Almond Coconut Candies

Yuu-uum! These are delish and my only note is that the recipe makes a lot so you should make sure you have neighbors or friends to share them with or you'll eat them all yourself.

Almond Coconut Candies

4-1/2 C powdered sugar

3 C flaked coconut

1 C sweetened condensed milk

1/2 C butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla

60 whole unblanched almonds

Frosting:

1-1/2 C powdered sugar

1/2 C baking cocoa

1/2 C butter, melted

3 Tbsp hot milk

In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Shape into 1-inch balls; place on greased cookie sheets. Press an almond on top of each ball. Chill for 1 hour.

Combine the frosting ingredients until smooth; immediately frost tops of candies. Chill until frosting is firm.

Store in the refrigerator.

Yield: 5 dozen

Altered from a recipe from Taste of Home.

White Chocolate Peppermint Trifle

I found the recipe for White Chocolate Mousse and decided to add peppermint and a few other ingredients and make a trifle for Christmas. It turned out yummy, but you'd probably want some sort of sweet bread or cake or something to go with it since it's really just a pudding consistency the whole way through.

First, you'll want to make the mousse... you can do this a day or two ahead if you want to.

White Chocolate Peppermint Mousse

Ingredients

3 C heavy cream
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
10 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions

The day before you plan to serve the dessert, in a small saucepan, heat the cream over medium heat just until it boils. Remove from heat and add peppermint extract and white chocolate. Stir with a whisk until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Cover and let cool in refrigerator overnight.

Remove the mixture from the refrigerator and use a hand mixer to whip it into fluffy soft peaks (this may take a few minutes). Return mixture to refrigerator until ready to use.


For the rest of the trifle, I just mixed two regular size packages of chocolate pudding and once it was set I mixed in half a package of crushed Oreo cookies and one package of crushed peppermint candy canes. Once everything is mixed, just layer the mousse and the pudding in the trifle bowl.

**The original recipe for the mousse had you add 1 cup of beaten egg whites and 4 tablespoons sugar to the cream mixture after it cools, but I didn't want the uncooked egg whites so I left that out, and the white chocolate really was sweet enough that I didn't think you had to add the extra sugar. It might be a good idea to add them if you're doing the mousse on it's own though.

Christmas Soup

Becky made this soup for dinner tonight and it was quite tasty. This isn't the best picture... It makes a pretty green soup with small pieces of red pepper, thus Christmas soup. :)

Christmas Soup

by Donata Maggipinto from Christmas Family Gatherings

Ingredients:

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 leeks, well rinsed and coarsely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

8 cups chicken stock or canned chicken broth

2 red potatoes, peeled and diced

2 large bunches broccoli (about 3 pounds total weight), trimmed and stems and florets coarsely chopped

1 1/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 to 3/4 cup heavy cream

1 large red bell pepper, finely diced

In a large pot over low heat, melt the butter with the olive oil. Add the leeks and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are very soft, about 15 minutes.

Add the stock and potatoes, increase the heat to medium, and cook, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Add the broccoli and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 1 cup of the Parmesan, the parsley, the red pepper flakes, and the salt and ground pepper to taste. Let stand for 3 minutes.

Working in batches, puree the soup in a food processor or a blender. Return the soup to the pan and whisk in the cream in a slow, steady stream. Rewarm the soup over low heat.

To serve, ladle the soup into serving bowls. Garnish evenly with the diced red pepper and the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.

Use star-shaped cookie cutters to make star croutons for floating on top.

Parmesan Herb Rolls

We made these tonight for Christmas eve dinner and they were so yummy! They take a little time to make but they're easy. And of course I didn't read the recipe all the way through before I started them so I didn't do the second rising time after the rolls were formed and they were still great.

Parmesan Herb Rolls

1/2 C butter

1 1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese

2 1/2 Tbsp Italian blend seasoning or herb garden seasoning (by McCormick)

2 (1-pound) loaves frozen yeast bread dough, thawed

Spray muffin cups with nonstick spray. Melt butter in a small bowl. In another small bowl, combine cheese and seasoning blend. Cut dough into 1-inch pieces. Roll each piece of dough in butter then in cheese mixture. Place 3 pieces in each muffin cup. Let rise in a war place, free fromd rafts, until dough doubles in size, about 2 hours.

Heat oven to 375˚. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool in pans for 2 minutes. Remove from pans and serve warm.

Made about 30-32 rolls.

Notes:

*Also delicious served cool.

*We used grated Parmesan for most of them and then shredded Parmesan for the rest because we ran out of the grated cheese but the grated cheese works, and looks, better.

Originally from Sandra Lee's Christmas magazine.

Southwestern Chicken and Bean Stew

1 cup dried pinto beans
cut up boneless chicken pieces (you decide how much, can use cooked or raw)
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup salsa - medium or hot if you like it spicy
1 (4.5 oz.) can chopped green chilies
1 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Place beans in medium bowl; add enough water to cover. Let stand overnight to soak.

Drain beans; discard water. Place beans and all remaining ingredients except cilantro in 3 1/2 to 4 quart slow cooker; mix well.
Cover; cook on low setting for 10-12 hours or on high for 8 hours.
To serve add cilantro, mix well.
Makes 6 (1 1/3 cup) servings

I made this the first time in Feb. of 2000 and I thought that since it was almost 9 years later Carrie wouldn't mind if we had it again...
This is pretty mild and could use some spicing up. I posted it because Danny asked about recipes using dry beans. Not that Danny ever reads the blog.

Chocolate Hazelnut Tarts

These are so tasty... especially the Hazelnut Mousse!

Chocolate Hazelnut Tarts

Tart Shell

* 4 T cocoa powder
* 1/2 C + 2 T cold butter, diced
* 5 1/4 T sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1 1/4 C flour
* 1 tsp baking powder
* pinch of salt

1. Place the butter, sugar and cocoa powder in a food processor and pulse until it resembles fine bread crumbs. Add the eggs, flour and baking powder and process until the mixture just comes together.
2. Lay the dough on to a lightly floured surface and knead into a disc measuring around 2 cm in height.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to rest.
4. Once the dough has rested, place the dough back on to a lightly floured surface and roll out until around 2 mm thick. Cut the dough such that it is at least 1 cm wider than the tart shell (which will form the wall of the tart).
5. Place the cut dough in the tart shells and allow refrigerate for another 1 hour.
6. When ready, bake the pastry for 10 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees. Once done, bake for another 5 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and allow to cool.


Hazelnut Mousse

* 1 1/2 C milk
* 5 1/4 T sugar
* 3 eggs
* 2 /12 T cornstarch
* 7 T Nutella
* 1/4 - 1/2 pint cream
* 1 packet gelatin

1. Mix the sugar and cornflour into a bowl and slowly add the eggs. Ensure that this is well mixed, removing and lumps.
2. Bring the milk to the boil. Once the milk is boiling, pour the milk slowly into the bowl with the egg mixture.
3. Pour the egg and milk mixture back into the pan and cook on medium heat for a few minutes until the custard becomes thick.
4. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Cover with a plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
5. When the custard has cooled, place the gelatin sheet in 1 cup of cold water to soften.
6. In the meantime, mix the Nutella with the custard using a whisk.
7. Semi-whip the cream.
8. Remove the gelatin from the water and heat in a microwave proof container for 15 seconds on high. Mix the gelatin with the custard.
9. Fold the custard into the semi-whipped cream.
10. Cover with plastic wrap until ready to use.

Chocolate Hazelnut Sauce

• 5 T Nutella
  
• 2 oz milk chocolate
• pinch of salt
• .5 oz bittersweet or dark chocolate
  
• 1/2 teaspoon light corn syrup
• 4 T crushed caramelized hazelnuts

1. Place all the ingredients in a microwave proof bowl and microwave in 20 second intervals on high until the chocolate has melted.
2. Add the caramelized hazelnuts.

Caramelized Hazelnuts

• 1/2 C sugar
• 3 1/2 T water
• 1 C toasted hazelnuts

1. Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a heavy based pan and let the temperature reach 240 degrees (using a candy thermometer)
2. Add the toasted hazelnuts and take the pan off the heat.
3. Mix the nuts until the texture changes to become sugary like and bring back the pan on the heat.
4. Mix carefully until the sugar turns into a golden caramel colour and place on a silpat or baking paper to cool.

To Assemble:

Spread chocolate sauce over top of tart shell and then top with hazelnut mousse. Garnish with leftover caramelized hazelnuts.


*Ok, so this recipe originally came from http://trissalicious.com/ but it was all metric and she had really weird measurements... she even gave the liquid measurements in grams so it was really hard to convert, but my version ended up being yummy so I'm ok with that haha! I also didn't caramelize the hazelnuts since I don't have a candy thermometer, but it was still yummy.

Grandma's Green Bean Casserole

Ok, I admit it. It's a casserole, not a bake. But it's also way better than the one with cream of mushroom soup. It doesn't turn out as well with frozen beans (at least not the regular cut ones. Maybe French cut frozen ones would work).

Grandma's Green Bean Casserole

2 T. butter

2 T. flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. white sugar

1/4 c. onion, diced

1 c. sour cream

3 cans (14.5 oz) French style green beans, drained

2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 c. crumbled Ritz crackers

1 T. butter, melted



1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Melt 2T. butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onions. Stir in flour until smooth, and cook for one minute. Stir in the salt, sugar, and sour cream. Add green beans and stir to coat.

3. Transfer the mixture to a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish. Spread shredded cheese over the top. In a small bowl., toss together cracker crumbs and remaining butter. Sprinkle over the cheese.

4. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is golden and cheese is bubbly.
From allrecipes.com

Maple Oat Chewies

1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter
1 Tablespoon molasses
2 teaspoons maple extract (I used Mapleine)
2 eggs
1 3/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups rolled oats (I used old fashioned)
2 cups crisp rice cereal (Rice Krispies)

Heat oven to 350. In a large bowl beat sugar, brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add molasses, maple extract and eggs; blend well. Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; mix until well blended. Stir in rolled oats and cereal. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheets. Bake at 350 for 7-8 minutes. Cool 2 minutes on cookie sheet; remove from cookie sheets. Makes 5 dozen cookies.

I made these tonight to take visiting teaching for a fall treat. Maple being one of the best flavors there is in the entire world, right up there with Rosemary and Cilantro, I knew these would be good. And they are. The recipe book says you can add 1 cup butterscotch chips with the oats and cereal but I don't like butterscotch chips so I will never do this. But you can if you like them.
Recipe from an old Pillsbury bake off pamphlet from 1989.

Autumn Spice Bread

This bread was a big hit with Joshie.  : )  It was originally called Chai-Spiced bread, but I changed the name so that nobody would think there was tea in the bread.  The recipe called for 1/2 c. of water or tea.  Obviously I used water.  If you don't like cardamom, you probably won't like this bread, but we think it's quite tasty. : )

Autumn Spice Bread
Bread:
3/4 C. granulated sugar
1/2 C. butter or margarine, softened
1/2 C. water
1/3 C. milk
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 C. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground cloves

Glaze:
1 C. powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
3 to 5 teaspoons milk
Additional ground cinnamon

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease bottom only of 8x4 or 9x5-inch loaf pan with shortening or cooking spray. 
In a large bowl, beat granulated sugar and butter with electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy.  On low speed, beat in water, milk, vanilla and eggs until ingredients are well combined (will appear curdled).  Stir in remaining bread ingredients just until moistened.  Spread in pan.
Bake 45-55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (do not underbake).  Cool in pan on cooling rack 10 minutes.  Loosen sides of loaf from pan; remove from pan to cooling rack or serving tray.  Cool 30 minutes.  In a small bowl, stir powdered sugar, vanilla and 3 teaspoons of the milk, adding more milk by teaspoonfuls, until spreadable.  Spread glaze ovcer bread.  Sprinkle with additional cinnamon.  Cool completely, bout 2 hours, before slicing.  Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 10 days.

Garlicky Broiled Salmon and Tomatoes

I made this weeks ago and it was mmm....mmm....good! The only thing I would change is broiling the tomatoes. I didn't like them broiled - 8 to 10 minutes was way too long and they were too mushy. I would either broil them only for a minute or two, or just serve them fresh sprinkled with olive oil and the thyme and garlic. Or maybe the broiling works better with store bought tomatoes since they're a little firmer. I dunno.

Garlicky Broiled Salmon and Tomatoes

4 6-ounce pieces salmon fillet
4 medium tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 teaspoon paprika, preferably hot
2 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt and pepper
8 sprigs fresh thyme
4 cloves garlic, sliced

Directions
Heat broiler.
Place the salmon and tomatoes, cut-side up, in a broilerproof roasting pan or on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle the salmon with the paprika.
Drizzle the salmon and tomatoes with the oil and season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Scatter the thyme and garlic over the top.
Broil until the salmon is opaque throughout and the tomatoes are tender, 8 to 10 minutes.

Recipe from RealSimple.com

White Chicken Chili

I made this chili for dinner tonight - we give it 4 out of 5 stars. It called for 1 can of diced jalapenos and 1 can of diced green chiles, but since we were serving this to the kids too, I just used 2 cans of green chiles. I also used a scant teaspoon of Cayenned pepper, for the same reason. Oh, and it originally called for 3 cups of chopped chicken, but I used 2 bags of shredded (2 cups) and I think one bag would've been fine. I served it with some baked tortilla strips that were leftover from the tortilla soup we had last week and I made corn for a side. Amelia added her corn to her soup. : )

White Chicken Chili

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers, undrained
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 (scant) teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 cup shredded cooked chicken breast
3 (15 ounce) cans white beans, undrained
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

DIRECTIONS
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Slowly cook and stir the onion until tender. Mix in the garlic, green chile peppers, cumin, oregano and cayenne. Continue to cook and stir the mixture until tender, about 3 minutes. Mix in the chicken broth, chicken and white beans. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove the mixture from heat. Spoon a little cheese on each serving. Serve warm.

Recipe from Allrecipes.com

Green Bean and Chicken Casserole

We made this on Sunday and everyone liked it. It was a good way to use beans fresh from the garden. I know we all have this new cookbook but Mandy doesn't and I think her kids might even eat this. So Mandy, this one's for you!

1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp. ground sage
1 cup herb-seasoned stuffing crumbs (Pepperidge Farm)
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into cubes (2 big boobs cubed :)
2 cups frozen or fresh green beans (thawed if frozen) (cleaned and snapped if fresh)

Heat oven to 375. Lightly spray 11x7 glass baking dish with cooking spray. In small bowl, mix soup, sage and milk until well blended. In another small bowl, mix stuffing and melted butter.

In baking dish, layer the chicken, green beans, cream soup mixture and stuffing mixture. Bake uncovered about 45 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center and the mixture is hot and bubbly.

We doubled this for a 13x9 pan but we still only used 2 big boobs. I think for the 11x7 pan you might be able to use only one (for a small family - if you happen to know one).
This recipe is from the Pillsbury Annual Recipes 2009, page 151

Zucchini Bread Tip

Just a quick idea for adding a different taste to zucchini bread. Don't get me wrong, we LOVE zucchini bread, but you know, after 2,000 loaves each summer, it's fun to change things up a little.
So I added the zest of one orange to Mom's recipe and it was fabulous! At least I think so. Maybe you will too.

Summer Pesto Sandwiches

This was a tasty sandwich that went together quickly. We made our own pesto with fresh basil from the garden and also used zucchini and tomatoes from the garden. Yum!

Summer Pesto Sandwiches

1 loaf French bread

1 C prepared pesto

3/4 lb thinly sliced deli turkey

1/2 lb provolone cheese, thinly sliced

2 small zucchinis, thinly sliced

2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced

Cut the top fourth off loaf of bread. Carefully hollow out the bottom, leaving a 1/2-inch shell. (Discard removed bread or save for another use.) Spread pesto on the inside of top and bottom of bread. Set top aside.

In bottom of bread, layer the turkey, cheese, zucchini, and tomatoes. Gently press the layers together. Replace bread top and wrap tightly in foil. Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. (I skipped the let stand step because we were running late for dinner - as usual. Just wear a hot pad on the hand that's holding the bread while cutting.)

Serves 6.

Altered slightly from Simple & Delicious.

Creamed Turkey with Puff Pastry

This was so fast and easy! And yummy!

Creamed Turkey with Puff Pastry

1 pkg (17.3 oz) frozen puff pastry

1 can (18.8 oz)chunky chicken corn chowder soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 C cubed cooked turkey

1 - 1 1/2 C frozen peas and carrots, thawed

4 oz cream cheese, cut into small cubes and softened

1/8 tsp pepper

Thaw one sheet of puff pastry according to package directions. Cut into six squares. Cut each square in half diagonally; transfer to two greased cooking sheets. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until cream cheese is melted. Serve over puff pastry triangles.

Serves 4.

**The original recipe is doubled and the author freezes half of it. To use the frozen half, thaw in refrigerator overnight. Thaw remaining puff pastry sheet and prepare as above. Heat soup mixture until bubbly and warmed through.

(I haven't tried this in the freezer and I'm not certain how the cream cheese would do but I might try it next time I make this.)

Originally found in Simple and Delicious.

Easy and Elegant Pork Tenderloin

I made this the other night and we all really liked it. I used Panko bread crumbs because I wanted to try them, and I really liked them. But I'm sure it'd be just as delish with regular bread crumbs. The tenderloin was also a little bigger than 2 lbs, and there was plenty of the bread crumb mixture for the whole thing.

Easy and Elegant Pork Tenderloin


2 C. Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 C. olive oil
2 pounds pork tenderloin

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Mix bread crumbs and olive oil in bowl to reach consistency that would be moist enough to stick to the meat when pressed. Place pork on a shallow cooking sheet. Press the crumb mixture onto all sides of the meat until there is no pink showing, usually about 1/4" thick.
Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees and there is no pink in the center when the pork is cut. Let the pork rest for 10 minutes, then cut into 1/2 inch slices.

Tomato Chip Casserole

I made this years ago and pretty much forgot about it till now, it's a great way to use up abundant tomatoes from the garden. Tonight I also added layers of sauteed yellow squash - also abundant this year. I think you can zucchini or onions or what ever you want. I sauteed the squashed first since this doesn't really bake, just heats up to melt the cheese.


Layer in a casserole dish:
Tomato slices
Shredded Cheese
Crushed Potato Chips
Repeat layers

Bake at 375 just until cheese is melted.

Heavenly Zucchini

So I didn't make up the goofy title for this, obviously. Perhaps we should call it something else? Anyway, it was really yummy and quick to prepare (It only took a few minutes to boil the zucchini even though they were whole).

Heavenly Zucchini
4 young zucchini (7 inches long)
1 c. saltine cracker crumbs
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. dried onion flakes
6 T. butter

Heat oven to 350.
Cook whole zucchini in boiling water until barely tender (pierce with a fork to test after a couple of minutes). Drain and cut in half lengthwise. Arrange cut side up in baking dish. Lightly salt.
Mix together cracker crumbs, Parmesan and onion flakes. Sprinkle over zucchini.
Melt butter and pour over zucchini and crumbs. Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly browned.

From The Daily Herald.

Ham and Pear Sandwich

One more pear recipe which is the recipe I needed the honey mustard for. :)

Ham and Pear Sandwiches

8 slices Italian bread

Honey mustard

1/2 lb Swiss cheese, sliced

2 large, firm but ripe Bartlett pears, cut into twelfths

3/4 lb thinly sliced ham (preferably Black Forest)

Spinach, de-stemmed, washed and dried

Lightly toast bread slices. Spread thin layer of honey mustard on all 8 pieces of bread. Top 4 sliced of bread with Swiss cheese. Place under broiler until the cheese is melted. Divide the pears, ham, and spinach into fourths. Place the pear slices on the melted cheese, top with ham then with spinach. Top with remaining 4 slices of bread. Slice each sandwich in half and serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Originally from www.calpear.com

Honey Mustard

I was trying a recipe tonight that called for honey mustard and as usual we don't have any (I don't know why I never remember to put that on the grocery list) so I found this recipe and made my own. I've also wanted a good honey mustard for dipping so I'm glad to have found this.

Honey Mustard

1/2 C Kraft mayonnaise (the creator of this says it works best with Kraft)

1/4 C yellow mustard

1/4 C honey

1 Tbsp rice vinegar (leave out if using for dip*)

1 dash salt

cayenne pepper to taste

Whisk together and chill.

Makes about 1 cup.

*I will use this as a spread and as a dip so I went ahead and put the vinegar in. When I dipped my finger in it was just fine. haha!

Originally found on recipezaar.com recipe #13228.

Lemon Juice

Alright, so this is a question for you all, not a recipe. I made lemon bars for FHE the other night using my usual recipe that I've used many times. The problem was that they didn't taste lemony. At all. This happened one other time when we were first married but I thought it was because I cut the recipe in half.
So, anyone have any sage advice on why they weren't lemony. I don't think the lemon juice is old (it's not expired). I did mix up the filling part and let it sit while the crust baked - could it be a bad reaction with the baking powder or some weird thing? Hmm... Any ideas?

Grilled Pears and Ham with Maple Glaze

This was another recipe to use some of the left over pears. I had to laugh because the recipe says to use 3/4 cup ground allspice! Wow! That would be around 4 jars!! So I adjusted to 3/4 teaspoon instead and it turned out great. I also substituted an ugly old cookie sheet for the serving platter. haha! :)

Grilled Pears & Ham with Maple Glaze

6 Tbsp maple syrup

1/4 C butter

2 Tbsp yellow mustard

3/4 tsp ground allspice

2 large, ripe Bartlett pears, cored and sliced 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick

4-6 individual ham steaks (or 2 large ones)

In a small saucepan, combine syrup, butter, mustard and allspice; bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and let cook for 5 minutes.

Cook ham steaks over medium coals and grill for 5 minutes on each side, brushing each side with glaze. Brush pears with glaze. When you turn the ham to cook the second side, add the pears to the grill and cook about 4 minutes, turning once. Ham and pears should be heated through and ham should be slightly browned.

Place ham on serving platter, top with pears and drizzle glaze over the top. Serve immediately.

*Pork chops may be substituted for the ham. Increase grilling time to 10-12 minutes per side.

Altered from recipe found on www.calpears.com

Yellow Squash and Tomatoes

This was a tasty way to serve some of the millions of pounds of yellow squash coming from the garden! And it uses fresh basil from the garden too. Yum! Also, I used grape tomatoes as the store didn't have cherry. BTW, I'm adding a category for yellow squash because come next summer, I want to just go right there when I'm deciding what to do with all the squash from the garden...

2 medium yellow summer squash, coarsely chopped

2 Tbsp olive oil

16 cherry tomatoes, halved

2 Tbsp minced fresh basil (or 2 tsp dried basil)

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp salt

In a large skillet, saute squash in oil over medium-high heat until tender. Add the tomatoes, basil, pepper and salt. Reduce heat to medium; cook 1-2 minutes longer or until heated through.

Serves 4.

Originally from Simple and Delicious

Croque Madame

This is a French sandwich. Basically it's just a Ham and Cheese with a fried egg on top... and it's best to use a fork to eat it. It's yummy!:)

Croque Madame

2 slices sandwich bread
3 slices Gruyere cheese (or Swiss)
3 slices deli ham
1 egg, fried
butter to taste

Layer cheese and ham between slices of bread. Melt butter in skillet and fry sandwich until golden brown. Top with fried egg.

Pear Croustade

We canned pears this weekend and had a few left over so I've been looking for recipes to use them in so they don't go to waste. This is a simple pie that's quite tasty. It's from the California Pears website which has lots of recipes that look good. If you're looking to use up some pears, check 'em out. :) Also, I didn't have any apricot preserves so I used peach preserves and that worked just great.

Bartlett Pear Croustade

Pastry for a single pie crust

4 ripe, but firm, Bartlett pears, peeled, cored, and sliced

1/4 C apricot preserves

2 Tbsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp cornstarch

3/4 tsp almond extract

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Topping

2 Tbsp flour

1 1/2 Tbsp butter, softened

1 Tbsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lay pastry flat on a large parchment-lined baking sheet and set aside. Place pears in a medium bowl and add preserves, brown sugar, cornstarch, extract and cinnamon; toss well to coat pears. Mound pears in the center of the pastry and gather up the edges to form a 2-inch rim of pastry around the outside. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, butter and brown sugar until crumbly; sprinkle over the opening of the pie and top with almonds. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool for at least 30 minutes to firm up the filling before cutting.

Coconut Lemonade

I didn't tell anyone that this was coconut lemonade, lest they all freak out, so most people tried it and liked it. ha ha! We used Coco Real Cream of Coconut to flavor it.

Coconut Lemonade

3 C warm water

2/3 C lemon juice

1/2 C sugar

2 Tbsp coconut beverage flavoring syrup, such as Monin or Torani, or cream of coconut

1/2 C frozen unsweetened blueberries

1/2 C frozen unsweetened raspberries

In a large bowl combine water, lemon juice, sugar, and coconut syrup. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours.

To serve, transfer lemon mixture to a serving bowl or pitcher. Add blueberries, and raspberries. Serve over ice.

Mango Lassi

This smoothie is dee-lish! We used to really big mangoes so if you use the regular size mangoes you might want to use 3.

Mango Lassi

2 mangoes

1 1/2 C vanilla yogurt

1/3 C sugar

1/2 C milk

5-6 whole strawberries, fresh or frozen

handful of ice

Peel, pit and cut up the mangoes. Blend all ingredients together in a blender until smooth.

Salmon Au Poivre

Dad likes it when Danny comes home to visit because we always have salmon. :) I thought we had a pepper cracker but we don't so I just used regular ground black pepper in a far smaller quantity. Also, the original recipe has you serve this over a salad but I was making a different salad for those who don't eat salmon so I just served the salmon alongside everything else.

Salmon Au Poivre

4 6-oz salmon fillets, skin removed

1/4 tsp salt

2-3 tsp cracked black pepper

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 C chicken broth

Sprinkle both sides of salmon fillets with salt. Lightly coat each side with cracked black pepper. In a large skillet cook salmon for 1 minute in hot oil. Turn salmon over; carefully add chicken broth. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until salmon flakes easily with a fork.

Optional Addition:

1 (5- or 6- oz) pkg torn mixed salad greens

1 C halved fresh strawberries

1/4 C bottled balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing

2 Tbsp honey

While salmon is cooking, divide salad greens and strawberries among 4 plates. Drizzle greens with salad dressing. Remove salmon from cooking liquid and place on greens; drizzle salmon with honey.

Serves 4.

Found in Better Homes & Gardens magazines (which is surprising b/c I don't usually care for their recipes...)

Banana Pancakes

These pancakes are yumalicious. They're really good with the buttermilk syrup and fresh blueberries. I think next I will try them with Mandy's blueberry breakfast sauce recipe in the family cookbook - I bet that would be scrumptious!

Banana Pancakes

1 C. all purpose flour
1 Tbsp white sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
1 C. milk
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 ripe bananas



Put the bananas in a medium size bowl and use an electric mixer to mash. Add the egg, milk and vegetable oil and mix to combine.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, white sugar, baking powder and salt.
Mix the dry ingredients to the banana mixture - batter will be slightly lumpy.
Heat a lightly oiled grille over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Cook until pancakes are golden brown on both sides; serve hot.



Recipe from Allrecipes.com

Mexican Hot Chocolate

I've decided to get rid of my "Creme de Colorado" cookbook because I've been disappointed in far more recipes than I've liked. It's big and bulky, and doesn't have many good recipes... it's time to go. So, I'm putting the one recipe I do like on here:

Mexican Hot Chocolate

1/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 C sugar

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

4 C milk, divided

1/4 C light cream (use cream not milk right here - it makes a difference!)

3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

Heavy cream, whipped

Chocolate shavings

In a small bowl, mix cocoa, sugar, and cinnamon. In medium saucepan, heat 1 cup milk until bubbly. Stir in cocoa mixture and whisk until smooth. Reduce heat to low and heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Gradually stir in remaining 3 cups milk and return to a boil. Blend in cream and vanilla. Remove hot chocolate from heat and whisk until frothy. Pour into cups and top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

Serves 4

**Do NOT double.

Blueberry-Lime Granita

Blueberry-Lime Granita

2 cups blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon grated lime rind
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
3 cups lemon-lime soft drink, chilled
Garnish: lime rind twists (optional)

Puree blueberries blender until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Add sugar, lime rind, and lime juice; process until well blended. Add the lemon-lime soft drink and mix until well combined. Pour into an 11- x 7-inch baking dish. Stir in soft drink. Cover and freeze 8 hours. Remove from freezer; let stand 5 minutes.
Chop mixture into large chunks, and place in food processor in batches; pulse 5 to 6 times or until mixture is smooth. Serve immediately, or freeze until ready to serve. Garnish, if desired.
-Southern Living

**I took a fork and just scraped the frozen mixture to make it like an Icee texture. That was lots easier than breaking it up and putting it back in the blender.

The flavor of this granita is really strong so I suggest serving it with vanilla ice cream. I even mixed mine into the ice cream to tone it down a tiny bit. I liked it best with two parts ice cream and one part granita. Mix well! The flavor is yummy... but strong!:)

Chicken Divan Soup

Chicken Divan Soup

1-2 C cubed, cooked chicken breast (or shredded)

1 tsp onion powder

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp olive oil

3 C chicken broth

1/8 tsp pepper

1 (10 oz) can condensed broccoli cheese soup

1 (10 oz) pkg frozen chopped broccoli

1 C shredded Swiss cheese

In large saucepan, cook chicken, onion powder, and garlic in olive oil for 2 minutes. Add broth, pepper, and condensed soup; stir well. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Cool completely. Place in rigid containers or gallon size zip-top freezer bag. Attach package of frozen broccoli and bag of shredded cheese. Wrap, label, and freeze.

To Serve: Thaw. Place soup and broccoli in saucepan and heat over medium-low until soup simmers. Add cheese and stir for 2-3 minutes, until cheese melts.

From: The Everything Meals for a Month Cookbook

Cannellini Chicken Soup

This is another yummy recipe from "The Everything Meals for a Month Cookbook" which is the best freezer cookbook I've found so far.

Cannellini beans are white kidney beans. I used them this time but they're a bit pricey so in the future I'll try Great Northern or Navy beans. Also, as I was adding the Cannellini beans to recipes I noticed that they seem to be a bit more delicate than some other beans which may not be in their favor...

Cannellini Chicken Soup

1 C shredded chicken breast (or cooked, cubed)

1 tsp onion powder

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp butter

3 carrots, sliced

4 C chicken broth

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp white pepper

1/2 tsp marjoram

2 (16 oz) cans cannellini beans

1/2 C shredded Parmesan cheese

In large saucepan, cook chicken, onion powder, and garlic in olive oil and butter for 2 minutes. Add carrots; cook and stir 4-5 minutes. Add broth, salt, pepper, and marjoram and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Cool completely. Drain and rinse beans and stir into chilled soup. Pour into gallon size zip-top freezer bag. Attach a small bag with Parmesan cheese. Label and freeze.

To Serve: Thaw. Pour into large saucepan or stockpot and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until heated through. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.

From: The Everything Meals for a Month Cookbook

Many Bean Chili

This is a meatless chili. I haven't tried it after it's been frozen but it was really tasty immediately after I made it today. :) I'm posting the recipe now because I'll forget by the time we actually eat it. Plus that will be midterms or paper-writing or finals time so I won't have time... which is the whole point of doing these freezer meals anyway, right?

Many Bean Chili

1 tsp onion powder

5 cloves garlic, minced

3 carrots, sliced

3 Tbsp olive oil

2 (15 oz) cans black beans, rinsed

1 can cannellini beans, rinsed

1 can red kidney beans, rinsed

2 (14 oz) cans petite diced tomatoes, undrained

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp dried basil leaves

1 Tbsp chili powder

1/2 tsp marjoram

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 (12 oz) can corn, undrained

In a large stockpot, cook onion, garlic, and carrots in olive oil until crisp-tender. Drain rinsed beans well and add to stockpot with remaining ingredients except corn. Bring to a boil; then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Cool completely. Stir in corn. Pour into gallon size zip-top freezer bag. Label and freeze.

To Serve: Thaw. Remove bay leaf. Pour into large saucepan or stockpot and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until heated through.

From: The Everything Meals for a Month Cookbook

Juciest Hamburgers Ever

O.k., I didn't name these the "juciest ever" but they are really yummy and moist. Unless you char them, then I suppose you can make them dry. : ) Anyway, I got the recipe from Allrecipes.com. You could easily add or subtract spices according to your tastes. Yum yum!
I also cut it in half because the original recipe was for 8 servings.

Juiciest Hamburgers Ever

1 pound ground beef
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons dry
bread crumbs
1 tablespoon and 1-1/2
teaspoons evaporated milk
1 tablespoon Worcestershire
sauce
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 clove garlic, minced

Directions:
1. Preheat grill for high heat.
2. In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, evaporated milk, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper, and garlic using your hands. Form the mixture into 4 hamburger patties.
3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill patties 5 minutes per side, or until well done.
Serves 4

Texas Beef Skillet

This is very easy as well and it gets rave reviews. Actually, I think this is a favorite. It uses instant rice because you can't freeze regular rice very well but for whatever reason the instant freezes fine.

Texas Beef Skillet

1 lb ground beef

3/4 C chopped onion

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1 (16 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (15 oz) can red kidney beans, undrained

3/4 C quick cooking rice

3/4 C water

3 Tbsp chopped green pepper

1 C shredded cheddar cheese

In a large skillet cook ground beef and onion until beef is browned and onion is tender; drain off fat. Sprinkle meat mixture with chili powder, garlic, and salt. Stir in tomatoes, kidney beans, uncooked rice, water, and green pepper. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.

When completely cool, place in freezer bag, add the cheese, label and freeze.

To serve: Thaw. Place in a casserole and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until warmed through.

Serve with tortillas or cornbread.

Taco Chili

This is decidedly the easiest freezer meal I've made and everyone likes it. It's very similar to Taco Soup but has a couple different ingredients and obviously isn't as soupy.

Taco Chili

1 lb lean ground beef, browned and drained

1 envelope taco seasoning

1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes, undrained (I used petite diced tomatoes b/c they were on hand)

1 (15 oz) jar salsa (any kind you like)

1 (15 oz) can corn, undrained

1 (16 oz) can kidney beans, undrained

1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

On hand:

Sour cream

Shredded cheese

Tortilla chips

Mix all ingredients (except "on hand" items) in a large bowl. Pour into gallon freezer bag. Seal, label, and freeze.

To serve: Thaw overnight in fridge. Heat in large pan until hot and bubbly. Top each serving with sour cream, cheese, and chips.

You can also add a can of green chilies and black olives (before you freeze it) if you wish.

Harvest Chowder

This soup is good for a fall day.

Harvest Chowder

1 C. ham, diced

1/2 C. onion, chopped

1 C. water

2 1/2 C. potatoes, bite sized pieces

2 C. corn (16 oz can)

1 C. milk

1 C. shredded cheddar cheese

1 C. carrots, sliced

Pepper & salt to taste

parsley or chives-garnish

Brown ham & onion.

In large pot combine: ham, onion, potatoes, water & carrots

Cook on Med. until potatoes are tender. Add milk, corn, salt & pepper.

Add cheese. Stir constantly until melted.

**make it suit your tastes; add a little more or less of any ingredient to make it your way.

Garnish with grated cheese, parsley or chives

To freeze simply place in air-tight container or Ziploc bag. Thaw and reheat when ready to eat.

Taco Soup

This is so easy and gets good reviews. You do have to keep a few add-ins on hand but nothing that takes time to prepare the day of.

Taco Soup

1 lb Ground beef (turkey or chicken)

1 med. onion

1 pkg Taco seasoning

1 can diced tomatoes (14 oz)-DON'T drain

1 can kidney beans (16 0z) DON'T drain

1 can whole kernel corn (16 oz) DON'T drain

1 can tomato sauce (8 oz)

1 can Garbanzo beans-DON'T drain

1 can Black beans-don't drain

Brown ground beef. Drain. Add all ingredients to large pot and bring to a boil. Simmer 20 min.

Tortilla chips or Frito chips

Cheese

sour cream

Guacamole

olives

*whatever toppings you love*

To serve:

place chips in bottom of bowl. Ladle soup over chips. Top with whatever you love!

Split Pea Soup with Ham

It's freezer meal time again so I'm going to try to post some of the recipes we've tried and liked as I go today. You may have some already but just in case you don't here they are...

This one is easy and smells great (which, I'll be honest, surprised me a little!)

Split Pea Soup with Ham

10 C water

4 C split peas

1 C ham, diced

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp marjoram, crushed

1 bay leaf

1 C celery, chopped

1 C onion, chopped

1 C carrot, sliced

Rinse peas; combine peas, water, ham, salt, pepper and marjoram in large stock pot. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, simmer (don’t boil) for 1 1/2 hours. Stir occasionally. Add celery, onion, and carrots. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.

Cool completely. Label gallon size freezer ziploc bags. Ladle into bags and freeze. (One recipe will make 2 gallon size bags of soup.)

Thaw and heat until warmed through.

Chinese Noodle Chicken

We tried this when our kids were all excited to try chopsticks. Those weren't as fun as they thought but the food was good!

Chinese Noodle Chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 T. oil
1/2 c. sliced onion
2 c. broccoli florets
2 carrots, julienned
2 c. snow peas, optional
4 c. Chinese noodles
1/4 c. Teriyaki sauce

Cook noodles according to package directions.
In a large skillet, brown chicken in oil, stirring frequently until juices run clear.
Add the vegetables. Cover skillet and steam for 2 minutes or until cooked.
Add the noodles and Teriyaki sauce. Warm through and serve.

From allrecipes.com

Refried Beans Without the Refry

In the ongoing quest to find good recipes for food storage items, I came across this one on allrecipes.com. I think they're really good, much better than canned refried beans! I've also frozen extras and they've thawed out well.

Refried Beans Without the Refry
1 onion, peeled and halved (I just sprinkle onion powder in)
3 c. dry pinto beans, rinsed
1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced, optional (this doesn't make it spicy, just adds a little flavor)
2 T. minced garlic
5 tsp. salt
1 3/4 tsp. black pepper (I only use 1 tsp.)
1/8 tsp. ground cumin, optional
9 c. water

1. Place the ingredients in a slow cooker and stir to combine. Cook on High for 8 hours, adding more water if needed.
2. Once the beans have cooked, strain them and reserve the liquid. Mash the beans with a potato masher (or fork if you don't have one) adding the reserved liquid as needed to attain desired consistency.

Turkey Pesto Panini

I had some left over pesto and this recipe uses a whole 4 teaspoons of it so naturally I had to try it. Well, and because I'm a sandwich lover...

Turkey Pesto Panini

2 Tbsp fat-free mayonnaise (I use light because it's much better than fat-free...)

4 tsp basil pesto

8 thin slices sourdough bread

8 oz sliced deli turkey

4 thin slices provolone cheese

1 tomato, sliced

Cooking spray

Combine mayonnaise and pesto, mixing well. Spread 1 tablespoon onto each of 4 bread slices; top each slice with turkey, cheese, and tomato. Top with remaining bread slices. Spray each side of sandwich with nonstick cooking spray. (Spray one side, place on hot panini grill* face down then spray the other side.) Close grill and cook for 3 minutes or until golden brown.

*If you don't have a panini grill, cook the sandwiches on a griddle or in a skillet and place a heavy skillet on top of the sandwich while it cooks. Flip the sandwich halfway through so that each side browns nicely.

Makes 4 sandwiches.

Originally from "Cooking Light."