Tuesday

Asparagus Soup

2 pounds fresh asparagus, rinsed and bottoms cut off
1 onion, peeled and halved
2-3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup flour
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 cup milk
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp. lemon juice

shredded cheese, for topping

Bring 2 cups of broth to a boil in a large pot; add asparagus and onion, cover, and simmer until asparagus is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
Transfer mixture to blender and blend until smooth, adding more broth as necessary.
Meanwhile, in pot used to cook the asparagus, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour, salt, and pepper. Whisk in milk and cook for a few minutes, whisking constantly until smooth.
Add pureed asparagus mixture to the saucepan and whisk to combine.
Bring to a simmer and cook for a few minutes, or until desired consistency is reached. If it's too thick, stir in some extra broth.
Whisk in sour cream and lemon juice.
Serve hot with shredded cheese of choice on top (we prefer sharp cheddar).


Granola Bars

10 cups quick oats (or rolled oats pulsed in the food processor a few times)
1 cup flaxseed meal*
1 cup whole wheat flour (use oat flour for gluten-free bars)
1 Tbsp. salt
1 cup sucanat (or brown sugar)
2 cups honey
2 Tbsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups coconut oil (don't sub)
3 cups chocolate chips (or nuts, or dried fruit, or any combination of the three)

Preheat oven to 350 and line one large sheet pan and one half-sheet pan with tinfoil or parchment paper.

Mix all dry ingredients (except chocolate chips) in a large bowl. Measure wet ingredients on top and stir until combined well. Stir in chocolate chips.

Spread evenly onto pans and press down very firmly and evenly. (I lay a sheet of parchment paper on top first so the mixture doesn't stick to my hands.)

Bake for 18 minutes. (Don't overbake or the bars won't be soft and chewy).
Cool completely on wire rack. To remove from pan, lift tinfoil carefully and slide a cutting board beneath the bars. Cut into bars.





*Can be replaced with another cup of whole wheat or oat flour

Monday

Homemade Graham Crackers

I stole this from Our Best Bites and then modified it to make it sugar-free and 100% whole wheat. The dough is delicious, and since there aren't any eggs involved, it makes a great eat-as-you-go play dough for little hands. The crackers are a little on the crumbly side but so yummy!

This is a big batch and will make 5-6 dozen graham crackers, depending on how thin you roll them and how large you cut them. The crackers freeze well.

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, cream together

4 sticks salted butter
1 1/4 cups honey
2 Tbsp. molasses (optional)

Then stir in

6-8 cups whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt

The dough will be sticky. Knead it on the counter a few times, adding more whole wheat flour as needed, and then put it in the fridge for at least half an hour.

Roll it out on a floured surface and cut it any way you like. I use a pastry wheel, but the girls love to use cookie cutters. Using a cake server or thin spatula, transfer to a lightly buttered cookie sheet, poke with a fork a few times, and put it in the freezer for ten minutes.

Transfer directly to the oven and bake for about 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let sit for a few minutes so the bottoms can brown a little more before removing to a cooling rack.








Baken Oregano Chicken

This is a fast family favorite! Great for large group dinners. Serve with mashed potatoes and veggies. No need for a chicken gravy, but you can add it and it is still great.

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts 
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs 
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/8 teaspoon garlic salt (i just do a teaspoon garlic)
1/8 teaspoon pepper (Black Malabar Pepper or cracked pepper is best!)
1/4 Dijon Mustard (spend a $1 more and get the good kind)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (ground up into the breadcrumbs)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Take dijon mustard and put on plate. Combine breadcrumbs, oregano leaves, garlic salt (or garlic), pepper, and parmesan cheese and place on a plate. Roll the uncooked chicken breast in the mustard. Then roll the chicken breast in the dried bread crumbs. Place in a glass baking dish. Cook for 25 minutes uncovered (mine have always taken 45 minutes to cook but I usually cook my chicken frozen so it is moist). 
Enjoy! 


White Turkey Chili

White Turkey Chili

I morphed this recipe from a few different recipes and then tweaked it some more. We make it every year after Thanksgiving with our leftover turkey. Tonight when we ate it, everyone asked for seconds, so I know the recipe is a keeper. Serves 10-12 people.

olive/canola/vegetable oil
1 large onion, diced
2 or 3 yellow, red, and/or orange peppers, diced
1-2 Tbsp. fresh garlic
5-6 cans great white northern beans, drained and rinsed
5-6 cans chicken broth (you can replace some of the broth with water)
1 cube (1/2 cup) butter
1 cup flour
2 cups milk
about 4 cups cooked turkey (I'm guessing here. I don't measure mine.)
1 Tbsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. salt
pepper to taste

Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large stockpot; add the onion, peppers, and garlic and cook until tender. Stir in the beans and all but 2 cups of the chicken broth and bring to a simmer.

While the beans are simmering, melt the butter in a separate pan, over medium-low heat. Stir in the flour until combined. Slowly whisk in the milk and the remaining 2 cups of chicken broth. Cook, whisking constantly, until smooth. Add this mixture to the simmering beans and stir to combine.

Add the turkey, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Simmer at least half an hour, stirring occasionally. Adjust seasonings according to taste. I like to serve mine with a little cilantro on top.



Wednesday

Sam's Super Jalapeño Jelly

Sam's Super Jalapeño Jelly

1 green bell pepper coarse chopped and seeded
12 jalapeño halved and seeded
2 cups of apple cider vinegar
5 cups of granulated sugar
5 ounces of liquid pectin (or powder if converted correctly)
1 pinch of salt
1/4 cup of mixed berries, just rasberries, or any other berry type

Combine the bell pepper, jalapeño and apple cider vinegar in a blender and puree. I went about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the berry mixture and puree as much as desired to blend together. I pulsed it for about 30 seconds.

Transfer the contents of the blender into a large saucepan. Be careful of the a boil over- this is not good... trust me. Add the second cup of apple vinegar and 5 cups of sugar to the pot at this time. Dissolve thoroughly then bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes bring mixture to a rapid boil (one that cannot be stirred down) for 1 minute and then pitch in teh pectin and turn the heat off. Stir well.

Ladle into sterile canning jars and let cool overnight. You can freeze the jelly for up to one year in the freezer.

Monday

Kale and Sausage Soup

Doug found this recipe on theKitchen.com. I modified it to fit our taste, and everyone in the family loves it, even the one-year-old. We have all agreed it is our favorite soup of all time. Nobody even tried to pick out the kale. :)

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound loose sausage
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium potatoes--red, russet, or whatever you have on hand--diced
1 lb. baby kale (or 1 bunch kale, chopped)
2 cans chicken broth (you can substitute water for half of this with no significant taste difference)
1 Tbsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1 can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 to 1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half
fresh shredded parmesan cheese (NOT the stuff that comes in the green can)
salt and pepper to taste

In a large soup pot, heat oil on medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook through. Remove the sausage to drain on a paper towel. In the same pot, saute the onion and garlic on medium heat until the onion is translucent. Add the potatoes and cook until the edges of the potatoes are starting to turn transparent, 5-8 minutes. Add the kale to the pot. It will look like a huge amount, but it cooks down a lot--don't worry. Pour half a can of chicken broth over the kale and stir to coat everything with liquid. Cover the pot with a lid and cook for about 12 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes and adding more broth if the pot starts to become dry.

Add the rest of the broth, the thyme, oregano, bay leaf, and about 2 teaspoons salt. If the veggies aren't quite covered, add extra broth/water. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium and simmer until the potatoes are cooked through, stirring occasionally. Remove the bay leaf and add the beans and the sausage. Stir in the cream and as much parmesan cheese as you like, and heat through, but don't boil. Serve with extra shredded parmesan and, if possible, warm homemade bread and grape juice. So good!

This soup reheats very well.

Mango Muffins

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbsp lime juice
2 cups diced ripe mango
1 medium overripe banana, mashed

 Sift together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In another bowl, combine the eggs, oil, and lime juice; stir in to the dry ingredients. Stir in the mango and banana. Fill paper-lined or greased (bottoms only) Muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans for 5 minutes; remove to wire racks.

Caramel Rice Krispies Bars by Julie Reese

Caramel Rice Krispies Bars by Julie Reese

Caramel:
1 (14 oz.) bag of caramels, unwrapped
1 (14 oz.) can of sweetened condensed milk
1 stick of butter

Rice Krispies:
1 1/2 sticks of butter, divided
10 cups miniature marshmallows, divided
10 cups of Rice Krispies, divided

Place caramels, sweetened condensed milk, and butter in a bowl and microwave for 3 minutes. Stir until smooth, returning to a microwave if not yet melted; set aside to cool.

In another bowl, melt 6 tablespoons of butter with 4 cups of marshmallows for 70 seconds. Stir until smooth and then pour over 5 cups of the cereal; stir until cereal is coated. Place in a greased 9x13 inch glass dish. Sprinkle 2 cups of miniature marshmallows on top of cereal mixture. Carefully pour caramel mixture over marshmallows; refrigerate to set up. Repeat second layer of rice cereal mixture, using the rest of the butter, marshmallows, and cereal. Place second layer of Rice Krispies misture on top of the caramel layer; chill until firm. Makes 12 to 15 servings for non-lovers of Rice Krispie treats. For lovers, like Doug, possibly 1 serving.

Sunday

Pot Roast & Gravy by America's Test Kitchen (The best, and most healthy, pot roast and gravy ever!)

The girls and I were watching Saturday TV and started watching America's Test Kitchen- its an amazing cooking show. I'll be searching for their printed recipe in time, but I just needed to get this up now.

Pot Roast & Gravy by America's Test Kitchen (The best, and most healthy, pot roast and gravy ever!)

5 lbs. pot roast
1 can beef broth
Thyme
1 bay leaf
1 Tsb. red wine vinegar
Kosher salt
Garlic
Pepper
1 carrots cut
8 stalks celery
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

Slice roast down the center and leave the last 1 inch connected. Take generous amount of kosher salt, pepper, and garlic garnish. Leave roast out on on rack (with something underneath it to catch drippings) for 1 hour. After 1 hour roll roast in and tie with cooking string.

Take a pot pan and add in the carrots, celery, red wine vinegar, celery, beef broth, thyme, bay leaf, and garlic (if you dare). Take rolled roast and set on top of mixture. Place tinfoil on top of pot (sot that it covers the whole pot) and then cover foil with pan lid.

Bake for 4 hours at 300 degrees. After cooking time pull out of oven. Place roast on a dish. Quickly take a hand blender and blend the remaining mixture at the bottom of the pan. Add 1 can beef broth and balsamic vinegar. Allow to boil. (If desired add on tablespoon corn starch for thickness.)

Great stuff!

We also have taken the remaining gravy and meat and mixed it together. Then we'll add corn, cubed potatoes, and peas. It makes a great beef stew as well.

Chicken Cheese Lasagna by Marla Minnick

My sister-in-law Marla brought this to us. Everyone fell in love instantly with this dish. For days we have wished for more leftovers. Delicious!

1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups milk
4 cups (16 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 carton (15 ounces) ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
9 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen spinach, thawed and well drained
2 cups cubed cooked chicken

In a saucepan, saute onion and garlic in butter until tender. Stir in flour and salt; cook until bubbly. Gradually stir in broth and milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; boil for 1 minute. Stir in 2 cups of mozzarella, 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, basil, oregano, and pepper. In a bowl combine the ricotta cheese, parsley, and remaining mozzarella; set aside. Spread a quarter of the cheese in a 13 in. x 9 in. x 2 in. baking dish and cover with three noodles. Top with half of the ricotta mixture, quarter of spinach, and half of the chicken. Repete layer of cheese sauce and three noodles. Repete layer of ricotta, chicken, and spinach. Cover with remaining noodles and cheese. Sprinkle parmesan over all. Bake uncovered on 350 degrees for 30- 45 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting. Yields 12 servings.

Monday

Butternut Squash Soup

1 butternut squash
olive oil
1/2 an onion
garlic
chicken broth
salt
pepper
cayenne pepper
cream cheese

Cut one butternut squash in half lengthwise and place it on a foil-lined cookie sheet, face up. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with a few tablespoons of fresh minced garlic. Bake at 375 for about an hour. Remove from oven to let cool. Dice about 1/2 onion and saute in a little olive oil. Add a can of chicken broth and leave on the stove.
Dice and peel your butternut squash and add it to the chicken broth mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste and a dash of cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Add about 6 oz. cream cheese, diced, and then puree with an immersion blender. If it's too thick, you can add some water.

Saturday


Tomato-Basil Soup

I love to make this soup when my beefsteak tomatoes are at the peak of production. So good! I modified it from a recipe on Our Best Bites that calls for sun-dried tomatoes (which I never have on hand).

1 T olive oil 
1 C chopped onion
¾ C shredded carrot
4 cloves garlic, minced 
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp pepper 
1 Tbs dried basil 
1/2 tsp dried oregano 
Enough fresh garden tomatoes, halved, to fill one large jelly roll pan*
1 (14oz) can chicken broth 
4 oz cream cheese, cubed

1.     Line jelly roll pan with foil. Arranged halved tomatoes cut side up and sprinkle with fresh garlic. Broil in the oven for about 1 hour, or just until the tops of the tomatoes start to brown.
2.     Meanwhile, place oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and carrot and cook for 3-4 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring often. Then remove from heat and set aside until your tomatoes are done broiling.
3.     Puree the broiled tomatoes and add to the vegetable mixture.
  1. Then add chicken broth, sugar, salt, pepper, oregano and basil.
    Bring soup to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer.  Cover pan and simmer for anywhere from 30 minutes to 8 hours (I love to make this right after breakfast and then let it simmer all day. Yum.)
  2. Before serving, add the cream cheese and blend to desired consistency with an immersion blender.

*When I don’t have fresh tomatoes from my garden, I substitute a jar of home-canned tomatoes, with about half of the excess water drained, and I sauté the garlic with the onions and carrots. It’s almost as good as the fresh broiled tomatoes, but not quite.

Rosemary Focaccia Loaves
Recipe by Our Best Bites



Love this recipe from Our Best Bites. I last made it the day after we had been to a restaurant that served focaccia bread. This recipe is much better.

1 c. warm (105-115 degrees Fahrenheit) water
1 Tbsp. yeast
1 Tbsp. white sugar
1 tsp. Kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 Tbsp rosemary (dried or fresh), divided
1/4 tsp dried oregano leaves
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 1/4-2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

In a large mixing bowl, combine warm water, yeast, and sugar. Allow to stand for 10 minutes or until bubbly. While the yeast is getting bubbly, combine 2 C of the flour, salt, 1 1/2 Tbsp. rosemary, oregano and garlic powder.

Add flour mixture to yeast mixture along with 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Mix well. (I put it in my stand mixer with the dough hook on). Slowly add remaining flour to make a very soft dough--try and resist the urge to add too much flour.  You want a soft, wet dough.

Cover and allow to rise 45 min- 1 hour or until double in size.

Lightly flour your work surface and transfer dough onto this surface. Divide in half. Shape each half into a rounded loaf and place on a greased cookie sheet or pizza stone. Cover and allow to rise another 45 minutes.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Use remaining tablespoon of olive oil to brush over tops of loaves, discarding excess if you have any.  Sprinkle with remaining rosemary and some Kosher salt.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until very lightly golden-brown. Serve immediately (if you can) with olive oil and balsamic vinegar (if you want) and feel your butt get bigger (you will. It just happens. And it's worth it.)

Sunday

Cafe Rio Tomatillo Salad Dressing

This is the Cafe Rio Tomatillo Salad Dressing. Nothing sort of amazingness!

4-6 tomatillos
Half a bunch of cilantro
1 serrano or jalapeno
1 1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup sour cream

Blend it all in a blender


Try and not just pour it into your mouth. 

Tuesday

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

Honey Whole Wheat Bread
  • 3 cups hot water
  • 5 tsp. active dry yeast
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 4 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 8-10 cups whole wheat flour (I prefer hard white wheat)

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, mix hot water, yeast, salt, and honey. Whisk until yeast is dissolved. Set aside for 10-15 minutes or until big and bubbly. 
  2. Whisk in melted butter and half the flour until smooth. With a wooden spoon, mix in remaining flour 1 cup at a time until dough pulls away from sides of bowl. Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes, adding more flour as needed.
  3. Place dough in a buttered bowl, turning a few times to coat the surface of the dough. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, or about 1 hour.
  4. Punch down and divide into 3 pieces. Shape into loaves and place in buttered 9x5-inch loaf pans. Brush the tops with softened or melted butter, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise about 35 minutes, or until dough has topped the pans by one inch.
  5. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Remove from pans immediately. Cool for a few hours on wire racks.

Sunday

Milenesas

This is a traditional Uruguyan dish called Milenesas. (Amazing!) It is a breaded steak. The way I do it isn't exact, but a simple concept to grab and run with.

Milenesas

1 Roast thinly sliced (ask your butcher to do this for you) or use 2 pounds ground hamburger meat made into patties about the size of hamburger (not too thick though)
6 eggs scrambled (not cooked)
4 cups fine bread crumbs
4 cups oil

Take the cut roast and dip into uncooked scrambled eggs soaking throughly. Then take sliced roast and cover in bread crumbs creating a breaded coat on the roast slice. Dip once more into the uncooked scrambled eggs. Set aside and repeat with remaining slices of roast. You've created a milenesa.

After completing first Milenesa piece take 4 cups oil and begin heating oil in frying pan (I usually go on a low temperature.)



Once you've completed all of the roasts don't wait long to do the next step.


Test oil in frying pan to see if oil is ready for frying. Drop a tiny piece of bread crumb to see if it cooks it. If it does you are ready to put in your first Milenesa. If not wait a few minutes and test once more.

When ready put a Milenesa into the frying pan. Allow it to cook on both sides until golden brown (or slightly darker if you prefer).



Let the Milenesas drip the oil off of them. Allow to air dry. Do not cover.

Enjoy with Pure de Papas (mashed potatoes), Romalacha (tomato salad), and mayonnaise to dip the milenesa to dip in.


Romalacha

This is a excellent side dish for everyone to enjoy. Even my littlest kids eat this like you wouldn't believe!

Romalacha

6-8 tomatoes
1 large onion
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil


Dice onions, add salt, and add olive oil. Quarter tomatoes and place in bowl with onion mixture. Stir ingredents together. Let sit for 10 minutes and serve.

Yum!!
This is a great dish to serve with Milenesas.

Monday

Alfredo Sauce

Alfredo Sauce

Use equal parts butter, cream, and fresh grated parmesan. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low or medium heat, whisk in the cream, and let simmer for 5-10 minutes until it thickens a little. Stir in the cheese and some salt and pepper to taste (if you used salted butter, you probably won't need any more salt).
I love to serve this over noodles with grilled chicken. It isn't very good once it cools (so don't save any for leftovers), but it will keep warm in a crock pot for hours without separating.

Sunday

Beef Pot Pie


This is a delightful and easy recipe--as long as you've created the beef stew portion of the pie. In 2006 we canned Beef Stew. We still have some of that left over (which is GREAT!). I took that stew mixture and then we added in potatoes and some corn and then heated it in the glass pan in the oven until it boiled. Then I did Betty Crockers Biscuit recipe (doubled) for the top. I rolled and then spread out the biscuit on top and threw it in the oven on 450 degrees for about 20 minutes. What a delightful and easy Sunday dinner. We added salad and fruit. Yum.
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Monday

Meatloaf by Jane

Jane helped make amazing meatloaf. Stellar stuff.


Sunday

Lemon Chiffon Cake




2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cold water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
7 large egg yolks
1 cup egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees keeping only the bottom rack in oven. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in bowl on low speed. Then in another bowl beat egg whites and cream of tarter on high speed until you get stiff peaks. Then take flour/sugar mixture and fold it into the egg whites. Pour into an angel food cake pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove from oven and suspend pan upside down on a glass for two hours (or like 30 minutes) to cool.

Lemon Glaze

1/3 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons water.

Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat. (Important part.) Stir in lemon and powdered sugar. Pour glaze over cake.



4 cups cooked Chile Verde
3 large, cooked, and diced pork chops or chicken breast
8 oz cream cheese cubed
1/2 cup diced green chiles
36 corn tortillas

Combine then take a tablespoon or two and roll in corn tortillas. Makes about 36 enchaladas. Place in pan and bake on 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Cover with mozzarella cheese- melt in oven on broil. Serve.

Marble Cake



2 1/4 cups flour
1 2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cups butter
1 1/4 cups milk
3 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 large eggs whites
1/2 cup sour cream


Bear together until smooth. Take 1 3/4 cups of the batter and add 3 tablespoons cocoa. Stir until smooth. Add 1/8 teaspoon baking soda. Beat until smooth.

Place non-cocoed batter in pan. Take tablespoon fills of chocolate mixture and place in clumps in battered pan. Then take a knife and make a simple design by slightly mixing the chocolate batter into the non-cocoed batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35- 40 minutes.

Spainish Rice


2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup uncoiled rice
1 medium onion
2 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic
1 small chopped green bell pepper
1 cup tomato sauce

Heat oil. Put in rice, stir, and brown. Add water and other ingredients. Bring to boil them reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.

Tomatillo Salsa

Tomatillo Salsa


2 cups crushed tomatillos
1/4 cup diced green chillis
1 white onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup lime juice
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves

Mix all ingredients and serve with chips. Also you can mix it with avocados for guacamole.

Friday

Empanadas de Carne


Empanadas de Carne (Meat Pie)

This is a simple recipe that is yummy. This is a dish where you can substitute the hamburger with any type of meat (chicken, fish, etc.)

Empanada Maza (Empanada Dough)

1/2 cup water
1 egg
1 egg white
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour

Combine water, egg, egg white. Mix together. Add flour. Mix and then kneed together. Roll out the dough, cut into 6 inch rounds.

Makes about 10 empanada rounds

Empanada Filling

1/2 pound hamburger meat
1 onion
1 teaspoon garlic
1/2 teaspoon cilantro
3 hard boiled eggs

Brown meat, onions, garlic, and cilantro. Chop hard boiled eggs.





Combine Filling and Empanada Dough Rounds

Take empanada round and place about a tablespoon of meat filling on top. Add some chopped hard boiled egg. Fold dough round over top of mixture until the round turns into a half-moon shape. Take ends and pinch end and then fold it over end over end to seal the half moon dough. Place empanada on greased pan. Lightly top sealed empanada with some egg white for browning.

Bake in oven at 425 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until top is lightly browned.

Eat along side any meal. It is a great side dish. Also we've thought of eating these with tomato soup poured over the top.

Sunday

Peach Ice Cream

Vanilla Ice Cream

*makes about 4 quarts

12 large egg yolks, slightly beaten
2 cups sugar
4 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
8 cups whipping cream (heavy)
4 teaspoons vanilla
6 cups peaches cut and crushed

Mix egg yolks, sugar, milk and salt in a large pot. Cook just to boiling (do not boil). Pour into a chilled bowl in freezer stirring every 10 minutes. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until at room temperature. (You can refrigerate it up to 24 hours and it is still good.)

In bowl stir in whipping cream and vanilla into milk mixture. Add peaches. Pour into 5 quart mixing bucket that fits into ice cream maker. Put in mixing paddle, start motor. Begin mixing. Insert ice and rock salt to freeze ingredients. Listen to motor until motor shows signs of stopping then turn off. Enjoy licking the paddle with ice cream on it. Freeze ice cream for better taste.

Chocolate Ice Cream

Vanilla Ice Cream

*makes about 4 quarts

12 large egg yolks, slightly beaten
4 cups sugar
4 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
8 cups whipping cream (heavy)
4 tablespoons vanilla
8 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled

Mix egg yolks, sugar, milk and salt in a large pot. Beat into milk and egg mixture unsweetened chocolate. Cook just to boiling (do not boil). Pour into a chilled bowl in freezer stirring every 10 minutes. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until at room temperature. (You can refrigerate it up to 24 hours and it is still good.)

In bowl stir in whipping cream and vanilla into milk mixture. Pour into 5 quart mixing bucket that fits into ice cream maker. Put in mixing paddle, start motor. Begin mixing. Insert ice and rock salt to freeze ingredients. Listen to motor until motor shows signs of stopping then turn off. Enjoy licking the paddle with ice cream on it. Freeze ice cream for better taste.

Strawberry Ice Cream

Strawberry Ice Cream

*makes about 4 quarts

12 large egg yolks, slightly beaten
2 cups sugar
4 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
8 cups whipping cream (heavy)
4 tablespoons vanilla
1 pound strawberries cut and crushed

Mix egg yolks, sugar, milk and salt in a large pot. Cook just to boiling (do not boil). Pour into a chilled bowl in freezer stirring every 10 minutes. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until at room temperature. (You can refrigerate it up to 24 hours and it is still good.)

In bowl stir in whipping cream and vanilla into milk mixture. Add strawberries. Pour into 5 quart mixing bucket that fits into ice cream maker. Put in mixing paddle, start motor. Insert ice and rock salt to freeze ingredients. Begin mixing. Listen to motor until motor shows signs of stopping then turn off. Enjoy licking the paddle with ice cream on it. Freeze ice cream for better taste.

Vanilla Ice Cream

Vanilla Ice Cream

*makes about 4 quarts

12 large egg yolks, slightly beaten
2 cups sugar
4 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
8 cups whipping cream (heavy)
4 tablespoons vanilla

Mix egg yolks, sugar, milk and salt in a large pot. Cook just to boiling (do not boil). Pour into a chilled bowl in freezer stirring every 10 minutes. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until at room temperature. (You can refrigerate it up to 24 hours and it is still good.)

In bowl stir in whipping cream and vanilla into milk mixture. Pour into 5 quart mixing bucket that fits into ice cream maker. Put in mixing paddle, start motor. Begin mixing. Insert ice and rock salt to freeze ingredients. Listen to motor until motor shows signs of stopping then turn off. Enjoy licking the paddle with ice cream on it. Freeze ice cream for better taste.

Thursday

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Squares

I found these on the Martha Stewart website. They are a great compromise between pumpkin chocolate chip bread and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies: they look much more appetizing than the cookies, and the chocolate chips don't sink to the bottom like they do in the bread. This recipe is definitely a keeper. Oh, and if you don't have pumpkin pie spice, substitute 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 3/4 tsp. ginger, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, and 1/2 tsp. cloves. You can also throw in 1/2 tsp. allspice, but I like it just as well without. (Does allspice really do anything?)

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin-pie spice
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
  • 1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on all sides. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pie spice, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
  2. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth; beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in pumpkin puree (mixture may appear curdled). Reduce speed to low, and mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
  3. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in pan.
  4. Lift cake from pan (using foil as an aid). Peel off foil, and use a serrated knife to cut into 24 squares.

Pumpkin Soup

1 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Saute onion in butter in a medium saucepan until tender. Add 1 can chicken broth; stir well. Bring to a boil.

Transfer broth mixture into the container of a blender or processor. Process until smooth.

Return mixture to saucepan. Add remaining can of broth, pumpkin, salt, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and ground pepper; stir well. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in whipping cream and heat through. Do not boil. Ladle into individual soup bowls.

I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com, and tried it tonight, and I love it! Great for fall.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2009 Allrecipes.comPrinted from Allrecipes.com 10/8/2009

Clam Chowder

Clam Chowder

4 potatoes deiced
1 lb clams
2 onions (chopped fine)
2 stalks celery
½ tsp paprika
2 Tbs butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix together. Boil 10 minutes. Pack in quart jars. Process in pressure cooker for 100 minutes at 10 pounds of pressure.

Mother Farnsworth’s Apple Butter (from Pat Maurer)

Mother Farnsworth’s Apple Butter (from Pat Maurer)

½ cup sugar
3 cups apple pulp
½ tsp cinnamon (to 3 cups of pulp)

Mix together.

Pat Maurer’s Apple Pie Filling

Pat Maurer’s Apple Pie Filling

4 ½ cups sugar
1 cup corn starch
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. nutmeg
(Makes about 5 quarts)

Cook and stir until thick. Add 1 Tbs lemon juice. Fill 5 quart jars with sliced apples in one quart jars and cover with filling mix. When serving boil for 15 minutes and add noodles or rice. Leave ½ inch air space for expansion. Cold pack for 20 minutes or pressure cook for 5 minutes at 10 pounds of pressure.

Juices- Apple, Pear, and Grape

Juices- Apple, Pear, and Grape

The quantity of juice produced by a apple, pear, or grape varies. Yet the processing method is the same. You’ll need a 3 tiered juicer. The juice from the fruit is drawn out by heat. We’ve always used steam juicers. This is the cleanest method—in my opinion.

Quarter pears or apples. Simply leave grapes on stems. Place fruit in juicer. Extrapolate juice. (Press out juice if desired for faster method, yet can make granules in juice.) Place in quart jars. Pressure cook for 10 minutes under 10 pounds of pressure.

Canned Beef Stew

Canned Beef Stew

9 lbs roast cubed
4 onions
32 oz of beef broth
10 carrots
8 oz of mushrooms
32 oz of green peas
48 oz of green beans
1 cup salt
½ cup pepper
(Beef Bouillon cubes if you’d like)

Place 9 lbs. of cubed beef in stock pot. Add beef broth. Add water to broth if doesn’t cover the beef. Add onions, carrots, salt, pepper (, and Bouillon cubes if desired). Add cooked mixture to quart jars. Pressure cook at 10 pounds of pressure for 90 minutes.
When serving boil for 15 minutes and add noodles or rice.

Canned Chicken Soup

Canned Chicken Soup

10 lbs chicken diced
15 quarts chicken stock
10 carrots diced
4 onions diced
5 stalks celery
1 cup salt
½ cup pepper
(Chicken Bouillon cubes if you’d like)

Place 10 lbs. of chicken in stock pot. Add chicken stock. Add water to chicken stock if doesn’t cover the chicken. Add onions, carrots, and celery, salt, pepper (, and Bouillon cubes if desired). Add cooked mixture to quart jars. Pressure cook at 10 pounds of pressure for 90 minutes.
When serving boil for 15 minutes and add noodles or rice.

Canned Chili

Canned Chili

20 cups dry pinto beans soaked
48 oz diced tomatoes
2 cups chili powder
5 large diced onions

Soak and wash beans separately form sauce. Mix in all ingredients once beans are fully soaked. Can in quart jars. Pressure cook for 40 minutes at 15 pounds pressure.

Doug Minnick’s Fresh (Canned) Salsa

Doug Minnick’s Fresh (Canned) Salsa

20 large tomatoes
Some cherry tomatoes
10 onion
10 red or green pepper
8 jalepeno
½ cup salt
4 cups vinegar

Precook onions, peppers, and jalapeño pepper until fully cooked. Quarter tomatoes. Take one pint jar and fill jar with tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, onions, salt, and vinegar. Add uncooked mixture to jars. Place lids on jars and rings. Process in pressure cooker at 15 pounds of pressure for 15 minutes.

Spaghetti Sauce

Spaghetti Sauce

1 cup olive oil
¼ cup garlic
4 cups chopped onion
16 lbs. tomatoes
¼ cup basil
¼ cup oregano
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. pepper
7 tsp. salt
2 – 12 oz. cans of tomato paste

Cook and simmer for 2 hours. Process in pressure cooker at 10 lbs of pressure for 10 minutes.

Sunday

Grandma Nelsons Chili Sauce


This is my Grandma Nelson's Chili Sauce recipe. Chili Sauce is really yummy on top of a roast (dry or moist). I just would cook the roast and then allow people to spoon some on cold. I've never mixed it into the sauce to marinate it with it. I'm going to be trying this in Meat Loaf in a week or so (when we've got enough hamburger). It is a really yummy sauce that my Mom and I used to make every year along side with salsa. I've modified the recipe so that it stays chunky. Typically it gets really watery when it is pressured cooked too much. You can do whatever canning method you prefer but I prefer pressure cooking. Remember being generous= Chunky sauce.

Grandma Nelson's Chili Sauce

4 qts tomatoes
2 cups chopped onion (be generous)
1 cup chopped sweet red pepper (be generous)
1-2 cups chopped green peppers (be very generous)
2 Tsb. salt
2-3 hot peppers (Serrano, Jalapenos, Fresnos. I've used all three!)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. All Spice (I don't add this)
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
2 1.2 cups vinegar

Cook thoroughly onions, peppers, and hot peppers in fry pan. Core tomatoes and slice into quarters. In pan combine all ingredients. (You can cook all of the ingredients at this point, but as I use a pressure cooker and have pre-cooked the onions, peppers, and hot peppers I don't cook it as a mixture.) Pack bottles. If using a pressure cooker cook under 15 lbs pressure for 10 minutes.

Use on top of roasts, meat loaf, or as a sweet marinate for other meat dishes.

-Doug (Nelson) Minnick
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Tuesday

Carol Cazier's Enchiladas

This recipe is from my sister's mother-in-law. We really like it. I always end up with extra sauce, though, and I probably use more than 1 cup of cheese, though I've never measured.

1/2 lb. ground beef
1 quart stewed diced tomatoes
1 small can enchilada sauce
1 can cream of mushroom soup
about 8 flour tortillas
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Brown and drain the ground beef. Add tomatoes, enchilada sauce, and soup; blend and set aside. Spread tortillas with grated cheese and roll them up; arrange in glass baking dish. Pour meat sauce over the top, sprinkle with more grated cheese, and bake uncovered until cheese is bubbling, about 1/2 hour.

Rice Krispies Squares

1/4 cup butter
1 10 oz. package marshmallows
1 tsp vanilla
6 cups rice krispies

Butter a 9x13 glass cake pan. 
Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Add the marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla and the rice krispies until well coated, then press the mixture into the buttered pan. ( I like to butter my hands and use them to press it in.) Cool and eat!

Thursday

Zucchini Bread

We should have zucchini ready in our garden by the beginning of next week, so here's my favorite zucchini bread recipe. It makes two loaves.

3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3 tsp cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup oil
2 1/4 cups sugar
3 tsp vanilla
2 cups grated zucchini
walnuts if you want 'em

Grease and flour two loaf pans. Preheat oven to 325.

Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Set aside. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar in a large bowl. Stir in the sifted ingredients and beat well. Stir in zucchini (and nuts) until well combined. (If you're using an electric mixer, you'll need to scrape the sides of the bowl frequently and well.) Pour batter into pans and bake for 40 to 60 minutes or until a fork inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10-20 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely on a rack.


Texas Sheet Cake

I love this cake because it has sour cream, so it turns out nice and moist. I also love this cake because you can make it a day or two in advance, frosted and all, and it can sit on your counter with nothing covering it and still taste fabulous. I make the frosting while the cake is cooking, because it needs to be frosted soon after it comes out of the oven.

Cake:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 cup butter
1 cup water
5 Tbsp cocoa

Frosting:
6 Tbsp milk
5 Tbsp cocoa
1/2 cup butter
4 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease and flour a 10x15 jelly roll pan.
Sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Mix in the sour cream and the eggs. Set aside. In a saucepan, melt the butter; then stir in the water and cocoa. Bring mixture to a boil, remove from heat, cool slightly, and stir into the flour and sugar mixture until well incorporated. Pour into the pan and bake for 20 minutes.

While the cake is baking, melt the 1/2 cup butter in a saucepan and then mix in the cocoa and milk. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, and beat in the powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spread over the warm cake.

Southwestern Chicken Eggrolls

I got this recipe from my sister-in-law Marla. I changed it a little, but it is one of our favorites now!

2 - 3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or cubed
sliced green onions (I have plenty of these in my garden during the summer if you need some)
diced red bell pepper
1 cup frozen corn
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. salt
dash of cayenne pepper
1 cup shredded cheese, whatever kind you have or like
uncooked flour tortillas (Costco has 44 for less than $7, and we love them)

Heat some olive oil in a skillet and cook the onions and peppers for a few minutes. Throw in the rest of the ingredients except the cheese. Cook for about 5 minutes, remove from heat, and stir in the cheese. I sometimes stir in a little salsa, too, just to make them more moist.
Spoon the mixture into uncooked tortillas, tuck the sides in, and roll them up.

Deep Fried Method- Cook them in about half an inch of olive oil heated in a skillet on medium high. It takes less then a minute for them to brown on one side, so watch them carefully. After cooking, transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels. These keep their heat well.

Bake Method (Doug's Favorite)- bake them on 350 degrees until lightly browned. Amazing! (Doug wrote this in...)

Serve with salsa and/or avocado ranch dip: mix 16 oz. sour cream with 1/2-1 envelope dry ranch dressing mix, one or two mashed avocados, and a tsp. of lemon juice. You're done!

Tuesday

Jen's Salad Dressing (and salad)

Dressing:

1/2 red onion, or less if onion is large
2 cups sugar
4 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup red wine vinegar
2 cups vegetable oil

Finely chop red onion in food processor. Add sugar, dry mustard, salt and vinegar and blend until frothy. Slowly add oil. Rerfigerate for several hours for flavors to blend... toss with salad when ready!
*** This recipe makes a TON of dressing... I would use half or less of this to make almost a whole bottle.

Salad Ingredients:
1 head romaine lettuce, washed dried and chopped
1/2 cup (approx) craisins
crumbled blue cheese (for a head of lettuce I would use about 2 oz)
15 oz can mandarin oranges, drained
4 oz sugared silvered almonds - in a small skillet sprinkle 3 TBS sugar over almonds and cook over medium heat until almonds are coated and sugar has dissolved- do NOT overcook

Toss all ingredients together and enjoy!

Monday

Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe! I got it from my sister Ellen. I always bake a test cookie before adding the chocolate chips to the dough. If the test cookie turns out flat, you just need to add a little more flour.

3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 egg
2 Tbsp. vanilla
2 1/2+ cups flour
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, if desired

Cream the sugars and the butter. Mix in the egg and the vanilla. Sift in the flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix in the chocolate chips and nuts, if any. Bake @ 375 for 9-10 minutes.

Honey Oatmeal Cake

1 cup oatmeal
1 stick butter
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1 1/2 cups honey
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups sifted whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

In a large bowl, pour boiling water over oatmeal and butter and soak for 20 minutes. Stir in honey, vanilla, and eggs. Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl and then stir into wet ingredients. Pour into greased and floured 9 by 13 pan. Bake at 375 for 30 to 40 minutes.

Saturday

Raspberry Lemonade

5 lemons, sliced and seeded
1 package frozen raspberries
2 cups sugar
1 gallon water

Dissolve sugar in water. Add lemons and raspberries and mash with a potato masher. Chill and serve.

I got this recipe from my friend Darcie. I love it for BBQs.

Tuesday

Stuffed Mushrooms

1 pound loose sausage
1 8-oz. package cream cheese
large mushrooms

Core mushrooms. Fry the sausage until cooked through, breaking into small pieces. Remove from heat and stir in the cream cheese. Spoon the sausage mixture into the mushroom caps and bake on a cookie sheet at 350 until the mushrooms are tender.
This is by far my favorite appetizer.
I got this recipe from my sister-in-law Tami.

Pizza Bread

This is my sister-in-law Erin's recipe--it is one of my kids' favorites!

bread dough, risen and punched down once*
pepperoni
ham (optional)
shredded mozzarella cheese
pizza sauce

Roll dough into a rectangle as long as your cookie sheet. Lay slices of ham the length of the dough (no need to fill the width). On top of ham, place pepperoni about four wide. Sprinkle cheese on top. Starting with long side of dough, gently but tightly roll. Pinch seam along side and ends to seal in toppings. Bake immediately at 350 for about 20 minutes or until browned. Serve with pizza sauce for dipping.

*I recommend using white bread dough (one loaf worth). Don't try french bread dough.

Stuffed Avocados

2 cups cooked, diced chicken
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley or mint
2 grated carrots
1/2 red pepper, chopped

Mix together the above ingredients and spoon into halved avocados.

Saturday

Strawberry-Orange Muffins

1 1/4 cups halved strawberries
3 Tbsp. butter
2 tsp. grated orange rind
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 400. Combine first four ingredients in a blender and process until blended. Combine dry ingredients. Stir strawberry mixture into dry ingredients. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle with 2 tsp. sugar. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from pan immediately.

Thursday

Banana Bread

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
2 medium mashed bananas
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Beat sugar, oil, and eggs. Add bananas, sour cream, and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients into a separate bowl and then beat into wet mixture. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes.

My friend Zoila gave me this recipe when we were at BYU. It is still the best banana bread recipe I have ever made. I like to throw in an extra banana.

Chicken and Peas Alfredo

8 oz. uncooked spaghetti noodles
1 cup frozen peas
2 Tbsp. butter
1 lb. chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
1 can cream of mushroom soup (I like the fat-free soup best)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
ground black pepper to taste

Prepare spaghetti according to directions, adding the peas during the last few minutes of cooking time. Drain.
Heat butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until well browned.
Stir the soup, milk, cheese, pepper, and pasta mixture into the skillet and cook until hot and bubbling.

This is adapted from a Campbell's Kitchen recipe that I found in a magazine. Doug and the girls love it! It can be made in just over 20 minutes. I just throw frozen chicken tenders in the pan and break them up with a bamboo spoon as they are cooking instead of wasting time defrosting and cutting.