Cucina di Harwood

Chicken and Black Bean Tacos

2012-02-08T16:22:00.000-07:00

I almost considered putting "messy" somewhere in the title of this recipe but was a little worried it would scare people away from trying it. ;) They are messy but man are they worth it! These little tacos are deceptively simple and surprisingly delicious. I had tried experimenting with something else and when that didn't really work, I modified it for this recipe instead. So yummy!

Just a note: for this recipe, I used canned Parmesan cheese. Normally I believe in using only freshly grated Parmesan cheese. While that would work for this recipe, there is something about the canned variety that gives it a nice flavor.

Chicken and Black Bean Tacos
Recipe from Cucina di Harwood

2-3 chicken breasts
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can black beans, drained
1 can diced tomatoes {the sweet onion variety is really yummy!}
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Canned Parmesan cheese
Shredded cheese
Shredded lettuce
Corn tortillas

Directions:
Cook your chicken breasts, using the skillet method, in 2-3 cloves garlic. When cooked through, shred. Add the beans, tomatoes, cumin and Worcestershire sauce; cook for 5 minutes, uncovered. When ready to serve, sprinkle with canned, grated Parmesan cheese, per your preference. Serve on warmed corn tortillas with shredded cheese and lettuce. Fold in half and eat up!

How To: Cook Chicken

2012-02-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

A lot of people out there aren't going to need to read this post. If you are one of the people in this world who already has a killer chicken cooking method, please just look through the archives for some other deliciousness or come back tomorrow because I do have a yummy recipe for you then.

Cooking chicken is really a simple thing. However, I have known a lot of people {including myself} who get a little scared with cooking chicken. It is one of those things that you definitely want to be cooked through and in an effort to be sure it's entirely done, it often becomes dry and over-cooked. So I'll share here three methods for cooking chicken that always work for me. Please note that these chicken cooking methods are meant for when you need precooked chicken for a recipe {like the one I'll share tomorrow}.

The Skillet Method {my personal favorite}:
This is my favorite method because it's fast, it works for me every single time, and it makes the most delicious, moist chicken. Yum! I love it.
Choose as many chicken breasts {or thighs} as you'll need and that will fit in the skillet you will use. If you use frozen chicken, be sure it is thawed before beginning this method.

You'll need:
Chicken
1 Tbsp oil
1 garlic clove for every chicken breast you are cooking, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Skillet
Lid to fit said skillet

Pour your oil into the pan and let it get hot {have your temperature set to about medium-low}. If you're not sure the oil is hot, add a small bit of garlic. If it begins to sizzle, the oil is hot. If it just sits there, it needs to be heated a little more. Add the garlic and allow it to sizzle and cook for a few moments - just be careful not to let it burn. Add the chicken and cook it for exactly two minutes. Turn the chicken over and cook the other side for exactly two minutes. {I'm not lying here, people - this works! Exactly two minutes.} At this point, add the salt and pepper to your preference. Now put a lid on that chicken, turn on a timer for 6-8 minutes {the length of time will vary depending on the thickness of your chicken. A thicker breast usually takes closer to 8 minutes. I've also had rather thin fillets finish cooking in 5 minutes, though it has to be pretty thin.} and allow it to cook - no peeking until your timer goes off! When the timer goes off, you can check your chicken to see if it needs more time {I usually just slice open the thickest part of the meat - I'll just be cutting or shredding it anyway so I don't mind if it has a slice through it}. If the juices run clear - as in, they aren't pink at all - your chicken is done. If there is still a little pinkness to the meat or juice, cook it for another minute or two. Voila! Quick, delicious chicken.

Crock Pot Method:
What you'll need:
Chicken
Chicken broth or stock
Seasonings to fit your preference

Place the chicken into your crock pot. Pour chicken broth over the top. It doesn't have to be completely covered in broth but it will need to cover a fair amount of it. Season according to your preference. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or until the chicken is cooked through.

Boiling Method:
I like this method when I need something a little faster than the crock pot method and I still want to cook a lot of chicken {usually with less effort than the skillet method}.
What you'll need:
Chicken
Water
Chicken Bouillon
Seasonings to fit your preference

Place the chicken in a large stock pot. Add water until the chicken is covered. Add chicken bouillon according to the measurements on the package. {You could also just use chicken broth or stock or plain water. I like the flavor from the broth or bouillon better than just water.} Add the seasonings according to your preference. Heat the water to medium-high and boil slowly for about 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

Note: my brother-in-law uses the boiling method when he wants to have barbeque grilled chicken. He gets the chicken cooked up by boiling it and then marinates it in barbeque sauce in the refrigerator, often overnight. Then he puts it on the grill and lets it heat up and get some of the grilled flavor. It's so much faster than barbequing raw chicken and you don't have to worry about whether or not it's cooked. And it still tastes really good!

For each of these methods, you can easily cook the chicken up, shred it and place it in the freezer for quick meals.

I hope these methods are helpful for someone. Please let me know if you have any questions.

7Up Biscuits

2012-02-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

When I want a fast, yummy bread-like side for a meal, I make these biscuits. They are so light and airy, a perfect combo with just about any meal. I love how yummy and versatile it is. You could leave out the Italian seasoning for some plain, fluffy biscuits. You could also sprinkle with some cinnamon sugar for a sweeter version. Oh, so good!

7Up Biscuits
Recipe from Your Homebased Mom
Yield: 9-10 good sized biscuits
Takes: 10 -15 minutes, plus baking time

2 C Bisquick
1/2 C sour cream
1/2 C 7-up
1/4 C melted butter
Italian Seasoning

Directions:
Add sour cream into Bisquick and mix together; add 7 Up. The dough will be very soft. Sprinkle additional Bisquick onto the counter and pour dough onto it. Gently knead a little additional Bisquick into the dough and then pat the dough out to desired thickness (about 1 inch) Use the bottom of a glass or a biscuit cutter to cut out biscuits. Place melted butter into 9 x 9 pan. Dip each biscuit in the butter and then turn over and place into the pan {the dipped part should now be on top so it is topped wit butter as well as sitting in it}. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Bake in a 450 oven until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes.

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts

2012-02-03T08:30:00.000-07:00

I used to think I didn't like Brussels Sprouts. I'm really not a big fan of steamed vegetables. Some people hear that and think I'm nuts. And maybe I am. But I can't help it. I just can't love it. And since that was the only way I had ever been introduced to Brussels sprouts, I didn't think I liked them. However, this recipe is just another example to me of how vegetables can become so tasty if you just prepare them a different way. {I first learned that with asparagus.} We got some Brussels sprouts in our bountiful basket a couple weeks ago and since we really do want to try everything I decided to look up other ways to eat it besides steaming it. And holy moly am I glad I did! I liked these so much, I made them two nights in a row {for those of you who know how much I hate having the same thing two days in a row, you know this is a big deal}. My mouth is watering as I look at all these pictures. I think I need to go make some more.

First, it's a nice, bright green.

Then we'll add some sugar for sweetness.

It begins to add some more golden color.

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts
Recipe from Eat, Live, Run!
serves 2-4 as a side-dish
Time: 20 minutes

12-14 large brussels sprouts
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
Shake of kosher salt
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup almond slivers, toasted

Directions:
Slice each Brussels sprout very thin until you have a mound of Brussels sprout ribbons. I also made sure to chop up the center part of the sprout really well. It doesn't create "ribbons" like all the leaves of the sprouts and I didn't want huge chunks. So just chop it up, too. Heat the olive oil over medium high in a large skillet and saute the garlic for 30 seconds. Add the Brussels sprouts and continue sauteing for another 4-5 minutes, until bright green and tender. Add the sea salt and brown sugar and toss together. Finish by adding the toasted nuts.

Don't forget the delicious nuts.

Eat up! So yummy!

Strawberry & Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast

2012-02-01T09:30:00.000-07:00

This is the best stuffed French toast I've ever had. I'm rarely a fan because the toast is just soggy and mushy - so not good. But this stuff was good. It was tender inside {without being mushy}, had a nice crunch from baking and the caramel-y crunchy stuff on the bottom? Delicious! We made this for one of our mornings watching General Conference last October. It may just become a conference tradition.

Strawberry & Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast
Recipe from Jamie Cooks It Up!
Time: 20 minutes prep + overnight refrigeration then 60-90 minutes baking
Yield: 10 servings

1 loaf french bread
1/2 C melted butter
3/4 C brown sugar
1/2 C corn syrup

8 oz cream cheese
1 egg
1/3 C sugar
1/2 C strawberry jam

8 eggs
1 C milk
cinnamon

Fresh Strawberries
Powdered sugar
1. Combine the butter, brown sugar and corn syrup.
2. Slice up your bread. You want the pieces to be about 1/2 inch thick.
3. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Pour the butter/brown sugar mixture in the bottom of the pan.
4. Smooth it all out, so it covers the bottom entirely.
5. Lay your slices of bread on top of the buttery brown sugar. I had to cut some of my slices in half, still turned out great! You can have them touch each other, just not overlap.
6. In a separate bowl combine the cream cheese, egg, sugar and strawberry jam. Beat with hand held beaters (or in your stand mixer) until nice and smooth. Pour it right over the top of the bread.
7. Layer more bread over the top of the cream cheese filling.
8. In another bowl (ok, this takes a lot of bowls!) combine the 8 eggs and 1 C of milk. Whisk them around until well combined. Pour over the top of the bread.
9. Sprinkle the top of the bread with some cinnamon.
10. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
11. Bake in the morning at 350. Depending on how quickly your oven cooks, and how cold you keep your fridge you will need to bake it for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. It needs to soak up all of the egg and milk juice, and have time to caramelize along the bottom. Take the foil off for the last 15 minutes of cooking.
12. Serve with fresh strawberries and powdered sugar. You can also use frozen strawberries. This is the middle of the winter after all! Just be sure they have had a chance to thaw.
Enjoy!

Spinach and Sausage Egg Strata

2012-01-30T06:30:00.000-07:00

This strata may just knock your socks off! Okay, maybe it won't. It's not that powerful. But it is yummy! We made this for a family potluck a couple months ago and everyone really liked it. There is a little bit of preparation time, but the nice thing is you can prepare it when you have the time, pop it into the fridge and then bake it when you're ready to cook dinner. Or you could make it a day ahead and have it for breakfast. You won't be sorry!

Spinach and Sausage Egg Strata
Recipe from Rachael Ray
Yield: 6-8 servings

1 box chopped frozen spinach
3/4 pound breakfast sausage

1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Nutmeg to taste
1/2 pound stake white or French bread, cubed {about 7-8 cups}
12 eggs
2 cups milk
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 cups shredded cheese

Directions:
Defrost the spinach in the microwave and then wring out any excess liquid.
In a skillet, brown and crumble the sausage, drain, then remove to a plate lined with paper towels. Return the skillet to heat and add the onion and garlic {it shouldn't stick because your pan will still be greasy from the sausage, but if it does stick, add a little butter}. Cook until softened, 5-6 minutes. Add the spinach and season with salt, pepper, and a little nutmeg. Turn off the heat and combine with the sausage crumbles.
Arrange half the bread cubes into a 5 quart casserole dish.
Whisk the eggs with the milk, Dijon mustard and some salt and pepper.
Scatter half of the sausage-spinach mixture over the bread, top with half the shredded cheese, pour over half the eggs; repeat for another layer. Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to cook.
Bring the strata to room temperature for about 30 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with the rack in the center of the oven.
Set the casserole on a baking sheet and bake uncovered for about 1 hour. Let stand 10 minutes and serve.

Malibu Chicken Sandwiches

2012-01-28T15:34:00.000-07:00

These sandwiches are so incredibly tasty! Oh boy, we really like them. When we had them this last time I asked myself why I don't cook them more often? It's really pretty easy and they are so yummy! If you're not sure you want to go to the trouble of making these, I'll solve the dilemma for you. The answer is yes, you do. :D

I'll share what I do, which is just a little different from the original recipe. This might drive some people crazy but I'm not going to give a lot of exact measurements. The reason is because this recipe is easily adaptable for however ever many chicken sandwiches you want to make. {If you need exact measurements, please check out the original recipe.}

Malibu Chicken Sandwiches
Recipe from Favorite Family Recipes

Chicken breasts {however many you need to feed your clan}
Egg whites {you'll need about one egg white for every two chicken breasts}
Milk {you need 1/2 Tbsp. milk for every egg white}
Italian bread crumbs {you could use unseasoned but Italian is sooooo tasty!}
Ham slices {you need the same number of slices as you have chicken breasts}
Provolone or mozzarella cheese slices {you'll want twice the number of slices as you have chicken breasts}
Equal parts light mayo, mustard and honey - I used 2 Tbsp of each for four sandwiches {if a sweet sauce is just too weird to you, you could leave out the honey - but I'm telling you that you'll be missing something heavenly if you do}

salt and pepper to taste
Rolls, toasted if desired {equal to the number of sandwiches you'll be making}
Lettuce leaves

Avocado slices, optional

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Line a baking dish {the size will depend on how many chicken breasts you are making} with tin foil and then spray with non-stick cooking spray.
In a shallow dish, whisk together egg whites and milk. Dip each chicken breast in the mixture, then press into the bread crumbs. Heat a little oil in a fry pan and fry each chicken breast just for about 15 seconds on each side.
Place the chicken into your foil lined pan and bake chicken for about 25-30 minutes or until cooked through.

Remove the chicken from the oven and place one cheese slice on each piece, cover with ham, then top with another cheese slice. Place back in the oven for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove from oven.

While the cheese is melting on the chicken breasts, mix together mayo, mustard, honey and salt and pepper. Just use portions that taste good to you. I did equal amounts of each. {Here's a little tip: use the same measuring device for the mayo, mustard and honey. For example, I used a tablespoon. I used the spoon to just dish out the mayo, then squirted the mustard into it and tapped the spoon on my bowl a few times to get as much of the mustard off as possible. Then I squeezed out some honey onto the same spoon and since it was still coated with a little bit of mustard the honey slid right off. Perfect.} Slice open each roll and spread a little of that delicious mixture on each side of the bread. Add chicken, lettuce and avocado. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Note: leftovers aren't as good as the day you make these. They still taste okay but certainly aren't as good.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

2012-01-26T14:58:00.001-07:00

This soup is really, really delicious. It actually tastes so similar to chicken pot pie {just in soup form}. And I since I really love me some chicken pot pie, I really love this soup.

It's perfect for the cold winter weather we've been having.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Recipe from Cooking During Stolen Moments

1 tsp oil
1 onion, diced
3-4 carrots, diced
3-4 stalks celery, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste 4 cups chicken stock or broth
2-3 potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups diced chicken
1/2 tsp dried dill or fresh dill, optional
3 Tbsp. butter or margarine
3 Tbsp. flour
1 1/2 cups milk
Pie crust

Heat oil in a large stockpot. Add onions, carrots and celery. Cook for 2 minutes. Add garlic, season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook an additional 3 minutes. Stir in chicken stock. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer as long as desired, but at least 5 minutes.
Add potatoes and bring soup back to a boil. Reduce heat and boil gently until potatoes are tender. {If using fresh dill, add a few sprigs in with the potatoes and then remove when the potatoes are done.} Stir in chicken.
In a separate pot, melt butter or margarine. Stir in flour and cook 2 minutes. Whisk in milk, bring to a boil and cook until slightly thickened. {You want to create a roux. Go to this link to learn more about creating a roux.} Slowly stir into soup, bring to a boil and simmer until soup is thickened to desired consistency. Stir in optional dill and season again with salt and pepper to taste.

While the soup simmers, roll out pie crust and cut it out into desired shapes. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, just until lightly browned.
To serve, place shapes of pie crust in each bowl and add soup; top with more pie crust shapes. Enjoy!

As you can see, I was too lazy to cut my pie crust into fun shapes. I just baked it up and broke it into pieces.

Holiday Sugar Rush: Vanilla Butterfinger Cupcakes

2011-12-19T05:30:00.000-07:00

This is the very last sugar rush recipe I'm going to post. I don't know about you, but that is probably enough sugar for me!

I've saved something pretty fantastic for the last sugar rush recipe, though. These cupcakes are deliciously good. Seriously. Amazingly. Wonderfully. Yummy. They are also pretty easy. I made them up after a whirlwind all-day-long baking day. We were supposed to take a dessert to my husband's work Christmas party and we had to be there in two hours, plus still make sure our little one got dinner and put to bed before we left. I was able to pull it off because these cupcakes were so easy. And I believe they earned four stars from the reviews everyone sitting at our table gave me. Easy and delicious. That's good enough in my book.

Vanilla Butterfinger Cupcakes
Recipe from Your Cup of Cake
Makes: 24 cupcakes

1 box vanilla cake mix with pudding in the mix
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp oil
2 egg whites + 1 whole egg
1 cup buttermilk {see note below}
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 and line two cupcake pans with liners.
In a small bowl, sift the cake mix to remove any lumps. Add cinnamon and stir. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine egg whites, whole egg, and oil together. Mix just until combined - you don't want to over beat it.
Add buttermilk, sour cream and vanilla to egg mixture and stir to combine.
Slowly add cake mix to egg mixture and stir just until cake mix is entirely moistened.
Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake for 15-17 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan.

Vanilla Butterfinger Buttercream:
3/4 cup {1 1/2 sticks} of salted butter, softened {you can use unsalted but I prefer the flavor of salted}
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
2 crushed Butterfinger bars

Directions:
Beat butter and peanut butter on high for 3 minutes, scraping bowl as necessary. Add vanilla and add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, beating after each addition, until it reaches desired consistency. Add sour cream and mix well. Add more powdered sugar if needed then stir in the crushed Butterfinger pieces.
Pipe onto cooled cupcakes and top with additional crushed Butterfinger pieces. Ta-da! Some delicious cake.

Holiday Sugar Rush: Andes Mint Cookies

2011-12-18T20:30:00.000-07:00

Our sister-in-law made them once for a family function and they were gone so quickly I never even got the chance to try them! My husband told me they were really good so I figured I'd better make some and see for myself. When I asked for the recipe, she told me I could find it on a back of Andes Creme de Menthe baking chips. When I finally found some chips and tried the recipe for myself, I found that everyone was right. These cookies are positively delicious! I have only ever found the baking chips during the holiday season so when I see them I stock up on a few bags to have throughout the year. Because let's be honest, Andes mints are the best. {No, they aren't paying me to say that. I just really really love their mints!} I always get excited when the holidays come around because I see the baking chips coming out again and I dream about making these delicious cookies. Well, okay, I get excited about the holidays for other reasons, too.

Andes Creme de Menthe Chunk Cookies
Recipe from Andes
Makes approx 4 dozen cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar {dark is best, though I have used regular before}
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 package {10 oz} Andes Creme de Menthe Baking Chips
2 2/3 cup flour, sifted

Directions:
Blend butter, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla and eggs until mixed. Stir in Andes Baking Chips and then add flour. Chill approximately one hour in refrigerator before baking.
Once dough has been chilled, heat oven to 350 degrees. After chilling, form the cold dough into 1-inch balls and flatten slightly. Raise oven rack one level above middle and bake on non-stick baking pans or pans that have been lightly greased.
Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cool on pans for two minutes before removing.

Holiday Sugar Rush: Ginger Cranberry Shortbread Wedges

2011-12-18T13:46:00.000-07:00

Can you believe that this shortbread was my introductory foray into the world of ginger? I believe I am quite the fan. The combination of ginger and cranberries with the delicious flavor of shortbread makes these cookies perfect for the holidays.

Ginger-Cranberry Shortbread Wedges
Recipe from Betty Crocker Cookies
Makes approx. 16 cookies

2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/3 cup powdered sugar
3 Tbsp finely chopped crystallized ginger {I found mine in the bulk section of Winco though I'm sure you can find it near the spices in any grocery store}
1 1/3 cups flour
1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped {I used craisins and it worked out fine}
2 tsp granulated sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
In a large bowl, mix butter, powdered sugar and ginger until fully incorporated. Stir in the flour and cranberries.
Form the dough into a rough disk shape. On an ungreased cookie sheet, pat the dough down into a 9-inch circle. Shortbread doesn't really change much when it's baking so remember that the thickness of the dough is about what the thickness of your cookie will be. Sprinkle with granulated sugar.
Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes before cutting. Cut into 16 wedges.

Holiday Sugar Rush: Caramel & Heath Bar Cupcakes

2011-12-17T13:03:00.000-07:00

These cupcakes are deliciously moist and caramel-y. If you have an event you want to take cupcakes to, you can't go wrong with these. Yum!

Note: All cupcake flags and toppers were made using Stampin' Up stamping sets and ink colors.

Caramel and Heath Bar Cupcakes

Chocolate Cupcakes:
Recipe from Your Cup of Cake
¾ cup buttermilk
½ cup oil
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
1 box Devil’s Food Cake Mix
2 Heath Bars, crushed

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 muffin tins with 24 cupcake liners.
Combine buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla.
Sift in (for easy mixing) cake mix and add sour cream. Stir in the heath bars.
Fill liners ¾ full and bake for 18-22 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean. Cool in the pan.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Caramel Sauce

You'll also need Heath Bars, broken into bits or a bag of broken toffee bits

Once cupcakes have cooled and frosting and caramel sauce have been prepared, put the caramel sauce into a squeeze bottle. Poke the tip of the squeeze bottle into the cupcakes and squeeze in caramel sauce until the cupcake begins to expand. Go ahead and poke and fill each cupcake a couple times until all the caramel sauce has been used.
Once you've filled all the cupcakes with caramel sauce, pipe the buttercream frosting onto them. Top with crushed Heath bars.

Holiday Sugar Rush: Caramel Corn Balls

2011-12-17T13:02:00.000-07:00

This caramel corn is perhaps the most delicious I've ever tasted. I know, that's kind of a bold statement. But this is really delicious. The last time I made this, I told myself I would only take a bite out of one of the balls. But once I started I couldn't stop! I have to be very careful when I make this because it is just so good I'm quite certain I could eat a whole batch. I got the recipe from the ever reliable AllRecipes and with just a couple tweaks I think it's perfect. I'm feeling pretty bold today. :)

For this recipe, I recommend using a candy thermometer just because it makes really easy. You can get them pretty inexpensively at WalMart. My thermometer is pretty nifty and even has "soft ball" printed right on the exact temperature that makes it perfect. However, if you don't have a candy thermometer, you can still make this without it. Just see the note below about cooking candy to soft ball stage.

This recipe can be cut in half pretty well. If you want to cut it in half, I recommend using about three bags of popcorn. The other ingredients easily divide in half.

Soft Caramel Corn
Recipe adapted from AllRecipes
Makes: approx 40 popcorn balls, about the size of my fist or slightly larger

5 bag microwave popcorn, popped {or the equivalent in home popped}
2 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1 cup butter
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Spread the popcorn onto a clean surface and carefully pick up the popped kernels, putting them in a bowl, until all that is left is the unpopped kernels; discard.
In a sauce pan over medium-high heat, cook the brown sugar, corn syrup, and butter, stirring constantly. Heat to 235-245 degrees, soft ball stage {see note below}. In my experience this takes between 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and carefully pour in the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla; stir until smooth.
Slowly pour about 1/4 of the caramel sauce at a time over the popcorn, stirring the popcorn after each addition until all the popcorn is equally covered. Cool about ten minutes before forming into balls.
Store in an airtight container and it will stay nice and soft. :)

*Note: Soft Ball Stage refers to syrups being cooked to between 235-245 degrees F. If you don't have a candy thermometer, you can test the syrup to see if it has reached the right stage by placing a small spoonful of the hot syrup into really cold water. You'll know the stage is right if the syrup balls up easily with your fingers in the water but flattens out when you remove it from the water.

Holiday Sugar Rush: Double Chocolate Cherry Cookies

2011-12-16T13:47:00.000-07:00

My hubby is a pretty big fan of cherry. These cookies were a little too chocolatey for me, but I think they were a hit with my hubby and his littlest fan, our daughter.

Double Chocolate Cherry Cookies
Recipe adapted slightly from Betty Crocker Cookies
Makes about 4 dozen

1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup margarine, softened
1/4 milk, room temperature
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 egg
1 3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup dried, chopped cherries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
In a large bowl, beat sugar, butter, milk, almond extract and egg with an electric mixer or spoon until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, soda and coca. Add to the butter/sugar mixture. Stir in the remaining ingredients until incorporated. On an ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart.
Bake 8-10 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched lightly in the center and surface is no longer shiny. Immediately remove to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container.

Holiday Sugar Rush: Lemon Bars

2011-12-16T13:46:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned before that I've been looking for the perfect lemon bar. I was having a hard time finding it. So I finally just started combining and tweaking recipes until I came up with what made me happy. These bars make me happy. I like them slightly chilled, though not completely cold.

Delicious Lemon Bars

Crust:
1 cup butter, cold and cut into small squares
1 3/4 cup flour
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350.
Grease and flour a 9x13 pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Add the butter and cut into the other dry ingredients until well combined and crumbly in appearance. Press mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of the pan and up the sides slightly.
Bake for 17-20 minutes or until slightly golden.

Topping:
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbsp flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 tsp lemon zest
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice {you can use the stuff that comes in a bottle but fresh is better}

Whisk together all dry ingredients and lemon zest. Add the eggs and lemon juice and mix well.
Pour on top of the warm crust and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the topping has set and browned. Cool.
Once cooled, sprinkle the top with additional powdered sugar.
Store tightly closed in the refrigerator.

Holiday Sugar Rush: White Chocolate Popcorn Bark

2011-12-15T13:03:00.000-07:00

This popcorn treat is perhaps the easiest treat you'll make all winter. Because you will make it. I'm just sure of it. :)

White Chocolate Popcorn Bark

2 bags microwave popcorn {I like it with extra butter to give the bark a nice sweet & salty flavor} or equivalent of home popped popcorn
3 large squares white chocolate almond bark
1 1/2 cups pretzels, lightly broken into pieces
Any add-ins you desire {see below}

Directions:
Pop your popcorn according to package directions. Spread the popcorn out on some waxed or parchment paper and remove the unpopped kernels. Melt the white chocolate almond bark according to package directions and drizzle over the popcorn. Sprinkle the pretzels and any desired add-ins over popcorn/chocolate mixture. Allow chocolate to harden, break into pieces, and enjoy!

Possible add-ins:
Chocolate chips
Smooth & Melty Mints {as seen in the photos}
Candy Corn
Reece's Pieces
M&M's

Note: you can also substitute the white chocolate almond bark for milk or semi-sweet for a chocolatey flavor.

Holiday Sugar Rush: White Chocolate and Craisin Cookies

2011-12-15T12:20:00.000-07:00

These cookies are so soft. Somewhat surprising based on how they always look when they are finished, but they really do stay so soft. They also keep well in the freezer so bake up a batch and ~~hide em where no one will see so you can snitch a cookie whenever you feel like it~~ put them in the freezer to save for later.

White Chocolate and Craisin Cookies
Recipe adapted from Jacobs, Powell and Harris

1 cup shortening {butter flavor is best}
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup craisins

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.
Cream shortening and sugars together for 2-3 minutes or until it is light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition; add vanilla.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Set aside.
Add the white chocolate chips and craisins to the wet mixture. Stir in the dry ingredients just until fully incorporated. Be careful not to over mix. If the dough is still really wet, add a couple more tablespoons of flour.
Drop by teaspoon full onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 6-8 minutes. Take out when the cookies still look just a little raw. Leave on the cookie sheet for 2-3 minutes to finish baking. Remove to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Holiday Sugar Rush: Homemade Oreos

2011-12-14T13:30:00.000-07:00

Since we're already on a cake mix cookie kick, we'll just keep up the trend, at least for another recipe. Everyone probably has a recipe for these. Or at least everyone has tasted them before. Nothing can compare to a soft, homemade Oreo cookie. This is the way I've been making these for years. They always turn out so chewy and delicious. I love making them small to get some tasty little bites of Oreo. It's the way to do it. :)

Soft Homemade Oreos

1 chocolate cake mix {I like German chocolate, but devil's food is pretty good, too}
3/4 cup {1 1/2 sticks} melted butter
2 large eggs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Mix all ingredients together until cake mix is completely moistened. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes or until firm. Form the dough into walnut size {or smaller if you are like me and like small little Oreos} balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet two inches apart and bake for 6-8 minutes. They may not look quite done when you take them out - they'll still be just a little raw. Leave them on the sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. This helps make sure you get soft, chewy cookies.

Oreo Frosting:

4 oz cream cheese {half 8oz package}, softened
1/4 cup {1/2 stick} butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 lb {between 3-4 cups} powdered sugar

Directions:
Place the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and two cups powdered sugar in a bowl. Mix together until smooth. Continue adding powdered sugar 1/2 at a time until you get the consistency you want.

And then comes the tricky part:
Assemble Oreos by spreading frosting on one cookie and topping with another. Delicious!

If you want to make these even more festive, you could add some peppermint or mint extract to the frosting. Add it with the vanilla - put between 1/2 and 1 tsp, depending on your preference.
You could also add some finely crushed peppermint before spreading onto the cookies.
Another yummy option would be adding a few teaspoons of orange zest & freshly squeezed juice to the frosting before spreading. Yum!

Holiday Sugar Rush: Three Ingredient Pumpkin Cookies

2011-12-14T11:38:00.000-07:00

The holidays always need a little spice with all the sugar, right? These three ingredient pumpkin are a big hit. I made this for my sister's baby shower and everyone loved them. My cousin even said they were just as good as her mom's more involved and difficult-to-make pumpkin cookies.

Three Ingredient Pumpkin Cookies
Recipe from Nina Wilkins

1 spice cake mix, sifted
1 14 oz can pumpkin pie filling
1 12 oz bag chocolate or cinnamon chips

Mix pumpkin filling and cake mix together until cake mix is completely mixed in. Add the chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 6-9 minutes, or until set and slightly browned. Cool for a couple of minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to wire racks.

Holiday Sugar Rush: Fudge Crinkle Cookies

2011-12-13T16:00:00.000-07:00

Fudge Crinkle Cookies
Recipe from Betty Crocker Cookies

Makes: approx 2 1/2 dozen cookies

1 box devil's food cake mix {a mix with pudding is the best}
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup powdered sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix cake mix, oil, eggs and vanilla with a spoon until a dough forms.
This next step is easier if you refrigerate your dough for about 15 minutes, but it isn't absolutely necessary.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll balls in the powdered sugar. Place balls about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 10-12 minutes, or until set. Allow to finish setting up on the cookie sheet for one minute, then remove to a cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Store tightly covered.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

2011-12-12T15:46:00.002-07:00

This is a basic buttercream recipe, good for cupcakes, sugar cookies and cakes.

Buttercream Frosting
1 cup {2 sticks} real butter, at room temperature {I don't recommend using margarine; it alters the taste and texture too much}
3 1/2 - 4 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Put the softened butter into a bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add one cup of powdered sugar. Using a hand mixer or the whisk attachment on a stand mixer, beat all the powdered sugar into the butter. Add the second cup of sugar; beat until sugar is incorporated. Add another cup of sugar and incorporate. Add the final 1/2-1 cup sugar and beat on medium speed for 4-5 minutes. Trust me on this. Don't try to cut back on the time. Beating it for this long will make it fluffy and creamy and beautiful. The color will also change and you'll end up with a snow white frosting. It's lovely. Don't forget to scrape the bowl a time or two. Add the vanilla {after you've beat it for 4-5 minutes} and mix just until incorporated. If the flavor is still a little too buttery just add a little more sugar until you get the flavor you want. When you're finished beating the frosting, it should be stiff and hold it's shape {as in the photos} but still be wet enough that it will stick to your surface when you use it.

You can store this frosting in the refrigerator. Just be sure to pull it out about an hour before you need it and once it's softened up again, beat it for a minute or two to fluff it back up.

This frosting colors really well. You can also do a chocolate version by cutting out 1/4 cup of the powdered sugar and adding 1/4 cup cocoa powder at the same time you add the vanilla. If you need a stronger chocolate flavor, just add more cocoa and adjust the powdered sugar measurement accordingly.

If you find that you want a buttercream frosting that isn't quite as sweet, add a 1/4 cup or so of sour cream with the butter. You may have to add a little sugar to get the right consistency but not too much.

Holiday Sugar Rush: Peanut Butter Cookies

2011-12-12T11:24:00.002-07:00

This is a little series I'm going to call Holiday Sugar Rush. Christmas is always the time for some extra goodies, right? So I hope you're all ready for some whirlwind goodie posting! I've got lots of recipes to share {and I'm a little behind getting started}. Enjoy the sugar rush!

This is quite possibly one of the best peanut butter cookie recipes I've ever made. They cook up nice and soft and stay that way for several days {which is amazing for peanut butter cookies}. The flavor is fantastic. I've been making these for years and haven't found any other peanut butter cookie to take it's place.

I know the photos aren't the greatest. Please don't judge me. Things were pretty crazy so I did what I could.

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup butter
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1-1/2 tsp. soda
2-1/2 cup flour
½ tsp. salt
Extra granulated sugar

Directions:
Cream together butter, peanut butter, eggs and vanilla. Add the sugars and mix well. In a separate bowl, mix together the flower, baking soda and salt {this helps make sure your baking soda and salt are fully mixed}; add to the rest and mix until incorporated. Roll into balls and roll into the extra white sugar. Press down with a fork in a crisscross manner. Bake at 375oF for 6 minutes, or until slightly browned on the bottoms. Do not over bake!

Halloween Themed Food

2011-10-27T13:34:00.001-06:00

I've been saving up most of the goodies for this post since last year! I am so excited to finally be sharing. I'll just put here a bunch of ideas for Halloween themed food that you can use for the dinner party I'm sure you're planning. :)

Everything on this list is pretty simple to make, though it can take some time. But it's all so worth it. Have a spooktacular time!!

First for the hors d'oeuvres. :)

Jack-O-Lantern Oreos
Melt down some orange candy melts {I used Wilton brand and bought them at Walmart} according to package directions.
Dip your Oreo into the melted candy.
Smooth it out so you have a somewhat flat surface for your jack-o-lantern. Allow the candy to harden. You can pop these in the refrigerator to speed up that process.
Once the orange candy is hardened, pipe on jack-o-lantern faces using black frosting.
I think these would be a lot of fun with lollypop sticks stuck through the center {just be sure you get double stuffed so they don't fall apart}.

Now time for dinner.

Mummy Dogs:
Wrap hotdogs in crescent roll dough. Bake in a 350 degree oven or until crescent dough is golden brown. Use ketchep or mustard to give the mummy some eyes. Eat up!

Bones n' Blood:
For this recipe you use bread stick or pizza dough {here's a recipe until I can get you mine}. Roll the dough out and cut it into two inch strips, with whatever length you'd like your bones to be. On each end, use sharp kitchen shears and cut into the bread stick, right in the center {does that even make sense?}. Curl the edges out and around and stick them to the long part of the "bone". Bake according to directions. Serve with marinara sauce.

Spiderweb Pizza:
If you want toppings {including cheese} on this pizza, just put them on the pizza crust before the sauce. Then put your pizza sauce on top of that. Using ranch or alfredo sauce, pipe {for lack of a better word} concentric circles onto the pizza. Place a few olive slices to be the "spiders". Bake the pizza according to directions. When it's all baked up, slice it up to create the web.

Candy Corn Pizza:
This is a basic cheese pizza, using at least two different kinds of cheeses. You'll need a white cheese {I used mozzarella} and a yellow cheese {I used cheddar}. Put the white cheese in the very center of the pizza {and I suggest using more white cheese than orange so it doesn't get taken over as mine practically did} and the orange cheese around the outside. Bake it. Slice it. Eat it. Yum!

Mashed Potato Ghost:
This might be the easiest thing in this post. Maybe. And isn't it so stinkin' cute?? I love this. I can't claim this idea at all. My sister-in-law did this and I think it's so much fun!
Anyway, it's easy. Whip up your mashed potatoes and then pile them onto a plate in a big mound. Add two olives or black beans for eyes. Voila! Potato Ghost. I think this would be really cute as a bunch of small, individual potato ghost mounds, too. Have fun with it!

Not the greatest photo. Sorry. Check out the link for a better one.

Mummy Meatloaf:
We got this idea from Family Fun and isn't it fun?
Here's how to make it:
Make up your meatloaf. {We used this recipe but I think it would be delicious using this recipe and even using the glaze.}
In a 9x13 pan, form the meatloaf into the shape of a mummy. Don't forget the arms! {Suggestion: line your pan with tin foil. You'll be happier.}
Bake it according to directions until the meatloaf is done.
When it is done, place mozzarella slices all over the meatloaf to give the mummy his wrapping. The thinner the slices, the better it looks and the faster it melts. We used toothpicks to hold some of the cheese on until it melted.
Put it back in the hot oven for 3-4 minutes or until completely melted.
Place two olive slices for eyes on the mummy's head. Mmm.

Now for the best part: Dessert!

Brainiac Cupcakes:
These cupcakes are so so easy.
Just bake up your favorite cupcakes.
Make some buttercream frosting. {I'll work on getting a recipe up for that.} Tint it a light orange/pink color {note: if you use gel coloring instead of liquid coloring, you'll get a richer, truer color}. Frost the cupcakes with a thin layer of the frosting {you can see I frosted mine with white - I didn't have enough orange} and put the rest in a baggie. Cut the tip from the baggie and just draw squiggle lines on the cupcake. Ta-da! Brains! :)

Bloodshot Eye Cupcake:
These cupcakes are almost too much for me. Yes, I have a thing with the way things look grossing me out. But these are sure fun to make {and quite a favorite, actually}.
Bake your cupcakes.
Make some frosting.

Take out three parts of the white frosting. Tint one blue {or some other color you think would be good for an eye}, one red and one black. Again, if you use gel coloring you'll be able to get a true black color. You'll need more blue than red and black, so just plan the amounts of frosting accordingly. Put all the tinted frostings in their own plastic baggies. Cut a small corner of the black and red frosting bag and a larger corner of the blue frosting bag.
Frost the cupcakes in white.
Pipe on some blue for the eye's iris.
Pipe some black onto the blue for the pupil of the eye.
Pipe red in lots of little squiggly lines from the iris out.

Skeleton Cupcakes:
For this cupcake {idea from Family Fun}, I made chocolate cupcakes and chocolate buttercream frosting. Before adding the cocoa to my frosting, I reserved a bit of the white frosting for the skeleton bodies. Frost all the cupcakes with the chocolate frosting. Place a miniature marshmallow at one side of the cupcakes for the skeleton's head. Pipe the bodies by drawing a little stick figure under the marshmallow and adding two lines across the center of his body to give him ribs. You can pipe on some black decorators gel for the face or do like I did and just use a toothpick dipped in black frosting to draw the faces on.

Spiderweb Cupcakes:
Easy peasy.
Bake your cupcakes.
Frost with white frosting.
Draw concentric circles {three or four} around the cupcake using black frosting or decorators gel. Gel probably looks the best. But if you use frosting like me, don't be like me and wait to finish the webs until all your cupcakes have circles. They look better if you pipe on the circles and then pull the toothpick through right after so the frosting doesn't have any time to set up.
Using a toothpick, pull lines from the center outward, creating the web.
Done!

Fuzzy Monster Cupcakes:
These are currently my favorite! Aren't they so cute?
Bake your cupcakes.
Make your frosting. Reserve a small amount of white frosting; you'll color the rest. Tint half of it orange and then flavor the other half with cocoa powder. Then pipe your frosting onto the cupcakes like grass. I used Wilton tip 18, which is a star tip, but you could also use a grass tip. {For a quick tutorial on how to pipe with this technique, check out this video.} Then pipe two white circles onto the cupcake for the eyes. Finish it off by piping a small black circle onto the white using black frosting or decorators gel.

There you have it! Some yummy and very fun Halloween food ideas! Have a fun party!

Friday with Tierra!

2011-10-14T12:45:00.000-06:00

Hey all!! I know I disappeared there for a long while! Im sure you were all just so worried... lol.. Well I am alive... I got so busy with work that I kept forgetting and the next thing you know a couple months has gone by! I sincerely apologize!
Sorry for letting you down Jessica but I am going to do my best to start back up on Tuesdays. Since we got smart phones I never get on the computer and currently our internet isnt wireless so I havent been getting on as much. Anyway i know excuses excuses!

Well today I am gonna share a recipe I got off of pinterest.com. It is such a simple fast, easy snack!

Pretzel Bites!
http://www.justgetoffyourbuttandbake.com/?p=932

Ingredients

5-10 thawed Rhodes Rolls (1 roll makes 4 bites)
1/2 cup melted butter
Cinnamon Sugar Mixture (1 cup sugar, 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon)
1/2 cup finely graded parmesan cheese

Directions

Once Rolls are thawed take a sharp knife and cut into four pieces like your cutting a pizza.
Get a medium sized sauce pan and bring water to a boil. Plop no more then 10 pieces into the boiling water for about 45 seconds. They will puff up. Use a slotted spoon to take them out and placed on a cookie sheet with a paper towel laid down to soak up the excess water. They might deflate a little but not to worry it will all work out!
Once you are all done with that place them on a greased cookie sheet and put in the oven to bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until golden brown. (Now i have a gas stove so the heat comes from the bottom and not the top. So they did not all get golden brown and you have to watch the bottoms so they dont burn. In my oven it only took about 10 minutes)
While that is baking melt the 1/2 cup of butter and put in a big ziploc baggy. Also put the Cinnamon Sugar mixture in another big ziploc baggy.
When bites are done first put them in the butter, seal the bag and shake!!! Then add into the Cinnamon Sugar, seal the bag, and shake!! Use tongs to take them out and place on a plate.
You can also do just plain ones with butter and sea salt!
You can also shake them in a bag with butter, Parmesan and garlic. Which I did but the Parmesan was not the right kind so didnt work but my husband liked them!

A couple of different sauces to use from that blog are: (I made the vanilla glaze one which was great but i did not do the cheese one. My friend who was with me made a glaze with just powdered sugar and orange juice!! It was my favorite!!)

VANILLA GLAZE

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon melted butter

1 tsp. vanilla extract.

Combine sugar, milk, butter and vanilla and mix well.

CHEDDAR DIP

1 Tablespoon butter

1 Tablespoon all purpose flour

1 cup milk

1 1/2 to 2 cups of grated Cheddar Cheese.

Melt the butter in a med. size saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and stir until blended, and

butter has turned lightly golden brown. Slowly whisk in the milk and cook until thickened slightly. Remove from heat and stir in the Cheddar Cheese until smooth and all of the cheese has melted. Season with salt and pepper. Shake a few red pepper flakes into sauce for added zing!

If you go to her blog it shows really good pictures of step by step process. You will notice some differences between her steps and mine just find whatever works for you!!

A couple days later I went to pretzelmaker and got some pretzel bites! And to be honest I really enjoyed these ones wayyy better! I do plan to find a pretzel bite recipe making my own dough but this is such a nice easy fast way to make a snack!Sorry for the lame picture lol. We made these at night and the lighting in my house is horrible. So go check out the pics on the other blog! They are great~ (Going clockwise from the left are Cinnamon sugar, parm and garlic and butter and salt)
This was such a fun girls activity!

Enjoy!!

Caramel Apple Cupcakes

2011-10-05T16:24:00.001-06:00

I have always loved cooking and baking.

I've always put the two together and said I loved them both. Probably equally.

But not anymore. I think I have finally decided that my favorite of the two is baking. It is so, so much fun!

As I told a friend recently, there are a lot of variables when it comes to baking. There are all kinds of things you can do differently that will change the outcome of what happens when you bake. There are also things beyond your control, like the way your oven heats, that also affect your baked goods. The best thing to do with those things beyond your control is to experiment and learn what you can do to still get what you want with what you've got. For example, in one of the apartments we have lived in, our oven heated too warm. We experimented and finally learned that the best way to get things to turn out the way we wanted was to turn down the temperature 25 degrees before baking. No more burning or over cooking. Perfect.

As far as variables that you can affect, there are all kinds of secrets out there about what to do/not to do for your baking to be a success. I won't pretend to be an expert on any baking secret, but I have found a few things that really help with baking.

Number one: people like shortcuts. They like cutting corners, taking the easy route, simplifying things. And, hey, I'm all about simplicity! Life is way too complicated as it is, no use making anything more complicated than it has to be. However, when it comes to baking, cutting corners is a bad idea. If a recipe says to add and beat eggs one an at a time, do it one at a time. I know, it takes a whole two minutes longer. Must save those minutes, right? Wrong! In baking, it really does make a difference. Pinky swear. Now, let me just say that I am almost the complete opposite when it comes to cooking. Experiment, change things up, do things differently, whatever! But when it comes to baking, just follow the recipe instructions.

Number two: margarine cannot always be used as a substitute for butter. I am a total advocate of saving money and I totally get that margarine is so much more affordable than butter. And I'll be totally honest and admit that I use margarine in place of butter almost any time I make cookies. But I also almost always use real butter in cupcakes and frosting recipes. It truly does make a huge difference.

Number three: mixing sugars and fats {i.e. - sugar and butter or sugar and oil} needs to be done thoroughly. While you're beating the two together, if you mix it long enough {sometimes it only needs a minute or less, but longer than just enough to mix them basically together}, you'll notice that the color starts to change. That's a good thing and it's what you want. I don't know the science behind it, but it creates wonderful things in your oven. Not all recipes need this much mixing, but every time I've done it this way, I end up with a better product.

That's enough "secrets" for today. Let's get on to these cupcakes, shall we? These cupcakes are so good. Seriously, I had about five different people ask me for the recipe within a couple days. I made two batches of these cupcakes within four days. They are just that good.

Caramel Apple Cupcakes
Recipe from Crazy About Cupcakes, page 53

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 medium sized tart apples, peeled, cored, and chopped small

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350. Insert liners into a cupcake pan.
In a large bowl (I use my stand mixer) beat together the brown sugar, oil, cinnamon, and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed. I usually mix it for at least a minute, or longer if it needs to be mixed more. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition.
In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. I always sift in my first cup of flour and then add the baking powder and salt to the second cup to sift with the flour.
Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture. I add about a 1/4 or 1/3 of the dry mixture at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat until well blended (don't forget to scrape your bowl!). Stir in the apples.
Fill the cupcake liners one-half to three-quarters full with batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in pan {I've tried cooling my cupcakes in an airtight container before to preserve the moistness, but I generally find that cooling them in the pan works just as well}.

To assemble Caramel Apple Cupcakes:
Once all your cupcakes have cooled, poke three holes in the tops of each cupcake using the handle of a serving spoon {it's best if your handle is nice and round so you get good holes}. Make up a double batch of Caramel Sauce {or do like I did and make one batch for pouring over the cupcakes and then another for drizzling - whatever your preference}. Pour the caramel sauce over each cupcake, being sure to fill up the holes really well. Once you've filled up each cupcake, go back and pour caramel sauce over them again. Did I mention that this isn't a cupcake for sissies? 'Cuz it really ain't. Yes, pouring caramel sauce over cupcakes twice might seem awful indulgent. But it is oh, so good! And somewhat necessary, that first round gets soaked up pretty quick. The second round gives it a nice soaking and really gives the cupcake that caramel flavor.
Now make up some Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting. Pipe it onto your cupcakes. Don't be stingy, now. Pipe it on nice and high {my husband keeps telling me that cupcakes don't need that much frosting. But come on! They look so awesome!}. If you'd like a little tutorial about piping frosting, check out Your Homebased Mom. She has a nice video tutorial with some good tips about cupcakes. Then spoon the remaining Caramel Sauce over the top of the cupcakes {I prefer to put the sauce into a squeeze bottle and drizzle it over with the small nozzle - this really gives me control of how my cupcakes look}. And lookie there - you've just made yourself a gourmet cupcake! Enjoy!

Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting

2011-10-05T15:22:00.000-06:00

This is the next recipe that came from Crazy About Cupcakes. The ginger in this frosting gives it a subtle, enticing flavor that really pulls you in. It is delicate and sweet and the perfect combo with Caramel Sauce and the cupcakes recipe above!

Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting
Recipe from Crazy About Cupcakes, page 86

1 8oz package cream cheese, at room temperature
6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground ginger

Directions:
In a medium bowl cream together the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth, usually about 1 minute.
Slowly sift in the confectioners sugar and continue beating. Mix until all lumps are gone and it starts to be slightly stiff* {please see note below}. Add the vanilla and ginger and mix until fully integrated.

*Note: this will not be buttercream stiff. It will be slightly stiff in that it will begin to hold it's shape, but thanks to the cream cheese, if it gets very warm it will be melty. This frosting doesn't need any more sugar than I listed above. If you don't really care about piping your frosting {but I'm telling you, it's so much faster and more fun than spreading with a knife}, you can even use about 1/2 cup less. You only need all the sugar if you want it to hold it's shape enough to pipe.

Caramel Sauce

2011-10-05T15:13:00.001-06:00

This recipe comes from a book called "Crazy About Cupcakes" by Krystina Castella. I really love this book. My wonderful cousin {hi, Tierra!} gave it to me several months ago when she read my bucket list and saw that I had a desire to learn how to make gourmet cupcakes. Anyway, this caramel sauce goes with one of the cupcake recipes I made recently. It is truly delicious sauce and I would totally just eat it with a spoon!

Caramel Topping
Recipe adapted slightly from Crazy About Cupcakes, page 95

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) butter {you can use unsalted but I like the taste of salted better
1/4 cup cream
2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
In a saucepan over medium heat bring the brown sugar, butter, and cream to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer (just above low on my gas stove) and continue cooking for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
Stir in the vanilla.

Angel Chicken

2011-08-22T16:51:00.001-06:00

So, did I chase you all away after my last post? Sometimes I'm not in the best mindset for blogging. I think I was in a rambling mood that day. Surprising you even got a recipe out of that! Anyway, I'm back {sort of} and trying to figure out how to make my computer time more effective so that I can share recipes more often.

I found this recipe in a Kraft recipes magazine I got ages ago. I think it was a 2009 magazine. But I only just recently got around to trying it out. So so tasty! And the best part is this recipe is perfect for doing in the crock pot so it can be a make-ahead, too. I love those!

Angel Chicken
Recipe from Kraft

4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) Cream Cheese, very soft
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup Italian Dressing
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 lb. angel hair pasta, uncooked
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley OR 2 tsp dried parsley

Directions:
Put your chicken pieces into a frying pan with a small bit of oil. Cook on medium heat for 3-5 minutes, or until chicken is done. Turn heat down to low and cover while completing next part.

Beat first 4 ingredients with whisk until well blended; pour over chicken in pan. Simmer on medium/low for 10-15 minutes to let the flavors blend. {Alternate cooking method: put the chicken in a crock pot; cover with the cream cheese mixture. Cook on low 4 to 5 hours or on high 2 to 3 hours.}

Cook pasta as directed on package; drain. Serve topped with chicken mixture and parsley. {Note: if using the dried parsley, mix it into the chicken mixture just before serving.}

Mulligan

2011-08-01T17:26:00.002-06:00

Okay, let's talk for a minute. The topic of discussion: life.

Now wait! Don't run away just yet.

I know it's not the most fun of conversation topics and it's really easy to get all Debby Downer on the subject. But here, I'll make it better - let's talk about my life.

Not better?

Okay, never mind.

Wait. Not never mind. Ah, what a quandary this post seems to be. You see, I want to tell you how busy I've been. I want to tell you about how I just don't ever feel like cooking in the summer. I want to show you pictures and brag about everything that's been accomplished this summer. That, my friends, is life. And sometimes, life starts a sprint race and forgets to tell you about it.

Life hasn't ever done that to you?

Oh.

Well, that's what it feels like has happened to me this summer. Never in my life have I had a busier summer. I am still trying to figure out what everyone means when they talk about summer being the perfect time to get all that reading in. I haven't hardly picked up a book in a couple months! {Okay, so this isn't entirely true. I have actually finished a few books in the last couple months. However, it feels like it's not much because it's less than normal. I'm a read-aholic. :D As if that's a real thing.}

Anywho, as I've been busy catching up to the life that took off without me, this little 'ole blog has taken the back, back burner. The one that isn't even on. It's cold and lifeless. I'm sure glad Tierra has been around to keep it going the last couple weeks. But now I'm back {hopefully!} - and with a recipe that will surely help with your "I don't feel like cooking in this hot summer weather" attitude.

Huh? That's just me, too? Okay, never mind again. Maybe I should just shut up now.

Or not! Tricked ya! Can't hush up until I've posted the recipe. And then the next time I'm back, I'll try to make sure I make sense. Thanks for sticking it out with me! I hope you've all been having a great summer!

Mulligan
Recipe from Mary Bingham

1/2 lb ground beef or turkey {I like a mix}
1 large onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp garlic powder or 2 garlic cloves, minced
4 large potatoes, scrubbed and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 Tbsp oil
1 can sweet kernel corn, drained or 1 cup frozen sweet corn
Salt and pepper to taste {I actually really like seasoned salt with this}

Directions:
In a large skillet on medium heat, brown the ground beef; drain and transfer to a bowl or plate. Add the onion and garlic powder and mix well. In the same skillet you used to brown the burger, add the potatoes and oil; cook on medium low heat until tender, about 20-25 minutes. Once potatoes are done, add the ground beef and the corn. Cook on low for 5 minutes, or until corn in warmed through. Salt and pepper to your liking. Enjoy!

Tuesday with Tierra (Pepperoni Pinwheels)

2011-07-19T11:00:00.003-06:00

Hello Everyone! What another great Tuesday :D I hope everyone is having a great summer! I havent been doing much, I got a job as I mentioned in previous blogs so therefore I have made myself available all summer.
This blog I decided to do another easy meal.... I know during Summer that sometimes we all get so busy we dont have much time to throw together a dinner. Well this one is a favorite, and after a long 13 hour shift at work its so nice to come home and throw this together.
Pepperoni Pinwheels..basically Pizza Bites! Now i will type the original recipe then in a different color some alterations i did.

Pepperoni Pinwheels
from taste of home best recipes magazine

You will Need:
1/2 C diced Pepperoni (this was not near enough for me, i like pepperoni)
1/2 C shredded mozz cheese (really any kind of cheese works)
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 egg seperated ( i did the egg thing the first time, kinda stupid. the yolk just kind of makes it so that it stays together.. so the second time i just used marinara sauce. Then sprayed the tops with Pam... works great)
1 tube crescent rolls.

Directions:

1: In a small bow, combine pepperoni, cheese, oregano and egg yolk. In another small bowl, whisk egg white until foamy; set aside. Separate crescent dough into four rectangles ;seal perforations.

2: Spread pepperoni mixture over each rectangle withing 1/4 inch of edges. Roll up like Jelly Roll style , then cut into 4-6 pieces.

3: Place cute side down on greased baking sheets;brush tops with egg white. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve Warm.

Serve with Salad or Pasta! :D

Enjoy!!

Tuesday with Tierra! (Grilled Bacon Mozz Pesto Sandwich)

2011-07-12T10:00:00.002-06:00

Ooops!! So i scheduled this post to go on tuesday but instead i wrote the wrong date for today!!! Sorry guys!!!!
Tuesday again! I feel like since i started doing these Tuesday with Tierras, time has been going sooo much faster!! Anyway so I actually am writing this on Monday because i work from 6am to 6pm or so tomorrow and then Im usually so exaushted I cant even think! lol
So this sandwich I found on the website Pinterest, on there however it was a grilled panini but in my mind there is not much difference, so I just used bread.
Anyway when I saw this, I thought to myself.... Bacon.... Mozzerela..... Pesto!!!!! Ummm Yes Please! I call this the Adult Grilled Cheese.

The Adult Grilled Cheese
Found a picture on Pinterest and went from there

You will need:
4-6 slices of bread (depending on how many sandwiches you want)
8-12 slices of the bacon (i like bacon, so i put at least 4 slices of bacon per sandwich)
1-2 C Mozz Cheese (i also love cheese, so i put at least 1/4 C to 1/2 C cheese on each sandwich)
2-4 Tbsp Pesto (i put a tablespoon or so on each sandwich, Pesto can be very strong so put at much or little as you want)

Directions:
1: Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with tin foil. Lay out the bacon on the sheet and put in the oven for 15 minutes or until cooked to your desire. (My sister in law showed me this way o f cooking bacon besides frying it, cause i hate the splatter and this way i dont have to worry about it!! :D)
2: Lay out the slices of bread and put Pesto on one slice per sandwich, then lay out the cooked bacon on top of the pesto, and finally the Mozz cheese. Put the other slice on top of that!
3: Now i cook my grilled cheese sandwiches on my George Forman cause i like the golden even brown it cooks and it kind of smushes it like a panini. However I am sure cooking it on that stove or however you make grilled cheese's it would work. Just cook till golden brown and cheese is melted!

Enjoy!!! I know my husband and I did a lot!! :D

Tuesday with Tierra! (Cheesy Bacon Penne)

2011-07-05T12:31:00.003-06:00

Hello All!!! I hope you all had a fabulous 4th of July! I would like to apologize for not posting a blog last week, as Jessica explained I had worked for 13-14 hours and was exhausted. I will do my best to schedule blogs now lol However, thank you Jessica for posting a blog in my place!! :D
This weeks blog is amazing! It became a new favorite of mine and my hubbys!
I found this recipe in Taste of Home 100 Best Recipes and let me tell you so far so good out of the recipes I have tried in there.
Now I love Mac and Cheese. I am like a little kid with how much I love Mac and Cheese, but I am pretty picky about it. I have tried making many different kinds to find that perfect homemade cheese sauce and I think I might have finally found the perfect sauce and shoot add bacon to it and BAM! it is bound to be awesome! lol
Cheesy Bacon Penne
4-6 Servings

You Will Need:
2 C uncooked penne pasta
1 Garlic clove, minced
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 tsp pepper
2 C milk
3 C shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 C crumbled cooked bacon

Directions:
1:Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2: Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, saute garlic in butter for 1 minute. Stir in flour and pepper until smooth; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat; stir in 2 cups of cheese until melted. Remove from the heat.

3: Drain pasta; add pasta and 1/3 C bacon to cheese sauce. Transfer to a greased 2-qt. baking dish. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with remaining cheese and bacon. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Enjoy!!

IHOP French Toast

2011-07-04T13:36:00.023-06:00

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!

I am currently away and don't really have a great Independence Day recipe to share. Maybe next year. But this recipe works, says I. It is, after all, a recipe patterned after the french toast served at IHOP, which is a quintessential American restaurant. Right?

This french toast recipe has a special something that makes it taste really good. It's a simple ingredient but it's effective. We love this french toast around here. In fact we love it so much, it's the only kind we make! Yum yum!

IHOP French ToastRecipe from The Sisters Cafe

2 eggs
½ c. milk
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 T. flour
6 slices of thick sliced French bread
Nutmeg

Directions:
First beat eggs, then add remaining ingredients with electric mixer. Mix well.
Dip both sides of bread slices in the egg mixture and place in hot buttered pan. Sprinkle the uncooked side with nutmeg. Flip over when browned.
Serve with any desired syrup, jam, sprinkled with powdered sugar, or with berries and whipped cream. Yum!

I hope you enjoy your festivities. May you have a wonderful day with family celebrating the glorious freedoms we enjoy.

Hootenany Pancakes

2011-07-03T13:20:00.001-06:00

If you tried, you could probably find hundreds of German Pancake recipes around the internet. I don't even think you would have to look very hard to find them. It's because these pancakes are so delicious and soooo fun! I can guarantee you that any child would go crazy over these puffy pancakes. When I was growing up, we called them Hootenany Pancakes. My husband had never heard of such a thing and finally convinced me to make some German pancakes. Low and behold! They are the exact same thing! But since Hootenanny is a whole lot more fun to say than German, I'm sticking with the name I grew up with!

See all that yummy puffiness? Delicious!

Hootenanny Pancakes
Recipe from Bingham Family

1/4 cup butter
6 eggs, well beaten
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Melt 1/4 cup butter in a 9x13 in your warm oven.
While the butter is melting, mix all remaining ingredients together for one minute. When butter is melted, pour batter into the pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and puffy.

Brown Sugar Muffins

2011-07-02T01:06:00.005-06:00

I am a muffin girl. I loooooovvee muffins. I could eat them for every meal. Sometimes I do. Especially if they are these muffins. I think these are quite possibly my most favorite muffins on this planet {that I've tasted anyway - I haven't tried each of them, after all}. In fact, that's all I can't think of to say about these. They are my favorite. You should try them. Maybe today. Like, right now. Heck, I think I'm going to go make them right now. Except that I'm not home. This here post, it was scheduled. Because I promised you a breakfast week, did I not? And since I'm gone today, the only way to keep that promise is to schedule my posts. Look at me being all organized. Everyone go look at the sky tonight. The moon is probably blue.

But, since I'm visiting my mother-in-law and this recipe is originally hers, maybe I can get these muffins after all. :)

I know, it's not the greatest photo. I took this ages and ages ago. So please forgive me. Next time I make them, I'll try to remember to take a better photo. :)

Brown Sugar Muffins
Recipe from Olive Harwood

2 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400.
Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Make a hole in the middle of the mixture. Set aside.
In another medium bowl, combine all the wet ingredients. I generally find that it works best if I combine my egg and butter first, then the other things. It also works best if your egg and milk are at room temperature so the butter doesn't suddenly harden up when the cold ingredients hit it. But these always turn out fine without getting everything to room temperature, so honestly, I usually don't worry about it.
Pour wet ingredients into the hole you made in your dry ingredients. Mix just until moistened.
Drop into well oiled muffin pan about 2/3 full. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Country Sausage Gravy

2011-07-01T00:34:00.017-06:00

This country gravy is beautiful. If you put it on top of some biscuits you have a lovely meal just waiting to be eaten. The nice thing about this gravy is that it's quick {notice a theme this week?}. You can prepare and cook this gravy while your biscuits are baking in the oven. Ah, pure loveliness, right there.

This recipe comes from the Food Nanny. Has anyone ever heard of her? She has a fantastic meal planning site that has everything you could possibly think of needing as you prepare your meals. You should really look into it. I guess she also has a television show about saving dinner {I haven't seen it because we don't get television}. I've looked up a little bit about her and she looks like the sweetest woman and has some great ideas. Check out her website if you want some meal planning help.

Here is a quick photo example of how to make a roux.

This gravy recipe uses what is called a roux {pronounced 'roo'}. A roux is a mixture of fats {especially butter} and flour to create a thickener for sauces and soups. A roux is made by melting butter in a pan and adding the flour. The butter will absorb the flour. It is important to continually stir the roux so it doesn't burn. Once the flour is absorbed by the butter, you continue to stir until the roux reaches the desired color. For this gravy, you just allow it to slightly darken - like a blond roux. If you'd like more step-by-step directions, you can find some here. This may sound like this gravy is complicated, but it's really not. There is just a fancy word associated with melting butter, adding flour, stirring until it reaches a certain color. Anyone can do it. And once you do, you can impress all your friends with your roux making abilities. :)

Sausage Country Gravy

Recipe from The Food Nanny Rescues Dinner

8 oz sausage

1/4 cup butter

1/3 cup flour

2 cups milk

1 cup water

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions:

Cook and stir the sausage in a small skillet over medium heat, crumbling it with spoon. Drain the fat, if necessary.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. I found that using a whisk is the easiest way to get the roux a nice consistency, without clumps. Cook until the roux begins to darken slightly. Slowly whisk in the milk, water, salt, and pepper. When this says slowly, it really means ssslllooowwwlllyyyyyyy. Just mix in a little at a time. The faster you dump all this liquid in the pan, the thinner your gravy will be. If you want a thick gravy {and trust me, you want a thick gravy}, stir it in slowly. Continue stirring until the gravy thickens and comes to a simmer. Stir in the sausage.

Break the warm biscuits in half and cover with the gravy mix. Mmm, I can just smell the deliciousness!

Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits

2011-06-30T12:17:00.002-06:00

These other biscuits are also delicous. It's actually hard for me to decide which of the two are more delicious. Does a person have to choose something like that? I hope not because I'm choosing not to. :)

These biscuits take a bit more work but it really depends on what you are going for. These are flaky biscuits and they have a lovely, light texture. I love the honey as a sweetener. It adds a special something to these that is missing in a traditional biscuit. And the flaky-ness of them makes them even better! They are actually quite perfect and I kind of think that the only way you could mess them up would be to bake them too long until they turn black. Not that I would know from any kind of experience or anything. I'll just stop talking now.

Wait, no I won't! I have a recipe to share! {Yes, I'm a dork. Why would you ask?} I have a few things I'll be explaining along the way so be patient with me as we go. I promise they are worth it!

*Note: If you do not usually buy buttermilk {like me} you can "make" some really easily. Put a tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar into a one cup measuring cup. Fill the rest of the space with milk. Allow to sit for about five minutes. Now you have a nice equivalent to buttermilk that works beautifully in recipes.

Now, I know these biscuits don't look like much in the photo. It's really pathetic, actually. I didn't follow the recipe as well as I should have {notice all the notes throughout the recipe} and they didn't rise as they should have. Seriously, don't work this dough too much. You'll get sad biscuits like mine. Also be sure to take them out of the oven when the timer goes off. That usually makes for better biscuits, too.

Deliciously Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits
Recipe from The Sisters Cafe

2 cups all-purpose flour (9 ounces)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup fat-free buttermilk {see note above}
3 tablespoons honey

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°.
Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. {It is important to lightly measure your flour because it helps keep the biscuits light.} Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Chill 10 minutes.
Combine buttermilk and honey, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moist. Don't stir too much! You don't want those biscuits to get tough.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 4 times. {Only that many. I swear you'll be sorry if you do more. Remember the whole tough and sadly unrisen biscuit thing.} Roll dough into a (1/2-inch-thick) 9 x 5–inch rectangle; dust top of dough with flour. Fold dough crosswise into thirds (as if folding a piece of paper to fit into an envelope). Reroll dough into a (1/2-inch-thick) 9 x 5–inch rectangle; dust top of dough with flour. {Don't worry about making all the dough stick together as you continually roll it out. Leaving the layers creates the flakiness of the biscuit.} Fold dough crosswise into thirds; gently roll or pat to a 3/4-inch thickness. Cut dough with a 1 3/4-inch biscuit cutter to form 14 dough rounds. Place dough rounds, 1 inch apart, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or well greased. Bake at 400° for 12 minutes or until golden. Remove from pan; cool 2 minutes on wire racks. Serve warm.

Quick and Perfect Biscuits

2011-06-30T09:53:00.001-06:00

If you know me by now, you know that I like easy. I don't see any reason why a delicious meal should have to take hours and hours in the kitchen. Particularly because it gets gobbled up quicker than you can say "jack rabbit" and then all those hours in the kitchen are sitting comfortably in the bellies of the people who just ate your food. And especially for breakfast, am I right? Of course, I don't love getting up early enough to fix anything besides a bowl of cold cereal, but I certainly don't want to have to get up super early to fix something really delicious. So I have something kind of quick for you. These biscuits are so super yummy. Plus they freeze well. So you could freeze up a whole bunch and have yummy, homemade biscuits for several meals. Ooh, I just don't know how you could beat that!

Today's recipe is a little bit two-fold. I'm posting this biscuit recipe and then I'll post another biscuit recipe later. You lucky ducks, you! I'm posting both because I know I'll forget if I don't just do it right now and then this way, you can choose which one you want to make to go with the delicious gravy I'm going to post tomorrow! I know. I just made your week. You're welcome. ;)

This recipe could be considered the least healthy of the two recipes I'm going to share. However, I think this one is a tad quicker, so it kind of depends on how much time you have and what ingredients you have on hand.

Quick and Perfect Biscuits

Recipe from Grocery Cart Challenge

3 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 egg, beaten
1 1/4 cups milk (powdered milk works really well in this recipe)

Directions:
Combine dry ingredients in mixing bowl. Cut in shortening.
Add egg and milk until dough forms a ball.
Knead on lightly floured surface 10-12 times only. If you knead it too much, you'll get tough biscuits and no one likes tough biscuits.
Roll to 3/4 inch thick and cut with something round. I have used a drinking glass with a floured edge and it works just fine. You could also use other shapes if you so desired, it's just that a traditional biscuit is round.

You can see that I used a flute glass because it was perfectly round and just the right size. It works good for it's purpose!

Bake on lightly greased baking sheet for 12-15 minutes at 475 degrees or until lightly brown. Mmm, delish!

This is about what your biscuits will look like before you bake them. They puff up so nicely, you'll practically forget they were puney little things before the heat touched them!

Breakfast Skillet

2011-06-29T09:19:00.001-06:00

I decided that since yesterday I posted a french toast recipe I would make this a little unofficial breakfast week. Sound good to everyone? K, good, 'cuz I already decided! :)

I really love breakfast foods. It one of my favorite things to eat yummy breakfast foods. However, I am not a get-up-early-and-eat-a-delicious-breakfast-every-morning kind of gal. I like my sleep. Maybe too much?
Anyway, we pretty much eat cold cereal every morning. I know, I know. Bleh, blah, boring, yuck and every other unpleasant word that comes to mind when you think of eating cold cereal every day. But I actually don't mind - as long as I have several different kinds to rotate through - and this way, I don't have to get up early. However, I still love breakfast food.
What's a girl to do?
Have breakfast for dinner, of course!
And we do.
And you know what?
We love it.

Golly, it's a good thing I have an understanding and easy going and willing-to-spoil-me-and-let-me-sleep-an-extra-ten-minutes husband!
I'm lucky.
I know.

Breakfast Skillet
Prep time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Makes: 4 servings
Recipe from Pillsbury

3/4 lb bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 cups refrigerated, cooked, shredded hash brown potatoes or the frozen equivalent, thawed
3 eggs
1/2 can green chiles, drained {or use the whole can if you like things spicy!}
3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 medium tomato, chopped

Directions:
In a medium skillet, cook bacon 7-10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings and the bacon in the pan. Add potatoes; spread evenly in skillet. Cook 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown.
In small bowl, beat eggs and chiles with a fork or wire whisk. Pour egg mixture evenly over potatoes. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 8-10 minutes or until eggs are firm. Sprinkle with cheese and tomato; cover and cook 2-4 minutes or until cheese is melted. For a little extra spice, try using pepper jack cheese instead of cheddar!

Crunchy Oven Baked French Toast

2011-06-28T21:19:00.000-06:00

Just in case any of you noticed, Tierra hasn't posted a recipe today. Tierra recently graduated as an RN and took her state boards to become a certified registered nurse. She had been job hunting since May {right, Tierra? I'm not mixing up any details, am I?} and she finally got a job! Yay, Tierra! Congratulations from all of us! Well, this job could make things interesting. Today she worked from 6am to 7pm. I'm sure she was pooped! I know I would be. Anyway, she didn't get a chance today to post a recipe, so I'm taking her place. Of course, I'm not Tierra so I can't call this post a Tuesday with Tierra post, but I'll just have to do for now. {Perhaps we should teach Tierra how to schedule posts so you don't have to deal with me when you'd rather see her? ;) }

On to the recipe. This toast was so super yummy. It doesn't taste like any french toast I've ever had. It has a really nice flavor and the texture isn't gooey or soggy. My experience with all the oven baked french toast recipes I've ever made is that they are soggy and I just don't do soggy. Uh, uh, no way jose, absolutely not! So this crunchy, tasty, not-soggy recipe hits the spot right on for me. Oh, and in case you were wondering, this toast tastes supreme with Strawberry Sauce. Of course. :)

Just a little note: I'm not sure this would work really well for breakfast because you have to freeze it for a couple of hours before baking. You could try just freezing it over night but since I haven't tried that myself I can't guarantee how it would turn out. It seems to me that it would work fine, I'm just telling you I can't guarantee anything.

Curnchy Oven French Toast
Prep: 20 minutes | Total time: 2 hours, 40 minutes | Makes 4 servings {2 slices each}
Recipe from Pillsbury

3 eggs
1 cup half-and-half
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
3 cups corn flakes cereal, crushed to make 1 cup
8 {3/4 inch thick} diagonally cut slices of French Bread

Directions:
Grease a 10x15 baking pan {when I made this, I cut the recipe in half and used an 8x8 pan}. You probably don't want to use a glass pan. In a shallow bowl, combine eggs, half-and-half, sugar, vanilla and salt; beat well. {Note: You could do this step ahead of time and placed the mixture in a covered bowl in the refrigerator until you need it. Use within 24 hours.} Place crushed cereal in another shallow bowl. Dip each bread slice in egg mixture, making sure all egg mixture is absorbed. Coat each slice with crumbs. Place in greased pan; cover. Freeze 1-2 hours or until firm.
Heat oven to 425. Bake bread slices 15-20 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. Serve with fresh fruit, Strawberry Sauce, and, if desired, garnish with whipped topping and mint leaves. Yum!

Tuesday with Tierra! (Saltine Cracker Snack)

2011-06-21T10:00:00.000-06:00

Can you believe it is already Tuesday again?! How time flies! Well this particular post has been a snack that I have loved for years. When I lived in Rigby a very close family to me made this snack all the time. It is the perfect combination of salt but yet sweet.
Now i dont quite know the exact name of this snack so I just call it the Saltine Cracker Snack. Now dont hate this snack right off the bat cause it may seem weird and you might be thinking how could I possibly like that... Give it a chance! Trust me you will not be let down!

Saltine Cracker Snack
By: Denise Bowcutt

You will need:
1-2 pkgs of saltine crackers
1 C butter
1 C brown sugar
1 Bag Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

Directions:
Pre heat oven to 350 degrees
Grease cookie sheet and lay out saltine crackers
In a medium sauce pan boil together brown sugar and butter together for 3 minutes.
Pour over the saltine crackers so that all the crackers are covered equally.
Bake for 5 minutes or until bubbling.
Melt chocolate chips in a small saucepan and then pour over the caramelized crackers. Spread evenly.
Cool until the chocolate has become firm. (You may put this in the freezer for 5-10 minutes if you just cannot wait any longer for this yummy goodness!)

Enjoy!!

Sweet Poppy Seed Dressing

2011-06-20T10:10:00.001-06:00

This is the other "element" I added to make our green salads . . . . . . . . . . desirable. I just have to tell you, this dressing is fab. If I do say so myself. I'm a salad lover anyway, but this dressing kept me eating green salad two meals a day for almost a week! It's just that good.

Now, there is actually a funny story to go along with this dressing. This story is my example of how anyone can have kitchen disasters relating to just about anything. This dressing was my kitchen disaster. Silly, I know, but hear me out.

I knew exactly what I was making for dinner. This poppy seed dressing was supposed to go with dinner. It was also supposed to be amazing. I had received a poppy seed dressing recipe for a dear old lady I clean house for. She loves to cook and she is always sharing recipes with me. Actually, if she's made something new and she has leftovers, she'll always heat some up for me when I come cleaning. She's sweet like that. Anyway, she shared this recipe with me with one caveat: she hadn't made it herself. She got it from someone else who said it was just like the local University makes. "Hm, sounds worth trying," I thought to myself. I love the dressing from the school. So I finally pulled the recipe out and whipped it up. It looked a little funny but I just figured I must be remembering wrong. So I gave it a taste. It was honestly the worst dressing I had ever tasted in my life!! Oh dear. Of course, I couldn't blame the little old lady I clean house for. She hasn't even made it for crying out loud! But the ingredients should have been a serious clue to me that something would be wrong. Learn from my mistake - a 1/3 cup sugar will never over power half an onion. I promise. Dressing #1 = down the drain.

So then I looked up some recipes online. I wanted to know where I had gone wrong and hopefully find something that would be better than what I had just made. I figured that couldn't be too hard. I finally settled on a recipe I found and whipped it up. Taste test #2. It was the second worst dressing I had ever tasted in my life!! Seriously, people. Is there not a good poppy seed dressing out there? Dressing #2 = down the drain.

By this time, my baby was getting impatient about waiting for her dinner. And who could blame her? It was about an hour past when she usually eats dinner. Prepping and whipping up those dressings {plus looking for another recipe} was really taking up some time. This was supposed to be a 15 minute deal, here. *sigh* I hurriedly searched for one final dressing recipe for one last attempt at making what I desperately wanted to be on the kitchen table. I found a recipe. I was instantly unhappy with some of the measurements. I used it as a base and made up my own measurements. I whipped it all up. Taste test #3. Success!!!!

You will never know how happy I was to have a dressing that didn't taste like mustard or onions. Or both. Blech. {Now, I like both mustard and onions, but seriously, when you're looking for a sweet dressing, neither of those ingredients fit the bill.} My hubby came home to an upset baby and no dinner on the table, but his wifey was a happy one. :)

Sweet Poppy Seed Dressing
Adapted by Jessica Harwood

1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
5 Tbsp. white vinegar
2 1/2 tsp. poppy seeds
1 tsp grated onion {you want it as small as possible}
3/4 tsp ground mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup olive oil

Directions:
In a small bowl, mix the sugar and vinegar together until the sugar was dissolved. Add poppy seeds, onion, ground mustard and salt. Stir well. Slowly add oil. Cover and refrigerate. Serve over green salad with candied almonds, mandarin oranges and mozzarella cheese. Or try on a fruit salad.
Yum!

Candied Almonds

2011-06-20T09:36:00.000-06:00

My hubby is not a huge fan of green salad. He enjoys teasing my by calling it rabbit food and pretending to put up a big fuss about eating it. I say pretending because he will eat it and he doesn't complain about too much. He's so amazing about things like that. Eating food he isn't super fond of. What a guy! Anyway, even if he eats it, I know he doesn't love it. Usually I can tell by the portions he eats. Or his willingness to drench it is something non-heart healthy just so he doesn't have to taste the lettuce. Well, okay, he buys low-fat ranch dressing just for that purpose. Apparently the dressing tastes better than the lettuce, though I cannot possibly fathom how that could be the truth. :)

We've been participating in a program called Bountiful Baskets {I think I've mentioned this briefly before}. In almost every single basket there is some kind of lettuce. Even for a salad lover like me, lettuce can get kind of old. So we stopped eating a lot of it . . . . . . . and then we ended up with a lettuce stock pile! Salad is the quickest way I can think of to use it up so we had to have salad. But how to convince the hubby that it really is okay to eat salad every single meal {minus breakfast of course .... I don't think I could do salad for breakfast} for a week? Well, the only thing I could think of was making it different. I'm not always known for my creativity and thus I decided to just add a couple of elements to the typical green salad.

The experiment begins!

And it's a success!

These almonds are so so yummy. In my hubby's own words: "These almonds make the salad edible."

So edible, in fact, I got him to eat salad for his birthday!! It must be good.

Ha! Okay, really, they do add a nice, crunchy sweet bit of deliciousness to your salad. Do you have a hard time getting your fam to eat the greens? Try putting these almonds on and see what it does. Maybe, like my hubby, it will be just the trick. :)

Candied Almonds
Adapted by Jessica Harwood

1/2 cup butter
1 1/4 cup slivered or sliced almonds
5-6 Tbsp granulated sugar {depending on how sweet you want them - I used 6}

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. {You can skip that step if you don't mind having dishes to wash. ;) }
Melt butter. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix the sugar and almonds together. Pour melted butter over almond mixture.
Spread the nuts on your pan covered with foil. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until slightly golden. Allow the mixture to cool. Break up the nuts and store in a covered container.
Serve over green salad or anything else candied almonds sound good on!

PS - Check back later for the other element I added to my green salad to make it "palatable". :)

Tuesday with Tierra (Macaroni Salad)

2011-06-14T12:22:00.003-06:00

Hello Again!! What a beautiful Tuesday! So today I am going to be posting a Macaroni Salad recipe. Now let me tell you this is not like any Macaroni salad you have ever had. Its not like when you go to the deli. No this salad has a sweet taste to it. I actually made it at Jessica's Baby Shower and it was such a hit! My cousin Brook actually said she thinks its a cross between a Potato Salad and a Macaroni Salad.
Now this salad is kind of time consuming but totally worth it! My husband can eat platefuls of it, no exaggeration!

Macaroni Salad
Originated from my husbands grandmother, and then my mother in law, and then again changed by me lol

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
¼ teaspoon ground mustard
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup vinegar
1 cup water
3 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons butter
Dash celery seed
4 cups small or medium shell macaroni
⅓ cup sweet pickle, chopped
⅓ cup bell pepper, chopped (i do not use this)
⅓ cup green olives, chopped ( i do not use this)
⅓ cup sweet onion, finely chopped (i do not use this)
4 hard-cooked eggs, chilled
½ lb. meaty bacon, fried and crumbled
4 oz. chopped pimientos, drained ( i do not use this)
Mayonnaise ( i do not use this)
Paprika

Directions:
In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, combine sugar, ground mustard, flour, salt, vinegar, and water. Stir until thickened.
Meanwhile beat 3 eggs in a small bowl and pour part of the boiled mixture in with the eggs stirring briskly. Once mixed well pour back into the saucepan. Then stir in butter and celery seed. Chill. ( You want to cook the egg but stirring briskly makes it so that the egg wont chunk up, if it does slightly thats okay)

Cook macaroni according to package instructions. Drain. Rinse in cool water. Chill.

To chilled macaroni, add chopped vegetables. Chill until ready to serve.
Just before serving, combine half of amount of dressing desired with equal amount mayonnaise. Fold into macaroni mixture. Stir in three chopped eggs, pimientos, and the bacon, folding gently. Slice one egg for garnish. Sprinkle surface of salad with paprika. (Keep in mind i do not do that mayo part, I dont feel like it needs it. However, my mom in law thinks it makes it not as sweet. So try both and figure out what you like.)

So as you can see there are a few steps to this.. but if you work it out where you make the sauce and pasta in the morning (which does not take long at all) then two of the steps are out of the way.
The cook the bacon and boil some eggs. Cut up whatever veggies you want in it and then when comes dinner time you can just throw it all together!

Enjoy!!! :D

Cheesecake Bars

2011-06-09T09:21:00.000-06:00

I love a good cheesecake. But let's face it, cheesecake is a time consuming, difficult thing to just whip up whenever I feel like it. But I do still love it. And so when I saw this recipe for cheesecake bars, I was ecstatic.
Getting the cheesecake flavor in a more personal serving size?
Easier to make?
Still just as tasty?
Yes, please!
When I made these, I ate them every night. And so did my hubby. And we took some to some folks. And we still had some leftover. And I couldn't feel guilty because it needed to be eaten, right? Of course, right. :)
And you know what else? These bars are fantastic with strawberry sauce. Just sayin'.

Cheesecake Bars
Recipe from The Sister's Cafe

Ingredients:

Base:

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans

Filling:

1/4 cup sugar

8 oz. cream cheese, softened (Low-fat cream cheese is fine in my opinion. But if you don’t usually like it, stick with the regular)

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 Tbsp milk

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 egg

Directions:

Heat oven to 350. In a small bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. Combine flour and walnuts or pecans with creamed mixture. Reserve 1 cup for topping. Press remainder into bottom of ungreased 8″ or 9″ square pan. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until lightly browned.

In a small bowl, blend sugar and cream cheese until smooth (if using fat-free cream cheese, mixture will be kind of lumpy, but it will cook up just fine). Add milk, lemon juice, vanilla, and egg. Beat well. Spread over baked crust. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture. Bake at 350 for 23-27 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Cut into bars. Store in refrigerator. Makes 12 small bars.

Tuesday With Tierra! (Fish Tacos)

2011-06-07T10:18:00.003-06:00

Hello All!! Isnt it a beautiful Tuesday?! Finally! Well I just realized I am in Utah so maybe it isnt nice in Idaho.
Anywho, now I used to think fish tacos sounded horrible... who would combine fish and mexican food?! Well i finally decided to try one at Rubios and wow! I fell in love and became an addict on where to find the best fish tacos! Then I thought... well why dont I learn to make my own?! What a brilliant idea! The tricky part was finding a recipe that had the White Sauce that I have noticed on most the Fish Taco's I have eaten... cause most people just use tarter sauce, and I did not want tarter sauce.
Finally, I found an amazing recipe on Allrecipes.com So when I find a recipe on the internet I also read a lot of the reviews to get what other people suggest when making it.
So i will begin by giving you the original recipe and then tell you what I did.

Original Fish Taco Recipe by Allrecipes.com
prep time: 40 min cook time: 20 min ready to eat: 1 hour

You will need:

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup beer (the alcohol will cook out, I did find some places that said you can use club soda instead, but that the yeast in the beer is what the key thing is)
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 lime, juiced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced (i did not use this)
1 teaspoon minced capers (i did not use this)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed (i used 1/2tsp of parsley instead, dill weed is expensive)
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 quart oil for frying
1 pound cod fillets, cut into 2 to 3 ounce portions (i used tilapia instead, its cheaper and was fantastic)
1 (12 ounce) package corn tortillas (i used white corn tortillas cause i like them better)
1/2 medium head cabbage, finely shredded

Directions: (in the picture: this was our line up of things, fish cut up, dipped in flour, dipper in beer batter, into deep fryer, and out onto plate lol)

Directions

To make beer batter: In a large bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Blend egg and beer, then quickly stir into the flour mixture (don't worry about a few lumps).
To make white sauce: In a medium bowl, mix together yogurt and mayonnaise. Gradually stir in fresh lime juice until consistency is slightly runny. Season with jalapeno, capers, oregano, cumin, dill, and cayenne.(or season with just the things i did and make this earlier in the day and refrigerate, helps the seasonings to blend together)
Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Dust fish pieces lightly with flour. Dip into beer batter, and fry until crisp and golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Lightly fry tortillas; not too crisp. To serve, place fried fish in a tortilla, and top with shredded cabbage, and white sauce.
I also got some fresh salsa and sliced up limes for the fish tacos.
I served these with some rice.

As you can see in the picture the fish was huge for the tortillas, so my second taco i sliced the fish in half, long ways, and it was perfect! Along with the cabbage, white sauce, salsa and lime juice squeezed on there... this was a little piece of heaven!!

Will definitely make these again!! You can even just make the Beer Battered Fish and make homemade fries with it and some tarter sauce. Voila! Fish and Chips! lol My husband liked the batter so much he thinks i should try it on chicken lol We will see!

Enjoy!!!

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

2011-06-06T09:08:00.019-06:00

Have you ever had Taquitos? Ah, Taquitos, how I love thee. Thou art beautiful and lovely and DE-LI-CIOUS! And oh, so so bad for me. My taste buds love you but my hips hate you. And my heart hates you, too. And my hubby's heart. Actually, all hearts must have love-hate relationships with you because you are so good but so bad. I suppose I'll just only get you on special occasions when I think my heart is up to a bit more artery clogging.
But wait! Our Best Bites is come to my Taquito dilemma rescue! They have discovered a way to bake you in the oven so you are so much healthier and still tasty! Our Best Bites, I think you are my new favorite friend. Well, actually, you aren't new and neither is my love of your deliciousness. So just suffice it to say you are my favorite friend. Next to Taquitos, of course. ;)

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos
Recipe from Our Best Bites

Ingredients:
1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 C green salsa
1T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1/4 t chili powder {the recipe originally calls for a teaspoon but I'm a spicy wimp}
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t granulated garlic, or garlic powder
3 T chopped cilantro
2 T sliced green onions
2 C shredded cooked chicken
1 C grated cheese {I actually used a mozzarella/cheddar combo because that's what I had}
small corn tortillas (and actually, flour ones are really good as well)
kosher salt
cooking spray

Directions:

Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.
Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it’s soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.
You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.
Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or are coming unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.
Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges.
Then roll it up as tight as you can.

Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.
Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.
Ooh, so creamy and tasty and delicious and not fried! :)

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

2011-06-04T08:54:00.007-06:00

Isn't it fun to pretend like you are a chef in an Italian restaurant? Especially when everyone {aka - your hubby} raves about your food as if it actually came from an Italian restaurant? I love it when I cook something that makes me feel like a regular chef. This recipe will hit the spot exactly. It is so so tasty and surprisingly easy. I found it in an old Taste of Home's Cooking magazine I used to have laying around and I am super stoked that I decided to make it. Because now, whenever I feel like being an Italian chef, I have the perfect recipe up my sleeve.
And you know what? This would taste delicious with Tierra's Alfredo Pasta. Mmm, maybe we'll have Italian for dinner tonight. :)

Parmesan Crusted Chicken
Recipe from Taste Home’s Cooking for 2 (Spring 2006), Submitted by: Laura Babberl
Prep: 25 min. Bake: 15 min + cooling
Servings: 2

Ingredients:
¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. garlic powder
1 egg
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. lemon juice

Directions:
In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, salt and garlic poweder. In another bowl, beat the egg. Place the Parmesan cheese in a third bowl. Coat chicken in flour mixture, then dip in egg and roll in cheese.
In a skillet, brown chicken in oil on both sides. Transfer to a shallow 1-at. Baking dish coated with nonstick cooking; drizzle with lemon juice. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 18-20 minutes or until juices run clear.

And because this is Taste of Home and they are awesome, I even have nutrition facts for you. I know, I'm your new best friend. Or maybe not since now you know. Oops.
Nutrition Facts: 1 chicken breast=394 calories, 18g fat (6g saturated), 173 mg cholesterol, 830 mg sodium, 11 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 45 g protein

Parmesan Oven Roasted Asparagus

2011-06-03T08:25:00.000-06:00

Have you ever known one of the vegetables that you just haven't had a good relationship with? You know the kind. The ones that always make you want to gag every time you eat them? The ones that just don't taste good. Period. You don't like it. Period.

Asparagus is that vegetable for me.
Or at least, it used to be.
Since discovering this recipe, I've made this several times.
And you know what?
I think I may actually like asparagus.
This is a big deal.

Asparagus was the vegetable that would keep me at the dinner table for hours after the rest of my family had finished eating. We had that rule that you had to eat everything on your plate growing up. And silly me. I'd save the worst part for last and by that time it was cold and even yuckier than usual. And I would sit at my chair. Refusing to eat it. For hours. Honest.
The sad truth is I don't remember whether I ever actually ate that asparagus or if my mom gave in.
All I remember is sitting at the table, tasting that cold asparagus in my mouth before it even passed my lips.

So you see, asparagus and I have had a hate relationship.
I hated it because it was terrible, awful, slimy, icky stuff.
It hated me because I refused to eat it.

And now I'm all grown up and actually eat everything on my plate because I know better. I also know better to eat my least favorite things first, though that's a different story. Anyway, one day we got a big ole' bunch of asparagus in our Bountiful Basket. And I thought, "Oh, really? What am I going to do with this?" See, we have this policy to try everything we get in our baskets, even if it's not something we usually buy or even enjoy. But with asparagus I was on the losing end. How could I bring myself to eat it? And then, as if the angels knew of my plight, a beautiful recipe practically fell in my lap. Well, actually it fell into my blog reader, but you get the idea. And I am forever grateful to Your Homebased Mom for this recipe.

I also just want to say that if you ever eat something you don't like, try cooking it a different way. That could change your mind.

Parmesan Oven Roasted Asparagus
Recipe from Your Homebased Mom

Ingredients:
Asparagus
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Parmesan Cheese
{there are no specific measurements because everything is to taste}

Directions:
Thoroughly wash and dry your asparagus. Cut about an inch or so off the bottom. If your asparagus is particularly thick, I recommend peeling the bottom half of the outer skin off. This helps remove the toughness that can come from asparagus. Place your asparagus in a small bowl and toss with olive oil. Place on a cookie sheet lined with tin foil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake at 350 degrees for about 7 minutes {this is the magic time in my oven - any less than that and it isn't done, any longer and it's too mushy - and trust me, you don't want mushy asparagus!}. At about 5 minutes, remove from the oven and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Return to the oven for remaining two minutes. Serve immediately.

Dinner in the Swiss Alps

2011-06-01T08:24:00.000-06:00

Raise your hand if you ever need a quick, tasty recipe. {*raising hand*} Raise your hand if you ever get caught up in other more important things - you know, like crafting, blogging, playing - that you forget about dinner. {*Raising hand!*} Raise your hand if you ever have those days where you just don't feel like cooking. {*Raising Hand!!!*} Now, I love to cook. I'm a lover of good food and I especially enjoy my time creating in the kitchen. But even I have days when I just don't feel like cooking. I'd rather spend my time doing something else. This is the recipe I cook up on days like that.
It's so easy it barely counts as a "recipe". In fact, I'm sure my handsome hubby wouldn't call it a recipe. I personally like to call it a "cheater head recipe". So named because it is so delicious that people could be tricked into thinking you spent hours in the kitchen. When it was really only minutes. *sigh* Lovely.
I'll be the first to tell you that I have absolutely no idea why this is called "dinner in the Swiss alps". I haven't figured out the connection to the Swiss yet. Maybe they are uber-amazing cooks who work magic tricks in the kitchen and create amazing delicacies such as this recipe {if you could call it a "delicacy"}. Or maybe they just like delicious, easy dinners, too. :) Or maybe this has nothing to do with Switzerland. Maybe someday I'll figure out this mystery of mysteries. For now, I think I'll just eat it.

Dinner in the Swiss Alps
Recipe from Jessica Smith
Time to cook: approx. 20 minutes

Ingredients:
4 hamburger patties
1 can diced tomatoes with your desired flavor {I'm a big fan of the garlic and onion flavors myself . . . the Italian flavors are pretty darn awesome, too . . . the Mexican flavor gives it a nice kick - if you like getting kicked - which I don't - which is why I prefer the garlic and onion flavors myself}

Directions:
Fry your hamburger patties in a frying pan. Cook just until they are done.
Add can of diced tomatoes. Turn down the heat to medium low. Simmer for 5-10 minutes or until you just can't wait any longer and you must eat it.
Serve with a vegetable or salad and mashed potatoes. Or something else. Anything you eat with these will be amazing.

Variations: if you didn't want to use a can of diced tomatoes that has seasonings already in it, use a regular can of diced tomatoes and add your own seasonings. Or dice up two cups of fresh tomatoes and still use your own seasonings. You know, if you're feeling ambitious.
Seasonings that would be tasty: basil, oregano, cilantro, garlic, onions

Tuesday With Tierra! (Pasta Alfredo)

2011-05-31T09:55:00.004-06:00

Welcome back to the second recipe by Tuesday with Tierra. Now this particular recipe is one of my favorites! I absolutely love Alfredo! The only downfall is how much butter and cream there is so unfortunately I cannot have this every day like I would like but it is fantastic!

This recipe stemmed from my sister-in-law and then my mother-in-law and now I have revised it to make it mine :D

Pasta Alfredo

You will need:

16 oz pasta
3/4 cup butter
1 cup cream
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tsp parsley
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup diced onion

1: In a medium sauce pan bring water to a boil and add in the 16 oz pasta, boil till tender.
2: While the pasta is boiling saute onion till tender, in the butter on a large frying pan.
3: Add in garlic to the frying pan when the onions are almost tender and do not let the garlic get to brown.
4: When the butter is melted and bowling add in the cream and bring to boil. Once it is brought to a boil, boil for about 5 minutes and the sauce should thicken.
5: Drain the pasta and add to the pan with the sauce.
6: Mix in parsley, parm cheese, and pepper. Mix well!

Serve on plates and Enjoy!

A nice addition to the pasta is Chicken. Take 1 chicken breast and add to a crock pot with 1 cup water. Season with 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp thyme. Cook on high for 2-3 hours or until able to pull apart. Then mix in with the pasta and sauce.

Check back next week for another Awesome Recipe!!

Strawberry Limeade

2011-05-25T11:45:00.000-06:00

So on Monday I shared the recipe for Strawberry Sauce. And then I made you wait until today to get my new favorite thing to do with that sauce because we got to have our first recipe from Tierra yesterday! Wasn't she great? I'm super excited to try out her fruit salsa and I think I'm going to have to do it as soon as possible.

Now, I know this may not technically count as a "recipe". But I have measurements, I have ingredients and I'm gonna tell it to ya anyway.

If you really know me, you know I loooooovveee lime. Love lime. Like, I can never have enough lime love it. Like, I could put it on everything love it. Like, I do put it on everything love it. I buy bottles of lime juice like everyone else buys bottles of lemon juice. I always have limes in my fridge and the few times I've run out have been sad, sad days. Moral of the story: limes are awesome! And since limes are awesome and, let's face it, so are strawberries, combining them is about the best thing ever. So today I'm going to tell you how to make Strawberry Limeades. And then you should make them. You mustn't delay this very important and crucial part of your day.
You can thank me later. :)

Strawberry Limeade
Start to finish: less than 5 minutes {provided you already have your sauce made up}
Serving size: one lovely, tall glass

Ingredients:
1 cup lemon-lime soda
1/4 cup frozen limeade concentrate or fresh lime juice {or a little less if you aren't quite lime crazy like me}
2 Tbsp. strawberry sauce
Crushed ice, optional

Directions:
Pour the lemon-lime soda into a glass. Add strawberry sauce. Stir. Add limeade concentrate or lime juice. Add your crushed ice.
Then obtain a comfy lounge chair. Place it in a warm, shady spot outside and sip your limeade while dreaming about all things summery and delicious.

See all that frothy, tasty goodness? Doesn't it just make your taste buds tremble with desire for a taste. Mm, I think I better go make me some. :)

Tuesday With Tierra! (Fruit Salsa)

2011-05-24T09:38:00.004-06:00

Fruit Salsa
By Cara Horton

While I was in Texas enjoying the nice warm weather in comparison to the weather we have around here, hehe, I got to help my sister-in-law make Fruit Salsa. Now just the name makes me kind of excited because I love fruit and am always up for new ways to eat fruit.
We made it for an appetizer for Mothers Day and I think i ate half the bowl!! (but its fruit so thats okay right?)
So I know now is the time for strawberries so thought I would post this and also even though it may not feel like summer, summer get togethers, like family reunions, are right around the corner!

Anyway, You will need:

Cinnamon Chips:
4 (7-inch) flour tortillas
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Melted Butter

Salsa:
2 medium Granny Smith apples
1 cup strawberries, sliced
1 kiwi fruit, peeled and chopped
1 small orange
1 lemon
1/2 cup sugar give or take (this will be for taste, so as much or as little as you would like)

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.

For cinnamon chips, lightly coat with butter. Combine sugar and cinnamon in flour/sugar shaker; sprinkle over tortillas. Cut each tortilla into 8 wedges; place in single layer on cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp. Remove to cooling rack; cool completely.

For salsa, peel, core, and slice apples. Dice Apples into small pieces, you can use a food processor. Slice strawberries and chop kiwi, into small pieces. Place fruit in 1 quart bowl. Cut orange and lemon in half then squeeze the juice over the cut fruit. Add in the sugar to taste. Mix Well!

Serve with cinnamon chips.

This lasted for a few days. I learned that the citrus of the orange and lemon make it so the apple doesn't turn brown, hmmm interesting. I learn something new every day!

Enjoy!!
Thanks for joining me on my first recipe with Tuesday With Tierra! Come back next week for a great Dinner dish!

Strawberry Sauce

2011-05-23T11:45:00.000-06:00

Have you ever heard of Our Best Bites? They are just about the coolest cooking blog on the planet. I aspire to be as cool {and talented} as them someday. I got this wonderful gem of a recipe from their site and it is so wonderful. I use it every time I have leftover strawberries that need to be used. It's is always perfect to use when the strawberries get a little soft and are no longer fun for just eating {or am I the only one who gets that way?}. I have made this several times and every time I am always glad I did. We love it as a syrup on pancakes or french toast, it would be so delicious on ice cream as a topping, and if you come back on Wednesday, I'm going to share my recent favorite thing to do with this sauce.

Strawberry Sauce
Recipe from Our Best Bites

Ingredients
1 pint {or two cups} strawberries
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp almond extract {which is amazing!} or vanilla extract

Directions:
Wash and remove the stems on the strawberries. I usually cut them in half at this point but according to the girls at Our Best Bites, this is an unnecessary step.
Combine the berries, sugar and desired extract flavor in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat {as in, don't try to boil it but keep it hot}. Cook for five minutes, stirring and breaking up the strawberries constantly.
After five minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool. When the mixture is cool enough for your blender, add the mixture to your blender and pulse until it reaches the desired consistency. Or don't blend it up and have a syrupy strawberry mixture. Whatever floats your fancy.

This is my new favorite sauce to put on strawberry shortcake. Yummy!

I love leaving it with lots of chunks when I'm going to put it on pancakes or something. So tasty! But I like it smoother if I put it on something like strawberry shortcake or for the "recipe" I'm going to share Wednesday! And don't forget to check back tomorrow for the first recipe from Tierra!

Sweet Potato Fries

2011-05-19T12:44:00.000-06:00

This was my first experience ever with sweet potato fries. I had heard several people who either loved them or really didn't so I figured I needed to try it out for myself someday. And then when we got some sweet potatoes in our Bountiful Basket, I decided it was "now or never". Am I glad I did, or what? These were so tasty! In fact, I craved them for days afterward and almost changed my mind about the sweet potato I had saved to make food for my baby and make it into sweet potato fries instead! I didn't - but I almost did.
It's important for me to note that I have never before in my life tasted a sweet potato that I liked. This here recipe, this is proof that different ways of cooking a vegetable can make all the difference in the world as to whether or not you'll like it. So if you're like me and don't love sweet potatoes, give these a try and maybe you'll change your mind. :)

Tasty Sweet Potato Fries
Recipe modified slightly from All Recipes
Directions
2 sweet potatoes
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 to 2 Tbsp. light brown sugar
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste {we thought they were tasty with and without the salt and pepper so if you wanted a low-sodium treat, these would be yummy!}
3 Tbsp. light olive oil

Ingredients
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Wash and scrub or peel your sweet potatoes as desired. Cut them into fry shapes. Rinse the fries in cold water and drain. Spread onto a baking sheet that has been spread with a bit of oil or sprayed with non-stick spray to keep your fries from sticking.
In a small bowl, combine cinnamon, ginger and brown sugar. Sprinkle it over the fries. Drizzle the olive olive oil over fries and sugar mixture.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until tender {I cooked mine until they were a tad crispy - and I liked them that way. Now whether or not I did that on purpose is to forever remain a mystery}. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Yummy!

Tuesdays with Tierra: Welcome, Tierra!

2011-05-17T10:15:00.008-06:00

As I mentioned yesterday, I am welcoming a wonderful addition to this cooking blog! Her name is Tierra and she's my cousin. She loves to cook {and I have to tell ya, that's pretty hilarious! You'll see the details of why below.} and she has graciously agreed to post some of her great recipes from time to time! We've created a new installment called "Tuesdays with Tierra" and we're both super excited about it! This week, you get a formal introduction to this super cute cousin of mine and then we get to look forward to her recipes! Here's the sweet intro she has written up for us:

* * * * * * * * *

Why do you cook?
~ I would say there are two reasons 1: I love the satisfaction of making a tasty meal or a baked good for my husband, family and friends :D 2: When I am having a bad day or am stressed about my studies cooking/baking is a fun way to get my mind off things.

What is your favorite thing to cook?
~My new recent thing I like to cook is Chicken Pesto or Alfredo Pizza

Five Fun or Random Facts About You:
1. I used to hate cooking. It was a chore to even help Jessica make Swedish Pancakes lol
2. I used to hate reading and it is my third love. 1- my husband of course 2- cooking 3- reading lol
3. Im obsessed with pictures, I have pics everywhere in my house
4. I hate getting my face wet. Yes, you are correct in thinking I do not get my face wet in the shower; when I'm swimming and doing the front stroke I will keep my head out of the water lol
5. One of my biggest pet peeves is people not spelling correctly. I am horrible at grammar but spelling has always been my strong suit. I won the spelling bee in 5th grade and won a scooter! :D

What is your desired super-power?
~ I would love to be able to read minds.

What is your favorite dish?
I am in love with my chicken pesto pizza, homemade chicken egg rolls, and maple-glazed pork

Your blog:
The Ashcrofts

~ I am 21 years old, married to an amazing man for 1 1/2 years, and just graduated college with Associate Degree of Applied Science in Nursing. In other words I am currently studying to take my state boards to become a registered nurse! That's all about me! I look forward to sharing some of my recipes whether they are borrowed ones or my own.

* * * * * * * * *

See, isn't she fun? She and I share some of the same loves {cooking, reading, families} and we also share the same hatred of getting our faces wet! Maybe it's a family thing? Anyway, I am so excited to have her joining us in all our cooking adventures! Welcome, Tierra!

Black Bean and Corn Salad

2011-05-16T10:14:00.000-06:00

This salad is absolutely wonderful! It is fresh, cool, and the perfect variation on a "typical" salad. I love salads that are different and I'm glad I've come upon this recipe. I looked for this salad specifically because I had a jicama I needed to use. Have you ever had a jicama? Mm, I love jicama! It is a sweeter vegetable that looks a lot like a turnip and tastes a whole lot better. It is delicious raw and can also be cooked in any dish with other vegetables. A stir fry or fajitas with jicama would be delicious. Just sayin'. It can be a bit starchy; I'm no expert but I'm thinking that it gets starchy quality when it is old. I've linked a video below that you can look into to see how to prepare jicama. In the video you'll be able to see what a jicama looks like {since I forgot to take a picture before I excitedly cut into mine}.

As much as I love jicama raw, I didn't want to just eat the whole thing by itself {it was a large jicima!}, so I decided to put it in a bean and corn salad. I found this recipe on AllRecipes and with just a few modifications, I've got the perfect summer salad.

Black Bean and Corn Salad
Recipe Modified from All Recipes
Ready in 25 minutes
4-5 servings {I think you may be able to get 6 depending on the size of your serving}

Ingredients:
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 bell pepper, green or red, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup jicama, chopped
1 tsp. ground cilantro or 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro

Directions:
Place lime juice, olive oil, garlic and salt into a container with a tight lid. Cover with the lid and shake until ingredients are well mixed. Set aside.
In a salad bowl, combine beans, corn, bell pepper, tomato, green onion, jicama and cilantro. Shake the lime dressing once more and pour over the salad. Stir salad to coat all ingredients and serve.

Delicious!

Note: If you want this salad to go further, serve over a bed of lettuce.

PS - check back tomorrow for an introduction to a new contributor to this little 'ole blog! I'm excited to have her cooking along with us!

Mexican Chicken Skillet

2011-05-05T14:37:00.000-06:00

In honor of Cinco de Mayo today, I decided I would post a Mexican recipe. Or a kind of Mexican recipe. Maybe we should call it TexMex. Or American Mexican. Or the "dish-that-wishes-it-were-Mexican". But no matter it's official title is, we can definitely call it good. This was the meal I craved like nothing else when I was pregnant. And the wonderful thing is that it wasn't "ruined" for me like some of my other pregnancy foods {for example, I have a hard time finding a desire for oranges or Popsicles anymore - both for drastically different reasons, but that's a story for another day}. I can still eat this meal as if it were brand new to me. And I could eat it multiple times a week. Now that is saying something. I am a variety kind of gal. Give me variety or I get queasy. No joke. I must have something different. Leftovers are always kind of an issue around here. My hubby is awesome about eating leftovers - he doesn't care if we just ate it yesterday and the day before but I do. A couple times a week - and never two days in a row - is about all I can handle of the same meal. Except for this one. I have eaten this multiple times in one week and have never gotten sick of it. It is just that amazing! And there are other fantastic things about it, too! Let's list all the pros of this recipe, shall we?

It tastes soooo good. :)
It is super, duper easy. Really, even my sister who doesn't like to cook likes to cook this recipe.
It freezes well.
It makes a ton of food. It usually makes enough for my family to eat for at least three meals. Wowza.
It looks yummy.
Anything that goes with tortilla chips and has lime in it is simply wonderful. The end.

Now we will list the cons. . . . . . . . . . . Wait. There aren't any!

Mexican Chicken Skillet
Time: about 30-40 minutes

Recipe adapted from $5 Dinners

Ingredients

1 can black beans, mostly drained {meaning, don't worry about squeezing every last drop out of the can - a little liquid will make it tasty}
1 can corn, mostly drained or one cup of frozen corn
1 can diced tomatoes {I really love the ones that have roasted garlic and onions in them, but for a more authentic flavor, choose one with green chilies}
1/2 cup chopped onion {can use green onions, which lend a pretty tasty flavor}
1 1/3 cup cooked chicken, shredded
1/3 tsp. garlic powder, heaping, or 2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 tsp. cumin, heaping
1/4 cup lime juice {or more if you're like me and can't get enough lime}
Salt and pepper to taste {I actually never put salt and pepper in mine - it's one of those things that's good enough without it}
1 cup shredded cheese
Tortilla chips
Rice

Directions
In large skillet, put all ingredients except lime juice. Cook on medium low heat for about 15 minutes.
Add lime juice and cook for another 5 minutes or so.
Just before serving, top with cheese.
Serve with tortilla chips and rice.
Yum!

Note: We usually eat this meal as is with chips and possibly serve rice on the side. If you want this meal to go further, mix it with the rice and serve as a casserole. I prefer it not mixed with the rice, but do whatever your taste preference demands!

Hamburger and Garlic Stroganoff

2011-05-02T01:20:00.000-06:00

This stroganoff recipe is my all-time favorite. There is no better recipe. Really. The combination of garlic, onion, and mushrooms with the creamy sauce is amazing! When I was in college, this was the recipe I used to make for my friends and roommates to impress them. And it worked like a charm every single time.

Hamburger and Garlic Stroganoff
Recipe from Robyn Brewer
Makes: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:
½ cup onion
1 clove garlic
¼ cup butter
1 lb. ground beef
2 Tbsp. flour
¼ tsp. pepper
1 can mushrooms {I use stems and pieces and cut them into tiny chunks so people don't get grossed out by the mushrooms}
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp. salt

Directions:
In a frying pan, saute onion in butter over medium heat for a couple of minutes or until almost soft. Add garlic and saute for another couple of minutes. Add meat and brown. Add flour, salt and pepper and mushrooms. Cook 5 minutes. Add soup; simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Stir in sour cream, heat through. Serve over rice or noodles.

Mmm, yummy!

"Chicken" Fried Dinner Patties

2011-04-30T13:35:00.000-06:00

I got this recipe from an old ward we were in. I really wish I remembered the name of the woman who gave it to me. Maybe I'll be able to find a note around here somewhere. Anyway, this is a pretty good recipe for using up food storage items. It's also pretty tasty. I will say that I didn't think it tasted much like chicken, but for oats, I imagine it's about as close as I could get!

I will also say that I liked this recipe a little different from the way outlined here, so I'll give the directions to make the patties and then I'll tell you the alternate directions to make a "chicken" fried dinner.

"Chicken Fried" Dinner Patties
Servings: Approx. six "chicken" patties

Ingredients:
Patties:
3/4 c. finely chopped onion
1 small clove garlic, mince
3/4 c. quick oats
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. Montreal steak seasoning
1/2 tsp. ground sage

Sauce:
1/2 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 c. milk or yogurt
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. garlic salt

For frying:
3 Tbsp. oil

Gravy:
1/2 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup milk
1 packet chicken gravy mix or some other form of gravy mix.

Directions:
Mix finely chopped onions, garlic, quick oats, eggs, seasonings. In large fry-pan, heat oil on medium high. Using a large spoon place a large spoonful of mixture at a time into hot oil and smooth mixture with back of spoon to create a patty. You could also your hands to try to create a patty before putting the mixture into the pan. This is kind of messy and sometimes the patties won't hold together very well {this is where I found my alternate method helpful}.
Brown well on both sides, turning only once {the more often you turn them, the more likely they are to fall apart}. Patties will be lightweight at this point.
Turn heat to lowest simmer. Mix soup, milk or yogurt and garlic salt in a medium sized bowl; spoon over patties, turning to coat both sides. Cover and simmer 30 to 40 minutes until all liquid is absorbed. {Carefully turn patties a time or two while they are simmering/absorbing liquids.}
Serve with rice or pasta and gravy.

Gravy:
Combine the soup, milk, and chicken gravy mix together. Bring to a boil in a medium sauce pan then turn down heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until thickened. If the gravy doesn't thicken enough, add about a tablespoon of flour and mix until fully incorporated.

Alternate Cooking Method:
Place the entire oat mixture into the pan with hot oil. Cook as if browning ground beef, just not quite as long. It only takes a couple of minutes. Then add the sauce to it and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. While the oat/sauce mixture is simmering, make some rice. When both the rice and the "chicken" fried dinner are finished, combine them together and top with gravy.
Enjoy!

Hash Brown & Pepper Jack Quiche

2011-04-04T03:16:00.000-06:00

The first exposure I had to quiche was this recipe. I actually hadn't had the "real" quiche, you know, with a pie crust, for several years after trying this recipe. Now, don't get me wrong, I actually really like "real" quiche, but I love this recipe using hash browned potatoes as the crust instead. Sooo yummy. This is a recipe my husband's family makes and we all love it!

Hash Brown and Pepper Jack Quiche
Recipe from Olive Harwood

20 oz frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 cup diced ham
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:
Press the hash browns into a well greased pie tin or round cake pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 425 degrees.
Put the cheeses and the ham on top of the potatoes.
In a small bowl, mix the eggs, milk and salt together. Pour over the rest and bake for 25-30 minutes at 425 degrees. It is done when a knife inserted half way from the edge to the center comes out mostly clean. Let stand for a few minutes and serve.
We like to eat this with fruit. Mmmm. :)

Country Potatoes

2011-04-02T01:59:00.000-06:00

Many in my church call these "funeral potatoes". I guess it's because this is an easy, quick meal to take to a funeral. However, regardless of what you call these potatoes, they are scrumptious! One of my favorite ways to prepare potatoes. The corn flakes on top do make it hard to store these but I have found that if I need to store leftovers in the refrigerator that I just add some extra corn flakes right before reheating and then I don't have to worry about losing that crunch that comes from the flakes.

Country Potatoes
Recipe from Diane Bingham

6 potatoes, baked and cooked, peeled and shredded
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup sour cream
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup crushed corn flakes

Directions:
Mix the chicken soup, chopped onion, butter and sour cream together until creamy. Add the potatoes and cheese and stir until well incorporated. Put in a well greased 9x13 baking pan. Top with the crushed corn flakes. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until the inside is warm. Serve topped with extra cheese and sour cream.

Delicious!

Chicken Salad

2011-03-30T01:48:00.005-06:00

I really love chicken salad. It is one of my favorite summer recipes. The combo of sauces, grapes and chicken is magical, I'm tellin' ya! This particular recipe is probably my favorite.

Chicken Salad
Recipe from Budget Bites

2 1/2 cups diced, cooked chicken meat, chilled or 2 12 oz cans of chicken
1 cup chopped celery (optional - I haven't ever used the celery - it's not my fav in this salad)

2 green onions finely diced, use the white and green parts

1 cup sliced, seedless grapes (or apples)
1/2 cup sliced almonds (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or 2 tsp dried parsley
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 to 3/4 cup cup mayonnaise {note: original recipe calls for 1 cup of mayonnaise but it makes it much too heavy for my taste}
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:
In a medium bowl, whip cream to soft peaks. Combine meat, celery, green onion, grapes/apples, almonds, parsley, salt, and mayonnaise with whipped cream. Chill and serve in Pita Pockets or on a croissant roll.

Even though this photo stinks, the salad is really yummy in these Pita Pockets.

Pita Bread

2011-03-26T02:38:00.000-06:00

Before finding this recipe, I had never really had pita bread. But with this recipe, it is one of my favorite breads. Actually, lets be real. I love bread period. But this one is really yummy. Like really, really. It is also pretty easy. The biggest thing is just remembering far enough ahead and starting early enough because it does take time with rising and whatnot. This particular recipe is really great for creating pockets or if you want pita bread, just slice each "pocket" in half and then put whatever you want on it. Just a little note, the original recipe has directions for using your bread machine to make this. I don't have a bread machine so I'll give directions using what I do have. If you want to know how to make this with your bread machine, just follow the link for Budget Bites.

Pita Bread

Recipe from Budget Bites

Ingredients:

1-1/4 cup milk, warmed in microwave for 1 minute
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups bread flour**
1 teaspoon rapid rise yeast**

Directions:
Add ingredients, in the order listed, to a large bowl or the bowl of a large mixer.

If hand kneading this dough, knead it for 5-8 minutes. If using a large mixer with a dough hook, let it mix for about one minute, then stop it to scrape the edge of the bowl and then turn it back on to finish mixing for a couple more minutes.

Dough should be soft and almost spongy. Remove dough from bowl and put on a well floured surface, cover with a kitchen towel. Let rest for 10 minutes {this helps make it easier to shape the dough}.

On a lightly floured surface divide dough into 8-12 balls {the number of balls you make depends on the size of pitas you want- more balls = smaller pitas} and roll each ball into a flat disk about 1/4" thick. Cover dough and let rise until slightly puffed, about 30 minutes.

Place 1/2 of pita rounds on a greased baking sheet {I used an upside down cookie sheet} and bake in the bottom of a 450 F oven for 4-5 minutes, or until bread is puffed {the dough doesn't brown, so don't wait for browned pitas or they'll be burnt}. Just watch them and be sure to remove them when they are looking really puffed, but no longer than 5 minutes. Remove from oven and repeat with remaining dough. When cooled, cut a slit in the side of each pita, fill with your favorite filling and enjoy!

** Note: Bread flour and rapid rise yeast are essential to making homemade bread. These two ingredients help ensure a fluffier product than if you used regular all-purpose flour and a different type of yeast. You can use other flour and yeast, however, you're bread will turn out more dense.

White Sauce Enchiladas

2011-03-24T02:54:00.000-06:00

I am a pretty big fan of enchiladas. I really love green sauce enchiladas. So I decided to try a new idea and go with some white sauce. Mmm, I'm so glad I did! This recipe is sooo yummy! Seriously, you won't regret making these.

White Sauce Enchiladas

Recipe slightly adapted from $5 Dinners

Ingredients:

4 oz cream cheese

1 1/2 cups sour cream

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup shredded, cooked chicken

1/2 cup green onion, chopped

1/2 can green chilies {I liked the slightly more subtle flavor I got by only using half the can but if you like more spice, you can use the whole thing}

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

Tomatoes, sliced

5-6 whole wheat tortillas

Directions:

In a large skillet, melt the cream cheese with the sour cream over medium-low heat. Once all melted and mixed together, add the green chilies and the chicken broth. Stir together until well incorporated. You can add more chicken broth if you want a thinner consistency. Add garlic powder.

Reserve about 1/2-1 cup of the cream cheese mixture; set aside. Add the chicken to the remaining sauce. Stir in the chicken and let simmer about 10 minutes so the flavors can begin to infuse. When there is about a minute left, add the can of corn and stir.

Spoon the cream cheese chicken mixture into warmed tortillas. Roll and place into an 8x8 baking dish. You'll get between 5-6 enchiladas in the dish.

Spread the reserved cream cheese mixture over the top. Top with sliced tomatoes and sprinkle shredded cheese over that. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.

The tomatoes give it a really nice light flavor and help round out the white sauce. You could reserve the corn and serve it on the side instead of inside the enchiladas, whichever your preference is.

Scrumptious!

Homemade Burritos

2011-03-22T00:27:00.005-06:00

My hubby and I are big burrito fans. We really love them around here. I've worked and worked on a recipe until I finally came up with what we think is the perfect burrito recipe. Now, I once mentioned to my dad that I had come up with this great recipe and he said to me, in effect, "The real way to do it is to put lard in it." And I basically went, "Um, yuck." I mean in no way for that to offend anyone. Just for some reason the idea of lard kind of grosses me out. There is no lard in this recipe. None. Zilch. Nada. So I guess that makes this recipe about as non-authentic as you can get. However, I still think it tastes good. :)

Yes, I know. It looks like I have large ugly man hands.

Homemade Burritos

Recipe created by Cucina di Harwood

1/2 lb ground hamburger

1 can Refried Beans

2 1/2 Tbsp water

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp dried cilantro or 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped

1/2 tsp dried basil

1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/3 cup low fat sour cream

2 Tbsp. Salsa Verde

1/2 cup shredded cheese

Dash of pepper

Tortillas

Desired toppings - I really like spinach, tomatoes, green peppers, green onions, and extra cheese 'cuz I love cheese. Mozzarella is my favorite. Other good toppings are ranch, salsa or taco sauce.

Directions:

Brown the hamburger over medium heat until cooked; drain. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Cook until heated through. Put a scoop on your tortilla and add any toppings you so desire.

This is also be yummy with a scoop of rice on the tortilla as well.

Yum!

Beef Steamer

2011-03-20T11:56:00.000-06:00

I have no idea where I originally found the idea for this recipe. It's something that a lot of people probably figure has been around forever, I just hadn't made anything similar before this. Anyway, as I said, I don't remember where I found the original inspiration. But I took the idea and ran with it and this is what I came up with.

This recipe is pretty much perfect for kids. I can't think of a kid I know who wouldn't like this stuff. It's a very simple, no-nonsense kind of recipe. Really, just meaning that it isn't complex with the flavors. The simplicity makes it a quick lunch or kid's meal, and since you put lots of veggies in it, I would feel okay feeding it to my daughter - at least, as soon as she is old enough to eat food like this, that is!.

Beef Steamer

Recipe from Cucina di Harwood

1 can chili

1 can tomoato soup

1/2 Tbsp. Chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1/3 tsp salt

1 lb. ground beef

1 cup dry macaroni or other pasta, cooked

1 onion, chopped

2-3 large carrots, grated

2-3 large florets of broccoli, chopped in small pieces {optional}

1/2-1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Directions:

Brown hamburger with onion; add green pepper just before the burger is completely cooked. If the hamburger is very greasy, add some flour to help soak up the grease. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook until warmed through.

If you would like the steamer a little more like soup, you could add some water. The macaroni and the cheese can be substituted for leftover macaroni and cheese.

Bean Chicken Wraps

2011-03-18T10:13:00.002-06:00

This past weekend I saw my younger brother and he commented about this lil' ole cooking blog. It made me happy to know that someone out there actually looks at these recipes and enjoys them. He told me that he really likes my cooking site and thinks it's pretty good. However, he also said, "But you need more real food. You've got a lot of treats, but you need more main dishes, like Italian and meat dishes." I told him I'd work on that. :) So I came home and looked in my food photo folder and discovered that I've got lots of main dish recipes I haven't shared. So over the next couple of weeks I'll share a few that I've got saved up. Of course, they don't all fall under the meat or Italian categories, but they are main dishes! ;)

This recipe was inspired by one of those e-mail recipe exchange things. I'm sure most people have had them. But you know, they don't usually turn out as they should in theory. I'm lucky if I get one recipe back. Sad, sad. Anyway, I participated in one once and I got a recipe back that inspired this one. It is really yummy and so easy to put together. I think it's a perfect lunch recipe.

Bean Chicken Wraps

Recipe from Cucina di Harwood

Servings: 6-8

Prep time: 10 minutes -- Cooke time: 15 minutes

1 large chicken breast, cooked in garlic and cut into bite size cubes

1 12 oz or so can white beans, mostly drained {any kind of white bean works well}

1/2 yellow or green pepper, chopped

1/2 cup green onion, chopped - use green and white parts of the onion

1 tsp Italian seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

1-2 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup shredded

1 cup cooked rice

Tortillas

Directions:

Mix together the beans and chicken. Put into an oven safe casserole dish. Top with onions, peppers, seasonings and juice and lightly fold into the beans mixture. Top with shredded cheese and bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Warm tortillas in microwave for a few seconds so they are pliable and soft.

Top tortilla with a scoop of rice and bean chicken mixture. For some extra flavor, squeeze a bit more lemon juice on top. Wrap up and eat up!

Variation:

You can use a 12 oz can of chicken instead of cooking your own chicken breast.

You can also cook this up in the microwave if you didn't want to fire up your oven.

Swedish Tosca Cake

2011-02-26T19:39:00.000-07:00

I have mentioned before that my grandmother {or Farmor, as I know her, which means father's mother in Swedish} is from Sweden. However, I don't think I've mentioned that my Farmor loves to cook. The joke in the family is that she reads cookbooks for entertainment. And maybe it's not so much of a joke because she actually does. :) Anyway, she is good cook and I love trying the things she makes for us. She especially loves to make authentic Swedish foods for us and this is one of her favorite things to make.

This cake is delicious. It is the perfect combination of flavors between the glaze and the cake. The cake is dense and moist and the almond flavor is so subtle and perfect. The glaze is sugary and buttery and very sweet, making it the perfect addition to this wonderful cake.

I don't think you can go wrong with this cake. It is wonderful for a party or a potluck. It is so perfect warm right out of the oven. But it is also yummy if it's been sitting for a couple of days. However, my favorite way to eat it if it has been sitting is to warm it up in the microwave for a few seconds to get the glaze nice and melty and the cake nice and warm. Mmm, mmm. I think I better go make this again. I may or may not eat the whole thing by myself. :D

Ooh, doesn't this just have you drooling?

Swedish Tosca Cake

Recipe from Helga Hardy

Cake:

5 eggs

1-1/2 cup sugar

½ cup butter, melted

2/3 cup milk

1-2/3 cup flour

3 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. almond extract

Cream eggs and sugar for 5 minutes at medium speed in a mixer or with a handheld mixer. In a separate bowl, mix the flour wiht the baking powder. Add butter, milk, and flour mixture to egg mixture. I found that when adding these ingredients, it is best to add each one individually and just quickly mix them together. If you mix the melted butter and the milk right at the same time, it will make your butter harden. So add the butter, stir it into the eggs and then add the milk and flour mixture. One all added, blend for 2 minutes. Put into 9x9 or 11x7 greased and floured pan {Because the only sized pan I had was an 8x8 that is what I used. I think it made the cake particularly thick and I do think it would be better with the right size pan. However, if you are like me and only have the smaller pan, it does work to use it.}. Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes.

This photo may not be very good but it is a pretty good shot of the delicious glaze on the top oozing down the cake. This is what happens when you eat it warm. Delicious!

Glaze:

½ cup butter

1-1/2 Tbsp. milk

1/2 cup sugar

1-1/2 Tbsp. flour

2-1/2 oz chopped almonds

½ tsp. almond extract

Melt butter in saucepan; add milk, sugar, flour and almonds. Boil for 2 minutes - begin timing about as soon as you see bubbles. Since I have a gas burner mine will start a rolling boil pretty quickly once it starts to bubble. If you let it boil too long, it may make it stiff and could burn. I would just start timing it when it begins boiling; don't wait for a rolling boil. Spread over cake; put under the broiler in the oven until is has a light brown color.

Bon appetit!

Doritos Casserole

2011-01-31T05:19:00.000-07:00

Need an easy, inexpensive weeknight meal? Don't really feel like cooking but you want something yummy that your family will eat? Want something your kids will eat? Then this is the recipe for you. My sister learned this recipe from somebody, I don't remember who, but she used to convince my mom to let us have it all the time growing up. And my hubby and I ate it a lot when we were college students. Hello cheap casserole! We would cut the recipe in half and bake it in an 8x8 pan and still always get at least two meals out of it, maybe more if we were sure to eat other stuff along with it. Now, it's more of a comfort food - kind of like macaroni and cheese - and is definitely the meal I turn to when I don't feel like spending a lot of time in the kitchen.

Doritos Casserole

Ingredients:

1 pkg. Cooler Ranch Doritos chips

2 cans chili

2 can cream of mushroom soup

Shredded cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Crush Doritos chips into bottom on 13x9-inch baking dish. Mix chili and cream of mushroom soup together; pour over Doritos. Cover with cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and inside is warm, approximately 15-20 minutes.

Note: The leftovers of this casserole really aren't that great because the chips get soggy if they sit for very long. If you want to make this up but plan to have leftovers, combine the chili and mushroom soup and put into a casserole dish. Cover with cheese and bake until warm and the cheese is melted and bubbly. Then put a single serving of crushed Doritos chips on a plate and cover with the chili mixture. This way you can add fresh Doritos chips to every serving and don't have to worry about soggy chips.

Delicious & Easy Bow-Ties

2011-01-24T05:11:00.000-07:00

I really love pasta.It's a serious weakness. Pasta and breads. I could eat a whole meal of fresh made bread. It doesn't matter what kind. I love it. Pasta is pretty much the same way. I never get tired of pasta. Now, if you combine pasta, tomatoes and bacon, you can just about guarantee I'll eat it. And eat it I did! Mmm ... just the thought of this is making my mouth water!

Delicious and Easy Bow Ties

Recipe from Western Family

Ingredients:

1 lb. bow tie pasta, cooked an drained

1 lb. bacon, cooked until crisp; drain and crumble {use the real stuff ... don't substitute turkey bacon here ... ask me why I know}

2 cans (14.5 oz) Italian Stewed Tomatoes, drained

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

3 cups fresh spinach leaves {I think if you slice these up, it tastes better and leftovers work better}

1 cup green onions, thinly sliced

1 cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced, OR 2 tsp. dried basil leaves

1 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

In a deep skillet heat tomatoes and garlic over medium heat.

Add bacon, spinach, onions and basil to skillet and simmer until spinach is slightly wilted.

Add bow tie pasta and toss.

Add cheese and serve immediately.

DK Wraps

2011-01-17T01:15:00.002-07:00

My brother-in-law came up with this recipe while he was on his mission in the South. He needed recipes that were easy and relatively inexpensive. These fit the bill pretty well. He and my sister made them for us when we were down visiting for Christmas. For being so simple, they are deceptively delicious. Actually, I'm kind of craving one right now.

I also love the versatility. There are so many different ways you could cook them up, they could pretty much fit any taste.

DK Wraps

Recipe from Dakotah Gordon

Ingredients:

Flour or whole wheat tortilla wraps

Ground beef, cooked

Creole Seasoning

Bacon, cooked and chopped

Cheese, shredded

Directions:

Spread ground beef onto bottom half of tortilla wrap. Sprinkle desired amount of Creole seasoning onto meat - the more seasoning you use, the spicier it will be. Add some bacon and shredded cheese to the top. Fold the tortilla so that there are no open ends; grill on a George Foreman, in a saucepan, or on a barbecue grill. Serve it up! Mmm!

Variations:

Cooked, shredded chicken

Cajun or Italian seasonings

Add some BBQ sauce or ranch dressing

Use grilled fish, chopped shrimp or crab for the meat

Swiss cheese instead of cheddar

Karen's Sloppy Joes

2011-01-14T05:24:00.000-07:00

I tend to think that if you are going to make something, homemade is generally better. A few months ago my younger siblings came to visit us and they had lunch. They volunteered to bring sloppy joe mix, but I told them not to worry about it because I had something better than those store bought mixes. When I made up lunch and my sibs finally got to try this recipe, they all agreed that these were the best sloppy joes. It is perhaps the best sloppy joe recipe I've ever had. I have three different recipes for sloppy joes, but this one is probably my favorite. It's also really easy. Ah, you can't beat delicious and easy!

Karen's Sloppy Joes

Recipe from Sister's Cafe

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey or lean ground beef (still tastes great with turkey)

1 onion

3/4 c. ketchup

2 T. brown sugar

1.5 T. mustard

1 T. apple cider vinegar

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

Chop onion and assemble ingredients. Brown ground turkey/beef in a large frying pan. Add the remainder of the ingredients and mix well. Serve on hamburger bun or whatever you would like. Voila!

Bacon Wrapped Sausages

2011-01-12T11:01:00.000-07:00

First of all, I have to say that I just can't seem to type wrapped {that word, it took a lot of concentration to accomplish}. I always end up spelling warped . . . yes, even the second "p" conspicuously ends up missing. At least I am catching it so far. That sounds like a really yummy, recipe, huh? Bacon Warped Sausages. Yum. Just makes you giddy inside for the thought of eating it, right? Or not. :P

Anyway, these are super yummy. Just not super good for you. But that doesn't matter. Because they are that good. I ate at least four at our Christmas Eve party. Maybe more. I might have lost track of how many I ate . . . this helps considerably when you are trying not to feel guilty about eating all the unhealthy stuff.

Everyone else kept raving about them, too. My husband's family is pretty good about eating healthy. Hubby and I try, also. It's just that important to us. But I've been wanting to try these for a long time so I finally relented and made these. I'm glad I did. Every. single. one. of my brothers-in-law loved them. Now, they can't stop talking about them. Next month we are all going to get together and have a "President's Favorite Foods" potluck party to celebrate President's Day. One of my brother-in-laws has slyly suggested that there is a president whose favorite food was bacon wrapped sausages.

This recipe is from one of my favorite cooking blogs, Our Best Bites. If you've never seen their blog, you should really check it out. Any time I've made something of theirs, I've felt like a cooking goddess because it just always turns out fantastic. This is no exception.

Bacon Wrapped Sausages

Recipe from Our Best Bites

Ingredients:

1 14-oz. package Lit'l Smokies

1 12-oz. package lean bacon

3/4 c. brown sugar {I actually used less than this - probably about 1/2 cup - but I do think they would have tasted better with more so don't make this same mistake!}

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 325 and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Using a pair of kitchen shears, cut the slab of bacon into thirds.

Wrap 1/3 of each slice of bacon around each sausage and secure with a toothpick and place on the baking sheet.

Repeat with remaining sausages and bacon. When I was making these, the stars somehow aligned and this package of Lit'l Smokies and Hormel Black Label bacon matched up completely--no leftover bacon, no leftover sausage. Sprinkle brown sugar over sausages and bake at 325 for 40-45 minutes or until bacon has cooked and is starting to brown. Yum!!

Pecan Tartlets - Variation

2010-12-21T08:20:00.004-07:00

It may seem silly to do a completely different post on a variation of a recipe that was posted yesterday. There are just so many photos that I wanted to do this differently. I'm not going to be including ingredients in this post so if you want to know how to make this tartlet variation, check the Pecan Tartlets post first.

I made 3 dozen pecan tartlets and decided that I didn't want to make any more. However, I had enough dough and filling to make at least six more tartlets so I had to come up with something to use up what was left. My dear hubby helped me. This variation is what we came up with. We can't think of any good names for it though. Suggestions?

I actually really enjoyed this little variation. It tasted so yummy and had a less sweet flavor than the tartlets themselves. It also looked so pretty!

Directions:

Roll out pastry dough in a circle to be between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick. Place on a greased cookie sheet and roll the edges up to create a barrier. Be sure your barrier is between 1/4 and 1/2 inch high and that it is rolled tightly so it won't come undone.

Sprinkle chopped pecans on the crust. I also used up a few walnuts I had leftover from making Lemon Tea Cakes.

Pour some corn syrup mixture over the nuts.

This is why that barrier is so important. You don't want your syrup leaking out and making a mess all over your pan. Actually, forget the mess you'd get on your pan. Let's talk about how sad it would be to end up with a pastry with nuts and no syrup! That would be a sad day indeed. You really want it to stay on top of the pastry.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Serve cut into triangles.

Yummy!

Pecan Tartlets

2010-12-20T01:14:00.002-07:00

You know me, I love pecan pie. It is my all-time favorite pie. You've heard that already. But because it's my favorite, when I saw the recipe for these Pecan Tartlets, I just knew I had to make them. And I'm so glad I did! They are so yummy and you pretty much can't go wrong with them! I will say that they are a bit time consuming, cutting out all the little circles of dough and forming all the tartlets. I don't think it would have taken me as long if I had more mini muffin tins, but since I only have one it took me a while. However, they are so yummy and very worth it. I'm so glad I made them {and glad I gave most of them away or else I would have eaten them all!}.
Also, check back tomorrow for a little something different I did with my leftover tartlet makings.

Pecan Tartlets

Recipe from Cooking During Stolen Moments

Time: 1 1/2 to 2 hours

Makes: 3 1/2 dozen tartlets

You will need a mini muffin tin

For the pastry:

6 oz. cream cheese {I used 1/3 fat cream cheese and it worked really well}

1 c. butter

2 c. flour

1/8 t. salt

Place cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl and beat until creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Add flour and salt and beat until dough comes together and forms a ball.

For the pecan filling:

2 eggs

2/3 c. corn syrup

2/3 c. sugar

2 t. flour

2 T. butter, melted

1 t. vanilla

1/2 c. chopped pecans

Combine all ingredients, except pecans, and beat or whisk until combined. Reserve pecans for assembling the tartlets.

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Roll out dough about an 1/8 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. I prefer my dough to be a little thinner but if you like a thicker crust, a 1/4 inch would be perfect, too. If your dough is excessively sticky or too soft, refrigerate for 15-20 minutes before rolling out. This helps give it a firmness.
Another trickI have is to handle the pastry dough as little as possible. Mix it up, roll it out, cut the circles. Gently combine the scraps from that batch then roll it out again. In other words, you don't have to get it perfectly in a ball the second time before you roll it out again. The less you handle your pastry, the more flaky and soft it will be when it's baked. However, don't let my "handle with care" tip scare you away from making these yourself. This is probably the easiest pastry dough I've ever made in my life.
{Because I only have one mini muffin pan, my pastry dough was sitting on the counter between batches. If you find that it begins to get too warm in your kitchen, the dough will soften and get stickier, thereby making it more difficult to handle. This is when the fridge trick will be especially helpful. Put your dough in the fridge while one batch is baking. When that batch is finished baking, you can take them out of the oven, put the tartlets on cooling racks then pull out the dough from the fridge and make more circles. This also helps give your pan time to cool down so you can make more tartlets without having to use a hot pan.}

Using a 2 1/2 inch round cookie cutter or glass, cut out circles. Press into mini muffin tins, going all the way up the sides of the cups. I used my knuckle to press the dough into the baking cups {I have long nails so using my fingers didn't work for me}. I also found that a bottle cap from my baby's bottles worked really well.

Using my knuckle to press the pastry into the baking cup.

Your pastry should look like this.

Sprinkle a generous teaspoon full of pecan pieces into the bottom of each tartlet.

You can use a teaspoon to spoon the pecans into the pastry...

. . . or do like me and just dump some pecans in there until you have the amount you want.

Spoon about 1 1/2 t. of the syrup on top of the pecans, covering the pecans and filling at least 3/4 of each tartlet.

I found that a teaspoon was about enough.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, until lightly golden brown and filling is set. Note that the filling won't appear to be very set right when you pull it out. You can jiggle the pan a little to see if the filling moves a lot. It is seems like it mostly there, they are probably done. Your best judge at this point will be the pastry dough. It should be lightly golden.

Note: these are super sticky.

Delicious!

Variation: The pastry dough can also be filled with your favorite jam before baking. Bake as directed above and sprinkle with powdered sugar after the tartlets have cooled.

Oatmeal Wafers

2010-12-19T01:24:00.000-07:00

These oatmeal wafers are super yummy! They are a different kind of cookie. my Farmor {she's Swedish - I think I've mentioned her before} says these are authentic Swedish oatmeal cookies. They are crunchy with the perfect amount of spice. They are also easy to make. So if you want to try a different kind of cookie that's crunchy and uber yummy, these are for you. :D

Oatmeal Wafers

Known in Swedish as Havreflarn

Recipe from Grace Lindquist via my Farmor

Ingredients:

½ cup butter or margarine

¾ cup sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup oatmeal

2 Tbsp. sifted flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 egg

Directions:

Melt butter; remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients. Mix until blended. Butter cookie sheet generously and dust with flour. Drop batter by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet, 3 inches apart. Bake at 375 degrees for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 1 minutes before removing quickly with sharp knife. Cool. For more decorative effect place cookie immediately on handle of wooden spoon. Make one pan at a time.

Baklava

2010-12-18T01:13:00.000-07:00

This is a traditional dessert found in the Mediterranean. Actually, it is kind of an interesting thing, if you look it up. All over the Middle East, countries will claim it as their own, asserting that other countries stole the recipe or that their country improved it. You can click HERE to see a history of this fantastic, crunchy, sweet dessert. There are also apparently many different recipes. This particular recipe is Greek. Which seems appropriate since phyllo dough (the most important ingredient!) is also Greek. Or at least the word "phyllo" is Greek.

Anyway, I saw some Baklava in a food catalog and decided it looked really good. I didn't really want to pay the price to try it through the company, so I looked up a recipe and made my own. I'm glad I did. I thought this stuff was wonderful! I took it to a family Thanksgiving party and everyone who tried it liked it. It's a little more labor intensive but that doesn't mean it's hard to make. It's actually super easy, it just takes time. However, I think it's well worth the time!

Baklava

Recipe from allrecipes
18 servings or 3 dozen squares

Ingredients:

Filling and dough:

1 (16 oz) package phyllo dough {this dough can be found in the frozen section of your grocery store - look near pie dough}

1 pound chopped nuts {I used walnuts though I think pecans would be even yummier!}

1 cup butter, melted

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Sauce:

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup honey

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9x13 pan.

Chop nuts and toss with cinnamon. Set aside. Unroll phyllo dough. Cut off about two or three inches from one end so it will fit into your pan.

I know this is probably the worst picture ever known to man. Or at least it's pretty close. {I have no idea why it turned like that. Sorry.} And the blue tint makes it even worse. I know. But I wanted to demonstrate just how thin phyllo dough really is. "Phyllo" is "named after the Greek word for leaf', being 'thin as a leaf'" {see above link}. Really, I would go with paper. This dough is paper thin.

Cover phyllo with dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work. Place two sheets of dough in pan; using a pastry brush, butter throroughly. Butter the dough sheets carefully. Since they are so thin it can be easy to tear them if you aren't careful. Repeat until you have 8 sheets of layered dough.

You can see that my phyllo dough is climbin up the sides of my pan a little. I didn't experience any problems with this and actually liked the little extra dough it provided. You can, however, trim the dough to fit your pan exactly if that's what you want.

Sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top of phyllo dough layers.

Top with two sheets of dough, butter those sheets, then add more nuts. Continue layering in this manner until you feel the pan is full enough or you run out of nuts {which is what happened to me}. Just be careful not to use all your dough. You need 6-8 sheets for the top and final layer. Also, buttering the dough sheets after you start layering in the nuts can be a challenge. I found it easiest to get my pastry brush really buttery and then pat the butter onto the sheets. This kept the dough from tearing but enabled me to butter it thoroughly.

Cover the last layer of nuts with two sheets of phyllo dough and butter them. Then add two more sheets and layer as in the beginning until it is 6-8 sheets deep. On the final set of two sheets, be sure to butter well. That will help make that top layer nice and crispy!

Using a sharp knife that has been well buttered, cut into square or diamond shapes {I found squares easiest and they go further}. Be sure to cut all the way to the bottom of the pan. Bake for about 40-50 minutes or until Baklava is golden and crisp. My Baklava was definitely done after 40 minutes so be sure to check it at the lowest baking time.

Make the sauce while the baklava is baking.

Boil sugar and water until sugar is dissolved and incorporated. Add vanilla and honey. Simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

Remove baklava from oven and immediately spoon sauce over it. The Baklava will be completely drenched in this honey liquid. Don't be alarmed. You did, in fact, do everything you were supposed to! The honey sauce will thicken as the Baklava and sauce cool and the nuts and dough will soak it up.
Let cool.

For a pretty touch, serve the sqaures in cupcake baking cups.

Leave it uncovered or it will get soggy.

Baklava freezes well. Just put individual pieces in a good freezer container and pop into the fridge. Pull it out a couple hours before serving and allow to thaw on the counter top.
Enjoy the crispy, honey goodness!

Orange Bursts

2010-12-17T01:13:00.000-07:00

These are very yummy, very subtly citrus-y cookies. I think they are perfect holiday cookies. The slight orange flavor is enticing and fresh

Orange Bursts

Recipe from Guittard White Vanilla Chips

Makes: 4 dozen 3-inch cookies

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups unsifted all-purpose flour

¾ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

1 cup butter, softened

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

½ tsp vanilla*

1 Tbsp finely grated orange zest

1-2 cups Guittard Choc-Au-Lait Vanilla Milk Chips {I used about one cup and I thought the ratio was perfect}

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light. Beat in egg and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add flour mixture until combined. Stir in orange zest and chips.

Drop rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake about 10 minutes or until golden around edges. Cool for several minutes on sheets before transferring to rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Substitute: lemon zest for orange to make lemon bursts.

*Note: If you want more orange {or lemon, depending on which you are doing} flavor, you could substitute the vanilla extract for orange or lemon extract.

~from Guittard vanilla milk chips bag