Thursday, May 13, 2010

Salsa Chicken

*recipe from my friend Carla*

6 chicken breast
1 cup salsa
1 can cream of mushroom
1 package taco seasoning (1/2 cup)
cook in crock pot for 4 hours on high.
cut chicken and add 1/2 cup sour cream before serving over rice.



~*To make this a freezer meal - mix all ingredients except sour cream in a ziploc baggie and place in freezer until ready to cook. Empty ingredients into crockpot and cook like normal!*~

*NOTE: We tried this for the first time last night (May 17) and both Chris and I decided that it needs something else added to it - possibilities we came up with is add black beans and serve it over salad as a Chicken Taco Salad or something else fun like that. It's just missing something - any ideas?*

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Bread Maker Recipes (2-pound loaves)

Basic 2-pound loaf
1 1/3 cups warm water
4 tsp butter, softened
2 T sugar
4 tsp non-fat dry milk powder
2 tsp salt
4 cups bread flour
2 tsp bread machine yeast

Put ingredients into bread machine in the order listed above and turn it on to the setting you desire (dark, light, etc).

French Bread

1 1/3 cups warm water
2 tsp butter, softened
4 cups bread flour
5 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp bread machine yeast

Put ingredients into bread machine in the order listed above and turn it on to the setting you desire (dark, light, etc).

Whole Wheat

1 2/3 cups warm water
2 T butter, softened
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tsp salt
4 2/3 cups whole wheat flour
3 tsp bread machine yeast

Put ingredients into bread machine in the order listed above and turn it on to the setting you desire (dark, light, etc).

Sweet Bread (Banana Pecan)

1 cup warm water
2/3 cup mashed ripe bananas
2T Butter, softened
2 medium eggs, lightly beaten
4 cups bread flour
4 T sugar
1 tsp salt
3 tsp bread machine yeast
2/3 cups chopped pecans

Put ingredients into bread machine in the order listed above and turn it on to the setting you desire (dark, light, etc).

Oatmeal Date Bread

1 1/2 cups hot water
2 T canola oil
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp salt
3 cups bread flour
1 1/2 cups instant oatmeal
1/2 cup finely chopped dates
2 T fast-rising yeast

Put ingredients into bread machine in the order listed above and turn it on to the setting you desire (dark, light, etc).

Chock Full o' Chocolate Walnut-Zucchini Bread

1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup canola oil
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 cups sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp grated orange zest
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground allspice
2 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (about 2 medium zucchini)

In a bowl, combine walnuts and choc chips. Add 2 T of the flour and toss to well, set aside. Spray the bread pan and kneading blade with nonstick cooking spray. Place ingredients into the bread pan in the following order: eggs, oild the remaining flour baking powder, baking soda, sugar, cinnamon, orange zest, salt and allspice. Add zucchini, then the floured walnuts and choc chips along with the rest of the flour in that bowl. Turn on the bread maker to desired setting.

Dough for Orange-Anise Braided Ring

1/3 cup warm water
1/3 cup whole milk
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup butter, softened
grated zest of 1 orange
1/2 cup sugar
4 cups bread flour
1 1/2 tsp anise seeds, crushed
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast
"Egg Wash" (1 egg lightly beaten with 1 T water)

Place ingredients into pan in following order: water, milk, eggs, butter orange zest, sugar, flour anise, salt, nutmeg and yeast. Put machine on "Dough" setting and turn it on. When dough is complete, spray a cooking sheet, take dough out of pan. Preheat oven to 350. On lightly floured surface, place dough and divide into 2 equal pieces. Lightly roll each piece into a 24-inch rope. Place ropes on baking sheet, twist ropes loosely together and form into a circle. Place a clean towel over ring and let rise in warm around until doubled in size. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush with egg wash. Bake 30-35 mins until bread is golden brown. Let cool 20 mins before slicing and serving.

(please note that some bread makers may not be able to support the following recipes)

Standard Cake Mix

1/4 cup butter (melted)
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
2 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 cups plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup granulated sugar

In a bowl, combine butter, vanilla, eggs, and lemon juice. In a second bowl, combine flour, baking powder and sugar. Spray bread pan with non-stick spray. Combine the ingredients from both bowls and place into the bread pan and push start. It will mix the cake mix and then bake it in the bread pan!

Sandwich Bread

1 cup water
1 1/2 T soft butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 T non-fat milk powder
3 T sugar
3 cups high-gluten bread flour*
3/4 tsp fast action yeast

Place ingredients into the pan as listed above. Turn on the bread machine to the desired setting (usually light).
*high-gluten flour is a high protein flour milled from select blends of hard spring wheat and performs best in bagels, thin crust pizza, hard rolls and hearth style breads.

Year 'Round Spiced Peach Jam

1 cup sugar
1 T low-sugar fruit pectin
2 cups thawed frozen sliced peaches
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp lemon juice

Place ingredients into the bread pan in the order listed above. It will mix and bake the jam (my machine has a jam setting) so the pan will be hot upon removal. Jam will keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Savory Stuffed Pork Chops

(*sister tested and approved - courtesy of Taste Of Homes*)

8 boneless pork loin chops 1 inch thick
1 onion chopped
1/2 c butter
5 c fresh baby spinach - (Sister just used 1 bunch of regular spinach, not baby)
1 pkg (6 oz) sage stuffing mix
1 1/2 c sour cream
1/2 tsp rubbed sage (Sister used 1/2 TBSP fresh sage)
1/2 tsp lemon-pepper seasoning

Cut a slit/pocket in each pork chop. Saute onions in butter until soft. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Stir in stuffing mix, sour cream and sage. Fill each chop with 1/3 c mixture. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Meat should be 160 degrees for them to be done.

*My sister cooked her's for probably about an hour. She also only used 4 large chops and filled them up, placed them down in the pan facing each other and put the rest of the stuffing mix around them in the pan. She says DO NOT mix the stuffing mix as per the box directions, just dump it in the pan and follow the recipe directions instead!*

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Mexican Fiesta Platter

(Taste of Homes Ground Beef Cookbook)

2-3 lbs ground beef browned
2 cans (16 oz each) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans (15 oz each) tomato sauce
1 envelope Chili seasoning
1 package (10.5 oz) corn chips
3 cups hot cooked rice
2 large onions, diced
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (or any other kind is good too)
1 head lettuce, shredded
4 medium tomatoes, chopped
1.5 cups chopped olives
Hot pepper sauce to taste

Mix browned burger, beans, tomato sauce and chili seasoning in a sauce pan; simmer for 30 minutes. On two serving platters (with sides), layer corn chips, rice, onions, meat mixture, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and olives. Sprinkle with hot sauce if desired. Serves 20-24

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Bread/Scones

This is my Mom's recipe. I'd use a Bosch-type mixer for it, the dough tends to creep up the arm of my kitchen-aide!

1 quart warm water
2 T yeast
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
5 cups flour

Mix well then add:

1 heaping T salt (4 tsp)
5-7 cups flour (till it cleans itself from the sides of the mixing bowl)

Mix for about 10 minutes. Raise till dough doubles. Knead it, then divide up into 4 loaves and put in bread pans. Let raise again for 30 mins. Bake at 325 for 30 mins or so. To make scones, cut the recipe in half and follow the instructions, but instead of placing in bread pans, take a fist-sized piece of dough, flatten it out and place in oil to deep fry (or you can bake as well). This is the recipe I use for my Taco Burgers (hot pockets).

Taco Dip

This is very much like 7-layer Bean Dip. A lady I met online forwarded her recipe for it and we've had this for dinner before. Just set it out on a platter in the middle of the table and give everyone a bowl of chips and just munch away! To save ourselves from ingesting drool and slobbery-junk, though, we give each child their own little dish of it!

1 lb browned taco meat
1 (16 oz) can refried beans
2/3 bottle Salsa
¾ cup sour cream
1 cup chopped tomato
¾ cup ripe chopped olives
½ cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped avocado
1 cup shredded/chopped lettuce
2 – 4 oz shredded cheese
Combine beans and 2 T salsa. Combine remaining salsa and sour cream. Mix well. In a 9” pie plate, layer bean mixture, taco meat, sour cream mixture, and all the toppings (putting the cheese on last). Serve with tortillas or tortilla chips.

Spinach Dip

My in-laws introduced me to this recipe and I've loved it ever since! Sometimes Chris and I make this for a late-night snack and watch a movie while munching on this or chips and salsa.

2 cups Sour cream
2 cups Mayo
1 (12-16 oz) box frozen spinach (thawed)
1 tsp Dill Weed
2 tsp Accent (I substitue Bon Apatite for this…and cut in half as well)
Dash of Salt and Pepper
Chill for 2-3 hours. Serve with veggies, breads, etc