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1.18.2011

Southwest Chicken Hasbrowns


2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1 large red potato, shredded (I used a baking potato, it worked fine!)
4 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro, if desired
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive or canola oil
Salsa & Sour Cream for garnish

1. In medium bowl, mix chicken and onion. Rinse shredded potatoes with cold water; drain on paper towels (be sure to drain them well; I didn't and mine were a slight bit on the soggy side). Add to chicken mixture. Stir in cilantro and salt.
2. In 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of the oil over medium-high heat. Spread potato mixture evenly in skillet. Cook, without stirring, 6 to 9 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center and bottom of potato mixture is golden brown and crisp.
3. Place large plate over skillet; turn potato mixture upside down onto plate. Add remaining teaspoon oil to skillet. Slip potato mixture back into skillet, browned side up; cook 5 to 7 minutes, pressing lightly with pancake turner, until golden brown and crisp.
4. With pancake turner, divide chicken mixture in half; place on 2 plates. Top each with sour cream and salsa.

*Recipe found here

Soft Molasses Cookies

If you've ever been to Ben's cookies at the Gateway mall in Utah you know how amazing their cookies are. Every cookie they make there uses Kodiak Cakes mixes:
The last time I was there I went for one of their molasses cookies. I was an instant fan! They are perfectly soft and tasty. They offered me the recipe that I am now sharing with you. Make them as soon as you can. They are so easy and not just a holiday cookie.



Ingredients:

2 C Kodiak Cakes Flapjack Fix (you can find their mixes at popular grocery stores in almost every state. I got mine at Smith's here in Utah. I know they have them at Fresh Market, Fry's, Albertson's, Safeway,)
1 t cinnamon
1 t ginger
1/2 C + 1 t vegetable oil
3/4 C brown sugar
1/4 C molasses
1 egg

Mix oil, sugar, molasses and egg until smooth. Blend the spices and Kodiak Cakes Flapjack Mix, then add to the sugar and oil mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for about six minutes. Do not over bake. They are better if a little on the soft side.

* I replaced the 1/2 cup of vegetable oil with the same amount of plain greek yogurt. We thought it was healthier and very good.

**recipe from Kodiak Cakes Kitchen

1.17.2011

Bourbon Chicken

What you need:
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
Olive Oil Cooking Spray (or 1 tbsp. olive oil)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
1/4 cup apple juice
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 Tablespoons ketchup
1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
1/3 cup reduce sodium soy sauce
1 Tablespooon cornstarch/1 Tablespoon water (optional)

Spray a large skillet with olive oil cooking spray (or use the 1 tbsp. olive oil). Add chicken and cook over medium heat until lightly browned. Remove chicken from skillet.

Add remaining ingredients, heating over medium heat until well mixed and dissolved. Add chicken and bring to a hard boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

If you prefer a thicker sauce, combine 1 tbsp. water and 1 tbsp. cornstarch in a separate bowl and add a little at at time to reach desired consistency. Serve with rice... enjoy!

* Recipe found here

1.15.2011

Cream Cheese Danish Dip

We found a new kind of Ritz crackers at the store and decided to try them out recently. They're Brown Sugar Cinnamon Ritz and they're delicious! While snacking on them one day, I was scoping out the box and noticed a recipe for this dip on the back. I love anything with cream cheese and decided to give this a try. It's just what I needed to satisfy my sweet tooth without going wild on chocolate! I loved it; I hope you will too!

What you need:
1 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened
1 apple, chopped
2 TBSP seedless raspberry jam
1/3 cup granola
Brown Sugar Cinnamon Ritz (or cracker of your choice)

Heat oven to 350. Spread the softened cream cheese along the bottom of a 9" pie plate or 1 qt. casserole dish. Combine the apples and the jam; spread over cream cheese. Then top with granola. Bake 15 minutes or until heated through. Spread on crackers and enjoy!

1.14.2011

Tomato Basil Linguine with Chicken

What you need:

5 oz linguine
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cubed
2 teaspoons garlic
1 can diced tomatoes with Italian herbs
1 1/2 teaspoons basil
Parmesan cheese for garnish

1. Cook linguine as directed on package. Drain and cover to keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and garlic and cook until chicken is no longer pink.
3. Stir in tomatoes and basil. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Gently stir in linguine. Sprinkle with parmesan and enjoy!

* Recipe found here

1.07.2011

Basil Quiche


3 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon each onion powder, garlic powder, and pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
grated cheese
turkey chunks (or whatever meat you desire; I used bacon)
tomato slices (I didn't have any, but used red onion)
basil (chopped)

Whisk together eggs, milk, powders, salt, and pepper. Layer cheese, turkey, and basil (however much you want of each) in pie crust. I didn't have a pie crust on hand, so I just greased a pie plate. Gently pour in egg mixture. Place thinly sliced tomato on top for decoration. If desired, cut tomato into small pieces and include in layers instead. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Done when the center of quiche doesn’t wiggle. You want it to have a little give, but not be squishy.

The fun thing about quiche is you can put whatever you want in it; add what you like. Broccoli, spinach, ham, olives, etc. ENJOY!

* Recipe from best friend

1.06.2011

Safe to eat raw cookie dough


Who doesn't *LOVE* to eat raw chocolate chip cookie dough?

It's a delicacy at our house!

1 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 (3 1/2 ounce) box instant vanilla pudding
1/4 cup milk
1/2 Tbsp. vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 cups flour
2 cups chocolate chips

In large bowl, cream softened butter and sugar until fluffy. Add pudding and stir well. Add milk, vanilla and baking soda. Slowly mix in flour until smooth. Dough will be slightly sticky. Stir in chocolate chips and chill. DO NOT BAKE!


I modified the original recipe slightly by increasing the vanilla to 1/2 T and the flour by an additional 1/2 cup. Here's a few ideas for you... eat it plain, dip it like I did above, mix it into ice-cream or spread it like frosting onto a chocolate cupcake! The possibility are endless.

1.04.2011

French Toast Casserole



Spray a 9x13 baking dish with pam. Cut the crust off about 16 pieces of bread. You should fit about 8 pieces in the bottom of your pan.
Mix 1 softened cream cheese package and 1/3 cup of maple syrup. Spread this mixture over the bread, then put your last layer of bread on top of that.
Mix 6 Eggs and 1 Cup of Milk; pour this mixture evenly over the top of the bread
Best if you make the night before and refrigerate.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-35 minutes (or till golden brown) Serve with homemade syrup below!

Homemade Syrup

2 TBS Butter
1 Cup Buttermilk
1 Cup Sugar
3 TBS Karo Syrup

Bring the above to a boil, and then add 1 tsp. Baking Soda and 1 tsp Vanilla, and stir. Put this in a large stock type pot because when you add the soda it make boil over if your pan isn't big enough. Once combined and heated, pour on top of casserole! Enjoy!

*Recipe from cousin

12.23.2010

Creamy Fudge

3 – (6.8 oz) Symphony Bars

4 cups Sugar

2 Cups Cream

2 sticks of real butter

1 tablespoon vanilla

Directions:
Stir together Cream and sugar in large heavy buttered pot. Place over medium heat and stir constantly just until it comes to a rolling boil. Once it starts to boil, DO NOT STIR, and put the lid on for ONE minute and then remove the lid.
Continue Cooking to a soft ball stage, and Do not Stir: Use your Candy Thermometer.

I cook mine to about 230 degrees. Every thermometer is different, so test yours, or do the cold water test. Take off the heat, and add 1 cup (2 sticks) of butter that you have cut up in chunks, and the vanilla…. let sit in the hot candy mixture for ONE minute – WITHOUT STIRRING!

Now – Without scraping the pan, pour over 3 big (the 6.8 oz) symphony bars that you have broke up into a large bowl. Beat until very smooth with beaters. Pour into a greased 9×13 pan. Put in the fridge until nice and set up…preferably over night.

*I line mine with parchment paper, that way you can lift the entire slab of fudge from the pan, and cut them easily. This fudge rarely turns to sugar, and is very creamy and smooth. Nuts are optional. Makes a large batch. Once cut, put in a container with a sealed lid, and keep refrigerated. YUM!

*recipe from a neighbor

Peppermint Pound Cake


I’ve been on a peppermint roll lately! Recipes with peppermint have been sounding really good to me this holiday season. This recipe did not come from a cookbook or from the internet…it came from a Christmas kitchen towel a friend had given me. I added a glaze and crushed candy canes as a finishing touch. If you like peppermint, you’ll enjoy this, and even if you are not a big peppermint fan, I think you’ll still like this because the peppermint flavor is definitely on the lighter side.


PEPPERMINT POUND CAKE

  • 3 cups sugar
  • 3 sticks butter (1 1/2 cups), softened
  • 5 eggs
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1-2 teaspoons peppermint extract (just use one teaspoon for a light peppermint flavor, or 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons for a stronger peppermint flavor)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt or tube pan (I used a 12-cup bundt pan, but I think it would work fine in a 10-cup pan, too–the baking time would be slightly longer).

In large bowl, blend sugar and softened butter. Add eggs one at a time, stirring well after each addition. Alternate adding flour and milk to mixture, blending well. Add peppermint and vanilla extracts, and stir until blended. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for 70-80 minutes (for a 12-cup pan, baking time will be about 70-75 minutes; for a 10-cup pan, it will be more like 80 minutes). Let cake cool in pan for 10-15 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely. While cake is cooling, you can make the glaze…

CREAMY PEPPERMINT GLAZE

  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup marshmallow creme (half of a 7-oz. container)
  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 5 Tablespoons milk or half and half
  • 3 crushed candy canes, for garnish

Blend softened butter and marshmallow creme together until smooth, then add peppermint extract and mix well. Add in powdered sugar a cup at a time, blending well after each addition. Add milk or half and half and blend well.

Shortly before you are ready to serve the cake, spoon the glaze over the top, letting it run down the sides (you’ll have some glaze left over). Then sprinkle top of cake with crushed candy canes, and serve. (Note: this glaze is a little gooey because of the marshmallow creme, so you may need to wipe your knife occasionally as you’re slicing the cake).

Peppermint Bark Chocolate Chip Cookies


3 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or unbleached all-purpose flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups peppermint bark, roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 375F degrees. Position the racks in the middle of the oven, and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy, then beat in the sugar until it is the consistency of a thick frosting. beat in the eggs one at a time, incorporating each fully before adding the next and scraping down the sides of the bowl a few times. Stir in the vanilla until evenly incorporated. Add the dry ingredients in 3 increments, stirring between each addition. At this point you should have a moist uniform dough. Stir in the peppermint bark by hand, mixing only until evenly distributed. Reserve a bit of the bark to sprinkle on top of the cookies after you have dropped them onto the baking sheets.

Drop a heaping tablespoon of dough for each cookie onto the prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart and bake for about 10 - 14 minutes, until golden on bottom and top. Cool on wire racks.

Makes 2 to 3 dozen medium-large cookies.


*recipe from a family cookbook

12.12.2010

Impossible Cheesecake

I got this recipe from my mother in law. This happens to be my husband's favorite cheesecake ever... since he's had it for as long as he can remember. We made it for Thanksgiving to take to a friend's and it was a hit! I think it's called "impossible" because it's quite the contrary... easiest cheesecake ever! I hope you love it as much as we do.

Add all of the following to a blender:
3/4 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup bisquick
Blend in blender for 15 seconds. Then add two 8 oz cream cheese blocks, softened. Blend for 2 minutes.

Bake in 9 inch greased pie plate for 40-45 minutes at 350. Cool.

It will look like this just out of the oven. I left it in the fridge to cool overnight where it settled and looks more like a traditional cheesecake by morning.

Topping:
1 cup sour cream
2 TBSP sugar
2 tsp vanilla
Blend together and spread on top of cool cheesecake. Serve with sweetened strawberries.

12.11.2010

Strawberry Spinach Salad

One of my friends brought this to a luncheon yesterday and I just fell in LOVE with it!  And it's so easy!

Strawberry Spinach Salad

1/2 spinach leaves and 1/2 red leaf lettuce
Cucumbers quartered with skin on
strawberries sliced and quartered
almond slices
craisins
Dressing - Brianna's Poppyseed Dressing

12.08.2010

Tons of Crock pot recipes...

I’m sure that most of you have already seen, this fabulous list of Crock pot – Slow cooker recipes floating around. It is wonderful to have all these at your fingertips. I’ve kept my list in my email account, but my friend…had a better idea. She posted the list on her baking blog, so I thought that I would do the same, for those of you who haven’t already snatched this up. Just click on a meal link below. I made the lasagna last night and it was really good, maybe even better than most I've had before.
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** Crock Pot – Beef
All Day Crock Pot Beef Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry Beef and Pasta Casserole Beef Diablo Beef Fajitas Beef Ragout Over Rice Beef Tips Beer Braised Beef in Crock Pot Burritos Crock Pot Style California Tamale Pie Cattleman’s Beef and Beans Cheeseburger Sandwiches Cheesy Meat Loaf Chili Beer Brisket of Beef Classic Swiss Steak Complete Crock Pot Dinner Corned Beef and Cabbage Country Swiss Steak Cowboy Casserole Cranberry Pork Roast Crock Pot Beef Burgundy Crock Pot Beef ‘n Peppers Crock Pot Beef with Mushrooms Crock Pot Beef Roast Crock Pot Cabbage Rolls Crock Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage Crock Pot Creole Steak Strips Crock Pot Delight Crock Pot Easy Swiss Steak Crock Pot Enchiladas Crock Pot Fajitas Crock Pot Fajitas II Crock Pot Italian Beef Crock Pot Meatballs Crock Pot Rump Roast Crock Pot Sauerbraten Crock Pot Spaghetti Sauce Crock Pot Swiss Steak Crock Pot Taco Casserole Fiesta Tamale Pie Glazed Corned Beef Glazed Corned Beef #2 Harvest Dinner Harvest Pot Roast with Tomato-Wine Sauce Hot-and-Spicy Sloppy Joes Lean Crock Pot Beans Nina’s Beef and Beans Pot Roast Dinner Old Time Beef Stew Pot Roast with Noodles Ranch Style Beef Reuben Casserole Roast Cooked with Coke Roast with Veggies Sage Pot Roast Salsa Swiss Steak Savory Pepper Steak Savory Stewed Beef Slow-Cooked Beef Stifado Slow Cooked Pepper Steak Slow Cooked Steak Rolls Slow Cooked Swiss Steak Supper Slow Cooker Italian Spaghetti Sauce Slow Cooker Lasagna Slow Cooker Swiss Steak Slowly Deviled Beef Smothered Steak Strips Spaghetti Sauce Italiano Spicy Wine Pot Roast Stuffed Cabbage Casserole Stuffed Pasta Shells Swiss Bliss Swiss Steak Teriyaki Steak Three Pepper Steak Three-Way Beef Yankee Pot Roast and Vegetables
Crock Pot – Pork
Crock Pot – Poultry
90s Style Crockpot Coq Au Vin Bacon Wrapped Chicken Baked Cajun Chicken Baked Chicken Breasts in Crock Pot Basil Chicken Broccoli Rice & Chicken Caf? Chicken Cantonese Sweet & Sour Chicken Caribbean Chicken Cheesy Crock Pot Chicken Chicken & Cherries Jubilee Chicken a la King Chicken and Cherries Jubilee C/P Chicken & Rice Casserole Chicken and Artichoke Casserole Chicken and Dumplings Chicken Breasts Supreme Chicken Creole Chicken Crock Pie Chicken Curry Chicken Curry #2 Chicken Curry Hurry Chicken Hearts Crockpot Chicken in the Crock Pot Chicken Marengo Chicken Merlot with Mushrooms Chicken Ol? Chicken Paprika Chicken Parisienne Chicken Parmigiana Chicken Sesame Chicken Stew Chicken Stroganoff in Crock Pot Chicken Taco Filling Creamy Chicken with Vegetables Crockpot Buffalo Wings with Blue Cheese Dip Crock Pot Chicken Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore Crock Pot Chicken Dinner Crock Pot Chicken in Mushroom Gravy Crock Pot Chicken Teriyaki Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Crock Pot Garlic Chicken Crock Pot Lacquered Chicken Crock Pot Robust Chicken Easy Chicken Noodle Soup Forty-clove Chicken Garlic Lemon Chicken Ham ‘n’ Swiss Chicken International Chicken Italian Chicken and Potatoes Italian Chicken Breast Lemonemonade Chicken Lemony Roasted Chicken Lo-Cal Crock Pot Chicken Low-Fat Glazed Chicken in Crock Pot Mama’s Chicken Stew Pat’s Creamy Chicken Portugese Garlic Chicken Turkey Casserole Turkey Rice South with Tomatoes Working Woman’s Chicken and Rice
Crock Pot – Fish and Seafood
Crock Pot – Soup, Stew and Chili
Barley Soup Bean Soup for the Crock Pot Bean Soup Italiano Beef-Barley Stew Beef Chowder Beef Ragout Black Bean Chili with Beef Busy Day Stew Calico Ham and Bean Soup Chicken and Vegetable Chowder Chicken Vegetable Chowder Chili Chili con Queso Confetti Yellow Pea Soup Cowboy Sausage & Beans Crock Pot Bean Soup Crock Pot Beef Barley Soup Crock Pot Beef Stew Crock Pot Beef Stew #2 Crock Pot Beef Stew #3 Crock Pot Beef Vegetable Soup Crock Pot Chicken Corn Soup Crock Pot Chowder Crock Pot Broccoli Soup Crock Pot Chili Crock Pot Chili #2 Crock Pot Cock ‘n Bull Stew Crock Pot Corn Chowder Crock Pot Dumpling Soup Crock Pot French Onion Soup Crock Pot Hamburger Soup Crock Pot Hearty Beef Stew Crock Pot Homemade Chicken Soup Crock Pot Onion Soup Crock Pot Potato Soup Crock Pot Split Pea Soup Crock Pot Stew Crock Pot Wild Rice Soup Debbie’s Potato Soup Easy Crock Pot Chili Favorite Beef Stew Greek Beef Stew Healthy Chili in Crock Pot Hearty Bean Soup Italian Bean Soup Italian Sausage Vegetable Soup Jolene’s Chili Lentils & Vegetable Stew Low-Fat Potato Soup Minestrone Soup from the Crock Pot Navy Bean Bacon Chowder Polish Hunter Soup Pork Chop Stew Possum Lodge Firehouse Chili Potato and Mushroom Chowder Ranch Style Stew Red Beans, Barley & Sausage Stew Slow Cooked Texas Stew Slow Cooked Two Meat Chili Slow Cooked Tex-Mex Chili Slow Cooker Mexican Beef Soup Slow Cooker Mexican Beef Stew Southwest Stew Southwestern Corn Chowder Southwestern Chicken and Bean Stew Spicy Black and Red Bean Soup Spicy Cajun Gumbo Taco Soup Tex-Mex Chili Tomato-Bean Stew Tortilla Soup Vegetable Barley Soup Vegetable Beef Barley Soup Vegetable Gumbo Vegetarian Split Pea Soup Waldorf Astoria Stew
Crock Pot – Barbeque
Crock Pot – Side Dishes
Aztec Black Beans Barley with Mushrooms & Green Onions Bean and Cornbread Casserole Bean Pot Medley Bean Ragout with Cilantro-Cornmeal Dumplings Best Crock Pot Beans Bourbon Baked Beans California Rice Cavatini Cheese and Potato Casserole Cheesy Creamed Corn Chuck Wagon Beans Corn, Ham and Potato Scallop Cottage Potatoes Cowboy Beans Creamy Green Beans Creamy Scalloped Potatoes Creole Black Beans Crock Pot Baked Beans Crock Pot Beans Crockpot Boston Baked Beans Crock Pot Casserole Crock Pot Cauliflower and Broccoli Casserole Crock Pot Cheese Potatoes Crock Pot Corn Crock Pot German Potato Salad Crock Pot Mexican Dish Crock Pot Scalloped Potatoes Crock Pot Spanish Rice Crock Pot Tijuana Pie Double Squash Combo Enchanted Beans Frijoles (Pinto Beans) Frijoles Borrachos Herbed Squash AuGratin Layered Dinner Mexican Red Beans Mormon Beans No-Fuss Party Potatoes Pineapple Baked Beans Pizza Beans Potatoes Au Gratin Prysnac Serbia (Broccoli Casserole) Rice Risi Bisi Saucy Green Peas with Onions Scalloped Corn Slow Cooker Oven Bean Salad Spanish Rice Spinach Souffle in a Crockpot Sunshine Bean Casserole Thelma’s Beans Vegetable Casserole Vegetable Enchilada Vegetable Spaghetti Wild Rice Casserole Zucchini Parmigiana
Crock Pot – Dessert
Apple Brown Betty Apple Cranberry Dessert Apple Granola Dessert Apple Pecan Bread Pudding Baked Apples Baked Stuffed Apples Banana Walnut Loaf – Crock Pot Blueberry Grunt Bread Pudding Bumbleberry Cobbler Chocolate Cherry Cobbler Chocolate Pudding Cake Crock Pot Apple Cobbler Crock Pot Baked Apples Crock Pot Baked Stuffed Apples Crock Pot Bread Pudding Crock Pot Curried Fruit Bake Crock Pot Peach Cobbler Dessert Delight English Bread Pudding Fruit & Nut Baked Apples Home-Style Bread Pudding Hot Fruit Dessert Indian Pudding Old Fashioned Rice Pudding in Crock Pot Pina Colada Bread Pudding Pumpkin-Date Pudding Pumpkin Pie Pudding Pumpkin Pudding Raisin Bread Pudding Rice Pudding with Bourbon Rice Pudding with Fruit Slow Cooked “That’s Good Peaches” Streusel Pound Cake – Crock Pot Triple Chocolate Mess
Crock Pot – Miscellaneous