Asian Flank Steak Skewers

 Asian Flank Steak Skewers

From the kitchen of Erika Simmons

Recipe from Skinnytaste.com 

Makes: 6

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs flank steak, sliced thin
• 1 1/2 cups reduced sodium soy sauce (Use Tamari for Gluten Free)
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tsp fresh ginger
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 lime, juice of

Directions:

Soak wooden skewers in water about 30 minutes to prevent burning. Marinate the steak in all the ingredients for about 1 hour or more. 

Discard marinade and thread the sliced steak onto the skewers.

Heat your grill or grill pan to high heat; when hot grill a few minutes on each side until browned and cooked though.

Makes about 24 skewers.

Nutritional Info:

Serving Size: 4 skewers (1/6th) Old Points: 4 Points+: 4 pts
Calories: 150 Fat: 7.1 g Carb: 2.0 g Fiber: 0.1 g Protein: 17.9 g Sugar: 0.0 g
Sodium: about 400 mg (since most of the marinade is discard, it may be less)

Source: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2008/07/asian-flank-steak-skewers-4-ww-pts.html

Pulled Pork

Pulled Pork

From the kitchen of Beth Vincent

1can of beer

(Alternative: 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 cup beef broth)

Pork tenderloin

Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce

Serves 7-9

Place liquid of choice and pork loin in crock pot by 10am and ready to serve by dinner :) About an hour prior to serving shred meat and add BBQ sauce. Serves great on it's own or as sandwiches.

Chicken Tacos

Chicken Tacos:

From the kitchen of Beth Vincent

Items may be put in frozen or fresh :)

4 chicken breast

Corn

Peppers

Onion

Black Beans

Can of salsa

Place all items in the crock pot

Cook for 4-6 hours

About 30 minutes before serving shred the chicken w/ two forks (the chicken will be so tender!) Stir to let all the flavors mix. This taste so good on soft and hard shells. Add favorite topping!

Serves 5-7

Homemade Pizza Dough

Homemade Pizza Dough
From the kitchen of Melissa Williamson

Items needed: Bread Machine

Ingredients:

1.5 cups Warm Water
2 TBSP EVOO
4 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp yeast

Put into bread maker in that exact order, before adding yeast, make a well in the middle of the flour and then add.

This dough makes enough for two pizzas. I typically use one and then put one in the freezer (in a ziploc baggie) for the following week!

Morning Glory Muffins

Morning Glory Muffins
From the Kitchen of Margot Bass

2 1/2 cups sugar
4 cups flour
4 teaspoons cinnamon
4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
(sift together)
1 cup of raisins
1 cup shredded coconut
4 cups shredded carrots
2 cups diced or shredded apples
1 cup pecans (optional)
6 eggs
(add to dry ingredients)
2 cups vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
(add to mixture)


Bake @ 375 for 20 minutes
Makes 36 muffins
These are amazing! So filling with all the yumminess inside :)

Oatmeal Coconut Cookies

Oatmeal Coconut Cookies
From the Kitchen of Margot Bass

2 cups butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
(cream together)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
(add to the creamed mixture)
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 cups oats
2 cups coconut flakes
(mix & add to the creamy egg mixture)


I use my kitchen aide & it really makes the motor groan :) Don't get nervous it's dry dough...
You can easily 1/2 the recipe and that makes things easier on your arm or mixer.
Place a teaspoon mounds on a baking sheet @ 350 for 8-10 minutes.
as soon as they come out of the oven smash one Hershey bar square in the center of each cookie!
Enjoy at least one while the cookie's hot and the chocolate's gooey!

Baked Ziti

Baked Ziti
From the kitchen of Diana Brewster

One pound of Ziti noodles (cook for 10 mins)

Ricotta Cheese Mixture:

16oz Ricotta Cheese

1 egg

Half jar of sauce or if your sauce is homemade about 1 ½ cups

Garlic Powder ½ Teaspoon

Italian Seasoning 1 Teaspoon

½ Cup of Grated Parmesan Cheese

1 Cup of Grated Mozzarella Cheese

½ teaspoon Salt

Mix Everything together, it should be very moist

Add to the cooked pasta and stir. Add more Mozzarella Cheese if needed up to 1 cup more.

Layer 9x13 pan with sauce and then pour pasta mixture in. Top with sauce, mozzarella cheese and a sprinkling of Parmesan Cheese.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes
Note: ( you can double this recipe very easily, and if you like meat just add to the Ricotta Mixture)

Susan's Homemade Croutons

Susan's Homemade Croutons
From the Kitchen of Susan Reid

3-4T olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
6 (1 inch) slices French bread, cubed

Combine all ingredients in large zip loc bag; seal and shake well. Spread cubes on a 15X10 jellyroll pan; bake at 425 for 10 minutes, stirring after 5 minutes.

Shrimp, Crab and Avocado Salad

Shrimp, crab and avocado salad
From the Kitchen of Susan Reid


½ lb each cooked shrimp and fresh lump crabmeat

1 mango

¼ c each extra-virgin olive oil, rice wine vinegar, fresh lime juice

¼ c cilantro, minced plus sprigs for garnishing

1 jalapeno chile, minced

½ shallot, minced

sea salt and ground pepper

½ head butter lettuce

1 avocado, diced

lime wedges for serving



Peel and dice shrimp. Pick over crabmeat for shell fragments.



Peel, pit and finely dice mango. In a bowl, stir together mango, olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, cilantro, jalapeno, and shallot. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add shrimp and crabmeat and stir to combine.



Finely shred lettuce. In 4-6 clear glass tumblers, arrange lettuce in a layer on bottom. Top with crab mixture. Spoon avocado on top and garnish with lime wedges and cilantro sprigs. Serve at once.

Cheese Puffs...Basic Pâte à Choux (cream puff dough) Recipe

Basic Pâte à Choux (cream puff dough) Recipe
(paht-ah-shoo)
makes 20 medium puffs
From the Kitchen of Sherry Watkins

To this recipe, you can make savory (add 1 teaspoon kosher/sea salt) or sweet (add 2 teaspoons sugar)
1 cup water
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
1 cup flour
1 good pinch of salt
1 cup eggs (4 large eggs)
Preheat oven 425F.
1. In a medium pot, bring the water and butter to a simmer on medium heat. Add the flour and with a wooden spoon or spatula, stir very quickly in one direction. Carefully watch and you’ll see that the flour starts absorbing the liquid — and a dough will form. Keep stirring to continue cooking the flour and cook off some of the water, another minute or two.
2. You can do the next step one of two ways:
• Transfer the paste to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or to a bowl if you’re using a hand mixer.
• If you want to mix the eggs directly into the dough in the pot, let it cool slightly, 4 or 5 minutes, or cool off the pan itself by running cold water over its base if you will be mixing the eggs in that pot. You don’t want to cook the eggs too quickly.
3. Add the salt and the eggs one at a time mixing rapidly until each is combined into the paste. The paste will go from shiny to slippery to sticky as the egg is incorporated. The pâte a choux can be cooked immediately at this point or refrigerated for up to a day until ready to use.
4. Spoon the dough into a large gallon-sized plastic bag (or piping bag.) Use your hands to squeeze dough towards the bottom corner. With kitchen shears, snip off just the tippy tip of the bag, about 1/4″ of the tip. Pipe onto a baking sheet into little puffs, keeping the puffs 2-inches apart. With your finger, press down the peaks (as they can burn.) Bake at 425F for 10 minutes, then 350F for 18-30 minutes, depending on the size of your puffs.
To make gougeres (cheesy poofy puffs)
Stir in 1/2 cup finely grated gruyere cheese (or other grated hard cheese of your choice) + 1 teaspoon kosher/sea salt (1/2 teaspoon fine table salt) – I used a rasp/microplane grater to get ultra-light snowflakes of cheese so as not to weigh down the dough with heavy cheese. You can also sprinkle a bit of the cheese on top of the puffs after you’ve piped them.

White Bean Chili

White Bean Chili
From the Kitchen of Margot Bass

2-3 cooked chicken breast (shredded or cut into bite size pieces)
2 medium onions (minced/chopped)
2 garlic cloves
1 box (2 cans) chicken broth
4 cans (drained) Navy Beans
1 can chopped green chilis
3/4 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp red pepper
1/4 fresh cilantro

Cook over Medium heat for two hours.

Add low-fat Monterey Jack Cheese when serving!

Homemade Red Velvet Cupcakes

Homemade Red Velvet Cupcakes
By: Mommysavers.com
From the Kitchen of Amy Young

Ingredients:

3 ⅓ C. all-purpose flour
¾ C. (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 ¼ cups sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
6 Tbsp. red food coloring
3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa
1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 ½ C. buttermilk
1 ½ tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 ½ tsp. baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place muffin liners in muffin tins and spray them with cooking spray.

In large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add eggs until well-combined.

In a small bowl, whisk together the red food coloring, cocoa, and vanilla. Add to the batter and beat well. Next, add the salt and buttermilk. Stir again. Next, add the flour little by little. Beat until all ingredients are fluffy and well-combined without overmixing.

Next, stir together the cider vinegar and baking soda in a small bowl. Add the vinegar mixture to the the batter and mix well.

Pour the batter into cupcake cups and fill them 2/3 full. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool.

Frosting:

2 8-oz packages cream cheese, softened and cut into small pieces
6 Tbsp. butter, softened and cut into small pieces
1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
5 C. confectioners’ sugar

Cream the frosting ingredients together until smooth. Use to frost your yummy red velvet cupcakes after they’ve cooled completely.

Enjoy! You may just think your own version of the red velvet cupcakes are the best!

Blackberry Wine Cake

Blackberry Wine Cake
From the Kitchen of Brittany Farmer

1 white cake mix
1 (3-oz.) pkg. Blackberry Jello
1 c. Blackberry wine
1/2 c. oil
4 eggs
1/2 tsp. red food coloring.

Mix all ingredients together and beat on high speed for 4 minutes. Bake at 350 for 25 to 35 minutes. Glaze with powdered sugar thinned with blackberry wine or use the following frosting recipe.

Frosting

4-oz. Cream Cheese
1/2 stick butter
1/4 c. Blackberry wine
powdered sugar

Mix all ingredients together until desired consistency is reached.

Pecan Cheese Ball

Pecan Cheese Ball
From: Souther Living Christmas Cookbook via Susan Reid

2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese...softened
1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple, drained
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 TBSP finely chopped onion
2 tsp seasoned salt
2 cups Chopped pecans, toasted and divided

Combine first 5 ingredients; stir in one cup pecans. Cover and chill until firm.

Shape mixture into ball; roll in remaining 1 cup of pecans. Place cheese ball on a serving platter; serve with crackers and strips of bell pepper (red and green recommended). Cheese ball will be about 5 inches in diameter.

Fresh Cucumber Dip

Fresh Cucumber Dip
From the Kitchen of Margot

1 (8oz) cream cheese
1/2 cup mayo
1 TBSP lemon juice
2 Med. Cucumbers peeled, seeded and diced
4 green onion sliced
2 tsp fresh dill
3/4 tsp hot pepper sauce (I personally use more about 3 tsp extra)
1/4 tsp salt

Beat cream cheese, add mayo and lemon juice and beat until blended.
Stir in cucumbers, onions, dill, hot pepper sauce, and salt until well
mixed.

Cover and chill for 3 hours

Serve with crackers and veggies

Taco Soup

Taco Soup
From the Kitchen of Amy Young

Boil a half chicken, debone and shred meat and place in a huge pot
or brown 2lbs of ground beef or turkey
brown/saute 1 med chopped onion for 5 minutes

Add:
2 pkg taco seasoning
2 pkg ranch dressing mix
2 cans whole kernel corn drained
2 cans pinto beans (undrained)
2 cans kidney beans (undrained)
1 large can organic tomatoes diced (drained)
1 can rotel tomatoes (undrained) *my mother uses 2 cans
Several cups of water (use your best judgement)

Simmer for several hours on the stove. Season to taste.

Top your bowl with fresh cilantro and avocado!!
YUM

Apple Spice Muffins

Apple Spice Muffins
From the Kitchen of Kim Taylor

1 cup oil
3 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp allspice
2 cups peeled, diced apples
1 cup raisins
1 cup walnuts

beat oil, eggs, and sugar until smooth. Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl and gradually add to sugar mixture. Mix well after each addition. Stir in apples, raisins, and walnuts.

Spoon batter into greased muffin pan. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Beef Slices and Stuffing

Beef Slices and Stuffing
From the Kitchen of Marchelle Kern

An Easy 5 minute recipe for busy people like me who have kids in soccer, etc:

Stove Top Stuffing Mix,
Deli Roast Beef Slices (Thicker),
Canned Gravy. Make stuffing according to directions.

Put 1/2 cup stuffing on one end of Roast beef and roll up.
Top with gravy and microwave for one minute.
Look like gourmet, and tastes great!

Dried Cherry Scones

Dried Cherry Scones
From the Kitchen of Margot Bass

Easiest Scone Recipe I've ever used...make the dough the night before & you've got moist, yummy scones in the morning. The recipe is from a French breakfast & brunch cookbook. These are FABULOUS!!! I have made them with dried blueberries, raisins & they're even yummy plain :)

-3 cups all purpose flour
-1/2 cup sugar
-2 tablespoons baking powder
-1 1/2 teaspoons salt
-1 cup dried cherries
-2 cups heavy cream

Sugar Glaze
-2 tablespoons milk
-1 cup powdered sugar

1. Sift together all the dry ingredients.
2. Add the dried cherries to the dry ingredients.
3. Make a well in the center of the floured mixture and pour in the heavy cream.
4. Take off your wedding rings & mix the dough with your hands.
5. Use a round cake pan and 2 pieces of parchment paper.
6. Press the dough into the cake pan between the 2 pieces of parchment.
7. Freeze the dough/in the pan for at least 2 hours. (I usually just leave it in the freezer overnight)
8. Let the dough thaw for 5 minutes on the counter.
9. Pull away the parchment, using a large kitchen knife cut the dough into triangles.
10. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes on a lightly sprayed cookie sheet

The scones are great as is, but they're even yummier if you drizzle the sugar glaze over the top while they're cooling. They also taste scrumptious with a light sprinkle of sugar on top! Enjoy :)

Janet Anderson's Yummy Pound Cake

Janet Anderson's Yummy Pound Cake
From the Kitchen of Margot Bass (from her friend Janet Anderson)

-6 eggs (divide yokes & whites)
beat the 6 egg whites and set aside

-2 sticks salted butter (softened)
-3 cups sugar
cream together butter and sugar, then add the egg yokes one at a time.

-1 teaspoon salt
-2 teaspoons vanilla
-2 teaspoons almond extract
add to the creamed/egg mixture

-1 (8 oz.) container sour cream
add to the creamed/egg mixture

-3 cups all purpose flour
-1/4 teaspoon baking soda
sift together & slowly add dry to the wet ingredients
lastly, fold in egg whites

Bake in greased & floured pans
-325 for 1 hour & 40 minutes (large pan)
-325 for 1 hour (small pans)