Samplings From Our Kitchens...

Enchilada Sauce

2010-01-26T21:00:00.000-08:00

Wow! I hope people like mexican food because this is my third post and I am seeing a pattern here... but I just got back from mutual where I showed my mia maids how to make enchiladas (which were sooo yummy!) and because they turned out so good I thought I would share the recipe! So you do what you want with this recipe, make your enchiladas how you want, this is just the sauce!

1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1 can tomato soup
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1/2 c. water
2 T. oil
2 T. chili powder
1 tsp. garlic powder

*The recipe says this makes 10-12 enchiladas but we got twenty tonight! I don't know what to tell you about that...???? I have made this sauce numerous times and always have leftovers, but don't worry! You can always freeze it for next time. It works well with the enchilada soup too.
And next time I'll try to branch out a little and post something without chili powder or salsa!! Haha :)

Chicken salsa casserole

2009-12-09T21:12:00.000-08:00

This is soo fast and easy, you'll love it!!

Sauce:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 c. salsa
1 c. sour cream

1 lb. cooked chicken (diced, shredded, whatever you want. I like to salt and pepper it, sometimes garlic salt too for a little extra flavor :)

Layer: Flour tortilla, sauce, chicken, shredded cheese. Repeat layers. Bake 350 for 35 minutes, or heated all the way through and edges are bubbling.

I generally use a 3 qt dish to bake this in. I also like to put some sauce down first in the bottom of the dish so the tortilla doesn't burn or stick to the bottom. We have also used this sauce for chicken enchiladas... so tasty!

Chicken Enchilada Soup

2009-12-08T08:48:00.000-08:00

1 tbs. vegetable oil
1 lb. chicken breasts
1/2 c. diced onion
1 clove garlic, pressed (I use minced garlic)
4 c. chicken broth
1 c. masa harina (mexican tortilla flour)
3 c. water
1 c. enchilada sauce (I use medium but it's up to you how spicy you want it)
16 oz velveeta cheese, cubed
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cumin

Cook chicken breast, set chicken aside. Add oil, onions, and garlic to pot and saute over medium heat for about 2 minutes, or until onions become translucent. Add chicken broth. Combine masa harina with 2 cups water in medium bowl and whisk until blended. Add masa harina mixture to pot with onions, garlic and broth. Add remaining water, enchilada sauce, velveeta and spices and bring mixture to a boil. Shred chicken into small pieces and add to pot. Reduce heat and simmer soup for 30-40 minutes or until thick, stirring occasionally so it doesn't cook on the bottom.
You can make this soup in the crockpot too, just give yourself more time as it takes longer for the cheese to melt and the soup to thicken.
This soup is really yummy to dip tortilla chips in! We rarely use spoons, just chips! Sour cream, cheese, and pico de gallo is optional but also a very yummy garnish!!

This is a family favorite! Hope you enjoy it :)

Healthify Your Flour

2009-09-24T08:23:00.000-07:00

Alright so, in the Sneaky Chef cookbook that I checked out from the library the other day I found a helpful hint for using flour. It is super easy. Ready? Make your own better for you flour by mixing equal parts White All-purpose flour, Whole Wheat (stone ground, I like Bob's Red Mill) flour, and Wheat Germ. This morning I asked Olivia what she wanted for breakfast and she opened a drawer and pulled out the waffle maker. So, we made waffles. I really do want to start at least making an effort to incorporate healthier foods into our diet so, when the recipe called for flour I thought... I can make this even better. So I mixed (you can do more, I just didn't have that much wheat germ)

2 cups of flour
2 cups of wheat flour
2 cups of wheat germ

and then took what flour the recipe called for from there. Sure, you could tell it was a little different but it really didn't taste bad at all. I thought for sure with the 4 cups of healthier stuff and only the 2 cups of the white stuff that the waffles would be tough and gross but they weren't. So, if you feel like "healthifying" your flour try this.

Calling all Recipes...

2009-09-15T13:53:00.000-07:00

Ok, so Hilary was brave enough to post a recipe once (or twice?) but I bet we could all use some fresh ideas for meals. Am I right? Maybe I am the only one who makes the same 2 things over and over again. So, if you are already an author on this blog post some recipes! And if you would like to be an author on this blog, leave a comment with your email address and I will invite you to be an author! Anyone is invited, as long as you have really GOOD recipes that you have made and love!

My Very Own Turkish Delight

2009-09-15T13:19:00.000-07:00

[Picture Unavailable, but by the time you are done reading this you will know what they look like.]

So, I made some cinnamon doughnut holes a month or so ago and store half of them in the freezer. Every time Tim opens the freezer he thinks that this little treat is inside of the bowl. I thought the doughnuts were good but apparently not this good. I decided yesterday that I would make some of these and put them in the freezer to surprise him. I usually just call these chocolate balls, but then I thought that they are more of a mousse so I thought about calling them mousse balls... but that didn't sound very good, so I have no idea what to call these EXCEPT delicious! Oh and Cool Whip is like the major ingredient and I hate cool whip but I really love these. So if you are like me and really don't like cool whip... don't stick your nose up at this recipe... unless you don't like chocolate either.

16 oz. Cool Whip
2 Giant Hershey's with (or without) almonds (6.8 oz)
1/2 box Nilla Wafers
1 tsp. vanilla (optional)

First of all you need to make sure that the cool whip is in it's soft state, not frozen state. Now, you are going to need to turn your wafers into crumbs. Food processor, ziploc bag and rolling pin, blender... however you do it just make crumbs. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler (or in my case a medium-ish pot filled with water and a medium pyrex bowl sitting on top.) If you are brave you can melt the chocolate in the microwave but be sure not to burn it because if you do, these will not be delicious. Once the chocolate is melted remove from the pot. If you so desire, go ahead and add a splash of vanilla at this point. I usually put the vanilla in the chocolate but it does something weird to the chocolate that makes me think I did something wrong... BUT you could stir it into the cool whip before adding it to the chocolate. I dont know why I didnt think of that before now. So at this point you have the cookie crumbs, the melted chocolate, and the vanilla flavored cool whip. Right? Now stir the cool whip into the bowl of chocolate. I usually add the cool whip gradually between stirring but whatever you want to do... you pretty much cant screw these up. Once you have your chocolate mousse, put it in the refrigerator until it thickens up... 30 minutes to an hour. Once thicker, it will be easier to roll the mousse into the cookie crumbs. Just drop by the spoonful and coat with nilla wafer crumbs. We think these are best stored in the freezer. I just open the freezer and grab one out an enjoy. Yummm...

Mess up.

2009-09-02T15:00:00.000-07:00

So, I forgot to mention that I didn't use the full cup of oil. I did half oil and half applesauce... super moist, and super yummy. I want to make it again. I think that is all that I switched, unless already mentioned. Enjoy.

Zucchini Bread- YUM!

2009-08-31T07:13:00.000-07:00

I love zucchini bread only, I never ever make it. I looked on allrecipes.com and found a recipe that like 10,000 people rated the recipe a 5 star recipe, so I decided I probably needed to try it out. It was super easy and fast and we ate 2 loaves in 2 days... it was that good.

3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
2 cups grated zucchini (I used 2 1/2 cups which was 2 zucchinis)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I didn't use nuts)
I also added a 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg.

Crunchy Strudel Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (once again, no nuts)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour two 8x4 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and frothy. Mix in oil and sugar. Stir in zucchini and vanilla. Combine flour, cinnamon, soda, baking powder, salt and nuts; stir into the egg mixture. Divide batter into prepared pans.
3. Sprinkle with topping mixture and bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until done. I also put some foil on top of the loaves toward the end of backing to prevent the top from getting too brown... may or may not be necessary for you.

Citrus Poppy Seed Cake

2009-03-12T09:28:00.000-07:00

Alright, so last night was enrichment (Hilary has a pasta salad recipe that I love and want to post but... it might be a secret? Hil?) Anyway, Enrichment was a birthday theme. Each table (Jan-Dec) needed a cake and since no one volunteered to do the 12th cake... I did. I think I am becoming more and more like my mom and decided on a cake despite the fact that it might make life a bit more difficult than just doing a box mix. I had been wanting to make this cake since I had made it years and years ago in Japan. I found it on Martha Stewarts website so if my directions are not sufficient you can go to her website. But she says things like, "Sift the dry ingredients 20 times" or "Churn your own butter for this recipe, you can really taste the difference" so.. I needed to simplify things. I really like this cake (it might be my new b-day cake request) and I think it looks impressive.. although that might have been Brittney's cake stand.

Ingredients

Makes 1 eight-inch-round 3 layer cake

* 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
* 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
* 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
* 7 large eggs, lightly beaten, room temperature
* 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
* 1 cup milk, room temperature
* 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
* 1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
* 1/2 teaspoon grated lime zest
* 1/3 cup poppy seeds, plus more for sprinkling
* Shiny Cream Cheese Frosting
* Lemon Glaze

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together dry ingredients. Prepare 3 8x2 round cake pans... I only had two to use so I had to wait on the last one. Wasn't a big deal at all. Martha says to butter, parchment, and flour the pans but I just sprayed them really well and they cakes came out perfectly. What does Martha know. JK. Cream your butter until light, then add sugar. Cream again until smooth. Drizzle in eggs one at a time. Since there were so many I cracked them all into a pyrex cup and just dropped them in one at a time.... it was so much easier than cracking and hoping you dont get a shell. Beat until smooth and fluffy. You will need to scrape down the sides every now and then. Add vanilla. Add the flour and milk gradually, alternating between the two. If you end with the milk I find that the batter tends to be more velvety... Martha says otherwise. Whatever. Scrape sides and beat in the 3 zests and the poppy seeds. Divide and Conquer. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool. Once completely cooled make sure to borrow your sister-in-laws fancy cake stand so this cake will look as good as it tastes. Martha only frosts the middle layers but I frosted all three layers. I thought it looked better but it might taste even better with lots more yummy frosting in the middle of the cake. So frost away. Refrigerate. Glaze. Done.

Shiny Cream Cheese Frosting
* 12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
* 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
* 3 cups confectioners' sugar

Mix the cream cheese well before adding the butter. Cream together. Slowly add the confectioners' sugar.

Lemon Glaze
* 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
* 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
*** I grated orange peel into this. I thought it looked nice.

Best Banana Bread

2009-02-26T08:21:00.000-08:00

Love it. I wasnt sure if the recipe made one loaf or two so I started putting it in one pan and realized that it wouldnt bake through if I put it all in one pan, so I put the rest in another loaf pan and made a short bread... get it. It might have been fine in one loaf pan but normally when I make bread and put it all in one pan I have to eat around the middle of the loaf.... not enjoyable. The entire "short-bread" was nearly gone by the time Lost was over. It was a great snack, and could be a great dessert!? I bet you could put it in a cake pan and put some cream cheese frosting on it. Mmm... Next Project.

1/2 cup Butter
1 cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1 1/2 cup Flour (I have used whole wheat and it is just as good)
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
1 cup smashed Bananas
1/2 cup Sour Cream (a generous cup makes it extra soft)
1 tsp. Vanilla

Optional: Walnuts or Pecans. I have also put shredded coconut in my banana bread before. I liked it a lot but I love coconut... others, not so much.

Preheat oven to 350*. Cream the butter and eggs. Mix dry ingredients and add to butter and sugar. Add last three ingredients. Bake for about an hour. The loaves I baked last night were light brown and perfectly cooked and soft inside. I think the bake time in my oven is different from normal ovens so just keep an eye on the bread and poke it in the middle with a toothpick when you think it might be done.

Lime Soup with Tortillas and Chicken

2009-01-30T07:34:00.001-08:00

I saw this recipe on TV yesterday & decided to try it. I made some adjustments, so I'm giving you the Hilary Seiter version.

Saute: (in your soup pot)
1 small onion, diced
1 Tbs olive oil
1 carrot, peeled & sliced fairly thin

Then add:
2 cans chicken stock/broth
3-4 big Tbs lime juice
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 - 2 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbs oregano
and boil til carrots are tender

Then add:
1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 chicken breast, cooked & diced
a bunch of cilantro, chopped

Top with:
corn tortillas that've been sliced into strips & fried til crispy in 1-2 Tbs of olive oil (this is the best part). We also ate it with warm corn tortillas & it was good, but not as good as the strips.
The lady on TV topped hers with diced tomato & avocado.

This makes 2-3 big servings. The original recipe calls for 6 cups of chicken stock, but I didn't want to have that much left over.

No Guilt Double Chocolate Brownies

2009-01-29T20:34:00.000-08:00

My mission was to find some low calorie, low fat desserts that would allow us to feel like we are treating ourselves to something yummy. And while this recipe isnt as good as a moist and fudgy brownie, it actually is fairly tasty. Just keep in mind that these brownies have almost half as many calories (111 calories), zero cholesterol, less than half the fat, and nearly half as many carbs as your typical fudge brownie mix. Plus it is a small pan so you arent stuck eating an entire 9x13 all by your lonesome while your husband is at school/work. I dont think these brownies taste like cardboard (like most things diet do) They have a good chocolate flavor and the chocolate chips get melted so there are little supreeze's of ooey chocolate. If you dont care about the calories they would be great with some Farr's Old Fashion Vanilla ice-cream. Tim and I both thought that they were pretty good. So for all of you who are looking to trim down but have a hard time staying away from the treat drawer... whip up a pan of these. P.S. They were super fast. Double Bonus.

Here is the recipe:

Nonstick cooking spray
4 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup cold water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate pieces
2 teaspoon powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Coat the bottom of a 9-x-9-inch (I used an 8x8) baking pan with nonstick spray. In a medium bowl, melt butter in microwave. Stir in sugar, water, and vanilla. Mix in flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder until combined. Add chocolate pieces. Pour batter into pan; bake for 15 to 18 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Starbuck's Cranberry Bliss Bars

2008-11-07T22:17:00.000-08:00

Alright, well, my mom and I mastered these while in Japan with very limited resources. So if we could do it so can everyone else.

Bars:
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup dried cranberries (crasins)
6 oz. white chocolate pieces or chips

Frosting:
4 oz. cream cheese
3 cups powdered sugar
4 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Cream butter and brown sugar. Add eggs, mixing between eggs. Add vanilla, ginger, and salt. Mix. Add flour and continue mixing. Add dried cranberries and white chocolate. Spread cookie dough in a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees until just barely turning brown. Blend frosting ingredients and spread on bars after they have cooled. Top with more cranberries and white chocolate.

Raspberry Muffins!

2008-11-07T21:33:00.000-08:00

I havent made these for a really long time but every time I made them they tasted and looked perfect!

2 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup milk
8 T Butter
2 eggs
1 cup frozen raspberries

Combine all dry ingredients. In another bowl, wisk together milk, butter, and eggs. Add and combine with dry ingredients. Slowly incorporate raspberries. Bake 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Bacon and Tomato Mac 'N' Cheese!

2008-10-20T12:02:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I have been making my own macaroni for a long time but I get bored so I change it a little evry time. I made this version about a month ago and I really like it. To my surprise Pizza Hut must have a monopoly on my brainwaves because they now have a bacon macaroni. Whatever.

12 oz. Package of Noodles (I like rotini or giant macaroni noodles)

Cook the noodles first and just set them aside...

5-6 slices of bacon-cooked and crumbled (bacon bits could work)
1 1/2 cups cheese- Cubed or shredded (I always have colby jack so thats what I use. Sharp cheddar is what is normally used for macaroni but I dont know what that would do to the taste?)
Diced Tomatoes (as much or as litle as you like- I like to use the whole can)

Make sure everything up until this point is done before moving on to the next step because if you havent made a roux before, it might requires your full attention...

4 Tb. Butter
4 Tb. Flour
Milk (I never measure but it is probably about almost 2 cups, just add small amounts gradually until you have enough sauce to cover your noodles.)
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 tsp Garlic powder (optional- nutmeg is also an optional item. It gives the sauce more of warm, rich taste)
1 Tb. Spicy Mustard

In a large saucepan, melt the butter on med-low heat. Once melted, slowly whisk in the flour. The mixture is going to thicken and get lumpy. Just keep whisking and slowly add milk. Keep whisking. Slowly add more milk... the roux should begin to thicken and resemble a creamy sauce. Keep whisking. Add cheese. At this point you can just stir the sauce. Add salt, pepper, garlic, and nutmeg-if desired. Add bacon and tomatoes. Now you have a decision to make. If your pan is big enough you can add the noodles to your sauce and stir or you can pour the noodles and sauce into a 9x13 pan, sprinkle with more cheese and bake it for about 15 minutes. Your choice.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

2008-10-17T21:31:00.000-07:00

1/2 Cup Shortening
1 1/2 Cups Sugar
1 Egg
1 Cup Canned Pumpkin
1 tsp. Vanilla
2 1/2 Cups Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Salt, Nutmeg, and Cinnamon
Chocolate Chips

Cream shortening and sugar. Add the egg, pumpkin, and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients and gradually add to creamed mixture. Add chocolate chips. Pecans are a nice addition as well.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 13 minutes... they will be slightly turning brown in some places and even continue to cook a little more on the cookie sheet.

Spetzele!

2008-10-10T09:43:00.000-07:00

So, I hadn't had this until we had it at Tims parents. The only difference between my recipe and the original is that the original has homemade spetzele noodles. I just use egg noodles.

1 lb. ground beef
1 egg
1/2 pkg. onion soup mix

2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 can of water
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 pkg of brown gravy mix
1 T cornstartch (mixed with a little water)

The first three ingredients are for meatballs. Mix the ingredients and form into meatballs. Place meatballs on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until done.

Combine the rest of the ingredients in a crock pot. Add the cooked meatballs and stew on low for 8 hours.

Seiters always make their noodles using a noodle press. If you have one of those here is the noodle recipe. If not just buy a package of egg noodles:

6 eggs
2/3 cup water
3 2/3 cups flour
3 1/2 tsp salt

Mix together and squeeze the mixture through the noodle press into a pot of slightly salted boiling water. Serve meatballs and sauce over noodles.

Hilary's Black Bean Salad

2008-10-07T11:24:00.000-07:00

If I were Rachel Ray I would give this recipe a "YUM-O!"

1 Green Pepper
Cilantro
3 Green Onions
1 Large Tomato
1 Can of Black Beans
1 Avocados
Frozen Corn (or 1 can)
Italian Dressing (about 1/3 cup)

Dice all ingredients and place in a large bowl. Add dressing and combine all ingredients. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill. In the mean time, make some quesadillas, just cheese and tortillas. I added some shredded lime chicken to my quesadillas. It was once again YUM-O. Cut the quesadillas into quarters or strips. Serve Bean salad on top of quesadillas. I made this tonight for dinner Tim and I ate half of it so depending on how hungry you are it could be 4 servings. Hilary made a ginormous bowl of it so obviously depending on how many people you are feeding, adjust accordingly (Tim and I were very VERY full if that helps).

1 Hour Cinnnamon Rolls

2008-10-07T11:05:00.000-07:00

Brittney's mom made these when she came to see new baby Avery. They are so soft and delicious! When I make them I roll the dough out too thin and it breaks when I start rolling it. So, dont roll it out too thin!

In a mixing bowl combine:

1 cup +3 T warm water
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup sugar
2 T yeast

Let sit 15 minutes.
While the yeast is sitting melt the following ingredients in a small saucepan. Once melted let cool:

6 T butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 T cinnamon

Add 1 egg, beaten to the yeast mixture.

Mix in 3 1/2 cups of flour and 1 tsp. of salt. I use a mixer and a dough hook. Once the dough is mostly combined, I pour it on the counter and knead it. Knead 5-10 minutes. Roll into a rectangle (not too thin!) Spread the cooled brown sugar on to the dough. Roll, and use dental floss (flavor free) to cut one inch rolls. Place rolls in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes. They will feel like they arent done but they are, they are so soft! While they are baking prepare the frosting by mixing:

3 T butter, softened
2 T sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
powdered sugar, enough to make a somewhat thick consistency.