Italian Sausage Rigatoni

This is one of my family's FAVORITE pasta recipes. It goes back and forth with Jenilyn's bowtie pasta for being #1!!!!!

1 1/2 lb. Italian sausage--mild
3 cloves garlic--minced
42 oz Italian Stewed tomatoes (one big can and one little can)
1/3 tsp. red pepper (can be left out)
3/4 tsp. black pepper
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/2 c. cream
3/4 lb. grated Fontina cheese (in the Imported section)
3/4 c. grated Romano cheese
1 1/2 boxes of Rigatoni


Remove skin & brown sausage with garlic. Drain fat. Blend stewed tomatoes, pepper, salt, and basil in the blender. Put sauce over cooked sausage, stir, and bring to a boil.
Simmer for 15 minutes. Add cream and cheeses. It will melt within a few minutes. Serve over cooked Rigatoni.

Butternut Squash Pasta

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 lbs chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch peices
• 1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary
• 3 1/4 cups chicken broth
• 12 ounces pasta

Directions:

1. 1
   Heat the oil in a heavy large nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for just a minute. Add the cubed chicken and cook through. Add squash, rosemary and saute for 8 to 10 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Decrease the heat to medium-low and simmer until the squash is tender and the liquid is reduced by about half, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
2. 2
   Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring often. Drain pasta.
3. 3
   Toss the pasta and squash mixture in a large bowl until the liquid thickens slightly and coats the pasta. Transfer the pasta mixture to a wide shallow bowl and serve.

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/butternut-squash-and-chicken-pasta-397055#ixzz1fuwfmyYo

Really good!

Chicken Noodle Soup

Homemade chicken stock
Chicken Bouillon
Celery
Carrots
Onions
Cubed, cooked chicken
Egg Noodles

Cook vegetables in broth and bouillon 10 minutes, add egg noodles when boiling, add chicken at the end. Delicious and easy!

Uncle Eric's Pink Lemonade

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
• 2 cups cold sparkling water or club soda
• Ice
• Mint sprigs, garnish
• Whole strawberries, garnish

Directions

In a medium saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon peel and lemon juice, stir, and remove from the heat. Let cool completely, then strain into a clean pitcher.

In a blender, puree the pint of strawberries and add to the pitcher with the lemon juice. Stir well to combine and refrigerate until well chilled.
Add the sparkling water and stir well. Pour over glasses filled with ice and serve, garnished with mint and strawberries

Hot Chocolate

French Hot Chocolate
3 (1-ounce) squares Baker's semi sweet chocolate (I have used others
and it still tastes good)
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar

Cook chocolate and water over low heat until smooth and thick,
stirring constantly. Add salt and sugar; cook for 5 minutes more. Cool
completely.

1 cup heavy cream, whipped
1 teaspoon vanilla

Whip heavy cream and add vanilla. Fold into chocolate mixture. Store
in refrigerator. To serve, add a heaping tablespoon (or two) to a cup
of hot milk. Stir and enjoy!

Perfect French Bread (3 hours)

French Bread Recipe

This is for 2 loaves - it works to cut it in half and make a single loaf
4 cups bread flour (I used regular)
2 teaspoon active quick rising dry yeast
2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
1. Put 1/4 cup of bread flour on your clean counter top and reserve. Place remaining 3 3/4 cups bread flour in your mixer bowl. Spoon the yeast on one side of the bowl, and the salt on the other side. Pour in the warm water and with your regular mixer paddle, mix on low speed until the dough comes together in a mass. Switch to the dough hook. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Dough should clear the sides but stick to the bottom. If it is too sticky, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time. If too dry, add 1 tablespoon of water to dough to adjust. (I don't have a mixer, so I do this by hand. Mix for 6 minutes).
Let the dough rest for 5 minutes. (7 minutes if by hand)
The dough should look like this during the rest:

2. Turn the mixer on again and mix for 3 minutes. (7 minutes by hand) Take the dough out and place on the counter. Remember that 1/4 cup of flour that we reserved? We’ll use it now. As you knead the dough by hand, incorporate more flour as you need.
Knead by hand until the dough is very satiny, smooth, tight and formed into a nice, compact ball:

Place this dough in a large lightly oiled bowl (I use Pam spray). Turn dough over so that all sides have a thin coating of oil. Cover with plastic wrap and set in warm place for 1 1/2 hours to let rest and rise. Dough should almost double in size. While the dough is rising, about 1 hour into the rising stage, preheat your oven to 450F and place your pizza stone into the oven to heat up. (I turn it on when I take the risen dough out of the oven)
4. After the dough has risen fully, punch dough down and form back into a ball. Poke your finger on the surface – the dough should give into the pressure and slowly creep back up.
5. Ok, here’s the fun part. Cut the dough into half – you’ll shape one half at a time (keep the other piece under wraps) Pick up the dough – stretch it out until it forms a big rectangle. Dust your work surface with flour and fold over the ends of the dough like this:

Now do a little “karate chop” lengthwise down the middle of the bread and stretch out the long ends again. Fold over in half. The karate chop helps get the middle tucked inside. Pinch all sides shut. This is important – you want to make sure that all ends including the short ends are pinched tightly to create a seal. This allows the bread to rise & expand up and out evenly. If the bread looks a little lopsided, you can try to fix it by letting it rest 5 minutes and gently stretching it out again. Just don’t knead the dough again – you’ll pop all the beautiful gas that took 1.5 hours to create!
Here’s what it should look like:

6. Turn the bread over so that it is seam side down. Cover the loaf with a damp (I forgot this) kitchen towel. Repeat with the other dough ball. Leave the loaves to rest on your well-floured pizza peel or cutting board for 30 minutes. After resting, take a sharp paring knife and make 3-4 shallow, diagonal slashes on the surface of the loaf. This allows the steam in the bread to escape so that it expands evenly during the baking process:

7. When you are ready to bake, remove your pizza stone from oven. Carefully slide the gorgeous loaf into or onto your pizza stone. I like baking one loaf at a time.  The most important equipment to have is an instant read thermometer to measure temperature of the bread (I don't have this).
Cover the loaf with a large metal bowl and put it into the oven. Bake 15 minutes, remove bowl, and bake another 10 minutes.

To re-crisp the crust, put in 375F oven for 5 minutes. Eat one loaf, share the other loaf with a friend!

Garlic Chicken Thighs

Easy Garlic Chicken

Ingredients
•1/2 cup butter
•3 tablespoons minced garlic
•3 tablespoons soy sauce
•1/4 teaspoon black pepper
•1 tablespoon dried parsley
•6 boneless chicken thighs, no skin
•dried parsley, to taste


Directions
1.Preheat the oven broiler. Lightly grease a baking pan.

2.In a microwave safe bowl, mix the butter, garlic, soy sauce, pepper, and parsley. Cook 2 minutes on High in the microwave, or until butter is melted.

3. Arrange chicken on the baking pan, and coat with the butter mixture, reserving some of the mixture for basting.

4. Broil chicken 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until juices run clear, turning occasionally and basting with remaining butter mixture. Sprinkle with parsley to serve.

Some cooking alternatives:
***Instead of broiling it, I bake it at 375 for about 45 minutes,stirring every 15 minutes or so.

***Also bone-in thighs, and broiled with rack set at second from top for about 30 minutes.

Summer Squash

Mom's Summer Squash Recipe

• Prep time: 5 minutes
• Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 lbs squash and/or zucchini, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, seeds removed, sliced
• 2 smallish tomatoes or one large tomato, peeled and cut into wedges
• 1/2 yellow onion, peeled and sliced
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• Olive oil
• 5 or 6 slices of cheese - jack or cheddar
• Basil, either dry or chopped fresh
• Salt and pepper

Method

1 Put onion, garlic, squash, bell pepper into a large saucepan with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Put on high heat and brown the vegetables slightly to develop flavor. As you are browning, sprinkle either dried basil or chopped fresh basil on the vegetables. When vegetables are slightly browned, remove from heat, add the slices of cheese, and cover the pan.
2 In a separate stick-free fry pan, put the tomatoes and cook at medium hi heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want to let the juice from the tomatoes evaporate some. After 5 minutes, add the tomatoes to the rest of the vegetables and stir. Salt and pepper to taste.
Yield: Serves 4.

Hasselback Potatoes

Hasselback (Accordian) Potatoes
submitted by Melanie~The Sisters Cafe

6-8 medium potatoes (russet, yukon, red)

Olive oil (or melted butter)
Salt (or seasoned salt)
Garnish: Chopped fresh herbs such as chives or Italian parsley
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut potatoes into 1/8- 1/4 inch thick slices, crosswise, but do not cut all the way through to the bottom.  The slices should be very thin and to about a 1/4 inch from the bottom.  A little tip is to put a small wooden spoon or chopstick at the bottom of the potato to stop your knife from accidentally cutting all the way through.   Place in roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil (or melted butter), making sure some gets in between the slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper  to taste.
Roast for about 45- 60 minutes, depending on the size of your potatoes and the thickness of your slices. As the potatoes bake, the slices will fan out and the edges will crisp up.
**Also if you are short on time, I have sliced them first then micorwaved for 10 minutes before drizzling with oil and seasoning.  Fisnish in the oven for about 20 minutes or until crisp.**
Remove potatoes from oven and place potatoes on a serving dish. Sprinkle with chopped fresh herbs if you desire. They are also wonderful without herbs,  as pictured.

Variations

Sprinkle potatoes with freshly grated Parmesan cheese during the last 10-15 minutes of baking.
Drizzle your favorite pesto across the tops before baking.
Recipe Source:  My Mother in law Beth

Weekly Menu (TJs)

Monday - Dinner at Katie's
Tuesday -  French Onion Soup, Salad, Hasselback Potatoes
Wednesday - Carne Asada Tacos, Summer Squash
Thursday - Pizza, Spinach
Friday - Garlic Chicken Thighs, Carrot Souffle
Saturday - Spaghetti Carbonara, Collard Greens
Sunday - Frozen Orange Chicken, Broccoli
Monday - Steak Sandwich, Bok Choy

Breakfasts
Oatmeal Pancakes
Oven Pancakes
Overnight Baked Oatmeal
Overnight Blueberry Muffins
Cinnamon Rolls
Fried Green Tomatoes, Hash Browns, Bacon
Oatmeal Pancakes

Spaghetti Carbonara

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound bacon, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound fresh spaghetti, cooked al dente
• 4 large eggs, beaten
• Salt
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions

In a large saute pan, over medium heat, cook the bacon until crispy, about 6 minutes. Remove the bacon and drain on paper towels. Pour off all of the oil except for 3 tablespoons. Add the garlic. Season with black pepper. Saute for 30 seconds. Add the crispy bacon and the pasta. Saute for 1 minute. Season the eggs with salt. Remove the pan from the heat and add the eggs, whisking quickly until the eggs thicken, but do not scramble. Add the cheese and re-season with salt and pepper. Mound into serving bowls and garnish with parsley.

Baked Sweet Potato Chips

Ingredients

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed and sliced 1/8 inch thick
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, preferably sea salt
• 1 lime, cut into wedges, for serving

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with racks in center and lower positions. Divide sweet potatoes between 2 rimmed baking sheets. Drizzle with oil, toss, and spread them in a single layer on sheets. Bake, flipping once, until centers are soft and edges are crisp, 22 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle with salt, and serve with lime wedges.

Collard Greens

• Prep time: 5 minutes
• Cook time: 20 minutes

We use bacon fat here primarily for flavor. Bacon fat provides an excellent balance to the natural bitter of the collard greens. That said, you can easily skip the bacon fat and just use a little more olive oil.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs collard greens, tough stems discarded, leaves chopped
• 2 Tbsp medium onion, chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 2 teaspoons bacon fat
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp dark sesame oil (Dynasty or comparable)
• Chili pepper flakes, a pinch
• Salt, a couple pinches
• Sugar, a couple pinches

Method

1 Use a large skillet with a tight fitting cover. Melt bacon fat and heat olive oil on medium heat. Sauté onion until transparent, a couple of mintues. Add garlic and and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2 Mix in the greens, sesame oil, chili pepper flakes, salt, and sugar. Cover and cook until tender, 8-15 minutes. (Note that young collard greens will cook up relatively quickly. Older greens may take upwards of 45 minutes to tenderize.)
If you want, serve with barbecue sauce.
Yield: Serves 4.

Baby Bok Choy with Cashews

Baby Bok Choy with Cashews Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup chopped green onions, including green ends
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 pound baby bok choy, rinsed, larger leaves separated from base, base trimmed but still present, holding the smaller leaves together
• 1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• Salt
• 1/2 cup chopped, roasted, salted cashews

Method

1 Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium high heat. Add onions, then garlic, then bok choy. Sprinkle with sesame oil and salt. Cover, and let the baby bok choy cook down for approximately 3 minutes. (Like spinach, when cooked, the bok choy will wilt a bit.)
2 Remove cover. Lower heat to low. Stir and let cook for a minute or two longer, until the bok choy is just cooked.
3 Gently mix in cashews.

Stromboli

1 frozen bread dough

1/8 lb ham, sliced (2 oz)

1/8 lb hard salami 

1/8 lb provolone (buy 1/4 lb at the deli, make 2 and freeze 1)

mozzarella cheese

1/2 tsp dried basil, divided

1/2 tsp dried oregano, divided

melted butter or olive oil

cornmeal

Next time, try with mushrooms and spinach...

Set out bread dough to thaw. Once thawed, spread the dough out on a cookie sheet or silpat (which works perfect). Layer the ham and then the salami along the middle of the dough going lengthwise. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp each of basil and oregano then layer on cheeses. (I used approximately 1 cup shredded mozzarella but it’s entirely up to you how much you want!) Sprinkle with remaining basil and oregano. Wet edges of the dough and fold over the long edges and roll up the ends. Brush olive oil over dough and sprinkle lightly with corn meal. Carefully flip stromboli over and repeat on other side. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-22 minutes. Serve with hot spaghetti sauce for dipping. Enjoy!

Pasta Alfredo

From the Food Network:

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried fettucine (we like mini bowties)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Fresh parsley, for garnish, optional

Directions

Cook the fettucine in a pot of rapidly boiling salted water until al dente. Drain in a colander, reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking liquid.

While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and saute until tender. Add heavy cream and bring to a boil. Cook until sauce has reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Return the pasta to the pot it was cooked in, set over medium-high heat along with the reserved cooking liquid. Add the butter-cream mixture and half of the Parmesan and toss to combine thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and garnish with parsley, if desired. Serve immediately.

Orange Chicken

Orange Chicken

Submitted by Erin ~ The Sisters Café
Recipe from Lion House Classics Cookbook

-

½ c. flour

2 tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

6-8 chicken breasts

1/3 c. butter, melted

1 onion, thinly sliced

6 ounces frozen orange juice concentrate

1 juice can water

¼ c. brown sugar

½ tsp nutmeg

2 T. cornstarch

-

Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a plastic bag. Add chicken pieces and shake to coat well. Place chicken pieces in a 2-quart or 9×13 glass baking pan, breast side up. Brush each piece with butter. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes. In the meantime, combine orange juice, water, brown sugar, nutmeg, and cornstarch.

After 40 minutes, remove chicken from oven and spread sliced onions generously over surface. Pour the orange juice mixture over the chicken. Cover with foil and bake at 325 for half an hour or until fork tender.

Serve with Wonderful Mashed Potatoes. Makes 6-8 servings.

Oatmeal Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

Dough:
yeast - 1 packet
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp salt
1 cup fat free milk
1/2 stick unsalted butter
3 cups all pirpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup old fashioned oats

Filling:
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbl unsalted butter

Glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbl fat free milk

Directions

In a standing mixing bowl with dough hook, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let sit until lightly foamy, then stir in sugar and add egg, salt, warm milk, and 4 ounces of butter. Slowly add flour and oats, adding more flour as needed to make an elastic dough. Mix well, then roll out to floured surface and knead dough for about 5 minutes.
Place dough in buttered bowl, cover with towel, and set in a warm place to rise until double in bulk, about 1 hour.

Roll out dough into rectangle and brush with melted butter. Miix together brown sugar and cinnamon and evenly distribute over dough. Roll up and slice into 1 to 1.5 inch pieces. Place swirl side up in greased cake or brownie pan and bake for 20 minutes.

Combine the powdered sugar, vanilla and 2 tsp milk and drizzle glaze over hot rolls. Serve warm.

Makes 18 rolls

French Onion Soup

Onion Soup [Soupe à l’Oignon]
Adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking

1 1/2 pounds (680 grams or 24 ounces or about 5 cups) thinly sliced yellow onions
3 tablespoons (42 grams or 1 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
1 teaspoon (5 grams) table salt, plus additional to taste
1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) granulated sugar (helps the onions to brown)
3 tablespoons (24 grams or 7/8 ounce) all-purpose flour
2 quarts (8 cups or 1.9 liters) beef or other brown stock*
1/2 cup (118 ml) dry white wine or dry white vermouth
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons (45 ml) cognac or brandy (optional)

To finish [Gratinée] (Optional)
1 tablespoon grated raw onion
1 to 2 cups (to taste) grated Swiss (I often use Gruyere) or a mixture of Swiss and Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon butter, melted
12 to 16 1-inch thick rounds French bread, toasted until hard

Melt the butter and oil together in the bottom of a 4- to 5-quart saucepan or Dutch oven over moderately low heat. Add the onions, toss to coat them in oil and cover the pot. Reduce the heat to real low and let them slowly steep for 15 minutes. They don’t need your attention; you can even go check your email.

After 15 minutes, uncover the pot, raise the heat slightly and stir in the salt and sugar. Cook onions, stirring frequently, for 30 to 40 minutes until they have turned an even, deep golden brown. Don’t skimp on this step, as it will build the complex and intense flavor base that will carry the rest of the soup. Plus, from here on out, it will be a cinch.

After the onions are fully caramelized, sprinkle them with flour and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the wine in full, then stock, a little at a time, stirring between additions. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and simmer partially covered for 30 to 40 more minutes, skimming if needed. Correct seasonings if needed but go easy on the salt as the cheese will add a bit more saltiness and I often accidentally overdo it. Stir in the cognac, if using. I think you should.

Set aside until needed. I find that homemade onion soup is so deeply fragrant and flavor-rich that it can stand alone, but that doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy the graitinéed top once in a while. Here’s how to pull it off:

Preheat oven to 325. Arrange six ovenproof soup bowls or crocks on a large, foil-lined baking sheet. Bring the soup back to a boil and divide among six bowls. To each bowl, add 1/2 teaspoon grated raw onion and a tablespoon of grated cheese. Stir to combine. Dab your croutons with a tiny bit of butter and float a few on top of your soup bowls, attempting to cover it. Mound grated cheese on top of it; how much you use will be up to you. [Julia Child, in another era, felt that 1/2 cup of grated cheese could be divided among 6 bowls. I can assure you that if you'd like your gooey bubbling cheese lid to be anything like what you get at your local French restaurant, you are looking to use more, such as a generous 1/4 cup.]

Bake soups on tray for 20 minutes, then preheat broiler. Finish for a minute or two under the broiler to brown the top lightly. Grab pot holders, and serve immediately.

* Porcini or mushroom stock are a robust vegetarian substitution.

Beef enchiladas and sauce

Easy Beef Enchiladas

Yield: 6 servings (2 enchiladas per serving)

Prep Time: 30 min

Cook Time: 35 min

This simple recipe for beef enchiladas is a delicious, family-friendly meal. This recipe is gluten-free adaptable... see tips below.

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef
1 1/2 cups diced onion
1 1/2 cups (about 2 medium) finely diced zucchini
12 corn tortillas, heated or fried in oil to soften
2 1/2 cups enchilada sauce, canned or homemade
3 cups cheddar- jack shredded cheese
Serve as desired with: shredded lettuce, avocado, cilantro, sour cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x13-inch pan with nonstick spray.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add ground beef; break apart with a spoon or spatula to crumble the meat. Saute the meat on medium heat until browned (about 5 minutes). Tilt the pan and spoon the fat out of the pan; discard. Remove cooked meat to a bowl.

3. Return pan to medium heat and add onion and zucchini. Saute until just softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the pan and add to the meat mixture; set aside.

4. Add 1/2 cup of sauce to the prepared pan. Spread it around so it coats the entire bottom of the pan.

5. Assemble the enchiladas: Place tortilla on a work surface. Spoon 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the meat mixture down the middle. Sprinkle 2 Tablespoons of cheese on top of the meat. Drizzle 1 Tablespoon of sauce on top. Wrap the tortilla around the filling tightly and place it seam-side-down in the pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling until you have finished filling 12 tortillas. Place the tortillas side-by-side in the pan- it's okay if they are all snuggled in there tightly.

6. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the top of the stuffed enchiladas. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

7. Remove pan from the oven and take off the foil. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top; return to the oven and let the cheese melt (about 5 minutes).

8. Serve immediately with desired condiments.

Tips:

*If you are preparing this recipe as GLUTEN-FREE, just make sure that you are using brands of enchilada sauce and corn tortillas that are designated as GF

*Be sure to check out my recipe for homemade enchilada sauce.

Source: RecipeGirl.com

Enchilada Sauce

Yield: About 2 1/2 cups

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 20 min

I find the canned enchilada sauces to take on the flavor of the tin can. Ick. This easy-to-make sauce tastes so much better.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion salt
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large skillet to medium heat. Whisk in flour and chili powder. Reduce heat to medium and continue to whisk until lightly browned. Gradually whisk in tomato sauce, chicken broth, cumin, garlic powder, onion salt and salt. Stir until smooth, and continue simmering over medium heat about 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened.

2. Serve immediately, or keep in a covered bowl in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Tips:

*If you are preparing this recipe as GLUTEN FREE- just be sure to substitute GF flour for the all-purpose flour. And make sure you are using a brand of chicken broth that is designated as GF (or use water instead).

Source: RecipeGirl.com (Adapted from Allrecipes)

Peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

New favorite cc cookies

1 cup butter (softened)
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbls. vanilla
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
3 cups flour
1.5 cups Milk Chocolate Chips
3/4 cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Then add dry ingredients. Mix in chocolate chips. Bake at 350 for 11 minutes. (I make them big and cook them for about 16 minutes). Cookies might not look done but take them out anyways. Let them sit on pan for a few minutes before placing on cooling rack.

Dijon Pork Chops

Dijon Pork Chops

submitted by Erin

4 1/2 inch thick butterfly pork chops

6-7 T. flour

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp seasoning salt

1/2 tsp poultry seasoning

1/4 c. butter

2 T. finely chopped green onion

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 c. cold water

2/3 c. dry white wine (I used chicken broth, or water with bouillon)

fresh chives to garnish

Pound pork chops with a meat mallet to 1/4-inch thickness. (I skipped this step, fyi.) Combine 5 T. flour with pepper, seasoning salt, and poultry seasoning in shallow dish. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge chops in flour mixture and then brown in melted butter on both sides. Remove chops from skillet and set aside. Add green onion to skillet and cook until tender, about 1 minute. (I didn't have any green onion on hand, so I omitted this, but I'm sure it would have been even better with it.) Stir together wine (or broth) and mustard. Add to skillet and stir to combine with meat juices. Return chops to skillet. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer about 8-10 minutes or until tender. (I wrote in my recipe, "Check at 5 minutes" because it cooked faster than I had anticipated.) Remove chops to warm platter. Combine water and 1 T. flour in a small bowl and mix well. Add to skillet and cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until thickened, about 1 minute. Pour sauce over chops and garnish with chives before serving.

Healthy and Hearty Chicken Quinoa Stew

www.sisterscafe.blogspot.com

2 T extra virgin olive oil (I always skimp on this just a little)

1 large onion, chopped

5 stalks celery, chopped

4 large carrots, peeled and sliced

2 Cups sweet pepper, chopped

1 large zucchini, quartered and sliced

64 oz chicken broth

15 oz can diced tomatoes

5 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cubed into 1" pieces (get the Yukon potatoes, it's worth the extra few dollars)

3 cups cooked quinoa

4 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked, shredded and lightly seasoned with salt and pepper

2 T Dijon Mustard

1 T Hot Sauce (Cholula brand is good)

Kosher Salt, fresh cracked black pepper, Garlic Salt (Lawry's is good), and Parsley to taste

1 1/2 cups fresh parsley chopped

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onion, celery, carrots, peppers, and zucchini until softened. This takes about 5 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, tomatoes, and potatoes. Increase heat to high just until broth starts to boil Reduce to medium high and cook potatoes for 10 minutes or until fork tender. Reduce heat to low and stir in quinoa, chicken, dijon mustard, hot sauce. Season to taste with kosher salt, pepper, garlic salt. Stir in fresh parsley and simmer until ready to serve.

Butter simmered carrots

1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil (next time I'll try just 1 tablespoon, 2007: 1 tablespoon was more than fine, try 1 teaspoon, just a tiny bit for flavor)
1 teaspoon sugar
Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper to taste (2007, I happily skipped both)
1 pound carrots (okay, okay, pre-peeled are fine, get the baby ones if possible)

Combine water, butter, sugar, salt and pepper and carrots in medium saucepan over MEDIUM HIGH (get a small head start by turning the stove on with water and butter, then adding other ingredients) and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to MEDIUM and cook for about 5 minutes. Uncover, raise the heat a bit, then cook, stirring occasionally, until water boils away and carrots are cooking in the butter or oil. Reduce the heat a bit and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until carrots are cooked.