Amen. Let's Eat!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009 Lasagne

For Mom. From the Pillsbury Family Cookbook.

8 oz. lasagne noodles
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/4 c. chopped onion
6 oz. can tomato paste
8 oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 c. canned mushroom, drained
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 c. water (I do not use this)
2 c. creamed cottage cheese
1 c. chopped raw spinach
1/4 c. diced salami (I do not use this)
1 egg
1 c. shredded mozza cheese

Cook lasagne noodles are directed on pakage. Brown beef with onion in skillet. Add tomato paste and sauce, mushrooms, garlic, basil, parsley, 1/2 tsp. salt, oregano, 1/8 tsp. pepper and water. Simmer 1 hour. (I don't usually do that either). Combine cottage cheese, spinach, salami, egg, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp. pepper. In 12x8" baking dish alternate layers of 2 thicknesses of noodles, cottage cheese mixture, meat mixture and mozza cheese, ending with cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Posted by Jen :: 2:14 PM :: 0 comments

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Tuesday, June 16, 2009 Barbeque Chicken

This is A-(voice raises an octave)-MAZING! I love to dip it, dip it.

3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons butter
1 c. ketchup
1/4 c packed brown sugar
1/4 c. chili sauce (see substitutions below)
2 T. worcestershire sauce
1/2 t. celery seed
1 T. prepared mustard
1/2 t. salt
2 dashes hot pepper sauce
8 large chicken breast halves, bone -in ( I just use regular boneless skinless chicken breasts and drastically reduce the cook time. Maybe 20 minutes total.)

In a saucepan, saute the garlic in butter until tender. Add the next 8 ingredients. Bring to a boil stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and set aside. Set a small bowl aside for dipping! Grill the chicken, covered over medium heat for 30 minutes, turning occasionally. Baste with sauce. Grill 15 minutes longer or until juices run clear. Continue basting and truning during the last 15 minutes of cooking.

(With regular chicken breasts, I just turn and baste over and over again for a total of about 15-20 minutes or until done.)

Serve with any extra sauce you set aside for dipping.

SUB FOR CHILI SAUCE: Note that this is for 1 cup of chili sauce and this recipe only calls for 1/4 c.

1 c. tomato sauce + 1/4 c. brown sugar+ 2 T. vinegar + 1/4 t. cinammon + dash of ground cloves + dash of ground all spice = 1 c. chili sauce.

Posted by Jen :: 12:57 PM :: 1 comments

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Tuesday, June 02, 2009 Ginger Broccoli

1 1/2 lbs broccoli, florets and stems sliced into diagonal pieces
1 1/2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons water

Saute the broccoli over medium heat in sesame oil for 8 minutes.

While broccoli is cooking, stir together the soy sauce, ginger, and sugar, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add the soy mixture to the broccoli along with the water, cover and simmer for 2 minutes more.

Serve at once.

Posted by Jen :: 6:33 PM :: 0 comments

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Lemon Chicken

This tastes just like the lemon chicken you get from chinese take out. Just a bit healthier! Tasty! I've been making more chinese dishes lately to get the taste without the gross greasy feeling afterwards. Try serving it with fried rice and ginger broccoli.

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons soya sauce
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
2 cups oil
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 lemons

Preheat oven to 325.

Cut each chicken breast into 3 pieces then marinate them in the soya sauce. (I sliced mine into about 6 slices) Whisk the 1/4 c. cornstarch and baking powder together, then beat in the eggs. Chill in refrigerator while you make the sauce.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar and 2 tablespoons cornstarch. Stir in the lemon juice and chicken broth, then set aside.

Dip the chicken pieces into the chilled batter, then fry in hot oil in a frying pan until brown.

Spray a 9x13 glass pan with cooking spray, then lay the chicken in it.

Using the same frying pan, add 2 tablespoons oil. Slice one of the lemons, and stir fry until they start to brown. Stir in the remaining sauce mixture, continue stirring until the sauce has thickend. Pour over the chicken.

Slice the remaining lemon, and layer over the chicken. 2Bake for 30-40 min's until the chicken is done.

* from Chef Dee at recipezaar.com

Posted by Jen :: 6:28 PM :: 0 comments

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Thursday, April 02, 2009 Soft Pretzels

1 1/2 cups water, warm (110 degrees)
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast
4 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 gallon water
1/3 cup baking soda
2 egg yolks, beaten with
2 tablespoons water
kosher salt (or Pretzel Salt)


Combine water, sugar, and the 2 tsp Kosher salt in a medium bowl. Sprinkle the yeast on top. Let it sit for 3 minutes.

Add the flour and butter and mix with dough hooks (stand mixer) on medium speed and knead until the doug is smooth and pulls away from the sides. Continue kneading for about 4 minutes.

Remove dough from bowl, and place into another bowl that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Cover with a damp (wrung out tight) kitchen towel and sit on top of fridge for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 450°F Bring the gallon of water and the baking soda to a boil in wide-mouthed pan (roaster type works best).

Meanwhile, turn dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 sections. Roll each section out to 2' ropes, shape into pretzel shape. Place the pretzels into the boiling water. 2 or 3 at a time for about 10-15 seconds each. Remove using a large spatula onto a baking sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Brush each pretzel with the egg yolk mixture and sprinkle with Kosher salt (or sea salt or pretzel salt) and bake 15 minutes.

Delicious!

From 2blue @ recipezaar.com


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Thursday, March 05, 2009 Homemade Oreo Cookies

Amanda's recipe. I made them for the first time today and they were delish. I modified a few things, as noted below.

Dough:
2 chocolate cake mixes (any kind works…devil’s food, chocolate fudge, etc.)
4 eggs
2/3 cup oil

Frosting:
4 oz. cream cheese (half of a block)
2 cups icing sugar
1/2 tsp. milk
1 tbsp vanilla

Instructions:Blend dough ingredients until mixed. Roll a bit of dough into a ball, about the size of a small walnut. Bake at least one inch apart; the cookies flatten as they bake. Bake at 325 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool. While cookies are baking, make the frosting. (An electic mixer is best for making the frosting.) Take two cookies and slather a bunch of frosting on one, then smoosh the other on top. Oh, the gooey goodness.


NOTES: While I'm sure they are delicious as is, I modified a bit because I was craving some peppermint. :) I added a tsp. of peppermint extract, some green food coloring and I actually threw in the whole 8 oz. bar of cream cheese. Why? The better question is why not?

Posted by Jen :: 6:07 PM :: 3 comments

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Monday, February 16, 2009 Spaghetti Sauce

A delicious recipe created by me. :)

1 lb. ground beef
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, minced
1 -6 oz. can tomato paste
1 - 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1- 14 oz. can stewed or diced tomatoes, with juice
1 T. italian spices
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tbsp. worchestershire
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. red wine

Brown beef. When browned, drain fat and then add garlic, onion and red pepper. Cook until soft, 3-5 minutes. Add in tomato paste, sauce and diced tomatoes with their juices. Mix well. Add in spices, worchestershire, brown sugar and salt. Add 1/4 c. of red wine. Stir until well combined. Simmer for 30-40 minutes. Serve over your favorite pasta.

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Tuesday, November 11, 2008 Oh My Apple Pie

Abby and I made this today and had it for dessert after supper. It was sooo good and worth the extra effort.


The Crust (my Great-Grandma's recipe):


Yields: 6 single or 3 double pie crusts

5 c. four
1 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 lb lard
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tbsp. vinegar
water to make 3/4 c.

Mix flour, powder, salt and sugar. Cut in lard until it is oatmeal consistency. Beat egg

in measuring cup, add vinegar and water to make 3/4 c. total. Add slowly and only as much as needed to make dough cling together. (I actually needed more water than this.)

Handle gently. Don't kneat it. Divide in to 6 disks. Chill for 1 hr. before rolling if dough is too soft to handle.

Bake portions you are using for 10 mins. at 450 before adding filling.

Apple Pie Filling

3/4 c. sugar

1/4 t. salt

6 c. diced apples

1/2 t. cinnamon

2 tbsp. flour

2 tbsp. melted butter

Combine all ingredients. Pour into pie shell. Bake at 375 for 45 mins.


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