Monday, November 21, 2016

Recipe of the Day - Sweet Cinnamon Scones

Courtesy of The Pioneer Woman (http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/03/sweet-cinnamon-scones/) I love me some scones!! And, with cinnamon? Delish. Can't wait to try these...

Ingredients ■3 cups All-purpose Flour ■⅓ cups Sugar ■5 teaspoons Baking Powder ■½ teaspoons Ground Cinnamon ■2 sticks (1 Cup) Unsalted Butter ■¾ cups Heavy Cream ■1 whole Egg ■1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract ■1 cup Cinnamon Chips ■Topping ■½ cups Sugar ■1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon ■1-½ teaspoon Heavy Cream

Preparation Instructions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and baking powder. Cut butter into pieces, then cut into dry ingredients with a pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cinnamon chips. Mix together cream, egg, and vanilla extract. Pour into flour/butter mixture, stirring gently with a fork to combine. Turn onto work surface (mixture will be very crumbly and falling apart.) Gently press together on the sides as you flatten (or roll, with a rolling pin) the top. Form either into a large circle or a large rectangle. Mix together topping ingredients, stirring with a fork. Sprinkle over the top of the dough, lightly pressing. Cut into wedges (from a circle) or triangles (from a rectangle.) Transfer to a cookie sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely.

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken

I made these for Dusty's birthday as well and they were a big hit. We used them for Chicken Taco's. So easy! I also shred my chicken in my KitchenAid - if you haven't tried this trick, it is a lifesaver (and timesaver!!). Here it is:

http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/4-ingredient-slow-cooker-salsa-verde-chicken-recipe/

Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Treats

I made these for Dusty's birthday, and they are now one of our favorites. SO YUMMY! I don't think we'll ever make regular rice krispy treats again, lol. These are from one of my favorite websites, Our Best Bites. Here you go:

http://ourbestbites.com/2014/08/salted-caramel-rice-krispie-treats/

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Jell-O Cookies

Myles really wanted to make Jell-O cookies for his Grandma. I've made them before and didn't like them. But, we found this recipe and loved them. We used raspberry Jell-O. So good.

http://bakerette.com/jello-cookies/

Friday, July 25, 2014

Zucchini Bread

This is my favorite bread to make - and the family loves it. It is my mother-in-laws recipe. So yummy.

Zucchini Bread

3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
2 cups zucchini, peeled and grated
3 tsp vanilla
3 cups white flour
3 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 cup nuts, optional

Mix together eggs, sugar, oil, zucchini, and vanilla.

Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Put in 2 big or 3 small greased and floured bread pans. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes.



Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Julia's Banana Bread

We have a staple banana bread that we use - but, yesterday I didn't have one ingredient, and the bananas were perfect for bread. So, I found this recipe. It was a hit with everyone! Here's the link (courtesy of Cannella Vita):

http://www.cannellavita.com/2013/03/julias-banana-bread.html

Enjoy.

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Shelley's Chicken Enchiladas

We baked these for Mother's Day - so good, and super easy. I also love that you don't have to use cream of anything! Here you go:

http://www.eatcakefordinner.net/2012/10/shelleys-chicken-enchiladas.html

Monday, April 28, 2014

Easy Cupcakes & Chocolate Frosting

I was looking for a cupcake recipe that you could use a mix with (so it tasted a little more homemade). I found one on Tidy Mom - I used a yellow cake mix. And we used this recipe from Lauren's Latest for the frosting. Super easy and yummy. Here you go:

Perfect Cupcakes (using a mix)
http://tidymom.net/2007/the-perfect-cupcake-using-a-mix/

Chocolate Frosting
http://www.laurenslatest.com/the-best-and-easiest-chocolate-frosting-birthday-cake/

Monday, September 9, 2013

Brownies with White Frosting

Brownies courtesy of Saltbox House
(http://www.saltboxhousecreations.com/2008/12/have-brownie.html)
Frosting courtesy of The Pioneer Woman
(http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/desserts/thate28099s-the-best-frosting-ie28099ve-ever-had/)

I made these brownies awhile ago for a baby shower. I don't really like chocolate, so I decided to try a different frosting with them. They turned out AMAZING. My favorite combination by far. Here you go:

Lunch Lady Brownies
Ingredients:
1 cup of Butter (I use unsalted)
1/2 cup of Cocoa (I used unsweetened)
2 cups of All Purpose Flour
2 cups of Sugar
4 Eggs
4 teaspoons of Vanilla
1 cup of Chopped Nuts (optional)

Directions:
Melt the Butter in the microwave and put into my mixing bowl, then I add cocoa and mix together until smooth.
Add flour, and sugar. Beat together and then add eggs, vanilla, and nuts (I didn't use nuts). Mix until combined. Do not over stir.
Pour into greased, floured  9x13 baking pan*. 
* An additional part of this recipe said that if you want to double the recipe, use a large baking sheet.

Additional Note * This batter will not be runny like a cake mix. You might have to spread it out over your pan with a rubber spatula.

Bake 20-25 minutes @350 F or until done. I would check at it at 20 minutes. Wait only about 10 minutes to frost brownies. Frost them while they are warm (not hot).

Frosting

Ingredients

  • 5 Tablespoons Flour
  • 1 cup Milk
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla
  • 1 cup Butter
  • 1 cup Granulated Sugar (not Powdered Sugar!)

Preparation Instructions

Bake your favorite chocolate cake and let it cool.
In a small saucepan, whisk flour into milk and heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. You want it to be very thick, thicker than cake mix, more like a brownie mix is. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. (If I’m in a hurry, I place the saucepan over ice in the sink for about 10 minutes or so until the mixture cools.) It must be completely cool before you use it in the next step. Stir in vanilla.
While the mixture is cooling, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. You don’t want any sugar graininess left. Then add the completely cooled milk/flour/vanilla mixture and beat the living daylights out of it. If it looks separated, you haven’t beaten it enough! Beat it until it all combines and resembles whipped cream.
Grab a spoon and taste this wonderful goodness. If there is any left after your taste test, spread it on a cooled chocolate cake.
Cut yourself a piece and put it on a pretty plate. Grab a fork and prepare to experience the most divine pairing you can imagine. This frosting on chocolate cake is to die for. Sure, the recipe sounds strange — it has flour in it — but it’s sublime. Try it, you’ll see. You’ll love it so much you won’t go back.

Friday, July 19, 2013

Zucchini Bread

Courtesy of Pam Miller

This is my favorite recipe for Zucchini Bread. I am making it today for a friend of ours, so I thought it was a good time to post the recipe.


Zucchini Bread
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
2 cups Zucchini, peeled and grated
3 tsp. vanilla
3 cups white flour
3 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 cup nuts, optional

Mix together eggs, sugar, oil, zucchini, and vanilla.

Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Put in 2 big or 3 small greased and floured bread pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

Friday, April 19, 2013

Spinach Fruit Smoothie

adapted from 100daysofrealfood.com
http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/05/17/recipe-tasty-smoothies/

I have tried many smoothies, this seems to be my favorite. It is pretty close to the smoothie on 100daysofrealfood.com, but we narrowed down to the strawberries and add a little more milk. Hope you enjoy.

1 1/2 cup plain yogurt (I use organic)
1-2 bananas (if using frozen, let thaw - hard to blend when frozen)
1 cup strawberries (I used 3/4 cup frozen and 1/4 cup fresh)
1/4 cup (or less) milk
Handful of spinach (1/2-1 cup)

Mix all in blender. Add ice to thicken.

Monday, April 8, 2013

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

Courtesy of 100daysofrealfood.com
http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/05/02/recipe-whole-wheat-banana-bread/

Since we've had to make a lot of changes around our house because of health problems, I have began following this blog - and I LOVE IT! This is definitely a favorite around our house. I usually try to make it once a week. You will love it - I promise!

Whole Wheat Banana Bread - Lisa Leake

INGREDIENTS
  • 2 ¼ cup whole-wheat flour
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 3 ripe bananas, mashed
  • ¼ cup plain yogurt
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 2 eggs
  • ⅓ cup oil (I used coconut oil)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease pan.
  2. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
  3. In a separate bowl mix mashed bananas with yogurt, honey, eggs, oil, and vanilla.
  4. Fold the banana mixture into the flour mixture until blended. Do not overmix.
  5. Pour batter into prepared pan.
  6. Bake large loaf for 40 – 50 minutes or until it comes clean with a toothpick.

Friday, November 23, 2012

Chocolate Sauce Topping

Courtesy of The Girl Who Ate Everything
http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2010/06/chocolate-sauce-topping.html

This is the homemade chocolate sauce that we made to go with the eclair cake. It's delicious. You won't ever want store bought sauce again!

Chocolate Sauce Topping

Ingredients:
1/4 cup cocoa
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup butter
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
Instructions:
Stir cocoa and sugar together well. In a saucepan combine milk, butter, salt, and vanilla. Stir in dry mix. Heat, stirring until it reaches a boil and is thick. You want it to coat the back of a spoon. If you want it to be thicker, for a crepe filling for example, boil it a little longer. I boiled mine for two minutes whisking constantly. It will still be thin once you are done with this step. Don’t worry once you let it cool down a bit it will thicken. It will thicken a lot when chilled.
Makes around 1 cup of sauce.

Chocolate Eclair Cake

Courtesy of The Girl Who Ate Everything
http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2009/06/chocolate-eclair-cake.html

Difficulty Level: Easy

I made this cake for Bree's birthday yesterday. And, it was a huge hit! Everyone loved it - and it wasn't hard to make. Tastes just like an eclair. Hope you like it.

Chocolate Eclair Pie
by Debbie Mortensen
Ingredients:
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour
4 large eggs
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 large box (5.1 ounces) vanilla instant pudding
3 cups milk
1 8 oz. container cool whip (just enough for a thin layer. I don’t use the whole container) or one batch of homemade whipped cream
chocolate syrup or homemade chocolate syrup


Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400. Lightly grease a 9″X13″ glass baking pan.
Eclair Crust: In a medium saucepan, melt butter in water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in flour. Mix in one egg at a time, mixing completely before adding another egg. Spread mixture into pan, covering the bottom and sides evenly*If the sides of your pan are too greased you won’t be able to get the mixture to stay up the sides so make sure to just lightly grease.
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown (Mine only took 25 minutes.) You may want to check itoccasionally-you don’t want to overcook the crust, it will ruin the cake! Remove from oven and let cool (don’t touch or push bubbles down).
Filling: Whip cream cheese in a medium bowl. In separate bowl make vanilla pudding. Make sure pudding is thick before mixing in with cream cheese. Slowly add pudding to cream cheese, mixing until there are no lumps. Let cool in fridge.When the crust is completely cooled, pour filling in. Top with layer of cool whip however thick you want it and serve with chocolate syrup. *If you want to make this even better use homemade whipped cream.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Oven Baked Chimichangas

Courtesy of The Tasty Kitchen
http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/holidays/stevene28099s-oven-baked-chimichangas/

Well, I seem to take a lot of vacations from Blogging. I do miss it. And, I miss cooking. I haven't had a ton of time lately because of color guard.
But, I have made this recipe a few times and my family loves it. I either use beef or chicken. We just make them last night and they were yummy. Enjoy!

Steve's Oven Baked Chimichangas

Ingredients

  • 1-½ pound Ground Turkey ( Or Chicken)
  • 1 package Taco Seasoning (1.25 Oz)
  • 1-¼ cup Water
  • 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
  • 2 teaspoons Chopped Fresh Oregano
  • 2 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Cilantro
  • 1 can Fire-roasted Green Chiles (7 Oz.)
  • ½ cups Diced Fresh Tomatoes
  • 2 Chopped Green Onions
  • ½ cups Low Fat Sour Cream
  • ½ cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
  • 4 Tablespoons Melted Butter
  • 6 Flour Tortillas (burrito Sized / Large)
  • ½ cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese (to Melt On Top)
  • GARNISH: Tomatoes, Lettuce, Cheese, Guacamole, Salsa, Sour Cream

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Saute poultry until cooked through and starting to brown. Add taco seasoning and stir. Add water and stir. Over med – low heat cook until liquid has reduced 2/3.
Add cumin, oregano, cilantro, chiles, tomatoes and green onions. Simmer until the rest of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes. Stir in sour cream and 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese.
Lay tortillas on wax paper and brush both sides with the melted butter. Spoon 1/6 th of filling into center of tortilla and fold like and envelope.
Put tortillas, seam-side down on a non-stick sheet pan. Spaced so they DO NOT touch. Bake 20 -25 minutes or until golden and crisp. Sprinkle with cheese and return to oven to melt. Serve with the garnishes.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Raspberry Crumb Pie

Courtesy of Gingerbread Bagels
http://gingerbreadbagels.com/2011/07/22/raspberry-crumb-pie/

My friend Tabitha brought me over some fresh raspberries from her yard today - so we decided to make jam... We'll, we thought pie sounded yummy, so we made this instead. It was SO GOOD! Definitely will be making this again. Enjoy.

Raspberry Crumb Pie

Crust
(makes two single pie crusts)
4 cups all purpose flour
3 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 3/4 cup cold shortening, diced
1/2 cup cold water
1 large egg
1 large egg mixed with 1 Tablespoon water (for the egg wash)

Filling
4 1/2 cups raspberries
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Crumb Topping
2 1/2 Tablespoons packed light brown sugar
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch ground nutmeg
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup plus 2 1/2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and kosher salt. Put the bowl in the freezer for 5 minutes. It’s important that the ingredients for the pie crust are very cold. Dice the shortening and also place it in the freezer for 5 minutes.
Take the bowl out of the freezer and add in the shortening. Using a fork, cut the shortening into the flour. The mixture should resemble small peas. Mix together 1/2 cup very cold water (I put the water in the freezer) and 1 large cold egg. Add it to the bowl and mix the ingredients together with a fork.
Put the dough onto a floured counter and form it into a large circle. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Take the dough out of the refrigerator and take off 3/4 of the dough. I always use a little more so it’s easier to roll out. You can reserve the extra dough you don’t use for another pie.
Flour the counter, rolling pin and the dough. Roll it out into a large circle. Then roll the dough onto your rolling pin. Roll the dough over the pie plate (a 9 inch pie plate) and press it into the insides of the pie plate.
Crimp the edges of the pie or if you can just take a fork and crimp the edges.
Place the pie in the refrigerator while you work on the filling. In a bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix together the sugar and flour. Add in the sour cream, eggs and vanilla extract and mix on medium speed until combined.
Take the pie crust out of the refrigerator and put the raspberries on the bottom of the crust. Pour the filling over the raspberries and spread it out.
Now make the crumb topping. Mix together the sugar, brown sugar, ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg. Pour the melted unsalted butter into the bowl and mix everything together.
Add in the flour and mix until the ingredients form a crumble topping.
Crumble the crumb topping over the pie.
Mix together 1 large egg and 1 Tablespoon of water and brush over the edge of the crust. You won’t use all of the egg wash.
Bake the pie at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 10-15 minutes. (the pie is done when the filling is somewhat firm) Let the pie cool for at least 1 hour on a cooling rack before cutting into slices. The filling will set when the pie cools. Then enjoy!

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Homemade Granola

Courtesy of Simple Organized Living
http://www.simpleorganizedliving.com/2010/08/04/homemade-granola/

We made this homemade granola this morning, and it was really good. Jack and Bree didn't like the raisins, so I think I'll use craisins next time I make it. We had it with yogurt this morning. It was a nice change from the normal breakfast food. Enjoy!

  • INGREDIENTS 
  • 4 1/2  c. uncooked oats
  • 2 c. chopped nuts (I used one cup each of pecans and almonds)
  • 2 c. dried fruit (I used one cup each of raisins and chopped apricots)
  • 1/2. c. brown sugar
  • 2 T. cinnamon
  • 1 T. vanilla
  • 1/2 t. salt
  • 1  1/2 c. maple syrup (a 12 oz. jar)
  • DIRECTIONS
  • Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl
  • Spread onto 2 large greased baking sheets (mine are 17 x 11 x 1)
  • Bake at 325 F. for 45-50 minutes (stirring half way through)
Let it cool completely and store it in airtight containers.
It usually makes 2 1/2 quarts so we store the extras in our freezer. It should stay fresh for several months.

Original content from Simple Organized Living: http://www.simpleorganizedliving.com/2010/08/04/homemade-granola/#ixzz1x9PoCCdE
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives



Wednesday, June 6, 2012

White Chicken Enchiladas

Courtesy of Joyful Momma's Kitchen
http://joyful-mommas-kitchen.blogspot.com/2011/09/white-chicken-enchiladas.html

I made these a few nights ago and they were delicious. My family always loves trying new enchilada recipes. Hope you enjoy:

Chicken enchiladas with green chili sour cream sauce
*These are seriously so so good*
10 soft taco shells
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 (4 oz) can diced green chillies
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 pan
2. Mix chicken and 1 cup cheese.  Roll up in tortillas and place in pan.
3. In a sauce pan, melt butter, stir in flour and cook 1 minute.  Add broth and whisk until smooth.  Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly.  
4. Stir in sour cream and chilies.  Do not bring to boil, you don't want curdled sour cream.
5. Pour over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.
6. Bake 22 min and then under high broil for 3 min to brown the cheese.

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Lime Cilantro Rice (Cafe Rio Copycat)

Courtesy of Chef in Training
http://www.chef-in-training.com/2012/03/cafe-rios-lime-cilantro-rice/

I made this last night for a party at my house along with cafe rio chicken and dressing. I thought it turned out super yummy. And, the rice wasn't hard to make at all. I doubled the recipe. Made a lot!

CAFE RIO’S LIME CILANTRO RICE

2 Tb. Butter pepper to taste
1 ¼ cup rice (I used long grain)
juice and zest from 1 large or 2 small limes
2 ¼ cups chicken broth
2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
¾ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. cumin

In a skillet melt butter with rice.Add liquid, and other ingredients.Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for 20 minutes or until rice is done.
Enjoy!

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Scotcheroos

Courtesy of The Girl who Ate Everything
http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2008/10/scotcheroos.html

Difficulty Level: Easy

Since it's mother's day today, I wanted to post this yummy recipe. Dusty and I made these last night for one of our good friends and they turned out delicious. Here you go:

Scotcheroos
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup corn syrup
6 cups Rice Krispies
1 ( 6 oz. ) bag chocolate chips
1 ( 6 oz. ) bag butterscotch chips

In large saucepan, combine sugar and corn syrup. Heat to dissolve sugar and bring to boil; remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter. Add Rice Krispies and mix until well blended. Press into buttered 9X13 inch pan. In small saucepan, melt together chocolate chips and butterscotch chips. Spread combined mixture over top of Rice Krispies mixture. Cool. Cut into 36 bars. More like 16 bars if I am eating them.