Coconut Mud Bars

I made this for our FHE caroling activity. I got the recipe from Mrs. Field's Best Ever Cookie Book. Since I had some whipping cream in the fridge from the pumpkin pie cake I made last week, I looked for a recipe where I could use up the rest of it. I wouldn't recommend substituting milk for the cream here. I didn't use coconut extract.

Bottom Layer
1 1/3 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 c. (packed) dark brown sugar
1 stick (1/2 c.) unsalted butter, slightly softened and cut into small pieces

Ganache
10 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
3/4 c. heavy cream

Topping
4 Tbsp (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. coconut extract (optional)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 c. shredded coconut
1 1/2 c. chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking pan.

Make the bottom layer: In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and brown sugar. With a pastry blender (mine broke last week - it was the best $1 purchase at DI !), cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Press the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the crust is set. Place the pan on a rack to cook, but leave oven on.

Meanwhile make the ganache: Place the chocolate in a medium bowl. Ins a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate; let stand for 5 minutes, then stir until smooth. Pour the ganache over the crust and refrigerate for 15 minutes to set the ganache.

Prepare the topping: In a medium bowl, cream the butter. Add the granulated sugar, vanilla, and coconut extract, if desired, and beat until blended. Beat in the eggs. Stir in the coconut and pecans.

Drop the coconut-pecan mixture evenly over the ganache and spread gently. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Set the pan on a wire rack to cook. Cut into bars. The recipe says 24, but I cut it into 32.

Pumpkin Pie Cake

I made this for the ward Christmas Party. Someone asked for the recipe and I realized I haven't made it since I started this blog. I got the recipe from Connie H* when I worked at Beehive Clothing. I've seen many versions of this recipe, but this is the one I like. I did change a few things though.

1 white cake mix (set aside 1 cup for the topping)
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 c. butter or margarine
1 egg
1 large (29 oz) can pumpkin
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cloves
2 beaten eggs
1/3 c. brown sugar
2/3 c. milk
1 c. white sugar

For topping :
reserved 1 cup cake mix
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. cold butter or margarine
1 tsp. cinnamon

Mix together cake mix and flour. Cut in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add egg and mix well. Press into bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.

In a large bowl combine pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, eggs, brown sugar, milk and white sugar. Pour over crust in pan.

In a medium bowl mix one cup of reserved cake mix with sugar and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Sprinkle over pumpkin mixture.

Bake for 45 minutes at 375 F. Cool for at least 2 hours. Top with whipping cream or vanilla ice cream.

Farfalle Special

I made this a while ago, but never posted it. I made a lot of substitutions because I needed to use ingredients I had on hand, but I think it would taste great as written. I just used milk instead of cream, I used Parmesan Cheese in stead of Roquefort and some egg noodles and rotini since I didn't have farfalle. I also only used about 16 ounces, but that was a lot of pasta.

Farfalle Special

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 2 slices bacon
• 1 onion, sliced
• 3/4 cup fresh mushrooms, quartered
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch black pepper
• 2 ounces Roquefort cheese
• 1 (4 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 18 ounces farfalle (bow tie) pasta

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
   
2. In a skillet over medium heat, cook bacon and onion in the butter for 7 to 8 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Stir in the heavy cream, salt, pepper, Roquefort cheese and tomato sauce; cook for 5 minutes, stirring continuously. Pour over cooked farfalle pasta and serve.

Cream Pesto Sauce

This is another recipe I made a long time ago, but forgot to post. This was really good! I think I halved the recipe for our family. I used linguine, but any long pasta would work.

Cream Pesto Sauce

• 1 (16 ounce) package linguine pasta
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 8 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 pinch pepper
• 1 1/2 cups grated Romano cheese
• 1 cup prepared basil pesto
• 3 roma (plum) tomato, diced

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until tender and translucent. Stir in garlic and butter, and saute until garlic is soft and fragrant, about 1 minute. Dissolve flour in milk, then stir in. Season with salt and pepper, and simmer 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Add cheese, and stir until melted. Stir in pesto. Add tomatoes. Cook 4 minutes, or until heated through. Toss with pasta until evenly coated.

Buttermilk Cornbread

I've never really liked the cornbread recipe I've used in the past, so I decided to find a new one. And I'm so glad I did. It was so good! I never have buttermilk, so I usually use the sour milk trick. Where you put a tsp of lemon juice to the measuring cup and add milk until it's 1 cup. Let is sit for a good 5 minutes so it can sour. Do it first, then get everything else ready. this was just sweet enough, and just dense enough. Of course top it with honey butter. I served this with chili.

Buttermilk Cornbread

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8 inch square pan.
2. Melt butter in large skillet. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in pan. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Pasta, Broccoli and Chicken

I made this Saturday night with some fresh made pesto. It was really good. I used farfalle (bowtie) pasta instead of rigatoni. I had fresh tomatoes from a friend's garden. I didn't have a lot of Parmesan cheese so I used mozzarella instead, and it was delicious. It made a lot, so there were left overs.

Pasta, Broccoli and Chicken

• 12 ounces rigatoni pasta
• 1/2 pound fresh broccoli florets
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons pesto
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 pound boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and chopped
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

1. In a large pot with boiling salted water cook rigatoni pasta until al dente. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, blanch broccoli florets in a medium size saucepan, remove with slotted spoon. In same pan saute the minced garlic and pesto sauce in the olive oil for 2 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and set aside.
3. In a large bowl toss cooked pasta with blanched broccoli, cooked chicken, and garlic/tomato mixture. Add grated Parmesan cheese, salt, and ground black pepper and mix well. Serve warm.

Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Bars

I made this for dessert with the missionaries last night. It was so good. I didn't use the right size pan. So my cookie bars were thicker, and thus took longer to bake, and didn't need as much frosting. It's another great recipe from The Cook Next Door!

Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Bars

1 c. peanut butter

1 egg

1/2 c. butter

1 c. brown sugar

1 c. Coach's Oats

3/4 c. whole wheat flour

1/4 c. white flour

1/2 tsp. soda

In a large bowl, cream together peanut butter, egg, butter and brown sugar until light an whippy. Add remaining ingredients, then press into a small cookies sheet. Bake in an oven preheated to 375 degrees for exactly nine minutes. Don't overcook it! It might look a little soft and gooey, but it will set as it cools. Allow to cool before frosting & cutting into bars.

Whippy Cocoa Fudge Frosting

2 sticks butter, softened

4 c. powdered sugar

1/4 c. milk

1 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate chips just until barely melted. Using and electric beater/mixer, beat in the butter, then slowly add the powdered sugar and just enough milk to make the frosting a nice, spreadable consistency. Frost cooled bars. Allow frosting to set up for about 30 minutes before cutting. ENJOY!

Chocolate zucchini muffins

I acquired some too large zucchini which was perfect for this recipe today. I made it pretty close to the recipe, except that I didn't have cardamom, so I added a little extra cinnamon. I skimped on the oil a bit and added a little more zucchini. Next time I might add some chocolate chips. And fill the cups more full.

Chocolate zucchini muffins

• 3 eggs
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease or line two 12 cup muffin tins with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl beat the eggs. Beat in the sugar and oil. Add the cocoa, vanilla, zucchini and stir well.
3. Stir in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and cardamom. Mix until just moist.
4. Pour batter into prepared muffin tins filling 2/3 of the way full. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack. Store loosely covered.

Avocado Salsa

I made this the other night because I had some corn (fresh off the cob) and avocados that needed to be use up. I didn't add the olives because I didn't have an open can. It wasn't really spicy at all, but it was great with chips. I also served it after only 30 minutes of sitting, but it was great the next day too. I only had 2 avocados that were ripe, so I halved it. The full recipe would be great for a party.

Avocado Salsa

• 1 (16 ounce) package frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 2 (2.25 ounce) cans sliced ripe olives, drained
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 avocados - peeled, pitted and diced

1. In a large bowl, mix corn, olives, red bell pepper and onion.
2. In a small bowl, mix garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, cider vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper. Pour into the corn mixture and toss to coat. Cover and chill in the refrigerator 8 hours, or overnight.
3. Stir avocados into the mixture before serving.

Mexican Chicken casserole

I found this recipe in my MIL's neighborhood cookbook. It was really easy, and delicious. I used shredded cheddar cheese, and I used close to a cup of cheese, because I thought it said 1/2 # oops! I only used 2 chicken breasts, and there was plenty of chicken. I also reduced the amount of salsa to 1 cup, and added 1/2 c of water to make up the difference.

4 chicken breast halves, cut into small pieces
1 Tbsp oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 green pepper (or 1/2 green pepper and 1/2 red bell pepper), finely chopped
1 small bag frozen corn (I used 12 oz is that small??)
2 c. mild salsa (or medium)
2 c. cooked rice
1/2 c. shredded Colby Jack cheese (or whatever you like)
1 c. chicken broth

Heat oil; add chicken, onion and pepper. Cook until chicken is done. Add corn, broth and salsa; bring to a boil, then stir in rice and cheese. That's it!

Tangy Slow Cooker Pork Roast

I made this last night with a roast just over 2 lbs. It was really good. I added some cornstarch to the juices afterward (about 3 Tbsp to 1/4 cup of juices, then whisked it into the rest of the juices) to make a gravy/sauce for the pork and the pasta I served it with. It was simple, easy and delicious. I reduced the sugar, using brown instead of white, and increased the garlic powder. I also turned the roast a few times throughout, to make sure all of was soaking in the juices. I put a link to to original recipe below.

Tangy Slow Cooker Pork Roast

• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin roast
• 1 cup hot water
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 dash hot pepper sauce, or to taste

1. Arrange onion slices evenly over the bottom of the slow cooker, and then place the roast on top of the onion. In a bowl, mix together water, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, black pepper, salt, garlic powder, and hot sauce; pour over roast.
2. Cover, and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours, or on High for 3 to 4 hours.

Campbell House Scones

I made these a while back, but haven't posted the recipe. They are so good, and easy. Similar to biscuits, but so much better, and (I think) easier to make. If you don't have buttermilk, you can always sour some milk by using 1 tsp. of lemon juice and adding milk to equal one cup. Let it sit for 5 minutes.

For beautiful easy to follow pictures check out the link.
Campbell House Scones

3 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup firm butter (1 1/2 sticks), cut into small pieces

1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet, or line baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt until thoroughly blended. Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles course cornmeal. Make a well in the center of the butter/flour mixture and add the buttermilk all at once. Stir mixture with a fork until the dough pulls away from sides of bowl. With your hands, gather the dough into a ball and turn out onto a lightly floured board. Divide dough into four parts and lightly pat each part into a circle. Cut each circle into four parts and place the wedges on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden, about 12 minutes. Serve warm with honey.

Makes 16 scones.

Easy Barbequed Salmon

Here's another fabulous recipe from my new favorite recipe blog. This was so easy, and delicious! I've done it baked and barbequed. I prefer the BBQ version yum! If you bake it you can put it on aluminum foil. I bought a whole salmon, and cooked half of it (cut into fillets) with this recipe for Memorial Day.

Easy Barbequed Salmon
from The Cook Next Door


3 pounds of salmon fillets
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Place salmon, skin side down on grill--or place on sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil on grill. Mix remaining ingredients and use to baste salmon frequently. Cook until salmon changes color. Turn over and peel off skin. Baste frequently and cook until done, about 15-20 minutes.

Greek God Pasta

So I forgot to take pictures again. Oops! This was a pretty good recipe. It think it needed more cheese throughout, not just on top. I used more feta than that. I don't know how "Greek" this really is except for the feta cheese. I just used what ever pasta I had on hand - farfalle I think. I scaled the recipe back a little, because it made a lot. We had leftovers for a few days.

Greek God Pasta

• 1 (16 ounce) package whole wheat rotini pasta
• 1 (16 ounce) can peeled and diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 tablespoons chopped green bell pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped green onion
• 3 cups tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 cup sliced black olives
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add rotini pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and pour into a deep casserole dish.
3. Stir tomatoes, green pepper, green onion, olives and tomato sauce into the pasta. Season with basil and oregano and mix until evenly blended. Sprinkle mozzarella and feta cheese over the top.
4. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until cheese is melted and bubbly. Let stand for a few minutes before serving.

Black Bean and Corn Salad

OK, I'm trying something new here. I Haven't been really good about taking pictures of the meals I prepare. Lately I've been following a recipe blog that I love! I've been trying some of the recipes she has featured. She has inspired me to do more step by step pictures. So here is my first attempt to do so. I don't have a fabulous camera - just point and shoot, so the pictures aren't that great. Maybe this will convince me to invest in a better camera. Someday...

Black Bean and Corn Salad

• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
• 1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 6 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

1. Place lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and cayenne pepper in a small jar. Cover with lid, and shake until ingredients are well mixed.
2. In a salad bowl, combine beans, corn, avocado, bell pepper, tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro. Shake lime dressing, and pour it over the salad. Stir salad to coat vegetables and beans with dressing, and serve.

So here's what I started with (minus the cayenne pepper - I forgot to put that in the picture). Notice I didn't use cilantro. Aaron doesn't like it. I sometimes substitute fresh parsley for coloring, but I didn't have any. Also, no fresh limes today, and I didn't have any frozen corn, canned worked just fine.

Dressing ready to go!

I drain and rinse my beans in my trusty colander. The corn goes in too!

Everything is all chopped

Mixed together with the dressing!

Pretty simple and very delicious!!!

Grilled London Broil

Aaron made this for Mother's Day. It was perfectly delicious!
The only changes I would make is to use less salt. He marinaded it for 6 hours in a plastic containter, then cut it into smaller pieces to put on the grill. (so that is not our picture, but from the Allrecipes.com website)

Grilled London Broil

• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 4 pounds flank steak

1. In a small bowl, mix together garlic, salt, soy sauce, ketchup, vegetable oil, black pepper and oregano.
2. Score both sides of the meat, diamond cut, about 1/8 inch deep. Rub garlic mixture into both sides of the meat. Wrap tightly in aluminum foil, and refrigerate for 5 to 6 hours, or overnight. Flip meat every few hours.
3. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil grate.
4. Place meat on the prepared grill. Cook for 3 to 7 minutes per side, or to desired doneness

Brown Sugar cake

I got this recipe from one of the recipe blogs I follow. It was very simple, easy, and delicious. For more details check out her blog.

Brown Sugar Cake


2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup butter
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup sour milk (add 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice to the milk)
1 teaspoon baking soda

Cut together (like pie dough) brown sugar, butter, flour and salt. Set aside one cup of the mixture. To the rest of the mixture add egg, milk and soda. Spread in a 10x15 pan. Sprinkle rest of crumbs on top. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Serve with crushed strawberries and whip cream.

The blogger recommended serving it with vanilla ice cream, which would have been wonderful, but we didn't have any, and I had some whipping cream on hand. Too bad I ran out of strawberries after last night. Leftovers will have to be sans strawberries :(

I used a 9x13 pan. It worked, but the middle was a little underdone even after 35 minutes, so I would recommend using the right size pan.

Chocolate Mint Cookies

I made this last week with Amy - she loves the dough, but wouldn't eat the cookies. I loved both :) I got the recipe from The Mrs. Field's Best Ever Cookie Book. I didn't have mint chocolate chips, just semisweet - but it was still good. I also used unsalted butter. And as you can tell by the picture I cooled them on cookie racks.

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, softened
3 large eggs
1 tsp. mint extract
10 oz mint chocolate chips (about 1 3/4)

1. Preheat oven to 300 F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, soda, salt, and cocoa powder. Mix well with a wire whisk and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, blend sugars with an electric mixer at medium speed. Add butter and beat to form a grainy paste. Scrap sides of bowl, then add eggs and mint extract. Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.
4. Add the flour mixture and chocolate chips, and blend at low speed just until combined. do not overmix.
5. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets, 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake for 19 to 21 minutes, Immediately transfer cookies with spatula to a cool, flat surface.

Chicken and Cheese Enchilada Chowder

I combined two recipes that I found. We tried this recipe first at my in-law's house (on Spring Break back in '10). The second recipe came from Jamie's blog. This recipe is the result.

Makes about 8 servings

1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 14.5-ounce cans corn, drained
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped yellow, green, or red bell pepper
1 10-ounce can enchilada sauce
1 10.75-ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup
2 cups milk
4 chicken bouillon cubes
2 chicken breasts

4-5 T. taco seasoning ( I did this to taste...however much you want)
1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp lime juice

Toppings
shredded Pepperjack cheese
shredded cheddar cheese 
diced avocado
sour cream
tortilla chips

In a 4 to 5 quart slow cooker pour tomatoes, beans, corn, onion, and bell pepper. Place chicken breasts on top of vegetables. In a large bowl, whisk together enchilada sauce and soup. Gradually whisk in milk until smooth. Pour sauce mixture over ingredients in cooker.

Cover; cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.

Remove chicken and shred with a fork. 

Add the 1/2 t lime juice, 1/3 C sour cream and 2 T butter to the soup. Whisk it in until the butter has melted and the sour cream is well combined. Stir in shredded chicken and taco seasoning.

Top with shredded cheeses, avocado, sour cream, or crushed tortilla chips! Yum!

Cafe Rio - Style Lime Rice

This recipe comes from my MIL's 2008 neighborhood recipe book. It was submitted by Carol C* I honestly have never been to Cafe Rio- I know I've heard it's the best. So I don't know how to compare it, but it was really good. Aaron doesn't care for cilantro, but I put a little bit of fresh parsley in there for color. I also halved the recipe, and there was tiny bit left over.

2 c. long grain rice
2 cans (approx 4 c.) chicken broth
1 cube butter
1 c. chopped celery
1 onion, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
zest and juice of 2 limes

Saute the celery and onion in the butter. Add the rice and stir until the rice is coated with butter. Add the broth, lime zest, juice and cilantro. bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer; cover and cook for 20 minutes or until rice is done.

Chocolate Mint Brownies

This was for St. Patrick's Day. From the Betty Crocker newsletter. Pretty straightforward, and delicious. I'm sure any brownie mix would be fine, but I happened to have a supreme mix.

Chocolate Mint Brownies

Brownie layer
1 box Betty Crocker Original Supreme Brownie mix (with chocolate syrup pouch) water, oil and eggs, as instructed on box.

Filling
3 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. butter or margarine, softened
1/4 c. whipping cream
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 tsp mint extract
4 drops green food coloring

Topping
1/2 c. whipping cream
1 (12 oz) pkg semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 c. butter (do NOT use margarine)


Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 F. Grease bottom only of a 9 x 13-inch pan with shortening or pan spray. Make and bake brownie mix according package directions for 9 x 13 pan, using eggs, oil and water. Cool completely - about 1 hour.
2. In a large bowl, beat ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Spread over cooled brownies. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until set.
3. Meanwhile in a 2 - quart nonstick saucepan heat topping ingredients, over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until melted and smooth. cool about 10 minutes or until lukewarm.
4. Pour topping over filling; spread to cover. Refrigerate uncovered about 2 hours or until set. Before cutting into bars let stand about 10 minutes at room temperature. For bars cut into 8 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.
   

Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina

made this without changing anything - almost. I didn't have pastina, so I used small shell pasta and it wan't quite 1 cup so I used some egg noodles too. Pretty much everything else is the same. I found it on the Food Network website - a recipe from Giada de Laurentiis. It was fabulous and really easy.

Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina

Ingredients

• 1 cup pastina pasta (or any small pasta)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup cubed chicken breast (1-inch cubes)
• 1/2 cup diced onion (about 1/2 a small onion)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 tablespoon butter, plus more for buttering the baking dish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta into a large mixing bowl.

Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes. Add the onions and garlic, stirring to combine, and cook until the onions are soft and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Put the chicken mixture into the bowl with the cooked pasta. Add the canned tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Place the mixture in a buttered 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish. In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture. Dot the top with small bits of butter. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Slow cooker Root Beer Barbecue Beef

Aaron forwarded this recipe to me from the Betty Crocker Meals Made Easy recipe collection. I had an almost 3 lb roast, so I decreased the other ingredients by the same amount. I wish I had kept them the same. The sauce was really good, but because it wasn't enough to cover the roast it wasn't as easy to shred, it was a little tougher than I would like it. It makes a lot. I love left overs!

Slow cooker Root Beer Barbecue Beef

1 boneless beef rump roast (about 4 lbs)
2 cups barbecue sauce
1 cup root beer
16 sandwich buns, split

1. In a 3 1/2 to 4 qt slow cooker, place beef. In a 4 cup measuring cup or bowl mix 1 1/2 cups of the barbecue sauce and the root beer; pour over beef.
2. Cover. Cook on low heat setting for 10-12 hours.
3. About 20 minutes before serving, remove beef from slow cooker; place on large plate. Pour juices from slow cooker into 12-inch skillet. Cook over medium-high heat about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until juices are thickened and reduced to about 3 cups. Meanwhile, shred beef with 2 forks; return to slow cooker
   
4. Stir remaining 1/2 cup barbecue sauce into reduced juices in skillet; pour over shredded beef in slow cooker. Stir in salt and pepper to taste. Spoon about 1/2 cup beef mixture into each bun.

Beef Pasta Skillet

This was a pretty good recipe. Great for nights when you need something quick. I added a fresh roma tomato chopped and an extra cup of pasta to make it go further.
Beef Pasta Skillet

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell's® Condensed Tomato Soup (Regular or 25% Less Sodium)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 2 cups cooked corkscrew-shaped pasta or elbow pasta

1. Cook beef and onion in skillet until browned. Pour off fat.
2. Add soup, water, Worcestershire, cheese and pasta and heat through.

Chicken Parmesan

I found this recipe in my MIL's 2008 neighborhood recipe book. It was submitted by Karen D*. This is a very simple recipe, and also really good. I used just two chicken breasts cut in half (lengthwise) and then two tenderloins. I didn't need to change the amount of breading. I didn't have Italian seasoned bread crumbs, so I just added Italian seasoning to the bread crumb mixture.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp. Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/8 tsp. paprika

Combine Parmesan, bread crumbs and paprika in a plastic bag. Add chicken. Seal bag and shake until chicken is well coasted. Put chicken in a baking pan. Bake at 400 F until done, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Oven Roasted cauliflower

I got this recipe with my Fred Meyer ad in my email this week. I thought it was really good. I didn't have fresh rosemary, so dried had to do. I never have shallots, so I diced some onion. I also used regular table salt and black pepper. I did have fresh parsley though.
Oven Roasted Cauliflower

• 1 large cauliflower, about 2 pounds, cut into 1 1/2" florets
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• fresh cracked white pepper, to taste
• 2 teaspoons shallots, minced
• fresh parsley, chopped

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Combine all of the ingredients except the shallots and parsley. Toss to mix well and place in a roasting pan. Roast until cauliflower is tender, turning once with a metal spatula, about 35 minutes. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, mix in shallots.
• To serve, sprinkle with parsley.

Baked Fettucheesy

I made this a few weeks ago, but never posted it. It also called for Romano cheese, but I didn't have any. I also didn't have any heavy cream, but I figured whole milk would work. I thought it tasted great! There were not many leftovers.

Baked Fettucheesy

• 1 (16 ounce) package dry fettuccine pasta
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
  
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium casserole dish.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
3. In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter, and cook the onion until tender. Stir in the fettuccine, heavy cream, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup Romano cheese, salt and pepper. Transfer to the prepared dish. In a bowl, mix the remaining Parmesan, remaining Romano, and mozzarella. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the fettuccine mixture.
4. Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until bubbly and golden brow.

pork potato meatballs

I made this last week sometime. They were pretty good, but not the best meatballs. I think I put too much mustard in them. I also added garlic and a few spices to them, mostly Italian seasoning. The chicken broth was pretty much soaked up by the meatballs, so adding the flour and water at the end didn't create a sauce so much as a coating.

pork potato meatballs

• 1 cup finely shredded peeled potato
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1 1/3 cups water, divided
• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1. In a bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. Crumble pork over mixture and sprinkle with bread crumbs; mix gently. Shape into 1-in. balls. In a large skillet, brown meatballs in batches over medium heat; drain. Remove and keep warm.
2. Add 1 cup water and bouillon to skillet; stir until bouillon is dissolved. Return meatballs to the pan; cover and cook for 20 minutes or until no longer pink. Combine flour and remaining water until smooth; gradually add to skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Skillet Nachos

This is from Better Crocker's Quick and Easy Cookbook. I changed a few things because I didn't have chili beans in sauce. I used a can of chili and it worked. I didn't use the full cup of salsa, but I think it could have used a little more spice. My kids ate it so I won't complain. Also, Aaron wasn't here and we ate the whole thing, so it barely fed 3 and a toddler - who ate about a 1/4 cup of the beans.

1 Tbsp olive or vegetable oil
1 medium green pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 small zucchini, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 cup chili beans in chili sauce (from 15 oz can - I used the whole can)
1 cup thick and chunky salsa
4 oz tortilla chips
1 1/2 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese (6 oz- again I used Cheddar Jack)
Sliced olives, if desired - oh we did!

1. Heat oil in 12 inch skillet over high heat. Add bell pepper and zucchini, stir-fry about 2 minutes or until crisp tender. Stir in beans and 1/2 cup of salsa; cook until hot. (I skipped the next step)
2. Remove mixture from skillet. Wipe skillet clean. Arrange chips in single layer in skillet. Spoon vegetables over chips. Sprinkle with cheese.
3. Cover and cook over medium-high heat about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with olives. Serve with remaining salsa.

Instead of putting the chips on the bottom of the skillet, I just added the cheese and olives, and melted the cheese. Then I let the kids put the chips on their plate and I spooned the mixture over the chips. Then the chips aren't hot and soggy.

Baked Potato Soup

Sorry for the long hiatus. With the holidays and the surgery I wasn't making a whole lot of new meals. But I have done a few new things. I hope I get to them all.
First up Baked Potato Soup
I really messed with the recipe. I was trying to make it slightly larger to feed another family. But I only had 6 slices of bacon. So this is what I came up with.

6 slices of bacon
1/2 c. onion, diced
3/4 c margarine or butter
3/4 c flour
4 cups milk
3 cups water
3 chicken bullion cubes
7 small potatoes baked, peeled and diced
1 1/2 c. shredded cheese (mine was cheddar jack)
1 c. sour cream
2 green onions chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground pepper

1. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium heat until browned. Drain, crumble, and set aside.
2. In a stock pot or Dutch oven, melt the margarine over medium heat (I added some bacon grease for flavor). Sautee onions until tender. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually stir in milk, water an bullion cubes, stirring constantly until thickened.
   
3. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in potatoes and green onions, bacon, cheese, sour cream, salt, and pepper. Stir until cheese is melted.

They recommended using baker potatoes that were oven baked. If they were baked earlier and cooled it might be easy, but I microwaved mine and then tried to peel and cut them. It took to long. It would have been easier peel and dice them and then boil them. Then you can use the water for the soup.
It was really good and creamy - probably because I used whole milk - it was about to go bad.