Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Potato Cheese Soup

Potato Cheese Soup
by: Stephanie
(I modified this recipe from a Betty Crocker recipe I have for Potato Soup)


3 medium potatoes (about 1 pound)
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth (I use organic)
4 medium green onions with tops (sliced and ready to sprinkle in soup) reserve some for garnish
1 cup milk (I use 1%)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup fresh grated medium cheddar
1 cup fresh grated sharp cheddar
salt and pepper (to taste)
thyme leaves (if desired...but i think this adds a lot of flavor)

1. Peel and cut the potatoes in to LARGE pieces
2. Heat chicken broth and potatoes until boiling in saucepan over high heat, stirring occasionally with a fork to make sure potatoes don't stick. Once mixture is boiling, reduce heat just enough so that there are still gentle bubbles. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes (until fork tender)
3. When potatoes are done, remove saucepan from heat, but do not drain! Break potatoes into smaller pieces with a potato masher or large fork....mixture should still be lumpy.
4. Stir milk, salt, pepper, thyme and onions into potato mixture. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
5. When mixture is hot, NOT BOILING, add cream and stir until thick
6. Add grated cheeses and stir until melted, make sure soup doesn't boil....test and see if more salt, pepper or thyme are needed.
7. Serve hot, topped with bacon, chives, and cheese

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Homemade Ingredients

Homemade Ingredients

Here is a link from Pioneer Woman (shared by my friend Susan Reid) for a bunch
of common items you can make at home!

Click Here

Cheese Straws

Cheese Straws
From Food Network/Barefoot Contessa
Shared by Sarah Kleberg

Cook Time:15 minLevel: EasyYield: 22 to 24 cheese straws

Ingredients
2 sheets (1 box) frozen puff pastry (such as Pepperidge Farm), defrosted overnight in the refrigerator
Flour, for dusting
1 extra-large egg
1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup finely grated Gruyère cheese
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Roll out each sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured board until it is 10- by 12-inches. Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water and brush the surface of the pastry. Sprinkle each sheet evenly with 1⁄4 cup of the Parmesan, 1⁄2 cup of the Gruyère, 1⁄2 teaspoon of the thyme, 1⁄2 teaspoon of the salt, and some pepper. With the rolling pin, lightly press the flavorings into the puff pastry. Cut each sheet crosswise with a floured knife or pizza wheel into 11 or 12 strips. Twist each strip and lay on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until lightly browned and puffed. Turn each straw and bake for another 2 minutes. Don't over bake or the cheese will burn. Cool and serve at room temperature.

Chicken Salad

Chicken Salad
From the Kitchen of Kim McManus

I like to use grilled chicken (but you can use your favorite kind of chicken) in bite size chunks
Cherry tomatoes cut in half
Fresh parsley
Hellmann’s Mayo (it does make a difference)
Half-n-half
Lemon juice
Salt to taste
Dash of Black pepper
Garlic powder (optional)

Take about 4 very rounded tablespoons of mayo into a mixing bowl. Add juice from ½ a lemon. Mix together. Then whisk in half-n-half until it is a thick dressing consistency. Add salt to the dressing.
Add your chicken, tomatoes, and fresh chopped parsley to the dressing, add a dash or two of black pepper. And enjoy.

I use the garlic powder if the chicken doesn’t have a lot of flavor.

If I don’t have the fresh parsley then I’ll add fresh spinach leaves instead and it is equally as good. It is very yummy on crackers or fresh croissants.

My Granny’s Chocolate Cobbler

My Granny’s Chocolate Cobbler
From TastyKitchen/Pioneer Woman
Shared by Carolyn Schroder

Prep Time 15 Minutes
Cook Time 40 Minutes

Ingredients
1 cup All-purpose Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
¼ teaspoons Salt
7 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder, Divided
1-¼ cup Sugar, Divided
½ cups Milk
⅓ cups Melted Butter
1-½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
½ cups Light Brown Sugar, Packed
1-½ cup Hot Tap Water


Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
First stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, 3 tablespoons of the cocoa, and 3/4 cup of the white sugar. Reserve the remaining cocoa and sugar.
Stir in the milk, melted butter, and vanilla to the flour mixture. Mix until smooth.
Pour the mixture into an ungreased 8-inch baking dish. I prefer my small oval Corning Ware glass dish.
In a separate small bowl, mix the remaining white sugar (it should be 1/2 cup), the brown sugar, and remaining 4 tablespoons of cocoa. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the batter.
Pour the hot tap water over all. DO NOT STIR!
Bake for about 40 minutes or until the center is set.
Let stand for a few minutes if you can hold yourself back. Serve with homemade ice cream using the gooey sauce to spoon over all.

1-2-3 Blackberry Sherbet Recipe

1-2-3 Blackberry Sherbet Recipe
From Taste of Home

8 ServingsPrep: 10 min. + freezing

Ingredients
4 cups fresh or frozen blackberries, thawed
2 cups sugar
2 cups buttermilk
Directions
In a food processor, combine blackberries and sugar; cover and process until smooth. Strain and discard seeds and pulp. Stir in buttermilk. Transfer puree to a 13-in. x 9-in. dish. Freeze for 1 hour or until edges begin to firm. Stir and return to freezer. Freeze 2 hours longer or until firm.
Just before serving, transfer to a food processor; cover and process for 2-3 minutes or until smooth. Yield: 1 quart.

Nutrition Facts: 1/2 cup equals 249 calories, 1 g fat (trace saturated fat), 2 mg cholesterol, 65 mg sodium, 60 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 3 g protein.

ORANGE RICOTTA POUND CAKE

ORANGE RICOTTA POUND CAKE
From the Kitchen of Rhonda Moured

1/2 cups cake flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature, plus more to grease the baking pan
1 1/2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 orange, zested
2 tablespoons Amaretto
Powdered sugar, for dusting
1 pint strawberries, hulled and quartered or 3 oranges, cut into supremes
Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan with butter. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine.

***Here are notes from Rhonda: I find I have to let it cool longer than 10 mins, more like 30. If I don’t have amaretto in the house, I just use 1 tsp. of almond extract.***

Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, ricotta, and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the machine running, add the eggs 1 at a time. Add the vanilla, orange zest, and Amaretto until combined. Add the dry ingredients, a small amount at a time, until just incorporated. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean and the cake is beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 45 to 50 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Using a mesh sieve, dust the cooled cake with powdered sugar.

Meanwhile, place the strawberries (or orange supremes) in a small bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Let sit until the juices have pooled around the strawberries.

To serve, slice the cake and serve with a spoonful of strawberries and their juices over the top of the cake.

Friday, June 4, 2010

Ham & Veggie Calzones

Ham &Veggie Calzones
From the kitchen of Diana Brewster

2 pkgs of Pillsbury Thin Crust Pizza dough
1 large Zucchini/chopped
2 Med Carrots
4 Cups of fresh grated Colby cheese or 1 1/2 pkgs of pre-shredded cheese
1/2 med onion/deiced
A few thin Slices of deli ham broken into pieces

Spread out one pizza crust on a large cookie sheet or stone (if you have it) layer half of the grated cheese, zucchini, carrots, ham and onion. Then sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top of the veggies and ham. Then place the top crust on and seal the edges. Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with a little garlic salt and Parmesan cheese 5 minutes before cook time is up.

Asian Beef Pasta

Asian Beef Pasta
From the kitchen of Diana Brewster

8 oz of Linguine uncooked
2 cups of broccoli florets or frozen peas
3 med sized carrots
2 Tablespoons of oil
1 lb of Beef sirloin steak cut into to strips or Beef chunks used for stew
1/4 C Italian dressing
1/4 C of Teriyaki Sauce
1tsp ground ginger

Cook pasta as directed on the box, adding broccoli and carrots to the cooking water for the last 2 to 4 minutes of the pasta cook time. Drain pasta mixture.
While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large skillet, add meat and cook until browned on all sides. Stir in dressing, teriyaki sauce and ginger. Cook until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. Toss pasta and meat mixtures in a large serving bowl or in the pan.

Easy Apple Butter

Easy Apple Butter
From the kitchen of Diana Brewster

3 lbs of Granny Smith Apples cored, pealed and cut.
1/2 C of Apple Cider
2 C of firmly packed Brown Sugar
1 1/2 tsp of ground Cinnamon
1tsp of Nutmeg
1/2 tsp of cloves

Place apples and apple cider in a large pot, cook for 15 minutes on med/high heat. Turn heat to low and add the remaining ingredients. Transfer mixture to blender or food processor and precess until smooth. Return to pot and cook uncovered for 10 min stirring every 2 to 3 min. Store in a sealed jar.

Egg Casserole

Egg Casserole
From the kitchen of Diana Brewster

20 Eggs
2 Cups of Shredded Mexican 4 Cheese or a cheese of your choice
1 lb Sour cream fat free
2 Cans of Green Chilies
2 lbs of any meat (cooked) bacon, sausage, ham.
salt and pepper to taste
Konriko Greek Seasoning or some other type of seasoning of your choice such as onion or garlic

Bake in greased 9x13 pan at 400 degrees for 1 hour. Or bake them in muffin tins/well greased and freeze them for individual consumption. Note: This is an excellent breakfast for the early rising husband who desires a full breakfast in the mornings.

Cheesy Crab Melts

Cheesy Crab Melts
From the Kitchen of Diana Brewster

English Muffins
12oz of Crab Frozen Crab meat
Swiss Chesse Slices/ sliced thin
1/4 Cup of Mayo
1/4 Cup of Red Pepper/ diced

Preheat broiler. Combine crab, mayo and red pepper. Place on open faced English muffins and top with cheese. Cook under the broiler for 4 to 7 min.

Carrot Zucchini Bread

Carrot Zucchini Bread
From the kitchen of Diana Brewster

1 cup of Sugar
3/4 C oil
2 Eggs
1 1/2 C Flour
1 tsp Salt
1tsp baking powder
1tsp Cinnamon
1 C of grated carrots
1 C of grated Zucchini


Blend all the wet ingredients together with carrots. Mix all the dry ingredients and then mix with wet. Blend on Med speed for about 1 to 2 min.
Bake @ 375 for 45 minutes in one oiled loaf pan. Note: This is very easy to double and if desired you can substitute apple sauce for the oil.

Egg Rolls

Egg Rolls
From the Kitchen of Diana Brewster





One package of large Wanton wrappers
4 Chicken breasts
Garlic salt
1 package of coleslaw mix
1 large bottle of oil for frying
Duck sauce for dipping if desired



Pan cook chicken in 2tbs of Olive Oil sprinkle with garlic salt liberally
Once done shred chicken into small pieces with a fork
Mix in slaw mix with the chicken and sprinkle in so more garlic salt about 2 teaspoons



Heat oil on med-high for about 5 minutes until hot. You know the oil is hot when the egg rolls float right away when you put them in.



While oil is heating start wrapping your egg rolls, seal the egg roll with egg white

Place in oil and rotate in oil until golden brown, place on a plate with paper towel to soak any excess oil up.






***My adaptations are as follows:


For the chicken I place the chicken breasts in a 9x9 pan and season with sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder and then add 1/2 cup of chicken broth to the bottom of the pan. I cover with foil and bake at 375 for 40 minutes and let cool. Then I cut and add to the cabbage and carrot mixture that I also season with the above seasonings except I use Garlic Salt instead of sea salt on the veggies.

I also roll all of my egg rolls before I begin heating the oil so that they are ready and I can be cooking and directing my attention to the fried rice that I also make in conjunction with these egg rolls.

Tomato Zucchini Casserole

Tomato Zucchini Casserole
From the Kitchen of Lisa Jewell

2 cups Mozzarella Cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 tsp dried Oregano
1/2 tsp fresh Basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
2 medium zucchinis, thinly sliced
5 tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/4 cup butter
2 tbsp finely chopped (can use dried onion)
3/4 cup fine bread crumbs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Lightly butter a 9x9-inch pan
2. In a large bowl, combine Mozzarella, Parm, Oregano, basil, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
3. Arrange half of the zucchini slices in the pan. Sprinkle 1/4 of the cheese and herb mixture on top. Arrange half of the tomatoes, and top with another 1/4 of the cheese mixture. Repeat layers.
4. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in onions, and cook until soft and translucent. Stir in breadcrumbs; cook until they have absorbed the butter. Sprinkle on top of casserole.
5. Cover loosely with foil, and bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake until the top is crusty and the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

Monster Cookies

Monster Cookies
From the kitchen of Lisa Jewell

3 eggs
1 1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 12oz jar of peanut butter
1 stick of butter, softened
1/2 cup m&m's
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 tsp baking soda
4 1/2 cups quick oats

Line baking pan with parchment paper (optional). Combine eggs and sugars. Mix well. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter and butter. Mix well. Stir in m&m's, chocolate chips, baking soda and oats. Drop by the tablespoon 2 inches apart. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

Springtime Butter Cookies

Springtime Butter Cookies
From the Kitchen of Lisa Jewell

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar

Combine butter and sugars in a large bowl. Beat at medium speed until creamy. Add egg and vanilla, continue beating. Reduce speed to low, add flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Beat until well mixed. Divide dough in half. Wrap up on plastic wrap. Refrigerate for two hours. Roll out dough (thin) and use favorite cookie cutters, keeping other half of it in the fridge. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes