I made an awesome smoothie for breakfast this morning that I just had to share. I am estimating on the amounts of ingredients I added, because I just dumped stuff in. I even made it non-dairy so I could share it with my lactose-intolerant daughter.
Strawberry Banana Smoothie
1 c. frozen fresh strawberries
2 Bananas
1/2 c. soy milk
1/2 c. orange juice
1-2 cups crushed ice
1 tsp. Organic Cane Sugar - Optional
I washed and cut my strawberries last night and put them in the freezer. I froze them whole which made it a bit problematic to blend, so freeze them cut in pieces. Put strawberries in blender with bananas (I used green/yellow bananas and it cut down on the over-powering banana flavor that happens with more ripe bananas), soy milk (I used vanilla flavor because that's what I had, and it didn't make it weird flavored), and orange juice in blender, blend until smooth. Then add crushed ice and again blend until smooth. I added a teaspoon of sugar because I thought it needed to be a little sweeter, but it is just optional to add. Enjoy!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Chocolate-raspberry turnovers
This is my writing debut for the Recipes of our Lives! I Hope you like this Recipe!!
Chocolate-raspberry Turnovers
1 Package (6 oz) fresh raspberries (about 1 cup)
3/4 cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam (make sure its seedless or you will have to pick seeds out of your teeth for weeks! :)
2 tubes (8 oz each) refrigerated crescent dough.
1 egg
1. Heat oven to 375. line two baking sheets with nonstick foil or regular foil coated with nonstick spray. set aside.
2. In a bowl, combine raspberries, chocolate chips and the jam. stir to combine, breaking up raspberries slightly and coating the chips with jam.
3. On a lightly floured surface, unroll one tube crescent dough and separate into 4 rectangles. pinch together any perforations or holes in dough. ** This is very important, i didn't close the holes good enough and i have filling coming out everywhere! :) . Spoon two spoon fulls of the filling onto half of rectangle. ** i have found that it turns out better when you don't over do it with the filling.
4. whisk egg with 1 Tablespoon of water. brush dough edges with the egg wash. fold dough to enclose filling. seal edges; crimp with a fork. Place on the prepared baking sheet. pierce turnover once or twice to vent; brush top with egg wash. repeat with remaining dough and filling.
5. bake at 375 for 11 min until golden brown, cool and then serve!
** side note** Chocolate and raspberries have a natural affinity, but strawberries can also taste great. just change the jam to strawberry as well
Chocolate-raspberry Turnovers
1 Package (6 oz) fresh raspberries (about 1 cup)
3/4 cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam (make sure its seedless or you will have to pick seeds out of your teeth for weeks! :)
2 tubes (8 oz each) refrigerated crescent dough.
1 egg
1. Heat oven to 375. line two baking sheets with nonstick foil or regular foil coated with nonstick spray. set aside.
2. In a bowl, combine raspberries, chocolate chips and the jam. stir to combine, breaking up raspberries slightly and coating the chips with jam.
3. On a lightly floured surface, unroll one tube crescent dough and separate into 4 rectangles. pinch together any perforations or holes in dough. ** This is very important, i didn't close the holes good enough and i have filling coming out everywhere! :) . Spoon two spoon fulls of the filling onto half of rectangle. ** i have found that it turns out better when you don't over do it with the filling.
4. whisk egg with 1 Tablespoon of water. brush dough edges with the egg wash. fold dough to enclose filling. seal edges; crimp with a fork. Place on the prepared baking sheet. pierce turnover once or twice to vent; brush top with egg wash. repeat with remaining dough and filling.
5. bake at 375 for 11 min until golden brown, cool and then serve!
** side note** Chocolate and raspberries have a natural affinity, but strawberries can also taste great. just change the jam to strawberry as well
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Steak?
Another question: Does anyone have any good recipes to cook steak? I know the usual of course, grilling it; but what else do you do with it? Especially on the healthier side. Let me know... Even if it's not cooking them whole, cut up would be fine too.
Salsa?
Does anyone have any good recipes for Salsa? I've never made it before, and I can't imagine that it's too hard, but I wondered what other people put in their Salsa. Help me out here...
Monday, July 21, 2008
Better than Sunshine Cake
Better than "Sunshine" Cake
1 German Chocolate Cake Mix
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1 jar of caramel topping
1 tub of cool whip
Toppings:
Heath bar - chopped
Nuts - chopped
Shaved chocolate
Bake cake as directed on box. Poke holes in warm cake with the end of a spoon or fork. Pour sweetened condensed milk and caramel topping over the warm cake. Let cake cool, when cooled, frost with cool whip. Sprinkle topping over the top of cake.
1 German Chocolate Cake Mix
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1 jar of caramel topping
1 tub of cool whip
Toppings:
Heath bar - chopped
Nuts - chopped
Shaved chocolate
Bake cake as directed on box. Poke holes in warm cake with the end of a spoon or fork. Pour sweetened condensed milk and caramel topping over the warm cake. Let cake cool, when cooled, frost with cool whip. Sprinkle topping over the top of cake.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Flour Tortillas
Flour Tortillas
3 c. flour
½ tsp. Salt
½ tsp. baking powder
1 c. boiling water
1 tbs. oil
Mix all ingredients well, works best in a mixer. Once mixed knead a little and then let sit for at least ½ hour. Take small sections and roll flat with a rolling pin. Best if cooked on a flat cast iron pan. Cook until golden brown spots appear. Makes about a dozen tortillas.
3 c. flour
½ tsp. Salt
½ tsp. baking powder
1 c. boiling water
1 tbs. oil
Mix all ingredients well, works best in a mixer. Once mixed knead a little and then let sit for at least ½ hour. Take small sections and roll flat with a rolling pin. Best if cooked on a flat cast iron pan. Cook until golden brown spots appear. Makes about a dozen tortillas.
Sausage Gravy
Bo's favorite thing to eat is biscuits and gravy. I've had to learn how to cook it well to make him happy. My dad makes awesome gravy, and I've tried to mimic his perfection. I still work on it, but I've got it pretty close. So here is the recipe for the gravy, just serve it over biscuits.
Sausage Gravy
1 lb. Sausage
½ - ¾ c. flour
Milk
Salt and pepper
Brown the sausage in a large frying pan. My dad uses the hot flavored sausage for better flavor. I use it as well, but it makes the gravy a little spicy, so if you don't like spice I'd choose a different flavor. Once sausage is browned turn to low, sprinkle the flour in small amounts, onto the sausage and mix to absorb. Once all the flour is absorbed start adding milk and return heat to med/high. I'm not sure how much milk is actually added, but it's probably somewhere between 2 and 3 cups. Add a cup at a time and stir, continually stir so the gravy does clump. Add salt and pepper to taste. The amount of milk added will vary depending on how thick you want your gravy, when you reach your desired thickness, turn to low and warm it until served.
Sausage Gravy
1 lb. Sausage
½ - ¾ c. flour
Milk
Salt and pepper
Brown the sausage in a large frying pan. My dad uses the hot flavored sausage for better flavor. I use it as well, but it makes the gravy a little spicy, so if you don't like spice I'd choose a different flavor. Once sausage is browned turn to low, sprinkle the flour in small amounts, onto the sausage and mix to absorb. Once all the flour is absorbed start adding milk and return heat to med/high. I'm not sure how much milk is actually added, but it's probably somewhere between 2 and 3 cups. Add a cup at a time and stir, continually stir so the gravy does clump. Add salt and pepper to taste. The amount of milk added will vary depending on how thick you want your gravy, when you reach your desired thickness, turn to low and warm it until served.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Brownies
Mindi's Special Brownies
1 c. Cocoa
2 cubes of Butter (1 cup)
1 c. Flour
2 c. Sugar
2 Eggs
2 tsp. Vanilla
½ c. Buttermilk
Toppings:
Chocolate Chips
Nuts - Pecans, Walnuts, Almonds, etc...
Marshmallows
In a medium sauce pan, melt butter and cocoa. Once melted, pour into a bowl and add flour, sugar, eggs, vanilla and buttermilk. Grease a 9x13 pan and pour batter in. Bake at 350º for 25 minutes. Add desired toppings then bake for an additional 5 - 10 minutes.
1 c. Cocoa
2 cubes of Butter (1 cup)
1 c. Flour
2 c. Sugar
2 Eggs
2 tsp. Vanilla
½ c. Buttermilk
Toppings:
Chocolate Chips
Nuts - Pecans, Walnuts, Almonds, etc...
Marshmallows
In a medium sauce pan, melt butter and cocoa. Once melted, pour into a bowl and add flour, sugar, eggs, vanilla and buttermilk. Grease a 9x13 pan and pour batter in. Bake at 350º for 25 minutes. Add desired toppings then bake for an additional 5 - 10 minutes.
Potato Salad
I hear I make a pretty mean potato salad, so I'll try to type out the recipe. I do it all from memory, and without measurements, so bare with me.
Potato Salad
10 potatoes
10 eggs
Miracle Whip
Mustard
Pickles
Olives
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Onions - optional
Scrub about 10 medium sized potatoes. With the skins on, pressure cook them for about 15-20 minutes. They can also be boiled, boil until you can poke them easily with a fork. Cool the potatoes, when cooled, peel them and chop them into chunks into a large bowl. While cooking the potatoes, boil the eggs for about 10 minutes. Peel and chop into the bowl as well. I usually use about half a jar of miracle whip, and maybe about a ¼ c. mustard. While everything is cooking I cut the pickles, I like to use baby dill pickles because they are usually more crunchy. I cut them into fourths long-wise and the slice them into smaller pieces (I like lots of pickles, so I usually use most, if not all of the jar), then add to bowl. Season to taste. If you are adding raw onions, you don't need to use onion powder. Mix and top with sliced olives.
Potato Salad
10 potatoes
10 eggs
Miracle Whip
Mustard
Pickles
Olives
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Onions - optional
Scrub about 10 medium sized potatoes. With the skins on, pressure cook them for about 15-20 minutes. They can also be boiled, boil until you can poke them easily with a fork. Cool the potatoes, when cooled, peel them and chop them into chunks into a large bowl. While cooking the potatoes, boil the eggs for about 10 minutes. Peel and chop into the bowl as well. I usually use about half a jar of miracle whip, and maybe about a ¼ c. mustard. While everything is cooking I cut the pickles, I like to use baby dill pickles because they are usually more crunchy. I cut them into fourths long-wise and the slice them into smaller pieces (I like lots of pickles, so I usually use most, if not all of the jar), then add to bowl. Season to taste. If you are adding raw onions, you don't need to use onion powder. Mix and top with sliced olives.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Snickerdoodles
Snickerdoodles
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup shortening
1½ cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
-Preheat oven to 400º.
-Cream together butter, shortening, 1½ cups sugar, the eggs and the vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls.
-Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
-Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Remove immediately from baking sheets.
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup shortening
1½ cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
-Preheat oven to 400º.
-Cream together butter, shortening, 1½ cups sugar, the eggs and the vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls.
-Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
-Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Remove immediately from baking sheets.
Homemade Butter Mints
These were made at my wedding, and I ran across the recipe today so I thought I'd share. I originally got the recipe from my good friend Debbie.
Homemade Butter Mints
1 cube real butter
3 lbs. (1½ bags) powdered sugar
8oz. Cream Cheese
¼ tsp. flavoring of peppermint
Soften butter and cream cheese, combine all ingredients and mix until smooth. Pipe them onto wax paper and cool in fridge. You can also use molds if you prefer. Makes about 170 mints - depending on the size.
Homemade Butter Mints
1 cube real butter
3 lbs. (1½ bags) powdered sugar
8oz. Cream Cheese
¼ tsp. flavoring of peppermint
Soften butter and cream cheese, combine all ingredients and mix until smooth. Pipe them onto wax paper and cool in fridge. You can also use molds if you prefer. Makes about 170 mints - depending on the size.
Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
10 - 12 corn tortillas (white or yellow) cooked in oil until soft
2 8oz. cans of cream of chicken soup
2 4oz. cans of green chile
½ - ¾ c. sour cream
salt & pepper
1 large can of chicken
cheese
Combine soup, green chile, sour cream, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Layer a 9x9 pan, starting with soup mixture followed by tortilla then sauce mixture then chicken then cheese followed by tortilla again. Repeat for 3 layers total. Top with cheese. Bake at 375º until cheese is melted, or even golden brown. Double the recipe for a 9x13 pan.
10 - 12 corn tortillas (white or yellow) cooked in oil until soft
2 8oz. cans of cream of chicken soup
2 4oz. cans of green chile
½ - ¾ c. sour cream
salt & pepper
1 large can of chicken
cheese
Combine soup, green chile, sour cream, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Layer a 9x9 pan, starting with soup mixture followed by tortilla then sauce mixture then chicken then cheese followed by tortilla again. Repeat for 3 layers total. Top with cheese. Bake at 375º until cheese is melted, or even golden brown. Double the recipe for a 9x13 pan.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Lasagna
Easy Lasagna
8oz. Pkg. Lasagna noodles
24oz. ctn. Cottage Cheese
1/4 c. grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 - 1 lb. grated Mozzarella Cheese
3 lb. Jar of Spaghetti Sauce (I prefer Prego)
1 - 1½ lb. Hamburger - browned & drained (Optional: turkey or sausage)
Combine everything except noodles, leave out a cup or so of mozzarella cheese for the top (Add this towards the end of the bake time). Put a layer of sauce mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 in. pan, then layer noodles (*uncooked) and sauce then repeating, ending with sauce on top. (I think I usually have 3 layers) Cover with foil and bake at 350º for 1½ hours. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top 10-15 minutes before it's done baking.
8oz. Pkg. Lasagna noodles
24oz. ctn. Cottage Cheese
1/4 c. grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 - 1 lb. grated Mozzarella Cheese
3 lb. Jar of Spaghetti Sauce (I prefer Prego)
1 - 1½ lb. Hamburger - browned & drained (Optional: turkey or sausage)
Combine everything except noodles, leave out a cup or so of mozzarella cheese for the top (Add this towards the end of the bake time). Put a layer of sauce mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 in. pan, then layer noodles (*uncooked) and sauce then repeating, ending with sauce on top. (I think I usually have 3 layers) Cover with foil and bake at 350º for 1½ hours. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top 10-15 minutes before it's done baking.
Italian Pasta Salad
Italian Pasta Salad
1 bag Rotini pasta (colored or regular)
1 bottle Italian dressing (I usually use wishbone, but other brands give different flavor, find the one you like the best)
1 can Olives - sliced
1 can baby corns - cut in half
1 can artichoke hearts - Cut into pieces
Cook pasta according to bag. Drain, rinse until cool and put in a large bowl. Add sliced olives, cut baby corns and cut artichoke heart and mix. When mixed good add dressing; depending on the amount of pasta you have varies the amount of dressing you use. The pasta salad should be well coated by the dressing. Serve and enjoy. Keep left-overs refrigerated.
1 bag Rotini pasta (colored or regular)
1 bottle Italian dressing (I usually use wishbone, but other brands give different flavor, find the one you like the best)
1 can Olives - sliced
1 can baby corns - cut in half
1 can artichoke hearts - Cut into pieces
Cook pasta according to bag. Drain, rinse until cool and put in a large bowl. Add sliced olives, cut baby corns and cut artichoke heart and mix. When mixed good add dressing; depending on the amount of pasta you have varies the amount of dressing you use. The pasta salad should be well coated by the dressing. Serve and enjoy. Keep left-overs refrigerated.
Asian Chicken Salad
My sister Jenny made this salad while we were camping and it was awesome so I thought I'd share.
Asian Chicken Salad
*Cut Greens - Ice Berg Lettuce, Green Leaf Lettuce, Spinach, etc...
*Mandarin Oranges - small can
*Chicken - She used canned chicken but I would think that you could use grilled/breaded/pan fried and get the same effect
*Wontons - Cut into strips and fried
*Soy Ginger Dressing - She said she got her bottle from Wal-mart but I'm thinking that any Asian/Oriental flavor would work and even give variety
Mix greens, chicken and some/half of the wontons in a bowl and toss with dressing. Then add the oranges and the rest of the wontons.
I didn't use measurements because it's the kind of thing you just estimate and make it how you like it. But try it, it was awesome!
Asian Chicken Salad
*Cut Greens - Ice Berg Lettuce, Green Leaf Lettuce, Spinach, etc...
*Mandarin Oranges - small can
*Chicken - She used canned chicken but I would think that you could use grilled/breaded/pan fried and get the same effect
*Wontons - Cut into strips and fried
*Soy Ginger Dressing - She said she got her bottle from Wal-mart but I'm thinking that any Asian/Oriental flavor would work and even give variety
Mix greens, chicken and some/half of the wontons in a bowl and toss with dressing. Then add the oranges and the rest of the wontons.
I didn't use measurements because it's the kind of thing you just estimate and make it how you like it. But try it, it was awesome!
Monday, July 7, 2008
Caramel Brownies
1 cup evaporated milk, divided
50 caramels
1 pkg. German Chocolate cake mix
3/4 cup butter
1 package chocolate chips
In a double boiler, melt 1/2 cup evaporated milk and the caramels. In a separate bowl, mix together cake mix, 1/2 cup evaporated milk and butter. Put 1/2 of cake mixture into the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 6 minutes. Spoon caramel over top and add 1 package of chocolate chips. Spoon remaining cake mixture in mounds on top and spread around in swirls. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
50 caramels
1 pkg. German Chocolate cake mix
3/4 cup butter
1 package chocolate chips
In a double boiler, melt 1/2 cup evaporated milk and the caramels. In a separate bowl, mix together cake mix, 1/2 cup evaporated milk and butter. Put 1/2 of cake mixture into the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 6 minutes. Spoon caramel over top and add 1 package of chocolate chips. Spoon remaining cake mixture in mounds on top and spread around in swirls. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
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