Whole Wheat Banana Muffins

Ingredients:

2 c. wheat flour

2 c. white flour

6 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

2 c. milk

1/2 c. oil

2 eggs

1 c. sugar

(up to) 2 c. mashed banana

Preheat oven to 400*

Mix dry ingredients in large bowl.

In separate bowl mix wet ingredients.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

Batter will be slightly lumpy.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Jalapeno Jelly

Here is the recipe as I found it on All-Recipes. Be sure to read my notes at the end to see what small changes I have made when I make this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 large green pepper

12 jalapenos

1 1/2 c. apple cider vinegar

pinch of salt

4 1/4 c. sugar

4 oz liquid pectin

4 jalapenos seeded and finely chopped

Directions:

1. Combine green pepper and 12 jalapenos in food processor until finely chopped.

2. Transfer to large saucepan, stir in cider vinegar. bring to a boil and let simmer 15-20 minutes.

3. *optional: at this point you can strain it and put the liquid back in the sauce pan if you want. I do not strain.

4. Stir in salt and sugar until dissolved. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. When mixture comes to a rolling boil (one that cannot be stirred down), boil for one minute, then stir in liquid pectin.

5. Stir in remaining jalapenos, and ladle into sterile jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Seal jars in hot water bath.

Here are the notes for what I do to this recipe:

1. Add a couple drops of food coloring.

2. Do ALL the peppers and don't strain... end up with 2 cup and use 3 oz of pectin

3. Add Tbsp. butter just before pectin

4. Do 6 c. sugar and boil 3-5 minutes after adding the pectin.

Serve with a block of cream cheese and crackers or pretzels! Yum!

My Mother's Day Menu

I'm too lazy to type out the recipes. They came, mostly, from one blog (it's one I haven't seen before, but I think I will go back to it again!). I will post the link and say that I thoroughly enjoyed ALL of it. But, Shelley, I don't think even you could eat more than one piece of this cake.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Perfect Roasted Asparagus

Honey Lime Fruit Salad

Hungarian Seven-Layer Cake

This cake is a little tricky. I did take some photos and if anyone wants to attempt to bake it, I'll be happy to share the little things I learned while making it. The chocolate frosting is so smooth. It's like eating a chocolate truffle. The cake layers are delicious too! It did take 3-4 hours from start to finish, but if you make it, I don't think you'll be disappointed!

Whole Wheat Bread

This recipe is my adaptation of a recipe that I got from my friend Jen. Thank you, Jen!

Pure, unadulterated, whole wheat bread.

Brew~ I do this part in a coffee mug and set it to the side to 'cure'.

1 Tbsp. Yeast (I use Instant Dry Yeast bought in bulk at Sam's)

1/4 c. warm water

1 Tbsp. sugar

The next steps I do in my 4qt KitchenAid mixer. Use the dough hook and don't go above speed 2... it will burn out your motor.

Mix the following before adding the yeast mixture:

3 cups warm water

1 tsp. salt

1/2 cup oil (i use canola oil but you can use olive oil)

1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar or honey

3 Tbsp. wheat gluten

4 cups whole wheat flour

Add yeast to this mixture.

While the mixer is on add about 4 more cups of whole wheat flour half a cup at a time (you might need 1/2 cup less or 1/2 cup more). You will have enough flour when the dough is clinging to the hook and cleaning the sides of the bowl. The dough will be slightly sticky. Continue to let it knead on speed 2 for about 2 minutes.

At this time I dump it onto my kitchen counter and knead it one or two rounds just to make the dough soft and round. Spray the inside of a large bowl with cooking spray and plop that dough right into it. Cover with a towel and set somewhere warm (with no draft) to rise. I put it on my dryer while I'm doing laundry.

Let it rise 1 hour. Or until doubled in size.

Punch down the dough. Separate into 3 equal parts and form each into a loaf. Place them into loaf pans that have been lightly sprayed with cooking spray.

Cover again and let rise another hour. It should be doubled in size or just over the rim of the pan.

Place in a preheated 350* oven. Cook for about 45-50 minutes.

I melt some butter and brush it on top of the loaves so that the crust is soft. And then I cut it into slices with my electric knife.

THEN... we inhale every piece.

note:

This bread can be made just as easy by hand if you do not have a mixer... that's how I did it for a long time. After adding 2 or 3 additional cups of flour dump it on the counter and add the remaining flour by kneading it in. Knead for 5 to 10 minutes.

Easy Peasy Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

2 refrigerated rolled pie crusts

1 can of cream of chicken soup

1 can of cream of celery soup

1-2 cups cooked chicken

1 cup of frozen mixed veggies

Directions:

-set out crust until room temperature.

-line a deep dish pie plate with one crust.

-mix soups, chicken, and veggies in bowl.

-pour mixture into pie crust

-cover mixture with other pie crust.

-crimp sides of crust.

-cut small slits in top of crust.

-bake at 350* until brown; about 30 minutes.

Cowboy Cookies

LOVE these!!! Found the recipe on Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen!

Ingredients:

1 C. white sugar

1 C. brown sugar

2 whole eggs

1 C. butter

1 tsp. vanilla

2 C. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2-1/2 C. rolled oats

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350*

In a large bowl mix with blender: white sugar, brown sugar, and eggs. Melt butter and pour in bowl with the sugar mixture. Add vanilla and mix on medium speed. In a separate bowl sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix well. With a sturdy spoon mix in oats. Then add chocolate chips.

Roll into walnut size balls and bake for 15-17 minutes.

OR

Do what I do: grease an oversized cake pan and pat the dough into the pan. Cook for about 30 minutes.

Sweet & Sour Meatballs

I remember making these several years ago for New Year's Eve with the Capeners. I remember that Shelley and I thought it would be awesome to make our own meatballs. Awesome? Not so much. I just remember that it took a long time and we wished that we had just bought them pre-made.

This year for New Year's I dug out the recipe again. This time I was smart and bought a giant bag of meatballs at Sam's.

They turned out great! So great, actually, that I've made them four times since the first of January for various activities and they have been an absolute hit! They are a mainstay in our family now!

I've shared the recipe just how it is shown on allrecipes.com. But remember I do not make the meatballs... if you want to make them, knock yourself out!

Ingredients

For meatballs:

2 pounds lean ground beef
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2teaspoons granulated sugar

For sauce:

1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained with juice reserved
1/3 cup water
3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
1 large carrot, diced
1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a large, shallow baking sheet.

For meatballs:

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix the ground beef, eggs, bread crumbs and onion. Sprinkle with ginger, seasoning salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and sugar. Shape into one inch balls.
Place meatballs in a single layer on prepared baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes; set aside.

For sauce:
Mix enough water with the reserved pineapple juice to make 1 cup. In a large pot over medium heat, combine the juice mixture, 1/3 cup water, vinegar, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Stir in cornstarch, ginger and seasoning salt, until smooth. Cover and cook until thickened.
Stir pineapple chunks, carrot, green pepper and meatballs into the sauce. Gently stir to coat the meatballs with the sauce. Simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, or until meatballs are thoroughly cooked.

Dressing/Stuffing

My sister perfected this recipe and it is DELICIOUS!

Ingredients:

4 C. crumbled cornbread
3-4 pieces crumbled bread or biscuit
2 cans chicken broth
1 lg onion
1-2 ribs of celery
2 cans chicken
3 eggs
1 c. melted butter
1.5 Tbsp sage
salt
pepper

Directions:

Combine bread and broth. Let Soak
Add onions, celery, eggs, and chicken. Mix thoroughly.
Add butter, sage, salt, and pepper.
Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes in a 350* oven.

Quick Candy Cookies

Once again.... from PW!

Ingredients:

Refrigerator Cookie Dough
Miniature Chocolate Candies

Directions:

Slice the cookie dough into 1 to 1 ½ inch slices. Lay the slices on their side and cut them into quarters. Place each quarter into a greased mini-muffin tin. Peel the wrapper from as many pieces of candy as cookies you’re going to make. (Don’t be afraid to try different combinations of candies and dough.)

Bake the cookie dough in a 350-degree oven for just a few minutes, about 6 to 8 at the most. You’ll want to take them out just when they start to turn golden.

Almost as soon as you pull the warm cookies from the oven, begin lightly pressing one piece of candy into each cookie. The warmer the cookies, the better. They’ll grab onto the pieces of candy and work their magic, making the candy nice and soft and melty. And ridiculous.

When they’re all done, carefully remove from muffin tins with a spoon and arrange on a nice decorative platter.

Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies

I think I'm in love with The Pioneer Woman. Seriously. She shares some of the best recipes!!!

This one is a favorite for our OU football watching at my dad's house!

The second time I made them I only cut the bacon in half and we liked them better!

Ingredients:

20 whole Fresh Jalapenos, 2-3 Inches In Size
2 cubes Cream Cheese (Softened)
1 pound Thin(regular) Bacon, Sliced Into Thirds

Directions:

If you have them, slip on some latex gloves for the pepper prep… Cut jalapenos in half, length-wise. With a spoon, remove the seeds and white membrane (the source of the heat; leave a little if you like things HOT). Smear softened cream cheese into each jalapeno half. Wrap jalapeno with bacon pieces (1/3 slice). Secure by sticking toothpick through the middle. (At this point, you can freeze them, uncooked, in a Ziploc bag for later use).

Bake on a pan with a rack in a 375-degree oven for 20-25 minutes. You don’t want the bacon to shrink so much it starts to the squeeze the jalapeno. If, after 20 minutes, the bacon doesn’t look brown enough, just turn on the broiler for a couple of minutes to finish it off. These are best when the jalapeno still has a bit of bite to it.

Serve immediately, or they’re also great at room temperature.

Corn Bread - Jiffy Style

We LOVE cornbread. I used to buy boxes of Jiffy when it was on a good sale and would have a pretty good stock of it. One particular day when I went to make some I was all out. So, I went to the trusty internet and looked up a good substitute. I haven't bought a box of Jiffy since.

I make this in a 9x9 pan and it's a little on thin side so I usually double the recipe for the same size pan.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 c. milk

Directions:

Combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl, mix well.
Whisk in vegetable oil and mix until dry mixture is smooth and lumps are gone.
Combine mix with egg and milk, mixing well.
Pour into pan.
Bake for 15-20 minutes at 400*.

Easy Peasy Chili

If you want a recipe that is really good but a little more involved CLICK ON THIS LINK it is great! I love Wendy's Chili and this tastes really good!

If you're wanting something even more quick and just as tasty, try this next one:

Sooooo easy. And a crowd pleaser.

This recipe doesn't use meat. Why? Because I'm cheap. I don't buy a lot of meat and I think chili tastes just as good without meat. But you can surely add a pound of ground turkey (my choice) or ground beef and it will be just as delicious.

Make this with a pan (or 2) of This Cornbread to go with!

Ingredients:

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
2 cans (14.5 oz) beans of your choosing (kidney, pinto, etc...)
1 can tomato paste
1-2 cups water
1 packet chili seasoning

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a crockpot on low for a few hours.

Tortilla Chicken Casserole

My friend Roxie posted a recipe for her enchiladas a while back and this has been our 'go to Mexican dish' a lot lately. But I've kind of tweaked it to make it my own and even easier!!

Ingredients:

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
½ cup sour cream
1 packet taco seasoning
2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
8-10 corn tortillas
1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese (or Monterrey Jack)

Directions:

Cook chicken in the taco seasoning according to packet instructions.

Using a pizza cutter or kitchen shears cut up tortillas into about 1 inch pieces.

In a large bowl mix soup, sour cream, seasoned chicken and tortilla pieces. Dump into a 9x13 pan. Top with cheese.

Bake in a 350* oven for 20-25 minutes.

*note: to make this even easier... you can use canned chicken. You can also skip the step of cooking the chicken and just throw all the ingredients together.

Coconut Cream Pie

OH. MY. SCRUMPTIOUS!

Ingredients:

3 cups half-and-half
2 eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup flaked coconut, toasted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (9 inch) pie shell, baked
1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, combine half-and-half, eggs, sugar, flour and salt.
Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat, and stir in 3/4 cup of the coconut and the vanilla extract.
Pour into pie shell and chill 2 to 4 hours, or until firm.
Top with whipped topping, and with remaining 1/4 cup of coconut.

Note: To toast coconut, spread it in an ungreased pan and bake in a 350 degree F (175 degrees C) oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until golden brown, stirring occasionally.

Peanut Butter Pie

Super yummy! There is absolutely nothing in this world better than chocolate and peanut butter!

Ingredients:

8 oz. softened cream cheese
1 c. powdered sugar
2/3 c. peanut butter
2 T. milk
4 oz. thawed whipped topping
graham cracker or chocolate cookie crust

Directions:

Beat cream cheese & peanut butter until smooth.
Add sifted powdered sugar & milk.
Beat until well mixed.
Fold in topping.
Spoon into pie shell.
Chill in freezer 15 min.

***you can also spread a layer of homemade hot fudge or hot fudge ice cream topping onto the crust before putting the guts of the pie into the shell. this step is highly suggested but not necessary to LOVE it!!!!

Basic Mexican Rice

Once again The Pioneer Woman saves the day!!
We invited the missionaries over for dinner a while back and made Tortilla Chicken Casserole. But, I knew that with their appetites, that would not be enough. So, I remembered seeing a basic rice recipe on PW's site and made it to supplement the dinner. It was a hit!

I used regular diced tomatoes instead of the Rotel cuz my kiddos DON'T DO SPICE. But, I wish I had used the Rotel because I think it would have had a little more flavor. And we don't do cilantro in our house.... I'm allergic. So, that got left off as well. In the end it was still very yummy!!!

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
• ½ whole Large Onion, Chopped
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 2 cups Long Grain Rice
• 1 can Rotel (10 Ounce)
• 1 can Whole Tomatoes (14.5 Ounce)
• 2 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth (more If Needed)
• 1 teaspoon Cumin (more To Taste)
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• Fresh Cilantro, Chopped

Preparation Instructions

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onions and garlic, then cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add rice and garlic. Stir constantly, making sure the rice doesn’t burn. Cook over low heat for 3 minutes. Add Ro-tel and tomatoes. Stir to combine and let cook for 2 minutes. Finally, add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 to 15 additional minutes or until rice is done. Add more liquid as needed; rice shouldn’t be sticky.

Just before serving, sprinkle lots of freshly chopped cilantro over the top. Serve immediately.

Pecan Pie

This pie gets made once a year. For Thanksgiving. It's so yummy! The last few years I've even added a handful of chocolate chips and it is even more delicious!!!

Ingredients:

1 whole Unbaked Pie Crust
1 cup White Sugar
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
¼ teaspoons Salt
1 cup Corn Syrup
⅓ cups Melted Butter (salted)
3 whole Eggs Beaten
¼ teaspoons Vanilla
1 cup (heaping) Chopped Pecans

Directions:

Mix sugar, brown sugar, salt, corn syrup, butter, eggs, and vanilla together in a bowl.
Pour chopped pecans in the bottom of an unbaked pie shell.
Pour syrup mixture over the top.
Bake pie at 350º for 50 minutes, being careful not to burn pecans and crust.
Allow to cool for several hours or overnight.

Funeral Potatoes

Ingredients

• 1 package (around 26 Oz.) Shredded Frozen Hash Browns Or 6 Medium Potatoes (Peeled, Cooked, Cooled And Grated)
• 1 can Cream Of Chicken Soup
• 1 cup Sour Cream
• ½ cup Milk
• 1/2 cup To 1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 1 whole Small Onion Chopped
• 2 cups Bread Crumbs
• 1 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
• ½ cups Butter, Melted

Mix together the potatoes, soup, sour cream, milk, cheese and onions. Spread it into a greased 9 x 13 dish.
Mix the bread crumbs and Parmesan with the melted butter. Spread it over the top of the casserole.
Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes or until bubbly.
This freezes well, too. Make it in two 8 x 8 pans and freeze one.

Recipe linked here.

Chicken Flavored Rice Mix

I was asked to bring some kind of flavored rice to a funeral. I really had never made a flavored rice and I'm not a big fan of Rice-O-Roni. So, I went to AllRecipes (my absolute go-to recipe finder) and poked around. I came across this recipe that turned out delicious! Thought I would share!

INGREDIENTS

* 3 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
* 3 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
* 3 teaspoons dried celery flakes
* 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS:
* 1 cup uncooked long grain rice
* 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
* 2 cups water

DIRECTIONS

In a bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

To prepare rice: In a saucepan, saute rice in butter until lightly browned. Add water and about 1/4 cup of seasoning mix. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender. Yield: 4-6 servings.

FOOTNOTE: I did not have the granules or the celery flakes so I just used chicken broth for the water and I had celery salt that I used instead of the flakes.

Chocolate Crinkles

I love these chocolate cookies. I recently decided to add dried cranberries and pecans to them and it was a hit!

3/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
6 oz chocolate chips (instead I add dried cranberries and crushed pecans)

3/4 cup powdered sugar for dusting


In a large bowl, mix melted butter with cocoa powder and sugar. In a medium bowl, stir flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using and electric mixer, beat eggs and vanilla into the chocolate mixture. Slowly stir in dry ingredients until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Set oven at 350 degrees. Roll dough into 1 inch balls. Roll balls in powdered sugar. Place on ungreased baking sheets 2 inches apart. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool 5 minutes on the sheet before transferring them to a rack.

Whole Wheat Tortillas

My kids like these much better than store bought white or wheat tortillas!

5 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 2/3 cups warm water
1 Tbsp. soy flour (only if you have it on hand, it's not necessary)

Stir together dry ingredients, then add the oil and water. Mix well and knead lightly. Pinch off walnut sized pieces of dough and roll out very, very thinly on a floured pastry cloth or on a floured board or counter. Aim for a round tortilla, but it really doesn't matter much if they are misshapen. Heat an ungreased griddle or frying pan to very hot and cook on one side until bubbles form, then turn over and cook the other side until brown "freckles" appear. Store in plastic bag. Makes 20 or more.

Steel Cut Oat Breakfast

While I'm on the subject of oats, I might as well post the breakfast I eat almost every morning. I had to pat myself on the back a while back when I read that Oprah herself ate almost the very same breakfast sometimes.

If you've never had steel cut oats, let me tell you that they are vastly superior to rolled oats. To cook steel cut oats, simply measure one cup oats to three cups water and cook on low for about 20 minutes or until tender (no lid on pan).

I use about 1 cup of these cooked oats (you'll have approximately three) to a bowl and then add:

1/8 cup ground flax
1/2 cup milk or soy milk
1 cup thawed mixed berries
1-2 tsp brown sugar

This is excellent nutrition and very yummy!

Blueberry Oat Flour Pancakes

Joseph and I had these at a Bed and Breakfast in September. They were so yummy, I had to try to find a recipe. The only bad thing about this recipe is that the pancakes are very hard to turn. Since I'm not a baker, I don't know what adjustments to make in the recipe (Heidi??)

To make oat flour, just put regular rolled oats in your blender. Blend them on high until they look like flour. With my blender, I had to help it along a little bit.

2 cups oat flour
3 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. sugar (optional)
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
2 cups milk or water
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
blueberries

Warm pan or griddle to medium with 1 tsp butter or oil. In a medium sized bowl, add dry ingredients together and mix lightly. Next add milk or water; stir. Add oil and 1 egg at a time. Mix thoroughly. Pour 1/2 cup mix at a time into pan.

Any Good Christmas Cookie Recipes?

Ok...I made this wonderful concoction today. Rice Crispies, milk and sugar. It was delish! Now, anyone have a good Christmas cookie recipe?

Hard Rolls

I just tried this recipe yesterday and it was such a big hit with my kids that I'm making it again today. I'm experimenting with whole wheat flour to see what kind of results I get. These rolls are really good!

1 Tbsp. yeast
1 1/2 cup warm water
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 1/2 cup white flour, approx.

In a large bowl, mix the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water and let it stand for a few minutes until dissolved. Ad another 1 1/4 cup warm water, stir in salt and then 3 cups of the flour. Turn out and knead for 10 minutes until smooth adding flour as necessary. Place in unbuttered bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until double. This will take a while because there is no sugar in the recipe. Punch down and turn out on a board. Pull off pieces of dough slightly larger than a gold ball and turn them, cupping your hands over and pulling dough toward the bottom until you have a perfect round. Pinch the seams at the bottom and place on a cookie sheet 2 inches apart (either use Pam or sprinkle cornmeal first). cover lightly with a towel (I used wetted paper towels) and let rise again until double. Preheat oven to 450 degress about halfway through final rising. Brush risen rolls with cold water and put them in the oven. Immediately throw several ice cubes in the floor of the over. Check after 15 minutes. When rolls are done they should be browned.

Petition for Recipes!

Hey guys!! It's been since July that we've seen any activity on here!! Let's see if we can fix that. Give us some of your favorite holiday recipes.

Grilled Asparagus

So first off - this is my first time EVER posting to this recipe blog!! Can you believe it? Seriously -How long has this blog been around? Second - I'm no cook. And this is not fancy. But it is DANG good. A friend of mine mentioned he love Asparagus on the grill. So I thought I'd try it. It is the yummiest summer meal ever! We just grilled chicken and had sliced nectarines. Delish! But hurry!! Summer is almost over!

So here's what you do!

Take 1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and peeled, 4 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon salt
Preheat a grill.
Place asparagus on a plate. Drizzle oil over the asparagus and turn spears until they are coated. Sprinkle with salt and turn again.
Grill asparagus for 5 minutes over a hot grill. Each minute or so, roll each spear 1/4 turn. Asparagus should begin to brown in spots (indicating that the natural sugars are caramelizing) but should it not be allowed to char. Dripping oil may cause flare-ups. Keep a glass, or spray bottle of water handy to spritz on coals, if necessary.
Remove from grill and serve immediately (eating spears with your fingers enhances the experience).

Look for firm asparagus stalks with firm deep green or purplish tips. Also check the bottom of the spears. If they are dried up, chances are they have been sitting around for too long. Trim off the tough bottom of the spear by grasping each end and bending it gently until it snaps at its natural point of tenderness, usually 2/3 of the way down the spear. If the spear is less than 6 inches long, chances are it has already been trimmed for you.

Happy Eating!

No Bake Cookies

I'm sure that many of you have mastered The Art of The No Bake Cookie but, until Friday I had not! I finally figured it out! For some reason mine always turned out crumbly and I was always frustrated because I wanted yummy ones and mine never were! Well, I think I've got it! I read somewhere online that if you don't boil them for the EXACT time that the recipe calls for you will not get good results. Well, here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 cup extra crunchy peanut butter
3 cups quick oats

Directions:
Lay out foil or wax paper BEFORE you make the cookies.

Combine the sugar, cocoa, milk and butter in a saucepan. Bring to a heavy boil for exactly one minute. Remove from heat.

Add the vanilla, peanut butter and oatmeal; stir well to mix up all the ingredients and plop spoon sized amounts onto foil or wax paper and let cool.

The key to making these set right is to boil them for one minute exactly. You start counting the minute once the mixture comes to a ROLLING BOIL. Use a clock with a second hand or a digital with a stop watch for accuracy.

If they never really get firm, then you didn't boil them long enough.

If they get too crumbly, then you boiled them too long. Adjust accordingly the next time you make them.


GOOD LUCK!

Megan's Granola Bar Recipe

In the pan (before being cut)

Megan made these for our family last summer and they were wonderful. I made them tonight so that we can enjoy them tomorrow at the beach!

Melt together until very hot, but not boiling:

3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cup brown
2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup honey (I used Agave nectar)

Pour over dry ingredients and mix well.

2 cups rice crispies
2 cups corn flakes (measure, then crush)
4 cups quick oats
3 tsp. baking powder
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup toasted coconut
1 cup sunflower seeds

Once it cools you can add dried fruit, raisins, chocolate chips, cinnamon etc. Press into a cookie sheet and bake at 300* for approximately 15 minutes. Cool and cut into bars.

These are similar, but better than the granola bars you can buy at the store!

Summer Fresh Fruit Salad

I got this recipe from Sparkrecipes.com. I modified it a little bit, but it's great as a salad to go with a meal or even for a summer-y dessert.

16 large Strawberries, fresh
20 Pecan halves, or 1/4 cup, broken or crushed
1/4 cup raisins, golden seedless
1 Mango, fresh, diced without skin
1 Tbsp. Honey
1/4 cup coconut, unsweetened, flaked
2 Tbsp. quinoa, precooked/cooled


Instructions

1. Cook quinoa just like white rice. Measure two to one (1 cup Quinoa to 2 cups water). Bring to a boil, lower temperature and cover for approximately 14 minutes. Cool.

2. Rinse strawberries, trim tops and cut inot a medium bowl. Add raisins and coconut flakes.

3. Slightly crush the pecans so they are not whole halves, add to bowl.

4. Dice mango, no skin.

5. Add cooled quinoa and honey. Turn carefully with a spoon to coat all of the above with honey.

My modifications:

My mango wasn't ripe enough. I used unpeeled nectarines. I also added blueberries (not pictured) because one small child had been promised some blueberries!

Best Pancakes Ever!

Okay, so I guess now I can truly be called a "contributor" seeing as this is my first contribution. It is a simple one, but I must tell someone that right now..."There's a party in my tummy! There's a party in my tummy!"

Take any pancake recipe you want. They can be from scratch or a box. I made enough for 2 people.
Add:
1 TBSP vanilla
Zest of one orange

Cook pancakes and serve with strawberry preserves or fresh strawberries and coolwhip.

OH MY HEAVENS.......why have I never done this before!

My Tastebook

I've been meaning to post about this since Mother's Day....

For Mother's Day I ordered myself a Tastebook with recipes that I chose from this blog. Here are a couple of photos:

It came 'wrapped' with a sticker on the outside with my name on it... aahhh how cute!

Drum roll please.....

I love it! It's so nice to just pull it off the shelf and it have all of my favorite recipes in it! Easy peasy!

When you purchase one you get 100 recipes for the price but I only used like 30 so I can still add more favorite recipes and continue to add them to my book!

Here's the link if you're interested: Tastebook

You can search for our blog recipes if you want to add them to your book. When you get to Tastebook they are under - Do We Have To Eat This.

Dutch Babies

Several years ago my good friend Tracy made this for us for dinner because Geoff went on a mission to the Netherlands. I've been meaning to get the recipe from her since then but never remember! Then Aspen spent the weekend with a friend and came home begging me to make German Pancakes because her friend's mom made them and they were sooo good. So this morning I thought I would make the pancakes and when I looked up a recipe I found that they are actually the Dutch Babies that Tracy made for us!! I made them for breakfast and the kids loved them so much that they wanted more for lunch! I guess we'll have to have salad for dinner!

FYI - I doubled it using 8 eggs and put it in a slightly bigger cake pan. And since I was out of white flour for the lunch batch I used half white/half wheat flour and they turned out great!
This is the link to the recipe that I found: German Pancakes

1/4 c butter
4-6 large eggs
1 c flour
1 c milk
1/4 t salt
Lemon juice, maple syrup, powdered sugar, for toppings

Preheat oven to 400*. Melt butter in 9x13 pan (glass seems to work best) in oven; swirl around so it covers the pan; In a blender add eggs, flour, milk and salt and blend just until mixed... do not overbeat. Pour into pan. Bake 20-30 minutes, until puffy and deep golden brown. Serve at once sprinkled with lemon juice and powdered sugar, or maple syrup or whatever you like on your pancakes.

Veggie Pasta

This may not be kid-friendly, because it is mostly veggies. We are trying to eat healthy in our home, so this is what I came up with for last night's dinner. After eating I immediately wrote down what I did so I could make it again sometime. My husband loved it!
I'll have to take a picture next time to post.

Ingredients:
6 oz Pasta (such as penne or rigatoni)
Cooking Spray (such as Pam)
1/2 T butter
1 clove Garlic minced
Cayenne Pepper to taste (I use about 1/8 tsp)
1 tsp Chicken base
1 tsp basil
1/4 C water
1 small Zucchini
1 small Yellow Squash
1 Green Pepper
1 Tomato
1/2 Onion
2 T Olive Oil
1/4 C grated Parmesan Cheese

Cut Veggies (Zucchini, Squash, Onion, Pepper, Tomato) into narrow strips.
Cook Pasta according to directions on package.
Spray a pan with Cooking spray. add 1/2 T of butter. Saute Garlic. Add cayenne pepper, basil, chicken base. Add 1/4 C water. Add veggies and cook to crisp/tender.
Drain pasta. Pour in veggie mix. Mix in Olive Oil and shredded Parmesan Cheese.

Makes 4 servings

Oatmeal Caramelitas

I got this recipe years ago from some friends in Utah. I LOVE it. Pioneer Woman recently posted a similar recipe on her website.

1/2 C. Butter (softened)
1/2 C. Brown Sugar
Cream together then add:
2 C. Flour
2 C. Oatmeal
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Vanilla
After mixing, press 1/2 of mixture onto edged 9x13 (or slightly bigger) cookie sheet and bake 8 minutes @ 350*.
Remove from oven & sprinkle on top:
1 C. Semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 C. Butterscotch chips
1 C. Chopped pecans or walnuts
Drizzle over top:
1 Jar butterscotch or caramel ice cream topping + 3 TBSP flour.
Then crumble remaining flour mixture over top and return to oven & bake 15-20 more minutes (still 350*).
Oh heavens.

Pioneer Woman Lasagna

Oh, ladies! This is delicious!! While I was visiting Shelley in NJ last week I told her that I would make her favorite dinner. She wanted lasagna. So, I made this recipe from Pioneer Woman. Her boys who normally can't stand lasagna even seemed to like it!

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 pound hot breakfast sausage
2 cloves minced garlic
2 14.5-oz cans of whole tomatoes
2 6-oz cans of tomato paste
2 tablespoons of dried parsley flakes
2 tablespoons dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
10-oz package of lasagna noodles
3 cups lowfat cottage cheese
2 beaten eggs
1/2 cup Kraft Parmesan Cheese
2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound sliced mozzarella cheese (I used shredded)


In a skillet, combine ground beef, sausage, and garlic. Cook until brown. Drain off about half the fat. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, parsley, basil, and salt. Mix together thoroughly and simmer, uncovered, about 45 minutes... stirring occasionally.

(Here PW instructs the boiling of the lasagna noodles... I don't boil my noodles. I just bake my lasagna a little longer.)

Mix cottage cheese in a bowl with eggs. Add Parmesan cheese, parsley, and salt. Mix together well.
Let the assembly begin! Lay four cooked lasagna noodles in the bottom of the pan, overlapping as you go. Spread half of the cottage cheese mixture evenly over the noodles. Then lay 1/2 pound of mozzarella cheese slices on top of the cottage cheese mixture. With the spoon, make a line through the middle of the meat mixture so you’ll distribute it evenly. Spread a little less than half of the meat mixture over the mozzarella cheese slices until it’s evenly distributed. Repeat the process. Top with a pretty generous layer of Kraft Parmesan Cheese.
Now pop it in a 350-degree oven for 20-30 minutes (or 1 hour if you don't boil the noodles), until hot and bubbly.

Easy Dinner Rolls

I got this recipe years ago and it is the only recipe that I use. They always turn out delicious and they are SUPER easy to make!


1 cup water(110 degrees F)
2 pkgs yeast (Do not use the quick rising in this recipe)
1/2 cup butter melted
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp salt
4 1/4 cups flour

Combine water and yeast in lg bowl; let stand for 5 minutes.
With wooden spoon, stir in butter, sugar, eggs and salt. Add flour, 1 cup at a time and beat in as much as you can (you will probably be able to use all the flour). Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 3 days.
Grease a 13x9 baking pan. Turn dough out onto floured surface. Divide into 24 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth round ball. Place in rows in prepared pan. Cover and let rise for 1 hour; until doubled. Heat oven to 375*. Bake until golden brown, about 17 minutes.

Crabby Patties

I had a bunch of crab meat in the freezer so I searched around for Crab Cake recipe and this is one that my kiddos loved. They also loved that I called them Crabby Patties.

1 lb crab fresh meat (or 2 cans)
1 egg
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1 TBSP mustard
1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
2 TBSP fat-free mayo
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp old bay seasoning
1/2 tsp dry mustard

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Place in refrigerator for minimum 30 minutes.
Spray skillet with cooking spray, brown about 4-5 minutes each side.
Makes 6 crab cakes.

Super Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

1 C. peanut butter
1 C. sugar
1 egg

Mix all ingredients and form small balls. Place 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet. Press balls with a fork to flatten. Bake at 350 degrees for 5-7 minutes until golden brown.

Easy Pie Crust

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup oil
2 Tbsp. milk
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt

Stir ingredients together in pie plate, then shape by hand for crust. Enjoy!

Irresistable Peanut Butter Cookies

3/4 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. Crisco
1 1/4 c. packed brown sugar
3 TBSP milk
1 TBSP vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 c. all purpose flour
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking soda

Combine peanut butter, Crisco, and brown sugar, milk & vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed with mixer till well blended. Add egg. Beat just until blended. Combine flour, salt and baking soda. Add to creamed mixture at low speed. Mix just till blended. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto un-greased baking sheet. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes at 375*. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Magic Milk Shakes

I got this recipe from The Hillbilly Housewife. It's a really good alternative to using ice cream and it really does taste like a Wendy's frosty!

1-1/2 to 2 cups ice water
1-1/2 cups nonfat dry milk powder
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 to 1-1/2 trays of ice cubes, as much as you can spare
2 tablespoons corn oil plus a 5-second squirt of non-stick spray for emulsification purposes

Place all of the ingredients into the blender, including the oil and the non-stick spray. Use less water for thicker milk shakes and more water for shakes that are easy on your blender motor. The blender should be about 3/4's full. Place the lid on. Process for a full 2 minutes. Pour into cups and serve. Makes 4 - 12oz servings.
I love this recipe because it makes very rich milk shakes without any ice cream. I don't always have ice cream in the house because the kids eat it so fast. With this recipe we can have delicious frosty milk shakes for a fraction of the cost of those using ice cream. And all the ingredients are on the pantry shelf.

Chocolate Caramel Candy (Snickers)

I'm posting this for Shelley. It's a family favorite for them. I've been the recipient of this concoction a couple of times and it was mouth-watering!


Bottom layer:
1 c. Semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 c. Butterscotch chips
1/4 c. creamy butter
Filling:
1/4 c. butter or margarine
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. evaporated milk
1 1/2 c. marshmallow creme
1/4 c. creamy peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. chopped salted peanuts
Caramel Layer:
1 pkg (14 oz) caramels
1/4 c. whipping cream
Icing:
1 c. (6oz) semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 c. Butterscotch chips
1/4 c. creamy peanut butter

Combine the 1st 3 ingredients in a small saucepan; stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Spread onto the bottom of a lightly greased 9x13 pan. Refrigerate until set.
For filling, melt butter in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sugar & milk. Bring to a boil; boil & stir for 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in marshmallow creme, peanut butter, & vanilla. Add peanuts. Spread over 1st layer. Refrigerate until set.
Combine the caramels & whipping cream in a sauce pan and stir over low heat until melted & smooth. Spread over the filling. Refrigerate until set.
In another saucepan combine chocolate and butterscotch chips with peanut butter. Stir over low hit until melted & smooth. Poor over the caramel layer. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Cut into 1 inch squares. Store in fridge. Yield about 8 dozen.

Broccoli Salad

This salad is so delicious! Just a little secret, though, I really DO NOT like raisins. So, anything that calls for them I just pretend that I put them in!

1 lb bacon (I use turkey bacon)
1 c. mayo
2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
1 TBSP bacon drippings
1/4 c. sugar
1 c. raisins
1 c. sunflower seeds
Bite-sized broccoli (I guess at how much.. you can too)
Chopped red onion(I guess here too. About 1/2 of an onion)

Night before: Fry up the bacon and crumble. Mix mayo, vinegar, drippings (with turkey bacon there might be any-just omit), and sugar.
Day of serving: Combine raisins, seeds, broccoli, onion, and bacon with sauce and serve.

Eskimo Joe's Honey Mustard

YEARS and YEARS ago I used to work at Eskimo Joe's as a waitress while I was in college. For those of you who do not live in Oklahoma and do not know about this place it is a really cool place to eat in Stillwater, OK. It was a lot of fun to work there, too. Well, they had this scrumptious honey mustard salad dressing that they offered and I got hooked on it! One day when I was working, I asked one of the prep cooks if he would give me the recipe to the honey mustard (they make it by the 5 gallon buckets from scratch). He told me that if he gave it to me he would have to kill me and then he pointed to the binder that the recipe was stored in and looked the other way!! You didn't get this information from me! :)

5 c. spicy mustard
3/4 c. white vinegar
2 tsp onion salt
2 tsp red pepper flakes
7 TBSP yellow mustard
9 c. mayo
4 c. light karo syrup
5 c. honey
4c. salad oil

Mix first 5 ingredients. Add last 4 ingredients. Blend well.

Okay, okay! So you probably don't want to make 5 gallons of this stuff! Here's what I have when it's divided by 4:

1 1/4 c. spicy mustard
.1875 c. (little less than 1/4 c.) white vinegar
1/2 tsp onion salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 3/4 TBSP yellow mustard
2 1/4 c. mayo
1 c. light karo syrup
1 1/4 c. honey
1 c. salad oil

(This fills a couple of mason jars)

If you get a chance you should read up on the restaurant's history it's pretty fun!

Banana Bread

I try to make this as often as I have rotting bananas. Everybody raves about it and asks me where I got the recipe. Well... I got it from that red and white checkered cookbook that everybody and their mother has!

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 egg
1 c. mashed bananas (3 medium)
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. cooking oil
1/2 c. chopped walnuts or pecans

Grease loaf pan.
In a medium bowl combine first 4 ingredients. Make a well in the center; set aside.
In another bowl combine next 4 ingredients. Add wet mixture all at once to dry mixture. Stir just till moistened (batter should be lumpy). Fold in nuts.
Spoon batter into the prepared pan. Bake in a 350* oven for 50-55 minutes.

Pioneer Woman Chocolate Sheet Cake

Oh heavens! Shelley and I made this last night! Delish!

Cake
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter
4 heaping tablespoons cocoa
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 beaten eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla

Icing
1/2 cup pecans
1 3/4 sticks butter
4 heaping tablespoons cocoa
6 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 lb minus 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl
Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa. Stir together. Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.
Pour buttermilk in measuring cup. Add eggs, baking soda, and vanilla.
Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.
While cake is baking, make icing:
Chop pecans finely.
Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat.
Add milk, vanilla, powdered sugar and stir together.
Add pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake.
Cut into squares, eat, and totally wig out over the fact that you’ve just made the best chocolate sheet cake. Ever.

The Black Beast

Le Bete Noire...a.k.a. The Black Beast
This phenomenal take on a classic flourless chocolate cake lives up to its name. This cake is a labor of love. It is a little labor intensive but well worth it in the end. You can usually find bittersweet chocolate in little bars by Ghirardelli.

Cake:
1 C water
3/4 C sugar
9 TB (1 stick plus 1 TB) unsalted butter, diced
18 oz. bittersweet (not UNsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
6 large eggs

Ganache:
1 C heavy whipping cream
8 oz. bittersweet (not Unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped

lightly sweetened whipped cream

For cake: Preheat oven to 350*
Butter 10 in. diameter springform pan. Line bottom with parchment round; butter parchment. Wrap 3 layers of heavy duty foil around outside of p an, bringing foil to top of rim. Combine 1 C. water and sugar in small saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer 5 min. Remove from heat.
Melt butter in large saucepan over low heat. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Whisk sugar syrup into chocolate; cool slightly. Add eggs to choc. mixture and whick until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan. Place cake pan in large roasting pan. Add enough hot water to roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cake pan.
Bake cake until center no longer moves when pan is gently shaken, about 50 min. Remove from water bath; transfer to rack. Cool completely in pan.

For ganache:
Bring whipping cream to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Pour over top of cake still in pan. Gently shake pan to distribute ganache evenly over top of cake. Refrigerate cake in pan until ganache is set, about 2 hrs.
Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.
To serve, run knife around sides of pan to loosen cake; release sides. Cut cake into wedges and serve with whipped cream.

Swiss Steak with Mushrooms

1 TB olive oil
2 TB butter
6-8 oz. fresh sliced mushrooms
2 TB finely chopped onion
1/3 C. flour
1 1/2 lbs. boneless round steak, 3/4-1 in. thick
1 C.beef broth
2 cans diced tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste

In a large heavy skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil and butter. Saute the chopped onions and sliced mushrooms for about 5 minutes, until onions are tender. Remove onions and mushrooms; set aside. (We don't saute the mushrooms because we like them a little bit firm when we eat them. They cook enough later on).

Cut round steak into serving-size portions.

Pound the flour into the steak pieces; transfer to the skillet. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper; brown round steak thoroughly, turning to brown the other side, When browned, add the beef broth, tomatoes, onions and mushrooms and cover. Simmer on low heat for about 45 minutes, or until meat is very tender. Check for drying out and add a little water if needed. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Serve Swiss steak with pan drippings.

Swiss steak serves 4 to 6.

Ramen Cabbage Salad

Dave and I loved this salad. I added cooked chicken to make it a meal. My kids wouldn't touch it.

1/2 large head cabbage, coarsely chopped
1 (3 oz.) package ramen noodles, crushed
1/2 C. sunflower seeds or slivered almonds
1 bunch chopped green onions
1/2 C. vegetable oil (I used half vegetable oil and half olive oil)
3 TB. white sugar
3 TB. distilled white vinegar

Toss together the cabbage, onions, noodles and sunflower seeds or almonds. Whisk together the ramen flavor packet, oil, sugar, and vinegar. Pour over cabbage mixture and toss evenly to coat. If you think you're going to have leftovers, only pour dressing over what you think will be eaten right away.

Colorful Cupcakes

I just posted about our April Fool's Day Dinner here. So, I thought that I would post the recipe that I got from FamilyFun. Can I just say that these are delish! I don't really do meatloaf but I have made these a couple of times and used ground turkey instead of beef and they turned out SOOOOO good!! Enjoy!


RECIPE INGREDIENTS:

Meat Loaf
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Potato Frosting
3 cups mashed potatoes
Food coloring

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line 12 muffin tin cups with foil bake cups.

In a large bowl, mix together all of the meat loaf ingredients until well combined. Divide the mixture evenly among the lined cups (the liners should be about three quarters full).

Place the filled muffin tins on cookie sheets and bake the cupcakes for about 15 minutes or until cooked through.

Divide the mashed potatoes among three small bowls and stir a few drops of food coloring into each batch to create blue, yellow, and pink pastel frostings. Spread a generous dollop on each cupcake. Makes 12 cupcakes.

Single Serving Brownie

I was perusing the recipes on SparkPeople because I am trying (once again) to eat more healthy. I came across this recipe that I thought was worth a try. The whole wheat keeps it from having a really smooth texture but it really was pretty tasty. I thought I would post it for any of you brave enough to try it!!

1 TBSP whole wheat flour
1 TBSP sugar (do not substitute)
1 TBSP unsweetened cocoa
a pinch of baking soda
a pinch of salt
1 TBSP of low fat vanilla yogurt, add more if needed to blend the mixture


Mix it all up, pop it in the microwave for just over a minute, enjoy :)

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 1
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 95.2

• Total Fat: 1.1 g
• Cholesterol: 0.9 mg
• Sodium: 224.6 mg
• Total Carbs: 22.1 g
• Dietary Fiber: 2.7 g
• Protein: 2.6 g

Mystery Rolls OR Blue Cheese Biscuits

Well, since we're stealing recipes from the Pioneer Woman, I thought I'd share these rolls with you. We made them last week and they were divine. In fact, I ate so many that I got really ill. I guess too much blue cheese is not a good thing for my stomach.

Mystery Rolls (or I call them Blue Cheese Biscuits)

2 sticks butter
4 to 6 ounces crumbled blue cheese
2 cans flaky biscuits

Combine butter and cheese on baking pan. Place into 350 oven for a couple of minutes, or until butter is melted. Remove from oven and stir. Cut biscuits into fourths, then toss in butter mixture. Bake on same pan (or different, if you're crazy and feeling health concious) for 8 to 12 minutes, or until golden. Eat warm.
--My biscuits took almost 20 min. to cook for some reason so just keep an eye on them--

One More Thing... OK, Maybe Two

#1 - I didn't add any comments to the recipes. I can do this if it is desired. It really wouldn't take much effort. It just depends on what you all want.

#2 - I REALLY want to do a 'contest' of some sort to encourage the posting of more recipes. But truthfully I don't have the money to buy an extra cookbook for this 'contest'. I was just curious if any of you would be interested in a 'raffle' of sorts. I would make up some sort of conditions for this 'raffle' in order to encourage more participation. What do ya think? Would you do it?

Cook Book is Done... So Far!

This is what I did with our recipes! I copied and pasted them all into Taste Book and have created a "Do We Have To Eat This?" cook book. This is really cool! You can get this cook book the way it is or you can just select the recipes that you want to add to your book. The cook book is a binder that you can add recipes to! So, as we add to our blog we can format them to Taste Book and then have them printed and added to our books. Click on HOW IT WORKS to find out exactly how this works! I think this is fabulous!

Here is a link: Cook Book

I really would like to hear any feedback! If we continue to do this then I will probably post on a format for posting recipes that will make it a little easier on me to copy and paste them!

Cook Books

I'm looking into ways to print a blog to book. I would like to do something for those of you who post around 20 recipes. Maybe a book of your recipes or a book of all the recipes. What do you think? Any ideas?

Sigrid's Carrot Cake

So, I mentioned making this carrot cake for Easter. I thought I would go ahead and post the actual recipe because it is SOOOOO good. I found it on The Pioneer Woman Cooks and now kiss the ground that she walks on! The only thing I did different is that I added the chopped pecans to the top of half of the cake because I have an 8 yr old who can't stand nuts and an 18 month old who can't have them! It's really difficult to explain how delicious this is!!

Cake:

2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups grated carrots

Mix sugar, oil, and eggs. Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Add to first mixture and combine. Add carrots and mix well. Pour into a greased and floured (or Baker’s Joyed) pan (Bundt, sheet cake, 9 x 13 Pyrex) and bake until done, 25 to 50 minutes, depending on the pan you use. Cool completely.

Icing:
1 stick (1/4 pound) regular butter, softened
1 package (8 ounce) cream cheese
1 pound powdered sugar
1 cup pecans, chopped finely
2 teaspoons vanilla

In large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese. Add sugar and vanilla and blend, then mix in the nuts. Spread on cooled carrot cake.

Eat. Faint. Repeat as needed.

And Happy Easter!

Love,
Pioneer Woman

Thanksgiving Leftover Casserole

So I made this on Monday for our Easter dinner.
(Stay tuned to my blog to hear why it was on Monday and not Sunday like the rest of the free world!) It was delicious. Every child ate it and liked it.
I also made Roxie's Cheesy Potatoes, some bread machine rolls, artichokes AND the best carrot cake I've ever tasted! (For those of you that are a little less tech savvy: just click on the green words and it will take you to the recipes of the foods I just mentioned!)
Without further adieu: Thanksgiving Leftover Casserole:

INGREDIENTS
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup finely crushed herb-seasoned dry bread stuffing mix
• 1 cup cooked, diced turkey meat
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 2 cups leftover mashed potatoes


DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over low heat. Blend in the flour. Slowly stir in evaporated milk and water, then season with salt, pepper, and onion powder. Stir sauce over low heat for 5 minutes.
3. In a separate saucepan over low heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Blend in the dry stuffing mix. Place the turkey in the prepared baking dish. Pour the sauce over turkey, then sprinkle with Cheddar cheese. Spread mashed potatoes over cheese. Top mashed potatoes with the stuffing mixture.
4. Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven.

Easter!

I just wanted to remind everyone with Easter being this weekend that I had posted a great recipe/object lesson for your kids, the Resurrection Cookies. My kids love it and ask to do it every year. Let me know if you try it.

Homemade taquitos?

The other day I was trying to figure out what to do with some leftovers. I had taco-seasoned ground beef that we had used for taco salad. I also had a bunch of corn tortillas and some shredded sharp cheddar somewhere. SO, I decided to make taquitos. I slapped butter on one side of the corn tortilla and then threw it on the hot skillet to sizzle for a minute. Then I loaded it up with the beef and cheddar. I found it difficult to roll it up like a taquito without burning off my fingerprints so I just folded it in half like a taco. I waited 'til one side of the tortilla started to brown and then I flipped it and browned the other sided. After removing from the pan, I added whatever we had on hand. Onions, cilantro, tomatoes, sour cream. They were delicious and even the kids LOVED them! Here's a picture of two taquitos getting to know each other in the skillet:













Hey there, come here often?

No, it's my first time. ...Is it getting HOT?

::chuckles::Yeah, I hear that a lot. I seem to have that effect on the ladies.

::hmph::Your cheese is leaking...

Uh, yeah, uh, I meant to do that.

And here they are after they've gotten to know each other a little better. They make quite the pair, don't they?

A Different Kind of Salad

I get stuck in a rut with my salads and side dishes. I decided to try to branch out a little. This one is really easy.

Mango and Black Bean Salad

1 1/2 Cups chopped peeled ripe mango
1 Cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 Cup cooked wild or brown rice
3 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tablespoons roasted tomatillo or fresh salsa
2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 Tablespoons extravirgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (15 oz) can no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained (I used dry beans instead of canned)

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Toss gently to mix. Yield: 6 servings(2/3 C)
Calories: 167 Fat 5.4g

Chicken Pot Pie

For the filling:

Chop vegetables. I like to use carrots, celery, potatoes and broccoli. Boil vegetables in water until soft. If you like peas, add them after the other vegetables are mostly cooked through.

Cook chicken and cube.

2 cans cream of chicken (or any cream of soup)
1/2 cup milk
1/8 tsp crushed thyme
1/8 tsp pepper

Mix all together.

For the crust:

2 cups flour
1 tsp onion salt
3/4 cup shortening
1/2 plus cup cold water

Cut shortening into flour and salt mixture. The secret to great pot pie crust is the onion salt! Add water slowly. Work dough into a ball. Divide dough in half. Roll out the dough and fit into pie plate. Trim edge. Roll out top crust. Add filling. Cover with top crust; trim and flute edges. Cut slits in top. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

For pictures, click here.

Red Lentil Soup with Lemon

3 TB olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 TB tomato paste
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. kosher salt, more to taste
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
pinch of ground chili powder or cayenne, more to taste
1 qt. chicken of vegetable broth
1 C. RED lentils
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
juice of 1/2 lemon, more to taste (I used bottled lemon juice ::gasp::)
3 TB. chopped fresh cilantro

In a large pot, heat 3 TB oil over high heat until hot and shimmering. Add onion and garlic, and saute until golden, about 4 min.
Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder or cayenne, and saute for 2 min. longer.
Add broth, 2 cups water, lentils and carrot. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover pot and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 min. Taste and add salt if necessary.
Using an immersion or regular blender or a food processor, puree half the soup then add it back to pot. Soup should be somewhat chunky.
Reheat soup if necessary, then stir in lemon juice and cilantro. Serve soup drizzled with good olive oil and dusted lightly with chili powder if desired.
Serves 4

OK, here's what I did: First of all I doubled it. Why go to all that trouble and not have leftovers?! I already told you I used bottled lemon juice instead of fresh. I forgot to add the extra 2 cups water...don't know if it would've made a difference or not. I didn't serve it drizzled with more olive oil; I thought that sounded kinda weird. But who knows? Anyway, we LOVED this soup. It has a kind of Mexican flair to it (just like me?) and was delicioso. I had to go to FOUR different grocery stores before I could find RED lentils. And listen to me people...are you listening? Really? Are you? Because I'm only going to say this once: you have to use RED lentils. You cannot substitute any other color lentil for this soup! I don't have time to explain why, you just can't.
Now here's a test to see if you were listening: what color lentils do you need? If you answered red then you are correct. I will also accept "roja" as a correct answer. Here's a picture so you know exactly what to look for at the store. One bag is enough to double the recipe. Enjoy!

Amazing Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

This recipe was actually introduced (you can find here at AllRecipes)to me by my friend Ashley who is a contributer on this blog and I was waiting to post it till she had a chance but I don't think she's going to (sorry Ashley). So here it is!! We love this! If you have a bread machine you can totally disregard the directions and throw all of the ingredients in it and let the machine do it's work!! Don't forget to put them in the machine in the order that your manual suggests for best results!

This recipe made enough dough for 2 pizzas. We made one because we like thicker crust and we added strips of mozzarella around the edges for a 'stuffed' crust. Deelish!

INGREDIENTS

* 1 teaspoon white sugar
* 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
* 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 cups whole wheat flour
* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour


DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water. Sprinkle yeast over the top, and let stand for about 10 minutes, until foamy.

2. Stir the olive oil and salt into the yeast mixture, then mix in the whole wheat flour and 1 cup of the all-purpose flour until dough starts to come together. Tip dough out onto a surface floured with the remaining all-purpose flour, and knead until all of the flour has been absorbed, and the ball of dough becomes smooth, about 10 minutes. Place dough in an oiled bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover loosely with a towel, and let stand in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

3. When the dough is doubled, tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and divide into 2 pieces for 2 thin crust, or leave whole to make one thick crust. Form into a tight ball. Let rise for about 45 minutes, until doubled.

4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Roll a ball of dough with a rolling pin until it will not stretch any further. Then, drape it over both of your fists, and gently pull the edges outward, while rotating the crust. When the circle has reached the desired size, place on a well oiled pizza pan. Top pizza with your favorite toppings, such as sauce, cheese, meats, or vegetables.

5. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes (depending on thickness) in the preheated oven, until the crust is crisp and golden at the edges, and cheese is melted on the top.

Malibu Chicken

Dave made this for dinner the other night and it was SOOOO good! I didn't have chicken breasts so we used thighs instead. The mustard sauce is a must, too. I didn't think I would like it but it was terrific.

6boneless skinless chicken breasts (pounded thin)
6 slices cooked ham
6 slices Swiss cheese
1 egg
1/4 C. flour
1/8 tsp. pepper
3/4 C. fine dry breadcrumbs
2 TB. oil
2 TB. butter
1 TB water
1 tsp. mustard
1/4 C. mayo

1. Combine flour, salt, and pepper.
2. Stir egg and water together with a fork.
3. Coat each chicken piece with flour, dip into egg mixture and then coat with crumbs.
4. Press crumbs in firmly.
5. Heat oil and butter in large skillet over med. heat.
6. Brown chicken 4-5 min. on each side.
7. Place browned chicken on oven proof platter, top each piece with a slice of ham and a slice of cheese.
8. Bake at 350 degrees until cheese melts.
9. Combine mustard and mayo.
10. Serve chicken immediately with sauce.

By the way, this is a copycat recipe from a restaurant. I hesitate to tell you which restaurant because when Dave told me all I could think was "Eeeewww!" If you're dying to know you can e.mail me and I'll tell ya!

Homemade Pretzels

This is a little weird but when we went to Stake Conference yesterday I kept smelling something that smelled like fresh soft pretzels! So, of course, I had to make some when we got home! This is the recipe that I used (here's the link to the recipe on AllRecipes). They turned out really good! You can read about the "making of" on my blog post: Pretzel Time.
FYI - Next time I will probably use my bread machine for the 'hard' part! Have you ever tried kneading for 7-8 minutes (x2 because I made a double batch)? I'm such a wimp.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup baking soda
• 4 cups hot water
• 1/4 cup kosher salt, for topping

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add one or two tablespoons of water. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water.
4. When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and twist into a pretzel shape. Once all of the dough is all shaped, dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution and place on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, until browned.

Tortellini with Leeks and Cream

From Simple Vegetarian Pleasures: This sauce is very simple and elegant. You don't need much cheese or any other additions because the wonderful flavor of leeks carries the dish. ::I really like it because it's very easy to make and not too rich:: Serves 3-4

2 large leeks
1 TB unsalted butter
1/2 C. heavy cream
1/4 tsp. salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 lb. frozen cheese tortellini
1 TB grated Paremesan cheese

1. Bring a large stockpot of water to a boil.
2. Meanwhile slice the roots off the leeks, plus all but 2 in. of green tops. Slice the leeks in half lengthwise. Under cold running water rinse the leeks, thumbing through all the leaves to dislodge any hidden dirt. Do this thoroughly to rid them of all their dirt. Thinly slice the leeks. You can use the light green tops, but discard any dark green tops. You should get about 2 1/2 C. sliced leeks.
3. Melt the butter over med. heat in a large skillet. Add the leeks and saute until tender, about 10 min. Stir frequently, and keep an eye on the leeks so they don't get at all brown.
4. Pour in the cream, salt and pepper. Heat just until it boils, then turn the heat very low to keep the sauce warm.
5. Drop the tortellini in the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 5 min. Drain in a colander, then mix into the sauce along with the Parmesan cheese. Toss and serve.

Buffalo Chicken Chili

I made this yesterday when all of my family were here to celebrate my birthday. Everybody said they loved it. So, unless they were just being nice because it was my birthday, it must be good. I only got to taste the dregs of what my sister left in her bowl when she realized that I hadn't gotten any, but what I tasted was really good! It's a spicy dish. I didn't even try to make my kids taste it.
So this is what I did different because of ingredient limitations: I didn't have ground chicken so I diced up some chicken breasts into small pieces. I used a can of diced tomatoes and just cut them up into smaller pieces. And, we didn't do the cheese - just the chips.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 2 pounds ground chicken
• 2 large carrots, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 ribs celery with leafy tops, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon smoked sweet paprika
• 1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup hot sauce
• 1 can tomato sauce (15 ounces)
• 1 can stewed, fire-roasted or crushed tomatoes (15 ounces)
• 1 sack whole grain tortilla chips, lightly crushed
• 3/4 pound Maytag Blue cheese, crumbled
• A handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped

Directions

Place a large pot over medium-high heat with the EVOO, 2 turns of the pan. Add the ground chicken and break it up, lightly browning it for 5 minutes.

Add the carrots, onion, celery, garlic, paprika and bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 7-8 minutes. Add the chicken stock and scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pot.

Add the hot sauce, tomato sauce and the stewed, fire-roasted or crushed tomatoes to the chili and bring up to a bubble. Simmer for 8-10 minutes more to let the flavors come together.

While the chili is simmering, pre-heat the broiler.

Spread the chips out on a cookie sheet. Top with the crumbled blue cheese and transfer to the oven to melt the cheese, 2-3 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the chopped parsley.

Top each serving of Buffalo Chicken Chili with a few blue cheese chips.

This was found on Rachael Ray's website.