Gluten-free Parmesan crackers

This recipe is based on King Arthur Flours gluten free pie crust recipe.  I changed a few amounts to make up for the cheese and different fats in the recipe.

Next I plan on trying this with different combinations of flavors. The Savannah Byrd cookie company has a lot of savory flavor combinations I cant wait to try.

For the fat in mine I used half butter and half coconut oil in mine and half margarine and half coconut oil in the ones i made for my friend. They tasted about the same. The ones I made with all coconut oil were good and the texture was the same but the flavor wasn't as rich.

1 1/2 c. Arrowhead Mills Gluten free All purpose baking mix

1 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp. clear jel

1/2 tsp. salt

6 Tbsp fat (butter, coconut oil, or margarine)

1 egg

2 tsp lemon juice

2 1/2 oz. Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Kosher or sea salt (optional)

In a large mixer combine the gluten free flour, sugar, clear jel, and salt.  Turn on low speed to combine the ingredients. 

Add the butter and the coconut oil until the mixture is crumbly. Add the Parmesan cheese.

Whisk the egg and lemon together. Mix into the flour and cheese mix. Form into a ball and roll out on a floured surface to an eighth of an inch thick. Cut into squares, I've found a pizza cutter works best for this, and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Sprinkle with coarse salt if using

Bake at 350 for 12 - 17 minutes until slightly browned. 

Cool on a cookie sheet.

Enchilada Pasta

The meat and the amount in this is totally up to you. You can use all ground beef, all beans, or a combination of the two. If using all beans I would add 2 - 3 cans of drained black or pinto beans. In combination I would use about half a pound of ground beef and then a can or two of drained beans. 

1.5 lb ground beef

Salt & Pepper

1 (19 oz.) can red enchilada sauce

1 (15 oz.) can nacho cheese sauce

1 (4 oz.) can diced chilies

8 oz. egg noodles

1/2 c. water

Sour cream, shredded cheese, and crushed corn chip to garnish

If using, season the ground beef with salt & pepper and cook, crumbling, until no longer pink.

Add all the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Cook over medium low heat, stirring frequently, until the pasta is tender. 

Remove from heat and serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of shredded cheese and crushed chips. 

The Purple Pumpkin Project

Notice the new background? Who doesn't love purple? 

And, it's almost Epilepsy month! 

I have several people in my life with Epilepsy and just wanted to spread the word on the Purple Pumpkin Project. They are simply trying to raise awareness of Epilepsy and particularly what do do if you see someone having a seizure. 

The original article, and the Facebook page.

How to help someone who is having a seizure

When providing seizure first aid, these are the key things to remember:

DO:

• Keep calm and reassure other people who may be nearby.
• Time the seizure with your watch.
• Clear the area around the person of anything hard or sharp.
• Loosen ties or anything around the neck that may make breathing difficult.
• Put something flat and soft, like a folded jacket, under the head.
• Turn him or her gently onto one side. This will help keep the airway clear.
• Stay with the person until the seizure ends naturally.
• Be friendly and reassuring as consciousness returns.
• Offer to call a taxi, friend or relative to help the person get home if he seems confused or unable to get home by himself.

DON’T:

• Don't hold the person down or try to stop his movements.
• Do not try to force the mouth open with any hard implement or with fingers. A person having a seizure cannot swallow his tongue. Efforts to hold the tongue down can injure teeth or jaw.
• Do not attempt to give anything orally.
• Do not keep the person lying on their back.
• Don't attempt artificial respiration except in the unlikely event that a person does not start breathing again after the seizure has stopped.

Strawberry Mousse

This is a Princess original and one of those recipes that is great for so many different things. Most recently I put it in Krogers mini shortbread tartlet shells. It's also good in cream puffs or eclairs with white chocolate on top or just in a cooked pie crust. My personal favorite is crepes.

I recommend using a star tip is you haven't lost it somewhere in your kitchen..hmmm. And I have 3!! 

Also, to make it less grainy looking make sure you add all the strawberry powder while it is still hot to dissolve it. I tried to add more after I added the strawberry mixture and it didn't work. It still tasted good though.

3/4 c. sugar

2 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch

3/4 c. water

1 (3 oz.) box strawberry jello powder

1 lb bag frozen strawberries, thawed (fresh also works)

1 envelope knox unflavored gelatin

1 tsp. lemon juice

 1 c. heavy whipping cream

1/2 tsp vanilla extract (or to taste)

3 Tbsp powdered sugar (or to taste)

In a blender blend the strawberries until smooth. Blend in the knox gelatin and set aside. Let stand for at least 5 minutes.

Whisk together the sugar and cornstarch and then whisk in the water until no lumps remain. Cook over medium heat until the mixture is clear and very thick. Remove from the heat and whisk in the strawberry jello powder. Keep stirring for one minute. Make sure you whisk it long enough on this step of their will be gelatin lumps in you dessert. Stir in the blended strawberries and gelatin mix and stir another minute. Stir in the lemon juice and them place the mixture in the refrigerator to chill. 

Chill the strawberry mixture until its no longer warm, but not set. Whip the cream with the vanilla and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Whisk a third of the whipped cream into the strawberry mix. when mixed whisk in the remaining whipped cream. Chill until firm to the touch. 

To use remove the mousse from the fridge and whisk once. Let stand for 20 minutes before using. Because its stabilized with gelatin it will look kinda lumpy unless you use a piping bag to fill your tarts or crepes with. If you decide to make a pie out of it whisk the mousse in and chill just until its thick, but not set, and then mound it in a cooked and cooled pastry shell. 

I have also made mixed berry mousse with this same recipe. Just substitute the frozen strawberries with a bag of frozen mixed berries and omit the lemon juice. I still used strawberry gelatin powder but I suspect another berry flavor such as raspberry or blackberry fusion might be good. The final mousse was a medium purple color.

This made enough to fill 5 dozen mini tart shells, about the size of a silver dollar.

Red Peanut Curry

Who doesn't just love pinterest?

You can find all kinds of pins that you love, either because they are great ideas or because they are so bad you get a great laugh out of them.

Well I tried this Chicken Curry from Better Homes and Gardens, with my changes of course. 

I also want to add that I think a tablespoon or two of fish sauce would probably be great in the sauce but I haven't tried it so if it's gross don't blame me. I also just the chicken into small strips so that they would cook faster. This means that the carrots and the bell peppers didn't cook as much. This means the bell peppers didn't turn to mush and the carrots were still crisp tender, which is how we like them.

This would also be really good with beef, just make sure it is thinly sliced so that is cooks in 2 hours.

 

1 onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, sliced

3 large carrots, sliced

2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/4 c. flour

3/4 c. water

1 chicken bouillon cube

3 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter

2 Tbsp. lime juice

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 inch chunk of fresh ginger, peeled

4 cloves garlic

3 Tbsp red curry paste

1 - 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded for less heat, not for more (optional)

1 can coconut milk ( I used the entire can, not just 1/2 c)

2 c. green vegetables 

(frozen green beans, peas, sliced zucchini, or all the above)

3 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

3 Tbsp chopped fresh basil

Place all the sauce ingredients (water to jalapeno) in a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.

Cut the chicken in half lenght-wise and cut into 1 inch strips. Place the onion carrot and pepper in the bottom of the crock pot. Put the chicken and flour in a large resealable bag and toss to coat. Put the chicken on top of the vegetables and pour the blended sauce on top of the chicken. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours. You can cook on low for longer but the carrots will be a lot more tender. After 2 hours add the coconut milk and green vegetables and cook an additional 30 minutes. If you cooked it on low turn the pot to high for the last 30 minutes.

Remove the pot from the base and stir in the fresh herbs. Serve over rice.

Peach Salsa

6 large ripe peaches

6 slices of pickled jalepenos, like for nachos, chopped

1/4 c. red bell pepper, finely chopped

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

1 small amount of chopped fresh cilantro, about 1 Tbsp chopped

1/3 c. balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp honey

2 Tbsp jalapeno liquid from the jar of slices

Heat the balsamic vinegar over medium heat until reduced by at least half. Whisk in the honey until smooth. Remove from the heat and whisk in the jalapeno liquid. Set aside to cool

Peel and chop the peaches. 

Combine the peaches, red onion, red pepper, jalapenos, cilantro and balsamic vinegar sauce.  

Stir to combine. 

Serve with chips or over pork chops. 

Fresh Blueberry Sauce

5 c. fresh blueberries

3 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp. lemon juice

3 Tbsp water

1 1/2 tsp instant clear gel

Place half the blueberries in a large bowl and mash lightly. I started to use a potato mashed but it mushed the blueberries too much, I like them to only be broken up a bit but not a paste. Add the sugar and remaining blueberries and continue mashing until most of the blueberries are at least somewhat squished. Add the water and lemon juice, stir for a minute and let stand for 10 minutes. Sprinkle the clear gel over the top and stir again for another minute. Let stand for ten minutes and serve.

I love the use of the clear gel because it thickens the sauce around the berries without having to cook them at all leaving it so they are still fresh. This can be made with fresh strawberries as well. Slice the strawberries instead of mashing them and skip the water. Let the sliced berries sit with the sugar for about 20 minutes and then add the clear gel until thickened.

This is great over ice cream, in crepes, or just in a bowl with whipped cream.

Cajun Cream Pasta

2 lb Boneless, skinless chicken breasts

seasoning mix (recipe below)

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp oil

1 c. chicken broth

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1/2 onion, chopped really fine

1/2 bell pepper, chopped really fine

1 Tbsp garlic

1 Tbsp flour

1 c. half-an-half

Salt & Pepper to taste

Hot cooked pasta

Trim the chicken breasts of fat and cut in half lengthwise.  Sprinkle with a generous amount of seasoning mix on both sides and cook in the oil and butter. Don't turn the chicken until it looks golden and the seasoning is dark brown. Flip and cook on the other side. Remove from heat and keep warm. 

If the pan looks dry add an additional splash of oil and saute the onion and pepper until translucent. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds longer. Stir in the flour and cook another 30 seconds.

Add the chicken broth to the pan and simmer to deglaze the bottom. Add the tomato paste and simmer all together for 5 minutes. Stir in the half-an-half and simmer an additional minute. 

Return the chicken to the pan along with any juices on the plate. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust accordingly. Turn once to coat and serve over hot pasta.

Seasoning mix

2 Tbsp Kirklands Signature Seasoning mix

1 tsp. thyme

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp granulated garlic

1/4 tsp onion salt

Mix all together. Reserve extra for future use. I only used about 3/4 of the seasoning. 

If you don't want to make your own seasoning mix any Cajun seasoning mix will do

Presto Pasta Nights this week is at Simple Kitchen Seasons

Oatmeal Scotchie Bars

My mom used to make a cookie with butterscotch chips called oatmeal scotchies. The recipe was the one on the back of the chip bag. I made this recipe up using my favorite cookie recipe, and of course a few tweaks. Cookies would be good, but bars are easier to make and taste just as good. 

I would have made this with all butter instead of the oil and syrup but I one stick was all I had. So if you aren't as neglectful as I am then try it with all butter and let me know how it goes.And I know corn syrup has a really bad reputation right now, but really, it's a dessert. What were you expecting?

1 stick butter, softened

2 Tbsp oil

2 Tbsp corn syrup

3/4 c. brown sugar

2 Tbsp granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 c. flour

3/4 c. whole wheat flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. oats

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 bag butterscotch chips

Beat together the butter, oil, and syrup. 

Beat in both sugars, the egg, vanilla, soda, salt, and cinnamon. 

Once mixed beat in the flours and oats then the butterscotch chips.

Spread evenly into a 9 x 13 pan. 

Bake at 350 for 20 - 30 minutes until a dark golden brown. 

Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting into bars.

Stuffed Breadsticks

This is one of my favorite ways to use up leftovers. I throw a loaf of bread in the bread maker, prep the leftovers and we have a great lunch or dinner with little extra work. 

For the filling you can use just about anything. I had some leftover beef stew so I used that. I have also made this with pot roast, leftover thanksgiving turkey and gravy, chicken curry and most soups. I especially love German Lentil soup in them. With soups just strain the broth off and use the rest as the filling. I you want you can even thicken some of the broth for a sauce to bind it all together. If you start from scratch another thing we like to stuff them with is chopped chicken tossed with a little alfredo sauce.

If I am using something that has a really chunky filling, like stew or roast, I chop it up into fairly small pieces.

1 batch of bread dough

Leftovers

Melted butter

Granulated garlic

Dried oregano

Parmesan cheese

Roll the dough out so that it is large and thin. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife cut the dough into 4 in squares. Top with some of whatever filling you choose to use. Fold over and press the edges to seal. Brush with butter and sprinkle with the garlic, oregano, and grated cheese. Bake at 350 for 20 - 30 minutes until the bread looks cooked and browned on top. These make great lunches as well. 

Pizza Macaroni and Cheese

 My Grandma made this once while visiting as a kid. I thought it would be fun to recreate for my family since everyone loves pepperoni. Any type of prepared macaroni and cheese makes a great base for this and bottled pizza sauce can also be substituted to make this even faster. Leave off the pepperoni and add peppers, olives, and onions for a supreme pizza. Or bacon and ham for a meat loves. This is a great way to use up leftover macaroni and cheese or meat or vegetables left in the fridge. 

Presto Pasta Nights 265 is at The Crispy Cook. 

2  - 3 boxes macaroni and cheese (with cheese sauce)

1/2 c. sour cream

1 can diced tomatoes

1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black peppers
1/4 tsp. granulated garlic
1/4 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. marjoram
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. thyme
pinch rosemary

1 8 oz. bag Italian cheese

Pepperoni

Cook the pasta according the package directions. Drain and mix with cheese sauce packets and sour cream. Pour into a 9x13 in baking pan.

Drain the tomatoes really well and puree. Mix in the seasonings and carefully spread on top of the macaroni and cheese.

Sprinkle the Italian cheese evenly over the top and then top with pepperoni. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes until the cheese is melted. If the pepperoni is still not crisp broil for 3 - 4 minutes until it is.

Garlic Dijon Chicken

1/2 lb bacon

3 - 4 chicken breasts, cubed

3 - 4 potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 in. cubes

Seasoning salt (I like Kirklands)

2 Tbsp bottled minced garlic

1/2 tsp. dijon mustard

1 1/2 c. chicken broth

1/3 c. milk

Cut the bacon into pieces and then saute until crisp. Remove from the pan and drain on a paper towel.  Add the chicken to the pan and season with seasoning salt. Cook until no longer pink. Add the potatoes and continue to saute until the potatoes are starting to get slightly translucent around the edges. Add the garlic, stir once, and add the remaining ingredients. Simmer over medium heat until the potatoes are just tender, still slightly firm. Reduce the heat and continue to simmer until the potatoes are very soft. 

Sprinkle the bacon over the top and serve

Strawberry Rhubarb Galette

Thank you pinterest and Mennonite Girls Can Cook. It only took me 2 months to find rhubarb, but find it I did and now we have a tasty new recipe. 

1 crust

1 lb rhubarb

3/4 c. sugar

3 Tbsp flour

1/2 pkg. strawberry gelatin powder

2 Tbsp milk

1 - 2 Tbsp pearl sugar

I used a store bought pie crust and just rolled it until it was slightly larger. Any homemade pastry crust will work. Transfer to a baking sheet.

Slice the rhubarb and toss with the sugar, flour and gelatin. 

Place in the center of the pie crust, leaving an inch and a half around the edges. 

Fold the crust up over the fruit and brush the crust with the milk. Sprinkle with the sugar. Cover the crust with tin foil and bake at 375 until the fruit is baked. Remove the foil and and continue baking until browned. I baked mine for 35 minutes, removed the tin foil and baked an additional 7 minutes.

Let cool mostly and serve. 

Coconut Limeade

1 small (5.46 fl oz) can coconut milk

1/4 c. sugar

1 tsp coconut extract

2 limes

2 can ginger ale, chilled

Stir together the coconut milk, sugar, and 

coconut extract until the sugar is dissolved. 

In a large glass combine 1 can ginger ale, half of 

the coconut mixture, and the juice of 1 lime.

Serve immediately. 

Serves 2 - 4

Chicken Cordon Bleu from "Come What May"

HH6 for the month of April had a really fun theme

Pick a recipe or dish from a HH6 blogger's blog to prepare

Since I love to check out food blogs this was perfect. 

I started with Chicken Cordon Bleu from "Come what May" 

with just a few minor changes. 

The first was instead of ham I used prosciutto because I had some that needed to be used up. 

I also changed the cheese a bit, again to use up what I had. I used a combination of Gouda, Monterrey, and Asiago since that what I had in my fridge and I have to say we LOVED that combination of cheese. 

Then I combined the cheese and bread crumbs since I was in a hurry and just sprayed the chicken with cooking spray and then coated it in the crumb/ cheese mixture and baked.

I will be making this again, though I think next time instead of pounding, I will just cut a pocket in the chicken and stuff it that way to save time.I served this with wild rice and canned green beans.

 

Lemon Berry Pie

This is a combination of three separate pies all brought together in one pie crust. The base is the lemon sour cream pie from the other day, with key lime added and then topped with a fresh strawberry pie. Feel free to make this with all lemon or with equal parts lemon and lime for a more distinct key lime pie flavor. Blue berries are also good in place of the strawberries for a lemon blueberry pie. Just switch the gelatin to blackberry or lemon flavored. If you go the lime route add an extra tablespoon or two of sugar, I like it on the tart side but the rest of my family agreed they would have appreciated it slightly sweeter.

1 pie crust

Lemon layer:

1 c. sour cream

1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs

1/2 c. lemon juice (minus 1 Tbsp)

1 Tbsp key lime juice (Or orange juice concentrate)

1/4 tsp Penzys lemon peel (or zest from 1/2 lemon)

Strawberry Layer:

1/2 c. sugar 

1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch

1/2 c. water

1/2 packet Strawberry gelatin powder

1/2 tsp lemon juice

1 lb. fresh strawberries, sliced

Bake the crust for 20 minutes. Whisk together all of the ingredients for the lemon layer. Once the crust has baked for 20 minutes pour the lemon and sour cream mixture into the crust and bake an additional 20 minutes until the lemon looks mostly set but not totally solid. 

Chill for 2 hours

In a small saucepan whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Stir in the water. Cook until thick. Remove from heat and stir in the gelatin powder and the lemon juice. Let cool slightly and toss with strawberries. Gently spoon over chilled lemon layer. Chill another hour or until ready to serve.

Chicken an Potatoes

 

 

3 large or 4 medium chicken breasts

oil

Season salt (I used Kirklands) or herb chicken seasoning

1 1/2 lb red potatoes

1 can chicken broth

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

 

Slice the chicken against the grain into 1/4 inch thick slices. Sprinkle with season salt, or herb seasoning, and cook in hot oil until cooked through. Cut the potatoes in half length wise and slice. When the chicken is cooked through add the potatoes and cook, stirring, until starting to look translucent in spots. Add the chicken broth, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are tender, stirring a couple time throughout cooking.  When the potatoes are cooked combine the cornstarch and enough water to make a thin paste, about 2 - 3 Tbsp of water. Reduce the heat to low. Push the potatoes to one side of the pan and lift it up so the liquid runs to the other side.  Stir the cornstarch paste into the liquid and let the pan back flat. Stir well to combine and create a smooth glaze.

Lemon Sour Cream pie

This is a pinterest find I made and wanted to share, it originally comes from Sacramento Street. Cause it was super simple and very tasty. 

I changed a few things. Instead of Greek yogurt I used sour cream since I already had that on hand and I used my almond crust recipe. I followed their baking directions though. I baked it for 15 minutes, let it cool for 5, then added the filling and baked until it was done. Mine only needed to bake for 18 minutes. Also I think fresh lemons and lemon zest would be best in this but I was feeling lazy so I used bottled juice and Penzys dehydrated lemon peel. 

This is great with just some fresh whipped cream or with a fruit topping, any berry pairs very well with this. 


This is where I would have put a picture if we hadn't eaten it before I got around to taking one

1 c. sour cream

1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs

1/2 c. lemon juice

1/4 tsp Penzys lemon peel

Crust

Whisk together the sour cream, sugar, and lemon peel. Whisk in the lemon juice until smooth. Pour into crust and bake at 350 for 18 - 25 minutes until set. Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes and then refrigerate for at least 1 hour.  

1 ¼ c. all-purpose flour

3 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 shallow 9-inch pie plate.

Bake at 350° for 15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before adding the lemon filling and baking.

Cabbage Broccoli Salad

I made something very similar to this a few months ago with a sesame dressing and mandarin oranges in the salad. I made it this time almost exactly like my mom used to make it but with the addition of broccoli. 

And since Ramen noodles are technically pasta (I checked) I am sending this to Presto Pasta Nights 258 at Once upon a Feast.

1 small head cabbage or 1/2 large head

1 head broccoli

2 pkg oriental ramen noodles

3/4 c. sunflower seeds

1  - 2 c. sliced almonds

2 lb. chicken breasts

season salt

oil

Dressing (Recipe follows)

Cut the cabbage into quarters and cut out the core. Cut each quarter in half again, lengthwise and then slice into thin ribbons. Dump into a really large bowl.

Chop the broccoli pretty fine and place in the bowl with the cabbage. Add the sunflower seeds and the almonds. Crush the ramen noodles pretty well before opening the package and add the noodles to the bowl, reserving the seasoning packets for the dressing. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir well to combine.

When that is all done trim the chicken breasts and season generously with season salt. Cook in hot oil until no longer pink in the middle and both sides are browned. Immediately chop the chicken into small pieces and add to the cabbage bowl. Stir to combine. You can use leftover chicken here, I like to add it hot to the salad though because it cooks the broccoli ever so slightly and makes it a nice bright green color. 

Dressing:

1 c. oil

6 Tbsp Red wine vinegar

2 Oriental ramen seasoning packets

3 Tbsp sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk all together and set aside. 

In a pinch you can use apple cider vinegar in place of the red wine vinegar but you will need to reduce the oil by 2 Tablespoon and make up the difference with vinegar since apple cider doesnt have the same flavor as the red wine. 

Brussel Sprouts

 Sorry the picture is not all that inviting

My kids love brussel sprouts. They ask for them every time we are at the store. Just try and picture the strange looks I get in the store with three kids begging for brussel sprouts. And the even stranger looks I get when I tell them "not this time". They particularly like the frozen ones in the Green Giant packets with the butter sauce. These are similar but start from fresh, don't get all mushy and I can make as many or as few as I want.

 

1 lb brussel sprouts

6 Tbsp unsalted Butter

2 Tbsp. Flour

1 c. water

1 chicken bouillon cube

Cut the ends off the brussel sprouts and cut the large ones into quarters and the small ones in half. 

Heat the butter in a large skillet, add the brussel sprouts and cook until browned in spots and glossy looking. Sprinkle the flour over the top stirring to combine. Cook while stirring for one minute. Add the water and chicken bouillon. Cover and turn the heat down. Cook until the brussel sprouts are tender when pierced with a fork. Serve immediately.

Optional and tasty: Saute 6 strips of bacon and remove from the pan. Use the drippings instead of butter and continue with the recipe as above. Just before serving crumble the bacon and sprinkle on top.

Breaded Baked Zucchini

This was actually really fast to throw together and let bake while I made the spaghetti, and was a tasty side dish that was a change from my usual, steamed broccoli. For the dipping sauce since I was already serving spaghetti I just reserved some of the sauce before adding it to the beef to dip into.

1 egg

3/4 c. milk

1 garlic clove, crushed and minced

2 medium zucchini

3/4 c. Italian seasoned bread crumbs

3/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Dash Salt & Black Pepper

1/4 - 1/2 tsp granulated garlic

Marinara Sauce for Dipping

Pre-heat your oven to 400

Combine the egg, milk, and minced garlic. Cover and let sit in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.

Slice the zucchini about 1/8 of an inch thick and set aside.

In a separate container combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic. 

Dip the sliced zucchini in the egg mixture and then the crumb mixture, pressing slightly to help the crumbs stick. 

Spray a baking sheet really well. Place the zucchini in a single layer on the pan and spray with cooking spray. 

Bake at 400 for 18 - 22 minutes. Flip the zucchini over and bake an additional 7 - 10 minutes, until browned. 

Old Fashioned Pound Cake

It was surprisingly difficult to find a pound cake recipe that someone hadn't tried to reduce the fat content in. And I certainly wouldn't want that! So like any  ̶g̶o̶o̶d̶  classic pound cake recipe, this starts with an entire pound of butter.

1 lb butter

3 c. sugar

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

6 eggs

3 c. flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. sour cream

Pre-heat oven to 350

Mix together the flour, soda and salt and set aside. 

Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until mixed. Then add the flour mixture and mix until thoroughly incorporated. When the flour is completely combined stir in the sour cream and mix until combined.

Grease your baking pan and bake at 350 for anywhere from 20 - 40 minutes, until the top is a dark golden brown. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Run your knife around the edges of the pan and flop upside down on a cooling rack. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I got 5 smallish loaves out of this, each one yielding 10 slices. 

I'm guessing the pan size was 2 x 5 or 6

We ate one with macerated strawberries and
sweetened whipped cream. 

I think lemon curd also is very tasty with the pound cake,

and lemon curd with strawberries and whipped cream is always good too

The other 4 loaves I wrapped in plastic wrap and then tin foil and froze.

Creamed Potato and Pea Stew

I used to work at a diner in Idaho and they occasionally served creamed potatoes and peas. And they where so good. In my vain attempts to recreate them I have made some pretty tasty dishes, though none have been quite the same as the ones from Rexburg. I decided to add some cooked shredded chicken to make it a complete meal, a complete meal I might add, that everyone loved. 

3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

2 1/2 lb. red potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes

2 - 3 c. frozen peas

2 - 4 chicken bouillon cubes

Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

1/4 tsp. granulated garlic

1/2 c. flour, mixed with enough water to make a thin paste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Put the chicken breasts in the boiling water and cook until the meat is cooked throughout, about 25 - 30 minutes. Remove the chicken and set aside. When cool enough to handle, shred the chicken. Simmer the water down until it is reduced slightly. Add 2 - 4 chicken bouillon cubes (to taste). 

Which together the cream cheese and some of the liquid until smooth. Set aside. Add the potatoes, pepper, and garlic to the boiling water and simmer until tender. When the potatoes are cooked add the frozen peas and simmer until the liquid is heated throughout. Add the cream cheese mix and the flour paste and cook, stirring until thickened. Stir in the shredded chicken and heat through. Taste the sauce and check for seasoning adding more chicken bouillon, salt, pepper, or garlic as needed. I seasoned my plate with my favorite Mortons Nature Seasons.

Bread Machine Honey Whole Wheat Bread

1 1/2 c. water

2 Tbsp. oil

1/3 c. honey

2 c. white flour

2 1/4 c. whole wheat flour

1 - 2 tsp salt
(My page says 2 but I think I only used 1)

1 Tbsp bread machine yeast

1 tsp dough enhancer

Place all the ingredients in your bread machine in the order listed. 

The settings I used where Whole Wheat, 1.5 lb loaf, and light crust.

Hot start and met it do its thing!

This loaf puffed up nicely and was light and fluffy.

Fruit and Oat Muffins

This was created to use up a whole bunch of different odds and ends in my kitchen, so it's a jumble of flavors. My kids loved them and all had several right away and all of them where gone within the hour.

1/4 c. unsalted butter

1/3 c. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 c. honey

1 egg

2 brown bananas, whole

3/4 c. white flour

3/4 c. whole wheat flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 c. oats

1 tsp. cinnamon

4 oz. apple sauce

Preheat the over to 350

Beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Beat in the sugar and vanilla extract. When combined, beat in the honey, egg, and 2 bananas.

Next beat in the soda, salt, and cinnamon. 

Then beat in the white flour, whole wheat flour, and oats. Add the apple sauce and mix just until combined.

Line muffin pans with paper liners and fill 3/4 of the way full. Bake at 350. I only had to bake these for 15 minutes because I used mini muffins. This made 3 1/2 dz. mini muffins.

Candy Easter Eggs

Our first guest recipe from fellow blogger Cecilotta. 

And a picture to help put things into perspective. 

If we were really lucky at Easter-time our mom would make these eggs for us. They are fun to give away, and especially fun to eat, and they look nice on the table while drooling children wait to slice them.

While a little time consuming to make, they really are not hard at all and well worth the effort. Especially if you have people in your house with allergies, you can make sure these are safe to eat.

With Easter only a little over a month now is a great time to start getting ideas together to celebrate.

4 c. white sugar

1 c. corn syrup

1 c. water

1/3 c. - 3 oz (about 3) egg white

(Make sure there isn't ANY yolk in the white or they wont beat right)

Orange - Peanut Butter - 1 c. creamy peanut butter

Blue - Chocolate Nut - 3/4 c. dark chocolate melted + 1 c. walnuts, chopped

White - Coconut - 1 c. flaked coconut
1/4 - 1/4 c. melted white chocolate
Splash of coconut extract

Yellow - Maple Nut - 1 Tbsp. real maple extract + 1 c. walnuts, chopped

Pink - Fruit and Nut - 1 c. candied fruit + 1 c. walnuts

Combine sugar, corn syrup, and water. Cook syrup to 261. Remove from heat, let stand until bubbles stop.

Meanwhile beat egg whites until stiff, but not dry. Slowly add, in a thin stream, sugar syrup and beat until gloss is gone. Fold in desired flavor. Shape into eggs, you can make them small or large. Let cool, chill.

Coat with chocolate by dipping the egg into melted chocolate and use your hands to coat. Place on a tray lined with wax paper, place a confection flower in to top to indicate what flavor it is. Let set up at room temperature and then chill to firm.

Delicious and Fluffy Pancakes

I don't ever really like pancakes all that much and I like these. 

They are slightly dense, but also still very light.

1 c. flour

2 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 c. half-an-half

1 egg

2 Tbsp butter, very soft but not melted

1 - 2 Tbsp. Da Vinci English Toffee Italian soda and coffee syrup

1 tsp white vinegar

In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. 

In a separate bowl combine the half-an-half, egg, butter and syrup. Mix the liquid mixture into the flour and stir well to combine. Stir for 2 minutes to get rid of the lumps. Stir in the vinegar just until combines. 

Cook in a hot nonstick pan over medium heat until dark golden and easy to get the spatula under to flip. Cook on the other side until done.

Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken

 This was taken from Baby Center. Next time I think I am going to broil the chicken right after I add the sauce for a minute to get the sauce really sticky. All the ingredients in this freeze, just throw everything in a bag with the raw chicken and freeze. I haven't done it though so I have no idea on cooking time if you don't thaw it first.

2 lb. chicken breasts

Salt & Pepper

1 c. honey

1/2 c. soy sauce

1/2 onion, chopped

1/4 c. ketchup

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch

Sesame seeds to sprinkle on top

Hot cooked brown or white rice

Combine the honey, soy cause, onion, ketchup, both oils, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Pour a little into the bottom of your crock pot. 

Trim the chicken of anything you don't want to eat later. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place in the crock pot and top with remaining honey sauce. Stir once to coat the chicken in the sauce. 

Cook on high for 1 - 2 hours until the chicken is cooked. Combine cornstarch and enough water to make a thin paste. Remove the chicken from the crock pot leaving the crock pot on. Immediately stir the cornstarch into the crock pot and return the lid. Cook on high for an additional 10 minutes. While the sauce it thickening chop the chicken into bit sized pieces. Make sure the sauce is thoroughly thickened before combining or it will taste chalky.

Toss the chicken with the thickened sauce, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve over rice.

Beef Stew (for the freezer)

A traditional beef stew needs a few modifications to be frozen, but it is possible.

The main things are potatoes and flour thickened sauces dont freeze well. 

For the flour I simply didn't thicken it with anything, you can add a flour paste at the end of reheating to serve if you want it thicker, I plan on just serving it as as.

A to potatoes I just left them out. I plan on serving this over rice, baked potatoes, or pasta

but you could boil a pot of potatoes chunks and stir them in at the end. 

10 lb of beef, cubed

8 large carrots, cut into thick coins

4 large onions, diced

10 stalks of celery, sliced

2 family sized can cream of anything soup

1/2 c. dehydrated onions

8 beef bouillon cubes

2 tsp granulated garlic

black pepper

6 c. frozen peas

2 can corn

2 disposable turkey sized foil roasting pans

(I used the cheapo kind that where 13 inches x something, not the biggest but the cheapest)

Toss half of the beef, carrots, onions, and celery in each pan. Add 1 can of soup to each pan along with 1/4 c. dehydrated onion, 4 beef cubes, 1 tsp garlic, and black pepper sprinkled across the top. Add 3/4 c. of water and stir everything together. Cover with tin foil and bake at 290 for 2 hours. Stir everything, recover the pans with the tin foil and bake at 350 until the meat is tender, about 2 - 3 hours. Remove from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes. Stir 3 cups of peas and 1 can of corn into each pan. Let cool to room temperature and divide into serving sized pan. 

I got 6 pans out of this recipe. You can make the portions a little smaller than you think since this is served over something the meal will be bigger than just what is in the pan. Cover the top with tin foil and freeze fat. Once the pans are frozen solid you can stack them on top of each other in the freezer. 

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To Serve
Leaving the tin foil on top of the stew, bake at 350 for 1 hour or until the gravy is bubbly. If you freeze in a plastic baking pan or tupperware this can be reheated in to microwave. Cook for a few minutes, stir, and then cook again, stirring every few minutes, until hot.

Homemade Ravioli

Homemade ravioli can be a lot of fun as long as you know a few tricks to make the process go a lot easier. I work with a hand crank and a Norpro ravioli press.

My pasta dough recipe:

3 1/2 c. flour

1/2 tsp salt

6 eggs

2 Tbsp water

About 3 cups of your desired filling* 

(This is a great place to use leftover cooked meats)

Mix all in medium speed with the paddle, the whisk wont be able to handle it. Let rest, covered, 30 minutes. 

When ready to use split the dough into balls smaller than a baseball but bigger than a golf ball. Make sure the pasta you aren't working with at the time is covered with a damp paper towel to keep the pasta from drying out. Flour the dough on all sides and run through the hand crank on the "1" setting, re flour and then run through again on the "4" setting. Four was the thinnest I could make the dough without it being too thin to hold the filling. Spray the metal part of the ravioli press with no-stick cooking spray (this is really important or you wont be able to get the pasta off the press without ripping the pockets open) 

Press the off-white plate into the dough to create indents in the dough. Fill the pockets with your fully cooked filling. Make sure to not over fill and keeping all the filling in the middle so the edges can seal properly. 

Take a second sheet of pasta and slightly moisten on one side. Place the moistened side down on top of the ravioli press. Roll a rolling pin over the top to cut and seal the ravioli. Remove the excess from the side, flip over and push gently on a couple of the ravioli on one end to release. They should come right out. 

Place on a baking sheet while you finish the rest of the pasta. This recipe made about 8 dozen for me.

To make Toasted Ravioli:

 3/4 c. Italian bread crumbs

1/4 c. flour

1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
Salt to taste

2 eggs

1/2 c. milk

1/4 c. sour cream

Combine the bread crumbs, flour, and cheese. Taste for salt,
You want it a little saltier than you think, the eggs wash doesn't have any seasoning
and the pasta has very little salt, usually you add salt to the water. Set aside.

In a separate bowl whisk together the egg, milk, and sour cream.

Dip the ravioli in the egg mix and then the bread crumbs. 

Lay flat on a baking tray, spray really well with butter spray,
and bake at 375 for 12 - 17 minutes or until golden. 

Serve with marinara sauce

*For my filling I sauteed 1 medium onion, chopped very finely, in butter until tender. I then added 2 - 3 cups of cooked, finely chopped, pot roast, about 2 tsp. dried basil, 1/2 tsp granulated garlic, 1 cup of water and a beef bouillon cube. I simmered that for a while then drained off most of the liquid and added about 3 Tbsp italian bread crumbs (to soak up the rest of the liquid) 3 oz. of grated Monterrey cheese (it was all I had, I would have preferred mozzarella or even Asiago) and 3 Tbsp of Parmesan cheese. 

Other fillings I like are chicken, cream cheese and herbs or ricotta and spinach

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Freezer Ravioli

To freeze: Lay flat on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. When solid drop in a freeze safe bag. 

To serve: Drop the frozen ravioli into boiling water and cook until they float to the top. Drain and serve with your favorite sauce. 

Presto Pasta Night is being hosted by its founder 

at "Once Upon a Feast"