Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Bake

ingredients

1 pkg Stove Top

1 can cream of chicken

1.5 lbs cubed chicken, cooked

1/2 to 1 bag frozen broccoli florets, thawed

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup shredded cheese

instructions

Preheat oven to 400. Prepare Stove Top according to package. Whisk soup, cheese, and milk in a 9x13 baking dish. Add broccoli and chicken. Top with cooked stuffing. Bake for 30 minutes without tinfoil.

Pretzels

what you need:

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 1\2 cups warm water
1\4 cup brown sugar
4 1\2 cups flour
baking soda
kosher salt

what you do:

Combine yeast, warm water and sugar together. Let it stand for about 5 minutes.

Add flour to your liquid mixture.

Beat with a dough hook or knead on a floured surface for about 7 minutes.

Let stand for 10 minutes.

Fill a saucepan with 3\4 full with water. For every cup of water, add 2 teaspoons baking soda to the pan. Bring to a boil.

Divide dough into 12 pieces and roll each piece into a rope and fold into a pretzel. Drop each pretzel in the boiling water for about 10 seconds.

Remove and place pretzels on a greased baking sheet and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Bake for 8-9 minutes or until golden brown at 450

mizithra cheese pasta

This is one of my favorite meals from The Old Spaghetti Factory, delicious. So I decided I should try and make it myself, and it was crazy easy.

Ingredients:

spaghetti
mizithra cheese (found in the specialty cheese section of your grocery store)
butter
basil
salt and pepper

That's all! You cook the pasta, melt the butter in your frying pan, drain the pasta and put it in the frying pan. Then coat the pasta in the hot butter, put on a plate and put the shredded cheese right on top. Shred the cheese using the finer shredder. Sprinkle basil salt and pepper on top. Easy peasy.

I know I didn't put any measurements on the ingredients because I really just do it to taste. Just make sure you use plenty of butter (what's better than hot butter?), that's the key. Oh and plenty of cheese. Enjoy!

Easy Mexican Casserole

My family loves this dish. It's basically everything Mexican tossed in a dish and baked to perfection. I can even see adding Spanish rice to this dish. MMmmm.

ingredients:
1lb ground beef
2 cups salsa
1 (16 oz) can chili beans, drained
3 cups crushed tortilla chips
2 cups sour cream
1 (2 oz) can sliced black olives, drained
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh tomato
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or the Mexican Blend)

instructions:
1. preheat oven to 350
2. in a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground beef until no longer pink. stir in salsa, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. stir beans, and heat through.
3. spray 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. spread crushed chips in dish, and then spoon beef mixture over chips. spread sour cream over beef, and sprinkle olives, green onions, and tomato over the sour cream. top with cheese.
4. bake in preheated oven or 30min or until hot and bubbly.

easy bean salsa

2 cans black beans drained
2 cans white corn drained
2 avocados diced
2 Roma tomatoes diced (i don't like tomatoes so i don't put them in)
zesty Italian dressing to taste. about a 1/2 bottle.

enjoy with tortillia chips... YUM!!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

4 boneless chicken breasts
Swiss cheese slices
Ham slices
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
Saltine crackers
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp parsley

Place chicken in a skillet and cook for 4 minutes on each side. (You can cook the chicken with Red Flame Seasoning Salt) Cut into bite-size pieces and place in a 9x13 inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.

Layer Swiss cheese on top of chicken followed by a layer of ham.

Mix soup and sour cream together and spread on top of ham.

Crush saltine crackers and add the spices. Sprinkle on top of soup mixture.

Bake at 350* for 45 minutes.

Blueberry Hill Cupcakes

Blueberry Hill Cupcakes

Sur La Table Cooking Class by Chef Scot Rice

makes 24 (or appr. 75 mini)

Cupcakes

3 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup canola oil

2 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk or low fat yogurt

1 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1 1/4 cups fresh blueberries, frozen for 4 hours

Frosting

2 1/4 cups powdered sugar

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple sugar (or I like to use 1/4 c. maple syrup)

1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 teaspoons (or more) whole milk

1 cup chilled fresh blueberries

Fresh mint sprigs for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners. Sift flour and next 4 ingredients into large bowl. Whisk melted butter and oil in medium bowl. Add eggs; whisk to blend. Whisk in buttermilk, milk, vanilla extract, and peel. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients; whisk just to blend. Stir in frozen blueberries. Divide batter among liners.

Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 23 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to racks; cool.

For Frosting:

Combine first 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Add 4 teaspoons milk. Using electric mixer, beat until well blended and fluffy, adding more milk by teaspoonfuls if dry (small granules of maple sugar will still remain), about 4 minutes. Spread frosting over top of cupcakes.

Garnish cupcakes with chilled berries, and mint sprigs, if desired. Can be made 4 hours ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

Turkey and Farfalle Green Salad

My dear friend Kimi over at If I Could gave me this recipe a few years ago and I have made it several times since, especially for large gatherings. When serving, it's fun to have your guests choose which dressing to put on, that is why there are three dressing recipes to choose from. My favorite is the "Sunshine Dressing".

These recipes are also part of the "Cookers Challenge...Rediscovering Cooking" aka. cooking from scratch. My favorite thing to always make from scratch are salad dressings...they can really make a salad. It's worth the little bit of extra time it takes to make them. Actually, if it's not from scratch the only dressings I buy are Robintinos Ranch, I'd love to have the secret recipe for that (hmmmm....Lisa), or Litehouse Bleu Cheese.

Turkey and Farfalle Green Salad

Makes 10 large portions

12 oz. bag farfalle (bowtie) pasta, about 5 cups dry

1 1/4 lb. or about 4 cups cooked turkey cut into cubes

About 2 heads of romaine lettuce

3/4 c. chopped celery

3/4 c. Crasins

4-5 green onions cut in thin slices (cut white part and 1" into the green part)

1/2 chopped fresh parsley

2/3 c. sliced or slivered almonds

Cook the pasta. Mix up the orange dressing mix. Put the pasta in a plastic bag and pour in about 1/2 c. of orange dressing and toss the pasta to coat it with the dressing. If you are not making the orange dressing to server over the salad, you can marinate the pasta in 1/3 c. bottled Italian dressing mixed with 3 Tbs. of orange juice. Chill the pasta for about 2 hours.

Tear the lettuce into pieces, add all the other ingredients and toss. Top with almonds. Serve with orange, teriyaki, or Sunshine Dressing. Also delicious with raspberry vinaigrette.

Cooking for a smaller group:

Cook a scant 1/2 c. of farfalle pasta per person. For each person, plan on 2 cups of lettuce, buy 2 oz. of turkey (deli meat or turkey tenders). Use about 1 Tbs. each of craisins, almonds, and chopped celery; 1/2 tsp. green onion, and 1/2 tsp. of chopped parsley with 2 Tbs. of dressing.

Orange Dressing

(This makes enough to marinate the pasta plus enough for the salad dressing)

2/3 c. orange juice

1/4 c. red wine vinegar

1 c. vegetable oil

1/4 c. sugar

1 packet, or 2 Tbs. of Good Seasons Italian dry dressing mix

Optional: 1 tsp. grated orange peel

Mix dressing in a shaker jar or blender and chill before serving. Dressing will keep several weeks refrigerated.

Teriyaki Salad Dressing

(makes about 2 1/2 cups)

1 c. vegetable oil

2/3 c. teriyaki sauce (I like Veri Veri Teriyaki)

2/3 c. white wine vinegar (may substitute regular white vinegar)

6 Tbs. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Mix in blender and chill before serving.

Sunshine Salad Dressing

(adapted from page 130 of Julie Badger Jensen's book, Essential Mormon Cooking)

3 Tbs. chopped onion

1 tsp. regular yellow mustard

2 tsp. salt

2/3 c. white vinegar

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 1/2 c. vegetable oil

Mix together everything but the oil in a blender. Gradually add the oil. Keeps three weeks in the refrigerator.

Lemon Cake

(From Everyday Food Magazine, May 2009, pp. 116-118)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon lemon zest

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pans

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
2 large eggs plus 3 large egg yolks (reserve egg whites for frosting)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup low-fat buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Butter and flour two 8-by-2-inch cake pans, tapping out excess flour. In a medium bowl, whisk four, baking powder, baking soda, salt (half amount of salt if using salted butter), and lemon zest.
2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. With mixer on low, beat in eggs and yolks, one at a time. Beat in fresh lemon juice. Alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined.
3. Divide batter between pans; smooth tops. Bake until cakes pull away from sides of pans, 32 to 35 minutes. Let cool in pans 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of pans and invert cakes onto a wire rack.
4. While cakes are baking, bring 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a saucepan. Add 1 thinly sliced and seeded lemon and simmer 25 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer lemon slices to a waxed-paper-lined plate. Stir 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice into syrup.
5. Using a toothpick, poke holes in warm cakes on rack. Brush with lemon syrup. Let cakes cool completely.
6. Place one cake, bottom side up, on a cake stand. Tuck strips of parchment paper underneath. Using an offset-spatula or table knife, spread top with Whipped Frosting. Top with remaining cake; frost top, then sides. Top with candied lemon slices.

Whipped Frosting
In a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water, combine 3 large egg whites, 3/4 cup sugar, a pinch salt, and 1/3 cup water. Cook over medium, stirring constantly, until sugar has dissolved (or mixture registers 150° on an instant-read thermometer), 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat on medium-high until glossy, stiff peaks form (do not overbeat), about 3 minutes; reduce speed to low, add 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, and beat just until combined. Use immediately. Makes 5 cups.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

The last time that I ate a stuffed pepper I was pregnant, and it all came back up about an hour later. Needless to say, I have been unable to eat bell peppers since then. However, this week in our bountiful basket we received 6 bell peppers so I have rethought the stuffed bell pepper.
This recipe is from Emeril Lagasse, and it was yummy!

Mr John's Meat-Stuffed Bell Peppers
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients

• 6 green bell peppers, tops cut away and seeds removed
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup finely chopped yellow onions
• 1/2 cup finely chopped green bell peppers
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/2 pound ground pork (I used italian sausage, it's what I had on hand)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• 2 cups cooked long or medium-grain white rice
• 8 ounces tomato sauce (I used crushed tomatoes)
• Water

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large pot of boiling water, parboil the peppers until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and dry on paper towels.
In a large saute pan or skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and chopped bell peppers and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the beef, pork, garlic, parsley, salt, black pepper, and pepper flakes. Cook until the meat is browned, stirring with a heavy wooden spoon to break up the lumps, about 6 minutes. Add the rice and tomato sauce and stir well. Remove from the heat and adjust the seasoning, to taste.
Pour enough water into a baking dish to just cover the bottom, about 1/8-inch deep. Stuff the bell peppers with the rice mixture and place in the baking dish. Bake until the peppers are very tender and the filling is heated through, 25 to 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.