Woodpile Cooking

Vegetarian Pot Pie

2012-02-05T16:32:00.000-08:00

2-3 carrots, sliced
6.5 T butter
1 onion, chopped
3 cups chopped mushrooms
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery salt/seed
1 3/4 cups vegetable broth
2/3 cup milk
1 can sliced potatoes, drained (use fresh, if you want, and cook with carrots)
1 cup frozen green peas
2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
Put carrots in a saucepan (with potatoes IF using fresh), add water to cover and boil for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside. Go ahead and throw the can of potatoes in with the carrots at this point.
Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, over medium heat, cook onions and mushrooms in butter until onions are soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery salt/seed (Carrie strongly suggests adding copious amounts of sage at this step). Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat. Mix in carrot/potato mixture, and frozen peas.
Pour the mixture into bottom pie crust. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape. Brush with milk.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Blueberry Coffeecake Muffins

2012-01-29T15:20:00.000-08:00

So, Levi has become more tolerant of dairy especially when cooked and then Beth sent me a recipe for no-egg chocolate chip cookies that had cream cheese and were delicious, and it made me start thinking about what else I could try. I found this recipe and substituted cream cheese for the egg and they turned out great! These muffins got a thumbs up from all parties. The only change I would make is: I think the crumble topping recipe makes too much and only ended up putting on 2/3 of it on top of the muffins. So next time I'm going to adjust accordingly.
Cream:
3/4 c sugar
1/3 c oil
1/3 c milk
4 oz cream cheese (softened)

Combine and add
1.5 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Add last
1 cup blueberries

topping
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
400 degrees for 15-20 mins

Banana cake

2012-01-02T09:38:00.000-08:00

4 oz butter
1 cup sugar
3 mashed bananas
1 egg, whisked
1 1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda (dissolved in 2 Tbsp milk)

Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, bananas and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients together and Mix with the rest. Bake at 350' for 30-40 minutes. Cake will be brownie pan sized.

Glaze:
Mix 1/4 c brown sugar and 1 1/2 ox butter in pan. Add 1/8 c milk and stir over heat. Add 1/4 tsp vanilla and 3/4 c icing sugar. Pour over slightly cooled cake. Eat most of cake by yourself w a fork.

crepes

2012-01-01T16:29:00.000-08:00

cup of flour
pinch salt
2 large eggs
7 ounces milk
3 ounces water

beat til smooth

melt 2 tablespoons butter into batter

makes around dozen 7-inch crepes

Ricotta Rolls

2011-12-17T12:08:00.000-08:00

3 sandwich rolls, cut in half, and hollowed out

MIX TOGETHER:
1 cup shredded mozarella cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
basil to taste (~2 tsp. fresh, chopped)

1 tomato, sliced and lightly salted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place some tomato in each bread half, then fill with cheese mixture.
Put two halves back together, and wrap in foil.
Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and let sit for 3-4 minutes.

Pumpkin Bread

2011-12-16T14:34:00.000-08:00

1 15 oz can pumpkin
4 eggs
1 c vegetable oil
2/3 c water
3 c white sugar
3 1/2 c flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 3 loaf pans.

In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, egg, oil, water and sugar until blended. In a separate bowl mix flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.

Bake for about 50 minutes.

William's (Cinnamon) Chip Muffins

2011-11-11T09:14:00.000-08:00

This recipe was originally made with chocolate chips, but I've only had it with cinnamon chips, which are delicious. We've made them twice in a week.

1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. milk
1/3 c. melted butter
1 egg
1 c. (mini) cinnamon chips

Preheat oven to 375. Mix together dry ingredients, then add liquid ingredients. Add cinnamon chips last. Like pancakes, do not over stir; this toughens the muffins.

Bake for 25 min.

Makes 1 dozen.

Sister Chalmer's (whomever she was) Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-11-10T17:03:00.000-08:00

Maybe you guys all have a good chocolate chip cookie recipe, but we always just make the one on the back of the package, with sort of so-so results. I had these at a friend's house, and they are mmm mmm good.

1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c white sugar
1/3 c crisco
1/3 c butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp soda
1/2 - 3/4 c semi sweet chocolate chips

1) blend shortening and butter until creamy
2) blend in sugars, egg and vanilla
3) blend in all dry ingredients
4) fold in chocolate chips

Bake at 375* for 8-9 min.

(This is only a 1/4 batch from the original. It makes a little over 2 dozen. Can be easily doubled.)

Baked Southwest Eggrolls

2011-10-24T17:46:00.000-07:00

from melskitchencafe.com, slightly modified

*Makes about 2 dozen

Rolls:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium yellow or red onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 green or red pepper, diced small

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

10 ounces frozen, chopped spinach, defrosted and liquid squeezed out

1 cup canned corn, drained

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2-3 cups shredded cheese, Jack or Cheddar

2-3 dozen small, fajita-size flour tortillas

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line two rimmed baking sheets with foil and lightly grease with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for 5-6 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the peppers and cook over medium or medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add the rinsed and drained black beans, spinach, corn, and seasonings. Mix well and cook until the mixture is heated through. Remove from heat, and add the cheese.

Roll the bundles: warming the tortillas helps a little, but isn't necessary. Place some of the filling on each tortilla and roll up tightly, burrito/egg-roll style, folding in the edges. Place seam side down on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, until the rolls are lightly browned and heated through (you can turn them once, if you want, although not necessary).

A great dipping sauce for these is salsa and sour cream mixed together.

Feel free to add jalapeno, cilantro, chicken, etc.

Carrot Cake

2011-09-26T19:56:00.000-07:00

2.5 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

4 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. vanilla

3 cups lightly packed shredded carrots (about 6 medium)
3/4 cup dark seedless raisins (or blueberry infused craisins)
1 8-8.5 oz can crushed pineapple, in juice

cream cheese frosting (see below)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 9"x13" metal baking pan.

2. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.

3. In large bowl, with mixer at medium-high speed, beat eggs until blended. Gradually add granulated sugar, then brown sugar; beat two minutes, frequently scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Beat in oil and vanilla. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture, and beat about one minute, until smooth, frequently scraping bowl.

4. Fold in carrots, raisins, and pineapple with its juice.

5. Pour batter into pan. Bake 55-60 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, with a few moist crumbs attached. Cool cake in pan on wire rack, 10 minutes or more, before frosting.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

In large bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat 3 cups confectioners' sugar, 6-8 oz. cream cheese (softened), and 1.5 tsp vanilla extract, just until blended. Increase speed to medium. Beat one minute, or until smooth and fluffy, frequently scraping bowl.

Salt and Vinegar Potato Bites

2011-09-25T21:04:00.000-07:00

3 cups cubed potatoes
2 T. vegetable oil
1 cup malt vinegar (we used a mix of apple cider and balsamic)
3 T. sugar

1. Soak potatoes in large bowl of cold water 30 minutes. Drain, and pat dry.

2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss potatoes with oil on baking sheet, and spread in single layer. Roast 45 minutes, or until golden and crisp, turning 2 or 3 times. Season with salt, and pepper, if desired.

3. Meanwhile, bring vinegar and sugar to a simmer in saucepan over medium heat. Cook 15 - 20 minutes, or until liquid is reduced by half (helpful hint: don't inhale the steam), stirring occasionally. Serve sauce on side for dipping, or drizzle over potatoes.

Farmer's Market Chowder

2011-09-25T19:41:00.000-07:00

This soup was a little more work than I wanted it to be. But, it was also way more delicious than I wanted it to be. Unfortunately, that means we are definitely going to have to make it again. I've tried to simplify it a little here.

4 ears of corn
2.5 cups milk
2 cloves of garlic, crushed (more later)

2 T. butter
1.5 T. olive oil (more later)
3 cups leeks, sliced
1/2 onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp. paprika
4 cups water

1 T. olive oil
1 med-large sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1-2 cups mushrooms, sliced
1 can green beans, drained (the recipe called for fresh, chopped, but we just used canned, and it made the recipe easier. if you use fresh, they may need to just cook a little longer in the soup)

1.5 T fresh, chopped basil
salt and pepper to taste

1. Cut kernels off corn cobs into a large saucepan with the milk and garlic. Run the back of the knife down the cobs to squeeze extra corn-milk and pulp off cobs. Don't throw away the cobs, yet. Bring milk/corn to a slight boil and remove from heat. Add cobs, cover, and let steep for a while.

2. Heat butter and oil in another large saucepan or dutch oven (you could probably use the same one, if you want to move the corn to steep in a different container). Add leeks and onions, cover, and cook 15 minutes over medium or medium-low heat. Add garlic and paprika and cook 30 seconds. Add 4 cups of water. Remove from heat.

3. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add sweet potatoes and saute 8 minutes, or until browned. Add this to the leek/onion mixture.

4. Add remaining oil to the skillet and saute mushrooms and green beans. (If using fresh green beans, add at the same time. If using canned, saute the mushrooms alone for a bit, first) Remove from heat.

5. Bring onion/leek/sweet potato mixture to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add mushroom/green bean mixture (cook a few minutes more here, if using fresh beans).

6. Remove the cobs from the milk/corn pot (getting as much milk and pulp off them as you can). Combine the milk/corn with the vegetable mixture. Add basil, and salt and pepper.

7. Enjoy. Seriously.

Ok, now- this recipe, while complicated, is fairly versatile. I added mushrooms and onions, just because I felt like it, and it was delicious. It also suggests that you could use carrots, potatoes (although I do not advocate giving up sweet potatoes for this), wax beans, etc.

Salsa Verde Secrets Revealed!

2011-09-20T12:53:00.000-07:00

Ingredients: Tomatillos, serrano peppers, garlic, cilantro, salt. Ignore the lime there, it was for the pico de gallo.

I usually use about 1 pepper per 2 tomatillos for a medium-hot salsa, you can adjust accordingly.

Take off the outer shell off the tomatillos and cut the top off the serranos. Put them in a pot like this.

Boil them until the tomatillos are soft. Maybe about 5 minutes. Drain out the water.

Put the tomatillos and peppers in a blender. Then add a hand full of cilantro, 1 clove of garlic, and about 1 tsp of salt (maybe add more later).

Blend. At this stage, do NOT open the lid and smell the salsa. The hot pepper steam will get you. Also keep in mind that the hot temperature of the salsa will make it taste more spicy. It will be less spicy as it cools down.

Mushroom Orzo Pilaf

2011-08-13T18:51:00.000-07:00

2.5 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 lb sliced fresh mushrooms
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
14-15 oz vegetable broth (or broth of choice)
1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Heat oil in large saucepan. Saute mushrooms and onion in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook and stir 1 minute longer.
Add the broth, orzo, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-14 minutes or until pasta is tender.

i do! i do like cilantro sam-i-am!

2011-08-12T14:29:00.000-07:00

This dressing is so cool and light, we were eating it with a spoon. A perfect blend of amazing flavors. Please try this. It is the first time I have enjoyed cilantro. Now I want everyone to try it. As we say at our house, I'll give you a quarter if you do!

1 cup buttermilk

1 4oz can gr chilies

1 bunch of cilantro

1 sm tomatillo

1/2 tsp lime juice

dash of cayenne pepper

1 cup mayo

1 clove garlic

1 jalapeno (seeds removed)

1 tsp salt

dash of tobasco

1 package of ranch dressing mix

Mix in blender. Refrigerate before serving.

Linda Porter's Strawberry Pie

2011-05-25T09:21:00.001-07:00

This is one of the best pies I have ever eaten. Maybe it's the cream cheese, or the shortbread crust, but Mmm Mmmm.

Crust: 1 1/2 c flour, 1/3 c pwdr sugar, 3/4 c soft butter. Mix and press into pie pan. Bake at 350 until golden (10-15 min?)

Stir 1 T white sugar into 8 oz of cream cheese. Spread over crust in thin layer.

Filling:
1 c sugar
1 c water
1/4 tsp almond extract
3 T cornstarch
2 T strawberry jello powder

Combine in saucepan and heat until mixture boils and thickens, stirring frequently. Place strawberries (whole or in large pieces) on top of cream cheese layer and pour mixture over top. Allow to cool/set.

Crescent Zucchini Pie

2011-05-19T18:02:00.000-07:00

Don't skimp on the mustard.

1 tube refrigerated crescent rolls
2 t. Dijon mustard (we used honey dijon)

4 c. sliced zucchini
1 c. chopped onion
6 T. butter

2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 c. (4 oz.) shredded mozzarella
1 c. (4 oz.) shredded colby-jack
2 T. parsley
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 t. basil
1/4 t. oregano

Spread the roll dough out into a 9-inch pie dish, making sure any seams are well sealed. Spread with mustard.

In a large skillet, saute zucchini and onion in butter until tender.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, cheese, seasonings and zucchini mixture. Pour into crust.

Bake at 375 for 25-35 min or until an inserted knife comes out clean. Cover edges with foil, if needed.

I've made this three times, with several variations, including my favorite of replacing the cheeses with 3/4 cup swiss and 1 cup ricotta, and add another egg. It still works, but you may need to adjust the cooking time and temperature.

Sweet Potato Chili Bake

2011-05-15T19:30:00.000-07:00

2 c. cubed, peeled sweet potato
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
1 T. olive oil

1 garlic clove minced

1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 c. vegetable broth
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
4 1/2 t. brown sugar
1/2 to 1 jar of Homade Chili Sauce (added to recipe by Claire)
3 t. chili powder (this seemed like a lot, so I made them small teaspoons, but it didn't end up tasting too chili powdery)
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper

1 pkg. corn bread/muffin mix
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

In an ovenproof Dutch ovven, saute sweet potato and red pepper in oil until crisp-tender.
Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.
Add tomatoes, broth, beans, brown sugar, chili powder, salt and pepper (and Homade Chili Sauce). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. (This looks like way too much liquid, but don't worry- after it bakes, it's fine).

Meanwhile, prepare the corn bread batter according to package directions; stir in cheese.
Drop by spoonful over chili.

Cover and bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes (I took the lid off the last couple min to brown the top) or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

2011-05-05T15:42:00.000-07:00

Ok, Gordon and I made this Sunday evening, and it was delicious. I think we ate half of it that night.

Ingredients:

* 2/3 cup sugar (the original recipe called for maple sugar, so we added a little maple flavoring to this, and it was pretty tasty)
* 3 tablespoons butter, melted
* 2-1/4 cups diced fresh or frozen rhubarb
* 4-1/2 teaspoons sugar
* 6 tablespoons butter, softened
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 2 large eggs, separated
* 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
* 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (4 1/2 ounces)flour
* 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 cup whole milk (I used a mixture of the milk I had on hand, plus some cream)
* 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 325° F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan. In a small bowl, combine the sugar & melted butter. Spread in the bottom of the prepared pan. Layer with the rhubarb & sprinkle with 4 1/2 teaspoons of sugar. Set aside.
2) In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter & 3/4 cups of maple sugar until light & fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg yolks & vanilla extract and mix.
3) In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer running on low, slowly add half of the flour, the milk, and the other half of the flour, beating well after each addition & scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
4) In a clean, medium-sized bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Gradually fold into the batter. Gently spoon over the rhubarb in the pan.
5) Bake in preheated oven until the cake springs back when lightly touched, about 50-60 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack for 10 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate.

Grape Spinach Smoothie

2011-04-15T09:43:00.000-07:00

This kid ate a 1/2 cup of spinach today, and so can you. Here's the recipe
* 1 cup seedless green grapes
* 1 cup packed spinach
* 1/2 cup ice (4 cubes)
* 1/4 cup coconut milk (find in a can in the asian section)

I decided to freeze the grapes, which made the 1/4 cup of milk not enough liquid, so I added about 1/4 cup of apple juice also.

Carnitas

2011-03-29T12:29:00.000-07:00

This was sooo tasty. So maybe I'm pregnant. So maybe I really miss mexican food. I am going to believe that I still would have loved it without those factors.

First marinade some meat, I used pork:
crushed garlic
jalapeno pepper (supposed to be through a food processor, I crushed it through the garlic press)
cumin
cilantro
salt/pepper
lime juice
vinegar
sugar
olive oil

If you need exact measurements on all these, I'm sorry I can't help you. Try to rely on your knowledge of college football.

After marinading for as long as you can, line a cookie sheet with foil, and turn your oven on to broil. Stick the meat in there about 6-8in from the heat until its getting a little black and crispy (5-8mins) then flip it to the other side for another 5-8mins. It tastes like it has been on the bbq. mmm mmm.
Serve in tortillas with onion and cilantro on top.

Garbanzo Bean Curry

2011-03-29T12:25:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe on http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2010/03/bean-curry.html. She used black eyed peas, but I used garbanzo beans and I'm guessing it turned out quite similar.

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger (see pictures of grating ginger here)
1 large tomato, chopped
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
pinch cayenne, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Garam Masala
3/4 cup half and half
1 cup vegetable stock or chicken broth
1 can black-eyed peas, lightly drained, (or garbanzo beans)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; saute 5 minutes or until translucent and slightly browned. Stir in garlic and grated ginger root; stir constantly for 30 seconds. Add tomato; cook for 2 minutes. Stir in turmeric, cayenne, salt, paprika, and garam masala; stir constantly for 30 seconds. Add half and half, stock, and black-eyed peas. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cilantro. Serve immediately with rice, chapati, or naan.

Chicken Tikka Masala

2011-01-24T13:53:00.000-08:00

I'd like to announce that I accomplished a major culinary goal of mine. I made an indian curry that was a-ma-zing. It took me a long time to find all the ingredients and then to convince myself that it was worth it to go back and buy all the ingredients.

Just check out this list of flavorings:
Coriander
Cumin
Onion
Garlic
Fresh Ginger
Garam Masala
Fresh Cilantro
Chili Peppers
Turmeric
Cayenne Pepper

I even went ahead and made the basmati rice to go with it. I was so happy and proud of every bite, that I didn't even take a picture. Here's the recipe:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/06/chicken-tikka-masala-by-pastor-ryan/

sorta homemade tomato soup

2011-01-15T21:09:00.000-08:00

you know how i am on the search for perfect soup? well, i have always had a soft spot in my heart for tomato soup. i have also harbored a sneaking suspicion that i could do better than the stuff that comes out of a can. so i needed a dish to go along with chicken rollups (chicken, green onions, cream cheese- rolled up in a cresant roll), and i had two homemade tomato soup recipes that i had some of each... so i combined them and added what sounded good, and viola! sSSSSSoooo good. the cream takes the bite off the tomato acid and it is wonderful.

1can itallian tomatoes, diced

1can tomato soup

1/4 soup can of water + 3/4 soup can of cream. these amounts are debatable.

3T butter (told ya it was good)

1cup water + 1 cube ck bullion or 1 can of ck broth

1/2 tsp basil (or fresh stuff if you are cool like that)

1tsp sugar

pinch of pepper

i put it all together and let it simmer for a while (this is because jack needed help in the bathroom and i forgot about it), but too hot, and the cream will go weird.

and DONE! great for what ails new hampshire!

by the way, cream is my new ingredient that i have around all the time, just to add to stuff: soup, mac n' cheese, even eggs. it makes lots of stuff really good.

my vegetarian salad

2011-01-08T16:14:00.001-08:00

In honor of Claire's birthday, here is a vegetarian dish that I made today and was pretty awesome. This called for cilantro, which of course i took right out. And the recipe was huge, so this is half, just right for 2 with leftovers. You mix the sauce and pour it over the other ingredients, then toss on the sesame seeds, but I didn't have any. It looks kinda crazy in the picture, but it was yummy, i swear! Here it goes:

Sauce:

1/4 cups Soy Sauce
1 T Sesame Oil
1 T Canola or veg Oil
1 T Rice Wine Vinegar
½ tsp Red Pepper Flakes
pinch of salt and pepper to taste
1/2 lb. spaghetti noodles, cooked and rinsed (called for wheat)
A few Green Onions, Sliced, Divided
1/2 Red Pepper, Sliced Thin
¼ heads Red Cabbage, Sliced Thin
1 Carrot, Shredded With Vegetable Peeler
1 cup Shelled Edamame, Cooked
1/4 cups Toasted Sesame Seeds

And since I changed so much, if it turns out nasty, here is the original recipe.. http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/main-courses/last-minute-sesame-noodles/ i love claire!!

Black Bean Burgers

2011-01-05T06:35:00.000-08:00

In honor of Claire's birthday, here is a vegetarian dish that was quite tasty.

1 (16oz) can black beans *rinsed and patted dry
1/2 green bell pepper - patted dry w/paper towel
1/3 onion, cut into wedges
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 eggs
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce or hot sauce
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Mash beans in a bowl. Cut onion, pepper, and garlic into little pieces, add to beans. Stir together egg, chili powder, cumin, and chili sauce. Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide mixture into four or five patties, depending on size of buns. Grill for 8mins/side or bake at 375 for 10 mins/side.

Serve with any of the following: tomato, lettuce, cheese, avocado, salsa.

Holiday Mint Milk

2010-12-14T12:52:00.000-08:00

1 c. milk
5 chewy mints, unwrapped
1 kid handful of raisins
cinnamon/sugar

Combine first three ingredients. Sprinkle cinnamon/sugar mixture on top until surface is covered. Stir in cinnamon/sugar until moistened. Drink with straw- no fork needed.

Kansas City Sue's Crock Pot Chicken

2010-12-12T16:14:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe off of my new favorite cooking blog: http://www.melskitchencafe.com/. This recipe is not like anything I usually make, I'm not even sure what genre to put it in. American? Middle American? Anyway, it was tasty and easy and a good way to use up that cider vinegar left over from your collard greens.

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 onion, diced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 cup low-sodium beef broth

In a large skillet, heat the butter/olive oil. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and cook them for 1-2 minutes on each side, until nicely browned but not cooked all the way through. Remove the chicken to the slow cooker. In a large bowl, combine all the other ingredients. Whisk well. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Cover the crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours. Serve with rice or noodles.

chow down, it's good for you!

2010-11-15T13:07:00.000-08:00

This could set the record for the vaguest post ever. I went to a friends house to eat and they had the most delicious side dish/salad! Here it is.

sliced cucumbers

rice wine vinegar

pinch of salt

"some" sugar

That's it. They had a bowl of rice wine vinegar (2 cups?) w/ what i would guess was 2T? of sugar and a pinch of salt in it. Then we had a huge platter of sliced cucumbers. We took one with some chopsticks and dipped it in the vinegar and ate it. It was fantastic! I could have eaten them all night. They said they had them at a Vietnamese place and asked what the sauce was. Easy!

Wednesday Wars Cream Puffs

2010-10-24T22:16:00.000-07:00

We made cream puffs in honor of reading "Wednesday Wars".

(They are on pg 137 of Grandma A's cook book) I have made 1/2 a batch before and they work fine.

They are easy. Behold:

1 C water

1/2 C butter or shortening (choose butter!)

1C flour

1/2 tsp salt

4 eggs

Some kind of good, gooey stuff and opptional powdered sugar.

So you heat the butter (good choice!) and water and salt to a boiling point and add the flour all at once, stiring quickly (it says "vigorously", but sheesh, don't hurt anything). It will thicken quick, but keep beating it and stiring it till it leaves the sides of your pan and balls up around your wooden spoon. Let it cool slightly, then beat eggs in one at a time (doing all 4 at once is hard!), beating each in well. You can use a machine- it makes it lighter.

Then drop by spoonfuls (the bigger the spoonful, the bigger the

puff) onto greased baking sheet. Spread 'em out - they puff.

Bake at 400* for 30 min (this is a lie, as mine were too dark by min 18). They just need to be dry and browned. Cool, cut the tops off, gut them if necessary, and fill with pudding, whipped cream, jam, a bit of syrup, sugared strawberries, etc. etc. They aren't all that great by themselves (no sugar to speak of), but they are the vessel to hold all the other goodness. We used instant choc pudding. Very nice.

Curried Pumpkin Mushroom Soup

2010-10-11T10:34:00.000-07:00

This soup is easy but tastes fancy.

1 package mushrooms, sliced
1/2 c. chopped onions
2 T butter
2 T flour
1 T curry powder
2 small cans chicken broth
1 15 oz can pumpkin
1 T honey
1 c milk or cream
pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Cook onions and mushrooms in butter until soft. Add flour and curry. Cook over low heat for 5 min, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add broth, stirring to mix. Stir in pumpkin, honey, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 min. Add milk/cream.

Avoid boiling when reheating.

You ate WHAT? (Collard Greens)

2010-10-06T19:02:00.000-07:00

4 strips of bacon, sliced into 1/2" pieces
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 dashes hot sauce
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
1 c. chicken broth or water
2 lbs collard greens, stems removed and sliced into strips

Cook bacon, onion, garlic together in pan. Combine other ingredients and add to pan along with greens. Cook 10-15 minutes until greens are soft.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

2010-09-20T09:28:00.000-07:00

This is delicious.

1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
3 cup rhubarb, cut into 1/2" pieces
2 cup sliced fresh strawberries
1 tbsp. butter
Pastry for double crust pie

In large mixing bowl stir together sugar, cornstarch, salt and ground nutmeg. Add rhubarb pieces and sliced strawberries, toss gently to coat fruit. Let stand for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare and roll out pastry. Line a 9 inch pie plate with half of the pastry. Trim pastry to edge of pie plate. Pour fruit mixture into pie plate. Dot with butter, place pastry on top of filling. Cut slits in top to allow steam to escape; seal and flute edge.

Bake at 350°F for 1 hour.

Banana Cake

2010-09-19T16:29:00.000-07:00

Cream together 4 oz butter and 1 cup sugar.

Add to mix:
3 mashed bananas
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda dissolved in 2 Tbsp milk

Bake at 350 for 30-40 min

Glaze (make extra, this is the best part):
mix together over heat:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 oz butter
1/8 cup milk

add 1/2 tsp vanilla, 3/4 cup powdered sugar and beat all together over low heat. Pour over cake.

Cake Truffles

2010-05-02T14:10:00.000-07:00

1 baked cake - I started with my favorite cake
1 container cream cheese frosting (although any frosting will do)
1 package chocolate chips

Put the cooled cake into a mixing bowl and blend it together with the container of frosting. I did this in the kitchen aid.

Roll into 1 inch balls and put on cookie tray.
Freeze for 3-4 hours.

Melt chocolate over a double boiler. Let it cool a bit before dipping. Dip frozen truffles into chocolate with a fork, push off fork using a toothpick. Return to fridge or freezer. Decorate tops with melted white chocolate.

Don't let Claire anywhere near the operation.

Lettuce Wraps

2010-05-02T13:55:00.000-07:00

Warning: this recipe contains an odd ingredient. If you don't love lettuce wraps enough to overcome that, then just skip it.

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts, cut into small cubes
8 mushrooms, cut into small pieces
1 cup (2 cans?) of water chestnuts, cut into small pieces
3 small cloves of garlic, diced
1-2 bunches of green onions, finely chopped
1 small handful of cilantro, finely chopped
1/3 cup of hoisin sauce (found in asian market or aisle)
2-3 tbsp soy sauce
(2 Tbsp?) canola or veg oil

1 head of iceberg lettuce, cut in half

Cook the chicken in oil until almost done, then drop in the garlic for about a minute. Add the mushrooms and water chestnuts. Cook for another minute or so, or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Add the hoisin sauce and soy sauce, mix to coat; add green onions and cilantro. Cook for another minute or so.
Serve with lettuce.

Chicken or Shrimp Fettuccine

2010-05-02T13:37:00.000-07:00

Carrie taught me this recipe a long time ago:

Cook 1 chicken breast (cubed) or 1 cup shrimp in 2 Tbsp butter

In a different pan, saute in 2 Tbsp olive oil:
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, mashed

Add
1 tsp basil
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp oregano

Then add
1 can cream of celery soup
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt/pepper

Pour over 1 lb pasta. (picture features all my leftover pastas together)

Chocolate Cheescake

2010-05-02T13:25:00.000-07:00

Crust
1 package chocolate graham crackers (1/3 of a box)
1/2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 cup butter (melted)

Crush the graham crackers and mix in the butter. Press into 9'' pie tin.

Filling
2 packages of cream cheese **room temperature** or else they will not mix with the chocolate
5 oz of melted chocolate (this is just under 1 cup)
1/2 cup+3 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
2 eggs

Stir chopped chocolate in metal bowl set over saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove bowl from over water; cool chocolate until lukewarm but still pourable. Blend cream cheese, sugar, and cocoa powder in processor until smooth. Blend in eggs. Mix in lukewarm chocolate. Pour filling over crust; smooth top. Bake until center is just set and just appears dry, about 1 hour. Cool 5 minutes. Run knife around sides of cake to loosen. Chill overnight.

Green rice

2010-05-02T13:07:00.000-07:00

I should say that this recipe is kind of a bugger. I can't really recommend it unless you have a food processor or a better blender than mine. Here's why

Combine:
1 seeded jalapeno
3 Tbsp olive oil
2/3 cup cilantro
2 green onions (i use 1/3 reg onion)
1 clove garlic
salt/pepper

So you're supposed to blend the above together, but the olive oil is just not enough liquid to get it going in a blender. So I end up doing a lot of work with a spatula or adding more liquid (like lime).

Cook the rice 1 cup rice, 1 cup broth, 1 cup water.

Mix the green blended mush into the rice.

Monkey bread for 1

2010-05-02T12:57:00.000-07:00

Ok, well more than one, but its a smaller (1/3) version of this recipe
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/05/monkey-bread/

I love this recipe because: it contains cinnamon, it takes 20 minutes, and costs about $2 to make.

1 biscuit roll (the non flaky kind)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup whitey sugar

Cut up your biscuits into 4 pieces and roll them around in the sugar/cinnamon mix. (Like snickerdoodles.) Put them in the bread pan.

Mix together:
1/4 cup brown sugar
2/3 stick of butter (melted)

Pour over the top.

Cook at 350 for 20mins or until the biscuits look nice and crispy on top.
Beth mentioned that people have done this on camping trips in a dutch oven. mmmm.

a new, easy soup

2010-04-25T10:09:00.000-07:00

6-8cups ck broth

bag of California blend frozen vegetables

can of Italian diced tomatoes, with juice

bag of cheese tortellini (frozen or fresh- follow the directions for cooking time)

heat the first three ingredients, than add the tortellini to simmering soup 3-4 min. before serving.

EASY!

the only catch: this soup will stand on it's own, without doctoring with spices, IF you buy quality ingredients. NOT generic. each ingredient needs to be really good (duh), then it is just plain yummy. if the vegetables have been around a while, or are mostly broccoli stalks, or the canned tomatoes are too green or boring, the soup will need some garlic, basil, or a little extra help.

Lucy's Frosting

2010-04-15T10:50:00.000-07:00

1 stick of butter
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
food coloring

Leave butter out until it gets really soft. Add sugar and food coloring. Mix until partially blended.
Use on muffins, bread, pancakes, etc.

Bisquick Cinnamon Rolls

2010-04-04T21:48:00.000-07:00

Doh!:
2.5 cups Bisquick
3/4 cups milk
2 Tbsp sugar

Optional: raisins

Knead onto a bread board and roll out to approx 15x9.

Cover with butter and sprinkle over 2Tbsp sugar/1tsp cinnamon mix

Roll up starting with the long side.
Put in 8x8pan.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 mins.

Glaze:
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp milk

Cowboy Salsa

2010-02-27T13:27:00.001-08:00

4 Roma tomatoes
2 Avocados
1 can black beans (its a good idea to rinse the beans so your whole dip isn't black)
1 can white corn
1-2 jalepeno peppers chopped small
juice from 2 limes
1 clove of garlic, mashed
salt/pepper
A bit of cilatro (or none for some of you)
A bit of red onion
mix all together with about 1/2 cup italian dressing

optional: 1 can of black eyed peas

Chill in refrigerator

This recipe makes a lot. Good to take to a potluck party.

freezer zip-lock bags are the cats meow!

2010-01-27T15:52:00.000-08:00

hey everyone:

i have been using my freezer space with a whole new vigor lately. i also have had some pretty good success freezing things i hadn't thought of before, to have around for later, so i don't have to go to the store so often. i want everybody to add to this list if you have heard of or had luck with freezing things...

lemon juice (in ice-cube trays)
ginger (whole chunks of root)
milk (just make sure it thaws all the way and you shake it before use)
butter
bell pepper
cookie dough
nuts
grated cheese (whole blocks are kinda wierd after thawing)

go ahead - whachya got?

Harvest Soup

2009-12-27T21:09:00.001-08:00

i have had a lot of requests, so here it is:

1 lb ground sausage (jimmy dean or breakfast, not just ground pork)
3/4 c chopped onion
2 + chopped garlic cloves
(cook together till done and onions soft)
3 1/2 c water
(the amounts of the cubed potatoes and squashes are debatable and up to you, but this is the ratio i use...)
2 c sweet potatoes
1 c red potatoes
1 c acorn squash
2 + (i always add more) tsp beef boulion granules (sp?)
1/4 tsp chili powder
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 ground cloves (this is what makes the soup what it is..)
(boil 20 min? or in a crock pot apperently, for a few hours till squash and friends are done. then add:)
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 c tomato catsup
(let heat for a bit, then taste and mess with the spices. i usually end up adding boulion and more catsup to beef up the broth.)

Sweet potato/Black Bean salad

2009-10-20T13:13:00.000-07:00

Rachel and I made this last night and it was so tasty. Lots of flavors all mixed together. I used 2 jalepenos and it was not very spicy.

4 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

1 large onion, preferably red, chopped

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 to 2 tablespoons minced fresh hot chili, like jalapeño

1 clove garlic, peeled

Juice of 2 limes

2 cups cooked black beans, drained (canned are fine)

1 red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and finely diced

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro.

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Put sweet potatoes and onions on a large baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil, toss to coat and spread out in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast, turning occasionally, until potatoes begin to brown on corners and are just tender inside, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven; keep on pan until ready to mix with dressing.

2. Put chilies in a blender or mini food processor along with garlic, lime juice, remaining olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Process until blended.

3. Put warm vegetables in a large bowl with beans and bell pepper; toss with dressing and cilantro. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve warm or at room temperature, or refrigerate for up to a day.

Yield: 4 servings.

ity- bity eggs

2009-07-20T22:31:00.000-07:00

we have eggs!! sure it takes two of them to make one egg, but these are the real deal. just one whiff would send levi running for cover... but they are SO cute!

Twice Baked Potatoes

2009-05-12T22:09:00.000-07:00

We had potatoes that needed to be eaten, but not much else. My family isn't as big on P n' toppings as I am, so I made up this version:

1. Baked potato (i cheated and cooked them mostly in the micro, then finished in the oven for better taste)

2. Some kinda Meat (bacon, ham, we used breakfast sausage, chopped up- highly recommended!)

3. shredded cheese.

Scoop out the potato insides, leaving a bowl. Save insides.

Mix meat, cheese, and some (not all!) of the potato insides, and a bit of salt/spices.

Salt/pepper the bowl, then pack it with mixture.

It seemed a little boring last time I tried it, so i drizzled some butter over the top, then piled on the cheese.

Bake 400* for about 13-15 min, till heated through and cheese is melty. It was good served with broccolli.

I have also heard of adding cream cheese, garlic, and sour cream to mixture. yum.

Breadfruit

2009-04-13T18:31:00.000-07:00

When I was young, I read a series of books from the Auberry library about two brothers who were always going off on adventures to exotic locations. It seemed like wherever they went, and whatever crazy antics they got up to, they were always able to sustain themselves by eating delicious breadfuit. I was intrigued. What is this 'breadfruit'? Is it a bread, or is it a fruit? Would I ever need to keep myself alive by eating breadfruit? (I certainly hoped so).
Last week at a fruit stand, I noticed they had breadfruit. When i asked how to cook it, the two men had a lengthy conversation in Spanish which resulted in a one-word instruction to me: "Boil."
So, in case you ever need it, here is my breadfruit recipe:

1 medium sized breadfruit
1/2 c. butter
salt
pepper
lemon juice
cumin

Remove green rind. The fruit has a spongy center and gets firmer towards the edge. Cut into cubes. I did not use the center part, but maybe you can. Boil for 10-12 minutes until cubes are the texture of a boiled potato. Melt butter in frying pan, and stir remaining ingredients into the butter. Add breadfruit cubes to butter mixture and saute on medium high until pieces are coated in spices and slightly crisped. Add more cumin and lemon than you originally thought. Serve to unsuspecting dinner guests.

i guess we won't have THAT again...

2009-03-25T19:55:00.000-07:00

1. i make a "resolution" to make better dinners.

2. i carefully chose some great looking recipes of this site and others.

3. i shop for all the ingredients, determined not to fudge or subsitute. nothing is too good for my family!

4. i spent 1 1/2 hours making chicken spagettii (pioneer woman).

5. spent 1 1/2 hours chiding, scolding, frowning, ignoring pleas, and eliciting the following facial expressions from my children...

i thought it tasted great!

Ashby Garlic Bread

2009-03-18T20:23:00.000-07:00

1 loaf bread cut into pieces
butter
garlic

Cut up bread and arrange on a cookie sheet. Turn oven to broil. Insert tray. Now the next step is very important - Walk away. Get distracted until the smell of something burning brings you back to the kitchen and to a sudden realization that you have done it again. Remove smoking tray and head for the nearest door.

Crab Chowder

2009-02-24T13:37:00.000-08:00

½ lb. bacon

1 can of crab (slightly bigger than a tuna can- maybe 6 oz?)

½ onion, chopped

Potatoes, cooked and chopped (I used one can of potatoes, cause that’s what I had. So, if you use fresh, maybe 1-2 medium to large potatoes?)

A few dashes of cayenne pepper, or other powdered red pepper (or chop up some fresh if you have it)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of celery soup

2 cans of milk

1 can corn, drained

Good pinch of thyme

Salt

Pepper

Cook up bacon in large soup pan. Near the end, add the crab (I had the pan at an angle at this point to avoid saturating the crab in bacon grease, but that was pointless, since it all ends up in the same place).

Remove bacon and crab, leaving grease in pan. Place mixture on paper towel.

Add onion to grease, and cook until onion is tender (add red pepper here if you use fresh, to allow it time to cook). Add potatoes and red pepper. Stir and let simmer for a couple minutes.

Mix in soups, milk, corn and thyme.

Stir thoroughly.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add back in the bacon/crab mixture.

Let soup warm through, and enjoy.

Chicken Parmesan

2009-02-23T08:52:00.000-08:00

This was easy, fast, and delicious. The only non-staple ingredient was fresh parmesan.

I was working off this recipe http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/001998parmesan_chicken.php.

Cut 3 chicken breasts into 8 pieces. Cut them the long way first, so you have two wide round peices that are 1/2 the thickness of the original piece. You're trying to maximize surface area for the cheese part.

Dip #1
1/3 cup butter
1 clove minced garlic
1 egg

Dip #2
equal parts breadcrumbs and fresh parmesan
italian seasoning (or i used seasoned breadcrumbs)
salt/pepper

So roll the chicken pieces around, then put them in a 9x13 baking dish. Cook at 450 for 15-20 minutes.

Chicken Noodle Soup

2009-01-30T13:29:00.000-08:00

3 cans of chicken soup stock
1 cup of water (could have used more)
1 boullion cube
1 big chicken breast
celery
carrots
1 lb pasta
1 bay leaf
salt/pepper
any other seasonings you wish- some recipes call for basil or oregano

Throw everything in the pot and bring up to pressure. Cook for 4 minutes. Serve with biscuits on a rainy day.
Note: I don't really like the soup part of soup, so I went a little too light on the liquids department. Mine ended up more like chicken soup flavored pasta, which was alright too.

Breakfast Burrito

2009-01-20T15:55:00.000-08:00

Eggs
Cheese
Bell pepper
Onion
Salsa/sour cream
Tortillas

Other optional additions:
potatoes
meat of some kind

Pasta Salad

2009-01-20T15:41:00.000-08:00

Since this is an idea blog as much as a recipe blog, I thought I'd add pasta salad up in here. I don't have an actual recipe for this, and if I leave anything out, feel free to add.

1 lb rotelle pasta

Any of the following:
artichoke hearts
broccoli
tomatoes (sun-dried or normal type)
salami
peas
cheese
olives
cucumber
red onion

Cover in italian dressing. Refrigerate. I believe Bernsteins Restaurant Style Italian is the dressing of choice. Again, if you have any tips or tricks to add, please do.

Pasta Carbonara

2009-01-17T22:29:00.000-08:00

This might as well be called bacon and egg pasta, but carbonara sounds so much more fancy. It was really easy and tasted very much like a restaurant pasta. The only ingredients you may not have are fresh parsley and fresh parmesan.

I used this recipe http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/09/cooking-with-ryan-pasta-carbonara/

chicken vegetable soup

2009-01-17T22:24:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
Chicken, carrots, potatoes, 4 cups chicken stock, 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 Tbsp parsley, salt/pepper, whatever other spices you're in the mood for.

Cut every thing about the same size, put in a pressure cooker. Bring up to pressure. Cook for 4 whole minutes. Use quick release method to release the steam. Eat the soup. The potatoes were even a bit over done, so I might cut down the cooking time next time.

Graham Crackers and Milk

2009-01-12T23:33:00.000-08:00

ingredients:
Graham crackers
Glass of milk
directions:
get some graham crackers and break them into pieces
put them into a glass or bowl
pour in some milk
grab a spoon and enjoy
you can also just dunk the grahams if you prefer

Hamburger Roll- ups, "grown-up" style

2008-10-09T17:32:00.000-07:00

Make biscuit dough (Call Beth if you need more instruction than that). I like the baking powder biscuit receipe in the Betty Crocker book. Then you roll it out into a very flat rectangle and sprinkle it with motz cheese. Then you spread out a hamburger-onion-garlic-spices-to-make-it-yummy- mix. Then you roll it up, just like cinnimon rolls, smashing the little bits of goodness that may try to escape. Then you cut them into 1 1/2 inch rolly-things and put them on a greased (my non-greased pan is still soaking in the sink!) cookie sheet. Then you put some more cheese on top, like this:

Then I took a can of mushroom soup and added it to the pan I cooked the hamburger mixture in with some of the mix left over that wouldn't fit in the rollups. I added 1/2 can of milk, about

2 tsp of Worshchestershireshireshire sauce, and then 1/2 cube beef bullion because it wasn't quite right yet.... Then it was!

Cook the rollups at 400* for about 20min, watching carefully, mostly because that is a guess. The biscuit inside needs to be cooked, but the outside not too brown.

Serve the sauce generously over the top!

2008-09-23T14:20:00.000-07:00

Turkey Ricotta meatballs

1 pound of ground turkey (or hamburger)
1/2 c part skim ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 c dry breadcrumbs
1/4 c chopped fresh basil
1/4 t pepper & salt
preheat oven to 375. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, then shape the mixture into about 18 meatballs. In a large skillet brown the meatballs. Remove the meatballs and put them on a broiler pan(cover the pan first with cooking spray) bake for 15 min or until done.
To Freeze: follow cooking instructions then allow meatballs to cool. Place them on a cookie sheet making sure they don't touch each other and place them in the freezer for an hour then transfer the hardened meatballs to an air tight container and store in the freezer ( up to three months). Thaw the meatballs in the refrigerator, then bake 375 for 20 min.

Puffy Pancakes

2008-09-22T11:05:00.000-07:00

These are a mix between scones and puffy crepes. So easy, so good. It is our new Sunday morning breakfast.

Heat oven to 425* and put a 9x13 pan (with 1/3 cube of butter in it) in the oven while heating to melt the butter.

While the butter in pan is melting, mix 6 eggs well.
Add:
1 c milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 c flour
1/3 c sugar

Mix well and pour into pan. Cook about 20 min, watching carefully at the end...
It is done when the edges (which grow and spread up the sides of the pan) are brown.

Cut or tear up and serve with berries, syrup, cinnimon sugar, applesauce, powdered sugar, etc.

Just try it!

Chicago delights- easy!

2008-09-21T21:29:00.000-07:00

This delicious dish is Shrimp Fettechine Torino. I replicated this at home, and got almost the same results, but without the shrimp.

To make the sauce, just mix equal parts marinara sauce (the red stuff) and alfredo sauce (the white, creamy stuff). I used the stuff right out of a jar. You could add chicken or shrimp, or we ate it plain. It is great! Feels very fancy, but not too heavy.

Best of both worlds!

Could be the perfect fruit salad...

2008-09-03T14:35:00.000-07:00

All hail fruit! That mutant kid of orange that comes ripe in the summer (hey, i'm just the eater), 2 kinds of grapes from our vines, strawberries, perfect pears, and one huge mango. The only thing that would make it better would be a pile of blackberries.

o by the way, this is no receipe, this is just an "ode to food" entry...
o baby...

Great roasted vegetables

2008-07-23T12:13:00.000-07:00

Roasted vegetables. mmmm. Just typing about them makes me hungry. There is no good way to "receipe" this, so we'll try a list, followed by basic instructions. Wait. that sounds a lot like a receipe...

potatoes
carrots
chucks of onion
parsnips
whole mushrooms
brussel sprouts
garlic

Cut all about the same size pieces so they will cook evenly. Leave mushrooms and brussel sprouts whole, or just cut large ones once. Garlic cloves whole as well.
Pour a bit of olive oil on the vegetables on a cookie sheet or roasting pan. A metal pie tin works for smaller portions. Work the oil and veggies around with your fingers so each piece gets a little coating of oil. Lots of salt and pepper and itallian seasonings are next. Mush around so it gets all over. Add more salt. Spread out shallow in the pan. Savvy?
375* for 45 min
400* for 35 min
425* for 30 min (you get the idea)
Leave for longer if you are going for crispy.
This is my favorite list, but many more things could be added, or taken away. I have also had good success with itallian dressing alone. Squash is great. Throw a piece of chicken or fish in there with the vegetables and feast!

Baked Pesto Chicken

2008-07-11T13:33:00.000-07:00

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 c pesto
mozzarella cheese(enough to cover chicken)
salt and pepper

Heat oven to 375. season chicken with salt and pepper.
spread 1/4 c pesto in baking dish.
lay chicken in pesto cover with remaining pesto.
cover baking dish with foil and bake 20-25 min.
uncover and top the chicken with cheese
put back in until cheese is melted, 5 min.
one recipe called for tomato on top as well you decide.

Sausage and summer squash

2008-07-11T13:04:00.000-07:00

3T Italian salad dressing
1 package (4) cooked polish sausage links
3 yellow squash/zucchini
cut them like pickle spears
you can add other spices oregano, garlic, salt, pepper
depending on your taste.

In skillet cook sausage and squash in Italian dressing
8-10 min or until sausage is heated through
and squash is almost tender(or how you like it)

fraaad chikin'!

2008-07-07T07:25:00.000-07:00

I fed a mess of kids this yummy chicken and then took the cold left overs to Shaver for the 4th of July....We were fighting over the scraps. Carrie said that made it blog worthy!

In a bowl beat 1 egg and 3/4 c water. Then mix in
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c flour
1/4 tsp pepper
set aside...

In another bowl or container, mix..

1 1/3 c flour
1 T garlic salt
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp pepper
1 1/4 tsp poultry seasoning

Now here is the sketchy part. Since I don't agree with owning a "deep fat fryer", I just take a large pot and start pouring in the oil till it is about 2-3 inch deep (a little deeper if you are doing whole pieces with bones) and turn up the heat. The oil needs to be REALLY hot. 375* if you have a thermometer. If you don't have one, heat it till a drop of water imediatly pops and sizzles when you drop it in there. If it's not hot enough, the chicken will just soak up the oil and it will be soggy (blech).
Take raw chicken pieces (can be pieces with bones, but we just did "tenders") and dip them in the slimy mix, then dip them in the flour mix. One idea is to put the flour mix in a big ziploc and shake them around. Then put them in the oil, a few pieces at a time. Too many pieces cool off the oil.
3-5 min on a side or untill golden brown. Whole pieces take a bit longer.
Great alone, but a piece wrapped up with lettuce, cheese, and ranch in a tortilla would put even Claire's lunches to shame!!

Cheese Soup

2008-07-04T15:54:00.001-07:00

Serves ~6

1.5-2 cups chopped onions
2 tomatoes, diced
2 cups chopped mushrooms (I've used about 4 different varieties- all are good, although Shitake is NOT my favorite.)
2 cups chicken broth/stock
3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp. salt
pepper to taste

Simmer until onions are tender.

Slowly add 1.5 cups milk, 1/2 lbs. jack cheese (I've also used mozzarella) and White Sauce (see below). Stir together until warmed through, and serve.

White Sauce:
Melt 6 T. butter, blend in 6 T. flour and 1/2 tsp. salt. Add 3 cups of milk slowly, and stir constantly over medium high heat until mixture thickens.

Bruschetta

2008-06-28T16:41:00.001-07:00

Here's the recipe for the bruschetta we had at the beach by Carrie's birthday request. This is about half the amount we made that night.

1 lb. roma tomatoes chopped small
2 T. olive oil
1/2 t. salt
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 t. coarsely ground pepper
3 T. fresh basil
1 T. fresh parsley (optional)

Mix all together and let sit while you slice up and toast a baquette.

Add 4 oz. mozzarella cheese chopped into small cubes to the mix, and serve on the toast.

Pesto Pizza

2008-06-28T16:30:00.000-07:00

This is from the Pioneer Woman site. I made it for lunch today. Very good. Maybe I should have taken a picture right when it came out of the oven instead of an hour later. Oh well. It was still good.

You can use this with a homemade crust, or prebaked (thin is good for this pizza). Spoon pesto over the crust, and sprinkle salt over it. Lay out thin slices of mozzarella, then thin slices of tomato. Follow with some more smaller bits of mozzarella on top, then finish with a layer of grated parmesan cheese.

Bake it according to crust directions, but pay attention to it as it bakes. I cooked mine at 450 for 8 minutes, then kept it under the broiler to brown the top. It was perfect.

Chilie Verde!

2008-06-11T15:16:00.000-07:00

This is what made me decide I could like Mexican food. YUM YUM!

Cubes of pork - 1 lb? (the measurements of this one are going to drive some of you crazy)

Tomatillos - 15-20 med.- chopped

7 oz can of chopped green chilies

1 onion - chopped

3+ cloves of garlic

2+Tbsp of "jhalapinyo" peppers (don't be afraid)

1 tsp cummin

salt and pepper

Brown pork in a little oil or butter. Very hot. Just sizzle them around till they brown a little and no pink is left. Add all the other ingredients (save salt and pepper to taste at the end) and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 1 1/2+ hours, or until the meat falls apart and most of the liquid cooks out. Or you can put the browned meat and everything else in a crock pot on hi for 4-5 hours. Don't forget the salt and pepper. Shred up the meat the best you can and serve in hot (so they get soft) corn tortillas with cheese and sour cream. It is also really good over cheese enchiladas (cheese and corn tortillas) and baked.

Chicken Pot Pie

2008-06-09T11:59:00.000-07:00

Easy to keep the basic ingredients on hand, especially if you buy frozen pie crusts:

Ingredients:
1-2 carrots, cut up
4-5 medium potatoes, cubed (I leave the skins on)
1/2 cup frozen peas
1-2 cans of chicken
1 can chicken gravy
1 pie crust
sage, pepper

1) Boil carrots and potatoes together until soft (10 min?)

2) Combine chicken, peas and gravy in frying pan, warm through.

3) Add carrots and potatoes, season to taste with sage and pepper. Be generous with the sage.

4) Pour into pie crust, cook at 400' until crust is brown, 20-25 min. Yum, yum!

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

2008-06-09T11:02:00.000-07:00

If you want to see this recipe being made, I got it from:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/12/french_breakfast_puffs/

Except instead of nutmeg I used "apple pie spice" which is cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Also, I chopped up an apple into bits and threw it in the dough, an addition I will definitely duplicate in the future. And, for the butter/sugar part I did half as much as the recipe calls for and it was more than enough.

Banana Bread

2008-06-09T10:46:00.001-07:00

Don't eat those last two nasty bananas. Make banana bread!

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed banana (usually about 2 large bananas)

2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Cream sugar, shortening and eggs by beating with an electric mixer for 3 minutes. Add mashed banana. Stir in dry ingredients. Pour into two bread pans. Bake at 350 until knife comes out clean (apprx 40 mins depending on size of pans).

Recipes I'm looking for...

2008-06-06T15:02:00.000-07:00

-Breakfast casserole- Kathy made some one time, "crowd for brunch" i think it was called.
-Bruschetta
-Cheese soup
-Roasted vegetables
-Green enchiladas - I've tried a few, but haven't found 'the one'.

Stir Fry

2008-06-05T21:56:00.001-07:00

Need more vegetables in your life? Try some stir fry!

First put 2 cubed chicken breasts in this marinade:
1 tsp ginger
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 clove crushed garlic

Then while your chicken soaks up the flavor, chop up whatever vegetables you have: carrots, broccoli, peas, mushrooms, bell pepper, etc.

Heat up oil in a wok or a big fry pan. Add chicken first and then vegetables in order of cooking time. Add a bit more soy sauce if needed and serve over rice!

Crash Potato Pizza

2008-06-05T10:26:00.000-07:00

Adapted via failure from Pioneer Woman Cooks

Start with potatoes that were boiled in salted water. Red potatoes are really good, but I did mine with Yukon Gold. Oil a cookie sheet generously with olive oil. Put the potatoes on the sheet and smash gently with a masher or the back of something flat. The PW receipe shows cute, flower bundles of potato, but mine exploded. So, we went with it and filled in the whole pan with chunky potato.

Then pile on WHATEVER (see below). We went with BBQ sauce, lots of salt and pepper, ham, crumbled bacon, and lots of cheese. Cook at 450* for 20 min until cheese turns toasty.

Tips:
1. Make sure the potatoes are completely cooked, but not mush.
2. Use lots of salt and flavor (read garlic salt, herbs, itallian dressing etc). Ours were kind of boring, even with the bacon and BBQ sauce. 3. Use whatever you like: Think pizza toppings and potato toppings. Scrambled egg and cheese would be good. I was even thinking of trying turkey with gravy on top. hhmmmm.

Quiche

2008-06-04T22:00:00.000-07:00

Start with a pie crust in 9 in pie pan. Fork bottom, cover with foil and cook for 8 mins at 425*.

Necessary filling
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup grated cheddar
1/4 cup grated parmesan
salt/pepper

Optional filling additions
bacon, sausage, potato cubes, red bell pepper, broccoli, onion, spinach, mushrooms

Fill pie shell and cook at 350* for 45 mins. Will look a little soupy. Let stand 5 mins.

Crepes

2008-06-04T19:49:00.000-07:00

2 eggs
1 1/3- 1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup flour

Grease a hot pan with butter. Pour in batter to cover almost 1/2 the pan then roll the batter around to cover the entire bottom of the pan. Flip.

Recipe credit: Chris "don't stand so close to me" Gregory

Pankegg

2008-06-03T16:32:00.001-07:00

Ah the pankegg. An old family classic. Good for breakfast or fast dinner.
Crack an egg on to a preheated pan and drizzle pancake batter around it or vice versa. The only complicated part is the flipping. It goes wrong for me about 50% of the time.

Cakies (Cake Mix Cookies)

2008-06-03T10:01:00.000-07:00

I love these cookies because they are so easy!

Whisk together:
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla

Add:
1 box any flavor cake mix and stir the ingredients real good with a wooden spoon.

Then add:
1/2 bag chocolate chips

Roll into 1 inch balls and place on cookie sheet.
350 for 10 minutes, 2 minutes cooling on the pan

Combos: Choc cake/butterscotch chips, lemon cake/white choc chips, choc/choc chips, etc.

Beans

2008-06-03T09:49:00.000-07:00

2 cups rinsed pinto beans
4-8 strips bacon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Put beans in a big pot and cover with water about 2 inches above the beans. Add (uncooked) bacon. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 2-2.5 hours. It is done when most of the water is gone and the beans are nice and tender. Stir in salt/pepper. Serve with corn bread!

Pressure cooker version
2 cups of beans
1 clove garlic
1 jalapeno pepper
3 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2-4 strips bacon
other: some cumin or chile powder could be good.

Soak beans for at least 4 hours. This is critical.
Put in pressure cooker and bring to pressure for 12-15 minutes. Use quick release method. If beans are still tough at all, put it back on the stove for 1-2 minutes more.

Cran-Apple Muffins

2008-06-03T09:30:00.000-07:00

Cream together:
2 eggs
3/4 c sugar
2 Tbsp oil (can be replaced with 2 heaping Tbsp of Applesause)

Mix and gently add to above:
1 1/2 c Flour
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp cinnimon
1/2 tsp Baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

It will be really thick.
Gently stir in all or none of :
2 c chopped apples, 1 c dried cranberries, 1/2 c chopped walnuts

Loaf - 55-60 min 350*
Muffins - 12 min 340* (watch them)
(Grease the Pans!)

Popscicles

2008-06-03T08:20:00.000-07:00

1 part yogurt, 4 parts juice - pieces of fruit optional
Any juice, any yogurt - some combos better than others. You can freeze in any shape and eat with a spoon. The yogurt softens it a bit so you don't feet like you are knawing on a flavored ice cube!

Our favorite currently is Dole orange-peach-mango juice with peach yogurt.
Great summer fun.

Mom's Pizza Crust - sort of

2008-06-03T07:58:00.003-07:00

1 c Very warm water (not hot, not warm)
1 T yeast
1 dash sugar

Pour the yeast on top of the water in a bowl. Let it sit for 5 min till it gets all bubbly. Pre-mix the dry stuff, then add to yeast/water:

1 heaping tsp salt
1 tsp Baking Powder
2 c Flour
1T olive oil (I have left this out accidentily and it still worked!)

Mix in a mixer, or stir the heck out of it with a wooden spoon. Should be a smooth, soft dough. Add a little flour if it is too sticky. Spread thin (this takes some work and patience. if it is too springy, let it sit for a few min, the yeast will soften it up) in a GREASED cookie sheet for the square classic, or divide into parts to make calzones.
Cook in HOT oven (read 430*) for 15-17 min. Cheese should be brown on top. Yummm!

Taco Soup

2008-06-03T07:54:00.000-07:00

2 cans of beans (any kind you like-pinto, black, kidney)
1 can corn
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes w/green chilies
1 can chicken (or other meat)
1 chopped bell pepper
1/2 chopped onion
1 cup water

1 package ranch dressing mix
1 package taco seasoning

Put everything together and let it simmer for as long as you can. Serve with shredded cheese and chips.

Welcome to the sister's food blog!

2008-06-02T22:12:00.000-07:00

This cake was so good I had to give some of it away 4 times. It is so moist and sooo good.

1 package devils food cake mix
1 package instant chocolate pudding mix
1.5 cups sour cream
1 cup melted butter
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat over to 350. Stir together cake mix and pudding mix. Make a little well and pour in the sour cream, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed until blended, then for four additional minutes . Stir in chocolate chips, Butter and flour a 10 inch bundt pan or- four small bread pans. Cook for 50 - 55 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes. Put a plate on the bottom, flip it and frosting it.

credit- adapted from pioneer woman contest entry #66