Oreo Truffles

Well, ya'll already know how to make these, but I'll put them up anyways.

I had a really good sunday school teacher when I was 17 and she brought us oreo truffles one week, because we were such a great class. Then I planned a laurels activity for us to go to her house and learn how to make them. They are so easy, but sooooo good....but sooo bad for you.

Then I made them when we went to Denver for Thanksgiving one year, and Aunt Paulene decided to learn how to make them and sell them in her candy business.

Now I have to make them every Thanksgiving and Christmas. I have pictures of Jesse shoving them in his mouth, and Sammy would get frustrated because after he had them, he thought thats what was in the the little white eggs in the carton and got really mad when amy would boil an egg and there wasn't a chocolaty oreo filling inside.

You need:
One package of Oreos
One package of Cream Cheese, softened
Almond Bark or White chocolate- if you're really good with it, one package is enough
Chocolate Chips

A food processor makes this whole process much, much easier. The oreos need to be crushed really finely. Then you mix in the cream cheese. Then you make 1 inch round balls, or as big as you want the truffle. They are pretty rich, so not too big. I usually fill up two cookies sheets. Then you chill them for a couple minutes so they don't fall apart. Roll them in the melted almond bark, if you're really good, you can make them look pretty too. Then after they chill again, you heat up the chocolate chips, put them it in a plastic zip-lock, cut the little corner and swirl chocolate over the top.

There ya go. They are easy, but they do take some time and almond bark can be awfully frustrating sometimes.

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Holiday Fare - Christmas Wreath Cookies

This is a variation of rice krispie treats. The rice krispies are replaced with plain cornflakes and then formed into wreath shapes. This recipe makes about 20 wreaths.1 cup butter6 cups miniature marshmallows1 tsp vanilla extractGreen food coloring8 cups corn flakes cerealRed hot candies (red cinnamon balls)licorice whipsThis can be made on the stove or in the microwave (I prefer micro myself)

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Holiday Fare - Buckeyes

This is a homemade peanut butter cup but in the shape of a ball. The kids love to help roll the I get request for these every year. They make a great homemade gift. This recipe makes a lot.1 lb butter2 18oz jars peanut butter3 lbs powdered sugar (also known as confectionery or 10X)2 12 oz bags of semi sweet chocolate chips1 bar of paraffin (found with the canning supplies)Cream together butter

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Holiday Fare - Melting Moments Cookies

These are one of my all time favorite cookies. They're crispy to bite into and immediately melt in your mouth. And who can resist buttery goodness? I tried to make a mega batch of these in the past and the cookies didn't come out well. So I tend to make a bunch of batches of these. The trick is to make more before you finish the previous batch so there's cookies to serve holiday company! :o)

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Fudgey Oatmeal Bars

These are really easy and one of my favorites from my in-laws.

Mix:

2 cups brown sugar
1 cup butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups of instant oats

Press half of the mixture into 13 x 9 pan.

Melt:
12 oz chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt

After melted, spread on the mixture in 13 x 9.
Put the other half of the oatmeal mixture on top of the chocolate spread.

Bake on 350 for 27 minutes. Let cool completely before serving.

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Tamales

That's right, suddenly I can make tamales. Here's the story first.

My co-worker was laid off, and I am stuck running the classroom by myself. We had planned to make tamales for a parent participation day, and I was scrambling to put together the project. I found a recipe online, I asked my boss to pick up the ingredients, and she told me that she already knew how to make them, so she would pick up the ingredients and show me. Then she brought me the ingredients for her tamales (different ingredients than for the recipe I found) and told me that she wished she could come to our fun activity, but she was at a conference for the rest of the week. Thanks alot. So I frantically searched online for a recipe that seemed to use her ingredients, but to no avail. The morning of the Tamale Day came, and I drove to work in a snowstorm, still wondering how to face the great tamale dilemma.

Here are the ingredients I had:
Corn Oil
Chicken Broth
Olives
One whole Chicken (plucked, not cut or de-boned. Emma HELP!!!!)
Masa
Corn Shucks
Chili powder
Can of fajita sauce
assorted spices from the kitchen
Shortening

Here is what I did:
Boiled the chicken in a pot of Fajita sauce and water.
Made the class of four-year olds wash their hands and "pull the yummy bits of chicken off and put them in the blue bowl. Put the yucky pieces in the Black bowl."
Voila. One shredded chicken. And 16 traumatized children.
Save the fajita sauce/boiled chicken juice. Pour it into the bowl of masa.
add some spices, some shortening, some corn oil, and some chicken broth, until it is about the consistency of cookie dough. All things can be likened unto cookie dough.
Soak the corn shucks in water this entire time (about 2 hours), and hand corn shucks out to the kids. Let them smear the masa dough onto the top half of the corn shuck, stick a handful of traumatically shredded chicken in the middle with an olive.
Fold it like a tamale.
Put it in a pan with a steamer in the bottom.
Once the pan is all full, fill the bottom of it with the rest of the broth and some water.
Steam them until they are done. We made about 30, and it took an hour to steam them. One parent said that 5 take abot 20 minutes. If they are taking a long time, you have to make sure that the pan doesn't steam itself dry. Just keep adding water/broth.

Here's the kicker people. They were a hit. The kids LOVED making them (talk about a sensory experience) and they were really good. I ate two. They were tasty. Parents took them home for dinner.

All I'm sayin is, if you ever need a fun (messy) FHE activity, this is it. You can simplify it in obvious places. No need to force your children to de-bone a chicken, just buy boneless skinless chicken. Or ground beef, or pork. Whatever meat works. I probably won't make them on my own, not without small children to enslave. Plus, it makes a lot of food.

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Candy Cane Cake

This is actually really easy. But it's a hit every time I do it, so keep it in the back of your mind for the next Christmas party...

Chocolate Cake Mix (and all the stuff to make it)
Chocolate Frosting
Box of Standard red-striped peppermint candy canes

Smoosh the entire box of candy canes into crumbly pieces. Small enough to sprinkle, big enough to see some red and white.

Mix up a chocolate cake, pour into two round pans. Sprinkle a handful of candy cane pieces into each half.

Do the usual stuff for a two layer cake, but on top of the frosting layer in the middle, add some more candy cane (I use a fould sifter, to make sure that thi layer gets just the powder stuff.

After frosting the entire thing, sprinkle the remaining candy cane pieces on top. See how pretty!

I just made one this weekend, but yesterday I had requests for two more. I don't tell people how easy it is. If they can't figure it out, they don't deserve to know.

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Holiday Cooking Prepping

I never did my report on how my Thanksgiving planning chart worked out. I am happy to say it worked great, but not perfectly. Problem is, some of my helpers ended up getting up late which pushed us behind. Then a guest called and said they would be late. Then another individual who we thought wouldn't show up called and said they would. And...Bottom line, it was great having a timeline, but

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Ethiopian Beef Jerky and Split Lentils Stew (Quwanta-Miser Wot)

This was my grandgather's favorite dish. It is a delicious dish with Injera (Ethiopian flat bread).

Ingredients:

1 cup split red lentils
1 cup small pieces of Beef Jerky (Quwanta)*
2 tablespoon chili pepper (Berbere)
1 red onion or shallot (thinly chopped)
2 tablespoon extra-virgin or vegetable oil
2 tablespoon purified/clarified butter (Nitir kebe) **
4 glove garlic (diced) or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ cardamom powder (korerima) if available ***
Black pepper and salt to taste

Preparation:

1st Step: Boil the beef jerkey in three cups of water till tender;

2nd Step: Sauté the onion with ½ cup of water and two tablespoons of oil for 5 minutes or until tender;

3rd Step: To the cooked onion add half cup of water, chili powder (berbere), butter, garlic and black pepper. Stir for 10 minutes;

4th Step: To the boiling sauce, add half cup of water, beef jerky and cook for 10 minutes;

5th Step: Meanwhile, bring to boil 4 cups of water in a medium pot. Rinse the lentils with fresh water and add to it. Cook for 5 minutes;

6th Step: Remove the foam with spoon from the lentils and discard . Lightly drain the extra water in a container or a cup;

7th Step: Combine the lentils and the beef jerky sauce. Mix well. If more water is needed, use the set-aside water. Cook the stew for 20 minutes or until it simmers;

8th Step: Add false cardamom and salt to taste. Remove from heat. Serve it warm with Injera, pita bread etc.

6 Servings

P.S. If Ethiopian Beef Jerky (Quwanta) is not available, fried beef without any grease will be tasty too.

*Click here to prepare Ethiopian Beef Jerky (Quwanta)
** Click here to prepare Purified/Clarified Butter (Nitir Kebe)
*** You will find these spices in Ethiopian or Indian shops/groceries
For nutritional facts of this recipe please visit http://www.recipezaar.com/348191. For vitamin content please click on "Print Recipe" on aforementioned site.

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Hey Aaron-

Emma needs an invite to be an author on this blog.

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Candy Cane popcorn

I just found this recipe, and it is SO good.

28 cups of popped popcorn
1 lb white chocolate almond bark
1 1/2 cups crushed candy canes
Chocolate chips

Melt the almond bark. Toss the popcorn with the almond bark until evenly coated. Mix in the candy canes. Spread it out on wax paper to harden. Melt the chocolate chips and drizzle over the popcorn. Allow it all to harden. Break it into pieces. Yum!

I did this with a chocolate fountain, and skipped the chocolate chips.

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Cranberry Nutbread

This is my absolute favorite nutbread! Over Thanksgiving I discovered a sweetened cranberry relish in the deli section of the local grocery store. It has whole cranberries, pineapple & walnuts. It was too sweet to eat as a side dish, but when used instead of the fresh cranberries in my nutbread it was AMAZING! This recipe is for standard cranberry orange nutbread, but I will note the

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Pumpkin bread

Pumpkin (nut) Bread is a favorite at my house. All three of my sons LOVE pumpkin, so just about anything pumpkin will be devoured. A while back I saw a post on Cooking with Anne about preparing fresh pumpkin for use in recipes. I knew I had to try it. I used my mixer to puree it rather than dragging out the food processor or the blender. It worked really well.Ingredients2 cups pumpkin puree (

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Sausage Dip Stuff

Since neither Aaron or Stefany have had a chance to post this, I thought I'd step up. But the credit goes to Stefany's family, I believe.

1 tube of ground sausage
8 oz cream cheese
1 can rotel (drained)

Fry the sausage. In crockpot (or this can be done on the stove if you watch it carefully) combine sausage, cream cheese and rotel. Let it get all melty and stir it. Serve with corn chips.

This is Matt's favorite for tail gaiting. Or at least our version, where we sit on our couch at home and watch the game, rather than paying 20+ dollars for bad seats at a BYU game.

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Banana Nut Bread

Now that it is December, it is time to start thinking about holiday baking. Banana's are very popular in my house, but just about every time I buy a bunch the last 2 or 3 don't get eaten. They get "too ripe" & the kids won't touch them. So, into the freezer they go. Frozen bananas work well in any recipe calling for fresh banana. Mini loaves wrapped in foil are also perfect for gift giving. The

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Copy Cat

If I had to guess, I think that eating out is probably the singlemost way to sabotage a food budget--any budget really. The reason is that most families don't factor this cost into their spending, so it's often a hidden cost. You're tired, you don't want to cook, and even though you weren't planning on it, you hit the drive-thru. Even when you do set aside a certain amount monthly for eating

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Holiday Season Begins!

From all of us here at the Large Family Cooking Blog, and from the Lotsofkids.com Family...

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Apple and Honey flavored Roasted Turkey

When I was in Ethiopia, I was not introduced to Turkey meat and I never cooked it. The first year in the United States, I roasted chicken with some other dishes and celebrated Thanksgiving. The following year, my best friend Carole gave me her recipe. Initially, I followed hers and gradually changed to my own. This is one of my family favorite roasted Turkey:

Ingredients:

1 (20 lb/9 kg) whole turkey
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened or 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
2 cups apple juice or apple cider
2 red apples (sliced)
4 lemons
2 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 bunch fresh thyme
Salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation:

1st Step: Place the turkey as wrapped in the refrigerator for a day or two to defreeze;

2nd Step: Unwrapped the turkey and place outside in a big pot; cover it with cold water, change the water every 30 minutes (it will take at least six hours to thaw);

3rd Step: Stick your hand in the cavity and remove any organs, or "things" you may find inside of the turkey cavity and trim excess fat;

4th Step: Under cold water, rub the turkey gently with your fingers to make sure it is clean;

5th Step: When the Turkey is clean, soak it with two squeezed lemon juice for 30 minutes and rinse the turkey, and pat dry with paper towels.

6th Step: Place the turkey, breast side up on roasting pan with rack;

7th Step: Into main cavity, sprinkle squeezed fresh lemon juice; add lemon peels and 1 bunch fresh thyme cavity. Fill the turkey body (main) cavity with apple slices;

8th Step: Tuck wings; tie legs together;

9h Step: Mix the paprika, garlic, black pepper and salt;

10th Step: Rub the skin and the cavity with the softened butter or oil, and season well with the mixed spices;

11th Step: Combine the apple juice, honey and the chicken or vegetable stock; stir until honey dissolves;

12th Step: Pour 3 cups of the mixed stock into the bottom of the roasting pan;

13th Step: Cover the turkey with an aluminum foil making it like a tent;

14th Step: Preheat oven to 350° F

15th Step: Place turkey in oven and start roasting; remove aluminum foil after 2 ½ hours;

16th Step: Cover the turkey generously with the juices on the bottom of the pan; repeat glazing every 20 minutes. Whenever the drippings evaporate, add stock to moisten them, about 1 cup at a time;

17th Step: Roast until turkey is deep brown and thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 180°F, it will take 2 ½ to 3 hours.

18th Step: Transfer the turkey to a large cutting board; remove the stuffing (the Apple slices, lemon peels and thyme) and let it stand for at least 20 minutes before carving. Serve it warm.

10-12 Servings

For nutritional facts of this recipe please visit http://www.recipezaar.com/348877. For vitamin content please click on "Print Recipe" on aforementioned site.

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Monkey Bread

Monkey Bread is one of those dishes that is just so appropriately named. It is sweet, filling, and a lot of fun. We make monkey bread periodically at our house. I recently did a follow-up article on Monkey Bread for Lotsofkids, and it got me thinking that it had been some time since we'd enjoyed the tasty breakfast.Many people like to make something special for the breakfast on a holiday. In

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Lemon Twist Bread

3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 pkg yeast
4 1/2 cup sifted flour
juice and grated rind of 1 lemon
Glaze (directions below)
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup warm water
2 eggs, beaten

In small saucepan, scald milk. Stir in butter, sugar, and salt. (If you use powdered milk, you can skip this and just warm the ingredients in the microwave.) Cool to lukewarm. In small bowl, sprinkle yeats into warm water. Stir until yeast is dissolved. In large bowl, place foud. Add milk mixture, dissolved yeat, eggs, and lemon juice and rind. Mix well. On lightly floured surface, knead dough until smooth. Place in a large, greased bowl. Cover with wax paper and clean towel. Let rise until doubled. Then, punch dough down. Shape as desired. Let rise until half double in size. Bake 10 mins at 325 and then 30-35 mins at 359.

Glaze: 2 cups powdered sugar, juice and rind of 1 lemon. Pour over bread while still warm.

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Salt Water Taffy

2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Oil of peppermint
7 drops green food coloring

Combine sugar, syrup, salt and 1 1/2 cups water in 2 quart saucepan. Cook slowly, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves. Cook to hard ball stage (260) without stirring. Remove from heat; stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into buttered pan. Cool until comfortable to handle. Butter hands. Gather taffy into a ball and pull. When candy is light in color and gets hard to pull, cut into fourths. Pull each piece into long strands, about 1/2 inch thick. With buttered scissors, quickly snip into bite-sized pieces. Wrap each piece in waxed paper.

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Divinity

2 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2 egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla

In 2 quart saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/2 cup of water. Cook to hard ball stage (260 degrees), stirring only till sugar dissolves. Meanwhile, beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Gradually pour syrup over egg whites, beating at high speed on electric mixer. Add vanilla and beat until candy holds its shape, 4 to 5 mins. Quickly drop form a teaspoon onto waxed paper. Makes about 40 pieces.

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Five Minute Fudge

(you can double this recipe)

2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Bring to full boil, stirring constantly. Boil 5 minutes

Add:
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups mini marshmellows or 16 large marshmellows
1 tsp vanilla

Stir until marshmellos are melted and blended into the candy. Pour into a buttered 9x9 pan.

Note:  evaporated milk comes in a 12oz can, which equals exactly 1-1/3 cups, a doubling of the recipe.

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Thanksgiving Cooking Roadmap

I’m a one-day cook. Meaning, on the holidays, I tend to do everything that day. I don’t do a lot of prep. Not because I don’t like to, but even with an additional refrigerator and deep freezer, I often don’t have the space to cook that much food in advance. Plus, I tend to forget things if I do them too far ahead of time. A few years back, I was hosting a particularly large gathering for the

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Fitting Thanksgiving into the budget

A few weeks ago, I worked up my menu for Thanksgiving, now I need to figure out how to do it all without breaking the budget. Like most families this year, my food budget has gotten much tighter. I've cut back a lot, but I'm trying not to be forced to drastically change our holiday menu. I've been trying to pick up a few things I will need each time I go shopping. Now that there are less than two

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A bit of house...er, kitchen cleaning.

At someone's request (thank, Kim), we've done a bit of tweaking on the blog. If you notice the sidebar, we've added a few new features. Noteably a feed and comments subscription, a way to search the blog by labels, and a link to our badges page where you can grab a button to show you're a fan of this blog. We'd like to thank all of our readers. This blog has turned out to be much more popular

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Oreo Truffles

1 pkg Oreos (not Hydrox cookies either, eww nasty gross).
1 pkg cream cheese
white dipping chocolate
chocolate chips

Put the oreos in the food processor and grind to dust. Squish in the cream cheese until it feels like sugar cookie dough. Roll into bite size balls and freeze. Melt the white chocolate and dip the frozen oreo balls in the white chocolate. Melt the chocolate chips and put in a decorating bag with a straight tip and drizzle a fancy pattern. Freeze. Then eat a lot of them, until you're sick. Thats the best way.

Mmm...

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High expectations

I've seen it time and time again during my 10years online. Mothers bashing other moms because of what they create or not create in their kitchens. After all if it's not fresh, healthy, made from scratch and with tons of variety...You must not love your family very much. I know for myself I can even cause myself to fall into this trap. The media doesn't help either. How many commercials or

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another request...

It's snowy in my yard and I think that means I need Emma's oreo truffle recipe. And mom's fudge. and divinity. And Stefany's sausage crock pot dip, and lemon bread, the list goes on. and I should post the recipe for the bouche as well, which I will do soon. But I'm just sayin', since our holiday traditions tend to revolve around food...

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Spaghetti Pie

There's not a whole lot to this recipe- really its just a different way to serve spaghetti.

Angel hair noodles
1 egg
1/4-1/2 cup parmesan cheese
your favorite spaghetti sauce
cheese of some variety

Boil and drain the noodles. In a bowl, mix the noodles, parmesan cheese and the egg. Put this into a pie pan. Add your favorite sauce on top. Cover with cheese. Bake on 375 until the cheese is melty and golden brown. Cut like you would a pie and serve.

This is one of Grandpa's favorites- I probably bring it a few times a month. Every time we eat spaghetti, we laugh about the fact that the person who invented spaghetti is probably laughing at our attempts to eat it politely. We talk about how difficult it is to eat- I share the story of a guy I knew who would invite girls over for dinner and make spaghetti for them and laugh at them as they tried to eat it and impress him. He's a winner. Grandpa comments on this guy's lack of social skills and then usually tells me about his sister who married a Nielsen from Arizona- no relation by the way.

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October 2008 Kitchen Challenge Results!

The current Kitchen Challenge dared participants to create a full day of meals on $10 (for an average family) or $15 (for a 6+ people family). Full details on the challenge can be found here.We had some great submissions, and were delighted to have a few international entries! Here is the rundown of submissions:• Denise from *F*O*O*D*• Jodie from HomeSweetHome• Ranae at Cornbread and Cookies•

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Getting READY for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of the most popular holidays in my family. I cook a ton of foods that most everybody likes, we eat way too much & we watch football all day on TV. This is the one meal of the year where I go out of my way to make sure that everyone gets several of their personal favorites, even when it means making more than one version of the same dish. This year I will plan to feed 25 people

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Layered Enchillada Bake

From kraftfoods.com. This one is good. Obviously, you don't have to follow their name-brand suggestions.


1 lb. lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Salsa
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained, rinsed
1/4 cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing
2 Tbsp. TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Taco Seasoning Mix
6 flour tortillas (8 inch)
1 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream
1 pkg. (8 oz.) KRAFT Mexican Style Shredded Four Cheese
Make It
PREHEAT oven to 400ºF. Brown meat with onions in large skillet on medium-high heat; drain. Add salsa, beans, dressing and seasoning mix; mix well.
ARRANGE 3 of the tortillas in single layer on bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish; cover with layers of half each of the meat mixture, sour cream and cheese. Repeat all layers. Cover with foil.
BAKE, covered, 30 min. Remove foil. Bake an additional 10 min. or until casserole is heated through and cheese is melted. Let stand 5 min. before cutting to serve.

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Slow Cooker Hash Brown Casserole

This is one I found online at southernfood.about.com. Its pretty good. I added meat (cubed ham), and it was yummy.

Ingredients:
30 to 32 ounces frozen shredded hash browns, thawed
1 cup chopped onion, optional
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed nacho cheese soup, undiluted
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of celery soup, undiluted
8 ounces light sour cream
6 tablespoons melted butter

Preparation:Spray the crockery insert with nonstick cooking spray or lightly grease the inside surface. Combine the thawed hash browns, onion, soups, sour cream, and melted butter. Pack into the slow cooker insert. Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours.Serves 6.

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October 2008 Kitchen Challenge - LotsofKids Entry

To read about the Kitchen Challenge, click here or here.I did this challenge on my personal blog, but did it again as the official LOK entry (yeah, I just wanted an excuse to do it again). We were cooking for a family of 11--3 adults, 4 older children, and 4 smaller children. Note, as always, I'm fudging the numbers on some of the ingredients on the upside (usually rounding up), because I want

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Homemade Butter

While poking around the internet for various things, I found this blog entry for homemade butter. Needless to say, after drooling profusely, I bookmarked it and have made it my life's goal (this week at least) to try to do this myself. Yum and yum.Of course, I thought it would be a nice gesture to share the link with all of you. Enjoy!Homemade Butter from Little House in the Suburbs

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Breakfast at our House

Breakfast is supposed to be the most important meal of the day, but most weekdays, at my house, it is very rushed or ignored all together. When my oldest two were small, I had a rule that they could not leave the house in the morning until they ate "something". Over the years I relaxed that rule & by the time the next two started school the "rule" was a distant memory.I've recently been trying to

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Fun Cake Ideas for Children

While I enjoy cooking and consider myself a good cook, I do not consider myself a gourmet or fancy cook. One of the things I want to learn in this life is how to decorate cakes. Even with my lack of ability I can turn out some cute cakes in my opinion. Sometimes things just take some creativity.For her fifth birthday a couple of years ago, my daughter Cara wanted a doughut cake. Um .. yeah. I

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Taco Cornbread Pizza

Like most families, I am always in search of new, quick and easy recipes. I stumbled upon the recipe for taco cornbread pizza a couple of years ago, and just recently found it again when searching my hard drive. Essentially, it is taco pizza with a cornbread crust. This sounded interesting to me and certain worth a try. What I wasn't expecting was how really good it was. The cornbread makes a

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Getting the kids to help

My four youngest kids all LOVE to help in the kitchen. They are 10, 8, 3 & 1. It can be hard to find things for the 3 yr old & the 1 yr old to do, but they enjoy helping so much that I'm always on the look out for simple tasks for them. The 3 yr old's favorite kitchen activity is stirring. She is actually pretty good at it. Yesterday I was making breakfast and needed to mix for an extended amount

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Be Flexible!

If there's nothing else a LOK mom has to learn...it's be to FLEXIBLE! There are just too many factors in how a day goes that can effect the outcome. Like Denise in her post here a meal plan always helps make meal prep easier. Yeah, unless you're me and here's why (semi cross posted on my food blog today) OK...I'm not a dummy...I know to take the meat out of the freezer WELL before you plan to

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Batch cooking continued

Christina/Mommy Scott asked what I do with the bacon and chicken when I batch cook. I started to write a response in the comments section but it was getting long. I decided to do short 2nd post about it.Bacon is such a pain to cook. I like to cook as much of it as I can while I'm making a mess. Now that I've found the joy of baking bacon I don't mind cooking it. It's still nice to have a

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Pineapple Porkchops

Okay, here goes.

1 can Campbell's golden mushroom soup
1 can pineapple chunks (with juice)
4 porkchops (or pieces of pork of some sort)
chopped green peppers
soy sauce
4 servings of cooked rice

So you brown the pork in a frying pan with a little bit of oil and soy sauce. Brown each side and then add the soup, pineapple and peppers. Simmer until the pork is cooked all the way through. Add soy sauce to taste. Serve over rice.

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Most Fantastic and sort-of low-fat Pumpkin Cookies

These were a huge success the other night at Grandpa Pratt's house. They went really fast and got all sorts of compliments, which makes me feel a little bad since they are the easiest thing on the planet. I got the recipe from my friend Ginger, and I have to give her the credit.

1 can of pumpkin pie filling (the big can, from Libby's is what I prefer, but make sure it is pie filling, not just the canned pumpkin)
1 Spice cake mix (whichever brand you like, although Duncan Hines is the kind with no milk product in it.)
1 egg
1 package chocolate chips

Mix it all up, and it should be pretty sticky, more like muffin batter than your average cookie dough. If you feel like it is too wet, add a little flour (half a cup?).

Scoop them onto a cookie sheet with a BIG scoop. I like a real ice cream scoop size thing. Bake for 16 minutes at 350.

It is particularly reccommended that you bake these when you want your house to smell yummy. Yummy is the only word for it. Yummy.

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Leftovers

My 13 year old son once said that leftovers are left over for a reason. Hardy-har-har ... He is such a funny kid. There are some leftovers that never seem to have a problem disappearing. Cold pizza moves real fast as does leftover stuffing. It is the other leftovers like bits of meat or vegetables that are not as good at the disappearing act.I have heard different ideas for giving leftovers

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Baked Chimichangas

This is one of my all time favorite meals! It is from Taste of Home magazine. I like to serve it with spanish rice, refried beans, and a strawberry milkshake. Not that I always serve it that way but when I do, it makes us feel like we are eating in a restaurant. And all the kid love it!

2 1/2 cups shredded chicken breast
1 cup salsa
1 small onion, chopped
3/4 ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
6 large tortillas or 12 small tortillas
shredded cheese
1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
2 tsp chicken bouillon granules
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup fat-free half and half cream
1 can (4ounces) chopped green chilies

Simmer first 5 ingredients in a nonstick skillet until heated though and most of the liquid evaporates. Place chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla, top with shredded cheese. Fold into classic chimichanga shape, place seam side down in a 13x9 glass pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes at 425. (My oven takes longer). You will know they are down when they are slightly browned and the tortilla is crispy.

Now for the sauce (which is the best part!). Heat broth, bouillon and pepper until bouillon is dissolved. Combine flour and cream until smooth; stir into the broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in chilies; heat through. To serve, cut chimichangas in half: spoon sauce over top.

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Roasted Lemon Potatoes

This something I created to go with the garlic lime chicken. They complement the chicken nicely. I don't have exact measurements, it depends on the crowd. It is one that is easy to make for any size.

chopped medium red potatoes (scrubbed clean, peels on)
olive oil/melted butter
lemon juice
snipped fresh parsley
salt and pepper

Mix above ingredients together. Put it in one layer on a cookie sheet. Turn potatoes 1 during baking. Bake until tender. (I do it at the same time I am baking the chicken, so I am not sure what normal temperature or time woule be, but y'all are smart enought to cook potatoes so I'm sure you'll figure it out)

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Garlic Lime Chicken

This has become a fovorite at the Nelson house. I often times but the chicken when it is clearanced out. I then put the marinade in a ziploc bag with the chicken and stick it in the freezer. When we want a nice meal, I pull it out the night before and let it marinade and thaw in the refrigerator.

1/2 cup lime juice
1/4 cup cider vinegar
3 tsps minced garlic
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried coriander
2 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
bone-in chicken (I like to use chicken breasts when on sale)
1/4 cub olive oil

Combine all ingredients except oil in a resealable plastic bag. Refrigerate over night or at least 8 hours.
Discard marinade. In skillet brown chicken on all sides in oil. Transfer to greased baking pan. Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes and juices run clear. (I am actually unsure on baking time for a normal oven - mine is a little kooky)

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Meal planning

I've recently started writing down a weekly menu. People have recommended this idea to me in the past as a way to save money, but I was resistant.When I did daycare in my home, I belonged to a food program that provided menus to use for my daycare kids. I HATED it. I did try to stick to them. I was religious about writing in my changes, but it was a total chore & often made doing my job more

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Crepes

Umm, so the story behind this should be self-explanatory, but in case you don't know some of the details, here you go. I learned the recipe in France, it is true, from real French people too! But I was terribe at it, and then one day a mission companion showed me a few tricks for making them succeed. She was from Sweden. I have been told that some of my tricks are cheating, but I have never had any complaints as to flavor or results, so I'll take the cheating! This makes a great conference breakfast!!!! It was one of the first requests my friends made when I got back, please can we have crepes for conference breakfast. I am only too happy to oblige. And they were a success again, so I haven't lost my touch!

Start with 1 cup flour and 1 cup water.
mix them with a whisk until they are smooth. Very smooth. Like glue, not bread dough. If you have to adjust the water or flour to do it go ahead, but I would start with less water and add the water instead of attempting to add flour, which goes lumpy.
Add 4 eggs
whisk some more, until well incorporated, even and smooth again
(Her ecomes the cheating part...)
Add a Spoonful of Sugar and two Tablespoons of vegetable oil
Whisk some more. The sugar does two things, it helps the flour to loosen up a bit and sweetens the batter a tiny bit. The oil makes it easier to turn the crepes.
Pour in Milk until the batter is crepe consistensy. Thinner than pancake or cake batter, Thicker than whole milk or orange juice.

The real key to making crepes is the way you use your pan. Have a good frying pan and a wodden or bamboo spoon/flat utensil. Lightly oil the pan, then heat it up until you can flick water on it and t sizzles. (I love that part, SSSSSSSS!)
Pour about a half cup of the batter into the pan, while rotating the pan with your wrist, so that it coats the bottom in a circle as you pour. Continue rotating it after you have poured all the batter in, so that it coats the bottom of the pan evenly. It will stop coating as it cooks. The crepe will begin to pull away from the sides of the pan when it is ready to be flipped. Use the wooden spoon to loosen the bottom a little, but it really should slide around easily once it is cooked. It only takes less than a minute, and it should be lacy brown when you turn it.

Here is the French part: Put the filling in now, while the second side is still cooking! fill it with ham and cheese and pineapple (my favorite), a chopped up candy bar (so it gets all melty), fresh fruit, or whatever. You have to throw that filling in while it is still cooking so that the filling gets warmed up just perfectly! You can top it with whipped cream later. (well, not the ham one. yuck)

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My Menu

So Jessica and I sat down today (well I suppose she was sitting, I don't really know. I was sprawled on the couch and in a different state) and wrote our menu through the end of the month. I thought I'd post it here in case anyone was looking for ideas. If there's something that intrigues you, let me know and I'll post the recipe.

Okay, meal plan through the end of the month...

This week:
Tonight: Hawaiian Haystacks
9th Thursday: French Dip and mixed veggies
10th Friday: Grilled Cheese and Soup
11th Saturday: Spaghetti, garlic bread and green beans

12th Sunday: Ham, mubba tatoes, green beans
13th Monday: Leftovers/brocolli potato ham soup, butt rolls
14th Tuesday: Grilled cheese and more soup
15th Wednesday: Chicken Alfredo pizza
16th Thursday: Steak, baked potatos, mixed veggies
17th Friday: Date night, we're going out, Brody will probably get a hot dog.
18th Saturday: Hamburgers

19th Sunday: Chicken Dumplings
20th Monday: Tacos
21st Tuesday: French Toast
22nd Wednesday: Pizza (Enrichment night for me)
23rd Thursday: Chicken Divan
24th Friday: Spaghetti, garlic bread, mixed veggies
25th Saturday: Bubbles and Squeak

26th Sunday: Cheesy corn chowder
27th Monday: Enchillizzles
28th Tuesday: Pizza (Matt has a show)
29th Wednesday: BBQ chicken, green beans and mubba tatoes
30th Thursday: Italian Chicken and rice
31st Friday: Beef Stroganoff and green beans

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Cheesy Corn Chowder

This is a favorite from my in-law's.

1 lb bacon
Onion
6-8 potatoes
carrots
2 cans creamed corn
1 can evaoprated milk
salt and pepper
cheddar cheese

This is all done in one pot. Fry bacon. Remove bacon and then saute the onion in bacon drippings. Add water, potatoes and carrots and cook until tender. Drain off water, if necessary. Add creamed corn and evaporated milk. Simmer until heated through. Top with cheese and crumbled bacon.

You can use ham. Just saute the onion in butter instead of bacon grease.

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Italian Chicken over rice

I guess I'm revealing my total lack of cooking abilities on this blog. But, here goes another one that takes no talent whatsoever.

At lunch: Dump some chicken in the crockpot and pour Italian dressing over it. If you want, cube up some cream cheese to make it a creamier sauce. Turn crockpot on. If you put in cream cheese, stir it occasionally.

20 mins before meal: Dump rice in rice maker, add appropriate amount of water. Turn rice maker on.

10 mins before meal: Shred chicken and stir it all up. That goes over the rice. Heat up some sort of frozen veggie to serve on the side. (That's so I'm a good mom.)

Ta-da!

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Mubba Tatoes

This has been requested by others in the past, and I've never wanted to share it. But since you guys are family, I guess you can have it.

Peel and cube enough potatoes to feed however many people you're trying to feed.

Boil them with a clove of garlic.

Put 1 stick of butter and 1 package of cream cheese in the bottom of the serving or mashing bowl.

Drain the potatoes and dump them in the above bowl.

Mash.

Add a bunch of dollops of sour cream when the potatoes have reached your desired consistency.

The first thanksgiving that we were married, the mashed potatoes became a huge source of contention. Matt told his grandmother that he wanted me to make them, and his sister and brother-in-law both agreed. I'm sure you can fill in the rest...

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Chicken and Dumplings

We NEED this one on here:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
5-6 medium potatoes
a few carrots
Chicken bullion
Bisquick
milk

Cube and cook breasts. Add water, bullion, and cubed potatoes. Boil until they are tender. (Not mashed potato tender, more firm than that). Add carrots, and boil a little longer. Follow the instructions on the bisquick box to add dumplings. (2 cups bisquick, 2/3 cup milk, mix and dropped into boiling soup.)

You can easily make the soup the night before or earlier in the day.

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Mexican Casserole

I tried this at an Enrichment meeting, but never have made it. I really liked it. You could probably add some corn to it, as well.

1 1/2 cup cracked wheat or pearled barley (if the latter, reduce water by half)
2 tsp. salt
6 c. water

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 onion, chopped, or 1/2 c. dry onions (throw the dry ones it in the above water)

2 tbsp. worcestershire sauce
1/2 c. sliced black olives
8 oz. can tomatoes (do not drain)
3/4 tsp. garlic powder or 1 clove fresh, chopped garlic

1/4 c. water
1/4 c. ketchup

Bring wheat, salt and water to a boil and simmer for 1 hour (barley option - 25 minutes).
Brown beef and onions
Add meat mixture to the cooked wheat, then add worcestershire sauce, olives, tomatoes and garlic.
Place mixture in a 9x13 pan.
Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.
During last 15 min., mix water and ketchup and drizzle over casserole.

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Cooking Wheat

A previous Enrichment meeting can be thanked for this one.

There are several ways to cook wheat. Here are three:

1. In a pan, bring one part wheat and two parts water, with 1/2 tsp. salt, to a boil; cover, remove from heat. Let stand overnight (at least 10 hours).

2. Put one part wheat and two parts water in a pan with 1/2 to 1 tsp. salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer gently for 4 to 6 hours or until tender.

3. Combine one part wheat and two parts water with 1/2 to 1 tsp. salt in a crock-pot or slow cooker. Cover and cook 4 to 6 hours.

Cooked wheat can be stored up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

I really hate cooked wheat as breakfast cereal, but Aaron likes it. I think that's because he grew up with it a little, wheras I never tried it until last year. I will eat it as part of a casserole or something.

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pudding

Perhaps you remember this one?
Mix up pudding or open a can from Sam's club.
Eat it with your fingers and make an obnoxious slurping sound.
Enjoy giggling insanely in the process.

It works best with chocolate pudding, but I suppose other kinds work too.

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Crockpot Chili

For MJ- this is a good one that uses mostly pantry items and is super easy.

Throw the following into your crockpot:

1 lb ground hamburger, cooked with onions
a few cans of tomato sauce (depends on how soupy you want it)
a few cans of diced tomatoes
a few cans of kidney beans, drained
a can of corn, drained (optional)
diced green peppers

Season with chili powder.

I suppose if you know how to do the whole soak beans stuff, you could use dried beans, which would make this even more food storage-esh. You can make it without the meat, but that is quickly rejected at our house. I use frozen green peppers. When I have green peppers that I won't use before they go bad, I just dice them up and put them in a ziploc bag and throw it in the freezer.

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LOK Kitchen Challenge! $10/$15 for a Day.

As was discussed on the LOK Full House blog, we have been doing a little re-tooling of our bi-monthly challenge. It will now include general kitchen challenges, as well as cooking assignments. However, to help promote our new blog here at LOK, our first kitchen challenge will be a cooking one!This challenge was inspired by this blog posting at CookingWithAnne.com. Anne previously co-hosted

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Citrus Cranberry Relish

Melissa requested this recipe. Although I do not have any exact measurements for it, I 'll try to post how I do it. It's based of a description Mom had of Grandma Earl's but I have tweaked it over the years. However it is similar to the one on the back of the ocean spray cranberry bag.

Citrus Cranberry Relish
(Jeff calls it relish as to destinguish it from a normal sauce or the stuff from a can.)

1 bag of fresh cranberries (I sometimes buy them ahead and freeze the bag that works too!)
1 cup of sugar
1 apple
a couple clementines, or tangerines, or oranges or a mix (all depends on the budget at the time)
a splash of apple juice, and a splash of orange juice to taste

I rinse the cranberries and toss any that seem to squishy. I core, peel, and slice the apple. I peel whichever citrus fruit I am using and have it in segments. I blend the cranberries in a blender because I don't own a food processor. I am sure a food processor would do the job better. I add some sugar (not all at first) some apples and some orange. I add some water as needed but not much. I continue to use a little of each of the items listed above until I get the balanced taste just right. I usually use more citrus then apple, but more apple juice then orange juice. I usually end up using all the sugar and I always use all the cranberries. Remember it gets redder as the sugar is in with the cranberries, and it always tastes better after it sits for one day, so prepare it 1-2 days ahead of time. Also it gets sweeter with time so you can always add more sugar the morning of Thanksgiving.

Good luck. Sorry it can't be more exact but the measurements really depend on how sweet each item of fruit is, and that varies by the season, year, and location in the country.

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Help me out please.

They finally took me out of music and called me to the Enrichment Committee. We had planned a small one where we would talk about food storage and we would swap easy recipes. I was going to demonstrate how to make homemade hot chocolate. Well, I got an email from the RS President today. She wants us to also include emergency preparedness, freezer meals and rotating food storage as well as how to cook with your food storage. So as it turns out, the Enrichment that I was planning for the end of the month is being taken from a small Enrichment to a full blown huge one.

Please please pass along your freezer or crock pot meals. And what you do with your food storage. Being in an apartment that is way too small for our needs, my food storage consists of fruit snacks, forumla and M and Ms. (Black market bargaining in an emergency.) I need to have a substantial recipe book compiled and done up all Relief Society-like before the 22nd. And I don't think the RSP will find it amusing if I teach all of the women that they should just can M and Ms as their emergency plan...

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Happy Peach Season!

This is courtesy of my mother-in-law. Its really quite wonderful.

Peach Pie

2 c. flour
1 c. butter or margarine
1/2 c. powdered sugar
Mix and bake at 325 for 20 minutes

1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. cornstarch
1/4 t. salt
Mix together
1 c. water 1/2 lemon juice
Pour water and lemon over above mixture and cook until thick.  Add 1/2 c. sugar and yellow food coloring.  Cook 1 minutes.  Pour over peaches and into prepared crust.

Great use of peaches that are on their way out. Mmmm....

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Hi!!! I'm Denise

Since I'm new, I'll start with an introduction. My name is Denise and I am a Mom with 6 kids. I've been married to my high school sweetheart for 22 years. Our oldest is 21, married with his own baby. Our kids still at home are 18, 10, 8, 3 and 1. I've always encouraged my kids to be individuals, but one of the unexpected side effects of that encouragement has been that I have very picky eaters.

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Tom's not-so-recipe for Raspberry Lemon Meringue Pie

This is a creation made by Tom for last Thanksgiving. It has been done once, and only once, and without a recipe or writing things done. So, its more of a method than a recipe.

The filling: He cooked down fresh raspberries, adding a little sugar. Then, he smashed them (or, as Jesse would say- smooshed them.) Mix in a can of lemon pie filling and heat that all up. Throw it in a crust, and top with meringue and bake. That's all I got for you all.

He uses the meringue recipe in the classic red and white cookbook. Bake according to the directions of whatever meringue you use.

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Get it done ahead of time!

Hi! I'm Kim, mom to 12 kids with 10 of them currently living at home. I love cooking and baking but having to do it EVERY day for this many people can squelch that love pretty quick. One of the things that saves my sanity when it comes to feeding my crew is batch cooking.Batch cooking doesn't take much more time to do then a single dish. Besides the ingredients, the only things required are

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Cooking & Compromise

Compromise.... some see it as a dirty word and it can be, but sometimes when it comes to cooking for a large brood and maintaining mom's sanity, it's an excellent word to contemplate.For several years now I've been very zealous about eating healthfully and trying to eat organic whenever possible. If you've ever tried this, you KNOW how expensive it can be in comparison to eating the "

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Welcome!

If you ask most large families what their biggest challenge is, most will say laundry. However, a fair number will say cooking. In fact, next to laundry, feeding their crew comes in second with most families. Cooking for a large family, which can be from anywhere from 6-15 people (or more) is something that can take time, as well as a bit of ingenuity. Particularly in this time when many

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a request?

can I post a request that Jessica put Tom's Raspberry Lemon Merengue on here? I kind of am craving the pie, and maybe reading through the ingredients will help.

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Chocolate chip cookie dough (and variations)

2 sticks butter
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
2 1/4 cup flour (plus probably another 1/4 cup)
2 cups chocolate chips

You know the drill.
But if you are guaranteed to serve them hot, then decerase the white sugar to 1/2 cup and increase the brown sugar to a full cup. the extra molasses in the brown sugar will make the cookies harder when cool, but whne warm, it gives the cookie an extra carmel kick.

And if you would like an amazing frosting for your brownies, then substitute the egg for 2 tsp milk, and leave out the baking soda. Throw a few m&ms on top. I call it "half baked Brownies."

For a "mookie" variation, add 1/2 cup peanut butter and 2 cups oatmeal, an extra tsp soda and some milk to make it muffin consistency. Spoon into muffin tins and bake. There will be a sort of a hole down the middle when they are done, fill it with chocolate frosting. We call them "mookie's" because they are a combination of muffins and cookies. Amy loves them. We made them out in Provo quite a bit, during my "perfecting cookie dough" years.

Cookie dough is one of the great comforts in my life. Whenever a day goes badly, I try to spend part of the evening doing something I kow I am good at. This is where cookie dough comes into play. I know I can ace cookie dough. It is the best kind of therapy, after you've messed up everything else, to remind yourself of something you can do right. I reccommend that everyone make a list of a few things they can do right, to fall back on when everything else you try fails. Honestly, I don't even have to eat the batch to feel better. Just make it and taste it in order to know that I am not a total failure. It helps, though, if you can share it with someone who comes to the same conclusion.

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Broiled Whole Fish and Vegetables

This recipe is simple but delicious.

Ingredients:

2 red snapper (1½ lb each) *
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons white wine or dry sherry
½ teaspoon garlic
½ teaspoon basil
¼ teaspoon oregano
6 carrots (peeled)
4 red potatoes
2 squash (scrubbed)
2 sweet peppers (seeded)
1 shallot or red onion (peeled)
1 teaspoon rosemary
salt and black pepper

Preparation:

1st Step: Clean the inside and outside of the fish with lemon; rinse the fish with cold water; pat dry; place the fish on a baking sheet;

2nd Step: Mix 3 tablespoons of oil with the lemon juice, basil, oregano, garlic, wine or dry sherry, salt and black pepper;

3rd Step: Place the fish on a baking pan; brush the fish with the mixture inside and outside; spread the rest of the mixture inside and on top of the fish;

4th Step: Heat the oven to 350 degree, bake the fish covered for 20 minutes;

5th Step: Transfer and place the fish in a single layer on a greased broiler pan; broil the fish for 15 minutes;

6th Step: At the same time, peel and chop as desired the shallot, carrots, potatoes, squash (scrubbed), peppers(seeded);

7th Step: Mix one tablespoon of oil with rosemary,a pinch of salt and marinate the vegetables;

8th Step: On a non-stick baking pan, at 350 degree roast the vegetables for 20 minutes;

9th Step: Place the broiled fish and the vegetables on a platter and serve it warm.

4 servings.

* You may use trout or flounder or sea bass or any other kind of fish.

For nutritional facts of this recipe please visit http://www.recipezaar.com/319457. For vitamin content please click on "Print Recipe" on aforementioned site.

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Chicken Alfredo

Alright, here we go:

Chicken Alfredo

clove of garlic
1 chicken breast
4 oz cream cheese
1/4 margarine
1/4 half n half
parmesan cheese
whatever vegetables you like...I use a normandy blend (steam them)
whatever pasta you have on hand (cook before serving...ha...ha...ha)

sautee the garlic for just a minute or two. add the chicken breast. cook it. chunk it as you cook it. when its all cooked, add the margarine and cream cheese. simmer until they're mostly melted. add the half n half. keep cooking. when its mostly creamy, add parmesan cheese to taste. serve the sauce over the pasta and vegetables.

This makes enough for about 3 people. I usually double it and Matt takes it in his lunch. Some of you may even want to triple it. It makes the whole house smell heavenly. (and by whole house, I mean our 4 room apartment, so really just like 100 square feet, but who knows, maybe the neighbors can smell it too?) This is definitely not part of our portion controlled diet, but I like to make it for date night. Grandpa Pratt also seems to really enjoy that.

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Bruscetta

I miss cooking. I used to have weekly parties, very informal, in which everyone I new who had nothing else to do would show up at my place on a saturday night, because they knew that if they brough a random ingredient, I would add it to whatever meal I was cooking, and we would all end up with a gourmet, definitely better than any college kid ever eats, kind of a dinner. Then we would play a ridiculous party game and laugh until 2 am. The thing is, cooking is no fun if you don't have people to cook for, so the rest of the week I would eat ramen and cold cereal, always looking forward to the saturday night party, that nobody ever planned, and it was better for it. Undoubtedly, someone would call satuday afternoon and ask to come over, and I would say "bring some baguettes!" From there, anyone who came by, called, or who we felt inspired to call, would get the invite and be told to "bring something to eat, or an ingredient for something to eat. We'll figure it out when you get here." That is how you make bruscetta. It is also the best way to eat it.

There are, however, a few basics you need.

Olive Oil (all mormons have it on hand.)
Vinegar (prefferably flavored, i prefer balsamic, but apple or otherwise fruity works)
Fresh tomatoes.

Now for the variables.

Spices. (salt, sugar, rubbed sage, mustard powder, lemon pepper, herbes de provence, basil, any seasing blends you have laying around, and garlic.)

Avocado
Cheese chunks
peppers
onion (whatever kind)
cucumbers
lettuce
artichoke hearts
tofu chunks
bacon
water chestnuts
radishes
crasins
palm hearts
hot dog chunks (it sounds gross, but if you chop them up enough, you don't get the texture, just the flavor.)

This list can continue to include anything you might want in a salad that will absorb the flavor of the vinegar, but it all must be cubed or chopped. little chunks people, so they can blend together and be spooned onto bread.

use a 2:1 ratio on the Oil:vinegar. If you have good mustard (not the yellow american stuff, but maybe grey poupon, with the seeds in it even) blend a couple of tablespoons of that in too. Then pur it over all of the stuff you have chopped up, and mix it so you have a salsa like consistency (chunky, fresh salsa.) Then season to taste. If you think it needs more salt, add a little sugar first to see if that helps. Mom puts a little extra sugar in more things than we know. A teaspoon here and there makes everything taste more like home.

My favorite blend ever was tomatoes, chives, white onions, avacado, mozerella, and a mustard vinaigrette with rubbed sage and lemon pepper. Two of my roommates got engaged over that particular batch of bruschetta.

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Chicken Vegetable with Noodles

This dish is very tasty and my family always enjoys it.

Ingredients:

1 lb (½ kg) chicken breast
½ lb(¼ kg) pasta noodles or thin spaghetti
1 lemon or lime
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or sesame oil
1 teaspoon fresh garlic or garlic powder
1 red onion (sliced)
1 cup chicken broth or water
2 scallions (trimmed and sliced)
2 sweet peppers (red and yellow)
2 tomatoes
2 carrots (peeled)
A pinch of ginger (minced)
1 tablespoon teriyaki or soy sauce
½ teaspoon fresh basil (diced)
½ teaspoon chili pepper (berbere) or ½ teaspoon red crushed red pepper.
A pinch of black pepper
Salt to taste.

Preparation:

1st Step: remove fat, clean and soak the chicken breast in lemon/lime;

2nd Step: Boil the tomatoes; remove skin and seed. Mince well;

3rd Step: Slice the the rest of the vegetables in medium length;

4th Step: Rinse, pat and shred the chicken breast;

5th Step: Heat the oil in a frying pan; add ginger and chicken; stir fry for 5 minutes;

6th Step: Add carrots, onions, garlic to the chicken. Stir for 5 minutes;

7th Step: Add the minced tomatoes, broth or water, scallions, basil and red hot pepper to the chicken. Stir for 5 minutes;

8th Step: Add the teriyaki or soy sauce. Stir for 5 minutes. Black pepper and salt to taste;

9th Step: Meanwhile, boil water in large pot, add noodles. Cook for 5-7 minutes (al dente) or follow instruction on the package;

10th Step: Mix the chicken and the noodle in lower heat for 2 minutes. Serve it warm.

4 Servings.

For nutritional facts of this recipe please visit http://www.recipezaar.com/324220. For vitamin content please click on "Print Recipe" on aforementioned site.

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Stir-fried Cauliflowers

Delicious side-dish.

2 medium head cauliflowers
4 eggs (optional)
1½ cup milk or rice milk
½ cup white all purpose flour
1 cup vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves (sliced)
¼ teaspoon Salt
¼ black pepper

Preparation:

1st Step: Cut the cauliflower into florets and discard the leaves; rinse with cold water;

2nd Step: Boil water in a large pot; add salt and the cauliflowers; Cook it for two minutes and drain;

3rd Step: Beat the eggs and milk very well; add a pinch of salt and the black pepper; slowly add the flour and blend it till smooth; OR mix the rice milk, the flour, black pepper, salt and beat until smooth;

4th Step: Dip the cauliflower florets with the mixture until each floret is coated well;

5th Step: In a large non-stick pan, in a medium heat sauté the garlic with one tablespoon of oil for a minute; remove garlic; add the rest of the oil;

6th Step: When the oil is hot, place the whole florets piece by piece on the pan; stir well for two minutes or until lightly brown; remove from heat/oil with straining spoon. Serve it warm.

Six servings

For nutritional facts of this recipe please visit http://www.recipezaar.com/345954. For vitamin content please click on "Print Recipe" on aforementioned site.

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Ethiopian Spicy Cheese Dip

Spicy, delicious and appetizing side-dish.

Ingredients:

2lb farmers cheese (unsalted)
2 tablespoons clarified butter (Nitir Kebe) **
2 teaspoons Mitimita (cayenne pepper) **
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon cardamom powder (Korerima) *
¼ teaspoon White pepper

Preparation:

1st Step: In a bowl, flake the cheese with forks;

2nd Step: In small pot, on a lower heat, melt the butter; remove from heat; add Mitmita (cayenne pepper), cardamom, white pepper and garlic powder;

3rd Step: Pour the melted spiced butter on the cheese; mix well until completely marinated;

4th Step: Keep it in the fridge and serve it cold.


8 Servings

* You will find these spices in Ethiopian or Indian shops/groceries
** Please click here to see how to prepare Clarified Butter (Nitir Kebe)

P.S. If home-made cheese is needed, boil 2 gallons of buttermilk at a lower heat, with a pinch of salt and one lemon juice, stirring continuously. leave it to cool, strain and discard the water; keep it in fridge.
For nutritional facts of this recipe please visit http://www.recipezaar.com/347075. For vitamin content please click on "Print Recipe" on aforementioned site.

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Beef-Tomato Steak

Ingredients:

1 lb (½ kg) beef tenderloin/boneless sirloin
1 onion (thinly sliced)
½ tablespoon butter
2 tomatoes (seeded, sliced)
1 bunch rosemary or 2 teaspoons dry rosemary
2 green onions/scallions (chopped)
2 garlic cloves (mashed)
½ teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or vegetable oil
2 teaspoon red chili powder (Berbere)
1 tablespoon sherry or red wine (optional)
¼ teaspoon Italian seasonings
1 hot green pepper (seeded and sliced)
Salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation:

1st Step: Cut the beef in tiny slices; marinate with butter, chili pepper, wine or sherry and Italian seasonings (keep it in fridge for ½ an hour if preferred);

2nd Step: Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in frying pan with the fresh garlic; add the beef and rosemary. Cook until lightly brown (10 minutes); remove from heat;

3rd Step: Sauté the onion and scallions with one tablespoon until tender;

4th Step: Add the sliced tomatoes to the onion; Stir-fry for 2 minutes;

5th Step: Combine the vegetable with the beef by lightly straining the beef broth; keep the beef broth;

6th Step: To the beef-tomato steak, sprinkle the garlic powder, black pepper and salt; Add the beef broth, if needed; mix well (cook for 2 minutes);

7th Step: Add the sliced hot green peppers; lightly mix and remove from heat. Serve it hot.

4 servings

For nutritional facts of this recipe please visit http://www.recipezaar.com/317391. For vitamin content please click on "Print Recipe" on aforementioned site.

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Ethiopian Spiced Beef Jerky (Quwanta)

Spiced Beef jerky (Quwanta) is served as snack or appetizer. It is my husband's favorite snack.

Ingredients:

5 lbs (2 kg) beef- top or bottom round
2 tablespoon chili powder (berbere) or mild chili pepper paste (Awaze)
3 tablespoons dry wine or sherry
1tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil
¼ teaspoon cardamom powder (Korerima)
½ teaspoon black pepper
A pinch of salt

Preparation:

1st Step: Remove fat; cut the meat in long strips with zigzag shapes;

2nd Step: Mix chili pepper powder (berbere) or (Awaze), wine, oil, false cardamom, black pepper and salt;

3rd Step: Marinate the meat with mixed dressing;

4th Step: Place the meat on food dehydrator or jerky maker; cover and dehydrate until crisp dry;

5th Step: Break the dried meat in small pieces; keep the pieces in a tight glass jar.

10 Serving.

P.S. Adding Quwanta (Beef Jerky) while cooking vegetables or legumes give good flavor.

For nutritional facts of this recipe please visit http://www.recipezaar.com/321136. For vitamin content please click on "Print Recipe" on aforementioned site.

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Salmon-Pasta Salad

Simple and delicious fish salad.

Ingredients:

½ lb fresh salmon
6 oz pasta (shells, rotini, penne, ziti)
1½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon scallion/green onions
½ tablespoon white dry wine or vinaigrette
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoon low-fat sour cream
½ teaspoon oregano or thyme
1 teaspoon fresh parsley (minced)
Salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation:

1st Step: Rinse the salmon fillet with lemon and cold water; pat dry with paper towel;

2nd Step: Marinate the salmon fillet with ½ tablespoon of oil, lemon juice and black pepper;

3rd Step: At 350 degree, broil the salmon for 15 minutes; keep it outside; at room temperature, place it in the fridge;

4th Step: Meanwhile, boil water, add the pasta, cook it for 15 minutes or al dente; rinse in cold water and drain; keep it in fridge;

5th Step: Prepare the salad dressing - mix the oil, vinaigrette or wine, Oregano or thyme, scallions (finely chopped), sour cream, black pepper and salt; whisk it well;

6th Step: Add the salad dressing to the pasta; toss well until the pasta is well covered;

7th Step: Break the broiled salmon fillet into small pieces; combine fillet pieces with the pasta salad;

8th Step: On a serving platter, place the salmon-pasta salad and sprinkle parsley. Keep it in fridge. Serve it cold.

4 Servings

For nutritional facts of this recipe please visit http://www.recipezaar.com/308095. For vitamin content please click on "Print Recipe" on aforementioned site.

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Teff and Barley Injera (Ethiopian flat-thin bread)

Injera is mostly a product of teff flour. However, it is also prepared mixing teff with other grains such as barley, wheat, sorghum or rice.

Ingredients:

4 lbs teff flour *
1 lb barley flour
1 teaspoon dried yeast
1 cup self-rising flour
water (as required)

Preparation:

1st Step: Starter - mix the yeast with one cup of warm water; keep until rises; or use sourdough starter;

2nd Step: Combine in a large container the teff and barley flour with cold water or mix lightly in a blender;

3rd Step: Add the starter and mix it well; add water generously; cover it tight; keep it outside to ferment;

4rd Step: The second day, pour and discard the water; add same amount of fresh water to the dough; keep it tight;

5th Step: The third day, pour and discard the water; blend the self-rising flour with three cups of cold water; mix it with the fermented dough; add water as required. This time it should be thinner than pancake dough. Keep it outside for 15 minutes to rise;

6th Step: Warm a flat pancake pan, or skillet, or a specialized electric stove; pour the dough in circle shape in small amount; bake it for 30 -45 seconds.

7th Step: Depending on the size of skillet, you will get 20 to 30 injeras.

8th Step: If less sour taste preferred, bake it the second day.

* You may find teff flour in health store.

For nutritional facts of this recipe please visit http://www.recipezaar.com/324696. For vitamin content please click on "Print Recipe" on aforementioned site.

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Scrambled Eggs with Vegetables

Tasty meal as breakfast or brunch with lighty toasted bread, fruit salad and coffee or tea.

Ingredients:

8 large eggs
¼ shallot or red onion
1 green onion/scallion
1 tomato
½ medium sweet red pepper (seeded)
1 potato (peeled)
1 carrot (peeled)
1½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or vegetable oil
½ tablespoon butter
¼ cup milk
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Salt to taste

Preparation

1st Step: Clean and thinly chop all vegetables;

2nd Step: Sauté the onion, scallion, potatoes, carrots with the oil until tender;

3rd Step: Add, butter, sweet pepper, tomatoes; stir-fry for two minutes;

4th Step: In a bowl beat together the eggs (8 white and four yolks), milk with salt and black pepper;

5th Step: Pour the eggs on the sauté vegetables, hot pepper if desired, cook for 7 minutes by mixing and crushing till the eggs are scrambled to the size of the vegetable.

P.S. If baking is desired. place the saute vegetables on lightly greased baking pan, pour the egg mixture, sprinkle some parmesan cheese; preheat the oven to 350 degree and bake it for 10-12 minutes.

Serve it hot.

Serving four persons

For nutritional facts of this recipe please visit http://www.recipezaar.com/329249. For vitamin content please click on "Print Recipe" on aforementioned site.

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Ethiopian Beef Steak Tartar (Kitfo)

My Ethiopian Cooking: Steak Tartar (Kitfo)

Kitfo is one of the typical dishes of Ethiopian cooking. The main ingredients of Kitfo is beef, clarified butter and mitmita. Mitmita is a very spicy pepper powder which is made of cayenne-type tiny dark-orange chili peppers seasoned with spices such as cloves, cardamom seed and salt.

Ingredients of the Steak Tartar (Kitfo):

2 lb (1 kg) beef top round (freshly cut)
6 teaspoons or more Mitmita *
4 tablespoons purified/clarified butter (Nitir Kebe) **
1 teaspoon cardamom powder (korerima) *
¼ teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
Salt and black pepper to taste (optional)

Preparation:

1st Step: Cut the meat in small pieces; remove fat and seams;

2nd Step: In a food processor put small amount of the meat at a time, spread some mitmita, grind until meat is finely chopped; using a fork, remove any residue of fat and seams; place the spicy ground meat in a dish; repeat the process until all required meat is done.

3rd Step: In small pot, on a lower heat melt the butter, add the remaining mitmita, cardamom, (garlic, black pepper, salt, if needed); remove from heat;

4th Step: Combine the spicy ground meat with the spicy butter; using fork and spoon, mix it until completely marinated.

5th Step: Place it in a lightly warm serving dish, serve it immediately with Injera or bread. If preferred, sauté the marinated meat for two to three minutes.

6 Servings

Note: As Steak Tartar is uncooked dish, choice of first class quality meat and cleanliness is important.

* You will find these spices in Ethiopian or Indian shops/groceries
** Please click here to see how to prepare Purified/Clarified Butter (Nitir Kebe)

For nutritional facts of this recipe please visit http://www.recipezaar.com/353928. For vitamin content please click on "Print Recipe" on aforementioned site.

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Chicken-Pasta Soup

Ingredients:

½ lb (¼ kg) chicken breasts
½ cup pasta (pastina, rotini, etc.)
2 stalks celery (chopped)
2 carrots (peeled and chopped)
3 scallions/green onions (diced)
5 cups chicken broth or 5 cups water
1½ tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil
¼ teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon fresh basil
¼ Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon Tabasco sauce (if desired)
½ teaspoon fresh parsley (diced)
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Salt to taste

Preparation:

1st Step: Cut the chicken breasts in chunk; rinse the chicken in cold water with fresh lemon juice;

2nd Step: In a medium pot, boil water; add the chicken pieces; cook it for 10 minutes; strain the chicken and cut it in small pieces;

3rd Step: Meanwhile, sauté green onions, celery, carrots with oil until tender; add four cups of chicken broth or water, garlic, basil; Italian seasoning; boil the sauce for five minutes;

4th Step: To the boiling sauce, add the chicken, pastas, white pepper, Tabasco sauce and salt to taste. Cook the soup for 20-25 minutes or until simmer;

5th Step: Sprinkle the parsley, remove from heat and serve hot.

4 servings

P.S. If desired sprinkle Parmesan cheese.

For nutritional facts of this recipe please visit http://www.recipezaar.com/320528. For vitamin content please click on "Print Recipe" on aforementioned site.

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