Cinnamon Rolls

The dough used for this is in my previous post, Kathy's blue ribbon bread. Using one loaf of the bread dough, roll into a rectangle. spread with melted butter (I used 1/2 cup) then sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture (I used 1/2 cup sugar and less than 1/4 cup cinnamon...I didn't measure the cinnamon) You can put in chopped nuts but I didn't in this batch. roll up and cut about every 1 1/4 inches. Place on cookie sheet and let rise. Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes. let cool a bit then spread with icing.

Powdered Sugar Icing:
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 T milk or orange juice

In a mixing bowl combine sugar, vanilla and milk or juice. Stir in additional milk or juice, 1 tsp at a time till it reaches drizzling consistency. Makes 1/2 cup

Kathy's Blue Ribbon Bread

So I got this recipe from Kathy Henrie who has won the Blue Ribbon at the Utah State Fair for many years. She would stay up all night baking and crank out delicious loaves of bread! Mine is not near as yummy but still delicious! There is nothing quite as good as homemade bread, especially when it is hot out of the oven. I love it when you cut a slice, butter it and the butter melts. Yum! Today I made it with all white flour but you can make it with wheat or both.

5 cups Water divided, 1 1/2 and 3 1/2
1/2 cups Sugar or Honey
1 T salt
1 cube butter (1/2 cup)
2 T yeast
(4 eggs, fork beaten, optional)
1/2 cup Warm Water
(1/2 cup Wheat Gluten, optional)
11-14 cups Flour (white or Wheat or a combination)

In this batch I used eggs, no wheat gluten and I used 13 cups of flour.

Combine the 1/2 cup of warm water and yeast---set aside.
In sauce pan combine about 1 1/2 cups of water, sugar, and salt--heat to a boil. Add butter and turn heat to low. When butter is melted, add the rest of the water. Heat for 1-2 minutes (if using eggs, beat them in a 2 cup container. Add some of the hot water while stirring, about 1 1/4 cups water)
Pour the hot water mix into the mixing bowl and add 5 cups of the flour. Mix to a smooth batter. (with Kitchen Aid use paddle...I have a Bosch mixer and I used the dough hook.) Gradually add the egg mixture if using eggs.
Add and mix in the Yeast mixture. Add 5 more cups of flour, with the gluten mixed in it. Mix to blend in the flour. Add more flour one cup at a time till you have a smooth nonsticky dough and it cleans the sides of the bowl, about 3-6 minutes. When done mixing, remove dough hook and cover bowl with damp towel and let rise till double. (I actually moved my dough out of my mixer into a bigger bowl and let it rise there.)

On oiled countertop, divide and shape into loaves. let rise till just over 1" above pan. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes.

Chicken Quesadillas

So I used my Magic Bullet for this recipe but you can just chop the chicken and grate the cheese without it and it would taste the same.

Ingredients:

Cooked chicken
Grated cheese
tortillas

optional:
green onions
tomatoes
olives


I put the chicken, cheese, optional ingredients in the magic bullet, blended them together then spread them on the tortillas. If you don't have the blender, just combine the chicken, cheese and other ingredients together and spread them on the tortilla. Fold tortilla in half and put on cookie sheet. Put in 350F oven until cheese is melted or cook in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Chicken Macaroni Casserole

This is a simple but favorite at our house. I used to make this a lot with Tuna but my kids like it better with chicken.

1 cup macaroni noodles
grated cheddar cheese
chicken chunks
1 can cream of chicken soup


Cook macaroni noodles according to package directions. Combine noodles, cheese, soup (I use Cambell's!), and chicken (I use a canned chicken from Costco) in casserole dish. Microwave for 7 minutes or 350F in oven for 30 minutes.

Spinach Bacon Salad

I ate this too fast to take a picture! I took some spinach leaves, put some mushrooms, bacon, grated cheese, carrots and croutons and then put some raspberry vinaigrette over it and yum! My salad was gone in no time!

BBQ Pork Sandwiches

My camera is really having issues. It is 3 1/2 years old and I am really yearning for a new one so anyway...I couldn't get a picture of the BBQ pork sandwich but the bun looks just like this one on my sloppy joes. I did get a picture of the pulled pork in the crockpot though not the best pic, it gives you the idea.

BBQ sauce recipe:

1 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup celery (I didn't have celery for the recipe tonight)
3 T Butter
6 T sugar
3 T Worcestershire sauce
3/4 c lemon juice
3 c ketchup
3 t dry mustard
2 t liquid smoke
salt and pepper to taste

so tonight I admit I didn't measure out the ingredients...I just added what looked good of the above ingredients plus I put in some store bought BBQ sauce and added it to storebought pulled pork from Costco and put it in the slow cooker and let it cook all afternoon. Then I put in the bun and voila! BBQ pulled pork Sandwiches! So delicious!!!!

Incredible Omelet

Crack two eggs in a bowl, add a little milk and whip with whisk. In a greased skillet, pour in the egg mixture. The trick to a good omelet is as the eggs set, lift the edges to allow the uncooked portion on the top to flow underneath the cooked portion. When the eggs are set but still shiny, spoon the filling across the center of the omelet. Loosen the edges of the omelet with a wide spatula. fold one side over the filling. Repeat with the remaining side, allowing the edges to overlap.

Filling: grated cheese, ham, mushrooms
This photo doesn't show one of my "perfect" omelets but this one sure tasted good!!!!

Pesto for Pasta

My kids tonight looked at the noodles and said, "Ewww....what's that green stuff?" But guess what! They tasted it and actually liked it! I decided try something a little different tonight so here is the recipe. I again used my favorite beat up cook book that is now 10 years old and falling apart--Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook well new in 2001! So here is the pesto recipe:

1 cup firmly packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup firmly packed fresh parsley sprigs with stems removed or torn fresh spinach (I used both tonight)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts, walnuts, or almonds (I used pine nuts tonight)
1 large clove garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup olive oil or cooking oil (I used EVOO)

12 oz. dried fettuccine or spaghetti (I used penne noodles tonight)

1. For pesto, in a blender container or food processor bowl combine basil, parsley, Parmesan cheese, nuts, garlic, and salt. cover and blend or process with several on-off turns till a paste forms, stopping the machine several times and scraping the sides.

2. With the machine running slowly, gradually add oil adn blend or process to the consistency of soft butter.

3. Cook noodles till they are tender but firm. Drain well. Return noodles to pan. Toss pesto with noodles and serve immediately.

Note:If you're not serving the pesto immediately, divide it into 3 portions of about 1/4 cup each. Place each portion in a small airtight container and refrigerate 1 to 2 days or freeze up to 3 months.

Sloppy Joes

This is how my mom taught me to make sloppy joes. I don't like it from a package mix.

1 lb ground beef
onion
garlic
8 oz can tomato sauce
10 3/4 oz Chicken gumbo soup
Buns

Fry up hamburger with chopped onion (I used about 1/2 of a medium onion) and I put one clove of garlic in the garlic press. After, hamburger done, add the tomato sauce and gumbo soup and simmer for a few minutes until thickened. Serve on Hamburger buns and enjoy!

Turkey and Rice

No pictures today and simple dinner tonight. I put a small turkey breast in my 9x13 pan and put 3 big pats of butter and some sprinkles of Thyme on it, covered it with aluminum foil and put in the oven for an hour. Then I made a batch of rice. Simple but yummy....Turkey and rice. I should've made up some vegetables, I know....but tonight I was lazy. The family is just lucky that we didn't have frozen pizza tonight! Last night we had chicken nuggets. I need to start cooking again....but it is nice to have some lazy days.

Orange Raspberry Julius

1 can orange juice (I used pulp free)
1 cup water
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup sugar (adjust to taste)
little container of raspberries
ice cubes

Put all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Yummy Lasagne

I got this recipe from my sister-in-law Hannah and I think I already put it on this blog but it is so yummy I had to put it up again. I like this recipe because the noodles cook right inside the dish and I don't have to precook them before I assemble it. I used to hate that with my previous recipe's. It would take so long to cook the noodles separate and then assemble the lasagne. Anyway, this is is a easy yet delicious recipe! I modified this one a little, Hannah uses sliced mozzerella cheese, I used grated for this one.

1 lb hamburger
1/2 onion, chopped
28 oz can Hunts spaghetti sauce plus 1 8 oz can tomato sauce
9-10 raw Lasagne noodles (I used American Beauty)
2 cups grated mozzerella cheese
8 oz container of plain yogurt
16 oz container of cottage cheese
1/2 cup of parmesan cheese
1 cup water

Brown hamburger with onion. Add spaghetti and tomato sauce. Set aside. In separate bowl, stir yogurt, cottage cheese and parmesan cheese together. In 9 x 13 pan layer: first, a little bit of meat sauce, then raw noodles, cheese mixture on top of noodles, then sprinkle with mozzerella cheese, then a lot of meat sauce, cheese mixture, mozzerella cheese. Then pour 1 cup of water over all of lasagne mostly in the corners of pan. Cover with aluminum foil and put in 400F oven for 30 minutes. Then, reduce heat to 350F and take off aluminum foil and cook for another 30 minutes. Take out of oven and let set for 15 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Clam Chowder

I modified this recipe from my Better Homes and Garden recipe book. It is delicious on a cold day like today!

Clam Chowder

2 cans (6.5 oz) minced clams
2 slices of bacon
2 1/2 cups finely chopped, peeled potatoes (about 3 medium)
1 cup chopped onion
1 tsp instant chicken bouillon granules
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp pepper
2 cups milk
1 cup half and half, or light cream
2 T all-purpose flour

1. Chop clams, reserving juice; set clams aside. Drain canned clams, reserving juice. If necessary, add water to reserved clam juices to equal 1 cup. Set juice mixture aside.

2. In a large saucepan cook bacon till crisp. Remove bacon, reserving 1 T drippings in pan. Drain bacon on paper towels. Crumble bacon and set aside.

3. Stir reserved clam juice mixture, potatoes, onion, bouillon granules, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and pepper into saucepan. Bring to boiling, reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or till potatoes are tender. With the back of a fork, mash potatoes slightly against the side of the pan.

4. Stir together milk, half and half and flour; add to potato mixture. Cook and stir till slightly thickened and bubbly. Stir in clams. Return to boiling; reduce heat. cook for 1-2 minutes more. Sprinkle each serving with some crumbled bacon. Makes about 7 cups or 4 main-dish servings.

So I used a can of chicken broth instead of the chicken granules and that worked too. I didn't do the bacon in the pan, I just microwaved two pieces of bacon. I also didn't reserve the clam juice, I just added the liquid, potatoes, onions and spices together and cooked it till the potatoes were tender. Next time I probably won't put as many onions in because my kids don't like them but I thought it tasted just fine! Enjoy!

Chicken Rolls (Chicken Packets)

Chicken Packets or sometimes called Chicken Empanadas are one of my family's favorite meals. Here's the recipe:

2 packages crescent rolls (tonight I used Pillsbury, yum!)
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 can Costco chicken
1 small can olives (optional)
1 small can mushrooms (optional)
4 T melted butter
breadcrumbs
1 can cream of chicken soup

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix together in a bowl the chicken, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, olives, and mushrooms. Unroll crescents. Put a spoonful of mixture and roll up. Dip in butter and roll in breadcrumbs. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until brown. Heat cream of chicken soup with a little milk to make a gravy. Serve over the top of the empanadas.

Yum! Enjoy!

Shredded Roast Beef

It has taken me 17 1/2 long years of marriage to learn how to cook a pot roast! On Christmas Eve, I looked up on the Internet how to cook a roast and it turned out fabulous! So today, I thought I would try it again and see if I could get the same result and it worked. I am so excited! So this is what I did: I took a skillet and heated EVOO in it and then put the roast in the skillet. I browned all the sides and then put it in my 9 x 13 pan. I cut up a whole onion and used my garlic press on two cloves of garlic and put it on the roast. Then I added some water and beef bullion cubes and covered my pan with aluminum foil. I baked it in the oven at 300F for 4 hours and every once in awhile, I would take the roast out and baste it so it would stay moist.

I know it sounds like a weird dinner but I have a picture of what I had for dinner tonight; I shredded up the roast beef and made a sandwich which was soooo good. And we had Rice-A-Roni and carrots. The carrots are a favorite of my kids.

I cut the carrots up and boil them on the stovetop for a few minutes till they are tender. Then I drain the water and add butter and brown sugar. Yum! So that is what we ate for dinner tonight. I plan on using the leftover roast beef for more recipes and hopefully I can blog about them soon.

Gingerbread Pancakes

I have really enjoyed the last few days cooking and taking pictures and blogging about it. I haven't really done a lot with my food blog for the past two years but it is one of my goals this year to do more cooking and blogging! Yesterday, my recipe that I was making for yesterday's entry didn't work out too well. I was trying to make Gingerbread pancakes from a mix that my neighbor brought me and the pancakes were just not working out. They were sticking to the skillet and raw on the top and sticking to the bottom and I was just getting frustrated! So I poured the whole mixture in a pan and made it into a cake! It didn't turn out too bad. I am still trying to get the recipe for the mix so I don't have the recipe but I do have a picture of my "pan cake"!

Update 1/11/11: Here is the recipe:
1 C. cake flour

1 C. all purpose flour

7 T. buttermilk powder

4 T. sugar

2 t. ground ginger

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. salt

1/8 t. ground cloves

1 C. white chocolate chips

Combine all ingredients. Transfer to a decorative jar.

Then here is what you do with these ingredients:
Attach a recipe card with these directions to the Gingerbread Pancake Mix:

Place mix in a large bowl. Add:

1 3/4 C. water

6 T. melted butter

1/4 C. molasses

2 eggs

Blend until just combined. Pour batter 1/4 C. at a time, in a hot skillet, to make the pancakes. Cook pancakes, turning once, about 2 minutes.

Yield: 20 pancakes

Chicken and Potatoes

This recipe comes from a cookbook called "Cooking with Food Storage" by Debbie G. Harman that I adapted for my family. It is fast and easy, one of the reasons I love it!

1 can chicken chunks (I use Costco's) You can put in more if you wish
3 cups dried potato slices (I got a can at Macey's, you can also get it in the bulk section at WinCo)
1 can green beans
1/2 cup sour cream powder (I think I also got this can at Maceys in the Emergency Preparedness section.)
3 cups water
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation: Combine chicken, potatoes, and green beans in Crock-Pot. Add 2 cups water. Mix sour cream powder with remaining water until smooth. Pour over chicken and potatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. cook on high 1-2 hours or until potatoes are tender.

(You can also cook this recipe in the over 350F for one hour. Just combine all the ingredients in a casserole dish.) Enjoy!

Mom's Famous Pizza

My mom makes such good homemade pizza, I finally asked her for her recipe. She makes it every Halloween and New Year's Eve for our family parties that we have. I tried it tonight and although it didn't taste as good as mom's, it did turn out pretty good. The whole pizza was devoured by my husband and five kids. Here's the recipe:

1 cup water
1 tbsp yeast (mom likes SAF yeast)
1 tsp salt
2-3 cups flour
1 T vegetable oil (I used EVOO)


I started out by adding the yeast to the water in the measure cup.
In another bowl I put the salt and 1 cup of flour and then added the yeast mixture. I stirred it up and then started adding flour and then kneaded it with my hands till it wasn't too sticky but not over floured. I put the EVOO right in the pan and spread it around the pan. You put the dough right on it and the oil soaks in as it cooks. I used my rolling pin to roll the dough out but I think my mom just pulls it by hand till it is spread out. Then I put spaghetti sauce on the dough and added ham and mozzerella cheese. You can add whatever toppings you want and enjoy!!

Yummy Banana Bread

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp cinamon
1 tsp soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp all spice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 banana's, mashed
1 tbsp milk

Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs and beat well. Sift all dry ingredients together. Add sifted ingredients to creamed mixture along with banana and milk. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350F for 50-60 min or until a sharp knife inserted comes out clean.

Chex Mix Party Mix

http://www.chex.com/recipes/RecipeView.aspx?RecipeId=6709&CategoryId=343

Chex Mix Party Mix

So I probably should have posted this yesterday before everyone's New Year's Eve parties but I enjoy this any day! I made this for our party with a little variation. Instead of mixed nuts, I just had cashews and I bought some Gardetto mix with the pretzels and bagel chips and added that. This recipe is the Original Chex Mix recipe right off their site. I really enjoy it, especially for a party. When I get the munchies, this will cure it right fast! Enjoy!

3	cups Corn Chex® cereal
3	cups Rice Chex® cereal
3	cups Wheat Chex® cereal
1	cup mixed nuts
1	cup bite-size pretzels
1	cup garlic-flavor bite-size bagel chips or regular-size bagel chips, broken into 1-inch pieces
6	tablespoons butter or margarine
2	tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2	teaspoons seasoned salt
3/4	teaspoon garlic powder
1/2	teaspoon onion powder

1.	In a large microwavable bowl, mix cereals, nuts, pretzels and bagel chips; set aside. In small microwavable bowl, microwave butter uncovered on High about 40 seconds or until melted. Stir in seasonings. Pour over cereal mixture; stir until evenly coated.
2.	Microwave uncovered on High 5 to 6 minutes, thoroughly stirring every 2 minutes. Spread on paper towels to cool. Store in airtight container.
Oven Directions Heat oven to 250°F. In large bowl, mix cereals, nuts, pretzels and bagel chips; set aside. In ungreased large roasting pan, melt butter in oven. Stir in seasonings. Gradually stir in cereal mixture until evenly coated. Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread on paper towels to cool, about 15 minutes. Store in airtight container.