Hill Family Favorites

Sausage & Asparagus Jambalaya-ish Dish

2011-11-10T15:39:00.001-05:00

Story:
I've been meaning to post this one for a long time. I really like this recipe!

It was introduced to me by my friend Shawn D. I've talked about her before. She was my back-door neighbor and friend when we lived in KY. We were in a dinner group together for a looong time, and this was one of her recipes... although this version is kind of a dumbed-down version. She's a little more "gourmet" than I am.

I've doubled this recipe and it turns out nicely. I guess it's kind of like a jambalaya, though I'm not chef enough to know specifics.

Ingredients:
1 pkg smoked sausage (or kielbasa or whatever)
4 C chicken broth
1 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1/2 C mushrooms, sliced
2 T butter
2 C rice (I've used Uncle Ben's converted rice, and it works nicely)
2 C sliced asparagus, cooked crisp-tender
1/2 C shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 C parsley, chopped
(salt and pepper to taste)

Directions:
Cut sausage into half-inch cubes. Set aside.
Bring 4 C broth to a boil. Then reduce heat to low.
Heat olive oil in a skillet. Add the cubed sausage, the onions, and the mushrooms and saute for 3-4 minutes.
Add butter and rice. Cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. (My brother says the point here is to toast the rice before cooking it.)
Add about 1 C of broth at a time until absorbed. Keep stirring.
Remove from heat and stir in the cooked asparagus. Stir in 1/4 C of the Parmesan cheese and the parsley.
Top with the remaining cheese and serve.

A little pesto...

2011-10-24T16:13:00.000-04:00

We've kind of discovered that Ben's body doesn't like mayonnaise. But he loves deli sandwiches in the lunches I pack for him. So we were considering options, and he suggested PESTO to moisten it up a little, and WE LOVE IT. It's a super easy way to add great flavor to otherwise boring turkey sandwiches. Give it a try!

Linguine with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

2011-07-15T23:53:00.002-04:00

Story:

I love it. But I'm the only one in my family that does. Ha!

Found it in Southern Living magazine in 2010.

Ingredients:

1 package linguine (16 oz)

1 jar sun-dried tomatoes in oil (7 oz)

1/4 C pine nuts

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 C extra virgin olive oil

1 package crumbled feta cheese (4 oz)

2 T fresh basil, cut into thin strips

Directions:

Prepare the linguine according to the package directions.

Drain tomatoes, reserving 2 T oil. Cut tomatoes into thin strips.

Heat the pine nuts in a large skillet over medium-low heat, stirring often, for 5 minutes (or until toasted and fragrant). Remove nuts from skillet

Increase heat to medium and saute garlic in 2 T of the reserved oil and the additional olive oil. Saute for about a minute or until garlic is fragrant.

Stir in the tomatoes and then remove from heat.

Toss together the tomato mixture, the hot cooked pasta, the feta cheese, and the basil in a large serving bowl. Sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts.

Enjoy! ...even amidst the complaining from the children... It really is good.

Baked Banana Oatmeal

2011-07-15T23:38:00.002-04:00

Story:

Admittedly, I can no longer claim to be refined-sugar-free. However, when I was (and I hope to muster up the drive to do so again!), I found this breakfast recipe that I loved. I only made it a couple of times, because, well, it takes a while to cook. And when I come downstairs for breakfast, I'm usually ready to "eat now" not after "bake for 35 minutes" - y'know? I will also add that my kids liked it too. It was kind of like banana bread meets oatmeal...

Ingredients:

3 eggs

2 very ripe bananas, mashed

3 C old-fashioned oats (or quick oats)

1 1/2 C milk

1/2 C raisins

1/3 C honey

1/4 C canola oil

2 t baking powder

2 t cinnamon

1 t vanilla

Directions:

In a bowl, lightly beat the eggs then add the remaining ingredients. Stir until well combined. Let the mixture set for at least 10 minutes for the oats to absorb some of the liquid.

Stir the mixture again, and then spread into a (well greased) 8x8 baking pan. (MrBreakfast.com says you can use two small loaf pans too; I haven't tried yet.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

To serve, cut into squares. Tada!

Note:

Happened across this one from mrbreakfast.com too!

Honey-Lime Fruit Salad

2011-05-30T21:54:00.002-04:00

Story:

This one is another magazine or advertisement cut-out. They were selling "DOLE" products in the ad. I can tell, because they said to use DOLE products, of course.

I made it for the first time a few years ago, and I remembered it being tasty. So tonight when Ben's co-worker and his family came over for a little Memorial Day cookout, I made it again. It was good, so I thought I'd add it here. (Thanks for coming over, Mike and Megan! Eli is a darling little thing and Gretchen was crying to see Sophie leave!)

Ingredients:

1 can pineapple chunks (drained, reserve 1/4 C of juice)

1 can mandarin oranges (drained)

Bananas, sliced

Strawberries, sliced

Kiwi fruit, sliced

Dressing:

Pineapple juice (1/4 reserved from can)

1/4 t grated lime peel

2 T lime juice

1 T honey

Directions:

Combine all fruit in a bowl.

Prepare dressing and pour over fruit... then just toss gently!

Notes:

I just zested the peel of one lime and squeezed the juice out. One lime is all it took!

Apricot Honey Oatmeal

2011-05-13T14:26:00.002-04:00

Story:

I am afflicted. Literally. I currently have a rare skin condition thing going on. It's really a bummer, actually, but it'll be fine... eventually. I hope.

Anyway, I am to stay off of refined sugar. Strictly. I'm allowed honey and fruit, so that's nice. But now I've been left to find more sugar free foods to feed my family and myself. I discovered this oatmeal online at a website called MrBreakfast.com. I LOVE it. Super, super good.

Ingredients:

3 1/2 C water

1/2 C chopped dried apricots*

1/3 C honey

2 C rolled oats

1/2 t ground cinnamon

1/4 t salt

Directions:

In a saucepan, bring water, apricots, honey, cinnamon, and salt to a boil.

Stir in oats; return to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium and cook for about 5 minutes (quick oats=1 minute), or until most of the liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally.

Le stand until desired consistency.

Notes:

*You can use any fruit instead of the apricots.

When I made this the first time, as Ben was scooping it into his bowl, he casually stated: "Apricots are probably my very least favorite fruit." Thanks, Ben. But he liked it. I made it a couple days later with raisins, and he liked that better. Next up, I want to try chopped apples. Yum.

Oh, and even Gretchen liked this. She and I were eating it out of a bowl, cold, for an afternoon snack yesterday, and she loved it.

Banana Sour Cream Bread

2011-01-29T20:59:00.006-05:00

Story:

When I went to my friend Jamie T's house to get my hair done a few months ago, she said that she and her family had made some bread to share with my family. (Wasn't that such a sweet Jamie-like thing to do?) Well, I loved the bread. It was super good. So, you guessed it, I asked her for the recipe. She complied. She got it off of allrecipes.com - click here for the recipe off their site.

I never got around to making it until this week. You see, we've had a zillion snow days this winter here in Kentucky. Well, nine to be exact. But it's just funny, because if it snows at all, they call it a snow day and no school. Just like that. I'm not complaining. I get to sleep in and I get to spend a few more hours with my most loved ones... but it's just funny. Anyway, I had a LOAD of bananas, so I made a double batch of this yummy bread. **Note: unless you have a REALLY big bowl, do not attempt a double batch!** But I did, and I ended up with 6 (8"x4") loaves. One of the loaves made its way to our wonderful neighbors Greg and Judy. Greg and Judy's son, daughter-in-law, and new granddaughter are currently visiting them... The reason I tell you that, is because I got this email from Judy today:

Dear Colleen - there was nearly an all-out, old fashioned rumble at my house this morning over your banana bread. It's the best anyone of us has ever eaten. I had it hidden from Greg for a day, but he managed to smell it out and devour most of the rest and blame it on the dogs!!!!! Imagine that.

Anyway, at your leisure please share that recipe with me.

Thanks again, j

I laughed and laughed... and then decided to post the recipe here for the neighbors, as well as for my future reference.

Ingredients:

1/4 C white sugar

1 t ground cinnamon

3/4 C butter

3 C white sugar

3 eggs

6 very ripe bananas

1 (16 oz) container of sour cream

2 t vanilla

2 t ground cinnamon

1/2 t salt

3 t baking soda

4 1/2 C flour

(1C chopped walnuts - optional - I don't use)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Grease four 7x3 inch loaf pans.

In a small bowl, stir together the 1/4 C white sugar and 1 t cinnamon.

Dust the pans lightly with the cinnamon & sugar mixture.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and 3 C sugar. Mix in the eggs, the mashed bananas, sour cream, vanilla, and cinnamon.

Mix in the salt, baking soda, and flour.

(Then stir in the nuts if you're using them.)

Divide into the prepared pans.

Bake for 1 hour, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

*Note: I used 3 8x4 inch pans and it had to bake longer...

Enjoy!

Skillet Lasagna

2011-01-26T21:49:00.004-05:00

Story:

I'm in a "dinner group" with a few of my neighbors. There are 6 families all together. Each week 3 of the women prepare a meal (sometimes cooked, sometimes just all the ingredients for a specific recipe) for the other 5 families. The next week, the other 3 women prepare for all the families. We meet at a specified time every Tuesday to swap out. So every other week, I prepare a dinner for a total of 6 families (mine + the other 5), and I get 5 additional meals from my friends during those two weeks. Get it? It's really not as confusing as it sounds...

Anyway, this Skillet Lasagna recipe was the recipe that my friend Amy gave the ingredients for this week. It was super easy and really good. Megan loved it! I thought I'd post the recipe here, so I could refer to it again...

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef (or Italian sausage)

1 jar spaghetti sauce (26 oz)

3 C (uncooked) pasta - Amy used a macaroni type

2 C mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Cook pasta according to directions.

Cook ground beef in a big skillet until crumbled and cooked through. Drain off fat.

Pour the spaghetti sauce in with the meat in the skillet. Simmer 5 minutes.

Stir in the cooked noodles and 1 C of the cheese.

Then top with the remaining cheese. Cover and simmer for 5 more minutes, or until it is heated through and the cheese on top is melted.

Remove from heat and let stand for a minute or so before serving.

Easy as that! Enjoy!

Good Morning Oatmeal

2011-01-13T14:40:00.006-05:00

Story:

No real story. I found this one somewhere when I was looking for crock pot breakfast recipes. Yes, I said crock pot breakfasts. You see, I grew up with healthy and substantial breakfasts. And while I love the idea of making a hearty breakfast for my kids, I am simply too tired and too muddle-headed in the mornings to do a very good job at it. So I went looking online for things I could do the night before...

I made this last night and Ben liked it so much that he found himself bragging about it to one of his patients at work today. He told her it was on the blog, which it wasn't, but, well, now it is. So here you go, Miss Patient-Whose-Name-I-Know-Not-Because-of-Confidentiality-Laws! Hope you like it too!!

Ingredients:

4 C milk

1/2 C brown sugar (maybe a little less, it was pretty sweet)

2 T butter, melted

1/2 t salt

1 t cinnamon

2 C regular oats

2 apples, diced

1 C raisins

Directions:

Spray nonstick cooking spray in the bottom of your slow cooker.

Then combine all ingredients and mix well.

Cook on low overnight (8-9 hours).

Stir before serving.

(Makes quite a bit... but Ben likes a big breakfast...)

EDIT:
I still like this... but it seems to burn in my crock pot every time and then I have to spend time scrubbing it out... Hmmm...

Rochelle's Pumpkin Cookies

2010-11-16T22:21:00.005-05:00

Story:

Last week I sent out another one of those recipe exchange e-mails. I don't always do those... really. But I guess I was just in the mood that day. (Besides, I take the really easy way out and just send a link to this blog as "my recipe." ha!) Anyway, this is what my sister Rochelle writes back to me:

Hey Cokes,

I sent a recipe to [your friend], but I’m not forwarding to 20 of my friends. I just don’t do chain emails. ;-) Here’s the recipe… it’s yummy! Put it on your blog so I never lose it. ;-) I had to send it to Dale’s sister Sina recently, as she said she’s tried other Pumpkin Cookie recipes, but they’re never as good.

Love you!

-Ro

So... I haven't officially tried this recipe yet. And this is not showing any disrespect to the Pumpkin Cookies I have already posted on this blog. (I still love your pumpkin cookies, Kate!) But just because my sister asked me to, this recipe for "THE BEST PUMPKIN COOKIES EVER" is going here... just so Rochelle never loses it.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:
Cream butter and sugar, then add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla and mix well.
Mix in flour, cinnamon, baking powder and soda, and salt.
Bake 8-10 min at 350 degrees.

Vitamina

2010-09-19T00:36:00.005-04:00

Story:

In his younger years, my dad served a mission in Brazil. Missions were 2 1/2 years then, so he had a lot of time to live, love, and serve there. He brought home with him lots of experiences to be shared throughout the rest of his life. One such "experience" was that of the VITAMINA. Since bananas and avocados grew in plenty in Brazil, he and his companions would make drinks that they would call "vitaminas." Bananas, avocados, ice cubes... whatever was in their apartment. In turn, I grew up on these. Growing up in San Diego, avocados were plentiful and fruit abounds.

Directions:

While I don't have a specific recipe to give you here, I want you to rest assured, that children don't mind green smoothies. In this vitamina, I think I used an avocado, a couple of bananas, ice, water, and some vanilla. Easy-peasy and so healthy-good. Sometimes I put in sugar or honey to sweeten. You can add whatever fruit is around, and we throw in yogurt all the time as well. But remember the avocado. They are so good for you.. and the fats help you to not get so hungry-so quickly after eating it...

Ciao!

Anniversary Chicken (or Teriyaki-Ranch Chicken)

2010-07-01T07:20:00.004-04:00

Story:

My friend Erin L. is in a dinner group with a few other families. One day she was raving about some chicken that our friend Heather D. had made for the other families. So, you know me, I called Heather to get the recipe and this is what she gave me...

Ben asked me why this dish was called "Anniversary Chicken" ... I told him I didn't know, that's just what Heather called it. So he told me I should just call it Teriyaki-Ranch Chicken. Call it what you will, it tastes great!

Ingredients:

Chicken tenders (however many for your fam)

2/3 C teriyaki sauce

2/3 C ranch dressing

3 oz. crumbled bacon

1 1/3 C grated sharp cheddar cheese

4 green onions

Directions:

Brown and season the chicken tenders in a pan.

Put in a 9x13 baking dish.

Mix the sauces together and pour over the chicken.

Top with the cheese, bacon, and onions.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Serve over rice.

Notes:

Heather recommended using the jarred ranch dressing in the refrigerator section of the produce section. So that's what I've used to make it. I haven't tried the good ol' Hidden Valley kind yet, but I assume it would be just fine.

Veggie Ideas

2010-06-26T22:09:00.000-04:00

I got a tip from a woman in my ward in South Ogden. She said that when she started making dinner, her teenagers would clamor in and start complaining of how hungry they were. So she started having a tray of fresh veggies in her fridge. And every evening, before she even started cooking, she would put the tray out on the kitchen table. If anyone went into the kitchen to snack or nibble, she had veggies there for them. Good idea, eh? I mean, I don't care how many vegetables my kids eat before dinner! Fresh veggies don't really count as "spoiling your dinner," y'know?

Anyway, I loved that advice. And I combined it with this little idea that I thought was cute... to put the veggies in a cupcake tin. (I think it was in Family Fun magazine a few years ago.) I tried it yesterday... I just left out a little veggie "display" on the counter and every time the kids (or I) would wander to the kitchen looking for a snack, we'd pick up a cucumber... or some sugar snap peas... or some carrots. It was kind of fun.

Just an idea for the day.

White Chili

2010-06-21T16:45:00.011-04:00

Story:

A friend in South Ogden, Jessica H., gave me this recipe years ago. I found it in my binder and tried it just recently. It was super good! I made it again last night and it was even better than I remembered. My kids don't love the butter beans, but they didn't really complain about 'em either. Ben and I loved it.

Ingredients:

1 T vegetable oil

1 C chopped onions

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 C chicken broth

2 T chopped fresh cilantro OR 1/2 t ground coriander

2 T lime juice

1/2 t dried oregano

1/4 t red pepper sauce

1/4 t salt

1 can (11 oz) white shoepeg corn, drained

1 can (15-16 oz) great northern beans, drained

1 can (15-16 oz) butter beans, drained

2 C chicken breast, cooked & chopped

And garnishes: (whichever of these look good to you...)

crushed tortilla chips,

shredded cheese,

diced tomatoes,

chopped green onions,

sliced avocados,

chopped cilantro

& sour cream.

Directions:

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat.

Cook onions and garlic, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender.

Stir in remaining ingredients, except the chicken.

Heat to boiling, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.

Stir in chicken. Simmer until hot.

Serve with:

crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, chopped green onions, sliced avocados, chopped cilantro, & sour cream.

Notes:

It tastes great without the garnishes, but they make it a lot better. I didn't use the cilantro or sour cream last night, and it was still good. My top picks for garnishes, though, would be the chips, the cheese and the tomatoes.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

2010-06-21T16:45:00.007-04:00

Story:

I don't know. I think one day I had some bananas going bad and I just went online to find a good recipe for banana muffins. This one works beautifully every time. Now Megan is even mastering them and she can make them (pretty much) all on her own! And you know that's a nice day for mom!

Ingredients:

4 large bananas, mashed

½ C sugar

1 egg, beaten

1/3 C melted butter (or margarine)

1 t baking soda

1 t baking powder

½ t salt

1 ½ C flour

¾ C chocolate chips

Directions:

Mix the mashed bananas, sugar, egg, and butter together. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix the baking soda, baking powder, salt and flour.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients together.

Pour into greased/lined muffin tins.

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.

Makes 12-16 muffins. (We usually get 15.)

Kari's Quiche

2010-04-20T12:46:00.003-04:00

Story:

My friend Kari invited me over for a little lunch with our friend Kristine. Kari always serves up tasty things, which she always claims are "so easy." She made this quiche which I loved... and because she said it was "so easy," I had to get the recipe and give it a try. She was right, it wasn't too hard, though you have to plan ahead a little because it bakes for about 40 minutes. I made this when I was kind of in a cooking slump, and I especially liked having something different than my good old standbys.

Ingredients:

1 C sour cream

3 eggs, beaten

1/2 t onion salt

1 pkg frozen veggies (chopped broccoli, spinach, etc.) - thawed & drained

1 C cooked and chopped ham or bacon

1/2 C green onions

1 1/2 C cheddar cheese

1 1/2 C swiss or jack cheese

[1 pie shell - or make your own]

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Make a pie shell (or just use a pre-made one).

Prick the bottom and bake about 5-8 minutes.

Mix all the ingredients together and pour into the pie shell.

Top with nuts, if desired.

Bake 35-40 minutes or until brown.

Let set for 5 minutes before cutting.

Notes:

It looks like there are lots of ways to vary it... I've only tried spinach and ham so far, and that was pretty good. Kids didn't love it the first time, but for some reason, they did the second time! Ben and I especially loved it with salsa! Yum.

Orange Julius

2010-04-13T16:57:00.003-04:00

Story:

Shouldn't everyone have a copy of how to make orange julius?! My kids love it!

This one came out of my cookbook from Traci's mom, Julie.

A yummy and sweet after-school snack... if you're ready and willing to give them a sugar rush, that is...

Ingredients:

1 1/2 C water

1/2 C milk

1/2 C sugar

1 t vanilla

1 (6 oz) can frozen orange juice

ice cubes (about a dozen... or more...)

Directions:

Just throw it all in a blender and mix.

Baked Oatmeal

2010-03-23T20:44:00.005-04:00

Story:

Well, I'm totally just stealing this one right off of my good friend's (Sarah E.) blog. I think the picture on her blog made me want to try it:

I've only made it a couple of times and I've just used what fruit I had on hand at the time: frozen berries. It's been really good. Ben and I like it a lot; the kids are so-so. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

3 C rolled oats

2 eggs

1/2 C oil

1 C brown sugar

2 t baking powder

1 t vanilla

1 C pecans, chopped

1 t cinnamon

frozen or fresh fruit

Directions:

Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl.

Bake in a greased 9x13 baking dish at 350 for 20-30 minutes.

Chicken Soft Tacos

2010-03-01T20:32:00.008-05:00

Story:

I really like using the crock pot whenever I can. Especially when the kids are in school and if I'm going to have a busy evening. So a few years ago, I picked up a "Fix-It and Forget-It (Lightly)" cookbook from Costco. I haven't used it a whole lot, but it sure has a lot of great ideas in it! One of the few things I tried was a recipe for Chicken Soft Tacos, but I have adapted it a bit and really made it "my own." I haven't made it in years... but I did today and the whole family loved 'em! (Kind of made me wonder why I haven't been making them more.) So, here's another "keeper" for y'all.

Ethan said this dish is now "tied in first" for his "favorite burrito." The other being our Cafe Rio recipe. These are a whole lot easier, so I'm glad I've found something less time-consuming that he likes just as much.

Ingredients:

2-3 frozen chicken breasts

1 can Ro-Tel (diced tomatoes with green chilies)

1/2 onion, diced

1/4 C taco seasoning (= 1 packet)

1 can black beans

1 can corn

Directions:

Stick the frozen chicken breasts in the bottom of the crockpot.

In a separate bowl, mix the RoTel, the taco seasoning, and the onions. Pour over the chicken.

Cook on low for about 6 hours.

Take out the chicken breasts and shred with two forks. Add the black beans and cook for about another hour or two.

Then add the can of corn a little before serving.

Serve on tortillas (burrito or soft-taco style) with shredded cheese, sour cream, and lettuce.

Note: I'm not a real stickler to times when using the crock pot... so all those cooking times above are estimates. As long as the chicken is cooked thoroughly, I'm good.

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

2010-02-24T10:32:00.004-05:00

Story:

Norton family favorite. High protein, simple, meatless meal. Yummy.

Ben likes these okay, but we used to joke early on in our married years, because he, first of all, doesn't like cottage cheese and, second of all, he said that these don't really seem like pancakes. You know, like when you think you have milk in your cup, but then it's water, how it throws you off a little? He said it's weird to call these pancakes, because the consistency and flavor is different, and although he likes them, he says that he can't bite into them thinking that they are "pancakes." I used to try to disguise them by making up names like "Cheesy Crepes" or something like that. But whatever... they're just cottage cheese pancakes.

Ingredients:

1 pint cottage cheese

1/2 C flour

6 eggs

6 T oil

dash of salt

Directions:

Mix all ingredients and cook on a griddle like regular pancakes. But cook them on a lower temperature than you would regular pancakes or else the cheese will burn and stick. Sometimes they turn out "prettier" than other times. I'm not exactly sure what makes the difference, but they always taste good!

The kids eat them with syrup, but I think they are best served with applesauce or jam!

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

2010-02-15T18:49:00.004-05:00

Story:

I have no idea where I picked up this little piece of paper that is tucked into my scrapbook-of-a-cookbook. I've had it for a long time, though, and we really like these meatballs.... not that we're big meatball-kind-of-people, but if you're ever in the mood, these are really good.

In someone's handwriting, which I don't recognize, on this recipe is a note that it is from the Lion House recipes. The anonymous person also jotted that they doubled the sauce, and I always do too, so note that the ingredients for the sauce is already doubled. Also, note that it says to make twelve large meatballs, I tend to be the "small meatball" type, so I make smaller meatballs, just filling up my 9x13 with 'em.

Ingredients for Meatballs:

1 to 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef

3/4 C rolled oats (I usually throw in a little extra)

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1/2 C finely chopped onion

1/2 C milk

1 t salt

dash of pepper

1 t Worcestershire sauce

Ingredients for Sweet and Sour Sauce:

1 C brown sugar

1/2 C vinegar

2 t mustard

1/2 C barbecue sauce

2 t Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

For the sauce, combine all the ingredients. Heat over low heat.

Combine all the ingredients for the meatballs. Mix well.

Form into several small meatballs (or about 12 big ones, if you prefer) and place into a 9x13 casserole dish.

Cover with the sauce.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

I like them served over rice.

Polynesian Skillet

2010-02-15T18:36:00.004-05:00

Story:

Here is another recipe from one of those little "recipe exchanges" that I participated in once upon a time. I believe this one came from my friend and neighbor in South Ogden, Holly R. It's a pretty tasty one... and a dinner that I usually have all the ingredients on hand to make. I especially like it because it's an all-in-one-dish dinner.

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into thin strips)

1 T oil

1 onion, sliced

1 green pepper, sliced

1 can pineapple chunks (15 oz), reserving the juice

1 can mandarin oranges (11 oz), drained

2 t chicken bouillon granules

1 C water

1/4 C vinegar

1/2 C brown sugar

2 T soy sauce

2 T cornstarch

Directions:

In a large skillet (I use my electric skillet), cook the strips of chicken in the oil until chicken is lightly browned.

Add the onion and the green pepper. Stir fry until vegetables are tender.

Then add 1/2 C of the juice from the pineapple, chicken bouillon, water, vinegar, and brown sugar.

In a separate bowl, combine the soy sauce and the cornstarch; wisk until mixed.

Add the cornstarch mix to the chicken and vegetables.

Simmer until mixture thickens, stirring constantly.

Add the pineapple and mandarin oranges.

Serve over rice.

And, that's it! Enjoy.

Father's Day Flank Steak

2009-12-29T12:12:00.005-05:00

Story:

I didn't grow up eating much steak. But when we did, I think it was always this recipe. I absolutely LOVE it. I called it Father's Day Flank Steak, because I only remembering having it on Father's Day. That may be a delusional memory, but I can still picture my dad on the back porch over the little charcoal grill getting the coals just right to cook this thing to perfection. When it was done, and he brought it in, my mom would slice it into really thin slices, and we would each get 1 1/2 to 2 slices each. Oh, the flavor was to savor!

This is what my little family had for our Christmas dinner this year. Simple and tasty and, since we don't eat much steak either, a nice treat.

Anyway, I'll stop drooling and give you the marinade:

Ingredients:

1/4 C soy sauce

2 T honey

2 T vinegar

1 1/2 T ground ginger

1 1/2 T garlic powder

3/4 C oil

3 finely chopped green onions

(and of course a flank steak!)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together. I put them all in a 9x13. Marinate the steak for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Grill for about 5 minutes on each side. (I did mine on my "George Foreman grill" and it turned out great.)

Don't forget to serve it in thin little slices to maximize the enjoyment!

Perfect Dinner Rolls

2009-12-11T15:05:00.006-05:00

Story:

Last Christmas, our family was invited to a dinner with a few other families from church. Kari M. brought these rolls and they were some of the best rolls that I've ever had! She calls them "Cotton Rolls" and I don't know if that is because they are so soft and melt-y-in-your-mouth-y or if it's because she got the recipe from someone in the Cotton family. Either way, they are way good and pretty easy.

As a side note, since I've moved to KY, my family's traditional "orange rolls" have not been turning out quite as perfectly as I would have liked. So this last Thanksgiving, I used this dough to make our orange rolls, and they turned out pretty much perfect. It's a really versatile roll dough, so have fun with it!

My next venture is to try the dough to make cinnamon rolls! Yum.

Ingredients:

7-8 C flour, divided

1/2 C sugar

1 T salt

1 T yeast

2 1/2 C hot tap water

1/2 C oil

1 egg

Directions:

Mix 3 cups of the flour, the sugar, salt and yeast.

Add the hot tap water and mix well.

Add the oil and the egg and mix.

Then add slowly keep adding the 4 to 5 additional cups of flour until the dough is not too sticky.

Knead on the counter then let it rise until doubled - about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Punch down and roll out.

Divide the dough in half and roll each half into a circle.

Then cut it like a pie (I like to use a pizza cutter), into 16 pieces on each circle (for a total of 32 rolls).

Roll each "pie piece" from outside to the center, so it's like a little crescent roll.

Let the rolls rise for 1 hour.

Bake at 425 degrees for about 8 minutes.

Brush with butter, if desired.

"Corny" Sloppy Joe Pizzas (easy!)

2009-11-11T16:19:00.007-05:00

Story:

My parents came to Kentucky for a visit last month. They were both here for a few days, and then my dad left and my mom stayed for another week! She and I ran a lot of little errands. One day while perusing through the little dollar section at Target, we saw a little "Halloween Fun" cookbook put out by Pillsbury. It's just a little booklet full of little Halloween treats. In it was this simple recipe for "sloppy joe pizzas". I won't go into the cute way that you do up this thing to decorate it like a jack-o-lantern. Suffice it to say, the kids loved my post-Halloween sans-cutesy version of these little pizzas. (Great easy dinner when hubby is working late.)

Ingredients:

1 can large refrigerated buttermilk homestyle biscuits (8 count)

1 lb ground beef

1 can sloppy joe sauce (15.5 oz)

1 can whole kernel sweet corn, drained (11 oz)

(garnish: American cheese, pieces of green peppers)

Directions:

Separate dough into 8 biscuits. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and press each biscuit to form a little pizza round (about 4 inches). Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes (or according to pkg directions).

In a skillet, cook beef over medium heat until thoroughly cooked; drain.

Stir in sloppy joe sauce and corn. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook about 5 minutes until heated through.

Spoon beef mixture evenly on to biscuit rounds. If desired, place cheese on top and put back in oven for a couple of minutes.

Disclaimer:

This is seriously nothing fancy... it just fills the tummies when mom's energy-level is low.

Chicken Noodle Soup

2009-11-04T18:15:00.013-05:00

Story:

Soon after Ben and I got married and after I graduated from BYU, we moved into married student housing at the University of Utah. There Ben was working on his Bachelor's degree until we both started graduate school in the fall of 2000. In our married student ward, the Relief Society would sometimes pass around simple recipes to share with all of us young newlyweds. That's where this recipe came from.

Now you real chefs out there could surely figure out how to make this old American traditional soup without a recipe, but being the non-experimental recipe-following wannebe cook that I am, I grabbed a copy of this one. I keep it and refer to it often... or at least every fall... when chicken noodle soup sounds especially tasty.

Ingredients:

(I'm listing measurements here, because it's what's listed on the recipe... but, of course, you can be very flexible! I go easy on the chicken, and heavier on the veggies and noodles.)

1 1/2 C cooked and cubed chicken

1 C sliced carrots

1/2 C chopped celery

1/2 C chopped onion

2 t dried parsley

3/4 t dried dill weed

4 (14 1/2 oz) uncooked egg noodles*

Directions:

In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients except the noodles and stir.

Cook over medium heat for 20 minutes or until veggies are tender.

Add the egg noodles and cook 15 more minutes, or until noodles are done.

Notes:

*I really like to use the homestyle egg noodles... I think the bag has red and white checks on it and it sits upright with a twistie-tie on top. (I just threw the bag away, but I'll post a picture next time I buy some.) They really make this soup dee-lish!

Also, this soup is really good with my Easy Breadsticks. Remember you can make the breadsticks with half white and half wheat flour which really helps fill up the tummies.

Lastly, I made a HUGE batch of this tonight to take dinner into a friend. And I tried making it a new way that I loved:

I put a bunch of frozen chicken breasts in my counter-top roaster oven with a big box of chicken broth. Let it boil and cook for a couple of hours. Then I just shredded the chicken right in the roaster oven. Then I added all the veggies and let that sit for a while. About an hour before serving (because the homestyle egg noodles take longer to cook), I dropped in handfuls (and handfuls!) of noodles. It was great because it was all in one pot and I didn't have to keep my eye on it on the stove.

Anyway, Judy just gave me this roaster oven (she got a new fancier one!) and I think I'm really going to like it this winter!

Paula Deen's Pot Pie

2009-10-02T14:04:00.007-04:00

Story:

When I was going through a hard time a couple of years ago, my good friend, Emily D. (queen of compassionate service!), brought by this pot pie for dinner for my family one night. We all loved it and it became one of Ethan's very favorite dinners. Big thanks to Emily ... who graciously gives credit to Paula Deen, as it is Paula's recipe and all.

Ingredients:

2 C cooked & chopped chicken

3 hard-boiled eggs, sliced*

1 C thinly sliced carrots

1 C frozen peas

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 C chicken broth

salt & pepper, if desired

1 1/2 C instant biscuit mix (aka Bisquick)

1 C milk

1/2 stick melted butter

Directions:

In a greased 2 qt casserole dish, layer the chicken, eggs, carrots, and peas.

In a separate bowl, combine the soup and chicken broth (and season with salt and pepper, if using). Pour over the chicken and veggies.

In another bowl, stir together the biscuit mix and the milk. Pour over the casserole.

Drizzle the butter over the top.

Bake at 350 degrees for about one hour, or until top is golden brown.

*Every time we eat this, Ben comments that it's weird to have hard-boiled eggs in a pot pie. Every time I tell him that if he doesn't like them, I can make it without. But every time he says that they're good and he likes them, but that it's just different. Funny us.

Olive Garden's Hot Artichoke Spinach Dip

2009-09-23T11:09:00.003-04:00

Story:

This one is from Judy. AKA Ms. Judy or Ju-Ju. She is my wonderful next-door neighbor here in KY who takes very good care of me and my family. She watches Gretchen for me when I need a nap or when I want to go volunteer in the school. She has every kitchen item if I ever need to borrow something, she gives me hand-me-down clothes, picks things up at the store for me, buys doo-dads for the kids, and sends over food on a regular basis. She and her husband "Mr. Greggy" even started a tradition of "Friday Treat Day" for my kids. Every Friday after school, the kids run straight to their house to get their Friday Treat. Then they hang out there for a little while to get their little weekly fix of TV.

Well, Judy has a LOT of cookbooks. And one that she let me borrow is "Best of Top Secret Recipes." They are copy-cat recipes of a lot of popular restaurant dishes. You got to check it out! ... there are some great recipes in there! Browsing through it I found not only how to make Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies (which is a fun family activity that I'll save for another post), but also this little gem: Olive Garden's Hot Artichoke-Spinach Dip. Yum, yum! My good friend Erin just e-mailed me for the recipe this morning, so I thought I'd post it here. Enjoy.

Ingredients:

1/2 C frozen chopped spinach, thawed

1 C chopped artichoke hearts (canned or frozen and thawed)

8 oz cream cheese

1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 t salt

1/8 t garlic powder

dash ground pepper

Serve with:

crackers, chips, or sliced and toasted bread

Directions:

Boil the spinach and artichoke hearts in a cup of water in a small saucepan over medium heat until tender (about 10 minutes). Drain in a colander when done.

Heat the cream cheese in a small bowl in the microwave set on high for 1 minute. Or, use a saucepan to heat the cheese over medium heat just until hot.

Add the spinach and artichoke hearts to the cream cheese and stir well.

Add the remaining ingredients to the cream cheese and combine.

Serve hot with crackers, chips or toasted bread for dipping.

Serves 4 as an appetizer

Francine's Snickerdoodles

2009-08-24T13:54:00.009-04:00

Story:

I really like Snickerdoodles.

I think it's because I'm a sugar kind of girl. I usually take candy over chocolate... to the bewilderment of my husband who is the bigger chocolate lover of the family.

My friend, Francine B., has provided me with my favorite little treat on more than one occasion... and her snickerdoodles are awesome! So, being the me that I am, I asked her for the recipe... and here you have it:

Ingredients:

1 C butter or margarine

1 1/2 C sugar

2 eggs

1/2 t almond extract*

2 3/4 C flour

2 t cream of tartar**

1 t baking soda

for the coating:

1/2 C sugar

1 t cinnamon

Directions:

Cream together the butter, sugar, eggs, and almond extract.

Then add the flour, cream of tartar, and baking soda.

(Sometimes I have to chill it in the fridge a little bit here if the cookie dough is too soft to handle.)

Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.

Roll into little balls, and roll the little balls in the cinnamon/sugar mixture.

Place on cookie sheets and bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.

Cool on the pan for 3-4 minutes.***

*I think the almond extract is the "secret ingredient" in this recipe ... and I love it because it smells like my mom's homemade frosting; she always used almond extract in the frosting she made for our birthday cakes. And I thought it was cute when Gretchen was helping me make these a few weeks ago, she smelled the dough and said, "Oooh. These are frosting cookies!" She recognizes the smell as well.

**Does anyone know of another use for cream of tartar besides in snickerdoodles? That's the only time I've ever used it...

***Francine gave me a little cookie tip... she lets her cookie sheets cool completely before placing the next batch on. I find it works nicely, especially with chocolate chip cookies; it keeps the chips from melting on the sheets before baking onto the sheet.

Easy Cheesy Pie

2009-08-18T09:12:00.003-04:00

Story:

I was looking for a treat for our Family Night last night, and as I flipped through my scrapbook of a cookbook, I came across this one. I was all excited because I had forgotten all about this delicious little thing! I made it several times last summer (easy and refreshing), but I forgot about it until yesterday. I made it again, and the whole fam loved it.

The recipe came off the underside of a Kroger's pre-made graham cracker crust. They suggested using a can of cherry pie filling. My family, not being fans of pie fillings, put on loads of fresh strawberries. Also good with strawberries and kiwis.

Ingredients:

1 (9-inch) graham cracker crumb crust

1 (8-oz) pkg of cream cheese, softened

1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1/3 C lemon juice

1 t vanilla extract

toppings of your choice

Directions:

In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy.

Add sweetened condensed milk and blend thoroughly.

Stir in the lemon juice and vanilla.

Pour into crust.

Chill two hours, or until set.

Top with toppings of your choice.

Marinated Cucumbers

2009-08-11T09:29:00.003-04:00

Story:

You know how I said that in Utah, we would have neighborhood BBQs sometimes? Well Tiffany S. brought this cucumber salad one time, and loving cucumbers like I do, I had to get the recipe from her.

Ingredients:

2 medium cucumbers, thinly sliced

1/3 C cider vinegar

1/3 C water

2 T sugar

1/2 t salt

1/8 t pepper

chopped fresh dill weed or parsley, if desired

Directions:

Place cucumbers in a small bowl.

Shake the remaining ingredients (except dill weed) in a tightly covered container.

Pour over cucumbers.

Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours to blend flavors.

Drain marinade off of cucumbers.

Sprinkle with dill weed.

Wingers Salad

2009-08-07T20:59:00.008-04:00

Story:

Lalalalala!! I am so happy! I have discovered a new (easy!) favorite salad. Everyone liked it, it was easy, and sooo yum. It tasted so good that I didn't even want to stop to take a picture!

Ok, so in Utah, there is a restaurant called Wingers. It, of course, is famous for its spicy wings. On my friend Amie's blog, I saw a copy cat recipe for the "hot sauce" that Wingers puts on their wings. (Click here for the post on Amie's "Sisters Always Simplifying" blog.)

My sister Suzanne and her family love Wingers, so I told her about it and she tried it out and reported that the sauce was fabulous on chicken breasts on a salad. My friend and neighbor Jessica W. said they tried it with chicken nuggets, and they said it was good... so here's my new favorite dinner/salad:

Ingredients:

lettuce and spinach, washed and cut for a salad

chicken nuggets (however many for your family)

Ranch dressing packet (Make according to the package directions, except use buttermilk instead of milk)

2 T water

3 T Frank's Hot Sauce

3/4 C brown sugar

Directions:

Prep the Ranch dressing. Refrigerate.

Bake nuggets according to package directions. After cooking, slice into little strips.

For the sauce: In a pot, bring water, Frank's hot sauce, and brown sugar to a boil (to melt the sugar), stirring occasionally.

Pour the hot sauce over the chicken nuggets and mix to coat. Note: I only put sauce on half the nuggets... the hot sauce was too spicy for the kids. But the kids loved the plain nuggets on the salad.

To serve: just put a bunch of lettuce/spinach on the plate, sprinkle on chicken nuggets (plain or spicy), then pour the buttermilk Ranch over the top.

Note:

I found that because the chicken was spicy, I ate a LOT of greens with the chicken to mellow out the spice. Hope you love it!!

Easy Waffles

2009-08-04T18:22:00.004-04:00

Story:

This is nothing special, really. It's a basic waffle recipe out of my good ol' red and white checked Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. Except that this is the doubled version. And I adjusted the flour to use about half whole wheat... The whole wheat just makes them that much heartier.

Ingredients:

2 C whole wheat flour

1 1/2 C white flour

2 T baking powder

1/2 t salt

4 eggs

3 1/2 c milk

1 C oil

Directions:

Mix all the dry ingredients in one bowl.

Mix the wet ingredients in another bowl.

Then mix all together.

Then just cook 'em up in your waffle iron.

I like 'em with strawberries and whipped cream.

Or with bananas and syrup.

Or peanut butter and syrup.

(It's like dessert, really.)

When Ben makes them, sometimes he puts berries right into the batter.

Or, for the kids, he'll put in mini chocolate chips.

They love that!

Whole Wheat (Blender) Pancakes

2009-07-31T14:52:00.011-04:00

Story:

The kids and I started a little tradition about a year or so ago. Ben works late once or twice a week, usually on Thursdays. Thus, Thursdays have become our fun (and simple!) little "Pancake Night." We do German Pancakes, Cottage Cheese Pancakes, pancake-mix pancakes, or sometimes just bacon and eggs, breakfast burritos... you get the point. Key word for me is simple; key word for kids is fun.

This recipe is one of the more recent adoptions to "Pancake Night." It's from Traci's ward cookbook, and this one was submitted by Traci, herself. They are simple and delicious and made from whole wheat and surprisingly filling. They are great served with sliced bananas and syrup, or sliced strawberries and whipped cream. (When I do the strawberries and whipped cream, it pretty much tastes like dessert for dinner. hehe)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 C buttermilk

3/4 C whole wheat kernels

3 heaping T corn meal

1 heaping T brown sugar

2 eggs

2 T margarine, cut in small pieces

1 heaping T baking powder

1/4 to 1/2 t baking soda

Directions:

In a blender, liquify the buttermilk and the whole wheat kernels for 4 full minutes.

Add the corn meal, brown sugar, eggs, and margarine. Blend for 30 seconds.

Then add the baking powder and baking soda. But just switch the on and off just enough to blend in the baking powder--just two or three times.

Let the mixture rise to the top of the blender before pouring onto the griddle.

Note to my neighbors:

I know whole wheat kernels are something not everyone has on hand. I happen to have a lot. If you ever want to try ths recipe, feel free to ask for some!

Summer Salad

2009-07-25T00:54:00.005-04:00

Story:

I have a "salad spinner" and I love it; I've had it for years. It's great to wash up some lettuce in it, spin it dry, and then I always have clean, crisp lettuce ready to throw on a sandwich or on a plate for a quick salad. Anyway, this recipe for a "Summer Salad" came with the SoftWorks Salad Spinner when I bought it. It sounded good, so I tried it. It's become a fave.

Ingredients:

Salad

mixed salad greens

strawberries, sliced

3 kiwis, peeled and sliced

1/2 C dried cranberries

Dressing

1/4 C red wine vinegar

1/2 C olive oil

3/4 t salt

1/2 C sugar

Topping

1 C slivered almonds

1/3 C sugar

Directions:

For the salad: Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.

For the dressing: Combine all ingredients, shake well, and pour over salad.

For the topping: Heat almonds and sugar in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until sugar melts. Stir until almonds are coated. Remove from heat and let cool. Sprinkle almonds over the salad.

And, well, there you have it. Enjoy!

Notes:

The original recipe called for a cubed mango, too. That just seemed a little too much sweetness, even for me...

Also, note that the almonds probably don't need to be sugar-coated... though they are really good. Also, when I do prepare them, it always takes longer than I remember it's going to. So when you prepare the salad, probably start with the almonds first. Then they can cool while you do everything else. Just a simple little tip.

Fruit Salsa

2009-07-21T10:26:00.007-04:00

Story:

A few years ago, I picked up a crock pot cooking cookbook called: Fix-It and Forget-It Lightly, by Phyllis Pellman Good. At the time, it seemed like we were going to lots of game nights and outdoor BBQs with neighbors and such... and at times I was perplexed as to what to take as an appetizer to share. But that is when I discovered this FRUIT SALSA. It's a crock pot appetizer, so it makes it easy to do ahead as well as easy to serve. And most importantly, it tastes good.

For some reason, I thought of it the other day, and now I'm itching to make it again...

Ingredients:

1 can mandarin oranges (11 oz)

1 can unsweetened sliced peaches, undrained (8 1/2 oz)

1 can unsweetened pineapple tidbits, undrained (8 oz)

1 medium sized onion, chopped

1/2 of a medium-sized green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 of a medium-sized red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 of a medium-sized yellow bell pepper, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 T cornstarch

4 t vinegar

(And Tortilla Chips to eat it with, of course.)

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover. Cook on high for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Serve with tortilla chips. (If I remember correctly, it was good hot--right out of the crock pot-- OR cold.)

Notes:

I think I remember that I liked to double it. It

made a LOT, but that way I just used the whole pepper (of each color). And it makes good leftovers.

Pineapple Slush

2009-07-16T17:16:00.003-04:00

Story:

This one right here is a great "refreshment" ... and you will often see something like it at many Mormon activities. I first got the recipe from Emily K. when we worked together on Relief Society Enrichment activities. (We used it at the RS Commemoration dinner in March of '08). The only time I've made it myself was for Megan's baptism (March of '09). I just had a request this afternoon for the recipe, so I thought I'd go ahead and post it while I was thinking of it.

Ingredients:

6 C water

4 C sugar

46 oz can pineapple juice

1/2 - 2/3 can frozen orange juice concentrate

1/2 - 2/3 can frozen lemonade concentrate

1 t almond extract

Directions:

Combine water and sugar in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then let it cool. Add pineapple juice, then add frozen orange juice concentrate, lemonade concentrate, and almond extract. Stir well. Pour into a large container and freeze.

When ready to serve, put frozen mixture in the punch bowl (or whatever) and pour 7-up or ginger ale over the top. Break it up a little, and... voila! Pineapple slush.

Spicy Honey Chicken Salad

2009-07-14T16:55:00.007-04:00

Story:
All I can say is, "Soooo good." I am so glad that I happened upon this recipe on good friend Becky D's blog. Click here for the link to the recipe on her blog. She actually got it off of a cooking blog she follows, so click here for the original recipe on "Our Best Bites."

I saw it on her blog, and trusting Becky the way I do, I just had to try it ASAP. I even trusted her enough to try it (untested) on my little dinner group. Two of the three families loved it. (And the third just hadn't made it yet, last time I checked.) I made it... and I was absolutely drooling over it. It's definitely a fave!!

Please note that most of the instructions you read below come from "Our Best Bites." (I'll put my comments in parentheses.)

It looks a little confusing at first glance, but it's really pretty simple. And the other day for lunch, I didn't have any of the chicken, but I made the salad without chicken (just lettuce, mango, avocado, and the dressing) and it was fabuloso.

Spicy Honey Chicken
Ingredients:

8 boneless chicken thighs (Our Best Bites swears by the thighs. I used thighs, and they were yum. Becky says breasts work fine too. I want to try it with tenderloins next time.)

2 t vegetable oil

For the Rub:

2 t garlic
2 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t coriander
1 t kosher salt
1 t cumin
1/2 t chipotle chili powder; for extra heat, increase chipotle or add ground red pepper

For the Glaze:
1/2 C Honey
1T Cider Vinegar

Directions:
Combine the rub spices in bowl and mix well.
Use kitchen shears to trim off any excess fat from the chicken pieces. Pat dry.

Drizzle oil over chicken and rub in with your hands to lightly coat all the pieces.

Then toss chicken with the spice rub to coat all sides well.

Use your hands and get in there!

Grill chicken a few minutes on each side, until cooked through.

While chicken is cooking, warm honey in the microwave so it's not so thick.

Add the vinegar and combine well. Reserve 2T honey glaze for later.

Take the rest and brush on chicken (both sides) in the final moments of grilling.

I'm gonna warn you that this can make a hot mess, literally. It's sugar, and it's gonna drip. But the smelly smoke is worth it for a minute or two. Just leave your grill on for a few minutes after the chicken is done to burn off any excess glaze. It's totally worth it once you taste this stuff.

If you don't have a bbq, try it on an indoor grill pan or use your broiler. Just be sure to open a window in case you burn your glaze!

Remember how I had you reserve that extra couple tablespoons of glaze? Ya, drizzle that on top now. You're taste buds will thank you.

Honey-Citrus Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 T grated onion
1/3 C fresh orange juice
3T fresh lime juice
1T honey
1 t cumin
1/2 t salt
1/4 t ground black pepper
1/2 C vegetable oil

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a tightly sealed jar and shake your bootie (and the jar) vigorously.

Store in the fridge, and shake before dressing salad.

Spicy Honey Chicken Salad
1-2 heads Romaine or Red Leaf Lettuce
2 ripe but firm mangoes, chilled
2-3 ripe but firm avocados
Spicy Honey Chicken
Honey-Citrus Vinaigrette

Directions:
This serves 4 large salads or 6 smaller sized ones.
While chicken is grilling, wash lettuce and divide among serving plates. Slice avocados and mangoes and place them on top of the lettuce. When chicken is finished, let it sit for 5 minutes before slicing to preserve the juices. Then slice it up and divide among the salads. Drench it all in the Honey-Citrus Vinaigrette and pretend you're at a fancy restaurant!

Ham Fried Rice

2009-07-13T13:33:00.003-04:00

Story:

I love Chinese food. Even when it's not "real" Chinese food... Americanized versions work just fine for me. And the fried kind is especially good!

I found a basic ham fried rice recipe in "The Domestic Diva's Party Cookbook." That's basically what I use, just tweaked a little.

Ingredients:

2 T butter

2 ribs celery, diced

1/2 C chopped onion

1 C frozen peas

2 C diced ham

6 C cooked rice

soy sauce

Directions:

Melt butter in a large frying pan; add celery and onion and cook until tender, but not brown. Add the ham, the rice, and the frozen peas. Stir until blended. Add soy sauce until mixture is a light brown, or to taste. Heat through.

Note:

The original recipe didn't call for the peas; I added those. I've also added shredded carrots before, mostly just for color. I am not real strict with the measurements of anything. I usually add more celery and onions... just 'cause I love 'em.

The recipe also said to use 6 cups of refrigerated cooked rice. I've never done that... so I don't know if that would improve the texture or something... But I just always do some up in my rice cooker and just add it to the skillet when it's ready.

Lemonade Specialty

2009-07-07T09:23:00.003-04:00

Story:

Sarah E. gave me this recipe. If I remember correctly, she made it for me for a party or something at my house once. (Sarah, was it for Ben's 30th surprise party? I can't remember.) Anyway, it is delicious.

Ingredients:

5 quarts water

3 C sugar

2 T lemon extract

1 T citric acid

slushy ice

Directions:

Mix first four ingredients in a punch bowl. Add ice, and serve.

Cowboy Caviar

2009-07-07T08:57:00.002-04:00

Story:

Another one from good ol' Sarah E. In our Utah neighborhood, we would try to have little outside dinner parties with other families now and then. She brought this to Zak & Kelly's one time, and I thought I was in love! I had found a new favorite. Sarah called it Black Bean Salsa; Kelly dubbed it "Cowboy Caviar." Great summer treat (when tomatoes are a'growin'!) to take to a BBQ or something.

Ingredients:

1 can black beans

1 can shoepeg corn

1 can diced green chilies

4-5 tomatoes, diced

2-3 avocadoes, chopped

chopped red onion (to taste)

chopped cilantro (to taste)

lime juice (about 1 lime)

2 T white wine vinegar

salt (to taste)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Sample. Add onion, cilantro, salt, or lime juice to taste. Sample again. Adjust. Sample some more.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Lisa's Sweet Chicken Fingers

2009-06-23T10:36:00.006-04:00

Story:

Another good one from sweet Lisa P. I got it through my friend Heather D., though. She posted it on our ward's recipe blog: Sharing Is Love. She posted it, I tried it, and it's a hit. I've had some chicken tenderloins in the freezer that need to be used, so I'm making this tonight.

Ingredients:

Chicken tenderloins (as many as it takes to fill the tummies)

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 C flour

1/2 C cornstarch

1/2 t garlic salt

1 T oil

1 1/2 C sugar

1/2 C water

1/2 C ketchup

2 T soy sauce

1 t salt

Beat the eggs in one bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, and garlic salt.

Dip the chicken in the eggs. Then roll in the flour mixture. Coat the chicken well and then fry in a lightly-oiled skillet until browned on both sides. (Add extra oil as you go, or in between batches.) Place the chicken in a 9x13 baking dish.

Whisk the ketchup, water, sugar, soy sauce, and salt together in a saucepan. Simmer until warm. Pour over chicken and bake for 45 minutes at 350. (Heather recommends making extra sauce or save some to pour over your rice or egg rolls.) Serve with white rice.

Notes:

As I've noted before, some things tend to be "too sweet" for Ben. The first time I made this, he was surprised by just how sweet is was. The next time I cut the sugar by a third. Still too sweet (for him). The third time I cut the sugar in half, and he liked it better, though it wasn't quite sweet enough for me to still be able to call it "Sweet Chicken Fingers." So depending on the intensity of your sweet tooth, adjust accordingly.

Moroccan Chicken

2009-06-13T12:52:00.005-04:00

Story:
Ben and I were able to have a week-long getaway in April. It was great! Ben, being the patriot that he is, has really wanted to go to Washington DC. Neither of us had ever been there, and we know it's a "must see." One of the biggest highlights of the week, however, was that we got to stay with my life-long friend Becky, her husband Mark, and their cute, cute little boy, Abram. They were excellent hosts and excellent company. They even had dinner ready for us every night when we got back from our adventures, regardless of the time. Mark cooked a few times, and this is one of the meals he prepared. I LOVED it.

(Note to my dinner group: I haven't actually MADE this meal yet, so I have no special "tips" to give you. Good luck!)

Ingredients:
1/2 t olive oil
2 lbs boneless, skinless thighs (or breasts)
2 C thickly sliced yellow onion
1 T fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 t ground cumin1/2 t salt
1/2 t ground coriander
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t black pepper
4 cloves minced garlic
1 1/2 C chicken broth
1 (15.5 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 (7oz) package dried apricots, halved (about 1 1/3 cups)

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven (I'll just use a skillet, I guess) over medium-high heat.

Add half of the chicken to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, browning on all sides.
Remove chicken from the pan and repeat with the remaining chicken.

Add onion to pan; saute for 3 minutes or until tender.Add ginger and next 6 ingredients (through the garlic)Saute for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
Stir in broth, scraping the pan to loosen the browned bits.
Return chicken to pan; bring to a simmer.
Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour, or until chicken is tender.

Remove chicken from the pan with a slotted spoon; cool slightly.

Cut chicken into bite-sized

pieces.
Add chicken, chickpeas, ad apricots to the pan.Cover and simmer 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated.Serve with couscous.

(Yield 8 servings, about 3/4 C each)

Amazing Sandwich

2009-06-01T10:17:00.006-04:00

Story:
Have any of you ever been invited to do one of those "recipe exchanges"? It's like one of those good ol' fashioned chain letter things that you used to get invited to do as a kid... only this one you forward on a recipe on to one person and then you get like a zillion recipes from other people. I'm not very good at following through on these kinds of things, but if I get one when my mood is just right, I try to do it.
Well, this recipe came from one of those recipe exchanges a few years ago. The gal didn't put her name on the recipe card, so I have no recollection of who sent it to me. But, man!, this is a yummy sandwich. Now that my kids are getting older and eating more, I usually do two loaves... or just one if I have a side dish to go with it. We all like it a lot.

Ingredients:
1 or 2 Pillsbury French Bread Loaves (refrigerator section)
Guacamole (I like Wholly Guacamole... so good!)
Turkey (deli meat)
Monterey Jack cheese, sliced
Tomatoes, sliced
Olives, sliced
Lettuce

Directions:
I think it's pretty obvious... but bake the loaves according the instructions on the package. Then layer on all the ingredients. Be sure to spread the guacamole on generously.

Sarah's Best Chicken Pasta Salad

2009-05-26T12:52:00.006-04:00

Story:
I've mentioned Sarah E. before on this blog. I love Sarah! She lived across the street from me in UT and we were great buddies. This is her recipe. I remember I first had her chicken salad at a baby shower that she hosted in her home.... and, sadly enough, I remember this salad more than anything else from that morning! I made it when we had lots of family over after Gretchen received her baby blessing. I also made it for a Relief Society Birthday Dinner (when I was the enrichment leader.) Basically, it makes quite a bit and it's been a hit every time. So I hope you like it too...

Ingredients:
4 C cooked and salted shredded (or cubed) chicken
3 C (uncooked) medium pasta shells: Cook, drain, and chill
2 C red grapes (I usually slice 'em in half)
2 C diced celery
2 C diced red apples
1 small can crushed pineapple
1/4 C sliced green onions
1 1/2 C cashews (bits or whole)
1 C mayonnaise
1 C coleslaw dressing (Sarah's aunt says that it's best with Best Foods or Hidden Valley brands)

Directions:
Start with cooking the chicken and the pasta.
Then just add to a big bowl: the cooked chicken, the cooked pasta shells, grapes, celery, apples, pineapple, and onions-- and mix all that up. (It's best to do this the night before, and keep it in a ziploc bag in the fridge overnight... gives the flavors a chance to blend. Also, the juice from the pineapple keeps the apples from browning.)
Then, before serving, mix (in a separate bowl) the mayo and the coleslaw dressing. Add the mayo/dressing and the cashews to the chicken/salad mixture right before serving.
It would look pretty served on a lettuce leaf, but I usually serve it up in a big fat croissant to make a chicken salad sandwich! Yum!

Note:

I have started putting the chicken in the crockpot the day that I'm going to make this salad... and then I just shred the chicken. It's easier for me than baking and cubing it... especially if I'm making a double batch. Also, I usually make it in the summer, and this way I don't have to turn on my oven.
I'm not a big "nut" fan, but these cashews are great in it! And Sarah said that she's forgotten them before, and the salad isn't quite salty enough.
For anyone here in my neck of the woods, the only grocery store I've found that carries the HV brand of coleslaw dressing is Crestwood Supermarket. Let me know if you find it cheaper than $3.99 anywhere else!

Becky's Chicken & Black Beans

2009-05-13T10:43:00.008-04:00

Story:
When I lived in UT, my good friend Becky D. and I used to go to the LDS cannery on a regular basis. We were making good progress on our food storage and having a few little adventures while we were at it ... like when the lid wasn't on tight and we sent "potato pearls" flying through the air! Good times.
When canning black beans one time, we got to talking about recipes, and she shared this one with me... one of her favorites, and now, one of ours.
It is served like a casserole, though Ben likes to roll it into a tortilla with sour cream to make a burrito. It makes a really tasty burrito! It's full of fresh ingredients, which I love and it has a great flavor. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded (I use the Cafe Rio chicken in here... yum!)
2 medium tomatoes
1 medium avocado
2 T cilantro or parsley, chopped - (I always use cilantro and I usually use more than 2T)
1 (15oz) can black beans
1 (12oz) jar of salsa (1 1/3 cups)
1 (8oz) pkg Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
4 flour torillas

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400.
Dice tomatoes and coarsely mash avocado.
Set aside 1 teaspoon of the chopped cilantro and 1/2 cup of the cheese.
In a large bowl, stir together the chicken, tomatoes, avocado, black beans, salsa, remaining cheese, and remaining cilantro.
Put mixture in a 9x13 (or a shallow 2 1/2 qt casserole dish). Cut tortillas into quarters and arrange over the chicken mixture.
Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
Remove from oven and set oven to broil. Remove foil and sprinkle the remaining cheese and cilantro over the top.
Broil for 3 minutes or unil top is crisp and golden.

Chicken & Pasta Stir Fry

2009-05-08T21:45:00.006-04:00

Story:
When we first moved into our house in Crestwood, a cute little magazine came in the mail for the previous owner or "current resident." Well, I was the new current resident, so I kept it. It's one of those "Food and Family" magazines put out by Kraft to try to sell their products. Most of their stuff seems highly processed, but I've come across a few good recipes in there and we like this one. They called it "Speedy Chicken Stir Fry," but that sounds too cheesy. Nonetheless, it's one of the kid's faves... which is nice, because it is pretty easy.

Ingredients:
8 oz. angel hair pasta
2 C broccoli florets
2 C sugarsnap peas
1/2 C shredded carrots
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1/2 C Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame dressing
2 T soy sauce
1/4 t ground ginger
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t crushed red pepper
1/3 C dry roasted peanuts

Directions:
Cook pasta as directed on package, adding the veggies to the boiling water for the last 3 minutes of the cooking time.

Spray a skillet with cooking spray; heat on medium-high heat. Add the chicken, cooking 6-8 minutes or until cooked through (stir occasionally). Then stir in the dressing, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and crushed red pepper. Cook and stir for 1 minute.

Drain the pasta mixture into a large bowl. Add the chicken mixture and mix lightly. Serve in bowls and sprinkle the peanuts on top.

Note:
The original recipe just called for the broccoli. I added the sugarsnaps and carrots--the sugarsnaps are actually my favorite part of the dish, and the carrots are really just for color. You can add whatever other veggies you want or have on hand.

Ranch Broiled Chicken

2009-05-04T13:28:00.004-04:00

Story:
Looking back, I don't know what Ben and I ate the first year or so we were married. Honestly, I vaguely remember that "Chili Mac" was on the menu! (Eew.) Needless to say, this was about the time of my life that I started perusing magazines here and there for ideas.
I remember sitting at my in-laws house one afternoon and looking through one of LuAnne's magazines when I came across this recipe on a Ranch dressing advertisement. It sounded easy enough... and I discovered (for the first time!) the beauty of broiling meat.

Ingredients:
1 packet (1 oz) Hidden Valley Original Ranch dressing mix
2 T olive oil
1 T red wine vinegar
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I use 4 frozen breasts)

Directions:
Combine the dressing mix, olive oil, and vinegar in a plastic bag. Add chicken; shake and work mixture into the meat. Marinate for at least one hour.
Broil chicken 10-14 minutes total, turning once.

Notes:
This is a quick and easy fix with a box of couscous and a salad. Keep in mind that you can grill this meat in the summer... oh, and leftover chicken is always good sliced up on salads.

Fish Tacos

2009-04-29T16:24:00.004-04:00

Story:

Another one from Monica! I adapted the sauce... it's pretty easy really.

Ingredients:
small corn tortillas
fish sticks (click here for our favorite kind)
salsa (click here for our favorite kind)
cabbage, sliced "as thinly as humanly possible" (as Monica puts it)
Cafe Rio dressing (click here for recipe)

Directions:
Bake fish sticks according to package directions. (I like 'em nice and crispy, so I leave them in longer than the directions say.)
Rub a little oil on each side of each tortilla and put it in a pan to crisp it up a little.
To eat, take the tortilla and layer on 1 1/2 to 2 fish sticks, salsa, cabbage, and dressing.
That's it! Enjoy...

San Francisco Chops

2009-04-16T09:00:00.005-04:00

Story:
This is another recipe from Traci's mom, Julie. It was in the original cookbook that she made for Ben and me for a wedding gift. I'm not usually a big fan of pork chops, but the flavor of these is awesome!

Ingredients:
4 pork chops (1/2 to 3/4 inch thick - about 1 1/2 lbs)
1 T oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 t oil
4 T beef broth
4 T soy sauce
2 T brown sugar
1/4 t crushed red pepper
2 t cornstarch
2 T water

Directions:
Trim fat of pork chops.
Heat oil in skillet. Brown chops on both sides
Remove the pork chops and add a little more oil if needed.
Saute garlic for a minute, being careful not to burn it.
Combine oil, broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, and red pepper.
Place chops back in skillet and pour the sauce over them.
Cover tightly.
Simmer over low heat until chops are tender and cooked through (30-35 minutes).
Add a little water (1 to 2 T), if needed, to keep sauce from cooking down too much.
Turn once.
Remove chops to a platter. Stir in the cornstarch, dissolved in water. Cook until thickened. Pour over the pork chops and serve with noodles or rice.

Monica's Granola

2009-04-11T18:29:00.004-04:00

Story:
I have a good friend here in KY named Monica. And I love that we can hardly ever get off the phone with each other without sharing a recipe with each other. (Actually it's usually her sharing something new she discovered... which I am always anxious to copy.) She shared her granola recipe with me... and I fell in love with it. Thanks, Monica!

Ingredients:
14 C rolled oats
2 C wheat germ
2 C coconut
2 t salt
1 1/4 brown sugar

1/2 C honey
1 C oil
1 C warm water
1 T vanilla

Directions:
Mix all the dry ingredients in a big bowl.
Mix the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl.
Pour the wet over the dry and mix together.
Pour the granola onto two baking sheets.
Bake at 225 for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.

To serve, you can add anything you'd like... like peaches, bananas, raisins, craisins, almonds, etc. I like to sprinkle on some flaxseed and I love it with nutmeg!

Taco Soup

2009-04-10T09:36:00.008-04:00

Story:
Believe it or not, somehow I grew up never having Taco Soup. My mom gave me this recipe soon after I was married and I thought it was the best creation ever! It was then that I realized that everybody else in the world already seemed to know what it was. And everybody else already seemed to have their own version of this yummy soup. Oh well. This one is my all-time favorite recipe for Taco Soup. I love it. Ben loves it. The kids love it. And it makes a lot, so be prepared for leftovers!

Soup Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 C chopped onion
2 C water
1 (12 oz) can of V-8 juice
3 (14.5 oz) cans of diced tomatoes
1 (16 oz) can of red kidney beans (drained)
1 (11 oz) can of corn (drained)
1 (14.5 oz) can of green beans (drained)
1 pkg. taco seasoning
2 T sugar

Garnish Ingredients:
Fritos (I like the Scoops!)
Grated Cheese

Directions:
Cook the ground beef with the onions.
In a big pot, add all the soup ingredients except the corn and beans.
Simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the corn and the beans the last 5 minutes.
Serve with Fritos and grated cheese.

Notes:

The original recipe called for 3 cups of water. If it seems a little too thick for you, feel free to add more.
The original recipe called for 16 oz can of V-8. I either just use one 12 oz can... or sometimes I have some of the little 5.5 oz cans (Costco) on hand, so I use 2 or 3 of those.
I buy taco seasoning in bulk, so I use 1/4 cup of that instead of the individual packages.
Other ideas for the garnish: green peppers, green onions, sour cream, olives, chopped tomatoes, or avocado.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-03-05T11:18:00.007-05:00

Story:

I love pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. They've been one of my favorites for years, but I had never made them until a couple of weeks ago. And I've made them three times since then. Knowing that I like them so much, my good friend Kate W. shared her recipe with me. I shared some with my neighbors last week, and now they want the recipe as well. Sure sign it's a "keeper." Here you go:

Ingredients:

1/2 C sugar

1/2 C brown sugar

1 C margarine

1 t vanilla

1 egg

1 C canned pumpkin

2 C flour

1 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1/2 t ginger

1 1/2 t cinnamon

1 C chocolate chips

Directions:

In a large bowl, beat the sugar, brown sugar, and margarine until light and fluffy.

Add vanilla, egg, and pumpkin; blend well.

Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup, level, and stir in the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger; mix well.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop desired amount onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten the cookies a little with a spoon.

Bake at 350 for 14-17 minutes... until edges are lightly golden.

Cool on sheet for 1 minute, then remove.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Notes:

The recipe says you can use butter or margarine. I've found that butter, in cookies, usually makes the cookies crispier and margarine makes 'em softer, so I use margarine.
I like to double the recipe so I can use the whole can of pumpkin. (I mean, what would I do with a half a can of pumpkin sitting in my fridge?) The only downside, is then you have to use a whole box of margarine... and that just seems kind of gross, y'know?
The recipe also suggests using peanut M&M's instead of chocolate chips... I'm a chocolate chip girl, so that's what I use. But have fun with it!

Microwave Caramel Corn

2009-02-04T22:49:00.005-05:00

Story:
This one came from Ben's sweet Grandmommy.
Aaaw...we sure miss her.

Ingredients:
15 C air-popped popcorn (that's about one batch in my air-popper)
1 C brown sugar
1 cube of margarine
1/4 C light Karo syrup
1/2 t baking soda
(& a brown paper bag)

Directions:
Pop the popcorn into a big bowl.
Put the brown sugar, margarine, and karo syrup in a glass bowl. (I use my 4 cup Pyrex glass measuring cup.) Microwave 2 minutes. Stir. Microwave 3 minutes more.
Add the baking soda and stir well. (This is the cool science experiment part where it changes color and texture.)
Pour over the popcorn and stir gently.
Pour the popcorn into a brown paper bag and microwave for 30 seconds. Shake well, then microwave for 1 more minute.
Pour into a bowl and as it cools, break it up with a wooden spoon.

Note:
I'm typically a butter kind of person (not margarine). But the popcorn gets harder and burns more easily with butter. Stick with the margarine.

Tortilla Soup

2009-01-23T21:10:00.005-05:00

Story:
When I got married, Julie & Brent R. gave me a binder with dividers, a few recipes, and plenty of sheet protectors. This book would eventually become my personalized collection of recipes. A "recipe scrapbook," if you will... but without all the fancy "embellishments." I now have all sorts of recipes filling the pages: nicely typed recipes, sticky notes, cutesy recipe cards, printed e-mails, index cards, photocopies, Relief Society handouts, and magazine cutouts. One of the original recipes from the couple who gave me this book, was a recipe for Tortilla Soup. I probably had this book for about 5 years before I tried making it... and now it's one of our faves! Thank you, Julie!

Ingredients:
1 T butter
1/2 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/4 t black pepper
1 can diced green chilies
1/8 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/2 t oregano
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t chili powder
1 large tomato, diced
1 C diced cooked chicken (I like to use my Cafe Rio chicken)
5 C chicken stock (save out 1 C)
1/2 C dry Masa
Garnish:
tortillas
cheddar cheese, shredded
avocado, coarsely chopped

Directions:
Melt butter in stock pot. Add onion, garlic, and black pepper. Stir and cook until transparent.
Add chilies and the rest of the herbs and spices.
Add tomatoes, chicken, and chicken stock. Simmer for 15 minutes.
In a separate bowl, mix the reserved chicken stock with the Masa. Whip until all lumps are gone. Add to the soup and stir until thickened.
Cut tortillas into strips. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. Put the strips on the cookie sheet and spray the top sides as well. Bake in 350 degree oven until crisp.
To Serve:
Place a few tortilla strips and a few pieces of avocado into the bottom of the soup bowl. Pour in soup and top with more tortilla strips and grated cheese.

Enjoy!

Cheese Balls

2009-01-23T07:52:00.008-05:00

Story:
Cheese Balls. Thanksgiving, every year. Christmas, too. My mom always had a cheese ball out. She even had one of those wooden cheese ball serving plates. You know, the kind with the two ceramic tiles inlayed in each corner with the little knives attached with a skinny chain? I hate to admit it, but sometimes I wouldn't be hungry for the Thanksgiving feast, because I had already had my fill of Wheat Thins, Ritz, and Triscuits topped with the following cheeses.

Three Cheese Nut Log
Ingredients:
Kraft Roka Blue processed cheese
Kraft Old English processed cheese
4 oz cream cheese
2 T grated or minced onion
chopped peanuts

Directions:
With cheeses at room temperature, blend together. Add onion. Chill for easy handling. Shape into a ball or a log. Then, right before serving, roll in the chopped nuts.

Note: I don't use the peanuts like my mom did--we're not big fans of nuts around here. But the nuts do give it more of a "polished" look. And sometimes I have to go to different grocery stores to find the Roka Blue cheese. However, the little glass containers that the cheeses come in work great for little orange juice glasses at breakfast!

Pineapple Cheeseball
(This one is actually a little easier to make, and it's probably my preference, though they are both great!)

Ingredients:

8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
Small can of crushed pineapple,well drained
Fresh minced onion--about a tablespoon

Directions: Mix well. Chill. Form into ball. Voila!

World's Easiest BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

2008-11-11T14:23:00.007-05:00

Story:
Seriously, easy. And we love it! Shelly G. (in South Ogden) told me about this and I was astonished by how easy it was... and mad that I didn't know about it sooner.

Ingredients:
frozen chicken breasts
BBQ sauce
(oh, and hamburger buns, of course)

Directions:
Place however many frozen chicken breasts you want in your crock pot. (I figure roughly a half a breast per person... but, you know me, I throw in a few more for leftovers.) Pour a bunch of your favorite BBQ sauce over. Go ahead and pour on a lot. Cook on high for 5-6 hours, or longer on low. About an hour before serving, pull out the chicken, shred with two forks, and put back into all that yummy sauce. That's it! Just whip up a salad and dinner's ready.

[I will someday insert a picture here.]

Notes:

The original recipe said you could just serve the BBQ chicken over rice. I'm sure that would be great... I just haven't tried it yet.
I always put a thin layer of mayonnaise on the hamburger buns before I put on the chicken. It kind of works as a "barrier" from all that sauce so the buns don't get soggy too fast.
As far as the BBQ sauce goes, you don't need anything fancy; the cheap Hunt's kind is fine. Of course I like the Sweet Baby Ray's sauce, but it's a little too sweet for Ben. (I have yet to come across something that is "too sweet" for me... I don't know what he's talking about.)

French Onion Beef Stew

2008-10-25T15:39:00.007-04:00

Story:
I love my Mom's Beef Stew. Way good. It has that nostalgic feel to it, too. It was always one of my favorite family dinners growing up.

But just for variety's sake, I tried my friend's (Janae E.) recipe. My kids love it. (Or as Megan says, "I L-O-V-E love it!" - It was even her 7th birthday dinner request, so you know it's gotta be good.) It has a creamy, more flavorful taste... which also means that it's not quite as "low fat" as my Mom's. But, hey, if you have a good beef stew recipe, why not share it? You can never have enough crock pot recipes, as far as I'm concerned.

And, of course, we love it with Mom's Cornbread or with my Easy Breadsticks.

Ingredients:
2 cans French Onion soup (the regular-sized Campbell's kind)
2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup (1 large and one small)
carrots, chopped
celery, chopped
potatoes, chopped
frozen peas
1 lb stew beef (I always cut it into smaller pieces)

Directions:
Put all the ingredients (except the peas) in a crock pot. Cook on high for 6-8 hours, or on low for 10-12. About 10 minutes before serving, stir in the peas. Easy as that!

Notes:

Warning: It makes a ton, so be prepared to have lots of leftovers. (Hooray for leftovers!! That just means no cooking tomorrow!)
How many veggies to use? A lot!
Janae's recipe didn't call for the peas, but personally, I think it adds nice color, gives the kids a little 'legumes' (said all fancy-like) and makes it look a little more like stew than dogfood.

Picture coming soon. (It's in the crock pot as I type...)

Lisa's Chicken Parmesan

2008-10-22T16:05:00.003-04:00

Story:
My friend Monica T gave me this recipe; she got it from another friend, Lisa P. They were in a dinner group together and apparently this was a popular dish. I tried it and we think it's pretty great too (and easy!).

Ingredients:
chicken breasts
egg whites
bread crumbs (Italian style)
mozzarella cheese
parmesan cheese
spaghetti sauce (just a can of Hunt's'll do)
pasta (angel hair, spaghetti, whatever you like...)

Directions:
Dip the chicken breasts in egg whites and then roll in the bread crumbs. Coat really well. Pan fry the coated chicken in a little oil; just to brown both sides.

Place browned chicken breasts in a baking dish. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Then spoon spaghetti sauce generously over each one. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over that. Spoon the remaining sauce around the chicken in the dish.

Bake 40-45 minutes at 350. Serve over pasta.

Note:
I had never bought bread crumbs before; they were in the baking section by the flour and cornmeal... just if you're wondering... just so you don't wander aimlessly around like a lost soul like I did...

Easy Breadsticks

2008-10-21T16:54:00.011-04:00

Story:
In South Ogden, I had a friend named Jessica H. who invited our fam to dinner with them one Sunday evening. (By the way, Jessica makes some way-yummy food!) She served these breadsticks that night, and they have since become my good ol' standby bread for dinners. They have garlic salt and parmesan on top, so they taste great with those meals with which you would usually serve garlic bread.

My good friend and back-door neighbor here in Crestwood, Shawn D., just brought by some soup for my family for dinner tonight. She said she made a ton, and well, that's just the good friend she is to share with us. (I love my neighbors!) So, I thought I'd whip up a batch of these breadsticks to go with the yummy soup...

Ingredients:
3 1/2 C flour, divided
2 T sugar
1 t salt
1 T yeast
butter
garlic salt
parmesan

Directions:
Mix 2 C flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in a bowl. Stir well. Add 1 1/2 C warm water and the additional 1 1/2 C flour. Knead into a ball. Let rise for one hour.

Roll into a rectangle and cut into strips. Melt a few tablespoons of butter in a bowl. Dip half of each strip into the melted butter and then twist the two halves together. Brush any remaining butter on top of the breadsticks. Sprinkle with garlic salt and parmesan cheese.

Bake for about 10-12 minutes at 425. Hope ya love 'em!

Mom's Cornbread

2008-10-15T13:19:00.007-04:00

Story:
I'm not sure that there's really a great story to this recipe, well, except that my mom is practically famous for it!! (Well, among her kids, at least.) It's a sweet and delicious cornbread... it looks like a cake and it tastes FABULOUS with her beef stew or with my chili.

Ingredients:
1 C flour
1 t salt
1 T baking powder
1/2 C sugar
3/4 C yellow corn meal
2 eggs, well beaten
1 C milk
1/4 C oil
2 t vanilla

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together.
Pour into a greased and floured 8x8 (or 9x9) pan.
Bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes.

Note:
Double the recipe for a 9x13 pan. Baking time seems to vary a little, but I've never gotten it down to perfection. Just bake until it's lightly browned on top... oh, and the good ol' bake-until-toothpick-comes-out-clean trick works as well.

Autumn Chili

2008-10-08T09:24:00.010-04:00

Story:
I didn't know that I like chili as much as I do until I learned how to make it. I pulled a chili recipe out of... well, I don't know where. But I've since embellished it and made it my own, so I guess this is pretty much my own recipe. It's an autumn-time-rainy-day favorite at our house. (Posted just in time for Halloween!)

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 sweet onion
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 bell pepper (any color), chopped
1 packet chili seasoning
2 T brown sugar
Shredded cheese

Directions:

Brown meat with onions in skillet; drain.
Add all other ingredients. Stir in.
Simmer for 15 minutes. Sprinkle cheese on top before serving.

Note: We LOVE it with my Mom's cornbread. So cozy-like.

Sarah's Rolo Cookies

2008-09-30T10:25:00.008-04:00

Story:
I have a wonderful, wonderful friend in UT, named Sarah. Love her! We lived across the street and a few houses down from each other in South Ogden; but we've both since moved from that happy little neighborhood. We shared a lot of laughs, babysitting, clothes, tears, phone conversations, and, of course, recipes. I first started getting to know her at our friend Becky's house. Becky and Scott threw great "game nights" and everyone was asked to bring something to share. Sarah brought these Rolo cookies. I knew immediately that I'd love a girl who could make something so yummy! (And little did I know at the time how easy they were!) Hope you love them too!

Ingredients:
Rolos
chocolate cake mix
1/3 C oil
2 eggs
chocolate chips

Directions:
Mix together the cake mix, the oil, and the eggs. Wrap a dab of the batter around a Rolo. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes.

Take out of the oven, put 2 or 3 chocolate chips on each cookie, then put back in the oven for just a few seconds. Pull out again and spread the chocolate with a knife. Refrigerate, if needed, to chill.

Voila!

Note: I can't tell you exactly how many Rolos you need for the cookies because, well, I never know exactly how many of them get eaten before they actually make it into the cookies... if you know what I mean. Just buy a bag, and that will be plenty to make a batch of cookies.

Baked Mushroom Chicken

2008-09-24T16:52:00.008-04:00

Story:
At a "Home, Family, & Personal Enrichment" activity in South Ogden, a (wonderful!) woman named Shelly gave us some great cooking tips, as well as a few of her easy, delicious favorite recipes. This is one of those recipes and it is delicious! (Admittedly, Ben and I love it more than the kids, but they like it okay.)

Ingredients:
4 boneless chicken breasts
1/4 C flour
3 T butter, divided
1 C fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 C chicken broth
1/8 t pepper
1/3 C shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 C grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 C green onions, sliced

Directions:
Flatten each chicken breast (I don't do this, but it would probably be better if I did.). Place flour in a resealable bag and add chicken. Seal and shake to coat.

Melt 2 T butter in a skillet and brown chicken on both sides. Transfer the chicken to a greased baking dish.

Saute mushrooms in the remaining butter. Add broth and pepper. Boil for 5 minutes.

Put the mushrooms over the chicken, then top with the cheeses and the green onions. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Ta da!

I like to serve with a green salad and either brown rice or breadsticks. (Shelly recommends rice pilaf and a fruit salad.)

Note: Ben has noticed that it seems to taste even better as leftovers the next day... y'know, when the "flavors mellow," as they say.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

2008-09-09T13:46:00.006-04:00

Story:
This recipe is a more recent find, but is one of our family's favorites (as well as one of my most frequently requested recipes). And you know where I found it? You know those inserts in the newspaper that have coupons? And you know how, just sometimes, there will be a recipe to go with the ingredient that those marketers are trying to sell? Well this is one of those recipes--and they sold me on their La Choy products. And it is yum-my!

I first "experienced" lettuce wraps years ago while I was on a church mission in South Korea. (That's where Ben and I met... just in case you didn't know that... we were both missionaries in Seoul.) Lettuce wraps are Dee-Lish! This one isn't a Korean style wrap, but eating it with my fingers and taking big ol' bites that I can't even close my mouth around... well, it takes me right back! The original recipe didn't call for the rice, but since we always ate them with rice in Korea, I just couldn't go without. Besides, I'm all about the whole grains thing, and when you're feeding a husband that eats like mine does, you have to bulk up the meal however possible!

Ingredients:
1/4 C water
1 T cornstarch
1/2 C La Choy Teriyaki Sauce
1 to 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
1 can (8oz) whole water chestnuts, coarsely chopped
2 T vegetable oil
La Choy Rice Noodles
shredded carrots
lettuce leaves
cooked brown rice (click to see my brown rice recipe)

Directions:

Whisk together the water and the cornstarch in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in teriyaki sauce.
Add chicken and water chestnuts, stir to coat. Marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Cook and stir small batches of chicken in hot oil in a wok or a large skillet until no longer pink.
To serve: Take a lettuce leaf in your hand, pile in some rice, then chicken, then rice noodles, then shredded carrots. Try to wrap it closed and take a big bite...

Notes:

I used to shred the carrots. I must not have the right equipment, because that was always a pain (and I'm sure it didn't help that I usually only had baby carrots on hand, so I ended up shredding my fingernails half the time... just kidding... if you've eaten my lettuce wraps, I promise there were no fingernails in the carrots). Anyway, just buy the bag of matchstick carrots (already shredded!) in the produce section and save yourself the effort. They are great to throw on green salads anyway. And my toddler loves to eat them as a snack (although I think she thinks it's shredded cheese). Oh well...
This is a dinner I like to take in to others. It is easy to double and it can be fixed ahead. You can put most of the ingredients in little baggies, and your friends can just either cook the meat (or heat it up), and warm up the rice, whenever they are ready to eat.

Pictures coming soon...

(Kate is making this for a lunch appointment tomorrow, so she said I had to get her the recipe ASAP! Hope you like 'em Kate!)

How I Do Brown Rice

2008-09-09T13:00:00.005-04:00

Story:

I should probably call this "How Sarah E. Taught Me To Do Brown Rice". Thanks to my friend Sarah in South Ogden, brown rice has become one of my favorite side dishes.

Directions:

The trick she taught me is to add chicken bouillon to the water before adding the rice. In her words, "It keeps it from tasting like dirt."

So in one pot, boil the rice according to the package directions (but add some chicken bouillon to the water--just a couple of teaspoons). While that's boiling, in a separate pan or wok, melt about a tablespoon or two of butter. Then saute lots of chopped onion and chopped celery in butter. Add a little black pepper. Stir occasionally and just let it simmer there for a while. When the rice is done (it usually takes 45 minutes), stir in the celery and onions with the rice. Voila! Now you don't have just boring rice, but you it has a better flavor and a nice texture.

Thanks, Sarah! I miss you!

Taco-Stuffed Pasta Shells

2008-09-05T14:13:00.005-04:00

Story:
No fancy story on this one. Just another find from "Very Best Baby." It's more of one of those: "it feeds the family" recipes than it is one of our very very favs. But it is good. Ben took some leftovers in to work for lunch recently, and one of his co-workers said it smelled so delicious that she wanted the recipe. Stacy, this one is dedicated to you!

Ingredients:
Jumbo dried pasta sells, prepared according to package directions, rinsed, and drained
1 lb ground beef
1 pkg taco seasoning mix*
1 cup water
1 can (16 oz) refried beans
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 jar (16 oz) salsa, divided
1/4 cup sliced green onions
sour cream (optional)**

Directions:
(The original directions tell how to put this into two 8x8 dishes, freezing one for later, etc. Forget that. I do the whole thing in one 9x13 and we eat off the leftovers.)

Cook beef in large skillet until brown; drain. Add seasoning mix and water; cook over low heat for 5 minutes or until thickened. Add beans and 3/4 cup cheese; mix well. Spread 1/2 cup salsa over bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Fill pasta shells with beef mixure; placing the filled shells into the baking dish, filled side up. Spoon remaining salsa over shells.

Preheat oven to 350. Cover baking dish with foil. bake for 40-45 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with green onions and remaining cheese. Serve with sour cream.

Notes:
*I buy the taco seasoning in bulk and I use a little less than a 1/4 cup for this recipe. It's just cheaper and that way I always know I have some on hand.
**They say the sour cream is optional... crazy people! It tastes much better with the sour cream.

Think: Great Harvest

2008-09-05T12:27:00.018-04:00

Story:

I love the memory I have of my mom making homemade whole wheat bread. I can still picture our old house with the wood pull-out cutting board that was built into the counter. She'd pull that out to put the hot loaves on as they came out of the oven. I used to smother the thick, warm slices with honey. Yum.

I started experimenting with breadmaking a little in... 2005, I guess it was. My sister had one of my mom's old wheat grinders in her basement, as well as my mom's old Bosch. (The blender on the Bosch is long-gone, but it still has the plastic mixing bowl AND the metal bread-making bowl--complete with olive green trim and everything.) Anyway, when my sister received a new Kitchenaid for Mother's Day one year, I got my mom's old stuff. Yeah!!

When I started baking bread, I discovered how EASY it is--especially if you have some of the tools--like a wheat grinder and a Bosch! I went a few months without buying any bread at the store. It was great!

This particular recipe came from my dear friend and South Ogden neighbor, Becky D. It was her mom's whole wheat bread recipe; Becky talked it up pretty good, and I wasn't disappointed! We said that it tasted as good as something from Great Harvest Bread Company (thus the name). The directions are pretty specific; I try to follow them closely because this makes 4 loaves of really good bread.

Today is a rainy day in KY and rainy days remind me of coming home from school to warm bread. I hope my kids enjoy their after-school snack this afternoon...

Ingredients:
water
sugar
yeast
gluten flour
wheat flour, freshly ground
salt
oil

Directions:
In a mixing bowl, add:
5 1/2 C hot water (110 degrees the recipe says... as if I get out the thermometer...)
3/4 C sugar
2 heaping T yeast
1/2 C gluten flour
6 C wheat flour, freshly ground

Mix 5-10 minutes.
Let rise 10 minutes.
Start mixing again. Slowly add:
1 heaping T salt
2 T oil
6 C wheat flour - adding 1 C per minute)

Mix until the consistency of shapeable bread dough.
Shape into loaves.
Put in bread pans.
Let rise 15-20 minutes, covered with a moist towel
Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
Cool for 15-20 minutes.
Bag while still warm.

Enjoy!

(Please Note: I went to pick up my toddler from a friend's house while the bread was rising, so these loaves rose a little too much. In other words: they aren't quite as pretty as they should be... but they still taste great! Trust me...)

Cafe Rio

2008-08-29T10:46:00.014-04:00

Story:

Soon after we moved to KY, my friend Traci introduced me to one of our now-very-very-favorite dinners. She got it off a cooking blog, so you can find the original recipe at Kalyn's Kitchen. Since the first time I made it, I've wanted to share it with friends and fam (especially you, Sarah E! You'll love this one.) Ethan calls it his "favorite burrito" and Ben says it's one of his favorite things I make. My mom really likes the cilantro rice. (I better be careful!... don't want to talk it up too much!)

One thing I really like about it (being the mom), is that it makes a LOT, so we can serve it with company and still have leftovers. As part of the dinner, you cook up a lot of marinated shredded chicken in a crock put. It's way too much to use, so I freeze it in either 1 cup or 2 cup baggies to throw into other recipes later. I refer to it in other recipes as "Cafe Rio Chicken."

This recipe is a little more labor-intensive than my usuals. Keep in mind that it does make a lot (read: you won't have to cook for a couple of days) amd that most of it can be prepared ahead of time.

Three parts to prepare:

Cafe Rio Chicken
Ingredients:
5 lbs chicken breasts
1 (8 ounce) bottle Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
3 cloves garlic—minced

Directions:
Cook all together in a crock pot for 4 hours.
Shred the meat and cook for an additional hour.

Café Rio Rice
Ingredients:
3 cups Uncle Ben's Converted Rice
3 c water
½ bunch cilantro
1 can green chiles
½ onion
4 t chicken bouillon
4 t minced garlic
¾ t salt
1 T butter

Directions:
Blend cilantro, green chiles and onion together in food processor.
Bring water to a boil and add all ingredients.
Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.

Cafe Rio Dressing
Ingredients:
1 buttermilk ranch dressing packet - (note you need buttermilk and mayo to make the dressing)
2 tomatillos (tomato-like vegetable with a husk around them)
½ bunch of cilantro
1 clove garlic
Juice of 1 lime
A few drops of green tobasco sauce (or 1 jalapeño... I don't bother with the jalepeno, I use the sauce)

Directions:
Make the buttermilk ranch dressing as per recipe on the packet.
Use a food processor to blend the tomatillos, cilantro, garlic, lime and tobasco sauce.
Add to the dressing and refrigerate.

To Serve:
(Note the additional ingredients not listed above)
The meal itself is one of those imitations from a Cafe Rio or Bajio's type restaurant. I eat it like a big, fat salad; Ben eats it like a giant stuffed burrito. Restaurants (like Cafe Rio) serve this like a salad that starts with a tortilla, then cooked beans (I use black beans--just 'cause they're my fav!), seasoned rice, lettuce, seasoned chicken, shredded cheese, and a fabulous dressing.

Notes:
I use the chicken in my Tortilla Soup, Black Bean Soup, & Becky's Black Bean and Chicken Casserole.
I use the dressing on Monica's Fish Tacos.

Tuna Melts

2008-08-29T09:10:00.008-04:00

Story:
I worked at Swensen's Ice Cream Parlor in San Diego the summer after my senior year of HS, before moving away to college. My friend Traci got me the job. It was a quiet little place, and has since closed. I met a cute boy there, and though that didn't work out, it was that summer that I fell in love with Tuna Melts. And since then I've learned (thanks to my friend Lee), to add more veggies into the tuna salad part. Sooo good.

These are always more filling than I think they are going to be. And I don't know why, but I always serve them with a side of sliced cucumbers.

Ingredients:
sourdough bread
monterey jack cheese*
tuna fish, drained
mayo
dill pickles, chopped (you can use pickle relish too, but I liked the chopped pickles better)
celery, diced
red or orange bell pepper, chopped
dehydrated chopped onions (green onions would probably be good; never tried)
garlic powder
black pepper

Directions: (kind of obvious...)
For the tuna salad:
Shred the tuna into a bowl. Add mayo until the tuna is lighly coated. (I tend to like things dryer than wetter... so add as much mayo as you want.) Add pickles, veggies, and seasonings to taste.

For the sandwich part:
Butter outsides of sourdough bread, put on cheese and tuna salad and cook on a griddle--just like a grilled cheese sandwich. Grill until lightly browned and cheese is melted.

*EDIT* Last week I made these again and I used Pepperjack Cheese in Ben's and my sandwiches. The best ever! Try it.

Black Bean Soup

2008-08-27T21:07:00.010-04:00

Story:
I discovered this recipe through one of those eat-well-during-pregnancy kinds of magazine/resources. Very Best Baby. The recipe card says to visit verybestbaby.com/recipes for more!

I know that Black Bean Soup doesn't sound (or even look!) very appealing. It's one of those foods though (kind of liked a baked potato) that doesn't really sound good, but once you start eating it, you remember how much you love it! I like this black bean soup... and I like that I've found a few ways to spruce it up a bit too.

Ingredients:
2 cans (16 ounces each) black beans, undrained
1 cup chicken broth
nonstick cooking spray
1 small onion, chopped
1 teaspoon bottle minced garlic
1 jar (16 ounces) salsa
4 teaspoons lime juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
1/3 cup sour cream or plain yogurt (optional)
fresh cilantro leaves (optional)

Directions:

Place 1 can of beans (with the liquid) and the broth in blender or food processor; cover. Blend until smooth. Coat large saucepan with cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook for 4-5 minutes or until onion is tender.
Add blended bean mixture, remaining beans and liquid, salsa, lime juice, cumin, and crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover.
Cook, stirring occasionally, for 25-30 minutes. Serve topped with sour cream. Garnish with cilantro. (Makes 4 servings)

Variations:

The original recipe card says to use Ortega Thick & Chunky Salsa... I use my favorite Garden Fresh brand from Costco OR the Wal-Mart brand of Black Bean & Corn salsa... another yummy one.
I put a big dab of sour cream in the middle of each bowl. The kids like it because it mellows out the flavor a little if it seems too spicy. I know the plain yogurt would be healthier, but, whatever. And I haven't yet bothered to garnish with cilantro, though that would be pretty.
My friend, Traci, taught me to add some shredded chicken. I especially like to add about a cup of the shredded "Cafe Rio Chicken" (another recipe from Traci--I use it in lots of different recipes).
I've also added a can of corn before. Bulks it up a little and gives it a little more color and texture.

Enjoy!

Ben's "Triple C's"

2008-08-27T10:04:00.009-04:00

Story:
"Triple C" is Ben's and my code for Chocolate Chip Cookies. We use it conveniently to avoid mentioning the "cookie" word in front of the kids. We'd use Korean, but since chocolate chip cookies aren't exactly an authentic Korean food, the Korean word sounds like: choe-ko-cheep coo-kee. The kids would pick up on that right away, as you can imagine.

About 6 months after Ben and I were married, we were living in a little rundown duplex in South Salt Lake. Our [only?] friends in the neighborhood, Jeremy & Jessica, made us these cookies and Ben thought they were the best EVER. I recently made a different kind of chocolate chip cookie, just for variety's sake, and Ben was in disbelief... wondering why I would waste time and resources on any cookie but the best.

I think the original recipe came off of a Crisco wrapper and it was called "Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies." Since Ben has mastered the art of creating these cookies, tweaking a few things in the process, I now call them "Ben's Triple C's." (The recipe below is already doubled from the original, since that's how we always make 'em... so plan on it making plenty.)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Crisco shortening
2 1/2 cups not-packed light brown sugar
4 T milk
2 T vanilla
2 eggs
4 cups flour
2 t salt
1 1/2 t baking soda
2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375
2. Mix Crisco, brown sugar, milk, vanilla, and eggs.
3. Add flour, salt, and baking soda and blend well. Stir in chocolate chips.
4. Drop tablespoonfuls of dough onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake about 12 minutes. (Ovens vary so, specifically, bake until lightly golden brown.) Allow to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Then move cookies to a cooling rack--or just eat them warm!

Yummy.

My Favorite Ingredients

2008-08-27T09:00:00.007-04:00

I thought I'd keep my own little on-going list here of my favorite ingredients. You'll see what I mean.

My favorite...

Sourdough Bread: big round loaf, Boudin is the brand, I think (Costco) - used for my Tuna Melts
Salsa: Garden Fresh Gourmet, Jack's Special Salsa (Costco, refrigerator section) - delicious just with chips, but also really good in Becky's Black Bean and Chicken Casserole and in my Black Bean Soup
Tortilla Chips: Garden Fresh Gourmet Blue Corn Tortilla Chips (Costco) and Kirkland brand Organic Tortilla Chips (Costco)
Fish Sticks: Trident brand, "The Ultimate Fish Stick" (Costco, freezer section) - used in Monica's Fish Tacos

Dinner Time!

2008-08-24T21:49:00.012-04:00

Hey y'all. Welcome to my newest project.

I don't claim to be a great cook. I do, however, like to feed my family good food. I don't create recipes, but I do like to collect the good ones that my friends have already tried and proven. And I do like to flip through cooking magazines now and then, ripping out recipes that I want to try. (Some people look at fashion or celebrity magazines? I look at food!) I then try out the recipes on my loved ones, and if they pass the family test, then I'll post them here. Hopefully, even with pictures!

So here I go... trying to gather all of my family favs in one place. No longer do I have to type up a recipe to e-mail it to you (or worse, have to read a recipe to you over the phone!), but they'll all be right here (eventually) for you to peruse at your leisure. I'm not putting in recipes in any particular order, but I am going to index them on the right column so you'll be able to pull up whatever kind of dish you're looking for. I'll include the first name of who I "stole" it from as well as some of our family's variations. I have been known to tweak up a recipe now and then...

Well, I hope you find some "good eats" on here... Enjoy!