Becoming Betty

Chocolate Cobbler

2012-01-30T12:24:00.000-08:00

I have never been a huge fan of cobblers because they usually involve some sort of fruit and I don't like cooked fruit. Peach cobbler is ok, but still not my first choice of desserts. But then Pinterest threw this recipe out to the universe and all the sudden I am into cobbler. We're talking rich, gooey, chocolatey, melt-in-your-mouth cobbler. Add some vanilla ice cream and life has never been so good.

The recipe originally came from Sooz Hawkins on Tasty Kitchen.

1 cup flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3 Tbs. cocoa
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup melted butter
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

*Mix the first five ingredients until combined. Add milk, butter and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Pour into an ungreased 8x8 baking dish. In a separate bowl, mix together:

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 brown sugar
4 Tbs. cocoa

*Sprinkle this mixture evenly over batter. Then pour 1 1/2 cups HOT tap water over the top and DO NOT stir. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve warm over ice cream.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE ORIGINATOR AND CREATOR OF BECOMING BETTY...
HOLLY GIBB!! HOPE YOU EAT LOTS OF TREATS TODAY!

Coconut Syrup

2012-01-27T14:42:00.000-08:00

We love breakfast at our house! I used to be a die hard cereal eater (like my sis Holly) but ever since marrying my husband, his love for a yummy homemade breakfast has rubbed off on me. The other day was his 30th birthday so we had these waffles with all the trimmings and a new syrup his mother introduced us to. Its amazing! I usually don't like flavored syrups, but this one is really delicious. Add some sliced fruit and whipped cream and its like dessert.

Coconut Syrup

1 Cup sugar

1/2 Cup butter (1 cube)

1/2 Cup buttermilk

Mix all together in a saucepan and heat to dissolve sugar and melt butter

Then add:

1/2 tsp. baking soda (this causes it to foam up so use a medium pan)

1 tsp. coconut flavoring (found near the spices)

BBQ Chicken

2012-01-26T13:51:00.000-08:00

I got a little pack of recipes in the mail one day. I think it was a free sample for a cooking magazine. I love getting surprises in the mail! And all the recipes look and sound so good! We eat chicken a lot for dinner, so I am always on the lookout for a new recipe. One of the recipes, was BBQ Chicken. I had all the ingredients on hand and it was so easy to throw together. We all loved it! Much better than eating plain 'ole chicken.

BBQ Chicken

1/4 cup ketchup
3 TBS. apple cider vinegar
1 TBS. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. brown sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Place chicken on grill or grill pan over medium heat. Brush sauce on one side of chicken then turn and brush on other side. Repeat until chicken is cooked through.

OOPS!!

2012-01-24T18:28:00.001-08:00

So sorry to tell you I left out the eggs from the Banana Bread recipe a few posts ago. I edited the post and it is now right! I'm so sorry if you made this recipe without the eggs. It absolutely would NOT be the BEST Banana Bread ever!! Once again--so sorry!!

Backyard Farmer

2012-01-22T15:51:00.000-08:00

I heard about the Backyard Farmer like 6 months ago from a few different blogs and was so excited to give it a try. I got on the email list and started getting the order forms every week. Not sure why it took me so long to actually fill one out and send it back, but last week I finally tried it!! I think I am hooked.

The Backyard Farmer is a local farmer who grows all kinds of good things and then picks and delivers them right to your front door...for free! Awesome right?! The prices are really good for what you are getting and everything is so fresh. You've got to check it out! They deliver to Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Queen Creek and parts of Tempe.

Click on the this link to find out more.

Tell them Betty sent you. Just kidding, don't tell them that. They have no idea who we are.

We loved all the produce that we tried. It was so fresh and so tasty. Not pictured here is a 50 pound bag of hard white wheat that we got. They have lots of good things and did I mention it comes right to your door?!

Pretzel Letters

2012-01-20T07:05:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, we were able to go to Arizona for a few weeks. It was fabulous!! It was sunny and warm and just so fun! We loved hanging out with our families and friends and eating at our favorite restaurants. I think I ate out somewhere almost everyday! I loved it. Now we are back in the frozen tundra called Albany. It's been sooo cold the past few days. We try not to go outside which leaves us with a case of cabin fever. I found this fun activity in a magazine called "The Friend." Griffin was so excited to make letters out of dough. We had so much fun rolling the dough with our hands then shaping it into letters. The pretzels were so good right out of the oven. I was wishing I had some nacho cheese to dip them into!

Pretzel Letters

1 tsp. salt

2 1/2 - 3 cups flour

1 Tbs. yeast

1 cup warm water

1 Tbs. sugar

melted butter

Mix the first five ingredients until they form a ball. Then, knead dough until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl and cover with a towel. Let rise for 1 hour. Pull off sections of the dough and roll into long ropes. Form into letters or shapes. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake 8-10 minutes at 450 degrees. When done, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with salt or cinnamon and sugar.

Borsin Potato Casserole

2012-01-18T10:04:00.001-08:00

This is yummy recipe from my mother in law. This isn't the greatest picture, but believe me they are really good!

Borsin Potato Casserole:

3-4 lbs red potatoes, slice thin with skin on (I'm pretty sure you can use regular potatoes)
Place in 9x13 pan

Mix and pour on top-
2 Cups cream
1 carton Borsin cheese
salt and pepper
fresh parsley

Bake for 1 hour at 350. Cover with foil the first 30 minutes, then remove. You can add more fresh parsley on top once its done.

FYI- Borsin cheese can be found at Costco. You have to buy 3 or 4 cartons at a time but you can freeze them. Its kind of an expensive cheese so this is probably the way to go.

BEST BANANA BREAD Ever!!!

2012-01-13T15:18:00.000-08:00

I know EVERYONE has a favorite Banana Bread recipe, but this one is the best EVER--I promise! I have had this recipe for many years and I got it from my dear friend, Kristen Rogers. She's a wonderful cook and every time I make it I think of her. It has a lot of banana so the flavor is really good. I made a loaf last night and it was gone before anyone went to bed.

You can also make banana muffins with this recipe. Just fill cupcake papers, or greased muffin tins 2/3 full and bake approx 15-20 min.

1 c. sugar
1/2 c. shortening, or one cube softened butter (I use butter)
2 eggs
Cream well with mixer, then add:

4 very ripe, mashed bananas
Mix well again. Then add:

1 t. soda
1/2 t. salt
1 3/4 c. flour

Optional: 1 c. nuts (We love pecans--that's what I use)

Mix well and pour into greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 45 min. Check the middle and if it doesn't seem done, bake approx. 5 min. longer. This recipe doubles well, to make two loaves.

Country Corn

2012-01-10T18:27:00.000-08:00

So I don't know about you, but I have been slacking in the kitchen for the past 6 weeks or so. December is like hurry-and-fix-a-quick-dinner-before-we-run-to-the-next recital/concert/family party/ward party/school function/etc. Let's just say we ate a lot of cheese crisps, spaghetti, taco salad, pizza...you get the picture.

Plus, when Holly and Nat come to town, we do more eating out than we do eating in. Which I love by the way. So now that Christmas is over and things have settled down, I am going to try and get cooking again!

I subscribed to a new cooking magazine called "Simple and Delicious" and this recipe is from this month's issue. We loved it. We totally devoured it and then licked the bowl clean.

6 green onions, chopped
3 Tbs. butter
1 package (16oz.) frozen corn (I used white corn)
2 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 cup half and half
1/4 cup cold water
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 cup tomatoes, diced

*Melt butter in a skillet. Saute onions for a couple of minutes until tender. Add corn and cook until heated through. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch, half and half, water, salt and pepper. Stir until smooth. Add to corn. Bring to a boil and then lower heat and cook for a few minutes until thickened. Stir in tomatoes and serve.

COCONUT GRANOLA

2012-01-06T14:59:00.000-08:00

Simple statement: I LOVE ANYTHING WITH COCONUT--so when I ran across this recipe it was a given that I try it. However, I think the recipe baked it a little too long for my liking, so I have shortened the baking times. You can also add your own ingredients if you would like a few more goodies in it.

3 cups old fashioned oats
3/4 cup raw cashews, roughly chopped (don't have to be raw)
3/4 c. almonds, roughly chopped
1 cup coconut (I use sweetened)
1 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1 stick butter (if using salted butter, decrease salt to 1/2 t. you can substitute this with 1/4 c. coconut oil if you like--very healthy)
1/2 c. flax seed
1/4 c. honey
2/3 c. brown sugar
1-2 t. vanilla (I use one)
Craisins or dried cranberries (how much you like)

Preheat oven to 325. In a large bowl, combine oats, cashews, almonds, coconut salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
In medium saucepan, melt the butter (or coconut oil), honey and brown sugar until the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour the mixture over the oat mixture and stir to combine until everything is well coated.

Spread granola onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove and break up the pieces. Bake maybe only 5 minutes more. Check it often to make sure it doesn't get too brown. Remove and let cool completely. Once it is cooled, add the craisins and toss well. Keep tightly stored in a jar or zip lock bag.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

2012-01-02T22:58:00.000-08:00

Why not ring in the new year with chocolate! Who really sticks to their "no sugar/eat healthy" resolutions anyways? Mine lasted until 2pm today. Baby steps. Anyways, we had dinner at Rach's house on Sunday and she whipped these beauties up for dessert. Usually, she's a dough nazi and doesn't let me snack on it while she makes cookies. But this time, I got to eat as much as I wanted it and it was divine! It was like a thick brownie dough with chocolate chips. I'm usually not big on chocolate cookies, but these were delicious. Melt in your mouth delicious.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2/3 cup cocoa
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups flour
2 cups chocolate chips

Cream butter, sugar and eggs. Beat until fluffy, then add vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients and finish with chocolate chips. Scoop onto cookies sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.

Have a Very Betty Christmas!

2011-12-24T22:37:00.000-08:00


Brett and Rachel Dave and Nat Terry and Lana Ryan and Holly Ryan and Jen

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

FROM OUR KITCHENS TO YOURS

*Betty contributors not pictured: Jade, Bonnie and Megan

Restaurant Review: The Herb Box

2011-12-22T13:31:00.000-08:00

We love to try new restaurants. And lucky for us, we have some friends that share our love of good food. Mary Jo (who also introduced us to Sweet Republic and changed my life forever) heard about The Herb Box in Scottsdale and suggested we give it a try for dinner. So we tripled up with another couple (who is about to have baby #7 any second now!) and found a night in December to go on a date (Christmas miracle).

The Verdict:

Food: Off the charts. Everything we tried was beyond delicious. We got sweet potato chips as an appetizer and I don't even like sweet potatoes that much but I loved these chips. All the girls ordered butternut squash enchiladas, which were amazing, and all the guys ordered Thai baby back ribs, which were the most tender ribs I have ever seen/tasted. And don't even get me started on the desserts we tried. S'mores creme brulee and crack pie (appropriately named because it could easily become an addiction). The desserts were both out of this world and I would go back in a heartbeat.

Atmosphere: Super cool and modern. Not too casual, not too fancy. If you go, be sure to check out the bathroom sinks.

Price: Not cheap. You're looking at about $30-$40 a person if you want the three courses. Totally worth every penny. They do have a cheaper lunch menu (that I can't wait to try) and a happy hour menu from 3pm-6pm.

Creamy Italian Noodles

2011-12-19T08:27:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe years ago out of a magazine and kind of forgot about it until just recently. It's nothing fancy, but very kid friendly and easy to make. A nice side dish for an Italian meal or a quick dinner for those busy December nights.

1 package (16 oz.) bowtie pasta
1/2 cup butter
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 packet Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix

*Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to pot. Add butter and mix until butter is melted. Add cream and Parmesan and mix well. Add seasoning and mix again. Serve right away while it's creamy and hot.

Alber's Corn Bread

2011-12-15T07:20:00.000-08:00

We have been having some chili-and-cornbread weather around here. Rainy and cold (I know it's a relative term) for a couple of days this week. I realized that there is a reason I live in the desert...I love the sun! After two days of rain, I start to get a little cranky. But we did love the chili and cornbread we had the other night and this is the recipe off the Alber's corn meal box.

1 cup yellow corn meal
1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbs. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
1/3 cup canola oil
1 egg

*Mix dry ingredients together. Add the rest and mix well. Pour into an 8 inch square baking pan and bake at 400 for 25 minutes. Recipe can be doubled for a 9x13.

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-12-13T20:23:00.000-08:00

I usually eat Craisins in my salads but tonight I decided to try them in cookies. I got the recipe from the back of the Craisins bag. I was intrigued by the fact that they have no white sugar in them, just brown. When I told my husband what kind of cookies I was baking, he said, "Vomit." Then he proceeded to eat 3 in a row. Vomit? I think not. Fabulous? Indeed!

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter (softened)
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 cup Craisins
1 cup white chocolate chips

Cream butter, brown sugar and eggs. Add vanilla, baking soda and salt. Mix in oatmeal and flour. Then, add Craisins and chips. Drop by spoonfuls onto baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 375. Cool on cooling rack.

Vegetable Soup

2011-12-11T20:09:00.000-08:00

So far the winter hasn't been too bad here in NY. Thank goodness!! But this weekend it was pretty chilly. Warm, homemade soup was calling my name. I found this recipe on foodnetwork.com. The whole family loved it! It makes a lot so we ate it for a few days with crusty bread. I loved it because it's full of veggies and not too heavy. Perfect soup for the cold winter months!

Vegetable Soup

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped leeks, white part only (from approximately 3 medium leeks)
2 tablespoons finely minced garlic
Kosher salt
2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped into rounds (approximately 2 medium)
2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
2 cups fresh green beans, broken or cut into 3/4-inch pieces
2 quarts chicken or vegetable broth
4 cups peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatoes (I used 2 cans diced tomatoes)
2 ears corn, kernels removed(I used 1 cup frozen corn)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup packed, chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 to 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (I didn't have this so I left it out)

Pour oil into a large stock pot and heat over medium heat. Add chopped leeks, garlic and a pinch of salt and saute for about 7 minutes, until they begin to soften. Add the carrots, potatoes and green beans and continue to cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Then, add the chicken broth and turn stove to high heat. Bring to a simmer, then add tomatoes, corn and pepper. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for about 25 minutes until veggies are fork tender. Remove from heat and add parsley and lemon juice and more seasoning if needed. Serve immediately.

Crock Pot Chicken Caesar Sandwiches

2011-12-08T09:02:00.000-08:00

I saw this recipe a few months ago on The Girl Who Ate Everything, and I have been meaning to try it ever since. I finally remembered to buy some chicken thighs (my new favorite kind of chicken!) and the dressing that I needed. Talk about easy and yummy. Perfect for this time of year when there are recitals/concerts/parties/family activities every night of the month.

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/2 cup (or more) Caesar dressing (I used Cardini's)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (or 2 tsp. dried)
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper (I used more)
Romaine lettuce
slider buns or rolls

*Place chicken in crock pot on low with a cup or two of water. Cook 5-6 hours until done. Take out chicken and drain water from crock pot. Shred chicken on cutting board and then put back in crock pot. Add dressing (as much as you like), Parmesan, parsley and pepper. Mix well and cook for another 30-60 minutes. You can turn it up to high if you need it to heat up quick. Serve on warm buns/rolls with a little more Parmesan and some lettuce.

Paula Dean's Chicken Noodle Soup

2011-12-06T12:02:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe for Paula Dean’s chicken noodle soup online and I knew it had to be good, because lets be real, anything Paula makes is delicious! I had tried different chicken noodle soup recipes and they were ok, but this one is life changing! My 2 year old even ate a whole entire bowl. So, I suggest if you don’t have all of the ingredients then you go to the store so you can make it for dinner tonight….you won’t be disappointed.

(I did make a few changes when I made mine...I used regular lemon pepper, I did not use any sherry, I didn't put any mushrooms in it, I didn't put any parmesan cheese or heavy cream and I didn't use any season salt. Even with these changes it was still as good as ever)

Ingredients

4 bay leaves
3 chicken bouillon cubes
1 onion, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon Paula Deen Lemon Pepper Seasoning
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 2 1/2 to 3-pound fryer (chicken), cut up
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
3 1/2 quart water
kosher salt and pepper to taste

For Step 2:
2 cups sliced carrots
2 cups sliced celery, with leafy green tops
2 1/2 cups uncooked egg noodles
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
3/4 cup heavy cream (optional)
1/3 cup cooking sherry
1 cup sliced mushrooms
Fresh parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
Paula Deen Seasoned Salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
crusty french bread, for serving

Directions

For the stock: add all ingredients to a soup pot. Cook until chicken is tender, about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and set aside to cool. Remove and discard bay leaves and onion. You should have approximately 3 quarts of stock. When chicken is cool enough to touch, pick bones clean, discarding bones, skin, and cartilage. Set chicken aside.

For the soup: bring stock back to a boil, add carrots, and cook for 3 minutes. Add celery and continue to cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Add egg noodles and cook according to directions on package. When noodles are done, add chicken, mushrooms, parsley, sherry and rosemary. Add Parmesan and cream, if using. Cook for another 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning, if needed, by adding seasoning salt and pepper. Enjoy along with a nice hot crusty loaf of French bread.

Taco Pasta

2011-12-01T05:46:00.000-08:00

I made this taco pasta dish last week and it was delish! It was a fun change to regular 'ole pasta with marinara sauce. I loved the addition of cream cheese and sour cream. And it tastes just like a taco! Another great recipe from this blog.

Taco Pasta

1 pound ground beef
8-12 ounces medium pasta shells or other small dry pasta shapes, cooked and drained
1/2 cup pasta water
1 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies, drained (if making this for kids, you might want to use just plain diced tomatoes)
1 packet (4 tablespoons) taco seasoning
3 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper

In a large skillet or sauté pan, cook the ground meat over medium-high heat until no longer pink. A few minutes before the meat is cooked through, add the chopped onion to the skillet. Add in the diced tomatoes and taco seasoning and let simmer over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the cooked pasta, cream cheese, sour cream and reserved pasta water, and continue stirring until the cream cheese is melted and the sauce is well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over medium-low heat 3-5 minutes to reduce the sauce a bit if it is still too thin. Toss in the cilantro right before serving. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and serve.

Pesto Chicken Pizza

2011-11-29T16:07:00.000-08:00

My friend, Lisa, brought me a big bunch of basil that she grew in her garden. If I had to choose a favorite herb, it would be basil. Wait, is cilantro an herb? It might be a tie.

Anyway, what better way to use fresh basil than to make it into pesto? And what better way to use pesto than to spread it on a pizza? They serve a similar pizza to this at Sauce and I love it. Here is our homemade version.

Pizza dough (I used Trader Joe's)
Pesto (I used about 1/2 cup)
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Chicken, cooked and shredded
Parmesan cheese, grated
Pine nuts

*Roll pizza dough out on a pan or pizza stone. Spread pesto over dough. Sprinkle with cheese, chicken, parmesan and pine nuts. Bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes.

*I like to bake the dough for about 5 minutes before adding toppings because I want to make sure it gets totally done all the way through.

*Also, the pizza at Sauce has diced tomatoes on it and I totally would have done that if I had had any.

Buttery Cornmeal Crescent Rolls

2011-11-28T19:03:00.000-08:00

This year, we ate Thanksgiving dinner at our friend's house. My friend made the turkey, corn, yams, and an Oreo pie. I volunteered to bring the mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing and rolls. 3 things I never make. 3 things that are very important sides in a Thanksgiving meal. Not sure what I was thinking when I offered to bring them but I was ready for the challenge! Luckily, all 3 things turned out and we had a delicious Thanksgiving meal. Moral of the story, if I can make these rolls, anyone can. They were actually easy, you just have to give them time to rise. I got the recipe from my friend Stephanie, then saw it on Mel's Kitchen Cafe too. Go to either blog for detailed instructions and recipe.

Apple-Cranberry Sauce

2011-11-23T16:33:00.000-08:00

I have always been grossed out by cranberry sauce. At Thanksgiving growing up everything was made from scratch except the cranberry sauce in which my Mom would open a can of oceanspray cranberry sauce and dump it on a plate. It always really grossed me out. That big clump coming out of the can. So I never even tried it. A couple of years ago my sister in law Tiffany brought this homemade cranberry sauce to Thanksgiving. I wasn't going to try it until my brother told me I had to. I loved it! It was so good with the turkey and even better the next day with the leftover turkey on sandwitches. Yum

12 oz. fresh cranberries

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and diced

1 3/4 cups water

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground clove

1. Sort the cranberries, discarding all soft ones and removing all stems. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the cranberries, apple, water, sugar, salt, cinnamon and clove; stir together. Set the saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently, partially covered, until thickened, the apple is tender and the cranberries have burst, 15 to 20 minutes.

2. Transfer to a bowl to cool before serving. (May be covered and refrigerated, but should be room temperature before serving.)

Pioneer Pudding

2011-11-21T14:28:00.000-08:00

This is a recipe out of The Friend magazine that my kids get. They always have one recipe in each issue and I get so excited to see what it is each month.

I am a big fan of rice pudding and this one looked so easy that I couldn't wait to try it. When I first took it out of the oven, I thought it was a major fail, but then it came around and we ended up really liking it.

2/3 cup rice
1/3 cup brown sugar
4 cups whole milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon or nutmeg (I did both)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup raisins (I left these out)

*Put all ingredients into a 2 quart glass baking dish and stir together. Bake at 275 degrees for 2 hours. Take out and let cool for 15 or so minutes, then stir really well before serving. Or refrigerate and serve cold. It looks super duper soupy when it comes out of the oven, but after it cooled a little and I stirred it real good, it thickened up. I liked it warm but I think I even liked it better today out of the refrigerator. It's not custardy, because there are no eggs in it, but it has a great flavor.

Best Brownies

2011-11-17T11:03:00.000-08:00

Lets' talk brownies. Brownies and ice cream are one of my favorite desserts. It's the perfect combo. I've tried a few homemade brownie recipes but always go back to the Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Brownies from the box. Rich chocolatey flavor with chocolate chunks mixed in. They are perfect in every way. Well, I might have found some competition for my fave. I googled "best brownies" and came upon this recipe from food.com. I had all the ingredients and they were super easy. Sadly, I didn't have any chocolate chips on hand to throw in. Don't worry, I'll do it next time! These brownies were amazing!!! They taste just as good, if not better, as the Ghirardelli ones. My dream come true! Best brownies is right.

Best Brownies

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup cocoa
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup flour
1 cup chocolate chips

Mix sugar and oil. Then, add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. In a separate bowl, combine cocoa, baking powder, salt and flour. Pour into wet mix and stir until smooth. Pour into a greased 8x8 pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Hot Corn Dip

2011-11-15T07:07:00.000-08:00

I am a corn lover. I love cornbread, corn tortillas, and corn chips. And I love canned corn. I know, weird. This warm corn dip is so good! It would be perfect for an appetizer at a party or gathering. Serve it warm with tortilla chips and you've got a delicious combo!

I know my picture is horrible. Sorry.

Hot Corn Dip

Recipe from Emeril Lagasse

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 1/2 cups corn kernels (from 4 ears fresh white or yellow corn) or frozen corn
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup finely chopped yellow onions
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell peppers
1/4 cup chopped green onions (green and white parts)
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 to 1 cup mayonnaise (I only used 1/2 cup)
4 ounces monterey jack or cheddar, shredded
4 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
Tortilla chips, for dipping

In a skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter with corn, salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes then transfer to a bowl. In same skillet, add rest of butter and onion and bell peppers. Cook until wilted then add garlic, jalapeno, and green onions. Let all the vegetables soften then add to the bowl of corn. Mix in mayo, cayenne, and half of both cheeses. Stir to combine then pour into an 8x8 baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes.

*Next time, I will substitute sour cream for the mayo. It tasted great but I have mayo issues.

Potpourri in a Pot

2011-11-13T19:35:00.000-08:00

I made this the other day and my friend asked if she could eat it because it smelled so good. This is the best way to make your house smell like the holidays.

Potpourri

2 cinnamon sticks
5-8 whole cloves
1 apple cut up
a few shakes of cinnamon
water (or apple juice)

Throw everything in a small pot and fill it up with water (or juice). Bring to boil then turn your stove down as low as it goes to a simmer.

Watch to make sure your water doesn't all evaporate (it isn't fun cleaning your pan and the burned smell defeats the purpose of the potpourri). This works the great if you have one of those little crock pots that is used for sauces. My mom just bought an old little sauce pan from a thrift store that she doesn't care about. Just keep adding more water throughout the day.
You can do lots of variations of this. This is my fall version. At Christmas time, I use orange peel and/cranberries instead of the apple and I always throw in fresh pine. Honestly, this is so much better than any candle I have ever used.

Lone Star Chicken Enchiladas

2011-11-09T19:32:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe from one of my Taste of Home magazines. I LOVE when that little gem of a magazine arrives in my mail each month. So many good recipes that are tried and true! This one is actually an award winning recipe. And I'm all about trying award winning recipes! Especially enchiladas. My fave. These were soooo good and did not disappoint! I will definitely be making these again. Soon.

Lone Star Chicken Enchiladas

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can green chilies

3/4 cup salsa verde

1 tsp. cumin

2 1/2 cups whipping cream

3/4 tsp. salt

12 to 18 corn tortillas

2 cups shredded cheese

Put chicken, diced tomatoes, green chilies, salsa and cumin in crockpot. Cook on low for 4 - 6 hours. Shred chicken. In a bowl, mix whipping cream and salt. Dip tortillas in whipping cream then top with about a 1/4 cup of chicken mixture. Roll up and repeat until pan is full. Pour remaining cream on top and sprinkle with cheese. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

PUMPKIN BUTTERMILK BUNDT CAKE

2011-11-06T18:13:00.000-08:00

Are you tired of all things pumpkin yet? I found this recipe in an old cookbook I was looking through--it doesn't even have a cover on it anymore. I love any kind of cake or bread that is made with buttermilk. I made this and it was a hit--even to my husband who is not a "cake guy". He is basically a pie lover!!

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for greasing bundt pan
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting pan
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin (from a 15-oz can; not pie filling)
3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
For glaze:
2 T butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1-3 T cream or milk
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour bundt pan. Combine together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together pumpkin, buttermilk and vanilla in another bowl.
Beat butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes, then add eggs and beat 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and add flour and pumpkin mixtures alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until batter is just smooth.
Spoon batter into pan. Shake a few times to be sure to remove any bumps then bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 15 minutes, then invert rack over cake and reinvert cake onto rack. Cool 10 minutes more.
To make glaze, heat butter until melted. Stir in sifted powdered sugar. Mix in cream or milk 1 Tablespoon at a time until desired consistency. Drizzle over cake while it is on a wire rack so excess falls through.

caramel apples

2011-11-03T15:07:00.000-07:00

we made caramel apples one weekend after spending the day at the pumpkin patch. such a yummy fall treat and pretty easy. but kind of messy!

what we used-
fuji apples
kabob skewers
2 bags cubed caramels
1 bag melted ghirarrdeli milk choc chips
crushed candy

Melt caramel over stove top according to instructions on bag (it will tell you to add some water). Scrub apples with soap to get wax off. Stick apples with skewers. Dip apples in caramel, use spatula to help cover apple entirely. Place on wax paper to harden. At this point you can drizzle chocolate, roll in candy or do whatever with your apple. Once you are done, place in fridge or freezer to harden. Keep in fridge overnight!
**we did not and woke up to a puddle of caramel around our apples.

Caramel Crunch Bars

2011-11-02T20:49:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from the back of the Caramel Bits bag. It sounded like the perfect salty/sweet treat. These bars were so easy to throw together and I had everything in my pantry. I love that they are crunchy, chewy, salty and sweet all at the same time!! I keep finding myself back in the kitchen for just one more bite!

Caramel Crunch Bars

4 1/2 graham crackers
1 bag Caramel Bits (found in baking isle by chocolate chips)
2 Tbs. milk
1/2 cup peanuts
1/2 cup pretzels, crushed
1/2 cup marshmallows
4 oz. chocolate, melted

Line 8x8 pan with foil. Grease. Place graham crackers on bottom of pan to fit. Might need to cut or break them to fit. Melt caramel with milk in microwave for 2 minutes. Pour over graham crackers. Top with peanuts, pretzels and marshmallows. Drizzle melted chocolate on top. Put in refrigerator for 1 hour. Cut into squares and serve.

Crockpot BBQ Chicken

2011-10-29T16:16:00.000-07:00

Here is another recipe that I found on Pinterest. It originated on a cute blog called, "Stick a Fork in it." We really liked the sauce and of course I love any meal that can be cooked in the crockpot.

Chicken breasts or chicken tenders (I used frozen tenders)
1 small bottle of bbq sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays)
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. garlic powder

*Place chicken in crockpot. Mix up sauce with other ingredients and pour over chicken. Cook on low for 3-5 hours depending on how big your chicken is. I used about 12 chicken tenders and it was perfectly done in 3 hours.

Nutella Fruit Dip

2011-10-27T09:10:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe (is two ingredients considered a recipe?) on Pinterest. I kind of feel like Pinterest is taking over the world. What if Pinterest and Facebook got married? They would be the richest couple that ever lived. I'm not complaining, though, because Pinterest has opened up a whole new world of recipes to try and food pictures to drool over. When I saw this fruit dip on there, I went right to my kitchen and whipped some up. Then I got out an apple, some strawberries, and a banana and dipped like there was no tomorrow. Then I got a spoon and ate the rest. How can something so simple be so delicious? Oh yeah...because it has Nutella in it.

Nutella
Plain Greek yogurt (I like FAGE Total 0%)

*I didn't measure but I think I used about half as much Nutella as yogurt. So maybe 1 cup yogurt and half a cup of Nutella. Or maybe even a little less Nutella. Just mix it up until you like it and then start dipping!

Homemade Italian Salad Dressing

2011-10-25T17:08:00.000-07:00

Remember the days of Pampered Chef parties? Do people still have those? I haven't been to one in many years but I used to love those parties because you got to eat free food. Plus, I really do love their kitchen tools. Everything I bought from them back in the day is still in my kitchen and gets used regularly. Anyway, one of the gadgets I have is a salad dressing mixer/container and it has recipes on the sides. This Italian dressing recipe is one of them and I tried it on Sunday and loved it.

1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs. sugar
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. salt

*Mix or shake really well and serve over salad.

Dark Chocolate Walnut Cookies

2011-10-24T08:33:00.000-07:00

Ever since I ate that legendary cookie from the Levain Bakery in NYC, I haven't stopped thinking about dark chocolate and walnuts.

A food marriage that is sure to last.

I looked at a few different cookie recipes that I love and came up with this one. It's practically healthy, minus the butter and brown sugar. My husband and I loved them, but the kids were less than impressed. They don't appreciate dark chocolate or walnuts yet, but I'm not giving up hope.

1 cup butter, softened to room temp
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbs. vanilla
2 cups whole wheat flour (I used hard white wheat flour)
2 cups oats
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 bag dark chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli)
1 cup walnuts, broken into small pieces

*Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Add chocolate chips and walnuts and mix to combine. Drop onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 10-11 minutes at 350. I take mine out when they still look a little gooey and then I let them sit on the cookie sheet for 5 more minutes before removing to a wire rack.

Baked Potato Soup and Homemade Croutons

2011-10-21T10:18:00.000-07:00

My mom gave me a bunch of red potatoes from her garden this year, and oh they are so good. I have been trying to get creative with potato meals to make sure they all get used. They were so good in this soup, but really you can use any potato in this soup. I think the best part about this soup was the homemake croutons, cause you know, I gotta have my carbs. My friend Kate made these croutons for a salad at play group and I haven't been able to stop thinking about them. You must make these!

Baked Potato Soup

4 good sized red potatoes baked and diced. I left the skin on mine (Bake these at 350 for an hour. You will want to cover with foil so the skin doesn't get to crunchy.)
1/4 cup butter
1-2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup flour
3 1/2 milk
1 14.5oz can chicken broth
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
5 strips bacon chopped
5 green onions chopped

You will want extra cheese, bacon, and green onions for garnish
Sour cream for garnish
Homemade croutons (recipe below)

Melt butter in large sauce pan, add garlic and saute for a min or so. Stir in flour then slowly whisk in milk. Next, stir in your broth. Continue stirring on medium heat until the soup starts to thicken and heats up but don't let it boil or the milk will curdle (if this does happen or if the soup is all all lumpy at this point just throw the soup in a blender and pulse until smooth). Now add the cheese; when that is melted throw in the potatoes, bacon and green onions. Let the soup simmer all the yummy flavors together for ten minutes. Serve and then top with more cheese, bacon, onions, sour cream and don't forget the amazing croutons. This is not a low calorie food :)

Homemade Croutons
Half a loaf french bread (even better if it is a day or two old)
2 T melted butter
2 T olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic
1/4-1/2 tsp. garlic salt

Preheat oven to 425. Cut up the bread into little crouton sized squares and put them into a large bowl. Mix the butter and oil together. Now the fun part, with your hands toss the garlic with the bread. Once you feel like the garlic is evenly dispersed pour the oil/butter mixture over bread while you toss with the other hand. Then do the same thing with the garlic salt (do 1/4 to 1/2 tsp to taste). After the bread is evenly coated with all of its goodness, spread it out on a cookie sheet and place in the oven for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown. You'll wanna keep a close eye on them as they will burn fast.

Costco Pesto Sandwich

2011-10-21T10:06:00.000-07:00

I named this the Costco sandwich because I bought all of the ingredients at Costco. If you don't live by a Costco, you can still find these ingredients at most grocery stores. Good pesto is hard to find, but it's also easy to make. Don't you just love the smell of Pesto? I can't get enough of it. It's right up there with baby lotion and new car smell.

I really love hot sandwiches...especially when they involve pesto and melted mozzarella. I made these for lunch one day and then dinner the next day.

Torta sandwich rolls
roma tomatoes, sliced
BelGioioso fresh mozzarella
Kirkland fresh basil pesto
Tellicherry pepper

*Cut sandwich rolls in half and lay on a cookie sheet. Spread pesto generously on each side. Put a layer of tomatoes and then grind pepper over them. Slice off some mozzarella and layer over tomatoes. Broil in oven until cheese is melted and bread is toasty. You can do all open-faced sandwiches or use the other half of the roll on top. Serve while nice and hot.

Paula Deen's Pumpkin Bars

2011-10-19T22:44:00.000-07:00

Chances are that you already have a favorite pumpkin bar recipe. And chances are that it's a lot like this one. They're all pretty similar, give or take a few measurements. But in case you are still searching for your favorite, here is the one I like the best. Just the right amount of everything and the frosting that came straight from Heaven. I wish Paula Deen was my next door neighbor.

4 eggs
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda

*Beat the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Then add dry ingredients and mix on low speed until batter is smooth. Spread on a cookie sheet (with one-inch sides) and bake for about 18-20 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temp.
1/2 cup butter, softened to room temp.
1 box (16 oz.) powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
dash of salt
little bit of milk if needed

*Beat cream cheese and butter until really smooth. Slowly add powdered sugar, then vanilla and a dash of salt. If it's too thick, add a little milk until it looks spreadable. Spread evenly over cooled pumpkin sheet cake and then cut into bars.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2011-10-18T20:27:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from my beautiful friend, Diane. Probably the nicest person I've ever met! If you ever feel down about yourself, just hang out with Diane for 1 minute and she'll give you 50 compliments. So nice. She brought this soup to a church function and everyone was raving about it. I got the recipe from her and made it last week. Definitely a keeper in my recipe book!!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 cup carrot, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 fresh diced garlic clove
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 (15 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 (15 ounce) can tomatoes, diced
1 (10 ounce) can Rotel tomatoes & chilies, diced
1 (1 1/4-1 1/2 ounce) packet taco seasoning, low sodium, no msg
1 (10 count) package corn tortillas (broken or cut into small pieces)
2 chicken breasts, diced
1 cup milk
12 ounces monterey jack cheese or 12 ounces Mexican blend cheese, shredded
corn tortilla chips, broken into small pieces

Put all ingredients, except corn tortillas, milk, cheese and chips, in crockpot. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. One hour before serving, add corn tortillas, milk and cheese to soup. Stir. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and tortilla chips.

Eating in NYC

2011-10-17T10:22:00.000-07:00

BC and Me with Rupert at the Hello Deli in NYC

We are back from our New York trip and I am still dreaming about the amazing week we had there.
We spent two days in Palmyra, three days in Albany and two days in New York City.
I loved all of it and can't wait to go back! Now onto the food...

I had a list of places that I really wanted to eat at in NYC and we made it to almost all of them. We also hit a few places that were not on the list because we were hungry and lost. My husband knows that I am serious about food and did his best to find everything using his phone and a map, even though neither one of us had ever been there.

Monday

Breakfast: Starbucks

*We broke our rule of not eating anywhere that we can eat here, as soon as we got off the train. We were so hungry and had no idea what we were doing so we walked into Starbucks and got some breakfast sandwiches. They were ok.

Lunch: Shake Shack

*Amazing burgers and delicious custard. Well worth the long line we waited in. I highly recommend eating there.

Dinner: Mesa Grill

*This is Bobby Flay's restaurant and the food was really good. The prices were high, so we shared, but we loved all of our food. My favorite thing was some corn that we had as a side-dish. It had all kinds of amazing things in it.

Tuesday

Breakfast: Toasties

*This wasn't on our list but we saw it while we were walking and it looked so good. Really clean and modern inside with lots of fresh ingredients and a yummy menu. The food was delish and I would definitely go back there.

Snack: Magnolia Bakery

*We ordered banana pudding because a lady in line recommended it and I am not kidding you when I say it was life-changing. Best thing I ate the whole trip. Please go there and get that. We also got some cheesecake and it was super tasty. Such a cute bakery, too.

Another snack: Levain Bakery

*We had to try their huge cookies and man were we glad we did. Hot chocolate chip cookies with walnuts. Melt in your mouth.

Lunch: Hot dog stand in Central Park

* I was still full from our "snacks" but BC tried a hot dog and said it wasn't that great. Nothing special.

Dinner: Bella Vita Pizza

*We really wanted to try pizza from Lombardi's but never found it so we tried this place and it was good but not great. I have had lots of pizza here in Arizona that I liked better.

Dessert: Pinkberry

*My favorite yogurt place because of their original tart. It's the best. I really wish we had one here.

So that is what we ate in NYC. So many places to try and so little time! I still want to try Serendipity's, Lombardi's, Pret A Manger, Chopt'd, Cafe Habana and The Donut Plant. What are your favorite places in NYC? Do tell!!!

Oatmeal Pumpkin Spice Kiss Cookies

2011-10-13T20:14:00.000-07:00

I love the Fall. I love pumpkin. I love pumpkin spice Hershey Kisses. And I loved these cookies! I couldn't wait to get my hands on these kisses this year! I knew they would make their appearance come October, so I waited patiently and hurried to Target to buy some as soon as I could. Last year, I made pumpkin cookies with the pumpkin spice kisses. This year, I wanted to try something different. My friend, Stephanie, had the idea of adding them to your basic oatmeal cookie with a few spices thrown in. Genius! I used my favorite oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe as the base. I think these are the perfect fall treat!!

Oatmeal Pumpkin Spice Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbs. vanilla
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 1/2 cups oatmeal
2 cups flour
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 bag of Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kisses, quartered

Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Pour in spices then oatmeal and flour. Mix then add chocolate chips and kisses. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 11 minutes. Cool on cooling wrack.

CHICKEN TORTELLINI SOUP

2011-10-11T18:36:00.000-07:00

Here in AZ we are pretending it is getting to be fall (last week 75 degrees, this week 92--go figure). However, I do love it when it gets a little cooler so we can have soup; my favorite. There is something about a steaming hot bowl of soup and some good crusty bread that just makes me feel safe and secure.

I got this recipe from my dear friend, Mary who is a fabulous cook and most of the time she makes her own chicken stock! This recipe makes a lot and for those with smaller families, you can certainly 1/2 the recipe.

2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups carrots, peeled and cut into diagonal slices
4 cups celery, diced small
1-2 T. Italian seasoning
1 bay leaf
4 quarts of chicken broth
16 ounces cheese tortellini (packaged in the refrigerator section at the store)
4-5 cups cooked shredded chicken
2-3 T. chicken bullion granules (or **Better Than Bullion)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fresh grated parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, Italian seasoning and the bay leaf. Cook and stir for about 6 minutes until vegetables are softened but not browned. Pour in the chicken broth and add the bullion. Bring the liquid to a boil. Add more bullion ahnd Italian seasoning if you like. Add the tortellini and simmer for 5 minutes until tender. Fold in the chicken and continue to simmer for another couple of minutes to heat through; season with more salt and pepper if needed. Serve in bowls sprinkled with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

**I use Better Than Bullion instead of cubes or granules. It has a better, more rich flavor--probably due to the fact it has some of the fat from chicken in it. Sounds gross--but really makes soups and stews taste good!!

Sour Cream Beef Enchiladas

2011-10-09T19:52:00.000-07:00

First things first. Please don't stop looking at this blog because of this gross picture. It's obvious that I have a lot to learn about food photography, and believe me, it's on my to-do list.

Also, I am in New York at Holly's house and tomorrow morning I am taking a train with BC to New York City and I can't remember the last time I was this excited about going somewhere.

Not to sound dramatic, but I've pretty much been dreaming of going to NYC my whole life.

I have a long list of places I want to eat and only two days to hit them all...so wish me luck.

Now about the enchiladas. They were really easy and really good. It was fun to try a different spin on the traditional beef enchiladas that we usually eat.

1 medium onion

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 (16 oz.) container sour cream

1 (10 oz.) can hot enchilada sauce

1 (10 oz.) can mild enchilada sauce

1 cup frozen white corn

12 corn tortillas

sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

*Brown ground beef with onion. Add sour cream and corn. Mix well while heating over medium heat. Add half the can of hot enchilada sauce. Stir to combine. Warm up tortillas. Spoon some meat mixture into each tortilla. Top with a little cheese. Roll up and place in a 9x13 pan. When the pan is full, mix the remaining enchilada sauces and pour over top. Cover with cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

MAORI BREAD

2011-10-07T11:30:00.000-07:00

We vacationed in San Diego a few weeks ago with my brother and his wife. My brother's best friend of 20 years and his wife came along too--and were we lucky because his wife is the MOST FABULOUS COOK (thanks Marty)! She brought this delicious bread with her and we made it twice on the trip! It is so delicious and the easiest bread I have ever made! So easy--we made it on vacation. It has a sweet flavor and is delicious as toast or peanut butter sandwiches. I have used brown sugar instead of white sugar also.

MAORI BREAD
5 c. Lukewarm water
1 c. Sugar
2 1/2 T. Yeast

Stir together with a wisk. Let stand for 20 min.

10 c. Flour
1 1/2 t. salt

Place flour in large bowl. Make a well in center. Pour yeast mixture in well. Mix until all flour is combined. Will be lumpy. Let stand for 20 min.

Dump dough on heavily floured counter. Knead about 10 times. Dough is very sticky. Form into 3 regular loaves or 4 smaller loaves. Place in greased loaf pans and let raise for 20 min. Bake at 350 for 40-45 min.

Peanut Butter Cup Bars

2011-10-04T20:11:00.000-07:00

A new girl, named Stephanie, moved into our branch, which is always exciting! And what's even more exciting is that she loves to bake AND has a recipe blog! I know, too good to be true. About a week ago, she sent me a text saying she had made cupcakes for a business dinner(she's legit) and had some leftovers and asked if I wanted them. Please, I would take leftover cupcake crumbs. She even gave them to me in a cute cupcake box! She made vanilla and turtle and they were SOOO good! Those cupcakes didn't stand a chance in our house. Anyways, you will have to check out her recipe blog. I got these peanut butter cup bars from her and they were finger lickin' good!!


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Peanut Butter Cup Bars

Base:

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 3/4 cups powdered sugar

1 cup peanut butter

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

Topping:

1 cup chocolate chips

Melt butter in saucepan on stove. When melted, remove from heat and mix in powdered sugar. Stir until smooth. Add peanut butter and crumbs and mix well. Pour into an 8x8 pan lined with foil and greased. Melt chocolate chips and pour over peanut butter base. Place in refrigerator for 15 minutes until chocolate has hardened. Cut and serve.

Cinnamon Muffins

2011-10-03T09:35:00.001-07:00

Dessert for breakfast you ask? YES! Worth it? YES!
These sweet and delicious muffins are from my husband's family and have become a Conference tradition in our house. Get a big glass of milk or water ready before you eat them because they are super sweet and rich, but that cinnamon taste is soooo good. Don't forget the sauce- its the best part!!

Muffins...
1/2 Cup butter
3/4 Cup sugar
2 eggs
2 1/4 Cup flour
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp nutmeg
3/4 Cup milk

Sauce...
1/2 Cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 Cup milk
3 Tbsp light corn syrup
2 Tbsp butter

Cream butter, sugar, and eggs; combine dry ingredients and gently blend into creamed mixture. Stir in milk. Spoon into lightly greased or paper-lined muffin tin. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
For sauce, combine sugar and cinnamon, then add all other ingredients. Cook on stove until thickened. Serve over top of warm muffins. Makes 1 dozen.
(I keep the burner on low or med-low. I don't let the sauce boil. Once you stir it on the stove for 5-10 minutes and take it off, the sauce will thicken as it cools)

2011-09-30T19:58:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, my husband and I lived in Wisconsin while he was going to medical school. We made life-long friends during this time, one of which was a girl named Jamie. When I think about Jamie, I think hot mama! She's always done up with the latest fashions and stylin' hair. She keeps a spotless house and has the decorator's touch. She is one of those skinny girls who eats chocolate chip cookies for lunch. Jamie is as strong as they come. She beat cancer for heaven's sake! Twice! In fact, when I met her she had recently finished chemo and a bone marrow transplant. Like I said, this girl is strong! She's been cancer free ever since. Jamie has since adopted a darling girl and moved to Missouri for her husband's residency. She started a design blog called Kreyv. It's fabulous and so fun to look at and get ideas from! Thanks to Jamie for giving Becoming Betty the Versatile Blogger award! Go check out her fun blog ASAP!

Slow Cooker Sticky Wings

2011-09-26T19:06:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from my sister in law and it did not disappoint.
I love how you can make it and then put it in the fridge for up to 24 hours,
so if you are having a party you can make them ahead of time. Even though it
has cayenne pepper in it, it is not too spicy at all. My 2 year old even loved them!

Slow-Cooker Sticky Wings

1 (3-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled
¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
¼ cup soy sauce
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 pounds chicken wings, halved at joint and wingtips removed (or just buy the already-cut pack in the freezer section)
¼ cup water
¼ cup tomato paste

1. MAKE RUB Pulse ginger, garlic, ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper in food processor until finely ground. Add mixture to slow cooker insert. Add chicken and toss until combined.

2. COOK AND COOL Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours. Using slotted spoon, remove wings from slow cooker and transfer to clean large bowl (discard liquid in slow cooker). Let wings cool 20 minutes (or cool briefly and refrigerate up to 24 hours).

SAUCE AND BROIL (The oven rack should be 10 to 12 inches from the broiler element. Don’t wander off while the wings are in the oven.)

3. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat broiler. Set wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet and spray rack with baking spray. Whisk water, tomato paste, remaining sugar, remaining soy sauce, and remaining cayenne in bowl. Add half of sauce to bowl with cooled wings and toss gently to coat. Arrange wings, skin side up, on prepared baking rack. Broil until wings are lightly charred and crisp around edges, 10 to 15 minutes. Flip wings, brush with remaining sauce, and continue to broil until well caramelized, about 3 minutes. Serve with ranch!

Gooey Butter Cake Variations

2011-09-26T08:48:00.000-07:00

I posted a recipe for Gooey Butter Cake a while back and just recently, I found out that there are lots of variations to this rich and delicious dessert.

We had a Relief Society meeting last Thursday and they passed around a sign up sheet the Sunday before asking for women to help make the desserts. One of those easy gigs where they bring you all the ingredients and you just have to make it. Don't you love organized organizations? I was excited to try out a new dessert recipe, so I signed up for the peanut butter version of the gooey butter cake. Here's the sad part of the story...I made it and smelled it baking and couldn't wait to try it, but then ended up not being able to make it to the meeting. So I had no idea if it was even good, although my nose told me it was. Well, I couldn't stop thinking about it so I went and bought the ingredients and made it on Sunday for our dessert. Here's the happy ending to the story...it tasted so good and gooey and we loved it! Hooray for happy dessert endings!

Original Gooey Butter Cake:
Crust
1 package yellow cake mix
1 egg
1 cube butter, softened to room temp
Filling
8 oz. cream cheese
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cube butter, melted
1 16 oz. box powdered sugar

*Combine ingredients for crust and press into a 9x13 or a round, spring form pan. For filling, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add butter and mix again. Add powdered sugar and beat really well. Spread the filling over the crust. Bake the cake at 350 until it is golden brown but the center is still jiggly. This takes about 30-40 minutes for a 9x13 and longer for a spring form pan. Cool for at least an hour, but it's even better if you can refrigerate it for a few hours or overnight. Top with fruit and whipped cream or just enjoy it in all it's buttery glory.

Variations
*Peanut Butter: Use a chocolate cake mix for the crust. Add 1 cup peanut butter and 1 extra egg to the filling.
*Chocolate: Use a chocolate cake mix for the crust. Add 2 Tbs. cocoa and 1 cup nuts (optional) to the filling.
*Lemon: Use a lemon cake mix for the crust. Add 1/2 cup lemon juice, zest of 2 lemons, and 1 extra egg to the filling.
*Coconut: Use a white cake mix for the crust. Add 1 cup unsweetened coconut to the filling. You could also add a little coconut oil flavoring or extract to the filling.
*Pumpkin: Add 1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin and 1 extra egg to the filling. Top with pecans and whipped cream when serving.
*Carrot Cake: Use a spice cake mix for the crust. Add 1 cup chopped nuts and 1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots to the filling.
*Chocolate Chip: Use yellow or chocolate cake mix for the crust. Sprinkle 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 cup nuts on top of filling before baking.
*Banana: Add two ripe bananas and 1 extra egg to the filling.

***Thanks to my friend, Marie, for passing on these fun variations on such a great dessert!!!!

Lime-Cilantro Rice with Pineapple

2011-09-22T22:19:00.001-07:00

1 cup dry white rice, cooked in 2 cups water
2 Tbsp real butter
Juice from 1 large lime, or two smaller ones (taste as you go, I add a lot)
1 small can crushed pineapple, drained
½ – ¾ C chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook rice. As soon as it’s done, toss in the butter and stir to melt. Add lime juice, pineapple, and cilantro. Stir to combine, and then add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

* You’ll want to serve this right away, if you don’t, the flavors tend to mellow a bit and you’ll probably need to add more lime juice because the rice kind of sucks it up. If you’re not quite ready to eat when your rice finishes cooking, just toss in the butter and keep a lid on it so it stays warm. Then right before you serve it, toss it all together.

The Peach Cobbler Debate

2011-09-21T13:59:00.000-07:00

Ever since I canned peaches a few weeks ago, I've been on a peach cobbler kick. I've made 3 different recipes in the last 2 weeks and have been analyzing them to decide which was in my favorite. Nerd alert! I know. But I'm a foodie, what can I say? I posted the first recipe just over a week ago. It had brown sugar and cinnamon and the crust was like a sweet biscuit. The 2nd recipe, which I will post, is more of a cake-like cobbler. My husband liked it better than the first one. I thought it was good, but even better when I ate it the next day. Almost like a bread pudding. Finally, the 3rd recipe I tried was from my Favorites cookbook. The cobbler was good but way too sweet for me. I know, I can't believe I just typed that. Nothing is ever too sweet for me! But it was so rich. And it needed cinnamon. So, the debate is over and I don't think I am going to make peach cobbler for a while. I think I'm good for the year!

And the winner is...... Peach Cobbler #1. I loved the brown sugar, cinnamon and biscuit-like topping. It was the perfect sweetness and went perfectly with vanilla ice cream. Although, the 2nd one was good too! Such a hard decision!

Peach Cobbler (#2)

1 29oz. can sliced peaches or 4 cups
2 Tbs. butter, melted
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 Tbs. cornstarch
1/2 cup water

In a large bowl, combine peaches with juice, melted butter, cinnamon and nutmeg. Dissolve cornstarch in water then add to peaches. Set aside.

1 1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup flour
1 1/4 cup milk
2 tsp. baking powder
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

In another bowl, combine milk, sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. Beat until smooth. Melt butter in 9x13 pan. Pour batter over butter then spoon peaches over the batter. Sprinkle with the teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/4tsp. of nutmeg. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until golden brown.

CHOCOLATE TOFFEE TRIFLE

2011-09-19T17:46:00.000-07:00

I took a Paula Deen recipe and made a few changes to make this delicious trifle. We had it yesterday for my sister's birthday dinner. It is REALLY rich, and so delicious. My son said he just wanted to "put his face in the bowl". And it looks pretty too! I always have left-over fudge sauce and it's great on ice-cream.

Ingredients
• 1 box chocolate cake mix (add an extra box of chocolate pudding-make according to directions)
• 2 cups fudge sauce, recipe follows
• 3 chocolate covered toffee candy bars, broken into pieces (Heath bars)
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream whipped and sweetened with 1/3 cup sugar
Directions
Prepare the cake according to the package directions for a 9 by 13-inch cake. Cool thoroughly.
Cut or tear the cake into 3 inch pieces.
Line the bottom of a large glass bowl with a single layer of cake. Pour 1/4 of the fudge sauce over the cake, top with 1/2 of the candy bar-bits then 1/2 of the whipped cream. Repeat again, topping off the cake with more Heath bar bits.
Note: Assemble the trifle shortly before serving or it will get soggy.
Hot Fudge Sauce:
• 1 (4-ounce) bar German chocolate
• 1/2-ounce unsweetened chocolate
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 2/3 cups evaporated milk
• 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
To make the sauce: Melt the German chocolate with the butter in a saucepan over very low heat. Stir in the powdered sugar, alternating with evaporated milk and blending well. Stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer until the mixture becomes thick and creamy, about 8 minutes. Stir in the vanilla. Cool before using

Peach Spinach Salad

2011-09-18T16:12:00.000-07:00

I linked this salad a few weeks ago and said it was my favorite salad of 2011. I am now thinking that it could be my favorite salad of the decade. I want to make it for every meal. So in case you are not a link-clicker, I decided I had better put the recipe on here so you will make it and love it. It's from Trainer Momma.

This salad is perfect for all those amazing Utah peaches we are enjoying right now. I look forward to peach season all year and it's finally here! If you live in Arizona, please go to Nielsen's frozen custard and get the fresh peach concrete or the homemade peach cobbler. But don't blame me if you get addicted and spend way too much time and money there.

baby spinach
fresh peach, cut up
fresh blueberries
cucumber, peeled and diced
green onion, sliced
asagio cheese, shredded
dried cranberries
candied pecans

*Toss these together in the amounts that you like. If you don't have one or more of these ingredients, it's ok...it will still be good. Toss with white balsamic vinegar dressing.

Dressing:
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbs. pure maple syrup
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

*Shake up really well until it's all combined. I don't use all the dressing because the spinach gets too soggy and wilted. The flavor is great and you don't need a lot.

Gak

2011-09-16T10:23:00.000-07:00

When we went to check out a pre-school for my son, Griffin, they had a station with gak. Griff went right over to the gak and started playing with it while I talked to the teachers. That was back in May. He hasn't stopped talking about the gak since! Every time I would bring up pre-school, he would say, "I can't wait to play with the gak!" Since gak is only a special occasion thing at pre-school, we decided to make some of our own. I just googled gak and found this recipe. DO NOT EAT IT! It is only for play. It was super easy and kept Griffy busy for hours!! Can't beat that.

Gak

1 8oz. bottle Elmer's Glue

warm water

1 tsp. Borax (found in the same isle as laundry detergent)

1/2 cup warm water

Pour glue into a mixing bowl. Fill up empty bottle of glue with warm water and shake. Pour water over the glue and mix well. Dissolve 1 tsp. Borax in 1/2 cup warm water. Add to glue mixture and stir until it thickens and becomes gak.

*You can add some food coloring to glue mixture to color gak.

Avocado Chicken Salad

2011-09-14T18:51:00.000-07:00

I thought a car was the worst thing to be without.

I was wrong.

The worst thing to be without is a computer!

Ours has been "in the shop" for a week and it has been the longest week of my life. Sad but true. I had to keep calling Holly to ask for my own recipes that I can't remember because I throw away the hard copies when I put them on the blog. I have to admit, though, that I sure got a lot more done around here without the computer to sit down in front of. Who knew I could survive without Facebook, recipe blogs, and all those other fun things I "have" to look at everyday???

Enough about my computer woes. Here's a really good recipe that you are going to want to make. I went to a church meeting where there was a tasting table (love those) and this was one of the tasty dishes.

chicken, cooked and shredded
avocado
mayo, just a little
green onion, sliced
cilantro
lime juice to taste
salt/pepper to taste

*Sorry there aren't any measurements. I just asked what was in it and then made it to my liking. I probably had 2 cups of chicken and then just threw the rest in until it tasted good. I only used 1 avocado but if you really love avocados, you could use more. I loved the lime juice, so I kept adding more of it little by little. You definitely need a little salt, but the pepper is just if you want to. I used a lot of cilantro and a moderate amount of green onion. Probably 2-3 of them. You can serve this in pitas or just eat it with chips. We loved it and it was really good leftover, too.

Peach Cobbler

2011-09-12T14:07:00.000-07:00

Last week, I got together with some friends to can peaches. FYI - I don't know how to can peaches. I was the peeler and slicer. I ended up with 9 quart sized jars of peaches. And I've already used 2 to make peach cobbler. My friend, Dani, emailed me this cobbler recipe that she found on the Food Network website. I made it last night and we loved it! It has no white sugar, just brown sugar which gives it a caramel effect. The crust is like a sweet, tender biscuit that goes perfectly with the peaches. We had it with vanilla ice cream, of course. It was a great way to end our Sunday!

Peach Cobbler

Cobbler filling:

4 cups peeled and sliced fresh peaches (blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds to remove the skins) or use 4 cups of canned peaches, drained
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon flour

Cobbler crust:

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon brown sugar, for topping

Butter a 1 1/2 quart shallow baking dish. Place the peaches in the dish and sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon, flour and vanilla. Mix gently and spread evenly. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar and butter in a bowl. Use a pastry cutter or your fingers to make the mixture like coarse crumbs. Add buttermilk and stir to form a soft dough. Spoon batter over warmed peaches and spread evenly. Sprinkle with remaining tablespoon brown sugar. Return to hot oven and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

Mexican corn on the cob

2011-09-07T10:23:00.000-07:00

Another great recipe from my friend Ashley. Don't let the ingredients throw you off. We don't really care for mayo in our house but we love this. Easy and great for spicing up your BBQs!

Mexican Corn on the Cob

4 ears corn
3 Tbsp. mayo
2 Tbsp. sour cream
1/4-1/2 tsp. lime zest
1/2 tsp. fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
1/4 tsp. chili powder
tiny pinch kosher salt
1 cup fresh parmesan cheese

Cook corn by method of choice (I grill it, but you could boil it, etc.). While it’s cooking, combine mayo, sour cream, lime zest, lime juice, chili powder, and pinch of salt. Store in the fridge until ready to use. (For even better results make the sauce ahead of time).

Grate parmesan cheese with a fine-hole cheese grater and place on a plate.

When corn is finished cooking, immediately spread sauce all over it and then roll corn cob in grated cheese.

Serve with lime wedges for squeezing and extra chili powder or cayenne sprinkled on top, if desired.

**Make sure to squeeze a lime wedge over your corn at the end... this really makes it yummy.

Chili's Fajitas

2011-09-05T10:45:00.000-07:00

My husband and I have lived in a few states where good Mexican food is hard to find. So, we usually end up eating at Chili's for chips and salsa and fajitas. Although, we are now quite fond of Chipotle. But that's beside the point. I've had this recipe in my file for years and finally decided to pull it out and make us a fajita dinner. It says it's the recipe Chili's uses for their fajitas. Whether that's true or not, I'll never know. What I do know, is that these fajitas were fabulous! We absolutely loved them and could.not.stop.eating.them. Husband said they are the best he's ever had. That's big time.

Chili's Fajitas

2 lbs. flank steak, skirt steak or sirloin steak or chicken
1 red bell pepper
2 green bell peppers
1 onion

Marinade:

1 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
1 cup water
3 1/2 Tbs. honey
4 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. ground ginger

Combine all ingredients for marinade in a bowl. Put meat in ziploc bag and pour half of marinade over meat to cover. Seal and let sit in refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Can do overnight as well. Slice onions and peppers and cook over medium heat in a saucepan until tender. Pour a few tablespoons of marinade over onions and peppers to flavor. Cook meat on stove in a skillet or grill pan until done. Place meat and vegetables in tortillas and top with sour cream, cheese and guacamole.

The Best Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-09-01T20:44:00.000-07:00

My name is Holly Gibb

and

I'm a peanut butter addict.

I eat peanut butter every single day. On my apples, bananas, slathered across a graham cracker, on toast, and sometimes just with a spoon. I love it and can't get enough of it. A couple of days ago, I wanted to bake and I wanted peanut butter and chocolate to be the key ingredients. I searched the web and found this recipe on Smitten Kitchen who got it from the famous Magnolia Bakery in NYC. Hello- I knew it had to be good! The dough was divine and the cookies were the best peanut butter cookies I've ever tasted!! Seriously. The best. They went like hotcakes around here because you can't eat just one. My friend called them, "amazing." You get the picture.

The Best Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups peanut butter, smooth or chunky (I used natural chunky)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbs. milk
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup peanut butter chips
1 cup chocolate chips
sugar for sprinkling

Cream butter and peanut butter until fluffy. Add sugars and mix well. Add eggs, vanilla and milk. Mix then pour in dry ingredients. Add peanut butter and chocolate chips until combined. Roll into balls and sprinkle with sugar. Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 11 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on pan for 2 minutes then place on cooling rack to cool completely.

Creamy Pesto Pasta

2011-08-31T17:52:00.000-07:00

*Pesto+Cream=Delicious*

I am all over any pasta dish that involves pesto. So when the Pioneer Woman made a list of things you can do with pesto, and one of them included adding cream to it and putting it over pasta...I was a done deal. My kind of dinner for sure. Next time I'm going to throw some grilled chicken on top for the hubby. It took some convincing to get the kids to try it, but once they did, they loved it.

1 1/2 cups basil pesto (I used Costco's)
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tbs. butter
16 oz. pasta of your choice
2-3 roma tomatoes, diced
salt/pepper to taste

*Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add cream and stir well. Add pesto and heat over medium-low, stirring often. When it's nice and hot, pour over your cooked pasta and toss to coat pasta. Add the diced tomatoes and toss again.

Brazilian Lemonade

2011-08-30T08:20:00.000-07:00

My new friend Ashley is an amazing cook. Every time she has us over, she creates some yummy new thing I have never had. One Sunday she made us this delicious drink. Dave loved it and has been begging me to make it ever since. So I finally did and it was a hit!

Brazilian Lemonade
Serves 4-ish

4 juicy limes (try and find ones with thin, smooth skins; they’re the juiciest and the thin skin cuts down on the chance of your drink being bitter)
1 cup sugar
6 cup cold water
6 Tbsp. sweetened condensed milk

Mix cold water and sugar very well and chill until ready to use. This step can be done ahead of time.

Wash limes thoroughly with soap (I just use hand-dishwashing soap or regular hand soap); you need the soap to get the wax and pesticides off of the limes because you’re using the whole lime. Cut the ends off the limes and then cut each lime into 8ths.

Place 1/2 of the limes in your blender.

Add 1/2 of the sugar water, place the lid on your blender, and pulse 5 times. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a pitcher (the one you’ll serve the lemonade in) and pour the blended mixture through the strainer and into the pitcher. Use a spoon to press the rest of the liquid into the pitcher. Dump the pulp and stuff in the strainer into the trash. Repeat with remaining limes and sugar water. Add sweetened condensed milk; DO NOT leave this step out unless you will die of a horrible sweetened condensed milk allergy because this is the secret ingredient! You may want to taste test it at this point; If it’s bitter, just add some more sugar and maybe a little more milk.
Serve immediately over lots of ice. This does not keep well, so don’t make this in advance (although you can cut the limes, mix the sugar water, and measure the sweetened condensed milk in advance).

Skillet Chicken and Green Beans

2011-08-29T06:17:00.000-07:00

The other day, I felt like making a skillet dinner. I love dinner in a skillet. It's one pan, which makes for easy clean up, which is always a good thing! I had some thin sliced chicken breasts, chicken broth and fresh green beans that needed to be eaten, so I googled skillet dinners and found this recipe. It took about 30 minutes start to finish and made for a tasty, healthy dinner. I love dinner in a skillet!!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half lengthwise
1/2 cup flour
1 Tbs. lemon pepper seasoning
1/2 tsp. salt
1 can low sodium chicken broth
2 cups green beans, fresh or frozen

Mix flour, lemon pepper, and salt in a shallow bowl. Dredge chicken in flour mixture and place in lightly greased skillet. On high to medium heat, brown chicken on both sides. Lower heat to medium and pour chicken broth over chicken. Put green beans on top and cover with lid. Simmer for 20 minutes until chicken is done. Serve over brown rice.

*Recipe from www.5dollardinners.com

NANI'S ENCHILADAS

2011-08-27T15:36:00.000-07:00

This recipe came from my dear friend Brooke's mother, Ana Maria, fondly known as "Nani". Nani was born in Spain and raised in the Phillipines. She is the cutest, sassiest most adorable lady you could ever meet and if you ever visit her, she will feed you until your eyes bulge! This is a great, hearty enchilada recipe that is easy and can be frozen for future use. If you choose to freeze it for use a a later time, freeze it unbaked. Take out of the freezer and let it sit for about 20 minutes before baking at 375 for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Check to make sure it is done in the middle.

I hope you like this as much as we do and I really wish all of you could meet Nani!!

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. ground beef
1 small chopped onion
1 15 oz. can refried beans
1 3.8 can sliced black olives
1 large can Macayo's Enchilada Sauce (comes in mild or hot--your preference)
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 15-20 count package corn tortillas
2 cups shredded cheese (Mexican blend or your choice)

Brown ground beef, and add chopped onion, Cook a little with onion in the beef then drain. Add olives and refried beans. Let mixture cool a little as you will be rolling this into the tortillas..

Heat to medium heat about 2 inches of oil in a medium frying pan. Dip tortillasinto hot oil, just to soften. Do not cook crisp. Drain on paper towels.

In a 9x13 baking dish, place about 3/4 cup of enchilada sauce and coat bottom of dish. Dip tortillas into enchilada sauce and place approx. 3 T. of meat mixture into the center of the tortill and roll. Place seam side down and repeat until all tortillas or mixture is used. Lay in rows in pan. Make sure you place them tightly in the dish, or they will not fit. You may have to use 2 pans. Pour remainder of enchilada sauce on top and top with shredded cheese.

Bake covered at 375 for 3-40 minutes. Each serving can be topped with lettuce, tomatoes, olives, chives, sour cream or chopped cilantro.

Skillet Parmesan Chicken

2011-08-24T14:24:00.000-07:00

Who wants to turn on their oven when there is a heat advisory going on outside? This recipe is all done on the stove top and only takes about 20 minutes from start to finish.

10-12 chicken tenders
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup shredded parmesan
3 eggs
jar of favorite spaghetti sauce
mozzarella cheese, sliced or shredded
olive oil for skillet

*Heat skillet over medium-high heat with just enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Mix together eggs in a bowl. Combine bread crumbs and parmesan together in another bowl. Dip chicken tenders in egg mixture and then in parmesan mixture until well coated. Place gently in the skillet and brown for a couple of minutes on each side. Pour sauce into skillet around chicken (I didn't use the whole jar). Cover and simmer on low until chicken is cooked through. Remove lid and cover with mozzarella cheese. When cheese is melted, serve over your favorite pasta.

Peanut Butter Balls

2011-08-22T21:19:00.000-07:00

I love all things peanut butter. So naturally, I love this super easy, somewhat healthy recipe for peanut butter balls. There are so many variations of what ingredients you can add or subtract to make them just they way you like them. Some add coconut, flax seed, malt powder, chocolate chips - whatever floats your boat. I made the basic peanut butter ball. My husband downed 4 immediately without even blinking. Just promise me that you will use real peanut butter. Thanks.

Image from thekitchn.com

Peanut Butter Balls

1/2 cup real peanut butter

1/2 cup honey

3/4 cup oatmeal

3/4 cup powdered milk

Mix all ingredients with a spoon or spatula in a bowl. Roll into small balls with your hands. Place on a pan and chill in refrigerator until serving.

Easy Indian Fry Bread

2011-08-20T16:08:00.000-07:00

My 12 year old daughter had Indian fry bread at girls' camp this summer and she's been craving it ever since. So today she decided that we needed to learn how to make it ourselves. She got online and found a really easy recipe (not sure where she found it) and then she got everything out we needed and waited until I was done scrubbing my toilet (I washed my hands after) so I could help her. I was seriously surprised at how simple it was and it tasted good! I kind of felt like we were at the State Fair.

1 cup unbleached flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. powdered milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup water
oil for frying (we used canola)

*Heat about 1 inch of oil in a heavy skillet on the stove. I put in on medium-high and that seemed to work fine. The recipe says 350 degrees but I don't have a thermometer for oil. Sift together all the dry ingredients. Pour the water over the mixture and stir with a fork until it starts to clump. Flour your hands and then begin to mix the dough so it forms a ball. You want to mix well but you do NOT want to knead it. The inside should be sticky and the outside floured. Divide the dough into four pieces. Using your floured hands, stretch the dough into a disk of about 5 inches across. It doesn't have to be a perfect circle. Drop the disc into the hot oil and let it cook for a minute or so on each side, or until it's a nice golden brown. Let cool on some paper towels and then serve with honey and powdered sugar or whatever else you would like.

S'mores Shake

2011-08-18T10:33:00.000-07:00

Why is it when night time rolls around, I just want to sit on the couch and eat a treat? I usually opt for a graham cracker with peanut butter or a slice of an apple to fill my void. You know, something about trying to be healthy. But some nights, those snacks just won't do. I need a treat, a real treat full of ice cream and chocolate! So, I make my favorite late night indulgence - s'mores shake. I had my first s'mores shake in college and it changed my life. It's a cinch to throw together and makes my life complete!

S'mores Shake

2 heaping scoops vanilla ice cream
handful of marshmallows
handful of chocolate chips
handful of crushed graham crackers
drizzle of chocolate syrup

Put all ingredients into a mug or cup. Stir until thick shake consistency. May need to add a little milk if it's too thick to stir. Devour!

*This can also be done in a blender. Just add some milk and blend until desired consistency.

Two Recommendations

2011-08-16T19:31:00.000-07:00

I have two food recommendations for you on this fine Tuesday night. First...if you live by a Trader Joe's, you should try this Mandarin orange chicken from the frozen section. It tastes every bit as good as any restaurant orange chicken and has way less fat and calories. My kids love orange chicken and were so impressed when I "made" it for dinner. Score.

If you don't live by a Trader Joe's, I think you should move.

Second...if you love a sweet, spinach, fruity kind of salad...you have got to make this one from Trainer Momma. This wins my vote for best salad of 2011. I loved it and loved it some more and then ate it until it was gone. She will link you to the dressing recipe and the dressing was divine so make that, too. I found the white balsamic vinegar at Trader Joe's but I'm sure there are other stores that carry it. Happy eating!

Creamy Fruit Dip

2011-08-13T15:29:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law, Sherri, shared this recipe with me years ago and I can't believe I have never shared it on this blog! It is one of my favorites and so easy to throw together. It tastes good with every fruit I have ever tried dipping into it and you can store it in the fridge for up to a week. It reminds me a little of eating cheesecake and honestly, how can you go wrong with a cheesecake-like flavor?

1 small carton heavy whipping cream
1 (8oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 can sweetened condensed milk

*Whip the cream until it forms peaks, adding a few tablespoons of sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla while you're whipping it up. Set aside. Mix cream cheese and condensed milk together until really well combined. Fold in whipped cream and blend well. Takes a little time to get it all nice and creamy. Serve immediately with fruit or chill in refrigerator for later.

*You can substitute Cool Whip for the whipped cream.

Rice Pudding

2011-08-11T07:30:00.000-07:00

I was craving rice pudding the other day (what haven't I craved this pregnancy?) and I came up with this. I don't know if I am just weird and pregnant but this pudding was so good to me!

Rice Pudding

3/4 cup jasmine rice
1/2 cup sugar(I did a heaping half cup)
5 cups milk
2 t vanilla
2 shakes of cinnamon (don't go crazy on this its not supposed to taste like cinnamon it just brings out a fun flavor).
Combine and heat until boiling. Turn down to a good simmer and stir every few minutes for about 45-50 min or until most liquid is gone.

Top with berries! The first night I put frozen raspberries in the pudding while it was still hot. The next day we ate it cold with fresh blueberries. Both ways were crazy good.

Fajitas

2011-08-09T21:32:00.000-07:00

I saw this recipe on my cousins blog and knew I had to try it. My husband didn't think he was going to like it by the picture he saw, but he did admit after we had it for dinner that he really liked it. I think the noodles add a fun new twist instead of using tortillas.

Red bell pepper, julienned

Green bell pepper, julienned (I used yellow)

1/2 onion, sliced

2 Tbls olive oil

1/2 bag fajita meat (or full bag depending on how big the bag is) (see picture below)

1 can Original Rotel

Angel hair pasta

*Cook pasta according to directions. Saute bell peppers & onions in olive oil. Add meat for the last 5 minutes. Add Rotel. Drain water from pasta and add to fajitas. Mix well & Enjoy!

**This meat can be found at your local grocery store, but you get more bang for your buck at Costco/Sams Club.

Carnutty Bars

2011-08-08T16:43:00.000-07:00

Is it just me or do you feel like we've posted a lot of treats lately?

Here's my theory:

I don't leave my house in the summer unless I am going somewhere that involves a swimming pool or frozen yogurt. Therefore, I make a lot fewer trips to the grocery store and we end up eating cheese crisps and sandwiches for dinner. But then during the day we get bored so we make treats. So maybe now that school is starting, I will actually go to the store and buy real ingredients to make a real dinner.

In the meantime, check out these beauties from Sweet Treats and More. Easy to make but hard to resist. I ate so many last night that I was still full this morning. Happy Back to School everyone!

S'mores Bars

2011-08-05T15:57:00.000-07:00

As I've mentioned before, I have an obsession with s'mores. I love any type of s'mores treat. So, when Rach posted a s'mores bar a few weeks ago, I knew had to make them ASAP. I like to compare recipes, so I googled s'mores bars and found a few variations. I decided to try a recipe with the same ingredients as Rach's but with a different way of making them. They turned out delicious, just as I had hoped! I think the pan lasted one day, if that.

Golden Graham S'mores Bars

1 bag milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup corn syrup
3 Tbs. butter
4 cups marshmallows
8 cups Golden Grahams Cereal
1 cup marshmallows

Put ingredients first 4 ingredients into a large pot. Melt on medium heat until mixture begins to boil. Remove and pour over cereal. Stir until well combined. Stir in 1 cup marshmallows. Pour cereal mix into 9x13 pan and cover with foil until ready to eat.

White Chocolate Popcorn

2011-08-02T11:44:00.000-07:00

The first time I had this popcorn was 5 years ago at a family reunion in Idaho. It's one of those treats that you can't stop eating and then you remember it forever. Brett's super-fabulous-aunt, Joy, is the one who made it and I just found out that her recipe is in our Cunningham family cookbook. Brett's mom made it the other day when we were all over there swimming and I remembered how much I love this stuff!

12 cups popped popcorn (1 large bowl)
2 cups Rice Krispies
1 (16 oz.) can cocktail peanuts or Spanish peanuts
1 24 oz. white almond bark
2 Tbs. peanut butter

*In a large bowl, combine popcorn, cereal and peanuts. In a saucepan, melt almond bark and peanut butter together over low heat, stirring constantly. When melted, pour over popcorn mixture. Mix well until coated. Spread over waxed paper to dry. Store in an airtight container.

*You can also use Baker's white chocolate or white chocolate chips or even do half bark and half chips. I'm thinking this would be an awesome Christmas neighbor gift!

Salsa

2011-07-31T22:54:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from Pioneer Woman. I love the fact that I can go to her website, choose a recipe, and know that it will be delicious. Ree never lets me down! I don't make salsa very often but this recipe just might motivate me to make it more. It was a cinch to throw together and, really, what's better than homemade salsa!

Restaurant Salsa

1 28oz can whole tomatoes
2 cans Rotel tomatoes with green chiles
1/4 onion
1/2 bunch cilantro
1/2 jalapeno
1/2 lime
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. sugar

Put all ingredients, except lime, in a blender or food processor. Squeeze lime over the top. Give it a few pulses until blended but still a little chunky. Chill in refrigerator and serve with tortilla chips.

ZUCCHINI RICOTTA GALETTE

2011-07-29T08:05:00.000-07:00

I adapted this recipe from a Williams-Sonoma recipe. I changed a few things and directions (sometimes they tell you to do things in a harder way--my opinion). With all the fresh zucchini coming out of gardens, this is a yummy way to use it. I made it for dinner and even my picky husband liked it!

Serves 6
For the pastry:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces and chill again
1/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup ice water
Filling:
1 large or 2 small zucchinis, sliced into 1/4 inch thick rounds
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
1 medium garlic clove, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup (about 1 ounce) grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded mozzarella
1 tablespoon slivered basil leaves

Glaze:
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon water

Make dough: Whisk together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Sprinkle bits of butter over dough and using a pastry blender, cut it in until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with the biggest pieces of butter the size of tiny peas. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice and water and add this to the butter-flour mixture. With your fingertips or a wooden spoon, mix in the liquid until large lumps form. Pat the lumps into a ball; do not overwork the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Make filling: Spread the zucchini out over several layers of paper towels. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon sea-salt and let drain for 30 minutes; gently blot the tops of the zucchini dry with paper towels before using. In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil and the garlic together; set aside. In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta, Parmesan, mozzarella, and 1 teaspoon of the garlicky olive oil together and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Prepare galette: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 12-inch round. Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet (though if you line it with parchment paper, it will be easier to transfer it to a plate later). Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the bottom of the galette dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Shingle the zucchini attractively on top of the ricotta in concentric circles, starting at the outside edge. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of the garlic and olive oil mixture evenly over the zucchini. Fold the border over the filling, pleating the edge to make it fit. The center will be open. Brush crust with egg yolk glaze.

Bake the galette until the cheese is puffed, the zucchini is slightly wilted and the galette is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with basil, let stand for 5 minutes, then slide the galette onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

**I think next time I make this I will double the cheese filling. It LOVED it and would have liked to have more in it.

Key Lime Fruit Salad

2011-07-26T15:03:00.000-07:00

We can thank the original Betty...Betty Crocker herself...for this recipe. I won a cookbook at a family reunion auction and it is like a little treasure box full of tasty treasures. What tastes better than a fruit salad in the dead of summer? Fruit salad with a yummy yogurt sauce and coconut sprinkled on top.

Fresh pineapple, cut into chunks
Fresh strawberries, cut in half
Green grapes
Blueberries
Cantaloupe, cut into chunks
1 (6 oz.) key lime yogurt
2 Tbs. orange juice
Shredded coconut

*Layer fruit in a bowl in the order it is listed. Combine yogurt and orange juice and spoon over the fruit. Sprinkle with coconut. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or so before serving.

Rebecca's Snickerdoodles

2011-07-21T12:18:00.000-07:00

I think we have a couple of snickerdoodle recipes on here, although I am too lazy to actually check. But we don't have this exact recipe on here and it's a good one so there you have it.

I am an assistant den leader in cub scouts and I work with one of my favorite friends, Kamarah. She introduced me to this recipe at one of our activities. It's quick and easy and makes just the right amount of cookies.

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

*Beat butter for 30 seconds on high. Add half of the flour, the 1 cup sugar, the egg, vanilla, baking soda and cream of tartar. Mix well and then add the remaining flour. (It says to cover and chill for one hour but we didn't do that). Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Combine the 2 Tbs. sugar and the cinnamon. Roll dough balls in sugar/cinnamon mixture. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes at 375 until edges are golden.

Guiltless Guacamole

2011-07-16T21:07:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from one of my friends here in Albany. She made it for a girl's night and it was sooo good! I knew I had to have the recipe. The beans give some added protein and fiber. That way you can feel a little better when you can't stop eating it!

Guiltless Guacamole

1 can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 Tbs. lime juice or more for taste
1 jalapeno chile, seeded
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1/4 cup sweet onion, chopped
2 ripe avacados, halved and pitted
2 plum tomatoes, diced
salt

In blender or food processor, puree beans and 1 tsp. lime juice until smooth. Transfer to medium sized bowl. Place jalapeno, cilantro, onion and 1/2 tsp. salt in blender or food processor. Pulse until juicy and thick. With spoon, scoop avacado from peel into bowl with beans. Mash with fork until blended but still a bit chunky. Add diced tomatoes and onion mixture to avacado/bean mixture and stir. Stir in additional lime juice to taste. Serve with baked tortilla chips.

Homemade Twix bars

2011-07-13T15:35:00.000-07:00

My husband is so sweet. I am 7 1/2 months pregnant and one of my common cravings this pregnancy has been Twix candy bars. I could eat one every single day and still want more. My husband came across this recipe in his work newsletter and came home and made it for me. Cute, huh? These are even better than the real thing and you will see why when you see what they are made of.

Homemade Twix Bars

Crust:
2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. butter; room temp
Caramel:
1 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
4 Tbsp. corn syrup
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Crumble crust ingredients together. Pack into 13x9 inch pan that has been sprayed, lined with foil and sprayed again. Bake on 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
Combine caramel ingredients in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly as it burns easily. Remove from heat. Stir with spoon slowly until it shows signs of thickening. Pour over crust and let cool a little.

Top layer:

Melt approximately 1 cup semi sweet and 1 cup milk chocolate chips with 1 tbsp. oil over low heat or in the microwave. Pour over caramel layer and spread carefully. Chill. Cut into bars.

Pastor Ryan's Monkey Bread

2011-07-12T12:40:00.000-07:00

You probably already have a Monkey Bread recipe that you love. I think most families do. It's such an easy and delicious treat that nobody can resist. I saw this recipe on Pioneer Woman's blog and could not pass it up since it uses a cup of butter. I'm a sucker for anything involving cinnamon and sugar and throw a cup of butter in there...well that's just pure Heaven. I literally felt my love handles getting bigger as I was eating this last night. Definitely a once-in-a-great-while kind of a treat. But oh so good.

I know this second picture is a little close for comfort but I wanted you to get a sense of just how gooey this is once you turn it over onto a plate. Goo city.

3 cans buttermilk biscuits (I used two large cans)
1 cup sugar
2-3 tsp. cinnamon (depending on how much you like)
2 sticks butter (1 cup)
1/2 cup brown sugar

*Open up biscuits and cut each one into quarters. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a big plastic bag. Dump the biscuits in bag and shake to coat each piece really well. Pour biscuits into a bundt pan. Melt butter and brown sugar on stove over medium heat, stirring for a few minutes, until it's combined well and it's one color. Pour over the biscuits and bake for 40 minutes at 350. Let cool for 15 minutes before turning over onto a plate and devouring.

Magnum Ice Cream Bars

2011-07-09T18:14:00.000-07:00

I've had my eye on these for months.
Every time I pass them in the freezer section, I stop and stare.
Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I had to try them.
I went with the "vanilla bean ice cream dipped in Belgian milk chocolate and covered in almonds."
Three in a box. Such a rip-off.
That's what I thought until I ate one last night. Holy cow.
WORTH EVERY PENNY!
Can't wait to try the other flavors.

Creme Brulee French Toast

2011-07-06T20:40:00.000-07:00

Last week, my friend, Tiana, introduced me to this perfectly delicious french toast. I am forever changed. I have been thinking about this amazing breakfast dish since I left her house. I texted my sisters about it and have been raving about it to my husband over and over. Yes, folks, it is that good. Just make it already. Alright? Alright.

photo courtesy of Sarah's Cucina Bella

Creme Brulee French Toast

1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 Tbs. corn syrup
1 loaf French bread
5 large eggs
1 1/2 cups half and half
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt

In a small saucepan, melt butter, brown sugar and corn syrup over medium heat. Stir until smooth. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Cut bread into thick slices and trim crusts. Arrange slices in pan, squeezing them to fit. In a bowl, whisk together eggs, half and half, vanilla and salt. Pour evenly over the bread. Cover with foil and chill in refrigerator overnight or at least 8 hours. Let french toast come to room temperature before baking. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes, until puffed and edges are golden. Serve with fresh whipped cream and berries.

Apple Syrup

2011-07-05T13:00:00.000-07:00

Brett's mom was making this syrup one day when we were over there swimming. She told me to taste it and see if it tasted good. I am always available to be a taste-tester, but I honestly didn't think I would love it because I don't usually like things that involve a warm fruity taste. But I grabbed a spoon and gave it a try and holy cow it was so good I couldn't believe it. Next thing you know, we are all gathered around the pot with our plastic spoons, inhaling this amazing syrup. I came home and made it for BC and he loved it on his waffles. Next time we're going to try it on ice cream. Or maybe we'll combine ice cream, waffles, and the syrup. The possibilities are endless!

1 cup sugar
2 Tbs. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 cups apple juice (I used Trader Joes)
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1/4 cup butter

*In a saucepan, warm the apple juice and then add the combined sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for one minute or until thick. Remove the pan from the heat and add butter and lemon juice. Stir until butter is melted. Serve over pancakes, waffles, ice cream, cake, etc.

Artisan Bread

2011-07-01T08:53:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited about this recipe. This will be a go to recipe for our family for years to come. It is CRAZY GOOD! And seriously the easiest yeast bread recipe I have ever made. No kneading or forming and you can make it in advance and store the dough in the fridge for up to two weeks. I actually heard about this recipe through the grape vine before I recipe stalked to get it. So glad I did. I made the rosemary and thyme version but I can't wait to try different kinds. Here is the recipes and the directions from my friend Kathryn:

I have been baking mine on a cookie sheet with parchment paper. When you mix it up, it's quite wet, so in the second rise I just let it rise on the parchment paper, then move the whole paper to the cookie sheet when I'm ready to bake.

I've been mixing in whatever I want to add (rosemary, thyme, garlic, olives, craisins, walnuts, etc) just after the flour. The one you asked for was rosemary and thyme, probably about 1Tbl rosemary to half the recipe and bit less thyme, maybe 1/2Tbl (Sorry, I don't always measure)

I also feel like getting 4 loaves out of it is too small, I usually do 3.

Sometimes I do part whole wheat, up to about a third of the flour whole wheat seems to work ok, not as well, but ok.

Have fun! - Kathryn

The Master Recipe- Boule (Artisan Free-Form Loaf)

Makes four 1-pound loaves. This recipe is easily doubled or halved.

3 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (1 1/2 packets)
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
6 1/2 cups unsifted, unbleached, all-purpose white flour
cornmeal for pizza peel

Mix all together until moistened. Don't knead or overmix. Cover loosely and let rise 2-5 hours at room temperature. You are then ready to make bread - or store mixture in refrigerator up to 2 weeks (covered loosely).

On baking day, cut a grapefruit-sized piece of dough with a serrated knife. Sprinkle heavily with flour and form into a ball - do not knead. Pinch edges underneath and place on baking parchment or on a pizza peel sprinkled with cornmeal. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Let it rise (and warm up) for 40 minutes. Place on baking stone, cookie sheet or pizza pan and put in oven. Pour 1 cup water inbroiler pan to create steam. Bake for 30 minutes.

Creamed Spinach and Pasta

2011-06-30T21:18:00.000-07:00

My sons and I recently discovered a library within walking distance of our house. We finally decided to walk to it and get ourselves a library card. It has become one of our weekly activities to walk to the library and check out books for Griffin. Since I don't read books, I quickly found the cookbook isle. It's so fun to check out a different cookbook each week to read and get recipes from. This recipe is adapted from one of the cookbooks I checked out recently. I didn't have all of the ingredients so I changed it a bit. It's a super quick and easy dish. And mighty tasty!

Creamed Spinach and Pasta

2 Tbs. butter
1/2 bag fresh spinach leaves
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
salt
pepper
garlic salt

Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Add spinach and saute until wilted. Pour in cream. Bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add cheese. Stir well and let simmer until sauce begins to thicken, about 3 minutes. Remove from stove and season with salt, pepper and garlic salt. Serve over pasta. (I used orzo pasta).

The Best Pot Roast

2011-06-29T10:59:00.000-07:00

This is the pot roast that I made on Father's Day.

It really was the best.

It's no secret that we the people of Becoming Betty are not food photographers or food stylists...just food lovers.

So instead of posting my not-so-appetizing picture, I'm just going to linky-dink you on over to Hold the Onions where I got the recipe.

Try it! You will love it.

2011-06-28T14:47:00.000-07:00

Scroll down for really yummy chicken recipe from Bonnie.

Somehow it published under the pie, but we don't want anyone to miss it!

Hope you are all surviving the heat today!

Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie

2011-06-26T15:09:00.000-07:00

This is the dessert we had on Father's Day.

BC loves strawberry pie and since his mom makes such a good one, I have never attempted to duplicate it.

But then I saw this recipe in my ward cookbook and it looked so easy I had to try it. I'm not much of a pie-maker, so I was kind of nervous, but BC loved it and wants me to make it again so we'll call it a success!

1 (9 inch) baked pie shell
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar

*Mix cream cheese and powdered sugar together really well and spread in the bottom of pie shell. Set aside.

2 boxes strawberries
1/4 cup water
2/3 cup sugar
1 Tbs. lemon juice
4 Tbs. cornstarch
whipped cream for the top

*Crush up enough berries (I used a food processor) to make 1 cup. Set aside the crushed berries. Cut up the rest of the berries into bite-sized pieces. In a small saucepan, combine water, sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch. Stir well and add the crushed berries. Stir well again and then cook over medium-high heat until boiling. Cook for 2 minutes until thick and clear. Cool. Press the cut-up berries into the cream cheese mixture and then pour cooled strawberry mixture over berries. Chill until ready to serve and then top with whipped cream.

*When I made the strawberry mixture on the stove it was really thick and didn't look like it was going to work so we ended up adding more water to it until we liked the consistency. I'm anxious to try this recipe again and see if that happens a second time.

HONEY MARINATED CHICKEN

2011-06-26T07:13:00.000-07:00

Easy summer favorite at our house. Serve with roasted potatoes and fresh green beans. That's what we're having today...results of my visit to the farmer's market yesterday.

1 c. vegetable oil
1/3 c. honey
2 T. Dijon style mustard
2 gloves garlic, finely chopped
2 t. salt
1/3 c. red wine vinegar
2 T. soy sauce
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 t. freshly ground pepper

Pour all into blender and blend well. Pour over boneless, skinless chicken breasts and marinate overnight in a plastic bag. Discard marinade and grill chicken 6-10 minutes, or until done. Baste during grilling with equal parts honey and soy sauce during last 5 minutes. Also good served over rice.

turkey, avacado and cheddar sandwich

2011-06-21T20:10:00.000-07:00

my latest obsession has been a turkey sandwich that my friend bonnie introduced me to. there's nothing too fancy about it. the secret is the dressing...

toasted bread

turkey (i prefer Columbus from Trader Joes)
cheddar (i prefer Tilamook)
avacado
Briannas poppy seed dressing
*other toppings of your choice

put it all together and its declicious! Trader Joe's hawaiian style potato chips go great with it!

Cheesy Pesto Dip

2011-06-20T21:18:00.000-07:00

My favorite part about eating at Paradise Bakery is the bowl of pesto and bread chunks to sample right when you walk in the door. I'm not even that in love with pesto, but I look forward to that free sample every time I go there. I think my sister, Rach, could bathe in pesto. She loves it. I can only handle it in small doses. I like it as a dip and that's all. That's why I couldn't wait to try this recipe. It is a Kraft recipe. It is so simple and so delicious! Perfect amounts of cheese and pesto. And perfect for a summer party! Or you can eat it by yourself in your kitchen and hope your husband doesn't smell it so you can devour the whole thing. Not that I did that.

Cheesy Pesto Dip

1 8oz. pkg. 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1/4 cup pesto
1/4 cup shredded Italian cheese blend (I used half mozzarella and half parmesan)
1 small tomato, diced

Heat grill to medium heat. Place block of cream cheese on 2 sheets of foil. Pour pesto over cream cheese. Sprinkle with tomatoes and cheese. Gather up the 4 sides of foil to make a tent over the dip. Seal sides together. Place on grill and close lid. Let cook for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with crackers, bread chunks or pita chips.

OR

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Put foil covered dip on oven rack and cook for 20 minutes. This is what I did and it worked great!

Happy Fathers Day!

2011-06-18T15:39:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we will honor our fathers and what better way to do that than to feed them what they love?
My man is a meat and potatoes man all the way, so this is the menu he requested for dinner on his special day:

*Pot Roast (trying a new recipe, wish me luck)
*Mashed potatoes and gravy
*Roasted zucchini
*Rolls (thank you Sister Shubert)
*Green salad with tomatoes and carrots (his exact words)
*Cream cheese strawberry pie (another new recipe)

HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT DAY FEEDING THE FATHERS IN YOUR LIFE!

Golden Graham S'mores

2011-06-17T15:26:00.000-07:00

An amazing cook in my ward made these last week up at Girls Camp. I haven't stopped thinking about them since.

I'm not even a huge s'mores lover (like Holly) but these just hit the spot. So gooey and crunchy and chocolatey. A perfect treat for summer (no baking) and so easy, too!

I owe a big thanks to Ty for introducing these to me and I can't wait until she starts her own food blog!!!!!

1 (12 oz.) box of Golden Grahams
1 bag chocolate chips (I used dark, but any kind will work)
3/4 cup light Karo syrup
4 Tbs. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups mini marshmallows

*Pour cereal into a big bowl. On the stove, melt chocolate chips, butter and Karo together just until hot but not boiling. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Pour over cereal and mix well. Add marshmallows and stir really well until it's all coated. Press into a greased 9x13 pan and let sit for one hour before cutting.

Easy Elephant Ears

2011-06-13T11:41:00.000-07:00

If you're looking for a super easy, three ingredient treat to make, look no further. Here it is.

I saw this idea in a magazine and tried it out on my kids. These little puppies vanished in about 3 seconds, before I could even take a picture, so I think the kids liked them.

It was my first experience with puff pastry and it wasn't scary like I thought it was going to be. I am kicking myself for not trying this stuff out sooner.

Next time we're going to make chocolate pastries with Nutella.

photo from Taste of Home

1 pkg. frozen puff pastry, thawed
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

*Roll out one sheet of pastry on a lightly floured surface. Mix sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle half of it over pastry. Working from both sides, roll up each side toward the center until the two side meet. Cut into 1/2 inch slices. Place on a cookie sheet and then repeat with the other pastry sheet. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes until golden brown and crisp.

*Next time I'm going to make some icing to drizzle over them.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwich

2011-06-10T12:48:00.000-07:00

I love me a juicy, tender pulled pork sandwich. Especially in the summer. Not sure why, but it just seems to go with the season. I got this idea from one of our favorite blogs, The Girl Who Ate Everything. But instead of root beer, I used Coke because that's what I had in the cupboard. The meat was fork tender and made for a tasty sandwich. And it all cooks in the crockpot which makes it so easy and doesn't heat up your whole house.

image from Rachelleb.com

Pulled Pork

1 pork tenderloin
1 bottle Coca-cola or Rootbeer
1 bottle BBQ sauce

Put pork in crockpot. Season with salt and pepper then pour Coca-cola to cover meat. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. When meat is cooked, drain soda and add BBQ sauce. Shred meat and serve on toasted buns with a slice of provolone cheese.

Outback Rub

2011-06-08T19:11:00.000-07:00

With grilling season in full force, I wanted to re-post this delicious rub recipe. We use this rub on everything - hamburgers, chicken, steak, pork. We love it! It gives the meat so much flavor with a little spice. Perfect for summer grilling!

Outback rub

4 Tbs. salt
2 Tbs. paprika
1 Tbs. coarse, black pepper
1 1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. turmeric

Mix together and rub on meat before grilling or baking. Store in airtight container.

Oven Roasted Broccoli

2011-06-05T12:23:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, ok, all the time I get obsessed with something and have to have it over and over again. Like the cookie dough dip. I don't even want to admit how many times I've made it. Or the pork enchiladas. Or the cereal I've been eating for breakfast for a year straight. I'm crazy like that. Anyways, I recently tried oven roasted broccoli and now I can't stop making it. It comes out of the oven with the perfect tenderness and taste. Griffin loves it too. I like to think it makes up for all the other crap he eats. I've since roasted green beans and those were heavenly too. Looks like a summer of oven-roasted veggies for us!

Oven Roasted Broccoli

3 heads of broccoli, cut and chopped
extra-virgin olive oil
garlic salt

Place broccoli on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Mix around with hands to make sure most pieces are coated with oil. Sprinkle with garlic salt. Bake at 400 for 18 to 20 minutes.

Chicken Sauce Without Cream of Chicken

2011-06-02T18:51:00.000-07:00

When we got married back in 1997, most of the dinners I made involved either cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup. That is what our moms cooked with, so that is what I cooked with.

Fast forward to about 5 years ago when I realized how grossed out I was by those soups that just plop out of the can and who knows what is in them anyway. I decided I needed to start cooking with fresh, real ingredients that don't have a shelf life of forever.

So one day I was talking to Brett's sister, Sherri, who was telling me that she makes her own cream of chicken sauce. Sherri has six kids and 5 of them are boys and she is a great cook, so I knew I had to try this out. So easy and so good and no weird additives or preservatives that you can't pronounce. Thanks Sherri!

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
chicken broth
milk or half and half or cream
cooked, shredded chicken
salt/pepper
garlic or other spices you like

*Melt butter over medium heat and add flour. Stir together until it's nice and pasty. Add as much chicken broth (I used 2 cans) and milk (I used about 1 cup of milk and some half and half because that's what I had) until you have as much sauce as you want. Add chicken (I used about 2 cups) and stir over heat, adding more milk if it's too thick. Add salt and pepper to taste. You can add fresh garlic or whatever spices you want to season it. I added some Ranch dressing powder and we ate it over rice. You could also use it as a base for Hawaiian haystacks and add toppings.

Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Hot Fudge

2011-05-31T21:03:00.000-07:00

I got this perfectly delicious recipe from my Ghirardelli cookbook. I am a milk chocolate girl through and through. Don't waste my time with the dark stuff. Give me the milk. So when I saw a recipe for milk chocolate hot fudge, I was sold. It took me about 5 minutes to make and about 5 seconds to dig in. It just might be my favorite hot fudge recipe yet! You better believe I made myself a hot fudge sundae every night for a week till I ran out. And you better believe I'm making another batch ASAP. 'Cause heaven forbid I go a night without a treat!

Milk Chocolate Hot Fudge

1 bag Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Chips

1 can evaporated milk

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Melt chocolate chips, evaporated milk and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil then lower heat and stir for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Serve warm over ice cream. Store in refrigerator for up to a week.