Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Oreo Hello Dolly Bars

I had a bunch of random little bits of sweet treats I wanted to use up and make something yummy. Here's what I came up with. 

1/2 c butter, melted
2 sleeves Oreos, crushed
1 c white chocolate chips 
1 c milk chocolate chips OR almond toffee symphony bar, chopped 
1/4 c toffee bits
7 oz coconut
1 can sweetened condensed milk 

Layer each item in an 11x7 or 9x13 pan. Do not mix!! 
Bake 350 for 25 min. Or until the milk turns a light brown Carmel color. Let cool
Before serving. 

The toffee bar and bits went really well
Together. You could always just add in any nut you like for a good crunch. The symphony was just something I wanted to get rid of. A cookies and cream symphony would be delicious in lieu of the chips as well. Get creative. It's yummy!!  

Friday, November 15, 2013

Honey Parmesan Pork Roast

This was Fantastic!! Try it right now! 
Last time my sauce got burnt. Next time I'll cook the pork for half and then add the sauce at the end half see if that helps. 
1 (2-3 pound) boneless pork roast
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup honey
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp dried basil
2 Tbsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Place roast in slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine the cheese, honey, soy sauce, basil, garlic,and oil; pour over pork. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 160°.
Remove meat to a serving platter; keep warm. Skim fat from cooking juices; transfer to a small saucepan. Bring liquid to a boil. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Gradually stir into pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Slice roast; serve with gravy (I also made mashed potatoes and the gravy was delicious on them!).

Monday, November 4, 2013

Sweet Potato Tots

We had these with homemade wingers chicken. Recipe from Food Network. 

2 sweet potatoes
2 T flour
2 slices of bacon minced (optional) or
Not! Yummy!! Out of this world! 
S&P

Bring a pot of water to boil. Boil the sweet potatoes skins and all whole for 15 minutes. 
Remove, let cool, peel, and grate over some paper towels. Cover with more paper towels and lightly dab the potatoes. Remove all excess moisture. If they're too moist they won't form a tot. 
Stir in the bacon bits. 
Add s&p and flour. Lightly toss all together. 
Scoop into a ball and roll into a tot shape. 
Fry in a skillet with hot oil until crispy. Couple minutes each side. 

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Pomegranate Pepper Salad


Pomegranate Pepper Salad

I have no exact measurements for this salad except for the dressing. A friend made it and just told me the ingredients. It is super yummy. I'm not the kind of person that would think of mixing these things all together, so I'm glad I know people who do. :) So just chop to your desire.

-Pomegranate Seeds
-Red Peppers
-Lettuce Mix
-Chinese Crispy Noodles
-Roasted Sunflower Seeds
-Roasted Sliced Almonds

Dressing:
1/4 Cup Vegatable Oil
3 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
Mix all three together and coat the salad with it.

No-Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie




No-Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

Ingredients
  • 1 (13 oz.) package chocolate chip cookies (original crunchy, not soft & chewy) ~ I use Chips Ahoy!
  • 1 (9 oz.) prepared graham cracker pie crust
  • 1 c. milk
  • 1 (8 oz.) container Cool Whip
Directions
  1. Set aside 2 chocolate chip cookies to crumble on top of the pie.
  2. Place milk in a measuring cup. Dunk 8 cookies, one at a time, in the milk and place in a single layer in the bottom of the graham cracker crust. (Dunk each cookie quickly or it will absorb too much milk and crumble apart on you.) Spread 1/3 of the Cool Whip evenly over the cookies.
  3. Dip 10 or 11 cookies, one at a time, in the milk and place in a single layer over the Cool Whip layer. Spread 1/3 of the Cool Whip evenly over the cookies. Repeat to create one more layer of cookies and one more layer of Cool Whip.
  4. Crumble the reserved 2 cookies and sprinkle on top of the pie. Cover and chill for at least 8 hours before serving.

Basil Garlic Butter for Bread


Basil Garlic Butter for Bread
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Serving Size: 6
Ingredients
  1. 2 ounces, weight Butter
  2. 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  3. 1 bunch Basil Leaves (generous Handful)
  4. 1 bunch Parsley (use 1/3 Of The Amount Of Basil)
  5. 2 cloves Garlic
  6. 1 whole Green Onion
  7. 2 pinches Salt To Taste
  8. 1 pinch Pepper To Taste
  9. 1 loaf Ciabatta Or French Bread
  10. 1-½ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese (up To 2 Cups)
Instructions
  1. Combine all the ingredients except the bread and cheese in a food processor, and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
  2. Cut open the loaf of bread and spread both halves with the basil butter. Put the halves together and wrap in aluminum foil. Bake for in a 400ºF oven for 10 minutes.
  3. Remove the bread, separate the halves and load them up with Parmesan cheese. Return them to the oven and either crank up the heat to 500ºF or put them under the broiler.
  4. Cook until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and starting to get brown. Serve!

One Hour Skillet Focaccia Bread


One Hour Skillet Focaccia
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 1 10" focaccia
This easy focaccia takes only 1 hour to make. Perfect side for your pasta dish or your favorite soup. 
Ingredients
    for the dough:
  1. 3/4 c warm water
  2. 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
  3. 1 1/2 tsp yeast 
  4. 2 Tbsp olive or canola oil
  5. 2 c all-purpose flour ( divided )
  6. 1/2 tsp salt
  7. for the parmesan butter brush:
  8. 3 Tbsp unsalted or salted butter, melted
  9. 1 Tbsp grated parmesan
  10. 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
Instructions
  1. Place water and sugar in a large mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Stir until sugar dissolves.
  2. Sprinkle yeast over the water and stir few times. Let sit until foamy ( about 5 minutes).
  3. Turn the mixer on low speed and add 1 cup of flour and salt. Mix until combined.
  4. Add oil and mix well.
  5. Gradually add as much of the remaining cup of flour as you can ( it can be only 3/4 of it) and mix until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
  6. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 220 degrees F and when it's ready turn it off. Keep the door closed.
  7. Grease the skillet.
  8. Place dough onto a floured surface (use the remaining flour from the second cup) and fold the dough few times until you feel it's smooth and not sticky anymore. Shape into a ball.
  9. Roll out the dough into a size of your skillet.
  10. Place in skillet. Stretch up the sides. Cover with a kitchen towel and place in the oven for 20 minutes.
  11. Take the skillet out of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Make indentations in the dough with your fingers.
  12. Mix melted butter, parmesan and seasoning in a small bowl. Brush the dough with half the butter.
  13. Place skillet with dough in the preheated oven and bake 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Brush with remaining butter. Let cool until safe to the touch and slice. Serve.

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Snickerdoodles

3-3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Grease a cookie sheet. Stir together flour, soda, cream of tartar and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Beat butter for 30 seconds; add the 2 cups sugar and beat till fluffy. Add eggs, milk, and vanilla; beat well. Add dry ingredients to beaten mixture, beating till well combined. Form dough into 1-inch balls; roll in a mixture of the 3 Tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Place balls 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet; flattening slightly with the bottom of a drinking glass. Bake in a 350 degree oven about 8 minute or until light golden. Makes about 66.


Hint: These are best just slightly underbaked - makes them more soft and chewy

*i always half the recipe. 2 cups sifted flour works perfectly when halved. 

Thursday, July 25, 2013

S'more Cookies

I had these at a missionary farewell, made by Bonnie Rosdahl. They are amazing!!

2/3 cup margarine
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon milk
1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips
Graham Crackers

Heat oven to 375. Mix margarine and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add milk and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients. - add to wet ingredients. on low until just blended. Fold in chocolate chips. Place 1/4 of a graham cracker for each cookie onto an un-greased cookie sheet.(I always end up cutting about 1/2 inch off the length of each cracker to ensure complete cookie coverage:) Drop walnut size balls of dough unto the center of each cracker. Bake for 7 min. then place half of a large marshmallow on top of each cookie, gently pushing it down. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Let cool on the counter for a couple of minutes before transferring to a cooking rack. After the cookie is completely cool, put frosting into Ziploc bag, clip corner and squeeze onto each cookie.  I use the chocolate frosting recipe on the back of the Hershey cocoa can.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Pineapple Salsa Chicken

If you like fruit salsas you'll love this dinner from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. 

4-6 chicken breasts
1 can black beans, drained rinsed
1 can white beans, drained rinsed
1 20 oz can crushed pineapple
1 cup Salsa

Put all ingredients in your crock pot. Cook on low for 6 hours. Shred chicken. Serve on tortillas with your favorite toppings. Sour cream, cheese, cilantro etc. serves 8

I cut this recipe in half. It still made a lot. I only had an 8 oz can of pineapple chunks. I drained it and threw it in the food processor for a quick buzz to make it crushed. 
Trav loves spicy food so I used half medium and half mild salsa. Turned out the perfect heat and sweet mix. 
I saved the other half cans of beans to make burritos and quesadillas for lunch tomorrow. Yum!! 

Triple Chocolate Oreo Cookies

Recipe found from Two Peas and their Pod. 

1 c butter, room temp 
1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs 
2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda 
1/4 t salt
3/4 c Dutch process cocoa is the best or regular if its all you have. 
1 c white chips
1 c chocolate chips
1 c Oreos chunked

Mix butter, sugars together. Add in eggs one at a time then vanilla. Mix until fluffy. Sift together dry ingredients add to wet. Stir in all the chocolate chunks. 
Bake at 350 for 8 minutes. 

Let them be slightly under cooked so they're fudge and soft like a chunky brownie. So super yummy. 

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Mexican Stuffed Shells

Certainly will make them again. We served them with chips, salsa and the easy black bean dip also on this site. With a little fruit salad or green salad. You're good to go. Yummy!!


  • Next time, I'll make the cumin 1 T and add cilantro and fresh lime juice. Leave out the chicken and cut the recipe in half. Although making the entire batch will give you a freezer meal for another day. 

Recipe from busy at home blog. 

  • 4 cups chicken breast, cooked and chopped
  • 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 6 green onions, diced
  • 1/2 each of red, green, yellow, & orange bell peppers (or 2 whole bell peppers of your choice), diced
  • 3 (8 oz.) blocks cream cheese, softened (not melted)
  • 2 cans diced tomatoes with chiles (don't drain) (Rotel or store brand, either works)
  • 1/4 - 1/2 cup chicken stock
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1 cup of picante sauce
  • 38 large pasta shells, cooked al dente

  1. Cook pasta shells in well salted, boiling water until al dente (still have a little bite to them) If you cook them too long, they will be difficult to stuff, plus they will have additional cooking time, once they are stuffed. Drain the pasta and set aside while you make the filling.
  2. Cook, drain and dice enough chicken breast to make 4 cups. I always have homemade chicken stock and pre-cooked diced chicken bagged in my freezer. You could use canned chicken broth if you prefer.
  3. To make the filling, mix diced chicken, drained black beans, green onions, diced peppers, and cumin in a large mixing bowl. Thoroughly incorporate all the ingredients.
  4. In a separate bowl, mix the cream cheese, chicken stock and undrained tomatoes with chiles. When thoroughly combined, pour it over the chicken mixture and mix well. (If you have trouble incorporating the cream cheese and tomatoes, you can heat it slightly in the microwave.)
  5. Spread 3/4 c. picante sauce in the bottom of a large baking pan. (I used 13x18x2, but I’m guessing that two 9×13′s would also work.) Reserve the final 1/4 cup, for later.
  6. Using a spoon, or your fingers, fill each of your cooked and cooled pasta shells, setting them into the picante covered pan. Continue until all shells are filled and arranged in the pan.
  7. When the pan is full, drizzle the shells with the remaining 1/4 cup of picante and then sprinkle with the shredded cheddar cheese.
  8. Cover the baking pan tightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

The Best Vanilla Frosting

The best VANILLA frosting :) 

Recipe from Our Best Bites. Check out their site for full photos and instructions. 

Isn't she a beauty? This vanilla is the companion of the best chocolate. It's fantastic!
This recipe only makes enough for 12 cupcakes. You'll most likely need to double it. Unless you follow my lead and do a half and half. 

3 T flour
1/2 c milk
1/2 c butter
1/2 c sugar
1 t vanilla

Whisk flour and milk in a sauce pan. Turn on med heat. Whisk constantly. Boil until it becomes a paste. You'll need to switch to a rubber scraper to make sure you get out the lumps. 
Place pan in the fridge and stir until the mixture is completely cool. 
In an electric mixer with the whisk attachment. Whip butter and sugar together. Add in vanilla and COOLED flour paste. 
Whip for 6-8 minutes. You have to make sure the sugar is completely dissolved. Take a pinch and test it to see if there are any grains rubbed in your fingers. Or on your tongue. 
It will become and light fluffy cloud. 

Totally worth the work. Not even that much work really. It comes together quicker than you think. It's waaaay better than the overly sweet, butter creams we're used to. 

The Best Chocolate Frosting

Recipe from Our Best Bites. Check out their site for detailed pictures and instructions. 
The best chocolate frosting!

2/3 c granulated sugar
1/3 c flour
3-6T cocoa (depends on how rich you want it. Start small and add more if needed) 
1 c milk
1 c butter, room temp 
1 c melted chocolate chips

Melt chocolate chips. Let sit at room temp. 
Mix sugar, flour and cocoa together in a sauce pan. Whisk in milk. Turn on med heat. Boil for 1-3 minutes. Stirring constantly. Until it becomes a paste. 
Remove from heat. Put the pan in fridge or freezer. Stir every so often so that it cools faster and doesn't form a crusty top. 
In a mixer with the whisk attachment whip butter. Add in the COOLED (no heat at all) chocolate mixture. Beat for a few minutes. Add in the melted COOLED chocolate chips. Beat again for a minute or two. Until its all combined becomes a chocolate cloud of heaven. Frost cakes! 

**I only made a half batch. I didn't need that much for my project. A full batch will frost 24 cupcakes. 

**I used 3T of cocoa in my small half batch. I have expensive, delicious, high quality cocoa. Dutch processed. Highly recommend!! It results in a deep fudgey dark chocolate frosting. So I did not need to add the chocolate chips. Make sure you add in a bit more sugar to make up for the sweetness the chips would have added. 

This is such an amazing frosting. Travis says, this is what clouds must taste like in heaven.
If you're going to take the time to make and frost a cake. You can take the time to make this frosting. The chocolate mixture cools in 10 min or less. It's totally worth the work!! 
Make sure you make it the day you serve for the best results. 

Friday, June 21, 2013

Pork carnitas

Recipe is from Cooks Illustrated. 
It might look like a lot of work but it couldn't be easier. It is so delicious!! So moist and tender. Heaven! 


4 pound boneless pork butt, fat trimmed and cut into 2 inch cubes
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1 onion, peeled and halved
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried oregano
2 Tb fresh lime juice
2 C water
1 medium orange, juiced and keep the spent halves


1.  Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat to 300 degrees.  Combine all the ingredients in a large Dutch oven, including the spent orange halves and juice.  Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat, uncovered.  Once it simmers, cover pot and transfer it to the oven.  Cook until the meat falls apart when prodded with a fork, about 2 hours.
2.  Remove the pot from the oven and turn on the broiler.  Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat from the pan and place it on a large foil-lined jelly roll pan.  Remove and discard everything from the pot except for the cooking liquid.  Place pot over high heat on the stove and boil until thick and syrupy, about 20 minutes.  You should have about 1 C of liquid remaining when it is finished.
3.  While the liquid is reducing, use two forks to pull each cube of pork into three equal sized pieces.  Once the liquid has become a syrup, gently fold in the pieces of pork into the pot.  Try not to break up the pork any further.  Taste and add additional salt and pepper. 
4.  Spread the pork back onto the foil lined pan and evenly spread the meat around so there is a single layer of meat.  Place the jelly roll pan on the lower middle rack of the oven and broil until the top of the meat is well browned and edges are slightly crisp, about 5 to 8 minutes.  Using a wide metal spatula, flip the pieces of meat and broil the other side until well browned and edges are slightly crisp, 5 to 8 minutes.  Serve immediately in a tortilla with all your favorite toppings.

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Barbecue sauce

  1. Recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.com 
This is the best! We fell in love. Won't buy bottled sauce ever again. 

  1. 2 cups ketchup
  2. 2 cups tomato sauce
  3. 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
  4. 1 1/4 cups red wine vinegar
  5. 1/2 cup unsulphured molasses
  6. 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
  7. 4 teaspoons hickory flavored liquid smoke
  8. 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  9. 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  10. 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
  11. 1 teaspoon paprika
  12. 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
  13. 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  14. 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  15. 1 teaspoon salt
  16. 1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

  17. In a large saucepan, over medium heat, mix together all the wet ingredients and then add the seasonings. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer for at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce will thicken as it simmers (and then as it cools). I try to plan ahead and simmer for at least an hour. Use the sauce to brush onto meats the last ten minutes of grilling or for any other recipe where barbecue sauce is used. Once cooled, the sauce can be frozen. Thaw in the refrigerator and use as needed.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Wingers copycat

1/2 c brown sugar 
1/4 c FRANKS original hot sauce
1 t cider vinegar
1 T corn syrup

Bring to a boil. Cook 2-5 minutes The longer you boil it the thicker it gets. 

P.s. too long and it makes toffee.  So keep an eye on it 😉I know from experience. 

This only serves 3. 

If your serving it for kids that don't like spicy cut back on the franks a bit. 

We like it with Tyson's chicken tenders. And steak fries. 

You can wrap it up in a tortilla with lettuce tomato cheese and ranch to make a sticky wrap. Wingers uses chipotle tortillas but I've never seen that flavor in stores. 

I like to mix it with ranch and make a creamy dressing for salads. 

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Herb rubbed Pork

Katrina found this recipe on pinterest somewhere. She sent it to me. Best tenderloin ever!! 1 lb pork loin or tenderloin 1/4 c brown sugar 1 T thyme 1 t garlic powder 1 t pepper 1 t salt 1 t sage 1 t rosemary Combine and rub onto the pork until completely coated. Place on a parchment cookie sheet. Bake at 500 for 10 min and then lower to 350 until the center reaches 145. I cooked 1 tenderloin at 400 for about 20 minutes and it came out perfect!

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Chicken Teriyaki bowls

Teriyaki sauce

1/2 c soy sauce
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c cider vinegar 
1/2 t ginger 
1/4 t black pepper 
1/2 t garlic pwd
1 T corn starch 
2 T water 

Boil the all ingredients except corn starch and water. Mix the starch and water together and add to boiling soy sauce mixture. 

Pour teriyaki sauce in the crock pot. Add chicken thighs. Cook on low for 4-6 hrs. Until the chicken is moist and easily shredded. 
Serve over rice. We like to add frozen mixed veggies too. 

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

for aunt diane:

2 sticks soft butter
2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
zest from 2 lemons
juice from 1 lemon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
3 cups flour

powdered sugar

cream butter and sugar. mix in vanilla, eggs, zest and lemon juice.
add drys mix til just combined. i like to refrigerate the dough at this point, though technically you don't have to. roll cookies into tablespoon-size and roll in powdered sugar. place on cookie sheets and bake about 9-11 minutes at 350. the should not be brown, so don't overbake :).

Friday, February 8, 2013

Skillet lasagna


I didn't have the ingredients for the sauce but it looks delicious. I just made my usual go to marinara. Tomato sauce with Italian seasoning and brown sugar. It was delicious!! We love lasagna but I hate layering it and making a huge pan for just the 3 of us. This was a great alt.

Recipe from Mel's kitchen Cafe

INGREDIENTS:
3 (14.5 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
Salt
3 medium garlic cloves, finely minced
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (these do not add spice – just flavor!)
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground beef (I used 80% lean)
12 curly-edged lasagna noodles, broken into 1 inch lengths
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup ricotta cheese (do not use fat-free)

Pulse the tomatoes with their juice in a blender or food processor until they are coarsely ground and no large pieces remain (in a food processor, that is about 12 pulses0.

Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened and translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the ground meat and cook, breaking apart the meat, until it is lightly browned and no longer pink, 5 to 6 minutes.

Scatter the broken lasagna noodles over the meat and then pour in the ground tomatoes and tomato sauce over the pasta. Stir in the basil and oregano. Cover, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring often and adjusting the heat to maintain a vigorous simmer, until the pasta is tender, about 20 minutes.

Off the heat, stir in half the mozzarella and half of the parmesan. Dot heaping tablespoons of the ricotta over the noodles, then sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan. Cover and let stand off the heat until the cheese melts, 2 to 4 minutes. Serve.

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Pizza crust

This is super delicious crust! It's
Originally set for thin crust pizza and will make 2 thin large but I rolled
Mine out thicker. It cooked on the long side and was yum!!

America's test kitchen 2012 cookbook

3 c (16.5 oz) bread flour
2 t sugar
1/2 t instant yeast
1 1/3 c ice water
1 T veg oil
1 1/2 t salt

In a food processor: blend flour, sugar, and yeast. With machine running add water, salt and oil. Process until dough forms a sticky ball. Remove dough and knead on a lightly oiled counter until smooth. Place in lightly oiled bowl cover with plastic and refrigerate for 24 hrs or up to 3 days.

To bake: remove dough from fridge let rest for 1 hour.
Bake pizza on a stone at 500 degree for 10-20 min

My changes: I don't have a food processor so I did this in a Bosch. I only have active dry yeast so I mixed the sugar , yeast and 1/2 c warm water ( from the 1 1/2 c cold) to sponge. Then I mixed everything together until it made a dough.
Then followed original directions for resting, shaping, and baking.

Friday, January 18, 2013

Ranch chicken enchiladas

I was hesitant to make these but gave them a try. They were super yum! Here's the link: http://www.therecipecritic.com/2012/12/ranch-chicken-enchiladas.html?m=1

I changed the recipe not on purpose tho, I didn't realize she does it in the crockpot. I didn't have time for that. I'm sure the original is delicious. Cooking it in a crock pot is a good idea. Mine were super seasoned. Hubby LOVED it. I think I would enjoy it a touch more mild.

3 chicken breasts cooked and shredded
1/2 pkt taco seasoning
1/2 pkt ranch seasoning
3/4 c ranch, divided
3/4 c salsa, divided
Cheese shredded

Bake at 350*
Mix shredded chicken, seasonings, 1/4 c ranch 1/4 c salsa together and let hang out. I left mine for 30 min but its not necessary.
Wrap chicken up with some cheese. Put in a greased 9x13. Mix 1/2 c salsa and 1/2 c ranch pour on top. Add more shredded cheese and bake for 30 min.
Delicious!!

Monday, January 14, 2013

Mexican Lasagna

1 lb chicken, cooked, shredded 1 (16oz) sour cream 1 can black beans, rinsed, drained 1 1/2 c green salsa 1 1/2 c frozen corn 1 t garlic pwd 1 t cumin 1 t chili pwd 1 t salt chopped cilantro squeeze fresh lime juice flour tortillas 1 (8oz) mexican cheese, shredded Preheat to 350* Mix all ingredients together except cheese and tortillas. Cut flour tortillas in half and in a 9x13 spread 1/3 of mixture in pan. Place a layer of tortillas on top. Sprinkle with some cheese. continue layering using all ingredients and ending with cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes. Until cheese is bubbly. Serve with Salsa, Sour Cream, additional cilantro etc.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Chicken fried steak

Cube steak for each person
Flour seasoned with s&p
Egg mixed with splash of milk & splash of hot sauce
Crushed up corn flakes mixed with onion pwd, garlic pwd, s&p

Dredge the cube steaks in seasoned flour. Dip in egg wash, finally coat in seasoned corn flakes.
Spray a baking sheet lined with a rack with grease and lay steaks on it. Bake at 400 for 15-20 min. *i flipped mine part way so both sides could thoroughly be crispy.

For my family of 3-
Gravy:
1/2 can Beef broth
1 Chicken bullion, straight up or use a flavor enhancer
1 c Half & half
Cornstarch slurry
Onion pwd
Garlic pwd
S&p

Boil beef broth and bullion. Add cornstarch slurry to thicken. Season and Add in half and half and simmer.

Serve with mash potatoes.