Egg Nog

Source: Our good friend, Brad Harrison

Ingredients:
1 gallon milk
1 quart whipping cream
1 dozen eggs
2.5 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1.5 tablespoons nutmeg

Directions:
Heat milk and cream in a large pot on stove - mix everything else separately in a blender. Add blended mixture to warm milk. Allow to get HOT, but not boiling, stirring constantly.

Notes: This egg nog is SO GOOD. We haven't made it ourselves yet, but enjoy a tall, cold glass every time we visit the Harrisons (they keep a constant supply stocked in their fridge throughout the holiday season).

Swedish Meatballs

Source: The Farrer Family

Servings: 6-8 (3-4 meatballs per person)
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour


Ingredients:
Meatballs:
2 lbs ground beef
1 cup rolled oats
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2/3 cup onion, finely chopped
1 1/4 tsp salt
pinch black pepper
1 1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
2/3 cup milk

Sauce:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tsp mustard
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
2 tsp worcestershire sauce

Directions:
Combine all sauce ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat until bubble. Combine all meatball ingredients, roll into 1" balls, place in glass baking dish in a single layer, cover with sauce. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes, covered with aluminum foil. Serve over rice.

Comments:
Yet another Farrer family favorite. The sauce is very unique - almost a blend of BBQ and sweet and sour sauces. I usually simplify by using frozen meatballs and not heating the sauce before pouring into the baking dish. (Doing so turns this into a 5-10 minute meal!)

Danish Pancakes

Source: The Farrer Family

Servings: 4-6 medium pancakes (or 2-3 large pancakes)

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes (each pancake taking about 5 minutes)

Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup milk
1 large egg

Directions:
Blend ingredients together until batter is thin and smooth. Pour a small amount of the batter into a hot, buttered frying pan - covering the surface of the frying pan with a thin layer of batter by tilting and turning the pan while pouring. Cook over medium-high heat until pancake is cooked through (about 2-3 minutes) and the underside is golden; flip over once and cook for additional 1-2 minutes until other side is golden.

Spread with desired filling and roll to serve.

Comments:
This is one of my favorite Farrer family recipes! We eat them at least once a week for breakfast or dinner - at least tripling the recipe. The pancakes are very similar to the Blanchard's famous Swedish Pancakes, but much thinner and more egg-y. Bret and his brothers traditionally serve the pancakes spread with butter and sprinkled with granulated sugar. To incorporate more nutrition into the meal, I like to prepare them with cottage cheese, yogurt, and/or fruit. We've also enjoyed them as a dessert filled with cream cheese, nutella, frosting, and/or fruit syrups.

Jumbleberry Pie

Source: Me - combining bits and pieces of various Jumbleberry Pie recipes I found via Google

Servings: 8

Prep Time: 15 minutes (excluding pie crust preparation)

Cook Time: 60 minutes 

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients:
1 unbaked pie crust
6 cups mixed berries (I used a frozen raspberry, blueberry, blackberry blend from Costco)
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup half and half

Directions:
Mix berries, cornstarch, sugar, lemon juice, nutmeg, and cinnamon together in large mixing bowl. Pour mixture into bottom pie crust. If using a top crust, dot surface of berries with diced butter. Place top crust and seal edges. Cut 3-5 small ventilation slits in crust, brush with half and half, then sprinkle with additional sugar.

Bake at 425F for 20 minutes, then reduce heat for 375F and bake for additional 35-40 minutes.

Comments: This pie (that I made for Thanksgiving) was so easy and so delicious! Next time, I'll use a top and bottom crust and use closer to 1/2 cup of cornstarch to thicken the juices. I would suggest baking the night before your event to give it plenty of time to thicken. Most importantly, this MUST be served with vanilla ice cream! :)

Homemade Clif Bars

Source: original recipe comes from here but we’ve made some adjustments

1 1/4 cups crisp rice cereal
1 cup uncooked quick-cooking oats
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed (flaxseed meal – this stuff is basically amazing)
1/4 cup finely chopped dried fruit (e.g., raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries, etc … we even tried dried pineapple and it was delish)
1/4 cup finely chopped nuts or seeds (I hear pepitas (which are pumpkin seeds) are great, but we’ve never actually added nuts or seeds)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup brown rice syrup (that’s what the recipe calls for, but we just use the regular Western Family maple or “rich & buttery” syrup stuff that you put on pancakes)
1/2 cup nut butter (WF creamy PB works just great)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine the rice cereal, oats, flaxseed meal, dried fruit, nuts and cinnamon in a large bowl. Combine the syrup and nut butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until melted and well-blended (alternatively microwave in small microwave-safe bowl 30-60 seconds until melted). Stir in vanilla until blended. Pour nut butter mixture over cereal mixture, stirring until coated. Press mixture firmly into an 8-inch square pan (sprayed with nonstick cooking spray) using a large square of wax paper (really tamp it down … Gregg even uses his handy-dandy French-style rolling pin from Ram Kitchen to really mash it in). Chill at least 30 minutes in fridge to help it set. Cut into 12 bars. Wrap bars tightly in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.

*Note, you can triple the recipe and it fits perfectly into a jelly roll pan. Cut it into 25 bars for about 200 calories per bar (he did the math).

Blanchard Note: Back when Gregg was training for LOTOJA (the bike race from Logan to Jackson Hole – you may have heard of it?) last year he did a lot of biking around the valley to train for such an adventure. A lot of biking results in a lot of calories burned, and he discovered this handy recipe for homemade clif bars (an energy bar that normally costs something close to $1.30 per bar) that are super tasty and a whole lot cheaper. Enjoy!

Oatmeal Apple Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

AKA "Reindeer Cookie Bars" -- I guess because Reindeer eat oats and apples? :)
Source: my mom, Peggy Elwood

½ cup butter
2 eggs
½ cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups oats
2-3 cups flour
1 apple, peeled and chopped
1 cup chocolate chips
(optional) shredded coconut and/or chopped walnuts, to taste -- I just kind of dump some in

Heat oven to 375. Mix brown sugar, white sugar, butter, shortening and eggs in large mixing bowl. Add salt, vanilla, baking soda and cinnamon. Add oats and mix. Add flour and mix. Then stir in chocolate chips, apple, coconut, and walnuts. Spread in 12 inch rimmed pizza pan (or cookie sheet with rim) and bake for 12-20 minutes. (Last time I cooked them long enough that they almost seem too dry, but when I cut them up and kept them in a tupperware container for a few days, they turned out perfect.)

Kim's note: These little morsels of goodness are my all-time favorite cookie to make and to eat. Hands down. Why, you ask? I will tell you why. First, they are delicious. (That is why I love to eat them.) Second, they only require forming and cooking one giant cookie. None of this batch after batch stuff. Spread it all in one pan and bake only once. That's my kind of cookie. :)

Apple Lemon Oat Muffins

Source: Allyson Jones, a good friend from Institute in Logan

1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice
3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
1-1/4 cups unsifted flour
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup (about 1 medium) finely chopped apples
1/2 cup chopped nuts
Lemon Icing

Preheat oven to 400°F. In medium bowl, beat egg; stir in milk, oil then lemon juice. Add oats; mix well. In a separate bowl sift together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Add to oat mixture with apples and nuts. Mix only until moistened (batter will be thick). Spoon batter into greased or paper baking cup-lined muffin cups. Bake 20 minutes or until golden. Spoon Lemon Icing over muffins. Remove from pan.

Lemon Icing: Combine 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice and 1 Tablespoon melted butter. (Makes about 1/4 cup.)

Blanchard note: We LOVE these muffins. We've made them no less than five times in the last month or so that we've discovered the recipe. We love them so much we even made them to celebrate our 10 week anniversary, as pictured above. Just want to share the love with everyone here.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Source: Camilla Webb, my next door neighbor growing up, with some alterations/additions by me and my mom, Peggy

3 cans chicken broth (or ~4 cups H2O + 2 chicken bouillon cubes if that's what you have, like me -- and actually, now that I've done some more math, it turns out that it really should be more liquid than my calculations ... just add water if it's too thick for your liking)
2 cans cream o' chicken soup
1 med. onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 large pepper, chopped (we prefer red bell pepper, but green works, too)
3-4 chicken breasts (we had tenders, and 4 of those is plenty)
1/2 cup salsa
1/2-3/4 cup uncooked rice
pepper, garlic powder and cumin, to taste

Boil the chicken. Remove from water and shred. Saute onion, pepper and celery (and season with a couple shakes of garlic powder) till barely crisp. Mix broth and soup in a large pan. Heat till boiling. Add onions, peppers, celery, chicken, rice and salsa. Add pepper and cumin to taste. Simmer until rice is cooked (or until your dishy husband gets home from class ... whichever comes last ;). Serve with avocado slices, shredded cheese, a dollop of sour cream and a handful of crushed tortilla chips. But it's even really awesome all by itself. Dig in!

Blanchard note: We LOVE this soup. Haven't made it as much as the muffins I just posted, but we love it a lot. The smell of it cooking and the anticipation of it warming my stomach is almost as great as actually eating it, especially on a cold and snowy day.

Great Ball o' Cheese

1- 8 oz. package cream cheese, at room temperature
1- 5 oz. jar Roka Blue spread
2 cups (ish - I just grate it into the bowl till it looks yummy - can't go wrong with cheese, I say!) sharp cheddar cheese, grated
½ tsp. onion powder
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. celery seed
Bacon bits, chopped nuts, etc.

Mix cream cheese and Roka Blue together until smooth. Add spices. Stir in grated cheese. (I like to refrigerate it in the bowl at this point for at least a half hour to let the cheese harden a bit, but if you're in a hurry, you can roll it right away.) Divide cheese mixture in half (to make the size pictured above, or just make one giant one - either way works) and wrap each portion in saran wrap. Form into ball. Remove from plastic and roll in bacon bits or chopped nuts, if desired. Serve with crackers (or I am a big fan of it squished down the center of a stick of celery).

Kim's note: This has been my little go-to contribution for holiday gatherings the last few years. Every good party needs a cheese ball, in my book, so I'm happy to oblige. And now that Kraft has decided to bring back (last year it was nowhere to be found - sad day!) the Roka Blue spread (at least for the holiday season, so buy some quick!) life is just too wonderful for words! :)

Light as a Feather Crescent Rolls

Source: My 10th grade foods class

Servings: 32 rolls

Prep Time: 30 min. + 90 mins of rising time
Cook Time: 12-15 min. per batch
Total Time:  2-3 hours

Ingredients/Directions:

1/2 c. warm water

2 Tbsp. yeast

1 Tbsp. sugar

Sprinkle yeast over warm water, then sprinkle sugar over yeast. Set aside. 

Place the following in large mixing bowl:

1/3 cup sugar

3 eggs

1/2 cup oil

1 1/2 cup water

Mix well and then add softened yeast mixture. 

Add 4 cups of flour and beat until dough is smooth.

Add: 1 1/2 tsp. salt and 3 more cups of flour. Beat until dough is blistery and smooth. Let dough rise until it doubles in size (about 1 hour)

Divide dough into 2 sections. Roll one section of dough into a large circle, like a pizza. Brush or spread with butter. Using a pizza cutter, cut into 12-16 triangles. Starting at the large end, roll each piece into a crescent and place on a greased cookie sheet. Let rise 15-20 minutes and then bake at 375 for 12-15 minute until golden. Serve hot. Makes 32 dinner rolls. 

Comments: 

This roll recipe really is the best, which is why we've used it for every holiday dinner for the past 5 years. I usually double or triple the ingredient amounts so that there are plenty of leftovers!

Mushroom Chicken

Source: BlogChef.net

Servings: 4-6
Prep Time: 5 min.
Cook Time: 10 min.
Total Time: 15 min.

Ingredients:

• 1lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
• cornstarch (for dusting)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 package fresh button mushrooms
• 4 small zucchini

Directions:

1. Cut chicken and zucchini into 1” chunks. Lightly dust chicken with a little bit of corn starch until lightly coated.
2. Add vegetable and sesame oil to the wok and fry chicken pieces until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels.
3. Add zucchini and mushrooms to the wok and stir fry for a few minutes. Add soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, minced fresh garlic, and ground ginger to the wok stirring to coat and stir fry until mushrooms and zucchini are fully cooked.
4. Return chicken pieces to the wok and coat with sauce, heat thoroughly and serve.

Comments:

I'd have to say my favorite entree at Panda Express is the Mushroom Chicken. (The Orange Chicken probably would be my favorite, but it has 3x as many calories!) I was at Panda Express the other night getting dinner for the missionaries, and ever since, I've been wanting Mushroom Chicken. I could really only find one recipe on the Internet, and this was it. . .luckily it is GOOD! (We doubled the amounts of soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, garlic, and ginger to make extra sauce.) Definitely going to be a regular at our house!

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Source: Jodi Gallagher


Servings: 12+
Prep Time: 10 min.
Bake Time: 35-40 min.
Total Time: 45-50 min.


Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 c oil
• 2 c grated zucchini (packed, push all the water out of it)
• 4 T cocoa (heaping)
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 t. soda
• 2 1/2 c flour
• 1/2 c buttermilk ("make" buttermilk by adding 1 TBS lemon juice to one cup milk and then letting it sit for five minutes to sour. Then use 1/2 cup for the recipe).

(Healthier version: replace the oil with same amount of applesauce and do half wheat half white flour)

Directions:

1. Mix sugar, eggs, oil, zucchini and cocoa. Add salt and soda.
2. Then add flour alternating with buttermilk.
3. Pour in a greased and floured 9 x13 cake pan.
4. Then sprinkle chocolate chips over the top - cover it completely!
5. Bake at 325 for 35-40 minutes. (24 muffins bake for 18 minutes; two 8x4x2-inch loaf pans bake for 50-55 minutes)
6. Insert a toothpick in the center to see if done. Make sure it is not in a place where there is a choc chip because it will come out gooey.

Comments:

I stole this recipe off of Jodi's blog last week and it is a keeper! I've already made it twice with leftover zucchini; the first time it got eaten (mostly by me) in one sitting, the second time I took it to my 7th grade team meeting at school and my teacher friends didn't even leave a crumb left! (I had to steal Jodi's photo, too, since this stuff got devoured before I thought to document it on camera.) Thanks, Jodi. . .keep the yummy recipes coming!

I didn't have 2 cups' worth of zucchini either time I made it, so I just halved the recipe. . .worked just fine. The first time I did it in a 8x8 cake pan (baked for 35 minutes) and the second time I baked it as a loaf in a 8x4x2-inch pan (baked for 55 minutes).

Kim's Fruit Cobbler

The above cobbler is made with a combination of blackberries, raspberries and blueberries.
I make this cobbler with all kinds of fruit: cherries, peaches or apricots etc

FRUIT MIXTURE:
Fruit – about a quart of fresh or frozen or drained canned fruit
Sugar – to taste, I usually add 1 – 1½ cups depending on sweetness of fruit
Water - small amount @ ½ cup don’t add too much because many kinds of fruit will become juicy when heated. You don’t want it to be too soupy
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 T cornstarch

In saucepan place fruit, sugar, salt, vanilla and water and bring just to a boil. Do not overcook. When bubbly add 2+ T. cornstarch mixed with small amount of water and cook only until thickened. For some fruit you might need more thickening agent.
Pour hot into 9 x 12 ceramic or glass baking dish

BATTER:
· 1 ½ cup flour
· 2 teaspoons baking powder
· ½ teaspoon salt
· 1/3 cup melted butter
· 2/3 cup sugar
· 1 egg
· ¾ cup milk
· 1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix batter thoroughly and pour evenly over hot fruit mixture in baking pan

TOPPING:
· Mix 2 Tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon cornstarch in small bowl
· Sprinkle on top of batter
· Carefully pour 1/3 cup of water over sugar and cornstarch mix, just to moisten. This kind of gives it a glaze when baking

Bake 350
30 – 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream

YUM!

Zucchini Pancakes

Source: Sarah Brown & allrecipes.com

Servings: 3-6
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoons chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• (optional) sour cream and/or marinara sauce

Directions:

1. In a bowl, combine the flour, Parmesan cheese, oregano, salt and pepper. Combine the zucchini, egg, onion and mayonnaise; stir into dry ingredients until well blended.
2. In a large skillet, melt butter. Drop zucchini mixture by cupfuls into skillet; press lightly to flatten. Fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels.
3. Serve with sour cream and/or marinara sauce, if desired.

Comments:

I discovered these pancakes last summer when my friend Sarah Brown brought them to our Relief Society potluck luncheon. I couldn't get enough of these (especially covered in marinara sauce)! At the time, I had tons of zucchini on my hands, so this was a really yummy alternative to sauteing zucchini or using it in pasta or bread.

Honey Glazed Roasted Vegetables

Source: www.eggplantrecipes.net

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes (or more depending on how many veggies you use)

Ingredients

1/4 cup Honey
1/4 cup Olive Oil
3 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
1 Garlic Clove, peeled and crushed
Salt, Pepper, and Dried Thyme, to taste (I didn't use any of these)
4-6 cups mixed halved Red Potatoes, sliced Zucchini, thickly sliced Onions, Red Peppers, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, sliced Eggplant (I did big chunks of everything, and I sweated my eggplant first.)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. 2. Combine honey, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, crushed garlic, salt, pepper, and thyme in small bowl. 3. Mix well. 4. Arrange red potatoes, zucchini, onions, red peppers, carrots, sweet potatoes, and eggplant in roasting pan. 5. Brush honey mixture over vegetables. (I just spooned it over and stirred it around well.) 6. Bake 30 minutes. Stir occasionally. (I only stirred it when I made the 9x13; the 8x8 didn't need it.)

Comments: The recipe is AMAZING. Seriously, it's a new favorite for Ryan and me. We got an eggplant with our CSA veggies, and I had no idea what to do with it (Can't have Eggplant Parmesean with Katie's milk allergy). I found this recipe and knew I would like it (I have a pretty big sweet tooth.) The great thing is, you can use whatever veggies you have in the house. I used potatoes, carrots, sweet red peppers, eggplant, and onion. The first time I just did an 8x8 and the 30 minutes of cooking time was plenty. The second time I did a 9x13 (doubling the glaze recipe), and it took at least an hour (the carrots were the real problem--I finally covered the pan in foil, which helped). Also, the second time, we served the veggies over Ry's incredible garlic (non-dairy) mashed potatoes. It was so amazing! The vegetables taste like candy, and with the mashed potatoes, it was so filling and the perfect comfort food. I can't wait to make this in the winter!

Plum Cake

Source: Allrecipes.com

Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/4 cups plums, pitted and sliced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9 inch tube pan.
2. Separate the eggs. In a small bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, cream the butter or margarine with the sugar. Beat in the egg yolks and the lemon zest.
4. Stir together the flour and baking powder and then beat the flour mixture into the creamed mixture. Gently fold in the egg whites. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. There will only be a little over an inch of batter. Arrange the plums, skin side down, attractively over the batter.
5. Bake at 375 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 40 minutes or until cake tests done. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool before serving. Makes 6 servings.

Comments: Ry had plum cake on his mission in Germany that he loved, and we found some in Brussels (incredible!) but he hasn't had it since. We had some really flavorful plums from our CSA share last week, so I made him a plum cake to come home to after traveling for work for a couple days. It's not really European style, but it's still incredible! (I had one tiny crumb---I'll be making this again after Katie is weaned!) Be sure to really load the plums on the top---they shrivel a little when cooked, so you definitely want to crowd them on the top before you put it in the oven.

Insanely Naughty Pumpkin Cake

Source: Angel Shannon on abc4.com

Servings: 12+
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hours, 10 minutes

Ingredients & Directions:

Crust:

• 1 box yellow cake (set aside 1 cup that will be used for the topping)
• ½ cup melted butter
• 1 egg

Mix cake mix, melted butter, and 1 egg well. Pour and press into lightly greased cake pan.

Filling:

• 3 c. pumpkin
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ c. sugar
• 1 t. salt
• 1 ½ t. cinnamon
• 1 t. ginger
• 12 oz. can evaporated milk

Mix pumpkin, 2 eggs, sugar, salt, spices, and evaporated milk. Pour over crust mix in pan.

Topping:

• 1 c. cake mix (reserved)
• ¼ c. sugar
• ¼ c. butter
• 3 T. flour

Mix these until crumbly. Sprinkle over pumpkin mixture. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Cool and serve with whipped topping.

Comments:

I just barely got this recipe today. . .and it's already a family favorite!

Cathi Chipman, a beloved sister in our ward, has been ill for years with pulmonary sclerosis (I believe) and probably won't be with us for very much longer. The other sisters and I in our ward love to serve her because she is such a joy to be around. I called her yesterday to see if there was anything I could do to help or if there were any foods she was able to eat had been craving, and she requested this cake. My friend, Monette, in our ward had made it for a Relief Society activity once, so I called her up; she was so helpful and searched around for it for me.

Cathi only wanted a few pieces -- she doesn't eat much at all these days -- so I served the rest tonight at a Wihongi family get together. This stuff got inhaled! It was so yummy, similar to a chocolate molten lava cake, only pumpkin. We've already decided this needs to be served at Halloween, Thanksgiving, or any other fall family function.

A delicious dessert that will now always remind me of an incredible woman and friend.

Speedy No-Knead Bread (The easiest recipe ever!)

Source: NY Times

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Rise Time: 4:30 (in 2 rises)
Cook Time: 45 min

Ingredients
3 cups flour (white or wheat)
1 packet (1/4 ounce) yeast
1.5 tsp salt
1.5 cups water
oil

Directions

1. Combine flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups water and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest about 4 hours at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Lightly oil a work surface and place dough on it; fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes more.

3. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6-to-8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under dough and put it into pot, seam side up. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes.

4. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Comments: This bread is so good, and this is my new favorite recipe because it is SO easy! Sure, you have to plan ahead with the rising time, but no kneading? Love it! You get a really beautiful, olive-oily, cripsy crust too. So good with hummus or chicken borscht, and we're going to try it with bruschetta!

Chicken Borscht

Source: Allrecipes.com

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 120 minutes

Ingredients

2 lbs skinless chicken thighs
8 cups chicken stock (I dilute mine, and I added an extra 1.5 cups of water)
2 lbs potatoes cut into 1 inch cubes (use good quality, like Yukon Gold for better flavor)
1 16 ounce can of diced tomatoes (not drained) (I skipped this ingredient)
3 large beets peeled and shredded (I diced)
1 large carrot grated (I diced)
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 tbs. red wine vinegar
3 tbs tomato paste
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Place chicken thighs in the chicken stock in a large pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat, cover, and simmer until the chicken thighs are no longer pink at the bone, about 20 minutes. Remove chicken, and set aside to cool. Stir in the potatoes, tomatoes, beets, carrot, cabbage, onion, garlic, red wine vinegar, tomato paste, and bay leaf. Cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, chunk the chicken, and discard the bones. Return the chicken thighs to the soup, and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Comments: I've only had borscht once (and loved it!), and it was nothing like this, but this was still really good. I picked this recipe because it called for chicken instead of pork or beef (which we don't eat much of) and because it took 2 hours to make instead of all day like a lot of recipes I found. We loved it, and we even got Katie to eat it, which is saying something! Again, I highly recommend using good potatoes like Yukon Gold---you'll never go back to Russet!

Oatmeal Wheat Bread

Source: Janet Markham

Prep Time: 2:30 hours (includes two rises)
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Servings: Two loaves

Ingredients
2 cups very hot water (near boiling)
1 cup oats (regular is best, quick oats work ok)
1/2 cup warm water
4.5 tsp yeast
1 tsp white sugar
2 tbsp oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup or more whole wheat flour (I usually use about 2.5 cups whole wheat)
1 tbsp salt
4.5 cups white flour (more or less depending on how much whole wheat you use)

1. Put 1 cup oats in large bowl. Pour 2 cups very hot water on top and stir. Let stand for 5 minutes. Meanwhile put 1/2 cup warm water in a smaller bowl and add 4.5 tsp yeast and 1 tsp white sugar. Whisk together with a fork and well stand until frothy.
2. Add 2 tbsp oil, 1/2 cup brown sugar and wheat flour to the large bowl and stir.
3. Add the yeast mixture, stir, and then start adding white flour. (I usually add it about 1/2 to 1 cup at a time). Add 1 tbsp salt and keep stirring. Add more white flour until the dough gets less sticky, starts to form a ball, and is hard to stir in the bowl.
4. Sprinkle a generous amount of white flour on a counter top. Dump the dough out on the flour and start kneading. Sprinkle more white flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking to your hands and the counter top. Knead for about 5 minutes. (I like to think of kneading as stretching the fibers of the dough in a circular motion- fold the dough in half, push down and backward into the ball with your palm, and let the fibers from the bottom be pushed to the back and around to the top, if that makes any sense.) The dough should be sticky but smooth when fully kneaded. (Adding too much flour will make the bread drier.) When fully kneaded the dough will spring back gently when you push into it with one finger and will be "soft as a baby's bottom" to quote my mom.
5. Sprinkle a little more flour around the inside of the large bowl and place the dough in the bowl to rise for 1 hour.
6. After 1 hour, take the dough out, knead it gently, and cut in half with a knife. (Don't pull the dough apart- that breaks the elastic fibers that you worked so hard to make while kneading.) Shape two loaves by flattening it out into a rectangle on a floured surface and rolling it up.
7. Place in greased bread pans and let rise 35 minutes. Preheat oven to 350. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and hollow sounding when tapped on bottom. Let cool before eating- this lets the bread structure "set up" before cutting it.

Comments: I've always loved homemade bread, but I've always been intimidated to make a rising bread. My friend makes this weekly, and Ry and I love it so much I finally was motivated to try it. I still can't make it as good as she does (she uses a different kind of wheat, which is part of the issue), and I don't make it very often, but we still eat the two loaves fast when I do get around to it!

Radish Top Soup

Source: allrecipes.com

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 45 min

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 medium potatoes, sliced
• 4 cups raw radish greens (I used the greens from 5 radishes, and that was plenty)
• 4 cups chicken broth (I used 3 bouillon cubes to 4 cups of water)
• 1/3 cup heavy cream (I used almond milk)
• 5 radishes, sliced

Directions
1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and saute until tender. Mix in the potatoes and radish greens, coating them with the butter. Pour in chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.
2. Allow the soup mixture to cool slightly, and transfer to a blender. Blend until smooth.
3. Return the mixture to the saucepan. Mix in the heavy cream. Cook and stir until well blended. Serve with radish slices.

6 servings
Amount Per Serving Calories: 167 | Total Fat: 9.3g | Cholesterol: 32mg

Comments: This soup is so good! It's a lot like cream of broccoli, but so much more flavor, and since it's not cream based, I'm sure it's lower fat (even lower than it says if you use milk instead of heavy cream). But it does not really make 6 servings. It made enough for two hungry adults to have dinner and a tiny bit left over for the next day.

Cheese Soup

Source: Sacha Bikhazi (not sure where she got it)

Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: about 20 minutes

Ingredients:
1/2 cup carrot finely diced
1/2 cup celery finely diced
1/2 cup onion finely diced
1 Tbs butter
2 cups cheddar cheese (regular, sharp, or extra-sharp; and you can use a bit more cheese than this)
Dash of sour cream

Saute veggies in the butter until tender. Stir in 1/4 cup flour. Blend in 2 cups milk, 1 1/2 cup chicken broth. I like to use a milkshake blender, but you could put the soup in a food processor or a blender. Once the soup is thickened a bit, add the shredded cheese. Serve immediately, with an optional dash of sour cream or paprika. Do not let cool too much after you add the cheese. However, it is good leftover the next day.

Comments: Not fat free or low calorie, but so worth it! Really good with biscuits or bread bowls.

Swiss Chard

Source: Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 large bunch of fresh Swiss chard
• 1 small clove garlic, sliced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp water
• Pinch of dried crushed red pepper
• 1 teaspoon butter
• Salt

Directions
1. Rinse out the Swiss chard leaves thoroughly. Remove the toughest third of the stalk, discard or save for another recipe (such as this Swiss chard ribs with cream and pasta). Roughly chop the leaves into inch-wide strips.

2. Heat a saucepan on a medium heat setting, add olive oil, a few small slices of garlic and the crushed red pepper. Sauté for about a minute. Add the chopped Swiss chard leaves. Cover. Check after about 5 minutes. If it looks dry, add a couple tablespoons of water. Flip the leaves over in the pan, so that what was on the bottom, is now on the top. Cover again. Check for doneness after another 5 minutes (remove a piece and taste it). Add salt to taste, and a small amount of butter. Remove the swiss chard to a serving dish.

Comments: Our first experiment with our Roxbury Farm (CSA) veggies that we got Tuesday. Incredible! Seriously, friends! We read online that it's important to use only the freshest chard, so bear that in mind. Ours was great---lovely flavor, not bitter at all. We also loved how quick this recipe (as well as the pasta one was). Unfortunately, we only had half a bunch of chard (we split our veggie share from the farm with someone because we didn't think we could eat all the veggies in one week, but now we're regretting that), and it cooks down a lot.

Sautéed Swiss Chard Ribs with Cream and Pasta Recipe

Source: Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 lb swiss chard, yielding 2 cups of chopped ribs
• 1/4 cup (half a stick) butter
• 3/4 to 1 cup heavy cream (we used almond milk; not as good, but passable)
  
• Enough dry pasta to make about one quart of cooked pasta (use rice pasta if gluten-free is required)
• Salt and pepper

Directions
1. Separate the ribs from the greens. Cut the ribs into 1/2-inch to 1-inch pieces. Blanch the ribs in lightly salted boiling water for 3 minutes.

2. Melt butter in a saucepan on medium heat. Add the drained, blanched ribs and simmer for 4 minutes. Add heavy cream and cook until cream reduces by two-thirds.

3. While the cream is reducing, cook up your pasta according to the pasta's package directions.

4. Mix creamed chard with pasta. Season lightly with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Comments: Our first experiment with the Roxbury Farm (CSA) veggies we got on Tuesday. This recipe was good, but a little bland. It would be better with some kick (a la crushed red pepper, perhaps). Also, we read online that it is very important that the chard be very fresh. We got ours yesterday and it was great today. We love the flavor (not bitter at all!).

Oatmeal Cake

Oatmeal Cake
Kim Blanchard

Source: from a woman in our ward in Portland over 30 years ago!

Total prep/Cook time about an hour

Ingredients:

2 ¼ cups flour
1 ½ teaspoons soda
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
1/3 teaspoon cloves
1/3 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups very hot water
1 ½ cups oatmeal (I use the regular oats, not the quick cooking)
¾ cup vegetable oil (I use canola)
1 ½ cups brown sugar
1 ½ cups white sugar (sometimes I use all brown sugar instead of half and half)
3 eggs (separate one egg and use the white in the cake and retain the yolk for the topping)
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

Directions:

Place oatmeal into hot water and let sit for about 10 minutes to soften
Separate one egg- retain yolk for topping
Mix all dry ingredients
Mix wet (oatmeal/water mix, eggs, vanilla and oil)
Mix together wet and dry ingredients
Pour batter into buttered 9 x 13 pan

Bake 350 degrees for 25 – 30 minutes until toothpick comes out clean

Topping:
1 cube very soft butter
1 egg yolk
¼ cup milk
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup walnuts
1 cup coconut

Mix all ingredients and spread over hot cake
Broil in oven until browned - watch carefully

Comments:
This cake has been a family favorite for years! One great thing is that this cake freezes beautifully! I usually make a double batch and put batter into smaller pans and freeze a few.

Creamy White Chili

Source: Tori M. (I don't know her; I got it from my friend Sacha Bikhazi)

Servings: 4-6

Total prep/cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon oil
2 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies (if you like less kick, add just one can)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream

Directions:

In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and cream. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve immediately. This is especially good served with tortilla chips. Makes about 6 servings.

Comments:
My friend made this for me when I visited her in Albuquerque, NM, and I have made it at least 4 times in the two months since then. Ry loves it, and we even made it for Kim when she visited and she loved it too! We're thinking of making it for everybody this summer at Fairview. Plus, it's so easy I don't mind making it. Oh, and definitely use fresh cilantro with it---it makes such a difference!

Split Pea Soup

Source: Jessy Madsen (a friend from Church)
Serves: 6-8
Total prep/cook time: about 8 hours in slow cooker, or 2-3 over the stove

Ingredients:

• 3 cups dried green split peas, rinsed and picked over
• 8 cups water
• 1 small (1 to 1 1⁄2 lb.) boneless ham
• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 2 medium yellow onions, diced
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 4 new potatoes, diced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1⁄2 tsp fresh thyme (or 1⁄2 tsp dried thyme)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Place split peas, water, ham and bay leaves in the slow-cooker. Cover and cook on low until tender, about 7 hours on low. (Or, put in pan on stove for about 2 hours on medium, but you need to watch it and stir often.)

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Sauté onions, carrots and celery until softened, about 6 minutes. Add vegetables and diced potatoes to slow-cooker. Cook until the potatoes are tender, about 2 hours (or less in a pan on the stove). Remove the ham from the slow-cooker, shred the meat, and add it back to the slow-cooker. Add the thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Serves 8 to 10

Comments:
Things we love about this soup: 1) It's super tasty (even though it doesn't look appetizing, it's really great!). 2) It's super cheap. 3) Perfect cold weather comfort food, but my friend brought it to us in the summer after Katie was born and it tasted great then. 4) You can leave the ham out to make it even cheaper/vegetarian and it still tastes good. I've experimented with making it on the stove, and can do it in about 3 hours without compromising the texture/flavor, but it requires a lot of babysitting, so I think I'm going to do it in the crock pot next time. (I don't use my crock pot much for some reason.)

Jessy's note: I just bought pre-sliced ham b/c it's way cheaper and threw it in the crockpot sliced and then when it says to shred the meat I just cut it up and dice it. I only used at minimum a pound and then would just either freeze the meat or use it for another meal the next week)

Cake Mix Fix-Up

On Sunday, I was craving a succulent dessert but was limited on ingredients. (Finals week = no grocery shopping) Of course, I turned to the trusty world wide web for inspiration. A few sites said that a great way to transform a boring boxed cake mix into something special is to replace the water and oil with milk and butter (eggs unchanged). Boy, were they right! This makes such a moist, rich, spongy cake! I'll never use the product instructions again!

Chicken and Peaches

Source: Rachael Ray

Serves: 2-4

Total Prep/Cook Time: 15 minutes

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 peaches, pitted and thickly sliced or halved
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 2-inch piece of fresh ginger root, grated orminced
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 2/3 cup peach preserves
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce, such as Frank's Red Hot brand
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

PREPARATION

Heat a medium size skillet with the butter over medium heat. Add the peaches and the juice of 1/2 lemon and cook until tender and lightly golden, 10 minutes. Turn off the heat.

While the peaches cook, heat 1 tablespoon EVOO, a turn of the pan, in a large skillet over medium-high to high heat. Cut the chicken breasts in half across the center of each breast to make four equal portions. Add the chicken breasts and thighs to the pan and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 12 minutes, then remove to a plate and cover with foil.

Drizzle the pan with the remaining EVOO, half a turn of the pan. Add the chopped shallot and the ginger and cook for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the stock, preserves, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce and season with black pepper, to taste. Cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes to thicken. Arrange the chicken and peaches on a platter and douse with peach sauce. Serve one piece of light meat and one thigh per person.

Comments: No complaints. Absolutely delicious! (I didn't add the ginger. I think it would be heavenly either way.) I made the peaches and sauce on the stove, and Bret grilled the chicken outside. Together, a perfect summer Sunday dinner.

Summer Corn Fettuccine

Source: Rachel Ray

Servings: 4-6

Total Prep/Cook Time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

• Salt
• 1 pound fettuccine
• Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling
• 6 slices smoky bacon, chopped
• 6 ears corn on the cob, shucked
• 3 shallots, finely chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup half-and-half orcream
• 1/2 cup chicken stockor dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
• A few dashes of hot sauce or 1-2 pinches cayenne pepper
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup sweet basil leaves, torn or 1/4 cup tarragon leaves, chopped

PREPARATION

Bring a large pot of water to boil over medium heat. Salt the water, add the pasta and cook to al dente.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet with a drizzle of EVOO over medium to medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook for a few minutes until rendered and crisp.

Put a small bowl inverted into a large bowl, steady the corn cobs on the smaller bowl and scrape the ears. Add three-quarters of the scraped corn and any corn liquid to the pan with the bacon. Add the shallots and red pepper and liberally season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook until the vegetables are tender, 5-6 minutes.

Add the remaining corn and half-and-half to a food processor and puree until smooth.

Pour the stock or wine into the corn and vegetables and simmer over low heat for a minute to reduce. Stir in the thyme and corn-cream mixture and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, to thicken. Add the hot sauce or cayenne and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Drain the pasta and add it to a large serving bowl. Pour in the sauce, add a couple of handfuls of cheese, about 1/2 cup, and toss. Top with torn basil or chopped tarragon and pass the remaining cheese at the table.

Comments: Absolutely delicious! A wonderful summer meal! My only complaint was that it didn't have a ton of flavor, but that could have been because I didn't have/use the red pepper.

Baked French Toast Casserole with Maple Syrup

Source: Paula Deen on The Food Network


Servings: 4-6
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes (plus overnight refrigeration)
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 8 hours, 50-55 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)
• 8 large eggs
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Dash salt
• Praline Topping, recipe follows
• Maple syrup

Directions:

1. Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. (Use any extra bread for garlic toast or bread crumbs). Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices.
2. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly.
3. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices.
4. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
5. The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
6. Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup.

Praline Topping:

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. Makes enough for Baked French Toast Casserole.

Comments:

This is actually a recipe I got from Mom, but I figure I'll post it so that's one less she has to worry about posting on here! (I'm anxious to see the whole wheat biscuits and blueberry muffin recipes on here, Mom!)

This casserole is amazing! Mom apparently got it from Ann and raved about it. This year, Mom made it for our family Easter Saturday brunch, and I had already bought the ingredients for our Wihongi Easter brunch on Sunday! It was fun to have a preview before I made it. However, Mom made hers with milk instead of half-and-half and used half the amount of butter. I, on the other hand, made it Paula Deen-style with all the full-fat ingredients. Pretty dang tasty. . .if not exactly waist-friendly!

Cheesy Ham and Hash Brown Casserole

Source: Allrecipes.com


Servings: 12
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 (32 ounce) package frozen hash brown potatoes
• 8 ounces cooked, diced ham
• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of potato soup
• 1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
• 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. In a large bowl, mix hash browns, ham, cream of potato soup, sour cream, and Cheddar cheese. Spread evenly into prepared dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
3. Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until bubbly and lightly brown. Serve immediately.

Comments: This is an amazing breakfast casserole I discovered when we hosted Kasey's homecoming brunch. Easily made the night before and cooked an hour before serving. I made this for our Wihongi Easter get-together this year, as well as the Sunday Brunch Bake and the Baked French Toast Casserole. . .quite the hit!

Three-Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta Bake

Source: KraftFoods.com


Servings: 4
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 23 minutes
Total Time: 43 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups multi-grain penne pasta, uncooked
• 1 pkg. (9 oz.) fresh spinach leaves
• 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts (I usually use boneless, skinless chicken thighs or a rotisserie chicken), cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 tsp. dried basil leaves (or 1 T. fresh basil, chopped)
• 1 jar (14-1/2 oz.) spaghetti sauce
• 1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 oz. (1/4 of 8-oz. pkg.) Neufchâtel Cheese, cubed
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, divided
• 2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375ºF.
2. Cook pasta as directed on package, adding spinach to the boiling water the last minute.
3. Cook and stir chicken and basil in large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat 3 min. Stir in spaghetti sauce and tomatoes; bring to boil. Simmer on low heat 3 min. or until chicken is done. Stir in Neufchâtel.
4. Drain pasta mixture; return to pan. Stir in chicken mixture and 1/2 cup mozzarella. Spoon into 2-qt. casserole or 8-inch square baking dish.
5. Bake 20 min.; top with remaining cheeses. Bake 3 min. or until mozzarella is melted.
   

Comments: I love this recipe because it has all my favorite pasta components: penne, spinach, basil, chicken (which is what I choose when I can't get shrimp!), multiple cheeses, and it's baked. Plus, it's healthy, easy, and quick! (I usually double this recipe so we have plenty for leftovers.)

Sour Cream Lemon Pie

Source: Kim Blanchard

Servings: 8
Prep Time: 20
Cooking time: 15
Total time: 35 minutes then chill at least 6 hours

Ingredients:

· 1 large baked pie shell or graham cracker crust ( I usually use the Graham Cracker crust)

· 1 cup sugar
· 4 ½ Tablespoons cornstarch
· 1.5 cups milk
· Yolks from 4 – 5 large eggs
· 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon peel
· 1/3 cup lemon juice
· ½ stick butter- melted
· 1.5 cups sour cream

In blender mix: egg yolks, milk, cornstarch, lemon peel and juice. Pour mixture into large sauce pan and add the sugar and butter. Cook over medium heat just until boiling stirring constantly. It will get very thick. Remove from heat and cover surface with plastic wrap to keep skin from forming. Cool. Stir in sour cream until well blended. Pour into pie shell. Cover loosely and refrigerate at least 6 hours until set or up to 2 days. Garnish with sweetened whipped cream.

Comments: I make this recipe with fat free sour cream and low fat milk and it is just delicious! Of course the whipped cream on the top adds too! Also the pie shown I made for St. Patrick’s Day and added green food coloring to make it green, normally of course it would be yellow.

Corned Beef and Cabbage - Gallagher Style

This is the easiest of recipes!

I purchase a corned beef brisket - either flat or point cut, I usually get what is on sale. And I often buy two or more because they really cook down, there is a lot of fat. I cut open the bag, drop the brisket into the crock pot and cover with water. I always include the little seasoning packet AND (this is the secret ingredient) the peel of a whole orange. Then I cook it for at least 24 hours.

About 45 mintues before serving, I drain my broth/brine from the crock pot into a large bowl. I now skim off the fat and run the broth/brine through a strainer to get out the gunk that settles to the bottom of the crock pot. Then put lots of chunked red potatoes and peeled carrots into a large pan on the stove top and then cover the vegetables with the strained broth/brine and boil until soft. Then about 10 minutes before serving, place wedges of cabbage on top of the potatoes and carrots and baste slightly to get the brine over all and let it steam.

Drain all and serve hot. And of course you must have some yummy mustards to serve with the corned beef. Our favorites are honey mustard and spicy hot!

Luck o the Irish to ye!

Café Rio Chicken

Source: 365 Days of Slow Cooking

Servings: 8-12 (?)
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 5-7 hours
Total Time: 5-7 hours

Ingredients:

• 5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thawed (I used both breasts and thighs)
• 1 small bottle Kraft Zesty Italian dressing (I used the fat free kind)
• 1 T. chili powder
• 1 T. cumin
• 3 cloves minced garlic

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients except the chicken in a bowl.
2. Place chicken on bottom of a greased crockpot. Pour mixture in bowl over the top of chicken. Cook on high 5-7 hours.
3. Shred chicken with a fork and reserve juice to pour over chicken when serving.

Comments: This was SO good! I could eat homemade Café Rio every day, but the pork barbacoa we make is probably not the most conducive to weight loss. So, I found this chicken recipe on the CrockPot cooking blog that both Scott and my dad had told me about. Now I feel a little better about indulging in our homemade salads and burritos (of course, paired with the cilantro rice and creamy tomatillo dressing). The pork's still my favorite, but this chicken is a close second!

Red & White Lasagna

Source: Wendy Brown Johnson (or American Beauty pasta!)


Servings: 12
Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15-30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 12 lasagna noodles
• 1 (15 oz.) container ricotta cheese (or cottage cheese)
• 1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
• 2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
• 2 eggs
• 1 lb. Italian sausage or ground beef, cooked and drained
• 1 (26 oz.) jar marinara pasta sauce
• 1 (16 oz.) jar Alfredo pasta sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook lasagna noodles.
3. Combine ricotta (cottage) cheese, spinach, mozzarella, 2 T. Parmesan, and eggs; mix well.
4. In a 15 x 9 baking dish, spread 1 c. marinara.
5. Layer 4 noodles.
6. Top with half of the cheese mixture, 1 c. marinara, and all the cooked sausage.
7. Layer with 4 more noodles, remaining cheese mixture, and remaining marinara.
8. Top with 4 remaining noodles.
9. Spread Alfredo evenly on top and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan.
10. Cover and bake for 40 minutes.
11. Uncover and bake for additional 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
12. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Comments: I stole this recipe off of my pal Wendy's blog (and she apparently stole it off of the American Beauty lasagna box). She claimed that it was the best lasagna she'd ever had, and since Wendy and Nick Johnson are culinary connoisseurs (their cheesecakes are to die for!), I had to try it for myself.

Amish Friendship Bread

Source: Unknown

Servings: 2 loaves
Prep Time: 10 minutes (after waiting 10 days!)
Bake Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 10 days + 1 hr. 10 minutes

Ingredients & Directions:

Do not use any type of metal spoon or bowl for mixing.
Do not refrigerate.
If air gets in the bag, let it out.
It is normal for batter to rise, bubble, and ferment.

Day 1: Do nothing
Day 2: Mash the bag
Day 3: Mash the bag
Day 4: Mash the bag
Day 5: Mash the bag
Day 6: Add to the bag: 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk, and then mash the bag
Day 7: Mash the bag
Day 8: Mash the bag
Day 9: Mash the bag
Day 10: Follow the instructions:

1. Pour the entire contents of the bag into a non-metal bowl.
2. Add 1 ½ cups flour, 1 ½ cups sugar, and 1 ½ cups milk. Stir with a non-metal spoon. It will be a bit lumpy.
3. Measure out 4 separate 1 cup each of batter and place each 1 cup measurements into a one-gallon zip-lock bag. You will now have four bags of batter. Keep one starter for yourself and give the other 3 to friends along with copies of this recipe. Be certain to mark the bag with the date of the new starter and let your friends know which day it is when you give them the bag. (Mark the dates down on the recipe.)
4. Preheat the oven to 325º degrees.
5. To the remaining batter in the bowl add:
   • 3 eggs
   • 1 c. oil
   • ½ c. milk
   • 1 c. sugar
   • 2 t. cinnamon
   • ½ t. vanilla extract
   • 1 ½ t. baking powder
   • ½ t. baking soda
   • ½ t. salt
   • 2 c. flour
   • 1 large box of vanilla pudding mix*
6. Grease 2 large loaf pans (these can be metal). Mix an additional ¾ c. sugar and 1 t. cinnamon together and dust the loaf pans with half of this mixture or until coated.
7. Pour the batter evenly into the 2 loaf pans and sprinkle the remaining cinnamon/sugar mixture of top.
8. Bake 1 hour. Cool until bread loosens from the pan, about 10 minutes.
   
   *(You can try any kind of pudding mix; lemon is really good. You can split the batter in half and use one small box of pudding in each loaf. That way you could have two different flavors of bread.)

Comments:

Since Vickie grew up with Amish families as neighbors, I figured I should get my facts straight before posting this recipe on the Bistro! So, here's a few things I learned about "Amish Friendship Bread" (I Googled it while waiting for the bread to bake):

• It's not Amish.
• According to Wikipedia, "The instructions distributed with Amish Friendship Bread typically omit instructions on how to prepare starter from scratch, and frequently claim that the recipe is a secret 'known only to the Amish'."
• The recipe I received also states that "only the Amish know how to make the starter," but I found a starter recipe at allrecipes.com.
• The starter can be frozen up to 6 weeks and saved for future use; just thaw for 3 hours at room temp before using.

Wihongi Nearly-Award-Winning Chili

Source: Rachael Ray (modified by me)

Servings: A lot?
Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes (or more, if cooking in Crock Pot)

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 pounds ground hot (or mild) sausage
• 2 tablespoons grill seasoning (recommended: McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning)
• 1/2 pound (10 oz.) baby Portobello mushrooms, chopped
• 1/4 pound (3.5 oz.) shiitake mushroom caps, sliced
• 1 medium yellow skinned onion, chopped
• 3 ribs celery, chopped
• 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 medium yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 4 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 3-4 canned chipotle peppers in adobo, chopped, with an additional 1 T. of the adobo sauce
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 bottle beer
• 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained
• 1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (15 oz.) can tomato puree
• 1 cup beef stock (8-ounce box)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
• 2 bay leaves
• dash of chili powder
• grated cheese and sour cream

Directions:

1. Heat a deep, large skillet or a pot over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and the sausage. Season it with grill seasoning and sear it up, browning and crumbling it, for 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer sausage to a plate and return pot to stove.
2. Reduce heat to medium-high and add another tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. Add the mushrooms and begin to brown them before adding the other veggies. After 2 or 3 minutes the mushrooms will begin to shrink and soften.
3. Push the mushrooms off to one side of the pot and add all the remaining veggies to the opposite side of the pot surface. Once the onions, celery, peppers and garlic have been working for a few minutes as well, mix the veggies with the mushrooms.
4. Add the sausage back, season with Worcestershire sauce, chipotle in adobo, and cumin. Add in beer to deglaze the pot, scraping up all the pan drippings. Reduce the beer by half, about 5 minutes.
5. Add the black beans, tomatoes, puree, stock, thyme, bay leaves, and chili powder to chili and simmer 10 minutes for flavors to combine. (For this step, we just threw everything in the crock pot and let it cook on low for 2-3 hours.) Taste to adjust seasonings.
6. Remove bay leaves from chili. Top bowls of the chili with cheese and sour cream.

Comments:

This recipe was created for Scott's Hillcrest Junior High Chili Cook-Off. We found a recipe we liked by Rachael Ray on Foodnetwork.com (here's the link for the original recipe), made a few modifications, and came up with one amazing batch of chili! We didn't take first place (although many people said we should have), but we still like ours best, which works out great for us!

One of the modifications we made was substituting hot ground sausage for the ground sirloin; definitely a good choice, but using regular sausage definitely would cut back on the heat a bit. We also added the tomato puree (since the original recipe looked more like stew than chili), yellow bell pepper (for color), and more of the chipotle peppers with adobo sauce (since it's such a yummy ingredient). Keep in mind, that's 3-4 individual peppers, not 3-4 cans of the peppers!

I realize that there's over 20 ingredients in this chili, but you won't be disappointed. . .it's SO good!

East Potato Sides

Source: Laurel

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Bake Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Bret and I have started adding a potato side dish to most of our dinners for several reasons: 1) eat more vegetables, 2) reduce our calorie intake by filling up on lighter side dishes instead of just one large main dish, and 3) add more volume to the meal for super cheap (let's face it, we're farrers/blanchards and it takes a lot to fill us up). We've had a lot of fun mixing and matching different combinations:

Step 1: Potatoes (cut and spread in a single layer on cookie sheet)

-diced red or russet potatoes

-thinly sliced sweet potatoes

Step 2: Seasonings (rub potatoes with a little olive oil and desired seasonings)

-parmesan cheese, italian bread crumbs, and garlic salt

-seasoned salt, pepper, chili powder, cinnamon

-salt, lemon pepper, orange zest

-invent your own!

Step 3: Bake (425F oven for 20-30 minutes, longer if potatoes are cut extra thick)

Step 4: Enjoy!

Note: For efficiency, I usually make the potatoes first, then make the main dish while they're cooking so that both are done around the same time and ready to serve.

Sloppy Buffalo Joes

Source: Rachael Ray

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 2 pounds ground chicken or turkey breast
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped or grated
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4-1/3 cup hot sauce, such as Frank's Red Hot brand
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 8 good quality burger rolls, split and toasted
• 1 cup blue cheese crumbles
• 2 large dill pickles, chopped

PREPARATION

Heat a large skillet with the EVOO over medium-high heat. Add the meat and break it up with wooden spoon, then cook for 5-6 minutes. Add in thecarrots, celery, onions and garlic, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then cook for 7-8 minutes more.

In a bowl, combine the vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, tomato sauce and stock. Pour into the pan and stir to combine. Simmer a few minutes more. Pile the sloppy Buffalo filling onto the buns and top with blue cheese and chopped pickles.

Comments: We liked Rachael Ray's buffalo chicken chili so much that we searched for a similar sloppy joe recipe to serve at our super bowl party. Lo and behold, it was right there in her online recipe archives. Once again, the flavor was outrageous! We complemented this healthy dish with sweet potato fries, green salad, and Heather's cowboy caviar for a spectacular guilt-free menu!