Lucy's Kitchen

All Dolled Up

2010-10-18T05:13:00.000-07:00

This weekend Eva got all dolled up to go to her very first wedding ... She was so excited to get her photo taken with the beautiful bride (can't you tell?) Congrats, Carrie Faye! We all love you so much.
Eva loved getting dressed up and wearing her precious headband that was made especially for her, especially for this occasion by Katie. (Be sure to check out her etsy store, like NOW).

My Little Bean Bag and I kind of even matched ...

Eva did SO well at the wedding. She handled getting passed around like a champ and didn't even get fussy. She slept through the entire ceremony but my girl likes to party, so she stayed awake and visited with everyone through the entire reception and dance.

Daddy and his crazy friends dressed her up like a pirate. She thought it was funny.

Daddy-o and his girl

The girls took her on the dance floor and she loved dancing. Girls just wanna have fun!

She also got to meet so many family members including her Great Grandma Shirley.

I have more pictures to share from the rest of our weekend to prove that we survived (and thrived) on our first family trip but Eva and I are visiting Nana and Papa for a few days so those pictures will have to wait!

Congrats Carrie and Brendan on a beautiful day. We wish you only the best in all the years to come!

Cheesy Zucchini Muffins

2010-08-03T11:23:00.000-07:00

A few week's ago, E's aunt found this delicious recipe in the local newspaper and graciously passed it on to me. I made them the next day and fell.in.love. They are so so so tasty. We quickly polished off the first batch so I made another double batch today and plan on making a few more batches while we have zucchini so I can put a bunch in the freezer. They are so savory and would make a perfect accompaniment to any chili, soup, or stew on a cold winter night! The original recipe is only for zucchini Parmesan muffins but I changed the recipe the first time because I didn't have enough parm, and loved the addition of the cheddar, so I think I will keep it that way always.

Cheesy Zucchini Muffins
2 cups flour
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 T sugar
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground sage (or 1 tsp fresh, chopped finely)
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups grated unpeeled zucchini
3/4 cup buttermilk or sour milk**
1/4 cup oil
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

** To sour milk: Add 1 T white vinegar or lemon juice to a cup of milk and let it sit for 10 minutes.

1. Measure flour, cheese, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, sage, salt and garlic powder into a large bowl. Mix well and make a well in the centre.

2. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, zucchini, milk, oil and Worcestershire sauce.

3. Add wet ingredients to dry. Mix until just moistened.

4. Fill greased muffin cups (or cups lined with silicone liners) with a heaping spoonful of batter.

5. Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. Let stand in pan for 5 minutes and remove to cool.

Makes one dozen (delicious) muffins.

Mexi Chicken

2010-08-02T05:00:00.000-07:00

I forgot to take pictures of this meal but it turned out really well. We ate it for dinner once and then I divided the rest into 6 freezer bags for later.

Mexi Chicken - modified from Frozen Assets
1 large onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups water
2 cups pearl barley
2 16 ounce cans of diced tomatoes, undrained
4 cups tomato sauce
One small can Mexican sauce
3 cups chicken broth
2 cans whole kernel corn, drained
2 T chili powder
1 T cumin
4 cups cooked chicken, chopped
2 cups kidney beans

1. Cook onion, pepper and garlic in a bit of oil until tender in a large stock pot.

2. Add all remaining ingredients except chicken and beans.

3. Bring to a boil.

4. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring often, until barley is tender.

5. Add chicken and beans and simmer an additional 10 minutes until heated through.

6. Cool, spoon into freezer bags, label and freeze.

TO SERVE:

Thaw in refrigerator. Heat mixture in skillet. Serve over multi-grain tortilla chips or in flour tortillas with a side salad.

Makes 18 servings.

Freezer Breakfast Burritos

2010-07-30T05:00:00.000-07:00

Breakfast burritos are something I would have thought to include on my freezer cooking list if I hadn't have seen the idea in Frozen Assets. I decided that they would be a great addition so that we have something on hand that is hearty, quick and easy for breakfasts after the baby arrives.

Freezer Breakfast Burritos
1 lb sausage, casings removed
12 eggs
1 yellow pepper, diced
3 green onions, chopped
3/4 cup chunky salsa
2 cups colby cheese, shredded
24 small flour tortillas

1. Crumble cook sausage until well cooked. Drain if necessary.

2. Meanwhile, beat together eggs with salt and pepper.

3. Scramble eggs, pepper and onion together in a large skillet.

4. Once eggs are cooked, stir in cooked sausage and salsa. Mix until well combined.

5. Heat tortillas for 25-30 seconds in the microwave.

6. Add 1/8 cup of filling to each tortilla. Sprinkle with cheese. Roll up.

7. Place filled burritos side by side on a large cookie sheet.

8. Flash freeze for 1.5-2 hours.

9. Wrap burritos individually in waxed paper. Place in large freezer bags. Label and freeze.

TO SERVE:
Take out desired number of burritos. Heat in microwave for 2-3 minutes or thaw burritos, wrap in foil and bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Makes 2 dozen burritos (I actually had enough filling to make 26 but I just ate the last two for my own breakfast).

Rice and Lentil Soup

2010-07-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

Rice and Lentil Soup - adapted from Frozen Assets
1 12 ounce can tomato paste
2 16 ounce cans diced tomatoes, with juice
12 cups water (original recipe said 8 but this was not enough)
2 cups uncooked lentils
2 cups uncooked rice
2 cups onion, diced
2 cups frozen cut green beans
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt
Pepper

1. Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot. Heat to boiling. Turn down heat and simmer for one hour until lentils are soft and rice is cooked.

2. Cool. Pour into freezer bags. Seal. Label. Freeze.

Makes 10 servings.

Rice and Beans

2010-07-28T08:28:00.000-07:00

Here is another recipe that I made with the intention of placing it in the freezer for post-baby days. Again, it came from the book, Frozen Assets: Cook for a Day, Eat for a Month.

Rice and Beans - modified from Frozen Assets
2 cans beans (or 4 cups dried, cooked) - I used 2 cups black beans, and 2 cups kidney beans
2 1/2 cups frozen corn
1 red onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 cups long grain brown rice, uncooked
4 cups chunky salsa (any heat)
3 cups tomato juice
1 T cumin
1 T oregano
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated

1. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except cheese.

2. Pour into 3 8x8 freezer safe casserole dishes (I use disposable tin foil dishes).

3. Cover and bake at 375 for 1-1 1/2 hours until the rice is cooked and most of the liquid is absorbed.

4. Let cool. Label and freeze. Optional: you can divide the cheese into small freezer bags now and freeze it attached to the casseroles or you can just grate and add the cheese when you serve the dish, which is what I choose to do.

TO SERVE:

Thaw in refrigerator. Sprinkle with grated cheddar cheese. Reheat at 350 for 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted and beans and rice is heated through.

Makes 3 8x8 casseroles (about 4-5 servings each).

Swiss Chard and Bacon Potatoes

2010-07-22T08:05:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned on my other blog, I've started doing some freezer cooking to have things stored away for when the baby arrives. Over the next little while, I'll be sharing some of the recipes. I checked the book "Frozen Assets: Cook for a Day, Eat for a Month" out from the library at my midwife clinic and I've been using it from inspiration on some of the recipes to cook.

One of the ideas in there was for 'potato shells' or what I refer to as twice baked potatoes. Twice baked potatoes are a favorite in our home so it was fun to try a different variation.

Swiss Chard and Bacon Potatoes - inspired by Frozen Assets
10-12 large potatoes
Salt
Pepper
1/8 cup butter
1/8 cup milk
1 red onion, chopped
Large bunch of swiss chard, steamed and chopped finely*
6-8 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 cups Colby cheese

*You can also use spinach. Fresh or frozen

Bake potatoes for 1 hour at 400 degrees.

Meanwhile, cook bacon and swiss chard and prepare remaining ingredients.

When potatoes are done, although them to cool for about 20 minutes, then slice them in half lengthwise.

Allow them to cool a bit more until they are just cool enough to touch. Scoop the pulp out into a bowl of mixer. (Because I used fresh potatoes from the garden, I needed to leave more pulp in than usual because the skins were so thin - try to scoop out as much as possible while leaving skins in tact).

Mash potatoes with salt, pepper, butter, and milk.

Add remaining ingredients and mix until well combined.

Scoop mixture back into potato shells.

Bake the refilled potatoes at 400 for 20 minutes

OR for freezer cooking ...

Place potatoes on a cookie sheet and flash freeze for 20-30 minutes.

Arrange potatoes in a single layer in a large freezer bag.

Label and freeze.

To serve, remove the number of potatoes you need and allow to thaw in the fridge. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 400 until golden brown.

Makes 12 main servings or 24 side servings.

For me, having two halves with a salad would make an excellent meal. But they would also be paired well as a side dish accompanying steak, chicken or any other type of meat.

Shrimp and Zucchini Couscous

2010-07-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

A while back, I saw this delicious looking recipe that Kendra posted on her blog. Immediately, I bookmarked it in anticipation of zucchini season. So, now that we have zucchini coming out of our eyes, ears, and noses, it was one of the first meals I made. I was kind of afraid that the Dude would not love it but I was pleasantly surprised. He even cracked open the leftovers later in the evening to take a few bites and exclaimed that it was "so freakin' good". The meal is vibrant, colourful and oh so summery!

Shrimp and Zucchini Couscous -modified from Kendra
1 cup of couscous
1 1/2 cups water or broth
1 lb. of shrimp, peeled and tails removed
1 large** zucchini, diced
1 small red onion, diced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 large tomato, diced
A few leaves of basil, chopped**
Salt
Pepper
EVOO

*Please note: large is a relative term - the zucchini I used was large in comparison to what you might find in the grocery store but small in comparison to what I found in my garden upon returning from a week's holidays.

**Please, please, please, please, please, please, PLEASE use fresh basil.

Begin cooking couscous according to package instructions. For mine, I brought 1 1/2 cups of broth to a boil and then added a bit of salt and the couscous. I stirred, put a lid on, removed the pot from the heat and timed it for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, fluff with a fork and you're good to go.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat a small amount of olive oil over medium heat.

Add shrimp to the pan, spreading out as much as possible. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook for 1-2 minutes, until beginning to turn pink and then turn. Season the second side with salt and pepper.

Cook for another 1-2 minutes until shrimp are pink and curled and then set aside on a plate. Do not be tempted to overcook the shrimp, they do not need long at all.

Add another bit of oil to the pan along with the zucchini and onion. Cook for 4-5 minutes until they are beginning to soften. You don't want them to be mushy.

Add the garlic, and stir for a few seconds to let the garlic soften.

Add the tomatoes, another pinch of salt and pepper, and cook just long enough for the tomatoes to get warm and juicy.

Remove from heat and stir in the basil and shrimp.

Add couscous to a large serving bowl and top with shrimp mixture. Stir it all together and top with a few more sprigs of basil for some visual appeal.

Makes 4-6 servings

Isn't it beautiful?

P.S. It is 9:58 am and after writing this post, I am feeling ever so tempted to go heat up the leftovers and eat my lunch right now. It is that delicious.

Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins

2010-07-08T05:00:00.000-07:00

Don't let all these blueberry recipes fool you - we don't have fresh blueberries just yet ... In fact, I'm just trying to use up the last few that are still kicking around the freezer since last year. I can't believe I still have any left!

This is the first recipe that I made from the Family Cookbook that my aunt put together that features all of my Grandma's most famous recipes. Smelling the muffins baking in the oven reminded me of sitting in Grandma's kitchen, watching her work and learning from her.

Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins - from Grandma Vine
1 cup oats
1 cup sour milk (add 1 T vinegar to just shy of a cup of milk and let it sit for 10 minutes)
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 oil or butter (melted)
1 cup blueberries

1. Combine oats and milk in one bowl.

2. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

3. Beat egg and add to milk mixture along with oil and blueberries.

4. Slowly add to dry ingredients. Stir until just mixed.

5. Transfer to muffin tins.

6. Bake at 400 for 15-22 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

Makes one dozen muffins.

Blueberry Banana Bread

2010-07-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

Blueberry Banana Bread - from cooks.com

1/2 c. butter
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. mashed ripe bananas
1 c. frozen blueberries
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. oats

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs. Add mashed bananas.

Measure flour, reserving 2 tablespoons of flour to coat blueberries.

Stir baking soda and salt into flour, mixing well.

Stir in oats.

Fold in banana mixture.

Stir in vanilla.

Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons flour over blueberries, then fold into batter.

Transfer batter to greased loaf pan (the original recipe says 2 but unless they are very small, there is no way you'll get two loaves). Bake about 50 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool and wrap overnight before slicing. It is delicious spread with maple butter.

Dark Chocolate Cherry Ice Cream

2010-07-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

I have been having so much fun with my ice cream maker. And with the privilege of living on a cherry farm, I knew I would have to take advantage of the fresh fruit for ice cream. Last week, Katie and I made this delicious creation! We each enjoyed a bowl ~~or two~~ and the rest went in the freezer to satisfy my sweet tooth every now and again.

Dark Chocolate Cherry Ice Cream
2 cups half and half
1 cup whipping cream
3/4 cups sugar
4 tsp vanilla
1 cup fresh sweet cherries, pitted and quartered
1 dark chocolate bar

1. Coarsely chop chocolate into chunks and quarter cherries.

2. Mix together remaining ingredients until sugar is dissolved. Place frozen mixing bowl and turn ice cream maker on. Pour all ingredients, except cherries and chocolate in, and let the ice cream maker make for 25-35 minutes, until desired consistency is reached.

4. Add cherries and chocolate and mix for 10 minutes more.

5. Serve immediately as soft serve, or place in the freezer in freezer safe containers for at least 2 hours to allow ice cream to harden.

I tried this ice cream both ways, and personally, I thought that the hardened version was much better.

Roasted Red Pepper Spaghetti

2010-06-14T05:41:00.000-07:00

I had a jar of roasted red peppers in the fridge that I had opened to use one or two of, and needed to find a way to use the rest. I also had a jar of red pepper pasta sauce in the fridge so I decided to put a spin on our normal spaghetti. It worked out quite well!

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed
1 onion
2 T minced garlic
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 jar roasted red peppers, chopped
1 jar roasted red pepper pasta sauce (I used this one)
Whole wheat spaghetti

1. Scramble fry sausage in a large stock pot with onion and garlic until cooked. Drain, if necessary.

2. Add mushrooms, roasted red peppers, and sauce. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer on low for 30 minutes to one hour until mushrooms are cooked and flavors are blended.

3. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti according to package directions.

4. Serve sauce over spaghetti with a nice dose of Parmesan cheese.

Makes 6 servings.

Burgers with Roasted Red Pepper Mayo

2010-06-10T05:00:00.000-07:00

Roasted Red Pepper Burgers
1.5-2 lbs ground meat (can use beef, venison, or turkey)
2 roasted red peppers, finely chopped
1 T minced onion
1 T minced garlic
2 eggs
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs (oats would probably be better - the dude always uses oats, but when I used crumbs he told me they fell apart on the grill and I cried)
A good dose of Worcestershire sauce
Salt
Pepper

Combine all ingredients until well mixed.

Using your hands, or your trusty patty maker, form into patties. Refrigerate until ready to grill. I find refrigerating them for a few hours helps them to stay together better on the grill.

Grill burgers until cooked through. (My instructions here are vague because I am not the griller in our family)

Makes 6-8 good sized burgers.

Roasted Red Pepper Mayo
3 roasted red peppers, chopped very finely
1/3 cup low fat mayo
A pinch of salt
1/2 T minced garlic
A few drops of each lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco sauce

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to blend flavors before serving. Spread on the top of toasted burger buns and enjoy!

Top burgers with mozzarella cheese, sauteed mushrooms and onions, and some leafy green lettuce.

Strawberry Peach Frozen Yogurt

2010-06-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

Attempt #2 with the ice cream maker: success!

Strawberry Peach Frozen Yogurt
3 cups fruit: peaches and strawberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup milk
2 cups low fat vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup sugar

1. Puree peaches and strawberries.

2. Mix milk, yogurt and sugar in mixer.

3. Mix on low speed until sugar is dissolved.

4. Add fruit and continue mixing until well combined.

5. Remove freezer bowl from freezer and place on base of ice cream maker. Press start and turn on.

6. Pour half of yogurt into maker and make for 25-30 minutes, until thickened. Put the remaining yogurt in the fridge until the first batch is done and then repeat. (This actually made way too much, so I had to do it in two rounds).

7. Eat right away or freeze in serving size portions for future use. Thaw 30-40 minutes before eating.

Summer Pasta Salad

2010-06-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

During the hot months, pasta salad is at the top of my list for an light, yet satisfying lunch. I often make a large batch and have it carry over for a few days. Last Saturday it was hot and I was on my own for lunch so this hit the spot! The recipe I have listed makes enough for 2 or 3 people as an entire lunch or more for side dishes. It can easily be increased to meet your needs! There are a number of ways you can change up this salad and some of my personal choices I have included with ** throughout the post. The salad that is featured in the photos is a fairly basic version that doesn't have any of the extra additions.

Summer Pasta Salad

For The Salad:
225 g dried whole wheat penne
1/4 cucumber, diced
1 roma tomato, diced
1/3 cup broccoli florets, cut in small pieces
1/3 cup carrots, cut in small pieces
1/4 cup sliced black olives
** Canned artichoke hearts are delicious cut into this salad as well, I just didn't have any in the pantry :( **If you want to add meat, you can add some flaked tuna or chicken - also good.
1/4 cup crumbled light feta cheese

For The Dressing:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 T red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp minced onion
1/2 tsp oregano
**This dressing is a very light coating on the salad, which is the way I prefer it. Let the flavor of those veggies shine! If you are looking for a heavier dressing, you may want to double this.

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, chop and prepare veggies.

2. Drain pasta and run cold water over to cool.

3. Whisk together evoo, vinegar, salt, pepper, minced onion and oregano for dressing.

4. Pour over pasta and toss to coat.

5. Add veggies and cheese. Toss to coat.

Chill for at least 20-30 minutes before serving.

Makes 2 large, lunch sized servings or a number of side dish servings (also a great potluck or summer picnic option!)

Enjoy on the patio with a big glass of sweet tea.

Teryaki Shrimp Salad

2010-06-03T05:00:00.000-07:00

Sometime last week, we enjoyed a delicious "summery meal" that consisted of grilled teryaki shrimp skewers, a big leafy salad and baked potatoes.

The next day for lunch, I topped my salad with the leftover shrimp and really enjoyed the combination. It's nothing fancy, but it was delicious! I would definitely make this again as a meal time salad, and grill the shrimp immediately before dinner rather than using leftovers. It would be perfect paired with a few wedges of pita, brushed with olive oil and garlic and toasted on the grill!

Teryaki Shrimp Salad
4-5 large grilled teryaki shrimp (I used PC 5 Spice Teryaki Marinade)
Mixed greens
Diced cucumber
Diced tomato
Diced red onion
Diced carrot
Diced celery
*And any other veggies you like to include in your salad
Homemade Ranch Dressing

Mix diced veggies with your leafy greens. Top with shrimp. Drizzle with dressing.

Enjoy a quick, easy and delicious lunch (or supper)!

Homemade Ranch Dressing

2010-06-02T05:00:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, my friend Jackie posted a recipe for homemade ranch dressing. We're not usually huge ranch people, but I needed to have some veggies and dip ready to go so I decided to whip it up the very same day she posted it to use as a dip. Oh my goodness. Remember when I said we aren't ranch people? Well, I've made this ranch dressing four times since she posted it. That means I have basically had it in the fridge at all times since that first day. It is that good. I will never ever go back to store bought ranch. The best part is that it uses all ingredients that I always have on hand so it can be made in a pinch.

Homemade Ranch Dressing - from Jackie
1 cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 tablespoon cilantro (I use frozen, minced cilantro)

1 teaspoon minced oregano (dried)

1 tablespoon minced onion (I use dried)

2 teaspoons minced garlic (fresh)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons black pepper

1 1/2 cups low fat mayonnaise

Combine the buttermilk and all dry ingredients, whisking until combined.

Add the mayo and whisk until smooth.

Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Dressing keeps for about a week. I dare you to try to make it last that long.

Thin Mint Ice Cream

2010-06-01T04:30:00.000-07:00

On the weekend, we got to try out our new ice cream maker for the first time! It was so quick, easy and delicious!

I used SnoWhite's vanilla ice cream recipe for the base and added thin mints for a little flair!

Thin Mint Ice Cream - modified from SnoWhite
3/4 cups sugar
2 cups half and half
1 cup whipping cream
3 tsp vanilla
1 cup crushed thin mints (about 10 cookies)
Extra thin mints for garnishing if desired

1. Break cookies into chunks.

2. Mix together all remaining ingredients until sugar is dissolved.

3. Place frozen mixing bowl on base of ice cream maker. Insert mixing arm and place lid on top. Turn on machine and immediately pour in liquid ingredients (no cookies yet).

4. Let the ice cream maker mix for about 30 minutes, until desired thickness is almost reached.

5. Add cookies and continue mixing for 5-10 minutes.

6. Scoop into serving bowls and serve immediately as soft serve or freeze in freezer safe containers for at least 2 hours to harden it up.

Makes 6 servings.

This was such a tasty treat and definitely a hit for our first try at homemade ice cream. The only thing I will do differently next time is perhaps add a hint of mint flavoring to the ice cream base itself as the thin mints made a yummy cookies and cream ice cream but the mint flavor could have been stronger for my liking.

Be prepared for lots of ice cream, frozen yogurt and sorbet recipes coming over the next few months. I plan on getting plenty of use out of this new toy ... especially if the heat keeps up!

Wild Turkey Pot Pie

2010-05-31T05:00:00.000-07:00

I'm sure most of you know by now that my hubby is an avid hunter. As such, over our married years, I have learned how to cook with a variety of types of wild game. Most often, we eat venison as our red meat and so when I post a recipe that calls for beef, you can assume it was cooked in my home with venison.

This spring, the dude harvested his first wild turkey of his hunting career. Because it was the first one, I didn't really know what to do with it. You see, wild turkey differs from domestic turkeys in that it is much much tougher so you can't just cook it the same as you would cook a normal turkey.

The dude cook some of it by breading with a bread crumb/herb/parm coating and fried it like chicken nuggets. I wasn't too pumped about it. They were dry and somewhat tasteless and well, fried in oil. Not my ideal meal.

With the rest of the turkey, I decided to try to tenderize it a bit by cooking it in the slow cooker, covered with broth. This helped a bit, but the meat still wasn't 'fall off the bone' like it is when you normally cook meat in the slow cooker.

So, I have been trying to find recipes to use the pre-cooked turkey that would help with the toughness.

One of the recipes I tried was a pot pie which was delicious. The veggies and the gravy base really worked well to help make the turkey taste much much much more tender than it would have on its own. The recipe I used is similar to one I have made in the past using wild duck (see, I told you we are wild game eaters around here), but I made a few changes this time. Overall, we were very impressed with the results as was our company! (Don't worry - if I have you over, I promise I will not feed you wild game if you unaware!)

This recipe works really well to tenderize the wild game but would also be fine for domestic turkey as well, I would assume.

Wild Turkey Pot Pie
2 cups potato, finely chopped
2-3 carrots, chopped
1-2 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup frozen green beans
2 cups cooked and chopped wild turkey
1 package turkey gravy mix (or make your own)
2 packages multi-grain crescent rolls**

**This pie would also be yummy with a traditional pie crust, I just used the crescent rolls because I had them. If you use a traditional pie crust, follow the same instructions except do not bother pre-boiling the veggies and increase cooking time to about 1 hr to cook the crust.

Preheat oven to 350.

1. Place carrots, potatoes, onion, and celery in a medium stock pot. Cover with water. Boil for 5-6 minutes until veggies are beginning to soften. Drain and remove from heat.

2. Meanwhile, prepare gravy following package instructions.

3. Grease a large pie plate and spread one package of crescent rolls along the bottom. Smoosh to blend them together.

4. Place chopped turkey in the crust.

5. Top with boiled veggies and frozen green beans.

6. Pour gravy over entire surface.

7. Form second package of crescent rolls over the pie to completely cover.

8. Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes, cover and continue baking for 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Side Bar?

2010-05-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

A few months ago my sidebar went all wonky and some of the recipe links became super tiny or completely invisible. I messed around with it for a while but then gave up. Since then, I have never had the time or energy to figure it out. I spent some time with it this morning (while procrastinating working on my defense presentation) and I think I figured it out. I looks normal on my computer. Would you mind taking a look and letting me know if all is well from your viewpoint? Are the recipes showing up, in an appropriate size, with links? Any weird spaces?

Chocolate Cobbler

2010-05-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since you've seen me around here. My apologies. I really got out of the habit of being creative in the kitchen while I was ~~struggling~~ progressing through the first trimester and now, even though I am feeling LOADS better and finding myself with much more energy than before, I just haven't gotten my groove back. I have been cooking and baking - mostly everyday - but I have been sticking with a lot of my old, tried and true recipes that are already posted here - which doesn't give me a lot of new material. I do have a few recipes saved up that need to be posted so I am going to try to get some of them organized and ready to go this weekend. Check back next week!

A few weeks ago I, like many of you, saw and drooled over the Chocolat e Cobbler recipe posted on Pioneer Woman's website. Over the next few days, I saw so many of my beeps, tweeps and feeps (that's my blogger peeps, twitter peeps and facebook peeps, FYI) posting and tweeting about this recipe that I knew I just had to have it. Immediately.

I was instructed by many that if I were to indulge in this decadent dessert, I must serve it with ice cream. Unfortunately, I hadn't received my free ice cream maker from CSN yet, so I rushed to the store to pick up some vanilla ice cream.

This recipe most certainly did not disappoint. And the best part - there are no eggs in the batter so you better believe that this pregnant mama was licking the bowls, the beaters, the spoon, her fingers -anything that had a hint of batter on it. I loveeeeeeeeeee eating raw batter and cookie dough, and I have missed being able to do so because of the raw eggs that is included in most of these things.

If you love chocolate and haven't tried this recipe - you must go make it. Now. And serve it warm with ice cream. Trust me.

Chocolate Cobbler - from Tasty Kitchen
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
7 T cocoa powder, Divided
1-¼ cup sugar, Divided
½ cups milk
⅓ cups melted mutter
1-½ tsp vanilla
½ cups Light Brown Sugar, Packed
1-½ cup Hot Tap Water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

First stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, 3 tablespoons of the cocoa, and 3/4 cup of the white sugar. Reserve the remaining cocoa and sugar.

Stir in the milk, melted butter, and vanilla to the flour mixture. Mix until smooth.

Pour the mixture into an ungreased pie plate.

In a separate small bowl, mix the remaining 1/2 cup of white sugar, the brown sugar, and remaining 4 tablespoons of cocoa.

Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the batter.

Pour the hot tap water over all. DO NOT STIR!

Bake for about 40 minutes or until the center is set.

Let stand for a few minutes and serve with ice cream.

Enjoy the ooey gooey deliciousness!

Lemon Squares

2010-04-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

Lemon squares are one of my very favorite desserts, so I decided to make them for a bridal shower I was hosting this past weekend. As I was making them, I realized I have not yet posted my recipe on my blog. Today is the day!
Lemon Squares - from BHG Cookbook
2 cups flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 T cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 T flour
2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
3/4 cup lemon juice (the juice from 3 lemons)
1/4 cup half and half (can also use light cream, or milk)
Powdered sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, cornstarch and salt.

Cut in butter until dough resembles coarse crumbs.

Press firmly into a well greased 9x13 baking dish.

Bake at 350 for 18-22 minutes until golden.

Meanwhile, make filling.

Mix together eggs, sugar, flour, lemon zest, lemon juice, and half-and half.

Pour over hot crust immediately out of the oven.

Continue baking for 15-20 minutes until center is set.

Cool. Dust with powdered sugar. Cut into bars and store covered in refrigerator.

Makes 3 dozen bars.

Waffles

2010-04-12T16:38:00.000-07:00

I have been making waffles for many many a year. Tonight, while watching TV, I saw a family eating waffles for breakfast and I decided I must have one immediately. I shut off the tv, hurried into the kitchen and made a batch of waffles.

One hour after dinner.

Yup, I'm allowed.

While make them, I realized that I have never shared my recipe. How can it be?

So, here you have it ... my waffle recipe, that came from my Mumma.

Waffles - from Lucy's Mumma
4 eggs, separated
2 cups flour
3 T sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups milk

Beat egg whites until foamy.

Add remaining ingredients (including egg yolks), and mix until well combined.

Pour about 1/4 cup of batter at a time into waffle maker and cook until browned.

Top with your favorite toppings which can included, but are not limited to, maple syrup, peanut butter, jam, strawberries, powdered sugar, whipped cream, chocolate chips, nutella and so on ....

Makes 8-10 square waffles.

Waffles can be frozen for future use and popped into the toaster.

Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken

2010-04-08T09:18:00.000-07:00

I was looking at the goat cheese in my fridge last week and I got a hankering to cook up some yummy goodness with it. After a little bit of thought, I decided to make some stuffed chicken breasts. This recipe requires a moderate amount of work but not as much as you might think. It will give you a gourmet looking meal right at home.

Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
1/4 red pepper, finely diced
4 oz fresh mushrooms, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 package frozen spinach, thawed
Salt
Pepper
1/3 cup goat cheese**
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 T Parmesan cheese
Salt
Pepper

**If for some absurd reason you are not a fan of goat cheese, you could substitute cream cheese.

Saute mushrooms, onions, red pepper and garlic until soft.

Add spinach, salt and pepper. Continue saute for 2-3 minutes.

Transfer to small bowl and add goat cheese.

Mix until goat cheese is melted and well combined. Set aside.

Place chicken breasts, one at a time in between plastic wrap or in a ziploc bag and flatten. I need to take a course in flattening chicken. I mutilated these poor guys.

Add a heaping spoonful of the mixture along the center of the chicken breast.

Roll up and secure with toothpicks. Don't worry if some filling leaks out (like in the photo below). The breading will help keep it in.

Prepare your breading station. Place beaten egg in one bowl and combine bread crumbs, parm, and pepper in another bowl.

Dip chicken breast in the egg and then into the bread crumbs. Coat completely. Place in glass baking dish.

Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes until chicken is no longer pink and an internal temperature of 165 is reached.

Makes 4 servings.

Grr!

2010-04-06T09:37:00.000-07:00

Something very annoying and frustrating happened with my html over the weekend. If you have been looking for any recipes on my sidebar, you may have noticed that it is a hot mess. Please bear with me as I try to figure it out and get it back to normal.

Hot Cross Buns

2010-04-03T06:03:00.000-07:00

I originally posted this recipe last year around Easter, but since it is that time of year again and I'm currently making my second batch of Hot Cross Buns, I thought I would re-post in case anyone is interested in a Hot Cross Bun recipe ... and this time with more pictures.

Hot Cross Buns - from America's Best Bread Machine Baking Recipes
1 cup water
1/4 cup skim milk powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup butter
4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/4 tsp yeast
1 cup raisins

1. Measure all ingredients except raisins into bread pan. Select dough cycle. Add raisins at add ingredient signal.

2. When done, turn out onto lightly floured surface. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Divide into 12 portions. Roll each into a ball and place on prepared baking stone. Gently flatten each ball with the palm of your hand. Cover and let rise for 35-45 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 375. Mix together 1 egg white and 1 tbsp of water and brush over buns. Using a knife, cut slits in the top of the bun, to make the shape of a cross.

4. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes until tops are brown and they sound hallow when tapped.

Makes one dozen buns.

Paula Deen's Mac and Cheese

2010-04-02T05:00:00.000-07:00

In all of my years experimenting in the kitchen, I have never made homemade macaroni and cheese. It is one of those things that I remember not liking growing up, so I never gave it a try. However, the dude has mentioned wanting homemade mac and cheese on occasion and the other day, finally said, "Can you please make me some mac and cheese?" so I decided the time had come.

I asked Shaina if she had a good recipe and she directed me here, to Paula Deen's mac and cheese recipe.

Macaroni and Cheese - adapted from Paula Deen
2 1/2 cups dry elbow macaroni
3 large eggs
3 c shredded cheese (I used a combo of cheddar and mozza)
1/2 cup non fat sour cream
1 c milk
4 tsp butter, cut into small pieces
Salt
Pepper
1/2 cup bread crumbs *optional (the original recipe does not call for a bread crumb topping but I knew hubby would prefer it)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter an 8x12" baking dish. In a pot of boiling salted water, cook the macaroni until al dente. Drain, transfer to a bowl.

Add two cups of the cheese and toss until melted.

In another bowl, whisk the eggs with the sour cream.

Add the milk, butter, salt and pepper.

Stir the mixture into the macaroni.

Pour macaroni into the prepared baking dish.

Sprinkle remaining cheese and breadcrumbs on top.

Bake for 35 minutes, until bubbling and cheese is melted. Let the macaroni and cheese stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Makes 4-6 servings (depending if you're serving as a main or side dish).

Spring Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

2010-04-01T05:00:00.000-07:00

I was never really a fan of fruit in my salad until I was introduced to this salad by Aunt Linda. It is so fresh, so easy, and most importantly so delicious. I haven't specified amounts for the salad ingredients because that really depends on how much salad you are making. It can be adjusted for one serving or for a large bowl to serve to a group, just use your judgement.

Spring Salad
Spring mix greens
Bartlett pear
Strawberries
Pecan pieces *it is especially good with toasted, spiced or candied pecans.
Crumbled goat cheese

Place greens on a plate or in a salad serving bowl. Top with pear, strawberries, pecan pieces. Toss gently. Add crumbled goat cheese to the top. Drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette dressing (recipe below) and serve.

Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing - from Emeril
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a sealable jar and shake to combine. Use immediately or store in refrigerator for future use. Shake well before pouring. Makes one cup.

Stewed Rhubarb

2010-03-31T05:44:00.000-07:00

Growing up, I always enjoyed the many many different rhubarb treats that my mom and grandmothers made. I get to enjoy rhubarb less often now, since we haven't started growing it and there is no longer a patch at my parent's house. However, I did have some in the freezer from last summer and got it out this weekend to make some stewed rhubarb. A delicious, delicious treat!

Stewed Rhubarb
5 cups rhubarb, chopped (can be frozen)
3/4 cup sugar (more or less to taste - I like mine quite tart so it blends well with ice cream)
2 T water
2 T strawberry jam

1. Combine rhubarb, sugar and water in saucepan. Heat over medium high heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved.

2. Reduce heat to medium. Cook for 10-15 minutes, until slightly thickened and rhubarb is in shreds. Stir in strawberry jam and continue heating for 2-3 minutes.

Serve over vanilla ice cream.

Makes 6 servings.

Crockpot Lasagna

2010-03-30T05:00:00.000-07:00

I love love love lasagna but sometimes, I don't feel like taking the time that is required to assemble it. This easy, slow cooker version is the perfect solution! Apparently I am really out of the swing of things, because I only took a picture of this when I put everything in the crockpot and forgot to take one of the finished product!

Crock Pot Lasagna
1 lb ground meat, browned and drained
1 onion, chopped
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
2 clove garlic, minced
Large can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 can tomato paste
1 cup low fat cottage cheese
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp oregano
1 1/4 tsp basil
Salt
Pepper
8-12 whole wheat lasagna noodles, broken into small pieces

1. Mix all ingredients in a large crockpot. There is no need to pre cook the noodles, even if they are not oven-ready. The liquid from the tomatoes is more than enough to cook them in the crockpot.

2. Cook on low 6-8 hours.

Makes 8 servings.

Crockpot Chicken

2010-03-29T07:03:00.000-07:00

Is anyone still out there? I can't believe it has been three weeks since I've posted my last recipe. That is just unheard of for me! The first few months of this pregnancy had me completely out of the kitchen as food was the last thing I wanted to think about. Now, as I have started to feel better and regain my energy, I have spent the past few weeks relying on our old favorites - which results in having no new recipes to share. However, it's time to get back at it so I hope to have recipes to share more regularly now.

Today, I am sharing a recipe for crockpot chicken.

I often buy whole chickens because I find you get the most bang for your buck. Usually, we can roast a chicken, eat it for one meal and then have enough leftovers for 3-4 more meals, plus the bones for broth. Up until last week, I had always cooked my whole chickens in the oven but after seeing Newlywed's recipe for Sticky Chicken, I decided to give it a try.

I changed a few of the seasonings around but kept it pretty similar to her recipe.

Crockpot Chicken - from Newlywed's
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon Paprika
2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon thyme
1/4 tsp fresh rosemary
1/4 tsp oregano
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 large roasting chicken
1 cup chopped onion

In a small bowl, thoroughly combine all the spices.

Remove giblets from chicken, clean the cavity well and pat dry with paper towels. Rub the spice mixture into the chicken, both inside and out, making sure it is evenly distributed and down deep into the skin.

Place half of the onion in the bottom of crock and half inside chicken.

Add chicken to crock pot and do not add liquid. As the cooking process goes on it will produce it’s own juices. Cook on LOW 8 to 10 hours and it will be falling off the bone tender.

Pick the meat off the bone and separate into desired portion sizes, or serve immediately.

We ate this chicken for one meal and used the leftovers for chicken and dumpling stew. I also threw the bones back in the crock pot and boiled them for broth to use in the stew and to put in the freezer. Normally we would get more out of one chicken but it was a tiny little guy.

Apple Crisp

2010-03-04T05:00:00.000-08:00

Apple Crisp
4-5 apples, peeled and sliced
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup oats
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup melted butter

1. Arrange apples in a greased 8x8 baking pan. (I made a double batch in these photos)

2. Combine dry ingredients.

3. Stir in butter until well coated and crumbly.

4. Spread crisp over apples.

5. Bake at 375 for approximately 30 minutes, until apples are soft and crisp is crispy.

Makes 6 servings.

Cheddar Scalloped Potatoes

2010-03-02T05:00:00.000-08:00

The other night, I had a hankering for a good old fashioned meal. Since we had found a great sale on Smoked Ham, I decided to make ham, scalloped potatoes, peas, carrots and biscuits. Unfortunately, I had an, um, less than pleasant experience with the carrots, so we ended up carrotless. SnoWhite, remember your carrot mishap? The exact same thing happened to me! Anyway, we were just fine with ham, scalloped potatoes, peas and buttermilk biscuits. It was some good old fashioned home cooking, just what I needed!

Cheddar Scalloped Potatoes - from BHG
1 T butter
1 clove garlic
1/2 T minced onion (or one fresh onion, chopped)
2 T flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
4-5 potatoes, very thinly sliced (you can peel them if you'd like but I didn't bother)

Slice potatoes as thinly as possible.

Melt butter in a small saucepan with garlic and onion, until garlic smell is strong.

Stir in flour, salt and pepper.

Pour in milk. Stir to combine.

Cook until thick and bubbly.

Remove from heat. Stir in cheese until melted.

Grease 8x8 baking dish. Arrange half of the potatoes in the dish.

Cover with half the sauce.

Layer remaining potatoes on top of the sauce and cover with remaining sauce.

Bake, covered, in a 350 oven for about 1 hour. Remove cover and continue baking for 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are tender and cheese sauce is crispy.

Makes 4 servings.

Red Pepper Relish Roast

2010-03-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

A long long while ago, SnoWhite posted this recipe on her blog. As I am well stocked with red pepper relish, I thought I'd give it a try. It had been on my to make list for quite some time, so the other day when I needed a quick, crock pot meal, it was a great time to try it. I changed it up a bit, according to what I had.

Red Pepper Relish Roast
3-4 lb roast (I used a venison roast - but it would be best with pork, I think)
Salt
Pepper
1 red onion, chopped
1/2 pint red pepper relish
1/4 pint Thai sauce (or any kind of hot sauce - I used half a jar of a Thai sauce I tried making in the fall. I didn't post the recipe because I wasn't happy with the result, but it worked fine in this recipe)

Place roast in crock pot. Cover with onions. Season with salt and pepper.

Mix red pepper relish and thai sauce together in a small bowl.

Pour over roast.

Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours. Shred meat and serve.

Serve with rice or potatoes and pour the remaining sauce over (be careful - it will be a bit spicy because of the Thai sauce!)

Makes 4 servings.

Buttermilk Biscuits

2010-02-26T10:00:00.000-08:00

I had ham and scalloped potatoes (recipe to come) on the menu last night so I decided to make some yummy biscuits to go with it. I searched for recipes similar to cracker barrel biscuits (even though I've never had them before) and found this one. I changed it a bit, adding some whole wheat flour, and they were delicious. Sorry that the pictures are all sideways and that I didn't get pictures of all the steps - I am out of the swing of things, I guess!
Buttermilk Biscuits - modified from here
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 T sugar
1/s tsp salt
1/3 cup Crisco shortening
1/8 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup buttermilk*

**Don't have buttermilk? Just add a drop of vinegar into regular milk and let it stand for at least 10 minutes.

1. Mix flour, sugar, salt and criso until crumbly.

2. Dissolve baking soda in buttermilk.

3. Add to flour mixture and mix until well combined.

4. Roll out to one inch thickness.

5. Cut into biscuits and arrange close together on baking stone.

6. Bake at 425 for 18-22 minutes, until brown.

Makes 10-12 biscuits.

Peanut Butter Cup Pie

2010-02-17T05:38:00.000-08:00

Peanut butter pie is one of my very favorite desserts. In fact, I have no idea how I've gotten this long without posting the recipe. It's one of my MIL's recipes that I have fallen in love with. And, actually, I'm not going to post the recipe today, either. What I am going to do is post the recipe for a variation of my MIL's recipe that my mom put together this weekend for my Grandpa's 74th birthday. It is sinfully rich and delicious. It is not for the faint hearted!

Peanut Butter Cup Pie
2 cups peanuts, crushed
2 T butter, melted
1 block light cream cheese
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 T vanilla
1 tub fat free cool whip
12 Reese Peanut butter cups, chopped into small pieces

Mix together crushed peanuts and melted butter. Press together in a spring form pan.

Mix cream cheese, confectioner's sugar, peanut butter, and vanilla. Stir in cool whip and about 2/3 of the peanut butter cups.

Place filling over crust.

Top pie with remaining peanut butter cups.

Freeze for at least 3 hours until ready to serve.

Serves 10.

Chicken Vegetable Chowder

2010-02-11T11:47:00.000-08:00

This recipe came in a big booklet of slow cooker recipes that my friend Tricia sent me. This is the first recipe that I tried and it was yummy. We thought the broth could have been thicker but the flavour was tasty.

Chicken-Vegetable Chowder
1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs -- cut in 1" pieces
3-4 carrots, chopped
8 oz sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 3/4 cup chicken broth
1 can condensed cream of celery soup
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (**could add more - we would have liked it to be thicker)
2 1/2 cups fresh broccoli, chopped

In 3 1/2 to 4-quart Crock-Pot slow cooker, combine chicken, carrots, mushrooms, onion, water,
garlic powder, thyme and broth; mix well. Cover; cook on low setting for 7 to 9 hours or until
chicken is no longer pink. Skim fat from slow cooker if necessary.

In small bowl, combine soup, milk and flour; beat with wire whisk until smooth.

Add soup mixture and broccoli to chicken mixture.

Cover; cook an additional 30 minutes or until broccoli is tender. (We found it only took about 20 minutes).

Serves 5.

Big News!

2010-02-11T06:29:00.000-08:00

If you are a regular here at Lucy's Kitchen and you don't read my personal blog, today is the day you should stop by and take a look.

I made a rather huge announcement.

I'll give you a hint.

It starts with "I'm" and rhymes with "smaving da faby".

It also explains the lack of recipe posts over the past month or so. Cooking has not been a top priority.

Country Grain Bread

2010-02-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

This bread is so full of yummy grains and is pretty light if you are sure to let it rise long enough.

Country Grain Bread - adapted from America's Best Bread Machine Baking Recipes
1 1/4 c warm water
1 tsp salt
3 T brown sugar
2 T oil
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup dry milk powder
1/4 cup cracked wheat
1/4 cup 7-grain cereal
2 T flax seeds
2 T wheat bran
2 T wheat germ
2 tsp yeast

1. Measure ingredients into bread pan in the order listed. Select dough cycle.

2. When cycle is complete, remove dough. Cover and let rest for 10-15 minutes.

3. Knead gently, form and place in greased loaf pan.

4. Cover and let rise for 30-45 minutes until doubled.

5. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes until loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

And of course, like always, I forgot to take a picture of it when it came out of the oven.

Makes one loaf.

Angel Hair Shrimp and Feta

2010-02-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

You know we love pasta around here. And shrimp. And capers. And mushrooms. I shouldn't have to explain myself anymore. This was an impromptu meal - I had planned to make shrimp and feta crepes, but I was too ~~lazy~~ tired after getting home from school so I just threw this together instead. It might look fancy but it only took about 15 minutes, start to finish.

Shrimp and Feta Angel Hair Pasta
EVOO
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deviened
8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt
Pepper
1 heaping tablespoon capers
1-2 cups roasted tomatoes *if you don't want to make these first - you can use regular cherry tomatoes or diced tomatoes and add more spices. But trust me, it's worth it to make these. I had them in the freezer.
1/4 cup white wine
1 cup feta, crumbled
300 grams angel hair pasta

Heat EVOO in a frying pan and cook shrimp until pink. Remove from pan and set aside. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to instructions on package, drain and return to pot.

Add more oil to pan, if needed. Brown mushrooms.

Season with salt and pepper once browned. Add capers and cook 2-3 minutes.

Add tomatoes and white wine. Boil 4-5 minutes, until tomatoes are heated through.

Return shrimp to the pan and toss to coat.

Pour sauce over pasta and toss to coat. Add the crumbled feta and stir until cheese is just starting to melt.

Makes 4 servings.

Sunflower and Flax Bread

2010-02-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

Before I started making my own bread, I used to love to buy Country Harvest Bread. So, over the past year, I have worked to try to find replacements for my favorite types. This is one of them.

Sunflower and Flax Bread
1 cup warm water
2 T oil
2 T honey
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup white flour
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup dry milk powder
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup flax seeds
2 T ground flax seeds
2 1/4 tsp yeast

1. Place all ingredients in bread pan in the order listed. Select dough cycle.

2. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface, gently knead, form, and place in greased loaf pan.

3. Cover and let rise for 30-45 minutes, until just cresting the edge of the pan.

4. Bake 30-40 minutes at 350 until loaf sounds hallow when tapped.

Makes one loaf.

Italian Herb Crackers

2010-02-05T10:30:00.000-08:00

In preparation for a visit from Little H this weekend, I decided to make some snacks. I used SnoWhite's base recipe for whole wheat crackers and added some spices to it. These are super easy and yummy with soup, cheese, or just on their own.

Italian Herb Crackers - adapted from SnoWhite
1 1/2 C whole wheat flour
1/2 C white wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
2 T butter, melted/softened
2/3 C milk
Salt for sprinkling

1. Mix together flours, salt, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder.

2. Add butter and milk.

3. Knead gently for 2-3 minutes until dough forms together like this...

4. Remove from bowl and incorporate any dough that did not mix in.

5. Break dough into two pieces and roll out as thin as possible.

6. Transfer to a baking stone and cut using a pizza cutter. Clearly, mine are not nearly as nicely shaped as SnoWhite's!

7. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes, until browned and crispy.

Shaina's Best Brownie's Ever

2010-02-04T10:13:00.000-08:00

My friend Shaina and I like to talk about food. A lot. We talk about the food we are eating, the food we wish we were eating, and sometimes, the food we never want to eat again. So when I told her I wanted to make brownies as a treat for the premier of Lost, and she told me she had the best brownie recipe EVER, I didn't doubt her. Because my Shaina would not lie to me. Not about something as important as chocolate.

And I was right to believe her.

Because she was telling the truth.

These are the best brownies ever. So good, in fact, that the entire pan was polished off so quickly - not solely by me, I might add - that I did not manage to even snap a photo of the finished product.

So I introduce you to the best (and quite possibly, easiest) brownies ever.

Shaina's Best Brownies Ever
2 sq unsweetened baking chocolate (or 6 T unsweetened cocoa powder)
1/2 cup butter (plus 2 T if using cocoa powder instead of baking squares - you need the extra fat)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup unsifted flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup chocolate chips

1. Melt chocolate and butter over low heat. Do not lick the spoon after this step. It won't taste good. I promise.

2. Remove from heat and blend in sugar. Do lick the spoon after this step. It will taste good. I promise.

3. Beat in eggs one at a time.

4. Stir in remaining ingredients.

5. Grease an 8x8 pan - bake around 25-30 minutes at 325 degrees, sprinkling with chocolate chips after 10 minutes.

Enjoy the yummy deliciousness - thanks to Shaina!

Chicken Noodle Soup

2010-02-02T05:47:00.000-08:00

The other day, I wasn't feeling well and I got to craving some good old fashioned chicken noodle soup. I had bought a whole chicken to roast and carve to make chicken and rice casseroles, so I knew it would be the perfect time. I boiled the carcass for broth, threw in some veggies, barley, and noodles and voila - a delicious, hearty, warm soup!

Chicken Noodle Soup
The carcass of one chicken
Water
1 onion, quartered
Salt, to taste
Poultry seasoning, to taste
1 onion, finely chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
5-6 carrots, chopped
4 oz mushrooms, sliced (if desired)
1-2 cups cooked chicken
Salt, to taste
Thyme, to taste
Chicken bouillon, optional (only if you find your broth doesn't have enough flavor)
Bay leaf
1/3 cup barley
1 1/2 cup wide egg noodles

1. Place the carcass from your chicken in a large stock pot. Cover with water (about 8-10 cups). Season with salt and throw in quartered onion. Boil for 45 minutes to one hour. Drain, removing bones and onion and reserving broth. **If you don't have a chicken carcass, or you don't want to do this, you can just use 8 cups of premade chicken broth.

2. Return broth to pot. Add veggies, chicken, barley, and seasoning. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes-1 hour, until veggies and barley are soft. Taste, season further, if necessary. I found that my broth wasn't as flavorful as I would like, so I just added a quick sprinkle of bullion to boost the flavor.

3. Once veggies and barley are tender, add egg noodles and continue simmering for 10-15 minutes, until noodles are cooked.

Serve with warm toast or crackers. Later this week, I'm going to give SnoWhite's wheat crackers a try. Enjoy.

Makes 10-12 servings.

This recipe is being linked at Tasty Tuesday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, Tuesday's at the Table, and The Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap.

Barefoot Contessa's Herb Shrimp

2010-01-27T05:00:00.000-08:00

For this weeks' Food Network Chef's Cooking Challenge, we are all cooking with Barefoot Contessa! I chose to make the herb shrimp, which is actually supposed to be grilled herb shrimp cooked on skewers, but the FD wasn't home in time the evening we were having this and well, I don't know how to work the grill. So, pan fried herb shrimp it was. The recipe was delicious although VERY salty. She calls for two teaspoons of salt in the marinade and I put less than 1/4 teaspoon in and it was still too salty. I would suggest leaving the salt out all together. Perhaps the taste would have been less salty had we grilled them, I don't know?

Grilled Herb Shrimp - from Ina Garten
2 pounds large shrimp (16 to 20 per pound), peeled and deveined (see note)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red onion, small-diced
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried basil
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt (or less)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 lemon, juiced

Combine all the ingredients and allow them to marinate for 1 hour at room temperature or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Heat a pan over medium heat. Using a slotted spoon to drain as much excess marinade as possible (mine were too oily), transfer the shrimp the hot pan.

Cook about 1-2 minutes per side, until shrimp are pink.

Ina's instructions (which would probably be so tasty): Skewer the shrimp. I use 3 or 4 shrimp on a 12-inch skewer for dinner. Heat a grill with coals and brush the grill with oil to prevent the shrimp from sticking. Grill the shrimp for only 1 1/2 minutes on each side.

Note: I leave the tails on when I'm peeling the shrimp.

PestoTomato Chicken Rotini

2010-01-26T11:17:00.000-08:00

This was a use up what's in the house kind of meal and it turned out fabulously. I love the combination of tomato sauce and pesto together. The only thing I would change would be to drain some of the juice off the tomatoes because the sauce was quite runny.

Pesto Tomato Chicken Rotini
340 g tri color rotini (or any other kind of short pasta)
3-4 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 red onion, chopped
8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
1-2 bell peppers, chopped
3-4 cups cooked chicken breast, chopped
1 large can diced tomatoes, with some juice drained
1 cup tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons prepared pesto
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1-1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

1. Bring water and salt to a boil and cook pasta until just not quite cooked. During the last 3-4 minutes of cooking time, add the carrots to the pasta water to begin softening them. Drain pasta and return to pot.

2. Add remaining ingredients, except cheddar cheese, and stir well to combine.

3. Transfer to a 2.5 qt casserole dish. Top with shredded cheese.

4. Cover and bake for 30-40 minutes at 350. Uncover, bake an additional 10 minutes until cheese is browned.

Makes 5-6 servings.

This recipe is being shared at Tasty Tuesday, Tuesday's at the Table and Tempt my Tummy Tuesday.

Blueberry Bran Muffins

2010-01-21T05:00:00.001-08:00

These muffins made regular appearances in our home growing up and now, I hope they will start to make regular appearances in my home. They are delicious and packed full of goodness! I almost always have all of the ingredients on hand to make these muffins, so they don't take much fore thought. If I don't have blueberries, I would add raisins, cherries or nuts.

Blueberry Bran Muffins - from Mumma

1 cup milk

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup butter softened

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 T molasses

1 cup bran

1 cup wholewheat flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1 heaping cup frozen blueberries**

**you can substitute a combination of fruit, raisins and/or nuts if desired.

Combine milk and soda and set aside (make sure the soda dissolves)

Cream butter and sugar thoroughly.

Add eggs and beat well.

Add milk and soda.

Stir in molasses and bran.

Stir in flour and salt. Do not over mix.

Fold in blueberries.

Scoop into 12 greased or lined muffin tins.

Bake @ 375 for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Makes one dozen muffins.

This recipe is being linked at The Ultimate Recipe Swap and The Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap.

Sloppy Joes

2010-01-20T05:00:00.000-08:00

This week's chef for the FNCCC was Guy Fieri. I had a really hard time finding a recipe from him that I found appealing. I'm not sure if I was just in a rush and didn't have an open mind/eye to his food or if he's just not my style. Anyway, I decided to go for sloppy joes because I know the FD loves them. I wasn't overly impressed - simply because sloppy joes are not my choice meal - but the hubby thought they were great. This was a great meal to make on a Monday night as it gave us enough for dinner and leftovers for FD's lunch for most/all of the week. Although the maui onion straws he included in the recipe looked intriguing, I stuck just with the sloppy joes.

Sloppy Joes - adapted from Guy Fieri
2 T extra virgin olive oil
2 yellow peppers, seeded and diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, deveined and diced
1 red onion, diced
2 lbs lean ground meat (beef, pork, turkey, venison, whatever!)
2 T minced garlic
1/4 cup cooking wine
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
3/4 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
12 ounces water
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
Salt and Pepper

In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, combine the canola oil, bell peppers, jalapeno and onion; cook for 5 minutes.

Add the meat; cook thoroughly, breaking up the meat as it browns.

Add the garlic. Depending on the amount of residual grease, you may need to drain some of the fat from the pan. Deglaze with the red wine, then stir in the remaining sloppy joe ingredients and season with salt and pepper.

Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.

If the sauce gets too thick as it simmers, add up to 1 cup water to adjust the consistency. As you see in my ingredients list, I included adding some water because it was definitely too thick.

Serve on whole wheat hamburger buns with fresh veggies (carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc) on the side.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Soft Pretzels

2010-01-19T05:00:00.001-08:00

I remember always looking forward to getting a soft pretzel whenever I would go to a baseball, basketball, or hockey game with my dad when I was young. When I became part of the FD's family, I learned that soft pretzels were a delicious treat that his mom made quite often. I have adapted the recipe she gave me a bit, because the original recipe made over 50 pretzels. Sometimes, I want 50 pretzels. Sometimes I don't. If you do want 50 pretzels, just triple this recipe.

Soft Pretzels
2 tsp yeast
1/8 tsp + pinch salt
1 3/4 cups luke warm water
1/3 tsp white sugar
1/2 + 1/8 cup brown sugar
1/3 tsp vanilla
4-4.5 cup flour
3 heaping tablespoons baking soda
water

1. Mix together yeast, salt and lukewarm water. Add sugar. Let proof for 5-10 minutes, until foamy. Oops .... missed the picture of this step.

2. Add brown sugar and vanilla. Stir.

3. Slowly knead in flour, starting with 2 cups and adding 1/2 cup at a time, until dough forms together and does not cling to the bowl. Knead 5-6 minutes.

4. Transfer to a greased bowl. Cover and let rise 45-1 hour, until doubled in volume.

5. Punch down and knead 1-2 minutes.

6. Break off small chunks of dough and roll into 12'' ropes. Form into pretzels by flipping them in a crazy way. Seriously, there is no way to describe this in words. You just need to learn by trial and error.

7. Dissolve baking soda in water. Dip formed pretzels in baking soda/water mixture. This will help them brown up nicely.

9. Pat dry on paper towel.

10. Place on baking stone and sprinkle with coarse salt.

11. Bake at 500 for 4-5 minutes, until golden.
Serve with honey mustard dipping sauce.

Makes 15-17 pretzels.

This recipe is being shared at Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tuesday's at the Table, and Tasty Tuesday.

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

2010-01-19T05:00:00.000-08:00

This is the sauce I love to serve with soft pretzels. There are no measurements, it is all to taste. Usually, I use mostly mayo, a small squirt of mustard and about twice as much honey as mustard. It's up to you, and what your taste buds prefer!

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
Mix together a few spoonfuls of mayo. Add a squirt of mustard and a some honey. Mix together. Taste and adjust ingredients as needed.

Hashbrown Casserole

2010-01-18T05:03:00.000-08:00

My hubby loves hashbrown casserole and requested it last week. Most recpies that I have come across in the past use sour cream and cream soups. I certainly do enjoy this type of casserole but I didn't have any sour cream and I was hoping to find a variation on this dish that would be lower fat. I did some searching and found this recipe and decided to give it a shot. I enjoyed it alright, although the FD wondered aloud (a number of times) why I didn't just stick with the normal recipe. Ah, men. It is definitely different than the traditional hash brown casserole, so don't make it expecting the same deal - but it served it's purpose as a tasty, lighter side dish.

Hashbrown Casserole - modified from a recipe found here
4 cups frozen hashbrowns, thawed
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup diced sweet onion
1/4 cup beef stock
1/2 cup skim milk
1 1/4 cup shredded cheddar
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Melt butter in a skillet. Saute onion until browned.

2. Mix all ingredients (reserve 1/2 cup cheese) well and pour into a pie plate or small casserole dish that has been sprayed with Pam.

3. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of cheese over top.

4. Bake, uncovered, at 400* until lightly browned, about 40 minutes.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Rotisserie Pork Roast

2010-01-15T05:00:00.000-08:00

Rotisserie Pork Roast
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
1/2 tablespoon minced onion
1/3 tsp red pepper flakes
1/3 tsp pepper
2/3 tsp salt
1/2 tablespoon parsley
3-4 lb pork roast
Extra virgin olive oil

1. Mix all ingredients, except roast and olive oil, in a small bowl.

2. Cover roast completely with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Rub roast with spice mix, until well seasoned. Yes, those are my hands. No, I don't have much of a problem touching raw meat. I've been tainted.

4. Get your husband to set up the rotisserie (sorry - I have no idea how to do this so I cannot instruct you).

5. Place roast on rotisserie and cook for 1 1/2-2 hours, until pork reaches an internal temperature of 160. Let rest for 10 minutes. Slice and serve.

Makes 4-5 servings.

This recipe is being shared at the Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2010-01-14T05:00:00.000-08:00

Chicken Tortilla Soup
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup water
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 red onion, chopped (could use a regular onion)
4 cups chicken, chopped/shredded (you could use less)
2 cups black beans (or 1 can, rinsed and drained)
1 1/2 cup corn
1 cup green beans
3/4 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp chopped cilantro
2 flour tortillas
Olive Oil
Garlic Powder
Grated cheese, for topping

1. Combine all ingredients in your slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 7-9 hours or high 4-5 hours.

2. About 15 minutes before serving time, brush tortillas with olive oil and cut into thin strips. Sprinkle with garlic powder. Spread on a baking sheet.

3. Bake at 375 for 5-10 minutes, until browned and crispy.

Serve soup with tortilla crisps and shredded cheese.

Makes a million servings. Or maybe 10-12.

Shrimp Fra Diavolo

2010-01-13T05:00:00.000-08:00

Another successful week at the Food Network Chef's Cooking Challenge. The chef for this week was Giada and I chose to make her Shimp Fra Diavolo. And a good choice indeed. The only thing I really did different was to add mushrooms to the mix and serve it over pasta, because those seemed like the logical things to do. If anyone is surprised at my decision to add mushrooms to a mushroomless dish, you clearly don't know me very well. I have an ongoing love affair with mushrooms. Oh, I also tossed in a few capers for good measure.

This may be my favourite Food Network Chef recipe yet! But, I guess I say that about every other week.

Shrimp Fra Diavolo - slightly modified from Giada De Laurentiis
1 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined
1 teaspoon salt, plus additional as needed
1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons
8 oz fresh white mushrooms, quartered
1 medium red onion, sliced
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 cup dry white wine
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/4 teaspoon parsley
1/4 teaspoon basil
1 tablespoon capers
Linguine

Toss the shrimp in a medium bowl with 1 teaspoon of salt and red pepper flakes. (I bypassed the salt - knowing I was going to add capers, I didn't think I needed any extra salt).

Heat the 3 tablespoons oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp.

Saute for about a minute, toss, and continue cooking until just cooked through, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Transfer the shrimp to a large plate; set aside.

Add the onion and mushrooms to the same skillet, adding 1 to 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the pan, if necessary, and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes with their juices, wine, garlic, oregano, parsley and basil.

Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 10 minutes.

Return the shrimp, capers and any accumulated juices to the tomato mixture; toss to coat, and cook for about a minute so the flavors meld together.

Sprinkle with some grated cheese and serve over linguine with a side salad and cheesy garlic toast.

Makes 3-4 servings.

Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole

2010-01-12T05:00:00.000-08:00

Something has come over me lately! I seem to be fatally attracted to good breakfast dishes. This is the third one I've posted in the last month!

Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole - from my sister-in-law

10 slices reduced salt hickory smoked bacon, diced (about 1/2 lb)
1 cup chopped polish sausage (or you can just use a full pound of bacon, or sausage)
1 medium onion, chopped
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1/2 red pepper, coarsely chopped
1/2 green pepper, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic
6 eggs, lightly beaten
4 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 1/4 cups shredded Swiss cheese
1 1/2 cups small curd cottage cheese

In a large skillet, cook bacon and onion until bacon is crisp; drain. Reserve a small amount of bacon grease and cook mushrooms and peppers, until soft. Combine bacon and onion mixture with mushrooms and peppers, add polish sausage.

In a bowl, beat eggs. Add potatoes and all cheeses.

Stir in bacon mixture.

Transfer to a greased 9x13 baking dish.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until set and bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

Makes 6 servings (or more if you are serving other things with breakfast).

This recipe is being linked at Tasty Tuesday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, and Tuesday's at the Table.

Peanut-y Chocolate Bars

2010-01-11T05:11:00.000-08:00

Peanut-y Chocolate Bars
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
2 cups flours
1 can sweetened condensed milk (or make your own)
1 cup chocolate chips
1/8 cup nutella
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
1/2 tsp vanilla

1. Beat butter for 30 seconds until fluffy.

2. Add sugar and salt and beat until combined.

3. Beat in flour on low speed until mixtures forms a crumbly dough.

4. Press two-thirds of the mixture evenly into an ungreased 9x13 baking pan.

5. In a medium saucepan, combine sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips and nutella over low heat.

6. Cook, stirring frequently, until chips are melted and mixture is smooth.

7. Stir in peanuts and spread mixture evenly over crust.

8. Crumble remaining crust mixture over the chocolate.

9. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes until golden brown.

Cool and cut into squares. Makes 24 squares.

Chocolate-y Bars

2010-01-10T07:11:00.000-08:00

A delicious twist on the traditional chocolate chip cookie. Delicious served warm with a big bowl of ice cream!

Chocolate-y Bars - modified from BHG
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
2 cups "fillers" (any combo of chocolate chips, nuts, or candy pieces will work)**

**This time, I used a combination of chopped white chocolate, chopped dark chocolate, skor bits, and chocolate chips.

1. Cream together butter and shortening.

2. Add both sugars, eggs, vanilla and baking soda.

3. Add flour and mix on low until well combined.

4. Fold in fillers.

5. Spread mixture onto an ungreased cookie sheet with edges.

6. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.

Let cool, cut into squares. Store in an airtight container.

Makes 24 bars.

Ranch Seasoning Mix

2010-01-09T05:00:00.001-08:00

This recipe comes from Gayle at the Grocery Cart Challenge. It is great for dip, dressing, or adding flavour to many dishes!

Ranch Seasoning Mix - from Gayle

6 Tablespoons dried onion flakes

5 teaspoons paprika

2 Tablespoons parsley flakes

4 teaspoons salt

4 teaspoons sugar

4 teaspoons pepper

3 teaspoons garlic powder

Mix together and store in an airtight container in a cool dry place for up to 12 months.

For Dip:

Combine 1 Tablespoon dry mix with 1 cup sour cream or yogurt

For Dressing:

Combine 1 cup mayonnaise with 1 cup buttermilk and add 1 Tablespoon of dry mix. Shake or whisk to combine and refrigerate.

Ranch Mashed Potatoes

2010-01-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

Ranch Mashed Potatoes
6-8 potatoes, chopped
1/4 cup milk
1 T butter
2 tsp ranch seasoning mix
Salt
Pepper

1. Wash and chop potatoes. Place in medium pot and cover with water. Boil 10-15 minutes, until soft. Drain potatoes.

2. Place them in the bowl of your mixer (you can do it by hand, of course, but why would you if you are just getting acquainted with your mixer) and whip on low speed. Add milk, butter, and seasonings. Mix on low for 30 seconds to a minute, until smooth and well combined.

The nice thing about making the mashed potatoes in the mixer is that you can leave the peels on and let the mixer do all the work for you. They end up looking like delicious, restaurant potatoes this way!

Makes 6 servings.

This recipe is being linked at the Ultimate Recipe Swap

New Year's Eve Cheese Ball

2010-01-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

New Year's Eve Cheeseball - from KitchenAid Stand Mix Recipe Booklet
1 cup very sharp old cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded
8 oz package light cream cheese
2 green onions, very finely chopped
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 pecans, very finely chopped

1. Place all ingredients, except pecans, in mixer bowl. Beat on medium speed for about 1 minute, until well mixed.

2. Scrape cheese mixture from the bowl onto a piece of waxed paper.

3. Using your hands and the waxed paper, form into a round ball.

4. Spread pecans on a small plate.

5. Roll cheese ball in pecans until evenly covered.

6. Wrap ball in waxed paper and store in refrigerator until ready to use.

Serve with crackers and/or fresh vegetables.

Makes 24 servings.

This recipe is being linked at the Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap.

Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches

2010-01-07T05:00:00.001-08:00

This is one of our favourite meals to make when we have lots of peppers and leftover beef. So yum!

Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches
2-3 cups sliced leftover beef (we used leftover prime rib - you can use any type of steak or roast)
1 jar BBQ Onion Sauce (or use a jar of BBQ sauce, plus one onion)
1-2 peppers, sliced
Fresh mushrooms, sliced (I didn't have any the time I took these photos)
6 of SnoWhite's Italian herb rolls, halved
1/2-1 cup mozzarella cheese

1. Saute peppers and mushrooms until soft (also add onions here if you are using BBQ sauce without onions). Add beef and sauce and cook until warm.

2. Spread beef mixture on each bun. Top with cheese.

3. Broil for 3-5 minutes, until cheese is melted and beginning to brown. Enjoy!

Makes 6 servings. You can always make more or less, as desired.

Turkey Tetrazzini Crisp

2010-01-06T05:00:00.001-08:00

This week's chef for the Food Networking Chef's Cooking Challenge was George Duran. I chose to make the Turkey Tetrazzini Crisp because I still have leftover turkey from Christmas in the freezer. So, while the recipe calls for ground turkey, I just used cooked/shredded turkey. I cut the recipe in half because I did not need 8-10 servings. Even cut in half, this made quite a lot. Enough for both of us to have a big portion and then 3 lunch portions! I also added mushrooms and green onions, because that's what I do. And I switched from parm to swiss cheese, because I had some grated swiss that I needed to use! I found the cayenne pepper added a bigger kick to it than I had expected. Next time, I would tone it down. It was a bit spicy for me. Overall, we really really enjoyed this recipe and hope you will too.

Turkey Tetrazzini Crisp - adapted from George Duran
Vegetable oil cooking spray
2 cups rotini
3 T butter, divided
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
3-4 green onions, chopped
3-4 cups cooked, shredded turkey
Black pepper
2 T all purpose flour
2 cups milk (he calls for whole milk, but I just used 1%)
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (**I would use less if you are not looking for something with kick)
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
A dash of sage
Topping:
1 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Swiss cheese
1 T butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling, salted water until it has softened a bit but is still not quite cooked all the way through. (The pasta will absorb the liquid from the sauce as it finishes cooking in the oven.) Drain, rinse with cold water to stop the cooking, drain again, and set aside.

Melt 1 T butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the mushrooms and onions. (This is the step where George has you cooking the ground turkey, so if you are using that, be sure to cook it first!) Cook until browned, but not fully cooked. Season it with a little salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Let the pan cool a bit, then add the remaining butter and melt it over medium heat.

Add the flour and whisk to combine. Whisk constantly until the flour has cooked but not browned, about 2 minutes.

Add the milk slowly, whisking to avoid creating any lumps.

Add the chicken stock, cayenne, and nutmeg and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture begins to thicken, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Stir in the sage and season with some salt and pepper.

Fold in the turkey, mushrooms, and pasta, making sure it is all well coated with the sauce.

Pour into a greased 9x13 pan (I did the entire thing in my new handy dandy cast iron grill pan to avoid using unnecessary dishes).

To make the topping, combine the bread crumbs and cheese and moisten with the melted butter.

Spread topping evenly over the tetrazzini.

Put the pan into the oven, and cook until the top is golden brown and the mixture is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

A note from George: You can also fill 8 individual greased 10 to 12-ounce ramekins with the tetrazzini and topping. These will bake in about 20 minutes. These can be frozen: Make sure they are cool, then add 1 tablespoon milk, chicken stock, or water to each ramekin. Wrap them well in plastic wrap and put them into the freezer. Poke a hole in the plastic wrap and microwave on defrost for 5 minutes, then microwave on high heat for about 8 to 10 minutes or until the tetrazzini is hot and bubbling.

My adaptation of the recipe makes 4-5 servings. I served with roasted broccoli and a green salad.

Whole Grain Bread

2010-01-05T05:00:00.000-08:00

This is a very important post! Why? Because this bread is officially the first thing that I used my kitchenaid stand mixer to make!

This is the first bread recipe I've found that uses entirely whole wheat flour and it is great! I was expecting it to be extremely dense and while I wouldn't exactly say it was light and fluffy - it definitely wasn't too dense.

Whole Grain Wheat Bread - from KitchenAid Stand Mixer Recipe Booklet
1/3 cup, plus 1 T brown sugar, divided
2 cups warm water
4 1/2 tsp yeast (2 pkg)
5-6 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup powdered milk
2 tsp salt
1/3 cup oil

1. Dissolve 1 T brown sugar in water. Add yeast and let mixture stand.

2. Place 4 C flour, powdered milk, remaining brown sugar, and salt in mixer. Mix for about 2 minutes on low speed (2). Gradually add yeast mixture and oil to flour mixture and mix about 1 1/2 minutes longer. Stop and scrape bowl, if necessary.

3. Continuing on low speed, add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and mix until dough clings to hook and cleans side of bowl, about two minutes. **I ended up using about 5 3/4 cups flour, all together. Knead on low (2) for about 2 more minutes.

4. Place dough in a large greased bowl, tuning to grease top. Cover. Let rise for about an hour, until doubled.

5. Punch dough down and divide in half. Shape and place into two greased loaf pans. Cover and let rise for another hour, until doubled.

6. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 and continue baking for 30 minutes. Remove loaves from pans and let cool on wire cooling rack.

Makes 2 loaves.

This recipe is being linked at Tasty Tuesday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, Tuesday's at the Table, and the Ultimate Recipe Swap

Crustless Bacon and Cheese Quiche

2010-01-04T05:00:00.000-08:00

My mom made this delicious breakfast dish for our family on Christmas morning. It was the perfect accompaniment to Peameal bacon, cinnamon buns, and fruit salad.

Crustless Bacon and Cheese Quiche
1 cup chopped green onion
1 cup chopped tomatoes
12 slices bacon
1 cup sliced mushrooms**
12 eggs
1/3 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded cheese
**Sweet peppers would also make a delicious addition to this dish

1. Cook bacon and crumble into small pieces. Cook mushroom in small amount of reserved bacon grease.

2. Combine green onions, tomatoes and cheese. Stir in crumbled bacon and mushrooms.

3. Beat the eggs and mix in the sour cream. Stir egg mixture into the bacon/mushroom mixture.

4. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes, or until eggs are set.

Makes 9 servings.

Baked Brie

2010-01-03T05:00:00.000-08:00

Baked Brie - from Mumma
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup brandy
2 lb ring of brie

1. Mix together brown sugar, walnuts and brandy.

2. Pour over cheese.

3. Cover and chill for at least two hours.

4. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes.

Serve with crackers.

Bacon and Cream Cheese Dip

2010-01-02T05:00:00.000-08:00

Bacon and Cream Cheese Dip - from Mumma

1 8 0z brick cream cheese
1/2 cup mayo
3 green onions, chopped
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup grated cheese

1. Mix all ingredients and place in small casserole dish.

2. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, or until bubbly.

Serve with crackers.

Lobster and Cream Cheese Dumplings

2010-01-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

One of my favourite restaurants has a delicious crab and cream cheese dumping appetizer. WA while back, I remember The First Year Wife, mentioning that her husband makes cream cheese dumplings. I asked her for the directions and she told me what he does. So, I went by her instructions and modified the filling a bit for a yummy Christmas eve appetizer.

Lobster and Cream Cheese Dumplings
1 can frozen lobster meat, thawed and drained (you can also use crab)
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2-3 green onions, or chives, finely chopped
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 cloves garlic
Salt
Pepper
1 package large egg roll wrappers
2 eggs, beaten

1. Mix all ingredients, except egg roll wrappers, in a medium mixing bowl.

2. Remove egg roll wrappers from the package. One at a time, dip egg roll wrappers into the beaten egg mixture to coat.

3. Lay flat on a cookie sheet. Scoop a heaping spoonful of filling on wrapper.

4. Fold up to close. Repeat until all filling is used.

5. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes, until browned. Then, turn on the broiler and broil for 2 minutes to crisp them up.** You can also deep fry these, if you'd like. If so, don't bother with the egg wash.

Serve with sweet and spicy thai sauce for dipping.

Makes 12 dumplings.

Black Bean Dip

2009-12-31T05:00:00.001-08:00

Look for a quick, easy, and delicious appetizer to take to a New Year's Eve party? Here it is!

Black Bean Dip
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 jar salsa
1 can corn, drained
2 green onions, chopped
Chili powder, to taste
Tortilla chips

1. Mix together first 5 ingreidents. Taste, add more seasoning if necessary.

2. Serve with tortilla chips for dipping.

Makes LOTS of servings!

Taryn's Spinach Dip

2009-12-30T05:00:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, my girl Taryn, posted this awesome recipe for homemade spinach dip. On Christmas eve, my mom always prepares a lunch of snack-y type foods for their staff before closing for the holidays. This year, since we were all home by then, we joined in. I decided to make this dip as my contribution. It is so yummy. Thanks Taryn!

Creamy Spinach Dip - From Taryn

2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 (8-ounce) blocks cream cheese, softened
1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
1 loaf of pumpernickel bread
**Next time, I will also add in one jar of chopped artichoke hearts

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Combine 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, sour cream, 2 tablespoons Parmesan, and next 5 ingredients (through spinach) in a large bowl; stir until well blended.

3. Spoon mixture into a 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan.

4. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.

5. Serve in a pumpernickel bread bowl, with cubes of bread for dipping.

Butternut Squash Soup

2009-12-29T18:08:00.000-08:00

My sister told me about this recipe earlier in the fall when she made it. Her little guy devours it (well, he devours mostly anything) so she considers it a keeper. She made it for us during the few days that she and I, and her little man, were hanging out at my parent's house waiting for the rest of the family to arrive. With the evaporated milk, it's quite rich. It's not for the faint hearted. All of the girls, and Little H, loved it, but my dad said he would have preferred it served in a smaller portion as an accompaniment to a meal, rather than a large bowl as the meal itself. If you are looking for something less rich, I would suggest replaced the evaporated milk with regular milk or cream.

Butternut Squash Soup - from my lovely sister (who doesn't have a blog but really should)
EVOO
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
8 cups butternut squash, chopped and peeled
1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
2 or 3 apples, peeled and chopped
1 carton of vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp thyme
1 cup evaporated milk (or make your own)
Some skim milk (if needed)

Heat EVOO. Fry onions and garlic until soft. Add remaining ingredients except for milk. Add water until squash is just covered if necessary.

Bring to a boil and simmer until squash is very tender.

Puree, adding skim milk to thin veggies, if necessary. Do NOT comb your hair before doing so. Trust me, this is a crucial step. Sorry, Mom, I just had to. :)

Add evaporated milk and heat and serve.

Little H and Aunt LiLi gives this soup two thumbs up!

So behind...

2009-12-29T14:04:00.000-08:00

Evidently, I took the week off from Lucy's Kitchen to celebrate Christmas. Now I am so behind! I have a list of seven Christmas recipes waiting to be posted and even more coming in the next week. I will catch up, I promise.

In the meantime, as the new year approaches, I would love some feedback from my readers in terms of things you'd like to see, whether it be types of recipes, features, informative posts and so on. Give me your thoughts!

I have some exciting things in mind for the new year, so please hang in there, don't leave me yet!

Herb Roasted Chicken

2009-12-23T05:00:00.001-08:00

This week's chef for the Food Network Chef's Cooking Challenge was Emeril. I wish Emeril had come at a different week because there were so many recipes of his that I would have liked to try, but I had to find something that would fit into my weekend menu because I knew I was leaving for holidays and I wouldn't be doing much cooking. I ended up finding this recipe for herb roasted chicken and decided to make it for our Christmas dinner.

I am sure Emeril would be disappointed because I used dried herbs rather than fresh. But I had to. It would have been a huge waste to buy fresh herbs, knowing that I was leaving for holidays and wouldn't get a chance to use them up.

The chicken was very flavourful and tasty. However, we didn't really feel like it fit in with our Christmas dinner - the taste just didn't meld well with the gravy, stuffing and other fixin's. But definitely a good chicken rub to try another time when we're making some roasted root veggies on the side (as Emeril recommends).

Herb Roasted Chicken - From Emeril
1 small chicken (or a variety of chicken pieces)
Salt
Pepper
1 T minced garlic
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried sage
2 tsp dried parsley
1/4 Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 lemon

1. Wash chicken and pat dry. Place in small roast pan.

2. Season with salt and pepper on both sides (or inside and outside of cavity if using a whole chicken).
3. In a small bowl, mix together garlic, thyme, sage, parsley and EVOO.

4. Rub all over chicken (inside and out).

5. Cut lemon in quarters. Squeeze over chicken and place rinds inside (or around chicken). Place bay leaves in as well.
6. Cover and roast at 350 for about an hour, until chicken is no longer pink.

Cinnamon Buns with Cream Cheese Frosting

2009-12-19T05:00:00.000-08:00

The fabulous dude and I celebrated Christmas together at our home today, before getting ready to leave for the holidays. We started the day off right by indulging in some ooey gooey homemade cinnamon buns, complete with cream cheese frosting. Both recipes are listed below

Cinnamon Buns
1 1/4 cups warm water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 tbsp sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp dry skim milk powder
2 1/4 teaspoon yeast
2-4 tablespoons butter
2-4 tablespoons brown Sugar
1-2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup chopped pecans, optional

1. Place ingredients into bread pan in the order listed. Select dough cycle. When cycle is complete, turn dough out into lightly floured surface. Knead gently and roll out to a 1/4 inch thickness.

2. Spread butter over entire surface.

3. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Top with nuts if desired.

4. Tightly roll dough lengthwise.

5. To avoid smooshing your cinnamon buns, use a piece of string to cut the roll into 12 pieces. It was hard to get a picture to show what I mean, since I need both hands to do the string cutting - hopefully these pictures will demonstrate the instructions okay. Place the string under the dough, cross the ends together and pull to detach the roll.

6. Place pieces all snug and cozy together in a deep dish buttered pie pan. If you want gooier buns, you can also sprinkle some brown sugar and cinnamon into the bottom of the pan.

Cover and let rise for 45-60 minutes (OR ... you can cover loosely and put them in the fridge over night and they will be ready for you bright and early in the morning - this is what I do.)

7. Bake at 375 for 15-25 minutes, until brown on the top. If they are browning up too much and yet not cooked through the center, you can loosely cover them with foil and continue cooking.

8. Slather with cream cheese frosting (recipe below) and enjoy!

Makes one dozen cinnamon buns.

Cream Cheese Frosting
4 oz cream cheese
1/8 cup butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup powdered sugar

1. Cream together cream cheese and butter until fluffy.

2. Add vanilla.

3. Gradually add powdered sugar until well combined and soft.

**You can definitely double, triple or quadruple this frosting recipe for cakes, cookies, or other yummy treats that would require more frosting. But this amount is MORE than adequate for one batch of cinnamon buns.

This recipe is being linked at Tempt My Tummy Tuesday and Tasty Tuesday.

Green Bean Casserole

2009-12-18T05:00:00.000-08:00

Here is another one of those "let's de-healthify some good ol' veggies" recipes. I was first introduced to green bean casserole a number of years ago and since then, I believe that it has become a staple on the Thanksgiving and Christmas table of many many families. I am sure you all have your variation on this recipe and most are probably similar to mine but because I made it earlier this week to send with FD to his work potluck, along with yummy cheesy carrots, I thought I'd post my version of the oh-so-popular green bean casserole. I have listed the amount of some of the ingredients fairly flexibly because it can be adjusted to taste, depending on how many beans you are using.

Green Bean Casserole
4-6 cups fresh or frozen green beans (or 2 cans)
1-1 1/2 cans mushroom soup
1/2-3/4 can milk
1 tsp pepper
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 can French's fried onions.

1. Cook the beans if using fresh or frozen. No need to cook if using canned beans. Drain and place in 9x13 baking dish or large casserole dish.

2. In a medium bowl combine soup, milk, pepper and mozzarella cheese.

3. Pour over beans and stir to combine. Add 1/4-1/2 of the can of French's fried onions and mix in. I like to use less of the onions in the casserole and save more to go on top. I also *sometimes* snitch a few to eat just as is. I seriously love those things!

4. Cover and bake in a 350 oven for 25-30 minutes, until heated and bubbling. Remove from oven, uncover, top with remaining onions and continue cooking for 10-15 minutes until onions are browned.

Enjoy! Makes 8 servings.

This post is being shared at the Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap

Cheesy Carrots

2009-12-17T05:00:00.000-08:00

There is nothing better than taking some delicious, hearty, good for you vegetables and covered them with butter and cheese, right? No? This is a recipe I gathered a number of years ago and is one we've come to love. It is definitely one of those 'once a year' type recipes. OR, you can also do like me and make it up for your husband's Christmas potluck and send it away so people can enjoy it but you don't have to be tempted to eat your weight in cheesy carrots. Believe it or not, I've actually reduced the original amount of butter, cheese and cream soup. So, while this may not be on my family's regular rotation of side dishes, it makes for a nice, rich treat for the holidays.

Cheesy Carrots
Carrots, coarsely chopped (how many you use is up to you - the sauce makes enough to cover a lot of carrots. I think I usually use about 15-20 carrots to fill a 3 L casserole dish.)
1/2 cup butter
1 onion, chopped
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 cans mushroom soup
1/2 can milk
1/2 cup bread crumbs, optional

1. Peel, cut and cook your carrots. I just boil them. Drain and put into large casserole dish.

2. Peel and chop one onion.

3. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add onion and cook until soft.

4. Add 2 C grated mozzarella cheese to the butter mixture.

5. Add soup and milk.

6. Stir and cook until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.

7. Pour over carrots and stir to mix.

8. Top with bread crumbs, if desired.

9. Cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes, until bubbling.

Makes 8-10 servings.

This recipe is being linked at the Holly Bloggy Christmas Bash: Christmas Recipes.