Cornflake Bars

While I'm at it... this is a family favorite. I LOVE them!!!

Cornflake Bars...

1 cup sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1 cup peanut butter

Mix and stir until bubbly. Keep stirring for about 30 more seconds.
Remove from heat. Add cornflakes (about 8 cups, I think. I just
keep adding until I am happy). Spread on greased sheet...(dip spoon
in water as you spread). Cool and cut into bars. If you are in a
hurry put them in the freezer for a few minutes before cutting.

Makes 1 full cookie sheet. Yum!

Mexican Chicken Chili

I think the official title once was "Chicken Tortilla Soup," but I think it turns out much more like a chili... and there is no tortilla involved when I eat it, so I came up with a better name. :)

3 or 4 chicken breasts (can even be frozen straight from the freezer)
2 cans stewed tomatoes (seasoned, whichever strikes your fancy)
1 can corn
2 cans black beans
1 can green chilis
1 small bottle salsa

Simmer in crockpot all day on low (even with frozen chicken). Serve over tortilla chips with cheese, or serve over rice (or pearled barley, my new favorite).

wanted: tried & true slow cooker recipes

i think slow cooker/crock pot recipes might be my salvation next semester [if i can pull it off brandon and i might actually eat legitimate dinner every now & again]. they need only to be easy and delicious!

ready...set...go!

p.s. if you already sent recipes through email, post 'em to the blog when you get a sec. grazia :)

Basic Pie Crust

This recipe makes 1 double crust pie (or two single crusts)

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2/3 cup vegetable shortening
1 tsp salt
5-7 Tbsp water

Directions:
With a pastry blender blend together flour, shortening, and salt until mixture resembles corn meal. Gradually add water until dough forms a ball. divide dough in half - each roughly the size of a softball. Roll dough out on a well floured surface.

Tips: Use cold shortening and cold water. Try not to touch the dough with your hands. The more you work the dough the tougher it will be.

Scandinavian Sour Cream Apple Pie

Yummy, Yummy! I made this with a group and served it at Thanksgiving dinner. I think from all the pies, this one was the favorite.
Ingredients for filling:
3 cups Jonathan Apples (cored, peeled, and sliced)
4 Tbsp Flour
2/3 cups granulated Sugar
1/8 tsp Salt
1 Egg
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 cup Sour Cream

Directions:
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, and salt. Pour in the prepared apples an coat them with the flour mixture. In a small bowl, mix together the egg and vanilla and add to the apple mixture and mix. Fold in the sour cream. Pour apples into a pie crust. Bake 40 minuteds at 350 degrees.

Ingredients for Streusel:
1/3 cup Flour
1/3 cup Butter
1/3 granulated Sugar
1/3 cup Brown Sugar
1 tbsp Apple Pie Spice
1 prepared Pie Crust (separate post)

Using a pastry blender mix together the ingredients. After the pie has baked 40 minutes, cove the pie with the streusel and bake an additional 10-15 minutes.

paula dean's pumpkin gooey butter cakes

this is not my picture. it's paula dean's. but my oh my is this an incredible pumpkin dessert! i don't like pumpkin pie, so i made this and it was unbelievable. (and super easy). oh, and if you know anything about paula dean, she does not do low fat. that's just how she is.

cake:
1 package yellow cake mix
1 egg
8 TB butter, melted.

filling:
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened (i used low fat)
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
8 TB butter, melted
1 (16 oz) box powdered sugar (or 2 cups)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine cake mix, egg and butter (for the cake) in a bowl and mix well with electric mixer. Pat mixture into bottom of lightly greased 9x13 pan.

Filling: Beat cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla and butter; beat together. Next add powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and mix well. Spread pumpkin over cake batter and bake for 40-50 minutes. Make sure not to overbake, the center should be a little gooey. Serve with whipped cream.

*After melting butter, make sure it's cooled before adding it (or it'll cook the eggs!).
*I cooked mine for about 50 minutes, but I think it was too long. The center (and top) of cake won't be solid, but it shouldn't be runny.

Three Cheese Chicken Penne

I could KISS the person that came up with this recipe! So simple and yet SO tasty! It requires no "special" ingredients which is my favorite part. It easily made a double batch (since some of the canned ingredients only call for 1/2 a can) and I froze the other half for later.

1 1/2 cups multigrain penne pasta, uncooked

1 pkg. fress baby spinach leaves

1 lb. chicken cut up into bitesize pieces

1 tsp. dried basil leaves

1 1/2 cups (1/2 a jar) pasta sauce

1 2/3 cups (1/2 of a 796 ml can) diced tomatoes-drained

1/4 cup light cream cheese

1 cup mozzarella cheese

2 Tbs. parmesan cheese (I used an Italian cheese blend for the 2 cheeses)

HEAT oven to 375. cook pasta, adding spinach to boiling water for last 1 min.

COOK and stir chicken and basil in large skillet on medium-high heat 3 min. Add pasta sauce and tomatoes, bring to boil. Simmer 3 min. or until chicken is done. Stir in cream cheese spread

DRAIN pasta mixture; return to pan. Add chicken mixture and 1/2 cup mozzarella. Spoon into baking dish.

BAKE 20 min. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 3 min.

Fresh Avacado Salsa

Avacado Salsa

6 roma tomatoes (though if i were to make it again, i'd use campari tomatoes instead)
1 can white corn
1 can black eyed peas (the weird beans)
2-3 avocados (chopped into small pieces)
1-2 green onions chopped
1 packet italian salad dressing

Be sure to drain the corn, and drain AND RINSE the beans. Always a crowd pleaser. :)

Thanks to my friend Bethany for this recipe.

Pumpkin Mousse

Ingredients

1 cup Canned pumpkin
1/2 cup COLD milk
1 3 oz. Package vanilla instant pudding
1 tsp. Pie spice or
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, 1/4 tsp. ginger
3 1/2 cups Cool Whip

Preparation

Combine pumpkin, milk, pudding, and spices. Beat on lowest speed for 1 minute. Fold in Cool Whip. Spoon into dessert dishes and tip with hazelnut crunch.

I made this with lite Cool Whip and it was so, so delicious! Next time I'll use sugar-free pudding as well. I served it in a graham cracker pie crust I had on hand... yum! Sadly, it fell from the counter to the floor after only a couple servings. :( It will definitely be made again.

(Courtesy of Mealsmatter.org)

Lime Chicken and Rice Soup

I got this recipe from a gal in my ward, she made it for enrichment night...delicious. We made it last night and plenty of leftovers for another night. It is a variation on Taco soup.

Ingredients:
60 oz. Chicken broth (I cooked the chicken with a few bouillon cubes and used it)
1 1/2 cups Salsa
1/4 cup fresh Lime juice
2 cups Chicken, cooked and diced
1 cup frozen corn (I used canned corn)
1 cup instant Rice ( or 2 cups pre-cooked rice added at the end)
1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped (optional)

Directions:
Simmer together until rice is cooked (5-10 minutes)
When serving, place a handful of Frito's in each bowl, then pour the soup. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and avocado (I added cheese on top)

Caramel Bars

Kraft caramels were 50% off at Target after halloween (woohoo)! It gave me a great excuse to make these lovelies....plus we have a category for oatmeal. Whenever I take a pan of this ewey gooey goodness anywhere, it's a success.

Crust:
3/4 cup melted butter
1 cup flour
1 cup oatmeal
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda

Yummy stuff:
Caramels (32/package)
3T butter
3T whipping cream
Milk choc. chips

Make crust. Take 2/3 of mixtures, press in cake pan. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Melt caramels, butter, whipping cream in pan. Pour over crust. Top with rest of crust and chocolate chips. Bake 15 min at 350.

*someday I will get a picture up.

Vegetable Pasta Soup

I take this bad boy around when I take meals in to people in the wintertime. It is so tasty and it makes your whole house smell so good! Thanks to my sis-in-law Angela for sharing this one with me.

1 pound ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
6 cups water
2 14.5 oz cans petite diced tomatoes (undrained)
1 cup each: chopped celery, carrot, potato
2 beef bullion cubes
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp worcestershire
1 T parsley flakes
1 cup small uncooked pasta shells

**Brown beef and onion together. In a large pot add water, veggies and seasonings; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 20 minutes or until veggies are crisp tender. Add macaroni- simmer for 15 minutes or until macaroni tender.

Snap!! So good!

Tried and True!!!!

Mary- I made your MAGICAL blueberry muffins - they were wonderful! But they weren't magical for me....I didn't have a baby that day - shucks!!!

Alisa - I made your Cheater Chicken Noodle - sooo good! I think next time I will omit the peas altogether...we are just not pea people. Loved the taste and the smell!!

Adrienne - I made your Crockpot Lemon Garlic Chicken - sooo flavorful!!! I served it with brown rice and steamed broccoli, it was great. But it was a tad dry for me. I think I will bake it in the oven next time.

Thanks for sharing!!!

Best Banana Muffins

Since we're talkin' muffins... these were a big hit in Moab this weekend. They don't sound great, but trust me. Linds? Wanna pipe in and verify? I was going to include a picture, but come on... they're muffins. That's what they look like. (Plus, my picture wasn't nearly as pretty as Mary's.) Many of the ingredients can be bought in bulk places like Wild Oats or Whole Foods so you can just buy what you need and save the money. :)

Best Banana Muffins

1 ½ C. whole wheat flour
½ C. Oat Bran
½ C. Pecan Meal (1.5 oz ground pecans, or I just bought chopped pecans and then continued chopping them myself with a knife until they were as ground as I could get them... I enjoyed the rougher texture in the muffin.)
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
½ t. salt

2 T. butter, melted
½ C. honey
3 egg whites
1 C. banana
2/3 C. buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 12 regular-sized muffin cups or line with paper cups.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (first six ingredients) until well combined. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together all wet ingredients (last 5 ingredients).
4. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined.
5. Immediately spoon batter into the 12 muffin cups, filling each cup almost to the top.
6. Place immediately in a preheated 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Start checking early!
7. Turn muffins out of pan and cool on wire rack.
8. Enjoy!

Nutrition Information:
156 calories (45 from fat)
5 grams fat (2 saturated)
3 grams fiber
13 grams sugar
4 grams protein

Courtesy of http://pinchmysalt.wordpress.com

Beloved Blueberry Muffins!

I made these heavenly muffins for breakfast the day Liza was born, so in my opinion they are MAJICAL MUFFINS. :) Zach's Mom even thought they were perfect, and she's an incredible cook so I give this recipe 5 gold stars.

Blueberry Muffins

Betty Crocker's Cookbook

Streusel Topping (see below)

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 large egg

2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Streusel Topping:

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

2 Tbs butter

1. Heat oven to 400. Grease bottoms of 12 muffin pan

2. Make Streusel Topping, set aside

3. Beat milk, oil, and egg in large bowl. Stir in flour, sugar, baking powder and salt all at once just until flour is moistened (batter will be lumpy). Fold in Blueberries. Divide batter into muffin cups. Sprinkle each with 1 Tbs Topping.

4. Bake 20-25 min. ENJOY!

Marinated Baked Pork Chops

1 tbsp Soy Sauce
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp Lemon Juice
2 tbsp Brown Sugar
2 tbsp Ketchup
6 Pork Chops, trimmed

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. In a small bowl, thoroughly blend soy sauce, vegetable oil, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar, and ketchup.

3. Place pork chops in a medium baking dish, and spread with half the sauce.

4. Bake the pork chops for 30 minutes. Turn, and spread with remaining sauce. Continue baking for 30 minutes, or until internal temperature of the chops has reached 160 degrees F.

This recipe is from allrecipes.com

**Sorry, I don't have a picture for this, but trust me, they are delicious. I have also used pork ribs in place of the chops - equally as delicious**

katie's cookies

i made 'em. they were good. here's a pic!















i might add a little more pumpkin or a little less cinnamon next time. it could be me, but i thought the cinnamon overpowered the pumpkin a little bit. i LOVED the oatmeal addition!

hooray katie!

Banana OATMEAL Bread FIASCO!

This is a good example of Banana Bread gone wrong but still Tasting Great. I cooked this double the time the recipe requested because it never cooked through the middle. Finally I gave up and pulled it out. Zach and I ate the crust top-DELISH! I'm putting the rest of it back into the oven to finish cooking. Tastes great, but can anyone help me figure out how to fix it???
BANANA OATMEAL BREAD

• 1/2 c. Shortening
• 1 1/2 c. Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 1 1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1 tsp. Vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
• 1 tsp. Cinnamon
• 2 Banana's mashed
• 1 1/2 c. Sifted Flour
• 1 c. Quick Oats
• 1 1/2 c. Boiling Water
  

Soak oatmeal in boiling hot water while you mix the remaining ingredients. Cream shortening, sugar, and eggs. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Bake at 350 in greased and floured bread pan for 35-40 min. (or if you are like me-120 min) HELP!

All About Apples

It's Apple Harvest and there is nothing I love more than: APPLE CRISP! This is a variation/concoction I came up with for your eating enjoyment and it's TASTY.

MARY'S APPLE CRISP

• 4 Large Granny Smith Apples
• 3/4 c. Brown Sugar
• 1/2 c. Flour
• 1 tsp. Nutmeg
• 1 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1/2 c. Butter
• 3/4 c. Rolled Oats

Peel, core and thinly slice apples. Place in buttered 8x8 pan. Mix sugar, flour, nutmeg, and cinnamon together. Cut in the butter, then add the rolled oats. Flake over apples and bake at 350 for 35-40 min. Serve with whip-cream or icecream. ENJOY!

Pumpkin-Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 cup butter
1 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
3 cups quick oats
1 cup chocolate chips (semisweet)

Mix flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.

Separately, beat butter until softened. Add brown sugar and beat until fluffy. Add eggs. Beat in pumpkin.

Mix flour and wet ingredients. Stir in oats and chocolate.

Drop rounded teaspoons (I make them a little bigger) onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in 350 degree oven about 12 minutes or till done (I like to take them out a little early so they stay really soft). Remove and cool.

(And sorry... I can't remember where this recipe came from.)

texas sheet cake

Texas Sheet Cake

This recipe is from Cook's Country. Imagine, if you will, pure chocolate decadence. So simple. So chocolaty. So heaven. Make this right this second, but only if you have a herd of people to feed. Don't be tempted to keep this one hanging out on your counter. I'll take my own photo next time.

YIELD: 1 jellyroll/large cookie sheet - feeds an army

INGREDIENTS:

Cake
2 C all-purpose flour
2 C sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs, plus 2 yolks
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 C sour cream
8 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
4 TB unsalted butter
3/4 C vegetable oil
3/4 C water
1/2 C cocoa powder

Icing
8 TB (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 C heavy cream (whipping cream)
1/2 C cocoa powder
1 TB light corn syrup
3 C powdered sugar
1 TB vanilla extract
1 C toasted pecans, chopped (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease 18x13" baking sheet. Combine flour, sugar baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Whisk eggs and yolks, vanilla, and sour cream in a SEPARATE bowl until smooth.
2. Heat chocolate, butter, oil, water and cocoa in a large saucepan over medium; stir occasionally until smooth (3-5 mins). Whisk chocolate mixture into flour/dry mix until incorporated. Whisk egg mix into batter, then pour into baking sheet. Bake until toothpick comes out clean (18-20 mins). Transfer to wire rack.

Icing

1. About 5 minutes BEFORE the cake is done, heat butter, cream, cocoa and corn syrup in a saucepan over medium heat; stir occasionally until smooth. OFF heat whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla. Spread warm icing evenly over hot cake and sprinkle with pecans. Let cake cool to room temp on wire rack (1 hour) then refrigerate 1 hour until icing is set.
   

NOTES:

Toast pecans in a dry skillet until gold & fragrant. Pecans are totally optional, too. Take a few deep breaths before taking a bite. You might also want to sit down.

thanksgiving cornbread stuffing

Cornbread Stuffing [dressing]

This recipe is from the Pioneer Woman, and it's the best stuffing I've ever eaten. Ever. Don't tell my family.

YIELD: 2, 9x13 pans of stuffing!

INGREDIENTS:

1 recipe cornbread (baked/prepared) - make your fave recipe
1 loaf french bread
1 medium onion, diced
4 C low sodium chicken broth
1/2 C (1 stick) butter
2 C celery, chopped
1/4 C chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp dried basil
2-3 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1/2 tsp ground thyme
salt (to taste)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Slice the cornbread and french bread into 1" cubes. Spread out over baking sheets and let dry out for 24 hours.
   
2. Heat a large skillet over medium and add butter. When butter is melted, add onion and celery; cook for a few minutes until onion is almost translucent. While it's cooking, chop herbs.
3. Add 4 cups chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add basil, ground thyme, rosemary, and parsley. Stir until combined.
4. Place all your dried bread cubes into a LARGE mixing bowl and toss them a bit. Gradually ladle the broth mixture into the bread, tossing lightly as you go. Continue ladling broth into bread, tasting as you go and adding more herbs as desired. Add salt carefully - you don't want this to be too salty! If the mixture isn't moist enough add a little more chicken broth and stir. The mixture should be light and moist, but not soggy.
   
5. Either stuff your bird and cook according to bird directions OR place in a 9x13 baking dish and bake @ 350 for 20-25 minutes; until golden brown.
   

NOTES:

I halved this recipe to make only one 9x13 pan (pictured above). It's way more than enough for 2 people, but I'm telling you we could've eaten the whole dish. I cannot wait until Thanksgiving so I have an excuse to make this again. Also, follow the link to PW (above) and she has a printable version of the recipe and lots of in-process pictures.

let's get cooking!

wOOt! our very own recipe blog. here's what i'm thinking:

• post WHENever and WHATever you want, so long as it's edible and delicious
• include good directions (e.g. pan size, serving size, cook time etc.)
• clarify adaptations you use/have tried when appropriate
  
• write labels for each recipe post, as many as you need so we can find the recipe by clicking on a label. these should be general like: pasta, side dish, chocolate, dessert, cake, casserole, chicken, crockpot, fruit, breakfast, main dish ETC.
• give credit where credit is due (i.e. where you got the recipe if it's not yours and you remember where you got it :)
  
• take a picture of the dish! we like pictures
  

i invited everyone to be a writer on this blog, so everyone should be able to post (let me know if you can't). i'll manage the format - to make it easier for all - and we can certainly change the formatting, colors, title, or whatever...just let me know your ideas.

okay, then... GET COOKING & GET POSTING!!!