Recipe Party Recipes

Christmas Menu

2011-12-23T11:35:00.001-08:00

Christmas Menu

Christmas Eve Buffet

Vichyssoise

(Potato and Leek Soup)

2 tablespoons butter

2 leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced into rings

1 medium yellow onion, sliced

2-3 teaspoons minced garlic

4 potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes

2 t parsley or 1 t thyme (if you have it)

or 2 t herbes de provences

2 t nutmeg

4 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream or half and half

salt and pepper, to taste

In a large stock pot melt butter over low heat. Add leeks and onion, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Add garlic and stir for 1 minute (don’t let it burn or it will make your soup bitter!)

Add potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Add herbs and nutmeg and stir well. Cover pot and continue to cook for 5-6 minutes.

Add chicken stock and bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook, partially covered for 30 minutes.

Take off heat and puree soup in blender or food processor or with immersion blender (this one is by the easiest. You can borrow my immersion blender if you want!). Slowly add cream and stir. If you like your soup thinner or thicker you can adjust the amount of cream you add. If you add more cream, you’ll need to add more salt to taste.

Brie en Croute

1/2 package puffed pastry sheets

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

2 T Dijon mustard

½ c pesto

1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds or walnuts

1 (13.2 ounce) round Brie cheese

Thaw pastry sheet at room temperature 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Mix egg and water.

Unfold pastry sheet on lightly floured surface. Roll

into 14 inch square. Cut off corners to make a circle. Spread mustard to within 1 inch of pastry edge. Spread pesto over cheese and top with nuts. Top with cheese. Brush edge of circle with egg mixture. Fold two opposite sides over cheese. Trim remaining two sides to 2 inch from edge of cheese. Fold these two sides onto the round. Press edges to seal. Place seam-side down on baking sheet. Decorate top with pastry scraps if desired in the shape of holly and leaves or a bow. Brush with egg mixture.

Bake 20 minutes or until golden. Let stand 1 hour. Serve with crackers.

Artichoke Dip

1 (6.5 ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained

and quartered

1 cup mayonnaisse

1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers

.Bake for 25 minutes or until bubbly and slightly browned. Serve warm.

Other items on the buffet:

Crackers (“grown-up” crackers and fishy crackers), Pepperoni and salami etc, baguettes, brie, shrimp, American meats and cheese, Martinelli’s and chocolates.

Christmas Breakfast

Christmas Morning Sausage Casserole

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!

1 pd sage flavored breakfast sausage

1/2 cup onion (or 2 T dried, minced onion)

3 cups frozen shredded potatoes

1/4 cup butter, melted

12 oz shredded cheddar

1 16 oz container cottage cheese

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 (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!)

Christmas Day Sugar Cookies

1 ½ c sugar

1 c butter

3 oz softened cream cheese

½ t salt

2 t vanilla

½ t almond extract

3 eggs

4 c flour

2 t cream of tartar

2 t baking powder ¼ c sour cream

7-10 minutes at 350

Babonne's Belgian Waffles

2 and 1/4 ounces of yeast (9 1/4 ounce packages OR 6 T, plus 2 ¼ t) (It sounds like a lot, but that's really how much you use!)

41/2 cups warm water

1 t. sugar

6 eggs, separated into whites and yolks

1 pound melted butter

3 cups sugar

2 pounds flour (about 9 cups)

Raw sugar (You can find this in the baking section--sometimes it's called kosher sugar and it looks like giant sugar crystals)

Dissolve yeast in warm water and mix in 1 teaspoon sugar. Let mixture rise in 200 degree oven for 15 minutes.

In large mixing bowl, mix egg yolks with melted butter. Add flour and yeast mixture and mix well. Put moistened towel over bowl and let rise for 30 minutes. Just before dough is done rising, beat egg whites until peaks form. Fold egg whites into risen dough. Add 3 cups sugar.

This is what the consistency should look like

Cook dough in Belgian waffle iron right away--don't let it sit for too long.

As soon as each waffle comes out of the waffle iron, sprinkle each side with raw sugar. Cut each small square in half so that each batch makes 8 triangular pieces. They're best while they're still hot.

Christmas Dinner

Boeuf Borguignon

1 tablespoon good olive oil

8 ounces dry cured center cut applewood smoked bacon, diced

2 1/2 pounds chuck beef cut into 1-inch cubes

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 pound carrots, sliced diagonally into 1-inch chunks

2 yellow onions, sliced

2 teaspoons chopped garlic (2 cloves)

1/2 cup Cognac

1 (750 ml.) bottle good dry red wine such as Cote du Rhone or Pinot Noir

1 can (2 cups) beef broth

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature, divided

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 pound frozen whole onions

1 pound fresh mushrooms stems discarded, caps thickly sliced

For serving:

1. Country bread or Sour Dough, toasted or grilled and rubbed with garlic clove

2. 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, optional

Directions

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is lightly browned. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a large plate.

Dry the beef cubes with paper towels and then sprinkle them with salt and pepper. In batches in single layers, sear the beef in the hot oil for 3 to 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove the seared cubes to the plate with the bacon and continue searing until all the beef is browned. Set aside.

Toss the carrots, and onions, 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of pepper in the fat in the pan and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the Cognac, stand back, and ignite with a match to burn off the alcohol. Put the meat and bacon back into the pot with the juices. Add the bottle of wine plus enough beef broth to almost cover the meat. Add the tomato paste and thyme. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and place it in the oven for about 1 1/4 hours or until the meat and vegetables are very tender when pierced with a fork.

Combine 2 tablespoons of butter and the flour with a fork and stir into the stew. Add the frozen onions. Saute the mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of butter for 10 minutes until lightly browned and then add to the stew. Bring the stew to a boil on top of the stove, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste.

Dutch Oven French Bread

¼ t yeast

1 ½ t salt

1 ½ c water

3 c flour

Combine all ingredients and let sit for 12 hours. Fold over once and form into ball. Heat up oven to 450 and heat up dutch oven with cover on. Place parchment paper in dutch oven and set dough in the middle of it. Cook 20 minutes with cover on and cook 15 minutes with cover off. Let sit for at least 20 minutes before eating so dough is completely cooked in the middle.

Harry Potter Recipes

2011-08-12T02:51:00.000-07:00

Harry Potter Recipes

Hedwig and Errol Owl Cupcakes

To decorate each cupcake you'll need:

2 Chocolate or Golden Oreos

1 Runt Banana

2 Junior Mints

Frosting

To assemble:

1-Separate each of your Oreos, being as careful as you can to keep the frosting on ONE side of the cookie. You'll use the frosted side for the eyes and the non-frosted side for the feathers above the eyes.

2- Frost each cupcake with enough frosting to make sure the eyes will stick on. Stick on oreo eyes and runts nose

3-Dab a little frosting on the back of each junior mint and stick it to the middle of the eye

4- Break your non-frosted Oreo into pieces for the feathers. (I think that half is too big to stay on the top of your cupcake. I like to use a third of the cookie for each of the feather pieces above the eyes.

5-Place about 1/2 cup frosting in a plastic bag and

cut off about 1/8 inch from the tip (not very much then). Pipe lines of frosting onto the feather cookie pieces, making an upward motion and the end of each line to get the "feathered" look. You can also add these feather lines below each eye.

5- With white frosting, pipe a small white dot in each eye.

Butterbeer Cupcakes  

Yellow Cake Mix

1 1/3 cups cream soda

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

1/3 cup butterscotch syrup (found with ice cream toppings)

Preheat oven to 350. Line a cupcake tin with baking cups. Mix together cake mix, soda, oil, eggs, and syrup in mixer at low sped for 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium and mix for 3 minutes.

Fill a pastry bag with butterscotch buttercream (recipe follows) and pipe onto the top of each cupcake. Zig zag butterscotch ganache over top of buttercream.

Butterbeer Ganache

Melt butterscotch chips at 30 second intervals in microwave. Add 2 T cream and stir until smooth. Put in a plastic bag and snip 1/8 inch off the tip so you can pipe it nice and thin.

Butterbeer Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 16-oz. package powdered sugar, added slowly because you might not need all of it

1-2 T milk or cream

1/3 cup butterscotch ganache

In medium sized mixing bowl, stir vanilla and ganache into butter. Add appromimately 12 oz of powdered sugar and stir well. Add 1 T milk or cream. Keep adding powdered sugar and mixing until you’ve reached desired consistency. You can also add the other tablespoon of mik or cream as needed. Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes, zig-zag with ganache and then gobble one up for goodness sake, because you deserve it!

Cauldron Cakes  Yup. This is a longun’. But once you do a quick read-through and see all of the pictures, you’ll get it, by George (or by Fred—I can’t remember which one.)

Chocolate cupcakes   12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips 3-4 T cream 2 cups marshmallow cream (fluff or generic brand) 1 c sugar ½ c shortening 2 t vanilla

  Chocolate Ganache: In microwave safe bowl, put 2 cups chocolate chips. Heat for 30 seconds then stir. Put back in microwave for 30 more seconds and stir until smooth. Add cream. You may need to heat for another 30 seconds if chocolate starts to seize up. Put cooled ganache in a plastic bag.

Marshmallow Filling: In a medium bowl, beat together the marshmallow fluff, shortening, sugar, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Set aside

To make these look like the cauldrons so adorable, they’d make even Snape smile, you’re going to make the flat side the top and the rounded side the bottom. (In other words, they’ll be upside down). If necessary, use a sharp knife to round off the sides if your cupcakes sunk a bit when they baked.

Put three chocolate chips flat size OUT in the ganache to form three points of a triangle (see photo). The chocolate chips are what will help your cupcake to stand up, sort of like your cauldron “feet.” Put the cupcakes in the fridge or freezer until the ganache has hardened a bit (about 3-5 minutes).

Hollow out each cupcake from the FLAT bottom using a sharp-tipped knife and then a spoon. You’ll want a hole that’s about 1 inch wide by 1.5 inches deep.

Add a dollop (is that a specific enough measurement for you) of ganache to the hole of your cauldron. This will be a yummy chocolatey surprise in the “potion.”

Trace around the flat top edge of your cauldron with your bag of ganache. Place cupcakes in freezer or fridge until the ganache has hardened again.

Fill plastic bag with marshmallow filling and cut off ½ inch of tip. Pipe into the cavity of the cupcakes. I like to use a circular motion to make it look like bubbles.

To make cauldron handle, melt the remaining chocolate chips, stir until smooth, and place into a plastic bag. Cut off the very tip of bag (only about 1/8 inch). Form handles on wax paper or freezer paper and put in the fridge or freezer. You can use one of the cucakes to guide you about how wide to make your handle. However, you don’t have to be exact in the width because the chocolate will be malleable as you put the handle on the cupcake. Let the chocolate set until hardened. Carefully peel off handles and stick them into the ganache around the edge of your cauldron. Do this at the last minute because they melt dreadfully fast (sort of like the wicked witch in the Wizard of Oz)!

This may make your eyes cross at first, but once you get the hang of it, it really is easy and so darn cute you’ll want to make them for all of your Halloween Party needs too!

Beef and Yorkshire Pudding

2 pounds rump roast

garlic powder to taste

salt to taste

freshly ground pepper, to taste

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 375. Pat roast dry with paper towels and sprinkle with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bake on a wire rack inside of a large roasting pan in the preheated oven for 90 minutes, or to desired doneness (we usually cook ours for about 2 hours because the kids like it well done). Remove roast from pan, reserving drippings.

In a small mixing bowl, beat the two eggs until frothy. In another small bowl, mix the salt and flour. Stir the beaten eggs into the flour. Stirring constantly, gradually pour in the milk.

Preheat oven to 400. Pour the reserved pan drippings into a medium muffin tin so you have some drippings in each tin. Try and get drippings in the bottom and on the sides so the puddings don’t stick. Place in the preheated oven for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and pour the egg, flour and milk mixture into the hot drippings. Return muffin tin to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until fluffy and golden brown. Serve with potatoes and gravy. There are usually plenty of drippings to use for the puddings and some gravy.

Bacony Brussel Sprouts

Like Ron, you’ll have to shell these by hand. No magic allowed. Stop whining. If you haven’t tried Brussel Sprouts or have a bad impression of them, try these!

2 strips thick-cut bacon or turkey bacon

2 tablespoons butter

1 pound Brussels sprouts, outer leaves removed

1/2 large onion, chopped or 2 T dried minced onion

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cut sprouts in half and put aside. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crispy. (Or you can cook it for two minutes in the microwave. Just make sure you don’t burn it.) Remove to a paper towel-lined plate, then roughly chop. In same pan with bacon fat, melt butter over high heat. Add onions and Brussels Sprouts and cook, stirring occasionally, until sprouts are golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and toss bacon back into pan. Serve immediately.

Kreacher’s French Onion Soup

Aren’t we glad Harry learned to be nice to Kreacher in Book Seven? Best. Elf-made Onion Soup. Ever.

4 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon salt

2 large red onions, thinly sliced

2 large sweet onions, thinly sliced

1 (48 fluid ounce) can chicken broth

1 (14 ounce) can beef broth

2 T red wine vinegar (optional)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 sprigs fresh parsley

1 sprig fresh thyme leaves (or, if you’re too cheap to buy fresh herbs like I sometimes am, you can use 3t dried parsley and 2 t dried thyme)

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

4 thick slices French or Italian bread

8 slices Gruyere or Swiss cheese slices, room temperature

1/2 cup shredded Asiago or mozzarella cheese, room temperature

4 pinches paprika

Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in salt, red onions and sweet onions. Cook 35 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are caramelized and almost syrupy.

Mix chicken broth, beef broth, red wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce into medium-sized pot. Bundle the parsley, thyme, and bay leaf with twine and place in pot. If you’re using dried herbs, put them in a small saucepan with about 2 cups of broth. Simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you’re using fresh herbs, remove and discard the herbs. If you’re using dried ones, strain the broth into the larger pot (This will take out all of the dried herbs, but give you the infused broth with all of that yummy, herby flavor for a fraction of the cost!)

In larger pan, reduce the heat to low, mix in vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Cover and keep over low heat to stay hot while you prepare the bread.

Preheat oven broiler. Arrange bread slices on a baking sheet and broil 3 minutes, turning once, until well toasted on both sides. Remove from heat; do not turn off broiler.

Arrange 4 large oven safe bowls or crocks on a rimmed baking sheet. Fill each bowl 2/3 full with hot soup. Top each bowl with 1 slice toasted bread, 2 slice Gruyere cheese and 1/4 of the Asiago or mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle a little bit of paprika over the top of each one (This is optional. I know sometimes you just don’t have paprika lying around.).

Broil 5 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown. As it softens, the cheese will cascade over the sides of the crock and form a beautifully melted crusty seal. Serve immediately! (Ack. This is making my mouth water just thinking about it! Kreacher! Please make me some soup! Where is my house elf when I need him?)

Bangers and Mash

2 pounds potatoes

8 links Cumberland sausage (Italian sausage may be substituted)

1 tablespoon oil

1 large onion

2 tablespoons flour

4 cups chicken stock

4 tablespoons cream

2 ounces butter

2 tablespoons sour cream

2 tablespoons mustard (we like spicy brown mustard or a nice grainy mustard), plus mustard for dipping

Salt and pepper

Peel and dice potatoes. Cover with water and add salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Prick sausages two or three times on each side with a fork. Brown sausages on both sides in skillet and remove to a plate. Add 1 tablespoon oil to skillet. Slice the onion and cook in skillet until soft. Add 2 tablespoons flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and return the sausage to the pan. Cook it through for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Drain the potatoes and mash with a potato masher or a fork. Don’t over-mash! You want them to only be slightly mashed. Add the cream, butter, sour cream and mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with sausages with a side of mustard for dipping.

Dumbledore’s Yule Ball Pork Chops

For when you can’t just clap your hands and have them magically appear

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

Dash pepper

3/4 cup bread crumbs (I like to use Italian-seasoned ones to add more flavor. Panko bread crumbs are the best, but the normal ones work as well)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 teaspoons rubbed sage

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1 egg, lightly beaten

4 bone-in pork loin chops

1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil

1 tablespoon butter

In a shallow dish, combine the flour, salt and pepper. In another shallow dish, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, sage and lemon peel. Place egg in shallow bowl. Coat pork chops with flour mixture, dip in egg, then coat with breadcrumb mixture. Let stand for 5 minutes.

In a skillet, brown chops in oil and butter for 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to a greased 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 425 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until juices run clear. We usually serve these with rice.

Ron’s Bacon-wrapped Drumsticks

This one’s for you, Ron Weasley—the boy who was perpetually found with either a drumstick or potatoes in your mouth.

12 chicken drumsticks

12 slices center-cut bacon

salt and black pepper to taste

1 onion, coarsely chopped

1 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed (we used russets)

Seasoning Mix:

2 tablespoons dried chives

2 tablespoons dried basil

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon adobo seasoning

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Preheat oven to 400 Wrap each chicken piece in a slice of bacon, trying to cover as much of the chicken as possible. Place the wrapped chicken pieces in a 9x13 inch baking dish, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle the onion over the chicken. Push potatoes down into the spaces between the chicken pieces and around the edge of the dish.

Combine the chives, basil, garlic powder, adobo seasoning, and black pepper in a small bowl, and sprinkle the seasoning to taste over the chicken and potatoes.

Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour, until the bacon is crisp and brown and the potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with salt, if desired, and serve hot.

Molly’s Magical Meat Pie

½ pound ground sausage (we like spicy to add more flavor)

½ pound ground beef

2 t minced garlic

2 t all spice (or nutmeg if you don’t have it)

2 t dried parsley (or Italian seasoning)

1 teaspoon paprika (optional)

2-3 T dried minced onion

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups beef broth

1 cup cubed cooked potatoes (We just use frozen hashbrowns, but you can cube and cook your own. . . obviously [that sounds like Snape].)

Salt and pepper to taste

CRUST:

There is NO SHAME is using a store-bought crust! But. . . if you want to make your own:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons cold butter or margarine

6 tablespoons shortening

4 tablespoons cold water

1 egg, plus 2 t water, beaten

Combine the flour and salt; cut in the butter and shortening until crumbly. Gradually add water, tossing with a fork until dough forms two equal balls. Roll out pastry to fit pie pan.

In a skillet, brown sausage and beef until almost cooked through. Drain fat. Add spices, garlic, and onion and cook for two more minutes. Add flour and stir. Add broth to the skillet. Bring to a boil and stir in the potatoes. Cook until heated through.

Place one crust in bottom of pie pan and trim to 1/2 in. beyond edge of dish. Fill with meat mixture. Place second crust on top and press edges of two crusts together and (if you want to be fancy—and who doesn’t?) flute edges.

Use extra crust to put a fun design on the top of your crust (as you can see, we did a lightening bolt and the deathly hallows symbol). When we do individual pies, we usually use extra crust to put the kids’ initials on top.

Brush egg wash on top of crust and prick several times with a fork. Bake at 375 for 35-40 minutes or until pastry is lightly browned on edges. (You may need to cover with foil for the last few minutes.)

MOLLY’S MINI MEAT PIES:

Cut the pie crust (or we sometimes use crescent roll sheets) into small rounds and fill with 3 t of meat mixture. Fold circle in half and seal with a fork all along the edges. Prick 2-3 times with fork and brush with egg wash. Bake at 375 for 10-13 minutes.

Treacle Tart

This is Harry’s clear favorite and I’ve always wondered why. Sounds like a many-tentacled creature to me personally. However, once I tried it, I can kind of see its appeal.

1½ cups golden syrup (recipe follows or you can buy it on amazon for about ten bucks. You can also just substitute corn syrup, but it won’t be quite the same.)

Zest of 1 large lemon, finely grated

1 tbsp lemon juice

½ tsp ground ginger

1 cup fresh bread crumbs (you can use panko bread crumbs, but, again, it won’t be quite the same)

Special Equipment:

9 in tart pan with removable bottom

2 pie crusts (recipe follows or you can use a store-bought one. The recipe here is more like a pâte sucré or sugar dough, so if you use a store-bought crust, it will be less sweet, but it still works.)

Preheat the oven to 400. Mix the flour and sugar in a bowl. Add the butter and mix until the dough resembles coarse bread crumbs. Mix the egg yolk with 3 tbsp cold water. Add to the dough and stir until it comes together.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 1/8 inch thick circle to line the tart pan. Trim the excess and prick with a fork. Chill for 30 minutes. Line with wax paper, fill with baking beans, and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and bake for 5 minutes. Remove and reduce the oven temperature to 375.

Warm the syrup in a saucepan with the lemon. Add the ginger. Sprinkle the bread crumbs in the tart shell (I know it sounds so weird, but it woks), pour in the syrup, and let stand for 5 minutes. Use the dough trimmings to make a lattice top. Bake for 20–30 minutes.

Golden Syrup

(You can buy this on Amazon or use the recipe that follows)

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vinegar

1 teaspoon water

1/3 cup light corn syrup

Put sugar in a small heavy pan and sprinkle it with vinegar and water. Cook over low heat, for about two minutes, but watch it carefully to make sure the sugar doesn’t crystallize. Increase heat to medium and add corn syrup cook until syrup has taken on a very light caramel color, 2 to 4 minutes (you really just have to watch it.) Do not overcook or the syrup will harden.

Immediately remove from heat. When the bubbling stops, stir well. Pour into sealed container. It can be stored at room temperature for several months.

Pumpkin Pasties

For the ride to Hogwarts or to be smuggled into the movie theater in paper bags hidden in your purse. These would also be perfect for sack lunches--they wouldn't even have to be smuggled in. . . or even "muggled" in for that matter! Ouch.

2 cups canned pure pumpkin

1 egg

1/2 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

¼ cup butter, melted

1 cup sugar mixed with 1 t cinnamon, set aside

Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

For the lazy route (which I highly recommend): Use store-bought pie crust or sheets of crescent dough (They sell them in sheets now and they are AWESOME!)

For home-made dough: In a large bowl, whisk the flour, 1/3 cup of sugar, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt together. Cut the shortening into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs; stir the water in, about 2 tablespoons at a time, just until you can gather the dough together. Knead the dough a few times in the bowl, then scrape it out onto a floured surface. Cut the dough in quarters, and cut each quarter into thirds to make 12 equal portions. Roll the portions into balls. Cover the dough balls with a cloth, and allow to rest while you make the filling.

Mix the pumpkin, egg, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and ginger together until smooth. On a floured surface, roll each dough ball out into a thin circle about 6 inches across; spoon about 2-3 T of filling into the center of the dough circle. Fold the dough over the filling to make a half-moon shaped pie, and crimp the edges of the crust together with a fork, leaving little fork lines in the dough. Gently lay the empanadas onto the prepared baking sheets. Brush the top of each pie with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake 11-13 minutes

Home-made Sugar Cones Yes. They are a big pain. But they are WORTH IT! Just imagine you’re in Diagon Alley, livin’ the dream.

2 large eggs 1/2 cup granulated white sugar

4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

2 - 3 tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup (50 grams) all purpose flour

Vegetable oil and pastry brush

Aluminum foil, shaped in cone shapes (This can be rough. Don’t worry about getting a perfect shape)

In a medium sized bowl whisk together the eggs and sugar until frothy. Whisk in the melted butter, milk and vanilla extract. Add the flour and salt and whisk until the batter is smooth. The batter will be slightly thicker than a crepe batter.

Heat a 8-9 inch sauté pan over medium heat until it is hot. Reduce the heat to medium low and brush the pan lightly with vegetable oil. Pour or ladle about ¼ cup of batter into the pan and immediately tilt or rotate the pan so the batter forms a thin 5-6 inch. Place pan back on the heat and cook until the batter is set and you can see the underside is golden brown (2 - 4 minutes. This time will decrease will each one as the pan heats up. Just watch the color). Slip a metal spatula under the crepe and gently flip it over. Cook until golden brown. Remove the pan from the heat and slide the crepe from the pan onto your work surface. While the crepe is still hot, quickly start at one edge and roll the crepe into a cone shape. Slide it over your aluminum cone. Squeeze the tip of the cone to seal it so the ice cream won't drip out. Place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Continue making the rest of the cones, lightly brushing the pan with vegetable oil each time. These cones are best the day they are made. However, you can store leftover cones in a covered container. To re-crisp the cones preheat the oven to 400. Working with one cone at a time, unroll the cone until it is a circle again, place on a baking sheet and bake for about 3-5 minutes or until the crepe is hot and soft. Remove from oven and place the hot crepe on your work surface. Quickly reroll into a cone shape, again squeezing the tip of the cone so the ice cream won't drip out. Place on a wire rack to cool. Continue with the rest of the cones. If they don’t harden within about five minutes, you may need to put them in a 400 degree oven for about 5 minutes.

Makes about 8 ice cream cones.

Peanut Butter Ice Cream

You don’t even need a wand to make ice cream this easy!

2 cups heavy cream 

1 cup milk 

3/4 cup sugar 

3/4 cup smooth peanut butter 

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine the heavy cream, milk, and sugar in a food processor, or blender, and process for about 20 to 30 seconds to distribute the sugar. Add the peanut butter and vanilla to the bowl. Process for another 30 seconds to a minute until well blended. Cover and chill over night. Once chilled, stir the mixture with a rubber spatula, transfer to an ice cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Raspberry Ice Cream

In honor of the fact that Dumbledore’s favorite jam is raspberry.

2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries

2 cups whipping cream

1 cup half-and-half cream

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place the raspberries in a blender; cover and process on medium-high speed until chopped. Combine all ingredients in the cylinder of an ice cream freezer. Stir in sugar is dissolved. Freeze according to manufacturer's directions.

Petunia’s Pudding

Just make sure you eat it before some house-elf makes it smash in the floor1

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1/4 cup white sugar

1(8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

2 teaspoons lemon or lime juice

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup white sugar

1 (10.75 ounce) package prepared pound cake

2 (10 ounce) packages frozen raspberries,thawed or you can use fresh raspberry jam.

In a medium bowl, beat cream with 1/4 cup sugar until stiff peaks form. In another bowl, cream together cream cheese, lemon juice, vanilla and 1/2 cup sugar. Fold 2 cups of whipped cream into cream cheese mixture. Reserve remaining whipped cream.

Slice pound cake into 18 - 1/2 inch slices. Drain raspberries, reserving juice. Line the bottom of a 3 quart glass bowl or trifle bowl with one-third of the cake slices. Drizzle with some raspberry juice. Spread one-fourth of the cream cheese mixture over cake. Sift one-fourth of the cocoa over that. Sprinkle with one-third of the raspberries. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining cream cheese mixture, whipped cream.

Pumpkin Juice

I always think of Ron and Harry sailing along above the Hogwart's Express in Mr Weasley's be-magicked car, parched and sweaty, every time I take a swig of this. Harry's longing for it in that scene always made me want to make it!

2 cups canned pumpkin

6 cups of apple juice

2 cups of pineapple juice (or you can use 8 cups of a juice blend)

½ cup sugar or 4 T honey

Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg or Pumpkin Pie Spice (all ground, to taste)

Pour the pumpkin, apple juice and pineapple juice into a large pitcher. Add the sugar or honey stir thoroughly. Add your spices (to taste). This might take some experimentation to get right.

Chill your pumpkin juice or serve iced and enjoy!

Acid Pops They won’t burn a hole in your tongue, AND they’ll make your kids happy!

Lollipops of your choice Pop Rocks ¼ cup honey, warmed for 30 seconds in the microwave

Dip each lollipop in warmed honey and then dip it in the pop rocks. If you don’t like the taste of honey, you could do the same thing with light corn syrup.

Licorice Wands

Licorice (I like to use the Chocolate Twizzlers or the brightly colored sour kind) White Chocolate Chips Sour candy powder (from fun dips or straws, etc)

Melt chips in microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval until there are no lumps.

Dip tip of licorice in the melted chocolate and then decorate with candy powder. Lay wands flat on wax paper (or a paper plate will work in a pinch) and let harden. Voila! Now go and Charm the socks off someone with your wand!

Chocolate AND Peanut Butter Frogs

Because this is way better than that much solid chocolate at once. This way you can eat TWO of them!

1 bag chocolate chips

1/4 cup butter

1 1/2 cups peanut butter

4 cups confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon maple flavored extract

Melt chocolate chips in microwave safe bowl at 30 second intervals (do you get the feeling I do this a lot?) and stir after each one until chocolate is smooth. Set aside

To make peanut butter filling, combine butter, sugar, vanilla, and maple. You’re going to think to yourself, “Gosh, this is crumbly!” and you’ll be right. But if you want it to truly be like the inside of a peanut butter cup, you’ve GOT to trust me, okay?

With a spoon or pastry brush, brush chocolate along the inside of your frog mold. Let set in fridge. Add one half of a golf-ball sized ball to the middle of each frog. Cover with melted chocolate and let set in the fridge. Once they’re set, you can forget kissing those frogs! Eat ‘em up! If you’d like to copy a box that some brave soul scanned in, click HERE.

Butterbeer 

2 Liters Cream Soda

1-2 cups Butterscotch syrup (in the ice cream aisle)

1 pint whipped cream, divided

¼ cup sugar

Stir together soda, syrup, and ½ cup of cream. Whip the rest of the cream with sugar and put on top of each mug.

Potter Pops

1 ½ cups chocolate chips

1/4 cup butter

1 1/2 cups peanut butter

4 cups confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon maple flavored

Lollipop Sticks

Stryrofoam! (This is a MUST so they’ll set properly without making you cry.)

Man! That ingredient list looks awfully familiar! That’s because it is! This is the same filling I used for the Frogs and I looked at those balls and thought, “We must make those into pops! NOW!”

Melt chocolate chips in microwave safe bowl at 30 second intervals, yadda, yadda, yadda. (See Chocolate Frog recipe it you need more than yaddas.) To make peanut butter filling, combine butter, sugar, vanilla, and maple. Mix well until crumbly. Form into golf-ball sized balls. At this point you could just dip them in the melted chocolate and they’d be delightful, but why not take it a step further and make POPS?!?

Dip each stick into the melted chocolate and then put it inside the peanut butter ball. Put in freezer to harden for about 5 minutes.

Using a SPOON, lather on melted chocolate so that it covers each pop. Don’t you DARE try and dip them or they’ll fall apart. (Don’t say I didn’t warn you).

Place each pop in styrofoam blck to set. Then pipe on a lightening bolt with melted white chocolate.

Some Favorites from BP (Before Pregnancy)

2011-01-09T07:15:00.000-08:00

As I said in the famblog, I'm feeling about ten percent better these days. That means that I still feel like a parasite-infested, flu-bitten, over-stuffed automaton most of the time. But there are moments, however fleeting they may be, when I actually feel like a person.

So. . . during some of those "nearly normal" moments, I'm going to post some of the recipes and pictures that got sucked into the pregnancy vortex. (If you've seen Marie lately, you can see how much younger she looks in this picture from August!) We served the pork chops and gratin with Eric's grandmother, Babonne's recipe for sautéed green beans. I don't actually have a recipe because she never wrote it down, but I watched her make them and tried to copy her with as much respect as I could. I'll post that one later if I have another good minute or two. The nausea is coming back. . . ick.

These recipes might seem a bit hotsy-totsy, but they are much easier than they sound or look! They are definitely worth trying! All three are from Willams-Sonoma. . . mouth. . . starting. . . to. . . water. What was I saying? Not to be inappropriate, but that magazine is like my food-porn.

Balsalmic Quick Braised Pork Chops

4 bone-in pork chops, each 1 inch thick

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 Tbs. olive oil

4 bacon slices, diced

1 red onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 garlic clove, minced

2 Tbs. firmly packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tsp. minced fresh thyme

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

2 tsp. chicken demi-glace (I just used a fancy chicken bouillion.)

Fresh rosemary leaves for garnish

Directions:

Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the pork chops and sear, turning once, until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.   In the same pan over medium heat, cook the bacon until crispy, 5 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Pour off all but 1 Tbs. of the fat in the pan.   Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the onion and partially cover the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is caramelized and tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the brown sugar, vinegar, thyme and bacon. Increase the heat to medium and cook until the liquid is thickened and reduced by half, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the broth and demi-glace and bring the sauce to a simmer.   Return the pork chops to the pan. Cook, uncovered, coating the chops with the sauce, for 10 to 12 minutes. Garnish with the rosemary leaves and serve immediately. Serves 4.

Potato Leek Gratin

5 Tbs. unsalted butter

4 lb. leeks, white and light green portions, rinsed well, cut into 1/4-inch rings

1 1/2 Tbs. kosher salt

1 tsp. minced fresh thyme

1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

3/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1 cup heavy cream

6 oz. Gruyère cheese, grated (I just have to use Swiss because that's all that roly-poly little Rexburg offers)

3 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated

3 lb. russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch slices

3 Tbs. minced fresh chives (optional)

In a 12-inch nonstick fry pan over medium heat, melt 4 Tbs. of the butter. Add the leeks and salt, stirring to coat the leeks with the butter. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are tender, about 20 minutes. Add the thyme, nutmeg, pepper and cream and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool. Wipe out the pan and grease with the remaining 1 Tbs. butter.

Preheat an oven to 400ºF.

In a bowl, combine the Gruyère and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses. Layer one-third of the potatoes in the fry pan and spread one-third of the leek mixture on top. Sprinkle with one-third of the cheeses, then 1 Tbs. of the chives. Repeat the layering 2 more times, reserving 1 Tbs. of the chives (optional).

Cover the pan, transfer to the oven and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the lid and continue baking until the potatoes are tender and the crust is golden brown, about 30 minutes more. Sprinkle the remaining 1 Tbs. chives on top. Let the gratin stand for 15 minutes before serving. Serves 8 to 10.

Tuscan Frittata

10 eggs

1/2 cup grated pecorino romano cheese

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

2 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. olive oil

8 oz. mild Italian sausage, casings removed

1 small yellow onion, cut into 1/4-inch slices

1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch slices (we omitted this because our kids have an aversion to red peppers. . . for now. . . until I convert them to their sweet deliciousness.)

1 cup tomato sauce

6 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced

6 to 8 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

Preheat a broiler.   In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, pecorino romano, salt and pepper. Set aside.   In the deep half of a frittata pan over medium-high heat, warm 1 Tbs. of the olive oil. Add the sausage and cook, breaking apart the larger pieces, until browned and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Wipe out the pan with paper towels.   In the same pan over medium-high heat, warm 1 Tbs. of the olive oil. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook until the onion is translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the pepper is tender, about 10 minutes more. Add the sausage to the pan and pour in the egg mixture. Cook, using a rubber spatula to lift the cooked edges and allow the uncooked eggs to flow underneath, 2 to 3 minutes. Continue cooking until the eggs begin to set, 4 to 6 minutes more.   Meanwhile, in the shallow half of the frittata pan over low heat, warm the 1 tsp. olive oil. Place the shallow pan upside down on top of the deep pan and flip the frittata into the shallow pan. Cook, covered, for 2 to 3 minutes. Uncover the pan and pour the tomato sauce onto the center of the frittata, gently spreading it to the edges. Arrange the mozzarella on top. Transfer the pan to the broiler and broil until the cheese is melted, 3 to 5 minutes.   Slide the frittata onto a serving plate, sprinkle with the basil and serve immediately. Serves 8 to 10.

Un Petit Peu de FRENCH Cuisine

2010-08-21T12:57:00.000-07:00

Classic Vichyssoise
(Potato and Leek Soup)

2 tablespoons butter
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced into rings
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
2-3 teaspoons minced garlic
4 potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
2 t parsley or 1 t thyme (if you have it)
or 2 t herbes de provences
2 t nutmeg
4 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream or half and half
salt and pepper, to taste

In a large stock pot melt butter over low heat. Add leeks and onion, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Add garlic and stir for 1 minute (don’t let it burn or it will make your soup bitter!)
Add potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Add herbs and nutmeg and stir well. Cover pot and continue to cook for 5-6 minutes.
Add chicken stock and bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook, partially covered for 30 minutes.
Take off heat and puree soup in blender or food processor or with immersion blender (this one is by the easiest. You can borrow my immersion blender if you want!). Slowly add cream and stir. If you like your soup thinner or thicker you can adjust the cmount of cream you add. If you add more cream, you’ll need to add more salt to taste.

French Crepes

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups milk
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 t vanilla
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

In large bowl, whisk together milk and flour until smooth. Add eggs, melted butter, sugar, vanilla and salt until smooth.
Heat a medium-sized skillet or crepe pan over medium heat. Grease pan with a small amount of butter or oil applied with a brush or paper towel. Using a serving spoon or small ladle, spoon about 3 tablespoons crepe batter into hot pan, tilting the pan so that bottom surface is evenly coated. Cook over medium heat, 1 to 2 minutes on a side or until golden brown (if it slides easily back and forth in the pan, it's ready) and, if you're awesome like Eric, flip it over. If not, you can use various utensils to help you flip it. Cook 1-2 minutes on second side. Serve immediately.

Eric’s French grandmother (Babonne) always served these to him with just a little brown sugar inside, which I personally think is the best way to eat your crepe. (heh, heh)

Greek Week Recipes

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

Spanakopita

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds spinach, rinsed and chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
8 sheets phyllo dough
1/4 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Lightly oil a 9x9 inch square baking pan.
Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over
medium heat. Saute onion, green onions and garlic,
until soft and lightly browned. Stir in spinach and
parsley, and continue to saute until spinach is limp,
about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside
to cool.
In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, ricotta, and
feta. Stir in spinach mixture. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo
dough in prepared baking pan, and brush lightly
with olive oil. Lay another sheet of phyllo dough on
top, brush with olive oil, and repeat process with
two more sheets of phyllo. The sheets will overlap
the pan. Spread spinach and cheese mixture into
pan and fold overhanging dough over filling. Brush
with oil, then layer remaining 4 sheets of phyllo
dough, brushing each with oil. Tuck overhanging
dough into pan to seal filling.
Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Cut into squares and serve while hot.

Souvlaki

2 1/2 pounds of pork shoulder, cut in 3/4 inch cubes
1 teaspoon of ground Greek oregano (rigani)
1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon of sea salt
2 tablespoons of red wine (or good red wine vinegar)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
In a bowl, pour wine (or vinegar) and oil over the pork and toss to coat. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and oregano, and toss again. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.Note: If using vinegar, do not marinate longer than 2 hours or the meat can absorb too strong a vinegar taste. If using wine, the meat can be marinated for up to 2 days as long as salt is also used.
Using 8 inch skewers, thread approximately 6 pieces of meat on each. This should make about 12 skewers.
Grill the meat turning until well browned, about 15 minutes. Serve on the skewers with a squeeze of lemon.

Tzatziki Sauce (Pictured above with Souvlaki)
16 ounces plain yogurt
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped Pinch kosher salt 4 cloves garlic, finely minced 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Place the yogurt in a tea towel, gather up the edges, suspend over a bowl, and drain for 2 hours in the refrigerator.
Place the chopped cucumber in a tea towel and squeeze to remove the liquid; discard liquid. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the drained yogurt, cucumber, salt, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and mint. Serve as a sauce for gyros. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.

Moussaka
3 eggplants, peeled and cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick slices
salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 pound lean ground beef or sausage
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
2 onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon fines herbs
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup red wine
1 egg, beaten

4 cups milk
1/2 cup butter
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
salt to taste
ground white pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Lay the slices of eggplant on paper towels, sprinkle lightly with salt, and set aside for 30 minutes to draw out the moisture. Then in a skillet over high heat, heat the olive oil. Quickly fry the eggplant until browned. Set aside on paper towels to drain. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and add the ground beef, salt and pepper to taste, onions, and garlic. After the beef is browned, sprinkle in the cinnamon, nutmeg, fines herbs and parsley. Pour in the tomato sauce and wine, and mix well. Simmer for 20 minutes. Allow to cool, and then stir in beaten egg.

To make the bechamel sauce, begin by scalding the milk in a saucepan. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Lower heat; gradually pour in the hot milk, whisking constantly until it thickens. Season with salt, and white pepper. Arrange a layer of eggplant in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover eggplant with all of the meat mixture, and then sprinkle 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese over the meat. Cover with remaining eggplant, and sprinkle another 1/2 cup of cheese on top. Pour the bechamel sauce over the top, and sprinkle with the nutmeg. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake for 1 hour at 350

Baklava

1 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough
10 ounces chopped nuts
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9x13 inch pan.
Chop nuts and toss with cinnamon. Set aside.
Unroll phyllo dough. Cut whole stack in half to
fit pan. Cover phyllo with a dampened cloth to
keep from drying out as you work. Place two
sheets of dough in pan, butter thoroughly. Repeat
until you have 8 sheets layered. Sprinkle 2 - 3
tablespoons of nut mixture on top. Top with two
sheets of dough, butter, nuts, layering as you go.
The top layer should be about 6 - 8 sheets deep.
Using a sharp knife cut into diamond or square
shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan. You
may cut into 4 long rows the make diagonal cuts.
Bake for about 50 minutes until baklava is golden
and crisp.

Make sauce while baklava is baking. Boil sugar
and water until sugar is melted. Add vanilla and
honey. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
Remove baklava from oven and immediately spoon sauce over it. Let cool. Serve in cupcake papers. This freezes well. Leave it uncovered as it gets soggy if it is wrapped up.

Greek Rice

2 cups white rice
4 cups water
2T Olive Oil
1 T Italian Seasoning
2 t oregano
1 cube chicken boullion

Cook or steam rice according to package directions.

Greek Meatballs

½ pound Sweet Italian Sausage (this comes in links--remove from casings)
½ pound lean ground beef
1 egg
½ cup Greek Rice (or leftover white rice)
2 T brown mustard
1 T minced garlic
¼ c parmesan cheese
3 t Italian seasoning
2 t oregano
2 t garlic salt
1 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
2 t red wine vinegar
2 t balsalmic vinegar

Mix all ingredients well (I just use my hands). Form into 1 inch balls and place in 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with garlic salt and Italian seasoning. Cook for 45 minutes at 350 or until browned. Makes 20 meatballs. Eat with rice or serve in pitas for Greek Meatball Pita Sandwiches.

Greek Artichoke Salad

½ cup grape tomatoes (cherry would work too)
1 small bottle marinated artichokes, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives
4 oz feta cut into small cubes

Put all ingredients in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Add Italian seasoning and oregano. Toss. (This would work well as a pasta salad. Just toss with farfalla or penne pasta)

Fruit Kebabs with Yogurt Dip

Strawberries, hulled and halved
Grapes, rinsed
Cantelope, cut into chunks
Pineapple chunks (fresh or canned)

Place fruit on skewers in desired order and enjoy!

Yogurt Dip
2 cups raspberry yogurt (I like the Mountainland brand because it isn’t too sweet)
1 cup light cool whip or whipped cream
1 t vanilla
1 t lemon juice

Mix all ingredients well and serve with fruit kebabs or fruit salad.

Hummus

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
¼ cup olive oil (plus more to achieve desired consistency)
1 t minced garlic
1 t cumin
1 t oregano
1 t nutmeg (optional)
¼ t cayenne pepper (optional)

Put all ingredients except olive oil in food processor. Turn on processor and slowly pour in olive oil until you get the consistency you like. Serve wth pita bread or vegetables.

Greek Fries

1 package frozen steak fries
2 t Italian seasoning
2 t garlic salt
2 T olive oil

Place fries on cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle seasoning over fries and toss to coat. Cook at 350 for 18-22 minutes or until browned and crispy. Serve with hummus for dipping.

Greek Meatball Pita Sandwiches

Greek Meatballs, cut in half
Feta cheese
Hummus
Spinach
Kalamata olives
Grape tomatoes
Tzatziki sauce

Place damp towel over pitas and cook for one minute (this helps to keep them soft) right before eating. Cut pitas in half. Fill open pita halves with desired ingredients and sat up!

Simple Greek Salad

Layer sliced cucumbers and sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Add crumbled feta to top. Drizzle with olive oil and balsalmic vinegar. 100 percent healthy and 100 percent delicious.

The FRUITS of our labors! (MAY)

2010-05-13T17:42:00.000-07:00

Here are some refreshing, mouth-dazzling fruit recipes. This is such a taste-bud tempting collection that you really should start now and march carefully through them until you've tried them ALL!

Strawberry Amaretto Pastries
(Pampered Chef cookbook)

Lindsey Dewey

1/2 package frozen puff pastry (1 sheet), thawed
1/2 cup sliced almonds, divided
2 TB sugar, divided
1 orange
1 container sour cream (8 oz)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 cups cool whip
12 large strawberries, sliced (or other fruit)

Preheat oven to 400. Unfold pastry dough onto cookie sheet. Finely chop 1/4 cup of the almonds and combine with 1 TB of the sugar; sprinkle evenly over surface of the dough. Lightly press into the dough.
Using a pizza cutter, cut dough into 12 even squares and separate on cookie sheet. Bake 16-18 minutes or until golden.
Lightly toast remaining almonds and then finely chop. Zest entire orange peel. Combine zest and remaining 1 TB sugar, stir and set aside.
Whisk sour cream, powdered sugar and almond extract in bowl. Fold in Cool Whip. Slice strawberries. Split open each pastry square and fill with strawberries, 2 TB filling, sprinkle with chopped almonds and orange zest, put pastry top back on and serve immediately.

Huckleberry Cheesecake
Maija-Liisa Adams
Crust:
20 graham crackers, crushed
1 cube butter
1/2 c. sugar

Filling:
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
2 eggs
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Mix crackers, butter, and sugar well; pack lightly in 9 x 13 inch pan. Beat cream cheese, eggs, sugar, and vanilla well until lightly. Pour on top of crumbs and bake 20 minutes at 375 degrees. Cool.

Topping:
1 qt. huckleberries
3 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 c. sugar
Cook until thick. Cool spread top with whipped cream just before serving.

Fresh Mango Salsa
Ellie Christman

1 mango, peeled and diced
1/2 cup peeled, diced cucumber
1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeno
1/3 cup diced red onion
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/3 cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves
Salt and pepper
Directions
Combine the mango, cucumber, jalapeno, red onion, lime juice and cilantro leaves and mix well. Season with salt and pepper, to taste

Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Sarah d'Evegnee

(Yes. Sweet Potatoes aren't fruit. I know that. But they sure taste fruity! Am I right?)

1 teaspoon(s) ground cumin

1 teaspoon(s) salt

1/2 t garlic salt or garlic powder (whichever one you have hanging around)

1/4 teaspoon(s) ground red pepper or 1/4 t cayenne pepper (or you can omit if you don't like a ZING)

1 tablespoon(s) vegetable oil (I prefer olive oil)

2 large (about 1 1/2 pounds) sweet potatoes

1.In a small bowl, combine cumin, salt, and pepper. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Peel potatoes, cut each in half lengthwise, and cut each half into 6 wedges. In a large bowl, combine the cut potatoes, oil, and spice mixture. Toss until potatoes are evenly coated.

2. On a baking sheet, arrange potatoes in a single layer and place on the middle shelf of the oven. Bake until edges are crisp and potatoes are cooked through -- about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Raspberry Trifle

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1/4 cup white sugar

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened (I usually just use 1--it just depends on how much of the cheesecake sort of flavor you like)

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup white sugar

1 (10.75 ounce) package prepared pound cake

2 (10 ounce) packages frozen raspberries, thawed

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting

In a medium bowl, beat cream with 1/4 cup sugar until stiff peaks form. In another bowl, cream together cream cheese, lemon juice, vanilla and 1/2 cup sugar. Fold 2 cups of whipped cream into cream cheese mixture. Reserve remaining whipped cream.
Slice pound cake into 18 - 1/2 inch slices. Drain raspberries, reserving juice. Line the bottom of a 3 quart glass bowl or trifle bowl with one-third of the cake slices. Drizzle with some raspberry juice. Spread one-fourth of the cream cheese mixture over cake. Sift one-fourth of the cocoa over that. Sprinkle with one-third of the raspberries. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining cream cheese mixture, whipped cream and sifted cocoa. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours before serving.

Berries on a Cloud

This recipe can take 2-3 days to make, but is SO worth it!!!

6 egg whites

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 3/4 C. Sugar

Make at night: Beat egg whites until Fluffy.

Add cream of tartar and salt gradually

Then Add Sugar: Sugar should be added by very SMALL amounts

Beat until mixture holds it's shape(Should form peaks)

Spread in buttered 9x13 pan.

Bake at 275*degrees for 60 minutes.

Turn off oven and let crust cool in oven overnight.

Next Morning mix:

8 oz. Cream Cheese (softened)

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 C. powdered sugar

1- pint whipping cream

2 C. miniature marshmallows

Beat together cream cheese, vanilla, sugar, and whippping cream.

Add marshmallows.

Spread on top of meringue crust and refrigerate 12 hours.

1 C. Strawberries mashed

1/2 C. water

1/2 C. sugar

3 TBSP. cornstarch

Cook on stove until clear and thick.

Pour over filling. Slice approx. 2 C. berries and lay on top of dessert. Cover entire Dessert. Refrigerate overnight...

ENJOY!!!!!!!!One of my Favorites!

Berry Poke Cake

1 pkg. white cake mix

Water, oil, and eggs as called for on cake mix package directions

1 pkg. (4-serving size) strawberry or raspberry- flavored gelatin

1 cup boiling water

½ cup cold water

1 container (8oz.) Cool Whip

Fresh strawberry or raspberries

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Make and bake cake as directed on package for 13” x 9” pan. Cool completely.

Poke cake all over with fork. Stir gelatin and boiling water in small bowl until smooth; stir in cold water. Pour over cake. Refrigerate 2 hours. Frost with whipped topping; garnish with berries. Store covers in fridge.

Brownie and Fruit Cups

1 pkg. Brownie mix (plus ingredients to make)

2 oz. white chocolate

1- 8 oz. cream cheese (softened)

2 TBSP. milk

1/4 C. powdered sugar

1 C. thawed cool whip

(Mandarin oranges, strawberries or mini m&m's, grated chocolate etc.:for garnish)

Pre-heat oven to 350*

Make brownie batter according to directions.

Spray Mini-Muffin pan with oil. Fill each muffin cup 2/3 full.

Bake 12 min. or until done.

While brownies are still warm, gently push down middle to form a cup.

When cooled take out and put on non-stick cooling rack.

Meanwhile make Filling as follows:

Melt chocolate and milk together. Stir until smooth.

Mix Cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth.

Gradually stir in white chocolate mixture until SMOOTH...Fold in whipped topping:

Fill Mini brownie cups and top with mandarin oranges...strawberries...grated chocolate etc...whatever you would like...DELICIOUS!!!!!

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

(This is my second favorite cheesecake recipe. The other one is the Turtle Cheesecake that's already on the blog.)

Crust:

1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs, I use Oreo's

3 T sugar ( little less with Oreo's)

1/4 c butter, melted

Press mixture in bottom of springform pan

Filling;

1 (10 oz) frozen raspberries

2 T sugar

2 tsp cornstarch

1/2 c water

2 cups white chocolate chips

1/2 cup half and half

3-- 8oz pkgs of cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

In saucepan, combine raspberries, 2 T sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to boil and continue boiling 5 minutes, until sauce is thick. Strain through a mesh strainer to remove seeds.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Melt white chocolate chips with half and half over double boiler, or in microwave. Stir until smooth.

In large bowl, mix cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time. Blend in vanilla and melted chocolate. Pour half the batter into crust. Spoon 3 T of raspberry sauce over the batter. Pour remaining batter over and spoon 3 more T of sauce over batter. Swirl with butter knife to create marble effect. ( save remaining raspberry sauce)

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until set. Cool. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Serve with remaining sauce.

Raw Apple Cake

Stir together:

2 c. sugar

1 c. oil

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

Add:

3 c. chopped raw apples (do not need to peel)

walnuts (opt)

Blend into mixture:

3 c. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 ts. salt

Pour into oiled pan (batter is rather thick). Sprinkle with a little sugar and cinnamon. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Not Yo Mamma's Banana Pudding (from Paula Dean)

1 8oz cream cheese softened

2 c whipped cream, beaten with 1 t vanilla extract

6-8 bananas

2 bags chessmen cookies (Pepperidge Farm--This is the BEST part!)

1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk

1 5oz box french vanilla pudding (prepared)

Layer cookies, then bananas in 9x13

Combine cream cheese, sweet milk, and prepared pudding. Fold in whipped cream. Pour over bananas. Top with rest of cookies.

2010-04-24T13:04:00.000-07:00

Italian Favorites

2010-04-16T13:19:00.001-07:00

Champion Chicken Parmesan
By Cooking Light
Kelly Eyring

Tomato Sauce

1 cup boiling water
¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups red bell pepper chopped
1 cup onion chopped
2 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes, undrained
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 minced garlic cloves

Chicken

¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup parmesan cheese grated
¼ teaspoon black pepper
4 skinned and boned chicken breast halves
1 large egg white beaten
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup romano, parmesan and asiago cheese blend
3 cups hot cooked linguine

1. To prepare sauce combine water and sun-dried tomatoes and let stand until soft.
2. 2.Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over med-high heat and add the sun-dried tomatoes, bell pepper, onion and sauté for 7 min. Stir in the canned tomatoes and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat and simmer 10 min. Remove from heat and stir in parsley, basil, vinegar,1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and garlic.
3. Preheat oven to 350
4. For chicken, combine flour, parmesan, and black pepper in a shallow dish. Pound breast halves to 14 inch thickness. Dip in egg white and dredge in flour mixture. Heat oil in nonstick skillet. Cook chicken until golden on each side. Arrange in a 9 by 13 coated with cooking spray. Pour tomato sauce over chicken and sprinkle with blended cheese. Bake for 15 min serve over linguine. Serves 6

Bacon Bowties
Debbie Willis

1 package bowtie pasta-cook according to package directions while preparing sauce

In separate pan...on med-high

1/4 cup butter
1 c. thick bacon in cubes

Heat through and add on lowered heat:

1/2 c. chopped onion
1 c. frozen peas

Add drained pasta and turn heat up.

Toss...salt and pepper to taste and add:

1/2 c. cream
1/2-3/4 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese

Toss and stir until sauce thickens

Sooooo easy!!!!

- Strawberry Italian Ice
- Janeese Summers
- 5 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened strawberries, thawed
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
Place the strawberries in a blender or food processor; cover and process until smooth. In a saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil. Cook and stir until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes; cool slightly. Add to blender. Add lemon juice; cover and process until combined.

Pour into a shallow freezer container; cover and freeze for 4-6 hours or until almost frozen. Serve in cups.
Bruschetta
Sarah d'Evegnee

4-5 ripe tomatoes, diced (I don't like to seed them--the extra juice is so good!)
8 ounces mozarella cheese, cut into small cubes
1/4 cup fresh basil, cut into chiffonade (roll basil and cut into small, confetti-like strips)
2-3 T olive olive
1-2 T balsalmic vinegar
1-2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1 baguette cut into rounds and toasted

Add all ingredients to small bowl and cover. Let sit for at LEAST 2 hours, but the longer it sits the better it gets! Serve with baguette slices and top with tomato mixture right before you eat it. (I usually let people assemble their own so they don't get soggy.) If you are feeling extra evil, you can toast the bread in a little butter in a frying pan. . . Just be warned that you will not recover for a while! (It is one of my all time favorite evil delights!)

Italian Sweet Potatoes

Hilary Jensen

2 lb. sweet potatoes, sliced lengthwise
Vegetable oil
Italian seasoning to taste
Salt & pepper to taste

Cover a loaf pan or baking pan with vegetable oil; add sliced sweet potatoes. Stir until the sweet potatoes are coated with oil. Bake in 350 degree oven. When potatoes are half done, add salt, pepper and italian seasoning; stir occasionally. Bake until brown. Makes 8 servings.

A Few Extra Italian recipes!

Olive Garden's Pasta Fagioli

2 lbs. ground beef (or Italian Sausage)
2 c chopped celery
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 cans (15 oz) Pasta ready stewed tomatoes ( w/ garlic , italian seasoning, olive oil)
1 1/2 cups beef broth, or water
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp cumin
1 c orzo or diatelli style pasta
1 can 6 oz julienne style carrots ( I use fresh)
1 can 6 oz corn
2 cans red kidney beans
1 can cannelini beans, white kidney beans

In large pot brown beef add celery and garlic when beef is almost brown. Drain. Add stewed tomatoes, water, cayenne and cumin. Bring to slow boil. Add pasta and continue to slowly boil until pasta is done. Add carrots ( if fresh, add sooner), corn, and kidney beans. Cook for additional 10 minutes.

Italian Coconut Cream Cake

1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
2 cups white sugar
5 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flaked coconut
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups all-purpose flour

8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons light cream
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease three 9 inch round cake pans. In a small bowl, dissolve the baking soda in the buttermilk; set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together 1/2 cup butter, shortening and white sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs, buttermilk mixture, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 cup coconut, baking powder and flour. Stir until just combined. Pour batter into the prepared pans.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.
To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, 1/2 cup butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla and confectioners' sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Mix in a small amount of cream to attain the desired consistency. Stir in chopped nuts and remaining flaked coconut. Spread between layers and on top and sides of cooled cake.

Chicken Spaghetti

1 Bag – Boneless Chicken Breasts – 4 to 5 pounds
3 Lbs of Spaghetti
3 Large Bell Peppers
1 Bunch of Celery
2 Onions
2 Cans – Stewed Tomatoes
1-2 Cans of EL PATO Sauce (Hot Tomato Sauce)
1 – Pound of Sliced Mushrooms
1 Qt. of Heavy Cream – (Secret Ingredient)
2-3 Lbs of Cheese
1 Stick of Butter

Boil chicken until done – be sure to save the broth vegetables – chop all vegetables small or large depending on how you like it. We use a food processor. Just don’t make mush out of it. Just don’t make mush out of it.

Sauté all vegetables in butter – do not brown.
Add Stewed tomatoes and EL PATO Sauce
Add 2 teaspoons of Garlic Salt
Salt & Pepper to taste
Simmer for approximately 5 mintues.

Add Chicken – Shred it in pieces, cube it or chop it.

Boil Spaghetti Noodles in Left over Broth, may have to add water. Boil until almost all of liquid is absorbed. Stir constantly so it won’t stick or burn in the pan.

Toss it all together – place in 2-3 Large Casserole Dishes. Bake at 300 degrees for 2.5 to 3 hours. Make sure it is covered with Foil or it will DRY out.

Take out of oven – Fork in heavy cream, mix well. Add cheese to top of casserole. Place in oven until cheese is melted, approximately 3-5 minutes. Do not cook too long with cream or it will curdle.

Serves 20 to 30 people

Foccacia Bread
This only takes an hour from start to finish!

tablespoon honey
2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
5 cups all-purpose flour, or as needed
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh chopped rosemary
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Directions

Dissolve honey in the warm water in a large bowl, then sprinkle yeast over the top. Let stand for 5 minutes until the yeast softens and begins to foam. Stir in 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 tablespoon olive oil, onions, and 5 cups of flour until the dough comes together. Knead on a well floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 415 degrees F (215 degrees C).
Place dough onto oiled baking sheet, and flatten to cover the whole sheet evenly. Use the tips of your fingers to make indentations all over the dough spaced about 1 inch apart. Drizzle the focaccia with 3 tablespoons olive oil, then sprinkle rosemary, Parmesan cheese, and remaining 1 tablespoon of kosher salt over the top. Let rise for 10 minutes
Bake in preheated oven 20 minutes until golden brown.

Sunday Dinner Recipes

2010-04-10T14:36:00.000-07:00

Gruyere Potato Gratin

Submitted by Kelly Eyring

By Jennifer Eyring

1 yellow onion, thinly sliced

2 T. olive oil

1 T butter

2 lbs. russet potatoes

2 cups plus grated Gruyere cheese (1/2 pound) get this at Sam’s

1 t. salt

½ t. pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Butter inside of large baking dish

Saute onion in olive oil and butter on medium low heat for 10 minutes

Peel potatoes, then thinly slice them. Mix the sliced potatoes in large bowl with 2 cups of cream, 2 cups cheese, salt and pepper. Add sauted onions and mix well. Pour potatoes in to baking dish and press down smooth. Combine remaining 2 T. cream with ½ cup cheese and sprinkle on top. Bake for 1 ½ hours until potatoes are very tender and top is browned and bubbly. Let set for 10 minutes.

This can be made and baked days ahead and then reheated at 350 for about 30 minutes.

Pecan-Crusted Salmon

Kelly Eyring

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons butter, melted
5 teaspoons honey
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
3 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
6 (4 ounce) fillets salmon
salt and pepper to taste
6 lemon wedges

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). In a small bowl, mix together the mustard, butter, and honey. In another bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, pecans, and parsley.
Season each salmon fillet with salt and pepper. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush with mustard-honey mixture. Cover the top of each fillet with bread crumb mixture.
Bake for 10 minutes per inch of thickness, measured at thickest part, or until salmon just flakes when tested with a fork. Serve garnished with lemon wedges.

Cherry Cheesecake

Debbie Willis

1 package white cake mix
2 packages (8 OZ. each) cream cheese, softened
4 cups confectioners sugar
1 pint whipping cream, whipped
2 cans (21 oz. each) cherry pie filling

Prepare cake mix according to package directions. pour into two greased 13x9x2 in. baking pans. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. cool. In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until fluffy; fold in the whipped cream. Spread over each cake. top with pie filling. chill for 4 hours or overnight.

Creamy Black Bean Salsa Chicken

Sarah d'Evegnee

This is ideal for those Sundays when you need a meal that doesn't take more than a few minutes to prepare, but will still feed the starving troops.

2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup salsa

1 can (15 oz) corn, drained

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

1 package taco seasoning

½ cup sour cream (We use light)

1 cup grated cheddar cheese (We use part-skim mozarella)
Place chicken in greased crock pot. Pour broth, salsa, corn, beans, and taco seasoning over chicken. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours. Remove chicken with slotted spoon and place on serving dish. Stir sour cream and cheese into sauce in slow cooker, then pour over chicken. Makes 3-5 servings. I also like to cook it in the oven in a 9x13 pan so the chicken doesn't get too soft like it does sometimes in the crook pot. Just cook at 350 for about an hour. (Frozen chicken breasts work GREAT too--you just need to cook it for about 15-20 minutes longer.)
I use 6-8 boneless, skinless, frozen, chicken tenders and I don’t remove them. About 30 minutes before dinner I add light sour cream and mozzarella cheese and stir to shred chicken. We eat it over brown rice and it feeds all of us.

Peanut Butter Fudge Cookies

Sarah d'Evegnee

1/2 c butter

1/2 c Peanut butter

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 t vanilla

1 1/4 c flour

3/4 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

Cream butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla. Add flour Baking soda, and salt. Mix well. Roll into 1 inch balls and place in greased mini muffin tine. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. As soon as they come out of the oven, make an indention in the middle to create a sort of "well."

Let cool for 4-5 minutes. Fill with chocolate ganache (recipe follows)

Chocolate Ganache

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2-1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 t vanilla

Put chocolate chips in microwave-safe bowl and melt for 30 seconds then stir. Keep heating for 30 more seconds and then stirring until they are completely melted. Add 1/2 can of milk and then add more if it is too thick. Add vanilla. Put half of ganache in a ziplock bag and snip off about 1/2 inch of the tip with scissors. Pipe ganache into cookies.

2010-03-06T23:10:00.000-08:00

2010-01-21T22:31:00.000-08:00

Apple and Spinach Salad

Shannon Packer

2 TB fresh lime juice
2 TB fresh orange juice
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
2 tsp honey
1/4 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
8 cups fresh baby spinach (about 8 ounces)
1 large apple, cored and thinly sliced
1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled blue cheese or feta cheese

Combine juices, mustard, honey, salt and pepper in a small bowl and whisk
together. Place onions and spinach in a large bowl. Add dressing and toss
together. Top with Blue Cheese or Feta Cheese. Can also top with peans or
almonds.

Angel Hair Pasta with Shrimp
By Janet Lee Chamberlain in “Five Star Recipes from Well-Known Latter Day Saints
with some adaptations by Kelly Eyring

12oz. fresh or frozen shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs. olive oil
½ cup white cooking wine or water
2 Tbs. snipped fresh basil
3 tsp. snipped fresh oregano
2 tsp. chicken bouillon granules
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/8 tsp pepper
6 oz. dried angel hair pasta, cooked
2 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
¼ snipped parsley
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Thaw shrimp if frozen.

In a large saucepan cook the onion and garlic in hot oil until onion is tender. Combine the cooking wine or water, basil, oregano, bouillon granules, cornstarch, and pepper. Add to saucepan. Cook and stir until bubbly.

Add shrimp to liquid mixture in saucepan. Cover and simmer about 3 minutes or until shrimp turn pink.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in boiling water for 2 minutes, until it is al dente. Stir tomatoes into shrimp mixture and heat through. To serve, toss pasta with parsley. Spoon shrimp mixture over pasta. (I like to mix it all together) Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. ( Of course I like plenty of cheese too).

Creamed Zucchini Soup with Shrimp
Nicole Burt

This comes from Cooking Lite and was my favorite growing up!

4 1/2 C water, divided
1/2 LB small fresh shrimp
pam
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
6 small zucchini, sliced
1 TBL chicken bouillon granules
1 TBL chopped fresh basil
1/8 tsp pepper
1 C skim milk
1/4 C grated parmesan cheese

Bring 1 1/2 C water to boil in saucepan; add shrimp. Reduce heat; cook 3-4 min (do not boil). Drain, and rinse in cold water. Peel, devein, and coursly chop shrimp.
Coat small dutch oven with cooking spray; place over medium heat until hot. Add onion sand garlic; saute until tender.
Stir in Zucchini, 3 C water, bouillon, basil and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 10 min or until zucchini is tender. Transfer zucchini mixture in batches into container of an electric blender or food processor; process until smooth. Return to Dutch oven, and stir in milk and cheese. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until cheese melts. Add shrimp, and heat thoroughly. Makes 1 1/2 quarts (84 calories per 1 C serving).
protein 9.7/fat 1.8/carbs 8.2/cholesterol 46/iron 1.3/sodium 318/calcium 150

Spinach and Basil Pesto with Angel Hair Pasta and Grilled Chicken
Sarah d'Evegnee
Marinade: (I'm guessing on the measurements a little--I just eyeballed it and added what sounded good)
2 t minced garlic
2 t brown mustard
4 T lemon juice
3 t Italian Seasoning
1/4 cup minced red onion
1/4 cup balsalmic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil

Mix well. Tenderize (with a fork) and marinate 4-6 chicken breasts in a freezer bag for 6-8 hours. Grill chicken for 7-10 minutes on each side or until juices run clear.

Spinach and Basil Pesto
1 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves
3/4 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 cloves garlic, peeled and quartered or 3 t. minced garlic
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4-1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (depending on how think you like your pesto)

Blend the spinach, basil, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice, lemon zest, and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a food processor until nearly smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula as necessary. Drizzle the remaining olive oil into the mixture while processing until smooth.

Serve pesto over whole wheat angel hair pasta with shaved parmesan on top and grilled chicken on the side.

Brown Rice Pudding
Stephanie Fay

1/2 cup brown rice
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 can light coconut milk
1 1/3 cups nonfat milk
1/2 cup liquid egg substitute
1 tsp. almond extract

2 bananas, sliced
Brown Sugar

Spray your slow cooker with nonstick spray. Stir together brown rice, cranberries and sugar in crockpot. In a separage bowl, wisk coconut milk, nonfat milk, egg sub, and almond extract together. Pour over rice mixture. Cook on high for 4-5 hours.

Serve with sliced bananas and brown sugar on top.

Serves 6

Per serving: 240 calories, 2 g fat, 2 mg cholesterol, 42 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 9 g protein, 11% vitamin A, 7% vitamin C, 21% calcium, 7% iron

From www.bodyforlife.com

Cinnamon Spice Dip

Shannon Packer

2 oz. fat free cream cheese
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 TB honey
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup fat free sour cream

Beat cream cheese and honey til smooth. Add remaining ingredients and beat
until smooth. Cover and refrigerate 1-2 hours for flavors to blend. Serve
with fruit as dip. Yield: 1 cup.

Six Week Bran Muffins
Shannon Packer

2 cups boiling water
1 cup shortening
1 tsp salt
2 cups chopped dates
4 eggs
5 cups flour
5 tsp. soda
2 cups sugar
2 cups 40% Bran Flakes
1 cup chopped nuts
1 qt. buttermilk
4 cups All Bran Cereal

Add soda to water. Let cool. Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs one at
a time. Beat well. Add buttermilk, flour and salt. Add water and soda.
Mix All-Bran and Bran Flakes, dates, and nuts. Add to mixture. Store in
refrigerator. Spoon into greased muffin tins or cupcake papers. Bake at
350 for 10-15 minutes.

2010-01-01T09:50:00.000-08:00

2009-11-28T20:20:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-11-12T13:07:00.000-08:00

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!)

2009-11-10T17:57:00.000-08:00

2009-10-15T15:16:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-10-02T10:55:00.000-07:00