So, I didn't put the old girl out of business, and am I ever glad. She is pretty handy to have around. The Martha Stewart show came on yesterday. I don't usually watch it (I miss the old, curt version of Martha, so I prefer her pre-jail show.), but yesterday she was a re-run, and she was making these cookies. I had tried them before and I loved them, so I decided to share the recipe. If you love citrus or shortbread, these are the cookies for you. They are simple, easy, and have the fabulous, bright flavor of fresh lime. Of course you could use whatever citrus you prefer, and they will be just as good. Next time I'm doubling and freezing half for later. Hope you likes:
Lime Meltaways from Martha Stewart (makes @ 3 dozen)
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
Finely grated zest of 2 limes
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
Put butter and 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Add lime zest and juice and vanilla, and mix until fluffy.
Whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt in a bowl. Add to butter mixture, and mix on low speed until just combined.
Divide dough in half. Place each half on an 8-by-12-inch sheet of parchment paper. Roll in parchment to form a log 1 1/4 inches in diameter, pressing a ruler along edge of parchment at each turn to narrow log. Refrigerate logs until cold and firm, at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove parchment from logs; cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Space rounds 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake cookies until barely golden, about 13 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool slightly, 8 to 10 minutes. While still warm, toss cookies with remaining 2/3 cup sugar in a resealable plastic bag. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 weeks.
Friday, August 29, 2008
My Picky Eater Loves This!
I found this recipe when I was doing freezer meals. I still occasionally make double and freeze one because Kylie loves eating this. You'll notice some freezer instructions, so if you're interested, undercook the noodles, add the cornstarch, and plan ahead. I don't thaw it, just bake straight from frozen. It'll take a little while longer, of course. A couple things about this one . . . the last time I made this, I had been eating very poorly, so I decided to cut back. I used reduced fat sour cream and cream cheese, and though it still got eaten, it was not as yummy. What can I say except that a higher fat content makes me happier. Also, this recipe gives you instructions for building your own red sauce. Usually when I've made this, I skip all that and just use a jarred sauce that I doctor up just a bit. Whatever you prefer. I think you'll really like it.
Sicilian Dinner - serves 8
(I have no idea why it's Sicilian, but I didn't name it, so just go with it!)
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
2 cups elbow macaroni
8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, cubed
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup sour cream
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
Preparation:Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown ground beef and onion in heavy saucepan, stirring to break up ground beef. Add green bell pepper when beef is almost cooked; continue to simmer until beef is done. Drain well. Add tomato paste, tomato sauce, water, and dried Italian seasoning and stir well to blend. Let simmer for 10 minutes to blend flavors.
Meanwhile, cook elbow macaroni as directed on package. While macaroni is cooking, combine cream cheese and milk in medium bowl. Cook in microwave on medium power for 2-3 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking. Remove from microwave and stir with wire whisk until sauce thickens and blends to form a smooth sauce. Drain noodles and add to cream cheese sauce along with sour cream and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese; stir to combine.
In 2 quart casserole dish, place all of cream cheese mixture. Top with all of the ground beef mixture and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes until casserole is bubbly.
To freeze, add 1 Tbsp. cornstarch to the cream cheese sauce. Prepare casserole as directed, except instead of baking, chill in refrigerator. Wrap well and freeze up to 3 months. To thaw and reheat, thaw casserole overnight in refrigerator. Bake, covered, for 25-35 minutes 5 minutes longer until bubbly.
Sicilian Dinner - serves 8
(I have no idea why it's Sicilian, but I didn't name it, so just go with it!)
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
2 cups elbow macaroni
8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, cubed
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup sour cream
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
Preparation:Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown ground beef and onion in heavy saucepan, stirring to break up ground beef. Add green bell pepper when beef is almost cooked; continue to simmer until beef is done. Drain well. Add tomato paste, tomato sauce, water, and dried Italian seasoning and stir well to blend. Let simmer for 10 minutes to blend flavors.
Meanwhile, cook elbow macaroni as directed on package. While macaroni is cooking, combine cream cheese and milk in medium bowl. Cook in microwave on medium power for 2-3 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking. Remove from microwave and stir with wire whisk until sauce thickens and blends to form a smooth sauce. Drain noodles and add to cream cheese sauce along with sour cream and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese; stir to combine.
In 2 quart casserole dish, place all of cream cheese mixture. Top with all of the ground beef mixture and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes until casserole is bubbly.
To freeze, add 1 Tbsp. cornstarch to the cream cheese sauce. Prepare casserole as directed, except instead of baking, chill in refrigerator. Wrap well and freeze up to 3 months. To thaw and reheat, thaw casserole overnight in refrigerator. Bake, covered, for 25-35 minutes 5 minutes longer until bubbly.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Chicken w/Black Beans and Cream Cheese
I got this recipe from Recipezaar. http://www.recipezaar.com/89204
You can dump everything except the cream cheese into a gallon sized ziploc bag and cook from frozen if you want to do it ahead, but it's just as easy to do it on the fly. These are crockpot directions, but I just do it stove top with a lid, and it doesn't take that long. Throw the cream cheese in the last half hour and stir when it's done.
Ingredients:
4-5 boneless chicken breasts
1(15 1/2ounce)can black beans, drained
1(15ounce)can corn or 1 1/2 c frozen corn
1(15ounce)jar salsa, any kind
1(8ounce)package cream cheese
Take frozen, boneless chicken breasts put into crock pot with beans, corn, and salsa.
Keep in crock pot on high for about 4-5 hours or until chicken is cooked.
Add 1 package of cream cheese (just throw it on top!) and let sit for about 1/2 hour.
You can either shred the chicken, cube it, or leave it whole. Serve as filling for soft tacos, over rice, over pasta……..LOTS of possibilities. You could change the types of beans to meet your families taste buds!
You can dump everything except the cream cheese into a gallon sized ziploc bag and cook from frozen if you want to do it ahead, but it's just as easy to do it on the fly. These are crockpot directions, but I just do it stove top with a lid, and it doesn't take that long. Throw the cream cheese in the last half hour and stir when it's done.
Ingredients:
4-5 boneless chicken breasts
1(15 1/2ounce)can black beans, drained
1(15ounce)can corn or 1 1/2 c frozen corn
1(15ounce)jar salsa, any kind
1(8ounce)package cream cheese
Take frozen, boneless chicken breasts put into crock pot with beans, corn, and salsa.
Keep in crock pot on high for about 4-5 hours or until chicken is cooked.
Add 1 package of cream cheese (just throw it on top!) and let sit for about 1/2 hour.
You can either shred the chicken, cube it, or leave it whole. Serve as filling for soft tacos, over rice, over pasta……..LOTS of possibilities. You could change the types of beans to meet your families taste buds!
Ready, Set, Bloat!
Kerilee mentioned that she had made this one day, so I looked it up, and sure enough, I gained 10 pounds just reading the list of ingredients. Man is it Yummy! I've only made it once, but I think I could think of a few ways to make it a little less guilt inducing the next time around. Maybe less bacon (!), swapping the cream for half and half (I don't know. Sometimes that just doesn't cut it...), and sacrificing a bit of butter. But then again, it was pretty good as written, so why not just grab some Tums and try it? I will say that I don't own a crock pot, so I just cooked the chicken stovetop with the marinade in a dutch oven, and it didn't take anywhere near 6 hours. You could also grill the chicken and cut it into chunks. Or whatever you like. Let me know if you try it and how you do it. Enjoy!
Garlic Chicken Farfalle, from http://www.beckyhiggins.com/ by way of Kerliee
16-oz. Farfalle pasta (bow-tie)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3-4 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp. pepper (or less)
1/2 cup butter
1 lb. bacon, crumbled*
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 (12-oz) Lawry's Mesquite Marinade with Lime Juice (I have used KC Masterpiece Chipotle with Lime and also KC Masterpiece Mesquite - both equally good)
*Bake the bacon on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees for abut 20 minutes.
Crock pot chicken and bottle of marinade on low for 6 hours. Pull marinated chicken out of the juices, allow to cool a little bit, and shred. Set this aside. About a half-hour before serving, boil the pasta. In a small saucepan, melt butter, add garlic, whipping cream, pepper, parmesan cheese, and crumpled bacon. Whisk together on low heat for 3-4 minutes. In a large bowl, pour over cooked, drained pasta, add chicken and stir through. Sprinkle a little bit more shredded parmesan cheese on top.
Garlic Chicken Farfalle, from http://www.beckyhiggins.com/ by way of Kerliee
16-oz. Farfalle pasta (bow-tie)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3-4 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp. pepper (or less)
1/2 cup butter
1 lb. bacon, crumbled*
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 (12-oz) Lawry's Mesquite Marinade with Lime Juice (I have used KC Masterpiece Chipotle with Lime and also KC Masterpiece Mesquite - both equally good)
*Bake the bacon on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees for abut 20 minutes.
Crock pot chicken and bottle of marinade on low for 6 hours. Pull marinated chicken out of the juices, allow to cool a little bit, and shred. Set this aside. About a half-hour before serving, boil the pasta. In a small saucepan, melt butter, add garlic, whipping cream, pepper, parmesan cheese, and crumpled bacon. Whisk together on low heat for 3-4 minutes. In a large bowl, pour over cooked, drained pasta, add chicken and stir through. Sprinkle a little bit more shredded parmesan cheese on top.
Oriental Cabbage/Noodle Salad
This recipe is from my friend Jessie. She says it makes quite a lot, so half it if you don't want to feed a crowd. Sounds yummy!
Oriental Salad
1 head of shredded cabbage (I like my cabbage really shredded into thin pieces)
1 bunch chopped scallions
Put cabbage and scallions in bowl first and then add remaining ingredients
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup sliced almonds
2 pkgs. Ramen noodles- beef flavored (NOT cooked)... Crush and add the noodles, not the beef flavoring…that is for the dressing. **
1 green pepper, chopped
1/2 lb chicken, cooked and diced, (you can omit the chicken, or use more or less, depending on what you want)
**If you are making it for a big group I would go ahead and add the noodles but if you are just making it for the family I would just sprinkle them on your individual plates b/c if you have leftovers and the ramen noodles are in the salad they get soggy overnight and are not good the next day.
Dressing (add at least ½ - 1 hour before serving)
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
½ c. oil
1/3 – ½ cup sugar
beef packets from Ramen noodles
salt and pepper to taste
Oriental Salad
1 head of shredded cabbage (I like my cabbage really shredded into thin pieces)
1 bunch chopped scallions
Put cabbage and scallions in bowl first and then add remaining ingredients
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup sliced almonds
2 pkgs. Ramen noodles- beef flavored (NOT cooked)... Crush and add the noodles, not the beef flavoring…that is for the dressing. **
1 green pepper, chopped
1/2 lb chicken, cooked and diced, (you can omit the chicken, or use more or less, depending on what you want)
**If you are making it for a big group I would go ahead and add the noodles but if you are just making it for the family I would just sprinkle them on your individual plates b/c if you have leftovers and the ramen noodles are in the salad they get soggy overnight and are not good the next day.
Dressing (add at least ½ - 1 hour before serving)
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
½ c. oil
1/3 – ½ cup sugar
beef packets from Ramen noodles
salt and pepper to taste
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Okay, I'm not a foodie, but I'd still like to eat.
Once upon a time I imagined I'd put Martha out of business. I'd have a sparkling, tastefully appointed home, perfectly mannered children, and I'd make fabulous meals 3 times a day. There would be no leftovers because noone would be able to get enough of these insanely delicious concoctions. But we'd never get fat. Then I got married, realized I was a slob, not that creative, can't bestow manners I don't have upon my children, and, to be perfectly honest, I'm usually in a cooking slump. I love to cook, in theory. Playing around with new recipes, exotic ingredients, the latest gadgets and the best equipment would be heaven. The problem is many-fold. There's the budget issue to content with. (Sorry, filet mignon, but it'll have to be a long distance romance. ) Then energy, time, space, and reality . . . in no particular order. So, I get stuck cooking the same 3 or 4 things over and over again.
This must happen to lots of us. I know it does, because there are only about a gazillion websites, books, and tv shows devoted to great recipes. Recently I was part of a group of women who would make, freeze, and exchange family sized meals each month. It was so great to have a bank of meals in the freezer, but the group has fizzled. Too much wasted food, picky kids, picky husbands, sick of casseroles, just want to take a break. I totally get it. Yesterday, while speaking to some of the girls who had participated along with several who hadn't, several alternative ideas were proposed to the meal swapping group. One was a recipe swap. I love it, and I'm desperate, so here's what I've decided to do:
I already blog now and again, so I thought I would start a second one just for food. I'll post recipes I'm trying and how they turn out, and I'd love your suggestions too. If you have any recipes you love, are planning to try, want to know if someone else has tried, or if you're looking for a great recipe for something in particular, email me at jessicabedwell@gmail.com and I'll post it to the blog. No rules. Breakfast, lunch, brunch, dinner, dessert. Anything you please. My hope is that this will be a resource for me (and you, presumably), to help me from getting so bored with my usual handful of recipes, and to keep me from turning to McDonald's for support. In reality, they only have a few recipes too, so that only helps for a night or two. So, here goes . . . I look forward to making all your fabulous recipes and passing them off as my own, so thanks in advance!
So, just to prove this could be mutually beneficial, here's my first "new" recipe. This is something I remember having as a kid, I think. I have a hard time getting my daughter to ingest anything but rice and candy, so I thought if we made meatballs that contain rice, we might have a winner. It's still cooking, so I'll let you know tomorrow how it goes. I ripped this one off my sister's meal group recipe site. Thanks Ginger.
Porcupine Meatballs
1 ½ lbs hamburger
¾ cup uncooked regular rice
¾ cup water
1 med, chopped onion
1 ½ tsp salt
¾ tsp celery salt
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp pepper
1 large can tomato sauce or spaghetti sauce
1 ½ cup water
3 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Mix hamburger, rice, ¾ cup water, onion, salt, celery salt, garlic powder and pepper. Shape mixture by rounded tablespoonfuls into balls. Place in 9X13 dish.
Mix remaining ingredients, pour over meatballs. Cover and cook at 350 degrees for 45min-1 hour. Uncover and cook 15 minutes longer.
I'm taking the liberty of adding that I'm serving these over rice. I don't want to push my luck with this kid tonight.
This must happen to lots of us. I know it does, because there are only about a gazillion websites, books, and tv shows devoted to great recipes. Recently I was part of a group of women who would make, freeze, and exchange family sized meals each month. It was so great to have a bank of meals in the freezer, but the group has fizzled. Too much wasted food, picky kids, picky husbands, sick of casseroles, just want to take a break. I totally get it. Yesterday, while speaking to some of the girls who had participated along with several who hadn't, several alternative ideas were proposed to the meal swapping group. One was a recipe swap. I love it, and I'm desperate, so here's what I've decided to do:
I already blog now and again, so I thought I would start a second one just for food. I'll post recipes I'm trying and how they turn out, and I'd love your suggestions too. If you have any recipes you love, are planning to try, want to know if someone else has tried, or if you're looking for a great recipe for something in particular, email me at jessicabedwell@gmail.com and I'll post it to the blog. No rules. Breakfast, lunch, brunch, dinner, dessert. Anything you please. My hope is that this will be a resource for me (and you, presumably), to help me from getting so bored with my usual handful of recipes, and to keep me from turning to McDonald's for support. In reality, they only have a few recipes too, so that only helps for a night or two. So, here goes . . . I look forward to making all your fabulous recipes and passing them off as my own, so thanks in advance!
So, just to prove this could be mutually beneficial, here's my first "new" recipe. This is something I remember having as a kid, I think. I have a hard time getting my daughter to ingest anything but rice and candy, so I thought if we made meatballs that contain rice, we might have a winner. It's still cooking, so I'll let you know tomorrow how it goes. I ripped this one off my sister's meal group recipe site. Thanks Ginger.
Porcupine Meatballs
1 ½ lbs hamburger
¾ cup uncooked regular rice
¾ cup water
1 med, chopped onion
1 ½ tsp salt
¾ tsp celery salt
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp pepper
1 large can tomato sauce or spaghetti sauce
1 ½ cup water
3 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Mix hamburger, rice, ¾ cup water, onion, salt, celery salt, garlic powder and pepper. Shape mixture by rounded tablespoonfuls into balls. Place in 9X13 dish.
Mix remaining ingredients, pour over meatballs. Cover and cook at 350 degrees for 45min-1 hour. Uncover and cook 15 minutes longer.
I'm taking the liberty of adding that I'm serving these over rice. I don't want to push my luck with this kid tonight.
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