump the eggs in and then rapidly stir them in a big circle until they're all cooked - it makes tiny pieces and long pieces, not fluffy clumps). Remove from pan and set aside. Brown garlic in pan. Add tomatoes. If tomatoes bleed enough liquid you won't need to add any, but if they are sticking add a few tablespoons of water. Sprinkle small amounts of salt and sugar. Sprinkle bouillon to taste. Half cook the tomatoes and then add the eggs back in. Heat through.

I never ate this final dish in China. We ate it and learned to make it while staying with the Ye family in Taiwan. China does similar versions, usually by cooking the cabbage in strong and spicy sauces. It's simple, delicious, and can use up a whole cabbage at once. That's what I'm talking about.

Bacon Cabbage

1 head cabbage, cut into 1-2 inch square pieces
1/4 - 1/2 lb bacon or ham, cut into 1/2 inch slices
salt
sugar

Cook bacon in large stock pot. Drain as much grease as desired. Add cabbage and a few tablespoons of water. Cover and let steam until cabbage has collapsed, stirring occasionally.

Enjoy! We did.

Spanish Rice and 7-layer dip

2011-05-21T05:38:00.000-07:00

These two dishes sounded like a good combination for last night. I've made the Spanish Rice several times and love it. It's adapted from this recipe using the comments listed on that site. The 7-layer (actually 9 layer) dip was a first tonight but a success. It was adapted according to my desires using this recipe.

Spanish Rice

2 TB oil
1 cup uncooked white rice
1 onion, chopped
1+ cloves garlic, minced
1/2 green bell pepper [I put the whole thing in...when am I going to use the other half?]
2 cups chicken broth
1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes and green chiles [I used one can diced tomatoes, one can chopped green chiles]
2 tsp chili powder, or to taste
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin

Heat oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Saute onion, bell pepper and garlic. Add rice and brown. Stir in water, tomatoes and spices. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until rice is cooked and liquid is absorbed.

7-Layer Dip

1 lb sausage [I used 1/2 lb turkey sausage]
1 can refried beans
1 package taco seasoning
1 (4.5 oz) can chopped green chiles
[I added guacamole]
1 (16 oz) container sour cream [I did less - one thin layer]
1 (11 oz) jar salsa [I did less - a thin layer]
1 (6 oz) can sliced black olives
1 large tomato, diced
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend [I did less - one thin layer]
tortilla chips [I did Fritos]

Cook sausage in large skillet over medium heat until browned. Remove from heat and stir in beans, chiles and taco seasoning. Spread mixture into 9x13 serving dish. Layer in this order: [guacamole] sour cream, salsa, olives, tomato, green onion, and cheese. Serve with chips.

Cornbread and Sweet Potato Soup

2011-04-29T12:06:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, no pictures this time. I just wanted to let you know of two recipes I've been enjoying lately. The first is a cornbread that I make to serve with Jambalaya and it's delicious. I've made it 3 times or so, including a dinner for Liz and the boys and one for Michelle's family (so I'm sure they can vouch). The second is a sweet potato soup I've made 3 times as well, including while Liz and the boys were here. Today, I started making it and Jaime was interested in the process and got to help with stirring, dumping, etc. Near the end she saw me taste it and wanted a taste. So, I gave her a taste and then she wanted taste, after taste, after taste...you get the picture. To be honest though, she didn't like it so much that she would sit in her highchair and put her bib on to get a bowl of it. I made it ahead of time and will reheat for dinner. The comments on the website say it's better after it sits for awhile. I love these two, so enjoy!

Buttermilk Cornbread

1/2 cup butter, melted
2/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk [I make this ahead of time with vinegar and milk]
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt

Stir together butter and sugar. Add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended. Pour batter into greased 8 inch square pan. Bake for 30-40min at 375 degrees until toothpick comes out clean. [This also makes 12 cornmeal muffins. If you do muffins, cook for much less time, about 20 minutes.]

Creamy Sweet Potato Soup

2 TB olive oil
1 1/2 lbs peeled raw sweet potatoes, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 large onion, cut into large dice
1 TB butter
1 pinch sugar
3 large garlic cloves, thickly sliced
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups half-and-half [I used milk, but Jaime even liked it without]
salt and pepper, to taste
garnish: chopped honey-roasted peanuts

Heat oil over medium-high heat in medium soup pot. Add sweet potatoes and onion and saute 7-8 minutes until golden brown. Reduce heat to low and add butter, sugar and garlic. Cook about 10 minutes until vegetables are a rich spotty caramel color. Add ginger, nutmeg and cayenne and saute 1 minute until fragrant. Add broth, bring to a simmer over med-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer partially covered until sweet potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Blend mixture in blender or food processor until smooth, venting appropriately for steam release. Return to pot and add half-and-half or milk until desired consistency. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Heat through and ladle into bowls. Enjoy!

Biscuit Casserole

2011-04-22T11:04:00.000-07:00

So, I randomly got a craving for a dinner I had once about 7 years ago, and even then it was one of those deliciously unhealthy dinner-in-a-box things. I scoured the internet for recipes for this homemade chicken and biscuit casserole, and with help from James and Justin I was able to find a suitable recipe to base it off of. I left the chicken out, added extra vegetables and made the biscuits half wheat flour. Come on. Who are you talking to?

Biscuit Casserole

1/4 cup butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 rib celery [I did 2 ribs]
1/3 cup white flour
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 tsp dried sage [I don't have sage, so I used half thyme half rosemary]
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken [omitted - used extra peas until mixture was good consistency, I would also recommend chopped potatoes]
2 cups vegetables of your choice [I used a frozen bag of mixed veggies]
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in medium-sized pot. Stir in the onion and celery, cover and cook for 7-8 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add the flour, stirring 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the chicken stock. When it starts to thicken, whisk in the milk. Add spices, chicken and vegetables and stir until mixture is heated through. Remove from heat, spread in casserole dish and set aside.

For biscuit topping:

2 cups flour [I did half white half wheat]
1 TB baking powder
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
3/4 cup milk

Meanwhile, turn oven on to 375 degrees and begin biscuits. Combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Cut in butter using hands. Add the milk and stir briskly, just until the dough pulls together.

Flour your work surface, knead the dough two or three times, and flatten to about 1/2 inch thick. Using a cup or biscuit cutter, cut the dough into round biscuits and place on top of casserole, edges touching.

Bake until biscuits are golden brown and filling is bubbly, about 20-30 minutes. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving. Makes 6-8 servings.

We all enjoyed it, but in retrospect I'd do a few things differently. First off, the creamy filling wasn't quite as delicious as I thought it should be. Suggestions? I think it needs a bit more flavor, and might even be good a bit spicy. Also, the biscuits weren't nearly as fluffy as I wanted them to be. All white flour? Biscuits from a can? Homemade rolls instead? Those are my thoughts.

Chocolate Chubbies

2010-12-31T09:06:00.000-08:00

Best.

Cookie.

Name.

Ever.

Marquie and I made these today as a great farewell treat to, well, ourselves. We've had such fun cooking and chatting in the kitchen this week, and this was a totally out of control, over the top way to finish off what has been a truly amazing week. Here's how you eat them:

Step 1: Contemplate

Step 2: Prepare

Step 3: Rocket that thing into your mouth so fast your hand is blurry

Step 4: Lick Fingers

Step 5: Reaction

Chocolate Chubbies

Adapted from Sarabeth Levine

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

9 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped

1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/4 cups superfine sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup white chocolate chips

1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

2 cups peanuts

Preheat oven to 350˚F and line two sheet pans with parchment. Place oven racks in upper and lower thirds oven.

Combine butter, 9 oz. chopped chocolate and 3 oz. unsweetened chocolate in top of a double boiler and heat over barely simmering water until melted completely, combined, and silky smooth. That there is chocolate amazing. Pull it off the heat and let it cool—you'll probably have to stir it from time to time to make that happen in a timely manner.

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. Put eggs in a large mixer bowl with whisk attachment and beat until they are foamy, about 1 minute. Slowly add sugar and vanilla and continue to beat on medium speed until thick, creamy, and richly pale yellow, 3-4 minutes. Add melted chocolate and beat just until combined. Switch to paddle beater and add flour mixture, mixing until just combined.

Now you add your chubby ingredients: chocolate chips and nuts, and mix until combined. Now, I decided you can use almost anything you have on hand for this, but you need the amounts indicated in the original recipe. We had peanuts and different chocolates, so that's what we used, and they're great. They'd be better with the original walnuts and pecans, to be sure, but what can you do when you're baking cookies first thing in the morning?

Yeah, we're like that.

Use your cookie scoop to mound these onto your cookie sheets, and bake 15-18 minutes, or until they are shiny and just barely start to crackle. Try not to overcook them—you can even leave the centers a little mushy if you want. Cool on the pans, then eat them the way Marquie showed you.

Pancakes and Waffles...now healthier...

2010-12-23T14:53:00.000-08:00

I love my new wheat grinder. The great thing about it, besides the fact that it provides freshly ground wheat flour any day, any time, is that is grinds all sorts of other grains. I am now actively grinding dried corn and pursuing recipes that involve cornmeal. Know any good ones?

I have a few recipes lined up to try and today I tried the pancake recipe from this discussion board. It was delightful, and I recommend it to anyone wishing to add more grains to his or her diet. I'll sum up.

Cornmeal Pancakes

1 cup cornmeal
1 tsp salt
1 TB sugar
1 cup boiling water
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 TB butter
1/2 cup flour [I used white, but I'm sure whole wheat would have been good]
2 tsp baking powder

Combine cornmeal, salt and sugar. Stir in boiling water, cover and let stand 10 min. Meanwhile, beat together egg, milk and butter in one small bowl and mix together flour and baking powder in another. Add them to the cornmeal mixture. Cook on pan or griddle.

After pouring our first pancake we thought it was too runny, so we added flour, then we decided it was to thick and added milk, and in the end we think the original texture was probably just fine, but you are welcome to play around like we did to find the right thickness for you.

We decided to have waffles for dinner one night and I maintained that I did not have a reliable waffle recipe. Dang you Bryce and your '3 second pour of oil' crap! I went fishing on allrecipes.com. This is often where I go looking for recipes. The trick is that once you search for something, click "sort by rating." This way, you'll see all the recipes that everybody just loves. Another trick is to take a glance at the comments, for they often have useful tips for adjusting the recipe to be even better. After such a long intro, here is the recipe:

Whole Grain Waffles

2 eggs
1 3/4 cup skim milk
1/4 cup canola oil [you can replace this with applesauce]
1/4 cup applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup flax seed meal
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup white flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 TB sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Mix dry and wet ingredients separately and then combine. Cook in waffle iron until waffles are crisp and golden brown.

Popping Gnocchi

2010-12-12T20:22:00.000-08:00

I wish I cooked enough to actually post something useful on this blog, but fortunately Bryce and I found something far better than anything we could have come up with in the kitchen on our own. Check out the popping gnocchi.

Calzones

2010-12-09T12:45:00.000-08:00

Okay, so this picture is totally just to make you jealous. But really, they were that good!

I want to let you know what I put in these creations. First, I should let you know that I made these for our "break the fast" meal on Sunday. They were delicious, but we only managed to eat half each!

I made a 1/4 recipe of Heather's pizza dough recipe (half white, half whole wheat), and then put together a mixture of staples and leftovers from the fridge for the filling:

onions
garlic
cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 a cucumber, diced
1 cup lettuce, minced
1/2 can corn
1 shredded carrot
1/3 lb ground beef
1/2 cup pepperoni slices, quartered

I'm sure there were more things in there, but I can't remember them. I used any and all leftover vegetables I had in the fridge. I combined it with a homemade cream sauce (2 TB butter, 1/4 cup flour, 1/2 cup milk), some leftover spaghetti sauce (1/4 cup), and a sprinkle of italian seasoning. Justin did the rolling and pinching, making sure to add shredded cheese on top of the mix before sealing. We baked them at 420 degrees until golden brown and painted with pesto from Costco.

The best part? Jaime loved it. She's starting to be a finicky eater and I get excited when I find something she'll eat a lot of. Excuse me, something HEALTHY that she'll eat a lot of. She's down with junk food.

Butternut Bisque

2010-11-26T12:58:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving Dinner this year, we had a four course meal and served one course at a time with musical programs and even just a little visiting and playing in between courses. It was a great success and made it very fun for the cooks who labored in the kitchen for two days that the meal lasted hours instead of minutes. Plus we cleaned up each portion between courses, so clean up seemed to be a snap!

So, here is our recipe for our first course...soup....it was delicious! We juiced our own apples for the apple juice, so my guess is it was a bit sweeter and thicker than it would be if we had bought juice at the store. Even the kids liked it!

Ingredients:
4 Tablespoons sweet butter
2 cups finely chopped yellow onions
4 to 5 teaspoon curry powder
2 medium-sized butternut squash (about 3 pounds)
2 apples - peeled, cored, and chopped
3 cups chicken stock

1 cup apple juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 shredded and unpeeled Granny Smith apple (garnish)

Directions:
Melt the butter in a pot. Add curry powder and chopped onions and cook, covered, on low until onions are tender, about 25 minutes. Meanwhile, scrape out the seeds from the squash and chop the flesh. When onions are tender, pour in the stock, add squash and apples, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer partially covered, until squash and apples are very tender, about 25 minutes. Pour the soup through a strainer, reserving liquids, and transfer the solids to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, or use a food mill fitted with a medium disc. Add 1 cup of the cooking stock and process until smooth. Return pureed soup to the pot and add apple juice and additional cooking liquid, about two cups, until the soup is of the desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper, simmer briefly to heat through and serve immediately, garnish with shredded apple.

Serves: 4 to 6.

Hummus

2010-11-05T09:42:00.000-07:00

I know you all know how to make hummus. You've told me so. What I discovered a couple of months ago, though, is that you all neglect one of the essential ingredients in hummus.

Really people? If you're not making Hummus with Tahini, what are you thinking? Please give it a try.

I've combined a few recipes and tweaked it to my own tastes. Here's the recipe I use:
Hummus

3 cups garbanzo beans, drained (reserve bean juice for blending)
1/3 cup tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 cloves garlic [I usually double this]
1 TB olive oil
1 tsp cumin
2 sprinkles crushed red pepper

Blend in blender, adding the bean juice to get it to the consistency you want. Place in serving dish and sprinkle with paprika and parsley.

I serve it with sliced carrots, celery and cucumber. It can also be served with pita or chips. It's up to you, but it's a 100% healthy snack or side dish when served with vegetables.

Fall Favorites

2010-10-31T12:59:00.000-07:00

Seriously, are you all bored? Speak now or forever hold your peace.

This is an alternative winter squash soup recipe. I happened to like it more, but Justin's sticking by the bisque. I like how it's less intense - less thick, less creamy and less sweet. I guess Justin is all for intensity in food. What's your food style?

Creamy Squash Soup

3 cups diced winter squash
1 1/2 cups diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
2 TB diced carrot
1 tsp basil
1/4 tsp each sugar and white pepper
1/8 tsp each ground cloves and mace [I left out mace because I didn't have it]
1/2 tsp salt
2 TB butter [I used canola oil]
2 1/2 cups chicken stock [I used my homemade vegetable stock]
1 cup half-and-half cream
1/2 cup heavy cream
paprika
minced fresh chives [I left these out because I didn't have them]

Cook and stir vegetables, herbs and seasonings in butter 10 minutes. Add stock, cover, bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer until vegetables are tender. Puree, add creams and heat through; do not boil. Cool, chill and adjust seasonings [I ate it hot and cold at different times, and either works fine]. Sprinkle with paprika and chives [Justin gave me the idea to give the paprika a swirl and it looked way cooler].

I found these this season as well, made them a couple of times and they've never failed to delight. I turned these into whole wheat wonders as well and recommend it. I first made them when Marquie was over and she seemed to enjoy them. Then I made them when my sister and her son were over, and they loved them too. My sister was impressed that they were whole wheat, because you couldn't really tell, and her son loved the fun shapes (see below). Jaime even loved them, which makes me so happy! I love when she snarfs things that are 1) whole wheat and 2) have vegetables within.

Pumpkin Pancakes

2 cups flour [I used whole wheat]
3 TB brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp allspice [I can't seem to find this in stores, so I always substitute with a mixture of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt]
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree [I used 1-2 cups fresh pumpkin puree]
1 egg
2 TB vegetable oil [I used canola]
2 TB vinegar

Mix together dry and wet ingredients separately, then combine. Oil griddle or pan on medium high heat and pour batter onto griddle in whatever amounts you desire. Serve hot.

If you happen to be making these for Halloween like I was, it never hurts to get out the cookie cutters and let the kids have at it. Apparently, it makes them much more appealing than regular pancakes.

I also gave these a try to use up some acorn squash and don't have anything good to say about them.

I particularly disliked the seasoning of the innards. That much parsley without any other spices just ruined them for me, but Justin likes them. So, if you've got some acorn squash and the picture looks good to you, click on the link and give it a try. If you think the parsley would be an issue for you too, switch it up to accommodate your liking of spices.

Bread and Yogurt

2010-10-28T09:47:00.000-07:00

I had a friend request Mom's wheat bread recipe, so here it goes.

Mom's Whole Wheat Bread

2 1/2 cups hottest tap water
1/4 cup honey or 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup oil
1 TB salt
4 cups flour

Mix. Add 1 TB yeast. Mix. Add flour until dough pulls away from sides of bowl. Knead for 4 minutes. Scoop batter onto oiled surface and let sit for 10 minutes. Divide in half. Form each into a loaf, put in loaf pans (I use one loaf pan and 1 glass bowl because I don't have two loaf pans). Let rise until dough reaches top of pan. Bake at 370 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove from pans and let cool.

Also, I know I've given it to some of you already, but below is my homemade yogurt recipe. I discovered this recipe on a baby food website. I'm now making it for the whole family and have it memorized. I suggest starting this process in the morning, so you can keep an eye on it in the cooler throughout the day. If not, do it right before bed and check it in the morning.

Homemade Yogurt

1 gallon milk
1 small cup of yogurt with active cultures (read the ingredient list)
candy thermometer
camping cooler
heating pad

Heat milk in large stock pot, slowly, stirring constantly to avoid film on the bottom of the pan. Keep track of the temperature and when it reaches 185 degrees, remove from heat. Let it cool until it is between 105-115 degrees. Whisk in yogurt and pour into containers (I use canning jars). Place containers in camping cooler with heating pad. Have the heating pad turned on to medium*. Keep the temperature inside around 110 degrees (just guess) for 4-10 hours, until the yogurt is set. Refrigerate until served.

*if you don't have a cooler and/or heating pad, there are other ways of doing this. The website lists some more options, or you can email me and I'll talk to you about it.

Another Laundry List

2010-10-27T09:55:00.000-07:00

Am I boring you all now? I guess I'm the only one excited about the recipes I've been trying. I know Justin has just about had it with my obsession of taking pictures of the things I make.
Here are some fun ways to spice up this fall

First, my favorite: Spooky Chips (I came up with the title :). I found this recipe in this year's Taste of Home Halloween Edition. I used Marquie's birthday party as my excuse to make them. Aren't they so fun?
Spooky Chips

flour tortillas
taco seasoning OR salt
cooking spray
halloween cookie cutters

Press cookie cutters into a stack of about 8 tortillas (depending on how deep your cutters cut).

Separate shapes and place on greased cookie sheet. Spray shapes with cooking spray. Sprinkle with taco seasoning or salt.

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until edges just begin to brown. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Next, more efforts to use banana squash. This recipe was amazing. The creator of the recipe admits it's from his friend's restaurant. I made it and Justin and I agreed that it is very rich and also very filling.

Winter Squash Bisque

5 cups winter squash, peeled and chopped
3 TB oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped [I didn't have any, so left them out]
2 apples OR pears, peeled and chopped
2 cups apple cider OR vegetable stock (if using stock add 2 TB brown sugar)
1 tsp asian 5 spice powder [I didn't have this, and substituted with a mixture of red pepper flakes, cloves and salt]
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup maple syrup [I used maple flavored regular syrup]
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp salt and more to taste
1/2 tsp white pepper

Season squash with salt and 5 spice powder, place on a greased cookie sheet, and bake for 30-45 minutes until tender and lightly browned.

Meanwhile, cook the onions, carrots, apples or pears in a large soup pot and season with cinnamon. Add the apple cider and roasted squash and simmer until vegetables are soft. Add syrup and cream and simmer a few more minutes. Puree the mixture and season with salt and pepper. Serve garnished with butter/cinnamon croutons, cinnamon sugar wontons, or drizzled sweetened sour cream.

Lastly, a final effort to discover ways to use pumpkin. I'm now content with the recipes I've found and feel confident I can use up my pumpkin reserves. I turned these into whole wheat wonders and wouldn't do it any other way. It does change the taste, but is well worth the nutritional and fibrous benefits. This recipe made 12 regular muffins and 24 mini muffins that I sent to work with Justin and he passed around there. They were a hit.

Pumpkin Muffins

2 cups of homemade pumpkin puree
3 cups flour [I used freshly ground whole wheat]
2 cups sugar [I used 1 1/2 cups]
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil [I used canola, it's better for you than vegetable oil]
3 eggs

Combine dry ingredients; set aside. Blend wet ingredients in a large bowl. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients until smooth. Scoop batter into muffin cups or greased muffin tin. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.

The best part of this recipe was how much Jaime enjoyed it, and how she showed her enthusiasm. I scooped some patter into this small glass bowl and microwaved it. Didn't know you could bake in the microwave? Think again. I gave her the bowl and she loved it. After awhile she gave up on using her hands to eat the crumbly muffin and resorted to other methods. She and I snacked on these together all day. I loved that she ate so much whole wheat!

Winter Squash

2010-10-21T09:42:00.000-07:00

Confession. I am having a love affair with the farmer's market. Yes, Justin knows. I just can't help myself. This is where I've obtained my beloved pumpkins, squashes, peppers, peaches, you name it. I love the produce, the people, and the prices. When Saturday comes around, I can't keep away!

Most recently, I've decided to take on banana squash. I couldn't help myself when I saw this at the farmer's market for only $1! It's my everest.

I began my search for acceptable recipes. I soon learned that search results for "banana squash" will yield recipes that have both bananas and squash (all kinds of squash) in them. After a tad bit of research, I learned that banana squash, along with pumpkin and acorn squash (which I also have) are part of a larger category, winter squash, that can virtually be used interchangeably. Consequently, searching "winter squash" yields much more satisfactory results. By the way, I can't wait for the day when I just know this kind of stuff, and am not such a newbie who has to learn it all for the first time. I find myself so fascinated with people older than I, who I can sit with and ask all sorts of questions, and they have such vast knowledge, knowledge that is only gathered from hard-earned experience.

I digress. The point is, I've got some ideas brewing for winter squash. They are so cheap right now, so take advantage of the sales!

This first recipe, from ifood.tv, was generally good and we enjoyed it, but I'd use it as a side dish instead of a main dish. And with how easy it is, it's worth making it as a side dish in my opinion.

Squash Casserole

3/4 cup onion, minced
1 green pepper, chopped
3 banana peppers, chopped (peppers are a great price right now at the farmer's market too!)
butter
2 cups squash, stewed, drained and mashed
2 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups cracker crumbs

Saute onion, green pepper and banana peppers in butter until soft. Combine with squash. Add eggs, salt and pepper. Place in casserole dish and cover with thin layer of cracker crumbs. Dot with butter and cook for about 25 minutes.

Next, rolls. Oh how we love rolls at our house. These, from allrecipes.com, were amazing. They've got me scheming to put squashed vegetables into all the bread I make.

Winter Squash Rolls

1 1/2 cups cubed winter squash, boiled and mashed [save this broth for the soup recipes I have coming up!]
1 cup milk scaled
2 TB yeast
1/2 cup warm water
6 cups flour (I used half whole wheat, half white)
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tsp salt
1/2 shortening [I used canola oil]

Dissolve yeast in warm water, set aside. In bowl or mixer, combined 5 cups flour, sugar and salt. Add yeast mixture, shortening, squash and milk. Mix well. Add remaining flour until correct consistency. Knead. Place in oiled bowl, cover with damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Form dough into rolls and place in 13x9 baking dish. Cover with damp cloth again and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

This next recipe is reverting back to my efforts to use pumpkin in new and interesting ways. Check this out - pumpkin stir fry! For some reason, ours came out really spicy, which doesn't really make sense to me considering the ingredients. I would recommend trying it, but again, not as the only main dish. I'd make this again, but maybe in tandem to one or two other chinese dishes.

Stir-fried Pumpkin

3 TB olive oil [I used canola]
1 tsp minced garlic [I used more]
4 cups cubed fresh pumpkin [do small cubes, mine were too big and it didn't get as soft as it probably should]
1/2 cup grated carrot
2 TB soy sauce
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp black sesame seeds [I used white]

Heat the oil in a large skillet [we used our wok]. Saute onion and garlic until onions begin to brown. Stir in the pumpkin, carrot, soy sauce, and pepper. Cook another 5 to 7 minutes until pumpkin is tender. Sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving.

Happy winter squash cooking!

Pumpkins!

2010-10-14T09:15:00.000-07:00

I've acquired a few pumpkins this year, for decoration and for eating. I've only done a few things with them so far, and am looking for good ideas. But for now, I'll show you what I've come up with. If you've got pumpkins, put them to good use.

First of all, pumpkin puree. I learned how to make this here, and it worked just great. Mine came out lighter than the example, but I can't see why that's a problem.

Second, the seeds. Clean the yucky stuff off them, rinse them in cold water, spread them out on a greased baking sheet, sprinkle with salt, and bake for 25 minutes at 325 degrees, stirring once. They are delicious.

Third, soup. This recipe isn't anything to brag about, but it's good.

Black Bean Pumpkin Soup - Yield: 9 cups

Three 15 1/2 ounce cans black beans (about 4 1/2 cups), rinsed and drained [*see note*]
1 cup drained canned tomatoes, chopped
1 1/4 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup minced shallot [omitted]
4 garlic cloves minced
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
4 cups beef broth
a 16-ounce can pumpkin puree (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup dry Sherry [omitted]
1/2 pound cooked ham, cut into 1/8-inch dice [omitted]
3 to 4 tablespoons Sherry vinegar [I used regular vinegar]

Garnish: sour cream and coarsely chopped lightly toasted pumpkin seeds

In a food processor coarsely puree beans and tomatoes.

In a 6-quart heavy kettle cook onion, shallot, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper in butter over moderate heat, stirring, until onion is softened and beginning to brown. Stir in bean puree. Stir in broth, pumpkin, and Sherry until combined and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 25 minutes, or until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Just before serving, add ham and vinegar and simmer soup, stirring, until heated through. Season soup with salt and pepper.

Serve soup garnished with sour cream and toasted pumpkin seeds.

*beans: if I haven't told you already, the rice cooker does wonders on dried beans. I discovered this in China. They will be soft as canned beans after two cycles on the rice cooker, changing the water in between cycles.

Fourth, I made pumpkin pie today and found the recipe here.

Share your knowledge about pumpkin usage! I am eager.

Granola

2010-09-16T21:15:00.000-07:00

I stayed with Grandma and Grandpa for awhile and came to love their granola, fast. Soon after I left, I called her for the recipe and was able to obtain everything I needed at Winco, in Orem.

Grandma’s Granola

4 cups rolled oats
1 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup brown sugar or honey
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups mixture of extras (seeds: sunflower, flax, pumpkin)
1/2 cup maple syrup [I used maple flavored syrup, its much cheaper]
1/3ish cup oil (put 2 TB water in a 1/2 cup, and fill it up the rest of the way with oil)
1/2 tsp cinnamon [I used more cinnamon than this, and also a bit of nutmeg]
coconut (optional)

Mix together ingredients (besides coconut) and bake flat on cookie sheets for 30 minutes at 275 degrees [I used Mom’s input on this and cooked it for longer, 35-40 minutes to make it crispier, and I think it’s better that way]. If desired, sprinkle coconut over the top and bake for 5 more minutes.

It is SOooooo good. Mix it with yogurt and chopped fruit and you’ll have a breakfast that always hits the spot! Plus, I love how it is so healthy - so much fiber and not too much sugar.

Non-Meat Meals

2010-09-16T10:06:00.001-07:00

I've been doing a great deal of culinary experimentation lately. Justin and I are diligently seeking to eat meat more and more sparingly. I think Justin is going along somewhat reluctantly though. He loves his meat. I think he wants to make the change but his heart isn't in it. To illustrate, here's a story for your reading pleasure.

He called me on his way home from work one day, already informed that we were eating a delicious surprise meal that night. "Hon, guess what? We're having a vegetarian dinner!" I said, awaiting his response. Long pause. He begins slow, "I need you to do me a favor." "What's that?" I asked apprehensively. "I need you to not use the word vegetarian." "What?" "When we're eating something without meat, I want you to call it a 'non-meat dish' instead of a 'vegetarian dish.'" "Okay..." Upon further discussion, I learned that to him, the word vegetarian has a multitude of politically and religiously charged arguments, none of which he believes are sound. So, we call them non-meat dishes at our house.

With no more ado, here are my concoctions. One with picture, one without.

Non-meat Chicken Supreme Casserole (from Hutchings cookbook, by Michelle)

Follow cookbook directions, with the following exception:

Precook a little bit more potato cubes as you usually do, and instead of mixing chicken in with the potato cubes for the bottom layer, mix in chopped onions and garlic sauteed with montreal chicken seasoning, chicken bouillon and any other spices you feel like. Then mix in a can or two of diced tomatoes before spreading it in the bottom of the pan.

It is delicious and you won't regret making it this way.

I'll admit, Justin was pretty displeased with me when I made "Chicken Supreme Casserole" with no chicken. When he tasted it he got really quiet, so I asked him, "how do you like it?" and he responded "I'm not going to deny that I love it....but next time, with meat!...okay, well, sometimes with meat....maybe on my birthday?" I love him.

This next one might surprise you. I revamped the title.

Aji de Potato

Justin laughed out loud when I told him what we were having for dinner.

You know that delicious Peruvian chicken dish that I make? It's just as delicious with potatoes in place of chicken.

Follow the family cookbook's directions, with the following exception.

Instead of precooking the chicken and shredding it, precook diced potatoes and add them in at the same time you would the chicken

I served this one with Indian Naan Bread which was also delicious, and I had no complaints from Justin. Here's the recipe I used. I don't remember where I got it.

2 3/4 cups flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 egg
1/2 cup plain lowfat yogurt or sour cream (I used my homemade yogurt)
1/2 cup milk

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl by hand), stir together the flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, and yeast. In a small bowl, mix together the egg, yogurt, and milk. Pour the egg mixture into the dry ingredients and stir for about 1 minute, until the dry ingredients are completely incorporated into the wet ingredients.

Increase machine speed to 2 (or by hand) and knead the dough until it is smooth and shiny. Remove the bowl from the mixer and cover with a towel. Leave in a warm place to rise until the dough doubles in size, about an hour.

Put a baking stone or heavy baking sheet on the lowest rack of your oven. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees for at least 30 minutes prior to baking.

Divide the dough into eight pieces and form into teardrop (mine were more like oval) shapes with your hands, about 6 to 8 inches across.

Cook two or three pieces at a time. Drop the dough onto the hot stone and shut the oven door, watching until they are just starting to turn brown in places, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Remove the naan and lay on a board. Butter the naan with garlic butter after it comes out of the oven.

I have a funny story about this one, too. If you'll notice, it calls for preheating the stone. I did, but what you should know is that my stone has never been seasoned. So, it goes about it's smelly smoke-producing seasoning business unbeknown to me, as I stepped out with Jaime on the front lawn. While I was out there, I met another young mother in my neighborhood and invited her in to see our home. The house was filled with smoke and smelled terribly. To ad insult to injury, I also showed her the backyard which happenwedd to have our underwear draped everywhere, line drying, due to a nonfunctional dryer outlet. I felt pretty foolish and haven't seen the woman since (but I'm determined to make her a park-going friend). By the way, the dryer outlet is now fixed thanks to Bryce.

Happy non-meat cooking to you all!

Puffs Unplugged

2010-08-03T13:12:00.001-07:00

Here's another idea that would be fun for kids (and adults too!) I did my regular cream puff recipe but put all of the dough in zip lock bags, cut the tip off and handed them out.

We drew shapes and wrote names (they must be thick or they will burn).
Cooked them for about half the time. Separated the filling into individual bowls.
Scraped them off the pan (you might consider greasing) and watched them disappear!

Nuts and Bolts Trail Mix

2010-07-25T12:42:00.000-07:00

This is another of my crock-pot favorites. For those of you with the book, it is page 393. I have made this twice and loved it both times. I am putting the original recipe here, but I halved the sugar and still loved it. Experiment and choose your fancy.

2 1/2 c unsalted nuts ( I used cashews, pistachios, peanuts, and almonds(when Joe isn't eating it))
1 1/2 c pretzel sticks
1 cup dried cranberries (the second time I substituted half for unsweetened dried bananas)
2 T butter, melted
1 1/2 tsp water
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c sugar

Use 6 quart slow cooker. Put nuts, pretzels, and fruit into the stoneware. Combine remaining ingredients. Pour over the top of dry ingredients. Stir well to coat. Cover and cook on high 2 to 3 hours, ( I did 2), stirring every 30 minutes. When the nuts are toasty, spread out on parchment, tinfoil, whatever. Let cool and enjoy. My kids thought this was awesome.

Sorry it s blurry, but it is yummy.

Cream Puff Swans

2010-07-23T12:19:00.000-07:00

Swan puffs are a beloved childhood treat of mine. I have fond memories of making them with my mother, and more importantly stuffing my face with the puffs and filling. These are in your recipe additions, but I thought I'd show you what the end result is like and calm your fears. These are not complicated!

You can make any cream puff recipe you like. Save a little batter, put it into a zip lock bag, cut off the tip, and squeeze several candy cane shapes on a cookie sheet. Don't cook these as long as the puffs. From my experience, keep your eye on them and take them out 15 minutes or so before the others are done. These will be the necks.

When you're cutting off the tops, scraping out the middle, and filling them with a wonderfully creamy mixture of pudding and whipped topping, cut the tops in half and stick them in the top for the wings! Yours will look better than mine. I pulled my puffs out too soon and they sank, which presented all sorts of problems, including the wings being rather pitiful.

Give it a try!

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pot Pie

2010-07-22T05:48:00.000-07:00

I had a fantastic discovery last night. It turned out much better than yesterday's Bacon Potato Chowder, which I won't post. The amazing discovery was using part of a ranch dressing packet to flavor the homemade white sauce. It was delicious. I really don't have any measurements for most of the things I added, but I'll do my best.

I used my super easy pie crust for this. It's in the new additions to the cook book, but here it is again:

Combine 2 cups flour (I used 1 cup white, 1 cup wheat) and 1/2 tsp salt. Add 1/3 cup milk and 2/3 cup vegetable oil. Stir until combined, divide in two (one slightly bigger, for the bottom). Roll out the bigger one between wax paper and transfer to pie tin. Roll out the smaller one and set aside.

I use it for every kind of pie that I do. I don't think I'll ever roll out a dry pastry pie crust again. I baked the bottom for about 30 minutes at 400 degrees until it was browned. I definitely recommend precooking the bottom, it made it nice and crunchy and sufficiently rigid to stay in-tact when served.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pot Pie

1 large celery stalk, diced
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup frozen spinach
2 small potatoes, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1/4 cup onions, diced
4 cloves of garlic, diced
3/4 cup bacon, cooked and crumbled
3/4 cup chicken, cooked and cubed
3/4 cup sausage, cooked (I added this because we had plenty on hand that needed to be used up)
1 large dollop of sour cream
dash of salt
dash of pepper

Use almost any amounts of these, until you have enough to fill up the pie dish. Precook the potatoes and carrots by boiling them in water to soften them. I also sautéed the onions and garlic together before adding them to the mix, but they probably don't need it. Combine veggies and meat in a bowl and set aside.

White sauce:

1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
1 1/4 cup milk
1/3 to 1/2 packet of ranch dressing mix

Melt butter in saucepan, whisk in flour to combine. Gradually add milk, whisking continually. When sauce thickens, remove from heat. DO NOT allow to boil. Add ranch dressing mix until it tastes right to you.

Stir white sauce into veggies and meat. Add the dollop of *sour cream and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fill precooked pie shell. Cover with top crust and decorate however you'd like. I smooshed Vs on the outside and did a star in the middle. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees.

*Note: the sour cream was to make it more moist because it was looking dry. You can add more sour cream if it still looks dry after one dollop, or you can make more white sauce in the first place.

Easy Curry

2010-07-19T13:06:00.000-07:00

I must admit something to you all. I'm scared to death of James' recipes that look complicated. When there's a long ingredient list chock-full of ingredients I'm not sure I've ever heard of, my stomach cramps up and I think to myself "oh gee, I'll never be able to make that...it looks lovely though..." So, for anyone else that's ever felt that, here's a curry you can handle.

Easy Curry

3 medium carrots, cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 medium potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch slices, quartered
2 medium onions, cut into 1/4 inch wedges
6 cloves of garlic, minced
strips of chicken (any amount, optional)
1 can coconut milk (the thick kind, if possible)
curry powder
sugar
salt
cornstarch and cold water

Place vegetables (and chicken) in large pot with barely enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil and boil until vegetables are about 80% eatable softness. Drain a small amount of water (just enough to not completely cover the vegetables anymore). Add the coconut milk and sprinkle 3 parts curry powder, 2 parts sugar and 1 part salt (I usually prepare the proportions ahead of time in a small bowl) until it tastes as strong as you want it to. When it tastes right to you, thicken with cornstarch mixture. Serve over cooked rice.

Edamame!!!!

2010-07-19T08:10:00.000-07:00

Today my piano lessons' Mom brought be an edamame salad to eat for lunch--I haven't had lunch yet, but I had to snitch the salad. It is incredible and I'm very much looking forward to lunch. Luckily, she also gave me the recipe, so I thought I would share it!

Black Bean and Edamame Salad

1 10-ounce package frozen shelled edamame, thawed
1 15-ounce can low-sodium black beans*, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup chopped red onion
2 cups thinly sliced celery (about 3 medium stalks)
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
2 cups of your favorite cabbage, chopped, or cole slaw mix
*Optional: low-sodium kidney beans, white beans, or blackeyed peas can be substituted for black beans [or even just added]

For the rice vinegar dressing:
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt, optional

1. In a large bowl, mix together the ingredients.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients, then add to the vegetable mixture. Chill until cold, about 1 hour. Serve

(Make this salad up to one day ahead, because the longer it marinates with the dressing, the better it gets!)

Per serving with dressing: 383 calories, 22g protein, 56 g carbohydrate, 8 g fat, 21 g fiber, 49 mg sodium.

Give it a try. I think you'll like it!

POPCORN on steroids

2010-07-16T07:11:00.000-07:00

This post is about an experiment that I need y'all's cooking expertise to perfect!

Yummy Popcorn

Popped popcorn
Chocolate, melted
Peanut butter, melted
Peanuts, chopped
salt

Pop popcorn using an air popper. Spread into jelly roll pans. Drizzle chocolate and peanut butter. Sprinkle peanuts. Sprinkle salt. Eat.

Commentary:

I melted an unsweetened baking chocolate cube and added butter, sugar and corn syrup. It would have worked better if I hadn't allowed it to come to a boil as many times as it did during the melting process. As it was, it hardened into a stiff gel upon pouring, and we were required to eat it from the pan, instead of putting it in a bowl.

I melted the peanut butter in the microwave. I had a bit of trouble with it: I wanted it runnier, so I put it in the microwave again which made it too hard, so I added water and it made it worse, so I added honey and it still didn't work out. So, I put it in a zip lock bag, cut off the tip and squeezed it on. I would recommend adding the honey, it was yummy, but I'd skip all of the hassle of trying to make it runny enough and put it in a zip lock bag right after the first microwaving.

I'd really like to figure out a way for the chocolate to stay looser, for the peanut butter to harden slightly, and for the nuts to stick better. If you have any advice on the matter, do say.

4th of July Treats

2010-07-07T18:48:00.000-07:00

Red, White and Blue Strawberries

desired number of strawberries, washed and dried (completely)
melted white chocolate
blue sprinkles

Dip strawberries two-thirds of the way into chocolate. Then dip the bottom one-third into the sprinkles. I found it helpful to dip and roll gently, in order to get clean lines.

Red, White and Blue Drinks

cranberry juice
blue gatorade
diet 7-Up
ice cubes

Put a few ice cubes into a see-through glass. Pour 1/3 glass cranberry juice. Pour the blue gatorade next, being careful to pour onto an ice cube, instead of into the juice. Next, pour the diet 7-up, again on top of an ice cube.

*Note: This works because of the varying amounts of sugar in each of the liquids, which creates varying densities. I mistakenly asked for regular Sprite, instead of diet 7-Up, and had to pour "white" as the middle layer. This worked, except it would have been slightly better if the densities were more diverse. Also, you can do this with ANY JUICES/SODAS you want. Check the sugar content, and pour the one with the greatest amount of sugar on the bottom.

Pretzel Jello

2 cups crushed pretzel rods
1/2 cup butter
3 TB sugar

8oz cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1 (small) tub cool whip

1 large package of strawberry Jello
1 small package of frozen strawberries, chopped

Mix crushed pretzels, butter and sugar. Flatten into a baking dish and bake for 8 min at 400 degrees. Let cool. Mix Jello with water according to package directions, add strawberries. Set aside. Blend cream cheese and sugar, then add cool whip. Spread over crust, making sure to spread all the way to the edges on all sides, sealing in the crust. When the jello is completely cool and slightly set, pour over cool whip layer. Refrigerate until completely set.

Cake cookies

2010-05-30T15:28:00.001-07:00

These are not your traditional cake cookies. Joe had to trim a little off the top of each cake he made. As you can imagine, this left me with quite a bit of cake. As fun as it is to just eat, I wanted to try something new. This will work with any leftover cake, just remove the frosting. I call it...

Cakee Cookies

3 1/2 cups cake crumbs (just beat with a hand mixture)
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup cocoa
6 Tb cold water
12 oz. baking chips ( I used butterscotch and chocolate)

Preheat oven to 350. Combine everything. Drop cookie size glops onto cookie sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes. ( I did 11, but my oven cooks hot.) MMmmmm.

Ice Cream and Oatmeal

2010-03-28T16:58:00.000-07:00

Here are some latest fruit creations of ours.

I found a quite amazing ONE INGREDIENT ice cream recipe on my friend's blog (heatherbyu.blogspot.com). You know what the ingredient is? Bananas. Yep, genius.

Directions: freeze 2 peeled bananas for every serving you desire. Use food processor to mush bananas, and there you go. It comes out surprisingly creamy and delicious. If you want to switch it up or if you have trouble with the mushing, add a little milk. You can also add a little vanilla for flavor, but really, it doesn't need any of these.

Also, did everyone already know you can make your own fruit oatmeal? I guess I just figured this one out later than most people... Here's a simple recipe, but you can switch it around to practically anything you want.

Apple Oatmeal - 2 servings
- 2 and 1/2 cups water
- 1 cup quick oats
- 1 apple, diced
- 1 TB brown sugar
- dash of cinnamon and/or nutmeg

Bring water to boil. Add the rest of the ingredients. Remove from heat when mixture thickens to an acceptable viscosity.

We've done this with bananas, strawberries, even grapes. If you use softer fruit, add it closer to the end, not as soon as you would the apples. It's very good and probably way more healthy than the packaged fruit oatmeal. Good luck guys!

China Frosting, part I

2010-03-19T14:05:00.000-07:00

I could rhapsodize for days on the beauty of cake lady and her creations. The real cake lady is, of course, a Platonian ideal realized only in imperfect forms here on earth, but those imperfect forms made magical cakes. They also used only one kind of frosting for filling, icing, and decorating the cake, and it was at once smooth, thick, creamy, stiff, and pillowy. A few examples:

I identified the frosting in Nanjing as shiny, probably with egg whites and sugar. The Beijing frosting was not as shiny and definitely included cream, but had the same amazing properties. So today I tried my best to recreate that shiny, smooth, delicate frosting. I'm disappointed. I went with egg whites and a sugar syrup, and the shine is right, but it's too soft and sticky, and doesn't hold shape quite as well as it should. I have to wonder if, against my initial thoughts, the frosting might contain butter to stabilize it. I'll update when I try again. You can see here my frosted (and filled) cupcakes as well as my soft snowman and buddha-type man.

I wanted it to get stiffer, but after 10 minutes in the mixer, I decided whipping it wasn't going to make it any thicker or stiffer. It was also too sweet, much like a marshmallow: I wonder if decreasing the ratio of sugar syrup to egg whites would yield better results? Butter? Cream? Must keep looking . . .

Indian Curry

2010-03-01T19:21:00.000-08:00

Yup, another crock potter, and you know how I like my curry. This has to be one of my all-time favourite home made recipes. It's meaty, veggie, flavourful, and it's a one-pot meal. Yummm . . .

Indian Curry

adapted from Make it Fast, Cook it Slow by Stephanie O'Dea

2 Tbsp Curry Powder

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk

1 Tbsp tomato paste

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (mine had bone and skin that I removed later)

1 (15-ounce) gan garbanzo beans (chickpeas)

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped (I used red)

1/2 an eggplant, chopped

1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped

Combine spices, ginger, garlic, coconut milk, and tomato paste.

**I made mine the day before and marinated my chicken thighs in that mixture overnight. I'd say it was a good call on my part, but totally not necessary**

If you're not making it the day before, pour that sauce into your crockpot. Pop the chicken thighs in to the pot and turn them around a few times to coat them in that bright yellow sauce. Pour in the garbanzo beans. Wash and chop all the vegetables, then add them to the crock. No reason to stir them in, they'll cook great sitting on top. Cover and cook on low 7-9 hours or on high 4-6 hours. When the chicken is cooked through, gently stir it all together to combine. I also used this opportunity to break up the chicken so it was stew-like, but you could leave the thighs whole if ya wanna.

Notes to soothe your worries:

*The eggplant pretty much dissolves so you probably won't get any cries from your children about the weird veggie. If you peel it first, you'll definitely not get complaints.

*My favourite was the garbanzo beans. They were meaty, delicious, and not at all what I expected.

*You could serve this with rice, but you don't have to; we didn't.

*I didn't have quite enough curry powder and I could definitely tell the difference; it was a bit low on flavour, but definitely delicious nonetheless. Don't skimp.

*I learned that tomato paste comes in a tube that you can refrigerate. That makes a tablespoon mighty easy to use without having to store that entire leftover can in your fridge or waste it by throwing it out.

Chipotle Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

2010-03-01T19:10:00.000-08:00

We've been eating almost every meal in the crockpot and it has changed our lives. We love it, and on Saturday I even made all the meals for this week and bagged them up ready to be thrown into the crockpot each morning after breakfast. We've had some good meals, we've had some great meals, and we've had some so-so meals. Here's one of my favourites.

Chipotle Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

from Make it Fast, Cook it Slow by Stephanie O'Dea

6-8 chicken thighs; life is easier if you skin and bone them before cooking but I didn't

10 ounces sliced mushrooms

1/2 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 small sweet potato, peeled and chopped in chunks

2 green onions, chopped

1 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 tsp Chipotle Chili powder

1 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 cup sour cream

2 Tbsp flour

Put the chicken in your cooker. Prepare all the veggies and place them on top of the chicken. Mix the broth and spices, then pour over the chicken. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or high 4 hours, or until the chicken is completely cooked and shreds easily. 1/2 hour before serving stir the sour cream and flour together, then stir into the crockpot. If you didn't before, this is the time to remove the bone and skin from the chicken. Stir well, breaking up the chicken, then cook on high for 30 minutes. Serve over pasta or brown rice. Yum.

Chinese Recipes

2010-02-26T07:09:00.000-08:00

Want to cook your family a Chinese meal? It’s really very easy. Here is an assortment of some of my favorite dishes for your perusal. It’s very different from American food, but maybe you’ll like it.

Garlic Spinach
- About a basket-ball-size amount of spinach
- 3 cloves of garlic, cut into chunks
- 1/8 cup oil
- ½ - 1 tsp salt
Put oil, spinach and garlic in pan or wok. Stir to coat spinach in the oil. Cover for 1 minute. Remove lid and stir until spinach collapses.

Tomatoes and Eggs
- desired amount of tomatoes, cut into thin wedges
- 2 eggs for every 1 tomato
- oil
- any kind of ground meat (optional)
- garlic (optional)
- salt
- sugar
- chicken bouillon
Scramble the eggs and set aside. Lightly brown garlic in a small amount of oil, add meat and brown. Set aside. Place tomato wedges in pan (no oil needed, the tomatoes will produce the liquid). Sprinkle with small amount of salt, sugar and chicken bullion. If tomatoes look too watery, add a little water-flour mixture. Cook until tomatoes are softish. Add eggs back in and almost all of the meat. Heat through. Sprinkle remaining meat over dish before serving.

Veggies and Chicken
- 1 celery stalk, cut at diagonal*
- 1 medium carrot, cut at a diagonal
- 3 bell peppers (1 red, 1 green, 1 yellow), cut how you’d like
- small package of mushrooms
- 1 small onion, cut in half rings
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 or 2 chicken breasts, cut into small pieces*
- salt
- sugar
- chicken bouillon
- ¼ cup peanuts (optional)
Before you start, sprinkle salt, sugar and flour over the chicken. Stir. This will soak up moisture and marinate it. Set aside.

Place onions and small amount of oil or water in pan or wok, sprinkle with salt and sugar and saute. Set aside. Lightly brown garlic in small amount of oil, add meat and stir until cooked. Set aside. Use meat pan to cook veggies, using the meat juices left in the pan. First add remaining garlic and lightly brown. Add veggies and sprinkle with salt, sugar and chicken bouillon. If it seems dry or is sticking, you can add a little oil or water. Stir until they’re softened as much as you’d like. Add in the meat, onion and peanuts and warm through. Done!
*Note: this dish can be made with any assortment of veggies according to your tastes. If you choose veggies with greatly varying hardness, add them in gradually, starting with the hardest first. Make sense?
*It can also be made with almost any meat that you want. If you choose a dark meat, marinate it in soy sauce, sugar and flour.

I would make 2 or 3 of these along with some kind of meat. It’s very acceptable to serve a platter of cooked cold meat, sliced into easy-to-eat pieces. An American version of this would probably be sliced salami. You could also grill a steak or chicken breast and slice it. Or, if you’d like to try a simple meat dish and don’t mind buying some oyster sauce, try this:

Spare Ribs in Tomato Sauce
- 20ish spare ribs*
- 1 part oyster sauce
- 4 parts ketchup
- water
Cut ribs into about 3 inch pieces. Put in medium-sized pot. Start with 1 TB oyster sauce and 4 TB ketchup, add to meat. Fill pot with enough water to not quite cover the meat. Mix to combine. Bring to a boil uncovered. Then reduce heat to medium-low for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste test and see how you like the sauce, add more if needed and cook until sauce is thickened.
*Note: you can use any other kind of meat, but reduce the amount of water you use if the meat will cook faster than spare ribs.

All of this is intended to be served over rice. The Chinese way is to serve a bowl of rice for each person and let everyone go at it how they want to.

Cheese Bread

2010-02-11T07:59:00.000-08:00

My dear April has really taken a liking to making her own bread. She just makes it up as she goes. Usually she makes sweet breads and they are amazing. Last night she was in charge of dinner and decided to branch out. Her creation was outstanding. She also thought to measure and write it down this time.

April's Cheese Bread

3 1/2 cups flour
1 T salt
1/4 cup oil
1 cup warm water
1 T yeast
2 T sugar
1 cup cheddar cheese (optional)
Several cups more flour

In small bowl, mix water, yeast, and sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes. In large bowl mix flour, salt, and cheese. Add oil and mix. Add yeast mixture. Add flour 1/2 cup at a time until soft dough is formed. Place in pans. Allow to rise until double. Cook at 350 for about 30 minutes. Brush tops with butter. Can cook in any pan you like. Makes 3-4 loaves of bread depending on size you want.

Ours could have been split to a third pan, but it was soooo good.

Homemade is better

2010-01-30T09:32:00.000-08:00

We tried something new this last week, and I suspect we'll never ever ever go back to what we used to know. I've been on this kick where I feel like I should be making more of what we eat instead of buying it prepackaged. You may have seen my "Organic Foods" post on my other blog that is completely related to my current experiment. Foods that are whole, pure, and as good as I can get them at this season in this part of the country. As a result I've made cheez-its at home this week as well as a handful of other things, and this morning I bought the pasta roller and cutter attachments for my Kitchen-Aid. I'm gung-ho, and I think we're going to eat better, healthier, and more cost-effectively this way. I'll keep you updated on future experiments, as well as share recipes we particularly enjoy.

This week's amazing victory was s'mores. Yes, homemade s'mores. Yes, completely homemade s'mores. The graham crackers were a little chewier than I was expecting, but I think I could have rolled them thinner to avoid that. The chewiness made them perfect with the marshmallows, though. Just so we're clear, home-made marshmallows are amazing, and far superior in both taste and texture to their store-bagged counterparts. And, as long as you're willing to not touch the marshmallows with your fingers during preparation, they are simple to make, especially with a stand mixer. Finger touching will, inevitably, lead to strings of marshmallow web on everything you touch, including your face, eyelashes, and hair. I successfully heeded the counsel of others in this respect, and I now pass it on to you. I will admit that I did not make the chocolate sauce from scratch because we had some chocolate chips that needed to be used and I was without heavy cream. The ganache would have been better, but I did what I could. Just melt a half-cup of those chocolate bits down with a teaspoon or so of lard (YES, I used lard in cooking; so sue me) and the chocolate sauce is ready to go. Here's the recipe and photo; they were simply amazing. Keep in mind that they both take some chilling time, so plan ahead if you're going to use them.

Graham Crackers

Adapted from Nancy Silverton’s Pastries from the La Brea Bakery

Makes 48 2-inch squares

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 cup with whole wheat flour

1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen

1/3 cup mild-flavored honey, such as clover

1 Tbsp molasses (optional—it gives a nice dark bite that I loved)

5 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

Topping (optional)

1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Make the dough: Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Pulse or mix on low to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse on and off on and off, or mix on low, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal.

If you don't have a food processor or electric mixer, you can cut the ingredients together with a pastry blender. Just make sure they're very well incorporated.

In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, molasses, milk, and vanilla extract. Add to the flour mixture and pulse on and off a few times or mix on low until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky. Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap and dust it lightly with flour, then turn the dough out onto it and pat it into a rectangle about 1-inch thick. Wrap it, then chill it until firm, at least 2 hours. Meanwhile, prepare the topping, if using, by combining the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and setting aside.

Roll out the crackers: Divide the dough in half and return one half to the refrigerator. Sift an even layer of flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. The thinner it is, the crispier your crackers will be. The dough will be sticky, so flour as necessary. Cut into 2-inch squares using a fluted pastry wheel or pizza cutter.

Place the crackers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets and sprinkle with the topping. Be sure to space them well or they will bake together, and no one wants that. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes in the fridge or 15 to 20 minutes in the freezer. Repeat with the second batch of dough. Finally, gather any scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and re-roll.

Adjust the oven rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat the oven to 350°F.

Decorate the crackers: Using a toothpick or skewer (I like the blunt end of a wooden skewer for more dramatic dots) prick the dough to form a pattern of dots. Don't skip this step or your crackers will puff more than they should.

Bake for 15 to 25 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the touch, rotating the sheets halfway through to ensure even baking. Remove to racks to cool, and store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Marshmallows

Adapted from Gourmet, December 1998

Makes about 96 1-inch cubed marshmallows

About 1 cup confectioners’ sugar

3 1/2 envelopes (2 tablespoons plus 2 1/2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin

1 cup cold water, divided

2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large egg whites

1 tablespoon vanilla (alternately: 1/2 of a scraped vanilla bean, 2 teaspoons almond or mint extract or maybe even some food coloring for tinting)

Oil bottom and sides of a 13- by 9- by 2-inch rectangular metal baking pan and dust bottom and sides with some confectioners’ sugar. Do it well, being careful not to leave any gaps.

In bowl of a standing electric mixer or in a large bowl sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold cold water, and let stand to soften.

In a 3-quart heavy saucepan cook granulated sugar, corn syrup, second 1/2 cup of cold water, and salt over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to moderate and boil mixture, without stirring, until a candy or digital thermometer registers 240°F, about 12 minutes. Remove pan from heat and pour sugar mixture over gelatin mixture, stirring until gelatin is dissolved.

With standing or a hand-held electric mixer beat mixture on high speed until white, thick, and nearly tripled in volume, about six minutes if using standing mixer or about 10 minutes if using hand-held mixer. This is one of the most amazing chemical/physical changes I've ever witnessed in my culinary experience.

In separate medium bowl with cleaned beaters beat egg whites until they just hold stiff peaks. Beat whites and vanilla (or your choice of flavoring) into sugar mixture until just combined. Pour mixture into baking pan and don’t go crazy about getting it all out—you won't. Sift 1/4 cup confectioners sugar evenly over top. Chill marshmallow, uncovered, until firm, at least three hours.

Run a thin knife around edges of pan and invert pan onto a large cutting board. Lifting up one corner of inverted pan, with fingers loosen marshmallow and ease onto cutting board. With a large knife or oiled pizza cutter trim edges of marshmallow and cut marshmallow into roughly one-inch cubes. Sift remaining confectioners’ sugar back into your now-empty baking pan, and roll the marshmallows through it, on all six sides, before shaking off the excess and packing them away. Make sure you don't neglect covering them in sugar–if you don't do it, they'll stick to each and everything else.

These kept about a week in a zip-top bag for us.

S'mores

Do I really need to tell you how to put together a s'more? I thought not.

Ptich'e Moloko (Bird Milk Torte)

2010-01-18T09:00:00.000-08:00

Diana and I decided on Saturday, that for our MLK holiday celebration, we would make a Russian Bird Milk Torte. Apparently this is a very popular Russian treat and hard to get the recipe for. Anyway, we haven't tasted it yet, but each of the individual parts were delicious, so, we assume all together they will be great. I thought you might want the recipe, so I will do the best I can to put it down as I remember...

Bird Milk Torte

Cake:

2 cups flour
6 eggs (divided--whites and yolks)
1 cup sugar
1 cube softened butter

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolks one at a time and cream. Mix in 1 cup of flour. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until very stiff. Fold the egg whites into the batter. Then gently mix in the other cup of flour. Bake in a greased round cake pan (we used our cast iron fry pan) at 350 degrees for about 30-35 minutes until the cake is done in the middle and the top is lightly browned.
When done, the cake has a kind of corn bread consistency.

While the cake is cooking, make the "pudding".

Pudding

2 cups milk
3 T cream of wheat or farina
1 cup sugar
2 cubes butter (that's right, one cup of butter, oh yea, softened)
2 bananas
white chocolate-grated (I think we used about 1/2 a symphony bar--the large one)--well, actually we used a white chocolate bar Diana had brought with her from Russia.

Heat the milk in a saucepan until warm, then, while stirring add the farina. Stir and cook over low heat until thick and creamy (we did it for about 15 minutes). Turn off the heat Then stir in the 1 cup sugar (we ended up using only 3/4 cup)continue stirring until the sugar is dissolved in the cereal. Put in a bowl, then into the freezer to cool.

Cut up the bananas in small pieces into a mixing bowl.

Now, do your dishes and wait for the pudding to cool and the cake to cook.

When the cake is done, remove it from the pan, cut in half lengthwise (so you have two round pieces) and let cool. Meanwhile take the pudding from the freezer, put into the mixer bowl and add the 2 cubes of butter. Mix well, until fluffy (longer than you think). Remove about a cup of pudding stuff and add it to the bananas. Mix the bananas and pudding stuff well with the mixer then add in the grated chocolate.

When the cake is cooled, spread the banana/chocolate/pudding mixture on the bottom piece of cake. Put the other piece of cake over it. (If you have left over, just add it to the other pudding, which you will now spread over the top and sides of the cake.

After the cake is "frosted" with the pudding, cover it with chocolate glaze.

Glaze

about 1 cup of chocolate chips (we used some special dark and some semi sweet). Melt in a double boiler with about 2 Tablespoons of milk. When chocolate is warm and gooey, stir until you have a smooth glaze. Pour over top of cake. Spread, if you like (Diana liked to spread). Refrigerate until ready to serve.

We'll take a picture in a minute and post it for you.

Easy chicken stew

2010-01-10T16:58:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I filled a raincheck for 30 pounds of chicken thighs. That was also the day that thermometer read -11˚F before windchill at 8 am. Those two things together yielded the culinary winter haven that was tonight's dinner.

I love chicken thighs because they are rather juicier and more flavorful than breasts, and are large enough to constitute an actual serving, a opposed to wings or legs, which are mostly bone and, quite, frankly, more like chicken novelty than actual food. They're also a little more calorie-laden than their drier, whiter sisters, but that's a sacrifice I don't mind making these days, especially when they're less than $1/pound. This recipe is my hearty, slightly more virile version of the Coq au Vin I served on Christmas Day. It's not nearly so fussy, time consuming, or rich, but that's okay, because it's delicious, and easily adaptable to any size family. It's also easy and takes only about an hour, start to finish.

Easy Chicken Stew

based loosely on Julia Child's Coq au Vin from Mastering the Art of French Cooking

For every (adult) person you want to serve, use the following:

1 chicken thigh, skin removed

1/4 onion, roughly chopped

1 small to medium red potato, chopped

1/2 carrot, chopped

3 large mushrooms, quartered (optional)

1 clove garlic, chopped or crushed

1-1 1/2 tsp Herbes de Provence

1 1/2 cups beef (YES BEEF!) broth.

You'll also need:

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 bay leaf

2 Tbsp butter, softened

3 Tbsp flour

I made for 4, so I used 4 thighs, 1 onion, 4 potatoes, 2 carrots, 4 cloves garlic, 1 1/2 Tbsp Herbes, and 6 cups broth for my family of 2 adults and 3 ravenous children. It was enough, but it was gone when we were done.

Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a large, thick pot with a lid (I use Grandma's cast iron 8" chicken pot) over medium high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then brown in the pan, about 2 minutes per side. Remove chicken from pan. Add vegetables to pan, season with Herbes, add garlic and bay leaf, then place chicken back on top. Pour broth over the top until it roughly covers the chicken. You might need a little more or a little less depending on how much you're making, and the size and shape of your pot. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer for 45-60 minutes, at least until the chicken is cooked through and vegetables are soft.

(At this point you could cool it and store it in the refrigerator for later, even overnight of you'd like. It's a great make-ahead meal. Then just reheat and pick up with the next paragraph. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.)

About 10 minutes before serving, remove the chicken to a platter. Combine softened butter and flour into a smooth paste, then stir into the vegetable and broth in the pot. Cook and stir at a gentle simmer until thickened. Return chicken to pot, heat thoroughly, and serve. Yield 1 thigh with veggies and gravy for each person, and it's to die for, especially on a cold winter day like today.

Notes (a.k.a. in case you were wondering . . .)

*Make sure your pot is big enough for a large stew. You don't want to make a mess.

*I deboned the chicken while the gravy was thickening for ease of eating, but you can do it before cooking or not at all if you choose.

*Herbes de Provence are not as easy to find as they should be. You can substitute thyme, rosemary, oregano or a combination of any of those, but the lavender in the Herbes is amazing, so I highly recommend including it if you can.

* If you use more than 6 cups broth, you may need to increase the amount of butter and flour to ensure a good thickening.

Rainbow Cake and Cake Balls

2009-12-24T07:11:00.000-08:00

I saw this cake idea on a friend's blog and was cocky enough to think I could make it without glancing at the directions. Boy, am I glad I didn't try that! The original recipe comes from MckMama. Mine didn't exactly end up looking like hers. Oh well! It was still yummy.

I loved the cake idea and decided to save the recipe for a future birthday of one of my children. Justin said I should make it for Michelle's birthday and I simply couldn't resist the challenge. Not sure if it's correctly themed for an adult woman but I thought Michelle might like it anyways. So, I began. Excited?

Be warned: this recipe is not for the faint hearted.

Ingredients

2 boxes white cake mix
1 box food coloring
4 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese, softened
1 cup butter, softened
1 TB vanilla
5-6 cups powdered sugar

Mix up one box of cake mix and divide it into three equal portions. It comes out to a little over 1 cup of batter in each bowl. Dye each one of the first three colors (purple, blue and green). Bake in greased and FLOURED round cake pans for about 16 minutes each. Repeat for remaining three colors (yellow, orange, red).

Meanwhile, make the frosting by mixing cream cheese and butter; add vanilla. Add sugar to taste.

After the cakes are completely cooled, remove from pans, level the tops with a large bread knife, and assemble cake starting with purple, then blue, green, yellow, orange and finally red, spreading 1/2 - 1 cup of frosting on top of each. It is recommended to freeze the cake after every two layers, because it is easier to work with when it is stiff, not wobbly.

At this point, I would freeze it again and then frost it with the rest of the frosting.

If you have left over frosting, dye it any color you want, put it in a zip lock bag, cut the tip off of the bag, and decorate!

Cake Balls

(original recipe from Bakerella)

Ingredients

1 cake mix (I used the scraps from the cake above)
1 can of cream cheese frosting (I made my own from an 8oz package of cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter and 1.5 cups powdered sugar)
melting chocolate (I bought 9oz mini dove bars and it was sufficient)

If you did this with a regular recipe, you'd make the cake according to package directions, then crumble in a large bowl. Since I used my scraps, I used several small bowls.

With a spoon or your fingers, mix crumbled cake with cream cheese frosting.

Roll into balls and freeze or refrigerate for several hours.

Melt chocolate, dip and roll each ball in chocolate with a spoon. Place on wax paper to dry/harden. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Walah!

Cranberry Apple Wheel

2009-12-19T16:25:00.000-08:00

As Jodi was walking through the store, she spotted a sale: cranberries. I don't know about you, but I have never made anything with cranberries. The only thing I think I have had with cranberries is juice. She grabbed a few bags and began her hunt for the perfect recipe. She wanted to make something of James' that he had recently posted on his blog, but discovered that our short food supply was lacking. So Jodi searched the internet and found a delectable delight -- the Cranberry Apple Wheel. Yes, it is divine!

Cranberry Apple Wheel

Crust

3-4 c. flour
1 Tbsp. yeast
1/3 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 c. butter, melted
1 c. milk
1 egg

Topping

1 c. fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped (we used fresh)
2 apples, peeled and diced (we used one Granny Smith and one Gala)
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
5 Tbsp. flour

Frosting

1 c. powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. water

Combine 2 cups flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Combine butter and milk and heat to a temperature of 120ºF - 130ºF. Add to dry ingredients, mixing thoroughly. Add egg; mix well. Add enough of remaining flour to make a soft dough that is not sticky when handled.

Lightly grease a medium mixing bowl. Place dough in bowl and roll around so that it is lightly covered with grease. Place bowl with dough in a warm place until it has doubled in size.

Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients, except powdered sugar and water, in a medium mixing bowl. Punch down dough and place on a cookie sheet. Flatten dough into a 10-inch circle. Spread topping over dough, leaving an inch all around. Place in a warm place until dough has doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Combine powdered sugar and water in a small mixing bowl to make glaze. Cool wheel completely and drizzle with glaze. Makes 1 10-inch wheel.

Black Beans and Rice

2009-12-02T17:26:00.000-08:00

I had a bunch of black beans I needed to get rid of and we always have tons of rice, so the other day when I was looking for dinner ideas I googled and found this recipe. We had it on nachos with seasoned shredded chicken, green onions, salsa and cheese, but it would also be great with burritos. Justin liked it so much he requested it a couple of days later.

It's very simple, just my style!

Black Beans and Rice

Ingredients

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup uncooked white rice
1 1/2 cups low sodium, low fat vegetable broth [I used chicken bouillon dissolved in water]
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper [I used crushed red pepper]
3 1/2 cups canned black beans, drained [I put in two cans, I think any more would be too much]

Directions

In a stockpot over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 4 minutes. Add the rice and saute for 2 minutes. Add the vegetable broth, bring to a boil, cover and lower the heat and cook for 20 minutes. Add the spices and black beans.

Honey Curry Chicken

2009-12-02T16:59:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!

I haven't posted in a while because I haven't felt like anything I've made recently has been very exciting or worth sharing. I still don't think this ranks with what you guys have been posting, but I thought I'd tell you about it anyway.

It's simple and good, which is my favorite kind of dish to make most days. I got this recipe in a recipe exchange I participated in. But, the first time I made it I realized much too late that instead of adding 2 tsp curry powder I accidentally added 2 TB curry powder. That is 3 times as much curry powder than was called for! I was scared of the outcome, but it turned out Justin loved it. Tonight I made it with pork instead of chicken (I recommend chicken) and did 2 heaping tsp curry powder.

So, here is the recipe!

Honey Curry Chicken

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup mustard
2 t. curry powder
3 lbs. chicken thighs [I used boneless, skinless breasts and cut them into 1 inch strips]
cooked rice

Melt butter. Add honey, mustard, and curry powder; mix well. Coat chicken with honey mixture. Place in baking pan, skin side down. Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn chicken over halfway and baste occasionally. Remove chicken to platter, and pour pan juices/sauce into gravy separator and pour de-fatted sauce into pitcher to pass with chicken. Serve with rice.

Stromboli

2009-11-20T16:42:00.000-08:00

Our friends made this for us and I have been wanting to try it. Since it is pizza night, it seemed like a good time.

Stromboli

1 family recipe pizza dough - divided into four balls
Sauce - white or red will work (we used white and loved it)
cheese
other desired toppings

Roll out dough into long rectangle. Spread sauce down the center. Spread remaining toppings and cheese along center of dough. Pull up sides over the center of the dough. Pinch off. Cook at 425 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Baste with butter after removing from oven. Slice and love it!

Zuppa Toscano Soup

2009-10-22T16:30:00.000-07:00

Okay family here is my recipe debut coming from "my kitchen to yours." Every time Bryce and I go to the Olive Garden we order this soup. We finally thought to google the recipe, which we did, to see if there was any likeness, and to our happy taste buds, it was to our liking. I believe this will be our new Christmas Eve soup...everyone in our house loves it. Careful with the crushed red pepper...it can get very spicy. We have tried this with both russet and red potatoes. Both are good but I think I prefer the russet. We also usually eat this with Jodi's super yummy, super easy bread sticks...mmmmm!!!

Makes: 6-8 servings
INGREDIENTS
1 lb ground Italian sausage
1½ tsp crushed red peppers
1 large diced white onion
1/2 lb bacon
2 tsp garlic puree
10 cups water
5 cubes of chicken bouillon
1 cup heavy cream
1 lb sliced Russet potatoes, or about 3 large potatoes
¼ of a bunch of kale (super easy to find...even Walmart sells it)

-Saute Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in a large pot. Drain excess fat, refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients.
-In the same pan, saute bacon, onions and garlic for approximately 15 Min's. or until the onions are soft.
-Mix together the chicken bouillon and water, then add it to the onions, bacon and garlic. Cook until boiling.
-Add potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour.
-Add heavy cream and cook until thoroughly heated.
-Stir in the sausage.
-Add kale just before serving. Delicious!

Lime Navy Bean Chili

2009-10-12T17:15:00.000-07:00

This is a wonderful alternative to red chili. It isn't too spicy and the lime adds a nice zing. We enjoyed it with some amazing homemade Asiago foccacia bread. This was made with the foccacia bread recipe in the cookbook. I just added about 1/2 cup cheese while kneading the dough. Sprinkle a little more on top before baking. MMmmmm.

Lime Navy Bean Chili

1 1/4 cups dried navy beans (I used great northern)
3 cups water
2 bone-in chicken breast halves skins removed ( I used boneless, skinless, just add a little more bouillon)
1 cup frozen corn
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (4oz) chopped green chilies
4 garlic cloves, minced ( I used 1 Tb refrigerated minced garlic)
1 Tb chicken bouillon granules
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 Tb lime juice

Place beans in a larger saucepan; add water to cover by 2 in. Bring to a boil; boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; cover and let stand for 1 hour. Drain and rinse beans, discarding liquid.

In a crock pot, combine all ingredients except lime. Cover and cook on low 6 hours or until beans are tender and chicken are done.

Remove chicken breasts; remove meat from the bones and cut or shred meat. (I shredded it). Return chicken to chili. Stir in lime juice just before serving. Makes 6 cups. This is lots.

Nutrition facts
one serving: 1 cup
calories: 250
fat: 2 g
fiber: 12 g

Cauliflower Cheese Soup

2009-10-09T16:23:00.000-07:00

It has been raining for days and it is cold. I wanted a yummy soup, but didn't have all day. I also wanted something creamy. What I found was all of the above, plus my kids ate it. Doesn't get much better.

Cauliflower Cheese Soup

1 medium head cauliflower, broken in florets
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (14 1/2 ounces ) chicken broth (I used 2 bouillon cubes and added 2 cups water)
1 chicken bouillon cube
2 TB butter
2Tb flour
3 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 TB dried parsley flakes
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp each cayenne pepper, curry powder, and white pepper (I didn't have cayenne and I used regular pepper)

In a large saucepan, combine the cauliflower, onion, broth, and bouillon. Cover ans cook over medium heat until the vegetables are tender. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt butter; stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add milk. Cook and stir until bubbly. Cook and stir for 2-3 minutes longer or until slightly thickened. Reduce heat; add cheese and seasonings. Pour into cauliflower mixture. Simmer slowly for 30 minutes ( do not boil ). Yield: 6-8 servings (2 quarts)

This made plenty of soup for my whole family.

Crab Quiche

2009-10-03T12:49:00.000-07:00

I made quiche for the first time this morning. Justin wanted quiche, and I knew I didn't have everything I needed for it. Or did I? I searched for awhile and finally found a recipe that was doable. Even though I didn't have breakfast meat, I did have some left over crab meat from some crab cakes I made a little while ago. Just so happened, I had the perfect amount for this recipe. I put it together, using my apple pie crust, and the result was delicious! I thought it would need more flavor than what I put in, but it tasted just right. If anything, I think some green spices sprinkled on the top would have been pretty.

Crab Quiche

1/2 cup mayonnaise
4 TBs flour
7 oz crab meat [I used 8 oz fake crab]
1/2 cup chopped onion [I would saute this for a couple of minutes first]
2 eggs, beaten [I used 3 medium eggs]
1/2 cup milk
8 oz shredded swiss cheese [I used cheddar]
Mrs. Smith's pie crust [*I made my apple pie crust]

Stir, mayonnaise, eggs, flour and milk until blended [I used a hand mixer for this step because I didn't beat the eggs ahead of time]. Add crab meat, cheese, and onions. Pour into pie crust and bake 30 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

*Here is the crust recipe I used:

1 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/6 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Combine flour and salt. Add milk and oil. Stir until dry ingredients are blended in. Roll between wax paper and transfer to pie plate.

Hearty Italian-style Soup--bhg.com

2009-09-09T16:41:00.000-07:00

We tried this wonderful recipe from BHG.com the other night. It was one of those times when I had only a few things in the "pantry", so typed them in...potatoes, cabbage and tomatoes and this is what it gave me. We found we really loved it when sprinkled with a little Parmesan cheese. By the way, it was a cool soupy kind of day.

Hearty Italian-style soup
Prep. 20 min
Cook: 25 min.

Ingredients
2 14-1/2 ounce cans chicken broth or beef broth (I used chicken broth)
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 14-1/2 ounce diced tomatoes, undrained
2 medium potatoes (peeled, if desired), cubed (I did not desire to peel them)
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup sliced celery (I did not have celery, so did not use)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup snipped fresh parsley (did not have parsley, either)
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning crushed (I used oregano, basal, and some wild cilantro a friend had given me.)
Dash garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 15 or 19 ounce can white kidney beans, rinsed and drained (I didn't have beans so used some acini di pepe from the pantry)
1-1/2 cups chopped cooked lean chicken or beef (I used sausage)

Directions
1. IN a large saucepan or Dutch oven combine broth, cabbage, undrained tomatoes, potatoes, carrot, celery, onion, parsley, Italian seasoning, pepper, and garlic powder. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

2. Stir in the beans and beef or chicken. Cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through.

3. Serve immediately (sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired) or divide among 6 airtight containers or freezer containers. Store up to 3 days in the refrigerator or 1 month in freezer. Heat to boiling before serving. Makes 6 main-dish servings.

173 calories, 2 g. fat, 6 g. fiber (Course that doesn't count the sausage).

Chicken Tenderloins with Cilantro Pesto

2009-08-29T08:45:00.000-07:00

This was a fun one. You take the classic pesto and twist it into a completely different cuisine, and it's amazing. I still have some of the pesto in my fridge and I use it on different things—mix it with cream cheese and spread on a wrap or sandwich, smear it across my eggs in the morning—you name it, it's delightful! The recipe says to grill, but since we haven't really launched ourselves back into grilling in the new house, I pan fried. You could also broil. Easy stuff.

Chicken Tenderloins with Cilantro Pesto

adapted from Favorite Family Dinners

About 2 pounds chicken tenderloins or breasts
1 1/2 cups lightly packed fresh cilantro
1/3 cup walnuts
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp water (you could olive oil here, but I lightened it a touch with water)
3 Tbsp lime juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
Salt and pepper

Pound and/or cut pieces of chicken to desired size; dry completely and set aside. For pesto, combine cilantro, walnuts, oil, water, lime juice, garlic and salt in a blender or food processor. Cover and process until smooth.

Season chicken with salt and pepper, then rub pesto light all over. Cook over medium heat until no longer pink, turning once, and lightly re-coating with pesto half way through. We had tons of pesto left, so we cooked up some pasta and mixed it through and also served the chicken with extra pesto on top. It takes like 15 minutes total and it's light, refreshing, and oh so flavorful!

Saturday morning breaksfast

2009-08-29T08:07:00.000-07:00

I remember many a wonderful Saturday morning breakfasts. Thanks mom. A fun breakfast for everyone is doughnuts. Who doesn't love these? The problem? Who can eat these deep fried gooey marvels? I may have discovered the solution this morning. A solution you say? Yes, you may now, with a little effort, be able to eat some doughnuts. I found this at tasteofhome.com.

No-Fry Doughnuts

2T yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 cups warm milk
1/3 cup shortening (toying with the idea of using applesauce, I think it would taste good)
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
4 1/2 - 5 cups flour
1/4 cup melted butter

Glaze:
1/2 cup butter
2 cups confectioner's sugar
5 tsp water
2 tsp vanilla

In mixer or large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add milk, and shortening; stir for 1 minute. ( I found it didn't mix really well, so I just kept on going.) Add sugar, eggs, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and 2 cups flour; beat on low speed until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (do not knead). Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; roll out to 1/2" thickness, (don't roll too thin, the thicker ones were better). Cut with any 2"ish circular cutter; place 2" apart on greased baking sheets. Brush with butter. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.

Bake at 35o for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Meanwhile, for glaze, melt butter in saucepan. Add the sugar, water and vanilla; cook over low heat until smooth ( do not boil). Keep warm. Dip warm doughnuts, one at a time into glaze, and turn to coat. Drain on a wire rack with wax paper underneath. I also brushed some of mine with butter again and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar instead of the glaze. They were both wonderful. Chloe said she liked them better than store bought. I'm pretty sure she was referring to yucky walmart ones, not super yummy krispie kreme ones.

2009-08-24T17:58:00.000-07:00

I've started making fun new things for breakfast every morning. We learned the joy of eating together as a family for breakfast while at James and Liz's house. This was something I made last week. The only complaint was that they couldn't have more. I found this in my wonderful new ood Housekeeping cookbook.

Easy Danish Pastries

2 Tb yeast
1 tsp plus 1/3 cup granulated sugar
4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter or margarine, cut up
4 large eggs
1/2 cup plus 2 Tb heavy or whipping cream
1 cup plus 2 Tb jam or Danish filling (below)

In medium owl, stir yeast and 1 tsp sugar into 1/2 cup warm water; let stand 5 minutes, until foamy. In large bowl, mix flour, remaining 1/3 cup sugar, and salt. With pastry blender (I used my fingers), cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Whisk 3 eggs and 1/2 cup cream into yeast mixture; stir into flour mixture until moistened. Cover; refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 2 large cookie sheets. Divide dough in half. On floured surface, with floured rolling pin, roll half of dough into 12" square. Cut into nine 4" squares. Place 1 Tb jam or filling in center of each square. Fold in one corner 2 inches to cover jam; fold opposite corner to edge. Arrange on cookie sheets and repeat with remaining dough and filling.
In cup, beat remaining egg with 1 Tb water; brush over pastries. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden, switching cookie sheets on oven racks halfway through baking.

Transfer pastries to cooling racks set over waxed paper; cool. In small bowl, mix confectioner's sugar with remaining 2 Tb cream (I had to use a little more) to make thick glaze. Drizzle over pastries.

Danish filling

Almond: In bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat 1 tube or can (8oz) almond paste, 4 Tb margarine or butter softened, 1 large egg, and 1/2 tsp grated lemon peel until smooth.

Cheese: In bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat 1 package (8oz) cream cheese softened, 1/3 cup confectioner's sugar, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla, and 1 large egg yolk until smooth.

Not a good picture, but yummy anyway.

Ham & Sun-dried tomato alfredo

2009-08-24T16:01:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe in my taste of home magazine. Everyone loved it and it was very simple. I replaced the ham with pepperoni, because I don't like prepackaged cubed ham.

Ham & Sun-Dried Tomato Alfredo

8 oz. uncooked linguine
1/4 cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes ( found these at walmart by the canned tomatoes)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup cubed fully cooked ham

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

Quick note

2009-07-31T11:52:00.000-07:00

First, a thank you again to Jodi for more great new recipes, and also for the Gnocchi that is so tried and true. We had it again last night and it was amazing.

Second, I found something I love on my summer salad. My lunches have been pretty much the same every day—a couple of cups of spinach topped with chopped deli ham, diced cantaloupe and cottage cheese. I love it with the salty and the sweet and the crisp; just heaven. It's also filling with a nice combination of vegetable, fruit, dairy, and protein-rich meat. Well, yesterday I added something that put it over the top into AMAZING! 1-2 Tbsp strawberry jam. That's it. I kind of mix it on the plate with the cottage cheese to help it disperse evenly, and it's pure heaven. I just used my easy chunky strawberry freezer jam and it's perfect. May your summer salads be delightful!

An Hors D'œuvre For Your Tasting Pleasure

2009-07-29T16:49:00.000-07:00

This is a great hors d'œuvree recipe that is also really easy. I made it for everyone (Justin, Michelle & Bryce & kids, Mom & Dad & Marquie) on Sunday and everyone seemed to really like it (I don't like it because I don't like mushrooms). Michelle and Mom are talking about trying to make it into a casserole with one of Michelle's gigantic zucchinis, so I guess they'll have to let you know how that turns out.

Stuffed Zucchini

3 small zucchini, with ends removed, cut in half, lengthwise
3/4 cup stove top stuffing mix
1/3 cup mushrooms, drained, chopped
1 Tbs. melted butter
3/8 tsp. salt
dash pepper
6 Tbs. Shredded cheddar cheese

Add zucchini to boiling water and boil 5 minutes. Remove zucchini from the water and cool under running cold water. Using a melon ball tool, remove the center portion of the zucchini to be used later in the stuffing. (Leave at least 1/4" of flesh on the peeling.)

Combine croutons, mushrooms, margarine, seasonings. Chop the reserved center of the zucchini and add to crouton mixture, stir to mix. Fill the outside part of the zucchini with the mushroom mixture. Top with cheese; then broil until lightly-browned. Cut into bite-sized pieces if desired.

Basic Waldorf Salad

2009-07-29T16:43:00.000-07:00

Cooking class again...You might have had this salad before, Michelle just loved it when I made it for her (and Justin when I made it for him).

Basic Waldorf Salad

Makes 6 servings

2 cups diced apple (about 2 apples - leave the peel on)
1/2 cup 1-inch julienne celery sticks (about 1 celery rib)
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbs. sugar
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1/2 pint (1 cup) whipping cream, whipped

Combine apple, celery, marshmallow, nuts, and raisins. Set a handful of these ingredients aside to garnish the top when finished mixing. Blend together mayonnaise, sugar, lemon juice, and dash salt. Fold whipped cream and mayonnaise mixture into apple mixture. Top with ingredients held aside to use as garnish. Chill and serve.

Bread Sticks

2009-07-29T16:37:00.000-07:00

Here is another recipe from my cooking class. I made it for Michelle and her family a couple of times and she just loves it. They're great!

Quick Bread Sticks

(Serves 10)

1 tablespoon yeast dissolved in 1 ¼ cup warm water
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt
3-3 ½ cups flour
¼ cup butter or margarine, melted
garlic salt and parmesan cheese, optional

Add sugar, salt and 2 ½ cups flour to yeast mixture. Mix to form dough. Add up to 1 cup more flour if needed. Mix about 3 minutes. Let dough rest for 10 minutes.

Put half of melted butter or margarine in jelly roll pan. Using rolling pin or hands, flatten dough into buttered jelly roll pan. Spread remaining butter or margarine over top of dough. Using pizza cutter, cut dough into strips. Sprinkle with garlic salt and parmesan cheese. Let rest another 10 minutes.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Cut with pizza cutter again.

Easy meals

2009-07-27T20:03:00.000-07:00

We've been busy lately. VERY busy. I've been busting trying to get all the house projects done in a timely (and affordable!) manner and Liz has been unpacking, cleaning, organizing, fighting the internet fight. I think we might post on our family blog about that.

Anyway, I digress. The other night I made a quick yummy that the boys flipped for. Liz and I had plain old chicken over lightly sweetened cabbage, but the boys enjoyed this:

6 oz. dry pasta (we used Ziti), cooked
2 chicken breasts, diced and cooked
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
corn flakes

Nope, it's nothing special, but it's quick, easy and makes the boys happy. We combined everything but the corn flakes, added a splash of Alfredo sauce to make Joshua happier, then topped it with crushed corn flakes. Bake for 20 or 30 at 425˚. They loved it. My snitches were good too.

Easy Fudge

2009-07-08T12:51:00.000-07:00

This is such a simple recipe! It's also one I got from my cooking class. As you can see, it's easily adapted to a small, individual serving, and it would be really fun to let kids make their own.

Zip-Lock Bag Fudge

(makes 1 1/2 cups, amounts in parentheses make a single serving in a sandwich bag)

2 oz cream cheese (1 T)
3 cups powdered sugar (3/4 cup)
1/4 cup margarine (1 T)
1/4 cup cocoa (1 T)

Put all ingredients in a 1 gallon zip lock bag. Push the air out of the bag and seal well. Squish mixture with hands to mix well. It will be dry at first, but will soon become fudge. Serve in whatever shape you would like. Balls of fudge can be rolled in chopped nuts or coconut.

Tuna Melts!

2009-07-08T12:36:00.000-07:00

This is one of the recipes that I got from my cooking class during Winter semester. We've made it several times, and it proves to be a very simple and delicious recipe. Great for kids!

Tuna Melt Sandwiches

•1 (6 oz) can tuna, drained

•1/4 cup mayonnaise [we use miracle whip]

•1 hard cooked egg, diced*

•2 oz cheddar cheese, in 1/4" cubes [we've used significantly more than this on some occasions, just as good! also, we use shredded and it works fine]

•1/4 cup sweet pickle relish [we use dill]

•12 slices of bread [or as many as it takes you to use the filling up]

Combine filling ingredients. Mix well. Spread between two slices of bread, buttering outsides of bread. Cook in a sandwich maker or electric skillet, turning, until both sides are golden brown and cheese is melted [we just use a frying pan with a lid].

*You can prepare the boiled egg however you usually do, or use the way from my cooking class: place room temperature egg in a pan with cold water. Bring water to boil, remove from heat, cover tightly, and allow to remain in water for 20 minutes.

Brunch Casserole

2009-07-06T07:42:00.000-07:00

I made a slight change to the existing brunch casserole recipe and we loved it. Instead of throwing away the crusts of the bread, tear them up into small pieces (about an inch or less in length) and put them on top of the casserole before pouring the milk and egg mixture. The crumbs get sufficiently moist to be baked and brown nicely. It made it look beautiful and added a delightful crunch.

Pizza pinwheels

2009-07-04T19:13:00.000-07:00

Made these for our pizza movie night and everyone loved them.

1 recipe pizza dough
toppings as desired, finely chopped (we did pepperoni and sausage)
cheese

Make dough as directed. Cut dough in two. Roll out on counter cinnamon roll style. Spread cheese and toppings. No sauce goes on these. Roll into a log and pinch. Slice to desired thickness, no more than 2". Bake at 425 degrees for 12 minutes. Dip in favorite sauce. We did a marinara with mozzarella cheese and an alfredo.

Chipotle Burritos

2009-07-04T07:03:00.000-07:00

Thursday night, we had the missionaries over to dinner. We served them burritos. I wanted the flavor of that wonderful Chipotle Beef in the burrito, so instead of adding taco seasoning to the ground beef and onions, I added 1/2 t. cumin, 1 t. chopped garlic, about a 1/4 can of chopped chipotle peppers and some fresh cilantro. I let it simmer, covered, for, oh, about 45 minutes. I uncovered it and let it continue simmering for about 15 minutes more. The flavor was divine. Incredible with rice, beans, cheese, sour cream and guacomole on those giant tortillas! I served it with chips and salsa and watermelon chunks for dessert.

Spiced up Black Beans

2009-06-27T22:15:00.000-07:00

I found myself alone, and with responsibility. I don't know that this was the best combination, but hopefully something good came of it. Jodi had volunteered to prepare "Beans for Eight" for the Stake Fiesta Latina activity tonight. However, she dared to leave this responsibility on me (she went up to Idaho to visit her dad). I didn't want to be boring and just take some refried beans, so I put my mind to work, and came up with this...a slightly spicy black bean concoction, and I like it! Next time you have burritos, or just want something to dip your tortilla chips in, give this a try.

Spiced Up Black Beans

1 (30-oz) can Black Beans, drained
1 (4 oz) can fire roasted, diced green chiles (you can use medium or hot)
3/4 cup salsa (select your favorite)
1 (14.5-oz) can whole kernel corn (I didn't put this in, but I think it would be great)

Mix everything together. Heat and serve, or dip (I served mine cold, but that is mostly because I had to go to work, and just dropped the beans off well before the activity started). I think a little lime juice would add a nice background flavor. I'll have to try that next time.

Just a note, it is better if you let it sit and allow the flavors mix. Plan ahead!

Cinnamon Rolls with a twist

2009-06-27T11:54:00.000-07:00

I needed small pieces of cinnamon roll for a crowd, so I took a tip from my new favorite simple cookbook and made over our family cinnamon recipe (which I still think is amazing.) It's simple, just take 1/2 the recipe and roll it out nice and big. Butter, sugar and cinnamon as usual (I also added some toffee bits) then roll it up and seal it. No changes thus far.

Now it gets fun. Slice it with a very sharp knife (I sharpened mine the other day) the long way. Yup, just one long slice all the way down the length of that hunk of dough. Now you have 2 delicate pieces that are spilling out all over the place. Take them and twist them together, trying to keep the filling on top. I forgot to photograph this step, which I regret, because it's beautiful to see the brown sugar striped twisting around themselves. Take the twist and wrap it in a circle on the inside of a springform pan. I used a 10", and I think it would be difficult to do it smaller unless you used less dough, which, of course, is easy, so never mind about that.

Seal the ends together the best you can, then let it raise, which mine didn't do well, but it's no biggie. Cook at 350˚ for 25 minutes, then beat 1 egg yolk with 1 tsp water and brush it over the rolls. Cook 15 minutes more, then remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove sides of pan and place a sheet pan or large cutting board under the cooling rack. Drizzle the thin icing over the top and let it drip down the sides and into the waiting pan. Cool completely, then slice and serve. Voila! Little cinnamon roll slices for many people!

Chocolate Caramel Popcorn

2009-06-20T11:15:00.000-07:00

So, yeah, it had to be done eventually, and I don't regret being the one to do it. As Michelle (and Bryce, Justin, Jodi, Liz, Heather, Mom, Marquie, etc.) can attest, I'm just one BAD influence. Oh well, that's life. Besides, after the Chipotle Beef debacle, I thought I owed the forum something! So here you go, please enjoy (as Liz and I did last night!)

Chocolate Caramel Popcorn

1 recipe of Family Cookbook Caramel Popcorn
2-3 batches of air popped popcorn [more popcorn=less caramel per piece—don't be greedy!]
1/4-1/3 cup cocoa [I used dutch process because I finally replenished my Kitchen Kneads supply!]
Peanuts or pecans or peanut butter chips (optional)

OK, so prepare the popcorn and caramel as usual, but after you melt the butter and sugar together, add cocoa and mix well. Be very careful with the boil, because this will thicken FAST! Of course, I only made a 1/4 size batch, so it thickened super fast. Add salt, vanilla, and baking soda as usual. This will be thicker than your average caramel, but you shouldn't hate it.

For the small batch I used about 2 Tbsp cocoa, so my amount above is an estimate. We didn't add nuts or anything, but they sound good, don't they? We did 1/4 batch caramel to 1 batch popcorn, and it wasn't quite enough goo; so gauge accordingly. Love you!

Chipotle Beef II

2009-06-13T07:40:00.000-07:00

I originally posted this as a comment to the recipe below, but thought it would make a nice recipe (and story) all by itself.

So, I was craving Chipotle yesterday, so I thought it would make delightful party fare for our get together last night. Unfortunately, I forgot you posted the great recipe below and I went in search of a recipe online (Sorry, Dad!) I found one, bought the ingredients, and then realized that the directions were horrible, so I freaked out. While I was online I saw your recipe posted (again!) and used it as the basis for my new hybrid of chipotle beef. It saved us all, so many thanks, Dad, even though I forgot about your original post! I do feel bad, but there's nothing I can do now. So, our hybrid was the same, but with a can each of green chiles, beef broth and diced tomatoes. It was really juicy, and I think Justin will be sick for a week after what he ate (even though Jodi tried to stop him!) We used a 3 pound roast, and it was a bit spicy as Mom mentioned, but we ate it up anyway. I think for the kids you could reduce the Chipotle peppers to 1/2 or 2/3 can. So here's the one I used:

Crock Pot Chipotle Beef

3-5 pound roast
1-14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1-14 oz can beef broth
1 small can diced chiles
1/4 cup chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp cumin
1 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped

Rinse and dry roast, then place in crockpot. Pour tomatoes and broth over the roast. Combine remaining ingredients, then pour over the top of the roast. [My recipe said to keep it all on top of the roast, but I'm not sure if that's important or not given how I prepared it.] Cook on low 12 hours or high for 8 hours. [I used a combination of the two as I checked it and freaked out about it being done on time, etc., etc.] When the roast is shreddable, removing it from the pot and shred it completely. Give the ingredients in the pot a stir, then return the meat to the pot and continue cooking until you're ready to serve it. [I let it stew another 1 1/2-2 hours and it was juicy, flavorful, and divine! I don't think it would have been quite as luscious if I hadn't let it stew in the liquid after shredding.]

I served it alongside homemade tortillas, spiced black beans, sauteed peppers and zucchini, and plenty of sour cream to cut the spice! Again, Dad, sorry I neglected the recipe you so generously posted. I promise to use it next time!

Chipotle Beef

2009-06-09T11:13:00.000-07:00

Mom like this so much she asked (Actually, she told :)) me to get it posted and since James has the recipe site to do it, it made it easy to do. Some of the older family members may remember burritos from Jerry's in St. Paul. One of the meats we always enjoyed was Chipotle beef. So, because of mom's prompting and as a reminder of wonderful food from years gone by, here is my personal recipe.

First, the peppers, Chipotle peppers are actually Jalapeno peppers that are smoked. They are spicy but have a very robust and full flavor brought out by the smoking process.

Ingredients --

Three to five pound beef roast, thin sliced or cubed. Either way, after cooking you will want to shred it some.
One medium red, or yellow onion cubed
Five Garlic cloves, chopped
One small can Chipotle peppers, cut into pieces
Salt to taste
Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Cooking --

Brown the beef
Add onions, garlic, salt, pepper and Chipotle Peppers
Cook until tender in either a crock pot or dutch oven (heavy covered pot). Cast iron is best.

Serving --

This is a spicy dish and can be used in many ways such as a filling for burritos, tamales, or just as a meat dish served with rice, beans and tortillas. (Pinching as Heather would say)
Depending on how it is served, (such as with rice and beans) will serve ten to twelve people

Enjoy.

Turkey Chili

2009-06-04T20:35:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon this recipe by accident. I started making taco soup by cooking 1 lb of ground turkey, and then realized I hadn't pre-soaked the dry beans that I needed to make the soup. So, I searched some recipes for what to do with 1 lb of ground turkey. I came across this recipe on Creative Homemaking and found we happened to have all of the ingredients, so I made it and it turned out great! Justin and I loved it so much we suggested it to Michelle and James as they put together the menu for the week. We had it together and everyone liked it (well, except for some of the kids). Give it a try! It's very healthy as well!
Turkey Chili

1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced [we found that thickly sliced is pretty good too]
1 lb. ground turkey
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 tbsp. chili powder
1 28-oz. can of crushed tomatoes [we used diced, and it seemed just fine]
1 15-oz. can of black beans, drained
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 can corn (optional) [I don't think you'll want to leave it out, the color of the corn makes it visually appealing]

In a large soup pan, cook onion, pepper, celery, and turkey in oil until turkey is cooked through. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes, beans, and oregano, and stir well. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer partially covered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add corn and simmer for 10 more minutes. Serves 6.

My Mom's M&M Cookies

2009-06-04T20:33:00.000-07:00

These (we think) are the cookies my mom used to make for us when we were little. They are by far my favorite kind of cookie ever, and I insist that the same recipe with chocolate chips substituted is not as good (but there is considerable debate on that topic, so feel free to try that if you want :). When she would make them, I would usually eat about 6 right in a row, until I had to stop because I felt sick.

M&M Cookies

2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter (not spread), softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (12-oz) (1-3/4 cups) M&M® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking Bits

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy; beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in flour mixture. Stir in M&M’s bits.

Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls about 2-in apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350* for 9 to 12 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool 1 minute in pan.

Hint: For chewy cookies, begin checking cookies for doneness at ~ 8 minutes and for beginning brownness.

Here's some fun ways to spice up your pancakes!

2009-06-04T20:32:00.000-07:00

I found these recipes one day on Mr.Breakfast.com when I decided to make breakfast for dinner and wanted a few ways to spice up our pancakes. We just happened to have apple cider in the fridge and I couldn't resist making the cinnamon honey butter to go along with it. Justin loved both, and it was really fun. We had whipped topping with it and it was very good together.

Apple Cider Syrup (15 servings)

[I halved this recipe and it served us more than twice each, but there's only two of us!]

• 2 cups apple cider or apple juice

• 1 cup sugar

• 1/4 cup butter

• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch

• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice

• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Mix together sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg in saucepan. Pour in juice (apple and lemon). Cook and stir constantly until thickened and boils. Boil and stir one minute. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Serve warm over pancakes [we found that it is just as delicious served cold (as long as you stir the separated ingredients)].

Cinnamon Honey Butter (16 servings)

[I halved this recipe and it was more than enough]

• 1/2 bup butter, softened

• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar

• 1/2 cup honey

• 1 tsp cinnamon

In a medium bowl, combine butter, confectioners' sugar honey and cinnamon. Beat until light and fluffy.

Bittersweet Chocolate & Pear Cake

2009-06-03T07:52:00.000-07:00

This is the first recipe AND the format I'd like to use for posting.

Principles:

Put the title in Bold Italics so it's easy to find the beginning of the recipe. Add commentary before or after or whatever. I think it's fun to know why and where and when you made it, plus family reactions.
Use bullet points for the ingredients so they're easy to identify.
Include all directions as well as any changes you made, notated in [brackets.]
If your recipe has a citable source, tell us where you found it, just below the title. It's nice to give credit where it's due. If you can't find an author, no biggie.

I came across this recipe in a food blog I frequent, and had to make it as soon as I had occasion. I found occasion one October evening, and it's taken me ages to share it. Anyway, it was AWESOME. I even wrapped up a piece and gave it to a friend as a thank you for a favor she did for me. Not only is it delicious, but it's beautiful as well. Browning the butter was a new experience for me and took some patience, but it was so worth it. Find on occasion to make this cake.

Bittersweet Chocolate & Pear Cake

Al Di La Restaurant in Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, at room-temperature
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
3 pears, peeled, in a small dice (I used anjou, but would recommend a softer variety, like a bosc or any other of your favorites)
3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chunks

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and dust with breadcrumbs [or flour,] set aside.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together, set aside.

Using a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the eggs on high speed until pale and very thick. (In a professional Kitchen Aid, it takes at least five minutes; on a home machine, it will take nine minutes to get sufficient volume)

While the eggs are whipping, brown the butter. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan (because it will foam a lot) and cook it until the butter browns and smells nutty (about 6 to 8 minutes). It helps to frequently scrape the solids off the bottom of the pan in the last couple minutes to ensure even browning. Remove from the flame but keep in a warm spot.

Add the sugar to the eggs and whip a few minutes more.

Just as the egg-sugar mixture is starting to loose volume, turn the mixture down to stir, and add the flour mixture and brown butter. Add one third of the flour mixture, then half of the butter, a third of the flour, the remaining butter, and the rest of flour. Whisk until just barely combined — no more than a minute from when the flour is first added — and then use a spatula to gently fold the batter until the ingredients are combined. It is very important not to over-whisk or fold the batter or it will lose volume.

Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle the pear and chocolate chunks over the top, and bake until the cake is golden brown and springs back to the touch, about 40 to 50 minutes, or a tester comes out clean. It may take longer. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream or whatever.