Bake-n-Cooking with Jenn

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2012-01-24T18:27:00.000-08:00

I was ready for a new recipe tonight. So I checked out a favorite recipe site and decided to try this recipe. It will definitely be made in our house again :)

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced (I only used one clove)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano (I did add this but then read the reviews that most replaced it with cumin instead…so I added that also)

1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed chicken broth

1 1/4 cups water

1 cup whole corn kernels, cooked

1 cup white hominy (I didn’t have so I didn’t add)

1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained (I added 2 cans…to make sure we had enough J)

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (didn’t have)

(juice from one lime)

2 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces (when I read the reviews it talked about browning the chicken after it was cooked. I decided to cook it in salsa to add a bit more flavor)

crushed tortilla chips (the kids ate their soup with tortillas)

sliced avocado (didn’t have but would have LOVED it)

shredded Monterey Jack cheese (we added cheddar cheese)

chopped green onions

1. In amedium stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic in oiluntil soft. Stir in chili powder, oregano, tomatoes, broth, and water. Bring toa boil, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.

2. Stirin corn, hominy, chiles, beans, cilantro, and chicken. Simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Ladlesoup into individual serving bowls, and top with crushed tortilla chips,avocado slices, cheese, and chopped green onion.

Rhubarb Crumble

2012-01-14T21:14:00.000-08:00

Definitely saving this for later (from Nana)

2 ½ C diced rhubarb

2/3 C sugar

1/3 C flour
¼ tsp salt

Mix together and put in a well-buttered dish. Sprinkle with ½ tsp nutmeg (or more).

1C brown sugar

¾ C butter (or less)

¾ C flour
¼ tsp salt
1 C oatmeal

Sprinkle with 3 TB water

Bake 350’ for 1 hour.

Mac and Cheese

2011-12-12T11:35:00.000-08:00

Always a favorite...and definitely a crowd pleaser when it's a kid party you're headed to. I used this recipe minus the tomatoes :) We had this yummy dish the night after Thanksgiving...and I knew I would be making it soon at home! Thanks, Cara!

Fruit Dip

2011-12-03T21:55:00.001-08:00

I first had this dip at a baby shower several years ago. Today I was helping with some food for a baby shower, and I couldn't pass up the chance to make this delicious fruit dip!

1 (8 oz) cream cheese

1 (9 oz) cool whip

1 bacardi mix, any flavor (frozendrink mix)

Cream the cream cheese. Add the bacardi mix (may only need half thecan). Fold in the cool whip. Refrigerate for at least one hour beforeserving. (Strawberry or pineapple are very good flavors to use of the Bacardimix.)

Sweet Potato Casserole

2011-11-26T18:17:00.001-08:00

The best new recipe from Thanksgiving dinner was brought by my SIL's SIL. It was so DELICIOUS! I felt like I was eating dessert with my dinner. YUM!!!

1 40 oz can sweet potatoes, drained and mashed
1 cup sugar (she only used about ¾ cup)
1/2 cup milk
½ cup butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup shredded coconut

Mix all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil, and then pour into a 2 quart greased dish.

Topping:

½ cup butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans

Mix all topping ingredients together and spread over the sweet potato mixture. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Sack Lunches

2011-08-28T22:00:00.000-07:00

With school starting again, my mind has been turning with ideas for lunches. I don't like the food choices that are offered through our school lunch so I send a sack lunch with my kids every day. Dave takes one to work, and Syd takes one to preschool. Because of so many lunches going out every day, I really try to think of something new to add. My SIL Emily and I were talking about this very topic last week, and I promised her an e-mail of my ideas for lunches. Thought there might be someone else out there that may be interested in some new sack lunch ideas. I always include an ice pack in the lunch every day as well as a water bottle that has ice in it. I try to use Tupperware as much as possible so we don’t go through a gazillion baggies during the school year. I really try hard NOT to include chips (we don’t really buy chips unless we’re going somewhere…beach, park, road trip) and real desserts.

Here are some things that I’ve done in the past that the kids/Dave enjoy out of the normal routine of sandwiches (PB&J/PB&Honey or Meat&Cheese):
Breadsticks (leftover)
Roll (leftover)
Naan (leftover)
Lunchables (Albertsons usually has them on sale for $1 every 2-3 months. I completely stock my fridge with them when that happens.)
Homemade lunchable (cut up cheese and meat with crackers)
Quesadilla (Pre-cooked)
Cheesy Chicken Strips
Tortilla Chips w/ a side of nacho cheese and/or salsa
Tortilla
Tortilla Roll-up (meat and cheese inside) Similar to this.
Sandwich on a bagel
Cinnamon Raisin Bread
Muffin
Pasta (if your kid will eat cold pasta)
Mac-n-cheese (if your kid will eat cold pasta)
Pasta Salad
Pizza (if your kid will eat cold pizza)
Lunch meat wrapped around string cheese w/ or w/out a tortilla around that

I usually do one main thing and then choose 3-6 sides (JR eats way more than Sierra because he also takes a snack to recess as well):
Frozen Gogurt
Yogurt (w/ a spoon)
Applesauce cup/pouch (w/ a spoon)
String Cheese
Tortilla Chips
Pretzels
Pretzels w/ PB filling
Goldfish
Cheez-Its
Graham Crackers
Wheat Thins
Animal Crackers (although I can’t find the cinnamon flavored ones my kids prefer any more)
Ritz
Trail Mix
Dried Fruit (Mango, Apples)
Craisins
Raisins
100 cal. Cracker/cookie pkgs (I don’t get these too often though)
Granola Bar/Fiber One Bar
Fruit Leather (LOVE, LOVE the brand Costco use to carry because it was affordable. Haven't had it for awhile so we've been going w/out for now. Although, JR loves it when I make my own fruit leather.)
Fruit Roll-up
Nutri-Grain Bar
Homemade cookie (this doesn’t happen often)
Fruit Snack (only if I have nothing else)
Fruit Cup
Banana Bread
Dry Cereal (Granola, Chex, Cherrios, Kix, etc.)
Almonds
Cashews
Homemade Granola
Homemade Trail Mix (Almonds, Cashews, White Choc. Chips, Craisins, Coconut)

Every day I include one fresh veggie and one fresh fruit (these are part of my 3-6 sides) Here’s ideas for that:
Veggies:
Sugar Snap Peas
Celery
Carrots
Cucumbers
Salad w/ dressing on the side (I just saw a small tupperware with a small little cup for salad dressing in the lid at WalMart when I was buying new Tupperware for the school year)
Red/Orange/Yellow Peppers

Fruits: Sometimes I’ll add a dipping sauce for the veggie or fruit...peanut butter, ranch, caramel sauce. Don’t forget a napkin if it’s a juicy fruit!
Orange slices (Although JR takes a whole orange and I send an orange peeler w/ his lunch)
Apples (all varieties)
Grapes
Strawberries
Blueberries
Raspberries
Watermelon (cut up and w/ a fork)
Banana (although, these tend to get a little too warm so be sure to have a very firm banana)
Cantaloupe slice
Tangerine
Nectarine
Plum
Pear

A couple websites and other ideas
*A Well Rounded Life This website is by a friend of my from college. She’s very health conscious and doesn’t used packaged anything.
*Mel's Kitchen Cafe I visit this website for dinner ideas. She posted sack lunch ideas today as well.
*I know a couple moms who heat leftovers and put them in a thermos in their kids’ lunches. They are still warm by the time their kid eats it at lunch time.
*I’ve seen a couple kids at preschool w/ the French toast sticks in their lunches.

I would LOVE any of your innovative lunch ideas as well!!!!! :)

Twice Baked Potatoes

2011-05-24T09:15:00.001-07:00

Sierra has a writing assignment every week for homework. The hardest part is coming up with a topic for her to write on. This past week in class they were talking about foods they wouldn't mind eating over and over. Sierra responded with...Twice Baked Potatoes. Her teacher asked her how to make them, and she said she would need to ask her mom. So this week's writing assignment was the recipe for Twice Baked Potatoes!

Taquitos

2011-04-11T21:57:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I made these yummy taquitos. We will definitely be eating these again.
1/3 cup (3 oz.) cream cheese
1/4 cup green salsa (I didn't have green salsa so I just used the Pace Picante Salsa I had in the fridge)
1 Tb fresh lime juice (1/2 lime)
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp granulated garlic
3 Tb chopped cilantro
2 Tb sliced green onions
2 cups shredded chicken
1 cup grated pepperjack cheese
fajita size flour tortillas (or small corn tortillas)...I used corn tortillas
cooking spray
kosher salt

Soften cream cheese in microwave for about 30 seconds. Stir in salsa, lime juice and spices until well mixed then add cilantro and green onions. Stir in shredded chicken and pepperjack cheese and combine well. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line cookie sheet with tin foil, lightly sprayed with cooking oil.
Working with 3-4 tortillas at a time, briefly heat in microwave with a wet paper towl laying on top. (This is a VERY important step or your tortillas will not hold shut and your tortillas will just crack...ask me how I know :) Spoon 2-3 Tb of mixture in a row across the bottom third of tortilla, keeping 1/2 inch away from edge. This makes it possible to roll it up very tightly. Place taquitos seam side down on cookie sheet, making sure they are not touching. Lightly spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and edges start to turn golden brown.

Almond Chicken Pasta Salad

2011-03-31T20:57:00.000-07:00

Thanks, Brit, for the recipe! I can't wait to try it.

4 c. cooked, cubed chicken
2 c apples, cored and chopped
1 8ozpkg pasta
1 can pineapple chunks, drained
1/3 c sliced celery
1/2 c seedless grapes, halved
1/4 c thinly sliced gr onion
Dressing:
11/2 c mayo
2/3 c lowfat plain yogurt
2 Tbs sesame seeds
2 tsp lime zest
6 Tbs lime juice
4 Tbs honey
1.2 tsp salt
1 c toasted sliced almonds

In lg bowl toss together the cooked chicken, apples, cooked pasta, pineapple, grapes, celery and onions. Make the dressing by combining mayo, yogurt, sesame seeds, lime zest and juice, honey and salt. Pour over pasta mixture, toss gently to combine;cover and chill. Top with almonds.

-dressing recipe is doubled so save some of the dressing to add as needed.(Soaks it up as it sits)

Oatmeal Caramelitas

2011-03-24T22:20:00.000-07:00

I needed a quick treat to take tonight to pack meeting. I've been saving this recipe for awhile now so I decided to try it out.

I did make one change right off the bat because I didn't have caramel just sitting in the cupboard (actually I did but didn't realize it at the time :) So I used this recipe that we LOVE for caramel:

For the Carmel you will need to mix:

2 cups brown sugar 1 cup Karol syrup

1 cube margarine

Bring mixture to a boil. Add 1 can of eagle brand milk and boil for 4 minutes. Set aside. (You'll actually only need about 2 cups of this prepared so you can save the rest for caramel popcorn, the perfect dip for apples, or whatever you would like.)

While melting caramel, mix together:

1 cup quick cook oats                                                 1 cup flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar                                       ½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt                                                                     3/4 cup melted butter

Press half of the mixture into a greased 11 x 7 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with 1 cup chocolate chips. Pour caramel mixture over chips. Crumble remaining oatmeal mixture on top. Bake for 15 minutes more. Refrigerate immediately for at least 2 hours. Cut and eat!

Mexican Chicken in the Crock Pot

2011-03-24T22:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I decided I needed something different than was on the menu so I tried this recipe.

It was delicious! We will definitely be having this again. Can't beat an AWESOME crock pot recipe!
1 can black beans
1 can chili (with beans)

4 chicken breasts, boned & skinned (I used 8 chicken tenderloins)
1 pkg. taco seasoning (I buy taco seasoning in bulk so it was about 2 TBL of seasoning)

Combine all in crock pot and cook on low for 4 hours (I actually cooked it on high for 4 hours since the chicken was frozen). Shred chicken and continue cooking for another 2 hours (I turned it to low at this point). The original recipe says to serve over rice or chips. We actually ate it in tortilla shells while others of us ate it with tortilla chips. I added freshly chopped cilantro just before serving. We added cheese and sour cream inside the tortillas. Now I'm completely craving the leftovers! YUM!

Recipe Book

2011-03-22T17:29:00.000-07:00

I'm updating my typed recipe book...any additions that are must adds? I've already added any recipe here that wasn't in the original file. Send me an email (jhurdsman at cox dot net) or leave me a comment with your go-to recipes :)

Chocolate Chip Cookie WINNERS!

2011-03-20T20:07:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, Dave and the kids went to a friends house to help with a science experiment. Our friend was trying to find the best chocolate chip cookie so her and her mom made several cookies and then invited several taste testers over. I think it's one of the first times that my kids came home and said they were too full of cookies. We found out the winner of the experiement this week...so of course I had to make them...and they are delicious!

Kim’s Chocolate Chip Cookies (this was the mom's roommate):
Cream together:
1 Cup Butter, 1 Cup White Sugar, and 1 Cup Brown Sugar
Add to butter mixture:
2 Eggs, 1 tsp. Vanilla
Combine and then add to wet ingredients:
2 Cups Flour, 2 ½ Cups Oatmeal (measure first then pulverize in blender)
½ tsp. Salt, 1 tsp. Baking Powder and 1 tsp. Baking Soda
Add:
12 oz Chocolate Chips
Drop in spoonfuls on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Fruit Pizza

2011-03-19T22:59:00.000-07:00

For St. Patrick's day, I wanted to do a little bit more than just dyeing the food green. I decided to do a rainbow of sorts and made this fruit pizza.

Crust
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Mix in egg. Add in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just blended. Roll dough onto a pizza pan (I, of course, used a Pampered Chef pizza stone). Just a tip...you don't want the dough to touch the edges of your pan because it will expand to the end edges as it cooks (ask me how I know..my kitchen probably still stinks from cookie dough dripping off the edges of my pan since I decided I need to make more dough to go all the way to the edge). Bake the crust at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes (lightly browned). Cool.

Frosting
8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 to 1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 to 1 cup cool whip (I add this so the "frosting" isn't so heavy tasting)
1 tsp vanilla

Beat together. Spread on crust when it's cooled.

Add sliced fruit. Our layers of choice in this picture are strawberries (red), cantalope (orange), pineapple (yellow), grapes (green), blueberries (blue), and blackberries (purple)...our complete rainbow :)

Baby Back Ribs

2011-03-12T12:43:00.000-08:00

This recipe is from my friend Wendy on our Healthy Living blog.

4 lbs pork ribs (the man in the meat dept told Wendy 1 lb per person)
1/3 c dark brown sugar
1/4 tsp regular sugar
1 Tbls paprika
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp black pepper
3/4 tsp white pepper (optional)
3/4 tsp ground oregano

Trim excess fat from ribs. Combine all ingredients and rub over the ruface of the ribs. Place ribs, standing on their edge with the meaty side out (bones in middle). Cook for 6-8 hours on low. Remove from cooker and brush with your favorite bbq sauce.

Chicken or Steak Fajitas in the Crock Pot

2011-03-12T12:40:00.000-08:00

This recipe is from my cousin Kirsten. She posted this recipe on our blog here.

2-3 frozen chicken breasts or 1.5 lb flank steak (sliced)
1 cup favorite salsa
1 1/2 tsp Chili pepper powder
1/2 tsp cumin
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
Mix together and pour over meat. Cook on low 7 hours, shred chicken after 6 hours and stir. Add sliced peppers and onions (however many you'd like) about 30-45 min prior to serving so they are crisp tender. Serve with the usual fixings; tortillas, cheese, salsa, lettuce, guacamole, sour cream.

Crockpot Sweet & Sour Chicken

2011-03-12T12:38:00.000-08:00

This is a recipe that I need to try from my friend Michelle from the Healthy Living Blog

Add the following to the crockpot:
Chicken breasts
Fat Free catalina dressing
1/2 pkg Lipton Onion Soup mix (
1/2 cup sugar free apricot jam

Mix the salad dressing with the Lipton Onion Soup mix. Then add apricot jam. Add pineapple chunks and some juice towards the end and serve over rice!

Puppy Chow

2011-03-12T12:28:00.000-08:00

I meant to post this recipe last month but just forgot about it until I was sorting through pictures today. It's a yummy special treat at our house! We use to make this at my house growing up...it's a fun one to make with the kids because of all the shaking :) I think the proper name for it is Muddy Buddies.
1 pkg chocolate chips
1 stick margarine
1 cup creamy peanut butter
6 cups Crispix cereal or Chex cereal
1 12oz unsalted dry roasted nuts (optional...I honestly don't think I've ever had this with the nuts in it.)
3 cups powdered sugar
Mix Crispix and nuts in large bowl. Put the powdered sugar in large brown paper bag. Melt chocolate chips, peanut butter and margarine. Pour over Crispix and nuts. Mix well. Dump mixture into brown bag with powdered sugar and shake well. Pour into bowl and eat.

Navajo Tacos

2011-03-12T09:37:00.000-08:00

So I was really running short on time when we had Navajo Tacos for dinner this week so I ended up making the fry bread recipe on the link I first linked to. Here's the recipe again...
3 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp shortening
Warm water

Sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Cut in shortening and add enough warm water 1 teaspoon at a time to make a dough. Mix until dough is no longer sticky. Pinch off a small handful and roll or pat out to 1/8 inch thick. I fried the bread in a skillet that had about 3/4 of an inch of canola oil in it. Dave and I liked them this way...the kids not so much (they were expecting our usual scones) so they just used tortillas instead.
I love that everyone can add whatever toppings they like on theirs. I browned my hamburger and added taco seasoning and salsa (our favorite way for taco meat). The other toppings included refried beans, avocado, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, and salsa. We had these while we were on vacation between Christmas and New Year's...we used the frozen Rhodes dough (I believe) for the fry bread. They worked good, too...although, I think most of the kids had more "sweet" navajo tacos than actual real food navajo tacos.

March Menu

2011-03-08T09:50:00.000-08:00

At the end of February I purchased a ham (even though it was quite expensive) because I realized I could get a lot of meals out of it...and it really would save money in the long run. So far, we've had baked ham, double crust pizza, ham and cheese omelets, and ham and cheese/veggie soup. I still have a ton left! What's your favorite way to use ham/favorite ham recipe? Here's what will be cookin' up at the Hurdsman Household this month....
1. Orange Chicken
2. Ham and Cheese Omelets
3. Hard Shell Tacos
4. Sloppy Joes
5. Chicken Cordon Bleu
6. Roast
7. Spaghetti & Honey Wheat Rolls
8. Navajo Tacos (but I'll probably use this recipe for the bread instead)
9. Sweet & Sour Chicken
10. Crepes
11. Fried Chicken
12. White Chicken Pizza
13. Chicken Enchiladas
14. Beef & Broccoli Stir-Fry
15. Chicken & Dressing Casserole
16. Chicken Fried Steak
17. Baked Potato Soup
18. Baked Pasta
19. Fiesta Stack
20. Crockpot Porkchops
21. New Recipe...Still deciding on what to try...any suggestions :)
22. Crockpot Mexican Chicken
23. Chicken Kabobs
24. Creamy Chicken Taquitos
25. Chicken Enchilada Pizza
26. Hamburgers & Hot Dogs
27. Party Potatoes
28. Whole Grain Pancakes
29. Garlic Tomato Pasta
30. Mexican Salad
31. Mexican Pulled Pork

Salsa and Salsa Salad

2011-02-28T12:48:00.000-08:00

Recipes from my cousin Kirsten that I definitely need to try :)

Salsa
4 Roma tomatoes
1 onion
1 green pepper
1 anaheim chili
1 jalapeño
1 garlic clove
1tsp salt

Rinse, chop, seed the green pepper, but put in the jalapeño, and chili whole. (alter depending on your taste)Once it's blended well, cook for 20 min at a low boil. Stir occasionally. Makes 1 quart. Half in the fridge and half in the freezer in Tupperware. It's awesome. You can make a huge batch and can it all. This salsa is awesome with cream cheese and wheat thins.

Salsa salad
3 Roma tomatoes seeded, & chopped
1/2 bunch Green onion, chopped
3 tbsp Fresh Cilantro chopped
1/4 red onion chopped
1 cup Corn
3/4 Can black beans
1/2 Dry pack of Italian seasoning

These measurements are just approximate. She just adds stuff till it looks and tastes right.

This is fabulous with fajitas, tacos, taco salad, cafe rio style salad, or just chips.

Healthy Sugar Cookies

2011-02-14T12:50:00.000-08:00

This recipe comes from Brit from our blog here.

I'm always looking for more ways to use my ground wheat flour so this is perfect!
11/2 cups sugar
2/3 c smart balance butter
2 eggs, beaten
2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp. vanilla or almond extract
31/4 c whole wheat flour(hard white wheat)
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp salt

Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs, milk, and extract. Mix dry ingredients together and beat into cream mixture. Shape into balls, wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Grease cookie sheets. On lightly floured surface, roll about 1/3 of the dough at a time, keeping the rest in frig or covered. For soft cookies, roll 1/4-in thick. Cut into shapes, place cookies on sheets. Bake at 400 about 8 min. Remove and cool.

Roast Beef Burritos

2011-02-01T20:59:00.000-08:00

Monday I cooked a roast in the crock pot. Tonight I needed to use the leftovers. I found a recipe online for Roast Beef Burritos so I used it to create my own.

1 tsp. vegetable oil
1/2 onion, chopped,
1 clove garlic, minced
3 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 cup roast beef, cooked and chopped
1 cup salsa
cumin
red pepper flakes
tortillas
shredded cheddar cheese
refried beans
lettuce
sour cream

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion and garlic and cook until tender. Mix in the tomoatoes, beef, salsa, cumin, and re pepper flakes. Bring the mixture to boil (add a few TBL of water if needed). Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 25 minutes. Serve in tortillas layering remaining ingredients. Definitely will use this recipe again for leftovers! Yum!

Naan

2011-01-21T20:39:00.000-08:00

While on vacation, we made pizzas using Naan bread. They were so yummy. Tonight I made them again :) This bread is so good just plain, too.

1 pkg yeast
1 cup warm water
4 TBL granulated sugar

1 egg, beaten
3 TBL milk
2 tsp salt
4 ½ cup flour
¼ cup butter, melted
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let set until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6-8 minutes on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let rise until double. Punch down dough. Pinch off small amounts of dough to make 12-14 pieces. Roll into balls and allow to rise again until double. Preheat the grill.

At grill side, roll one ball of dough into a thin circle. ** Lightly oil the grill. Place dough on grill and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter and cook until done, another 2-4 minutes. Remove from grill and continue cooking until all naan has been prepared.

Top with toppings and then add to grill again to heat.

**After watching my SIL make these, I do them like her. I actually roll the balls out at the counter and then spread butter on both sides before I put them on the grill.

Baking Powder Biscuits

2011-01-20T15:29:00.000-08:00

These were the biscuits we had on our vacation. We had them as biscuits and gravy for breakfast but I could have just eaten them with jam or jelly. They were DELICIOUS!

1 1/3 cups flour
2 TBL sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
5 TBL cold butter, cut in pieces (my SIL swears this makes all the difference!!)
1/2 cup milk

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Grease a baking sheet. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until the mixutre resembles coarse crumbs. Pour in the milk and stir with a fork to form a soft dough. Roll out the dough about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out circles with a 2 1/2" cookie cutter. Place on the prepared sheet and bake until golden (about 12 minutes). Serve hot or warm.

There's a variation for this recipe on the page it came from....for berry shortcake, split the biscuites in half while still warm. Butter on half, top with lightly sugared fresh berries, sucah as strawberries, raspberries or blueberries, and sandwich with the other half. Serve with dollops of whipped cream. Sounds GREAT to me!

One Hour Rolls

2011-01-20T15:24:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe from my friend who got it from another friend. I was eager to try a quick roll recipe. Here's the recipe:

One Hour Rolls

4-5 cups of flour
1 1/2 Tbls rapid rise yeast
Mix together in a large bowl and set aside

In a microwavable bowl melt 1/4 butter (about 30 seconds)
Add the following to the melted butter:
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup water
3 Tbls sugar
1 tsp salt
Microwave for 2-2 1/2 minutes until warm not too hot.
Add to flour mixture with a wooden spoon. Stir the dough as much as you can, then pour onto a floured counter and begin kneading, adding in more flour until it doesn't stick to your hands. Kneed between 6-8 minutes. Put back in bowl and cover with a towel, in a warm place let the dough rise 15 minutes. Form into balls and place on a greased cookie sheet. Cover them with a towel again and let them rise in a warm place for another 15 min. Bake at 400 for 15-16 minutes. As soon as they come out rub them with butter. (This recipe can also be used to make Cinnamon rolls or you can roll it out and fill with meat and cheese and then roll it up to make a Stromboli)

I was very happy with the way these rolls looked after they raised. They REALLY did raise in fifteen minutes in the bowl and fifteen minutes on the pan. I used a 9x13...next time I will for sure use a cookie sheet. :) I always brush all of my rolls with butter before I put them in the oven to guarantee a nice golden brown on top, and I mixed this whole recipe with my Kitchen Aid. This were definitely quicker than my usual roll recipe...a bit more of a yeasty taste than what we usually have (enough that Dave noticed I used a different recipe)...maybe I undercooked them a bit. I would make these again, though, if I'm short on time :)

French Bread

2011-01-08T10:00:00.000-08:00

Last year we had a church activity where the kids made bread. It was delicious and simple! Here's the recipe (thanks, Debbie)...

1/2 c. warm water
2 T. yeast
2 c. hot water
3 T. sugar
1 T. salt
1/3 c. melted shortening
5-6 c. flour
Beaten egg white

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Combine remaining ingredients, using only 3 cups flour. Beat well and add yeast. Add remaining flour and beat well. Stir down every 10 minutes for 1 hour (sometimes I am unable to do this and it still turns out). Roll out on board, then roll up into long, narrow loaves. Place on greased cookie sheets. Spread top with beaten egg white. Make 3 diagonal slashes. Let rise until double. Bake at 400 for 25-35 minutes.

Jason's Easy Cheesecake

2011-01-07T16:30:00.000-08:00

While on vacation, my SIL Kenzie made this delicious cheesecake for my BIL's birthday. It was very yummy...my mouth it watering just thinking about it.

Crust:
1 1/2 pkgs graham crackers
1/2 cup butter
Crush graham crackers, mix in melted butter, pack & level in bottom of 13x9 pan and chill.

Cheesecake:
2 8oz pkgs cream cheese
4 TBSP milk
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups pre-mixed Dream Whip (2 envelopes made to box instructions. hint: in most stores it's found next to the jello/gelatin)

Mix first four ingredients together well. Then fold in the dream whip. Spread over crust and chill. When ready to serve, top it with your fav fruit (She topped it with a can of canned blueberries...definitely helps that I LOVE blueberries)! Enjoy!

Thanks for sharing, Kenzie!

60 Minute Bread or Rolls

2011-01-07T13:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was in need of a quick bread recipe. We were having pasta, and I was really craving french bread. I did a quick search on the internet for a 60 minute bread and here's what I found:

1 cup milk

1 cup water

¼ cup butter

4 - 5 cups flour

3 tb sugar

1 tsp salt

2 pkg. Yeast (About 2 TBLs of yeast)

Combine the milk butter and water in a small saucepan. Heat over low heat until warm to touch about 120 degrees. The butter does not need to melt completely. If you make this too hot the yeast will activate too quickly. In the bowl of your mixer add 3 cups flour and the remaining ingrediants. Gradually add the milk mixture with your mixer on low until well blended. Remember to scrape the sides of bowl. Gradually add the remaining flour ½ cup at time until the dough clings to the hook and cleans the sides of the bowl. You will easily be able to gather the dough into a ball and remove from bowl. Have a glass bowl that has been lightly greased ready for the dough. Place your ball of dough in the bowl and knead it for about a minute. Cover with a dish towel place in a warm draft free place to 20 minutes. The dough should be double in size at this time. Punch down the dough. Place on a floured surface and knead for about a minute. Divide the dough into rolls and place on a greased cookie sheet or stone. Grease your loaf pan and fill ½ with dough. Again cover with a towel and allow to rise for 20 minutes.Before baking brush the dough with melted butter. Bake 425 degrees 10 -12 minutes. I made two loaves of bread and let them cook for about 20 minutes...perfect addition to our meal.

Stuffed Mushrooms

2011-01-05T10:53:00.000-08:00

During December, I was at a friend's house just before she was on her way out the door to a holiday party. She still needed to do some things to get ready so I told her I would make the stuffed mushrooms for her to take. They looked so yummy when they were done (even before they were cooked) that I told her I needed a picture of them if she made them again so I could post them on here :)

Rinse and wash a package of mushrooms. De-stem the mushrooms and save the stems. Fry bacon (I think I used about 8 or 10 slices. Crumble the bacon and chop about 1/2 of the mushroom stems. Mix bacon, stems, and package of cream cheese. Stuff mushrooms with mix. Put in a sprayed 9 x 13 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Honey Crunch

2010-12-22T19:54:00.001-08:00

Tammy also introduced us to another cereal treat (using coupons I always have a TON of cereal stocked-up!)

* 6 cups of any cereal (Chex, Cheerios, Corn Flakes)

* 2 cups Quaker Oats (quick)

* 1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts

* 1/2 cup pretzels (sometimes I use 1 c. pretzels and no nuts)

* 2 teaspoons cinnamon

* 1 cup butter

* 2/3 cup honey

* 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

*1 cup raisin and/or M & M's (optional)

Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, combine cereal, oats, nuts, pretzels and cinnamon.

In a small saucepan, combine butter, honey and brown sugar. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until butter is melted and ingredients are well blended.

Pour over cereal mixture and mix until thoroughly coated.

Spread evenly onto a 15 x 10 jelly roll pan/cookie sheet.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until mixture is golden brown, stirring every 5 minutes.

Immediately spread mixture onto a wax paper covered cooling rack. Stir in raisins.

Cool completely. Stir in M&M's at this time.

Store in tightly covered container in a cool dry place.

Good as a cereal or an ice cream or yogurt topping, too!

Crackly Ginger Cookies

2010-12-22T19:53:00.001-08:00

Yummy Gingersnap cookies! These are also very moist :)

* 4 cups sifted all purpose flour

* 4 tsp. baking soda

* 2 tsp. ground ginger

* 2 tsp. ground cinnamon

* 1 tsp. salt

* 1 1/2 cups vegetable shortening

* 1 3/4 cups sugar

* 2 eggs

* 1/2 cup molasses

* 1/4 cup sugar

Sift flour, soda, ginger, cinnamon, & salt together.

In another bowl, mix shortening and sugar. Beat in eggs and molasses.

Work flour mixture into the molasses mixture to form a soft dough.

Divide dough in half and wrap each half in waxed paper.

Chill overnight or until firm enough to shape. (1 hour in the fridge always works for me)

Roll into 1" balls.

Dip tops in the 1/4 c. sugar and place sugar side up about 2" apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, just until firm.

Let sit on cookie sheet for 2 minutes before lifting off.

Store in a container with tight fitting lid.

Saltine Cracker Toffee

2010-12-22T19:52:00.000-08:00

My friend Tammy brought these delicious goodies to our house. Once we started eathing them, they disappeared super quick!!! YUM!!!

* Saltine crackers

* 1 cup brown sugar

* 1 stick butter

* 12 oz. chocolate chips

* heath bar toffee chips

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. on 10 x 15 cookie sheet, arrange saltines in a single layer (salt side down), preferably on parchment

paper for easy cleanup.

3. Over medium heat, combine butter and brown sugar in a saucepan. Stir until mixture thickens and starts to boil. (if you use dark brown sugar, be sure to boil until butter and sugar are totally combined.)

4. Pour butter and sugar mixture over saltines. Using back of spoon or spatula, spread mixture evenly over all of the crackers. Work quickly for it will start to cool.

5. Place cookie sheet in preheated oven.

6. Bake for 10 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown. (exactly 10 mins. worked for my oven).Don't over cook.....it will burn. Don't under cook....it will stick to cookie sheet.

7. Immediately upon removing cookie sheet from oven, evenly sprinkle chocolate chips over the crackers.

8. Let sit for 3 to 5 minutes, then smooth the melted chocolate over the crackers using the back of a spoon or a spatula.

9. Sprinkle toffee chips on top of chocolate.

10. Freeze or refrigerate for 2+ hours. Break apart and enjoy. (I enjoy them most when they are served right out of the freezer.)

***There are variations of this chocolate toffee bar recipe. Some omit the toffee and use chopped pecans instead.

Neat Treat

2010-12-19T21:24:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite little treats to snack on. Just enough sugar and crunch :)

Mix together:

1 16 oz pkg rice chex (or use corn chex or a mixture of both)

1 to 2 cups sliced almonds

2 cups coconut

Cook together:

1 cup light karol syrup

1 cup sugar

¾ cup butter

Bring to a boil, boil approx. 1 minute, and pour over cereal mix. Mix well.

Chocolate Banana Bread

2010-12-19T21:20:00.000-08:00

Yum! A fun variety of regular banana bread :) This recipe comes from my SIL, Cara.

1 cup margarine, softened

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

6 bananas, mashed

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup light sour cream

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans. In a large bowl, cream together margarine, sugar, and eggs. Stir in bananas and vanilla. Sift in flour, baking soda, and cocoa; mix well. Blend in sour cream and chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center of a loaf comes out clean.

Cherry Chocolate Bars

2010-12-12T17:52:00.000-08:00

These treats remind me of being a child. My Aunt RaNae would make these yummy cherry chocolate bars. I've been thinking about them because I've had a can of nuts in my cupboard for awhile. I didn't find cherry frosting at the store I went to so I just grabbed strawberry and hoped it would work. It was just as yummy :)

Melt 1 pkg (12 oz) Hershey’s Chocolate Chips in the microwave. Add ¾ cup peanut butter. Melt and then add 12 oz salted peanuts, chopped. Put ½ of chocolate mixture in buttered 9 x 13 pan and set. Melt 20 marshmallows and add to 1 can cherry frosting (Betty Crocker) or 1 pkg of Cherry Frosting mixed according to package. Spread over chocolate layer and set. Add remaining chocolate mixture. Set and then cut into squares.

I cut these into very small squares...they are just rich enough that you don't need much :)

Apple Spice Cupcakes

2010-12-09T13:18:00.000-08:00

This is a recipe from the treat exchange...from Candi Hunter

1 box spice cake mix
1 can apple pie filling

Mix spice cake according to the directons on the box. Pour into muffin tin 3/4 full. Add one spoonful of apple pie filling to each cupcake. Bake at 350 degrees fro 18-23 minutes

Frosting:
1/3 cup butter softened
1/4 cup whippped cream or evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
4 cups powdered sugar

Beat butter until creamy. Add cream, vanilla, salt, and 1 cup of powdered sugar. Beat until well blended. Gradually add remaining 3 cups of powdered sugar and mix until blended. Add 1 tsp of milk at a time if necessary. Beat until smooth.

Frost cupcakes when cool.

Soft Gingersnap Cookies

2010-12-08T16:15:00.000-08:00

My friend, Michele, introduced these SOFT gingersnap cookies to me several years ago. I had the recipe and apparently lost it so I had to get again this week so I could take these yummy cookies to a church treat exchange last night. Love that they are just strong enough ginger....not overpowering and that they are SOFT!

2 1/4 cups flour

1 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup shortening

1/4 cup molasses

1 egg

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/4 cup sugar

In a large mixing bowl combine about half of the flour, brown sugar, shortening, molasses, egg, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Beat with an electric mixer on medium to high speed till combined. Beat or stir in remaining flour. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll balls in the granulated sugar to coat. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 8-10 minutes or till edges are set and tops are crackled. Cool cookies on cookie sheet for 1 minute. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool. Makes about 48 cookies.

Hershey's Perfect Special Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-12-08T13:35:00.000-08:00

From treat exchange made by Pam.

Preheat oven to 375.

2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups (12 oz pkg) Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Chips
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. Beat butter, sguars, and vanilla until creamy. Add eggs, beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating well. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly, remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

Pumpkin Bread

2010-12-08T13:33:00.000-08:00

From the treat exchange.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 loaf pans. Mix in order:
3 cups sugar
1 cup oil
4 eggs
2/3 cup water
1 cup pumpkin
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
3 cups flour

Pour equal amounts of batter into pans. Bake at 350 for one hour.

Easy Pumpkin Spice Cookies

2010-12-08T13:32:00.000-08:00

From the treat exchange.

1 box spice cake mix
1 small can pumpkin
1 egg

Mix all together. Add chopped walnuts. Add chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoon on cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees about 15 minutes.

Peppermint Bark

2010-12-08T13:27:00.000-08:00

From Debbie Douangaphaivong. Love Debbie's warning on her recipe card at the treat exchange: "WARNING: Make at your own risk...you may find that you can't stop eating it."

12 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips
12 oz. white chocolate
Crushed peppermint candy (i.e. candy canes) About 1/2 cup or to your preference
1/2 tsp peppermint extract

Line foil into a 9x12 pan. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Put foil lined pan into oven to warm. Take out after 5-10 minutes. Then, pour 12 oz chocolate chips onto the foil to cover the bottom. Put back into the oven until melted. Take out and spread melted chocolate chips evenly. Put into the fridge to cool. While chocolate is cooling, melt package of white chocolate and 1/2 tsp peppermint extract in double boiler over the stove making sure not to let white chocolate get too hot. When melted, stir well, birng out the chocolate from fridge and pour white chocolate on top quickly. Spread evenly, then sprinkle crushed peppermint candy on top. put back into fridge to harden. Cut into squares or break with hands and store in a covered container.

Oatmeal Cocoa Macaroons

2010-12-08T13:25:00.000-08:00

From the treat exchange.

3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup shredded coconut
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup cocoa powder

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, milk, and sugar. Stirring constantly, bring mixture to a boil. Continue to boil and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add coconut, oats, and cocoa powder. Stir until well mixed. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper. Chill macaroons in fridge.

Chocolate Orange Fudge

2010-12-08T13:23:00.000-08:00

From treat exchange...from Clarissa Ludlow. This recipe reminds me of the orange sticks we ALWAYS use to get at Christmas time when I was a little girl.

2 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 tsp. orange extract

Melt chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk over stove top until blended. Stir in orange extract. Pour into 8 inch square pan that's lined with wax paper. Refrigerate until firm.

Slow Cooker Peach Crisp

2010-10-04T20:11:00.000-07:00

I made this DELICIOUS dessert tonight to go with our dinner. Oh my!!!! I will DEFINITELY be making this again. I basically doubled the recipe so I'll give you the amounts that I used. :)
5 large fresh peaches, peeled and sliced
2/3 cup flour
2/3 cup quick oats
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp of nutmeg
1/2 cup butter

Place sliced peaches in bottom of a greased crock pot. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, oatmeal, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cut the butter in with a pastry blender or a fork (I just added these ingredients in my Kitchen Aid). Mixture should be crumbly. Sprinkle over the peaches. Cover the crock pot with a paper towel. Then put the lid over the paper towel and seal the crockpot. Cook on high for 2 hours. I didn't have vanilla ice cream so I just served it with whipped cream...I can only imagine that it would be even more delicious with ice cream!

Sweet 'n Sour Chicken Over Rice

2010-10-04T11:09:00.000-07:00

We had a family over for dinner last week. It was SO HOT that I had no desire to use the oven to make the chicken dinner I was going to make so I grabbed my "Fix-It and Forget-It Lightly" cookbook and found a recipe that sounded good. I've been craving chinese food lately...so this recipe jumped out at me.

1 lb. baby carrots (I just peeled and cut up regular sized carrots)
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
1 green pepper, cut into chunks (this was not in the original recipe but I loved this addition...so glad that I added it!)
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (I chunked the chicken before I added it to the crockpot so it would all be bite-size)
20 oz. can unsweetened pineapple chunks
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 TBL soy sauce
2 tsp chicken bouillon granules
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
3 TBL cornstarch
1/4 cup water
3 cups cooked rice

Layer carrots, onion, and green pepper in slow cooker. Top with chicken. Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Place pineapple chunks over chicken. In a bowl, mix together pineapple juice, brown sugar, soy sauce, bouillon, salt, ginger, and garlic. Pour over top of pineapple. Cook on low 6-7 hours. Combine cornstarch and water in bowl. Gradually stir into slow cooker. Cook 30 minutes longer or until sauce is thickened (I did this about an hour before I served the chicken because we were running out the door to soccer practice). Serve over rice.

This was so yummy! I was happy with the chicken...it was nice to not have battered chicken with this recipe. :)

October Menu

2010-10-01T11:18:00.000-07:00

1. Baked Potato Bar (chili, cheese, broccoli, sour cream, butter)
2. Beef Enchiladas
3. Taco Salad (seriously, I can't believe I haven't posted this recipe...I'll work on that :)
4. Western Burgers
5. Honey & Wheat Rolls
6. Beef Stew (I'm using my sister's recipe...I'll post the recipe after I've made it :)
7. Beef & Broccoli Stir-Fry
8. Fiesta Stack
9. Fried Chicken
10. Country Captain Chicken (without the shrimp)
11. Cheeseburger Macaroni
12. Chicken Parmesan
13. Stroganoff
14. Hawaiian Haystacks
15. Chicken Enchiladas
16. Cheesy Chicken
17. Malibu Chicken
18. Crepes
19. Tetrazzini Chicken
20. Omelets
21. Chicken & Dumplings
22. Baked Potato Soup
23. Cafe Rio Meat
24. Kabobs
25. Pigs in a blanket
26. Scalloped Potatoes with Pork Chops
27. Coconut Chicken
28. Fajitas
29. Chili
30. Teriyaki Chicken
31. Witch's Diner (The witch cook hasn't decided what will be on the menu for her diner yet :)

S'more Cookie Bars

2010-09-14T13:48:00.000-07:00

Saturday we went to a birthday party where everyone brought side dishes or dessert. This was one of the desserts served. OH MY!!!!!! It is delicious :) It's AWESOME! I can't wait to make it. Thanks, Debbie!

1/2 c. butter, room temperature
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/3 c. flour
3/4 c. graham cracker crumbs (approximately 7 full graham crackers)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 super sized (5 oz.) dark chocolate bars (e.g. Hershey's)*
1 1/2 c. marshmallow cream/fluff

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 inch square baking pan. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place chocolate bars over dough (2 king-sized Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly side by side, but break the chocolate if necessary to get it to fit in a single layer no more than 1/4 inch thick). Spread the marshmallow fluff over the chocolate. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff (most easily done by putting the dough in a gallon size ziplock bag or between plastic wrap. Use your palms or a rolling pin to flatten it out and then use scissors to cut down both long sides of the bag, so it will open up book-style. Place the bag, dough side down, on the fluff. From there peel the bag up and spread the dough where it is uneven.) Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

*Debbie's Notes - I made this amazing dessert for the first time this past Sat for a BBQ birthday party after first having it at my sister's house. I did not have chocolate bars on hand, so instead used semi sweet Ghirardeli chocolate chips. If you use the choco chips, make sure to press them into the dough so that spreading the marshmallow cream over it will be a little less challenging. I think it turned out great, but then again I am a bit biased to Ghirardeli.

Fruit Leather

2010-09-11T21:18:00.000-07:00

I had a lot of peaches...and not enough jars to make jam so I decided to give fruit leather a try. I remember LOVING the fruit leather my mom would make when I was a kid, and my kids go crazy for fruit leather when I buy it so I figured it was a win-win situation. I chose this recipe.

Fresh fruit (apricots, peaches, plums, berries, apples, pears, grapes)
Water
Lemon juice
Sugar (if needed)
Spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg (optional)

Rinse the fruit. Take out the pits, chop the fruit. Taste the fruit before proceeding. Note how sweet the fruit is. If very sweet you will not need to add any sugar. If still a little tart, you may need to add some sugar in the next step.

Place fruit in a large saucepan. Add a half cup of water for every 4 cups of chopped fruit. Bring to a simmer, cover and let cook on a low heat for 10-15 minutes, or until the fruit is cooked through. Uncover and stir. Use a potato masher to mash up the fruit in the pan. Taste the fruit and determine what and how much sugar, lemon juice, or spices to add. Add sugar in small amounts (1 Tbsp at a time if working with 4 cups of fruit), to desired level of sweetness. Add lemon juice one teaspoon at a time to help brighten the flavor of the fruit. Add a pinch or two of cinnamon, nutmeg, or other spices to augment the flavor. (I added about 4 TBL of sugar, 2 TBL fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp nutmeg to my 5 cups of fruit.)
Continue to simmer and stir until any added sugar is completely dissolved and the fruit purée has thickened, another 5 or 10 minutes (or more). Put the purée through a food mill or chinoise. Alternatively purée it thoroughly in a blender or food processor. Taste again and adjust sugar/lemon/spices if necessary. The purée should be very smooth. Line a rimmed baking sheet with sturdy plastic wrap (the kind that is microwave safe). Pour out the purée into the lined baking sheet to about an 1/8 to 1/4 inch thickness. Place the baking sheet in the oven, try to keep any plastic wrap from touch the sides of the oven or the oven racks. Also try to make sure that the plastic wrap hasn't folded back over on top of the purée. If this happens, the purée won't dry out. Heat the oven to a low 140°F. (My oven only went as low as 170°F. I left it in the oven overnight...about 10 hours. The fruit leather is ready when it is no longer sticky, but has a smooth surface.

When the fruit leather is ready, you can easily peel it up from the plastic wrap. To store it, roll it in its plastic wrap, put it in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator or freezer. 4 cups of fruit yield about one baking sheet of fruit leather. I made two pans and put them in the oven at the same time. My bottom pan was too crispy! Next time I'll move my racks higher in the oven or only do one pan at a time in my little, bitty wall oven. Seriously, it's only taken us a day to devour almost the entire pan. My kids LOVE it!

Honey Lime Enchiladas

2010-09-10T21:12:00.000-07:00

My friend sent me this link this past week. This blog is filled with lots of YUMMY recipes. My friend suggested this recipe...

Dave and I liked this twist on enchiladas...and it used a couple limes from our lime tree! The kids still prefer regular, ol' enchiladas that I always make...there wasn't enough "stuff" for them to dip their chips in like they normally do :)
1.5 lbs pork or chicken, cooked and shredded (I used chicken)
Sauce:
1/3 c honey
1/4 c lime juice
1 Tb chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 (10 oz) cans green enchilada sauce (I used about 3/4 of a 26 oz. can)
equal parts mixed together of:mozzarella cheese, shredded, cheddar cheese, shredded (I used a triple cheddar blend)
flour tortillas

Mix together sauce ingredients then add to shredded pork or chicken. Let the sauce soak into the meat for about 30 minutes. Lightly spray 2 pans with non-stick baking spray. (I just used one 9x13 pan.) Pour green enchilada sauce into pans to coat the entire bottom. Fill tortillas with shredded meat and desired amount of cheese. Roll and place in dish. Pour remainder of sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle more cheese on top. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Then turn on broiler and place enchiladas nearer the top of oven. Let it broil until cheese is slightly brown and crispy.

Soft Pretzels

2010-09-08T12:04:00.000-07:00

Last night for RS I provided the recipe for the pretzels the women made. This recipe came from one of my roommates in college. I decided to make them for dinner as well. I let the girls help me make them...we had a great time together :)

1 pkg active dry yeast
1 1/3 cups warm water
1 TBL sugar
½ tsp salt
3 ½-4 cups flour
1 egg
1 TBL water
2 TBL coarse salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease 2 large baking sheets. In large bowl, sprinkle yeast over warm water; stir with rubber spatula until well blended and yeast is dissolved. With wooden spoon, gradually stir in sugar, salt, and enough flour (about 2 ½ cups) until a soft and slightly sticky dough forms. Turn dough onto well-floured board. To knead, fold dough towards you; with heels of hands push dough away with short rocking motions. Rotate dough a quarter turn and repeat above motion. Continue kneading and turn about 5-7 minutes adding another ½ cup or more flour if necessary, until dough is smooth and elastic. Dough shouldn’t stick to board or hands. Cut dough in half, then cut each half into 6 equal-sized pieces. With floured hands, roll one piece of dough back and forth between palms of hands to form a dough rope. Continue rolling and stretching dough rope until it’s 15 inches long. Place rope on baking sheet, cross left side of rope over to the middle of rope creating a loop. Then fold right side of rope up and over the 1st loop to form pretzel shape. Continue with remaining dough, placing pretzels 3 inches apart on baking sheet. Enlarge holes in pretzels by inserting thumb and index fingers into holes. This will prevent them from completely closing during baking. In small bowl, mix together egg and water, brush on pretzels. Sprinkle with course salt. Bake at 425 degrees 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Pretzels taste best when eaten warm. Makes 12 pretzels. Instead of salt on top, I've added parmesean cheese (pictured) or cinnamon and sugar :) Don't forget you can dip them in cheese sauce or spaghetti sauce.

I learned a new trick to create more of a pretzel shape...loop dough, twist, and fold the ends over the top...perfect pretzel shape that I need a bit more practice at :)

September Menu

2010-09-02T22:00:00.000-07:00

1. Chicken Stir Fry...I added some new veggies this time...cauliflower and fresh red peppers...red peppers are now a MUST addition :)
2. Hurdsman Grilled Chicken
3. Tin Foil Dinners over the campfire
4. Kabobs
5. Alfredo w/ Breadsticks
6. Labor Day BBQ
7. Spaghetti & Scones
8. Orange Chicken
9. Santa Fe Salad
10. Green Chile Sauce Enchiladas
11. Cafe Rio Meat
12. Chicken Fried Steak
13. Curry Chicken (looking for a recipe still...suggestions?? :)
14. Turkey Pot Pie
15. Garlic Tomato Pasta
16. Salmon Loaf
17. Mini Pizzas
18. New Recipe...suggestion?
19. Lasagna
20. Porkchops
21. Taco Soup
22. Tostados
23. Honey-lime grilled chicken
24. Bread Bowls with Baked Potato Soupo
25. Western Burgers
26. Grilled Fish
27. Tetrazzini Chicken
28. Porcupine Meatballs
29. Taco Salad
30. White Chicken Pizza

Strawberry Tart

2010-08-21T22:27:00.001-07:00

I was looking for a dessert to use our yummy strawberries in. I remembered this recipe from my SIL.

(Ignore the very cheesy picture...I made this for our anniversary so my hubby took the pic)
Her recipe was for raspberries but strawberries are an easy substitute.

Crust:
1 ¼ cup flour
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 TBL sugar
½ orange rind, grated
1egg yolk
6 TBL cold butter, cut into pieces
3-4 TBL whipping cream (I just used milk)

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Stir in the sugar and orange rind. Add the cutter and cut in with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. With a fork, stir in the egg yolk and just enough cream to bind the dough. Gather into a ball, wrap in wax paper, and refrigerate. Prepare the filling.

Filling:
3 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
3 TBL flour
1 ¼ cup milk
1/8 tsp salt
½ tsp vanilla

Beat the egg yolks and sugar until thick and lemon colored. Gradually stir in the flour. In a saucepan, bring the milk and salt just to a boil, and remove from heat. Whisk into the egg yolk mixture, return to the pan, and continue whisking over moderately high heat until just bubbling. Cook for three minutes to thicken. Transfer immediately to a bowl. Add the vanilla and stir to blend. Cover with wax paper to prevent a skin from forming.

Topping:
1 lb fresh raspberries (strawberries also work well)

Glaze: (I compeletly forgot to make the glaze...we just added whipped cream :)
5 TBL concord grape jelly
1 TBL fresh orange juice

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough about 1/8 inch thick, transfer to a 10-inch tart pan and trim the edge. Prick the bottom all over with a fork and line with aluminum foil. Fill with pie weights and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and weights. Continue baking until golden, 6-8 minutes more. Let cool.

Spread an even layer of the pastry cream filling in the tart shell and arrange the raspberries on top. Prepare the glaze by melting the jelly and orange juice in a pan and brush on top to glaze. DO NOT GLAZE UNTIL SERVING TIME!

Nice and refreshing!

Quick Snack Cake

2010-08-19T09:12:00.000-07:00

My SIL passed this fun little recipe on to me a few weeks ago after she got it from a friend. Can't wait to give it a try.

1 box angel food cake mix (one that doesn't require eggs)
1 box regular cake mix - any flavor
Mix dry cake mixes together in a plastic bag or plastic storage container.

Put 1/4 cup dry mix in a microwave safe cup
Add 2 tbsp water and stir
Microwave on high for one minute.

After it's cooked, you could add frosting and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
1 serving, about 100 calories

Cleaning Tip

2010-08-05T10:57:00.001-07:00

While I was away, I learned a cleaning tip from my mom. Polish your bathroom/kitchen crome by spraying rubbing alchol on it and wiping off with a rag. FABULOUS! Spray rubbing alcohol on mirrors/windows...no streaks! AWESOME! Spray rubbing alcohol on sticky spots and rub off with a rag to remove it. AMAZING! I've had a sticker sticky spot on my van front window for over a year now. I've tried razor blades, water, window cleaner, etc. to get it off. Nothing has worked until now. I'm so happy. She claims it works on getting gum off/out of things. Haven't had to try it yet...hope I don't need to :)

August Menu

2010-08-05T10:52:00.000-07:00

Finally back on track again...
1. Pasta
2. Grilled Steak
3. French Dip Sandwiches
4. Tacos
5. Baked Potato Bar
6. Beef Enchiladas
7. Chicken & Broccoli Stir Fry
8. Roast
9. Crepes
10. Super Nachos
11. Steak Kabobs
12. Alfredo
13. Chicken Enchiladas
14. Tin Foil Dinners
15. Meatloaf
16. Chicken Parmigina
17. Fried Chicken
18. Pizza
19. Zuchini Casserole
20. Chicken Fried Steak
21. BBQ Chicken
22. Chicken & Rice
23. Baked Fish
24. Tator Tot Casserole
25. Pork Chops
26. Omelettes
27. Chicken & Dressing Casserole
28. Burritos
29. Hurdsman Chicken
30. Taco Salad
31. Orange Chicken

Fruit Pizza

2010-07-09T17:00:00.000-07:00

One day a week during the summer, I've committed some time to letting the kids cook something new. This week we tried a fruit pizza. They weren't so sure when I told them about this treat, but the end result met their approval!

1/2 cup margarine, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar. Add egg. Mix flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Add to creamed mixture. Press onto a pizza pan (of course I used a pizza stone). Bake for 8-10 minutes or until brown (mine needed to cook for about 15 minutes). Cool.

8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Spread on cooled crust. Add fruit and chill.

Kabobs

2010-07-08T18:59:00.001-07:00

I have been craving kabobs lately so I decided to give them a try for dinner tonight. I marinated chicken tenders in our usual marinade (1 can sprite, 1 cup soy sauce, 1/2 cup veggie oil) for the day. I chunked a red pepper, a green pepper, a zucchini, a pineapple, and an onion. I also had a few cherry tomatoes. While the skewers soaked in water for 20 minutes, I cut the chicken in chunks. Then I started assembling the kabobs.

I heated the grill and then topped the rack with a piece of tin foil that I sprayed with Pam. When it was hot, I added the kabobs and rotated them about every 5 minutes for about 20 minutes.

Served them with rice and corn on the cob! Perfect summer dinner even without the sun. YUMMY! The kids even tried each of the veggies...some were a go...others a no-go. I will definitely try these again.

Miguel's White Dipping Sauce

2010-06-03T12:13:00.000-07:00

While Dave was at the church last night, a friend brought him this yummy stuff! He brought him a bag of tortilla chips with it, and Dave was in heaven. Miguel's is a restaurant Dave sometimes go to for work luncheons. He thought this was a very close imitation of their dipping sauce. It was pretty tasty!

Makes 3 1/2 Cups

2 cups whipping cream
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon chicken base
1 tablespoon jalapeno juice (from bottled jalapenos)
2 tablespoons clarified butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon bottled jalapeno, minced
1 ounce shredded monterey jack cheese
1 ounce shredded cheddar cheese

Heat whipping cream in a heavy saucepan over high heat. When the cream is ready to boil, stir in sour cream. After sour cream dissolves, reduce heat to medium. Stir in chicken base and jalapeno juice and simmer. While cream is heating. Make a roux by warming butter in a saucepan over medium heat, adding flour, and mixing with a wire whisk until mixture is smooth and pale gold in color. Just before cream mixture is ready to boil again, add roux, whisking briskly and constantly until roux is corporated. Remove from heat. Stir in minced jalapeno and the cheeses.

Serve with tortilla chips, veggies, or even on a baked potato.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

2010-05-12T14:16:00.000-07:00

I made this tasty pizza last week. It was nice to have pizza a little differently. Of course, I used my usual pizza dough recipe...
Mix together:
1 ½ cups warm water
1 ½ TBL yeast
1/8 cup sugar

Then add:
1/6 cup oil
1 TBL salt
3 1/3 cup flour

Mix altogether. Let dough rise for approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour. Then knead onto pizza pan. Preheat oven to 400. Cook dough for 6 minutes. Take dough out of oven and then add BBQ Chicken topping and cheese. Cook for an additional 15 minutes.

For the BBQ chicken, I boiled 4 frozen chicken tenders until done. When they were cooled, I shredded them and set aside. In a saucepan, add a bit of oil and saute about 1/4 of a cup onion...use a red onion if you have it...and 1 minced garlic clove. Add chicken and add about 3 TBL of BBQ sauce (your favorite flavor is best :). Mix well and add to top of pizza dough. I added a layer of mozerralla cheese and cheddar cheese mix and finished cooking the pizza. Served with fresh pineapple and fresh veggies.

Alfredo Sauce

2010-05-06T21:07:00.000-07:00

Another recipe from a blogger on the fitness blog. I thought it was quite tasty...my three year old agreed. My older two thought it used too much garlic (but that's what I liked about it :) so next time I'll use a bit less garlic for them :)

3/4 cup milk
2 TBL flour
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 tsp garlic (I minced a garlic clove)
3 tsp minced onion (I chopped an onion)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
salt & pepper

Blend in blender or processor until creamy. Cook for 10 mintues on LOW until thickened. Serve over pasta.

Sweet & Sour Chicken

2010-05-06T21:03:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from a fitness blog my cousin started. One of the ladies posted a yummy recipe for sweet & sour chicken. I'm ALWAYS looking for new chinese food type recipes so this was perfect.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cube 1 lb. chicken (boneless, skinless) and place in a greased baking dish.

Then combine all the ingredients over the stove and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.

3/4 cup Ketchup
2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp Lemon Juice
1 cup Pineapple Juice (she suggested using a cup of crushed pineapple so that's what I did :)
1/4 tsp Pepper or more if you like (next time I think I'll add a dash of red pepper flakes)
1/2 cup Packed Brown Sugar (light or dark)
1/8 cup flour

Pour the sauce over the chicken, cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Serve over rice. I did double this recipe but I had a lot left over so it became a great freezer meal :)

May Menu

2010-04-30T10:54:00.000-07:00

I'm actually getting my monthly menu done early this month :) I'm ready for some new recipes so we'll be venturing out this month with new recipes.

1. Beef Stew w/ leftover roast
2. Meatloaf
3. Sweet & Sour Chicken
4. Crepes (Seriously, my kids ask for this EVERY day!)
5. Taco Soup
6. Pasta with Homemade Alfredo Sauce
7. BBQ Chicken Pizza
8. Chicken Stir Fry
9. Grilled Chicken
10. Rosemary Lime Chicken
11. Crockpot Porkchops
12. Teriyaki Chicken and Hot Rice
13. Mexican Enchilada Casserole
14. Turkey Pot Pie
15. Baked Potato Bar
16. Company Chicken
17. Skillet Parmigiana Chicken
18. Fried Chicken
19. Rice & Sausage Casserole
20. Baked Potato Soup
21. Tostadas
22. Orange Chicken
23. Salmon Loaf
24. Turkey Enchilada Casserole
25. French Toast
26. Chile Verde
27. Chinese Casserole
28. Southwestern Chicken Stir-Fry
29. Slow Cooker Carnitas
30. Hawaiian Haystacks
31. Hamburgers & Hot dogs...YEAH for BBQs on Memorial Day! :)

Green Chile Sauce Enchiladas

2010-04-29T19:53:00.000-07:00

Tonight I needed something I could use avocadoes with so I opted enchiladas. We always have our normal chicken enchiladas so I really wanted to try something different. I really wanted to use a can of green chile enchilada sauce that I've had sitting on the shelf. I looked on-line but couldn't find the perfect recipe so I put a few together and created these enchiladas that were DELICIOUS!

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 oz. cream cheese, cubed
1 can of cream of chicken
1 can of green chilis
1 can of green chile enchilada sauce
flour tortillas
mozz & cheddar cheese

Boil frozen chicken breasts until done. When cooled, shred chicken. Add cream cheese, cream of chicken, and green chilis. Stir together. Add about half the can of enchilada sauce to this mixture. Pour about 1/4 of the can of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Spoon mixture into flour tortillas. Roll filled tortilla and place in 9x13 pan. After pan is full, pour rest of enchilada sauce on top of tortillas and top with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. This is definitely going on our favorite meals list!

Bunny Biscuits

2010-03-26T21:35:00.001-07:00

Today in Sierra's class we did a fun spring/easter cooking project. Sierra's teacher had bought the large refridgerated biscuits. I cut them in half. One of the halves became the head and the other half was cut in half again which became their ears. After they shaped the face and ears, they added chocolate chips for their eyes, a pink M&M for the nose, and half of a red jelly bean for the mouth. Cinnamon & sugar was then sprinkled on top. They turned out so cute! The only thing I'll do differently next time is be sure the mouth and nose are pushed into the dough so they don't fall off when they bake. Such a fun change from the usual sugar cookies that we usually do!

Coppertone Sunscreen SALE!!!

2010-03-25T13:03:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know this has nothing to do with food...but at our house sunscreen is an absolute MUST most months of the year. Albertson's has a sale on Coppertone products for $6.99 this week. This INCLUDES the twin pack version of the spray-on sunscreen. Print yourself a $1 off coupon here and you're paying $3 for each bottle! GREAT deal! It was a great day at Albertson's for me...it's always nice to hear the cashier compliment you on your shopping but even better when the people behind you in line tell you you're a smart shopper!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

2010-02-19T22:31:00.000-08:00

This recipe is from a dear sister from my hometown...Evelyn Findlay. These are similar to Special K Bars but much, much chewier. We took them to the pinewood derby/chili cook-off, and they were a hit! Good thing I ate a couple before we took them or I wouldn't have gotten any...I didn't even come home with the platter I took them on. :) I doubled the original recipe to fit on my cookie sheet...so here's the recipe doubled...
2 cups sugar
2 cups light corn syrup
2 cups peanut butter (I used creamy)
12 cups Rice Krispies
approx. 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (melted) with about 1 TBL of peanut butter.

In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, and peanut butter. Cook over medium-low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat; add cereal and stir until coated. Spread onto a greased cookie sheet; press lightly. Spread melted chocolate/peanut butter over bars. YUM!!!!

Chili

2010-02-19T22:25:00.000-08:00

This is the recipe I used for tonight's church chili cook-off. I didn't win an award but still got plenty of compliments.
1 lb. ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBL chili powder
1 tsp cumin
2 14 oz. cans stewed tomatoes
2 cans red kidney beans, rinsed & drained
2 cans pinto beans, rinsed & drained
1/2 onion, chopped
1 sm. can tomato paste

Brown hamburger, garlic, and onion. Add chili powder and cumin. Put in crock pot. Add tomatoes, beans, and tomato paste in crock pot. Cook on high for 4 hours...then turn to low until ready to serve. Serve with grated cheese.

Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-02-05T12:46:00.000-08:00

This is the name of the recipe in the cookbook. I would have to agree. I really like when cookies are soft even after the first day. These stayed soft and tasty!

3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup shortening (I used marg...so I just added 1 cup total)
1/2 cup margarine
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
6 oz. choc. chips
2 cups quick oats

Cream together sugars and margarine. Add eggs and vanilla. Fold in flour, soda, salt, choc. chips, and oats. Bake 9 minutes at 375 degrees. Cool for 5 minutes and then transfer to racks.

Tinfoil Dinner Casserole

2010-02-05T12:38:00.000-08:00

My mom gave me an AWESOME cookbook for Christmas. It's a book that was compiled by the women in her church. These are always my favorite kind of cookbooks...recipes from people I know! I have to be honest...my first look through the cookbook I looked at who the recipe was from rather than what the recipes were. My sister has raved over this recipe so I thought I would give it a try. Three of the five of us enjoyed this dinner. My son is my pickiest eater and of course refused to eat it since he doesn't eat potatoes (I know...how can he be MY son since I'm from Idaho!) and the littlest is experiencing another ruptured ear drum so her eating habits are all crazy! It's a tasty twist on a tinfoil dinner :)

1 lb. ground beef
4-5 potatoes, peeled and sliced thin
3-4 carrots, peeled and sliced thin
1 sm. onion, chopped fine
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can water
1 TBL Worchestershire sauce
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Brown beef with onion and Worcestershire sauce. Place meat in 9x13" pan. Layer with potatoes and carrots. Cover meat and veggies with soup, water, salt, and pepper. Mix together slightly. Top with grated cheese. Cover pan with foil. Bake at 375 for one hour. (I have to admit I had to cook it at 400 for 40 minutes...rushed day...and it still turned out tasty). Leftovers were even better the next day in my opinion.

Couponing

2010-02-02T13:05:00.000-08:00

One of my goals for the year is to be a smarter shopper. Albertson's has had some GREAT deals to help me get stocked up some essentials. I loved the coupons on the back page of their ad last week so when I got the ad for this week yesterday and saw another page of coupons...I was even more excited. They have a good ad this week as well....can't wait for the 8-hour sale on Thursday! :) I'm going to get some GREAT deals. One of those will be the "Tailgate Party Pack Deal" even though we won't be watching the game :) In Albertson's this past week, I got a coupon/recipe book called "Game Day Greats" which included a coupon for $1 off 2 DiGiorno pizzas (which you have to buy 2 for the pack deal anyway)...then I just got the ads today for Family Foods and Food Land...guess what...there's a manufacturer's coupon in there for $2 off any 3 coke 12-pk....so I'll be saving another $3 off the Party Pack Deal! :) You can bet that I have coupons also for the General Mills Cereal that is only $1.50 a box anyway when you buy 4...I'll be saving another $2.55! :) What are your great deals for the week?

Ribs

2010-02-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

When I bought this package of ribs, I didn't even pay attention that it was pork ribs. In December I went to a party we had for a friend. We had a potluck...one of things there was YUMMY ribs. I asked for the recipe and couldn't wait to try it out. Good thing to know it works just as great on pork ribs :) Thanks, Debbie!

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Salt and pepper both sides of ribs. Place on a cookie sheet (I lined mine with foil). Cover ribs with foil. Bake for 3 hours. After 2 1/2 hours, take out of oven and spread one side of ribs with BBQ sauce. Put back in oven for 15 minutes. Take out, flip to cover other side of ribs with BBQ sauce, and put back in oven for last 15 minutes.

Pink Salad

2010-01-13T09:29:00.001-08:00

This has always been one of my favorite salads. We had a potluck dinner last weekend so we took this salad.

The size of the ingredients depends on how much you want to make and your liking. I needed a big salad so I used large containers
1 container of cottage cheese
1 8 oz. container of cool whip
1 box of strawberry jello
strawberries

Mix cottage cheese and a box of jello...adding dry jello a little at a time. If you're making this for a small group you just need the small box of jello. Add cool whip and cut-up strawberries. I made this salad w/ frozen strawberries. It's very delicious with raspberries as well. Change the jello to orange jello and add mandarian oranges. Yum, yum! This salad always reminds me of summertime!

Caeser Salad

2010-01-06T13:54:00.000-08:00

The week of Christmas some friends came over for dinner, and they brought salad...fresh Caesar salad. Since then, my hubby and I can't get enough caeser salad. We've eaten a ton of it in the past two weeks. Here's the basic recipe we use:

Romaine Lettuce
Parmesan Cheese
Caeser Salad Dressing
Croutons

Break lettuce into bite size pieces. Grate Parmesan cheese and add to lettuce. When ready to serve, add croutons and coat with dressing. Mix salad and ENJOY!

We even had leftover green salad from Christmas Day one of our guests brought. We used it just the same as the romaine lettuce, and it was just as delicious! It's been great to reminded of such a yummy salad.

Chicken Tamales

2010-01-02T21:37:00.000-08:00

Around Thanksgiving time, the Albertson's ad had a recipe for tamales. I've always wanted to give tamales a try but haven't ever done it. This recipe inspired me so I gave it a try....not too bad considering it was my first attempt :) I halved the original recipe since I wasn't sure I wanted too many tamales leftover.

3 cups Maseca corn flour for tamales
1 can chicken broth (approx. 24 oz.)
1/2 cup veggie corn oil
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
shredded chicken (cooked)
1 can chile sauce (about 14 oz.)
1 bag corn husks

Soak the corn husks in warm water until soft. Blend with a mixer Maseca, oil, salt, baking powder, and chicken broth to obtain a consistent mixture (I think I made mine a little too runny). Shred the chicken and marinate in the chile sauce. Spread masa evenly over corn husks and spread a spoonful of marinated chicken on top of the masa.

Fold the sides of the corn husk to center over the masa so that they overlap to make a long package. Fold the empty part of the husk under so that it rests against the side of the tamale with a "seam." Place the tamales in a steamer and cook tamales for 35-40 minutes. Check every 20 minutes. The tamale is cooked when it separates easily from the corn husk.

Photo disclaimer: Don't judge this recipe by my pictures...this was my VERY first attempt at tamales :)

Bread Bowls

2010-01-01T19:25:00.000-08:00

Last week I tried a different bread bowls recipe when we had guests over for dinner. They turned out perfectly! I will definitely make these again. I couldn't keep my kids out of the "stuffing" I had pulled out to create the bread bowls. I got the recipe from allrecipes.com but I changed it up a bit so...here's my version of the original recipe:

3 packages of active dry yeast (if you buy yeast like I do, you don't get them in individual packages...so you'll need about 3 TBL of yeast.)
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 1/2 cups warm milk
3/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
3 tsp salt
9 cups flour

In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the milk, shortening, sugar, eggs, salt, and 3 cups of flour. Beat until smooth. Mix in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. (Of course, I use my kitchen aid for all the mixing.) Turn onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into eight pieces; shape each into a ball. Grease two baking sheets. Place four balls on each pan. Cover and let rise until doubled (I waited another hour). Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Remove onto wire racks.

Slice off tops and pull out insides. Bake bowls again for 10 minutes to harden the edges to hold up to your soup, chowder, or stew.

BBQ Beef

2009-12-17T22:33:00.000-08:00

This recipe came from my sister-in-law, Cara. We had it a few years back at a family gathering and it's become a family favorite. The best part is that you fix it and then forget it for the rest of the day.

3 lbs. boneless chuck roast
1 ½ cups ketchup
¼ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup white vinegar
2 TBL Dijon-style or regular mustard
2 TBL Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp liquid smoke flavoring
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp garlic powder

Place chuck roast in Crockpot. Combine remaining ingredients in mixing bowl. Pour barbecue sauce mixture over chuck roast. Cover and cook LOW 8-10 hours. Remove roast and shred meat with fork. Place shredded meat back in Crockpot. Stir meat to evenly coat with sauce....usually best if it can sit for about 30 minutes after you've shreeded the meat. Spoon meat onto sandwich buns...or if you're picky like my kids, you can just eat the meat without the bread.

This seriously makes SO MUCH! We ate this twice this week, and I still had plenty to put another meal in the freezer.

Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Balls

2009-12-15T11:11:00.000-08:00

This is a treat I remember my mom making almost every Christmas. Maybe this is why my favorite candy is Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Sydney and I made the peanut butter balls while the kids were at school. We dipped them in the chocoloate later that night. When searching for the recipes, I found out they are actually called "Buckeyes"...who knew!? :)

1 1/2 cups peanut butter + 2 TBL
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla
6 cups powdered sugar
4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar. The dough will look dry (VERY DRY!!!). Roll into 1" balls and place on a waxed paper-lined cookie sheet. Press a toothpick into the top of each ball to be used later as the handle for dipping and chill in freezer until firm, about 30 minutes. (I just put mine in the fridge since it was several hours until we would be dipping them...I should have put them in the freezer for a few minutes just before we started. A few balls fell off the toothpicks as we were dipping them.)

Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler or in a bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir frequently until smooth. When chocolate is melted, stir in 2 TBL of peanut butter. (This is my own addition to the original recipe :). Dip frozen peanut butter balls in chocolate holding onto toothpick. Leave a small portion of peanut butter showing at the top to make them look like buckeyes. Put back on cookie sheet and refrigerate until serving.

My mom always put the peanut butter balls in mini muffin cup liners and just spooned the chocolate over top.

Candy Cane Cookies

2009-12-15T11:00:00.000-08:00

I wanted to make a cookie the kids could help with...and make something different than sugar cookies since we'll already make these w/ our nativity cookie scene next week. I remember these cookies from treat plates when I was little. I've always thought they were tasty and thought they would be fun and do-able for the kids. By far, they are not perfect candy cane shape but we had lots of fun! Here's the recipe I used. I made the recipe twice...once for the red dough and once for the white dough.

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp almond extract (I didn't have to I just used more vanilla)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red food coloring

Cream together the shortening, butter, sugar, egg, and extracts. In a separate bowl, mix flour and salt and add to shortening mixture. Divide dough in half (or make another batch of dough:). Blend red food coloring into one half. Roll about 1 tsp of the red dough and 1 tsp of the white dough on a lightly floured surface into about 4" strips. Place strips side by side and press lightly together and twist like a rope. Curve top of rope down to look like the handle of a candy cane. Bake 9 minutes or until lightly browned at 350 degrees. Remove while still warm. Sprinkle w/ 1/2 cup of crushed candy cane and sugar...we used peppermint sprinkles mixed with sugar. When searching for a recipe of these cookies, I found a lot that just used a sugar cookie recipe w/ an extra 2 TBL of flour...think I'll give that a try next time.

Frog Eye Salad

2009-12-15T10:52:00.000-08:00

This salad has always been a family favorite. I took this salad once for a preschool event and no one had EVER heard of it. They were all quick to try it out because of it's unique name. One of my friends likes it so much that she makes it before they go camping and takes it with them. Since it makes a HUGE salad, they eat it the whole camping trip. Dave loves to take it to work potlucks also because of the name...always a conversation starter. 'Tis the season for potlucks so I whipped up this batch of "Frog Eye Salad" yesterday. ETA: Can you believe there was another frog eye salad at his work lunch??? Needless to say, we ate this salad for a long time! The recipe comes directly from the Acini de Pepe box. Here is a picture of what the box looks like that the pasta, acini de pepe, looks like.

1 cup sugar
2 TBL flour
2 1/2 tsp salt (divided)
1 3/4 cup pineapple juice (from canned fruit)
2 eggs, beaten
1 TBL lemon juice

Combine sugar, flour, and 1/2 tsp of salt. Gradually stir in pineapple juice and beaten eggs. Cook over moderate heat, stirring until thickened. Add lemon juice and cool mixture to room temperature. Set aside.

3 quarts water
1 TBL cooking oil
1 pkg (16 oz) Acini de Pepe
3 cans (11 oz each) Mandarian Oranges (drained)
2 cans (20 oz each) Pineapple tidbits (drained, save)
1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple (drained, save)
1 carton (9 oz) cool whip
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 cup coconut

Bring water and remaining 2 tsp of salt and oil to a boil. Add Acini de Pepe. Cook to a royal boil until done. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain again and cool to room temp. Combine egg mixture, Acini de Pepe mixture lightly but thoroughly. Refrigerate overnight in air tight container. Add remaining ingredients. Mix lightly but thoroughly. Can be refrigerated up to one week. Serves at least 25.

Banana Bread

2009-12-15T10:47:00.000-08:00

It's baking season at our house and yesterday was a busy day! I made two batches of this yummy banana bread. It's my mom's recipe so it's always the stand-by.

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3-5 bananas (did you know you can FREEZE over-ripe bananas? I just stick them in a ziplock until I have enough to make banana bread or have time to do it :)
2 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
4 cups flour
1 cup nuts

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and beat well. Add mashed bananas. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Add nuts. Pour into 2 well greased bread pans (I usually do one large pan and then 5 mini loaf pans). Bake at 350 for 1 hour...the mini loafs usually only take about 35 minutes so keep an eye on them.

Cornbread Muffins

2009-11-23T21:37:00.000-08:00

Last week I got to help Sierra's kindergarten class make these yummy muffins. The kids were so excited to help. It was fun to hear them talk about baking, although, it was a little sad to me that in each of the four groups only about one or two kids in each group had ever cooked with their mom or dad before. They were all so eager to help so hopefully they'll ask their parents if they can help in the kitchen...especially during the holiday season. Here is the recipe we used. Each of the kids gobbled them up!

¾ cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
¼ cup cornmeal
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
½ cup milk
1 egg
¼ cup oil

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry ingredients. Combine milk, oil, and egg with a fork. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix. Pour 2/3 cup full. Bake mini muffins for 8-10 minutes and regular muffins for 18-20 minutes.

Calzones

2009-10-29T20:41:00.000-07:00

Tonight for dinner the kids wanted to make their own pizzas so we opted for the stuffed pizza choice. We had so much fun making them. I just used my regular pizza dough recipe.

Mix together:
1 ½ cups warm water 1 ½ TBL yeast
1/8 cup sugar

Then add:
1/6 cup oil 1 TBL salt
3 1/3 cup flour

Mix all together. Let dough rise for approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour. Then knead onto pizza pan. Preheat oven to 400. Cook dough for 5 minutes. Take dough out of oven and then add toppings. Cook for an additional 15 minutes.

For the calzones, I didn't pre-cook the dough. After all the toppings were stuffed inside, I brushed the top of the dough with egg white and cooked it for 20 minutes. The kids gobbled them up!

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

2009-10-29T20:30:00.000-07:00

We tried a different cookie recipe for Halloween this year. I got the recipe from this blog.

1 cup unsalted butter (I used margarine)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg
5 cups flour (can do half whole wheat)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. salt
1 cup raisins, chopped (can sub mini chocolate chips or other dried fruit)

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat well. With mixer running on low, slowly add the honey and molasses. Beat well.

Whisk together the dry ingredients. Add a cup at a time to the creamed mixture.

Scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl to make sure there isn’t any flour left. Add the raisins. Transfer the dough to an airtight container or large Ziploc bag. Chill until very cold–about 4 hours or overnight.

Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface and cut with cookie cutters.

Bake cookies on parchment-lined baking sheets at 375 degrees F for 6-7 minutes (shorter for smaller cookies, longer for larger cookies) or until cookies are firm to the touch and lightly golden. (If you like crisp cookies, bake for longer.)

Decorate as desired.

Carmel Popcorn

2009-09-25T22:29:00.000-07:00

To celebrate Sierra's special award today, we had this yummy Carmel Popcorn while we watched a movie tonight! This is our favorite Carmel recipe for popcorn.

2 cups brown sugar
1 cup dark Karo syrup

Boil 3 minutes. Add:

¼ lb butter (1 cube)
2 tsp vanilla
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Bring to a boil and pour over popped popcorn (enough for approximately 2 cups unpopped popcorn).

Country Captain Chicken Curry

2009-09-08T20:35:00.000-07:00

Dave's been asking that I try a curry recipe. I told him it had to be kid-friendly so I visited this site and tried this recipe:

1/2 cup flour
2 - 3 tablespoons curry powder (plus a sprinkle to season flour)
1 tablespoon thyme (plus a sprinkle to season flour)
Salt and pepper
3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into cubes)
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 large onion, sliced into thin circles and halved
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes (with juice)
1/2 cup golden raisins (or 1/2 cup currants)
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Preparation:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place flour in a shallow baking or plastic bag. Season flour with salt, pepper along with a sprinkle of curry and thyme. Dredge chicken to coat lightly.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken and brown on each side, about 10 minutes. Do this in batches to not over crowd the pan. Remove chicken to paper towel to drain and place in a casserole pan.

To the same skillet, add onions and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add curry powder, thyme, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Stir to blend. Add tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes.

Pour the tomato and onion sauce over the chicken and bake uncovered for 20 - 30 minutes until chicken tender and cooked through. During the last 5 minutes of baking, remove casserole from the oven, stir in raisins (I just couldn't bring myself to add raisins, so we skipped out on those) and return to the oven to finish cooking.

Garnish with parsley and almonds (since I have a child that refuses to eat nuts I did without the almonds). Serve over rice.

Over all, a very tasty dish! I need to try my hand at a few more curry dishes before I declare this one the winner, though :) Let me know if you have a delicious curry recipe your family enjoys!

G-Force Cookies

2009-09-06T18:42:00.000-07:00

Saturday we enjoyed the movie "G-Force." I had seen these cookies in the Family Fun Magazine so we tried them out today. Fun for the kids to do :)
RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup brown sugar, tightly packed
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Peanut halves
Mini chocolate chips
1. Cream the butter, peanut butter, and sugars. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until fluffy. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt, then stir them into the wet mixture, just to blend. Cover and chill until firm, about 1 hour. (We didn't want to wait another hour, so we just went to the next step :))
2. Heat the oven to 350°. Form level tablespoons of dough into cylinders, pinching the ends a bit to make rough guinea pig body shapes. Use a knife to chop the peanut halves in half, then add peanut-piece ears and mini chocolate chip eyes to each cookie. Place the guinea pig cookies 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until firm, about 8 minutes.

Malibu Chicken

2009-09-04T12:15:00.001-07:00

While I was on vacation this summer, I kept seeing a commercial for Sizzler advertising their YUMMY Malibu Chicken. Of course, before I left, I had to go to Sizzler to eat :) I've been thinking about how it tasted for weeks now. So I went on a search to find the recipe. I found it at www.cdkitchen.com. I was so eager to taste it so I forgot to take a picture. It was tasty! I have one child who doesn't like cheese (except on pizza) so he's didn't have melted cheese on top...but everyone ate everything else! We'll definitely add this to the monthly menu!

1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 egg
1 TBL water
6 chicken breasts, skinned, boned, pounded thin (I actually used chicken tenderloins)
3/4 cup fine dry breadcrumbs (used the usual...Progresso Italian Bread Crumbs)
2 TBL vegetable oil
2 TBL butter
6 slices cooked ham
6 slices Swiss cheese (used Mozzarella...that's what's in the freezer)

Combine flour, salt, and pepper. Stir egg and water together with a fork. Coat each chicken piece with flour, dip into egg mixture, and then coat w/ crumbs. Press crumbs in firmly. Heat oil and butter in large skillet over medium heat. Brown chicken 4-5 minutes on each side. Place browned chicken on oven-proof platter, (I just used a 9x13 baking dish) top each piece with a slice of ham and a slice of cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until cheese melts.

Dipping sauce...mix 1 tsp prepared mustard with 1/4 cup mayonnaise.

Preschool Recipes

2009-09-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

As I've attended the same preschool the past 5 years with my kiddos, I'm reminded of these FUN recipes for GUARANTEED fun with the kids by our AWESOME teacher. Just thought I would share :0

GLOOP
Water, White Glue, Borax, Food Coloring (optional)
Add 1 1/2 cups water to 2 cups white glue. Pour 1/3 cup warm water into 3 different cups. You may add 1-2 drops of food coloring into each cup. Stir 1 tsp of borax into each cup until dissolved. One at a time, pour the contents of each cup into the glue and water mixture. Mix until dissolved. Pour off any extra liquid and knead until smooth and no longer wet. Store in an airtight container.

PLAYDOUGH
3 cups flour
3 cups water
1 1/2 cups salt
3 TBL oil
6 tsp cream of tarter
Food coloring of choice
Optional: glitter, scents....use your imagination :)
Mix all ingredients in a large pan over medium heat until it forms a semi-sticky ball. Remove from heat and knead until smooth. Store in an airtight container.

BUBBLES
1 cup Dawn or other high quality dish sopa
1 TBL glycerine**
1 gallon water
Mix and let stand overnight or for several hours.
**Glycerine can be purchased at a pharmacy...for a less expensive alternative, try corn syrup.

PUD
Water, Cornstarch
Mix 1 cup cornstarch with 1/2 cup water. Let the children play with it on the grass. Mixture will be hard until put in hands and then it becomes liquid again.

Crepes (Swedish Pancakes)

2009-08-26T08:30:00.000-07:00

My friend Tiffany from Preschool shared this family recipe with me. They were VERY scrumptious! The kids devoured them :)

6 eggs
½ cup oleo (my friend uses soft butter...so that's what I did)
2 cups milk
1 ½ cups flour
1 TBS sugar
Cinnamon
Nutmeg

Mix in the blender until well blended. No need to grease griddle unless it sticks and only the first round. Heat the griddle at medium high, and pour about ¼ cup per crepe. Just after pouring try to swirl the pan around this thins them out better. Or use the back of a ladle to thin them out that way too.

We used frozen strawberries that I has smashed and added a little sugar. We also had fresh blueberries which were my favorite. Of course, we each had to a little whipped cream to the inside, too! The kids enjoyed them so much they asked if we could eat them every day! Thanks, Tiffany!!!

Cowboy Cookies

2009-08-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

This recipe come from my MIL. Dave really enjoys these cookies. The original recipe calls for making them into bar cookies but we prefer them as regular cookies so I just scoop them and bake them for about 10 minutes on 350.

2 cups sugar
2 cups brown sugar
1 lb margarine
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
5 cups flour
2 tsp soda
1 tsp baking powder
4 cups oats
2 cups coconut
12 oz chocolate chips

Cream sugars, margarine, eggs & vanilla. Add the rest of the ingredients. Bake in 3 9x13 pans (or 1 cookie sheet + 1 9x13) at 350 for 15 minutes or less.

Chicken Fried Steak

2009-08-20T13:44:00.000-07:00

Whenever we got out and the restaurant offers Chicken Fried Steak, it's my hubby's preference for dinner. So...for our anniversary (well, actually the night before) I thought I would give it a try. From all the recipes I found, you basically just make your own breading to go on the meat so this is what I did:

Mix 1 egg with about 1/4 cup milk. Stir well. Dip meat in mixture (I used round steak). Then dip your meat in breading. I chose to use Bread Crumbs Italian Style made by Progresso. Put meat in a hot skillet that has been heated with 1 TBL shortening. Brown meat on both sides until meat is done. I then made potatoes and gravy to go with our chicken fried steak. Not bad for my first attempt :)

Bottled Spaghetti Sauce

2009-08-17T15:48:00.000-07:00

Some of our tomatoes survived our summer vacation so Sydney and I made Spaghetti Sauce today while the other two were at school. Here is the recipe that I use. It's one that I got last year from my mom who got it from my aunt who got it from a lady at church. I cut the recipe in half for the amount of tomatoes I had :)

1/2 bushel of tomatoes (10 quarts of juice)

Cook the tomatoes and then run them through a juicer and then you don't have the seeds and peelings. Personally, I just boil my tomatoes, pour off the water, and then puree the tomatoes in the blender.

8 - 8 oz. cans tomato sauce (I really think this is suppose to be tomato paste but we like the taste of it with the tomato sauce, although, it does make the end result more runny)
1 1/2 TBL oregano
1 cup sugar
1 tsp basil
1/2 cup salt
1 TBL parsley flakes
1/2 tsp thyme
3 TBL Italian seasoning

Mix all together and simmer. Add juiced tomatoes.

3/4 pint oil (about 1 1/2 cups should do it)
2 green peppers
3 stalks of celery (use less to avoid a strong celery taste)
3 lbs. onions
2 heads of garlic

Chop veggies and cook in oil until soft. Put through colander. Add veggie mixture to tomato mixutre and simmer until quite thick. Pour into jars. Process 20 minutes in boiling water bath. This sauce can be used for spaghetti, pizza, ravioli, lasanga, manicotti...just open and warm :)

Pineapple-Upside-Down Cake

2009-08-15T21:09:00.000-07:00

Dave first tried this recipe out for a girls' camp for church. It was suggested by another leader so he gave it a try. He said it was delicious so we tried it again tonight...I have to agree...very delicious!

Topping
4 TBL butter
1 cup brown sugar
8 pineapple rings (SAVE the pineapple juice)...I used pineapple chunks tonight and it was just as good :)
8 maraschino cherries (Dave used these the first time...we didn't use them tonight...still tasty :)

Melt butter in bottom of a 12" dutch oven (we used a 10" tonight). Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter being careful not to touch the sugar once it has begun to dissolve into the butter. Carefully place pineapple rings on top of the brown sugar, 7 around the outside and 1 in the center. Place a maraschino cherry in the center of each pineapple ring.

Cake Batter
1 yellow cake mix
1 cup pineapple juice (that you save from the can of pineapple)
1/3 cup water
3 eggs
1/3 cup oil

In a mixing bowl, combine cake mix, pineapple juice, water, eggs, and oil; mix well. Spoon cake batter carefully over the top of the pineapple rings. Spread batter evenly to edges.

Cover Dutch oven and bake using 10-12 briquettes bottom and 14-16 briquettes top for 45 mintues or until top of cake springs back when touched. (We didn't have to cook ours more than 20 minutes using coals from the fire.)

Let the cake cool for 10 minutes or so in the dutch oven with the lid cracked. Run a rubber spatula around the inside edge of the oven to loosen the cake. The recipe then tell you to lay a piece of parchment paper across the top of the oven so it lays flat and then replace the lid. Then tip it over so the cake falls onto the parchment paper on the lid...who has parchment paper when they're camping?!?!?! So after loosing the cake with the spatula, we just replaced the lid, turned over the dutch oven, tapped on the bottom, and ta-da....the cake is on the lid (it didn't even leave a mess :) Allow cake to cool slightly before serving.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream as topping.

SO YUMMY!!!!! I love how moist this cake is :)

Dutch Oven Chicken

2009-08-15T21:04:00.000-07:00

Dutch Oven Chicken is the BEST way to have chicken. Just a few tips that we've learned through experience...you must use bone-in chicken with skin...don't cook over a flame (coals only...yup, we learned this lesson tonight as you can tell from the pic :). We usually just buy a package of chicken drumsticks because we know the kids will for sure eat the chicken. In a gallon ziplock, add about 1 cup of flour, a sprinkle of salt, and a sprinkle of pepper. Add your chicken and shake. Heat dutch oven on coals and add 2 TBL of cooking oil. After the oil is hot, add your chicken. Chicken needs to be turned often so that browns evenly. You'll know the chicken is done when the chicken starts to fall off the bone.

Dutch Oven Potatoes

2009-08-15T20:58:00.000-07:00

My Grandpa Roberts got me HOOKED on dutch oven cooking when I was a little girl. Whenever the family all got together, Grandpa always cooked up a feast for us...and I truly mean a feast...each family always went home with plenty of food for the next day or two :) Grandpa's potatoes were always perfectly done with plenty of cheese and onions. Here's the recipe for Grandpa's potatoes:
Slice potatoes and chop onions enough to feed an army.
Heat dutch oven in coals and add 2-3 TBL of cooking oil. Once the oil is hot, add the potatoes and onions. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir often so they don't burn. When potatoes are done, remove from heat and stir in LOTS of cheddar cheese.

Fried Potatoes

2009-08-15T10:05:00.001-07:00

One of the easiest side dishes to make is fried potatoes. I scrub 5-7 potatoes (depends on the size) and then chunk them. I usually leave on the skin but you can take it off if you choose. Add them to a hot skillet that has been about 1 TBL of hot vegetable oil in it. Fry up the potatoes--stirring occasionally. When they are brown, they're done :) Add shredded cheese if you choose.

Chocolate Sauce

2009-08-13T16:49:00.000-07:00

While visiting my MIL we had ice cream (of course). Of course it was served with her famous chocolate sauce. I'm not really a fan of chocolate syrup on ice cream but this is very tasty! :) She received this recipe from a friend several years ago and gave me permission to share this yummy topping!

1/2 C corn syrup, light
1 C sugar
9 TB cocoa (equates to 0.56 cups)
3 TB butter/margaine
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 C canned milk (evaporated milk)

Cook corn syrup and sugar in microwave on high for 4 minutes. (My MIL uses her 1 qt glass measuring bowl and a short handled wooden spoon. She mixes corn syrup and sugar together, leaving the spoon in the bowl. Next she puts it in the microwave for 4 min but stir it once at about 2 minutes.)
Add cocoa and butter and stir until blended.
Add vanilla and canned milk, blend. (gradually add canned milk until well blended)

Apricot Jam

2009-08-03T21:27:00.001-07:00

You can't beat homemade jam! Just follow the recipe inside the pectin box :)

60 Minute Cinnamon Rolls

2009-07-27T09:51:00.000-07:00

My mom made these yummy cinnamon rolls yesterday morning :)

1 3/4 cups warm water
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup sugar
3 TBL yeast
1/2 tsp gluten (optional...it will guarantee that your dough rises and makes the dough lighter)

Mix above ingredients well and let sit for 18 minutes.

Add:
1/2 txp salt
2 eggs
5-6 cups of flour

Roll out to 1/2 inch thickness and spread with brown sugar and cinammon. Cut and put into pans. Let rise 10 minutes. Bake 10-15 minutes at 425. (Although, we turned down the oven to about 350 because it was burning the bottoms by the time the tops were brown...watch carefully :)