Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Breadsticks

This is a picture of the breadsticks I made the other day. They were wonderful. I got the recipe from Our Best Bites (LOVE their site). This dough was terrific for homemade pizza too. Check out their Pizza 101 cooking class.

Whole Wheat Pancakes

This is our go to pancake recipe. The kids love these and we have them OFTEN!!

3/4 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 egg
1 egg white

Mix all together and cook.

Meatballs in Cream Sauce

Meatballs-

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
3/4 c. oats
1 egg
1/4 c. diced onion
1/4 c. milk
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp.pepper
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. ketchup
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
3 Tbsp. flour

Sauce--

2 Tbsp. butter
3 1/2 Tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
14 oz. chicken broth
2/3 c. milk
2 tsp. dried parsley

For meatballs-- Combine all ingredients except flour. Mix well and roll into 24 balls. Roll in the flour. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, shaking the pan occassionally so that they brown evenly.

For sauce-- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour and seasonings until smooth. Gradually add broth and milk; stirring constantly. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Add parsley. Drain meatballs on paper towels; transfer to a serving dish. Top with sauce. Serve over hot pasta.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Honey Lime Enchiladas


I'm not a big enchilada fan (it's a texture thing), but I'm posting this recipe because a) everyone else in my family loves this recipe and b) the honey lime filling. The filling is really, really good on soft tacos or in a taco salad. Yum!

Honey Lime Enchiladas
adapted from The Sisters Cafe

1.5 lbs pork or chicken, cooked and shredded
1/3 c honey
1/4 c lime juice
1 Tb chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 (10 oz) cans green enchilada sauce
Monterey jack cheese (I normally use about 12 oz)
flour or corn tortillas

Mix together the honey, lime juice, chili powder, and garlic powder. Add to shredded pork or chicken. Let the sauce soak into the meat for about 30 minutes.

Lightly spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray. Pour 1 can green enchilada sauce into pan to coat the bottom. Fill tortillas with shredded meat and desired amount of cheese. Roll and place in dish.

Pour remainder of sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle more cheese on top. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

OR do what I like best and make just the filling part and roll it in a soft taco-sized tortilla with cheddar cheese, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes and sour cream. So good!

Caramel Cake

Last year on my birthday we started a new tradition. The kids make my cake. I told them that I wanted a cake I had seen on Our Best Bites. And so, they made it for me! And man was it goooood! It is piled high with frosting. Now the original recipe didn't call for caramel bites but I thought they might be fun for the kids to use to decorate. Also, I'm the only fan of nuts around here so only a portion of the cake has pecans. And... for anyone who was wondering...no, the house did not burn down from ALL of the candles! ha!
Cake:
1 Duncan Hines yellow cake mix
1 8-oz. container of sour cream
1 c. oil
3 eggs
1 tsp. butter flavoring
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract

Frosting:
1 c. butter
2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. whipping cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 3/4 c. powdered sugar
About 1 c. toasted, chopped pecans

To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine the cake ingredients and beat on medium-high for 3 minutes. Pour the batter into a 9x13" pan and bake according to the times on the cake mix box. When the cake is finished baking, remove from heat and allow to cool. While cooling, prepare the caramel frosting.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and, stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a boil. Carefully stir in the whipping cream and vanilla (be careful of splatters because they'll be HOT!) and then bring this mixture to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 1/2 hour. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and sift in the powdered sugar. Beat on high for 2-3 minutes or until creamy and fluffy. Spread the icing over the cake and sprinkle with toasted chopped pecans.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Onion Strings

This has become a favorite side when we have hamburgers. They are sooo good piled on the burger, if they last long enough. I can't keep my girls out of them.
1 whole Large Onion
2 cups Buttermilk
2 cups All-purpose Flour
1 Tablespoon (scant) Salt
¼ teaspoons (to 1/2 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper
1 quart Canola Oil
Black Pepper To Taste

1. Slice onion very thin. Place in a baking dish and cover with buttermilk and soak for at least an hour. Combine dry ingredients and set aside.

2. Grab a handful of onions (I use my tongs), throw into the flour mixture, tap to shake off excess.

3.Put into hot oil (375 degrees). Fry for a few minutes and remove as soon as golden brown. Repeat until onions are gone.
4. EAT! YUM!

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Strawberry Sauce


I got this recipe from Our Best Bites. It is yummy! We've eaten it on cheesecake, ice cream (even cookies and cream), in our lemonade (also from Our Best Bittes), pancakes (didn't go over as well as I had hoped), and Matt and Ray will eat it by the spoonful. It freezes really well, too. It is kinda hard, but well worth the effort. ;)

Strawberry Sauce

1 pt. strawberries, hulled and halved or quartered if they are large
1/3 c. sugar
1 tsp. almond extract (I prefer it with vanilla)

Combine strawberries, sugar and extract in a medium saucepan. Simmer over medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, breaking up berries with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and cool slightly (if you have a glass blender) or a lot (if you have a plastic blender). Pour berries into blender and pulse until it reaches your desired consistency.

P.S. I was just teasing about it being hard.

Click here for printable version.

Gingersnaps


This is a recipe I got from Tiffin. I made them this past Sunday and took them to Mom and Dad's. Caleb kept telling me how good they were and Dad hid about 10 of them in the pantry for a late night snack. Rachel and Hailey really like them, too. In fact, Rachel cried when I told her she couldn't have a second cookie until after dinner. They look crunchy but they are not. The recipe calls for shortening, but I don't think I have ever made them with shortening. This last time making them I used half shortening and half butter. They were fine. I think Tiffin's stay a little more fluffy--maybe she uses shortening--I don't know.

Gingersnaps

3/4 c. shortening
1 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. molasses
1 egg
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 c. sugar, to roll cookies in

Cream shortening and brown sugar. Add molasses and egg. In a separate bowl, combine flour, soda and spices. Add flour mixture to shortening mixture. Shape into walnut sized balls, roll in sugar and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-9 minutes at 375. Remove to wire rack to cool. Makes 3 dozen.

Click here for printable version.

Creamy Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas


Kade loved these enchiladas (even though he insists he HATES gree chiles). Nathan said they were better than the cream of chicken/sour cream enchiladas that I normally make. I thought they were pretty good, but I think I actually prefer corn tortillas to the flour. And, I put too much cheese on top. I think they are a little labor intensive, but not so bad that I wouldn't make them again.


Creamy Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas


*Serves 4-6

Filling:
3 cups cooked, chopped chicken
2 (4 oz.) cans of green chiles, lightly drained
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, cubed
1 can white or black beans, rinsed and drained (you can really use any type of bean you prefer here)


Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped onion (about 1/2 medium onion)
2 tablespoons flour
1/3 cup chicken broth
¼ cup milk
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 can (7 ounce) green chile enchilada sauce
½ cup sour cream

8 ounces (about 2 cups) Monterey jack cheese, shredded
8 medium (soft taco size) flour tortillas
Handful of chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine the softened cream cheese and green chiles. Mix well. Add the chicken and black beans. Mix to combine. Set aside.

In a large nonstick skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens and starts to turn translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir well. Cook for 1 minute, stirring. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and milk. As you whisk and the mixture cooks, the flour will get less lumpy around the onions and the mixture will become smooth. Cook over medium heat until the mixture is bubbling and has thickened, about 4-5 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the enchilada sauce and sour cream.

Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish. Spread about 1/4 cup of the sauce on the bottom of the dish. Fill each tortilla with about ½ cup of the chicken/cream cheese filling. Top with a small handful of shredded cheese, a couple tablespoonfuls for each enchilada. Save at least 1/2 cup cheese for the top of the enchiladas. Roll the tortillas up and place seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Continue filling enchiladas until the dish is full (I can easily fit 8 enchiladas in one pan).

Pour the white sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Top with remaining cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes until the enchiladas are bubbling, hot and lightly browned. Sprinkle fresh cilantro over the top and serve.

Recipe Source: My Kitchen Cafe (melskitchencafe.com)


Click here for printable version.