Surprise From the Garden

Due to the extreme heat, this hasn't been a good year for tomatoes.  But this recipe was really a fun one and a surprise ingredient.  To be frank, most everyone loved it, except for Clayton who really couldn't make the switch.  It was originally published in the Deseret News.

Mock Raspberry Jam 
(Green Tomato Jelly/Refrigerator)

Southern depression-era cooks longed for the taste of raspberries were scarce.  So they improvised.

Ingredients:

5 cups finely chopped green tomatoes
4 c. sugar
6 ounces (2 small packages) raspberry Jell-O

Directions:

Measure tomatoes into a large saucepan.

Add sugar and bring to a boil over medium heat; let cook for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

Skim foam from the top and discard.

Add the Jell-O, and stir well so the mixture doesn't stick to the pan.  Bring to a low boil, and boil for 1 minute.

Pour into sterilized jars or plastic containers, and cover tightly.  Let cool before refrigerating.

Keeps in refrigerator about 3 weeks.  Makes 4-6 half-pint jars.

(Originally in Jams & Jellies in 30 Minutes by Pamela Bennett)

I loved making this and thinking about my sisters who lived through the depression.  But this is a great use of green tomatoes.  I found that the jam kept a lot longer than 3 weeks in the fridge.  Would be a fun gift for visiting teaching sisters.

Guess the Ingredient

From time to time, my Mom and I like to choose recipes that call for surprise ingredients and then see if anyone can guess what the mystery ingredient is.

We already have a few such recipes on our blog. Though, when you are serving these, you might not want to tell anyone what the recipes are called, because in most cases, the title gives away the secret ingredient. I'm also surprised that we don't have more "guess the ingredient" recipes on our blog. I will have to remedy that situation in the future!

Here are the existing "guess the ingredient" recipes (again, don't divulge the title too soon! Make them guess the ingredient first! Or at least try to guess it!), to refresh your memory:

• Peppersass Cookies (hot sauce)
  
• Yogurt Frosting (yogurt)
• Chocolate Nutella Hearts (canned chocolate frosting and Nutella)
• Cottage Cheese Jello Salad (Jell-O)
• Pepsi Pot Roast (Pepsi)
• Snow Ice Cream (snow)
• Chinese Take-Out Lemon Chicken (Jell-O)
• Herbal Sodas (fresh herbs from your garden)
• Strawberry Glazed Bacon (strawberry jam)
• Potato Pinwheels Candy (mashed potatoes)

I'll have to dig up some more of these recipes. For instance, mashed potatoes are a surprisingly versatile food and they can successfully sneak into a lot of foods. My Mom made a wonderful peppermint patty-ish recipe once that used mashed potatoes that was fantastic. Mashed potatoes are also used to make an Italian pasta called "gnocchi." My sister included a gnocchi recipe on our blog this year. However, I didn't include it in the "guess the ingredient" category because to anyone who is familiar with Italian food, they will know that potatoes are the main ingredient in gnocchi.

My Mom also made a very yummy fudge that was made with black beans a few years ago. If my memory serves me, she also made another candy (a type of candy bark) with saltine crackers. We'll have to try and hunt down those recipes and post them later.

However, today I'm going to share a beef stew recipe that uses grape jelly! Who knew? It adds an amazing flavor to the stew. It is a very easy and basic stew, but the grape jelly takes it to another level so the taste has more depth. Unless you tell, no one will ever guess that this stew has grape jelly in it!

Above: Jammin Beef Stew in my slow cooker--with clean up made a lot easier thanks to the plastic slow cooker liner. I can't live without those! Oh, and I apologize for the presentation of the stew in the picture at the top of this post. I didn't think to take a picture until after we had eaten. So, what you see is the portions I served up in plastic containers for my husband to take to work with him for lunch the next two days.

Jammin Beef Stew

Ingredients:

No-stick cooking spray
2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, plus additional, to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus additional, to taste
1 cup chopped yellow onions
3 carrots, cleaned and sliced on a diagonal
2 bay leaves (optional)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup Concord Grape Jam/Jelly
1 (14.5 oz) can beef broth or water
6 new potatoes, quartered
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (which I forgot to add, as usual)

Directions:

Stove Top Method:

spray a 4 1/2 quart Dutch oven with no-stick spray.

Place meat in pot. Combine flour, salt, and pepper. Toss with meat to coat evenly. Add onions, carrots, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce, tomatoes, grape jam, broth or water. Mix to combine ingredients.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add potatoes, simmering 30 minutes more or until meat and potatoes are fork-tender. Remove bay leaves. Add chopped parsley, stirring to combine gravy. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Slow Cooker Method:

Spray slow cooker with no-stick spray or use slow cooker liner.

Place meat in cooker. Combine flour, salt, and pepper. Toss with meat to coat evenly. Add onions, carrots, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce, tomatoes, grape jam, broth or water, and potatoes. Mix to combine ingredients.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours (or on high for 5-6 hours) or until meat is fork-tender. Remove bay leaves. Add chopped parsley, stirring to combine gravy. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Source: I found this recipe on the Allrecipes website. It was submitted by Smucker's (as in the folks who make jams and jellies).

Notes: I increased the beef stew meat to 3 pounds. I also used more potatoes. I used baby carrots rather than peeling and slicing whole carrots. Since I had increased the other ingredients, I also used 1 cup grape jelly and two cans of beef broth. My slow cooker was packed full to the brim. I checked it at about 3 p.m. and the potatoes and beef weren't very tender, so I increased the heat to high heat for the last two and a half hours of cooking. It did the trick and the potatoes and beef were fork tender. Seasoning with salt and pepper to your taste is very important. Don't skip that step at the end.

Cookies: One Little, One Big...Guess Which One Packs a Punch?

Jennifer Roper Stott has an amazingly fun blog and she posted an intriguing recipe. See the link below:

http://www.jensfavoritecookies.com/2011/07/28/black-pepper-cookies/

Well, this reminded me of a cookie that I had made once years ago. I thought it, too, had black pepper in it; but my memory does not serve me well. The ingredient that packed the punch was TABASCO. Check it out. It brings heat to the table. The recipe comes from a book called "The Great Amerian Cookie Book.

Peppersass Cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups sugar, divided

2/3 cup butter or margarine, at room temperature

1 egg

2 teaspoons TABASCO brand Pepper Sauce

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat 1 cup sugar and butter in large bowl with electric mixture at low speed until well blended. Add egg, TABASCO Sauce, vanilla and flour mixture; beat until smooth.

Divide dough in half; place halves on plastic wrap. Shape each half into log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Cover and refrigerate until firm, 2 to 3 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place remaining 1/2 cup sugar in shallow dish. Cut dough logs into 1/4 inch thick slices; dip each slice in sugar. Place slices 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until cookies are golden around edges. Cool on wire racks. Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

Cook's notes: Some of the easiest cookies to make are refrigerator cookies. But they often aren't the prettiest and they never seem to make as many as promised. I used red sugar to give them some color. Final verdict is that they look and taste like a crisp sugar cookie with a little tang. And then comes the heat. Interesting and surprising.

This second cookie is a family favorite. However, it's a really temperamental recipe; but well-worth it. The recipe calls for butter, but I find that the margarine gives it a nice crisp outside texture. I made the recipe for years with no problems (Emily even won a blue ribbon at the county fair and got chosen for state at the age of 10.) and then the cookie started not working out. It turns out that manufacturers had changed out the ingredients in cheaper brands of margarine and they were no longer as effective for baking. I find that Blue Bonnet works the best. Also, it works better if the kitchen isn't really hot. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour and the cookies will end up being the crispy and cakey finished product that you want. Like I say, a little finicky, but my family will tell you that's it is well worth it. BTW, the recipe came out of the Ladies Home Journal magazine about 30 years ago. Oh, and I ALWAYS double it.

Giant Snickerdoodles

Ingredients:

1 c. butter or margarine, softened

1 1/2 c. plus 2 Tablespoons sugar

2 eggs

2 3/4 c. flour

2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

In large mixer bowl with mixer at medium speed, cream butter, 1 1/2 cups sugar and eggs until light and fluffy, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. In a separate bowl combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture until well blended. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat over to 375 degrees. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon in a flat open bowl. Shape dough into 2 inch balls and roll in cinnamon-sugar. Place 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet (Cookies will spread!). Bake 12 - 15 minutes until golden brown. (Snickerdoodles will pull up at first, then flatten out to giant size during baking.) Remove from cookie sheet and cool on wire rack. 2 dozen.

Happy Birthday to Me!

My birthday was last Thursday. I always like to make cakes, so I made myself a very simple cake. My husband offered to make me one, but you know, I kind of like to do it myself. I didn't have as much time to devote to cake-making as I have in years past due to the fact that I have a really little baby and a two year old who both take up a lot of time. However, I made one of my old, super easy, cake favorites. A simple white cake baked according to the directions on the package and topped with a mixture of Cool Whip and Yoplait yogurt. It may sound strange, but you have to trust me. It makes for one of the most refreshing, light, and easy frostings you can imagine.

As a special birthday gift to myself, I decided to make a recipe I've been meaning to try for years: a copycat version of Macaroni Grill's Chicken Scaloppine.

I'm the kind of person that always orders the same thing when I go to a restaurant. Sure, I'll try something different...until I find something crave-able. Once I've made such a find at a restaurant, I never turn back. It might be boring...but it's safe. How many times have you been faced with the following decision at a restaurant: the tried and true yummy dish you've had time and time again vs. the tasty looking and appealing, but shot-in-the-dark, new dish? And how many times have you been disappointed when you ordered the new dish only to wish that you'd gone with your old stand-by?

Plus, I so rarely get to go out to eat these days that I just can't afford to take that chance! However, maybe next time I go to Macaroni Grill, I'll try something new because now I can make their Chicken Scaloppine at home! Seriously, it tasted so close to what you can get at the restaurant.

I am including the original version of the recipe as well as the recipe I made with my own changes.

Now, I'll just need to try Olive Garden's recipe for Stuffed Chicken Marsala at home someday...maybe I'll do it for my birthday next year. Because seriously, these restaurant recipes are pretty ingredient-heavy and they aren't usually low-fat either. Just the ticket for a once-a-year kind of celebration! And did you know that Olive Garden has a recipe section on their website? It really has some great recipes on it! Check it out. I wish more restaurants did that. I mean, come on, it hasn't made Olive Garden lose any business, has it? I don't think so!

I love Chicken Scaloppine. The recipe that my sister, Laurie, shared just the other day for Chicken Piccata (because let's be honest here, Macaroni Grill's Chicken Scaloppine is basically Chicken Piccata with a bunch of other yummy things thrown in) is the traditional, basic, and much lighter version of this recipe. But sometimes you want to indulge and splurge. Besides, I knew that I wouldn't be able to get out to go to dinner!

Oh, and just a note: I'm going to include the recipe for the lemon cream sauce as I found it online. I'll explain more in the recipe notes, but the sauce didn't work out for me, so I created my own. I will share my version of the sauce recipe as well.

Buon appetito!


Simple Cool Whip Yogurt Frosting

Ingredients:

1 regular sized tub of Cool Whip
1 container Yoplait yogurt--any flavor

Directions:

Mix Cool Whip and yogurt together until well-blended. Use to frost the cake of your choice.

Source: My Mom found this recipe suggestion years ago in a magazine or something. You can find many suggestions by doing a Google search of your own. Betty Crocker also has a similar frosting/cake recipe on their website.

Notes: I used peach Yoplait yogurt and it was fantastic. Strawberry also works well. My husband bought the larger sized tub of Cool Whip and and two containers of Yoplait peach yogurt. So, I mixed the two together. I like a lot of frosting, so I used more than I would have by following the regular recipe, but I didn't use up all of the frosting because it definitely made a lot. I would compare this frosting to the whipped cream frostings you can get at bakeries. If you wanted a simple white (non-fruit) whipped cream frosting, you could mix in some vanilla yogurt instead of fruit yogurt. The yogurt gives it a nice tang and it changes the consistency of the Cool Whip so that it is similar to whipped cream frosting. Yum!

Oh, and I always put a dollop of frosting on the cake plate prior to placing the first cake layer on the plate. It helps the cake stay in place while you are frosting it.



Macaroni Grill Chicken Scaloppine (Original Copycat Recipe)

Ingredients:

Lemon Butter Sauce:

4 ounces lemon juice
2 ounces white wine
4 ounces heavy cream
1 pound butter
Salt and pepper, to taste

Chicken and Pasta:

8 (3 ounce) chicken breasts, pounded thin
Oil and butter for sauteing chicken
3/4 cup flour, seasoned with salt and pepper, for dredging
6 ounces pancetta (I used prosciutto instead of pancetta because that's what Macaroni Grill uses)
12 ounces mushrooms, sliced
12 ounces artichoke hearts, sliced
1 tablespoon capers
1 pound cappellini pasta, cooked
Chopped parsley, for garnish, if desired

Directions:

To make the sauce:

Heat the lemon juice and white wine in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and reduce by one third. Add cream and simmer until mixture thickens (3-4 minutes). Slowly add butter until completely incorporated. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and keep warm.

To make the chicken and pasta:

Heat a small amount of oil and two tablespoons butter in a large skillet. Dredge chicken in flour and saute in pan, turning once, until browned and cooked through. Remove chicken from pan and add pancetta or prosciutto, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and capers. Heat until mushrooms soften and are cooked; add chicken back to pan.

Cook pasta according to package directions.

To serve:

Place cooked pasta on each plate. Add half of butter sauce to chicken mixture and toss. Taste and adjust, adding more sauce if needed. Place chicken mixture over pasta. Garnish with parsley. Alternately, mix pasta and chicken mixture together. Toss with butter sauce.

According to the Copycat version, it serves 10. I think it would serve 10 if you had bread and salad, but if you just serve the pasta, it serves 6-8.

Source: I found this on the cdkitchen website. Here's the recipe's exact link.

Macaroni Grill Chicken Scaloppine (My version)

Ingredients:

Lemon Butter Sauce (my version):

1 cup whole milk or 1 can evaporated whole milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 stick butter
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon capers, drained

Chicken and Pasta:

8 (3 ounce) chicken breasts, pounded thin
Oil and butter for sauteing chicken
3/4 cup flour, seasoned with salt and pepper, for dredging
6 ounces pancetta (I used prosciutto instead of pancetta because that's what Macaroni Grill uses)
12 ounces mushrooms, sliced
12 ounces artichoke hearts, sliced
1 tablespoon capers
1 pound cappellini pasta, cooked
Chopped parsley, for garnish, if desired

Directions:

To make the sauce:

Melt butter in a saucepan. Remove from heat. Using a wire whisk, very slowly add whole milk or evaporated milk and lemon juice. Then simmer over low heat until completely heated. Season with salt and pepper. Add capers. Remove from heat and keep warm.

To make the chicken and pasta:

Heat a small amount of oil and two tablespoons butter in a large skillet. Dredge chicken in flour and saute in pan, turning once, until browned and cooked through. Remove chicken from pan and add pancetta or prosciutto, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and capers. Heat until mushrooms soften and are cooked; add chicken back to pan.

Cook pasta according to package directions.

To serve:

In a large serving bowl or platter, toss pasta, chicken mixture, and sauce all together. Forget the parsley because you almost always forget to add the parsley garnish anyway! Serve!

Notes: Here is why I made the changes to the recipe that I did.

There was NO way that I was going to use a whole pound of butter to be used on a pound of pasta. So, I tried to change up the sauce to make it without the pound of butter. I basically used equal parts lemon juice and cream, and a half pound of butter with a splash of white wine vinegar. I did NOT like the sauce at all. To me, it tasted nothing like what you get in the restaurant. Having the ratio of the lemon juice equal to the whip cream made it too bitter for my taste. Plus, it had kind of an unpleasant sweet flavor to it. So, then, I tried all sorts of things to "fix" the sauce. But nothing helped. Maybe it really did need a whole pound of butter for the ratios to be correct. But I couldn't justify eating that.

So, I threw the first sauce effort down the sink. I then made my version which had 1 cup of whole milk (I had used up all of my cream), 1/2 cup of lemon juice, 1 stick of butter, salt and pepper, to taste, and capers. It tasted so much like the restaurant version. I was quite pleased with it. It coated the pasta and chicken mixture nicely...and it didn't use a whole pound of butter! Though, after throwing the first sauce down the sink, I did go through almost a whole pound of butter. Oh well.

My only warning with using milk instead of cream is that you can't add the milk while the butter is super hot, otherwise the milk will curdle. If this happens, I suggest adding a little cornstarch, and then bringing the sauce to a low boil to thicken the mixture. The cornstarch thickening the sauce will help the sauce look smoother, and it will coat the pasta better. However, if you use evaporated milk, you won't have to worry about it curdling.

Also, the restaurant doesn't serve up a whole chicken breast. So, I butterflied the chicken breasts and pounded them thin. I cut them into medallion sized pieces. It helped it cook much more quickly and made it easier when it came to tossing the whole pasta/chicken/sauce mixture together. In the future, I might actually slice the chicken into strips before tossing it with the pasta.

There's no need to cook the prosciutto prior to adding it in with the other ingredients after you've finished cooking the chicken. However, I would suggest sprinkling the prosciutto into the mixture rather than throwing it in all at once. I put mine in all at once and the prosciutto kind of stuck together.

Above: I made this again recently (July 2013) and took more pictures. The other pictures had been taken with my old camera. The pictures were too dark and didn't do the pasta justice. I wanted a picture that showed just how delicious this pasta really is.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Yes, I'm still pregnant, but my husband is relieved that we didn't have a baby on Valentine's Day...especially since we already have a niece with a Valentine's Day birthday!

As you might know (since I created a chocolate hazelnut ice cream recipe which I posted last September), I'm a sucker for the combination of chocolate and hazelnut. So, when I ran across this recipe for a chocolate-covered-hazelnut-flavored-truffle-like concoction, I couldn't resist trying it. It turns out that they are fantastic! They are so rich...you won't be able to eat a ton, but you'll be glad you ate the ones you did. I was especially intrigued by this recipe because it called for prepared/canned chocolate frosting. It works (and tastes) great!

Also, I've already shared my sister-in-law's recipe for sugar cookies (aka cugar shookies due to my mom's initial mix-up of the name), but she made some more for Valentine's Day, so I thought I would share the recipe again...just in case you missed it. My mom is legendary for mixing up the names of things...especially in fast food drive-throughs. For instance, once she ordered an "Argy's roaf beast sandwich with fries to drink." Luckily the Arby's employee had a good sense of humor about it. His response? He said "I can give you fries, but I'm not sure you'll be able to drink them." Argy's roaf beast doesn't really roll off the tongue, but I think cugar shookies has a nice ring to it...so the name has stuck! It's one of the many things that helps set these sugar cookies apart from the rest of the crowd. These are the most melt-in-your mouth soft sugar cookies you'll ever come across.

I'm including another sugar cookie recipe that is slightly firmer. I don't like crunchy or hard sugar cookies. However, one fun way to decorate sugar cookies is to make Stained Glass or Window Sugar Cookies. These are especially cute for the holidays. I'll include some basic instructions following the second sugar cookie recipe for how to make stained glass/window sugar cookies. These stained glass window cookies would work a little better with a slightly firmer cookie than the Cugar Shookies recipe.

So, when you're in the mood for a few Valentine's Day treats, you can't go wrong with chocolate and classic frosting-covered sugar cookies.

Chocolate Nutella Hearts

Ingredients:

1 tub (16 oz) chocolate frosting
1 cup Nutella or other chocolate-hazelnut spread
2 1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 lb. chocolate-flavored candy coating
Sprinkles or other decorations, if desired

Directions:

Place the chocolate frosting and the Nutella in the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until combined.

Stop the mixer and add the powdered sugar and cocoa powder, then turn the mixer to low. Mix until the dry ingredients are completely incorporated, stopping periodically to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, as needed.

After mixing, you should have a candy that is soft enough to shape, but firm enough to hold its body--similar in texture to Play-Doh. If it seems too soft, you can add additional powdered sugar, if it is too stiff, you can knead in an extra spoonful or two of Nutella.

If you don't have a small heart cookie cutter, you can form the hearts by hand, although this method is more time-consuming. If you do have a small cookie cutter, roll the candy out between two sheets of waxed paper until it is about 1/2 inch thick or a little thicker.

Use the cutter to cut out as many small hearts as you can fit. You can knead the candy scraps back together and roll it out again to cut more hearts.

Once you have your hearts cut out, melt the chocolate candy coating in a microwave-safe bowl, stirring after every 45 seconds to prevent overheating. STir until the coating is smooth and free of lumps.

Use a fork or dipping tools to dip a heart into the melted candy coating. Remove it from the coating and scrape the bottom against the lip of the bowl to remove excess coating. Place the dipped heart on a foil-covered baking sheet and repeat with remaining hearts and coating.

If desired, decorate with sprinkles while wet, or drizzle the hearts with white, pink, or red candy coating. Chocolate Nutella Hearts can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator or at cool room temperature for up to two weeks.

Source: About.com recipe created by Elizabeth LaBau.

Notes: I just used a hand mixer to incorporate all of the ingredients together. Towards the end, I had to knead it with my hands a little because it was thicker than the mixture could handle, but it worked fine. I doubled this...and I did NOT need to. It makes a lot. It's a really fun and easy recipe to make, but it's pretty time-consuming if you're doing it alone. At the end, I rolled the extra chocolate/Nutella mixture into little truffle-sized balls and rolled them in powdered sugar. This didn't really work out though. The Nutella makes these somewhat moist and as a result, it absorbed the powdered sugar by the next morning. They really do need to be dipped in chocolate (they are prettier and tastier that way--even though they do take a little longer to make).

I love Elizabeth LaBau's recipes on About.com (I also got the Halloween eyeball recipe that I posted in October from her too). Her recipes are written in a very detailed manner--so much so that often they tend to look a lot more difficult than they actually are. I like having all the details. It's great to read through and get all of her tips, but after that, just follow your instincts. It's not as hard as it looks!

Basically, the shortened version of this recipe could read as follows:

Blend together the frosting, Nutella, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder. Once you reach a consistency that is similar to Play-Doh, roll it out to about 1/2 inch thickness and cut out heart shapes with a small cookie cutter. Dip the hearts in melted chocolate-flavored candy coating. Place on a foil-covered baking sheet and allow it to set up. Decorate with additional sprinkles or drizzled candy coating, if desired.

Sugar Cookies aka Cugar Shookies

Ingredients:

1/2 c. butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. sugar
3 c. flour (you will need more flour)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt
1 c. sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Cream butter, eggs, and sugar. Combine rest of ingredients and mix well. Add extra flour until dough isn't too sticky, and chill for a couple of hours or overnight. Roll out and cut (they will be sticky so add more flour to roll them out). Bake 350 for 8-10 minutes.

Frosting:

Ingredients:

Powdered sugar
Butter
Milk
Vanilla, almond, or coconut flavoring

Directions:

Mix ingredients together in the proportions you desire to attain the consistency of frosting you prefer.

Source: My beautiful sister-in-law.

Karrie's Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
2 cups butter or margarine, softened
6 eggs
2 tsp vanilla (or almond flavoring)
1 pinch salt
7 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder

Directions:

Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs and vanilla. Add flour mixed with baking powder and salt. Roll out the sugar cookie dough and cut out cookies.

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Do not overbake (in fact, you don't even want these cookies to start to brown).

Sugar Cookie Glaze

Ingredients:

3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup warm water
1 tbsp light corn syrup
1/4 tsp flavoring (almond, orange, lemon, vanilla, etc.)
A couple drops of desired food coloring (if you want the frosting to be white, add a few drops of white food coloring. This makes the glaze opaque rather than transparent).

Directions:

Add corn syrup and extract to warm water in mixing bowl. Mix to dissolve syrup in warm water. Add sugar and food coloring.

Mix on low until you form a smooth glaze. Before putting it on the cookie, you want it warm. Store in a covered plastic container (no need to refrigerate).

Notes: This came from my Mom's friend, Karrie. When she gave the recipe to us, she called them "John's Sugar Cookies." I'm not sure who this John fellow is, but he makes a darn good sugar cookie!


Stained Glass/Window Sugar Cookies

Using your favorite sugar cookie recipe, roll out the sugar cookie dough. Use a cookie cutter to cut out the sugar cookies. Using a smaller cookie cutter or a knife, cut out a "window" in the center of the cookie. Crush some hard candies (Jolly Ranchers work great)--keep the colors separate--and sprinkle some crushed hard candies in the "window" before you put the cookies in to bake. Sprinkling some colored sugar over the cookies in a matching color to your "window" also looks really cute. The hard candy will melt, and once the cookies are cooled, you will have a lovely stained glass "window" in the middle of your sugar cookie! You can then frost or decorate the cookie or just leave it plain. The window is sometimes enough of a decoration! I would say, however, that a somewhat firmer sugar cookie might work better when you are making stained glass cookies.

I finally just posted some pictures of these cookies, but you can find more pictures online. If you do a Google search for "stained glass cookies," you'll find a lot of examples. But, if you don't want to do that yourself and you would like more examples of what I'm trying to explain here, check this out. Also, click here, here, or here. Or, check here. Or, check this out. Or, here's a cute picture.

We've made some particularly cute stained glass window sugar cookies with a snowflake cookie cutter that we have. Get creative! These snowflake cookies use a different cookie cutter than my favorite snowflake cookie cutter, but you get the idea!


Sugar Cookie Glaze

Ingredients:

1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 tablespoons water
Food coloring, optional

Directions:

Stir confectioners' sugar, corn syrup, and water together. Stir in food coloring, if desired. Frost on cookies. Dries quickly.

Source: Allrecipes.com, submitted by cyndi. You can find it here.

Sugar Cookie Frosting

Ingredients:

4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup shortening
5 tablespoons milk (or more, if needed, to reach desired consistency)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Food coloring, if desired

Directions:

In a large bowl, cream together the confectioners' sugar and shortening until smooth. Gradually mix in the milk and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth and stiff, about 6 minutes. Color with food coloring, if desired.

Source: Allrecipes.com, submitted by Kathy Brandt. You can find it here.

Notes: This is a great sugar cookie frosting (if you don't want to go with a sugar cookie glaze). I always find that I need more milk than called for in the recipe to make it more easily spreadable, however. Good stuff! 

Comfort Food Side Dishes

I'm not going to lie...when it comes to weeknight meals, side dishes are usually an afterthought for me. Some nights, it's enough work to get the main dish on the table...let alone worrying about throwing together some elaborate side dishes. My weeknight side dishes are usually very, very simple (consisting of staples like the following: salad, some kind of quick bread, and simple veggies--frozen, fresh, or canned).

But the side dish should not be overlooked. Sometimes the side dish ends up outshining the main dish! I'm going to share some very old family favorite side dishes (that fall into the comfort food category).

The first few recipes are pretty basic to LDS culture. In fact, I'm going to share two versions of the "Funeral Potatoes" since it's so common (a rich version and a lightened up version). Why are they called "Funeral Potatoes," you ask? I think it has to do with the fact that they are so easy to make, plus you can make them ahead of time and bake them just before they are needed. Because of those two factors, they tend to make an appearance at a lot of luncheons following LDS funerals. Or maybe it's just because when it comes to comfort food, they're to die for! (Please excuse the pun).

I'm sharing quite a few potato side dishes because, for me at least, potatoes are the ultimate comfort food. I LOVE them! I hope you like these recipes too.


Baked Beans

Ingredients:

2 (29 oz) cans pork and beans
2 chopped onions
1 diced green pepper
1 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup ketchup
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Combine all ingredients well. Can be mixed ahead and stored in the refrigerator overnight. Bake covered for 3 hours at 300 degrees. Top with additional bacon, if desired.

8-10 servings.

Source: My Mom has been making this for years. I'm not sure where she got it from.

Notes: These baked beans are the perfect balance of sweet and savory.


Cottage Cheese Jello Salad

Ingredients:

1 (16 oz) container cottage cheese
1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 (3 oz) pkg. Jello, any flavor
1 (8 oz) container Cool Whip

Directions:

Mix pineapple and Jello. Add cottage cheese and Cool Whip. Chill until set. Serve chilled.

Source: This is one of those LDS culture recipes that so many people make. I'm not sure where the original recipe came from.

Notes: For those of you who haven't had this, I know it might sound weird to combine cottage cheese, pineapple, Jello, and Cool Whip...but trust me, this stuff is addicting. I've also mentioned that I really don't like Jello in its jiggly form, but I love the flavor that it imparts to things when it doesn't become gelatin! The salad above is orange flavored with mandarin orange segments placed on top just for the heck of it.


Au Gratin Potatoes (aka Funeral Potatoes)

Ingredients:

6 medium potatoes (you can also use the equivalent amount of frozen, thawed, hash browns to speed up and simplify things)
1/4 cup butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup chopped green onions (you can also use white or yellow onions, if you prefer)
1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup crushed cornflakes or potato chips
2 tbsp melted butter

Directions:

Bake or boil potatoes, then peel and shred or grate them.

Heat 1/4 cup butter with soup. Add sour cream, onion, and cheese. Mix well. Pour into 9x13 pan or casserole dish. Sprinkle with cornflake/potato chip and butter mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Source: Probably just about every ward cookbook that has ever been printed.

  
Lightened Cheesy Potatoes (Funeral Potatoes)

Ingredients:

1 (10 3/4 oz) can reduced-fat, reduced-sodium condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese (4 oz)
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1/2 cup light dairy sour cream
1/3 cup finely chopped onion (green, white, or yellow), or 2 tablespoons dried minced onion
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (30 or 32 oz) package frozen shredded or diced hash brown potatoes, thawed
1/2 cup crushed cornflakes or potato chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 2 quart rectangular baking dish; set aside. In an extra-large bowl, combine soup, cheese, milk, and sour cream, onion, and pepper. Stir in potatoes. Spread mixture evenly in prepared baking dish.

Cover and bake for 45 minutes; stir potatoes. Sprinkle with cornflakes/potato chips. Bake uncovered, for 20-25 minutes more or until heated through and bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

12 servings.

Nutrition Information: 129 calories, 3 g fat, 11 mg cholesterol, 236 mg sodium, 20 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber.

Source: This lightened version came as a loose mini booklet with one of my Taste of Home magazines.

Notes: I like that it adds the bit about allowing it to stand 10 minutes before serving because these potatoes get hotter than the blazes of the sun! Watch out or you could seriously burn your tongue.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Cheese

Ingredients:

6 large potatoes, cleaned and quartered (not peeled)
2 large cloves garlic, quartered
3 tbsp butter
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup half and half
Cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:

Put potatoes and garlic in a large pot of water. Bring to a boil and cook for 40 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. When potatoes are done, melt butter in a separate saucepan, then add half & half. Warm for 2-3 minutes on low. Drain potatoes and garlic. Mash together, then add butter, salt, and half & half. Mash to desired consistency (smoothly mashed or lumpily smashed...it's up to you). Top with shredded Cheddar cheese.

Serves 6.

Source: Again, with some of these recipes that my Mom has been making for years, I have no idea where she got this from.

Notes: We now usually double or triple this since our family has grown.

Above: Add a little bacon too, if you like!

Mr. Wendel's Potato Salad

Ingredients:

7 lbs. potatoes
1 jar Best Foods Mayonnaise (regular size--larger jar)
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp prepared yellow mustard
1 1/2 tbsp dry mustard
1/ tsp (heaping) pepper
2 tsp salt
3-4 medium dill pickles, diced
1 medium onion, chopped very fine
Large handful of fresh parsley, minced
12 eggs, hard boiled, peeled, and quartered

Directions:

Boil potatoes in a large pot of salted water with the skins on. The skins will peel off easily after they have cooked (so you can save yourself the step of having to peel the potatoes prior to cooking them).

Slice the potatoes lengthwise only (they break up further when you stir all of the ingredients together). Then stir in mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, prepared mustard, dry mustard, pepper, salt, diced dill pickles, chopped onion, and minced parsley. Mix well.

Once everything else is mixed, stir in the eggs (adding them too early will break them apart too much). Chill until ready to serve.

Source: I had the most awesome choir teacher (Mr. Norman Wendel, as evidenced by the title of this recipe) when I was in high school. I was always very self-conscious about my singing voice, but he gave me the confidence to get out there and perform. Honestly, if it weren't for him, I don't think I would have had the guts to audition for the music program at BYU. Largely because of him, I graduated as a Vocal Pedagogy major. I wish all music teachers could be like him. He buoyed me up and taught me so much about music (technical music theory as well as how to just plain love and enjoy music). I tried out for his Madrigal group while I was in high school and got put on the party planning committee. For one of our parties, we had a potluck and Mr. Wendel brought this fantastic potato salad (I made sukiyaki...a recipe to share another day!). I craved this potato salad for years afterward and begged for the recipe. The problem was that he was one of those cooks who creates a recipe in their mind, but never writes it down. Luckily for me, his daughter (who I was in Madrigals with) finally pinned him down and watched him make it while she wrote down the methods, measurements, and equivalents for this recipe. She then shared this recipe with me. Yum! I'm sooooo grateful!

Notes: This is definitely a savory potato salad with some bite to it. I love the addition of dill pickles and hard boiled eggs. If you like a wussy, bland, or sweet tasting potato salad, this one isn't for you. Coincidentally, this potato salad is very similar to the potato salad that my in-laws have been making for years too (a recipe that THEY made up too. Though I'm not sure if they wrote theirs down or not). Destiny or coincidence? You decide!

Also, the picture I took doesn't do it justice.  This is a fantastic potato salad.  Here's what I did this time around: I made the whole batch, but I divided it into two bowls.  One bowl had pickles and eggs, the other bowl didn't.  All of the other ingredients stayed the same.

The Many Faces of Pot Roast

There are a lot of variations on slow cooker pot roast out there. I've tried quite a few...and do you know what? I've liked most of them! I mean, what's not to love about a meal that you throw into the slow cooker in the morning and then by dinner time, you have a savory and filling meal that is main dish and side dish in one?

I made a pot roast tonight because it is my son's second birthday. He can be kind of a fussy eater sometimes. But he loves tender potatoes and carrots and the last time we had a pot roast, he gobbled it up without having to be coerced. That always makes me happy! He ate the roast, potatoes, and carrots tonight quite happily!

So, I thought I would share a number of great pot roast recipes with you. I would love to hear any other pot roast recipes that you might have discovered as well.

From my experience, the best way to get a tender roast and vegetables is as follows: make sure the roast is completely thawed prior to putting it in the slow cooker, make sure there is plenty of liquid to keep the roast moist and tender, and finally, don't cook it for too short a period of time. The roast might technically be done (in that it is fully cooked) after only six hours, but it might need that extra two hours or so to become fork tender.

I am only including one picture for pot roast, because honestly, doesn't all pot roast end up looking more or less the same? I mean, you've got your roast and you've got your veggies. The sauce/gravy varies slightly for each recipe, but I think with one picture you get the idea! The exception is when you opt to skip the vegetables and serve the roast with mashed potatoes and gravy. But I think we all know what that looks like!

Tonight (pictured above), I made a very easy pot roast recipe that called for A1 steak sauce. Honestly, that is what drew me to the recipe initially. I like A1 and I was curious to see how it would work in a pot roast recipe. The answer? Quite well. It adds a definite tang or kick to it. Anyway, we all liked it and I hope you will too! The other recipes are just as scrumptious! Don't forget to use the slow cooker liners to save time on your clean up!



Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Ingredients:

1/2 cup A1 Original Steak Sauce
1/2 cup water
1 pkg. (0.9 oz) onion-mushroom soup mix
1 boneless beef chuck eye roast (2 1/2 lb)
1 lb. baby red potatoes
1 pkg. (1 lb.) baby carrots
1 onion, thickly sliced

Directions:

Mix first 3 ingredients.

Place meat in slow cooker. Top with vegetables and sauce; cover.

Cook on low for 8-9 hours (or on high for 6-7 hours).

Source: Kraft Foods recipe (found on www.kraftrecipes.com)

Notes: I didn't mix the first 3 ingredients prior to adding them to the slow cooker. I placed the meat in the slow cooker and topped the meat with the soup mix, water, and A1. I also generously salted and peppered the meat and vegetables prior to cooking. I used a larger roast than the recipe called for and increased the A1 steak sauce to about 3/4 cups (because I had increased the meat, potatoes, and carrots).

Slow Cooker Cranberry Roast

Ingredients:

1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
1 (3 pound) beef chuck roast
1 (16 ounce) can jellied cranberry sauce
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Directions:

Place onion soup mix in the bottom of a slow cooker. Place roast in the slow cooker and top with cranberry sauce.

Cover, and cook for 8 hours on low.

Remove roast, and set aside. Set slow cooker to high. Whisk together melted butter and flour. Slow mix into the liquid remaining in the slow cooker to create a thick gravy. Slice or thickly shred roast while gravy is thickening. Serve gravy over the roast.

Source: Allrecipes.com, submitted by ATLANTAKIM

Notes: I sprinkled the soup mix over the roast and then topped that with the cranberry sauce. I also used a little more flour than called for in the recipe and I created my slurry with water rather than with butter.

Spade L Roast Beef

Ingredients:

1 beef roast (2-4 lbs)
Spade L Ranch Beef Seasoning
1/2 cup of water

Serving suggestion: Serve with mashed potatoes. Use the roast drippings to make a gravy to pour over the roast and mashed potatoes.

Directions:

Place meat in slow cooker. Rub Spade L Ranch Beef Seasoning onto the roast, according to your taste. The more you use, the spicier your roast and gravy will be. Cover, and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Source: I don't know. This is a recipe that my Mom has been making for years.

Notes: If you would like to use the roast drippings to make gravy, simply use 1-3 packaged beef gravy mixes and substitute the water called for on the package with the beef drippings. If you don't have enough drippings, supplement with water to get the amount of liquid called for on the gravy packet. This makes some spicy and tasty gravy!

I usually find Spade L Ranch Seasonings easily in the grocery store (I usually shop at Smith's). But if you can't find it, check out their website here.

Pepsi Pot Roast

Ingredients:

3-4 lb. pot roast
1 package dry onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom soup
12 oz Pepsi (not diet)
2-4 chopped carrots (or use baby carrots)
2 celery stalks, chopped
Potatoes, cubed (I usually just eyeball the amount of potatoes when I am filling the slow cooker)
1 onion, thickly sliced

Directions:

Place roast in slow cooker. Sprinkle dry onion soup mix over the roast and pour can of cream of mushroom soup and Pepsi on top. Add vegetables.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Source: Again, this is one of my Mom's recipes and I'm not sure where she got it from.

Notes: You can either slice or thickly shred the roast, depending on your preference.

Italian Pot Roast

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 can whole tomatoes in puree (28 ounces)
1 1/4 pounds small white potatoes, scrubbed
1 large onion (cut into 8 wedges)
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped (or 1 tsp. dried and crumbled)
3 pounds beef chuck roast (trimmed and halved crosswise)
4 garlic cloves
coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions:

With a sharp paring knife, cut 4 slits in beef roast; stuff slits with half the garlic. Generously season beef with 1 1/2 tsps salt and 1 tsp pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over high heat, swirling to coat bottom of pan. cook beef until browned on all sides, about 6 minutes.

In a 5 quart slow cooker, combine beef, onion, potatoes, tomatoes (with puree), rosemary, and remaining garlic. Cover; cook on high setting until meat is fork-tender, about 6 hours (do not uncover while cooking).

Transfer meat to a cutting board; thinly slice (or thickly shred, if you prefer), and discard any gristle. Skim fat from top of sauce. To serve, divide beef and vegetables among bowls; generously spoon sauce over the top.

Source: Martha Stewart Everyday Food recipe.

Notes: When I made this, I browned the meat as suggested in the recipe. It adds a
nice color and flavor, but in my opinion, this step is not terribly necessary. If you are pressed for time, insert the garlic into the beef, place the uncooked and unbrowned beef directly into the slow cooker, and then add the remaining ingredients. You can also cook this on low for 8-10 hours.

Awesome Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Ingredients:

2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (1 ounce) pkg. dry onion soup mix
1 1/4 cups water
5 1/2 pounds pot roast
See notes for veggies that I added

Directions:

In a slow cooker, mix cream of mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix, and water. Place pot roast in slow cooker and coat with the soup mixture.

Cook on high setting for 4-6 hours or on low setting for 8-10 hours.

Source: Allrecipes.com, submitted by Brenda Arnold.

Notes: I also added some baby carrots, cubed potatoes, and one thickly sliced onion. I added veggies according to my taste (basically, I filled the remainder of the slow cooker with potatoes and carrots!).

Lindy's Pot Roast

Ingredients:

1 rump roast (or your favorite cut)

4-6 potatoes

1 onion

1 bag baby carrots

Beef broth (1 can, or about 2 cups)

2 small cans tomato sauce

Salt and pepper, to taste

Seasoned salt, to taste

Garlic salt, to taste

Onion power, to taste

Celery seed, to taste

Italian seasoning, to taste

Directions:

Season roast liberally with salt, pepper, seasoned salt, garlic salt, onion powder, celery seed, and Italian seasoning. 

Brown roast in a pan with olive oil.

Peel onion and cut into wedges. Put onion in bottom of slow cooker. Place browned roast on top of onions. Peel potatoes and chop into large chunks. Put potatoes into slow cooker. Add carrots. Stir tomato sauce and beef broth together and pour over the top. Cover and cook 8-10 hours on low heat.

Source: Lindy Kingdon.

Summer Soup

Well, I thought I'd continue my trend of posting seasonally inappropriate recipes!

Fall and winter are the perfect time for a hot bowl of soup. But what kind of soup can you enjoy in the summer when it is sweltering outside? Gazpacho, of course!

I don't mind winter...until about mid-January...and then I long for it to be over. This year hasn't been quite so bad because I have a sweet 2 year old son who is so much fun to play with in the snow. My son loves to eat the snow and you know what? I do too. That's one of the best things about snow. Not to mention the fact that my son loves snow ice cream too (and so do I!).

What? You've never tried snow ice cream? Okay, we'll take a quick detour...

Snow ice cream is so easy to make...as long as you have the right supplies! You just have to have a nice, fresh, pollution-free snowfall! There's no specific recipe either, because it's all about the right consistency and flavoring the ice cream to your taste. But here's the gist of it:



Snow Ice Cream

Ingredients:

Freshly fallen snow
Milk, to taste
Sugar, to taste
Flavoring of choice, to taste (vanilla extract, almond extract, other favorite extract flavoring, Italian Soda Syrup flavor of choice, etc.)

Directions:

Mix snow, milk, sugar, and desired flavoring together until you reach your desired consistency and taste. Use less snow if you want more of a shake-like consistency. Use more snow if you want a thicker ice cream. It's as easy as that!

Source: My grandma used to make this for my Mom and her sisters when they were kids. Then, my mom made it for us when we were kids.

Notes: You know, snow ice cream is one of the best things about winter. It brings back so many childhood memories for me. It just tastes soooooo good. The basic way to make it is to use vanilla extract for a basic vanilla snow ice cream. But I've used Italian soda syrup and made hazelnut and white chocolate snow ice cream so far this winter and those were super tasty too. So, get creative and have fun. If you're craving snow ice cream during the summer, you can satisfy your craving if you own an ice shaver or ice shaving machine. You can also make a snow slushy/snow cone and skip the milk altogether. You can mix the snow with Italian soda syrup, snow cone syrup, or soda pop until you find a consistency you like. I tried this with some sugar-free raspberry Italian soda syrup and it was really yummy--and a lot lighter on the calories too!

Okay...now on to the real purpose of this blog post. Gazpacho. Now, who wants cold soup in the winter time? Yuck! No one! But who wants a cold, refreshing, spicy, savory soup with a bit of crunch in the summer time? Most everyone (except my husband. He does NOT like gazpacho at any time).

I made the first gazpacho in the spring and summer, but failed to post it because I was waiting to get another gazpacho recipe from my mom...only to find out that I had the recipe all along! D'oh! It's kind of like The Wizard of Oz. The scarecrow, tin man, and cowardly lion travel to Oz to ask the Wizard for a brain, a heart, and courage...but they really had those things all along! I mean, come on, the scarecrow is always coming up with the game plan and the tin man cries at the drop of a hat. But the cowardly lion...well, he was pretty much a coward to begin with. So, I guess the trip to Oz was all for his sake!

Anyway, I hope you like these two gazpacho recipes.



Gazpacho

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups tomato or vegetable juice (such as V8)
1 cup peeled, seeded, finely chopped fresh tomatoes
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped cucumber
1/2 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped green onion
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Combine the juice, tomatoes, celery, cucumber, bell pepper, onion, vinegar, oil, garlic, parsley, salt, Worcestershire sauce, and black pepper in a large glass or stainless steel bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Serve cold.

Serves 5.

Nutrition information: 117 calories, 2 g protein, 13 g carbohydrates, 6 g fat, 1 g saturated fats, 690 mg sodium, 0 mg cholesterol, 4 g fiber.

Source: South Beach Diet cookbook (this is an older version...I'll have to get the publication year later).

Notes: This is time-consuming because it requires a lot of chopping, but it is tasty! I usually double it.


Rico Mexican Market's Shrimp Gazpacho

Ingredients:

32 oz. Clamato Juice
10 oz. cocktail shrimp
1/4 cup jicama, diced
1/4 cup avocado, diced
1/4 cup celery, diced
2 Tbsp. green onion tops, sliced
1 Tbsp. yellow onion, diced
2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp. garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Garnish: Hot sauce, lime juice, and salt to taste

Directions:

Combine all ingredients. Chill and garnish as desired.

Source: This is one of my Mom's recipes. Judging from the title, I'm guessing it originally came from a place called Rico Mexican Market!

Notes: If you like a chunkier gazpacho, feel free to increase the amounts of chopped vegetables. Also, I accidentally bought tomato juice instead of clamato juice (they were right next to each other in the grocery store and I somehow reached for the wrong one. I didn't notice my mistake until I got home). It works just as well with the tomato juice as the clamato. So, if you hate clamato juice, just use tomato juice.

Everything's Nice With Rice

Rice is one of my favorite foods. We didn't have much money growing up and I remember times when my mom would make Minute rice and serve it with sugar, butter and milk. I loved it. I still eat it sometimes for breakfast.

Well, my taste buds have progressed a little since then. Here are three recipes that go nice with rice!

Hoisin-Honey-Glazed Pork with Grilled Pineapple



1/4 c. hoisin sauce
1 T. honey
1 T. grated fresh peeled ginger
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 whole pork tenderloin
pineapple spears
2 T. brown sugar

Prepare outdoor grill for covered direct grilling over medium heat. In small bowl combine hoisin, honey, ginger, and oil.

Place pork on hot grill rack. Cover grill and cook 18 - 20 minutes, turning occasionally.

Rub pineapple spears with brown sugar.

Grill pineapple 10 minutes or until browned on all sides, turning over. While pineapple is grilling, brush pork with hoisin-honey glaze and turn frequently until temperature on thermometer reaches 155 degrees F. Transfer pork to cutting board; let stand 10 minutes.

Thinly slice pork and serve with pineapple wedges; and, of course, a side of rice!





"Chinese Takeout" Lemon Chicken
This one uses a surprise ingredient to make a yummy sauce!


Frozen chicken nuggets Or
1T. oil, 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken tenders

1 pkg (6oz) snow peas or snap peas (about 2 cups)
1 small red pepper cut into strips
2 pkg. (4 serving size) Jell-O brand Lemon gelatin
2 T. cornstarch
1 c. chicken broth
4 T. Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
4 cloves garlic, minced

If using fresh chicken tenders, heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken. Cook 4 minutes or until cooked through, stirring occasionally. If using chicken tenders at this point add snow peas and peppers; cook and stir 2 minutes. Continue to *

If using chicken nuggets, cook in oven as directed. Heat oil in skillet on medium high heat. Add snow peas and peppers; cook and stir 2 minutes. Continue to *

*Mix dry gelatin mix and cornstarch in small bowl. Add broth, dressing and garlic; stir until gelatin is dissolved. Add to skillet. Reduce heat to medium; cook 3 minutes or until sauce is thickened, stirring frequently. If using chicken nuggets, add them at this time.

Serve over hot cooked rice.


Halibut with Coconut-Red Curry Sauce
Surprisingly quick and easy!


2 t. canola oil, divided
4 (6 oz.) halibut fillets
1 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped green onions
1 T. grated peeled fresh ginger
1 c. light coconut milk
1 T. sugar
3/4 teaspoon red curry paste
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 T. fresh basil
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

1. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish to pan; cook 5 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Remove fish from pan; keep warm.

2. Add remaining 1 t. oil to pan. Add onion, green onions, and ginger; saute 2 minutes. Stir in coconut milk and the next 4 ingredients (through coriander). Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in basil and juice. Serve over rice.

This recipe is from Cooking Light, March 2009. I served it with the bok choy rice that was printed with the recipe, but I didn't like it because it overpowered the subtle curry flavor.

Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho!

I won't be givin' ya any recipes fer pirate drinks 'cause this here be a family blog, arrrrr! If ye be in the mood fer bootleg rum, ya better be goin' after another treasure map to be findin' yer booty! But come now matey, is there a better time to enjoy a nice cool drink to wet yer whistle than the summer time?

So, quit swabbin' the decks fer a minute and take a swig!

Herbal Sodas

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar
3/4 ounce fresh herbs, such as basil, lemon verbena, mint, tarragon, or thyme.
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Ice, for serving
Sparkling water or club soda, for serving

Directions:

Put sugar and 1 cup water into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat; add herbs. Cover; let cool completely.

Pour syrup through a fine sieve into a small bowl; discard herbs. Stir in lemon juice. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Fill glasses with ice. Add 2-4 tablespoons syrup; top with sparkling water or club soda, and stir.

Source: Martha Stewart Living, 2010.



Coconut Horchata

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked white rice
1 cup almonds
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
3 cups boiling water
1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
5 cups cold water, or more as needed
5 cups ice

Directions:

Place rice, almonds, and coconut flakes into a food processor. process until ground to the consistency of sand. Pour rice mixture into a bowl and stir in the boiling water. Cover and rest for 6 hours or overnight.

Strain rice mixture through a sieve twice, discarding the ground rice, almonds, and coconut. Stir in the coconut milk and sweetened condensed milk. Stir in the cold water and serve over ice.

Source: Allrecipes.com, submitted by Suzie.