Fluffy Blueberry Oat Pancakes

3 3/4 c. milk

5 1/4 c. flour

1 c. sugar

1/3 c. baking powder

1 Tbsp. baking soda

2 tsp. salt

5 eggs

2/3 c. oil

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

2/3 c. lemon juice

1 1/2 c. quick cooking oats

1 (48 oz) bag blueberries, thawed

In a large bowl whisk together the milk, eggs, and oil. Set aside

In a separate bowl mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Combine the two bowls and add the remaining ingredients. The lemon juice will make it foam a bit, thats supposed to happen, that reaction makes them light and fluffy. 

Cook in a no stick pan over medium on both sides until golden. 

I made mine kinds small and I got 6 dozen out of this recipe.

To freeze them lay them flat in a single layer on a cookie sheet and freeze until solid. When they are frozen solid put them in a freezer safe bag.  I like to re-heat mine in the toaster, otherwise they are kinda soggy.

Eggrolls

The wrapping takes a little practice but after a few you will probably get the hang of it.
The hands above are my 5 year old, after her second one she was wrapping as well as I was.
 

1 1/2 lb ground beef (chicken or pork work great too)

1/2 tsp. McCormick Szechuan Pepper blend

1 c. beef broth

1/2 c. stir fry sauce

1 head cabbage

3 carrots, grated

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

60 Egg roll wrappers 

(I used 3 packages I got in the produce section of Wal-mart)

Cook the ground beef with the pepper seasoning, crumbling really fine, until no longer pink. Add the broth and stir fry sauce and simmer until the liquid is absorbed. Put in a really large bowl. 

Cut the cabbage into quarters, slice really fine, then cut across so you have small shreds. Toss with the cabbage. In a large pan cook the onions without water or oil, over medium heat, until starting to soften. Add the cabbage mixture and let cook, stirring every 5 minutes or so to avoid browning and to make sure it gets cooked all the way through. About halfway sprinkle the top with salt, stir and taste for seasoning, adding more salt if needed, making sure not to add too much or you wont be able to add soy sauce later. 

When the cabbage is softened but not too cooked down, remove from heat and toss with the cooked meat. 

Place one egg roll wrapper at an angle, top with a scant 1/4 c. of meat and cabbage mixture. Roll, still at an angle, about half way, tuck in the sides and finish rolling. Dip your finger in water and wet the end of the roll before wrapping to seal it closed. You don't want to get them too wet though or else the wrapper will turn into a soggy, doughy messy that wont hold the filling.

Freeze - place all on a tray and freeze until solid. Then put them in an air tight bag and seal.

Eat now - Fry in hot oil for 2 minutes on each side. 

 

Come see all the other great recipes at Cast Party Wednesday

Chicken Cabbage Salad

1 medium head of cabbage, chopped

3/4 c. sunflower seeds

1/2 c. sliced almonds

2 pkg oriental ramen

2 cans mandarin oranges, drained (optional)

3 large chicken breasts

Dressing:

1 c. oil

1/4 c. red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

Ramen noodle seasoning packet

Whisk all the dressing ingredients together and set aside. 

Toss all the salad ingredients together and then toss with the dressing. 

This can be served immediately but is better after it has sat for a few hours.

Asian Sesame Chicken Salad

4 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded Or Leftover

1 head of romaine lettuce

1 c. bean sprouts

1 carrot, sliced with peeler so they're really thin

1/2 cucumber, sliced

1 can mandarin oranges, drained

Crispy chow mein noodles 

Kraft Light Asian Sesame Dressin or your favorite Asian salad dressing

I put the chicken breasts in the crock pot in the morning,
let them cook for a couple of hours and put them in the fridge until dinner time. 

Toss together the romaine and bean sprouts. Top with the carrots.

Layer the cucumbers and mandarin oranges in a ring on the top. 

Shred the chicken and place in the middle, pour the noodles in a ring around the chicken.

Serve with the salad dressing.

White Chicken Chili

This is a hearty, and filling but still light. 

Great on a cold night and super fast to throw together.

The salsa verde doesn't make it spicy in the slightest,

that's where the can of jalapenos comes in. 

 3 chicken breast, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbsp oil
1 can (15 1/2 oz) white hominy, drained
2 cans (15 oz.) white kidney or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. salsa verde

1 (4 oz) can green chilies OR chopped jalapenos
1 tsp. granulated garlic
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 c. half-and-half cream

1/4 c. flour

1/2 c. sour cream

Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the chicken and the onion and cook until the chicken is no longer pink. 

Add the hominy, beans, broth, salsa verde, chilies, garlic, basil, cumin, and pepper. 

Simmer for 5 minutes.

Stir the flour and half-an-half together until smooth. Whisk into the bubbling broth and stir until thick. Reduce the heat and stir in the sour cream. Stir until heated through and mixed in. 

Serve with corn chips

Sparkling Apple Cider

 Sparkling apple cider at a fraction of the cost of bottled. 
This has to be made ahead, but doesn't require much work. 
For hot cider mix the apple juice according to package directions and serve hot.

3 cartons of 100% juice apple juice concentrate

1 1/2 c. brown sugar

3 whole cloves

2 whole cinnamon sticks

Small end of a whole nutmeg

3 juice cartons of water

3 (2 liter) bottles Club Soda

Combine everything except the club soda in the crock pot. 
Cook on high for 6 hours. 
Remove the cloves, cinnamon stick, and nutmeg. 
Pour into a container and chill.

Combine apple syrup and club soda.

English Toffee

This candy is not hard to make, just make sure you set all the ingredients out first and it goes smoother. A problem we have had is altitude, right at sea level we cook it until 285, higher up on the western side of Virginia we cooked it until 288, in Utah we couldn't make it at all without the butter separating, you can fix that with corn syrup but then that's what it tastes like and flavor wise it ruins the candy. 

1 lb salted butter, room temperature

2 c. white sugar

1 c. slivered almonds

1 c. chocolate chips

1 - 2 c. pecan meal

1 heavy, flat bottom pot

1 rubber spoon, that can withstand 500*

1 candy thermometer

1 large metal cookie sheet

In the large flat bottom pot, over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the sugar and stir to mix. Keep stirring over medium heat, making sure to scrape the bottom well. The mixture will bubble a lot but you don't want it to be a heavy boil. Keep boiling and stirring until the mixture reaches 285 on your candy thermometer. Dump in the nuts and remove from heat. Stir in the nuts and immediately pour onto your cookie sheet. Spread the candy to your desired thickness. When the candy is set a little bit but still hot, sprinkle with the chocolate chips and let sit a few minutes until they melt; when the chocolate is melted spread it on top to cover and sprinkle with the pecan meal. Let sit until the chocolate is set. Sprinkle off the extra pecans, break into pieces and enjoy.

Chocolate Mint Cookies

A special thanks to "Two peas and Their Pod" for this tasty recipe. The only thing I changed was instead of the mint chips I used Andes red and white Peppermint crunch baking chips to make them more festive looking. The mint chips would also be good, as would regular chocolate, walnuts, or peanut butter chips. 

I was worried about several things with this recipe and they turned out just fine. 

First was no eggs. Don't worry about it, they turn out fine.  

Second I was worried about pulling them out of the oven before they looked done, but again don't worry, they set up just fine.

2 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/3 c. cocoa powder 

1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
1 c. white sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
2/3 c milk

2 bags Andes Peppermint Crunch baking chips

Beat the butter until light. Beat in both sugar until well mixed and add the vanilla. Beat in the baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder. Mix well and beat in the milk. Then mix in the flour, when well mixed add the baking chips.

Let the dough chill for 15 minutes before baking. Cover your baking sheet with parchment paper and shape into a 1 inch balls. Press flat a little bit so they aren't round, they don't spread.

Bake for 13 - 15 minutes at 325. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet. Remove to a cooling rack and enjoy. I baked my first batch for only 12 minutes and they didn't look done when they came out but once they cooled they where like brownies. 

Makes about 5 - 6 dozen fairly large cookies

How to keep apples from turning brown

I have something going on tomorrow that I am bringing apples to, but I needed to cut them all today, and I didnt want them to go brown.

Here are my apples after 40 minutes. 

See? Not brown. 

Just cut in advance and pour clear (but not club) soda over them. 
I actually used ginger ale, but whatever works.
Let soak for 10 minutes and they wont turn brown on you. 

Just drain, cover, and place in the fridge until ready to use.

Lasagna. That takes all day.

I had a little bit of sauce and ricotta leftover so I made a small individual size lasagna to eat while waiting for dinner :)  If my pan was deeper I would have added more layers. I cheated and used bottled sauce, make sure you like it as sauce though or you wont like it as lasagna either. I used Paul Newmans brand  (I think the garden) and it's decent. If you make your sauce from scratch feel free to use it here, just make sure it isnt too thin, you will need about 3 - 4 cups of sauce.

I rolled my pasta really thin, so I ended up only using about half of it. You can cut the recipe in half, make thicker noodles, or save what you have leftover for another meal. Homemade noodles freeze well.

Meat sauce

1 lb (90% lean) ground beef
1/2 lb Italian sausage
1 bottle spaghetti sauce

2 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained

1 low sodium beef bouillon cube

Cook the meat in separate pans until cooked through. Combine the causes and beef cube, reserving 3/4 cup of the sauce without meat in it. Combine the sauces, tomatoes, and meat; blend the sauce to crumble the meat really fine and crush the tomatoes. I used my immersion blender, if using a high powered blended, such as a vitamix, be really careful or you will end up with meat paste. I know this for a fact. Set aside. 

Cheese Layer
15 oz. Whole milk ricotta cheese
4 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour

2 c. half-an-half, at room temp

Salt to taste, I used 1/2 tsp
1 (8 oz) bag shredded Italian five cheese

Melt the butter in a saucepan until bubbly. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring until bubbly. Whisk in the milk and simmer until slightly thick, if the milk is cold when you add it to the roux it will seize up and be lumpy. Remove from the heat and stir in half the bag of cheese. Keep stirring until melted and really thick and stringy. Mix in the ricotta and salt to taste.

Pasta

3 1/2 c. flour

6 eggs

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp water

Combine the salt and the flour, I did this with my hands to also remove and clumps in the flour. Whisk together the eggs and water. Add the eggs to the flour and mix until a dough forms, adding more water if needed. On a heavily floured surface, knead the dough until smooth. Cover with plastic and let rest for 30 minutes. I used my grandmothers hand crank pasta maker to roll it out pretty thin.

In the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish add enough tomato sauce to cover the bottom. Add noodles, sauce, noodles, ricotta, noodles, sauce, alternating layers until the pan is full. Make sure with the tomato sauce layer you add lots, more than you think you will want, it disappears when baking. Pour reserved tomato sauce over the top and sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese. Pre-heat oven to 375. Cover with tin foil and bake for 20 minutes; turn the oven off and leave the door shut for 40 minutes. Turn the oven back on and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the tin foil and bake until the cheese is golden.

Let rest 15 minutes before slicing.

SRC Gingerbread Cake

It's Secret Recipe Club Time again! This month I was awarded "The Novice Housewife" to peruse and test. The only problem I had with her blog was narrowing it down to ONE recipe. So while I may have only posted one, you can be sure there are several others bookmarked to be made later. 

Gingerbread cake seemed perfect for this time of year, though I did have to make a few changes to make it more kid friendly. And I used my vitamix on the wet ingredients so I wouldn't have to chop the ginger myself, being very fibrous I find it a time consuming step. If making without one, chop the ginger finely and mix the wet ingredients in a mixer or large bowl.

Next time I am adding chopped apple to the batter

Wet ingredients

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 c. sour cream (she calls for plain yogurt)

3/4 c. dark brown sugar

1 c. unsweetened applesauce (should have been 1/2 c. and I read it wrong)

1/4 c. molasses

1 egg

1 inch chunk of ginger, cut up a bit

1 tsp vanilla extract

Blend all on high until the ginger is chopped but not enough to cook the egg

Dry ingredients

2 1/4 c. flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp. allspice

dash black pepper

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. coriander

1 tsp. ground ginger

Stir together the dry ingredients in a bowl to mix. Mix in the wet ingredients and pour into a greased bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 70 minutes, I had to bake it longer due to the extra applesauce, her directions say 35 - 40 minutes, but the texture was perfect, it was super moist. 

The Best Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

I have been searching for a really long time for the perfect macaroni and cheese recipe. I'm talking years here, and either the texture was wrong, it wasn't cheesy enough, it was too stringy, it was bland, something was always wrong. 

I've tried flour thickened sauce, cornstarch, cream soups, cream cheese, baked, you name it, I've tried it. Ask Husband Man, he's had to live through them all.

In between looking everywhere for new ideas I have been trying some things on my own. And I have finally settled on something I consider the perfect macaroni and cheese, with a few weird things I am particular about. First off, use a good quality block of sharp cheddar cheese and secondly shred it yourself. Thirdly, this is not low fat, don't try and fix that or it wont be the same. I'm not a big mustard fan myself, so rest assured, this isn't a mustardy sauce, but it's not the same without it.

Now that I have the basics down I can't wait to start playing with other cheese and flavors.

1 1/2 lb elbow or corkscrew pasta

3 c. half-an-half

2 eggs

16 oz. good quality extra sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 stick butter

1/4 tsp. yellow mustard

1/8 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Generous dash freshly grated nutmeg

Same with freshly grated black pepper

dash Tabasco sauce

3 Tbsp. flour 

Cook the pasta in lightly salted water until desired tenderness, drain and set aside. 

Heat the half-an-half until small bubbles form. Slowly whisk the hot half-an-half into the eggs in a separate bowl. Add the egg and half-an-half mixture back to the pot on the stove and cook, over medium low heat, stirring constantly, for about 20 minutes until thick and coats the back of a spoon.  Stir in the butter

Pour into the vitamix along with the cheese. Run on high for 4 - 5 minutes until the cheese is mixed in. Add the mustard, Worcestershire, nutmeg, pepper, and Tabasco and blend until mixed. 

Combine the flour and enough water to form a pourable paste. Pour into the cheese sauce and blend on high until the sauce thickens a bit, about 10 - 15 minutes. Pour over pasta and let stand for 10 minutes and then enjoy!

Cranberry Orange Bread

I used two eggs in this but I think next I want to try it with three,
It didn't rise as much as I would have liked.
I also would have like the craisins in smaller pieces, 
so either chop them or drop them in the vitamix. 

 2 c. flour

3/4 c. sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 c. craisins

1/2 c. sour cream

2 eggs

1 orange

4 Tbsp butter, softened

3/4 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Combine the craisins and 1 cup of water in a sauce pan. Simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed and the craisins are plump. Drain and set aside to cool. 

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. 

In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs, sour cream, and butter. Add the zest of the orange. Juice the inside and add enough water to  make 1 1/2 c. liquid. Whisk into the sour cream mix.

Mix together the flour mix and the sour cream/ orange mix. Stir in the craisins, and nuts if using. 

Grease 4 mini loaf pans and fill halfway with batter. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes until browned on top. 

Pizza Bread

1 recipe pizza dough

Pizza Sauce (I used leftover spaghetti sauce this time)

8 - 12 oz. grated cheddar cheese

1 c. chopped pepperoni or turkey pastrami

Grated Parmesan cheese

Roll the dough out so it is long and thin, 

about 8 inches wide by about 18 inches long. 

Spread with the sauce, 

sprinkle with the cheddar and dust with the Parmesan, 

then sprinkle with the pepperoni or pastrami.  

Starting at one side roll the dough up like a cinnamon roll. 

Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 

anywhere between 30 - 45 minutes,  

until the top is darker than golden brown, but not charred. 

Let sit for 15 minutes before slicing.

Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

So I made this in two parts. First on the stove and then in the crock pot because I didn't have time to let the rice cook in the crock pot. I couldn't leave it simmering on the stove while I was at church either but I wanted it done when it was time to eat. Feel free to add as much shredded turkey as you wish, or leave it out in favor of cooked lentils or white beans.

If you threw the veggies in the pot to cook with the wild rice you wouldn't have to saute them later, I just didn't think of it until after the rice was already in the crock pot.

1 1/4 c. wild rice

6 c. chicken broth

oil

1 onion

1 stalk celery, sliced

1 large carrot, diced small

1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

1/2 - 3/4 c. milk, half-an-half, or cream or any combination of them

2+ c. cooked shredded turkey (or chicken, lentils, or white beans)

Simmer the wild rice and the chicken broth until the rice is just cooked enough to eat. 

Add to the crock pot and stir in the mushroom soup, dairy, and cooked turkey. In the pot you cooked the rice in heat the oil. Saute the onion, celery, and carrots until cooked, but not tender. Add to the crock pot. Cook on high for 1 - 2 hours. Taste and adjust salt or pepper (I used Mortons nature seasons)

Twice-Baked Praline Sweet Potatoes

3 large sweet potatoes

1/4 c. sweetened condensed milk

1/4 - 1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 stick butter

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

3 egg whites

1 tsp vanilla

Scrub and poke the sweet potatoes with a fork all over. Microwave for 5 minutes on both sides or until cooked through. 

When cool enough to handle cut the potatoes in half and scrape put the centers leaving the skins intact. Mash the potatoes. Using a hand whisk, whisk together the mashed sweet potatoes, condensed milk, sugar, butter, spice, egg whites, and vanilla. Whisk it all really well, taste and adjust seasonings keeping in mind you want it a little sweeter than you want it to taste after it's cooked.

Spoon back into the skins. Top with the nut mix, and bake at 350 for 35 minutes until the nuts are cooked.

Nut topping:

3 Tbsp butter

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. pecans

Dash pie spice and cayenne pepper

Combine all together. You can replace the nuts with oats if you have some one in you family who doesn't like nuts, or half nuts half oats to suit what you have on hand.

Apple Marinated Flank Steak

1 flank steak

McCormick Steak Seasoning 

3 c. apple cider

3/4 c. oil

1/3 Worcestershire Sauce

1 beef bouillon cube

1 Tbsp granulated garlic

Dash coriander
2 - 4 drops liquid smoke (optional)

Combine the cider, oil, Worcestershire sauce, beef cube, garlic, coriander, and liquid smoke.

Sprinkle both sides of the steak generously with the steak seasoning and rub in. Place in the marinade, cover, and refrigerate for 3 - 4 hours.

Remove from the marinade, sprinkle with meat tenderizer, poke all over with a fork, and sprinkle again with the steak seasoning.

Place on a broiler pan and broil for 8 minutes, flip and broil an additional 8 minutes.

Let rest for 10 minutes, slice, and serve.

Bacon Spatzle

I saw someone mention not too long ago that they had bacon spatzle. Enough said, it had to be done. 

I would normally add sauteed onion as well but I can't stand them right now. Whole chopped or green would both be great.

I served this with a side of steamed kale drizzled with Italian salad dressing. Don't salt or season the chicken and go really light on the salt in the water when cooking the spatzle. Between the bacon and the kielbasa there is more than enough.
Look for this at Presto Pasta Nights over at Briciole this week. 

1/2 lb bacon

1 kielbasa, sliced thin

1 chicken breast, cut into tiny cubes

4 c. hot cooked spatzle

1/4 - 1/2 c. half-an-half

Saute the bacon until crisp, remove and crumble. Pour off all but 2 Tbsp of the drippings.

Add the Kielbasa to the pan and cook until browned around the edges

Push the kielbasa to the side and add the chicken, sauteing until cooked through.

Turn the heat to medium low, and add the hot spatzle and stir. Continue stirring until the juices from the pan are mixed in and the spatzle starts to take on their color.

Add the half-an-half to taste and stir in.

Top with the cooked, crumbled bacon and serve.

Port au Fino Salad

 My family isn't very big on traditional cranberry 

sauce, so we serve this every year instead.

1 (3 oz) box cranberry jello

1 (3 oz) box raspberry jello

1 c. boiling water

1 c. red grape juice

1 can whole berry cranberry sauce

1 can crushed pineapple, undrained

1 large apple, cored, peeled, and grated

3/4 c. chopped pecans

1 pkg cream cheese, softened

1 c. sour cream

Powdered sugar to taste

Place to two packages of jello in a large bowl. Add the boiling water and stir until the gelatin is dissolved. Add the whole berry sauce and stir until it is mixed in. Add the pineapple, apple, pecans, and red grape juice. Pour into a 9x13 and chill until thick but still viscous. Stir and continue to chill until set, at least 5 or 6 hours. 

Before serving mix together the cream cheese and the sour cream. Add powdered sugar to taste. I don't really like tons, just enough to make it slightly sweet and less tangy but not quite frosting. 

Spread the cream cheese mix on top of the cranberry layer and garnish with more chopped pecans.

Kalamata Olive and Caramelized Onion Bread

I have decided I need more interesting breads. 
This is the first in what I hope turns in to several 
weeks of experiment with different flavors.

4 Tbsp. Butter

2 Tbsp Oil

3 Small (or 1 large) onion, cut in half and sliced

1 Tbsp sugar

1 1/4 c. water

2 springs fresh rosemary

2 c. kalamata olives

1/4 c. brine from the olives

5 c. flour

1/4 tsp salt

2 Tbsp yeast

1 1/2 tsp dough enhancer (optional but highly recommended)

1 - 2 Tbsp poppy seeds

Melt the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent. Sprinkle with the sugar and turn the heat to medium low. Continue cooking, on low, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden and have shrunk in size. 

In a blender combine the water and rosemary. Blend until the rosemary is chopped and let sit for 10 minutes. Add the olives and and olive brine and blend until the olives are chopped. 

Pour into the bottom of a bread maker. Add the onions. Top with the flour, salt, yeast, and dough enhancer, in the order written. 

Put on the pizza dough setting.

When the bread is done, grease a large baking tray, and shape the dough into two balls, with minimal handling. Brush the top with oil and sprinkle with the poppy seeds, and cover with a light cloth. Let rise in a warm place, until almost doubled in size.

When the bread has risen, remove the cloth and bake at 350 for 45 - 55 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes and enjoy.

Chocolate-Caramel-Bacon Bark SRC

It's the Secret Recipe Club reveal today! And as I perusing my assigned blog, Cheap Ethnic Eatz, I ran across a post entitled "Bacon Chocolate Bar". 

I knew I was done looking. 

Well not done looking, I don't think I will ever been done looking, she has tons of great looking recipes and is adding more, maybe even working on a cookbook, but I knew I had found my test recipe. I had to make two changes though. I wanted to add caramel, and I wanted the bacon to show, so that people who might not be appreciative of the flavor combination would not touch my candy.

I used dark chocolate in this recipe but I think milk would be really good too, and since the chocolate flavor isnt as strong as with dark the bacon would stand out more. With the caramel sauce you want one that is thick at room temperature so it doesn't run out of the candy when you cut it.

This was my first time baking bacon, and it turned out perfect. I just put it on a metal tray and baked at 400 for 10 - 15 minutes until crispy and then drain on a paper towel.

1 bag chocolate chips

2 - 3 Tbsp. caramel sauce

6 strips bacon, cooked until crispy and then crumbled

Melt the chocolate in the microwave or a double boiler. If using the microwave, only melt until most of the chips are soft and stir to melt the rest of the chocolate.

Spread half of the chocolate on wax paper into a 6 to 8 inch circle. Drizzle with the caramel sauce and stick in the freezer until the chocolate is set and the caramel is thick, about 15 minutes. I actually did that while cooking the bacon. 

When the chocolate and caramel are firm, spread the remaining chocolate on top and sprinkle with the crumbled bacon. Return to the freezer for about 15 minutes.

Remove and chop off pieces as you want to eat them, the caramel gets soft and runs out if you cut it all at once. This is good for about 2 days afterwards due to the bacon getting soggy if you leave it. 

But why would it last that long?

Chocolate Cream-Cheese Swiss Buttercream

 I consider Swiss Buttercream to be one of the best frostings out there, it's light and silky. The added cream cheese and chocolate just made it all that much better.

3 egg whites

3/4 c. white sugar

9 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 (8 oz) pkg. Philadelphia cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cook the chocolate chips in the microwave for 2 minutes. Stir. If its not mostly melted cook another minute, repeating until melted. Don't cook until completely melted, you can get the last of the lumps out by stirring it. On that note, stir the chocolate until the lumps are out. Place in the refrigerator to cool, removing every few minutes to stir. Leave in the fridge until the chocolate is no longer hot but not solid either. Around room temperature.

Whisk the egg whites and sugar together in a large bowl. 

Place in a pan over water and cook, 

whisking, until the egg whites reach 160. 

Place the bowl on a towel to dry the water and

prevent water from falling into the mixing bowl.

Pour the egg white into a mixing bowl, 

beat on high until doubled in size, opaque white, 

and the sides of the bowl are no longer warm.

Drop the butter in, one tablespoon at a time. 

Then drop in the cream cheese and beat until it is

of spreadable consistency again.

Beat in the melted and cooled chocolate, 

scrape the bowl and beat until smooth.

I used this to filled and frost a three layer 8-inch 

cake and even had about 3/4 c. frosting left over.

Chicken with Orange Glaze SRC

This month for the Secret Recipe Club I got the very lovely Vanderbilt Wife. And I picked out a tasty looking recipe called Tilapia with Honey-Tangerine Sauce. The combination of tangerine with soy and honey looked droolingly delicious.

Right off I knew I had to make one change, since I cant eat fish, but I knew it would be great over chicken too, so I tried that. I made a few other changes to suit what I had on hand but you can be sure as soon as I can find tangerines I am going to make the sauce exactly the way she did.

I served it with rice, stir fried peas, and apple-pears. 

1 Tbsp butter

1 shallot

1/4 c. orange marmalade

1/4 c. water

1/4 c. low sodium soy sauce

1 Tbsp honey

1/2 tsp. sesame oil

dash ground ginger
1 large Tbsp cornstarch

3 large chicken breasts

Saute the butter and shallot until tender. Add the marmalade, water, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, and ginger. Whisk the cornstarch with water and stir in.

Trim the chicken and cut in half lengthwise. Lightly season with salt and cook in oil on both sides until cooked.

Spoon the sauce over the chicken and broil for 3 - 6 minutes until the sauce is sticky looking.

Onion Rings

 **********

2 1/2 c. flour

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 Tbsp paprika

1/2 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. cumin

black pepper

1/2 - 1 tsp salt

1 egg

1 c. milk

3/4 c. soda (I used apple soda)

1 1/2 c. panko crumbs

2 really large onions, sliced and separated

Combine the flour and next 7 ingredients.

Toss the sliced onions and the flour mix. Remove the onions rings and set aside. 

In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, and soda. 

Immediately whisk in the remaining flour mix. 

Dip the eggs in the batter and the coat with panko crumbs. 

Cook in hot oil on both sides until brown. 

Drain on a paper towel.

Sauce Recipe

1/4 c. mayo

1/4 c. sour cream

1/4 c. ketchup

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 Tbsp. horseradish

1/2 tsp. paprika

1 1/2 tsp. honey

Pinch Thyme

Pinch cayenne pepper

Pinch Black Pepper

Whisk all together.

Crock Pot Pepper Steak

 I like this recipe a lot for the simple fact that like any good crock pot recipe, you  toss it all in the pot and leave it till it's done. And when it is done, you have a tasty home cooked dinner. 

(This is where the picture would go if I had one, sorry)

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1 Beef Roast, any cut, 3 - 4 lb.

1 can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1 1/2 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

1 beef bouillon cube, crushed

1 c. rice

Combine all the ingredients, except rice, in a crock pot. Cook on high until beef is done, 

usually between 4 1/2 - 6 hours. 

The bottom of the crock pot should have about an inch of liquid in it, if not, add water. 

Add the rice and re-cover crock pot.  Cook an additional 30 minutes. 

Stir to combine the veggies and rice and serve with the beef. 

I usually shred the beef before I add the rice.

Pumpkin Penuche Cinnamon Rolls

 
It's finally starting to cool down where I am. And by cool down I mean finally in the mid 80's. But it's nearing the end of September, so cool or not, out come the pumpkin recipes. Check the end of the post for links to some of my other pumpkin recipes, both sweet and savory.

2 Tbsp. yeast

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 milk, warm

3/4 c. warm water

1 (15 oz.) can pure pumpkin, divided

2 eggs

1 tsp. salt

4 c. flour, Plus more as needed

Combine the warm milk, water, sugar and yeast in a large bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes. Add half the can of pumpkin, eggs, and salt and stir to combine. Add the flour, 1 cup at a time, until mixture starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and forms a dough. Add flour an knead until it is elastic. Return to bowl and let rise about 30 minutes in a warm place (it wont rise very much) Roll out into a large rectangle. Spread with

1 stick butter, softened

Other half of canned pumpkin leftover from the dough

brown sugar to cover

cinnamon

nutmeg

Roll up and slice about an inch thick. Place in a greased baking pan about 1/2 inch apart and let rise again. Bake at 350 for 30 - 40 minutes. Let cool slightly and frost.

This made enough for a 9x13 and a 9x9

Penuche Frosting:

4 Tbsp. butter

1/2 c. packed brown sugar

2 Tbsp. milk

1 c. powdered sugar

In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and milk, bring to a boil. Cool slightly. Beat into powdered sugar until smooth. Pour into a plastic bag, cut a hole in the side and drizzle over slightly cooled sweet rolls.

The dough is very orange, and the frosting is light enough that with a little food coloring it would also look orange, I thought it would be fun to put something green in to the top to make them look like little pumpkins themselves.

My Pumpkin Collection:

Pumpkin Enchiladas

Pumpkin Chili
 

Pumpkin Black Bean Soup

Pumpkin Cream Pasta

Pumpkin Biscuits

Pumpkin and lots of Other Stuff Muffins

Pumpkin Chiffon

HH6 And Taco Soup

So this soup isn't really my recipe at all. I mean I make it all the time, but I didn't come up with it.

But when I got this months HH6 Cooking Club challenge and was thinking about it, this came to mind. The challenge itself I wasn't worried about sticking too, I usually keep a large pantry pretty well stocked, along with a large deep freeze full of meat and other frozen stuff, and a 2 year supply of all the basics, wheat, rice, sugar and such, plus Husband Man had just gotten back from Sams club. I was set. 

But then the next night I found myself needing to make something for dinner. And while I had all the essential, I didn't really feel like making a huge dinner. So I grabbed several things from the pantry and dinner was ready in a flash, using mostly pantry staples.Which really embodies the idea of the challenge. Which is

We all need to be prepared in the event of a disaster.  You have stuff in your pantry and fridge/freezer.  If a disaster should strike today and you have no access to going to a grocery store but your stove/grill is still working, what would you make with what you have on hand?

 

1 lb. ground turkey or hamburger
1 packet taco seasoning (About 2 Tbsp)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can corn
1 can pinto beans
1 can kidney or black beans
1 can chicken broth
1 c. Ketchup

Brown meat.

Add remaining ingredients. Simmer one hour or longer. Can be dumped in a crock pot for the afternoon.

This can also be made without the meat all together, just skip it and add an extra can of beans.

The next day I drained the soup and cooked rice in the liquid. Then I added it back to the mix, added some cheese, and used it as a filling for enchiladas. Just fill tortillas with the mix, roll and place in a casserole dish, top with enchilada sauce and bake until heated through. 

Fresh Blueberry Peach Pie

This is another recipe from my mom.
She used to make it in the summer when the peaches where ripe.

One time I didn't have the lemon jello on hand
(this is also good for people who avoid pre-processed stuff)
just make a lemon curd and toss the fruit with that.

Pie Filling

1 c. sugar

3 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 c. water

¼ c. lemon flavored gelatin powder

4 c. sliced peaches, peeled

¾ c. blueberries

Pastry Shell

Sweetened Whipped Cream

Combine sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Stir in the water. Bring to a boil over medium heat; stirring constantly, until the sauce is thick and translucent. Remove from heat, and add gelatin, stirring until gelatin dissolves. Cool.

Combine peaches and blueberries in a large bowl. Add gelatin mixture; toss gently.

Spoon into prepared pastry shell.

Cover and chill 1 hour or until set. Serve with sweetened whipped cream.

Pastry Shell

1 ¼ c. all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. sugar

½ tsp. Salt

½ c. slivered almonds, coarsely chopped

1/3 c. vegetable oil

3 to 4 Tbsp. Water

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened. Press into a 9-inch pie plate.

Bake at 375° for 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Pizza Bites

 (They don't look like much, don't let that fool you)

These are simple little pizza bites that are great for a fun kids dinner, a picnic, or as an appetizer. We LOVED them. Feel free to play around with different toppings in the center. Whatever you normally like on your pizza will be good. Next time I am going to try meat lovers, and add sausage and bacon. 

I also want to freeze some and see how they do. I will update later with the results. If it works this would be a great treat to have on hand to pull out for quick snacks. UPDATE: They worked great frozen. I froze them overnight and then I microwaved one from frozen and it got hard as a rock. But I defrosted the rest, and that only took 30 minutes, and then microwaved it for 20 seconds and it was warm and soft. So it takes a little pre planning to eat them from frozen, but not too much.I just put them flat on a tray and froze them until they where solid, about 2hours, and then put them in a freezer safe plastic bag.

You can use whatever dough and sauce recipe you prefer but I have included mine as well, just in case. 

I don't remember the pkg size of the pepperoni, it said it had 90 pepperoni. After the 48 reserved, I think it was about 3/4 c. chopped.

1 batch pizza dough

1 Batch Sauce

1 1/4 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 1/4c. cheddar cheese, shredded

2 pkg pepperoni

1/4lb deli sliced turkey pastrami

 1/2 bell pepper, chopped

Reserve 48 pepperoni's. Chop remaining pepperoni and turkey pastrami. Mix the mozzarella, cheddar, pepperoni, pastrami, and bell pepper. When the sauce is cooled add it to the cheese mix. 

Roll the dough out really thin and cut into 2 inch squares. Spray 4 mini muffin pans with cooking spray. Press one dough square into each muffin cup. Fill with cheese and sauce mixture. Top each cup with one reserved pepperoni. 

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or just until the dough looks cooked. Let cool in pan ten minutes before removing.

Makes 4 dozen.

Souvlaki Kebabs

I love the way the vegetables don't get too soft or soggy in this, they stay very crisp/tender without being to far in either direction. If you grill just the vegetables without the meat they make a great side dish or vegetarian entree. For a side I like to use eggplant, zucchini, onions, and red bell peppers. Mushrooms and cherry tomatoes might be nice as well.

Sauce:
3/4 c. lemon juice

1 1/2 c. soy sauce

3/4 c. red wine vinegar

2 c. olive oil

1 Tbsp oregano

4 - 6 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb pork, cut into cubes
1 medium zucchini, sliced about 1/4" thick
1 red bell pepper, cut into 3/4" cubes
1 onion, cut into chunks

Combine all of the sauce ingredients. Remove 1/2 cup and refrigerate. Add the meat to the remaining marinade, cover and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. 


1 hour before cooking add the zucchini, pepper, and onion to the reserved marinade. 


Skewer the meat and vegetables. Throw away the meat marinade and reserve the vegetable marinade. Bake at 350 for 12 - 15, flip over and brush the meat with the marinade from the vegetables, bake an additional 10 - 12 minutes.

This is great with a quinoa or rice pilaf. I also like the meat tucked in a pita with lettuce, tomato, cucumbers, and tzatziki sauce.