Source: The Essential Mormon Cookbook
Ingredients:
for the filling:
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch (I don't know why, but we had to double this and the sugar-cornstarch-water mixture never really got thick on the stove - we carried on and it all thickened up great in the cobbler, so I don't know what was up with that)
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon almond extract
4 cups peeled and sliced fresh peaches (ours didn't come from Brigham City, but they did come from Palisade, via the grocery store, so that's close for us Coloradans)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon butter
for the topping:
1 cup flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 cup milk
Ice cream or whipped topping
Directions:
For filling, in a large saucepan combine brown sugar and cornstarch. Stir in water. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add almond extract. Stir in peaches, lemon juice, and the 1 tablespoon butter; heat through and keep warm while preparing topping.
For topping, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the 1/4 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a separate bowl combine egg and milk; add all at once to flour mixture, stirring just to moisten. Turn hot filling into a greased 1 1/2 or 2 quart casserole. Immediately spoon on topping in 6 mounds. Bake at 400 F for approximately 20 minutes. Makes 6 servings. This recipe also works well with 4 cups fresh raspberries or blackberries, or a combination of raspberries and peaches.
Notes:
Nothing beats Kim's Fruit Cobbler recipe, but I had heard rave reviews about this one from my family and had to give it a try. Turns out it is mighty delicious, and actually quite similar to Kim's. This one differs with the addition of almond extract (I liked it, but I think 1 teaspoon might have been a bit too much) and the batter is a little stickier. Yummy stuff those peaches. Even yummier baked up in a bubbly, warm cobbler. Hooray for summer!
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Banana Carrot Muffins
Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe . . . always
Ingredients:
2 cups lightly measured flour (10 ounces) (if I would have had whole wheat flour ground before making these at 8:30 at night after Callie went to bed, I'd probably use it for half or more of the flour, but alas, I did not, so I used all unbleached all purpose in this batch)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I upped it up to a full teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup mashed bananas (about 3 very ripe medium bananas)
1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar (light or dark)
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted (or vegetable oil)
1/4 cup no-sugar added applesauce
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup finely grated carrots (no need to peel beforehand) (mine was a heaping cup from about 3 medium carrots)
a healthy handful of raisins (this was my addition to the recipe, and I only added it to half my batch, but next time I won't leave 'em out)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray or line ~18 muffin cups (I got 17 from my batch) with cooking spray or muffin liners.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
In a medium bowl or in a large liquid measure, whisk together the bananas, brown sugar, oil, applesauce, eggs and vanilla.
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients along with the carrots (and raisins!). Fold the ingredients together with a rubber spatula until just combined. Don't overmix!
Divide the batter evenly (I always use my 2 Tablespoon measuring spoon which equals an 1/8 cup - it works perfectly for filling muffin tins, I've found) in the prepared pans and bake for ~15-20 minutes until a knife or toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes:
September is here and these were the muffins I decided to make as my muffin of the month. They were delicious, especially with the raisins. A fun little variation on the typical banana bread muffin I usually make; I especially liked the colorful pop of orange from the carrot flecks. Callie, as usual, totally devoured these little muffins. And I loved them warm from the oven with a little (or medium-sized, let's be honest) dab of butter melting inside. Yum!
Ingredients:
2 cups lightly measured flour (10 ounces) (if I would have had whole wheat flour ground before making these at 8:30 at night after Callie went to bed, I'd probably use it for half or more of the flour, but alas, I did not, so I used all unbleached all purpose in this batch)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I upped it up to a full teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup mashed bananas (about 3 very ripe medium bananas)
1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar (light or dark)
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted (or vegetable oil)
1/4 cup no-sugar added applesauce
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup finely grated carrots (no need to peel beforehand) (mine was a heaping cup from about 3 medium carrots)
a healthy handful of raisins (this was my addition to the recipe, and I only added it to half my batch, but next time I won't leave 'em out)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray or line ~18 muffin cups (I got 17 from my batch) with cooking spray or muffin liners.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
In a medium bowl or in a large liquid measure, whisk together the bananas, brown sugar, oil, applesauce, eggs and vanilla.
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients along with the carrots (and raisins!). Fold the ingredients together with a rubber spatula until just combined. Don't overmix!
Divide the batter evenly (I always use my 2 Tablespoon measuring spoon which equals an 1/8 cup - it works perfectly for filling muffin tins, I've found) in the prepared pans and bake for ~15-20 minutes until a knife or toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes:
September is here and these were the muffins I decided to make as my muffin of the month. They were delicious, especially with the raisins. A fun little variation on the typical banana bread muffin I usually make; I especially liked the colorful pop of orange from the carrot flecks. Callie, as usual, totally devoured these little muffins. And I loved them warm from the oven with a little (or medium-sized, let's be honest) dab of butter melting inside. Yum!
Epicurean Chicken Pasta Salad
Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe
Ingredients:
for the Salad:
10 ounces (actually anywhere between 8-12 ounces) rotini pasta (I found that 3 ounces = 1 cup dry, so I used 4 cups dry)
2-3 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces or shredded (I dropped this to about 1 cup shredded and didn't miss the extra)
1 large sweet-tart apple, cored, diced (Mel prefers Honey Crisp for this salad - I just used a Gala)
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, diced small (about 1 cup)
1 15 ounce can pineapple tidbits, drained very well (I had a 20 ounce can and used about half of it)
1/2 cup red grapes, halved (my grapes were ginormous so I quartered them)
2/3 cup sliced almonds (I think I just used about 1/2 cup I think)
for the Honey Lime Dressing:
1/2 cup light or regular mayonnaise
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup light or regular sour cream
1/8 teaspoon salt
Pinch of black pepper
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
3 tablespoons honey
1/2 tablespoon poppy seeds
Directions:
In a large pot of lightly salted boiling water, cook the pasta until tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain well. In a large bowl, toss all the salad ingredients together.
In another small or medium bowl, whisk all the dressing ingredients together.
Pour the dressing over the salad and stir gently to mix so that all the ingredients are evenly coated with the
dressing.
Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to an hour (the salad may dry out a bit if refrigerated for much longer - you can make extra dressing or reserve part of the dressing to stir in right before serving). (I had leftovers for days and I didn't notice any drying effect, so I may make it a few hours in advance without any worries in the future if needed.) I also felt like it needed just a touch more salt (maybe because I didn't salt my pasta water?) so I sprinkled some on my serving when eating.
Notes:
I saw this salad pop up on Mel's blog recently and thought it looked mighty tasty. The honey-lime dressing really tickled my fancy. So I whipped it up to serve as a side for a dinner of Marv 'n' Joes, courtesy of Mom's garden tomatoes. That's a late-summer meal if I've ever had one! Also interesting to note: this salad was the cause of Callie's very first documented temper tantrum. She wanted MORE noodles and wasn't happy when I suggested she eat a bite of grape or chicken before I gave her more.
Ingredients:
for the Salad:
10 ounces (actually anywhere between 8-12 ounces) rotini pasta (I found that 3 ounces = 1 cup dry, so I used 4 cups dry)
2-3 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces or shredded (I dropped this to about 1 cup shredded and didn't miss the extra)
1 large sweet-tart apple, cored, diced (Mel prefers Honey Crisp for this salad - I just used a Gala)
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, diced small (about 1 cup)
1 15 ounce can pineapple tidbits, drained very well (I had a 20 ounce can and used about half of it)
1/2 cup red grapes, halved (my grapes were ginormous so I quartered them)
2/3 cup sliced almonds (I think I just used about 1/2 cup I think)
for the Honey Lime Dressing:
1/2 cup light or regular mayonnaise
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup light or regular sour cream
1/8 teaspoon salt
Pinch of black pepper
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
3 tablespoons honey
1/2 tablespoon poppy seeds
Directions:
In a large pot of lightly salted boiling water, cook the pasta until tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain well. In a large bowl, toss all the salad ingredients together.
In another small or medium bowl, whisk all the dressing ingredients together.
Pour the dressing over the salad and stir gently to mix so that all the ingredients are evenly coated with the
dressing.
Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to an hour (the salad may dry out a bit if refrigerated for much longer - you can make extra dressing or reserve part of the dressing to stir in right before serving). (I had leftovers for days and I didn't notice any drying effect, so I may make it a few hours in advance without any worries in the future if needed.) I also felt like it needed just a touch more salt (maybe because I didn't salt my pasta water?) so I sprinkled some on my serving when eating.
Notes:
I saw this salad pop up on Mel's blog recently and thought it looked mighty tasty. The honey-lime dressing really tickled my fancy. So I whipped it up to serve as a side for a dinner of Marv 'n' Joes, courtesy of Mom's garden tomatoes. That's a late-summer meal if I've ever had one! Also interesting to note: this salad was the cause of Callie's very first documented temper tantrum. She wanted MORE noodles and wasn't happy when I suggested she eat a bite of grape or chicken before I gave her more.
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Kielbasa Tinfoil Dinners
Source: inspired by a photo on pinterest that had no recipe to go along with it
Ingredients:
1 lb kielbasa sausage, sliced into 1/2 discs
1 green pepper, cut into chunks
1 onion, cut into chunks
4 red potatoes, cut into chunks
1 medium sweet potato, cut into chunks (are you noticing a theme here?)
1-2 Tablespoons butter
salt, pepper, garlic powder and parsley, to taste
Directions:
Even though I originally intended to make this as a foil pouch meal and cook it on the grill, I actually ended up just tossing everything into a 9x13" baking dish, adding a couple dollops of butter on top, and seasoning to taste with whatever I grabbed from the spice cabinet. Then I covered the casserole with tinfoil and baked at 375 degrees until the potatoes were tender. I honestly can't remember how long it took; probably 30-45 minutes, I'm guessing.
Notes:
I love tinfoil dinners, but I normally make them with a ground beef patty, sliced potatoes, and carrots and onions, with a squirt of ketchup for moisture and seasoning. When I saw this photo pop up in my pinterest feed, I knew I had to give it a try. It was fantastic! So flavorful and delicious. We all loved it.
Ingredients:
1 lb kielbasa sausage, sliced into 1/2 discs
1 green pepper, cut into chunks
1 onion, cut into chunks
4 red potatoes, cut into chunks
1 medium sweet potato, cut into chunks (are you noticing a theme here?)
1-2 Tablespoons butter
salt, pepper, garlic powder and parsley, to taste
Directions:
Even though I originally intended to make this as a foil pouch meal and cook it on the grill, I actually ended up just tossing everything into a 9x13" baking dish, adding a couple dollops of butter on top, and seasoning to taste with whatever I grabbed from the spice cabinet. Then I covered the casserole with tinfoil and baked at 375 degrees until the potatoes were tender. I honestly can't remember how long it took; probably 30-45 minutes, I'm guessing.
Notes:
I love tinfoil dinners, but I normally make them with a ground beef patty, sliced potatoes, and carrots and onions, with a squirt of ketchup for moisture and seasoning. When I saw this photo pop up in my pinterest feed, I knew I had to give it a try. It was fantastic! So flavorful and delicious. We all loved it.
Enchilada Zucchini Boats
Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe
Ingredients:
4 medium zucchini, halved
8-12 ounces lean ground turkey or ground beef (depends on how meaty you want this dish to be)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed (I tried a new trick ala Pioneer Woman and grated mine on a microplane zester - it worked okay, but I don't know if I'll ever do it again - kinda messy!)
1 jalapeno, finely chopped (seeds and membrane removed if you want less heat)
16 ounces tomato sauce
1 Tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander (didn't have this so I just upped the cumin to 2 1/2 teaspoons)
15-ounce can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1-2 cups shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese (or a combination)
Chopped cilantro for garnish
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Scoop out the center of each zucchini, discarding the seeds and leaving the outer zucchini flesh about 1/4-inch thick, forming little zucchini boats. Sprinkle the cut side of each zucchini with a little bit of salt (a pinch for each zucchini half). Set aside while preparing the filling.
In a large, 12-inch nonstick skillet, cook the ground turkey or beef over medium heat with the salt and pepper, breaking the meat into little pieces as it cooks. Once cooked all the way through, drain any excess grease, except for 1-2 teaspoons, and scrape the meat to a plate.
Return the skillet to medium heat and add the onion, garlic and jalapeno. Cook the mixture until the onion has softened and turned translucent, 4-5 minutes.
Stir in the tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, sugar, oregano, and coriander. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Ladle in about 1/3 cup of the sauce and spread across the bottom of the pan.
Stir the cooked meat and beans into the remaining sauce in the skillet.
Scoop an even amount of the meat and sauce mixture into each zucchini boat, piling it on.
Cover the baking dish with a layer of lightly greased foil and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and layer the cheese over the top. Bake for about 20 minutes more until the zucchini is fork tender.
Sprinkle the chopped cilantro on top and let the zucchini enchilada boats rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes:
I've never made zucchini boats (nor have I ever eaten them, I don't recall), but the ones I've seen or heard about always seemed to have a little Italian flair - marinara sauce, Italian sausage, etc. I love me some enchiladas, so when Mel posted this one, I knew I had to give it a whirl as my first foray into zucchini boat goodness. I'm hooked! (Though I actually thought these tasted more like chili on top instead of enchiladas - it's all the same sort of spices, right?) And I think Gregg and Callie are fans, too. (Callie gobbled up an entire boat herself for dinner and Gregg ate 3, with another as a late night snack before bed!) These are yummy!
Ingredients:
4 medium zucchini, halved
8-12 ounces lean ground turkey or ground beef (depends on how meaty you want this dish to be)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed (I tried a new trick ala Pioneer Woman and grated mine on a microplane zester - it worked okay, but I don't know if I'll ever do it again - kinda messy!)
1 jalapeno, finely chopped (seeds and membrane removed if you want less heat)
16 ounces tomato sauce
1 Tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander (didn't have this so I just upped the cumin to 2 1/2 teaspoons)
15-ounce can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1-2 cups shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese (or a combination)
Chopped cilantro for garnish
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Scoop out the center of each zucchini, discarding the seeds and leaving the outer zucchini flesh about 1/4-inch thick, forming little zucchini boats. Sprinkle the cut side of each zucchini with a little bit of salt (a pinch for each zucchini half). Set aside while preparing the filling.
In a large, 12-inch nonstick skillet, cook the ground turkey or beef over medium heat with the salt and pepper, breaking the meat into little pieces as it cooks. Once cooked all the way through, drain any excess grease, except for 1-2 teaspoons, and scrape the meat to a plate.
Return the skillet to medium heat and add the onion, garlic and jalapeno. Cook the mixture until the onion has softened and turned translucent, 4-5 minutes.
Stir in the tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, sugar, oregano, and coriander. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Ladle in about 1/3 cup of the sauce and spread across the bottom of the pan.
Stir the cooked meat and beans into the remaining sauce in the skillet.
Scoop an even amount of the meat and sauce mixture into each zucchini boat, piling it on.
Cover the baking dish with a layer of lightly greased foil and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and layer the cheese over the top. Bake for about 20 minutes more until the zucchini is fork tender.
Sprinkle the chopped cilantro on top and let the zucchini enchilada boats rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes:
I've never made zucchini boats (nor have I ever eaten them, I don't recall), but the ones I've seen or heard about always seemed to have a little Italian flair - marinara sauce, Italian sausage, etc. I love me some enchiladas, so when Mel posted this one, I knew I had to give it a whirl as my first foray into zucchini boat goodness. I'm hooked! (Though I actually thought these tasted more like chili on top instead of enchiladas - it's all the same sort of spices, right?) And I think Gregg and Callie are fans, too. (Callie gobbled up an entire boat herself for dinner and Gregg ate 3, with another as a late night snack before bed!) These are yummy!
Sunday, August 10, 2014
Scotcheroos
Source: My aunt, Kathryn Clark
Ingredients:
1 cup Karo syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter (I especially love it with chunky)
6 cups rice crispies cereal
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup chocolate chips
Directions:
Place cereal in large bowl. Melt Karo syrup and sugar over low heat, until sugar is dissolved. Add peanut butter and mix until melted. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until the cereal is completely coated. Spread evenly in rimmed cookie sheet. Melt chocolate chips and butterscotch chips in a microwave-safe bowl, 1 minute at a time and stirring well between heating. Spread chocolate mixture over rice crispies (it might not reach all the way to the edge, but the edges are good to nibble on plain). Cool and cut into squares.
Notes:
Every family party or campout that I can remember seemed to not be complete without a pan of scotcheroos. Most often they were made by Kathryn, but I remember making many a batch of these delicious treats myself. They're super quick and super easy and best of all they're super yummy. I just saw a recipe on Pinterest that used Chex cereal instead of the rice crispies and that intrigues me enough to give it a try next time I whip up some of these treats.
Ingredients:
1 cup Karo syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter (I especially love it with chunky)
6 cups rice crispies cereal
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup chocolate chips
Directions:
Place cereal in large bowl. Melt Karo syrup and sugar over low heat, until sugar is dissolved. Add peanut butter and mix until melted. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until the cereal is completely coated. Spread evenly in rimmed cookie sheet. Melt chocolate chips and butterscotch chips in a microwave-safe bowl, 1 minute at a time and stirring well between heating. Spread chocolate mixture over rice crispies (it might not reach all the way to the edge, but the edges are good to nibble on plain). Cool and cut into squares.
Notes:
Every family party or campout that I can remember seemed to not be complete without a pan of scotcheroos. Most often they were made by Kathryn, but I remember making many a batch of these delicious treats myself. They're super quick and super easy and best of all they're super yummy. I just saw a recipe on Pinterest that used Chex cereal instead of the rice crispies and that intrigues me enough to give it a try next time I whip up some of these treats.
Zucchini Muffins
Source: adapted from a zucchini bread recipe from an old neighbor from 1150 North, Michael Hendricks
Ingredients and Directions:
In a large bowl, mix:
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup sugar
3 beaten eggs (I have subbed 1/2 cup plain yogurt for 2 of the eggs before and it worked great! - you could probably sub all three without much issue, just use 1/4 cup yogurt per egg)
3 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups grated zucchini
Add:
3 cups flour (I like half whole wheat when I have it handy)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1/2 cup frozen cranberries (optional)
Pour into greased muffin pans. Bake at 350° for ~20 minutes (I think) (mini muffins take about 15 minutes). Makes 21 muffins (or ~50 mini muffins).
Notes:
August is here and zucchini muffins were the muffin of choice this month. I've usually made this recipe as 2 loaves of zucchini bread (bake for ~1 hour) rather than muffins, but I decided to give the ol' muffin version a try. I also made a couple more adjustments to make them a titch healthier than the original recipe (subbed applesauce for half the oil and cut the sugar amount in half). I think they turned out delicious. They certainly looked delicious - perfectly domed and golden brown with lovely flecks of green peeking through. I usually make my muffins in paper muffin liners, but I didn't this time and they rose so well. I may never go back to the wrappers!
Ingredients and Directions:
In a large bowl, mix:
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup sugar
3 beaten eggs (I have subbed 1/2 cup plain yogurt for 2 of the eggs before and it worked great! - you could probably sub all three without much issue, just use 1/4 cup yogurt per egg)
3 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups grated zucchini
Add:
3 cups flour (I like half whole wheat when I have it handy)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1/2 cup frozen cranberries (optional)
Pour into greased muffin pans. Bake at 350° for ~20 minutes (I think) (mini muffins take about 15 minutes). Makes 21 muffins (or ~50 mini muffins).
Notes:
August is here and zucchini muffins were the muffin of choice this month. I've usually made this recipe as 2 loaves of zucchini bread (bake for ~1 hour) rather than muffins, but I decided to give the ol' muffin version a try. I also made a couple more adjustments to make them a titch healthier than the original recipe (subbed applesauce for half the oil and cut the sugar amount in half). I think they turned out delicious. They certainly looked delicious - perfectly domed and golden brown with lovely flecks of green peeking through. I usually make my muffins in paper muffin liners, but I didn't this time and they rose so well. I may never go back to the wrappers!
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