Inside Whitney's Kitchen

2009-06-23T22:34:00.001-07:00

I am switching my stuff over to my new blog. Check it out:

Lion House Rolls

2009-06-18T09:07:00.001-07:00

2 tablespoons Yeast
2 cups Warm Water
1/3 cup Sugar
1/3 cup Shortening
2 teaspoons Salt
2/3 cups Dry Milk Powder
1 Egg
5 1/2 cups Bread Flour
Softened Butter

1. In your mixer or large bowl, mix together your water and yeast. Let it proof for 5 minutes and then add in your salt, sugar, dry milk powder, shortening, egg, and 2 cups of the flour. Knead together until smooth.
2. Gradually add in the remaining flour until soft dough is formed.
3. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Place the ball of dough into a greased bowl and then flip the dough over. Cover the bowl and let it rise until doubled in bulk. Punch down and divide into thirds. (At this point I like to keep 1/3 of the dough out and freeze the other 2 into seperate bags for later use...I just don't need very many rolls for my small family)
4. Roll out 1/3 of the dough into a circle and spread your softened butter. Cut the dough into 12 equals pie shaped pieces like so:5. Starting with the wide part of each piece roll it up into a crescent.
6. Place them all on a greased baking sheet with the point of the roll on the bottom.
(If you chose not to freeze the rest of your dough then follow steps 4-6 with the remaining dough)
7. Cover your rolls and let them rise again until doubled in size.
8. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes.

9. Rub some butter over the top of the rolls when they come out of the oven and then serve.

Yields: 3 dozen rolls

**You can even sprinkle some garlic powder onto the buttered dough before you roll them up. It makes a nice garlic roll for your pasta dishes.

London Broil

2009-06-17T18:24:00.001-07:00

London Broil
Butter
Dry Mustard
Salt
Pepper
Montreal Steak Seasoning
Worcestershire Sauce

1. Pull your meat and butter out of the fridge 2 hours before cooking so that it can get to room temperature. Tenderize the meat with the back of your butcher knife. (This kind of meat is a tough piece of meat, so you will for sure need to tenderize it!)
2. When you are ready to start cooking your meat, rub it with softened butter. Next, pour a LOT of dry mustard on it and also sprinkle with salt and pepper. Work it into the butter.
3. Preheat your oven to 375. Heat up a skillet on your stove to medium high.
4. Once the pan is hot, place your meat on it to sear it. When one side gets golden brown, then flip it.
5. Once both sides are browned, take it off your pan and put it on a greased cookie sheet. Poor some worcestershire sauce on it and also sprinkle a little bit of Montreal Steak seasoning on it.
6. Bake it in the oven for about 20 minutes.
7. Slice it into thin strips against the grain at an angle.

Taco Ring

2009-06-16T21:39:00.000-07:00

This is another great recipe from Allen's family!
Serves: 2-4

1 tube Crescent Rolls

1/2 lb Ground Beef

1/2 packet Taco Seasoning

1/3 cup water

1/2 cup cheese

Toppings of your choice

1. Preheat your oven to 375.

2. In a skillet, brown your beef. After the beef is browned, add in your taco seasoning and you water. Mix together well and then bring to a boil. After it comes to a boil, reduce it to a simmer (uncovered) for about 10 minutes.

3. While your beef is simmering, open the tube of cresent rolls and lay the pieces in a cirlce on your pizza stone or cookie pan. Make it look like this:

If you are making a double batch then make your outer circle larger and instead of having 1 piece in the center, have 3 in a circle.

4. Once your beef finishes simmering, add in the cheese and stir around until fully melted.

5. Use your ice cream scooper and scoop out some beef and put it on each piece (on the wide section of the crescent roll). After you do that roll up the skinny side up around the beef like so:

6. After you do this for every section stick it in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes. When it comes out of the oven it should look something like this:7. To serve it cut off a couple sections and put it on your plate. Dress it with whatever topping you like. (eg. cheese, hot sauce, lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, ranch...)

Mexican Rice

2009-06-16T09:06:00.000-07:00

Ingredients needed to make this recipe:

1 tablespoon of oil
1 cup of Long grain rice
Chopped Onions (may use dehydrated if you want)
8 oz can of Tomato Sauce
Water
1 "heaping" tablespoon of Knorr Suiza Chicken Flavor Buillon

1. In a 2-cup measuring cup pour your 8 oz can of tomato sauce. Fill the rest of the measuring cup full of water. Pour in your "heaping" tablespoon of the knorr seasoning. (When I say heaping, I sure mean heaping)
Mix the seasoning in your liquid mixture and then pour it all into a pot. Bring this to a boil.
2. While you are waiting for your liquids to boil, get out a pan and heat up your oil. Pour in your rice and start to brown the rice. Before the rice is browned, add your onion and cook until clear. (If you are using dehydrated onions, make sure they are hydrated by this point) Once the rice is browned, pour it into the pot with the liquids.
3. Let it boil for just a minute and then stir. Cover the pot and reduce to a simmer for 20-30 minutes. Then stir.
**If your rice is still not as soft for your liking, just add a little bit more water to the pot and cover it back up and let it simmer for a little bit longer.

FONDUE!

2009-06-15T10:28:00.001-07:00

Here is a great meal idea:

!!!FONDUE!!!

I love when we fondue because:
1) You don't have to do much preparation.
2) You don't really have to cook.
3) It's so much fun

When we fondue I use some beef. I will tenderize my beef with the back of a butcher knife, and let it marinate in some seasonings for 24 hours in the fridge. Then give everyone a little plate of uncooked meat so they can cook it themselves:

I will make some some baked potatoes and some mini loaves of bread and a vegetable. I also like to eat on our china, because it is a nice meal and is different. So change it up a little bit. Fondueing is so great because everyone can sit around the table and eat while they cook their own meat and you all get to chat. I fondue my meat in Canola Oil, but you could use whatever. Try using beef, chicken, shrimp...whatever you like! You can even fondue dessert! So much fun!

**I got my fondue pot at Bed Bath & Beyond for $19. Great deal!

Mini Loaves

2009-06-15T10:10:00.001-07:00

Instead of making rolls for dinner, make some mini loaves of bread. How fun would that be for everyone to have their own little loaf of bread? Let me tell you...it's WAY fun. Now you don't want to eat it like a roll...you eat it like bread would be...in slices. So give everyone their own loaf and as they want some, they slice off a piece of bread and put on butter and jam. SO FUN!

(Just like my other bread recipes, you'll need a small and large scale to weigh your ingredients)

24 ounces Warm Water
1 ounce Yeast
40 ounces Bread Flour
1 ounce Salt
1 1/2 ounces Sugar
2 ounces Non Fat Milk Powder
1 1/2 ounces Shortening

1. Dissolve Yeast in water. Then add your Salt, Sugar, Non Fat Milk Powder, and Shortening. (When I make bread I personally like to use Kosher salt because it adds an extra kick. Try it out)
2. Slowly add in the Bread Flour. Knead until fully incorporated.
3. Spray a bowl with cooking spray and set your dough inside and then flip it. This gives it a nice coating on top so that it will keep your dough moist and not get a crusty coating while rising.
4. Cover your bowl and let the dough rise for an hour.
5. After it is finished rising, pull off a section of your dough and roll it out. Roll it up (like you would cinnamon rolls) and put it into your sprayed bread pan. Do this for every loaf. Make sure not to fill the pan to the top with your dough because it needs room to rise and then will rise more in the oven. If you have extra dough let over you can put it in a bag and throw it in the freezer for next time.
6. Once you filled every spot in your loaf pan, cover it up and let it rise for another 30 minutes or so.
7. Bake them at 350 for about 15 minutes or until done.
8. While still hot, rub the top of the loaves with butter. This will not only add a nice butter flavor, but also keep the top of the bread nice and soft and not be crusty.

**My mini loaf pan is a Wilton brand that I bought at Bed Bath & Beyond.

HOW FUN IS THAT!

Bowtie Alfredo Chicken

2009-06-13T22:32:00.000-07:00

This recipe is one from Allen's family. It is for sure one of my favorite recipes! Ingredients needed to make this recipe:
1/2 cube Butter
Flour
16 oz Heavy Whipping Cream
Shredded Parmesan Cheese
2 tsp Salt
Pepper
2 Chicken Breasts
Italian Seasonings
Oil
1 lb Bowtie Noodles

1. Start by putting your chicken in a bag. Pour some oil into the bag with a LOT of Italian seasonings. Move everything around inside the bag to get the chicken fully coated.
2. Cook your chicken. I like to BBQ it but you can use and oven or stove if you need to. Chop up chicken into small squares.
3. Boil your water for your noodles. Put a little bit of oil into the water to help the noodles from sticking. Once your water comes to a boil, pour in your noodles. Let it boil for 12-15 minutes and then drain the water.
4. Get out a large sauce pan or medium size pot. Start making your rue. To make a rue you melt your butter and add flour to thicken it. I normally use about 4 tablespoons of flour per 1/2 cube of butter. Your rue is important because this is your thickening agent for your Alfredo sauce. If you do not do this step then your sauce will not thicken up.
5. Add in your whipping cream and make sure to continually keep stirring. The Alfredo sauce will burn if you don't stir continually. Keep stirring until the sauce thickens.
6. Add in about a 1/3 of the 6 oz container of shredded Parmesan cheese. **At this point if your sauce is a little too thick, then just add a little bit of milk.
7. Add a little bit of pepper and then add your salt. The key to good Alfredo sauce is a LOT of salt. Try a little bit of the sauce and add more salt if needed.
8. Pour the noodles, chicken, and sauce into a bowl and stir well. Serve on separate plates and add some garlic bread for a side. YUMMILICIOUS!

Sesame Ginger Chicken

2009-06-10T19:10:00.000-07:00

This is another GREAT meal idea. It is quick, easy, yummy, and takes NO work!

Remember those Lawry's marinades I talked about in the previous post? Well they have a sesame ginger one that is by far a favorite. Marinate some chicken in a bag with it for 30 minutes. Throw it on the grill and keep brushing some more sauce on the chicken. Simple, quick, and easy. You can even throw some white rice in the rice cooker. The sauce is great over rice as well! Try it out. You will love it!

Lemon Pepper Chicken

2009-06-05T00:25:00.000-07:00

This is not a recipe...just a quick easy meal idea! I don't know if you have ever tried these AMAZING marinades at the store:

They are absolutely AMAZING. There are so many different flavor marinades in the Lawry's brand and they are all so good. When I don't know what to make, or am just a little lazy and still want a nice meal, I will just marinate some chicken and throw it on the grill.

Tonight I cut up some chicken breasts into strips and marinated them for 30 minutes or so. I just put the chicken and some of the Lemon Pepper marinade in a bag, and I poured in some Lemon Pepper seasoning as well. (I also added a little bit of Lemon Juice in the marinade...but Allen thought it was a little too strong! I on the other hand LOVED it!) Then I just threw the strips on the grill and brushed them with the marinade again towards the end. I put a box of Betty Crocker Scalloped potatoes in the oven and we had a nice meal, with hardly any time or preparation put into it!

Jello Poke Cake

2009-06-01T09:34:00.001-07:00

1 box of White cake
1 box of Jello (I prefer Strawberry)
Cool Whip

1. Make your cake mix and put into a greased 9x13 dish. Bake as directed. Hint: If you bake your cake at a lower temperature like 325 for longer than it says your cake will be more moist.
2. Let cake cool a couple hours.
3. Follow the directions on the Jello box but do not put it in the fridge to harden.
4. Take a fork and poke the cake with it all over. Make sure to poke it a ton! Pour your jello all over the top of the cake.
5. Put the cake in the fridge for a few hours. Right before you are ready to serve the cake, cover the top with cool whip. **Do not use frosting because you want it to be light tasting like the cool whip is

This cake is so refreshing and SOOO yummy. It also looks way cool. Try it out. You will love it!

Mashed Potato Chicken Bowl

2009-05-29T17:28:00.000-07:00

Mashed Potatoes
Chicken Gravy
Corn
Popcorn Chicken
Cheese

1. Make your mashed potatoes and gravy. Bake your popcorn chicken,
2. Build it with as much or as little as you want. Potatoes on the bottom, then the gravy, the corn, and top it off with the chicken and cheese. It's that simple. Enjoy!

Tator Tot Casserole

2009-05-28T19:29:00.000-07:00

1 Bag of Tator Tots
1 Cup of Corn
2 Chicken Breasts
1 1/2 Cups of Cheese
2 Cans of Cream of Chicken Soup
Milk
Salt&Pepper

1. Dice your chicken and cook fully. Season to taste.
2. In a large bowl mix together your tator tots, corn, diced chicken, cheese, and soup. Add a little bit of milk (not much) and salt and pepper. Mix well and pour into a greased pan.
3. Bake at 350 for about an hour.
(It may not look very yummy in the pictures, but I assure you it is!)

Smoothies!!!

2009-05-26T09:54:00.000-07:00

Ok so my mom got me really into these smoothies that you can buy at Costco in the frozen section. They have little yogurt balls in them and Allen and I really like them. Well recently I was shopping at Target and in their frozen section by the frozen berries I found these:

Well Allen and I tried the Strawberry Banana one the other day and OH MY HECK...they are AMAZING! We love the consistency of these ones and the taste is soooo yummy. It is like having a Jamba Juice in your own home...but for much cheaper! The Strawberry Banana one was like the Strawberries Wild at Jamba...which is my personal favorite. Well at Target they have 4 different flavors of the smoothies. It is 2.99 for a bag and a bag makes 4 8oz servings. Try it out! You just add the frozen berries, the powder inside, and juice or water. I added a strawberry capri sun in mine for the liquid....YUMMY!!!!

Cream Potatoes

2009-05-20T16:57:00.001-07:00

5 lbs bag of Potatoes
2 Cups Sour Cream
1 1/2 Packets of Cream of Chicken Soup Mix
2 Tablespoons Butter
Cheese

1. Peel and cut potatoes and stick them in boiling water. Let them boil in the water until the are really soft. Drain out the water.
2. Beat the potatoes with either a hand mixer or a kitchen aid...whatever you have!
3. Once the potatoes are beaten well then add in the sour cream and butter.
4. The pour in your cream of chicken soup mix and season the potatoes to taste. I like to use seasoning salt, garlic, salt, and pepper.
5. Spray a baking dish and pour potatoes into the dish. Top them off with some cheese.
6. Bake the potatoes in the oven at 300 for about 30 minutes.

The potatoes sure are fattening but so very yummy. Everyone who tries them thinks they are amazing. I have never met anyone who does not LOVE them...so for sure try out this recipe! For those of you who don't know what the Cream of Chicken Soup mix is, it looks like this:Nobody ever knows about this stuff. This is what adds such a great flavor to these potatoes...you cannot skip this ingredient. WalMart does not carry this item, so don't bother looking there. I know Albertson's does and you can find it in the soup isle by the boxes of Lipton Onion Soup!

These potatoes will make a HUGE batch...so if you are not feeding a family, you'll want to half this!

Calzones

2009-05-18T17:15:00.000-07:00

My friend Chelsea gave me this recipe and it sure is a keeper!

(I lost the picture I took on my camera of our calzones, so I just found a random picture of calzones on the internet. They dont look as good as the ones I made, thats for sure!)

1 pkg active dry yeast (1 package=2 1/4 tsp)
1 Cup warm water
1 Tablespoon oil
1 Teaspoon salt
1 Teaspoon sugar
2 1/2 Cups flour

1. Mix Yeast with water. Let it sit for a few minutes. Add the Sugar, Salt, and Oil. Slowly add the flour a little bit at a time. Knead well.
2. Spray a bowl with cooking spray and stick the dough inside the bowl and then turn the dough over. Cover with a towel and let it rise for an hour.
3. Take half the dough and roll it on a flat surface. Fill it with toppings of your choice on half of the rolled out dough. Flip the other side of your dough over the toppings and seal the edges by a fork.
4. Repeat step 3 with your other portion of dough.
5. Brush the tops of your calzones with butter. Cut a few slices into the top of your calzone to help your toppings heat in the oven.
6. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes or until dough is cooked and the tops are golden.

You can fill your calzones with whatever you want. I like to put Pizza sauce, Pepperoni, Canadian Bacon, Sausage, and Mozerella cheese. You could make BBQ chicken ones, or whatever kind you want. The possibilities are endless!

YIELDS: 2 calzones

Monkey Bread (Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread)

2009-03-29T13:33:00.001-07:00

12 oz Water
1/2 oz Yeast
1/2 oz Salt
3/4 oz Sugar
1 oz NonFat Milk Powder
3/4 oz Shortening
20 oz Bread Flour
Vanilla frosting
Cinnamon Sugar

1. Mix yeast in warm water. Add the salt, sugar, non fat millk powder, and the shortening. Mix all together. Slowly add in the flour and knead until dough is complete.
2. Let the dough rise until doubled in bulk (aprox 1 hour).
3. Spray your cooking dish (I like to use a bunt pan because it gives it a cool design)
4. Take a little piece of dough and roll it into a ball and roll it in a mix of cinnamon and sugar. Then put the ball of dough covered in cinnamon sugar in the pan. Continue doing this making small balls of dough and filling up the pan. You want to fill it about half way so you can give the bread room to rise.
5. Let the dough rise to be doubled in bulk (aprox 1 hour). If you are making the dough the night before and want to bake it in the morning, then skip this step and just stick it right in the fridge covered right after you finish step 4. Sticking it in the fridge will still let the dough rise, just a LOT slower...so when you wake up in the morning it will be fully risen and ready to bake.
6. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.
7. Frost it with vanilla frosting.

Honey Glazed Chicken Drumsticks

2009-03-24T18:40:00.000-07:00

5 Chicken Drumsticks
1/4 cup Honey
1/2 tsp. Minced Garlic
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
2 Tbl Vegetable Oil

1. Clean your drumsticks well under water. Remove the skin if desired.
2. Combine the Honey, Garlic, Soy Sauce, and Oil in a container and mix well.
3. Pour your sauce in a bag and put the chicken drumsticks inside. Leave a small portion of the sauce in the container to use later. Let the chicken marinate in the fridge for 2 hours.
4. Preheat your oven to 375 and put a layer of foil inside your baking dish.
5. Lay your drumsticks on the foil inside the dish and brush them with some of the sauce. Rotate the chicken every 15 minutes and brush it with more sauce. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until cooked fully.

Twiced Baked Potatoes

2009-03-24T18:33:00.000-07:00

6 medium Potatos
1 1/2 cups Sour Cream
2 tablespoons Butter
Cheese
Bacon Bits

1. Wash your potatoes and bake at 400 until soft (aprox an hour).
2. Take your potatoes out of the oven and cut them in half length wise.
3. Dig out the inside out of the skin.
4. Beat the potatoes and then add the sour cream and butter. Season to taste (I like to use seasoning salt, garlic salt, salt, and pepper).
5. Put your potatoes on a baking sheet and sprinkle cheese and bacon bits on top.
6. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

Depending on the size of potatoes you may need to add more sour cream...I just keep adding more until I get the taste I like!

Cinnamon Rolls

2009-03-24T15:05:00.001-07:00

Dough:

24 oz Water

1 oz Yeast

1 oz Salt

1 1/2 oz Sugar

2 oz Non Fat Milk Powder

40 oz Bread Flour

Toppings:

1 cup Butter

4 Tablespoons Cinnamon

Brown Sugar

Sugar

Vanilla Frosting

1. Mix yeast in warm water. Add the salt, sugar, non fat millk powder, and the shortening. Mix all together. Slowly add in the flour and knead until dough is complete.

2. Let the dough rise until doubled in bulk (aprox 1 hour).

3. Mix the butter and cinnamon together and beat it so it can get fluffy.

4. Roll out your dough and spread out your cinnamon butter spread you just made onto your dough.

5. Sprinkle sugar and brown sugar on top of the cinnamon butter spread.

6. Roll up your dough into a log and cut it at about 1 inch incriments.

7. Spray your cooking dish and place your rolls into it leaving some room for it to be able to rise.

8. Let them rise for about an hour.

9. Bake at 375 for about 15-20 minutes or until finished.

10. Let them cool down just a little bit and spread your frosting on top. ENJOY! :)

YIELDS: 3 dozen

Wheat Bread

2009-03-23T07:53:00.000-07:00

24 ounces Water

1 ounce Yeast

1 ounce Salt

1 1/2 ounces Sugar

2 ounces Non Fat Milk Powder

1 1/2 ounces Shortening

1 pound Bread Flour

1 pound, 8 ounces Wheat Flour

1. Dissolve yeast in water, and then add all the other ingredients except the flour. Mix at ow speed.

2. Sift and add the flour. Let it all continue to mix until all ingredients are fully combined.

3. Let the dough rise until doubled in bulk. (approx 1 hour)

4. Roll out the dough and roll it into loafs. Let it rise again. (approx 1 hour)

5. Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes.

IMPORTANT! This recipe is all done by WEIGHT, not MEASUREMENTS so you do have to have a small scale for the small ingredients and a large scale for the flour. This recipe makes 2 BIG loafs, so if you are like me then you might want to only do half a recipe so you only make 1 loaf!

Lil' Smokies in bacon

2009-03-12T11:21:00.000-07:00

1 bag of little smokies
Bacon
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Honey

1. Spray your casserole dish,
2. Cut your uncooked bacon in thirds and wrap a third around the little smokie and stick a toothpick in it to hold it together. Continue doing this until your casserole dish is full.
3. Mix your Brown Sugar and Honey together and spoon it all over the top of the bacon smokies.
4. Bake in the oven for an hour at 350.

These are so yummy and so dangerous because you wont want to stop eating them. SOOO GOOD!!!!

Hot dog on a stick

2008-11-14T11:23:00.001-08:00

2 cups flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup sugar
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 3/4 cups milk
2 egg yolks (slightly beaten)
8-10 hot dogs
vegetable oil (for frying)

1. Heat up oil to 300
2. Dry off hotdogs and put on a stick. (I also like to put a long skewer stick in as well so I have more to hold on to when frying)
3. Combine Flour, Cornmeal, Sugar, Salt, and Baking Soda in a bowl and mix.
4. Add the egg yolks and milk into the dry mixture and beat until smooth.
5. Dip the hotdog into the batter and let some of the batter drip off of the hotdog.
6. Put into oil and start spinning the hot dog quickly so that it keeps its shape. Fry until brown.

***I just love love love hot dog on a stick and this recipe is so close! The first dog I fried I messed up terribly. I learned that the batter comes off the dog in the oil so you have to spin it very quickly until the outside layer of batter is fried. Also, like I said, I added a long skewer stick into the hotdog as well as a stick because it gave me much more to hold onto.

Outback Steakhouse Honey Wheat Bread

2008-11-11T18:31:00.001-08:00

1 1/4 Cup Warm Water
2 tsp Sugar
2 1/4 tsp Yeast
2 Cups Bread Flour
1 3/4 Cups Wheat Flour
1 Tbs Coccoa
1 tsp Salt
2 Tbs Softened Butter
1/4 Cups Honey
2 Tbs Molasses
Cornmeal

1. Put warm water and yeast into a bowl and add the sugar. Let sit for a few minutes.
2. While the yeast mixture is sitting, put the flour, coccoa, and salt into another bowl and mix.
3. Mix butter into dry ingredients, add the honey and molasses and mix.
4. Slowly add the flour mixture to the yeast mixture until all mixed. Place in covered bowl and let rise until doubled in bulk (about an hour)
5. Separate the dough into 4-6 even portions. Roll each dough portion into logs that are about 6" long and 2" wide.
6. Moisten your hands then rub water onto each dough log and sprinkle some cornmeal onto them.
7. Sprinkle cornmeal onto your baking sheet or pizza stone and cover it loosely with plastic wrap. Let it rise for another hour or until doubled in size.
8. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until cooked fully

French Toast

2008-11-10T19:45:00.001-08:00

2 Eggs

1 Tablespoon Sugar

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1/2 Cup Milk

6 slices Bread

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and dip bread into milk mixture. Cook on hot griddle until golden brown.

**I just love love love this French Toast recipe. It is so tasty! I like a lot of cinnamon in mine, so I add more than it calls for. Enjoy!

Maple Syrup

2008-11-10T19:39:00.000-08:00

For those who have not made maple syrup and just buy it at the store, you must try this. My family always makes maple syrup when we make french toast, pancakes, etc. It tastes so much better and make your house smell AMAZING!

1 Cup Water

2 Cups Sugar

1/2 tsp Mapeline

1. Start by boiling your water

2. Add your sugar. Slowly add a little bit of sugar at a time, letting it disolve and come back to a boil.

3. Add in your Mapeline and let it simmer. (If you don't know what Mapeline is, you can find it with all the spices in the store. Its by all of the flavor extracts!)

*The bottle of Mapeline lasts forever, seriously! So you can enjoy freshly made maple syrup for breakfast for a LONG time! :)

Breakfast Casserole

2008-11-06T07:30:00.000-08:00

8 Slices of Bread, Buttered and cubed
1 Lb of cheese
3 C Milk
6 Eggs
3/4 tsp Lemon Pepper
3/4 tsp Salt
1 Pinch Crushed Red Pepper
Sprinkles of Tabasco
Cubed Ham and/or Cooked Sausage
Hash Browns

Alternate bread and cheese in buttered 9 X 13 Pan. Mix milk and egg mixture, tabasco, seasoning and pour over bread and cheese. Cover and let stand in refrigerator overnight. Add ham and sausage to bread and cheese alternations if desired and top with shredded hash browns. Bake uncovered for 1 Hour 350 degrees.

Rigatoni Sorrentino

2008-11-04T07:13:00.000-08:00

1 pound Rigatoni
coarse salt
4 Cups Marinara sauce
1/2 pound Fresh Ricotta Cheese
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 1/2 Cups Parmigiano-Reggiano chese , grated

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and return to a boil. Add rigatoni and cook until al dente, according to package directions. Drain; set aside.

2. Preheat broiler. In a large saucepan, bring marinara sauce to a boil over medium-high heat. Pour half the heated sauce into a large bowl; set aside. Add cooked rigatoni and ricotta to saucepan with remaining sauce; stir to combine. Bring to a simmer over low heat.

3. Pour pasta mixture into a baking dish and top with reserved sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Transfer baking dish to broiler and broil until cheese has melted, 3-5 minutes. Serve immediately.

This is what it looks like strait out of the oven. This meal is really good and so easy to make. I made it from start to finish in about 20 minutes. It's a great quick meal. I didn't feel like using Rigatoni noodles so I used a different kind of noodle instead! Enjoy!

Chicken Cordon Bleu

2008-11-02T16:34:00.000-08:00

So I have been looking for a good and easy Chicken Cordon Bleu recipe and now the quest is over. Thanks to my wonderful husband who found this recipe for me, we now have another recipe that we just LOVE and is to die for. You must try it out!

3-6 Chicken Breasts
3-6 slices of Ham
3-6 slices of Swiss or Mozzarella cheese
1 Large can of Cream of chicken soup
1/4 Cup Milk

1. This step is the hardest. You need to pound out the chicken breasts to be flat. (about 1/2 inch thickness) I just used my rolling pin and beat it over and over again with it.

2. Lay the ham on top of the chicken to cover it completely. You will need 1-2 slices of deli ham to cover it depending on the size of the slice. (My husband and I used smoked ham and boy did the smoked ham add such a wonderful flavor that honey ham wouldn't have but just use whatever you have on hand) Lay down the cheese on top of the ham. You are then going to roll up the chicken with the ham and cheese inside and put a few tooth picks in it keep it from unrolling.

3. Place the chicken into the bottom of a crock pot all in one layer with the tooth picks upwards. Pour your seasonings over your chicken (such as seasoning salt, garlic, salt, and pepper)

4. In a bowl mix the cream of chicken soup with the milk and then pour over the chicken inside the crock pot.

5. Cook on low for 4 hours inside the crock pot. Add salt and pepper to sauce as desired. Serve with rice or noodles on the side. You will have tons of sauce left over to pour over the chicken and your side dishes!

ENJOY!!! OH YUMMY!!!!

Slowly Baked Fried Chicken

2008-10-05T16:59:00.001-07:00

Chicken Breasts
Flour
Eggs
Oil

1. Heat up oil in a skillet on medium-high. Preheat oven to 275. Grease your casserole dish.

2. On a plate put down a lot of flour. When I make this, I make 3 chicken breasts (because Allen will down 2 in no time flat) and with 3 chicken breasts I probably put down a cup and a half of flour on a plate. To season your chicken you are going to season it on this step. Pour TONS of your seasonings on your plate of flour. I like to season mine with Lawry's (seasoning salt), Garlic, and Pepper. Make sure to pour a ton of seasonings...be VERY VERY generous.

3. Crack open a couple eggs in a bowl and beat them. With my 3 chicken breasts I use 2 eggs. Dip your chicken breast into the egg and cover it on both sides. Take the chicken out of the egg and put it on the plate of flour. I use a spoon and spoon on tons of flour on the top of the chicken. Turn it over and do the same to the other side. Dip it in the egg again and repeat the same step in the flour again.
***When my family does their chicken we don't dip it in the egg first because the chicken is wet enough for the flour to stick. Allen likes it double dipped in with the egg because it makes the outside fried part thicker. So do whatever you prefer!

4. Take the chicken from the flour and set it in the hot oil. Once it gets golden brown on one side which just takes a minute, turn it to the other side to brown. Watch your chicken carefully so that you don't burn your chicken in the oil. Transfer your chicken into your greased dish. Put your chicken in the oven at 275 and cook for 2 hours.
***Cooking it on a low temperature for 2 hours will cook it slowly and help your chicken to not dry out.

You will love this recipe. I love it because the chicken does NOT taste oily and fatty like most fried chicken does. It only sits in the oil for a minute and then into the oven. Yummy...

Hot Chocolate Mix

2008-10-05T11:42:00.000-07:00

7 1/2 Cups Non Fat Milk Powder
4 Cups Nestles Quick
3 Cups Cremora
1 Pound Powdered Sugar

I have been waiting to post this recipe until the right time, but since it has been cold and rainy outside lately, I decided this was the perfect time!

I always loved when my mom would make this. It makes SO much hot chocolate mix so you might want to do a half batch. She would always put the ingredients in a big bowl and I would love watching her mix it around and put it in our hot chocolate mix tin. WE ALWAYS HAVE THIS MIX AT MY HOUSE! Being from Seattle, you make a lot of hot chocolate. So enjoy!

Chicken Enchiladas

2008-09-28T17:03:00.000-07:00

2 Chicken Breasts
TONS of Grated Cheese
1 19oz Can of Old El Paso Enchilada Sauce
1 14oz Can of Chicken Broth
2 Tablespoons Butter
2-3 Tablespoons of Flour
Small Corn Tortillas

Yieds: 7-10 enchiladas

1. Boil your chicken in water until fully cooked. I always find that it takes about 30 minutes depending on the size of the breasts. Shred up the chicken with a fork and set aside.

2. To make your sauce, start by melting 2 tablespoons of butter (1/4 cube) in a large pan and then add in flour into the melted butter. Add the flour a little bit at a time stirring constantly until it all comes together and is really thick. Pour in your chicken broth and keep beating it really hard with a fork or whisk until it all thickens (if there is any chunks, keep beating it until they go away). Stir in your can of enchilada sauce (I like the mild kind). Bring the sauce to a boil and then turn down the temperature till it cools enough to handle.

3. While your sauce is cooling down, put your shredded chicken into a pan along with a little bit of the enchilada sauce. Mix it all around and season your chicken with seasoning salt, garlic, and pepper. I like to add the sauce into my chicken to give more flavor to the chicken.

4. Spray your casserole dish and pour a little bit of sauce on the bottom. Preheat the oven to 350.

5. Take a tortilla and let it soak in the pot with the sauce for just a moment to soften the tortilla. Take it out of the sauce and put it in your casserole dish. Put a little bit of the chicken in a line in the center of the tortilla and then lots of cheese. Wrap it up! Continue this step until you run out of chicken or sauce. Pour a little bit of the remaining sauce on the top of the enchiladas and sprinkle a little bit more cheese. Cover with foil and stick it in the oven for about 20-30 minutes.

Oh how I love these. They are so yummy! I always serve then with my mexican rice and some beans. You can find the rice recipe in the rice section. Delicious!

Buttered Rolls

2008-08-22T09:39:00.000-07:00

I LOVE my mom's rolls. They are my favorite ever. You do need to have a food scale to make these. Here ya go...

20 Ounces Warm Water
1 Ounce Yeast
44 Ounces Bread Flour
1 Ounce Salt
4 Ounces Sugar
2 Ounces Non Fat Milk Powder
2 Ounces Shortening
2 Ounces Butter
4 Ounces Eggs

1. Combine water and Yeast and mix.
2. Add remaining ingredients leaving flour to the end. Mix until all ingredients are dissolved and add the flour.
3. Knead until well mixed into ball mixture.
4. Let rise until double in bulk (about and hour) and then make into rolls.
5. Let the rolls rise approx 1 hour.
6. Cook at 375 for 10 to 12 minutes.
7. Butter the top of the rolls when they come out of the oven.

***My mom taught me a trick, when you use kosher salt instead of regular salt it gives it more of a kick. Whenever I make bread I use kosher salt now, it works a lot better!

Mozzarella Sticks

2008-08-21T14:47:00.001-07:00

1 Pound Mozzarella
3 Eggs
1 Cup Seasoned Bread Crumbs
Light Vegetable Oil

1. Cut cheese into 2 inch long, 1/2 inch wide sticks.
2. Dip cheese into beaten eggs and then into bread crumbs two times.
3. Freeze for about 15-20 minutes and then fry into oil until golden brown (about 2 minutes on each side).

Peanut Butter Squares

2008-08-21T14:33:00.000-07:00

If I were to give you ONE recipe that was my FAVORITE snack to eat growing up it was this! Whenever my mom made it, it sure was a treat. Everyone LOVES these...except for Allen because he doesn't like peanut butter! HAHAHA!

1 Cup Peanut Butter
1 Cup Non-fat Milk Powder
1 Cup Honey
1/2 Cup Wheat Germ
1 Teaspoon Vanilla

1. Mix all ingredients together and put into a greased pan. (You would need to make a double batch to fit in a normal size brownie dish).
2. Put in the fridge.
3. After about an hour or two you can cut them up into squares or bite size pieces to eat.

Pizza Dough

2008-08-21T14:13:00.000-07:00

1 Tablespoon Yeast
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 Cup Warm Water
1 Cup Flour
1/2 Tablespoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Oil

1. Mix warm water, yeast, and salt.
2. Add sugar, oil, and flour. Mix well.
3. Knead until all flour is mixed. Let the dough rise in a covered bowl for appox 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.
3. Pinch off a small amount and roll it out onto a floured surface into desired size.
4. Place onto sprayed pizza pan or stone. Add desired topping to make your delicious pizza.
5. Bake at 3500 for 20 to 25 minutes or until sides of dough are golden brown. Slice and serve!

Strawberries and Cream Crepes

2008-08-20T18:49:00.000-07:00

This is a recipe from my Aunt Shirley that is so delicious. I love it so much. Start out by slicing your strawberries. Put the strawberries into a bowl and sprinkle sugar over them. Mix them well with a spoon and set in the fridge. Every so often take them out of the fridge and sprinkle more sugar on them. As the strawberries absorb the sugar, they start creating some yummy juices. As they sit in the fridge you can start on the two mixtures to make.

Crepes:
3 Eggs
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 cup of Flour
2 cups of Milk
1 tablespoons Sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla
2 tablespoons of Melted Butter

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl except for the flour.
2. After you mix everything really well with a mixer, slowly add the flour.
3. Once everything is mixed well, set it aside to rest for about an hour. (Setting the mixture aside for awhile lets everything settle and calm down leaving you with smooth crepes when cooked).

Cream Filling:
8 ounces of Cream Cheese
14 ounces of Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/3 cup of Lemon Juice
1 teaspoon of Vanilla
3 cups of Cool Whip

1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Beat the mixture real good with a mixer so it becomes fluffy.
3. Set aside.

Follow the directions on your crepe maker to make some delicious looking crepes. Let them cool off to room temperature. After they are cooled, fill the center of a crepe with your cream filling. Wrap the crepe around the filling and top it off with you juicy sliced strawberries. If you desire, put a little bit of whipping cream on the top of your strawberries. Yummy, this dessert is so good! Enjoy...

Santa Rosa Chicken Salad

2008-07-07T13:40:00.000-07:00

This is another perfect recipe for the season!

1 Box Long Grain and Wild Rice Mix, cooked with seasonings
Juice of 1 lemon
3 Chicken Breast halves, chopped and diced
4 Green Onions, chopped
1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
3 Ounces Chinese Peapods, ends removed
2 Medium Avocados
1 Cup chopped Pecans

Dressing:
2 Cloves Minced Garlic
1 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Sugar
1/4 Teaspoon Pepper
1/3 Cup Seasoned Rice Wine Vinegar
1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil

Combine dressing ingredients in blender (mini-prep, etc.). Cover and refrigerate. Mix all salad ingredients except avocados and nuts. Combine with dressing and refrigerate 2-4 hours, or overnights is best! Before serving, add avocados and nuts and garnish with lettuce leaves. To serve in a large dish, line the dish with leafy green leaves and place the rice mixture in the middle. To serve individual plates, arrange leaves on a plate and place some of the rice mixture on top.

This meal is so refreshing. Very yummy for the summer!

Baked Bean Casserole

2008-07-07T13:32:00.000-07:00

Oh everyone has to try this. This is the perfect season and time of the year for this dish. It's great for BBQ's...you will all love it I promise.

2 Large cans Pork and Beans
1/2 Pound Bacon
1 Large Onion
1 Green Pepper
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cup Ketchup
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

Combine all ingredients and place in 9x13 pan. Cook for 2 hours covered and 1 hour uncovered.

Teriyaki Sauce

2008-07-07T09:38:00.000-07:00

Everyone has been asking for my mom's delicous Teriyaki Sauce Recipe so here it is. It actually originally came from my Aunt Shirley.

1/2 Cup Soy Sauce
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Oil
1/4 Teaspoon Pepper
2 Cloves Garlic or 1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 Tablespoon Fresh Ginger or 1 Teaspoon Ground Ginger

Mix all ingredients together and marinade with chicken or desired Meat. Cook and Enjoy.

Navajo Tacos

2008-07-04T10:32:00.001-07:00

Step #1:
1 1/2 Cups Milk
1/2 Cups Sugar
2 Teaspoons Salt
1/2 Cups Butter

2 Tablespoons Yeast
1/2 Cups Warm Water
2 Eggs
6 to 7 Cups Flour

Scald together Step #1 and add half flour to cooled Step #1 mixture. Mix yeast with water, add eggs and mix. Add remaining flour. Knead until smooth. Let rise to double bulk (approx 2 hours). When ready pinch of a bit of dough and roll flat. Deep fry until golden brown in hot oil. Garnish with anything of your choice. Example: Chili, Beans, Lettuce, Cheese, Sour Cream, Tomatoes, Hot Sauce....

I love this recipe. It is so yummy and the bread is like a delicious sweet bread. You can even make this dough and fry it into scones and put honey butter and cinnamon on it. Mmmmm....

Banana Bread

2008-07-04T10:18:00.000-07:00

2 Eggs
1 Cup Sugar
2 Cups Flour
3/4 Cups Margarine
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Salt
4 Bananas

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Smash bananas with a fork.
3. Mix all ingredients together
4. Pour mixture into 2 small greased bread pans
5. Cook for 30-45 minutes or until done.

This is my FAVORITE banana bread recipe. I got it from an old roommate Jena Hatch. It is very delicious. Enjoy! :)

Cafe Rio's Lime Rice

2008-07-03T10:07:00.001-07:00

Saute:
1 Yellow Onion (chopped)
4 Cloves minces garlic
2 Tablespoons Butter

Put in sauce pan along with the following:
6 2/3 Cups Water
8 Teaspoons Chicken Buillion
1/2 Bunch Cilantro (chopped)
2 Teaspoons Cumin
2 small Cans diced green chilies
1 Tablespoon Fresh Lime Juice
1/2 teaspoons pepper

Bring all to a boil and add 3 Cups uncooked Rice. Cook till done.

Fried Rice

2008-07-03T10:03:00.000-07:00

Cook 1 Cup Rice as directed and set aside.

In fry pan saute the following in small amount of butter or bacon drippings:
2 eggs (beaten)
1/2 Cup grated carrots
1/2 Cup Green Peppers (diced)
1/2 Cup Onions (grated)
**Eggs should be fully cooked & chopped into small pieces and vegetables should be tender

Add cooked rice--stir well.

Add small smount of sugar and 1-2 Tablespoons of Soy Sauce.

Stir well. Adjust sweetness to taste.

Green Rice Casserole

2008-07-03T09:58:00.000-07:00

3 Cups steamed rice (cooked as directed).
2 Pkg. frozen cut broccoli (cooked and drained)

Saute:
3/4 Cup Onions
3/4 Cup Celery
3 Tablespoons butter

1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 Can Milk
8 Ounces Cheese Whiz (any cheese spread)
Salt & Pepper

Mix Together. Put into baking dish. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Rice Pilaf

2008-07-03T09:51:00.000-07:00

1 Cup Water

add:
1 Chicken Bouillon Cube
1/4 teaspoon Thyme
1/8 teaspoon Salt
dash Pepper

Bring to boil and add 1/2 Cup rice. Cook till done.

Saute:
2 tablespoons onions chopped
1/2 Cup fresh mushroom slices
1/4 Cup Butter

Toss mixture into cooked rice and serve.

Swedish Hasselback Potatoes

2008-06-08T15:49:00.001-07:00

24 Small White potatoes
6 Tablespoons Butter or margarine, melted
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 Cup Dry Bread Crumbs
Paprika

1. Heat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease rectangular baking dish, 13x9x2 inches.

2. Cut potatoes crosswise into 1/8-inch slices, cutting only three-fourths of the way through to bottom. Place cut sides up in dish. Brush with butter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3. Bake uncovered 1 hour, brushing with butter once or twice. Mix cheese and bread crumbs; sprinkle over potatoes. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake 20 to 30 minutes longer or until tender.