Holiday Chicken Salad

I found this recipe on all recipes.com (here)  four years ago when I was in charge of a RS Christmas progressive dinner.  We put the chicken salad on croissants, you could also you a roll.   It is a fabulous recipe(super easy to make in large quantities)!

4 cups cubed, cooked chicken meat
1 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
1 cup chopped celery
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup minced green bell pepper (you can use red or green - choose your favorite)
1 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
ground black pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, mix together mayonnaise with paprika and seasoned salt. Blend in dried cranberries, celery, bell pepper, onion, and nuts. Add chopped chicken, and mix well. Season with black pepper to taste. Chill 1 hour. 

Chicken Noodle Soup

I found this recipe originally on allrecipes.com called Grandma's Chicken Noodle Soup but I altered it a bit.

2 1/2 cups wide egg noodles (you can make your own noodles, used broken up spaghetti noodles, or add dumplings)
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
12 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped carrots (I added)
1/2 cup chopped onion (I reduced from 1 cup)
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup water

2 cans cream of chicken soup (I added)
3 cups diced, cooked chicken meat

1. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, combine broth, salt, and poultry seasoning. Bring to a boil. Stir in celery and onion. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes.Then added noodles and cook until they are tender.
2. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and water together until cornstarch is completely dissolved. Gradually add to soup, stirring constantly. Stir in noodles and chicken, and heat through

Tiff's Tips:  If you are adding dumplings, add then at the end.  I ended up adding chicken bouillon to the soup because I didn't have that many cans of broth.    I also added pepper to the soup.

 

Danish Dumplings

This recipe comes from my Grandma Anderson.  

1/2 cup butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk

1 cup flour
3 large eggs or 4 small eggs

Add butter, salt, and milk to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Then add all the flour at once and stir until it leaves the sides of the pan.

Then remove pan from heat and add eggs one at a time until well mixed.  And then drop the dumplings by spoonfuls into boiling soup.  The dumplings will float when they are done.

Dinner Rolls

This recipe comes from Tammy P. our Stake Provident Living Specialist.  I actually made these rolls and they turned out great.  I multiplied the recipe by three to get a pan with four dozen rolls.


3 + cups bread flour (I used half wheat and half white flour)
1 tsp salt
3 Tbsp gluten flour
1 Tbsp yeast
3 Tbsp powdered milk
2 Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp sugar
1 ¼ cups hot water


Mix according to basic bread making instructions. Once dough has completed the
first rise, shape into rolls. Let rise for 20 minutes. Bake at 375° for 15 min. or until
golden brown. Note: 3X the recipe to make 4 dozen rolls and fill an entire baking
sheet. Freeze any extra to pull out later. To reheat: Wrap thawed rolls in foil and
bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes.

1- Mix all dry ingredients only adding half of the flour in your mixer bowl.

2- Add wet ingredients and begin mixing using the dough hook following the suggested speed in your mixer instruction book for bread. (Water should be about 115°-120°F to allow the yeast to rise.)
Gradually add additional flour until dough cleans the sides of the bowl. The exact amount of flour you will add will depend on the humidity in the air and whether you are using all whole wheat flour. Be patient as you add the flour. Only add ¼-½ cup at a time and watch to see if the dough pulls together and leaves the sides of the bowl basically clean. Remember that when making bread by hand, you are to knead the dough for 6-8 minutes. The mixer doesn't necessarily do it any faster, it just does the work for you. The mistake that often makes bread too heavy is adding too much flour.

3- Once the dough is pulling together and leaving the sides of the bowl clean, stop adding flour and just allow the mixer to knead the dough until smooth, elastic, and resistant. (About 2-3 minutes.)

4- Lightly oil top of dough (or spray with Pam), cover with a cloth and let rise until double in size. You can speed this step up by turning your oven to 150°. Once it is hot, turn the oven off and set your bowl of dough into the oven. (If your mixer has a plastic bowl, you will want to transfer the dough to an oven safe bowl first.) On the counter, it usually takes an hour or more to let your dough rise. In the oven, it is double in size in about 20 minutes. (I just left my dough in my Bosch mixer with the lid on and let it rise).

5- Punch dough down and remove from bowl. (You can allow the dough to rise multiple times. Sometimes you just can't get to it when it's ready. Maybe the turkey is still in the oven or the baby needs to be fed or the phone rings. You know you have days like this. Just keep punching it down each time it is double in size. Letting it rise a few times actually makes for a fluffier, lighter texture.)

6- Shape into loaves or rolls on an oiled countertop and place in greased pans.  Cover with a cloth and let rise until almost double - about 20 minutes.Bake according to specific recipe instructions.

Bread Tip:  Bread is done when it is golden brown and sounds hollow when you tap it.

Baked Maple Bars:  You may add extra sugar and some cinnamon to the dough.  Then roll the dough out thin (1/4 inch) and let rise.  Then bake in the oven at 350 for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.  Then frost when warm out of the oven.

Maple Frosting (mix all ingredients together)
1 1/2 to 2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. maple flavoring
1 T. melted butter
1 T. milk (add more until frosting is correct consistency)

Caramel Apple Bread Pudding

You can't go wrong with recipes from Our Best Bites - I love their site.  This was another great find!

Caramel Apple Bread Pudding (their post with pictures)

Recipe adapted by Our Best Bites from C&H Sugar

5-6 c. stale French bread cubes (about 1/2 of a standard loaf cut into 1" cubes)

3 c. apples, peeled and chopped into small pieces

4 eggs

3 egg yolks

1 1/2 c. milk

1 1/2 c. heavy cream

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. almond extract

2 tsp. pumpkin or apple pie seasoning

1 Tbsp. butter, chopped

1 recipe Buttermilk Caramel Syrup

*If possible, cut the bread into cubes and leave it out for several hours or overnight. If not, place the bread cubes on a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the bread cubes are dried out but not toasted.

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease or spray a 9x13" baking dish with shortening or non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, toss together the bread cubes and the apple pieces. Transfer to the baking dish. In the same large bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients except for the butter. When combined, continue to whisk while pouring over the bread/apple mixture (just to make sure the spices are evently distributed). Gently combine the bread and egg mixture, making sure each piece of bread is soaking in part of the egg and milk mixture. Allow to stand for at least 15 minutes (longer, if you can; you could even do this the night before, cover it tightly, and then bake it in the morning).

When the egg/milk mixture has mostly soaked into the bread, dab the butter over the bread and place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for 40-50 minutes or until the center is set but not dry or burned.

Remove from oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Cut into pieces and serve with warm Buttermilk Syrup (and vanilla ice cream if you really want to walk on the wild side.)


Buttermilk Caramel Syrup

3/4 c. buttermilk
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 stick real butter
2 Tbsp. corn syrup
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine buttermilk, sugar, butter, corn syrup, and baking soda in a LARGE pot. Like one you'd make soup in. Yes, you'll have way more pot than ingredients (and I'm not referring to the green leafy stuff), but this will boil all over your newly-cleaned stove if you put it in a smaller saucepan.

Bring ingredients to a boil and reduce heat to low (as long as it's still bubbling, you're okay). Cook, stirring very frequently, for 8-9 minutes. You're basically making candy here and candy-making requires constant vigilance.

When it's done, it should take on this luscious golden-brown color. Remove from heat and add vanilla.

There will be foam on top. It tastes just as good, but it's not super pretty. If you're into aesthetics, you can skim it off; otherwise, just give it a good stir.

Candied Walnut Salad

I found another great recipe from Our Best Bites, here   It is fabulous and easy.

Tiff's Tips:  I used feta cheese (already hand that on hand) and I only used one large head of green leaf lettuce and it was plenty.  I served in the dressing on the side.  Great salad! 

Candied Walnut Salad

2 heads of leafy greens; 1 can be a bag of spinach (I like 1 bag of spinach and a head of Romaine or just 2 heads of Romaine)

3/4 c. Craisins

2 crisp apples

Orange juice (enough to toss apples in to prevent browning and add a little flavor)

2 oz. blue cheese or Gorgonzola (I prefer Gorgonzola; it's milder, but harder to find and more expensive)

1/2 c. chopped walnuts

1/4 c. sugar

1 recipe  Honey Red Wine Vinaigrette  (see below)

1. Wash and chop lettuce. Set aside to drain.

2. Combine walnuts and sugar in a medium skillet over medium heat. Stir constantly. After a few minutes, the sugar will look very fine and then a few minutes after that, it will start to liquefy. This is when you have to be absolutely vigilant about scraping the bottom of the skillet and making sure everything gets stirred around. The syrup will begin to darken and will coat the nuts. When they reach a golden brown color, remove from heat. Stir occasionally as the nuts begin to cool. After a few minutes, spread candied nuts onto a greased piece of parchment or wax paper or a greased cookie sheet and allow to cool completely. Set aside.

3. Chop blue cheese or Gorgonzola very finely. You want crumbles, not chunks.

If blue cheese absolutely gives you the ookies and you CANNOT handle the thought of it (the flavor in the salad will be very mild, I promise!), you can use another strong cheese like feta. But I really, really think you should use the real thing... :)

4. Chop apples and toss in orange juice.

5. When ready to serve, toss lettuce, cranberries, walnuts, apples, and blue cheese in a large bowl. Add dressing if desired; it really is better all mixed together rather than on top, but the dressing will wilt any leftovers.

Honey Red Wine Vinaigrette

1/2 c. red wine vinegar

1/2 c. honey

1-2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped (really, that's pretty optional; it all goes in the blender)

1 tsp. Kosher salt

1 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper

1/2 c. canola oil

In a blender, combine vinegar, honey, garlic, salt, and pepper. Place lid on blender and blend on high. While blender is running, add oil in a steady stream. Store in refrigerator for about 2-3 weeks. Shake well before serving.

Chicken and Gnocchi Soup (like Olive Garden)

I made this and we really liked it. If you have tried the soup at Olive Garden, it is very similar. Yummy!

I want to do this! What's This?

• 1 cup chicken breasts, cooked and diced
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups cream (I just use evaporated milk and works great!)
• ½ cup celery, finely diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ½ cup carrots, finely shredded
• ½ cup onion, finely diced
• 1 cup fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin oil
• ½ teaspoon thyme
• ½ teaspoon parsley
• Freshly grated parmesan cheese - optional
• 1 pound potato gnocchi - can buy this in the gourmet section of many supermarkets or find a recipe for homemade in the resource section

1. Sauté the onion, celery, garlic, spinach, carrots in the olive oil till the onion is nearly translucent. Add the chicken, chicken broth, and spices. Bring to a boil.

2. Slowly add the gnocchi into the boiling broth.

3. Turn down the heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes.
   
   (If you want a thicker soup, add 1 tablespoon corn starch to the cream before you add it into the broth). Add the cream. Slowly allow the mixture to come to a boil and then turn it off.

Pasta Pronto Italiano

This recipe reminds me of what Chad would make all the time...

1 pkg. Macaroni & Cheese Dinner

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 jar (15 oz.) pizza sauce

1/2 cup KRAFT Pizza Shredded Four Cheese

PREPARE Macaroni as on directed on package. Meanwhile, brown meat in large skillet; drain, if necessary.

ADD Dinner and pizza sauce; mix lightly. Sprinkle with shredded cheese; cover. Reduce heat to low; cook 2 min. or until shredded cheese begins to melt.

Twilight Time Turkey Patties with Cranberry Sauce

This is from Rachel Ray's 30 minute meals cook book. What a fun recipe with great flavors. The combination of ingredients reminded me of Thanksgiving dinner all in one burger- minus the jello of course. I think I will call these Thanksgiving burgers from now on. And my favorite- Cranberry sauce with Turkey!!!

Ingredients

1 handful of pecan pieces crushed or chopped very finely
1 cup instant mashed potato flakes
1&1/3 pounds ground turkey
1 small white onion grated or finely chopped
handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 sprigs thyme
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning ( I used 'Better Than Bouillon' chicken flavor from Costco)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 can whole berry cranberry sauce- or make it homemade.

Mix crushed pecans with potato flakes in shallow bowl and set aside. Place turkey in different bowl and add onion, parsley, thyme, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Form into patties and coat patties with potato and pecan mixture and cook on skillet with a little oil- 5 minutes on each side until turkey is fully cooked.

Serve with cranberry sauce on top! I love the Oroweat skinny hamburger buns toasted with this recipe.

Thai Turkey Burgers

This recipe is from Rachel Ray's 30 minute meals. This was so so so good. Chay loved it and was surprised ground turkey could taste so good. So fun to make. This tasted more Hawaiian than Thai.

Warm Pineapple Salsa ingredients:

1/2 to 3/4 of fresh pineapple cored
1 Tbs sesame oil
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 red bell pepper seeded and chopped
1/4 red onion finely chopped
2 Tbs brown sugar
10-15 fresh basil leaves cut into this stripes

Burger ingredients:

1&1/3 pounds of ground turkey breasts (Costco sells ground turkey in 1 1/3 lb packages)
2 pinches of ground ginger
2 cloves garlic minced
2 TB dark soy sauce
2 tsp curry powder
Coarse salt to taste
2 scallions or green onions finely chopped
Hamburger rolls or sandwich size english muffins or I used those skinny buns from Orowheat at Costco.

Salsa:
cut pineapple into pieces and put in blender to make a chunky texture
Heat sesame oil and red pepper flakes in skillet over medium high heat until oil smokes.
Add red bell pepper and onions and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add pineapple and heat through. Sprinkle brown sugar and cook 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and toss in basil. Let the salsa hang out in the pan and cook the burgers.

Burgers:

Combine turkey, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, curry powder, salt, and scallions. Form into patties and cook on skillet about 4 minutes each side and serve on rolls with lettuce and with lots of pineapple salsa.

Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage

This is from Rachel Ray's 30 minute meals cook book. So perfect and festive for this time of year. I loved loved it.

Ingredients:

1 pound Rigatoni pasta
extra virgin olive oil
1 pound Italian sweet sausage
1 medium onion chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
1 bay leaf
4-6 fresh sage leaves slivered or dried
1 cup white grape juice
1 can chicken broth
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 pinches ground cinnamon
3 pinches ground nutmeg
Romano or Parmesan cheese for over pasta

Cook Pasta Al Dente.
Brown sausage with a little oil and put on paper towel-lined plate
In same pan add a little more oil and saute onion and garlic for 5 minutes until soft.
Add bay leaf, sage, and grape juice- reduce for 2 minutes.
Add broth and pumpkin to combine-stirring sauce until it comes to a bubble
Return sausage to pan
reduce heat and stir in heavy cream
Season with cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and pepper and simmer 5 minutes

Add pasta to pot you originally cooked it in. Remove bay leaf from sauce and pour sauce over pasta. Toss pasta and sauce 1 or minutes over low heat so pasta can absorb flavors. Then put it in a beautiful bowl to serve of course.

Romano or Parmigiano on top of each serving.

Garden Patch Chowder

This has been a favorite of mine since the good ol' days in Moscow!  This was a recipe submitted to the Ward Cookbook "Cookin' the Moscow Way" by Heidi Wilford.

Veggie Mixture:
2 1/2 cups water
2 medium carrots, diced
4 large potatoes, cubed
1 cup chopped celery
1 -2 cups corn
3 Tbs. chopped onion
1 Tbs. salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper (to taste)

Cheese Sauce:
1/4 cup butter  (I try to get away with less)
1 cup milk
1/4 cup flour
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Bring veggie mixture to boil.  Reduce and simmer 15 min.  In a (separate) small saucepan, melt butter.  Stir in flour until smooth.  Remove from heat and add milk and broth.  Bring to a boil stirring constantly over medium heat for 1 minute.  Remove from heat and stir in cheese.  Add to veggie mixture.  Do not boil.

Zuppa Toscana

 

I LOVE this soup!  I get asked about this recipe frequently, so I decided to post about it again and make it easier to find. This soup is easy and quick to make.  I love taking it to potlucks or ward activities because it so yummy and unique. It can also be made healthier by using fat-free half and half, instead of heavy cream. I made a few notes in parenthesis of the changes that I do when making this soup. This recipe was taken from here.

Ingredients:

1 lb. Italian sausage
1 large onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp. red pepper flakes (I use 1/4 tsp.)
4 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch chunks
2 cups fresh kale, chopped
3 cups chicken broth (I use bouillon cubes)
2.5 cups water
1 cup heavy cream (can use fat-free half and half)
Salt and pepper

Directions:
Place a large stockpot on the stove over medium heat. Crumble the sausage into the pan and cook until well browned. Remove the cooked sausage from the pot with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl; set aside. Add the chopped onion to the pan and sauté until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the pan and cook for a minute more, just until fragrant. Add the potatoes, kale, chicken broth and water to the pot. Return the sausage to the pot. Increase the heat to medium-high, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer on medium-low. Cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender and cooked through. Stir in the heavy cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Lime Coconut Cheesecake

Lime Coconut Cheesecake by Our Best Bites

Tiff says:  I just made this for the first time and it turned out great!  Jody said it was a keeper.

Crust:
2 C graham cracker crumbs
1/2 C sweetened flaked coconut
2 Tbs sugar
6 Tbs butter, melted

Cheesecake:
3 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened
1 C sugar
3 eggs at room temperature
2 Tbs lime zest
1/2 C fresh lime juice (about 4-5 medium limes)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Topping:
1 C heavy whipping cream
1/2 C powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2-2 tsp coconut extract

1/3 C sweetened flaked coconut, toasted (click here for directions)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cover the bottom of a 9 inch spring-form pan with a double layer of foil.  Set aside.

Combine graham cracker crumbs, 1/2 C coconut, and melted butter and mix well.  Press evenly into the bottom of the pan and about 1" up the sides.  Place pan in oven and bake for 5 minutes.  Remove and set aside until ready to use.

In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until creamy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.  Add vanilla, lime zest, and lime juice and beat to combine.  Pour batter into prepared crust.  Place spring-form pan into a larger pan, such as a roasting pan and place in center rack in the oven.  Carefully pour hot water into the larger pan until it reaches about half way up the spring form pan.  Bake cheesecake for 75-85 minutes or until center is set and the edges just barely begin to brown.  Leave cheesecake in oven, but turn heat off and crack oven door.  Let sit for 30 minutes and then remove and cool completely on a rack.  When cool to room temp, cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight.

When ready to serve, place cheesecake on serving dish.  Beat whipping cream until soft peaks form and then add powdered sugars and extracts.  Beat until medium peaks form.  Spread whipping cream evenly over cheesecake and sprinkle with toasted coconut.  Garnish with sliced limes if desired.  Slice and serve.

honey mustard sauce/salad dressing

This is really good. Great for dipping. A great hit with the girls tonight. We made honey mustard chicken wraps with the sauce. You will need to double or triple the recipe for a big family.

Honey Mustard sauce

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon prepared mustard or dijon
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice or lime

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, honey, and lemon juice. Store covered in the refrigerator.

Zucchini Cupcakes

We had these at our RS Meeting (Enrichment) last night and they were delicious. The recipe comes from Taste of Home.

Ingredients

3 eggs
1-1/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon almond extract
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1-1/2 cups shredded zucchini

CARAMEL FROSTING:
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup 2% milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 to 2 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, oil, orange juice and extract. Combine dry ingredients; gradually add to egg mixture and mix well. Stir in zucchini.

Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

For frosting, combine the brown sugar, butter and milk in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Cool to lukewarm.

Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until frosting reaches spreading consistency. Frost cupcakes. Yield: 1-1/2 to 2 dozen.

Breaded Garlic Chicken in Lemon butter sauce

I got this from www.melskitchencafe.com- really good- the best part was how the kitchen smelled when baking.

*Note: if you prefer more sauce, since this makes a lighter, smaller amount of sauce, consider doubling the sauce ingredients.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup seasoned flour (1 cup flour, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper)
5 cloves of garlic, finely minced (see garlic tutorial here)
1 tablespoon parsley flakes or 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, from about 1 lemon
3 eggs
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
5 tablespoons butter

Place the seasoned flour in a large gallon-size ziploc bag. Set aside. In a shallow pie plate, beat the eggs until mixed and add the Parmesan cheese. Whisk to combine. Set aside.

In a large skillet, melt one tablespoon butter and one tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Let it begin to heat and sizzle while you prepare the chicken but be careful not to let the butter burn and turn brown.

Put the four chicken breasts in the bag with the seasoned flour, close the bag, and shake to coat the chicken in the flour. One by one, take the chicken out of the bag and dip into the egg/Parmesan mixture. Place the chicken carefully in the skillet with the hot oil/butter. Repeat with the other chicken breasts. Let the chicken cook on the first side, without moving or flipping the chicken, for 1-2 minutes until a nice, golden crust has formed. Carefully, using a wide spatula, flip the chicken and let it continue to cook for 1-2 minutes on the other side until it is golden brown. The chicken will flip easiest if it has had time to sizzle and cook to form a nice crust.

Remove the chicken to a 9X13-inch pan. Set aside while you make the sauce.

In the same skillet that you browned the chicken, melt the remaining four tablespoons butter. Add the minced garlic, lemon juice, and parsley. Simmer the sauce for 1-2 minutes, stirring and scraping up any browned bits that were on the bottom of the skillet.

Pour the sauce evenly over the chicken breasts and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Serve over noodles, rice or potatoes.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

I got this recipe a few years ago from a friend in my ward. It is amazingly delicious. And much better than store-bought hummus!

1 ½ cups cooked or one 15oz can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed.
¼ cup tahini (sesame paste)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, chopped
½ teaspoon sea salt
3 ½ oz roasted red peppers (from a jar)

Place beans in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth and well blended. Place in an tightly covered container and refrigerate. Flavors will blend and develop more when refrigerated. Hummus will keep for up to a week. Serve as a dip with whole grain crackers or vegetables, or use as a sandwich filling in pita bread.

Tiff's side note: I love this recipe of Marne's. It is also good without the red peppers, if you want to leave those out. My kids love dipping fresh veggies in this dip.

Potato Salad with Lemon-Dill Vinaigrette

This recipe comes from the cookbook, Pressure Perfect, written by Lorna Sass.

2 pounds Yukon Gold, cut into 1/4-inch slices (I used red potatoes and left the skins on)
1 cup celery
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
2 T. capers (chop if large), optional (I don't use these because I don't have any on hand)

Lemon-Dill Vinaigrette
1/3 cup olive oil
3 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp dried dill
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper

I cooked my potato slices in my automatic pressure cooker for 3 minutes at high pressure in 1 cup of water (quick release pressure). If you don't have that appliance, cook your potato slices however you want. The easiest way would be in the microwave, covered with some water.

Pour the dressing on the cooked potatoes. Then add the other ingredients just prior to serving. I like my celery and onions to still be crisp. Add more salt, pepper, and lemon to taste.

Kabobs

We made kabobs Sunday. I marinaded the steak for 9 hours prior to cooking it on the BBQ. Oh, they were delicious and so easy! Next I want to try adding shrimp, one of Olivia's favorite foods.

I also slightly grilled corn on the cob after it was cooked on the stove.

Chicken and Steak Marinade (I found this on allrecipes.com - here):
1/2 cup Teriyaki sauce
1/2 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 pinch ground ginger

Tiff's Tips: Instead of garlic powder, I added fresh minced garlic. I forgot the ginger so I will have to try that next time.

Shrimp Marinade:
Italian dressing

Skewer ingredients:
steak
chicken
shrimp
bell peppers
mushrooms
zucchini
onions
pineapple
cherry tomatoes
potato cubes (you need to cook them a little ahead of time)

Fran Brady's Zucchini Bread (recipe mom gave us)

1 pkg. coconut pudding mix - 3 oz.
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 cup oil

Mix all the ingredients above and then add:
2 cups grated zucchini
3 tsp vanilla

Then all this flour mixture:
3 cups sifted flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. baking powder

Pour into greased pan. Bake for 1 hour or until down at 325 degrees. Makes 2 loaves. You may use chocolate chips instead of pudding mix.

Mom has tried this and liked it!

Peaches and Cream Pie

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com, here. Paul and I made this together Sunday and it was delicious - there were no left overs.

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 (3 ounce) package non-instant vanilla pudding mix
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 (29 ounce) can sliced peaches, drained and syrup reserved
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease sides and bottom of a 10 inch deep-dish pie pan.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder and pudding mix. Mix in butter, egg and milk. Beat for 2 minutes. Pour mixture into pie pan. Arrange the peach slices on top of the pudding mixture.
3. In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add 1/2 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons reserved peach syrup. Beat for 2 minutes. Spoon mixture over peaches to within 1 inch of pan edge. Mix together 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and sprinkle over top.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden brown. Chill before serving.

Tiff's Tips:
I used a 10" spring form pan instead of a pie pan. I also used fresh peaches instead of canned ones because I have lots of peaches right now. You can do it either way and it will be delicious!

Strawberry Lime Shortcake with Coconut Cream

Recipe by Our Best Bites

Angel food or Pound Cake

4 C sliced fresh strawberries
½ C white sugar
4 T fresh-squeezed lime juice (about 2 limes)

For the Coconut Whipped Cream:
1 C whipping cream
½ C powdered sugar
2 t coconut extract
1 t vanilla extract

¾ C toasted coconut

Mix sliced strawberries, sugar, and lime juice. Stir well and set aside. Stir occasionally over about 15 minutes. You want the sugar to dissolve and form a light syrup.

For the cream, place whipping cream in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer for about one minute. Slowly add in powdered sugar, and both extracts. Continue beating until soft peaks form.

Slice cake and spoon a layer of strawberries on top. Include the lime-syrup! Top with a generous dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle with coconut.

Tiff's Tips: This is a great recipe - easy to make and a hit. I used True Lime instead of lime juice because I always have it on hand. Look for it the spice section of your grocery store. Here is a post I wrote highlighting this product.

Strawberry-Watermelon Slushie

Recipe from Taste of Home featured on Our Best Bites.

2 cups cubed seedless watermelon
1 pint fresh strawberries, halved (I actually used a little less than a pint. Maybe 3/4 of it)
1/3 C sugar
1/3 C fresh lemon juice
2-4 C ice cubes
In a blender, combine the watermelon, strawberries, sugar and lemon juice; cover and process on high until smooth. With blender running, gradually add ice cubes until desired consistency is reached. Pour into chilled glasses and serve immediately.

Yield: 5-7 cups

Tiff's Tips: This is a new family favorite! You can also use frozen strawberries, and then just add water instead of ice cubes.

Chili #2

I don't know the real name of this chili - I just know that during the chili cook-off at a family reunion, this one was labeled #2 (for voting purposes). It happened to be the chili that Paul's mother, Juanita, made.

I called her for the recipe. She gave me a good idea of the basics ingredients, but it sounds like she just throws it together and it is a little different each time she makes it according to her creativity that day.

ground pork
2-3 garlic gloves, minced
1 chopped onion
28 oz can stew tomatoes and 14 oz can of stewed tomatoes, blend them in blender (I'm guessing the ounces - it is a big one and a smaller one)
1 fresh jalepeno finely chopped, seeds removed
1 jar salsa verde
2 big cans green chilies
salt and pepper
square box of chicken broth (size?)

She browns the pork and onions then adds 1/8 cup flour to the pan. Then stir in the broth and little bit of water to wash out your tomato cans. Add remaining ingredients.

Tiff: That's all I know. I haven't tried this myself yet - just know it was really good. It was a little spicy but that could be controlled with how much of a jalepeno you add to the chili.

Make Your Own Cake Mix

I found this online here at Gift's from Your Kitchen. I used the plain cake mix in the place of a white cake mix when I made key lime cupcakes - they turned out great!

6 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups Crisco
4 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt

In large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. With pastry blender, cut in shortening until mixture resembles cornmeal. Store in airtight container in cool, dry place. Use within a month if possible. It does keep well if stored for a longer period of time. This is a great alternative to packaged mixes which often contain preservatives.


Plain Cake

2 cups Make Your Own Cake Mix
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 cup milk

Stir ingredients for plain cake until well blended. Pour into 8-inch square pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes. For a 9 x 13-inch pan or layer cakes, double ingredients.

Pecan-Glazed Cake

2 cups Make Your Own Cake Mix
2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Stir together cake mix, egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 cup milk. Bake in an 8-inch square pan at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile in small bowl, mix well butter, sugar, flour, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 tablespoon milk. Fold in pecans. Remove cake from oven and spread butter mixture over cake. Return to oven and bake until bubbly.

Chocolate Cake

2 cups Make Your Own Cake Mix
1 egg, slightly beaten
3/4 cup ice water
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
confectioners' sugar (optional)

Stir cake mix and cocoa together. Add egg, water and vanilla extract. Pour into an 8-inch square pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes. Dust top with confectioners' sugar, if desired.

Chocolate Chip and Nut Cake

2 cups Make Your Own Cake Mix
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup chopped nuts
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Stir together all ingredients, except chips and nuts. Spread in an 8-inch square pan. Sprinkle with chips and nuts. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes.

Key Lime Cupcakes

I made these key lime cupcakes a couple days ago from the cookbook, 101 Gourmet Cupcakes (my post here). I saw that this recipe from Wendy's cookbook was featured on KSL, where I found her nice photo and recipe. I found out that these cupcakes are better after being refrigerated for a full day! Read my additional tips below!


Cupcake

• 1 box white cake mix
• 3 eggs
• 1 c. half and half
• 6 T. key lime juice
• 1 c. sweetened condensed milk
• 1 recipe whipped cream (recipe below)
• 4 T. grated lime peel ( 3 limes)

Mix together cake mix, eggs, half and half, and 3 tablespoons key lime juice. Pour 1 -2 tablespoons batter into each paper liner. In a separate bowl, mix sweetened condensed milk and the rest of the lime juice. Evenly divide lime milk into batter-filled cups. Top with remaining batter and fill ¾ full.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 -18 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack.

Cool Whip

• 2 c. heavy whipping cream
• ¼ - ½ c. powdered sugar
• Pour cream into large mixing bowl and start mixing at low speed. Gradually increase speed until cream thickens and soft peaks form.

  Turn off mixer and add sugar. Start slowly again - no messes today? Beat until stiff peaks form. The stiffer the cream, the easier it is to frost the cupcakes. Keep refrigerated. Frost with whipped cream and garnish with grated lime peel.

Tiff's Tips: I wanted mine for lime flavored so I added True Lime (crystallized lime powder- check it out here) to the cool whip until I had a nice lime taste. I bought my True Lime at Fred Meyer for $3.99; they also carry True Lemon - both products are fantastic and I use then all the time. (They are in the spice section) Oh, it was fabulous!

Paul said these were the best cupcakes he has ever had - but I remind you that there are 100% better after refrigerating for a day! I didn't know if I liked the cupcakes yesterday, but today the flavor was so much better.

When I made mine, I didn't have a white cake mix! I messed up the first time I made them because I didn't read the directions carefully. On the second time around, I made a master cake mix - check it out - it is so easy!

P.S. You can also garnish each cupcake with a small lime wedge on top of the cool whip - I think that would be easier than grating the lime peel.

Ice Cream Baked Potato

This is something I learned from Paul, I can't remember where he learned this. This is a dessert that we like to make for others visiting our great state - since we are in potato country.

This is very easy and fun for the whole family.

Ingredients:
Vanilla ice cream
Caramel topping
Caramel topping for gravy
Whipped cream in can for the sour cream
green sprinkles or chopped pistachios for chives
Cocoa powder

Each person can make their own baked potato. First we put on plastic gloves and then you take the ice cream in your hands and form a potato shape. Then roll that in a bowl filled with cocoa powder.

Place the "potato" on a plate, slightly cut the top like you would a baked potato and then top it with whipped cream and green sprinkles. You can add a little caramel topping on the plate to make it look like the gravy ran off the potato onto the plate.

Other ideas include: adding a pat of butter on top (a square of frozen yellow frosting) and something that looks like bacon bits.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

I found this recipe (and photo) on the blog, My Kitchen Cafe (one of my favorites). Here is her original post.
Adapted from the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook and taken from smittenkitchen.com

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, softened (I used salted butter and cut the 1/4 teaspoon salt down to 1/8 teaspoon)
1 cup peanut butter at room temperature
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon (for sprinkling) sugar*
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup peanut butter chips
½ cup chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, the baking soda, the baking powder, and the salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and the peanut butter together until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg and mix well. Add the milk and the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Stir in the peanut butter chips. Place sprinkling sugar on a plate. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls into the sugar, then onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion. Using a fork, lightly indent with a crissscross pattern but do not overly flatten cookies (I used the back of a flat spatula to flatten – don’t ask me why I avoided the crisscross pattern).
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes (I only baked mine for about 9 minutes). Do not overbake. Cookies may appear to be underdone, but they are not.
Cool the cookies on the sheets for 1 minute, then remove to a rack to cool completely.
Tiff's Tips: *I pressed my cookie dough into the sugar before placing them on the baking sheet so they were covered, so it takes more sugar than listed above.
I didn't have any peanut butter chips, so I used 1 cup of chocolate chips and they turned out wonderful! They were a hit at Vivian's Bday party.

Coconut Pancakes

I found this recipe in my new book, It's in the Bag by Michelle and Trent Snow (I met them Friday at Costco).

1 cup water
2 cups flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
4 tsp. baking powder
1 can (13.5 oz.) coconut milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sweetened coconut flakes

Mix all ingredients together, except coconut flakes, until batter is smooth. Add coconut. Ladle pancake batter onto hot oiled griddle. Turn pancakes when bubbles appear and edges are golden brown.

Tiff's Tips: I think it would be great to add 1 to 1 1/2 coconut flavoring for a little extra flavor. I found two different recipes for coconut syrup after breakfast, so I haven't tried them yet but they sound delicious.

Coconut Syrup (found on about.com)
1/3 cup good quality coconut milk
1/4 cup maple syrup

Simply combine the coconut milk and syrup, stirring well. Adjust the flavors by adding more coconut milk or more syrup depending on how syrup-y or coconut-ty you like it. ENJOY!

Coconut Syrup (found on allrecipes.com)
1 (13.5 ounce) can coconut milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups light corn syrup
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut

Whisk together the coconut milk and cornstarch in a saucepan until the cornstarch is dissolved. Pour in the corn syrup, sugar, and coconut; bring to a boil, stirring continually. As soon as the mixture comes to a rolling boil, remove from heat. Allow to cool completely before serving

honey butter

My cousin's husband shared this recipe with me- So my cousin in law? not sure- anyway good stuff we're talking about here.

equal parts of

honey
butter (soft)
marshmallow creme

whip it up- amazing stuff.

mormon muffin

These muffins are so delicious. Found the recipe on the Greenery Restaurant website. This restaurant has been serving these muffins for over 50 years. They are amazing with honey butter.

2 cups boiling water
5 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 quart buttermilk
5 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups All Bran Cereal
2 cups 40% Bran Flakes
1 cup walnuts chopped

Directions:
Add soda to boiling water and set aside. Whip shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs slowly. Mix well. Add the buttermilk, flour, salt and mix again. Add the soda water very slowly. Gently fold the cereals and the walnuts into the mix.

Spoon 1/8 cup into greased muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes.

Muffin mix must sit in the refrigerator over night before baking. Muffin mix will last one week, covered and refrigerated. Yields 3 dozen muffins.

Chocolate Frosting

This recipe was found on allrecipes.com and then I tweaked it slightly.

4 1/8 cup powdered sugar
9 T. cocoa powder
9 T. butter, room temperature
7 1/2 T. milk (or use a flavored creamer, like me!)
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1. In a medium bowl, sift together the confectioners' sugar and cocoa, and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter until smooth, then gradually beat in sugar mixture alternately with the milk. Blend in vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. If necessary, adjust consistency with more milk or sugar.

Tiff's Tips: Use a flavored creamer as a substitute for the milk. I used a hazelnut creamer and the frosting was so delicious! Be creative. This makes enough frosting to frost a two-layer round cake with a little bit left over.

Southwest Chipotle Burgers

This recipe comes from Our Best Bites. Very delicious, we just had them for dinner tonight! Here are their step by step instructions with photos.

Burger
1 1/2 lb ground chuck or ground sirloin (I used hamburger instead)
1-1/2 chipotle peppers canned in adobo sauce
1 1/2 T adobo sauce (from the chipotle chili can)
1/4 C grated onion
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t cumin
1 1/2 t kosher salt
1/4 t pepper

Chipotle-lime Mayo
1/2 C Mayo
2 t lime juice
1 1/2 t adobo sauce (from the canned chipotle chilis)
2T chopped fresh cilantro

4-6 good quality buns
1 tomato
1-2 avocado
lettuce
optional: jack, cotija, or queso fresco cheese

Place mayo, adobo sauce, lime juice and cilantro in a small bowl. Now this is the hard part. Stir it all together. Do you like how I included 3 pictures for this process? Don't ask me why I did that... Cover it and set in the fridge. You can make this part up to a day ahead of time if you want to. And it's seriously so good I could dip anything in it. Fries, chips, my fingers... I actually usually double it so I can serve extra on the table.

Now place the beef in a bowl and gently crumble with your fingers. Add the chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, grated onion, garlic powder, cumin, kosher salt, and pepper. Use your hands (yes, your hands!) to gently mix things together. If you go crazy and over-work ground beef it gets a yucky texture. Just mix it enough to distribute the ingredients and call it good.

Divide into 4 patties (or 6 little ones) and place on a preheated grill, indoor grill pan, or skillet.If you want to top with cheese, do so in the last few minutes of grilling. I'd use jack (not pepperjack), cotija, or even some queso fresco. While the burgers are cooking, toast buns and spread chipotle-lime sauce generously on each side of each bun.

When the burgers are done to your liking let them stand for 5 minutes off the grill/pan and then pop onto your prepared buns. Top with tomato slices, avocado slices, and a crisp piece of lettuce. If you made extra sauce, serve it on the table so people can slather it on every bite. Just wait until you sink your teeth into this baby!

Tiff's Tips: You can also make these with ground beef. Make a double batch and freeze some for later!

BBQ Beef Sandwiches

I made this recipe for our Relief Society Meeting last night - it was easy and delicious! Best of all you can make it in the crockpot. This will be great for summer cooking without heating up your house. This recipe is from the Food Nanny's cookbook. Here is a post that I wrote about the Food Nanny, if you are interested in more information and recipes.

1 T. vegetable oil
1/2 medium onion, minced
3 lb. boneless beef chuck roast

1 cup BBQ sauce
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 T. prepared mustard
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 T. chili powder

2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tsp. dry thyme

Heat oil in pan and saute onions on low. Then scoop the onions out and place in crockpot. Brown roast with the remaining oil in pan.

Add remaining ingredients to crockpot and mix. Then add roast and cook on low for 8-10 hours. This is a great recipe to start after breakfast and then let it cook all day until dinner time. Before serving, shred meat.

Serve on buns. Yield 8.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

I made this for our Relief Society meeting last tonight (I got the recipe from another lady in our ward- thanks Heidi). It was very good, many ladies asked for the recipe!

10 cups spinach (one of the regular size bags of spinach)
2 cups strawberries, sliced
1 cup pecans, roasted
1/4 cup red onion, sliced thin

Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
2-3 T. wine vinegar
2-3 T. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground mustard
1 T. lemon juice
1 T. poppy seed

Pour dressing over spinach, strawberries, pecans and onion right before serving.

Tiff's tips: I make the dressing and then chill it in the fridge before serving.

Homemade Root Beer

I got this recipe from Keith. It's super easy and delicious.

1 - 2 ounce bottle of Root Beer Concentrate
9 1/2 cups sugar
4 1/2 gallons water
5 lbs. dry ice

Mix the first three ingredients in large water cooler, then carefully add the dry ice. Remember to not screw on the lid or you will have a huge explosion. The dry ice needs to vent!

This makes a lot of Root Beer!

Potato Pearl Salad

I got this recipe from the recipe booklet from the cannery. I have tried it before and think it is pretty good for being instant.

1 cup potato pearls
1 1/2 cups very hot water
2-4 boiled, chilled eggs
Chopped pickles or relish
sliced olives
1-2 T. dried onions
green onions
paprika
chives

Mix potato pearls and water thoroughly. (Mixture will appear dry). Chill. Mix remaining ingredients and fold in your favorite salad dressing.

Option for dressing:
1 cup real Mayonnaise
1 T. Dijon mustard

Thin this mixture and stir together with enough milk to make a dressing. No salt or pepper is necessary. Decorate with sliced eggs, sliced olives and or green onions. Sprinkle with paprika and chives

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

I got this recipe from Andrea Baker. It is a yummy, healthy pizza crust. I used tonight for my pizza and the kid didn't even notice that it was whole wheat.

1 cup warm water

1 Tablespoon yeast

1 Tablespoon sugar

2-2 ½ cups whole wheat flour (or white flour)

1 Tablespoon salt

Combine warm water, yeast, and sugar, let sit a while until foamy (5 min?) Put a container of water in the microwave and boil it to create a warm, steamy environment (Don’t open the door and let the steam escape!) Process 2 cups of flour and salt. Add foamy yeast mixture in a stream into running processor. Process until mixture makes a ball and is kneaded (10-15 seconds?). Add more flour if it is too sticky and process again. Quickly stick food processor bowl in microwave and shut the door. The warm steamy microwave will help the dough rise quickly. It should be ready to roll out for pizza in about 15 minutes. I use a pizza stone, spray it with non-stick spray and roll out the dough and put on my toppings. Bake at 475 degrees for 13-17 min, but check on it at 10 minutes as ovens vary.

Chicken, Pesto & Tomato Flatbread

A yummy appetizer!! I got this recipe after trying it at a Pampered Chef party.

2-3 plum tomatoes
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbs plus 1 tsp olive oil, divided
1 pkg refrigerated thin crust pizza crust
1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves ( I used dried - but don't know the equivalent - maybe 1 - 2 TBS.
1/4 cup pecan halves, toasted (optional)
2 cups shredded provolone cheese, divided
1 cup Parmesan cheese, divided
2 cups diced cooked chicken breasts
2 garlic cloves, pressed

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Slice tomatoes and sprinkle with salt. Let stand 10 minutes or until salt is dissolved. Blot tops of tomatoes with paper towels; set aside.

Brush large bar pan with 1 tsp of olive oil. Unroll crust onto bottom of pan, gently stretching and pressing dough to cover bottom. Bake 11 - 13 minutes or until golden brown.

Meanwhile, finely chop basil and pecans. Combine basil, pecans, half of Parmesan cheese, half of provolone cheese, chicken, remaining 3 TBS of olive oil and garlic; mix well.

Sprinkle crust with remaining parmesan cheese; top with tomatoes, chicken mixture and then remaining provolone cheese. Bake 5 - 7 minutes or until cheese is melted. Cut into squares and serve.

Onion Soup Mix

I needed some onion soup mix for a recipe tonight. I didn't have any on hand so I found a recipe where you can make your own mix!

1/2 cup beef bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup dry onion, minced
1/4 cup onion powder
1/4 cup parsley flakes
1/8 cup onion salt

Makes 2 cups of onion soup mix. 1/4 cup of the mix is equivalent to one package of onion soup mix.

Quiche Lorraine

This was served at the senior sisters' luncheon last week - it was wonderful!

1 pie shell
8 oz. (about 8 slices) bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces - or use the precooked bacon from Costco
2 large eggs, plus 2 large yolks
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. white pepper
pinch of grated nutmeg
4 oz. Gruyere cheese, grated (about 1 cup)

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Partially bake pie shell.

2. Meanwhile, fry bacon until crisp and brown (or use precooked bacon). Transfer to paper towel lined plate. Whisk all remaining ingredients except cheese in medium bowl.

3. As soon as the pie shell comes out of the oven, spread cheese and bacon evenly over bottom of pie shell and set shell on oven rack. Pour in custard mixture to 1/2 inch below crust rim. Bake until lightly golden brown, a knife blade inserted about one inch from the edge comes out clean and center feels set but soft like gelatin. 32-35 minutes

4. Transfer quiche to rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Taco Bowls - Make Your Own

April sent me this link at the blog, My Kitchen Cafe, for making homemade taco bowls and there is this recipe that I had found in my Kraft magazine (instead of using a jar, they use a ball of tin foil to let the tortilla drape over).

6 burrito-size flour tortillas
Olive oil or Canola oil
6 oven-safe cups or canning jars

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, place the cups or jars upside down, evenly spacing them to make room for the tortillas that will be draped over them.

Microwave the tortillas for about 30 seconds, until they are soft and pliable. Rub a teaspoon or so of oil on the front and back of the tortilla. I used my fingers so that I could make sure to coat the entire surface of the tortilla. It doesn’t need to be a heavy coating of oil, just enough to help the tortilla crisp up and not stick to the jar or cup. Drape each tortilla over a cup or jar.

Tiff's tips - I used qt. jars and took one rack out of my oven because the jars were so tall and it worked great. You could use smaller sized tortillas for smaller bowls. My kids thought these bowls were cool.

Free Digital Recipe Cards

Since I am all about digital AND freebies, I thought I would do a post on the many awesome digital recipe cards you can download for free!

Just download, unzip the files and edit in any photo editing software and you can have some super cute recipes to post on blogs or print out for your files. Here is one I posted back in December:

Here are a few links that I found right now. I personally have downloaded A LOT of different digital recipe cards in the past few years from different sites for free (including the one above), but I can't find the links or the links are no longer valid. I need to find out how to share them with you.

Shabby Princess recipe cards holiday collection
Recipe Card Template (this one is fun because you can make your own creation with digi papers and elements)
Template (this one has spots for photos which would be fun)
Let's Eat cards
Crisdam Designs (scroll to the bottom of the post)

OR....if you aren't into digital scrapping or photo editing, try some of these printables:

Skip to My Lou
Lots of Options
Belly Bytes
Graphic Garden
Tons of Options

Cinnamon Honey Butter

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com. It is very good! The recipe author says, "This is a creamy honey-cinnamon treat, and is absolutely wonderful on toast, bagels, muffins, pancakes, waffles."

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a medium bowl, combine butter, confectioners' sugar honey and cinnamon. Beat until light and fluffy.

Vanilla Icecream with Vitamixer

I saw the Vitamixer person at Costco doing demonstrations, so I have been trying new recipes. We made this last night. I like using creamer because there are so many yummy flavors! These directions are from the vitamix website. 1 cup (240 ml) half and half or whole milk (I used french vanilla creamer)

1/2 cup (100 g) sugar (can cut down sugar because creamer is sweetened, if you want)

1/4 cup (20 g) nonfat dry milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups (960 ml) ice cubes

1. Place all ingredients into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure lid. 2. Select Variable 1. 3. Turn machine on and quickly increase speed to Variable 10, then to High. 4. Use the tamper to press ingredients into the blades. 5. In about 30-60 seconds, the sound of the motor will change and four mounds should form. 6. Stop machine. Do not overmix or melting will occur. Serve immediately.

Note: If mixture has the consistency of a milkshake, firm it up quickly by adding another cup of frozen ice cubes. Process until smooth. Yield: 5 cups

Kelloggs Chocolate Scotcheroos

I got this recipe off of allrecipes.com
Good one!

Ingredients
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
6 cups Kellogg's® Rice Krispies® cereal or Kellogg's® Cocoa Krispies™ cereal
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 cup butterscotch chips

Directions
1.Place corn syrup and sugar into 3-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until sugar dissolves and mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter. Mix well. Add Kellogg's® Rice Krispies® cereal. Stir until well coated. Press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Set aside.
2.Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips together in 1-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Spread evenly over cereal mixture. Let stand until firm. Cut into 2 x 1-inch bars when cool.

Chinese Chicken Salad

Recipe from MakeItAndLoveIt.blogspot.com
I really like this one!

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast (grilled and chopped)
1/2 head of lettuce
2 stalks of celery
1 stalk of green onion
2 8 oz. cans of mandarin oranges
1 8 oz. can of water chestnuts
4 oz. of slivered or sliced almonds
1/2 cup of sugar

Dressing:
1 cup of canola oil
2/3 cup rice vinegar
2 T soy sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar

Directions:
Heat almonds and sugar at medium heat in a small pan. Stir continuously until the sugar has heated through and coated the almonds with a nice caramelized coating. (Don't worry if the sugar gets all clumpy and seems to not be working. Just keep stirring.....it will melt.) Then spread over foil and let cool completely. Chop up all of the remaining salad ingredients and mix together in bowl. In a cruet, mix in all the ingredients for the dressing. Shake until completely blended. The dressing isn't soluble so you'll have to shake again right before pouring over your salad.

One last note: The dressing made is a bit too much for the amount of salad. So I always pour the dressing over individual portions of salad. But if you'd like to pre-mix your salad if you're headed to a pot luck, make sure to watch how much you're using in the salad. Sample it before serving.

Enjoy!

Fried Rice

Recipe by Our Best Bites, adapted from Disneyworld's Ohana Restaurant

2 c. white rice + 4 c. water (OR 4 c. cold, leftover rice, which is actually better)
3 Tbsp. butter
1/4 c. minced red onion
2 Tbsp. chopped green onions
1/2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1/4 c. chopped carrots
1/2 c. chopped mushrooms
8 oz. (1/2 bag) of coleslaw mix
3-4 generous Tbsp. soy sauce

SEASONING:
1 Tbsp. dried onion
1 Tbsp. Kosher salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 ½ tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. celery salt
1 ½ tsp. sugar


Boil water and add rice. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. This step can be done even up to 2-3 days in advance (and for some reason, fried rice tastes better when the rice is cold). Heat butter over medium heat and saute onions, carrots, and cabbage until carrots are tender. Add cooked rice, soy sauce, and seasoning to taste (you won't even come close to using all of it; save the rest for future fried rice or use as you would seasoning salt.)

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

Recipe by OurBestBites.com

1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 C green salsa
1T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t granulated garlic
3 T chopped cilantro
2 T sliced green onions
2 C shredded cooked chicken
1 C grated pepperjack cheese
small corn tortillas
kosher salt
cooking spray

Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.

Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or come unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.

Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges.

Then roll it up as tight as you can.

Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Dip 'em in salsa, sour cream, guacamole, or this dressing.