Crisp

This is my favorite recipe for crisps. We love it with cherries. 

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, slightly softened 

1 cup brown sugar (lightly packed)

1 cup old-fashioned oats

Press half of the mix at the bottom of a glass pan and then crumble the rest of it on top. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Here is the rest of the recipe that this lady used it with:
Read more at http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2010/08/creamy-lemon-crumb-squares.html#r69550APjWg54PX2.99

I have since made it with apples and it is wonderful, too! Thinly slice about 7 apples and add 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp. flour, and 1 tsp cinnamon. Mix together and fill crisp. Add top and bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes.

Smothered Burriotos

This is a dinner that we came up with last year and we make it all the time. My idea of comfort food! I make this recipe with the tortillas that you cook yourself (found by the egg section of Walmart) but it is yummy no matter what.

Torrtillas
Enchilada sauce (I like mild. About two small cans)
shredded cheddar cheese
rice (we like this recipe)
beans (we do pinto from a can)
shredded chicken (we use the Cafe Rio recipe.

Take an uncooked tortilla and load with cheese, rice, beans and chicken. Roll up and place in a greased casserole pan. Continue till pan is full. Pour enchilada sauce over burriotos and top with more shredded cheese. Bake in oven on 350 for 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Top with chopped lettuce and tomatoes and sour cream.

Pumpkin Dessert

I got this recipe years ago as a sophomore in college from my roommate Sarah Nelson. I have loved it ever since.

1 yellow cake mix (reserve 1 cup for topping)
1/2 cup melted butter
1 egg
Mix above ingredients and pat into 9/13 pan. Mixture will be sticky

1/2 can pumpkin filling (or just one smaller can)
2 eggs
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
3 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or you can mix together 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, 1/2 tsp. cloves, and 1/2 tsp. ginger and use in the place of the pumpkin pie spice).

Mix the above ingredients and pour over cake mix.

1 cup cake mix (reserved from earlier)
1/3 cup soft butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped nuts (but I never do)

Sprinkle above ingredients on top of pumpkin mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes. Serve with Cool whip, whip cream, or ice cream. I have loved it with all of them!

Cafe Rio Dressing

1 package Ranch Dressing (Or three tablespoons)
1 Cup buttermilk (but I usually make it with regular milk and it still tastes great)
1 Cup Mayonnaise
1-2 Tamatillos (I use 2)
1 clove garlic
1/2- 1/3 bunch of chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp lime juice
1/2- 1 small jalapeno (with the seeds gone and chopped up)

Blend all together in blender or food processor. Add more milk or mayo to get the consistency you like.

Cafe Rio Chicken

 I found this recipe sometime last year and it has been a favorite ever since. We use it for burritos most of the time but when it is made into a salad with the Cafe Rio sauce it is amazing, too! This recipe is a crock pot recipe but I find that it works great on the stove top if you don't have hours to kill. I found this recipe here.

2 lbs chicken breasts
1/2 a small bottle of zesty Italian dressing
1/2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 pkt ranch dressing mix (mixed with 1/2 cup of water)
1/2 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 Tbsp. ground cumin

Place all ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on LOW for about 5 hours or until chicken is done.
Shred with fork and serve in salads, burritos, tacos…etc.

You can also double or triple this to make extras for freezing. Then simply thaw and reheat for a fast and delicious meal.

Diana Kennedy's Well-fried Beans

Here is another Diana Kennedy recipe that knocked our socks off! So yummy!

Diana Kennedy's Well-fried Beans

6 tablespoons lard (1/3 cup)
2 tablespoons finely chopped white onion
3 1/2 to 4 cups of beans with broth (we used 3-4 cans of partially drained pinto beans and it worked great and was much faster than making beans from scratch)

In a very heavy skillet- about 10 inches in diameter -heat the lard and fry the onion, without browning, until soft. Add 1 cup of the beans and their broth and mash well as you cook them; over the high heat. Gradually add the rest of the beans, little by little, mashing them all the time until you have a course puree.

As the puree begins to dry out and sizzle at the edges, it is ready.
Note: beans freeze well  and can always be ready to use; just reheat them. Also, you can use vegetable oil instead of lard. The amount of either lard or oil can also be decreased if you are too nervous.

Diana Kennedy's Mexican Rice

James and I foudn this recipe in a cookbook we found at the library at Christmastime. I can't remember the name, but it was blue and was by Diana Kennedy.  We LOVE this recipe and eat it all the time!

 Diana Kennedy's Mexican Rice

1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
1/3 cup vegetable oil
About 1 1/2 cup diced fresh or canned tomatoes
1/4 small white onion, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
About 3 1/2 cups well-salted chicken broth
2 tablespoons peas(optional)
1 small carrot (optional)
1 whole sprig of parsley (optional)

For this quantity you will need a heavy-bottomed, flameproof pan about 4 inches deep and 9 inches across.

Pour hot water to cover over the rice and let it stand for about 5 minutes. Drain the rice and rinse well in cold water, then shake the colander well and leave the ice to drain for a few minutes.

Heat the oil. Give the rice a final shake and stir it into the oil until the grains are well covered. Then fry  until just turning color, stirring and turning the rice over so it will cook evenly and will not stick to the pan. This process should take about 10 minutes-depending, of course, on the size of the pan-but should be done over high heat or the rice will become mushy in its final stage. Tip the pan to one side and drain off any excess oil or drain rice in a fine strainer.

Blend the tomatoes, onion, and garlic until smooth--there should be about 1 cup. Add the puree to the fried rice, then, continuing to cook over high, stir and scrape the bottom of the pan until the mixture is dry.

Add the broth, carrot, peas, and parsley. Add salt as necessary, then stir well (do not stir again during the cooking time). Cook over medium heat covered, until the liquid has been absorbed and small air holes appear in the rice. This will take about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and cover the rice with a piece of terry cloth. Cover with  a tightly fitting lid so that no steam can escape, and set aside in a warm place for about 20 minutes, so the rice can continue cooking in its own steam and the grains will expand.

Before serving, loosen the rice with a fork from the bottom.

30-Minute Mongolian Beef

I found this recipe on justataste.com .  It was really good.  All the adults liked it and Ryan. It wasn't too hard to make.

Mongolian Beef

Yield: 2 servings

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 10 min

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce ( used regular soy sauce)
1/2 cup water
2/3 cup dark brown sugar (I just used light brown sugar)
1 (1-pound) flank steak
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 scallions (green parts only), sliced into 1-inch pieces

Directions:

Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in a small saucepot over medium-low heat. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté until golden, about 2 minutes. Add the soy sauce and water, stirring to combine.

Stir in the brown sugar and increase the heat to medium. Bring the sauce to a boil for 3 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat and set aside.

Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4-inch pieces, then toss it with the cornstarch. Place the coated pieces of steak in a sieve and shake off any excess cornstarch. Allow the steak to sit 10 for minutes.

Place a large sauté pan or wok over medium-high heat and add 1/2 cup vegetable oil. (I did not used 1/2 cup of oil. I used about 1/4 cup and that still seemed like a little much) Once the oil is hot (but not smoking), add the beef to the pan and sauté for 2 minutes until it is seared on all sides but barely cooked in the center. Remove the steak from the pan with a slotted spoon and transfer it onto a paper towel-lined plate. Pour any excess oil out of the wok.

Place the sauté pan back over medium heat. Add the prepared sauce to the hot pan (it should come to a boil almost immediately), then add the reserved steak and cook at a boil, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Add the sliced scallions, stirring to combine.

Transfer steak and scallions with a slotted spoon to a plate and serve.

Kelly's Notes:

This recipe can be easily doubled to serve 4.

The key to cooking with cornstarch is that it must come to a boil in order to serve its purpose as a thickener.

Recipe inspired by Food.com.

Chicken Parmigiana

This is another recipe from Pioneer Woman, it is so dang tasty. 

Chicken Parmigiana

 

       Ingredients

• 4 whole (up To 6) Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Trimmed And Pounded Flat
• 1/2 cup All-purpose Flour
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Chopped
• 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 3/4 cups Wine (white Or Red Is Fine)  I used cooking wine from the grocery store
• 3 cans (14.5 Oz.) Crushed Tomatoes
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• 1/4 cube Chopped Fresh Parsley
• 1 cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1 pound Thin Linguine

Preparation Instructions

Mix flour, salt, and pepper together on a large plate.
Dredge flattened chicken breasts in flour mixture. Set aside.
At this time, you can start a pot of water for your pasta. Cook linguine until al dente.
Heat olive oil and butter together in a large skillet over medium heat. When butter is melted and oil/butter mixture is hot, fry chicken breasts until nice and golden brown on each side, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.
Remove chicken breasts from the skillet and keep warm.
Without cleaning skillet, add onions and garlic and gently stir for 2 minutes. Pour in wine and scrape the bottom of the pan, getting all the flavorful bits off the bottom. Allow wine to cook down until reduced by half, about 2 minutes.
Pour in crushed tomatoes and stir to combine. Add sugar and more salt and pepper to taste. Allow to cook for 30 minutes. Toward the end of cooking time, add chopped parsley and give sauce a final stir.
Carefully lay chicken breasts on top of the sauce and completely cover them in grated Parmesan. Place lid on skillet and reduce heat to low. Allow to simmer until cheese is melted and chicken is thoroughly heated. Add more cheese to taste.
Place cooked noodles on a plate and cover with sauce. Place chicken breast on top and sprinkle with more parsley. Serve immediately.

Tres Leches Cake

So this is my new favorite cake in the whole wide world.  It is so dang tasty and moist and delicious.  In fact, I think I'll make it today.  The only thing I didn't do was add cherries on top, yuck.

Tres Leches Cake

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup All-purpose Flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 5 whole Eggs
• 1 cup Sugar, Divided
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1/3 cup Milk
• 1 can Evaporated Milk
• 1 can Sweetened, Condensed Milk
• 1/4 cup Heavy Cream
• _____
• FOR THE ICING:
• 1 pint Heavy Cream, For Whipping
• 3 Tablespoons Sugar

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan liberally until coated.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Separate eggs.
Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Stir in milk and vanilla. Pour egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until combined.
Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry.
Fold egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and spread to even out the surface.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn cake out onto a rimmed platter and allow to cool.
Combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream in a small pitcher. When cake is cool, pierce the surface with a fork several times. Slowly drizzle all but about 1 cup of the milk mixture—try to get as much around the edges of the cake as you can.
Allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture for 30 minutes. To ice the cake, whip 1 pint heavy cream with 3 tablespoons of sugar until thick and spreadable.
Spread over the surface of the cake. Decorate cake with whole or chopped maraschino cherries. Cut into squares and serve.

Steakhouse Pizza

I got this recipe from Pioneer Woman.  I love her recipes, everyone I've made we have loved. I didn't include her pizza dough recipe because you guys make such a good one!  I've only mde this recipe once, since I'm cheap and fresh mozzarella (which it calls for) is pretty expensive.  I hope you enjoy!

Steakhouse Pizza

 

Ingredients

• 1 whole Recipe Pizza Crust
• 1 whole Skirt Steak Or Flank Steak
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 2 whole Red Onions, Sliced Thin
• 3 Tablespoons Butter
• 4 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 cups Marinara Sauce
• 12 ounces, weight Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, Sliced Thin
• Shaved Parmesan Cheese
• 1/2 cup Good Steak Sauce (more If Desired)

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Arrange rack in the bottom half of the oven.
Saute red onions in butter and 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar over medium-low heat until dark and caramelized, about 10-12 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Combine marinara sauce with 2 tablespoons balsamic and Worcestershire sauce. Set aside.
Grill steak over high heat until medium rare. Remove from grill and set aside.
Roll out pizza dough until very thin. Top with marinara mixture and spread to coat dough. Lay caramelized red onions all over the sauce, then top onions with slices of mozzarella cheese. Bake pizza for 12-15 minutes, or until crust is golden and cheese is bubbly (but watch to make sure it doesn't burn.)
While pizza is baking, slice steak into very thin slices.
Remove pizza from the oven, then drape slices of steak all over the surface. Drizzle the top of the pizza with steak sauce (use squirt bottle if you have one) and top the whole thing with Parmesan shavings.
Cut into squares and serve immediately.

Chicken Bacon Stuffed Pizza Rolls

Okay, so I figured out how to add a picture!  These were so dang tasty, even Sophie like them. I got this recipe from the blog Our Best Bites also, they have some dang tasty stuff!!

Chicken-Bacon Stuffed Pizza Rolls
Print Recipe Text Only
1 roll refrigerated pizza dough* (or make your own)
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix
2 T grated Parmesan cheese
1 T olive oil or melted butter
sharp cheddar cheese (I used 75% sharp cheddar and 25% mozzarella)
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
about 1 C shredded, cooked chicken.
3/4 C mayo
3/4 C milk
First take 1 teaspoon of your ranch dressing mix and combine it with 1 1/2 T parmesan cheese. Set aside. Combine the remaining ranch mix with 3/4 C mayo and 3/4 C milk and place in the fridge to chill.
Preheat oven to heat specified on pizza dough package. Usually it’s 400-425 degrees.
Unroll your pizza dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat or roll the dough so it’s about 12″ by 8″. You’re going to want to cut it into 24 squares, so just eyeball it if you need to. Use a pizza cutter to slice the dough into 24 squares.
Place cheese and desired toppings on each square.
When all of your dough squares have cheese and toppings on them, carefully lift up each square and wrap the dough around the toppings.
I grab the four corners first and then squeeze the seams shut. Then place them seam side down in a lightly sprayed pie pan (or similar sized dish). Brush with melted butter or olive oil and sprinkle with the parmesan-ranch mixture.
Time out for a sec. I tried a few new things this time around. One was to cook some of my rolls in a mini-muffin pan. This might work better for serving depending on the situation. They turned out great. You’re making 24 rolls, so it fills up the pan perfectly. They cook quicker this way than in a pie pan so keep an eye on them. Mine only took about 8 minutes whereas the ones in the pan took about 13-15.
Okay, back to our regularly scheduled programming. Place your rolls in the oven. I’ve noticed baking time really depends on the type of dough I’m using. Whether it’s different brands from the store, or homemade dough, they all take different amounts of time. Set your timer for 10 minutes and check on them after that. They may take up to 15 or 20 to be done. Take them out when they’re lightly golden on top.
Serve them warm with a side of freshly made ranch dressing for dipping

Lasagna Soup

I got this recipe from a blog called Our Best Bites.  They have lots of tasty recipes.  If I was more computer savvy I would have copied the picture along with the recipe, but alas I am not.


Lasagna Soup
Recipe Adapted from 300 Sensational Soups, as seen in the February-April 2011 edition of At Home with Kowalski’s magazine from Kowalski’s Markets and found on the blog A Farm Girl Dabbles.
Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 lbs Italian Sausage (I use Italian Turkey Sausage)
3 cups chopped onions  (this seemed like a lot to me so I only used 1 onion)
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons dried oregano
optional: 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
28-ounce can diced tomatoes, preferably fire roasted
2 bay leaves
6 cups chicken broth
8 ounces fusilli or mafalda pasta (or other pasta of your choice) (I used small pasta shells and the girls liked it, well liked is a stretch, at least they ate it!)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil, or a heaping tablespoon dried basil
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
8 ounces ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
a few cracks of black pepper
optional: shredded mozzarella for sprinkling on top
Instructions

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage, breaking up into bite sized pieces and cook until browned and cooked through. Add onions and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes.   If you’re using dried basil, add it at this point.  Cook for about a minute. Add tomato paste and stir well to incorporate.

Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.  You can add the dry pasta to the soup in the last 8-ish minutes of cooking, or do as I prefer, and cook the pasta separately and add to individual servings. Right before serving, stir in fresh basil if you’re using fresh, and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.

To serve, place a generous dollop of the ricotta mixture in each soup bowl, add pasta if you cooked it separately, and ladle the hot soup over the cheese.  Let it sit for a minute for the cheese to get all melty, sprinkle mozzarella on top if desired and eat up.

Spicy Cashew Chicken

I found this recipe from Mommachelle a while ago but just got around to trying it out tonight. James and I liked it, Char liked the cashews, and Cabey thought it was fun finger food. Mason, on the other hand, said that it was a little gross. (But seeing as he has become pretty picky, that doesn't mean all that much.) At any rate, we will certainly eat this dish again, especially since it was incredibly easy! I even messed up and cooked the chicken with the cornstarch instead of adding it with the sauce at the end and it still was great! Seriously, a quick and easy meal!

Here is the original recipe (with my two cents) and directions from Mommachelle's blog:

Cashew Chicken (with a kick)
2 chicken breasts  cubed
1 tbsp cooking sherry* (I didn't use this. The author said that she didn't need it so I went without.)
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce (I used about 4)
¼ cup oil
1/2-1 tsp red pepper flakes (I used about 3/4 tsp since I have little picky eaters)
3 green onions, sliced diagonally
2 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tsp of jarred minced garlic)1/2 cup cashews, unsalted
toasted sesame seeds (I didn't use these)
lightly or unsalted cashews. (I could only find the regular salted cashews so I used nearly a whole smallish can of them)
sauce:
4 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
4 tsp sugar
2 tsp white vinegar

Combine 1 tablespoon soy sauce with the cooking sherry* in medium sized bowl. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces, put chicken pieces in soy/sherry mixture. Let sit while you prepare the other ingredients.

In a small bowl, whisk 4 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 1/2 tbsp corn starch, 4 tsp sugar, and 2 tsp vinegar. Set aside. Slice the green onions, and measure out the red pepper flakes and minced garlic. 

Drain chicken in strainer to get the marinade off as much a possible. Heat oil in a wok over high heat.  Add red pepper flakes to oil,stir a couple times. Add chicken all at once, let sit for a minute or two till golden,then turn chicken. Add garlic to chicken. Cook chicken till golden on all sides and cooked through. drain oil if there is still an excessive amount. Add cashews. Move wok off hot stove and immediately pour in sauce while constantly turning chicken over to cover everything in sauce. Sauce should thicken quite a bit, if you want it thicker put it back on medium heat for about 5-10 seconds, and stir, stir, stir. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds and add sliced green onions. Serve over Rice. ENJOY!

Creamy Garlic Pasta

I didn't take this picture but doesn't it look good?

I was inspired to put together a food blog by a new friend of mine here in Kansas. Whenever she tries a new recipe on pinterest (or wherever) and likes it enough to make it again, she posts it on her blog so that she can easily find it later. On my first time visiting her blog, I came across this recipe and we have eaten it a zillion times ever since. Seeing as that was only in December (oink!), it is safe to say that it is a new family favorite!

We Siegs have also made this with regular spaghetti noodles and it works just as well. However, we found that you have to add a lot more chicken broth as the pasta cooks. If the chicken broth is nearly gone while boiling the pasta, just add a little extra until it reaches the right consistency.

Ingredients

2 tsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp butter (I didn't notice the difference when we left this out so we never have added it since)
¼  tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
3 cups chicken stock
½ lb spaghetti or angel hair pasta (I just eyeball this. I found that even when I add a more liberal amount, it still taste great and seems just as creamy.)
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
¾ cup heavy cream
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (we make this with dried parsely and it tastes great. Just add 2 teaspoons instead of tablespoons.)

Directions

1. In a pot, bring the olive oil to medium-low heat. Add the garlic and stir, allowing it to cook for 1-2 minutes. Mix in the butter until melted. Add the salt, pepper and chicken stock. Raise the heat to high and let it come to a boil. 
2. Once it is at a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook for as long as the box’s directions indicate. Reduce the stove to medium heat and mix in the parmesan until completely melted. Turn off the heat and stir in the cream and parsley. Serve immediately.

Serves 6-8 easily

Recipe from The Cheese Pusher 

Hey there! I put this blog together in hopes that we can all share the great recipes that we love with each other to keep dinner more fun and interesting! Whether it is a recipe found on pinterest, found in a favorite cookbook, or a classic that has been in the family forever, PLEASE SHARE!