Yummy Mexican Dish

I made these two recipes last night for dinner. They went really well together. I thought I would share. I used mild Rotel tomatoes for the beef and original for the salsa. The salsa had a little kick to it.

Our Best Bites Southwest Beef Wraps (crockpot) and The Pioneer Woman Salsa

Winter fruit salad with Lemon-poppy seed dressing

My friend gave this recipe to me for my wedding with a cute mixing bowl. I thought it was a good idea for a wedding present. I finally made the recipe tonight for a party with the Jensen girls and it turned out pretty good.

Salad:
1 large head romaine lettuce, torn
1 c shredded Swiss cheese (4 oz)
1 c cashews (or I used sunflower seeds and it was still yummy)
1/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1 medium apple, cubed (about 1 cup)
1 medium pear, cubed (about 1 cup)

Dressing:
1/2 c sugar
2 t onion, finely chopped
1/2 t salt
1/3 c lemon juice
1t dijon mustard
2/3 c vegetable oil
1 T poppy seeds

In a blender or food processor, place sugar, onion, salt, lemon juice, and mustard. Process until blended. Add oil, processing until thick and smooth. Add poppy seeds; process a few seconds. Mix all salad ingredients in a large bowl. Pour dressing and toss to coat.

Oma's Boterkoek

This is a traditional Dutch dessert and since tonight is the Dutch Christmas when we put our shoes out to get goodies, we made it this morning for FHE tonight and thought we would share a family tradition with you all!

2/3 C. butter
1 C. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 egg, beaten (reserve 1 tsp.)
1 1/2 C. flour
1/2 Tsp. baking powder
sliced almonds for garnish

1. mix butter, sugar and almond extract
2. Add egg minus 1 tsp.
3. add flour and baking powder
4. spread batter into 8 in. square dish
5. brush egg mixed with 1 tsp. water over dough
6. sprinkle with almonds
7. bake at 350 for 30 min.

Artisan Bread

This recipe is AWESOME! It is really easy. It is delicious with soups, salads, jam, and homemade apple butter.

1 1/2 T Yeast

1 T salt

3 c lukewarm water

5 1/2-6 cups flour (at least 2 C all purpose flour, the rest whole wheat)

Stir yeast, salt, and water in a large bowl. Add in flour and stir until combined. Do not knead. The dough is really wet. Cover and let rest 2-3 hours, until flattened on top.

To bake: Place pizza stone in oven and preheat to 450 for 20 min. Place shallow pan on the rack below the pizza stone. Dust dough with flour and pull off a grapefruit sized chunk. Dust with more flour and shape into a loaf by stretching the top of the loaf. Score the bread with a sharp knife. Place on stone in oven, pour 1 cup hot water into the shallow pan, and bake 25-30 min., until deeply browned. Cool completely on a rack before slicing. Store leftover dough in a covered (not airtight) container in the fridge and keep up to 2 weeks. to bake refrigerated dough: let formed loaf rest 40 minutes before scoring and baking.

Makes approximately 4 loaves.

Chicken Noodle Soup

I made this soup yesterday and put it in the bread bowls Amy posted a little while ago. It was delicious! Angi says this recipe is the best chicken noodle one. I agree.

http://fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com/2008/01/chicken-noodle-soup-with-homemade.html

One tip. I boiled it down a little too low, so it didn't have a lot of liquid and was really strong tasting. Add some water if yours is like that!

Tomato Basil Soup
(Rachel Rae)

30 oz. chicken stock
28 oz. crushed tomatoes
1 c. heavy cream
20 leaves basil
salt and pepper

Combine the broth and tomatoes over medium heat, when it bubbles, stir in the cream and turn to low. Simmer 15 min. then add half the basil, salt and pepper, stir occasionally. Blend with a submersion blender, top with remaining basil leaves.
Serve with grilled cheese on the cheese bread from the Durango bread store (so yummy...) if you can't get your hands on a loaf of bread from Durango, regular sourdough is a good enough substitute.

Smoothies for a Sunday Afternoon

1 10 oz. bottle naked mango juice
1/2 C. Fat Free Greek Yogurt
1/2 C. Frozen Strawberries
1/2 C. Frozen Blueberries
1/2 Frozen Banana
1/2 C. milk
ice
honey

Make sure the liquid is on the bottom and blend it. We make these often, and started buying the variety pack of naked juice from Costco. The mango is my favorite though.

Marinara Sauce

1 28 oz. can crushed Italian tomatoes
1 small can tomato sauce
1-2 cloves garlic
1/4 c. olive oil
8 fresh Basil leaves, torn
salt and pepper to taste

Combine in a sauce pan and simmer 15-20 minutes. I will also put this in a crock pot and add extra veggies (Zuccini, onion, peppers, etc.) and then use a submersion blender to make it a sauce.

Fool Proof Whole Wheat Bread

2 1/2 C. Hot Water
3 C. Whole wheat flour
1/3 C. Honey
1/3 C. Oil or melted butter
1 1/2 Tbs. Black Strap Molasses
1 Tbs. Salt
Yeast mixture: 1/4 C. warm water +1 Tbs. yeast + 2 tsp. sugar
3-4 C. whole wheat flour
2 Tbs. Wheat Gluten

Make the yeast mixture and set aside. Combine the hot water and 3 C. whole wheat flour. Add the honey, oil and molasses (you can use extra honey or regular molasses if you don't have black strap). Add the salt and mix. Add the yeast mixture until well blended. Add the remaining whole wheat flour and wheat gluten, mix for 8-10 minutes adding a little extra flour as needed.
Makes 2 large loafs. Spray pans and counter top with Pam. Form loaves and cover with a damp towel. Let rise 1 hour. Bake @ 350 for 30-40 minutes.

Bread Bowls

Simple French Bread (also bread bowls)
Ingredients:	1/2 C. warm water 2 1/2 T. yeast 6 C. flour 2 C. hot water 3 T. sugar 1 T. salt
Directions:	Mix yeast and warm water. Let sit. Mix 3 cups flour and all other ingredients with electric mixer for a few minutes. Mix in remaining 3 cups flour. Knead a few times. Let rise 10 minutes. Punch down. Let rise 10 minutes. Punch down. Repeat this procedure a total of five times. Shape into two sausage shaped loaves and place on a cookie sheet. :Let rise 10 minutes. Bake at 375º for about 30 minutes. To shape bread bowls, cut dough in desired size, and roll in a bowl shape. Bake for about 20 minutes, but watch closely.

Cheesy Soup!!!

DISCLAIMER... this recipe is NOT healthy but it is YUMMY!!! Amy you may want to stop reading now.

8-10 medium red potatoes

Chicken broth

1 small onion

1 green bell pepper

½ package bacon

2 cloves garlic, minced

Salt

Pepper

Celery Salt

½ package Velveeta

1 cup milk

Scrub the potatoes and cut them into small pieces. Cover them with chicken broth and turn heat up to high. As the potatoes are boiling, cut bacon into small pieces and cook it until crispy in frying pan. Remove bacon from pan, and add to soup. Chop onion and bell pepper and add to bacon grease, cook through. Once the veggies are cooked, add some salt, pepper, celery salt (just whatever you like) add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute longer. Add the veggies to the soup. By this time, the potatoes should be soft (if not just continue to boil until they are). I use a potato masher to mash up the soup a little bit, but if you prefer a chunkier soup you can skip this step. Turn the heat down to medium, add Velveeta (cut into cubes) and stir until melted. Then add milk and heat though. Be careful once you add the cheese because at that point it gets easy to burn.

Baked Parmesan Chicken

Also from Pinterest and also very easy

Ingredients:

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 package Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Mix cheese, dressing mix and garlic powder.

3. Moisten chicken breasts with water; coat with cheese mixture. Place in shallow baking dish.

4. Bake 20 to 25 min. or until chicken is no longer pink in the center.

BBQ Chicken

This one is super fast, easy, and yummy! And you only need 3 ingredience!

4 (or so) Frozen chicken breast

1 can Pinapple chunks

BBQ sauce

Put it all in the crock pot at the same time on high 2-3 hours or low for 4-6 hours. I put it on rice and it was super good. You can also add veggies like canned corn or black beans, that is what Brandon did and he liked it.

This also came from pinterest

Avocado and Bacon Sandwich

So I found this recipe on Pinterest and I elaborated on it by on putting the turkey meat.

Pepper Jack Cheese

Bacon

Avocado

Turkey lunch meat

Sour dough bread

Pretty much you just make it like a grilled cheese sandwich and it is super yummy!

Apple Doughnuts are DIVINE!!!

Since I can't convince you guys to come visit me in Michigan this fall, I thought I would post this recipe so you guys can taste the yummy doughnuts I get at the cider mills. I haven't actually made this recipe, but I am guessing they are pretty close to the ones we get here. You guys should have an Oktoberfest Celebration and make these doughnuts!!!!

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/10/apple-cider-spice-doughnuts/

Orange Chicken...

 Orange Chicken is Corlan's favorite. Here is a recipe he really likes. Enjoy!

http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/orange-peppered-chicken/?print=1

This is TO DIE FOR!!!!!!!!!!!! The frosting really makes it YUMMERSSS!!!
Anyone have zucchini they would like to trade for tomatoes?

Zucchini Spice Cake with Browned Butter Frosting

Cake:

• 3 cups grated unpeeled zucchini
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 cups white sugar
• 3/4 cups brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 cup vegetable oil {can substitute applesauce}
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts {optional}

Frosting:

• 2/3 cup butter {do not use margarine!}
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 4 TBSP milk

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease one jelly roll pan.

Grate zucchini and set aside.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, white sugar, brown sugar, spices and salt in a large bowl until well blended. Beat the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla in a separate bowl until smooth. Fold in the flour mixture, then stir in the zucchini and walnuts. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30-32 minutes. Allow to cool completely before frosting and cutting.

Frosting: In a small saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook until butter turns a nice golden brown. It took mine about 5 minutes and when it turned, it turned very suddenly. {I would even have it turn a bit darker than the photo above.} Remove from heat. Add in remaining ingredients, stirring until frosting is smooth and spreadable. Spread on cake immediately.

Tomatoes!

We have tomatoes coming our our ears... does anyone have any ideas what I could do with them other than feed them to Tyce????

Rachel's Tortilla Soup

When I lived with Rachel, she would make this all the time. I am pretty sure it is one of the only recipes she knew. But it was a good one so it was OK.

I made it for us the other day. It was as good as I remembered. I sent some home with Jenny...not sure what her verdict on it was. But I think it is super yummy. Here it is:

Chicken Tortilla Soup

INGREDIENTS

3 cans chicken broth

1 can beef broth

2 cans tomato soup

2 cans Rotel tomatoes

1 chopped onion

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1/2 c. fresh cilantro

1 T chili powder (you can add a bit more or less with the spices)

1 T cumin

1 can black beans, drained

1 can corn, drained

1 can garbanzo beans, drained

DIRECTIONS

Place all ingredients into a large pot.  Bring to a boil; turn down heat and simmer for at least one hour.  Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, cilantro, and tortilla chips on top.

Super yummy! Enjoy!

My Favorite Chicken Pesto Pasta

So I have made this so often that I kind of just make up my own measurements and add however much I want of everything. You need:

Spagetti noodles

Chicken 1-2 pieces

1 Jar artichoke hearts (cut up)

1 Jar pesto

Sun dried tomatoes

Spinach

And last night I added bacon and it was way yummy!

Cooking instructions:

Start by cutting the chicken into cubes and then cooking them on a skillet. Once the chicken is fully cooked add the artichoke hearts, spinach, and sun dried tomatoes. saute it all together until the spinach in no longer fluffy :) Then add the jar of pesto to the noodles.

When I serve it I usually keep the noodles and veggies separate because it is easier to work with. I hope you like it!

Mango Chicken Fajitas

Ingredients:	3 pounds of chicken 1 jar of mango salsa 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed 1 T. taco seasoning
Directions:	Place ingredients in crockpot. Cook on low for 6 hours if chicken is already cooked, or 8 hours on low if chicken is raw. Remove chicken from crockpot and shred. Return to crockpot and serve on tortillas. Add any additional toppings, such as cheese, tomatoes, avocado, sour cream, or lettuce.

Pear-Walnut Coffee Cake

Ingredients:	Cake: ¼ cup soft butter or margarine ½ cup sugar ½ teaspoon vanilla 1 egg 1 cup flour ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt ½ cup sour cream 1 large pear, peeled, diced (about 1 ½ cups, or one 14.5 oz can of pear tidbits) NUT TOPPING: ½ cup packed light brown sugar ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 Tablespoon soft butter or margarine 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Directions:	Cake: Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla, then egg, beating until smooth. In a separate bowl, mix flour, soda, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture alternately with sour cream, mixing just to blend after each addition. Fold in pears. Spread in a greased 8-inch square (or about 9x13 if doubling) baking pan. Sprinkle evenly with nut topping. Bake at 350 for 40 to 45 minutes or until top is well browned and cake tests done when a pick is inserted near center. Cut into squares and serve warm, at room temperature, or cold the next day! NUT TOPPING: Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter until well combined. Stir in chopped walnuts.

Taiwanese Edamame Snack

Ingredients:	16 oz. Package of Edamame (soy beans in their pods) Sauce: ¾ cup soy sauce 1 T. sesame oil Chili garlic sauce to taste (1 t. for mild, more for spicy!)
Directions:	If your edamame are uncooked, cook them in rapidly boiling water for 3-5 minutes. Rinse in cool water. Then add sauce and toss. Chill and eat!

Smoothies and Such

Corlan and I got a Ninja blender for a wedding present and thus have developed a new obsession: Smoothies! Do you guys have any good recipes? I am buying bananas today so that we can make the recipe Amy just posted. What else do you guys have? Amy what was your Salsa one?

We love the NINJA!

Easiest/Yummiest/Healthiest Banana Ice Cream EVER!

I was reading the Family Fun magazine today while Lucy and Linc played in the sandbox. This recipe caught my eye and we immediately went home and made it. It just so happened that I had a cookie sheet in the freezer full of banana slices so it took about 2 minutes to make. This snack was seriously a HUGE hit. I put it in ice cream cones and Lucy and Linc (and Nate) thought they were in Heaven. Next time I might add some chocolate and make a chunky monkey ice cream...

Ingredients:

1 large overripe banana

1 Tablespoon creamy peanut butter (optional, but delicious!)

Instructions:

1. Cut a large, overripe banana into 1/2-inch slices, seal them in a ziplock bag, and freeze until hard, around an hour.

2. Puree the frozen slices in a blender or food processor until smooth, then serve. (For a nutty alternative, add a tablespoon of creamy peanut butter to the blender before pureeing). Makes 2 servings.

Enchiladas From Favorite Family Recipes

You guys HAVE to try these enchiladas. Don't ask questions, just try them

http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/2011/08/honey-lime-chicken-enchiladas.html

I didn't make mine in the crock pot. I just boiled the chicken in the ingredients with extra water and a boyon cube. When it was cooked, I shredded it, and put it back in the sauce for a little while.

I served it with mango salsa I threw together:

2 ripe mangos (you know they are ripe if they are soft)
some red onion
1/2 a jalapeno chopped
1 green pepper
juice of one lime
Cilantro

yum!

Tres Leches Cake

I made this cake for Brandon's birthday and it was a hit! I was a little skeptical at first but it was really yummy and it was fun to learn new cooking tricks.

Ingredients

• 1 cup All-purpose Flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 5 whole Eggs
• 1 cup Sugar, Divided
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1/3 cup Milk
• 1 can Evaporated Milk
• 1 can Sweetened, Condensed Milk
• 1/4 cup Heavy Cream
• _____
• FOR THE ICING:
• 1 pint Heavy Cream, For Whipping
• 3 Tablespoons Sugar

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan liberally until coated.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Separate eggs.

Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Stir in milk and vanilla. Pour egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until combined.

Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry.

Fold egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and spread to even out the surface.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn cake out onto a rimmed platter and allow to cool.

Combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream in a small pitcher. When cake is cool, pierce the surface with a fork several times. Slowly drizzle all but about 1 cup of the milk mixture—try to get as much around the edges of the cake as you can.

Allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture for 30 minutes. To ice the cake, whip 1 pint heavy cream with 3 tablespoons of sugar until thick and spreadable.
Spread over the surface of the cake. Decorate cake with whole or chopped maraschino cherries. Cut into squares and serve.

-Jenny

Amy's Sticky BBQ Chicken Drumsticks...

Amy informed me that when she needs to make a meal for someone, these are what she makes. And without fail people tell her how much they love them. She has become famous in Ann Arbor for them. I tried them a couple of months ago and Corlan has been requesting them ever since.

There' a good summer meal!


Ingredients:
4 large chicken drumsticks
1/2 tsp vegetable oil
1 small onion chopped
1/2 c brown sugar
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 T Worcestershire sauce
4 T ketchup
1 T white wine vinegar

1.  Make marinade by heating oil in skillet, add the onion, and saute until soft. Stir in the sugar and cook gently for 1–2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 5 minutes.

2. Pour the mixture into a glass ceramic bowl, add the drumsticks, and marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 12 hours.
3. Transfer the drumsticks to a baking dish, baste well, and place under a preheated broiler. Cook for 20–30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes and basting with the barbecue sauce. Check that they are cooked through, wrap the ends in foil, and serve hot or cold

First Recipe: Easy-Cheesy Philly Cheese Steaks!

These really live up to their name--easy and cheesy and delicious! The original recipe is on http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/ if you want to check it out. I'll re-type it for us though!

2 c. beef broth (I just used water and they were fine)
1 pkg onion soup mix
1 lb. Black Angus rare roast beef (regular roast beef works great too, just make sure it's from the deli and thinly sliced)
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 large white or yellow onion, sliced
sliced mushrooms (I added this one and it was a yummy addition)
8 oz. cream cheese
sliced provolone cheese (2 slices per sandwich)
3-4 hoagie rolls (I put butter on them and toasted them first. Made them extra delicious)

Boil the beef broth (or water) with the onion soup mix. Add roast beef and let simmer for 5-10 minutes--we let it simmer until the all the red was out of the meat. You might want to seperate the meat before you put it in or it tends to stay in one clump. Drain the juice when it is done simmering and use it to dip your sandwich in if you want.

Sautee the veggies in oil and toast the rolls.

From here we just put everything on the roll. We skipped the cheese part because I didn't have any and Corlan doesn't eat cheese, but they were still really yummy and so easy to make.BUT if you are using cheese, follow the instructions from Favorite Family Recipes: "Add roast beef to skillet (with veggies) along with about 4 oz. of cream cheese. Spread remaining cream cheese on each hoagie roll. When the cream cheese in the skillet is all melted, generously portion beef mixture onto each hoagie roll. Top with provolone cheese and place sandwiches, open-faced on a large baking sheet. Broil on high for about a minute or until cheese becomes bubbly and bread becomes slightly toasty. Remove from oven and serve immediately."

I think I might have missed out on the best part of the recipe. I'll try the cheese next time I make it!

Enjoy!