Cooking for the Clan

Carrots!

2009-05-24T10:36:00.000-07:00

This carrot cake took me forever to make (grating the carrots and decorating) but it was worth it and I was pleased with how it turned out. Funny story, I baked this cake for our Youth Fundraiser cake auction and Aaron turned out to be highest bidder! (He said he was trying to up the bidding price.) And since we spent so much money on it and it was Mother's Day the following day, I decided to take a break from my diet and splurge.

I asked my sister who baked a delicious carrot cake for her wedding to send me her recipe. Here it is:

4 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup peanut oil (this only gives it a hint of peanut flavor, but if you opt not to use it, just omit it and don't add any more oil. 3/4 cup of vegetable oil is plenty, just don't drain the pineapple as much.)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. salt
4 cups carrots (about 1lb) grated
2/3 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts)
1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained
I added 1/2 cup shredded coconut (opt)

This makes (2) 9" round pans.

Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Lightly spray (2) 9" round pans with vegetable spray. In large mixing bowl, beat eggs untill foamy, add wet ingredients and then mix in dry, adding carrots, pineapple and nuts last.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out dry. Cool 10 minutes in pans then invert onto serving plate to cool.

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing:
1 package (12 oz.) white candy melt chocolate
2 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 tbsp. lemon juice

Melt Candy Melts according to directions. Allow to cool slightly, stirring occasionally (don't let it harden). In mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese (preferably with a flat beater) until smooth and creamy. Gradually beat in the cooled candy until blended and smooth. Beat in the butter and lemon juice.

Smooth a small amount of icing on bottom cake layer; top side up. Top with second layer bottom side up. Frost cake with remaining icing. Gently press chopped walnuts into the sides of round cake to give it a finished look.

Refrigerate until ready to serve; bring to room temperature 30 minutes before serving.

Savory Chicken Saute & Mashed Cauliflower

2009-05-24T10:02:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry it's been a million years since I posted anything. I wanted to share one of the most simple and one of my favorite dishes from the South Beach Diet recipe book. I find myself making this often because I usually have all the ingredients and it's so fast/easy to make.

4 Chicken Breasts (boneless, skinless)

2 TBSP Olive Oil 1 Yellow onion, chopped or sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBSP fresh, chopped rosemary leaves or 1 tsp dried
1/2 - 1 1/2 cups chicken broth (be generous!)

pinch of salt and pepper

Prep time: 0 mins

cook time: 20-30 mins.

First, saute one side of chicken breasts in olive oil (4-5 minutes). Sprinkle the salt and pepper to taste onto uncooked side of chicken. Add rosemary and and continue to saute until nicely browned on both sides, which is about 4-5 minutes on each side. Add the garlic and onions to the pan. Let the onions caramelize a bit and when the bottom of the pan gets brown pour in the chicken broth and scrape up the browned bits. That will be the sauce and I like it so I use more broth. I let it simmer for 10-15 more minutes but it is not necessary especially if you use less broth.

Eat with plenty of steamed veggies and brown rice. Or, you could use the South Beach Diet's Mashed Cauliflower.

1 head of cauliflower

1 TBSP fat-free half & half *

1 TBSP I can't believe it's not Butter or light butter *

Salt and pepper to taste

This recipe takes me more prep time and I only have a small blender. Chop cauliflower, and then boil until tender. Drain well. Use a food processer or blender to mash cauliflower. I tend to like it chunky. Add half and half, butter and salt and pepper to taste.

* The recipe book says "1 ounce" for these ingredients, but I have tried to find a conversion to tsp/tbsp but can't find one so I estimate.

Easy moist Roast Chicken

2009-02-25T07:26:00.001-08:00

Is anyone else dying at the cost of chicken lately. Then, whenever it is on sale I always seem to miss it, or they sell out too fast. So, I have been experimenting with roasting whole chickens. I finally found an easy recipe that makes a nice moist chicken. Ches couldn't get enough of it. This is the recipe as I found it on All Recipes.com

Juicy Roast Chicken

INGREDIENTS
1 (3 pound) whole chicken, giblets removed
salt and black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon onion powder, or to taste
1/2 cup margarine, divided
1 stalk celery, leaves removed

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Place chicken in a roasting pan, and season generously inside and out with salt and pepper. Sprinkle inside and out with onion powder. Place 3 tablespoons margarine in the chicken cavity. Arrange dollops of the remaining margarine around the chicken's exterior. Cut the celery into 3 or 4 pieces, and place in the chicken cavity.
Bake uncovered 1 hour and 15 minutes in the preheated oven, to a minimum internal temperature of 180 degrees F (82 degrees C). Remove from heat, and baste with melted margarine and drippings. Cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest about 30 minutes before serving.

Notes: My chicken was bigger, and I still used less butter then that. I used enough celery to fill the chicken full, and probably almost half as much butter, and my chicken was 7 lbs. I also cut the skin down the center of the top, put the seasonings and some butter on the inside, and then pinned the skin back up with my roasting pins. It was fabulous! Then I just take all of the leftover and bag and freeze for easy chicken later.

Roast Pumpkin Soup

2009-02-25T07:21:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe from Elizabeth, who I think got from an English cook book she has. It is a great fall meal, or any cold day meal!! My family prefers it made with Butternut Squash, but I have done both ways.

Roast Pumpkin Soup

2 c. pumpkin
(to roast, cut up squash, brush with olive oil, and bake at 350 til tender. I cover mine for the most of it, and uncover at end to get a good roast flavor)
1 TBS olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 tsp cumin
2 large carrots (or more)
2 celery sticks (or more_
4 c. chicken broth

Cook onion and cumin in oil for 2 min. Add carrots and celery, cook for 3 minutes. Add pumpkin and stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 plus minutes. Puree when all vegs are tender.

Serve with sour cream, nutmeg and parsley.

Country Tomato Bisque

2009-02-25T07:17:00.000-08:00

This is my cousins recipe. It makes a lot so I freeze it in portions for later. A big hit in my family, and so much healthier then Cambell's.

Country Tomato Bisque
Serves 8-10

4 Tbsp butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
2 onions, chopped
3 zucchini, chopped
4 Tbsp flour
2 28-oz (or 4 14-oz) cans diced tomatoes with juices
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 Tbsp brown sugar 1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried marjoram
2 bay leaves
2 cups half & half
grated Cheddar cheese
sunflower seeds

Melt butter in large soup pot. Stir in garlic, celery, carrots, onions, and zucchini until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Blend in flour. Add tomatoes, broth, sugar, salt, basil, marjoram, and bay leaves. Heat to boiling. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Remove bay leaves. Puree mixture in a blender in small batches until smooth. Pour in half & half and stir. Garnish with grated Cheddar cheese and sunflower seeds.

Spiced Pork Chops

2009-02-25T07:11:00.001-08:00

This is the meal that made me want to start posting again. It was so good Ches kept asking for more, and CJ wanted me to make it again tonight!! It is from my a distant cousin of mine (I think).

Spiced Pork Chops

1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp ground mustard
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp. celery salt
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. dried oregano
1/8 tsp dried basil
1/8 tsp salt
pinch of pepper
4 pork chops (boneless)
1 to 2 Tbs oil
1 c. ketchup
1 c. water
1/4 c. packed brown sugar

In a shallow dish, combine the first 10 ingredients; dredge pork chops till completely covered. In a skillet, brown chops in oil on all sides. Place in a greased square pyrex dish. Combine ketchup, water and b. sugar; pour over chops. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until tender. Serve with rice.

Notes: I cut up my chops into smaller pieces so as to get more coating on everything. I didn't have any dry mustard, so I added some spicy brown mustard to the ketchup mix. Do not over cook. Enjoy!!

Re-Start!!

2009-02-25T07:09:00.000-08:00

Okay, it's time to get this thing restarted. I have several recipes I have been wanting to post, but haven't because I forget to take pictures. Then I thought, that is dumb, I shouldn't with hold fabulous meals just because there isn't a pretty picture to share! So, post now, picture later.

And we're off!!

sage chicken and rice

2008-09-08T11:54:00.001-07:00

1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 celery stalks, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 tsp dried sage
1 1/4 cups chicken stock
2 chicken breasts, cut in 1-inch pieces - do not pre-cook
1 1/3 cups mixed wild rice and brown rice
14 ounce can chopped tomatoes
dash of Tabasco sauce
2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
3 1/2 ounces lean ham, diced
salt and pepper

1 - Put the onion, garlic, celery, carrots, and sage in a large pan and pour over the chicken stock. Bring to boil, cover pan, simmer for 5 minutes.

2 - Add chicken to the pan, cover, continue to cook for another 5 minutes.

3 - Stir in rice, chopped tomatoes, Tabasco sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil, cover, simmer for 25 minutes.

4 - Stir in zucchini and ham. Cook another 10 minutes uncovered, stir occasionally until rice is tender and heated through.

My notes: I skipped the ham because we didn't have any. I don't know how this would have changed the flavor, because I screwed up with the rice.

I didn't have wild rice, so I used only brown rice. This had 2 effects, neither of which went over very well. First, it doubled the cooking time - the step where it's supposed to cook for 25 minutes, I had to cook it for about an hour so the brown rice was soft enough. That meant I had to keep adding liquid to it to keep it from burning the bottom of the skillet. It's cooked in chicken stock and I kept adding water, which totally diluted the flavor. It ended up being pretty bland. I should have at least added some more chicken stock when continuing to put liquid in it.

It was good other than that, so I'm definitely planning to try it again.

This is from a Lowfat cookbook I have, and each serving is only 390 calories with 4 grams of fat.

pita chicken

2008-08-07T13:54:00.001-07:00

Wow, it's been a long time since anyone posted on this blog! I've been meaning to post some recipes for my sisters, so I figured I should just post them here instead of duplicating things all over the place. I've tried a few other recipes on this blog - I LOVE the summer squash pasta that Tiana posted back in April. I've made it 2 or 3 times this summer.

This is a really yummy dinner that we had last night - I got the recipe from allrecipes.com here.

2 chicken breasts cut into strips
1 tbl olive oil
1/4 tsp each: garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper
1/4 cup salsa
pita bread
tomato sliced
avocado sliced
sour cream

Heat the olive oil, and cook the chicken strips. Just before it's done, sprinkle with the spices and add the salsa until it's all heated through and the liquid from the salsa cooks out a bit.

Put chicken/salsa in the pita, top with tomato and avocado slices, and sour cream. Eat.

You can of course add any other tex-mex toppings you like, like olives or lettuce or something. We had it with just tomato and avocado, and it certainly didn't seem lacking to us.

I didn't measure the spices - just sprinkled them over the chicken. Go super light on the cayenne unless you like things spicy. I like the kick, but my kids don't so they didn't eat much. I didn't measure the salsa either - just put it in until it was a balance that I liked.

Noodle Bowls

2008-06-10T16:32:00.000-07:00

First of all...credit for this goes to my friend Rachel. She posted it on her blog but I loved it so much that I asked her if I could put it on our food blog for you all to enjoy. Secondly...just a note that I used totally different vegetables and chicken instead of beef so you can pretty much prepare it with whatever you have on hand. The sauce is what makes it. Yummy.

8 oz. linguine, uncooked
3 cups broccoli florets
3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced (about 2 cups)
2 tsp. veggie oil
1 lb. beef sirloin steak, cut into strips
1/4 cup zesty Italian dressing
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1 tsp. ground ginger

Cook pasta as directed on package, adding broccoli and carrots to the cooking water for the last 2 minutes of the pasta cooking time. Drain pasta mix. Meanwhile, heat oil in large nonstick skillet. Add meat; cook until browned on all sides, stirring occasionally. (I barbecue mine then continue the recipe!) Stir in dressing, teriyaki sauce and ginger; cook until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. Toss pasta and meat/sauce in large serving bowl. I also add 1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts for some crunch! This serves 4, so for larger families...may need to double!

Vietnamese Pho Soup

2008-06-01T15:54:00.000-07:00

Aaron was hungry for this the other day and searched online for a recipe. It was so filling and delicious!

This is a popular soup in Vietnam, pronounced "FO". Granted the recipe calls for things you may not have already in your pantry, but Aaron thought that it wasn't that difficult to make. He wasn't strict on the measurements, and just kind of went by if it smelt good and right. : )

Basically you bring the broth to a boil and then simmer it for 30 mins. Meanwhile you can soak the rice noodles for 10 mins. Then cook them according to package directions, rinse and set them aside. Slice the scallions, onions, peppers, cilantro and place with other garnishes (bean sprouts, basil sprigs, lemon or lime quarters) in a serving bowl or bowls.

To serve: Divide noodles among 4 to 6 large individual serving bowls. Arrange thinly sliced raw beef, scallions, onion, and cilantro on top. Pour boiling hot broth to cover noodles and serve immediately. The boiling broth will cook the thin slices of beef.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Beef Broth:
1 small onion, chopped
2 tsp minced ginger
3-4 cans of beef broth
8 cups water
A pinch of Anise
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 pound lean, tender beef - DON'T COOK, SLICE THINLY AND SET ASIDE. The boiling broth poured over it when you serve it will cook it.

Noodles:
1 16-ounce package dry, flat rice noodles (pho)

Garnishes: (Pick and choose the ones you want.)
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
10 cilantro sprigs, finely chopped
1 cup bean sprouts
10 sprigs basil
fresh red or green chile pepper, thinly sliced
10 sprigs fresh culantro (ngo gai) or CILANTRO
*Culantro is a leafy herb with a similar aroma to cilantro, although more pungent. If unavailable, increase the amount of cilantro or simply leave out.

Other Accompaniments: (Optional)
lime or lemon quarters
fish sauce
hoisin sauce
hot chile sauce

Recipe Reprinted with permission from The Vietnamese Cookbook, by Diana My Tran.

Catalina Chicken

2008-05-22T15:44:00.001-07:00

Anyone in the mood for a super easy, super low fat and super yummy dinner idea?? I thought so. My college roommate introduced me to this years ago and then a few months ago we tried it with a few additional ingredients and it is so good. Enjoy!!

Ingredients:

Chicken breasts

Fat Free Catalina salad dressing

Cranberry sauce

Onion Soup Mix pack

Toss all the ingredients in the crockpot and cook on low for about 4-5 hours. I didn't put any measurements in because it is easily modified for the size you want to prepare. You just want the chicken breasts to be covered with sauce. When chicken breasts are tender shred them.... and serve over rice. This dish has about 2.5 grams of fat per serving!!! (If you looked at Trina's recent post that showed an appetizer from Outback Steakhouse coming in at 182 grams of fat - 2.5 grams sounds pretty good.)

food links you might find interesting

2008-05-19T21:00:00.000-07:00

In some random internet clicking, I came across a website called "Eat This, Not That!" It definitely made for some interesting reading ... how drinks alone can sabotage your caloric count here, and if you eat out very often, this is an eye opener.

Bon appetit!

Hidden Veggie Chili and Corn bread

2008-05-12T11:54:00.000-07:00

I have always wanted to make chili, just never got around to doing it. Finally, one day I decided to go for it. I looked over several different recipes, picked out things I thought would be good, and came up with my own. Can I just say it turned out FABULOUS! I loved it, CJ loved it, Ches has yet to try it (he was sick when I made it). Also, one of my favorite things to do when I cook is to sneak veggies in and see if CJ notices. Not that CJ is anti-vegetable or anything, but if I told him I was putting more veggies into this chili then beef, he probably would have protested. He didn't even know I put any in, though I think it just added to the great flavor. I may never go back to canned chili again!!

Sorry, I am taking off this recipe for now. I have modified it several times, and am kind of turning it into a signature dish. Maybe someday I will be ready to share the recipe again, but right now I am not.

My favorite cornbread

This is a recipe I tweaked a little to get it nice and moist. Just remember not to overcook it!

Ingredients:
1 c. flour
1 c. cornmeal
1/4 c. sugar
4 tsps baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 c. milk
2 eggs
6 Tbs melted butter (again, I use smart balance spread)

Combine dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and beat 1 min. Pour into greased 9x9 pan (I use a glass dish) Bake at 425 for 15-20 min. Serve immediately.

Cheater Toffee

2008-05-12T11:29:00.000-07:00

One Monday afternoon I realized that though I had a FHE lesson plan I had no Family Home Eating planned. It would have been a major disappointment to Ches to have FHE with no FHE so I quickly scanned my fav site, allrecipes.com and found this recipe, made a few modifications and here we have it! Quick, easy, Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Graham Crackers
1/2-1 c smart balance spread
1/2 c sugar
vanilla
chopped nuts (recipe said pecans, I used walnuts, though I made some w/o any because Ches is anti-nut)

Directions:
Cover baking sheet with graham crackers and sprinkle with nuts
In saucepan melt "butter" and sugar together, til boiling, boil 3 min.
Pour in some vanilla (around a tsp)
Pour mixture over crackers and nuts, coating evenly.
Bake at 350 for 12 min, until golden. Cool completely before cutting and eating.

Baked Spaghetti

2008-05-12T11:07:00.000-07:00

This is a recipe that I first tried on spring break '01. Me my cousin and her roommates went to St. George, then Las Vegas for spring break. While we were in St. George we were staying at one of the girl's parents vacation house and so we had a full kitchen. Rachel (don't remember her last name) taught us this recipe, and it was so good that Maria (my cousin) and I were begging for it ever since. It took several years to finally get it from her (slacker) and then a couple more years for me to finally make it (bigger slacker). But yes, it was just as good as I remembered it. CJ said he preferred it over regular spaghetti. It does have cream of mushroom soup in it, and I usually try to avoid using that, but for this recipe I will make an exception. Sorry about the lamo picture. My kitchen really has terrible lighting for good pictures.

note: I halved the recipe when I made it, and you can see it still made a lot. I kind of guessed on the amount of spaghetti since I always just buy the big packs, and she didn't really say how much, and I also used a little more then half of the cream of mushroom soup. Oh and I used almost the whole jar of spaghetti sauce too. Also, depending on how bland your sauce is, you might want to season it up with garlic and onions. Mine was garlic , onion and basil sauce so I felt no need.

Ingredients:
cooked and drained spaghetti noodles
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
shredded cheddar cheese
2 small cans of sliced olives, drained
1 small package mushrooms, chopped
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 c water
1/4 c Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Sautee tomatoes, mushrooms and olives over medium heat for 5-7 min, add sauce while sauteeing if desired. Add rest of sauce when done.
2. Mix mushroom soup with water and set aside.
3. In large dish layer noodles, sauce, cheese, noodles, sauce, cheese, mushroom soup, and top with Parmesan cheese.
4. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Mexican Sour Cream Rice

2008-05-12T11:02:00.000-07:00

This one was a big hit with my family. The Monterey cheese really brought in an excellent flavor. It makes a lot so I put half in a tupperware and froze it for another meal. The recipe calls for fresh cilantro, but I didn't have any and the stuff in the store looked gross. Also, I added a can of drained diced tomatoes. I was also in a rush to get things done so I just microwaved it til it was hot and bubbly. Still tasted good, but I will probably bake it next time.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
1 cup reduced fat sour cream
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chile peppers
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
1 can rinsed and drained black beans
1 (8.75 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
salt and ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
In a large pot, bring the rice and chicken broth to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish.
In the pot with the cooked rice, mix the sour cream, green chile peppers, 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, corn, beans, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish, and top with remaining cheese.
Bake uncovered 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.

Bruschetta with Tomato and Basil

2008-04-25T08:11:00.000-07:00

I made this bruschetta recipe for a dinner party a week ago. Then I read the post for Trina's bruschetta chicken and it sounded good to me. I didn't have the ingredients for her bruschetta chicken but I had leftovers from my party. So,instead of putting the brushetta on toasted bread I put it on grilled chicken and angel hair pasta. It was really good. It's also really good the traditional way on bread. It is a fast make, we were eating within 25 minutes.

Ingredients
6 or 7 ripe plum tomatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped.
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method
Prepare the tomatoes first. Parboil the tomatoes for one minute in boiling water that has just been removed from the burner. Drain. Using a sharp small knife, remove the skins of the tomatoes. (If the tomatoes are too hot, you can protect your finger tips by rubbing them with an ice cube between tomatoes.) Once the tomatoes are peeled, cut them in halves or quarters and remove the seeds and juice from their centers. Also cut out and discard the stem area. Why use plum tomatoes instead of regular tomatoes? The skins are much thicker and there are fewer seeds and less juice. Chop up the tomatoes finely. Put tomatoes, garlic, 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, vinegar in a bowl and mix. Add the chopped basil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

I also had some fresh mozzarella I wanted to use up so I chopped that up and added it. It was good but not necessary.

More Pasta

2008-04-24T16:42:00.000-07:00

You know the great thing about pasta? It is so quick and easy, and so versatile! Here is a new quick easy thing to do with pasta and veggies.

Just take any of your favorite veggies, like:
red pepper
zucchini
yellow neck squash
carrots
broccoli
snap peas
asparagus
whatever

Then saute your preferred veggies in some olive oil whilst cooking your favorite pasta (linguine, or thin spaghetti go well). Season veggies with a bit of salt and pepper. Then when pasta and veggies are at desired tenderness, toss them all together with your favorite Italian dressing! Bernstein's (I probably spelled it wrong, and I am not talking about the bears) goes really well, but this time I chose some creamy Parmesan. Yummers!

Basic Pizza Dough

2008-04-24T14:09:00.000-07:00

This is my most favorite pizza or breadstick recipe because it's fast and tastes great!

2/3 package dry yeast
1/2 c. lukewarm water
1/4 tsp. sugar
1 1/3 c. flour
1/3 tsp. salt
1/3 Tbls. olive oil

1. Dissolve sugar & yeast in water; set aside for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Combine flour, salt, & olive oil in bowl; make a well in the center.
3. When yeast mixture is bubly, pour into center of well. Start kneading, bringing flour toward center of bowl; gradually increasing kneading motion.

If dough feels sticky, add flour, if it feels dry, add water. Knead vigorously until dough is smooth and elastic. Roll into ball; cover with a damp cloth. let rest for about 20 minutes in warm place. Beat dough with your palm to expel gas formed while fermenting. When ready to use, place dough on floured counter top or table and flatten with your hands or rolling pin from center out. Bake in oven at 425-450F. This recipe makes 1 crust, but I usually triple to make two big pizzas or three medium pizzas. Also, the dough can be stored in the fridge or freezer, just baste with a little olive oil and wrap in plastic wrap. Enjoy!

Grandma's Pancakes! Yummy!

2008-04-24T13:57:00.000-07:00

This is a recipe I got from my Grandma, Marilyn Witt, when she was visiting me in Hawaii. We were trying to decide what to make for breakfast one morning, and we had decided on pancakes, but I went to my cupboard to pull out my trusty Krusteaz pancake mix but I was all out. So, my Grandma says, what do you need that for, I'll just make them from scratch. So, just about as quick as I could make my Krusteaz mix she whips up this homemade batter and they were phenomenal. My Grandma had twelve kids, so she's made quite a few pancakes from this recipe. The best thing about it is that you can make them with whole wheat or white flour and either way they taste great and are super easy.

Pancakes:

1 1/4 c. flour
1 Tbls. baking powder
1 Tbls. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 c. milk
1 egg
2 Tbls. oil

Cranberry Walnut Muffins

2008-04-24T13:37:00.000-07:00

I love muffins, but unfortunately I just don't make them enough. This is one of my favorite muffin recipes because it has cranberries in it and it uses Splenda. If you don't have Splenda, you can use regular sugar without any problems at all.

Cranberry Walnut Muffins:

1 1/4 c. Splenda
1 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2/3 c. buttermilk
1/4 c. melted butter
2 large eggs
1 tsp. grated orange zest
1/4 c. chopped walnuts
2/3 c. frozen or fresh cranberries

1. Mix dry ingredients.
2. Add buttermilk, butter, eggs, & zest to flour mixture.
3. Add walnuts & cranberries and stir until just blended
Bake @ 375F for 20-25 minutes or until you know they're done:)

A couple of ideas for you, because I never have buttermilk on hand I always use a little trick I learned from my mom. Just add a couple teaspoons of vinegar to regular milk, and you have almost the same thing. Also, if you're not a fan of cranberries you could easily replace them with raisins. I've also tried this recipe with dried cranberries and I just added a couple tablespoons of extra milk and it turned out great!

Pumpkin Cake Dessert

2008-04-24T12:55:00.000-07:00

Well, after being a thief for so long, and stealing all your amazing food dish ideas, I've been feeling extremely guilty and felt that I really need to give back. I don't have that many great recipes, but here are a couple of my favorites. I made this dessert the other day and Rachelle's Mom requested I post it. So here's to you April! Sorry, I don't have a picture right now.

Pumpkin Cake Dessert:

1 yellow cake mix
1/2 c. melted butter
1 egg
1 can pumpkin (24oz)
1 can evaporated milk
1 1/2 c. sugar
4 eggs slightly beaten
1 tsp. salt
3 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla

Topping:
3/4 of the cake mix reserved
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. margarine/butter melted

So basically there are three parts/ steps to this recipe - the bottom crust layer, the pumpkin filling, and the cakelike topping.

1. Mix 1/4 cake mix with 1/2 cup melted butter & 1 egg. Press this mixture into the bottom of 9x13 cake pan.

2. Mix pumpkin, milk, sugar, eggs, salt, cinnamon, & vanilla in mixing bowl. Pour mixture in pan over the bottom crust layer.

3. Mix together topping ingredients and sprinkle over entire pan evenly.

Bake for about 1 hour @ 350F. You can top with whip cream or have with ice cream. It's really good served warm or cold, and you should refrigerate any leftovers.

Rhubarb Pie

2008-04-22T11:27:00.000-07:00

I love summer, and with the coming of summer, is the coming of Rhubarb back in the grocery stores. "What is rhubarb?" you may ask. Well, as I told the Giant cashier who questioned me about this funny red celery, it is a very sour plant (fruit? veggie??) that when you add sugar, makes delicious desserts. Rhubarb cheescake, rhubarb sauce over ice cream, and my favorite, rhubarb pie. So, if you have never had it, give it a try! Even with the sugar, it is still tart, which is the best, and a nice scoop of vanilla icecream is the best.

Rhubarb Pie
4-5 c. of rhubarb cut into 1 in chunks
1 2/3 c. sugar (more or less depending on the amount of rhubarb you have)
1/3 c. flour
pinch of salt

Mix all above ingredients together and let sit in bowl for 15 minutes. Then put into pie crust, top with some dabs of butter, cover with remaining pie dough, slit and sugar the top and bake at 400 degrees for 50 minutes. Serve warm or cooled with vanilla ice cream.

I usually use my mom's "foolproof pie crust" but thought I would try a new one this time. I will give you both.

Mom's other crust

2 c. flour
3/4 c. butter
<3/4 tsp salt
mix together with pastry blender to crumbly
add 5-7 tbs ice water a little bit at a time til it forms a nice dough, not too sticky. Do not handle a lot, but roll out quickly.

Foolproof Pie Crust
(this one makes enough for 2 bottom and top crusted pies, but it is easy to work with, and you can freeze extra to use anaother time)

4 c. flour
1 3/4 c. shortening
1 Tbs sugar
2 tsp salt
1 Tbs vinegar
1 egg
1/2 c. water
Blend flour, shortening, sugar and salt with pastry blender. Combine vinegar, egg, and water in small bowl and mix well. Add to flour mixture and blend gently. Mold into a ball and chill for 15 minutes. Roll out as desired on floured counter.

bruschetta chicken

2008-04-17T17:08:00.001-07:00

I got this recipe off the back of the box of Stovetop Stuffing. Even if you don't like things out of a box, I checked the nutrition stuff for the stuffing and it's one of the more reasonable things out there. The only thing there's a question on as far as I'm concerned is the amount of sodium, and even then, it's not as high as most boxed things. This was also pretty quick to make. It was pretty mild, so you could probably tweak with the herbs in step 3 but I did it with just the basil.

BRUSCHETTA CHICKEN
1. Preheat oven to 400 and defrost 1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast. (I used 4 chicken breasts.)

2. Mix the following: one 14-oz. can of diced tomatoes, 1 package of dry stuffing mix, 1/2 cup hot water, and 2 minced cloves of garlic. Set aside.

3. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces, put in 13x9 baking dish, sprinkle with basil and shredded mozzarella cheese. The recipe gave measurements for the basil and cheese - I just put on as much as I like, which is fairly heavy on the basil, and I covered the chicken with cheese.

4. Put the stuffing mixture over the top. Bake for 30 min.

5. Serve with green salad on the side.

Asparagus Pasta

2008-04-15T19:06:00.000-07:00

I made a dish and actually remembered to take a picture. Isn't it amazing??

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups uncooked penne pasta

1 cup chopped asparagus

6 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes

2 cloves garlic

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with herbs, including juice

1 oz. soft goat cheese, crumbled (I use feta)

1 T. Parmesan cheese

Directions

Fill large pot 3/4 full with water and bring to boil. add the pasta and cook until al dente 10-12 min. Drain and set aside.

Steam asparagus 2-3 minutes until tender-crisp

Spray large nonstick frying pan with cooking spray. Add the chicken and garlic and saute over medium-high heat. Cook until the chicken is golden brown, about 5 to 7 min. Add the tomatoes, including their juice, and simmer 1 min more.

In a large bowl, add the pasta, steamed asparagus, chicken mixture and goat cheese. Toss gently to mix evenly.

Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on each serving. Serve warm.

Peking Pork

2008-04-15T07:16:00.000-07:00

At the request of a friend I am posting this yummy Peking Pork recipe. I didn't have the foresight to get a picture last time I made it, but I'll try and add one later. This picture (from the internet) gives an idea of how to serve it. It's surprisingly easy. Have fun.

Ingredients:

2 whole pork tenderloins

2 T. chopped fresh ginger

2 T. brown sugar

3 T ketchup

1/2 tsp 5 spice powder

1 c. sesame seeds

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1/4 c. beef or veg stock

1 T light soy sauce

1 T molasses

1/4 c. honey

Directions:

Combine garlic, ginger, stock, sugar, soy sauce, ketchup, molasses and 5 spice powder as marinade. Pour over meat and cover. Refrigerate 4-6 hours or overnight. Remove meat from marinade, pat dry and baste with honey then roll in sesame seeds. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes or until juices run clear. Serve with mustard, plum sauce or chutney.

request

2008-04-09T16:55:00.000-07:00

I'm looking for recipes and ideas for the following:

- stuff to put in pita bread that is not hummus or cucumbers
- what to do with corn tortillas that's not chicken enchiladas
- salad wraps
- pasta salad. I have 3 pasta salad recipes (including the one I just posted) and since we eat it all summer, I'd like to get more variety there.
- any thoughts on making my own baby food. I'm good to go with fruit purees, but don't know even where to start with anything else.

Thanks!!

pasta salad - one of many

2008-04-09T16:23:00.000-07:00

Hi all. I'll come back and edit this post to add the picture later - I took one, but I don't know how to get it on here yet.

I got this pasta salad recipe from my aunt - when I was at her house a couple of years ago, I went through her cookbooks and wrote a bunch of stuff out. I recently found those random pieces of paper and have started making stuff from them. Pasta salad is one of my favorite things for warm weather days, and I was a bit overheated from hiking up the hill at the zoo earlier today. This really hit the spot, and I'm looking forward to trying the lemon summer pasta that Tiana posted (I'm also a big fan of asparagus and garlic).

AUNT JEAN'S PASTA SALAD
1 - Cook a box of penne pasta.
2 - Put 2 tbl. olive oil in a frying pan, cook 1 cup julienne-cut carrots and 1/2 cup chopped red onion. Cook on high heat until the carrots start to get tender.
3 - At this stage, you can add Italian sausage if you want to.
4 - Lower the heat and add 1 cup snap peas and 1 cup broccoli.
5 - Add 2 cans of chopped tomatoes (or dice 2 beefsteak tomatoes), and basil, garlic, and oregano to taste.
6 - When the veggies are heated all the way through, mix with the pasta.
7 - Add black olives and cubed mozzarella cheese.
8 - Eat warm or cold.

Fruited Curry Chicken Salad

2008-03-31T20:50:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the junk picture. I got this one from allrecipes.com and I liked it though next time I think I will definately boil and shred real chicken breasts. I used (4) cans of chicken which has more of a tuna fishy texture. But I thought the veggies & fruit gave it a refreshing crunch!

The woman who submitted this recipe, Karen L. Baker commented this is "A healthy and tasty chicken salad with a fruity twist - great on a croissant or in a honey pita. The salad is best if eaten the day after preparation. This allows the ingredients time to mingle, giving a fuller flavor."

INGREDIENTS
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cooked and diced
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 small apple - peeled, cored and chopped
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup seedless green grapes, halved
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
3/4 cup mayonnaise

(A better picture, courtesy
of jupiterimages.com)

DIRECTIONS
In a large salad bowl combine the chicken, celery, onion, apple, raisins, grapes, pecans, pepper, curry powder and mayonnaise. Mix all together, tossing to coat. Salad is ready to serve!

Lemon Summer Pasta

2008-03-11T18:04:00.000-07:00

This recipe I got from Elizabeth. We made it last year for Kent's birthday. Just shows what a good wife she is. She doesn't like asparagus or garlic. I do!

Tips: Whenever I am at the store thinking about making this dish, I always forget what cream I am supposed to buy. This last time I bought table cream. It cooked down alot better and CJ preferred it (a lot creamier). I can't remember the other creams I have tried. Light whipping cream once I think. Worked as well. The real recipe actual calls for less zest of lemon, but I love the lemony flavor, so I always grate in as much as I can get off my lemon.

8 oz cooked pasta
2 c. asparagus
2 c. summer squash and/or zucchini
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tbs butter
1/2 c. whipping cream
zest of lemon
salt to taste

Sautee veggies and garlic in butter til they reach your preferred tenderness (I like them to be a little crisp still). Remove veggies with slotted spoon, leaving any juices and garlic. Pour in cream and lemon zest. Cook down cream til 1/3 c. (just when it looks thicker). Then combine all ingredients including pasta and enjoy!

Ground Beef Noodles in tomato Sour Cream Sauce

2008-03-11T17:53:00.000-07:00

I like this as a variation on Beef Stroganoff. The tomato gives it a nice twist.

Tips: Whenever a recipe calls for butter, I use smart balance spread. Works just as good and tastes just as great, but it much better for you. I also used light sour cream which worked fabulous. As you can see by my picture, I used spiral instead of egg noodles. I didn't have egg noodles, but I think I will use them next time. The spiral pasta got soft too quick. Also, I used cans of V8 where it calls for tomato juice. 2 cans (soda size cans) equal 3 cups. I used low-sodium V8 and just added a pinch of Kosher salt and it was perfect!

Ground Beef Noodles in Tomato Sour Cream Sauce

1 1/2 c. minced onions
2 tbs butter
1 lb lean ground beef
3 cups egg noodles
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
3 c. tomato juice
2 c. water
2 tsp celery salt
2 tsp wortcheshire
1 c. sour cream
pepper to taste

In large skillet, sautee onion in butter til tender, add meat. Brown lightly. Add mushrooms. Place noodles over meat mixture. Combine liquids and seasonings and pour over meat and noodles. Stir and bring to boil. Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Then add sour cream. Bring to boil and simmer for 5 min. Remove from heat. Let stand for few minutes, then serve.

Asian Slaw

2008-03-11T16:38:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorites. My friend Angie Stowe (who used to live here) used to make it all the time (we ate dinner at their house A LOT) and she gave me the recipe before they moved, about 2 years ago. I finally just made it last month because it called for things I usually don't buy. Just as good as I remember. To make it a meal just add some grilled chicken. Mmm I'm hungry!

Tips: This makes a LOT of dressing. What I suggest is make the dressing, and then add a little at a time, tossing the cabbage as you go til you get it to your liking. I jarred and saved the rest to use on another salad (chinese chicken anyone?). It is super tasty. Also, due to the fact that sesame seeds bought in the spice aisle of the grocery store are a rip off (I am looking for a place where I can buy them in bulk cheap. tips?) I added sliced almonds instead. I also used a salad shooter to shred my lettuce, otherwise just slice thin with a butcher knife.

Asian Slaw

8 C. cored and shredded cabbage
4 green onions- white and light green parts chopped
2 med size carrots grated (or more)
1 c. canned mandarin oranges drained

Dressing
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. rice vinegar
3/4 c. canola oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1/3 c. sugar
2 tbs toasted sesame oil
2 tbs sesame seeds for garnish

In large bowl combine cabbage, carrots, onions and oranges

In small bowl whisk together dressing. Toss cabbage mix and dressing together. Garnish with sesame seeds before serving.

Sizzlin' Szechuan Chicken

2008-03-03T18:49:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the bad picture.

We have this dish fairly often. Aaron loves it and we rarely have leftovers. It is from a lowfat cookbook - so you can eat guilt free.

1. Marninate chicken for 10-30 minutes
2. Whisk together sauce ingredients. Set aside.
3. Over medium heat - add 1 tsp of sesame oil. Add chicken and stir-fry until opaque. Transfer chicken to a clean bowl and stir-fry veggies with the remaining 2 tsp of oil.
4. Return chicken the skillet and add the sauce. Cook, scraping up browned bits, until sauce thicken. About 1 minutes.
5. Serve over rice.

Marinade

1 T. soy sauce

1 T. cornstarch

1/2 tsp. sugar

1 garlic clove, minced

1 whole boneless skinless chicken breast cut into thin strips

Sauce

1 c. chicken broth

3 T. soy sauce

4 tsp. cornstarch

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (if you don't like spicy... you can reduce or omit this ingredient)

1 T. sesame seed oil, divided

Veggies

2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/8 " thick

1 3/4 c. coarsley choppen onions

2 small zucchini halved and cut in 3/4 " slices

(I never measure veggies...but this is what the books says)

Mac and Cheese

2008-03-02T10:56:00.000-08:00

This is a scrumptious delicacy for all to enjoy. Here's how it is done: 1. Go to grocery store; 2. buy a box of mac and cheese; 3. follow directions on the box; 4. when done, serve in bowls or on paper plates (don't forget to let it cool!). Hint: If the taste gets too bland, spice it up with some ketchup. MMMMMMMMMM! Goes great with cheap boiled hot dogs and milk (picture not shown).

CJ

Sweet and Sour Chicken

2008-02-16T21:38:00.000-08:00

Okay Rachelle, here is CJ's sweet and sour recipe. I don't know about you guys, but we love American Chinese food, but are too cheap to order takeout. So, we make it ourselves. CJ found this recipe online when I was sick pregnant with Ellie and not cooking. I didn't try it the first few times he made it (for obvious reasons of not wanting to be trying it again a few hours later), but now it is a favorite of the whole family. I love to serve it with alot of steamed broccoli (I steam it with the rice) and this time I made the fried rice to go with it. One of these days I will go all out and make my mother-in-laws spring rolls too. I will have to do that in the summer, however, when we are really active and can burn of all that oil.

Notes on the recipe. Don't add all the soy sauce at once, do a little at a time in case you don't like it too strong. For the pineapple juice, just buy a can of pineapple, use that juice, and then I like to put chunks of pineapple in the sauce. I also cut my meat pretty small to make sure it cooks all the way. Enjoy!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Batter:

1 egg

1/3 c. milk

1/2 c. flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

mix well and then add pork or chicken, cut to bite size pieces.

(this amount of batter will do about 2 chicken breasts, depending on the size)

Using fork to take pieces out, put in pan of hot oil to fry til golden brown. Take out and put on plate with paper towel.

Sauce:

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 c. white vinegar

1/4 c. pineapple juice (I use more)

2 Tbs soy sauce

1/4 c. water

2 Tbs cornstarch (or more, just mix with a little water, and add to boiling sauce til thickens)
Simmer sauce while you cook meat.

Apple Craisen Cashew Salad w/ Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing

2008-02-16T11:23:00.000-08:00

1 head romaine lettuce
1 cup swiss cheese
1 cup cashews
1/4 cup craisins
1 apple cubed

Dressing:
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. green onion chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. poppy seeds
1 tsp. dry mustard
2/3 cup canola oil

All the credit for this yummy recipe has to go to my good friend Michelle! Thanks so much! I made this for the Valentine's party at the Cannon's. So the dressing is not exactly healthy, but you don't use much to cover whole salad. I think Michelle dumped out 3/4 of the leftover salad dressing. Enjoy!

Curried Chicken

2008-02-09T13:18:00.001-08:00

This is a family favorite. It is my grandma's recipe. I usually add less lemon juice and more curry, because I like a strong curry taste. I will post her original recipe and you can shake it up as you like.

Curried Chicken

2 chicken breasts (again, I used just one ginormous one)
1 bay leaf
6 whole allspice
3 TBS butter
1/4 c. flour (heaping)
3 c. chicken broth
1 1/2 tsp curry
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt to taste

Boil chicken breasts with bay leaf and allspice for 20 min. Cool. Cut up or shred meat to bite-size pieces. Strain the broth and keep 3 c. In sauce pan, melt butter and add flour. Add the broth while using a whisk to keep from forming lumps. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir til thickened. Add chicken. Serve over rice.

Oatmeal Muffins

2008-02-09T13:07:00.000-08:00

This recipe was really for oatmeal coffee cake, and it involved raisins, but after reading a few reviews, I decided to switch it up. Like so many new recipes I try, I got it from Allrecipes.com. I served them at our Joy School meeting this week, and Jackie made me promise to post them on here. They were a big hit, especially with Ches, who would have eaten the whole batch if I let him.

Oatmeal Muffins

INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Crumb topping: <1/4 c. flour, 1/4 butter softened, 1/4 sugar (white or brown, I did some of both). I think I will throw some nuts on next time as well.

DIRECTIONS
Pour the boiling water over the quick oats and let stand for 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease muffin tin or use paper liners .
Cream the shortening with the sugar until light. Beat in the eggs. Then add the oats and vanilla, mixing well.
Combine the baking soda, salt , cinnamon and flour. Mix until combined.
Add the flour mixture to the oatmeal mixture and stir to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared tin.
Crumble topping over batter.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 15 minutes or until a tester inserted near the center comes out clean.

Chicken Soup

2008-02-09T11:00:00.000-08:00

Tuesday I woke up with a cold, and I remembered my sister once telling me that whenever anyone in her family gets sick she makes this chicken soup. So I called her, got the recipe and here it is. Tasty!

Chicken Soup

2 chicken breasts (I just used one huge one-musta been a big chicken)
6-9 c. water (depending on how much broth you want)
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 tsp salt
1 tbs chicken bouillon (or more if more water)
1 bay leaf
chopped carrots
chopped celery (as much as you want of both)
1 tbs parsley
1/4 tsp black pepper

Throw everything in a pot, bring to boil then simmer. ( I did it all day to bring out the flavors)
Take out cooked chicken, shred, then put back in.
Before you are ready to eat add noodles, let them cook til tender, and serve.
You can use whatever noodles you want, I used broken spaghetti.

Minestrone, Olive Garden Copy-cat

2008-02-04T16:35:00.000-08:00

I really enjoyed this one and like Tiana, I love Italian food! I think I'll try to remember to plan on making this the same week as Lasagna (Tiana's spinach recipe : ) or Ratatouille because it uses a lot of the same vegetables and herbs.

A couple of improvisations I made to this recipe: I used chicken broth that I had boiled off of a couple of chicken breasts and added two cubes of chicken boullion. I thought about broiling the chicken with Italian salad dressing, because it's easy and spent all my energy making soup. But just ended up drizzling the chicken with salad dressing! : ) I added yellow squash, because I like it and had it on hand. It tastes a lot like zucchini to me. I didn't have green beans, which would have been yummy!

How does everyone measure their veggies? I'll just add on my eye-ball equivalant.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup white onions, minced or one small yellow onion
1/2 cup zucchini, or one small zucchini
1/2 cup frozen green beans, Italian-cut (a handful)
1/4 cup celery, minced (two small celery sticks)
4 teaspoons garlic, minced
4 cups vegetable broth
30 ounces canned red kidney beans, drained
30 ounces canned white beans, drained
14 ounces diced tomatoes, canned
1/2 cup carrots, julienned or shredded (one carrot stick)
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cups hot water
4 cups fresh spinach, small leaves (or four handfuls)
1/2 cup shell pasta

Directions:1. Heat three tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot.
2. Sauté onion, celery, garlic, green beans, and zucchini in the oil for 5 minutes or until onions begin to turn translucent.
3. Add vegetable broth to pot, plus drained tomatoes, beans, carrot, hot water, and spices.
4. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes. 5. Add spinach leaves and pasta and cook for an additional 20 minutes or until desired consistency. Makes about eight 1 1/2 cup servings.

Enjoy!

Spinach Lasagna

2008-02-03T16:00:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you guys, but I love Italian cuisine. My favorite combination is spinach and tomato sauce. I love lasagna, and have been looking for a good recipe. I found this one, and was excited, because it didn't have expensive ingredients, and was healthier then most other recipes. So, today I gave it a shot.

My impressions: We loved it.
Things that I will do different next time:
Cut down the spinach. I love spinach, but it was a bit too much. I will probably do 1 to 1 1/2 pkgs next time. Also, I will thaw it first, and do a quick squeeze to get out some excess liquid. Not all, but most. Also, this makes A TON! We barely made a dent in it. I would either cut the recipe in half, or just make two smaller pans and freeze one (before cooking it). I ended up freezing a large portion of it, to have another day. Also, a good tip would be to not fall asleep while it's in the oven, and be so dead tired that when your husband tells you the timer rang you apparently acknowledge him before falling back asleep, but then wake up 15 minutes later, having no recollection of the conversation. It still tasted good.

Spinach Lasagna

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped
spinach
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (32 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 cups water
2 cups non-fat cottage cheese
1 (8 ounce) package part skim mozzarella
cheese, shredded
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 egg
8 ounces lasagna noodles

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large pot over medium heat saute spinach, onion, oregano, basil and garlic in the olive oil. Pour in spaghetti sauce and water; simmer 20 minutes. In a large bowl mix cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, pepper and egg.
3. Place a small amount of sauce in the bottom of a lasagna pan. Place 4 uncooked noodles on top of sauce and top with layer of sauce. Add 4 more noodles and layer with 1/2 sauce and 1/2 cheese mixture, noodles and repeat until all is layered, finishing with sauce.
4. Cover with foil and bake in a preheated oven for 55 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

Chocolate Fudge Brownies

2008-02-02T07:57:00.000-08:00

So, my biggest fear about this blog is that I am going to post too many not incredibly healthy recipes and get kicked off. But, hey, everyone needs a special treat every once and awhile, right? For CJs birthday he decided he wanted real fudgy brownies instead of a cake, so I found this recipe and tried it out. It was a big hit, and I am sure they will be made again in the future. Even Ches liked them so much he was asking for them for breakfast. So, when you are in need of a special chocolate treat...make these!
p.s. we didn't have walnuts so I put in chocolate chips instead, then I frosted them. I also baked them for the minimum time.

Chocolate Fudge Brownies

Estimated Times: Preparation - 15 min | Cooking - 15 min | Yields - 24 brownies (2 dozen)

Ingredients
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
2 tablespoons water
4 oz. Unsweetened Chocolate Baking Bars, broken into pieces
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions
PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Grease 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

MICROWAVE sugar, butter and water in a large microwave-safe bowl on HIGH (100%) power for 4 to 5 minutes or until mixture bubbles, stirring once. Remove from heat. Add baking bars; stir until melted.

STIR in eggs one at a time until incorporated. Stir in vanilla extract. Add flour, baking soda and salt; stir well. Stir in nuts. Pour into prepared baking pan.

BAKE for 15 to 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out slightly sticky. Remove to wire rack to cool completely.

FOR SAUCEPAN METHOD:
HEAT sugar, butter and water in a medium saucepan just to boiling, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add baking bars; stir until melted. Proceed as above.

CREAM CHEESE BROWNIE VARIATION:
PREPARE brownie batter; do not pour into pan. Beat 8 ounces softened cream cheese, ½ cup granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Beat in 1 egg. Pour brownie batter into pan. Spoon cream cheese mixture over top; swirl with spoon. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

PEANUT BUTTER BROWNIE VARIATION:
PREPARE brownie batter without nuts; do not pour into pan. Combine ½ cup peanut butter, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons milk in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH (100 %) power for 45 seconds; stir until smooth. Pour brownie batter into pan. Spoon peanut butter mixture over top; swirl with spoon. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

ROCKY ROAD BROWNIE VARIATION:
PREPARE brownie batter without nuts; bake as directed. While still hot, sprinkle with 1½ cups miniature marshmallows, 1/3 cup chopped nuts and ¾ cup NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels. Bake for 2 to 3 minutes or until marshmallows are puffed and morsels are shiny.

Black Beans and Rice Wraps

2008-01-31T06:39:00.000-08:00

The protein of a poor college student. Black Beans. I love them, and love that they are good for you! This is a quick easy meal and tasty too!

Black Beans and Rice Wraps

1 tsp oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drain a little, but not all
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, drained
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 plus cups cooked rice

DIRECTIONS
In large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion, cook and stir until tender. Add beans, tomatoes, oregano and garlic powder; stir in rice. Stir and heat til hot. I cut up the tomatoes a little with my wooden spoon.

Serve on tortilla topped with shredded cheese and sour cream.

Fried Rice

2008-01-31T06:32:00.001-08:00

First off, I would like to say that I am excited to join the blog! I love to cook and find new recipes. I have muchos to share, and hope they will be helpful.

I don't know about you guys, but I always make too much rice. This is a variation on a dish I used to make for Ches alot when he was younger. He loved it, and still does! Now it is a favorite side dish. I used to just make it up as I went, but then one day I found this recipe and tried it, and success! I loved it. It had the idea to put carrots in, which was a big hit! I hope you enjoy it. If you are interested and into chinese food, I can give you CJs recipe for sweet and sour chicken. I am afraid it is a fried food, so it is more of a special treat then a healthy meal, but we love it! Just as good, if not better then restaurant dishes.

Japanese Style Fried Rice

2 cups cooked rice (*left over rice is the best)(Rice must be cold, slightly hard, like old rice gets)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped carrot (I put in 1/2 plus cup)
1/4 cup chopped green pepper (I used 1/2 or more of frozen peas)
1/3 cup diced ham/pork (thickly sliced deli ham works)
2 eggs
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp chicken bouillon
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp vegetable oil

PREPARATION:
Put a wok or a pan on high heat. Add oil to the pan. Wisk the eggs in a small bowl. Put the eggs in the heated pan and scramble very quickly. Stop the heat and remove the scrambled eggs from the pan into a dish. Put the pan on high heat and add more oil. Saute vegetables and ham until soft. Add garlic salt and chicken bouillon. Add rice and stir well. Add the scrambled egg that was cooked earlier to the rice mixture and mix together. Turn the heat down to low, add soy sauce and stir quickly. Stop the heat right away and serve.

Have a Good Recipe??

2008-01-27T18:24:00.000-08:00

I'd always rather try a recipe that a friend has recommended than out of a cookbook. If anyone else wants to join this blog and submit some favorite recipes, just email me and I will add you on. Eventually I plan to put the blog together in a book and I will have my own little recipe book with dishes that I know me and my family like.

South Western Chicken Salad

2008-01-27T18:12:00.000-08:00

I am definitely making Ratatouille this week. Thanks Jackie. Aaron and I went out to eat on Friday and I had a delicious salad. I need to figure out how to make the yummy peanut sauce that was on it, but in the meantime, I am now in the salad mood so I am putting up a great recipe for South Western Chicken Salad. Like the Ratatouille, this recipe makes a lot. It's good for big groups. I never half it because I like it a lot and enjoy the leftovers.

1 lb. chicken - marinate in lime juice and chili pepper - chop into pieces
2 diced tomatoes
1 can black beans
1 can corn
1/2 red onion chopped
1 avacado diced
1and 1/2 cups grated cheese
8 cups of salad greens
Tortilla chips

Just mix it all together - including the chips and enjoy. (Obviously - don't mix the chips in all at once if you aren't going to eat it that day because they'll get soggy).
I use ranch dressing although the original recipe had some Chipotle dressing that was really good, but I have never found again. If someone finds it let me know.

Obsessed about Ratatouille

2008-01-22T15:59:00.000-08:00

Did anyone NOT want to taste Ratatouille after watching the Disney Pixar Movie by the same name?

Well, my obsession actually increased after I tasted some baked Ratatouille that my good friend, Trina, made the other day. It was my first time trying that dish and I love it!

She finally sent it to me (two days after I tried it)via email and I plan on making it soon! I'll let you know how it goes and I'll take a picture... (But before I share this yummy recipe, I just want to thank Rachelle for letting me in on her vision of cooking healthy food for the family - a skill I am excited to cultivate. I can't wait to try out her delicious pesto sauce.)

Trina shared a few wise words of advice about this dish, "Keep in mind that this makes A LOT so use a very large skillet or stockpot for cooking the vegetables, and a large baking dish for when it goes in the broiler. And invite someone to dinner, or take part of it to someone. Seriously. We're still eating the leftovers from last week. We're getting sick of it, but that's a ton of expensive vegetables that would go to waste. The thing that takes the longest is the chopping. Once everything was cooking, it went pretty fast. Let me know if you have any questions - enjoy!!"

Chop up the following ingredients:
1 medium onion (small dice)
1 garlic clove
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 medium eggplant
2 zucchini (thin slices)
6 to 8 potatoes in bite-size pieces

Start cooking the onion, garlic, and bell peppers in a large pan. Mix in 2 14-oz cans of chopped tomatoes (do not drain, add the juice too), 1 can tomato paste, salt and pepper, and the following herbs: parsley, thyme, oregano, savory. There aren't really measurements for the herbs - use how much you normally would when you make other things. Cook this COVERED for 5 minutes, stir, cook covered for another 5 minutes.

Add the eggplant and zucchini and cook for another 10 minutes, this time UNcovered, until the vegetables are all soft the way you like them. Shorten the time a little if you like them more firm.

While the first vegetables are cooking covered, boil the potatoes separately until they are soft, then drain them.

Once everything is cooked, put the mixed vegetables in a big flat baking dish. Put the potatoes in a layer on top, then put cheese over the top.

Put under the broiler for about 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

If you want, you can add chives over the very top after it comes out of the broiler.

Mom's Pasta

2008-01-20T18:08:00.000-08:00

My Mom always makes up great dishes, just by tossing stuff together that looks good. This is one of those. Whenever I make this, I make extra pesto sauce and use it all week on sandwiches. It is yummier and better for you than mayo!!
Mom's shrimp pastaIngredients:
Penne noodles
Pesto Sauce (recipe at the bottom)
shrimp
tomato's
Artickoke hearts
peppers
Whatever else you like. Pretty simple. Just cook the noodles and toss together with all the other igredients and pour pesto sauce over the top. Serve warm.

Pesto Sauce

3 cloves garlic
2 cups fresh basil leaves
3 tablespoons pine nuts (pignolia) - (I use walnuts - much cheaper)
dash salt and pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated
Just put all ingredients in your blender. Sometimes I add water if it ends up too thick.

Help!!!!

2008-01-20T18:07:00.000-08:00

I don't know if anyone else has this problem, but cooking healthy isn't always easy. Whenever I make a dish that is full of butter and creamed soups and sour cream, I seem to get a lot of praise from my family, but a healthy dish is rarely commented on. This blog is my effort to find dishes that are healthy and delicious. I am trying to cut fat (obviously) and am interested in finding meatless dishes that still taste great. Each week I will keep a record of what we ate and if it worked or didn't. Please add any suggestions that you may have or recipes that you have tried.