Spider Cheesecake

Oh, yum... this cheesecake was so good.  I made it for a halloween party we did with our friends tonight.  Do you like my dead flower arrangement in the background?  This recipe comes from Martha Stewart so you know it's going to be good.  It is a no-bake cheesecake and without any cooking time it came together really quickly.  It turned out so great and looked so perfect for halloween that I had to post at least the pictures tonight.

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I am going to be really lazy and just give you the link to this recipe on Martha's website.

Here it is.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

I couldn't find a recipe that had all the ingredients I wanted so I combined two recipes! This recipe was the result.

1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. shortening

1 c. peanut butter

1 c. sugar

1 c. brown sugar

2 eggs

1 t. vanilla

2 1/2 c. flour

1 1/2 t. baking soda

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1/2 c. oats

2 c. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter, shortening, peanut butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla until well blended. Stir together dry ingredients. Add to wet ingredients a cup at a time. Stir in chocolate chips. Roll into balls and smash slightly on a cookie sheet. Bake for 8 min or until set.

Baked Oatmeal

I am not a big fan of the normal, mushy oatmeal.  The texture just doesn't appeal to me.  However, the health benefits of oatmeal prompted me to keep searching to find an oatmeal recipe that my family really liked.  This is the one.  We have this for breakfast at least once a week.  I found it on allrecipes.com several months ago and the lady said it was an Amish recipe from her grandmother that was at least 100 years old.  It has a stiffer consistency that tastes like soft granola bars.  I used a little bit of apple pie filling as a topping today.  You can make the recipe for sauteed apples or top it with whatever you normally like on oatmeal- syrup, berries, fresh apples, nuts, etc or just eat it plain.  It is so good and gives you a great start in the morning.

 1/2 C. Applesauce
1/2 C. Sugar
2 Eggs
1 C. Milk
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 T. Baking Powder
3 C. Quick Oats
1/2 C. Raisins (optional)
2 T. Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

Mix applesauce and sugar together.  Add eggs, milk, salt, baking powder and oatmeal.  Pour into a greased 8x8 pan or similar sized casserole dish.  Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.  You can either make this in the morning and bake it right away or make it the night before and refrigerate it overnight. Serves 6-8.

Sauteed Apples:
1/4 C. Butter
4 Large Tart Apples
2 tsp. Corn Starch
1/2 C. Cold Water
1/2 C. Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

Saute apples, sugar, and cinnamon in butter until soft.  In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with the water then pour into the pan.  Stir until thickened.  You can add a little bit more water if you want to thin the sauce down a little bit.

Chocolate Banana Cookies

My kids got a little burned out on banana bread at the beginning of the school year after I froze 3 dozen banana muffins for quick breakfasts.  We had them a couple of times a week for several weeks in a row.  Consequently, I had to come up with other ways to use those over ripe bananas on my counter and this is one of the recipes I found that I my kids have liked.  This recipe makes about 2 dozen cookies so you are bound to have left overs.  Because of the banana, these cookies will get mushy and too soft if you store them in an air tight container.  Last time I made them I just left them on my counter on a plate uncovered and they were great the next day.  You could also cover them lightly with saran wrap.

1 C. Mashed Bananas (2 medium bananas)
1 C. Sugar
1/2 C. Butter, melted
1 Egg
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
2 C. Flour (I used white wheat flour)
1/2 C. Cocoa
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 tsp. Salt
3/4 C. Coarsely Chopped Nuts (I used walnuts)
1/2 C. Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease cookie sheet(s).  Set aside.  In a mixer, combine bananas, sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla.  Beat together until well blended.  Add in all dry ingredients except nuts and choc. chips. Beat at low speed until a soft dough forms.  Stir in nuts and chocolate chips by hand.  Drop dough in heaping tablespoons onto cookie sheet and bake for 14 minutes.  Let cookies cool for 5 minutes or longer before removing to cooling racks or cookies will fall apart.

The "Noodle" in Chicken Noodle

Yesterday I made Chicken Noodle Soup for a friend and I got to thinking that maybe there are some people who have never made homemade noodles before.  I learned from a friend a couple of years ago and it is so easy I would never go back to throwing in a package of egg noodles.  In fact, it is so easy that I am almost embarrassed to post it but these noodles really give soup that homemade taste and really are so much better. 

1 C. Flour
1 Egg
1/4 tsp. Salt
Water

Combine the flour, salt and egg in a small mixing bowl and stir with a spoon until mixture is crumbly.  Fill a glass with cold water and start pour in about 1/4 C. amounts of water at a time and stirring until it forms a dough similar to bread dough or pie crust dough.  Generously Flour your counter so that the dough doesn't stick after it is rolled out and roll out dough to 1/8", about the same as a pie crust.  Use a pizza cutter to cut up the dough into noodles.  Cut them as thick or as thin as you like them.  I like to cut my strips in thirds so they are not quite as long but you can leave them long if you would rather.  When you are completely done with your soup, chicken shredded and vegetables almost done, it is time to add the noodles to your pot.  Keep the soup at a rolling boil.  Using a spatula, lift several noodles off the counter at once and drop them into the soup.  They will separate as soon as they hit the broth as long as they are well cut and are not stuck together when you drop them in.  Add all the noodles and boil the soup for 10 minutes.  These noodles really can't get soggy so you can freeze this soup or serve it as left overs and it will taste just like it did the day you made it.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

If Fall has a taste, it is pumpkin.  The spicy smell of pumpkin bread or a pumpkin pie baking seems to pair so nicely with crisp Fall weather and helps you appreciate the season better.  I love this recipe and I really love the use of whole grains and pumpkin. Such a healthy start in the morning.  The muffins hold together well and aren't as crumbly as some recipes can be.  Someday I would like to try it as a loaf of bread instead of as muffins. 

1 1/4 C. Quick Oats
1 C. Flour (you can use white wheat flour instead)
1/3 C. Chopped Pecans
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
1/2 tsp. Cloves
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 C. Canned Pumpkin
3/4 C. Brown Sugar
1/2 C. Oil
1/4 C. Milk
1 Egg
1 tsp. Vanilla

Topping:
1/4 C. Oats
1/4 C. Flour (can use wheat)
1/4 C. Brown Sugar
3 T. Chopped Pecans
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 C. Cold Butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine all ingredients for muffins and blend until barely moistened.  In a small mixing bowl combine the topping ingredients and use a pastry blender to cut in butter.  Grease muffin cups and fill 2/3 full.  Sprinkle about 1 Tablespoon of topping  (just use the 1 Tbsp measuring spoon) over top of each muffin before baking.  Bake for 20-22 minutes.  This recipe makes about 15 muffins for me.  You can fill the muffin cups a little bit higher if you really want to use only one muffin pan. 

Glazed Lemon Muffins

When Deanna married our brother we (the sisters) threw her a bridal shower.  I tried 15 new muffin recipes trying to come up with the perfect muffins to serve.  This recipe is simply wonderful.  I actually didn't choose this for the shower because it is a pretty time consuming recipe but this one was my favorite of all that I tried.  With a whole cube of butter in the recipe plus streusel topping and glaze this recipe is a special treat for a special occasion and not a muffin I make frequently but when I do...yummmm.

1 1/2 C. Flour
1 C. Sugar
1/4 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. Salt
2 Eggs
1/2 C. Plain Yogurt or Sour Cream
1/2 C. Butter, melted
Zest from 1 Lemon
Juice from 1 Lemon

Streusel:
3 T. Flour
3 T. Sugar
1 T. Cold Butter
*Cut these ingredients in together with a pastry blender or 2 knives and set aside.

Glaze:
1/4 C. Powdered Sugar
1 T. Lemon Juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Add wet ingredients and mix until just combined and moistened.  Don't over mix or you won't get fluffy muffins.  Let the batter rest for a few minutes while you grease your muffin tin.  Fill the muffin cups about 2/3 full.  Sprinkle about 1 1/2 tsp. of streusel topping over each muffin before you put it in the oven.  Then bake muffins for 25 minutes.  Mix up glaze while the muffins are baking.  When the muffins come out of the oven let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes then transfer them to a plate.  Drizzle a small amount of glaze over top of each muffin.  These are great warm or cold.  Makes 12 muffins.

Lemon Chicken Linguine

Okay, girls, you MUST try this recipe.  You may wonder about the use of Cajun seasoning combined with lemon but seriously... wow.  This recipe has been on my "to-try" list for at least a month and tonight with every bite I was asking myself why I waited so long.  Garrett says we should have this again tomorrow...I'm considering it.  The whole meal came together in about 20-25 minutes because the chicken had been marinading in the refrigerator all afternoon.  Fast, easy and completely delicious!

2 Chicken Breasts, thawed and sliced
2 Cloves of Garlic, pressed
1/2 C. Olive Oil
Juice from 1 lemon (zest it first and save the zest in the refrigerator for later.)
2 T. Brown Sugar
2 T. Soy Sauce
1 tsp. Dried Parsley
1 T. Cajun Seasoning (don't worry about heat, this dish is not spicy at all.)

Combine all these ingredients in a ziplock bag and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. 

1 lb. Linguine (or any other pasta you really like)
2 T. Olive Oil
2 T. Lemon Juice (if you don't want to use another lemon just use bottled lemon juice)
Zest from 1 Lemon (reserved from earlier)
3 Green Onions, sliced
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/8 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Dried Parsley
Parmesan Cheese

Cook pasta according to pkg directions.  While pasta is cooking put the chicken along with all the marinade juices into a skillet and cook until chicken is completely cooked through.  Combine the oil, lemon juice, zest, onions, salt, pepper, and parsley in a small bowl.  When pasta is cooked, drain it and then put it back in the hot pot and stir in the oil mixture.  Then pour the chicken and all the juices over top of the pasta and mix.  Transfer to a serving dish and grate Parmesan over top. 

Whole Wheat Bread

I love this bread! It has great flavor and texture. This is my favorite wheat bread recipe.


2 1/2 cups warm water
1 1/2 TBS yeast
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup molasses, brown sugar, or honey (I use a little of all three)
2 tsp salt
6 to 7 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I used 1 cup of white, 1 cup of oat flour, and white wheat for the rest)


Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the oil and then the sugar. Mix in 5 cups of flour and the salt. Allow to sit for 15 minutes, then add enough flour so that the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, but is still sticky. Oil hands and working surface. Separate dough in half. Roll each piece to remove air bubbles. Roll up, pinching bottom and tuck ends under. Place in greased loaf pan and let rise about 1 inch above the top of the pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Oil top of bread when hot. Enjoy!

Homemade Doughnuts

These bad boys were darn tasty! We all loved them as our Sunday treat! They are really easy and don't require much work. They just take a some time for the dough to raise. These are by far the best home made doughnuts I have had.

• 2 (.25 ounce) envelopes active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
• 1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup shortening (or margarine, that's what I used)
  
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 quart vegetable oil for frying

Glaze:

• 1/3 cup butter
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 4 tablespoons hot water or as needed

1. Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water, and let stand for 5 minutes, or until foamy.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the yeast mixture, milk, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening, and 2 cups of the flour. Mix for a few minutes at low speed, or stirring with a wooden spoon. Beat in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl. Knead for about 5 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Place the dough into a greased bowl, and cover. Set in a warm place to rise until double. Dough is ready if you touch it, and the indention remains.
3. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut. I used a small bowl for the outside, and a baby bottle for the hole. Let doughnuts sit out to rise again until double. Cover loosely with a cloth.
4. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Remove from heat, and stir in hot water one tablespoon at a time until the icing is somewhat thin, but not watery. Set aside.
5. Fry doughnuts on each side until golden brown. Remove from hot oil, to drain on a wire rack or paper towels. Dip doughnuts into the glaze while still hot, and set onto wire racks to drain off excess, (or set them on a plate so they can be nice and sticky!)
   

Broccoli Cheese Soup

I have been in a soup making mood lately and this one came together very quickly.  My kids love broccoli so they ate this right up.  It is a creamy, thick soup, perfect for a bread bowl if you want to serve it that way.  Next time I might try adding potatoes or a broccoli cauliflower mix just for variety.  I used 2 heads of fresh broccoli but if you only have frozen on hand that would work too. 

1 onion, chopped finely

1/2 C. Butter

1/2 C. Flour

1 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Pepper

3 C. Milk

2 Cans Chicken Broth

Broccoli cut up and steamed (you decide how much you want to add)

3 C. Shredded Medium or Sharp Cheddar Cheese

2 C. Shredded Swiss Cheese

1 T. Dried Parsley

Melt the butter and add the onion.  Saute on med. heat until translucent.  Add flour, salt and pepper.  Mix until it forms a paste.  Whisk in the milk and mix consistently until thickened.  Add chicken broth.  Turn heat down to low and stir in the cheese and broccoli.  Stir until the cheese melts and soup becomes smooth.  Serve immediately. 

Butter Rolls

I have two favorite roll recipes.  This one is made in a bread maker and actually was one of the recipes that came in the box with my bread maker.  It is a really soft, melt in your mouth kind of roll, perfect for dinner rolls or sweet breads like cinnamon rolls. 

2 3/4 C. Flour

2 tsp. Active Dry Yeast

2 T. Sugar

1 tsp. Salt

1/4 C. Warm Water (I just use hot tap water)

1 Egg

7/8 C. Milk

1/4 C. Melted Butter or Margarine

Measure the ingredients into the bread pan in the order given.  Select your dough setting and start the bread maker.  About 5 or 10 minutes into the cycle take a spatula and stir in the flour on the edges of the pan or the dough will never thicken like it is suppose to. When the cycle is finished and your dough is ready to work with, turn it out onto a floured counter and shape however you want.  Put the rolls onto a greased pan and Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes (until they are lightly browned on top).  Take them out of the oven and brush tops with butter.  Makes 12 rolls.

Mesquite Chicken Farfalle

Oh. My. Goodness.  There just isn't an adjective to describe how good this pasta is.  Amazing, incredible, extraordinary...they just don't cut it in my opinion.  We usually reserve this recipe for occasions when we have company at our house and that was the case this weekend- Beth came with her family.  Good times, good food, good friends (sisters are the best kind of friends, right?).

1 lb. Farfalle (bowtie pasta)
1 C. Heavy Whipping Cream
3-4 Cloves Garlic, pressed
1 1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 C. Butter
1 lb. Bacon, crumbled
1/2 C. Fresh Parmesan, shredded
3 Chicken Breasts
1/2 of a 12oz. Bottle Mesquite Marinade with Lime Juice (any brand)

In the afternoon, about noon, put the chicken in your crock pot and pour 1/2 of the bottle of marinade over top of the chicken.  Cook on low for 5-6 hours or until chicken is done.  You can do this on high but the chicken won't be quite as tender.  About 1/2 hour before you want to eat put the water for the pasta on to boil (don't forget to salt the water).  Cook pasta according to package directions.  While the pasta is cooking shred the chicken, turn the crock pot off and put the shredded chicken back into the crock pot to soak in the juices of the marinade.  Make the sauce by melting the butter in a small saucepan then add garlic, pepper, cream, parmesan cheese and crumbled bacon. When pasta is done drain it and put it in a large serving bowl.  Pour sauce over top and add shredded chicken with marinade juices.  Mix gently until combined.  Grate additional parmesan cheese over top.

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Yum.  This dinner was pure comfort food and perfect for the fall weather we have been having.  I loved the hint of curry and the crunch of the slivered almonds, those two things made this recipe stand out among other soup recipes like this that I have tried.  For the bread bowl, just use your favorite roll or french bread recipe and shape the dough into large balls (about 6" in diameter) and then brush the dough with an egg wash before baking.  That's what I did.  I will post my recipe another time. 

*Be forewarned, this soup takes a while to cook after you get it going so be sure to start it at least 2 hours before you plan to eat. 

1/2 C. Butter
1 Onion, chopped
1 C. Frozen Corn
8 oz. Fresh mushrooms, sliced
4 carrots, sliced
3/4 C. Flour
6 1/2 C. Chicken Broth (7 bouillon cubes mixed with 6 1/2 C. water)
3 C. Cooked wild rice
2 Chicken Breasts, cut into small bite sized pieces (or cooked and shredded)
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Curry Powder
1/2 tsp. Mustard Powder
1/2 tsp. Dried Parsley
1/2 tsp. Pepper
1 C. Slivered Almonds
2 1/2 C. Non-fat Half and Half

Combine butter, chicken, onion, carrots, mushrooms and corn and saute over medium high heat until chicken is done.  Add flour to pot and stir until well distributed.  Add chicken broth all at once.  Stir until thickened, then reduce heat to low.  Add cooked rice, salt, curry powder, mustard powder, parsley, pepper, and almonds.  Stir well then add the half and half.  Simmer on low heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, but be careful not to boil soup.  This makes a large pot that will easily serve at least 10 people.  If you have a smaller family you can freeze the left overs.  Just let them thaw out in the refrigerator for 24 hours and then reheat in a pan on the stove top.  

Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

These muffins are a rare treat for breakfast.  I don't normally do the chocolate for breakfast thing but these muffins are really good and with zucchini in them I feel a little less guilty about the chocolate chips.  I usually substitute white wheat flour for the all purpose flour and they turn out great.  I always freeze half for another day too since it makes 24 muffins.

1 C. Sugar
3 Eggs
1 C. Oil
3 C. Shredded Zucchini
2 tsp. Vanilla
3 C. Flour
2 tsp. Baking soda
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp.Cinnamon
1/4 C. Cocoa
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 1/2-2 C. Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line your muffin tin with muffin cups.  In a large mixing bowl whisk together zucchini, sugar, eggs, vanilla and oil.  Combine all dry ingredients together in a separate bowl then add to the wet ingredients, mixing until just blended.  Try not to over mix the batter, you'll get fluffier, better tasting muffins.  Spoon batter into muffin cups and bake for 20 minutes.

Creamy Chicken and biscuits

I have been making this since I first got married. If you like comfort food like I do you will love this! I like to make rice or potatoes to go with this even though you already have a starch with the biscuit. I also like to do home made biscuit rather than buying frozen ones.


1/2 large onion
1 1/2 tsp butter
4 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
6 frozen biscuits, thawed

Preheat oven to 350. Grease bottom and sides of a 11 x 9 inch baking dish. Chop the onion and saute in butter. Combine onion, chicken, soup, sour cream, and milk in a bowl and mix well. Pour into prepared dish. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with 3/4 cup of cheese. Place biscuits on top and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake until biscuits are golden brown and sauce in bubbly, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

English Scones

This is a biscuit type scone. The recipe came from Martha Stewart.

6 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface

Pinch of salt

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1 heaping tablespoon baking powder

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, chilled and cut into pieces

4 large eggs

1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons milk

More sugar, for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder. Make a well in the center and add butter. Using your fingers, work butter into flour mixture until a crumbly mixture is formed.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together 3 eggs and milk. Add milk mixture to flour mixture and stir to combine.

4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface; knead lightly and shape into a round. Roll dough out until it is 1 inch thick. Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter (I used a small glass), cut out scones and transfer to prepared baking sheets.

5. In a small bowl, beat remaining egg and brush the top of each scone; sprinkle each with sugar. Transfer baking sheets to oven and bake until golden brown and cooked through, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer scones to a wire rack and let cool slightly before serving.

Tortellini Soup

I have been wanting to try this soup for a while. It was a cold day today and it was a perfect day for soup. I have to say that the Parmesan cheese makes the dish. Don't leave it out!


2 large garlic cloves
1 TBS butter
4 cans chicken broth
2 cans Italian stewed tomatoes
1/2 package of chopped spinach (10 oz.)
1 package tortellini (16 oz.)
Parmesan cheese

In a large sauce pan saute crushed garlic and butter. Add 4 cans of chicken broth and tortellini. Bring to boil; reduce and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour in stewed tomatoes and spinach and simmer for 10 more minutes. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

Oriental Sticky Chicken

This chicken is so good, so fast and so easy! It is a great last minute meal that tastes like you spent time on it. I made this for some people we had over and I think that they would have licked the bowl if I would have let them. They told me over and over that it was soooo good.


2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size chunks
1 egg, beaten
1 c. crushed cornflakes

SAUCE:
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. soy sauce

Dip pieces of soft chicken into egg mixture, coat in cornflakes and place in frying pan. Cook on medium heat on burner until cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. In a saucepan, combine soy sauce and sugar. Simmer over low heat for 2 to 4 minutes. Pour mixture over chicken and cook a few more minutes to thicken sauce. Serve over rice.

Chicken Finger Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing

I found this recipe online and have been dying to try it.  This was my first experience with honey mustard dressing and...yum!  It added a lot of flavor to the salad without adding a lot of calories.  I also used Jennie-O turkey bacon to cut back on fat.  I know the chicken is breaded and fried but without any additional carbs I considered it a pretty healthy meal.  Those who never cook with buttermilk might be tempted to use regular milk for the marinade but don't, it really adds a lot of tenderness to the chicken to use buttermilk and the small container cost me 88 cents.  If you want to make this for dinner but have kids (like mine) who don't love salad, just give them the chicken strips with dressing as a dipping sauce and add a side of fruit or veggies. 

2 large Chicken Breasts cut into strips (not too thick or they take longer to cook)
1 C. Buttermilk
1 Egg
1 tsp. Garlic Powder

Put all ingredients except chicken into a ziplock bag and smoosh together.  Add chicken and marinade 2 hours in your refrigerator.

1 C. Flour
1 C. Bread Crumbs
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. seasoning salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. Baking Powder

Put all these ingredients in a separate ziplock bag and shake to combine.  After chicken has marinaded, drain off milk mixture and put chicken into the bag with the flour mixture.  Shake to coat all pieces of chicken well.  Heat some oil in a skillet on high heat (enough oil to fill the skillet to about 1" in the bottom).  You want the oil to be VERY hot because the chicken will cook faster and absorb less of the oil so just watch it carefully.  Once the oil is hot enough (you should see ripples in the oil), put the chicken into the skillet and fry until golden brown about 4-5 minutes.  Test the chicken by removing it from the skillet and slicing it down the center.  If it is still pink put it back into the skillet for another minute or two. 

Dressing:
1/4 C. light Mayo
1 1/2 T. Honey
1 T. Mustard
1/2 T. Lemon Juice
about 1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder
2 T. Milk

Whisk together all ingredients.  Make your salad by combining chopped Romaine lettuce, shredded cheddar cheese, bacon, and hard boiled eggs.  Lay a couple of chicken strips over top of salad then drizzle dressing over top.  Store left over dressing in the refrigerator.  This recipe makes enough chicken for 4 salads.

Apple Dumplings

Okay, I am not kidding, These are super easy and they make your house smell wonderful.
When some of my children were younger they opted to have me make these instead of birthday cake.

Pastry:
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup milk

Sauce:
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups water
Mix sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add water. Cook until sugar dissolves. Take off stove.

Mix the flour, baking powder. Cut in shortening until it resembles crumbs. Add milk and mix to form a dough. Set aside.

Peel, cut in half and core apples. Put back together.
Roll out pastry. Cover each apple and put in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Ladle sugar mixture carefully over apples.

Bake @ 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

Makes 8 delicious apple dumplings.

Favorite crock pot chicken

I love this chicken because it is so fast and easy. The best part is that all of my kids eat it and don't complain. Tonight Daniel said, "This is my favorite meal!" This is a great recipe because it uses few ingredients. So if you ever want a no fuss meal using things right out of the cupboard this one is for you.

4 chicken breasts
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 TBS vinegar
2 TBS Worcestershire sauce
4 TBS soy sauce

Put everything in the crock pot except the chicken. Mix and then add chicken. (It's okay if chicken is frozen) Cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 7-8 hours. Serve over rice.

Chicken Tacos

I love, love, love this recipe.  It is fast, family friendly, low cal. and really, really yummy!  Right after we were married, Scott bought me a subscription to a company who sent me 50 new recipe cards every month.  I found this recipe on one of those cards and we have been making it monthly ever since.  The trick with this recipe is choosing a salsa that you love because the salsa is the only flavoring in the recipe, there are no other spices.  You can use corn or flour tortillas or use the filling in taco salad.  I have also used shredded pork instead of chicken and it was awesome.  So, lots of options.  Just use some creativity and I think you'll find that this recipe is a winner with your family too!

2 Chicken Breasts, cut into small bite sized pieces
1 C. Salsa
1 can Corn, drained
1 can Black Beans, drained

Cook chicken with 1/2 C. Salsa on medium heat until browned (not all the way cooked yet).  Add corn, black beans and remaining salsa and cook until excess moisture is boiled out and chicken is completely cooked.  Serve in flour or corn tortillas with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, extra salsa and any other toppings you like on your tacos.

The BEST Sugar Cookies!

Decorating sugar cookies seems to be apart of every major holiday.  We baked and decorated Halloween cookies tonight with our kids.  They were so so yummy.  The kids had more frosting than cookie of course.  Scott and I are always amazed when we bite into these cookies at the difference a little lemon flavor makes.  That is the secret ingredient in this recipe- lemon extract.  I love the addition and I keep lemon extract on hand always because you never know when you need a batch of sugar cookies, right?

 3/4 C. Butter or Margarine

1 C. Sugar

2 Eggs

1/2 tsp. Lemon Extract

2 1/2 C. Flour

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Salt

Cream butter and sugar together.  Add eggs and lemon extract.  Add dry ingredients and blend well.  Chill for at least 1 hour.  Roll out dough to about 1/4 inch or so on a lightly floured surface and use cookie cutters to cut out cookies.  Put them on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes.  When cookies come out of the oven let them cool for 2-3 minutes before moving them to cooling racks or paper towels. Remember:  Don't roll them too thin! 

 

Turkey, Bacon, Avocado Sandwich

My grandparents came to pick up my mom yesterday and we had lunch together.  This is the sandwich I made and oh, my, it was good.  I really loved it.  I used Jennie-O turkey bacon to reduce the calories in the sandwich.  I had never tried that bacon before yesterday and I couldn't tell a difference.  I am officially converted to Jennie-O products.  My favorite part of this sandwich is the sprouts.  They made the sandwich taste fresh and different than your typical turkey sandwich.  I will be having this sandwich for lunch again today. My mouth is already watering! 

Wheat bread slices
Smoked Turkey sliced (from the deli)
Jennie-O bacon slices, cooked until crispy
Avocado, sliced
Sprouts
Mayo
Cream Cheese

Toast the bread and then immediately spread a small amount of mayo on each side.  Then spread cream cheese on one side.  Add sprouts on top of cream cheese.  then add avocado, bacon and turkey.  Cut in half and serve!

Baked Pasta

This is yet another recipe we had while mom was here.  I give this one 4 out of 5 stars.  None of us liked the spinach in it and I really feel like it wouldn't take anything away from the recipe to leave it out and serve a vegetable on the side.  Without the spinach it would be awesome and very different from other pasta recipes due to the use of turkey sausage.

1 T. Olive Oil

1 medium red onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, pressed

2 cans diced tomatoes

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. basil

1/2 C. heavy cream

1 16 oz. pkg. Rigatoni

10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and well drained (Optional)

12 oz. pkg. Jennie-O turkey sausage halved lengthwise and cut into bite sized slices

2 C. Mozzerella Cheese

1/4 C. Parmesan

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions.  Meanwhile, heat oil in skillet and cook onion until translucent.  Add garlic and cook, stirring for 1 minute longer.  Add tomatoes, oregano and basil and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to sauce. Add spinach, sausage and half of the mozzarella cheese to the sauce then immediately toss with cooked pasta.  Transfer to a greased 9x13 baking dish.  Top with remaining mozzarella and the parmesan cheese.  Bake 20 minutes or until cheese barely begins to brown.  

 

Chicken Fried Steak

I got this recipe from my sister in law, Laura.  We have LOVED it.  It tastes really good even though it isn't the most photogenic meal, as you can see.  We don't make it really often but I do usually have cube steak in my freezer because it seems to go on sale often here.

2 lbs Cube Steak or Round Steak (tenderized meat)
1 T. Sugar
1 1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 C. Warm Water
3 T. Vinegar
3/4 C. Flour
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Black Pepper
1/2 C. Vegetable Oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine sugar 1 1/2 tsp. salt, water, and vinegar in a bowl.  Combine flour, 1/2 tsp. salt and pepper in a pie plate or other shallow dish.  Heat oil in skillet over med. high heat.  Dip each steak in water mixture then coat in flour mixture.  Carefully place in hot oil.  Brown steaks well on each side then transfer to a cookie sheet.  Put steaks in the oven for 25-30 minutes to finish cooking.  Meanwhile, stir remaining flour into left over oil.  Heat on med. high heat while stirring until pasty.  Stir in 1 1/2- 2 C. Milk and whisk until thickened.  Remove from heat when gravy reaches desired consistency.  Serve steaks with gravy over top. 

Conference Muffins #2

I got the seal of approval from the Baldwin of the house :) Thanks Barbara and Andrea!

Creamy Angel Hair Pasta

Hi all! I FINALLY made something worth posting! :) This dish took a little while to prepare, but for the more experienced cook, it shouldn't take more than 10-15 minutes. A must for our dinners is that it has to taste good as leftovers at work the next day. This was amazing the night of, and it was wonderful the next day! Even Derrick liked it, which is the test of my cooking! The tomatoes add the perfect kick and mushrooms are optional. My personal recommendation to add a little more Parmesan cheese for the leftovers. Enjoy!


*Disclaimer: Feeding myself and Derrick doesn't usually take a full recipe, so I halved mine and I still had leftovers. I'm not the biggest fan of garlic, so I cut that down by more than half. We didn't have carrots, so those were left out completely. You have a lot of room with this recipe to do whatever suits your taste.


1 pkg. (16 oz.) angel hair pasta
1-1&1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2t salt
1/4t pepper
3T olive oil, divided
1 large carrot, divided (opt.)
2T butter
1 med. onion, chopped
1 celery rib, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups heavy whipping cream
5 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled*
3T lemon juice (fresh is best)
1t Italian seasoning
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (fresh is best)
1 pkg. cherry tomatoes, halved
1 pkg. sliced mushrooms (opt.)

Cook pasta according to package directions. At the same time, saute the chicken, salt and pepper (Derrick seasoned the chicken with some dried onion and garlic salt) in 2 tablespoons oil until no longer pink. Remove and keep warm.
In that same skillet, saute carrot in butter and remaining oil for 1 minute. Add onion, celery, mushrooms, and garlic; saute for 3-4 minutes longer or until tender.
Stir in cream, bacon (I just used precooked and precrumbled bacon, it was easier and just as tasty), lemon juice, and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer uncovered for 2-3 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring constantly (this part take a little longer, maybe about 5 minutes). Return chicken to the pan.
Drain pasta; toss with chicken mixture. Top with Parmesan cheese and halved cherry tomatoes.
The base of this recipe is compliments of Taste of Home. (No plagiarism here!)

Basil Chicken Broccoli Pasta

I know, I know.  Another pasta recipe.  We eat a lot of pasta in our family, what can I say.  I found this recipe years ago and loved how light and flavorful it is.  It is a great meal for the summer, a great meal for the winter and a great meal for days when you need dinner ready in 30 minutes or less.  This meal is not meant to have a lot of sauce, just enough to coat the noodles so they don't stick together.  That is one of the reasons it is low calorie.  Also, the recipe calls for carrots but I forgot to get some at the store so we left them out.  It was still good but it is better with the carrots and prettier too.  Anyway, give it a try, I know you'll love it!

1-2 Chicken Breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 T. Olive Oil
1 bag Frozen Broccoli Florets
3 carrots, peeled and sliced thinly
1 Can Chicken Broth (it really needs to be a can and not water mixed with granules or cubes of bouillon)
2-3 cloves fresh garlic
1 heaping tsp. Basil
1/2 C. Parmesan + more on top
salt and pepper to taste
1 pkg. Angel Hair Pasta

Begin heating water for pasta.  Heat oil in skillet over med. high heat.  Add chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cook until done and remove from pot to a small plate.  Add carrots to skillet and cook for 3 minutes.  Cook Pasta according to pkg. directions.  Add broccoli and fresh garlic (pressed) to skillet and cook for 4 minutes longer.  Add broth, basil, parmesan to skillet and cook on med. low heat until ready to pour over cooked pasta.  Grate additional parmesan over top before serving.

Blender Pancakes with Coconut Syrup

Mom is here with me this weekend so you can expect several posts a day as we try some new recipes!  This morning we had blender pancakes.  I have had these at other peoples homes but never made them myself.  They were delicious and baked up nicely.  We ate them with coconut syrup, a favorite for my family.  With regular syrup the pancakes would have been delicious but with coconut syrup they were DEVINE!

1 C. Wheat
1 1/2 C. Milk
1/2 C. Oil
1 Egg
3 tsp. Baking Powder
2 T. Sugar
1 tsp. Salt

Blend wheat with 1 C. Milk for 2-3 minutes in your blender.  Add the rest of milk and blend for 2-3 minutes longer.  Add the rest of the ingredients and blend.  Cook on a hot skillet or griddle.

Coconut Syrup 
1 cube butter
3/4 C. Buttermilk or Sour Milk
1 C. Sugar
1 tsp. Coconut Extract
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

Combine butter, milk and sugar in a sauce pan.  Heat to boiling and boil for 1 minute.  Remove from heat.  Add coconut extract and baking soda.  It will fizz up.  Serve over top of waffles, pancakes, french toast... or anything else.  It's that good.

Autumn Spice Bread

There is a chill in the air and fall is here.  I get excited as the seasons change for the different foods I will make.  This recipe is a fall favorite.  It smells wonderful while baking in the oven.

I first made this bread about seven years ago.  I did the unthinkable... there were guests coming over and I decided to try a new recipe!  Luckily this one turned out well.    

3-1/2 c. flour                         1/2 t. cloves

2 t. baking soda                    1 c. butter

2 t. cinnamon                        2 c. sugar

1 t. salt                                    2 c. canned pumpkin

1 t. nutmeg                             4 eggs

1/2 t. ginger                           1-1/2 c. chocolate chips

                                  1 c. walnuts chopped  (optional)

Grease two loaf pans; set aside.  Combine flour, soda and spices in a small bowl.   In a mixer cream butter with sugar and pumpkin, blend in eggs.  At a low speed add dry ingredients to egg mixture.  Mix in chocolate chips and walnuts.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 min or until tests done.  Top with spice glaze.

Spice Glaze

1 c. powdered sugar               1/4 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. nutmeg                          2 to 3 t. milk

                                         1/2 c. walnuts   (optional)

Combine dry ingredients, then blend in milk until mixture becomes a glaze.  Spread on loaves when removed from oven.  Sprinkle with nuts.

*Can also be used as a muffin recipe!

Italian Pot Roast

This is one of those smell up your house kind of meals.  I was so excited to try dinner when I made this recipe.  It is similar to one I found on Everyday Food.  We served it over rice.

Italian Pot Roast

Olive oil

3 pound beef chuck roast

1 t. dried garlic

1 jar of tomatoes

1 can tomato soup

1 T. dried rosemary

1 T. dried onion

Pour olive oil into a pan and get it hot.  Season both sides of roast with salt, pepper and garlic.  Sear each side for 2 min or until just browned.  Add to crock pot with all ingredients.  Cook on high for at least 4 hours.  After it was finished cooking I cut up the meat into smaller pieces.