Peach Blueberry Frozen Yogurt

This is adapted from my brother Jacob's (brilliant) frozen yogurt recipe.  It is so creamy and full of flavor.  I think I liked his nectarine better than peach-blueberry.  Try any fruit you want!

Peach Blueberry Frozen Yogurt

1/4 c. egg beaters
1 c. sugar
1c. Cream

1 c. vanilla yogurt

3 frozen peaches

1/3 c. frozen blueberries.

Blend egg and sugar then Beat in cream for several minutes. Blend together yogurt and fruit in a blender then mix into the cream. Freeze in an ice cream freezer.

5-Star Copycat Cornbread from food.com

This was the best cornbread!  I just googled Copycat Marie Callendar's cornbread and found this recipe on food.com.  I usually don't copy others' recipes without permission but I have to keep this one here so I can make it again!

Copycat Cornbread:

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk (I've used low fat, and even skim milk and they work fine, but the best is the whole milk!)
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1 egg

Honey Butter

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/3 cup honey

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Combine all the dry ingredients in medium bowl.
3. Add the milk, shortening, and egg and mix only until all the ingredients are well combined.
4. Do not overmix.
5. Pour the batter into a greased 8x8-inch pan.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until top is golden brown.
7. Let cool slightly before slicing.
8. Slice with sharp knife into 9 pieces.
9. Serve warm with honey butter, if desired.
10. For the honey butter, use a mixer on high speed to whip the butter and honey together until smooth and fluffy.

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/marie-callenders-famous-golden-cornbread-copycat-and-honey-b-40844#ixzz1Md2husdY

Ice Cream Crepes

This is another recipe from dating...only I use my family's recipe for the crepes.  This must be eaten right away because the ice cream melts, but it is SOOO yummy.

Ice Cream Crepes

1 1/2 c. flour
1 TBSP sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. milk
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 TBSP margarine, melted

Put liquids into a blender, then add dry ingredients and blend until smooth.  Cook on a medium heat skillet, then cool.  Fill with ice cream and hot fudge sauce.

Sarah's Chili

This is a variation on our traditional Brunson Chili.  It's sweet but spicy :)

Sarah's Chili

2 c. dry anasazi beans
30 oz. tomato sauce (2 15-oz cans or 4 8-oz cans)
1 c. water
1/2 c. sugar

A shy 2 TBSP chili powder
1 tsp garlic salt
1 lb ground beef, cooked (I use less)
1/2 c. chopped green pepper  (half of a large)
1/4-1/2 c. chopped onion (1 medium)

Soak beans overnight (12-20 hours).  In the morning, drain and put in crock pot on LOW with the rest of the ingredients until dinner time.

Homemade Baby Food

After buying plenty of Gerber baby foods, I had a lot of plastic containers on hand for making my own baby food.  So far I think he likes #1 and #5 best.

Ingredients-

Leftover mashed potatoes
Leftover steamed carrots
Little bit of frozen spinach (I microwaved my frozen spinach about 30 second...long enough to chip off a 2 TBSP chunk)
1 Head of Cauliflower, Steamed in the microwave
1 can of peas, no salt added
1 can of corn, no salt added
1 butternut squash, cooked in the oven at 325 for 1 1/2 hours in a dish with a glass lid and a little water in the bottom
Leftover spaghetti sauce
Spaghetti Squash, cooked same way as butternut squash

Optional-
 Zucchini (add to recipe2 or recipe 3), removing seeds
Crookneck squash (add to recipes 2, 3 or 4), removing seeds
Broccoli  (in place of spinach in recipe 4)

Makes-
These ingredients make 15 containers of 3.5 oz each.  Just blend the ingredients in a 1/2 c. food processor, using the excess juices from the vegetables until it is smooth (I always used my corn and cauliflower juices and never my peas juices).

Recipe1- Peas, Squash, Carrot

3.5 oz of butternut squash (I filled a container worth then dumped into the food processor)
Handful of peas
Handful of corn
Handful of cauliflower
A few chunks of carrot

Recipe2- Lots of Carrot, No Peas

3.5 oz. carrots
About 2 oz of butternut squash
Handful of cauliflower
Handful of corn

Recipe3- Whites with Chunks (No Peas or Carrots)

3.5 oz. potato
Any amount of squash(es)
Handful of cauliflower
After blending, put in some shredded leftover crock pot beef and a handful of corn.

Recipe4- Whites and Spinach

3.5 oz. potato
3.5 oz. cauliflower
Small Amount of squash
Handful of corn
2 TBSP defrosted chopped spinach

Recipe5- Spaghetti Squash (not pictured)

Scoop out the baked spaghetti squash into the container and spoon spaghetti sauce over top.

Taco Soup

Taco Soup

This is great for when you don't know when you'll eat, and makes good leftovers.

1 can kidney beans (drained)
1 can corn (drained)
1 can tomatoes with green chilis
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce (or two little cans)
1/2 lb. ground hamburger, cooked
1/2 can black beans, optional
1 TBSP taco seasoning (I add more if I used 2 cans tomatoes instead of one with green chilis)
2 TBSP dried onions, or some fresh onion that I've diced and grilled

Put everything in a pot and simmer for half an hour.  Not as yummy but 15 minutes if you're in a hurry.  OR put on low in a crock pot or simmer on the stove for an hour if you don't know when the guests are coming.

Serve with tortilla chips and cheese and maybe sour cream.



Easy Whole Wheat Tortilla Chips

1 tortilla per person
oil
garlic salt or regular salt
pizza cutter

Rub oil and sprinkle salt onto tortillas, cut with a pizza cutter.  Bake 10 minutes on each side at 325 degrees, preferably on a oven-safe rack.

Cream Puffs

I learned to make these for a bake sale in high school.  This recipe from college is a little better than the BH&G. 

Cream Puffs

3/4 c. water
1/2 c. margarine
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. flour
4 eggs

Boil water and butter and salt.  Add flour all at once and mix until it's a blob that sticks together.  Wait a minute or two, then stir in eggs, one at a time.  Drop onto cookie sheet and bake 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees.  Turn off oven and let them sit for an hour.  Cool and fill with vanilla pudding and top with chocolate frosting.

Skillet Spanish Rice

Spanish Rice

1/2 lb Bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 lb. hamburger, cooked
1/2 TBSP onion flakes
2 c. water

1 c. uncooked rice
2/3 c. chopped green pepper
1 can stewed tomatoes (diced!)
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground oregano
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

In a large skillet, combine all ingredients. Heat to boiling, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. May add small amount of water while cooking if needed.

Spinach Tortellini Soup

It doesn't get any easier or healthier or faster than this, and it doesn't use anything fresh so you can have the supplies on hand always.  I make this through a big batch of Costco tortellini (quality tortellini is important), then we take a break for a while.  We eat it with crackers and lots of parmesan cheese on top.  The only downside is price.

Spinach Tortellini Soup


2 cups chicken broth
1 can italian style diced tomatoes
1 c. frozen spinach
2 c tortellini

Bring broth, tomatoes and spinach to a boil. Add tortellini and simmer 10 min. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Recipe Review: 7 Layer Bars

If you like butterscotch chips, this is definitely a 5-star recipe!  I ate the whole pan myself!  This recipe is from Cookie Madness.  Get it here.

Pumpkin Fruit Pizza

Happy Halloween! Try this at home with sugar cookie dough, frosting, and some fruit!

Winger's Sticky Finger Salad

I wanted to copy the sticky finger salad that I'm always ordering at Wingers, using the Amazing Sauce that we bought from them.  Here's what I did.

Sticky Finger Salad

Green Leaf Lettuce, chopped
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
craisins
Sticky fingers
cherry tomatoes (optional)
Ranch Dressing

Layer on the plate just before serving.  It's as simple as that!  The magic is in the craisins, yum, yum.

 Sticky Fingers


First, I bought a bag of frozen pre-breaded chicken tenders from Costco, which cook for around 20 minutes.  Five minutes before they are done, I take them out and cut them into strips and return them to the oven.  Then I cook them 10 minutes longer (five minutes over time) so they are nice and crunchy.  I pull them out, put them in a bowl, and drizzle the Amazing Sauce over and I have sticky fingers for under $2.50/lb.  I estimate that I am using $1 worth of sticky fingers on each salad (and that is the most expensive part).

Note- Here is an attempt at reproducing Winger's Amazing Sauce.  I use 3 cups brown sugar and boil it with 1 cup Frank's hot sauce.  Tastes just like it!

Angel Food Cake

Hmmmm....a little shabby?  

No recipe. This was from a box.

Ham/Turkey Stuffing Rollups

Ham or Turkey Stuffing Rollups

6 peices of Ham or Turkey.

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 c. sour cream

1 box of stove top stuffing, cooked according to package

leftover swiss, provolone or mozerella slices

Roll the stuffing up in the slices of ham or turkey.  Combine sour cream and cream of chicken soup and pour over rolls.  Top with cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for half an hour.

Oreo Cookies

This recipe comes with a short story.  I had tried chocolate chip cookies in a pie pan (for a bar cookie...it didn't work) and happened to have it with me while I was studying for my spring term class 5 years ago.  I remember we were doing homework at the whiteboard - a typical engineer's setting - and I shared it with my study buddy.  The next day in class, a bag of these oreo cookies plopped on my desk in return.  I think that's when I figured he must like me.  They were marvelous and amazing.  Later we got married I adopted this recipe as my own.  I understand now why it's a good recipe for a guy: with 3 ingredients and one is a cake mix, you can't go wrong!

Easy Oreo Cookies

1 box milk chocolate cake mix

2 eggs

2/3 c. shortening

Filling

2 1/2 c. powdered sugar

2 TBSP margarine

1 tsp vanilla

Mix cookie dough and form VERY small drop cookies with them.  Cook on a light cookie sheet for exactly 8 minutes at 375 degrees.  Cool on wire rack before frosting.  Keep in an airtight container and the next day the frosting will be harder and the cookies will be softer.  Yum!

Thai Lettuce Wraps

I love this recipe.  I got this recipe from a great cook and friend several years ago.  I hope she doesn't mind that I share it.  It is a real gem because it is so healthy and tasty.  The key to the tasty is the marinading.  I always skip the bean sprouts and the chow mein noodles because I don't keep them on-hand.  This is also one of the few recipes I make with brown rice every time because it actually tastes better.

Thai Lettuce Wraps

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup orange juice
1 tbs sugar
1 tbs vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic
2 chicken breasts

Mix all the ingredients (reserving about ½ of it and pour over the chicken in a plastic bag. Marinate for at least one hour, and grill the chicken until cooked through brushing often with marinade. With the rest of the liquid, pour into a pan. Heat up stirring constantly until hot. Thicken with cornstarch.

Romaine lettuce (I use green leaf)
Bean Sprouts (I skip this)
Onions soaked in basalmic vinegar mixed with a dash of oregano and basil
Steamed Rice
Grated Carrots
Crunchy chow mein noodles (I skip this)

Once the chicken is done, slice it into thin pieces. Pull off the lettuce leaves and put them out whole. Stuff a lettuce leaf with chicken, the leftover thickened sauce, rice, onions, bean sprouts and grated carrots and roll up like a burrito.

Nicole's Granola

Sorry for the picture being sideways.  I once ran an experiment for the best granola.  Every batch failed.  But this granola is fail-proof!  I think it is the amount of honey/butter/brown sugar.  You can also add raisins at the end, which I don't usually do.  But one thing I have done is add a spoonful of peanut butter (heated with the butter).  That tasted very good.

Half Batch of Nicole's Granola

5 cups quick oats
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. honey
1/2 c. coconut
1/2 c. slivered almonds
1/4 c. melted margarine

Mix together and bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes, stirring at least once.

Egg Salad Sandwiches

Here is a twist on an old family favorite.  Originally it just has the eggs and mayo, kind of like a grilled tuna fish sandwhich (you can try that too if you've never had one).  I think it really improves the sandwhich to cut it like this:

Egg Salad Sandwhiches

3 Eggs
4 peices of bread
2 spoonfuls of mayonaisse
1 spoonful of shredded cheese
2 spoonfuls leftover chicken, turkey, or tuna (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Scramble the eggs and add the mayo, meat, cheese, salt, and pepper.  Spread onto bread to make it a sandwhich.  Spread outside of sandwhich with butter and grill on both sides.

Meatloaf on Foccasia

This is an easy way to use leftover meatloaf: slice it and use it in a sandwhich!  This particular sandwhich is excellent.

Meatloaf On Foccasia

Leftover Meatloaf
Foccassia Bread (or my Mancatchers Recipe)
BBQ Sauce
Lettuce (optional)
American Cheese (optional)

Waldorf Salad

This was a staple growing up but we don't eat as many apples so I only make it in a crunch because it is fast and easy. 

Waldorf Apple Salad

2 apples, diced

1/2 c. marshmallows

1/2 c. raisins

1/4 c. crushed walnuts (we use pecans)

Dressing

1/4 c. mayonnaise
2 TBSP sugar
a few drops lemon juice

Mix everything together just before serving!