mrs harding cooks

Quinoa Salad with Black Beans, Avocado, and Cumin-lime dressing

2012-02-04T21:38:00.000-05:00

I've been hearing so much about this superfood, quinoa. "It's a grain, but it's got protein and essential amino acids and it will give you x-ray vision...." stuff like that. We tried a recipe for quinoa-stuffed peppers which was pretty good, but this recipe really hit the jackpot for me. It was really really delicious! Of course, you can't go wrong with avocado, lime and cilantro, in my book. I loved the fresh flavors and textures of this salad. We served it alongside some baked salmon and "hint of lime" tortilla chips. It was so good! And it made enough that we can eat the leftovers for lunches for a few days! This recipe is a winner! (We'll see about the x-ray vision...)

Quinoa Salad with Black Beans, Avocado and Cumin-Lime Dressing

1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed
1 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
1 3/4 cup water
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 avocado, chopped into chunks
handful cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 red onion, diced
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped into chunks
small handful cilantro, diced
1 limes, juiced
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tbsp olive oil
salt, to taste

Warm the olive/coconut oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once it’s hot add the rinsed quinoa and toast for about 2-3 minutes until it starts smelling nutty and lovely. Add water, stir once, cover, and simmer with a lid on for 20 minutes.
While the quinoa is cooking, prepare all other ingredients. Prepare the dressing by combining the lime juice, oil, cumin, and salt. Whisk it aggressively. Adjust seasoning as necessary.
When the quinoa has finished cooking, remove it from heat and fluff with a fork. Add black beans and toss to warm them through.
Let the quinoa cool for about five minutes and then add all the remaining ingredients, including the dressing, and mix. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve with tortilla chips. (We like the "Hint of Lime" Tostitos with this.)

Recipe from Eating for England, via Abbie White.

Veggie Pizza

2012-02-03T21:23:00.001-05:00

I love making pizza, but I wanted to try my hand at a more healthy version and try to get a few more vegetables in for the day. I was worried this wouldn't be that yummy since it was all veggies, but it was actually really delicious! We both loved it.

This is my favorite pizza dough recipe, I always make it on a weekend when I have extra time to let it rise, and then freeze half the dough to be used mid-week. When pulled out of the freezer in the morning, it makes the quickest dinner to throw together. All you have to do is wait for the oven to preheat, roll it out, top it, and bake!

Veggie Pizza

Dough:
½ cup warm water
2¼ tsp. instant yeast
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
1½ tsp. salt
1¼ cup water, at room temperature
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Toppings:
3/4 cup to 1 cup marinara sauce
6 oz Fontina Cheese, grated
2 handfuls baby spinach leaves
1 small-medium zucchini, sliced
1 small-medium yellow squash, sliced
handful grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
fresh basil (or dried, which is what I used), sprinkled on top

Measure the warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Sprinkle the yeast over the top. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flours and salt, mixing briefly to blend. Measure the room temperature water into the measuring cup with the yeast-water mixture. With the mixer on low speed, pour in the yeast-water mixture as well as the olive oil. Mix until a cohesive dough is formed. Switch to the dough hook. Knead on low speed until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, 1½-2 hours.

Press down the dough to deflate it. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Form each piece of dough into a smooth, round ball. (If freezing the dough, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze at this point.) Cover with a damp cloth. Let the dough relax for at least 10 minutes but no longer than 30 minutes.

To bake, preheat the oven and pizza stone to 500˚ F for at least 30 minutes. Transfer the dough to your shaping surface, lightly sprinkled with cornmeal. Shape the dough with lightly floured hands. Brush the outer edge lightly with olive oil. Top as desired. Bake until the crust is golden brown, and cheese is bubbling, 8-12 minutes.

Pizza dough recipe from Annie's Eats.

Broiled Grapefruit

2012-02-02T21:53:00.005-05:00

Made this for a Saturday brunch alongside some poached eggs and toast. It was delicious!! The warm grapefruit juices become a sweet-tart syrup, and the top almost caramelizes. (In this picture most of the topping was already scraped off.) Loved it and will definitely be doing this again and again.

Broiled Grapefruit

2 large grapefruits, well chilled
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
4 small fresh mint sprigs

Preheat a broiler.

Cut each grapefruit in half crosswise. Cut a thin slice off the bottom of each half, if necessary, so that it will stand upright.

Using a serrated grapefruit knife or a small, sharp knife, loosen the grapefruit segments in each half by first carefully cutting between the fruit and the peel and then by cutting along either side of each segment to free it from the membrane. Leave all the segments in their shells. Place the halves upright in a baking dish.

In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, butter and cinnamon. Using your fingers, sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly over the grapefruit halves. Slip under the broiler about 4 inches from the heat source and broil until the sugar is uniformly bubbly, 2 to 3 minutes.

Transfer each grapefruit half to an individual dish and garnish with a mint sprig. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

Recipe from Williams Sonoma.

Tortellini with Butternut Squash, Mushrooms and Fontina

2012-02-02T21:10:00.005-05:00

{photo source}

We're on a healthier kick around here lately. Making delicious food with fresh ingredients, and as many whole foods as possible. Avoiding sugar. Preparing more vegetarian meals. Eating whole grains. All that good stuff. It's been nice.

This pasta was our Sunday dinner (along with a spinach salad) and it was tasty and filling. We loved how the flavors of the sweet squash, savory mushrooms, the fontina cheese and the sage all melded together to make something delightful. It was also very simple to make.

Tortellini with Butternut Squash, Mushrooms and Fontina

1 small butternut squash (2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 pound button or cremini mushrooms, stems trimmed and halved if large
1/4 cup fresh sage leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and black pepper
1 pound fresh or frozen cheese tortellini
2 ounces fontina or Gruyère, grated (1/2 cup), plus more for serving

Heat oven to 450° F. On 2 rimmed baking sheets, toss the squash and mushrooms with the sage, oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Roast, tossing once and rotating pans halfway through, until the vegetables are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the tortellini according to the package directions. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking water; drain the tortellini and return to the pot. Add the vegetables, fontina, ¼ cup of the cooking water, and ½ teaspoon salt and toss gently to coat (add more cooking water if the pasta seems dry). Sprinkle with additional fontina.

Recipe from Wire Whisk, originally from Real Simple.

Ooey Gooey Peanut Butter Brownies

2011-11-10T19:31:00.003-05:00

I tried to go on a "no sugar" diet for the month of November.

It didn't last very long.

I just really believe in enjoying food and tasting delicious things. And I think I should be allowed to have a brownie if I want. As long as I can stop at just one (or two? Let's be honest. Two).

So these are not the best treat to make for the kids at church when you're trying to refrain from eating more than just one... because they are incredible and it's pretty much impossible to stop tasting them. They are exactly as delicious as they look and sound. Make them, but make sure you have enough people to share them with. :)

Ooey Gooey Peanut Butter Brownies

3/4 C sweetened condensed milk, divided (fat-free is fine)
1/4 C butter, melted and cooled (1/2 stick)
1/4 C non-fat milk
1 box devil’s food cake mix (18.25 oz)
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
cooking spray
1 7 oz jar marshmallow creme (about 1 3/4 C)
1/2 C peanut butter morsels

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

With an electric mixer, combine 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk, milk, butter, cake mix, and egg white. Mixture will be very thick. Spray 9×13 pan with cooking spray. Press 2/3 of the mixture into the bottom of the pan. Use either floured hands, or spray your hands with cooking spray in order to press it down without having it stick to your fingers. The layer will be thin. Bake for 10 minutes.

Combine 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk and marshmallow creme in a bowl and combine until smooth. Stir in PB morsels. No one will tell if you stir in some extras. Spread marshmallow layer over brownie layer in pan. Carefully drop remaining brownie batter by spoonfuls over marshmallow mixture. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes. (The original recipe calls for 30 minutes, but many readers have noted that 20 minutes was perfect, and I usually only bake for about 20-25). Remove from oven and cool before cutting into squares.

Recipe from Our Best Bites, originally from Cooking Light Magazine (imagine that!).

Pumpkin Pancakes with Cinnamon Maple Syrup

2011-10-30T12:06:00.003-04:00

Because it's fall. And because you're worth it.

Pumpkin Pancakes with Cinnamon Maple Syrup

Pancakes:
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt

Syrup:
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon maple extract

In a bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a separate bowl. Stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.

Get the syrup started so you can make it while flipping pancakes. Combine sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small saucepan. Stir in water and mix well. Place the saucepan over med-high heat and bring to a boil. Boil for 1-2 minutes, until sugars dissolve, giving it a good stir every 30-45 seconds. Remove from heat and stir in maple extract.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Recipe slightly adapted from Allrecipes.

Cinnamon Roll Cake

2011-08-28T12:36:00.004-04:00

Hurricane Irene passed through NYC last night, and we hunkered down and spent the day indoors waiting for the storm. After several hours, an episode of Bachelor Pad, a batch of cookies, three games of solitaire and one movie, I was bouncing off the walls from boredom. I had scoured Facebook, read my Twitter page, and emptied my Google Reader in search of entertainment and had exhausted all options. Finally I turned to Pinterest as a last resort. I am new to Pinterest and haven't pinned anything myself, but I get on and flip through everyone else's pins when I get bored.

That is how I came upon this recipe. If there was no other reason for me to have joined Pinterest, this would be enough. A friend pinned this last night and I knew I had to make it immediately. So this morning after the hurricane had passed, I made Cinnamon Roll Cake for a Sunday morning breakfast to celebrate the fact that our windows didn't break and our power didn't go out during the storm.

I don't think I need to do much to convince you to make this cake. I mean, look at it. All that gooey, warm, cinnamon sugary, cinnamon roll goodness. You probably already have all the ingredients on hand. And this is a lot easier and faster than making actual cinnamon rolls. Plus, it is really pretty when it comes out of the oven (even without the icing!):

Cinnamon Roll Cake

Cake:
3 c. flour
1/4 tsp.salt
1 c. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. butter, melted

Topping:
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Glaze:
2 c. powdered sugar
5 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix everything together except for the butter. Slowly stir in the melted butter and pour into a greased 9x13 pan. For the topping, mix all the ingredients together until well combined. Drop evenly over the batter and swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 for 28-32 minutes. While still warm, drizzle glaze over the cake.

Recipe from Cookin' Up North, via Pinterest.

Pesto Chicken Pizza

2011-08-04T21:04:00.001-04:00

I will admit, I was real proud of this one. I needed to use up the last of this jar of pesto sauce from Costco and what do you know, I ended up making one of my favorite homemade pizzas of all time. (The winner would be a classic sausage margherita with homemade pizza sauce, fresh sliced mozzarella, fresh basil and spicy italian sausage, in case you were wondering.) This pesto pizza tasted like something from a restaurant. The oil from the pesto sauce sort of soaked into the crust during baking, making it brown up nicely and taste amazing. This smelled so divine coming out of the oven. I am a big fan of pesto and I just loved this pizza.

Pesto Chicken Pizza

1 batch perfect pizza crust
1/2-3/4 cup prepared pesto sauce (I get a great deal at Costco)
1 1/2 cups fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 small jar artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
2 chicken breast halves, grilled and sliced
1/2 sweet yellow onion, sliced

Preheat the oven to 500° F. (If you have a pizza stone, preheat it in the oven and use a pizza peel or parchment paper to transfer topped pizza to stone before baking.) Sprinkle a baking sheet with cornmeal. Gently roll out the pizza dough into a large circle on a lightly floured counter top, leaving a thicker ring around the edge for the crust. Spread the pesto sauce in a thin layer evenly over the unbaked crust. Sprinkle with half the shredded mozzarella. Top with chicken, onion and artichoke hearts. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browned. Let pizza cool for a couple minutes before slicing. Enjoy!

Pizza crust from Annie's Eats.

BBQ Pulled Pork Pizza

2011-08-02T21:04:00.001-04:00

Klane loves barbecue pulled pork, but every time I make it we have a ton of leftover meat that we have to figure out how to use. This recipe was born out of a need to use up leftover pulled pork. I've done a barbecue chicken pizza before, and this is basically a twist on that. It felt like a gamble throwing pork on a pizza, but it turned out to be a winning combination. We loved this!

BBQ Pulled Pork Pizza

1/2 recipe perfect pizza crust
leftover pulled pork
1 small green pepper, sliced
1 roma tomato, seeded and diced
1/2 red onion, sliced
1/2-3/4 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce (I like Sweet Baby Rays)
1 1/2 cup fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat the oven to 500° F. (If you have a pizza stone, preheat it in the oven and use a pizza peel or parchment paper to transfer topped pizza to stone before baking.) Sprinkle a baking sheet with cornmeal. Gently roll out the pizza dough into a large circle on a lightly floured counter top, leaving a thicker ring around the edge for the crust. Spread the BBQ sauce in a thin layer evenly over the unbaked crust. Sprinkle with half the shredded mozzarella. Top with pulled pork, tomato, onion and green peppers. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and drizzle a little more sauce on top. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browned. Let pizza cool for a couple minutes before slicing so the toppings don't fall off!

Seven Layer Dip

2011-07-30T21:03:00.000-04:00

Nothing beats a good seven layer dip at a summer gathering. Everyone will gather around the dip and enjoy good conversation, interspersed with exclamations of, "I can't stop eating this dip!" and "This stuff is amazing!" This is always my experience with seven layer dip. It is definitely a crowd pleaser. Plus, it is super easy to make. Sometimes I make a simplified version (pictured above) if I don't have everything on hand, which is still delicious.

Seven Layer Dip

2 avocados - peeled, pitted and diced
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup salsa
garlic salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
4 roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
2 cups shredded Mexican-style cheese blend
1 (2.25 ounce) can black olives - drained and sliced

In a medium bowl, mash the avocados. Mix in lime juice, cilantro, salsa, garlic salt and pepper.
In a small bowl, blend the sour cream and taco seasoning.
In a 9x13 inch dish or on a large serving platter, spread the refried beans. Top with sour cream mixture. Spread on guacamole. Top with tomatoes, green onions, Mexican-style cheese blend and black olives.
Devour with tortilla chips.

Evidence of good times surrounding seven layer dip:

Strawberry Watermelon Lemonade

2011-07-27T21:03:00.004-04:00

Sara fell in love with this refreshing summer beverage at a sandwich shop in Chelsea, so much that she looked up the recipe online so we could recreate it at home. I am so glad she did, because it is so easy and so delicious. And it just tastes like summer. The flavors of the watermelon, strawberry and lemon are very well balanced. Serve it chilled for the perfect summer treat. You will love it!

Strawberry Watermelon Lemonade

4 cups cubed seeded watermelon
1/2 cup fresh strawberries, halved
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup water
3-4 ice cubes

Combine everything in blender and blend until smooth. Serve chilled.

Recipe found on Allrecipes, copycat of a drink from Bottino.

Perfect Pizza Crust

2011-06-27T21:40:00.002-04:00

I have used a couple pizza crust recipes, but this one is far and away my favorite. I love it. It's so easy to make, and so easy to work with, and it tastes great. I love that I have the option to freeze some for a quick weeknight dinner later on if I want. It's the best.

Perfect Pizza Crust

For the crust:
½ cup warm water
2¼ tsp. instant yeast
4 cups (22 oz.) bread flour, plus more for dusting
1½ tsp. salt
1¼ cup water, at room temperature
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Measure the warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Sprinkle the yeast over the top. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the bread flour and salt, mixing briefly to blend. Measure the room temperature water into the measuring cup with the yeast-water mixture. With the mixer on low speed, pour in the yeast-water mixture as well as the olive oil. Mix until a cohesive dough is formed. Switch to the dough hook. Knead on low speed until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, 1½-2 hours.

Press down the dough to deflate it. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Form each piece of dough into a smooth, round ball. Wrap one of the balls of dough in plastic wrap, put in a freezer bag and freeze for later. (When it's time to use the frozen dough, put it in the fridge in the morning, then take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before you're ready to use it.) Cover ball of dough with a damp cloth. Let the dough relax for at least 10 minutes but no longer than 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven and a pizza stone to 500° F. Sprinkle a large baking sheet lightly with cornmeal. On a countertop lightly dusted with flour, gently roll out the pizza dough into a large circle, leaving a thicker ring around the edge for the crust. (If the dough doesn't want to stretch and roll out, let it rest for a few minutes and come back to it. I find that if it's been frozen and thawed it's a little harder to work with, but letting it rest a bit usually helps make it more workable.) Carefully transfer the dough to the baking sheet and top with toppings and cheese as desired. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browned. Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Makes two medium pizzas.

Recipe from Annie's Eats.

Creamy Chicken Taquitos

2011-06-01T20:41:00.002-04:00

I've seen these taquitos posted on a few different recipe blogs recently, and after hearing everyone rave about them I had to try them. They were so great! We liked these so much, they made it into the regular rotation. I loved how the subtle flavors of the cilantro, lime, and spices mixed so well. Definitely a dish we would make again and again. Try them, you'll love them!

Creamy Chicken Taquitos

1/3 cup (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup salsa
1Tbs fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 cloves garlic, minced {1 tsp jarred minced garlic}
3 Tbs chopped cilantro
2 green onions, sliced
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup grated pepperjack cheese {or cheddar, monterey jack, etc}

12-16 small flour tortillas {you could use corn but we like flour!}
kosher salt
cooking spray

Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, mix softened cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and minced garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Be sure not to over-fill as the chicken mixture will expand and bubble during baking. Then roll it up as tight as you can. {If using corn tortillas, heat in the microwave to make them more pliable before rolling.} Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle some kosher salt on top. Place in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Serve with salsa, sour cream, or guacamole.

Makes 12-16.

Recipe from my sister-in-law Michelle, originally from Our Best Bites.

Tomato Feta Tartlets

2011-05-09T18:35:00.004-04:00

I was asked to post the recipe for the tomato tartlets shown in the photo with this Tomato Basil Bisque. They were, in fact, delicious, and I can't believe I forgot to post the recipe before! Thanks Emily for the request.

These tartlets looked and tasted fancy but were in fact, super easy. All thanks to a magical ingredient called puff pastry. If you haven't been introduced to puff pastry yet, do yourself a favor and buy some. It is amazing stuff! It will change your life! Chicken pot pie, apple tarts, tomato-feta tartlets... and a million other possibilities. The stuff is flaky and buttery and pretty and so easy to use. You'll feel like a cooking goddess for making something that tastes so fancy.

Tomato Feta Tartlets

1 sheet puff pastry dough
1 small onion
1-2 tsp olive oil
1 plum or roma tomato
½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
fresh basil, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice onion. Over medium-low heat, sauté onion in olive oil until caramelized, about 20 minutes. While onions caramelize, slice tomato and cut circular pieces of pastry by running a knife around the edge of a small bowl or plate. When onions are done, place about one tablespoon on each pastry round, followed by crumbled feta, then 1 or 2 tomato slices, and sprinkle parmesan on top. Sprinkle a little basil on top. Bake for 25 minutes.

Makes 4-5 tartlets.

Recipe from my good friend Alexa.

Chicken Ranch Pizza

2011-05-08T20:55:00.004-04:00

Lately I haven't made a whole lot of new recipes. I'm still cooking a lot, I've just been making tried and true favorites from my files (this blog). I feel like I should apologize for not posting anything new. But if you're anything like me, you can still make good use of this blog and all that the archives have to offer.

Anyway, I made something new today! I decided to try a new recipe for pizza dough and the one from Annie's Eats looked and sounded amazing. I was excited to try it out since she suggests freezing the dough for later use (which I did, and it worked wonderfully). I actually made the dough earlier this week while my husband was working late and I had extra time on my hands. Usually I'm in such a hurry to get dinner ready that I wouldn't use a recipe that requires the dough to rise for 2 hours. But making this ahead of time and freezing it for when I needed it was the perfect solution. I just took it out of the freezer in the morning for dinner that night.

This dough was really simple but yielded awesome results. Annie did a whole post all about pizza, and I found her tips extremely helpful in making my pizza so much better. Short of buying a scale and measuring my ingredients by weight, I followed all her instructions and my pizza turned out amazing! I will be using this dough for all my pizza from now on.

Chicken Ranch Pizza

For the crust:
½ cup warm water
2¼ tsp. instant yeast
4 cups (22 oz.) bread flour, plus more for dusting
1½ tsp. salt
1¼ cup water, at room temperature
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

For the toppings:
¼ cup Ranch dressing
¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
½-1 grilled chicken breast, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 tomato, seeded and diced
2-3 green onions, chopped
¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Measure the warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Sprinkle the yeast over the top. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the bread flour and salt, mixing briefly to blend. Measure the room temperature water into the measuring cup with the yeast-water mixture. With the mixer on low speed, pour in the yeast-water mixture as well as the olive oil. Mix until a cohesive dough is formed. Switch to the dough hook. Knead on low speed until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, 1½-2 hours.

Press down the dough to deflate it. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Form each piece of dough into a smooth, round ball. Wrap one of the balls of dough in plastic wrap, put in a freezer bag and freeze for later. (When it's time to use the frozen dough, put it in the fridge in the morning, then take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before you're ready to use it.) Cover ball of dough with a damp cloth. Let the dough relax for at least 10 minutes but no longer than 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven and a pizza stone to 500° F. Allow the stone to heat for at least 30 minutes. In the mean time, cut a round of parchment paper the size of your pizza stone. (Alternatively, use a pizza peel.) Sprinkle lightly with cornmeal or semolina flour. Gently roll out the pizza dough into a large circle, leaving a thicker ring around the edge for the crust. Brush crust with olive oil to help it brown while baking. Spread the Ranch dressing in a thin layer evenly over the unbaked crust. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella. Top with grilled chicken, tomato and green onions. Sprinkle with shredded cheddar. Once assembled, carefully transfer the parchment round and pizza to the preheated baking stone and return to the oven. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browned. Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Makes one medium pizza.

Recipe from Annie's Eats.

Honey Lime Grilled Chicken with Mango Salsa

2011-02-28T16:45:00.000-05:00

I was feeling too tired to plan dinner or go grocery shopping and needed to make something with what I had on hand. I happened to have mangoes, cilantro, and some frozen chicken, and after googling the ingredients and looking up a few recipes, I created this one. I was a little worried since I was making it up as I went along, but it turned out really delicious! We loved this meal and will definitely be making it again.

Honey Lime Grilled Chicken with Mango Salsa

4 chicken breast halves
1/4 cup honey
2-3 Tbs lime juice
cayenne pepper to taste {I probably used 1/4 tsp}
salt and pepper to taste
hot cooked rice

For the salsa:
2 mangoes, peeled and diced
1/4 cup diced red onion
2 Tbs chopped cilantro
1/4 cup diced red pepper {I used jarred roasted red peppers, fresh would be great though}
1 tsp diced jalapeno {we buy jarred sliced jalapeno so it's always on hand}
3 Tbs lime juice {I buy mine bottled for convenience}
3 Tbs orange or mango juice

To prepare salsa, mix diced mangoes, onion, pepper, jalapeno, cilantro, and 3 Tbs lime juice and orange or mango juice. Set aside to let flavors mix.

Mix honey, lime juice to taste, and cayenne until well blended. Heat 2 tsp olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken breasts in oil, season with salt and pepper to taste and drizzle honey mixture over chicken while cooking. It will bubble and create a glaze or sauce in pan while cooking.

Serve chicken breasts over rice with mango salsa on top. Drizzle extra sauce from pan over the top as desired.

Serves 4.

Zuppa Toscana

2011-02-24T20:34:00.002-05:00

Please excuse the horrible iPhone picture, my camera was broken when I made this delicious soup!

I saw this Olive Garden copycat soup on a couple of my favorite recipe blogs, and then a friend recommended it as well, so I had to give it a try. I had never cooked with kale before, and I was excited to try it out since I know kale is packed with super healthy vitamins. The soup turned out delicious! I've never tried the Olive Garden version, but this was yummy, hearty and packed with flavor. We loved it!

Zuppa Toscana

1 lb. Italian sausage {could sub half turkey sausage to make it healthier}
1 large onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup white wine to deglaze the pan {had some cooking sherry on hand and used that}
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
2 russett potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch chunks
2 cups fresh kale, chopped
3 cups chicken broth
2.5 cups water
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper

Place a large stockpot or Dutch oven on the stove over medium heat. Crumble the sausage into the pan and cook until well browned. Remove the cooked sausage from the pot with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl; set aside. Add the chopped onion to the pan and sauté until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the pan and cook for a minute more, just until fragrant. Add the wine to the pot and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits. Add the potatoes, kale, chicken broth and water to the pot. Return the sausage to the pot. Increase the heat to medium-high, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer on medium-low. Cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender and cooked through. Stir in the heavy cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Recipe from Annie's Eats.

Caramelized Banana French Toast

2011-02-19T13:28:00.004-05:00

A few months ago I fell in love with the french toast at Extra Virgin in the West Village. I raved about it, sent several friends there, and went back multiple times to feed my obsession. It was so good. I had never tasted anything like it. I didn't even imagine that I could make something like it at home until my mother-in-law suggested it when we took them there for weekend brunch. This weekend I was craving the french toast and decided to just look online and see if there were any recipes for caramelized bananas. Of course there were, this is the internet, people! So I threw this together and WOW. It was incredible. I couldn't stop talking about it all the day long. This was impressive.

Caramelized Banana French Toast

4 slices of good quality bread {challah? french bread?}
3 eggs
2 Tbs whole milk
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp sugar
dash salt
2 bananas, peeled and sliced
3 Tbs butter
3 Tbs brown sugar
strawberries, sliced
whipped cream
maple syrup

Heat two separate skillets to medium heat.

Slice the bread about an inch thick. {And let's be honest here, do I have challah bread hanging around my house? NO. I actually had some fancy hamburger buns that I hadn't sliced in half yet, and I sliced them top to bottom instead to make little slices of bread. So my only requirement for your bread is that it be semi good quality, and preferably white, not wheat.} In a shallow dish, whisk eggs, milk, cinnamon, white sugar and salt. Dip the slices of bread in egg mixture and turn to coat. Cook in greased skillet till nicely browned and crisp on both sides.

Meanwhile, melt the butter and brown sugar in the other skillet, and cook banana slices in sugar mixture to caramelize, about 3-4 minutes on each side.

Arrange toast on plate, and pour caramelized bananas and extra sauce on top. Top with more syrup, fresh whipped cream, and sliced strawberries on top.

Serves 2! Increase quantities as desired!

Cake Bites

2011-02-16T19:38:00.002-05:00

Cake bites, cupcake pops, cake balls.... this cute little treat has been all the rage on recipe blogs since Bakerella made them famous a few years ago. My sweet mom-in-law sent me a package with everything I needed to make some for Valentine's Day, so I did just that. They are the easiest thing ever, although a little time consuming. And they are super addicting (betcha can't eat just one!) and super cute. You can also adapt them all you want by using any type of cake, frosting or dipping chocolate combination you please. I used devil's food cake/cream cheese frosting and lemon cake/lemon frosting and both turned out yummy (though I am partial to chocolate). Not that you need an excuse to make these, but they would be great for any holiday, birthday, baby shower, party... okay, just go make them! Cake bites are perfect for any occasion!

Cake Bites

1 boxed devil's food cake mix, prepared according to package directions in 9x13 pan
1 16 oz. can cream cheese frosting
1 package dipping chocolate (I liked white chocolate but you can use any kind)
wax paper

1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly with 1 can cream cheese frosting. (It may be easier to use fingers to mix together, but be warned it will get messy.)
3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50.)
4. Chill in freezer for a few minutes to set. (This is so they are easier to dip in melted chocolate.)
5. Melt chocolate in microwave per directions on package.
6. Roll balls in chocolate and lay on wax paper until firm. (Use a fork to dip and roll in chocolate and then tap off extra.)

Only melt a few pieces of chocolate bark at a time because it starts to cool and thicken. It’s easier to work with when it’s hot.

Also, if you use lemon cake or any other cake that tends to be more moist, decrease the amount of frosting or add flour so it is not too wet or sticky to roll into balls. We ran into this problem with the lemon but a little flour fixed it in a snap.

Recipe made famous by Bakerella.

Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese with Fried Chicken

2011-01-26T18:48:00.003-05:00

When I was in Utah last weekend I went to Spark restaurant & lounge. The whole dining experience was great, but I especially loved the fried chicken with smoked gouda mac and cheese. The pasta was irrisistably creamy, had such a strong, delicious flavor in the cheese sauce, and had bits of bacon in it too. The chicken on top tasted great paired with the mac and cheese. I decided to make a copy-cat at home, referencing other mac and cheese recipes, and came up with this. It was soooo good! Even if you haven't been to Spark, try this, you will love it.

Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese with Fried Chicken

1 lb curly pasta shapes {I used cavatappi}
6 Tbs butter
3 green onions, sliced
6 Tbs flour
4 cups milk {I used 2%}
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups smoked gouda cheese, shredded
1 1/2 cups pepper jack cheese, shredded
8 strips bacon, cooked and chopped
fried chicken strips {I use frozen Tyson brand from Costco}

1. Preheat the oven and bake chicken according to package directions {usually bakes for around 20 minutes, perfect timing for the rest of your meal}.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions. When pasta is finished cooking, drain and return to pot.

3. Cook bacon until crispy in frying pan, then remove to paper towel lined plate to cool before chopping roughly into 1/2 inch pieces.

4. Once you get the first three steps started, you can make the sauce while they are all cooking. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Saute green onion in butter for a minute, until onion just begins to cook. Add flour and whisk constantly until it forms a nice paste. Add milk and whisk vigorously to combine with flour mixture. Continue to cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally to avoid scalding. After a few minutes the sauce will thicken. Once it thickens, season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Set aside sauce until pasta is drained and returned to pot. Pour sauce over pasta abd stir to coat all noodles with sauce. Add shredded cheese and stir to combine; the cheese will melt into the sauce, creating a creamy, smooth cheese sauce. Stir in the chopped bacon.

6. Serve pasta with chicken on top. Serves 6-8.

Island Spice Pork Tenderloin

2011-01-13T21:24:00.002-05:00

I had never made tenderloin before this recipe, so I was unprepared for how amazing it was. After we took the first bite, my husband and I looked at each other with surprise and delight on our faces. After it melted in our mouth and we swallowed, his first words were, "This is amazing!" followed closely by, "How much did this cost?" Both very appropriate reactions and exactly what I was thinking. This tastes expensive. The meat is so tender it really does melt in your mouth. I felt like I was eating at a fancy restaurant. And I don't remember what it actually cost at the store, but it couldn't have been too crazy expensive or I wouldn't have bought it. So in the end, I would highly recommend this. Make it for a special occasion, like a Valentine's, Anniversary, or birthday dinner for a loved one. Or for Sunday dinner like we did. Just remember NOT to overcook it. You will RUIN this meat if you cook it until it's well done. It will be pink pink pink on the inside and it will be perfect. (We made this again at Christmas and regretfully overcooked it - not nearly as good.) Enjoy!

Island Spice Pork Tenderloin

For the spice rub:
2 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 pork tenderloins (about 2-2½ lbs. total)
2 tbsp. olive oil

For the glaze:
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tbsp. (2-3 cloves) finely minced garlic
1½ tsp. Tabasco sauce

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Combine the salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder and cinnamon in a small bowl. Stir together with a fork to blend. Pat the mixture over the pork tenderloins.

Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Place the tenderloins in the skillet and brown on all sides, turning occasionally, about 4 minutes total. Remove from the heat, leaving the pork in the skillet.

Stir together the brown sugar, garlic and Tabasco in a small bowl until blended. Spread the mixture evenly over the tops of the tenderloins.

Place the skillet in the preheated oven and roast about 20 minutes, until an instant-read themometer inserted in the center of each tenderloin registers 140˚ F. Loosely tent the skillet with foil and let stand 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Recipe from Annie's Eats.

Peppermint Oreo Cookies

2010-12-20T18:56:00.004-05:00

I was going to feel bad about the fact that it's been over a month since I posted. Then I remembered that I am not a professional food blogger, nor do I pretend to be, so I can post whenever and whatever I want! Ah, freedom. :)

Tonight I am taking these chocolate sandwich cookies to a holiday cookie exchange party. Yes, tonight. I have to leave in about 3 minutes. But they are seriously yummy and you should make them for YOUR holiday season too. I spiked the cream cheese frosting with just a few drops of peppermint extract. Oh yum.

A couple suggestions. I made them too big and too fluffy and they were difficult to eat. Next time I will use less dough for each cookie and flatten it out before baking. (These changes are included in the recipe below.) I might even leave out the chocolate chips to avoid lumps (there is a lot going on in these cookies, they don't necessarily need the added texture of chocolate chips). Also, I made these a day in advance and they were much more dry and hard by the second day, so make them the day you are serving them! They take a little time in frosting/rolling in candy, but they are worth it!

Peppermint Oreo Cookies

Cookies:
1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
½ cup dark cocoa powder (Hershey's Special Dark or Dutch process)
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¼ cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips (optional)

12 peppermint candy canes, crushed

Frosting:
½ cup butter, softened
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
½ tsp vanilla
3 ½ cups confectioners sugar
a few drops peppermint extract

For the cookies:
Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Beat in egg, followed by vanilla extract. Gradually, with the mixer on low speed, blend in the flour mixture, stopping when no streaks of dry ingredients remain. Stir in chocolate chips (if using).

Place leveled tablespoons of dough, flattened, onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until cookies begin to crack on the top. Cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the frosting:
Cream butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add vanilla and peppermint, blend. Add sugar, a cup at a time, blending well between each addition.

Pipe frosting (recipe below) onto flat side of one cookie, and top with a second cookie. Roll edges of each sandwich in crushed candy canes.

Makes about 18 cookie sandwiches.

Recipe from my talented friend Morgan.

May your days be merry and bright.

Cashew Chicken

2010-11-11T20:26:00.007-05:00

My brother Kyle has had an interest in cooking longer than I have! When we were younger he watched Food Network and tried their recipes. (He was such a fan of Emeril Lagasse that in one of his missionary packages, my mom sent him an Emeril apron that said "BAM!" on the front!) My brother is a great cook, so when he shares a recipe with me I know it's going to be good. My family raved about this meal when Kyle made it for them, so I was excited when he called me with the recipe!

This was delicious and came together in a snap! Since everything cooks very quickly, I made sure to have all the ingredients prepped and ready before cooking began. Savory and slightly spicy, with a nice crunch from the cashews, this asian style chicken is a restaurant-worthy dish. Thanks Kyle!

Cashew Chicken

4 chicken breast halves, diced
3 tbsp soy sauce, divided
1 tbsp cooking sherry
1 tbsp corn starch
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp white vinegar
¼ cup oil
1 tsp red pepper flakes
3 green onions, sliced diagonally
2 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tsp of jarred minced garlic)
¼-½ cup cashews, unsalted
toasted sesame seeds
hot cooked rice

In a medium bowl, combine 1 tablespoon soy sauce with the cooking sherry. Cut chicken into bite-sized cubes, about 1/2 inch, and place chicken pieces in soy sauce/sherry mixture. Let it sit while you prepare the other ingredients.

In a small bowl, whisk remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, corn starch, sugar, and vinegar until well combined. Set aside. Slice the green onions, and measure out the red pepper flakes and minced garlic.

Heat oil in a wok over high heat. (Make sure it is very very hot. I didn't have mine hot enough and my chicken didn't turn out brown and crispy on the outside like it should have. Hot hot hot!) Add red pepper flakes and stir for 10 seconds. Add chicken all at once - it will sizzle and spatter quite a bit in the hot oil - stir quickly to brown all sides of chicken. Cook for 2 minutes until chicken is browned on all sides. Remove chicken from wok. Add sliced green onions and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are slightly cooked (about 1 minute). Return chicken to wok. Slowly pour in reserved corn starch sauce, stir to coat. Continue cooking on high, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and sauce thickens. Remove from heat, stir in cashews. Serve over hot cooked rice with toasted sesame seeds on top.

Post-edit: This is what it is SUPPOSED to look like, when you cook at the right temperature.

Tomato Basil Bisque

2010-11-09T22:00:00.005-05:00

I have been into soups lately. (Recently I made this soup served in these bread bowls and then forgot to take a picture. But it was delicious. Consider yourself informed.) I have always loved creamy tomato basil soup, and this recipe jumped out at me when I was looking for a soup to go with some tomato and feta tartlets friend Alexa was making. We loved loved loved this soup. It has a secret ingredient: pureed butternut squash. There is just a hint of the squash taste in the soup, and it is delicious. Warm and yummy and absolutely perfect for the colder months. It was quick and easy too, once the squash was cooked it came together in a snap.

Tomato Basil Bisque

1 medium butternut squash (for about 1 1/2 cups cooked squash)
1 tablespoon butter
¼ cup finely diced onion
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 can (14.5 ounces) Italian-style stewed tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock or broth
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half {I used half-and-half}

Prepare the butternut squash by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the squash in half, lengthwise, so you have two long pieces. Scoop out the seeds and pulp from each half. Place both sides cut-side down in a 9X13-inch pan. Add enough water to come about 1/4-inch up the sides of the squash. Cover with foil and bake for about an hour. Test with a fork to make sure the squash is very tender when pierced with the fork in several places. If the flesh doesn’t easily give to the pressure of the fork, continue cooking in ten minute increments, and testing again, until the squash is tender. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the squash to a large cutting board or plate. Let it cool about 15 minutes before scooping out the flesh. If preparing the day before, scoop out the flesh and place in a tupperware. Let cool completely. Cover and refrigerate until using it in the soup. If using the squash immediately, scoop the squash into the blender.

While the squash is cooking, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter and saute the onion until soft and translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Scoop the onion/garlic mixture into the blender with the squash.

Add the canned tomatoes (undrained) to the blender. Process until the mixture is smooth. Pour the blended mixture back into the saucepan and add the chicken broth, salt, sugar, basil and cream (or half-and-half). Stir to combine well. Heat over medium-low heat until the soup is warm (but don’t let it boil or simmer to avoid the cream curdling). Serve immediately.

Serves 4-6.

Recipe from My Kitchen Cafe.

Chicken Pot Pie

2010-11-08T14:38:00.003-05:00

I have been cooking lately, but keep forgetting to take pictures. And you know I can't post a recipe without a picture. But while I don't have a picture of the finished product, this chicken pot pie was too delicious and easy not to post about. It also turned out looking beautiful, with a nice golden crust on top. I felt like I was making something healthy with all the vegetables included in this dish, and it turned out beautifully with minimal effort thanks to the use of frozen puff pastry for the crust. I didn't even use a pie tin or individual ramekins (like I have room for those in my NYC kitchen! Fahgetaboutit!), I just halved it and made it in an 8x8 baking dish. It was warm and filling, a perfect fall or winter meal.

Chicken Pot Pie

For the filling:
3 chicken breasts (or 5-6 halves, I use frozen from Costco), cooked and diced
3 Tbs butter
1 small onion, diced
2-3 red potatoes, diced (about 1 1/2 cup)
4 large carrots, peeled and sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 8 oz package sliced mushrooms
1 small to medium zucchini, sliced

For the sauce:
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 ½ cups chicken broth
½ cup heavy cream (I just used milk, less fat)
Dash of hot sauce
Dash of Worcestershire
Salt and pepper

2 sheets frozen puff pastry
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease a 9x13 pan. Set out frozen puff pastry on counter to thaw.

To make the filling, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and potato to the pan, and sauté for about 5 minutes. Mix in the garlic, celery, zucchini and mushrooms, and cook for about 15 minutes more, until the potatoes are tender. Once the vegetables are finished cooking, turn off the heat and mix in the chicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To make the sauce, melt the butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the flour and whisk until smooth (it will be sort of a paste). Whisk in the chicken broth and cook over medium heat until it thickens to the consistency of a cream soup. Mix in the cream, the hot sauce, the Worcestershire and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the cream sauce over the chicken and veggie mixture and stir to combine well.

Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Lay puff pastry sheets over filling, and brush with beaten egg white. (This ensures a nice golden shiny crust.) Place pan on a rimmed baking sheet in case it bubbles over while baking. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.

Recipe adapted from Annie's Eats.

Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

2010-10-13T20:52:00.003-04:00

Maybe I'm severely addicted to this cake. Maybe I've eaten almost an entire 8x8 pan of it by myself in just three days (okay, husband had a few pieces too). Maybe it's because pumpkin is the perfect flavor for fall and nothing, I repeat, nothing beats cream cheese frosting. (Well, except maybe white chocolate raspberry cream cheese frosting... but that's another post.) Anyway. Make this cake. You don't need a reason. It's fall, what more reason do you need?

Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cake:
4 eggs
1 and 2/3 cup sugar
1 cup oil
1 (16 oz) can pumpkin
2 cup flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda

Frosting:
1 (8oz) package cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2-3 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the eggs, sugar, oil, vanilla, and pumpkin until smooth. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth.

Spread the batter in a greased 9 by 13 inch baking pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting. {Or not! Who doesn't love warm cake and melty frosting?}

To make the icing: Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread on cooled pumpkin cake. {Or warm pumpkin cake!!}

I found this recipe on a random recipe blog years ago, before I had a good system for saving recipes, marking the source, etc, and I had never made it. But then my friend Joanna made it, and it was amazing, and I was craving more the next day. She hadn't sent me the recipe yet but I went searching through my files to see if I had a recipe for something similar. I made this and later that night she sent me her recipe - it was the same one! Crazy. That's my story.

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

2010-10-10T09:45:00.006-04:00

And it makes great french toast too!

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

For the dough:
1 scant tablespoon instant or rapid rise yeast (1 packet)
3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees)
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons honey
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
butter for pan and brushing on finished bread

For the filling:
1 egg white
1 cup (150g) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

In an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook and set to low speed, mix together yeast and 3 cups of flour. Pour in the water, oil, honey, and salt. Mix on low speed for about 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Add up to a 1/2 cup more flour if needed.

Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead by hand a few times. Drizzle the inside of the mixer bowl with a bit more oil. Roll the dough around in the oil and cover in plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size.

Butter a large loaf pan and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and roll out into a long rectangle the width of the loaf pan. In a small bowl, mix together the egg white, sugar, and cinnamon, and spread out evenly across the dough. Roll up carefully, and pinch the dough on the ends, and all along the edge to create a seam that will hold in the filling. Lay the dough, seam side down, in the prepared pan. Cover with a clean kitchen towel, and allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until almost doubled in size.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top and bottom of the bread is golden brown. Brush the top of the bread with butter. Tilt the bread pan on its side and allow to cool for 20 minutes. Turn the bread out and allow to cool completely. Or enjoy warm, with butter. Then make it into French Toast the next day.

Recipe from The Family Kitchen.

Crustless Quiche

2010-10-04T08:50:00.004-04:00

This quiche was so flavorful and just delicious. It was the perfect savory addition to a fall brunch with friends. It is also very easy to make, and can be adapted easily to whatever you'd like to add to it. I added bacon, green onions, sauteed spinach and mushrooms, but you could add any combination of ingredients: ham, broccoli, onions, sausage, any type of vegetable or variety of cheese. I'll keep this recipe on hand for special occasions, as it isn't exactly the healthiest breakfast option... but it sure is good!

Spinach, Mushroom and Bacon Crustless Quiche

10 eggs
1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 lb. shredded cheese {I used half cheddar and half monterey jack}
1 lb. cottage cheese
1 cube (1/2 cup) butter, melted and slightly cooled {I know. Don't think about it, just do it}
3 green onions, chopped
10 slices bacon
2 cups chopped fresh spinach
8 oz. package sliced mushrooms, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease a 9x13 pan. In a large bowl, beat eggs lightly. Whisk in flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined and no lumps remain. With a wooden spoon, stir in cottage cheese, 3/4 of the shredded cheese, melted butter, and green onions.

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until browned and desired level of crispiness. Remove bacon to a paper towel and let cool slightly before chopping into smaller pieces and adding to egg mixture. Leave bacon grease in pan over heat, add chopped mushrooms, and saute a few minutes until soft and tender. Add chopped spinach, stir with mushrooms and cook a few minutes, until wilted. Add cooked mushrooms and spinach to egg mixture and stir to combine.

Pour into a 9x13 pan, bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Lower the heat to 350 degrees and bake an additional 20-25 minutes, or until browned around the edges and lightly browned in the middle.

This can be cut in half and baked in an 8x8 pan. If you do this, bake it for about 12 minutes at 400 and then about 15 minutes at 350.

Recipe from Sarah's Fares.

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls

2010-10-03T20:48:00.001-04:00

These cinnamon rolls not only have cinnamon and sugar in their swirls, but also delicious cooked apple slices. Did I mention they have a caramel cream cheese glaze on top? Oh my goodness. So good. They were the perfect fall treat to serve for brunch. I'm sure they'd make a delicious dessert too.

When I first saw this recipe, I was intimidated. After glancing at the lengthy instructions and ingredient list, my first thought was, "Those look amazing, but I will never make them because it looks too complicated and time consuming." I had never made cinnamon rolls, and I am still quite inexperienced with yeast dough. But they sounded so tempting, I had to give it a try. I was home watching General Conference all day Saturday, and the two-hour sessions were the perfect time to let the dough rise. I was surprised that these were actually not hard to make, and they turned out pretty good! So don't be intimidated, give them a try!

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls

For the cinnamon rolls:
6½ tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg
5½ tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp. lemon zest
3½ cups bread flour
2 tsp. instant (rapid rise) yeast
1 cup plus 2-4 tbsp. whole milk or buttermilk, at room temperature

For the filling:
1½ tbsp. unsalted butter
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into ¼-inch slices
¼ cup sugar
½ tsp. cornstarch
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg
Pinch salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. sugar
¾ tsp. ground cinnamon

For the glaze:
4 oz. cream cheese
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
3 tbsp. caramel sauce
1 tbsp. milk
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners’ sugar

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and butter on medium-high speed until smooth. Mix in the egg and lemon zest until incorporated. Mix in the flour, yeast and milk until a dough forms. Switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed, about 8 minutes until the dough is silky and supple, tacky but not sticky. (You may need to add a little extra flour or liquid to achieve this texture.) Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for about 2 hours, or until doubled in size.

Meanwhile, make the filling. To make the caramelized apples, melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apple slices, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Mix until the apples are evenly coated. Cook about 18 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Set aside to cool. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon to blend; set aside.

Mist a work surface with spray oil. Roll it out into a rectangle with a rolling pin, lightly dusting the dough with flour if needed to keep it from sticking (about 12 x 14 inches for larger rolls or 9 x 18 inches for smaller rolls). Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and mix to blend. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the surface of the dough. Evenly distribute the caramelized apples over the top of the dough. Starting with the wide edge, roll up the dough into a cigar-shaped log, creating a cinnamon sugar spiral as you roll. Pinch the seam shut, and with the seam side down, slice the log into your desired number of rolls. Transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, placing the rolls about ½-1 inch apart.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature 75-90 minutes, until the rolls have grown into each other and have nearly doubled in size. At this point, the rolls can also be covered and retarded in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Pull the pan out of the refrigerator 3-4 hours before baking to let the dough proof.
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool in the baking about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

To make the glaze, combine the cream cheese and butter in a small heatproof bowl and microwave in 15-20 second intervals until it is warm enough to whisk together. Whisk in the caramel sauce, milk and vanilla extract until smooth. Whisk in the confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Swirl the glaze over the top of the cinnamon rolls. Let cool at least 15-20 minutes before serving.

Recipe from Annie's Eats.

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever

2010-09-28T18:49:00.007-04:00

I have a go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe from Klane's family which I can whip up from memory in about 15 minutes. It's like an old friend. I love those cookies. I have always loyally stood by that recipe as my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe of all time. It is really, really good.

But.

These cookies? There is just something about them. I am tempted to cheat on my old cookie recipe with these bad boys. In fact, ever since I met these cookies a month ago, I haven't seen my old cookies even once. And I've made these new ones, oh... five times. When I first tried these I was floored by how good they were. They were soft, chewy and kind of fluffy. The first time I tried them, there was something unique about them that I couldn't quite put my finger on. They're incredible! I just might have a new favorite chocolate chip cookie. Just don't tell my old recipe. I don't want any hurt feelings.

Now, I have been known to cut corners and use substitutions on recipes. But you have to follow this one exactly in order for them to turn out so delightfully perfect. No substituting dark brown sugar for light, or semi-sweet chips for milk, or mixing things for a shorter time than called for. Follow the recipe exactly! They are amazing and addicting and you will be hooked.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 heaping cup of non-instant oatmeal
1 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a handheld mixer, cream butter and sugar together for 3 full minutes, until mixture becomes light and fluffy. Mix in eggs and vanilla until combined. Put the oatmeal in a blender or food processor and pulse a few times. You're not making oat flour, you still want pieces of oats left. You just want most of the oat flakes broken up. Combine oats with dry ingredients in separate bowl. Beat dry ingredients into creamed mixture a third at a time with a wooden spoon. Stir in chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 9 to 10 mins. Take out a little early and let bake for a few minutes on pan before moving to a wire rack.

Recipe from a nice girl named Ashley Laidlaw.

Chicken Chili

2010-09-27T12:33:00.004-04:00

Another soup recipe for the fall weather heading our way. This chili is very healthy but still delicious... especially topped with less-healthy additions like chips, cheese and sour cream! This recipe makes a very large batch, enough to feed ten people or so.

Chicken Chili

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
4 cups chopped yellow onion {2-3 onions}
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 bell peppers {I used 1 red, 1 green and 1 yellow}
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
½ tsp. cayenne pepper
½ tsp. dried oregano
1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce, finely diced {I couldn't find this, left it out}
2 tsp. kosher salt
2 (28 oz.) cans whole peeled tomatoes in puree, not drained
2 (15 oz.) cans beans, drained and rinsed {I used 1 can black and 1 can pinto beans}

Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sauté the onions 5 minutes, or until tender and translucent. Add the garlic to the pot and sauté just until fragrant, about 1 minute. Mix in the chopped bell peppers, chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, cayenne, oregano, chipotle, and kosher salt. Cook 5 more minutes. Place the canned tomatoes in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse briefly so the tomatoes are cut to large chunks. {You could also break the tomatoes up with your fingers.} Add the tomatoes with the puree to the pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the shredded chicken and the beans, and allow to simmer for another 20 minutes.

It's very healthy on it's own, but I like to serve it with chips, cheese and sour cream.

Recipe from Annie's Eats.

Levain Bakery Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

2010-09-25T10:07:00.005-04:00

Levain Bakery is a tiny cookie shop on the Upper West Side here in New York. They are famous for having the best chocolate chip cookies in NYC. Their cookies are gigantic and packed with chocolate chips and nuts, and they're served warm, soft and chewy. Levain also has a chocolate cookie with peanut butter chips. It is divine. Here is my copycat... also divine.

Levain Bakery Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

2 sticks softened unsalted butter
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup good cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 to 1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks
2 cups peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 350. In medium bowl, cream butter and sugar for a couple minutes until well blended and fluffy. Add eggs and beat until well-incorporated, then beat in cocoa powder. Mix in flour, salt and baking powder until just combined. Gently fold in remaining ingredients. Stir well with wooden spoon to mix.

Divide into 12 equal portions, about 4 oz each. These are GIANT cookies. Bake 16-20 minutes depending on how gooey you like the middles, taking care not to overbake. I made smaller, more regular sized cookies, and baked for 8-10 minutes instead.

Let cool on a rack and store what you don’t immediately eat, in an airtight container. To freshen them after a few days (if they last that long), give them a quick nuke in the microwave for 5-10 seconds.

Recipe adapted from a recipe found here.

Homemade Chili

2010-09-21T19:16:00.005-04:00

In front of my grocery store there are giant crates of apples and pumpkins from local farms. Yesterday I got chilly and bundled up in a sweatshirt and thick socks. I bought a pair of boots. Fall is here! I love it. Since tomorrow is officially the first day of Fall, this seemed like the perfect time to make a pot of homemade chili and some cornbread. It was easy and delicious!

Homemade Chili

2 tsp oil
1 clove garlic, minced (buy jarred minced garlic)
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 pound ground beef
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans
1 (15 oz) can pinto beans
1 Tbs chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large pot. Add onion and garlic and sautee until onion is clear and tender. Add ground beef and brown. Pour in the rest of the ingredients and stir to mix. Heat on low heat for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.

Recipe adapted from several recipes on Allrecipes.com.

Sweet Cornbread

2010-09-21T19:15:00.003-04:00

I've never made cornbread before and I couldn't believe how easy it was! And it turned out really delicious... with little to no effort. Amazing. Definitely making this again.

Sweet Cornbread

1 1/2 cup flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 Tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup milk
2 large eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 Tbs butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350. Mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately, then whisk together to form a smooth batter. Pour in a greased 9x13 pan, bake for 30-35 minutes until edges are golden brown. Delicious served with honey butter!

Recipe from Kathryn at Wire Whisk.

Orange Dream Shakes

2010-09-12T14:38:00.003-04:00

We've been into these shakes lately, we've made them quite a few times in the last couple weeks. They taste like an Orange Julius, or an Orange Dreamsicle. Hang onto those last fleeting moments of summer and make this. (Okay, summer is over, but you can still enjoy a nice smoothie.)

Orange Dream Shakes

3/4 cup vanilla ice cream
3-5 ice cubes
3/4-1 cup orange juice
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbs powdered sugar

Blend all ingredients until smooth, adding enough orange juice to create your preferred thickness. Serves 2.

Tortellini Primavera

2010-08-22T13:38:00.000-04:00

This was a yummy dish, I am a sucker for spinach and I always feel healthier when eating it. Even when it's covered in cream cheese and served with cheese-filled pasta. This was yummy and very filling! I actually used tortellini with meat and it was delicious. If you notice that there are no mushrooms in my picture, it's because I didn't have any. I would highly recommend following the recipe and using mushrooms, it really completes the dish! Yum!

Tortellini Primavera

1 cup mushrooms, chopped
½ cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tbs butter {or margarine}
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
8 oz. cream cheese
1 tomato, chopped
¼ cup milk
¼ cup parmesan cheese
1 tsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper, to taste
family size cheese-filled tortellini {1 pound}, cooked and drained

Heat butter in a skillet. Add mushrooms, onion and garlic and sautee until onion is clear and tender and mushrooms are cooked. Add all remaining ingredients except tortellini. Heat and stir until all have melted together and are well blended. Cook until the mixture just begins to bubble, stirring occasionally. Stir in tortellini.

Recipe from Annie's Eats.

Fried Rice

2010-08-20T20:48:00.000-04:00

This recipe was born out a necessity to make a meal out of frozen pot stickers from Costco. I feel like a bad wife if all we have for dinner is pot stickers and dipping sauce (although I won't lie and tell you that's never happened). We had leftover rice in the fridge, which is just what you need to make fried rice. Leftover, slightly dried-out rice is best for frying. The result turned out delicious!

Fried Rice

2 eggs
1 Tbs olive oil
1 cup day-old cooked rice
1/2 cup frozen peas and carrots
2 slices deli ham, diced
2-3 Tbs Mr. Yoshidas sauce (I buy it at Costco)
1 Tbs soy sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray and scramble eggs. Remove scrambled eggs and increase heat to medium-high. Heat oil and add rice. Cook for 1 or 2 minutes, stirring frequently to fry rice. Add eggs and the rest of the ingredients back to skillet. Continue stirring to heat through. Add sauce and seasonings as needed. If you don't have Mr. Yoshida's, I'm sure soy sauce mixed with maybe a bit of brown sugar would be good. I do love my Yoshida's, though.

Orange Chicken

2010-08-18T13:39:00.000-04:00

I like this because it tastes awesome but it doesn't involve deep-frying, which makes my house stink like oil and is also bad for me. One important thing to remember: buy real oranges for the juice. I didn't read the recipe very thoroughly and bought orange juice, then started cooking and realized I was supposed to use the zest from real oranges. Oops! It turned out well but I wish I would've had orange zest to add more orange flavor. We really liked this dish!

Orange Chicken

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2″ cubes
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons oil or butter

1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon finely minced ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons green onion
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water

Heat oven to 350. In a shallow dish combine the flour, garlic powder and pepper. Dip each piece of chicken in flour mixture and coat evenly.

Pour oil (or melt butter and pour) in a shallow baking dish, large enough to accommodate chicken in a single layer. Arrange chicken in pan and bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan combine water, fresh orange juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, orange zest and whisk over medium heat for a few minutes. Then stir in brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and green onion and let it come to a boil. Combine cornstarch with water and let it dissolve and add it to the sauce until thickened.

After chicken has baked the 30 minutes, turn each piece over and pour 1/2 sauce mixture evenly over chicken. Bake another 30 to 40 minutes basting frequently.

Serve chicken over rice with sliced green onions on top and extra sauce on the side.

Recipe from My Kitchen Cafe.

Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookies

2010-08-16T13:39:00.004-04:00

Chocolate chip cookies with oreos mixed in. Need I say more? No, no I think not.

Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookies

1 cup softened butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
16 Oreo cookies, broken into pieces
1 3/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and sugars until well combined. Add egg, vanilla, baking soda and salt, mix well.
Stir in flour a third at a time. Carefully stir in Oreos {I didn't want to crush them too much} and chocolate chips until just combined. Shape into 1 1/2 inch balls, place on cookie sheet. Bake for 7-9 minutes or until lightly browned around edges, but still soft. When I bake cookies I usually take them out when they still look like they might not be quite done. We like soft cookies and I've found this is the best way to get that. Let cool on baking sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Recipe slightly adapted from Picky Palate.

Jacoco Shakes

2010-08-11T20:32:00.007-04:00

This summer we spent an amazing week on the beautiful island of St. Thomas in the Caribbean. We explored jungles, laid on white beaches, went snorkeling, sailing and hiking, and ate a lot of yummy food. One of our favorite food experiences from the trip was the St. Thomas Dairy's ice cream/shake shop called Udder Delight. We went twice on our trip because it was so good. They had the most delicious homemade coconut ice cream, and a shake called the Jacoco that was to die for. It's a coconut shake with a hint of chocolate. When we got home from our trip we were craving a Jacoco so we decided to make them at home. They've been a summer favorite at our house ever since! Make them and imagine you're on St. Thomas. They're soooo good!

Jacoco Shakes

1 can coconut milk
3-5 generous scoops vanilla ice cream
a handful of ice cubes
large squirt of chocolate syrup (2 tsp? You don't need a ton.)
1 Tbs coconut flakes

Combine ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Add enough ice or ice cream as needed for desired consistency. These shakes don't turn out super thick and are more like milkshakes than ice cream shakes. I sprinkled a little more coconut flakes on top to make it look festive. ;)

Makes 4 shakes (depends how much each person wants!).

S'mores Cookies

2010-08-01T21:56:00.005-04:00

Two of my favorite things: s'mores and chocolate chip cookies! Their powers combined created a (not surprisingly) amazing treat. So good! My sister Lynsie told me about this recipe blog she just found and all the recipes are sinfully delicious. Fun!

S'mores Cookies

1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 ¼ cups flour
1 bag chocolate chips
3 regular size Hershey’s Chocolate Bars
3 Full Graham Crackers
5-6 Large Marshmallows cut into fourths

Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and sugars in medium bowl. Add eggs, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda and salt, mix until well combined. Stir in flour 1 cup at a time with a wooden spoon until well combined. Then add chocolate chips. {We substituted for white chocolate chips and the result was delicious!}

Scoop heaping 1/4 cupfuls of cookie dough onto baking pan. {We used a muffin top pan but you definitely don't have to.} Press down to flatten, then gently press chocolate bar squares, graham cracker pieces and marshmallow slices on top of cookie dough. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until edges are just turning brown and marshmallows are toasted. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan.

Makes 18 giant cookies.

Recipe adapted from Picky Palate.

Lettuce Wraps

2010-07-21T14:32:00.004-04:00

I love the lettuce wraps at P.F. Chang's. This recipe jumped out at me the other week as something yummy, light and fresh to make for a summer meal. These turned out really great! I don't know if they're exactly like P.F. Chang's (I haven't been there for a while), but they were really good. Sweet with a little spice. And who knew they would be so easy?

Lettuce Wraps

1 lb. ground chicken
1 small can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
3 green onions, finely chopped
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
Soy sauce, to taste
2 Tbs. hoisin sauce {can be left out if you don't have it}
3 Tbs. Mr. Yoshida's sauce {found at Costco, not necessary but it's so good}
1 Tbs. ground ginger
2 tsp. red pepper flakes {less if you like less spicy}
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1 packet of rice noodles {white, in asian section, can be left out if you can't find them}
one head of iceberg or butter lettuce, separated as carefully as possible into leaves

Cook the ground meat in a frying pan over medium heat. While it is cooking, break it up as small as possible with a spatula. Once the chicken is cooked, turn the heat down to medium and add the water chestnuts, green onions, garlic and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Add soy sauce, hoisin, Yoshida's, ginger, red pepper flakes, brown sugar, stir and heat through.

Serve family style in a big bowl with lettuce leaves on the side. To eat, scoop some of the mixture into a lettuce leaf, wrap it up and enjoy.

I don't remember where I got this recipe. It was a long time ago before I had a good system of cataloging recipes, including the original source. We attempted to copy another P.F. Chang's appetizers to go with them, their crispy green beans (tempura fried), but they didn't turn out as stellar. Maybe when I perfect that recipe I'll pass it along too.

Browned Butter Blueberry Muffins

2010-07-18T16:56:00.002-04:00

These are the best blueberry muffins I've ever had! They have a yummy buttery taste, they are very moist, the crumb topping is delicious, and they are packed with blueberries. I made them twice in one week, and they made the perfect breakfast treat to take to my brother and his wife in the hospital the morning after they had their first child.

Browned Butter Blueberry Muffins

7 Tbs unsalted butter
1/3 cup whole milk
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 cups fresh blueberries

For the Topping:
3 Tbss cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/2 Tbs sugar

Put a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 375. Line muffin pan with paper or foil liners. {The first time I made these I didn't have liners and just sprayed the muffin tin, they turned out fine. The only down side is they have so many blueberries that if you're not careful they'll fall apart when you try to remove them from the pan. So liners are probably best, I just wanted you to know they're not 100% necessary and if you don't have them you can still go for it.}

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Keep an eye on the butter. Melt and cook down the butter until little brown bits appear in the pan. The crackling will subside and butter will begin to brown fairly quickly after that. Keep a close eye. Remove from heat.

Whisk milk, egg, yolk and vanilla until combined. Add the slightly cooled brown butter and stir to combine.

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Add milk and butter mixture and stir gently to combine. Gently but thoroughly fold in the blueberries. Batter will be thick.

Divide the batter among muffin cups and spread evenly.

To make the topping, combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and rub together with your fingertips until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over the batter in the cups.

Bake until golden and crisp and a wooden pick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack for 15 minutes then remove from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe from Joy the Baker.

Berry Crisp

2010-07-05T10:37:00.004-04:00

When my parents were in NYC a few weeks ago my dad had a craving for berry crisp. We tried a few restaurants with no luck. So we made our own at home! It was a perfect summer treat.

Blueberry Blackberry Crisp

2 cups fresh blueberries
2 cups fresh blackberries
3 Tbs sugar
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups lightly packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2/3 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)
1/3 cup quick oats
1 stick unsalted butter, well-softened

Preheat the oven to 350. Generously grease an 8×8 baking pan with butter.

Place berries in the bottom of the pan and dust with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Toss to mix in sugar. The berries should be just about to the top of the pan (they will cook down).

For the topping, place the flour, brown sugar, nuts, cinnamon and oats in a large bowl and stir well with a wooden spoon. Take 1/4-1/2 cup of the topping and stir it into the sugared berry mixture. Work the butter into the rest of the topping mixture with your fingertips until evenly distributed. Spread the topping evenly over the berries.

Bake the crisp in the dish on a baking sheet on the center oven rack until the topping is crunchy and the berries are bubbling, 55-60 minutes.

Serve hot with vanilla ice cream.

Recipe adapted from Joy the Baker.

Balsamic Chicken Pasta

2010-06-12T22:05:00.002-04:00

Abbie is an amazing woman and one of my best friends. She is smart, talented, beautiful, a great friend, stellar wife and amazing mother to two gorgeous children. She's a superstar. And she's a good cook. She makes healthy food, and it actually tastes good. I know. Amazing. One of the first times I went to Abbie's place to hang out, she fed me this for dinner. I was excited when she finally posted it on her blog so I could make it too!

This dish is everything I need. Super simple, fast, healthy and tasty. Love it.

Balsamic Chicken Pasta

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 large broccoli crown
3 cloves garlic, minced
14 oz can or 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
1 tsp dried basil
12 oz whole wheat fettuccine, cooked according to package directions
parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add red bell pepper and broccoli, cook until tender (add some water, 1/4 cup, if you want it to steam up a bit). Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add broth, vinegar, chicken, and basil. Bring to a boil, then simmer until liquid is reduced by half. Add fettuccine. Mix it all up. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with parmesan sprinkled on top.

Recipe from Abbie.

Emergency Chocolate Cake

2010-06-09T21:30:00.008-04:00

Ever have one of those days where you're like, "I NEED CHOCOLATE CAKE, IMMEDIATELY" but you can't bake an entire cake because you don't want an entire cake, you just want one piece? Well, darling, I have just the solution for you. I almost feel guilty sharing this recipe because it makes it a little too easy to have fluffy, rich, warm chocolate cake anytime you want (and in a conveniently sized single serving!). Just promise not to get mad at me when you end up eating chocolate cake every night because it takes about three minutes from when the craving hits to the moment the first bite hits your tastebuds. You have been warned.

I am actually eating this right now. Indulgently. Guiltily. With a scoop of peanut butter on top (highly recommended addition).

Emergency Chocolate Cake

2 Tbs cake flour (or regular...)
2 Tbs sugar
2 rounded tsp cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
2 Tbs milk
2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp vanilla

Coat the inside of a mug with nonstick cooking spray. Put all ingredients in mug and stir with a fork until smooth. You can also stir in chocolate chips, nuts or anything else your heart desires. Microwave for 1 minute. Allow to cool a little before eating! If you're feeling crazy you could top it with a spoonful of peanut butter (which melts delectably on the warm cake) or maybe some ice cream. The possibilities are endless, really.

Recipe from friend Casey. I'll get you for this, Casey. ;)

Shrimp, Feta and Fresh Herb Mac and Cheese

2010-05-13T18:56:00.003-04:00

Macaroni and cheese is one of my favorite comfort foods. So when I ran into the 30 Days, 30 Ways for Mac and Cheese blog I was excited to find some good variations on this favorite dish. This recipe came from that project, and was reposted on a recipe blog I follow. It turned out really delicious and was a fun, "gourmet" twist on an old favorite. It would be amazing (although not exactly light) served with my favorite breadsticks, and maybe a spinach salad.

And let's be honest, this is me we're talking about here, so I did not buy fresh herbs to use in this dish. I used dried and cut down the measurements slightly. Oh and I used splashes of bottled lemon juice instead of fresh lemon zest. I am so naughty. The original recipe is posted below with lemon zest and fresh herbs, but if you use dried herbs, just use about 2/3 the amount called for.

Shrimp, Feta and Fresh Herb Mac and Cheese

1 lb. pasta shapes {I used whole wheat fusilli}
1 lb. frozen cooked shrimp (31-40 ct.), thawed and cut in half (if desired)
10 oz. feta cheese, crumbled and divided
Zest of 1 lemon, divided
½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped, divided
5 tbsp. butter, divided
4 tbsp. all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
2 tbsp. fresh dill, chopped
8 oz. Gruyere cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
½ tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta until al dente according to the package directions. Drain well; set aside.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400˚ F. In a small bowl, combine a handful of the feta, a pinch of the lemon zest, the panko, 2 teaspoons of the parsley and 1 tablespoon of the butter, melted. Toss with a fork to combine; set aside.

In a medium saucepan, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat. Once the butter is melted, whisk in the flour to form a paste. Cook 1-2 minutes, whisking constantly, until light golden brown. Whisk in the milk. Continue to heat the mixture, stirring frequently, until it bubbles and thickens, about 5 minutes. As soon as the sauce has thickened, remove from the heat and stir in the remaining feta, Gruyere, remaining parsley, remaining lemon zest, dill, salt and pepper. Pour the mixture over the pasta, add the shrimp; toss well to coat.

Transfer the mixture to a lightly greased 2½ or 3-quart baking dish. Sprinkle the breadcrumb-feta mixture evenly over the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned and bubbling. Remove from the oven and let cool 5-10 minutes before serving.

Recipe adapted from Annie's Eats.

Coconut Mango Sticky Rice

2010-05-11T20:44:00.001-04:00

Maribeth got me all into mangoes recently, and then she dropped this recipe on my head and now I am officially obsessed. Blast that girl. I am really supposed to be losing weight for a trip to Hawaii in a week, and instead here I am shoving sticky rice in my face. It is ridiculously good. Klane and I were dying over how good it was. Coconutty and sugary and creamy and... oh, excuse me, I am going to get myself another bowl right now. Bye!

Coconut Mango Sticky Rice

1 Cup uncooked Jasmine Rice
1 can Coconut Milk
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 Mango (or bottled slices)

Cover rice with cold water and rinse. Repeat until the water runs clear, about 3 times, and drain. In a medium saucepan bring 1¾ cups water to boil. Add the rice and stir briefly. Reduce heat to a low simmer and cover. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until the water is absorbed.

In a saucepan, combine coconut milk, sugar and salt. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Pour the boiled coconut milk into the cooked rice. Stir well. Cover top of the rice directly with wax paper or aluminum foil. Let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Peel the mango and cut into slices or squares. Spoon the rice, or scoop with an ice cream server onto a serving platter and decorate with mango slices.

Recipe from Maribeth Youngberg.

Chicken Tikka Masala

2010-05-09T08:44:00.002-04:00

I never thought I could make Indian food at home, especially not good Indian food, and especially not with ingredients I already had on hand. Well, I was wrong! I have ordered Chicken Tikka Masala at our favorite Indian restaurants in the city and always loved it. This dish was just as flavorful and delicious as any restaurant Indian I've tried! Klane loved it and said he'd like to have it once a month. Tikka Masala is a dish in which roasted chicken chunks (tikka) are served in a rich orange, creamy, lightly spiced, tomato-based sauce. The flavors are so interesting and complex. It has just enough spice, but if you don't like spicy then maybe reduce the amount of cayenne pepper or jalapeno. Oh but this was amazing! Make it!

Chicken Tikka Masala

Marinade:

1 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 tablespoons minced fresh ginger (I used ground Ginger, 2 tsp)
1 teaspoon salt
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 cup cream
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Combine all marinade ingredients except chicken. Pour sauce over chicken and refrigerate for one hour {I, Angie, marinated it about 10 hours while I was at work}. Grill or cook chicken in frying pan. Discard marinade.

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for one minute. Season with cumin, paprika and salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken and simmer for 10 minutes. Garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve over hot rice.

Recipe from My Kitchen Cafe.

Mexican Lasagna

2010-05-07T20:44:00.008-04:00

I got this recipe from Stephanie Nielson's recipe blog, and her picture of it is WAY more appetizing than mine. But just trust me, this recipe is really good. And if something comes from Nie, the vegetarian healthy delicious cooking queen, then you know it's got to be healthy and delicious. That woman... she is amazing. So maybe ignore my picture, or go drool over hers, and then make this! It's really good, and you won't feel guilty eating it because look at all that spinach! I love me some spinach. And if you're like me you might want extra salsa and extra cilantro. Mmmm hmmm give me some of that cilantro. YUM!

Mexican Lasagna

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
4 scallions, coarsely chopped
Coarse salt and ground pepper
10 ounces fresh baby spinach
Nonstick cooking spray
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1 (15.5 ounces) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup prepared salsa (mild or medium)
8 ounces pepper Jack cheese, grated (about 2 cups)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a food processor, combine cilantro, scallions, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper with as much spinach as will fit; pulse, adding remaining spinach in batches, until coarsely chopped.
Coat an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray. Lay 4 tortillas in bottom of dish (they will overlap slightly). Layer with half of beans, salsa, spinach mixture, and cheese; repeat with remaining ingredients, ending with cheese and pressing in gently.
Cover dish with foil; place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes; remove foil, and continue baking until golden, 15 to 20 minutes more. Cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe from Cuisine Nie.

Okay I can't stand it anymore, my picture is hideous, here is hers!

Red Chile Chicken, Rice and Beans

2010-04-27T20:50:00.005-04:00

I love one-pot meals. Less dishes? Yes, please! This chicken with rice and beans was really yummy served with salsa and sour cream on top as suggested, but we especially enjoyed the leftovers. This made the best burrito filling. Add shredded cheese and roll in a tortilla, warm in the microwave and voila! Perfect, hearty burritos! My only change to the recipe was to add a diced green pepper, I thought it was a great addition, adding a little more veggie power and some color variation.

Red Chile Chicken, Rice and Beans

2 tablespoons oil, divided (I used olive oil)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1.5 pounds), cut into 1-inch pieces
1 ½ tablespoons chili powder, divided
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
1 ½ cups rice
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 ½ cups chicken broth
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup chopped green onions OR 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
Salsa and sour cream for serving

Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a medium-large heavy pot over medium heat. Sprinkle the diced chicken breast with salt and ½ tablespoon of the chili powder. Place the chicken in the hot oil and brown, stirring and flipping occasionally, until browned, 2-3 minutes (the chicken doesn’t need to be cooked all the way through because it will finish cooking later). Remove the chicken to a plate.

Add the second tablespoon of oil to the pot and add the onion, bell pepper and rice. Cook on medium-low, stirring for several minutes, until the rice turns from translucent to opaque. Add the garlic and the remaining 1 tablespoon chili powder. Cook one minute, and then add the broth and salt (1/2 to 1 teaspoon) to taste. Stir well. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook 10 minutes.

Add the chicken to the pot along with the beans, give it all a good stir. Recover the pot and cook on low for 10-12 minutes longer, taking care that the mixture isn’t cooking too hot or it will burn on the bottom.

Sprinkle the green onions (or cilantro) and test a kernel of rice. It should be tender, in which case you place the cover back on, remove it from the heat and let it stand 5-10 minutes. If it’s not cooked, cook for another 5 minutes or so, stirring and checking often to make sure the mixture doesn’t burn.

Fluff the mixture with a fork and serve with salsa and sour cream.

Serves 6-8. (My only complaint about My Kitchen Cafe is that her serving sizes are always grossly overestimated. This is a big recipe and she says it only serves four! I don't know if you could gather four people at one table who could eat that much.)

Recipe adapted from My Kitchen Cafe.

Strawberry Lemonade Bars

2010-04-18T18:31:00.005-04:00

I love lemon bars, so when I saw this recipe on Kathryn's blog, I was so excited I made it that same day. These strawberry lemon bars are a fun twist on a favorite treat. They taste light and fresh and they're perfect for spring and summer! Mine would have turned out prettier if I had a blender to puree the strawberries; I just mashed them up as well as I could with a fork. However, I have a blender coming in the mail, so next time I might try swirling the strawberry puree into the rest of the mixture after it's poured over the crust, it might make for a prettier presentation. Either way these are delicious.

Strawberry Lemonade Bars

Crust:
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter - room temperature
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Filling:
1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 5-6 lemons, I'd say)
2-3 teaspoons lemon zest
1/2 cups pureed strawberries (about 3/4 cups of strawberries)
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 eggs
1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350˚. Lightly grease 9x13. Cream butter and sugar together, slowly add flour & salt until crumbly. Press into pan. Bake for about 17 minutes until edges are golden.

Combine juice, zest, strawberry puree, sugar & eggs in food processor. Puree until smooth. Add flour, baking powder & salt. Pulse until smooth. Pour over hot crust. Bake for 23-26 minutes, or until set. Let cool, then store in fridge.

Recipe from Kathryn's recipe blog, Wire Whisk.

Creamy Orzo with Mushrooms, Asparagus and Red Pepper

2010-04-17T16:29:00.006-04:00

Another great recipe from a friend's blog! Sarah is a great cook with an awesome recipe blog. I always know her recipes will be tasty and easy to follow. (For this reason I copied and pasted her directions exactly.) This creamy pasta is light and fresh and perfect for Spring. It tasted healthy but still so flavorful. We loved this and will definitely be making it again!

Creamy Orzo with Mushrooms, Asparagus and Red Pepper

1 lb. orzo pasta
1 cup reserved pasta water
1 T. olive oil
2 medium chicken breasts (1-1.5 lbs.), cut into chunks
8 ounces white button mushrooms, sliced
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1/2" pieces
1/2 lb. asparagus, cut into 1" pieces
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
8 ounces cream cheese, softened (can use 1/3 less fat cream cheese or Neufchatel)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
juice of 1 lemon (don't skip this! soo good)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook according to package directions until tender. When the orzo is ready, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and then drain the orzo and set aside.

While the orzo cooks, in a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the hot oil and brown on all sides. When nicely browned (but not quite all the way cooked through), add the peppers, mushrooms, asparagus and thyme. Stir and let cook for about 5 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the mushrooms and peppers have softened and browned and most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

In the skillet over medium heat, add the softened cream cheese (I didn't soften; no big deal) in bite sized chunks and stir so that the cream cheese melts and coats the chicken and vegetables. Add the reserved pasta water and bring to a simmer. Add ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Stir. Add the orzo, Parmesan, lemon juice and fresh parsley. Stir to combine and heat through. Garnish with additional Parmesan and parsley.

It will be very creamy, so I found it best to serve this in bowls. Serves 6-8.

Recipe from friend and amazing cook Sarah. Check out her recipe blog, she is seriously an amazing cook!

Honey Glazed Salmon

2010-04-17T16:19:00.006-04:00

I've been getting great ideas from friends blogs lately. When I run out of ideas I start making less healthy meals, which usually include a lot of cheese. Abbie is great at fixing healthful meals for her family (with lots of veggies!), so I love when she shares recipes. This salmon, served with broiled asparagus and yellow squash, made the perfect light, spring meal. Yum! Thanks Abbie! i loved her directions so I'm posting this exactly as she did.

Honey Glazed Salmon

1 lb Salmon
cover in honey (yeah, squeeze that honey on the salmon like you're makin' a PBH)
add some salt (sprinkle as much as you want).
drizzle some olive oil over the top.
bake on 425 for 15 minutes. {Angie's note: when baking salmon, bake 5 minutes for every 1/2 inch thickness of salmon. We baked ours for 20 and it was perfect.}

Recipe from NY BFF Abbie.

Southern Living Chicken Enchiladas

2010-04-05T22:30:00.006-04:00

This enchilada recipe was so great! The mixture of spicy pepper jack cheese, cilantro, sour cream and olives was really delicious. We couldn't find salsa verde in any grocery stores nearby (the curse of living in Harlem), so served it the first time without. I got some the next day and we had the leftovers with the Salsa Verde sauce, and let me tell you - it is a MUST! Tastes so so good with the sauce. These are just divine. Make them!

Southern Living Chicken Enchiladas

For the filling:
3 cups cooked, chopped chicken
2 cups shredded Pepper Jack cheese
½ cup sour cream
1 can chopped green chilies, drained
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 can sliced olives

Salsa Verde Sauce:
4 oz. Sour cream
4 oz. Salsa verde

8 (8 inch) flour tortillas

Suggested toppings:
Diced tomato
Chopped avocado
Sliced black olives
Chopped Cilantro
Scallions
Salsa Verde sauce
Guacamole

Stir filling ingredients together. Spoon chicken mixture evenly over tortillas & roll up. Arrange in a lightly greased 13x9 inch baking dish. Coat with vegetable cooking spray. Bake at 350˚ for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Top with sauce & toppings.

Recipe from Kathryn at Wire Whisk.

Cilantro Lime Rice

2010-04-05T22:30:00.004-04:00

Mmmm... I made this rice to go with Southern Living Chicken Enchiladas, and i'm sure it would go great with Cafe Rio Sweet Pork or any other mexican meal. It was so easy and so delicious.

Cilantro Lime Rice

1 cup uncooked Jasmine rice
1 teaspoon butter or margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon lime zest
1 cup chicken broth
1 ¼ cup water
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
2 teaspoons sugar
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, lime peel, chicken broth & water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook 15 – 20 minutes until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar & cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice.

Double or triple the recipe as appropriate.

Recipe from Kathryn at Wire Whisk.

Strawberry Jello Pretzel "Salad"

2010-03-08T12:56:00.004-05:00

I suppose we can call this a salad if it helps us sleep better at night. It is really a dessert if you ask me. Look at all that sugar! But whatever you want to call it, you will love it when you taste it. The combination of salty and sweet is so yummy. It's also quite pretty, we served it at a baby shower and it worked perfectly with our "girly" color scheme. You can also make this dessert with raspberries and raspberry jello, or blackberries, etc. Try it, you'll love it!

Strawberry Jello Pretzel "Salad"

2 cups crushed pretzel sticks
3 Tbs sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted
8 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temp
8 oz. whipped topping
1 cup sugar
2 cups boiling water
6 oz. package strawberry jello
2 10 oz. packages frozen strawberries, partially thawed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix crushed pretzels with melted butter and sugar. Press into bottom of 9x13 pan. Bake for 8 minutes if metal pan, 6 minutes if glass pan. Remove from oven and allow to cool. (Possibly put it in the fridge to speed it up a little.)

In a medium bowl, mix softened cream cheese with sugar until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spread cream cheese mixture over pretzel crust.

Whisk powdered jello into boiling water in large bowl until dissolved. Stir in strawberries. Allow to sit for 10 minutes. Pour over cream cheese layer. Chill at least four hours or overnight.

Recipe from the Harding Family Cookbook.

Sundried Tomato and Chicken Pasta

2010-03-04T20:30:00.003-05:00

I love when I find a really great recipe that allows me to use up what's on hand. I had sundried tomatoes from a salad I made last week, and found this recipe online. It was so easy to throw together and so delicious. I was wary of the condensed soup because sometimes it takes over a recipe, but I thought the taste of the dish wasn't dominated by the soup. It just tasted like a really yummy, creamy pasta dish. It was so good! Definitely a keeper. I served this rich pasta with a very simple spinach salad drizzled with a little red wine vinegar and olive oil. It was a great compliment to the taste of this dish.

Sundried Tomato and Chicken Pasta

1 (16 ounce) package farfalle pasta
1/4 cup butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1 Tbs dried parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
3 cooked skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-size pieces
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, rehydrated in water (I used the kind bottled in oil and drained them)
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large saucepan. Add garlic cloves and cook until garlic browns. Add the cream of mushroom soup and milk, stirring until smooth. Stir in the dried parsley, salt, and ground fresh pepper. Let simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Add bite size chicken pieces and hydrated sun dried tomatoes. Simmer for 6 to 8 minutes. Mix in grated Parmesan cheese. Toss cooked and drained pasta with chicken sauce. Serve warm.

Serves 4-6.

Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com.

Country White Bread

2010-03-03T20:26:00.004-05:00

A slice of warm homemade bread with honey and butter is right up there with a warm chocolate chip cookie on my list of most tempting treats. And pulling two loaves of this beautiful bread out of the oven just makes you feel good. It is surprisingly easy to make (it just takes time). I think this bread has improved my life. Which is why I've made it twice in the last two weeks. And why you should make it too.

Country White Bread

1 cup lukewarm water
1 cup buttermilk* (room temp.)
1/4 cup oil
5-6 cups bread flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs (beaten)
1 tablespoon salt
4 teaspoons instant yeast

Egg Wash:
1 egg white
3 Tbsp. milk

Mix together water, buttermilk and oil. Add 1 1/2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add sugar and eggs and mix together till smooth. Mix in the salt. Then mix in yeast. Allow to sit uncovered for 15 minutes.

Add flour a 1/2 cup at a time. Mix until it forms a dough and clears the side of the bowl (you may not need all the flour). Knead the dough for 5-6 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place dough into a lightly oiled bowl. Spray the top of the dough with an oil spray. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place for about 1 hour (I didn't spray it and I just covered it with a towel).

Pour out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut dough in half. Shape dough into 2 rectangles the length of a 5x9 loaf pan. Roll the dough like a jelly roll being sure to lightly press with each rotation of the dough. Pinch the seam closed with your fingers. Place into two greased 5x9 loaf pans. Cover with plastic wrap (or a towel) and allow to rise till double in bulk about 45-60 minutes.

Make egg wash and brush the tops of the loaves. Wait 5 minutes then brush again. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 30-35 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on a wire rack.

*A good buttermilk substitute: Put 1 Tbs of lemon juice or vinegar in a 1 cup measuring cup, and fill the rest with milk (preferably 2% or whole). Let sit for a few minutes, and you've got buttermilk.

Recipe from friend Sarah. THANK YOU SARAH!

Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir-fry

2010-03-01T20:27:00.006-05:00

This sweet and sour chicken was really tasty and colorful. It was a little intense to make because it's thrown together so quickly and cooked at such high heat. But it was exciting and fun! Just make sure you have everything chopped and prepped before you start cooking, then everything will run smoothly and come together in just a couple minutes. I'd definitely make this yummy stir fry again.

Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir-Fry

2 boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into uniform pieces
1 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs rice vinegar
2 to 3 Tbs vegetable oil
1/2 medium red onion, peeled and cut into thin strips
1/2 sweet red pepper, cut into strips
1 20 oz. can pineapple chunks
3 medium scallions, green parts cut into ¼-inch lengths and white parts minced
1 Tbs minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

Stir Fry Sauce:
3 Tbs red wine vinegar
3 Tbs sugar
1 ½ Tbs tomato sauce
1 ½ Tbs pineapple juice from the can
¼ tsp salt

Toss the chicken with the soy sauce and vinegar in a medium bowl; set aside for 15 minutes while you chop vegetables, tossing once or twice.

Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. Chop vegetables and measure out ingredients.

Heat a 12- or 14-inch skillet over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes (the pan should be so hot you can hold an outstretched hand 1 inch over the pan for only 3 seconds.) Add 1 tablespoon oil and swirl it so the oil evenly coats the bottom of the pan. Heat the oil until it just starts to shimmer and smoke. Check the heat with your hand as before.

Drain the chicken and add it to the pan. Stir-fry until seared and about three-quarters cooked, 2 ½ to 3 minutes. Scrape the cooked chicken and all of the liquid into a bowl. Cover and keep warm.

Let the pan come back up to temperature, 1 to 2 minutes. When it is hot, drizzle in 2 teaspoons oil. When the oil just starts to smoke, add the onions and peppers and stir-fry until just tender-crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the pineapple and cook 1 minute. Add the scallion greens and cook 15 to 30 seconds.

Clear the center of the pan and add the white parts of the scallions, garlic, and ginger. Drizzle with ½ teaspoon oil. Mash into the pan with the back of a spatula. Cook until fragrant but not colored, about 10 seconds. Remove the pan from heat and stir the scallions, garlic, and ginger into the vegetables for 20 seconds.

Return the pan to the heat and add the cooked chicken. Stir in the sauce and stir-fry until the ingredients are well coated with sauce and sizzling hot, about 1 minute. Serve immediately with rice.

Recipe adapted from My Kitchen Cafe.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

2010-02-27T23:23:00.005-05:00

This recipe has been haunting me since Nie posted about them almost a month ago. These cookies are chewy and rich and chocolatey, and also quite pretty.

They're fun to make, too. You get to roll them in powdered sugar before baking them. So pretty!

And the dough is almost as addicting as the finished product.

Be careful, this stuff is dangerous.

What? Oh no, that was already there. Yep.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

2 cups sugar
¾ cup vegetable oil
¾ cup hershey's cocoa powder
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
powdered sugar

In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar and oil. Add cocoa; blend well. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder & salt; add to cocoa mixture blending well. Cover; chill for 2 hours. Heat oven to 350. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Roll in powdered sugar. Place 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched. Remove from cookie sheet; cool on wire rack.

Makes 4 dozen. (I halved this!)

Recipe from the beautiful Stephanie Nielson at Cuisine Nie.

Creme Brulee French Toast

2010-02-20T12:42:00.007-05:00

Perfect for a lazy Saturday morning breakfast, this dish is very easy and is prepared the night before so all you have to do in the morning is bake it. I hopped out of bed to put it in, then got back in bed while it baked. It made for a decadent breakfast in bed, and my husband loved waking up to the amazing smell of cinnamon and sugar! It smells absolutely ridiculous coming out of the oven. So so good. The bottom of the toast gets nice and caramelized. Since I'm a sugar junkie I served this with a small drizzle of maple syrup, but it would be great on its own, too.

Creme Brulee French Toast

1 stick unsalted butter (I'm sure salted would be okay too, but I always buy unsalted)
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbs corn syrup
1 loaf French bread, preferably a few days old
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups half and half (you could probably just use milk, if needed)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

In a small saucepan melt butter with brown sugar and corn syrup over medium heat, stirring, until smooth and pour into a 9x13 baking dish. Cut thick slices (about 3/4 to 1 inch) from center portion of bread, reserving ends for another use. Arrange bread slices in one layer in baking dish, squeezing them slightly to fit. Use as many slices as will fit in the dish. In a bowl whisk together eggs, half and half, vanilla, cinnamon and salt until combined well and pour evenly over bread. Chill bread mixture, covered, at least 8 hours and up to 1 day.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and set bread mixture on counter during preheating. Bake uncovered, in middle of oven until puffed and edges are pale golden, 35 to 40 minutes. To serve, flip bread slices over so caramelized side is on top.

I think mine looks more dry than yours might, because I sliced my bread 1-inch thick and it absorbed more of the egg mixture. If you slice it thinner it might end up having more of the puffy eggy mixture on top. Just FYI. Also, this is obviously easily halved and prepared in an 8x8 pan, as you can see.

Recipe adapted from The Food Network.

Baked Pasta with Chicken Sausage

2010-02-18T20:02:00.006-05:00

The picture doesn't do this dinner justice. The flavor combinations in this baked pasta dish are fantastic! A gorgeous tomato cream sauce is paired with fontina cheese, fresh spinach and the intense flavor of the sausage to make an amazing taste. You may substitute pork or turkey sausage for the chicken, and mozzarella for the fontina, if those ingredients are too hard to find. I'm sure the result would still taste great. Martha's recipe called for precooked, smoked sausage, but I used regular chicken sausage and cooked it myself before adding it. My changes are noted below.

Baked Pasta with Chicken Sausage

Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes with juice, lightly crushed with hands
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 pound rigatoni
10 ounces baby spinach
12 ounces chicken sausage (4 links), cooked and diced
9 ounces fontina cheese, 5 ounces cut into 1/2-inch cubes and 4 ounces coarsely grated
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic. Stir in tomatoes and oregano; cook until tomatoes are falling apart, 10 minutes. Add cream; cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper. (The sauce looks gorgeous just after adding the cream. Mmm!)

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook pasta in the boiling water until al dente, according to package instructions. Add spinach, and cook just until wilted. Drain, and return contents to pot.

Add tomato sauce, sausage, and cubed fontina to pot; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into 9x13 (3-quart) baking dish. (Alternately, see Martha's directions for how to freeze half for later.) Top with grated fontina and Parmesan. Bake until browned and edges are crisp, 20 to 30 minutes.

Original recipe from Martha Stewart, referenced at My Kitchen Cafe.

Shrimp Po' Boys

2010-02-16T22:50:00.003-05:00

Another meal idea from Klane that I wouldn't have thought to make, but that turned out awesome! We really loved the cajun seasoning on the fried shrimp. We'll say we made this Louisiana inspired recipe in honor of Mardi Gras, which is today. :)

Shrimp Po' Boys

Vegetable oil, for frying
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, deveined
Salt
1/2 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons cajun seasoning
4 soft club rolls or sub rolls, split
1 large tomato, thinly sliced
8 pieces lettuce
1 lemon cut into wedges
Tartar sauce

Preheat 1-inch of oil in a deep skillet over medium to medium-high heat.

Beat egg and milk together. Pull tails off shrimp. Salt shrimp then soak in milk batter. Mix together the flour, cornmeal and cajun seasoning on the plate. Using tongs, remove a few shrimp at a time and coat in breading. Add breaded shrimp to the hot oil and fry them a couple minutes, until firm and deeply golden all over.

Spread tartar sauce on rolls. Put lettuce, tomato and shrimp on rolls, squeeze lemon juice over shrimp.

Makes 4 sandwiches.

Recipe adapted from Rachael Ray.

French Bread

2010-02-16T22:14:00.005-05:00

My mom's french bread recipe is so simple, and it produces a wonderfully light, yummy bread. If you've never made bread before, I think a simple french bread is a good place to start. (I say that and this is the only yeast bread I've ever made. But I imagine it's true.)

Mom's French Bread

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs instant yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
7-8 cups all-purpose white flour

Mix warm water, oil, and sugar in a large bowl to dissolve. Mix in yeast and salt. Slowly, cup by cup, beat in flour, making sure it's all incorporated before you add the next cup. It will take about 7-8 cups of flour. Add enough to make a dough that's not too sticky and not too firm. If you don't have a mixer, you'll have to knead in the last cups on a greased countertop. The key is to not let the dough get lumpy or clumpy, keep it smooth. Cover and let rest 10-20 minutes to get a little air in it so it's easy to work with. Shape and roll the dough into a mini loaf, keeping in mind it will double in length and width. It should be about four times as long as it is wide. Spray a baking sheet and lay dough on it, spray the top of dough with cooking spray. Use a serrated knife to make diagonal slices on top of bread. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle seasonings on top (sesame seeds, parmesan, suddenly salad, etc). Let it rise for 20 minutes, until doubled in size. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes, then turn oven down to 350 and bake for 10-20 more minutes, until top of bread is nice and golden.

Makes one large loaf of bread.

Broiled Reuben Sandwiches

2010-02-16T22:00:00.003-05:00

This is more an idea than a recipe. But the picture sure turned out pretty! I asked my husband for meal ideas this week and he came up with some great ones! I should ask Klane for input more often. I would've never thought to make these, but they were fantastic, quick and so flavorful!

Broiled Rueben Sandwiches

Rye bread, sliced
Sauerkraut
Thousand Island dressing
Swiss cheese slices
Corned beef, sliced

Pile everything on one slice of bread on a baking sheet and set open-faced sandwiches and extra slices under the broiler until cheese melts and bread is toasted. Top sandwiches with toased bread, flip sandwiches over and put back under the brolier until the other side is toasted. (I suppose these could also be grilled.) Yum!

Chicken, Spinach and Pasta with Lemon Cream Sauce

2010-02-14T22:30:00.007-05:00

I wasn't sure what to call this recipe. I mean, besides "really really amazingly creamy and delicious". I'm not sure exactly how I made it either, but it was so good I have to at least try to share it. This pasta dish turned out just how I hoped, creamy but still light, with a hint of lemon taste. The farfalle looks so pretty, and I liked the colors of the white sauce, green spinach and red tomatoes. It was a really pretty dish and seemed just perfect for Valentine's Day dinner. My husband said this might be his favorite pasta dish I've ever made.

This was very loosely based off a couple similar recipes, and very heavily based on what I had in my fridge that I needed to use. I used this recipe and this recipe from My Kitchen Cafe as references for lemon cream pasta type dishes. I kept pouring in a little more milk or a little more lemon juice or a little more cheese, till I got the desired consistency and taste. The amounts below are approximations but I think they're fairly close. Here goes...

Chicken, Spinach and Pasta with Lemon Cream Sauce

1 lb pasta (farfalle, rotini or penne would all work)
1 Tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp minced garlic (about 1 clove if you're using fresh)
lemon pepper
2 chicken breasts
1/2 cup light cream
1 cup whole milk
2 tsp white flour
2 Tbs-1/4 cup lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese (okay, so I used bottled. shredded would be better I'm sure)
1/3 cup frozen chopped spinach
6 cherry tomatoes, quartered

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high, add garlic, stir over heat 1 min until fragrant. Add chicken breasts and season with lemon pepper to taste. Cook chicken through, lightly browning each side. When cooked, transfer to cutting board and cut into bite size strips or cubes.

Return pan with cooking juices to stove over medium heat. Add cream, milk and flour and whisk well to dissolve flour. Heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens slightly. Add more milk if necessary to reach desired thickness. Add lemon juice to taste, stirring and tasting after adding a little at a time. (I really didn't want to overdo it on the lemon taste.) Simmer and stir 5 minutes over medium/med-high. Add parmesan to taste, stir to melt. Add frozen spinach and diced chicken, stir everythink till heated through, a minute or two. Add pasta and stir it all together. You may not use all the pasta, just add enough so you have the right amount of sauce. Serve with tomatoes sprinkled on top.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Breadsticks

2010-02-14T19:41:00.006-05:00

These breadsticks are so simple to make, but you'd never know because they are equal parts beautiful and delicious! (Maybe baking in a cube of melted butter has something to do with the incredible taste... hmmm...) My mom has been telling me about these breadsticks for the longest time, because she knew I'd love how easy they are to make. I should've made them sooner! Klane and I loved them. They take about an hour from start to finish, but I think that's quick enough for a weeknight dinner. Make these, they're so delicious and the perfect addition to a pasta or salad to make a great meal.

They looked especially tasty through the oven door:

Mom's Breadsticks

3 ½ cups flour
1 T. instant yeast
3 T. sugar
½ t. salt
1 ½ cups warm water
½ cup butter, melted

Mix first four ingredients in large bowl. Add warm water, mix to form a soft dough and let it raise in bowl for 20 min. Preheat oven to 375, melt butter in preheated oven on cookie sheet (half the butter if you want it less buttery). Take sheet out when butter is melted, let it cool a little. Roll out dough flat, cut into strips about 3/4 inch wide. Fold strips in half and twist the two halves together. Lay them out on cookie sheet, roll them in melted butter till covered. Sprinkle with seasonings as desired (possible toppings: suddenly salad, parmesan cheese, italian seasonings, dill, seasoning salt, etc). Let rise 20 minutes in pan. Bake for 15-20 min, until golden brown.

Recipe from my amazing mom.

Golden Treats

2010-02-14T19:06:00.004-05:00

These are sort of like Rice Krispie treats meets s'mores. Melted marshmallows and chocolate mixed with Golden Grahams cereal makes for an irresistible combination. Beware: it's very difficult to stop eating these once you start.

S'mores Treats

1 16 oz. bag mini marshmallows
5 tablespoons butter
¼ c. corn syrup
1 ½ c. milk chocolate chips
1 box golden grahams (about 14 oz.)

Heat butter in large pot on medium until melted. Add marshmallows, corn syrup, and chocolate chips, stirring constantly until melted and gooey. Remove from heat. Quickly pour in box of Golden Grahams and evenly stir and combine. Spread in 9x13 inch pan and enjoy! You can also let them cool and cut into bars.

Recipe from my beautiful cousin, Dayna.

Flank Steak and Caramelized Onion Quesadillas

2010-02-14T18:07:00.003-05:00

These quesadillas were so good! The marinade for the meat created a unique flavor, and of course caramelized onions are always a yummy edition. Maybe our favorite part was serving it with fresh guacamole we made ourselves. So delish!

Okay, here is the deal. One of the things I love about cooking is that it's so much less expensive than eating out. I like to be frugal. So the $10 flank steak at the grocery store didn't look like the best choice to me when I made this recipe last week. Instead I went for a cheaper sirloin, marinated it, tenderized it and tried not to overcook it. Hence the reason my quesadillas didn't turn out as plump and delicious looking as the photo on For the Love of Cooking. The recipe still worked the way I made it but it would be a lot better with the flank steak, I'm sure.

Steak & Caramelized Onion Quesadillas

Flank Steak Marinade:

1 - 1 1/2 lbs of flank steak
⅓ cup vinegar
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1-2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 ½ teaspoons oregano
2 limes, juiced
4-5 cloves garlic minced

Caramelized Onions:

1 teaspoon olive oil
½ sweet yellow onion
Salt to taste

Other Ingredients:

Flour tortillas
Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (or monterey jack)
Guacamole
Salsa

In a gallon size Ziploc bag, combine all marinade ingredients with flank steak and mix really well. Let marinate for at least 6 hours - overnight if you can.

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; add onions, cook for about 30 minutes or until caramelized. Season with salt and set aside.

Grill the flank steak to your liking. Let the meat rest before slicing in thin slices AGAINST the grain.

To prepare the quesadillas, take a little shredded cheese and sprinkle evenly over a flour tortilla. Place a few slices of flank steak over the cheese, add some caramelized onions and a little additional cheese. Place one more tortilla over the top to finish. Carefully place the quesadilla in a skillet over medium heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove from heat and let cool for a minute. Slice with a pizza cutter into wedges. Serve with guacamole and salsa.

Recipe from For the Love of Cooking.

Homemade Guacamole

2010-02-14T18:00:00.002-05:00

YUM. I made this and now I want to have this in my house all the time because it's so, so good. It's best fresh since it turns brown after a little while. I copied the recipe straight from For the Love of Cooking, because I think the way she explains everything in such detail is really great.

Guacamole

4 ripe (soft but not mushy to the touch) avocados
1/4 red onion, diced
3 cherry tomatoes, diced
1 small handful of chopped cilantro
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, diced finely (half if you want it less spicy)
Salt to taste
1-2 limes juiced to taste

Slice the avocados lengthwise around the seed. Gently hit blade of knife on the half of the avocado with the seed and twist - seed should come out easily. Either scoop out the avocado flesh with a spoon or dice into segments in a crosshatch pattern and then remove with a spoon. Mix the remaining ingredients together with out smashing the avocado too much. Make sure to add the lime, it not only pops the flavor of the guacamole but it also keeps it from going brown. Serve with fresh tortilla chips or as a topping for any of your favorite Mexican dishes.

Recipe from For the Love of Cooking.

Red Coconut Curry

2010-01-30T22:45:00.006-05:00

We love going out for Thai food. I usually order some kind of coconut curry; slightly spicy, sweet and delicious. I never thought I could recreate that taste at home. I've tried homemade Thai before and it wasn't even close at all. It turns out we just needed the secret ingredient: the right type of curry. Today Klane and I were grocery shopping, looking for Japanese curry, and found this red Thai curry paste.

The recipe on the side looked really easy, so we decided to give it a try and I am so glad we did! I don't want to over-hype this, but it was seriously amazing. This coconut curry honestly smelled and tasted exactly like the curries I've ordered at restaurants. We could not believe it! And it was so easy. Klane and I were so thrilled that we can now make some of our favorite restaurant food at home for a fraction of the cost.

Red Coconut Curry

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 medium onion, sliced
1 large carrot, sliced
1 potato (I used an Idaho), diced
1 can coconut milk (around 14 oz)
1-1 1/2 Tbs red curry paste
1-2 Tbs brown sugar
1-2 tsp salt
cooked hot rice

optional:
fresh basil or cilantro, for serving

In a large saucepan, whisk coconut milk and 1/2 Tbs curry paste (add more paste to desired taste, I used 1 1/2 Tbs). Simmer over medium heat for 5 mintues, stirring often. Add brown sugar and salt to taste. (I added 2 Tbs sugar, 1 1/2 tsp salt.) Add vegetables and 1/4 cup water. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are cooked. (There's probably a better way to do this, but I microwaved the carrots and the potatoes first to make sure they were cooked enough before adding them to the curry. Put the sliced carrots and diced potatoes in separate cereal bowls, add a little water, and microwave them separately, each for about 1 1/2 minutes. Drain the water before dumping veggies into the curry sauce.)

In a large saucepan, saute chicken and onion in a little olive oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add chicken and onion to curry, stir together.

Serve with rice, garnish with fresh basil or cilantro if desired.

Makes 3-4 servings.

White Chicken Chili

2010-01-27T21:42:00.004-05:00

A while back my sister Michelle posted a recipe for White Chicken Chili on her blog. I thought it looked so great, but I never got around to making it. This week I saw this recipe on a recipe blog and I had to try it. I should've taken Michelle's advice earlier! This was my first stab at white chili and it was SO good!! It was so incredibly easy and it seriously tastes amazing. We loved it! I will definitely be making this again. The spices in it were delicious and it was just spicy enough while deliciously creamy at the same time. Michelle's recipe added lime juice, and I think next time I will try that out!

White Chicken Chili

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon oil
2 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies (if you like less kick, add just one can)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream

optional:
fresh cilantro
shredded cheese
tortilla chips

In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and cream. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve immediately. This is especially good served with tortilla chips and a little cheese sprinkled on top.

Makes about 6 servings.

Recipe from My Kitchen Cafe.

Butternut Squash Lasagna

2010-01-19T17:19:00.001-05:00

Friend Allison raved about this lasagna on her blog, and it sounded so yummy, different and interesting I had to try it myself. I wasn't sure what to expect with the combination of all these flavors, but usually you can't go wrong with a recipe from Giada. We were definitely not disappointed. The mixture of the sweet squash, the basil, the creamy sauce and cheese, and the hint of nutmeg created an amazingly delicious combination. I've never tried any kind of vegetable lasagna, but I really liked this!

Also a little note: I do not own a blender, or a food processor. But this still worked for me. I pureed the squash with a hand mixer, and to make the basil sauce, I just chopped the basil very very finely and stirred it into the sauce. It worked well and the end result was still fantastic. This smelled amazing coming out of the oven.

Butternut Squash Lasagna

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (1 1/2 to 2-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
Salt and pepper
½ cup water
3 amaretti cookies, crumbled
¼ cup butter
¼ cup all-purpose flour
3 ½ cups whole milk
Pinch nutmeg
¾ cup (lightly packed) fresh basil leaves
12 no-boil lasagna noodles {i used regular, cooked according to package directions}
2 ½ cups shredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese
⅓ cup grated Parmesan

Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the squash and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the water into the skillet and then cover and simmer over medium heat until the squash is tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly and then transfer the squash to a food processor. Add the amaretti cookies and blend until smooth. {Maybe it was the hand mixer I was using, maybe it was that my squash lost more moisture in cooking, but mine was as thick as mashed potatoes. It should be thinner, about the consistency of baby food, so it will be spreadable later on. If it's too thick, add water a little at a time and continue blending to reach desired consistency. Watch Giada's video on the website if you'd like to see an example of the consistency of the puree.} Season the squash puree, to taste, with more salt and pepper.

While the squash is cooking, melt the butter in a heavy medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the nutmeg. Cool slightly. Transfer half of the sauce to a blender*. Add the basil and blend until smooth. Return the basil sauce to the sauce in the pan and stir to blend. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste.

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F.

Lightly butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce over the prepared baking dish. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan. Spread 1/3 of the squash puree over the noodles. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. Drizzle 1/2 cup of sauce over the noodles. Repeat layering 3 more times.

Tightly cover the baking dish with foil and bake the lasagna for 40 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses over the lasagna. Continue baking uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the top is golden, 15 minutes longer. Let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes before serving.

*When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.

Recipe from Giada de Laurentiis.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

2010-01-17T16:42:00.003-05:00

Friend Sarah raved about these on her blog so much that I had to try them. She said they're the best enchiladas she's ever had and that she made them three times in two weeks! I also thought these were very yummy. The combination of honey and lime was so delicious and a fun spin on my regular enchilada routine. These were so delicious! I would definitely make these again!

Honey Lime Enchiladas

1.5 lbs. chicken or pork, cooked and shredded
⅓ cup honey
¼ cup lime juice (about 2 limes)
1 Tbsp. chili powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 4 oz. can diced green chiles
2 10 oz. cans green enchilada sauce
Equal parts mozzarella & cheddar cheese, grated (monterey jack works fine)
8-10 flour tortillas

After chicken/pork is cooked and shredded, combine with green chiles, honey, lime juice, chili & garlic powder. Let "marinate" in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Grease a 9x13 pan and pour a little bit of the enchilada sauce to coat the bottom of the pan. Fill your tortillas with chicken mixture and a little cheese. Roll up and place seam side down in the pan. Repeat. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the top and sprinkle more cheese on top (don't be stingy). Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes and then turn on the broiler for a couple minutes so it gets nice and brown. Serve with sour cream, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce and salsa, if desired.

Recipe from my wonderful former visiting teaching companion, Sarah Nowland. She's a great visiting teacher and a great cook too!

Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-01-17T16:27:00.004-05:00

I've been craving chocolate chocolate chip cookies lately. New Years Resolutions? Ha! Anyway, these are amazing. I substituted half the chocolate chips for butterscotch chips, but do as you will. With all that chocolate, they will be delish either way.

Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
16 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped {I used a cup of chocolate chips and it was great!}
4 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
10 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together; set aside.

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water until completely melted and smooth; remove from the heat. (Alternatively, microwave the chocolate in 30 second intervals, mixing thoroughly in between, until melted and smooth.) In a small mixing bowl, combine the eggs and vanilla; stir well with a fork to dissolve; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 5 seconds. Mix in the sugars until well combined, about 45 seconds – the mixture will look granular. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually beat in the egg mixture until incorporated, about 45 seconds. Add the chocolate to the bowl in a steady stream and continue beating until combined, about 40 seconds. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. With the mixer at low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated, being careful not to overbeat. Fold in the chocolate chips with a rubber spatula. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until the consistency is scoopable and fudge-like, about 30 minutes. {I, Angie, did not let them sit for 30 minutes, and they turned out just fine.}

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350° F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets with a 1 ¾-inch cookie dough scoop, spacing the dough balls about 1 ½ inches apart.

Bake until the edges of the cookies have just began to set but the centers are still very soft, about 10 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through baking. Cool the cookies on the sheets about 10 minutes, transfer to cooling racks and allow to cool completely. Cool the baking sheets before baking more batches with the remaining dough.

Recipe from Annie's Eats.

Ham and Pasta Skillet Dinner

2010-01-17T16:19:00.003-05:00

Easy, quick, yummy weeknight dinner. I liked that it came together without too much hassle, and still tasted pretty good. I cheated and used bottled, powdered parmesan instead of the grated stuff, and parsley flakes instead of the fresh stuff. It was fine but if I made this again I would definitely go with real parmesan and fresh parsley.

Ham and Pasta Skillet Dinner

1 lb. small tube or shell pasta
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
3 cups fully cooked ham, diced
1 large sweet red pepper, diced
½ medium onion, chopped
¼ cup minced fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 ½ cups chicken broth (I used some leftover chicken stock)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
¾ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

If you're planning on baking it, cook macaroni until very firm. Macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. (If you're serving it right out of the pot, cook it fully.) Drain.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat egg. In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn. Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low. Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth. Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth. Add in cheese and stir to melt. Add salts and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT.

Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine. Serve immediately (very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.

Recipe from My Kitchen Cafe. And her picture is prettier than mine. I attribute this in part to the peas in the background. I should've added some sort of contrasting side-dish! Blast!

Potato and Corn Chowder

2010-01-17T16:00:00.004-05:00

This chowder was exactly what I was hoping for on a cold winter evening. Filling, creamy, delicious and hearty. The bacon adds great flavor, as bacon usually does. ;) This recipe makes a lot, and since we don't have a large pot, we halved it. If you make a whole batch you'll have leftovers for days! Or you could have yourself a party.

Potato and Corn Chowder

¾ cups butter
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
¾ cups flour
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
3 potatoes, cooked, peeled and cubed
1 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 pkg frozen corn, thawed
4 ½ cups milk
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
½ cup sour cream

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; sweat until onion is clear. Whisk in flour, salt and pepper. Stir until smooth. Gradually add milk and broth while stirring. Add in potatoes, bacon, corn and parsley flakes. Continue to heat over medium heat, stirring frequently until chowder has thickened, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in grated cheese and sour cream, stir until cheese has melted.

Serves 12 - ish.

I don't remember where I got this one.

Gingerbread Cake with Hot Caramel Sauce

2010-01-17T15:46:00.003-05:00

This cake is the perfect holiday dessert. It is one of my favorite desserts, hands down. The gingerbread cake is so moist, and paired with the spiced caramel sauce, it is just heavenly. Although this is technically a holiday dessert, I crave it and would make it any time of the year! You may want to double the sauce so you can have as much as you want, and use the leftovers for ice-cream topping or some other yummy caramel treat.

Gingerbread Cake

1 cup dark molasses
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
½ cup sugar
½ cup butter, melted
2 cups flour
1 cup boiling water
2 eggs, separated
whipped cream, to garnish if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix molasses, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Add sugar, butter, flour and boiling water. Stir in beaten egg yolks. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into batter. Pour into a greased Bundt pan (OR 9 x 13” pan). Bake for about 40 minutes (or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean). Cool. Turn gingerbread out onto a platter or cake stand (if you baked it in a Bundt pan; not necessary if baked in a 9 x 13” pan). Serve with hot caramel sauce and whipped cream on top.

Hot Caramel Sauce

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
2 heaping Tbs. flour
1 tsp. vanilla
¼ tsp. nutmeg
1 cup of boiling water
Dash of salt

Melt butter in a medium saucepan; add brown sugar and sugar and stir until sugars are dissolved. Add flour, stirring constantly over medium heat. Add vanilla, salt and nutmeg. Add boiling water. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring until sauce thickens. Serve over gingerbread or pool beneath.

Recipe from Kaylene Harding.

Macaroni and Cheese

2009-11-15T22:35:00.005-05:00

A recipe from Pioneer Woman. Comfort food for the colder weather. We were too anxious to eat it so we didn't bake it, but I'm sure that would've been delicious. Also, I used penne instead of macaroni. If you do this, you have to measure out more than 4 cups noodles, because the noodles are larger and measure differently. Makes sense right? Macaroni would pack in the measuring cup more, but there are more air spaces around the larger penne noodles. Okay I'm tired. No more explaining. Just make this.

Ok I've recieved some feedback and I have a post-edit. I actually didn't have dry mustard and instead did a squirt of Dijon mustard instead. Someone who used the dry said it tasted funny. Maybe try 1 1/2 tsp of Dijon mustard instead of the dry.

Homemade Mac and Cheese

4 cups dried macaroni
¼ cup (1/2 stick, 4 tablespoons) butter
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 ½ cups whole milk
2 heaping teaspoons dry mustard (I used 1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard instead)
1 egg, beaten
1 lb. cheese, grated
½ teaspoon salt (more to taste)
½ teaspoon seasoned salt (more to taste)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
*Optional spices: cayenne pepper, paprika, thyme

If you're planning on baking it, cook macaroni until very firm. Macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. (If you're serving it right out of the pot, cook it fully.) Drain.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat egg. In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn. Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low. Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth. Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth. Add in cheese and stir to melt. Add salts and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT.

Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine. Serve immediately (very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.

Recipe from Pioneer Woman.

Chicken, Corn and Sweet Potato Chowder

2009-10-31T13:44:00.005-04:00

I always thought making chowder would take forever. Why did I think that? This meal was so quick and easy I didn't even have to plan ahead. Just ran by the store on my way home to pick up a few ingredients, and had it made within 30 minutes of arriving home! It was delicious too, and unique since it had sweet potatoes instead of regular and a hint of cumin. Very yummy and a perfect fall meal to warm you up from the inside out. We served it with large rolls, toasted with melted cheese under the broiler. It would also be great in a bread bowl.

Chicken, Corn and Sweet Potato Chowder

3 cups whole milk
1 cup yellow corn muffin mix
2 T. butter
1 onion, chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon dried oregano
2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth
1 ½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 " cubes
2 sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
3 cups frozen corn (not thawed)
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper, to taste

Mix milk and muffin mix in bowl until well combined. Meanwhile, heat butter in large pot over medium heat until foaming. Add onion and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in garlic, cumin and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth, chicken and sweet potatoes. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer until sweet potatoes are just tender, about 8 minutes.

Stir in milk and muffin mixture and simmer until soup thickens, about 10 minutes. Add cheese and corn and cook until cheese begins to melt, about 2 minutes. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper.

This would easily serve 10 people. We halved it and had leftovers for a few days.

Recipe from My Kitchen Cafe.

Special K Treats

2009-10-28T20:23:00.003-04:00

Special K Treats are like Rice Krispie Treats, but wayyyyy better. They're Rice Krispie Treats on steroids. They are more gooey and have a nutty, brown-sugary taste that is just divine. Don't be alarmed when you see how much butter is in them. Just take deep breaths and embrace it. You'll be so happy when you taste them. These are really great and so easy to throw together. Try them. I bet you can't eat just one!

Special K Treats

1 lb butter (yes, that's FOUR cubes - gasp!)
1 cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 16 oz bag mini marshmallows
1 package slivered almonds (around 10 oz)
1 tsp vanilla
1 16 oz box Special K

Combine butter and sugars in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, bring to a boil. Boil, stirring constantly, for about 30-60 seconds. Add marshmallows, remove from heat, stir constantly to melt. (If they don't melt, put the pan back on the stove on low heat and continue stirring.) Add 1 tsp vanilla, stir in. Fold in the Special K and almonds. Spread in 9 x 13 pan.

Recipe from Kaylene Harding. (My husband's wonderful mom.)

Pumpkin Pancakes

2009-10-25T19:59:00.002-04:00

So maybe I'm a little obsessed with pumpkin lately. Embrace it, it's Autumn! These pancakes were soft and fluffy and delicious with a hint of spice and pumpkin flavor. They were a perfect weekend morning breakfast. Delicious with maple syrup, and maybe a dollop of whipped cream.

Pumpkin Pancakes

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
6 tablespoons (packed) brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
Dash of nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
1 ⅔ cups buttermilk
¾ cup canned solid pack pumpkin
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
more butter for griddle

Heat a skillet or griddle to medium. Mix first 9 ingredients in large bowl to blend. Whisk buttermilk, pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, and melted butter in medium bowl until well blended. Add to dry ingredients and whisk until smooth.

Melt butter in skillet or griddle. Working in batches, drop batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto skillet or griddle. Cook pancakes until bubbles form on top and bottoms are golden brown, about 2 1/2 minutes. Flip and cook until bottoms are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter. Keep cooked pancakes warm until ready to serve by piling on a baking sheet in a 200 degree oven.

Serves 6-8.

Pumpkin Cookies

2009-10-20T21:27:00.003-04:00

It's that time of year, folks. Nothing says "autumn" like a big warm pumpkin cookie with chocolate and butterscotch chips. These are really good. I made another recipe for pumpkin cookies last week, and these ones blew those first ones out of the water. So make these! While you're at it, make some pumpkin hot cocoa to go with it. Then cosy up on the couch with a blanket and a good book and bask in the glory that is fall.

Hop Scotch Pumpkin Cookies

1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon milk
1 tablespoon vanilla paste (extract will work just fine)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 350. Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, milk, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Add vanilla and chips. Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm.

Recipe and photo from Abbie (love her), originally found on My Baking Addiction.

Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate

2009-10-20T19:43:00.002-04:00

We don't have hot cocoa mix, so we got a little creative. But this little concoction turned out just like a dream. Delicious! Try it out.

Pumpkin Hot Chocolate

1 mug of milk (2% or whole preferred)
a good long squeeze from a bottle of chocolate syrup
1 1/2 tsp cocoa powder
2 tsp powdered sugar
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 Tbs canned pumpkin
marshmallows

Stir the chocolate syrup into the milk, then microwave for a minute or so, to desired heat. Stir in cocoa powder, powdered sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin. Add more of each ingredient as needed, to taste. Add marshmallows, curl up on couch, and sip luxuriously. ;)

And just look how much happiness and joy it will bring to your loved ones when you make it for them.
Priceless.

Pork Barbacoa (Cafe Rio Sweet Pork)

2009-10-04T21:29:00.004-04:00

There are a lot of restaurants in NYC (that was the understatement of the year), but we have yet to find something that tastes like good old Cafe Rio back home. This recipe for shredded sweet pork is ridiculously easy and comes strikingly close to the real thing. It's a perfect meal for Sunday since you can put it in a little before church and it'll be ready when you get home. It's delicious in tacos, salad, enchiladas, burritos, you name it. You can go all out and heat up some black beans and cook some rice with lime and cilantro. Below I've also posted the closest recipe I've found to their signature dressing. It's not perfect, but it's very close.

Cafe Rio Pork Barbacoa

2 ½ lbs. pork roast
⅓ cup water
1 clove garlic, minced {or ⅛ teaspoon garlic salt}
⅛ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
1 cup canned green enchilada sauce {or salsa verde}
1 cup brown sugar

Put pork, water, garlic, salt and pepper in crock pot on high for 4 hours. Drain, shred pork with two forks. Stir together green enchilada sauce and brown sugar, pour over pork and stir in. Serve in burritos, tacos, salad, etc.

Tomatillo Cilantro Ranch Dressing

3 large tomatillos
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup packed cilantro leaves
½ cup mayo
½ cup sour cream
1 envelope buttermilk ranch dressing mix
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 jalapeno {half it if you don't like the heat}

Remove Husks from tomatillos, wash, quarter and broil until soft, about 7 minutes. Combine everything in blender until smooth. Chill for at least one hour for flavors to blend.

Chocolate Cupcakes with White Chocolate Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting

2009-10-02T19:05:00.004-04:00

Oh my gosh, these are seriously some of the best cupcakes I've ever had, anywhere. I'm not kidding people. These are incredible. Do yourself a favor and go make them right now. The frosting has this amazing flavor, and how could it not, I mean come on, are you kidding me? White chocolate raspberry cream cheese? Yes, please! These are also incredibly cute and would be just perfect for a little girls' birthday party or baby shower, or bridal shower, for that matter. But even if it's not a special occasion, make them, you'll be so glad you did!

Chocolate Cupcakes:

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup oil (I use canola)
2 cups hot water
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix everything in a bowl until you get a thin batter. Pour the batter into muffin tins with cupcake liners. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. {Ours baked for about 19 minutes.}

White Chocolate Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
1 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
6 ounces melted white chocolate {we used white chocolate chips}
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons raspberry extract
4 1/2 to 5 cups powdered sugar {we liked less, about 3 1/2-4}
a tiny bit of red food coloring

Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water, or in microwave on low setting, stirring frequently and being careful not to overheat. Once the chocolate is melted, set aside to cool slightly. Beat cream cheese in a mixing bowl until smooth and creamy, gradually add in melted white chocolate and beat until smooth. Beat in butter, vanilla and raspberry extracts. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until it is all incorporated and smooth. Beat in as much food coloring as you need for desired color.

Frost the cupcakes and if desired, garnish with white and semi sweet chocolate chips! So cute!

Makes 20-24 cupcakes. And just look how thrilled it will make you to eat them:

Recipe found via Abbie, on My Baking Addiction.

Peach Crisp

2009-09-14T20:42:00.004-04:00

In response to a post I wrote about missing home and my mother's peaches, that wonderful woman sent another whole box of them to me! I woke up Saturday morning and ran down the stairs like it was Christmas, to find my box waiting for me. We made pancakes with peaches, and since then I've been so excited to make peach crisp. Had to buy ice cream first, because come on, you can't eat peach crisp without ice cream. Here is the recipe I found. It was just perfect! Totally satisfied my craving. The crunchy topping is sugary and cinnamony and delicious.

Peach Crisp

6-8 medium peaches, peeled and sliced into thin slices
2-3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest (or a few drops of lemon juice will do)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup white flour
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats, uncooked
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
8 tablespoons slightly softened butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, mix first 4 ingredients until blended thoroughly. Spray a 2.5 qt baking dish with cooking spray and add peaches. Cook in the oven for 20 minutes.

While the fruit is baking in the oven, add flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon and butter to a mixing bowl. Mix ingredients with your fingers until crumbly. Once the fruit has cooked 20 minutes, remove from oven and sprinkle the crumble evenly over the top of the peaches. Return to the oven and bake for 15 minutes longer. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Recipe found on For the Love of Cooking.

Burgers and Fries

2009-09-12T13:44:00.005-04:00

Klane and I really enjoy a good burger with fries. We also enjoy saving money. Therefore a burger for $6-10 at a restaurant sometimes isn't the best answer. We like to make burgers and fries at home. It is easy and fun, so here we go.

Burgers (for three-four people)

1 lb ground beef
Worcestershire Sauce (1 Tbs?)
Seasoned Salt (a few good shakes)
Pepper (less shakes)
Soy Sauce (1 tsp?)
Minced garlic (1/4 tsp?)
Slices of cheese
Buns, Lettuce, Tomato

Kind of funny that I'm posting this as a recipe. You just squish the seasonings into the meat, use as much of them as you want. Then form them into patties. The cook them in a pan (a grill pan would be better but whatever). Top with a slice of cheese at the end of grilling. We like to mix it up and copy things from restaurants. Mushroom + swiss? Bacon + cheddar? Add some avocado? Caramelized onions? Just go wild. It'll be greasy and delicious.

Fries (for two)

2 Baking Potatoes (we used Idaho)
Oil (I've heard Peanut oil is best, we used vegetable)
Salt
Mayo + Ketchup = FRY SAUCE

Peel the potatoes and slice into 1/4 inch sticks. Fill a large bowl with cold water, soak the potato sticks in water in the fridge for at least an hour. It pulls the starch out and allows them to fry better. Take them out of the water and dry them off thoroughly with paper towels. Heat oil over med-high heat on stovetop. Fry the potatoes in a single layer until just slightly crispy (not brown yet), turning once. Remove from pot to paper towel lined plates. Turn the heat up a little and fry them again till golden brown. Serve with fry sauce and lots of it!

Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

2009-09-10T21:07:00.003-04:00

Made our favorite Banana Cupcakes. (I almost want to let my bananas go brown, just for an excuse to bake with them.) Decided to mix it up and try a different frosting when I found this one on Smitten Kitchen. I've never seen a frosting with brown sugar. Since it has a higher moisture content than powdered sugar, cornstarch is added to lighten it up and thicken it a little. It was really yummy!

Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup (4 ounces or 8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, cornstarch and powdered sugar. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add the sugar-cornstarch mixture and vanilla, beat until frosting is smooth and light. Chill the bowl in the refrigerator until it thickens back up a bit, about 30 minutes, then spread or dollop on cooled cupcakes.

Recipe found on Smitten Kitchen. Her pictures are much prettier than mine too, I think it's a combination of light brown sugar and natural light.

Frozen Lemon Cake

2009-08-31T21:22:00.008-04:00

Friend Casey found this dessert and we made it on a Thursday afternoon. Then she made it again and had us over on Sunday to share. Then I made it again on Monday to feed the missionaries. I am loving this dessert right now! It's different than my usual chocolate/caramel/peanut butter routine. It's a light and fresh tasting dessert. Perfect for summer, but would be great anytime. The lemon taste was nicely balanced with the sweet. It's creamy, but light enough to serve up a big slice and not feel too full. Four of us devoured an 8x8 pan, no problem. Maybe you should double it....

Frozen Lemon Cake

1 1/4 cup crushed graham crackers, divided
3 tablespoons butter, melted
3 eggs, separated
1 lemon (all juice and all zest) {you can use 3 Tbs bottled lemon juice instead}
½ cup sugar
1 cup whipping cream
4 tablespoons sugar, divided

Combine 1 cup of the crushed graham crackers with the melted butter, stirring until a crumbly loose mixture forms. Line the bottom of an 8x8-inch pan with the mixture.

In a bowl set over hot water (not boiling) mix egg yolks, lemon juice, lemon zest, and sugar. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens. It will take about 10 minutes for the mixture to thicken. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool.

Beat egg whites until light and fluffy. Gradually add 2 tablespoons sugar and continue to beat until glossy, stiff peaks form. Next, beat whipped cream until fluffy, and gradually add 2 tablespoons sugar. Then, gently fold all three mixtures together.

Spread the mixture in the pan over the prepared crust. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of crushed crackers. Place in freezer for at least 3 hours. When you're ready to serve, remove from the freezer, and cut into squares and plate them. Then allow to melt ever so slightly - about 4-5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Recipe found on Vintage Victuals.

Oatmeal Blueberry Peach Pancakes

2009-08-29T11:07:00.007-04:00

I've had this recipe on file for a while. A rainy Saturday morning seemed like the perfect time to try them out. What could be better than ultra-filling oatmeal pancakes in bed on a rainy day? These were just exactly what I hoped they'd be: hearty, puffed, very filling, and perfectly spiced. The blueberries were perfect paired with peaches and cream, and the pancakes had a nice spice flavor with the nutmeg and cinnamon. Yum!

Oatmeal Blueberry Peach Pancakes

1 cup Oats
1 cup Whole-Wheat flour {I actually used white and they were fine}
1 cup All Purpose flour
2 Tbsp. Baking powder
½ Tsp. Nutmeg
½ Tsp. Cinnamon
½ Tsp. Salt
1 ½ cups Milk
¼ cup Vegetable oil
2 Eggs (separated)
1 Tsp. Vanilla
Tbsp. Honey
Blueberries

1-2 peaches
confectioner's sugar
heavy cream

Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk together the oats, flours, baking powder, nutmeg and salt. Using the same whisk in a second bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, egg yolks, vanilla, and honey. In a third bowl, whip the egg whites to soft peaks with a hand mixer. Pour the wet into the dry mixture and stir until just combined. Mix in blueberries. Gently fold in the egg whites until incorporated and let the batter rest a few minutes. {This allows time for the baking powder to react and creates air bubbles in the batter, making your pancakes nice and puffed.}

While it's resting, peel and dice the peaches, stir in confectioner's sugar and heavy cream, and warm in microwave if desired. {We also make our maple syrup. Mix ½ cup each of sugar, brown sugar, and water, with a bit of maple extract, in a glass measuring cup. Heat in the microwave till it bubbles. Stir, make sure sugar is dissolved, and you've got maple syrup.}

Pour batter into skillet using about 1/3 cup of batter per pancake, the batter will be thick. Once bubbles form on the outside of the pancake and do not fill in again - it is time to flip them over. Finish cooking, then serve with butter, peaches and cream, and maple syrup.

Serves 6, about 12 pancakes. Or 6 giant pancakes, the way we like to do it. We halved this recipe.

Recipe found on One Food Guy.

Chicken Gyros

2009-08-14T16:49:00.008-04:00

There's a big craze in NYC right now about Halal food. One of the things they serve at the numerous Halal street carts is the gyro {pronounced "yee-row" if you're correct and "jai-row" if you're an ignorant New Yorker with a strong accent}, a sort of wrap served on soft pita bread. The famous "white sauce" is the crowning glory of the gyro {and any Halal dish} and is absolutely delicious. The white sauce is actually called tzatziki sauce {don't ask for pronunciation on that one, I got nothing}. We were excited to find a recipe for it. I would make this again, it was yummy and different!

Chicken Gyros

For the tzatziki sauce:
2 cups plain yogurt (not nonfat, if possible)
½ hothouse cucumber or 1 regular cucumber, peeled and seeded
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice {or bottled... if you're me}
Extra virgin olive oil

For the chicken:
4 cloves garlic, smashed
Juice of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 heaping tbsp. plain yogurt
1 tablespoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper
1 ¼ lbs. chicken pieces {I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts}

To assemble:
Pita bread
Fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced
Red onion, sliced thin

To make the tzatziki sauce, strain the yogurt using cheesecloth over a bowl. Let strain for several hours or overnight, if possible, to remove as much moisture as possible. If you use Oikos you don't have to strain it. {Ok let's be honest here. Did I buy Greek Oikos yogurt? No. Did I strain my yogurt? No. Did the sauce turn out fine anyway? Yes. Might it be delicious if you did it as directed here? Yes. But you may not have cheesecloth on hand. (Where do you get cheesecloth, anyway?) Just sayin.}
Peel, seed, and shred the cucumber. Wrap in a towel a squeeze to remove as much water as possible. Mix together the strained yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.

To prepare the chicken, combine the garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, yogurt, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Whisk together until mixed well. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and mix well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour.
Cook the chicken as desired, either in the skillet or with the broiler. {I diced the chicken breasts and cooked them in a skillet over med-high.} Once the chicken is completely cooked through, transfer to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut into strips.
Heat pitas {you could warm them on a dry skillet or griddle or in the microwave}. Top with chicken, tzatziki sauce, diced tomatoes and sliced onions. Serve immediately.

Recipe found on My Kitchen Cafe.

PIta Bread

2009-08-14T16:43:00.006-04:00

Delicious, soft wrap bread. We used it for our Chicken Gyros, but it was also yummy served warm with honey butter (almost like a fried scone). I've heard it would make a great crust for individual pizzas as well. It has a yummy flavor and is very versatile. I'm glad I discovered it!

Soft Pita Bread

3 to 3 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups boiling water
¼ cup potato flour OR 1/2 cup potato buds or flakes (I used potato flakes)
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon instant yeast

Place 2 cups of the flour into a bowl or the bucket of a bread machine. Pour the boiling water over the flour, and stir till smooth. Cover the bowl or bucket and set the mixture aside for 30 minutes.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the potato flour (or flakes or buds) and 1 cup of the remaining flour with the salt, oil and yeast. Add this to the cooled flour/water mixture, stir, then knead for several minutes (by hand, mixer or bread machine) to form a soft dough.

The dough should form a ball, but will remain somewhat sticky (the dough is fairly stiff, so don't be worried - just be careful not to overflour the dough). Add additional flour only if necessary; if kneading by hand, keep your hands and work surface lightly oiled. Let the dough rise, covered, for 1 hour (I let mine rise up to 2 hours).

Divide the dough into 8 pieces (each about the size of a handball, around 3 ounces), cover, and let rest for 15 to 30 minutes. Roll each piece into a 7- to 8-inch circle, and fry them without oil on a griddle or frying pan over medium heat for about 1 minute per side, until they're puffed and flecked with brown spots. Adjust the heat if they seem to be cooking either too quickly, or too slowly; cooking too quickly means they may be raw in the center, while too slowly will dry them out. Transfer the cooked breads to a wire rack, stacking them to keep them soft. Serve immediately, or cool slightly before storing in a plastic bag.

Recipe from My Kitchen Cafe.

Cinnamon Roll Muffins

2009-08-11T21:29:00.006-04:00

I've been into cinnamon lately. And Joy the Baker. I was drooling over her recipe for cinnamon rolls, and lamenting that I didn't have the time, patience or skill to make them, when she referenced this recipe for people just like me. Hurray! They smell like cinnamon rolls. They look a little like cinnamon rolls. Best of all, they taste like cinnamon rolls! But they are much easier and faster to make. These cinnamon roll muffins were sooo delicious. We finished off all 12 in just two days. (Okay it was mostly me.) And I'm already planning on making them again.

Cinnamon Roll Muffins

1 ½ cups all purpose flour
⅓ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons active dry or rapid rise yeast
⅔ cup warm milk (100-110F, low fat is fine)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg

Filling/Topping:
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
⅔ cup brown sugar
¾ teaspoons ground cinnamon
pinch ground cardamom {I think this is optional. I've never heard of it and it's only a pinch.}

Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoon milk or cream

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt. Dissolve the yeast in a measuring cup filled with the warmed milk, then stir milk mixture, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and egg into the flour mixture. Mix well, until very smooth. Pour into prepared pan and let rest for 15 minutes.
While the dough rests, mix together butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and cardamom in a small bowl using a fork until all the butter has been incorporated into the sugar and mixture is crumbly. Divide the batter between 12 greased muffin cups. Sprinkle evenly on top of rested dough and press the mixture down into the dough with your fingertips (or swirl in with a spatula or fork.)

{Okay, important note here from Angie. I did not realize that you really have to mix most of the topping into the muffin batter. If you leave it just crumbled on top, it will melt and then boil in the oven, and it will boil over, and it will stick to the pan and get hard as soon as you remove it from the oven. So. Just mix it in more, like the picture below, and you should be fine.}

Place pan into a cold oven, then set the oven temperature to 350F.
Bake for about 20 minutes, until bread is lightly browned at the edges and the center of the bread springs back when lightly pressed. Some of the sugar mixture on top may still be bubbling.
Cool for at least 30 minutes before whisking the powdered sugar and milk together to form an icing and drizzling it onto the bread. {Or if you're me, you can't wait and you drizzle it after 5 minutes. It just melted the icing and made it drip over the sides. Still tasted amazing!!) Serve warm. They're also delicious reheated in the microwave.

Makes 12 muffins.

Recipe and photos by Joy the Baker. (Next time I will take my own photos. My muffins weren't as pretty as hers.)

Hoisin Chicken with Rice

2009-08-06T21:45:00.004-04:00

I kept seeing hoisin sauce in recipes and had never used it, so gave this one a try. It was yummy and came together very easily and quickly. We were in a hurry to get to the temple so there wasn't time to take a good photo. I snapped this and we ate and ran. Now that I'm posting it I noticed these huge red pepper strips taking over the entire shot. Oh well. It may not look like a magazine but it tasted good.

Hoisin Chicken Rice Bowls

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large red pepper, sliced
1 10-ounce package baby portebello mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 green onions, cut into 1 inch pieces, white and green parts separated
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 lb), diced
1 8-ounce can water chestnuts, drained, diced
2 teaspoons teriyaki sauce
4 tablespoons hoisin sauce
3 cups hot cooked rice
sesame seeds (optional)
romaine lettuce leaves (optional)

Heat oil over medium high heat in a large saute pan. Add red pepper and mushrooms and saute for 5 - 6 minutes until tender. Add garlic and saute an additional minute. Add chicken and white parts of onions to pan and cook for 6 - 8 minutes or until cooked through. Stir chicken and red pepper mixture occasionally while it cooks. Add water chestnuts, teriyaki sauce and hoisin sauce and stir to coat the chicken and vegetables. Continue cooking until heated through. Stir in scallion greens and sesame seeds (if desired).

To serve, line a single serving size bowl with romaine leaves. Top with a large scoop of rice and hoisin chicken.

Alternately, you can serve the hoisin chicken mixture wrapped in lettuce leaves or omit the lettuce leaves completely and serve the chicken over rice.

Makes 4 servings.

Recipe adapted from My Kitchen Cafe.

Snickerdoodles

2009-08-04T09:37:00.002-04:00

Snickerdoodles will always remind me of my dad because they're his favorite cookie. If you want to get on his good side, make him a good batch of snickerdoodles. I just wish I could bring these over to his house to share with him right now! They turned out perfectly crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.

Cream of tartar is almost always included in snickerdoodles. I didn't have any on hand, so I was glad to find a recipe without it that came from Martha Stewart (I trust Martha). I did a little research online and found that cream of tartar has acidic properties that help the cookies rise and gives them a little bit of a tart taste. Turns out that baking powder and a bit of lemon juice achieves a similar effect. I thought these turned out great.

Snickerdoodles

2 ¾ cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a separate bowl, mix butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs. Gradually stir in flour mixture with a spoon.

2. Stir together cinnamon and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in a small bowl. Shape dough into 30 (1 inch) balls; roll in cinnamon sugar. Space 3 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. (If you don't have parchment paper, you'll have to get the cookies off the sheet quickly after baking or they'll stick. The bottoms of a couple of my cookies got stuck to the baking sheet.)

3. Bake cookies until edges are golden, 12 to 15 minutes. (As always, check at the lowest time given! 12 minutes in this case. In my experience it's best to take cookies out just before they look done, and they'll be perfect. No one likes a burned cookie. Well, maybe someone does. I don't.)

Makes about 30 cookies.

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart, found on eat me, delicious.

Caramel Popcorn

2009-08-02T20:41:00.001-04:00

This is 'movie date night in' popcorn. It's 'husband on campout, chick flick watching' popcorn. It's 'gather round the table with friends to chat' popcorn. It's 'lick your fingers and nobody will mind' popcorn. It's good for many occasions. Just not for times you might need to use your hands for anything, because 1) they will be busy shoveling delicious popcorn into your mouth, and 2) they will end up covered in gooey, delicious, sticky caramel.

As you can see, this is a large batch calling for two bags of popcorn. If you're not planning on eating that much, it's a great idea to still make the full batch of caramel, then store half in a jar in your pantry. The next time you're craving caramel popcorn (or you want caramel sauce for ice-cream, brownies, french toast...) you can pull it out and heat it up.

Caramel Popcorn

1 cup brown sugar
½ cup corn syrup
½ cup butter
⅔ cup sweetened condensed milk
½ tsp vanilla
2 bags popcorn, popped

Melt first 3 ingredients in saucepan over medium. Add sweetened condensed milk, bring to boil, boil till soft ball stage (drip a little caramel into ice cold water and if it forms into a ball it's ready), about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla. Pour over popcorn, and devour.

Another recipe from the Harding family.

Barbecue Chicken Quesadillas

2009-08-01T14:27:00.000-04:00

Mmmmm..... We can't decide what we love most here. The mixture of melted cheeses? Our favorite barbecue sauce? The caramelized onions? The perfect blends of crispy and chewy, sweet and savory?
I think it's the combination of all those things that make these messy quesadillas so irresistable.

I'm not giving amounts, as this is less of a recipe and more of a meal idea. Increase or decrease quantities as desired for the number of people you're serving.

Barbeque Chicken Quesadillas

onion, sliced (one small onion was about right for two quesadillas)
olive oil
dash salt
dash sugar
chicken, cooked and shredded (we had 2 leftover drumsticks)
sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
mozzarella cheese, shredded (any kind of cheese you have will do)
barbecue sauce
tortillas

Caramelize the onions: Heat olive oil over medium-low heat (about 1 T to 1 onion), add onions, salt and sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20-30 minutes.

Wipe out the skillet from the caramelized onions and heat to medium. Pile onions, shredded chicken and cheese on tortilla. Drip a few dollops of barbecue sauce over it, then top with a second tortilla. Toast quesadillas in skillet for a couple minutes on each side, till cheese is melted and tortillas are lightly browned.

Serve with extra barbecue sauce for dipping, if desired.

Black Bean Veggie Dip

2009-07-27T00:11:00.000-04:00

Highly addictive. You'll love it. Makes quite a lot, so bring it to a party to share!

Black Bean Veggie Dip

1 green pepper, diced
2 avodados, diced
2 roma tomatoes, diced
½ cup oil
1 T. lime juice
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 packet dry italian dressing mix
cilantro, finely chopped
green onion, chopped

Place peppers, tomatoes and avocados in serving bowl. Add Lime Juice to keep avocados green (can be done before or after they are added to the others, doesn’t really make a difference).
Add corn and black beans to bowl. Add chopped cilantro and green onions to taste (amount is up to you on how much you like). In a separate bowl, reconstitute Dry Italian Mix with oil and water (The packet will say to put vinegar in, DON’T). Add/stir into veggie bowl. Serve fresh with tortilla chips!

This is another Harding family classic.