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.

Rat Patootie

I can't spell it, it is French, I won't try. I've been craving something like this, and didn't realize it until we started watching the Pixar movie, because SOMEONE kept asking to see mice. This recipe seemed a bit small for a family size, but good enough for a mommy and a toddler. Here goes.

1 medium-largish zucchini sliced
1 small eggplant (I used 2 thin chinese eggplants, you be the judge on how much you like eggplant) sliced
1/2 onion, diced
1-2 cloves garlic
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes.
1 cube chicken bullion

1. Fry up the onion and garlic with a lot of olive oil until the onion is semi-transparent
2. Add in eggplant and zucchini, cook until somewhat transparent or at least changing color.
3. Add the can of tomatoes and bullion cube, once the cube is dissolved cover the pan and let the veggies simmer until the zucchini and eggplant are clear(you know what I mean...please say you do!).

Serve up. I added parmesan and pepper, but I hear fresh basil or oregano tastes good too. My 2 year old loved it, so next time you are watching a Pixar movie about rats, try this dish out, and see if you can all feel the ambiance.

Seafood Chowder

This is another recipe from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Parties. I was trying to decide what to make one night and I remembered my friend Carrie had brought me over some of this delicious chowder. I thought I might have all the ingredients in my fridge or freezer..and I nearly did. It turned out delicious...the girls love seafood and soup...so this was a hit.

Seafood Chowder (makes 3 quarts)

1 pound large shrimp (32-36 per pound), peeled and deveined (save shells for stock) [so I thought I had raw shrimp from trader joe's... turns out they were cooked - but the shells worked just fine. The shrimp was less tender than I would have preferred...but it worked given I didn't want to run out and go shop]
1/2 pound scallops [I had this in the freezer also from trader joe's - very tender]
1/2 pound monkfish [I had tilapia in the freezer from Costco...so I used it it worked fine - although monkfish is also delish]
1/2 pound fresh lump crabmeat, picked over to remove shells [this was the one of the ingredients I didn't have on hand]
1/4 pound unsalted butter
1 cup peeled and medium-diced carrots (4 carrots)
1/2 cup medium-diced onion (1 onion)
1 cup medium-diced celery (3 stalks)
1 cup medium-diced small white or red potatoes
1/2 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 recipe Seafood Stock (recipe follows)
1 1/2 Tbs heavy cream (optional) [I used milk - didn't have cream]
2 Tbs minced parsley [didn't have this either - not even the dried seasoning]
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cut the shrimp, scallops, and monkfish into bite-sized pieces and place them in a bowl with the crabmeat.

In a heavy-bottomed pot, melt the butter; add the carrots, onions, celery, potatoes, and corn and saute over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are barely cooked, stirring occasionally. Add the flour; reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes. Add the Seafood Stock and bring to a boil. Add the seafood; reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 7-10 minutes, until the fish is just cooked. Add the heavy cream, if desired, and the parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve.


Seafood Stock (makes about 1 quart)

2 Tbs good olive oil
Shells from 1 pound large shrimp
2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
2 carrots, unpeeled and chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup good white wine
1/3 cup tomato paste
1 Tbs kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
10 sprigs fresh thyme, including stems [I didn't have this when I made it]

Warm the oil in a stockpot over med heat. Add the shrimp shells, onions, carrots, and celery and saute for 15 min, or until lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook 2 more min. Add 1 1/2 quarts of water, the white wine, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour. Strain through a sieve, ssing the solids, You should have approx. 1 quart of stock.You can make up the difference with water or wine if you need to.

Pasta, Pesto, and Peas

Yesterday my parents dropped by on their way home to the Bay Area from Utah. I had lunch ready for them...and oh yeah... the grand babies too. ;-)

I love Ina Garten. Her recipes are easy and always delicious. These are from her Barefoot Contessa Parties cook book.

That morning before we left for violin I rolled out my mom's crescent butter rolls and left them to rise in time for lunch. Then when we arrived home from violin I started working on the fresh pesto and then a fresh fruit salad [strawberries, boysenberries, pineapple and blueberries - layered) and the Pasta, Pesto and Peas salad.

Pasta, Pesto and Peas (serves 12)

3/4 pound fusilli pasta
3/4 pound bow-tie pasta
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 1/2 cups homemade pesto
1 10oz package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
3 Tbl freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/4 cup good mayonnaise
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups frozen peas, defrosted
1/3 cup pignolis (pine nuts), toasted (optional)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cook the fusilli and bow ties separately in a large pot of boiling salted water for 10-12 minutes, until each pasta is al dente. [I cooked them together] Drain and toss into a bowl with olive oil. Cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, puree the pesto, spinach, and lemon jucie. Add the mayonnaise and continue to puree.

Add the pesto mixture to the cooled pasta, then add the parmesan cheese, peas, pignolis, salt, and pepper. [I added chopped ham and I didn't add add'l salt - didn't need it] Mix well, season to taste, and serve at room temperature.


Pesto (makes 4 cups)

1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup pignolis (pine nuts)
3 Tbl diced garlic (9cloves)
5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups good olive oil
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Place the walnuts, pignolis, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 30 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is finely pureed. Add the parmesan and puree for a minute. Serve, or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.

Hootenanny

This is a perfect recipe for Mother's Day brunch.
It's so easy, you can hand it off to your hubby and kids to make while you relax!

4 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cups flour, unsifted
1/3 cups sugar
3 eggs
1/4 tsp salt

Topping
2-3 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
sour cream
brown sugar

4 twelve fluid ounce crocks*

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place 1 Tbsp of butter in each crock and put in oven until the butter melts and bubbles. Be careful not to burn the butter.

While the butter is melting, mix the milk, flour, sugar, eggs and salt on medium speed in the blender until smooth. Remove crocks from the oven and pour 2/3 cup of mixture into each crock and return to oven.

Adjust the heat to 450 degrees and bake for 20 minutes. Then, lower the heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 10 minutes.

While the hootenanny bakes, prepare the strawberries.

When done, the hootenanny will be puffed and browned. As it cools it will fall. Top with strawberries, sprinkle with brown sugar and add a dollop of sour cream. Yum!

* You can also make this in a 10 inch pie dish