Fondue For You

I volunteered to cook meals for Christmas Day. Since we usually have the big meal on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day was wide open for any food I pleased. For my wellness challenge, I was supposed to eat three meals a day (harder than it seems if you're pregnant), so this also helped me to be sure to eat meals.

For breakfast I made a non-Cupboard Project recipe that was very good (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/the-ultimate-breakfast-for-dinner-sausage-and-spinach-egg-strata-recipe/index.html) along with fruit soup. Yum! They were great, and there were leftovers for the next morning. I thought about making cinnamon rolls or French toast, but it was for Christmas morning, when I generally gorge on candy and sweets. This was a nice alternative.

For dinner I made two fondue recipes from a Taste of Home magazine. It made a nice easy-to-eat meal for a group.



Pizza Fondue

TOTAL TIME: Prep/Total Time: 25 min.
MAKES: 22 servings
Ingredients
1/2 pound ground beef
 1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
 1 medium onion, chopped
 1 garlic clove, minced
 1 tablespoon cornstarch
 1-1/2 teaspoons fennel seed
 1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
 2 cans (15 ounces each) pizza sauce
 2-1/2 cups (10 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
 2 tablespoons chopped ripe olives
 Breadsticks, bagel chips, baked pita chips and/or tortilla chips

Nutritional Facts
1/4 cup (calculated without breadsticks, bagel chips, baked pita chips or tortilla chips) equals 97 calories, 6 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 23 mg cholesterol, 222 mg sodium, 4 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 7 g protein.

Directions
In a large skillet, cook the beef, mushrooms and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Stir in the cornstarch, fennel, oregano and garlic powder until blended. Stir in pizza sauce.
Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Gradually stir in cheeses until melted. Stir in olives. Keep warm.
Serve with breadsticks, bagel chips, pita chips and/or tortilla chips. Yield: 5-1/2 cups.
Originally published as Pizza Fondue in Taste of Home December/January 2008, p49

For this one, we decided to leave out the meat since we had already eaten meat at like every meal. I made some breadsticks to go along with this, and it really did taste like pizza when you dipped a breadstick in the dip. I think it was too hot when I put the cheese in because some of the cheddar cheese cooked instead of melted. It still tasted good.

Super Sausage Dip

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 15 min. Cook: 35 min.
MAKES: 40 servings
Ingredients
1 pound bulk pork sausage
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
1 package (8 ounces) PHILADELPHIA® Cream Cheese, cubed
2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream
Tortilla chips

Directions
In a large skillet, cook the sausage, onion and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
Stir in tomatoes and chilies. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add cream cheese; stir until melted. Stir in sour cream; heat through. (Do not boil.) Transfer to a fondue pot and keep warm. Serve with chips. Yield: 5 cups.
Originally published as Super Sausage Dip in Taste of Home December/January 2008, p49

I think most people liked this one better. At least, more of it was gone. We had tortilla chips and pita chips to dip (and the breadsticks). Dad also liked this dip cold.

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

It's the holiday season.  That means vacation to the parents, which in turn means more recipes posted here.  I am too poor/cheap to buy special ingredients needed in a lot of these recipes, but Mom isn't.  So today we had this potato casserole.  I've been wanting it for a long time and it goes well with the ham we had.  It was rich and tasty, but we all decided it was incredibly similar to your average funeral potatoes with extra calories.  So I don't think I would spend the extra money to buy all the ingredients.  Still Good though.

Ingredients:

10 large russet baking potatoes
8 tablespoons, plus one tablespoon butter, room temperature
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 t salt
1.5 t pepper
3/4 lbs. bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
1/2 lb. sharp white cheddar, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3/4 lb. mild cheddar, grated, 3 cups
1/2 cup finely cut green onions
3 eggs, lightly beaten

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400.  Scrub potatoes well and rinse under cool running water.  Pat dry with paper towels and prick potatoes in several places with a fork.  Place potatoes in oven and bake for one hour to one hour 15 minutes, or until tender.  Remove from oven and cool enough to handle.
When potatoes have cooled, cut each potatoes in half and, using a spoon or melon baller, scoop flesh out of the skins, leaving as little flesh as possible.  Place potato flesh in large bowl and add 1 stick butter, sour cream, heavy cream, salt, pepper and mash chunky smooth.  Add bacon, cubed white cheddar, half of grated cheese, onions, eggs and mix thoroughly.

Butter a 9x13 casserole with remaining T of butter and reduce oven to 375.  Place seasoned potato mixture in prepared casserole and top with remaining grated Cheddar.  Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until bubbly around the edges and heated through and the cheese on top is melted and lightly golden.  Serve hot.

Peanut Butter Paisley Bars

We needed a little pre-Thanksgiving snack a few days ago, so I whipped up these bars.

Peanut Butter Paisley Bars

1/2 c butter
1/4 c peanut butter
1 c sugar
1 c packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1 t vanilla
2 c flour
2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1/2 c chocolate syrup

Blend butter and peanut. Add sugars; mix well. Add eggs; beat well. Add vanilla. Add mixed dry ingredients. Spread half in a greased 13x9 pan. Spoon syrup on top. Spread remaining batter. Swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 degrees 35-40 minutes.

These were good. I'm not a huge peanut butter bar fan. Apparently C is. Once I caught her on top of the table helping herself and going "nom, nom, nom" as she chowed down. The chocolate syrup made them pretty, but it was kind of hard to taste any chocolate in there. I think I would have liked chocolate chips better, but then they wouldn't be paisley bars.

Not the Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies

First thing's first:
Everyone in my family needs a cutesy blog name for when I mention them.  My inspiration comes from the SHAYTARDS (thanks Mom).  And I know at least one other author of this blog calls her husband and child Big Chub and Little Chub, respectively.  So I feel the pull to virtually name my husband and child.  I have previously referred to my husband as the Hungry Runner Boy, so I guess I'll keep that for him, but what name should I have for the new little one?  I need suggestions.

Anyway.

We all had a hankering for chocolate chip cookies (we've eaten our way through a ridiculous number of treats since the baby came), so one evening when I felt particularly peppy I whipped these up.  I doubt they will be making their way onto your table any time soon, because there are many choco chip cookie recipes far better than these.  They were a kind of weird mix between being a chewy cookie and being a cakey cookie and weren't rich enough for me.  But they were a cookie, so I still ate five as soon as they came out of the oven.

Not the Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookie

(They were nameless, so I named them)

4 C flour
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 1/2 C butter
1 1/4 C sugar
1 1/4 C brown sugar
2 eggs
1 T vanilla
3 C mixed chips

375 degrees
ungreased.

I cooked them for 10-12 minutes.

Basic Noodle Bake

Towards the end of the summer, I was getting pretty lazy and looking for some relatively quick meals that required very basic ingredients. This Eating Well...Spending Less packet is usually my go to for those types of recipes (and they have been successful in the past).

2 packages Ramen noodles (use the flavor packets if you like)
1 (10 ounce) can cream soup (any kind)
1 (16 ounce) can green beans, undrained
1 (7 ounce) can tune, drained
2 Tablespoons onion soup mix

1. Break up the Ramen noodles.
2. In a bowl, stir up the cream soup, green beans, and tuna.
3. Add Ramen Noodles and onion soup mix and stir well.
4. Put into greased baking dish.
5. Bake in oven at 300 degrees for 25 minutes.

Serves 4
Note: Try other vegetables instead of the green beans.

I should have been leery when I saw the ingredients. It was not good at all. Ben's only complaint was that it was really salty. And, I agreed. It was very very salty. If you dare make this, don't add the seasoning packets from the Ramen noodles.

Beef and Black Bean Tacos

I am wary of a recipe to make tacos because, hey, it's tacos. Get a tortilla and add whatever toppings you want. But, I thought this one was worth a shot because it was on the same page as the delicious Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas compliments of Tonya Campbell.

8 taco shells
1 c onions, chopped
1 T garlic, minced
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
Salt and pepper
1/2 lb ground beef
1 c black beans, cooked and drained
1/2 c tomato sauce
2 c lettuce
1 c cheese, grated
Green onion, chopped
Tomatoes, chopped
Black olives, sliced (optional)
Sour cream (optional)
Taco sauce (optional)

Cook onions in small amount of oil in heavy skillet until translucent. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds. Add chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Cook 30 seconds more. Stir in ground beef and cook until brown. Drain off grease. Stir in black beans and tomato sauce. Simmer until heated through. Serve with heated taco shells and lettuce, cheese, green onions, and tomatoes. Top with remaining ingredients, if desired.

They were tacos. Neither of us could tell they were different than normal tacos we have (except I prefer refried beans). If you use powdered garlic instead of fresh, do not use a whole tablespoon.

Sausage and Peaches

We got a new dishwasher! Yay!  I guess after the same part breaking five times in four months the manager decided we actually deserve a new one.  Anyway, it's great, but it meant we lived with a broken one for the past week.  It meant we tried to use as few dishes as possible because I didn't want to wash tons of dishes every day.  It meant it was time to break out this simple Cupboard Project recipe.  Jacob thought it was too sweet, so he took some of the juices from the pan and doctored it up.  We both agreed it was better after that.  Jacob really liked it, but I thought it was just okay.  However, it was a good, simple recipe that took minimal time and had minimal clean-up.

Sausage and Peaches

Ingredients:
1 Kielbasa sausage
1 can peaches in syrup

Directions:
Slice sausage and brown in pan with peaches.  We served over couscous.

I told you it was simple.

Zucchini Latkes

Zucchini Latkes Recipe photo by Taste of Home

Our zucchini supply overcame demand over the course of four days when I forgot to pick the zucchini. This was one way to try and use a bunch of it (4 1/2 cups!).

Zucchini Latkes

Ingredients
3 medium zucchini, shredded (about 4-1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon salt, divided
2 eggs, beaten
1 small onion, grated
1/4 cup matzo meal or dry bread crumbs
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Oil for frying
sour cream, optional

Directions
In a large bowl, toss zucchini and 1/2 teaspoon salt; let stand for 10 minutes. Squeeze zucchini dry. Stir in the eggs, onion, matzo meal, pepper and remaining salt.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Drop batter by tablespoonfuls into oil; press lightly to flatten. Fry for 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Serve with sour cream if desired. Yield: 16 latkes

 I've made something similar and didn't love it, and now I remember why. They were oily discs of rather tasteless zucchini. Not awful, but not especially good either. Brian likened them to Paraguayan tortillas, which are basically lumps of fried flour and water and an egg if you're rich that day. Save your zucchini for the pumpkin zucchini bread.

Pumpkin Zucchini Bread

This was a delicious intro to fall recipe I made a few weeks ago when the weather was cooler, and I was getting excited for fall to come. Even though today was the first day of school, it looks like we'll still be waiting a while for the fall weather to come for good.

Ingredients
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup shredded zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:
In a mixing bowl, combine eggs and sugar. Add pumpkin, butter, and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients; gradually add pumpkin mixture and mix well. Stir in zucchini and nuts. Pour into two greased and floured 9x5x3 inch loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-50 minutes or until breads test done. COol in pans 10 minutes. Remove to wire rack.

We thought this bread was delicious! Before I mixed it up, I was very tempted to substitute some whole wheat flour for part of the white flour, but I stayed true to the recipe and didn't. I was also worried when I tasted the batter because it was super sweet! After baking it, we tried it. It was just the right amount of sweet.

This is the perfect recipe blend of summer zucchini and fall pumpkin. I made sure to freeze some zucchini so I can make this again later in the fall.

Yeast Corn Bread Loaf

I realized that this is pretty much Anadama bread without the molasses. It's pretty good, but I'm guessing that I would like Anadama bread better since I have a sweet tooth the size of Texas. If you're not looking for a sweet bread, but you like the texture of the cornmeal, make this recipe. We had it with zucchini lasagna and some sweet corn. Yummy meal.


Ingredients

1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
1-1/4 cups warm water (110° to 115°), divided
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
3 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
2-1/4 to 2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

Directions
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water. Add the cornmeal, milk powder, butter, sugar, salt, 1-1/4 cups flour and remaining water. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a bowl coated with cooking spray, turning once to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down; shape into a loaf. Place in a 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.
Bake at 375° for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool. Yield: 1 loaf (16 slices).

Nutritional Facts1 slice equals 129 calories, 2 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 6 mg cholesterol, 254 mg sodium, 23 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 3 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1-1/2 starch, 1/2 fat.

Soft Garlic Breadsticks

I would say I'm decent at cooking.  I'm not amazing, but I can follow a recipe, or even tweak it a little, and it comes out well.  But there is one thing I have never made successfully--breadsticks.  They always come out as lumpy bricks.  I even ruined Sarah's no-fail breadsticks twice.  So I was very nervous to make these, but finally did. And it ended up being okay, because they turned out!  Not only did they turn out, they tasted pretty good, too! Hungry Runner Boy raved about them.  And then ate five. Needless to say, these will become our go to breadstick recipe.

Just one warning.  When it says garlic, it means garlic.  I only put 2/3 of the garlic in and it was still strong.

Soft Garlic Breadsticks --from Allrecipes

Ingredients
1 1/8 C warm water
2 T olive or canola oil
3 T grated parmesan cheese
2 T sugar
3 t garlic powder
1 1/2 t salt
3/4 t minced fresh basil
3 C bread flour
2 t active dry yeast
1 T melted butter

Directions
In bread machine, place the first nine ingredients in the order suggested by manufacturer (or do it by hand if you're me).  Select dough setting.  When cycle is completed, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface.  Divide into 20 portions.  Shape each into a ball; roll each into a 9-in. rope.  Place on greased baking sheets.  Cover and let rise in a warm place for 40 minutes or until doubled.  Bake 18-22 minutes at 350 degrees.  Take out of oven and brush with butter.

Baked Carrots

When the Hungry Runner Boy learned I was making baked carrots for dinner tonight he got pretty worried.  He calmed down after I told him the carrots were just the side dish.  Does he really think I am THAT cheap? Probably.

Baked Carrots--came from a piece of paper in Mom's writing with many different recipes on it.

1/2 C finely shredded onion
12 carrots, shredded
3 T chopped parsley
3 T butter
1 t salt
1/4 C cream or milk

Cook onion in butter until light brown.  Shred carrots and mix with parsley, salt, and onion; put in 9x13 pan.  Add cream.  Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

The Hungry Runner Boy tried one shred and said, "do I have to take any more?"
I had one bite and regretted I made the entire recipe instead of halving it.  Or quartering it.  Or just never making it.

They kind of had a weird smell while cooking and they tasted like they smelled.


Do yourself a favor and never make this recipe.  Please.

Marinated Wisconsin Russet Potatoes

I have a little pamphlet from the Wisconsin Potatoes Taste Tour. It features potato recipes from Wisconsin chefs. Tonight we had this little dish for dinner. This is what Sous Chef Justin Aprahamian from Sanford in Milwaukee had to say about potatoes:

"Wisconsin potatoes are a natural fit with what we do at Sanford--the freshest ingredients prepared simply and full of flavor. What could be fresher and closer to home than Wisconsin potatoes, grown practically in our backyard by farmers who have been developing and growing great potatoes for generations."

Yield: 2-4 servings (definitely 4)

Ingredients

4 Wisconsin Russet potatoes, washed and cut into julienne slices
1 qt. water
1 cup white vinegar
4 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. fresh chopped parsley
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. finely chopped garlic
1/2 tsp. crushed chili flakes
1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
1. In a medium pan add potatoes, water , vinegar and salt, cokke over medium heat until tender 10 to 12 minutes. Drain potatoes and place in a mixing bowl.
2. Make a well in center of potatoes and add the fresh chopped parsley.
3. In saute pan, heat olive oil, add garlic, chili flakes and pepper. When the oil is hot, pour over parsley to lightly fry it, then mix together with potatoes. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

 We thought it was an okay recipe, and I'll probably make it again. It was pretty time consuming to julienne the potatoes. Next time I might just cube them into small enough pieces. Also, I will cut the vinegar and salt in half. The potatoes really soaked in the vinegar taste big time! Ben said they reminded him of salt and vinegar chips. I barely made it through what I had on my plate because the vinegar was SO strong. I didn't know how Russell would like them. I thought with the garlic and the chili flakes it might be too hot for him, but evidenced below he gobbled them right up.

PS. He isn't a shorty anymore. He apparently has had a major growth spurt and is now in the 63% for height. But, he is still chubby....

Zucchini Bars Plus Bonus Chocolate Zucchini Cake Recipe

This recipe was a good use of our precious zucchini. We've gotten maybe 7-8 zucchini, but I won't be happy until I have enough zucchini to eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in one day. I fondly remember the year of the zucchini in which that happened. That my friends, is what summer is all about.

Zucchini Bars, originally from Allrecipes

They were almost gone by the time I took the picture.

Ingredients

3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups grated zucchini
1/2 cup margarine
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan.
In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Mix in the zucchini. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow bars to cool completely before frosting. To make the frosting, blend together the margarine, cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until well blended. Spread over cooled bars before cutting.

These were good and very moist. I substituted 3/4 c applesauce for that much oil and used all the zucchini I had, which was 3 c. It was almost too moist, so if you add more zucchini, squeeze some moisture out and/or don't substitute quite as much applesauce as I did. They were still very good. Brian thought they tasted kind of like carrot cake, and I agree. They were more cakey than bar-y.

BONUS! 

I feel a little guilty because I changed the original recipe so much that it wasn't really the same cake, but here is a recipe for chocolate zucchini cake from Simply Recipes.  I only had the second page of the recipe (the instructions), so if someone else has the first page, maybe she can make the recipe as it was written and give a better review. Since it was printed off the internet, I looked up the website and made it from there. I don't remember exactly what I changed (it's been over a month), but I know I didn't have any orange peel or nuts, and this might have been when I ran out of brown sugar.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake Recipe

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups regular all-purpose flour, unsifted
1/2 cup cocoa
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup soft butter
1 cup white granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
3 cups coarsely shredded zucchini (from about 1 pound of zucchini)
1/2 cup milk
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Glaze (directions follow)

Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
3 Tbsp milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

1 Set the shredded zucchini to drain in a sieve over a bowl. If no moisture drains out and the zucchini feels dry, sprinkle some water over it and let the excess drain.

2 Vigorously whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, soda, salt, and cinnamon in a bow, and set aside.

3 With a mixer, beat together the butter and the sugars until smooth. Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition. With a wooden spoon, stir in the vanilla, orange peel, and zucchini.

4 Alternately stir in the dry ingredients and the milk into the zucchini mixture, including the nuts with the last addition.

5 Spray the inside of a 10-inch bundt pan or tube pan lightly with cooking spray (or grease with butter). Wipe off the excess. Pour in the batter and use a rubber spatula to level the top of the batter. Bake in the oven for about 50-55 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean (test at 45 min). Cool in pan 15 minutes; turn out on wire rack to cool thoroughly.

6 Make the glaze by mixing together the glaze ingredients. You can easily do this by hand with a whisk or a spoon. If the glaze is too runny, add some more powdered sugar. If too thick, add more milk. Drizzle glaze over cake.

Cut in thin slices to serve.

Yield: Makes 10-12 servings.

Elaine's Chocolate Zucchini Cake

It's the time of year where zucchini comes on full bore.  For the first time in, well forever, we have no one to supply us with free zucchini.

 

It's normally overly abundant wherever it grows (see above), or grows at nasty huge rates (also see above), but we get none of that.  So I broke down and bought some to satisfy my zucchini craving.  It was cheap, but still not as cheap as free, so I had to make good use of what I did have.  One thing I made was this:

Elaine's Chocolate Zucchini Cake from the Chocolate Bytes Chocolate Lovers website

1/2 C butter or margarine, softened
1/2 C vegetable oil
1 1/3 C sugar
2 eggs
2 C grated zucchini
1/2 C sour milk
1 t vanilla
2 1/2 C flour
4 T cocoa
1 t salt
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda

3/4 C mini chocolate chips
3/4 C walnuts
3/4 C brown sugar

Mix first 12 ingredients and pour into greased 9x13 pan.  Sprinkle with a topping of last three ingredients.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

It looked so stinking good when it came out of the oven, but I had to use extreme self-control to not eat it, because it was dessert for when the missionaries came.   I kept telling myself I could be rewarded by having an extra piece or two after the elders left, which worked.

When we finally got around to eating it we all liked it.  Apparently no one feeds the elders since we got sisters too, so all they eat is PB&J for every lunch and dinner. That might be why they like everything I feed them.  But I liked it okay as well.  I left out the nuts, but the brown sugar created a nice top that made it better. The hungry runner boy said it was, "eh, okay." 

Cherry Tart

I apparently should subscribe to farming magazines. They seem to have the best recipes. I really liked this cherry tart recipe from Living the Country Life, June 2007.

Cherry Tart

Prep: 25 minutes, Bake: 15 minutes, Chill: 2 to 4 hours

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
(1) 8-ounce carton sour cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup shredded coconut, toasted
2 cups dark sweet cherries, pitted

Step 1: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. For crust, in a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the 1/3 cup sugar; beat on medium speed until creamy. Add flour, milk, and almond extract; beat on low speed just until combined.

Step 2: Press dough onto bottom and up sides of a 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom or a 12-inch pizza pan. [I used a pie pan.] Bake in the preheated oven about 15 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely on wire rack.

Step 3: In a bowl, stir together sour cream and the 2 tablespoons sugar; spread over cooled crust. Cover and chill in refrigerator for 2 to 4 hours. Sprinkle with coconut; arrange cherries on top. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition facts per serving: 319 calories, 19 g fat, 43 mg cholesterol, 100 mg sodium, 34 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 4 g protein.

I omitted the coconut (didn't have any), and I substituted vanilla (1 t) for the almond extract. It was good, and simple. I was a little worried about how the filling was just sweetened sour cream, but it was fine, plus easy. I think I would have liked the coconut and almond extract, too. If you find a good deal on sweet cherries, try this recipe.

Big Crumb Coffee Cake with Rhubarb

Big Crumb Coffee Cake with Rhubarb

Apparently, originally from The New York Times 6/6/07, copied by Janet on a piece of computer paper.

For the rhubarb filling:
1/2 pound rhubarb, trimmed
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

For the crumbs:
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 stick butter, melted
1 3/4 cups flour

For the cake:
1/3 cup sour cream
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons softened butter, cut into 8 pieces.

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 8-inch-square baking pan. For filling, slice rhubarb 1/2 inch thick and toss with sugar, cornstarch and ginger. Set aside.

2. To make crumbs  in a large bowl, whisk sugars, spices and salt into melted butter until smooth. Then, add flour with a spatula or wooden spoon. It will look and feel like a solid dough. Leave it pressed together in the bottom of the bowl and set aside.

3. To prepare cake, in a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add butter and a spoonful of sour cream mixture and mix on medium speed until flour is moistened. Increase speed and beat for 30 seconds. Add remaining sour cream mixture in two batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition, and scraping down the sides of bowl with a spatula. Scoop out about 1/2 cup batter and set aside.

4. Scrape remaining batter into prepared pan. Spoon rhubarb over batter. Dollop set-aside batter over rhubarb.

5. Break topping mixture into big crumbs. Sprinkle over cake. Bake 45-55 minutes and cool before serving. (Mine was very underdone at 50 minutes, and we didn't let it cool.)

This coffee cake was good, but it took forever to make it, plus a lot of dirty dishes to wash. I don't think the goodness factor was as high as the effort factor, so I probably won't make again. But if you are up early and don't plan on eating for two hours, go ahead and give it a go. It is pretty good.

P.S. Brian didn't know what part of rhubarb was the eating part and wondered how I was going to make a cake out of lettuce leaves. He also warned me not to put coffee in the coffee cake.

Another Bread Recipe

Sorry if you're getting sick of all the bread, but at least this one won't take too much time.

Fast Bread
2 c warm water
2 packages yeast (or 2 T)

Dissolve yeast in water and add:

2 T shortening (oil)
2 t salt
1/4 c sugar
4-6 c flour

Stir in to form soft but not sticky dough. Let rise 15 minutes. Divide into two parts. Pound each part for one minute. Place in greased pans and let rise for 15 minutes more. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.


I was pleasantly surprised with this bread. It tastes like white bread, no surprise, but it has a good texture. It is soft, holds together well for spreading peanut butter, and wasn't dry. I'm still not exactly sure how to pound dough. I used my KitchenAid and turned it up so it would beat the dough against the bowl.

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Bread

Wednesday I made this bread for sandwiches and such, because we were running out and I didn't feel like going to the store again. 

This recipe came from Taste of Home.  Mom printed this on March 20, 2008, so it would have just been Mom, Dad, and me that partook, but I don't remember it.

I didn't have powdered milk, so I used skim milk and lessened the water amount. 

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Bread

1-1/4 C Warm water
2T Honey
2T Softened butter or margarine
1-1/4 t Salt
2T nonfat dry milk powder
1-3/4 C Bread flour
1 C Whole Wheat Flour
1/3 C Quick cooking oats
1-1/4 t Active dry yeast




Directions

In Bread machine, place all ingredients in order suggested by manufacturer.  Select basic bread setting.  Choose crust color and loaf size if available.  Bake according to bread machine directions (check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1-2 T of water or flour if needed).  Yield: 1 loaf

The bread turned out okay.  I don't have a bread machine, so I mixed and kneaded the dough in my KitchenAid and then baked at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.  Unfortunately, I thought it was too bland.  More salt would have fixed that.  Also, it was very dry and that also was a turn off for us.  If you are here looking for a bread recipe, I would say scroll down one recipe to the better bread recipe, because I wouldn't make this bread again.

Honey Wheat Bread

I made this bread to go along with our salad for dinner last night. Here is what Mom wrote:

1 1/4 c. water
2 T butter
3 T honey
2 c. bread fl
1 1/2 c. ww
2 T b. sugar
2 T dry milk pwdr
1 1/2 t. salt
2 t. yeast

I had to guess on the amount of yeast due to oil smudging out the writing, but it rose up super nice so I must have guessed correctly.

I just threw it all in the bread maker in the order mom wrote it down, and let it do everything. I know Mom bakes it in the oven herself, but we didn't want to wait around for it to rise and bake once we got home from church.

It was so good! It wasn't to heavy like lots of wheat bread is, but instead, was the perfect softness. I'm sure Ben will be wanting me to make this all the time.

Warm Chicken Salad with Oranges and Almonds

Since we have 1 o'clock church, we like to have easy recipes that we can come right home to and start eating. This one seemed easy enough to put together and get on the table quick.

2 medium oranges
6 cups torn romaine lettuce
1 medium red sweet pepper, cut into bite-sized strips
1/2 of a small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1/3 cup slivered or sliced almonds, toasted
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves , cut into thin bite-size strips
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon live oil
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
coarsely ground black pepper

Step 1: Peel oranges. Cut into 1/4 inch slices; quarter each slice. In a large salad bowl toss together orange slices, romaine, sweet pepper, onion, and almonds. Set aside.

Step 2: Season chicken with salt and black pepper. In a large skillet heat oil. Cook and stir chicken in hot oil for 4 to 5 minutes or until no longer pink. Remove skillet from heat. Toss chicken with mixture in salad bowl. Divide salad among four plates.

Step 3: Stir orange juice and vinegar into the hot skillet, scraping up any brown bits in the skillet. Whisk in 1 tablespoon olive oil and the Dijon-style mustard. Serve salad with warm dressing. Season to taste with coarsely ground black pepper. Makes 4 servings.

We liked it. I didn't see the red onion listed in the ingredients so I completely forgot to buy one when we were at the store, but it still tasted good with out it. The onion would have definitely given it a little extra kick. It was also pretty darn easy to make. Thanks successful farming for another good recipe!

Macaroni a la King

I don't have a whole lot of meal recipes from Mom. It's mostly breads and other baked goods. But, I pulled this little 3x5 card out and decided I would give it a try. It had no name or instructions or measurements on parts.

1 c. mac
2 T butter
3/4 c. celery
pepper
onion
soup
milk 1/3 c.
1 c. cheese
1/4 t. salt
nutmeg

I took my liberties with this recipe since that was all I was given. Here is what I did.

Cook macaroni according to directions on box. While that is cooking chop up celery, onion, and green pepper. When macaroni is done, drain and put in greased 8x8 pan. Melt butter, and saute vegetables. Add 1 can cream of chicken soup and milk, and stir until heated through. Take off heat and add cheese, salt and nutmeg. Pour on top of macaroni. Sprinkle with a little more cheese (because more cheese makes it better). Cover with foil and keep in fridge until ready to eat. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook until heated through and bubbly.

This actually turned out better than I expected! Ben said it was delicious and ate all that remained once everybody else had some. We both agreed that the celery flavor was the predominant flavor of the dish. I would leave it out, but Ben liked it. And, I realized afterwards that it probably meant black pepper instead of green pepper. It just added another vegetable and helped cancel out some of the celery taste. I used both co-jack and mozzarella cheese and used more than one cup (because it makes things better).

The only reason why it sat in the fridge overnight was because we ended up just eating dinner at Girl's Camp when I went to pick Ben up. They made pizzas by spreading coals on the gravel driveway, placing pop cans with water in the coals, rested the pizza pans on the pop cans, and covered it with a box (I think lined with foil). It worked pretty well, but the leftover pizzas we had were mostly bread with very few toppings on top.

And, finally, not a cupboard recipe, but a delicious recipe that everyone should know about, we had this plum raspberry upside down cake from Martha. It is so yummy! Ben always looks forward to it every summer when the plums and berries and in season.

I accidentally whipped the cream into almost butter (by hand!).

Chicken Divan

I have a set of recipes from the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture Extension Agency that is all about make ahead meals. The two main "master recipes" were for roast chicken and marinara sauce, and then there are several freezable meals that use those master recipes. I made the Chicken Divan. Instead of using 6 pounds of roast chicken, I just cooked some cubed chicken using the same seasoning (s&p, garlic, olive oil), and we ate the meal right away.

16 oz broccoli florets
8 oz cauliflower florets
1/4 c butter
1/4 c all-purpose flour
1 c low-fat milk
1 c reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t black pepper
1/4 t salt
1 c cheddar cheese, shredded
3 cups roast chicken master mix
1/2 c plain dry bread crumbs

Line a 9x13 baking pan or 2-quart casserole with foil, leaving enough overhang to cover food and seal foil. Butter foil. In a large saucepan, steam broccoli and cauliflower 4 minutes, until just tender. Arrange in bottom of baking pan. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook 2 minutes, until light brown, stirring constantly. Stir in broth and milk and cook 5 minutes or until sauce thickens, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 c of cheese. Add Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Pour 1/2 of sauce over vegetables. Sprinkle master mix over sauce. Top with remaining sauce, then remaining cheese and bread crumbs. Cool, seal, label, and freeze. Once divan is frozen, remove from pan and return to freezer. To prepare for sinner, peel foil from divan and place back in baking dish. Allow to thaw in refrigerator 24 hours. Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, uncovered, or until heated through.

Nutritional analysis: 283 calories, 18 g protein, 17 g fat, 14 g carbohydrates, 65 mg cholesterol, 526 mg sodium.

It was okay. Since we've been married, I've avoided buying Worcestershire sauce thinking it wasn't worth it for the few times I would need it, and I've substituted other things when I needed it. I finally got some for this dish, and I forgot to add it. I found it a little bland, but the sauce probably would have fixed that. Oops. Other than that it was fine, and on the healthier end of the spectrum. I really like cruciferous vegetables. I used two small chicken breast halves, and it seemed like enough meat.

Chicken Tetrazzini

Chicken Tetrazzini from Taste of Home

Prep: 15 min. Bake: 30 min. Yield: 8 Servings

Ingredients
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup half-and-half cream
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons white wine or chicken broth, optional
3 cups cubed cooked chicken
8 ounces spaghetti, cooked and drained
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions
In a large skillet, cook mushrooms in butter until tender. Stir in flour; gradually add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in the cream, parsley, salt, nutmeg, pepper, and wine if desired. Fold in the chicken and spaghetti.
Turn into a greased 3-qt. baking dish; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 8 servings.
Nutritional Facts
1 serving (1 cup) equals 258 calories, 13 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 71 mg cholesterol, 763 mg sodium, 13 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 21 g protein.

I made this for our Fast Sunday dinner. It was pretty good. I like the nutmeg in it. It isn't all that healthy, but it has the benefit of being healthier than normal cream-based tetrazzini recipes. I really wanted to add vegetables, but I refrained in the name of sticking to the recipe. I used a can of mushrooms and I highly doubt I put 3 cups of chicken in. I might have added one. And I used Camille's whole milk instead of half and half. I'll probably make it again, but in the future I'll throw in some vegetables--maybe broccoli or spinach.

I always cringe when I see the serving sizes of these things. We ate half of this recipe. Then again, we were breaking our fast, and all we had with it was a small salad.

Carefree Casserole--Dinner Favorite

Yesterday for my birthday I had Jacob make this recipe.  It is written in Mom's handwriting and looked easy and tasty and cheap to me.

Carefree Casserole                    350 degrees 20 min        6 servings

1 10 oz pkg. frozen peas and carrots
1 can mushroom soup
1/2 c water
1/2 c milk
3 c cooked rice
1 1/2 c diced cooked chicken or turkey
1/2 c shredded cheese

1.  Combine peas, carrots, soup, water, and milk in saucepan.  Bring to boil; lower heat and simmer 3 minutes.  Spoon 1/2 mixture in 1 1/2 qt. baking dish.
2.  Spoon the cooked rice over the vegetables.  Layer chicken over rice; sprinkle with salt; top with remaining vegetable mixture.  Sprinkle top with cheese.
3.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

 It was really good.  Jacob added extra rice, just to make it go farther for us.  He also added extra cheese, because he loves cheese.  The only issue was that Jacob forgot to add salt, so it was real bland until we added our own.  Overall, we loved it and will add it to our easy dinner repertoire.

Non-Cupboard related, here is my birthday cake that Jacob also made for me.  Isn't it cute?  He is embarrassed at the writing, but it is really good considering he had nothing to write it with.  It tasted super good, too. It must have been the cup(!) of butter he put in the frosting.

Was this a joke? (Strawberry Bread)

I really like strawberry bread. And I've made it before, probably the very same recipe that I'm posting now. But you see, I've gotten wiser in the ten years since I've made this bread, so this time, it turned out AWESOME. So, the joke's on whomever thought it would be funny to hide this recipe in my collection.

Strawberry Bread

1 1/2 c oil
2 c sugar
3 eggs
3 c flour
1 t soda
1 t cinnamon
3/4 t salt
1 1/2-2 c frozen strawberries with juice (thawed)
1 c nuts (I omitted, yet again)

Mix oil, sugar, egg. Add dry ingredients and mix (If too dry, add some strawberry...

juice? Fold in berries and nuts. Pour into 2 greased loaf pans. Bake for 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees. Makes 2 loaves. Note: Do NOT double the amount of strawberries.

And that's it. I looked on the internet  for a similar recipe to figure out baking time and such, and I noticed that the recipe I was reading made two loaves. It's a good thing I went to the effort to look up the rest of the directions, because I would have ended up with one huge loaf of overflowing bread and a mess in the oven. And then you all would have even more to laugh about.

I substituted half the oil with applesauce. 1 1/2 c oil is a lot. I also was trying to use some fresh strawberries I had, so I sliced them up and mixed them with the sugar, then let them sit while I got the rest of the stuff ready. It worked fine in place of frozen.

Cocoa-Walnut Brownie Loaf

We should just call it Brownie Loaf because I opted not to use any walnuts for reasons stated in the orange chicken with sweet potato post.

Yeah, pretty weird looking, but tastes good.

Walnut Brownie Loaf

3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups flour (unsifted)
1/2 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 (8 ounce) container plain yogurt (at room temperature)
1 cup walnuts (toasted and coarsely chopped)
Cocoa Fudge Frosting
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4-1/2 cup walnuts (toasted and coarsely chopped, for garnish)
Directions:


BROWNIE LOAF DIRECTIONS:.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees (glass) or 350 degrees (metal).

Cream butter, sugars and vanilla.

Add eggs one at a time, beating until mixture is light and fluffy.

Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture in thirds, alternating with yogurt.

Stir in chopped walnuts.

Pour into greased and floured 9 x 5 x 3 loaf pan. Bake at 325 degrees (glass) or at 350 degrees (metal) for 65-75 minutes, or until cake springs back when lightly touched ~ top may be cracked.

Cool in pan 10 minutes. Invert onto wire rack and cool completely. Frost with cocoa fudge frosting.

COCOA FUDGE FROSTING DIRECTIONS:.

Melt butter. Combine butter with cocoa, sugar, milk and vanilla; beat until smooth and creamy, adding additional powdered sugar if necessary for spreading consistency.

Frost cooled brownie loaf and garnish top with coarsely chopped walnuts.

NOTE: 2/3 cup milk can be substituted for the 8 ounce container of plain yogurt -- when using milk, omit baking soda. NOTE: If baking in glass loaf pan, reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.

If I want brownies, I'd rather have it in bar form rather than bread form. It's weird to slice off a piece of brownie from a loaf. That being said, I actually liked the brownie recipe. It was nice and moist and tender, probably because of the yogurt. It's definitely worth making again, but in a sheet pan. It also would have been nice if I had seen the note about baking it in a glass pan before now, but I didn't have any problems baking at 350 degrees. 

I found the recipe online so I didn't have to type it all in, and I noticed that the the reviewers especially liked the frosting. I didn't melt the butter, and I still thought the frosting was too runny. Taste-wise, it was just another chocolate frosting recipe.

Orange Chicken with Sweet Potatoes (slow cooker)

This was an award winning recipe from a slow cooker contest in Taste of Home. It didn't win any awards around here. I probably won't be making it again.

Ingredients

source

3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
2/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (5 ounces each)
2 tablespoons butter
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
3/4 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms
Hot cooked rice



Directions
Layer sweet potatoes in a 3-qt. slow cooker. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine 2/3 cup flour and seasonings; add chicken, one piece at a time, and shake to coat.
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook chicken in butter for 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Arrange chicken over sweet potatoes.
Place remaining flour in a small bowl. Stir in the soup, pineapple juice, brown sugar and orange peel until blended. Add mushrooms; pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or until meat is tender and potatoes are tender. Serve with rice. Yield: 4 servings.

I never seem to be able to make recipes as they are because I'm stingy and lazy. I didn't add the sliced mushrooms and I didn't brown the chicken. I don't think it would have mattered anyhow. It just wasn't that great of a recipe. I like sweet citrus-y sauces, but there was just something missing from this one. You can try it if you like, but don't blame me if you don't like it. I posted the picture from Taste of Home. Don't be fooled into thinking mine looked like that. I didn't bother taking a picture because it looked (and tasted) so unappetizing They must have tried to make their photo look better by not adding any of the brown goopy sauce.

Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas

This recipe is from Tonya Campbell. It was really good.

Not my picture, but might as well be since they looked almost identical

3/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
3 slices bacon
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 c. Pace Picante Sauce
1 (16) oz. can black beans, undrained
1 med. red bell pepper, chopped
1 med. green bell pepper, chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c. sliced green onions
12 flour tortillas (6''-7'')
1 1/2 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Toppings: shredded lettuce, sour cream, chopped tomatoes

Cut chicken into short thin strips. Cook bacon in skillet until crisp. Remove to paper towel; crumble. Pour off  all but 2 tablespoons drippings. Cook chicken in reserved drippings until chicken is no longer pink. Stir in 1/2 cup Pace Picante Sauce, beans, peppers, cumin, and salt. Simmer until thickened, 7 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in green onions and reserved bacon. Spoon heaping 1/4 cup bean mixture down the center of each tortilla; top with 1 tablespoon cheese. Roll up; place seam side down in lightly greased 9x13'' baking dish. Spoon remaining 1 cup Pace Picante Sauce evenly over enchiladas. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Top with remaining cheese; return to oven about 3 minutes. Top as desired and serve with additional Pace Picante Sauce. Makes 6 servings.

I really like the creamy green chile kind of enchiladas, but these were just as good and maybe better. I like bell peppers, so that helped their case. I changed a few small things for convenience--used canned chicken, turkey bacon, and powdered garlic. I got 10 enchiladas, which was perfect because I had a 10 pack of tortillas. These are pretty hefty enchiladas; they filled us up. I wonder if the recipe is from Pace Picante Sauce?

Soft Pretzels

 This is a very worn recipe that looks like it's in Grandma Allred's handwriting.

This is 2/16 worth of pretzel dough.

3/4 c warm water
1 pkg yeast
1/2 tspn salt
2 c flour
1/2 tspn sugar

1/2 egg, Kosher salt

Add yeast to water, dissolve. Add salt, sugar; stir. Add flour; stir. Knead lightly. Store in greased container with top in the frig. for at least 1 hr. Punch down dough. Divide into 16 parts. Shape; place on foil lined cookie sheet. Brush with egg. Bake 425 degrees - 15 minutes.

The pretzels tasted good, and were just the right size for a small snack (smaller than mall pretzels). The only thing I would change would be to dip them in a baking soda bath to give them that distinct pretzel taste.

Almond Mandarin Salad

We've been having salad more often for dinner, so this seemed like a good choice.

1/2 pound bacon
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon dry hot mustard
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon ground paprika
1/4 cup olive oil
1 head red leaf lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
1 (15 ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained
1 bunch green onion, diced
3/4 cup slivered almonds

Directions

In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, cook bacon until evenly brown. Drain, cool, and crumble.
To make the dressing, thoroughly blend the vinegar, honey, dry mustard, celery salt, paprika, and olive oil.
Place lettuce, oranges, green onion, bacon, and almonds in a serving bowl. Toss with dressing and serve.

This was good. I like fruit in salad, and the salty bacon went well with the other tastes. Plus, the almonds added a nice crunch. The dressing was kind of like a vinaigrette. The only problem was that I felt like it wasn't a full meal. The only picture I have is on my phone, and I don't know how to get it off without paying the $.20 to send it to Brian.

Williams-Sonoma Cheddar-Bacon Biscuits

What are the secrets to making tender, flaky biscuits? When cutting the butter into the flour, work quickly so it doesn't melt too much before you put the biscuits in the oven. And when adding the milk, don't overmix the dough; stir until the ingredients are just combined.

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
8 Tbs. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter
1 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup chopped fresh chives
6 bacon slices, finely chopped and fried
until crisp
1 1/2 cups milk
Directions:
Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 400ºF. Lightly spray a biscuit pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in the butter until it resembles coarse meal. Add the cheese, chives and bacon; using a fork, stir until evenly distributed. Add the milk; using a rubber spatula, stir until just combined. Divide the dough among the wells of the prepared pan.

Bake until the biscuits are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of a biscuit comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes. Invert the pan onto the rack and lift off the pan. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Makes 7 biscuits.

My biscuits

Williams-Sonoma's Biscuits

These seemed like they would be really good. They were okay. I had a few problems with them. First, I don't know what a biscuit pan is, so I made them like drop-type biscuits. Maybe I should have used a muffin pan because they spread out a ton. I made seven like the recipe says, and they were gigantic. I might have a slight problem with my oven where it turns off in the middle of baking, and that may have had to do with why they spread out huge and took closer to an hour to cook.

They tasted good, but it was weird to be eating a tender, flaky biscuit and run into a piece of chewy bacon. If I make them again, maybe I'll use turkey bacon, so it can get really crispy.

I noticed that Williams-Sonoma has an updated version on their website. Maybe it's better.

I hope this recipe was for bread...

I made yet another recipe with no name and no directions. I guessed it was bread due to the ingredients, and I also guessed that Mom mixed it up in the bread machine and then baked it in the oven.

1 c. water
2 T. butter
1 egg
3 1/4 c. bread flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 t. salt
3 t. yeast

I baked it @ 350 degrees and didn't time it. I just guessed when it was done.

 

My troops enjoyed it. Once again I used my smaller bread pan and it really mushroomed up while baking.  It was very soft bread and was delicious. I had some this morning toasted with peanut butter on it.

Lemon Pudding Souffles

I've never made a souffle before. In fact, I had to double-check how to spell it because I'm not very familiar with souffles at all. We wanted a dessert one night, and I've been trying not to make massive amounts of food and then eat most of it myself over the following days. Sometimes a day. So instead of making 5 dozen cookies or an entire cake, I thought this would be a nice light dessert, and it was. I also got to use the custard cups that we generally use for ice cream bowls. This recipe is from Taste of Home, February and March 2008.

Ingredients

• 1 egg, separated
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup 2% milk
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• Dash salt
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• Coarse sugar, edible pansies and fresh mint leaves, optional

Directions

• In a small bowl, beat egg yolk until slightly thickened. Gradually add sugar, beating until thick and lemon-colored. Beat in the milk, butter, flour and salt. Stir in lemon juice and peel.
• In a small bowl, beat egg white until stiff peaks form. With a spatula, stir a fourth of the egg white into lemon mixture until no white streaks remain. Fold in remaining egg white until combined.
• Divide between two ungreased 6-oz. ramekins or custard cups. Place in an 8-in. square baking dish; add 1 in. of hot water to dish.
• Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until tops are golden brown. If desired, sprinkle with coarse sugar, and garnish with pansies and mint. Serve immediately. Yield: 2 servings.

Editor's Note: Verify that flowers are edible and have not been treated with chemicals.

I liked these. Apparently, so did Brian, because he was disappointed when he went back for seconds, and there weren't any. Except for having a lot of sugar, they aren't too unhealthy either. We ate them right away, and the pudding was pretty watery, but still good. The only other grievance I have is that it made a lot of dishes for two little souffles. Oh, and I opted not to include pansies and mint as a garnish, edible or not.

Santa Fe Pasta

This is a back of the box recipe from Velveeta. If I knew how expensive Velveeta is, I don't know if I would have made this.

Santa Fe Pasta 

3/4 pound Velveeta Pasteurized Process Cheese Spread
2 tablespoons milk
1 can (8 3/4 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained
1 can (8 ounces) kidney beans, drained
2 cups (8-ounces) mostaccioli noodles, cooked, drained
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies, drained
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 cup corn chips


Cube 1/2 pound Velveeta. Combine with milk in saucepan. Stir over low heat until Velveeta is melted. Add corn, beans, noodles, chilies and chili powder. Mix lightly. Spoon mixture into 1 1/2-quart casserole. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes. Top with chips and remaining Velveeta, sliced. Continue baking until Velveeta begins to melt.

Makes 6 servings

I thought this recipe sounded pretty good, and I was excited about it, which is why I bought the Velveeta anyway and went ahead making this. I was pretty disappointed because it was a lackluster recipe. I didn't know what mostaccioli is, so I guessed it was a spiral pasta. It is apparently more like penne, but it doesn't really matter. The recipe was just okay. Brian liked it, and C liked it, although she mostly just ate the beans. I thought the sauce was too soupy, and it didn't have a ton of flavor. I probably won't make it again, but if I do, I'll be adding something to the recipe. Just so you all know, Velveeta is made from real milk, and it has less fat than cheddar cheese. And now I'll have to find something to make to use up the rest of it.

Edited: I did have a picture after all.

Double Chocolate Banana Muffins

We finally had some bananas that were past the ripeness we eat them at, so I could finally make this recipe for us to eat for breakfast this morning.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup baking cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/3 cups mashed ripe bananas
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients.
2. In a small bowl, combine bananas, oil and egg.
3. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
4. Fold in chocolate chips.
5. Fill greased or paper lined muffin cups three fourths full.
6. Bake at 350 deg F for 20-25 minutes or until muffins test done.

They were pretty good. I'm not a chocolate baked goods for breakfast person, but I'm sure these won't last too long. My only complaint with the recipe was that I had to cook them about 26-27 minutes. 

And, they aren't healthy so I purposefully left the nutrition facts off.

Meatless Mexican Lasagna

This is from one of the Taste of Home issues in a section about light meals.

This is the Taste of Home photo. Mine looked pretty much exactly like this except it didn't have that little lime star on top. And we don't have a  fancy camera.

Meatless Mexican Lasagna Recipe

Ingredients
2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes with basil, oregano and garlic, undrained
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
3 green onions, sliced
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
4 corn tortillas (6 inches)
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded Mexican cheese blend
6 tablespoons plain yogurt


Nutritional Facts
1 piece equals 291 calories, 11 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 25 mg cholesterol, 781 mg sodium, 38 g carbohydrate, 6 g fiber, 14 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 lean meat, 1 vegetable, 1 fat.


Directions
In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. Place two tortillas in an 11-in. x 7-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spread with half of the corn mixture; sprinkle with half of the cheese. Repeat layers.
Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until heated through. Let stand for 5 minutes. Garnish each serving with a dollop of yogurt. Yield: 6 servings.

This was a nice, light dish. Unfortunately, it was light enough that Brian and I each had two servings. C had some too, but the green chilies were a little spicy for her. I added in two extra tortillas because four small tortillas for six servings didn't seem like very much. And it wasn't. I figure that even though we had two servings, it was still much healthier than a typical meat and potatoes meal.  Bonus: Since there is no meat, it is a relatively frugal meal. If you want to make it more filling, add more tortillas.