Candied Sweet Potatoes

So, I don't know if this tops all of the dishes at Thanksgiving, but I do love candied yams. This year I wanted make them with less calories than what a lot of candied yam recipes have. This was the first time I used this recipe and it is definitely a keeper!

*Found at Sparkpeople.com

Ingredients

2 large sweet potatoes, about 2 lbs, peeled, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise in 2-inch thick pieces

1/4 cup Tropicana, Light n Healthy Orange Juice

2 TB packed light brown sugar

1 TB maple syrup

1 TB reduced-calorie margarine melted

1/2 tsp salt

dash of nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit

2. Place cubed sweet potatoes in a large saucepan and pour in enough water to cover potatoes. Bring potatoes to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium and simmer 10 minutes until potatoes are fork-tender.

3. Drain potatoes and arrange in a shallow baking dish in a single layer.

4. Whisk together orange juice, brown sugar, honey, syrup, margarine, nutmeg, and salt. Pour over sweet potatoes.

5. Bake 30 minutes, stir to coat potatoes and bake 15 minutes.

Nutritional Info

Fat 2.2 g
Carbs 34.5 g
Calories 162.3
Protien 1.9 g

Makes 4- 1 cup servings

Spinach Artichoke Dip

This is my favorite recipe for Spinach Artichoke Dip. My Aunt always makes it as an appetizer for Thanksgiving! I will miss it this year! It's delicious! What are your favorite Thanksgiving recipes?

SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP

1 package spinach 16oz.
1 can artichokes 13oz.
1 package light cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper


Preparation: unthaw spinach, cook in microwave for 5 minutes, take out and blot out excess water with paper towels.

Chop artichokes in blender or food processor.


In sauce pan melt butter, milk, and cream cheese. Add parmesan cheese , garlic , salt and pepper. Stir until smooth. Pour mixture over spinach and artichokes. Stir well. Pour into greased cake pan.
-Sprinkle lightly with cayenne pepper and crushed red peppers.
-Sprinkle with pepper jack cheese
Cook for 20 minutes at 350 degrees

Authentic French Chocolate Mousse

This recipe is from a French Children's cookbook. My aunt sent it to me, and I had Kellen translate it. It is easy, and delicious!

Chocolate Mousse
4 oz. dark chocolate (2/3 cup of dark chocolate chips)
4 eggs (separated)
4 oz. sugar (a little more than 1/2 cup. It's technically 9/16 of a cup)
1/4 cup cream
3 Tbs water

Melt your chocolate with 3 Tbs of water in a water bath (Put water and chocolate in a cup. Then put the cup in a boiling pot of water.)

Separate eggs. Whip egg whites until stiff. Set them aside. Cream 4 egg YOLKS with the sugar. Add cream and melted chocolate to the egg/sugar mixture. Mix well. Dump egg whites into chocolate mixture. Mix delicately. Let the mousse refrigerate until it sets.

Roasted Red Pepper Eggplant Goat Cheese and Olive Pizza

My husband served an LDS mission in France, and goat cheese pizza was one of his favorite things to eat there. Here



Roasted Red Pepper, Eggplant, Goat Cheese, and Olive Pizza
INGREDIENTS:

1 small eggplant, cut into 1/4-inch-thick round slices
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary or 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup roasted red pepper strips
1 (12-inch) round prepared Italian bread shell or New York-Style Pizza Crust
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
6 kalamata olives, pitted and halved (I used more)
Black pepper
(I also used a little bit of shredded mozarella and provolone cheese, per Kellen's request. Also, I made a sheetcake pan size pizza, so I doubled the recipe!)


PREPARATION:
1. Preheat oven to 500°F. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray. Place eggplant slices on pan; spray with cooking spray. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden. Turn slices over and bake 6 to 8 minutes or until slices are golden and very tender. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil, onion, rosemary and garlic in small skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir 3 to 4 minutes or until onion is translucent. Set aside.
3. Place red peppers in food processor or blender; process until smooth. Set aside.
4. Bake bread shell 3 to 4 minutes or until top is crisp and beginning to brown. Spread puréed red peppers evenly over pizza, leaving 1-inch border. Arrange eggplant over top, slightly overlapping slices. Spoon or brush onion mixture over eggplant. Top with cheese, olives and black pepper. Bake 3 to 5 minutes or until crust is deep golden.


I added the onion mixture to the red peppers, and minced it all together in the food processor. Then I used the entire mixture as the sauce. Top with egg plant, goat cheese, olives, and black pepper. LIGHTLY sprinkle with mozarella/provolone cheese.

To roast your own red peppers, cut one red pepper into strips. Lightly pour olive oil. Roast in oven at 500 degrees for 15-20 minutes.


If you need a pizza crust, here is the one that I used. I doubled the crust recipe since I made the pizza in a sheetcake pan:
NEWYORK STYLE PIZZA CRUST from TLC COOKING
YIELD: Makes 1 medium-thin 12-inch crust, 1 very thin 14-inch crust, 2 (8- to 9-inch) crusts, 4 (6- to 7- inch)
This thin pizza crust contains no oil.

INGREDIENTS:

2/3 cup warm water (110° to 115°F)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 (1/4-ounce) package rapid-rise or active dry yeast (1 package is 2 1/4 tsp)
1-3/4 cups all-purpose or bread flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cornmeal (optional)


PREPARATION:
1. Combine water and sugar in small bowl; stir to dissolve sugar. Sprinkle yeast on top; stir to combine. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes or until foamy.

2. Combine flour and salt in medium bowl. Stir in yeast mixture. Mix until mixture forms soft dough. Remove dough to lightly floured surface. Knead 5 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic, adding additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed. Place dough in medium bowl coated with nonstick cooking spray. Turn dough in bowl so top is coated with cooking spray; cover with towel or plastic wrap. Let rise in warm place 30 minutes or until doubled in bulk.
3. Punch dough down; place on lightly floured surface and knead about 2 minutes or until smooth. Pat dough into flat disc about 7 inches in diameter. Let rest 2 to 3 minutes. Pat and gently stretch dough from edges until dough seems to not stretch anymore. Let rest 2 to 3 minutes. Continue patting and stretching until dough is 12 to 14 inches in diameter.
4. Spray 12- to 14-inch pizza pan with nonstick spray; sprinkle with cornmeal, if desired. Press dough into pan.
5. Preheat oven to 500°F. Follow directions for individual recipes, baking pizza on bottom rack of oven.

International Food Festival

Last night, our ward did an international food festival. Everyone brought food from other countries...where missions were served, where people lived or were from, or just people's favorites. We had a HUGE variety of foods, and it was SO much fun!!! So, I thought this month would be fun to post your favorite international recipes! Also, feel free to post your favorite Thanksgiving recipes again! If you're new to the blog, check last year's November posts for some delicious Thanksgiving recipes as well!!

Texas Brownies

I LOVE these. If there is a get together I almost always bring these. They are more like a very moist cake than a brownie, if you haven't had them before. I think they taste better cool than hot. Mmmm, I am salivating thinking about them....

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup water
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 buttermilk or sourcream (I have done both and both turned out good)
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

Frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 Tbl cocoa powder
1/4 cup milk
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and the sugar. In a heavy saucepan, combine butter, shortening, water, and cocoa. Stir and heat to boiling. Pour boiling mixture over the flour and sugar in the bowl. Add buttermilk, eggs, baking soda and vanilla. Mix well, using a wooden spoon or high speed on electric mixer. Pour into a well buttered 17X11 inch jelly roll pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until done in the center. While brownies bake, prepare the frosting. In a saucepan combine the butter, cocoa and milk. Heat to boiling, stirring. Mix in the powdered sugar and vanilla until the frosting is smooth. Pour WARM frosting over brownies as soon as you take them out of the oven. If the frosting cools too much it will become too thick to pour! Cool before cutting.

Cafe Rio Pork Barbacoa

Just like the real thing. Almost.

5-6 lb. pork roast
21 oz. Dr. Pepper (or Coke, but NOT diet!!)
1 C. brown sugar
3/4 C. white sugar
1 Clove garlic, minced
7 oz. can chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
6-ish oz. red taco sauce (mild or hot)
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper.

Directions: Place roast in crock-pot, cover half-way with water and cook on low for 12 hrs. After 12 hrs., drain pork. Mix remaining ingredients until sugar dissolves. Get all the sauce off the chilies, then toss them.

Cook on low for an additional 4 hours.

Take out the roast and shred, add back into sauce and cook for 2 more hours.
Then add it to a tortilla with rice, beans, or any other toppings you want and fry in hot oil (about 1 min. each side). If you want to go all out, top with cheese and stick it in the oven for about 4 min. (or until the cheese is melted).
Enjoy!!

Thanksgiving Turkey dressing

This is my favorite stuffing in the whole entire world, but then again, I am no stuffing connoisseur. I thought I would share this recipe if anyone is looking for a good, simple recipe so you don't have to eat stuffing out of a box.

1 lb ground sausage (I like the spicy one)
1 onion, chopped
2 cups celery, chopped
10-15 cups bread pieces (2 slices=1 cup)
1 tsp salt

Brown sausage and drain, add onion and celery. Cook just until they are softened. Mix all ingredients together and put in a 9x 13 pan. Pour a little hot water over to moisten. Cover and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Before serving, pour some of the hot turkey gravy on top right before you serve it. Enjoy!

Aussie Chicken

This isn't very healthy but it is really yummy, it has 5 stars in my cook book. It is a take off on an Outback Steakhouse dish. I change it up a little to try to make it healthier, notice I didn't say healthy. I always serve it with homemade oven fries because the sauce is a yummy dip for the fries.

4 chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2 inch
2 tsp seasoning salt
6 slices bacon, cut in half
1/2 cup mustard
1/2 cup honey
1/4 corn syrup (I usually use less than this)
1/4 cup of mayo (I use the smart/lite mayo)
1 Tbl dried onion flake
1 Tbl vegetable oil (I use olive oil)
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (I use more because we love mushrooms)
2 cups Colby/Monterey Jack, grated (I use only about 1 cup)
2 Tbl chopped fresh parsley

Rub chicken with seasoning salt, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook bacon in skillet until crisp, set aside. In a bowl combine mustard, honey, corn syrup, mayo and onion. Heat oil in skillet-saute breasts 3-5 minutes per side. Place in a 9 x 3 pan, pour sauce over, then layer with mushrooms and bacon, sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 15 minutes. Garnish with parsley.

Carmel Fruit Dip

This is so easy, it's almost a crime, seriously! But it is so yummy, and my FAVORITE fruit dip! It is heavenly with apples!

Carmel Fruit Dip:
8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar

Mix together. Refrigerate overnight!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Dip

A fall favorite! This dip is really good with sliced apples, chunks of bagel, or shortbread cookies.

Now Mindy, we all need your caramel fruit dip. :)

1 pkg cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 7-oz. jar marshmallow cream
1/2 c. canned pumpkin
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add marshmallow cream (sometimes I leave a lot of the jar out--this dip can be a bit sweet) and beat again. Then add the pumpkin and spices, beat. for best results, chill before serving.

Citrus Dressing and Pear spinach salad

I finally got the recipe to that salad we had (for those who live here in Des Moines) at the Stake Relief Society Broadcast. So delicious.......makes my mouth water!

Citrus Dressing
(from claim jumpers)

3 cups soybean oil
2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 cup corn syrup
3/4 cup honey
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 ounce dehydrated onion
1 1/2 teaspoons dry tarragon
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons fresh garlic
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Pear Spinach Salad
( I don't have exact measurements for the salad because it can be as small or as big as you want it and as much of the stuff as you want in it....you'll understand!)

Spinach
Romaine
Pears
Dried Cherries
Pecans
Bacon

Put the greens in first then drizzle the dressing over it then top the salad with the remaining ingredients.....its the dressing that makes this salad!

Vegetarian Lasagna

Hi everyone! Mindy just invited me to join, so I thought I'd post something now while I'm thinking of it. And why not post my best dish? Now I love to cook, and I think I have found some good recipes, but at our house we really love this vegetarian lasagna. In fact, I've never met anyone who doesn't (even the most die-hard meat eater around won't be able to complain). That being said, it's also good with about a 1/2 pound of cooked spicy sausage if you really want it in there. Also something to note: this is not a fast meal. I only cook it on days when I'll be able to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, but it's worth it. Enjoy!

Sauce:
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper (any color, or a combination), chopped
32 oz. crushed tomatoes
2 8-oz. cans tomato sauce
2 6-oz. cans tomato paste
2 Tbsp. parsley flakes
½ c. red wine, cranberry juice, or water
4 garlic cloves, pressed
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. dried thyme
½ tsp. dried basil
¼ tsp. black pepper
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tsp. sugar
1-2 tsp salt (to taste)

rosemary (opt.)

About 8-10 lasagna noodles
Baby spinach, washed

Cheese filling:
1 egg
1 lb. small-curd cottage cheese
1 lb. ricotta cheese
½ c. freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
1 lb. mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced or grated

Directions:

1. Sautee the onion and bell pepper in a little olive oil. Add the rest of the ingredients for the sauce and stir to mix. Simmer until it cooks down to about ½ of the original volume (about 1-2 hours).
2. When the sauce is ready, cook the lasagna noodles according to package direction.
3. Combine the ingredients for the cheese filling.
4. Put a small amount of sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13-in pan. Add a layer of noodles (half of the noodles cooked). Add about ½ of the cheese mixture on top of the noodles. Then add a layer of spinach and cover that with sauce.
5. Arrange half of the mozzarella cheese on top. Now add another layer of noodles (the other half), the remaining cheese mixture, spinach and sauce.
6. Place in a 375° oven for 20 minutes. Place a layer of mozzarella cheese on top. Continue to bake until the sauce is hot and bubbly and the cheese is melted. Cool for 10 minutes before cutting or it'll be sloppy beyond all belief.

Olive Garden Salad

This is so yummy! I found this on another recipe blog. Click here

Olive Garden Salad Dressing:
½ c. mayonnaise
1/3 c. white vinegar
1 tsp vegetable oil
2 Tb. corn syrup
2 Tb. Parmesan cheese
2 Tb. Romano cheese
¼ tsp garlic salt – or one clove garlic, minced
½ tsp Italian seasoning
½ tsp parsley flakes
1 Tb. lemon juice


Salad:

1 large head romaine lettuce
slices red onion
black olives
2-4 banana peppers
2 small tomatoes, quartered
½ c. croutons
freshly grated Parmesan cheese




Mix all dressing ingredients in a blender until well mixed. If this is a little too tart for your own personal tastes, add a little extra sugar.
Chill one salad bowl in freezer for at least 30 minutes. Put lettuce in bowl. Place on top of lettuce red onions, black olives, banana peppers, tomatoes, and croutons. Add some freshly grated Parmesan cheese if you like, and add plenty of Olive Garden Salad Dressing on top.


For homemade croutons:
4 slices sandwich bread
1 clove garlic, minced
3 Tb. butter
salt and pepper
dried parsley flakes

For the homemade croutons:
Cut off crusts of sandwich bread, and cut bread into cubes. Melt butter in small saucepan and add minced garlic. Toss sandwich cubes in the butter and spread out in a pan. Sprinkle salt and pepper and parsley flakes to taste. Bake for 15 minutes at 350°, turning half way through baking.

Apricot Chicken

I use the crockpot almost every week, especially for Sunday dinner. You can cook potatoes in them which I love. You peel potatoes whole and place them in enough salted water to cover them and cook on high for a shorter time, or low for a longer time for mashed potates. I put them in in the morning before church and they are ready to mash when I get home. I also cook my roasts in them. I like to brown my roast then add a package of lipton onion soup mix. and roast to the crockpot with a small amount of water. The soup mix makes the gravy very flavorful. Sunday dinner is ready to go as soon as we get home. You can also bake potates in the crockpot. Wash and wrap whole potatoes in foil and place in crockpot. Same principle as for mashed, high for a shorter time, low for all day. You may have to experiment with your own crockpot as sometimes potatoes may become too done, so just watch them the first couple of times you try them so you can gage how long it takes them to cook with your crockpot.

I also love this easy recipe for Apricot Chicken

4-6 Chicken breats-boneless or bone-in
1 8 oz. bottle of russian salad dressing (Wishbone brand has one)
1 jar of apricot jam
1 pkg. onion soup mix

Place ingredients in crockpot and cook as desired. High for 3-5 hours, low 4-6 hours. Chicken cooks fast so it doesn't take that long for this recipe to cook. I serve it with rice. Enjoy!!!

Granola

Granola
(I half this recipe)

8 cups oats
1 pkg. coconut
1 t. salt
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/2-1 cup water
1/4-1/3 cup oil
2 t. vanilla
cinammon to taste
1/2 cup each of whatever nuts and/or fruit: i.e. almonds, pecans, raisins, craisins
or whatever you like (I like slivered almonds and crushed pecans)

Stir together above ingredients together. PLace on cookie sheet and bake at 350 degress for 20-30 minutes stirring every 10 minutes to desired crispness. Store in airtight container.

Parmesan Breadsticks

This isn't a crockpot recipe but it does go delicious with any pasta dish!

Any amount of frozen Rhodes Rolls you want(Texas rolls make them really big, and regular rolls a little smaller)

Thaw out for a couple hours,until the dough is soft
Pull them to make a breadstick shape.
(I like to fold them over a little bit so they have a little bit of a divet in the center and the butter runs into it so you have extra butter)

Dip the whole thing in melted butter
Put on greased cookie sheet
Sprinkle Parmesaen Cheese on to your liking
Let rise for 30 min and bake on 375 for 12-15 min or golden brown.

I got this recipe from Kyle's aunt and they are so delicious! You can also sprinkle a little bit of garlic powder and pizza seasoning on to add a little bit more flavor.
I'll post a picture next time I make them so it makes a little more sense! But if you understand it then enjoy!

Crock Pot Cookin!

I'm always looking for new crockpot recipes! So, please post your favorite one! I know we had a lot of delicious crock-pot dinners brought to us when I had our baby. Here's a couple of my favorites:

WHOLE ROTISSERIE CHICKEN
Whole chickn (without gizzards, unless you are going to eat them)
Crock-Pot liner bag
Seasoning

Place whole chicken in Crockpot. Sprinkle with desired spices (Mrs. Dash, Seasoned Salt, Salt and Pepper, etc.). The chicken will produce enough juice you do not need to add water! Cook on high 4-6 hours, or low 8-10. If you do not wish to eat the gizzards, the chicken will cook better with the gizzards removed, or buy chicken that has already had the gizzards removed. If the chicken is frozen, add two extra hours of cooking time.
*Clean-up Hint, Cook the chicken in a Crockpot liner, so when the chicken is done, you may discard the leftover bones. It's a breeze!! Serve with potatoes, fries, or your favorite side.


Caramel Rolls (From book: 101 Things to do with a Slow Cooker):

2 Packages (8 oz each) refrigerator biscuits
¼ Cup melted butter
½ Cup brown sugar
½ Tsp Cinnamon

Mix sugar and cinnamon in small bowl. Dip individual biscuits into melted butter and then into cinnamon and sugar mixture. Place each covered biscuit in greased 3 ½ to 5 qt cooker. Cover and cook on high 2 1/2-3 hours, or until rolls are done. You can check rolls in the center after 2 hours for doneness. These are great when you want to have Breakfast for dinner, or for any occasion!

Swiss Chicken

It is a delicious recipe and I just made it for the Janke's, they said they loved it!

4-6 chicken breasts
4-6 slices of swiss cheese
1 box of chicken stuffing mix
1 can crm of mushroom soup
1/4 cup milk
1/4 c. butter

Preheat oven to 350* Spray a 9x13 pan and lay chicken breasts in pan. Place a slice of swiss cheese on each piece of chicken. Mix milk and soup together and spread over cheese and chicken. Then spread around the stuffing mix on top of the soup mixture. Then melt the butter and drizzle over stuffing. Cover with foil and cook anywhere from 50-65 minutes or until chicken is done.

Babies!!

Since it is the time to have babies (at least it is in our ward!!), I thought it would be fun to post your favorite recipe to take to someone when they've had a baby.

I'm also getting SUPER excited for FALL, so feel free to post your favorite Fall recipes!!

Spicy Chicken Alfredo

This recipe was given to me from Ashley Webb. It has made its way around our ward, and everyone seems to love it, so I decided to post it here! Enjoy!

Spicy Chicken Alfredo

1 box penne pasta (cooked and drained)
1 Jar Alfredo Sauce
1 Can diced tomatoes with basil and oregano (with juice)
2 T. Italian Seasoning
1 t. Crushed Red Pepper
Cooked Chicken (I like mine shredded or diced, and I like it cooked in the crockpot so it is super tender)

Mix everything together but the pasta (to ensure that the chicken gets some of the sauce). Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the pasta, mix, and serve! Easy and delicious!

Sicilian Beef

Sear one 4lb rolled rump roast in 3T oil until brown.
Combine: 1 Chopped Onion
1T Parsley Flakes
1 1/2t Oregano Leaves
1t Basil Leaves
1/2t Minced Garlic
1/4t Pepper
1t Salt
1/2C Water
1 can (32oz) Whole Italian Tomatoes

When meat is seared take it out and put the above mixture in. Bring it to a boil and add the meat. When tender, 3 hrs., remove meat to a platter and thicken the juices (scant 1/2C water and 2 heaping T flour or cornstarch softened in the water). Serve with large shell macaroni. Can also cook in crockpot. After searing meat, place all ingredients in slowcooker and cook on high for 3-4 hours. Remove meat and thicken juices as directed.

Zucchini Bread

Here is a good recipe for regular zucchini bread. To make it extra good, coat your loaf pan with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar and then sprinkle the same mixture on top of the bread before you bake it. YUM!! This is also good with chocolate chips added to it.

3 eggs
1 cup oil
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
2 t. vanilla
2 cup flour
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. baking powder
3 t. cinnamon
1 t. soda
1 cup chopped nuts

Beat eggs till foamy. Add sugars and zucchini. Add remaining ingredients and Bake at 325 degrees 1 hour. Makes two loaf pans. Cool in pan 15 minutes then turn out and cool completely.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

If you don't know what to do with your zucchini that seems to multiply overnight, this is a good recipe that is more like cake than bread. It is a family favorite every year!!

Beat together 3 eggs. Add-2 cups sugar, 1 cup oil. Mix well.
Stir together 6 T. cocoa and 2 T. melted butter.
Add--2 t. vanilla, 2 cups grated zucchini, 1 t. salt, 1 t. cinnamon, 1/4 t. baking powder,
1 t. soda, 3 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups chopped nuts. Mix well. Pour into 2 9X5 well greased loaf pans or 3 smaller loaf pans. Bake 325 degrees for 1 hour. Cool 15 minutes and turn out of pans onto a rack to cool completely. You can frost with plain or cream cheese frosting, or for extra chocolaty bread, add chocolate chips.

Homemade Magic Shell

Ok, so this isn't for a barbeque, but since I finally had the motivation to post something I figured I would post this one as well.

Magic Shell Chocolate Sauce

4 1/2 ounces high quality dark chocolate (use 60% cocoa or higher), chopped
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon carmel, ornage, or raspberry flavoring (optional)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon ground espresso beans (I just left this out when I made it)

Melt the chocolate slowly in a double boiler. Once completely melted, add the remaining ingredients one at a time, stirring slowly after each to avoid air bubbles. Place a scoop of your favorite icecream in a cone or dish. Take the pan out of the double boiler and, while resting it on the stove top, tip it a bit toward you. Quickly dip your icecream cone in the chocolate mixture, or use a spoon to drizzle it over icecream in a bowl. Within a few moments it will harden and form a thin shell on the icecream. Recipe serves 4.

I put some extra in the fridge and after heating it just a little bit was able to use it again a few days later. Easy and quick to make.

Fruit Salad

Fruit Salad

1 can pineapple chunks (drain juice and save)
1 can mandrin oranges (drained)
Slice 2 bananas and put in pineapple juice
10 oz. frozen strawberries thawed or 1 container fresh strawberries
1 can peach pie filling

Put pineapple, oranges and bananas (without the pineapple juice) in a bowl. Mix in peach pie filling (I use the peach pie gel. It is usually found with the strawberry gel over in the produce section. If you are using this I only use 1/3 of the container).
Add strawberries on top or can mix in with rest of fruit.

Can add other fruit if desired.

June Post

For June, I thought it would be fun to post your favorite recipe of things you like to take to a BBQ! Whether it be your favorite steak/chicken marinade, salad, appetizer, or dessert!

Fast and Easy Cheesecake

This is a recipe from Patti Bingham (Jamie Bingham's Mother-in-Law)!

Make in 9x13 pan

Crust: 1 package graham crackers-crumbled fine
1/3 Cup sugar
3 Tbs. Melted Butter

Mix crust ingredients and press into pan.

Cake: 8 oz. cream cheese
1 Cup sugar
8 oz. cool whip

Mix cream cheese and sugar until well blended. Fold in cool whip.

Topping: 1 large can cherry pie filling

Pasta Milano from Macaroni Grill

We love getting this at Macaroni Grill. I got this off of recipezaar.com and it is DELICIOUS! It is definately added to our mostly used recipes. Plus it's super easy! and pretty fast!


Chicken
4 chicken breasts
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Pasta
36 ounces bow tie pasta
4 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups sun-dried tomatoes
1 lb. mushroom, sliced
Cream Sauce
1 quart heavy cream
1 head garlic, roasted
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup parmesan cheese
Garnish
fresh parsely
parmesan cheese
1. Wash and dry chicken breasts
2. Mix garlic powder, salt, and pepper and sprinkle on chicken.
3. Grill chicken on the stove top in a skillet ot outside on the barbeque grill, until it is done all the way through. Set aside.
4. Place pasta in salted boiling water and cook for 8-10 minutes or until al dente. Drain.
5. Meanwhile saute the mushrooms and tomatoes in butter until soft.
6. Place heavy cream, roasted garlic, pepper, salt, and parmesan cheese in food precessor (or blender) and puree.
7. Place cream mixture in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until sauce has thickened.
8. Mix in mushrooms and tomatoes to cheese sauce and add to cookes pasta.
9. Slice grilled chicken and place on top of the pasta.
10. Garnish with fresh parsley and grated parmesan cheese. Serves 4+


I don't measure the mushrooms or tomatoes. I just put enough in to my liking... less tomatoes and lots of mushrooms. I also cut the chicken into bite size pieces after grilling since that's what I end up doing anyway while eating it. And, my sauce never thickens! Once you put it on your noodles it sort of thickens anyway. I've made this twice so far and it's been really good each time. Kyle absolutely loves it!Enjoy!

Best. Frosting. Ever.

This frosting is heaven on sugar cookies.
(And again, Mindy... sorry it's 2 months in the making.)

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

3C. powdered sugar
1/3 C. butter, softened
1-1/2 t. vanilla
2 T. milk

Directions: Mix together. :)

Ranch Potato Casserole

Sorry this only took me 2 months to post, Mindy!
But here it is!!

Ranch Potato Casserole
6 to 8 large red potatoes
1 C. sour cream
1 C. ranch dressing
1/4 C. bacon bits
2 T. minced fresh parsley
1 C. shredded cheddar cheese

topping:
1 C. shredded cheddar cheese
1-1/2 C. crushed corn flakes

Directions:
1.) Peel and cut potatoes into 1" squares and boil until tender.
2.) Combine sour cream, dressing, bacon bits, parsley and cheese in a large bowl.
3.) Place potatoes in and gently toss.
4.) Top with the cheese and then the corn flakes.
5.) Bake at 350 for 35-40 min.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip muffins

I found this on flikr.com. I absolutely love peanut butter and chocolate so why not have it in a muffin.

2 1/4 C flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 C brown sugar
6 Tbs Butter, melted and cooled
1/2 C peanut butter
2 lg eggs
1 C milk
3/4 C milk choc. chips

1. Preheat oven to 375. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with liners
2. Whisk together the first 4 ingredients
3. Whisk together the next 4 in separate bowl
4. combine all together
5. Stir in choc. chips
6. Divide batter into your paper-lined muffin tin. Each cup should be filled to the top,not just half way, to ensure you get a nice dome
7. Bake for 17-20 min, until tester comes out clean and the top of the muffin springs.

These were super delicious! So for all of you peanut butter lovers you better try them! You won't be disappointed!

Montly Post

Since we haven't had a lot of posts on here in a while, I thought it might be a good idea to put up a genre each month for your recipe post.

For example: for the month of April, please post your favorite Easter recipe. Whether it is your favorite way to cook eggs, your favorite ham or turkey dish, side dish, or treat...what is your favorite thing to eat on Easter?


For May, in celebration of Cinco De Mayo, please post your favorite Mexican Dish. If you have any requests of things you would like posted, let me know!

Panda Express Orange Chicken

Panda Express Orange Chicken

Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken, chopped into bite sized pieces
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• white pepper (for looks, if you don't mind a few pepper specks, black works great)
  
• oil (for frying)
• 1/2 cup cornstarch, plus 1/4 tablespoon cornstarch
  
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon gingerroot, minced (You can use 1 1/2 teaspoons ground dried ginger + 1/2 tsp fresh lemon or lime juice)
  
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed hot red chili pepper (if you don't have that, you can use 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper)
• 1/4 cup green onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon rice wine (You can use white grape juice, apple juice, or rice wine vinegar + 1Tbs white sugar)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Orange Sauce for Stir Fry

• 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons water
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• 5 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 orange, zest of

Directions

1. Place chicken pieces in large bowl.
2. Stir in egg, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon oil and mix well.
3. Stir cornstarch and flour together.
4. Add chicken pieces, stirring to coat.
5. Heat oil for deep-frying in wok, frying pan, or deep-fryer to 375 degrees.
   
6. Add chicken, small batches at a time, and fry 3 to 4 minutes or until golden crisp.
7. (Do not overcook chicken).
8. Remove chicken from oil with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels; set aside.
9. Clean wok and heat 15 seconds over high heat.
10. Add 1 tablespoon oil.
11. Add ginger and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant; about 10 seconds.
12. Add and stir-fry crushed chiles and green onions.
    
13. Add rice wine and stir 3 seconds.
14. Add Orange Sauce and bring to boil.
15. Add cooked chicken, stirring until well mixed.
16. Stir water into remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch until smooth and add to chicken.
17. Heat until sauce is thickned.
18. Stir in sesame oil and orange zest.
19. Serve over white or fried rice as desired.

*Hint: If you use the substitutions I included, cook the garlic and green onions, then add the other ingredients (dried ginger, cayenne pepper, lemon/lime juice, and white grape juice)

Cheesecake Factory Cheesecake Recipe

Cheesecake Factory Cheesecake Recipe

Ingredients:

***if you prefer a crust without nuts, the recipe for the no-nuts crust is below***
Crust:

1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/4 cup finely chopped almonds
3/4 cup finely chopped vanilla wafers
2 tablespoons melted butter

Crust Directions:

1. Mix all nuts and vanilla wafer crumbs with melted butter and press into a 9 inch buttered springform pan, trying to line the sides as much as possible about 1 1/2" up the sides of the pan, set aside.

OR

***The crust recipe below is for those who prefer a crust without nuts***
No-Nuts Crust

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup melted margarine

Directions:

1. Combine the graham cracker crumbs and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Mix in melted margarine.

2. Press the crumb into a 9-inch spring form pan that has been lined on the bottom and side with parchment paper.

3. Use the bottom of a drinking glass to press the crumb mixture into the bottom of the pan and about 2/3 the way up the side.

4. Put the crust in your freezer until the filling is done.

OR

***"Cheater Crust"***

Buy 2 already made graham cracker crusts from the grocery store. This recipe easily makes 2 cheesecakes, so I chose to go this route.


Filling:

1 1/2 lbs cream cheese (3 8oz packages)
1 1/3 cups sugar
5 large eggs
16 ounces sour cream
1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons lemon juice


Cheesecake Directions:

1. All the filling ingredients should be at room temperature.

2. Beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy with an electric mixer set on low (keep the setting at low during the entire mixing process).

3. Add the sugar a little at a time and continue beating until creamy.

4. Add one egg at a time and beat after each egg.

5. Add flour, vanilla and lemon juice, mix well.

6. Add the sour cream and beat well.

7. Pour cream cheese mixture into the springform pan. (Springform pans are used when you want to take the cheesecake out of the pan to serve it...like putting it on a nice, glass dish. A regular pan is just fine...just make sure that you don't fill your crust all of the way full, since the recipe calls for 5 eggs, which makes the cheesecakes raise quite a bit).

8. Place on the top rack in the middle of a 325 degrees preheated oven for one hour and 15 minutes. (If you do this in 2 ready-made crusts, bake for about one hour, then check. As soon as the cheesecake starts to crack on the top, it is done!)

9. When time is up turn oven off, prop open oven door and leave in oven for one hour.

10. Remove from oven and let cool then refrigerate for 24 hours (or at least overnight).

11. Remember this important tip : A cheesecake should season. The wait is worth it. The flavor ripens and becomes enriched.

Garlic Bread Spread

Once again I got this recipe off of another blog, but it is so good I have to share!
Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened (half melted, half softened will mix better)

2 Tbsp. mayo (I used lite mayo)

1/4 tsp. sage

2 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 clove garlic chopped (peel clove of garlic and then chop. I ended up only using half of what I chopped, but it's entirely up to what you would like)That part was from the recipe I got it from. I just use the already crushed garlic you get from the grocery store and it makes it a lot easier

1 baguette of French bread, halved lengthwise

2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese (or to taste - you can make it healthier or fattier)

Directions:

Preheat oven to broil.

Combine butter, mayo, sage, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper.

Spread mixture on bread and sprinkle lightly with cheese (or to taste)

Place bread under broil for 5 minutes or until lightly toasted.


I just mix my parmesan cheese into the mixture and spread it all. I also use Brummel and Brown yogurt butter instead, but I'm sure that it will taste fine with whatever butter you use! Enjoy!

Individual Calzones

I found this recipe on another recipe blog. It super easy and really good. You don't need to use very much of the Bread stick topping, and I didn't really measure while putting the stuff inside the calzones.

Ingredients Per Calzone:
2 thawed Rhodes dinner rolls
1/4 to 1/3 cup pizza or spaghetti sauce
2 Tbs. Toppings (cheese, pepperoni, ect.)
1/4 cup grated part skim mozzarella cheese
olive oil
Tip: it works with both thaw methods for the rolls but it's best if you can let them thaw for 3-4 hours

Direction:

Line a cookie sheet with tin foil for easy clean up and use a basting brush to coat with a light layer of olive oil.
Flatten roll dough from center out using fingers into 3-4inch circles. Each calzone will have a top and a bottom, it works best if the top piece is a little larger.

Place bases on pan and add sauce and topping in center leave about 1/4 inch of dough along edges.

Place slightly larger dough piece on top of base, seal edges using fork tongs to press the two pieces together. They seal best if you can make sure you're actually getting both pieces instead of just the top piece.

Lightly brush with olive oil.

I like to sprinkle with this topping blend I use for bread sticks (at bottom of post), but they're good without it too.
Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.

optional: serve with heated sauces for dipping.

Bread Stick Topping:
2 Tbs. dry Parmesan cheese
1 Tbs. garlic power
1 Tbs. garlic salt
1 Tbs. onion powder
1 Tbs. oregano

Easy Crock Pot Fajitas

4 - 5 chicken breasts (cut in strips or one inch chunks)
2 bell peppers (any color)
1 envelope taco seasoning

Just through everything in the crock pot and cook on high for 3 hours. I like to add black beans and/or corn sometimes.
Serve with tortillas and your favorite Fajita toppings like tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream, and/or guacamole!