Greek Pizza

This is as easy as it gets!

Makes 4 Servings

½ lb. pizza dough
1 tomato, sliced
½ green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
½ red onion, thinly sliced
¾ c. crumbled feta cheese
6 large kalamata olives
1 t. dried oregano
¼ t. freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Sprinkle a counter lightly with flour to coat. Stretch or roll the dough to a 10 to 12-inch circle, then transfer to a nonstick pizza pan or baking sheet. Top the dough with the tomato, bell pepper, onion, feta, olives, oregano, and ground pepper. Bake until the crust is browned and crisp, 15-20 min.

Crispy Sesame Shrimp

Crispy Sesame Shrimp

3/4 cup herb-seasoned stuffing mix (such as Pepperidge Farm),crushed
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
10 large shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 3/4 pound)
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425°. Combine the first 6 ingredients in a small bowl. Place the egg white in a small shallow bowl. Dip shrimp in egg white, and dredge in stuffing mixture. Place the shrimp on a large baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat shrimp with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes or until golden.

Yield: 2 servings (serving size: 5 shrimp)

Fat: 4.6 g
Carbohydrates: 14.2g
Calories: 152.0
Protein: 12.8g

Chicken Barley Chili

This is a recipe my sister found on the Quaker Barley container and it is pretty good. She warned not to substitute cayenne pepper for the chili powder. It is a great open and dump recipe for those cold snowy days like today.

3 c chicken, bite size (raw)
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
16 oz can tomato sauce or salsa
14 oz can chicken broth
1 c barley
4 c water
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
15 oz can corn (or frozen)

Combine chicken (raw), tomatoes, sauce or salsa, broth, barley, water, chili powder, and cumin. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to low and cover. Simmer 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add beans and corn, increase heat to high, until boils. Cover and return to low. Simmer 5 minutes or until barley is tender. If the chili gets to thick add more broth. If it is too thin, let it simmer longer.

Top with cheese, tortilla chips, and sour cream. Makes 11 (1) cup servings

Note- you don't have to do all the low heat, high heat stuff. Just leave on medium and let it boil a bit. MMmmmmm, good!

Low Fat Oatmeal Muffins

Low-Fat Oatmeal Muffins

1 cup old fashioned oatmeal
1 cup skim milk
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 egg whites
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1. Mix oats and milk and let sit for 1 hour.
2. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Spoon into a lightly greased muffin pan.
4. Bake at 400F for 20-25 mins.
5. For variation you can add raisins, chopped nuts, banana, cinnamon, or even chocolate chips to batter.

Number of Servings: 12
Fat: 0.7 g
Carbohydrates: 22.4g
Calories: 105.2
Protein: 3.3g

Whole Wheat Waffles

Absolutely fantastic! They're extra good with a little applesauce on top.

1-3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites
1-3/4 cup skim milk
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 tsp Splenda
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
In a large mixing bowl stir flour, baking powder, Splenda and salt. In a small mixing bowl beat egg yolks, milk, vanilla and applesauce. Add to the flour mixture all at once. Stir mixture until blended.

In small mixer bowl beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold beaten egg whites into original mixture and do not over mix.

Pour batter onto preheated waffle maker which has been sprayed with non-fat cooking spray. They take about 3-5 minutes depending on your waffle maker.

To keep waffles warm while making the batch, turn oven on to 200 and place the cooked waffles on the wire rack. These waffles freeze well and will reheat in a toaster. This is a much healther choice than frozen ones from the grocery.

Number of Servings: 5

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 216.3
Total Fat: 2.9 g
Cholesterol: 86.7 mg
Sodium: 595.5 mg
Total Carbs: 38.8 g
Dietary Fiber: 5.4 g
Protein: 11.1 g

Chicken Waikiki Beach

This is one of those great tried-and-true recipes from a ward cookbook. The recipe calls for whole chicken legs and breasts, but you can also use like 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts instead, just eyeball it. It also says to bake it for a total of 1 hour, but you can skip the first step and add all the ingredients together and bake it about 40 minutes, or until the chicken and pineapple and pepper are tender.

Chicken Waikiki Beach
2 whole chicken legs
2 whole chicken breasts
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Sauce:
1 cup sugar
1 large can pineapple chunks
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 chicken boullion cube
1 large green pepper cut into cubes

Heat oven to 350. Wash chicken, pat dry. Coat chicken with flour.

Heat oil in a large skillet, add chicken, and brown on all sides. Remove as browned to shallow roasting pan, skin side up. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Sauce: Drain pineapple, pouring syrup into 2-cup measuring cup. Add water to make 1 1/2 cups. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, pineapple syrup, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger and boullion cube. Bring to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil 2 minutes. Pour over chicken. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Add pineapple and green pepper. Bake 30 minutes longer or until chicken and vegetables are tender. Serve with fluffy white rice (jasmine is my favorite.)

Homemade Ravioli with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Make your own ravioli appetizer with ricotta cheese and sun-dried tomatoes.

1/2 cup ricotta cheese, fat free

2 tbsp finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes

salt to taste

16 to 20 won ton wrappers

4 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

1 tsp olive oil

Mix tomatoes and ricotta together and season to taste. Drop a spoonful of the filling into the won ton, and use water to seal the won ton wrappers.In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil and cook the ravioli at moderate heat for 2 -3 minutes.Drain and serve immediately, drizzle with olive oil, and parmesan cheese. Can also add pecans or walnuts.

Number of Servings: 4

Fat: 3.0 g

Carbohydrates: 27.5g

Calories: 169.2

Protein: 8.4g

Pumpkin Pancakes

This recipe is thanks to Martha Stewart, and is really good. I love fall and all the festive recipes!

1 1/4 cup flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. each of cinnamon, ginger, and salt
pinch cloves
1 cup milk
6 Tbsp. pumpkin puree
2 Tbsp. melted butter
1 egg
Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and spices. In a seperate bowl, mix the milk, pumpkin, butter and egg. Fold together and cook on a greased griddle over medium-to-medium-high heat. Use about 1/4 cup batter for each pancake.

Butterscotch Apple Dip

My mom got this recipe from our cousin Amy Dunn Jacobsen, or so the story goes, and we've been calling it "Amy's Apple Dip" ever since. But seeing that none of you know Amy (or me, for that matter) I thought I'd call it what it is. This dip is so good for this time of year, when the apples are in season.

1 can sweetened condensed milk
6-8 oz. butterscotch chips
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vinegar
Melt in a double doiler on low heat. Serve warm with granny smith apples, or any other apples you prefer, but, the more tart the better!

Chocolate Chip Date Cake

This cake has been a Dunn family favorite for many years. When I was little, I thought it was called "Chocolate Chip Date Cake" because it was something to eat when you went out on a date. As I got older, I realized that there are actually dates in the batter, and they are the secret to its moist consistency and good taste. It is a great chocolate cake that is delicious, and not super-sweet. I've added pictures to my recipe (a la "Pioneer Woman Cooks") because I had made this cake wrong for so many years, and then finally, after talking to my mom one day after another failed attempt, I realized what I was doing that was making it not quite as I remembered it growing up. So, forgive my feeble attempts to be creative or funny with my pictures, but I didn't want the same mistake to happen to anyone else! Ok, so let's get started!

The "cast of characters": sugar, flour, vanilla, chopped pecans, chopped dates (found by the raisins in the grocery store), chocolate chips, cocoa, eggs, butter, baking soda, and boiling water (not pictured.)

Start by taking 1 cup chopped dates and putting it in a bowl

then add 1 tsp. baking soda

and 1 cup boiling water

and let stand for 40 minutes. Go for a walk, go play with your kids, watch some "Oprah", whatever.

In the meantime, add 1 Tbsp. cocoa to 1 cup sugar.

Mix well.

Then cream the sugar/cocoa mixture with 1 cup (2 sticks) of butter. Don't even think about substituting it with something else, and heaven forbid, lower in fat.

Add 2 eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

Then add 1 & 3/4 cups flour, gradually.

Your batter should be pretty thick after you've added the flour.

Now, here comes the key part (and the thing I had been doing wrong for so long): Add the dates, with the liquid, to the batter. For so long I had been just adding the dates, sometimes straining it, and wondering why my cake was so dry and didn't ever taste like my mom's. The liquid and the plump dates make your cake so moist and good. Oh, and don't worry if you're not a big date fan; you can't even taste them in the cake, they just help with the consistency of the cake.
Now add 1 tsp. real vanilla

and 1/2 cup chocolate chips, and 1/2 cup chopped pecans to the batter. Mix gently.

Now grease and flour an oblong cake pan, this one is 13x9.


Spread the gooey yummy batter in the pan evenly.

Now add another 1/2 cup chocolate chips to the top,

and 1/2 cup chopped pecans to the top.

Bake at 325 for 30 minutes until a toothpick or knife comes out clean.

Let cool and cut into pieces and serve. This cake is really good warm with some vanilla ice cream, and needs no icing! Enjoy!

Pasta with Bolognese Sauce

This recipe comes from the "Real Simple: Meals Made Easy" cookbook (as in the magazine.) It is a great way to sneak in vegetables into your meal, and has a wonderful flavor. Also, you can freeze it for up to 3 months. It calls for white wine, but you can use alcohol-removed cooking wine from any gourmet grocery store, and it works great (I got mine at Wegman's). It also calls for pancetta, but I have never put it in due to how expensive it is! I also use ground turkey instead of ground beef, but you can use whichever according to your preference. You can also find a copy of this recipe and picture here.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
3 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 pound pancetta, finely chopped
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup whole milk
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 pound dry fettucine
Grated parmesan
Heat the oil in a dutch oven or large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes. Add the celery, carrot, and garlic and cook for 5 minutes. Add the pancetta and cook for 5 minutes. Add the beef and cook, crumbling it with a spoon, until no trace of pink remains, about 7 minutes. Spoon off and discard any excess fat. Add the wine, milk, tomato paste, tomatoes, red pepper flakes, oregano, parsley, salt, black pepper, and nutmeg and bring to a simmer. Cover partially, reduce heat, and simmer for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and transfer to individual bowls. Top with the sauce and parmesan.
To freeze...Omit the pasta and parmesan. Let the sauce cool, then ladle it into resealable freezer bags. Store up to 3 months.
To reheat...Thaw the sauce overnight in the refrigerator or thaw partially in the microwave. Warm in a covered saucepan over medium-low heat for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the pasta. Spoon the sauce over it and sprinkle with the parmesan.

Butterscotch & Spice Cookies

1 c softened butter (real)
1-1/2 c brown sugar
1 egg
1/3 c molasses
Beat till creamy.

Combine:
3 c flour
2 tsp baking soda
1-1/2 tsp cinnamon
1-1/2 tsp ginger
3/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt

Add gradually to wet mixture.
Add
11oz. bag butterscotch chips

Bake for 7-8 minutes at 350. Drop cookies, look good made very small, half dollar size.
Sorry there is no pumpkin in this I thought that it tastes a little like pumpkin because of the ginger, cloves and cinnamon. Sorry. I don't know the actual name, but they are SOOO good. The picture doesn't do them justice.

Curry Chicken

3 chicken breasts (sprinkle with season salt)
1 pt. sour cream
1 c mayo (less if you want, Best Foods w/ green lid, less cal)
1/2-1 TBS curry
1 can cream of chicken
Optional: (makes it alot better)
cut carrots and potato.
Spread sauce on bottom of pan, then cover chicken. 350 for 1 hour.

I cook this in a crockpot for a few hours with the sauce in, tasted great. Add potatoes and carrots later so they aren't too soft. You can add as much curry as you like, just taste as you go. The potatoes and carrots really made this great. I did not like curry, but I am beginning too. Try it out.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (the BEST)

2 sticks butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
Cream the above together.

Seperate bowl combine:
2 c flour
2 c oats (not quick)
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Add to wet ingredients along with 12oz. bag (or less) chocolate chips.
Bake for 11-13 minutes at 350.

Pancakes

My husband does NOT like "just add water" pancakes. These are great.

1-1/4 C Flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBS sugar
1 C milk
1 TBS oil
1 egg
MIX!

I can't remember how much it makes, worth mixing up a bunch and keeping on hand.

Cashew Chicken Sandwiches

2 chicken breasts, halves
1C cashews, chopped
3/4 C mayo
1 bunch alfalfa sprouts
1C celery, diced
1 apple, diced
2tsp powder ranch dressing
24 small croissants

Wrap chicken individually in foil, Bake for 1 hour at 350. Dice chicken very small, place in large bowl. Add all ingredients, except sprouts. MIX. Slice croissants in half (butter opt.) and spread large tablespoon of mix onto croissants, top with sprouts. DELICIOUS!! GREAT FOR PARTIES.

Pot-Stickers (gyoza) (sway-jow)

8 oz ground lean pork
1/4 C green onion, finely chopped
1C finely shredded green cabbage (must be squeezed firmly to remove water-i use nylons (clean) or cheesecloth)
1TBS Asian sesame oil
2tsp Sugar
1TBS soy sauce
3/4 tsp salt
1TBS MSG (opt)
24 round wonton wrappers

Combine in bowl and place quarter size onto wrap and seal edges with water.

Sauce: white vinegar (lots, we like it) & soy sauce, and some green onion. Just mix to your liking.

Cook in pan with a mix of oil and water, cook on one side. Can also be steamed, or boiled. We like them crispy.
This is a recipe from my husbands mission. SOOOOOOOO GooD!

granola!

This is the most delicious granola ever! It comes from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. You can do anything with it, like add whatever nuts you want, do part honey part syrup, add in raisins or whatever. We eat it for breakfast with milk, mix it with yogurt and fruit, or eat it just as a snack. It's really sweet without any sugar, so it's fantastic.

2 c. oats (instant or rolled)
1 c. coconut (I use unsweetened)
1/2 c. diced or sliced almonds
1/4 c. pumpkin seeds or other seed
1/8 c. sunflower seeds or other
1/2 c. honey or maple syrup
1/3 c. cooking oil

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix in honey/syrup and oil (I put the oil in first, then use the same measuring cup for the honey b/c then it doesn't stick). Spread mixture on a cookie sheet with edges or a casserole dish. Cook in oven at 300 for 10-15 minutes (or until granola is getting golden brown). Take out, stir it so browned part is no longer all on top. Cook again for another 10-20 minutes. Take granola out and spread it on wax paper or something similar b/c it will stick to the cookie sheet if left to cool there. Granola hardens as it cools.

Tip: I have found that if your layer of granola is too thin as you bake it the bottom will burn, so you want it to be about a 1/2 inch thick or more, preferably more.

Try this quantity and see how fast your family consumes it, then you may want to make more! There are only two of us eating solids at our house and we usually triple it.

Sesame Chicken Pasta Salad

Serves 6

12 oz. corkscrew or penne pasta
¼ c. sesame seeds
3 T. sugar
½ c. olive oil
¼ c. soy sauce
1/3 c. white wine vinegar
salt/pepper to taste
3 c. cooked chicken cut into small pieces
½ c. sliced green onions
4-6 c. baby spinach

1. Fry sesame seeds in olive oil, being careful so they don’t burn.
2. Combine dressing ingredients.
3. Combine pasta, dressing and chicken and refrigerate overnight.
4. Just before serving toss spinach and green onions.

Ryan's Fajitas

Serves 4-6

2 lb. chicken breasts
2-3 peppers, cut in thin strips
1 onion, cut in thin strips
flour tortillas

For the marinade:
2 limes, juiced
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
3 cloves garlic
¼ tsp. salt
½ c. olive oil

1. Combine ingredients for the marinade and marinate for at least an hour.
2. Grill the chicken and then cut in thin slices OR cut in thin slices and sauté.
3. Sauté the onions and peppers for a few minutes.
4. Combine chicken and vegetables and serve with tortillas.

Chicken in a Cashew Nut Sauce

This one is delicious!

2 medium onions
2 T. tomato puree
1/3 c. cashew nuts
1 ½ t. garam masala
1 t. garlic pulp
1 t. chili powder
1 T. lemon juice
¼ t. turmeric
1 t. salt
1 T. plain low-fat yogurt
2 T. corn oil
1 T. sultanas (golden raisins)
1 lb. chicken, cubed
1 ¼ c. water

1. Cut the onions into quarters and place in a food processor or blender and process for about 1 minute.
2. Add the tomato puree, cashew nuts, garam masala, garlic, chili powder, lemon juice, turmeric, salt and yogurt to the processed onions.
3. Process all the ingredients in the food processor for a further 1-1 ½ minutes.
4. In a saucepan, heat the oil, lower the heat to medium and pour in the spice mixture from the food processor. Fry for about 2 minutes, lowering the heat if necessary.
5. Add the sultanas and chicken and continue to stir fry for a further 1 minute.
6. Pour in the water and bring to a simmer. Cover the saucepan and cook over a low heat for about 10 minutes.
7. Check to see that the chicken is cooked and the sauce is thick. Cook longer if necessary.
8. Serve over rice.

SKINNY LASAGNA

There is this cooking show here called "Cook Yourself Thin" and they have the most delicious recipes for at least half the calories if not MORE! This one is one of my absolute FAVS! I didnt use the redwine I found that the juice in the tomato can was plenty and I also used turkey mince which is even lower in fat! Check out the website for more recipes!

http://www.channel4.com/life/microsites/C/cook-yourself-thin/recipes.html

Ingredients

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 sticks of celery, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

400g lean beef mince (must be the best quality, or you could try and get a butcher to mince it for you)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

315ml red wine

400g tin plum tomatoes

1 tablespoon tomato purée

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

2 zuccinis, thinly sliced lengthways

4 sheets of lasagne

For the cheese sauce

500ml semi-skimmed milk

A good grating of whole nutmeg

Salt and pepper

3 tablespoons cornflour

1 teaspoon English mustard

80g mature cheddar cheese

Heat up a big saucepan and add the olive oil. Sweat the onion, celery, carrot and garlic for around five minutes over a medium heat.

Heat a frying pan up until very hot and cook the seasoned beef, without any oil, in batches. Then add the beef to the saucepan.

The point of cooking the beef in batches is to get a good colour on it because this adds more flavour.

When all the beef is in the saucepan, turn up the heat and add the wine.

Cook until the wine has all been absorbed and then add the tinned tomatoes, tomato purée, bay leaf and oregano.

Season and simmer for 30 minutes or until rich and tasty.

Preheat a conventional oven to 180ºC, or a fan-assisted one to 160ºC.

Heat a griddle pan. Season the zuccinis and lightly chargrill or sear on each side, then leave on a plate until assembling time.

Now make the cheese sauce.

Heat the milk up gently with a good grating of nutmeg, some salt and pepper. Mix the cornflour with 50ml of the milk and whisk back into the milk, continuing to cook for two to three minutes until thickened.

Add the mustard and half the cheese. Check the seasoning and set aside.

Now for the fun part.

Take a baking dish and start layering up the ingredients. Start with a layer of meat, then meat, then zuccinis, then meat, then pasta and finally cheese sauce.

Top with the rest of the cheese and bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until bubbling.

tomato soup

I'm Jenn and since I was invited to contribute to lazy girl gourmet today I decided to commemorate by adding one of my very favorite recipes.

I've never been a fan of tomato soup until this one, it is incredibly good and easy. You just need good produce, a blender, and a pot. I bet it would be really good with the french peasant bread recipe posted earlier. Here it is...

3 c. vegetable broth
5 or 6 c. tomatoes, halved or quartered
1 large-ish carrot
1 or 2 jalapeño peppers (can omit if you're not into spicy stuff)
1 large-ish zucchini
2 T. butter
3/4 c. chopped onion
2 T. flour
thyme, salt, or any other spice you want
grated cheese, if desired

1. Bring the broth to a boil. Add the tomatoes, carrots, and zucchini--everything should be cut up, but it doesn't need to be small, just smaller to fit. Cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until vegetables are softened. Add the jalapeños in toward the end so they cook just a little bit. Add thyme or whatever spice you like (I bet cilantro or basil would be good). Set aside.

2. (For this next step I just put my broth and veggies in a blender to get them out of the way and use the same pot.) In a saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions, cook until softened. Stir in the flour until absorbed.

3. Blend the broth, veggies, and flour/onion mixture all together. You can do it in 2 batches if needed. Return to the pot and salt to taste. Then add cheese if desired and serve!

The beautiful thing about this recipe is that I do it without really measuring anything and it turns out delicious every time. Enjoy!

A great potato salad recipe...

In response to the inquiry for a great potato salad recipe, this one is definitely one of my favorites. It is simple, and doesn't have a lot of funky ingredients (unless you hate eggs in your potato salad, as my mother does.) Handed down from a Bishop's wife in our Salt Lake City ward, it always gets compliments.

World's Best Potato Salad
8-10 medium red new potatoes
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. chives
1 tsp. celery seed
1 Tbsp. prepared mustard
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2/3 cup miracle whip
2/3 cup mayonnaise
3-4 eggs, hard boiled
Cook potatoes about 45 minutes. Cool completely. Scrape off skin and chop into bite-sized pieces. Combine the rest of the ingredients and then add to chopped potatoes. Best flavor when you make this the day ahead.

Herbed Basmati Rice

From this month's Cooking Light magazine.  So good!  And I didn't even do most of it correctly.

1 t olive oil

cooking spray

1 c uncooked basmati rice (i used jasmine instead)

1 garlic clove, minced

1 c water

1 c low sodium chicken broth

1/4 t salt

1/4 c chopped green onion

1/4 c pine nuts, toasted

3 T freshly grated parmesan cheese (leave it out for non-dairy folks or add individually)

1 T chopped fresh basil

1 t chopped fresh thyme

1/2 t freshly ground black pepper

Spray medium sauce pan, heat the oil. Add rice and garlic, saute about 2 minutes, or until rice is lightly toasted. Add water, salt and broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender (I had cooked rice so I just added the rice and garlic to the oil, added a little water, stirred it a bit, called it good).  Remove from heat, let stand 5 minutes, then stir in onion, nuts, cheese, herbs and pepper (I also left out the cheese completely and it didn't lack any flavor...).

If you don't have fresh herbs, dried will work just fine. And though I'm sure it is better if you start with raw rice, it was great for using up leftover rice.

French Peasant Bread

From the Ivory Family Favorites Cookbook

1 package dry yeast
2 c warm water
1 T sugar
2 t salt
4 c flour
oil
corn meal
melted butter

Place yeast, water, sugar and salt in warm bowl and stir until dissolved. Add flour and stir until blended. Do not knead. Cover and let rise one hour or until doubled in size. Flour hands, removed dough from bowl and place in 2 rounds on an oiled cookie sheet sprinkled with corn meal. Let rise an additional hour. Brush the top with melted butter and bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temp to 375 and cook an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and brush again with butter. Serve warm.

This is our favorite bread, and it's so easy!

Tips: I use a large rubber scraper to divide the dough in the bowl and scoop it out, the dough is very sticky. I spray the pan with Pam because it's faster and healthier than oil. I usually use about 2 T butter. Sometimes I like to substitute 1/4 c whole wheat flour for white, gives it a nice flavor and texture. It also works great to halve or half again this recipe, depending on the crowd size.

Orange Carrot Cookies

I love sneaking veggies into Luke's food.  These taste like regular sugar cookies if you don't frost them; with the frosting they are extra yummy and citrus-y.  The credit for the recipe goes to Britney Swensen. I had them at her house and now crave them regularly. Also they have no dairy :) so I can eat all I want.  Just in case you are a freezer fanatic like me, I thought I'd mention that I made the whole recipe but baked just one pan of these and froze the rest (including leftover frosting) to use another day.  Worked perfectly.

3/4 c shortening (it has no trans fats now)

3/4 c sugar

1 egg

1 c cooked, mashed carrots

1/2 t vanilla

2 c flour

1 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

Frosting: 

1/4 c butter

2 c powdered sugar

3 T orange juice

1 T orange zest

(Beat all together until light and fluffy.)

Cream shortening and sugar. Add egg; beat until light and fluffy.  Add carrots and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture. Mix well.  Drop by rounded tablespoon onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 12-15 mins. Frost when cooled (or when still a little warm if you like the gooey glaze look). 

blog maintenance

Well we are doing quite well here!   So many great new ideas!  Make sure to put a few labels at the bottom of your post to categorize your recipe.  That way, when we have *thousands* of recipes we'll be able to search by category and find what we are looking for.

Also I have just been putting comments on recipes when to ask/answer questions. Is this the best way to do this? It seemed better than making a new post. 

Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas with Gooey Jack Cheese

This one is thanks to Robin Miller at the Food Network.

Serves 4

2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces *see cook's note
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles
1/3 cup prepared salsa, mild, medium or hot
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
4 (8-inch) flour tortillas
1 1/3 cups shredded Monterey jack and or Cheddar
*Cook's note: this is enough chicken to make this meal and another meal. If you are only making this meal, use 1 pound chicken.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute 2 minutes. Add chicken and saute 5 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Remove half of the chicken and reserve for another use.

Stir in black beans, green chiles, and salsa and simmer 5 minutes, until sauce thickens and reduces. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.

Arrange 4 tortillas on a flat surface. Top each tortilla with an equal amount of chicken mixture. Roll up tortillas and place side by side in a shallow baking dish. Top tortillas with shredded cheese (1/3 cup per tortilla).

Bake enchiladas 15 minutes, until cheese is golden and gooey!

Bible Sandwiches

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 avocados
4 roma tomatoes, cut in thin slices
mayonnaise
Spike seasoning
mushrooms (optional)
sprouts
4 swiss cheese slices
4 pita bread slices

Mash up the avocados. Add a little mayonnaise. Spread the avocado mixture on the pitas. Top with tomatoes and mushroom, if using. Sprinkle each with Spike seasoning. Top with sprouts and swiss cheese. Broil for a couple minutes, until cheese is golden brown.

Spaghetti with Tomatoes, Black Olives, Garlic, and Feta Cheese

The title pretty much gives away the recipe, but here it is anyway...

Serves 4

1 1/2 lbs. tomatoes (about 3), seeded and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 c. kalamata olives, pitted
1/4 lb. feta cheese, crumbled
3 T. drained capers
3 T. chopped flat leaf parsley
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. fresh ground black pepper
3/4 lb. spaghetti
6 T. olive oil
3 cloves garlic

1. In a large bowl combine tomatoes, olives, feta, capers, parsley, salt, and pepper.
2. Cook the spaghetti and drain.
3. Meanwhile, in frying pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the cooked pasta and the garlic oil to the tomato mizture and toss.

Lazy Eggplant Parmigiana

1 eggplant (the recipe called for 2 but 1 was plenty for us)

some salt

some flour (1 c.?)

some oregano (1 t.?)

some more salt and some pepper (1/2 t. each?)

4 eggs

1-2 c. Italian bread crumbs

2 T. olive oil (not e.v.o.o) per batch in the frying pan

Peel eggplant. Slice somewhat thinly (1/4"). Put in colander or on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt. Let drain 30 minutes. 

Put flour, oregano, salt and pepper in a ziploc. Whisk eggs together in bowl. Put bread crumbs on a plate. Line these up and now you have your assembly line. 

Heat 2 T. oil in frying pan. Toss slices in flour, then dip in egg, then coat in bread crumbs. Put in hot frying pan. Cook until brown on bottom, flip over until brown on that side too. Put on paper towels to drain while you finish cooking the remaining slices.  

The Parmigiana Part:

1 jar spaghetti sauce

8 mozzarella cheese slices

parmesan cheese to grate over the top

You're now supposed to take the slices and layer them with sauce and cheese in a casserole dish, then bake at 350 for 15 mins.

But I got lazy and didn't bake them.  I just thought they looked too lovely and crunchy to cover with boring sauce and cheese.  So we had them appetizer style, just dipping them in the marinara sauce. The crunchy crust was so yummy and the eggplant was very tender inside. It ended up being a fun, finger-food dinner. Luke even ate an entire slice. 

illegal chocolate thing

trust me. this recipe should not exist. it's so so so good and so so so not good for you.

12 OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, crushed
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, melted
2 containers (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese Spread
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
4 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, melted
1 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

MIX crushed cookies and the butter in foil-lined 9-inch square pan. Press firmly onto bottom of pan to form crust.

BEAT cream cheese in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed until creamy. Gradually add milk, mixing well after each addition. Blend in chocolate. Gently stir in whipped topping. Spoon over crust; cover.

FREEZE at least 6 hours or overnight. Remove from freezer 15 min. before serving to soften slightly. Cut into 16 squares to serve. Store leftover dessert in freezer.

[note: the next time i make this--and there will be a next time--i plan on using an entire package of oreos and using a 9 x 13 pan so that the chocolate topping isn't quite so thick and overwhelming. i can't believe someone actually sat around and thought of rolling oreos in butter. wow.]

Lazy Lasagne

This is a vegetarian lasagne. It is perfect for this time of year where the vegetables are all in season and you don't really want a heavy, comfor meal, but a lighter version of a tasty staple. I love thewebsite www.thepioneerwomancooks.com because she shows pictures of each step and ingredient, that is why I copied her idea! Obviously my photos are much worse, and I lack her humor, but here we go! It is worth a try!

Ingredients: 1 Yellow Squash
1 Zucchini
2-3 Broccoli Bunches
2-3 Cauliflower bunches (by bunches I mean sections of the whole head, not 3 head's of caul)
1 large container of Ragu: Traditional Style (you can use Prego if you must)
1 large container of cottage cheese
Well, we need to construct each layer of the lasagne by preparing the layers! So, first you chop the veggies in any sort of way you'd like. You can add diffrernt veggies if you'd like but I will warn you I can't promise a positive outcome. Once I added carrots, and was sorry I did! It took away from the squash and zucchini flavor!




After cleaning your chopped veggies, you are ready to rock, and also ready to move onto the next step:


Now it is time to make your sauce. I keep it easy with the cottage cheese and Ragu. You can use whatever you want, but to me, these two items make the taste exactly what I love. I love the flavor. Even if it isn't neccesarily "gourmet."


This is what the consistency should look like, orangy, but not too light!


Get out your no cook noodles to layer...obviously you can use the cooked kind of noodles, but I just find these to be loads easier!


Now it is time to layer your lasagne! This is what the layering will look like. You first add a cup of the sauce mixture at the bottom and then follow it with your noodles. Break up the noodles to fit your particular pan. Then add your veggies, and top it off with a layer of mozzarella cheese. Repeat as many times as fills your pan. For the last layer, make sure to add an extra layer of sauce on top of your noodles, so they will get nice and cooked. Then follow with the veggies and cheese to top it off.
I am sorry I forgot to take a picture of the end product, but cook it at 375 for 50 minutes and it should be all bubbly and the cheese browned slightly.
Serve and enjoy!

pork n bacon

this for sure is lazy, but i'm not positive it's gourmet.

preheat oven to 400 (this is essential)

take leftover pork roast
cut into 1/2 inch thick slices (ish)
take a piece of raw bacon and wrap around the outside, securing with toothpicks
roll each piece in brown sugar (coating only the bacon)

place on baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes
until bacon is crisp (or not crisp, if you're paul) and carmelized

[in fact, paul could probably skip the baking step altogether]

yum yum tasty

Red Lentil Curry

This recipe is sort of a mix of 3 different red lentil curry recipes I found...

Reviews: Paul and our friend Nick gave it a thumbs up.  I loved the fact that it was non-dairy and tasty too.  Since it's pretty cheap and easy, I think it will stay in our recipe book.

2 T. oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 T. grated ginger root (or 1 t. powdered)

1 1/2 c. red lentils, cleaned and rinsed

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

3 c. chicken broth

1 can coconut milk

2 t. curry powder

1 t. turmeric

salt to taste

hot cooked rice

cilantro, for garnish (It was fine without, though it would have been nice)

Start rice cooking. Heat oil in skillet, add onion and garlic.  Cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes. Add ginger.  Cook until onion is soft, then add broth, lentils, garbanzo beans, coconut milk, curry powder, and turmeric.  Cook until lentils are soft, 20-30 minutes.  Taste for salt, add more if necessary.  Serve over hot cooked rice.  Could also make into soup by adding more liquid and either eliminating rice or adding a little with the lentils.

First Post

Just making sure this all works.  Make sure to put labels on your posts so that we can search by category: main  dish, dessert, etc.