The Orange Apron

Greek Chicken Salad Pitas

2011-02-08T18:39:00.004-07:00

This is a picture taken of the actual recipe book (Cooking Light) that is why it's such a poor picture, we ate ours too fast to get a real one...that's how good they are!

Greek Chicken Salad Pitas

from Cooking Light-fresh food fast weeknight meals

2 c. sliced lettuce

1 c. chopped roasted chicken breast
2/3 c. diced seeded cucumber
1/4 c. thinly sliced red onion
1/4 c. crumbled feta cheese
2 T. fresh lemon juice
2 T. olive oil
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
6 T. hummus (I used roasted garlic)
2 whole wheat pitas, cut in half

Combine lettuce and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Add the lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper and gently toss.
Spread the hummus inside the pita halves then spoon salad mixture in.

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-02-03T11:55:00.003-07:00

So easy and So yummy!

Sandwich an oreo in between two balls of any chocolate chip dough and press seams together. I baked mine at 375 degrees for about 12 minutes.

Here's my go to Chocolate Chip Recipe:

1 1/3 c. shortening

1 c. sugar

1 c. brown sugar

2 eggs

1 t. soda

1 t. salt

1 t. vanilla

3 c. flour

1/2 bag chocolate chips

ENJOY!

Kitchen Redo

2010-09-23T13:32:00.000-06:00

So I know that I have been woefully ignoring my food blog. I am well aware that summer is over. So I offer up this excuse. I have been painting my kitchen. Most of you who look at this blog have already seen the pictures but go here for the whole story.

Here is the before:

And here is the after:

So there is my excuse. I have been busy painting. And we have been eating lots of microwaved corn dogs. In a few days Shawn and I are heading to Mexico for a week. But I promise some new posts after we get back for our trip. Have a good week, friends!

Summer Break

2010-06-09T12:26:00.003-06:00

So, I have to admit that my heart has not been into food blogging lately. For this reason, (and because of camps, swimming lessons, vacations, reunions, etc.) I am going to take the summer off from posting. Other contributors, please feel free to post if you want to. I will take a few months off and come back in the fall recharged and ready to blog like crazy. If you need a foodie fix, look at my sidebar for some really good food blogs. And if you care to know what I am up to this summer you can check out my family blog where I will continue to post.
Hope you all have a great summer!

Homemade Pizza

2010-05-24T12:09:00.000-06:00

Oh man, I feel bad for the lack of posting lately. My life has been taken over by soccer games and sick babies. But life is looking up: Baby is feeling better and only one more week of soccer. I love watching the girls play soccer but the time commitment is intense! I owe a thanks to my mom for running me all over the place to play soccer. Thanks mom!
So, homemade pizza. I love to make this. It is one of those meals that brings back great memories of cooking with my mom. She would pan out the dough while I grated the cheese. Then we would help mom top the pizzas. I don't think I even knew about Little Caesars until I was in middle school. I thought homemade was the only way to do it. This recipe does take some planning ahead of time. I like to do it on the weekend when I have time to enjoy cooking. With school getting out soon, maybe we will have a pizza party.

Homemade Pizza Dough

1 c. warm water
1 Tbs. yeast
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
3 1/2 c. flour
Sprinkle yeast and sugar into warm water measured into a large mixing bowl. Stir until dissolved. Let set until yeast starts to raise, about 10 minutes. Add salt, oil, 2 c. flour, and mix thoroughly. Add additional 1 1/2 c. flour, Knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl and let raise until double, about 45 minutes.
Punch down dough and divide into 2 balls. Place in a greased pizza pan or cookie sheet and press to fit. Half the dough will made a 12-inch pizza, or a small cookie sheet. On each pizza spread with half of pizza sauce.

Pizza Sauce

1 can tomato sauce
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. salt1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. pepper

Heat in a small saucepan until warm.

Top pizza's with mozzarella cheese and your favorite toppings. Place pizza in a 400 degree oven and bake until crust is browned and cheese is bubbly, about 15 minutes.

Topping Ideas:

pepperoni
Canadian bacon
mushrooms
olives
onions
green peppers
pineapple
tomatoes
chicken
You can really use anything you have lying around. Be creative!

Ashley's Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-04-11T18:22:00.000-06:00

This recipe comes to you courtesy of my sis-in-law Ashley. These cookies are very yummy and the recipe is super easy. The secret ingredient is instant pudding. It makes these cookies very moist and chewy, which is just what I like in a chocolate chipper. You can also use chocolate pudding instead of vanilla and have yourself some chocolate, chocolate chip cookies.
Also this recipe makes a reasonable 3 dozen cookies, unlike my mom's recipe which makes 6-7 dozen. This recipe will not take you all afternoon to whip up.
Thanks Ash!

Ashley's Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c. butter
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. white sugar
1 pkg. 3.4-oz. instant vanilla pudding2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 c. flour1 tsp. soda
2 c. chocolate chips
Cream butter, sugar, pudding. Add eggs one at a time. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour and soda. Gradually add. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Eat and enjoy!

Chicken Parmesan with Spaghetti in Galic Oil

2010-03-29T23:22:00.000-06:00

Another fantastic recipe from Everyday Food. It is suppose to be a lighter version of regular chicken Parmesan. Love it! This meal came together really quite fast and was super tasty. The kids loved it too. Claire kept saying "More meat, Mommy?"Note: I had never made my own bread crumbs before. But I found it super-easy. Just break the bread up into smallish pieces and pulse it in a blender. They were really good!

Chicken Parmesan

2 slices bread, broken into smallish pieces
1 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese1 tsp. olive oil
salt and pepper2 Tbs. flour
1 egg white4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
prepared spaghetti sauce
1 garlic clove

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil; set aside. In a food processor, place bread, Parmesan, olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Pulse processor until coarse crumbs form; transfer to a small bowl. Place flour in a shallow bowl. Place egg white in a third shallow bowl and beat until frothy.Dip top side of chicken in flour, and shake off excess. Dip the same side of the chicken in the egg white, letting the excess drip off. Then dip chicken in breadcrumbs, pressing to adhere. Bread only one side of chicken. Transfer chicken to the prepared cookie sheet with breaded side up. Bake until breadcrumbs are crisp and browned, 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees and continue baking until chicken is opaque throughout and cheese is lightly browned, 6-8 more minutes.Meanwhile in a separate pan, heat up the spaghetti sauce. Simmer until warm. Serve chicken with a generous amount of sauce. Place sauce on the plate them place chicken on top of sauce.

Spaghetti with Garlic Oil

salt
8 ounces spaghetti
2 tsp. olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 c. onion, minced
1/4 c. fresh parsley leaves

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook spaghetti until al dente. Reserve 1/4 c. pasta water. Drain pasta and set aside.
In the pasta pot, heat oil, garlic, and onion over medium heat until garlic and onions begin to brown, about 2 minutes. Add reserved pasta water, then spaghetti and parsley, season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Serve with chicken and enjoy!

"Fried" Ice Cream

2010-03-15T11:57:00.003-06:00

First of all, I apologize for the lack of posting. I have been very obsessed with sewing lately so I have been ignoring this poor little blog. Come over and I will show you what I have been up to! But for today, I have banned myself from the sewing machine to get caught up on a few things. A new post is one of those things.
A while back, my mom-in-law, Julie, was home for the weekend so the family go together for dinner at my house. We had Smoky Beef Tacos. We also had a easy and fabulous dessert: This dessert reminds me of the ice cream we used to get at that mexican restaurant in Teton Village. I can't remember the name right now. Come on Robyn, help me out. What is that place called? Update: I remembered. It is called Vista Grande. Very good food.

"Fried" Ice Cream

2 quarts vanilla ice cream
2 c. shredded, sweetened coconut
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
honey for topping

Tightly wrap a cookie sheet with plastic wrap. The plastic wrap will not be touching the bottom of the cookie sheet. Scoop ice cream into balls and place individual balls on plastic wrap. When the cookie sheet is full place in freezer and let ice cream freeze well.

Meanwhile, mix coconut and cinnamon together. Spread on a cookie sheet and toast in a 200 degree oven for about 20 minutes, stirring about every 5-7 minutes. Let cool.
Take ice cream balls from freezer and rool them in the coconut mixture until well coated. Place back in freezer until they are good and frozen. All of this can be done ahead of time.

To serve, place a couple of ice cream balls on a plate and drizzle with honey. So yummy! Try the honey. Trust me, you will like it. It goes remarkably well with the ice cream.
Hope you enjoy.
Jon, this post is dedicated to you. Sorry it took so long my friend!

Mom's Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-02-12T09:19:00.007-07:00

I know there are a ton of chocolate chip cookies out there. I have made lots of different recipes but the recipe my mom made when we were kids continues to be my favorite. I could literally eat 2 dozen of these babies without even blinking. Maybe that is why I bake them, then immediately bag them up and throw them in the freezer. But that might also explain why I have such a fondness for frozen cookies. Hmmm. . .

Mom's Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c. shortening
1 c. butter
2 c. white sugar
2 c. brown sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
6 1/2 c. flour
1 bag chocolate chips

Cream shortening and butter together. Add sugars to butter mixture and combine well, scrapping down sides of the bowl as necessary. Add eggs one at a time, beating between each. Add vanilla, salt, and soda. Combine well. Add flour, 2 cups at a time. Mix well between each addition. Add chocolate chips, and stir to combine. This time I added a bag a M&M's to make them Valentine festive.
Place rounded Tbs. of dough on greased cookie sheets. I like to roll the dough into balls so the cookies turn out very uniform looking. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. I bake mine for 9 minutes. I like my cookies very soft in the middle. If you like yours more crispy, bake them a couple minutes longer. Cool on a rack, but be sure to eat a couple hot.

This recipe make a ton of cookies, about 6-7 dozen. I always figured if you're going to make cookies, make cookies! But this recipe cam easily be halved. These cookies freeze very well, as noted above. Hope you enjoy! And happy Valentine's Day.

Grandma's Cinnamon Rolls

2010-01-31T16:51:00.006-07:00

I decided it was high time to do a post on Grandma's cinnamon rolls. This was probably her most well-known and well-loved recipe. One of the best things I remember about going to Grandma's house is that she would always make you feel special. One of the ways she did this was by serving you cinnamon rolls for breakfast. I mean, who gets to eat cinnamon rolls for breakfast at home? She would always frost them and put a little pat of butter on them and then heat them up just a little bit. Then she would serve them to you on a pretty plate with a napkin and always a place mat. This is probably my favorite recipe of Grandma's. So here you are: Grandma's Cinnamon Rolls.

Hey all you family out there: What about you? What is your favorite recipe of Grandma's?

Grandma's Cinnamon Rolls

A note from Grandma: "These take about 4 hours to make. Let them raise properly. I usually double this recipe"

2 c. scalded milk
1 c. shortening
1 c. sugar
2 Tbs. yeast
4 beaten eggs
1 1/2 tsp. salt
Flour- enough to make a spongy dough (this is somewhere around 8 cups)

Mix milk, shortening, and sugar in a saucepan. Heat to a simmer. Cool until warm. You can set the hot pan over ice cubes to speed up the cooling process. Don't get it too cold, just nice and warm, or the yeast won't rise. Add yeast. Let raise for 1/2 hour. Add eggs and salt. Mix well. Make a sponge by adding flour. It should be about the consistency of a thick pancake batter. Let raise for 1/2 hour then mix in enough flour to make the dough the consistency of roll dough. Turn dough into a greased bowl and let it raise until double.
Divide dough in half. Roll dough out into a rectangle that is about 1/2 inch thick. Spread with melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Roll up long end into a log. Slice into 1-inch pieces. An easy way to slice the rolls is to use a piece of dental floss.Place pieces on a greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet. Cover with a dish cloth and put in a warm place. Let rolls raise until double in size. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Move to a cooling rack. Frost while still warm. Eat and enjoy!
Don't frost the rolls you aren't going to eat immediately. If you are going to freeze them, let them cool completely. Place flat in a bread bag to freeze.
A few notes: This dough has a very different texture to it than regular bread dough, so be prepared for that. The first time I made these it freaked me out.
I will often prepare the dough to the point where you put it in a greased bowl. I will then put the bowl in the fridge and let the dough raise slowly overnight. This makes the process a little less overwhelming. If you do this remember to let the dough get to room temperature before trying to work with it.
Grandma never specified how much butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon to use. So I would say, use good judgment. I have found not going overboard actually works to your favor.
A final note form Grandma: "Have fun!"

Chicken Korma and Garlic Naan

2010-01-17T17:59:00.008-07:00

I was first introduced to Indian food by my brother and sister-in-law Derek and Becca. They told us that they had found this awesome restaurant that was run out of a gas station by USU. I was skeptical to say the least. But they got us take-out one night and we tried it. I have been hooked ever since. Just the smell of Indian food makes my mouth water. I love the smell, the fact that they put golden raisins and cashews in stuff, and the naan! Oh man!
So I have tried several times to reproduce my favorite dish: chicken korma. This recipe is a compilation of 3 different recipes and I think it is very close to what I get in that little gas station restaurant. Becca, this post is dedicated to you, my friend. Thanks for helping me branch out!
One more thing: this recipe calls for a lot of random spices that I don't have laying around my kitchen. As we all know spices are expensive. You buy the expensive spice and you are left with a whole container that you only use 2-3 times a year. And spices don't last forever, right? Well I found the perfect solution: The bulk spice section at Smith's Marketplace. It is the coolest thing! You just measure out the amount of whatever spice you need and take it home in a little baggie. Cheap, no waste, I love it! Try it out. They had everything I was looking for in this recipe.

Chicken Korma

fresh ginger- 1 2-inch piece
5 cloves garlic
1/4 c. water
1 1/2 tsp garam masala (picture below)
1 can coconut milk (found in the Asian food section)
1 Tbs. coriander powder
1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (this was HOT. I would probably add less next time. Shawn thought it was perfect).
1/2 tsp. salt
3 bay leaves
7 cardamom pods (picture below)
1 cinnamon stick
2 whole cloves
1/4 tsp. cumin seeds (picture below)
2 onions- peeled and diced
1/2 c. cilantro- chopped, plus more for garnish
2-3 pounds chicken breast- diced (tip: only partially thaw your chicken and dice it frozen. It makes it much easier to work with.)
1 c. golden raisins
1 1/2 c. plain yogurt
1 c. cashews
Jasmine rice (picture below)

Garam masala is a combination of ground spices that are often used in Indian cooking.

Cumin seeds

Cardamom pods. Very aromatic. Remember to remove before serving.

Jasmine rice. This rice is aromatic and delicious. I think is tastes quite different from Basmati rice, which we eat more often. We love both kinds!

So are you totally overwhelmed just reading the ingredients list? Don't be! It is totally worth it. I listed the ingredients in the order that you combine them together. Hopefully that was helpful. OK, here we go.
1. Peel ginger and garlic. Combine ginger and garlic with water and process in a food processor until smooth. I don't have a food processor so I minced the garlic, zested the ginger and combined them all. This seemed to work just fine. Set this mixture aside.
2. Combine coconut milk, garam masala, coriander powder, cayenne pepper, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large skillet, heat 2-3 Tbs. olive oil. When hot, add bay leaves, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, cloves, cumin seeds, onion, and cilantro. Saute until onions are soft and transparent. Remove cardamom pods and cloves.
4. Add diced chicken to this mixture and saute until chicken is brown.
5. To chicken, add garlic/ginger paste and golden raisins. Combine and saute 1-2 minutes.
6. Now add the coconut milk mixture to the pan. Turn heat to medium and cook 20 minutes.
7. Add yogurt and cashews to chicken. Cook 7-8 minutes. Remove bay leaves and cinnamon stick.
8. Serve hot over jasmine rice. Garnish with cilantro.
So, so yummy!

Garlic Naan

This is a traditional Indian bread. Naan is cooked in a tandoor, or cylindrical clay oven. The bread is cooked by throwing it onto the side of the oven. Since I don't have a tandoor I cooked my bread on a cooling rack placed on a cookie sheet. I put it under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, turned it and cooked the other side. This seemed to work pretty well.

1 Tbs. yeast
1 c. warm water
1/4 c. sugar
3 Tbs. milk (some other recipes said you could use yogurt instead of milk. It might be interesting to try).
1 egg, beaten
2 tsp salt
4 1/2 c. flour, approximately
4 cloves minced garlic, divided in half
1/4 c. butter, melted

In a large bowl (I used my Kitchen Aid), dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 mintues or until yeast raises. Refer to this post for more direction. Add milk, egg, salt, 2 cloves of minced garlic, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead 6-8 minutes or until smooth. Place dough in a greased bowl and let raise until double.
2. Punch down dough and divide into 8-10 balls. Working with one dough ball at a time, using a rolling pin or your hands, roll dough into a oval shape until it is about 1/2 inch thick. Place on greased cooling rack. Combine melted butter and 2 cloves minced garlic.Brush dough with this mixture. Repeat with other dough balls.
3.Place under oven broiler 2-3 minutes, watching carefully. My rack was in the very middle of my oven. When bread is brown and bubbly, turn and broil other side.
4. Remove from oven and serve immediately with chicken korma and rice.

Here is the order I suggest doing everything in to make sure it is all hot at ready to serve at the same time.

1. Make naan dough. Let raise 1 hour.
2. While naan is raising begin cooking the korma.
3. When you reach the end of step 6 with the korma, punch down the naan dough and roll it out. Get it all ready to put in to oven but don't put it in yet. Also start rice at this point. I love my rice cooker for this. I can start it and walk away.
4. Do step 7 for korma. While it finishes cooking, bake the naan.
5. Make your husband set the table. You are busy.
6. Now everything is done and hot! Eat and enjoy. Breath spicy korma/garlic breath on your husband, then eat some more.

Please forgive me for the super-long post. I hope you are not put off from trying this dish by the length of it. It does take a while to make this meal, but none of it is complicated. I would allow yourself a good hour to cook this dinner. Please let me know if you try it. I would love to know what you think!

Hot & Sour Chicken Soup

2010-01-13T17:47:00.003-07:00

(not my picture...mine didn't turn out)

I tried this out tonight and my kids really liked it! It's good and fast to make (approx. 30 minutes)

Hot & Sour Chicken Soup - from allrecipes Cookbook

3 c. chicken broth

1/2 c. water

2 c. sliced fresh mushrooms

1/2 c. sliced bamboo shoots, drained

2 t. grated fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 t. soy sauce

1/4 t. red pepper flakes

Add all these ingredients into a big soup pot. Bring to a boil then reduce to low and cover and simmer.

1 lb. boneless chicken, cut into thin strips

1 T. sesame oil

2 green onions, chopped

3 T. red wine vinegar

2 T. cornstarch

1 egg, beaten

Place the chicken in a bowl and drizzle with the sesame oil. Stir to coat. In a separate bowl, mix the cornstarch and vinegar. Return the broth to a boil. Add the chicken and return to a boil. Drizzle the egg into the broth while stirring. Stir in the cornstarch mixture. Simmer over medium heat until chicken is cooked. Serve with green onions.

White Bread

2010-01-10T16:57:00.004-07:00

Baking bread has always kind of scared me. Yeasty anything has kind of scared me. I got this great little recipe from my friend Trudy. I have been making it quite a bit lately. It is easy and so yummy. It took quite a bit of the scariness out of bread-making.

Yummy White Bread

2 c. hot water
1/2 c. sugar or water
2/3 c. milk
1/4 c. butter- melted
3 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. dry yeast
7-8 c. flour

Combine hot water, sugar/honey, butter, milk, and salt in a large bowl. I use my Kitchen Aid for this recipe. Sprinkle in yeast, stir until wet and then let rise, about 20 mintues. It will look like a puffy sponge when is raises.

Put in 4 cups of flour and mix thoroughly- it will be wet. Add the rest of the flour one cup at a time until the dough reaches a nice elastic consistency. Knead or machine mix(with a dough hook) for about 10 minutes. Place in a large greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let raise until double, about 45 min. I have had a terrible time getting things to raise, but I finally figured out a great trick. Turn on your oven light when you start preparing the dough. It makes the oven a perfect temperature for raising dough.

After dough has doubled in size, punch it down (I think this is so fun), knead lightly and let raise again until double. (45 minutes). Punch down then dump onto a floured surface and knead. Divide into 4 equal portions and form into loaves. Place in greased loaf pans. Place back in oven and cover with a towel. Let raise until double in size (45 minutes). When dough has doubled, take bread out of the oven (very important!) and heat oven to 350 degrees. When oven in preheated bake bread for 20-30 minutes until brown. When bread is done, remove from pan and let cool on a rack. Be sure to eat some of it hot with butter. So, so yummy!

What to do (or not) with those dried bean soup mixes

2010-01-03T20:24:00.006-07:00

Okay so this post may be kind of lame: dinner out of a bag. But I am kind of pissed at dried bean mixes right now. So you all get a lame post.
We (meaning mainly Shawn) cooked a ham for Christmas. It was a butt (butt hee, hee) roast and it was awesome. We carved all the meat off of it and froze the bone. I had grand plans for soup and fitness. After we froze said ham bone we proceeded to eat like pigs for the next 2 weeks. Ugh, I feel like crap!
So with fitness and ham bone in mind I went to the grocery store and bought a 15 bean soup mix. You know, the kind that come in a bag, dried beans with a little flavor packet. That is what I bought. I was excited to kick off our new healthy eating with some wholesome and tasty soup.
So I followed the package directions. I put the beans in a large stock pot with 2 quarts of water and let them soak overnight. I let them soak more like 12 hours. Then the package said the drain the beans and cover with 2 quarts of fresh water and simmer for 2 1/2 hours.Here we get to the part of what you DO NOT do with bean soup. DO NOT do as the package says and then go off to take your Sunday afternoon nap. You will come back to your bean soup boiled dry in your Grandma's favorite, very good, stock pot. You will have to throw out said bean soup and maybe yell at your husband just a little. Babe, I'm sorry, it wasn't you it was the soup I was mad at, or maybe the nap, or maybe the smell. Burnt beans stink. Then you will have to start dinner over again on a Fast Sunday when you haven't eaten all day. Bummer.
So here is what you really need to do:

Cover beans with 2 quarts of water and soak overnight. That part is sound advise.

Rinse the beans with cold water. Several times. There is a reason for this. It cuts down on flatulence problems later on. Rinsing the beans washes off a sugar molecule which our stomachs cannot digest. That is where bean toots come from. Who knew? Thank you wikipedia, and Shawn.

Return beans to stock post and cover with 4 1/2 quarts fresh water. 2 quarts is not nearly enough. Dumb directions. Also add any meat you are using at this point. We added the ham bone and then were going to remove it before adding spices. It is in the garbage now. You can also use 1 lb diced ham or sausage. If you use sausage, cook it first. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer for 2-2 1/2 hours.

After simmer time is over, add 2 cans of stewed tomatoes, 1/2-1 c diced onion, 2 garlic cloves-minced, 1 tsp. chili powder (I added more than this), and salt and pepper to taste. I also threw in the seasoning packet from the bean mix. This is where I must confess that there were not actually any beans in my bean soup. I burnt them all up. I just happened to have a can of dried soup base mix from the LDS cannery in my basement. It had pasta, rice, and lentils in it. So no beans, but we pretended and practiced our bean toots anyway.

After adding seasoning, simmer soup for another 20-30 minutes. Serve hot with bread sticks, because that would be yummy. We also topped ours with Parmesan cheese because we had it and Parm makes everything taste better.

So I have rambled, but I feel much better. Here is a ingredients recap:

Bean Soup with Ham

1 bag of dried bean soup mix
1 ham bone- if you happen to have one laying around
1 lb. ham or sausage (if using sausage, fry it up)
2 can stewed tomatoes
1/2-1 c. diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

Follow above directions, especially the nap part. By all means take a nap, I love naps, but not while your soup is cooking. Enjoy your soup.

By the way I got a new camera for Christmas. A Canon Rebel T1i. Doesn't it take great pictures?

Wedding Cake

2009-12-11T19:50:00.004-07:00

So here is my big unveiling. I made a wedding cake. Hazzah! My friend, Naomi, got married yesterday and asked me to do her cake for her. She was one of my Beehives when I was in YW, and now she is married. I feel my age today.
I have to admit there is some pride that goes along with making a wedding cake. I was really happy with the way it turned out. But not really because of me. I really think that flowers make the cake.
I am not going to give the details of making a wedding cake because I don't think any of you care. And by any of you I mean Becca. Thanks for reading my blog Bec. Making a big 'ol cake is involved and kind of boring, but I will give you a tip about making cakes in general. If you are making a cake with a cake mix and want your cake to be a little more dense, and super yummy, put in a package of instant pudding that matches whatever flavor of cake you are making. This will make your cake extra moist and yummy.
And also here is a good recipe for frosting. I use this recipe when I am decorating birthday cakes and the like. I don't like shortening frosting as a general rule, but it is the best way to go when you are decorating a cake. You can also split the shortening half and half with butter.

Buttercream Frosting

1 c. shortening
2 Tbs. water
1 tsp. flavoring-vanilla, almond, or butter
4 c. powdered sugar
pinch of salt- this takes a bit of the edge off of the sweetness

Combine shortening, water, and flavoring. Add powdered sugar. Mis well for about 30 seconds. Then beat frosting for 2-3 minutes until fluffy and smooth.
This makes a stiff frosting. If you like it thinner, which I do for general frosting of a cake, add about 2-3 Tbs. more water. This will thin it out nicely.

Something is Coming. . .

2009-12-10T10:25:00.003-07:00

A new post is coming tomorrow. It is an impractical and not-too-often-made item. But it is beautiful and delish! I also have to admit that every time I make one of these that I am filled with a bit (okay, a lot) of pride, and like to just stand back and look at it, and I don't want anybody to eat it, ever! Can you guess? I will post tomorrow.

An Easy Sunday Dinner

2009-11-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

I bought pork ribs at Lee's the other day. The checker, named Ken, gave me a great idea on how to prepare those bad boys. So here is an easy Sunday dinner courtesy of Ken, the checker at Lee's in Smithfield. If you are in at Lee's go through his line and chat with him. He will tell you all about pulled pork and Ireland. Thanks for dinner, my checker friend!
One other thing: I got the french fries at Walmart. They are the Great Value brand seasoned fries. They are really good. Try them with this dinner.

Pulled Pork

3-4 lbs. country style pork ribs
1 can Dr. Pepper (or be like me and buy a liter, you can drink the extra with your dinner)
1 bottle of Dr. Pepper barbecue sauce (yes you read that right. I didn't even know it existed before I chatted with Ken. They have it at Lee's.)
1 dozen mini hoagie buns- They also have these at Lee's. I found them to be the perfect size for these sandwiches.

Throw the pork ribs in your crock pot. Pour the can of Dr. Pepper over the top. Cook on low for 6-7 hours. This is why this dinner is so easy. I don't use my crock pot nearly as much as I should, but I love it when I do. After 6-7 hours, drain meat and then shred it using two forks. Return to crock pot and cover with the entire bottle of barbecue sauce. I put a little extra Dr. Pepper in the bottle and shook it up to get all the sauce out. Another reason to buy a whole liter. Combine well and let the meat heat through.

Carrot Cookies with Orange Glaze

2009-11-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

I was in the mood to make cookies the other day. I asked Shawn what kind of cookies he would like. He started talking about a cookie his mom used to make that had carrots in it, and he remembers really liking them. I was dubious but went searching for a recipe. I found this one at allrecipes.com. I have to admit he converted me. These are tasty little gems. And maybe you can feel less guilty about eating them because they are so healthy, right? Right. Oh, and Shawn also said they are pretty darn close to what his mom used to make. Hope you enjoy!

Carrot Cookies with Orange Glaze

1 c. shortening
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg
1 c. cooked, mashed carrots- Just a note here: you want them very soft for easy mashing, so boil the crap out of those carrots. I was also surprised at the number of carrots it took to make a cup, mashed. I would boil 2-3 cups raw carrots.
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Beat shortening and sugar. Add egg, vanilla, and carrots. Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add to carrot mixture. Mix well. Drop by the tablespoon onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Move to a cooling rack. Glaze cookies while they are still warm. Store in an air-tight container. If you stack the cookies in the container, place waxed paper between the layers to keep the cookies from sticking together. Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Orange Glaze

juice of 1/2 orange- about 3-4 Tbs.
zest of 1 orange
1 Tbs. butter
1 1/4 c. powdered sugar

Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add orange juice and powdered sugar. Mix well. Add orange zest and mix well. Glaze cookies by placing a cookie sheet beneath cookie cooling rack. Pour warm glaze over cookies and let cool.

Broccoli Cauliflower Soup and Breadsticks

2009-11-07T17:15:00.003-07:00

First of all, I apologize to any of you who actually read this blog. I guess I have been busy lately. Claire has kind of turned into a um, high maintenance child. Syd's homework load has been unbelievable this year. I love her teacher, but we have an hour to 1 1/2 hours of homework on a good night. Plus Brynn has ballet, Syd has Tae Kwon Do, I have a new calling which keeps me hopping (Stake YW Sports Director) and Shawn is the 2nd counselor/Scoutmaster for the Young Men. So we are busy.
So I decided I will aim for one post a week. We will see how that works. I've stockpiled a few so we should be good for a while. Here is a double header for today.

Broccoli Cauliflower Soup

This is a recipe I got from my mother-in-law, Julie, when Shawn and I first got married. I don't use a recipe to make it so it has morphed into something a little different, but it is still easy and yummy! Shawn's family calls it Relief Society Soup. I think Julie got the recipe at RS or used to take it to RS lots or something. This recipe is very much a to-your-taste recipe. Just combine things until it reaches the right consistency and flavor for you.

1 head broccoli
1 head cauliflower
2 cups milk
1/2 cube- 1 cube butter
instant potatoes- I like the potato pearls you get from the church cannery but potato flakes also work
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 Tbs. Lawry's seasoning

Wash and cut broccoli and cauliflower into bite-size pieces. Place in a large stock pot and just cover with water. Place on stove and bring to a boil. Boil until veggies are fork-tender. Without draining veggies, pour in milk and add butter and Lawry's seasoning. I use less butter, but if you want more of that flavor add the whole cube. When butter is melted, add instant potatoes. I usually add 3-4 cups of potatoes. Add one cup at a time and mix well between cups. Stop adding when soup reaches the consistency you like. Remember soup will continue to thicken a little bit. When potatoes have been absorbed well add cheese. Serve soup hot. This soup reheats well, or can be made earlier in the day and kept in a crock pot on low.

Breadsticks

These are some great breadsticks that my mom used to make. They are best if eaten the day they are made.

1 1/2 c. warm water
2 Tbs. sugar
1 Tbs. yeast
1 tsp. salt
4 c. flour
2 Tbs. melted butter
Garlic salt
Parmesan cheese

Combine warm water and sugar and let dissolve. Then add yeast and let it rise for 10 minutes. Pour yeast water in a large bowl or Kitchen Aid. Add salt and flour. Mix well. Let dough raise 10 minutes. Roll out dough on a floured surface until it's 1/2-3/4 inch thick. Use a pizza cutter to cut into bread sticks. Place on 2 greased cookie sheets. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with garlic salt and/or Parmesan cheese. Let breadsticks raise 20 minute or until double in size. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve hot with yummy Broccoli Cauliflower soup.

French Toast

2009-09-22T14:53:00.004-06:00

Shawn is the master of French Toast. He taught me how to make it when we first got married. I continue to use the same method 10 years later. Thanks honey!

French Toast

2 eggs
1 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla (or almond) extract
Dash of cinnamon
1 loaf good quality white bread

Crack eggs into a shallow bowl or container. (I use a square Tupperware made for holding sandwiches). Beat eggs thoroughly. Add vanilla and cinnamon. Beat into eggs. Beat in milk.
Working one slice of bread at a time, coat each side of bread in egg mixture. Place on a hot griddle heated to approximately 300 degrees. Cook until lightly brown, then flip and repeat. Serve toast hot with butter, syrup, powdered sugar, and jam. Very yummy, and fairly fast. Or make it for brinner. We love that at our house.

Peach Blackberry Trifle

2009-09-01T16:10:00.002-06:00

Peaches will be coming on soon. They are one of our favorite treats around here. We usually get a bushel to can and a bushel to eat. Very yummy. Here is a easy and tasty dessert to use those fresh peaches. I used frozen blackberries and let them thaw on the counter for about 5 minutes before I assemble this dessert.

Peach Blackberry Trifle

1 yellow cake mix
4-5 cups fresh peaches, peeled and sliced
1 package of frozen blackberries
1 pint of heavy whipping cream

Bake yellow cake according to package directions. Let cool completely then cut into bit-sized pieces. Place peaches in a bowl and sprinkle with sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes before assembling dessert. Do the same thing with the blackberries. While the fruit sits, whip the cream. Add 1 tsp. vanilla and about1/2 c. sugar to cream after it starts to form soft peaks. You may want more or less sugar. Do it according to taste.
In a trifle bowl layer 1/2 of each of the ingredients in this order: cake, peaches, berries, then cream. Repeat until all ingredients are used. You are done. Easy as that. Dish into individual dishes, then eat and enjoy, but before you do, make everyone ooooo and aaaaaa over your pretty dessert!
This could also be done in individual dessert dishes.

Candied Chicken

2009-08-25T15:52:00.002-06:00

This chicken is on of Grandma's classics. We had this at her house on lots ofs different occsions. I love it!
I served this chicken with steamed green beans. They are so tasty! I like the way they squeak when you eat them.

4 chicken breasts
1 1/2 c. water
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
1 Tbs. Worchestershire sauce
1 Tbs. soy saouce
1/2 c. green onions- chopped
1/4 c. prepared mustard
1/2 c. ketchup

Flour chicken breasts them brown over medium heat. Remove chicken from pan and place in a glass pyrex casserole dish. Set aside. Combine all other ingredients. Pour into and simmer in same pan that you browned the chicken in. Let simmer for 3 minutes. Pour of chicken in casserole. Place in a 250 degree oven and bake, uncovered, for 2 2/1 hours.
Modified (this is how I usually cook it): Brown chicken then pour combined sauce over chicken. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Remove cover and simmer for 10 more minutes.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-08-21T11:57:00.006-06:00

Yay, a new post! I did not intentionally take the whole summer off. It just happened. We had a super busy summer. But now the girls are back in school and I will maybe have some time to devote to food blogging. I'm sure the two of you who read this blog are really excited.

Anyway moving onto cookies. I found this cookie recipe back in February and have made them over and over. But we eat them so fast that I have never gotten a picture before. So the three cookies in this picture were held hostage for a day until I got around to taking some pictures. They are now long gone.
I got this recipe off all recipes.com. I read the comments and lots of people modified it. So I did the same. I changed from all white sugar to 1/2 white and 1/2 brown. And I also split the butter content in 1/2 and used some shortening because I like how chewy shortening makes cookies. I had never messed with a recipe like this before and it was kind of scary, but also very liberating. I have always heard that with baking, you have to be precise and don't estimate. But you can! And I did! And it was fun! So here you go: This recipe is fantastic! The cookies are chewy and rich. I like to make mine with mint chocolate chips, but they would also be good with white chocolate chips or semi-sweet. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c. butter
1 c. shortening
1 3/4 c. sugar
1 3/4 c. brown sugar
4 eggs
4 tsp. vanilla
5 c. flour
1 1/3 c. cocoa
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. chocolate chips of your choice

Blend butter and shortening well, them add sugars. Blend. Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Add vanilla and mix. Add dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Then add chocolate chips and mix gently. Place rounded tablespoons of dough (I really did about 1/8 c. per cookie. I like them big) on prepared cookie sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes at 350. Eat them hot with milk. Super yummy and gooey!

Smoky Beef Tacos

2009-03-28T09:35:00.004-06:00

Once again, here is a recipe from Everyday Food. I seriously love this little magazine. It is very worth the $10 a year I pay for it.
I made this in a slow cooker (different that the original recipe). It was super easy, and turned out perfectly. Plus it made the house smell fantastic all day long.
Just another note: I was kind of leary of the chipotle chilies. I have never cooked with them before. Do not skip this step. They looked kind of scary coming out of the can but was so flavorful and delicious! I found them in the Hispanic section of my grocery store.

Ingredients

Serves 8

2 to 3 tablespoons chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo
1/2 cup ketchup
8 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons dried oregano
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 boneless beef chuck roast (about 3 pounds), excess fat trimmed
16 corn tortillas (6-inch), lightly toasted
Roma tomato- diced
Cheddar cheese- shredded
Avocado-red onion relish-recipe follows
cilantro-lime crema-recipe follows

Directions

Stir together chiles, ketchup, 1 cup water, garlic, oregano, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Cut beef into 4 equal pieces. Coat with chili mixture and place in a slow cooker
Slow cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
Transfer beef to a bowl. With a large spoon, skim off and discard fat from cooking liquid. Shred beef with two forks; moisten with cooking liquid as needed. Season with salt and pepper. Serve beef with tortillas and desired toppings.
To toast corn tortillas: warm a frying pan over medium heat. Spray with pan spray. One at a time slightly toast tortillas, flipping over for even toasting.

Avocado-Red Onion Relish

Makes 3 cups

2 diced avocados
1 finely chopped medium red onion
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper

Directions

Combine avocados, red onion, and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Cilantro-Line Crema

8 ounces reduced-fat sour cream
1/8 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper

Directions

Stir together sour cream, lime juice, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper.

Crispy Chocolate Marshmallow Treats

2009-03-02T23:00:00.000-07:00

Well, for any of you who know me you know that I can't stay away from the treats for long so here is another one for you. Again it is from Everyday Food, and they are super-yummy!

Crispy Chocolate Marshmallow Treats

6 Tbs. butter plus more for the pan
1 bag (10.5 oz) mini marshmallows
1/4 cl unsweetened cocoa
6 c. crisp rice cereal
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1- Butter an 8-inch square baking dish. Set aside
2- In a large saucepan, combine butter, marshmallows, and cocoa. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until melted, about 6 minutes; stir in rice cereal. Press rice mixture into prepared pan; drizzle with melted chocolate. (I couldn't get mine to "drizzle". It blobbed. So I just spread it on like frosting). Let cool at room temp; cut into bars and serve. Yum!

Polish Mushroom Soup

2009-02-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

So I once again stole a photo from the Martha Stewart website because we once again ate all the food before it had a photo opp. But here is the deal: this photo sucks! Sorry, Martha it is true. I guess I have no right to complain because after all, I should have taken my own picture, but come on. So I apologize for the crappy photo. But this soup is amazing! You may question it when you see the ingredients (sour cream in soup?) but it is so good!
This recipe has a few odd ingredients so I modified it slightly. Here is what I did: The recipe calls for Polish borowik and shiitake mushroom, but try finding those in Cache Valley, so I just used just over 1 pound of white button mushroom. I also don't keep beef stock around that much so I added boullion to 3 quarts of water and that seemed to work just fine. Now for orzo. For those of you who don't know what the crap that is (I didn't), it is a small seed-shapped pasta. They are sometimes called melon seeds. I found them in the Hispanic section in my grocery store.

Any other changes I noted on the recipe. Let me know if you try this. Shawn and I think this soup is fantastic. So did my girls and that is saying something where mushroom are concerned.

Polish Mushroom Soup

Serves 8 to 12

5 to 6 ounces (about 4 to 6) dried mushrooms such as Polish borowik or cèpes

12 large dried shiitake mushrooms

3 quarts beef stock

5 medium ribs of celery, chopped

2 large onions, chopped

5 carrots, chopped

1 pound white button mushrooms, sliced- I quarted the, becuase I think they taste better that way. Yes I know it is strange, but it is true.

2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped- I used 1 tsp dried parsely

2 tablespoons dill, finely chopped- I used 2 tsp. dried dill

1 tablespoon coarse salt

1 cup orzo

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup sour cream

Table salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Rinse the dried mushrooms. Place mushrooms in 2 cups of cold water, and soak for at least 4 hours or overnight.

2. In a large pot, bring the stock to a simmer. Add the celery, onions, and carrots. Strain the dried mushrooms, reserving the soaking liquid. Add the strained soaking liquid to the soup. Chop the hydrated mushrooms into 1/4-inch pieces slightly larger than the diced vegetables, and add to the soup. Add the sliced white button mushrooms.

3. Cover, and cook the soup until the vegetables are tender, about an hour. Bring the soup to a boil. Stirring constantly, add the orzo. Reduce the heat to a gentle boil, and, stirring occasionally to prevent the pasta from sticking, cook until the orzo is cooked through, another 6 to 8 minutes.

4. Meanwhile melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, and cook, stirring constantly until smooth, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove 1 cup of the broth from the soup, and add to the roux, whisking constantly until slightly thickened and free of lumps. Stir the thickened liquid into the soup. Add the chopped parsley and dill.

5. Finish the soup with sour cream: Add 1/4 cup of the thickened soup to the sour cream. Whisk until smooth. Add the sour cream to the soup, whisking constantly until it is well incorporated, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Barbecue Rub

2009-02-23T06:00:00.001-07:00

So this isn't a full dish per se, but I think this rub is very versatile. Credit for this recipe goes to my brother, Mike. He may be my brother. . . but the guy can do meat! He is great a grilling, barbecuing, etc.
This rub really packs some punch (POW!) so consider yourself warned. That being said I love to use a lot of this rub when I grill chicken for fajitas, tacos, and BBQ pizza. I will thin slice (fajitas, tacos) or cube (pizza) the chicken, then really coat the chicken in this stuff. I'm talking like 1/4-1/2 a cup depending on how much meat I have.
You can also use it for blackened chicken. Take a whole breast of chicken and rub this spice all over it. Then grill or pan-brown your chicken over medium heat until done, and the rub is black. About 8-10 minutes per side.

Barbecue Rub

1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. sweet paprika
3 Tbs. black pepper
3 Tbs. coarse salt- if using table salt, cut in half
1 Tbs. Hickory salt or more salt
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 Tbs. mustard seed

Combine all ingredients well. Store in an air-tight container as you would other spices. This makes quite a bit so you could easily half this recipe.

This is not a great picture but it gives you an idea of what the meat looks like after it's cooked. We ate this meat like tacos: lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, lime juice (yum), cilantro, salsa, wrapped in flour tortillas. We ate it all up and I didn't get pictures. Sometimes I am just to hungry!

Cayenne-Rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa

2009-02-20T10:02:00.004-07:00

Since some of you think I should get off the treats *cough* Becca *cough*, here a a great recipe that is super easy, healthy, and very yummy. I got this recipe from my Everyday Food magazine. It is my happy mail for the day.
We love avocados at our house. Even Syd and Brynn have acquired a taste for them. It really kind of disappoints me because that means that I have to share with them now. They thought this chicken was "kinda spicy, mom" but still ate it up with lots of water. They loved the avocado salsa. I didn't tell them about the onions. So tricky.
By the way, I love you Bec, and I was seriously going to post this today anyway. :)

Cayenne-Rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa

Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6-8 oz. each)
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
1 Hass avocado, pitted and cut into chunks

1- In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and cayenne; rub all over chicken.
2- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken, and cook until browned on the outside and opaque throughout, 8-10 minutes per side.
3- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine onion and lime juice; set aside. Just before serving, fold avocado chunks into onion mixture; season with salt and pepper. Serve chicken topped with salsa.

If anyone can tell me how the picture has been photo-shopped, you will get bonus points that are good for. . . a surprise!

Nutella Frosted Cupcakes

2009-02-13T15:45:00.006-07:00

Oh my goodness, I LOVE Nutella. I could eat it by the spoonful. Wait, I do eat it by the spoonful. It is just the perfect combination of chocolate and hazel-nutty goodness. But I have never tried baking with it before. I don't know why but the thought just never occurred to me. I came across this picture on Tastespotting (love that site) and decided I had to try these out. They turned out delicious and wonderful!

Nutella Self-Frosted Cupcakes
(I thought they turned out more the consistency and density of a muffin)

10 Tbsp. butter, softened
3/4 c. white sugar
3 large eggs, at room temp.
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 c. sifted flour
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
12 tsp. Nutella (1 tsp for each cupcake)

Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners.
Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in eggs one at a time, until fully incorporated. Don't worry if the batter doesn't look smooth. Add vanillla. Stir in flour, salt, and baking powder until batter is uniform and no flour remains.
Using an ice cream scoop or spoon, fill each muffin liner with batter. They should be about 3/4 full. Top each supcake with 1 heaping teaspoon of Nutella. Swirl Nutella in with a toothpick, making sure to fold a bit of batter up over the Nutella.
Bake in a 325 degree oven for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Watch carefully, I overbaked mine and they are dry. Very yummy, but dry. Remove to a wire rack and cool completely. Enjoy!

Southwestern Meatloaf Burger

2009-02-10T10:44:00.004-07:00

I got this recipe out of Martha Stewart Everyday Food. I love that magazine! But I stole the picture off the website (sorry Martha). We ate this all up before I could take a picture. I have made these burgers several times before and they are a hit. The girls even like them. A spicy burger without a bun, but kind of like a thick slice of yummy meatloaf. And we all know how I feel about meatloaf! We had these with corn and a side salad. I'm sure the tortilla that Martha suggests would be good. We were out of tortillas. I really need to go grocery shopping.

Martha says "Glazing the burgers with chili sauce keeps them moist and adds extra flavor. Look for chili sauce (actually a spicy ketchup) in the condiments aisle of your grocery store. If you are making them ahead, store the burgers in the refrigerator until ready to use, up to overnight; otherwise, bake burgers as soon as they are formed. Serves 4."

Ingredients

1 1/4 pounds ground beef chuck
1/4 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
1 cup (about 1 bunch) scallions, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons tomato-based chili sauce
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
Coarse salt and ground pepper
Warmed tortillas, for serving (optional)
Pickled jalapeno slices, for garnish (optional)

Directions

In a large bowl, combine beef, breadcrumbs, scallions, garlic, 1/2 cup chili sauce, egg, chili powder, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Using your hands, mix just until combined; do not overmix.
Divide beef into 4 equal portions. Form each portion into a 4-inch-diameter patty, about 1 1/2 inches thick. Place on a plate; cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to use, up to overnight.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees with rack in center. Transfer patties to a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until browned, about 15 minutes.
Lightly brush tops and sides of patties with remaining 3 tablespoons chili sauce. Return to oven; cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center registers 160 degrees. 5 to 10 minutes more. Serve immediately, with tortillas, jalapenos, and radishes, if desired.

Cranberry Pecan Muffins

2009-02-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

I found this amazing little cookbook at Borders for, get this. . . $2. Can you believe that? It is a great little book. Full of good recipes and lots of pictures (I love seeing what things are suppose to turn out like) and a really good variety of muffins, cookies, and bar cookies. So here is one that I tried that was super yummy.

Cranberry Pecan Muffins

1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. milk
1/4 c. butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
1 c. chopped fresh cranberries (I used frozen and they were great. Let them thaw on counter for about 5 minutes then coarsely chop.)
1/3 c. chopped pecan- we skipped the nuts because of Syd
1 tsp. grated lemon peel

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin tins. I used mini-muffin tins.
Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Combine milk, butter, and egg in a small bowl until blended; stir into flour mixture just until moistened. Fold in cranberries, pecans, and lemon peel. Spoon into prepared muffin cups, filling 2/3 full.
Bake 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean. Remove from pans and cool on wire rack. These muffins are best served warm. We had them for breakfast. The muffins will keep several days if stored in an airtight container.
Makes about 36 mini muffins

One More Sandwich--The Ruben (Robyn Style)

2009-02-03T10:37:00.003-07:00

A sandwich for those with strong tastes and strong noses!

Growing up I did not like this sandwich at all. I remember when my mom would pull out the sauerkraut and I would plug my nose and run! I still haven't convinced my husband or the kids that sauerkraut is yummy, but I guess that just leaves more for me. We make these whenever Dave is out of town on a business trip so he doesn't have to smell the cabbage.

You will need:

Bread (some like rye) I go for a good wheat or white

butter

pastrami

thousand island dressing

pickles

sauerkraut

Swiss cheese

Prep bread with butter on one side. Put bread butter side down on griddle or frying pan--on medium heat. Layer pastrami, cheese, and sauerkraut on top of bread-in that order so the cheese binds the meat and kraut together. Place second piece of bread on top butter side up. Cook until cheese melts and bread browns then flip and brown the other side. Remove from pan--slather on thousand island dressing and layer on a good amount of pickles. Eat while hot! mmmm...............

For kids and husbands you can leave off the sauerkraut.

Meatloaf (Sandwich)

2009-02-01T06:00:00.001-07:00

I love meatloaf sandwiches. Think what you will but it is true. The meatloaf, chilled and sliced, the pickles, the mustard, the soft white bread (this is a must). I love it all. I adore it. When there is leftover meatloaf in the fridge nobody dares go near it afraid of incurring my wrath if they eat it. I will make meatloaf just for the sandwiches. But I didn't make this meatloaf. . .

I have been sick. Coughing, headache, body aches, chills, fever, etc. My dad came over yesterday and took one look at me and said "You go back to bed. I will help the kids to their homework and make you a meatloaf." So I shuffled back down the hall in tears. (A good way to get me to cry is be nice to me). I'm not sure what brought the tears, the fact that I wouldn't have to do homework that night or that dad was making me MEATLOAF. It is just what a sick girl wants.

So thank you for the meatloaf dinner, dad. It was fabulous. So was the sandwich that I made for my lunch today. There is still enough left for one more tomorrow. So if you come over to my house, eat the cake, have some cookies, but stay away from the meatloaf!

Meatloaf

1 1/2- 2 lbs. hamburger
1/4 c. onion- diced
4 slices bread
1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning or sage
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. dry mustard , or a squirt of regular mustard
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce

In a Kitchen Aid mixer, or by hand combine bread, milk, and eggs. Mix well. Add remaining ingredients and combine well. Form into loaves. I like to make 2. Dad made 1 giant one.
Place in a Pyrex baking dish and add about 1/2 cup water to bottom of pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour. Slice and serve with ketchup, BBQ sauce, or relish.

For a Meatloaf Sandwich (Which I highly recommend)

Wrap any leftover meatloaf in plastic wrap and store in the fridge. Wait in great anticipation for lunch time the next day. When you can't stand it any more, gather up the meatloaf, white bread, dill pickles, mustard, mayo, and salt and pepper. Prep your bread with the mustard and mayo. Slice your meatloaf and stack it as thick or as thin as you like on the bread and top it with sliced dill pickles and salt and pepper to taste. Top with bread and slice the sandwich. Now you better find a chair because you are going to want to be sitting down when you eat this sandwich. I would suggest enjoying it with a Diet Pepsi. See, I told you it was good. Your house now has a new meatloaf hoarder too!

Avocado Salsa

2009-01-28T23:09:00.004-07:00

Last month at book club the girls were raving about Julie's Avocado Salsa---so this past weekend when we were invited to a party I knew I would have to test out this recipe on the crowd. It was a hit!! This recipe makes a lot (a large mixing bowl full), but don't worry if you make it they will eat it.

Avocado Salsa

6 Roma tomatoes

3 Avocados chopped

3 green onions, or more chopped

1/2 bunch of chopped fresh cilantro

1- 11 oz can white shoe peg corn or Mexi corn

1- 15.8 oz can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed

8 oz of Zesty Italian Dressing

1 or 2 cloves garlic minced

1 or 2 Jalapeno peppers, chopped(seeds opt)

Combine tomatoes, green onions, cilantro, and corn in a large bowl. Add peas. Add avocados and gently stir in. Add zesty Italian dressing, garlic and peppers. Gently mix ingredients evenly with a large spoon. Serve with tortilla chips. Keep refrigerated for up to a week. Enjoy!

I used the shoe peg corn-I like the texture of it. I also used fat free dressing--no one even noticed.

Chicken Saltimbocca

2009-01-28T17:36:00.004-07:00

I love to try new Crock-Pot recipes and this one is a keeper!

This is the picture from the actual cookbook (Taste of Homes), I could only wish that mine turned out this pretty. But it tastes wonderful and my kids loved it!

Chicken Saltimbocca

6 boneless chicken breasts

6 slices of deli ham

6 slices of Swiss cheese

1/4 c. flour

1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

2 T. oil

1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1/2 c. chicken broth

Hot cooked rice

Flatten chicken to 1/4 in. thickness. Top each piece with a slice of ham and cheese. Roll up tightly, securing them with toothpicks. Combine flour, cheese, salt & pepper in a bowl. Roll chicken in it and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Heat oil in a pan and brown the chicken on each side. Put into a crock-pot. Combine the soup and the chicken broth. Pour over the chicken and cook for 4-5 hours on low heat. Serve with rice.

Clam Chowder

2009-01-26T18:19:00.006-07:00

It was cold in Louisiana today, 35 degrees. I know that doesn't seem cold for those of you in Utah and Idaho, but I was freezing. It was definitely soup weather and clam chowder sounded to good. The picture doesn't do it justice, but trust me it is YUMMY!

Grandma Lee's Clam Chowder

2 cans clams

1 c. chopped onion

1 c. chopped celery

2 cups chopped potatoes

3/4 c. butter

3/4 c. flour

1 qt. half and half

salt and pepper to taste

Put chopped vegetables in pan and drain clam juice on vegetables. Cover with enough water just to cover the vegetables. Simmer until tender. Set aside. Melt butter and add flour. Add half and half. Stir until blended. (this will be thick) Add juice and vegetables. Add clams. Serve hot.

*I used 1 pint of half and half and 1 pint milk

Zuppa Tuscana Soup

2009-01-21T22:15:00.003-07:00

A new post, finally! We recently went to California for a week with Shawn's family. While we were there we each took a night cooking dinner. My sis-in-law, Becca, made this awesome soup. So today she is our guest writer. So go make dinner tonight, Becca style. It's super easy as super yummy! Thanks for the great recipe Becca!

ZUPPA TUSCANA (BECCA STYLE) RECIPE:

Yield: about 4-6 generous servings

Ingredients:

6-9ish med-lg potatoes

2ish carrots, diced up super-tiny

2 cubes chicken bullion, "smooshed"

water

1 lb Italian sausage (I like Jimmy Dean the best.)

1/2 large onion, diced

1 can evaporated milk

1/2 cup milk

1/2 - 1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese *divided

kale, de-stemmed and chopped

salt/pepper, to taste

Directions:

Wash and slice potatoes (the thinner, the quicker they cook). Put in a large pot and cover with water. Toss in the carrots and chicken bullion, too. Boil until tender, stirring occassionally (to make sure they don't burn to the bottom). Using a potato masher, just mash up the potatoes a little in the water (sometimes my spoon does the trick, too).

While the potatoes boil, brown italian sausage and onions in a frying pan. Drain if desired (I don't.).

Put the sausage/onion mix into the potato pot. Add the evaporated milk, milk, Parm cheese and the kale. Add lots of pepper and salt to taste. Warm (don't boil at this point) until the kale is wilted a tiny bit and the whole thing is warm/hot.

Serve warm, sprinkled with even MORE Parmesan cheese... and ENJOY!

PS. I've also used like 2 tsp. of minced garlic in it, and it was yum that way, too.

Lime-Glazed Cookies

2008-12-10T11:44:00.005-07:00

Man, this is a busy time of year. Not much posting going on lately. I guess life takes priority and that is okay.

I love icing. I could take the icing and leave the cake sometimes. I love when brownies and cookies have icing. Here is a little cookie with a icing glaze. It is tart and sweet and zesty and most importantly, yummy!

Lime-Glazed Cookies

1 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. finely grated lime zest (about 2 limes)
2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups flour
Lime Glaze (recipe below)

Beat butter and both sugars in a electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Scrap down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add lime zest and juice, and salt; beat until combined. Add flour; beat until just combined.
Turn out dough onto a large piece of waxed paper. Using your hands, shape the dough into an 8-inch log; flatten round log into a rectangle log about 1 1/2 inches long and 2 1/2 inches wide. Flatten sides against work surface. Wrap and freeze or refrigerate until dough is firm- at least one hour or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats. Using a sharp knife, cut dough into 1/4-inch thick slices. Place dough about 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until cookies are puffed and barely golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cook completely. When cool spread with about 1 teaspoon Lime Glaze. Cookies should be eaten same day they are glazed.

Lime Glaze

3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. finely greated lime zest

In a small bowl whisk all ingredients together until spreadable. Mine was a little thin and I had to add more powdered sugar. Make it the consistency you like for glaze. I prefer not runny but still pourable.

Two Easy Pasta Dishes

2008-11-24T10:40:00.004-07:00

Lately I have had a hard time coming up with things to make for dinner. This is mainly due to lack of planning on my part. . Do you know how I feel? You are staring at the fridge thinking, "What can I make that the kids will eat, that the husband will like, and that will take 4 minutes from fridge to table?" The answer for us is pasta. The girls will eat anything that has "noodles" in it. Shawn is game as long as the sauce isn't red (yes I know, what the heck?), and pasta is fast! So here are a few recipes I have made lately. So yummy and very easy!

Pasta with Mushrooms

12 ounces of any short twisted pasta (I used rotini)
1 lb. white button mushrooms- trimmed and quartered
2 Tbs. butter
2 green onions, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper
2 c. chicken stock
1/4 c. fresh grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

In a large pot of salted water, cook the pasta until al dente; drain and return to pot. Set aside.
While pasta is cooking, melt 1 Tbs. butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add green onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes- until onion softens and garlic becomes aromatic.
Add mushrooms. Cook, stirring occassionally, until mushrooms are tender and begin to brown, 6-8 minutes.
Add chicken stock to skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally until liquid is reduced by half, 2-4 minutes. Transfer mushroom mixture to pot with pasta. Add Parmesan and remaining Tbs. butter and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper, and serve with more Parmesan grated on top.

Spaghetti with Lemon Zest and Chives

1 lb. spaghetti (I used angle hair pasta this time and it also worked well)
zest of 1 lemon
Juice from 1 lemon
1/4 c. butter
2 Tbs. fresh chives
1 c. coarsely grated Ricotta or Parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook spaghetti until al dente. Grate zest into a large bowl. Add juice. Stir in butter, cut into small pieces, and cheese. Add drained pasta to lemon sauce and sprinkle with chives. Season with salt and pepper. Toss well, and serve.

A Tip from Grandma: Involve the Kids

2008-11-17T16:46:00.004-07:00

I'm not sure if this is a tip or just more of a philosophy Grandma had. She felt like kids should be involved with the cooking. She always told me to bring it down to their level. Grandma was really good at this and even let the kids help with dipping chocolates, and making yeast breads. Stuff that needs to be precise, but she was always very patient.
So in that spirit, I decided to involve my girls in dinner last night. We made waffles. Yes, I know, I pulled out all the stops. They were both cheering "We love brinner, we love brinner"!
Now I can't say that I always want to or enjoy involving my kids in the kitchen. Sometimes I just want to be left alone in my little domain. But the waffle-making was really fun. They asked for waffles, then were so eager to help, and so excited that it just made the whole event great. I let them measure and stir, pick their toppings and pour them on. They are getting old enough that pretty soon we should delve into reading the recipe and let them do things with no help.
As you can see the evening was a big success, the waffles were great, and the girls even helped clean up the dishes. After all that is part of cooking, right?
Waffles

1 3/4 c. flour
1 Tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 3/4 c. milk
1/2 c. oil

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture, set aside.
In another bowl beat eggs slightly. Add milk and oil. Add mixture all at once to dry mixture. Stir just until combined. Batter will be lumpy.
Pour about 1 1/4 c. batter onto a hot, greased waffle iron. Close lid and bake according to manufacturer's directions. Makes about 6 6-inch waffles.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

2008-11-11T22:11:00.005-07:00

We made these cookies on Halloween night. They were a big hit! Soft and chewy, and full of yummy flavor. I love the intense spice flavor. Along with the pumpkin and the chocolate, it is the perfect combination. We ate these cookies up instead of chewing on our nails while we watched Tremors.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 29-oz. can pumpkin
1 c. white sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. vegetable oil
2 eggs
5 c. all purpose flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
2 c. semisweet chocolate chips

In a Kitchen-Aid mixer, combine pumpkin, sugars, oil, and eggs. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking soda. Add flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and mix well.
Add vanilla and chocolate chips.
Refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour.
After refrigerating and before you proceed, give the dough a good mixing. The chocolate chips have a tendency to sink to the bottom of the dough.
Drop by spoonful onto a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 13 minutes or until the center of the cookie is firm.
Cool on sheet for 2 minutes, the transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Eat with cold milk and enjoy!

Hawaiian Haystacks

2008-11-06T16:07:00.006-07:00

First of all, let's just get this out there: I LOVE my book club! Not only is it made up of a group of fantastic women whom I love, but it is also great to get me thinking. As a stay-at-home-mom I sometimes feel that my brain ranges between a 20-watt bulb and a night-light. So to have actual discussions about moral, political, and social issues is so great.
We had a book club overnight retreat several weeks ago. We had a book exchange, did a little craftie(which by the way was super easy, cute, and fun, and would pretty up your kitchen! Go here to see what we did), ate way too much, and stayed up way too late. We ate Hawaiian haystacks. They were perfect. The meal was super-easy to prepare, it was easy to transport (we went to a cabin at Bear Lake), and everyone could tailor the meal to the tastes that best suited them.
Hawaiian Haystacks- serves 5-6 adults

Cooked rice– about 1 1/2 c. per person
2-3 c. cooked, shredded chicken
2 can cream of chicken soup
1 can of chicken broth
1 c. milk
1/2 tsp. Paprika
1/2 tsp. Garlic powder
1/4 tsp. Onion powder
1 tsp. or 1 cube chicken bouillon flavoring
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients, except rice, in a large pot. Stir well to combine. Heat over medium heat until hot, stirring often. This can also be done in a crock pot and left to warm all day. Serve sauce over hot rice with the following toppings:

Cheese
Tomatoes
Chinese noodles
Mandarin oranges
Pineapple tidbits
Edamame (green soy beans)
Water chestnuts
Slivered Almonds
Sunflower seeds
Celery
Green onions
Bell peppers
Coconut
Soy sauce
Whatever else sounds good to you!

So yummy and so easy! Hope you enjoy!

A tip from Grandma: Blanching Almonds

2008-11-03T12:28:00.004-07:00

Oh man, does anyone else out there feel like they have a candy hangover from the weekend? I sure do. We partied hard all weekend long. Halloween was a blast. Between family visits, tiny ghouls and goblins, yummy food, late nights, and pseudo-scary movies I am worn out today!
So an easy post for the day.

Have you ever tried to find blanched almonds in the grocery store? I don't know about you but I have never been able to find them around here. And lots of recipes call for them, darn it. So here is a tip from grandma. Blanch your own almonds. She was such a smart lady!

Buy whole almonds with the skins still on. When you get them home, prepare a largish bowl with an ice bath. Set aside. Then on your stove, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Throw your almonds in the boiling water and let the water return to a boil. Boil almonds for 2 minutes. When time is up, drain almonds and immediately put them in the ice bath. Let them sit until cool enough to handle. This won't take long. Drain off the water. Put a couple of paper towels on a plate. Then just go to work squeezing those almond right out of their skins. If you squeeze in the large end of the almond the skins should pop right off. Easy as that! Then you can use them or freeze them. I would give you one warning: be prepared to be squirted in the eye with cold water. Those little guys spit at you every once in a while. It keeps things interesting.

Ladies Fingers or Man's Toes

2008-10-30T17:43:00.007-06:00

I made these for the first time a couple of years ago and they were fantastic! They kind of creep me out, especially the crunchy fingernails, but are super-fun. This was my first experience with boiling dough and it was not hard at all. This step is what makes them nice and chewy, like pretzels. I hope you give them a try. They are spooktacular. :) Happy Halloween!

Ingredients
taken from Martha Stewart website.

Makes 4 dozen.

Red or green food coloring (optional, for fingers)
24 blanched almonds, halved lengthwise
2 cups warm water (110 degrees), plus 3 quarts, plus 1 tablespoon
1 tablespoon sugar
1 package active dry yeast (1/4 ounce)
Vegetable oil
5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1 tablespoon coarse salt
2 tablespoons baking soda
1 large egg
Sea salt
Fried rosemary (optional, for toes)

Directions

Place a small amount of food coloring, if using, in a shallow bowl, and, using a paintbrush, color the rounded side of each split almond; set aside to dry.
Pour 2 cups water into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough-hook attachment. Add sugar; stir to dissolve. Sprinkle with yeast, and let stand until yeast begins to bubble, about 5 minutes. Beat in 1 cup flour into yeast on low speed until combined. Beat in coarse salt; add 3 1/2 cups flour, and beat until combined. Continue beating until dough pulls away from bowl, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup flour. Beat 1 minute more. If dough is sticky, add up to 1 cup more flour. Transfer to a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth, 1 minute.
Coat a large bowl with cooking spray. Transfer dough to bowl, turning dough to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap; let rest in a warm spot to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a 6-quart straight-sided saucepan over high heat; reduce to a simmer. Add baking soda. Lightly coat two baking sheets with cooking spray. Divide dough into quarters. Work with one quarter at a time, and cover remaining dough with plastic wrap. Divide first quarter into 12 pieces. On a lightly floured work surface, roll each piece back and forth with your palm forming a long finger shape, about 3 to 4 inches. Pinch dough in two places to form knuckles. Or, to make toes, roll each piece so that it is slightly shorter and fatter, about 2 inches. Pinch in 1 place to form the knuckle. When 12 fingers or toes are formed, transfer to simmering water. Poach for 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer fingers to the prepared baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough, blanching each set of 12 fingers or toes before making more.
Beat egg with 1 tablespoon water. Brush pretzel fingers and toes with the egg wash. Using a sharp knife, lightly score each knuckle about three times. Sprinkle with sea salt and rosemary, if using. Position almond nails, pushing them into dough to attach. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on wire rack. Fingers and toes are best eaten the same day; or store, covered, up to 2 days at room temperature.

Rice Crispy Treats

2008-10-29T07:00:00.001-06:00

I know it's just rice crispy treats, but sometimes a good recipe for a basic is worth it's weight in gold. That is how I feel about this one. These are the best rice crispies I ever had. Shawn is a huge fan of rice crispies. I made a pan today and the girls and I each had one. He ate the rest them. Literally- in front of the TV with the pan. So I figure if he likes them, they pass.

Rice Crispy Treats

7 c. crispy rice cereal
5 c. miniature marshmallows
5 Tbs. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
Dash of salt

In a large saucepan, melt butter, marshmallows, and salt over low heat. When melted, remove from heat and add vanilla. Stir to combine. Then add rice cereal all at once. Stir until well combined
Pour into a buttered 9x13 inch pan. Butter your hand and press cereal into pan until even and flat. Let cool. Cut and eat. Yum!
If you want really even, precisely-cut bars, after the cereal has cooled, gently work the whole pan of crispies out onto a cutting board. Using a very sharp knife, cut the bars evenly.

Halloween Mummies

2008-10-27T21:06:00.005-06:00

I found this super fun photo/idea on Tastespotting and decided to try it for dinner. I have to admit I am very fond of these little guys. Aren't they cute?
This recipe was adapted from a recipe found on Cooking By the Seat of My Pants.

Halloween Mummies

4 jumbo hot dogs
1 can Pillsbury Grands biscuits
your favorite mustard

Cut hot dogs into thirds.
Take each biscuit from can and roll it out so that it is long and skinny. Using a pizza wheel, cut the biscuit into three long strips. Using two strips per hot dog piece, wrap dough around hot dog to resemble a mummy. Don't over think this people, just have fun, and leave a spot for the mummy to see through it's wraps.
Place wrapped hot dogs on a cookie sheet covered with parchment or a Silpat. If you don't have either of these, use a thin coat of pan spray. Bake in a 350 degree oven for approximately 15 minutes, or until biscuits are golden brown. Allow mummies to cool on sheet for several minutes.
Using a toothpick, make little eyes on each mummy out of your favorite mustard.
Serve immediately with mustard and any other dipping sauces (my kids like ketchup). You could also use little smokies instead of hot dogs and take them to your party this year as an appetizer.

Yummy! These were a hit with the kids, and you can talk to your dinner while you eat it.

Halloween Popcorn

2008-10-25T07:00:00.002-06:00

My girls are really into after-school snacks. They like me to set up place mats, use folded napkins, and pretend like I am their chef/waiter. Here is a quick and easy snack I made the other day that was fun with Halloween looming so close.
There are lots of different colors of candy melts out there. This can be modified to work for any number of holidays.

Halloween Popcorn

5 cups air-popped popcorn-1/3 cup of unpopped kernels makes approx. 5 cups popped corn
1/3 cup each of orange and purple candy melts

Place candy melts in separate bowls and microwave for 30 seconds, or until melted to a nice pouring consistency.
Place popcorn in a large bowl. Pour one color candy melts ontp popcorn and toss with hands to combine. Let set up for 2-3 minutes. Repeat process with second color of candy melts. Let popcorn set up for about 5 minutes. My kids were impatient so I stuck mine in the fridge for about 2 minutes and that worked well.
Serve and enjoy!

Cabbage Salad

2008-10-22T07:00:00.001-06:00

Grandma was known for her salads. Any time we had a family dinner you can bet that there would be at least two salads to choose from. Here is one of my favorites. I used this as a side salad. If you want to make it a main course, add 2 cups of grilled, shredded chicken breast. Family members: this is slightly modified from the recipe in Grandma's Cookbook.

Cabbage Salad

1 medium head cabbage, shredded
6 green onions, sliced
1 pkg. slivered almonds, toasted
2-3 Tbs. toasted sesame seeds
1 pkg. Ramen noodles broke into pieces

Toast almonds: place almond in a single layer on a cookie sheet and brown for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Be sure to watch them. Remove from oven when they are a nice crisp brown. Let cool.

Combine all of the above ingredients in a large bowl and toss with dressing just before serving.

Dressing:

2 Tbs. sugar
1/8 c. vegetable oil
1/8 c. olive oil
2 Tbs. white vinegar
1 Tbs. rice vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
seasoning from Ramen noodles(I used chicken flavor)

Combine all dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk well to combine. Make sure the sugar is dissolved well. Pour on salad and toss before serving.

A Tip from Grandma: Write Things Down

2008-10-20T07:00:00.001-06:00

I don't know why it took me so long to figure this out: Don't be afraid to write in your cookbooks! I guess I was afraid to write in them for a long time. Grandma always told me to write things down about a recipe. It took forgetting important things time and time again before I got this figured out.
When I try a new recipe I like to write down what I liked about it, what I didn't like, what went well, what I could do better next time, even write down if the recipe is worth making again. This is a much easier way to keep track of things than trying to remember them. Besides I think it's really fun to go back through a cookbook and see what your first impressions were of a dish that has become a favorite, or how you have modified a recipe over time to fit your needs better. Thanks for a good tip Grandma!

Just as a side note: My grandma is gone now, but I find great comfort in looking at her handwriting. It makes me feel like she is in the kitchen with me. She also taught me that when someone gives you a recipe, keep it. You will enjoy looking at a loved one's handwriting someday, even if the spelling is not that great!

Baking Powder Biscuits

2008-10-18T23:01:00.000-06:00

Today we spent the day working outside in the yard. Pulling out the garden, weeding, trimming, mowing. When we came inside I was tired and cold. I wanted something warm and comforting. So I made baking powder biscuits and we ate then for dinner. Ummm, and that's all. I figured it was a balanced meal because we put jam on them.

Baking Powder Biscuits

4 cups flour
2 Tbs. baking powder
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 cup butter, cold, cut into pieces
2 cups milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl whisk together flour, powder, sugar, and salt. Cut in butter until the mixture esembles coarse crumbs.
Pour in milk. Using a spatula, fold milk into the dough, working to incorporate all crumbs, until the dough just comes together. The dough will be slightly sticky.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. With floured fingers, gently pat the dough into a round aobut 1 inch thick, pressing in any loose bits. Do not overwork the dough. Use a floured 2 1/4-inch round biscuit cutter to cut out the biscuits as close together as possible.
Place to biscuits on an unlined baking sheet about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake, rotating the sheet halfway through, until the biscuits are golden and flecked with brown spots, 20-25 minutes. Transfer the biscuits to a wire rack to cool.
Serve with butter, jam, honey, etc.

We used apple jelly, apricot-almond jam, honey from Grandpa's bees (thanks Dad), and strawberry jam.

Croissants

2008-10-14T20:39:00.000-06:00

Whenever I hear the word croissant pronounced in it's true French fashion (kwɑːˈsɑːn) I always think of that song in The Little Mermaid: Les Poisson. Now I know that le poisson is French for "the fish" but it is the way that it is said, kind of like croissant, with that rolling R sound. The thing I always think of is the way the French chef laughs, "Hehehe, hawhawhaw". So whenever you see the word "Croissant" in this post you can think of me laughing "Hehehe, hawhawhaw"!

My dad lived in France for two years while on his mission. He talks about two things from that time: Sneaking into the Cannes Film Festival (that is a whole other story), and the French patisseries. He goes on and on about the flaky, buttery croissants. So I thought I would try my hand at making these little yummies.

Bread products in general are not my strong point. To be honest, anything with yeast scares me a little. So this was a good bread for me to take on. I had to face my yeasty fear straight on. It was not as hard as I thought, just very time consuming. So if you decide to try this out, I suggest doing it over two days, or taking one entire day. There is lots of waiting involved. The whole process was really quite fun and the croissants turned out flaky and buttery, crisp on the outside, airy and soft in the middle. Dad said they tasted like he remembers, so I will call this experiment a success!

Croissants
recipe adapted from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook and The Professional Pastry Chef

2 cups cold milk
2 Tablespoons honey
4 1/2 cups bread flour
1 cup unbleached pastry flour
*NOTE: I used all purpose flour in place of both flours
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons dry yeast
1 Tablespoon + 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 Pounds (5 sticks) butter, cold
Lemon juice
milk for washing prepared croissants

In a small saucepan, heat milk to 110 degrees. Remove from heat, then stir in yeast to dissolve. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Then add honey and stir to dissolve. Set aside.

Make the dough package: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine 4 1/4 bread flour, pastry flour, sugar, and salt. Add milk mixture and mix on low speed until dough just comes together, about 1-3 minutes.

Turn out dough on a lightly floured surface. Gently knead to form a smooth ball, about 1 minute. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour or overnight.

Make the butter package: Lay butter sticks side by side on a clean work space. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup bread flour, and several drops of lemon juice. Work flour and lemon juice into butter by kneading it against the work space with your hands. Do not use a mixer. My butter was chilled but slightly softened, about the consistency of the dough. Shape butter into an 8-inch square (I got my ruler out and measure). Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.
Remove dough package from the refrigerator; place on a lightly floured surface. Roll out to be a 16x10 inch rectangle- again I measured, about 1/2 inch thick, with the short side facing you. Remove butter package from the fridge; place on the bottom half of the dough. Fold the dough over butter packet, and pinch around the edges to seal butter in. By the way I am sorry you all have to look at my ugly counter top all of the time. Some day we will do something about that. . .

Roll out the dough to a 20x10 inch rectangle about 1/2 inch thick, keeping corners as square as possible. Remove any excess flour with a dry pastry brush.
Starting at a short end, fold the rectangle into thirds: fold 1/3 of the dough over the middle section, then fold the remaining third over both sections, brushing away excess flour as you go.

This completes the first of three turns. Wrap in plastic wrap and let dough rest for 1 hour.

After and hour, take dough out of fridge and unwrap. Position the dough so that the long side runs horizontally, roll the dough to the same size rectangle as before, fold, and make the second single turn. Chill the dough for 1 hour.

Repeat the steps above, making the last of the three turns. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap. Chill 6-8 hours, or overnight. I let the dough chill overnight then got up very early (think big yawns during church) to form and raise.

Turn out chilled dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll out dough to a 30x16 inch rectangle. If the dough is elastic, cover with plastic wrap and let rest in fridge for 10 minutes. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough in half lengthwise into two 30x8 inch rectangles. On top of each rectangle, mark every 4 inches. On the bottom of each rectangle mark in between the the upper marks (two inches) to form triangles. Cut dough into triangles. You can use a ruler to guide you.

Cut a 1-inch slit in the center of the base of each triangle. Now take a moment to feel bad for me. At this point it is 4AM and I am whimpering for my bed and half asleep.

To shape croissants, slightly stretch the two lower points of each triangle to enlarge the slit. Fold the inner corner formed by the slit toward the outside of the triangle. Roll the base of the triangle up and away from you, stretching the dough slightly outward as you roll; the tip should be tucked under the croissant. Pull the ends towards you to form a crescent.
Transfer each crescent to a baking sheet lined with parchment or a Silpat. Do not overcrowd on the pan. If crowded they will get overdone in the ends before they are fully baked in the middle.

Let croissant rise until they are slight less than double in size. Brush the croissants with milk,

Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. I baked both pans at once, moving the lower pan to the upper rack and visa versa halfway through baking time. Transfer to wire racks to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature. Croissants are best if eaten within 6 hours of baking.

Croissants definitely take some time, but are so worth it if you are after a taste of the real thing. Hope you enjoy!

A Tip from Grandma: Garlic

2008-10-12T16:12:00.001-06:00

I love garlic.It is my go-to guy in the kitchen. I love the way it smells, I love the way it tastes. It wasn't always like this. I had never cooked with fresh garlic before Shawn and I got married. When we got married he brought two things with him Betsy (our '69 Ford Ranger that I am actually very fond of) and a garlic press. After that is was true love. But the problem is that I can rarely use a whole bulb of garlic before it starts to go bad. So here is what Grandma taught me:
Freeze it! Buy it on sale and get that good deal on a whole bunch of bulbs. Then when you get them home peel all the cloves (yes it takes some time and your hands will smell for a while, but it is easy with this too l) them throw all the cloves in a pint jar. Then close up the jar and put it in the freezer. The cloves won't stick together when they freeze and then you have garlic quickly and easily at your fingertips when you cook. A frozen clove only needs to sit out for about 30 seconds to a minute before it is ready for the press.

Turkey Noodle Soup

2008-10-07T22:14:00.001-06:00

Oh man, a post about something besides dessert? I am branching out. This is a proud moment.
We went to my mother-in-law's house for dinner on Sunday. She had cooked a turkey and so kindly gave me the carcass. Hooray! Hmmm, how many people get excited over a turkey carcass? Me and my dad's dog. I boiled the carcass (yuck) in enough water to just cover it for about an hour. Then I strained the liquid and was left with a beautiful stock for soup (Yum).
So if you are lucky enough to get your hands on a fresh turkey carcass, make yourself some yummy, hearty soup!

Turkey Noodle Soup

1 quart turkey stock
2 cups turkey- diced
2 cups celery- diced
2 cups carrots- diced
1 medium onion- diced
1 recipe fresh pasta- see post below
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil celery, carrots, and onion in just enough water to cover until fork tender. Add turkey stock, turkey and bring back to a boil. Add noodles and boil for 4-5 minutes more, stirring often. Season with salt and pepper to taste. I like mine with lots of pepper. Enjoy!

Pasta Making Basics

2008-10-07T15:21:00.000-06:00

Making fresh pasta is fun! I love to use the noodles in soup. So yummy! I was surprised how easy it was to make pasta the first time I did. You don't need a pasta machine to make fresh noodles.

Fresh Pasta

2 cups flour
4 large eggs

1) On a clean work surface, mound flour and make a well in the middle. Crack eggs into the well.
2) Beat eggs with a fork until smooth, then begin to work flour into eggs with a fork.
3) Use a bench scraper to work in the rest of the flour. If you don't have a bench scraper, use one of those annoying fake credit you get in the mail. Make sure it is good and clean first.

4) Once dough is incorporated well, work the dough with hands to form a rounded mass for kneading. Knead about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. If dough is sticky, add more flour.
5) Cover dough with a bowl and let rest 1 1/2 hours. This is very important. The dough needs to relax to be workable. I learned this the hard way. It really acts like a rubber band, shrinking right up, if it is not rested.

6) Divide dough into quarters. Working with one quarter at a time, roll dough into a very thin circle, about 1/16 of an inch. Let rest if it pulls back.

7) Lightly fold sheets one at a time into thirds. Cut with a knife or a pizza wheel into desired thickness. For fettuccine, about 1/4 inch strips works well.
If you have a pasta machine, follow the manufacturer's directions. I rolled my dough to a 5, then used the fettuccine cutter.

At this point you can do several things: Hang the noodles on a rack to dry or prepare them for immediate use or freezing. If you are going to use or freeze the noodles, after you finish with each batch mix the noodle gently in a large bowl with enough flour to keep them from sicking together. You will use lots of flour here. Use flour each time you add new noodles to the bowl. This will keep them from turning into a blob.
You are done! To cook, boil noodles (at a full rolling boil) for approximately 4 minutes stirring often. Toss with your favorite sauce and enjoy!

Name Change

2008-10-06T12:11:00.000-06:00

I decided to change the name of this blog from Grandma's Cookbook to The Orange Apron. It may be a silly reason, but I felt like if it was call "Grandma's Cookbook" everything I posted should come from Grandma's cookbook, and I wanted to be able to post new things I try. Besides, the cookbook was a pretty special thing we did together and I kind of want to leave it alone.
So, The Orange Apron it is. If Grandma was in the kitchen, she had on her apron. So the idea is to become a good enough cook that I could wear an orange apron and own it.
I hope this is not confusing to anyone- not like I have that many(if any) followers, but let me know if there is any problems.

Peach Pie

2008-10-04T01:22:00.000-06:00

Looking back over past posts. . . I seem to have an affinity for the sweet. It can't be helped! So chalk up another post to the sweet things in life.
My husband LOVES fresh peaches. When they come on every year we get a bushel to bottle and a bushel (yes a bushel) to eat. I make my man a pie every year then fight him for a piece. I think this recipe is super yummy. Just be forewarned: pie crust is not my forte but this one from Martha Stewart seems to work well even for me. Oh yeah, be sure to serve this with a good vanilla ice cream.

Peach Pie

5 c. fresh peaches–peeled and sliced
3/4– 1 c. sugar
3 Tbs. flour
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Dash of salt

Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Gently pour into prepared pie crust (recipe below). Dot with 2 Tbs. butter. Dash with cinnamon sugar. Lattice top the pie crust. Bake 45 minutes at 400°, until golden brown. I recommend putting the pie on a cookie sheet to bake. The juices often run over and can make a real mess of your oven.

Easy Pie Crust

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 sticks chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
ice water

Directions:
To make the dough, mix flour, salt, and sugar in a medium-sized bowl. Cut butter into pieces. With a pastry blender, cut in butter, working until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Add 4 Tbs. ice water; work with hands until dough comes together. If dough is still crumble, add more water a tablespoon at a time (up to 4 more tablespoons). Do not overwork.
Divide dough in half, and flatten halves into disks. Wrap disks separately in plastic. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
To form pie shell, roll the dough on a floured surface into a 14- inch round. Wrap around rolling pin and carefully unroll over a 9-inch pie plate.
Fit gently into bottom and side of plate. Use kitchen shears to trim dough to a 1-inch overhang; fold under; and seal to form a rim.
Crimp rim with fingertips and knuckle. Repeat around entire edge of pie crust.

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Lemon Bars

2008-09-22T23:33:00.000-06:00

I found this blog: For The Love of Cooking and on it, this recipe for lemon bars. The picture does not do it justice. These things are amazing! Lemon and coconut- it is a perfect combination. We ate the whole pan in one night.

Crust:

1 cup of flour
1/2 cup of powder sugar
1/2 cup of sweetened shredded coconut
1/8 tsp salt
1 stick of cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat the 8 inch baking pan with cooking spray. To make crust combine flour, powder sugar and salt in a bowl. Add butter pieces and mix with hands until crumbly. Press evenly into the bottom of your baking pan. Bake until lightly golden, about 18-20 minutes. Set crust aside.

Filling:

2 large eggs
1 cup of white sugar
2 tbsp of flour
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp lemon zest, diced finely
1/3 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
Sweetened shredded coconut for garnish

To make filling whisk together eggs, sugar, flour and salt. Add lemon zest and juice and mix until combined thoroughly. Pour over hot crust. Bake 15-18 minutes or until filling is set. Cool completely before sprinkling with shredded coconut. Enjoy.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

2008-09-03T10:47:00.000-06:00

This recipe came from Great Harvest. I love this bread during the holidays. This bread is very good- nice and moist.

2 1/2 c. white
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. oil
3 c. sugar
2/3 c. water
2 tsp. baking soda
4 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. salt
16 oz. canned pumpkin
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans or three 8x4 inch loaf pans. Mix dry ingredients. In a separate bowl mix wet ingredients and add to dry mixture. Combine well. Pour into loaf pans and bake for 60-70 minutes.

Chocolate Lush

2008-09-03T10:40:00.000-06:00

This is one of Grandma’s most famous desserts. She would often make it when we had a big family dinner. I love to make it for a crowd. It is so yummy!

1 1/2 c. flour
1 ½ cubes margarine
1/2 c. nuts (optional)
1 ½ c. Cool Whip
1 ½ c. powdered sugar
1 ½ pkg. Cream cheese at room temp.
1 large + 1 small pkg. Chocolate pudding
4 ½ c. milk

Cut together flour margarine, and nuts. Press into a 10 1/2x12 in pan (you can use a 9x13 pan, everything will be thicker). Use a plastic sandwich bag on your hand to press into pan. Bake 15 minutes at 350°. Let cool. Mix cream cheese and sugar well. Then add 1 ½ c. Cool Whip. Spoon over crust and spread smooth. Chill 15-20 minutes. Carefully mix pudding well with 4 ½ c. milk. Spread over cream cheese. Let set in fridge for 20 minutes. Top with rest of Cool Whip. Sprinkle grated chocolate or chopped nuts on the top. This makes a lot. Can be made the night before. Cover with plastic wrap.

Banana Bread

2008-07-16T09:47:00.000-06:00

This might possibly be the best banana bread recipe out there! Not dry, but not overly mushy either. Once, Grandma got a really good deal on bananas and came home with around 20 pounds of ripe bananas. She set to work making banana bread, and when she was done she had enough to give a mini loaf to every one of her great-grandchildren!

Banana Bread
1 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. melted shortening
3 ripe bananas-mashed
2 c. flour- fluff with a fork before measuring
pinch of salt
2 eggs- well beaten
1/2 c. chopped nuts-Syd is allergic to nuts so we use big milk-chocolate chips

Mix ingredients together in order given. Do no over-beat. Put waxed paper in the bottom of loaf pan and lightly grease. You will never have trouble getting it out. Bake 1 hour in medium loaf tin at 350.

A Book for Grandma

2008-07-15T23:59:00.000-06:00

I wanted a place where I could share Grandma's recipes and other things she loved. She was such a great lady. She was my teacher in the kitchen for many years. She taught me to do things right: measure correctly, set a pretty table, use your good dishes on family, write thing down, and feed those that you love. I love you Grandma!