Archive for the ‘Recipes’ Category

Crockpot Recipes

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

Slow-cooker Minestrone

3 cups water
1-1/2 pounds stewing meat, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 medium onion, diced
4 carrots, diced
14-1/2 oz can tomatoes
2 tsp salt
10-oz package frozen mixed vegetables OR your choice of frozen vegetables
1 Tbsp dried basil
1/2 cup dried vermicelli (We couldn’t find vermicelli, so we used orzo instead.)
1 tsp dried oregano
Added 1 15-oz can cannellini beans, because minestrone should have beans in it
grated Parmesan cheese

1. Combine all ingredients in slow-cooker. Stir well.

2. Cover. Cook on Low 10-12 hours or on High 4-5 hours

3. Top individual servings with Parmesan cheese

Also, we don’t add that much salt to our food.  We have sea salt in a grinder and I probably just added a couple turns of that.  I’m sure it wasn’t 2 teaspoons.

The 3 of us (Gary, Emily, and me) all loved it!  It was gone in a matter of days.

California Chicken

3-lb chicken, quartered
1 cup orange juice
1/3 cup chili sauce
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp molasses
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp garlic salt
2 Tbsp chopped green peppers
3 medium oragnes, peeled and separated into sections  OR
1 13-1/2 oz can mandarin oranges

1. Arrange chicken in slow cooker.

2. In separate bowl, combine juice, chili sauce, soy sauce, molasses, dry mustard and garlic salt.  Pour over chicken.

3. Cover; cook on Low 8-9 hours

4. Stir in green peppers and oranges. Heat 30 minutes longer.

Variation:

Stir 1 tsp curry powder in with sauces and seasonings.

Stir 1 small can pineapple chunks and juice in with green peppers and oranges.

Plus, I made Chunky Cinnamon Applesauce in the crockpot, from Two Peas and Their Pod.

I love using my crockpot, because you can set it up with a minimum of work, then go about your day, and supper’s made when you come home at 5 or 6pm. I made the applesauce during the night, then transfered the applesauce to a container to go in the fridge, washed the crock, and got the California Chicken all set to go.  I’ve used it 3 times in the past two weeks.

Today, it’s been snowing all day!  There are probably 7-9 inches on the driveway and it was very much NOT done snowing yet.  The snow is almost up to Jasmine’s belly.  I need to measure from belly to end of legs, to find out how many inches that is.  Emily did not get a snow day and my clinic hours went on, as scheduled, so no slacking for us! I’m glad I had nowhere to go tonight!

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Posted in Dog, Kids, Main Dish, My Life, Recipes, Weather | 2 Comments »

Yummy Summer Salad

Sunday, June 7th, 2009

Chicken Pasta Salad with Blueberries

Blueberry Vinegar:

1 cup fresh blueberries
2 cups white vinegar
2 T. sugar

Salad:

1 (9-oz) pkg. frozen French-cut green beans, thawed
3 cups shredded cooked chicken breasts(about 1-1/2 lbs.)
3 cups cooked spiral pasta (cooked without salt or fat)
1 cup fresh blueberries
3/4 cup thinly sliced celery
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
2 T. finely chopped fresh oregano
1/2 cup, plus 2 T. plain low-fat yogurt
1/4 cup plus 1 T. reduced-calorie mayonnaise
3 T. blueberry vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coarsely ground pepper
Lettuce leaves (opt.)

Blueberry vinegar: Place blueberries in a sterilized 1-qt. glass jar. Combine vinegar and sugar in a non-aluminum saucepan over high heat. Cover and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and pour vinegar mixture over blueberries. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 3 days. Strain blueberry mixture through several layers of cheesecloth into decorative jars; discard blueberries. Seal jars with a cork or other airtight lid. Yield: 2 cups

Salad: Place green beans between paper towels and squeeze until barely moist. Combine green beans, chicken, pasta, blueberries, celery, green onion and oregano in a large bowl. Combine yogurt, mayonnaise, blueberry vinegar, salt and pepper in a bowl; stir well. Pour over chicken mixture; mix gently. Cover and chill 2 hours. Serve on a lettuce-lined plate, if desired.

Yield: 6 servings (about 1-1/2 cups)

Cooking Light March 1995 (I think.  Can’t find magazine issue anymore and can’t verify online, either.)

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Posted in Finished Project, Main Dish, My Life, Recipes | No Comments »

American Girl Addy’s Recipes

Saturday, June 6th, 2009

I was in a panic tonight, when I couldn’t find the recipes online anywhere.  Then I remembered that I had the original recipes saved in my recipe box.  Sometimes I forget it’s there and I should remember, because there are lots of yummy recipes in it!

Addy’s Ice Cream (came with the ice cream freezer)

Ingredients:

4 T. whipping cream
1 tsp sugar

Equipment and supplies:

measuring spoons and cups
spoons
2 cups ice cubes
plastic bag
towel
hammer
salt

Directions:

1. Wash the canister, lid and dasher in warm, soapy water. Rinse them thoroughly and allow them to dry completely.

2. Keep the whipping cream in the refrigerator until right before you need it. Measure the 4 tablespoons of whipping cream into a measuring cup and add the sugar. Stir the mixture until all the sugar dissolves.

3. Insert the dasher into the canister and pour in the whipping cream and sugar mixture. Cover the canister with the lid and place it in the wooden bucket. Put the canister and bucket in the freezer for 30 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, place 2 cups of ice cubes in a plastic bag. Wrap a towel around the bag and crush the ice by hitting it with a hammer. Keep crushing the ice until it is broken into very small pieces.

5. Remove the canister and bucket from the freezer. With a spoon, pack a 1/2-inch high layer of crushed ice around the canister. Sprinkle a layer of salt over the ice.

6. Alternate layers of ice and salt until they reach the top of the canister.

7. Attach the wooden crosspiece and crank of the ice cream freezer.

8. Tun the crank rapidly. Keep turning until it becomes difficult. to turn (about 10-15 minutes). Remove the canister from the bucket and wipe the salt ice from it.

9. Open the canister, remove the dasher, and spoon the contents into a dish.  Your ice cream is ready to eat. It’ll be softer than store-bought ice cream — but delicious.

Makes about 4 tablespoons of ice cream

LOL! It’s a lot of work for 4 tablespoons of ice cream, but we did it once and it was good!

———————————————————————————————————-

We also have the cast iron spider, for making Sweet Potato Pudding.  I recall that was delicious, too!  LOL!

Sweet Potato Pudding

Addy and her mother used the recipe on the front to make sweet potato pudding. Try their recipe or use this modern version for baking your own pudding.

Ingredients:

3 sweet potatoes or yams, boiled until tender
1/3 cup butter
2 T. white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
Pinch of salt
1 egg, well beaten
2/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Shortening to grease baking dish

Equipment:

2 large mixing bowls
Vegetable peeler
Fork
Large wooden spoon
Measuring cups and spoons
12″ by 8″ baking dish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. When the boiled sweet potatoes are cool, peel them and put them in a mixing bowl. Mash them with a fork.

3. In the other large mixing bowl, combine the butter, white sugar, brown sugar, and salt. Beat until creamy.

4. Add the mashed sweet potatoes and stir until well mixed.

5. Slowly add the beaten egg, milk, and vanilla.  Beat until well mixed.

6. Sprinkle in the nutmeg and stir.

7. Grease the glass baking dish and pour in the mixture.

8. Put the baking dish on the lower rack in the oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes or until set. Allow the pudding to cool before serving.

——————————————————————————————————————-
Addy’s Spider:

You can make a pudding for Addy, too. First season the her spider according to the directions on the back of this card. Mix up the modern recipe for sweet potato pudding. At step seven, put some of the mixture into the greased spider, too. Put the spider on a cookie sheet in the top rack of the oven. Bake Addy’s little pudding at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until set.  Be careful when you take the spider out of the oven. It will be very hot.

Seasoning the Spider:

Ask an adult to help you season the spider before you use it the first time. Seasoning helps prevent rust.

Here’s what to do:

1. Use mild soapy water to wash the spider. Rinse and dry.

2. Put the spider on a cookie sheet in a 300-degree oven until the pan is warm, about 5 minutes.

3. Remove the spider from the oven. Spread solid vegetable shortening over every part of the pan, inside and outside, with a paper towel.

4. Put the spider back in the oven for 45 minutes.

5. Remove the spider from the oven. Be careful because it will be very hot. Let it cool for a few mintues and then, whilte it’s still warm, wipe off the shortening with a paper towel.

———————————————————
Addy’s original recipe

Peel and grate three sweet potatoes, pour on them nearly a pint of cold water, add flour, large spoonfuls of brown sugar, one large spoonful of butter, season with ginger. Bake for about 3 hours. (copied from recipe card that came with spider)

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Posted in Addy's Recipes, Desserts, Recipes | 1 Comment »

American Girl Addy's Recipes

Saturday, June 6th, 2009

I was in a panic tonight, when I couldn’t find the recipes online anywhere.  Then I remembered that I had the original recipes saved in my recipe box.  Sometimes I forget it’s there and I should remember, because there are lots of yummy recipes in it!

Addy’s Ice Cream (came with the ice cream freezer)

Ingredients:

4 T. whipping cream
1 tsp sugar

Equipment and supplies:

measuring spoons and cups
spoons
2 cups ice cubes
plastic bag
towel
hammer
salt

Directions:

1. Wash the canister, lid and dasher in warm, soapy water. Rinse them thoroughly and allow them to dry completely.

2. Keep the whipping cream in the refrigerator until right before you need it. Measure the 4 tablespoons of whipping cream into a measuring cup and add the sugar. Stir the mixture until all the sugar dissolves.

3. Insert the dasher into the canister and pour in the whipping cream and sugar mixture. Cover the canister with the lid and place it in the wooden bucket. Put the canister and bucket in the freezer for 30 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, place 2 cups of ice cubes in a plastic bag. Wrap a towel around the bag and crush the ice by hitting it with a hammer. Keep crushing the ice until it is broken into very small pieces.

5. Remove the canister and bucket from the freezer. With a spoon, pack a 1/2-inch high layer of crushed ice around the canister. Sprinkle a layer of salt over the ice.

6. Alternate layers of ice and salt until they reach the top of the canister.

7. Attach the wooden crosspiece and crank of the ice cream freezer.

8. Tun the crank rapidly. Keep turning until it becomes difficult. to turn (about 10-15 minutes). Remove the canister from the bucket and wipe the salt ice from it.

9. Open the canister, remove the dasher, and spoon the contents into a dish.  Your ice cream is ready to eat. It’ll be softer than store-bought ice cream — but delicious.

Makes about 4 tablespoons of ice cream

LOL! It’s a lot of work for 4 tablespoons of ice cream, but we did it once and it was good!

———————————————————————————————————-

We also have the cast iron spider, for making Sweet Potato Pudding.  I recall that was delicious, too!  LOL!

Sweet Potato Pudding

Addy and her mother used the recipe on the front to make sweet potato pudding. Try their recipe or use this modern version for baking your own pudding.

Ingredients:

3 sweet potatoes or yams, boiled until tender
1/3 cup butter
2 T. white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
Pinch of salt
1 egg, well beaten
2/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Shortening to grease baking dish

Equipment:

2 large mixing bowls
Vegetable peeler
Fork
Large wooden spoon
Measuring cups and spoons
12″ by 8″ baking dish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. When the boiled sweet potatoes are cool, peel them and put them in a mixing bowl. Mash them with a fork.

3. In the other large mixing bowl, combine the butter, white sugar, brown sugar, and salt. Beat until creamy.

4. Add the mashed sweet potatoes and stir until well mixed.

5. Slowly add the beaten egg, milk, and vanilla.  Beat until well mixed.

6. Sprinkle in the nutmeg and stir.

7. Grease the glass baking dish and pour in the mixture.

8. Put the baking dish on the lower rack in the oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes or until set. Allow the pudding to cool before serving.

——————————————————————————————————————-
Addy’s Spider:

You can make a pudding for Addy, too. First season the her spider according to the directions on the back of this card. Mix up the modern recipe for sweet potato pudding. At step seven, put some of the mixture into the greased spider, too. Put the spider on a cookie sheet in the top rack of the oven. Bake Addy’s little pudding at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until set.  Be careful when you take the spider out of the oven. It will be very hot.

Seasoning the Spider:

Ask an adult to help you season the spider before you use it the first time. Seasoning helps prevent rust.

Here’s what to do:

1. Use mild soapy water to wash the spider. Rinse and dry.

2. Put the spider on a cookie sheet in a 300-degree oven until the pan is warm, about 5 minutes.

3. Remove the spider from the oven. Spread solid vegetable shortening over every part of the pan, inside and outside, with a paper towel.

4. Put the spider back in the oven for 45 minutes.

5. Remove the spider from the oven. Be careful because it will be very hot. Let it cool for a few mintues and then, whilte it’s still warm, wipe off the shortening with a paper towel.

———————————————————
Addy’s original recipe

Peel and grate three sweet potatoes, pour on them nearly a pint of cold water, add flour, large spoonfuls of brown sugar, one large spoonful of butter, season with ginger. Bake for about 3 hours. (copied from recipe card that came with spider)

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Posted in Addy\'s Recipes, Desserts, Recipes | 1 Comment »

Yummy recipe!

Wednesday, April 9th, 2008

The Rachael Ray dinner was delicious.  I just finished eating it for the second time tonight!  We cooked up 6 chicken breasts, at once, since that would make 2 supper’s worth of sandwiches for the 3 of us.  We only made half a recipe (8-oz of pre-shredded cabbage), of the cole slaw and that was easily enough for 2 night’s worth, for the three of us.

It was also nice, that I’d done most of the hard work, on Monday night, since on Tuesday, I had to work at 5pm.  My hubby and daughter only had to assemble the sandwiches, and serve the coleslaw for last night’s supper.

Emily and I also know now, that in the absence of lemon juice to keep the avocado fresh, we can keep the second half in the peel, face-down on a plate, covered tightly with plastic wrap, to be able to use it the next night.  We meant to buy a lemon, but we forgot.  We also forgot to buy the green onions for the cole slaw.  Maybe next time!

It was definitely worth all the hard work of juicing 3 limes!  They are harder to juice, than lemons.

We had a sunny day today, which was nice, after all of yesterday’s rain.  It’s also supposed to rain tomorrow night.  That’s better than Duluth, MN, who is under a blizzard warning for tomorrow night!  Ugh.  Temp was in the low 50’s today.

I recently finished a new Monthly Dishcloth KAL.  This one was a spring scene with flowers in a field, called The Meadow.  It was designed by Lindy,  She’s only 16.  Doesn’t she do a great job?

Spring scene with flowers and a sun

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Posted in 2008 Dishcloth Challenge, Finished Project, Kids, Knitting, Main Dish, My Life | 1 Comment »

Version 2.5

Monday, April 7th, 2008

I upgraded tonight, but see that I lost my pretty decorations! It all works, but I don’t have time to fuss with the design! Maybe in the morning. I really have to go to bed. Also, the chicken that I cooked for tomorrow night’s supper, needs to be put into the fridge, now that it’s cooled a bit.

We are making a Rachael Ray 30-minute meal, although, what I did tonight, took longer than 30 minutes! LOL!

Honey-Lime Grilled Chicken Sandwiches and Five Vegetable Slaw

I marinated and cooked the chicken tonight, along with making the cole slaw!  Haven’t tried the chicken, but the cole slaw is delicious!

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Posted in Main Dish, My Life, Recipes | 2 Comments »

New snow!

Tuesday, February 13th, 2007

This morning, Sheboygan wasn’t in the snow advisory.  Then around 3pm, it started snowing and quickly became heavy.  Then they announced we WERE in the snow advisory area!  LOL!  We had already figured that out.  Now it’s about 8pm and we have several inches on the ground and it’s still coming down!  I have to go pick up my kids from pep band very soon and I’m not looking forward to it, since the roads are a little slippery!  Ugh.  Oh well, the new snow looks so pretty now.  The old snow was getting dirty and icky looking.

The kids and I had breaded porkchops for supper, with steamed broccoli and cauliflower, and baked potatoes with sour cream and cheese.  Yummy!  I’ll post the recipe for the pork chops, when I get back from picking up the kids!  Off I go, into the snow!

Breaded Pork Chops:

Prepare Pork Coating Mix (below). Dip 4 pork rib or loin chops, (1/2 to 3/4 inch thick), into 3/4 cup milk.  Shake each in Pork Coating Mix, coating both sides.  Cook on rack in shallow pan in 425 degree oven until done and brown, 30-35 minutes.
4 servings

Pork Coating Mix

2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground sage
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon paprika

Shake ingredients in medium plastic or paper bag.

Yummy.  It smelled so good in my kitchen with potatoes baking in the microwave and the pork chops roasting in the oven!  I should cook at home more often.

Posted in Dog, Kids, Main Dish, My Life, Recipes, Weather | 2 Comments »

Monday Madness 2-5-07

Monday, February 5th, 2007

Thanks to all of you who suggested questions. If I haven’t been to your site yet to grab them, I will be there soon! This week’s questions come from karen. Great questions, Karen! =)

1. What is your favorite main course to prepare?
Chili.  I don’t need a recipe.  It’s all in my head.
2. What is your favorite side dish to prepare?
Muffins to go with the chili.
3. Do you like to bake? If so, what is your favorite?
Bonnie Butter Cake – It’s my favorite cake!

Bonnie Butter Cake with Easy Penuche Frosting 

Cake:
1 3/4 c. sugar 
2/3 c. butter 
2 eggs 
1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla 
2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour or 3 c. cake flour 
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder 
1 tsp. Salt
1 1/4 c. milk  

Heat oven to 350^.  Grease and flour 9 x 13-inch pan or 2 9-inch round layer pans, or 3 8-inch round layer pans. Mix sugar, margarine, eggs, and vanilla until fluffy.  Beat on high speed, scraping bowl occasionally, 5 minutes.  Beat in flour, baking powder and salt, alternately with milk on low speed. Pour into pan(s).  Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, oblong 45 to 50 minutes, layers 30 to 35 minutes; cool.

Frosting 
1/2 c. butter or margarine
1 c. packed brown sugar 
1/4 c. milk 
2 c. powdered sugar      

Heat margarine in saucepan until melted.  Stir in brown sugar.  Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir over low heat 2 minutes. Stir in milk; heat to boiling.  Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm. Stir in powdered sugar gradually.  Place in bowl of ice and water; beat until frosting is smooth and of spreading consistency.  If frosting becomes too stiff, heat
4. What one dish would you like to learn to cook?
Risotto.  It looks so good, but it’s kind of putzy!
5. What is your worst cooking disaster?
When I forgot to put cornmeal under the pizza, when my pizza stone was new.  It stuck to the stone soooo bad.  We had to eat something else for supper.

Posted in Desserts, Memes, Monday Madness, Recipes | 5 Comments »

Cinnamon Apple Cake

Saturday, February 3rd, 2007

My work Christmas party is tonight!  We always do it way after Christmas!  The host is making beef tenderloins and cheesy potatoes.  The rest of us are bringing a dish to pass.  I decided to bring a dessert, since many people were bringing something besides dessert.

I decided to bring Cinnamon Apple Cake from Cooking Light.  The cream cheese in the batter give this cake lots of moisture. Because it’s so tender, use a serrated knife for cutting.

1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
3/4 cup (6 ounces) block-style fat-free cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter or stick margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups chopped peeled Rome apple (about 2 large)
 Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°. Beat 1 1/2 cups sugar, cream cheese, butter, and vanilla at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 4 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition; set aside.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, and beat at low speed until blended. Combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Combine 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon mixture and apple in a bowl; stir apple mixture into batter. Pour batter into an 8-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray, and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon mixture.

Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until cake pulls away from the sides of pan. Cool cake completely on a wire rack, and cut using a serrated knife.

Note: You can also make this cake in a 9-inch square cake pan or a 9-inch springform pan; just reduce the baking time by 5 minutes.

Yield: 12 servings

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 281(28% from fat); FAT 8.7g (sat 1.8g,mono 3.7g,poly 2.6g); PROTEIN 4.8g; CHOLESTEROL 39mg; CALCIUM 89mg; SODIUM 234mg; FIBER 1.2g; IRON 1.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 46.3g

Cooking Light, JANUARY 2000

It’s smelling so good in my house right now.  I can’t wait to try some.  13 people gave this recipe 5 stars!  I didn’t realize that, until it was in the oven.  I found the recipe in one of my Cooking Light magazines, not online.

My kitchen is sooo cozy, which is nice, since it’s only in the single digits outside.  Brrrr.

Posted in Desserts, My Life, Recipes, Weather | 1 Comment »