Cauliflower Soup

My friend just down the street, Crystal, gave me this recipe the other day. I made it tonight and it was delicious so I had to put it on here. It was so creamy and cheesy and not difficult to make. We ate it with the Peasant Bread Jen told us about -- the Peasant Bread was a great bread to go with soup. Here's the soup recipe:

Cauliflower Soup

2 heads of cauliflower

1 C finely diced onion

1 qt half 'n' half

2 C chicken broth

1 lb. velveeta cheese

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cube butter

8 Tbsp flour

2 C cauliflower water

Cook cauliflower and drain (reserving 2 cups of the water) then set aside. Saute onion and butter, whisk in flour. Add water and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add half 'n' half, salt and cheese. Mix until well-blended, then add cauliflower back in. Simmer until heated through (about 5 minutes.)

Peasant Bread

Jen sent me this in an email, so I decided to post it for her:

We had some company for dinner tonight and I tried this bread, which is
just as easy as the blitz bread, and it was super yummy. Everyone gobbled
it up. I made it with white flour, due to the company. But next time
I will try wheat. I also served Cam's lemon cheesecake, although I cut
down the lemon juice in it a little. It was very good!

http://realmomkitchen.blogspot.com/search?q=peasant+bread

Rice Pudding

"Easy" Rice Pudding
(Shara gave me this recipe)


Stir together:
1 1/2 c. sugar
4T. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. salt
Add:
5 c. milk and mix well.
Microwave 5-7 minutes (may take longer) stirring every 3 minutes until mixture is smooth and clear.
Add 2 eggs well beaten to a small amount of hot mixture. Add to pudding and microwave 3 more minutes - stir every minute.
Add 4 T. butter and 2 tsp. vanilla.
Stir in 4 cups cooked rice.
Sprinkle with cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg.
(This is a great recipe to use your leftover rice).

(No - this isn't as good as Grama's but it's easier!!!)

Drinks

Here are a few recipes for some drinks that we like to make. I like the peach one the best, but Jeff doesn't like peaches (he's weird) so I don't get to make that one very often.

Orange Julius
1 can frozen orange juice concentrate
1 C. milk
1 C. water
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. sugar
ice cubes ( I use 12, the more you use the thicker it gets)
Mix together in blender.

Peach Splash
1 1/2 C. peaches
1/4 C. sugar
1/4 tsp. nutmeg or cinnamon
2 C. milk
ice cubes
Mix in blender.

Pyramid Punch
1 can frozen lemonade concentrate
1 c. milk
1 c. water
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 to 2/3 c. sugar
ice cubes
Mix in blender.

Curried Chicken Salad

On Abby's Birthday, I had a play-date and invited some cousins/friends over to play. We had a great time and Marsha kindly remembered me to take a picture and post the recipe of my Chicken Salad that we had, otherwise, you would have been out of luck!

Curried Chicken Salad

5 lbs frozen chicken breasts, cooked & diced

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1/2 celery bunch (5 stalks), finely diced

Stir together, in seperate bowl, combine the following. Tailor to your taste - start with much less, then add...

1 T curry powder

1 T salt (I didn't add this much)

1/2 T. freshly cracked black pepper

1 c. mayonnaise (not miracle whip)

Add to chicken mixture and put in croissant rols. So good!

Tinga

I've been meaning to post a couple of recipes for awhile now, but I just haven't gotten around to it. If Abby stays asleep long enough, I might get two of them done. Amanda, I'm making your ribs and potates on Sunday and I can't wait!

This is recipe is also from one of my best friends from Mexico City who now lives in Massachusetts. When we lived there, we would get our Mexican Food fix at there house quite often. Just for kicks, I put up a picture of my lovely friend Fabiola to give her credit!

Fabiola’s Tinga

Cooked and shredded meat (pork roast, beef, or chicken, I did a pork roast in the crock pot all day with some onions and garlic, s &p).
3 or 4 strips of bacon cut into pieces and cooked in frying pan until golden brown.
Add 1-2 onions sliced and cook until tender. Add meat to mixture and cook over the stove.

Sauce:
5-7 tomatoes (Roma usually) cooked on stove top in pan turning frequently. Cook until browned and charred (but not totally burnt) and skin starts to peel off. You will need to rotate frequently. (don't ask me what this does?)
Put tomatoes in blender and add 1 clove garlic (or more), salt, and 1-2 chipotle peppers (canned in adobo sauce) with a little bit of the sauce. Blend. Add a little bit of the broth from the meat that you cooked.

Pour sauce over meat mixture and simmer over low heat.

Eat this on tostadas with refried beans, mexican cream, mexican cheese Queso de Ranchero or Freir is what we prefer, Fabiola's famous salsa (below) and whatever else sounds good!!

Funny enough, I didn't take a picture, but I just so happened to find a picture at the Cinco de Mayo Party we had in MA.

Fabiola’s Fresh Salsa

2 big Fresh Tomatoes (Big and Juicy)
2-3 serrano peppers (depending how big)
Cilantro
Garlic
Onion

Boil tomatoes with Serrano peppers. Put in blender, add some cilantro (just a little bit), salt, garlic (1 little piece of garlic), a little piece of onion. Blend everything until smooth. Put a little oil in a sauce pan and heat. Fry the sauce (this sounds weird, but it really helps the salsa), let come to a boil for 3-5 min or so.

If you want more flavor, you can fry your onion first.

Potatoes

Marsha asked how I made the potatoes that are in the picture with the Maple Glazed Ribs. I just kind of made it up, so I don't really have a recipe, but here goes.

Sliced potatoes ( I left the skin on because I was lazy)
Butter
Crispy bacon cut into pieces
minced onion
minced garlic
shredded cheese

I cooked the potatoes in a skillet in a little bit of butter until they were just starting to get tender. Then I added the bacon, onion, and garlic and let cook until the potatoes were done. Then I put the cheese on top of it all and let it melt.

Green Enchiladas

These are so yummy! They come together easily, especially if you already have your chicken cooked and cubed. Now, before you look at the pictures, let me explain...it's not a pretty dish! But I promise you, they are DELISH! This recipe comes from Shara's friend Fabiola, who is from Mexico City, so it's authentic!!

This is the mexican cream. I find it by the diced chilies, jalapenos, etc...in the Mexican isle!

Green Enchiladas


10-15 tomatillos
1-2 jalapenos (or more depending on if you like HOT or not)
12 corn tortillas
garlic
cilantro
Mexican Cream--Nestle Crema
Queso Fresco (Fresh Cheese, if you can't find it you can use mozzarella. I bought mine at Wal-Mart by the cream cheese)
refried beans
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts...cooked and cubed

Boil Tomatillos with jalapenos for about 10-15 minutes.

Sauce: Blend tomatillos, peppers cilantro, garlic, and salt. Add cream and mix again

Wrap corn tortillas in a cloth and put 6 in microwave for 1 minute or until soft.
Spray a 9x13 pan. Lay 6 tortillas in bottom of pan. Spread 1/2 of refried beans on top, sprinkle 1/2 of the chicken, 1/2 of the sauce, and 1/2 of the cheese. Repeat layers.

Cover with aluminum foil and cook at 350 for 25 minutes.

Tip: Have everything ready before you make the sauce. If you make it to early, it will go a little funny just sitting there.

These are seriously so delicious! If my little sister Jessica likes them, they have to be good!

Pecan Honey Butter

This recipe is in the Payne cookbook (on pg. 1, and its Amy's, not mine), but in case you haven't tried it, I thought I would tell you how good it is! I hadn't made it in a while until tonight. Its so yummy on warm bread fresh from the oven (I made the Blitz Bread again - without the herbs again.)

Pecan Honey Butter

1/2 C. well-chilled unsalted butter, cut in 4 pieces
1/4 C. honey
1/3 C. pecans, toasted

Toast pecans in oven on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees (get them nice and toasted, but not burned.) Blend everything in the blender until smooth. Serve at room temperature on rolls, toast, or any bread.

Garlic Chicken Farfalle

I made this for dinner on Sunday and it was a hit! I got the recipe from Real Mom Kitchen, and she got it from What's Cookin?, so you can click on either of those to see their nice pictures. What's Cookin actually used Farfalle (bowtie pasta - I just learned that), and Real Mom Kitchen used rotini. It does make a lot - we had it the next day, too, and Jon took some to work.

The bacon was SO good in it, the chicken was good but it would be great without it, too, as a side dish or something. And here's the amazing part---EVERYONE liked it. Nobody whined. A Sunday miracle. Bad part---it is a pricey dish (bacon, chicken, cream, parmesan, marinade).

16 oz. Farfalle (bowtie) pasta
1 c. heavy whipping cream
3-4 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
2 to 3 cloves garlic, crushed OR garlic salt
1 Tbsp. pepper
1/2 c. butter
1 lb. bacon, crumbled
1 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
1 (12 oz) Lawry’s mesquite marinade with lime juice

In the crockpot, cook chicken and bottle of marinade on low for 6-8 hours. Pull marinated chicken out of the juices, allow to cool a little bit, and shred (it just falls apart). Set this aside. About a half-hour before serving, boil the pasta. In a small saucepan, melt butter, add garlic, whipping cream, pepper, parmesan cheese, and crumpled bacon. Whisk together on low heat for 3-4 minutes. In a large bowl, pour over pasta, add chicken and stir. Sprinkle a little bit more shredded parmesan cheese on top.

Chimichitos-no picture (sorry)

So first I have to report on things I've made. I tried Amanda's BBQ Beef Short Ribs last night. They were absolutely wonderful. I cheated and made them in the crockpot (can you do that? well I did!) I also made Blitz bread to go with them. It was yummy dipped in the BBQ sauce. I added the herbs and used 1/2 whole wheat flour and 1/2 white flour. And just for you, Marsha, I poked it with my ring finger first, then my pinky. Didn't ruin it. We loved it.

Also, I tried Marsha's chicken taco's on Sunday. They were a hit. Everyone liked them. We had leftover chicken meat and this brings me to this post! I used the chicken for my chimichitos. Here is how you make them:

Roll into a tortilla:
Meat (can use shredded beef, beef chunks, cooked chicken, or any meat)
optional refried beans
green chili
onion
shredded cheese

Place all burros onto a cookie sheet and brush lightly with oil and sprinkle with garlic salt. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 or 30 minutes (I don't really time them, I just watch them til done). Bake until crispy.

Serve fancy style with enchilada sauce, sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole, salsa, etc. etc. etc. My kids call this Casa Manana food, for any that know that Safford restaurant. You can even serve spanish rice and refried beans on the side. Aunt Jeanie's spanish rice recipe is yummy (it has bacon in it).

Or serve plain with just sour cream and salsa. We do this, too, for a fast dinner. It's a yummy way, too.

These are one of my favorite. Anyway, sorry this post is so random and long.

Fresh Peach Pie

I know Shara already posted a Peach Pie recipe, but I thought I'd post this one too (and I like it better)! I figured that's okay to say since she's actually the one that found this one too! I feel this one sets up better and I also like the sliced peaches instead of mashed. I just finished making 3 for Jed's management meeting at work today (he peeled ALL the peaches) and I made one yesterday for FHE treats.

1 c. water
1 c. sugar
4 TB. cornstarch
2 TB. lemon juice
1/4 c. butter
4-5 sliced peaches

Combine water, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and butter and cook until thickened. Cool. Add peaches and put in a pre-cooked pie crust (we like the shortbread pie crusts)!



Don't forget to top with whip cream. We LOVE cool whip in a can! Tastes like the real stuff!

Maple Glazed Ribs

The picture isn't that great but these are soooo good! I was a little worried at first because when you cook the sauce it smells really strong. But by the time your done cooking them it's not strong at all.

Pork Spareribs (I used the boneless kind)
1 c. maple syrup (I used homemade syrup, so I don't know if store bought would taste different)
3 TBS. orange juice concentrate
3 TBS. ketchup
2 TBS. soy sauce
1 TBS. Dijon mustard
1 TBS. Worcestershire sauce (I had no idea that this is made with anchovies, but if you look on the ingredients it's made with them, weird)
1 garlic clove minced
1/2 onion, minced

In a large skillet, brown ribs in a little bit of oil then add 2 c. water and bring to a boil. Cover and let simmer for 1 and 1/2 hours. Meanwhile, combine the other ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for 15 min. stirring occansionally. After the ribs are done drain the water then add the sauce and cover and simmer for 30 min.

BBQ Pork - better than mine!

We had lunch at our friends' house today after their son's baptism. They had delicious BBQ pork sandwiches that tasted way better than mine. I asked Tamara how she did it, and she said the trick is to not cook the pork with the BBQ sauce. Add it at the end. And here's what else she did that made it so delicious and tender:

For every 3 lbs. of pork (they cooked a pork shoulder) cook it with:

1 C. of Ginger Ale
1/2 to 1 onion cut up

Cook overnight in crockpot on low. About 1 hour before eating drain liquid. You can throw out the onions, or leave them in depending on your preference, shred pork and mix with BBQ sauce. So forget my old post saying to cook your pork with BBQ sauce!
I don't have a picture of the pork sandwich I ate today, but here's a picture of a baby pig instead (taken on a preschool field trip last year)! So cute and innocent - never heard of BBQ sauce yet!

Blitz Bread

I saw this on My Kitchen Cafe and had to try it because it looked so easy. It was yummy and would go well with lots of dinners. The holes on top are where I poked my finger in it - the recipe said to! Actually it says "your index finger" - I wonder what would happen if you used a different finger? Somebody try it and let me know! And there are puddles of butter in the holes -- oops, not healthy! I didn't put any dried herbs on the top. And I just noticed it calls for garlic salt -- I didn't see that earlier, but it was still good!

It calls for instant yeast - never heard of it. So I just used my regular yeast, and added about 1/3 C. honey, because doesn't yeast need sugar to work? Maybe instant yeast doesn't...anybody know?

Also, mine didn't rise too much, but still turned out just fine.

Blitz Bread from My Kitchen Cafe blog

adapted from King Arthur Flour

1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) warm water

3 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) olive oil (plus additional for drizzling)

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

3 1/2 cups (14 ¾ ounces) all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon instant yeast

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

3 teaspoons dried herbs ( I didn't put any in)

dried herbs for sprinkling (didn't do this either)

1) Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan, and drizzle 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil in the bottom.

2) Combine all of the ingredients, except the dried herbs for sprinkling, and beat at high speed with an electric mixer for 60 seconds.

3) Scoop the sticky batter into the prepared pan, cover the pan, and let it rise at room temperature for 60 minutes, till it is puffy.

4) While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 375°F.

5) Gently poke the dough all over with your index finger.

6) Drizzle it lightly with olive oil, and sprinkle with the dried herbs of your choice, if desired.

7) Bake the bread till it’s golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.

8) Remove it from the oven, wait 5 minutes, then turn it out of the pan onto a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

To make cheese-stuffed bread: Add 1 cup crumbled feta cheese to the dough after it's been kneaded for 60 seconds

Chili Beans and cornbread

About 3 cups pinto beans
1 container bueno (or other brand) frozen red chili
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion
2 tsp. minced garlic
Salt to taste

Sort through your pinto beans and remove any tiny rocks or bad beans.
Put beans in large bowl and cover with water to soak overnight.
Drain beans, rinse and put into crock pot.
Cover with water and add remaining ingredients.
Cook until beans are soft (about 10 hours in my crock pot). The cornbread is actually aunt Nyla's recipe from the Payne Women's cookbook!

This is a good meal that takes little preparation and can be made with a variety of ingredients. I make a pot of plain beans probably every other week. I use them for burritos for Frank's lunch, and sides for our dinners. I think beans are a good healthy staple that you can add different things to for variety.

BBQ Chicken Chop Salad

First I make the chicken by marinating 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts in BBQ sauce. Then bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Chop into bite size pieces and refrigerate. (I forgot to take a picture of this part, sorry!)

Next I make the tortilla strips by placing the whole stack of flour tortillas on my (yes, it's very old) cookie sheet. I cut them into strips with my pizza roller cutter thing. Then I toss them with a little oil and salt. Bake for about 30 minutes at 400 degrees. You'll have to watch them because I don't know the exact time. Just get them light brown and crunchy. You can also buy tortilla strips made for salad toppings, but I love these.



Next, make the salad. I do this while the tortillas are baking.

1/2 head iceberg lettuce, chopped
1/2 head Romaine lettuce, chopped
3-4 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 jicama, peeled and diced
1/2 C. cilantro, chopped
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 C. frozen corn, thawed
1/2 lb. Monterey Jack cheese, grated to sprinkle on the top (optional)




Assemble everything and serve with Ranch dressing (My favorite is Hidden Valley Ranch packet made up with Mayo and milk) and extra BBQ sauce if desired.



P.S. This is yummy with ham instead of chicken, too. Just another option. I made a ham in my crockpot with a mesquite marinade on it and then I shredded it and put it on instead of the chicken. We loved it. We love the chicken, too though.

Cheesecake Lemon Bars--by Camilee

Here is a yummy recipe that I got from my friend Sara. They are delicious! These are topped with strawberry freezer jam.

Crust:

1 C. real butter

dash of salt

1/2 C. powdered sugar

2 C. flour

Mix and press into a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Filling:

4 eggs

5 Tbsp. real lemon juice

1 1/2 C. sugar

1/4 C. flour

2-8oz cream cheese bricks

Beat softened cream cheese until smooth. Add one egg at a time, then the rest of the ingredients. Pour on crust that has been cooled for 10 minutes(just not too hot). Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, just until the very middle is almost set. Cool and top with your favorite topping.

BBQ Pork and Coleslaw Sandwiches

My friend Mindy told me about this recipe a few weeks ago, and I just got around to trying them tonight. We loved them! I never would have thought of putting coleslaw on my sandwich, but it was great. I cooked a pork roast in the crockpot on high one hour, and on low the rest of the day with BBQ sauce (I just dumped a bottle of it in, I don't think it matters how much because you can always put more on your sandwich later.) Alli's coming over in a while to eat one, so we'll see if she agrees!

I love Grandma's coleslaw recipe because it is so juicy and the juice in it is thin.

Grandma’s Famous Coleslaw

4 C. cabbage, finely chopped
1/8 C. carrot, shredded
¼ tsp. salt
1/6 C. sugar
1/8 C. milk
¼ C. mayonnaise
1/8 C. buttermilk
¾ Tbsp white vinegar
1 ¼ Tbsp. lemon juice
1/16 tsp pepper

Combine sugar, salt, pepper, milk, mayonnaise, buttermilk, vinegar and juice. Beat until smooth. Add cabbage and carrot. Let flavors blend at least 2 hours. Makes 5 servings.

KFC Bowls

This is another recipe that will make me look like a trashy cook -- it's late and I'll probably regret putting this on here in the morning. I didn't know what to make for dinner the other night, and didn't want to go to the store, so here's what I came up with. Corn, mashed potatoes, gravy, chicken, and crescent rolls all mixed in one bowl kind of like KFC's. I'm not putting the picture of it all mixed together on here because it wasn't a pretty sight, but it was yummy (if you like mixing your food together.)

Next time it would be better with real mashed potatoes and real chicken (instead of frozen chicken nuggets microwaved and cut up), or it would be even better purchased from KFC!

Am I getting kicked off this blog yet?

Messy Kid Recipe - Smores!

First of all, I want to say I've had fun making recipes from this blog: Dorito Chicken, Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream, Peach Pie, No-Bake Cookies -- looks like I have a sugar addiction. I have also used the meal planner/grocery list thing - thanks Tawnya. Thanks for all the fun recipes! I plan on using more of them soon.

I had some kids over the other day for a rotating preschool we are doing. The letter we were working on is "C" and the theme I chose to do was camping. I found this easy idea online for making Smores. Just thought it would be fun for those of you with kiddos. You'll love having chocolate on their hands and shirts when they're done.

Ingredients:

chocolate frosting

marshmallow cream

graham crackers

popsicle sticks for spreading

Spread chocolate frosting on one graham cracker, marshmallow cream on the other, and slap them together.

Peach Cobbler

I made this cobbler last Sunday and it was a hit! I sort of made it up as I went, but the pan was gone by the end of the night so I guess it was yummy!

Peach Cobbler
1 can peach pie filling
1 can diced peaches
1 white cake mix
1 cube butter
cinammon for top

Dump peach pie filling and diced peaches together in a 9x13 pan and mix together. Sprinkle cake mix on top. Cut butter into slabs and placing over the cake mix. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon.
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes! Top with ice cream or whip cream for an even yummier treat!

Calzones

Here's a fun recipe I've had for about a year now (thanks, Rachelle.) It's not too difficult, especially if you have cooked chicken on hand. Here's the filling that goes inside the calzone:

And here's the calzone after it's done. (I sent my husband to the store last night and he bought refrigerated crescent rolls in the tube thing instead of pizza crust, but it worked!)

Calzones

1 14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained, finely chopped
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
2 C. thinly sliced spinach leaves
1 C. cooked chicken
1 ¼ C. (5 oz.) shredded sharp provolone (I used mozzarella this time)
1 tsp. olive oil
2 tsp. cornmeal
1 13.8 oz can refrigerated pizza crust dough (or homemade)
Marinara sauce for dipping
*I think I used more spinach and more cheese. I also added a little garlic salt to the filling.)
1. Preheat oven to 425.

2. Pat artichokes dry with paper towels. Combine artichoke hearts, salt, pepper, and garlic in bowl. Add spinach, cheese, and chicken. Toss gently to combine.

3. Brush oil over a baking sheet, sprinkle with cornmeal. Unroll dough onto cookie sheet, cut into 6 equal portions. Cover and let rest 5 minutes. Pat each portion into a 6 inch by 5 inch rectangle. Spoon ½ C. to 2/3 C. spinach mixture into center of each rectangle. Fold one corner of each rectangle over spinach mixture to form triangle. Press edges together with fingers to seal. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown. You may have some leftover filling. (You can also use parmesan cheese and mozzarella, add mushrooms, or any variation you want.)

SO Simple Pizza!

Ok guys fair warning, this is almost as easy as cold cereal for dinner, nothin fancy! Most of you have probably even had it but it's new to me. And if you haven't made these you should because they are SO easy, yummy and can be pretty healthy, or not, whatever you prefer!

Tortillas (White or whole wheat work)

Pizza sauce (I made my own tonight because we didn't have any)

Cheese (I used Monterrey jack but of course mozzarella is best)

Toppings (I had onions and bell peppers so that's what I used this time)

You just put tortillas on a cookie sheet, spread with pizza sauce, cheese then your toppings. I put ours in the oven at 400 degrees until the cheese was bubbly and the edges were crisp.

(I've never made them this way but I'll bet it would be good to make a BBQ chicken pizza this way too!)

Barbecued Beef Short Ribs

This is so good. It's so much better than just using BBQ sauce.

3 to 4 lbs. beef short ribs
1 TBS. vegetable oil
2 1/2 c. water, divided
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
1 c. ketchup
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. vinegar
2 TBS. prepared mustard
1 1/2 tsp. salt

In a deep skillet, brown the ribs in oil. Add 2 c. water, bring to a boil. Reduce hear, cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Drain. Combine the tomato paste, ketchup, garlic, brown sugar, onion, vinegar, mustard, salt and remaining water, mix well. pour over ribs, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour or until meat is tender.

Dutch Apple Oatmeal (with peaches instead!)

I'd much rather be eating dessert, but if you HAVE to eat something healthy every now and then (like oatmeal), you might as well make a yummy variation of it. My mom sent us this recipe the other day, and I decided to make it for breakfast while Amy was here this weekend.

We thought it was good -- creamier than regular oatmeal, and we loved the vanilla and cinnamon flavors. I had peaches on hand, so we used those instead of apples, but I think apples would be better in this recipe. The recipe says to add the apples at the end, but Amy and I thought they might be good cooked with the oatmeal, too. I've never given oatmeal this much thought before!

DUTCH APPLE OATMEAL

1 1/4 C rolled oats

1 1/2 C milk

1 1/4 C water

1/4 tsp salt

1 to 2 apples, chopped

honey (optional)

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla

Place oats, milk, water, and salt in a sauce pan and let stand 10 minutes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes until oatmeal is thick and creamy. Stir in apples and honey, vanilla and cinnamon.

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

This ice cream can be made in three different flavors, (or more if you are creative). I made strawberry cheesecake. It was yummy. I have made pistachio before and loved it, too. The basic recipe is:

1 quart heavy whipping cream

1 quart half and half

1 can sweetened condensed milk

whole milk

The variations are:

For pistachio:

1 large box pistachio pudding

1 can cream of coconut (to be found on the liquor aisle)

For chocolate mint:

1 large box chocolate mint pudding

For Strawberry Cheesecake:

1 box no bake cheesecake mix

frozen crushed strawberries

The recipe says to throw the crumbs away for the cheesecake crust, but I made the crust up and baked til crispy and crumbled on the top. It was delicious.

Candy Land Cake

This is Madison and Kade's birthday cake. We had a birthday party at my house for them. Camilee made the cake and it turned out so cute. She got her idea from Taste of Home. The kids all loved it.

Berkeley's Bread

This bread is so yummy. My friend, Berkeley, made it for me when I had my last baby. It was so good she brought another loaf. Then I got the recipe. Now it is the only recipe I make. And, Jen makes it, my mom makes it, and my mother-in-law makes it. It is not crumbly like some homemade breads, and it is grainy, which I love. I always double the recipe and it makes six loaves. It barely fits in my Bosch doubled.

Berkeley’s Bread
Amy Lunt

2 ¼ tsp. active dry yeast

3 C. lukewarm water
1 Tbsp. sugar

Sprinkle water with sugar. Soften yeast right in your mixing bowl and let yeast work for 7-10 minutes.

¼ C. Softened butter

½ C. honey

Stir into yeast mixture.
Combine the following dry ingredients, and mix (not sift) together:

1 C. white flour

6 C. whole wheat flour
1 C. oats

6 Tbsp. non-fat dry milk
1 Tbsp. salt

½ C. ground flax seed
¼ C. gluten

Add dry ingredients ¼ C. at a time to yeast/honey/butter mixture. Beat until dough forms ball and leaves sides of bowl. Dough should still be sticky. Knead in bowl 5-7 minutes. Remove beaters, cover bowl and let rise for 1 hour in a warm area away from drafts. Spray 3 (8X2), or 2 (9X5) disposable loaf pans (these work best!) with non-stick cooking spray. Punch dough down and divide in half or three (depending on which pans you use). Shape into loaves and place in bread pans. Let rise for 45 minutes or until double. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Let cool on racks. Freeze what you can’t use right away.

Ha ha just kidding I figured it out! Sometimes it takes me a while with stuff like this. Does anyone know how I can decorate my own blog and make it cute??

zucchini bread!

Zucchini bread is my favorite sweet bread. This recipe was a big hit for Frank's family so I hope you guys can enjoy it if you don't have a zucchini bread recipe of your own. Enjoy!

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups white sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1. Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F .
2. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
3. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
4. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

I had to bake mine longer but my oven is might have just been our oven because it is pretty old!

PS, I have no idea how to post under my own name. I created a blog under Frank and my name but am pretty new to this whole blogger thing. If anyone can give me some pointers I would greatly appreciate it!!

luv, Karen

Baked Chimichangas

I'm finally posting something on here! I just tried these today. They're yummy! The red enchilada sauce I used was a bit hot, but you can change that by using milder red chile powder.

Baked Chimichangas

1 lb. lean ground beef
1/4 C. onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. ground red chiles
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1 4 oz. can green chiles, drained and chopped OR 3-5 fresh or frozen green chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded, devined, and chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
8 10-inch flour tortillas
1 egg, beaten
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, softened
red or green chile sauce (I'll include the recipe I used, but you can use any sauce you want...including sauce from a can!)

1. In 10-inch skillet, cook beef and onion, stirring occassionally until beef is browned; drain.
2. Stir in vinegar, ground red chiles, cinnamon, cloves, green chiles and tomato. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.
3. Warm tortillas.
4. Preheat oven to 500. Spoon 1/8 of the beef mixture onto the center of each tortilla and brush edges with beaten egg mixture. Fold envelope style to seal. Brush each chimichanga with butter or margarine and place seam side down on a large ungreased baking sheet. 5. Bake uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes or until tortillas begin to brown and filling is hot.
Serve with your favorite red or green sauce.

Also, as a side note, I added some canned pinto beans to my meat mixture which made it really yummy.

Here's my red sauce recipe.

Red Chile Sauce

2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
1 C. white onion finely chopped (I used yellow because that's what I had)
1 garlic clove minced (I used the kind in a jar)
1/2 C. ground hot red chile
1/2 C. ground mild red chile
1 Can (12 oz) tomato sauce
6 C. water salt to taste
1. In a 3-quart saucepan, heat oil; add onions and garlic and saute until onions are soft. Do not brown.
2. Stir in ground chile, tomato sauce and water. Simmer uncovered until sauce is desired consistency. Season lightly with salt.
3. Sauce may be used as is or pureed. Refrigerate in a tightly-covered container or freeze in an ice cube tray.

*Beware this makes a LOT of red sauce. I would say it makes about 5 cups. And....here's the picture....

CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

APPLE DUMPLINGS (Tawnya found this recipe on : thepioneerwoman.com). They are soooo good!
4 Granny Smith Apples - slice each in quarters and peel
2 cans Crescent Rolls (Pillsbury works best)
Roll up each piece of apple in crescent roll. Put in 9x13 pan.
Melt 2 cubes butter/margarine
Add 1 1/2 cups sugar to butter and 1 tsp. vanilla
Stir slightly and pour over apples. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
Pour 1 can of Mt. Dew, Sprite, Ginger Ale, etc. over apples.
Bake 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
Serve warm with cream or ice cream.
YUMMO!

This is one of our favorite marinades for chicken - Follow the instructions!

And this is what we served the missionaries the other night!
(Thanks for letting me contribute - this blog is awesome!)

Aunt Carole

Baked Spaghetti

This is really good. Both of my boys even eat it, which doesn't happen often.

1 pkg. lasagna noodles cooked (you only use about 10 noodles so don't cook the whole box)

1 lb. hamburger cooked

2 c. cheese ( I use either colby jack or mozzerella, and I use a little more becasue we really like cheese)

1 can tomato soup

1/2 c. milk

1 26oz. can of spaghetti sauce

2 TBS. sugar

Mix soup, milk, and sauce together in a bowl. Spread some of the sauce on the bottom of a 13 X 9 inch pan. Then place half of noodles on top of that. Sprinkle 1 TBS. sugar over noodles (sounds weird, but it's really good) and 1/2 of cheese on top of that then 1/2 of the hamburger. THen repeat, noodles, sugar, cheese, hamburger. Pour the rest of the sauce over the top and spread it around. Cover and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Asian Steak and Noodles

2 TBS. vegetable oil

1 lb. round steak , thinly sliced

2 packages Oriental flavor Ramen noodles, broken into small pieces

2 c. broccoli florets

1 c. thinly sliced carrots

1 c. thinly sliced mushrooms

2 c. water

1 can sliced water chestnuts

1/2 c. fresh or frozen peas

sliced green onions

Heat oil in a large skillet and add the beef and cook until done. Place meat in a bowl and add 1 seasoning packet from the noodles. Set aside. Add the broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, to the skillet and saute until almost cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes, stiring frequently. Add the water, noodles, and remaining seasoning packet and stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Add the water chestnuts, and peas. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 to 8 minutes, or until the noodles are tender, stirring occasionally. Add the beef and green onions and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute.

Varitations:

Add thinly sliced chicken breasts, or shrimp instead of beef.

Monterey Chicken

I forgot to take a picture of these before we ate them, but they are really good and easy to make.

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
Barbeque sauce
2 slices well crisped bacon
shredded cheese

Pound chicken until somewhat flat and season with salt and pepper. Spray skillet and cook chicken until done, then place on a cookie sheet. Top with barbeque, bacon, and cheese. Broil in oven until the cheese is melted.

No-Bake Cookies

Here's a good reminder of a fast and easy cookie recipe. They are Jed's favorite and he requests them often. I figured since I made them today, I might as well post it.

2 c. Sugar
1/2 c. milk
3 Tbsp. cocoa
1 cube butter
Pinch of salt

Boil together 1 minute.

Add:
3 to 4 c. quite or regular oats
1/3 c. peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix well. Drop on waxed paper (I use parchment paper).

Meatball Sandwiches

Here is a meatball recipe that makes a delicious meatball sandwich! I've made them three times now, and we love them. We had them last night and I took a picture, but it didn't turn out too well. I got the recipe from Picky Palate, so just go there to see the beautiful picture and get the recipe -- its worth it. Click here ----> Meatball Recipe (if you can't find mozarella balls, just get a block of mozarella cheese and cut it into cubes.)