What I've Been Cooking This Weekend

This weekend I made 3 lasagna's and some carrot raisin bread. If anyone would like the recipes, reply to this and I will email them to you. The bread recipe is from a cookbook and it is a clone of the Mimi's Cafe carrot raisin bread. The other recipe is from Robin Miller on the Food Network and it's great because you can either make 3 lasagna's or 1 lasagna, 1 batch of sloppy joe's, and 1 batch of taco's with the filling. So cool!

Lion House Inspired Chicken Bake

I have one of the Lion House cookbooks and usually I'm kind of scared to try some of the stuff in it because I'm afraid of new things. But, I tried a chicken bake and I changed a few things so here is what I did and it turned out super good. I would totally make this again. I made egg noodles and broccoli to go with in and the sauce goes great on the noodles.

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast, mine were still a little frozen and they were huge
Kosher salt
garlic salt
paprika
2 cans cream of chicken soup (it calls for one can of cream of mushroom)
1 large can evaporated milk (it calls for 1/2 c. of this but I like extra sauce)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a 9 x 13 inch pan, sprinkle some Kosher salt, garlic salt, and paprika evenly all over the bottom. Then place the chicken on top (this way you don't have to bother with touching the chicken a lot by turning it over to season both sides). Sprinkle Kosher salt, garlic salt, and paprika evenly over the tops of the chicken. Mix soup and milk. Pour over chicken. Bake for about 1 hour and 30 minutes but check for doneness after one hour or if you have thin chicken, sooner. Yum. This is way good!

Roast Beef

Last week I purchased a 5 lb. rump roast from Macy's grocery store. They were on sale for 1.99 a lb. which is fantastic. I sprinkled it very liberally with kosher salt and fresh, cracked pepper. I put it fat side up in a 9 x 13 inch pan and browned it in a 475 degree oven for about 30 or 35 minutes. Then I turned the oven down to 250 and roasted it until it was done. I think that it took a total of about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. It was so nice because the first day we had the roast w/ mashed potatoes, gravy, and broccoli. The next two days we used the thin slices and made French dip sandwiches. So yummy!

Here's how I make gravy:

If you follow the recipe above, you will have lots of dark bits and juice in the pan after the roast is finished. Remove the roast to a cutting board and cover with foil for at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, put your pan over two burners. I use the water from cooking the potatoes and add about 2 cups or until it is right color and a good amount of gravy. I put the burners on med. high and bring everything to a boil as I scrape the bits off the bottom of the pan. Once the liquid is bubbling, I add some cornstarch that has been mixed with cold water. I just add enough so that the consistency is how I like it. Just be sure to stir while you add the cornstarch water or you will have lumps and be sure to have the liquid boiling. Cornstarch doesn't reach it's full thickening power until it reaches the boiling point. Then season if you need to with salt and pepper.

Recipe Contest

Zanna got me addicted to the Pioneer Woman's website. She is having a recipe contest and it has a great prize. There are already over a thousand entries but I think it's fun to try. I entered three recipes, Mac & Cheese, Chicken Enchiladas, and Turkey Burgers. The contest is looking for recipes that contain lots of dairy, either cheese, milk, or yogurt (or all three). Anyway, here is the link so you all can enter too!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/

Secret Cafe' Rio Pork Recipe

Ok so here is the recipe I have for the cafe' rio pork. The recipe says to cook for 10 hours, add the sauce and cook for an additional 2 or more hours. I usually only cook it for 5 hours in the water and add the sauce and let it cook in it for at least 8 hours. It takes on more of the flavor and color, we think it is just as good as the real thing.

1 pork tenderloin
20 oz. Coke (not diet)
1 Cup brown sugar
1 bottle red taco sauce
1T cumin


Cook pork with 1/2 a cup of water with garlic, salt and pepper for 10 hours on low. (Again I usually just put it in the crock pot before I go to bed and add the sauce in the morning.)
Then in a sauce pan bring to a boil the rest of the ingredients.
Take sauce and add to pork in pot and cook on low for an additional 2 or more hours. (We have done it this way and it still tastes good but it is better the longer you can leave it cooking.)

Update on Chicken Enchiladas

I made chicken enchiladas again last night but instead of rolling them into individual burritos, I just layered all the ingredients in the 9 x 13 pan. I tore the tortillas so they would fit in the pan and I used the Mexican Blend cheese from Target, the Target brand. It was really good, I think they add chili powder to it. Anyway, it turned out really good and I think that it feeds more people this way too because you end up using more tortillas and each piece is really filling.

I also used the same recipe and cooked it in a dutch oven. I used a recipe book to figure out how many coals it would take to equal about 350 degrees and then just went for it. I layered it in the dutch oven which was easy because I had a 10 inch dutch oven and I used 10 inch tortillas.

Also, I steamed some summer squash (zucchini, yellow crookneck, and Mexican) in a dutch oven as well. I used 24 coals on the bottom to get it going and then too a few away to maintain the steam and just steamed until done. I liberally salted and peppered the squash before and then added a stick of butter once they were done. (How could they be bad with a stick of butter?) They seemed to go over really well and it's nice to have a healthier dutch oven meal among all the heavy dishes that seem to go with that type of cooking.

Flour Tortillas

Does anyone have a good recipe for flour tortillas? I found one the other day, and it tastes good, but it is so hard to roll out. They end up being pretty thick (which is tasty, but not great for most things I'd use them for).

Thanks!

Lemonade Salad

1 6 oz. can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
2 tubes of Ritz crackers, crushed
1 T. sugar
1 stick of butter, melted
1 12 oz. tub of Cool Whip
1 14 oz. can sweetened, condensed milk

Combine crackers, melted butter, and sugar. Reserve about 1/2 c. for the top. Press remaining crumbs into a 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until it smells good. Cool. Mix lemonade concentrate and condensed milk. Fold in Cool Whip. Pour over crust and top with remaining crumbs. Freeze for 3 hours and serve straight from the freezer. It will still be easy to cut and very yummy.

Chicken Crescents

1 package of refrigerated crescent rolls
2 c. shredded, cooked chicken
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese, (I use sharp)
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, at room temperature
2 t. dry ranch dressing mix

Unroll crescents from package and lay flat. Mix cheddar cheese, cream cheese, and dressing mix. Add chicken. Spoon chicken mixture onto crescent rolls, about 1 or 2 T. each. Roll up rolls and place onto cookie sheet that has been sprayed with Pam. Bake for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees or until golden brown and hot throughout. Serve with 1 can of chicken soup that has been mixed with about 2/3 c. sour cream and heated through. Yum.

Taco Salad from Jane Stagg

I am making this for Brady's birthday party.

1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained of fat
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
1 avocado
2 tomatoes
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese, any flavor that you like
1 bag of crunchy lettuce
1 can of kidney beans, drained
1 sm. can sliced olives
1 1/2 c. crushed tortilla chips
1 1/2 c. mayonnaise
1 1/2 c. salsa
1/2 lime

Mix browned beef and taco seasoning. Layer ingredients in a salad bowl, in this order:

Lettuce, beans, olives, chips, cheese, beef, tomatoes, avocadoes. Mix the mayonnaise, salsa, and the juice of half a lime together and serve as the dressing. Yummy!!! This makes 4 large servings, maybe 6.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

1 box Red Velvet cake mix
1 small box white chocolate instant pudding mix
4 eggs
1 c. sour cream
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. water
1 t. vanilla

Place all ingredients into mixer. Mix on low speed for one minute. Scrape down sides and bottom of mixer. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Scrape sides as needed. Place into pans or cupcake pans or whatever you are using. I bake cupcakes at 350 degrees for 24 minutes. I am going to frost them with cream cheese frosting:

1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1 stick butter
1 t. vanilla
1 lb. powdered sugar

Bring the cream cheese and butter to room temperature. Mix on low speed for about 30 seconds or until combined. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. It's easier to add the sugar gradually so it doesn't puff up out of your machine and get all over the kitchen. Be sure not to over mix because it can get runny. This frosting is easier to work with if you chill it a bit too.

Another Good Cupcake Place

Here's another fancy cupcake place:

Cakes de Fleur
3340 S 300 W, Ste. 6
(801) 474-CAKE

They also sell cakes at Emigration Market, The Store, and Pirate O's in Draper.

P.S. Thanks for the tips on free & $0.31 ice cream this week! I enjoyed both! Now where for free ice cream today???

Made-up Island Chicken

I made up a new chicken recipe today w/ stuff I had around the house:

Ingredients:
Chicken breast
10 oz. can of guava juice
Ginger
Garlic
Bay leaves
Salt & pepper
Cilantro

Marinate chicken breast in 1 can of guava juice w/ ginger & garlic to taste, plus 2-3 bay leaves. (I used 1/2 chicken breast, marinated for the next day - this probably makes enough marinade for a whole breast).

Salt & pepper the chicken & brown each side for a couple of minutes at medium heat. Remove chicken from heat. Turn up the burner to medium high or high. Pour in the marinade, add fresh cilantro & bring to a simmer. Add the chicken back in (I slowly turned the heat down to medium to keep the juice at a simmer). Cook about 5 minutes on each side or until done.

We ate it w/ rice but didn't have any exotic veges to add.

Here are some things I might try mixing in next time:
sauteed onions/scallions (something sour to go w/ the sweet flavor)
pineapple
rum extract

I'll gladly take any suggestions of what else to eat with made-up island chicken.

Mini's Cupcakes

Okay, this is not really a recipe. But I wanted you all to know about this cutest new cupcake shop on 800 South, a block or two west of State Street in SLC. It's called Mini's. The owner makes little tiny cupcakes with all these creative different toppings, homemade marshmallows, and rice krispie treats that are really just homemade marshmallows rolled in rice krispies (reaaally good if you really like marshmallow). I tried a coffee flavored cupcake and it was tasty! They are a little spendy (I paid about $10 for half a dozen) but the presentation is really nice so they make a fancy fun little gift.

Here's the contact info:

800 S 14 E
Salt Lake City, UT 84111

(801) 363-0608

www.mini-cupcakes.com

Basic Buttercream Frosting

I used this recipe to top Alicia's DELISH sugar cookies below. It can be thick or thin- just change the amount of milk until you have the desired consistency. I also used almond extract in the cookies, so I put a dash in the frosting too.

1/2 c. Butter
3 c. Powdered Sugar
3 tbsp. Milk
1 tsp. Vanilla

Cream butter until smooth and slowly add in the sugar, milk and vanilla alternatively until well blended.

Strawberry Salad

1 bag of spring salad mix (I used one head of leaf lettuce and one head of romaine lettuce)
4 slices bacon, cooked till crisp, then crumbled
1/4 c. cashew or almond pieces (roasted and salted)
1/4 c. dried cranberries
2 T. chopped, red onion
8 oz. fresh strawberries, sliced
1 large avocado, diced
1 large can mandarin oranges, drained

Place all ingredients into a salad bowl. Pour dressing over the top and toss. Serve.

Dressing:

1 c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. milk (I used a little more milk so the consistency was thinner)
1/8 c. balsamic vinegar
1/8 c. sugar
3 T. strawberry jam or preserves

Mix all ingredients in blender or in a shaker and shake well. You can add more jam to taste and you can make the dressing ahead of time. Also, this makes more dressing than you will need for the salad. Refrigerate and save the rest.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

1 corned beef brisket, 3-5 pounds
4 potatoes (more if you have more people)
6-8 carrots
1 onion (more if you like onion)


Peel and cut potatoes and carrots into 1" chunks. Place into crock pot. Peel onion and cut into quarters, place into crock pot. Place brisket, the liquid from the package, and the spice packet into the crock pot. Pour about 6 cups of water into the crock pot and turn pot to high. Cook for 6 hours or until done.

Judy's Chicken

This is a chicken that my mother-in-law Judy always makes. I think that she got the recipe from a cookbook called, Mormon Essentials, or something like that. She always makes it in the oven, I usually make it in the slow-cooker. It is delicious with rice.

6 - 8 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
1 package dry onion soup mix
1 cup apricot preserves
1 cup or 8 oz Russian dressing (Judy recommends Wishbone brand)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix soup mix, preserves, and dressing. Place chicken in a 9 x 13 inch pan. Pour other ingredients over the top of the chicken. Bake for one hour or until chicken is done. I cook this in the slow-cooker for 3 hours on low or until the chicken is done.

Chicken Enchiladas

4 c. cooked, shredded chicken
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 small can, diced, green chili's
1 c. sour cream (I usually use the low-fat kind)
1 can green enchilada sauce
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
8 - 12 flour tortillas, soft taco size

Mix chicken, soup, chili's, and sour cream. You can add diced onion or any other ingredient that sounds good to you to this. Place some of this mixture into a tortilla, sprinkle on a little cheese, and roll up, place into a 9 x 13 pan that has been sprayed with Pam. Make as many enchiladas as you would like. You can make them smaller or larger depending on your taste. Pour sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes at 400 degrees until hot and bubbly. I make these different every time I make them but this is my basic recipe. They are very comforting and creamy.

French Toast Bake

4 oz. cream cheese (1/2 a package)
any flavor of jam or preserves that you like
12 slices of thick, white bread (can be day old)
8 eggs
1 c. milk, warmed
2 T. sugar
1/2 t. salt
3 T. melted butter

Spread cream cheese onto 6 pieces of the bread. Spread jam on the other 6 pieces. Put them together like sandwiches and place into a 9 x 13 inch pan that has been sprayed with Pam. Whip eggs, milk, sugar, salt, and melted butter together. Pour this over the sandwiches. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with syrup and fresh fruit.

I made this last weekend for breakfast and forgot to post it. I actually made it with only 4 eggs but that wasn't nearly enough. I think that 8 eggs will be perfect.