7CooksInAKitchen

Penne with Chickpeas, Feta, and Tomatoes

2012-03-08T16:16:00.004-08:00

We have been trying to eat healthier but I was in the mood for a pasta and something that didn't involve chicken or salmon. This hit the spot and was something different than what we usually eat! This recipe was on our old family blog that Liz posted a few years ago so thanks Liz! ~ Melanie

Penne with Chickpeas, Feta, and Tomatoes
- adapted from cooking light

Ingredients
8 ounces uncooked wheat penne pasta
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup chopped green onions
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
4 oz. fresh spinach
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
3 cups halved cherry tomatoes
3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1/3 cup small fresh basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions and drain. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add shallots and garlic; sauté 45 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in bell pepper, spinach and chickpeas; sauté 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes; sauté 2 minutes. Stir in pasta and cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat. Add feta and remaining ingredients; toss to combine.

Easy Pizza Sauce

2012-02-20T18:22:00.002-08:00

Easy Pizza Sauce

This is a very easy pizza sauce and it is the best homemade one that I have had. I used Emilee's whole wheat pizza dough and then added lots of toppings. I haven't ever made a homemade pizza that I love until now, this one was great and I can't wait to make pizza again. And it was easy. I could make this after work any night.

Pizza Sauce
Recipe from OurBestBItes.com

1 6-oz. can tomato paste
6 oz. water (just use the empty tomato paste can)
3 Tbsp. garlic bread seasoning
1 Tbsp. sugar or honey (I usually use sugar because it's easier and hey, I think we've established here that if there's an easy road or a hard road, I usually take the easy road...)
3/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)

Empty tomato paste into a bowl and add water a few tablespoons at a time, stirring constantly until combined. Add remaining ingredients, stir to combine, and allow to stand until ready to use. Covers two average-sized pizza; freezes well.

Garlic Bread Seasoning

2012-02-19T18:48:00.000-08:00

This is the best garlic bread seasoning that I have ever had. I have always struggled with getting the right amount of the ingredients. This is perfect sometimes it seems that I plan my meals around garlic bread.

Garlic Bread Seasoning

from Our Best Bites

combine the following ingredients

1/2 c. powdered Parmesan cheese

2 tsp. Kosher salt

2 Tbsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. oregano

2 tsp. basil

2 tsp. marjoram

2 tsp. parsley

Add all ingredients in jar and shake. I just keep this in the fridge and it stays good for a few weeks. Combine 1 1/2 Tbsp. seasoning with 1/2 c. of softened real butter and spread on a loaf of French bread. Wrap in foil and bake at 375 until the butter is melted.

Sauted Pork Tenderloin Medallions with Garlic-Lemon Sauce

2012-02-17T04:46:00.000-08:00

This is an easy way to cook pork without having to marinate it!~ Melanie

Pork Tenderloin Medallions with Garlic-Lemon Sauce

1 (lb) pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 1- inch slices.
1/4 tsp salt, divided
1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp black pepper
2 tsp olive oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
lemon zest and 1 Tbsp juice from lemon
1 tbsp chopped parsley

Sprinkle pork on all sides with 1/8 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Heat 1 tsp oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add pork and cook, turning once until the pork is well-browned and internal temperature reaches 145 degrees, about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer pork to serving platter, cover to keep warm. Add remaining 1 tsp oil to skillet. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth. Increase heat to high and cook, stirring to scrape up browned bits from bottom of skillet, until liquid is reduced by 2/3, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and stir in remaining 1/8 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper, lemon zest and parsley. Serve pork medallions drizzled with the sauce.

*I let the sauce reduce too much in this picture so it couldn't "drizzle it over the pork". More like a paste- but it was still yummy.

Italian Chicken Croissant Sandwiches

2012-02-15T06:37:00.000-08:00

This is a meal I plan when I know I am going to be too busy to make dinner. It works great to pack on those nights when you're at your kids sporting events during dinner time. You'll need to marinate the chicken the night before though.

ItalianChicken Croissant Sandwiches

Marinade

1envelop dry Zesty Italian Dressing

½cup balsamic vinegar

½cup olive oil

¼cup water

Marinatechicken for about 24 hours.

Cookchicken (bbq, grill or bake). I usually bake it for 30 minutes on 350. Slicechicken and put on croissant with tomato, lettuce and avocado. You maywant to put mustard, cream cheese or mayo on the croissant.

Sugar Cookies

2012-02-15T06:04:00.000-08:00

I have two favorite sugar cookie recipes. This is one of them. They are so soft! Thanks Nikole for the recipe!

Sugar Cookies
1 c shortening
2 c sugar
3 eggs
1 c milk
2 t vanilla
~7 c flour
3 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 t salt

Cream sugar and shortening. Add eggs, milk and vanilla. Mix well. Add dry ingredients. You only need enough flour so you can handle the dough. You want it sticky still since you'll need use some flour to roll them out. Roll them out to about 1/3 inch thick and then bake at 350 for 8-10 min. These cookies also freeze well.
You can frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Chicken Chili

2012-02-07T07:52:00.000-08:00

I wanted to try a chili that had less of a tomato and chili pepper flavor but without dairy. This recipe turned out delicious and I would definately make it again. It was not spicy hot so if you like heat add some cayenne or use a medium or hot salsa. Plus it was so easy...make it in the morning and forget about it.

2 cans white beans ( I didn't drain these but to reduce the sodium you can)
2 chicken thighs boneless cut into cubes
1/2 large onion chopped
1/2 green pepper chopped
1 jalapeno seeded and chopped or substitute cayenne to taste
3 cloves garlic, chopped fine ( I use prechopped right out of the bottle)
1 T. cumin
pinch oregano
1 cup water
1 heaping teaspoon chicken bouillon ( I use the liquid paste from Costco)
16 ounces mild salsa I used a chunky salsa so you can see the tomato in it. If your family doesn't like chunks use a different salsa

Stir together all ingredients except salsa into a crockpot. Cover and cook on low 8 hours. One hour prior to serving stir in the salsa. Serves 4

German Pancakes

2012-01-28T08:17:00.000-08:00

This is one of our favorite breakfasts.

GermanPancakes

¼ cup butter

3 eggs

1/3 cup sugar

¾ cup flour

1 ½ cups milk

¼ tsp salt

Put butter in 9 inch pan and melt in oven as it ispreheating. Mix eggs, sugar andsalt. Then add flour and mix untilsmooth. Slowly add milk ½ cup at a timeand mix with whisk. Pour into hotpan. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and make for 8 minutesmore.

Topping:

Mix together ¼ cup brown sugar and ½ cup sour cream.

Refried Beans

2012-01-15T22:27:00.000-08:00

Refried Beans
I got this recipe from Lulu Jimenez while living with my in-laws a few years ago. I have yet to buy a can of refried beans since then! I love these and my kids eat it by the spoonful like it is candy! We recently accidentally made more than 7 cups of it and ate it all in a weeks time!
(this makes a lot, freezes okay, but best fresh)

2 lb bag pinto or black beans
1 onion
6 cloves garlic
salt to taste
boiling water

Rinse and remove any undesirable beans. Put beans, onion, garlic (I chopped both up) in the crock pot. Cover beans with boiling water. Cook in crockpot until beans are soft (with hot water it took 3-4 hours on high, cold takes all day). With a slotted spoon put beans in blender or food processor in small batches, adding salt to taste. Add liquid from the crockpot as needed to make them the right consistency. That's it! And they are fabulous!!!

Rice Flour Muffins / Coffee cake

2012-01-15T22:11:00.000-08:00

Rice Flour Muffins/ Coffee cake

We like to make these in the mini muffin tins, with papers- which I spray, overkill I know but I don't want to waste my delicious muffins! We've had them with cinnamon sugar and/or dried blueberries or with a spoonful of cranberry sauce mixed into each cup or just plain. It is a great basic muffin!

1 cup white rice flour

1/3 tsp cream of tarter (I often leave this out if makingmuffins and not coffee cake)

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp xanthum gum or knox gelatin

3 Tbsp milled flax seed

1/3 cup shortening (can sub. oil or butter)

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup milk

~1/3 cup water as needed to thin

Sift together the dry ingredients. Then cut in the shortening. Add the wet ingredients and beat for 4minutes. Pour into greased square pan or12 muffin cups. Bake 15 minutes. Mixture of cinnamon & sugar, fruit ornuts can be added as desired, either mix up with or sprinkled on top.

Quinoa Squash Pilaf

2012-01-15T22:06:00.000-08:00

Quinoa SquashPilaf (from Taste of Home)

(This makes a lot! I like to make it will 1/2 cup quinoa but all the veggies and spices.)
8 Servings Prep: 30 min. Cook: 20 min.

1 cup quinoa, rinsed (use a coffee filter inside a strainer so you don't lose all of it)

1 can (14-1/2 ounces) vegetable broth (I used chicken)
1/4 cup water
2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 medium yellow summer squash, halved lengthwise andsliced
1 cup chopped leeks (white portion only) (I left this out.)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp Light Olive Oil or Canola Oil
1 large tomato, chopped
1 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro (I used ground coriander seed)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups fresh baby spinach, chopped (I've made it with and w/out this- good both ways.)

In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray,toast the quinoa over medium heat until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.

In a small saucepan, bring broth and water to a boil. Addquinoa. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed;set aside.

In a large nonstick skillet, saute the zucchini, yellowsquash, leeks and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in the tomato, cilantro, seasoningsand quinoa; heat through. Add spinach; cook and stir until spinach is wilted. Yield: 8 servings.

Brown Rice Waffles

2012-01-15T21:58:00.000-08:00

Brown Rice Waffles(from Lundberg rice website)

-The recipe calls for brown rice and brown rice flour but I usually make it with jasmin rice and white rice flour, I've even used regular rice, any of them seem to work and you don't taste the individual pieces of rice, the heat from the waffle iron takes care of that. My kids don't know the difference unless I tell them they are rice flour waffles!

1 cup cooked short grain brown rice

1 cup sifted brown rice flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp sugar

3 eggs, separated

1/3 cup melted shortening (I've used powdered shorteningor nucoa/butter)

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

-Sift together dry ingredients. Beat egg whites untilstiff. Beat egg yolks until light incolor. Blend melted shortening and eggyolks and add to dry ingredients. Mixwell. Fold in cooked rice and beaten eggwhites. Bake in a hot waffle iron untilgolden in color.

Chicken Rollatini with Spinach alla Parmigiana

2012-01-12T17:53:00.000-08:00

This recipe comes from www.skinnytaste.com. She has some great recipes on her site. We loved this one.

Chicken Rollatini with Spinach alla Parmigiana

8 thin chicken cutlets
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
6 tablespoons egg whites (I used one whole egg and 2 egg whites)
5 oz frozen spinach (I used fresh)
6 tablespoons ricotta cheese ( I used used cottage cheese because I don't like ricotta)
6 oz mozarella cheese
1 cup marinara sauce

Wash and dry cutlets, season with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 450°. Lightlyspray a baking dish with non-stick spray. Combine breadcrumbs and 2 tbsp grated cheese in one bowl and 1/4 cup egg beaters or egg whites in another. Shred or finely chop 1.5 oz of mozzarella cheese and combine with remaining grated cheese, spinach (make sure you squeeze it dry), 2 tbsp egg beaters, and ricotta cheese. Lay chicken cutlets down on a working surface and spread 2 tbsp of spinach-cheese mixture on each cutlet. Loosely roll each one and keep seam side down. Dip chicken in egg mixture, then in breadcrumbs and place seam side down in a baking dish (no toothpicks needed). Repeat with the remaining chicken. When finished, lightly spray with olive oil.

Bake 25 minutes. Remove from oven, top with sauce then slices of cheese.

Bake until cheese is melted and bubbling, about 3 more minutes. Serve with additional sauce on the side and grated cheese.

Crust-less Spinach Quiche

2012-01-09T20:10:00.000-08:00

It was breakfast for dinner at our house again tonight! As much as I love my kids playing sports, basketball games at 5:30 make it hard to make dinner. This was easy because I put it in the oven and left. I pulled this recipe off our old blog. My sister Liz had posted it back in 2006. It was delicious and I would definitely make it again. It went great with biscuits.

Crust-less Spinach Quiche
1-2 cups fresh spinach, chopped (I used about half of a 9 oz bag)
4 eggs
1 (8 oz) carton cottage cheese (- note from Liz: The recipe called for 16 oz but I didn’t have that much and 8 oz turned out great) (note from Melanie: I used half of a large carton)
¼ - 1 cup cheddar cheese (- note from Liz: you can make it as cheesy as you like- I just put in a sprinkle and it was great)
½ - 1 cup chopped mushrooms (I used the whole carton of sliced mushrooms)
½ c onion (I used green)
½ cup chopped sliced ham
Bread crumbs (optional)

Saute the vegetables and ham in a frying pan with a little Pam. (Note from Liz: You could add or change any of the veggies. The actual recipe I used called for only spinach and green onions, but I had a buch of things in my fridge, so I just kept throwing things in and it turned out great.)
Mix the eggs and cottage cheese and add the veggies (I drained the water off from sauteing the spinach). Pour in a pie pan. Bake at 325 for 45 min. Remove and sprinkle bread crumbs on the top. Return to oven and bake for 15 minutes more. Let stand for 10-15 minutes and serve!

Creamy Jell-O

2012-01-08T14:18:00.000-08:00

This is a great recipe for jell-o. Very light and fluffy! I've made raspberry (with raspberry jell-o, raspberry yogurt and 1 cup frozen raspberries) and orange (with orange jell-o, orange yogurt and a large can of mandarin oranges). Thanks Laura for the recipe!

Creamy Jell-O

6 oz jello
1 1/2 cups boiling water

Boil water and add jell-o. Stir until dissolved. Add 1 1/2 cups ice cubes and stir until it partially sets. Stir in:

1 small container yogurt
fruit (same flavor as jell-o and yogurt). Then fold in:
1 small cool whip

Refrigerate for a couple hours before serving.

Cinnamon Roll French Toast

2012-01-08T13:52:00.000-08:00

A few months ago I ate breakfast at a restaurant and I had their Cinnama-sation. I tried searching for the recipe online but wasn't able to find it so this is what I came up with. We had this for dinner last night but really, it should be a dessert! I made cinnamon rolls for it, but you could use store bought ones. I am still experimenting with the syrup. The first time I made these I used cream instead of sweetened condensed milk. The syrup was a little runny. This time it was a little thick but I would rather have that than too runny. I'll keep you posted if I get it just right!

Cinnamon Roll French Toast
4 eggs
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
dash of salt

Mix the above ingredients and dip baked cinnamon roll into egg mixture. Bake as you would french toast. I use a griddle and cook them on medium/low heat for about 3-4 minutes on each side. You can use a frying pan. Top with caramel syrup, whipped cream and chopped pecans.

Caramel Sauce
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon

Mix and ingredients and heat in the microwave for about 3-4 minutes until hot and bubbly. The sugar will dissolve as it gets heats.

Cinnamon Rolls

2012-01-08T13:31:00.000-08:00

Cinnamon Rolls
1 T yeast
1/4 cup butter
1 cup milk (scalded)
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
3-4 cups flour

Add 1 T yeast to 1/4 cup warm water. Add 1/2 tsp sugar to help yeastgrow. Set aside. Heat milk until just before a boil. Add 1/4 cupbutter to hot milk. Let butter melt. Add milk/butter to egg, sugar and salt inmixer. mix well. Beat in 2 (of the four) cups of flour. mixwell. Add yeast to mixture. Add remaining flour one cup at atime. Stir in completely each time. Dough will start to loose itsgloss. It may take more or less flour. It will be fairly sticky.Mix until it doesn't stick to sides. Cover with a towel. Let rise forabout an hour.

Cinnamon Sugar (inside)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 T cinnamon
1/4 cup softened butter

To keep dough from sticking to everything-spray counter and hands withpam. Roll out dough into large rectangle ~1/2 inch thick. Nextspread butter over dough. Spread cinnamonmixture over dough. Roll dough (not too tight or the middles pop out whenbaking) seal seams. Cut with thread into about 12 rolls. Place ongreased cookie sheet. Cover with cloth and let rise for 45 minutes-1hour. (almost double in size)
Bake at 400 degrees 10-12 minutes. Golden brown on top, frost while warm.

Frosting
1/2 brick cream cheese (4oz) softened
1-2 T softened butter
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1-2 tsp vanilla
~add 1tsp of milk at a time until desired consistency.

Beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy then add powdered sugar, vanilla and milk.

Butternut Squash and Bacon Pasta

2012-01-04T12:13:00.000-08:00

Butternut Squash and Bacon Pasta
I got this recipe originally from Cooking light and I have made just a few changes to it - we love it, even my husband who doesn't love squash! Erika

3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash
Cooking spray
6 bacon slices (raw)
1 cup thinly sliced onion
8 ounces uncooked penne
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded sharp provolone cheese
1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425°.

Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, rosemary, and pepper. Place squash on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with salt mixture. Bake at 425° for 45 minutes or until tender and lightly browned. (Mine doesn't ever take this long - usually about 30 minutes) Increase oven temperature to 450°.

Cook the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 1/2 teaspoons drippings in pan; crumble bacon. Increase heat to medium-high. Add onions to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Combine squash mixture, bacon, and onions; set aside.

Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well.

Combine flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a pan over medium-high heat. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add provolone, stirring until cheese melts. Add pasta to cheese mixture, tossing well to combine.
Combine pasta mixture with butternut squash mixture and toss well to combine. Spoon into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown.

Chocolate Mint Layer Bars

2012-01-04T12:01:00.000-08:00

Chocolate Mint Layer Bars
- I got this recipe from the back of a Nestle chocolate chip bag and they are actually pretty good. Think seven layer bars turned mint! ~ Erika

2 cups (about 15) finely ground chocolate sandwich cookies (i.e. Oreo's)
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups chopped nuts (I used walnuts)
1 cup flaked coconut
1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup mint chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in 13x9 baking pan in oven. Remove from oven. Sprinkle cookie crumbs over butter. Stir well; press mixture onto bottom of pan. Sprinkle with nuts and coconut. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over top. Sprinkle with chocolate and mint chips. Press down slightly. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until coconut is light golden brown. Cool completely and then cut into bars! Yum!

Chicken & Tortellini Soup

2012-01-04T11:52:00.000-08:00

Chicken & Tortellini Soup
- This is a super yummy and easy verison of chicken noodle soup! Thanks to Norlene Gowdy for the recipe!

Erika

1 large can chicken broth (I used bouillon instead)
2 chicken , diced
1 bunch celery, diced
1 cup carrots, diced
1 onion, diced
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasonings
1 pkg cheese tortellini (fresh or frozen)

Cook together chicken broth and chicken for about ½ hour. Add celery, carrots, onion and Italian seasonings. Cook until veggies are tender. Add cream of chicken soup. Refrigerate over night (always better the second day) Add tortellini just before serving (making sure the tortellini is thoroughly cooked).
~I wasn’t patient until to make it the day before and it was still great. The cream of chicken soup made the broth a little thicker and it was so good!! We loved it!

Polk-a-dot Pancakes

2012-01-04T11:47:00.000-08:00

Polk-a-dot Pancakes
This is one of my all time favorite breakfasts! I love both sausage and pancakes so why not combine them! ~Erika

1 16oz package sausage links
2 cups flour
4 Tbsp sugar
4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
6 Tbsp butter, melted

Cut the sausage into 1/2 inch think slides and cook until brown (I usually do it in the opposite order - cook first and then cut). Mix eggs, milk and melted butter. Combine dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Pour batter into a greased 9x13 baking pan and sprinkle with sausage. Bake at 350 for 25 mninutes or until golden brown.

Cream Cheese Frosting

2012-01-01T06:07:00.000-08:00

1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese
¼ cup stick margarine or butter, softened
2 tsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese, butter, milk and vanilla until smooth. Gradually beat in powdered sugar.

Banana Bread Oatmeal

2011-12-31T15:17:00.000-08:00

I've been on an oatmeal kick lately. This was a good recipe and much healthier than the one I have been making! My husband really liked it and thought it tasted a lot like banana bread. I found the recipe on budgetbytes.blogspot.com. ~Melanie

Banana Bread Oatmeal

4 mashed bananas (medium)
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups milk
2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Mash bananas. I just put them in my kitchen-aid and then added the rest of the ingredients. Bake in sprayed 8x8 pan covered with foil for 30 minutes. Then uncover and bake for another 15 minutes. Serve with milk over it. I like to pour my milk over it then heat it in the microwave for about 30 seconds to warm the milk up.

Chicken Wraps

2011-12-27T20:56:00.000-08:00

A few years ago my husband loved to hunt pheasant and I had a freezer full of it. I needed a way to cook game meat without it tasting like it. This is what I came up with. Now that my husband doesn't hunt pheasant very often, I use chicken. It's one of my favorite recipes! It works for a main dish or an appetizer~ Melanie

Chicken Wraps

1 lb. chicken, cut into 1 in strips
1 package bacon, cut each piece in half
1 red pepper, cut into strips
2 jalapenos, cut into strips
1/2 purple onion, cut into wedges

Lay a piece of bacon out flat. On one edge of the bacon lay a piece of chicken, then jalapeno, pepper and onion (see photos below). Roll it up and use a toothpick to keep it rolled tight. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes.

Dip: (optional)
1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup salsa
Heat in the microwave for about 30 seconds right before serving.

Mini Cheese Balls

2011-12-27T20:38:00.000-08:00

This is one of our favorite appetizers and it's an easy one to make. Thanks Shelby for the recipe~ Melanie

Mini Cheese Balls

2 cups shredded cheese (I used half "Taco" shredded cheese and half cheddar)
½ block cream cheese, softened
1 jalapeño, finely chopped

Mix together and roll into 1 inch balls. Chop slivered almonds (about 1 cup) into coarse pieces and roll each ball through the almonds. Serve with wheat thins.

Pumpkin Pie Cake

2011-12-27T20:27:00.000-08:00

Pumpkin Pie Cake
1 yellow cake mix
1 egg
1/4 c. butter, softened
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Blend until crumbly. Put 3/4 of crumb mixture on the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Set aside the remaining crumbs to put on top of the pumpkin mixture.

Mix:
1 large can pumpkin (30 oz)
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
4 eggs
2 can evaporate milk

Pour pumpkin mixture over crumbs in pan and then top with remaining crumbs. Bake at 350 for 1 hr and 15 minutes.

English Toffee

2011-12-11T19:01:00.001-08:00

This is a really fast candy to make, and if you are afraid of making candy this is very easy. This makes a perfect neighbor gift.

English Toffee
1 cup sugar
1/2 lb butter, salted (not margarine)
5 T. water

Combine all ingredients in a heavy 1 1/2 quart pan. Stir until mixed and bring to a boil on high. Put a lid on and let boil hard for 1 minute, to wash down the sugar crystals from the pan. Remove lid, cook on high, stirring constantly, IN ONE DIRECTION. Cook until mixture is a light tan or the color of a paper sack (Yes, I get a paper sack out every time I make it, and it has never failed). Pour out on cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Pour chocolate chips on the toffee and allow to melt, then spread over the entire slab. Sprinkle with finely chopped almonds, walnuts or pecans. If you desire turn over and do the same. Allow chocolate to harden and then break into pieces.

Candied Sweet Potato Casserole

2011-12-09T12:17:00.001-08:00

I have always made a mashed sweet potato casserole with marshmallows on top. Its a YUMMY recipe but it is difficult to make at Thanksgiving since it needs to bake for an hour and the oven is always full of other Thanksgiving items. So I decided to try something different. Jill loves this recipe so I thought I would give it a try. I would definitely make it again! It works perfect to pop it in the oven while you slice the turkey. I would put marshmallows on top of the pecan topping next time!~ Melanie

Candied Sweet Potato Casserole- from America's Test Kitchen (pg 181 of the red Family Cookbook)

Sweet Potatoes
8 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch chunks (I used salted)
5 lbs sweet potatoes (7 medium), peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Topping
2 cups pecans
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1/8 tsp salt
pinch cayenne pepper
pinch cumin

For the sweet potatoes: Melt butter in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat (I just used a large pan). Add the sweet potatoes, brown sugar, water, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then cover and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook, stirring often until the sweet potatoes are tender(45-60 min).

When the sweet potatoes are tender, remove the lid and bring the sauce to a rapid simmer over medium-high heat. Continue to simmer until the brown sugar mixture has reduced to a glaze, about 8 minutes.

For the topping: Meanwhile, mix together all the ingredients for the topping in a medium bowl. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pour the potato mixture into a 9 x 13 baking dish. Spread the topping over the potatoes. Bake until the pecans are toasted and crisp, 10-15 minutes.

Pork Chop Marinade

2011-12-09T12:03:00.001-08:00

This is one of my favorite recipes for pork. It works well for tenderloins as well. I like to BBQ, but since my BBQ is covered in snow, I baked them on 375 for about 20 minutes (they were pretty thin). Thanks again for the recipe Jenn!~ Melanie

Pork Chop Marinade

4 TBSP sugar
4 TBSP lemon juice
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp peper

Mix all the ingredients together and marinate pork for 6 hours.

Chicken Fajitas

2011-12-01T18:43:00.001-08:00

These fajitas are really easy to make and a little different because they're sweet and spicy. We make it quite often. Here is the real recipe, but I usually adapt it each time that I make it. I do less chicken and put in a red pepper along with the green pepper. I sometimes don't put the onion in and I have cut the butter down before and it still works great. I also don't use two pans. I cook the chicken and when it is almost done I add the water, brown sugar and the veggies. Then just let it all cook for 5 or so minutes until the veggies are done to your liking. Thanks Marla for the recipe!

Chicken Fajitas

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 stick butter
1 cap full Mrs. Dash (regular or chipotle)
1 large onion
1 green pepper
1/4 brown sugar

Toppings: lettuce, tomato, sour cream, guacamole, cheese
tortillas ( I only buy the fresh ones now that you have to cook yourself, so much better than precooked.)

Slice chicken into long strips, place in pan with half of the butter and Mrs. Dash. Cook until done and lightly browned. Stir in a small amount of water or chicken broth and the brown sugar. Cook until caramelized.
Chop the pepper and onions into strips and rings, sauté in a separate skillet with the remaining butter. Cook until onions are caramelized and peppers have crispy edges. Put in a warm tortilla and add toppings.

Pumpkin Butterscotch Cupcakes

2011-11-30T06:09:00.001-08:00

I had a cupcake at school from a bakery that was pumpkin with butterscotch and chocolate chips. I thought the butterscotch chips would be really weird, but it was delicious. I decided to try it myself. These are great with or without cream cheese frosting.

Pumpkin Butterscotch Cupcakes

1 yellow cake mix
1 small vanilla instant pudding
1 cup pumpkin
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup water
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 t. vanilla
1/2 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup chocolate chips.

Mix all ingredients, except the chips together until combined. Stir in the chips. Put in lined muffin pans. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Makes 24 cupcakes.

Cream Puffs

2011-11-20T19:46:00.000-08:00

I've tried lots of variations of cream puffs and their fillings but this recipe is my favorite! These are one of my favorite desserts to make when I have to take a dessert somewhere and they really are pretty easy! ~ Melanie

Cream Puffs

1 cup water
½ cup butter
1 tsp sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 cup flour
4 eggs

Filling:
1 small pkg vanilla pudding
4 oz cream cheese, softened
½ small carton Cool Whip

In a large saucepan, bring water, sugar, butter, and salt to a boil. Add flour all at once and stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until mixture is smooth. Drop about 15 rounded spoonfuls (small ice cream scoop or cookie dough scoop works great) 3 inches apart onto a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.

Transfer to a wire rack. Immediately cut a slit into each puff to allow steam to escape; cool for about 30 minutes. Cut tops off of each puff and set aside. Remove any soft dough from the inside. Let puffs sit for a couple of hour to get a little crusty (helps them not to go soggy when you add the filling). Mix cream cheese with dry pudding mix. Slowly add 1 1/2 cups milk (*Do this about 1/2 cup at a time so the pudding stays smooth or it will go lumpy!). Let pudding set in refrigerator for about 10 minutes then fold in cool whip. Fill each cream puff and replace top. Garnish with powdered sugar. I like to garnish with sliced strawberries too.

You can also garnish with a chocolate glaze. Mix the glaze ingredients together and place in a zip lock bag. Cut the tip of the bag off and gently squeeze baggie over cream puffs.

Chocolate Glaze:
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
3T softened butter
6T cocoa
2T canola oil
2T light karo syrup
3T hot water
1 tsp vanilla

Mix until smooth with spoon.

Chicken and Black Bean Soup

2011-11-20T19:04:00.001-08:00

Delicious! I love this soup! I love fall weather- means it's time to make soups again. This is also a great recipe to put in the crock pot so its all ready when you get home. I saute the onion, peppers and garlic and then add the rest directly to the crock pot. It makes a large crock pot full! I always freeze half after it is cooked. Thanks Jenn for the recipe. ~ Melanie

Chicken and Black Bean Soup

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cooked and shredded

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 ½ cups minced onion

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons cumin

¼ teaspoon salt

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

3 cans (14.5 oz.) chicken broth

2 cans (14.5 oz.) cooked black beans, rinsed and drained

2 cans (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, with liquid

1 can (15.4 oz.) corn, drained

1 can (2.25 oz.) sliced black olives

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided (optional)

Grated monterey jack or mozzarella cheese

In a large soup pan, place oil over medium high temperature. Saute onion. Add garlic and peppers and saute for a few more minutes. Add cumin, salt, chicken and chicken broth. Cover and bring to a boil; lower heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Add black beans, tomatoes, corn and olives; continue to simmer 10 minutes more. Stir in ¼ cup of the cilantro and remove from heat. Ladle soup into individual bowls; sprinkle cheese and remaining cilantro on top. Makes 8 servings. You can top with sour cream and tortilla chips. *You may need to add more seasonings. Taste if before serving. I usually end up adding about 2 tsp chicken bullion, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder and about 1/4 tsp more salt.

Cheeseburger Soup

2011-11-17T10:50:00.001-08:00

Cheeseburger soup
We love this soup - hate the name - but it is delicious! - Erika
1/2 lb ground beef
3/4 c onion, chopped
3/4 c celery, chopped
3/4 c carrots, chopped or shredded
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley
3 c chicken broth
4 c potatoes, peeled and diced
1/4 flour
1/2 c milk
8 oz. American cheese (about 12 slices of sliced cheese or I have velvetta)

Cook together ground beef, onion, basil, and parsley until beef
is cooked and vegetables are tender. Add potatoes, celery, carrots and chicken broth. Bring to a
boil. Cover and simmer 10- 12 minutes, until potatoes and veggies are tender. In a bowl,
whisk flour into milk until smooth. Add to soup. Reduce heat and simmer for a
few minutes until soup is thickened. Add cheese and stir until the cheese is
melted. It is delicious served in bread bowls with a little sour cream on the
top. **To make it lighter, use skim milk and low- fat or fat- free american
cheese.**

Heath Bar Trifle

2011-11-17T09:58:00.001-08:00

Heath Bar Trifle
This is amazing! Oh so good!! Thanks to my friend Sara for the recipe!- Erika

1 pkg brownie mix
1 (3.9) pkg instant choco pudding mix
1/2 cup water
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (8 oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (12 oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 heath bars (or really could be any candybar you want)

Prepare brownie mix according to package directions and cool completely, cut into 1 inch squares. In a large bowl, combine pudding mix, water and sweetened condensed milk. Mix until smooth, then fold in 8 oz whipped topping until no streaks remain. In a trifle bowl (or just a large glass bowl), place half of the brownies, half of the pudding mixture and half of the 12 oz container of whipped topping, then half of the heath bar broken up. Repeat layers with heath bar on top. Refrigerate 8 hours before serving.

Chocolate Lovers’ Favorite Mint Brownies

2011-11-17T09:52:00.001-08:00

Chocolate Lovers’ Favorite Mint Brownies
These are the best. I tried about ten different verisons of this kind of brownie and I think these are perfect!! - Erika

Brownies:
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
4 eggs
4 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted and slightly cooled (i have used cocoa and it works too)
2 ½ cups flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla

Mint frosting:
4 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons evaporated milk (I use regular milk because I to open a can for just 2 Tbsp)
2 cups powdered sugar
½ teaspoon peppermint extract
Few drops green food coloring

Glaze topping:
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 teaspoons vanilla

In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter until fluffy. Beat in eggs until well-blended; then add melted chocolate. Mix dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture along with vanilla and nuts. Spread in a greased 9” x 13” pan and bake for at 325 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, or until no imprint is left when touched. Do not overbake. Mix mint frosting ingredients until creamy and spread on brownies that are cooled. Refrigerate 1 hour. For glaze, combine butter and chocolate chips in top of double boiler; add vanilla and blend thoroughly. Pour gently over green frosting and spread by tipping pan; refrigerate. PS I just melted the butter and chocolate in the microwave and it turned out fine!

Chicken Enchiladas

2011-11-17T08:30:00.001-08:00

This is an easy chicken enchilada that you can change up every time you make it. This is the general recipe but you can change the seasonings or add fresh mushrooms~ Melanie

Chicken Enchiladas

1chicken breast, cooked and shredded

2-3green onions, chopped

½green pepper, diced

¼tsp garlic powder

Dashof lemon pepper

½tsp onion powder

Dashof oregano

½tsp chili powder

1can of cream of chicken soup

1/3c milk

¼c sour cream

Tomato,diced

3-4tortillas

Sautégreen pepper and green onion in a little olive oil. Add seasonings into the onions and peppers. Add one can of cream of chicken soup withmilk to the skillet. Add sourcream. Add chicken and dicedtomato (you can also just use the diced tomato for a topping). Fill tortillas. Makes 3-4 enchiladas. Spray baking dish with non-stick spray and bake at 375 for 10 min. Top with extra sauce and grated cheese. Garnish with shredded lettuce, olives,tomatoes, guacamole or sour cream.

Mexican Rice

2011-11-17T08:23:00.001-08:00

The original recipe called for 2 tsp chili powder, but it makes it too spicy for my kids to eat. Thanks Brandie for the recipe- way better than Rice A Roni~ Melanie

Mexican Rice
2 tablespoons butter
1-1/2 cups long grain rice
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 clove minced garlic
2 cups water
1 can Rotel (14.5 ounce)
1 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded mild Cheddar cheese, (can leave out)

Directions
1. In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat
2. Add the rice, onion, pepper, garlic
3. Cook until rice is slightly browned and onions/peppers are tender
4. Stir in the water, Rotel, chili powder, cumin, salt
5. Bring all to boil, and reduce heat
6. Simmer, covered 15-17 minutes OR until rice is tender
7. Last, stir in the cheese
8. Spoon into casserole or bowl

Blueberry French Toast

2011-11-13T17:17:00.001-08:00

This is a good brunch recipe. The picture didn't turn out the best. Everyone was hungry so I didn't let it cool enough to cut it into nice squares and this was all that was left after we ate! It really needs to sit for about 20 minutes after you pour the syrup on it so that it sets and cools~ Melanie

Blueberry French Toast

12 slices bread (white, cheap sandwich bread works the best)

2 packages (8oz.) cream cheese

1 1/2 c blueberries (fresh or frozen)

12 eggs

2 c milk

1/3 c maple syrup or honey

Sauce:

1 c sugar

2 T cornstarch

1 c water

1 c blueberries

1 T butter

Tear bread into 1 inch cubes. Place half in a greased 13x9 pan. Cut cream cheese into 1 inch cubes and place over bread. Top with blueberries and remaining bread. Blend eggs, milk and syrup (I use my blender) and pour over bread mixture. Cover and chill overnight. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 1 hour. Uncover and bake another 30-60 min until golden brown and center is set.

In a saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Add water. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil 3 min stirring constantly. Stir in blueberries and reduce heat. Simmer for 8 to 10 min or until berries have burst. Stir in butter until melted. Pour over baked french toast. *Let sit for about 20 minutes before serving.

Pork Chops with Ginger-Cherry Sauce

2011-11-13T17:09:00.001-08:00

This is one of my all time favorite recipes! If you don't like whole cherries, you can use cherry preserves that have the cherries all chopped up. This time when I made them, I was serving a bunch of family that was in town so I just baked the pork chops in the oven. Easier and faster when you are serving a lot of people! They were pretty thin so I only baked them for 20 minutes on 350~ Melanie

Pork Chops with Ginger-Cherry Sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

4 (4 oz) boneless pork chops

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

½ cup cherry preserves

2 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp seasoned rice vinegar (I use regular whitevinegar sometimes and it works just fine)

Heat oil in nonstick skillet over med-high heat.Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper; add to pan. Cook 4 minutes on each side (Icooked them on med heat for about 12 minutes on each side). Remove pork frompan. Combine preserves and remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Addpreserves mixture to pan; reduce heat, and cook 2 minutes or until slightlythickened, stirring constantly. Return pork to pan. Serve withsauce drizzled over pork.

Strawberry Bacon Salad with Poppy Seed Salad Dressing

2011-11-13T16:52:00.000-08:00

This is a favorite summer time salad~Melanie

Strawberry Bacon Salad with Poppy Seed Salad Dressing
1/2 cup slivered almonds, sugared
1 head romaine lettuce, washed and torn into smaller pieces
1 container strawberries, sliced
1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled

Poppy Seed Salad Dressing

1 c. sugar
3 tsp. salt
2 tsp. dry mustard
2/3 c. red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp chopped onion
1 1/2 c. oil
3 Tbsp poppy seeds

Put it all in the blender. It will keep for 2 weeks in the refrigerator. **I only use about 1/4-1/3 of this for 1 large salad.

To sugar almonds:
Heat skillet on medium low. Add 1/2 cup sugar and stir until it barely starts to melt. Add the slivered almonds and toss to coat. Pour them onto a piece of wax paper and let cool.

Pistachio Thumprints

2011-11-13T14:05:00.001-08:00

Here is another great Christmas cookie and one of my husband's favorite cookies. The recipe tells you to roll the cookie in the pecans, instead I put the pecans in the dough. I don't use 2 cups though. When I made the cookies today, I didn't have any mini chocolate chips. Instead I put some regular chocolate chips in the food processor and pulsed it a few times. I actually like how they turned out better than the originals. The chocolate flavor is throughout the cookies.

Pistachio Thumbprints

1 cup butter

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 egg

1 t vanilla

2 cups finely chopped pecans

¾ t almond extract

2 cup flour

1 pkg instant pistachio pudding

½ cup mini choc chips

Cream butter, sugar, and eggs, add extracts—mix well. Combine Flour, pudding and add to mixture, stir in choc chips. Shape into 1 inch balls and roll in chopped pecans and place on greased cookie sheet. Put a thumb print hole in the middle of each cookie before baking at 350 degrees for 10-12 min. After I take them out of the oven, I push down on the thumb print making it deeper so that the cream cheese frosting will not go off the sides. Allow cookies to cool completely before filling with cream cheese filling.

Filling:

2 T butter

4 oz cream cheese

2 cup powdered sugar

1 t vanilla

2-3 T milk (if needed)

Place filling in large Ziploc bag. Snip one corner and pipe filling out onto each cookie in thumbprint hole.

Chocolate topping: Melt ½ cup Semi-sweet chocolate with 2 t shortening. Drizzle lightly over each cookie. Refrigerate cookies.

Cherry Chocolate Kisses

2011-11-12T16:03:00.001-08:00

These are one of my top five favorite cookies. My kids love them too! They make a festive Christmas cookie~ Melanie

Cherry Chocolate Kisses
1 c. powdered sugar
1 c. butter or margarine, softened
2 tsp maraschino cherry liquid
1/2 tsp almond extract
3-4 drops red food coloring
2 1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. maraschino cherries, drained and chopped
about 48 milk chocolate kisses, unwrapped (when I made them it only made 36 cookies)

Heat oven to 350. In large bowl combine sugar, butter, cherry liquid, almond extract and food coloring; blend well. Add flour and salt; mix well. Stir in cherries. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until edges are light brown (I only bake them for 8 minutes. They won't look done~ trust me they are though! The first time I baked them they didn't brown until about 13 minutes and they ended up super dry!) Immediately top each cookie with a candy kiss, pressing firmly down. Remove from cookie sheet.

Pumpkin Bars

2011-11-12T12:03:00.001-08:00

This is the perfect fall treat! I could eat the entire pan myself (and it makes a really big pan!) - Erika

Pumpkin Bars

4 eggs
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 c. oil
16 oz canned pumpkin
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ginger
½ tsp ground cloves (I didn't have any of these the last time I made it and it was still great)
2 tsp cinnamon

Frosting:
6 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup butter, softened (I have cut the butter in half before and it was still good!)
1 tsp vanilla
2 cup powdered sugar

Combine eggs, sugar, oil, pumpkin. Combine dry ingredients then add into the egg/pumpkin mixture. Spread on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
For frosting: Cream together cream cheese, butter and vanilla. Then mix in powdered sugar. Spread on top of cooled pumpkin bars! Enjoy!

Spicy corn dip

2011-11-11T20:18:00.001-08:00

Thanks Julie for the new recipe! I made this tonight to go with our chicken tacos. It was fantastic!~ Melanie

Spicy Corn Dip

2 cups of frozencorn (thawed)
1 can Spicy Ro-Tel
1 cup shredded taco cheese
2 Tbsp chopped jalapeno
1 8oz pkg cream cheese softened
1 cup mayonnaise
4 oz Velveeta cubed

Mix all together and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. *I put the cream cheese and velveeta in the microwave for about a minute and half and mixed it together before I added everything else.

Chicken Tacos

2011-11-11T20:10:00.000-08:00

This an easy, delicious chicken taco that even my kids love. I posted a picture of the actual taco meat since you can't see it with all the toppings~ Melanie

Chicken Tacos

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can diced tomatoes
2 can black beans
1 can green chiles
1/2 cup chicken broth
taco seasoning (you decide how much you like)
corn tortillas
Toppings: tomato, lettuce, sour cream, cheese, guacamole, etc.

Boil chicken until juices run clear (microwave in a bowl of water for about 10-12 minutes works great!). Shred into bite-sized pieces. In medium saucepan, combine diced tomatoes, chicken broth, black beans, green chiles and taco seasoning. Simmer 20 minutes. Warm corn tortillas in a fry pan or griddle. I melted a little cheese on each one. Serve chicken mixture over tortilla. Add toppings.

Toffee-Pumpkin Cheesecake

2011-11-10T11:58:00.000-08:00

Jill called me and told me to check out a new recipe that looked good for Thanksgiving. I decided to try it before Thanksgiving to test it out. On a scale of 1-10, I would give it a 9 on looks and probably a 6 on taste. It was good, but not fantastic. I thought I would share it still for all those pumpkin/cheesecake lovers. *Definately would leave the toffee out next time. I love toffee, but it just didn't go with the smooth texture you expect from cheesecake~ Melanie

Toffee-Pumpkin Cheesecake~ ourbestbites.com
Slightly adapted from Betty Crocker
Ingredients:
2 cups cinnamon graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup butter
2 8-oz packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 eggs, at room temperature
1 bag toffee bits
1 15-oz can pumpkin
3/4 cup whipping cream
2/3 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie seasoning
1/8 teaspoons salt
Cool Whip or sweetened whipped cream for topping
Instructions:
Heat oven to 300 degrees. Spray a 9 or 10″ springform pan with cooking spray. In a small bowl, mix crumbs and butter. Press in bottom of pan. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
In large bowl, beat cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Beat in 2 of the eggs. Stir in 1 cup of the toffee bits. Spread over crust. Clean out your bowl (or by all means grab another one.)
Mix pumpkin, whipping cream, 2/3 cup sugar, the cinnamon, pumpkin pie seasoning, salt and remaining 3 eggs just until blended. Slowly and carefully spoon over cheesecake layer.
Bake for 2 hours or until edge of cheesecake is set at least 2 inches from edge of pan but center still jiggles slightly when moved. Turn oven off; open oven door at least 4 inches. Leave cheesecake in oven 30 minutes. Run spatula around edge of pan. Cool 30 minutes. Refrigerate 6 hours or overnight. Run spatula around edge of pan; remove side of pan. Pipe whipped topping or whipped cream around edges of cheesecake; sprinkle with remaining toffee bits.

Quick and Crunchy Porkchops

2011-11-10T07:42:00.001-08:00

This is one of our favorite ways to cook pork chops! I don't really like the taste of thyme, so I substitute it for red pepper flakes or ground red pepper. Gives it a little spice! Yum~ Melanie

Quick and Crunchy Porkchops

1 (5-ounce) panko bread
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or substitute red pepper flakes)
1/8 teaspoon sugar
6 tablespoons mayonnaise
4 pork chops

Heat oven to 425. Mix first 7 ingredients. Add 2 tablespoon mayonnaise. Using your fingers, coat 1 chop with 1 tablespoon mayonnaise. Press the crumbs into each side. Transfer breaded pork chops to baking rack set over rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chops. Bake pork chops until juice runs clear and thermometer registers 145-150 degrees, 16-22 minutes. Remove chops from oven and let rest on rack for 5 - 10 minutes.

Chopped Tomato Pesto Sandwiches

2011-11-09T10:52:00.000-08:00

Chopped Tomato pesto sandwiches

I love finding new ways to use produce from my garden. This is an open faced grilled sandwich with ham, cheese, pesto, and fresh tomatoes.

2 pieces deli ham

1 piece provolone or swiss cheese

handful of parmesan cheese

1 medium tomato

1 TB pesto

2 pieces bread (I used homemade whole wheat)

With kitchen scissors cut the ham and cheese into small pieces. Chop the tomatoe into small bite sized pieces. Smear 1/2 TB of pesto on each piece of bread. Divide the ham, cheese and tomato between the two pieces of bread. Top each sandwich with a small handful of parmesan cheese. Broil for about 5 minutes or until the edge of the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted. Enjoy!

Roasted Tomato-Basil Soup

2011-11-04T21:14:00.000-07:00

I just made this with a pan of fresh tomatoes (last garden pickings) and it turned out great!! I also made a few other substitutions. Instead of evaporated milk I used Lactaid milk and a few more tablespoons of tomato paste to help thicken it, and since I didn't have any reserved liquid from a can of tomatoes I used tomato juice and chicken broth to make up the difference. It was delicious, everyone liked it including my husband who is very, very picky about tomato soup- the only other one he eats is from a restaurant he went to in Texas called Le Madeleine!

Roast Tomato-Basil Soup - serves 6

2 cans (28 oz each) peeled whole tomatoes, drained and 3 cups liquid reserved

(or enough fresh tomatoes to fill a sheet cake pan)

2 1/2 Tbsp packed dark brown sugar (I used light)

1 medium onion, finely chopped (2 Tbsp dried onion, soaked in water)

3 cups chicken broth

3 Tbsp tomato paste

1/4 tsp ground allspice (I don't usually like allspice, but you couldn't even taste it)

1 can (5 oz) evaporated milk

1/4 cup shredded fresh basil, about 10 large leaves (2 tsp dried basil)

salt & pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil; spray with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange tomatoes on foil in single layer. Sprinkle with brown sugar and top with onion. Bake about 25-30 minutes or until tomatoes look dry and light brown. Let tomatoes cool slightly; finely chop or puree in food processor.

2. Place tomato mixture, 3 cups reserved liquid from tomatoes, broth, tomato paste and allspice in crock-pot. Mix well. Cover; cook on Low 8 hours or on High 4 hours.

3. Add evaporated milk and basil; season with salt and pepper. Cook on High 30 minutes or until hot.

Delicious with grilled cheese sandwich or toast!

Tex-Mex Chili

2011-11-04T18:04:00.000-07:00

This is a spicy, thick chili. I got this recipe from a friend and changed it just a bit~ Melanie

Tex-Mex Chili

1 lb leanground beef

1 sweet onion, diced (or 2 tsp onion powder works)

2 tsp chopped garlic (or 1 tsp garlic powder)

1 TBSP chilipowder (for those that don't like all the spice~ use 1/2 tbsp)

2 tsp groundcumin

2 (15 oz) canblack beans (don't drain)

2 (15 oz) canpinto beans (don't drain)

1 (10 oz) cantomatoes with green chilies (don't drain)

1 (8 oz) cantomato sauce

salt (about 1tsp) and pepper

shredded cheese (pepper jack is great!) and sour cream for topping

Brown groundbeef. Add onion, garlic, chili powder and cumin powder. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Add beans, tomatoes and tomato sauce. Simmer for 20 minutes on low or you can put it in a crock pot on low for 6-8hours. Serve with tortilla chips, corn chips or corn bread!

Malibu Chicken

2011-11-03T17:17:00.000-07:00

I love malibu chicken, but I don't like to eat chicken patties. This is a much healthier version! You don't really need a recipe for this, but I thought I would post it anyway. Its an main dish that takes no prep~ Melanie

Malibu Chicken

2 chicken breasts
2 slices ham, lunch meat works fine and you can use more than one piece. I like to use a thick slice.
2 slices provolone or swiss cheese

Malibu Sauce:
2 tbsp mayonaise
1 tsp mustard (my husband like spicy mustard but I prefer regular mustard- either works)

Spray baking dish with non-stick spray. Bake chicken for 30 minutes on 350. Remove from oven and top with slice of ham and then place the slice of cheese of top of the ham. Place back in the oven to melt the cheese (only takes 1-2 minutes). Serve with malibu sauce.

Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cake

2011-11-03T17:07:00.000-07:00

This is a favorite fall treat! It is great right out of the oven and makes your house smell delicious~ Melanie

Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cake
Streusel:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 T flour
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional
1 T butter or margarine, melted

Cake:
1 pkg yellow cake mix
1 pkg vanilla instant pudding mix
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon

Mix streusel and set aside
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the ingredients for the cake part. Pour half of batter into greased bundt pan (9x13 pan works fine as well). Sprinkle streusel mixture over batter. Pour remaining batter into pan. Bake 35-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes and invert onto a serving plate. Optional: cool completely and sift confectioner sugar over cake to garnish.

White Chicken Chili

2011-10-28T21:03:00.000-07:00

This is one of our favorite soups. It works great to put it in the crock pot on a busy day and have it ready to eat when you get home! We love it with mozzarella cheese and tortilla chips~ Melanie

White Chicken Chili
2 cans chicken broth (note from Melanie~ I only use 1 can or 1 1/2 cans. 2 just makes it too runny for us)
1 cup chicken cubed or shredded
2 cans white beans
1/2 onion chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 can green chiles
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chile powder
1/2 tsp onion powder or to taste
1/4 green pepper
1/4-1/3 cup cream or fat free half and half

Cook chicken in 1 TB olive oil take out of pan and saute onions, peppers until just translucent, add everything else into the pot including the garlic cloves chopped. Let simmer for 30 minutes. Right before serving add 1/4 cup of cream to the soup and serve with limes, chips and mozzarella cheese if desired.

Banana and Chocolate Chip Muffins

2011-10-25T08:48:00.000-07:00

These are my favorite "healthy" muffins. I use whole wheat flour and substitute the butter with applesauce (no sugar added). I also add 1/4 tsp salt. ~Melanie

Banana and Chocolate Chip Muffins (Makes about 12)

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ cup sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup milk
¼ cup butter, melted (I used ¼ cup applesauce)
2 medium bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
½ - 1 cup chocolate chips (optional)
Preheat to 400. Grease muffin tin. Mix dry ingredients. Stir in wet ingredients and stir until just moistened. Sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips. Bake 15-20 minutes on 400.

Pizza Bubble Bread

2011-10-19T07:17:00.000-07:00

I love to make yeast breads and after a friend told me about this Pizza Bubble Bread I decided to experiment. I was hoping that it would work and then I could freeze it in small servings. My husband loves to hike especially in the fall and I thought this would be an easy sandwich replacement for a fall hike. The Bubble Bread turned out fabulous and it was easy, so give it a try. As you pull off each piece and open it you have yummy pepperoni and stringy yummy warm cheese. I wish you could smell this, you would think you were at a pizza shop.

Ingredients:
Pizza Dough
pepperoni
mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp. chopped garlic

Directions:
1. Roll out your pizza dough, after you let it rise, about 1/3 inch thick and into a rectangular shape. I used Liz's Pizza recipe
2. Use a pizza cutter and cut it in rows about 2 inches, so it looked like I had a checker board.
3. Place a piece of pepperoni on each square; it fills the space but don't worry.
4. Place a cubed piece (about 1 inch) of mozzarella cheese on top of each pepperoni.
5 Top each piece of cheesewith another piece of pepperoni, so I had a stack, pepperoni, cheese, pepperoni.
6. Pick up each piece of dough square with it's stack of goodies and fold the dough around so that the pepperoni and cheese is covered. I actually rolled it into a ball.
7. Dip in melted butter that you have heated with the 1 tsp. of garlic
8. Drop into a greased bundt pan and layer the dough balls around the pan. It will be just under half full.
9. Cover and let rise until double. ( about 30-40 minutes)
10. Bake at 400 degrees until the top is brown. ( about 15-20 minutes.)
11. Turn out on a plate and dip in your favorite sauce.

Cumin-Dusted Chicken with Guacamole Sauce

2011-10-18T21:09:00.000-07:00

I love avocados and this is a great way to use them with chicken! It's one of my favorite recipes~ Melanie

Cumin-Dusted Chicken with Guacamole Sauce

Sauce:
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
1/4 cup fat-free sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (note from Melanie- I only use 1/2 tbsp)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 large ripe peeled avocado, seeded and coarsely mashed

Chicken:
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Cooking spray

To prepare sauce, combine first 8 ingredients; set aside.
Preheat oven to 400°.
To prepare chicken, combine sugar, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; sprinkle evenly over chicken. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes or until browned. Turn chicken over. Place pan in oven; bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until done. Serve chicken with sauce. (*note from Melanie- I don't brown the chicken, I just bake it for 30 minutes on 350).

Key Lime Cupcakes

2011-10-18T12:41:00.000-07:00

Before frosting them

Key Lime Cupcakes

For the cupcakes:
1 large lime scrubbed (1 tsp zest, 2Tbsp juice)
4 large eggs whites
1-package yellow cake mix
1- package vanilla instant pudding mix
1 1/4 cups of water
1/3 cup of oil

For filling:
1 can (14oz) Sweeten Condensed milk (fat free works great), chilled
1/3 cup key lime juice (I use regular lime juice)

Frosting:

1 sm container cool whip

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grate a fine lime zest and squeeze lime juice into a mixing bowl. Add the egg whites, cake mix, pudding mix,water, and oil. Blend on low for 30 seconds stop and scrape bowl. Then increasemixer speed to medium and beat 2 min more until well blended spoon 1/4 cup ofbatter into each cup. Bake for 18-22 min. Cool for 15 min before filling. Prepare Filling- Place sweeten condensed milkand key lime juice in a small bowl. Stir to combine. Fill each cake with 1 tbspof filling using a cake decorating tool. Frost with cool whip. Makes 24cupcakes.

Chicken Pesto Calzones

2011-10-17T18:48:00.000-07:00

I was a little unsure about how this recipe would turn out. The broccoli in it sounded a little weird. But, it was great. My toddler even ate some and he will not eat any vegetables right now. I guess vegetables covered in cheese taste better!

Chicken Pesto Calzones
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen

1 1/2 - 2 cups broccoli, cooked, chopped medium. The originally recipe called for frozen,
thawed. I used fresh and just steamed it.
1 pound mozzarella shredded (4 cups) You could definitely use less
2 cups medium-chopped cooked chicken
1/2 cup Pesto

Pizza Dough - I used Emilee's Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pat the broccoli dry, then toss with the mozzarella, chicken and pesto. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Roll out half of the dough into a 12-inch circle, about 1/4 inch thick. Mound half of the filling on one side of the circle, leaving a 1-inch border along the edge. Brush the edges with water. Fold the other half over the mound and press the edges closed. Repeat with the other half of the dough and filling. Place on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Cut 5 slits across the top of the calzone using kitchen shears. Brush with oil. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes.

Peanut Butter Fingers

2011-10-16T13:21:00.000-07:00

Peanut Butter Fingers

Cream together:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup peanut butter (I like crunchy)

Add and mix:
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

Add and mix:
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Add and mix:
2 cups flour
2 cups oatmeal

Press into greased 9x13 pan. (I like to use parchment paper so you can lift the entire bar out after baked and cut into squares). Use a fork and poke holes throughout bar. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. As soon as it comes out of the oven, sprinkle 1/2 bag of chocolate chips over top. They will soften in just a few minutes and you can spread them with a spatula. Let cool completely before cutting. You can cool them in the refrigerator.

Cheesecake Cranberry Bars

2011-10-16T12:05:00.000-07:00

These are a favorite fall dessert. They are great cold or right out of the oven with vanilla ice cream on top~ Melanie

Cheesecake Cranberry Bars
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups white chocolate chips
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese softened
1 can sweet condensed milk
1/4 cup lemon juice1 t. vanilla
1 16 oz can cranberry sauce
2 T. cornstarch

Preheat oven to 350 Grease 9/13 baking pan. Combine flour, oats, brown sugar. Add butter, mix until crumbly. Stir in white chips. Press all but 2 1/2 cups of the topping into the bottom of the baking pan. Set the reserved crumbs aside for the top.Beat cream cheese in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice and vanilla, mix until smooth. Pour over crust. Combine cranberry suace and cornstarch in medium bowl. Spoon over cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle reserved crumbs over cranberry misture.Bake for 35-40 minutes or until center is set. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cover; refrigerate until serving time up to 1 day. Cut into bars.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

2011-10-11T13:48:00.001-07:00

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

1 TB yeast
1 cup warm water
3 TB olive oil
1/2 TB Italian Seasoning
1/4 tsp garlic
1 tsp sugar

Mix and let yeast soften, then add:

1/2 tsp salt
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour (I’ve done all wheat and all white before and it works fine)

Mix well, may need up to 1 more cup flour (I use about ½ cupmore), add a little at a time because you want soft dough, but not too sticky.Let rise for 20 minutes. Use olive oilto grease pan and spread dough with hands into pan. Preheat oven to 400. Add toppings and bake for 20-30 minutes.

French Dip Sandwiches

2011-10-11T13:44:00.000-07:00

French Dip Sandwiches (Slow Cooker/Crock Pot)- Melanie
oliveoil
1(2-3 lb) beef roast
Salt
Pepper
2(1 oz) packages of dry onion soup mix
2(14.5 oz) cans of beef broth
Crustybuns or rolls (I used sour dough rolls)

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. While oil isheating, sprinkle all sides of the roast with salt and pepper. 2. When the oil is hot, carefully place theroast in the pan and sear it on all sides. This should only take a few minutes-you just want to quickly brown the roast to add flavor and seal in the juices. 3. Transfer the roast to a slow cooker.Sprinkle the onion soup mix over the roast and add broth. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Shred the entire roast. Slice rolls and placebeef inside. Serve with juice from the slow cooker as au jus for dipping.

Pesto Pizza

2011-10-11T07:58:00.000-07:00

It seems that this time of year everything is ready to harvest. I have an abundance of basil so I picked a sink full and decided to make some batches of pesto. In thinking of ways to use it I thought why not pizza so I used Liz's pizza recipe (it's on the blog) . It was so simple. Just roll out the dough and spread on the pesto. Top it with what you love. I always do a half and half pizza. One side veggie, fresh garden tomatoes, chopped onion and on the other side just pesto, onion and chopped cooked chicken. It was scrumptious. Plus it was beautiful, don't you love to eat gorgeous food?

Grilled Stuffed Zucchini

2011-10-10T07:59:00.000-07:00

This was a new recipe I tried out because I needed a different way to serve zucchini. I served it with french bread and it made a great Italian meal!

Grilled Stuffed Zucchini
From: Our Best Bites

2 medium zucchini
1/2 tbsp olive oil
4 ounces Italian turkey sausage
1/4 cup diced red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium tomato, diced (I used 2 since I like a lot of tomato)
1 1/2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped or 1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
2/3 cup prepackaged shredded Italian cheese blend, plus 2 tbsp for garnish
1 tbsp Italian style bread crumbs, plus 1 tsp for garnish

Slice the zucchini in half lengthwise (leave ends on).
Scoop out the centers, saving them in a bowl. Leave at least 1/4 inch around the edges and bottom. Sort out 1/2 cup of the best parts (avoiding the seeds), dice and set aside. This will also go into your filling.
Drizzle the zucchini shells with a little olive oil and use your hands to run it on all sides. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Preheat grill. Brown the sausage. You can use sausage in the casing (remove the casing before you cook it though) or ground- I've used both before. I like ground just because it is easier. Add the onion, garlic, and diced zucchini. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the tomato, basil, salt and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside. Place the zucchini hollow-side down on the grill. Grill for about 5 minutes on medium heat (or until tender). Remove from the grill. Add the cheese and bread crumbs to the filling mixture. Fill zucchini. Top each zucchini with about 1 tbsp of cheese and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp bread crumbs. Place them back on the grill filling side up. Close the lid and cook for 5-7 minutes.

Salsa Sorte

2011-10-09T20:01:00.000-07:00

This is a great appetizer. Tastes fresh. The recipe makes a truck load- you'll need 2 bags of tortilla chips to eat it all!~ Melanie

Salsa Sorte
1 can black beans, drained
1 can great northern beans or black eyed peas, drained
1 can yellow corn, drained
1 can white corn, drained
6-7 green onions, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
3 avocados, diced
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 package Good Seasons Italian salad dressing, prepared

Combine all ingredients and toss. Serve with tortilla chips.

Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip

2011-10-09T19:59:00.000-07:00

Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip

From: Our Best Bites
1 (9oz) pkg frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayo
1 cup sour cream
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp hot sauce
2 tsp dry parsley
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 (15 oz) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Use a paper towel to blot out moisture from the spinach and then chop. Add the cream cheese, mayo and sour cream. Mix well. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Bake in an 8x8 dish for 35-45 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Roasted Red Pepper Dip

2011-10-09T19:54:00.000-07:00

Roasted Red Pepper Dip
From: Our Best Bites
1 (7oz) jar roasted red peppers, drained, blotted with a paper towel and diced
3/4 cup mayo
1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp minced onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
12 oz shredded pepperjack cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Combine the mayo, cream cheese, onion, garlic and mustard. Add the shredded cheese and peppers. Place in an 8x8 dish and bake for 30-45 minutes (until the dip is golden and bubbly on top). Serve with bread, tortilla chips, crackers or veggies.

Rhubarb Fruit Juice

2011-10-09T17:42:00.000-07:00

This is a great way to make your own fruit juice. You will need a Steam Juicer, so if you don't have one call around your friends and neighbors to see if you can borrow one for a day. You'll soon want one for yourself! You can use whatever amounts of fruits you have on hand to make your own version. This is approximately what I used. The juice is still tart and has a nice rhubarb flavor with strawberry undertones.

Yield: 7 pints juice

3 cups strawberries, washed and hulled
3 pears, washed and pitted
6 cups white grapes, washed
8 cups rhubarb, washed and cut into 2 inch pieces
1 cup sugar (may need more sugar depending on how sweet your fruit is)

Put all of your washed fruit into a Steam Juicer. Layer sugar with fruit. Steam for 90 minutes. Follow the instructions for your Steam Juicer. The juice is very hot so handle carefully.

If canning: During the last 15 minutes of steaming prep your jars and lids. I like to sterilize my jars by putting them open side down into an old cake pan with about 1/2 inch of water. You may warm the pan in the oven or on the stovetop. Just watch it on the stove top so the pan doesn't go dry. Jars are ready when they are hot and steamy inside. Warm new canning lids in hot, not boiling water for a few minutes. This softens the seal and ensures a good tight seal. Pour the hot juice into your hot jars and seal. Let set 24 hours before moving.

Zucchini Chocolate Cake/Bread

2011-10-06T18:08:00.000-07:00

What to do with all the zucchini from the garden. I like zucchini bread and the grandkids eat it by the truckload but....after so much you need something different so I played with an old recipe and came up with this. My old recipe uses 1 cup of oil so I cut the oil substitued vanilla yogurt and reduced the flour. It was delicious, moist and lovely dark rich chocolate.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake/Bread

2 1/2 cups flour

1 t. cinnamon

dash of cloves

1 1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1/3 cup cocoa rounded top

1/2 cup oil

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

1 t. vanilla

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt

2 1/2 cups zucchini

1/2 cups chocolate chips (toss with 1 T. flour)

1/4 cups chocolate chips to sprinkle on top.

Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Mix the oil and sugars, add the remaining wet ingredients except for the zucchini and mix well. Alternately add zucchini and flour mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips. I have found over the years that if you toss the chocolate chips with a small amount of flour the chips mix in much better. I sprinkled the remaining 1/4 cup right on the top and of course these didn't have flour on them. I baked these in small loaf pans for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees. You will have to increase the time if you are using regular loaf pans.

White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

2011-10-06T11:23:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite oatmeal cookie recipe. You can add any chocolate chips that you like. I added white chocolate chips, craisins and walnuts. I have also just done chocolate chips and walnuts.

White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp hot water
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
2 cups oats
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup craisins
1 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375. Combine butter and sugars and mix until smooth. Add eggs, mix until fluffy. Mix in water and vanilla. Add flour, oats, salt and baking soda and mix until just combined, do not over mix. Stir in nuts, craisins and chips. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Rice Pudding

2011-10-03T21:28:00.000-07:00

I'll admit it...sometimes I cook extra rice just so I will have leftovers to make rice pudding. Plus it makes a great breakfast (okay, not so healthy though).

Rice Pudding
2 cups cooked cold rice
2 eggs
3 1/2 cups whole milk (it really does need to be whole- skim just doesn't make it rich and creamy)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt (if you salted your rice while cooking it, you won't need to add the salt)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla

Break rice up in the saucepan so that there aren't any "chunks". Stir in eggs. Now turn the stove on to medium heat. Add milk and stir constantly while it simmers and thickens (about 20 minutes). Turn heat off and add sugar, salt, cinnamon and vanilla. Top with cinnamon sugar and whipping cream.

*I like raisins in my rice pudding, but I can't seem to talk anyone else in my family into them. If you want to try it, add them in about 10 minutes into the simmering... makes them nice and plump. Also, I never measure this recipe. I did just to post it. Use however much rice you have. Add 1 egg for about every 1-1 1/2 cup of rice and cover it completely with milk. You can add however much sugar/cinnamon after it is cooked until you like the way it tastes. And if it gets too thick- just add more milk!

Fish Tacos

2011-10-03T21:09:00.000-07:00


Cover fish with spices. My daughter did this.


Drizzle olive oil over frozen fish.

This is a recipe I have cooked probably once a month for the last 4 years. My mom posted it years ago on our old blog. I've adapted it and I measured the ingredients this time so I could post it. This is my sons favorite thing to eat for dinner! He is pretty picky so it surprised me he likes it- but I"ll take it! It is super easy and you can cook the fish without thawing it so it is a great meal to cook last minute. ~Melanie

Fish Tacos
recipe adapted from a Cooking Light Recipe

1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 pounds fish (I use 5 small frozen tilapia fillets)

Sauce:
3 thinly sliced green onions (when I don't have green onions, I just add 1/2 tsp onion powder)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup fat free mayo
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
1 tbsp fresh lime juice (bottled works just fine)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder

10 6 inch corn tortillas
2 cups shredded cabbage (pre-made coleslaw mix works great too- my tiny town grocer doesn't sell shredded cabbage and I am way to lazy to shred it on my own!)

Drizzle olive oil over fish. Mix spices and sprinkle over fish. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until done (it only takes about 15 minutes if you thaw the fish first). Warm the tortillas add sauce, fish (I use 1/2 fillet per taco) and top with cabbage.

Flourless Brownies

2011-10-02T22:20:00.000-07:00

The secret ingredient in these brownies is an entire can of black beans! I tried to substitute baking powder and gelatin mixed with water for the eggs, it didn't work at all!! I did leave out the chocolate chips and the nuts though and it turned out fine.
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2594

Mexican Haystacks

2011-10-02T18:45:00.000-07:00

This is a easy and fast recipe. We really like it at our house. This is a recipe from Emilee and I had it at her house one time and loved it. I like that you can add whatever toppings you like. For the meat, since I am on a budget, I buy a roast when they are on sale and cut them into smaller chunks of meat and freeze them individually. Then one roast will provide me with enough for meat for 4 or more meals. - Jill

Mexican Haystacks

Spanish Rice
1 1/2 cups rice
1/2 c. onion diced
2 gloves garlic, minced
1/2 jalapeno pepper
1/3 cup salsa
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/4 tsp chilli powder (you could use Taco seasoning or any other spicy flavor but I had chilli powder)

Saute onion and pepper in oil until soft, add garlic and rice. Stir constantly (like you're making rice pilaf). Add Salsa and water. Stir until it comes to a boil then cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes.

While rice is simmering gather your toppings.
Meat: I did small pieces of steak, kind of like fajitas. I cut the meat thinly and season with salt and pepper and cook them in a pan with a little olive oil.
shredded lettuce
grated cheese: mozzarella, monterey jack or cheddar
Sour Cream
Cilantro
limes
sliced red bell peppers, or green peppers
gr. onions
(you could also use beans as a topping- black, kidney or just cooked pinto beans. Be creative!)

Then get a serving of rice and stack everything else on top. It's great served with tortilla chips.
Sometime we will also wrap it all into a tortilla and make a burrito.

Angel Hair Pasta with Tomato, Basil and Pine Nuts

2011-10-01T22:45:00.000-07:00

Angel Hair Pasta
1-2 TB olive oil
3 cloves garlic
pinch red pepper flakes
1-2 Diced Fresh Tomatos
1/2 cup finely chopped basil
1/2 cup pine nuts
Parmesean cheese

Cook Angel Hair Pasta as directed - liberally salting pasta water. While pasta is cooking, heat skillet over medium high heat and add pine nuts to dry skillet. Toast 1-2 minutes and remove pine nuts from skillet and set aside. Add olive oil to pan and heat until oil is shimmering. Add minced garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 10-15 seconds and then add to drained pasta. Stir in tomatoes, basil and pine nuts and top with parmesean cheese to taste. Very easy and tasty!

Pizza Sauce

2011-10-01T22:20:00.000-07:00

Pizza Sauce

1 can tomato paste
1 1/2 cups water (more or less depending on desired thickness)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions:
Combine ingredients and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. I usually double this and put half in the freezer for the next time we want to make pizza. One recipe makes enough to top one cookie sheet pizza.

Pizza Dough

2011-10-01T21:16:00.000-07:00

2 1/2 - 3 cups flour
2 TB sugar
2 1/4 tsp (or one envelope) fast rising yeast (important - do not substitute active dry yeast)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp Dough Enhancer
1 1/2 TB Wheat Gluten
1 cup very warm water (120-130 degrees)
2 TB oil

Preheat oven to 450.
In kitchen aid, combine 1 cup of the flour, the sugar, undissolved yeast, salt, dough enhancer, and wheat gluten and mix well. Gradually add water and oil and beat until well mixer - about 2 minutes. Then change hook to the dough kneading hook and add in the remaining flour (1 1/2 - 2 cups) until dough pulls away from the sides. Then either kneed by hand until the dough is smooth and elastic or just let the mixer kneed it for 10-15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap or a moist towel and let rise for about 15 minutes or until doubles in size. Press out dough onto greased (I like to use a little olive oil) cookie sheet. Prick dough randomly with a fork and let rest again for 10-15 minutes. Top as desired and back for 10-15 minutes. Alternately, can pre-bake for 5 minutes, then top and bake again for 5 minutes. It does seem to cook a little more quickly if I pre-bake, but I don't notice many differences in taste. And if I don't pre-bake, my little ones can help me top the pizzas without worry of burns.

To make ahead:
I have made this early in the day and covered and refrigerated after I press it into the cookie sheet. I then just pull it out of the fridge and let the dough come up to room temp while I am prepping the toppings. Works out great.

Also, when I make it, I usually double the recipe and put half the dough in the freezer prior to letting it rise. The day I want to make it, I let it thaw on the counter and raise until it has about doubled in size. I then press it into the pizza pan and go from there. It only takes about 4-5 hours. Works great and cuts prep time down - just have to remember to take it out of the freezer.

Butterhorns and Orange Rolls

2011-10-01T19:53:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite roll recipe. They are fancy- not the kind of roll you make leftover turkey sandwich out of though. This recipe comes from my Aunt Cheryl~ Melanie

Butterhorns (Rolls)

1 TBSP active dryyeast ¼ cup warm water

½ cup butter ormargarine ¾ cup milk, scalded

½ cupsugar ¾ tsp salt

3 eggs,beaten 3 ½ - 4 ½ cups flour, scooped

½ cup butter or margarine, melted (to use after rolled out)

Soften yeast in warm water and set aside. Combinemelted butter and scaled milk (I just put the milk in the microwave until it isjust warm). Stir in sugar, salt and eggs. Cool (if you scaled themilk). Stir in softened yeast and enough flour to make a soft dough (youdon’t want it too sticky- but not tough either). Cover with a damp toweland allow to rise until double in bulk (2-3 hours). Turn out onto lightlyfloured board. Dough is very soft and should remain so. Dividedough in half. Roll each half into 14 inch circles (kind of like a largepizza). Spread each circle with ¼ cup melted butter. Cutpie-fashion into 16 pieces. Roll each piece from large end tosmall. Place on greased cookie sheet (I don’t grease it- it has plenty ofbutter!) allowing about 2 inches between rolls (I fit 16 on a cookiesheet). Let rise at room temperature 2-3 hours or until double inbulk. Bake at 375 for about 11 minutes or until golden brown. Makes32 rolls.

Orange Rolls:

Prepare dough as above. After first rising, dividedough in half and roll each portion of dough into 8x14x1 inch rectangles. Spread each rectangle with half of orange filling made by creaming ½ cup butterwith ½ cup sugar and grated rind of 1 orange. Roll loosely, starting fromlong side and pinch edge closed. Slice into 12 piece. Place eachpiece cut side down in butter muffin pan. Cover lightly and allow to rise2-3 hours or until double in bulk. Bake as above. As soon as rollscome out of the oven brush with frosting made by combining 1 cup powdered sugarwith 1 TBSP hot water and ½ tsp rum or orange extract. (Vanilla would begood too!). Remove rolls from pan and cool. Makes 24 rolls.

*I’ve never made these, but I’ve had them and they aredelicious if you like orange rolls- (a little bitter for me because of theorange rind)

Note from Jill: I love these and so does my family. My husband would much rather have an orange roll than a cinnamon roll. They are not bitter and are not like the store bought orange rolls, which I think are bitter. I make a different glaze. I use the juice from the orange that I used the zest from and add powdered sugar until it is a nice glaze consistency, about 1 cup. I also take the rolls out of the muffin pan before adding the glaze, otherwise it is too messy. I just put them on a piece of wax paper on the counter and add the glaze.

Freeze Ahead Rolls:

Rolls may be frozen ahead of time by shaping as desired thenimmediately placing rolls close together onto baking sheet (or cake pan) andquick freezing them. Remove rolls from baking sheet and place inheavy duty plastic freezer bag. Make sure bag is airtight. Keeprolls frozen no longer than 2 weeks. Three hours before baking, removerolls from freezer and arrange on a greased baking sheet or muffin panaccording to recipe. Allow to thaw and rise for about 3 hours. Bakeas directed above.

*I don't like the freeze ahead rolls as much. It changes the texture and they aren't as light or fluffy!

Calzone

2011-10-01T15:48:00.001-07:00

We used to eat these quite regularly! They are delicious and easy! The hardest part was picking what to fill them with. The only reason I don't make them as often is they definitely aren't Gluten-Free, and the GF versions I have tried have not turned out well and are way too much work!

Dough:
Dissolve- 1 package dry yeast
3/4 c warm water

Add: 1 t sugar
1 t salt
1/4 c oil
1 1/2 c flour (may need a little more)

Knead until smooth.
Separate the dough into 4 balls.
Roll each ball out into an oval shape.
Does not need to Rise!!
Put filling on one half of each calzone, fold the empty half over and seal the sides.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 min.

Filling: chicken, frozen broccoli, and cheese
Or pizza sauce, pepperoni and sausage
Or anything you want!

Skillet Baked Ziti

2011-09-30T12:38:00.000-07:00

Skillet Baked Ziti
From America's Test Kitchen

1 tbsp olive oil

6 garlic cloves, minced

¼ tsp red pepper flakes

1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes

3 cups water

12 ounces ziti (3 ¾ cup)

½ cup heavy cream

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

¼ cup minced fresh basil leaves

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 475. Combine oil, garlic, red pepper flakes and ½ tsp salt in 12-inch oven safe nonstick skillet and sauté over med-high heat for about 1 minute. Add crushed tomatoes, water, ziti and ½ tsp salt. Cover and cook, stirring often. Maintain a vigorous simmer until ziti is almost tender, 15-18 minutes. Stir in cream, parmesan and basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle mozzarella evenly over ziti. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until cheese has melted and browned, about 10 minutes.

*This is also good with sausage and sliced mushroom in it!

Picnic Sandwiches

2011-09-30T12:35:00.000-07:00

Picnic Sandwiches

A great recipe from my friend Heather Lightfoot. It looks long but its worth it, use whatever you think would taste good. I usually make this the night before, its great for a hike or a picnic, just shove it in your backpack. Don’t worry about it getting smashed, it already is, but don’t forget a knife so you can share.

· Bread round
· Avocado
· Italian dressing
· Red wine vinegar
· Chicken
· Tomatoes
· Red onion
· Carrots
· Cheese (any kind)
· Bacon
· Fresh basil leaves

Slice the top of bread round (save top), remove most of bread inside. Spread avocado inside bread round (make sure to get sides and top – this is what prevents soggy bread) Spread in Italian dressing and vinegar. Thinly slice tomatoes, red onion, chicken, and carrot (a potato peeler works great for carrots) Layer: tomato, chicken, cheese, basil, bacon, onion, carrot, just keep stacking ingredients how every you want until you reach the top of the round Sprinkle dressing and vinegar for good measure. Place top on sandwich
Completely and tightly wrap sandwich in Plastic wrap. Place sandwich between two baking sheets and smash until it as flat as you can get it
Place it in the fridge and weight it (I use a jug of milk or whatever looks heaviest)

Refrigerate at least 2 hours… but the longer the better

Cake Bites

2011-09-30T09:06:00.000-07:00

I've wanted to make cake bites for years ever since eating them at a birthday party. My sister Jill was visiting and we wanted to bake so I finally did it! My kids loved them and though they were so cool. I put some blue sprinkles on ones dipped in white chocolate and those were a hit with the kids. The mint chocolate ones were also a favorite! I'll be honest though... Oreo Truffle Bites which are very similar to these are better. So if you trying to decide which ones to make I would choose the oreo ones! Also- they taste WAY better cold (like out of the fridge cold!)

Cake Bites

1 chocolate cake mix (or any flavor really), bake as directed
3/4-1 cup heavy whipping cream
chocolate chips or candy melts for dipping

Bake cake as directed and let cool. When it is cooled, crumble it all into a large bowl. Pour cream over it and mix (start with 3/4 cup and add more as necessary). You want it so that when you make a ball with your hands that it sticks together. Make about 1 tbsp size balls. Place them in the freezer for about 30 minutes (if you don't they will fall apart while you are dipping them!). Now comes the dipping part. We used a large cup and filled it up part way with water (we learned the hard way after having the balls tip the cup over that it needs sometime heavy in it to keep it tipping). Place the ball on the tip of a skewer and dip it into the melted chocolate. Place the end of the skewer in the cup so that the ball is hanging over the edge. Let harden (just takes a few minutes). Then drizzle with another color of chocolate. If you dip it in sprinkles, make sure you do it before the chocolate dries! Our favorite was milk chocolate drizzled with mint (melted mint flavored chips). We also learned that store brand chocolate chips are cheaper for a reason. I had 1/2 a bag of hershey's and half a bag of a store brand and the store brand didn't melt as smoothly and it was a different color. The hershey was a smooth, shiny, deep rich color and had a better flavor. Guess I won't buy store brand anymore!

You can also make these into cake pops just by dipping them on a candy stick! (I didn't have any since I didn't really plan ahead to make these and my little store in my tiny town doesn't sell them).

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-09-30T08:42:00.000-07:00

Chocolate Chip Cookies
2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup shortening
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
3 1/4 cup flour
chocolate chips (or any flavor baking chips)

Mix butter and shortening then add eggs and vanilla. Add sugar and mix well. Add dry ingredients and mix again. Bake at 375 for 8 1/2 minutes.

Black and White Brownie Cupcakes

2011-09-29T19:54:00.000-07:00

I had a brownie mix that was about to expire. I am not a fan of just a pan full of plain brownies. I found this recipes of Suzanne's and decided to give it a try. I added chocolate chips, because who doesn't love melted chocolate in chocolate brownies.

Black and White Brownie Cupcakes

1 (20 oz) pkg brownie mix

1/3 c water

1/3 c oil

2 eggs

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1 cup cream cheese (8oz), softened

1/3 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix brownie mix, 1 egg, water and oil until well moistened. Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon batter into lightly greased or lined muffin cups, filling 2/3 cup full. With electric mixer, mix cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add the other egg and mix for one minute or until mixed. For each cupcake, place rounded tbsp. of cream cheese mixture on top of batter. Bake 28-32 min. makes 12

Roast Chicken and Brown Rice Salad

2011-09-29T19:09:00.000-07:00

This salad was delicious. I was at Melanie's house and she was sharing some of her favorite dinners. This was one that my mom had posted about 5 years ago on our original blog. I wish that I would have tried it sooner. It is super easy, a great quick meal.

Roast Chicken and Brown Rice Salad

1 package Uncle Ben's Chicken Flavored Whole Grain Brown rice
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (from the grocery store)
3/4 cups regular or light olive oil vinaigrette (I used basalmic)
1/2 cup red or green pepper
1/2 cup celery
1/3 cup onion (I used green)
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh spinach (This was yum)
Put all ingredients together except the spinach and let chill for at least 20 minutes for flavors to blend. Add spinch just before serving.

Apple Cider Chicken

2011-09-29T18:57:00.000-07:00

This is a perfect fall recipe! It is quick and easy - comes together in about 20 minutes!

Apple Cider Chicken
This was adapted from a cooking light recipe

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
5 bacon slices, chopped
¼ cup minced fresh onion
1 1/2 cups sweetened apple cider or apple juice
½ chicken broth (or bouillon)
Rice

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan and leave about 1 Tbsp of drippings in the pan. Add chicken to drippings in pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from pan and keep warm.
Add onion to pan; cook 2 minutes or until tender, stirring constantly. Add cider and broth; bring to boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in bacon and then serve chicken and sauce over rice. Yum

Asian Salad

2011-09-29T18:46:00.000-07:00

I love this salad - very simple and so tastey. I love to serve it with Steamed Pork Buns .

Asian Salad

Pork (I have used a pork tenderloin or a pork chop)
Teryaki marinade

Lettuce
Mandrain Oranges
Almonds
Chow Mein Noodles
Whatever fun asiany toppings you want
Asian Salad Dressing *I love Krafts Light Asian Toasted Sesame

Thinly slice your pork and marinade in Teryaki. Cook pork in the marinade (I just threw it in a frying pan with a little cooking spray). Then just serve your salad like a Taco Salad (all seperately) and then everyone can add the toppings they want. I love this -- so tastey!!

Steamed Pork Buns

2011-09-29T18:37:00.000-07:00

Steamed Pork BunsThese are so good! Really fun to make! I served them with an asian salad and it is a perfect dinner!
I did steam them (and they were fantastic!) but I think baked would be yummy too! This is adapted from a cooking light recipe.

Filling:
1/2 pound pork tenderloin, (I have used both a pork tenderloin or just a pork chop I had in the freezer and it was super yummy)
1 cup thinly sliced green onions
4 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt

Dough:
1 cup warm water
3 tablespoons sugar
1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons canola oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Thinly slice your pork and then heat a pan to medium heat and cook with a little cooking spray until done. Place pork in a medium bowl. Add onions and next 7 ingredients (through 1/4 teaspoon salt); stir well to combine.
To prepare dough, combine 1 cup warm water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add flour, oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to yeast mixture; stir until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes). Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place 1 hour or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, dough has risen enough.)Punch dough down; let rest 5 minutes. Turn dough out onto a clean surface; knead in baking powder. Let dough rest 5 minutes.
Divide dough into 10 equal portions, forming each into a ball. Working with one dough ball at a time, roll ball into a 5-inch circle. Place 1/4 cup filling in center of dough circle. Bring up sides to cover filling and meet on top. Pinch and seal closed with a twist. Repeat procedure with remaining dough balls and filling.

Arrange 5 buns seam side down, 1 inch apart, in a steamer. Cover with lid. (I just used my veggie steamer and it worked great - I sprayed my steamer though because they stuck the first time ). Bring your steamer to a boil before adding buns and then steam on medium-high heat for 15 minutes or until puffed and set. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Cinnamon Sugar Muffins

2011-09-29T18:17:00.000-07:00

I love this muffin recipe - very versatile. You can leave off the cinnamon and sugar add blueberries or whatever you like. My girls go crazy for these muffins!

Cinnamon Sugar Muffins

1 3/4 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup oil

Melted butter
Cinnamon and sugar

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in center of dry ingredients. In another bowl combine egg, milk, and oil. (when I am feeling lazy I just mix it all together). Add egg mixture all at once to the dry ingredients. Stir until just moistened (it will be a little lumpy). Spoon batter into muffin pans and bake for 15-18 minutes at 400 degrees. Let the muffins cool slightly and then drip the tops into melted butter and then into the cinnamon and sugar. Enjoy!!

Amazing Chocolate Cookies

2011-09-29T18:01:00.000-07:00

These are the best chocolate cookies ever!

Amazing Chocolate Cookies

2 cups melted butter
4 oz baking chocolate ( I used cocoa - so 12Tbsp cocoa and 4 Tbsp oil)
2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 t. vanilla
1 t. baking soda
1 t. cream of tarter
1 t. salt
4 1/4 cups flour

Melt chocolate and butter, set aside to cool. (Or if using cocoa just mix the cocoa and oil together). When it is cool add the sugars and cream adding the eggs one at a time. Stir in the dry ingredients and vanilla. I think I would be careful with that last 1/4 cup of flour and only add it if you needed. Roll in balls and then roll in granulated sugar. Bake at 325 for 12-14 minutes. (I bake mine only for about 9 mintues) Let cool on pan for a minute and then move to wire rack. This makes a ton. I made 1/2 the recipe and it was still too many.

Honey Lime Echiladeas

2011-09-29T17:53:00.000-07:00

These are the best enchiladeas - so easy and so delicious! They are a little sweet and a little spicy - you will love them. The picture doesn't do them justice - as soon as I have a better picture I will post it. And thanks to my friend Melissa for the recipe! Yum

Honey Lime Enchiladeas

4 T. honey
2 T. lime juice
1 T. oil (I used olive oil)
2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
Mexican blend shredded cheese (I use whatever cheese I have, but it is really good with this)
Flour tortillas, soft taco size
1 can green enchilada sauce

Cook and shred 4 chicken breasts. Mix above sauce with shredded chicken. Roll chicken mixture and grated cheese into flour tortillas. Top with green enchilada sauce and a little grated cheese. Bake at 350º for 30-40 minutes.

Thanks to my friend Melissa for the recipe!

Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken

2011-09-29T09:39:00.000-07:00

Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken

1 1/2 lbs chicken breast

14.4 oz can diced tomatoes (don't drain)

1 can diced green chiles

15 oz can black beans, (don't drain)

8 oz frozen corn, drained

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

3 green onions chopped

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp cumin

2 chicken boullin

1 tsp chili powder

taco seasoning (add at the end after you shred the chicken if it needs more flavor)

salt to taste

Combine all ingredients except chicken breast in the crock pot. Season chicken breast with salt and lay on top. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Adjust salt and seasoning. We served this in a burrito with cilantro lime rice and all the toppings but you can also just serve it over rice.

Stuffed Chicken Roll-ups

2011-09-26T21:29:00.001-07:00

Stuffed Chicken Roll-ups
2 large chicken breast pounded thin
3 cups fresh spinach
1/3 cup grated zucchini
1/3 cup feta cheese
1 teaspoon grated onion
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon sun dried tomatoes chopped fine
1 teaspoon garlic
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/3 cup breadcrumbs

Pound chicken breast to about 1/4 inch thick and set aside. Put spinach and 1 tablespoon water in a microwaveable bowl and cook for 1-2 minutes just to soften spinach, drain. Combine spinach, feta, onion, parmesan, grated zucchini and garlic. Salt and pepper one side of the chicken and lay the combined vegetables along the middle and spread to within 1/2 inch of the edges. Start on one side and roll the chicken breast and filling. Lay on a baking pan, brush with melted butter and roll in bread crumbs. Bake for about 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Cool and cut in 1/2 inch slices.

Meatloaf

2011-09-26T18:39:00.000-07:00

This is the best meatloaf that I have ever had. People who don't normally like meatloaf like this one. I think it is using two different kinds of meat that makes a big difference. Also, not cooking it in loaf pan makes a huge pan. It doesn't sit in and cook in it's own grease. This is one of my husband's favorite meals, even my toddler loves it and he doesn't eat meat besides chicken nuggets.

Meatloaf
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
4 teaspoons cider vinegar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 pound lean ground beef
1 pound ground pork sausage
1 cup breadcrumbs (I have used regular, Panko, and fresh)
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 350. Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and thyme until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, mix together the ketchup, brown sugar and vinegar and set aside. In another bowl mix the eggs, milk mustard, Worcestershire, salt and pepper together. Add the meats, breadcrumbs, parsley, onion mixture until evenly blended and the mixture doesn't stick to the bowl. You may need to add a little more milk if the mixture is sticking to the bowl.

Put the meat onto a foil-lined baking sheet and shape into a 9 by 5-inch loaf. Brush with half of the ketchup mixture. Bake for 45 minutes. Brush the loaf with the remaining ketchup mixture and bake for 15 more minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing.

Waffles

2011-09-25T20:11:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when it is 6:00 and I haven't started dinner yet...breakfast for dinner. We may be having a lot of these dinners in the next few weeks with football practice right at dinner time.

These are an all time favorite waffle recipe. This is the recipe I grew up on and still use it. The waffles are so light and fluffy!

Waffles

3 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 tsp sugar
3 cups milk
3 Tbsp canola oil

3 eggs white whipped until stiff

Sift together dry ingredients then add milk and oil. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter. You can use whole wheat flour also, but add 1 tsp baking soda.

Coconut Bread

2011-09-25T16:36:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite recipes! It is my Grandma Young's recipe and anyone that knows her, knows she is a fantastic cook!

Coconut Bread

2 cups sugar

1 cup oil

4 eggs, beaten

3 cups flour

2 Tbsp coconut flavoring (I use the whole bottlewhich is about another ½ tsp)

½ tsp salt

½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup coconut

1 cup nuts (optional)

Mix until well blended. Put in greased pans. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on size of pan. Makes 4 small of 2 regular loafs. As soon as the bread comes out of the oven, spoonglaze over the top.

Leave in pans for 2-4 hours until cooled and set. (I take them out after about 30 minutes to avoid the bread sticking to the pans!).

Glaze:

1 cup sugar

½ cup water

Boil on low for 5 minutes (be careful not to overcookor it will be too hard to cut the bread!)

Add: 1 Tbsp butter and 1 tsp coconut flavoring.

Poppy Seed Bread

2011-09-25T16:33:00.000-07:00

Poppy Seed Bread

3 cups flour

1 ½ tsp salt

1 ½ tsp baking powder

1 ½ cups milk

1 ½ tsp almond extract

1 ½ tsp vanilla

2 ½ cups sugar

1 cup oil

3 eggs

1 ½ Tbsp poppyseeds

Mix liquids in one bowl and dry ingredients inanother. Mix half of dry ingredients with all of the wet ingredients. Mix and then add rest of dry ingredients. Grease and flour pans (makes 4 small loafs or 2 regular). Bake 350 for 50-60 minutes for regular loafs or 40-45minutes for small loafs. As soonas you take it out of the oven pour glaze mix over loafs and let cool in pans for 30 minutes.

Glaze:

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup orange juice

2 Tbsp melted butter

½ tsp vanilla

½ tsp almond extract

Stir until sugar is dissolved.

Banana Bread

2011-09-25T16:30:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from my Aunt Sue. It is a super moist banana bread and a great way to use those overripe bananas that nobody wants to eat!

Banana Bread

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 cups mashed bananas (I never measure this- I use 5-6 medium bananas
2 tsp vanilla
4 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup 7-up/sprite
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 cup milk chocolate chips (optional)

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, bananas and vanilla. Add baking soda, salt and baking powder. Add 2 cups of flour and 1/2 cup 7-up. Mix well. Add rest of flour and 7-up and mix well. Add nuts and chocolate chips. Grease and flour 2 bread pans. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean.

Baked Oatmeal

2011-09-25T16:22:00.000-07:00

Baked Oatmeal

3 cups quick oats

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. b. powder

1/4 c. melted butter

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 eggs beaten

1 c. milk

1/2 cup coconut (optional)

1/2 cup slivered almonds (optional)

*Note from Melanie~ I reduce the sugar and butter. I use 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/8 cup butter. Taste great!

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all together and add to a baking dish (spray it with non-stick spray). You can bake it in a square 9 inch pan for 30-40 minutes, or I like using a 8 1/2 x 11 pan (the small rectangle ones, not a regular cake pan) for about 20 minutes.

Serve warm with milk poured over the top. I like to break it up a bit in my bowl. It was yummy with raisins and coconut. My friend has used all sorts of dried fruits in it. I've also tried dried apples, add any fruit before you bake it. It's a mix between oatmeal mush and oatmeal cake. Delicious!