Dec 24, 2008

Easy Sugar Cookies

from Susan Cheney's old blue cook book

2 cups flour
¾ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ cup butter (1 cube)
½ cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp almond

Chill dough before rolling out

Dec 19, 2008

German Pancakes


This fluffy pancake should be eaten as soon as it comes out of the oven!

* 1 cup milk
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 6 large eggs
* Dash salt
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 4 tablespoons butter or margarine

Topping (see below)

Preheat oven to 400ยบ F. Mix milk, flour, eggs, salt, and vanilla in a blender until smooth. Melt 1 tablespoon butter or margarine in each of four 9” pie pans in oven. Remove pans as soon as butter melts and tilt to grease entire pan.

Divide batter into each of the four pie pans. Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. The edges will puff up, and the pancake will form a well in the center. Remove from oven when golden and serve immediately.

Serves 4

Topping

* 1 (10 ounce) box frozen raspberries, slightly thawed
* 1 (20 ounce) can chunk pineapple, drained
* 4 bananas sliced
* ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
* 1 (8 ounce) container dairy sour cream

Spoon raspberries, pineapple, and bananas into the center of pancake. Sprinkle with brown sugar and top with sour cream.

Dec 13, 2008

Warm Chicken & Spinach Sandwiches


Greg and I made these sandwiches for a little holiday open house we hosted last night. They were delicious.

1 dozen small ciabatta rolls
1 c Fontina cheese, grated
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons chopped shallots (or onions)
3 garlic cloves, pressed or finely minced
2 cups shredded roast chicken (one deli rotisserie chicken deboned)
5 oz baby spinach
Olive oil
Whole grain mustard

Heat oven to 400.

Chicken Mixture:
While oven is heating, saute mushrooms with 2 tablespoons of olive oil for 4 minutes. Add shallots and garlic and saute for another 3 minutes. Add chicken and saute for another 2 minutes until heated through. Set chicken mixture aside.

Spinach:
Saute spinach in the same skillet used for the chicken mixture, about 2 minutes until wilted. Season with salt and pepper. Drain if necessary.

Assemble Rolls:
Cut 12 sheets of foil, each large enough to completely wrap one ciabatta roll. Slice ciabatta rolls and pull some bread out of each half to form slightly hollow centers. Place each open roll on a piece of foil. Drizzle olive oil lightly over both halves of open rolls. Spread whole grain mustard on one half of each roll. Sprinkle Fontina cheese over mustard.

Spoon chicken mixture onto each roll and top with spinach. Sprinkle more cheese over spinach and close each roll. Wrap each sandwich tightly in foil and bake about 20 minutes.

Chocolate Peppermint Pie



I created this recipe as a smaller batch variation on an old favorite.

Pre-made Oreo cookie pie crust
8 oz container Cool Whip, thawed in the refrigerator
4 oz cream cheese
1/2 c powdered sugar
1 small pkg instant chocolate pudding
1-1/2 c milk
9 candy canes
1 2 oz chocolate bar

Layer 1:
Whip cream cheese until soft. Stir in powdered sugar and 1/2 of Cool Whip carton. Crush 6 candy canes (about 1/2 cup crushed) and stir into cream cheese mixture. Spread in the bottom of the Oreo crust.

Layer 2:
Mix package of chocolate pudding with milk until smooth and thick. Pour over cream cheese layer.

Layer 3:
Spread remaining half of Cool Whip container over chocolate layer. Chill pie overnight or several hours.

Chocolate Christmas Garnishes:
Trace some Christmas cookie cutters onto paper. I didn't have Christmas cookie cutters, so I found some Christmas silhouette images online and printed them out so that the printed images were about three inches tall. Lay plastic wrap over paper with shapes on the counter.

Melt chocolate bar in double boiler. Pour melted chocolate into a plastic sandwich bag. Cut a very small piece off of bag corner to make a frosting tip. Use the chocolate to trace the Christmas shapes on the plastic wrap. You could also freehand the shapes, but I'm not that good. I sprinkled some very finely crushed candy canes on some of the the chocolate pieces to make them sparkle. Let the chocolate shapes cool completely.

Serving:
Crush 3 more candy canes. Sprinkle crushed candy canes over the top Cool Whip layer of the pie just before serving. Slice pie, and place a chocolate shape vertically in the cream.

Easy Cranberry Sauce



Greg and I have made this easy recipe several times this season.

12 oz fresh cranberries
1 tablespoon crystalized or candied ginger, chopped
1/2 to 1 cup sugar (according to taste)

Heat over to 450. Finely chop ginger and combine with cranberries. Place mixture on two layers of aluminum foil. Fold and crimp foil tightly to make a sealed packet. Place directly on over rack and cook for 30 minutes. Remove cranberries from foil and stir with sugar to taste.

Nov 12, 2008

The best Cornbread

The Best CornBread

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup sour cream
3 Tbsp oil
2 eggs


Mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl & then add the wet ingredients. Mix well & pour into a greased & floured 8x8 pan. (sometimes I am lazy and just grease it) Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until the top is golden, & firm, with no jiggles

Nov 2, 2008

Chocolate Torte


We recently had a couple of friends over for dinner. For dessert, I made a chocolate cake in a 9"x13" pan using an organic cake mix from Whole Foods. To my chagrin, the cake didn't rise. (I'm not sure why; maybe organic cakes aren't supposed to. Next time I'll stick with Duncan Hines.) So I cut the cake into thirds and stacked the pieces to make a triple layer tort. I made frosting from 1/3 cup butter, powdered sugar, a little milk, and a melted Ghirardelli 60% cocoa bar. My presentation distracted from the leavening failure, and our guests were very impressed.

Greg's artistic photograph of dessert, complete with cow pepper shaker

Crepes, anyone?



I made crepes for Greg's birthday breakfast, stuffed with clementine oranges, strawberries, and bananas. I used Alton Brown's recipe (ingredients below), but I like Mom's Swedish Pancakes recipe better. Brown says to let the batter rest in the fridge for 1 hour to let the bubbles subside. He says this makes the crepes less likely to tear when turning them.

Alton Brown's Crepes
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 cup flour
  • 3 tablespoons melted butter

Oct 26, 2008

Pumpkin Bars


Bars:

* 4 eggs
* 1 2/3 cups sugar
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 15-ounce can pumpkin (1/2 of a large can)
* 2 cups sifted flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon baking soda

Icing:

* 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
* 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
* 2 cups powdered sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin on medium speed until light and fluffy. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and batter is smooth. Spread the batter into a greased 13 by 10-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting. Cut into bars. I made these bars in a large cookie sheet and baked them for 23 minutes.

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

Oct 8, 2008

Zucchini Brownies

Prepare and shred enough zucchini to make two cups. Let drain while preparing the following:
Sift together:
2 cups flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup cocoa

Mix:
2 cups zucchini
1/2 cup oil
2 tsp vanilla

Combine the dry ingredients with the zucchini. Spread batter on to an oiled cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes. After it is cooked, melt marshmallows over the top. Let cool. Then frost.

Oct 4, 2008

Recipes with history?

I'm working on writing a food history of pioneer Utah, and I was just wondering if anyone here has old family recipes going back several generations? Or perhaps a sourdough start with some antiquity? Or even just a story about a particular dish in your family? Drop me a line if you have goodies to share. Thanks.

Sep 12, 2008

Bisquick Coffee Cake

This recipe used to be on the back of the Bisquick box, but Betty removed it a few years ago. It's an easy, tasty treat when your cupboard is almost bare.








Coffee Cake
2 cups Original Bisquick mix
2/3 cup milk or water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
Cinnamon Streusel Topping
1/3 cup Original Bisquick mix
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons firm butter or margarine
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375°F. Grease 9-inch round pan. In small bowl, stir streusel ingredients until crumbly; set aside.
2. In medium bowl, mix coffee cake ingredients until blended. Spread in pan. Sprinkle with streusel topping.
3. Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Heat oven to 425°F. Use 9-inch square pan. Stir 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour into the 2 cups Bisquick mix. Increase milk to 3/4 cup. Bake 15 to 20 minutes.

Aug 16, 2008

Marshmallow Cream Cheese Fruit Dip

Soften a package of cream cheese and mix with 2 small jars of marshmallow cream; you could use one large jar, but it's too hard to get the stuff out of the big jar. Just use 2 small jars. Then add a teaspoon or two of vanilla. Blend till smooth and enjoy with fruit. We particularly enjoy it with watermelon!

Aug 15, 2008

Strawberry Fruit Dip

This recipe is quick and delicious...just how I like em'.

Ingredients:
1/4 to 1/3 container (8oz) of cool whip
1- 6 oz container of strawberry yogurt

Mix cool whip and yogurt together.

That's it! Enjoy!

Great for dipping apples, grapes and bananas. Yum, yum!

Aug 6, 2008

Spinach Chicken & Pasta Salad

1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup oil
3 Tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup browned slivered almonds (cook on the stove with butter and brown sugar)

1 large bag washed spinach leaves
1- 12oz bag bowtie pasta (cooked until tender firm & chilled)
4 chicken breasts (boiled, cut into pieces- or you can use a Costco roasted chicken and just cut it up)

Mix all ingredients in large bowl EXCEPT spinach, noodles, almonds & chicken. Stir well. Add remaining ingredients (except almonds) and toss well. Let chill for a few hours before serving.

Add almonds and stir in right before serving.

This is a delicious main course salad, but you can also serve it as a side salad with dinner if you eliminate the chicken.

I got this recipe from my husband's Aunt Lorraine Starkie and everyone seems to LOVE it!

Jul 30, 2008

White Chocolate Cheesecake

1 cup shortbread cookie crumbs (or store bought crust)
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 Pkg. cream cheese (8oz), soften
1 Pkg. (6oz) white chocolate baking bar, (melted and cooled)
2/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
2/3 sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla

In small mixing bowl, combine cookie crumbs and melted butter. Press onto bottom of 9 inch springform pan.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and cooled white chocolate baking bar until combined. Beat in sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla, and sour cream; beat on low speed till just combined. Pour over prepared crust. Bake in a 350˙ oven for about 45 minutes or until center appears to be almost set. Cool on wire rack for 15 minutes. Loosen cake from sides of pan. Cool 30 more minutes; remove sides of pan. Cool completely. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. 

Jul 29, 2008

BLT Pasta

3 cups of any kind of pasta
1/2 package of cream cheese
1 cup milk
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Cooked Bacon
2 cups spinach leaves
tomato's
1 tsp Italian seasoning

Cook pasta. In a skillet, cook cream cheese, milk, Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning until melted and well blended. Add remaining ingredients. Serve and enjoy!

Jul 22, 2008

Train Burgers

I think these are the BEST burgers I have ever had! We make these with homemade french fries and dip the fries in the leftover sauce. I know this is not a healthy meal but it is so GOOD!!!

Make the sauce first, so the flavors can blend


2 lbs. Hamburger

1 lb. Ham

8 Lrg. hamburger buns

8 slices Swiss cheese

8 slices American cheese

1 Recipe Train sauce (see below)

Lettuce

Sliced Tomatoes

Dill Pickle Slices

Divide hamburger into 8 patties. Divide ham into 8 servings. Cook hamburger on grill. When hamburger is almost 165 degrees, place ham onto grill. when ham is hot, place Swiss cheese on ham and American cheese on hamburger. Cook hamburger to 165 degrees, toast or heat buns. Serve with train sauce, lettuce, pickles and tomato. Serves 8


Train Sauce:

1 c. mayonnaise

1/4 c. ketchup

2 T. creamy french salad dressing

1 T. white vinegar

1 T. sugar

1 T. minced sweet pickle

1 T. minced white onion

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. white pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl; stir well. Cover and refrigerate for several hours so that flavors blend. Makes about 1 1/2 c. sauce.

Jul 10, 2008

Ice Cream For Fun!

Ice Cream in a Bag

What You'll Need:
1 Tbs sugar
1/2 cup half & half
1/4 tsp vanilla
6 tbs rock salt (I bought "ice cream salt" in the baking aisle at Smith's)
1 pint-size Ziploc plastic bag
1 gallon-sze Ziploc plastic bag
Ice cubes

How to make it:
Fill the large bag half full of ice, and add the rock salt. Seal the bag.
Put half and half, vanilla, and sugar into small bag and seal it.
Place the small bag in the large one and seal again carefully.
Shake until mixture is ice cream, about 5-8 minutes.
Wipe off top of small bag (you don'g want to taste salt!) and then open and enjoy! It makes a 1/2 cup serving of vanilla ice cream.

I made this with my residents at work, and they loved it. It's a great thing to do with little kids too! You can also use chocolate milk to make chocolate ice cream.

*Tip: Wear oven mitts when you're shaking...it gets pretty cold! And try doubling the recipe to make a larger serving.

Jul 9, 2008

Yummy Potato Wedges

4 potatoes
1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons onion powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

olive oil or olive oil/butter cooking spray
(not actual picture of this recipe)

Cut your potatoes into wedges and lay them on a cookie sheet. Mix together all of the seasonings and sprinkle over the potatoes. Make sure seasonings cover both sides of the wedges by tossing them around. Generously drizzle or spray the olive oil/cooking spray over the top of the wedges (not enough might make it a little dry).

Cook in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20-30 minutes, depending on how thick your wedges are.

Dip in ketchup like french fries, and enjoy with your BBQ or summer grilling!

Jul 3, 2008

Fluffy French Toast


These are delicious! Once you try them you will be hooked!

2 Egg Whites

1 Tbsp Sugar

2 Egg yolks

1 c. Flour

2/3 c. Milk

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. Salt

Beat egg whites with sugar until stiff. Set aside. Make sure you save the yolks of the eggs. Beat egg yolks with remaining ingredients. Stir egg whites into mixture. Cut bread into triangles. Dip the bread triangles into batter; fry in about 3/4" of hot oil until they are golden brown. Sprinkle with sifted powdered sugar, or serve with syrup or jam. This recipe makes approx. 14 triangles.

Jun 30, 2008

Banana Bread

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour (I usually use wheat flour and it turns out just as yummy)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
2 beaten eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (5 medium ripe bananas)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup veg. oil
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Mix together in a large bowl and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine eggs, bananas (mash bananas before adding them), sugar, and oil. Mix together and add all at once to flour mixture.

Stir just until moistened (batter will be lumpy). Fold in nuts (if you desire nuts in your banana bread...I usually don't :)

Spoon batter into greased bread pan(s)...(makes 1 large loaf or 4 mini loafs)

Bake at 350 for 55 to 60 minutes for large loaf or for 30-35 minutes for mini loafs.


Jun 17, 2008

Baked Beans

These are the BEST baked beans EVER. I got the recipe from my grandma and they are DELICIOUS!



1/2 lb of hamburger
2 cans of pork n' beans
1 can tomato soup
1 tsp. dry mustard
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. vinegar
chopped onion (about 1/8-1/4 cup or so) - optional

Brown hamburger
Mix everything together

Bake @ 350 for 30 minutes

Enjoy!!

Jun 3, 2008

Asian Salad

Asian Salad:

1/4 c snow peas
1/4 c broccoli
1/4 c carrots
1/2 c lettuce
1 c leftover roast beef
1/4 c crisp Chinese noodles

Salad dressing:
4 T vegetable oil
1 T sesame oil
3 T rice vinegar
2 T soy sauce
1 1/4 t sugar
2 t ginger, finely grated (I used 1/2 t powder instead)

Whisk dressing ingredients together in a small bowl until well combined. Stir-fry snow peas, broccoli, carrots, lettuce, and roast beef with 1 T sesame oil for 5 minutes, until vegetables are just slightly tender. Serve over lettuce. Garnish with noodles and dressing.

Apr 13, 2008

Garlic Rice

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped fine
3 garlic clove, minced fine
1 cup long grain rice
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
Directions
1Put the oil in a skillet and saute the onions& garlic until golden.
2Add rice, broth, thyme& bay leaf Bring to a boil uncovered, turn heat to low cover and simmer about 25 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed, give a little stir after 15 minutes Remove bay leaf& stir in the parsley.



***Ben loves this***

Caramelized Chicken

Ingredients
2 1/2 lbs chicken leg
1 2/3 tablespoons olive oil (to help it stop sticking to the pan)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 2/3 tablespoons ketchup
3/4 cup honey
2-3 garlic clove, minced
salt and pepper
Directions
1Directions:.
2Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
3Place chicken in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Mix together the oil, soy sauce, ketchup, honey, garlic, salt and pepper.
4Pour over the chicken.
5Bake in preheated oven for one hour, or until sauce is caramelized.
6Could also use wings or pork ribs

Mar 25, 2008

Banana Cream Pie

You may know that for Lent this year I gave up sweets. Over the 40 days, I kept thinking about what dessert I wanted to eat on Easter Sunday. I decided on banana cream pie. This recipe comes from The Little Pie Company in the Big Apple. I made it on Easter while visiting Lane and James in Austin. It was delicious. The recipe it a good one because it gives detailed instructions for how to make an excellent cream filling. Follow it carefully and your pie will set beautifully. Bon Appetit!


½ cup sugar

4 tablespoons cornstarch

½ teaspoon salt

4 egg yolks, lightly beaten

2 ½ cups cold milk

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 large, just-ripe bananas (I think 2 1/2 or 3 might be better)

1 baked and cooled 9” pie shell

Sweetened whipped cream

1. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan off the heat, stir the sugar, cornstarch, and salt until well blended.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together the egg yolks and milk and add them to the sugar mixture; stir until combined, then scrape the bottom and sides of the pan with a rubber spatula to make sure that every last bit of sugar is mixed in.

3. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens and boils. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook the pudding, stirring, for 1 minute.

4. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla until blended. Cover with wax paper and let the filling cool for about 30 minutes.

5. Slice bananas ¼ inch thick and arrange them over the bottom and sides of the prebaked shell. Spoon the filling over the bananas and smooth it with the back of the spoon.

6. Let the pie cool to room temperature. Then refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 2 hours. Cover only after the pie is thoroughly chilled.

Serve with sweetened whipped cream.

Mar 20, 2008

Butterfinger Cookies

1/2 c butter or margarine
3/4 c sugar
2/3 c brown sugar
2 egg whites
1 1/4 c chunky peanut butter
1 1/2 t vanilla
1 c flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
5 Butterfinger candy bars (2.1 oz each) coarsely chopped

Cream together the butter and sugars. Add egg whites. Beat well. Blend in peanut butter and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in candy bars. Shape into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 8-9 minutes or until golden brown, set around the edges but soft in the middle. Cool on wire racks.

Usually peanut butter cookies come out kind of dry and you can't eat them without a tall glass of milk. Not so with these babies; they are the best peanut butter cookies I have ever tasted. I have just barely procured the recipe, happily for all of YOU!

Mar 17, 2008

Pat Weed's Honeyed Chicken

1/2 c butter
1 c honey
1/2 c prepared mustard
1 t salt
1 t curry
4 chicken breasts

Heat oven to 375. Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in honey, mustard, salt and curry. Roll chicken in honey mixture and arrange in baking dish. Pour remaining mixture over chicken. Bake about 1 hour or until fork tender. Cover for first half of cooking time.

The best part about this recipe is the way it SMELLS!! I like to serve this over rice.

Mom's Spare Ribs

Put Country Style Spare Ribs (Don't get expensive good ribs for this. Just use cheap ribs! You need the fat!) in your crockpot.
Mix in a bowl 1 c BBQ sauce and 1/2 c brown sugar. Pour this over your spare ribs. Cook on low for 10 hours.

I like to make rice to serve with this. Sometimes I drain a can of black beans and put them in with the meat. Then all you need is a salad and you have a square meal!

Grandma Stauffer's Barbeque

Brown 4 lb lean ground beef with 1 1/4 medium onion, chopped.
Then add:
2 T salt
1/8 t pepper
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c vinegar
2 c ketchup
(Grandma's recipe calls for 3/4 c water, but I think there ends up being too much liquid if you do. You decide)
2 Tbsp chopped green pepper
1/8 t sage
3 T mustard
Bring to a boil. Boil gently 8-10 minutes.

This was Grandma's secret recipe that she made at home and took to the Drugstore to sell on sandwiches.

Oatmeal Coconut Cookies

1 c white sugar
1 c brown sugar
1 c shortening
2 eggs
2 t vanilla
2 C flour
1/2 t salt
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 c coconut
2 c oatmeal
2 c cornflakes
butterscotch chips

Bake at 375 for 9 minutes. Makes 4 dozen with the Pampered Chef medium scoop.

I love this recipe. I used to make these with Grandma Cheney. I can remember her teaching me how to measure shortening with the water displacement method once when we were making this recipe. I'm sure I was wearing pants I pegged myself and too much eye-liner, and yet she helped me make these delicious cookies. They are so chewy and full of good stuff.

Aunt LeAnn's Cheddar Chowder

2 c boiling water
2 c cubed potatoes
1/2 c chopped carrots
1/2 c sliced celery
1 c chopped ham
1/4 c butter
1/4 c flour
2 c milk (I use 1/2 &1/2)
1/4 t pepper
1 1/2 t salt
2 c shredded cheese

Cook veggies in water 10 minutes. Don't drain. Set aside.
In a large pot, melt butter; add flour. Stir till smooth. Add milk. Stir till thick. Add Cheese. Stir till melted. Add ham, seasonings, and undrained vegetables. Heat through.

You can substitute other vegetables such as broccoli. I always use butter instead of margarine and 1/2 & 1/2 instead of milk. People love this and then I always tell them it is low fat and they look amazed. I'm sure it is NOT low fat. I don't like eating anything low fat. Life is too short to limit your fat intake.

Curried Chicken Divan

1 lb cooked broccoli
1 can cream of chicken soup
2/3 c mayo
1/3 milk
1 c cheese, grated
1 t lemon juice
1 t curry
4 chicken breasts: boiled, boned, cut up

Mix it all up and throw it in a casserole dish! Put croutons or bread crumbs on top.
Bake at 350 for 1/2 hour-45 minutes.

This was always my birthday dinner until I married a mayonnaise hater. I love this dish.

Hale Oatmeal Cookies

1 1/2 c shortening
2 c sugar
3 eggs
1 lb raisins, boiled (reserve 1 1/2 c water from this process!)
1 1/2 c water from boiled raisins
1 1/2 c nuts chopped
chocolate chips
4 c flour
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp soda
2 tsp salt
2 tsp nutmeg
2 t vanilla
4 c oatmeal

Boil raisins 5 minutes. Cool before using. Bake cookies at 375 for 10 minutes.

These are the BEST raisin cookies ever. I use a chunky multi-grain oatmeal when I bake these. Since the raisins are boiled, they are soft, and the water that you add to the cookies makes them really soft, and makes the chocolate chips delicious and melty. So you end up with a chewy, moist, spicy (but not too spicy) chocolaty cookie. They are an old family recipe.

Ebleskiver

Separate 6 eggs.
Beat whites till stiff with 1/2 tsp cream of tartar.
Beat yolks with 2 Tbsp sugar.
Add alternately 2 c flour and 1 1/2 c milk + 1 t salt.
Fold in egg whites.

Cook in greased ebleskiver pan on medium heat. Turn with a fondue fork or a long 2-pronged meat fork or a BBQ skewer.

Taco Soup

1 lb hamburger, browned
1/2 c onion, chopped and cooked with meat.
1 quart tomatoes
2 cans beans (any kind), rinsed and drained
3 c water
1 package taco seasoning
1 15-oz can tomato sauce

Simmer 30 minutes. Garnish with cheese, sour cream, and corn chips.

I love this dinner because it is fast and easy. You just dump in the canned stuff after you brown your meat and dinner is ready! I also like adding a can of corn to this one.

Grandma Cheney's Sweet Potatoes

1 1/4 lb sweet potatoes
Steam in pot till tender. Slice 1st layer in casserole dish. Layer with 1 lb apples and whole pecans.

Sauce:
3/4 c sugar
1 tsp salt
4 Tbsp cornstarch
2 c water or apple juice
1/4 c water
Cook till clear. Spoon over sweet potatoes. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour or till apples are tender.

I love this recipe! I never liked sweet potatoes until I tasted this recipe. In my opinion, pineapple and marshmallows do NOT belong on the Thanksgiving table. I love this traditional recipe that tastes of fall. However, I always end up with a plate of apples and pecans with a bite or two of sweet potatoes on the side. The apples and pecans are just divine.

Mar 16, 2008

Chicken Kung Po

This is super easy and yummy

Chopped chicken
celery
Any color pepper
peanuts
onion
Kung po sauce( Brand LEE KUM KEE KUNG PAO STIR FRY SAUCE)
We found ours at albertsons

Heat up chicken and chopped onions in a frying pan. Then add chopped peppers and celery. Keep them a little crisp. Add kung po sauce and peanuts. Add a little water with sauce. Serve over rice.

Mar 14, 2008

Chicken salad picture


Chicken Velvet soup

Chicken Velvet Soup

1 package California Blend frozen veg.
3-4 celery sticks chopped
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup onion chopped
1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup flour
1 can evaporated milk
1lb velveta cheese
2 cups chicken

Melt butter add flour and evaporated milk to make white sauce add chicken broth and veg add cheese stir until cheese is melted and add chicken, salt, pepper to taste good if simmered in crock pot for some time let it simmer for several hours

Mar 8, 2008

Sweet-and-Sour Pork


2 T. butter
2 T. olive oil
3 pounds lean pork, cut into strips
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 t. salt
1 t. pepper
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
2 (20 ounce) cans pineapple tidbits, drained with juice reserved
2 T. soy sauce
1 1/2 cups red and/or green bell pepper, cut into strips
1/2 cup thinly sliced onions
Rice for 4-6 people

Melt butter in a large skillet; add olive oil. Stir-fry pork strips until browned, about 7 minutes. Cover and simmer on low for about 15-20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
In same skillet, combine cornstarch, salt, pepper, brown sugar, vinegar, 2 cups of the reserved pineapple juice, and soy sauce. Cook and stir until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat. Stir and cook 2 minutes. Add hot pork, peppers, sliced onion, and pineapple tidbits. Cook 3-5 minutes longer over medium heat. Serve over rice.

Mar 7, 2008

Chicken Crescent Pockets


I got this recipe from a friend and they turned out to be pretty tasty!

You will need:

1 can of chicken (or cook and shred chicken breast, but the canned chicken is a bit easier)
1 pkg of crescent roll dough (the pkg that makes 8 rolls; usually found on the biscuit isle)
1/2 pkg (4oz) of cream cheese (softened)
Melted butter
Crushed Ritz crackers
1 can Cream of chicken soup


Mix softened cream cheese and chicken together;
Separate and flatten crescent dough on pan (grease pan or cover with tinfoil);
Scoop a spoonful or more of chicken onto 4 of the laid out pieces of dough;
Place other 4 pieces of dough (the ones without any chicken on them) on top and flatten and seal all the edges;Dip uncooked crescent pockets in melted butter and then sprinkle or dip into crushed crackers.

Bake @ 350 for 25-30 minutes.

While that is cooking, mix cream of chicken soup with water (3/4 can water). Bring to a boil.

When crescent pockets are done baking, drizzle soup over them and enjoy!

Makes 4...easily double recipe to make 8!

Mar 3, 2008

Oriental Cabbage Chicken Salad

I chopped head of cabbage
2-4 cooked and chopped chicken
1 package slivered almonds Toasted and brown in a pan
2 packages Oriental flavored top toasted in the oven (keep the flavoring for the dressing)
break into pieces
Toasted sesame seeds (opt.)
1 small green onion bunch chopped

Dressing:
2 Oriental ramen flavor packets
1/3 cup sugar
3 Tb soy sauce
2 Tb white vinegar
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 Tb sesame oil
1 cup canola oil
salt pepper to taste

Creamy Chicken Casserole

Creamy Chicken Casserole
Prep time 5 min
Cooking time 30 min

3 cups cooked chicken
2 -10 oz cans chicken soup
1 carton sour cream
1/2 cup crushed round buttery crackers
1/2 cup butter, Melted

combine first 4 ingredients, spoon into lightly greased 11/17 baking dish combined crushed crackers and butter, and sprinkle over combined mixture. Bake uncover @350 for 30 min or until crackers are light brown.

Mar 2, 2008

Turkey Burgers


This is a recipe I just made up, but it turned out to be pretty tasty.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey (or hamburger)
1/4 c chopped green pepper
1/4 c chopped yellow onion
Black pepper or season-all (optional)

Mix all ingredients together.
Form 4- 1/4 lb patties.
Sprinkle black pepper or season-all on top of patties (optional)
Cook as desired...grill/BBQ, George Forman, fry, etc.

Once burgers are fully cooked, place on bun and dress burger up however you prefer.
We never have any good toppings, so we usually just use ketchup and mayo.