The Recipe Village

Fontina Mac and Cheese

2011-03-26T15:07:00.000-07:00

Alright, my friends, I'm a huge fan of cooking from pantry staples. The possibilities are endless. The impact on my bank account isn't too painful. It's win-win all the way. But sometimes...SOMETIMES...it pays to go out and buy an awesomely spectacular ingredient for the dinner menu. Case in point: Fontina cheese. (Find it in the specialty cheese case of the grocery store.) Fontina melts somethin' fabulous. Smooth like mozzarella. Rich. Creamy. Slightly nutty tasting. SO. GOOD. I usually don't go for more expensive ingredients, but every so often, I'll splurge on fontina...and then (more often than not) use it for this recipe. It's not too far out of my budget, and the results are divine. Trust me. You'll never go back to the fake-orange, boxed mac and cheese again.

As an added plus, the leftovers are a dream.

COOKS NOTE: If you don't have fontina, just substitute your favorite cheese instead. I've made this before with nothing but cheddar and parmesan (as far as cheese goes). You can also stretch your dollar by subbing half fontina-half some other cheese. But please don't sub out the parm. Flavor-wise, it's kind of important.

Also, feel free to exercise your parent-power and up the nutritional value by adding: (thawed) frozen chopped, spinach, peas, (blanched) chopped kale, sauteed leeks, etc. to the noodle mixture before baking. The sky's the limit. I highly recommend spinach. Frozen boxes of spinach are so inexpensive, packed with nutrients, and mild in flavor and texture. There's enough cheese in this recipe to mask much of the flavor of the veggies, making it a great way to introduce some harder-to-eat leafy vegetables to kids. My two year old practically inhales the additional "green stuff" without making so much as a peep.

RECIPE: FONTINA MAC AND CHEESE
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Ready In: 35 minutes
Makes: About 6 servings

Butter, for greasing dish
12 oz wide egg noodles
2 cups heavy cream
2-1/2 cups whole milk
2 tsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt, plus more for pasta water
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 cups (packed) grated Fontina
3/4 cup (packed) finely grated Parmesan
3/4 cup (packed) grated mozzarella
4 oz cooked ham, diced (optional)
Lightly cooked veggies (optional)
2 T finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Butter a 13x9 inch glass baking dish and set aside. Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Drain well, but do not rinse.

Whisk the cream, milk, flour, 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper in a large bowl to blend. Stir in 1 cup Fontina, 1/2 cup Parmesan, 1/2 cup mozzarella, ham and veggies (if using), and parsley. Add the noodles and toss to coat. Transfer the noodle mixture into the prepared baking dish. Toss the remaining 1 cup Fontina, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and 1/4 cup mozzarella in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the noodle mixture. Bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheese melts and begins to brown on top, about 20 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

-From the kitchen of Alyssa H.; adapted from a recipe by Giada De Laurentiis

Three Cheese Stuffed Shells

2011-03-04T15:03:00.000-08:00

I don't have any fancy title for this recipe, but it does have three different kinds of cheese, so...

Ingredients:

This picture totally looks like an ad for Great Value products. Ha.

1 pkg. jumbo shells
15 oz. container ricotta cheese
8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
8 oz. grated parmesan cheese
1/2 onion, minced
1 egg
pepper
garlic salt
Italian seasoning
1/2 lb. hamburger (optional)
1 jar spaghetti sauce

Directions:

Note: I have these steps in a specific order that makes the timing of everything work out nicely. Before you rearrange anything, make sure you read through it all so you know what you're changing.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Combine ricotta cheese, half of the mozzarella, half of the parmesan, and the egg. Season to taste...sorry I don't have more specific numbers on those. My family likes a lot of garlic, so we go pretty heavy on the garlic salt and just enough pepper and Italian seasoning that you can still see it when everything is mixed.

2. Place the cheese mixture in the fridge while you prepare the shells and sauce. This helps it set up and makes it easier to fill the shells later.

3. Boil water and prepare shells according to package directions.

4. Brown the hamburger. Add the onion, season to taste.

5. To prepare your baking dish, line it with tinfoil. This isn't critical, but it makes a HUGE difference in clean up time! Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom. This prevents the shells from sticking to the bottom of the pan without adding any extra oil.

6. Add the remaining sauce and parmesan cheese to the meat. Set aside.

7. To stuff the shells: Put your cheese mixture into a gallon-sized ziploc bag. Cut a hole in one corner. You can hold the shell in one hand and squeeze the cheese in with your other hand. Super easy!

8. Once all of your shells are filled, top them with the meat sauce.

9. Top that with the remaining mozzarella cheese.

10. Cover with tinfoil and bake for 45-50 minutes or until shells are slightly firm. Remove the cover for the last 5-10 minutes for the cheese to fully melt.

Tasty stuff!

from the kitchen of laura w.
adapted from various recipes at allrecipes.com

Basalmic Chicken Pasta

2011-02-18T10:02:00.000-08:00

Sorry, no pics for this recipe because my two year old accidentally deleted them! But, this is delicious and easy to make.

1 lb. pasta of choice (I use penne because it's easier for my little guy to eat)
4 chicken breast cubed
1 carton of cherry tomatoes
2/3 cup olive oil
2/3 to 1 cup Balsamic vinegar
2 cups minced fresh basil
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
2 tbl capers (optional)
Parmesan cheese

Prepare pasta according to package directions and set aside. Meanwhile toss chicken, tomatoes, and all other ingredients except Parmesan cheese together in a big bowl. Spread the mixture onto a cookie sheet, or baking sheet with a 1 inch lip. Broil for 7-10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Toss the mixture with the pasta! Use a rubber scraper to get every bit of the yummy seasoning from the baking sheet. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve!

I also add yellow squash, mushrooms, zucchini, and eggplant to mine. I saute the veggies with a little olive oil and garlic and then add them to the mix before broiling!

From the kitchen of Megan

Popovers

2011-02-08T00:29:00.000-08:00

I have tried dozens...yes DOZENS...of popover recipes in my short lifetime. Because here's the thing the thing about popovers...only a select few recipes manage to make the popovers pop every time. So there I was, staring, yet again, at the family recipe passed down to my Danish grandmother, to my dad when he married, to my mother (obviously), and finally to me...all of whom had to deal with seriously faulty recipe. The success ratio was about 50-50. "And let me tell you," said my dad, reminiscing about his childhood, "It was a bad day for the whole house when the popovers didn't pop."

This just wouldn't do.

So, dear reader, to you I present the ultimate popover recipe. It pops every time. No matter what the weather. Or political affiliation. Or mood swings. Or what you happen to be wearing that day.

Because the secret is...*drumroll*...BLENDING. Yes. That's right. Oh, and also try to use room temperature ingredients.

Keep that in mind for later, but for now...

Let's introduce the cast of characters.

Yeah, there's only five.

One of the many reasons that breakfast food rocks.

While you're measuring them all out, make sure the oven's preheating. It has to be completely heated to 400 degrees before sliding in the batter.

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1 T melted butter

1/2 tsp salt

And...

4-3/4 ounces flour (by weight)

Which turned out to be about 1 cup + 2 tsp. But flour volume changes from day to day depending on humidity, age of the flour, and all sorts of random stuff. So, just to be safe...weigh it.

Dump everything into a bowl with a pouring spout.

DON'T MIX YET! Phew. This is popover life or death. Seriously.

Generously grease your tins.

It'll make your dish washing existence SO much easier.

I drop about 1/4 a tablespoon butter in the bottom of each well and pop it into the oven to melt.

While that's meltin'...

Blend the batter until frothy.

I use an immersion blender. If you don't have one, a regular stand-blender works just as well.

But, here's the key: You want all those little bubbles in the batter to expand in the oven. For that, you have to blend it RIGHT before it goes in the oven. A whisk just doesn't cut it.

Fill the tins.

And bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes (for crispy crusts).

Or (if your husband begs for it like mine does) at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325 (do not open the door) and bake for another 20 minutes (for softer crusts).

And...voila.

Beautiful.

Unfortunately, I failed to use room temp ingredients today.

Otherwise they would have popped higher.

That is why patience is a virtue.

So, what do you do with popovers?

First, tear them open.

The inside will be miraculously hollow. Cool, right?

Second, fill with fresh fruit, jam, and whipped cream (preferably homemade).

And then sink into culinary bliss.

Because this, my friends, is what breakfast really should taste like.

Enjoy.

RECIPE: POPOVERS

Makes 6 large popovers

2 large eggs

1 cup whole milk

4-3/4 oz. all-purpose flour

1 Tbs butter (melted)

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven COMPLETELY to 400 degrees F. Generously grease popover tins.

Combine all ingredients in a blender. (Do not blend until both oven and pans are ready). Fill tins 2/3 full and bake for 40 minutes. Serve immediately.

Storing leftovers: Vent popovers as soon as they are cool enough to handle (just poke a hole in the top) to prevent the insides from going mushy. Store at room temperature for up to 2-3 days. To reheat, place directly on the middle rack of a 400 degree oven for 3 minutes.

Blueberry Cake

2011-02-02T13:19:00.001-08:00

Pretty much the easiest cake ever...like, seriously. Two ingredients.

1 box Angel Food cake mix
1 can Blueberry Pie Filling

1. Mix all TWO ingredients together--you only need the cake mix and pie filling, no eggs or oil or anything else--and pour into a 9x13 pan.

2. Bake at 350 degrees, for roughly 35-40 minutes.

To tell when it's done: The cake will rise almost two inches above the edge of the pan. The top will turn golden brown and start to crack. When the cracks feel dry and not sticky, it is done. And just a note--it will deflate when you start cutting it.

Variations: Ummm...pretty much any fruit pie filling you want to try. Sweet.

posted by laura w.
as made in my kitchen by my sister
recipe originally from weightwatchers.com

Creamy Carrot Soup

2011-01-27T08:26:00.000-08:00

Before I begin, let me say that this meal is EASY...and fast...and cheap...and did I say EASY? And I guarantee most of the ingredients are right there in your fridge or pantry. Need I say more? Besides that's it's utterly DE-lish. The fresh ginger adds that special kick that sets it apart from most of my other throw-together-at-the-last-minute soups. I've never met a man, woman, or child who didn't like this dish...and that's including my two year old who recently decided that he won't eat carrots.

That is, unless mom is sneaky enough to blend them into a soup.

Haha. Moms are so smart.

Anyway, moving on.

Start by dicing the carrots.

(Note: I'm making a double batch here, intending to freeze the extra soup and pull it out for a mid-week dinner pinch...because I'm lazy like that.)

Start the butter a-meltin'. Aren't they beautiful? Don't skimp on butter.

Butter = delicious.

And again, keep in mind that I'm making a double batch here.

Dice the onions.

And now, introducing...

Fresh ginger.

If you've never cooked with it before, (or if you think it just looks plain weird) never fear. It's super easy. And PLEASE...please, please...for the love of all things good and yummy, DO NOT substitute with powdered, ground ginger. Your soup will be crying if you do. Seriously. Take my word. You can pick up this fresh ginger root in the produce aisle for about $0.40.

Peel it with a veggie peeler and give the appropriate amount (about 1-inch of ginger root per batch) a rough chop.

Wrap up the remaining root in sturdy plastic wrap and freeze. It'll freeze well for a month or two, during which time you can pull it out and cut off chunks as needed.

Throw the carrots, onion, and ginger in with the butter and cook until onions are translucent.

And meanwhile...while the veggies are all getting comfortable in the pot...

Ready the stock.

The recipe calls for vegetable stock, but I'm using chicken. For the sake of rebellion. And because going to the store again with a toddler sounded like death.

Ready the potatoes.

When the carrot-mix is ready, pour in the potatoes n' liquid. Put the lid on and let simmer for 15 minutes.

In the meantime, kick your feet up and revel in the awesomeness of letting the stove do the cooking part for you.To check for done-ness, try crushing a piece of carrot with a fork. If it crushes, it's ready, and you can proceed to...

Blend the heck out of the thing.

This can be done in small batches in a blender, or...

An immersion blender. If you don't have one, I would seriously consider buying one. Sorry, I don't usually promote products in my posts, but if I could have a love affair with a kitchen appliance, (sorry, hubby) this would be IT. Making blended soups, spaghetti sauce, pancake batter, popover batter (oooh, that is a WHOLE 'nother post) and a whole lot more SOOOO much easier. For this recipe, you can blend the soup right in the pan without getting a steam-explosion facial.

And last, but not least, TAKE THE PAN OFF THE HEAT to add in the cream and season to taste with salt and pepper...and a dash of nutmeg, if you're feeling adventurous. (Note: Never, ever let the cream boil. It'll curdle it. Blegh.)

Again, DO NOT substitute with half and half or milk. That would be beyond scandalous. The taste of real cream is absolutely essential. If you want to cut back on fat, add a little less cream (I often do that).

If you need something to use the extra cream on (besides making this soup again), pour it over fresh berries or canned peaches with a sprinkle of powdered sugar. Voila. Instant dessert.

Serve with a crusty french or garlic bread.

Can I say, de-li-cious?

My husband could eat this stuff all week.

Enjoy, my friends.

RECIPE: CREAMY CARROT SOUP

Makes: About 5-6 servings

2 T butter

2 cups diced carrots

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 tsp (about 1-inch) diced ginger root

1/2 cup cubed potatoes

4 cups (or 2 cans) vegetable stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in a small saucepan. Sweat the carrots, onion, and ginger with the butter. Add potatoes and broth, and then bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender.

To blend, strain liquid into a separate container. Put vegetables into a blender, and pour in just enough of the liquid to cover the vegetables. Puree in stages if necessary. Return vegetable puree and remaining broth to the pan. (This can also be done in the pan with an immersion blender.)

Stir heavy cream into the pan with the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Heat but do not boil, and serve immediately.

-From the kitchen of Alyssa H., adapted from a recipe by Giada De Laurentiis

Homemade Mac and Cheese

2011-01-21T12:50:00.000-08:00

Homemade Mac & Cheese

1 1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni

3 T. butter

2 T. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

2 cups milk

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup Colby cheese

Preheat oven to 350 and grease baking dish. Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Blend in flour, salt, and pepper. Add milk;. Stir until mixture is thick and bubbly. Decrease heat to low and add cheese. Stir until cheese is melted. Combine cheese mixture with macaroni and place in baking dish. Bake for 35-40 minutes until heated through.

Marshmallow Popcorn Wreaths

2010-12-06T20:59:00.000-08:00

16 c. popped popcorn
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. light corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
3 c. mini marshmallows
1 cup margarine

Mix popcorn and marshmallows in a large bowl. Melt margarine and then add sugar and corn syrup. Bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla and food coloring(if you want). Pour mixture over popcorn and marshmallows. Stir well and mold into desired shape. Decorate with M&Ms.

Fire Roasted Tomato Soup

2010-11-09T13:00:00.000-08:00

Don't you just love some yummy soup during the cold weather months? I know I do!
This is a yummy recipe you will surely want to try!
I thought I had a picture on my camera, but it turns out I don't--sorry!

1 T butter or olive oil
1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cans (14.5 oz each) fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2 T chopped fresh basil leaves
1 t sugar
1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 c whipping cream

In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly until onion is tender.

Stir in tomatoes, broth, 1 t of the basil, the sugar and pepper flakes. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat and pour mixture into large heatproof bowl. Cool slightly (about 15 minutes).

In blender, place half of the mixture. Cover and blend until pureed. Return to saucepan. Repeat with remaining mixture. Heat over medium heat until hot. Remove from heat. Stir in cream and remaining 1 t basil.

Chicken Tetrazzini

2010-11-02T14:26:00.001-07:00

This is a combination of ideas from several recipes found at allrecipes.com.

Chicken Tetrazzini

Ingredients:

8 oz. spaghetti noodles (substitute other pasta if desired)
1/2-1 lb chicken
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup (or two cans cream of mushroom)
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 cups shredded cheddar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Break spaghetti in half. Cook according to package directions.

2. Cube chicken and brown on stovetop. Season as desired. I used a little olive oil and fresh garlic.

3. Drain spaghetti. Combine noodles, chicken, and both cans of soup into a cassarole dish. If you want it to be a little more juicy, add 1/4 cup water.

4. Top with shredded cheddar.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and slightly browned.

from the kitchen and imagination of laura w.

Nutter butter ghosts

2010-10-26T20:21:00.001-07:00

Honestly I have seen this in so many different places on the internet that I have no idea where the original idea is from and who to give credit to :) I originally heard about it from one of my crafty friends.

But they are a cute and very easy little Halloween treat!

All you need is Nutter Butter cookies, white chocolate (you could also use white frosting and just spread over the tops if you wanted) and chocolate chips.

Just melt the white chocolate, dip the cookies and add some chips for eyes. Let cool on wax paper.

Tada! My kids loved them :) You can't go wrong with a peanut butter and chocolate combo :)

From the kitchen of Kelly.

Pumpkin Frozen Dessert

2010-10-19T20:29:00.000-07:00

Here is a cold, delicious, fall treat we love at my house. Make sure you leave yourself plenty of time to make it though, because it does take a while to set up!!

Ingredients:
½ cup butter, melted
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 quarts vanilla ice cream (I like Vanilla Bean for this recipe)
or frozen yogurt, softened
2 cups canned pumpkin
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
¾ teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 ¾ cups sugar
1 cup whipping cream
Whipped cream (for topping)
Pecans, toasted and chopped (optional)

Directions:
Combine butter and graham cracker crumbs and press into a 9x13 inch pan. Freeze. Once crust is frozen, spread softened ice cream or frozen yogurt over crust. In a large bowl combine pumpkin, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and sugar. Whip cream and fold into mixture. Spread on top of softened ice cream. Freeze until firm. Top with whipped cream (sweetened with sugar and vanilla) and chopped toasted pecans.

From the kitchen of Tannie

Lemon Candy Cookies

2010-10-16T13:31:00.000-07:00

Cookie:
3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 Tbsp. finely grated lemon zest
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp lemon extract
1 (4 ounce) package lemon candies, crushed

Glaze:
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
3 tsp. lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Put sugar and lemon zest in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Add butter and mix until pale and fluffy, about 1 minute. Mix in eggs one at a time. Then add vanilla and lemon extract. Gradually add flour mixture, and mix until just combined. Stir in crushed lemon candies.

Roll into 1inch balls. Flatten slightly and bake on baking sheet for 10-12 minutes until edges start to brown and center is almost set. Let cool completely.

Make a glaze by mixing powdered sugar with lemon juice. Spread over cookie tops.

From the kitchen of Kelly {I got this recipe off the internet,but it was a while ago and I don't remember where I found it :( }

Bean & Cheese Burritos

2010-10-11T12:18:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 can refried beans
1 can cheddar cheese soup

tortillas

enchilada sauce (optional)
grated cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. Brown hamburger. Drain fat and season to taste.

2. Add chopped onion, cook until soft.

3. Add refried beans and cheddar cheese soup. Heat through.

4. Spoon mixture into tortillas and roll (see below). Place in a sprayed 9x13 pan.

5. If desired, top with enchilada sauce and cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Tips for folding burritos:

1. Top tortilla with burrito filling.

2. Fold in sides of tortilla.

3. Roll from bottom up.

4. Place in pan seam side down so everything will stay inside.

5. If you coat the bottom of the pan with enchilada sauce, the burritos will not stick to the pan after being baked.

Enjoy!

Bonus:

Made from scratch Enchilada Sauce--

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. olive oil

1 t. dried onion
1/2 t. oregano
2 1/2 t. chili powder
1/2 t. basil
1/8 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
1/4 t. cumin

6 oz. tomato paste
1 1/2 c. water or chicken broth
1/4 c. salsa

1. Saute garlic in olive oil until fragrant (about 30 sec.).

2. Add tomato paste, salsa, and spices. Stir.

3. Add water or broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

from the kitchen of laura w.
(i even made this one up myself)

Copycat Olive Garden Salad

2010-10-04T13:42:00.000-07:00

Sorry I don't have a picture of this, but I think most people have had Olive Garden's yummy salad :) This is a copycat of that recipe.

Salad:
1 bag romaine + iceberg salad
4-5 slices red onion
4-6 black olives
2-4 banana peppers
1/2 cup croutons
1 small tomato sliced
freshly grated parmesan cheese (I have also used non freshly grated)
**Place the bag of salad in bowl. Place red onion, black olives, banana peppers, tomatoes, and croutons on top of the lettuce. Add parmesan cheese. Serve with generous amount of salad dressing on top.

Dressing:
1/2 cup mayo
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 tsp. vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. corn syrup
2 Tbsp. parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp. romano cheese ( I have left this out when I didn't want to run to the store and it still tasted great)
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 tsp. italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. parsley flakes
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
sugar (optional, but I usually start with 1/4 cup and add more if I want a less zangy taste)
**Mix all ingredients in a blender until well mixed (approximately 30 seconds). If this is a little to tart for your own personal tastes please add a little extra sugar. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

From the kitchen of Kelly (adapted from a recipe I got from my friend, Stacie Williamson)

Mint Chocolate Brownies

2010-09-24T19:45:00.000-07:00

Brownie:
3/4 cup butter
1 1/8 cup flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
3/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
*Mix together and bake at 350 degrees for 20 min in a 9x13 pan. Completely cool in fridge before spreading next layer on top.

Mint:
3 cups powdered sugar
5 Tbsp melted butter
3 Tbsp milk
3-4 drops mint flavoring extract
green food coloring (enough for the color you want--I usually just do a few drops)
*Mix together and spread on brownies. Completely cool in fridge before spreading next layer on top.

Chocolate topping:
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter
*Melt butter in microwave. Dump chocolate chips into hot butter. Stir and then spread on cooled mint layer VERY FAST. Chill.

Hint: Leave brownie in fridge, but take out 2 hours before cutting to serve otherwise the chocolate layer will crack.

From the kitchen on Kelly (originally from Cheree Aldrich).

Mini Pigs in a Blanket

2010-09-21T20:47:00.000-07:00

This is a new twist on an old favorite and is SUPER kid friendly.

Ingredients:
1 Package of refrigerated pie crust (comes in pack of 2 crusts)
1 Package of lil' smokies
1-2 eggs
Water

Directions:
1 - Cut the pie crusts into as equal of pieces as you can. I usually get 16 out of one crust. I use a pizza cutter to slice the crust up, but a knife would work well too.

2 - Form pieces of crust around each smokie by wrapping and pinching the dough. Then, use a fork to press around the fold and make it look pretty (this also serves the double purpose of making sure it holds tight).

3 - Beat the egg in a bowl with a small amount of water. Then, using a pastry brush, spread the egg mixture onto each of the pigs. This will help the crust to be flaky and will keep the blanket closed over the pig.

4 - Place pigs on a LARGE cookie sheet (I use a jelly roll) that has been sprayed with cooking spray.

5 - Bake at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes (times may vary depending on your oven).

Serve warm with ketchup and mustard. Watch out! They are hot. They also fall apart very easily because the crust is flaky.

Tips: Don't make your own pie crust - it WILL save you money, but homemade pie crusts are generally even flakier that refrigerated and I believe you'd have a hard time forming the dough around the franks.

You will have left over smokies. I like to keep them in the fridge and then cut them in half and put them in macaroni and cheese for lunch. They are also good just warmed up with ketchup for kids to eat as a snack.

Yield: 32 Pigs

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2010-09-20T14:35:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup
2 Cans Chicken Stock (or 3 cups homemade chicken stock)
1 Can Mexican Tomatoes
1 Can or Pint of Tomatoes
1 Can Green Chilies
1 Can Corn
2 Cups Cooked Diced Chicken
1 Clove Garlic
Homemade Tortilla Strips

Chicken:

I cut up and boil 2 to 3 chicken breasts and to the water I add chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, and paprika (I don't measure it, I just eyeball about a tablespoon of each).

Soup:

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot and let it heat through until warm.

Tortilla Strips:

Use a pizza cut to cut tortillas into strips. Heat a little oil in a pan and fry the strips until crunchy!

We always eat our our soup with sour cream and cheese on top as well!

From the kitchen of Megan

Homemade Oreo Cookies

2010-09-06T14:02:00.001-07:00

2 devils food cake mixes
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup shortening

Mix together and bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Roll into ball and slightly press down on pan to give cookie a round shape.

Filling:
1 8 oz cream cheese
1 cube butter
1 lb (about 4 1/2 cups) powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Mix together and put in between cookies.

From the kitchen of Kelly.

Lemon Tart

2010-08-27T10:13:00.001-07:00

Crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup powdered sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup(1 stick) could unsalted butter(cut into smaller pieces)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a food processor or mixer, combine ingredients for crust. Pulse together until a dough starts to form in clumps. Press into tart pan, making sure to cover bottom and sides evenly. Pierce the bottom of the crust with a fork and place in freezer for 10-15 minutes.
Place tart pan on a cookie sheet and bake until crust is a golden-brown color, approximately 12 minutes(check it at about 9-10 min. Mine was done in that amount of time.) Remove from oven and let cool.

Filling:
5 oz. cream cheese
1/2 sugar(can add an extra 1/4 cup)
3/4 c. fresh lemon juice(about 3 large lemons---DO NOT use concentrated lemon juice!!)
2 large eggs
Zest from 1 lemon(get zest before juicing)

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Mix cream cheese with electric beaters until smooth. Add sugar. Mix until well blended. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each egg. Stop and scrape bowl halfway through. Add the lemon juice and zest and mix until smooth.(This will be pretty runny, but will set once cooked)
Pour filling into tart crust and bake on cookie sheet for 20-30 minutes, or until filling is set. Let tart cool on wire cooling rack. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled.
Use whipping cream as an optional topping. It can be piped on in stars or served on top with each piece. For extra flavor in the whipped cream, add a tsp. of lemon zest.

*Note: I bought my tart pan at the local kitchen supply store for around $7. But I'll be you could find one at Walmart.

From the kitchen of Kym Allen(I got this out of the book "Lemon Tart" by Josi Kilpack.)

Ratatouille

2010-08-16T15:55:00.000-07:00

This is a great recipe for this time of year when gardens are starting to be ready to be picked!

Ingredients

1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
1 cup tomato puree
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small eggplant
1 smallish zucchini
1 smallish yellow squash
1 longish red bell pepper
Few sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Pour tomato puree into bottom of an oval baking dish, approximately 10 inches across the long way. Drop the sliced garlic cloves and chopped onion into the sauce, stir in one tablespoon of the olive oil and season the sauce generously with salt and pepper.

Trim the ends off the eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash. As carefully as you can, trim the ends off the red pepper and remove the core, leaving the edges intact, like a tube.

On a mandoline, adjustable-blade slicer or with a very sharp knife, cut the eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and red pepper into very thin slices, approximately 1/16-inch thick.

Atop the tomato sauce, arrange slices of prepared vegetables concentrically from the outer edge to the inside of the baking dish, overlapping so just a smidgen of each flat surface is visible, alternating vegetables. You may have a handful leftover that do not fit.

Drizzle the remaining tablespoon olive oil over the vegetables and season them generously with salt and pepper. Remove the leaves from the thyme sprigs with your fingertips, running them down the stem. Sprinkle the fresh thyme over the dish.

Cover dish with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit inside. (Tricky, I know, but the hardest thing about this.)

Bake for approximately 45 to 55 minutes, until vegetables have released their liquid and are clearly cooked, but with some structure left so they are not totally limp. They should not be brown at the edges, and you should see that the tomato sauce is bubbling up around them.

Tips: The recipe calls for an Italian eggplant, I can never find one or when I do it's more expensive, so I just look for a long skinny eggplant and make it work.

From the kitchen of Megan.

Original recipe: http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/07/rat-a-too-ee-for-you-ee/

Baked Beans

2010-08-03T11:14:00.000-07:00

This is a yummy (the picture doesn't do it justice!), easy (crockpot!) recipe that is perfect for any end-of-summer potlucks and/or family reunions you may have.

BAKED BEANS

1/2 lb bacon, cooked and broken up
1/2 lb hamburger
1 green pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped

Cook hamburger, pepper, onion together until hamburger is done. In a crockpot combine hamburger mixture with:

1 32 oz can pork and beans
1 16 oz can kidney beans
1 16 oz can butter beans
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup bbq sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 T mustard
2 T molasses
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper

Mix all together and cook for about an hour.

From the kitchen of Kelly.

Two for One!

2010-07-28T10:03:00.000-07:00

I have been on the hunt lately for new recipes for my family to expand our repertoire of dinner meals. This chili recipe (slightly adapted) comes from the Weight Watchers cookbook that I happened upon at a family member's house. Dieting or not, they have some really tasty meals! I have also included a recipe for sweet cornbread, which comes from a friend I met in college.

SPICY CHILI

Ingredients:

4 t. olive oil
2 onions, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (optional)
3/4 lb ground beef
1 T chili powder
2 t ground cumin
1 t oregano
1/2 t ground coriander
1-14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1-16 oz. can pinto or red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/4 chopped fresh cilantro

Garnishes to taste:
fresh cilantro, chopped
sour cream
chopped red onion

Directions:

1. Chop all the vegetables. This is easily the most intense part of this recipe.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Saute the onions, carrot, celery, peppers, and garlic until the onions are translucent, about 15 minutes.

3. Add the beef and cook until no longer pink.

Note: To save money, I generally buy higher fat hamburger. I prefer to cook the meat separately so I can drain the excess fat before adding the beef to the vegetables. I'll add the meat when it is still slightly pink so it can absorb some of the flavor of the vegetables before being fully cooked.

4. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, oregano, and coriander. Cook for 1 minute longer to allow spices to soak in.

5. Add the tomatoes, beans, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cilantro.

6. Serve, topped with sour cream and red onion and additional cilantro if you like.

This chili freezes very well, just don't add the cilantro until you're ready to serve it.

SWEET CORNBREAD
sorry, no pictures!

Ingredients:

1 c corn meal
3 c flour
1 1/3 c sugar
2 T baking powder
1 t salt
2/3 c oil
6 T butter, melted
4 eggs
2 1/2 c milk

Directions: preheat oven to 350

1. Combine all wet ingredients.

2. Add dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.

3. Pour batter into a 9x13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 50 min. Alternately, you may cook this as muffins instead, baking for only 12-18 minutes. Makes approx. 3 dozen muffins.

from the kitchen of laura w.

Great Grape Salad

2010-07-14T21:14:00.000-07:00

This is an awesome summer salad (it's usually too expensive to make in the winter, wait until grapes are on sale), and is so refreshing. I get asked for this recipe all the time.

4 lbs grapes (about 2 bags - I always use red)
8 oz cream cheese - softened (you can use neufchatel)
1 cup sour cream (you can use lowfat if you like)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup Grape Nuts (I actually use Western Family brand because they are cheaper, but they taste just the same).

With a hand mixer blend cream cheese, sour cream, sugars, and vanilla until smooth. Wash grapes and drop one by one into cream cheese mixture. Coat all evenly. Add Grape Nuts just before serving (no longer than 1/2 an hour).

Tips: Make sure your cream cheese is SUPER soft before you start, or you will end up with lumps. I usually put mine in the microwave on auto defrost for about 30-60 seconds. Don't let it melt, but it can be very soft.

Make sure you pluck those grapes carefully and don't leave any stems in - run each one through your fingers to double check.

If you are making this for a party or a big group go ahead and coat the whole salad with grape nuts. However, if you are just making it for your family and you'll want to eat it over a few days, just drop grape nuts on individual sized servings and leave the rest plain in the fridge until you are ready to use it. That way the grape nuts won't get soggy.

From the Kitchen of Tannie Datwyler

My Mom's Shepherd's Pie

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

I learned that "Shepherd's Pie" categorizes any meat and vegetable combination with mashed potatoes on top...so, pretty much anything you want to throw in the pan. Here is my mom's version that I grew up with.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef
2 c. instant mashed potatoes
1 pkt. brown gravy mix
1 c. water
frozen peas
1 1/2-2 c. cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Brown meat. Drain any fat and season as desired. While the meat is cooking, prepare the mashed potatoes.

You can use real potatoes, and boil and mash them before starting anything else. I am all about making this as easy as possible, so instant mashed it is.

2. When the meat is fully cooked, add gravy mix, 1 cup of water, and as many frozen peas as you would like. Stir until all gravy is mixed it. Leave on burner until everything is heated through.

3. Pour the meat/peas mixture into the bottom of a 5 qt. casserole dish (9x13 cake pan works just as well, too).

4. Add mashed potatoes and spread evenly over the meat.

5. Add cheese.

You can grate it if you like. Again, I'm all about making it quick and easy, so I slice it for quicker application. :)

6. Bake at 350 degrees until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

I like it a little crunchy around the edges...some gravy will also "leak" up.

from the kitchen of laura w.

Angel Hair Pasta

2010-06-25T13:42:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from a ward cookbook. It is originally from the kitchen of Wendy Neeley.
Super yummy!

1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup sliced green onions
2 T chopped basil
1/4 t pepper
1 t salt
2 cloves garlic
3 large tomatoes peeled and diced (or 1 large can)
1/2 lb angel hair pasta
2 cups cooked chopped chicken (optional)
parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to directions. While the pasta is cooking begin cooking the sauce. Add oil to a sauce pan and heat to a medium temperature. Add garlic and green onions. Cook for 1 minute then add basil, salt, pepper, tomatoes and chicken. Cook until everything is hot, then mix with pasta. Serve immediately. Top with parmesan cheese.

From the kitchen of Kelly.

Sweet Chex Mixes

2010-06-17T07:59:00.001-07:00

These are two Chex mixes that my family LOVES. I actually got the recipes from a friend who found them online, but they are also found on the back of some Chex boxes at some times of the year. However, I've modified them both a little....

Chocolate Chex Caramel Crunch

8 cups Chocolate Chex cereal (this is almost an ENTIRE box of this cereal)
¾ cup packed brown sugar
6 tbsp. butter or margarine
3 tbsp. light corn syrup
¼ tsp. baking soda
¼ - ½ vanilla baking chips (*this is where I changed it, the original recipe called for only 1/4 cup, but I like more white chocolate on mine)

Into a large microwavable bowl, measure cereal; set aside. Line cookie sheet (jellyroll size) with wax paper (or set out wax paper on counter).

In a 2 cup microwavable measuring cup, microwave brown sugar, butter and corn syrup uncovered on high 1 to 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute, until melted and smooth. Stir in baking soda until dissolved. Pour over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Microwave cereal mixture on high 3 minutes; stirring every minute. Spread on wax paper and cool for 10 minutes. Break into bite size pieces.

In a small microwavable bowl, microwave vanilla baking chips uncovered on high about 1 minute (stir after 30 seconds) or until chips can be stirred smooth. *Watch out when melting so few white chocolate chips, they will burn easily. Make sure you stir after 30 seconds and don't over do it. Drizzle over snack. Refrigerate until set.

From the kitchen of Chocolate Chex Box and Tannie Datwyler

Cinnamon-Apple Chex Mix

5 cups Wheat Chex cereal
1 cup lightly salted whole almonds
¼ cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbsp. light corn syrup
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped dried apples (OR Apple Cinnamon Cheerios *I modified it to use Cheerios, because I didn't want to try dried apples. The Apple Cinnamon Cheerios are PERFECT in this)
½ cup vanilla yogurt-covered raisins (I usually add even more than 1/2 cup, more like a whole cup, because I LOVE yogurt covered raisins)

In large microwavable bowl, mix cereal and almonds (and cheerios if using instead of apples).

In 2-cup microwavable measuring cup, microwave butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and cinnamon uncovered on high about 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute, until mixture is boiling; stir. Pour over cereal mixture, stirring until evenly coated. Microwave uncovered on high 3 minutes, stirring and scraping bowl after every minute. Stir in apples; microwave uncovered on high about 2 minutes or until apples just begin to brown on edges (if using cheerios, then just cook the entire mixture for 5 minutes total and stir after each minute).

Spread on wax paper or foil to cool, about 5 minutes. Place in serving bowl and stir in raisins.

From the kitchen of Wheat Chex Box and Tannie Datwyler

Happy Snacking!

Bok Choy Stir Fry

2010-06-11T09:55:00.001-07:00

Sorry, no pictures of this recipe, but it is super delicious! This is the actual recipe, http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-Stir-Fry/Detail.aspx, but I changed it a little for our needs.

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
3 tablespoons Cornstarch
2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
1/2 teaspoon Ground Ginger
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
2 to 3 Bok Choy (also called Chinese Cabbage)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup sliced carrots
1 small onion, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon or 1 bouillon cube crushed
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil (optional)

Cut the chicken into 1/2 inch strips and toss with cornstarch in a resealable bag; add soy sauce, ground ginger, and garlic powder to bag and refrigerate for 30 mins. In a large pan or wok heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon sesame oil, brown chicken until no pink shows. Take chicken out and set aside, but keep warm. Add last tablespoon of olive oil and sesame oil and add vegetables and minced garlic to pan and cook until crisp and tender, about 4-5 mins. Add chicken back into pan and add 1/4 cup water and chicken bouillon. Cook until water and bouillon combine and thicken.

Even my 2 year old loved this stir fry!

From the kitchen of Megan

Whole wheat pancakes with cinnamon syrup

2010-06-02T08:34:00.000-07:00

This is a super healthy breakfast compared to other options! And best of all, these pancakes taste AMAZING. Plus, they are a great way to use your food storage, and they fill you up really well. We even had these for dinner last night as a fun "breakfast for dinner" and we served them with orange juice, a few sausages, and fresh raspberries.

Blender Wheat Pancakes

1 cup whole kernels of wheat (you can use red or white)
1 ½ cups milk or buttermilk (divided)
2 eggs
¼ cup oil
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3 tbsp. brown sugar

Blend wheat and 1 cup of milk (I just add some vinegar to my milk to make it curdle) in blender for 4 min. Let mixture rest to soften kernels (about 5-10 minutes). Add remaining ingredients and blend until incorporated. Fry pancakes on skillet or fry pan. You'll want to make the pancakes kind of small and wait to flip them until they have lots of air bubbles and the edges are dry. If you time it right, these pancakes flip SO EASILY. You'll also notice that the first pancakes will be kind of thin, but as time goes by the batter will thicken up and the last pancakes will be puffier. If you want to avoid this, you can let the batter rest a second time after all the ingredients are added.

From the kitchen of Tannie Datwyler (Courtesy of C’Anne Petersen)

I recommend you serve the pancakes with cinnamon syrup, though you certainly can use maple (I've tried both and believe me, the cinnamon is perfect for these). If you are going to make the syrup you'll want to start making it AFTER you blend the wheat and milk (while the batter is resting). That gives you something to do while the wheat kernels soften.

Cinnamon Syrup

2 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup water
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup cream (or evaporated milk)

In saucepan stir all ingredients except cream. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes while stirring. Remove from heat and stir in cream. Cool slightly and pour over pancakes or waffles. The syrup will thicken as it cools. Serve it warm and store in the fridge.

*This makes quite a bit of syrup, so half the recipe if you aren't serving a huge crowd.

From the kitchen of Tannie Datwyler (courtesy of Shelly Flake)

That's it! I don't even butter my pancakes before I pour on that cinnamon syrup - I don't think it needs it. :) So delicious, and so good for you.

Orange Julius

2010-05-23T19:34:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite drink recipes and it's perfect for a sunny day!

1/2 Can Frozen Orange Juice
1 Cup Milk
1 Cup Water
10 Ice Cubes
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1/3 Cup Sugar

Blend all together and enjoy!

From the kitchen of Megan

Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie

2010-05-15T09:42:00.000-07:00

Add into your crock pot:
4 peeled and diced potatoes
3 peeled and sliced carrots
2 diced stalks of celery
1/2 diced onion
1 cup frozen peas
1-2 chicken breasts (I added mine in pieces and shredded them when it was done, but you could dice them if you prefer that.)

Make a gravy on your stove:

Measure 1 can chicken broth and enough milk to make 4 cups liquid total.

Melt 4 TB butter in the pan
Add 6 TB flour and stir
Slowly add liquid while stirring
Keep stirring and wait for it to boil and thicken.
Add spices to taste. I add plenty of thyme and sage, garlic salt, and pepper.
If your gravy is not thick enough for you, add a mixture of corn starch and water.

Add the gravy into the crock pot and cook on high 4-5 hours. If you prefer not to make the gravy, you could add cream of chicken soup mixed with milk.

Pour over biscuits to serve.

Sweet & Sour Meatballs

2010-05-06T11:27:00.001-07:00

This recipe makes A LOT!!! So if you have a small family I suggest cutting the recipe in half.

Meatballs:
2 lbs. Hamburger(or for a lowfat dish you could use ground turkey or chicken cut into chunks.)
1/4 c. onion(if you don't like onion, but want the flavor you can use onion flakes.)
1 c. bread crumbs(or you can use crushed up Ritz crackers, or Saltines)
1 egg
1/4 c. milk
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4tsp. garlic salt

Mix together all ingredients. Shape into meat balls. Brown meatballs in hot oil and cook until nearly cooked through. Set meatballs aside and cook vegetables.

Cut the following vegetables into 1x1 inch chunks:
Green, red, and yellow peppers
White onion
Carrots, sliced thinly
Saute' with a small amount of olive oil until tender. Then add pineapple chunks(reserving juice). Set cooked vegetables aside with meatballs and cook sauce.

Sweet & Sour Sauce:
1 c. ketchup
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 c. white vinegar
1 tsp. mustard
1 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes---I used a little less. I don't like it too spicy.
2 Tbsp. pineapple juice(reserved from pineapple chunks).

Check for right mix of sweet(brown sugar) and sour(vinegar). Adjust to taste. If you like a lot of sauce, double the sauce recipe. When sauce is thick, add meatballs and veggies back into pot and simmer until bubbling and then serve over rice. Serves 6.

Pear Tarte Tatin

2010-04-28T16:18:00.000-07:00

Okay, so when I post I've noticed I like to do desserts; probably because I try new desserts whenever I find one that is interesting! This dessert is one of my favorite of all time that I have found. My pictures didn't turn out so I just stole the one from the website where I got the recipe, http://www.delish.com/recipefinder/pear-tarte-tatin-recipe.

Pastry

1 1/2 cup(s) all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon(s) salt

1/2 cup(s) (1 stick) cold butter (no substitutions), cut up

2 tablespoon(s) trans-fat free vegetable shortening

1 teaspoon(s) freshly grated lemon peel

2 tablespoon(s) (up to 4 tablespoons) ice water

Filling

1 cup(s) sugar

6 tablespoon(s) butter (no substitutions)

1 tablespoon(s) fresh lemon juice

3 3/4 pound(s) firm-ripe Bosc and Bartlett pears, peeled, cored, and each cut lengthwise in half

Directions

Prepare pastry: In food processor, with knife blade attached, blend flour and salt. Add butter and shortening and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pulse in lemon peel. Sprinkle in ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each addition, until large, moist crumbs just begin to form. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm enough to roll, 1 hour or up to overnight. (If refrigerated overnight, let dough stand at room temperature 30 minutes before rolling.)

Line cookie sheet with waxed paper. On lightly floured surface, with floured rolling pin, roll dough to a 12-inch round. Transfer to prepared cookie sheet and refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Prepare filling: In heavy 12-inch skillet with oven-safe handle (or with handle wrapped in double thickness of foil), heat sugar, butter, and lemon juice on medium-high, stirring occasionally, until butter melts and mixture begins to boil.

Add pears to skillet, rounded side down. Cook 5 minutes. Turn rounded side up and cook 5 minutes longer. Turn pears over so rounded side is down and cook 5 minutes longer, or until syrup is caramelized and thickened. (Reduce heat slightly if syrup browns too quickly before thickening.)

Remove skillet from heat. Carefully invert dough (still on waxed paper) onto pears in skillet; remove and discard paper. Fold edge of dough under to fit dough into skillet and form rim around edge. Cut six 1/4-inch-long slits in dough to allow steam to escape during baking. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack 5 minutes.

Tips: I didn't have a food processor, so I made the pastry by hand. If you have a pastry blender is works really well, otherwise use two knives. It will take longer with the pastry blender and the knives, but works really well.

From the kitchen of Megan.

Asian Chicken Salad

2010-04-19T07:02:00.000-07:00

1 bag spinach
12 oz cooked bowtie pasta
3 cups cooked shredded chicken
1 bunch green onions
1/4 cup roasted and salted sunflower seeds

Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup white vinegar
4 T sugar
1/4 tsp pepper

Prepare ingredients and dressing. Combine pasta, chicken, and green onions. Let it soak all day (at least 3 hours). Then add sunflower seeds and spinach. Toss and serve.

Shrimp Alfredo

2010-04-10T19:57:00.000-07:00

(adapted from Secret Recipes)

I love Olive Garden's Alfredo sauce, so I looked up the recipe online. I added a few changes to make it my own, so here is my version

Ingredients:

1 pint half and half

1 stick plus 2 tablespoons butter

2 TB cream cheese (I was out of cream cheese, but a good substitute for cream cheese is blended up cottage cheese, which I have used in a pinch many times)

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2-3 cloves minced garlic

shrimp - optional

In a pan melt one stick of butter. Add shrimp. I use frozen cooked shrimp, which is easy to overcook so I just make sure it's warmed through. Remove shrimp from the pan and add extra butter. (If you are not adding shrimp, skip that step and don't use the extra butter) Add garlic and cook for one about 30 seconds to one minute. Add half and half, cream cheese, and parmesan cheese and stir until all is melted. Simmer for a few minutes. If the sauce is still too runny, mix in a separate cup a little cornstarch and water and add to sauce to thicken. Add the shrimp back in until all is combined and warmed. Pour over pasta.

Teriyaki Shredded Pork

2010-04-01T08:10:00.001-07:00

Ingredients:
¾ cups soy sauce
2 cups water
1 cup white sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 clove garlic (pressed or chopped finely)
½ tbsp. ginger (fresh or powdered)
1-3 lbs. pork loin/roast

Directions:
Bring the soy sauce, water, sugar, cornstarch, garlic, and ginger to a boil in a sauce pan. Take ½ of the sauce and put it in with the pork in a crock pot for 4-5 hours on high heat (turn down to low heat half way through cooking). Set the other ½ of the sauce aside for later. Cook the pork until fork tender. Drain the sauce from the crock pot, take any excess fat off the pork loin and shred. Add remaining sauce back into the crock pot and warm the sauce with the pork for about 15-30 minutes. Serve over rice (omit salt when cooking rice).

Tips:
This makes a TON of sauce. So use as much meat as you think is necessary for your family. For my small family of 4 I usually do just 1 lb. of pork (and I use pork loin chops) and there are PLENTY of leftovers. It doesn't look like it will make a lot, but trust me, it goes a long way over rice. But you could easily do up to 3 lbs. of meat with the sauce you have.

I also trim the excess fat off BEFORE I cook the meat. I find that if I don't the fat will just flake off into the sauce and then stick to the meat when I shred it and it is kind of gross. But on the other hand, the fat makes it more tender, so do it to your preference.

As noted in the recipe above, I never cook the rice with salt because the soy sauce is so salty that it is a bit too much if you cook the rice with salt. You can also omitt the butter to cut down on calories (it will make the rice stickier).

I love this recipe because it so easy! You do have to plan to start it around 1:00 to get it ready for dinner time, but that's the only tricky part. It is delicious too - one of my husband's favorites.

From the kitchen of Tannie Datwyler

Peppered Stuff

2010-03-26T19:10:00.001-07:00

My mom used to make stuffed peppers--rice, hamburger, various seasonings mixed in and into the bell peppers. Used to. Of the seven kids in my family, maybe one would taste a pepper, but none of us would actually eat one. After a few attempts at this, my mom started stuffing only three or four peppers and filling the rest of the pan with only the rice and hamburger. And, over time, she gave up on stuffing the peppers all together and instead peppered the stuff.

Ingredients:

1-2 bell peppers
1 lb. hamburger
3 cups uncooked rice
onion, salt, pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cook the rice as directed.

2. Brown the hamburger. Season as desired. Add chopped peppers and onions.

3. Combine rice and hamburger mixture in 9 x 13 pan.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes, until rice on top is crispy.

Variations:

Add tomato soup or taco seasoning before putting it into the oven.

Top the final dish with barbeque or hot sauce. I myself prefer ketchup. :)

From the Kitchen of Laura W.

St. Patty's Cupcake Bites

2010-03-19T19:33:00.000-07:00

These cupcakes are divine! We made them for St. Patrick's Day, but change the frosting color and they are great for any holiday.

(Lucas was trying to steal a cupcake during the picture :)

St. Patty's White Cake:

2 3/4 sifted cake flour
4 teaspoons backing powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 egg whites
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cups butter
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract

Measure sifted flour, baking powder, and salt; sift together three times. In a mixing bowl beat egg whites until foamy, then add 1/2 cup sugar gradually and continue beating only until meringue will hold up in soft peaks.
In another bowl, cream butter. Gradually add remaining 1 cup sugar and cream together until light and fluffy. Add sifted ingredients alternately with milk a small amount at a time, beating after each addition until smooth. Mix in flavorings. Add meringue, and beat thoroughly into batter. Spread batter in paper line mini cupcake tins.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes till done.

Frosting:

1 8 oz package cream cheese
1 cup white sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

In a small bowl beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form; set aside.

In a large bowl combine cream cheese, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Beat until smooth, then fold in whipped cream.

Frost your cupcakes!

Tips: If you don't have cake flour, mit 2 tablespoons per 1 cup of all purpose.

If you are using a mini tine, don't over fill your tin and use paper liners. I didn't have paper liners for my mini tin and it was a real hassle trying to get the cupcakes out. The second tray of cupcakes ended up being regular sized because I had paper cups for that tin.

I am not great at frosting, so I took a ziploc bag and snipped off a corner. I then filled the bag with frosting and used that to frost my cupcakes.

From the kitchen of Megan.

Recipe from: http://www.crazibeautiful.com/ConfessionsAndCooking/

Hawaiian Chicken

2010-03-11T20:44:00.000-08:00

4-6 Chicken Breasts
Flour
Salt
Cooking Oil
1 can (15 1/2 oz. ) Pineapple chunks--I think I use a 20 oz.
1/2 c. honey
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
3/4 c. cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. ginger
1 chicken bouillon cube(sometimes I use 2)
1 green pepper, cut in 1/4 inch strips

Roll chicken pieces in flour and sprinkle with salt. Brown in oil.(Don't fully cook the chicken) Drain pineapple, reserve pineapple chunks, and pour juice into measuring cup.
Add honey, cornstarch, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, and bouillon cube into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Pour over chicken pieces in a 2-quart baking dish. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Add pineapple chunks and green pepper; bake 5 minutes longer. Serve with cooked rice.

Makes 4-6 servings.

From the kitchen of Kym Allen(who got it from the LionHouse Classics Cookbook)

Scotch-a-roos

2010-03-03T11:04:00.001-08:00

This is a fun and super yummy twist on the classic Rice Crispy treat.

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup corn syrup
1 cup sugar

Melt the above ingredients on low heat. Stir in 5-6 cups Rice Crispies. Press in 9X13 pan.

Topping:
1/2 bag of milk chocolate chips
1/2 bag of butterscotch chips

Melt the above ingredients and spread on top of Rice Crispy mix in pan.

Veggie and Chip Dips

2010-02-17T08:43:00.000-08:00

Here are just a few simple recipes to try out. These are great party dips or just for you to have around the house.

Dill Vegetable Dip

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/8 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tsp. vinegar
1 tsp. dried dill
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. onion powder
dash garlic powder
*Note: Buttermilk can be used instead of milk and then vinegar can be omitted.

Whisk all ingredients and check for taste. Adjust seasonings as necessary.

Tips: I seriously make this dip about once a week - I just LOVE the dill taste in it. This dip is perfect for vegetables (it isn't a really good chip dip though). I always have chopped up veggies in my fridge that I just pull out for a snack, or I give to my kids at lunch time. My daughter eats raw veggies so well this way, and it keeps me snacking healthy too.

I always use FAT FREE mayo and LOW FAT sour cream. And honestly, I can't even tell the difference from when I use regular ingredients. I tried it with fat free sour cream and it turned out too runny so I'd go with low fat. But I love using the low fat because then I feel like I can load up those veggies a little more and not fill guilty that I'm ruining the goodness of the vegetables. Also DON'T use Miracle Whip - I tried it once and it tasted awful. I love Miracle Whip for sandwiches, but for dips - YUCK!

Chip Dip

1 carton of sour cream
1 jar of mayonnaise
1 package of dry ranch dip
1 package of dry onion dip

Pour the sour cream into a medium bowl. Fill the sour cream container with mayonnaise so you have equal parts of mayonnaise and sour cream. Then mix sour cream and mayonnaise together. Add about half the package of ranch dip and half the package of onion dip. Depending on how strong you like your dip, just keep adding the dry ingredients in equal parts until you reach a taste you love. Have some chips on hand to test with.

Tips: This dip is the best for chips but is also good on veggies. It is best with plain potato chips or Veggie Chips. A great low fat option is to buy baked potato chips which only have a few grams of fat per serving. And just like the dip recipe above, you can use nonfat mayonnaise and low fat sour cream to cut calories and fat.

This makes a lot of dip, so if you don't want to do the full recipe then just add equal parts of sour cream and mayonnaise and then equal parts of onion and ranch dip (that's what I always do - I NEVER make the full recipe).

Have fun dippin!

From the kitchen of Tannie Datwyler

Eggplant Rollatini

2010-01-20T09:12:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant(2 pounds), cut lengthwise into 1/2inch-thick slices(about 8)
salt and pepper
1 cup marinara sauce
1/2 cup part-skin ricotta(I just used cottage cheese)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for garnishing
1 large egg
1 garlic clove, minced(I used 1/2 tsp. of jarred minced garlic, it's keeps longer)
1 cup shredded mozzarella
Crusty bread for serving, optional.(I used a bagette from Crumb Brothers that they sell at Lee's)

Directions:
1-Season eggplant with salt and pepper; arrange in a shallow 2-quart microwave-safe dish with a lid. Microwave on high until tender and pliable but not fully cooked, 6-8 minutes.

2-With a spatula, transfer eggplant slices from dish to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet, and arrange in a single layer. Blot baking dish dry and spread bottom with 1/4 cup marinara sauce; set aside.

3-In a small bowl, mix together ricotta, Parmesan, egg, garlic, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper. Pat eggplant dry with paper towels. Dividing evenly, spoon ricotta mixture onto the wide end of eggplant slices, leaving a 1-inch border on the wide end and a 1/4-inch border on either side. Starting at the wide end, roll up slices; arrange seam side down in a single layer in prepared baking dish. Top with remaining 3/4 cup marinara sauce.

4-Cover dish, and microwave on high until eggplant is very tender, 15-17 minutes. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese; microwave until cheese is melted, 2-3 minutes. cool 5 minutes. Sprinkle with extra Parmesan for garnishing, if desired. Serve with crusty bread.

*Tips on picking a good eggplant(I got the instructions from the produce guy at Lee's.)
-Make sure it's uniform in color.
-It needs to be firm.
-Try to get one that doesn't have a bunch of brown scars(or spots) on it.

From the Kitchen of Kym Allen (Thank you so much for giving us a recipe Kym).

Taco Skillet

2010-01-12T13:26:00.000-08:00

I originally found this recipe on campbellskitchen.com and changed it slightly.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef
1 can tomato soup
1 can corn
1/2 cup salsa
5 flour tortillas (6-8 in.), cut in squares
1/2 cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Brown hamburger. Drain excess fat.
2. Add soup, corn, salsa, and tortillas and mix. Bring to a low boil.
3. Reduce heat and cook for five minutes, until everything is heated through.
4. Top with cheese and serve. Mix in sour cream if desired.

...and that's it. Doesn't get much easier!

from the kitchen of laura w.

Fudge....finally

2009-12-16T08:30:00.000-08:00

I am not a candy maker. I have tried 5-6 recipes over three years - of fudge...all failures or just kind of good. This sixth one was my last attempt for this year at it actually turned out nicely! Whew! It is really simple and even I can't "fudge" it up. This is how mine turned out. I put whole pecans on top.

Here is the recipe:
I copied it from this website:http: //www.cookingforengineers.com/recipe/98/Condensed-Milk-Fudge
and the ads came with it (and wouldn't delete - sorry). This recipe recommends using semi-sweet chocolate or dark chocolate which is good if you are a dark chocolate lover like me. If not...I suggest using part milk chocolate and part semi-sweet or mix in other kinds of chocolate chips. Have fun!

Fudge is a soft, finely

English Toffee

Dulce de Leche

Roasted Asparagus Spears

Cutting Up Chicken

Cheesecake, Plain New York Style

grained (almost gritty) candy made from sugar syrup, cream, and butter. Making sure the sugar forms small fine crystals is essential to producing the right texture. Most traditional fudge recipes require patience, timing, and quick action to produce the right sized crystals. This recipe produces a confection that looks like fudge and tastes like fudge, but without the effort of making fudge from a sugar syrup.

The only ingredients you need for this recipe are one pound of chocolate chips (both semi-sweet and dark work well), 4 Tbs. butter, and a 14 ounce (weight) can of sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk). The chocolate chips can be replaced or blended with peanut butter chips for to make peanut butter fudge or chocolate-peanut fudge. (If you like peanut butter swirls, you'll need to melt the peanut butter chips separately and swirl them in later.) Note that one pound of chocolate chips is the same as three cups of chocolate chips - not two.

This recipe is so easy, you can even do it in the microwave oven. Use a microwave oven safe bowl and microwave until the chocolate is glistening and begins to melt (be careful not to overheat in the microwave or the chocolate will burn). For the purposes of this article, I'll be using a bain-marie. Heating chocolate indirectly over the gentle heat of steam will make it more difficult to overheat.

Throw the butter and chocolate chips into a medium metal bowl or double boiler. Pour the sweetened condensed milk on top.

Fill a small pot with about an inch of water and bring it to a boil. Once it begins to boil, reduce the heat so the water is barely simmering.

Place the metal bowl on top of the pot to make a bain-marie. (If you have a double boiler, by all means, use it instead.) Make sure the bottom of the bowl is suspended above the water level itself (it's best to check this when you first start bringing the water to a boil since working with cool water and an empty bowl is easier than steaming water and a boil filled with two pounds of fudge ingredients.) Make sure the water is gently releasing steam - accidentally allowing too much moisture to settle on your chocolate could cause it to seize resulting in clumping. In my experience, this particular recipe is fairly forgiving, so don't worry too much.

While the ingredients are gently heating, butter an 8 in. square baking dish. I should mention a couple of tips here that may help with unmolding the fudge after it has set. Once the pan is buttered, lay two sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper down onto the buttered surface. The sheets should be longer than the container (a little more than twelve inches should be fine) and should be laid down perpendicular to each other. The butter will help keep the plastic wrap in place while you pour the fudge and after the fudge is set, you can use the ends that overflow the container to lift out the fudge. In the following pictures, I just buttered the baking pan and had to work at it a little to unmold the fudge one section at a time.

After a few minutes over the heat, start mixing the melting chocolate together with the melting butter. Keep alternating between mixing and heating until all the ingredients are blended together (use your spatula to scape down the sides of the bowl at least once). At this point, if you want to add fancy components (like chopped walnuts, peanut butter for swirling, etc.) do so.

Pour the fudge into the baking dish. Use a spatula to scrape the bowl clean.

Level the fudge with your spatula.

I don't like putting hot items into my refrigerator, so I like to use an aluminum half sheet pan as a heat sink. Pour a little cold water into the pan and place the fudge in the middle of the pan. A few ice cubes will help keep the aluminum cool as it takes on heat from the bottom of the baking pan. After about ten minutes, slip the fudge into the refrigerator for chilling and setting.

Once the fudge has set, about two hours, cut into squares.

This is a fun recipe to play with. Additional ingredients can be melted in or mixed in before pouring. Two different fudges (like chocolate and peanut butter or dark chocolate and white chocolate) can be made and poured on top of each other to produce different effects (try pouring on a top layer before the bottom layer fully sets).

	From Delia's kitchen

Cran-Raspberry Jell-O

2009-12-03T20:12:00.000-08:00

I apologize for the poor quality of pictures... I really do feel bad that they look so weird. I'm just not a photographer. But trust me, this Jell-o is delicious, quick, and easy!

Ingredients:
16 oz. can of jellied cranberry sauce
6 oz. box of raspberry jell-o
1 1/2 cups of water
1/2 cup sour cream

Place the jellied cranberry sauce in an electric blender. Dissolve the raspberry Jell-o in mixing bowl with 1 1/2 cups of boiling water. After Jell-o has been stirred and dissolved pour into blender with the cranberry sauce. Blend together until smooth. Pour mixture back into mixing bowl. Add 1/2 cup of sour cream to Jell-o mixture (use a wire whisk to get smooth). Pour into a Jell-o mold and let set over night.

From the kitchen of Tannie Datwyler (courtesy of Brandy Ensign)

German Pancakes

2009-11-12T13:10:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

1 cup milk
1/4-1/2 tsp salt
1 cup flour
6 large eggs
1 tbsp of butter per pancake (if using a 9x13 pan, double amount of butter
8x8 or 9x9 or 9x13 inch GLASS pans

Preheat oven to 450 degrees (depending on thickness of pancakes). Mix together milk, flour eggs, and salt and set aside. When oven is at temperature put one tablespoon of butter in each pand and put in oven until butter sizzles. Take out the pan pour 1/2 cup (double amount if using 9x13 pan) of the mixture immediately into the pan and return to oven. Bake for 10-12 minutes (20 minutes for 9x13 pan).
Good Toppings: Just butter and plain powdered sugar is our favorite. But syrup, jam, or fruit are also good.
From the kichent of Richard and Tannie Datwyler

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

2009-11-03T11:36:00.000-08:00

These made-from-scratch noodles are very easy--and I promise, it doesn't take as long as you think! The rest of the soup can be whatever you want it to be. It's nothing fancy, but very filling.

Ingredients

Noodles:
see directions for amounts

eggs
flour

Soup:
suggestions only, modify as you wish

chicken
carrots
celery
onion
chicken bouillon or broth

Directions

Soup:

Cube the chicken and cook as desired (determine amount based on how much soup you want). If you boil the chicken, you can use the water as the soup base. If you fry the chicken, add bouillon to water to make the soup base.

Once you have the soup base heating up on the stove, chop up your vegetables. Put them into the water and bring them to a low boil while making the noodles.

Noodles:

For one serving, start with 2 eggs and one cup of flour. For each additional serving, add 1 egg and 1/2 cup of flour. For my family of four, I usually use 6 eggs and 3 cups of flour.

Mix the flour and eggs together. I find it best to use my hands. If the dough sticks to your fingers, add a little more flour until everything is the same consistency.

Roll the dough out until it is 1/8 of an inch thick. Use flour to keep the dough from sticking to the rolling pin. It's also helpful to flip the dough a few times (roll, turn it over, roll more, turn it over again, roll) so that it does not stick to the counter.

Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into noodles about 2 inches by 1/2 inch.

Pull the noodles apart, making sure to separate them all from each other.

Add the noodles and the cooked chicken to the boiling soup mixture. As soon as the soup boils again, you're done!

From the kitchen of Laura

Spinach and Artichoke Soup

2009-10-27T20:27:00.000-07:00

Spinach and Artichoke Soup

From:Crackers & Co. Café in Mesa, AZ

¾ lbs. margarine

8 oz. diced onion

2 c. flour

2 qt. half and half

1 tsp. white pepper

3 tsp. Tabasco

3 oz. chicken base

1 ½ c. sour cream

1 c. parmesan cheese

Salt to taste

Milk as needed

½ lb. cooked diced spinach

½ of #10 can (about 2 ½ lbs.) diced artichoke hearts

1 TBSP balsamic vinegar

1 tsp. Sherry

In a 4 gallon pot melt margarine on low heat. Add diced onion-sauté for about 5 minutes. Add flour and cook an additional 5 minutes. Add half and half 1 qt. at a time and cook over low heat. Leave heat on low at all times.

Add spices and sour cream, add cheese, sherry, vinegar and cooked drained spinach and artichoke hearts. Stir soup will not burn or stick.

Add more regular milk if soup is too thick. Note this soup will thicken as it cooks, due to being started as Roux base first. Yields 2 ½ gallons

Enjoy!

-Delia

Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes

2009-10-24T08:27:00.000-07:00

I'm not a fan of pumpkin pie, but I do love the flavor of pumpkin so I try to find ways to use pumpkin that don't include pie! This is my new favorite pumpkin recipe and it is delicious. I found it on MSN a couple weeks ago and finally tried it. I did cupcakes, but it originally is for a 3-layer 8 inch round cake.; due to this fact it makes at least 36 cupcakes depending on how much you fill your cupcake pan.

Cupcake Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup good-quality cocoa
2 tablespoons good-quality cocoa
1 tablesppon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon fresh-grated nutmeg
1 1/2 Cups pumpkin puree
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
5 large eggs
Orange-Cream Cheese Frosting

Heat oven to 375 degrees (for cake, 350 degrees). Line cupcake pan with liners (for cake lightly buter 3 8-inch cake pans and fit each bottom with an 8-inch circle of parchment paper. Lightly butter parchment paper).
Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl and set aside. Combine the buttermilk, pumpkin, and vanilla in a medium bowl and set aside. Beat the butter, and granulate and brown sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer set on medium speedy until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, until the misture is smooth and light. Alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture, blending well after each addition.

Fill each each cupcake with 1/4 cup of batter (for cakes divide the batter among the pans and bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean -- about 35 minutes. Cool cakes in the pan for 20 minutes. Remove cakes and cool.) Bake cupcakes for 22 minutes.

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients

1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar
orange food coloring

Blend the cream cheese, butter, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla in a large bowl using an electric mixer set at medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar and continue mixing until light and creamy -- about 3 more minutes. Add food coloring and gently mix until your color choice is reached. Chill the frosting until ready to ice the cupcakes or cake.

Tips: I bought a big can of pumpkin and you only use a little bit. Pumpkin can be stored in your fridge for 1 week and in your freezer in a container for 3 months. Pumpkin does expand when frozen so make sure your container has enough room to accommodate.

From the kitchen of Megan

Minestrone Soup

2009-10-19T13:08:00.000-07:00

1 lb. Italian sausage
1 can of garbanzo beans-DO NOT drain juice from beans
1 large onion

3 garlic cloves

1/2 cup of pasta shells
1 medium zucchini
2 large carrots
2 cans of Italian diced tomatoes (14 oz.)-Drain juice
1/4 lb. fresh green beans
2 celery ribs
6 cups of beef broth
1 tsp. dried oregano
3 cups shredded cabbage
1 medium leek (use white part)
3 tsp. of fresh parsley

Note: I used 1/2 can of kidney beans and 1/2 a can of garbanzo beans and I thought it was really good. Also fresh green beans taste a lot better than canned green beans!

Cook sausage. Cut veggies and combine sausage and all ingredients in a pan EXCEPT for noodles. Simmer until carrots are soft (not too soft) then add noodles and cook until noodles are done. When finished, garnish soup with Parmesan cheese if desired.
* Can use a crock pot if you want too. Let veggies and all ingredients cook on low all day then add noodles a little before dinner and turn up the heat!.*

From the Kitchen of Kelly

Cream Cheese French Toast

2009-10-09T16:59:00.000-07:00

This is a new twist on an old favorite.

Ingrediants:
1 loaf French bred (sliced into 1/2-1 inch slices)
4 eggs
1/4-1/2 cup of milk
butter (for frying)

Topping:

1 package cream cheese (8oz) softened
1 cup powder sugar
Fresh or Frozen berries (sweetened with sugar if desired) or freezer jam

Beat your eggs and gradually add milk until egg batter reachers desired consistency (it depends on how eggy you like your French toast, so you decide how much milk to add). Hear skillet or frying pan and drop butter onto pan to grease. Dip both sides of French bread slices into egg and then put directly onto skillet. Fry on both sides until golden brown and no longer gooey (I find it a bit better to cook on a lower heat so that the egg can cook and the bread doesn't burn). Make as many pieces of French toast as desired (you can create more egg batter if needed), and place in a tupperware lined with papper towels to keep warm until ready to serve.

To make topping (I usually make this in advance). Make sure that the cream cheese is soft enough to stir with a spoon. Place it in a bowl and added powdered sugar gradually while stirring by hand (you can also do this with a hand mixer, but I find that I am faster when I don't have to get out extra equipment). Taste periodically and add more sugar to desired sweetness.

Top warm French toast with cream cheese and then berries or freezer jam (I usually use freezer jam in the winter when fresh berries are difficult to come by). Add more powdered sugar if desired. For little kids you can also use syrup like traditional French toast.

Tips:
I don't generally put any cinnamon in the egg batter like I would with traditional French toast since I use cream cheese and berries instead of syrup. If I have left over eggs I like to add a few more eggs and then fry them up like scrambled eggs in the pan (sometimes I'll top them with cheese). I've tried a couple different types of French Bread and I've found that bagged French breads taste the best (my favorite being Sam's Club, but Wal-Mart also carries bagged French bread) because they are a bit softer. Lee's French bread is a bit dryer and more brittle and doesn't turn as well for this French toast.

From the kitchen of Tannie.

White Chili

2009-09-27T20:54:00.001-07:00

1 large onion chopped
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp olive oil
4 cups cooked chicken, chopped
3 cans white beans (Caneli's or Great Northern)
4 cups chicken broth
1 can diced green chiles
2 tsp cumin
3 Tbsp lime juice
chopped cilantro

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until onions are clear. Then add all remaining ingredients. Cook on medium heat for about an hour.
Optional: Garnish with tortilla chips and cheese

From the Kitchen of Kelly

Inexpensive Marshmallow Fondant

2009-09-22T19:13:00.000-07:00

From Allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup butter (or shortening...I find that shortening is easier to work with)
1 (16 ounce) package miniature marshmallows
4 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 pounds confectioners' sugar, divided

DIRECTIONS

Place the butter in a shallow bowl, and set aside.
Place the marshmallows in a large microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on High for 30 seconds to 1 minute to start melting the marshmallows. Carefully stir the water and vanilla extract into the hot marshmallows, and stir until the mixture is smooth. Slowly beat in the confectioners' sugar, a cup at a time, until you have a sticky dough. Reserve 1 cup of powdered sugar for kneading. The dough will be very stiff.
Rub your hands thoroughly with butter, and begin kneading the sticky dough. As you knead, the dough will become workable and pliable. Turn the dough out onto a working surface dusted with confectioners' sugar and continue kneading until the fondant is smooth and no longer sticky to the touch, 5 to 10 minutes.
Form the fondant into a ball, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. To use, allow the fondant to come to room temperature, and roll it out onto a flat surface dusted with confectioners' sugar.

I love how easy and CHEAP it is to make this fondant. I am a total novice at cake decorating but I had fun trying it out. Here are some tips:

When trying to cover a whole cake, roll it out on wax paper with a rolling pin covered in powdered sugar (use the sugar like you would flour in other recipes basically). Then lay it on the cake and peel the wax paper off.

You can use a moist finger to smooth the fondant as you need, or a smooth frosting knife.

It cuts better with a knife that is not serrated in anyway.
Do not make the mistake I made. If you are using white fondant, then do not use chocolate frosting underneath. It shows easier.

To color the fondant just knead in a couple of drops of food coloring or gel as desired.
If it is too stiff to work with after you have stored it in the fridge and let it warm up to room temp. then stick it in the microwave for 5-10 seconds.

Do not store a finished cake in the fridge. Store it covered at room temp. for three days tops. I hear the fridge can build up moisture underneath the fondant and make it go bad faster.

Comment if you have more questions. If you try it...post it on your blog and let us know by commenting as well! Have fun!

Chicken Enchiladas

2009-09-09T12:57:00.000-07:00

My husband's favorite dinner is chicken enchiladas. This recipe is really easy and yummy to make!

2 cups boiled chicken, cubed
3 cans Cream of Chicken Soup
1 pckg. of cream cheese
1 can green chilies
1 16 oz. container of Sour cream
1 pckg. plain tortillas
2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Mix chicken, 2 cans of cream of chicken soup, cream cheese, sour cream, and green chilies together. Separate mixture into tortillas. Place filled tortillas in a 9x13 pan. Add the last can of cream of chicken soup to left over filling and pour over enchiladas. Cover with grated cheese and bake at 350 for 40 minutes. For the last five minutes of baking time, turn your oven to the broiler and allow the cheese to brown just a little on top and enjoy!

From the Kitchen of: Megan

Zucchini Cookies

2009-09-06T07:52:00.000-07:00

1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 c. raw unpeeled zucchini, grated (If you use some you've frozen, just let it thaw & do not drain the water/juice that's in the bag).
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
1 c. raisins or chocolate chips (optional)
½ - 1 c. chopped nuts - doesn't matter what kind (optional)

Mix dry ingredients together in a medium sized bowl and set aside. In a Bosch, Kitchenaid, or large bowl (using hand beaters) cream the shortening and sugars, then beat in egg. Next add zucchini and mix until incorporated. Sift in the dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in raisins/chocolate chips and nuts by hand. Drop onto ungreased cookie sheet & bake at 350 for 15 min.

These cookies taste almost like pumpkin chocolate chip and are a great way to use up your zucchini!

From the Kitchen of: Tannie

Porkchops with Tomatoe Relish

2009-09-02T16:29:00.000-07:00

3 small tomatoes, diced
6 green onions
3/4 cup cucumber, diced
3/4 cup Russian dressing
6 tsp white vinegar
3/4 tsp dried tarragon leaves
1 1/2 tsp prepared mustard
4 pork chops

Mix tomato, cucumber and onions in a small bowl. Mix dressing, vinegar, tarragon, and mustard in a seperate small bowl. Stir 3/4 of the dressing mixture into the tomato mixture.
Broil pork chops. Brush with remaining dressing mixture. Serve with tomato relish. We like to put the relish on the pork chop and rice!

From the kitchen of Kelly.

Black Bean Soup

2009-08-25T20:52:00.000-07:00

This is...hands down...my favorite soup. Even my husband loves it and my kids, a picky four year old, and older baby will eat some.

This is from my favorite cookbook: The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook
but modified to fit how I cook it, plus pictures.

Serves 6 to 8
Prep time: 15 minutes, Total time: 50 minutes

1 TBSP vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped fine
1 jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded and minced
6 garlic cloves minced
2 tsp. chili powder
dash of cayenne pepper or "red ground pepper"
4 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
salt to taste
limes weges (opt - but I LOVE it with it so I wouldn't dream of leaving it out)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro (opt)

Heat oil in Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat until shimmering. Cook onion, jalapeno and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes.

Stir in chili powder and red pepper. Cook for about 1 minute.
Rinse beans. Add beans, broth, salt, and 1 1/2 cups of water to pot. Bring to simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
Blend three cups of soup in blender until smooth. Sorry for lack of picture. This part is a little tricky. The hot soup creates a lot of pressure in the blender and can make a mess. I have had this soup pop the lid off by sheer pressure build up even with me pushing down on the top. Unless you have a vitamix, be sure to adjust the lid to release the steam as you blend.
Add mixture back to the soup and add remaining 1/2 cup of water if necessary.
Off heat, season the soup with lime wedges and salt. You can also add cilantro, avocado, and sour cream.

Add some yummy cornbread or tortillas...I made squash cornbread casserole... and you have a light vegetarian meal.

We ended the night with a virgin pina colada shake also from this blog. Click here.

enjoy!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

2009-08-20T08:34:00.000-07:00

My husband claims this is the best meatball recipe in the world! Also, I love any good spaghetti recipe, it is my favorite dinner! It looks complicated, but it's really easy:

Meatballs:
1 egg
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons yellow mustard
1 teaspoon ketchup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baby barn seasoning
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion

Baby Barn Seasoning:
3 tablesppons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon celery salt

Spaghetti:
Angel Hair pasta, or your choice of noodle
1 teaspoon olive oil
couple teaspoons salt
Okay, make the baby barn seasoning. This can be used in basically any Italian recipe or for anything you want! After you seasoning mixture is done, combine all the ingredients for your meatballs. Mix and form into meatballs. Gently place the meatballs into the sauce 1 at a time. Simmer in the sauce uncovered for 10 minutes with out stirring. After ten minutes stir sauce frequently and allow to cook for 20 more minutes. Start your water for your noodles. When it boils add your olive oil, salt and noodles. Voila! Yummy spaghetti and meatballs!

Soft Pretzels

2009-08-15T12:17:00.001-07:00

1 package of yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
4 cups of flour
1 1/2 tsp Sugar
1 egg
Kosher Salt

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add flour and sugar. Knead until smooth. Make into pretzels. Spread egg white on top and sprinkle with salt. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Makes 18. We actually cut the dough into small pieces (about 1 inch) to make pretzel bites and baked them for twelve minutes.

Zucchini Bread

2009-08-11T18:08:00.000-07:00

We've had our first reader submission! This zucchini bread recipe looks delicious:

3 c flour

1 Tbs cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp baking powder
3 eggs
1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar, firmly packed
1 c vegetable oil
1 Tbs vanilla
2 c zucchini, grated
½ c chopped nuts (optional)
I like to add chocolate chips to this recipe even though it doesn’t actually call for it!

Sift flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside In a large bowl, thoroughly beat eggs, sugar, brown sugar, vegetable oil and vanilla. Stir in sifted ingredients. (Mixture will be pretty thick until you mix in the zucchini) Blend in grated zucchini and nuts. Pour into 2 greased and lightly floured 4 ½ x 8 ½ inch loaf pans. Sprinkle top with cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 325 for 60-70 minutes.
Note: When zucchini is “plentiful,” I like to grate the zucchini and freeze in 2 cup quantities to be used all year long.

Waffles

2009-08-08T10:36:00.001-07:00

This is my favorite waffle recipe, the vanilla makes it extra delicious!

1 3/4 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup cooking oil or melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl and make a well. In a separate container, beat the eggs slightly and add the rest of the wet ingredients to eggs. Mix wet ingredients together and pour into the well in middle of dry ingredients. Stir together until batter is moistened, it should be slightly lumpy. On a hot waffle iron pour correct amount of batter for your waffle iron and bake to manufactures instructions. Enjoy with your favorite waffle toppings!

Southern Tacos

2009-08-05T07:06:00.000-07:00

1 can kidney beans (drained)
1 can sliced olives (drained)
1 can corn (drained)
1 can chopped tomatoes (un-drained)
1 cup uncooked rice
Tortillas
Sour cream (optional)
Shredded cheese (optional)
Salsa (optional)

Make rice according to directions. While rice cooks, open and drain all the canned ingredients (don’t drain tomatoes). I also usually buy whole olives and just slice them myself. When rice is done mix all ingredients together and warm on stove. You can also add shredded beef or pork, ground beef or turkey, or chopped chicken.

While taco mix is warming up - heat up the tortillas (microwave works fine, but I like to fry them on the stove). When tortillas are warm put down a layer of sour cream, then taco mix, then shredded cheese. Roll up and eat!
Tips:

This is a quick (but tasty) meal to make as long as you get the rice cooked first. It is a vegetarian dish, and I never add the meat, but you could of course if you wanted to. It is a strange type of taco but very yummy. Sometimes when it is warming up it tends to get sticky or dry, so when I drain the olives, beans, and corn I don’t drain them strictly all the way so there is a little extra moisture. Using tomatoes with a Mexican spice or tomatoes with jalapeño peppers can add a different flavor and spice. This is pretty big dish so most of the time I half the recipe. I use half cans of everything and then use the other half of the canned ingredients to make a taco soup later on in the week.

Tiny Spicy Chicken

2009-07-31T13:38:00.000-07:00

This is my MIL's recipe and it is the best tiny spicy chicken. I love Mandarin Garden's tiny spicy chicken, but I think this is even better!

Chicken:
2 1/2 lbs Chicken, cut into small chunks
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 beaten eggs
1 cup corn starch
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup water

Mix water and eggs together, in separate dish mix garlic powder and corn starch. Dip chicken pieces in the egg mixture and then into the corn starch mixture. Brown chicken in oil until browned on both sides and move to cookie sheet.

Sauce:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 pineapple juice
1 to 1 1/4 teaspoons tabasco sauce
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix together and pour over browned chicken. Bake the chicken at 350 for 45 minutes. Half way through baking turn the chicken over and enjoy!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

2009-07-28T07:57:00.000-07:00

enough chicken breasts to feed family

same amount sliced ham as chicken

same amount sliced Swiss cheese as chicken

1 can cream of chicken soup

^2/₃ cup Milk

½ cup Butter

1 pkg. Stuffing

Directions:

Layer in casserole dish: chicken, then ham, then cheese. Mix soup with milk and pour soup mixture over all. Melt butter and mix with stuffing; Sprinkle mixture over top. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 1/2 hrs. (Cover with tin foil last 45 minutes so stuffing doesn't burn.)

Tips:

The recipe seems odd because it doesn’t call for specific amounts of the meats and cheese, but I’ve found it to be really useful that way. Just choose your size of casserole dish, and then fill it with enough chicken to coat the bottom, then layer on the sliced ham (I usually use turkey ham), and then the cheese. I usually have pretty thick layers of ham and cheese. If you make a larger casserole you can always double the stuffing and use two packages (the opposite is also true – you can just use half a package of stuffing and half the butter).

Pina Coladas

2009-07-24T20:54:00.000-07:00

I apologize for no pictures for this recipe. This is my favorite pina colada recipe:

1/2 can cream of coconut (Coco Lopez is the brand I use)
2 cups pineapple juice
2 big scoops of vanilla ice cream
ice cubes

Blend together and enjoy!

Summer Bean Salad

2009-07-24T20:45:00.000-07:00

This salad is delicious! I made it for our family BBQ today, and it got a great response! (I apologize for the fuzzy pictures, I'm by no means a professional photographer!)

1 15 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 green bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper (I used red because that's what I had)
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 cup chunky salsa
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Mix altogether and refrigerate!

Here we go!

2009-07-14T21:46:00.000-07:00

We finally are ready for our recipe blog to take off! We hope you enjoy getting new recipes and finding new things to cook.

Mexican Rice Casserole

2009-07-14T21:35:00.000-07:00

I found this delicious recipe from a cooking blog called For the Love of Cooking. This is easy and yummy!

1 1/2 cups of white rice, prepared per instructions
1 tsp of olive oil
1 lb lean ground beef (I used 96/4)
1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2-1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
1 15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz can of tomato sauce
3-4 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped (divided)
1-2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
3-4 tomatoes, sliced thickly

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare rice per instructions. While the rice is cooking heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the ground beef, making sure to break it up into crumbles. Cook the beef for 3-4 minutes then add the diced onion and all of the seasonings. Stir until well combined and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until the beef is cooked through and the onion is tender. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly for an additional 60 seconds. Add the cooked rice, drained and rinsed black beans, tomato sauce and a bit of cilantro (reserving some for garnishing) to the beef and onion mixture. Mix the ingredients thoroughly, taste and re-season if needed.

Coat a large baking dish with cooking spray and pour the rice mixture into the dish, spreading it evenly. Place the tomato slices on top of the rice mixture then top with cheddar cheese.

Spray a piece of tin foil with cooking spray (so the cheese won't stick) and cover the baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes then remove the tin foil. Bake for an additional 5-7 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden brown. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before slicing. Top with a dollop of sour cream and the remaining chopped cilantro. Enjoy.