Sunday, December 28, 2008

Scalloped Pineapple

Ingredients:
24 oz. (680 g) crushed pineapple, undrained
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup water
2 Tbl cornstarch (substitute: 3-4 Tbl all-purpose flour)
2 beaten eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
1. Bowl 1: Mix water and cornstarch together.
2. Bowl 2: Mix all other ingredients together.
3. Add bowl 1 into bowl 2. Mix well.
4. Pour into greased 9"x13" pan. (Slightly smaller pan is much better!)
5. Bake at 350°F for 50-60 minutes.
6. During the last 15 minutes, sprinkle the top with cinnamon and put a few butter pats on top. Finish baking for the last 15 minutes.

Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients:
5 large baking potatoes, baked
¼ cup butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups cream (or sour cream)
5 cups milk
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
2 cups shredded cheese (trappista or other favorite)
8 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled (optional)

Directions:
1. Peel potatoes, coarsely mash with fork.
2. Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add onion and saute until tender. Add flour, stirring until smooth.
3. Stir in potatoes, milk, cream, and next 3 ingredients. Cook over low heat until thoroughly heated.
4. Top each serving with cheese, bacon, and chives!

Yield: 12 cups

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Very Deviled Eggs

The recipe is simple, but these eggs have a nice garlic kick to them.

8 eggs
2 tablespoons mustard
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/3 teaspoon 9 füszer salt (or to taste)
pinches of hot paprika for garnish

Place eggs in a saucepan and boil for 10-15 minutes. Allow eggs to cool before peeling and cutting them in half lengthwise. Remove yolks and set aside the egg whites. Mix the yolks in a bowl with the mustard, mayonnaise, garlic salt, and 9 füszer salt. Scoop or pipe the yolk mixture into the egg whites. Add a pinch of paprika as a garnish. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

For a slightly less potent deviled egg, reduce the garlic salt to 2/3 teaspoon.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Stuffed Pepper Casserole

Ingredients:
1 cup white rice
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 can (400 g) Diced Tomatoes
2 jars (400 g each) Tomato Sauce
2 tsp. Garlic Salt
½ tsp. black pepper
2 cups shredded cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook rice according to package directions. Set aside and keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet cook ground beef until brown, stirring to break up meat. Drain fat and set aside.
3. In large, deep skillet cook bell pepper and onion in hot oil until tender. Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, garlic salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Stir cooked rice and cooked beef into tomato mixture.
4. Pour into 13x9x2 inch baking pan. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with cheese, if desired.

**I subbed brown rice and ground turkey instead. Yum!
**Instead of cooking in the oven, you can do it on the stove top for 20-30 min on low.
**The original recipe calls for Del Monte canned tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano. I found Happy Frucht brand has canned tomatoes with garlic and canned tomatoes with oregano. I add some extra garlic and/or oregano depending on which kind of canned tomatoes I use. I also use tomato sauce with basil to add more flavor.

*Recipe from my sister, Stefanie Schocke

Monday, November 10, 2008

Apple or Pear Cake

You can make this yummy cake with either apples or pears. I made it once using pears and it was very moist and good. I got the recipe off recipezaar.com. Enjoy!

Cake:
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
4 cups raw diced apples or pears

Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/4 lb butter

Mix all cake ingredients in order given.
Pour into a greased 9x13 pan or springform.
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes and remove.
For the topping, mix all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a slow boil for 3 minutes.
Pour over cake and return to oven for 4 minutes.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

"Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake

2 Cups sugar
1 3/4 Cup flour
3/4 Cup cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 Cup milk
1/2 Cup oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Cup boiling water

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9 in. round baking pans. 2. Combine dry ingredients in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on med. speed 2 min. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour into pans. 3. Bake 30-35 min. or utnil wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 min.; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost. 10-12 servings.
CUPCAKES: Line 2 1/2 in. muffin cups with paper bake cups. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake at 350 F for 22-25 minutes. Cool; frost. About 30 cupcakes.


Frosting Recipe

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine
2/3 Cup cocoa
3 Cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating on med. speed to spreading consistency. Add more milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups

Monday, October 20, 2008

Easy Thumb Print Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
½ cup sugar
2 cups flour
Jam for filling (about a ½ cup)

Directions:
1. Combine butter and sugar.
2. Add in flour gradually.
3. Roll into balls using about a teaspoon full of dough.
4. Press thumb into center of each cookie.
5. Fill center with a little jam.
6. Bake in 375° oven for 15 minutes or so. Makes about 4 dozen.

*Recipe from Kacie Mullally, who got it from Allrecipes.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Crock Pot Thai Chicken

Ingredients:
1 to 1½ kg chicken drumsticks or thighs**
1 large red bell pepper, seeded
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
½ cup chicken broth
¼ cup soy sauce
1 Tbl ground cumin
3 large cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp red chili pepper flakes
1 tsp salt, fresh ground pepper to taste
2 Tbl corn starch
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 Tbl soy sauce
¼ cup lime juice
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 green onions, chopped
½ cup chopped roasted peanuts

1. De-skin the chicken and place into the slowcooker with the bell pepper strips and onion. Mix the soy sauce and chicken broth in a measuring cup and pour over chicken. Add cumin, garlic, chili pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Stir well, cover and cook on high for 3 hours.

2. Whisk together the cornstarch, peanut butter, 1 Tbl soy sauce, and the lime juice. Add one cup of the cooking juices from the crock. Mix carefully until smooth. Stir back into the crock pot to blend well, but without breaking up the meat. Cover again, and cook for another 20 - 30 minutes until sauce is well thickened.

3. Garnish with green onions, cilantro and peanuts. Serve with rice.

**You can also use 6 - 8 boneless chicken breasts cut into strips. If using this option cook on low for 4 - 4 1/2 hours. And then bump up the heat to high to cook the sauce.

Chicken and Stuffing

2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup butter, or margine, melted
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
4 oz. can mushrooms, stems and pieces, drained
1/4 cup dried parsley flakes
1 1/2 tsp. rubbed sage
1 tsp. poultry seasoning
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
12 cups day-old bread cubes (1/2-inch pieces)
2 eggs
10 3/4 oz. can cream of chicken soup
5-6 cups cubed cooked chicken

1. Combine all ingredients except bread, eggs, soup and chicken in saucepan. Simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Place bread cubes in large bowl.
3. Combine eggs and soup. Stir into broth mixture until smooth. Pour over bread and toss well.
4. Layer half of stuffing and then half of chicken into very large slow cooker (or two medium-size cookers). Repeat layers.
5. Cover. Cook on Low 4 1/2-5 hours.

Side-Note: I usually half this recipe for a normal crock-pot and it makes 7-8 servings. I serve this with mashed potatoes and gravy.

Chicken-Fried Pork Chops

1/2 cup flour
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
3/4 tsp. garlic powder
6 pork chops
2 Tbsp. oil
10 3/4. cream of chicken soup
1 soup can water

1. Combine flour, salt, dry mustard, and garlic powder. Dredge pork chops in flour mixture. Brown in oil in skillet. Place in slow cooker.
2. Combine soup and water. Pour over meat.
3. Cover. Cook on High 6-8 hours.

Makes 6 Servings

Monday, September 15, 2008

Tomato Bisque

Ingredients:
4 large onions
10 cloves of garlic
1 cup butter
7 cups (or more) diced tomatoes
3 liters tomato juice
6 bay leaves
2 tsp. each of basil, dill, thyme, parsley, and baking soda
16 oz. cream cheese
1 liter light cream


1. Saute onions and garlic in the butter.
2. Add the diced tomatoes and tomato juice. Simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Add the bay leaves and the basil, dill, thyme, parsley, and baking soda. Add cream cheese and light cream. Simmer for 15 minutes.


*This makes a double recipe and freezes well. (I can only make half this because I don't have a big enough pot!)
*From EB Jackson

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Chicken Piccata (taken from the FOOD network)

2 chicken breasts butterflied and cut in half.
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
All purpose flour
6 T of butter
5 T of EVOO
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup capers
1/3 cup fresh parsley

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 4T of butter with 5T EVOO. When butter and oil start to sizzle add chicken and cook for 3 minutes. When chicken is brown, flip and cook the other side for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to a plate.

Into the pan add lemon juice, stock, and capers. Return to stove and bring to boil, scraping up the brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Check for seasoning. Return chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove chicken to platter. Add 2 T butter to sauce and whisk vigorously. Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley.

YUM YUM YUM

Chicken Breasts Royale

I got this recipe from Kathy Anderson.

4 chicken breasts
1/4 cup butter
1/4 tsp butter
1/4 teaspoon tarragon
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups cream
grated cheese

Heat butter and sautee chicken until nicely browned on both sides. Salt and pepper. Remove from pan and cool pan slightly... beat the egg yolks and whisk into cream. Heat slowly until slightly thick and return chicken to pan. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Sprinkle cheese over the top.

Pumpkin Squares

Crust:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter

Preheat oven to 375. Mix above with a pastry blender. Pat into bottom of 13x9x2 greased and floured pan. Bake 12 minutes.

Filling:
1 can pumpkin (if you don't have one you can cook squash and use it or around Oct. you can find pumpkin and cook it and mash it and freeze it for later!)
1 can evaporated milk
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
(or you could just add pumpkin pie spice if you have it, that works too)

Beat filling ingredients with mixer for 3 mins on medium speed. Pour into above crust. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup walnuts
1/4 cup soft butter
2 T flour

Mix well. Crumble on top of partially baked pumpkin mixture. Bake 10-15 mins or more until center is set. Refrigerate.

Homemade Whipped Cream

1 small carton heavy whipped cream
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
as many packets as you need of "Habfixalo" to get the right thickness desired
Add all ingredients in a bowl and whip until thick and at the right consistency. Keep in fridge.

Brownie Cobbler

2 cups butter
10 oz chocolate chunks
4 cups sugar
8 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 2/3 cup flour
1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350/180 Coat a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.
Melt butter and chocolate together. Stir until melted and smooth.

Whisk sugar and chocolate mixture. Whisk in eggs one at a time. Whisk in vanilla, flour and then salt. Transfer batter to prepared baking dish. Bake until top is crisp and tester inserted comes out with wet crumbs attached, about 50 minutes.

Homemade Whipped Cream
1 small carton heavy whipped cream
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
as many packets as you need of "Habfixalo" to get the right thickness desired
Add all ingredients in a bowl and whip until thick and at the right consistency. Keep in fridge.

Ranch Potatoes Recipe #75873 on Recipezaar

8-10 medium potatos peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 packets of cream of mushroom soup and just follow directions by half to make it thicker
1 1/4 cups milk
1 envelope Ranch dressing mix
1 1/2 cup shredded Trappista cheese
6 slices of bacon cooked and crumbled

Add potatoes to saucepan
Add water to cover
Bring to boil and cook about 10-12 minutes or until almost tender, drain
Place drained potatoes into a greased 13x9 inch baking pan
In a bowl mix together soup, milk, ranch dressing, 1 cup cheese, salt and pepper to taste, pour over potatoes
Sprinkle crumbled bacon and the remaining cheese over the top
Bake uncovered at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until potatoes are tender

I cannot tell you how good this is!

Becky's Strawberry Glaze

Mash enough strawberries to measure 1 cup. Mix 1 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons corn starch in 2 qt saucepan. Gradually stir in 1/2 cup water and mashed strawberries. Cover over medium heat, stirring, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute, cool completely.

Twice Baked Potatoes

4 large potatoes
Bake until soft
Gut most of potato and put in a bowl
Mix in
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1/2 t instant minced onion
1/2 t salt
2 T butter
1 T parsley flakes
1 cup grated cheese
Mix well, and stuff skins of potato and cook at 400 for 30 minutes.

I have also made this into a casserole dish and just baked the potatoes and cut them up in a bowl and mashed/mixed together with all the ingredients. I mixed well and put in baking dish and sprinkled with more cheese and then baked for 30 minutes... yum

Dutch Apple Pie

Crust:
1 cup flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 cup shortening (Rama)
(put above in bowl and cut with pastry blender)
add 1/4 cup ice water and fix with fork
Roll out on floured board and put in pie dish

Filling:
5 large Idared apples
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 t cinnamen
1/2 t nutmeg
Peel and slice apples and mix other ingredients together. Put in pie shell.

Topping
1 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine
Mix above with a pastry blender
Put over top of apples.

Bake at 425 for 1 to 1 1/4 hours
Cover with foil if too brown after first half hour.

I got this recipe from Kathy Anderson

Chicken Pockets

Thaw & roll out Leveles Teszta
cut into 8 rectangles

Mix together:
3 oz cream cheese
2 Tablespoons melted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon chopped onion or 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
2 Tablespoon milk
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 cups chopped cooked chicken

Divide mixture evenly onto dough and fold over to make "pockets" Seal and place on cookie sheet. Bake until light brown. Bake at 350/180

I make a lot of these, and then freeze them, so I have them to take out in a jiffy when hungry.

Toffee Bars (AMAZING)

Preheat oven to 400
Line a 9x13 pan with 1 layer of vitamilks cookies

In saucepan add:
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
dash of salt
Boil rapidly 3 minutes, stirring consistently.

Pour over layer of cookies in the pan.
Bake 4-5 minutes
Remove from oven & sprinkle with 2 szerencsen chocolate bars broken up
Let chocolate melt and spread evenly over toffee

CUT WHILE WARM

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

1 1/3 cup oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup walnuts
1 cup chocolate chunks
1 1/3 cup flour mixed with 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix above and add 1/2 cup melted butter or marg., 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix together with hands until well blended. Roll into balls and bake on greased cookie sheet at 350/180 10-12 minutes

Makes 3 dozen

Peanut Butter Fudge- Easy!

2 C sugar
1/2 C evaporated milk (I've used Maresi before- you can find it near the whipped cream)
1 C peanut butter (natural works too)
1 tsp vanilla

Mix together the sugar and milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add peanut butter until melted and then vanilla. Pour into a buttered baking dish and let cool.

Pear and Dried Cherry Clafouti

Don't ask me how to pronounce this, but it's french.

From Martha Stewart Living, October 2005



1/4 C all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 C driped cherries
1 large Anjou pear, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cored
3/4 C whole milk
3/4 C heavy cream
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 C sugar
pinch of salt



1) Preheat oven to 400F. Butter a 10-in. ceramic tart dish or 9 1/2-in. pie plate. Dust with flour, and tap out excess; set aside. Put cherries in a medium bowl, and cover with boiling water by 1 inch. Let stand until plump, about 10 minutes.
2) Cut pear lengthwise into 1/8-in. thick slices; fan over bottom of prepared dish. Blend milk, cream ,eggs, vanilla, sugar, flour, and salt in a blender until smooth, about 1 minute. Pour batter over pear slices.
3) Drain cherries; sprinkle over batter. Bake until golden and set, about 25 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes. Cut into wedges. Clafouti can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 1 day.

(I just googled the word "clafouti" and you can make it a lot of different ways! You might want to check it out.)

EB's Sweet Tea

Ingredients:
Water
6 Forest Fruit tea bags
1 cup sugar
2 Bolero packets (sugar free peach and lime or whatever combination you want)
1 liter juice (pineapple, multivitamin, or whatever you want to try)

1. Boil 6 cups water. Turn off heat and brew 6 tea bags of fruit tea for 10 minutes. Discard tea bags.
2. Add the sugar and dissolve.
3. Add both Bolero packets and dissolve.
4. Add 1 liter of juice.
5. Finish by adding more water to make 1 gallon.

*From EB Jackson

Deep Dish Brownies

ooey, gooey, rich & chewy

3/4 cup butter or margarine melted
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (or 1 packet vanilla cukor)
3 eggs
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine all. Beat well with spoon. Spread into greased 8" square pan (sprinkle with chocolate chunks if desired)
Bake at 350/180 40-45 minutes until pulls away from edge of pan.

Easy Fudge

400 grams chocolate
3 tubes sweetened condensed milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

put it all in a microwave bowl and heat until chocolate is almost melted. Mix well and the rest of the chocolate chunks will start to melt.

Pour into a pan that already has a sheet of wax paper at the bottom
place in fridge until set, better if left overnight

cut into pieces and enjoy

Richard's Sloppy Joes from Southern Living March 2006

1 1/2 pounds ground meat (turkey, chicken, beef, or pork... or mixture)
1 small onion (I added to the recipe)
garlic powder or fresh (I added to the recipe)
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 1/4 cups ketchup
1/2 cup bottled BBQ sauce (The Tesco brand has a real "kick" to it)
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 Tablespoons chopped jalapenos (optional)
1 Tablespoon liquid from the jalapenos (optional)

Cook ground beef with onions and garlic until no longer pink, drain well. Return to skillet.
Stir in tomatoes, next 3 ingredients and if desired, jalapenos and liquid. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes or until thickened. Sever over toasted zsemle.

Chocolate Chip Pie

Filling
1 stick of butter/margarine, softened
2 eggs beaten
1/2 cup flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract (or use vanilla sugar)
1 bar broken chocolate (I cannot remember if I use the 100gram or 200 grams bar)
Mix first 5 ingredients, stir in chocolate
Pour into pie shell

Pie Crust:
1 1/4 cups flour
1/3 cup butter
5 + Tablespoon Cold water (as much as you need to get the right consistency)
Stir flour with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Using a pastry blender, cut until in pea size pieces
Sprinkle with water, then keep forming ball with fork and keep repeating process until a ball is formed
On a lightly floured surface, flatten dough and roll to fit a pie dish

Bake at 350/180 for 35-45 minutes

Peppermint Patties


1 14-oz. can of sweetened, condensed milk
1 tsp. peppermint extract
6 cups confectioner's sugar
1 1/2 pounds of chocolate (any candy bar- we use Szerecsen b/c it's dark)

Combine milk and peppermint. Add sugar, beat on low speed until smooth. Knead mixture on a surface sprinkled with confectionser's sugar. Shape into 1-inch balls, flatten the balls into patties. Place on wax paper. Let dry at least one hour, turn over, then dry for another hour. Melt the chocolate, dipp each patty into the chocolate using a fork. Place on waxed paper and allow to harden in freezer or fridge.

I got this recipe from Heidi Meiners, who I think might have gotten it from someone else.

Mac 'N' Cheese

This recipe was given to me doubled, and it makes A LOT, so I would half it or make even less depending on how much you need.

2 cups cooked elbow noodles (or whatever noodles you want)
3 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper, Paprika
4 Tablespoons flour
1 pound Trapista cheese ( you could always put in half spicy cheese, I did this and it was great!)

Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend
Pour over noodles in a pan
crush cornflakes mixed with butter and spread over top generously

Bake 40 minutes at 350/180

Quick Honey Mustard Recipe

One can of Flora mayonaise OR 1 1/2 cup Mayonaise
1/2 cup of honey
1/4 cup of mustard (dijion is the best)

Stir together and refigerate (best if in fridge for one hour before you serve :)
**This is from the internet, a knock-off of Outback's recipe**

Friday, September 5, 2008

Crock Pot Mexi-Meatball Rice Soup

Ingredients:
1 can (400 g) diced tomatoes
1¾-2 cups beef broth
1¾-2 cups chicken broth
16 ounces cooked frozen meatballs (beef or turkey)
½ medium onion, chopped
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
½ cup long grain rice, uncooked
1 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper, to taste
sour cream, garnish (optional)
shredded cheese, garnish (optional)

1. Chop onions and cilantro.
2. Combine all ingredients except rice in a crock pot.
3. Cook for 4 hours on High or cook for 8-9 hours on Low. Add rice in about an hour before finishing. (I find that cooking time to be way too long and do it only about half the time, but perhaps it's my crockpot!)
4. Ladle soup in bowls and garnish with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of shredded cheese. Tastes yummy with some tortilla chips, too!

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Rich Chocolate Brownie Cake

This is for chocolate lovers:

Rich Chocolate Brownie Cake
Williams-Sonoma Holiday Entertaining Cookbook (page 221)

1/2 C (4 oz/ 125 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 C (8 oz/250 g) sugar
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract (essence)
1/8 tsp. salt
3/4 C (4 oz/125 g) all-purpose flour
4 oz (125 g) good-quality semisweet (plain) or bittersweet chocolate, at least 61 percent cacao, coarsely chopped (the one I made was just semi-sweet Nestle morsels)
Confectioners' sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 F/180 C. Line an 8-in (20-cm) round cake pan with a piece of aluminum foil, allowing teh edge to overlap the pan. Using a pastry brush, lightly butter the foil.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat until well blended. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat again until well blended. Add the salt and 1/4 C (1.5 oz/ 45 g) of the flour and beat well. Add the remaining flour in two batches, beating well after each addition.

Melt the chopped chocolate in the top of a double boiler set over (but not touching) gently simmering water. (I just melted my chocolate chips in the microwave.) Remove from heat and let cool slightly, 2-3 minutes. Add it to the cake batter and beat until well blended and creamy. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the surface with a spatula. Bake until the cake is puffed and a toothpick inserted into its center comes ou clean, 20-25 minutes.

Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Using the edge of the foil, lift the cooled cake out of the pan. Invert the cake onto a cake stand or cake plate and peel off teh foil. Turn the cake right side up. Place a stencil of your choice on top, and then sift the sugar over the stncil to create a pattern. Carefully lift off the stencil. Enjoy!

Grilled Pizza

Pizza, hot off the grill!
Living Magazine, May 2004, p. 146


2 C warm water (about 110 C)
½ tsp sugar
2 envelopes active dry yeast (scant 2 Tbsp)
3 Tbsp EVOO, plus some for bowl
6-7 C all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 Tbsp salt


1) Stir warm water, sugar, yeast in a small bowl until yeast is dissolved. Let stand 5 min. until foamy. Brush a large bowl with oil and set aside.


2) Stir together 6 C flour and the salt in large bowl. Pour in the yeast mixture and the oil, stir mixture until all of the flour is incorporated. Continue to stir until a stiff dough forms. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead with floured hands, just until the ball becomes smooth, 2-3 minutes.


3) Place dough in oiled bowl, smooth side up. Tightly cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in bulk, about 40 minutes.


4) Punch down dough, and transfer to a clean work surface. Cut dough into sixths. Knead each piece 4-5 turns to form ball. Cover all but one with plastic wrap.


5) On a lightly floured surface, flatten dough ball into a disk. Loosely cover with plastic wrap, let rest 5 minutes. Using a rolling pin, flatten and push dough evenly out from center to form a 9-in circle.

6) Heat grill. Brush one side of dough with olive oil and place oil-side down onto grill. Grill that side for about 3-4 minutes, until the bottom is a golden brown and has grill marks.
(This is our stove top grill, but any grill will work. As you can see the dough gets bubbly)

7) Flip the dough and add toppings while the other side cooks.


8) With a spatula, lift up an edge and then slide the pizza onto a cutting board or baking sheet.



(I've modified this slightly. The original recipe has the dough rising a second time. However, at the time, I had guests coming over and forgot about the second rising, so I skipped it and it turned out great!)

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

Ingredients:
1 cup peanut butter
6 Tbl butter (170 g)
¾ cup brown sugar
½ cup sugar
1 Tbl vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup flour
2 cups milk chocolate morsels

1. Beat first 5 ingredients until creamy. Beat in eggs. Beat in flour. Stir in morsels.
2. Spread into a greased 9x13 inch pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes in a preheated 350° oven. Use a toothpick test to determine when done. Cool in pan.

Parmesan Potatoes

Ingredients:
¼-½ cup butter
½ cup flour
½ cup parmesan cheese
5 medium potatoes, cut into 1½ inch cubes

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt butter in 9"x13" inch pan.
2. Mix flour and parmesan cheese in large plastic bag.
3. Shake a few potato cubes in bag at a time and put into buttered pan.
4. When done shaking all potatoes and placing them in the pan, Bake for ½ hour.
5. With spatula turn potatoes over and bake another ½ hour.

Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:
1 lb stew meat
1 can (300 g) condensed mushroom soup
½ onion, chopped
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
¼ cup water
pepper
4 ounces cream cheese or sour cream
1 (4 ounce) can mushrooms, drained

1. Combine everything but mushrooms and cream cheese/sour cream.
2. Cook on low 8 hrs or high for 5. (I find that is a bit too long and do it for half the time!)
3. 30 minutes before serving, add mushrooms and cream cheese/sour cream.
4. Serve and enjoy!

Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken

Ingredients:
3 lbs chicken pieces
1 (2/3 ounce) package Italian salad dressing mix
4 tablespoons melted butter (divided)
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 (10½ ounce) can cream of chicken soup (2-3 soup packets with 100 ml water each)
8 ounces cream cheese
½ cup chicken broth

1. Place chicken pieces in crock pot and sprinkle Italian seasoning over chicken. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons melted butter.
2. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
3. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a sauce pan and saute onion and garlic. Add Cream of Chicken Soup, cream cheese, and chicken broth. Stir until smooth.
4. Add this mixture to crock pot and cook on low for an additional hour. Tastes great over noodles!

Italian Pasta Bake













Ingredients:
1 lb. extra lean ground beef
3 cups whole wheat penne pasta, cooked, drained
1 jar (about 400 g) spaghetti sauce
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Brown meat in large skillet; drain. Add pasta, sauce and ½ the Parmesan; mix well.
2. Spoon into 9"x13" dish; top with remaining cheeses.
3. Bake 20 min. or until heated through.

*Taken from Kraft Foods

Chicken Pasta with Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:
6 oz. dried fettuccine or linguine
2 cups fresh pea pods, tips trimmed (or one 6 oz. package frozen pea pods, cooked)
1 cup cooked chicken strips (or turkey!)
1 cup chopped fresh pineapple or one 8 oz. can pineapple chunks, drained
¼ cup chicken broth
2 Tbl creamy peanut butter
1 Tbl soy sauce
1 Tbl lime juice or lemon juice
¼ tsp. crushed red pepper
1 clove garlic, minced

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, halve the fresh pea pods diagonally. Place pea pods and chicken in a large colander. Pour hot cooking liquid from pasta over pea pods and chicken in colander; drain well. Return the pasta, pea pods, and chicken to the hot pan. Add pineapple.
2. Meanwhile, for sauce, in a small saucepan stir chicken broth into peanut butter. Heat and stir with a whisk until peanut butter melts. Stir in soy sauce, lime juice, red pepper, and garlic; heat through.
3. Add sauce to the pasta mixture. Gently stir to coat pasta with sauce.

*Taken from Better Homes and Gardens

Summer Garden Salad

Ingredients:
1 bunch fresh parsley
4 medium tomatoes
1 large green pepper
1 bunch green onions
1 medium cucumber
3 cloves garlic
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ cup olive oil
¼ tsp pepper
2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled (or any other cheese you like)
*I also added cut up cooked chicken pieces to make it more of a meal.
*I also serve with garlic pita crisps! They really add a lot and are so good.

1. Combine all ingredients except for lettuce and cheese. Cover and chill an hour, and then add the lettuce and cheese before serving.
2. For pita crisps: Cut each of the 4 pitas into 6 wedges and separate each wedge into 2 triangles. Place the triangles in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder. Bake at 400°F for 10 minutes or until crisp and brown.

*Taken from Southern Living

Mango Salsa

Ingredients:
1 medium mango, peeled and chopped
½ cup chopped, seeded tomatoes
½ cup chopped red onion
½ cup chopped, peeled cucumber
2 Tbl minced fresh cilantro
1 Tbl olive oil
¼ cup lime juice, or about the juice of one lime

1. Combine all ingredients.
2. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

Goes great with the Italian Roasted Pork Tenderloin!

Honey Mustard Chicken Pasta

Ingredients:
2 cups uncooked bow tie pasta (I use almost an entire 500 g bag to make it go further)
4 bacon strips, diced
¼ cup chopped onion
2 garlic clove, minced
2 cups diced cooked chicken
1 cup condensed cream of chicken soup (2 packets of soup mix with total of 200 ml water)
2/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp.
2. Using a slotted spoon,remove to paper towels. Drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings.
3. In the drippings, saute onion until tender. Add garlic; saute for 1 minute.
4. Stir in the chicken, soup, milk, mustard, honey, parsley, bacon, and salt/pepper if desired. Cook and stir over medium heat until heated through.
5. Drain pasta; add to skillet and toss to coat. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Crunchy Garlic Chicken

Ingredients:
2 Tbl butter, melted
2 Tbl milk
1 Tbl chopped fresh chives or parsley
½ tsp salt
½ tsp garlic powder
2 cups cornflakes cereal or crackers, crushed (1 cup)
3 Tbl chopped fresh parsley
½ tsp paprika
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 Tbl butter, melted

1. Heat oven to 425°F. Grease rectangular pan (9"x13").
2. Mix 2 tablespoons butter, the milk, chives, salt and garlic powder. Mix cornflakes, parsley and paprika. Dip chicken into milk mixture, then coat lightly and evenly with cornflake mixture. Place in pan. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons butter.
3. Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut.

*Taken from Betty Crocker

Italian Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:
1 tsp olive or vegetable oil
½ tsp salt
½ tsp fennel seed, crushed
¼ tsp pepper
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 pork tenderloins, about ¾ lb each

1. Heat oven to 450° F. Spray shallow roating pan with cooking spray.
2. Mash all ingredients except pork into paste. Rub paste on pork. Place pork in pan. Insert meat thermometer so tip is in thickest part of pork.
3. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes, or until thermometer reads 160°F.

I can't always find good pork tenderloin pieces here, so I have made this same rub and put it on different types of pork, just adjusting cooking time.

*Taken from Betty Crocker