Susie's Recipes

Valentine's Day: Heart-Shaped Mini Pizzas

2012-02-10T13:45:00.000-08:00

We made these mini heart-shaped pizzas for a playdate. The kids had a healthy lunch, and lots of fun!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

2012-02-01T19:30:00.000-08:00

I saw this recipe on Making Memories (via Pinterest) and decided to try it - with a few modifications, of course. It may sound a little weird, but it's delicious! The kids especially liked it. I shared it with Tasha, and her family also loved it.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
16 oz frozen hashbrowns
3-4 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1/2 lb. diced ham
2 c. shredded Swiss cheese

Sauce (original recipe):

1 can cream of chicken soup
8 ounces cream cheese
1/4 c. milk
1/4 t. pepper

Sauce (my version):
1 can cream of chicken soup
4 ounces cream cheese
1/2 c. milk
1/4 t. pepper
2 T. dijon mustard

Mix sauce ingredients together.

In a 9x13 pan, layer potatoes, chicken, ham, and half of the Swiss cheese. Pour sauce over the cheese. Top with the rest of the Swiss cheese. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes covered, and 10 minutes uncovered.

Bean and Bacon Soup

2012-01-01T16:38:00.000-08:00

This recipe came from Real Simple magazine many years ago. John loves it! Sometimes I use 1 cup cubed ham instead of the bacon. We had this tonight with 90-minute rolls.

Bean and Bacon Soup
4 strips bacon
3/4 c. chopped carrot
1 c. chopped celery
1 c. chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans great Northern beans, drained
salt and pepper

In a soup pot, fry bacon until crisp. Remove from the pan, chop and set aside. Add carrot to pan drippings and cook 5 minutes. Add celery, onion and garlic and cook 3 minutes. Add beans and 2 c. water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer on low 10 minutes. Mash some of the beans with a potato masher to thicken the soup. Season with salt and pepper, and stir in bacon.

90-Minute Rolls

2012-01-01T16:27:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure where I got this recipe from, but it's a stand-by because you don't have to wait all day for the rolls to rise.

90-Minute Rolls
2 1/2 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
2 T. sugar
1 T. yeast
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. water
2 T. butter

Heat milk, water and butter in a saucepan until very warm. Mix 1 cup flour with sugar, yeast and salt. Add milk mixture. Beat 3 minutes on high. Stir in remaining flour and knead 3-4 minutes. Rise 15 minutes. Divide dough into 8-12 pieces and shape into balls. Place in a greased cake pan. Rise 15 minutes. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes.

Cheeseball Appetizer

2011-11-25T17:31:00.000-08:00

I've made a lot of different (but very similar) cheeseballs. Once I made cheeseball truffles, rolled in different mix-ins, for a baby shower. For Thanksgiving, Maggie and I made this snowman cheeseball from Betty Crocker. We didn't use the recipe, just the snowman idea. Here's my generic cheeseball recipe with some mix-in/roll-in ideas.

1 pkg cream cheese

2 c. grated cheese

Blend together.

That's it! You can use any kind of cheese for a different flavor. I just use my standard colby-jack. I like to mix chopped green onion in mine, but here are some more ideas for mixing into the cheeseball, or pressing/rolling onto the outside:

1/2 t. dry mustard

chopped walnuts

chopped pecans

sesame seeds

parsley

paprika

diced olives

diced sundried tomatoes

diced red pepper

To make the snowman, we "frosted" two cheeseballs with some cream cheese whipped with milk. We used raisins, a carrot, pretzel sticks, and celery to decorate. I used a peeler to make thin strips of celery for the scarf. Maggie was a really big help.

John's "Deceptive" Andes Mint Cookies

2011-11-21T18:26:00.000-08:00

Several years ago, John made and delivered these cookies to his Home Teaching families. Later, at church, one of the ladies told him his cookies were "deceptive!" They look just like chocolate chip cookies, but the Andes Mint chunks provide a much different flavor.

1/2 c. butter

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. sugar

1 t. baking soda

1 t. baking powder

2 t. vanilla

2 eggs

1 pkg Andes Creme de Menthe Baking Chips

2 2/3 c. flour

Blend butter, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla and eggs. Stir in baking chips and then flour. Chill dough 1 hour. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

Layered Pasta Salad

2011-11-15T19:19:00.000-08:00

I combined two recipes into dinner tonight. John and I both would have preferred a lighter dressing, but I really liked the combination of ingredients I used.

Layered Pasta Salad

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

3 cups cooked small shell pasta

1 cup diced cooked ham

1/2 cup ranch dressing mixed with 1/2 cup mayo

1 cup cheese cubes

1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup cashews

2 sliced green onions

Stir just before serving. Mix it up before you serve. Distribute the dressing. Do it.

Maggie helped make dinner and was a BIG help. She was so proud of herself, too. She measured, stirred and poured, and I cut up some strips of cheese for her to cut into cubes with a plastic knife.

Dalton was not a big help. Sorry, boy. He also refused to eat any dinner. Sigh. He's cute, though.

Halloween Food

2011-10-29T00:17:00.000-07:00

We've done some fun food things for Halloween this year. My favorite was probably the Stuffed Pepper Jack-o-Lanterns - mostly because the Mexican Stuffed Pepper recipe I've been using is sooo good. The kids loved the ghost bananas best.

Pumpkin Muffin Tin Mea l

Orange & Black Muffin Tin Meal

Ghost Banana Snacks

Monster Meatballs

Stuffed Pepper Jack-o-Lanterns

Spider Crackers

Cafe Rio Cilantro-Lime Rice (Copycat)

2011-10-15T07:37:00.000-07:00

I made a few other Cafe Rio copycate recipes, but this one for Cilantro-Lime Rice is the only one that stuck around. We've had it quite a few times.

Cafe Rio Cilantro-Lime Rice Copycat Recipe

4 T. butter

2 c. rice

2 cans chicken broth

1 1/2 t. salt

1/4 c. lime juice

1/2 t. cumin

Boil on low until rice is cooked. Add 2 T. chopped cilantro.

Caramel Apple Cider

2011-09-27T02:44:00.000-07:00

Caramel Apple Cider

1/4 c. heavy cream
1/4 c. brown sugar
3 c. apple juice
1/2 c. water

Boil cream and brown sugar in a saucepan. Add cider and water and heat until cider begins to steam. Divide into four mugs and top with whipped cream., if desired.

Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

2011-09-12T04:52:00.001-07:00

More muffins. More pumpkin muffins. And these ones are even better. I got the recipe from Baking Bites, but I didn't follow it (shocking). I will add more of the original spices once they're available to me, because John thought they needed more spice.

Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

1/2 c. butter, melted

3/4 c. pumpkin

1/2 c. yogurt or milk (yes, I used milk once and it was fine)

2 eggs

1 t. vanilla

2 c. flour

2 t. baking powder

1 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. cloves (didn't have)

pinch nutmeg

1/4 t. allspice (didn't have)

1/2 t. salt

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. white sugar

Streusel Topping

1/2 c. soft butter

1/2 c. sugar

3/4 c. flour

pinch salt

1/2 t. cinnamon

The usual muffin-making deal: Mix dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients. Blend together just until moist. Mix up topping into a crumb. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Add topping. Bake at 400 16-19 minutes. Yum.

Taco Ring

2011-09-12T04:42:00.001-07:00

I got the idea for a Taco Ring here, but I wanted something to cover the meat completely (and also I wouldn't use Pillsbury crescent rolls even if I had them). I used a full recipe of pizza dough, divided in half and rolled into two ovals, with the centers cut out. Pile on cooked taco meat and some cheese...

Add the top layer and bake! Ours baked at 375 for 20-25 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve with taco toppings, salsa, or (in our case) Ranch dressing.
This would be even easier if you had cooked ground beef already in your freezer.

Red Velvet Pancakes

2011-07-24T04:31:00.000-07:00

I made these heart-shaped red velvet pancakes for John's birthday. I poured the batter into an empty syrup bottle so I could easily make heart shapes. I thought they were good, and the kids really loved them, but John didn't seem very impressed. This recipe made plenty for the four of us.

Red Velvet Pancakes

2 c. flour

2 T. cocoa

1 t. baking soda

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

2 T. sugar

2 eggs

2 T. melted butter or oil

2 c. buttermilk (milk with a dash of vinegar)

2 t. vanilla extract

red food coloring

Mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients. Add food coloring if desired. I added a few drops of pink food coloring and the finished pancakes don't look very red. I served them with fresh whipped cream.

Texas Sheet Cake

2011-07-24T04:17:00.000-07:00

Why is this recipe not on my blog? Sheesh. Here it is NOT in a sheet pan, since I made this one in a tiny toaster oven, but it's too delicious to keep from you any longer. Grandma June LOVED this cake and I always made sure to bring her a piece.

Texas Sheet Cake Recipe

2 cubes butter

1 c. water

1/4 c. cocoa

1/4 t. salt

2 c. flour

2 c. sugar

1/4 c. buttermilk (milk with a dash of vinegar)

1 t. baking soda

2 eggs

1 t. cinnamon

1 t. vanilla

Boil butter, water, and cocoa. Stir in flour, sugar and salt. Add remaining ingredients and beat until smooth. Grease and flour a sheet pan. Bake 20 minutes at 375.

Fudge Frosting

1 cube butter

1/4 c. cocoa

6 T. milk

3 c. icing sugar

1 t. vanilla

Boil butter, cocoa and milk. Stir in vanilla, and add powdered sugar until smooth. Pour over cake while hot.

Empanadas

2011-07-18T22:02:00.000-07:00

Like the Mini Beef and Potato Pies, this recipe freezes well. There's something about encasing food in dough that makes it delicious and freezable. I used shredded taco chicken and cheese as filling, and we dipped the empanadas in ranch dressing.

Empanada Dough Recipe

4 c. all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 t. baking powder
2 t. salt
1/2 c. cold butter, cut up
1 c. cold water
1 lightly beaten with 1.5 T. water

Cut butter into dry ingredients. Add cold water until dough comes together. Knead into two smooth balls. Roll 1/4" thick and cut into 4 or 5 inch circles. Fill with 2 t. filling, fold in half, and crimp the edges.

Brush with egg and bake at 400° for 25-35 minutes.

Banana Muffins with Lemon Icing

2011-06-09T19:42:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from Weight Watchers. (!) It's basically a mediocre banana bread with a tart lemon icing, and somehow the two work together deliciously. The kids didn't like them - Dalton would eat it without the icing - but John and I did.

Banana Muffins

1/2 c. sugar

5 T. butter

1 egg

1 t. vanilla

2 c. flour

2 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1/4 c. milk

4 large ripe bananas, mashed

Blend sugar, butter, egg and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients. Blend half of flour mixture into wet ingredients. Stir in milk, add remaining flour ingredients. Fold in mashed bananas. Bake 25-30 minutes at 350. Makes 18 muffins.

Lemon Icing

1 c. powdered sugar

1 T. soft butter

1 T. fresh lemon juice

1 t. lemon zest

1 t. vanilla

Combine all ingredients until smooth.

Apple Struesel Muffins

2011-06-02T20:56:00.000-07:00

After breakfast this morning John said, "That was amazing!" A high compliment of itself, but John rarely even comments on his meals, so you know these have got to be good. See, here's Dalton just waiting to take a bite!

The oiginal recipe is from Baking Bites.

Streusel Topping

1/3 c. brown sugar

1/2 t. cinnamon

2 T. butter

1/2 c. chopped walnuts

Mix until coarse crumbs.

Apple Muffin

1 1/2 c. flour

1/2 t. baking soda

1 t. baking powder

2/3 c. brown sugar

1/2 t. salt

1/3 c. oil

1 egg

1/2 c. buttermilk (I use milk with a dash of white vinegar)

1 t. vanilla

2/3 c. grated apple (2 small)

These are general instructions for making all types of muffins: Mix wet ingredients (including the grated apple in this case). Mix all dry ingredients. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet just until moist.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Top with streusel topping and bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes.

The first time I made these, we didn't have any walnuts. Butter and brown sugar on top = yum!

Pumpkin Muffins

2011-05-31T21:37:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Muffin Recipe

1 1/2 c. flour

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1 t. pumpkin pie spice (I just use cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg)

1 c. pumpkin puree (I use fresh, which is why my muffins are so light in color)

1 1/4 c. sugar

1/3 c. vegetable oil

2 eggs

Topping:

1 T. sugar

1 t. cinnamon

Mix pumpkin puree with sugar. Blend in oil and eggs. Mix remaining dry ingredients and fold into pumpkin mixture just until moistened.

Divide into muffin cups and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar topping. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Shared at Melt in Your Mouth Monday.

Mini Beef and Potato Pies

2011-05-31T20:59:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from my cousin Jill, whose pies are much prettier. She adapted it from a book, I adapted it when writing it down, and Kannagi adapted it when making it, so it's been through a lot. These were really delicious, and easy to double and freeze.

Mini Beef and Potato Pies

1 lb ground beef

1 small onion, finely diced

1 T. minced garlic

3 potatoes, peeled and diced

1/2 c. carrot, diced

1 bay leaf

2 T. oil

2 T. flour

1 c. chicken broth

1 egg

Cook meat, onion and garlic in oil. Sprinkle with flour. Add chicken broth. Simmer 15 minutes. Add carrot, potato and bay leaf. Simmer 15-25 minutes, stirring, until potato is cooked.

Pie Crust

1/2 c. butter

2 c. flour

1 T. sugar

1 t. salt

Mix all ingredients together. Roll the dough out and cut into 6 inch circles. Put each circle in a muffin cup and fill with meat mixture. Top with 4 inch circles of dough. Brush egg on top of dough.

Bake 30 minutes at 350.

Indian Food: Chapati and Roti Breads

2011-05-25T00:46:00.000-07:00

Chapati and Roti are Indian flatbreads - unleavened and cooked on a grill. The main difference between the two is that Roti is brushed with oil before cooking. It's basically exactly like a flour tortillas, though Indians usually use atta, 100% whole wheat flour, and there's no baking powder.

Chapati/Roti Indian Bread Recipe

1/2 c. whole wheat flour

1 c. white flour

1/4 t. salt

1 T. oil

1/2 c. water + T or so

Mix the dry ingredients and the oil. Add water and knead with your hands until the dough is smooth and just a a little sticky. Knead for 5 minutes. Let the dough rest for 5-10 minutes.

Break off about a tablespoon of dough and form into a smooth ball. Roll the dough out into a very thin circle.

Cook the chapati on a dry grill. To make roti, brush each side of the flattened dough with oil before cooking on the griddle.

Indian Food: Naan

2011-05-25T00:42:00.000-07:00

Kannagi had never heard of naan, so I think it might be a North Indian food. South Indians use chapati or roti to mop up their "gravy" instead.

Naan Indian Bread Recipe

1 T. yeast

1 c. warm water

1/4 c. sugar

3 T. milk

1 egg, beaten

2 t. salt

4 1/2 c. flour

2 t. garlic

1/4 c. melted butter

Mix yeast, water and sugar and let stand 10 minutes. Mix in remaining ingredients, except butter. Rise 1 hour. Form into balls. Rise 1/2 hour. Roll balls thinly, brush with melted butter and grill on each side.

Indian Butter Chicken

2011-05-25T00:36:00.000-07:00

A recipe for Indian Butter Chicken already exists on this blog. This is Kannagi's version, with added potatoes, because I'd rather eat a potato than a chicken.

1 T. butter

2 T. cashew nut

Fry the nuts in butter and remove.

1 T. butter

1 chopped onion

Add to pan and fry until onion is cooked.

2 T. ginger garlic paste

(you can buy this in a packet, or make your own by pureeing 1 T. garlic and 1 T. ginger root)

Add to pan and fry.

1/2 lb chicken cubes

1/2 lb potato cubes

1/4 t. turmeric

1/4 t. chili powder

1/4 t. coriander powder

1/4 t. garam masala

Add to pan and fry.

4-5 tomatoes, pureed

Add to pan and fry. When potatoes and chicken are done, add:

1/2 c. coconut milk

1 T. chopped cilantro

Heat through.

Serve with rice and naan.

English Muffins

2011-05-17T23:29:00.001-07:00

Yep, homemade English Muffins. These are made a lot like pancakes, except that you let the batter rise. They are really yummy, and the kids love them, too. This recipe is adapted from a version adapted from the original Alton Brown recipe. He suggests making them in a 3-inch ring, or a tuna can with top and bottom removed. So if you want yours circular, go for it.

English Muffin Recipe

1/3 c. warm water

1 T. sugar

2 1/2 t. yeast

1 c. warm milk

3/4 t. salt

2 c. flour

Mix water, sugar, and yeast and let sit for 10 minutes. Mix in milk, salt and flour until smooth. Cover and let rise 30 minutes.

Scoop 1/4 c. of the batter onto a hot griddle. Good luck with that. I found the batter to be too thick - it stayed in a mound, rather than settling down so the top could be flat when I flipped it. I ended up stirring in an extra 2-3 T. water. I've made these three times and thought the batter was too thick each time. None of the other recipes I found show a picture of the batter, so here you go. This is after the 2-3 T. extra water. I'll add 2-3 T. extra milk in before rising next time.

Cook until brown on the bottom and set on the top, then flip. Cook until brown.

Cool on a wire rack at least 15 minutes. Split with a fork, toast and enjoy!

Orange Rolls

2011-05-17T23:00:00.000-07:00

We used to eat the Pillsbury Orange Sweet Rolls quite a lot of breakfast. This week I tried a from-scratch recipe for them and I was pleased at how easy they were to make and how good they were. I think they were also less unhealthy than the Pillsbury ones.

I cut the recipe in half and it made 12 rolls which was plenty for four adults. I also made them the night before, left the rolls covered in the fridge and popped them in the oven the next morning.

This is the first time I've ever had the opportunity to cut rolls using thread and it worked great! I don't make cinnamon rolls, and Kannagi made the dough, so of course it was perfect.

Orange Rolls Recipe

5 c. flour

1 T. yeast

1/2 c. butter

1/4 c. sugar

1/2 t. salt

2 eggs

2 T. orange zest

1/4 c. orange juice

1/2 c. sugar

2 t. cinnamon

Mix yeast and 2 c. flour. Heat milk, butter and sugar until warm (butter will be almost melted). Add to 2 c. flour and yeast. Add eggs and mix well. Stir in salt, orange zest and orange juice. Add as much of the remaining flour as you can and knead 10-15 minutes.

Rise 1 hour.

Roll the dough into two 9x13 rectangles. Mix 1/2 c. sugar and 2 t. cinnamon. Sprinkle each rectangle of dough with cinnamon sugar mixture. Roll the dough up jelly-roll style. Cut into 1-inch rounds using a piece of thread.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Orange Icing Recipe

1/2 c. powdered sugar

1 t. orange zest

1-2 T. orange juice

Mix powdered sugar and orange zest. Blend in just enough orange juice to make an icing texture. It doesn't take as much as you think!

Peanut Butter Muffins

2011-05-05T00:50:00.000-07:00

What is Dalton eating with such zest? Why it's a peanut butter muffin! We've been trying lots of muffin recipes around here. This one is courtesy of weezie at Mommysavers.

Peanut Butter Muffins

1 cup white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup soft butter
1 cup milk
2 eggs

Mix dry ingredients. Cut in peanut butter and butter. Add milk and eggs and stir just until moist. Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes.

More!

Indian Food: Veg Biryani and Raita

2011-05-04T03:42:00.000-07:00

6 months after coming to India, I have finally learned how to cook Indian food. One dish at least. Biryani (minus copious amounts of chili powder) is one of the Indian dishes we've found that we like. I just fed the last of the leftovers to Dalton for lunch and he gobbled it down. There is a veg version and a chicken version. In one you use vegetables, in the other, chicken. Apparently, it's weird to mix the two, but I've been doing so anyway.

Veg or Chicken Biryani Recipe

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 bay leaves

2 cinnamon sticks

3 whole cloves

2 cardamom pods

1 small red onion, chopped

1 teaspoon garlic, minced or pureed

1 teaspoon ginger, minced or pureed

2 tomatoes, chopped

2 teaspoons plain yogurt

1 teaspoon coriander leaf (cilantro)

1 teaspoon mint leaf

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon coriander powder

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/4 teaspoon garam masala

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sliced carrot

1/2 cup sliced green beans

1/2 lb cubed chicken

1 cup rice

2 cups water

Cook the first set of ingredients in the oil until onion is soft. Add the ginger-garlic paste and tomatoes. Add the cilantro and mint, the yogurt, and the powdered spices. Stir in the veggies and chicken. Add rice and water. Cook until rice and chicken are done.

Raita is a condiment used to take the heat off some Indian dishes. It reminds me of eating sour cream, lettuce, and pico de gallo with enchiladas.

Raita Recipe

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/2 tomato, chopped

1/2 cucumber, chopped

1/2 red onion, chopped

1 t. cilantro, chopped

dash salt

Mix

Strawberry Lemonade Bars

2011-05-01T05:13:00.000-07:00

This delicious, summery dessert is basically lemon bars with strawberry puree mixed in the lemon curd. Recipe from Baking Bites, but you could just use your own lemon bar recipe and just mix in some pureed strawberries if you like.

Strawberry Lemonade Bars Recipe
Crust
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

Filling
1 cup fresh lemon juice
2-3 tsp lemon zest
1/2 cup pureed strawberries (about 3/4 cup berries)
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Cream together butter and sugar. Add flour and salt until mixture is crumbly. Press into an even layer in a greased 9x13 pan. Bake 17 minutes at 350.

Mix lemon juice, lemon zest, pureed strawberries, sugar and eggs until smooth. Add in flour, baking soda and salt. Pour filling over hot crust and bake an additional 23-26 minutes until filling is set.

Glazed Pear Crepes

2011-04-10T03:16:00.001-07:00

I invented this recipe for Glazed Pear crepe filling after we ate at a French cafe and saw it on the menu (too late to order it). It was delicious and we'll definitely be having it again.

Glazed Pear Crepe Filling Recipe

2 pears, peeled and thinly sliced

1/4 cup apple juice (optional)

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon brown sugar

dash cinnamon

Boil pears in apple juice until soft, if required. Drain. If you are using canned pears, or if your pears are really ripe you can probably skip this step, but pears in India don't ever seem to ripen.

Melt butter in pan and add brown sugar and cinnamon . Saute pears in butter and brown sugar until it forms a glaze sauce that clings to the pears.

Spoon the glazed pear filling into a crepe and top with some whipped cream.

Here is my mom's crepe recipe as well. Crepes are really easy to make.

Crepe Recipe

1 c. cold water
1 c. cold milk
4 eggs
1/2 t. salt
2 c. flour
4 T. melted butter

Blend all ingredients in the blender.

Pour about 1/4 c. batter into a heated, 6 inch non-stick frying pan (don’t grease it). Swirl the pan around, off the heat, until it is covered in batter, then pour out the excess. Cook until lightly browned, flip and cook about 10 more seconds to brown the other side.

Playdough Recipe

2011-04-07T04:18:00.000-07:00

I have been using a new playdough recipe that seems to be a bit more elastic and doesn't require cream or tartar (which is unavailable in India). I think it makes a good amount for three colors.

2 cups flour

1/2 cup salt

1 packet Kool-Aid or a few drops of food coloring

1 cup boiling water

2 1/2 tablespoons oil

Puffy Pancakes

2011-03-27T22:35:00.001-07:00

We call these puffy pancakes because we called them Dutch pancakes growing up and John called them German pancakes and we could never agree. So, we started a new tradition. This is Maggie's favorite breakfast.

This recipe is easy to remember because you just need 1 of everything. (4 eggs = 1 cup)

4 eggs

1 cup flour

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons butter

Turn the oven on to 425. Put the butter in a 9x9 glass dish and put it in the oven until the butter is melted. Mix the remaining ingredients well. Once the butter is melted, remove from the oven and turn the pan to coat the bottom and sides. Pour the batter into the pan and bake at 425 for 20 minutes. Don't open the door while it's baking!

White Cake with Strawberry Cream Filling and Strawberry Frosting

2011-03-09T06:37:00.000-08:00

Maggie requested "strawberry" for her birthday cake. She also wanted an animals party, and we ended up with a strawberry circus elephant cake! I made a white cake, filled it with strawberry cream, and frosted it with homemade strawberry frosting. It was delicious, if you like excess of sugar.

To make the elephant cake, I baked two round cakes, and cut a cone-shaped trunk out of the center of one. The two sides of the cut cake served as the ears. I had to cut and bend the trunk, as it didn't fit on the baking sheet.

White Cake Recipe

2 cups sugar

1 cup butter

4 eggs

2 tablespoons vanilla extract (yes, tablespoons)

3 cups flour

3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup milk

Cream together butter and sugar. Beat well until fluffy. Beat it a lot, or your cake will be heavy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Again, beat the batter a lot. Stir in vanilla extract, then add flour mixed with baking powder. Stir in milk until batter is smooth.

Bake in two greased 9" pans at 350 for 30-40 minutes (until cake springs back when touched).

Strawberry Cream Filling Recipe

1 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon sugar

1 cup diced strawberries

Beat cream with sugar until it forms stiff peaks. Stir in strawberries. Don't make this too long beforehand or the cream will sink.

Split the cake in the center, remove the top half and spread with strawberry cream filling. Replace the top half of the cake.

Strawberry Frosting Recipe

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup strawberries, pureed (about 1/4 cup after pureeing)

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups powdered sugar

Beat butter, and blend in strawberry puree and vanilla. Mix in powdered sugar until you get a frosting consistency.

This stuff is so good. It tastes like strawberry ice cream. This made just enough to frost two separate cakes, including all the cut edges.

Sources:

white cake recipe

strawberry frosting recipe

elephant cake

New York - What I Ate

2010-12-02T18:45:00.001-08:00

Started this post in December. Then I moved to India and forgot about it. Here are some of the delicious restaurants Leonard and I ate at in NYC. Doing this blog made me crave beef.

Red Sonja from Mundo

Thanksgiving with Leonard. We used the same recipes as last year except Leonard dry-brined the chicken. The chicken was SO good! He rubbed it with salt and put it in a plastic bag in the fridge overnight, rotating it once.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2010-09-22T19:31:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from my sister-in-law Erin and it is really good. The recipe makes a ton, though. I will half it next time.

1 pkg of red beans and rice

1 1/2 lbs diced chicken

2 cans diced tomatoes ( I like to use the mexican seasoned ones)

2 cans chicken broth

1 green pepper, diced

1 onion, diced

shredded cheese

tortilla chips
sour cream

Cook rice first, cook chicken if needed while rice is cooking. Add pepper and onion and any seasoning you wish with chicken. Then after rice is cooked just add everything to the rice and let simmer for at least 45 min. or until heated. Add cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips in bowl on top and serve.

Chicken a la King

2010-08-31T18:58:00.000-07:00

1 can buttermilk biscuits
1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. flour
1 can chicken broth
1 c. milk
2 c. cubed cooked turkey or chicken
1 c. sliced cooked carrots
1 can green beans
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper

Cook biscuits according to package directions. Melt butter with flour in a saucepan. Add milk and chicken broth and boil 2 minutes. Stir in chicken, carrots, green beans, salt and pepper and heat through. Serve over biscuits.

Chili Cheese Dog Casserole

2010-08-31T11:22:00.000-07:00

One of many great main dish recipes from my friend Tasha. Many of my often-made dishes are from her, so more to come.
1 c. chopped green pepper
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped celery
1 T. olive oil
1 pkg hot dogs, sliced
1 can chili
1 T. brown sugar
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. chili powder
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
1 pkg cornbread mix, or recipe below

Mix cornbread mix per instructions. Spread half of the batter in a greased, 9x9 pan. Saute veggies in oil. Add hot dog and cook 3-4 minutes. Add chili and spices and heat through. Stir in 3/4 c. cheese. Pour mixture over batter in pan. Spread remaining batter on top and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake uncovered at 350 for 28-32 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes.

Cornbread recipe:
3/4 c. flour
1/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. cornmeal
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
2 T. milk
1 egg
2 T. and 2 t. oil
1 1/2 T. melted butter

Mix dry and wet ingredients separately. Blend together lightly.

Chocolate-Frosted Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats

2010-08-19T05:18:00.000-07:00

1 c. sugar
1 c. corn syrup
1 c. peanut butter
6 c. Kellogg’s Rice Krispies
1 1/2 c. chocolate chips

*Cook sugar and corn syrup in a medium saucepan until dissolved.
*Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter until smooth.
*Stir in Rice Krispies.
*Press into a 9x13 pan lined with wax paper.
*Melt chocolate chips and spread on top.

Variations: You can substitute 3 c. mini marshmallows and 2 T. butter instead of the corn syrup and sugar. Also, you could mix some butterscotch chips in with the chocolate chips for the frosting.

Homemade Fruit Snacks

2010-08-09T11:41:00.000-07:00

I saw this on Skip to My Lou and knew it would be perfect for an activity with Maggie. We made them in a Jell-o Bean mold, or you can use candy molds or probably even silicone ice cube molds.

1 3 oz box flavored gelatin
2 packages unflavored gelatin
1/3 c. water

Sprinkle the gelatin over the water in a small saucepan. Let sit 5-10 minutes. Heat over medium heat and stir until dissolved, 2-5 minutes. Pour into your molds (I used a plastic measuring cup with a spout) and let cool for 20 minutes. Pop out and eat!
They came out really easily, but were super sticky to themselves, our fingers... pretty much everything except the mold. So I did dust them with a bit of cornstarch.

Update: I made these again using fruit juice. I used 1/2 c. fruit juice and 3 1 oz packages of unflavored gelatin. I used apple juice, so they were kind of gross, but I think pineapple or a red juice would be yummy. They were not as sticky as the jell-o ones.
I made them in a rubber ice cube tray from the dollar store! They came out great once they cooled enough.

Coconut Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

2010-07-23T13:55:00.000-07:00

John loves coconut and requested these for his birthday.

1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1 c. sugar
3/4 c. butter
3 eggs
3/4 t. pure vanilla extract
3/4 t. pure almond extract
1/2 cup buttermilk (or milk with a little vinegar)
1 7-ounce package flaked sweetened coconut
cream cheese icing

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the sugar and butter on medium speed for about 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Turn the mixer speed to low, and add the eggs one at a time, beating 1 minute after each. Beat in the vanilla and almond extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and beat again briefly.

Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk alternately to the butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Fold in only 1 1/3 cups of the coconut.

Fill each muffin cup almost full with batter. Bake in a 325-degree oven for 20 minutes or until the cupcake tops are golden and a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. When cool, frost with cream cheese icing and sprinkle remaining coconut on top.

For the frosting I did:

4 oz cream cheese
4 oz butter
1 T. milk
1 t. vanilla
2 c. powdered sugar
3 drops food coloring
Beat until smooth. This generously frosted 24 cupcakes.

Warm Potato Salad with Blue Cheese

2010-07-12T13:01:00.000-07:00

(we ate this with fried okra)

This was a quick, flavorful salad - and I don't even like blue cheese!

4 pounds red potatoes, cubed
8 strips of bacon
1 red onion, thinly sliced
pepper
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. vinegar (I used 2 T. red wine vinegar, 2 T. white vinegar, 1 T. balsamic vinegar)
1 T. sugar
1 c. crumbled blue cheese

Cook the potatoes until tender. Cook and crumble bacon. Remove all but 2 T bacon fat. Cook onion in bacon fat until tender. Add olive oil, vinegar and sugar. Cook until sugar is dissolved. Pour over potatoes. Season with salt and lots of pepper. Add bacon and mix thoroughly. Sprinkle with blue cheese.

Baklava

2010-05-02T11:45:00.000-07:00

I accidentally bought phyllo dough instead of pastry dough a while ago, and what better thing to use if for than learning to make baklava? It was a little time intensive, but not difficult, and very delicious! I actually made 1/2 the recipe in a 9x9 pan.

1 16 oz package phyllo dough
1 lb chopped nuts (I used pecans and walnuts)
1 c. butter
1 t. cinnamon
1 ½ c. water
1 ½ c. white sugar
1 ½ t. vanilla
¾ c. honey

Butter a 9x13 pan. Chop nuts and toss with cinnamon. Melt butter Unroll phyllo dough. Cut stack in half to fit pan. Cover phyllo with a damp cloth to keep from drying out. Place two sheets of dough in pan, brush thoroughly with butter. Repeat for 8 sheets. Sprinkle 2-3 T of nut mixture on top. Top with two sheets of dough, butter, nuts, layering. Top layer should be 6-8 sheets.
Cut into diamond shapes with a sharp knife. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes until golden and crisp.
For sauce, boil sugar and water. Add vanilla and honey and simmer for 20 minutes. Cool. Spoon cool sauce over warm baklava. Leave uncovered so it doesn’t get soggy.

Tortillas

2010-04-09T13:03:00.000-07:00

I originally got this recipe from my cousins, Alyssa and Camilla. The recipe makes 25, but I don't recommend making that many without a tortilla press and a helper (over age 3). I usually make 1/4 the recipe.

Original Recipe (makes about 25)
8 c. flour
1 t. salt
4 t. baking powder
4 T. Crisco (or butter)
3 c. hot water

Here's how I make them: 1/4 recipe (makes about 6)
1 1/3 c. flour
2/3 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
1 T. oil
3/4 c. hot water

Mix dry ingredients. Cut Crisco/butter/oil into flour mixture. Add water. Knead. Let stand 3 minutes. Grease hands. Form Balls. Roll and cut into circles. Fry or cook on grill. I cooked them on the George Foreman this time and they turned out good. Usually I fry them in a little oil.

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

2010-03-10T19:12:00.001-08:00

This is the cake I made for Maggie's birthday. The frosting is very lemon-y, but balances out the cake nicely. I added a couple drops of yellow food coloring to both the cake and the frosting. You need 3 total lemons.

Combine:
3 c. flour
1/4 c. poppy seeds
1 t. baking soda

Beat until fluffy:
1 c. softened butter
2 c. sugar

Add 4 eggs, 1 at a time.
Add juice from 1 lemon

Add 1 c. plain yogurt, alternating with dry ingredients, 1/3 at a time.

Blend in zest from two lemons.

Bake at 325 for 50-65 minutes. Cool 10 minutes on rack. Invert pan.

Glaze:
2 T. butter
2 c. powdered sugar
juice from 1 lemon
zest from 1 lemon

Melt butter. Blend in other ingredients. Spoon over cake while still warm.

Playdough

2010-02-15T16:21:00.000-08:00

There is a section in my recipe box titled "Misc." There are several rather wacky family recipes (or science experiments) and Maggie is a great age to start trying them. Maggie's playdough was dried out when we went to use it today, so we whipped up some of my mom's recipe. She picked two colors (blue and white) and I made 1/4 batch, or about 3/4 cup of each.
2 c. flour
1 c. salt
4 t. cream of tartar.
Combine in a saucepan. Add 2 c. colored water and 4 t. oil. Stir quickly and cook over medium heat. Stir constantly until it forms a ball. Turn out and knead. cool. Store at room temperature in Tupperware.
I made 1/4 batch at a time because you add the color when you first mix it, not afterward. It was fast and easy, only about 5 minutes per batch.

Thai Peanut Sauce

2010-02-11T18:38:00.000-08:00

This recipe is from the book Instant Bargains, by my friend Kim at Mommysavers. I tried it both ways mentioned in the book: with pasta and grilled chicken, and in a chilled pasta salad with red peppers, carrots, and green onions (I also added some broccoli I had on hand, but left out the cilantro, which I didn't have). It was delicious, and Maggie liked it, too.

1/2 c. crunchy peanut butter
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. soy sauce
1 T. brown sugar
2 T. peanut oil
2-3 minced garlic cloves
1/2 t. red pepper flakes
2 T. vinegar

Mix together over low heat.

Sugar Cookies and Buttercream Frosting

2010-02-09T14:31:00.000-08:00

This is the recipe my Mom used for Christmas cookies to decorate every year. I mixed it up by using almond flavoring in the frosting for Valentine's Day. One batch of each makes about 2 dozen medium rolled-out cookies. I am very good at saving money and time by leaving out ingredients. I used to make the cookies without the lemon rind, but I recently discovered they are much better with it. So don't leave it out!

Sugar Cookies
Blend together:
1/2 c. butter
1 t. grated lemon rind
1 c. sugar

Beat in:
1 egg
2 T. orange juice

Stir in:
2 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. soda
1/2 t. nutmeg

Chill for a while to ease handling. Roll to 1/4" thick and cut with cookie cutters. Bake at 400 7-9 minutes. We rotate the dough in the freezer so it stays cool and easy to roll. Also, if you don't roll the dough thin enough, the cookies will spread and ruin your cookie cutter shape. And, if you keep the cookies in a sealed container, they will stay nice and soft. Just layer wax paper in between.

Buttercream Frosting (James Beard Cookbook)
1/3 c. butter
3-4 T. heavy cream
3 c. powdered sugar
flavoring

Cream together butter and sugar and beat in the cream. Flavor with 1 t. vanilla, almond, or lemon extract. For chocolate frosting, add 1/2 c. dark cocoa sifted with the sugar.

Cheese Ball

2010-01-28T14:56:00.000-08:00

Here is a simple and quick-to-make appetizer that I get rave reviews about.

1 8 oz package of cream cheese
2 c. shredded cheese (any kind - I usually use colby jack because that's what I keep on hand).
dash of ground mustard or cayenne pepper
sliced green onions
chopped walnuts

Mix the cheeses, spices and onions thoroughly and shape into a ball. Roll in walnuts.

I have also made this into cheese truffles. I made one inch balls and rolled some in nuts, green onion, sesame seeds etc. You could use pecans instead, add in pimento or diced green chilies etc. It's very easy to mix up and almost impossible to mess up.

Twix Bars

2010-01-28T14:40:00.000-08:00

These taste just like Twix bars, only better. They are absolutely delicious and simple to make.

Crust:

1 ¼ c. flour

1/4 c. sugar

1/2 c. butter; room temp

Caramel:
½ c. butter

½ c. brown sugar

2 Tbsp. corn syrup

½ c. sweetened condensed milk

Crumble crust ingredients together. Pack into 9x9 inch pan lined with foil and sprayed.. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
Combine caramel ingredients in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly as it burns easily. Remove from heat. Stir with spoon slowly until it shows signs of thickening. Pour over crust and let cool a little.

Top layer:

Melt approximately 1-2 c. chocolate chips over low heat. Pour over caramel layer and spread carefully. Chill. Cut into bars.

Early Thanksgiving Desserts

2009-11-07T10:02:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Math: Pie=Yuck. Tart=Yum.

Chocolate Pecan Tart (just made one big tart)

Apple Tart

Pastry Crust (very important - NOT yucky pie crust)

Also, this year we tried a Pumpkin Creme Brulee that was absolutely delicious. We simplified the recipe for us lazy/cheap folks.

½ c. plus 3 T. sugar
5 egg yolks
1½ c. heavy cream
1 t. vanilla
1 t. ground cinnamon
1 c. pumpkin purée

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, in a heatproof bowl, whisk together ½ cup sugar and the egg yolks. Combine the cream, cinnamon, and vanilla in a saucepot, and bring to a simmer. Slowly whisk the hot cream into the yolk mixture through a fine-meshed sieve. Whisk in the pumpkin purée. Fill ramekin with enough pumpkin-cream mixture to reach ¼ inch from the top. Place in water bath to cook. Bake for 20 minutes. Check to see if the edges have set but the center is still wobbly; if the mixture is still liquid, return to oven for up to 20 minutes. Cool at room temperature. When ready to serve, sprinkle the tops evenly with a thin layer of the remaining sugar. Brûlée with a torch until the sugar is golden brown and crispy. (We used the broiler.)

Parkerhouse Rolls

2009-11-07T09:59:00.000-08:00

6 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
2 t. salt
2 T. yeast
1 c. butter, softened
1 egg

In a large bowl, combine 2 1/4 cups flour, sugar, salt, and yeast; add 1/2 cup margarine or butter (1 stick). With mixer at low speed, gradually pour 2 cups hot tap water (120 degrees F to 130 degrees F.) into dry ingredients. Add egg; increase speed to medium; beat 2 minutes, scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Beat in 3/4 cup flour or enough to make a thick batter; continue beating 2 minutes, occasionally scraping bowl. With spoon, stir in enough additional flour (about 2 1/2 cups) to make a soft dough.

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, working in more flour (about 1/2 cup) while kneading. Shape dough into a ball and place in greased large bowl, turning over so that top of dough is greased. Cover with towel; let rise in warm place (80 to 85 degrees F.) until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours. (Dough is doubled when 2 fingers pressed into dough leave a dent.)

Punch down dough by pushing down the center or dough with fist, then pushing edges of dough into center. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead lightly to make smooth ball, cover with bowl for 15 minutes, and let dough rest.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In 17 1/4-inch by 11 1/2-inch roasting pan, over low heat, melt remaining 1/2 cup margarine or butter; tilt pan to grease bottom.

On lightly floured surface with floured rolling pin, roll dough 1/2 inch thick. With floured 2 3/4-inch round cutter, cut dough into circles. Holding dough circle by the edge, dip both sides into melted margarine or butter pan; fold in half. Arrange folded dough in rows in pans, each nearly touching the other. Cover pan with towel; let dough rise in warm place until doubled, about 40 minutes.

Bake rolls for 15 to 18 minutes until browned.

Early Thanksgiving

2009-11-07T09:29:00.001-08:00

Leonard is visiting and cooked us an Early Thanksgiving meal. The theme for the meal was Bacon: What could go wrong?

Brussel Sprouts
trim and cut in half
put in baking dish
add butter and salt
bake at 350 for 40 minutes
Green Beans
trim and cut in half
boil until a little bit crunchy
add a little butter, slivered almonds, garlic and salt
fry in butter

Mashed Potatoes
chop and boil potatoes
mash with butter, garlic, and buttermilk
add salt and pepper
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Leonard's recipe
1 T. brown sugar
2 T. cream
3 T. butter
4 sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds) peeled and sliced

Dump everything in a pot. Cover and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Mash and serve with pepper.

Cranberry Sauce
1 bag cranberries
1 c. water
1 c. sugar
Boil until cranberries pop

Turkey Breast wrapped in Bacon (bacon, bacon)
This was the tastiest, moistest turkey I've ever had in my life. Highly recommended.

rub turkey breast with vegetable oil and salt and pepper
bake at 400 for 15 minutes (for crispiness)
roast at 325 to turkey temp
45 minutes before turkey will be done, wrap with bacon, using colorful toothpicks to hold (this gives the turkey a beautiful measles look)

Stuffing
Alton Brown Recipe
Leonard substituted walnuts and apples for cranberries and pecans

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

2009-08-18T08:05:00.000-07:00

This is our new favorite breakfast to make. I use Mom's pancake recipe, and just sprinkle some chocolate chips on the top of the batter after putting in the pan. Maggie loves to help with that part. We eat them with whipped cream, or whipped topping, and sometimes fresh, sliced strawberries.
Mom's Pancake Recipe
1 1/2 c. flour
2 T. sugar
1 t. salt
1 3/4 t. baking powder
Sift together.

Beat:
2 eggs
3 T. melted butter
1 - 1 1/4 c. milk

Mix with dry ingredients.

Summer Garden Pasta (aka Zucchini Pasta)

2009-08-03T17:32:00.000-07:00

This is about the closet thing I have to an original recipe. We used to make it almost entirely from ingredients in Mom's garden. It can also be served over rice, but it's better with pasta.

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 medium zucchini, sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cups of chopped tomatoes
handful of torn basil leaves
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
salt
freshly ground pepper
whole wheat pasta
grated parmesan cheese, optional

Cook pasta according to package directions. Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add zucchini, onion, and garlic and cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes, basil, vinegar salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until zucchini is tender. Serve over pasta and sprinkle with cheese.

Orzo Salad

2009-07-05T18:02:00.000-07:00

Another great recipe from my sister-in-law Jamie. This delicious salad is easy, but somewhat expensive, to make. Jamie and I both left out the pine nuts and Jamie also leaves out the fresh basil. I happened to have some growing my garden so I used it.

Also, 1 pound of orzo makes a lot. I halved the recipe and it was plenty for us for dinner, and for lunch tomorrow, and probably more.
6 c. chicken broth
1 lb. orzo
Bring chicken broth to a boil. Stir in orzo and cook until tender. Drain.

Dressing:
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
2 T. lemon juice
1 t. honey
1/2 c. olive oil
Blend together and mix with orzo in bowl.

Stir in:
2 c. grape tomatoes, halved
1 7 oz. package of feta cheese
1 c. fresh basil, chopped
1 c. sliced green onions
1/2 c. pine nuts

Serve immediately, or chill for 2 hours.

Jake Cookies

2009-05-31T09:41:00.000-07:00

This is one of two recipes we use regularly which are named after a former roommate. They are worth the extra effort. It makes a lot of cookies. I halved the recipe this morning and got over 5 dozen using a 2 oz cookie scoop. Blend the walnuts and the oatmeal in the blender after measuring. Also, grating the Hershey bar takes a very long time. This time I just threw in 1 T. of cocoa. Not as delicious, but definitely faster.

Blend together:
2 c. butter
1 1/2 c. blended walnuts
2 c. sugar
2 c. dark brown sugar

Mix in:
4 eggs
2 t. baking powder
2 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
2 t. vanilla

Add:
5 c. blended oatmeal
4 c. flour
1 24 oz chocolate chips
1 8 oz Hershey bar, grated

Bake at 375 for 7-8 minutes.

Homemade Hot Pockets

2009-04-23T12:29:00.000-07:00

Hot Pockets:
1 1/2 cups water
2 1/2 tablespoons margarine
2 tablespoons molasses (or honey)
2 cups whole-wheat flour
2 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast

Mix dough and rise until double. Divide dough into 11. Roll until about the size of a pita. Put about 1/2 c. of filling in the middle. Bring up both the sides and pinch together. Gently turn it over into your hand and place on greased baking sheet pinched side down. Tuck the ends under. Let rise for 10-15 minutes.

Filling ideas: I usually use ham, broccoli and cheese. You could also do hashbrowns, eggs and crumbled bacon; or pepperoni and cheese with a little tomato sauce and some green pepper or olives. These were very easy to make and so cheap compared to the real thing. They tasted just like actual Hot Pockets. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and brush tops with melted butter and sprinkle with fresh cracked pepper and cracked sea salt. Move to cooling wrack so that they don't get soggy. When cooled wrap in paper towel and put in a freezer bag. To heat, microwave on high 2-3 minutes.

Cranberry Smoothie

2009-04-11T17:55:00.000-07:00

I don't even like cranberries, but this smoothie was delicious.

1 c. cranberries
2/3 c. cran-raspberry juice
1 c. raspberries
8 oz. plain yogurt
2 pinches sugar
ice (We used frozen cranberries and raspberries, and didn't use ice)

Blend in blender until smooth.

Peanut Butter Balls

2009-03-30T15:31:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted anything in a while because I've been doing another sort of cooking - the bun-in-the-oven type where actual cooking doesn't sound appetizing. But yesterday John made these delicious cookies using a recipe from his sister, Jamie.

They are somewhere between peanut butter cookies (which are dry) and no-bake peanut butter balls (which are not nearly as delicious). If you like peanut butter, you must try these.

1 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 c. peanut butter
2 c. chocolate chips
1 egg

Mix and roll into balls. Roll balls in sugar. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Easy Breakfast Drink

2009-02-10T09:15:00.000-08:00

Maggie and I love to have this for breakfast. It is quick, easy, delicious, and healthy.

1 c. milk
1 pkg chocolate Carnation Instant Breakfast
1/2 banana
handful of frozen strawberries (4 or 5)

Put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Maggie drinks hers with a draw so she doesn't get a chocolate mustache.

Polynesian Chicken

2009-02-09T17:26:00.000-08:00

A friend brought this over after Maggie was in the hospital and I've been bugging her for the recipe ever since. I finally got it and made it today. It is simple to make, easily halved, and tastes like something you'd get in a Chinese restaurant.

Combine in 9x13 casserole dish:
5 breasts cooked, cubed chicken
1 can drained pineapple tidbits (save the juice)
sugar snap peas or chopped green pepper
cashews

Sauce:
pineapple juice from the tidbits + water to make 2 cups
1 cup vinegar
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 c. soy sauce (you can leave this out and it tastes just as delicious)
2 T. lemon juice
4 T. cornstarch
Combine ingredients for sauce in a saucepan. Whisk and cook over high until it comes to a boil (It will start to thicken then). Pour sauce over chicken mixture in casserole dish and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake at 350 for 25-30 min. Serve over hot rice.

Soft Pretzels

2009-01-13T14:19:00.000-08:00

1 T. yeast
1 c. warm water
2 1/2 to 3 c. flour*
2 T. oil
1 T. sugar
6 T. baking soda in 6 cups water

*I use about 1/4-1/3 amount of whole wheat flour.
I always double this recipe. We can eat 12 pretzels really fast, so I make two batches and put some in a Ziploc in the freezer once cooled. The one time I only made one batch it was very disappointing and hardly worth the effort. I use 9 T. baking soda in 9 c. water when I make two batches.
This is a fair amount of work, but worth it if you love soft pretzels. They don't have the fake aftertaste of the store-bought ones and the cost works out to be less than 6 cents per pretzel!

In a bowl, dissolve yeast in water. add 1 1/2 c. flour, the oil, and the sugar. Beat for about 3 minutes to make a smooth batter. Gradually stir in enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn out onto a floured board and knead until smooth and satiny (about 5 minutes) adding flour as needed to prevent sticking. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning to grease top, and cover and let rise until double (1 hour).
Punch down dough, turn out onto a floured board, and divide into 12 pieces. Shape each into a smooth ball by gently kneading. Then roll each into a smooth rope about 18 inches long, and twist into a pretzel shape. Place slightly apart on a greased baking sheet, turning loose ends underneath. Let rise, uncovered, until puffy (about 25 minutes).
Meanwhile, in a 3-qt stainless steel or enameled pan (not aluminum) bring soda water to a boil, adjust water to keep water boiling gently. With a slotted spatula, lower 1 pretzel at a time into pan. Let simmer for 10 seconds on each side, then lift from water, drain briefly on spatula, and return to baking sheet. Let dry briefly, then sprinkle with coarse salt and let stand uncovered.

Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 12-15 minutes (I cooked mine for 9 1/2, so watch them) or until golden brown. Transfer to racks, serve warm with butter, mustard or cream cheese. Or let cool completely, wrap airtight, and freeze. Microwave frozen pretzel for about 30 seconds to reheat.

Enjoy!

Tomato Wild Rice Soup

2009-01-12T17:38:00.000-08:00

3 T. butter
3 T. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can chicken broth
1/2 c. wild rice
salt
pepper
pinch of sugar
1/2 t. basil (or 3 T. chopped fresh)
1/2 c. heavy cream

Melt butter with olive oil in a soup pot. Add onion, carrot and celery and cook. Add tomatoes, chicken broth and rice and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 hour until rice opens and fluffs. Stir frequently. Add water if it boils down too much (I didn't because I like thick soup). Add salt, pepper, sugar and cream and heat through.

Tomatoes: I thought it was too chunky the first time so I dumped mine in a bowl and blended them with my immersion blender.
Rice: Wild rice is quite expensive. I substituted half brown rice and it was just as delicious and saved about 50 cents.

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

2008-12-18T17:17:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe from Kraft. We sprinkled more brown sugar on top.

2 large sweet potatoes
2 oz cream cheese
2 T. milk
1 T. brown sugar
1/4 t. cinnamon
1/2 c. chopped pecans

Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and bake facedown on a foil-lined pan for 30-35 minutes at 425. Scoop out centers leaving a 1/4 inch shell. Add cream cheese, milk, sugar and cinnamon to potatoes. Mash until blended. Spoon potato mixture back into shells; top with nuts. Bake 8 minutes or until heated through and nuts are toasted.

Swedish Pepparkokar

2008-12-18T17:11:00.000-08:00

This recipe is from my grandmother, Lorna Call. My mom made this every year along with sugar cookies. We decorated them with frosting a lot of the time, but traditionally, they have a blanched almond in the center.

1 c. butter
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 T. molasses
2 t. baking soda
1 T. warm water
3 c. sifted flour
2 t. ginger
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. cloves

Cream the butter and add the sugar gradually creaming continually. Beat in the egg and molasses and add the soda dissolved in warm water. Fold in sifted dry ingredients, mix well. Chill for several hours. Roll and cut out. Place a piece of blanched almond in the center of each and bake on a greased cookie sheet at 400 for 6-8 minutes or until done. Yields 4 dozen medium cookies.

Hope, Peace, and Dipped Oreos

2008-12-11T16:55:00.000-08:00

We made dipped Oreos to give to our neighbors as gifts this year. I just melted candy chips in the double boiler and dipped the Oreos in. I used a bamboo skewer to hold the Oreos and a spatula to cover them with the melted candy. This worked well for the mint chips I used, but the white chocolate was very thick and much more difficult to work with. As a result, they aren't as pretty.

I figured the cost of this project out to be 16.66 cents per Oreo. 2 12 ounce bags of chips covered 1 package of (45) Oreos. John and Maggie decorated the bags, which we already had.

Substitute for Pumpkin Pie Spice

2008-11-26T19:39:00.000-08:00

I don't have any Pumpkin Pie Spice. I never use Pumpkin Pie Spice. I never make Pumpkin Pie. I don't like Pumpkin Pie. I don't like pie.
I needed Pumpkin Pie Spice today and I found this great recipe for it. I needed 1 1/4 t. (I was 2/3-ing a recipe) and it made the calculation for me. Awesome! If you ever need Pumpkin Pie Spice, check out this site.

Everyday Cassoulet

2008-11-17T17:46:00.000-08:00

No wine. No oven. No duck. This easy cassoulet is something a little different and only took 20 minutes to make.

1/2 lb. chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 lb. sausage cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 can great northern beans, drained
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can diced tomatoes with garlic
1 T. brown sugar
4 green onions, sliced

Brown chicken in skillet. Add sausage, beans, tomatoes and brown sugar. Cook 8-10 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Top with green onions. Serve with french bread.

Pumpkin Roll

2008-10-26T11:59:00.000-07:00

Yes, more pumpkin. We love to make pumpkin things in the fall. Last night I asked John what he wanted for a treat and he said "pumpkin roll". An hour later we were eating it. I used the first recipe that came up when I googled "pumpkin roll" and it was easy and delicious. I'll definitely be making it again... this week.

For cake, mix together:

3/4 c. flour

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. baking power

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. cloves

1/4 t. salt

Beat together:

3 large eggs

1 c. sugar

2/3 c. pumpkin

Stir in flour mixture. Spread cake batter on a jelly roll pan greased, covered in waxed paper, and greased and floured. Bake at 375 for 13-15 minutes or until cake springs back when touched. Turn cake onto a kitchen towel sprinkled with 1/4 c. powdered sugar. Peel off waxed paper and roll cake up with towel. Set on cooling rack to cool.

For filling, beat until smooth:

1 package light cream cheese

6 T. butter

1 c. powdered sugar

1 t. vanilla

Unroll cake and spread with cream cheese mixture. Roll cake up. Recipe said to wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour, but ate it warm immediately.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

2008-10-08T16:51:00.000-07:00

This is a special fall breakfast at our house. We call them muffins so we can feed them to our nieces and nephews for breakfast, but secretly they’re cupcakes ;)

spice cake mix
15 oz can pumpkin
2 eggs
1 1/3 c. water
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 t. milk
2 cups powdered sugar

Mix cake mix, pumpkin, eggs and water and beat thoroughly. Fill muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake at 350 for about 18 minutes – until toothpick comes out clean.
While the muffins are cooking, beat cream cheese with 1 t. milk and add powdered sugar until the frosting is smooth enough to spread easily. Frost muffins and eat warm.
Makes about 28-30.

Chicken Satay Stirfry with Orange Rice

2008-10-06T13:50:00.000-07:00

I've made this Rachael Ray knockoff a few times and it's delicious. (Original recipe here) It isn't really a 30-minute meal though. I used brown rice, ground ginger, and much less chicken.

Rice:

1 1/2 c. brown rice

3 c. water

zest of 1 orange

Stir Fry:

2 T. oil

2 chicken breasts, cut into pieces

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 onion, sliced

1 red pepper, sliced

1 c. shredded carrots

6 scallions, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 c. snow peas

Satay Sauce:

4 T. peanut butter

3 T. soy

3 T. honey

1/2 t. ginger

1 t. crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 orange, juiced

Garnish:

2 T. chopped peanuts

2 T. chopped cilantro

Cook rice in water with orange zest. Geat oil in skillet over high heat. Add chicken, garlic and onion, stir fry until chicken is nearly cooked. Add remaining veggies and stir fry 5 minutes. Heat all ingredients for sauce over low heat, stirring. Transper stir fry to platter and pour sauce evenly. Sprinkle with garnish and serve over rice.

Pear-Walnut Muffins

2008-09-22T19:51:00.000-07:00

1 c. flour

1/2 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 c. packed brown sugar

2 t. baking powder

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. ginger

1/8 t. salt

1 egg

1/2 c. oil

1/2 c. plain yogurt

1/2 t. vanilla

1 pear finely chopped

3 T. finely chopped walnuts

2 T. brown sugar

Stir together flours, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Make a well in center of flour mixture. In a bowl beat egg; stir in oil, yogurt, and vanilla. Add all at once to flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Stir in pear.

Lightly grease twelve muffin cups or line with paper bake cups; fill two-thirds full. For topping, combine walnuts and the 2 tablespoons brown sugar; sprinkle onto batter in cups. Bake in a 400 degree F oven about 20 minutes or until golden. Serve warm. Makes 12 muffins.

Eclair Cake

2008-09-17T17:19:00.000-07:00

The. Most. Delicious. Dessert. Ever. I got this recipe from a roommate my freshman year of college and have probably made it 50 times. Don't be afraid of the "from scratch" crust, this is easy to make and worth every minute.

Crust:

1 stick margarine

1 c. water

1/2 t. salt

1 c. flour

4 eggs

Filling:

1 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened

2 small packages french vanilla pudding

3 c. milk

Topping:

1 container whipped topping

chocolate syrup (see recipe below)

In a medium saucepan, bring water, margarine and salt to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in flour. Add eggs, beating between each. Spread batter on a greased jelly roll pan and bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes. Prick bubbles with a fork every 5 minutes.

Beat cream cheese with pudding and milk. Lumps will remain. Spread filling over cooled crust. Spread whipped topping on filling. Drizzle with chocolate syrup just before serving.

Chocolate Syrup

Eclair cake is the only thing I use chocolate syrup for, so I make my own. It's quick and easy.

1/3 c. cocoa

1/2 c. water

1/2 c. sugar

Boil for 2-5 minutes

Quick Chocolate Pudding

2008-09-12T12:06:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from More-With-Less, a Mennonite Cookbook. If you are a chocolate pudding lover, you've got to try this. It is so fast and easy and it's much more delicious and cheaper than store-bought pudding mixes (even store brand).

2 T. cornstarch

2 T. cocoa powder

1/3 c. sugar

2 cups cold milk

1 t. vanilla

Combine first three ingredients in a medium saucepan. Whisk in cold milk. Cook, stirring, over low heat until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

I use skim milk to make this and it isn't as thick as you're used to. The deliciousness makes up for this fact, but if you want your pudding thicker you can:

Use milk with more fat in it.
Wait for it to cool before eating it.
Stir in the optional 1/4 c. peanut butter. It's good with the peanut butter, but I prefer it without.

Cheesy Chicken and Pasta Skillet

2008-09-07T15:21:00.000-07:00

I was inspired by my Kraft Food & Family magazine I got yesterday, and immediately tried a recipe from it for dinner. It was so fast and easy to make, and all three of us loved it. Here it is with my changes (more veggies, less meat).

2 c. uncooked whole wheat pasta
1 chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 1/4 c. salsa
1 1/2 c. sliced bell peppers
1 can corn
1 c. shredded cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Cook chicken for 2 minutes in skillet. Add salsa, peppers and corn to skillet. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Drain pasta and add to skillet. Mix and sprinkle with cheese. Remove from heat and let sit for 1 minute to melt cheese.

Aunt Pat's Peach Jam

2008-09-07T15:17:00.000-07:00

John likes Aunt Pat's jam, because it is blended and not chunky at all. Here's her recipe - makes 6 half pints.

4 cups chopped peaches, blend in blender until smoothie consistency
1/4 c. lemon juice
1 package pectin
Cook until boiling hard, stirring constantly.

6 cups sugar
Add all at once and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Layered Caribbean Chicken Salad

2008-09-05T11:51:00.000-07:00

I made this salad to show off my new trifle bowl from Pampered Chef. I got the recipe from Betty Crocker, but made a few changes. This salad is full of John's favorite ingredients and he loves it.

Dressing:
1 container piña colada yogurt
1 1/2 to 2 T. lime juice
1 t. Caribbean jerk seasoning

Salad:
3 c. spinach leaves
2 c. cubed cooked chicken
1 c. shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 can black beans, drained, rinsed
1 1/2 c.diced mango
1/2 c. chopped tomatoes
1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 c. thinly sliced green onions (8 medium)
1/2 c. cashews

1. In small bowl, mix dressing ingredients until well blended.
2. In 3- or 4-quart clear glass serving bowl, layer salad ingredients in order listed, except cashews. Spoon dressing evenly over salad; sprinkle cashews over top.

Zucchini Casserole

2008-08-30T19:58:00.001-07:00

I got this recipe (and the zucchini!) from my mother-in-law. It is full of processed, packaged food and is quite fattening, but oh-so-good. I use reduced-fat soup and sour cream. Also, the original recipe called for 1 cube of butter to be melted and mixed with the stuffing mix. I found that completely unecessary and substituted water for half the butter. It turned out great and next time I will try using 1 c. water instead of any butter.

1/4 c. chopped onion (optional)
6 c. sliced zucchini
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 c. shredded cheese
1 c. sour cream
1 package stuffing mix
4 T. melted butter
1/2 c. water

Boil onion and zucchini in water for 5 minutes. Drain. Combine cheese, soup, sour cream and add the drained zucchini and onion. Melt butter, combine with stuffing. Divide stuffing in half.

Put half of the stuffing on bottom of casserole dish. Put zicchini mixture on top. Put the other half of stuffing on top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Richardson Peach Cobbler

2008-08-27T19:59:00.001-07:00

I regret to inform you that these beautiful cobblers were not made with Richardson peaches. The peaches they were made from did have one thing in common with Richardson peaches though - they were free.

My neighbor gave me a big bowl of peaches (and some grapes!), so I decided to make a cobbler tonight. No sooner had I finished peeling and slicing them, but she knocked on my door. When I told her I was making cobbler, she insisted I didn't have enough peaches and had me take another giant bowl full. So even though I tripled my recipe (and took the bigger pan next door), I still have a bowl full of peaches.

This recipes makes one 9x9 pan of cobbler, or double it for 9x13.

Biscuit topper: Sift together 1 c. flour, 2 T. sugar, 1 1/2 t. baking powder, and 1/4 t. salt. Cut in 1/4 c. butter till mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Combine 1/4 c. milk and 1 slightly beaten egg. Add all at once to dry ingredients, stirring just to moisten. Set aside. Prepare filling. Pour filling into baking dish. Immediately spoon on biscuit topper in 6 mounds. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes. Serve warm with cream or ice cream. Make 6 servings.

Peach Filling: Combine 1 1/2 T. cornstard, 1/4 t. ground mace, 1/2 c. brown sugar, and 1/2 c. water in saucepan. Cook and stir till thickened. Add 4 cups sliced peaches, 1 T. lemon juice and 1 T. butter. cook till peaches are hot, about 5 minutes.

Tortilla Cigars

2008-08-20T08:50:00.000-07:00

I originally got this recipe from Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld. I don't have a problem getting my family to eat healthy food, but I was curious about the book and it had some yummy looking recipes that just happened to have some extra vitamins.

I altered this quite a bit to fit what I had on hand - very typical of me. I change recipes to make them easier, cheaper, and faster to make with what I have. The original recipe called for cubed chicken or turkey, yellow squash and carrot puree and bigger tortillas. I used leftover pot roast and leftover homemade butternut squash puree (ie. baby food). I also tried using whole wheat tortillas and corn tortillas, and both were equally delicious.

1 c. shredded beef
1/2 c. shredded cheese
1/2 c. squash puree
4 ounces cream cheese
1/2 t. garlic salt
whole wheat or corn tortillas

Stir together ingredients. If using corn tortillas, roll with 2 Tablespoons of filling inside. If using flour tortillas, cut in half and place one half on work surface with straight edge facing you. Spread two tablespoons of the filling along the straight edge. Starting at the edge, roll the tortilla into a cigar shape, completely enclosing the filling. Place seam-side down on baking sheet and bake at 340 until tortillas begin to brown.

Indian Butter Chicken (Chickan Makhani)

2008-08-18T17:24:00.000-07:00

Sauce

1 T. oil

1 shallot, finely chopped

1/2 c. yellow onion, chopped

2 T. butter

2 t. lemon juice

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1 1/2 t. chili powder*

1 1/2 t. cumin*

dash cinnamon*

dash ginger

1/4 c. plain yogurt

1 c. whole milk

1 small can tomato sauce

black pepper

Saute shallot and onion in oil. Stir in butter, lemon juice, garlic, and spices, cook 1 minute. Add tomato sauce and cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in milk and yogurt. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Season with pepper. Set aside.

1 T. oil

1 lb boneless chicken, bite-sized pieces

3 potatoes, diced

1/2 t. cumin*

1/2 t. chili powder*

1 T. cornstarch

1/4 c. water

Heat oil in skillet. Cook potatoes in oil, evenly browning. Remove potatoes and add to sauce. Add chicken to oil and cook about 10 minutes. Reduce heat, season chicken. Stir in a few spoonfuls of sauce and simmer until liquid is reduced and chicken is no longer pink. Stir cooked chicken into sauce.

Mix together cornstarch and water, then stir into sauce. Cook or 5-10 minutes until thickened. Serve over rice.

* I used more of these items, or added them, to replace garam masala in the original recipe. As of yet I have been too cheap to buy it, but when I do I'll try it and let you know of any taste difference.

Hummus

2008-08-14T10:40:00.000-07:00

At John's request, I made hummus for the Pampered Chef party I had last night. I used this recipe (from Allrecipes) because I couldn't find tahini at my grocery store. I will admit that I haven't tried a lot of different hummus, but I thought this was pretty yummy. If you have a food processor, this sure is an easy appetizer to make. I served it with carrot sticks, cucumber sticks and two kinds of crackers.

1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained, liquid reserved
2 ounces fresh jalapeno pepper, sliced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, minced

In a blender or food processor, combine garbanzo beans, jalapeno, cumin, lemon juice, garlic and 1 tablespoon of the reserved bean liquid. Blend until smooth.

BBQ Chicken Pizza/Pizza Dough

2008-08-05T19:12:00.001-07:00

Deliciousness in a pan: if you love BBQ chicken pizza and have a working oven, then nothing should be stopping you from making this at home. It is so easy and so good. I'm even including my no-fail pizza dough recipe in case you go all out on the from-scratch-ness.

2 T. olive oil
1/2 pound chicken
2/3 c. barbecue sauce
1 recipe pizza dough (or frozen, or premade)
3/4 c. shredded Gouda (I left this out and used 2 c. mozzarella instead)
1 c. shredded mozzarella
3/4 c. shredded parmesan
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
3 T. chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 400. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and saute until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat. When chicken is cool enough to handle, dice chicken to yield a little over 1 cup. In a small bowl, toss chicken with 2 T. barbecue sauce. Set aside.

On a floured surface roll out dough and place on a greased sheet pan. Shape to fill the sheet pan. Spread remaining barbecue sauce evenly over pizza dough. Sprinkle Gouda, mozzarella, Parmesan, onions and chicken over top. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese bubbles. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and cut into pieces.

I call this no-fail pizza dough because I've messed it up in countless ways and it still remains delicious. I've overcooked it, undercooked it, used bad yeast, you name it. Delicious. I think it's the garlic. Another great thing about this recipe is that you don't have to rise the dough if you are in a hurry. Just roll it on the pan and bake.

1 c. warm water
1 T. yeast
1 T. sugar
2 T. oil
3 c. flour
2 t. crushed garlic
1 t. basil (I omit this for the BBQ chicken pizza)
1 t. salt

Dissolve yeast in a bowl with warm water. Add sugar, salt and oil and spices as desired. Mix well. Gradually add flour to form a stiff dough. Knead on a floured surface until smooth.

Rising (optional): Place in greased bowl. Turn dough over to grease top; cover and let rise until double.

Divide dough in half for two medium pizzas, or roll out entire dough for 9x13 pan 1/4-1/2 in. thick. Cover with pizza sauce. Ad your choice of cheese and toppings. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes.

Golden Graham S'mores

2008-08-03T14:27:00.000-07:00

One of John's cousins made this for our Independence Day party and we all gave it lavish attention (before devouring it, of course). We have a Malt-o-Meal bag of this cereal, so I tried it out for our Sunday dessert. Yum.

1/3 cup light corn syrup

1 Tbsp butter or margarine

1 (5.75 oz.) pkg milk chocolate chips

½ tsp. vanilla

4 cups Golden Grahams cereal

1 ½ cups miniature marshmallows

Butter 9” X 9” X 2” pan. Heat corn syrup & butter to boiling in 3 quart saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate chips & vanilla. Stir until chocolate is melted. Fold in cereal gradually until covered. Fold in marshmallows. Turn cereal mixture into pan & press with buttered back of spoon. Let stand at room temperature at least 1 hour. Cut into bars.

Spicy Oven Fried Potatoes

2008-07-24T18:02:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure where this recipe came from, but it was in my "recipes to try" section when I was looking for a side dish last night. I've never broiled potatoes before, but between that and making wedges rather than cubes, it came together a lot quicker than my usual potatoes.'

3 medium potatoes

2 T. margarine (I used olive oil)

1/2 t. dried basil or oregano

1/4 t. garlic salt

1/4 t. paprika

1/8 t. pepper

Preheat broiler. Scrub potatoes and cut into slices or wedges. Melt margarine. Place margarine and spices in large bowl or resealable bag. Place potatoes in single layer on cookie sheet. Broil potatoes about 5-10 minutes on each side until golden brown.

Coconut French Toast

2008-07-24T17:59:00.000-07:00

I first saw this when several friends ordered it at a cafe in Costa Mesa. When I told John about it he insisted I try it, so I first made it for Valentine's Day a few years ago. It's now a standard favorite of ours. French toast, coconut, mango and raspberries.... four of John's favorite foods. What's not to love?

4 eggs
1/3 c. milk
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. sugar
4 pieces of bread
1/2 c. flaked coconut

Soak bread in mixture for 1 minute each side. Coat both sides in coconut. Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 475° for 5 minutes each side.

Serve with diced mango, raspberries and whipped topping.

Calypso Beans N Rice

2008-07-24T17:45:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from some frugal cookbook which calculates the cost per serving for each recipe (this was supposedly .42.) It was cheap to make with ingredients I nearly always have on hand. This can easily be made vegetarian. Maggie loves this too (I think she has a thing for curry). Very yummy and easy to make. Not a lot of hands on effort, but it does take a while for the rice to cook.

1 can black beans, rinsed

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

2 T. balsamic vinegar

1 T. olive oil1 onion, chopped

4 large garlic cloves, pressed

1 cup brown rice

2 cans chicken broth

1/4 c. water

1/2 t. curry powder

salt and pepper to taste

pinch of cayenne pepper

Combine the first three ingredients in medium bowl. Let stand 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to taste. While the beans are marinating, heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. add onion and garlic and saute until onion is soft. Add rice and stir. Add broth, water, curry powder and cayenne pepper and blend well. Bring everything to a boil stirring well. Reduct heat to medium and simmer until rice is tender and mixture is creamy, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes (REAL LIFE: this took almost an hour). Salt and pepper to taste and serve in bowls.

Graham Cracker Ice Cream Sandwiches

2008-06-30T12:19:00.001-07:00

2 c. plain yogurt
1 c. sugar
1 c. buttermilk
2 T. lemon juice
1 lemon zest
16 graham crackers broken in half
Shredded coconut (optional)

In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, buttermilk, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Transfer to a small bowl, cover and freeze for 1 – 1 ½ hours until the mixture starts to thicken.
Scoop out and press about ¼ c. of the semifrozen yogurt mixture between two graham cracker squares. Wrap each in waxed paper and freeze 30 minutes or until firm.
If using coconut, put some on a plate and dip all four edges of the sandwich to coat.

So, these were incredibly delicious and easy to make. I got tired of making sandwiches halfway through and we ate the rest of the frozen yogurt from the bowl. Also, I used lime instead of lemon because I had some leftover from the Caribbean Chicken Salad. So it tasted like key lime pie. This recipe is from the Deceptively Delicious cookbook, but there is nothing weird hidden in it.

John: What is this green stuff? Broccoli?
Susie: Yeah, it's from the Deceptively Delicious cookbook. (It was actually lime zest.)