Saturday, November 28, 2009



Raspberry Chicken
Maija-Liisa N. Adams

To broil 5-6 inches from the flame, place chicken directly in broiler pan without the rack --

1 2.5-3 lb. broiler fryer chicken, cut up or your favorite pieces of chicken
vegetable oil
1 10 oz. package frozen red raspberries (quick-thaw pouch)
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Preheat broiler. Brush chicken with oil. Season with some salt and pepper. Place chicken, skin side down or remove skin, on broiler rack. Broil 5-6 inches from heat 20 minutes or until browned; turn. Broil 10 minutes more. Meanwhile, thaw raspberries; drain, reserving syrup. If the package of raspberries you bought didn't produce any syrup, use a little bit of raspberry jam and water as the base. In saucepan blend syrup into cornstarch; stir in cinnamon. Cook and stir until bubbly. Stir in butter and lemon juice. Gently stir in berries and nuts. Serve with chicken. Makes 4 servings.

  • Artichoke Dip
  • Sarah d'Evegnee

  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 can (7 oz) mild diced green chilis
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 package cream cheese, softened
  • 2 (6.5 ounce) jars marinated artichoke hearts, drained

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix all ingredients. Transfer the mixture to an 8x8 inch baking dish or a hollowed round loaf of bread. Bake 30 minutes, or until the surface is lightly browned and bubbly.


Lindsey's Bread Sticks
Lindsey Dewey

1 loaf frozen Rhodes bread dough
1/2 stick butter
Parmesan cheese
Salad Supreme seasoning

At lunch time, place one loaf of frozen bread dough on a greased cookie sheet. Cover with plastic wrap that has also been sprayed with non-stick spray.

One hour before meal time, take the loaf and place it on a floured surface. Roll out flat. Using a pizza cutter, cut the loaf into 1/2-inch thick slices. Melt the butter. Take each strip and dip it into the butter. Twist the strip a few times and then place it on a cookie sheet. Place all of your twisted strips close to each other so that they are touching. Sprinkle the breadsticks with Parmesan cheese and Salad Supreme (or paprika). Let rise one more hour with plastic wrap covering the strips.

Heat your oven to 400 and bake the breadsticks for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Bear Popcorn
Debbie Richards

2 cubes butter, melted

1 1/3 C. sugar

½ C. karo syrup

Boil 3 minutes

Turn off heat and add 1 tsp. vanilla

Pour over:

2 bags microwave popcorn

2 C. mini marshmallows

8-12 oz. cinnamon bears cut into thirds

Spread on wax paper to cool


White Chocolate Candy Cane Popcorn
Janeese Summers

1/2 cup unpopped popcorn (16 cups popped
2 cups white chocolate chips
1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy canes


Pop popcorn (popcorn may be lightly buttered and salted if desired). Melt white chocolate chips in microwave thirty seconds at a time, stirring after each 30 seconds. Stir in melted chocolate and candy canes and cool.


Salsa Cream Cheese and Crackers

Maija-Liisa N. Adams

1 package cream cheese
pour your favorite salsa over it
serve with your favorite crackers

It's quick, easy and tasty.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

I took the pictures after I got back from a Stake Meeting, so you can see some of the food in its "Post Party" state. My favorite picture is of Kelly's lone green bean!

Gingersnaps
Mindy Jensen

Mix together:
1c. sugar
3/4 c unsalted butter
1/4 c molasses
1 egg beaten

Add:
2c. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
bake at 350 for 15 min.

Let cookies cool and then ice:
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
1/4 c. melted butter
2 T milk
1 tsp. vanilla
food coloring




Secret Ingredient Green Beans
Kelly Eyring

2 lbs green beans
1 Tablespoon anchovy paste
2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons minced garlic
½ cup chopped fresh Italian flat leaf parsley

Trim green beans and cut diagonally in to bite sized pieces. Steam until crisp-tender remove from pan and cover with foil to keep warm reserving cooking water. Whip anchovy paste into olive oil. Melt butter in a skillet over med-hi heat. Saute garlic until golden, stir in anchovy mixture, beans and 1 Tablespoon of steaming cooking liquid, heat through. Toss with parsley. Add some pine nuts if you like.

Don’t tell anyone that there is anchovy paste in here. Your kids will love these beans, people will try to guess what makes them so good. The minute you tell, the party will be over but until then enjoy a great alternative to the usual green bean dish of fried onions and cream of mushroom soup. We have never gone back.




Christmas Morning Sausage Casserole
Sarah d'Evegnee

This is what we gorge ourselves on late Christmas morning when we're in a sugar fog from the goodies in our stockings and need something substantial! I make it the night before, and then just stagger over to the oven in the morning and pop it in! Everyone loves it because it has it's own unique Breakfast Casserole twist!

1 pd sage flavored breakfast sausage (if you can't find it at our impossibly poorly stocked grocery stores, you can just add about 2 t dried sage to regular breakfast sausage. I have dried sage if you need to borrow some.)
1/2 cup onion shredded (when I am in a particularly lazy stupor, I use about 1/4 cup dried minced onion--they have them at Walmart for a mere 50 cents a bottle!)
3 cups frozen shredded potatoes (I like to use the o'brien kind, but it just depends if you have eaters who don't like onions and green peppers)
1/4 cup butter, melted
12 oz shredded cheddar cheese (I usually use sharp for more flavor)
1 16 oz container cottage cheese (I know! Weird! But you can't tell that's what's in it when you eat it, huh?)
6 eggs

Brown sausage and onion and set aside to cool. Thaw potatoes (I just do it in the microwave) and mix in melted butter. Put potatoes in the bottom of a 9x13 pan and spread evenly. In a mixing bowl, add eggs and mix thoroughly. Then add sausage and onions, cheese, and cottage cheese and stir well. Pour egg mixture on top of potatoes (I know it just sounds like it's the wrong way to go about it, but it really does work!). Bake for one hour at 375 (You may need to put foil on top the last few minutes so the edges don't burn. (This can be assembled the night before, which is what we usually do late Christmas Eve. I brown the sausage while I'm wrapping presents and then just throw it all together in a whirl of eggs, cheese, and grace!) Enjoy! This is our favorite breakfast casserole and we've tried a bunch!




Holiday Cheeseball
Lindsey Dewey

1 pkg. cream cheese - softened
1 jar of Kraft Old English cheese
1 1/2 oz. crumbled blue cheese
1 TB grated onion

Mix the above ingredients together. Roll in crushed walnuts with a little parsley for color. Serve with crackers, fruit, etc. Keep refrigerated.



Christmas Butterhorns
Debbie Richards

2 C. flour
2 sticks melted butter (1 C.)
1 egg yolk
1 C. sour cream
Mix together and shape into 4 balls
Chill at least four hours or overnight

Mix together:
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Roll each ball out like pie crust—round and thin (use a little flour so it doesn’t stick)
Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar
Cut like pizza to make wedges
Roll up from wide end like a crescent roll

Place on cookie sheet (can be close together)
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until golden brown

Glaze:
1 C. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Boiling water to make a thin glaze (less than ¼ cup?)

Glaze when hot, then again when cool

Sweet Potatoes and Apples
Shelly Rigby

Cook 4-5 large yams in salted water until tender. Cool, peel and slice (Approx. 3/8 inch thick). Peel and slice 2 large baking apples (Granny Smith, Macintosh, Rome etc.).

Combine:
1 c. orange juice
1 ½ c. water
½ c. brown sugar
½ c. white sugar
2 rounded Tbs. cornstarch
4 Tbs. butter

Boil orange juice, water, brown sugar, and white sugar. Stir in cornstarch mixed in a little water. Add butter after thick.
Assemble in 9x13 pan. Place one layer of yams in pan (sprinkle lightly with salt). Add a layer of sliced raw apples, pour half of the sauce over yams and apples. Repeat so there are two layers of each. Pour remaining sauce over top. Cover with foil (remove the last 15 minutes). Bake 350* for 1 hour.


Porkkana Laatikko (Carrot and Rice Casserole)
Maija-Liisa N. Adams

This is a traditional Finnish carrot and rice casserole. When my Mother served guests a Finnish meal, this was often on her menu and we always have it at Christmas time. It's a great compliment for meat dishes, especially ham, which Finns eat for Christmas dinner. Freezes well. Serves 6-8.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. carrots, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1 cup half and half
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons brown sugar
salt to taste
2-3 Tbs. chopped almonds

Directions:
Boil carrots in salted water until done. Drain and save the water. Remove carrots from pan and add enough water, if necessary, to make 1 1/2 cups pour rest of of liquid back into the pan and let it come to a boil. Stir in uncooked rice. Cover and steam on low for 20 minutes. Meanwhile mash cooked carrots. Add half and half, beaten egg, and brown sugar, mixing well. When rice is done, stir into carrot mixture, adding salt to taste. Pour into a well greased 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.


Sweet Potato Casserole
Gen Rawlings
If you make it with 2 cups of yams it will definitely be a dessert, not a side dish. I make mine with 6 medium yams (which is at least 6 cups) and it's still really sweet. If you prefer to induce sugar comas, go ahead and do the 2 cup thing. : )

2 cups sweet potatoes (I use yams instead, and about 6 cups of them)
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 T flour

Topping:
1 cup chopped nuts (I use pecan halves--it's prettier)
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup brown sugar

Mash yams, then add butter, sugar and salt. Add eggs, vanilla and flour.

Make topping. Melt the butter, then add flour and brown sugar. Stir nuts in. Sprinkle over the top of the yam mixture

Bake at 350˚ for 30 minutes or until top is bubbly.


"Chocolate Roll"
Maria Thomas
(Recipe Coming Soon!)


Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Thursday, October 15, 2009



Pumpkin Crunch Cake
Shannon Packer


1-16 oz. can pumpkin, solid pack

1-12 oz. can evaporated milk

3 eggs

1 1/2 cup sugar

4 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

1/2 tsp. salt



Mix and pour into 9x13 buttered dish. Spinkle dry cake mix (Moist Yellow
Deluxe) on top. Top with 1 cup (or to taste) chopped pecans. Drizzle with
melted butter to cover the cake mix. Sometimes I spritz the cake mix not
covered with butter with a little water so it is all moistened. Bake at 350
for about 1 hour. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream. Refrigerate
leftovers - if any!


Light Cheese Ravioli with Pumpkin Sage Sauce
Kelly Eyring

½ cup dry white wine
¼ cup chopped shallots
1 container Buitoni refrigerated Light Alfredo Sauce
½ cup Libby 100% pure pumpkin
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage or 1 teaspoon ground sage
2 packages Buitoni refrigerated Light four cheese ravioli
2 tablespoons chopped green onion

Cook wine and shallots in medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally
Until reduced to about 1 tablespoon. (They say the alcohol cooks off but if you would rather try sautéing the shallots in a little butter) Stir in sauce, pumpkin, and sage. Heat through.

Prepare pasta according to package, drain reserving ¼ cup cooking water. Stir reserved water into sauce; toss with pasta. Sprinkle with green onion. Season with ground black pepper.

This isn’t exactly homemade but I love everything with pumpkin in it. It is easy and yummy.

Pumpkin Dip
Sarah d'Evegnee

Serve this in a small, hollowed out pumpkin and you'll be OVERWHELMED with cuteness!

1 (16 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed (I like to use extra creamy)
1 (5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
Ginger snaps (my personal favorite with this), cinnamon graham crackers, apples, pretzels, etc for dipping.

In a large bowl, mix together instant vanilla pudding mix, vanilla, pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice. Fold in the thawed frozen whipped topping. Chill in the refrigerator until serving. Serve with ginger cookies, cinnamon graham crackers, apples, pretzels, etc.


Peanut Butter S'More Bars
Debbie Willis
Prep Time: 15 Min
Total Time: 1 Hr 20 Min
Makes: 36 bars 
 


1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated peanut butter cookies 

3 cups miniature marshmallows

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips 

3/4 teaspoon oil

1 cup holiday-colored candy-coated chocolate candies

DIRECTIONS 
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. In pan, break up cookie dough. With floured fingers, press dough evenly to form crust. Bake 16 to 19 minutes or until golden brown.
2. Sprinkle crust with marshmallows. Bake 2 to 3 minutes longer or until marshmallows are puffy. 
3. Meanwhile, in small saucepan, melt chocolate chips with oil over low heat, stirring until smooth. 
4. Sprinkle bars with candy pieces. Drizzle melted chocolate mixture over warm bars. Cool completely, about 45 minutes. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 6 rows.


Frozen Pumpkin Squares -from the Ivory Family "Favorites" Cook book
Nicole Burt

2 cups canned pumpkin 1 C chopped walnuts, optional
1 C sugar 1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream, softened
1 tsp salt 36 crushed gingersnap cookies
1 tsp cinnamon whipping cream
1 tsp nutmeg

Combine pumpkin, sugar, salt cinnamon and nutmeg; mix well and stir in walnuts, if desired. Put softened ice cream into a chilled bowl and gently fold in pumpkin mixture. Line bottom of 9"x13" glass pan with half of the crushed gingersnaps. Cover with half of the ice cream-pumpkin mixture. Repeat with the remaining crushed gingersnaps and ice cream-pumpkin mixture. Freeze overnight. Cut into squares and serve w/whipped cream.


Pear and Granola Muffins
Rachel Helfrich

When fall comes, I love to use apples, pears, and plums as much as possible. Here is a favorite pear recipe that the whole family loves.


1 cup unbleached white flour
¾ cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
2 large eggs
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup plain yogurt
2 T unsalted butter, melted
¾ cup plain granola
2 cups pears, peeled and cut into ¼ inch dice

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Line a 12 cup standard muffin tin (I like to use a mini muffin tin) with paper liners; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, brown sugar, yogurt, and butter. Make a well in the center of flour mixture. Add egg mixture, and mix in flour just until combined. Gently fold in the granola and pears.
4. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each ¾ full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 minutes (less for mini muffins). Cool five minutes before removing from tin.


Nordstrom Tomato and Basil Soup
Heather Ball

1/3 Cup extra-virgin olive oil
5 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 tablespoon dried basil
3 cans (28 ounces each) whole Italian-style tomatoes in puree
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups heavy (whipping) cream
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons lightly packed fresh basil leaves, cut into fine ribbons

In a 6- to 8-quart saucepan over medium heat, warm the oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the carrots, onion, and dried basil and saute, stirring occasionally, until softened, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the tomatoes, including the puree, and the broth and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes to blend the flavors.

Remove from the heat. Puree the soup in the saucepan using a wand type immersion blender or working in batches, puree the soup in a blender or a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Return the pureed soup to the saucepan, add the cream, and place over medium heat. Warm until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle the soup into a warmed soup tureen or individual bowls, garnish with the basil, and serve immediately.

Serves 8 to 10


Carol's Beef and Vegetable Stew
Nicole Burt

3 lbs. stewing beef 5 C boiling water
1/3 C flour 6 medium carrots
3 T fat 8 medium onions
2 tsp. salt potatoes(optional)
1/4 tsp. pepper 1/4 tsp. oregano or marjoram
1 tsp. sugar 2 c cooked or canned peas
1 (8 oz. can) tomatoe sauce

Cut beef in 1 inch cubes; dredge in flour. Heat fat in large heavy saucepot. Brown meat on all sides, add salt, pepper, sugar, tomatoe sauce and water. Simmer, covered 1 1/2 hours or until meat is almost tender. Peel carrots, slice 1 inch thick. Peel and chop onions and add w/carrots to meat. Add potatoes peeled and quartered (optional...I never peel them), cover; cook 30 minutes. Add oregano or marjoram and peas (I like frozen best). Cook 15 minutes or until meat and veggies are done. If desired, thicken gravy before serving.
Note: I omit some of the onions and add some celery.


Crisp & Chewy Molasses Cookies- Pillsbury Best Cookies Cookbook
Diana Puzey

1 1/2 C sugar
1 C marg. or butter softened
1 C molasses
2 eggs
4 C flour
3 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger

Mix sugar and marg., beat till light and fluffly. Add molasses and eggs, mix. Add the rest of the ingredients. Refrigerate for 30 minutes for easier handling. Can roll the dough balls in sugar before putting on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 6-10 minutes. Immediately remove from cookie sheets. (optional to put a yummy buttercream frosting on top)




Cheesy Corn Chowder

Karen McMaster

Ingredients needed:

4 slices of bacon

1 small onion chopped

2 medium celery stalks diced

4 1/2 cups milk

3-4 cooked chopped potatoes

1-2 cups shredded cheese

frozen super sweet corn

salt

pepper



Cook 4 slices of bacon, (until fat is released and it starts to crisp).
remove all but 2 TBSP of bacon fat and bacon, then add (about) 1 small onion
chopped.
Up to 2 medium celery stocks, diced.
add 4 1/2 cup milk (or 4 cups milk and 1/2 c. cream);
add 3-4 chopped and cooked potoatoes (a pressure cooker is faster).
add 1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
simmer gently for about five minutes
remove about 1 1/2 cups of solids from pan and puree. Return to the soup
and add 1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (that was dusted with flour).
Each person can add approximately 1/4 cup of frozen super sweet corn in the
bottom of their bowl and then hot soup on top. Let it sit for a 1-2 minute
and stir and eat.


Throwdown's German Chocolate Cake with Coconut-Pecan-Cajeta Frosting, Chocolate Ganache and Coconut Whipped Cream
Lindsey Dewey

Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay
Prep Time:
40 min
Inactive Prep Time:
2 hr 15 min
Cook Time:
1 hr 50 min
Level:
Intermediate
Serves:
1 (9-inch) cake
Ingredients
Cajeta Filling/Frosting:
2 cups whole milk
1 3/4 cups unsweetened coconut milk (recommended: Mount Thai brand)
1 cup goat's milk
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon pure cane sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons coconut rum, optional
1 1/4 cups toasted coarsely chopped pecans
1 1/4 cups sweetened coconut
Ganache:
8 ounces heavy cream
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
Chocolate Cake:
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for pans
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon fine salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons good quality Dutch process cocoa powder (such as Valhrona or Cocoa Barry)
1 1/2 cups muscavado light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups strongly brewed black coffee, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Cajeta filling, recipe above
Ganache, recipe above
Coconut Whipped Cream:
1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
1/4 cup coconut milk (recommended: Cocoa Lopez)
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar or granulated sugar
1 teaspoon coconut rum
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup lightly toasted sweetened coconut
Directions
For the cajeta filling/frosting:
Bring the milk, coconut milk and goat's milk to a simmer over low heat in a small saucepan. Keep warm while you prepare the caramel.
Combine the sugar and water in a medium saucepan over high heat and cook (do not stir) until it becomes a deep amber brown color. Slowly whisk in the warm milk mixture and continue whisking until smooth; add the vanilla seeds and corn syrup. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the sauce is reduced by half and is the consistency of a caramel sauce, about 55 minutes.
Once the sauce is reduced, remove from the heat and whisk in the cold better, vanilla extract, salt and rum and whisk until combined. Transfer the sauce to a medium bowl and stir in the pecans and coconut. Let the frosting cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally before frosting the cake.
For the ganache:
Bring cream to a simmer in a small saucepan over low heat. Put the chocolate into a medium bowl, add hot cream and the corn syrup and let sit for 30 seconds. Gently whisk until smooth. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before pouring over the cake.
For the chocolate cake:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter 2 (9-inch) cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
Melt the 12 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the cocoa powder and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat, add the sugars and whisk until the sugar is dissolved. Add the coffee, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla extract and continue whisking until smooth and just combined.
Divide the batter evenly between the 2 pans and bake on the middle rack until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 42 minutes. Let cool in the pans on a baking rack for 20 minutes. Then invert the cakes onto the baking rack and let cool for at least 1 hour before frosting. Slice each cake in half horizontally. Put 1 cake layer on a cake round or platter and spread 1/3 of the frosting evenly over the top, repeat to make 3 layers and top with the remaining cake layer, top side up. Pour the chocolate ganache over the cake and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
For the coconut whipped cream:
Combine heavy cream, coconut milk, sugar, rum and vanilla in a mixer and mix until soft peaks form. Slice the cake, top each serving with a dollop of whipped cream and garnish with some of the toasted coconut.

Apple Cake
Stephanie Fay

Cream together:
3/4 C sugar
1/4 C shortening

Beat in
1 egg

Stir in 3 med. apples, peeled, cored, and grated
Sift together:
1 C flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp salt

Mix into appple mixture
Add 1/2 C chopped nuts

Pour into well greased 8" square pand and bake 45 min. at 350.

Pour on top:

Vanilla Sauce

Combine in a non-stick sauce pan:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup light cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Cook over med. heat until thick stirring frequently (like gravy) Pour over cake. Serve warm.

This is a great harvest-time-of-the-year treat.



Apple Slaw
Jennifer Sanders

A very refreshing, tangy salad, great for any luncheon!

4 c purchased coleslaw blend
1/4 c green onions, sliced
2 medium granny smith apples, thinly sliced

Dressing:
3 T sugar
1/4 t salt
1/4 t apple pie spice
3 T cider vinegar
2 T oil

In a large bowl, combine all salad ingredients and toss to mix.

In a small bowl, combine all dressing ingredients and blend well. Pour dressing over salad. Toss gently to coat. Refrigerate until you serve.


Licorice Caramels

Shannon Packer

1 cup butter

1 can (14 oz.) sw. condensed milk

1 1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/4 tsp. salt

2 cups sugar

1 tsp. black past food color

1 tsp. (or to taste) anise or licorice oil - can get at the pharmacy



Using some of the butter, coat sides of heavy pan. Add condensed milk, corn
syrup, salt, sugar, and remaining butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring
constantly to 244 degrees (at sea level) or medium firm ball. (My
mother-in-law says she cooks it for 45 minutes). Remove from heat. Add
black food paste and amise or licorice oil to suit taste. Blend well. Pour
into 9x13 greased pan. Cool. Cut and wrap in didividual pieces in waxed
paper. Store in covered tin. Makes about 117 1-inch pieces.



Grandma's Squash Pie
Mindy Sutherland

2 cups cooked yellow squash
3 cups milk
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
A couple drops of lemon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 tsp ginger
1 tsp vanilla

Drain squash. Mix all ingredients together. Pour in unbaked pie crust. Bake at 350* until knife comes out clean when put in the center. Garnish with whipped cream.


Marja Puuro (Cranberry Porridge)
Maija-Liisa Adams

We eat enjoy this as a breakfast porridge or as a dessert. In Finland it's originally made with lingonberries. My Mother used to boil whole cranberries in the fall and juice them to make this. To make it quicker, I now use purchased cranberry juice.

8 cups cranberry juice
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup of instant cream of wheat

Bring to boil cranberry juice and sugar to sweeten it. Then slowly sprinkle in instant cream of wheat while whisking it. Lower the heat, but still let it bubble. Cook for 10 minutes with a lid on.

Now, pour it into a large pyrex type bowl. Place the bowl in a dishpan of cold water or fill the sink half full of cold water. Beat the mixture until it's much lighter in color. My mother used to tell me to stick out my tongue and when it looks that color, it's done. Sometimes however, depending on the cranberry juice you buy, you may need to add a drop of red food coloring to "pink it up". Keep it on the counter top for at least an hour and then serve with milk or half and half with a sprinkle of sugar on top. It goes especially well with the Finnish Pulla bread recipe you already have.


Old World Fresh Apple Butter Cake
Maija-Liisa Adams

My Mother made this every fall during apple harvest time. When I was three she made a beautiful white cake with white frosting and took it out to the potato field for the afternoon break. As soon as my Dad brought the harvester to a stop, which was followed by a cloud of dust, I suddenly had a chocolate birthday cake! After that this was often my birthday cake -- non frosting and easy to hand out during harvest.

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups peeled grated apples
2 cups chopped walnuts

Directions:
In a bowl, beat butter and sugar until well mixed. Gradually add the flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir in vanilla. Fold in apples and walnuts.

Pour into a greased tube pan or bundt pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool 15 minutes. Glaze if desired. I don't. I sometimes sprinkle powdered sugar with a little bit of cinnamon sugar on it, when I make it in a castle mold, so it looks like it has freshly fallen snow on it.

Barbecued Pork Chops with Sautéed Apples
From Cooking Light
Kelly Eyring

Sauce :

¼ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup ketchup
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

6 6 ounce boneless center-cut pork chops 1 inch thick

1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon garlic salt
¼ teaspoon ground red pepper

Sautéed Apples

3 Tablespoons butter
6 cups sliced peeled Granny Smith Apples
½ cup packed brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon


1. Prepare grill or broiler
2. To prepare the sauce, combine the first 4 ingredients in a small bowl. Place ¼ cup sauce in another small bowl, and set aside.
3. Trim fat from pork. Combine thyme, garlic salt, and pepper; sprinkle pork with the thyme mixture. Place pork on grill rack or broiler pan coated with cooking spray; cook 6 minutes on each side, basting with sauce. Serve chops with Sautéed Apples and reserved sauce.


Sautéed Apples

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples; sauté 6 minutes or until apples are just tender. Stir in sugar and cinnamon. Cook for 1 minute or until sugar melts.

Friday, October 2, 2009

Thursday, September 10, 2009


World War II "Secret" Spaghetti Sauce
and All Day Spaghetti
(Taught to Derek's Grandfather by another comrade)
Stephanie Fay

Meatballs:
½ lb hamburger
2 sm grated onions
1 cup soda crackers
1 egg
salt and pepper

Fry 3 cloves of garlic in up to ¾ cup shortening. Discard garlic.

Cook meatballs in shortening until cooked, but don’t overcook (you can also bake them at 400 degrees for 25 min. ahead of time).

Sauce
3-14 oz cans tomato sauce + 1 tomato paste & water (OR: 8-8 oz cans of tomato sauce)
8 oz Parmesan cheese
c tsp. Salt and pepper
¼ Tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Cook in crock pot on low for 6-8 hours, reserve one can of tomato sauce to put in one hour before eating. Can freeze leftovers.


Falafel
Christine Gilbert

One of the most popular foods from the Middle East. It is nutritious, simple to prepare and very flavorful! Small falafel patties are served inside Pita bread with fresh greens topped with delicious sesame tahini dressing.


Pita bread
Falafel balls: I buy the "Casbah" mix (at Winco by the rice section) and follow the easy instructions. I like to bake them instead of frying.
sliced tomato
chopped cucumber
feta cheese
kalamata olives
mint
parsley
Tahini sauce OR Yogurt sauce (recipes follow)

Tahini sauce:
1 c tahini
2/3 c water
1/2 t salt
2 lemons, juiced
1 garlic clove crushed
1 T parsley, chopped

Yogurt sauce:
2 c plain yogurt or sour cream
1/2 c cucumber
2 T Onion (thinly chopped)
1 t Mint
1 Garlic clove crushed


Tabouli
Christine Gilbert

A refreshing salad made with pre-cooked wheat, parsley, lemon juice, onion and fresh mint. Can be served over crisp romaine lettuce or used as a stuffing for tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchini or grape leaves

I use the "Casbah" mix following the package instructions then add 2 diced tomatoes. Allow to stand for 1 hour in refrigerator. Very easy and so yummy!!


Basil Shrimp with Feta and Orzo
by Kelly Eyring

1 regular-size foil oven bag (I couldn’t find one so I just made my own with foil)

Cooking spray

1 cup uncooked 0rzo(rice-shaped pasta)

4 teaspoons olive oil, divided

2 cup diced tomato

1 1/2 cup sliced green onions

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 tsp grated lemon rind

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

dash pepper

1 1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

1. Pre-heat oven to 450

2. Coat inside of oven bag with cooking spray. Place in a large shallow baking pan.

3. Cook pasta in boiling water for 5 minutes, omitting salt and fat, and drain. Place cooked pasta inn a large bowl. Stir in 2 tsp olive oil and next 7 ingredients (oil through pepper). Place the mixture in prepared bag. Combine shrimp and basil. Arrange shrimp over orzo mixture. Seal bag

4. Bake at 450 for 25 minutes until shrimp are done. Open bag and drizzle with olive oil. 6 servings


Easy Bistro Chicken
by Kelly Eyring

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

4 chicken breast halves, skinned

4 chicken thighs skinned (I just used breasts)

4 chicken drumsticks skinned

2 cups chopped onion

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup chopped celery

½ cup chopped fresh basil

½ cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

½ cup red wine vinegar

¼ cup sliced green olives

¼ cup capers

1 tablespoon sugar

dash of ground red pepper

2 bay leaves

1 28oz can Italian-style tomatoes, undrained and chopped

8 cups hot cooked macaroni or cavatappi (my favorite curly noodles)

1.Heat 1 ½ teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and sauté 2 min on each side until lightly browned. Remove from pan.

2.Heat 1 tablespoon oil in pan. Add onion and garlic; sauté 5 minutes. Add celery, sauté 5 minutes. Add basil and next 8 ingredients. Return chicken to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.

3. Uncover and simmer 25 minutes or until chicken is tender. Discard bay leaves. Serve with pasta. Garnish with parsley sprigs if desired. 8 servings.




Chicken Ratatouille
Sarah d’Evegnee

This French dish uses loads of Mediterranean vegetables and is a perfect way to use up the zucchini flooding your garden! We like to add chicken to ours to make it a whole meal and we usually serve it over rice. This is our family’s version, so it doesn’t have the eggplant or the fresh tomatoes that you see in most traditional ratatouille recipes (maybe when the kids grow up a little?). . . but this recipe did get the kids to start eating zucchini and mushrooms, which we never thought would happen!

3-4 chicken breasts, cubed (we usually do half a breast per person)
¼ cup red onion, cut in thin slices (about half an onion) (You can mince it if you have picky eaters who would be suspicious of the strips)
1 red pepper, sliced in quarter inch strips and then halved
1-2 green zucchini, sliced in thin half rounds
1-2 yellow zucchini squash, cut the same way
6-8 brown mushrooms, cut in half slices
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can tomato paste (you may need to add 2 t sugar to this if your paste is too acidic)
8 ounces water or chicken stock (or broth)
1 T herbes de provences (or you can substitute 1 T Italian seasoning or 2-3 T of fresh herbs on hand—parsley and/or rosemary and basil are good.)
2 t cumin (this gives it an “earthy” taste)
2 t celery salt (or seasoning salt or season all)
2 t oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Saute chicken and onion in olive oil until chicken is mostly cooked through. Add peppers, green and yellow zucchini, mushrooms and garlic. (You could add 2 cups cubed eggplant and/or two diced tomatoes here—my family will not allow me to do this, but it would be delicieux!) Cook for about 4-5 minutes and then add garlic. Cook for 3-4 more minutes, stir often to avoid burning the garlic. Add tomato paste and liquid of your choice. Add herbs, cumin, celery salt, and oregano and stir well. If the mixture gets too thick, simply add more of the liquid (it really also depends on how “saucy” you like it). When vegetables are just about completely cooked through (about 4-5 more minutes), you’re ready to dig in. (Unless you’re more like Eric and like them to be softer. . . in this case, you can cook for 4-5 more minutes. We try and compromise on this.) Add salt and pepper to taste before serving.

We like our ratatouille over rice (brown rice is phenomenal), but you can also serve this over pasta. Some people also like to add a little parmesean cheese, but I really don’t think it’s necessary. I like the vegetables to speak for themselves! Bon appetit!


Tomato, Cucumber, and Feta Greek Salad
Sarah d’Evegnee

We got this recipe from our good friend Demitrios Campbell, who is half Greek (you can see that from the Campbell part. . . just kidding), but served in the Bordeaux mission (go figure!). It is simple, healthy, and out-of-this-world refreshingly delicious!

Tomatoes, sliced in thin rounds
Cucumbers, sliced in thin rounds
Feta cheese
Olive oil
Balsalmic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Layer tomatoes, then cucumbers on a plate or platter. Add salt and pepper. Drizzle olive oil over the top, then do the same with the balsalmic vinegar. Crumble feta over the top and dive in! Sometimes we serve it over a bed of spinach or with grilled chicken to make it a meal.


Hummus
Rachel Helfrich

This is great as a snack for dipping fresh vegetables. I often make it into a meal by serving it with pitas or tortillas and grilling some seasoned chicken breasts for wraps. I serve it with cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, feta or fresh mozzarella cheese, fresh basil leaves, lettuce, and shredded carrots. Everyone makes their own at the table so it pleases the whole family. Wendy and Nicole eat the hummus plain, with a spoon.

1 teaspoon garlic
1 can chickpeas, drained, reserve liquid
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Lemon zest
2 tablespoons sesame tahini
½ teaspoon cumin
¼ cup oil (I use half canola, half olive)
Fresh parsley (about 3 sprigs)
Fresh basil (about 6 leaves)
Fresh ground salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in food processor. Process until smooth, adding reserved bean liquid if necessary.


Greek Salad
Nicole Burt (from Sandy Spackman)

Dressing
1/4 C fresh lemon juice
1/2 C olive oil
1 large garlic clove crushed
1 heaping tsp oregano (rubbed between fingers)
3/4-1 tsp. sea salt (adjust to your taste)
fresh ground pepper to taste

Pour over salad of choice here's mine...
Romaine lettuce
calamata or greek olives (my family prefers regular old black olives)
red onions
cucumbers
tomatoes


Linguine (or Fettuccine) with Tomatoes, Basil and Cream


Karen McMaster

2 TBSP Butter

1-2 garlic sections chopped

4 Cup diced or chopped tomatoes, or cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4-1/2 cup shredded fresh basil

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

3/4 lb noodles...cooked drained and set aside in a warm place

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese.



Melt the butter in a large non-reactive sauté pan. Add garlic and salt and
sauté over med-high heat until wilted but not browned, about 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes and sauté until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in cream,
bring to a boil simmer briskly until slightly thickened, 1-2 minutes
. Stir in basil, salt, pepper. Pour over pasta and serve right away. Top with
 Parmesan cheese, or serve to the side.


Salsa and Cinnamon Chips
Mindy Jensen


2 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 Golden Delicious apples - peeled, cored and diced
8 ounces raspberries
1 pound strawberries
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons fruit preserves, any flavor

10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
butter flavored cooking spray
2 cups cinnamon sugar

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, Golden Delicious apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Spray again with cooking spray.
Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture.


Greek Farmer's Market Vegetables
Maija-Liisa Adams

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get to the recipe party Thursday, as I ran out of time to make this for you and switched making the soup recipe below and burned myself. So I made this instead for my parents and again for my own family and they enjoyed it.

Preparation time: 1 hour
Ingredients
1 - 1 1/2 Cup olive oil (I bought the good stuff for this.)
1 lb. zucchini squash
1 lb. potatoes
1 lb. eggplant or yellow squash
2 small onions
3 peppers - one green, red, and yellow
3 tomatoes
1 small bunch chopped parsley or rosemary and thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

Clean and wash your vegetables and cut them into slices. Put all ingredients into a large skillet and stir and coat vegetables with olive oil and cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for approximately 1-1 1/2 hours. Serve with crumbled feta cheese. Serves 4 to 6.


Cream of Zucchini Soup
Maija-Liisa Adams

My Mother asked me to make this recipe for her. She served it the last several years and shared it with several women although I didn't grow up with it. It was served to my parents on their official Ambassadorial visit to Ramstein Germany by Gloria Oaks, then a General's wife, now a General Authority's wife. RS sisters make and swap their recipes wherever they live and serve around the world.

3 lb. zucchini
2 cans chicken broth
2 tsp. salt
½ cup water
1 tsp. onion powder
1½ cups half & half
1 tsp. garlic powder
Seasoned salt & pepper to taste
1/8 tsp. white pepper
Chives for garnish

Slice zucchini into 1" pieces. Put in a large kettle. Add salt, onion &garlic powder, white pepper, chicken broth and water. You may want to increase the spices called for according to your taste. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook until tender, about10-15 minutes, stirring now and then. Blend in a blender until smooth, about 1/3 at a time. Place in a clean kettle. Stir in half & half. Season to taste. Heat until heated through. Garnish with chopped chives. May be refrigerated overnight or FROZEN.

Monday, September 7, 2009