Friday, February 29, 2008

Peanut Sauce

Whenever I see peanut butter in a recipe that is for a main dish, I automatically think yuck. I gave this a try and it was yummy. It had a nice creamy flavor and I didn't notice the peanut butter so much. Give it a try, it is good. I had it with fettuccine noodles, chicken, yellow squash, zucchini, broccoli and carrots.

Peanut Sauce

In a food processor combine 2 tbsp peanut butter, 1/4 cup canola oil, 2-4 cloves of garlic (depending on taste), approx. 1/8 cup rice vinegar, 1 tbsp teriyaki sauce, 1 tsp spicy mustard, 1/4-1/2 tsp of red curry paste. Mix. If the sauce seems to thick add 1-2 tbsp of water.
Enjoy the sauce mixed with chicken & rice or a mixture of pasta, chicken and veggies.

Haystacks

Have you ever made "Hawaiian" haystacks? They're great for feeding large groups of people. Here's what you do.

1) Make a big pot of simple rice (brown or white).

2) Make a creamy sauce in the crock pot. Use a couple of shredded cooked chicken breasts, a carton of sour cream, a can or two of cream of chicken soup, and two cups of shredded cheese. If your chicken is already cooked you can expect the whole mixture to cook and become creamy in just a couple of hours. You could also add milk or chicken broth to thin it, or cream cheese to thicken it up a little. Whatever you like.

3) Put out bowls of toppings like: chopped celery, diced tomatoes, canned pineapple chunks, shredded coconut, sliced almonds, chow mein noodles, shredded cheese, anything else that you think sounds good.

Then just put everything on the table and let your guests make piles on their plates! Rice, then sauce, then any of the toppings that appeal to them. It's super-yummy and very easy to make large amounts.

"Upside Down Pizza

The recipe itself calls for sausage and mushrooms; I made it with green peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, and diced tomatoes instead, and it turned out as a great vegetarian version of this recipe! I imagine you could make the "toppings" out of any ingredients that you like on pizza...

Upside-Down Sausage and Mushroom Pizza
Recipe courtesy Robin Miller 2007

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound sweet or hot turkey sausage, casing removed
1 cup onion, sliced
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
2 cups pasta sauce
1/2 cup black olives, sliced
16 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup Parmesan, grated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and cook for 3 minutes, or until browned and cooked through, breaking up the meat as it cooks with a wooden spoon. Add onion and mushrooms and cook 2 minutes, until soft. Add pasta sauce, pizza sauce and olives and bring to a simmer, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer sauce to the bottom of a 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Top with mozzarella cheese.
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and oil until blended. Whisk in flour and salt until well blended. Pour mixture over sauce in pan. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Must try these Apple Dumplings!!

Okay, so Pioneer Woman did it again. You all MUST try these Apple Dumplings. Okay, unless you're on a diet or have sworn off sugar (ahem, ahem). They are super easy, made with ingredients you may just have around, and they are A-MAZ-ING! Don't be scared by the Mountain Dew--they're yummy!!

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Grilled Bruschetta Chicken

I love easy recipes that also look fancy and taste really good which is why I love the Kraft Foods website. This recipe is one of our favorites that we have found on there and we've adapted it slightly to make indoors on our griddle (for when it's 30 degrees outside).

Grilled Bruschetta Chicken

1/4 cup Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing, divided
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)
1 medium tomato, finely chopped
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese (we usually just use colby-jack and it tastes great)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried basil leaves

PLACE large sheet of heavy-duty foil over half of grill grate; preheat grill to medium heat. Pour 2 Tbsp. of the dressing over chicken in resealable plastic bag; seal bag. Turn bag over several times to evenly coat chicken with the dressing. Refrigerate 10 min. to marinate. Remove chicken from marinade; discard bag and marinade.

GRILL chicken on uncovered side of grill 6 min. Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, cheese, basil and remaining 2 Tbsp. dressing.

TURN chicken over; place, cooked-side up, on foil on grill. Top evenly with tomato mixture. Close lid. Grill an additional 8 min. or until chicken is cooked through (165ºF).

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

P-Dub's Cinnamon Rolls

You can see her version (with pics) here, although I typed it up for my family and thought I'd put it here too. They are amazing and while labor-intensive, really easy.

Ingredients:
4.5 c. milk, separated into 4 cups and 1/2 cup
1 c. vegetable oil
2 c. sugar
2 pkg. active dry yeast
9 c. flour
1 heaping tsp baking powder
1 scant tsp baking soda
1 heaping tablespoon salt
2 c. melted butter
lots of cinnamon
1 bag powdered sugar
2 tsp maple flavoring
1 tsp vanilla


Directions:
Mix 4 cups of whole milk, 1 cup of vegetable oil, and 1 cup of the sugar in a pan. "Scald" the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point.) Turn off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour.

When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in 2 packages Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute so the yeast gets all warm and moist and happy.

Then add 8 (not nine) cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let sit for at least an hour.

Now add 1 more cup of flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir mixture together. At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it—overnight or even a day or two, if necessary.

Then roll the cinnamon rolls. Sprinkle surface generously with flour. Take half the dough and form a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Rectangle should increase in both width and length as you roll it out.

Now drizzle 1 cup melted butter over the dough. Don’t be shy; lay it on thick!

Now sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the butter, followed by a very generous sprinkling of cinnamon.
Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Some of the butter/sugar/cinnamon mixture may ooze out toward the end, but that’s no big deal. Pinch the seam to the roll to seal it.

Spread about 1 tablespoon of melted butter in each of seven round, foil cake or pie pans. Then begin cutting rolls approximately 3/4 to 1 inch thick and laying them in the buttered pans. Repeat this process with the other half of the dough.

Let the rolls sit for 20 to 30 minutes to rise, then bake at 400 degrees until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.

While the rolls are in the oven, make the maple frosting. To a mixing bowl, add the powdered sugar, maple flavoring, vanilla, 1/2 cup milk, and the rest of the melted butter (about 1/4 -1/2 cup). Stir it up. It should be thick but pourable. Taste and adjust as needed.

Generously drizzle frosting over warm rolls after you pull them out of the oven. Drown 'em.

Monday, February 25, 2008

Oven Roasted Red Potatoes and Asparagus


This recipe is a tweaked version from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
- 6 red potatoes, cut into 2 inch chunks
- 1 bunch fresh asparagus, trimmed
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- ½ -1 tsp rosemary
- ½ - 1 tsp thyme
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- pepper (which I forgot, but it was still so good)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. In a 9x13 baking dish toss potatoes with 1 tbsp olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, 1 tsp salt. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 30 minutes in oven.

3. Put the asparagus on top of the potatoes. Drizzle remaining olive oil and sprinkle remaining salt over asparagus. Replace foil and bake 7 more minutes.

4. Take off the foil and bake 5 more minutes. Pepper to taste (if you want). We ate it with grilled chicken. It was delicious. I'm sure it would be great with another vegetable if you don't like asparagus.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Homework for the week

Here is your homework for this week. Keep track of your meals starting tomorrow morning, that would be monday :). At the end of the week simply post a list of what you ate. I love recipes, but I like ideas of what people are eating too. Thanks.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Oreo dessert #1,692

I've had many Oreo desserts in my day (gotta love that clever cookie) but I think this one is my favorite.

Bethany's Oreo Dessert

1 package of Oreos, crushed. Save 12 to garnish top of dessert
1 stick butter, melted
1 cup powdered sugar
1 8oz package of cream cheese
a lot of Cool Whip (18 oz, or more if you want)
2 small boxes instant chocolate fudge pudding
3 cups milk

Directions

- Mix crushed Oreos and butter. Press into a 9x13 pan.
- In a bowl mix powdered sugar, cream cheese, and 8-10oz of Cool Whip. Carefully spread evenly over Oreo crust.
- Mix pudding and milk and pour over cream cheese layer.
- Top with 8oz Cool Whip. Refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Chocolate-Strawberry French Toast

(Food Network Recipe from Ellie Krieger)

3 eggs
1 1/4 cups nonfat milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
8 slices of whole-wheat sandwich bread, crusts removed
1 (8-ounce) container strawberries, hulled and sliced
4 teaspoons bittersweet chocolate chips
Cooking spray
2 teaspoons confectioners' sugar

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and vanilla. Set aside.

Place 1 tablespoon of ricotta in the center of 4 of the pieces of bread and spread around slightly. Top with about 6 slices of strawberries and a teaspoon of chocolate chips. Cover each with another piece of bread to make a "sandwich".

Spray a large nonstick skillet or griddle with cooking spray and preheat. Carefully dip each of the "sandwiches" into the egg mixture until completely moistened. Then place on the skillet and cook over a medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until the outside is golden brown and the center is warm and chocolate is melted.

Transfer to serving places. Top with remaining strawberries and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Whipped Cream Frosting

I've never been a fan of traditional frosting...it's a bit too sugary for me. When I make a cake, I usually just whip up some heavy cream and sugar and use that as frosting. I found this new recipe from America's Test Kitchen a few weeks ago and just got around to trying it.

MMMMMMM.

Ingredients:
8oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/2 c. white sugar
1 t. vanilla
1/8 t. salt
2 c. heavy cream or heavy whipping cream

1. Combine cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and salt. Beat at medium-high speed for 1-2 minutes until light and fluffy, pausing to scrape down bowl as needed.
2. Reduce speed to low and add heavy cream in slow, steady stream; when almost fully combined, increase speed to medium-high and beat until mixture holds stiff peaks, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes more, scraping down bowl as needed.

yields 4 1/2 cups frosting.

So So yummy.

Sour Cream Enchiladas

These are so easy to throw together. Not to

mention pretty good. You could easily add

some chicken to them.


Ingredients

1/2 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1/4 pint Sour cream
1/2 can Green Chilies diced
1/2 pound Cheese shredded
1/2 medium Onion diced


Instructions
Heat together: the soup, sour cream, and chilies. Meanwhile prepare the cheese and onion.

Fill one dozen taco shells with cheese and onions roll up shells. Place in 8 by 8 cake pan.
Cover with heated sour cream mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 10 minutes at 425°. Serve hot.

Recipe from Sallie Hughes

Monday, February 11, 2008

Chicken Panini

Makes 4 big sandwiches

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
¼ cup chicken broth
¼ cup Kraft Italian dressing
2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp garlic powder
A loaf French bread, sliced
4-8 slices Mozzarella cheese
4-8 slices Monterey Jack cheese
1 tomato, sliced
Honey mustard
Butter

Directions:

Put chicken breast, chicken broth, Italian dressing, rosemary, and garlic powder in crock pot and cook for 4 hours or until done. Shred chicken. Preheat grill. Spread butter on to-be-grilled side of each slice of bread. Assemble sandwiches: bread, Mozzarella cheese, chicken, Monterey Jack cheese, tomato, and honey mustard. Grill for 2 minutes (I used a George Foreman Grill, adjust for your grill).

Vegetable Barley Soup

This recipe is from allrecipes.com. We tried it this weekend and it is delicious!

INGREDIENTS
2 quarts vegetable broth
1 cup uncooked barley
2 large carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 zucchini, chopped
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
1 onion, chopped
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

DIRECTIONS
Pour the vegetable broth into a large pot. Add the barley, carrots, celery, tomatoes, zucchini, garbanzo beans, onion, and bay leaves. Season with garlic powder, sugar, salt, pepper, parsley, curry powder, paprika, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 50-90 minutes. The soup will be very thick (it really will, I promise). You may adjust by adding more broth or less barley if desired. Remove bay leaves before serving.

Friday, February 8, 2008

Soft, chewy sugar cookies

It is tradition for us to have big, yummy sugar cookies for Valentines Day. I found and tried this recipe and the are DELICIOUS! If you make them a little thick they are like the Granny's cookies. I got it off of Laughadaisy Recipes.


Best Sugar Cookies Ever

1/2 cup butter, softened (no substitutes)
1 3-oz package cream cheese
1-1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

  • Beat butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add powdered sugar and baking powder, beat till combined. Beat in egg and vanilla. Beat in as much of the flour as you can. Stir in any remaining flour with a wooden spoon. Divide dough in half. Cover and chill 1 hour or till dough is easy to handle.

  • Roll dough, half at a time, to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes. Arrange cutouts 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet (I use parchment paper instead).

  • Bake in a 375-degree oven for 7 to 8 minutes or till edges are set. Cool on a wire rack.

**This recipe is from the Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publications Magazine dated 1996.


Monday, February 4, 2008

Chicken with Prosciutto, Mushrooms, and Cream Sauce

I got the basics of this recipe from Allrecipes, but modified it to fit my needs. It turned out great - both Chris and I LOVED it. It was actually pretty easy, too.

Ingredients:
3 T butter, melted
8 chicken thighs
salt and pepper to taste
8 slices prosciutto, thinly sliced (you can also use bacon)
8 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
1 8oz. package of sliced mushrooms (I used baby bella, oyster, and shiitake mushrooms, and it was AWESOME)
1/4 c. dry white wine or low-sodium chicken broth (optional)
1 c. sour cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Drizzle butter into a casserole dish. Sprinkle mushrooms into dish. Season chicken with salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon garlic (don't go overboard on salt here, especially if you're using prosciutto, since it's already a salty meat). Wrap chicken thighs in prosciutto, and place in casserole dish on top of mushrooms. Sprinkle the remaining garlic on top of chicken.
Bake in a preheated oven until juices run clear, about 1 hour. Remove chicken and mushrooms to a platter, and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.

Pour drippings from casserole into a skillet set over medium-low heat. Whisk in wine/broth and sour cream, and cook until warmed through, about 5 to 7 minutes. Pour over chicken, and serve.

Saturday, February 2, 2008

Pesant Bread

So Easy to Make and so Yummy.


Ingredients

1 package Dry yeast
2 cups Warm water
1 tablespoons Sugar
2 teaspoons Salt
4 cups Flour
Butter melted


Instructions
Mix all ingredients but flour and butter. Add all but 1 cup of flour. Then slowly add the last cup of flour. Cover and let rise until double. Pull it out of the bowl and make it into two round loafs. Place on greased cooking sheet. Let rise until double in size. Brush with melted butter. Cook for 10 minutes at 425° and then for 15 minutes at 375°. Can brush with more butter after the bread is done cooking.
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Friday, February 1, 2008

Sorry

Sorry about the funky appearance of my posts. I'm copying them from my recipe program and I couldn't figure out how to get rid of the lines

Lasagna

This is my all time favorite Lasagna. For some reason my Mother-in-law makes it better, but it's still yummy. I really like it made with sausage.


Ingredients

1 pound Ground beef, pork sausage, or italian sausage
1 tablespoon Olive oil or salad oil
1 clove Garlic minced
1 tablespoon Parsley flakes
1 tablespoon Basil
2 teaspoon Salt
1 Large Can Tomatoes 2 1/2 cups
6 ounce Tomato paste
10 ounce Lasagna noodles
24 ounce Cottage cheese
2 Eggs beaten
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
2 tablespoon Parsley flakes
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 pound Mozzarella or American Cheese grated


Instructions
Brown the meat in the olive oil. Add the garlic, first amount of parsley, basil, salt, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Simmer, uncovered until thick, (about 40 minutes) stirring occasionally.

Cook in boiling water the lasagna noodles.

Combine the cottage cheese, eggs, pepper, 2nd amount parsley flakes, and parmesean cheese.

Place half the noodles on a 9x13x2 inch baking dish. Spread with half the cottage cheese mixture. Add half the cheese. Add half the meat mixture. Repeat the layers.

Bake 375° for 30 minutes.

Recipe from Loa Uremovich



I usually spilt this into two pans and freeze one.

Pizza Crust


This is a very easy crust to make. I have used it for pizza and for calzones.


Yields: 1 crust


Ingredients

1 cup Water warm
2 1/2-3 cupsFlour
1/2 cup Parmesean cheese optional
1 teaspoon Salt
2 tablespoon Oil
1 tablespoon Sugar
2 teaspoons Yeast
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning


Instructions
Combine ingredients and mix until blended. If using parmesean cheese only use 2 1/2 cups flour.

Cook 20-30 minutes at 375°

Breanna Nichols

Garlic Chicken Sausage Pizza

Ingredients

3 Harmons Garlic Chicken Sausage links casings romved, crumbled, and cooked throughly
1/4 cup Butter
3 cloves Garlic minced
1 cup Parmessiano Reggiano Chesse grated
1/4 cup Heavy cream
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 bunch Green onion chopped
12 Cherry or grape tomatos chopped
1 package Kraft Italian Style Shredded Cheese
1 Baboli Pizza Crust
McCormick Pizza Seasoning Grinder


Instructions
Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the cheese and cream, salt and pepper and heat throught, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and let cool until thickened about 10 minutes. When sauce has thickend pour on Boboli crust and spread evenly. Top sauce with cooked sausage, onion and then tomatoes. Cover with entire package of shredded cheese. Grind the pizza seasoning over hte top of the cheese to desired taste. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes.

Harmon's Grocery Store