Cool Whip Candy

My child has made this post difficult but I will try to see if I can eek it out before he turns the computer off beneath my feet. This recipe is a very easy and yummy mint truffle (or omit the mint if you don't like it). I have had this recipe for a long time and I love it. I made them again for a shower the other day...

• 8 oz Cool Whip, thawed
  
• 3 Large Hershey's Milk Chocolate bars, around 12-13 oz.
• 3/4 tsp mint extract
  
• 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs

Break up the chocolate bars into squares, put in a microwave safe dish and melt on half power for 30 second intervals, stirring after each time, until you have a smooth and creamy bowl of melted chocolate, but don't overdo it.

Stir into cool whip in a larger bowl. Stir in mint extract to taste. Again, don't overdo it. :) Refrigerate of freezer shortly until the mixture is pretty firm and can be scooped into small balls. Drop about a tablespoonful at a time into graham crumbs and shape into balls. Place of waxed paper and chill until ready to serve.

Shrimp and Cheesy Grits

We love grits and southern food, and we also love seafood, so this dish was an instant classic. Tyler loved it, and so did I. Pretty easy too.

• 2 red and/or yellow sweet peppers
• 1/2 cup quick cooking hominy grits
• 1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend (2 oz.)
• 1-1/2 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails intact
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup cilantro sprigs
• 1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
• Lemon wedges and cilantro sprigs, optional

Directions

1. Halve, seed, and coarsely chop peppers. In medium saucepan heat 1-34 cups water to boiling. Stir in grits and peppers. Return to boiling. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 5 minutes, until most water is absorbed and grits are tender. Stir in cheese. Sprinkle salt and pepper. Cover; keep warm.

2. In bowl toss shrimp with chili powder. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp. Cook and stir 3 to 4 minutes or until shrimp are opaque.

3. In food processor combine remaining oil, cilantro, vinegar, and 2 tablespoons water. Drizzle over shrimp and grits. Serve with lemon and cilantro. Makes 4 servings.

Guest Chef - My Big Brother.

I just received one of the best emails ever. My big brother, actually really big brother (he is 6'7"), emailed me, sheepishly requesting to be a part of our fantastic blog. He sent the following awesome recipe and four great photos (of which I will only be posting one for the sake of space). So this is a really simple recipe (besides milking the cow part) for making your own butter. What a man, right? Making his own butter. I am impressed. I have been wanting to do this for a while now, but have been too intimidated by the process. So, ladies and any other men we have secretly reading this blog, I hope you enjoy this recipe from a gourmet construction worker. Feel free to comment in an effort to make our newcomer feel welcome.

Welcome Edward!

Homemade Butter

I have been following this blog for months now. Both secretly and publicly and I came up with a recipe finally that I don't usually mess up. So here it is.

There are a couple ways to make your own butter it is so easy a construction worker can do it. First if you have raw milk then you skim the cream off the top. If you don't have raw then you can buy 1-2 cups heavy whipping cream, or double cream (1/3 liter) (preferably without carrageenan or other stabilizers). I have seen this at the store, so it is available.

Next you put it into a blender and walk away or watch it spin if you like that too. it will go for about ten min and you will hear the change when the cream turns to butter. Turn off the blender and let the buttermilk separate from the butter. The butter will be a faint yellow color.

Slowly drain the buttermilk into another jar or Tupperware(you can save this for making buttermilk pancakes or bread, recipes online)

add one cup of ice cold water and blend again for 3-5 min. Drain-but don't save. Do this repeatedly until drained water is almost clear.
Then take a clean dry cloth towel place it over a mixing bowl. pour the contents of the blender into the the towel, lift up on the towel, the last of the moisture will drain through the towel into the bowl.

finally bring the towel around the almost solid butter and slowly squeeze the remaining moisture out your butter. take the butter out of the towel, add about a 1/2 a teaspoon of salt roll up your sleeves and knead that salt deep throughout the butter.

Now that you have this beautiful ball of butter you can form it into sticks and then put it in the fridge or put it on some fresh baked bread.
should make about one cup of butter and one cup of buttermilk! Home made with no waste!


2 cups cream
1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)


Enjoy!

Spaghetti With Sweet Potatoes and Ricotta

Real Simple magazine had a great article last month with dinners for a whole month with pictures and grocery lists. Because it was out of our budget to buy the ingredients for all of them (and Jared won't let me bring seafood within a mile of our kitchen) we have chosen two a week. I would never have thought to pair sweet potatoes and pasta, but this one was definitely a winner:

Serves 4Hands-On Time: 25mTotal Time: 25m

Ingredients

• 12 ounces spaghetti (3/4 box)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 small sweet potatoes (about 1 pound), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 shallots, sliced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan (1 ounce)
• 1/3 cup ricotta

Directions

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve 1⁄2 cup of the cooking water. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the potatoes, 3⁄4 teaspoon salt, and 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add the shallots and rosemary and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Toss the pasta with the potato mixture, Parmesan, and the reserved cooking water. Dollop with the ricotta before serving.

By Sara Quessenberry, October 2009

for more info and nutritional info go here

Tomato Soup(s)!

I have two Tomato Soup recipes, and they need to be shared.

This first one is wallet-friendly and probably kinder on the waistline than the second recipe I'll share. Thanks be to Hannah, who shared it with me and made Winter 2008 all that more bearable because of it.

2 28oz cans tomato(1 sliced, 1 crushed)
2 C. water
2 chicken bouillon cubes
3/4 C. diced onion
1 1/2 tsp. basil
1 clove garlic

Dice the onions and simmer in about 1 tbsp butter, add garlic at the end of simmering. Add the rest of the ingredients. and mix and simmer.

White sauce:
2 Tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
2c. milk

Melt butter in a small saucepan and add flour, salt, and pepper. Mix well and add milk (to mix in the milk, you may want to take it off the stove) mix well, getting out
most of the lumps. Simmer until the sauce thickens (about 5 min.) and to tomato mixture.

Dumplings:
2c. four
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/3 c. water
1 tsp oil

Mix well (doing this by hand works best)
and roll into quarter sized balls and add to soup. cook the soup 7-10 minutes more to cook the dough. Serve bowls of soup with a few dumplings in.


The second comes to your courtesy of my sister-in-law, Liz, who got the recipe from Hollywood Juice Cafe. Probably the last place you'd expect a delectable soup recipe to come from, but don't sell it short before you've had a sip. It's a heavy, creamy soup, so it's not exactly Weight Watchers material, but it's delicious. I get enough for at least 6 overly-healthy servings by cutting this recipe in half. With no further ado:

5 cups water

½ can marinara/spaghetti sauce (Costco can: 105 oz/6lb 9 oz) = 50 oz or 3-3½ lbs. total

5 cups half’n’half

5 cups heavy whipping cream

½ can pumpkin (the 29 oz can) or 1 small can (15 oz)

6 chicken bouillon cubes

A few shakes o’ garlic powder

A few shakes o’ paprika

Combine and stir all ingredients in large pot over med-high heat. I like to lower the heat and let it simmer for a while and thicken up…

I hope these recipes gear you up for a delicious Autumn and Winter.

delicious pumpkin dip

1 package of cream cheese

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup pumpkin pie filling

1 tsp vanilla

mix until creamy and smooth.

serve with apple slices. DELICIOUS.

everyone should check out my bff caitlin's vegan blog!

http://venividiveganed.blogspot.com/

she does a great job!

Cranberry Pumpkin Bread

Cranberry Pumpkin Bread

4 eggs
2 cups pumpkin puree
1 cup vegetable oil
4 cups sugar
4 ½ cups flour
2 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
4 cups cranberries, fresh (chop in food processor)

Preheat oven to 350
In a bowl combine eggs, pumpkin puree and oil. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Add cranberries and mix well. Divide dough into 2 big loaf pans, and 1 small one . Bake for 50 minutes

World's Best Zucchini Bread

I always have thought it is quite audacious when people try to say a recipe is the "world's best" because who really has the authority to make such a claim? So I will not try to pretend to have such authority, but I was seriously this close (imagine my thumb and pointer finger coming almost totally together) to doing so in respect to this recipe. It really is that delicious.

Not only is it the perfect snack or dessert, it fills your home with cinnamon, nutmeg and bread baking in the oven aromas that cannot be duplicated. In the Fall (like right now) it also makes a perfect housewarming or "just thinking about you" gift for those you love or maybe just like.

Without further adieu, here you are, compliments of the Lion House:

Zucchini Bread

3 C flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t cinnamon
3 eggs
1 C oil
2 C sugar
1 T vanilla
2 C zucchini, grated
1 C walnuts (optional)
(*I add a sprinkling of nutmeg as well)

Grease well large 8x4 inch loaf pan or 2 small 7x3 inch loaf pans. Set aside. In large bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, & cinnamon (& nutmeg). Set aside. In separate mixing bowl, beat eggs until light & foamy. Add oil, sugar, vanilla, & zucchini; mix well. Add flour mixture and mix just until moist. (Overmixing causes tunnels & coarse texture.) Fold in nuts Pour into prepared pan or pans. (Pans should be about two-thirds full.) Bake at 325 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes for large loaf or 35 minutes for small loaves, or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Do not overbake. Serves 10 to 12.

Greek Salad

Ok, so I know summer is pretty much gone, but this is still such a great, fresh salad to have as a snack or on the side for dinner. Off the top of my head, here's what I put in it:

tomatoes

Black olives (whole)

Cucumbers

Red onions

Feta Cheese

Add olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Garlic if you want too.

( I crumble the feta cheese.)

Mix in a bowl and it's ready to serve.

*some people add lemon juice and a little bit of oregano too. Whatever you like!

Jane's French Bread

Here is my aunt Jane's recipe for easy white french bread. I just made it for my first time and it was delicious!

1/2 C warm water mixed with: 2 T yeast, 1 T sugar

Stir together 3 C white flour, 1 T salt, and 2 C hot water with a wooden spoon. Then stir in the yeast mixture and add 3 more cups flour. Stir until the flour is all incorporated and then lest rest in the bowl. Leave the spoon in the dough and let rest, covered. Stir down the dough after it has risen, let it rest again and repeat 4 more times.

Preheat oven to 450. Divide dough into two rectangles and roll like jelly roll. Place loaves on a greased cookie sheet. Let rise until double in size. Slash tops and brush with beaten egg white, then sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake 25-35 minutes.

I would keep an eye on it a rotate the pan so the loaves brown evenly. It only took about 20 minutes for my loaves to bake, so be aware that you may not need the full time.

Double Whammie

First order of business: Gwyn did me right. Her chicken and potatoes recipe was a hit (see her video a few posts down). Loved by me, by Jared, and, most importantly, by our dinner guests. I didn't have fresh herbs, but it was still super flavorful. To compensate I put extra rosemary on top of the chicken. Amazing how much cutting the spine and thigh bones out quickened the cooking time. Can't wait to make this again soon.

Secondly: wanted to spice up our routine and do something a little bit different with our chicken. So I made these chicken nuggets from allrecipes.com. They were super good and besides the butter (which could be substituted for olive oil) they are pretty healthy. Two favorite things about this meal - one, I made bread crumbs from leftover dinner rolls from the night before and, two, you can calculate the recipe for any amount of servings on the allrecipes website: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Baked-Chicken-Nuggets/Detail.aspx I will definitely be using this one again.

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 2/3 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1/3 cup butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Cut chicken breasts into 1 1/2 inch size pieces. In a medium bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, cheese, salt, thyme and basil. Mix well. Put melted butter/margarine in a bowl or dish for dipping.
3. Dip chicken pieces into the melted butter/margarine first, then coat with the breadcrumb mixture. Place well coated chicken pieces on a lightly greased cookie sheet in a single layer, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

xoxo, elle

Bajio Chicken

Bajio Chicken

5 chicken breasts
1/2 cup salsa
1 Tbsp cumin
1/2 cup brown sugar (more to taste, I added at least an extra 1/8 cup)
1 4 oz. can diced green chilies
6 oz. Sprite (1/2 can)

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on low for 5-6 hours. Remove chicken and shred. Return to crock pot and cook 1 more hour. Thicken the juices with a little cornstarch mixed in water.
Serve with flour tortillas, lettuce, cheese, black beans and any other taco fixings.

If you want it spicier rather than sweeter add a hotter salsa and more green chilies.

love, Heather

Yum

I canned a batch of apple butter a week or two ago, and the result is so good, I want to share the recipe. It made 12 half-pint jars for me. All that is needed is a 5 minute dunk in a waterbath canner, so this is not difficult to can. I am planning on giving this out as Christmas gifts...

Appalachian Apple Butter

6 lbs unpeeled granny smith apples, cored and cut into eights
3 C apple cider
3 C firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp salt

In a large stainless steel pot, combine apples and cider. Boil reduce heat and cover. Simmer til apples are mushy, about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain liquid and puree. I used an immersible hand blender for this part, but you could use a food processor or normal blender. Make sure your blending obliterates all of the peels. In a clean pot, add the pureed apples the brown sugar, spices and salt. Stir well and simmer over very low heat, uncovered til quit thick, about 1 1/2 hours, stirring often. Remove from heat and ladle into hot jars. wipe rims, seal with two part lids and process in a water bath for 5 minutes each batch.

The recipe says to wait a month before eating, but we opened them right away. It was still really yummy but next jar it had been about 2 weeks and it definitely tasted better so I recommend waiting!

Recipe By Gwyneth

Our guest celebrity chef will be my dear, wish-she-was-my-friend Gwyn. For some reason I have always trusted Gwyneth Paltrow and so even though I have not yet made this recipe I wanted to share. It looks so fresh, easy, and yummy. She has some other great recipes on her website goop.com. I am making this dish this week for some friends so I will report back.




xoxo, elle

Chocoate Zucchini Cake

One more yummy thing to do with zucchini!

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups regular all-purpose flour, unsifted
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 cup soft butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 teaspoons grated orange peel
• 2 cups coarsely shredded zucchini
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• Glaze (directions follow)

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

1 Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, soda, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.

2 With a mixer, beat together the butter and the sugar until they are smoothly blended. Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition. With a spoon, stir in the vanilla, orange peel, and zucchini.

3 Alternately stir the dry ingredients and the milk into the zucchini mixture, including the nuts with the last addition.

4 Pour the batter into a greased and flour-dusted 10-inch tube pan or bundt pan. Bake in the oven for about 50 minutes (test at 45 minutes!) or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes; turn out on wire rack to cool thoroughly.

5 Drizzle glaze over cake.

Glaze: Mix together 2 cups powdered sugar, 3 Tablespoons milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until smooth.

delicious, easy roast beef sandwiches

Ok, I made these for Nick the other night and he said he hadn't had a philly cheese steak sandwich that good since he ate one in San Francisco. They were SUPER SUPER easy and it only took about 10-15 min to make. Here's the recipe off the top of my head:

Hoagie Buns

4-6 Provolone cheese slices

3/4 lb of Roast Beef

Italian Dressing

1-2 medium yellow onions

Chop your onions (length way) so they are thin and round ( like onion rings)... you can slice them in half so they're not round. ( did that make sense?)

Spray pan with Pam and grill your onions. ( no need to season them really. Add a bit of salt if you want.)

Throw your roast beef slices in the pan with the grilled onions. ( Heat up meat for your sandwich).

In the mean time, get a cookie sheet, cut your hoagie buns down the middle.... Spread some Italian dressing on the bread ( like you'd make any other sandwich.) Place in oven on BROIL for about 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, place roast beef, onions, and a slice or two of provolone cheese on top of bread (per sandwich.) Place back in oven for about a minute until cheese is melted.

(you can add grilled bell peppers.... or tomatoes and lettuce if you wish!)

Serve and eat immediately. Seriously, SO good and SO easy.

love, Heather

Banana Oat Shake

I found this on a blog and I love it, it fills me up until well into the afternoon. Sometimes I add strawberries or other fruit to mix it up, but I like it straight up with banana too.

1/2 c. plain vanilla yogurt
1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. oats
1 banana, cut in fourths
2 t. honey
2 t. ground flax seed (i add this for my omega-3)

Enjoy!

Per Alpha's Request

Got together with such a great group of people last night and made mozzarella cheese and then made pizza with it. Got this pizza crust recipe from Elaine, I adore it, and, after last night, some other people do too. So here you go Alpha and others. No rising time necessary. Enjoy!

1 pkg dry yeast [=2 1/4 tsp]
1 c. warm water
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil [or olive oil]
2 1/2 c. flour

directions:dissolve yeast in warm water, then add oil to water.combine dry ingredients.add water to dry ingredients. beat vigorously 20 strokes.let rest 5 mins.

bake 20-25 mins at 425 degrees

Fresh Strawberry Bars and Hello

Hi everyone, I'm Robyn. I'm Ellen's cousin (by marriage) and I was excited to see this blog. I'm a stay at home mama, I love to blog, I love cooking and am excited to share recipes with you girls. I've already seen some yummy ones on here that I want to try.

Here is another way to use up strawberries... or an excuse to buy the flat! I made these bars for book club when I hosted at my house the other night, and they were a huge hit. Girls even asked to take some home for their husbands. Perfect for me, since I didn't feel compelled to devour the rest of them the next day! It's like a peanut butter blondie with a big dose of summertime on top. They're great because I usually have all the ingredients on hand...

The only notes I have for the recipe is to be sure and use freezer jam, and also, I used crunchy peanut better because that was all I had, but I think it gave the crust more texture, so I used it again the next time, too. I think you could bake a little longer than the time required, depending on how things are looking. I also served it with some fresh whipped cream on top.

Fresh Strawberry Bars (via BHG magazine)

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup strawberry jam
  
• 4 cups small whole strawberries, halved or quartered

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 13x9x2-inch baking pan with foil, extending foil beyond the edges. Set aside.

2. In large mixing bowl beat butter and peanut butter on medium to high for 30 seconds. Beat in sugars, baking powder, and salt until combined. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until combined. Beat in as much flour as you can with mixer. Stir in remaining flour.

3. Spread dough in prepared pan. Bake 25 minutes or until top is lightly browned and toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.

4. Cool completely on rack. Remove from pan by lifting foil. Spread jam and top with berries. Cut into bars. Serve at once or refrigerate up to 6 hours. Makes 24 bars

Nutrition Facts

Calories 225, Total Fat (g) 10, Saturated Fat (g) 5, Monounsaturated Fat (g) 4, Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 1, Cholesterol (mg) 33, Sodium (mg) 143, Carbohydrate (g) 30, Total Sugar (g) 18, Fiber(g) 1, Protein (g) 4.

Easy, Healthy Dinner

There is nothing I love more than a simple, inexpensive, healthy dinner. It really doesn't get simpler than this. This recipe is kind of an obvious one, but we love it so much I wanted to share it any way.


Sweet & Sour Chicken Bowl


chicken breast (however much you want)
brown rice
brocolli
pineapple tidbits
sweet & sour sauce (we love this kind - plus it is only $2)

optional:
onion
peppers


Cut up chicken into cubes and cook in frying pan with olive oil. Meanwhile, cook rice on stove or in rice cooker. Steam brocolli and cook whatever other veggies you want to add in. Put rice in bowl, add chicken, brocolli, pineapple, and other veggies and pour on sauce. Voila! That's it.

**Tip for buying chicken: buying organic or all natural chicken really is more economical. Have you ever noticed how regular chicken seems to shrink when you cook it? It is because regular chicken is generally smaller because they don't let the chickens grow to full size before they kill them so they end up pumping it with saline to make it appear bigger. I noticed this on my own and then had it confirmed when Jared worked for Winder Farms and they used it as a selling point for their organic chicken. Not to mention it tastes better and you can feel better when you eat your chicken knowing that was treated well!

double stuffed sweet potatoes

• pre heat oven to 350/400 (whatever you think best)
  
• cut sweet potatoes in half and brush with olive oil
  
• when they are nice and soft take them out and spoon out the inside
• put in plastic bowl
• add in a couple spoonfuls of cream cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• a little bit of curry powder
• a sprinkling of anise seeds
• mix it up
  
• put back in potato skins
• sprinkle cut chives on top
• put back in oven for a little bit
• serve with plain greek yogurt, black beans and rice, and some sparkling water and you are set!
  

seriously SO good.

tasty chicken burritos

2-4 frozen chicken breasts 
1 Cup salsa
1 Cup chicken broth
1 can corn (drained)
1 can black beans (drained)
package taco seasoning (if you're just using 2 ckn. breasts, the don't use the whole package)

place everything in the crockpot and cook on low 4-6 hrs. ( or if you're in a hurry... on high for 2.5 - 3 hours) 
Serve like a burrito in a flour tortilla with cheese and sour cream

( I also serve it with avocado and I squeeze a bit of lime on my burrito) 

feeds 4-6 people

( not spicy. very tasty.) 

Help!

Dear Recipe Friends:

I need cooking help. Jared and I are having a couple and their little girl over from our ward tonight for dinner and I'm not sure what I should cook. I don't know them very well so I need to cook something that is pretty mellow-tasting (not too spicy or too risky, etc.), but that is healthy and that a 2 year-old would also like. Any ideas??

I know that you guys are up to the challenge (that is, if my cooking friends actually check this blog periodically).

Thanks!
Elle

Melt-in-your-mouth Strawberry Muffins

So because Heather has already shared two awesome recipes, I started to feel like a slacker so I'm sharing a recipe I tried out over the weekend. Jared's dear mother and sister stayed with us over the weekend so I was excited to try out this healthy muffin recipe I found very unexpectedly on the foil of our organic, Stonyfield yogurt tupperware. 

I am not a huge muffin fan, but this recipe looked fruity and moist enough for my liking. Not to mention, I always buy a few more strawberries than I ever end up eating so I figured this would be a good way to make use of them. These muffins really did melt in my mouth, just for the record. 

Enough talk, here is the recipe: 

Ingredients: 

1 c all-purpose flour

1 c whole wheat flour

1/2 c sugar

1-1/2 t baking soda

2 eggs

1 cup Stonyfield Farm yogurt (or any vanilla or plain yogurt, I'm sure)

1/4 c butter, melted

1 t vanilla

1 cup chopped strawberries, fresh or frozen

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. In a bowl, mix together flour, sugar, and baking soda. In another bowl, mix eggs, yogurt, butter and vanilla. Toss strawberries into the flour mixture. Then pour yogurt mixture into flour mixture and stir. Spoon batter into greased muffin tin. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until tops are golden brown. Yields: 12 muffins

Nutrition facts: 

Calories 150

Calories from fat 45

Total fat 5g

Carbs 24g

Protein 4g

Fiber 2g

Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Lettuce

Spinach

Avocado

2 cans mandarin oranges

Mushrooms

8 oz bacon cooked, dried & chunked 

2 hard boiled eggs

Dressing:

(sooo yummy) 

1/2 C sugar

1 tsp. Dry mustard

1 tsp salt

1/2 C olive oil

1/2 C veg oil

1/2 C vinegar

1/4 C grated onion

blend and add 1 1/2 tsp poppy seeds

love, heather ferg

Almond Milk

1 cup almonds (soak them the night before to get rid of the enzyme inhibitors!)
3 cups milk

you can sweeten it with...

1 vanilla bean (take out the seeds)
and/or
1 banana
and/or
3-5 soft pitted dates
and/or
honey/agave

*feel free to add cinnamon or nutmeg etc.

directions:

• blend water and almonds together until smooth
• strain the mixture
• put the milk back in the blender and add your sweetener

The milk will keep in the fridge for 3-5 days. Shake often.

Eleanor's Red Lentil Dahl

Sweet Eleanor posted this recipe on Facebook so I am transferring it here to its rightful home. Thanks, Eleanor!

Red Lentil Dahl 

9 oz. split red lentils (you want the small, thin kind b/c they cook faster)
2 medium onions, finely chopped
3 oz. butter
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium carrots, peeled and very finely chopped
2 tsp. whole cumin seeds
2 tsp. whole mustard seeds
1 Tbsp. ground turmeric
1 can (400 ml) coconut milk
7-8 thin slices of ginger, unpeeled
1-1.5 lb. tomatoes, peeled and roughly chopped (or 1 large can chopped tomatoes)
juice of 1 large lime
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro 

In a deep skillet, fry onions in butter until pale golden. Add half the garlic, the carrot and the whole spices and cook gently for 5 minutes. Stir in the turmeric and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the lentils and 10 fluid oz. water or chicken broth, coconut milk, ginger, tomatoes, a heaped tsp salt and pepper to taste. Simmer and cook gently, uncovered for 40-50 minutes, until lentils are tender and all but dissolved into the liquid. You may need to add more water during this time to stop the mixture from drying out. Remove from heat. Melt remaining butter in a small pan and when it starts to froth, add rest of garlic, stir vigorously until it colors slightly. Immediately add into lentils, constantly stirring and add the lime juice and coriander. Cover and leave to mellow for 10 minutes before serving. Now blow some MINDS with your culinary skills.

Sunday Morning Casserole

I was just fed this casserole last weekend and I loved it so much I had to get the recipes.  I have had other breakfast casseroles before but this one tops them all.  I can't wait to make it myself.

SUNDAY MORNING CASSEROLE

2 OR 3 SLICES WHITE BREAD CUBED

1 LB SAUSAGE COOKED AND SLICED

6 EGGS BEATEN

2 CUPS MILK

1 TEA DRY MUSTARD

1/2 TEA SALT

1 1/2 CUPS COOKED SLICED RED POTATOES

1 1/2 CUPS SHREADED CHEDDAR AND JACK CHEESE

PLACE BREAD IN BUTTERED 8X11X2 CASSEROLE PAN. MIX THE EGGS, MILK, DRY MUSTARD, SALT.  LAYER SAUSAGE OVER THE BREAD, AND TOP WITH POTATOES. SPRINKLE THE CHEESE ON TOP, POUR EGG MIXTURE OVER THE CASSEROLE. COVER AND FRIG OVERNIGHT. IN THE MORNING BAKE THE CASSEROLE AT 350 FOR 30 MIN OR TILL SET. 

ENJOY. 

-courtesy Laura Dunn

Heather's Taco Soup

This is SO easy to make and one of my most favorite meals! 

1 lb. cooked ground beef

3 cans of pinto beans

1 can of Texas ranch style beans

1 can of original Rotel

1 package of ranch seasoning

1 package of taco seasoning

3 cans of stewed tomatoes

1 large can of tomato sauce 

2 cans of corn

2 small cans of black olive slices ( optional ) 

mix ALL the above in a large pot

add 1 can of water

add salt/pepper

let soup cook over stove for about 30 min ( until hot) 

stir so it doesn't burn on bottom

Serve with Tortilla chips, cheese and sour cream if you desire! 

(serves about 4-6... makes GREAT left overs!)

to make soup for more people... just double the recipe!  

Easy Whole Wheat Bread

I use this bread recipe every week and I still get excited every time the bread comes out of the oven. My mother in-law got this recipe from Jared's great aunt in Arizona. This recipe is wonderful because you don't have to let the bread rise twice. In addition, it doesn't call for sugar, butter or eggs and you use olive oil. It is really chewy and stays moist for well over a week.

*Note: sometimes I use half white flour/half whole wheat because it tends to rise more and sugar can be substituted for honey if needed since that is less expensive.

EASY WHOLE WHEAT BREAD
(makes 2 loaves)

3 ½ c. whole wheat flour (white wheat works well)
1/3 c. gluten flour
1 ¼ tab. yeast

2 ½ c. hot water
1 tab. salt

1/3 c. oil
1/3 c. honey

1 ¼ tab. dough enhancer

2 ½ c. whole wheat flour

Mix together first 3 ingredients in mixer with dough hook. Add water all at once & mix for 1 minute. Cover & let rest for 10 minutes. Add salt, oil, honey, and dough enhancer, and mix for 1 minute. Add last flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing between each cup. Knead in mixer for about 8-10 minutes. Should be a soft dough. Turn dough onto oiled countertop & divide into 2 loaves & place in two oiled bread pans. Cover with a dish towel & let rise on warm oven until double in size (it will rise a little more when baking). Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from pans & cool on racks.


Tip: Lemon juice or vitamin C granules can be substituted for dough enhancer.