Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Great Grandma Mabel's Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup shortening
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
Dash of salt
Dissolve 1 tsp soda in 2 tbsp hot water
1 egg
2 cups flour

Instructions:
Mix together.
Make small balls of dough, press with sugared fork (may also lightly roll the balls of dough in sugar).
Bake at 350 F until done.

Steve's Sweet Italian Sausage

Ingredients:
2 lbs ground pork
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp ground fennel seed
1 1/2 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tbsp finely minced fresh garlic
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp black pepper
3 tbsp red wine vinegar

Instructions:
In a large bowl, hand mix all ingredients.
Cover, and place in fridge for at least 30 minutes before enjoying.

Hint:
We like to put a bunch of small pieces on a baking sheet and bake before putting it on a pizza.

Biscuit Mix

Ingredients:
10 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup baking powder
1/4 cup white sugar
2 tsp salt
2 cups shortening (can use butter)

Instructions:
In large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
Cut in shortening until mixture resembles course crumbs (actually, I thought it resembled Parmesan cheese).
Store in an airtight container for up to 6 weeks.

Hint:
You can go to the bisquick website to find some good recipes to use this for.  To make biscuits all you need is 2 1/4 cup of the mix and 2/3 cup milk (bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes).

Monday, May 24, 2010

Oatmeal Cinnamon Muffins, with additions

Ingredients:
3 cups old-fashioned oats
3 cups buttermilk (can do 1 1/2 cups milk and 1 1/2 cups melted butter, if you're in a pinch)
6 eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tbsp and 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3+ tbsp ground cinnamon (to taste!)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp nutmeg (heaping)
3 tsp almond extract

Instructions:
In large bowl, combine oats and buttermilk; let stand for 5 minutes.
Stir in eggs and almond extract.
Combine dry ingredients; stir into oatmeal mixture just until moistened.
Fill greased muffin cups until 2/3 full.
Bake at 400 F (200 C) for 15  minutes or until done.
Cool in pan 10 minutes before moving to wire rack.

Pancake Batter

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour (sift twice)
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp white sugar
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Instructions:
In small bowl, beat egg, add melted butter and beat lightly until blended, then lightly beat in milk and vanilla (careful not to over-beat your egg).
In large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
Make a well in the center, and pour in the egg mixture from the small bowl.
Mix (some lumps are ok).

Steve's Breakfast Sausage

Ingredients:
2 tsp dried sage
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp dried marjoram (if you don't have marjoram, oregano works)
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 pinch ground cloves
2 pounds ground pork

Instructions:
Hand mix ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Cover, and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before using.

Hints:  
Really tasty in quiches or omelets; cook before using as an ingredient.
Can also be made into patties and fried.

McCormick's Mexican Coffee

Ingredients:
3/4 cup ground dark roast coffee (regular or decaffeinated)
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
6 cups water
1 cup milk
1/3 cup chocolate syrup
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla 
Whipped cream (optional)

Instructions:
1. Place coffee and cinnamon in filter basket of coffeemaker. Add water to coffeemaker; brew as directed. 
2. Simmer milk, chocolate syrup and sugar in small saucepan on low heat until sugar dissolves. Stir milk mixture and vanilla into brewed coffee. 
3. Pour into serving cups. Garnish with whipped cream and cinnamon, if desired.

Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:
.5 oz / 2 packets yeast
1/3 cup white sugar
2 cups warm water
1 tbsp salt
6 1/2 cups flour, divided
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla


Cinnamon and Sugar Mixture:
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar

Instructions:
In large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1/3 cup white sugar in warm water. 
Stir in salt and 2 cups of flour.
Beat mixture for 2 minutes.
Beat in eggs, oil, and vanilla.
Stir in the remaining flour: 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition.
Knead for 5 minutes on a lightly floured surface.
Lightly oil a bowl, place dough ball in bowl, turn to coat with oil.
Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place, until double in size.
Punch down and let rise again.
Roll out thinly (may need to cut the dough ball into 2-3 balls, depending on how big your counter top is).
Spread melted butter onto the flattened dough, and then sprinkle from the cinnamon and sugar mixture to cover the surface (as much or as little as you like).
Roll the dough into the shape of a snake.
Slice the dough snake into 1-2 inch pieces and place the pieces into muffin tins that have been lightly oiled (adding a tsp of brown sugar to each space is highly recommended).
Bake at 350 F/175 C for 30 minutes

Choc-Oat-Chip Cookies (Nestle)

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt (optional)
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine (softened)
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups quick or old-fashioned oats
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts (optional)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.
Beat sugars and butter in a large mixing bowl until creamy.
Beat in eggs, vanilla, and milk.
Gradually beat in flour mixture.
Stir in oats, chocolate chips, and nuts; mix well.
Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
Bake from 9-10 minutes.
Cool on baking sheets for one minute; and then move to wire racks.

Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups chocolate chips

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 F
Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.
Beat butter, sugars, and vanilla extract in a large mixer bowl until creamy.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
Gradually beat in flour mixture. 
Stir in chocolate chips.
Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
Bake for 9-11 minutes.
Cool on baking sheets 2 minutes, remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Aunt Linda's Swedish Almond Pie

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup melted butter
2 eggs
1 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup flour
sliced almonds + a spoonful of sugar to sprinkle on top

Instructions:
Mix all ingredients one at a time (minus sliced almonds).
Pour into greased and floured pie pan.

Sprinkle sliced almonds and spoonful of sugar over the top, pressing sliced almonds slightly.
Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes. Let cool entirely before slicing.

Tortilla Soup with Chicken


Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:
One tablespoon olive oil
One handful of tortilla chips, crunched up
1 large onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
6-8 tomatoes, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1-3 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
1 poblano pepper, chopped
6 cups chicken broth/stock
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded, bones removed, etc
1 lime

Garnish ideas:
Shredded Cheese
Avocado
Sour Cream
Cilantro
Tortilla Chips


Instructions:
On medium heat, saute onions, garlic, and red pepper in oil about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, other peppers, and handful of chips. Cook for 5 more minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes.
Cool slightly. 
Using an immersion blender or upright blender, puree the mixture until smooth. Return to medium heat, stir in chicken and heat through.
Squeeze lime over the soup and stir.
Serve and garnish as you like.



Edit: February 2013
Some Pictures. As you might be able to see, we have been just adding whatever peppers we could find that looked good, and regular stemmed tomatoes instead of the canned stuff (about 10 or so). Still one of our favorites!

Peppers, onion, garlic. Sauteing in olive oil.

With tomatoes added.

With broth and chips added.

With chicken. Nearly done!

With fixings (chips are crushed up on the bottom of the bowl). YUM.

Upside Down Ravioli

Ingredients:

8-12oz Jumbo Pasta Shells (we use Barilla)
1 Pound Italian Sausage
2 Tbsp. Extra virgin olive oil
1 Bag (6 oz) baby spinach, chopped
1 Cup finely chopped onion
1 Garlic clove, minced (1/8 tsp garlic powder also works well)
1 Tsp salt
1/4 Tsp Ground Black Pepper
1/8 Tsp ground nutmeg
1 egg
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
As much shredded mozzerella cheese as you can handle
1 jar (26 oz) Red Sauce (we use Prego meat-flavored spaghetti sauce)

Instructions:
PREHEAT oven to 350
COOK Jumbo Shells according to package directions; drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water (we usually just do a ladle or so full).
WHILE pasta is cooking, cook italian sausage in large skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink, stirring occasionally. Drain grease.
Stir in oil, spinach, onion, and garlic; add some of the reserved pasta water until blended, adding more water as needed; continue cooking 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat; add seasonings and blend well.
Let mixture cool.
Stir in egg and Parmesan cheese.
POUR 1 cup sauce into 13x9-inch baking dish.
FILL jumbo shells with meat mixture and a pinch of mozzerella cheese and place in baking dish (We usually find it helpful to have it all lined up...bowl of meat mixture, bowl of shells, cheese, baking dish), making sure the shells are sealed and that the sealed part is facing down into the sauce.
Pour remaining sauce over the shells; sprinkle remaining mozzerella cheese over the top. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes or until thouroughly heated.
Makes 4-6 servings.

Gooey Mocha Pudding Cake (as found in Glamour Magazine)

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup flour
7 tbsp powdered cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 cup hot coffee

Instructions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine 3/4 cup sugar, flour, 3 tbsp cocoa, baking powder and salt.
Blend in milk, butter and vanilla and beat until smooth.
Pour the batter into a 9-inch square pan.
In small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup sugar, 4 tbsp cocoa, and brown sugar; sprinkle over batter.
Pour coffee over top.
DO NOT STIR.
Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until center is set.
Let cool.

Maxine’s Whole Wheat Rolls

Ingredients:
3 + cups of whole wheat flour
2 ½ tsp yeast (or maybe a little more)
1 cup milk
1/3 c sugar
1/3 c butter
¾ teaspoon salt (or maybe a little more)
2 eggs (beaten)

Instructions:
In a small saucepan heat just until warm and butter is partially melted (remember if it is too hot you will kill the yeast): milk, sugar, butter, and salt
In a large bowl mix: 1 + cup of whole wheat flour, and yeast.
Add the milk mixture and 2 beaten eggs.
Mix until blended.
Let sit (15 min – 30 minutes)
Add 1 cup more of the flour and blend.
Begin adding flour and kneading until flour is just barely not sticking.
Place in oiled bowl.
Cover with wet cloth for 1 – 2 hours.
Punch down.
Rest 15 minutes.
Punch down.
Roll and shape.
Bake 375 F or 190 C for 12 – 15 minutes depending on the size and closeness of the rolls. They should have a nice brown. Cool on a rack. Enjoy with people you love.
Makes 24 – 36 rolls

Marietta's Dream Bars

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter

Filling:
2 eggs, beaten (okay to add one extra egg white if eggs are small)
1 cup brown sugar
2 T (tablespoon) flour
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups (or 100 gram pkg) coconut
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup chocolate chips

Instructions:
Heat oven to 350 F (176C).
Combine crust ingredients; press into 9x13 (or larger) pan.
Bake 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, make filling.
Mix together eggs, sugar, vanilla, flour and baking powder.
Stir in coconut, nuts and chocolate chips.
Spread onto crust and bake 20-25 minutes longer or until set and lightly browned.

Taco Seasoning (as found on allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder (the first time we made this, we couldn't find onion powder at the store, so we substituted celery powder, and it worked just fine).
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions:
In a small bowl (or jar), mix together chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Store in an airtight container.

Hint:
If you put all of the ingredients in a jar, then you can just put the lid on and shake it up to mix everything together.

Enchilada Sauce (as found on allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup diced onion
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons hot chili powder
4 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 (1 ounce) square semisweet chocolate (a couple tablespoons of semi-sweet chocolate chips work just fine!)

Instructions:
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high high heat. Saute onion until tender. Stir in garlic, oregano, cumin and cinnamon; saute for a few minutes.
Stir in flour and chili powder, stirring until sauce thickens. Slowly whisk in chicken broth; reduce until sauce reaches desired consistency. Stir in chocolate until melted and well blended.

Chicken Enchiladas (as found on allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:
10 Corn Tortillas heated
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (4 ounce) can green chilies, chopped
1 pound cooked chicken, shredded
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce (or, make your own sauce!)
1/2 cup jalapeno jack cheese, shredded
cooking spray

Instructions:
Saute onion and garlic in a large oiled skillet over medium heat, about 5 minutes.
Add chilies, chicken, and enchilada sauce; cook 2 minutes.
Fold in cheese.
Remove from heat.
Fill each tortilla with 1/3 cup of chicken mixture and roll up. Place seam side down in an oiled (pan spray) baking pan.
(tip: Dip each warmed tortilla in water, shake off excess before filling with ingredients.)
Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 375 degrees F for 10 minutes. Broil for 5 minutes and serve hot.

Steve's Pizza Dough

Ingredients:
1 package of quick rising yeast
1 teaspoon of sugar 1 cup of warm water
1 egg (beaten)
1 Tablespoon of olive oil
1 ½ teaspoons of salt
3 ½ cups of flour

Instructions:
Mix the yeast, sugar, and ¼ cup of the water in a separate container to activate the yeast (should only take 5 minutes).
While yeast mixture is activating, mix the rest of the water (3/4 cup), egg, olive oil, and salt.
Add yeast mixture and mix in.
Then add the flour.
Mix until everything is mixed together well and the dough holds together. If it is a little too wet or sticky sprinkle in a little more flour.
Shape into a ball, place into a greased bowl, and cover with a damp towel to rise.
Dough should rise for at least an hour, but more is great.
After the dough has risen, punch it down and reshape into a ball. Separate the dough ball into two smaller balls (one batch of dough makes two pizzas).
Roll out with a rolling pin, add your toppings, and bake for 17-20 minutes at 425 F (218 C). Or until the crust looks golden brown and the toppings look cooked to your liking.
Hint:
Make sure that the bottom of the dough has plenty of flour on it so that it will not stick to the pizza stone (or whatever you are preparing your pizza on).

Caution

Please bear with all the giraffes, as bears and giraffes can get quite rough.