Sunday, February 28, 2010

Bonnie's Buffalo Chicken dip

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, about 2 pounds, poached and shredded with 2 forks (my crockpot is great for this but however you want to cook them is fine)

1 - 12 ounce bottle Frank's Hot Sauce
2 - 8 ounce packages cream cheese
1 - 16 ounce bottle of Ranch Dressing
1/2 cup celery chopped
8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese or combo thereof
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a 13x9x2 inch baking pan, combine the shredded chicken and entire bottle of Frank's sauce, spreading to form an even layer. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream cheese and entire bottle of Ranch dressing, stirring til smooth and hot. Pour this mixture evenly over the chicken mixture. Sprinkle celery evenly over all. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Then, add the shredded cheese and bake for another 20 minutes uncovered or til bubbly...don't let the top get too browned or it will be hardened. Remove and let stand for 10 minutes and serve with celery stalks or sturdy corn chip dippers (or spoons, like my 20 year old son says..lol!) Men in particular seem to go wild over this dip.

Congratulations Molly on your Successful VBAC!

From all of us, to you and your family - Congratulations on following through with your convictions and successfully having your VBAC. Elijah is very lucky to have such a strong mother. We can't wait to hear about all the mischief your two boys will get into together in the future.

We loke you hard, we love you to pieces, and we are so proud of you.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Banana Bread

Banana Bread

Submitted by BFF Stefanie (My Mom's Recipe)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients:

1 cup of flour
1/2 cup of sugar
1 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of salt
6 very ripe bananas
2 whole eggs
1/2 stick of butter

In a mixing bowl, mash the bananas and put aside

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl

Mix the bananas into the dry ingredients

Melt the butter (in microwave)

Beat eggs by hand until well mixed and add to the dry ingredients

Add butter

Mix all the ingredients very well (watch for any lumps of flour, baking soda or powder)

Grease a bread pan (with cooking spray or margarine) and pour the bread into pan

Bake for about an hour (testing with a toothpick to the center)

Bread should be firm (not gooey) and browning.

Mexican Casserole

Easy Mexican Casserole
Submitted by: ANDREALF63 via www.biggs.com
Ground beef, salsa and chili beans are layered with tortilla chips and sour cream and topped with melted cheese in this tasty dish.
Servings: 6

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
2 cups salsa
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans, drained
3 cups crushed tortilla chips
2 cups sour cream
1 (2 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh tomato
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground beef until no longer pink. Stir in salsa, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in beans, and heat through.
3. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread crushed tortilla chips in dish, and then spoon beef mixture over chips. Spread sour cream over beef, and sprinkle olives, green onion, and tomato over the sour cream. Top with Cheddar cheese.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Quinoa

Serves 2 EASY (as main course 4 as side)

  • 2 cups seafood (or vegetable) stock - My preference is vegetable stock
  • 1 cup Quinoa
  • half sweet onion chopped - I sub out just a white onion, not necessarily sweet
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 table spoon olive oil
  • half cup Cilantro chopped
  • half cup cherry tomatoes sliced in half - I use grape tomatoes and quarter them
  • 4 leaves fresh basil
  • 1 boiled egg chopped - I increased the boiled egg to 2
  • pinch salt and pepper (to taste, less is more)


Heat olive oil in pot
Saute chopped onion, minced garlic add salt and pepper
Add seafood stock and bing to a boil
Add cup of Quinoa reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes COVERED

After 15 min stir Quinoa and turn off heat

Add remaining ingredients and stir well

Recover and let sit for 1o more minutes

Serve!

Mozzarella Ranch Chicken

Ingredients:
1 pk. dry hidden valley ranch
2 T olive oil
3/4 cup bread crumbs
chicken breasts, sliced thin
mozzarella cheese
garlic
sauted mushrooms

*pan fry in breading before putting in oven

Directions:


Preheat oven to 350º. Marinade the chicken in the olive oil and some garlic for about an hour. Mix the ranch packet with some breadcrumbs and coat the chicken. Add to a baking dish coated with non stick spray. Bake for about 40 minutes until no longer pink. Add mushrooms on top of chicken then the mozzarella cheese and put back into the oven until the cheese melts.

Buffalo Chicken Bites

http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipes/buffalo-chicken-bites-685160/

The chicken is coated in spices prior to frying and is delicious on its own without any sauce--perfect for those who do not want the kick. To make this more of a meal, serve with mashed potatoes and a salad on the side--along with cut up carrots and celery sticks. Preparation Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 20 minutes Servings: 6
Ingredients
  • SAUCE
  • 4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup hot sauce, such as Frank's Louisiana Hot Sauce or Texas Pete's
  • 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
  • SEASONING
  • 3 teaspoons cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 3 teaspoons Kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • CHICKEN BITES
  • 1 cup peanut oil
  • 1 1/2 pound boneless chicken breasts, cut into small bite-sized pieces
  • Cut up celery and carrot sticks
  • 1 cup blue cheese dip or salad dressing

Instructions
  1. Make the sauce by melting the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Whisk in the hot sauce, sugar and vinegar until combined. Remove from the heat and set aside. Taste and adjust seasonings, if desired. (Add melted butter for a mild flavor or add some Tabasco sauce to kick it up a bit.)
  2. Make the seasoning by mixing together the cayenne pepper, black pepper, salt, and flour on a plate. Place chicken into flour and press down to adhere the flour. Place peanut oil in a deep fryer or skillet--over medium-high heat (375 degrees). Remove chicken from the flour, shaking off any excess and place in hot skillet, in a single layer without crowding. Fry, turning once until golden crisp on all sides, about 2 to 3 minutes per side, depending upon heat of the oil. The oil will get hotter over time, so the second batch will cook faster--adjust the heat accordingly. Remove the chicken from the oil and drain on paper towels. Repeat steps with remaining chicken.
  3. If you would like to keep some chicken plain, set those pieces to the side. Transfer the remaining chicken to a large mixing bowl, pour the sauce over the chicken and toss until coated. Pour off and reserve excess sauce. Serve chicken bites with cut up celery and carrot sticks and blue cheese dip.

Lobster Fondue (Red Lobster Copycat)

http://www.recipezaar.com/Lobster-Fondue-Red-Lobster-Copycat-170763

SERVES 4 -6 (change servings and units) Ingredients

Directions

  1. Take the cap off the bread and hollow it out being careful to do it in chunks you can serve with the fondue.
  2. Spray the inside of the bowl and extra pieces of bread with light olive oil and broil till golden.
  3. Combine all other ingredients except red pepper and parsley in a sauce pan (if you are subbing with crab don't add here or it will lose it's lumps).
  4. Heat on medium low till cheese is melted.
  5. Stir in pepper (and crab if using).
  6. Pour as much as will fit into bread bowl.
  7. Garnish with parsley and serve hot with fondue forks.
  8. You will need a bread knife to cut the bread bowl up into chunks toward the end.

Stuffed Pork Chops

Extra thick pork chops are stuffed with a tasty bread filling and baked to perfection.
  • 6 center cut pork chops, 1-1/2" thick
  • 6 oz. fresh bread cubes
  • 1/2 cup diced celery
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1 T. chopped parsley
  • 1 large egg - lightly beaten
  • 2 T. butter
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
Preparation -
Slice each pork chop horizontally through the meat to form a pocket. Set the chops aside. Combine all the ingredients, except the pork chops in a large bowl and mix together well. Stuff an equal amount of the bread filling mixture into the pocket of each pork chop. Spray a large shallow baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Arrange the stuffed chops in the prepared pan. Cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil. Bake in a preheated oven at 375º for about 50 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil from the pan and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the chops and stuffing are nicely browned.

My Aunt's Kahlua Cake

1 box Chocolate cake mix
1/2 tsp veg. oil
1 package of instant pudding mix (6 oz)
4 eggs
3/4 cup of Kahlua
1/2 cup of water
Mix together and bake for 45-50 minutes
(best if you use a bundt cake or tube cake pan)
While cake is in cooling, mix 6 tablespoons of Kahlua and 1 cup of confectioners sugar.
Poke holes cake while in pan and pour in mixture.
Let set for 2 hours.
Drizzle with melted white chocolate if desired.

Chicken Ala Zing

Preheat oven to 302 degree Fahrenheit
4 chicken breast fillets - no bone (cut into cubes)
1 green pepper
Mushrooms
A packet of brown onion soup
½ cup of smooth apricot jam
1 cup of mayonnaise
1 cup of cold water
1 heaped teaspoon of flour
Method
Cut your fillets into cubes, slice mushrooms and green pepper (season as you want, I usually just add salt, pepper, some herbs and chicken spice). Place in an over proof dish.
In a separate bowl, add the jam, mayo, water, brown onion soup and flour. Stir all the ingredients together. Add to the chicken.
Put in the oven covered; keep it there for 1½-2 hours. (Taking it out every 30 minutes to stir). Uncover for the last 15 minutes to brown.
Serve with rice and a green salad.

Contributed by BFF Clauds via the BFF thread
Posted by Heather

Milky Way Cake

This is a luscious, rich cake. This favorite old recipe means a lot to me, since it was given to me by a good friend, Sharon. One thing you can count on... it is really nice and moist!

What you Need:

6 large Milky Way bars
2 stick margarine (used separately)
2 c. sugar
4 eggs
2 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. buttermilk
2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. nuts

Icing:
2 Milky Way bars
1 stick margarine
2 tbsp. milk
1 (1 lb) box powdered sugar

Melt candy bars with 1 stick of margarine. Set aside. Cream sugar and other stick of margarine until creamy; add eggs one at a time. Blend in flour, soda, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add Milky Way mixture and nuts. Pour into greased 9x13 in pan and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

Icing: Melt candy bars, margarine, and milk together; add powdered sugar and beat well. Spred on cake.

Baked Eggs

This is for all you BFF Egg lovers!! I know I saw a few of you, who like me, could eat eggs any and every way! My Grandma used to make these for my cousin and I when we would spend the night. Yummy!

9 Eggs
3 c. Milk
3 slices bread, cubed
1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. grated cheese
onion, chopped

Beat eggs. Add milk, bread, mustard, salt, cheese, and onion. Pour into a greased 9x13 in pan. refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until done. Let stand 20 minutes, then cut into squares and serve.

Sausage-Rice Casserole

1 lb sausage
1 pkg onion soup
1 pkg cream of chicken soup
4 1/2 c. water
1 c. white rice
1 can mushrooms
cheese

Brown sausage and drain. Cook together soup mixes, rice, and water until rice is done. Mix together and add desired amount of cheese of your choice; pour into a buttered casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour, or until heated through and bubbly.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Breakfast Quesadillas

I made this Christmas morning for a light breakfast in 2002. These were amazing, and I seriously questioned how good they could be considering you were mixing cheese and applesauce. I mean, cheese and apples sure...but applesauce? Let me tell you - this was VERY decadent! It's super cheap and easy to make too!

Ingredients:

1 jar chunky applesauce
1 pkg grated cheese (or grate your own from a brick)
Cinnamon
Sugar
Tortilla shells

Directions:

Prepare a pan just as you would for regular quesadillas. Place first side down into pan, then spread applesauce onto the shell. Top with cheese, cinnamon and sugar. Place the other tortilla shell overtop and cook as you normally would a regular quesadilla. You can flip while cooking as well if you wish, and this can be cut into 8 pie slices.

Perfect for a light breakfast when you know you'll be having a VERY large meal later on.

Sex In A Pan

This is a recipe my mother used to make for her adult guests...us kids used to BEG to have some, but we were relegated to the leftovers the next day. Still very tastey, but it's even better when it's freshly served!!

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped pecan nuts
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 butter
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup icing sugar
1/2 tub of cool whip
1 pkg pudding (we like chocolate)

Directions:

Combing nuts, flour, and butter and mix well. Press it into a 9 x 13-inch pan. Bake at 350 F 20-25 minutes. Cream together the cream cheese and icing sugar, and spread evenly over the nut/butter/flour mixture. Spread the cool whip over top of the cream cheese mixture. Make up the package of pudding as per directions and let it thicken for 5 minutes. Spread it evenly overtop of the cool whip. Spread and remaining cool whip over top of the pudding. Sprinkle with grated semi sweet chocolate.

This dish needs to be kept cool to serve, otherwise it's one big chocolatey gooey mess (not that it doesn't taste good though).

Frozen Snicker Pie

I got this recipe at a WW meeting back in 2002. YUM. No wonder I never lost weight doing this diet, lol. They always had ways to eat JUNK!

Ingredients:

2 cups frozen vanilla yogurt (or ice cream) slightly softened
2 tbsp peanut butter
1 box chocolate pudding
8 oz container cool whip

Directions:

In a large bowl mix peanut butter into ice cream. Add pudding mix and stir until combined. Add whipped topping and stir until well blended. Pour into 9-inch pie plate and freeze.

Maple Baked Sweet Potatoes

I tried these once in Missouri, and I was hooked. These are delicious little morsels :o)

Ingredients:

1 sweet potatoe (peeled)
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp maple syrup

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cut sweet potatoe into slice 1/2-inch thick & place on a greased cookie sheet. Dab a small amout of butter on each slice. Bake in preheated overn for 50 minutes. Remove from oven and drizzle with maple syrup. Place back in oven for another 10 minutes.

It's like eating candy!

Meadows Taco Salad

This is a recipe from my MIL. It's not necessarily a recipe, but just all the ingredients you need to make an awesome taco salad :o)

Ingredients:

1 head Romaine Lettuce
2-3 different coloured peppers diced
1 stalk of green onion chopped
1 lb ground beef
1 pkg Taco seasoning (or just chili powder and cumin like i normally do)
2 diced tomatoes
Shredded Cheese (however much you want)
1 can kidney beans
1 bag Tostitos
1 tub sour cream
French Dressing

Directions:

Brown ground beef with kidney beans til cooked (I like to add diced onions to this mixture as well). Add taco seasoning and simmer until dissolved. While simmering, prepare lettuce for salad and any other ingredients that need some slicing.

To serve, put lettuce onto a plate, then add your vegetables, then crunch up the tostitos on top of that. Follow with the meat mixture, shredded cheese, and sour cream. If you want dressing, the French dressing is a great addition.

Variations:

We've been adding salsa, refried beans, and guacamole. YUMMMM. It's basically a layer salad, but with yummy taco ingredients.

Caribbean Chicken Curry

Can you tell I like chicken? My husband is getting pretty sick of it, but I could eat it all the time. This recipe came to us from the newspaper back in 2004. My mother was away on business and I was trying out new recipes on my Dad and my husband. This one was a keeper.

Ingredients:
2 large bananas cut into pieces
2 tbsp curry powder
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp dry mustard
3 tbsp butter
grated zest of 1 lime (you grate with the small cheese holes the entire lime rind)
4 tsp lime juice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
3/4 cup water, more if needed
4 bone-in chicken breasts, skin removed
1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley (optional)

Directions:

Heat the oven to 450 F. In a food processor or blender, puree the bananas, curry powder, coriander, dry mustard, butter, lime zest, lime juice, salt, pepper, and 1/4 cup of the water.

Make a few deep cuts in each chicken breast and put the breasts in a roasting pan. Pour the curry sauce over the chicken, making sure the sauce gets into the cuts. Roast in the bottom third of the oven until the chicken is just done, about 20 minutes.

Remove the roasting pan from the oven and remove the chicken breasts from the pan. There should be plenty of thick sauce in the bottom of the pan. Set the pan over moderate heat and whisk until the sauce is heated through, adding more water if you want a thinner sauce.

To serve immediately, arrange the chicken pieces on plates, pour the sauve over them and sprinkle with parsley. To make ahead, refrigerate the chicken and sauce together, covered. To serve, heat gently on medium low until the meat is warmed through. Sprinkle with Parsley.

I honestly thought when I tried this recipe that I would hate it, the ingredients just didn't make sense to me. It was DELICIOUS.

ETA: Oh - I found out where the recipe came from..."Quick From Scratch Chicken Cookbook"

Cocoa Quickies

This recipe has made it's rounds everywhere. I have no idea who the original owner of it is, but it was in a hand-bound family cookbook submitted by a family member. I love these, and they are delicious whether right out of the pot, cooled, or frozen. YUM.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup margarine or butter
2 cups of white sugar
1/2 cup milk
6 tbsp cocoa
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup shredded coconut

Directions:

Mix all ingredients except oats and coconut in a large saucepan, bringing to a full rolling boil. Allow to boil NO LONGER THAN 3 MINUTES. Remove from heat and add the colled oats and coconut, and mix it all together. Then drop by the tbsp onto waxed paper.

Once cooled, you can place them into cookie tins for freezing, or enjoy them right away.

One thing I'd love to do sometime with this recipe is add some peanut butter. I think I would probably add about 1/2 a cup to the original mixture that comes to a boil.

Magic Cookie Bars

Another pilferred recipe...this time using Eagle Brand condensed milk. The recipe and instructions even have cut out lines so you can add it neatly to your recipe collection, lol.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 (14 oz) can Eager Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk (I use no-name all the time)
1 (6 oz) package semi-swee chocolate morsels
1 (3-1/2 oz) can flaked cocunut (I've never seen it canned, I just use the stuff in a bag)
1 cup chopped nuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 (325 for a glass dish). In a 13 x 9-inch baking pan, melt butter. Sprinkle crumbs over butter; pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumbs. Top evenly with remaining ingredients; press down gently. Bake 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned. cool thoroughly before cutting. Store, loosely covered, at room temperature.

We freeze our baked goods...these freeze quite nicely, and thaw out just fine.

Rocky Road Snack Cookies

Totally pilferred from an old Readers Digest I'm sure, but this is a holiday favourite! Here's what the article says:

"Here's a man-sized dessert that's quick and easy. Rocky Road Snack Cookies. Make 'em with any flavor of Pillsbury Refrigerated Slice 'n Bake Cookies and Kraft Miniature Marshmallows. Serve 'em with this hearty, quick-to-fix menu...a corned beef sandwich, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, and a big glass of milk, topped off with Rocky Road Snack Cookies."

I love it, lol "man-sized dessert"

Ingredients:

1 roll Pillsbury Refrigerated Slice 'n bake cookies, any flavor
15.4 oz package Pillsbury Creamy Fudge Frosting mix or Creamy Double Dutch Frosting Mix
1 cup Kraft Miniature Marshmallows
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup chopped nuts, if desired

Preheat oven to 375, Grease 8 or 9-inch square pan. Slice cookie dough 1/4-inch thick and overlap slices in bottom of prepared pan. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned (Cookies will be puffy when removed from oven). Cool 15 minutes. In a medium sauce-pan, melt butter in water. Stir in frosting mix; blend well. Remove from heat; stir in miniature marshmallows and nuts; spoon over cookie base and spread. Cool; cut into 24 bars.

Sounds yummy to me!! When I get my scanner back up and running I should scan some of these old recipes too, lol.

Sassy & Saucy BBQ Chicken

When I was doing my Weight Watchers program back in 2002 after my son was born, there was always great recipes that were easy to make. This is one that most people have all the ingredients for already. I loved it because it's easy to make, it's pretty cheap, and supposedly it's healthy for you, lol.

Ingredients:

1 cup of either BBQ sauce or Ketchup
1 cup of Pepsi/Coke/7-up/Sprite (I used to use diet to keep my calories low)
6-10 Chicken Strips
***If using Ketchup, you will need the following:
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

Cook chicken pieces and mix all ingredients together in pan until chicken is done. Take the chicken out and let the sauce boil down to a thicker texture. Once it's thickened, add the chicken back to the sauce to coat.

This tastes great with a side of stuffing too!!

Peanut Butter Bon Bons

3 cups rice crispies
4 cups powdered sugar
2 cups peanut butter
1 stick margarine
1 package almond bark or chocolate chips (although you might want to have extra on hand)

Mix rice crispies and powdered sugar in a large bowl. Melt peanut butter and margarine together and pour over rice crispies mixture. Mix with hands and form in to 1/2" balls (small). Chill. Melt chocolate chips or almond bark. Dip balls in chocolate. Place on wax paper. Chill. Makes 100.

Pecan Pie Bars

Pecan Pie Bars
Servings: 48

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups light corn syrup
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3 tablespoons margarine, melted
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease the sides and bottom of one 15x10 inch pan.

2. In a large bowl combine the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, margarine or butter and salt until the mixture resemble coarse crumbs. Press firmly into the prepared pan.

3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 minutes.

4. In a large bowl stir the eggs, corn syrup 1 1/2 cups white sugar, melted margarine and vanilla until blended. Stir in the chopped pecans.

5. Spread the filling evenly over the hot crust. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 minutes or until set. Let cool before slicing.

Egg Casserole

Ingredients:

1 lb. R.B. Rice brand Italian Sausage
1 lb. R.B. Rice brand Hot Pork Sausage
1 small onion
1 small Red Pepper
10 eggs
3 cups milk
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 box seasoned croutons
1 can cream of mushroom soup

Directions:

1. Grease 9 X 13 baking dish. Pour croutons in bottom of the baking dish.

2. Brown sausage; add onion and red pepper about half way through browning of the sausage. Drain sausage well and then layer on top of the croutons.

3. Combine eggs, 2 ½ cups of the milk, and cheddar cheese in bowl and then pour over sausage.

4. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

5. Combine cream of mushroom soup and ½ cup of milk and spread over top of casserole. Bake for 1 ½ hours on 350.

Corn Casserole

1 can whole kernel corn
1 can creamed corn
1 box jiffy corn muffin mix
1 egg
1/2 cup butter
1 red pepper
1 small onion
1 cup sour cream
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Sauté red pepper and onion in butter until tender. Mix all ingredients and pour into 9 X 13 inch baking dish.

Bake on 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Aunt Cheryl's Avocado Salsa

1 16 oz. package of thawed frozen corn
2 2¼ oz. cans of sliced ripe olives
1 medium chopped sweet red pepper
1 small chopped red onion
Mix all above Corn Mixture

Mix the following and pour on the Corn Mixture and stir.
1/3 cup of olive or vegetable oil
5 minced garlic cloves
¼ cup of fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons of cider or white wine vinegar
½ teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon of pepper
1 teaspoon of dried oregano

Refrigerate over night.

Before serving -
slice 4 medium avocados into bite-size pieces and stir the pieces into the salsa.

I have made this many times and it is always the first thing to go. Yummy.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Fried Pork Chops with Cream Gravy

From Southern Living

1 c all purpose flour
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground pepper
2 lbs boneless center-cut pork chops (about 4-6 chops)
1 c buttermilk
3 Tbs vegetable oil
1 c fat free milk
1/4 tsp salt

Reserve 2 Tbs flour. Place remaining flour in a shallow dish. Add seasonings and stir to mix. Rub chops with flour & seasonings, then dredge in buttermilk, then in flour again. Cook in oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Drain on paper towels. Add remaining flour to pan drippings, stir in milk and heat through. Use a whisk to keep gravy from getting too lumpy. Serve over chops.

Sauteed Sesame Chicken

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins
3 Tbs light soy sauce or teriyaki sauce
2 Tbs dry sherry or sweet red wine
1/2 tsp ground ginger
3 Tbs cornstarch
4 Tbs sesame seeds

Blend dry ingredients (except sesame seeds) in a zip-top bag. Add liquids. Marinate chicken and coat thoroughly for at least an hour. Roll in sesame seeds. Saute in 1/4" vegetable oil on medium-high heat. Serve with honey to dip.

Sausage Broccoli Chowder

This is a recipe that I got from my friend Jennifer. It really gets better after a few days in the fridge. To reheat, you may need to add more milk or cream to get the desired consistency.

1 lb bulk Italian pork sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 Tbs butter or margarine
2c broccoli florets
2-3 carrots, dicied
2 cans (14.5 oz each) chicken broth
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
9 oz cheese tortellini, cooked & drained
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp thyme
2 qts cream
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese

Cook and crumble sausage until no longer pink. Remove to paper towels. In the same skillet, melt butter, saute onions, mushrooms and garlic until tender. Set aside. In a large, heavy stockpot, cook broccoli and carrots in broth until tender. Stir in sausage and mushroom mixture. Add soup, tortellini, and spices. Heat through. Stir in cream and cheese.

Reheat leftovers by adding cream or whole or 2% milk.

Aunt Thelma's Crab Casserole

Yup, I had a great-aunt Thelma

1 lb crabmeat, picked through
1-1/2 c cracker crumbs (ritz or similar)
1 c mayo
4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 c milk
3 Tbs butter
salt & pepper

Mix 1 c cracker crumbs with melted butter and set aside. Rinse, drain and pick through crab to remove any leftover shells. Mix all other ingredients together with crab. Put crab mixture into a buttered casserole dish, top with buttered crumbs. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Serve warm with crackers or baguette

Macaroni and Cheese

This is a fairly grown-up version of the classic

1 box pasta
1-1/2 Tbs butter
1-1/2 Tbs flour
2 c milk
1 tsp dry mustard
splash Worcestershire sauce
splash Tabasco or similar hot sauce
2 c (or more) grated extra sharp cheddar cheese

Cook and drain pasta according to directions.

Meanwhile, make a roux with butter and flour. To make roux, melt butter until just bubbling, and add flour to make a paste. Add milk when roux is dark and fragrant, and stir to thicken. Add mustard, Worcestershire, and Tabasco. Mix well. Add cheese and stir until totally melted.

Put pasta in a casserole dish, pour cheese over top, turn over to mix well. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until the edges are brown and crispy.

Nancy's Cold Noodles with Hot Sauce

This is a recipe from one of my family's friends, Nancy.

12 oz oriental-style noodles (ramen)
2 Tbs sesame oil

Boil noodles according to package directions, if you use ramen, discard the flavor packet. Drain, rinse, run under cold water. Return to pot and toss with sesame oil

Mix in a bowl:
2 Tbs creamy peanut butter
3 Tbs soy sauce
3 Tbs teriyaki sauce
1 Tbs rice vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp fresh ground ginger
2 tsp fresh minced garlic
1 Tbs (or more) hot chili sauce
ground pepper

Mix all sauce ingredients well. Pour over noodles and toss to coat. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.

Add in a few tablespoons of chopped plain peanuts, and sliced green onion.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Stuffed Mushrooms

I make these on a pretty regular basis. Everyone loves them and they dont seem to last very long after they come out of the oven! I am always asked to bring them for family get togethers and you will soon know why after you taste them!

You will need:
2 prepackaged containers of mushrooms of your choice (I usually use Portobello)
1 8oz block of softened cream cheese
1 roll of sausage (i use the Jimmy Dean Spicy but any kind will do )

What you do:
Let the cream cheese sit at room temperature until softened, or microwave it for about 30 seconds.

Brown sausage in a skillet, then drain.

Mix together the sausage and the cream cheese using a spoon. (don't use an electric mixer like Ive done in the past! Makes it too thin!)

Remove stems from mushrooms and wash mushrooms well.

Spoon in about 1tsp or how much you desire into the mushroom cavity. Overflow it a bit

After all mushrooms are filled, place in a glass baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for about 7-10 minutes, or until tops of mushrooms are a little brown.

Cool, and enjoy! :)

Beam Me Up Scotch Eggs

My friend Tammy is low-carbing with me right now, lucky for her she doesn't have much weight to lose. Somebody wise once said the person who joins a weight loss group, or starts out on their own to drop pounds with only a few to lose is the smartest person out there. I wholeheartedly agree - it's pretty dumb to wait until you're just so far gone you feel it's hopeless.
Anyway - I give you this recipe that Tammy recommended to me.

Ingredients:

4 Sausages (I choose the ones with very little ingredients...basically pork, and spices.
1 large egg
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper (I have a grinder)
6 hardboiled eggs

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 and spray a cookie sheet. Peel the cooled hardboiled eggs and put off to side. Take sausage meet out of it's casing (I find it cheaper to buy sausage in the casing then ground pork meat), and mix well by hand the egg, cheese, salt and pepper. Once it's all blended together, the trick now is to get the meat to surround the egg. It takes a bit of practice, but it does work. It might feel a bit too slimy because the one egg really moistens it up. Once all the eggs are covered, you can place each one onto the cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 30-45 minutes or until the sausage meat is done. I put a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top of them as well.

Variations:

There are MANY variations you can use for this, including diced onions, garlic, and peppers. You just slice them up finely and add to the meat. You can also use more then just sausage meat. My friend enjoys using ground turkey, ground beef, and ground pork. I was also thinking about rolling them around in either the parmesan cheese or flax meal. When I went to research this on the Internet, there was also recipes for a creamy dipping sauce that sounded good. People use this recipe as an appetizer, though I ate it as my main meal. Anyway - this was delicious and highly recommended

The Best Pasta Salad

To be coupled with The Best Burger

1 box (1 lb) dry pasta of a fairly small shape--rotini, salad shells or macaroni
1-2 cups frozen peas
1/4 cup (or more) mayonnaise (I am particular about mayo, and will ONLY buy Duke's or Sauer's. If you're not located in the South, you can buy Duke's online at www.dukesmayo.com)
1/4 c crumbled bacon bits
1/2 c or more shredded cheddar cheese
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix

Cook pasta according to directions. In the last minute or so of cooking, toss peas in the water with the pasta. Drain pasta & peas, rinse in cold water. Place pasta & peas in a large bowl. Add mayo, bacon, cheese & dressing mix. Stir to coat everything. If you find you need more mayo, add until you get the consistency you like. Chill & serve.


You can also find the ranch mix in a large canister--I believe there are instructions on equivalent measures for a packet. I always eyeball it, maybe it's about a tablespoon or so?
You may also add other chopped veggies, such as green onions, sweet peppers and shredded carrots.

Kim's Salad

This is a salad that I literally dream about. Our nanny Kim made it for our families at Thanksgiving, and I had dreams about not being able to find all of the ingredients, and being totally bummed by that prospect. She adds other variations that I mention at the end. But these are the ingredients from the Thanksgiving salad

Serves 4 adults
Mixed greens (whatever variety you like; I find that 2 bags of washed greens feeds 4 people)
1/2 red onion, sliced thin
Grape tomatoes, halved
English cucumber, cut lengthwise and then sliced
Fresh dill
4 oz crumbled feta cheese
Juice from half a lemon
Olive oil
Cracked pepper

Wash and dry greens; prepare other veggies. Pick a fairly sizable bunch of dill (a few full stems) and snip with kitchen shears. Add feta, toss salad to mix. Squeeze lemon, and drizzle with about a tablespoon of good quality olive oil. Crack some fresh pepper over top, and stir again to coat with dressing.

Kim has added cilantro, avocado, and I recently added toasted pecan pieces and dried cranberries.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Muffin In A Minute

So I'm on this low-carb kick. I have been since the beginning of August '09. To date I've lost 75 lbs, so I must be doing something right, right? Anyway - I just found this super awesome recipe for a single serving of muffin, and I ate one this morning and it was DELICIOUS! Seriously, it had the consistency of a real muffin, and it was pretty darn good too!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup flax meal
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp cocoa powder (the original recipe called for cinnamon)
1 tsp splenda (or if you aren't low-carbing it, just real sugar)
1 large egg
1 tsp melted butter

Directions:

Mix all dry ingredients in a coffee cup, then stir in egg and butter. Microwave on high for 1 minute, and VOILA! Muffin in a Minute :o) It makes a great breakfast because it cooks so quickly. I sliced it in half and buttered both sides.

Make sure you soak the coffee cup afterward though...it will get a bit crusty if you don't.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Greek Garden Salad

From my days of working at the grocery store in the salad bar, this recipe is theirs - and I absolutely LOVED it, and didn't want to pay the money to buy it from them, so make it at home now. It's YUMMY!

Ingredients:

5 Vine Ripe Tomatoes (I like to dice mine)
1/2 red onion thinly sliced
1 english cucumber sliced & quartered
Feta Cheese (to your taste - I love lots, others like a little)
Oregano (again - to your taste, I like a little, some like a lot)

Directions:

Dice tomatoes, slice onion, slice & quarter cucumber, crumble feta cheese, and sprinkle on the oregano all in the same bowl. Mix together, and either serve immediately or let it sit in the refrigerator for a few hours to let the flavours all blend together. I find that the longer I let it sit, the more tomatoe juice collects at the bottom mixing with the feta, cucumber, onion, and oregano flavour so it's kind of it's own dressing.

It's Shake 'N Bake - An I Helped! Flax Chicken

Went out and bought some flax meal last night to up my fibre count...I figure it can't hurt. So, I couldn't fit it all into the ziploc bag I put into the fridge, so left some out. Decided I wanted to do something with it, and this evening I figured it out! I made FLAX Drumsticks! They are VERY tastey, and I'm actually eating them right now as I type.

Ingredients:

10 drumsticks (or equivalent wings)
1/4 cup flax meal (that's ground up flax so it's not the seeds)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 tbsp Chicken seasoning (I buy Club House...I'm sure there are many different varieties, and quite honestly this would probably be fine with just salt and pepper, or any other spices you want with it)

Directions:

Place all dry ingredients into a large ziplog bag. Shake it around a bit with the bag closed to mix all ingredients. Place 5 chicken legs (or wings) into the bag, and shake around like you would Shake 'n Bake. Then you can line them on a greased cookie sheet, and do it again with the other 5. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes at 350 degrees, and VOILA!

I have paired this with some Lipton's sidekicks pasta for my husband, and I'm just eating a side salad with it. Can pretty much go with anything. When my husband ate his, he told me it was almost like eating fried chicken. I'll take that compliment anyday!

It's also gluten-free, so I can feed this to my Daddy! YUM!! Time to go finish my meal now, lol.

Breakfast Burritos

Submitted by BFF Jamie
(borrowed from my friend Kelli)
Breakfast Burritos
Servings: 6 - 8

Ingredients:
1 lb breakfast sausage
8 eggs
1 package hash browns (refrigerated kind)
16 oz. shredded cheese
Flour tortillas

Brown sausage in skillet over medium heat. When sausage is almost fully cooked, add hash browns and cook until tender, stirring occasionally.
In a bowl, beat eggs. Once hash browns are done, add eggs. Stir frequently until eggs are cooked through, mix in cheese.

Warm tortillas in a skillet, or in the microwave. Add egg/sausage mixture and enjoy!
***yum***

Beer Bread

I was reminded of this by a facebook friend who said he craves beer and bread. What a better way to have them, than to combine them? This recipe is from foodnetwork.com, but there are a lot of variants out there. This recipe can be made safe for allergic folks, if you sub out butter for a safe margarine.

Keep in mind that the quality and flavor of the beer will affect the flavor of the bread. We've had good success with darker beers, and I think I may have tried a stout once.

3 cups self-rising flour
1/2 cup sugar
12 ounces beer
2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Butter a loaf pan and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and beer and mix well. The mixture should be sticky. Pour into the loaf pan and bake for 55 minutes. At the last 3 minutes of baking, remove from oven, brush the top of the loaf with butter and return to oven.

Sally's Chicken

This is a recipe from my mother's cousin's (?) ex-fiancee, Sally. It is a family favorite in our house, but apparently, it's in a lot of southern cookbooks. Tasty nonetheless!

1 boneless skinless chicken breast per person
1 slice of uncooked bacon per person
1 slice of chipped/dried beef per person
1 can cream of mushroom soup (for 2-4 people)
8 oz sour cream (for 2-4 people)

Heat oven to 275 degrees.
Pound chicken flat to about 1/4" thickness. Lay chipped beef on the inside of the chicken breast. Roll chicken up around the beef, wrap with a slice of bacon. Place rolled chicken breasts in a lightly greased baking dish, touching the sides of the dish, and each other, "seam" side down. An 8x8 baking dish works well for 4 chicken breasts.

Combine soup and sour cream in a bowl. Pour mixture over chicken in the dish.

Bake at 275 for 3 hours, or until cooked through. Great with baked or mashed potatoes, rice or egg noodles--serve the sauce over the starch!

Friday, February 19, 2010

Eggless Chocolate Mousse

From Dianasdesserts.com

Many of you know that preggo women aren't supposed to eat raw eggs. Well, most people really shouldn't eat them because of the fear of contamination with salmonella, but I guess, from what all the books say, it is a far worse threat to pregnant women. So, what's a chocolate-craving preggo to do?

This mousse is extremely easy, and very rich and decadent. I found this recipe after my sister unknowingly made "real" chocolate mousse for Christmas dinner the year that I was pregnant with my first. And it is now my go-to chocolate mousse recipe, because honestly, the thought of eating raw eggs is just not appealing to me at any time.

> 6 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chopped (I always use Ghiradelli)
> 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped
> 1/2 cup low-fat milk (who keeps low-fat milk in the house! Whole or 2% is fine)
> 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier (optional, but even preggo, I always put it in, because for the most part, the alcohol cooks out, and is such a small amount anyway. I have also subbed Cointreau, but any flavored liqueur with your favorite flavor will do)
> OR 1 tsp anilla extract
> 1 cup heavy cream
> 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Combine semisweet chocolate, unsweetened chocolate and milk in heavy small saucepan. Stir over low heat until chocolates melt. Mix in the Grand Marnier or vanilla, if desired. Let chocolate mixture stand until cool to the touch yet still fluid (if chocolate is not cool enough, it will seize into tiny flecks when folded into the whipped cream).

Using an electric mixer, beat the heavy cream and sugar in a large bowl just until stiff peaks form (do not overwhip or you'll end up with butter). Using whisk, fold some chocolate mixture into the whipped cream. Then, add remaining chocolate mixture and fold until just combined. Spoon chocolate mousse into 6 wine goblets, teacups or ramekins, and chill. Can be made 1 day ahead.

Top with fresh fruit, like raspberries, orange slices, or a sprig of mint. Or, whip up some more cream, dust with cocoa powder or chocolate shavings. Or just eat it.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Homemade Spaghetti and Meatballs

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/02/spaghetti-meatballs/

submitted by BFF Jamie

Prep Time: 25 MinutesCook Time: 1 HourDifficulty: EasyServings: 8
Ingredients
  • Meatballs:
  • ¾ pounds Ground Beef
  • ¾ pounds Ground Pork
  • 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
  • ¾ cups Fine Bread Crumbs
  • 2 whole Eggs
  • ¾ cups Freshly Grated Parmesan
  • ¼ cups Flat-leaf Parsley, Minced
  • ¼ teaspoons Salt
  • Freshly Ground Black Pepper
  • Splash Of Milk
  • ½ cups Olive Oil
  • Sauce:
  • 1 whole Yellow Onion, Diced
  • 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
  • 1 whole (28-ounce) Can Whole Tomatoes
  • 1 whole 28 Ounce Can Crushed Tomatoes
  • ½ cups White Or Red Wine (optional)
  • ¼ teaspoons Salt
  • 1 teaspoon Sugar
  • Freshly Ground Black Pepper
  • ¼ cups Flat-leaf Parsley, Minced
  • 8 whole Fresh Basil Leaves, Chiffonade (optional)
  • 2 pounds Spaghetti, Cooked To Al Dente
Preparation Instructions
To make the meatballs, combine meat, garlic, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, eggs, salt, pepper, parsley, and a splash of milk in a mixing bowl. Mix together well with hands. Roll into 25 1 1/2-inch balls and place on a cookie sheet. Place cookie sheet into the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes to firm up.
To brown the meatballs, heat olive oil in a heavy pot or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add meatballs 8 at a time, turning to brown. Remove and drain on a paper towel after each batch. Set meatballs aside.
In the same pot, add the onions and garlic and cook for a few minutes, or until translucent. Pour in whole tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, and wine, if using. Add salt, pepper, sugar, and parsley. Stir to combine and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes.
Add meatballs to pot and stir in gently. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, stirring very gently a couple of times during the simmer.
Just before serving, stir in basil if using.
Serve over cooked spaghetti. Sprinkle with extra Parmesan.

*** personal note: this is the ultimate preggo craving for me right now!!***

Sunday, February 14, 2010

The Best Burgers


Now, some of these measurements are a little sketchy, because I eyeball a lot. These can be grilled, or pan-fried.

Makes 6-8 burgers, depending on size

6-8 slices bacon, uncooked
2 slices white bread, or fine-textured wheat
About a cup of milk
2-2.5 lbs ground round or chuck (85/15 or 90/10)
1 envelope onion soup mix
1-2 tbs teriyaki sauce
1 tsp liquid smoke

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lay bacon out on a foil-lined jelly roll pan so that no pieces overlap. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes. Set bacon aside, and drain on paper towels

Meanwhile, place bread in a large bowl, and slowly pour about half the milk over top. Begin to mix with your hands, forming a liquidy paste. Add more milk if it gets too gummy. Bread should be nearly dissolved, but the mixture should still have some substance to it. Add meat, soup mix, teriyaki and liquid smoke. Add 2-3 tablespoons of rendered bacon grease. Mix together to bring everything together, but do not overmix. Form into patties, about 6 oz each (the size of a baseball). 2.25 lbs will yield 7 burgers.

If you are pan-frying the burgers, heat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, and add about a tablespoon of rendered bacon grease. Don't crowd the pan--there should be space around all the burgers, otherwise they'll steam and not cook. Cook burgers on one side without moving them, about 5 minutes. Turn burgers over, there should be a nice deep brown crust on the burgers. Reduce the heat to medium low, and continue cooking 5-7 minutes, or until juices run clear. Cook in batches until all burgers are done.

To grill burgers, preheat gas grill, or charcoal. Cook 3-4 minutes per side, flipping several times, depending on how fast or slow they are cooking.

Serve with bacon, barbecue sauce and cheese.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Vodka Sauce...minus the vodka

This is originally a Rachael Ray recipe...her 'You Won't Be Single for Long Vodka Cream Pasta'.
Sometimes I include the vodka, sometimes I leave it out...depending on if we have some in the house...but it's delish either way.

What you need:
~1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
~1 tbsp butter
~2 cloves garlic, minced
~2 shallots, minced (i usually just use an onion)
~1 cup vodka (optional)
~1 cup chicken stock
~1 can crushed tomatoes (32 oz.)
~salt and pepper to taste
~1 lb cooked pasta (penne is a good one)
~1/2 cup heavy cream

What you do:
~heat a large pan and add oil, butter, garlic, shallots
~sautee until shallots have softened
~add vodka
~reduce vodka by half (about 3 min.)
~add chicken stock, tomatoes
~bring to a bubble then reduce to a simmer
~season with s&p
~stir in cream and return sauce to a bubble
~remove from heat and toss with pasta

What you can do:
~i like to toss in peas or mushrooms for a change of pace sometimes
~sausage is delish, also....i used some meatballs this last time and they went along well

and of course....some nice crusty bread to slop up that sauce is a must!

ENJOY!

Smore Cupcakes

submitted by BFF Jamie


http://www.bakerella.com/smore-or-less/

S’more Cupcakes
Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup cocoa
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup milk
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup oil
6 jumbo marshmallows cut in half, plus more for decorating
Graham Cracker Crumb topping
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted
Ganache
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda together with a wire whisk.
Separate the mixture in half into two bowls.
Stir cocoa into one bowl and the graham cracker crumbs into the other.
Add 1/2 cup milk, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/4 cup oil to the cocoa mixture and beat on medium until combined.
Repeat adding the same ingredients to the graham cracker crumb flour mixture.
Prepare the graham cracker crumb topping.
Add the brown sugar and crumbs in a small bowl and pour on the melted butter. Stir until combined.
Pour a little graham cracker cake batter into the bottom of your baking cups and then sprinkle the topping mixture lightly on the surface.
Place a marshmallow half on top and then cover the marshmallow with the chocolate cake batter until it is about 3/4 full.
Sprinkle with more topping mixture.
Bake cupcakes for about 15 minutes. Place a cookie sheet underneath when you bake just in case. I had a little bit ooze over into the oven. Oops.
This recipe will make at least 12 cupcakes. I had a some batter from each left over so you can probably get more like 14-16.
Let cool and top with ganache.
Heat the butter and cream on the stove. Heat until just before it boils. Remove and pour over chocolate. Stir until completely melted and smooth.
Pour over cupcakes and add more marshmallows if you desire.
Enjoy!

Cocoa Quickies - A Christmas Tradition

Every year for as long as I can remember, my Mom has been making Cocoa Quickies. We received the recipe from a small hand-made booklet that was given out to all our relatives one year with a collection of recipes from everybody. These are delicious, and very simple to make. They require absolutely NO baking, and you can really adjust it to suit your needs.

Ingredients: (I usually double or triple this recipe since for Christmas baking, we're looking for LOTS of dessert)

1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
2 cups white sugar
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup shredded coconut (optional)

Instructions:

Bring milk, butter, sugar, and cocoa powder to a rolling boil in a large sauce pan (I use the stock pot because we always double or triple the recipe) stirring to get it all blended. Boil this for one minute. As soon as you hit that one minute mark of a full rolling boil, remove from heat and add the rolled oats and coconut stirring it all together. Drop small cookie size amounts onto wax paper and let set. Once they have cooled, they should be hardened and you can either indulge then, or put aside in cookie tins for your holiday meals later.

***This recipe can be altered to suit your needs. Milk can be substituted, and coconut can be omitted. You can also add things such as 2/3 cup peanut butter, or half a cup of chopped nuts (i prefer peanuts, but you could try anything you think might work well)

One word of caution for this recipe...they are completely and entirely addictive. When I was growing up, my brother was known to sneak into the freezer at night and snack on these so by the time the Christmas parties started, there were hardly any left. So I suggest either locking your freezer, threatening your kids with their lives, or just baking more for them to indulge in as well. I would choose option three...seems the easiest since this recipe can be doubled or tripled with ease.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie - SUPERB!

My Dad was diagnosed with Celiac Disease right after my son was born back in 2002. He had been losing a lot of weight, his "movements" weren't right, and when bloodwork was done right before the diagnosis he was severely anemic. When the official diagnosis came in, I went straight to work finding out all I could about this auto immune disorder. In the process, I also started to change some of my cooking processes. Thanksgiving came around, and it was time to make the annual Pumpkin Pies. I had to come up with a plan.

Ingredients: (makes 2 pies)

Crust...
1 box gluten free corn flakes (I buy the stuff with a touch of honey in it)
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter

Filling...(dairy/egg free instructions at bottom)
1 can pure pumpkin
1 can evaporated milk
1 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground allspice
(or substitute for pumpkin pie spice found in the spice aisle at the grocery store...that's what I do, lol)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Grind up corn flakes in a food processor (I used to use the coffee bean machine) until the consistency of a course flour. I usually do about 20 seconds or so on each round of corn flakes. Add sugar and butter to a large bowl with the corn flakes and cut it all together either with a pastry blender, or two knives. Once all ingredients are blended, take about 1/4 cup out of the mix and put aside. Then split the remaining between two pie plates and flatten it out to make your crust. Do your best to fill all the holes in with what you have, however if you just can't make it - you have that extra 1/4 cup sitting aside to help you.

In another large bowl, beat the eggs together, and then slowly add all ingredients, stirring them as they meet. Eventually this will make a very soupy concoction, but it will smell great. If you want to, you should taste the filling to make sure it is spiced up enough. If not, feel free to add more. If you want it sweeter, add more sugar. Once it's to your liking, pour the filling on top of both pie crusts and place the pies on a cookie sheet.

Put the cookie sheet with the pies on top into the oven for 20 minutes. At the 20 minute mark, drop the head down to 350 for anywhere from 45 to 60 minutes depending on how your oven operates. Once it's finished, pull it out and give it the fork test (you know...stick a fork in it, pull it back out...if it comes out pretty clean, it's done).

You can serve this with whipped cream, or ice cream, or just plain.

***This can be made dairy free and egg free by substituting the milk for rice milk and the eggs with tapioca. In fact - the one time I tried making the recipe like that was the only time my Dad congratulated me on getting the recipe to taste exactly as he remembers as a child.

Southwestern Tacos

submitted by BFF Jamie


http://www.delish.-tacoscom/recipefinder/southwestern-202


Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup(s) reduced-fat sour cream
  • 1/4 cup(s) unflavored low-fat yogurt
  • 3/4 cup(s) bottled mild salsa
  • 1 tablespoon(s) fresh lime juice
  • 2 teaspoon(s) lime peel, grated
  • 1/4 teaspoon(s) hot red pepper sauce
  • 12 ounce(s) (about 4 cups) deli-cooked turkey breast, shredded with fork or fingers
  • 1 package(s) ( 10-ounce) frozen corn kernels, thawed, substitute one 11 1/2-ounce can corn kernels, drained
  • 1 (about 1 1/4 cups) large firm, ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1 inch chunks
  • 1 (about 1 cup) medium-size fresh, ripe tomato, cored and cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 1 cup(s) fresh cilantro leaves
  • 8 plain flour and/or whole wheat tortillas, about 8 inches in diameter
  • Fresh cilantro sprigs and lime wedges, for garnish


Directions

  • In small bowl using wire whisk or fork, beat sour cream, yogurt, salsa, lime juice, grated lime peel, and hot red pepper sauce to blend well; set aside.
  • In large bowl combine shredded turkey, corn, avocado, tomato, and cilantro leaves; toss gently to mix.
  • Divide turkey mixture among tortillas; spoon some of dressing over each portion before rolling tortillas up. Serve garnished, if desired, with cilantro sprigs and lime wedges. Makes 4 to 8 servings. Note: If desired, fresh corn kernels may be used instead of frozen or canned. Cut kernels from 3 or 4 ears to measure 1 1/3 cups; cook 3 minutes in boiling salted water until crisp-tender. Drain; cool.

Spinach-Stuffed Chicken Breast

submitted by BFF Jamie

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/spinach-stuffed-chicken-breasts-for-104488.aspx

What You Need!

1/3 cup water
2 Tbsp. KRAFT Roasted Red Pepper Italian with Parmesan Dressing, divided
2 cups chopped fresh spinach leaves
2/3 cup STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken in the Canister
1 Tbsp. coarsely chopped roasted red peppers
2 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1/2 lb.), pounded to 1/4-inch thickness
1/4 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Make It!

HEAT oven to 350°F.
BRING water and 1 Tbsp. dressing to boil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Stir in spinach, stuffing mix and peppers; cover. Remove from heat. Let stand 5 min.
PLACE chicken, top-sides down, on cutting board; spread with stuffing mixture. Starting at 1 short end, tightly roll up each breast. Place, seam-sides down, in 8-inch square baking dish. Brush with remaining dressing.
BAKE 35 min. or until chicken is done (165ºF). Top with cheese; bake 5 min. or until melted.

*** personal note: this was one of the best "try it and pray" internet recipes I have tried in a while.

Crockpot Pot Roast

This recipe can be dairy-free. The ingredients I've used and listed by name are dairy-free, but you need to read labels yourself, especially if you're cooking for someone with allergies.

1 boneless chuck roast (3-4 lbs or more)
Salt & pepper to taste
1 TBS Italian herb mix
1 TBS cooking oil
Red wine (about half a cup)
8 oz sliced button mushrooms
1 can Great Value Beef Gravy (Wal-Mart brand) OR Campbells Golden Mushroom Soup OR Campbells Beefy Mushroom Soup OR Campbells Beef Broth

Rub beef with salt, pepper and Italian herb mix. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When it is lightly smoking, add the meat to the pan. Do not move the meat, but let it sit and caramelize on one side. When the meat will lift easily from the pan (after a few minutes), flip and repeat on the other side. When seared on reverse, add meat to the crockpot. Turn stove off, pour wine into hot pan to deglaze. Scrape up all the bits of fond in the pan and allow the wine to thicken. Pour wine/fond mixture over meat. Add mushrooms, and cooking soup to crockpot. Cook on high for 6-8 hours, or until meat falls apart.

You may also add sliced or chunked carrots, potatoes and onions to the crockpot.

To eat leftovers (if there are any!), heat meat and liquid on the stove. Add a little water to thin the liquid. Simmer on low-medium until heated through. Add 4-8 oz of Tofutti brand Better than Cream Cheese or Better than Sour Cream for a stroganoff-like mixture. Serve over rice or pasta.

Creamy Crockpot Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 brick (8 oz) cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese
1 can cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup
2 cups frozen peas
1 - 2 tsp dried tarragon
salt & pepper to taste

Cut chicken into 1" chunks. Cut cheese into 1" chunks. Add chicken, cheese, soup, peas & seasonings to crockpot. Cook on high for 4 hours, or low 6-8 hours.

Serves 4. Makes a fairly soupy consistency. Add more chicken to stretch the sauce or to serve more people

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Jane Surprise :o)

This recipe is my mothers', and while my husband would never admit it in front of her, it's one of his absolute favorite dishes.

Ingredients:

4 Chicken Breasts (preferably skinless and boneless)
1 Pkg Stove Top Stuffing (my husband likes the corn bread one)
4 slices processed mozzarella cheese
1 can spaghetti sauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray with Pam or use butter to spread on a cookie sheet. Lay chicken breasts flat on pan. Cook the stuffing as per directions on the box, and put a large dollop on each chicken breast. Spoon the spaghetti sauce on top of the stuffing, and bake for 45 minutes or until chicken is done. Pull pan back out of the oven and set the oven to broil. Then place the processed cheese over each chicken breast and place back in oven underneath the broiler. Let cheese bubble, and pull out.

Voila! Jane Surprise!

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