Quinoa Salad

1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
1 can chick peas
1 bunch chopped up fresh parsley
1 finely chopped red onion
3 cups sliced cherry or grape tomatoes
1 yellow tomato chopped
1 large peeled and chopped hot house cucumber
1 lemon juice and peel grated
1/3 cup olive oil
sea salt to taste
Toss all ingredients together, chill and serve.

Turkey Chili

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon chili pepper flakes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (14.5 ounce) can beef broth
1 (7 ounce) can salsa
1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes, or coarsely chopped tomatoes packed in puree
1 (7 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 large can pinto beans
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Crumble turkey into the pot, stirring with a wooden spoon to break apart as much as possible. Season with taco seasoning mix, coriander, oregano, chili flakes, and tomato paste, and mix until meat is evenly coated with seasonings. Continue cooking, reducing heat if necessary, until turkey is well browned.
Pour in beef broth, and simmer to reduce liquid slightly, about 5 minutes. Add salsa, tomatoes, and green chilies,pinto beans and continue cooking at a moderate simmer for ten minutes. Adjust the thickness at any time you feel necessary by adding water.
While chili is still cooking, heat one tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook onion and green bell pepper, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, or until onion is translucent and bell pepper is lightly browned. Add onion and bell pepper to the chili, and continue cooking at a very low simmer.
Adjust the consistency with water as needed.
Ladle chili into serving bowls. Top with yogurt, green onion, and cheddar cheese, and serve.

Chocolate Cake

My grandson turned 3 yesterday and his Daddy and Mommy had a pirate party for him today. I had some problems with the cake but he seemed to really like it. I sure am glad he is only three. The cookie recipe you will find on this page under cutout cookies and they are listed under memories, I was thinking yesterday about when I made that same recipe for his Mommy when she turned five.

2 cups hot coffee
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 1/4 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 3 - 9 inch round cake pans. In medium bowl, pour coffee over cocoa, and whisk until smooth. Let mixture cool. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at time, then stir in vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the cocoa mixture. Spread batter evenly between the 3 prepared pans.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool.

Frozen Yogurt

I have been camping for the past ten days. We had two of our boys and three of their friends for seven of the ten days, then off and one two of my daughter, son, son-in-law and grandson came up to swim and join us for dinner, we had a blast. I am one who can't wait for camping trips to be over but I really want to go back. Anyhow back to the recipe and why we bought a ice cream make....Well we are going back camping the 4th of July and then we thought why not make our own ice cream while we are camping....then I thought okay lets make frozen yogurt so it will be a little healthy, if you notice my recipes I don't do a lot of healthy, I really did want to make this healthy but they I changed the recipe and did my own thing and I have to admit it is really good. :o)


2 cups  plain yogurt
2 cups pureed fresh strawberries
1 3/4 c whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
3 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Fill cylinder of ice cream freezer two-thirds full; freeze according to manufacturer's directions. Refrigerate remaining mixture until ready to freeze. Allow to ripen in ice cream freezer or firm up in refrigerator freezer 2-4 hours before serving. Remove from the freezer 30-45 minutes before serving

Coffee Cake

This is the coffee cake my family demans I bring camping with us.

1-½ stick butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour, sifted
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1-¼ cup milk
3 whole egg whites, beaten til stiff


Topping:

1-½ stick butter, softened
¾ cups flour
1-½ cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons cinnamon
1-½ cup pecans, chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt
Beat egg whites and set aside

In same mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar
Add flour mixture and milk alternately until combined; don’t overbeat
Fold in beaten egg whites with a rubber spatula until just incorporated
Spread in a well-greased 9 x 13  baking pan
In a separate bowl, combine topping ingredients with a pastry cutter until crumbly. Sprinkle all over the top
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes til a toothpick inserted comes out clean and nicely brown on top. Mine seemed done but not brown, so I turned on convection heat for a few minutes

Club Sandwiches

My son has been talking about Club Sandwiches for awhile now so I figure I would make them for dinner. I did them just a little different this time. I know you all know how to make club sandwiches but I wanted to add it here for my son while he is away from home (he joined the Air Force)  he can come on here and look for recipes. :o)

This is why this  blog got started, my kids were getting older and moving out and they would call home for recipes, so I started a blog, it was not this one (I have no idea where the first one went) but I started adding recipes they ate while growing up and then it took off it to this somehow. I would love to find the first blog I started and add all those recipes here.

Wheat Bread
Bacon
Ham
Turkey
Avocado
Lettuce
Tomato
Mayo
Toast bread. One on slice add mayo, turkey, Bacon, tomatoes, add another slice of bread (My husband loves mayo so I put some on all of his slices ours only has it on the top and bottom) then add ham, avocado and lettuce and then add the last slice of toasted bread and cut into 1/4 and stick a tooth pick in each 1/4 to keep together.

Hot Wings

This is my favorite recipe for hot wings...

½ cup butter or margarine, melted
¼ cup hot pepper sauce
3 tablespoons vinegar
24 chicken wing drumettes
1 packet (1 ounce) Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix
½ teaspoon paprika
1 cup prepared, Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix
celery sticks

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

In small bowl, whisk together butter, pepper sauce and vinegar. Dip drumettes in butter mixture; arrange in single layer in large baking pan. Sprinkle with salad dressing mix. Bake until chicken is browned, 30 to 40 minutes. Sprinkle with paprika.

Serve with salad dressing and celery sticks.

Chicken Fried Chicken

30 saltine crackers
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons dry potato flakes
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Place crackers in a large resealable plastic bag; seal bag and crush crackers until they are coarse crumbs. Add flour, potato flakes, seasoned salt, and pepper to bag and mix well. Beat egg in a shallow dish or bowl; heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. One by one, dredge chicken pieces in egg beat, then place in bag with crumb mixture, seal bag and shake to coat. Reduce heat to medium and cook coated chicken in skillet for 15 to 20 minutes, turning frequently, until golden brown and juices run clear.

Lentil Soup

1 pound French green lentils

4 cups chopped yellow onions (3 large onions)
4 cups chopped leeks, white part only (2 leeks)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
1/4 cup good olive oil, plus additional for drizzling on top
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 cups medium-diced celery (8 stalks)
3 cups medium-diced carrots (4 to 6 carrots)
3 quarts chicken stock
1/4 cup tomato paste
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese


In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain.



In a large stockpot on medium heat, saute the onions, leeks, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are translucent and very tender. Add the celery and carrots and saute for 10 more minutes. Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, and lentils. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, until the lentils are cooked through. Check the seasonings. Serve hot, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with grated Parmesan

•  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Turkey Pot Pie

I always buy an extra turkey at Thanksgiving so I decided to bake it and figure out what I was going to do with it later.
After making turkey avocado sandwiches I decided to make pot-pies with the rest.


Chopped up turkey
2 cup frozen peas and carrot mixture
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1 3/4 cups broth from the juices you baked the turkey in, you can add more broth if there was not enough.
2/3 cup milk

2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.)
In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.
Place the turkey/veggie mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

 
 

Apple Bars

1/2 cup Dried apples
1/2 cup Organic Medjool Date
1/2 cup Almonds (unsalted)
1/2 cups walnuts (unsalted)
3 tsp Cinnamon.

Place dates and apples in a food processor and pulse to make into paste. Addnuts and cinnamon and pulse mixture to grind up. Press into a loaf pan linedwith plastic wrap. Or you can roll into balls and roll in unsweetenedcoconut.

Chicago School Peanut Butter Cookies

These are my favorite peanut butter recipe, I have been making them for years.

1 1/4 pound (5 sticks) butter, softened

2 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 3/4 cups brown sugar, packed

1 pound peanut butter

3 eggs

5 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add both sugars and mix until no granules remain, about 5 minutes. Add peanut butter and mix until combined. Add eggs; continue to beat on high speed for 1 minute. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly add flour mixture to butter mixture; stir until well-blended. Drop dough by heaping tablespoonsful onto greased baking sheets. Flatten dough with palm of hand to form 3-inch circles that are 1/4 inch thick. Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned on the bottom

Apple Spice Friendship Bread

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup Amish Friendship Bread Starter (Recipe below this one, needs 11 days to make starter)
• 3 eggs
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 apples - peeled, cored and finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Lightly grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon nutmeg, cloves, baking soda and salt, set aside
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the Amish Friendship Starter, eggs, oil and vanilla. Gradually stir in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Finally stir in the chopped nuts and apples. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a loaf comes out clean.

Friendship Bread Starter

So I started the recipe for the starter seven days ago and I have to say it is one of the best Starters I have ever made, in a few days I will be making the bread to go with this. I seen the book forsale at Costco but was in a hurry so I was not able to get it. I think it would make a wonderful Mother's Day gift, or a gift for any reason with a bag of the starter and a loaf of bread. I will post the link to her page, she has a lot of recipes on there I have only made a pumpkin Friendship bread so I am pretty excited to try out a lot of the recipes, there is even a weight watchers recipe.
http://www.friendshipbreadkitchen.com/
Amish Friendship Bread starter is passed from one friend or neighbor to another, usually in a Ziploc bag or ceramic container.
Starter Ingredients
1 (0.25 oz) package dry active yeast
¼ cup warm water (110 degrees F)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 cup milk
1. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in water. Let stand for 10 minutes.
2. In a glass, plastic or ceramic container, combine flour and sugar. Mix thoroughly.
3. Slowly add in milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Cover loosely and let stand at room temperature until bubbly, and then transfer to a plastic bag. This is Day One of the ten-day cycle.
4. For the next 10 days, care for your starter according to the below instructions. Do not refrigerate the starter. It is normal for the batter to rise and ferment. If air gets in the bag, let it out. Do not use a metal bowl or spoon.

Day 1: Do nothing
Days 2 – 5: Mash the bag.
Day 6: Add to the bag 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk. Mash the bag.
Days 7 – 9: Mash the bag.
Day 10: Pour entire bag into a nonmetal bowl. Add 1-½ cup flour, 1-½ cup sugar, 1-1/2 cup milk. Measure out 4 separate batters of 1 cup each into four one-gallon plastic bags. Keep one the bags for yourself and give the other bags to three friends along with this recipe.

Baking Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Put the remaining batter in a bowl and add the following:

3 eggs
1 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1-½ teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour
1-2 boxes instant pudding (any flavor)
1 cup nuts, chopped (optional)
1 cup raisins (optional)

3. Grease two large loaf pans.
4. In a bowl, mix an additional ½ cup sugar and 1-½ tsp cinnamon.
5. Dust the greased pans with sugar/cinnamon mixture.
6. Pour the batter evenly inot the pans and sprinkle the remaining mixture on the top.
7. Bake for one hour or until the bead loosens evenly from the sides and a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.

Pretzels

4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 1/4 cups warm water (110
degrees F/45 degrees C)
5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/3 cup baking soda
4 cups hot water
1/4 cup kosher salt, for topping
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add one or two tablespoons of water. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water.
When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and twist into a pretzel shape.
Once all of the dough is all shaped, dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution and place on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, until browned.

OK, I have to say before you go looking at the photo below, my 15 year old son and myself should never be allowed in the kitchen together. He wanted to make pretzels and we were the only ones home so I figured we would, it turned into a snake eating a mouse. Then I had the crazy idea of adding red food coloring for special effects. But he had fun and that is all that matters in the end....well.....

Cake Pops

I will have a few recipes to post today and tomorrow for you all. I just hope I remember to take photos, I get so busy anymore I forget about the picture until it has all been eaten.
So last night my daughter and I were making cake pops and then I got a sweet little surprise helper who came over, my grandson Noah. He did such a great job making cake pops and then he took a bag home for his friends.
Here is the photo of the cake pops we made.
http://www.bakerella.com/category/pops-bites/cake-pops/
I need a lot of work on mine, I have no idea how she gets hers to look so good, we have figured it is wood she is working with as the pop. LOL

 

Cinnamon Rolls

1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup margarine, melted
4 1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
Filling
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Frosting
1/3 cup butter, soften
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, soften
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

We are having a breakfast at church tomorrow morning, what better way to start it off then getting the kids all full of sugar. :o)
• Place yeast and water in a bowl until creamy, mix with next five ingredients. Mix well, knead on a flour surface for about five minutes. Put into a large oil bowl and cover with a cloth until double in size.
After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

•  

Carrot Cake

                                                                           Happy Easter

4 eggs
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, white sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Fold in pecans. Pour into prepared pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
4. To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in chopped pecans. Frost the cooled cake.

PHILLY Dinnertime Dilemma House Party

I signed up to host a PHILLY Dinnertime Dilemma House Party and was picked as one of the winners. It does not take much for me to host a dinner party anyhow any excuse for a get together. It was a strange week to host the Party but I thought we needed a break from all the stress from the week, my husband had surgery at 1:00am Thursday morning and then some other medical problems going on in our family so this was nice.
All it takes is spending time with family to make you forget all your troubles.

Well anyhow back to the dinner....
I was to use the new Philadelphia cooking creme on a  recipe and invite a few people over, I decided to try two of their recipes and change them up a little. I got some coupons for buy one get one free, a nice frying pan, 14 page pamphlet with recipes, magnets, wooden spoons, coupons for $1.00 off, note pad and a cooking mitt.

Here are a few recipes I tried

Lemon-Broccoli with Rice and Chicken

1 T olive oil
1 lb boneless chicken breast, cut into strips.
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tub (10oz) Philadelphia garlic cooking creme
2 cups broccoli, blanched, then cut into florets.
2 tsp lemon zest
2 cups hot rice

Heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken, garlic and pepper; cook 5-6 minutes or until chicken is done, stirring frequently.
Add cooking creme and broccoli; cook and stir 2 minutes. Stir in lemon zest.
Serve over rice.

The other recipe I made was...

1/2 lb bacon cut into 1/2 inch pieces.
1/2 cup chopped red onions
1 lb asparagus, cut into 1" pieces
1 tub (10 oz) Philadelphia Italian Cheese and Herb cooking Creme
1/2 cup milk
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 lb fettuccine, cooked

Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Remove bacon from skillet with splotted spoon, reserving 2 T drippings in skillet. Drain bacon on paper towel.
Stir onions and asparagus into drippings; cook and stir 3 minutes or until crisp tender. Add Creme, milk and peas;cook three minutes. Add bacon and pasta; stir to coat.

I served this with Jalapeno cheddar bread and olive bread along with a salad and strawberries. For dessert I threw, and trust me when I said threw together some brownies and my daughter brought over some yummy Blondie's.

 Go to http://www.kraftbrands.com/philly/Pages/default.aspx and check out some recipes and give it a try.
I think they would be great on a bagel, or as a dip on crackers or veggie as a quick snack. I would love to make a chicken, bacon pizza with the garlic creme. I will be posting a few more recipes once I try them. Since I has nine people eating at my house I doubled the recipes I posted above and have left overs for tomorrows lunch.
I bet a potato soup would be great with the garlic creme....there is also a South Western one I want to try next.
Here are the recipes for the brownies. I kind of measured the ingredients but not to the exact amount but this will give you an idea.

Brownies
3/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup instant coffee (do not add water, add dry)

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 eggs

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8 inch square pan.               

In a large bowl, blend melted butter, sugar and vanilla. Beat in eggs one at a time. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Gradually blend into the egg mixture. Spread the batter into the prepared pan.               

Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until brownies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Let brownies cool then move on to the next step.

1 8oz Philadelphia cream cheese

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup vanilla yogurt

Beat cream cheese with sugar until whipped, fold in yogurt. Spread on top of cooled brownie, chill in the fridge and then top with frosting recipe below.

1 1/2 cup soften butter

powder sugar....Make as sweet as you want I just poured it from a bag, maybe 4 cups  

vanilla

milk I added between 1/4-1/2 cup

Whip ingredients together until smooth and add on top of the cream cheese mixture on top of brownies.             

Lentil Soup

1 pound French green lentils
4 cups chopped yellow onions (3 large onions)
4 cups chopped leeks, white part only (2 leeks)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
1/4 cup good olive oil, plus additional for drizzling on top
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 cups medium-diced celery (8 stalks)
3 cups medium-diced carrots (4 to 6 carrots)
3 quarts chicken stock
1/4 cup tomato paste
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese


In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain.



In a large stockpot on medium heat, saute the onions, leeks, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are translucent and very tender. Add the celery and carrots and saute for 10 more minutes. Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, and lentils. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, until the lentils are cooked through. Check the seasonings. Serve hot, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with grated Parmesan

Apple Bars

These are a little like the Larabars.

1/2 cup Dried apples
1/2 cup Organic Medjool Date
1/2 cup Almonds (unsalted)
1/2 cups walnuts (unsalted)
3 tsp Cinnamon.

 Place dates and apples in a food processor and pulse to make into paste. Addnuts and cinnamon and pulse mixture to grind up. Press into a loaf pan linedwith plastic wrap. Or you can roll into balls and roll in unsweetenedcoconut. 

Asparagus Bacon Quiche....low carb way!

I figured out if I copy the photo also I can paste it on here. So I post them on my facebook first then I come on here and post the recipe and the picture.

Package of ham slices
1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
3 eggs
1-1/2 cups half-and-half cream
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 tablespoon sliced green onions
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Spray a cupcake pan with Pam. Lay ham slice in pan.
Cook asparagus in a small amount of water until crisp-tender, about 3-4 minutes; drain well. Arrange the bacon and asparagus in the  ham crust.
In a bowl, beat eggs; add cream, 1/2 cup cheese, onions, sugar, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Pour over asparagus. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
  Bake at 400° for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Pizza Quiche

For some reason I cannot post photos on here, if you would like to see what it looks like go to my facebook food blog.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Aprils-Home-Cooking/112189978816473#!/notes/aprils-home-cooking/pizza-quichethis-is-really-good/193704210640980

1 cup shredded Swiss cheese, divided
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups half-and-half cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes,undrained
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon dried basil
12 slices pepperoni, chopped
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup sliced ripe olives

 Preheat oven to 375 degrees F My daughter Kristine made this with pepperoni for the crust. So spray muffin pan with Pam, add pepperoni to bottom of pan.
 Sprinkle with 2/3 cup Swiss cheese. in a bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, salt, oregano, cayenne and pepper; pour over cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. 2. Meanwhile, in a skillet, saute onion in oil until tender. Stir in the tomatoes, thyme, sugar and basil. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until liquid has evaporated. 3. Sprinkle remaining Swiss cheese over quiche. Top with the tomato mixture. Sprinkle with the pepperoni, mozzarella cheese and olives. Bake 5 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting.

Salmon Burgers

These salmon burgers look so good that Paula Deen was making this morning. Thought I would share the recipe with you all.

1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced

1/2 cup yellow bell pepper, diced

3/4 cup panko

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 pounds salmon fillets, skinned and finely chopped

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

Cooking spray

Sesame Mayonnaise, recipe follows

8 buttered and toasted sandwich buns

8 lettuce leaves

8 slices tomato

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine peppers, panko, garlic, and salmon.

In a small bowl, combine egg, soy sauce, lemon juice, and salt; add to pepper mixture, tossing gently to combine. Form mixture into 8 patties.

Lightly coat a grill pan or skillet with cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat until hot. Grill or cook patties, 5 minutes per side, or until desired degree of doneness. Spread Sesame Mayonnaise evenly over toasted buns. Top each with a lettuce leaf, tomato slice, and salmon patty. Cover with tops of buns.

Sesame Mayonnaise:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Cover and chill.

Yields: 1 cup

Fluffy Oatmeal Raisin Sandwich Cookies

You know I have to add one of Paula Deen's in here. I think I am going to switch out the chocolate with Nutella..

I am also going to do this and make ice-cream sandwiches with them and make a few with chocolate chip cookes, peanutbutter cookies and maybe a sugar cookie.

1 cup butter, about 2 sticks, at room temperature

1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar

1 large egg

1/4 cup milk

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats

1/2 cup raisins

Hot fudge sauce, as needed

Marshmallow creme, as needed (recommended: Fluff)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease 2 or 3 baking sheets or line with silpats.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until creamy.  Add the egg and the milk and beat until combined.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Gradually add the dry ingredients to butter mixture, beating until incorporated. Stir in the oats and raisins.  Form the cookies by dropping heaping 2 tablespoonfuls of the batter onto the prepared baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet, spacing evenly.

Bake until the cookies are lightly browned, about 11 to 13 minutes. Let them cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.

Spread a small dollop of the fudge on the inside of 6 cookies. Spread a large dollop of the marshmallow creme on the inside of another 6 cookies.  Sandwich the cookies together and transfer to a serving platter.

Lemon Pie Cookies

OK, today is my foodnetwork recipe day.

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups confectioners' sugar, divided, plus more for garnish

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 lemons, zested and juiced, divided (about 2 tablespoons zest and 2 tablespoons juice)

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, 1 cup of the sugar and salt
until smooth. Add all of the lemon juice and half of the zest. On a low speed,
add the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until just incorporated. Turn the cookie dough
out onto a board and roll it into a log. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate
for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Remove log from the refrigerator and cut it into thin 1/4-inch thick discs.
If using 1 baking sheet, bake the cookies in batches. Arrange the discs on 2
silicone or parchment lined baking sheets, 1-inch apart, and bake until the
edges are just golden, about 20 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and
transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile, using stand mixer or hand mixer, mix cream cheese with the
remaining 1 cup confectioners' sugar and remaining half of the lemon zest.

Top half of the cookies with the cream cheese mixture and cover with another
cookie to make a sandwich. Dust the top of the cookie sandwiches with
confectioners' sugar and serve

Marshmallowy" Frosting:

Was watch foodnetwork today and seen this recipe for frosting, well there was a cake she made to go with it but I just want the frosting recipe. :o)

5 tablespoons cool water, plus more for the double boiler

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

2 egg whites, room temperature

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Frosting:

Pour some water, about 2 inches deep, into a saucepan to create a makeshift double boiler. Put the pan
on the stove and bring the water to a gentle simmer. Dip the instant-read thermometer into the
simmering water to clean any impurities off the end and to test that the
thermometer works.
In a clean, large mixing bowl, combine the 5 tablespoons of cool water, cream of tartar, sugar, egg whites and corn syrup. Gently lower the bowl over the simmering water. Turn off the heat under
the pot. Use an electric hand beater to whip the whites over the water. Do not leave the egg white
mixture unattended or stop beating any time during this process.
After about 3 minutes, remove the bowl from the heat, set the beater down and
quickly take the temperature of the egg whites. You want them to reach 140
degrees F. If you measure the temperature before they reach that point,
immediately put the bowl of whites back over the water and resume beating until
they are finished, an additional 2 to 3 minutes.
Remove the bowl from the water and fold in the vanilla extract. It should look like marshmallow fluffiness. Set the frosting aside to allow
the mixture to cool. Frost the cake by, as my father used to say, "glopping" the
frosting all over the top and the sides. Serve
immediately.

A little change.

Well I make a pulled pork a lot and pulled beef but today I opened my freezer and seen two package of chicken and some vanilla beans. I figure there was nothing I could really make for dinner with the vanilla beans but knew what to do with the chicken. I figure I would make pulled chicken. I have to say I think this is so much better, not all that fat and the flavor is really good.

Chicken Asparagus Chowder

Here is the recipe changed up a little as to how I make it. I sometimes add thyme but I like it better without it. I do not measure when I put it together but I always add more chicken, asparagus and potatoes since those are what we like. Also the recipe calls for 5 strips of bacon, I don't know about your family but five strips would be the amount for one person in mine. I just left it for you to add what you want. I sometimes will but the bag from Costco (real bacon bits) not that hard fake stuff. I will admit it is better with bacon you fry yourself. I think the more the better but I love bacon. I also some times just throw the bacon in with the soup before I put it on the table. I know I have the recipe on here someplace with a picture but I cannot find it.

1 broiler/fryer chicken (3 to 3-1/2 pounds)  If I want to save a little time I will use about 5 chicken breast

5-1/2 quarts water

4 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules

bacon strips, diced

3 medium carrots, chopped

2 medium onion, chopped

1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

3 cups cubed peeled potatoes

1 tablespoon salt

1-1/2 teaspoons dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream 

Place chicken, water and bouillon in a Dutch oven or soup kettle. Cover and slowly bring to a boil; skim foam. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 45-60 minutes or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken from broth; let stand until cool enough to handle. Remove 1 cup broth and set aside.
In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon to paper towels to drain, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings. Saute the carrots, onion and asparagus in drippings over medium heat until crisp-tender. Add to kettle along with the potatoes, salt, thyme and pepper; return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Combine flour and reserved broth until smooth; stir into soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove chicken from bones; discard bones and skin. Cut chicken into thin strips; add to soup along with cream and parsley. Heat through (do not boil). Sprinkle with bacon just before serving. 16-18 servings

Salted Toffee Blondies

I have not made these before but they look so good I wanted to share them with you.

http://restlesschipotle.com/index.php/2011/01/06/salted-toffee-pecan-blondies/