4/10/08

Fresh Fruit Dip

Credit: Suzy Mondragon

Ingredients:
  • 1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
  • 1 jar marshmallow creme
  • 2-3 Tbsp pineapple juice
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together until well blended. Serve with fresh fruit!

*Note: you can also use crushed pineapple, zest of a lemon or an orange, etc. depending on the flavor and texture desired.

Award Winning Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

Credit: Debbie Borsick (Albertson's Online Recipes)

Ingredients:
  • 4 1/2 Cups flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 Cups butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 Cups packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 Cup white sugar
  • 2 (3.4 oz) packaged instant vanilla pudding mix... or other flavor, if desired
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 4 Cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 2 Cups chopped walnuts (optional)
Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together the flour and baking soda, set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
  3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Edges should be golden brown.

3/10/08

Peanut Butter Granola Bars


Credit: Martha Stewart


Ingredients:


  • 1 large egg white

  • 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries

  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 cup natural peanut butter or almond butter

  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar

  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with 2 crisscrossed rectangles of parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang at 2 opposite ends.

2. In a large bowl, combine oats, almonds and cranberries.

3. In a small saucepan, whisk together oil, brown sugar, peanut butter, cinnamon, salt and 1 tablespoon water over low heat until sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly; whisk in egg white.

4. Pour over oat mixture; stir until moistened. Spread evenly in bottom of pan; smooth top.

5. Bake until top is firm, about 30 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes. Lift out of pan, using paper as handles. Let cool completely, cut into bars with serrated knife.

3/3/08

Big Crescent Rolls

Credit: Sue Cornwall (www.suesfood.blogspot.com)

Ingredients:
  • 3 1/4 Cup very warm water
  • 2 TBS yeast
  • 1/2 Cup oil
  • 3/4 Cup sugar
  • 3 Eggs
  • 1 TBS salt
  • 8-10 Cups flour
  • melted Butter
Directions:
In mixer sprinkle yeast over water and dissolve. Add four cups flour and mix. Combine oil, sugar, eggs and salt in another bowl. Add to flour mixture and mix 2 minutes. Add remaining flour until dough pulls away from sides. Knead 8 minutes. Pour 1 TBS oil in bottom of large bowl and add dough, turning in oil. Cover with plastic and rise 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Divide into 4 pieces. Roll in circle and cut into 12 wedges. Roll each triangle into crescent shape. Let these rise 1 1/2 hours covered with towel. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes and brush with butter when they are golden brown. Can half or quarter this recipe.

Grilled Marinated Fish with Tropical Salsa and Coconut Rice

Credit: Emeril Lagasse (The Food Network)
Note***this recipe is intense, but very worth the effort-- yum!

Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup sliced yellow onions
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
  • 5 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • Pinch cayenne
  • 4 (6 to 8-ounce) troll-caught mahi mahi fillets, skin on -- Other fish or chicken work, too
  • Coconut Rice, recipe follows
  • Tropical Salsa, recipe follows
  • Toasted coconut flakes, garnish
  • Chopped cilantro, garnish
Directions:
In a bowl, combine the onions, oil, orange and lime juices, cilantro, garlic, salt, cumin, and cayenne. Place the fish in a large, non-reactive baking dish. Pour the marinade over the fish, cover and refrigerate for up to 1 hour.

Preheat a grill, and lightly oil the grill rack with vegetable oil. Remove the fish from the marinade. Place on the oiled grill and cook, skin side up, until marked, 45 seconds to 1 minute. Turn carefully with a spatula and cook, skin side down, until the fish is just cooked through, about 4 minutes, depending upon thickness. Remove from the grill.

Spoon the coconut rice into the center of 4 large plates. Arrange 1 fillet onto each serving of rice and top with the Tropical Salsa. Garnish with toasted coconut and cilantro, and serve.

Coconut Rice:

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 cup long grain white rice
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Directions:
In a saucepan, combine the coconut milk, water, salt, and sugar. Bring to a boil. Add the rice, stir well, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer undisturbed until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is fluffy, about 20 to 24 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit without stirring for 10 minutes.

Fluff with a fork and add the cilantro. Adjust seasoning, to taste. Serve hot.

Tropical Salsa:

Ingredients:
  • 1 ripe mango, peeled, seeded, and diced
  • 1 ripe avocado, peeled, seeded, and diced
  • 1/2 cup diced fresh pineapple
  • 1/4 cup minced red onions
  • 1/4 cup minced red bell peppers
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 2 teaspoons minced jalapeno
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • Pinch salt

Directions:

Combine the mango, avocado, pineapple, onions, bell peppers, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno, garlic, and salt in a bowl and gently fold to combine. Adjust seasoning to taste. Let sit for 30 minutes before serving for the flavors to blend.

2/29/08

Shredded Beef for Tacos

Credit: Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
  • 1 (4 pound) frozen rump roast
  • 1 cup chicken broth/stock
  • 2 (7.75 ounce) cans Mexican style hot tomato sauce (I used El Pato)
  • 3 tablespoons crushed garlic
  • salt and ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 bunch green onions, chopped
  • 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. Place the frozen roast in the slow cooker. Pour the chicken broth and Mexican style hot tomato sauce over the top. Season with garlic, and salt and pepper to taste.

2. Cover, and cook on Low for 9 hours. When done, the roast should shred easily with a fork. Shred the roast into the juices, and mix in the chopped green onions and cilantro.

Makes 10 servings. (I used 1 lb. of brisket instead and cut the recipe to 1/4 and it turned out great! Or you could have lots of yummy leftovers.)

Easy Chicken & Rice

Credit: Jenn Eastman

Ingredients:
  • 1 can cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 can chicken gumbo soup
  • 1/2 C milk
  • 5 pieces of chicken
  • 1 1/3 C minute rice
  • 1 package dry onion soup mix
Directions:
Mix soups, milk, and rice in bowl. Transfer to large, greased casserole dish. Lay chicken skin side up on top of mixture. Sprinkle with onion soup mix. Cover with foil or lid. Bake at 325 for 2 hours.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Credit: Jenn Eastman

Ingredients:
  • 3/4 C butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 C sugar
  • 1 small can pumpkin
  • 3 3/4 - 4 C flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp ginger
  • 2 tsp nutmeg
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. Cream butter, eggs, vanilla, and sugar. Add can of pumpkin. Mix well. Add all dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes.

Pizza Dough

Credit: Sue Cornwall (www.suesfood.blogspot.com)

Ingredients:
  • 3 C warm water
  • 2 Tbsp yeast
  • 6 tsp sugar
  • 3 tsp salt
  • 6 Tbsp oil
  • 6 C flour
Directions:

Mix the above ingredients and knead for 8 minutes. Let rise 35-40 minutes. Fit into pizza pans and let it rise slightly. Makes enough dough for 3 pizzas (it makes really thick crust so adjust according to your liking).

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Credit: Kristen Monson (from Amber Wardell)

Ingredients:
  • 6 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1 1/2 C sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 C melted butter
  • 3 C flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 C milk chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. Mash bananas; add sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla. Mix well. Add all dry ingredients (don't overmix). Stir in chocolate chips. Place muffin liners in muffin pans. Pour batter, filling each cup 2/3 full. (Optional: sprinkle 1 tsp sugar on top of each muffin.) Bake at 375 for 18-22 minutes. Makes approximately 24 muffins.

2/27/08

Serving Up Salmon

Credit: Jamie Huish Stum (and family)

Technique #1

Ingredients:
  • Salmon
  • Olive Oil
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Lemon Pepper
Directions:
Put fish on foil lined baking sheet, heat oven to Broil. Drizzle olive oil over the whole fish, then sprinkle salt, pepper and lemon pepper generously on top. Broil 10-12 min. until fish is flaky and not gooey in the middle. Don't overcook! It will keep cooking for about 90 sec. after you take it out.
Technique #2

Ingredients:
  • Salmon
  • Butter
  • Johnny's Seasoning
Directions:
Put fish on foil lined baking sheet, heat oven to Broil. Spread butter over fish, sprinkle Johnny's Seasoning on top. Broil 10-12 min.
Technique #3

Ingredients:
  • Salmon
  • 1/2 C mayonnaise
  • 2 T regular mustard
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
Mix mayonnaise with regular mustard. Stir in Italian seasoning. (All measurements are approximate; you can do more or less of either depending on how strong you like the dill taste.)
Put fish on foil lined baking sheet, heat oven to 350 degrees. Pour mixture over top of fish. Extra is always yummy if it spills on the sides a bit! Cook fish for 30 min. and enjoy! The sauce makes a kind of baked crust on top-- it is so good.

Ideas for sides:
red potatoes, asparagus, spinach salad

2/25/08

Fruit Smoothies

Credit: Lori Frost

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 1/2 cup frozen fruit of choice
  • 3 scoops sherbet (orange or raspberry are delicious)
Directions:
Pour juice into blender. Add frozen fruit; then scoop sherbet on top. Blend thoroughly until desired consistency (add more orange juice or water to thin; add more sherbet or fruit to thicken).

Flavor Ideas:
  1. For a smoothie with a "kick," try: orange juice, orange sherbet, blueberries, pineapple, and peaches.
  2. For a "smoother" smoothie, try: orange juice, raspberry sherbet, bananas, and strawberries.
  3. For another taste, try substituting apple juice for orange juice and use frozen vanilla yogurt instead of sherbet. Ex: apple juice, frozen vanilla yogurt, and pineapple -- along with 2 Tbsp. coconut milk -- makes a great pina colada smoothie. Or, apple juice, frozen strawberry yogurt, strawberries, and bananas makes a great strawberry banana smoothie.
Healthy Idea: Just replace sherbet with your flavor of yoplait light yogurt. This changes the texture just a bit, but it still has a delicious flavor! 3 ingredients: yogurt, frozen fruit, and orange juice. It's as easy as that!

Simple Crusty Bread

Credit: "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day," by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois

Ingredients:
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp yeast (... remember: 1 Tbsp = 3 tsp, so 1/2 Tbsp = 1 1/2 tsp)
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp kosher salt
  • 6 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour + more for dusting dough
  • Cornmeal
Directions:
1. In a large bowl or plastic container, mix yeast and salt into 3 cups lukewarm water (100 degrees). Stir in flour, mixing until there are no dry patches. Dough will be quite loose. Cover, but not with an airtight lid. Let dough rise at room temperature 2 hours (or up to 5 hours).

2. Bake at this point or refrigerate, covered, for as long as 2 weeks. When ready to bake, sprinkle a little flour on dough and cut off a grapefruit-size piece with serrated knife. Turn dough in hands to lightly stretch surface, creating a round top and a lumpy bottom. Put dough on pizza peel sprinkled with cornmeal; let rest 40 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough or refrigerate it.

3. Place broiler pan on bottom of oven. Place baking stone on middle rack and turn oven to 450 degrees; heat stone at that temperature for 20 minutes.

4. Dust dough with flour, slash top with serrated or very sharp knife three times. Slide onto stone. Pour 1 cup hot water into broiler pan and shut oven quickly to trap steam. Bake until well browned, about 30 minutes. Cool completely.

Makes 4 loaves.

Variation: If not using stone, stretch rounded dough into oval and place in a greased, nonstick loaf pan. Let rest 40 minutes if fresh, an extra hour if refrigerated. Heat oven to 450 degrees for 5 minutes. Place pan on middle rack. Bake as directed above, until well browned.

Tony Roma's Potato Soup

Credit: Jenn Eastman (and www.topsecretrecipes.com)

Ingredients:
  • 2 Cups Chopped Potato (baked and cooled)
  • 3 Tbs. Butter
  • 1C Diced White Onion
  • 2 Tbsp. Flour
  • 4 C. chicken broth
  • 2 C Water
  • ¼ C Corn Starch
  • 1 ½ C instant mashed potato
  • 1 t Salt
  • ¾ t Pepper
  • ½ t basil
  • 1/8 t thyme
  • 1 c Half & Half

Garnish:

  • ½ C Cheddar Cheese
  • 2 Diced Green onions (only green part)
  • ¼ C cooked bacon bits
Directions:

Bake potatoes. Skin and scoop out insides. Dice.

Melt Butter in saucepan. Add White Onion and sauté. Add flour and stir well. Add Chicken broth, water, cornstarch, Instant potatoes, and the spices. Stir and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Then, add the diced potatoes and half & half, only simmering for 15 minutes. Garnish bowls separately when serving.