Salad Dressing

I just snagged this off a friend's facebook post. It sounds so good that I wanted to make sure it was included here.

‎1/4 cup olive oil. 2 T maple syrup. 2 T lemon juice. 1 t dijon mustard. 1/2 t cumin. 1/4 t salt. 1/4 t red pepper. Dash of nutmeg. Throw in some toasted pecans if you have them. Just the right amount of spicy and sweet.

She recommended putting it on spinach salad with cranberries.

Baked Parmesan Cottage Potatoes

Janet, here's the potatoes I was telling you about.

Baked Parmesan Cottage Potatoes

3 tablespoons margarine or butter

3 medium potatoes, thinly sliced

1 small onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings

1/4 cup parmesan

garlic and pepper to taste

In a greased 9x13 inch pan arrange potatoes and onion in an even layer. Melt margarine, drizzle over the potatoes and onions. Mix your seasonings and parmesan. Sprinkle over the potatoes.

Bake in at 450 degrees, for about 25 minutes or till browned.

Peach Cobbler

I've been loving all of the fresh peaches on sale to make this lately, however you could really use any of your favorite fruits. The first time we didn't have quite enough peaches so I added a few pears into the mix, Yum!

Peach Cobbler

1 c. brown sugar
4 tsp. cornstarch
6 c. sliced fresh peaches

dash of lemon juice

Cinnamon, cloves and ginger to taste

1/2 c. - 1 cup milk (less milk makes it more like dumplings, more gives it a more cakey top)
1 tbsp. sugar
2 c. Bisquick
1 tsp. lemon rind

Combine brown sugar and cornstarch in saucepan. Add peaches and spices, toss to coat. Add a dash of lemon juice, stir. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until boiling and thick. Reduce heat and cook 2 minutes longer. Set aside.

Combine Bisquick, sugar, lemon rind. Add milk. Stir with fork until moistened. Return peaches to a boil. Pour into 2-quart oblong baking dish. Drop batter on top. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve with sauce.

Pasta Primavera

1/2 pound Basque Chorizo (or other flavorful sausage)
1 large onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 carrots, diced
3 stalks celery, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups zucchini, chopped

4-6 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped (I used 3 small Early Girls, 1 lg. Mortgage Lifter, 8 Juliettes (large variety of grape tomato), and 10 yellow cherry tomatoes. Variety improves the sauce.

Salt
Pepper
Italian Seasoning
lemon juice (just a splash)
Pasta of your choice

Saute the chorizo with onions, celery, garlic, pepper, and carrots (until translucent). Add zucchini and tomatoes and season to taste. Simmer for about half an hour. Prepare pasta according to package directions. We use about a pound of dry pasta- either spaghetti or bowtie. Add the cooked pasta to the vegetables. We serve this dish with cheese sprinkled over the individual servings. Add a salad and some fresh bread and this makes a lovely summer dinner!

Crock pot Sweet Potatoes with the leftovers in Sweet Potato Waffles

These were so good!  I had made this crockpot sweet potato recipe yesterday to have with our grilled chicken, and then tonight I made the waffles with some of the leftovers that I mashed.

Orange Spiced Sweet Potatoes

2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter cut into small pieces

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel

Juice of 1 medium orange

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

chopped pecans (optional)

Place all ingredients on the crockpot (except pecans), and stir.  Cover and cook on LOW 4 hours or HIGH 2 hours.  Sprinkle with pecans before serving if desired.

Sweet Potato Waffles

Dry ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Wet ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup mashed baked sweet potatoes
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature

Optional

• 1/3 cup finely chopped pecans

Preparation:

1. Pre-heat your waffle iron. Depending on the type of iron you have, you may need to lightly oil it. Use your experience with your own equipment in deciding.
2. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk them until well combined.
3. Separate the egg yolks from the whites, reserving both.
4. In a medium bowl, combine the milk, sour cream, mashed sweet potato, melted butter, and egg yolks. Whisk until well combined.
5. In a small bowl, beat the egg whites at a high speed for about two minutes. Stiff peaks should form when you lift the beaters. Set aside.
6. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients. Whisk until well combined, but do not over mix. The batter should be nearly smooth.
7. Fold in the beaten egg whites. If you are adding the pecans, you should fold them in now.
8. The batter is now ready for your waffle iron. The amount of batter and cooking time will vary according to the size and temperature setting of your waffle iron.

Notes:

• Sweet potatoes should be baked for 1 hour at 400 degrees. I do this a day in advance.

Holiday favorites

This is my brothers favorite thing at the holidays!

Aaron's Christmas Cookies

2 cups Captain Krunch

2 cups Rice Krispies

2 cups colored mini marshmellows

1 8oz jar roasted peanuts

1 1/2 lb almond bark

Melt almond bark and pour over all the other ingredients, mix well.  Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper.  Let set up.  Enjoy!

My comfort food

My comfort foods are pretty basic.  I love Chicken and dumplings, Beef Stroganoff, and my Mom's bread pudding.  I also love the hot artichoke dip that I've posted before, mostly because it reminds me of the holidays and parties, when you could always smell it cooking in the quiet right before everyone arrived.

Bread Pudding

4 cups milk

2 cups fresh bread cubes, packed

1 1/4 cup sugar

4 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 325-350.  Scald milk; add bread cubes and sugar.  Allow to stand 5 minutes.  Slowly pour mixture into bowl of beaten eggs, stirring constantly.  Add vanilla.  Place mixture into a well buttered 2 quart casserole and sprinkle with nutmeg.  Bake with casserole in a pan of hot water for 1 hour, or until knife comes out clean.

We serve hot with a little milk or cream poured over it.

Comfort Food

Octamom posted about comfort food this morning. It made me think about whether or not I'd ever posted my absolute favorite, amazing, birthday requested meal on our blog. After a quick scan of previous entries I did not find our recipe for Swiss Steak.
When I was young I used to spend every summer in Idaho with my grandparents (we lived in Las Cruces, New Mexico at the time). Grandma was the best cook ever and she made so many wonderful dishes that utilized the homegrown tomatoes and peppers from Grandpa's garden (a small one acre patch that was divided between the east and west sides of their house). This recipe is very simple and easy.

Here is Grandma Canfield's recipe for Swiss Steak.

2 pounds cube steak
2 quart jars of stewed tomatoes
1 large sweet onion, sliced thin
2 large bell peppers, sliced thin
flour
salt
pepper

Dredge the cube steak in flour and brown in oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Smother the browned steaks with the tomatoes, onion, and peppers. Cover and simmer for about an hour our until the steaks are tender.

We always serve Swiss Steak with pan browned potatoes (I'm not sure why they're called that). You begin with several moderate sized potatoes (not tiny, not quite baking size either). Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Use a sharp knife to score the top of the potatoes with a diamond pattern. Brush the cut side of the potatoes with butter or oil and place them in a buttered or oiled pan cut side up. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake for about 40 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

Steamed green beans with sweet onion slices are the preferred vegetable side dish to serve with the steaks. Peach cobbler usually rounds off the meal (we freeze sliced peaches when they are in season so that we have plenty to use throughout the rest of the year).

Wedding Pasta Salads

When my Husband and I got married my parents did the catering, these were the salads that we used.  At least the sauce for the curry salad.  Now they are catering a friends daughters wedding and I thought I'd post these while I was thinking of them.  I absolutely love these salads during the summer!

Chicken Pasta Salad

1 lb rotini, cooked

2 cups cooked chicken or turkey

2 large cans chunky pineapple

2 cups celery

3/4 cup chopped green onions

2 cups seedless grapes

slivered almonds, green pepper and salt & pepper to taste

Dressing:

1 cup mayonnaise (I only use Miracle Whip)

3 Tbs lime juice

1/2 tsp curry

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.  Stir in dressing.  Chill 3-4 hours.  Add nuts just before serving.

*optional dressing :  lemon juice and mayonnaise

Mostaccioli Salad

1 lb bag mostaccioli noodles  (cooked and drained)

Add to noodles:

2 med. Sliced cucumbers

1 med. Sliced onion

Dressing:

1 ½ C oil

1 ½ C sugar

1 ½ C vinegar

1 T onion flakes

2 tsp prepared mustard

1 tsp salt

1 ½ tsp pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 T parsley

Mix dressing and pour over noodles, onion and cucumbers. Let chill overnight and stir often. Takes on more flavor as it sets. It is still good after 2 to 3 days. Makes a lot!

Raspberry Cake

1 package white cake mix
1 (3 oz) package raspberry gelatin
1 (10 oz) package frozen raspberries, thawed
4 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup hot water

Frosting:

1 (12 oz) container whipped topping, thawed
1 (10 oz) package frozen raspberries, thawed

*I'm just reading my directions as I'm typing and they call for sweetened, frozen raspberries. I used plain old raspberries and we loved it.

In a large bowl, combine dry cake mix and gelatin powder. Add raspberries with juice, eggs, oil, and water. Beat until well blended. Pour into a greased 9*13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35- 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

For frosting, fold whipped topping into raspberries (I used real cream, whipped it and then fold the berries into the cream). Spread over the cake. Refrigerate for 2 hourse before serving. Store in the refrigerator.

Very Pink Strawberry Cake

This was my favorite cake as a child, in fact it came from a Strawberry Shortcake birthday card that I got one year.  But just a warning, it is very pink, and my parents remember this as being terribly sweet, which I think was from the icing.  On Janet's blog she talks about the cake she made for Jake's birthday and the frosting being whipped cream and frozen raspberries, you could probably do the same here just use the strawberry liquid or the other half of the strawberry package.

Very Pink Strawberry Cake

1 white cake mix

3 tbsp flour

1 (3oz) package strawberry gelatin

1 cup salad oil

4 eggs

1/2 cup cold water

1/2 small package frozen strawberries (thawed)

Mix cake mix, flour and gelatin.  Add oil. Beat in eggs.  Add water and strawberries.  Mix well.  Bake in two loaf pans greased and floured (we used round cake pans too) or 9x13 for 40 - 50 minutes at 350 degrees.

Very Pink Strawberry Icing

2 tbsp butter

2-3 tbsp strawberry liquid

1 cup powdered sugar

Melt butter, add strawberry liquid.  Mix in powdered sugar until spreading consistency.

Honey Oatmeal Wheat Bread

This is our family's favorite bread. It's simple to make, delicious, and with a yield of 3 loaves it's enough to last a couple days.

3 cups boiling water
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
3/4 cup warm water
3 pkgs. yeast (6 3/4 tsp)
1/2 cup honey or brown sugar (we always use honey)
1/3 cup canola oil
2 tsp salt
3-4 cups whole wheat flour (we use more like 5 cups)
4-5 cups bread flour (we just use enough to make a soft dough... don't even bother measuring)

1. Pour boiling water over oatmeal in large mixing bowl. Cool to lukewarm (or it will kill yeast).

2. Dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until foamy (or until oatmeal is lukewarm).

3. Add yeast to oatmeal mixture. Add honey and oil. Blend well. Add salt. Add whole wheat flour, stirring well after each addition. Gradually add bread flour, forming a soft dough. *

4. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead 5-10 minutes. Place dough in greased bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Let rise until double.

5. Punch down and form dough into 3 loaves. Let rise about 20 minutes.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Put on rack or board for cooling.

* I do steps 3 and 4 differently.

Add honey, oil, salt, and 3 cups whole wheat flour to oatmeal. This helps the oatmeal cool faster. Stir until well moistened. Add yeast mixture. Stir until yeast mixture is incorporated into dough. Add more wheat flour if desired. Stir until it begins to get stiff. Turn out onto well floured surface (several scoops of flour) and knead bread flour into dough until dough is no longer sticky and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and pliable.

I measure only the first 3 cups of wheat flour and only because I'm afraid the yeast mixture won't incorporate if the batter is any thicker than that.

Ezekiel Bread

Submitted to Taste of Home magazine by Roger Hawley in Valley Park, Missouri:

"If your Bible's handy, read Ezekiel 4:9 to find the inspiration for this recipe and it's title. This tender, chewy multigraing bread has a hint of sweetness."

3 pkg. active dry yeast (roughly 6 3/4 tsp)
5 cups warm water, divided
1 Tbsp plus 2/3 Cup honey, divided
2/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
4 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup toasted wheat germ
6 - 8 cups bread flour

Dissolve yeast in 3/4 cup warm water and add 1 Tbsp honey. Add the remaining water and honey, the oil, sugar, salt, whole wheat flour, wheat germ and 3 cups bread flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining bread flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky).

Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turn dough to coat. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down. Shape into four loaves. Place in 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pans (greased). Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 -35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

*I'm assuming the use of human or cow excrement to generate the 350 degree temperature is optional.

Here's a dinner roll recipe for you Janet!

Hawaiian Dinner Rolls

Ingredients:

• 1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, undrained
• 1/4 cup warm pineapple juice (70° to 80°)
• 1/4 cup water (70° to 80°)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, cubed
• 1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3-1/4 cups bread flour
• 2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup flaked coconut

Directions:

In bread machine pan, place the first 10 ingredients in order suggested by manufacturer. Select dough setting (check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or flour if needed). Just before final kneading (your machine may audibly signal this), add coconut. 
    When cycle is complete, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Cover with plastic wrap; let rest for 10 minutes. Divide into 15 portions; roll each into a ball. Place in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes or until doubled. Bake at 375° for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 15 rolls. 

*I found this recipe on the Taste of Home Website, I keep meaning to try it bit haven't yet.  But I know Janet is looking for bread recipes so I thought I'd post it.

Devil's Delight Cake

I'm just trying this recipe, but I can't imagine that it won't taste great.  I'll let you know if by chance it doesn't taste as good as it sounds.

Devil's Delight Cake

1 pkg. (18.25 oz.) devil's food cake mix (with pudding in the mix)

4 eggs

1 c. water

½ c. vegetable oil

1 c. chopped nuts

1 c. mini marshmallows

1 c. Hershey's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

½ c. raisins (I don't put these in!)

Confectioners' sugar

 

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease and flour Bundt pan.  In  large mixer bowl

combine cake mix, eggs, water and oil;  beat on low speed just until

blended.  Increase speed to medium; beat 2 minutes.  Stir in nuts,

marshmallows, chocolate chips and raisins.   Pour batter in to pan.  Bake 45

to 50 minutes or until you do the toothpick thing!  Cool 10 minutes; remove

from pan to wire rack.  Cool completely.  Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar

on top.

Banana Pumpkin Bread

This was a great bread, Andy though thinks it should be called cake instead!  Sorry Janet, this probably won't be a recipe for you.

Banana Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/3 cups canned pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup honey ( I used 1/2 cup brown sugar)
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup walnuts

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 9x5 inch loaf pan.  I used a bundt pan instead.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the mashed banana, eggs, oil, pumpkin, honey and sugar. Combine the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pie spice and cinnamon, stir into the banana mixture until just combined. Fold in the chips and walnuts if desired. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool loaf in the pan for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

Really Good Hashbrowns

I have to give a little back story!  A couple years after my husband and I married, our names were given to Andy's Uncle Charlie and Aunt Debbie in the Christmas Gift Drawing.  That year we were staying in in Nevada so out gift was mailed to us.  I was a little shocked to have gotten 2 cases  of dried hashbrown potaotes.  It turns out that these are THE gift to get in the family, and after tasting them I understood.    The brand is Nonpareil, and they come in what look like school milk cartons.  They are already seasoned and you just rehydrate them before cooking.  They are hard to find here (only at Winco) but they do have a website www.buyhashbrowns.com.

I took this to a lot of Mom's group brunches!   When we have it at home I usually serve it with eggs.

Here's what I do with them!

1 container of hashbrowns, rehydrated

1 small onion, diced

1/2 to 1 green bell, chopped

1 ham steak chopped (great use for leftover ham)

about 1  cup shredded cheese (I use chedder)

In a skillet heat about 1-2 tbls of olive oil, add hashbrowns, onions, pepper and ham.

Saute until the hashbrowns are as crisp as you wish.

Shortly before serving top with shredded cheese.  Leave on heat just until cheese is melted.

**this keeps well in a warm oven.

Crock Pot Mushroom and Beef Stew

I haven't posted a recipe for a very long time. Thanks to all who have kept up! WOW! Anyway. I just got dinner in the crock pot and I have no idea how this recipe will turn out, but I wanted to post it up before I forget, in case I like it. SO don't try it until I update the results tonight!

1 pound cubed stew meat
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 pkg brown gravy (the recipe I was following called for onion soup, I improvised)
1/2 cup water
1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms (recipe said 2 4oz cans, drained)
1/2 onion finely chopped
3/4 cup roughly chopped carrots
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp Season All
1 tsp pepper

Put everything in the slow cooker on low for 8 hours (well, I'll be on high for a couple hours, then switch over to low until family is hungry tonight). Serve over hot egg noodles.

Another Soup!

My husband and I are in a very fall mood and almost craving soups.  Here's another really good one I just made!  The only trick is you have to melt the cheese in the white sauce first otherwise the texture is not so good, trust me!!

Cauliflower Cheese Soup

• • 1 medium head cauliflower, broken in florets
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) chicken broth
  • 1 chicken bouillon cube
  • 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups milk
  • 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon each cayenne pepper, curry powder and white pepper

Directions:

In a large saucepan, combine the cauliflower, onion, broth and bouillon. Cover and cook over medium heat until the vegetables are tender. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt butter; stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add milk. Cook and stir until bubbly. Cook and stir for 2-3 minutes longer or until thickened. Reduce heat; add cheese and seasonings. Pour into cauliflower mixture. Simmer slowly for 30 minutes (do not boil). Yield: 6-8 servings (2 quarts). 

Vegetable Beef Soup

This is one of our favorite soups. The kids really like the broth and I usually add abc noodles so they think of this a "kid" meal.

2.5 lbs beef roast or stew meat (I use bottom round), cubed
2 pkgs frozen mixed vegetables
1 64 oz can of vegetable juice (like V8, but cheap)
2 cans beef broth
2 cubes beef boullion
1 pkg italian dressing mix

Place all ingredients in crock pot or large stock pot. I usually start with a frozen roast (suprise, suprise) and when it's thawed in the crock pot I remove the meat, cube it, and return it to the soup. If you don't have enough liquid to cover the goodies add some water. If the soup needs salt after it's cooked I sometimes add another boullion cube. I also add ABC noodles the last 15 minutes or so. Some days we feel like Barley Beef Soup and omit the noodles but add a couple handfuls of barley at the beginning of the cooking time. Usually we cook this for about 8 hours but it can be ready much faster... the beans get nice and mushy the longer it cooks... we like that, you may not.