Saturday, December 4, 2010

Corn Chowder with Chilies



I came across this recipe on The Pioneer Woman's website. I have yet to make a recipe from Ree that I didn't like. This soup is wonderful on a cold winter day and will warm you right up...literally...depending on the heat you add to it. My husband says the more the better!

INGREDIENTS
2 slices Bacon, Cut Into 1/2-inch Pieces (or Smaller)
2 T. Butter
1-½ whole Yellow Onion, Diced
5 ears Corn, Shucked (about 4 Cups)
2 whole Chipotle Peppers In Adobo Sauce, Finely Diced
1 whole 4-ounce Can Diced Green Chilies
32 ounces, fluid Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1-½ cup Heavy Whipping Cream
½ tsp. Kosher Salt (more To Taste)
3 T. Corn Meal OR Masa
¼ cups Water

DIRECTIONS
(Carefully) slice the corn kernels off the cob. Set aside.

Add bacon pieces to a pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Cook for a couple of minutes. Throw in diced onion and stir, cooking the onion for 3 to 4 minutes. Add butter and melt. Add corn. Stir and cook for one minute. Add both kinds of chilies and stir.

Pour in chicken broth and cream. Add salt. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low.

Combine cornmeal (or masa) with water. Stir to combine, then pour into the chowder. Cover and cook for 15 minutes over low heat. If chowder needs more thickening, add another tablespoon of cornmeal mixed with water. Cook for another ten minutes.

Serve with crusty sourdough bread or in a bread bowl. Absolutely yummy!

Pasta Salad

Microwave Caramel Popcorn



INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
4 T. light Karo syrup or Molasses
1/4 tsp. salt, optional

Melt butter and add next 3 ingredients. Cook on Hi for 1 minute. Take out of microwave and stir in:

1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda

Cook on Hi for 2 1/2 minutes. Stop and stir every minute. (Watch carefully so it doesn't overflow). Immediately pour over 1 gallon popped corn. Stir until evenly coated with caramel.

Roasted Chicken Noodle Soup

Tres Leches



This is our favorite dessert for our annual Cinco de Mayo celebration!

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup white sugar
5 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups whole milk
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Optional:
cinnamon for dusting on top
sliced strawberries for garnish

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour one 9x13 inch baking pan. Sift flour and baking powder together and set aside. Cream butter and 1 cup sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs and 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract. Beat well. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture 2 T. at a time; mix until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake for 30 minutes. Pierce cake many times with a fork. Combine the whole milk, condensed milk, and evaporated milk together. Pour over the top of the cooled cake.

Whip whipping cream until it starts to get thick. Add 3/4 cup of sugar, and 1 tsp. vanilla. Spread over the top of the cake. Be sure and keep cake refrigerated!


Thursday, November 4, 2010

Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing


I found this cookie recipe in a Martha Stewart magazine several years ago, tried it, and have been making it ever since. I tend to get a little intimidated by Martha Stewart and the ingredient quantities look a little crazy but whoever concocted this recipe must've really taken the time to work out all the quirks and get every ingredient just right. I love brown butter icing, really makes this cookie worth it. *Side note: I don't pipe my cookies therefore mine are not perfectly round like Martha's :)

INGREDIENTS
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin (14 ounces)
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

ICING
4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon evaporated milk,
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract



DIRECTIONS
Make cookies: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a medium bowl; set aside.
Put butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs. Reduce speed to low. Add pumpkin, evaporated milk, and vanilla; mix until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add flour mixture; mix until combined.
Transfer 1 1/2 cups batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip (such as Ateco #806). Pipe 1 1/2-inch rounds onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until tops spring back, about 12 minutes. Cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely.
Make icing: Put confectioners' sugar in a large bowl; set aside. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling pan occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Immediately add butter to confectioners' sugar, scraping any browned bits from sides and bottom of pan. Add evaporated milk and vanilla; stir until smooth. Spread about 1 teaspoon icing onto each cookie. If icing stiffens, stir in more evaporated milk, a little at a time. Cookies can be stored in single layers in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

Makes about 6 dozen

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Broccoli Cheese Soup



I had a bunch of broccoli that needed to be used up and with the cold weather hitting us this week, soup sounded really good. I found this recipe on All Recipes. It's really simple and makes a lot; we ate it for lunch again today as leftovers and I think it was even better. My 18 month old gobbled it up, an awesome surprise!

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter
1 onion, chopped
1 (16 ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli
4 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 (1 pound) loaf processed cheese food, cubed
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2/3 cup cornstarch
1 cup water

DIRECTIONS
In a stockpot, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onion in butter until softened. Stir in broccoli, and cover with chicken broth. Simmer until broccoli is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

Reduce heat, and stir in cheese cubes until melted. Mix in milk and garlic powder.

In a small bowl, stir cornstarch into water until dissolved. Stir into soup; cook, stirring frequently, until thick.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Peach Crisp

Peach Crisp with Maple Cream Sauce


Our peach tree had it's first production of peaches this year and WOW, they were good! After eating quite a few fresh peaches I began digging around for a good Peach Crisp recipe to finish up with the rest. I'm no expert but when you see Maple Cream Sauce tacked to the end of a sentence, it's gotta be worth trying. And when you hear that it came from THE PIONEER WOMAN, you know she won't disappoint! The one thing I will probably add next time around is a sprinkling of tapioca over the peaches to add as a thickener.

INGREDIENTS
5 whole To 6 Whole Fresh Peaches (best When Not Overly Ripe Or Soft)
1 cup Flour
1/2 c. Sugar
1/2 c. Light Brown Sugar, Firmly Packed
1/2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Ground Nutmeg
1/4 tsp. Salt
1 stick Butter (1/2 Cup)
1/2 whole Lemon
7 T. Real Maple Syrup, Divided
1 1/2 c. Whipping Cream
3 T. Light Corn Syrup

DIRECTIONS
In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, light brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt using a fork or pastry cutter. Cut butter into small pieces and gradually add to flour mixture until evenly mixed.

Peel peaches into a bowl. Add the zest from half a lemon. Squeeze juice from lemon half and stir in with peaches and zest. Add 2 tablespoons real maple syrup to peaches, stir well.

Pour peach mixture into a small pan (8” or 9” square) and cover evenly with crumb topping. Cover with foil and bake at 350ºF for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes or until crisp and brown on top.

Maple Cream Sauce:
Pour whipping cream into a saucepan. Add 5 tablespoons real maple syrup, 3 tablespoons corn syrup and stir over moderate heat until thickened and reduced by about one-third, approximately 15 minutes. Refrigerate mixture until it is cold and thick, or set the saucepan into a small bowl of ice (the ice will melt and turn into ice water). Stirring your mixture, it will cool and thicken in about 15 minutes. Drizzle sauce over peach crisp. Serve warm.thicken in about 15 minutes. Drizzle sauce over peach crisp. Serve warm.

JELL-O Magic Mousse



Everyone will probably think I'm weird for posting such an easy recipe but this is a fun little variation to regular jell-o and the thing that bugs me the most is that sometimes you'll find it on the side of a jell-o box and most of the time you won't. It's hit or miss, you never know which flavor of box is going to have the recipe. So I decided to post the recipe so I wouldn't have to rely on the box anymore :)

INGREDIENTS
3 c. boiling water
1 pkg. (6 oz.) JELL-O Brand Gelatin
1 tub (16 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, frozen or thawed

DIRECTIONS
Add boiling water to gelatin mix in large bowl; stir 2 minutes until completely dissolved. Whisk in COOL WHIP until blended. Refrigerate 8 hours or until firm.

Sour Cream Apple Bars


This recipe came from Your Home Based Mom. This time of year we have lots of apples to eat up and this recipe jumped out and me when I saw the combination of sour cream and apples, I love these to ingredients together. My bars turned out slightly different from your home based mom's; I realized halfway through the bake time that I had forgotten the pecans so I hurried and sprinkled them on the top. It worked though and they were delish!

INGREDIENTS
Crust:
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
2 c. uncooked quick cooking oats
1 c. flour
1 c. chopped pecans
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice

Filling:
1 c. sour cream
3/4 c. sugar
2 T. flour
1 egg
2 medium (about 2 cups) apples, unpeeled, shredded

DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine butter and brown sugar in large bowl. Beat at medium speed until creamy. Add remaining crust ingredients and beat until well mixed.

Press HALF of crust mixture onto bottom of ungreased 13 x 9 pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until light golden brown.

While crust is baking combine the filling ingredients; mix well. Gently pour the filling over the hot, partially baked crust. Crumble the remaining crust mixture over the top of the fill and press down lightly.

Bake for an additional 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the center is set. Cool. Cut into bars. Store refrigerated

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls



This recipe came from Top Secret Recipes. We love it!

INGREDIENTS
Rolls:
1 1/4 oz. package active dry yeast
1 c. warm milk
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. butter, melted
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
4 c. flour

Filling:
1 c. brown sugar
2 1/2 T. cinnamon
1/3 c. butter, softened

Icing:
8 T. (1 stick) butter, softened
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. (2 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. salt

DIRECTIONS
For the rolls, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl. Mix together the sugar, butter, salt and eggs. Add flour, and mix well. Knead the dough into a large bowl, using your hands dusted lightly with flour. Pour in a bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.

Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough flat until it is approximately 21 inches long and 16 inches wide. It should be about 1/4 inch thick.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

For the filling, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Spread the softened butter evenly over the surface of the dough, and then sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar evenly over the surface.

Working carefully from the top, roll the dough down to the bottom edge. Cut the rolled dough into 1 3/4 inch slices and place 6 at a time, evenly spaced, in a lightly greased baking pan. Let the rolls rise again until double in size (about 30 minutes). Bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly brown on top.

While the rolls bake, combine the icing ingredients. Beat well with an electric mixer until fluffy. When the rolls come out of the oven, coat each generously with icing. Enjoy!

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Homemade Bread


This recipe came from R.C. Bair, a lady that I grew up with that still bakes bread all the time. I'm not much of a bread baker but I should give it a try more often :) This recipe is easy and really good! I used fresh ground whole wheat flour but white flour works as well.

INGREDIENTS
6 T. sugar
1 T. saf-instant yeast
6 T. shortening or softened margarine
7 cups flour
1 12 oz. can evaporated milk plus enough warm water to equal 5 cups liquid.

DIRECTIONS
Measure the above ingredients into a mixer. Mix for several minutes, then add 1 T. salt and additional flour until dough pulls away from sides of the mixing bowl. (Approx. 4-7 more cups depending on flour and consistency). Let rise until double in size. Dive into 4 equal parts. Place in greased bread pans. Let rise again and then bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Potato Soup



It's that time of year again, fall is in the air and I've been dying to whip up some heart warming tummy pleasing soups. This one is a no fail recipe that's always 1st on my list when soup sounds like a good thing to fix my family for dinner.

We had some red potatoes in the garden that were smaller than a medium sized yukon gold so you may have to adjust the quantity of your potatoes depending on the size or variety.


INGREDIENTS
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 tsp. salt
6 potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup butter
1 quart half & half milk
salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS
Cook first 6 ingredients together for 10 minutes or until tender. In a glass measuring cup, melt butter in microwave and then stir in flour. Add flour/butter mixture to cooked potatoes. Stir until thick and bubbly. Quickly add half & half. Heat through but do not boil. Serve.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Red Curry Coconut Noodles



I found this delicious noodle dish off of the Tasty Kitchen website. If you enjoy Thai food and curry, this dish tastes exactly like an entree right out of a Thai restaurant. YUM! *I halved the recipe for a serving of 4 and it was plenty for our little family.

INGREDIENTS
6 whole Chicken - Boneless, Skinless Breasts (cubed)
2 cans Coconut Milk
2 teaspoons Red Curry Paste
1 Tablespoon Ginger (fresh, Grated)
1 Tablespoon Cilantro (fresh, Chopped)
¼ cups Sweet Thai Chili Sauce
500 milliliters Chicken Or Vegetable Broth
1 package Rice Noodles
1 whole Onion (julienne)
2 whole Red Peppers (julienne)
1 cup Broccoli Slaw
1 Tablespoon Salt To Taste

DIRECTIONS
Start with a large pot over medium-high heat. Scoop the cream off the top of the coconut milk, and put into the pot. The cream will be used as the “fat” instead of oil or butter. Along with the cream, add the curry paste and ginger. Let this simmer for 1 minute.

Then add the chicken. Cook the chicken through.
Then add the rest of what is in the coconut milk cans, sweet Thai chili sauce, cilantro, and chicken broth. Bring this to a simmer.

Then add your julienned veggies and rice noodles. Simmer this. You will see the broth slowly thicken as the rice noodles absorb it. It should only take about 5 minutes for the rice noodles to be cooked through.

Pull the pot off the heat, and let sit for about 5 minutes. It will thicken during this time. Then, it’s done. Slurp these noodles out of big noodle bowls! Garnish it with a bit more cilantro.

* I have also added peanut butter to this recipe, and a bit of honey if you want a less savory/spicy version.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Mushroom Soup



I found this yummy mushroom soup recipe from The Pioneer Woman and since I love mushrooms I had to try it. It is so rich and full of flavor and dipping freshly toasted french bread is a must! I can't wait to try this again on a cold winter day!

INGREDIENTS
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 whole Small Carrrot, Finely Minced
1 whole Celery Stalk, Finely Minced
1 Tablespoon Garlic, Crushed And Minced
1 pound White Mushrooms, Sliced Thin
4 ounces, fluid Chablis White Wine
4 ounces, fluid Tomato Juice
4 ounces, fluid Chicken Broth
1 pint Heavy Whipping Cream
1 cup Parmesan Cheese, Freshly Grated
1 teaspoon Cornstarch
1/4 cups Water
1 pinch Salt And Pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS
Heat oil, over medium heat, in a large deep pot.

Mince the carrot and celery nice and fine. Too big and the soup will end up chunky. Toss into the pot and allow them to soften while you slice the mushrooms. Next, add your garlic, right as the carrots and celery start to cook down.

Add the mushrooms to the pot and allow them to reduce and soften. Pour in the Chablis, and let it cook with the mushrooms for a few minutes.

Add the tomato juice, and the chicken broth. Allow it to boil for about 5 minutes before adding the heavy whipping cream, and bring to a soft boil.

Grate Parmesan and add it to the pot. Let this cook for a few minutes, until the cheese is melted and blended with the soup. Add the cornstarch to 1/4 cup of water, then pour into the soup.

Lower the heat and let the soup simmer for about 10 minutes or so, until thickened. Salt and pepper the soup to your own taste.

Serve with French bread or just plain ‘ol crackers. Whatever floats your boat!

Fresh Salsa



INGREDIENTS
8 roma tomatoes
1 14.5 oz. can Rotel
1/4 cup yellow onion, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
1/2 lime, juiced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. sugar

DIRECTIONS
Combine ingredients in a food processor and pulse until desired consistency. Refrigerate at least 1 hour to let the ingredients fuse together; that is if you can wait that long :).

Blueberry Jello Salad



My friend Donelle shared this yummy jello salad recipe with me. I like the versatility with the ingredients, you can change it up to your liking. I've tried cherry pie filling with cherry jello and raspberry pie filling with raspberry jello. It always comes out great!

INGREDIENTS
1 large box grape jello
1 regular size can crushed pineapple
1 can blueberry pie filling
8 oz. package cream cheese
1 8 oz. container sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
2 T. sugar

DIRECTIONS
Pour grape jello powder into 9x13 baking dish. Add 2 cups hot water onto jello and dissolve. Add pineapple w/ juice and pie filling. Refrigerate until set.

Bring cream cheese to room temperature. Beat cream cheese, add sour cream, vanilla and sugar, combine until smooth. Layer on top of jello. Refrigerate again at least 1/2 hr.

My two cents on sprouts....

Monday, June 21, 2010

Russian Creme with fresh fruit



This is a recipe you will crave. This is a recipe from my friend Teresa and I couldn't wait to try it. I love fresh fruit so add to it a little (or a lot) of this creme, and in my books it becomes one of the tastiest desserts!

INGREDIENTS
3 c. heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. boiling water
1 pkg. Knox Unflavored Gelatin

DIRECTIONS
In a saucepan, heat cream and sugar, stirring until sugar is dissolved and mixture is hot, but not boiling. Remove from heat. Mix the unflavored gelatin in with the boiling water and stir until gelatin dissolves. Pour water mixture into cream mixture and mix well. Stir and cool completely. Pour mixture into glass or clear plastic cups. Cover with plastic wrap to keep film from forming on top. Refrigerate for several hours until firm. Top with fresh fruit just before serving.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Chicken Enchiladas

My sister acquired this recipe from a roommate at college last year. I've never had diced potatoes in enchiladas before and I think it really adds texture, flavor and filling to the dish. Really yummy! I failed to take a picture when I made the dish last week so I'll have to add it next time.

INGREDIENTS
10 – 12 corn tortillas, torn into pieces
4 chicken breast, boiled with 1 stalk celery & 1 slice onion. Bring to a boil in water just barely covering chicken. Simmer covered for 45 minutes. Shred chicken.
2 11 oz. cans cream of chicken soup
1 pint sour cream
1 4 oz. can diced green chilies
1 14 oz. can diced potatoes
1 28 oz. can Las Palmas green enchilada sauce
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese

DIRECTIONS
Combine the soups, sour cream, green chilies, potatoes and enchilada sauce.
Layer in a DEEP 9 x 13 inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray beginning with 1/4 of the sauce and ending with 1/4 of the sauce topped with 1/3 of the cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 – 60 minutes. Do not let cheese brown on top. Cover lightly with foil last few minutes of cooking if necessary to prevent browning. If you don't have a deep 9x13, place a cookie sheet below your dish to catch anything that might bubble over.

Carrot Cake


My all time favorite dessert is carrot cake and yet I don't think I had ever made one from scratch before. I searched allrecipes.com and found a highly rated carrot cake; it did not disappoint! The only change I wish I would've made was to substitute applesauce for the oil, I didn't have any applesauce on hand. Good thing I plan on making this again!

INGREDIENTS
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, white sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Fold in pecans. Pour into prepared pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
4. To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in chopped pecans. Frost the cooled cake.

Sweet & Sour Meatballs


Another successful recipe from mom! It's so good I could eat it weekly WITH leftovers! By far my new favorite :)

INGREDIENTS
1 cup pineapple juice
3 Tbs. cornstarch
3 Tbs. vinegar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 T. soy sauce
1/3 cup water

DIRECTIONS
Bring the above ingredients to a boil, stirring constantly. Once sauce thickens, add 1 green (or red) bell pepper thinly sliced and 1 large can pineapple tidbits, drained.(You can use this juice as part of your pineapple juice). Pour sauce over meatballs and stir until well combined. At this point, the meatballs & sauce can be transferred into a crock-pot and left on low for 2 - 4 hours. This helps to incorporate the flavors and soften the green pepper. Serve over rice.

*This sauce is enough for 12 meatballs. I usually double the sauce recipe and add 24 meatballs. I don't necessarily increase the amount of pineapple or peppers in it though. One whole large pepper thinly sliced and one large can pineapple tidbits seems to be plenty. I also like to add sliced onion sometimes with the pepper.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Hot Fudge Sundae Topping



Compliments to my mom for this amazing chocolate topping! It's seriously TO DIE FOR....and according to the ingredients, I guess that could very well happen, but it would be worth it!


INGREDIENTS
1 cup whipping cream
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup butter
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
In saucepan over medium heat, bring cream, brown sugar and butter to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; simmer for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in the chocolate chips until melted and smooth. Serve warm over ice cream.




Refreshing limeade



My sister in law Stephanie shared this drink with us at our annual Cinco de Mayo party. No one could get enough of it; I think she whipped up 3 batches that night. I think it would serve great at any wedding reception, bridal or baby shower, or if you're like me, I made it last week all for myself, put it in the fridge, and sipped on it for the next couple of days.

INGREDIENTS
1 two liter bottle of Sprite Zero
1 can frozen limeade, thawed
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced into circles
ice

DIRECTIONS
Combine ingredients in a pitcher, stir and serve.

Snickerdoodles



The kids and I made these Snickerdoodles the other day and Jason said they were the best we've made yet! The good thing is we shared at least half of them with neighbors, the sad thing is our little stash didn't last through the day! Most Snickerdoodle recipes I've found call for shortening instead of butter. I think butter adds more flavor to the cookie.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/4 tsp. salt

4 T. white sugar
4 tsp. ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS
1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2.In a large bowl, mix together the butter and 1 1/2 cups of white sugar until smooth. Stir in the eggs one at a time, blending well after each. Add vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt; stir into the batter until blended.
3.Roll the dough into balls. Roll in a mixture of 4 tablespoons sugar and 4 teaspoons cinnamon. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
4.Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned, but still soft.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

French Dip Sandwiches


INGREDIENTS
2 large onions, sliced
1/4 cup butter
1 three pound Tri-tip Roast (Costco)
5 cups water
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 1/2 tsp. browning sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
sliced Swiss cheese
6 French dip hoagie sandwich buns

DIRECTIONS
In skillet, saute onions in butter. (I usually skip this step and just put the raw sliced onions directly into the slow cooker.)Put onions in slow cooker. Place roast over onions. Sprinkle roast with salt and pepper. In a saucepan, combine water, soy sauce, soup mix, browning sauce and garlic. Pour over roast. Cover and cook on Hi for 5 hours or Low 7-8 hours.

Remove roast from slow cooker and allow to sit 15 minutes. Thinly slice roast and place on lightly buttered and toasted buns. Layer with cheese slices and broil in oven for 3-4 minutes. Serve with onions and sauce. Serves approximately 6.

Friday, April 30, 2010

Chicken Spaghetti



A BIG thanks to The Pioneer Woman for this tasty casserole recipe!

INGREDIENTS
2 cups Cooked Chicken
3 cups Dry Spaghetti, Broken Into Two Inch Pieces
2 cans Cream Of Mushroom Soup
2 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
¼ cups Finely Diced Green Pepper
¼ cups Finely Diced Onion
1 jar (4 Ounce) Diced Pimentos, Drained
2 cups Reserved Chicken Broth From Pot
1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
⅛ teaspoons (to 1/4 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper
Salt And Pepper, to taste
1 cup Additional Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

DIRECTIONS
Cook 1 cut up fryer and pick out the meat to make two cups. Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente. Do not overcook. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup sharp cheddar.

Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar. Cover and freeze up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately: 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).


Chocolate Zucchini Cake


INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
3 eggs
1 cup oil
1/2 cup canned milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups grated zucchini
1/2 cup chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS:
Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl (6 ingredients). Slowly add remaining (wet) ingredients until completely combined. Spray 9 x 13 dish with cooking spray and pour mixture into pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Top with frosting once cake is cooled.

Frosting:
Warm on stove at medium heat until butter is melted and combined with milk and cocoa.
1 cube butter
6 T. canned milk
2 T. cocoa

Remove from heat and add:
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Stroganoff Casserole


Another favorite recipe from an amazing cook; my mom!

INGREDIENTS
1-2 lb. stew meat
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 cups milk
1 cup sour cream
1 T. lemon juice
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1 12 oz. package egg noodles

DIRECTIONS
Place stew meat and chopped onion in a crock pot and cook on HIGH approx 3-4 hrs or LOW 5-6 hours. Season stew meat with salt and pepper.

In a bowl combine soup, milk, sour cream and lemon juice. Pour over stew meat and continue to cook on LOW for 2 hrs or until thoroughly heated through.

Boil noodles until tender. Drain.

Serve Stroganoff over noodles and season with salt and pepper if needed.