Poppyseed Noodles

What you need:

• 3 cups egg noodles
• 2 Tablespoons butter or margarine
• 2 teaspoons poppy seeds

What you do:

Boil noodles about 6 minutes, until tender. Drain off water and stir in butter until melted, coating noodles. Sprinkle in poppy seeds and stir until distributed.

Chicken Dijon

What you need:

• 2 large chicken breasts, cut lengthwise to make 4 thin cuts of meat
• lemon pepper
• garlic salt
• 3 Tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup to 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, half and half, or even milk
• 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon dijon mustard

What you do:

Melt butter in pan over medium heat. Season chicken on both sides with lemon pepper and garlic salt. Brown chicken in pan on both sides until chicken is done - about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and place in a baking dish in oven set to 200 degrees to keep warm. Pour pan juices into measuring cup and fill to 1 cup mark with chicken broth. Pour into hot pan to deglaze. Mix together the flour and milk with a whisk until well combined and pour into pan. Stir often and cook until bubbly and thickened. Let bubble for about 2 minutes and then stir in dijon mustard. Place chicken breasts into sauce and spoon sauce over the top. Serve with poppyseed noodles, buttered noodles or rice.

Cinnamon Rolls

What you need:

• 1 egg, room temperature + warm water up to 1 cup mark
• 3 Tablespoons melted butter
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1/3 cup white granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3 1/2 cups bread flour

filling:

• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 Tablespoons cinnamon
• (optional - I added about 2 teaspoons Pampered Chef cinnamon sprinkles)

What you do:

Put ingredients (wet first, then dry) into bread machine and run on dough cycle.

or

Dissolve yeast in warm water, egg, melted butter and 1 Tablespoon of the white sugar. Let it sit until frothy. Then mix in rest of sugar, salt and flour - one cup at a time. Mix until well blended. Turn out onto floured surface and knead for 8-12 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic. Place in greased bowl and allow to rise for about one hour, until doubled in size.

Punch down dough and roll out in a 6 inch by 12 inch rectangle (I just eyeball it). Spread softened butter on dough and sprinkle cinnamon mixture evenly on top. Roll tightly starting at the longest side. Cut into equal parts about 1 inch thick. Place in greased 9x13 casserole dish and allow to rise again. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Top with icing or cream cheese frosting.

Banana Bread

What you need:

• 2 cups flour (all-purpose or I like to use King Arthur's White Whole Wheat flour)
• 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 overripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1/4 cup yogurt (plain, or I like to use vanilla)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3/4 stick of butter, melted and cooled
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

What to do:

Move rack to lower middle position in oven. Preheat to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix mashed bananas, yogurt, eggs, butter and vanilla. Pour wet into dry and fold together until combined. Put batter into a greased loaf pan and bake for about 45 to 55 minutes.

Cornbread

What you need:

• 3/4 cup corn meal
• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup light olive oil
• 1 cup all-purpose flour (or whole wheat flour)
• 1/3 cup white granulated sugar
• 1/2 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

What you do:

In a large bowl, mix together corn meal and milk and let sit for at least 5 minutes, 15-20 minutes is ideal. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease a 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish. Add honey, egg, and olive oil to corn meal mixture and then pour dry mixture into wet, 1/3 at a time until mixed. Pour into baking dish and bake about 25-30 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.

Turkey Bacon Stew

What you need:

• 2 cans of condensed cream of (celery) soup [you can substitute any kind you wish]
• 1 soup can filled with chicken broth
• 1 soup can of milk
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dried minced garlic - or fresh
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1/2 a small onion, diced large
• 1 large carrot, sliced
• 2 small potatoes, diced
• 1 cup [or more] chopped cooked turkey
• 2 slices bacon, cut in half

What you do:

Whisk together soup, broth and milk in a large sauce pot. Add spices, potatoes and turkey and bring to a low boil over medium heat, reduce to medium-low and cover. In a pan, cook the bacon until there is about 2 Tablespoons of rendered fat in the bottom. Remove bacon, place on a paper towel on a plate and refrigerate. In the fat, saute the remaining vegetables until onion and celery are translucent. Add to stew and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours, or until potatoes are soft. When ready to serve, microwave the bacon for a minute or two until crispy and chop. Sprinkle over bowl of soup. Serve with warm biscuits [we put leftover cranberry sauce on ours which complemented the turkey in the stew]. If not as thick as you'd prefer, mix one heaping Tablespoon cornstarch into 1 Tablespoon of cold water and mix into stew.

For a lighter version, omit bacon and substitute 2 Tablespoons of olive oil for bacon fat. Choose Healthy Request or low-fat version condensed soup.

Cranberry Cheesecake Pie

I'm on a roll with posting recipes that are not my own but I have to tell you right now, if you like cheesecake and you like cranberries, then this is the dessert for you!

What you need:

• 1 - 9 inch pie crust
• 2 -8oz bricks of cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup of sour cream
• 4 teaspoons flour
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 12 ounces fresh cranberries, divided
• 3 eggs

What you do:

In a blender, puree 6 ounces of berries, sugar, flour and sour cream. Add in a brick of cream cheese, 1/2 at a time until both bricks are well combined and berries are thoroughly blended throughout. Add in eggs and vanilla and blend to combine. Pour into unbaked pie crust and dot the top with remaining berries. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes, then turn off oven but leave pie for another hour. Refrigerate when hour is up.

You can thank Diane of Created by Diane for this lovely concoction. http://createdbydiane.blogspot.com/2010/11/cranberry-cheesecake-pie.html

Cranberry Pomegranate Sauce

I'm not lucky enough to have come up with this idea on my own. One of my favorite cooks did: Ree Drummond - The Pioneer Woman.

What you need:

• 1 bag of fresh cranberries
• 1 16 ounce bottle of 100% pomegranate juice
• 3/4 cup sugar

What to do:

Combine ingredients in a sauce pot and heat on medium until boiling. Cook for about 20 minutes until sauce is thickened, stirring often to prevent burning. Remove from heat and chill. Will thicken further as it cools.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/11/cranberry-pomegranate-sauce/

Sugar Cookies

What you need:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white granulated sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

What you do:

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until fluffy and light. Gradually stir in (by hand) the dry mixture into the wet, 1/3 at a time until well mixed. Form a ball from the dough by hand and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Split dough in half and roll out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut in preferred shapes. Place on ungreased baking sheet and bake for 4-6 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before placing cookies on a cooling rack to cool completely. Frost and enjoy!

Makes about 30 cookies.

Enchilada Casserole

What you need:

• 24 corn tortillas
• 1 large can enchilada sauce
• 1 small can enchilada sauce
• 1 can refried beans
• 1 can of chopped green chiles (mild)
• 1lb ground turkey/meat (I used 1/2 and added 1/2 can extra of black beans)
• large bag of shredded cheese

What you do:

Preheat oven to 350*. Grease a 9x13 casserole dish. Brown meat and pour 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce into meat and stir in beans and drained green chiles. Mix well. Pour small can of enchilada sauce in a shallow dish with sides (a pie plate works great). Dip both sides of 6 tortillas in sauce and layer on bottom of greased dish. Spread 1/3 of bean mixture onto tortilla layer, then sprinkle with cheese. Repeat twice and top with a last layer of dipped tortillas. Pour remaining large can of sauce on top and sprinkle with cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 30 mins. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned.

Apple Cranberry Muffins

What you need:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup fat-free milk
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped, peeled tart apple
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries

What you do:

In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Combine the egg, milk, oil and vanilla; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in the apple and dried cranberries. Coat muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray or use paper liners; fill two-thirds full with batter. Bake at 375 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

What you need:

• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 3 Tablespoons white granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

What you do:

Preheat oven to 325. Combine pumpkin puree and cream cheese. Add in egg, sugar and spices. Set aside. Whisk together cocoa powder and melted butter until smooth. Pour in sugar, stir. Add in eggs, 1 at a time. Mix in flour, salt and vanilla - do NOT over mix. Stir only until flour is no longer visible. In a greased 8x8 baking dish, pour 1/2 to 3/4 of the brownie batter into the dish and spread out. Drop cream cheese pumpkin mixture by spoonful over the top of the brownie batter as evenly as possible. Pour and spread remaining brownie batter on top. Using a butter knife, cut through batter to swirl the pumpkin cheesecake. Bake for 30-40 minutes until a toothpick comes out with crumbs, but not wet with batter.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Okay, I don't make my own meatballs. It's kind of one of those things that eludes me, like pie crust made from scratch; both fell apart on me and ended up looking mangled and ugly. I leave it up to the professionals for now.

What you need:

• 1/2 bag of frozen meatballs [I prefer the turkey meatballs, homestyle], defrosted - I cheat and use the microwave.
• 1 can pineapple chunks, juice reserved
• 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce [cut this back if you're afraid of a little burn in your sauce, it makes it kind of spicy]
• 1 cup ketchup
• various sundry seasonings: I use a couple shakes of garlic salt, coarse sea salt and ground black pepper - no real measurements really.
• 1 cup of chopped red and green bell pepper [I chop it large so it matches the pineapple chunk size]

What you do:

In a large sauce pot, heat the pineapple juice until warm. Combine cornstarch and water in a small bowl [it does neat things!] and pour into warmed juice. Whisk, without stopping, until lumps are gone and entire concoction thickens. Once it's gooey, pour in ketchup and Worcestershire sauce and whisk together until mixed. Season with garlic salt, sea salt and black pepper. Dump in pineapple, pepper chunks and meatballs. Heat over medium low to low heat until peppers are tender. Serve over rice or egg noodles.

*Note: I easily change this to sweet and sour chicken by adding cooked chunks of chicken to the sauce instead of meatballs. Great over fried rice!

Salted Caramel Brownies

What you need:

• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup white granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
• 8 caramels, cut into quarters

What you do:

Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8x8 baking dish. Mix together cocoa powder and melted butter until combined. Pour in sugar and stir together. Add one egg at a time, mixing well. Then add vanilla, stir and add in flour. Do not over mix - stir only until flour is no longer visible. Carefully stir in salt and caramels and then pour into greased dish. Bake for no more than 25 minutes. Toothpick should come out moist with crumbs.

Inspired by: http://www.food.com/recipe/whatever-floats-your-boat-brownies-32204

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Loaf

What you need:

• 2 cups flour (I used King Arthur's White Whole Wheat flour)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 1 stick butter, melted and cooled
• 1 can (15oz) pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (can substitute in white for this if you are out of brown)
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup miniature chocolate chips + handful for on top of loaf

What you do:

Whisk together all dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, spices) in a large bowl. In a medium size bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree and sugar and then add in the remaining ingredients (eggs, butter, and vanilla). Pour wet into dry and fold together until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour into greased loaf pan, sprinkle a handful of chips on top and bake at 350 for about 55 minutes or until toothpick comes clean.

Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

What you need:

• 2 large chicken breasts, a whole fryer, whatever - enough for 2 cups of shredded chicken
• 3 cups dry thin spaghetti, broken into pieces (2 to 3 inches long)
• 2 cans of cream of whatever soup; I used cream of celery and cream of chicken
• 2-3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese (reserve 1 cup for top of casserole)
• 1/2 of a green pepper, diced small
• 1/2 of a red pepper, diced small
• 1/4 of a large sweet onion, diced small
• 1/3 cup of frozen corn kernels
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups of reserved chicken broth from pot
• 1 teaspoon Seasoned Salt
• salt and pepper to taste

What you do:

Boil chicken in a large pot of water. I added a cut up carrot and 2 stalks of celery cut in half to the pot to add extra flavor. Boil until done, about 30 minutes. Remove chicken, reserve about 1 1/2 cups of broth for later, and vegetables if you added any to the broth water. Bring to boil and cook your spaghetti until al dente (about 7 minutes, depending on your particular kind). Strain pasta and mix together chicken, pasta, soups, vegetables and cheese. Stir and add in broth as necessary until it's a nice consistency - not too thick but not soupy. Spread into greased casserole dish, cover with remaining cheese and bake at 350 for 35 to 45 minutes.

*as adapted from The Pioneer Woman -http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/chicken_spaghet/

Vanilla Cupcakes

What you need:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 teaspoon vanilla

What you do:

Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl, set aside. Cream butter until fluffy and gradually add in sugar. Beat in 1 egg at a time, then add yolk and vanilla. Spoon into 12-14 muffin cups and bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes, until golden on top. Frost as you like.

*picture shown has confetti sprinkles mixed into batter for Halloween style cupcakes.

European Stir Fry

What you need:

• 8 oz. Thin Spaghetti noodles, cooked and drained
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1/4 cup diced sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 small jar of artichoke hearts, drained and diced
• 4 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• optional: 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, peanuts or almonds

What you need to do:

Sauté garlic in olive oil over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes. Toss in washed baby spinach and stir a few minutes until soft. Toss in noodles, artichoke hearts, and sun-dried tomatoes and stir until heated throughout. Sprinkle feta on top of plated entrée and add nuts if desired.

Mediterranean Chicken Pizza

What you need:

(for pizza crust)

• 1 cup warm water
• 2 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast - although I would consider cutting this down a little since mine was quickly fluffy while trying to put the sauce and toppings on it.

(for chicken)

• 1 large or 2 small chicken breasts
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (fresh would be fantastic but I didn't have it on hand)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

(for sauce)

• 1/4 cup light italian dressing
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves of minced garlic

• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup crumbled basil and tomato feta cheese
• 1/3 cup julienne strips of sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 cups of baby spinach leaves

What you need to do:

Crust: Combine warm water, yeast and sugar and let sit until frothy. Add salt and 1/2 a cup of flour at a time until dough forms a ball. Knead on a floured surface (or run with dough hook) for about 15 minutes until elastic and smooth but will be a bit sticky to the touch. Grease a bowl with cooking spray and roll dough in the oil until coated. Cover with towel and allow to rise to double its size.

Chicken: Grease a baking dish and preheat oven to 375. Combine salt, pepper and spices in a bowl and use as a dry rub for the chicken. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, turning at least once until chicken is fully cooked. Let it cook and dice up for toppings.

Sauce: Combine dressing, oil and garlic.

Crust: Once doubled in size, spread and press it out into a greased pizza pan or roll it out on a baking sheet. Brush sauce over entire top surface of dough.

Assemble: Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over pizza, feta, sun-dried tomatoes, chicken, and spinach last. It seems like a lot of spinach but it shrinks down, trust me.
Bake at 425 for about 18-20 minutes, until crust is done.

Hearty Split Pea Soup

What you need:

• 5 cups chicken broth or water
  
• 1 cup dry split green peas
• 1/2 cup dry baby Lima beans
• 1/4 cup dry barley
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 4 small potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon celery seed
• 1 Tablespoon dried parsley leaves
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• Salt to taste - this depends on if you have ham in your soup, if you used broth or just plain water. For plain water use 2 Tbsp salt. Adjust accordingly.

What to do:

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on high for 4-5 hours, low for 7-8 hours.

It makes a large quantity. Recipe can be cut in half if you don't want leftovers. Great for freezing up to make an easy dinner at a later time. Can freeze for up to 3 months.

I add diced up bacon or kielbasa (smoked sausage) or diced up ham to the soup if i want meat but it is REALLY filling on it's own.

Spaghetti Sauce

What you need:

• 1 large can of tomato sauce
  
• 1 small can of tomato sauce
• 2 diced fresh tomatoes
• 2 cans of tomato paste
  
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 of a large onion, diced
• 1/2 of a red pepper, diced
• 1/2 of a green pepper, diced
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1/2 of a zucchini, diced
• 2 1/2 Tablespoons of Italian Seasoning
  
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons of basil
• 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar (to cut the acidity of the tomatoes)
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (more or less to your taste for spicy)

What you do:

I put it in the crock pot on high until it was bubbling and then turned it to low and cooked it for about six hours. It makes about 4 pints. You can keep it chunky or you can blend it for a smoother sauce. I bought the Ball Freezer pint containers and froze up 3 pints and kept one in the fridge.

Bagels

What you need:

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 3 cups bread flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons active yeast
• 3 quarts boiling water
• 3 Tablespoons sugar
• cooking spray
• 1 egg white
• 1 Tablespoon water
• Optional for toppings: poppy seeds, sesame seeds, dried minced onion or garlic, sea salt, cinnamon and sugar.

What to do:

Place water, salt, sugar, flour and yeast in the bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Dough setting. [see instructions below for bread machine impaired]

When cycle is complete, let dough rest on a lightly floured surface. Meanwhile, in a large pot bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Stir in 3 tablespoons of sugar.

Cut dough into 8 equal pieces, and roll each piece into a small ball. Flatten balls. Poke a hole in the middle of each with your thumb. Twirl the dough on your finger or thumb to enlarge the hole, and to even out the dough around the hole. Cover bagels with a clean cloth, and let rest for 10 minutes.

Spray baking sheet with cooking spray. Carefully transfer bagels to boiling water. Boil for 1 minute, turning half way through. Drain briefly on clean towel. Arrange boiled bagels on baking sheet. Glaze tops with egg white wash, and sprinkle with your choice of toppings.

Bake in a preheated 375 degree F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until well browned.

*For those without bread machines: Combine warm water and yeast and the 2 Tablespoons sugar, let sit until frothy [about 15 minutes]. Combine salt and flour in a bowl and slowly add it to yeast mixture until well combined. If using a stand mixer, run with dough hook to knead the dough well and then by hand for about 5 more minutes. If doing completely by hand you will need to knead your dough for much longer - about 15 minutes or more, until dough is smooth and elastic. Grease a large bowl [I spray it with cooking spray] and roll dough in oil. Cover with a towel and allow to rise to double its size. Then commence with instructions above after first set.

Spanish Rice

What you need:

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1/4 green and/or red bell pepper, diced
• handful of baby carrots, sliced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 cup rice (I used a long grain white rice and brown rice blend)
• 1 can of stewed tomatoes (cut them up a little with a knife while they are in the can)
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups chicken broth
  
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

What to do:

Heat pan to medium high heat. Pour in oil and saute garlic, onions, peppers, carrots and celery until onions are celery are translucent. Add spices and rice; brown the rice. In a measuring pitcher drain the juice from the stewed tomatoes and then add chicken broth until it's 2 cups full. Pour tomatoes and broth/juice into the rice. Stir and heat until boiling. Reduce heat to low/medium-low and cover. Let simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Leave it, if you go back and stir and remove the cover it will mess with the time and liquid it takes to cook the rice.

Chili

What you need:

• 1 lb ground meat, I prefer turkey
• 1 cup dried kidney beans
• 1 cup dried pinto beans
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 can stewed tomatoes
• 1 can tomato paste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1/2 cup diced bell pepper (red and/or green)
• 1/2 cup frozen corn
• 1 can chopped green chilies
• 2 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 Tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp oregano

What to do:

Combine everything in the crock pot. Cook on high for 2 hours then turn to low for an additional 3 to 4 hours until beans are soft.

Enchilada Sauce

What you need:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Tablespoons minced onion
• 1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/4 cup salsa
• 1 can tomato paste
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups chicken stock, depending on desired consistency

What you need to do:

Add everything together, minus the stock, in a medium sauce pot. Pour in chicken stock while whisking until desired consistency. Heat and stir until onion is soft and flavors have combined. Once cooked, pour into blender (or use a hand blender) and puree until smooth. Add more chicken stock to thin out if necessary.

Strawberry Shortcake Muffins

What you need:

• 3 cups flour
  
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cup yogurt (it calls for plain but I used vanilla)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 stick of butter, melted and cooled (I often substitute in applesauce for half or more of the butter to keep the fat content lower)
• 1 cup diced fresh strawberries

What you need to do:

Preheat oven to 375. Whisk together dry ingredients in large bowl. In a small bowl whisk together eggs and yogurt. Fold wet ingredients into dry. Fold in melted butter, then strawberries. Spray muffin tins with cooking spray [or line with baking papers] and fill about 1/2 to 3/4 full with batter. Bake for 25 minutes, or until lightly brown and toothpick comes out clean. Made about 24 muffins.

Refried Beans [without the refry!]

What you need:

• 1 onion, chopped finely
• 3 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed (I use black beans too)
• 2 fresh jalapeno, seeded and chopped - it's not hot just flavorful.
• 2 Tablespoons of garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1 3/4 teaspoons of pepper
• 2 teaspoons of cumin
• 2 teaspoons of chili powder
• 1 box of chicken broth (or veggie if you prefer) and add water as needed.

Place the onion, rinsed beans, jalapeno, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin into slow cooker. Pour in the water and stir to combine. Cook on high for 8 hours, adding more water as needed. Note: if more than 1 cup of water has evaporated during cooking then the temp is too high. Once the beans have cooked, strain them, and reserve the liquid. Mash the beans with a potato masher, adding the reserved water as needed to attain desired consistency.

This freezes really well. I would cut recipe in half if you don't want leftovers because this makes half a crock pot FULL of refried beans.

Plain Ol' Pancake and Waffle Batter

What you need:

• 1 cup all purpose flour or King Arthur's White Whole Wheat flour
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• (1-2 Tbsp oil - optional but if making waffles with this then it is necessary)

What you need to do:

Whisk dry in large bowl; whisk wet in another bowl. Pour wet into dry and mix until smooth. Cook as usual.

The fun thing about these is you can add anything you like to them: mashed up banana, diced up apple or strawberries, 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree, really the sky is the limit!

Zucchini Muffins

What you need:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup vanilla yogurt
• 2 eggs
• 1 stick butter, melted and cooled
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 zucchinis (or 1 large), shredded and wrung dry
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt

What you do:

Preheat oven to 375*. Grease muffin tins or line with paper. In a medium sized bowl whisk eggs, sugar, yogurt, butter, vanilla and lemon juice. In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Carefully fold wet ingredients and zucchini into dry ingredients until blended. Do NOT over mix.

Fill muffin tins 1/2 to 3/4 full and bake for about 14 minutes, or until lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean.

*if you'd like to make a loaf, you need to bake about 50-55 minutes.

Fruit and Oatmeal Coconut Cookies

What you need:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup oil (I substitute in applesauce)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (I use King Arthur's White Whole Wheat - it's less grainy)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 3/4 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup dried cherries
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut

What you do:

Measure out dried fruit and soak in a bowl of hot water. Preheat to 375. Cream the butter and sugars together. Add in eggs, oil and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together flours, baking soda, spices and salt. Slowly add dry into wet ingredients until combined (but try not to over mix). Strain water from fruit and pour into dough, add oats and coconut and stir until combined. Drop in spoonfuls onto cookie sheet and bake for about 8 minutes.

If you want to make bars, grease a 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes.

Fajita Marinade

What you need:

• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon lemon or lime juice (fresh squeezed is best but not necessary)

What you do:

Whisk together and coat your chicken strips or whatever you're making in it and marinate for 30 minutes [I have made it last minute and thrown it together with good results also] then cook as usual. It's good; not thick but good. I often double this recipe because I enjoy lots of sauce for the veggies.

Potato Leek Soup

What you need:

• 6 potatoes, peeled and cubed (I think this is for small potatoes, I used 5 reds today)
• 2 leeks, chopped* - I sliced them lengthwise and then chop off half-moon shape pieces
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 rib celery, diced
• (I added a sliced carrot as well)
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 Tbsp dried parsley
• 1 Tbsp salt
• pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup butter
• 13 oz can of evaporated milk

What you do:

Combine all in slow cooker, aside from canned milk. Cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for 4. Stir in can of milk in last 30 minutes.

*With leeks, the best way to prepare them is to wash off the outer parts, chop them up, put them in a bowl and fill it with water then stir it up a bit with your hand. The sand and silt from inside the layers of the leek (it grows in sandy soil) will fall to the bottom of the bowl. Then just carefully lift out handfuls of chopped leeks off the top and then empty your bowl of sandy water into the sink. I also discard more of the tougher darkest parts of the greens since they tend to be chewier.

Dinner rolls

What you need:

• 3 cups bread flour (I used 1/2 white whole wheat flour)
• 1 cup buttermilk (1 Tbsp of lemon juice or white vinegar in the bottom of the measuring cup, pour whole milk to line, let sit for 5-10 minutes - instant buttermilk substitute)
• 2 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 egg yolk
  
• 2 Tablespoon oil
• cooking spray

What you do:

1. Place the bread flour, buttermilk, brown sugar, salt, yeast, oil and egg yolk into a bread machine.Make sure your liquid is warm so it will activate the yeast. Using the Dough setting, allow the machine to mix the ingredients until cycle is finished. [see note below for bread machine impairment]

2. Punch down the dough, and remove it from the machine. Divide the dough into 12 equal parts, form each part into 3 round, smooth balls and tuck all 3 in greased muffin cup. Cover the rolls with a kitchen towel, and let rise in a warm place until double, about 25 minutes. (Or I turn on my oven to 200 degrees F, preheat then turn off and place my rolls in there to rise.)

3. Once the rolls are risen, pull them out if they are in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake the rolls in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Spray the tops of the hot rolls with cooking spray for a soft crust, cool the rolls slightly, and serve warm.

If you do not have a bread machine follow these instructions:

In a medium sized bowl, mix warm buttermilk with yeast and brown sugar. Let sit for about 15 minutes until frothy. Stir in oil and the egg yolk. Mix the salt with the flour and slowly add flour mixture until well combined. Turn out onto lightly floured counter top and knead for about 10 to 12 minutes - adding flour if dough is sticky (maybe another 1/4 cup if necessary). Place dough in a greased bowl (cooking spray works well for this) and turn the dough until it is greasy as well. Then cover with a towel and let rise until doubled in size, maybe an hour or more.

Go to step 2 above and follow the directions from there.

A little bit about BREAD

I just started making bread for my family a few short months ago. Before, I abhorred the very idea of yeast based breads. Why? Because I was scared. Scared I'd mess it up, scared it wouldn't work right, scared I would fail. Then I asked myself, "What do I have to lose?" So I gave it a whirl and boy am I glad I did. It was like an epiphany with a giant exclamation point - I CAN MAKE BREAD! And it really isn't that hard. Once the revelation occurred I quickly sought out a bread machine. Now I know some of you are wondering why I need a bread machine if I have discovered I am able to make bread. But the answer is simple, it makes my dough. It mixes, it kneads and it lets the dough rise in a nice warm cocoon until I gently remove it from the machine and work it into a bunch of lovely pretzels, bagels, a nice loaf of bread, or even a batch of rolls. This is a huge lifesaver [read: timesaver] to me. Yes, you can make bread without one and yes, I agree, who needs more kitchen gadgets? But if my house were burning right now, I would at least contemplate grabbing mine.
Enough said.



As a side note: I want to put a shout out to King Arthur's White Whole Wheat flour. No they don't pay me but I wish they would for all I do to promote their wonderful light fluffy flour. I just want you to know what a lovely little gem this find is. My family rarely if ever knows that what I bake is made with wheat because of it. Give it a try. Buy 2 bags, you won't regret it.

Colored Play dough (Edible, although not recommended as table fare)

What You Need:

• One-cup flour
• One-tablespoon vegetable oil
• One-cup water
• One-Half cup salt
• Two-teaspoon cream of tartar
• Food coloring

What You Do:

• Mix all ingredients in saucepan. Heat, stirring constantly until ball forms. Roll until smooth.

We made orange playdough today! I added a couple teaspoons of vanilla extract to make it smell yummy too.

*Store in a ziplock baggie to keep soft.

Gingerbread Muffins

What you need:

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup apple juice
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 cup raisins, I prefer golden for these muffins

What you do:

Preheat oven to 350*. In main bowl: cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in egg, applesauce, molasses and syrup.

In a separate bowl whisk together all dry ingredients. In a small bowl or measuring pitcher combine milk, juice and vanilla.

Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients into main bowl, mix. Pour in half the milk/juice mixture, mix. Alternate with dry, wet and then lastly dry. Blend until smooth then fold in raisins. Fill muffin liners or greased muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Made 15 muffins for me.

Ryan's Chocolate Banana Honey Waffles

What you need:

• 2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 2 eggs, whisked
• 2 cups of milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 Tablespoon honey

What you do:

Whisk together dry ingredients in large bowl. Combine wet ingredients in separate bowl. Pour wet into dry and mix. Cook in greased waffle iron.

Why?

I need an online space for my recipes. I have recipes all over the internet in various places and let's face it, I'm getting older and my memory is full of things like how many milliliters of Tylenol a 2 year old can have, what the characters names are in every single Disney movie made, and the quickest route through the grocery store based on my shopping list while 2 children are fighting and grabbing everything in sight. I'm having difficulty remembering which recipe is where and the places I have them stored don't lend themselves well to organization of said recipes. So here I am. Blogging away these precious measurements in order to preserve their posterity. Oh and I guess to share them with you. :) Enjoy.