Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:
2 C whole milk
1/2 C vegetable oil
1/2 C sugar
1 tbsp active dry yeast
4 C flour
1/2 C flour
1/2 heaping tsp baking powder
1/2 scant tsp baking soda
1/2 tbsp salt
Filling:
1 C melted butter
3/4 C sugar
1/2 C cinnamon (or more depending on preference)
Frosting:
1/2 bag powdered sugar
1/4 C milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp melted butter
pinch of salt

Mix whole milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan. Scald to 150 degrees. Let cool until lukewarm. Sprinkle in yeast and let sit. Then add 4 C flour, stir mixture together. Cover and let sit for one hour. Add 1/2 C flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir mixture together.

Sprinkle surface generously with flour and form into a rectangle, roll the dough thin, maintaining a rectangular shape. Drizzle melted butter over dough. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Roll the dough toward you. Pinch the seam to seal it.

Grease foil cake or pie pans. Cut rolls 3/4 to 1 inch thick and lay in greased pans. Cover the rolls and let sit for 30 minutes. Bake at 400 for 15 to 18 minutes.

Combine all frosting ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Generously drizzle frosting over warm mrolls after they come out of the oven.

-The Pioneer Woman

Yummy Stir Fry

Peanut Oil
3 chicken breasts, cut into cubes (can also use beef, shrimp, or pork)
Splash of soy sauce
Drizzle of sesame oil
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks (can also use yellow or green bell peppers)
10 white mushrooms, sliced (can use any mushrooms you like)
1 small jar baby corn, cut into pieces
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 rounded teaspoons arrowroot
Rice Vinegar
Sesame Oil
Fresh Cilantro


After cutting meat into chunks, drizzle with soy sauce and sesame oil. Set aside.
Prepare all vegetables and have them ready.
Mix 1/2 cup soy sauce with sugar. Stir together and set aside.
Mix 1/4 cup chicken broth with arrowroot. Stir together and set aside.
Measure an additional 1/4 cup chicken broth. Set aside.
To begin stir fry, heat skillet or wok over high heat. When it’s hot, drizzle in 2 tablespoons peanut oil. Add meat to skillet and fry quickly, stirring around for 3 to 3 minutes. When brown and just cooked through, remove to a separate bowl.
Add additional 1 tablespoon peanut oil to same skillet.
Throw in onions and cook for 1 minute.
Add red bell pepper and cook for 30 seconds.
Add garlic and ginger. Stir.
Add mushrooms and stir. Cook for 45 seconds.
Add baby corn. Stir.
Pour in 1/4 cup chicken broth.
Pour in soy sauce/sugar mixture.
Drizzle in 1 teaspoon rice vinegar.
Drizzle in 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil.
Dump in cooked chicken. Stir together.
Pour in chicken broth/arrowroot mixture.
Stir together, then turn off heat. Sauce should be much thicker.
At the very end, seconds before serving, stir in 1/2 cup (or up to 1 cup) roughly chopped cilantro.
Serve over cooked rice.
Variations:
*Can use any of the following vegetables: broccoli, snow peas, zucchini, any color of bell pepper, any mushroom, water chestnuts, green onions
*Add 1/2 cashew halves to make it even more yummy
*Eat with chopsticks if you want to feel really cool

Taco Soup

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds ground beef
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 1/2 cups water
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans
1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
2 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies
1 (1 ounce) package ranch salad dressing mix
Sour Cream
Grated Cheese

DIRECTIONS
In a Dutch oven or large kettle, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add taco seasoning and mix well. Stir in remaining ingredients. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally.

Top with Sour Cream and Grated Cheese

Salisbury Steak

Ingredients:

Ground Beef
Cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup of milk
2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
1/2 onion finely chopped
1 clove or garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon or olive oil
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon of brown mustard
1 tablespoon of A-1 sauce
seasoned salt
adobo seasoning
sea salt
black pepper

Directions:

Rub Worcestershire sauce on burgers, along with seasoned salt and adobo spices. When skillet is hot, add your oil to the pan. Followed by chopped onions and garlic. Let that cook for 2 minutes. Add burgers to the pan and brown on both sides. Add cream of mushroom soup, milk, salt, pepper and all the condiments. Let it simmer for 15 minutes or so, to incorporate all the flavors.

Cuban Black Bean Soup

3 (15 oz) cans Black Beans, undrained
2 (14 ½ oz) cans Beef Broth
1 (14 ½ oz) can Diced Tomatoes
1 (14 oz) can Chopped Green Chilies
5 oz. extra-lean fully cooked Ham, cut into 1 in. cubes
1 C Onion, chopped
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1/3 C Red Wine Vinegar
1 tsp. dried Oregano Leaves
1 tsp. Ground Cumin
1 tsp. Dried Thyme Leaves
1 tsp. Pepper

In a slow cooker combine all ingredients, stir well. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high 4-5 hours.

Acidic foods, such as tomatoes and sugar, inhibit the bean softening process, so dried beans must be completely softened before combining with these types of foods.

Chicken Supreme

1 Whole Chicken
1 (10 ¾ oz) can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 pkg. Dry Onion Soup Mix
½ can Water
1 C Sour Cream
1 T. Flour
Mushrooms (opt.)
Rice or Potatoes, cooked

Put chicken in slow cooker. Combine soup, soup mix, and water. Pour over chicken. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour, then cook on low 8-10 hours. Remove chicken 30 minutes before serving. Skim fat from the remaining soup juices. Add sour cream, flour, and mushrooms to the slow cooker. Heat for 30 minutes. Serve over rice or potatoes.

Chicken Parmesan in the Crockpot

4 boneless skinless Chicken Breasts
2 (10 ¾ oz) cans Cream of Chicken Soup
¾ C fresh Parmesan Cheese grated
¼ - ½ C water
Salt & Pepper to taste
Vermicelli noodles, cooked

In a slow cooker, combine all ingredients except noodles. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or on high 4 hours. Serve over noodles.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Cranberry Pistachio Cornmeal Biscotti

1-1/4 cups all purpose flour
1-1/4 cups yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chopped pistachios

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in center. Whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt.

2. Put butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until smooth. Add sugar and mix until pale and fluffy. Mix in eggs one at a time until well combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture all at once, mix until just combined. Add lemon zest, cranberries, and pistachios, and mix until combined.

3. Transfer dough to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Pat into a log that is roughly 14 by 3 ½ inches. Bake until firm, lightly browned and slightly cracked on top, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack about 15 minutes.

4. Transfer log to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut on the diagonal into ½ inch thick slices. Arrange slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake cookies rotating sheet half way through until they begin to brown at edges, 15-to-18 minutes. Let cool on sheet on a wire rack. Cookies can be stored in an air tight container at room temperature up to two weeks.

Chocolate Crackle Cookies

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1-1/2 cups light-brown sugar, firmly packed
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for rolling

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Melt chocolate over medium heat in a heat-proof bowl or the top of a double boiler set over a pan of simmering water. Set aside to cool. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.

3. With an electric mixer, beat butter and light-brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat until well combined. Add melted chocolate. With mixer on low speed, alternate adding dry ingredients and milk until just combined. Divide the dough into quarters, wrap with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator until firm, about 2 hours.

4. Divide each piece into 16 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar to coat, then in confectioners sugar to coat. Space 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

5. Bake until surfaces crack, about 14 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cool on wire racks.

Cream-Cheese Walnut Cookies

4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
6 ounces cream cheese, (not whipped) room temperature
1-1/4 cups sugar
2 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups walnut halves (1-1/2 cups toasted and coarsely chopped), 1 cup finely chopped

1. Whisk together flour and salt in a large bowl; set aside.

2. Put butter and cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in sugar and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, and mix until just combined (do not overmix). Mix in toasted walnuts.

3. Transfer dough to a work surface. Divide in half; shape each half into an 8-1/2 inch-long log about 2 inches in diameter. Wrap each log in parchment paper; freeze until firm, about 30 minutes or up to 2 weeks.

4. Preheat oven to 350 with racks in upper and lower thirds. Unwrap 1 log, and roll in 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, coating completely. Cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Space 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

5. Bake cookies, rotating halfway through, until golden around edges, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Repeat with remaining log and remaining 1/2 cup chopped walnuts.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Garlic Tea for the Sickies

Chop up 3 cloves of fresh garlic. Toss the garlic in a pot of water (I usually make 2 cups at a time). While it's boiling, put a coffee filter over your cup. After it boils for a few minutes, take out the garlic with a spoon. Pour the hot water in the coffee filter on your cup slowly. The filter is to make sure no pieces of garlic get in your drink.

I think Neika adds Tang powder here. But I never buy that, so I just use a regular tea bag and sweeten with honey.

Don't drink more than 1 1/2 cups at a time though. I did that once and got nauseous

Monday, December 8, 2008

Toffee

Preheat oven to 350

Get a shallow pan with sides, 9x13

Put down parchment over the pan, so that it overhangs on ALL sides. This is VERY IMPORTANT, ALL SIDES! Or if you use those disposable aluminum pans, skip the parchment.


Put down a tight layer of saltine crackers. Boil 2 sticks of butter and 1 cup. brown sugar for 3-4 minutes. (I have used both light and dark brown sugar, both work fine). Pour this mixture over crackers and spread evenly.

Pop in oven for about 5 minutes (until it is bubbly and you can see the mix has gotten under crackers too.

Pull out of over and sprinkle 12 oz of chocolate chips on top (I use semisweet, but milk or dark work too).

The heat from the mixture should melt the chocolate, if not pop it back in the oven for about 2-3 minutes.

Use a spatula or icing spreader to smooth out the chocolate over the top. Sprinkle on top about 3/4 bag of Heath Brickle N Bits (sold with the chocolate chips). After about 1 min. I use the back of a clean spatula to pat down the bits.

Refrigerate until it hardens through. Then break it apart like peanut brittle.

YUM!

Friday, December 5, 2008

Chocolate Chip Cake

1 C Dates
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 C white Sugar
1 C Shortening
2 Eggs
1/2 tsp Salt
2 C Flour
1 TBS Cocoa
1 TBS Vanilla
1 C Chocolate Chips (divided)
1/2 C Chopped Nuts (if desired)

In a bowl add together Dates, Baking Soda, Sugar, and Shortening. Pour in 1 C and 3 TBS HOT water. Let stand.

In amother bowl add Eggs, Salt, Flour, Cocoa, and Vanilla.

Cream together Dates mixture then add to other mixture. Add 1/2 C Chocolate Chips. Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle top with remaining Chocolate Chips (and chopped nuts if desired).

Bake at 350* for 40 minutes.

This is my dh's favorite Birthday cake.

Avocado Chicken Bake

2 chicken breasts
1 TBS cornstarch
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
egg beaters/water
corn meal
1 TBS oil
1/2 avocado (peeled and sliced)
3/4 Mexican shredded cheese blend
3 green onions
1/2 red bell pepper chopped
cherry tomatoes, halved
sour cream


Flatten chicken breasts to 1/2" thick.
Mix the corn starch, cumin and garlic powder togetherand dust chicken.
Dip in egg water mixture and dredge in corn meal.
Brown chicken in oil - 2 min on each side.
Top with avocado and cheese.
Bake at 350* about 15 minutes.

Top with veggies and a dollop of sour cream.

2015

2015