Tagliatelle with Vegetable Ribbons

Tagliatelle with Vegetable Ribbons
serves four
from Best Ever Three and Four Ingredient Cookbook

2 large zucchinis
2 large carrots
9oz fresh egg tagliatelle
4 Tbsp garlic flavored olive oil
salt and ground black pepper

With a vegetable peeler cut the zucchini and carrots into long thin ribbons. Bring a large pan of salted water to boil, then add teh zucchini and carrot ribbons. Bring the water back to boil and boil for 30 seconds, then drain and set aside.

I use the same water to boil the pasta. Drain the pasta and return it to the pan. Add the vegetable ribbons, garlic flavored olive oil and seasoning and toss over a medium to high heat until the pasta and vegetables are glistening with oil. Serve the pasta immediately.

We had this with Ina Garten's Brussel Sprouts (yum) for dessert we had fresh strawberries with fresh cream (Ina's recipe)

Crab and Cucumber Wraps

Crab and Cucumber Wraps
serves two (but it served two adults and two little girls...and we had leftovers for the next day)
from Best Ever Three and Four Ingredient Cookbook

1/2 a cucumber (I like English cucumbers)
1 medium dressed crab (I used about half of those real crab tubs from Costco)
4 small wheat tortillas (I ended up having enough for 6 tortillas)
8 Tbsp hoisin sauce (I just used as much as I wanted...I love that sauce)
ground black pepper
tabasco (optional - we like)

Cut the cucumber into small even-sized batons.

Lightly toss the crab meat with ground black pepper in a bowl.

Heat the tortillas gently, one at a time, in a heavy frying pan until they begin to color on each side.

Spread a tortilla with about 2 Tbsp hoisin sauce, then sprinkle with cucumber. Add crab meat down the center of each tortilla and roll up. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Serve immediately.

We had this with the Avocado Soup.

Avocado Soup

Avocado Soup
serves 4
from Best Ever Three & Four Ingredient Cookbook

2 large ripe avocados
1/2 pint (or 1 1/4 cups) sour cream (I found the soy kind - it was awesome)
4 cups chicken stock
small bunch of fresh cilantro (if you like it - my family doesn't)
ground black pepper
crumbled bacon (from Costco)
shredded cheese (the kids and the hubby like cheese on everything)


Cut the avocados in half, remove the peel and lift out the pits. Chop the flesh coarsely and place it in a food processor with 3-4 Tbsp of the sour cream. Process until smooth.


Heat the chicken stock in a pan. when it is hot, but still below simmering point, stir in the rest of the cream.

Gradually stir the avocado mixture into the hot stock. Heat but do not let the mixture approach boiling point.

Chop the cilantro. Ladle the soup into individual heated bowls and sprinkle each portion with chopped cilantro, bacon, cheese and black pepper. Serve immediately.

We had this with the Crab and Cucumber Wraps.

Darlybird Cupcakes

I am posting Darlybird's cupcakes because I'm always looking for her recipes when I'm craving a cupcake... now I can have them in my online file. ;-)

Below is exactly how it appears on her blog.

CUPCAKE INSTRUCTIONS

i'll give you a quick rundown of the three versions i did. all started with a $1 cake mix . . . and i definitely recommend using a mix since you'll be doing a fair amount of other things, like making fillings, etc. DISCLAIMER: i just reread these instructions and they're a bit frenetic at best. sorry. it's just that they were all a grand experiment. i figured out what i was doing as i did it. so i hope it makes sense.

so, first: Lemon cupcakes with lime curd filling and raspberry frosting

--lemon cake mix....make and bake as instructed

--lime curd: one can sweetened condensed milk with 1/3 c. fresh lime juice. (stir till combined)

--raspberry whipped cream frosting: this recipe is totally approximate, since i was just mixing random ingredients in. so bear with me and my imperfections:

Whipped cream with a bit of almond extract, powdered sugar, a couple TBS of butter, and a bit of cream cheese. mix together. add 1/2 bag of frozen raspberries and blend. let it sit for a bit so the raspberries have time to slightly thaw. then mix more. voila!


Chocolate Whipped Cream Cupcakes

chocolate cake mix -- make as directed

filling=whipped cream with some powdered sugar and almond extract (i had a ton of this left over, so i actually used the leftovers to make the raspberry frosting).

frosting: it's wilton's buttercream recipe. tamra just called me for the recipe and i looked it up online, and i think i have it memorized. dang! that will not be good for the baked good addiction. i've only made it once before, but it is the best buttercream on the planet!

1 c. butter
4 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. clear vanilla (i bought this at shepherds.....it just doesn't color the buttercream brown)
2 TBS milk

beat the butter in your pinky pie mixer (so cute!) until it's totally whipped. leave the butter out for a couple of hours or at least microwave it for a second so it's room temp.
add powd sug one cup at a time, vanilla, and milk last. i made a double batch of this and then took half out for the guava cream cheese cupcakes. then i added 3-4 TBS of cocoa powder and some more milk and that is what makes it a chocolate buttercream. super duper easy!

Vanilla cupcakes with guava cream cheese filling and vanilla buttercream

yellow cakemix- m.a.d. (as directed)

guava filling is found in a weird sealed bag at shepherds. i loved it and think it is awesome. it's a little thick to pipe into cupcakes, so i added some cream cheese and milk to kind of tame it down and thin it.

fill cupcakes and then frost with the vanilla buttercream from above recipe.

FILLING CUPCAKES: there is a tip at shepherds that is 1.50 or something and it looks like a long hollow needle. you put the filling in your bag and then stick that tip into the cupcake at least halfway. squeeze filling out into the cupcake to the point that you can see the cupcake expanding, but not bursting. it's super easy and i think it makes them so much fun.

Sunrise Frittata

This recipe is from the December/January 2009 issue of Healthy Cooking Magazine.  My kids even liked it!

2 teaspoons canola oil

1 1/2 cups frozen O'Brien potatoes

1 1/2 cups cubed fully cooked lean ham

8 egg whites

4 eggs

1/2 cup shredded fontina cheese, divided

1/3 cup fat-free milk

1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano or 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

3/4 cup julienned roasted sweet red pepper

3/4 cup salsa

1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

1. In a large ovenproof skillet coated with cooking spray, cook and stir the potatoes in oil over medium heat until tender.  Stir in ham; heat through.

2.  In a small bowl, whisk the egg whites, eggs, 1/4 cup cheese, milk and oregano; add to the pan.  Arrange red pepper strips over egg mixture to resemble the spokes of a wheel.  Cover and cook over low heat for 8-12 minutes or until almost set.

3.  Uncover; broil 6" from the heat for 3-5 minutes or until eggs are set and frittata is golden brown.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese; let stand until melted.  Cut into wedges.

4.  Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine salsa and cilantro; heat through.  Serve with frittata.

Dark Chocolate Cookies with Sour Cherries

These are my hubby and my favorite cookies...so far. My friend Cheryl bought me Martha Stewart's Cookies cook book for my birthday in July. I have dog-earred it, and been having a ball making cookies. In fact, I made three cookies from the book for part of my Christmas goodie plate. My friend Sylvia wanted the recipe - so here it is!

Dark Chocolate Cookies with Sour Cherries
Makes about 3 dozen

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 firmly packed cups dried sour cherries (9 oz)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until well combined. Add the flour mixture, and beat on low speed until just combined. Do not overbeat. With a wooden spoon, fold in chocolate and cherries. (Dough can be frozen at this point, wrapped well in plastic, up to 1 month; thaw completely before baking.)

4. Form balls of dough, each about 1/4 cup; place balls on prepared baking sheets about 3 inches apart. Bake until puffed and cracked, 9-11 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

Gingersnaps

This is a yummy cookie I added to my Christmas baking a few years back. My husband loves molasses, so I gave them a try. They are soft and delicious cookie we love to make.

Gingersnaps

2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup molasses
Cinnamon sugar:
1/2 cup sugar mixed with
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets.
2. Combine flour, spices, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. In a large bowl,beat butter with sugar and egg at medium speed 2 minutes, until fluffy. Add molasses; beat 1 minute. Slowly add flour mixture; beat to combine.
3. Using a rounded teaspoon for each cookie, roll dough into balls, then roll each in cinnamon sugar and place on baking sheets.
4. Bake 10 minutes, or until cookies are golden and crisp. Cool 1 minute, then transfer to wire racks to finish cooling.

Peppercini Roast

My friend Sally always passes me great recipes. This one is a favorite.

Pepperocini Roast

Chuck Roast
2 bottles Pepperocinis with juice


Wash the roast, place it fat-side up in a slow cooker. Pour the pepperocinis and juice over the roast.

Cook on low heat for 8-10 hours, or high for 4-5 hours.

Make sandwiches with Havarti cheese... or eat over pasta, rice...

Corn Chili

My friend Erin made this chili for our ward Trunk-or-Treat. I love chili...and her recipe is mmmm YUM.

Corn Chili

1 lb ground beef (or mix beef and turkey or left over roast)
2 tsp chicken base
1 can diced tomatos
1 can tomato sauce
garlic
1 onion
2 cans green chiles
3/4 tsp cumin
oregano
thyme
salt
pepper
lots of chili powder
1 can kidney beans
1 can corn
1 green bell pepper
1 Tbsp sugar
corn starch to thicken

Saute veggies
cook meat
Mix it all in a large pot, bring to boil and simmer for 2 hours.

I also added a can of sliced olives and worchestire sauce.

We love eating chili over rice with cheese and/or corn chips. My hubby and I also love Chili dogs.... mmmm.

Chicken Florentine

This is a Paula Dean recipe I found on the Foodnetwork.com site. I had to modify it based on what I had in the house. My modified version is below...go to the link above to go to Paula's recipe.

Chicken Florentine

My recipe I made made enough for the 4 of us for dinner and lunch the next day.

1 (10 oz) packages frozen chopped spinach
2 chicken breast halves, cooked and shredded
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 cups grated sharp cheddar
3 slices havarti
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp curry powder
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
2 Tbsp butter

Remove the outer wrapper from the box of spinach. Open 1 end of each box. Microwave on full power for 2 minutes, until thawed. Drain the spinach and put into a large bowl. Add tthe shredded chicken.

In a medium bowl, combine the soup, cream, cheaddar, havarti, lemon juice, curry powder, salt and pepper, to taste and wine. Whisk together to make a sauce. Pour the sauce over the spinach and chicken. Mix well with a spatula.

Place the mixture into an 11x7 in casserole dish or 2 (9-inch) square disposable aluminumm foil pans that have been sprayed with vegetable oil cooking spray. Pat down evenly and smooth with a spatula. Combine the Parmesan and bread crumbs and sprinkle over the top. Dot with the butter.

You can freeze the casserole. Allow it to thaw 24 hours before baking.

Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes until bubbly.

We had this over rotini pasta. The girls loved it too.

Pumpkin White Chocolate Drops

About two years ago my lovely friend Kim, who had just moved into the ward and recently called as activities chair - put together this awesome Back-to-Bethlehem activity for Christmas. At the activity I happened to find these magic cookies. They melted in my mouth and were so scrumptious. I found out that Angela, the real Martha Stewart made them. So she was gracious enough to share her recipe. One warning... you will not believe how many cookies disappear without you noticing. Enjoy.

Pumpkin White Chocolate Drops

2 cups butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
1 can (16oz) solid pack pumpkin (I use one of the giant cans - we like the pumpkin)
2 eggs
4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 bag (12 oz) white chocolate chips


Preheat oven 375, grease cookie sheets (I like to use parchment paper)

Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin and eggs, beat until smooth. Add flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and baking soda, beat just until well blended. Stir in white chocolate chips.

Drop dough by tsp full about 2-inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake 14-16 minutes, until bottoms are golden. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire racks to cool

Frosting
1 container (16 oz) cream cheese frosting
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
French vanilla extract

Combine frosting and brown sugar and French vanilla in bowl, spread over warm cookies.

Makes about 6 dozen cookies. You can also freeze the dough.

Fresh Apple Cake

Fresh Apple Cake

4 cups apples, diced (peeled or unpeeled)

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup chopped nuts, optional (walnuts are good)

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 cups flour

Mix apples and sugar. Let stand. Mix remaining dry ingredients, add wet ingredients then apple mixture. Pour into greased, floured pan. Bake @ 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Is the zucchini starting to roll in? Too much in your garden? Are your neighbors a little too willing to share their harvest? This is the best zucchini recipe--the moistest chocolate cake I've ever had.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup baking cocoa
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups grated zucchini
2 Tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup water

Mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients. Pour into greased & floured 9x13 pan. Bake @ 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Top with your favorite chocolate frosting (or not).

Garlic Chicken Farfalle

I got this from Becky Higgins website. It is sooo good. I make half the recipe and it is enough for our family (me, husband, and 3 boys ages 6, 4, and almost 2 with a little leftover. One of my sons thinks it has too much pepper, so you can decrease the pepper if you're worried about it. I use evaporated milk instead of whipping cream to cut down on some of the calories.

GARLIC CHICKEN FARFALLE

16 oz. Farfalle pasta
1 c. heavy whipping cream (or evaporated milk)
3-4 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
2 to 3 cloves garlic, crushed OR garlic salt
1 Tbsp. pepper*
1/2 c. butter
1 lb. bacon, crumpled**
1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
1 (12 oz) Lawry’s mesquite marinade with lime juice

*Seems like a lot of pepper, but it has a wonderful flavor when everything mixes together. If you're apprehensive, do less pepper. You can always add more.


[ directions ]

Crock pot chicken and bottle of marinade on low for 6 hours. Pull marinated chicken out of the juices, allow to cool a little bit, and shred (I pull it apart). Set this aside. About a half-hour before serving, boil the pasta. In a small saucepan, melt butter, add garlic, whipping cream, pepper, parmesan cheese, and crumpled bacon. Whisk together on low heat for 3-4 minutes. In a large bowl, pour over cooked, drained pasta, add chicken and stir through. Sprinkle a little bit more shredded parmesan cheese on top.

Hot Fudge Spoon Cake

yum! Another recipe from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cook Book.

cake:
3/4 c. flour
1/4 c. sweet ground chocolate(or cocoa powder, but if it is unsweetened increase the sugar to 2/3 cup)
1/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

topping:
1/4 c. sweet cocoa powder
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 c boiling water

1. Coat the cooker with butter or butter-flavor nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a bowl whisk together the dry ingredients for the cake. Make a depression in the center and add milk, butter and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Pour into your ROUND crockpot(cakes tend to burn in oval ones) and spread evenly.

3. In same bowl, or another, depending on how many dishes you like to wash, combine the dry ingredients for the topping. Add the boiling water and whisk until smooth. Gently pour over batter in the cooker. DO NOT STIR! Put the lid on and cook on high for 2 - 2.25 hrs. Basically until the cake is puffed and set.

4. Enjoy with ice cream or by itself.

Ideas: I like to put vanilla in the topping, it tastes yummy too. I'm sure some other additions would work well as well in either one.