Saturday, December 15, 2007

Sweet & Salty

I have not posted for such a long time, it has been crazy getting ready for Christmas and being sick with this baby, so...here is my attempt at redeeming myself....I made this for my neighbor gifts/treats.....so good, it is my Grandma's recipe

3 cups Cheerios
3 cups Shreddies (we only have those in Cananda...you can use I think they are bran chex....the dark brown ones)
3 cups Rice Chex
3 cups Corn Chex
2 cups Pretzels (I prefer the sticks, my grocery store was all out this time though)
3 cups Bugles
1 cup Salted Peanuts (I dont usually put these in, too many allergies)
2 cups margarine
2 2/3 cups white sugar
1 cup corn syrup
2 tsp vanilla (add after it is cooked)

Mix together Cheerios, Shreddies, Rice Chex, Corn Chex, pretzels, bugles and peanuts, set asige. In a sauce pan cook margarine, sugar and corn syrup. Cook to 200 F (or a little more than soft ball). Add vanilla and pour over cereal mixture. Spread out on buttered cookie sheets and leave until sets. Break apart and store in Ziploc bags.

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Chicken Pot Pie & Never Fail Pie Crust



Never Fail Pie Crust

4 c. flour
1 egg
1 3/4 c. shortening
1 T. sugar
1 t. salt
1 t. vinegar
1/2 c. water

Mix flour, salt, sugar, shortening, and egg well with a pastry blender. Add vinegar and water; still until all ingredients are combined. Chill for at least 1 hour. This will make 2 double crusts. (I divide my dough, wrap & freeze any unused dough to use at a later date. To use after frozen, just thaw...so nice to have around.) This is a flaky, delicous crust that can be used for any pie.

Chicken Pot Pie

2 pie crusts (one for the top, one for the bottom)--You can used refrigerated pie crusts, but I love making things from scratch. It's so much more homey, not very difficult, and it's super delicous.
1/3 c. margarine or butter
1/3 c. chopped onion
1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 1/2 c. chicken broth
2/3 c. milk
1 clove garlic, crushed or finely chopped
1 t. parsley
2 1/2 to 3 c. shredded cooked chicken
2 c. frozen mixed veggies, thawed

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Melt margarine in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook 2 minutes or until tender. Add flour, salt, and pepper; stir until well blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk. Add garlic & parsley, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened. Add chicken and mixed veggies; mix well. Remove from heat. Spoon chicken mixture into crust-lined pan. Top with second crust; seal edges and flute. Cut slits in several places in top crust. Bake at 425 for 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

The pie crust recipe is from my mom. A friend from Idaho gave me the pot pie recipe. It's a modification of a Pillsbury recipe. Try it, you won't be disappointed.

--Keri

Monday, November 26, 2007

Peppermint Hot Chocolate

1/3 c. cocoa
1 c. sugar
1 to 1 1/2 c. water
8 c. milk
1 capful of peppermint extract

In a 3-quart saucepan, mix the cocoa and sugar. Stir well to completely break up the lumps. Add water to cocoa and sugar & stir. Bring to a boil. Let it boil until 2/3 of pan is boiling, then add milk. Stir constantly until hot. Add peppermint extract, and enjoy!

This is rich & creamy...very delicious. It stores well in the fridge to keep on hand; just stir it and heat it up when you want more.

--Keri

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Hearty Chicken and Corn Chowder

1 t. olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 potato, peeled and diced
1 oz. Canadian bacon, diced
1 c. reduced sodium chicken broth
1 c. evaporated skim milk
1. c. canned cream corn
3/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. ground pepper
3/4 c. frozen corn kernals

In medium saucepan, heat oil until hot over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, potato, and bacon. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the broth, evaporated milk, and creamed corn. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Stir the diced chicken, salt, and black pepper and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the corn kernels and cook until the corn is just heated through, about 2 minutes longer. Serves 4.

--Keri

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Warm Nutty Caramel Brownies

1 t. vegetable oil
1 pkg. (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
1 pkg. (18-21 oz) brownie mix (plus ingredients to make cake-like brownies)
3/4 c. packed brown sugar, divided
1 c. salted mixed nuts, divided
5 rolls of Rolos (40 pieces total), divided

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease bar pan. Chop 1-1/2 c. chocolate chips. Combine brownie mix, water, oil, eggs, adn 1/4 c. brown sugar. Fold in chopped chocolate. Pour batter into bar pan & spread evenly.

2. Chop nuts. Combine half of the nuts and remaining 1/2 c. brown sugar; sprinkle evenly over brownie batter. Bake 20-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

3. Meanwhile, cut 16 Rolos into quarters. Place remaining 1/2 c. chocolate chips in microwaveable bowl & microwave on high 1 minute or until melted, stirring after each 20-second interval. Spoon melted chocolate into resealable plastic bag; set aside.

4. Remove bar pan from oven. Immediately press remaining 24 Rolos evenly into brownie in four rows of six caramels each. Sprinkle quartered Rolos and remaining nuts over brownies. Trim corner of chocolate-filled bag; drizzle chocolate evenly over brownies. Serve warm. Serve with ice cream, if desired.

I went to a Pampered Chef party last night, where these were made. They are sinfully delicious! No pictures because I ate them all!

--Keri

Friday, November 2, 2007

Chicken Lasagna

Ok, I made this last night, it is by far the best lasagna I have EVER had...I loved it, but I forgot to take a picture...sorry...

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4 c. chopped onion
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 c. sour cream
1/4 tsp poultry seasoning
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp basil
OR INSTEAD OF THE 3 SPICES LISTED ABOVE, YOU CAN DO 3/4 TSP ITALIAN SEASONING
3/4 c. parmasean cheese
5 cups diced chicken
Salt and Pepper to taste

MIX ALL OF THIS TOGETHER IN A BOWL

2 cups cheddar cheese
2 cups mozarella cheese

MIX THESE TOGETHER IN A SEPERATE BOWL

Lasagna Noodles

I FOUND THAT THE PRE COOK NOODLES WERE CHEAPER, SO I JUST TOOK THE EXTRA TIME AND BOILED THE NOODLES WHILE MY CHICKEN WAS COOKING INSTEAD OF PAYING MORE FOR THE PRE BOILED NOODLES...

Spread 1/3 of chicken mixture on bottom of 9X13 pan, then lay out noodles, then spread 1/3 of cheese mix over. Repeat 2 more times.
Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes covered with foil
Remove foil and bake for 10 minutes.

I served it right out of the oven, and #1, it was WAY too hot, but #2 the sauce was still a little runny, if you let it sit for a few minutes it thickens up a bit...this is a must try!!

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Lehi Roller Mills Honey Wheat Bread



INGREDIENTS:
1 LOAF
Warm water: 1 2/3 c.
Honey: 1/3 c.
Yeast: 2 ½ teaspoons
Whole wheat flour (you can grind it ahead of time but you must keep it in the freezer if you do this to maintain the nutrients.): 1 ¼ c.
Germade (cream of wheat): ¼ c.
Cracked wheat: ¼ c.
Salt: 2 teaspoons
Oatmeal (optional, we added this as a variation to the recipe): 1/3 c.
White flour: Approx. 2 1/3 c. (less if you add the oatmeal)

3 LOAVES
Warm water: 5 c.
Honey: 1 c.
Yeast: 2 ½ Tablespoons
Whole wheat flour (you can grind it ahead of time but you must keep it in the freezer if you do this to maintain the nutrients.): 3 ¾ c.
Germade (cream of wheat): ¾ c.
Cracked wheat: ¾ c.
Salt: 2 Tablespoons
Oatmeal (optional, we added this as a variation to the recipe): 1 cup
White flour: Approx. 7 c. (less if you add the oatmeal)

6 LOAVES
Warm water: 8 1/3 c.
Honey: 1 2/3 c.
Yeast: 4 Tablespoons
Whole wheat flour (you can grind it ahead of time but you must keep it in the freezer if you do this to maintain the nutrients.): 6 ¼ c. (grind 4 c.)
Germade (cream of wheat): 1 ¼ c.
Cracked wheat: 1 ¼ c.
Salt: 3 1/3 Tablespoons
Oatmeal (optional, we added this as a variation to the recipe): 2 cups
White flour: Approx. 10 c. (less if you add the oatmeal)

Mix warm water and honey completely and then add the yeast. Set aside until yeast bubbles and rises. In a separate bowl mix wheat flour, germade, cracked wheat, oatmeal (optional), and salt. After yeast bubbles and rises stir and then add the wheat flour mixture. Stir vigorously. Add white flour gradually while stirring until dough reaches elastic consistency that you can knead. (The recipe says to knead for 8 min. but I only need it for 2-3.) Cover and set aside to raise for about 45 min to an hour (or until it doubles in size). Spray pans with cooking spray, bottom and sides. Divide into loaves and knead each individual loaf until all the air bubble are gone and the loaf holds shape (I only need it about 2-3 min.) If you are doing 6 loaves you will have to divide the dough in half and set aside one half. Knead 3 of the loaves and allow to raise. When you turn on the oven to heat up to cook the first three loaves, then divide and knead the other three loaves and allow to raise while the first 3 cook. Cook at 360 degrees for 35 min. Remove from pans immediately after taking out of oven and place on a rack to cool.

Notes:

-I’ve only made 3 loaves at a time. When I do 3 loaves, I increase the wheat flour to 5 ¾ c. and decrease the white flour to approx. 5 cups (maybe even less with the oatmeal). You can play around to see if you prefer more whole wheat or white flour.
-You can use your kitchen-aid mixer (if it’s big enough) to do the kneading. Use the dough hook. It saves a lot of time and clean-up.
-Cracked wheat is simply regular wheat that’s not ground as much. You don’t need to use it if you don’t have a wheat grinder—just depends on your preference for a more crunchy or soft texture.
-The texture of this bread is yummy and it makes large loaves, the size of store bought kind, which is great for sandwiches and French toast.