Corn Pudding for Jasmine

Jasmine loves all things CORN! Last night she told me that corn would be good in hashbrown casserole. I did a shrimp boil tonight for dinner and since she hates shrimp, I wanted to do something for her to enjoy. This was it. She had more than one serving, so I would say it is a repeat. I also made chocolate pudding pie in an oreo crust per her request for this dinner as well.

I would note that my cream cheese wasn't completely softened and next time I will wait for that to be ready so that there aren't any clumps.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/corn-pudding-recipe/index.html

Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits

I made these a few weeks ago but never updated the blog. These were easy and good! I can't remember what the main dish was but these made a nice side with it.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/buttermilk-cheddar-biscuits-recipe/index.html

Peppermint Cookies - WINNER!

This was a new recipe that I did like.

http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1610,154168-227195,00.html

Lemon Cookies - didn't like these

So much potential but I didn't like these for all the effort that was put into them....

http://cookies-n-cakes.com/2008/05/21/lovely-lemon-cookie-recipe/

Baked French Toast Casserole

This did not work out. I really have tried several different breakfast casseroles but haven't had success. This was just another attempt.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/baked-french-toast-casserole-with-maple-syrup-recipe2/index.html

Mint Brownie Bites - didn't even get to the mint part

These didn't turn out so much. I got the recipe from Good Housekeeping. I didn't even bother putting the mint topping on them. They were too tiny and didn't taste that great.

Mint Brownie Bites

From Good Housekeeping

triple-tested at the Good Housekeeping Research Institute
Chocolatey and cakey, these brownies get their cooling kick from icing mixed with mint extract and a topping of peppermint candy chunks.

Kate Sears

Yields: 24 cookies

Prep Time: 35 min

Cook Time: 7 min

Oven Temp: 350



Brownie Bites

* 2/3 cup(s) all-purpose-flour
* 1/2 cup(s) unsweetened cocoa
* 1/2 teaspoon(s) baking powder
* 1 pinch(s) salt
* 3/4 cup(s) granulated sugar
* 3 tablespoon(s) butter or margarine, melted and cooled
* 2 tablespoon(s) honey
* 1 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
* 1 large egg white

Topping

* 1 cup(s) confectioners' sugar
* 1 tablespoon(s) milk
* 1 tablespoon(s) butter or margarine, softened
* 1/2 teaspoon(s) peppermint extract
* 2 ounce(s) white chocolate, melted and cooled
* 2 ounce(s) round hard peppermint candies, broken into chunks

Directions

1. Prepare Brownie Bites: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease large cookie sheet.
2. In large bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. In medium bowl, whisk sugar, butter, honey, vanilla, and egg white until blended. Stir sugar mixture into flour mixture; then, with hand, press dough just until blended.
3. With greased hands, shape dough into 1-inch balls and place on prepared cookie sheet 2 inches apart; press to flatten slightly. Bake 7 to 8 minutes or until brownies have cracked slightly. Transfer to wire rack to cool.
4. Prepare Topping: In medium bowl, whisk confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Whisk in butter and extract, then whisk in melted chocolate until smooth. Swirl 1 teaspoon topping on each cookie. Top each frosted cookie with 1 candy piece. Store in tightly sealed container with waxed paper between layers at room temperature up to 3 days or in freezer up to 1 month.

Homemade Biscuits - Jazz gave them a 10

EASY DROP BISCUITS
Printed from COOKS.COM

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup cold milk (place in refrigerator until needed)
4 tbsp. butter at room temperature.
1 tbsp. sugar

Preheat oven to 475°F.

Lightly grease a baking sheet.

Measure dry ingredients into a medium bowl (sifting is not necessary). Add butter and milk to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined (do not overwork the batter!)

Immediately drop by 1/4 cupfuls onto baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-15 minutes.

For larger biscuits, drop by half cupfuls onto baking sheet about 3 inches apart, and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Biscuits are done when golden brown on top and lightly browned on the bottom.

Cooks Note: Biscuits may be brushed with cream or egg wash before baking, if an extra sheen is desired. To make egg wash, beat 1 egg with 1 tablespoon water.

Homemade Oreo Cookies

This is a recipe we got from Kim Harker.

2 packages of Devil's Food Cake Mix
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup Butter Crisco Sticks

Combine ingredients. Form balls and bake 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees.

8 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine ingredients. Place frosting in between two cooled cookies to make oreo sandwich cookie!

Chicken in Creamy Pan Sauce

Jazz gave this an 8. She said if I had cooked rice to go with it, she would have given it a 10.
Alex gave it a 10 but he is always trying to kiss up to me.

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbspn flour
1 Tablespoon oil
3/4 cup reduced chicken broth
4 oz Philadelphia Cream Cheese

Coat chicken with flour. Heat oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add chicken, cook on each side until cooked through.
Remove chicken from skillet. Cover chicken to keep warm.

Add broth to skillet. Stir to scrape up browned bits from bottom of skillet. Add cream cheese. Cook 2-3 minutes or until cream cheese is melted and sauce starts to thicken. Stirring constantly with wire whisk.

Return chicken to skillet. Turn over both sides of chicken with sauce. Cook 2 minutes or until chicken is heated through.

Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Banana Cupcakes

Ingredients
Cupcakes:

* 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (recommended: Skippy)
* 1 cup sliced and firmly packed, ripe banana
* 1 tablespoon canola oil
* 3 tablespoons water
* 1 large egg
* 1 tablespoon Dutch process cocoa powder
* 1 (9-ounce) package devil's food cake mix without pudding (recommended: Jiffy)

Peanut Butter Frosting:

* 2 1/2 tablespoons softened unsalted butter
* 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (recommended: Skippy)
* 1/3 cup plus 2 1/4 teaspoons powdered sugar
* 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons whole milk
* 2 1/2 tablespoons roasted and lightly salted chopped peanuts
* 10 dried banana chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place a medium-sized platter in the freezer.

Line 10 standard (2 3/4-inch wide) muffin cups with paper liners. Set aside.

To make the cupcakes, in a medium bowl and with an electric mixer, beat the peanut butter, sliced banana, oil and water together on medium speed until mostly smooth or only a few very small pieces of banana are visible. On low speed beat in the egg, cocoa powder and the cake mix. Increase speed to medium-high and beat for 1 minute or until batter is well blended.

Spoon an equal amount of batter into the lined muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake on the center rack for 15 to 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the center of cakes comes out clean.

Remove cupcakes from the pan and place on the platter in the freezer. Freeze for 8 minutes to quickly cool the cupcakes.

While the cakes cool, make the frosting, with an electric mixer beat together the butter and peanut butter until smooth. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons milk until frosting reaches a spreadable consistency. (If needed, add up to an extra 1/2 teaspoon of milk to make frosting smooth.) Frost cupcakes. Sprinkle the tops with an even amount of the chopped peanuts. Garnish the tops of each cake with a dried banana chip.

A viewer, who may not be a professional cook, provided this recipe. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe and therefore, we cannot make representation as to the results.

The frosting didn't turn out so fabulous. Jasmine thought there were too many flavors combined. Waiting to hear what our "banana" friends think....

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls with Cambria and Hunter

Sandra Lee's Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

* 1 loaf frozen white bread dough, thawed in refrigerator Flour, for dusting surface Filling: 1 cup packed brown sugar 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 2/3 stick butter, softened Icing: 1 stick unsalted butter, softened 1 cup powdered sugar 1/3 cup cream cheese 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to form a 15 by 7-inch rectangle. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside. Spread 2/3 cup softened butter over dough and then evenly sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Starting at the long edge, roll up dough as for a jelly roll. Cut roll into 16 slices and then set aside in a warm place and allow dough to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Divide rolls among 2 lightly buttered round baking pans. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden on top. While the rolls are baking, combine the icing ingredients with an electric mixer until fluffy. Frost the warm rolls with the icing. Serve warm.

Sarah's Southwest Appetizer

This is from a friend in an old ward - Sarah Moss.

It is really easy and is always a hit.

12 flour tortillas
8 ounces softened cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 4oz can chopped green chiles
3 tblspns chopped green onion
2 tbslpns chopped red pepper
12 oz sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup salsa

Combine cream cheese, sour cream, chiles, red pepper and cheddar cheese. Mix until well combined. Spread onto tortillas and roll up. Cover tightly and chill for 2 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, cut each roll into 1/2 inch slices. Serve with salsa. Makes about 8 dozen tortilla roll ups.

I usually get ahead of myself and combine the salsa in with the other ingredients - this serves just fine too.

Artichoke Cheese Braids

This was good (so everyone said) but it was NOT pretty!

Artichoke-Cheese Braids


INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup drained finely chopped artichoke hearts (from 14-oz can), patted dry with paper towels
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations™ refrigerated flaky dough sheet
1 jar (2 oz) diced pimiento, drained, patted dry with paper towels
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon grated Parmesan cheese


DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 375°F. In small bowl, mix artichokes, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and the mayonnaise.
2. If using crescent rolls: Unroll dough; separate into 2 long rectangles. Place crosswise on opposite ends of ungreased large cookie sheet. Press each into 11x4 1/2-inch rectangle, firmly pressing perforations to seal. If using dough sheet: Unroll dough; cut into 2 long rectangles. Place crosswise on opposite ends of ungreased large cookie sheet. Press each into 11x4 1/2-inch rectangle.
3. Spoon half of artichoke mixture in 1 1/2-inch-wide strip lengthwise down center of each rectangle. Top each evenly with pimiento.
4. On long sides of each rectangle, make 15 cuts about 3/4 inch apart almost to edge of artichoke mixture. For braided appearance, fold strips of dough at an angle halfway across artichoke mixture with ends of strips slightly overlapping, alternating from side to side; pinch to seal.
5. Bring ends of each braid together to form ring; press ends together to seal. Carefully brush tops of rings with egg; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon Parmesan cheese.
6. Bake 13 to 18 minutes or until deep golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. Carefully loosen braids from cookie sheet with wide spatula; slide onto serving plate. Cut between strips into thin slices; serve warm.

I have made this several times before and it is always a hit.

Easy Veggie Pizza

INGREDIENTS

2	cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations™ refrigerated flaky dough sheet
1	package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2	cup sour cream
1	teaspoon dried dill weed
1/8	teaspoon garlic powder
1/2	cup small fresh broccoli florets
1/3	cup quartered cucumber slices
1	plum (Roma) tomato, seeded, chopped
1/4	cup shredded carrot

DIRECTIONS

1.	Heat oven to 375°F.
2.	If using crescent rolls: Unroll both cans of dough; separate dough into 4 long rectangles. In ungreased 15x10x1-inch pan, place dough; press in bottom and up sides to form crust. If using dough sheets: Unroll both cans of dough. In ungreased 15x10x1-inch pan, place dough; press in bottom and up sides to form crust.
3.	Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
4.	In small bowl, mix cream cheese, sour cream, dill and garlic powder until smooth. Spread over crust. Top with vegetables. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours before serving. Cut into 8 rows by 4 rows.

Mediterranean Harvest Pasta

This one was a hit. I made the sauce ahead when I was busy in the kitchen one night. Alex and Bret both really liked it.

Mediterranean Harvest Pasta

SUBMITTED BY: Valerie
"This unique tomato sauce combines the best of the Mediterranean - including roasted red peppers, balsamic vinegar, and kalamata olives - into a sweet, tangy sauce perfect for breezy summer nights."

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

* 2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
* 1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives
* 1/3 cup chopped bottled roasted red peppers
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
* 1 tablespoon white sugar, or more to taste
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano
* black pepper to taste
* 3/4 cup vegetarian burger crumbles
* 1 pound penne pasta


DIRECTIONS

1. Stir the tomatoes, olives, red pepper, garlic, vinegar, sugar, olive oil, oregano, and black pepper in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the sauce begins to thicken, 20 to 30 minutes.
2. Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the penne, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain well in a colander set in the sink.
3. Once the tomato sauce is ready, pour into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the sauce moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree until smooth, then return to the pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the sauce right in the cooking pot. Stir in the burger crumbles, and simmer until hot. Pour the sauce over the cooked penne to serve.

This was good. Bret liked it - the kids ate it but not sure it was a new fav.

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes.aspx/healthified-homemade-pizza

"Healthified" Homemade Pizza

Crust
1 1/3	cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1	teaspoon baking powder
1/2	teaspoon salt
1/2	cup fat-free (skim) milk
2	tablespoons olive oil
Topping
1 1/2	cups shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese (6 oz)
1	can (14.5 oz) Muir Glen® organic diced tomatoes, drained
1	cup fresh baby spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
1	cup yellow or green bell pepper strips
1/4	teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/4	teaspoon garlic powder
1/8	teaspoon pepper
2	tablespoons freshly shredded Parmesan cheese

	Print these coupons...
	About Concordance™

1.	Heat oven to 400°F. In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in milk and oil until soft dough forms. (If dough is dry, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons additional milk.) On lightly floured surface, knead dough 10 times. Shape dough into ball. Cover with bowl; let stand 10 minutes.
2.	Place dough on ungreased cookie sheet; flatten slightly. Roll out to 12-inch round. Bake 8 minutes.
3.	Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over crust; top with remaining topping ingredients. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until crust is light golden brown and cheese begins to brown. Cut into wedges to serve.

Cinnamon Rolls by Sandra Lee

These took 2 attempts. The first attempt I used a canned bread dough and it didn't work so I ran up to Safeway and picked up Rhodes White Bread Dough.
They were ok. Alex finished for me by making the frosting - my visiting teachers were over and he didn't want to wait!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sandra-lee/cinnamon-rolls-recipe/index.html

Cinnamon Rolls

• Cook Time 15 min

• Level Easy

• Yield 16 rolls

Ingredients

• 1 loaf frozen white bread dough, thawed in refrigerator Flour, for dusting surface Filling: 1 cup packed brown sugar 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 2/3 stick butter, softened Icing: 1 stick unsalted butter, softened 1 cup powdered sugar 1/3 cup cream cheese 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to form a 15 by 7-inch rectangle. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside. Spread 2/3 cup softened butter over dough and then evenly sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Starting at the long edge, roll up dough as for a jelly roll. Cut roll into 16 slices and then set aside in a warm place and allow dough to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Divide rolls among 2 lightly buttered round baking pans. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden on top. While the rolls are baking, combine the icing ingredients with an electric mixer until fluffy. Frost the warm rolls with the icing. Serve warm.

Bistro Chicken Pasta Salad

This was ok - not much too it.

Bistro Chicken Pasta Salad

Prep Time: 25 min
Total Time: 25 min
Makes: 4 servings, about 1-1/3 cups each

What You Need!
2 cups cooked penne pasta
1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
1 pkg. (4 oz.) ATHENOS Traditional Crumbled Feta Cheese
1/2 cup prepared GOOD SEASONS Italian Dressing Mix for Fat Free Dressing
1/3 cup lightly packed fresh basil, cut into strips
1/4 cup chopped red onions
1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (not oil packed)
1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, grilled, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
Make It!

COMBINE all ingredients except chicken.

TOP with chicken.
Kraft Kitchens Tips
Make Ahead
Prepare as directed. Refrigerate several hours or until chilled.
Substitute
Prepare using ATHENOS Crumbled Feta Cheese with Basil & Tomato.

Jen's Black Bottom Banana Bars

Thanks Jen for passing on this recipe. Everyone loved it. Alex doesn't like banana bread and he was almost willing to try it because of the chocolate!

Black Bottom Banana Bars
1/2 cup margarine...I use Fleischmann's
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup baking cocoa

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla;beat until thoroughly combined. Blend in the bananas. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; add to creamed mixture and mix well;Divide batter in half. Add cocoa to half, spread into a greased 9X13 baking pan. Spoon remaining batter on top and swirl with a knife. Bake @ 350 for 25 minutes or until the bars test done....

Oreo Truffles - Real Hit!

These were fairly easy although mine weren't as pretty as the ones in the picture. I think next time I would make them smaller. The second round of white chocolate I used a bit of vegetable oil when I melted the chocolate and this helped.

I just found the same recipe but with milk chocolate - that would be yummy too!
http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/easy-oreo-truffles-95085.aspx

Oreo Truffles from Better Homes and Gardens
1 18oz package oreos, finely crushed
1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
1 lb white baking chocolate, melted

Combine crushed cookies and cream cheese until well blended. Form one inch balls by hand. Dip balls in white chocolate. Place on wax paper and chill for one hour.
Makes 50 truffles.

Orange Butter Cream Squares

This recipe was yummy. I made it for the baby shower for Jessika but threw it out because the presentation was awful. I'm not sure what I did wrong.
First, I ended up adding more oreo crumbs so that I would have enough for the bottom of the pan.
And then the filling didn't nearly cover the top like it should have.

I will try it again but will make double the amount of filling.

Yummy orange buttercream bars.

Use real butter for this recipe.

Servings: 25

Ingredients:

Crust:
1 1/4 c. Oreo cookie crumbs, plus an extra handful of crumbs
1/3 c. butter, melted

Filling:
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/3 c. butter, softened
2 tsp. grated orange peel
1 tbsp. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

In a medium bowl, stir together 1 1/4 cup cookie crumbs and 1/3 cup melted butter. Press on bottom of a 9 inch square pan. Cover, refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

To make filling, in a small mixer bowl, combine powdered sugar, 1/3 cup butter, orange peel, milk and vanilla. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy, 3 to 4 minutes. Spread over crust.

Lightly sprinkle additional cookie crumbs on top. Refrigerate until firm, 1 to 2 hours. Cut into bars, store refrigerated.

Asian Chicken and Orzo Salad

We tried this recipe but it was a no-go. Alex and Jasmine really like the orzo pasta so I'm going to try it in other ways.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/asian-chicken-and-orzo-salad-recipe/index.html

Alex making Linguine in Fresh Tomato Sauce with Garlic Basil Toast

Linguine in Fresh Tomato Sauce with Garlic-Basil Toast

Ingredients

• 10 oz. dried linguini
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, minced or 1 Tbsp. bottled minced garlic
• 2 English muffins, split
• 3/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1 pint small tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup chicken broth or pasta water
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 cup halved, pitted kalamata olives (optional)
• Grated Parmesan cheese; fresh basil (optional)

Directions

1. Heat broiler. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, set aside.

2. Meanwhile, in bowl combine 1 tablespoon of the oil and about one-third of the minced garlic; brush on cut sides of muffins. Place muffins on baking sheet. Broil, 3 to 4 inches from broiler, for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the chopped basil; set aside.

3. In large saucepan heat remaining oil over medium-high. Add remaining garlic, basil, and the tomatoes. Cook 2 minutes; add broth and sugar. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, until tomatoes soften. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in pasta and olives; heat through. Sprinkle cheese and basil.

4. Serve toasted muffins with pasta. Top with Parmesan and basil. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Facts

• Calories 450,
• Total Fat (g) 12,
• Saturated Fat (g) 2,
• Monounsaturated Fat (g) 8,
• Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 2,
• Cholesterol (mg) 1,
• Sodium (mg) 403,
• Carbohydrate (g) 72,
• Total Sugar (g) 7,
• Fiber (g) 3,
• Protein (g) 12,
• Vitamin C (DV%) 24,
• Calcium (DV%) 5,
• Iron (DV%) 20,
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Jen's Chicken Salad

Easy Lemon Ice.
This was in my free Kraft magazine that I get. It looked cool but wasn't all that spectacular. Easy though!
1 package of Jello Lemon (3 oz)
1 cup cold seltzer
zest and juice from one lemon
Cool Whip whipped topping in a can
6 fresh strawberries

Add 1 cup boiling water to gelatin mix in bowl. Stir for 2 minutes until completely dissolved. Stir in seltzer, zest and juice.
Pour into 9 inch square pan and cover.
Freeze for 3 hours or until firm. Remove from freezer. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Use spoon or fork to scrape gelatin mix into small pieces. Spoon into dessert dishes. Top with 1 Tbsp Cool Whip and one berry.
Serve immediately.

Shrimp Boil (with Greg's help)

I can't tell you how many times I had to replay the blackberry voice messages from Greg to help myself through this -not a complicated recipe - just wanted to make sure I got it right.

Important numbers = 3 and 15
Get your water with onion, potatoes and crab/shrimp boil to a rolling boil.
Add your shrimp.
Return to a rolling boil and leave for THREE MINUTES.
Then take off heat (add ice cubes if you want) and let it sit for FIFTEEN MINUTES.

EAT.

We also added polish sausage to the pot. We laid the newspaper out and everything on the table to make it as authentic as possible.

Homemade Cocktail Sauce

I don't have horseradish on hand but even without it, we did ok

You can make your own homemade cocktail sauce. Here is how..


2 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon horseradish
3-4 drops of tabasco sauce
1/4 teaspoon worcestershire sauce


Combine all the ingredients. If you want a little bit hotter, add more tabasco sauce..

Paula Deen's White Bean Chili

This was almost a hit. Bret and Jasmine both liked it. Alex said it wasn't a "re-do".

The recipe called for collard greens but I used spinach instead. Another difference is that in the FoodTV magazine, it calls for cans of navy beans but on the website, it mentions a bag. I think the bag would work better to give it more of a thick consistency.

• Cook Time

  1 hr 45 min

• Level

  Easy

• Yield

  10 to 15 servings

Close

Times:

Prep

20 min

Inactive Prep

2 hr 0 min

Cook

1 hr 45 min

Total:

4 hr 5 min

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Ingredients

• 1 pound dried navy beans
• 5 cups chicken stock
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 3/4 cup diced onion
• 1 1/2 cups chopped green chiles (fresh or canned)
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 to 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• 1/2 bunch cilantro leaves, chopped

Directions

Rinse beans well, cover with cool water, and soak for 2 hours. Drain. Place beans in large pot with chicken stock and bring to a boil over high heat. In a saucepan, heat butter over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, and chiles and saute for 5 minutes. Add chile mixture to pot with beans. Add chicken, cumin, oregano, pepper, white pepper, red pepper flakes, and cilantro. Lower heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for approximately 1 1/2 hours. Serve with cornbread, if desired.

Crock Pot Recipes

So if everyone loves crock pots - what are your favorite recipes? Please share!

Aunt Shela's White Corn Salsa

This recipe is best eaten with Tostitos Lime Chips.

2 cans Shoepeg White Corn
1 medium bell pepper chopped
5 green onions chopped
1 small can chopped black olives
7-8 roma tomatoes chopped
1 bottle Zesty Italian dressing
1 4oz can green chilis
1/2 bunch cilantro chopped
Juice from one lime
Garlic Salt and Pepper to taste


Combine all ingredients and serve.

(lots of GREEN ingredients in this) but with the tomatoes and the corn - it is really pretty.

Toaster OVEN - What do you think?

It is so hot here in the summer that we hate to use the oven. I have been debating on getting a toaster oven. I have never had one and so am still on the fence. I hate things on the counter and don't want another appliance cluttering up my counter.

What do you guys think?
Do you have one? Do you love it? What do you cook in it?

Punch - more like expensive Hawaiian Punch

I didn't like this (way too sweet) but the ladies at the baby shower did. To me if you are going to buy all these ingredients, it would be cheaper to just buy Hawaiian Punch. I won't be making this one again.

RAINBOW PUNCH
1 (6oz) package cherry gelatin (Thanks Ronda but this isn't kool aid mix)
1 (12oz) can frozen lemonade
1 (12oz) can frozen orange juice
1 (46oz) can pineapple juice
1 (2 liter) bottle sprite soda
Blend together until gelatin is dissolved with all juices and lemonade; stir in soda and serve.

Cucumber Tea Sandwiches

Have you ever made these before? Way easy - I made them for a baby shower and they must have been decent because they all got eaten.

http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/tea-sandwiches-94145.aspx

Crock Pot Enchilada

This recipe was pretty easy. I cut it in half. The presentation was nice but as Bret said presentation is nothin', if it doesn't taste good. Alex said he liked it but I think that was just because he didn't want to hurt my feelings. Bret ate all that was on his plate but I think he was just hungry. I would make it again but I would use more meat and not cook it on high for as long (as I burned the bottom layer or two).
The part that I liked the best was putting al. foil on the bottom and then when it was done cooking, I just lifted it out using the foil.

Ingredients:

• 2 packages (1 1/2 ounces each) enchilada sauce mix
• 3 cups water
• 2 cans (6 ounces each) tomato paste
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• salt to taste
• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup chopped onion, or to taste
• 1 sweet red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded, minced, or use mild chile peppers
• 5 to 6 large flour tortillas (8-inch)
• 4 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
• 1 can (12 ounces) refried beans
• your choice of garnishes

Preparation:

First, make foil "handles." Fold a 30-inch long piece of foil in half lengthwise. Place in bottom of a slow cooker with both ends hanging over top edge of cooker.The foil strip will make it much easier to remove the burrito stack when done.

Lightly grease crockpot. In saucepan, combine the first six ingredients; simmer for 20 minutes over low heat. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown ground beef with onion, bell pepper, and minced jalapeno or mild peppers. Drain off fat. Stir about 1/3 of sauce mix into the browned beef mixture.

Spoon a small amount of sauce into bottom of the slow cooker.

Spread a small amount of refried beans over one of the flour tortillas. Place the tortilla on top of sauce in Crock Pot, tearing to fit if necessary. Spoon meat mixture over tortilla and then top with a small amount of the shredded cheese. Continue layering until tortillas are used or within an inch of top of crockpot. Cover and cook on LOW 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours. Lift burritos out by the foil handles and place on serving plate. Cut in wedges; garnish with chopped tomato, shredded lettuce, sour cream, sliced ripe olives, or your own favorite combination. Serves 4 to 6.

Baked Ziti from The Neely's on Food TV

This wasn't a big hit. Bret likes spinach so I thought he would at least like it.
At least there was the back up garlic bread - hard to mess that up!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/patrick-and-gina-neely/neelys-baked-ziti-recipe/index.html

Kathy Ganem's Chicken Soup - chocked full of veggies

No pictures of this one but it was easy to make and Bret loved it because of all the veggies.

1 can green chili
1 can corn
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup sliced carrots
1 sliced zuchinni
1 sliced yellow squash
6 cups of chicken broth
1-2 pounds of diced up chicken (I bought a chicken from the deli and let Alex have a few bites and tore off the rest for the soup)
2 tablespoons of chili powder
1 teaspoon sage
2 tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper

In a large pot, mix all ingredients. Cook till food is tender.

Serve with tortilla chips.
In a skillet, add 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil and heat. Add cut corn tortillas and minced garlic with cilantro. As tortillas crisp, place on paper towel to dry; salt immediately.

Serve the soup with grated cheese, sour cream, chopped avocado too!

Party Pretzels

These are so yummy. My friend Lindsay shared the recipe with me years ago and we have made them too many times to count since. In fact, I think this might be the second time I have blogged about them. I thought Reta Rae might like them so I made a batch. She took two bags home with her (one for herself and one for her husband, so she didn't have to share).

Thanks again Lindsay for sharing the recipe!

32 oz. Pretzels (small variety)

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon onion powder

2 teaspoons dill weed

½ package of Ranch dressing mix

1 bottle buttery popcorn oil

Mix seasonings and oil together.  Add pretzels.  Put in Ziploc bag or Rubbermaid. Seal and turn until oil is absorbed.  Marinate overnight.

Brownies from a box that don't taste good - That is really pathetic

Reta Rae bagged these up really cute for me when Bret and I went for a walk. His office was having a bake sale for charity. I had made them earlier but hadn't tasted them. What Reta Rae didn't tell me until later was that they were rock hard and that she wouldn't have given them away. I did get her to finally tell me they were bad! She instructed me on how to cut the edges off before you give away any baked goods - she learned that in 4H.
Guess I should try and find a 4H group around here to join to learn those little tricks!

I guess it was ok though because when Bret went down to collect my container -they had all been purchased. I think the lesson there is that sometimes presentation is more important than taste!

Breakfast Quiches To Go

Again Reta Rae said these were yummy. I did taste these and thought they were ok. I really loved the crescent rolls - have you seen the new garlic butter flavor - YUM! Pretty easy to make too.

http://www.pillsbury.com/Recipes/ShowRecipe.aspx?rid=44952&WT.mc_id=taf_recipe_PBUS

Orange Citrus Bars

These are called Orange Citrus Bars - very similar to Lemon Bars. I haven't had one yet but Reta Rae said they were yummy.

www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/orange-citrus-bars-recipe/index.html

Blood Oranges

Have you seen one before? This is what they look like. Regular oranges on the outside and blood on the inside.

Nacho Bread Pizza - Not a winner

Got this from Rachael Ray and the fam didn't really care for it.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/nacho-bread-pizzas-recipe/index.html

Broccoli Salad (ZoeAnn's recipe)

I actually didn't make this for my family. I made it for a RS dinner. Pretty funny because someone made a similar salad and put it in the same kind of tupperware bowl just a different color and smaller!
This salad always goes over well at a potluck. I doubled the ingredients. I put the dressing on the side and mixed it right before serving.
I know that it is odd for me to post anything with vegetables. I got this recipe from my friend ZoeAnn years ago and actually don't mind the vegetables!


Broccoli Salad

4 cups Broccoli Flowerets
½ cup salted Sunflower Seed Kernels
½ cup Craisins
½ cup Green Onions
6 - 8 slices Bacon
Finely chop raw Broccoli.
Slice Green Onion.
Cook and crumble Bacon.

Mix these ingredients together.

¾ cup Mayonnaise
½ tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
1/3 cup SugarStir together.

Pour over other ingredients and mix well.

Chocolate-Lemon Bars: Not so much

Not sure if it was me or the recipe, but these tanked!

Prep Time:
20 min
Total Time:
55 min
Makes:
16 servings, 1 bar each
What You Need
20 FAMOUS Chocolate Wafers, finely crushed (about 1 cup crumbs)
2 Tbsp. margarine or butter, melted
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. grated lemon peel
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. CALUMET Baking Powder
2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
Make It
PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Mix wafer crumbs and margarine; press firmly onto bottom of 8-inch square baking pan. Bake 5 min.
MEANWHILE, beat eggs, lemon peel and lemon juice with wire whisk until well blended. Add sugar, flour and baking powder; mix well. Pour over crust.
BAKE 25 min. Cool on wire rack 10 min.; sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into 16 squares. Serve warm. Store leftover bars in tightly covered container at room temperature.

Golden Grahams Indoor Smores

YUM! made this for a RS luncheon today. Pretty sure there wasn't anyone that didn't like it (except for the fools who didn't try it because they were dieting!)

INDOOR S'MORES (From Golden Grahams Cereal box)
Makes 48 squares
2/3 c Light corn syrup
2 tb Butter or margarine
11 1/2 oz Nestle milk chocolate morsels
1 ts Vanilla
10 oz Golden Grahams cereal (about 8 cups)
3 c Miniature marshmallows
Grease a 13x9x2" rectangular pan. Heat corn syrup, butter and chocolate morsels to boiling in 3-quart saucepan, stirring constantly; remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Pour over cereal in large mixing bowl; toss quickly until completely coated with chocolate. Fold in marshmallows, 1 cup at a time. Press mixture evenly in pan with piece of waxed paper. Let stand until firm, at least 1 hour. Cut into 1-1/2 inch squares.

Tex Mex Sundaes - not so great

I tried this recipe a week ago when we had friends visiting from California but I forgot to blog about it.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/tex-mex-sundaes-recipe/index.html

The tortillas weren't super cruncy. The chocolate sauce I bought was clumpy. I didn't even try the ice cream but I think it turned out ok. I gave it to my friend - and she enjoyed it.

The ice cream took more work than I'm used to - I have a yummy easy vanilla ice cream recipe. It was my first time to make something other than vanilla in my ice cream maker. Do you have one? Yum - ask for one for your birthday! They aren't that expensive and they are so much fun and so easy.

Baked Salmon - not so much

I made baked salmon tonight. Bret and the kids love salmon. Bret just wanted a sandwich (at least that was his order when he left me in the morning); although I think when he got home and realized I hadn't made him one, he felt left out.

The recipe wasn't super yummy. The kids scraped off the topping and then they really liked it. So I guess I could have just made them plain. Bret had bought a pack of salmon fillets frozen from Costco - super easy!

http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/cookingschool/videos/videoplayer.aspx?vid=1074

Kristi Bigelow's White Chocolate Party Mix

This is a recipe from a friend - we love it.

White Chocolate Party Mix
5 cups Cheerios
5 cups Corn Chex
2 cups Salted Peanuts
1 lb M & Ms
1 pkg (10 oz) mini pretzels
2 pkg (12 oz) vanilla chips
3 Tbs oil

Combine all ingredients except chips and oil in bowl. Microwave chips and oil on medium-high heat 2 minutes. Stir. Microwave on high 10 seconds. Stir until smooth. Pour over cereal mixture and stir well. Spread on wax paper. Cool. Break apart.

Blood Orange Lemonade

www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/danny-boome/blood-orange-lemonade-recipe/index.html