Recipe Blog...

I have had the past 5 days kid free, with the exception of the twins. A few weeks ago I decided I wanted to create a new blog with just recipes...BUT...Before I can create that blog, I need a name for it. This week would have been the PERFECT time (being almost kid-less) to get that blog up and going, but I still have no name!! I want something fun and creative, but I just don't have anything...SO - does anyone out there, who follows my blog, care to help me out??? HELP/COMMENTS are MORE THAN WELCOME!! Thank You!!

Raspberry-Topped Eggnog Cheesecake

Doesn't that just sound heavenly? MMMMM...Yumm! So, this recipe came from a Betty Crocker Thanksgiving book from 2005. Be sure to plan ahead for this one :)

CHEESECAKE
1-1/4 cups crushed shortbread cookies (21 cookies)
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup eggnog
1/2 teaspoon rum extract
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

RASPBERRY SAUCE
1 package (10 oz.) frozen raspberries in syrup, thawed, undrained
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1-1/2 cups fresh raspberries

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In small mixing bowl, mix crushed cookies and butter. In ungreased 9-inch springform pan, press cookie mixture over bottom. Wrap foil around outside of the pan to prevent drips. Bake crust about 10 minutes or until set.
2. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. In large bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Beat in eggs, one at a time, on low speed until combined. Beat in eggnog, rum extract and nutmeg just until blended (do not overmix).
3. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until set but center still jiggles slightly when moved. Cool 15 minutes; run knife around edge of pan to loosen cheesecake. Cool in pan on wire rack 1 hour. Referigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.
4. In food processor, place raspberries. Cover; process until smooth. If desired, strain to remove seeds. In 1-quart saucepan, mix pureed raspberries, 2 tablespoons sugar and the cornstarch. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Referigerate sauce 30 minutes to cool. Stir fresh raspberries into sauce. Before cutting cheescake, carefully remove side of pan. Serve sauce over wedges of cheesecake. Store cheesecake covered in refrigerator. 16 servings.

Crock Pot Pizza

This recipe is a Taste of Home recipe but for some reason my links never work for thier recipes....so here it is -

Ingredients


1 package (16 ounces) wide egg noodles
1-1/2 pounds ground beef or turkey
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 jar (26 ounces) spaghetti sauce
1 jar (4-1/2 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained
1-1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 package (3-1/2 ounces) sliced pepperoni, halved
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Directions


Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the spaghetti sauce, mushrooms and Italian seasoning. Drain noodles.
In a 5-qt. slow cooker coated with cooking spray, spread a third of the meat sauce. Cover with a third of the noodles and pepperoni. Sprinkle with a third of the cheese. Repeat layers twice.
Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or until heated through and cheese is melted. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Dinner Menu….Week of June 14th

I decided I needed to start planning a weekly dinner menu. I figure it saves time and money, and taking only 20 to 30 minutes Sunday evening is not bad either. Then I do my grocery shopping on Monday and I am done for the week (besides the cooking part). I am not planning for Saturday's and Sunday's cause those are the days Tad does most of the cookin' or leftovers are in order. So here it is…my dinner menu for this past week.

Monday (picnic at the park)	Hot Chicken Salad w/Croissants Potato Chips Fresh Fruit
Tuesday	Sweet & Spicy Pork – Served Burrito Style w/Tortillas, Sour Cream, Onion and Cilantro Chips & Salsa
Wednesday	Chinese Hamburger Casserole Green Salad
Thursday	My Cajun Chicken Pasta Cesar Salad w/Homemade Cesar Dressing
Friday	Beef Enchiladas Beans

Of course…I am planning a Father's Day Dinner….just have not gotten that far yet. By the end of the day today, I will have it figured out.

More Desserts...

How could I possibly forget these?? My oh my!! So Smith's has had blackberries on sale for $1 lately. I found this very easy and delish Blackberry Cobbler recipe, and the best part is the fruit is on top....not the bottom :)

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup flour
2 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1 - 1-1/2 cups blackberries
1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup fruit juice or water

Beat butter and sugar until well mixed. Stir flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into shortening/sugar mixture. Add milk and beat until smooth. Pour into a greased 8 x 8 baking dish, greased. Spoon blackberries over the batter. Sprinkle sugar over the fruit. Pour fruit juice or water over sugar. Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown, 35 to 45 minutes.

Also...I made my first fried ice cream and they were so good!! Good and easy!! Here is what I did...
Lined a cookie sheet with waxed paper then scooped out soften ice cream to desired ball size and placed on lined cookie sheet. Place back in freezer for a good hour or two - until the ice cream balls are frozen pretty hard. Then I took some egg whites and rolled the ice cream balls into the egg whites and then into crushed cornflakes. Then back to the egg for a second coat and then back into the cornflakes. Then back ont the cookie sheet to freeze for another hour or so. Then...heat oil in a large pan or frier to about 375 degrees. Fry coated ice cream ball in oil for 3 to 4 seconds, until it has achieved a golden brown color. I then had a bowl lined with paper towel and placed the fried ice cream in the bowl before serving with chocolate syrup and whipped cream, sprinked with cinnamon sugar. These are so great!!!

Hot & Sweet Drumsticks, Roasted Potatoe Wedges, Blue Cheese Biscuits

Well, for some reason I have been trying out A LOT of new recipes and spending a lot of time in the kitchen...more than usual. Many have turned out rather well and of course I have had to make my own changes to a few of them :)

Oh yes...the other night I made these Hot & Sweet Drumsticks. They were sooooo good and drumsticks are rather inexpensive. The few simple changes I made: before I started baking the chicken, I first broiled it...turning it once and crisping up the skin. Then instead of pouring the sauce over the chicken, throughtout the baking process I kept basting the drumsticks with the sauce. Then when they were done baking, I once again broiled them again to crisp them up some more. Oh yes...and I doubled the sauce. They were really good. My sister is going to try grilling them and basting them along the way.

Along with these yummo drumsticks I served them with some simple Roasted Potatoe Wedges. When I pulled them out of the oven I sprinked them with parsely and shredded parmesan cheese. They were a good side to the drumpsticks.

Also, that same night I had tried these biscuits. The recipe came out of one of my World Wide Ward Cookbooks (I love them all). They are Blue Cheese Biscuits. The recipe calls for:
3 cans refrigerated biscuits
4 oz. crumbled blue cheese
3/4 cup melted butter

Cut the biscuits in quarters. Melt butter, stir in blue cheese crumbles and mix until cheese is melted. Pour over biscuits and mix well. Then...bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Yeild: 15-20 servings.

The serving size scared me so I only used 1 can of biscuits, and 1/4 cup butter. I baked mine in a pie dish and stired half way through so I got alot of the biscuits browned.

I like them...not sure that the kids did. Well, TJ did, but her eats just about anything...

Monkey Muffins, Monkey Muffins......mmmmmmm

Monkey Muffins from The Pioneer Woman. These are Yummy!! I made them this morning for breakfast and used refrigerated biscuits. They turned out great and a lot less baking time then regular monkey bread. You gotta give them a try :)

Quick, Easy, Yummy Vanilla Popcorn

I got this recipe from my mom! Gotta love recipes like this :)

1 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Butter
1/4 Cup Light Karo Syrup

Boil those 3 ingredients together for about 2 minutes until golden. Then remove from heat and add:

1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla

Then toss with popcorn. For a more sticky popcorn double the recipe, or use 1 bag of microwave popcorn. I use 2 bags and less stickyness. ENJOY!

Christmas Dinner 2009...

So we kept our Christmas dinner this year pretty simple, but still good. The menu was "Gorgonsola-and Mushroom-Stuffed Beef Tenderloin with Merlot Sauce", Mashed Potatoes and Gravy and a salad. For dessert it was pumpkin pie and a triple chocolate cake (my mom bought them both from Sam's Club). It was all so good. The beef tenderloin was GREAT and is a recipe worth keeping around....and pretty easy :)

Beef Tenderloin...

1 beef tenderloin (about 2 1/2 lb)
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (3 oz)
1 cup soft bread crumbs (about 1 1/2 slices bread)
1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola or Roquefort cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea salt) or regular salt

Merlot Sauce...
1/2 cup currant jelly
1/2 cup Merlot, Zinfandel or nonalcoholic red wine
1/4 cup beef flavored broth

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1. Heat oven to 425°F. To cut beef so that it can be filled and rolled, cut horizontally down length of beef, about 1/2 inch from top of beef, to within 1/2 inch of opposite side; open flat. Turn beef. Repeat with other side of beef, cutting from the inside edge to within 1/2 inch of opposite edge; open flat.
2. In 10-inch skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and liquid has evaporated. Cool 5 minutes. Add bread crumbs, cheese and parsley; toss to combine.
3. Sprinkle bread crumb mixture over beef to within 1 inch of edges. Tightly roll up beef, beginning with long side. Turn small end of beef under about 6 inches so it cooks evenly. Tie beef with kitchen string at about 1 1/2-inch intervals. In shallow roasting pan, place beef, seam side down, on rack. Brush with oil; sprinkle with salt. Insert ovenproof meat thermometer so tip is in center of thickest part of beef.
4. Bake uncovered 30 to 40 minutes or until thermometer reads at least 140°F. Cover beef loosely with foil and let stand about 15 minutes or until thermometer reads 145°F. (Temperature will continue to rise about 5°F, and beef will be easier to carve.)
5. Meanwhile, in 1-quart saucepan, heat all sauce ingredients to boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low; simmer uncovered 35 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly reduced and syrupy. Remove string from beef before carving. Serve beef with sauce.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): No change.


Time-Saver...

Pick up a prepared sauce in a gourmet food store to save time.
Special Touch...
Use extra sprigs of parsley to garnish the beef.

Of course I made some changes...I used blue cheese inplace of gorgonzola and my beef tenderloin was almost 4 pounds and that fed my my family and my mom and step dad. Therefore, added a little bit more blue cheese and mushrooms and parsley when stuffing it cause my piece of meat was a little bit larger. It is such a great recipe :) ENJOY!!!

Baked Cranberry Sauce

In 2005 for we celebrated Christmas and Thanksgiving together at my mom and step-dad's place in Kanarraville, UT because they were going to be gone for the Christmas Holiday. It was a lot of fun and we all shared recipes. I compiled a book of all the recipes we used for the meals that were prepared for those 3-1/2 days. That's one thing about the Holidays...always sooooo much GREAT food. This Baked Cranberry Sauce is very simple...yet really good.

Ingredients:
1 pound fresh or frozen cranberries, thawed
1-1/2 cups chopped pecans
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup orange marmalade
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine all ingredientes. Pour into a greased baking dish, 11x8-inch. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until cranberries are tender. Serve warm or cold. Refrigerate leftovers.

This is one of my mom's recipes.

Very Good Potato Soup Recipe

I got this recipe from my sister several years ago and it is a favorite.

Ingredients:
2 quarts water
6 medium potatoes, chunked
1 cup buter
1 large onion, chopped
15 chicken bouillon cubes
3 garlic cloves
1 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream

Directions:
Bring water and potatoes to a boil, lower heat and simmer until potatoes are very tender. Saute butter, onions and garlic together in small pan. Carefully spoon half of the cooked potatoes out of the liquid into a blender. Add onions, garlic and butter to the blender and blend until smooth. Return to pot with cooking liquid still in it and bring to a boil. Lower heat and add bouillon cubes. When cubes are dissolved, add cream cheese and sour cream. Stir until melted and serve. It is very YUMMY!!!

Apple Muffins

Today I made these really good Apple Muffins. My favorite part of fall is baking. So... here is the link to the recipe (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Apple-Muffins-2/Detail.aspx). I made 2 changes...I used about 2-1/2 cups of chopped apples and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. They were really yummy. Great for breakfast too, but I have left them out on the counter all day and there is only 4 left, I think. They are not too sweet either :)

Banana Bread.....mmmmmm, GOOD!!!!

I had some bananas that need to be used up so I made some banana bread and it is GOOD!!! Here's the Recipe...

Ingredients:
1 cup (optional) chopped walnuts or pecans...(I used pecans)
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking poweder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted, cooled (I only have salted butter so I used that and omitted the 1/4 teaspoon of salt)
3 ripe bananas (about 1-1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place oven rack in middle. Spray or grease and flour bottom and sides of 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan. Set aside.

In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nuts. Set aside.

In a medium bowl combine the mashed bananas, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, lightly foild the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until combinded and the batter is thick and chunky. Don't over mix the batter or the bread will turn out rubbery. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake until bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 to 60 minutes. Place on wire rack to cool and then remove from pan. Serve warm or at room temperature, or freeze to use at a later date.

Magic Cookie Bar Update

I made these cookie bars. I have not cut into them yet and tried them but here is the picture before I baked it and the finished project right after it came out of the oven. I baked this in a glass pyrex dish and baked it for 26 minutes at 325 degrees.

Magic Cookie Bars

Monday morning when my sister called she said she was making Magic Cookie Bars. She said they are good. So I was looking through a cookbook lastnight and seen a recipe for them. I am thinking I am going to try them out today. I am not sure how well they will go over with my kids because of the coconut, but I am going to give them a shot.

1/2 C. butter
1-1/2 C. Graham Cracker Crumbs
1 (14-oz.) can condensed milk
1 (6-oz.) bag milk chocolate chips
1-1/2 C. flaked coconut
1 C. pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (325 degrees for a glass baking dish). In a 9 x 13-inch pan, melt butterin the oven. Sprinkle crumbs ove butter. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over the crumbs. Top with remaining ingredients. Press down lightly. Bake 25-30 minutes or untile light brown. Cool and cut into bars.

Pulled Pork

Tad found this recipe online at http://www.foodnetwork.com/. It is an Alton Brown recipe. I know Tad does adds a few things but nothing particular. If he sees it in the cupboard and it sounds good then he adds it.

Ingredients
Brine:
8 ounces or 3/4 cup molasses
12 ounces pickling salt
2 quarts bottled water
6 to 8 pound Boston butt (Pork Shoulder)

Rub:
1 teaspoon whole cumin seed
1 teaspoon whole fennel seed
1 teaspoon whole coriander
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon paprika

Directions
Video: Watch Alton make this recipe
Combine molasses, pickling salt, and water in 6 quart Lexan. Add Boston butt making sure it is completely submerged in brine, cover, and let sit in refrigerator for a minimum of 8 hours. 12 hours is ideal.
Place cumin seed, fennel seed, and coriander in food grinder and grind fine. Transfer to a small mixing bowl and stir in chili powder, onion powder, and paprika.
Remove Boston butt from brine and pat dry. Sift the rub evenly over the shoulder and then pat onto the meat making sure as much of the rub as possible adheres. More rub will adhere to the meat if you are wearing latex gloves during the application.
Preheat smoker to 210 degrees F. Place butt in smoker and cook for 10 to12 hours, maintaining a temperature of 210 degrees F. Begin checking meat for doneness after 10 hours of cooking time. Use fork to check for doneness. Meat is done when it falls apart easily when pulling with a fork. Once done, remove from pot and set aside to rest for at least 1 hour. Pull meat apart with 2 forks and serve as sandwich with coleslaw and dressing as desired.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pulled-pork-recipe/index.html

Mango Salsa

This is very yummy!

Celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves
1/4 C. cilantro, chopped
1/2 jalapeno pepper
1/4 C. red onion chopped
1/2 C. mixed of red, yellow and green pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
Black pepper, freshly ground, to tastle
1/2 tsp. cumin
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 ripe mango, chopped
2 kiwi fruits, chopped

Blend celery, garlic, cilantro, jalapeno, red onion and peppers. Add salt, pepper, cumin, and lime juice. Stir well. Add chopped tomatoes, mango, and kiwi; stir until blended. Refrigerated overnight. Serve with tortilla chips or use as a topping on fish or chicken. Makes 4 cups.

When I make this I use extra lime juice, extra kiwi's and more mango. I like MORE!!

Fudgy Ice Cream Sandwiches

Now when I seen this recipe this morning I was wishing that our big freezer was working cause I could really go for these.....MMMMMMMM!!!! I think I need to MAKE ROOM in my little freezer cause I gotta try these.

1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated chocolate chip cookies
1/2 cup hot fudge topping
1 pint (2 cups) vanilla ice cream, softened

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line two 8-inch square pans with foil. In each pan, place half of cookie dough; press evenly in bottoms. Bake 14 to 17 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pans completely, about 20 minutes. Press edges flat.
2. Remove cookies from pans by lifting foil. Invert cookies onto work surface; remove foil. Spread each cookie with fudge topping. (If topping is too firm to spread evenly, warm slightly to soften as directed on label.)
3. Return foil to 1 pan; place 1 cookie in pan, fudge side up. Spread ice cream evenly over fudge topping. Top with remaining cookie, fudge side down. Place pan in freezer for at least 1 hour or until firm.
4. Remove cookie sandwich from pan by lifting foil; remove foil. Cut into 12 sandwiches. Wrap each in foil. Store in freezer. Let stand at room temperature 5 minutes before unwrapping.

http://www.pillsbury.com/Recipes/ShowRecipe.aspx?rid=13958&WT.dcsvid=NDE3NTIyMzMzMwS2&WT.mc_id=Newsletter_PB_06_25_2009&rvrin=330A15CF-88B1-4A05-A063-3DBFE97A682A

Sloppy Joes

So lastnight for dinner we had sloppy joes. I have tried several different sloppy joe recipes in the past but this one so far is my favorite.

Ingredients:
2 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 . ketchup
1 tsp. mustard
4 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. barbecue sauce
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
2 10.75-oz. tomato soup

Directions:
Brown ground beef and onions. Drine and rinse. Season with salt and pepper. Add remaining ingredints and simmer for 15-20 minutes. I serve them on Kaiser Rolls, toasted, but the would probably be just as good on hamburger buns. I also top mine and Tads off with raw onion slices.

Olive Garden Chicken Marsala

This was Tad's Father's Day Dinner....it was really, really good!!
(The pictures does not do the good food any justice)

Ingredients
4 ea Chicken half-breast, boneless & skinless

1/4 cup(s) Flour

1/2 tsp Salt & Pepper to taste

1/2 tsp Oregano, dried

4 Tbsp Oil

4 Tbsp Butter (or margarine)

1 cup(s) Fresh Mushrooms, sliced (I used 2 cups)

1/2 cup(s) Marsala wine (I used more like 1 cup)

Procedures
Pound chicken breasts between sheets of "Saran Wrap" until about 1/4" even-thickness.Combine flour, salt, pepper and oregano, blend. Dredge chicken pieces in the flour, shake off excess. Heat oil and butter in frying pan over medium heat.Cook the breasts on medium heat for about two minutes on the first side, until lightly brown. Turn breasts over to second side to cook, add the mushrooms around the chicken breasts. Cook breasts about two more minutes, until lightly browned on the second side, stir the mushrooms. When lightly browned, add Marsala around the chicken pieces, cover and simmer for about ten minutes. Transfer to serving plate.

http://www.olivegarden.com/recipes/recipe_search/recipe_detail.asp?recipeID=145583