Utah Mom's Cooking Corner

Reverse Lemon Meringue Pie....

2012-01-30T13:59:00.004-07:00

Made this for the first time at bunko too and REALLY liked it!! Not too heavy of a lemon flavor, and meringue crust is perfect!!!

4 eggs, seperated
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tsbp. grated lemon rind
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups Whipping Cream

Beat the 4 egg whites, gradually add 1 cup of sugar and cream of tarter. Beat until stiff but not day. Spread on bottom and sides of buttered 9 inch pie pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes.

Cool.

Take the 4 egg yokes and beat slightly. Stir in the 1/2 cup sugar, lemon juice, and lemon rind, and salt. Cook until thickened in the microwave for 4 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. Let cool.

Whip 2 cups whipping cream and fold 1/2 of the whipped cream into the cooled lemon mixture. Pour into cooled meringue shell/crust. Top with the remaining whipped cream. Chill for 24 hours!

Bunko Popcorn

2012-01-30T13:54:00.003-07:00

This was a hit at Bunko, so here is the recipe!

8 cups popped popcorn
1 lb. white chocolate, almond bark or melts
2 cups crushed Fritos corn chips
M & M's (I used one regular size bag)

Pop popcorn. Put popped popcorn, fritos and M&M's into a large bowl and evenly mix. Melt white choc. in microwave, stiring every 30 seconds until melted. Pour melted choc. over popcorn ixture and stir to coat compleatly. Pour onto wax paper and allow to cool and dry.

Enjoy!!! and don't blame me if you eat the whole bowl!

Note: Can use regular colored M&M's or colored according to the season!! :)

One pot, Super Easy Pasta Bake

2012-01-17T14:16:00.002-07:00

8 oz. elbow Macaroni or any other small shaped pasta
4 1/4 cups spaghetti sauce
1 cup water
1 can (14.5oz) petite diced tomatoes
1 cup shredded mozzerella cheese (or cheese blend)

In a 9x13 baking dish, combine the spaghetti sauce, water, and tomoatoes. Then stir in the raw (uncooked) pasta.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until pasta is tender.

Top with cheese and put back in the oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Super Easy, one dish, and mostly quick dinner!! Enjoy!!

Creamy Chicken Tacos

2012-01-12T10:29:00.002-07:00

5 frozen chicken breasts
1 1/2 c Salsa
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 1/2 T Taco seasoning
1 T Maple Syrup
1 t lime juice
1 T butter
1/2 c sour cream

Spray the inside of your crock pot with non stick cooking spray anbd place chicken inside.
In a small mixing bowl, stir together all other ingredients but the butter and sour cream.
Pour sauce over th echicken. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6.
Take the chicken out of the crockpot, shread and throw it back in.
Add the pat of butter and the sour cream, stir it all around.
Cook for one more hour on high or 2 on low.

Serve in a bowl over rice or over tortilla chips, like nachos. Top with tomatoes, onions, cheese, lettuce, cilantro, avacado....whatever you like!!!

Strwberry and Cream Cheese French Toast

2011-05-27T11:25:00.000-06:00

Strawberry and Cream Cheese French Toast
This is a great one that you can prepare ahead of time and throw in the oven in the morning.
1 loaf french bread, cut into 1 inch slices.
Whipped cream cheese

Spread cream cheese between two slices of bread, place sandwiched slices in a glass pan sprayed with cooking spray.

Mix together:
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Pour over bread and let sit for five minutes, turn bread over and cover pan with saran wrap. Refrigerate overnight. Drizzle melted butter over the top and bake at 400 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

Whipped Topping:
1 pt whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. almond or amaretto flavoring

Top with strawberries mixed with sugar and the whipped topping.

Potato Salad

2011-05-27T11:23:00.002-06:00

Making this for dinner tonight....

This is for a LARGE batch.. if you have a crowd of less than 8 people you might want to half this recipe:

10 medium potatoes
Dozen eggs, hard boiled
salt & pepper to taste
1 c. Mayo (or Miracle Whip)
1 c. sour cream
4 Tbsp. sugar
mustard, to taste (2+ Tbsp)
1/2 c. sweet pickle relish

Boil potatoes (do not peel) for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Peel and dice potatoes AND eggs. Add salt and pepper and toss. Mix remaining ingredients separately and fold into potato mixture. Refrigerate overnight (or at least 6-8 hours).

Glass Block Jello

2011-05-27T11:19:00.005-06:00

Thought this looked fun....and it has been WAY too long since someone posted something new!! :-)

Glass Block Holiday Jello

4 3-oz. packages assorted Jello (in coordinating colors)
2 packets unflavored gelatin
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk

Spray 4 small food storage containers (like Tupperware/Gladware/Rubbermaid) with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

Bring 5+ cups of water to a boil. Combine 1 c. boiling water with 1 package of Jello, stirring until dissolved. Place the dissolved Jello in one of the prepared containers. Repeat with the remaining packages of Jello. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferable overnight.

When the Jello has set, bring another 1 1/2 c. of water to a boil. While the water is heating, sprinkle 2 packets of unflavored gelatin over 1/2 c. of cold water. Allow to stand for about 4 minutes. When the water is boiling, pour 1 1/2 c. boiling water over the dissolved gelatin and stir to combine. Add the sweetened condensed milk and mix well. Allow to come to room temperature.

Lightly spray a 9×13″ pan with non-stick cooking spray. Carefully cut the colored Jello into cubes and gently toss to combine in the 9×13″ pan. Pour the cooled milk mixture over the colored Jello and, if necessary, rearrange some of the colored Jello to make sure it is evenly distributed and not sticking out of the white mixture too far.

Place the 9×13″ pan in the refrigerator and chill overnight. Cut into squares, rectangles, or various shapes with cookie cutters and serve.

Browned butter breadcrumbs and broccoli

2011-02-28T16:18:00.002-07:00

I love this recipe and I think it came from a Weight Watchers cookbook I had. Before I lose the paper with it again, I thought I had better record it for posterity sake!

12 ounces of fresh broccoli florets
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 and 1/2 Tablespoons of butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Steam the broccoli. While it is cooking, put the Panko breadcrumbs in a large skillet; cook over medium heat about 3 minutes or until lightly browned - stir frequently. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the butter to the pan. Cook 1 - 2 minutes or until butter is lightly browned, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Drain the broccoli of any excess water. Add the broccoli, salt, pepper to pan and toss to coat with the browned butter. Place in a serving bowl and top with the panko breadcrumbs. Serve immediately. Sometimes I am just in a hurry so I put the panko on while its all in the pan, and stir it all up to mix.

Candy Bar Cake

2011-02-04T17:43:00.002-07:00

Candy Bar Cake

1 C packed light brown sugar
1/2 C granulated sugar
2 C flour
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened
1 C buttermilk
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
5 full sized Milky Way bars, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the sugars, flour and butter. Crumble these ingredients together with a pastry blender, until the mixture is crumbly and coarse. Set aside 1/2 cup of the crumbs to a small bowl.

In another bowl combine the remaining crumbs, the buttermilk, egg, vanilla, baking soda and salt. Mix well.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it to the edges. Sprinkle the top of the cake with the reserved crumbs and chopped Milky Way bars. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the center is no longer gooey but a toothpick inserted comes out with moist crumbs.

The cake may fall slightly in the center leaving the edges raised. No worries. It still is amazing!

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

2011-01-22T15:14:00.003-07:00

1 pkg. Home style Egg Noodles
5-10 potatoes, peeled and diced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
4 chicken bouillon cubes
4 10.75oz. cans cream of chicken soup
2 i6 oz containers sour cream
1 large chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite sized pieces
Salt to taste

Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain well and set aside.Place potatoes and carrots in a large pot and add enough water to just cover. Add chicken bouillon and cook vegetables until just tender. Don't drain the water!! Add the cream of chicken, sour cream, cooked chicken and noodles. Heat through. Salt to taste.

Makes 12-15 servings!

Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings

2011-01-09T16:31:00.002-07:00

Slow Cooker Chicken And Dumplings

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 tablespoons butter

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of celery soup

1 onion, finely diced

1 package frozen mixed veggies, to taste

1 (10 oz) package refrigerator. Biscuit dough, quartered

Place chicken, butter, coup, onion and veggies in the slow cooker and fill with enough milk to cover. Cover with lid and cook 5-6 hours on high. About 30 minutes before serving, place the quartered biscuit dough in the slow cooker on top and cook until the dough is no longer raw in the center. Enjoy!!

Crock Pot - Taco Soup

2011-01-09T16:31:00.001-07:00

1 pound ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 (16oz) can chili beans, with liquid

1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, with liquid

1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn, with liquid

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

2 cups water

2 (14.5 oz) cans, peeled and diced tomatoes

1 (4 oz) can diced green chili peppers

1 package taco seasoning mix

In a medium skillet brown ground beef, then drain and add to slow cooker. Add all remaining ingredients to slow cooker and mix to blend. Cook on low setting for 8 hours!!

Crock pot Chicken w/ Black Beans and Cream Cheese

2011-01-09T16:29:00.002-07:00

4-5 boneless chicken breasts

1 (15 1/2 ounce) can black beans

1 (15 ounce) can corn

1 (15 ounce) jar salsa, any kind

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

1. Take 4-5 frozen, yes, frozen, boneless chicken breasts put into crock pot.
2. add 1 can of black beans, drained, 1 jar of salsa, 1 can of corn drained.
3. Keep in crock pot on high for about 4-5 hours or until chicken is cooked.
4. Add 1 package of cream cheese (just throw it on top!) and let sit for about 1/2 hour.
5. All done and enjoy!

Crock Pot Tortilla Casserole

2011-01-09T16:29:00.001-07:00

2 lbs of chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can of green chillis
1 can diced tomatoes (can be flavoured)
put all ingredients in crock pot cook all day on low or 4 hours on high.
30 minutes before serving use a fork and shred chicken
add 1 can sliced olives, 6 corn tortillas ripped up, 1 cup grated cheese.
cook 30 more minutes serve with chips.

Creamy Italian Chicken

2011-01-09T16:28:00.001-07:00

You will need:
3-4 chicken breasts
1/4 Cup of water (or more if you like)
1 packet of dry Italian dressing mix (or ranch)
1 8 oz package of cream cheese
1 (regular size, not family size) cream of chicken or mushroom.
Rice or noodles prepared to package directions

Here is what you do:
Put the chicken in the bottom of the crock pot.
Mix the water with the dressing mix and pour over chicken.
Cook on low for 3-4 hours
Mix cream cheese with cream soup, and add to the chicken mixture.
Cook an additional 2-3 hours on low.
Serve over rice or noodles!

Lemonade Cookies

2010-12-29T22:04:00.002-07:00

Got this from a cookbook done by our Med/Surg department at work. These sound YUM!

3 cups sifted flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
1-6oz can frozen lemonade

Cream the eggs, butter and sugar with 1/2 of the lemonade in mixer. Add other ingredients, leaving 1/4 of the lemonade out. Drop onto baking sheet and bake 8 minutes at 400 degrees. Brush cookies with remaining lemonade and sprinkle with sugar (wonder if maybe it's powered sugar?)

If you try it, let me know what you think!

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

2010-11-28T11:51:00.003-07:00

I found this recipe on the web, and did a little mod to it so it's like our family likes :) If you want the original recipe, check out www.allrecipes.com under Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Green Chile Sauce.

Before you begin, read all the instrutions. And have all the sour cream, chicken broth, chile drained etc. Once you begin cooking the sauce, it goes fast and you don't have time to measure it all out once its on the stove. I know this might sound funny, but it's such a help to have it all measured out and at your fingertips.

Ingredients:

12 flour tortillas, or about 6 of the Bountiful Basket xl wrap sized ones

3 cooked boneless chicken breast, cut or shredded

10 oz (or more) Montery Jack cheese, the preshred blend with Colby works well too.

3/4 cup minced onion, or about 1/4 cup dehydrated minced.

*If you are using the dried minced onion, I put it in with the chicken and gave it a good shake to distribute.*

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup flour, all purpose

2 cups Chicken broth (or a 14.5 oz can with about 1.5oz water to make 16oz - cause I hate leftover chicken broth sitting in the frigde looking to spill)

1 cup sour cream (reduced fat works well too)

4oz can chopped green chilies, drained

Green onion and chopped fresh cilantro if desired.

Steps:

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

2.To help make your tortilla more pliable, I nuked them inbetween moist paper towels for about 20-30 seconds. Just enough to warm them, not cook em dry.

3.Divide chicken, 10 ounces of Monterey Jack cheese, and onion among the 12 tortillas. Roll up each tortilla and place seam side down in a greased baking pan (a spray of non stick spray works fine too, or if you us PC cookware that has been seasoned you won't need anything). If you are using the BB tortilla, then you will only need 6 of the xl ones. I rolled them up with the cheese and chicken/onion mixture and laid them lengthwise in the pan. Then when I served them, I just made a cut down the middle so it made 12 smaller servings.

4.Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until mixture begins to boil. Slowly add the broth, stirring with a whisk until thickened. Honestly, I did not whisk this all the time once the broth was added. Just kept an eye on it and stirred it occasionally. It cooks up pretty quickly. Mix in the sour cream and chiles, heat thoroughly but do not boil, I just needed to stir it all up fairly well and it was hot. Pour mixture over the enchiladas.

5.Bake in pre-heated oven for 20 minutes or until heated through. Top with remaining Monterey Jack cheese and bake for 5 more minutes. Garnish with chopped green onions and cilantro if you like.

We love this recipe, and it makes cooking satisfying for me since you make the sauce and aren't just tossing in preprepared cream of something soup. You can control what goes in, a little or a lot, and how much flavor you like.

Enjoy!

Water Punch

2010-10-08T09:00:00.001-06:00

Water Punch
• 5 quarts of chilled water
• 3 cups of sugar
• 1 Tbsp. lemon extract
• 1 Tbsp. citric acid (I have only been able to find this at Orson Gygi's)
• fresh lemon, lime, or orange slices (optional)

In a punch bowl or large container combine water, sugar, lemon extract, and citric acid. Stir until sugar is all dissolved. Then add citrus slices to float in the punch and make it look pretty.

Scones and Honey Butter

2010-09-03T16:27:00.003-06:00

These are really easy and YuMmY!!

For the scones I just bought the cheap biscuit dough that comes in a four pack in the refrigerated section. Fill a pan 1/2-3/4 full of oil, heat on stove. When oil is hot, flatten each biscuit by hand then carefully place in oil (they cook fast).

Honey Butter
1 stick Butter-softened
1/4 cup Marshmallow Creme
1/4 cup Honey

Beat ingredients together until well mixed. Serve on hot scones!

Mock Cafe Rio Rice

2010-06-08T16:26:00.004-06:00

For those of you that love Cafe Rio inspired recipes...

Ingredients

- 4 tbls butter
- 2 1/2 cups rice
- 4 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- juice of 4 small limes or 4 tbls lime juice
- 4 tbsp chopped cilantro
- 1/2 tsp cumin

Instructions

Mix all in rice cooker or pot until done. Enjoy!

I have to confess, I have not tried this yet but its on the menu for tonight!

Easy Raspberry Sauce

2010-06-01T11:04:00.002-06:00

Simple, with a few ingredients. Make sure you have a fine strainer/sieve before you begin as you will need it if you want your sauce to be seedless.

1 Pint fresh raspberries (or 2 cups)
1/4 cup white sugar
2 Tablespoons Orange Juice
2 Tablespoons corn starch
1 cup cold water

Combine the raspberries, sugar and OJ in a saucepan. Mix the cornstarch in the water until it is all dissolved. (Be sure to use cold water, it will just lump up if you put it into any kind of warm water). Add the mix to the saucepan and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly until it thickens. It will also thicken slightly more as it cools.

Puree the sauce in a blender and then strain it through a fine sieve. Serve it warm or cold. Sauce will keep for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.

Eclair cake

2010-06-01T11:00:00.002-06:00

I wish I'd taken pictures but you will have to try it on your own!

1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
4 eggs

Melt the butter, water and salt in a sauce pan on the stove. While still on the stove, add the flour. Remove from heat and add in the eggs, one at a time, until well blended. The mix will be super sticky and look fairly shiny.

Grease a half pan and your hands. Pat the batter down into the pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes. The crust will be brown and puffy. Pat down while warm and allow to cool.

Mix together:
1 package of softened cream cheese
2 small packages of instant vanilla pudding (I have often thought chocolate would be good too!)
3 cups of milk
Mix unti smooth. Spread over the pastry when cool.

Top with 12oz cool whip. Drizzle with Hersheys chocolate syrup when ready to serve.

Super easy and YUM! I also did some with the raspberry sauce and it was awesome :)

Easy Chocolate Ice Cream

2010-06-01T10:58:00.002-06:00

This is the partner to the easy vanilla...have not tried it but before I lose the recipe :)

2 Cups half and half
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups whipping cream

Combine half and half, sugar, cocoa and vanilla in a blender until cocoa is uniform in the mix and the sugar has dissolved. Add that plus the cream in your ice cream maker cannister and freeze as directed.

Super and Easy Vanilla Ice Cream

2010-06-01T10:55:00.002-06:00

I found this in my recipe box and had not tried it...so we did this weekend and it was awesome! Super easy and small list of ingredients.

In your ice cream maker cannister mix:
2 cups whipping cream
2 cups half and half
1 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla

Put it in your ice cream maker, layer as directed and freeze. YUM!

If you want some additions...

10 crushed oreos for Cookies and Cream
2/3 of a cup of mini choco chips after its done for chocolate chip
1/ cup chocolate sauce for one revolution of the mixing paddle for Fudge Ripple

Perfect Lemon Cupcakes...for Diane

2010-03-31T09:07:00.001-06:00

Cake:
1 package lemon cake mix
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup oil
4 eggs
1 small package lemon instant pudding
Mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients. Mix with electric mixer on medium speed for about two minutes. Use a strong mixer, this batter is thick. For cupcakes, bake them at 350 degrees for 20 minutes (I was able to get 24 very full cupcakes from the recipe). For regular cake, pour into a greased 9×11 pan or two round pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Don’t over bake or the cake will be too dry! The toothpick test works to check to see if they’re done.
The original recipe said that the cupcakes will fall after they come out of the oven, but this is normal and to just fill up the indentation with more frosting. I didn’t have this problem at all!
Lemon Buttercream Frosting:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, very soft
6-8 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of sugar, then the juice and the zest. Beat until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, until icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency (I added 6 cups total). Use and store at room temperature. (Don’t refrigerate and it will last in a covered container for about three days.)
Garnish with berries, if desired right before serving

Amb's Super Green Spinach Smoothie

2010-02-17T11:00:00.002-07:00

I got this recipe from a neighbor of mine and I've been making them and meaning to share but haven't yet so here I go. I love it and they are a perfect breakfast for me. I happened to have all the ingredients in the house when she sent the recipe. Here ya go-

In a blender add water and spinach (the kind that comes out of the big Costco bag - pre-washed). For water put about 3/4 cup, for spinach fill the blender up about 3/4 of the way full. Blend. (It will look very green.)

Then I add:

1 Banana

1 container of peach yogurt, Fat Free (6 or 8 oz)* or any flavor you have in the house.

Orange juice 1 cup or you can do 4-6 oz of the concentrate because there is so much water with the spinach.

About 2 cupfuls of frozen mixed berries. (Costco has a big bag for about $10). I've been using blueberries and it makes it really yummy. I'm sure any type of berries work.

Ice cubes (about 4-5) but use more if you use fresh berries instead of frozen.

I found the trick is to blend everything then add the frozen berries. That way they don't the stick together and make it hard to blend. With blueberries it's really dark so beware of possible stains. LOL

I divide it into 2 1/2 servings, but the whole blender is full and the full amount is about 470 calories. But I only end up drinking 230 calories.

I figure I should be eating lots of both spinach and berries anyway. Also I was having a yogurt for breakfast anyway so it works for me. Enjoy!

Crepes

2010-02-06T16:28:00.002-07:00

1 c all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1/2 c milk
1/2 c water
1/4 tsp salt
2 T butter or margerine, melted

Place ingredients in blender in order given. Blend 30 seconds, stop and stir down sides, Blend 30-60 seconds until smooth. Makes about 16 crepes.

I have a crepe maker that I got at Bed Bath and Beyond. It makes great crepes. Otherwise, I have heard you can make them in a pan over the stove.

Fill with whatever you want!

Crispy Kale Snacks

2010-01-28T12:16:00.002-07:00

These are a little different but an easy way to get some crispy veggies in!

1 bunch Kale
Cooking spray (I used olive oil Pam)
Lemon Pepper - salt free if you can find it
Salt, preferably kosher

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash and pat dry kale. Remove leaves from the stems and tear leaves into chip sized pieces. Spray baking sheet with Pam, then place leaves on it and lightly spray the kale. Put baking sheet on the lowest oven rack and immediately turn the temperature down to 300 degrees. Bake for 20 minutes or until all dried/crispy. Be careful not to leave it in too long so the leaves brown on the ends - that is too done.

I only had salt included lemon pepper and so I left off the salt and they were good!

Easy Homemade Granola

2010-01-28T12:15:00.000-07:00

Easy Homemade Granola
from "Baked: New Frontiers in Baking" by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito
Ingredients:
2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup whole almonds [Note: I used slivered almonds, and they worked fine.]
1/3 cup whole hazelnuts
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup dried cherries

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, toss the oats with the cinnamon and salt.
In a medium bowl, stir together the oil, honey, brown sugar, and vanilla. Whisk until completely combined.
Pour the honey mixture over the oats mixture and use your hands to combine them: Gather up some of the mixture in each hand and make a fist. Repeat until all of the oats are coated with the honey mixture.
Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread it out evenly, but leave a few clumps here and there for texture.
Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and use a metal spatula to lift and flip the granola. Sprinkle the almonds over the granola and return the baking sheet to the oven.
Bake for 5 minutes, then remove from the oven and use a metal spatula to lift and flip the granola. Sprinkle the hazelnuts over the granola and return the baking sheet to the oven.
Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven. Let cool completely. Sprinkle the raisins and cherries over the granola...

I couldn't find hazelnuts so I just used 1/2 c of sliced almonds. Then I used mixed berry dried fruit. 2/3 of a cup of that. It made 4 cups of granola and is 105 calories in 1/4 c. It is SOOOOO yummy!

Thai Salad

2010-01-14T16:11:00.003-07:00

1 pkg. Angel Hair Pasta
1/2 bunch cilantro
1/2 bunch green onions
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup canola oil
2 Tbsp. Chunky peanut butter
2 Tbsp. Sesame Seed Oil
1 Tbsp. red chili flakes

In a medium bowl add chopped cilantro and chopped onions and all other ingredients and mix well. Set aside.

Cook pasta and drain (DO NOT RINSE PASTA)

Pour the mixed ingredients over the hot drained pasta and toss well. It will look like soup at this point, but don't worry. Stir every so often as it is cooling and the noodles will soak up all the liquid!
Let cool then refrigerate, and serve cold!!

Got this recipe from my Dad's cousin in California!! Super Yummy!!

Poppyseed Vinagarette Dressing

2009-12-26T12:20:00.002-07:00

Dressing:
1 1/2 Tablespoons Poppy Seed
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups oil (want to experiment with less later on)
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoon dried minced onion
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard

Mix together and keep overnight in the fridge.

This is the dressing for the spinach salad (see other post) but I think it would be awesome on any type of salad!

Janet's Spinach Salad

2009-12-26T12:15:00.003-07:00

This recipe came to me from a good friend, Janet, who made it for all our work parties. It makes a large bowl so be prepared for it to look huge when you put it all together. Once you add the dressing it compacts down so don't worry! Be sure not to add the dressing until you are ready to serve so it will get soggy.

Dressing:
1 1/2 Tablespoons Poppy Seed
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups oil (want to experiment with less later on)
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoon dried minced onion
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard

Mix together and keep overnight in the fridge.

Salad:
3/4 cup grated swiss cheese
2 packages of washed fresh spinach
1 container cottage cheese, drained
1/2 pack of bacon cooked to a crisp and crumbled
1/2 purple onion cut into rings and separated
1 carton fresh sliced mushrooms

Mix the salad portion all together and add dressing just prior to serving.

Cashew Pea Salad

2009-12-26T12:11:00.002-07:00

Ok, this sounds odd but really you won't be able to put your spoon down! I love it and it has such a nice flavor :)

1 10oz pkg frozen baby peas (I used a 14oz pack since I had it in the freezer and it was fine!) THAWED
1 cup diced celery
1 cup chopped cauliflower or broken into small bite size pieces
1/4 cup diced green onion
1 cup coarsely chopped cashews
1/2 cup sour cream (I used FF)
1 cup prepared Ranch dressing
Crisp bacon about half a pack

Mix it all up and chill it until ready to serve! Yum yum!

I wanted to try using greek yogurt and mixing up my own ranch to save on cals and fat but ran short on time. I think you could use some fat free product and still have it turn out well :)

Pumpkin Dinner

2009-11-03T13:00:00.003-07:00

Ingredients

Small to med sized pumpkins

we used 5

1-2 lbs Hamburger

chopped celery

chopped onion

salt and pepper

mushrooms

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 cups cooked rice

about 1/2 cup brown sugar

2-4 tbsp soy sauce

chopped green peppers ( I left them out)

Cut lid of pumpkin and clean it out.

In a large skillet brown hamburger, onion, salt and pepper

(I also added garlic salt and Mrs. Dash)

drain and add chopped veggies

Mix in cream of chicken soup, cooked rice, brown sugar

and soy sauce (i mixed brown sugar and soy sauce in a

blow and then poured it over the top)

Mix everything together and put them in the pumpkins

Place pumpkins on a foil lined cookie sheet

Bake 350 for 1 1/2 hours.

~Sandy

Chicken Noodle Soup/Chicken Soup with Rice

2009-09-24T20:31:00.003-06:00

Chicken Noodle Soup

1 recipe chicken and broth(see other post)
2 medium carrots chopped
2 medium stalks celery chopped
1 small onion chopped
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon granules
chopped fresh parsley
1 cup medium noodles or 1/2 cup uncooked rice

prepare chicken and broth according to previous recipe
heat broth, carrots, celery, onion and bouillon to boiling in large pot. reduce heat and simmer about 15 minutes until carrots are tender. add chicken.
stir in noodles or rice. simmer uncovered 7-10 minutes for noodles or 15 minutes for rice.
sprinkle with parsley.

Chicken and Broth

2009-09-24T20:18:00.003-06:00

I find this to be easy to make, and freeze for later. it can be the base for chicken pot pie or chicken soup, I think the chicken also makes a nice chicken salad. I like to make a double batch, then I always have some on hand. I shred the chicken and freeze it separate from the broth. you can freeze the broth in 1 or 2 cup containers for easy use later.

Chicken and Broth

3 to 3 1/2 cut up chicken (I like to use breasts with the bones, or thighs)
4 1/2 cup cold water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 medium stalk celery, cut into large chunks
1 carrot, cut into chunks
1 small onion, cut up
1 sprig parsley

Place the chicken in a large stockpot, add everything and heat to boiling. skim foam from broth, and reduce the heat to low. cover and simmer about 45 minutes. remove the chicken from the broth and cool on a plate until its cool enough to handle. strain broth and discard vegetables. if you chill the broth in the fridge the fat will form a disk and be easy to discard.
remove skin and bones from chicken and cut into 1/2 inch pieces.

Chicken Pot Pie

2009-09-24T20:08:00.003-06:00

1 package frozen peas and carrots
1/3 cup margarine
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 3/4 cup chicken broth (1 can) (I posted a recipe for your own broth as well)
2 1/2 to 3 cups cooked chicken
pastry for two crust pie

heat oven to 425 degrees.
melt margarine in saucepan over medium heat, stir in flour, onion, salt and pepper. stir constantly until it bubbles then remove from heat. stir in the broth and milk. return to heat and heat to boiling, for 1 minute. stir in the chicken, peas and carrots.
roll out 2/3 of the pastry for the bottom crust. put it in a 9x9 pan, add chicken mixture to the crust. roll out the remaining dough, cut into shapes and put on top of the pie. bake about 35 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.

Pie crust

2009-09-24T20:00:00.002-06:00

one crust pie
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon shortening
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 tablespoons cold water

two crust pie
2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons shortening
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 to 5 tablespoons cold water

use a pastry cutter to cut shortening into flour and salt. until it resembles coarse crumbs. sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until all the flour is moistened. up to 2 tlbl of additional water can be added, depending on humidity. the dough should NOT get sticky.
gather it into a ball, or 2 if 2 crust pie, wrap in plastic wrap and form into a disc. I like to refrigerate the dough for up to a day. its easier to work with it when it has chilled.
roll it out and follow your pie recipe.

Fried Wontons

2009-09-24T19:50:00.002-06:00

my kids love hamburger anything, so they loved these! we served them with fried rice.

1 package wontons

1 lb hamburger
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1 tsp salt
1 tsp seasoning salt
1 egg

we cooked the veggies, then the hamburger, mixed it with the seasonings, and let it cool a bit and added the egg. then we stuffed the wontons with about a teaspoon filling each, formed them into triangles and fried them. be careful when filling them all to not let them dry out, you can just put a wet paper towel over them as you go. we served them with soy sauce for dipping and fried rice.

I let my kids put the filling in the wontons, they had fun, I did have to seal the edges of all of them when I fried them. they did a good job overall though, a fun way for them to help with dinner.

Lemon sauce

2009-09-24T19:44:00.004-06:00

We love this sauce.

1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoon corn starch
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 tablespoon stick margarine or butter

mix the sugar and cornstarch, add the water and cook over medium heat. stir constantly, until it thickens and boils. boil 1 min and remove from heat, add remaining ingredients. serve warm over angel food cake.

Angel Food Cake

2009-09-24T19:33:00.003-06:00

This is from the Americas Test Kitchen Cookbook. I love everything I have baked from it, but have found its important to follow it exactly.

3/4 cup cake flour (can use 7/8 cup all purpose flour with 2 tbl cornstarch, but not quite same lift)
1 1/2 cup sugar
12 egg whites room temp
1 tea cream of tarter
1/4 tea salt
1 1/2 tea fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tea vanilla extract
1/2 tea almond extract (you can omit this if your allergy needs require it)

heat oven to 325 degrees, whisk the flour and 3/4 cup of the sugar together, and set aside. whip the egg whites in your mixer until foamy. then add the cream of tarter and salt until it forms soft billowy mounds. Increase speed to med and add the remaining 3/4 cup sugar one tablespoon at a time until the whites are shiny. and starts to form soft peaks. add the lemon juice and extracts.
slowly fold in the flour mixture, about 1/5 cup at a time. it should take 6 or 7 times to add and fold.
pour into angel food cake pan, and smooth. bake aprox 50 to 60 minutes. rotating the pan halfway through baking.
if your pan has legs, invert it. if it doesn't have legs, use a soda bottle in the hole of the pan to invert it while cooling. cool completely, 2 or 3 hrs.
run a knife around the edge and center to loosen the cake, and flip it onto a platter.

can be served with berries and cream, or lemon sauce. (see other post)

Shar's Monkey Bread

2009-09-20T09:19:00.001-06:00

We hadn't had this until we visited our friends in New Jersey this year. I know some of you have probably made it but I told Sarah I'd send her the recipe. We didn't put nuts or raisins in ours and I found this on www.allrecipes.com

Monkey Bread

3 (12 ounce) packages refrigerated biscuit dough
1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup margarine
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup raisins
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 9 or 10 inch tube/Bundt® pan.
Mix white sugar and cinnamon in a plastic bag. Cut biscuits into quarters. Shake 6 to 8 biscuit pieces in the sugar cinnamon mix. Arrange pieces in the bottom of the prepared pan. Continue until all biscuits are coated and placed in pan. If using nuts and raisins, arrange them in and among the biscuit pieces as you go along.
In a small saucepan, melt the margarine with the brown sugar over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute. Pour over the biscuits.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 35 minutes. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a plate. Do not cut! The bread just pulls apart.

Shar's Cake Balls

2009-09-20T09:17:00.001-06:00

Thanks Shar for sending this one through. She found it on a Dave Ramsey Forum. YUM!! I've also seen where they use a sucker stick to attach the ball to and then dip holding the stick. Too Cute!

Last year for Christmas, I made these for teachers and friends. Quick and easy, and the kids can help!

1) Bake a boxed cake mix.
2) Let it cool.
3) Scrape the whole thing into a big bowl. Really. Just smash it in.
4) Add an entire container of frosting.
5) Mix.
6) Using a cookie baller/scoop, place "balls" of cake and frosting on wax paper, then in the freezer to set.
7) Melt chocolate. We used cheap chocolate chips (more wax in them).
8) Pull the scooped cake from the freezer, and roll in your hand to get a more perfect ball. Dunk in chocolate, then place on wax paper again.

Ta da!

We got the best compliments on these combinations:
Chocolate cake, chocolate frosting, chocolate coating. Yum!
White cake, vanilla frosting, some crushed candy canes in the mix, dipped in white chocolate.
Spice cake mixed with cream cheese frosting, dipped in white chocolate.
Lemon cake mixed with lemon frosting, dipped in dark chocolate.

It looks so much nicer than it sounds. Kinda like a cross between a petit four and truffle, but fast and easy. And we don't tell other people that we call them "cake balls"... we just say something like, "Oh, they're just a sweet little treat." LOL

Chicken with artichokes

2009-09-09T23:03:00.000-06:00

For dishes that I cook often I almost never measure things out. I just sort of cook. So this recipe is a guide for you to follow. If you are asking yourself "is she nuts??" then adjust to what you think would work for you and your family.

1 lb (or so) boneless chicken breasts

artichoke hearts Drain any liquid. If you are using marinated I rinse them off with water in a strainer since I don't like all the oil in my food. I also pick off any tough leaves.

can of stewed tomatoes (or two, depends on my mood. LOL). Drain these too. Then chop up the tomatoes. I usually have a pack of the italian stewed in the pantry.

white wine 1/2 to 3/4 cup?? use the larger amount if you like the flavor to be strong. I NEVER cook with "cooking wine", I use the real stuff. The cooking wine tastes off to me. Cheap wine is fine for cooking and it will last a while in the fridge if you don't normally drink it!!

chicken stock or chicken broth about 2 cups. I've been using chicken stock by Swanson or Pacific organic broth from Costco. Yeah I could make my own but that would require pre planning and organization.

garlic 2-3 cloves minced

Cut up chicken into bite sized pieces. Brown in skillet with olive oil. Add garlic and cook until garlic starts to brown. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook until liquid is reduced by about half. Check chicken to make sure it is cooked all the way!!

We love this over thin spaghetti. If you like capers I'm sure they would be great in there too. I hate them so I've never tried it. I sometimes add the juice of 1/2 lemon for a little zing.

This is really fast and easy to whip up for dinner. We almost always have a salad with it as well.

Dutch Oven Potatoes

2009-08-12T09:52:00.003-06:00

OK, this is just an estimate, I have never really had a recipe we just make these.

Dutch oven potatoes
for a 12 inch deep dutch oven

up to 10 lbs of potato, sliced. (you can do that by hand, I use the salad shooter. peeled or not)
1 lb bacon 3/4 for bottom, 1/4 for top
grated cheese
salt, pepper, season salt
sliced onion if you like that

we line our dutch ovens, but you don't have to. I like to slice small and cook 1/4 of the bacon and reserve it for the top.
cut up all your potatoes, line the dutch oven with the raw bacon. start to layer the potatoes, with salt, pepper, season salt and onion if desired. just season to taste, until you get all the potatoes in the dutch oven. cook with the appropriate # of coals for the size of the oven. check them at about 45 mins to 1 hr. when the potatoes are cooked through, add the grated cheese and the cooked bacon on top. when that melts, usually 15 min. you are ready to eat.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

2009-08-11T12:36:00.002-06:00

3 eggs, gently beaten
1 C sugar
1 C brown sugar
1 C oil (I actually use a cup of applesauce instead)
2 C grated zucchini
1/2 tsp almond extract
3 T cocoa
2 C flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon

In a bowl, gently beat eggs and add sugar, brown sugar, oil (or applesauce), zucchini, and almond. Mix well. Mix in cocoa, flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Pour in two greased bread loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

Tastes fabulous with homemade cream cheese frosting. Of course I can't have that right now but discovered that Duncan Hines vanilla frosting is yummy on it too!

Butter Rolls - Breadmaker

2009-08-11T12:13:00.002-06:00

For those of you that love plain ole good white yeast rolls, but want to save time using your breadmaker, here ya go! This is another recipe that came from my breadmaker cookbook!

3/4 cup milk
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 egg
2 3/4 cups Bread flour
2 tbs sugar
2 tsp dry active yeast.

Place all ingredients in the breadmaker pan in order listed above. Set for dough setting. When done, remove dough to a lightly floured surface and knead 2-4 times to get air bubbles out.

Shape as deisred and place in a greased or sprayed pan. Let rise for 1 hour covered with a clean kitchen towel or sprayed saran wrap. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Seriously, easy and yummy :)

Honey and Wheat Rolls - breadmaker

2009-08-11T12:07:00.003-06:00

Dairy free for those of you who are checking!

This yummy and super easy recipe came from the cookbook that I got with my breadmaker about 14 years ago LOL It has the best recipes I swear. Don't think I've tried one I didn't like yet!

Place all ingredients in order in your breadmaker. All should be at room temp.

1 Cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup honey
1 egg (slightly beat before adding)
2 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour (not better for bread ww, just regular ww)
2 teaspoons dry active yeast.

Put this in your machine on the dough setting. When done, remove dough and knead 2-3 times on a lightly floured surface to elminate any air bubbles. Shape as desired ( I usually do pan rolls - divide into 12 pieces, shape so the top is smooth, place in a greased or sprayed 9x9 pan. Also works well to do the same thing only in a greased muffin tin). Cover with sprayed saran wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Let rise for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

The rolls are fluffy and yummy. Both my kids ate them when they first came out of the oven (ok, so we did cool the baby's but he wolfed it down too!)

Stacey's Yellow Squash bake

2009-08-10T14:53:00.000-06:00

Another yummy and fresh recipe from Stace :)

Recipe #2 I use this version the most!!
Yellow squash casserole

1 1/2 lbs. yellow squash sliced and boiled till soft and drained well
1 can low sodium mushroom soup
1 8 oz carton fat free sour cream
1 4 oz jar pimento (chopped) I buy at Walmart
1 8 oz can of water chestnuts (chopped)
1 stick of butter of marg.
1 medium onion (chopped)
1/2 package of Pepperidge farm herb stuffing mix

In a large bowl, mix cooked squash, mushroom soup, sour cream, pimento, water chestnuts and onion together put to one side. Melt 3/4 stick of butter (or use a little olive oil instead) Mix well with breadcrumbs and put 3/4 of the bread crumbs in the bottom of a 2 qt. dish. Pour squash mixture over 3/4 of the breadcrumbs then sprinkle the remaining 1/4 on the top. Bake at 35o degrees for 40 minutes.

Stacey's lower fat zucchini bread

2009-08-10T14:50:00.002-06:00

This recipe came from my friend Stace at designing and motherhood :) I love zucchini bread but hate all the fat so here is a nice alternative. I've not tried it as of yet, but I do have a zucchini earmarked for this!

My zucchini bread FAVORITE recipe (when counting calories)!

I have tried and trued Zucchini bread recipes over and over again. I am watching my waste line so I make this recipe that is low fat but tasty. Keep in mind the full fat recipes are better tasting when compared side by side. On the other hand, we care about the calories, RIGHT?! Enjoy!

LOW-FAT ZUCCHINI BREAD
Makes 16 servings

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup skim milk, rice milk or soy milk
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini (1 medium)

Combine dry and wet ingredients. Bake at 325 degrees for about 70 min and test with a toothpick.

Hungry Girl Chunky Chicken Salad

2009-07-29T18:18:00.001-06:00

You will LOVE this one! It's chock full of chicken, fruit and crunch. Love this on a hot summer night just by itself. You can also do it as a sandwich.

Recipe by Hungry Girl...www.hungry-girl.com

Dozens of fat grams in chicken salad = bad news. Crunchy cucumbers, red grapes, and yogurt dressing on the other hand = GREAT additions. Here's HG's guilt-free answer to the notoriously fattening Waldorf chicken salad...

Ingredients:
1 cup (about 4.5 oz.) cooked & roughly chopped skinless lean chicken breast
1/2 cup chopped Persian or Kirby cucumber**
1/3 cup red seedless grapes, halved
1/3 cup chopped apple
1/4 cup plain fat-free yogurt
2 tbsp. fat-free mayonnaise
1 no-calorie sweetener packet (like Splenda)
1/4 tsp. lemon pepper seasoning
dash salt

Directions:
Mix together the yogurt, mayonnaise, sweetener, lemon pepper seasoning, and salt. Coat the chicken in this mixture, and then stir in the chopped cucumber, grape halves, and chopped apple. Then try not to pass out as you chow down on this insanely good chicken salad! MAKES 2 SERVINGS

Hungry Girl Exploding Chicken Taquitos!

2009-07-29T18:16:00.002-06:00

We've been doing some cooking out of the Hungry Girl cookbook and her stuff ROCKS! So here is one that I love. It's super simple, usually have the ingredients on hand and filling. Enjoy cause they are yummy!! If you want more...check out www.hungry-girl.com

Roll With It!
These li'l Mexican treats are so stuffed, they're almost guaranteed to crack a bit when you bake 'em in the oven -- hence the name "Exploding." De verdad!

Ingredients:
8 small (6-inch) yellow corn tortillas
One 9.75-oz. (or 10-oz.) can 98% fat-free chunk white chicken breast in water, drained well
1/2 cup salsa
1/3 cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese
1/4 tsp. dry taco seasoning mix
Optional: red enchilada sauce, additional salsa, fat-free sour cream, for dipping

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine the chicken and salsa, and mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Remove chicken mixture from the fridge, and drain any excess liquid. Add cheese and taco seasoning, and mix to combine. This is your filling. Set aside.

Prepare a baking sheet by spraying with nonstick spray, and set it aside.

Dampen two paper towels, and place tortillas between them. Microwave for about 1 minute, until tortillas are warm and pliable.

Take one tortilla (keep the rest between the paper towels), spray both sides lightly with nonstick spray, and lay it flat on a clean dry surface. Spoon about 2 heaping tbsp. of filling onto the tortilla. Spread it evenly across the entire surface, and roll tortilla up tightly, so that you have a cigar-shaped tube. Secure with toothpicks and place seam-side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.

Bake for 14 - 16 minutes, until crispy. Allow taquitos to cool for 5 minutes. If you like, dunk in enchilada sauce, salsa, or sour cream!

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Pineapple Lime Dutch Oven Chicken

2009-07-29T18:08:00.002-06:00

Wow, we have been super neglectful of this site! Yikes!

So this week we did Dutch oven cooking with my neighbors. Our offering, and trial run, was this recipe found from someone's cookbook. I'd give kudos to whoever it is, but I don't have the book in front of me!

8 chicken breasts
1/2 cup honey
2 cans of pineapple tibits in juice, one drained, reserve the juice of the other.
1/2 c lime
4 tsp Corn starch
4 Tbs soy sauce

Heat up the ole coals and brown the chicken in the dutch oven on both sides. I mixed all the "wet" ingredients in a bowl. Be sure to dissolve the corn starch in the juice of the pineapple before you go so you don't get lumpies! Pour the wet ingredients over the top, place on the lid, add coals and let bake until chicken is done and sauce is thickened. I think we did it for about 20-30 minutes. It was a sweet, limey teriaki. YUM!

I think it would be awesome just poured over white rice to serve.

Ice Cream in a Bag

2009-05-31T19:22:00.002-06:00

This is so much fun to do with the kids and let them do the shaking!! No need to have an ice cream maker either!! Once ice cream is finished you can add add ins too, crushed oreo's, gummy bears, m&m's, cookie dough, whatever you like!! Enjoy!!

Ice Cream in a Baggie:
1/2 C milk
1/4 C half and half
1 T sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
2 sandwich size Ziploc® bags
1 one gallon size Ziploc® bag
2 C ice
1 T coarse salt

Put one small Ziploc bag inside the other and add the milk, half and half, sugar, and vanilla extract to the inside bag. Seal both bags securely, removing excess air. Add ice and salt to larger bag and place smaller bag inside. Seal firmly. Let the kids shake themselves silly -- shaking, tossing, and turning the bag. Ice cream will be soft and ready to eat in 5 to 10 minutes.

Grilled Chicken Marinade(s)

2009-05-19T18:13:00.002-06:00

Here are a few new marinades we have tried recently.

Ginger-Lime Marinade

1/4 cup Lime Juice
2 tbl olive oil
1 tea fresh ginger
1/4 tea salt
dash of ground red pepper (cayenne)
1 clove garlic (crushed)

mix. marinate for at least 15 min up to overnight.

Lemon-Rosemary Marinade ( can also be used for fish or seafood)

1 tea lemon peel
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine worcestershire sauce(or regular)
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried crushed
1/4 tea salt
1/8 tea pepper

marinate 2-4 hours for poultry, or 1-2 hours for any fish or seafood. brush with marinade for up to the last 5 min of cooking.

Pineapple-Ginger Marinade

1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
2 tbl cooking oil
2 tbl finely chopped green sweet pepper
1 tbl finely chopped fresh ginger
1 tea honey
1/4 tea five spice powder

marinate 2-4 hrs. brush with marinade for up to the last 5 min of cooking.

Grilled Chicken penne al fresco

2009-03-10T20:46:00.002-06:00

This was so easy to make, and you can make it without the deep dish baker. The dinner only cost about $12, total with french bread.

4 garlic cloves, peeled
2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes
3 cups uncooked mezze penne pasta
3 cups chicken broth
¾ cup dry white wine such as Chardonnay or more chicken broth
½ tsp each salt and coarsely ground black pepper
1¼ cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves, divided
1 oz Parmesan cheese, grated (about ¼ cup packed)
2 cups diced grilled chicken breasts
Additional grated fresh Parmesan cheese
and coarsely ground black pepper (optional)
1. Spray Deep Covered Baker with olive oil using Kitchen Spritzer. Slice
garlic into baker using Garlic Slicer. Add tomatoes. Cover; microwave
on HIGH 4-5 minutes or until tomatoes begin to burst, stirring after
2 minutes. Crush tomatoes using Mix ‘N Chop. Add pasta, broth,
wine, salt and black pepper.
2. Return baker to microwave; cover and microwave on HIGH 16-18
minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring after 10 minutes. Meanwhile,
coarsely chop basil with Chef’s Knife. Reserve 2 tbsp for garnish. Grate
cheese using Rotary Grater.
3. Carefully remove baker from microwave and remove lid, lifting away
from you. Add remaining basil, cheese and chicken to baker; mix well.
Garnish with reserved 2 tbsp basil, additional Parmesan cheese and
black pepper, if desired.
Yield: 8 servings
Nutrients per serving (about 1 cup): Calories 240, Total Fat 2.5 g, Saturated Fat .5 g,
Cholesterol 25 mg, Carbohydrate 35 g, Protein 17 g, Sodium 450 mg, Fiber 2 g
Cook’s Tips: An additional ¾ cup chicken broth can be
substituted for the wine, if desired.
Any tube-shaped pasta requiring 9-11 minutes cook time, such as
penne or rigatoni, can be substituted for the mezze penne pasta.
To grill chicken in the Grill Pan, season 2 chicken breasts, about 6 oz
each, with salt and black pepper. Heat Grill Pan over medium-high heat
5 minutes. Spray pan with oil. Cook chicken 4-6 minutes or until grill marks
appear. Turn chicken over; cook 4-6 minutes or until center of chicken is
no longer pink and Pocket Thermometer registers 170°F.

Thanks,
Sarah

Slush Punch

2009-03-02T10:20:00.001-07:00

This is my all time favorite recipe for punch!! It has to be made ahead of time, and then frozen, so you aren't running around at the last minute trying to wrip up a yummy punch! I am asked to make it for every family gathering cause the whole family loves it too!!

INGREDIENTS:
· 2 1/2 cups white sugar
· 6 cups water
· 1 (6 oz.) package strawberry flavored gelatin mix
· 1 (46 oz.) can pineapple juice
· 2/3 cup lemon juice
· 1 quart orange juice
· 2 (2 liter) bottles Sprite
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large saucepan, combine sugar, water, and strawberry flavored gelatin. Boil for 3 minutes. Stir in pineapple juice, lemon juice, and orange juice. Divide mixture in half, and freeze in 2 separate ziplock bags.
2. When ready to serve, place the frozen contents of one container in a punch bowl, and stir in 1 bottle of lemon-lime soda until slushy.

- Can make ahead of time, but remember to pull out of freezer a couple of hours prior to serving so that mixture will get slushy….otherwise it will be too hard.

White Chocolate Fondue

2009-02-20T20:57:00.000-07:00

White Chocolate Fondue

1 cup heavy cream
½ stick unsalted butter
2 packages (12 ounces each) white chocolate morsels

Dippers: Sliced apples, bananas, strawberries, cookies, pretzels, and cubed pound cake

In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine cream and butter. Bring mixture to a simmer, stirring constantly. Remove pan from heat.
Add white morsels. Stir til melted and smooth. Cool slightly.

Transfer to a fondue pot, Serve with dippers.

Six Can Chicken Tortilla Soup

2009-02-20T20:55:00.002-07:00

Six Can Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 (15 oz.) can whole kennel corn, drained
2 (14.5 oz.) cans chicken broth
1 (10 oz.) can chunk chicken
1 (15 oz.) can black beans
1 (10 oz.) can diced tomatoes with green Chile peppers, drained

Open the cans of corn, chicken broth, chunk chicken, black beans, and diced tomatoes with chiles. Pour everything into a large saucepan or stock pot. Simmer over medium heat until chicken is heated through. Makes 6 servings.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

2009-02-08T23:08:00.002-07:00

I hate mac and cheese from a box. My mom used to make it from scratch and cook it in the oven, but her recipe requires an entire block of Velveeta cheese and it not my favorite. I found this online and everyone seemed to like it pretty well! I read all of the reviews at the end and made a few changes. I'll put them at the end. Enjoy!

Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Serves: 6-8 servings (there was plenty for our family of 5 with at least 2 servings left over)

Ingredients:
-1/2 pound elbow macaroni
-3 tablespoons butter
-3 tablespoons flour
-1 tablespoon powered mustard
-3 cups milk
-1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
-1 bay leaf
-1/2 teaspoon paprika
-1 large egg
-12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
-1 teaspoon kosher salt
-fresh black pepper

Topping
-3 tablespoons butter
-1 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour & mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it is free of lumps. Stir in the onion, milk, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.

Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for 5 minutes before serving.

*************
I used twirly pasta because I had it in the pantry. I also used less than 1/2 an onion and sauteed in a tiny bit of olive oil before adding it to the macaroni. I usually don't like onion but I'm trying to broaden my horizons. LOL

Make sure you don't cook the pasta too long. I pulled it out of the water when it was still a little crunchy in the middle. You don't want it to get mushy. Definitely use the sharp cheddar and use the full amount it calls for. I didn't get a big enough block so I substituted some 4 cheese blend and it wasn't "cheesy" enough. So I might use the full 12 oz in the mix and then use extra on top.

I could taste the butter in it later so next time I might half the roux.

And finally- the 1 cup of bread crumbs was WAY too much. Maybe it was the dish I used, but everyone said there were too many. I'll probably leave them out next time.

Let me know if you make any other adjustments!

Coconut Treats (samoas)

2009-02-06T09:41:00.001-07:00

Coconut treats

(samoas-from food network magazine)

I did not order any cookies this year, trying to be better and resist temptation! However, when I came across the recipe, I could not resist trying it out! This way, I can make them year round, right??

3 TBS cold unsalted butter

1/3 cup flour

1 and ½ cups shredded coconut

2 tbs packed brown sugar

¼ tsp salt

5 oz. semi or bittersweet chocolate-finely chopped

Caramel or dulce de leche ice cream topping

Toast coconut in oven until golden brown, let cool for a few minutes. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350 degrees. Grease a 12 cup muffin pan with butter. Pulse the flour, ¼ cup coconut, brown sugar and salt in food processor until combined. Add the cold butter and pulse about 5 times, or until the mixture resembles wet sand with pea-sized pieces. Put 1 heaping tbs of the mixture in each muffin cup and press down. Bake until the crusts are golden about 20 minutes. Remove the pan from oven and sprinkle the chocolate evenly over each crust. Turn off the oven; return to pan to the oven to melt the chocolate, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle each crust with 1 TBS of the remaining coconut. Drizzle caramel topping over the coconut. Cool slightly, then freeze crusts in the pan until set, about 15 minutes. With a thin spatula, gently remove each crust from the muffin pan.

Whole Wheat Bread

2009-02-05T11:50:00.002-07:00

Whole Wheat Bread

1 1/2 C Warm Water
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C oil
1/4 c sugar or honey
2 tsp dough enhancer (opt)
1 1/2 T vital gluten (opt)
1/4 C instant dry milk (opt)
1 Tablespoon yeast
4-4 1/2 c Wheat Flour (or 3 Cups wheat, 1 cup white flour)

Add all ingredients, except only 2 cups of flour. Mix Add remaining flour 1 cup at a time until dough does not stick to bowl. Mix (knead) for 6 -8 minutes. Form into loaf. Place in greased loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with cooking oil. Let rise until double or 1 or 2 inches over top of pan. Bake at 350 degress for 30 minutes. Larger loaf might cook in center better at 325 for 40 mins.

Three-Cheese Beef Pasta Shells

2009-02-03T20:41:00.002-07:00

I got this recipe from pillsbury.com - it makes lots of dirty dishes and took a bit longer than I expected it to, but it was SO YUMMY.

Three-Cheese Beef Pasta Shells

Prep time: 25min
Start to Finish: 1hr 20min
8 servings (3 shells each)

24 uncooked jumbo pasta shells
1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1 jar (26 oz) chunky tomato pasta sauce
1/4 cup water
1 container (8 oz) chive and onion cream cheese spread
1 1/2 cups shredded 6 cheese Italian cheese blend (6 oz)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 to 2 tablspoons chopped fresh parsely, if desired

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook and drain pasta shells as directed on package.
2. In 10 inch skillet, cook ground beef over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
3. In large bowl, mix pasta sauce and water. Pour 1 cup of the pasta sauce in bottom of ungreased 13x9 inch (3 quart) glass baking dish. In medium bowl, mix cheese spread, 1 cup of the Italian cheese, the Parmesan cheese, egg, and cooked ground beef. Spoon heaping tablespoon mixture into each shell. Arrange stuffed shells over sauce in baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over top, covering shells completely. Cover with foil.
4. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until bubbly and cheese filling is set. Sprinkly with remaining 1/2 cup Italian cheese. Bake 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with parsley.
8 servings

Peanut Butter Bars

2009-02-02T19:09:00.003-07:00

Thanks for giving me the chance to join you! This recipe is one we've recently tried and love - I have a stash of these hidden in the freezer that I'm sneaking when the kids aren't around. :)

1/2 c butter
1/2 c brown sugar
1 t vanilla extract
2 c peanut butter
2 1/2 c powdered sugar
2 c chocolate chips

Combine butter & brown sugar in saucepan, I did this until it started to bubble and combined. Pour into a big bowl with all the other ingredients except chocolate chips, stir to combine and press into greased 9x13 pan. (I did use an extra 1/2 c powdered sugar.) Melt chocolate chips & pour over top, spread. Chill but defrost a minute before cutting or they'll probably be too hard.

* 2 cups of chocolate chips is too much, I did one heaping cup and it was plenty. Next time I would also mix the 1 c chocolate chips w/1 T peanut butter then melted it so the chocolate layer didn't crack when cold. These are similar to peanut butter cups.

Skillet Laz

2009-01-26T23:54:00.002-07:00

I made this the other night, it is another new pampered chef recipe, I had to put it on here because it was really yummy.

Skillet Lasagna

1 jar marinara sauce
3 cups water
8 oz lasagna noodle
1 lb bulk hot italian sausage or regular sausage
2 cloves of garlic pressed
2 oz parmeasan cheese
2 tbsp chopped fresh parley
1 cup fresh ricotta cheese
1/2 cuo shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 tsp black pepper
additional grated parmeasan cheese (optional)

Combine sauce and water in skillet. Cover; bring to a boil. Meanwhile, wrap noodles in clean kitchen towl and break crosswise into quarter. Stir noodle into sauce. Cover; reduce heat and simmer 16-18 minutes or until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally. As noodles cook, place sauage into skillet;cook and stir over medium heat 6-8 minutes or until sausage is no longer pink, breaking into crumbers. Add pressed garlic; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat. stir sausage into noodles and sauce. Grate parmesan cheese, chop parsley, combine cheeses, parsely and black pepper, in a different bowl. Scoop cheese mixture over noodles, Cover skillet and simmer gently 3-5 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

-Sarah

Easy corn chowder

2009-01-23T16:16:00.001-07:00

I made this the other night for our family, it was awesome. I just served it in bread bowls.

Easy Corn Chowder

2 Medium unpeeled red potatoes

1 cup cubed cooked ham

½ cup diced red bell pepper

½ cup coarsely chopped celery

1 teaspoon butter or margarine

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 can (14-14 ½ ounces) chicken broth

1 can (12 ounces) fat-free evaporated milk

1 can (15 ounces) creamed corn

2 tablespoons sliced chives

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Cooked crumbled bacon (optional)

1. Cut potatoes and ham into ½ - inch cubes using Chef’s Knife or Crinkle Cutter; set aside. Dice bell pepper. Coarsely chop celery using Food Chopper. Heat butter in Saucepan over medium heat. Add bell pepper and celery; cook and stir 3-4 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in flour; heat until bubbly. Gradually add broth, evaporated milk and corn, whisking with Nylon Spiral Whisk until blended.

2. Add potatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook, uncovered, 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir in ham; heat through. Remove from heat; stir chives into soup and season with salt and black pepper. Ladle soup into bowls using Nylon Ladle. Top with bacon and serve.

French's Crunchy Onion Chicken

2009-01-21T14:39:00.004-07:00

*copied from French's Website

Servings: 4 servings Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/3 cups French’s® Original or Cheddar French Fried Onions
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 egg, beaten

DIRECTIONS:
1.Place French Fried Onions into plastic bag. Lightly crush with hands or with rolling pin.
2.Dip chicken into egg; then coast with onion crumbs, pressing firmly to adhere. Place chicken on baking sheet. Sprinkle with additional crumbs, if desired.
3.Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes or until no longer pink in center.

Chocolate Butterscotch Bars

2009-01-13T16:45:00.003-07:00

If you've ever come to a get-together at my house, you have more than likely had these!

1 cup sugar
1 cup light Karo syrup
1 cup creamy peanut butter

Melt in a pot on medium heat, stirring frequently.

Stir in:
6 cups Rice Crispies cereal and spread in greased 9x13 pan. (I line mine with wax paper and spray with non-stick spray.)

Melt:
1 cup butterscotch chips and 1 cup chocolate chips in microwave. Spread over treats, let set until hard.

Potato Soup

2009-01-13T16:42:00.004-07:00

1. 8-10 peeled/cubed potatoes
2. 2 diced celery stalks
3. 2 sliced carrots
4. ½ yellow onion, sliced
5. 4 cups water
6. 5 chicken bullion cubes
7. ½ tsp pepper
8. 1 can cream of mushroom soup
9. 1 can evaporated milk
10. 2 cups milk
11. 4 tbsp margarine
12. 1 tbsp parsley flakes

Cook 1-6 until tender, then mash. Add 7-12. Stir and simmer for 10 minutes. Add cheese if desired.

Tangy Crock Pot Chicken

2009-01-10T09:55:00.001-07:00

Honestly, this is the best and it's so dang quick. I found it blogstalking a week or so ago on the polka-dot apron blog. I put an link to that on our page so if anyone is interested, they have more super recipes :)
This recipe may seem too simple to be true, but it is so flavorful and the chicken is super moist, definitely a favorite around here.

Ingredients:
2-4 chicken breast, cut into small strips
1 jar coleslaw dressing (I used Marie's in refrigerated veggie section)
Garlic salt sprinkled over the top

Preparation:
Cook in slow cooker on low for 4-6 hours.

Serve with or over hot rice, a nice green salad and some hot French or Italian bread. So simple to fix and so delicious to eat.

***Originally posted by Cherie in April 2008

Chocolate Chip Cheeseball

2009-01-05T16:06:00.000-07:00

If you love chocolate chip cheesecake, give this appetizer/dessert a try. The recipe came to me from my Great Aunt's church cookbook from South Carolina. YUMMY!

Allison's "lifted" Easy Breadsticks

2009-01-03T16:57:00.000-07:00

So it's not a secret that I really don't like to cook. But I tried these breadsticks at a scrapping night here in Price and was promised that they were easy to make, so I tried them last night because Jacob wanted homemade crazy bread to go with our homemade pizza. So here's the recipe as copied from LyNae's blog:

Okay so I just made these bread sticks for the first time tonight... they are seriously the best thing ever. (Whitley said "mom these bread sticks are genius") don't let the yeast and kneading scare you! I did it and they worked out great and tasted so so yummy! This recipe comes from my friend Angie, Thanks Ang...you Domestic Goddess you!!!

Bread sticks
Yields 12 bread sticks

1 tablespoon yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1 ½ cups warm water
½ tsp salt
3 cups flour
½ cup butter
garlic salt, Parmesan cheese, and salad supreme

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Mix together yeast mixture, sugar, salt, and flour. Knead for about 3 minutes. Add flour as needed. Let stand for 10 minutes, or longer. Melt butter on cookie sheet. Cut dough into fourths, then into thirds. Roll & twist. Roll in butter, sprinkle with garlic salt, Parmesan cheese and salad supreme. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes until lightly browned.

I totally used Angie's picture because hers turned out way prettier (is that really a word?)than mine. Seriously This Salad Supreme stuff is a must...it is made by McCormick and comes in a regular shaker bottle. It can be found by all of the spices at the store. I am actually trying it out on my pumpkin seeds for a fun little snack!

Bacon and Cheese Dip

2009-01-02T10:56:00.001-07:00

8 oz cream cheese
1 and ½ cups Swiss cheese, grated
3 scallions, diced
½ cup mayo
1 tablespoon djon mustard
5 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled

Mix ingredients together, sprinkle with more swiss cheese on top, if desired. Bake at 400 degrees until bubbly (about 15 minutes). Serve hot with chips or French bread.

No Knead Dinner Rolls

2008-12-31T16:54:00.000-07:00

No Knead Dinner Rolls
December 26th, 2008 by Heidi
2 1/2 t yeast
1 1/4 c hot water
1/2 c white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 c oil
1 t salt
4 c flour

Stir together, if you want to let it rise overnight then leave it sticky and cover with damp towel and let rise in fridge. If you want it today then add a bit more flour until it’s still very soft but not super sticky. Oil bowl, cover with damp towel and let rise to double. Punch down (do this after the overnight in fridge, if you are going that route) and divide into balls. I put them on a greased cookie sheet because I wanted them flat - could also do in muffin tins or greased 9×13 pan if you want them to rise higher. Let rise, bake at 350 degrees until golden.

SUPER soft, yummy, easy rolls. The dough is very sticky but smooths out after rising. Kit likes them so asked I save this recipe, we found it on-line when I was searching for a quick roll for dinner yesterday.

I’m sure you could use wheat flour instead of white and butter instead of oil, if you so chose.

Thanks again Heidi from Thaden Pierce!

5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

2008-12-31T16:52:00.000-07:00

4 T flour  
4 T sugar  
2 T cocoa  
1 egg  
3 T milk  
3 T oil  
3 T chocolate chips (optional - or maybe some chopped nuts?)
 A small splash of vanilla extract  (or maybe almond? or mint?)
1 large mug.

  Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.  Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don’t be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.  EAT! (This can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous). And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world ?  Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

You could mix up the three dry ingredients (and I would add a pinch of salt) and have it in a little container to just dump in a mug and throw in the liquid stuff. You know, if you needed your cake even faster.

I got this recipe off the Thaden Pierce blog. Sounds yummy!

Frozen Cranberry Margaritas

2008-12-29T13:38:00.001-07:00

1 can (11 1/2 ounces) frozen cranberry juice cocktail concentrate, thawed
2 cans (12 ounces each) lemon-lime soda pop
5 cups water
1 cup tequila
1/4 cup lime juice

1. In 3-quart plastic container, beat all ingredients with wire whisk or spoon until well blended.
2. Cover and freeze at least 24 hours until slushy. Serve in margarita or cocktail glasses.

Cranberry-Apple Spritzer

2 cups chilled dry white wine, nonalcoholic wine or apple juice
1 cup chilled cranberry-apple juice
1 cup chilled sparkling water
Apple slices, if desired
Fresh mint sprig, if desired

1. Mix wine, juice and sparkling water.
2. Serve over ice. Garnish with apple and mint if desired.

Cranberry Salsa...

2008-12-28T21:30:00.000-07:00

1 pkg cranberries

1 jalapeño, seeded

2 green onions,

½ bunch cilantro

¾ cup sugar

¼ teaspoonful cumin

1 brick of cream cheese

Put first 6 ingredients in food processor. Then Spread over cream cheese. Serve with crackers or tortilla chips.

Taralee's no bake cookies

2008-12-22T20:12:00.001-07:00

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup margarine, softened
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teas vanilla extract
1/2 cup peanut butter
3 cups rolled oats

Combine sugar, margarine, salt, milk, and cocoa powder in a large
saucepan; mix well. bring to a boil over medium heat stirring
continually. boil, stirring continually for 1 minute. Remove
saucepan from heat. Add vanilla and peanut butter; mix until smooth.
Add rolled oats; mix well. Drop cookie dough by spponfuls onto a
surface lined with waxed paper. Let stand until cool.

Aunt Dot's Microwave Peanut Brittle

2008-12-18T09:59:00.001-07:00

This is my mom's favorite. She made a batch up and before I even got to taste it...well, she and my dad had eaten it all gone! The recipe comes from my Great Aunt Dot in North Carolina and my mom swears its easy!

1 1/2 cups Raw shelled peanuts (with skins on)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbs baking soda

Combine peanuts, sugar, corn syrup and salt in a 2.5 quart microwave safe container. Microwave 4 minutes on high power. Stir. Microwave 4 more minutes. Stir in the butter and vanilla. Microwave for 2 more minutes.

Add baking soda and quickly stir until light and foamy. Immediately pour onto a lightly greased baking sheet and spread. Break apart and ejoy when cooled.

Kevin's Sweet Potato Casserole

2008-12-18T09:55:00.000-07:00

A very good friend of mine, Kevin, sent me this recipe with some background info. It sounds wonderful and his recipes have always ROCKED. LOL I should add him as a contributor! Here's the scoop-

"So Dawnie’s work party this year was held at Ruth’s Chris. So it was good. And Fancy. One of their “signature” sides is a sweet potato casserole. You might remember that my late Grandpa Purcell was the national authority on sweet potatoes and yams. I have never once in my life eaten a forkful of yams and thought,” mmmm…..I would like some more of that!” That is, until Monday night. Ruth’s Chris has the best sweet potatoes ever. Of course I had to do some research yesterday, and I was able to find a recipe last night. I put it to the test, and it did not disappoint! Here it is, and you should put in on the Utah Mom’s blog!!"

So this is for Kev!

3 C Mashed Sweet Potato (5-6 medium sweet potatoes, baked and mashed)
1 C granulated sugar
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs, well beaten
½C butter, cut into small chunks

1 C brown sugar
1/3 C Flour
1 C Chopped Pecans
¼ C Melted Butter

To Bake the potatoes:

Wash each potato and rub the entire skin with table salt. Pierce with a fork and place on a cookie sheet. Bake @ 400 degrees for 60-75 min

Peel and mash the potatoes (I threw them into my Kitchen Aid mixer) add the sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs and butter chunks. Mix very well, until the mixture is combined and a little fluffy.
Pour mixture into a butter casserole dish.

Combine Brown sugar, flour, pecans and butter to form a crumble. Top potato mixture with crumble. Bake @ 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Serve Warm

Peanut Butter Cream Sandwich Cookies

2008-12-16T10:57:00.000-07:00

This recipe came to me from the family that had Antonio's work party at their house. They are yummy and pretty much dairy free (not sure if Egg counts as dairy or not?). Enjoy!

PREP: 50 MIN. BAKE: 7 MIN. PER BATCH

OVEN: 350° F
½ cup chunky peanut butter
½ cup shortening
1 cuup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
Granulated sugar

1 recipe Peanut Cream Filling

Preheat oven to 350° F. In bowl beat peanut butter and shortening with electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, egg, and vanilla. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl. Beat in baking soda, salt, and as much flour as you can. Stir in any remaining flour.
Form dough into balls, using a level teaspoon each. (This seems small but I used ½ tablespoon and I think they were a little big.) Place 1½ inches apart on ungreased or parchment-lined baking sheets. Flatten by making crisscross marks with tines of fork dipped in sugar.
Bake 7 to 8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on baking sheet 1 minute. Transfer to wire rack; cool.
Spread one teaspoon Peanut Cream Filling on flat side of half of cookies. Top with remaining cookies. Store in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days. Freeze unfilled cookies up to 1 month.
MAKES 4 DOZEN SANDWICH COOKIES.

Insulated cookie sheets slow down baking, preventing burning. Darker sheets produce darker cookies, lighter ones, lighter results.

PEANUT CREAM FILLING In medium bowl whisk together ¾ cup chunky peanut butter, ¾ cup marshmallow crème, 3 tablespoons milk, ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon ground cumin. Gradually whisk in 3 tablespoons powdered sugar.

EACH COOKIE98 cal, 6 g fat ( g sat. fat), 4 mg chol, 69 mg sodium, 11 g carbo, 1 g fiber, 2 g pro. Daily Values: 1% calcium, 2% iron.

Cookie Cutter Fudge

2008-11-27T20:26:00.000-07:00

Thought these would be a quick, easy and inexpensive Christmas gift.

Just wrap them up with a bow! 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter chips
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
Betty Crocker® white or red decorator icing (in 4.25-ounce tube), if desired
Candies, if desired

1. Place each of six 3x1/2-inch mitten-shaped cookie cutters, or other cookie cutters in a simple shape, on 5-inch square of foil. Seal foil tightly around outside of each cookie cutter. Place on cookie sheet. Lightly spray cookie cutters with cooking spray.

2. In 4-cup microwavable measuring cup, mix chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, milk and butter. Microwave uncovered on High 1 to 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until chips are almost melted. Stir in vanilla.

3. Pour mixture into cookie cutter molds, filling to tops of molds. Refrigerate uncovered about 2 hours or until firm. Decorate with icing and candies.

4. Carefully remove foil. Gently press fudge out of molds to serve.

Spinach Salad

2008-11-24T20:22:00.001-07:00

1 10oz bag of Baby Spinach
6 Mushrooms Sliced
1 Bunch of Green Onions
3 Boiled Eggs, Sliced
Bacos to Taste

DRESSING:
(may need to double)
2 TBS Sugar
2 TBS Apple Cider Vinegar
1/3 cup Mayo

Cut stems off of spinach, add mushrooms and green onions. When ready to serve, mix dressing and stir into salad. Add eggs, sprinkle bacos. Serve immediately.

Graham Cracker Treats

2008-11-24T20:12:00.000-07:00

2 sticks butter

½ cup sugar

Bring to boil, boil 1 minute. Take off stove and stir in 1 cup chopped pecans. Break apart one PACKAGE of graham crackers (breaking each cracker into the four pieces) on a large cookie sheet covered with parchment paper, single layer. Spoon mixture over crackers. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

1/3 cup milk chocolate chips

1/3 cup white chocolate chips

1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Microwave 1 minute at 50% power, stir and repeat until chocolate is melted. Spoon over graham crackers. (You can use any combination of the chocolate you prefer). Let sit until cooled.

Savannah Bow Ties

2008-11-24T19:50:00.000-07:00

The next time you are asked to bring an appetizer/dessert, make these.They are soo good..

1/2 a (17 1/4-ounce) package frozen puff pastry (1 sheet)
1/2 cup almond paste
1 egg yolk, white reserved
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons milk
1 egg white
Sugar, for sprinkling
Chocolate Dipping Sauce, recipe follows

Directions

Let pastry stand at room temperature for 20 minutes or until easy to roll. Unfold pastry on a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 14-inch square. Cut square in half with a fluted pastry wheel.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

For filling: crumble almond paste in a small mixing bowl. Add egg yolk, brown sugar, and milk. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until well mixed. Spread filling over 1 pastry half *. Place remaining pastry half on top of filling. Using the fluted pastry wheel, cut dough crosswise into fourteen 1-inch-wide strips. Then cut each strip in half crosswise to make 28 pieces. Twist each piece twice. Place twists about 2 inches apart on cookie sheets lined with foil or parchment paper. Brush twists with slightly beaten egg white. Sprinkle with sugar (coarse sugar if available).

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden. Transfer to wire racks to cool. Serve with Chocolate Dipping Sauce.

*Almond filling will be very stiff. To make spreading easier, drop a dollop of filling uniformly over pastry. Spray a piece of waxed paper with non-stick cooking spray. Press almond paste evenly over entire dough. Spray waxed paper as often as necessary to prevent filling from sticking.

Chocolate Dipping Sauce:

3/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 (1.5-ounce) milk chocolate bars

2 cups whipping cream

1 egg yolk, beaten

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a saucepan stir together sugar, cornstarch and salt. Crumble candy bars in 1 at a time. Gradually stir in cream. Cook and stir over medium heat until chocolate is melted. Temper egg yolk with 1/2 cup of hot sauce. Add back to pot and cook and stir until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and pour into a serving bowl. Any remaining sauce can be poured into custard cups, refrigerated and served as pudding. This is a Paula Deen Recipe!

Yield: enough sauce for 28 cookies

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ease of Preparation: Easy

Lemon Chicken

2008-11-16T21:13:00.003-07:00

1 to 1.5 lb of boneless skinless chicken breasts
seasoned bread crumbs
juice of 1-2 lemons (fresh lemons) Depends on how much lemon flavor you want.
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup dry sherry *
2-3 chicken bullion cubes

Flatten chicken with a meat tenderizer so it is all the same thickness. It will cook better and more evenly if you don't skip this step! I usually cut each breast in half, if not smaller (quarters). Moisten with water and then coat in bread crumbs. I usually use a shallow bowl.

Brown chicken on both sides in skillet in a bit of veg. oil. Add lemon juice, sherry, water, and bullion cubes. Simmer covered for about 30 min. If needed cook for another 10 min or so without the lid to thicken the sauce.

Serve over or with white rice. The sauce is great mixed up with rice!

*I ALWAYS use dry sherry from the liquor store. It is pretty cheap, $3-4 for a bottle (if I remember correctly). I have used cooking sherry from the grocery store and it just isn't the same. Even the kids noticed the difference.

We love the sauce at my house so I always double the ingredients for the sauce. We had this for dinner earlier this week and I used 2 pans so the chicken wasn't stacked on itself. It seemed to cook faster and the sauce reduced faster this way!

Banana Cream Brownie squres

2008-11-10T12:42:00.000-07:00

1 package brownie mix
1 1/4 cups cold milk
1 package (5.1 oz) instant vanilla pudding
1 (8 oz) frozen whipped topping thawed, divided
bananas
strawberries
chocolate sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, Mix brownies as the box says. Let brownies
cool, cut bananas place them on the brownies, mix the pudding and add 4 oz's of the whipped topping . Spread over the bananas, cut more bananas and strawberries and put them on top and drizzle chocolate over the top.

Wilton Buttercream Icing (frosting)

2008-11-09T18:39:00.001-07:00

1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla (if you want to use white vanilla you can to keep the frosting pure white)
2 tablespoons milk or water
1 pound confectioners sugar *4 cups
1 tablespoon wilton meringue powder (this just allows it to harden better, its not necessary)

Cream shortening, butter, vanilla and water. Add dry ingredients and mix on medium speed until they are mixed thoroughly. Blend an additional minute until creamy.

To make chocolate buttercream frosting, and 3/4 cup cocoa and additional 1-2 tablespoons water.

Corn Bread

2008-11-09T18:33:00.000-07:00

This is for Jenn

Corn Bread

1 cup milk
1/4 cup stick margarine *melted
1 egg
1 1/4 cup cornmeal (any type)
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 400, grease a square 8x8 pan. or cast iron if you have one and want a crispy crust.
Beat milk, margarine, and egg in a bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients, until just moistened. Batter will be lumpy. Pour into pan. Bake 20 to 25 min until golden brown and toothpick in center comes out clean.

Home Made Root Beer

2008-11-06T14:02:00.000-07:00

Grandma's Super Secret Root beer
(from the back of the root beer concentrate box.)
Homemade Root Beer
1 1/2 Cups Water
3/4 Cup Sugar
1 1/2 Tsp. Root Beer Concentrate
1 Bottle (1Liter) Cold
Soda Water, Seltzer OR Club Soda
Bring Water to a boil in medium saucepan
Stir in sugar until dissolved.
Add Concentrate; stir until well mixed.
Refrigerate until ready to serve. Slowly pour
soda into root beer mixture until well blended.
Makes 6 cups.
We added dry ice just for fun.

California Tortellini Salad

2008-11-02T19:23:00.000-07:00

(Diane Call likes this one, so I thought I would post it also)

1 pkg refrigerated cheese filled tortellini (or use frozen package)
1 small avocado, diced
1 TBS lemon juice (keeps avocado from browning)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/2 medium cucumber, sliced
1/3 cup ranch salad dressing (I think the package that you can make tastes the best)
garnish with sunflower seeds if desired.

Cook tortellini as direceted on package. Drain, rinse with cold water to cool. In large bowl, combine all ingredients including well drained tortellini. Toss gently to mix. Serve.

Mandarin Chicken Salad

2008-11-02T19:20:00.000-07:00

fry wonton strips and allow to cool on paper towels
lettuce chopped
mandarin oranges
cooked diced chicken
slivered almonds
Dressing:
3 TBS honey
1 and 1/2 TBS White vinegar
4 tsp mayo
1 TBS grey poupon dijon mustard
1/8 tsp sesame oil, optional

Mix dressing and pour over salad ingredients. Simple and delicious! I just posted several salad recipes, if you are looking for more, just scroll down.

SWEET PEANUT SALAD

2008-11-02T19:17:00.000-07:00

1 head of lettuce chopped
1 bag of spinach leaves (or use the combinations your family likes)
1 avocado diced
3 green onions chopped
1 large chilled orange, peeled and diced
honey roasted peanuts

DRESSING:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 TBS sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
6 TBS vinegar
Combine salad ingredients, saving the peanuts to sprinkle on top of prepared salad. Combine dressing ingredients: pour over salad when ready to serve. Enjoy.

Asian Slaw

2008-11-02T19:10:00.000-07:00

This is a different version of the Utah cabbage and ramen salad. I hope no one minds that I added SALADS to the selections, (in my house they are main dishes and sides)!
Just remember it needs time to sit in fridge before serving.

16oz Coleslaw Mix
2-3 pkgs BEEF top ramen seasoning
1 cup toasted sliced almonds
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 bunch diced green onions
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup vinegar

Crush TWO ramen noodle packages in bottom of large bowl. Top with coleslaw and remaining salad stuff. Whisk 2-3 ramen seasoning packets, sugar, oil and vinegar. Pour over salad. Cover and chill about 8 hours at least. (THIS RECIPE IS FROM the PIONEER WOMAN COOKS WEBSITE)

Delicious Green Salad

2008-11-01T20:52:00.000-06:00

2-3 pitas cut into bite size pieces
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
3 tomatoes
1 large red pepper diced
1 cucumber peeled and chopped
4 scallions thinly sliced
Parsley flakes
¼ cup chopped fresh mint-optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Transfer pitas to baking sheet: bake until crisp, about 12 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk olive oil, lemon and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Stir in the cucumbers, tomatoes, red pepper, scallions, parsley flakes, mint and cooled pitas. Add lettuce and toss. Serve. (This is for a small salad, double if you want a large serving salad). We are going to call this our christmas green salad, very pretty red and green mixture!

Yummy Fall Party Dips

2008-10-31T11:20:00.000-06:00

I got these off of Good Things Utah! Yum!
Kneaders October Bread DipsGuest Chef Tami Vincent

SAVORY DIPINGREDIENTS FOR ITALIAN DIPPING SAUCE

1 cup olive oil
¾ cup white wine vinegar
¼ cup water
1 package “Good Seasons” Italian Recipe Caesar Dressing Mix
½ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
½ teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
Preparation:Blend the above listed ingredients together in a medium bowl until incorporated.
Additional Ingredients:
¼ teaspoon dry basil
¼ teaspoon thyme
1 can "S&W" ready cut tomatoes (Italian Recipe)
Blend remaining ingredients together in a blender - pulse 3 or 4 times. Add blended ingredients to the bowl and incorporate. Store in air tight container for up to 12 days. Serve with Kneaders Ciabatta, Peasano or Focaccia breads.

SWEET DIPINGREDIENTS FOR SWEET TOFFEE DIP

8 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
½ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ toffee candy bars ( finely chopped)
Preparation:Mix all ingredients except for toffee bar together until incorperated. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Add chopped toffee bars right before serving. Serve cold with Kneaders pumpkin bread, sliced apples or ginger snaps.

Groovy Green Smoothie

2008-10-25T23:07:00.000-06:00

Groovy Green Smoothie from Stacy again. I've not tried this one so if you have...let me know!

"A great way to get your kids to eat greens! You will be amazed by this yummy fruity smoothie. Experiment with different amounts or types of fruit and make your own."

PREP TIME 10 Min
READY IN 10 Min
INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
1 banana, cut in chunks
1 cup grapes
1 (6 ounce) tub vanilla yogurt
1/2 apple, cored and chopped
1 1/2 cups fresh spinach leaves

DIRECTIONS-Place the banana, grapes, yogurt, apple and spinach into a blender. Cover, and blend until smooth, stopping frequently to push down anything stuck to the sides. Pour into glasses and serve.

Amazing Zucchini Smoothie - lactose free!

2008-10-25T23:05:00.000-06:00

Janie's Amazing Zucchini Smoothie - this recipe was posted on my friend, Stacy's blogspot. She and her cute hubby did a large garden this year and found this recipe. Her kids love it!

"This is a low calorie smoothie that tastes great! It helps keep you full, so it's great for dieters and it's lactose free!"

PREP TIME 5 Min
READY IN 5 Min
Original recipe yield 2 1/2 cups

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
1 zucchini, cubed
5 ice cubes
1 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons granular sucrolose sweetener (eg. Splenda™)
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS-Place the zucchini, ice cubes, orange juice, sweetener, and vanilla extract into a blender. Cover, and blend until smooth, about 1 minute.

Blueberry Lemon Muffins with crumb topping.

2008-10-24T09:03:00.001-06:00

This is from Jessica Seinfelds cookbook Deceptively Delicious.
I have made them a few times, and we have loved them. We use soy yogurt and dairy free margarine, and they worked fine. I have also substituted applesauce for the yellow squash. and both ways worked. Also, instead of lemon extract, I add the juice of the lemon that I zested. I'm sure the lemon flavor would be more pronounced if you use the extract. We have used frozen blueberries and that worked.

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
4 tbl tub or stick margarine, chilled
1 c lemon yogurt
1 c blueberries
1/2 c yellow squash puree
1 egg
2 tea pure lemon extract
1 tea grated lemon zest
2 c flour
1/4 c flaxseed
1 tea baking powder
1 tea baking soda
1/2 tea salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Spray the muffin tin with cooking spray or use paper baking cups.
2. In a large bowl, mix the sugar and margarine. Stir in the yogurt, blueberries, yellow squash puree, egg, lemon extract, and lemon zest.
3. Add the flour, flaxseed, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir until just combined, don't overmix, batter will be lumpy.
4. Divide among the muffin cups. Bake 13-16 min. toothpick will come out clean. Turn on to a rack to cool.

Crumb topping

1/2 c sugar
1/3 c flour
1/4 c butter 1 1/2 tea cinnamon

Mix until combined. It should be dry like wet sand, not a glob of sugar and flour. You can add less butter or more sugar or flour to get the right texture. Sprinkle over the muffins before baking. I promise you will do this on all your muffins.

Chicken Chili Fettuccine

2008-10-22T21:15:00.000-06:00

This one is actually from Heather R. I was going through clearing out old email and found it. So thanks to Heather!

1 pkg Fettuccine - cooked
1 1/2 lbs bonesless skinless chicken breats cut into strips (I did bite size pieces -easier with kids)
1 T oil (I used cooking spray)
8 oz fresh sliced mushrooms
1 c chopped onion
2 T flour
2 cans of Italian style diced tomatoes
2 cans of diced green chilis
Monterey Jack cheese to sprinkle on top

In a skillet, saute chicken in oil (or cooking spray) until no longer pink. Add mushrooms and onions. Saute 2-3 minutes until onion is tender. Sprinkle with flour. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and chilies. Bring to a boil and the cover and reduce heat for 5-10 minutes or until thickened. Serve over fettuccine and sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese.