Spinach Salad

Everytime I make this everyone wants the recipe. It is wonderful!

Spinach, rinsed and dried

sliced almonds, toasted

grated parmesan cheese (bagged, not bottled dust)

craisins (optional)

Dressing

1/4 red onion

1/3 c. red wine vinegar

1/2 c. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. brown mustard

1 c. olive oil

Combine in blender and blend until smooth. Add dressing just before serving.

Amy

Spinach Quiche

Prep Time: 20 min| Cook Time: 40 min| Ready In: 1 hr| Servings: 6

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup butter
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 (4.5 ounce) can mushrooms, drained
• 1 (6 ounce) package herb and garlic feta, crumbled
• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 (9 inch) unbaked deep dish pie crust
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup milk
• salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat.
3. Saute garlic and onion in butter until lightly browned, about 7 minutes.
4. Stir in spinach, mushrooms, feta and 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese.
5. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Spoon mixture into pie crust.
7. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and milk.
8. Season with salt and pepper.
9. Pour into the pastry shell, allowing egg mixture to thoroughly combine with spinach mixture.
10. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.
11. Sprinkle top with remaining Cheddar cheese, and bake an additional 35 to 40 minutes, until set in center.
12. Allow to stand 10 minutes before serving.

Ham Broccoli Braid

Prep Time: 20 min| Cook Time: 25 min| Ready In: 45 min| Servings: 9

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups cooked ham, chopped
• 1 cup chopped fresh broccoli
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
• 2 (8 ounce) cans refrigerated crescent roll dough

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine ham, broccoli, onion, parsley, mustard and cheese.
3. Stir well.
4. Unroll crescent roll dough, and arrange flat on a medium baking sheet.
5. Pinch together perforations to form a single sheet of dough.
6. Using a knife or scissors, cut 1 inch wide strips in towards the center, starting on the long sides.
7. There should be a solid strip about 3 inches wide down the center, with the cut strips forming a fringe down each side.
8. Spread the filling along the center strip.
9. Fold the side strips over filling, alternating strips from each side.
10. Pinch or twist to seal.
11. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until deep golden brown.

Garlic, Parmesan and Lemon Tilapia

½ stick butter

½ cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic minced

½ cup parmesan cheese

½ cup dried bread crumbs

1 tsp sea salt

zest of 2 lemons

all-purpose flour

2 eggs, beaten

4 tilapia fillets

juice of 2 lemons

Dip fish in egg mixture, then flour, then egg again and lastly bread crumb mixture. Melt butter in frying pan, add olive oil and sautee garlic over medium heat until it begins to become golden - DO NOT OVER BROWN GARLIC. Add prepared fillets, cook on medium heat about 2-3 minutes on each side. Pour juice of 2 lemons over top of fish. Remove fish to warmed platter and pour remaining mixture in pan over fish. Garnish with parsley sprigs and serve immediately.

This is an experiment I tried tonight and it turned out really well -- YUM! Hope you like it!

Mac and Cheese Soup

If you want something cheap, yummy and filling, you'll love this!

10 slices bacon
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup flour
1 14-oz chicken broth
3 cups milk
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dry mustard
4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1&1/2 cups dried elbow macaroni,
cookedparsley for garnish

Cut the bacon strips into quarters. In a dutch oven over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove it to paper towels to drain.

Add a little oil to the pan if needed, then add the onion. Cook the onion for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and continue cooking until the onion is soft and lightly browned, about another 5 minutes. Add the flour and mix well. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a simmer, stirring often. Add the milk, chili powder, pepper and mustard. Return the soup to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Cook for 3 minutes.

Add the cheese and bacon and continue cooking and stirring until well blended, about 4 minutes. Add the macaroni and return to a simmer. Remove from the heat and serve, sprinkling with garnish as desired.

Makes 6 servings

Bon apetìt!
Lori

Kate's Fruit Concoction

Kate invented this recipe and wanted me to put it on the blog for everyone else to try. She wrote it out for me to type it.

1/2 banana
1/2 kiwi
1/4 red apple
1/2 green apple
1 cup milk or apple juice

Put them all in a blender, pour in milk, press puree on your blender. Keep it going for a few seconds. Then pour in cup or glass. Enjoy!

Dirt Cupcakes

So this probably isn't anthing new, but Derek is so proud of himself, I had to put him on our recipe website. I've heard this done mostly with pudding, but it's good this way too. He made some Halloween Dirt Cupcakes and loves them... and loves making them.

He made just regular chocolate cupcakes in halloween paper.

Coated the top in chocolate frosting

Removed the filling from Oreo's and then crushed the cookie part and put it in a bowl

Then he dipped the cupcake in the Oreo (generously so it looks like crumbly dirt)

Then he added gummy worms to add the perfect "dirt" touch

We had some spider toothpicks from Target and he added those because "spiders play on the dirt too"

Very easy, fun, and Halloweeny!

Halloween Pretzels

I got the recipe for pretzels off of allrecipes.com, but I made them into bones for Halloween (plus Derek loves bones hahaha). Anyway, there a little burned because, lets face it, I'm new to cooking but they were delicious regardless. Here's the direct recipe from that site.

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

• 4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup baking soda
• 4 cups hot water
• 1/4 cup kosher salt, for topping

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DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add one or two tablespoons of water. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water.
4. When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and twist into a pretzel shape. Once all of the dough is all shaped, dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution and place on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, until browned.

I buttered mine and added kosher salt then served with cheese dip. YUM!

Green Chilies Mashed Potatos

4 large mashed potatoes

white pepper

4 oz butter

1/8 cup heavy cream

salt

1/4 cup sour cream

Mash together with or without skins and warm up.

-Mom

Baked French Toast

1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)
8 large eggs
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash salt
Praline Topping, recipe follows
Maple syrup
Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. (Use any extra bread for garlic toast or bread crumbs). Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup.

Praline Topping:
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. Makes enough for Baked French Toast Casserole.
Another good website I found:
www.cheapcooking.com


-Lori

Roasted Chicken Oreganato

Serves 4-6

10 serving pieces of chicken, skin on

4-6 medium Yukon potatoes

4-5 plum tomatoes

1 large onion

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup frest oregano leaves, chopped coarsely

1/2 tsp coarse salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. For this recipe you must preheat.

Cut potatoes, tomatoes and onions into medium chunks. Combine with the chicken pieces in a large roasting pan. Drizzle olive oil over the top. Sprinkle on spices. Toss to combine. Arrange the chicken skin side up on the top of veggies. Bakie at 450 for about 45 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.

Egg and Cabbage Sandwich:

Jeny suggested that I post this just to see the reaction I would get. Don't gag until you try it! Kristi's family (especially Jordan), and Jeny's family can all attest to the yumminess of it. This was one of the strangest things I was ever served on my mission, and it was served to me by my companion during lunch! I couldn't believe that anyone could come up with something so strange.

Toast
Eggs
Mayonnaise
Valentina Salsa (or another hot sauce if you can't find this, though it is far superior to anything else I've ever tried)
Cabbage
Lime Juice
Salt
Spread the mayo and hot sauce on the toast, fry an egg to your liking (I like the yolk runny). Chop up the cabbage (raw) and add salt and lime juice to taste (this makes a tasty treat all by itself), then place the fried egg and cabbage on the sandwich and eat.

Northern Italian Chicken

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 bunch asparagus
1-2 tomatoes
monterey jack cheese
lemon-wine sauce (below)

Pound chicken to an even thickness. Season with salt and pepper and bake on a rack (about 375) until juices run clear. Place cooked chicken pieces in a shallow baking dish. Layer tomato slice, steamed asparagus, wine sauce. and cheese slices and place under broiled until cheese bubbles and browns slightly. Be sure to add the chese last. If you pour the sauce over the cheese it does not melt properly.

Lemon Wine Sauce
5 Tbsps. butter
1 1/2 cups cooking wine (Regina brand is best)
2 Tbsps. lemon juice (add more if you like more)
2-3 Tbsps. Ultra Gel

Melt butter in saucepan. Add wine and juice. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Wisk in Ultra Gel.

Margarita Dressing

1 1/2 cups corn oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 med onion, quartered
1-4 garlic cloves (you decide!)
toasted sesame seeds (opt.)

Put all ingredients except sesame seeds into a blender and blend on high until wellmixed and onion and garlic are completely pureed.

Recipe List

This isn't a recipe, but just a side note. I added a link list to the side. These are just some good websites/blogs for some more recipe ideas! Keep sending your recipes in though!

Sesame Shrimp Rice Salad

2 cups frozen peas, thawed
1 pound cooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cups cooked and cooled Basmati rice
1 medium red onion, diced
1 medium sweet red pepper, diced (I leave this out ‘cause I hate ‘em)
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
2 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
4 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp sesame oil
½ tsp ground ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp roasted sesame seeds

Mix first six ingredients and sesame seeds together in medium mixing bowl and chill until cold. Blend next six ingredients in blender or small food processor and chill. Toss salad mixture with dressing and serve very cold.

--Lori

Potato and Cheese Fritata

This is a good breakfast food for filling bottomless pits when your on a budget. Derek and I have it with an orange or grapes on the side.

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large russet potatoes peeled and shredded
1 medium onion, dicedsalt and pepper (to taste)
1/2 shredded cheddar cheese (we use 1 cup of fiesta mix cheese instead)
4 eggs beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees heat oil in 12 inch skillet over medium high heat when it's hot, add potatoes and fry until they are crispy and golden (about 15 minutes) reduce heat a little and add onions. Cook, stirring until onions are softened. Season with salt and pepper, and pour eggs over the top. place skillet in the oven for about 10 minutes (or eggs are firm). Remove from oven, sprinkle cheese on, and return to oven until cheese is melted (about 5 minutes)

--Teresa

Fried Chicken

2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
4 skinless boneless breast halves, pound thin
oil for frying as needed (usually about 1 cup)

mix garlic, pepper, salt, paprika, bread and flour in a cake pan or shallow dish. In another dish, wisk milk and egg

heat oil in electric skillet set to 350 degrees. Dip chicken in milk mix and dredge through dry ingredients until evenly coated

Fry chicken in oil for 5 minutes per side, or until it's cooked through and juices are clear. use slotted spatula to remove and thats it.

--Teresa

Homemade Samoas (a.k.a. Caramel de-Lites)

Cookies
1 cup butter, soft
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt at a low speed, followed by the vanilla. The dough should come together into a soft, not-too-sticky ball. Add in a bit of extra flour if your dough is very sticky.Roll the dough (working in two or three batches) out between pieces of wax paper to about 1/4-inch thickness (or slightly less) and use a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter to make rounds. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and use a knife, or the end of a wide straw, to cut a smaller center hole. Repeat with remaining dough. Alternatively, use scant tablespoons of dough and press into an even layer in a mini donut pan to form the rounds.Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are lightly browned and cookies are set. If using a mini donut pan, bake for only about 10 minutes, until edges are light gold.Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Topping
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-oz good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp milk
8 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)

Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.Using the spatula or a small offset spatula, spread topping on cooled cookies, using about 2-3 tsp per cookie. Reheat caramel for a few seconds in the microwave if it gets too firm to work with.While topping sets up, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each cookie into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle finished cookies with chocolate.Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

--Kristi