Friday, May 30, 2008

Barbecue Chicken



I started pondering some of my favorite recipes that I haven't made in awhile, and since it is close to summer, I remember loving this barbecue chicken. It reminds me of this stand at our local King County Fair that would make the best smelling and tasting chicken ever! I think it was run by the Kiwanas. Anyway, this recipe is very close to it. I like this recipe because you precook the chicken half way, so when you go to barbecue you don't have to wait forever for your chicken to get done. I did overcook my chicken when I precooked it, but it was still really tasty. I think it was because you baste it as it cooks so it still stayed decently moist. I also boiled the left over marinade (so it would be safe to eat after you marinade your half cooked chicken in it) and served it with the chicken. Hope you like this as much as I do.

Barbecue Chicken

3/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup salad oil (I would half or possibly quarter this amount)
3/4 cup tomato sauce
3/4 cup water
3 T sugar
2 T worcestershire sauce
2 tsp prepared mustard (I also cut this down a little)
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
chicken breasts (in this recipe I prefer it on the bone, but this could be used on whole chicken pieces). If you use boneless chicken breasts I would just marinade without precooking.

Saute onion in oil until tender. Simmer the remaining ingredients until thick. Boil chicken in salt water until partially done. Marinade (I did this overnight) - barbecue and brush with sauce until it is cooked through (juices run clear when poked with a fork).

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Turtle Cookies

I am not sure why these are called turtle cookies. It is a recipe that I got from my sister in law years ago (since then she has left the family). I like these because they are different (you make them in a waffle iron) and don't require a lot of ingredients. They also make up pretty quickly. So if you are looking for something new, here it is.
Hope this was okay to post on Sunday. Our church is a 9am after which we usually havea big dinner. So by 6pm my kids start wandering the kitchen looking for something taste, so I made these tonight. This is also great with milk which we are trying to drink tons of since my 13 year old daughter needs to make a boat out of milk cartons and it is due next week. Milk and cookies, is there any better combination?

Turtle Cookies

3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
6 T cocoa powder

Preheat waffle iron.
Beat sugar and eggs while butter in melting in microwave. Add melted butter and vanilla then mix well. Next add flour and cocoa powder while mixing between additions.
Drop by tablespoons onto each section of the waffle iron (as shown below)



Close and bake for 2 1/4 minutes per batch (for some reason mine were sticking a little this time so I sprayed with cooking spray every other batch). Lift off with a fork when they are done. Make sure you don't overcook them are they will be tough. I frosted mine with canned, whipped, chocolate frosting. But these would be yummy if you have a great chocolate frosting. You can add sprinkles for the kids (or you that are young at heart). One in my picture is not frosted so you can see what they look like when they come out. One also has sprinkles.

Enjoy!

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Waffles


These are the waffles my mom use to make. I have tried a few other recipes and still really like this one. Mostly because you beat the egg whites and then fold them into the batter which gives you fluffy waffles instead of hard hockey puck types. This is actually in the Better Homes and Gardens cook book. I share this with you today, because we made these for breakfast and I actually remembered to take a picture.

ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup cooking oil or shortening melted

In a large bowl stir together dry ingredients - flour, baking powder and salt. In a small mixing bowl beat egg yolks then add milk and oil, mixing after each addition. Stir wet mixture into dry ingredients. In another bowl mix egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold beaten egg whites into flour-milk mixture. Leave a few fluffs of egg white so you know you didn't over mix. This is important - Do Not Overmix.

Pour batter onto preheated waffle iron and follow directions from manufacture on how to cook waffles. To keep waffles hot for serving, place in a single layer on a wire rack placed atop a baking sheet in a warm oven.

This makes three 9 inch waffles. You can also double the recipe, making extra waffles, then store in freezer bags. When you want waffles just put them in a toaster and heat through. If you do this, just cook them until they start to turn light brown as they will finish browning in the toaster.

Easy Apple Dip

Whew! I am back. We just got our son off to the MTC to serve a mission in the Tucson, Arizona where he will speak Spanish. It was a harrowing last couple of weeks which finally culminated in tears (mostly me) as we parted. So I have been a wee bit busy, and unable to post.

This one is very, very (can I emphasize very) easy to make. I actually invented this a few years back when in desperate need of an appetizer for a Relief Society social in the fall. Maybe this has been done by someone else, but humor me and make me think I am clever.


These are the required ingredients. Count them - 4!
12 oz container of cool whip
1 jar of caramel ice cream topping
lemon
apples
If you don't have a fresh lemon, you can use lemon juice. And if you are going to eat it right away, you don't need the lemon at all.


First step one is put cool whip in a lovely bowl. Add as much cool whip as you want dip. Then drizzle caramel ice cream topping into the cool whip and mix gently. You can more caramel if you want more of that flavor or less if you want it more fluffy. It is all just a matter of preference. If you are one of those people desperately in need of measurements, how about a 12 oz container of cool whip to 1/2 jar of Hershey's caramel ice cream topping.

Now put this in the fridge while you cut up your apples. We are gala fans and fuji comes in second place. Put some water in a bowl and squeeze a little fresh lemon juice in it (this is where you can use lemon juice from the bottle if you wish). Cut your apples slices into the bowl of lemon water. Let hem sit for just a minute and then drain. Arrange apple slices on the plate around your bowl of caramel dip and serve. The lemon water will keep your apples from going brown and unless you get crazy about adding lemon juice you won't even taste it.


If you use fat free or low fat cool whip this ends up being a fairly light and low fat treat. You can also keep cool whip in the freezer and the jar of caramel in your pantry so you can always have it on hand for a quick treat to take somewhere. Hope you enjoy this!

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Tres Leches (Milk Cake)

I got this recipe from allrecipes.com. Matt's work is having a contest on Friday to see who can bring the best Mexican food. Matt really wanted me to give Tres Leches a try. I was a little hesitant thinking it would be kinda gross to eat soggy, milky cake but I have to say, it is sooooooo good! I'm so glad we tried it out and it was really easy. I think we have a good shot at winning the gift card from Matt's boss. The cake is so moist and the taste is fantastic. You should definitely give this a go! I'll let you know how the contest turns out. :)


Tres Leches

INGREDIENTS
5 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 cups milk
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9x13 inch baking pan.
Sift flour and baking powder together and set aside.
Cream butter or margarine and 1 cup of the sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs and 1/2 teaspoon of the vanilla extract, beat well.
Add the flour mixture to the butter or margarine mixture 2 tablespoons at a time, mix until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes. Pierce cake several times with a fork.
Combine the whole milk, evaporated milk, and condensed milk together. Pour over the top of the cooled cake.
Whip whipping cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 cup of the sugar together until thick. Spread over the top of cake. Be sure and keep cake refrigerated, enjoy!

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

A hit for dinner last night!

So I tried a recipe off the picky palate blog last night. You should have seen my kids faces when I placed it on the table, they were not happy to say the least. In fact, in the blessing on the food my 11 year old prayed that he would be able to eat the meal and not throw up - it is such a pleasure to cook for them! Now for the good news - they loved it! There was some spinach and aparagus pushed to the side of a couple plates but all in all it was a success. I did change one small thing on the recipe, it calls for alot of gorgonzola cheese so I just swapped amounts with the parmesan cheese. We still got the rich flavor without it being overwhelming. I even remembered to take a picture, it's nothing like the picky palate pictures but it's a start.

I highly recommend this recipe, in fact I finished it off for lunch today - Yummy!
The recipe is posted below with the cheese amounts already swapped the way I made it.




Spinach and Asparagus Chicken Linguini in a Parmesan Gorgonzola Cream Sauce
12 oz uncooked linguini pasta
1 Bunch asparagus tips
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons flour
Pinch of salt and pepper
3 Cups lowfat milk
¼ Cups crumbled gorgonzola
1¼ Cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 Cups baby spinach
2 medium size chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
10 strips precooked bacon, crisped and crumbled
Pinch of salt and pepper to taste
1. Prepare linguini according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Bring a medium saucepan filled ¾ full of water to boil. Place asparagus tips in hot water and cook for 3 minutes. Remove and place into a bowl of ice water to shock and stop cooking. Set aside.
2. Place butter into a large dutch oven or pot over medium heat to melt. Whisk in flour, pinch of salt and pepper until combined. Slowly whisk in milk. Increase heat to medium high. While whisking, heat until milk comes to a light boil.
Reduce heat to low and immediately stir in parmesan and gorgonzola until melted. Stir in chopped spinach, linguini, asparagus, chicken and half the bacon.
Gently toss to coat, season with pinches of salt and pepper to taste. Serve in a large serving bowl and garnish top with remaining crumbled bacon pieces.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Barbecue Spareribs

This recipe is from a favorite fellow who use to be in our ward. His name was Wayne Winter and uou couldn't meet a nicer guy. This was one of his specialties.

Barbecue Spareribs

country style spareribs (buy this already cut into pieces without the bone, they have package at Costco)
salt and pepper
Bullseye Barbecue Sauce (or whatever your favorite is, again you might want to buy this at Costco because you use quit a bit)

Season spareribs with salt and pepper. Brown in a pan/dutch oven (I do this in batches, then put them all back in when they are all browned). Pour Barbecue sauce over the top to coat spareribs. Bake at 280 - 300 degrees for 2 hours, stirring halfway through.

Andes Mint Cookies


These are very yummy and great for open houses or to take somewhere special.

Andes Mint Cookies

3/4 cup margarine
2 T Water
1 1/2 cubs brown sugar
2 cups chocolate chips
2 beaten eggs
1 1/4 tsp soda
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 pkgs. 28 mini size Andes Mints

Melt together margarine, water, brown sugar and chocolate chips on low heat. Cool for ten minutes then add the eggs, soda, flour and salt. Chill dough for about 45 minutes. Roll into small balls. Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and put 1/2 of an Andes Mint on the top. When melted, spread over cookie. This makes approximately 90 - 100 small cookies. This is from a sister in our ward's mom and she says it is standard far at any open house hosted in her family.

Slushy Punch

This is a fun and tasty drink that I got from my sister Wendi. Basically you make a mixture ahead of time, pour it into 2 containers (probably something that looks nice because you might set it on the table) then freeze it. When you are ready to serve, use an ice cream scoop to scoop out some of the frozen slush, put it in a cup then pour 7 up over the top. Because you are using unsweetened koolaid you can make it in any flavor you want (or color to go with a theme). You can even make each bowl a different color for variety. This makes a pretty good amount.

Slushy Punch

16 cups water
6 cups sugar
2 (12 oz) cans frozen lemonade
3 pkgs koolaid
2 cups pineapple juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
7 up

Heat 8 cups of water to boil, add an dissolve sugar and koolaid in it. Add remaining water and the rest of the ingredients. Mix well and put into 2 containers then freeze. When ready to serve, pull out 1 container at a time, scoop out about 1/2 cup of slush, put in a cup. Pour 7 up over the top and enjoy. When it begins to thaw, put it back in the freezer and use the other frozen slush. Keep switching so it always stays frozen.

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Banana Bread


I realize that there is a shortage (maybe it is over) of bananas, but I wanted to share this recipe that has been passed around and horded through our ward. It is a very sweet banana bread and has not nuts (I guess you could add some if you wanted to). I love the added almond flavoring and the glaze makes it more of a dessert than other banana breads. This makes 2-3 loaves depending on your pans. And "no" just because it has bananas, doesn't mean it is healthy (check out the oil and butter yummm!)

Banana Bread

3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp soda
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup buttermilk
2 mashed bananas
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
1 cup oil
1/2 cup butter melted
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add buttermilk, eggs, oil, butter and mashed bananas. Mix until just combined. Next add vanilla and almond extract. Combine flour, salt and baking soda. Add to wet mixture and mix until just combined. I believe if you over mix it will make your bread tougher (can anyone confirm this?).
Pour into bread pans that have been sprayed with pam. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or more. Check it with a knife, when you insert the knife and pull it out if there is still wetness on it then keep cooking. I definitely cooked mine for more than an hour. If your oven cooks hot, you may want to drop the temperature a little so they don't get to brown on the outside.

Glaze
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 tsp butter

Bring to a boil - turn off and pour over warm bread while still in the pan. When it sets up, remove bread from pans. Let sit until cooled a little, then slice and serve.

Corn Dip



I cheated and used a picture off the internet, but have made this several times. It is very tastey and is a different than same old dips everyone brings. You can also serve it cold or hot. If you want to heat it, I put it in the oven at 350 degrees until it is heated through and the cheese is melted. Serve it with tortilla chips or corn chips. I have also heard of people dipping veggies into it. Not sure I get that but hey, to each his own. This also makes a lot. You might want to half it the first time.

Corn Dip

INGREDIENTS

3 (11 ounce) cans Mexican-style corn, drained
1 cup mayonnaise
2 cups sour cream
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 pound Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 pinch salt
1 4 oz. can diced green chiles
1 jalapeno diced (optional for heat)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large serving bowl, stir together the corn, mayonnaise, sour cream, green onions, cilantro, Cheddar cheese and lime juice. Add green chiles and as much jalapeno as you desire for heat. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, and salt. Stir to blend in seasonings, then refrigerate until chilled before serving.