Boy 1 won't eat hamburgers and complains when I have hamburger ground up in other dishes, but he will actually ask me to make meatloaf. I haven't figured that one out yet. I think he mostly likes the usual sauce that goes on top of most meatloaf recipes. You know the one with ketchup, maybe some mustard, and brown sugar. Personally, I'm not a big fan of that topping, so when I saw this meatloaf recipe I figured I would give it a try. I think it's probably one of the best meatloaf recipes I have ever used! Totally moist and yummy. When I first made it, it did seem to be missing a little something without the sauce, which I think was mostly because I've always made meatloaf with the sauce on it. So when I make this I just make up a little bit of the sauce and cook it on the stove or in the microwave for a few minutes and then those who want it can use it if they so desire. Even the girl eats most of her serving without complaint. And, as usual, Boy 2 just won't try it. I try to be patient. He's four and what he eats is one of the few things he has almost total control over. Someday he'll like this, too! (At least that's the dream I hold onto with both fists.)
Champion Meat Loaf
by Melanie Lewis (from a ward/church cookbook)
1 1/2 lb ground beef (I usually just use two pounds since I buy them in 1 pound packages)
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup decrusted soft bread crumbs (I just use store bought bread crumbs)
2-3 strips bacon or bacon bits (NOT Bacos! Bacon strips is best but if you use bits, use real bacon bits.)
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. (Yes, 500 - you don't bake it at that temp.) Mix together beef, eggs, soup mix, sour cream, and bread crumbs. Shape in loaf pan and top with bacon or sprinkle with bacon bits. Put in oven and turn the temperature down to 375 degrees. Bake for 1 hour.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Beef Vegetable Soup
This is a soup that Boy 1 loves. It's good, covers a whole meal essentially and, if you do the whole recipe, will leave lots of leftovers. When we make it we usually have two to three meals worth which is great for dinner the next day or several lunches. Add some bread or rolls alongside and you have a yummy meal!
Beef Vegetable Soup
from Redbook magazine
This takes about 2 hours or so to cook, depending on how small you chop your veggies.
1 Tbsp Vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds beef chuck, cut in 3/4" chunks (I use stew meat, already cut!)
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cans - 14 1/2 ounces each, beef broth (or a 48 oz box and one can)
1 can - 28 to 35 ounces, plum tomatoes in juice (diced tomatoes work, too)
2 cups water
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp pepper
1 pound carrots, peeled and diced (I just use a bunch of baby carrots, sliced)
1 pound red potatoes, scrubbed and diced (I use regular white potatoes)
3 celery stalks, diced
1 package - 10 ounces frozen peas (I can ever only find 16 oz, so I use those)
1 package - 10 ounces frozen corn (I can ever only find 16 oz, so I use those)
(I like to add some salt but I've never measured it. You can always just add a little to your bowl before eating, too. It really needs a little extra salt.)
Brown beef in oil in a large pot (I use a stock pot). Add onion and cook for five (5) minutes. Stir in broth, tomatoes and juice, water, bay leaf, thyme, and pepper. (And salt if you want to add it). Bring it to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 45 minutes.
Add carrots, potatoes and celery. Cover and simmer for another 45 minutes or until the carrots and potatoes start to soften. Add peas and corn and cook for another 15 minutes.
Beef Vegetable Soup
from Redbook magazine
This takes about 2 hours or so to cook, depending on how small you chop your veggies.
1 Tbsp Vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds beef chuck, cut in 3/4" chunks (I use stew meat, already cut!)
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cans - 14 1/2 ounces each, beef broth (or a 48 oz box and one can)
1 can - 28 to 35 ounces, plum tomatoes in juice (diced tomatoes work, too)
2 cups water
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp pepper
1 pound carrots, peeled and diced (I just use a bunch of baby carrots, sliced)
1 pound red potatoes, scrubbed and diced (I use regular white potatoes)
3 celery stalks, diced
1 package - 10 ounces frozen peas (I can ever only find 16 oz, so I use those)
1 package - 10 ounces frozen corn (I can ever only find 16 oz, so I use those)
(I like to add some salt but I've never measured it. You can always just add a little to your bowl before eating, too. It really needs a little extra salt.)
Brown beef in oil in a large pot (I use a stock pot). Add onion and cook for five (5) minutes. Stir in broth, tomatoes and juice, water, bay leaf, thyme, and pepper. (And salt if you want to add it). Bring it to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 45 minutes.
Add carrots, potatoes and celery. Cover and simmer for another 45 minutes or until the carrots and potatoes start to soften. Add peas and corn and cook for another 15 minutes.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Beef Noodle Bowl
My older two kids LOVE this meal. Which is funny since, like the vegetable stir-fry on this site, it has broccoli and cooked carrots which are both unfavored items as a general rule. This is also a really great recipe to use if you have a lot of leftover cooked pasta. When we do spaghetti or something like that we never put the sauce on the noodles while they're in the pan because some kids don't like the sauce and others only want a little, etc. So, we often have leftover noodles to use. It's a versatile recipe, too. You can always add different veggies than what the recipe calls for and it still generally turns out. I haven't tried all combinations of veggies so I can't say it always turns out.
Beef Noodle Bowl
from Kraft
8 oz. linguine, uncooked
3 cups broccoli florets
3 carrots, peeled, sliced (about 2 cups)
2 tsp oil
1 lb beef sirloin steak, cut into strips (I cheat and buy stir-fry beef at the grocery store)
1 Tbsp teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing
Cook pasta as directed on package, adding vegetables to the boiling water for the last 2 minutes of the pasta cooking time. (I've found they usually need longer so I add the veggies when I add the pasta to the water.)
Meanwhile, heat oil in large nonstick skillet. (I use a really large pot because, once you add everything to this pan, it will be really hard to stir it together without spilling stuff over the edge of the skillet.)
Add meat to the oil and cook for 4 minutes or until the meat is browned on all sides, stirring occasionally. (I often have "juice" from the meat that is more like water, so I drain this out during the cooking of the meat.)
Stir in dressing and teriyaki sauce and cook for 2 minutes or until the sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally. (I usually double the sauce amount depending on how many veggies I'm using or how many noodles I'm using. The original sauce amount isn't very much anyway.)
Drain the pasta mixture and place in a large serving bowl. Add the meat mixture and toss to coat. (Unless you don't want t make another dish dirty and you serve it in the pan, like me. See the comment about pans above.)
Tip:
When you are using leftover noodles you won't be cooking the veggies with the noodles. When that's the case, I add a little salt to the water with the veggies while they cook, otherwise they are a little bland. But that is completely a personal choice. And, warm the noodles up in the microwave before adding it to the meat mixture. You don't want to cool off the meat and then have to reheat it with the noodles.
Beef Noodle Bowl
from Kraft
8 oz. linguine, uncooked
3 cups broccoli florets
3 carrots, peeled, sliced (about 2 cups)
2 tsp oil
1 lb beef sirloin steak, cut into strips (I cheat and buy stir-fry beef at the grocery store)
1 Tbsp teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing
Cook pasta as directed on package, adding vegetables to the boiling water for the last 2 minutes of the pasta cooking time. (I've found they usually need longer so I add the veggies when I add the pasta to the water.)
Meanwhile, heat oil in large nonstick skillet. (I use a really large pot because, once you add everything to this pan, it will be really hard to stir it together without spilling stuff over the edge of the skillet.)
Add meat to the oil and cook for 4 minutes or until the meat is browned on all sides, stirring occasionally. (I often have "juice" from the meat that is more like water, so I drain this out during the cooking of the meat.)
Stir in dressing and teriyaki sauce and cook for 2 minutes or until the sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally. (I usually double the sauce amount depending on how many veggies I'm using or how many noodles I'm using. The original sauce amount isn't very much anyway.)
Drain the pasta mixture and place in a large serving bowl. Add the meat mixture and toss to coat. (Unless you don't want t make another dish dirty and you serve it in the pan, like me. See the comment about pans above.)
Tip:
When you are using leftover noodles you won't be cooking the veggies with the noodles. When that's the case, I add a little salt to the water with the veggies while they cook, otherwise they are a little bland. But that is completely a personal choice. And, warm the noodles up in the microwave before adding it to the meat mixture. You don't want to cool off the meat and then have to reheat it with the noodles.
Vegetable Stir-Fry
Getting my kids to eat vegetables that are anything other than baby carrots and occasionally salad is nearly impossible. Boy 1 doesn't like broccoli unless it's in the form of Broccoli Cheese soup. (Go figure.) The girl likes broccoli but doesn't really care for anything else except carrots, as long as they're not cooked. Boy 2 will occasionally eat carrots as long as they are uncooked and only baby carrots. Not carrot sticks or large carrots. None of the kids like celery or cauliflower. HOWEVER, I can make this vegetable stir fry and I never get complaints from the older two kids. Boy 2 doesn't complain either, but he'll only eat the rice that we put under this. It's wonderful to have a non-complaint meal!
Vegetable Stir-Fry
from Swanson (Think broth - I got it from a magazine, I think it was Woman's Day but I can't remember for sure.)
1 cup Swanson Chicken Broth (Regular, Natural Goodness or Certified Organic)
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
4 cups cut-up vegetables ~ broccoli florets, cauliflower florets, baby carrots and sliced celery
2 tsp grated fresh ginger root or 1/8 tsp ground ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
Toasted sesame seeds ~optional
(I add about 1/2 tsp of salt while this is cooking but you can just season as you like after it's on your plate, too.)
Stir the broth, cornstarch and soy sauce in a small bowl until the mixture is smooth.
Heat the oil in a 10" skillet over medium-high heat. Add the vegetables, ginger root and garlic and stir-fry until they're tender-crisp.
Add the broth mixture to the skillet. Cook and stir until the mixture boils and thickens. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds, if desired.
We serve this recipe over rice and it makes a whole meal for us. Enjoy!
Tips:
- You may be tempted to use frozen veggies for this recipe. I'm here to tell you that it will work, BUT it turns out a whole lot better with fresh veggies.
- Remember that fresh ginger is usually more potent than the bottled stuff you find in your spice cabinet. If you aren't a huge fan of ginger, like me, then you might want to go with just a bit less than 2 tsp of fresh grated ginger. It can be pretty strong for me with the full 2 teaspoons.
Vegetable Stir-Fry
from Swanson (Think broth - I got it from a magazine, I think it was Woman's Day but I can't remember for sure.)
1 cup Swanson Chicken Broth (Regular, Natural Goodness or Certified Organic)
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
4 cups cut-up vegetables ~ broccoli florets, cauliflower florets, baby carrots and sliced celery
2 tsp grated fresh ginger root or 1/8 tsp ground ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
Toasted sesame seeds ~optional
(I add about 1/2 tsp of salt while this is cooking but you can just season as you like after it's on your plate, too.)
Stir the broth, cornstarch and soy sauce in a small bowl until the mixture is smooth.
Heat the oil in a 10" skillet over medium-high heat. Add the vegetables, ginger root and garlic and stir-fry until they're tender-crisp.
Add the broth mixture to the skillet. Cook and stir until the mixture boils and thickens. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds, if desired.
We serve this recipe over rice and it makes a whole meal for us. Enjoy!
Tips:
- You may be tempted to use frozen veggies for this recipe. I'm here to tell you that it will work, BUT it turns out a whole lot better with fresh veggies.
- Remember that fresh ginger is usually more potent than the bottled stuff you find in your spice cabinet. If you aren't a huge fan of ginger, like me, then you might want to go with just a bit less than 2 tsp of fresh grated ginger. It can be pretty strong for me with the full 2 teaspoons.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Golden Rod Eggs
Last week was Easter. A time with two sides, if you are of a Christian religion. There is the reverent side, where we remember Christ and His sacrifice for us. Suffering for our sins in Gethsemane and dying on the cross to save us. Then the wonderful gift of His resurrection, and giving us the knowledge that there is life after death and that we will all be resurrected one day as well. I am so very grateful for that knowledge. But, there is also the fun side of Easter that involves bunnies, candy and Easter egg hunts. As a child do you remember the excitement of coloring eggs? Creating beautiful and colorful works of art on eggs. It was such a novelty as a child to be able to handle eggs that way. Then when all the eggs were colored, egg hunts were finished and Easter celebrations over, you had a dozen or more eggs just sitting there. Now what? If you're like me you can only eat a very few hard boiled eggs without getting sick of them, let alone a whole farm's worth. Okay, that's an exaggeration, but when you're sick of them and you still have a dozen sitting there it FEELS like a whole farm's worth. To avoid that scenario you can always use this recipe to get rid of lots of eggs at once! Now, this recipe isn't full of exotic flavors by any means, but you can always add things to it if you want. My husband would add a ton of paprika to it if he had his way. Instead we just put the paprika container next to his plate and he can add what he wants to his own food. The kids and I just add salt and pepper to ours and we think it's great that way. It is pretty blah on its own, though. HOWEVER, my kids, who generally would prefer to not eat eggs, especially if they come in any form other than scrambled, actually lament the end of our Easter eggs because they pretty much only get this dish after Easter is over. Well, the older two do. Boy 2 still doesn't eat eggs. Ever. I have a hard time remembering to make this at any other time of the year. I just generally don't boil eggs for anything during the rest of the year so I don't think about this dish. Every year I promise myself that we'll make it more often and every year I forget. Anyway, here is the recipe. I have no idea who to credit for it. I remember my mom making it when I was a child but I have no idea from where (or whom) she got the recipe.
Golden Rod Eggs
(My family of 5 usually do a recipe and a half or double it, depending on how many eggs we have to use up. It reheats well, too, in case you have leftovers.)
6 eggs, boiled until hard
2 Tbsp margarine (or butter)
2 Tbsp flour
2 Cups milk
Toast
Salt
Pepper
Peel the eggs. Split the whites, pull the yokes out and set the yokes aside. Cut the white of the eggs into small pieces. (Or I suppose you could use a food processor as long as you don't end up pureeing them. I've never tried it, though.) In a small bowl, crumble the egg yolks. (You'll only need about half of the yokes for this so eat some of them if you want!)
Prepare the white sauce by melting the butter over medium heat and stirring in the flour. Stir until the butter and flour mixture bubbles. Stir for another 1 - 2 minutes. Have the milk ready or close by since you don't want the flour and butter to get too hot or start to burn while it's unattended. Add the milk to the butter and flour, stirring constantly. If left unattended for even a short amount of time, the sauce WILL start to cook to the bottom of the pan. (A whisk is the best thing to use for this. I love to use my little coiled Pampered Chef whisk for these types of sauce.)
Cook and stir the sauce over medium heat until the sauce thickens. (This could take quite a while depending on whether you've increased the recipe or not.) Once the sauce is thickened, add the egg whites and continue stirring until the egg whites are hot. Remove from heat.
Toast lots of bread. (We usually use an entire loaf of the "cheap" bread; you know the really little loaves that wouldn't make much of a sandwich at all if you folded it in half or cut the crust off.)
To eat: Either leave the piece of toast whole and cut it with a fork or knife, or break the toast into lots of bite size pieces (which my kids prefer). Then pour some of the white sauce with egg whites over the toast (to your preferred amount) and sprinkle with the egg yokes. Sprinkle with as much salt and pepper as you prefer. Or paprika. Or whatever spice you might want to use. Then enjoy!
Hint: I got this hint from a magazine a long time ago and it works pretty well most of the time. If you lightly smack (technical term) a hard boiled egg on the counter or another hard surface and then roll it either on the counter or in your hands, it nicely cracks the rest of the egg and lets the shell come off more easily. No more picking one little piece off after another!
Golden Rod Eggs
(My family of 5 usually do a recipe and a half or double it, depending on how many eggs we have to use up. It reheats well, too, in case you have leftovers.)
6 eggs, boiled until hard
2 Tbsp margarine (or butter)
2 Tbsp flour
2 Cups milk
Toast
Salt
Pepper
Peel the eggs. Split the whites, pull the yokes out and set the yokes aside. Cut the white of the eggs into small pieces. (Or I suppose you could use a food processor as long as you don't end up pureeing them. I've never tried it, though.) In a small bowl, crumble the egg yolks. (You'll only need about half of the yokes for this so eat some of them if you want!)
Prepare the white sauce by melting the butter over medium heat and stirring in the flour. Stir until the butter and flour mixture bubbles. Stir for another 1 - 2 minutes. Have the milk ready or close by since you don't want the flour and butter to get too hot or start to burn while it's unattended. Add the milk to the butter and flour, stirring constantly. If left unattended for even a short amount of time, the sauce WILL start to cook to the bottom of the pan. (A whisk is the best thing to use for this. I love to use my little coiled Pampered Chef whisk for these types of sauce.)
Cook and stir the sauce over medium heat until the sauce thickens. (This could take quite a while depending on whether you've increased the recipe or not.) Once the sauce is thickened, add the egg whites and continue stirring until the egg whites are hot. Remove from heat.
Toast lots of bread. (We usually use an entire loaf of the "cheap" bread; you know the really little loaves that wouldn't make much of a sandwich at all if you folded it in half or cut the crust off.)
To eat: Either leave the piece of toast whole and cut it with a fork or knife, or break the toast into lots of bite size pieces (which my kids prefer). Then pour some of the white sauce with egg whites over the toast (to your preferred amount) and sprinkle with the egg yokes. Sprinkle with as much salt and pepper as you prefer. Or paprika. Or whatever spice you might want to use. Then enjoy!
Hint: I got this hint from a magazine a long time ago and it works pretty well most of the time. If you lightly smack (technical term) a hard boiled egg on the counter or another hard surface and then roll it either on the counter or in your hands, it nicely cracks the rest of the egg and lets the shell come off more easily. No more picking one little piece off after another!
Friday, April 15, 2011
Kickin' Craisin Cookies
I read a book last fall called 'Key Lime Pie'. It's a fiction mystery and it was entertaining. One thing I loved about the book, though, was that it had a recipe at the end of each chapter. I haven't tried any of the other recipes in the book because, even though they all sound good, I KNOW that my kids (all of them) would rebel. Honestly, they even rebel at these cookies since they have dried cranberries in them. That's okay, though. Even though the main point of this blog is to list recipes my whole family likes, or at least the majority likes, these cookies got added anyway. My kids might not like them, at least with the cranberries in them, but I ADORE these cookies. I rarely make them unless I'm taking most of them someplace outside of my home, otherwise I would eat them all. Every last one. Kickin' Craisin Cookies From the book 'Key Lime Pie’ by Josi Kilpack 1 cup butter 1 cup sugar 1 cup brown sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 cups flour 2 ½ cups quick oats ½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon cloves ½ teaspoon ground ginger 1 teaspoon cinnamon Dash of cayenne pepper (about 1/8 teaspoon) 1½ cups Craisins ½ cup white chocolate chips, optional ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Add Craisins, chocolate chips, and nuts, using a wooden spoon to mix (dough will be too thick for most mixers). Drop by tablespoons or use a 1-inch scoop to make dough balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet about two inches apart. Bake 6 to 9 minutes or until just browned—do not overbake. Allow to cool on pan 2 minutes before moving to cooling rack. Cookies should be crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. Makes 3 dozen.
Friday, March 25, 2011
World's Best Scones
These are really easy and don't take too much time. The kids love them, although they can get kind of crumbly which means "mess all over the floor". The mess is worth it, though. The young women I used to work with at church also seemed to appreciate these scones, since I would get requests for them fairly often! They especially liked them when I would add chocolate chips to the dough. I have to say, though, that my favorite addition is dried cranberries! YUM! Just be careful, much like pie crust, they don't taste as good if you overwork the dough.
World's Best Scones! From Scotland to the Savoy to the U.S.
by FriendlyFood at Allrecipes.com
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup white sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup dried currants or raisins
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
1 egg
1 Tablespoon milk
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Sift the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a large bowl. Cut in butter using a pastry blender or rubbing between your fingers until it is in pea sized lumps. Stir in the currants.
Mix together 1/2 cup milk and sour cream in a measuring cup. Pour all at once into the dry ingredients, and stir gently until well blended. Overworking the dough results in terrible scones!
With floured hands, pat scone dough into balls 2 to 3 inches across, depending on what size you want. Place onto a greased baking sheet, and flatten lightly. Let the scones barely touch each other.
Whisk together the egg and 1 tablespoon of milk. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash. (Sprinkle with a little sugar if you want. It's yummy!) Let them rest for about 10 minutes.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until the tops are golden brown, not deep brown. Break each scone apart, or slice in half. Serve with butter or clotted cream and a selection of jams - or even plain.
World's Best Scones! From Scotland to the Savoy to the U.S.
by FriendlyFood at Allrecipes.com
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup white sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup dried currants or raisins
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
1 egg
1 Tablespoon milk
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Sift the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a large bowl. Cut in butter using a pastry blender or rubbing between your fingers until it is in pea sized lumps. Stir in the currants.
Mix together 1/2 cup milk and sour cream in a measuring cup. Pour all at once into the dry ingredients, and stir gently until well blended. Overworking the dough results in terrible scones!
With floured hands, pat scone dough into balls 2 to 3 inches across, depending on what size you want. Place onto a greased baking sheet, and flatten lightly. Let the scones barely touch each other.
Whisk together the egg and 1 tablespoon of milk. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash. (Sprinkle with a little sugar if you want. It's yummy!) Let them rest for about 10 minutes.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until the tops are golden brown, not deep brown. Break each scone apart, or slice in half. Serve with butter or clotted cream and a selection of jams - or even plain.
Gluten Free Banana Bread
I teach an early morning religion class we, in the LDS church, call Early Morning Seminary. I love to bake and take treats for my students, but one of my students has Celiac disease so I've had to expand my horizons a bit and have been toying around with gluten free recipes. The first attempt at muffins turned out okay. This student and my kids thought that they were good, but I used an All Purpose gluten free baking mix for those muffins and I thought that they were AWFUL! As I looked more closely at the ingredients in the mix one of the ingredients was garbanzo bean flour. That was what tasted so nasty to me. I strongly dislike garbanzo beans! So, I did some further hunting and have made this particular recipe a few times. We ALL like these. Although I make this recipe as muffins and not a loaf of bread. Just keep in mind that gluten free baking definitely has a taste to it that most of us are not used to. These are definitely worth a try, though, if you need a gluten free banana bread/muffin recipe!
Gluten Free Banana Bread
from Hodgson Mill
1/3 c Hodgson Mill Soy Flour (I use 'Sweet' White Sorghum Flour, not soy)
1/3 c Hodgson Mill Milled Flax Seed
1 1/3 c Hodgson Mill Brown Rice Flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
2/3 c granulated sugar
1/3 c butter
2 eggs
1 c mashed ripe bananas
1/4 c buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Combine sugar and butter in large bowl until creamy.
Add eggs one at a time; mix well.
Stir in mashed bananas, buttermilk and vanilla extract.
Combine rice flour, soy flour, flax seed, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Stir dry ingredients into banana mixture and mix well.
Pour into greased loaf pan 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 -inch.
Bake for 55 to 60 minutes at 350 degrees or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool for 5 minutes and then remove from pan onto cooling rack.
Makes 1 loaf or about 10-1 oz. servings. (Or about 16-18 muffins, I usually half the recipe and it makes nine muffins.)
1/12 of recipe:
Makes 1 loaf. Each loaf: 180 calories; 1.78 g. dietary fiber; 28g. carbohydrates; 5 g. protein; 6 g. fat; 2 g. saturated fat; 44 mg. cholesterol; 213 mg. sodium.
Gluten Free Banana Bread
from Hodgson Mill
1/3 c Hodgson Mill Soy Flour (I use 'Sweet' White Sorghum Flour, not soy)
1/3 c Hodgson Mill Milled Flax Seed
1 1/3 c Hodgson Mill Brown Rice Flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
2/3 c granulated sugar
1/3 c butter
2 eggs
1 c mashed ripe bananas
1/4 c buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Combine sugar and butter in large bowl until creamy.
Add eggs one at a time; mix well.
Stir in mashed bananas, buttermilk and vanilla extract.
Combine rice flour, soy flour, flax seed, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Stir dry ingredients into banana mixture and mix well.
Pour into greased loaf pan 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 -inch.
Bake for 55 to 60 minutes at 350 degrees or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool for 5 minutes and then remove from pan onto cooling rack.
Makes 1 loaf or about 10-1 oz. servings. (Or about 16-18 muffins, I usually half the recipe and it makes nine muffins.)
1/12 of recipe:
Makes 1 loaf. Each loaf: 180 calories; 1.78 g. dietary fiber; 28g. carbohydrates; 5 g. protein; 6 g. fat; 2 g. saturated fat; 44 mg. cholesterol; 213 mg. sodium.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Buttery Cooked Carrots
Boy 1 and the girl LOVE these cooked carrots. They are really easy and quite good.
Buttery Cooked Carrots
by Beckie (Allrecipes.com)
1 Pound baby carrots
1/4 Cup margarine (softened)
1/3 Cup brown sugar
Cook carrots in a large pot of boiling water until tender. Drain off most of the liquid, leaving bottom of pan covered with water. (Some reviews say this isn't necessary, but it really is! Not a lot of water, but just enough to help dissolve the sugar better.) Set the carrots aside.
Stir margarine and brown sugar into the water. Simmer and stir until the margarine melts. Return carrots to the pot, and toss to coat. Cover, and let sit for a few minutes to allow flavors to mingle.
Buttery Cooked Carrots
by Beckie (Allrecipes.com)
1 Pound baby carrots
1/4 Cup margarine (softened)
1/3 Cup brown sugar
Cook carrots in a large pot of boiling water until tender. Drain off most of the liquid, leaving bottom of pan covered with water. (Some reviews say this isn't necessary, but it really is! Not a lot of water, but just enough to help dissolve the sugar better.) Set the carrots aside.
Stir margarine and brown sugar into the water. Simmer and stir until the margarine melts. Return carrots to the pot, and toss to coat. Cover, and let sit for a few minutes to allow flavors to mingle.
Simply Marinated Mushrooms
These are oh so GOOD! They are also highly addictive. It's really easy to eat half of them before they even make it to the fridge to marinate. The kids can't stand mushrooms so they don't eat them, but that's okay. It just means all the more for me! And of course my husband.
Simply Marinated Mushrooms
by Sal (Allrecipes.com)
1 Cup water
1 1/2 Pounds fresh mushrooms, stems removed (I don't remove the stems)
1/4 Cup olive oil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 Tablespoons dried parsley
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Add mushrooms and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and drain.
In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, thyme, salt, lemon juice, garlic, pepper, parsley and onion powder. Add mushrooms and toss until coated. Chill in marinade overnight, and reheat to serve.
(These are also good cold from the fridge, but I prefer them warmed. So, I usually saute them in a pan to warm them up before we eat them.)
Simply Marinated Mushrooms
by Sal (Allrecipes.com)
1 Cup water
1 1/2 Pounds fresh mushrooms, stems removed (I don't remove the stems)
1/4 Cup olive oil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 Tablespoons dried parsley
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Add mushrooms and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and drain.
In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, thyme, salt, lemon juice, garlic, pepper, parsley and onion powder. Add mushrooms and toss until coated. Chill in marinade overnight, and reheat to serve.
(These are also good cold from the fridge, but I prefer them warmed. So, I usually saute them in a pan to warm them up before we eat them.)
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Easy Roasted New Potatoes
This is a potato recipe I don't get any complaints about at our house. The two oldest children LOVE them and the youngest one just doesn't eat. I'm sure if he'd actually TRY them he'd love them, too. Not exactly the healthiest potatoes considering the amount of olive oil, but they're still better than being deep fried, right? I usually double this recipe for our family of five. They're not that great reheated, still thoroughly edible, just not great. We rarely have leftovers, though, so reheating is generally not an issue at our house with this recipe.
Easy Roasted New Potatoes
Better Homes and Gardens website
1 lb red or white potatoes, cut in 1/8ths (or smaller)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper (black)
1/8 teaspoon paprika (you can use even less if you want, it adds a little quick, though)
1 clove garlic, minced (or 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder)
Preheat oven to 325 - 350 degrees. Place potatoes in a greased 9x9 baking pan (I use an 8x11 pan when I double it or you can also use a 9x13 pan). In a small bowl combine the other ingredients. Drizzle this mixture over the potatoes and toss to coat. Roast, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Stir the potatoes; bake for another 10-20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and brown on the edges. Makes 4 servings.
Easy Roasted New Potatoes
Better Homes and Gardens website
1 lb red or white potatoes, cut in 1/8ths (or smaller)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper (black)
1/8 teaspoon paprika (you can use even less if you want, it adds a little quick, though)
1 clove garlic, minced (or 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder)
Preheat oven to 325 - 350 degrees. Place potatoes in a greased 9x9 baking pan (I use an 8x11 pan when I double it or you can also use a 9x13 pan). In a small bowl combine the other ingredients. Drizzle this mixture over the potatoes and toss to coat. Roast, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Stir the potatoes; bake for another 10-20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and brown on the edges. Makes 4 servings.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Whole Wheat Bread
I got this recipe from a friend. She gave me a loaf of the BEST wheat bread one day and I begged her for the recipe. I've never been that great at bread baking, or doing anything with yeast really, but this recipe works for me every time. The kids love it, too!
Whole Wheat Bread
By Rebecca
2 ¾ cup of hot water
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup honey
1 Tablespoon salt
½ Tablespoon vinegar
2 cup whole wheat flour
Combine ingredients and mix for one minute.
Add:
1 ½ Tablespoons dry yeast
Mix for one minute.
Add:
1/8 cup gluten flour w/ vitamin C
Mix for one minute.
Gradually add 4 or more cups of whole wheat flour.
Knead for 10 minutes.
Let rise until doubled, in oiled bowl.
Punch down and form into 2 loaves. Loosely cover with plastic.
Rise for 30 or more minutes.
Bake at 350ยบ for 35 minutes (or less).
From Rebecca:
"When I make it I often do about half of the flour white. Also I only add gluten flour not the vitamin C. I have been told the gluten is added because it helps hold the bread together."
** I learned a trick to help bread raise faster. Our house does not get hot, especially in the winter and with the AC in the summer, and we don't have one place where I can put the bread to make it raise. So, I learned a trick that works for me. Turn your oven on to bake and set it at the lowest setting. That's "warm" for my oven. Let the oven heat up to that point and then turn it off. I put my metal mixing bowl in there with a damp dish towel over it and let it raise that way. Then I do the same when it's time to let the bread raise in the bread pans, except take the towel off before the bread gets to the top of the pan or else the towel will stick to the dough. It raises much faster using this method. I do the same when I make rolls, too.
Whole Wheat Bread
By Rebecca
2 ¾ cup of hot water
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup honey
1 Tablespoon salt
½ Tablespoon vinegar
2 cup whole wheat flour
Combine ingredients and mix for one minute.
Add:
1 ½ Tablespoons dry yeast
Mix for one minute.
Add:
1/8 cup gluten flour w/ vitamin C
Mix for one minute.
Gradually add 4 or more cups of whole wheat flour.
Knead for 10 minutes.
Let rise until doubled, in oiled bowl.
Punch down and form into 2 loaves. Loosely cover with plastic.
Rise for 30 or more minutes.
Bake at 350ยบ for 35 minutes (or less).
From Rebecca:
"When I make it I often do about half of the flour white. Also I only add gluten flour not the vitamin C. I have been told the gluten is added because it helps hold the bread together."
** I learned a trick to help bread raise faster. Our house does not get hot, especially in the winter and with the AC in the summer, and we don't have one place where I can put the bread to make it raise. So, I learned a trick that works for me. Turn your oven on to bake and set it at the lowest setting. That's "warm" for my oven. Let the oven heat up to that point and then turn it off. I put my metal mixing bowl in there with a damp dish towel over it and let it raise that way. Then I do the same when it's time to let the bread raise in the bread pans, except take the towel off before the bread gets to the top of the pan or else the towel will stick to the dough. It raises much faster using this method. I do the same when I make rolls, too.
Chocolate Crinkles II
The kids love these cookies and they always get good reviews from wherever we take them. Enjoy!
Chocolate Crinkles II
by Ingrid (allrecipes.com)
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
In a medium bowl, mix together cocoa, white sugar, and vegetable oil. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the cocoa mixture. Cover dough, and chill for at least 4 hours. (In the winter I cover these well and stick them outside for a while. I don't always let these sit for four hours or more since they warm up quickly anyway and still get sticky.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. (If you grease the pan, the cookies will still work but they get more crunchy on the bottom.) Roll dough into one inch balls. Coat each ball in confectioners' sugar before placing onto prepared cookie sheets.
Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Let stand on the cookie sheet for a minute before transferring to wire racks to cool.
Chocolate Crinkles II
by Ingrid (allrecipes.com)
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
In a medium bowl, mix together cocoa, white sugar, and vegetable oil. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the cocoa mixture. Cover dough, and chill for at least 4 hours. (In the winter I cover these well and stick them outside for a while. I don't always let these sit for four hours or more since they warm up quickly anyway and still get sticky.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. (If you grease the pan, the cookies will still work but they get more crunchy on the bottom.) Roll dough into one inch balls. Coat each ball in confectioners' sugar before placing onto prepared cookie sheets.
Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Let stand on the cookie sheet for a minute before transferring to wire racks to cool.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Sour Cream Lasagna
This is a recipe that my grandma used to make. When she passed away my aunt gathered a bunch of her regular recipes and put together a cookbook for all the children and grandchildren. I use it fairly often, but mostly for two or three of our favorites. This one doesn't really appeal to the kids too much because it has hamburger in it. Hamburger to my kids is akin to liver and onions for most everyone else. I have yet to figure out why.
Sour Cream Lasagna
by Grandma W
8-oz uncooked egg noodles
1 lb ground beef
16-oz tomato sauce (or 2 8-oz cans)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
(or season to your tastes)
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup green onions, chopped (about six onions)
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Cook noodles and drain. While noodles are cooking, brown the meat. Stir tomato sauce, salt, pepper and garlic salt into cooked meat. Simmer 5 minutes. While meat mixture is simmering, combine the noodles, sour cream, cottage cheese and green onions. In a 2-quart casserole, alternate layers of noodle mixture and meat mixture, starting with noodles. (Or you can simply mix it all together but that's not as "pretty".) Top with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
Sour Cream Lasagna
by Grandma W
8-oz uncooked egg noodles
1 lb ground beef
16-oz tomato sauce (or 2 8-oz cans)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
(or season to your tastes)
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup green onions, chopped (about six onions)
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Cook noodles and drain. While noodles are cooking, brown the meat. Stir tomato sauce, salt, pepper and garlic salt into cooked meat. Simmer 5 minutes. While meat mixture is simmering, combine the noodles, sour cream, cottage cheese and green onions. In a 2-quart casserole, alternate layers of noodle mixture and meat mixture, starting with noodles. (Or you can simply mix it all together but that's not as "pretty".) Top with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Trout Chowder
I am generally not a big fan of fish. I tolerate salmon because my kids like it but that's usually about the only fish we have in our diet on an irregular basis. We rarely even do fish sticks here. Occasionally I'll get fish at a restaurant, but as a general rule I don't like to eat fish. HOWEVER, this chowder is really very good, with very little of a fish taste, and has recently been added to our "box" of favorite recipes.
Trout Chowder
by Fran Hopper, Wild Game Cookbook
2 - 3 lbs trout (We don't have trout readily available in our stores here, and we don't catch trout when we fish, so we use Tilapia for this recipe. Other fresh, white fish can be used, too.)
Bay leaf
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 - 3 medium russet potatoes (This is to your liking, we usually use 4 or 5.)
1 large carrot
3 stalks celery
2 medium onions (We usually only use one small onion.)
1 pint half-and-half
2 cups milk
1 Tablespoon flour, stirred into the milk
Grated cheddar cheese (Optional)
Paprika (Optional)
Boil trout in large kettle of boiling water with the bay leaf, lemon juice and salt until the fish flakes, approximately 10 minutes. (Or less if you use already cut fillets like us.) Remove from the kettle; skin and debone trout and break into bite-size pieces. Peel potatoes, carrots and onions; clean celery. Chop vegetables into bite-size pieces and boil in a small amount of water until barely tender. Drain and season to taste. Combine half-and-half and milk. Season to taste. Combine fish, vegetable and white sauce. Heat through, but do not boil. Serve in soup mugs and sprinkle with grated cheese (my family doesn't like it with the cheese) and a small amount of paprika. (My husband is the only one who likes paprika.)
** One thing to note is that when it says "season to taste" in this recipe it really means "season to taste and then add more". It doesn't seem to matter how much salt or pepper I add during the cooking process, we always seem to need more after we've put the chowder in our bowls.
** Another thing to note is that this makes a lot. The first time I made it, following the recipe exactly, we (a family of five) ate it for dinner twice and then I still had it for lunch for another two days. Unless you have a really big family, you might want to half the recipe.
Trout Chowder
by Fran Hopper, Wild Game Cookbook
2 - 3 lbs trout (We don't have trout readily available in our stores here, and we don't catch trout when we fish, so we use Tilapia for this recipe. Other fresh, white fish can be used, too.)
Bay leaf
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 - 3 medium russet potatoes (This is to your liking, we usually use 4 or 5.)
1 large carrot
3 stalks celery
2 medium onions (We usually only use one small onion.)
1 pint half-and-half
2 cups milk
1 Tablespoon flour, stirred into the milk
Grated cheddar cheese (Optional)
Paprika (Optional)
Boil trout in large kettle of boiling water with the bay leaf, lemon juice and salt until the fish flakes, approximately 10 minutes. (Or less if you use already cut fillets like us.) Remove from the kettle; skin and debone trout and break into bite-size pieces. Peel potatoes, carrots and onions; clean celery. Chop vegetables into bite-size pieces and boil in a small amount of water until barely tender. Drain and season to taste. Combine half-and-half and milk. Season to taste. Combine fish, vegetable and white sauce. Heat through, but do not boil. Serve in soup mugs and sprinkle with grated cheese (my family doesn't like it with the cheese) and a small amount of paprika. (My husband is the only one who likes paprika.)
** One thing to note is that when it says "season to taste" in this recipe it really means "season to taste and then add more". It doesn't seem to matter how much salt or pepper I add during the cooking process, we always seem to need more after we've put the chowder in our bowls.
** Another thing to note is that this makes a lot. The first time I made it, following the recipe exactly, we (a family of five) ate it for dinner twice and then I still had it for lunch for another two days. Unless you have a really big family, you might want to half the recipe.
Shish-Kabobs
This yummy recipe is one that I remember loving as a child. It was a special treat to go to Grandma and Grandpa's house in the summer because Grandpa would often make these kabobs and cook them on his big charcoal grill. He'd place large chunks of meat on these giant skewers that looked like swords and cook them until they were juicy and oh so good. Grandpa is long since gone, but the recipe is not, plus I have the added bonus of having received those long swords after both Grandma and Grandpa passed away. They hold good memories for me.
Shish-Kabobs
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup red wine
(Since we don't drink alcohol, and therefore don't buy it, I usually combine these two and use about 1/2 - 3/4 cup red wine vinegar, dependent on how much of the vinegar-like taste you want.)
1/2 cup salad oil (I use vegetable or canola oil)
1 teaspoon Seasonall or savor salt
1/4 teaspoon barbecue spice
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon onion salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 lb beef, tender cut of roast or steak
Mix all marinade ingredients. May also include chopped fresh onions if desired. (I don't usually do that.) Cut meat into 1-inch cubes. (For the interest of time, I've been known to just buy stew meat at the store since it's already cut up. It works fine on regular size skewers.) Add meat to the marinade and marinate for several hours at room temperature. Put meat onto skewers and cook over hot coals to desired doneness.
** I will often prepare this either the night before or that morning and then stick it in the fridge until the afternoon. I then let it sit on the counter for three hours or so before cooking.
Shish-Kabobs
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup red wine
(Since we don't drink alcohol, and therefore don't buy it, I usually combine these two and use about 1/2 - 3/4 cup red wine vinegar, dependent on how much of the vinegar-like taste you want.)
1/2 cup salad oil (I use vegetable or canola oil)
1 teaspoon Seasonall or savor salt
1/4 teaspoon barbecue spice
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon onion salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 lb beef, tender cut of roast or steak
Mix all marinade ingredients. May also include chopped fresh onions if desired. (I don't usually do that.) Cut meat into 1-inch cubes. (For the interest of time, I've been known to just buy stew meat at the store since it's already cut up. It works fine on regular size skewers.) Add meat to the marinade and marinate for several hours at room temperature. Put meat onto skewers and cook over hot coals to desired doneness.
** I will often prepare this either the night before or that morning and then stick it in the fridge until the afternoon. I then let it sit on the counter for three hours or so before cooking.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Old Fashioned Coconut Cream Pie
This pie is a bit time consuming, since you have to bring it to a boil over low heat, but it is SO worth it!
Old Fashioned Coconut Cream Pie
by Carol H at Allrecipes.com
3 cups half-and-half
2 eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup flaked coconut, toasted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 9-inch pie shell, baked
1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed
In a medium saucepan, combine half-and-half, eggs, sugar, flour and salt. Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in 3/4 cup of the coconut and the vanilla extract. Pour into the pie shell and chill for 2 to 4 hours, or until firm.
Before serving, top with whipped topping and with the remaining 1/4 cup of coconut.
Note: To toast coconut, spread it in an ungreased pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. (But watching CONSTANTLY! It can burn very easily!)
Old Fashioned Coconut Cream Pie
by Carol H at Allrecipes.com
3 cups half-and-half
2 eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup flaked coconut, toasted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 9-inch pie shell, baked
1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed
In a medium saucepan, combine half-and-half, eggs, sugar, flour and salt. Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in 3/4 cup of the coconut and the vanilla extract. Pour into the pie shell and chill for 2 to 4 hours, or until firm.
Before serving, top with whipped topping and with the remaining 1/4 cup of coconut.
Note: To toast coconut, spread it in an ungreased pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. (But watching CONSTANTLY! It can burn very easily!)
Chocolate Cheesecake
Not being an overly huge fan of chocolate myself, I do have to say that this cheesecake is AWFULLY good. Although a little bit goes a long, long way with me.
Chocolate Cheesecake II
by Diane Young at Allrecipes.com
1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
2 Tablespoons white sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup white sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping (if you choose to use it - which I don't):
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
**These tips are not part of the recipe but they're good tips to keep in mind when making cheesecake. Found at allrecipes.com.**
Cheesecake Tips - Cream Cheese:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F ( 175 degrees C) and lightly grease a 9 inch springform pan.
In a small bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs, 2 tablespoons sugar, and the melted butter. Press onto the bottom and 1 1/2 inch up the sides of the prepared 9 inch springform pan.
Bake crust at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 10 minutes then allow it to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
To Make Filling: In a small saucepan, heat 1/4 cup whipping cream and 1/4 cup chocolate chips, stirring constantly, until chips are melted. Remove from heat.
In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth and then add 1 cup of sugar, beating again until smooth. Add cocoa and beat well. Add eggs and beat on low until just blended. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla and reserved chocolate mixture until blended. Pour over crust.
Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 45 to 50 minutes or until center is almost set.
To Make Topping: In a small saucepan, heat 1/4 cup whipping cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla until just before boiling. Stir constantly and be careful not to boil over. Have 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips ready in a small bowl. Pour in the hot cream and stir with a spoon until smooth. Spread over baked cheesecake and refrigerate overnight.
Chocolate Cheesecake II
by Diane Young at Allrecipes.com
1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
2 Tablespoons white sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup white sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping (if you choose to use it - which I don't):
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
**These tips are not part of the recipe but they're good tips to keep in mind when making cheesecake. Found at allrecipes.com.**
Cheesecake Tips - Cream Cheese:
- The cream cheese should be at room temperature before you begin mixing, or you'll end up with lumps in your cheesecake.
- Using cold cream cheese also leads to overbeating--whipping too much air into the batter--which forms unattractive air bubbles on the surface of the cake.
- Unless the recipe instructions specifically note otherwise, you should beat the cream cheese by itself until it's smooth and light, before adding any other ingredients.
- If you end up with lumps in your batter, run the mixture through a sieve or give it a quick spin in the food processor and you'll have silky smooth results.
- Cheesecake tends to get over-baked because, while they look underdone, they are actually done when the center is still wobbly. At this stage the residual heat of the baking process will "carry over" and the center will continue to cook.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven to cool on a rack, or you can simply leave the oven door closed, turn off the heat and let the cheesecake cool for at least an hour. This helps prevent the cheesecake from sinking in the center.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F ( 175 degrees C) and lightly grease a 9 inch springform pan.
In a small bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs, 2 tablespoons sugar, and the melted butter. Press onto the bottom and 1 1/2 inch up the sides of the prepared 9 inch springform pan.
Bake crust at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 10 minutes then allow it to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
To Make Filling: In a small saucepan, heat 1/4 cup whipping cream and 1/4 cup chocolate chips, stirring constantly, until chips are melted. Remove from heat.
In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth and then add 1 cup of sugar, beating again until smooth. Add cocoa and beat well. Add eggs and beat on low until just blended. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla and reserved chocolate mixture until blended. Pour over crust.
Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 45 to 50 minutes or until center is almost set.
To Make Topping: In a small saucepan, heat 1/4 cup whipping cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla until just before boiling. Stir constantly and be careful not to boil over. Have 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips ready in a small bowl. Pour in the hot cream and stir with a spoon until smooth. Spread over baked cheesecake and refrigerate overnight.
The Best Unbaked Cherry Cheesecake Ever
Unless you don't like flavors/fruits on top of your cheesecake -like me- and then it's just the Best Unbaked Cheesecake Ever.
The Best Unbaked Cherry Cheesecake Ever
by LuCynda at Allrecipes.com
Graham Cracker Crust:
(You can always just buy a crust if you don't want to make it. Store bought graham cracker crumbs make it easier, too. I'm all about easy/simple helps!)
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup margarine, softened
1/4 cup sugar (or 1/3 cup, dependent on your preference)
Filling:
1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream, whipped
1 can cherry pie filling or other filling of your choice
**These tips are not part of the recipe but they're good tips to keep in mind when making cheesecake.**
Cheesecake Tips:
Mix together graham cracker crumbs, margarine and sugar in a bowl until well incorporated and crumbly. Press into a pie plate, going up the sides as much as possible.
Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth again and to a spreadable stage. Add the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture and whisk/beat until smooth. Pour cream cheese into the prepared crust. Smooth the top with a spatula and refrigerate until firm, about 2 to 3 hours.
Spread the cherry pie filling over the top and refrigerate until ready to serve.
The Best Unbaked Cherry Cheesecake Ever
by LuCynda at Allrecipes.com
Graham Cracker Crust:
(You can always just buy a crust if you don't want to make it. Store bought graham cracker crumbs make it easier, too. I'm all about easy/simple helps!)
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup margarine, softened
1/4 cup sugar (or 1/3 cup, dependent on your preference)
Filling:
1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream, whipped
1 can cherry pie filling or other filling of your choice
**These tips are not part of the recipe but they're good tips to keep in mind when making cheesecake.**
Cheesecake Tips:
- The cream cheese should be at room temperature before you begin mixing, or you'll end up with lumps in your cheesecake.
- Using cold cream cheese also leads to overbeating--whipping too much air into the batter--which forms unattractive air bubbles on the surface of the cake.
- Unless the recipe instructions specifically note otherwise, you should beat the cream cheese by itself until it's smooth and light, before adding any other ingredients.
- If you end up with lumps in your batter, run the mixture through a sieve or give it a quick spin in the food processor and you'll have silky smooth results.
Mix together graham cracker crumbs, margarine and sugar in a bowl until well incorporated and crumbly. Press into a pie plate, going up the sides as much as possible.
Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth again and to a spreadable stage. Add the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture and whisk/beat until smooth. Pour cream cheese into the prepared crust. Smooth the top with a spatula and refrigerate until firm, about 2 to 3 hours.
Spread the cherry pie filling over the top and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
The Best Banana Bread
I've tried a LOT of banana bread recipes. I've found many that we like, some that we really like and then this one. The kids LOVE this recipe and prefer it over all others I've used. There are suggestions from reviewers about changes they've made to this recipe but I haven't used them so far since we like the recipe just as it is right now. I haven't really paid attention to the suggestions before since I like to try recipes "as is" before I make changes to it. I AM going to finally try them with the suggested changes, though. I'm just waiting for my current supply of bananas to get more ripe. That's if Boy 2 lets that happen. He's currently on a banana kick, usually eating two at a time!
The Best Banana Bread
by Libby at Allrecipes.com
1/2 cup margarine, softened (I usually prefer to use butter but margarine's still good)
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (Use 325 if you use a glass pan.) Grease and flour (I never flour it) a 9x5-inch pan.
Cream margarine and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs, then bananas. Add flour and soda, stirring just until combined. (Don't overmix.)
Pour into prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean. (Start watching after 45 minutes so it doesn't get too well baked and therefore dry.)
Remove from pan and let cool, store in refrigerator or freeze.
(Careful removing it from the pan. I often have some of the bottom stick to the pan, which would probably be fixed if I floured the pan but I'm too lazy to do it.)
The suggested changes:
Use 1/2 cup white sugar and 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
Add a pinch salt (or about 1/4 teaspoon salt if you don't have a "pinch" on hand)
Add vanilla - suggestions ranged from 1/2 tsp to one tablespoon, so I guess this is preference
As is, the recipe comes out pretty flat on top. It would probably be a good idea to add the salt so that it works with the baking soda to help it rise more. When I make it again with the changes I'll put an addendum on this post to let you know how it turns out.
The Best Banana Bread
by Libby at Allrecipes.com
1/2 cup margarine, softened (I usually prefer to use butter but margarine's still good)
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (Use 325 if you use a glass pan.) Grease and flour (I never flour it) a 9x5-inch pan.
Cream margarine and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs, then bananas. Add flour and soda, stirring just until combined. (Don't overmix.)
Pour into prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean. (Start watching after 45 minutes so it doesn't get too well baked and therefore dry.)
Remove from pan and let cool, store in refrigerator or freeze.
(Careful removing it from the pan. I often have some of the bottom stick to the pan, which would probably be fixed if I floured the pan but I'm too lazy to do it.)
The suggested changes:
Use 1/2 cup white sugar and 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
Add a pinch salt (or about 1/4 teaspoon salt if you don't have a "pinch" on hand)
Add vanilla - suggestions ranged from 1/2 tsp to one tablespoon, so I guess this is preference
As is, the recipe comes out pretty flat on top. It would probably be a good idea to add the salt so that it works with the baking soda to help it rise more. When I make it again with the changes I'll put an addendum on this post to let you know how it turns out.
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