Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Creamy Spinach Enchiladas

I made these the other night and thought they were pretty darn good. These and diabetic friendly too! That is why everything is reduced fat of fat-free. I of course just use the regular stuff.



Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:
1/2 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
4 cups torn fresh spinach or 1/2 of one 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well-drained
1 8-ounce carton light dairy sour cream
1/4 cup plain fat-free yogurt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1 4-ounce can diced green chili peppers, drained
6 7-inch flour tortillas
1/3 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (1-1/2 ounces)
Chopped tomato or salsa (optional)
Thinly sliced green onions (optional)
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

Directions:
1. In a 3-quart saucepan place chicken in enough water to cover. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 15 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken from saucepan. When cool enough to handle, use a fork to shred chicken into bite-size pieces. (You should have about 1-1/2 cups.) Set aside.

2. If using fresh spinach, place spinach in a steamer basket over boiling water. Reduce heat. Steam, covered, for 3 to 5 minutes or until tender. (Or, cook in a small amount of boiling water, covered, for 3 to 5 minutes.) Drain well.

3. In a large bowl combine chicken, spinach, and green onions; set aside. In a bowl combine sour cream, yogurt, flour, cumin, and salt. Stir in milk and chili peppers. Divide sauce in half. Set one portion aside.

4. For filling, combine one portion of the sauce and the chicken-spinach mixture. Divide the filling among the tortillas. Roll up tortillas. Place, seam side down, in an ungreased 2-quart rectangular baking dish.

5. Spoon reserved portion of sauce over tortillas. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree F oven about 25 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with cheese; let stand for 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter. To serve, if desired, garnish with chopped tomato or salsa and additional green onion. Makes 6 enchiladas.

* You can make these ahead of time and refrigerate them, just add 10-15 minutes to the cooking time.
* I would also add more chicken and cheese.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Cowboy Caviar

This has become one of my trademark recipes in our ward. I took it to a potluck a few years ago and the recipe has become popular. You can find it at just about any BBQ or baby shower that someone in the ward puts on. It is yummy! I originally got it from my sister-in-law Janell. Thanks Janell.1 10 oz. package frozen corn
1 can black eyed peas, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
8 roma tomatoes
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
8 oz. Zesty Italian dressing
2 tsp. (or so) cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine and serve with tortilla chips. Enjoy!!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Another chocolate chip cookie recipe. We all have our favorites and this is ours. Soft and chewy, just like we like it. Kimball eats these straight from the oven. He also likes to take a cooled cookie and stick it in the microwave for a few seconds to warm it up.
3/4 c. butter
1 1/4 c. brown sugar
2 T. milk
1 T. vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 c. chocolate chips (we like milk chocolate best)

Cream butter and brown sugar. Beat in egg. Add milk and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients. Add to creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 9 minutes at 375 degrees.

Makes 3 dozen or less depending on how much of the dough you eat :)

General Tso's Chicken

I think this would be yummy with Allison's Lo-Mein!
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast
1/3 c. flour
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 T. oil
1/4 c. sugar
1 T. cornstarch
2 T. water
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. pineapple juice
1/4 c. vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. freshly grated ginger, (I left this out because I don't like the flavor in my food unless it's a cookie)
red pepper flakes, to taste
4 green onions, sliced


Combine flour and cayenne. Dredge chicken in flour and cook in oil.
In saucepan combine cornstarch and sugar. Slowly whisk in liquids, garlic, and ginger. Cook and stir over medium heat til thick and bubbly. Add red pepper flakes and green onion. Pour over chicken and stir to coat. Serve over rice.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Penrod Fajitas


So, I hesitated posting this because this recipe is so Utah Mexican food, and I know that I’ll get some flak for it. But, since I won’t be seeing any of you for a long time, tease away! :) This recipe is from my best friend in high school’s family (and yes, they are from Utah). So, no, definitely not an authentic fajita recipe, but it’s a fun way to change it up.

Penrod Fajitas
Serves 6

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 onion, cut into strips
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 bell peppers (your choice of color), sliced into strips
2 tablespoons canola oil
¼ - ½ cup Yoshida’s sweet teriyaki sauce

Flour tortillas, warmed (whole wheat are yummy)
Toppings, below

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in skillet over high heat. Once hot, cook chicken until lightly browned. Remove from pan. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat and add onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent and soft, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add bell peppers and cook 2-3 minutes or until done. Add chicken and sauce and cook, stirring constantly, another 2 minutes, until heated through. Serve on warm tortillas with desired toppings.

Toppings:
Lime
Sour cream
Cheese, shredded
Tomatoes, diced

Chicken Lo Mein


We love having this when we feel like Chinese. I adapted the veggies to suit my kids' tastes, so feel free to throw in whatever your family likes. The changes I make are in red. The best thing about this recipe is that it makes a ton, and tastes even better the next day!

Chicken Lo Mein
adapted from My Kitchen Cafe

12 ounces Chinese Lo Mein noodles or linguine pasta (I use whole wheat linguine)
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Stir-fry Sauce (recipe follows)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (I do 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup celery, sliced
1/2 cup snow peas
1 cup broccoli florets, steamed until just barely tender
Unsalted dry roasted peanut halves (optional)

Cook the noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, continue with the recipe, and when the noodles are done, drain and set aside.

Make the stir-fry sauce and set aside. Heat the oil in an extra-deep 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Peel and coarsely chop the onion, adding it to the skillet as you chop. Stir from time to time. While the onion cooks, slice the chicken into strips about 1/4-inch wide. Add the chicken to the skillet. Raise the heat to medium-high and stir occasionally.

While the chicken cooks, add the carrots, broccoli and mushrooms (celery and snow peas) and stir to mix. Stir-fry the mixture until the chicken is no longer pink. Immediately add the stir-fry sauce and noodles. Raise the heat to high and cook until the noodles and chicken are heated through and coated with sauce, 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Serve, garnished with peanut halves (if using).

Stir-Fry Sauce
(I sometimes double this, depending on how many veggies I end up throwing in)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar or distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon ketchup
2 teaspoons chopped ginger
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

Whisk all of the ingredients together in a 1-quart bowl.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Yellow Cake (from scratch)

I have never been a fan of 'from scratch' cake. It always turns out too heavy, dense, and... just not quite right. But, my kids were concerned that I didn't have a birthday cake and I didn't have a cake mix in the house. I went online and found a recipe on Allrecipes. I tweaked it a bit the way other commenter's had suggested. I really wasn't very hopeful that it would be any good. To my surprise THIS CAKE WAS SOOOO GOOD. I may never use a boxed mix again!!! Here is the tweaked recipe...
2 1/3 cups flour, (the recipe said to sift, but I don't have a sifter. I just used my whisk and whisked the flour in the container then gently scooped my flour)
1 T. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. oil
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine dry ingredients. In another bowl combine oil, eggs, milk, and vanilla. Add dry mixture and mix well. I mixed everything by hand with my whisk and it turned out GREAT!
Bake in a greased 9x13 at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Didn't the kids do a good job decorating!! They were very proud of their work!

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Easy Cheesy Chicken

I got this recipe from Tiffin. It is not heart healthy in it's original form, but I suppose if you are into that sort of thing, you could make it healthier. This is something that I know I can make and everyone in my family will love it. Like, having seconds love it (although I have to dish Hailey's before I add the broccoli.) I also did not get a picture of it.

Easy Cheesy Chicken

2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. milk
1 c. grated cheese
chicken, cooked and cubed (or cubed and cooked, however you prefer)
broccoli (cooked a little less than what you normally like)
cooked rice (I don't know how much. In my rice cooker, I make 3.5 cups of dry rice. But I don't think my measuring cup is a full cup.)

In a large saucepan combine soup, sour cream, milk, and cheese. Cook until hot and cheese is melted. Add cooked chicken and broccoli. Serve over rice.

This makes a lot. Nathan and the kids all have seconds and there is enough left for Nathan to make two lunches, maybe three.

Click here for printable version.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Clark's Meatloaf

I'm not sure where I found this recipe, but it's the one that I have been using for a long time now. It is my FAVORITE meatloaf recipe! I love it with mashed potatoes...sooo good.1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
3/4 c. plain bread crumbs
3/4 c. milk
2 eggs
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Combine all above ingredients. The best way is with your hands. It's kinda nasty, but washes off! The recipe says to put mixture in a 9x5 loaf pan but I don't like my meatloaf swimming in fat. I crumple up foil in the bottom of an 11x7 baking pan (9x13 would probably work too) and put my meatloaf on top of the foil.

Now for the yummy part--the glaze

1/2 c. ketchup
1/2 c. brown sugar

Combine and spread over the top of your meatloaf. Cook for 1 hour at 350 degrees. You might need a little longer, just check to make sure it's done.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Sour Cream Fan Rolls



These are so yummy!

Sour Cream Fan Rolls

2 Tablespoons active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup sugar, divided
2 cups warm sour cream
2 eggs, lightly beaten
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
7 to 8 cups all purpose flour

1. In a bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add 2 tablespoons sugar; let stand for 5 minutes. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sour cream, eggs, butter , salt and remaining sugar.

2. Stir in the baking powder, yeast mixture and 4 cups of flour until smooth. Stir in enough flour to form a soft dough.

3. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic; about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour.

4. Punch down dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Roll each portion into a 23-in. x 9-in. rectangle.

5. Cut into 1-1/2 inch strips. Stack five strips together; cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces and place cut side up in a greased muffin cup. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 20 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks.

Yield: about 2-1/2 dozen.

*I did some of mine on a cookie sheet instead of a muffin tin and I liked how they turned out better.

* The recipe said to put them cut down up, but then they don't turn into the fan, so I would put the side with the layers up.

Chocolate Fudge Jr Mint Centered Cupcakes

I saw these on Picky-Palate and thought they looked yummy. I made them for our enrichment night and everyone seemed to like them. I liked them this way but I think they would also be nice for a party if you made them in the smaller cupcake tins.



Chocolate Fudge Jr Mint Centered Cupcakes

1 box Pillsbury Devils Food Cake Mix

4 eggs

1/2 Cup vegetable oil

1/2 Cup water

1 small box instant chocolate pudding mix

1/2 Cup sour cream

1 Cup chocolate chips

12 oz box Jr Mints

Favorite Vanilla or Cream Cheese Frosting

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a stand or electric mixer, add the cake mix, eggs, oil, water, pudding mix, sour cream and chocolate chips. Mix on medium for 2 minutes or until well combined and somewhat thick. Scoop into 24 paper lined muffin cups. Press 3 JR mints into the center of each cupcake center. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until toothpick comes mostly clean from center. Let cool completely and frost with your favorite vanilla or cream cheese frosting.

24 cupcakes

Monday, August 10, 2009

Corn and Avocado Salsa


This is in no way an authentic salsa, but it's really simple and yummy! The original recipe calls for black-eyes peas, so you could substitute those, but we prefer the black beans.

Corn and Avocado Salsa
original recipe from Becky Higgins

1 can white corn, drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 bunch green onion, chopped
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
4 med. tomatoes, chopped
3 avocados, diced
1 pkg. Good Seasons Italian dressing mix

Mix together all ingredients and chill overnight. Serve with tortilla chips.

Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites

I was telling some of you about these the other night at Mom and Dads. A few of you turned your noses up. Too bad for you;) These are so good and so fun! Recipe and picture from stephanieskitchen.blogspot

1 c. creamy peanut butter
2 Tbsp. butter, softened
1/2 c. powdered sugar (you may need more)
3/4 c. brown sugar (you may need more)
pretzels (waffle shaped seem to work best)
1 bag milk chocolate chips

Mix together peanut butter, butter, powdered sugar, and brown sugar. The dough should be a consistency that you can roll it into balls without it sticking to your hands. If not add a little of both sugars until it's the right consistency. Roll into balls and sandwich between two pretzels. Place on baking sheet. Put baking sheet in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Melt chocolate chips in bowl in microwave at 30 second intervals until melted. Dip pretzel sandwiches halfway into chocolate. Put back on tray. Return to freezer until completely set. Store in refrigerator.

Thin Egg Pancakes

Here's another pancake recipe. We like pancakes around here. They taste very similar to German pancakes. My family eats these as fast as I can cook them. We have often said we need to get a few more of the little frying pans so that I can cook more at the same time! We tried it on the griddle--it didn't work. The batter is too runny. A small frying pan is perfect! 5 eggs
1 c. milk
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. butter, melted
dash of salt

Beat eggs until foamy. Add milk. Beat in the flour and powdered sugar. Add butter and salt. Pour 1/3 c. batter onto hot greased pan. Cook about 1 minute or so on each side. Serve with syrup!

For my family I do 1 1/2 recipes. Doubling the recipe was too much.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Chocolate Chip Cookies


I don't know that these are "the best" but we think they are pretty good.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 c. butter
2 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
4 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. salt (sometimes I use less)
6 c. flour
1 bag chocolate chips (usually I just eyeball this. I don't like too many chocolate chips in my cookies)

Cream butter and sugars. Add vanilla and eggs and beat til fluffy. Add soda, salt and flour. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop balls onto cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 8 minutes.

This is a double recipe and I can get 6-7 dozen out of it depending on how much dough gets eaten. It can easily be halved. I like to make the double and freeze half.

Click here for printable version.

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Teriyaki Turkey Burgers


These are fun twist on the regular hamburger. Mike and I found this recipe when we were first married, and have since hooked our kids onto them, too. I normally serve them with fruit and veggies/dip, but I've done baked french fries/sweet potato fries with them before, and those go great with it, too. Sorry about the picture-it tastes much better than it looks!

Teriyaki Turkey Burgers
Serves 4

1 lb. ground turkey
1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
3 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions (about 3 whole)
1/4 cup crushed pineapple, drained
2 cloves garlic, minced (or can do 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)

Combine all ingredients and mix well (but don't over-mix). The mixture will be moist. Cover and refrigerate for several hours (you don't have to do this step, but I think it makes the flavors come together more). Lightly spray a grill pan with non-stick spray and heat over medium heat. Scoop meat mixture in a half-cup measuring cup and drop carefully onto heated grill. Pat down and cook 5-6 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Top as desired.

Toppings:
Cheese (I used provolone tonight because I had it leftover)
Red onions, sliced (grilled is yummy)
Pineapple slices (grilled is yummy, again) or crushed pineapple
Bell pepper, sliced
Tomatoes, sliced
Lettuce

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Cheesecake



Crust

1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs (about 1 and 1/2 packages)
3 tbsp sugar
6 tbsp butter, softened (not melted)

Thoroughly mix ingredients. Press into bottom and up sides of 9-inch springform pan; set aside.

Filling

3 pkgs (8oz each) cream cheese, softened
1 c. sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. lemon juice

Beat cream cheese well; add sugar a little at a time. Add eggs, one at a time, then add vanilla and lemon juice. Combine thoroughly. Pour into crust. Bake at 300 degrees for 60 minutes. Run a knife around the sides. Cool completely and refrigerate overnight or at least 4 hours.


Other Stuff
  • This recipe is from the Lion House. It also has a topping, which I don't really care for. Whip 1 pint of sour cream, add 3 tbsp sugar gradually, then add 1/2 tsp vanilla. Pour over cheesecake after baking. Bake for an additional 10 minutes. Then cool and refrigerate.
  • I grind my graham crackers in the blender.
  • I use my hand mixer for this and use only low speed. Too much air will make it crack. My KitchenAid mixer doesn't do a very good job of mixing it all together.
  • It should still be jiggly when you take it out of the oven.
  • After running the knife around the edges DO NOT LICK IT! It is HOT. Ask me how I know.
Click here for printable version.

    Wednesday, August 5, 2009

    Poppy Seed Chicken

    My kids like to help me in the kitchen, which is always a challenge. This is an easy recipe that they can help with. They like to count out the crackers, crush the crackers in a bag, stir, and layer all of the ingredients in the pan. They will even eat it to boot!!! It's not a fancy meal but it gets the job done. Don't mind my fancy-schmancy plates :)
    4 chicken breast halves, cooked and shredded
    1 can cream of chicken soup
    1 c. sour cream
    60 Ritz crackers, crushed
    1 Tbsp. poppy seeds
    1 stick of butter, melted
    hot cooked rice
    Place chicken in 9x13 pan. Mix cream of chicken soup and sour cream together. Spread over chicken. Combine crackers, poppy seeds, and butter. Sprinkle over the top. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve over rice.
    To make it a little healthier, you could use low-fat crackers, soup, and sour cream!

    Tuesday, August 4, 2009

    Manicotti in Jumbo Shells

    1/2 box jumbo shells, boiled for 12 minutes
    15 oz. ricotta cheese
    1/2 c. parmesan cheese, shredded
    1 3/4 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
    1 beaten egg
    1 1/2 tsp. dried parsley
    1 jar Prego, or whatever kind your family likes

    1/4 c. parmesan cheese
    1/4 c. mozarella cheese

    Combine ricotta, parmesan, mozzarella, egg, and parsley. Spray a 9x13 pan with Pam. Spread 3/4 jar of Prego in pan. Fill shells with cheese mixture and place on top of Prego. Pour remaining sauce over shells and sprinkle with 1/4 c. mozzarella and 1/4 c. parmesan

    Cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove foil and cook another 5 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

    You could you manicotti noodles if you prefer, I just think it's easier to stuff the shells.

    Sunday, August 2, 2009

    Apple Stuffed Pork Chops

    A friend of mine posted this recipe on her blog ages ago and I have been meaning to try them. Well, last night was the night and now I am wondering why we waited so long. They were so delicious!



    Apple Stuffed Pork Chops

    4 boneless center cut pork chops, 1 1/4-inch thick
    1 package (6 oz) stuffing mix for pork
    1/2 cup chopped apple
    1/4 cup dried sweetened cranberries
    1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
    1/2 teaspoon pepper
    2 tablespoon packed brown sugar
    1 tablespoon butter, melted

    Preheat over to 425 degrees, line 10x15x1-inch pan with Reynolds Wrap Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil (for easy cleaning :))

    Cut a pocket in each pork chop with sharp knife.

    Prepare stuffing mix following package directions. Stir in apples and cranberries; set aside.

    Stuff each chop with 1/2 cup stuffing. Press to flatten. Place chops in foil-lined pan; sprinkle with seasoned salt and pepper.

    Bake 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven. Heat broiler. Mix brown sugar and butter; bush onto chops. Broil 3 to 4 inches from heat 5 to 8 minutes or until brown.

    Saturday, August 1, 2009

    Oatmeal Pancakes

    We love pancakes at our house. We have several different kinds that we make. I'll post them as we make them. I like to think this one is a little healthier than the others because of the oats. Ha ha, like there's such a thing as "healthy" pancakes:) Sometimes we add wheat flour and only use egg whites just to kick it up a notch on the health meter. They aren't pretty pancakes, but they make up for it in taste!
    2 eggs
    1 c. oats
    1 c. flour
    1 1/2 c. buttermilk (I use 1 1/2 Tbsp. vinegar and add enough milk to make 1 1/2 c.)
    1/2 c. milk
    2 Tbsp. sugar
    4 Tbsp. oil or melted butter (we prefer butter)
    2 tsp. baking powder
    1 tsp. baking soda
    1 tsp. salt

    Combine all ingredients together and cook on griddle at 375 degrees