Creamy Chicken Rice

Just saw this recipe and I can't wait to try it.  Sounds super good!

Make homemade Creamy Chicken Rice for a classic supper side dish.

Ingredients (serves 6-8 as a side dish)

• 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 1/2 cups medium grain brown rice
• 2 large shallots, minced (or 1/2 medium onion)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup finely shredded Italian cheese blend

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring chicken broth and water to a boil in a saucepan. Meanwhile, combine rice, shallots, dried oregano and salt in a 2 quart casserole or baking dish.
• Pour chicken broth and water into rice mixture, and stir gently to mix. Bake, covered, for 40-50 minutes, or until rice is tender. Add in cheese and stir until melted. Let rice sit for 5 minutes to thicken before serving.

Overnight Wheat Rolls

I found this recipe here and it is great!  I can't believe how easy it was and the finished product is sooooo good!

1 and 1/2 cups room temperature water

1 and 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon dried minced onion

1 and 1/2 cups wheat flour

1 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for shaping

Mix all ingredients with a wooden spoon to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. An hour before ready to bake, take dough out of the refrigerator. Let rest for one hour. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. On a floured surface, pat dough into rectangle. Roll into cylinder. Cut into 9 rolls. Place in greased nine inch baking dish. Let rise, covered for twenty minutes. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until tops and bottoms are golden brown. Let rest for one minute and remove from pan.

Pepperoni Salad

We have this pasta salad for lunch at work sometimes and it is one of my favorite recipes!  You have to use the name-brand dressing, or it just isn't the same......

1 bag colored spiral noodles 
¾ c. pepperoni cut into wedges 
¾ c. mozzarella cut into small cubes 
1 tomato, diced 
1 green pepper, diced
½ c. olives, sliced 
¼ c. parmesan cheese 
1 bottle Bernstein's Restaurant Recipe Italian Dressing

Mix together all ingredients and chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours before serving.

Corn on the Cob

I know, I know, it's corn on the cob right?  All you have to do is boil it right?  Well, I have found that what
you put in the water when you boil the corn can make a huge difference!  So, here's my secret to yummy corn
on the cob.

Lotsa water  (Lotsa is a very technical measurement.... :0))
Lemon juice
Sugar

DON'T add salt to the water.  This only makes your corn kernals tough....  I usually use a large stock pot,
and I probably use about 1/4 cup of lemon juice and about 2 Tablespoons of sugar.  Let the water come to a
rolling boil, add the corn on the cob, and only cook the corn for 2-3 minutes.  Take it out of the water.  It will
be so good, you won't even need any butter!  Enjoy!

Best Biscuits

This is an easy, good recipe for biscuits.  Whether you are making biscuits and gravy, 
or combining these with some warm soup, or whatever else you can think of, 
these will hit the spot!

1 3/4 cup flour
4 Tbsp sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup of butter
2/3 cup milk

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Soften butter and cut it in.
Add milk, stirring with a fork only until flour is moistened
Turn out on floured surface and knead for 20 seconds
Roll out dough to 1/2" thickness.
Cut out biscuits and place on ungreased sheet

Bake at 425 for 9 minutes

Fried Potatoes

We have some friends that come over for dinner quite often.  The husband always asks for my fried potatoes.  I am an Idaho girl, so I like to think I can cook some mean potatoes.  Actually, I don't really know what's so special about this particular side dish, but since he seems to be so infatuated with it, I thought I would share the process.

Peel and cut 5-6 potatoes into smaller pieces (about 1 inch)
Put 3-4 tablespoons oil into pan
Place potatoes in pan
Add seasonings of your choice.  (I like to add garlic powder, salt, pepper, and onion powder)
Add a little water to the pan after the potatoes start to sizzle.  (It helps the spuds get nice and soft)
Continue cooking until potatoes are soft.  Enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash

I have never tried cooking spaghetti squash, but this recipe looks too good not to try.  Plus, it's low-fat so I think I will definitely have to try it.

http://dashdiet.org/spaghetti_sauce.asp

French Bread

One of my good friends made us some home-made french bread and it was so good I had to ask for the
recipe.  Here it is!  Enjoy!

2 1/2 c. hot water
2 Tbsp. yeast
1 cube margarine
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. salt
7-8 c. flour

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Stir until all flour is absorbed. Cover and let sit for 20 min. Stir
again. Repeat every twenty minutes for an hour.  Shape into desired rolls or loaves. Let rise 30 minutes. Bake
at 375 until golden brown.

Jiffy Corn Bread with a Twist

This is simply the recipe off of the Jiffy Corn Bread box, with a can of creamed corn thrown in.  The creamed corn makes the bread so moist and yummy!  And best of all, it's super easy.  I like easy.

2 boxes Jiffy Corn Bread mix
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1 can creamed corn

Mix all the ingredients together and pour into a greased 8X8 pan.  Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Great with chili!!!

Twice Baked Potatoes

 







Ingredients:

• 4 large potatoes
• 1 teaspoon olive oil (optional, for a softer-skinned potato)
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat ("light") sour cream
• Pinch nutmeg
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• Milk (as desired, for consistency)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425° F. Pierce potatoes with a fork several times. Rub potato skins with olive oil if a softer potato skin is desired. Bake potatoes directly on the middle oven rack for 50 - 60 minutes or until they yield to gentle pressure.
2. While potatoes are still hot (use oven mitt to hold potato), cut them in half lengthwise. Scoop out the interior flesh of the potato into a medium-sized bowl, leaving a shell about 1/4-inch thick all around. Using a potato masher, mash the potato flesh.
3. Add sour cream and seasonings and mash until smooth, adding a little milk if necessary to make a smooth consistency. Stir in add-ins as desired.
4. Turn oven to 400° F. Using a spoon, gently fill the potato shells with the potato mixture, mounding it up high. Place filled potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for 18 - 20 minutes or until hot.

Slow-Cooker Homemade Beans

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

• 3 cups dry navy beans, soaked overnight or boiled for one hour
• 1 1/2 cups ketchup
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 6 slices thick cut bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 cup brown sugar

Directions

1. Drain soaking liquid from beans, and place them in a Slow Cooker.
2. Stir ketchup, water, molasses, onion, mustard, salt, bacon, and brown sugar into the beans until well mixed.
3. Cover, and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours, stirring occasionally if possible, though not necessary.

Slow-Cooked Baked Beans

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

• 2 cups kidney beans
• 5 cups water
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 4 ounces cured pork
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/4 cup ketchup

Directions

1. In a slow cooker place beans, water, onion, salt and pork. Cover the pot and cook on low for 9 to 10 hours.
2. Drain beans, saving the liquid. Add molasses, brown sugar, dry mustard, ketchup and 1 cup of the bean liquid. Cover and cook on low for 1 hour.

Granola Cereal

12 cups old fashioned oats
3/4 cup veg. oil
2 cups brown sugar

Mix all ingredients in a large glass bowl.  (I use my hands to get it mixed really well.)  Bake at 350 degrees in the glass bowl for 20 minutes.  Stir after 10 minutes.  Cool and store in air-tight container.  Makes a great cereal for breakfast!

White Yeast Bread

This is my all-time favorite bread recipe.

Approx.  5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, unsifted
1/4 cup sugar
1 pkg. active dry yeast
2 tsp salt
2 cups milk
1/4 shortening

Mix two cups of the flour with sugar, yeast, and salt.  Heat milk and shortening together over low heat until warm.  Stir into flour mixture.  Mix in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough that leaves the sides of the bowl.  Knead on a lightly floured surface until dough is smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes.  Place in a greased bowl and turn over once to grease upper side of dough.  Cover and let rise in a warm place (80 to 85 F) until double in size.  Grease two 9x5x2 1/2" loaf pans.  Press dough down to remove air bubbles.  Divide in half.  Shape into loaves.  Place in loaf pans.  Let rise in warm place until double in size.  Preheat oven to 400 F.  Bake 20 minutes.  Remove bread from pan and cool on rack.  Yield: 2 loaves, 16 slices each, about 100 calories per slice.

Spinach & Artichoke Dip

Right from Olive Garden Website!  Yum!

Ingredients
2 fresh artichokes
1 lemon, juice squeezed
1 tsp salt
OR
1 14-oz can artichoke hearts, drained and sliced

1 lb cream cheese, room temperature
8 oz mascarpone cheese, room temperature
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour, sifted
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 Tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
5 green onions, chopped
Salt to taste
Ground black pepper to taste
1 6-oz pack fresh spinach, chopped
8 slices crusty Italian bread
Extra virgin olive oil (to drizzle)

Procedures
Preheat oven to 325ºF.
PREPARATION WITH FRESH ARTICHOKES

1. BOIL artichokes in 3 quarts water with 1 tsp salt and lemon juice.
2. COOL artichokes. Clean, peel, remove center “choke” and slice artichoke.
3. FOLLOW Dip Preparation steps below using fresh artichokes.

DIP PREPARATION

1. MIX all ingredients in a large bowl, except bread and extra virgin olive oil.
2. COAT a large non-stick baking pan with pan spray; fill pan with mixture. Bake at 325ºF for about 25 minutes or until bubbling and center is hot.
3. DRIZZLE both sides of bread with extra virgin olive oil. Grill bread on both sides.
4. SPRINKLE top of heated dip with parmesan cheese. Serve hot with grilled bread.

Easy Crock Pot Black Beans

Wanna use up those dry beans??  Don't want to soak, pre-soak, blah, blah, blah.....
Here's an easy way to cook them.  You can cook any variety of bean this way and it works great.

3 cups dry black beans
9 cups water

Rinse beans and add to crock pot.  Add water and cook on low 7-9 hours or until beans are soft.  So much easier than soaking, boiling, etc...  Great for soup, burritos, salad, chip dip, etc.

Whipped Sweet Potatoes with Caramelized Apples

Ingredients

4 large sweet potatoes (3lbs)
3 Tb unsalted butter, softened
2 Tb heavy cream
1/2 c applesauce
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 apples, peeled and cored
3 Tb sugar

Preparation

Place sweet potatoes on a parchment-lined baking sheet; pierce each several times with a fork. Bake until very tender when pierced with a paring knife, about 50 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
Cut open potatoes and scoop out flesh into bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with paddle attachment. Add 2Tb butter and cream and beat until smooth. Add the applesauce and ginger. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to an oven-proof serving dish and bake at 375 F until heated through (10 minutes).
Cut the apples into 1″ pieces. Melt the remaining Tb butter in a non stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples and sugar; saute until golden and nicely caramelized, about 8 minutes. Top potatoes with apples and serve immediately. Serves 6.

Mexican Butternut Squash Soup

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

• 2  teaspoons  olive oil
• 2  cups cubed peeled butternut squash (about 3/4 pound)
• 1/2 onion-chopped
• 1  cup  chopped red or green bell pepper
• 1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles
• 1  teaspoon  dried oregano
• 1  teaspoon  chili powder
• 2 cans  vegetable broth
• 1  (15.5-ounce) can whole-kernel corn, drained
• 1 can black beans
  
• 2 TBL fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup  minced fresh cilantro

Preparation

Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add squash and next 5 ingredients (squash through chili powder); saute 2 minutes. Add broth, corn and beans; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 35 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in lime juice and cilantro.