Norah's Menus and Recipes

Cooking Class on Vegetarian Cooking

2011-12-26T10:14:00.000-07:00

Harmon's Station Park (Farmington location) is hosting a class on Vegetarian cooking with Chef Bob. He will be demonstrating a gourmet vegetarian meal. The menu consists of Curried Tomato Soup, Moroccan Lentil Ravioli, Spicy Tofu Lettuce Wraps, and Hailey's Berried Goodness. Cost is $29 a person. Here is the link to the class. I will be attending and hopefully I will see one or several of you.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

2011-11-19T11:35:00.000-07:00

Seriously don't read any further if you have no self control. These muffins, according to spark people recipe calculator, have over 400 calories a piece. If your like me and can keep your sweet tooth in check read on. These muffins took first place last night at our city's dessert baking contest. They are seriously that good. Personally this is all of my favorite sweet tastes rolled into one. They taste like pumpkin pie with a pumpkin cheesecake flavor added as a bonus. They are easy to make and each batch makes 24 muffins. Yes 24! Do NOT double this recipe like I did as I had to give them away to avoid the weight gain these will bring. I found this recipe via pinterest which is a favorite site of mine.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Lung Family Blog

Yield: 24 muffins

Ingredients:

For the filling:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

¼ tsp vanilla extract

For the muffins:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tsp. ground cloves

1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

4 large eggs

2 cups sugar

2 cups pumpkin puree

1¼ cups vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

For the topping:

½ cup sugar

5 tbsp. flour

1½ tsp. ground cinnamon

4 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Directions:

For the filling, combine the cream cheese, vanilla and confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl and mix well until blended and smooth. Once blended, cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator.

For the muffins, preheat the oven to 350˚ F, and line muffin pans with cupcake liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda; whisk to blend. In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree ,, vanilla and oil. Mix on low speed until blended. With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.

For the topping, combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl; whisk to blend. Add in the butter pieces and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture is coarse and crumbly. Transfer to the refrigerator until ready to use.

To assemble the muffins, fill each muffin well with a small amount of batter, just enough to cover the bottom of the liner (2 tablespoons). Spoon a tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture into the very center of each cup. Divide the remaining batter among the cups, placing on top of the cream cheese to cover completely. Sprinkle a tablespoon of the streusel mixture on top of each muffin.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving, the cream cheese filling will be very hot!

Pork Chops with Dijon Sauce

2011-10-01T10:43:00.000-06:00

I randomly selected a recipe online the other night to use with the pork chops I had defrosted. I had been sick for almost a week at that point and just wanted a dish that could be made in less in 30 minutes and would allow me to rest for short periods of time. I just hoped the dish would taste decent. It turned out the dish was a huge hit with the kids and adults. I should have made more pork chops cause each child ate two pork chops each and I had doubled the recipe. They even liked the sauce which they rarely do.

Pork Chops with Dijon Sauce
Simply Recipes

1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 center-cut rib or loin pork chops, boneless or bone-in (whatever you prefer), about 1 1/4 inch thick
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped shallots or green onions
1 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup chicken stock
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp chopped parsley (optional, I did not add this)

Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels. Sprinkle salt and pepper all over them. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Stir in the butter. As soon as the butter has melted, add the pork chops to the pan and sear them, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Reduce the heat slightly if the chops brown too quickly.

Remove the pork chops from the pan and pour off most of the fat. Add the green onions or shallots and cook them on med high heat until softened, about 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup of the wine and bring to a boil, deglazing the pan by scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the stock and return chops to the pan. Bring sauce to a simmer, reduce heat, cover and cook until chops are cooked through (145°F internal temp), about 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove the pork chops to a warm platter; cover with foil to keep warm. Add the remaining half cup of wine. Increase the heat to high to boil the pan juices. Reduce the juices by half, about 3 minutes. Add the heavy cream and boil 3 minutes more, until sauce reduces and thickens, and scraping the pan with a wooden spoon leaves a trail. Remove from the heat and whisk in the mustard and parsley. If you want, add more mustard to taste. Place chops on a bed of sauce and serve.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

2011-09-28T15:19:00.000-06:00

Who doesn't love this time of year? I know I do. My favorite thing about fall is all the pumpkin goodies that get shared around my block. Of course we all battle to outdo each other and there are some pretty amazing dishes shared. This one I made for the first time about three years ago. I made it almost directly as written but after making them and eating them I realized that they needed a cream cheese frosting to take them over the top. All the comments from neighbors was they were good but really needed a cream cheese frosting. Well this year I decided to make these again and make the requested cream cheese frosting. I haven't heard back from the neighbors yet but based on the reactions my kids had the cream cheese frosting did make these truly delicious.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
adapted slightly from King Arthur Flour

1 cup canned pumpkin or squash
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup lukewarm water (adjust to your climate, wet needs less dry needs more)
1/4 cup soft butter
2 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 3/4 cups Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3 tablespoons brown sugar, light or dark
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons instant yeast

Combine all ingredients in bowl. Mix to combine. Knead till smooth, sticky is okay, your looking for it to hold its shape.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or other container. Cover, and let rise for 1 1/2 hours, until it’s puffy, though not necessarily doubled in bulk.

Gently deflate the dough, and transfer it to a lightly greased work surface. Roll the dough into a 14” x 22” rectangle. It’ll be very thin. Don’t stress if you can’t make it exactly 14” x 22”.

3 tablespoons melted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Spread the melted butter over the rolled dough. Combine sugar and cinnamon and the sprinkle mixture over the buttered dough. Leave one edge clean. Starting with the end with filling, roll the dough into a log. Seal it closed. Next, you’re going to cut it into 9 rolls. It helps to use a ruler and measure the entire log, divide by 9, then actually make slight cuts, as a guide. A serrated knife is the easiest way to cut this dough. If things start getting too sticky, rinse the knife in hot water (don’t dry it), and continue. There you have it: 9 fat rolls.

Lay the rolls in a lightly greased 9” square pan; the pan needs to be at least 2” deep. Flatten them with your fingers, so they’re fairly tightly packed. Then cover, and let them rise for 1 hour, or until they look puffy – like this. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes, until they’re lightly browned and feel set.

Remove them from the oven, and set them on a rack. Turn them out of the pan, and allow them to cool for about 15 minutes. Towards the end of the cooling time, make the frosting.

Cream cheese frosting:
4 oz room temp cream cheese
1 c powdered sugar
1/2 stick unsalted butter room temp
1/2 tsp vanilla
combine with mixer until smooth. spread over the top of warm rolls.

Sizzler Cheese Toast

2011-09-24T15:04:00.000-06:00

So I originally posted this recipe a few years back but way back then I really didn't or couldn't figure out how to get a decent picture. Now that I have a new computer (loving the Mac and so glad I went with it) and a new camera (still learning it but getting better) I thought I'd start replacing some old recipes with horrible pictures with new and better looking pictures. First up is the Sizzler Cheese Toast. I don't know about you but my favorite thing about Sizzler is the cheese toast. I could make a whole meal with just the cheese toast if they would let me. Now mine isn't exactly like Sizzler's cause I prefer more garlic flavor (warning cut back on the garlic powder if you don't like to have a real taste of garlic). This is a simple recipe that even a beginner cook could make and it really doesn't call for any stranger or obscure ingredients. If your like me and love Sizzler cheese toast give this knock off a try.

Sizzler Cheese Toast

6 slices Texas Toast bread
1/2 stick butter, softened at room temperature
1 tablespoon garlic powder (use less if you don't like the garlic flavor, probably about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Mix butter,salt, and garlic powder together. Preheat a griddle. Spread butter mixture on bread and sprinkle with cheese. Place buttered/cheese side down on the griddle and cook until brown. Remove and serve.

Meatless Mexican Salad

2011-09-09T16:42:00.000-06:00

I'm back! Stunned? I am. First I've had all kinds of computer problems and then I had major issues with my camera. Anyway hopefully it's all finally cleared up.
Today's dish comes from a neighbor who had the meal at her parents house. I then adapted the recipe to fit my family's taste and trust me this picture does it no justice. The flavors blend together well and it's a salad that you'll crave often. My favorite thing about this recipe besides the taste is from start to finish it takes about 15 minutes to make, less if you don't make your own salsa and salad dressing. Another shocking thing about this recipe is my kids, yes the world's pickiest kids, will eat this salad. So with that on to the recipe.

Lettuce (I use two salad bags or two washed heads of lettuce), I prefer romaine or green leaf but iceburg works
2 cans of Chili Beans, your choice I prefer S&W chili beans
1/2-3/4 bag of frozen corn, fresh works well too
fresh salsa, jarred works but it tastes great with freshly made
2 avocados, diced
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, play around almost any cheese is great in this salad
2 bunches of green onions, chopped (less if you want less or leave them out if your not an onion fan)
salad dressing, I prefer my homemade Creamy Tomatillo dressing but ranch works or even sour cream
crushed tortilla chips

Here is the only cooking part of this dish: Heat the chili beans and corn until heated thoroughly. Microwave or stove either way works.
Now assemble the salad, starting from the bottom:
lettuce, chili beans/corn mixture, cheese, green onions, avocado, salad dressing and tortilla chips.

Hopefully you like this salad as much as we do!

Chocolate Eclair Cake

2011-06-19T17:24:00.000-06:00

Don't judge by the picture, this cake was extremely hard to get a decent picture of. However the taste of this cake was so good everyone (well except for my mom) was swiping a taste while waiting for dessert. Even my 6 year old twins and my 8 year old were coming for little sneak bites of this cake. This recipe calls for making your own pudding which I feel really makes this cake taste far better than any other version I have had of this cake. And the dish is pretty simple to make so even a beginner can make an amazing cake without resorting to a boxed dessert. The pudding was creamy and ever so tasty (hint: you can make this as a stand alone pudding too). Don't be scared off by the instructions it's all very simple to do.

Chocolate Eclair Cake
Cooks Country June/July 2011

1 1/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
5 cups whole milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
5 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons water
1 1/4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
2 3/4 cups heavy cream, chilled
14 ounces graham crackers (I used about one and one quarter boxes)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
5 tablespoons light corn syrup

Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a large saucepan. Whisk milk into sugar mixture until smooth and bring to a boil, scraping bottom with rubber spatula, over medium high heat. Immediately reduce heat to medium low and cook, continuing to scrape bottom, until thickened and large bubbles appear on surface, 4 to 6 minutes. Off heat, whisk in butter and vanilla. Transfer pudding to large bowl and place plastic wrap directly on surface of pudding. Refrigerate until cool, about 2 hours.
Stir water and gelatin together in bowl and let sit until gelatin softens, about 5 minutes. Microwave until mixture is bubbling around the edges and gelatin dissolves, 15 to 30 seconds. Using stand mixture fitted with whisk, whip 2 cups cream on medium low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Add gelatin mixture and whip until soft peaks, about 1 minute.

Whisk one third whipped cream whipped cream into chilled pudding, then gently fold in remaining whipped cream, 1 scoop at a time, until combined. Cover bottom of 13 by 9 inch baking dish with layer of graham crackers, breaking crackers as necessary to line the bottom of the pan. Top with half of pudding whipped cream mixture and another layer of graham crackers. Repeat with remaining pudding-whipped cream mixture and remaining graham crackers.
Microwave chocolate chips, remaining 3/4 cup cream, and corn syrup in a bowl, stirring occasionally, until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Cool glaze to room temperature, about 10 minutes. Cover graham crackers with glaze and refrigerate cake for 6 to 24 hours. Serve.

Ms. Millie's Best Coleslaw

2011-05-24T16:42:00.000-06:00

We love coleslaw in our house. I don't think I ever turn down a coleslaw recipe. I usually shred the cabbage myself as I find it tastes better but a bag of the coleslaw mix works well with a little doctoring. This recipe is a little sweeter of a coleslaw than others so if your not a fan of sweet coleslaw cut back on the sugar by adding a some sugar to the dressing and giving it a taste. This recipe calls for Dijon mustard which is different than the horseradish I usually add. I have to say it still had good flavor even without the horseradish flavor I love in a coleslaw.This recipe comes via a Mother's Day gift of Southern Plate by Christy Jordan.

Ms. Millie's Best Coleslaw
Southern Plate Christy Jordan

1 medium head green cabbage, cored and shredded (or you can use two bags of the coleslaw mix for all the veggies in this dish except the onion)
2 medium carrots, peeled and grated
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons grated onion
2 cups mayonnaise (I prefer Best Foods or Helleman, Miracle Whip doesn't work for me)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons celery seeds
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup Dijon mustard

Place the cabbage, carrots, green pepper, and onion in a large bowl. In another bowl, mix together all the remaining ingredients, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour over the vegetables and toss well to combine. Cover and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours before serving for flavors to blend.

Favorite Food Blogs

2011-05-19T17:40:00.002-06:00

I'm back. I finally have time, an internet connection that seems to be working, no more computer problems (knock on wood), a new camera (broke my other), and the desire to actually cook again. I have a few recipes to share in the next week I just have to figure out how to get the pictures off my camera and onto the computer. I figure another day or two and I'll have that figured out. In the meantime here are some of my favorite blogs to read and borrow recipes from. They are in no particular order. Check them out if you haven't and feel free to introduce me to some new ones.

Mel's Kitchen Cafe
Cookin Canuck
Frieda Loves Bread
Kalyn's Kitchen
The Sisters Cafe
Pioneer Woman

Where have I been?

2011-03-25T18:32:00.000-06:00

To be honest I haven't done much cooking lately. We've either had take out or really simple dishes here at home. Why you may ask? Lucky for me it's not because I've been sick this year. Instead it's because 5 years after we started tearing flooring out of our dining/office/school room area and tearing off the 70's paneling and wallpaper we are almost finished. Half our walls are now painted a sunny yellow. Flooring has been bought and final choices are being made on a desk I am going to attempt to build for our computers. I will have pictures when finished to share with you. I'm so excited to get this done and to finally get back to cooking some yummy food instead of getting by on just decent food.

Favorite Dish: Greek Chicken Wraps

2011-02-28T17:42:00.001-07:00

This is a favorite dish in our house. It's actually really easy to put together and everyone in the house will eat all parts of it. I've posted all the recipes before but this is a better picture than I had in the original posts. You could certainly buy pita bread but why bother when this flat wrap is easy to make and better tasting than any store bought pita. We use either romaine lettuce or spinach leaves for the greens. Tomatoes and red onions are our final touches but you could add more items or less depending on what you like.

For the sauce:
1/8 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons grated zest plus 1 tablespoon juice from one lemon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Adjust these for your family's taste. I've found that this is right for our family.

Combine oil, garlic, basil, oregano, lemon zest, salt, pepper, and pepper flakes in a large bowl and whisk in mayonnaise, vinegar, and lemon juice; refrigerate.

For chicken:
Juice of 1 lemon, approximately 3 tablespoons
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic, about 2 medium cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 pound chicken breasts (I usually cut really thick chicken breasts down to thin them out and make the pieces a little smaller so they absorb the marinade better)

Combine all marinade ingredients. Place chicken in a ziploc bag and pour marinade over chicken. Seal bag and place in fridge overnight. Grill (or cook in frying pan). Serve with sides of your choice or cut into bite sized pieces and add to desired recipe (I'll be sharing a few with you soon). Note: If you cut your chicken into smaller, bite-sized pieces and then marinate it, you can get away with only letting it marinate for 5 or 6 hours instead of overnight.

For the soft wrap bread:
3 to 3 1/4 cups (12 3/4 to 13 3/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) boiling water
1/4 cup (1 1/2 ounces) potato flour OR 1/2 cup (5/8 ounces) potato buds or flakes (I used potato flakes)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons (7/8 ounce) vegetable oil
1 teaspoon instant yeast*

Place 2 cups of the flour into a bowl or the bucket of a bread machine. Pour the boiling water over the flour, and stir till smooth. Cover the bowl or bucket and set the mixture aside for 30 minutes.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the potato flour (or flakes or buds) and 1 cup of the remaining flour with the salt, oil and yeast. Add this to the cooled flour/water mixture, stir, then knead for several minutes (by hand, mixer or bread machine) to form a soft dough.

Note: You can allow the dough to go through the entire kneading cycle(s) in the bread machine, but it's not necessary; about a 5-minute knead in the machine, once it gets up to full kneading speed, is fine. The dough should form a ball, but will remain somewhat sticky (the dough is fairly stiff, so don't be worried - just be careful not to overflour the dough). Add additional flour only if necessary; if kneading by hand, keep your hands and work surface lightly oiled. Let the dough rise, covered, for 1 hour (a little longer is fine, I let mine rise for 2 1/2 hours).

Divide the dough into 8 pieces (each about the size of a handball, around 3 ounces), cover, and let rest for 15 to 30 minutes. Roll each piece into a 7- to 8-inch circle, and dry-fry them (fry without oil) on a griddle or frying pan over medium heat for about 1 minute per side (It took mine about 4 minutes per side so adjust for your stove and pan), until they're puffed and flecked with brown spots. Adjust the heat if they seem to be cooking either too quickly, or too slowly; cooking too quickly means they may be raw in the center, while too slowly will dry them out. Transfer the cooked breads to a wire rack, stacking them to keep them soft. Serve immediately, or cool slightly before storing in a plastic bag.

*This recipe works best with instant yeast because it dissolves during the kneading process, so you don't have to knead liquid into the dough. If you really prefer to use active dry yeast, use only 1 cup boiling water for the initial dough, dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water, and add this mixture to the dough along with the potato flour mixture. It'll be somewhat "slippery" at first, but will knead in and eventually become smooth.

Crossroads Food Coop Feb. 2011

2011-02-19T12:02:00.000-07:00

Today I picked up the following:
1 half gallon Farnsworth Apple Cider
1 package bacon
1 sourdough bread loaf
6 Stone Grounds multigrain rolls
1 package Colosimo's hot Italian Sausage
1 pound carrots
1 package coleslaw mix
2 lbs broccoli
5 pears
6 apples
6 oranges
3 lbs onions
5 lbs potatoes

All for $23.85. The produce cost me $10. The sausage $3.75. Bacon $1.85. Rolls $3.15. Bread $2.10 and the apple cider $3.
Click on this link to find out how to order.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

2011-02-16T21:26:00.000-07:00

This is a recipe that I've thought of making for a few years now but I always put it off and never make it. Well I finally got around to making them and I'm so upset I hadn't done it before. The flavors are really good and blend so well together. I was fearful of the honey and lime combo with chicken enchiladas but it really worked well. I've made these twice since I made them for the first time. I'm always finding the rotisserie chickens marked down at the store and looking for ways to use them and this recipe fits the bill. I believe the original recipe calls for flour tortillas but I much prefer corn tortillas in enchiladas. These also freeze well if your into making freezer dinners.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas
Wengmama on PYP
6 T honey
4 ½ T lime juice
1 T chili powder
½ tsp garlic powder
1 lb cooked shredded chicken
10 corn tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese
2 10 oz cans green chili sauce
Queso Fresco to add at the end of cooking to the top

Mix sauce ingredients together with cooked chicken and let marinate for at least 30 min.
Pour ½ can of green sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Roll chicken up in tortillas with a little cheese and put in pan. When they are all rolled pour the chili sauce over top and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top. Bake at 350 for 30 min.Sprinkle on Queso Fresco right before serving.

Cowboy Dinner

2011-02-08T09:33:00.000-07:00

I love Melanie's food blog and if you haven't checked her out you really need go look and cook her dishes. I love the fact we seem to have very similar tastes in food. It's a great relationship because I can usually find on any given night about 10 to 15 choices in a dinner. She posted this recipe a few weeks ago. I love dishes so of course I had to give it a try. I wasn't disappointed in the least. I made a few changes mainly because I was short on ground chuck and I'm really not a fan of "ground" meat. I used half the meat and doubled the beans on top of using my favorite recipe for pinto beans. Overall not one person noticed I added more beans and less meat. Plus the flavor was so good. I can't wait to make this again.

Cowboy Dinner
adapted slightly from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Beef Mixture:1 pounds lean ground chuck
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 1/2 cups salsa (jarred or homemade)
3 cups pinto beans
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cornbread Topping:
½ cup cornmeal
1 ½ cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 ¼ cup milk

Preheat the oven to 375. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch pan and set aside.

In a large 12-inch skillet, brown the ground chuck and onion, adding the salt and pepper, over medium-high heat until the beef is no longer pink. Drain the grease from the pan. Stir in the corn, salsa, and beans. Pour the beef mixture into the prepared 9X13-inch baking pan and set aside.

For the cornbread, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Make a well in the center and add the oil, beaten eggs and milk. Whisk together until just moistened and no dry spots remain.

Sprinkle the cheese over the beef mixture and pour the cornbread batter over the cheese and beef mixture. Gently spread the cornbread to the edges of the pan, evening it out over the top of the casserole.

Bake for 40-45 minutes until the edges are bubbly and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cornbread comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Let the casserole stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Neo-Neopolitan Pizza Dough

2011-01-31T09:21:00.000-07:00

I love the idea of homemade pizza but honestly it's been hard finding a really good dough recipe. I have posted several different recipes on here in the past and yes they will make a decent dough. However I think I have finally stumbled onto what I'd consider one of the best doughs ever. An added bonus you can freeze the dough for future use. Mixing the dough was simple and easy and it requires only a few ingredients. You do need to plan ahead since it needs an overnight rest in the fridge. The dough was crisp yet chewy. I made three different types, pan pizza (which requires a longer cooking time then listed in the recipe), pizza done on a baking stone, and finally I used a cooking sheet. My favorite was on the baking stone followed by the cooking sheet. The pan pizza took forever to cook all the way through and the bottom was burned. I think my problem was I should have used less dough for the pan pizza. I also made bread sticks with the dough and they were great too.

Neo-Neopolitan Pizza DoughPeter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day

5 1/3 cups (24 oz./680 g) unbleached bread flour
2 teaspoons (0.5 oz./14 g) salt or 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon (0.11 oz./3 g) instant yeast
2 tablespoons (1 oz./ 28.5 g) sugar, or 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (17 oz./ 482 g) water, at room temperature
2 tablespoons (1 oz./28.5 g) olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Using a mixer, use the paddle attachment and mix on the lowest speed for one minute. The dough should be coarse and slightly sticky. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes to fully hydrate.
Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium low speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until the dough is smoother but still soft, supple, and somewhere between tacky and sticky.
Spread 1 teaspoon of olive oil on a work surface, then use a bowl scraper to transfer dough to the oiled surface. Rub your hands with the oil on the work surface, knead the dough about 3-4 times then shape into a ball. (Note: Peter Reinhart has a different technique but I went with this simple one when I did my dough.) Divide the ball into 5 equal pieces, each weighing 8 ounces (227 g). Form each piece into a ball, then place each into a separate sandwich size freezer bag misted with spray oil. Seal the bag and refrigerate overnight or up to 4 days, or in the freezer for several months (take out at least one day before you want to make your pizza and store in the fridge).

Baking day:
About 90 minutes before you plan to bake the pizzas, place the desired number of dough balls on a lightly oiled surface. With oiled hands, stretch and round each piece into a tight ball, then place them on a pan that's been lightly oiled (preferably with olive oil). Loosely cover with plastic wrap to rest at room temperature until ready to bake.
About 1 hour before baking the pizzas, preheat the oven and baking stone as high as the oven will go. If your not using a pizza stone, assemble the pizzas on baking sheets, covered with parchment or oiled with olive oil, which is what I did. (Note: I did not preheat my other pans that I used.)

Assemble and bake:
Put about 1 cup flour in a bowl. Use some of it to dust the work surface, and your hands. Put one of the dough balls in the flour to coat the bottom. Transfer to the work surface and gently tap it down with your fingers to form a disk. Slide the backs of your hands under the dough, then lift it and begin to rotate it, using your thumbs to coax the edges of the dough into a larger circle. Don't stretch the dough with the backs of your hands or your knuckles, let your thumbs do all the work. If the dough starts to resist or shrink back, set it on the floured surface and let it rest for a minute or two. Move onto another ball. Continue working the dough and resting, as needed until it is about 10 to 12 inches in diameter. It should be thicker at the edges than in the center and the center should be thin but not paper thin. If the dough rips, you can try to patch it or you can form it back into a ball, move on to another dough ball, and try again in 15 to 20 minutes. (Note: I had kids helping me and mine were not done perfectly, in fact the kids rolled the dough with rolling pins. Don't stress if it doesn't work with the directions just find a method, like the rolling pin, that works for you. No one could tell which one I had done with my hands and which I had rolled.)
When the crust is ready to be topped transfer it to the cooking pan. Place flour on the stone or oil your pans. Top the pizza as desired and slide it into the oven.
Bake for about 4 minutes, then turn the pan around. It can take another 5 to 7 minutes for the pizza to fully cook. The edges should puff up and be a golden brown, perhaps even slightly charred (which adds loads of flavor surprisingly).
Remove pizza, garnish as desired, then let it cool for 1 minute before slicing or serving.

No Bake Peanut Butter Crunch Bars

2011-01-29T09:30:00.000-07:00

I noticed this recipe and thought was a perfect solution to my desire to have granola bars on hand. I hate coconut and almost all commercially available bars have coconut in them. The thing I really love about this recipe is you can switch ingredients with others and have hundreds of options available. I used cereals that were whole grain but if you could use regular cereal if you'd prefer and still have granola bars that are less sugary then the ones you buy at the store. Also you can leave the nuts out if you want or sub another type. I've made this with cashews, macadamia nuts, and almonds. Sub out the peanut butter for almond butter or hazelnut butter. Same thing for the dried fruit. I've used pretty much every type out there and it still tastes great. Plus these are easy to make for something that tastes much better than store bought bars.

No Bake Peanut Butter Crunch Bars
Women's Day Magazine Sept. 2010

2 cups slightly crushed whole grain flake cereal
2 cups whole grain puffed rice cereal
1 cup dried fruit of your choice (cranberry is what the original recipe calls for)
1/2 cup unsalted nuts of your choice (cocktail nuts is what the original recipe calls for)
1/2 cup natural peanut butter (or any butter of your choice, the original recipe calls for reduced fat peanut butter but I much prefer the more healthy natural kind)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

Line a 13 by 9 inch baking pan with nonstick foil (let the foil extend about 2 inches above pan at both ends).
Mix cereals, fruit, and nuts in a large bowl.
Mix peanut butter, sugar, honey and butter in 2 qt. saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring constantly; simmer for 1 minute.
Immediately stir into cereal mixture tossing to evenly coat. Coat hands with cooking spray, then use them to spread and press the mixture in prepared pan. Chill until firm, about one hour.
Holding foil by ends, lift from pan onto a cutting board. Carefully cut lengthwise in 4 strips and then cut each strip in 6; remove foil.

Broccoli with Cheese Sauce

2011-01-28T10:11:00.000-07:00

I love broccoli with cheese. I don't think I've ever passed up the dish or the soup. There is just something about it that draws me to it. However I usually have or are served a mixture of glop with cheese when it comes to broccoli with cheese sauce. The frozen versions are not worth purchasing even if they are free. Well lucky for me Cook's Country made a dish that far exceeds my expectations in broccoli with cheese sauce. An added bonus is it was really quite easy to make. Yes it takes longer than the frozen version but the taste is so far superior I don't think you could ever eat the frozen version again.

Broccoli with Cheese Sauce
Cook's Country Magazine Feb./March 2011

2 pounds broccoli, florets cut into 1 inch pieces, stems peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 teaspoons all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup half and half
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Adjust oven rack to lower middle position, place rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 450 degrees.
After 15 minutes, toss broccoli, oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Arrange broccoli in single layer on hot baking sheet. Bake until spotty brown, 15 to 18 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking.
Meanwhile, melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, mustard, and cayenne and cook, stirring constantly, until golden and fragrant, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in half and half and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Off heat, whisk in Monterey Jack and cheddar, until smooth. Stir in Parmesan until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Serve sauce over broccoli.

Weeknight Chicken

2011-01-26T09:24:00.000-07:00

If your looking for a simple baked chicken dish for busy nights look no further. This chicken dish was simple to make with little hands on time and tasted liked you spent hours cooking it. Don't be tempted to use boneless skinless chicken on this dish as, trust me, you need the skin and bones. I did not have fresh thyme on hand so I use fresh parsley, which was fine by me as I'm not a huge fan of thyme. The sauce you make at the end puts the finishing touch on a simple and easy to make dinner. Much better than a frozen dinner or even take out.

Weeknight Chicken
Cook's Country March 2011

1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 teaspoons corn starch
1 cup white wine (I used chicken broth the first time and white wine the second, I much prefer it with the wine but it tastes fine with extra chicken broth)
4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme (I used parsley)
3 pounds bone in skin on chicken pieces
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Whisk 2 tablespoons broth and corn starch in small bowl until no lumps remain; reserve. Combine remaining broth, wine, garlic, and thyme in large measuring cup.

Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Heat oil in large oven safe skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken, skin side down, until well browned, 6 to 10 minutes. Flip and cook until lightly browned on second side, about 2 minutes.

Slowly pour broth mixture into skillet and bring to a boil. Transfer skillet to oven and roast until white meat registers 160 degrees and dark meat registers 175 degrees, 12 to 18 minutes. Transfer chicken to platter and tent with aluminum foil. Discard garlic.

Pour pan juices into liquid measuring cup; skim and discard fat. Return 1 1/2 cups defatted pan juices to now empty skillet and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until sauce is reduced to 1 cup, 5 to 7 minutes. Add reserved cornstarch mixture and simmer until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Off heat, whisk in butter. Season with salt and pepper. Serve, passing sauce at table.

Bacon Pierogi Bake and Winner of the Giveaway

2011-01-22T14:51:00.000-07:00

My first memories of pierogi's is at my aunt's house in Pennsylvania. I don't remember how old I was but they were mighty tasty. A few years ago I discovered they had frozen pierogi's and although they were no where as good as my aunt's it helped with the craving I've had for them. I noticed this recipe in a Cooking Light magazine and decided to give it a try. The dish really helps to improve the taste of frozen pierogi's. It's a really nice combination of flavors. The cream cheese blended well with the cheddar cheese into a delightful sauce. The original recipe calls for tomatoes but I'm so not a fan of grocery store tomatoes at this time of year so I left them off.

The winner of the Pickapeppa Sauce is Melanie. Email me at n_baron@msn.com and I'll get a bottle on it's way shortly.

Bacon Pierogi Bake
Cooking Light Magazine December 2010

1 (16-ounce) package frozen potato and onion pierogies (such as Mrs. T's)
Cooking spray
2 center-cut bacon slices, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup (3 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1/2 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup thinly diagonally sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped seeded plum tomato
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Arrange the pierogies in an 11 x 7-inch glass baking dish coated with cooking spray. Cook bacon in a saucepan over medium heat until crisp; remove from pan. Set aside.

3. Add garlic to drippings in pan, and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add 1/3 cup cream cheese to pan, and cook for 1 minute or until cream cheese begins to melt, stirring frequently. Gradually add chicken broth to pan, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Pour the cream cheese mixture evenly over pierogies. Top evenly with 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until bubbly and thoroughly heated. Remove from oven, and sprinkle with bacon, green onions, tomato, and pepper.
Nutritional Information

Heath Bar Cake

2011-01-16T10:14:00.000-07:00

Mel from Mel's Kitchen Cafe posted this Monday. I called my husband on his way home from the gym to stop and buy the Heath bars so I could make this cake that night. It sounded that good to me. And it did taste as good as it looked on Mel's blog. Oh it was one of the best tasting cakes I've ever made or eaten. My favorite parts were the edges of the cake but honestly all parts of this cake were great. I used six candy bars since I love Heath bars. Also I had a little bit of caramel sauce leftover from banana splits the night before so I threw some of that on top before baking. Overall it was a great cake and one that I'm drooling just thinking about it again.

Also don't forget to enter into the contest I am having here.

Heath Bar Cake
Mel at Mel's Kitchen Cafe

1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
5-6 (1.4 ounces each) chocolate covered toffee bars (like Heath), chopped
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and center a rack in the middle of the oven. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch pan and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, white sugar, flour and butter. Crumble these ingredients together with a pastry blender, whisk or two forks until the mixture is crumbly and coarse. Remove 1/2 cup of the crumbs to a small bowl and set aside. To the large bowl with the remaining crumbs, add the buttermilk, egg, vanilla, baking soda and salt. Mix well.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it to the edges. Sprinkle the top of the cake with the reserved crumbs and chopped Heath bars. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the center is no longer gooey but a toothpick inserted comes out with moist crumbs. The cake may fall slightly in the center leaving the edges raised. No fear! It will still be delicious.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

2011-01-11T20:28:00.001-07:00

I love spinach artichoke dip. I know it's one of those things that you either love or you hate. Sadly the dish is loaded with fat and calories. Cooking Light listed a recipe for a lower fat and calorie version of this dish and of course I had to give it a try. I read through all the comments on this dish and then referred to my favorite recipe from Cook's Country and then combined a little from all three places to make this to die for dip. Honestly I have to say the dip I served on Christmas day was the best spinach artichoke dip I have ever eaten. You couldn't tell it was low fat or lower in calories. I made this dish on Christmas Eve so the flavors combined overnight and I find this to be a crucial step as I made this same dish again for New Years and didn't let it sit in the fridge overnight and it was no were as good. Also don't forget to enter the giveaway I am having here.

Spinach Artichoke Dip
adapted from Cooking Light Magazine September 2000

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 (8-ounce) block 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
1 (8-ounce) block fat-free cream cheese, softened
1/2 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
1 teaspoon horseradish
about 5 drops of Tabasco sauce

Preparation

Combine 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, sour cream, 2 tablespoons Parmesan, and next 8 ingredients (2 tablespoons Parmesan through Tabasco sauce) in a large bowl, and stir until well-blended. Spoon mixture into a 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup mozzarella and 2 tablespoons Parmesan.
Refrigerate over night or at least 6 hours.
Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Serve with tortilla chips.

Easy Appetizer and a Giveaway

2011-01-10T16:44:00.000-07:00

I'll be very honest here the sauce featured in this dish is either going to be one you like or you don't like. Pickapeppa Sauce has a very unique flavor that can be a turn off for some. However if you like Worcestershire sauce you should like this sauce. The ingredient list is pretty decent for a processed food item: tomatoes, onions, sugar, cane vinegar, mangoes, raisins, garlic, salt, peppers, thyme, and cloves. I have a southern friend who swears by this stuff and she's the one who told me about this appetizer. She tells me she uses it in salad dressings, gravies, cheese dishes, and with seafood. I've only tried it in gravy and in this appetizer. I've found this in most grocery stores here in Utah so obviously others use this but it was a new find for me. And now you can have a chance to try this for free. Leave a comment telling me of any other nifty things you buy in the grocery store and I'll enter you to win a bottle of this sauce. If your one who wants more entries mention it on your blog and/or facebook and come back here and leave me a comment telling me you did and you'll get an extra entry for every comment you made telling me where you shared it. The contest runs until midnight January 20th.

Easy Appetizer
Christy Carlsen

1 8 oz. package cream cheese, low fat, non fat, or regular at room temperature
half a bottle of Pickapeppa Sauce

Pour the Pickapeppa sauce over the cream cheese and serve. Provide pretzels, crackers, or chips to dip into the appetizer.

Vietnamese Pho with Beef

2011-01-09T16:48:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to make this soup for several years. I probably have hundreds of magazines and cookbooks with the recipe for this dish yet I always had some reason why I didn't make it. Well I finally gave it a try. I have to say I like the soup. It's probably not authentic but for someone who until about 15 years ago wouldn't touch anything that was American cooking I found it pleasantly good. After smelling the 5 spice powder I had my doubts cause it didn't really smell good. Tip on the 5 spice powder look for it at a local Asian store. I paid $1.99 for a nice size bottle for it there. The local grocery store wanted $8.99 for a 2 oz. bottle. Nice thing is the soup didn't taste like the smell of the spice at all. I'll admit I chickened out on using the fish sauce. I bought the fish sauce and planned on using it but after opening the container I just couldn't do it. If you know me you know I don't like fish or things that smell like fish. I used soy sauce and my sweet husband swears you couldn't tell I had used soy sauce. Overall this was a very fast dish to put together and made it to the table in less than 25 minutes. Not bad for a night you really want take out.

Vietnamese Pho with Beef
The Best Simple Recipes America's Test Kitchen

8 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled, halved lengthwise, and smashed
3 2 1/2 inch strips zest and 1 tablespoon juice from one lime
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
8 ounces thick rice noodles
1 pound sirloin steak tips, sliced thin
3 tablespoons fish sauce (note I used low sodium soy sauce)
1 teaspoon Asian chili garlic sauce
4 scallions, sliced thin
1/4 cup fresh whole cilantro leaves

Bring broth, ginger, lime zest, and five spice powder to boil in dutch oven over medium high heat. Add noodles and cook until nearly tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in beef and simmer until cooked through and noodles are completely tender, about 2 minutes.

Off heat, stir in fish (soy) sauce, chili garlic sauce, and lime juice. Remove ginger and zest with slotted spoon. Stir in scallions and cilantro. Serves 4.

Parmesan Pork Cutlets

2011-01-08T10:57:00.000-07:00

This was a very simple and easy dish to make. An added bonus is that it tasted really good. The coating was crunchy and the pork was tender and moist. It also has only a handful of ingredients that are quite easy to keep on hand for those nights when takeout is calling your name. The only thing I will change in the future is adding some garlic powder since I love the flavor of pork with garlic. I also think these pork cutlets would be great for a pork sandwich. I love making little sandwiches out of cutlets and these would be very tasty as a sandwich.

Parmesan Pork Cutlets
The Best Simple Recipes from America's Test Kitchen

1/ 2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 large eggs
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, use the large holes on the grater
4 thin cut boneless pork cutlets (about 12 ounces), you can also use pork tenderloin and cut thin and pound into a cutler

Place flour in a shallow dish. Beat eggs in a second shallow dish. Combine panko, Parmesan, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in third shallow dish. Pat pork dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.

One at a time, dredge cutlets in flour, dip in egg, and coat with bread crumb mixture, pressing to adhere.

Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Fry 2 cutlets until deep golden and crisp, about 3 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towel lined plate. Wipe out skillet and repeat with remaining oil and cutlets. Serves 4.

Pizza Twists

2011-01-05T21:11:00.000-07:00

The latest King Arthur Flour catalog came and these were featured in the catalog. Honestly if you don't get this catalog you need to sign up for it not only do they have neat stuff to buy that there are usually several recipes included. I've never made anything from King Arthur that hasn't turned out good. I decided however that I wanted to serve these as a meal so I added some ingredients. I chopped up pepperoni into small chunks and microwaved them for a minute to cut out some of the fat. I also chopped up mushrooms, green peppers, and onions. Overall the flavor was amazing. So without making you wait any longer here is the recipe with my changes, click on the link to see the original recipe.

Pizza Twists
King Arthur Flour

3/4 cup lukewarm water (about 110°F)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Pizza Dough Flavor, optional
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 3/4 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/3 cup Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

Filling

1/4 cup shredded blend of cheese, I used asiago and parmesan
1 teaspoon pizza seasoning or the dried herbs of your choice
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup finely shredded mozzarella or pizza-blend cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil or garlic oil
about 4 ounces of pepperoni chopped into chunks
2 medium size white mushrooms chopped
1/4 of a green pepper, chopped
about 1/4 of a yellow onion, chopped

1) Mix, then knead the dough ingredients to make a smooth, elastic dough, about 5 to 10 minutes.

2) Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover it with lightly greased plastic wrap, and let it rise until it's doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

3) Make the filling by stirring together the cheese powder, Pizza Seasoning, melted butter, and water.

4) Grease a baking sheet, or line it with parchment.

5) Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased work surface. Pat, then roll it into a 20" x 10" rectangle.

6) Spread the dough with the filling, leaving 1/2" free of filling along the long edges. Sprinkle with the shredded cheese.

7) Fold the dough in half so the long sides (free of filling) meet. Press together by rolling over the dough with a rolling pin. Cut into twenty 1" slices.

8) Place the slices about 1" apart on the prepared pan, twisting them as you lay them down. Brush with olive oil or garlic oil.

9) Cover and let rise for about 1 hour, or until puffy. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 375°F.

10) Bake the twists for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they're light golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and serve warm with pizza sauce or marinara, if desired.

Yield: 20 twists.

Ham Salad

2011-01-03T19:19:00.000-07:00

So you made the Dr. Pepper ham from yesterday's post and you have leftovers. Well here is a very easy recipe to use up the leftover ham. It took about 8 minutes from start to finish to make this dish and it served dh and I lunch for three days. The salad isn't loaded with mayo and it has a nice combination of flavors. Add some spinach or arguala to your roll or bread and it makes a fairly nice lunch that you can tote with you or have on a Saturday afternoon. If your like me and not really a fan of ham salad, having only had the mayo heavy ones at the deli or those really gross canned ones in the past, you really need to give this ham salad a try. Trust me you won't be disappointed.

Ham Salad
Cook's Country April/May 2010 magazine

1 1/2 cups diced ham, rind removed
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Pulse ham in bowl of food processor until coarsely chopped, about ten one second pulses.

Combine mayonnaise, relish, mustard, and pepper in a medium bowl. Add ham and mix. Serve chilled.

Dr. Pepper Glazed Ham

2011-01-02T10:20:00.000-07:00

This ham is amongst the best I've ever made. I love cooking the ham in the oven bag as it keeps it moist and it doesn't get all dried out. The glaze is really easy to make and put together plus it tastes loads better than the sugary glaze that comes with the ham. The Dr. Pepper provides a fruit taste but the orange juice and mustard keep it from being overly fruity and sweet. A great recipe to try at Christmas or Easter and I promise you won't be disappointed.

Dr. Pepper Glazed Ham
Cook's County Best Lost Suppers Cookbook

1 7-10 pound spiral sliced bone in half ham, preferably shank end
1 plastic oven bag
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup dr. pepper
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 teaspoons dijon mustard

Bring Dr. Pepper, sugar, orange juice and mustard to boil in medium saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until mixture is syrupy and measures 1 1/2 cups, about 8 minutes and let cool.

Remove Ham from packaging and discard plastic disk that covers bone. Place ham in plastic oven bag (or foil), tie bag shut, and trim excess plastic. Set ham cut side down in 13x9 inch baking dish. Cut 4 slits in top of oven bag if used. If using foil, place ham cut side down in baking dish and wrap tightly. Let stand at room temp for 1 1/2 hours.

Adjust oven rack to lowest possible position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Bake ham until center registers about 100 degrees on instant read thermometer, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours, depending on weight of ham.

Remove ham from oven and roll back sides of bag to expose ham. Brush ham liberally with glaze and return to oven briefly until glaze becomes sticky, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven, brush entire ham again with glaze, loosely cover with foil and let rest for 30 to 40 minutes before carving.

Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

2010-12-15T10:12:00.002-07:00

I was first treated to this delightful treats at a friend's wedding reception back in the 1990's. It wasn't a typical Utah wedding reception and an another friend ate the whole tray before the guests showed up. I couldn't get over the delicious taste of these little appetizers. I finally, a few years ago, asked at the local restaurant who catered her reception all those years ago about the recipe. Well they wouldn't give it to me but did tell me there were only five ingredients in the dish. I played with it for years until I finally noticed a recipe in a Taste of Home Treasury of Christmas Recipes book. I was able to tweak that recipe into the taste I remember from years ago. I hope you enjoy these as much as I did. The flavor is hard to describe but it's sort of a sweet salty picture with a crunch. You need the good thick bacon from the butcher area of the store to make these taste right. If you use the bacon from cello packs it won't work as well. Oh and low fat or fat free mayo will not work, nor will Miracle Whip.

Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts
adapted from Taste of Home Treasury of Christmas

1 1/2 pounds thick sliced bacon
3 cans (8 oz each) whole water chestnuts, drained and halved (or leave them whole and just use a big slice of bacon)
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
3/4 cup Chili Sauce (near the ketchup in the grocery stores)
3/4 cup mayo

Cut bacon strips into thirds. Wrap each strip around a water chestnut and secure with a toothpick. Place in a pan, I use a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil for easy cleanup. Bake, uncovered, in a 400 degree oven for 30-35 minutes, it may take longer and it may take less time, watch for the bacon to get crispy all over. Turning at least once. Drain the grease once fully done.

Combine the remaining ingredients and pour over the water chestnuts. Bake another 6-8 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Beefy Nacho Soup

2010-12-10T10:40:00.002-07:00

I'll be honest here I usually snub any recipes I find on websites that are the makers of processed foods. The goal in my house is to not eat much, if any, processed food. However I was "gifted" a can of nacho cheese soup and since we were running really low on grocery money last month I googled looking for decent recipes calling for the nacho cheese soup. I ended up choosing this one and to be honest we loved it. It was a perfect blend of flavors. I topped the soup with some cubed avocado, green onions, and fresh tomatoes. This would have been even better with some freshly made tortilla strips. Overall this was a winner in our family and I guess I'll be buying more of the nacho cheese soup in the future. This was a very simple and really quick to make dish. Perfect for those nights when time is low and yet money is too tight for take out. Also I should point out this barely fed 3 adults with no extras. Two of the adults complained about needing more. You would need to double or triple this recipe for large families.

Beefy Nacho Soup
Pillsbury.com

1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1 tablespoon taco seasoning mix (from 1 oz package) or make your own like I do
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed nacho cheese soup
1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (1 oz)

In 2-quart saucepan, cook ground beef over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain.

Reduce heat to medium. Stir in remaining ingredients except shredded cheese. Cook 8 to 12 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently. Top individual servings with shredded cheese.

Pear Pie with Streusel Topping and Caramel Sauce

2010-12-04T14:03:00.004-07:00

This turned out to be a really yummy tasting pie. It was simple to make and since it uses refrigerator dough it easy for even those who haven't made a pie before. My streusel had a few problems relating to three little boys who were helping so trust me there is streusel on the pie you just can't see much in the picture. Also I used two eight inch frozen pie shells so my pie wasn't as thick as the recipe calls for. I used the frozen cause it was what I had on hand. Overall everyone who tasted the pie loved it. It's a nice change from the typical pumpkin or apple pie that dominates the holiday season. It's also perfect when you have oodles of pears on hand like I did when I made this pie.

Pear Pie with Streusel Topping and Caramel Sauce
Cooking Light Magazine Nov. 2008

Pie
3 ounces all purpose flour, divided (about 2/3 cup)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
6 medium firm pears, peeled, cored, and cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick wedges
1/2 (15 ounce) package refrigerated pie dough
cooking spray
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces

Sauce
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 teaspoons water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
To prepare pie, weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 1 1/2 ounces (about 1/3 cup) flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a larger bowl. Add juice, and pears to flour mixture; toss gently to coat. Roll dough into an 11 inch circle; fit dough into a 9 inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Fold edges under and flute. Arrange pear mixture in an even layer in prepared crust.
Combine remaining 1 1/2 ounce (about 1/3 cup) flour and 1/3 cup brown sugar in a bowl. Add 3 tablespoons cold butter to brown sugar mixture; cut in with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle butter mixture evenly over pears. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour or until lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack 10 minutes.
To prepare sauce, combine 1/2 cup brown sugar, cream, and 2 tablespoons softened butter in a small, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Cook one minute or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in 2 teaspoons water. Serve at room temperature or slightly warmed with pie.

Yield 12 servings, serving size 1 wedge pie and about 1 1/2 teaspoon sauce. 287 calories in a slice, 11 grams of fat (sat. 5.5 g, mono 1.7 g., poly 0.35 g.), carb. 47.5 g.

I am still alive

2010-11-22T16:43:00.002-07:00

I should be back the week after Thanksgiving with new recipes to share. Life has been crazy. Sickness, getting use to homeschooling three kids, water main break, sewer problems, cutting down two huge trees from our property that resulted in days of pain, google not letting me do much of anything on my blogs, and just plain life getting in the way. I really haven't done much cooking with new recipes for awhile just because of all the craziness. Knock on wood hopefully nothing else will go wrong until next year.

Banana Bread

2010-10-28T14:46:00.002-06:00

What do you do when you realize you have 21 bananas that are past their prime? I made all kinds of different dishes with them. One being this bread recipe. It's a simple recipe that calls for ingredients you should have on hand. I say it took me about 5 minutes to mix this up and it took about 1 1/2 hours to cook. Not sure why my time was longer than the recipe but I did have to cook it quite a bit longer. My favorite bananas to use when making banana bread are ones that are almost completely black. They are sweeter tasting and really easy to mash. I hope you like this recipe as much as I did.

Banana Bread
King Arthur All Purpose Cookbook

2 large eggs
1 cup (7 ounces) sugar
1/3 cup (2 3/8 ounces) vegetable oil
1 cup mashed banana (2 to 3 very ripe, large bananas about 7 to 9 ounces)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 2/3 cups (11 3/8 ounces) unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup (8 ounces) yogurt, buttermilk, or sour cream (I used 1/2 cup buttermilk and 1/2 cup sour cream)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium sized bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar, and oil. Blend in the mashed banana and vanilla. Whisk together and then sift the baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and flour. Add all at once to the banana mixture. Mix quickly but thoroughly, then stir in the yogurt, buttermilk or sour cream, mixing until just combined.

Pour the batter into a greased and floured 9 by 5 inch loaf pan. Bake the bread for about 1 hour, until a toothpick comes out clean. If the bread begins to brown quickly tent it with aluminum foil after 40 minutes in the oven.

When the bread is done, remove it from the oven and place on a rack for 15 minutes; after 15 minutes, remove the bread from its pan and place on the rack to finish cooling completely.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

2010-10-27T12:15:00.003-06:00

This is my favorite time of year for food. Why you ask? Because I love pumpkin treats. As you can see I've been posting several different recipes for pumpkins cause I've been making all kinds of pumpkin treats. These were a hit with all the adults while the kids just liked them. I think my kids ate one maybe two of these but my husband ate about 8 of them in one setting. I'm not a fan of the original whoopie pie but I can't wait to make these again.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pie
King Arthur Flour website

Cake

1/2 cup soft butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Vietnamese cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups (one 15-ounce can) pumpkin
2 1/4 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour or 100% White Whole Wheat Flour

Filling

8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
4 tablespoons soft butter
2 cups glazing sugar or confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1) To make the cookies: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease two baking sheets or line with parchment paper.

2) Beat together the butter, oil, sugar, molasses, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.

3) Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, then beat in the eggs one at a time, until fluffy.

4) Stir in the pumpkin.

5) Add the flour in two additions, mixing well after each addition.

6) Use a muffin scoop to deposit the thick batter onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2" around each mound.

7) Bake until the cookies feel firm; a slight indentation will remain when you gently press them in the middle, about 16 to 18 minutes.

8) Remove from the oven, cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then move to a rack to cool completely.

9) To make the filling: Beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth and fluffy.

10) Beat in the sugar in two additions.

11) Add the vanilla. Beat for 2 to 3 minutes, until very fluffy.

12) Stir in the crystallized ginger.

13) To assemble: Sandwich two cookies around 2 tablespoons of filling. For best storage, wrap each pie in plastic wrap.

Yield: 1 dozen 4" whoopie pies.

Emmy's Pumpkin Bread

2010-10-07T21:48:00.003-06:00

I made this bread a few weeks ago much to the delight of the family. No lie the two loaves of bread didn't last the night. Very simple recipe for a bread that tastes so great. Reminds me of a local bakery called Great Harvest who makes bread very similar to this. I wish I had made the glaze to go on top but I was out of powdered sugar and the bread didn't last long enough for me to go to the store to buy some.

Emmy's Pumpkin Bread
King Arthur Flour

2/3 cup shortening or 1 cup vegetable oil
2 2/3 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 cups (or one can) pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
2/3 cup water
3 1/3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

In a large bowl, cream together the shortening or oil and the sugar. Beat in the eggs, pumpkin and water. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and vanilla, stirring to blend, then mix in the chips and nuts.

Spoon the batter into two lightly greased 9 x 5-inch loaf pans. Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for 1 hour, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a wire rack. When it's completely cool, wrap it well in plastic wrap, and store it overnight before serving.

If desired, just before serving, drizzle with an icing made of 1 cup confectioners' or glazing sugar, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and 1 tablespoon milk.

Pumpkin Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

2010-09-27T09:22:00.004-06:00

These were a hit with the whole neighborhood. Or to be honest with my three boys and the neighbor girl mainly. They ate the whole sheet full of them in a matter of oh about a 1/2 hour. I did manage to get five hidden from their view so a few other people were able to try them. They are delicious and full of pumpkin flavor. And the cream cheese frosting took them over the top flavor wise. Trust me you won't be disappointed in these bars. The only problem with them is I am sure they are chocked full of calories and as such not so good for the waist line.

Pumpkin Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
adapted from King Arthur Flour

Cake
2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice, or 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon each ginger, nutmeg, and cloves
1 cup (7 ounces)vegetable oil
1 cup (7 1/2 ounces) brown sugar
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup (9 1/2 ounces) pumpkin puree

Cream Cheese Frosting
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup (1/2 stick, 2 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons(1 3/8 ounces) maple syrup
2 cups (12 ounces) confectioners' sugar

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour an 18 x 13-inch half-sheet pan.

For the cake: Put the first five ingredients in a bowl and whisk together until well incorporated. Set aside. Beat the oil and the sugars together until well blended. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the pumpkin puree.

Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes and turn onto a rack to finish cooling. Frost the cake and cut into bars when cool.

For the frosting: Beat the cream cheese and the butter together. Add the maple syrup and stir well. Mix in the confectioners' sugar until the frosting is the right consistency; adjust the consistency with more maple syrup or confectioners' sugar. Frost the cake. Cut into bars; a pizza wheel works well for this chore. Yield: 36 (2 x 3-inch) bars.

Summer Garden Vegetable Soup

2010-09-20T15:02:00.002-06:00

Okay so looking at this picture it doesn't look like soup. I'm guessing the barley I added soaked up the broth in the half hour I waited to take the picture. However don't let this stop you from making this soup cause it was really really good. The flavors blended together well for a really delicious creamy soap. I added cooked pearl barley to the dish just for some added nutrients. And if you know me well you know I just had to add garlic to the dish. I think I add garlic to every recipe if it doesn't call for it. I especially love garlic with vegetables.

Summer Garden Vegetable Soup
slightly adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

3 medium zucchini, chopped into bite-size pieces
4 medium tomatoes, chopped into bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil (or 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
¼ cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk (can use fat-free or low-fat)
1 ½ cups frozen or fresh corn kernels
1 cup cooked pearl barley
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the zucchini, basil, parsley, garlic and onion and saute, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes. Add the flour, salt and pepper and stir and cook for one minute. Gradually add the chicken broth, whisking or stirring constantly. Add the lemon juice; mix well. Bring the soup to a simmer, stirring to prevent sticking, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the zucchini is tender but still has some bite to it (it will continue cooking for a few more minutes). Add the tomatoes, evaporated milk, pearl barley, and corn. Bring the soup to a boil and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover the soup and simmer until the corn and zucchini are tender. Stir in the cheese just before serving.

The Best Tuna Salad

2010-09-15T10:01:00.003-06:00

Those who know me know I don't like seafood and tuna ranks up there with something I'll never touch. However I married someone who loves tuna sandwiches and as such I've been learning how to make the best tuna sandwich. According to my husband this recipe comes the closest to perfection that I have hit. In fact he has asked for this to be made several times over the past month.

The Best Tuna Salad
Cooks Country Magazine Aug./Sept. 2010

3 5 oz. cans solid white albacore tuna packed in water
1/4 cup minced onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 celery rib, chopped fine

Place tuna in fine mesh strainer and press to dry with paper towels. Transfer to medium bowl and mash with fork until finely flaked. Microwave onion and oil in small bowl until onion begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Combine onion mixture, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and sugar with tuna and let sit 10 minutes.

Stir mayonnaise and celery into tuna mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Serve. Can be refrigerated in airtight container for one day.

Vegetable Kabob Marinade

2010-09-09T17:13:00.004-06:00

Honestly this recipe also works well for beef and chicken. Lately though I've been eating a lot less meat so I made vegetable kabobs. I love this marinade. I've made it several times and every time I like it more. It's a perfect blend of seasonings and makes a nice grilled meal. It's also easy to make and the longer you marinade the more flavor your veggies (and/or meat) will have. Use what ever veggies are your favorites. We prefer mushrooms, red onions, red bell peppers, yellow bell peppers, and whatever other veggie we have extras of.

Vegetable Kabob Marinade
Allrecipes

1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
1/2 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or I've used 3 minced garlic cloves
1/2 pinch ground ginger or I've used about a half teaspoon freshly grated ginger

In a large resealable plastic bag, mix the teriyaki sauce, honey, garlic powder, and ginger. Add veggies (and/or meat) and marinade 4 to 24 hours. Prepare as desired.

French Bread Rolls

2010-08-28T10:04:00.002-06:00

These rolls have been the hit of the neighborhood this week. I've baked them three times this week alone. These rolls are also perfect for those wanting to try their hand at baking. They are so easy to make and require little time commitment with very few ingredients. However don't let the few ingredients or the simple directions keep you from making these rolls cause they are unbelievably tasty. Also they are a very light and fluffy roll. Thanks Melanie for sharing these cause they really are a great tasting roll.

French Bread Rolls
Mel at Mel's Kitchen Cafe

*Makes about one dozen rolls

1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, stir together warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

To the yeast mixture, add the oil, salt, and 2 cups flour. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Deflate the dough, and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 12-14 equal pieces, and form into round balls. Place on lightly greased baking sheets at least 2 inches apart. Cover the rolls with a damp cloth (or greased saran wrap), and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Bake for 12-13 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

*Can freeze the rolls after baking – microwave on high

Nibbler Cookies 1st Place at Davis County Fair

2010-08-23T13:24:00.003-06:00

Sorry to brag one more time but I promise this was the last entry I did for the fair this year. I wanted to do a cookie recipe and I just couldn't find one that I had all the ingredients on hand for the day I did my cooking so I made this scone nibbles and renamed them. I wasn't too happy that I didn't have a chance to do a trial bake of this dish, thanks to my oven dying, but I was really happy when they turned out so tasty. Very easy dish to make and they were definitely a hit with my family and the judges. The judges ate 4 of the cookies when judging, compared to 1-2 of all the other entries. If your looking for something different for school lunches, treat night, or just for the heck of it give these a try.

Nibbler Cookies aka. Scone Nibbles
King Arthur Flour Late Summer 2010 catalog

2 3/4 cups (11 1/2 oz.) unbleached all purpose flour
1/3 cup (2 3/8 oz.) sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup (4 oz.) cold butter, cut into pats
1 to 2 cups (6 to 12 oz.) mini chocolate chips
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 to 2/3 cup (4 to 5 3/8 oz.) half and half or milk

Glaze
3 1/2 cups (14 oz.) confectioners sugar
7 tablespoons (3 1/2 oz) water, enough to make a thin glaze
1 teaspoon vanilla

Whisk all the dry ingredients together. Work in the butter just until mixture is unevenly crumbly. Stir in the chips.

In separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, and 1/2 cup milk. Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, adding more milk if the dough seems dry.

Scrape the dough onto a well floured work surface, and pat into an 8 inch square, a scant 3/4 inch thick. Cut the square into sixteen 2 inch squares, then cut each square in half diagonally, to make 32 small triangular scones.

Transfer scones to a parchment lined or well greased baking sheet. Chill in the freezer for 30 minutes, uncovered.

Bake the scones in a preheated 425 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Cut each scone in half again to make a total of 64 tiny triangles.

Stir together glaze ingredients. Coat the scones with the glaze. Place them on a rack to set.

Best Biscuits 1st Place at the Davis County Fair

2010-08-22T19:00:00.003-06:00

I just had to make these biscuits for the fair. They are the best ones I've ever tasted or made. Trust me you won't like other biscuits after having these. Comments from the judges were very flaky, tender, and down right yummy. I copied and pasted the recipe from a previous blog post but here is the direct link to that post.

I'm not making this up these are the best biscuits I have ever made. Plus, this is my favorite part of this recipe, I didn't have to struggle to cut in the butter. These biscuits had the best flavor of any biscuit I've ever made and they were so flaky. The recipe isn't hard and I promise you its worth the little effort required to make these. If all you've ever made are canned biscuits your in for a big treat. The recipe calls for vinegar and cream, both of which I did not have on hand. I used buttermilk when I made these biscuits as such I'm listing the buttermilk. If you'd like to try it with the vinegar and cream let me know and I'll post the amounts.

Best Biscuits
Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day

1 cup (8 oz) buttermilk
1/2 cup (4 oz) frozen unsalted butter (needs to be in the freezer for at least 30 minutes)
1 cup (4.5 oz) all purpose flour
3/4 cup (3.5 oz) pastry flour (you can use all purpose flour)
1 tablespoon (.5 oz) sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons ((.5 oz) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon (.13 oz) salt or 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Whisk the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl.

Place a cheese grater over the bowl of dry ingredients. Remove butter from freezer, unwrap it, and grate it through the large holes into the dry ingredients.

Use your fingertips to separate and distribute the butter pieces evenly, breaking up any clumps but not working the butter so much it disappears or melts into the flour. Add the buttermilk and stir with a large spoon until all of the flour is hydrated and the dough forms a coarse ball. Add a tiny bit more buttermilk if necessary to bring the dough together.

Transfer the dough to a generously floured surface, then dust the top of the dough with flour. Working with floured hands, use your palms to press the dough into a rectangle or square about 3/4 inch thick. Use a metal pastry scraper to lift the dough and dust more flour underneath. Dust the top of the dough with flour as well, then roll it out into a rectangle or square about 1/2 inch thick. Then, using the pastry scraper to help lift the dough, fold it over on itself into three sections as if folding a letter.

Rotate the dough 90 degrees, then once again lift the dough and dust more flour underneath. Dust the top with flour as well, the once again roll it out into a square or rectangle about 1/2 inch thick and fold into thirds. Give the dough another quarter turn and repeat procedure again. Then, repeat one final time (four roll outs in all).

After the fourth rolling, dust under and on top of the dough one more time, then roll the dough out to just under 1/2 inch thick, in either a rectangle or an oval. Use just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface.

Cut the biscuits with a floured pizza cutter. Transfer the biscuits to an ungreased sheet pan (lined with parchment paper) placing them about 1/2 inch apart.

Let the biscuits rest for 15-30 minutes before baking. Even better, place the pan in the refrigerator to chill.

About 20 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Transfer the biscuits to the oven and lower the oven temperature to 450 degrees, or 425 for a convection oven. Bake for 8 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for another 6-10 minutes. until both the tops and bottoms of the biscuit are a rich golden brown. The bake time will be shorter in a convection oven. The biscuits should rise about 1 1/2 times in height.

Place the pan on a wire rack, leaving the biscuits to cool on the hot pan for at least 3 minutes before serving. The biscuits will stay warm for about 20 minutes.

9 Grain Bread 1st Place at the Davis County Fair

2010-08-21T11:12:00.003-06:00

I love this bread. I'm not sure how to describe this bread but it is really really tasty. It's really simple to make, if you use a mixer, and it beats the socks off of any store bought 7,8, or 9 grain bread. If you buy the nine grain bread from Bountiful Baskets this is even better than that bread. My kids love it. I never add the sunflower kernels since my kids don't like crunchy things in their bread but add them if you prefer them. Comments from the judges were the bread was very fluffy for having so much grain in it and the taste was out of this world. One comment even asked to have the recipe emailed to her. This bread freezes well but I never get around to freezing it. Also I've taken to doing the work through step 2 and then refrigerating the dough overnight and then continuing the next day. It adds a little more depth to the flavor that you may really like.

Adapted from America's Test Kitchen Magazine:
makes 2 9 by 5 inch loaves

1 1/4 cups 9 grain (you can use 7 or 8 grain too) hot cereal mix NOTE: don't confuse this with breakfast cereal. Bob's Red Mill and Arrowhead Mills are two easy to find brands of this cereal mix. I've seen/bought them at Harmon's, Smiths and Winegar's.

2 1/2 cup boiling water

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour, plus extra for dusting surface

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

4 tablespoons honey

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 tablespoon salt

3/4 cup unsalted pumpkin or sunflower seeds (you don't have to add these, I've made the bread with and without and its fine either way)

1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats or quick oats

Step 1:
Place cereal mix in a bowl of standing mixer and pour boiling water over it; let stand, stirring occasionally, until mixture cools to 100 degrees and resembles thick porridge, about 1 hour. Whisk flours in medium bowl.

Step 2:
Once grain mixture has cooled, add honey, melted butter, and yeast and stir to combine. Attach bowl to standing mixer fitted with dough hook. With mixer running on low speed, add flours 1/2 cup at a time, and knead until dough ball forms, 1 to 2 minutes; cover bowl with plastic and let dough rest 20 minutes. Add salt and knead on medium low speed until dough clears side of bowl, 3 to 4 minutes (if it does not clear sides, add 2 to 3 tablespoons additional flour and continue mixing); continue to knead for 5 more minutes. Add seeds and knead another 15 seconds. Transfer dough to floured work surface and knead by hand until seeds are evenly dispersed and dough forms smooth taunt ball. Place dough into greased container with a 4 quart capacity; cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled, 45 to 60 minutes.

Step 3:
Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 2 9 by 5 inch loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and pat into 12 by 9 rectangle; cut dough in half crosswise with knife or bench scraper. Shape loaves and roll loaves in oats to coat and place in pans. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until double in size 30-40 minutes. Dough should barely spring back when poked with knuckle. Bake until internal temperature registers 200 degrees on instant read thermometer, 35-40 minutes. Remove loaves from pans and cool on wire rack before slicing, about 3 hours.

Biscuits and Gravy

2010-08-20T09:57:00.003-06:00

Sorry about the long delay between posting recipes. Between blogger being down for me, a broken oven, and a husband that asked for no new recipes I've been busy. However I am back now with a few recipes to share. The first is biscuits and gravy. This has to rank among my all time favorite anytime dish ever. I could eat biscuits and gravy at anytime of the day and it shows up for dinner quite often in our house. The flavor of this dish was so good that I'm drooling as I think about possibly making it again very very soon. I used the homemade breakfast sausage I posted a few weeks back for the sausage in this recipe. I also used my all time favorite biscuit recipe, which if you haven't tried you really need too. It makes the flakiest and most tender biscuits every. I ended up borrowing a neighbors kitchen and making the biscuits for the county fair. I then used the leftovers for this recipe. Also I always top my biscuits and gravy with paprika. I don't know why but it was how I was first introduced to biscuits and gravy and I much prefer them with a sprinkling of it on top.

Biscuits and Gravy
adapted from Cookingbytheseatofmypants

5 tbsp. unsalted butter
4 tbsp. all purpose flour
Approximately 2 cups milk (vitamin D milk, not skim, fat-free, fat-less, or other, and nothing heavier, it won’t work.)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
about 3-4 shakes of Tabasco
1 1/2 pounds breakfast sausage, cooked and chopped (I used my homemade but feel free to use your favorite brand)
biscuits (again I used my favorite recipe but feel free to use whatever you have)

Melt butter over low heat in a small saucepan. Add flour and combine. Add ¼ tsp salt and around 10 grinds pepper.

Stir until the flour is about the color of peanut butter and smells nutty. Add ½ of the milk and increase heat to medium.

Allow to come to a simmer, stirring constantly to avoid sticking. On the first run, the gravy is likely to nearly seize, be ready with more milk.

Add milk by quarter or half cups until gravy has thickened considerably. If using a whisk you’ll know the gravy is ready when drawing the whisk through the gravy leaves “tracks” from the wires that remain visible for at least 5 seconds.

Add Tabasco sauce and more pepper to your liking, I like to make it very very peppery. Add the chopped up sausage and serve over biscuits.

Queso Dip

2010-07-29T16:05:00.002-06:00

So I admit this recipe totally is not one of my usual. I used a highly processed food item to make this dish but as everyone at the block party claims it was so worth it. This was very easy to make and it was gone in ten minutes at the party. This was yet another of the dishes that I took that knocked the socks off of everyone and had people asking for the recipe. The flavors were blended together perfectly. The dip did get spicier the longer I cooked it (I started it about 2 1/2 hours before the party so the flavors would blend together). You'll want to give this dish a try at your next party.

Queso Dip
by Norah

32 oz. package of Velveeta, cut into one inch cubes
2 can Rotel tomatoes (you choice of which one I used mild)
1/2 cup dried minced onions
1 roll of Mexican pork Chorizo

Mix dried onions with about 3 tablespoons of water. Let set in bowl. (You may need less or more water. Start with 1 tablespoon and keep adding water until the onions stop soaking up the water.)

In dutch oven, over medium high heat, cook the chorizo (cook just like ground beef) until no longer pink about 7-8 minutes.

Add the velveeta, 3-4 cubes at a time, to the chorizo. Once the velveeta has melted add one can of Rotel, juices and all. Stir until combined. Add the onions and the other can of Rotel. Stir until combined. Turn heat to low and stir every few minutes. Let simmer for about 30 minutes, longer to let flavors combine. You can also move the dip to a crockpot and set at low for about 2 hours. Serve with chips.

Grilled Chicken Pasta Salad

2010-07-28T09:01:00.002-06:00

I took this dish to the neighborhood block party on a whim. I had leftover chicken from the day before and I didn't want it to go to waste so I made this salad. It was a huge hit. The salad was gone in about 20 minutes. I had about 15 different people ask for the recipe that night and 5 more the next day. This salad is worth making extra of the Alabama BBQ chicken just so you can make this dish. The flavors blended together great and it was just a really nice summer tasting recipe. I loved that it had you use the bbq sauce instead of just plain mayo.

Grilled Chicken Pasta Salad
Cooks Country June/July 2006

salt
1 pound corkscrew pasta
1 cup frozen corn
2 cups shredded grilled chicken
1/2 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 small red onion, minced
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and minced (leave the seeds if you want it spicier)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons lime juice
3/4 cup White BBQ Sauce
pepper

Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in large pot. Add one tablespoon salt and pasta and cook until nearly tender, about 8 minutes. Add corn and cook one minute more. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking water, then drain pasta and corn. Transfer pasta and corn to large bowl and refrigerate until completely cooled, at least 30 minutes.

Stir in chicken, beans, bell peppers, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice, and sauce. Add reserved pasta cooking water. 1 tablespoon at a time, until sauce is loose. Season with salt and pepper. Serve. Salad can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 2 days. Check consistency and seasonings before serving.

Alabama BBQ Chicken

2010-07-27T09:00:00.002-06:00

This chicken was unbelievably good. The BBq sauce used on this dish was just amazing. I never thought I could like white BBQ sauce but it really tasted wonderful. The chicken was smoky with a nice tangy sauce. Simple and very easy to make for something that tasted so good. The recipe calls for whole cut up chicken but as you can tell I used smaller boneless chicken. You'll need to adjust the cooking times if you chose to use something other than whole cut up chicken plus you'll lose some of the smokiness flavor. You'll want to be sure to make extra chicken so that you can make the recipe I am posting next.

Alabama BBQ Chicken
Cooks Country June/July 2006

White BBQ Sauce
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Chicken
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 (3 1/2 to 4 pound) whole chickens, patted dry and split ( I used chicken tenders since I had thought I had whole chicken and all I had was tenders)
2 cups hickory wood chips

For the sauce:
Mix all ingredients in blender until smooth, about 1 minute. Refrigerate sauce in airtight container for at least one hour or up to 2 days.

For the chicken:
Mix salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in small bowl. Rub spice mixture all over chicken.

Soak wood chips in bowl of water for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, open bottom grill vents completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (about 90 coals) and burn until charcoal is covered with fine gray ash. Place 13 by 9 inch disposable aluminum roasting pan in center of grill. Pour half of coals into pile on each side of grill, leaving pan in center. Scatter wood chips evenly over coals and set cooking grate in place. Cover, with lid vents positioned over center of grill and opened halfway. Let grill heat for 5 minutes.

Dip wad of paper towels in oil and oil grate, holding paper towels with long handled tongs. Place chicken skin side down on center of grill. Cover with half opened lid vents over chicken.

Grill chicken until skin is well browned, 35 to 45 minutes. Flip chicken skin side up and grill, covered until breast meat registrars 165 degrees on instant read thermometer, 15 to 20 minutes longer. Remember the cooking time will be less with boneless pieces.

Transfer chickens to cutting board, brush with 2 tablespoons sauce, tent with foil, and let rest 10 minutes. Remove foil and brush chicken with 1 tablespoon sauce. Carve and serve, passing remaining sauce at table.

Using a Gas Grill:
Prepare recipe for Alabama BBQ chicken through second step. Soak wool chips in bowl of water for 15 minutes, place chips in small aluminum tray, and place tray directly over primary burner. Light grill, turn on all burners to high, and close lid, keeping grill covered until wood chips begin to smoke, about 15 minutes. Oil cooking grate. Turn all burners to medium low. Place chicken skin side down on grill, cover, and proceed with recipe from step 5.

Breakfast Sausage

2010-07-26T08:40:00.000-06:00

I've been wanting to try this recipe since I first noticed it in Cook's Country back at the first of the year. However my not being a fan of sausage has kept me from giving it a try. I'm not sure why I don't like breakfast sausage but I have a feeling its due to one of the seasonings used in the commercially prepared sausage because I LOVED this sausage. There was no weird flavor for me and even my husband thought this tasted so much better than Jimmy Dean brand sausage. It took me about 5 minutes to mix everything together and another 5 to shape out the patties. Cooking time was about 6-10 minutes total. I used the sausage to make sausage muffins.
If you feel like going all out you can even make your own English muffins (I didn't have time to make my own this time).

Breakfast Sausage
Cooks Country Feb/March 2010

2 pounds ground pork (avoid lean or extra lean)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 teaspoons dried sage
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Combine pork, garlic, syrup, sage, thyme, salt, pepper, and cayenne in large bowl. Gently mix with hands until well combined. Form into 2 1/2 inch patties, about 1/2 inch thick (using a 1/4 cup measuring cup makes almost perfect patties). You should have about 16 patties.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook half of patties until well browned and cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towel lined plate and tent with foil. Wipe out skillet. Repeat with remaining butter and patties.

The raw sausage patties can be refrigerated, covered for 1 day or frozen for up to one month. To cook frozen patties, proceed to second step, cooking patties for 7 to 9 minutes per side.

One Minute Tomato and Avocado Salsa

2010-07-20T08:29:00.002-06:00

This was a favorite with everyone. I was worried the jalapenos would make the salsa too spicy for me and the boys but it didn't. The flavors blended well. I loved the fact it made life easier for us since I didn't have to make guacamole too. I've never been a fan of the jarred salsa at the store and now with this quick to make salsa I will never have to buy another jar of salsa again.

One Minute Tomato and Avocado Salsa
Cooks Country June/July 2010

1/2 small red onion, peeled and quartered
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup drained jarred pickled jalapenos
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 avocado, pitted, skinned, and chopped

Pulse onion, cilantro, jalapenos, lime juice, garlic, and salt in food processor until coarsely choppped.

Add tomatoes and pulse until combined, about 3 one second pulses. Place salsa in fine mesh strainer (I skipped this step) and drain briefly. Transfer to bowl. Add avocado and stir. Serve.

Amish Potato Salad

2010-07-19T14:21:00.002-06:00

I love potato salad. I don't think I've ever passed up a potato salad recipe in my life. And I usually love all potato salads I try for various reasons. I loved this salad too even though I felt it was loaded with egg, which for those that know me I HATE eggs with a passion. I will make this again in the future but I will be cutting back on the eggs to one maybe two eggs. Also I have to have onions in my potato salad so I added some to this one. Overall this was a great recipe and one I look forward to making again.

Amish Potato Salad
adapted from Cooks Country June/July 2010

3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes cut into 3/4 inch chunks
salt and pepper
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
4 large hard cooked eggs, peeled
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
3/4 cup sour cream
1 celery rib, chopped fine
1 onion, chopped fine

Bring potatoes, 1 tablespoon salt, and enough water to cover by one inch to boil in large pot over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until potatoes are just tender, about 10 minutes.

While potatoes simmer, microwave vinegar and sugar in small bowl until sugar dissolves, about 30 seconds. Process vinegar mixture, mustard, 1 hard cooked egg yolk (reserve the white), celery seed, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in food processor until smooth. Transfer to medium bowl.

Drain potatoes, then transfer to large bowl. Drizzle 2 tablespoons dressing over hot potatoes and, using rubber spatula, gently toss until evenly coated. Refrigerate until cooled, at least thirty minutes, stirring gently once to redistribute dressing.

Whisk sour cream into remaining dressing. Add remaining hard cooked eggs and egg white to dressing and, using potato masher, mash until only small pieces remain. Add dressing, celery, and onions to cooled potatoes. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve. Salad can be refrigerated in airtight container for 2 days.

Nashville Hot Fried Chicken

2010-07-18T14:32:00.002-06:00

According to the internet and the magazine this is a very popular chicken dish in Nashville. I thought it looked good and given my new confidence in eating spicy foods I thought this would be great. Well it should have come with a warning about just how spicy this dish is. I made the not so hot version and my lips were still burning 48 hours later. I only had one bite and it was enough. No way could I let the kids eat this dish. Everyone else, except for me, loved the food. If you like really really spicy food this dish is for you.

Nashville Hot Chicken
Cooks Country June/July 2010

Brine
2 quarts water
1/2 cup hot sauce
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 (3 1/2 to 4 pound) whole chicken, quartered

Coating
3 quarts peanut or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Whisk water, hot sauce, salt, and sugar in large bowl until salt and sugar dissolve. Add chicken and refrigerate, covered, for 30 minutes or up to one hour.

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in small saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add cayenne pepper, paprika, 1/2 teaspoon salt, garlic powder, and sugar and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer to small bowl.

Remove chicken from refrigerator and pour off brine. Combine flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper in large bowl. Dredge chicken pieces 2 at a time in flour mixture. Shake excess flour from chicken and transfer to wire rack.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Heat remaining oil in large Dutch oven over medium high heat to 350 degrees. Return chicken pieces to flour mixture and turn to coat. Fry half of chicken, adjusting burner as necessary to maintain oil temperature between 300 and 325 degrees, until deep golden brown and white meat registers 160 degrees (175 for dark meat), 20 to 25 minutes. Drain chicken on clean wire rack set inside rimmed baking sheet and place in oven. Bring oil back to 350 degrees and repeat with remaining chicken. Stir spicy oil mixture to recombine and brush over both sides of chicken. Serve on white bread with pickles.

If you think you handle it hotter:
Prepare Nashville Hot Chicken. For spiced oil in step 2, increase oil to 1/4 cup, cayenne to 3 1/2 tablespoons, and sugar to 3/4 teaspoon and add 1 teaspoon dry mustard. Continue with recipe as directed.

Chinese Barbecued Ribs

2010-07-17T09:57:00.003-06:00

Oh goodness these tasted so good. The flavors of the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and ginger really gave the sauce a Chinese taste. The ribs were perfectly tender and sticky. There are a few steps involved and yes it's not a quick meal to make but the time spent on these is well worth the time and effort. Smoking the ribs with tea bags seemed odd to me before I tasted them. It's a subtle smoked flavor that you can't place the flavor of until someone tells you. If you can't find St. Louis style ribs use baby back ribs and check for doneness after one hour.

Chinese Barbecued Ribs
Cooks Country June/July 2010

2 racks pork spareribs (2 1/2 to 3 lbs each) St. Louis Style
8 black tea bags
1 1/2 cups ketchup
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup hoisin sauce
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup dry sherry
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 cup red currant jelly

Cut rib racks in half. Cover tea bags with water in small bowl and soak for 5 minutes. Squeeze water from tea bags and tightly seal in foil packet. Cut vent holes in top of packet.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Whisk 1 cup ketchup, soy sauce, hoisin, sugar, sherry, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and cayenne in large bowl; reserve 1/2 cup for glaze. Arrange ribs, meaty side down, in large disposable roasting pan and pour remaining ketchup mixture over ribs. Cover pan tightly with foil and cook until fat has rendered and meat begins to pull away from bones, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Transfer to large plate. Pour pan juices into fat separator. Let liquid settle and reserve 1 cup defatted pan juices.

Simmer reserved pan juices over medium heat until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes. Stir in jelly, reserved ketchup mixture, and remaining ketchup and simmer until reduced to two cups, 10 to 12 minutes. Reserve one third of glaze for serving.

Open bottom vent on grill. Light about 100 coals; when covered with fine gray ash, carefully pile on one side of grill. Arrange foil packet directly on coals. Set cooking grate in place and heat, covered, with lid vent open halfway, until tea begins to smoke heavily, about 5 minutes. (For gas grill, place foil packet directly on primary burner. Heat all burners on high, covered, until tea begins to smoke heavily, about 5 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and shut other burners off.) Scrape and oil cooking grate. Arrange ribs, meaty side down, on cool side of grill and cook, covered, until ribs are smoky and edges begin to char, about 30 minutes.

Brush ribs with glaze, flip, rotate, and brush again. Cover and barbecue, brushing glaze every 30 minutes, until ribs are fully tender and glaze is browned and sticky, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Transfer to cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest 10 minutes. Serve with glaze.

Spice Crusted Grilled Pork Chops

2010-07-12T10:58:00.002-06:00

So again the original recipe called for pork tenderloin and yet again I couldn't find it on sale anywhere so I subbed pork chops for the tenderloin. I'm not sure if the over the top spicy heat came from the fact I used pork chops or if it's just a really spicy hot dish. Either way I could only get through half my pork chop although my father and husband ate all of theirs. I think next time I'll cut the peppercorn and mustard seeds in half and not put as much rub on the chops or tenderloin. This was another quick and easy dish that was done from start to finish, after getting charcoal to temperature, in 35 minutes. The original recipe also called for coriander seed, which while I'm not a big fan of I couldn't find my bottle of them so I subbed dried minced garlic.

Spice Crusted Grilled Pork Chops
adapted slightly from Cooks Country June/July 2010

3 lbs boneless pork chops or 2 pork tenderloins (1 1/2 to 2 lbs each)
1 1/2 tablespoons mustard seeds, cracked
1 tablespoon dried minced garlic, or 1 tablespoon coriander seed, cracked
1 teaspoon black peppercorns, cracked
1 teaspoon Demerara or turbinado or brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 large egg whites

Heat grill, gas or charcoal, for 15 minutes. Scrape and oil grate.

Pat pork dry with paper towels. Combine mustard seeds, garlic, peppercorns, sugar, salt, and cornmeal on rimmed baking sheet. Place cornstarch in large bowl. Beat egg whites in second large bowl until foamy. One at a time, coat pork chops lightly in cornstarch, dip in egg whites, and transfer to rimmed baking sheet to coat with spice mixture.

Spray pork chops with cooking spray and grill, covered, turning occasionally, until browned all over. Transfer to the cooler side of the grill and continue to cook until it reaches between 145-160 degrees. It took mine about 10 minutes total.

Peach Brown Betty

2010-07-11T10:23:00.002-06:00

This dish did not last long in our house. Everyone snapped it up and enjoyed it. The peach flavors stood out and the topping was nice and crunchy. The dish was easy to make and while not a thirty minute dessert it was done in about 45 minutes. I can imagine this dish would have been even better if the peaches we in season from somewhere local. I used some that were rock hard and somewhat tart. However it still turned out pretty tasty.

Peach Brown Betty
Cooks Country June/July 2010

Topping
4 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into pieces
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces and chilled
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Peach Filling
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 1/2 lbs peaches, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2 inch wedges
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Pulse bread and butter in food processor until coarsely ground. Set aside. Combine sugar and cinnamon in small bowl.

Melt butter in large nonstick ovensafe skillet over medium high heat. Cook peaches , stirring occasionally, until they begin to caramelize, 8 to 12 minutes. Off heat, stir in 1 cup crumb mixture, sugars, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt.

Top peach mixture with remaining crumbs. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake until topping is golden brown and juices are bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool ten minutes. Serve warm.

Scalloped Corn

2010-07-09T09:43:00.002-06:00

I thought this dish was one of the best side dishes I've ever made. I couldn't stop eating it. The flavors came together wonderfully to make a very pleasant tasting dish. The dish, as I knew it in the past, was made with cream of something soup and creamed canned corn. It wasn't very pleasing. I was so excited to see that Cooks Country redid the recipe and made it the way it should be. Overall the dish was easy to make. It wasn't exactly quick to make but you can make it ahead and then it would be a quick dish.

Scalloped Corn
Cooks Country June/July 2010

14 Ritz crackers
1 slice hearty white sandwich bread, torn into pieces
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
12 medium ears corn, husks and silk removed ***if using out of season corn add up to one tablespoon sugar
1 1/4 cups half and half
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Spray 8 inch square baking dish with cooking spray. Pulse crackers, bread, and butter in food processor until coarsely ground.

Cut each ear in half crosswise. Stand ear on its cut, flat end and, using chef's knife, cut off kernels. Repeat with remaining ears. Bring kernels, half and half, salt, and pepper to boil in large saucepan. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, covered, until corn is tender, 20 to 30 minutes.

Puree 2 cups corn mixture in blender until thick and smooth. Return puree to cooked corn and stir to combine. Transfer corn mixture to prepared dish. Top with crumb mixture and bake until golden brown, 7 to 10 minutes.

MAKE AHEAD: Once transferred to baking dish in step 3, filling can be refrigerated, covered, for up to three days. Refrigerate crumb topping separately. Bring filling to room temperature, cover with foil, and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Increase temperature to 450 degrees, remove foil, top with crumb mixture, and bake until golden brown 7 to 10 minutes.

Chicken Parmesan Roll Ups

2010-07-08T09:05:00.003-06:00

This dish had its good point and a few bad points. Good points it was easy to make and cooked pretty quickly. The bad points it was missing something. It just tasted off to me. However Don loved it. Supposedly this was a 30 minute recipe but I'd say it took a little closer to 45 minutes. Not sure if it was because I was having trouble shredding the cheese or if it was just a little more needy than the recipe claimed. Overall if I make this again I'll be adding something else to the dish to give it more flavor.

Chicken Parmesan Roll Ups
Cooks Country June/July 2010

1/2 cup olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
6 thin cut boneless skinless chicken cutlets about 1 1/4 lbs
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
salt and pepper

Adjust oven rack to upper middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in half of basil. Transfer half of sauce to 8 inch square baking dish.

Combine mozzarella and Parmesan in medium bowl; reserve 1/2 cup. Add remaining basil to remaining cheese. Pat cutlets dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Top cutlets with basil cheese mixture, leaving 1 inch border at bottom of cutlets. Roll up tightly and arrange, seam side down, in prepared baking dish.

Toss bread crumbs with remaining oil in small bowl. Top chicken with reserved cheese, remaining sauce, and bread crumb mixture. Bake until chicken is cooked through and crumbs are golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve.

Peppered Turkey Club Panini

2010-07-07T09:42:00.003-06:00

This was another recipe I changed slightly before making. I'm not a fan of smoked turkey so I used peppered turkey instead. This turned out to be a favorite with the adults. I made the kids without mayo and arugula. Very simple dish to make. The recipe says 30 minute supper but I had them all made in less than 20 minutes. The longest part of the dish is cooking the bacon but if you make the bacon earlier it will save you time. I did use the arugula for the sandwich but next time I'll just use spinach. It's easier to find and personally I think it tastes better. I also did not use a grill pan or the sun dried tomato oil to cook the bread. I used butter because I remember from past experiences that I do not like sun dried tomato. Turns out I did really like the mayo mix which is made from sun dried tomatoes. Overall this was a hit and will be joining the rotation of quick, simple, and easy dishes.

Peppered Turkey Club Panini
adapted from Cooks Country June/July 2010

8 slices bacon
1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, patted dry, and minced
4 shakes of Tabasco sauce
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 cup mayo
8 slices thick cut crusty bread (I used a roasted garlic bread)
1/2 pound thinly cut deli swiss cheese
1/2 pound thinly cut deli peppered turkey
2 cups baby arugula
butter

Arrange bacon in single layer on paper towel lined plate. Cover with paper towels and microwave until crisp, about 5 minutes. Combine sun dried tomatoes, Tabasco sauce, pepper, and salt with mayo in small bowl.

Brush butter over one side of bread. Place bread, butter side down, on cutting board. Spread each slice with flavored mayo. Layer half the cheese on bread, then top with turkey, bacon, arugula, and remaining cheese. Top with remaining bread, butter side up.

Heat grill pan or large nonstick skillet over medium heat for one minute. Place 2 sandwiches in pan and weight with Dutch oven. Cook sandwiches until golden brown and cheese is melted, about 5 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining sandwiches. Serve.
Brush

Grilled Pork Chops and Garlicky Potato Salad

2010-07-05T12:32:00.003-06:00

So the original recipe called for pork tenderloin and I thought it was way too expensive the day I shopped to purchase tenderloin so I subbed pork loin chops. Honestly the spice rub was bland. I'm not sure if I just didn't make enough spice rub for the chops or if the spice rub was just missing something. The pork chops turned out so so. However the star of the dish was the potato salad. It was an interesting twist on a potato salad and one that we loved. The flavors blended well together and the garlic flavor you could actually taste. From start to finish both dishes took me 35 minutes, which isn't too far off of the 30 minute supper it claimed to be. The potato salad will be added to our rotation of dishes but the grilled tenderloin/pork chops will not.

Grilled Pork Chops/Tenderloin and Garlicky Potato Salad
Cooks Country June/July 2010

2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and sliced 3/4 inch thick
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons brown sugar
salt and pepper
1/2 cup drained jarred roasted red peppers, chopped
3 tablespoons drained capers
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2-2 lbs pork chops or pork tenderloin

Toss potatoes and 2 tablespoons oil in large bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and microwave until edges of potatoes are translucent, 4 to 7 minutes, shaking bowl (without removing plastic) to redistribute potatoes halfway through cooking. Meanwhile, combine vinegar, garlic, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in large bowl. Slowly whisk in remaining oil until emulsified. Stir in roasted peppers, capers, and parsley.

Pat pork dry with paper towels and season with 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and remaining sugar. Grill over hot fire until browned on all sides and meat registers 145 degrees, about 5-6 minutes for the chops and 12 minutes for the tenderloin. Grill potatoes until charred and tender, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer pork to cutting board and tent with foil. Toss grilled potatoes with dressing to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Slice pork, if using tenderloin, and serve with potato salad.

Baked Doughnuts

2010-06-19T09:09:00.002-06:00

I made these doughnuts on a whim. I was gifted a doughnut pan for my birthday and finally decided it was time to give it a try. These doughnuts were so easy to make. Given the fact my kids love doughnuts a quick and easy recipe was needed. Start to finish it took me 25 minutes for 6 doughnuts. Everyone has loved these doughnuts. We are selling them at a yard sale today and everyone who bought one asked for the recipe. Next time I make them I plan on trying to make a chocolate flavored doughnut.

Baked Doughnuts
King Arthur Flour

1 cup Unbleached Pastry flour or Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons dried buttermilk powder
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons water

Directions

Whisk together all of the dry ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, oil and water (or buttermilk or yogurt) until foamy.
Pour the liquid ingredients all at once into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined.
Butter or grease the doughnut pan; non-stick pan spray works well here. Note: even though the pan is non-stick, since the doughnuts are low-fat they may stick unless you grease the pan first. Fill each doughnut form half full.
Bake the doughnuts in a preheated 375°F oven for 10 to 12 minutes. When done, they'll spring back when touched lightly, and will be quite brown on the top.
Remove the doughnuts from the oven, remove them from the pan, and allow them to cool on rack. Glaze with icing, or coat with cinnamon-sugar or any non-melting sugar.

Garlic Pork Shoulder

2010-06-13T13:35:00.003-06:00

I can't even begin to explain how good this pork shoulder tasted. I will say every person in my house plus the neighbors house at this dish and there were no leftovers. The original recipe calls for it to be cooked in an oven. I did mine on the grill. It was too hot that day to leave the oven on for hours plus I thought using the grill with some smoke would add to the flavor and it did. Next I wrote down cilantro as the herb needed and after shopping and prepping the dish I realized it called for basil. The change didn't really matter as it turned out very tasty. I don't think I could use basil for it now.

Garlic Pork Shoulder
adapted from Relish Magazine

1 garlic head, separated into cloves and peeled
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
2 cups chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 (4 to 4 1/2 lb) bone in pork shoulder

Place garlic, salt, peppercorns, and cilantro in the bowl of a food processor. Process until garlic is chopped. Add olive oil and vinegar and process to form a thick paste. Score top of pork with knife all over. Rub garlic mixture over meat, place in a large bowl or bag and refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight.

Prepare grill. Once it is heated add a packet of smoking chips, I used hickory, and place over the fire. Cook over indirect heat for about 3 hours, turning every thirty or so minutes. Once the pork is fork tender and has reached an internal temperature of 160 degrees F place the pork over the heat and brown all sides.

Let pork cool slightly and then chop or tear into large chunks.

Gourmet Green Salad with Homemade Red Wine Vinaigrette

2010-06-06T13:00:00.003-06:00

I love salad. I love salad even more when its served with a homemade dressing. This recipe takes two items I love and combines them well. This salad recipe is also easily adapted to ingredients you have on hand so don't think you can't make this just because you don't have all the ingredients listed. This came from one of my favorite blogs, Melanie and My Kitchen Cafe. We have the same taste in food and like many of the same recipes. If you haven't checked her out you really need to visit. This is a very simple salad recipe with a simple to make salad dressing. Making your own croutons is just an added bonus especially if your like me and can't stand the ones you buy.

Gourmet Green Salad with Homemade Red Wine Vinaigrette
My Kitchen Cafe

Salad:
10-12 cups mixed greens
1 pound white button mushrooms, sliced
2 ripe, fresh pears, sliced thinly
1/4 cup thinly sliced Parmesan cheese (use a vegetable peeler to do this)
1 large carrot (or about 5-6 baby carrots), thinly sliced
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 to 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
5-7 slices of bacon, cooked and coarsely chopped
3 cups of homemade croutons (see Mel's blog for a how to recipe if you don't know how)

Put mixed greens in a large salad bowl. Top with other ingredients and toss. Serve with red wine vinaigrette dressing below (or any other favorite salad dressing).

Red Wine Vinaigrette:
2/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup red onions, finely grated (about 1/4 of a large red onion)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons salt
ground pepper to taste
2 cups canola oil

Add all ingredients except oil in a blender. Blend well. While processing, slowly add the canola oil and blend well. Transfer dressing to a jar or cruet. It keeps well in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks (although I’ve found it gets a little thick if it is too cold so I’ll pop it in the microwave for 5-10 seconds to help thin it out before I use it if it has been in the refrigerator for several days).

Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri

2010-05-18T18:56:00.002-06:00

I had oodles of strawberries last week and after making numerous desserts with the strawberries I decided to try something different. The kids loved this drink and I made it several times over a two day period much to their delight. I tried several recipes before settling on combining a few recipes together to make a drink we really liked. This may not taste like a traditional daiquiri and it might not be the perfect recipe for you but this is one that shows sometimes you have to combine a few recipes to get one that works for your family.

Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri

4 ounces fresh strawberries, roughly chopped
splash of sweet and sour mix (probably 1 ounce)
sugar to your taste, for us it was about 1 tablespoon (the strawberries were a tad sour)
4-7 ice cubes, the range is depending on how thick and icey your want your drink
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Blend everything but the ice cubes in blender. Add ice cubes one by one until desired consistency is reached.

Banana Bread

2010-05-11T09:36:00.003-06:00

We love banana bread in our house which is good because I always forget to serve bananas until they have turned all black and brown. I've discovered that waiting to use these bananas until they are really black and brown and really really squishy is it magnifies the banana taste in bread. So this has been the perfect solution to forgetting all about the bananas. I've tried hundreds of different recipes and I always seem to really like the ones with some unusual ingredients. I love using sour cream or yogurt in banana bread. They add a flavor and a tenderness to the bread that can't be beat. However this time around I discovered I had neither on hand so I started looking on the internet for a recipe with an ingredient that's different. King Arthur Flour (I love their recipes and their flour!) helped me out with a recipe. It called for apricot jam or orange marmalade. I'm not a fan of orange marmalade and as it turns out my husband ate all the homemade jars of marmalade and the few store bought jars I had on hand so I used my homemade apricot jam. Now I seriously was worried it would taste weird but was willing to give it a try. You really couldn't tell it had jam in it but there was a hint of something different in the bread. In the end I was only able to get one piece cause the kids ate the whole loaf. Big hit in this house.

Banana Bread
King Arthur Flour

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
2/3 cup brown sugar, light or dark, firmly packed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium or 2 large bananas)
3 tablespoons apricot jam or orange marmalade, optional but tasty
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs
2 1/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Directions

1) Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 5" loaf pan.

2) In a large bowl, combine the butter, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, beating till smooth.

3) Add the mashed bananas, jam, honey, and eggs, again beating until smooth.

4) Add the flour, then the walnuts, stirring just until smooth.

5) Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan, smoothing the top. Let it rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.

6) Bake the bread for 45 minutes, then gently lay a piece of aluminum foil across the top, to prevent over-browning.

7) Bake for an additional 25 minutes. Remove the bread from the oven; a long toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center should come out clean, with at most a few wet crumbs clinging to it. The tester shouldn't show any sign of uncooked batter. If it does, bake the bread an additional 5 minutes, or until it tests done.

8) Allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Remove it from the pan, and cool it completely on a rack.

Hoosier Pork Tenderloin Sandwich

2010-05-02T14:31:00.002-06:00

I noticed these in the latest Food Network magazine and showed them to my husband. He couldn't wait to give them a try. In the picture and in Indiana they make this sandwich to be oversized. I felt as a family we didn't need to have such a big sandwich so I used thin cut boneless pork chops instead of the pork tenderloin and making a big piece of meat. It worked great and probably helped cut a few calories out of this dish. This isn't something we will be eating on a regular basis, due to the high calorie count that I'm sure this dish had, but every once in awhile it will make an appearance.

Hoosier Pork Tenderloin Sandwich
Food Network Magazine May 2010
Made as listed in the magazine it is suppose to make 4 sandwiches. Done the way I made it I had enough meat to make 8 sandwiches.

2 pounds center cut boneless pork loin (I used 8 thin cut boneless center cut pork chops, if using the chops skip the pounding with a mallet)
2 large eggs
2 cups buttermilk
2 cloves garlic, crushed
kosher salt and ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I used 1 teaspoon hot sauce)
2 sleeves saltines (about 80 crackers)
2 cups instant flour (like Wondra)
oil, for frying
4-8 hamburger buns, split
1/3 cup mayo
3 tablespoons yellow mustard
1/2 head iceburg lettuce, shredded
2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
4-8 dill pickle slices

(No need for this step if you use chops) Cut the pork crosswise into 4 equal pieces. Put each piece flat on a cutting board and slice horizontally almost in half (stop about 1 inch from the other side). Open like a book. Sprinkle each piece with water, place between 2 pieces of heavy duty plastic duty and pound to 1/4 inch thick with a mallet or heavy skillet.

Whisk the eggs, buttermilk, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper, and the cayenne (or hot sauce) in a shallow bowl. Add the pork, cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

Pulse the crackers into coarse crumbs in a food processor, then transfer to a shallow dish. Put the flour in another dish. Remove each piece of pork from the marinade, letting the excess drip off. Dredge both sides in flour, dip in the buttermilk marinade again, then coat with the cracker crumbs.

Heat 1/4 to 1/2 inch oil in a large heavy bottomed skillet over medium high heat until a thermometer registers 360 degrees. Fry the pork in batches until golden and cooked through, about 3-5 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.

Spread both halves of each bun with mayo and mustard. Layer the lettuce, tomatoes and onion on the bottom halves. Add a piece of pork and a few pickles slices. Cover with bun tops.

Kitchen Tip: Pepperoni on Pizza

2010-04-25T09:27:00.004-06:00

If your like my family our favorite part of pepperoni pizza is the extra crispy pieces. Whenever we order pizza its a fight for those slices that have the extra crispy one on them. Cook's Country magazine talked about how to make those extra crispy pepperoni's on homemade pizza and it's worked well for us. Now every piece of homemade pizza has several pieces of the much loved pepperoni and an added bonus doing this removes some of the fat from the pepperoni. It's simple and takes just a minute to do this.
Place a doubled paper towel on a plate. Add pepperoni to the paper towel to cover the plate or as many pieces as you think you will need. Add another doubled paper towel to the top. Place in microwave for about 1 minute. Now you can use the pepperoni on your pizza and it's minus some of the fat and already started to crisp up.

Winner of the Cooking Light Magazine Subscription

2010-04-25T09:26:00.002-06:00

Jaylene! If you will email your address I'll get it started for you. n_baron@msn.com

Cobb Salad Sandwiches

2010-04-22T21:49:00.004-06:00

I think these are all the rage right now. Everyone seems to be talking about these. I should have posted this months ago and been the one to introduce them. I love Cobb salad. A few years ago you wouldn't have been able to talk me into trying one because I didn't like egg or blue cheese. Amazing how your tastes change as you get older. I've done sandwich as a chopped dish served inside of a pita which makes a fun dish to serve at a potluck or a party. The possibilities are really endless. I won't give exact amounts as each person will make it different so this is just a rough guideline to build you a really delicious sandwich that has flavors that blend together wonderfully.

bread (in the picture I used Harmon's roasted garlic bread but any bread will do)
lettuce (I prefer romaine but iceburg or even spinach works)
tomato, sliced
bacon (turkey or real doesn't matter)
avocado, sliced
deli turkey (I get the Boar's Head peppered but even leftover turkey from Thanksgiving works)
slice of cheddar cheese (only because dh thinks a sandwich isn't a sandwich without cheese)
one half a hard boiled egg, chopped
Roquefort dressing or if you don't like blue cheese Ranch dressing

Layer the sandwich in the order listed or however your heart desires. Enjoy!

Vegetable Pasta Salad

2010-04-21T13:52:00.003-06:00

This dish turned out to be a huge hit with everyone in the family. It was simple and easy and will be perfect during the summer with farm fresh vegetables. The recipe called for napa cabbage and a purple cabbage and I didn't have either on hand so I used a bag of coleslaw mix that had been sitting in the fridge for a week. I can't wait to try it with Napa cabbage but the coleslaw mix was a great substitute. I left the bean sprouts out since I hate bean sprouts. This dish is going to be a regular in this house.

Vegetable Pasta Salad
Kristen at Coloring Outside the Lines

1 package linguine noodles, cooked, rinsed, and cooled (I used the Smart Choice noodles in a yellow box)

1/2 head sliced Napa cabbage, or more to taste ( I used 3/4 of a bag of coleslaw mix)

1/2 head sliced purple cabbage, or more to taste

1/2 bag baby spinach, or more to taste

1/2 red bell pepper, sliced thinly

1/2 yellow bell pepper, sliced thinly

1/2 orange bell pepper, sliced thinly

1 bag bean sprouts (or a generous handful) (DID NOT USE)

1 bunch cilantro

4+ green onions, sliced,

1 can cashews, lightly toasted in skillet

Dressing Ingredients:

1 whole lime, juiced

8 Tbsp. olive oil

8 Tbsp. soy sauce

2 Tbsp. sesame oil

1/3 c. brown sugar

3 Tbsp. fresh ginger, grated (MUST be fresh)

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 - 2 fresh jalapenos, chopped

chopped cilantro

Mix salad ingredients together. Whisk dressing ingredients and pour over salad right before serving.

Homemade Butter

2010-04-17T09:59:00.002-06:00

I try to buy organic dairy goods when I can but the price on organic butter is really high so I started thinking about making my own. I found a great cookbook titled The Home Creamery which has recipes for all kinds of dairy items you can make at home. I've been playing with making all of the items in the book. So back to my quest of serving organic dairy goods and I've discovered that our local grocery store marks down organic heavy whipping cream Sunday nights to between 25 cents and $1 which makes for some really cheap organic dairy items. Yes this means I have to use the whipping cream right away but for organic butter, buttermilk, sour cream, ricotta cheese, and others its a steal of a deal. Homemade butter is the first of these items I've made that I'm featuring here. It's really easy to make and honestly now I have a hard time using store bought butter.

Homemade Butter
The Home Creamery

4 cups (2 pints) heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt

For best results your cream should be about 60 degrees F when you begin. If it's too warm, your butter will be soft and won't keep well; if it's too cold, your butter will never form.

In a mixer fitted with the paddle, process the cream until it turns to fine, solid pieces. It will go through several processes to get to this point, from frothy to soft whipped cream to coarse whipped cream to solid bits, and the color will change from off white to pale yellow. This can take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes.

Let the butter stand about 5 minutes. The liquid, called buttermilk, will separate from the butter during this time. Set a fine meshed sieve over a medium bowl. Scrape the butter mixture into the strainer and let the buttermilk strain. Strain the buttermilk again through a fine meshed sieve and save for another use if desired.

Transfer the butter to a colander and knead it with a wooden spoon, potato masher, or two forks to remove excess water and blend granules. Pour off the water occasionally, and continue kneading until most of the water has been removed and the butter becomes firmer. This will take about 10 minutes. Mix in salt; this will help retard spoilage as well as add flavor. Keep working until the butter is dense and creamy and all liquid has been worked out, about 10 minutes.

You can form the butter into any shape you wish at this stage: You can make it a simple block or press it into ramekins or molds. When your done wrap the butter in wax paper and keep it in the refrigerator.

Peach Glazed Ham

2010-04-13T15:11:00.003-06:00

I made this for Easter Sunday. Ham is a tradition in our house on Easter. We usually buy the spiral cut ham and use the sticky glaze that sort of just runs off the ham when applied so I was very interested in this recipe from Cooks Country. The original recipe called for Peach Schnapps which we didn't have on hand so I just left it out.

Peach Glazed Ham
Cooks Country April/May 2010

1 (7 to 10 lb) spiral sliced bone in ham
1 (12 oz) jar peach perserves
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Remove ham from packaging and discard plastic disk covering bone. Place ham in oven bag. Tie closed and cut 4 (2 inch) slits in top of bag. Transfer bagged ham to large roasting pan and let stand at room temperature for 1 1/2 hours.

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Bake ham until internal temperature registers 100 degrees, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, bring peach preserves, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring often, until mixture is very thick and reduced to 1/3 cup, about 45 minutes. Off heat, whisk in butter.

Combine remaining brown sugar and cayenne pepper with the dry mustard in a small bowl. Remove ham from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. Cut open oven bag and roll back. Using a pastry brush, paint ham with glaze. Carefully press sugar mixture onto exterior of ham with hands. Return to oven and bake until dark brown and caramelized, about 20 minutes. Transfer ham to cutting board, loosely tent with foil, and rest 15 minutes.

Grilled Ham and Cheese

2010-04-11T15:17:00.003-06:00

I love a little local diner called The Burger Stop. It's a cute little place done in a 50's theme and they have old car shows throughout the summer. However my favorite thing about this place is the grilled ham and cheese sandwich they have. Its the perfect blend of flavors and is just plain good. However driving over and dropping $25 every time I get a craving for this sandwich gets to be expensive and a time killer. So I've worked on making it on my own and think I've finally perfected it.

Grilled Ham and Cheese

2 slices bread, I prefer wheat or sourdough but white works too
1 tablespoon mayo, I use Best Foods but you could probably sub whatever you have or like
2 teaspoons honey mustard
2 slices of tomato
4 pickles slices
about a palm's worth of shredded lettuce
butter, to spread on the bread
about 3 ounces deli ham, I get my deli meat shaved so you may need more or less depending on how you get your meat sliced
2 slices deli cheddar cheese, I also like using horseradish cheddar
garlic salt

To assemble and cook:
Butter one side of each piece of bread and sprinkle with garlic salt.
Place butter side down on griddle or nonstick frying pan, heated over medium heat.
Add one slice cheese, ham, pickles, tomato, lettuce, and remaining slice of cheese.
On the other slice of bread butter and sprinkle one side with garlic salt. Mix together mayo and mustard. Spread the other side of the bread with the mayo/mustard mixture and place the mayo/mustard side down on the cheese.
Cook on one side until golden brown then gently flip over and cook until cheese is melted and the other side is golden brown.

Maple-Glazed Pork Tenderloin

2010-04-04T22:20:00.000-06:00

I know Norah and family have still been recuperating and I finally made something! I shared the photo with Norah and she requested that I post it to her blog. I did have to have the forethought to make this meal. It does require a little bit of time. I enjoyed it thoroughly but I'm biased towards sugary things.

Maple-Glazed Pork Tenderloin
**reciped adapted from America's Test Kitchen Light & Healthy 2010**

3/4 cup maple syrup(I used grade A dark amber, just NOT pancake syrup)
1/4 cup light or mild molasses
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of ground red pepper
1/4 cup constarch
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-3 pounds pork tenderloin
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard(I had grey poupon)

1. Ajdust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Set a wire rack over a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and set aside.(Side story: I never understood this step and I once skipped it in another recipe and learned my lesson. I think I threw the pan away.)

2. Combine 1/2 cup of the maple syrup, molasses, cinnamon and ground red pepper in a small bowl and set aside. Whisk the cornstarch, sugar, black pepper and salt together and spread into a shallow dish.

3. Pat tenderloin dry with paper towels and then roll in cornstarch mixture until evenly coated on all sides. Heat oil in a 12 inch non stick skillet over medium heat until just smoking. Carefully lay tenderloin (if it doesn't fit into your skillet, cut tenderloin in half before rolling in cornstarch mixture) in the skillet and cook until well browned on all sides, 8 to 12 minutes, turning as needed. Transfer pork to the prepared baking sheet.

4. Pour off any excess fat from the skillet and return to medium heat. Add the syrup mixture to the skillet, scraping up any browned bits, and cook until the mixture has reduced to 1/2 cup, 2 to 4 minutes. Measure out and reserve 2 tablespoons of glaze.

5. Brush tenderloin with 2 tablespoons of the reduced glaze. Bake until thickest part of the meat registers 135 degrees on a thermometer, about 30 minutes. Brush tenderloin with another 2 tablespoons of reduced glaze. Bake until thermometer registers 145 degrees, about another 10 to 15 minutes. Pull from oven.

6. Brush tenderloin with remaining reduce glaze and let rest, uncovered, until thermometer registers 150 degrees, about 10 minutes.

7. While the tenderloin rests, stir the remaing 1/4 cup syrup, reserved 2 tablespoons of reduced glaze and mustard in a small dish. Cut tenderloin into 1/4 inch thick slices and drizzle with syrup-mustard sauce.

Cheese Straws

2010-04-02T20:05:00.003-06:00

I first posted these way back when I first started my blog. I loved them then and I still love them. I thought they deserved to be bumped up and I new picture given to them since I first posted them. I can't even begin to explain how much these cheese straws are loved in our house. We serve them with everything and sometimes we just make them to snack on. They are perfect gifts although they are fragile.

1 sheet frozen puff pastry(1/2 box), thawed on counter for 10 minutes
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1. Adjust two oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 425 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Place puff pastry on sheet of parchment and sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese and 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Place another sheet of parchment over cheese and, using rolling pin, press cheese into dough by gently rolling pin back and forth. Without removing parchment, carefully flip dough over, cheese side down. Remove top layer of parchment and sprinkle pastry with remaining cheese, salt, and pepper. Cover pastry with parchment and continue to roll out, if necessary, to form 10 1/2-inch square.

2. Remove top sheet of parchment and, using sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut dough into fourteen 3/4-inch-wide strips. Holding each end, gently twist strips of dough in opposite direction and transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing strips about 1 inch apart.

3. Bake immediately, until fully puffed and golden brown, about 10 minutes, reversing positions of baking sheets from top to bottom halfway through baking time. Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes before serving.

Big and Chewy Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies

2010-03-30T13:04:00.003-06:00

Well here I am back blogging about food. I know this isn't part of the Cooking Light challenge I was doing and sadly most of the food I bought for that challenge went bad while I was laid up. I think I'm calling the contest and will be posting the winner later this week. Most of the family has now fully recovered from the horrible colds we had. Let me just say whatever I really had, doctors all disagreed over a diagnosis's, was the worst thing that has hit be since being a mom. I started off with a really bad kidney infection and ended up with bronchitis and strep throat. The kids were just as sick as I was. The good news is we are all finally feeling better with just a lingering cough to remind us of how sick we were.

I made these cookies just as I started feeling better cause everyone wanted a treat. These were easy to make with great flavor. I'm going to give them a try in the future with chocolate chips instead of raisins. They were very chewy which is how I prefer oatmeal cookies. The recipe makes about 18 large cookies. Do not overbake these cookies. The edges should be brown but the rest very light in color. Also you can reduce the granulated sugar to 3/4 cup if you'd prefer a less sweet cookie but you will lose some of the crispness.

Big and Chewy Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies
The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook

1 1/2 cups (7 1/2 oz) unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (I used ground nutmeg)
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed (7 oz) light brown sugar
1 cup (7 oz) granulated sugar
2 eggs
3 cups (9 oz) old fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups raisins

Adjust the oven racks to upper middle and lower middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg in a medium bowl; set aside.

In a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until combined, about 30 seconds.

Decrease the speed to low and slowly add the dry ingredients until combined, about 30 seconds. Mix in the oats and raisins until just incorporated.

Divide the dough into 18 portions, each a generous 2 tablespoons, and roll them between your hands into balls about 2 inches in diameter. Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.

Bake, switching and rotating the sheets halfway through the baking time, until the cookies turn golden brown around the edges, 22 to 25 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 2 minutes; using a wide metal spatula, transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool to room temperature.

An update on Norah

2010-03-18T22:52:00.002-06:00

I'm Norah's sister Mary.

Norah has not been feeling well at all. My nephews, her children, also haven't been 100% healthy. Now I'm no mother but I know that being sick and taking care of sick really drains a person of all other energy.

That being said, she has been unable to post new recipes or hold her contest. Once she is well again she will pick up where she left off.

If I had time to cook, I'd be posting but alas no food cooked by me. Unless you guys are really dying to know my secret of pasta and butter. Or my secret of Wendy's late night. Drop a comment and maybe I'll think about it.

Until her return, I like to do 4 things:

1-Look at old photos on Norah's blog and satiate my hungers away.
2-Do the exact same thing at The Pioneer Woman.
3-Ditto on My Kitchen Cafe.
4-Pretend I'm Bakerella.

Cooking Light Challenge Breakfast #2 Blueberry Pancakes

2010-03-10T08:39:00.002-07:00

We love pancakes in our house. My husband and I love blueberry but the kids prefer plain. The nice thing about this recipe is you can just skip the blueberries since you don't add them to the batter. The article about the pancakes mention using chocolate chips or bananas too so don't think you have to just use blueberries. These do reheat well so if you make extra you could freeze them then have an easy breakfast through out the week. The batter was thicker than most pancake mixes but the pancakes were still very tender. This is not a sweet pancake but surprisingly the kids really loved them.

Don't forget to leave a comment to be entered into the drawing. Every time you leave a comment on a recipe during my cooking light challenge you will be entered to win a year's subscription to Cooking Light magazine. Feel free to mention it on your blog, websites you visit, and/or facebook. LMK that you did in a comment and I will give you an extra chance in the drawing.

Blueberry Pancakes
Cooking Light August 2009

2.25 oz all purpose flour (about 1/2 cup)
2.38 oz whole wheat flour (about 1/2 cup)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 cup vanilla fat free yogurt
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup fresh blueberries

Weigh or lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours and next 5 ingredients (through nutmeg) in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Combine yogurt, and next 4 ingredients (through eggs) in a small bowl; add to flour mixture, stirring until smooth.

Pour about 1/4 cup batter per pancake onto a hot nonstick griddle or nonstick skillet. Top each pancake with 2 tablespoons blueberries. Cook 2 minutes or until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked. Carefully turn pancakes over; cook 2 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Yield: 4 servings (serving size:2 blueberry pancakes).

Calories: 272
Fat: 8.8 g (4.5 g sat, 2.5 g mono, 0.8 g poly)
Protein: 9.5 g
Carb: 40.1 g
Fiber: 3.2 g
Chol: 122 mg
Iron: 2 mg
Sodium: 403 mg
Calc: 192 mg

Cooking Light Challenge Dinner #1 Hoisin and Lime Marinated Grilled Chicken

2010-03-08T08:27:00.003-07:00

This was a delicious meal. I loved the chicken as did everyone else. An added bonus was how quick it was to put together and cook. I mixed the marinade up in less than five minutes and mixed it with the chicken. Next time I think I'll freeze the meat in the marinade so it has some added time to pick up the flavors. I used chicken tenders since I had them on hand and it took about 8 minutes to cook them on the grill. The whole time spent working on this meal was less than 15 minutes. I served grilled pineapple rings with the chicken.

Don't forget to leave a comment to be entered into the drawing. Every time you leave a comment on a recipe during my cooking light challenge you will be entered to win a year's subscription to Cooking Light magazine. Feel free to mention it on your blog, websites you visit, and/or facebook. LMK that you did in a comment and I will give you an extra chance in the drawing.

Hoisin and Lime Marinated Grilled Chicken
Cooking Light July 2007

1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon grated lime rind
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
8 garlic cloves, minced
6 (6 oz) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
cooking spray

Combine hoisin sauce, ginger, and next 5 ingredients (through garlic) in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken to bag; seal. Marinated in refrigerator for 2 hours, turning bag occasionally.

Prepare grill.

Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade. Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray, and grill for 5 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Yield: 6 servings, serving size 1 chicken breast.

Calories: 243
Fat: 4.5 g (0.9 g sat, 0.6 g mono, 0.7 g poly)
Protein: 39.9 g
Carb: 6.4 g
Fiber: 0.4 g
Chol: 99 mg
Iron: 1.5 mg
Sodium: 618 mg
Calc: 24 mg

Winner of the Magazine Giveaway

2010-03-07T08:05:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the delay but I was having computer issues tomorrow. Sara is the winner of the Simple and Delicious magazine. Send your address to n_baron@msn.com and I'll get it in the mail. Thanks!

Cooking Light Lunch #1Open-Faced Beef Sandwiches with Greens and Horseradish Cream

2010-03-06T11:50:00.004-07:00

This sandwich turned out really tasty. At first I was a little worried as my husband picked this one but there was no need to worry. I did do a few things differently then the original recipe (which I'll post). I used spinach instead of arugula as every store in my local area was out of arugula the day I did my shopping. Second I left the creme fraiche out of the horseradish creme. And the last thing I did different was used thinly sliced deli meat instead of flank steak. Mainly I used the deli meat because the local store wanted $9.99 lb for flank steak and I felt that was way too pricey. My big mistake was not warming the deli meat up, which the next time I would do, because the sandwich was a little cold. Overall this recipe makes it to the make it again pile.

Don't forget to leave a comment to be entered into the drawing. Every time you leave a comment on a recipe during my cooking light challenge you will be entered to win a year's subscription to Cooking Light magazine. Feel free to mention it on your blog, websites you visit, and/or facebook. LMK that you did in a comment and I will give you an extra chance in the drawing.

Open-Faced Beef Sandwiches with Greens and Horseradish Cream
Cooking Light October 2008

Horseradish Cream:
2 1/2 tablespoons drained prepared horseradish
2 tablespoons light sour cream
2 tablespoons creme fraiche

Sandwich:
3 1/2 cups vertically sliced onion (about 2 large)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 (1 lb) flank steak, trimmed
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 cups trimmed arugula
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
4 (1 1/2 oz) slices Texas toast, lightly toasted

To prepare cream, combine horseradish, sour cream, and creme fraiche in a small bowl; cover and chill.

Preheat broiler.

To prepare sandwich, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and 1/8 teaspoon salt to pan; cover and cook 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Uncover and cook 10 minutes or until onion is golden brown.

Sprinkle steak with 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper. Place steak on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; broil 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut steak diagonally across the grain into thin slices. Combine steak and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl, and toss to coat.

Combine arugula, oil, and vinegar in a medium bowl; toss gently. Spread 2 tablespoons horseradish cream over each bread slice; top each with about 1/3 cup onion, 1/2 cup arugula mixture, and 3 ounces of steak. Yield: 4 servings (serving size 1 open-faced sandwich).

Calories: 383
Fat: 12.8 g (5.8 g sat, 4.6 g mono, 0.7 g poly)
Protein: 29.5 g
Carb: 36.5 g
Fiber: 4 g
Chol: 47 mg
Iron: 3.1 mg
Sodium: 543 mg
Calc: 186 mg

Cooking Light Breakfast #1 Muesli with Cranberries and Flaxseed

2010-03-05T14:48:00.006-07:00

This breakfast was easy to put together the night before with only combining a few things to finish it off. Prep work took me maybe 5 minutes total. Overall the breakfast was quick and easy to make. The taste was surprising good. I really liked the dish and it kept me full for almost 4 hours. The only thing I would do different would be to use vanilla yogurt in place of the plain yogurt. I just think I would have liked vanilla yogurt better or even the Greek honey yogurt that I love. The recipe makes 6 servings.

Don't forget to leave a comment to be entered into the drawing. Every time you leave a comment on a recipe during my cooking light challenge you will be entered to win a year's subscription to Cooking Light magazine. Feel free to mention it on your blog, websites you visit, and/or facebook. LMK that you did in a comment and I will give you an extra chance in the drawing.

Muesli with Cranberries and Flaxseed
Cooking Light Jan./Feb. 2009

2 cups regular oats
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup wheat germ
1/3 cup ground flaxseed
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups 1% low fat milk
3 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted
3 tablespoons chopped pecans, toasted
3 tablespoons pumpkinseed kernels, toasted (I left these out cause I could not find them locally)
3 cups plain fat free yogurt
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl; pour milk over mixture, stirring to combine. Cover and chill 3 hours or overnight. (I did it overnight)
Combine nuts and pumpkinseed kernels in a small bowl. Spoon 3/4 cup oat mixture into each of 6 bowls. Top each serving with 1/2 cup yogurt; sprinkle each serving with 1 1/2 tablespoons nut mixture, and drizzle with 1 teaspoon maple syrup.

Calories: 421
Fat: 12.4 g (sat 2.2 g, mono 4.8 g, poly 4.3 g)
Protein: 19.5 g
Carb: 62.4 g
Fiber: 6.6 g
Chol: 7 mg
Iron: 3.5 mg
Sodium: 162 mg
Calc: 457 mg

Cooking Light Challenge

2010-03-05T08:51:00.003-07:00

For the next few weeks I'll be posting a recipe a day from Cooking Light magazines. I love this magazine and usually find loads of tips, recipes, and exercises in this magazine. I'll be posting seven recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I may add a dessert or two but I'm not a big fan of serving dessert everyday. The plan is to post a recipe a day and share my thoughts on the dish. Also I've weighed myself and I'll post how much weight I did lose during the week on the final day of posting recipes. I'll be doing exercise too so the weight loss won't just be due to the meals. Also at the end of my "challenge" I'll be giving away a years subscription to the magazine to a lucky winner or two or possibly three. To enter for a chance to win you just need to comment on the recipes. Each comment earns you a chance to win. If you blog about the contest or post it on facebook or any other website lmk and I'll add an additional entry for each one. I'm thinking it will take 21-24 days to post all the recipes at a rate of one per day. Check back later today for the first recipe which will be a breakfast dish.

Another Magazine Giveaway

2010-02-28T15:32:00.003-07:00

And yet another magazine I forgot I subscribe to and bought at the bookstore. My mistake is your gain. If you'd like to win this magazine just leave a comment. I'll leave this giveaway open until Friday 3/05 at 10 p.m. and I'll announce the winner Saturday morning.

This is a Taste of Home Simple and Delicious magazine February 2010 issue. It has some great recipes that are easy to make. I usually adapt the recipes in this magazine since I try to avoid processed foods. I have pretty good luck at doing that so don't turn down the magazine just because of that fact. I love the Express Lane recipes. It provides menus and a shopping list for dinner Monday through Friday. Great feature if you like having a menu and a list provided for you. I also like the 30 minute meal feature. The magazine even offers a ready in 10 minutes section. Trust me you'll get use out of this magazine.

Garlic Spiked Homestyle Hash Browns

2010-02-24T16:39:00.003-07:00

These hash browns turned out really tasty. They were really simple to make too. I served these for dinner but these would be great for a breakfast side dish. The recipe called for a red onion and I was out so I used a yellow onion. Also to save time you can boil the potatoes up to days before you wanted to make this dish and place them in a sealed container in the fridge. You could also change the herbs some and come up with several different flavor combination's. The exchange for a diabetic is as follows:
2/3 cup serving, 1 1/2 starch, 1/2 fat; 120 calories, 33 calories from fat, 4 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 300 mg sodium, 19 g total carbohydrate, 2 g dietary fiber, 1 g sugars, 3 g protein

Garlic-Spiked Homestyle Hash Browns
The All Natural Diabetes Cookbook

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp unsalted butter, divided
1 cup chopped red onion,
2 large garlic cloves, minced
3 medium Yukon gold or red potatoes, boiled with peel, chilled and diced in 1/2 inch cubes (about 4 cups)
3/4 tsp sea salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp ground cayenne red pepper, or to taste
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives

Heat the oil and 1 tsp butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Saute the onion for 3 minutes, then add garlic and saute for 1 minute.

Add the potatoes and cook for 5 minutes or until potatoes are lightly browned, turning occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining butter. Sprinkle evenly with salt and red pepper. Stir in parsley and chives.

Salsa Verde

2010-02-21T11:07:00.002-07:00

Surprising this turned out to be very tasty. I've never tried green "salsa" before because to be honest green isn't very appetizing when your use to a red salsa. We ended up really liking this dish and have made it twice since. I found this recipe in The All-Natural Diabetes Cookbook. Here are the exchanges on this dish: free, 20 calories, 5 calories from fat, 1 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 75 mg sodium, 4 g total carbohydrate, 1 g dietary fiber, 2 g sugars, 1 g protein. A serving size is 1/4 cup.

Salsa Verde
The All Natural Diabetes Cookbook

1/2 lb tomatillos, husks removed and rinsed (6 to 8 tomatillos)
1/4 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
1 slice medium white onion
1 large garlic clove
1/8 tsp sea salt or to taste
1 tbsp lime juice (optional)

Place the whole tomatillos in a large saucepan and fill with water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes or until softened.

Drain and chop the tomatillos. Puree half of them, along with the cilantro, onion, and garlic, in a blender until smooth.

Return the puree to the saucepan and add the remaining chopped tomatillos. Cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt and lime juice (if using). Serve at room temperature.

Basil Vinaigrette

2010-02-20T09:16:00.003-07:00

Don't let the coloring fool you this was a great tasting dressing. Once it's on your salad you won't notice that it's green in color. The flavors combined well to make a great tasting vinaigrette. It's simple and easy to make and so much better tasting than a bottled dressing.

Basil Vinaigrette
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 of a shallot
1 garlic clove
4 fresh basil leaves (larger ones, if you have small ones you may need more)
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in food processor and process until blended smooth.

Fruit Water

2010-02-17T09:30:00.002-07:00

One of our goals this year was to stop drinking soda. Our family had stopped a few years ago but then one good sale of soda later and we were addicted to it again. We stopped cold turkey again. Yes it's been hard but I'm looking at the long term health benefits and they far outweigh our love for soda. Since stopping soda I've allowed kool-aid, which to me is almost as bad as soda, for the kids but I still needed something. The Biggest Loser Simple Swap book had a recipe for a fruit water which sounded like something I'd love. I have been drinking this drink for almost 4 weeks now and have made a few improvements to the original. Hopefully you'll like it as much as I have.

Fruit Water
adapted from The Biggest Loser Simple Swaps Book

1/2 of a lemon, cut thinly
1/2 of a lime, cut thinly
1/4 of a orange, cut thinly
5-6 grapes
1/8 teaspoon citric acid
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 quarts water

Mix water, citric acid, and sugar until the citric acid and sugar dissolve. Add fruit and stir. (I like to crush the grapes just a little in the water. Place in the fridge to get chilled or serve with ice.

Sweet Pork Barbacoa Salad

2010-02-15T10:44:00.002-07:00

Here is the final result of all the previous recipes. It was a huge hit at the birthday party and something I'd make again for a family get together.

Now to make the salad place the following things on the plate in order listed:
1. Large Flour TortillasUse homemade or buy the uncooked ones and cook them on a griddle. Sprinkle some cheddar cheese on top and cook until the cheese is melted. Place the cheesy tortillas in a cake pan.
2. Cilantro Lime Rice
3. Black Beans
4. Sweet Pork Barbacoa
5. Romaine Lettuce
Wash thoroughly, and cut into large squares.
6. Pico de Gallo
7. Guacamole
8. Lime Wedges
9. Grated Cotija cheese
10. Cilantro sprigs
11. Crispy Tortilla Strips Just cut some corn Tortillas in thin strips and quickly fry until crisp. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with a little bit of salt.
12. Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

Cafe Rio Pork Barbacoa

2010-02-14T12:00:00.003-07:00

Here is the sweet pork that I made for the Cafe Rio salad. It turned out really good. I cooked the pork in the oven at 300 for about 6 hours instead of using the crock pot. Mainly I did this because I've decided I'm not a huge fan of meat cooked in the crockpot. The directions below are for using the crockpot. Also I made my own enchilada sauce, sadly I forgot to take a picture but if your interested I'll get the recipe up soon. Tomorrow I'll be putting all the ingredients together for the salad.

Cafe Rio Pork Barbacoa

Pork Roast: Put it in a crock pot with a little water and cook until very tender (about 8 hours on low).
Shred pork and add:
1 can enchilada sauce
2 cloves minced garlic
1 small can diced green chilies
1 can Coke (not diet coke)
1 cup brown sugar
salt to taste
Cook for one more hour.

Black Beans

2010-02-13T09:23:00.002-07:00

This is the second recipe I used in recreating the Cafe Rio salad. If you don't want to use canned beans I've used 1 cup of cooked black beans for a can of beans before with great results.

Black Beans
1 can black beans, rinsed
2 Tbl finely mined onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp ground cumin
1 cup tomato juice
3 Tbl chopped Fresh Cilantro
1 tsp salt
Fry onion, garlic and cumin in a small amount of olive oil. Add beans, tomato juice, cilantro and salt and heat through.

Winner of the Giveaway

2010-02-12T09:25:00.000-07:00

Comment 2 Melanie. Just drop me an email at n_baron@msn.com and I'll get that in the mail as quickly as I can. Thanks!

Cilantro Lime Rice

2010-02-11T15:27:00.002-07:00

Over the next few days I'll be posting the recipes I used to recreate the Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Barbacoa Salad for a birthday party. On the last day I'll show you how the salad came together. I have to say this was a big hit at the party and there were no leftovers.

Cilantro Lime Rice
3 c water
3 c rice
3 chicken bouillon cubes
1 tsp salt
¼ cup lime juice
1/2 small onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 bunch cilantro, remove large stems
1 small can green chiles

Place water, rice, bouillon, and salt in pot. Bring to boil. Place lime juice, onion, garlic, cilantro and green chilies in a blender and puree. Stir into rice. Simmer, covered, for about 25 minutes.

Super Bean Burritos

2010-02-09T10:19:00.002-07:00

I love the blog My Kitchen Cafe. I'd say I check her blog daily for new recipes. We seem to both like the same foods so her blog is a favorite. Well she posted these burritos and I knew we had to try them cause we love burritos in our house. My husband declared these the best burritos ever and then helped me make two more batches to keep in the freezer for future lunches and meals. I had wanted to make these smothered but time got away from me so I ended up topping the burritos with homemade pico de gallo and guacamole. Give this a try you'll never go back to store bought frozen burritos again.

Super Bean Burritos
Melanie at My Kitchen Cafe

1 cup brown or white rice (or 2 cups already cooked rice)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 jalapeno, seeds and membrane removed, finely diced (can substitute 1 can of green chiles)
1 teaspoon cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cans (15 oz. each) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups water
1 (10 oz) package frozen corn or 1 can whole kernel corn, drained
6 green onions, white and green parts finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

16 burrito-sized (10-inch) flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Cook rice; set aside. Meanwhile, heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, jalapeno and cumin; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened and golden, being careful not to let the garlic burn. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring for 1 minute.

Add one can of beans and mash gently in the pan (a potato masher or fork works great here). Add the second can of beans and the water and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 10-12 minutes, being careful not to let the mixture stick to the bottom of the pot. Add corn; cook to heat through, 2-3 minutes. Stir in onion and garlic powders. Remove from heat; stir in green onions and cooked rice.

Heat tortillas in microwave for about 30-45 seconds or until all are warmed through.

Fill each tortilla with about 2/3 cup bean and rice mixture and 1/4 cup cheese on one side of tortilla. Fold, and hold in sides. Starting from filled end, holding sides in as you work, tightly roll into a bundle. Place on a baking sheet, seam side down, and prepare remaining burritos.

Serve warm immediately, with salsa and sour cream if desired -- or, to freeze for later consumption, put the baking sheet of burritos into the freezer for at least 30 minutes, or until very cold so that they don't come apart in the wrapping process. Remove them from the freezer and wrap each burrito individually in plastic wrap and place all the wrapped burritos in a freezer-safe resealable bag and freeze up to three months.

To reheat from frozen:
Remove plastic wrap from the burrito. Poke holes in the top several times with a fork. Microwave on high for two minutes. Gently poke a few more holes in the burrito and microwave for another minute. Be careful as the burrito will be piping hot!

Giveaway

2010-02-09T10:12:00.002-07:00

I'm giving away the Jan/Feb. 2010 issue of Cooking Light. Somehow I forgot I subscribe to this magazine and I bought a copy at the store. This issue has loads of great looking recipes along with their new rules and tips to make healthy eating simple. The giveaway is simple. Just comment on this post saying you would like the magazine. Feel free to enter more than once if you'd like. The contest is open until Thursday at midnight. I'll announce the winner Friday.

Salmon with Lemon and Dill

2010-02-08T09:43:00.003-07:00

I can't believe I'm posting another seafood recipe so soon after the last as I'm not a fan of seafood. However my husband loved this dish and he wants me to remember how I made it so we can make it again. I searched all over the internet for a quick and easy salmon recipe that I had all the ingredients on hand to use which led me to combine three recipes into one.

Salmon with Lemon and Dill

2 salmon fillets
2 tablespoons butter
juice from one lemon
1 teaspoon dried dill, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
pepper

Melt the butter in a pan over medium high heat. Sprinkle the salmon, on one side, with the juice, dill, and parsley. Add pepper to your taste. Place the sprinkled side down in the butter and cook about 10 minutes. Watch so it doesn't burn. Flip the salmon over and cook another 5-10 minutes or until salmon flakes easily.

Sticky Wings

2010-01-31T20:17:00.004-07:00

Great addition to any super bowl party! And easy to make to boot. Most of the cooking is done in the slower cooker which makes it really easy. Then you use your broiler for a few minutes to finish up the wings. The flavors were not spicy but provided great taste. You can't go wrong with this dish.

Sticky Wings
Cooks Country Feb/March 2010

1 3 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 pounds chicken wings, halved at joint and wingtips removed
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup tomato paste

Pulse ginger, garlic, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne in food processor until finely ground. Add mixture to slow cooker insert. Add chicken and toss until combined.

Cover and cook on low until fat renders and chicken is tender, 3 to 4 hours. Using slotted spoon, remove wings from slow cooker and transfer to clean large bowl (discard the liquid in slow cooker). Let wings cool 20 minutes (or cool briefly and refrigerate up to 24 hours).

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat broiler. Set wire rack inside rimmed baking sheet and spray rack with baking spray. Whisk water, tomato paste, remaining sugar, remaining soy sauce, and remaining cayenne pepper in bowl. Add half of sauce to bowl with cooled wings and toss gently to coat. Arrange wings, skin side up, on prepared rack. Broil until wings are lightly charred and crisp around edges, 10-15 minutes. Flip wings, brush with remaining sauce, and continue to broil until well caramelized, about 3 minutes.

Crossroads Coop 1/2010

2010-01-30T11:07:00.004-07:00

Produce Share $10
5 lb bag red potatoes
1 red leaf lettuce
2 lb green grapes
5 roma tomatoes
3 grapefruit
2 red bell peppers
5 apples
3 cucumbers

For more information see their website.

Recipes for using up the produce:
Classic Potato Salad
Thai Beef Salad

Bountiful Baskets Coop 1/30

2010-01-30T10:59:00.002-07:00

Mexican Pack cost $7.50
one pack tortillas
1 bunch green onions
3 avocados
1 bunch cilantro
2 yellow onions
1 garlic
10 tomatillos
10 limes
6 peppers ( I believe anahiem)
4 jalapeno's

Conventional Basket $16.50
3 lbs pears
4 zucchini
2 red bell peppers
7 small cucumbers
6 oranges
10 bananas
4 grapefruit
11 apples
9 tomatoes
1 lb carrots
1 romaine lettuce
1 bunch asparagus

If your interested in the program check out their website.

The Best Biscuits

2010-01-27T14:22:00.003-07:00

I'm not making this up these are the best biscuits I have ever made. Plus, this is my favorite part of this recipe, I didn't have to struggle to cut in the butter. These biscuits had the best flavor of any biscuit I've ever made and they were so flaky. The recipe isn't hard and I promise you its worth the little effort required to make these. If all you've ever made are canned biscuits your in for a big treat. The recipe calls for vinegar and cream, both of which I did not have on hand. I used buttermilk when I made these biscuits as such I'm listing the buttermilk. If you'd like to try it with the vinegar and cream let me know and I'll post the amounts.

Best Biscuits
Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day

1 cup (8 oz) buttermilk
1/2 cup (4 oz) frozen unsalted butter (needs to be in the freezer for at least 30 minutes)
1 cup (4.5 oz) all purpose flour
3/4 cup (3.5 oz) pastry flour (you can use all purpose flour)
1 tablespoon (.5 oz) sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons ((.5 oz) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon (.13 oz) salt or 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Whisk the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl.

Place a cheese grater over the bowl of dry ingredients. Remove butter from freezer, unwrap it, and grate it through the large holes into the dry ingredients.

Use your fingertips to separate and distribute the butter pieces evenly, breaking up any clumps but not working the butter so much it disappears or melts into the flour. Add the buttermilk and stir with a large spoon until all of the flour is hydrated and the dough forms a coarse ball. Add a tiny bit more buttermilk if necessary to bring the dough together.

Transfer the dough to a generously floured surface, then dust the top of the dough with flour. Working with floured hands, use your palms to press the dough into a rectangle or square about 3/4 inch thick. Use a metal pastry scraper to lift the dough and dust more flour underneath. Dust the top of the dough with flour as well, then roll it out into a rectangle or square about 1/2 inch thick. Then, using the pastry scraper to help lift the dough, fold it over on itself into three sections as if folding a letter.

Rotate the dough 90 degrees, then once again lift the dough and dust more flour underneath. Dust the top with flour as well, the once again roll it out into a square or rectangle about 1/2 inch thick and fold into thirds. Give the dough another quarter turn and repeat procedure again. Then, repeat one final time (four roll outs in all).

After the fourth rolling, dust under and on top of the dough one more time, then roll the dough out to just under 1/2 inch thick, in either a rectangle or an oval. Use just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface.

Cut the biscuits with a floured pizza cutter. Transfer the biscuits to an ungreased sheet pan (lined with parchment paper) placing them about 1/2 inch apart.

Let the biscuits rest for 15-30 minutes before baking. Even better, place the pan in the refrigerator to chill.

About 20 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Transfer the biscuits to the oven and lower the oven temperature to 450 degrees, or 425 for a convection oven. Bake for 8 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for another 6-10 minutes. until both the tops and bottoms of the biscuit are a rich golden brown. The bake time will be shorter in a convection oven. The biscuits should rise about 1 1/2 times in height.

Place the pan on a wire rack, leaving the biscuits to cool on the hot pan for at least 3 minutes before serving. The biscuits will stay warm for about 20 minutes.

Hamburger Buns II

2010-01-26T14:15:00.002-07:00

I've been playing with hamburger bun recipes for ever without finding the perfect one. This is the closest I've come to making the prefect bun. It was easy to make and they tasted wonderful. I added the optional onion powder and although I loved it if your not a fan of onion taste in your bread you may want to leave it out. You could taste it in the bun. Next time I make these I plan on topping them with sesame seeds or dried onion. I just love hamburger buns that have either of those two additions to the top. I don't know why I didn't think of adding it to the buns this time. I served these with the pulled pork from two day ago but you can use these for almost anything. The sloppy joes recipe I have would be great with these buns.

Hamburger Buns II
King Arthur Bakers Companion

1 cup (8 oz) water
2 tablespoons (1 oz) butter
1 large egg
3 1/4 cups (13 3/4 oz) unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 cup (1 3/4 oz) sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon instant yeast
1 teaspoon onion powder (optional)

Combine all ingredients and mix and knead them together- by hand or mixer- until you've made a soft, smooth dough. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover it, and let it rise for 1 hour.

Divide the dough into 8 pieces and shape each piece into a flattened ball. Place the buns on greased baking sheets, cover, and let rise 30-40 minutes, until they're quite puffy.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake the buns for 12 to 15 minutes, until they're golden brown. Remove them from the oven and cool them on a rack. Split and use for burgers or sandwiches.

Sweet and Tangy Barbecue Sauce

2010-01-24T15:46:00.002-07:00

Loved this sauce. Honestly after having tried dozens of recipes for bbq sauce and knowing how simple most are to make I'm surprised anyone still buys the way too sweet sauce at the store. This ranks up there as one of my all time favorite bbq sauce recipes. The flavors blended together wonderfully and really complimented the pulled pork I posted yesterday. If you haven't tried making your own sauce you really should give it a try.

Sweet and Tangy Barbecue Sauce
Cooks Illustrated Jan/Feb 2010

1 1/2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup light or mild molasses
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup of the cooking liquid, defatted, from yesterday

Whisk all ingredients together. Serve.

Indoor Pulled Pork

2010-01-23T10:05:00.002-07:00

I love pulled pork. I don't think there is a recipe I see for pulled pork that I don't make. My favorite way is outside with tons of smoke for flavor. During the summer I meet so many neighbors who find their way to our house due to the smells coming from the grill. When winter hits I don't do much smoking on the grill but I still crave the dishes I can make. This recipe, while not as perfect as the outdoor smoking, did help with my craving. It is quite easy to make although the cooking process takes time. I made my own bbq sauce for this dish, which I'll share tomorrow, but you could substitute your favorite kind of store bought or your own homemade sauce.

Indoor Pulled Pork
Cook's Illustrated Jan/Feb 2010

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons table salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons liquid smoke
1 boneless pork butt (about 5 lbs), cut in half horizontally
1/4 cup yellow mustard
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
2 tablespoons smoked paprika (you can substitute sweet)
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Dissolve 1 cup salt, 1/2 cup sugar, and 3 tablespoons liquid smoke in 4 quarts cold water in large container. Submerge pork in brine, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

While pork brines, combine mustard and remaining 2 teaspoons liquid smoke in small bowl; set aside. Combine black pepper, paprika, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, remaining 2 teaspoons salt, and cayenne pepper in second small bowl; set aside. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees.

Remove pork from brine and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Rub mustard mixture over entire surface of each piece of pork. Sprinkle entire surface of each piece with spice mixture. Place pork on wire rack set inside foil lined rimmed baking sheet. Place sheet of parchment paper over pork, then cover with aluminum foil, sealing edges to prevent moisture from escaping. Roast pork for 3 hours.

Remove pork from oven; remove and discard foil and parchment. Carefully pour off liquid in bottom of baking sheet into a fat separator and reserve for the sauce. Return pork to oven and cook, uncovered, until well browned, tender, and internal temperature registers 200 degrees on instant read thermometer, about 1 1/2 hours. Transfer pork to serving dish; tent loosely with foil, and rest for 20 minutes.

To serve: Using 2 forks, shred pork into bite-sized pieces. Toss with one cup sauce and season with salt and pepper. Serve, passing remaining sauce separately.