Ranch dressing/dip

Ranch Dip

Ingredients

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon dried chives
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, chives, parsley, dill, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

Note:  use butter milk in place of sour cream for Ranch dressing.

This is A LOT cheaper than making the store bought ranch packet, and just as good if not better.

Hawaiian Meatballs

1 pound ground beef

½ cup breadcrumbs, moistened with milk (I’ve never moistened them with milk)

1 beaten egg

1 clove garlic, pressed

2 tsp. dry mustard

1/3 tsp. ginger

½ tsp salt

1 TB soy sauce

Form 1 inch meatballs and sauté until brown in:  2 TB oil. 

Have a paste of the following ready:

                2 TB cornstarch

                ½ cup chicken broth

                2 TB soy sauce

Melt in a heavy pan:

                2 TB butter

                Add: 1 cup chicken broth

                         ¾ to 1 cup diced green peppers

                        6 slices pineapple, diced (I use pineapple chunks or tidbits)

Cover and let simmer 5 minutes)

                Add the cornstarch paste and the following ingredients to the peppers and pineapple:

                                ½ cup vinegar

                                ¾ cup pineapple juice

                                ½ cup sugar

                                ½ tsp salt

                                ¼ tsp ginger

                Simmer  stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens.  Serve with Rice.

 

English Muffin Bread

We LOVE this bread!  We use it for french toast and breakfast sandwiches and just about anything else you may need bread for.  We've tried several English Muffin Bread recipes and this one tops them all.  It freezes nicely...in case you like to make all your bread at once as I am prone to do.

Ingredients

• 5 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups warm milk (120° to 130°)
• 1/2 cup warm water (120° to 130°)
• Cornmeal

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, yeast, sugar, salt and baking soda. Add warm milk and water; beat on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat on high for 3 minutes.
• Stir in remaining flour (batter will be stiff). Do not knead. Grease two 8-in. x 4-in. loaf pans. Sprinkle pans with cornmeal. Spoon batter into the pans and sprinkle cornmeal on top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes.
• Bake at 375° for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans immediately and cool on wire racks. Slice and toast. Yield: 2 loaves.
  

Buttery Soft Pretzels

• 4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup baking soda
• 4 cups hot water
• 1/4 cup kosher salt, for topping

Directions

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add one or two tablespoons of water. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water.
4. When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and twist into a pretzel shape. Once all of the dough is all shaped, dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution and place on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, until browned.

Navajo Tacos

We've had Navajo tacos before, however we've never made them until tonight.  Stuart found a fabulous recipe online that actually gives the story behind Navajo Fry Bread as they call it.  If you'd like to see the site, click HERE. 

Navajo Fry Bread:

1 cup unbleached flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon powdered milk
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup water
Vegetable oil for frying

Sift together the flour, salt, powdered milk, and baking powder into a large bowl. Pour the water over the flour mixture all at once and stir the dough with a fork until it starts to form one big clump. 

 

Flour your hands. Using your hands, begin to mix the dough, trying to get all the flour into the mixture to form a ball. NOTE: You want to mix this well, but you do NOT want to knead it. Kneading it will make for a heavy Fry Bread when cooked. The inside of the dough ball should still be sticky after it is formed, while the outside will be well floured.

 

Cut the dough into four (4) pieces. Using your floured hands, shape, stretch, pat, and form a disk of about 5 to 7 inches in diameter.   

 

Heat the vegetable oil to about 350 degrees F. Your oil should be about 1-inch deep in whatever you choose to fry your bread in.

 

Take the formed dough and gently place it into the oil, being careful not to splatter the hot oil. Press down on the dough as it fries so the top is submersed into the hot oil. Fry until brown, and then flip to fry the other side. Each side will take about 3 to 4 minutes. 

Making it into Navajo Tacos:

We made Chili with small red beans and no meat (this was one of our meatless meals) so just use your favorite recipe for chili.  We then added lettuce, tomato, cheese and sour cream to taste.  It was WONDERFUL!  We quadrupled the recipe, however each fry bread is enough for one person.  It's very filling!

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

This dish is SOOOOO good! I hope you like it as much as Garrett and I do!

the filling:
2 cloves garlic
10 oz. spinach
4. oz sun-dried tomatoes
4 oz. goat cheese
4 oz. cream cheese
1/2 c. sour cream

with a little olive oil, sautee garlic and chopped (or frozen) spinach until nearly cooked through. add chopped sun-dried tomatoes. in a bowl, mix goat cheese, cream cheese, and sour cream together until smooth. add spinach + sun-dried tomatoes to your creamy mixture.

then you'll need a pork tenderloin - i think ours was close to 3 pounds? i really can't remember. but it was big. so if you use a smaller one, you will probably only need about half of the filling.

cut your tenderloin open so it lies flat, rather than as a roll. (i should've taken a picture of how we did it - it's a little hard to explain. but you guys are smart, so i'm sure you could figure it out). pat the pork dry, then place on a baking sheet. spread the mixture across the pork. then roll the tenderloin up like a jelly roll, keeping the mixture enclosed. secure the pork with toothpicks or cotton strings (that's what we used - you can kind of see them in the picture).

brush the top of the pork with olive oil, and lightly sprinkle salt and pepper atop.

bake at 400 degrees, until the internal heat of the pork is 155 degrees. (you'll need a meat thermometer). i think we baked ours for about an hour. like i said, i should have paid better attention. if you overcook your pork, it will end up being dry and not as delicious. so at about 40 minutes, check your pork with your meat thermometer and keep an eye on it. cooking time will also depend on how much meat is being cooked, so it may vary.

Italian Nachos

I got this recipe from Mom, and I've heard that Alice's family loves them and Hannah's doesn't. We fell into the "love" category.

Italian Nachos

Pasta Chips
12 wonton wrappers (we got egg roll wrappers and just cut them)
1 egg white, frothed
1/2 teaspoon oregano or Italian seasoning mix

Nachos
1/2 lb Italian sausage, cooked an crumbled
1 (10 oz) container refrigerated four cheese pasta sauce or Alfredo sauce
1/2 cup chopped tomato
1/4 cup sliced green onion
1 (2 1/4 oz) can sliced ripe olives
2 tablespoons pickled jalapeno peppers, chopped (more to taste) or banana peppers, chopped
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Directions:

Cut wontons into 4 triangles each and toss lightly in olive oil.

Cover a cookie sheet with a single layer of wontons. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with oregano or Italian seasoning.

Bake at 400 degrees for 6 minutes or until lightly browned.

Meanwhile, heat the sauce, brown the italian sausage and drain fat.

On a platter layer the pasta chips, sausage and sauce. Top with the tomato, onions, olives and peppers. Finish with shredded cheese and red pepper glakes.

Place in warm oven for 5 minutes to melt cheese and serve.


*We didn't have jalapenos or red pepper flakes, and we don't like olives so didn't use any of these. We also thought it would be good with chicken.

Snickerdoodle Blondies

After checking out the www.rookie-cookie.com that Hannah suggested I found these. And since I was feeling "inspired" to make an FHE treat I made these. I think she said she made these tonight too. They are WONDERFUL! It doesn't help that my favorite cookies are Snickerdoodles.

Snickerdoodle Blondies

2 2/3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
a pinch nutmeg

Set oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 inch pan with non-stick spray. Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and set aside.

In large bowl, beat together butter and brown sugar for 3-5 minutes. Add in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla, and beat until smooth. Stir in the flour mixture until well blended. Spray your hands with non-stick spray and gently press the batter into the pan. Combine the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a little bowl. Evenly sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over the top of the batter.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until surface springs back when gently pressed. Cool before cutting.

Restaurant Teriyaki Sauce

We have a recipe for Teriyaki Sauce, however Stuart couldn't find it tonight and since I was on my way home from Laramie and couldn't help him he found this one. It was FANTASTIC! Our other recipe tends to be a little salty, and this one isn't at all.


This recipe makes approximately 4 1/2 cups, approx.


Ingredients

* 3/4 cup soy sauce
* 3 cups water
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
* 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
* 15 tablespoons packed brown sugar
* 3-6 tablespoons honey
* 6 tablespoons cornstarch
* 3/4 cup cold water

Directions

1. Mix all but cornstarch and 1/4c water in a sauce pan and begin heating.
2. Mix cornstarch and cold water in a cup and dissolve. Add to sauce in pan.
3. Heat until sauce thickens to desired thickness.
4. Add water to thin if you over-thick it .

Bread....with no milk, or oils

A friend gave me this recipe. It's wonderful...well technically I've never made it but I have eaten it and it's great!

10 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
3 Round Tbl spoons of saf-instant yeast
3 Tablespoons of honey or Lecithin
4 cups hot tap water

Mix dry ingredients. add honey and water. Mix for 1 min and check consistency. Add Flour or Water as needed. Mix for 5 more min. Spray counter and pans with pam. Shape loaves and cover with a dish towel. Let raise for 25 min. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 min. This recipe makes four loaves of bread.

For Wheat bread use the same recipe but add one cup of applesauce as aprt of the hot tap water. Mix for 10 min.

Mango Upside Down Cake

I got this recipe from one of my new favorite sites. Here is the link in case you want to check it out too.

www.rookie-cookie.com

Mango Upside Down Cake

2 mangoes, peeled
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar (preferably dark brown sugar)
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 2/3 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk

Set oven to 350 degrees. Trace the bottom of a 9 inch round cake pan onto a piece of parchment paper. Cut the circle out. Spray the bottom and sides of the pan with non-stick spray. Put the parchment circle in the pan. Spray the parchment. Set aside.

Slice the mangoes into thin strips and set aside.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Once melted, add the brown sugar and the mangoes. Gently stir. Cook until the mixture is bubbling and the brown sugar is melted. Cook for 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove the mangoes and put into a bowl. Continue cooking brown sugar and butter mixture until it is a thick syrup, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Using tongs, gently place the mangoes in a single layer on the bottom of the sprayed pan. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add the butter and sugar and cream together using a hand mixer. Once light and fluffy, add the eggs and vanilla. Mix well. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture to the batter in three parts, alternating with the milk in two parts.

Gently pour batter over the mangoes in the prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cake cool in pan on wire rack for 30 minutes. Invert cake onto a cake plate and pour remaining brown sugar syrup over the top. If the brown sugar syrup is too thick to pour, reheat it for a minute or two on the stove top.

Texas Chili Dogs

1 lb. bottom round steak, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
2 TB vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 TB chili powder
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup chili sauce (you can find this by the ketchup and hot sauce at the store)
2 TB yellow mustard
2 TB hot sauce (optional)
1 TB Worcestershire sauce

Also: 8 hotdogs, 8 hotdog buns, shredded Cheddar Cheese

Process the steak in a food porcessor until finely ground. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the ground steak, onion, garlic, chili powder and cloves and cook until the meat is no longer pink, about 5 minutes, breaking up any large pieces with a wooden spoon. Stir in the ketchup, chili sauce, mustard, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium low and cook until thickened, about 30 minutes. Serve over hotdogs.

Note: If you don't have a food processor, or don't want to bother, it works well to just dice the meat with a knife. You will want the pieces pretty small though.

Amish Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients:
1 pound sliced bacon, diced
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
6 eggs, lightly beaten
4 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 1/2 cups small curd cottage cheese
1 1/4 cups shredded Swiss cheese

Directions:
In a large skillet, cook bacon and onion until bacon is crisp; drain. In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; stir in bacon mixture. Transfer to greased 9x13 baking dish.
Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until set and bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

My modifications:
Instead of frozen hash browns I made my own by just grating the potatoes. I also used only Cheddar Cheese since that's what I had on hand. I sprinkled over the top onion powder and garlic powder; I thought this tasted fantastic...no one else noticed the powders.

This got 6 thumbs up here!

Pizza Chicken Bake

This is FABULOUS! Phillip had 4 servings...WOW!

Pizza Chicken Bake

3 1/2 cups uncooked bow tie pasta
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup sliced mushrooms (I used a can of mushrooms)
1 jar (26 oz) herb-flavored spaghetti sauce
1 teaspoon pizza seasoning blend (I didn't have this so didn't use it)
3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, quartered
1 cup (4 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2-quart round casserole with nonstick cooking spray.

Cook pasta according to package directions unitl al dente. Drain and place in prepared dish

Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add mushrooms; cook and stir 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in spaghetti sauce and pizza seasoning.

Pour half of the spaghetti sauce mixture into casserole; stir until pasta is well coated. Arrange chicken on top of pasta. Pour remaining spaghetti sauce mixture evenly over chicken.

Bake, covered, 50 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in centers. Remove from oven; sprinkle with cheese. Cover and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe says it serves 4....I used a box of bow tie pasta from Walmart and used 5 small pieces of Chicken that we broiled for 15 minutes while the pasta was cooking. The chicken was only a little pink when we put everything in the oven. I also used about half of the cheese in the spaghetti sauce mixture and put the rest on top. We only baked it for about 30 minutes because the chicken was almost done. It was Awesome!