Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Apricot Meatballs

1 egg
1 c. bread crumbs
1/4 c. chopped onion
1 t. salt
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 c. apricot preserves
1/4 c. bbq sauce

In a bowl, combine egg, crumbs, onion and salt. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1 inch balls. In a skillet, brown meatballs, drain. Trasfer to a greased baking dish. Combine preserves and bbq sauce; pour over meatballs. Cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink.

from: Thomas 4th Ward cookbook

Monday, April 27, 2009

Ranch Pork Chops with Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

6 pork chops, 1/2 inch thick
1 packet dry Ranch Dressing Seasoning
10 oz can Cream of Chicken Soup

4 lbs peeled, cubed potatoes
5 Tablespoons real butter
1 Cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
6 cloves roasted garlic (click for directions how to roast garlic)
1- 1 1/2 Cups warm milk
1 Tablespoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper, or to taste

1. Place pork chops, Ranch seasoning and soup into a medium sized crock pot over high heat for 4 hours or low heat for 6 hours.

2. Place potatoes into a large pot of cold water. Place onto stovetop over high heat and bring to a boil. Once water is boiling, cook for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. Drain and transfer to the work bowl of a stand or electric mixer. Mix on low until potatoes are mashed then add butter, parmesan, garlic, milk, salt and pepper. Season to taste if needed. For thinner mashed potatoes add more milk, slowly until your desired consitency.

3. Scoop mashed potatoes onto serving plates and top with pork chops and soup gravy from crock pot.

from: Picky Palate blog

"Cafe Rio" Shredded Pork Burritos

1 pork roast
3/4 C. brown sugar
1 small can tomato paste
1 T. chili powder
1/2 t. oregano
1/2 t. cumin
1 t. salt
1 can Coca-Cola

Place pork in crock pot and pour enough Coke to cover. Add other ingredients and mix together. Cook on low for 6-8 hrs., shred the meat halfway through.

For the burrito:
1 batch seasoned rice (allow about 30 mins for prep)
tortillas
black beans
shredded mozzarella
green enchilada sauce
sour cream

Warm tortillas over medium heat griddle, build burritos with the rice, beans, mozzarella and enchilada sauce. Wrap up then smother with more enchilada sauce and mozzarella. Cook in oven at 375 until cheese is bubbly. Garnish with sour cream.

Audrey's little note: This recipe can easily be adapted to a hearty salad...just add your choice of white corn and tomato, then serve all the fixin's with lettuce and a cilantro-ranch dressing. Ooh, and tortilla chip strips would be good too!

adapted from: Cammi's friend Jamie

Saturday, April 25, 2009

German Pancake

4 T. butter, cut into chunks
6-7 eggs
1 c. milk
1 c. flour
2-3 T. sugar
salt

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Drop the butter chunks in a 9x13 glass baking dish, and put in the oven to melt while the oven is preheating and you're working on the batter.

Beat together eggs, milk, flour, sugar, and a shake or two of salt, mix well, but don't worry about small lumps. Pour into melted butter in baking dish and bake for 15 minutes. The pancake puffs up a lot. Serve with maple syrup.

adapted from: Thomas 4th Ward cookbook

Friday, April 24, 2009

Golden Pilaf

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 chopped onion
1 cup rice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 dried bay leaf
Pinch of cinnamon
2 cups chicken stock, or canned broth
1/3 cup raisins (I prefer dried cranberries)

In a saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, and cook until soft. Stir in rice, salt, turmeric, bay leaf, cinnamon, and broth. Bring to a boil; cover, and simmer 15 minutes.
Stir in raisins with a fork, and simmer until stock is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Set aside, covered, 5 minutes.

Or, dump everything in a rice cooker (using dried chopped onions instead of the fresh) and let it do all the work!

Audrey's little note: I serve this with cinnamon chicken...yum!

adapted from: Martha Stewart Everyday Food

Cinnamon Chicken with Raita

For the chicken:
1 chicken (3 pounds), cut into 8 pieces
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the raita sauce:
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped or grated
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

For the chicken: Sprinkle all over with salt, pepper, and cinnamon and grill over medium heat until cooked through, about 5-6 minutes per side.

For the raita: In a small bowl, stir together the cucumber, yogurt, sour cream, cilantro, and cumin. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve chicken immediately with raita.

Audrey's little note: This dish is really simple, and the flavors are awesome together. I leave the cilantro out of the sauce for the kids and tell them it's a kind of ranch with cucumbers in it...and they like it! I serve the chicken with golden pilaf.

adapted from: Martha Stewart Everyday Food

Thursday, April 23, 2009

BBQ Chicken Pizza

wheat pizza dough2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, marinated in balsamic or italian dressing
BBQ sauce
tomato sauce
cheddar and/or mozarella cheese, grated
green pepper, chopped
mushrooms, chopped

Grill or saute chicken until cooked through, cut into small pieces.

I like to thin my BBQ sauce with a little tomato sauce--the tomato sauce gives the BBQ sauce a milder, tomato-ey flavor. Spread on prepared pizza dough.

Top pizza with cheese, chicken, & veggies as desired.

Bake at 425 for 12-15 minutes.

Wheat Pizza Dough

1 package yeast
1/4 cup warm water, plus 1 cup cool water
1 tablespoon honey
3 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
pinch salt

Disolve the yeast in the warm water. Add the honey and let sit for 5 minutes, until foamy.

Put the flour in a food processor or mixer.

Mix the 1 cup cool water with the olive oil and salt.

With the motor running, pour the olive oil mixture and the yeast slowly into the flour. Process until the dough forms a ball.

Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover and let rise until double in bulk.

Punch down the dough and knead it on a lightly floured surface for 1 minute. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions and roll them into tight balls. Place on a tray, cover with a damp towel and let rest for several hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

Roll or stretch each bowl of dough into a 7 to 8-inch circle. Place the circles, 1 at a time, on a wooden peel or on a baking sheet and build the pizza as desired.

Audrey's little note: I like to use this dough for BBQ chicken pizza, and have fond memories of a mexican pizza Mom used to make when we were little using a wheat crust.

from: Cammi

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Homemade Mac & Cheese

16 oz elbow macaroni
3/4 lb sharp cheddar (needs to be sharp or else it curdles)
2 Tbs butter
2-3 Tbs milk
salt and pepper to taste

While the noodles are boiling, cut the cheese into thick slices/chunks. Drain the noodles when done cooking then return to pan. Over low heat, add butter, milk and cheese (these are all kind of estimates, add more or less to taste and consistency) and stir until cheese is melted. Sprinkle on salt and pepper, stir.

Audrey's little note: I think I'm getting pickier with age...for the past few years, I just can't bring myself to like boxed mac & cheese. BUT! I love homemade, and this recipe is genius. Just as fast and easy as the box but a gazillion times better! Oh, and I've use medium cheddar instead of the sharp, and it works fine.

from: Dinner's Ready blog

Waldorf Salad

3 or 4 apples, unpeeled, cut from the core, and chopped into bite size pieces (about 3 c.)
1 T. lemon juice
1/3 c. raisins (I prefer dried cranberries)
2/3 c. chopped celery
1/3 c. walnuts (optional)
1/3 c. mayonnaise
1 T. sugar
Mix the mayo, lemon juice and sugar, then toss everything together in a medium sized bowl, coating all of the ingredients with the dressing. Serve immediately or chill it overnight. Serves 6.
adapted from: Hillbilly Housewife

Apricot & Cheddar Chicken Melts

1/4 c. white-wine vinegar (I used apple-cider vinegar, it worked fine)
2 T. Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, chopped
coarse salt and ground pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 to 8 ounces each), split horizontally
1 baguette (about 20 inches), split horizontally, then cut in half
1/4 c. apricot preserves
4 oz. thinly sliced deli ham
4 oz. white cheddar cheese, grated (1 cup)

In a shallow dish or resealable plastic bag, combine vinegar, mustard, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; add chicken, and turn to coat. Marinate at room temperature for 10 minutes (or cover and refrigerate in marinade up to 24 hours).

Lift chicken from marinade, and grill for 6-7 minutes (or 5-6 minutes per side) at medium heat on an indoor grill until opaque throughout. Set aside.

Place baguette pieces on baking sheet, cut side up; dividing evenly, spread with apricot preserves, and layer with chicken, ham, and then cheese. Broil until cheese is melted, 4 to 6 minutes.

Audrey's little note: Jessa absolutely LOVED these open-faced sandwiches...they were quick, easy, and yummy with a Waldorf salad and homemade mac & cheese. For an even quicker lunch variation, use chicken breast lunch meat instead of the full-on-breast meat: YUM!

adapted from: Martha Stewart Everyday Food

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Lemon Garlic Chicken

juice of 1 lemon, approximately 3 T.
3 T. olive oil
1 t. minced garlic, about 2 medium cloves
1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/2 t. dried oregano
1 lb. chicken breasts (you can cut really thick chicken breasts down to thin them out and make the pieces a little smaller so they absorb the marinade better)

Combine all marinade ingredients. Place chicken in a ziploc bag and pour marinade over chicken. Seal bag and place in fridge overnight. Grill (or cook in frying pan). Serve with sides of your choice or cut into bite sized pieces and add to desired recipe (I'll be sharing a few with you soon).

Note: If you cut your chicken into smaller, bite-sized pieces and then marinate it, you can get away with only letting it marinate for 5 or 6 hours instead of overnight.

from: My Kitchen Cafe blog

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Pioneer Woman's Chocolate Sheet Cake

Combine in a mixing bowl:
2 c. flour
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 t. salt

In a saucepan, melt:
2 sticks butter
Add 4 heaping T. cocoa. Stir together.
Add 1 c. boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat.
Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

In measuring cup, pour 1/2 cup buttermilk.
Add 2 beaten eggs
1 t. baking soda
1 t. vanilla

Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.

While cake is baking, make icing:

Chop 1/2 c. pecans finely.
Melt 1 3/4 sticks butter in a saucepan.
Add 4 heaping T. cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat.
Add 6 T. milk
1 t. vanilla
1 lb minus 1/2 c. powdered sugar, stir together.
Add pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake.

adapted from: Pioneer Woman

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Creamy Tomato Pasta

2 c. (1 can) Italian stewed tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 c. whipping cream
3 T. tomato paste (okay to just use the whole can if you like it a little thicker)
1/3 c. fresh Italian parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Puree stewed tomatoes in blender. Sauté garlic in olive oil for 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes to pan. Add whipping cream, tomato paste, parsley, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30-35 minutes. Serve over cooked fettuccini noodles (or any other pasta). This is very good served with sliced seasoned grilled chicken.

from: Dinner's Ready blog