Henderson Family Favorite Recipes

Tomato-Basil Parmesan Soup

2012-01-18T06:05:00.000-08:00

This soup was yummy! We made it with half and half like the original recipe from 365 Days of Slow Cooking. It was delicious and super creamy but I think it could have been thinner. Considering how much fat this recipe has in it next time we will just add milk. If I ever take it to a soup party I will do it with the half and half though because it is super rich and yummy. Its like spaghetti or pizza in soup form!

2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup finely diced celery
1 cup finely diced carrots
1 cup finely diced onions
1 tsp dried oregano or 1 T fresh oregano
1 T dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil
4 cups chicken broth
½ cup flour
1 cup Parmesan cheese
½ cup butter
2 cups milk (half and half if you want it really creamy)
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

Add tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, oregano, and basil to a large slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 5-7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft.

About 30 minutes before serving prepare a roux. Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour. Stir constantly until smooth. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup. Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth. Add all back into the slow cooker. Stir and add the Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on LOW for another 30 minutes or so until ready to serve.

Baked Oatmeal

2012-01-16T09:21:00.000-08:00

Holy Cow! This is SO good. Ive made a few changes but the recipe came from Inspired tastes. It is perfect for a nice breakfast and yet not nearly as fattening as Cinnamon Rolls. Plus its super easy to make and you can get ready while it bakes. Its going to be a staple for Sunday mornings around our house.

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup walnut pieces, chopped
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups milk
1 large egg
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ripe banana, peeled, 1/2-inch slices

Preheat oven to 375°F and generously spray the inside of a 10-1/2 by 7 inch baking dish with cooking spray and place on a baking sheet.

In a large bowl, mix together the oats, sugar, baking powder, orange zest, cinnamon, salt, nuts, and chocolate chips. Melt the butter in a large glass measuring bowl. Add milk, egg, and vanilla and whisk together.

Add the oat mixture to prepared baking dish. Add the banana slices to the top then pour the milk mixture over everything. Gently shimmy/shake the baking dish to help the milk mixture go throughout the oats.
Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until the top is nicely golden brown and the milk mixture has set.

I didnt do this step but it sounds yummy:
For an extra tasty top, sprinkle a tablespoon or so of extra brown sugar on top then place back in the oven under the broiler and broil for 20-30 seconds. Serve warm with an extra sprinkle of sugar or drizzle of maple syrup.

Chinese Honey Chicken Recipe

2012-01-15T16:57:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe off Blog Chef.net. Its really yummy. You can definitely taste the ginger but its not overpowering.

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1” chunks)
Oil

Batter-
4 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup water
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 egg white

Sauce-
1 ½ tablespoons oil
2 teaspoon ginger (minced)
3 tablespoons garlic (minced)
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
½ cup water
1 teaspoon cornstarch (mixed with 1 teaspoon water)
Sesame seeds (for garnish)

In a large bowl mix all batter ingredients together until smooth. Cover and allow the batter to sit for at least 30 minutes. Add the chicken to the batter, toss to coat.

Add oil to frying pan and heat. Fry chicken bits in batches until it is done. Drain on paper towels.

Sauce: Drain pan of oil except 1 1/2 Tbsp. Add garlic and ginger and stir fry for 30 seconds. Add salt, honey, vinegar, and water. Mix well. Combine 1 teaspoon of water with 1 teaspoon of cornstarch. Add to the sauce and simmer for 2 minutes. When the sauce is thickened and bubbly add the chicken back into the pan and coat with the sauce.

Serve with white rice garnish with sesame seeds.

Chicken Gyros

2012-01-12T21:25:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe on The Girl who Ate Everything. John loves gyros so I was excited to try this recipe. I tweeked a few things for our tastes (thanks Val!) but they were good! Even our boys ate them! Its best to prepare the sauce and marinade the night before and it makes putting them together a cinch. We used the pitas from Costco.

Pitas

Tomatoes

Red onion, we sauted ours slightly

Tzatziki sauce:
1 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 regular cucumber, peeled and seeded
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Extra virgin olive oil

For the chicken:
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Juice of 1 lemon (1 Tablespoon)
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 heaping Tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper
1 1/4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into strips

Directions:
Peel cucumber and remove seeds. Chop in food processor. Wrap in a towel and squeeze to remove as much water as possible. Mix together the yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice. Drizzle lightly with olive oil.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to blend but I think its best overnight.

To prepare the chicken, combine the garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, yogurt, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Whisk together until mixed well. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and mix well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour, best overnight.

Cook the chicken in a saute pan. I added quite a bit of the marinade I liked it already cut into strips so it had a lot of the marinade flavor.. Heat pitas. Top with chicken, tzatziki sauce, diced tomatoes and sliced onions. Serve immediately.

Ranch House Crock Pot Pork Chops with Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

2012-01-12T16:04:00.000-08:00

Yum! Originally from the Picky Palate. The potatoes are to die for!

6 pork chops, 1/2 inch thick
1 packet dry Ranch Dressing Seasoning
10 oz can Cream of Chicken Soup
4 lbs peeled, cubed potatoes
5 Tablespoons real butter
1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
6 cloves roasted garlic (directions are below)
1- 1 1/2 Cups warm skim milk (any milk will do, I used skim)
1 Tablespoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

Place pork chops, Ranch seasoning and soup into a medium sized crock pot over high heat for 4 hours or low heat for 6 hours.

Place potatoes into a large pot of cold water. Place onto stove top over high heat and bring to a boil. Once water is boiling, cook for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. Drain and transfer to the work bowl of a stand or electric mixer. Mix on low until potatoes are mashed then add butter, Parmesan, garlic, milk, salt and pepper. Season to taste if needed. For thinner mashed potatoes add more milk, slowly until your desired consistency.

Scoop mashed potatoes onto serving plates and top with pork chops and soup gravy from crock pot.

Roasted Garlic
I do this the cheater way because I know I will never remember an hour before. Add 2-3 cloves still in their skins to some water in a saucepan. Boil for about 5 minutes. Remove from skins and they should mash with a fork.

2012-01-12T15:58:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe on Listen to the Mrs.

1 pound White American Cheese
1/2 cup Milk
2 Tbsp Jalapeno, pickled ( I added some jalapenos and juice to my magic bullet and pulsed it several times)

Cut the cheese into chunks. Add the milk and jalapenos and simmer till melted (or microwave, carefully, till smooth). Enjoy with tortilla chips or over Mexican food! Does great in a little crock pot.

Chicken Parmesan

2012-01-12T15:49:00.000-08:00

Yummy and easy. I found this recipe off of Food Wishes. He has a great video tutorial. I made the marinara from our freshly canned tomatoes. So yummy!

2tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
hot red pepper flakes, to taste
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used 5, but they were huge!)
2 cups marinara sauce
1/4 cup chopped basil
8 oz mozzarella, shredded
4 oz Parmesan, grated
1 (5-oz) package garlic croutons

Drizzle olive oil, garlic, red pepper into baking dish. Place chicken on top. Add marinara sauce and fresh basil. Add half of the cheese, then top with the croutons. Ours were huge and I should have broken them up a little bit. Next time I think I will lightly crush them. Top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for about 40 min. I also think next time I will wait 10 to 20 minutes before adding the top cheese because it got a little too done by the time the chicken was done.

Teriyaki Sauce

2011-10-19T10:13:00.000-07:00

This recipe came from Our Best Bites.

1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. cold water
½ c. white sugar
½ c. soy sauce
¼ c. cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
½ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. black pepper

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and black pepper. You can use either ground ginger as directed or about 1 1/4 tsp. of fresh ginger. Combine your ingredients in the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. While sauce is heating, combine cornstarch and cold water. When sauce comes to a full boil, add cornstarch mixture and stir until sauce is thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat. You can store it in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks

Bacon-Wrapped Teriyaki Chicken Skewers

2011-10-19T10:12:00.000-07:00

This recipe came from Our Best Bites and it is YUMMY! Their recipe is more for a party where we have adjusted it for large dinner.

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

About 8 oz. lean bacon, NOT thick-sliced (thick bacon is too hard to work with in this recipe)

1 large can pineapple chunks

Homemade Teriyaki sauce (recipe at bottom)

Kebab skewers or toothpicks

Use kitchen shears to cut the bacon slab in half.. Refrigerate until ready to use. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces.

Drain the pineapple and set up a little work station with skewers, bacon, chicken, and a 9x13 baking dish. Wrap a piece of bacon around a chicken piece, add pineapple and onionand repeat until skew is full. Repeat until you run out of chicken. We ran out of bacon first and we did some plain chicken mixed into our skewers. Pour Teriyaki sauce over everything, reserving about 1/4 c., and marinate in refrigerator for at least 4 hours, no longer than about 8.

Preheat grill; when about 350-400 degrees, place skewers on grill and baste with reserved Teriyaki sauce. Cook about 7 minutes and flip skewers. Baste again and cook another 7 minutes.

Teriyaki Sauce

1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. cold water
½ c. white sugar
½ c. soy sauce
¼ c. cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
½ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. black pepper

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and black pepper. You can use either ground ginger as directed or about 1 1/4 tsp. of fresh ginger. Combine your ingredients in the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. While sauce is heating, combine cornstarch and cold water. When sauce comes to a full boil, add cornstarch mixture and stir until sauce is thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat. You can store it in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks

Slow-Cooker Jambalaya

2011-10-19T10:03:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe from American Family. I have made a few changes to fit our tastes.

1 chicken breast
1 pound smoked sausage, cut into 2-inch slices and browned
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped ( I had peppers from my garden so I did a medley of red, green, and orange peppers)
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes with juice
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon Cajun or Creole spice mix (If you want less kick take this down, it was too spicy for my kids with a whole Tbsp)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 3/4 cups long-grain rice

Cut sausage and brown up in a flying pan and to crock pot. Combine chicken, onion, peppers, celery, tomatoes, garlic, chicken broth, spice mix, thyme and oregano in a large (5-quart) slow cooker. Cook on low for 5 hours (longer if your chicken was frozen).

Add rice; raise heat to high and cook for about another hour or until the rice is done.

Grilled Salad

2011-09-28T07:47:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness prepare yourself! This is SOOOO yummy. My sister in law Sarah and her husband Erik introduced us to this.

You need Romaine hearts to do this. The ones from Costco are perfect. Cut the bottom 2 inches off and wash. Then you are going to cut the hearts down lengthwise, from the top of the heart to the bottom. You want to have the two halves that look the same. After they are cut place them on a plate with the insides facing up. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder and salt.

Put them face down onto the BBQ and cook for a couple of minutes. Just until the edges are starting to wilt. Take off grill and put face up on plates. Drizzle with Caesar dressing, cut, and enjoy!

Scooby Snacks

2011-08-31T11:48:00.001-07:00

2 c flour
1 c oatmeal
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c cocoa
1/2 c butter, softened
2 eggs
1/4 c milk
4 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp almond extract

Its important to preheat with this recipe so be sure to preheat oven to 350. Mix ingredients in mixer until combined. Spray a clean counter with cooking spray and roll dough out to 3/4 inch thick. Cut with cookie cutter shape. Carefully use a spatula to place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes.

Canning tomatoes

2011-08-07T18:16:00.000-07:00

Blanch tomatoes in hot water for a few minutes (usually until skins start to split). Ladle into ice bath and then peel the skins off. I leave Roma tomatoes whole and big round tomatoes I cut into quarters. Be sure to cut off any green parts. Add tomatoes into a pot as you peel them and when they are all peeled turn the pot on and boil tomatoes for 5 minutes.

While the tomatoes are boiling remove clean hot jars from the dishwasher and add 2 Tbsp lemon juice and 1 tsp salt per quart jar, or for pints 1 Tbsp lemon juice and 1/2 tsp salt. Ladle hot tomatoes into hot jars and use any remaining liquid to fill jars. Add boiling hot water if needed to the jars to fill them leaving 1/2 inch head space. Run a nonmetallic spatula around the jar and through the tomatoes to release any trapped air.

Wipe jar rims with clean damp cloth and place lid from warm water onto jar.

Process for quarts 45 minutes/ pints 40 minutes in a hot bath canner. When time is complete remove and set on a towel to cool.

Avocado Pesto Pasta

2011-08-03T16:31:00.000-07:00

This recipe came from Pam and was so yummy! Super fast too!

2 large or 4 small garlic cloves
1 lemon, juiced
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
2 ripe avocados
1/2 - 1 cup fresh basil
1 tsp salt
Cooked Pasta
Parmesan cheese

In food processor add garlic, lemon juice, and oil and process until smooth. Add avocado and fresh basil, continue processing until smooth. Drain cooked pasta and add back into hot pan. Add avocado pesto and toss until combined. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. You could also add grilled chicken.

Pam added this note: This dish does not reheat well due to the avocado in the sauce. Please serve immediately. However, I did have some extra sauce and put it in a container and it did store well for over a day in my fridge without browning (I'm assuming cause of the lemon in it). So, I do believe if you cooked new noodles and then added the cold sauce to the noodles it would be fine.

Cheesy Chicken Italian-o

2011-08-02T16:09:00.000-07:00

My Bro and Sis in law made this while camping and it was so yummy. They even had everything all cut up in bags so there was very little prep while camping. The recipe came from Byrons Dutch Oven Recipes. When they made it they had adjusted a few things and I liked it that way so I adjusted it here the way they made it.

1 lb. bacon
1/4 cup honey
8 chicken breasts; cut into chunks
2 tsp. ground oregano
3 cloves garlic; minced
2 tsp. basil
1 large yellow onion; sliced
1 1/2 tsp. parsley
6 large tomatoes; diced
(1) 10 3/4 oz. can tomato puree
1 tsp. salt
1 yellow red pepper; cut into chunks
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. ground black pepper
3 cups Mozzarella cheese; grated
3 cups Cheddar cheese; grated

Heat a 12" Dutch oven using 20-22 briquettes bottom. Slice bacon into 1" strips then add to hot oven and fry until brown. Remove bacon from oven. Remove and reserve all but 2 Tbs. of the bacon grease from the oven. Add chicken and garlic to oven and cook, turning frequently, until juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a fork. Remove chicken from oven and add reserved bacon grease. Line the bottom of the oven with onion slices then put chicken on top of the onion. Add tomatoes and bell pepper.

Cover and bake using 12 briquettes bottom and 12-14 briquettes top for 30 minutes. In a large measuring cup make a sauce with the tomato puree, balsamic vinegar, honey, oregano, basil, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir to mix well. Sprinkle bacon over top of cooked vegetables then pour sauce over vegetables. Cover and bake another 15 minutes. Sprinkle cheeses over the top. Replace lid and let sit for 15 minutes until cheese is melted.

Bottled Dill Pickles

2011-07-26T13:49:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe on All recipes and am excited to try our pickles in a couple of weeks! Its really important to make your pickles the same day that you pick your cucumbers so they are as crunchy as possible! This recipe says it does 7 pints but there was enough of the picking juice to probably do 9 pints if you have more cucumbers.

About 8-10 cucumbers
4 cups water
4 cups distilled white vinegar
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup pickling salt
3 tablespoons pickling spice, wrapped in cheesecloth
Dill seeds
1 -2 bulbs of garlic

Place cucumbers in a large bowl and cover with ice cubes. Let them sit for at least 2 hours but no more than 8.

Place the water, vinegar, sugar, pickling salt, and pickling spice into a saucepan. Bring to boil, then simmer for 15 minutes.

Add 1 clove of garlic into each jar along with 1 tsp dill seeds (or 1 dill head). Pack the cucumbers into the hot, sterilized jars, filling the jars to within 1/2 inch of the top.

Pour the hot pickling liquid into the jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of the rim. Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean wet rag to remove any food residue. Top with lids, and screw on rings.

Process in water bath for 20 minutes (that's for UT altitude) and wait at least 1 week before opening.

Raspberry Pretzel Jello Salad

2011-07-26T13:32:00.000-07:00

While my Mom was sick her friend Suzie made our family the most delicious Jello salad ever! You can use different fruit flavors but I like raspberry the best. Be sure to start this recipe early so you have time to let the layers cool.

Crust:
2 cups crushed pretzels
2/3 cup nuts pecans (optional - they are really yummy in the crust but since Caleb is allergic to nuts we don't do them)
3 Tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup butter

Crush the pretzels into small pieces. Mix together with sugar and butter. Press into the bottom of a 9x13 pan and bake for 10 minutes at 350. Let this cool for about 10 minutes before adding the next layer.

Cream Cheese Layer
8z cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 pt whipping cream, whipped

Mix the cream cheese and sugar and fold in the whipping cream. Layer on top of crust and refrigerate until this layer is set and cooled.

Jello Layer
1 pkg frozen raspberries, thawed
1 large raspberry jello mix
2 cups boiling water

Combine boiling water and jello and mix and add thawed raspberries. Gently ladle over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate until jello is set, at least 3-4 hours.

Enjoy!

Brazilian Limeade

2011-07-07T10:29:00.000-07:00

My friend Valerie made this for us and it became our favorite drink overnight. John recently told me he doesn't like limes but this recipe changed his mind! It seems like it would be too sweet but its actually really refreshing. A perfect summer drink!

5 limes
6 cups water
1 c sugar
6 Tbsp sweet and condensed milk

Juice limes and lightly zest skins into juice. (Most recipes have you grind the entire lime but Valerie told us that it made her batch bitter as time went on. With juicing and only using the zest it does not get bitter).

Mix with water and sugar. Right before serving stir in sweet condensed milk. Serve over ice.

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

2011-04-22T12:36:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from LDS Living. Its a perfect recipe for Spring and Summer!

½ C butter, softened
1 C sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 whole egg
1 tsp lemon zest
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking powder
⅛ tsp baking soda
1-½ C flour
½ C powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy 3-5 minutes. Add in the vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Add in flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Pour powdered sugar onto a bowl. Form dough in a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on greased or parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Fluffy Biscuits

2011-04-06T21:00:00.000-07:00

I was sure there was another box of Bisquick in our pantry but when I came up empty handed I went to All recipes to see if I could find a recipe fast enough for our dinner in 20 minutes! I found this recipe and will never make biscuits from Bisquick again! These are SO good and SO fast! I did make a few changes to the recipes directions since I didn't have time to read the actual directions thoroughly before I made them.

2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
3 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter shortening
1 egg
2/3 cup milk

In a mixer, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Add in shortening and mix until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg and milk; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Turn onto a well-floured surface; knead 20 times. Roll to 3/4-in. thickness; cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. biscuit cutter. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Creamy Chicken Italiano

2010-11-15T11:05:00.000-08:00

This recipe is from my friend Amanda. I love that its so easy and fast and yet yummy enough for guests.

1/4 Cup water
1 pkg dry Italian Seasoning (It will be by the dry packets of ranch)
1-8 oz pkg cream cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 boneless chicken breasts

Put the chicken in Crock pot. Mix together dressing and water and pour it over the chicken. Cook on low for 2-3 hours. Add soup and cream cheese and let warm and then stir. Cook another 1-2 hours or until its all nice and creamy. We eat it over noodles.

Pumpkin Pie

2010-10-27T14:19:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from Tasty Kitchen.

2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Melted And Cooled
1 cup Firmly Packed Light Brown Sugar
15 ounces, weight Unsweetened Pumpkin Puree
3 whole Large Eggs, At Room Temperature
1.5 cups Heavy Cream
⅓ cups Sour Cream
1 Tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 pinch Salt
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 whole (9 Inch) Deep Dish Frozen Pie Shell

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and I baked my crust for about 10 minutes. Using an electric mixer, mix the melted butter, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, eggs, heavy cream, sour cream, spices, salt and vanilla. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Pour batter into the pie shell. I filled mine to where I wanted it to rest on the crust. Its bakes up but cools down to the same level. I think it it easier to pour with the shell already in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees F, then reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake for about 40-50 minutes. Cool to room temperature for 2-3 hours (to allow the pie to finish setting up) then serve with whipped cream.

The pie should just a little jiggly in the middle when it is done. It is overcooked when the pie has totally set up in the oven. Also, pie mixture may look VERY thin compared to what you are used to, but don’t worry, it will thicken up in the oven. This recipe makes 2 regular-sized pies or one large deep dish pie (with a little filling leftover). To make your own pumpkin pie spice, just combine the following:

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Curry Squash soup

2010-10-14T16:23:00.000-07:00

I was at the Lion house Restaurant with my parents and they had the most amazing Curry Squash soup and I came home and made this with theirs as my inspiration. Admittedly theirs was better :) Hopefully over time I will be able to get it closer! I used leftover pumpkin and acorn squash. You could also use butternut squash.

1 cube butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 onion minced
1 celery stalked sliced
28 oz chicken broth
1 c whipping cream (you can use half and half or even milk - healthier but not as creamy)
2-3 tsp curry powder (I used 2 since I don't like a strong curry taste)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic salt
3 cups pureed pumpkin, butternut squash, or acorn squash

Melt butter in a pan and add flour and curry, whisk until combined. Add onion, celery, chicken broth, whipping cream and bring to a boil. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes. Run soup through a blender or food processor to get smooth and then serve.

Caramel Dumplings

2010-10-14T16:15:00.000-07:00

Two of my favorite things combined! This yummy recipe came from our good friends the Brinkerhoffs. It is amazing and the best part is that the ingredients are things you almost always have around!

Sift together:
1 1/4 c flour
1/3 c sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Then cut 2 Tbsp butter into the flour mixture until it becomes fine particles.

Combine :
1/3 c + 1 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
Add that to the dry ingredients all at once and stir until the dough clings together.

In a dutch oven or large saucepan combine:
2 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 c brown sugar
1 1/2 c water
1/8 tsp salt

Bring this to a boil, stirring constantly and then reduce heat to low. Drop dough by tablespoons into simmering sauce. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream.

Canning Apple Pie filling

2010-10-14T14:23:00.000-07:00

Another great recipe from Tyece. Make with the Perfect Pie Crust and all you have to do is dump the jar into the crust and you will have a wonderful homemade pie literally in minutes when you have some of these pie fillings on hand!

~24 lbs of apples (peeled, cored, and sliced)
6 cups sugar
3/4 c cornstarch
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 Tbsp cloves
1 Tbsp nutmeg
cube butter
2.5 qts water + 1 cup more

Combine sugar and cornstarch in a bowl and set aside. Add remaining ingredients except apples to a large saucepan. Then add the sugar mixture and stir until dissolved on low heat and until it thickens. Fill apples to the top of a quart jar, tap it on the counter to help settle and then add in remaining space. Add about a cup of the syrup mixture or until there is an inch of head space left.

Process in a water bath canner for 30 minutes.

Perfect Pie Crust

2010-10-14T14:13:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from Tyece too. It really is a perfect pie crust! The trick is to not handle the dough to much!

2 c flour
1 tsp salt
1 c shortening
1/4 c ice water

Mix flour and salt. Cut shortening in with a pastry knife until crumbly. Stir in water with a fork until mixed. Divide in half and roll out half out on a floured surface until it is about an inch larger than your pie pan. Roll over your rolling pin and then unroll over your pie pan and form to pan. Cut off excess. Add filling and repeat with top. Flute pie edges together and cut 4 slits in the top to vent.

Apple pie bakes at 400 for an hour.

The extra dough is really yummy cut into shapes and baked with cinnamon and sugar on top. My kiddos love it!

Stuffed Acorn Squash

2010-10-14T14:02:00.000-07:00

I made this up to use up some acorn squash with what we had in the kitchen and we really liked the way it came out.

Acorn squash
seasoned stuffing mix
Rotisserie chicken
chicken broth
butter
1 stalk celery
1/2 onion
Parmesan cheese

Place the acorn squash in the oven on 350 for about 30 minutes then turn the oven off and left them for hours in the oven. I put ours in the fridge that night and made these the next day. You could also put them in the oven in the morning and then use then in that night. They just need to be soft. Not squishy but barley soft to the outside touch.

Cut squash in half and scrape seeds out. Place them in a 9x13 pan. Put about 1/3 cup of rotisserie chicken in the crater and add 1-2 Tbsp of chicken broth over the chicken so that it wont dry out during baking. Mix stuffing according to directions and I add diced celery and onion to the mix. Mound it on top of chicken. I let some of the stuffing fall in around the squash since there was leftover. Sprinkle everything with Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake for about 15-20 minutes and then remove foil for another 10 minutes to let everything get a little brown on top.

Canning Salsa

2010-10-14T13:48:00.001-07:00

I have tried 3 canning salsa recipes this summer and the first two were awful! My good friend Tyece came through for me with this one that I really like.

10 cups tomatoes, skins removed and seeds and juice squeezed out
1 lg onion
2 jalapenos
1 Serrano pepper
5 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp cilantro
2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 c lemon juice

Blend tomatoes, onion, peppers, garlic, and cilantro in food processor. Add to a large pan and add remaining ingredients. Simmer for 30 minutes. Process jars in a water bath canner for 15 minutes.

Makes about 4 pints.

Asparagus Rolls

2010-08-30T11:20:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from my friend Pam. They are yummmmmmy and so pretty!

4-6 Tortilla Wraps (depending on the size of the tortilla)
18 asparagus
Chicken (You could do fresh, but I use 1 can of the Chicken Salad from Costco)
1/2 c. nuts (optional)
1/2 c. Craisens
4 oz. regular cream cheese
1/2-1/3 of container of Garden Vegetable Cream Cheese (judge this to taste)
1/4 c. Mayo
Garlic Powder

Mix the Chicken on down all in bowl. Judge to your liking in taste. I usually use closer to 1/3 container of the Garden Vegetable Cream cheese, but I like it with a stronger taste.

Spread the mixture on a tortilla. Roll the already cooked asparagus into the tortilla. I usually use about 4 or 5 per tortilla. Cover the rolled tortilla in Press N' Seal and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours or overnight. Cut tortilla into inch thick pinwheels and serve.

Fruit Leather

2010-07-22T11:57:00.000-07:00

5 cups Pureed fruit
5 tsp fruit fresh
1/4-1/2 c sugar depending on the ripeness for your fruit.

Mix and put in trays. Run in dehydrator for about 16-20 hours.

Dutch Oven Peach Cobbler

2010-06-01T15:11:00.000-07:00

3 cans peaches
1 can crushed pineapple
1 butter recipe cake mix
1/2 - 1 cube butter

Drain the peach juice into a bowl and add all 3 cans of peaches into dutch oven. You don't have to be real picky about completely draining it. I drain off most of the juice with the lid and then dump them. Add the crushed pineapple without draining it. Mix with a spoon and spread evenly over the bottom.

Sprinkle cake mix over the fruit evenly. Take the cube of butter and cut little slices off of it and spread over cake mix. You can use as little as 1/2 of the cube to as much as the whole thing depending on your tastes. Then drizzle the peach juice over the whole thing as evenly as possible. Place the lid on and then set in the coals and add a few to the top of the dutch oven to cook the top.

I would check it after about 15 minutes to see how quickly your coals are cooking it. If its burning, they are too hot. If it looks the same you might want to add more.

Brussel Sprouts

2010-05-16T16:07:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. Who likes brussel sprouts? We do a food co-op and we got them this week. We tried this recipe and we all like them! My boys even ate them (okay, we did tell them they were mini spinach - thanks to Popeye they eat anything spinach!)

10-15 sprouts
1 tsp salt
4 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
3 Tbsp Italian bread crumbs
Salt and pepper

We had about 10 -12 sprouts. I cut the bottoms off and then cut them in half and added them to a pot of water. I filled the pot with just enough water to cover the sprouts. Add 1 tsp of salt and boil for about 6-7 minutes. Drain and place in 9 x 9 baking dish.

Melt 4 Tbsp butter and mix with sprouts. In a separate bowl add 3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese and 3 Tbsp Italian bread crumbs. I also did a shake or two of seasoning salt and pepper. Mix that well and then toss with the sprouts. Place in oven on 400 for about 5-8 minutes or until the cheese is melting and starting to brown.

Serve.

Pioneer Woman Penne

2010-05-02T14:14:00.000-07:00

This came from the Pioneer Woman. I changed it just a little bit to fit our family's needs.

1 pkg Penne Pasta
3 Tablespoons Butter
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 whole Onion (small)
3 cloves Garlic
½ cups white cooking wine
1 can tomato Sauce (8 Oz)
1 cup heavy Cream
2-3 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper

Cook penne in boiling water. While that is cooking chop onion, I prefer to do it in a food processor so its really small. I also throw the garlic in to mince it too. Melt the butter and olive oil in a large saucepan. Add onion and garlic and saute until its clear. Add cooking wine and allow to cook for 1 -2 minutes on med-hi heat. Add cream and tomato sauce and stir until combined. Add basil and simmer until pasta is done. Drain penne and mix with sauce. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.

Broccoli and Cauliflower Cheese Soup

2010-04-15T07:50:00.000-07:00

I don't love cauliflower but this soup is to die for! Its from my friend Pam and we all loved it. Best part you can freeze it!

1 can chicken broth (13 oz - so a little less then 2 cups. 2 cups is 16 oz)
1 small onion, diced
1/3 c. flour
1/4 c. butter
Pepper to taste (I used about 1/2 teaspoon)
2 c. milk (I wanted it super creamy, so I did 1 1/2 cups 2% milk and 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream)
1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese (the sharper the better for flavor)
1/2 c. shredded swiss cheese
Steamed chopped cauliflower
Steamed chopped broccoli
Optional: Chopped Onion, Carrots, and any other veggie!

Simmer chicken broth and chopped onion for 15-20 minutes in a covered small saucepan, until onions are soft. Heat milk in microwave for 1-2 minutes. In a separate medium-sized stockpot, melt butter then add flour and pepper. Cook together for a couple of minutes, then whisk in warmed milk. Stir and heat together on medium-high heat until soup starts to thicken. Next add chicken broth and continue to stir until well blended. Add cheeses and steamed broccoli. Serve immediately.

Apple Crisp

2010-04-11T13:29:00.000-07:00

I had an apple crisp recipe that was good but we have replaced it with this one which we love! We use apples I have canned in a light fruit syrup and then drained most of the juice off.

1/2 c oats
1/2 c brown sugar
1/3 c flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c butter softened
1/4 c flaked sweetened coconut

Mix the first 4 ingredients. Add softened butter and cut it in with a fork until it is evenly crumbly. Add coconut and mix well. Pour over apples and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Waffles

2010-04-05T07:50:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from All recipes. It caught my eye because the batter can be saved and used the next day. Super yummy!

2 eggs
1 3/4 c milk
1/2 c oil
2 c flour
1 Tbsp white sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat waffle iron. Mix ingredients in a mixer starting with the eggs and let them beat for a minute before you add the other ingredients. Ladle into your waffle iron.

Chicken Ranch Quesadilla

2010-02-27T08:30:00.000-08:00

Super easy and fast and my kids liked them minus the green onions. These were even easier because we have been watching at the end of the day for rotisserie chickens to go half off and then shredding the chicken and freezing it. Its been so great to be able to go outside and grab a bag of already shredded chicken!

1 c chicken shredded
1 c Monterrey jack cheese, grated
1/2 c ranch
1 green onion, sliced
tortillas

Mix all ingredients expect tortillas. Spread mixture over tortilla and cook on both sides until the cheese is melted and the tortilla nice and toasted.

Yummy and fast! Not a great hyperphe recipe :)

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

2010-02-21T17:35:00.000-08:00

We had a pineapple that was starting to go bad and it was Cooking with Caleb night so we decided to make a cake with our pineapple. It was so yummy!

1/2 c butter
2/3 c packed brown sugar
1 small pineapple or 1 can pineapple chunks
1 yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1/2 c water
1/4 c oil
1 c sour cream

We made our cake in a large stoneware pie dish. Its was larger than your normal pie baking dish and this cake fit it perfectly. Preheat oven to 350 and add butter to dish and place in preheating oven so that it melts while you are making the cake. Cut pineapple into chunks and place in a bowl. Add cake mix and all ingredients except the pineapple and brown sugar. Mix until the lumps are gone. When butter is melted sprinkle the brown sugar over the butter evenly. Then spread the pineapple evenly and top with the cake mixture. Cook on 350 for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Invert onto a serving dish immediately.

Potato Tacos

2010-02-16T08:12:00.000-08:00

3 potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 Tbsp taco seasoning
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 c lettuce, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 avocado, mashed with lime, pepper, and diced green onions added
Costco tortillas, cooked
1 recipe Salsa Verde

Place potatoes in a skillet with olive oil. Cook on med-hi heat stirring regularly until they are soft but still hold their shape. Sprinkle with taco seasoning and mix until the seasoning is evenly coated.

Serve with taco sides and eat in tortillas.

Chili Rellenos

2010-01-24T14:49:00.000-08:00

We have never had these before I made them so we cant say how authentic they are but these are good! John and I both were surprised at how much we liked them. I got the recipe off of the Recipe Zaar but adjusted it to fit our tastes and also to make it more mild.
This recipe seems intimating but its actually not that hard. Just follow the step carefully and its surprisingly fast and easy.

To prepare peppers:
Wash approximate 8 Anaheim peppers. Place on foil in broiler and allow to roast. This simply means you let the skins char and bubble. When one side is charred, flip them over and do this until it is roasted evenly. When they are evenly roasted take them out and put them in a Tupperware or Ziploc back and seal. This allows the steam to make the peppers easy to peal. While the peppers are roasting prepare the sauce.

Sauce:
4 roma tomatoes
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup water with 1 chicken bouillon cube (heat the water in the microwave for 1-2 minutes until the bullion cube has dissolved)
1 jalapeno, finely chopped ( you can add more if you like things spicy)
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Quarter tomatoes and add to food processor with the roughly chopped onion and a garlic clove. Process them until they are a liquid. Add olive oil to a saucepan and allow to heat up. Add mixture from the food processor and turn to med-low. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes. I then cut my jalapeno in half and took the seeds out. I processed it in the food processor until it was diced.

After 10 minutes add the jalapeno, cinnamon, and half cup of water with bouillon. Allow to simmer for another 15 minutes. I just let it simmer on low until it was ready to serve.

To Stuff Peppers:

After I added the last ingredients to the sauce I stuffed the peppers. Add 2 eggs to one shallow but wide bowl and about 1 cup of flour to a second bowl. Open container peppers are in and carefully remove the peels. Do not remove the stem (it helps to turn them when frying) and try not to allow the peppers to split open. When all of the peppers are peeled I did a slit about half the length of the pepper right in the middle from the top to the bottom. We don't love things hot so I used a baby spoon and gently removed the bulk of seeds from up by the stem, dont worry if there are some still in there we just didnt want the huge cluster. Carefully stuff with shredded Colby and Monterrey Jack cheese. Close with toothpicks. In a large skillet heat a shallow amount of olive oil that covers the bottom.

Cover pepper in flour and after beating eggs dip pepper in egg. Add to oil and allow to fry on each side for a couple of minutes until the egg is cooked and its starting to look slightly browned.

Remove from oil and place on a paper towel and remove toothpicks. Place on serving dish and cover in red sauce.

Enjoy!

Here is an ingredient list since the ingredients are broken up into steps if you want to make sure you have everything to make them.

8 Anaheim peppers
4 roma tomatoes
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 eggs
1 flour
1-2 cup Colby Jack and Monterrey Jack shredded cheese mix

Salsa Verde/Enchilada Sauce

2010-01-23T10:30:00.000-08:00

This recipe has been updated since I first posted it. It is delicious! We use it to give burritos and tacos a different and more yummy flavor! We also use this to make our own Enchilada sauce. It makes 4 cups total. We freeze them in 2 Ziploc freezer bags quart size bags with 2 cups each. To make enchiladas I use shredded chicken, a cup of cheese, 1/2 cup salsa verde, 1 cup sour cream and mix. Roll sauce into tortillas and then pour remaining 1 1/2 cups of salsa verde over the top.

6 cups tomatillos cut in half
1/2 c onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 jalapeno, chopped
1 Anaheim pepper, chopped
3 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c water
olive oil
1 lime

In a saute pan add tomatillos, onion, garlic, and peppers. Drizzle with olive oil and saute for a few minutes on med-hi. Add water, cilantro, cumin, and salt. Cover and reduce heat to low. Let simmer for about 10 minutes. When the tomatillos are soft add everything to a food processor and process until its smooth. I did two batches since my food processor would not take it all. You can probably use a blender too. When its smooth cut the lime in half and squeeze the juice into the salsa. Stir and serve.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Bake

2010-01-19T09:35:00.000-08:00

2-4 chicken breasts
4 slices good thick ham
Swiss cheese slices
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 c sour cream
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 c breadcrumbs
2-4 Tbsp butter

Cut chicken and ham up into bite size pieces. Mix and place half of the chicken and ham in a 9x9 baking dish. Cover with swiss chesse slices and then place remaining chicken and ham over the top. Combine soup, sour cream, and Worcesershire sauce in a bowl. Pour over top of chicken and ham. Top with a layer of breadcrumbs and melt 2-4 Tbsp butter in a dish and drizzle over break crumbs.

Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes.

Spanish Rice

2010-01-18T17:38:00.001-08:00

Took a basic recipe and added my own twist on it.

1 cup rice
2 Tbsp oil
1/4-1/2 cup finely diced onion
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
1/2 c tomato sauce
2 c cold water
1 tsp salt
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 tsp Spade L Ranch Beef Marinade

Dice onion and garlic in food processor. Heat oil in a skillet that has a lid. Add rice and brown. When rice is just starting to turn brown reduce heat to med and add garlic and onion. Allow to saute for a minute. Add water, spices, and tomato sauce. Turn heat back to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 25 minutes.

Jeannie's Homemade Bread

2010-01-16T08:21:00.000-08:00

This bread recipe is the BEST. You can make it in 1 hour from start to finish. I use it for everything now. Cinnamon rolls, rolls, scones, pizza...everything! The yeast and soy lecithin might be something you can only get in Utah at stores but it can be ordered off the Internet. Best part is it costs 25 cents a loaf to make this. We only eat homemade bread in our house now! I make a half recipe on Sunday and we eat a warm loaf of bread with dinner and use the other loaf for sandwiches and toast during the week. When we do Movie night on Friday I make a second half batch and use half for pizza dough and make another loaf of bread. Pantry Secrets has classes on how to make this bread and perfect it.

10 ½ cups White unbleached bread flour (NOT all purpose- they do not have enough gluten)

½ Cup Sugar (white or brown or you can use 1/3 honey or molasses but it will not freeze well)

3 rounded/heaping tablespoons Saf-instant yeast (Macey’s sells it, keep in freezer and add to the recipe directly from the freezer, it does not have to warm up)

1 Tbsp Salt

3 tablespoons liquid Lecithin* (use instead of oil, it’s made of soy, it cleans arteries has a 4 year shelf life and you can buy it at Kitchen Kneads, Bosch or any health food store and buy the liquid in squeeze bottles not the granules)

4 cups hot tap water (you can use powdered milk and for Wheat flour you add 1 cup applesauce in place of hot tap water) mix for 10 minutes.

Mix dry ingredients. Add lecithin and water. To add the lecithin, squeeze or pour approximately 3 tablespoons of lecithin directly into the bowl. Do not measure, it’s too sticky. (An amount about the size of a quarter equals 1 Tablespoon)

Mix for 1 minute and check consistency. If dough is too dry, add more water a little at a time but only 2-4 Tbsp. If dough is too moist, add more flour (You want nice soft dough). It’s better to be on the sticky side than to be too dry and hard. The stickier dough will stretch out better when you roll it. Mix for 5 minutes in mixer or knead by hand for 10 minutes. Do not add water or flour to the dough after it has finished mixing or it will be unstable.

Spray counter and pans with Pam (do not put flour on counter; it will dry out your bread, the gluten doesn’t develop in the extra flour and the dough won’t stretch as well and the breads will crack. Get a little Pam on your hands. Cut; don’t pull the dough into four pieces, shape loves and cover with a dish towel to keep the dough moist. Let raise 25 minutes.

Bake at 350º for 25 minutes on the middle rack in the oven. This recipe makes four loaves of bread. You can half the recipe for 2 loaves of bread.

For a year’s worth of bread (4 loaves a week)
6-25 bags of flour
6 pkgs of Saf-instant yeast
4-6 bottles of lecithin

You can keep a loaf of dough overnight in the fridge. Spray the inside of a bread sack with Pam. Put dough in and tie loosely. Put in Fridge. You might have to punch down the dough before you work with it. Great for pizza, scones, braids, etc. Might not form a pretty loaf of bread though.

Tater Tot Casserole

2010-01-07T17:27:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe from Pam. This makes the kiddos happy and its yummy for Mom and Dad too. The best part is that if you keep the a spare bag of tots in the freezer its a great meal when you don't know what else to make. I like to make it early in the day and leave in the fridge until about an hour before we are ready to eat.

1 1/2 lbs ground beef

1/2 lg onion diced in processor

1 pkg or 1/4 c taco seasoning
2 cans of cream of chicken

1 can evaporated milk

1 bag frozen tater tots

Cheese

Brown meat, onion, and taco seasoning. Combine cream of chicken and evaporated milk and stir until smooth. Layer tots in a 9 x 13 pan, cover with meat, a layer of cheese, and then pour sauce over the top. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Spinach, Caramelized Pecans, and Parmesan Salad with Pepper Jelly Dressing

2010-01-04T10:25:00.000-08:00

Pepper Jelly Dressing:
3 Tbsp Pepper Jelly
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/8 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp Dijon Mustard

In a small bowl whisk together ingredients. Microwave for 30 seconds and allow to cool.

Toss 6 cups Spinach, 1 cup Caramelized Pecans, and shredded Parmesan cheese. Toss with dressing and serve.

Caramelized Pecans

2010-01-04T10:20:00.001-08:00

1/2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup pecans

Add butter to a med sauce pan and allow to melt on low. Add sugar and pecans and cook over med heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar caramelizes. It will start to turn brown and the sugar will lose the appearance of the grains. It takes about 5 minutes.

When it is done spread out onto a cookie sheet with foil.

Alfredo Sauce

2010-01-04T08:27:00.000-08:00

Got this off All recipes from the Quick and Easy Alfredo Sauce. The original recipe used garlic powder but I prefer the real thing. Its wonderful with Roasted Red Peppers or Sun Dried tomatoes added in!

1/2 cup butter
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
2 garlic cloves minced
2 cups whole milk
6 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Melt butter in a medium, non-stick saucepan over medium heat. Add cream cheese and garlic, stirring with whisk until smooth. Add milk, a little at a time, whisking to smooth out lumps. Stir in Parmesan and pepper. Remove from heat when sauce reaches desired consistency. Sauce will thicken rapidly, thin with milk if cooked too long. Toss with hot pasta to serve.

Homemade Laundry Soap

2009-12-31T13:31:00.001-08:00

My Friend Tyece sent me this recipe. Not the best for whites but great for all the other loads and SO much cheaper!

Ingredients:
4 cups hot tap water
1 fels-naptha soap bar
1 cup Arm and Hammer laundry soda
½ cup borax

Grate (I use my food processor) bar of soap and add to saucepan of water. Stir continually over med – low heat until soap dissolves and is melted. Fill a 5 gallon bucket half way with very hot tap water. Add melted soap washing soda and borax. Stir until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more very hot tap water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken. *optional: you can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per two gallons, add once soap has cooled.

Top- loading machine: 5/8 cup per load
Front - loader: ¼ c per load (approx 400 loads)… and you just spent $2

From the DuggarFamily.com

Pepper Jelly

2009-11-15T13:24:00.000-08:00

This is a delicious appetizer. I like to buy red peppers when I see them for less than a dollar and then bottle a couple of batches. Each batch makes about 17-18 half pints. We like it served best over cream cheese and eaten with Ritz crackers. The recipe comes from the cookbook Putting Up by Stephen Dowdney although I have changed it a little bit.

*I have changed this since first putting it up because I always do a double batch

2 1/2 c very small diced red peppers, seeds removed
2 1/2 c very small diced green peppers, seeds removed
1/2 c fine diced jalapeno peppers, seeds removed
3 c cider vinegar
13 c sugar
1 Tbsp butter
1/2-1 Tbsp red pepper flakes depending on how hot you want it
2 pack liquid pectin Certo brand, found in the canning section or by the Jell-O

Bring all ingredients except pectin to a rolling boil. Add pectin and return to a boil. Time for 1 1/2 minutes and take off burner. Hot pack in warm jars for 15 minutes. Remove from canner and allow to cool for 24 hours. The jelly will set up as it cools.

I'm not going to go into all of the details of how to bottle but it you have any questions please just ask in the comments section. You can also find some helpful canning hints in this post on peaches.

Spinach, Chicken, & Pasta Salad with Teriyaki Vinaigrette

2009-11-14T15:51:00.000-08:00

This recipe comes from the My Kitchen Cafe blog with a few changes for our tastes. It was so yummy and was perfect for brunch. I do think it is best made the day before.

Dressing:
1 cup canola oil
1/2 cup bottled teriyaki sauce
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup cider vinegar
6 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Salad:
16 oz. bow tie pasta, cooked al dente, drained and cooled
1 bag fresh spinach (9 - 10 oz)
6 oz. craisins
2 (11 oz.) cans mandarin oranges, drained
1 (8 oz.) can water chestnuts, drained and slivered
4 green onions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted
6 oz. honey roasted peanuts
2 cups cooked chicken, tossed with 2-3 tablespoons teriyaki sauce

In a blender, combine all the dressing ingredients and blend until well combined and smooth. I think this recipe is best to make the day before and add everything but the spinach and peanuts. Let it sit overnight and then toss the spinach in an hour or so before serving and the peanuts right at serving time.

Mona's Chicken Tacos

2009-11-06T16:09:00.000-08:00

Seriously for the first time in forever I sat there staring blankly at my thawed chicken with NO CLUE what to make for dinner. I was feeling lazy too. Thank goodness for my friend Pam and her new cooking blog. This was quick, easy, and yummy! You can find Pam's blog here.

4 Chicken Breasts
2 - 8 oz cans of tomato sauce
1 t cumin
1 t garlic powder
1 t pepper

Cook chicken breasts and cut into small cubes. Mix chicken, tomato sauce, and seasonings on the stove. Best served in Soft Flour Tortillas.

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

2009-11-04T11:48:00.000-08:00

I finally found one I love!!!! Found it on All recipes and adjusted it a little bit because I don't love mayonnaise. Serve on rolls or croissants. Perfect for showers, parties, and pretty much any other time because its so stinking yummy!

4 c chicken, cubed
3/4 c mayo
1/2-3/4 c sour cream depending on how saucy you want it)
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp seasoning salt
1 c diced celery
3 green onions, diced
1 c chopped pecans
1 1/2 c craisins
1 c diced apple

Mix sour cream, mayonnaise, paprika, and seasoning salt. Add remaining ingredients and allow to sit in the fridge for a few hours so the flavors have time to combine. You can also wait and add the pecans right before serving so they have more crunch.

Applesauce

2009-10-19T14:06:00.000-07:00

Its hard to gauge how many apples to a batch because apples differ so much in size. So for me I just took my big colander and filled it to the top and that was one batch.

You need to first get a large bowl filled with cold water and treat it with something that will make is so the apples wont change color. I used Fruit Fresh (found at my Walmart in the canning section) but I know some people use lemon juice.

Then I put the stopper in one side of my sink and place a cutting board right next to that. Meanwhile on the stove I get a large Saute pan (really large diameter but short with a lid...does that make any sense!?!) ready with 3-4 cups of water, depending on how runny you want your applesauce. Also have your deep bath canner full of water starting to warm up and a small sauce pan with your lids on simmer to stay warm. Also be running your jars through the dishwasher and set it for heated dry.

Peel...Peel...Peel. Some people cook the apples first and then use a strainer to squeeze the apples through but I like it chunky and also I think you get a lot more when you do it this way. Throw the apples into the big bowl of water until the whole batch is peeled. I just peel them straight into the sink that is clogged. Its easier on your back than doing it into a trash can and I just let it fill up all day and empty at the end of the day.

Take and rinse out your strainer and put that in the open part of the sink when you have peeled all of the apples. Take the apples one at a time and quarter and cut out seeds and then throw them into the stainer and discard the rest into your peeling pile in the sink.

When the strainer is about half full rinse apples well and put them into the saute pan. Do this with all of your apples. Your saute pan should be really full.

Cook on med-hi covered for about 50 minutes. Take lid off and add 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 c sugar and mash with a potato masher. You can adjust the cinnamon and sugar to fit your tastes and depending on the type of apple you are canning.

When you have mashed the apples to the consistency you would like use a rag to get a hot jar from the dishwasher and spoon applesauce into jar. Its really helpful to have the canning funnel so that you don't get the edges of your jars dirty. Place jar on counter on a dishtowel and run a clean wet rag around the lip of the jar to be sure its clean. Place a warm lid from the simmering water on the jar and screw a ring on.

Repeat for the whole batch. Process in deep bath canner for 25 minutes. Allow to cool and make sure they have popped by the next morning and that they have sealed properly.

Play Dough

2009-10-19T11:39:00.001-07:00

Quick, easy, and most importantly soft!

1 c water
1 Tbsp oil
1/2 c salt
1 tsp cream of tarter
1 cup flour
food coloring
essential oils (optional)

Mix water, oil, salt, food coloring in a pan and mix. Turn on low and add flour and cream of tarter. Mix with wooden spoon for a few minutes, it will get thick fast. When nice and thick, add to mixer (at least I did cause Im lazy) and let kneed for about 5 minutes. I added 3 drops of lemon essential oil to one batch and 3 drops of orange to a second color to make them smell good while it was mixing. Remove from mixer and let cool for a few minutes.

PLAY!

Teriyaki Meatballs

2009-08-10T13:42:00.000-07:00

I don't remember where I got this recipe but we really like it!

Meatballs:
1- 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
3/4 dry oatmeal
2 eggs beaten
2/3 c diced onion
1/2 c milk
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

I put this all in my kitchen aid and let it mix it so I don't have to use my hands. Place a large skillet on the stove and turn it on med-high. Make meatballs about 1 inch in diameter and place them in the saucepan and brown them really good on the outside. I do it until they are even starting to look a little burnt. When they are browned place them in a 9 x 13 pan and do this until all the meatballs are browned.

Sauce:
1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 c BBQ sauce (for this recipe I prefer a sweeter BBQ sauce)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Stir up sauce and it should be slightly thick. Pour over browned meatballs and gently turn meatballs over to coat them.

Bake in oven at 350 for about 15-20 minutes or until they are cooked all the way through. Serve over rice.

Cheese Polenta

2009-07-15T06:49:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe on All recipes and did adjust it a little for our tastes but its so yummy. We had it with grilled chicken, homemade salsa, and slices of avocado! Yummy! Seriously you should try polenta its one of my favorite sides and is great instead of potatoes.

2 cups milk
2 cups chicken stock or broth
1 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons butter
4 ounces Cheddar cheese, grated

Add milk, chicken stock, salt, pepper in a lg sauce pan. Turn heat to high and slowly start stirring in the cornmeal while using a whisk to mix it well. I do this while the liquids are still cold so that way you don't get lumps. Once all of the cornmeal is in continue to stir constantly until the polenta starts to boil and gets thick. Remove from heat and add butter and cheese. Stir every minute or so until they are melted.

Pizza Sauce

2009-05-19T18:21:00.000-07:00

With all the Friday night Pizza we have been having I haven't really been satisfied with canned Pizza sauce. I got a recipe off of All recipes for Exquisite pizza sauce and then changed it for our tastes and this is what we came up with and its really good!

1 (6oz) can tomato paste
6 oz of warm water
3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
2 med garlic cloves, minced
1Tbsp honey
! Tbsp Marsala cooking wine
3/4 tsp chopped onion flakes
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp pepper

In a small bowl combine all ingredients and make sure to break up any clumps of cheese. Allow to sit for 30 minutes to let flavors blend. This was enough to do 2 full pizzas. Next time I make it I think I will double it and split into 4 and freeze 3 of the containers of sauce.

Pizza Dough

2009-04-19T15:08:00.000-07:00

So its been 3 months and no new recipes posted...our little baby is also 3 months old so that probably explains things!

We do Pizza every Friday night with our movie night and we have wanted a thicker crust. On the web site Being Frugal is Fabulous she posted her pizza crust and we tried it and loved it. It makes 8 small personal pizzas or 2 big crusts. We make the recipe and then wrap half of the dough in saran wrap and place in a freezer bag and freeze for the next Friday. Or if we want bread sticks you can quickly make bread sticks out of the second half.

Place in kitchenaid:
1 1/2 c warm water
1 Tbsp yeast
pinch sugar

Let proof until its foamy and then add:
1/3 c sugar
1 tsp salt
~4 cups flour or until dough pulls away from the bowl and looks smooth.

I let it rise for about 30 mins and then I roll it out. Be sure to bake for about 8-10 minutes at about 425 BEFORE you add your sauce and toppings. Pull it out of the oven and add sauce, cheese, and toppings. This makes sure the dough is cooked all the way through.

Enjoy!

Leslie's Slush

2009-01-03T14:45:00.000-08:00

This is a really unique and yummy recipe. You mix all the ingredients into a big Tupperware (one of the big tubs of ice cream containers is perfect) and then freeze. You then take it out and let is sit on the counter to let it get a little bit soft. Then you take a fork and break it up into small pieces until it gets to a slush consistency. Then you scoop and eat. Its such a refreshing treat. The best part is that you just refreeze it and repeat. My friend Leslie who gave me the recipe said that they just set it out for the day for people to scoop out of all day and if it gets to soft you can just stick it in the freezer for a little bit. You can also do it in 3 or 4 smaller containers if you just want to do it for your family not a big crowd.

1 large Orange Juice concentrate
1 large lemonade concentrate (of you cant find the large just use 1 1/2 small)
20 cups of water
2 1/2 c sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract

Creamy Green Beans

2008-12-26T09:48:00.000-08:00

So yes, this is just a variation of Green Bean casserole but I have a mental block towards the word casserole. I played with a few different versions that I could find and added my own twist to it and this is what we came up with. Just as a reference point when I told my hubby I would be making it for Christmas dinner he turned his nose up at me. At dinner he had about 4 helpings of it!

2 Tbsp butter
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic
1-2 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
2/3 c sour cream
3/4 c cheddar cheese, grated
2 cans green beans
1/2 can french friend onions

Add butter to a skillet and allow to melt. Add onion and cook on med until its starting to turn translucent. Add garlic and saute for another minute or so. Add flour to make it thick and pasty. Add sour cream, salt, and sugar and stir until combined. You can add more sour cream or even a little milk if you want it more runny but we wanted it thicker. Add cheese and green beans and stir slowly so as to not crush green beans. Add to baking dish. You can refrigerate at this point until about 30 minutes before you want them ready, I would just wait to add the french friend onions until right before you pop it in the oven. I ran our french friend onions through the magic bullet and pulsed it 7 or 8 times to break them up smaller. Sprinkle over top and place in oven about 350 for 30 minutes or until warm, bubbly, and the onions are crispy and brown.

Anytime of year Salsa

2008-12-19T10:17:00.000-08:00

For those who know me well they know I'm kind of a snob when it comes to fresh ingredients. I think it has a lot to do with Romania where you only had fresh available and it makes a HUGE difference in cooking. My friend Tasha brought us this salsa and we all fell in love and I just about fell off my chair when she said it uses canned tomatoes because I never thought salsa like this could come from canned tomatoes (see I told you, I'm an ingredients snob). Its a huge recipe so feel free to cut it in half, but beware it goes fast. My little 2 year old even eats it with a spoon!

6-8 cans diced tomatoes
1 bunch fresh cilantro
1 med yellow onion
1 jalapeno seeded
1 tsp onion salt
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp mild chili powder
1 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp lemon juice

One of the reasons this is so great is that you are going to use your blender but puree the cans to different consistencies.

Puree in blender 2 cans tomatoes, 1/2 onion, and all other ingredients. It will most likely turn very green. Pour into bowl. Next add two more cans to blender and other half of onion and chop to a medium consistency, pour in bowl. Add last two cans to blender and pulse to leave chunks as big as you like them. If the salsa is to spicy you can add one to two more cans. Mix all together and let sit overnight and then enjoy!

Cranberry Sauce

2008-12-05T15:02:00.000-08:00

My friend Mandy made this for Thanksgiving off of the Year of crock potting Blog and even though I normally don't like cranberry sauce or turkey....I loved this recipe and will definitely make it!

12 oz cranberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 c orange juice
1/2 c water
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c white sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Rinse cranberries and place in crock pot (if you have a huge crock pot place them in an oven proof dish in your crock pot). Add remaining ingredients and cover and cook on high for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. When the cranberries get soft enough smash them and stir well. Heat until it is warm all the way though and then take the lid off and let cook for another 30-45 minutes.

Buttermilk Coffee Cake

2008-11-25T09:29:00.000-08:00

Being on bedrest doesn't give me much time in the kitchen but yesterday morning it was like 64 degrees in our house and I wanted something warm for breakfast. I pulled out my Better Homes cookbook and whipped this coffee cake up and was really happy with the way it turned out.

1 1/4 c flour
3/4 c packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 c butter
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
dash nutmeg
2/3 c buttermilk (or 2/3 cup milk with a dash of lemon juice or vinegar)
1 egg
1/4 c pecans

Add flour, sugar, salt to mixer and mix. If you are like me and forget to have room temp butter I put my butter In the microwave for 10 seconds and it was somewhat soft but still had its form. I let me kitchen aid cut the butter in for me, instead of doing it by hand. Add the butter and let it mix for a few minutes until it resembles coarse crumbles. Scoop out 1/4 of this mixture for the top and set aside. Add remaining ingredients, except nuts, and mix well.

Scoop into a square baking dish that has been greased. Add 1/4 c chopped pecans to the reserved topping and sprinkle over the cake. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

2008-10-26T17:18:00.000-07:00

SO SO YUMMY! I looked at some recipes and then came up with this which has elements from different recipes that I liked.

1 acorn squash cut in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds and insides
4 Tbsp butter
4 Tbsp brown sugar
2 c seasoned stuffing mix
1/2 onion, diced
1 med stalk celery, diced
3/4-1 c chicken broth

Preheat oven to 400. Take squash half and place on a piece of foil large enough that you will be able to cover the whole half of the squash with a little extra. Place 2 Tbsp butter in each half and then top with 2 Tbsp of brown sugar. In a bowl mix stuffing, onion, celery and mix. Add broth until stuffing is just moistened. Scoop this on top of the brown sugar, dividing between the two halves. It will overflow onto the sides of the squash, just pile it on. Carefully wrap the foil over the halves and place in oven. Bake for 60 min and then uncover and let bake for another 10 minutes or so if you like the top to get a little bit crispy.

Herb Foccasia

2008-10-15T10:12:00.000-07:00

After some good news at work for my hubby I wanted to make a nice dinner. I bought artichokes this week, our FAVORITE and so I wanted to make a yummy Italian bread to go with them. I found this recipe off of the Sisters Cafe Blog. I only changed a few things to it and it was yummy and shockingly fast!

2 packages active dry yeast

1/4 tsp sugar

1 c warm water

3 c flour

1/4 c finely chopped onion

1/4 c chopped kalamata olives

3 Tbsp olive

1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp salt

Herb Glaze

1 egg, beaten

1 Tbsp chopped fresh or 1/2 tsp dried rosemary (we did rosemary last night) or basil

1 Tbsp chopped fresh or 1/2 tsp dried garlic salt

Mix yeast, sugar and water in kitchenaid and let sit until bubbly. With kneading attachment add remaining ingredients (except the glaze) adding the flour last. Knead for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. You can just leave your mixer on until it starts to look like this. It takes time for it to all pull of the sides of the bowl but you should see a change in the consistency of the dough. If after two minutes there is still a little flour in the bottom I just add a tsp of water until it all pulls clear.

Let rise in warm place for about an hour. Grease baking sheet. Punch dough down and divide evenly into 4 pieces. Shape each piece into a disk; place on baking sheet. Cover and let rise 20 minutes. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Brush tops of each bread with herb glaze. Bake 15-18 minutes until golden brown. We ate two loaves and froze two for another meal. Look at this yummy dinner! Artichokes with lemon butter and olive oil and balsmic vingar to dip for the bread.

Refried Beans

2008-10-14T16:39:00.000-07:00

Often when we make Mexican food we want some beans to go with it but I also want to make them in about 3 minutes. On Sunday I just added a few things we had and it turned out so good. Not what you would expect but I have been experimenting with stuff you would expect and it hasn't been great. So here it is....yummy beans in a matter of minutes!

2 pieces of bacon, we use turkey bacon
3 garlic cloves
1 can refried beans
cheese

Using kitchen scissors (this is fast) or you can use a knife, cut the bacon into thin strips across the length of it into a saucepan and start to cook. After bacon has cooked for a minute or so use a garlic press to dice 3 garlic cloves into the bacon. Cook until bacon is done and the garlic is browned, don't let it burn. Add can of beans and turn to heat to low and mix bacon mixture in good. Let cook for minute or two until warm. Place in serving bowl and top with cheese.

Snickerdoodles

2008-10-11T18:38:00.000-07:00

I'm sad to say that I cant remember where I got this recipe from, although I'm pretty sure it was on the web somewhere. So please know I'm not trying to plagiarise you and will give whomever is credit when I can find out who they are!

Whoever they are though did make the perfect Snickerdoodles. These are so soft and so chewy and perfect in every way!

1/2 c butter, softened
1/2 c butter Crisco
1 1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 3/4 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cream of tarter

Mix separately
1/4 c sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375. Cream butter and sugar until creamy. Slowly beat in eggs and vanilla. Add the flour, salt, and cream of tarter until combined.

Now if you are like me you most likely forgot to soften your butter and so you decided to nuke it for just a few seconds in the microwave to soften, which is impossible! So your dough might be a little warm. I usually stick the dough in the fridge for a half hour or so to cool and get a little firmer.

Roll dough into balls and then roll in cinnamon sugar mix and place on cookie sheet. Bake for about 10 min or until the edges are barely turning golden.

Breadsticks

2008-09-11T04:31:00.000-07:00

This recipe came from my sis in law Karey and they are so good! Pretty quick and easy for such good bread sticks.

Mix together:
1 1/2 c warm water
1 tbsp yeast
2 tbsp sugar

Let sit for about 5 minutes (or until it becomes frothy).

Add and mix together:
1 tsp salt
~4 c flour, enough so that the dough pulls away from the sides of the mixer and is not super sticky

Let the dough rise for 15-20 minutes.

Melt 1 cube of butter in a 11x13 jelly roll pan in the oven. Shape the dough into bread sticks and place on pan. I rolled mine out on the counter to just a little bit smaller than my jellyroll pan and then cut them into nice bread stick shapes with my pizza cutter. Just be sure before you cut them that you have a enough flour on the bottom side so they don't stick to your counters. Sprinkle with garlic powder and with grated Parmesan cheese, I left just a little bit of room between my bread sticks and the butter came up over them as I was placing them in pan. Let rise for about 20 minutes. Bake at 375 for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown on top and edges.

Pesto!

2008-08-25T16:42:00.000-07:00

Pesto is not a hard thing to make but my Aunt Linda was the one who introduced me to Pesto and gave me a lot of the love for cooking that I have. I have tried countless Pesto recipes and they are always disappointing so I went straight to the source of Pesto goodness and last night we feasted! So here is the best Pesto ever!

1 cup basil cleaned and dry
2 cloves garlic
2-3 Tbsp olive oil

Place basil and garlic in a food processor and start to process, then start to drizzle olive oil through the top and mix until combined.

Here is the secret. In a saucepan melt 2-4 Tbsp butter and add 1-2 cloves garlic depending on how spicy you like it. Saute garlic in butter until just starting to brown and add pesto. Let simmer for a minute or two.

Toss sauce with noddles, pine nuts, and lots of Parmesan! Its heaven!

Peaches

2008-08-23T08:38:00.000-07:00

No I haven't given up on blogging here is what we have been doing...

If you have never canned peaches its the best and its pretty easy canning. Here is what we do.

Preparation:

Place jars in dishwasher and wash and then have them on a hot dry cycle so they will stay nice and hot.
Have a small pan with your lids on the stove on low, just to keep them very warm
I use a deep bath canner so fill that about half way and turn on to get it to start boiling
Make a syrup for your peaches. I like a light syrup so we do 5 1/2 c water to 2 1/2 c sugar. Bring this to a boil so the sugar dissolves and then turn to low.
Have a good sized pot of water filled 3/4 full and bring to a boil.
Place cold water with ice in a big bowl next to the sink

Your stove top should be sweltering hot and totally covered in pans now :)

To get the Peaches in jars:

In the big pot of boiling water stick your ripe peaches in the boiling water and let sit for 30 seconds to a minute. Scoop out and add to ice bath immediately. This will make it so the peach skin comes off very easy.
Peel the peaches and then cut in half and remove pit. Scoop out the red part where the pit was with a spoon carefully. You don't have to remove it all I just like to remove whats loose and comes off easy. Some people cut his out entirely.
Place a rag on the counter and with a second rag remove a hot jar from the dishwasher and set on other rag. Quarter Peaches and drop into jar carefully. You should fill the jar to the top. I fill it to the top of the inside of the jar. Not to the very top of the opening but about 3/4 inches below that. Tap very gently to see if there is more room but don't pack them in. Holding jar with rag again ladle hot syrup until it comes to 1/2 inches before the top of the jar.
Place back on counter and with a wet and clean rag, wipe the ring around the top of the jar. Take a lid out of the water and place on jar. Screw ring onto jar.
Process in hot water bath for 30 minutes if you are doing quarts or 25 minutes if you are doing pints.
Remove from water set back on rag on counter. Allow to cool and you should hear a pop after a while and you know that it has sealed itself. Sometimes this can take a few hours. The jars will be sticky so you need to wash them off before storing.

Some helpful canning hints my Mother taught me

Canning is about timing. Get your timing down and it will start to go fast. It helps to have 2 people. My hubby will peel the peaches for me and I do the rest.
There are some tools you can buy that are really helpful

The funnel helps to put the syrup in without getting it everywhere
The little stick at the bottom has a magnet on it and it helps you get the lids out of the hot water without burning your hands
The last tool that I feel is essential is the one right in the middle and that gets your cans out of the hot water bath.

My mom taught me to have two types of rings. I have 12 rings that are rusty and yucky and these are the one I use on the jars when they are in the hot water bath. Then after it is done and cooled when I wash the jars I take of the rusty rings and put on a nice shiny ring. The hot water bath will make your rings rusty so I only use the same 12 in there to keep my other rings nice.

Its a long process so if you have any questions or something is not clear please ask.
We are gleaning the fields off of the peach farm here and we came home with over 50 pounds of free peaches! call around and ask if you know of some where around you where they have peaches. Often times they will let you go in after they have harvested and get the leftovers!

Apple German Pancakes

2008-08-17T09:13:00.001-07:00

On this months cover of Cooking Light they had a German Pancake with apples cooked into it and it looked so good. When I looked at the recipe though it didn't have some of the key elements from our recipe that we love. So I kind of took both recipes and combined them to make this...although its hard to get a good picture of it because its not the prettiest dish! We also used more butter than is listed but it was to much so I lessened it for this actual recipe. If you want it sopping in butter you can add up to 1 whole cube but we thought it was to much!

1/2 cube butter
1 tart apple, peeled and sliced thin
1 Tbsp sugar
cinnamon
6 eggs
1 c milk
1 c flour
1 tsp vanilla

Turn oven to 350 and place 9x13 pan in oven with butter in the middle of the dish to melt. Meanwhile peel and cut the apple. Add flour to mixer and place eggs and milk in a separate container and beat. Turn mixer on and slowly add the egg and milk to the flour so as to try not to make lumps. Add vanilla and let it beat for a few minutes. The more you beat it the fluffier it will cook up. When butter is melted take out and swish the pan around to make sure there is an even layer. Spread apple slices out over butter and sprinkle the sugar over the apples. The take the cinnamon and sprinkle over apples, sugar, and butter. Slowly pour the egg mixture over the the bottom layer. Don't mix with a spoon! Very carefully as not to mix things to much place 9x13 pan back in oven and bake for 16-18 minutes or until its puffy and turning light brown in places.

Berry Panckaes with Almond Syrup

2008-08-12T08:12:00.001-07:00

Pancakes
2 eggs
2 c milk
1 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp butter
2 c flour
1 Tbsp baking powder

Combine eggs, milk, and sugar and beat well. Add salt, butter, flour, and baking powder and mix until combined. Fold in 1-1 1/2 c frozen berries. We used the Costco blend of blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries.

For the syrup I used our buttermilk recipe only instead of vanilla extract I used almond extract and oh heavens it was so good!

2 c sugar
1/2 c buttermilk (or 1/2 c milk, 1/2 tsp lemon juice or vinegar)
1/2 c butter
2 tsp light corn syrup
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp baking soda

Allow butter to melt in tall saucepan. Add milk and corn syrup. Add sugar and allow to cook on low for a few minutes until all ingredients are combined well. Add extract stir and then add baking soda stirring constantly because it will cause it to get fluffy and puff up a little.

Mozarella, Tomato, and Basil Salad

2008-07-30T16:51:00.000-07:00

It does not get better than THIS salad! Happy Summer!

Mozzarella cheese
Basil
Tomatoes (I wont lie, home grown make this about a million times better)
Salt
Olive oil
Kalamata Olives (optional)

This is the easiest and best salad for the summer. Usually its best to use fresh mozzarella but I didn't have it and I had the other kind and it still works. Slice tomatoes and cheese and then for the basil I think the easiest way to cut it is to roll the leaf up and then slice. Then it unrolls the perfect size for this salad. Layer the tomatoes with cheese and sprinkle very lightly with salt. Add basil and just continue to layer in that manner. When you are done with your layers drizzle with olive oil and we garnish it with the olives because they add a lot of flavor and are so yummy!

Oriental Side Salad

2008-07-29T16:55:00.001-07:00

This salad is light and yummy. Great as a side and even as a main dish when you live in Southern Utah in the summer!

Lettuce (I prefer green leaf)
Package of Ramen noodles, broken into pieces and toasted in the oven until they are starting to turn golden
Green onions
mandarin oranges
Toasted almonds
Sesame Seeds (otional)

Dressing:
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sesame oil
¼ c olive oil
3 Tbsp rice vinegar

Mix the lettuce, oranges, and onions together. Add dressing and toss. Then toss in noodles and almonds.

Sweet Sauce Popcorn

2008-07-25T16:52:00.000-07:00

For movie night tonight I looked on All recipes to see if there was a fun new popcorn recipe that we hadn't tried yet and found this one and then changed it a little bit and it was super yummy! Its not like Carmel Corn and its healthier because there is way less butter but it still satisfies a sweet craving.

2 Tbsp butter
1/4 c water
1/2 c white sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
Popcorn (enough to layer two cookie sheets)

In a saucepan heat all ingredients and bring to a boil. Turn to low and let boil on a low for 4 minutes. Cover 2 cookie sheets with foil and pop popcorn and cover cookie sheets with an even layer. When sweet sauce is done boiling remove from heat and drizzle over popcorn evenly. Enjoy!

Macho Nachos

2008-07-23T16:40:00.001-07:00

steak
Worcestershire sauce
chips
cheese, grated
green onions, diced
tomatoes, diced
sour cream
guacamole

In a small saucepan place your steak, cut into bite sized pieces and about 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce. Sprinkle with some garlic salt. Cook the steak slowly over low heat. If you heat it to quickly is will get tough. When steak is just done, drain off any remaining liquids.

On a cookie sheet spread out chips and load with grated cheese, green onions, tomatoes, and steak. Broil until cheese is all melted and serve with guacamole and sour cream!

Egg Salad Sandwich

2008-07-18T14:27:00.000-07:00

Yes, don't fall out of your chairs! For those who know me well they know I do not like eggs. My friend Leslie suggested that I make egg salad sandwiches and I promptly told her I don't eat eggs. But then I came home with all these yummy croissants from Costco and I wanted to make a sandwich and we didn't have anything to use so I looked on Allrecipes for and egg salad sandwich that appealed to me and I found the perfect one from Sara Slade. The only thing I changed was that I used seasoning salt and she used regular. So try this out and especially on a croissant! Yum Yum and as Leslie said, its just like a deviled egg on bread!

8 hard boiled eggs
1 c mayo
1/4 c onion flakes
1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1 tsp mustard powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dill

Hard boil eggs and mix other ingredients to let sit while the eggs are boiling. Peel eggs and let cool for a few minutes and then dice. Stir eggs into mayo mixture. Cover and chill before serving. I ate it right after making it and it wasn't bad but it is better to let the ingredients blend.

Onion Rings

2008-07-15T17:32:00.001-07:00

Ive never made onion rings before and its probably a good thing because now that I know that I can make them and just how good and easy they are...I'M IN TROUBLE! This is basically the same thing as fried squash only better!

1 onion cut into slices and then pop the rings out.
1/2 c flour
1/2 c Italian bread crumbs
3/4 tsp seasoning salt
3/4 tsp garlic salt
1-2 eggs
oil

Beat egg in one bowl and set aside (you can crack a second one if you run out). Mix dry ingredients and set aside. Pour oil into frying pan and let heat up. Dip the onion rings into the egg and then coat in the crumbs. Add to oil and let fry for about 2 minutes or until turning dark brown and then flip and repeat.

Fried Squash

2008-07-15T17:26:00.000-07:00

If you live in Utah like we do you are probably swimming in summer squash! Tonight I tried to fry zucchini and it was good although I didn't dip it in the egg and I think that would have helped it be crispy on the outside so thats how I will do it next time.

1 lg or 2 sm squash
1/2 c flour
1/2 c bread crumbs
3/4 tsp seasoning salt
3/4 tsp garlic salt
1 egg
oil

Beat egg in a bowl and set aside. Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl. Cut squash into rounds about 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Heat oil lg pan for frying, Dip the rounds into the egg and then into the crumb mixture. Place in oil and fry for about 4 minutes on each side.

Breakfast Pumpkin Muffins

2008-07-15T08:23:00.000-07:00

This is just barely healthy enough to be called breakfast. If you are looking for a good sweet Pumpkin Bread look under Sweet Breads for a better recipe. Many thanks to my friend Jody for this recipe! This makes a lot so I freeze them 2 to a bag and then we can grab then when we are in a rush in the morning.

4 eggs
1 1/2 c sugar
1 (16 oz) can pumpkin
3/4 c oil
3/4 c applesauce
2 c flour
1 c wheat flour
1/2 c oatmeal
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 c chocolate chips (optional)

Beet eggs, sugar, pumpkin, oil, and applesauce until smooth. Add dry ingredients with mixer going and then fold in chocolate chips. I have heard with pumpkin muffins not to use liners so I sprayed my muffin tins and this made 24 muffins. Bake at 400 for 16 minutes.

Disney Trail Mix

2008-07-13T16:38:00.000-07:00

Let me start out by saying I don't like trail mix. My sis in law Kate brought this to Disneyland one day and it was the perfect snack for all day to just grab a handful in line. I couldn't stop eating it!

Corn chex
Goldfish
Almonds
Cashews
Craisins
Butterscotch chips
M&M’s

Butterscotch Pull Aparts

2008-07-13T16:36:00.000-07:00

My roommate Brandi use to make these all the time and they are supper yummy!

1 pkg frozen Rhodes rolls (about 20-24)
1 sm butterscotch pudding (not instant)
1 cube butter
¾ c packed brown sugar
½ c chopped pecans

Butter a bundt pan and sprinkle with half of the nuts on bottom and sides. Separate frozen rolls and arrange in pan. Sprinkle dry pudding mix over the rolls. Melt butter and mix with brown sugar and then pour over rolls and pudding. Sprinkle the remaining nuts over all. Let rise overnight if using for a sweet breakfast or all day if you’re using as a dessert. Preheat oven to 350 and bake for 30 mins or until hallow sounding. Don’t allow the top to burn. Remove form oven and immediately invert onto a serving plate. Pour remaining syrup in pan over the top. You are supposed to just pull them apart to eat, not slice.

Pumpkin Cake Bars

2008-07-13T16:34:00.000-07:00

This recipe came from a lady in our last ward. So so good!

16 oz. canned pumpkin
1 t. nutmeg
4 eggs
1 t. cinnamon
1 c. oil
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
2 t. baking powder
2 c. sugar
1 t. ground cloves
2 c. flour

Frosting
2 c. powdered sugar
1/3 c. margarine
5 oz. cream cheese (softened)
1 T. milk
1 t. vanilla

Mix all cake ingredients in a mixer. Spread in a jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Mix ingredients of frosting until smooth. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars.

Raisin Filled Cookies

2008-07-13T16:33:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from our kiddos Great Great Grandma Henderson. Johns granpa use to come home excited after school for one of these cookies!

Dough:
1 c sugar
½ c shortening, margarine, or butter
1 egg
½ c milk
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 tsp salt
2 c flour sifted

Filling:
¾ c sugar
1 c boiling water
½ package of raisins, ground

Cook filling stirring constantly until mixture thickens. Roll dough thin and cut in cookie shape. Place cookie on greased cookie sheet and put 1 tsp of filling on. Place another cookie on top and press edges together. Bake 350° for 15-20 minutes

After School Cookies

2008-07-13T16:30:00.000-07:00

From Grandpa and Grandma Henderson

1 ½ c seedless raisins
1 c white flour
Boiling water
½ tsp salt
1 c butter
¾ tsp soda
2 c sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
½ c peanut butter
5 Tbsp milk
3 eggs, well beaten
2 tsp vanilla
2 c wheat flour
1 ¼ c rolled oats

Pour boiling water over raisins, let stand 5 minutes, then drain and pat dry with paper towels. Cream butter and sugar thoroughly. Blend in the peanut butter. Add the beaten eggs and mix well. Sift flour, measure, and sift with the salt, soda, and cinnamon. Blend flour into the creamed mixture along with the milk. Stir in vanilla, rolled oats, and raisins. Drop by teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes. Makes 8 dozen medium sized cookies

Monster Cookies

2008-07-13T16:14:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from my sis-in-law Karey. It makes a ton!

6 eggs
9 c oatmeal
2 ¼ c brown sugar
8 oz M&M’s
2 c sugar
3 ½ oz coconut
½ tsp vanilla
1 c butterscotch chips
1 Tbsp corn syrup
1 c chocolate chips
4 tsp baking soda
3 c peanut butter

Mix all ingredients. If mix is to wet add flour. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes.

Molasses Cookies

2008-07-13T16:12:00.000-07:00

This came from our friends Geoff and Jodi. Now if you are like me the name doesn't get you too excited but folk you have to try these cookies. They are to die for and totally addictive!

¾ c. shortening
4 c. flour
¾ c. butter
1 ½ t. cinnamon
2 c. sugar
1 t. ginger
2 eggs
1 t. cloves
¼ c. heaping molasses
2 t. baking soda
½ t. salt

Icing:
¼ c water
½ lb powdered sugar
½ t vanilla
Dash of salt

Mix together shortening, butter, and sugar. Add eggs and molasses until combined. Sift together dry ingredients and add to mixture in the bowl. Chill for one hour. Roll into balls and roll in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar (about 1 c. sugar to 2 t. cinnamon). Bake at 375F for 8-10 minutes. Cookies are ready to remove when the top of each cookie is cracked. Frost with icing.

Homemade Ice cream

2008-07-13T16:10:00.002-07:00

This recipe came from my good friend Krista.

1 can Eagle Brand sweet and condensed milk
2 c sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla
5 c milk
1 pint whipping cream

Whip whipping cream in a mixer and then in a separate bowl combine all other ingredients. Fold whipping cream into other ingredients. Put in berries or other additives and place in ice cream maker.

Chewy Brownie Cookies

2008-07-13T16:10:00.001-07:00

1 ½ c brown sugar
1 ½ c flour
2/3 c Crisco
1/3 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbsp water
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
¼ tsp baking soda
2 eggs
2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

Beat brown sugar, shortening, water, and vanilla until well blended. Add eggs, beat again. In a separate bowl combine flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda and then add to shortening mixture. Mix until just blended and add the chocolate chips. Place on greased cookies sheet by heaping tablespoonfuls and bake at 375 for 7-9 minutes. Do not over bake.

Creme Puffs

2008-07-13T10:40:00.000-07:00

Oh heavens these are so yummy! They are from my Grandma Irene and are my Dads favorite treat! You want to make the puffs ahead of time because you want them to be cooled.

¼ c butter
¼ tsp salt
½ c boiling water
2 eggs unbeaten
½ c sifted flour
1 tub chocolate frosting
Heavy whipping cream

Add butter to boiling water. Heat until butter melts. Add flour and salt all at once, stirring vigorously. Cook, stirring mixture until it leaves the side of the pan. Remove from heat, cool 1 minute. Add eggs one at a time, beating with spoon after each egg until smooth. Drop by heaping tsp, 2” apart on greased cookie sheet, shaping with a wet spoon into rounds, which point up at center. Bake in hot oven at 450° for 10 minutes then at 400° for 20 minutes. Turn off oven and make a slit in each one to let out the steam (so they don’t get soggy in the middle). Let stand in oven 5 minutes more. Allow to cool and cut each in half, frosting the top half with chocolate frosting. Whip whipping cream with sugar and fill each puff.

Chocolate Clusters

2008-07-13T10:39:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from my sis-in-law Karey

1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c butterscotch chips
1 cup almonds

In a large saucepan, over very low heat, melt chocolate and butterscotch chips. Remove from heat and immediately add almonds. Mix until well coated. Drop onto wax paper lined cookie sheet and chill until set.

Banana Cream Pie

2008-07-13T10:38:00.000-07:00

Crust:
Crush 1 package graham crackers (not the whole box but one of the packages in clear wrapping that come in the boxes).
Add 1/3 cup butter, softened
and ¼ c sugar.

Mix until combined and then press into pie pan. Chill while you prepare filling.

Filling
¾ c sugar
2 Tbsp butter
¼ c cornstarch
1 ¼ tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt
3 egg yolks, beaten
2 c milk
4 bananas

In a saucepan combine the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and mix. Add milk in gradually while stirring. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is bubbly. Cook for one more minute and then remove from heat. Stir ¼ c of hot mixture into beaten egg yolks and then immediately add back into the pan. Cook for 2 more minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add butter, vanilla, and stir until smooth. Slice bananas into pie shell and top with pudding mixture. Chill until set. Top with whipped cream.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

2008-07-13T10:36:00.000-07:00

This recipe is great for strawberry shortcake since I don't like Angels food cake. This is the complete opposite so dense...I love it!

3 c sugar
6 eggs
8 oz cream cheese
3 c flour
1 c butter softened
1 tsp vanilla

Cream sugar, cream cheese, and butter until fluffy. Beat in eggs 2 at a time. Blend in flour and vanilla. Pour batter into a well greased pan (tube or loaf). Start in a cold oven and bake at 300° for 1–1 ½ hours or until golden brown. Top with fruit, whipped cream, and powdered sugar.

Skor Bits

2008-07-13T10:34:00.000-07:00

These are from my friend April and they are to die for. You wrap the dough around a rolo, hug, or kiss and then when they are baked the inside melts. So scrumptious!

1 c butter, softened
1 Tbsp vanilla
1/3 white sugar
2 c flour
1/3 c brown sugar
½ bag milk choc chips
½ tsp salt
Rolos
½ bag Skor bits (or any toffee bits, located by choc chips)

Mix all ingredients together. Wrap dough around a rolo completely covering it and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for 9-11 minutes. I actually like to make the balls and then chill them for a half an hour or so they don’t spread so much.

Apple Ring Coffee Cake

2008-07-13T10:33:00.000-07:00

3 c flour
1 ½ c sugar
1 tsp baking soda
½ c apple sauce
1 tsp salt
½ oil
1 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
1 c walnuts or pecans
2 tsp vanilla
2 c tart apples, peeled and chopped into inch pieces

Combine flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, and nuts into a large bowl. Combine in a separate bowl the sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla, and stir. Add wet ingredients to solids, stir and then add apples. Spoon batter into a greased 10 inch tube or bundt pan and bake at 325° for 1 hour, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Pumpkin Bread

2008-07-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from my old roommate Sarah.

Combine and mix in bowl:
3 ½ c flour
1 tsp nutmeg
1 ½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
3 c sugar

Make a well and then add:
1 c oil
2 c canned pumpkin
2/3 c water
2 c chocolate chips
4 eggs

Pour into pans and bake 1 hour and 10 min or until knife come out clean. If crust is getting to dark and the bread is not done yet you can cover the tops with foil (bubble it up so it doesn’t touch) for the last 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool.

Sweet Frosted Brownie

2008-07-13T10:28:00.000-07:00

This is similar to a Texas Sheet Cake. Its great when you are serving a lot of people.

Brownie Sift together:
2 c sugar
2 c flour

Heat to boiling in pan:
2 cubes butter
4 Tbsp cocoa
1 c cold water

Add boiling mixture to flour and sugar and mix well.

Then add:
½ c milk
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs

Mix well and pour into a greased 11x17 cookie sheet (with lip). Bake at 400° for 20 minutes.

Frosting Bring to boil:
1 cube butter
4 Tbsp cocoa
5 Tbsp milk

Remove from heat and add: 1 tsp vanilla 1 box powdered sugar Heat and stir until smooth and then spread on brownies immediately after removing them from oven. Cool and serve.

Raspberry Delight

2008-07-13T10:26:00.000-07:00

This is from my friend Kara and this is such a yummy treat!

2 c flour
½ c butter
½ c brown sugar
½ c chopped pecans
2 pkgs Dream whip
8 oz cream cheese
1 c powdered sugar
1 pkg frozen raspberries
1 pkg Danish dessert (found near the gelatin) if you can’t find this you can substitute a small raspberry Jell-O.

Crust: Mix flour, butter, brown sugar, and nuts well. Press all but 1 cup into a 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes.

Filling: Prepare Dream whip. Cream together Dream whip, cream cheese, and powdered sugar, and spread over crust

Topping: Combine Danish dessert with 1 ½ c cold water. Bring to a boil and cook 1 minute. Add raspberries. Ladle over filling slowly. Top with remaining crumbles from crust mixture. Chill several hours before serving.

Peanut Butter Parfait

2008-07-13T10:25:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from my brother Mark and his wife Lisa.

1 c packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp butter
1/3 c milk
¼ c peanut butter
¼ c light corn syrup
½ gallon vanilla ice cream

For sauce, combine brown sugar, milk, corn syrup, and butter in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and butter melts. Remove from heat. Whisk in peanut butter until smooth. Cover and chill for about 3 hours. Alternate ice cream with sauce in glasses. Sprinkle yummy stuff on top