Lemon Herb Chicken

Lemon herb chicken

Throw all of these items into your pot:

2-3 frozen chicken boneless breast...yes frozen!!
3 large peeled russet potatoes cut into quarters (or baby potatoes... Less peeling!)
3-4 carrots roughly chopped

In a bowl mix and pour all over:
1/4 cups of olive oil
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon or lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon of onion salt
2 cloves of minced garlic

Manual-- 25 minutes, quick release & enjoy! The veggies have a slow cooker melt in your mouth roasted quality, yum!

Hamburger Soup

Hamburger Soup

1 lb hamburger
¼ c chopped onion
2 cans cream of celery soup
3 c tomato juice
1 c water
1 c grated carrots
¼ t garlic salt
2 T brown sugar
¼ t pepper

Brown hamburger and onion together. Add remaining ingredients and heat through cooking at medium heat for ½ hour.

Grandma McCracken would always have a pot of this soup waiting for mom when she would go and visit her in Rigby Idaho when she was little.

Grain Free Granola

Grain Free Granola

2 cups sliced almonds

1 cup each sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds (raw and unsalted)

3/4 cup each unsweetened coconut and raisins

1/2 cup each sesame seeds and ground flax meal

1/4 cup each honey and butter or coconut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine nuts, seeds, flax meal, coconut and raisins. In a small saucepan, combine butter and honey and heat until melted. Add vanilla and almond extract to the butter and honey, and pour over the rest of the ingredients. Mix well. Spread granola onto a large baking sheet and cook for 30 minutes. Let the granola cool, then break into small clusters. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Multigrain Bread using 7-Grain Hot Cereal Mix

Ingredients
1 1/4 cup (6 1/4 ounces) seven-grain hot cereal mix
2 1/2 cups boiling water
3 cups (15 oz) all-purpose flour (not bread flour)
1 1/2 cups (8 1/4 oz) whole wheat flour
1/4 cup honey
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled*
2 1/2 teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 tablespoon salt
Optional (I omitted): 3/4 cup unsalted pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds
1/2 cup (1 1/2 oz) old-fashioned rolled oats or quick oats
*If you’re using salted butter, just decrease the additional salt by just a bit.
Instructions
Place cereal mix in bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook and pour boiling water over it; let stand, stirring occasionally, until mixture cools to 100 degrees and resembles thick porridge, about 1 hour.  Whisk flours together in separate bowl.
Once grain mixture has cooled, add honey, butter, and yeast and mix on low speed until combined.  Add flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, and knead until cohesive mass starts to form, 1 1/2-2 minutes; cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let dough rest for 20 minutes.  Add salt and knead on medium-low speed until dough clears sides of bowl, 3-4 minutes (if it does not clear sides, add 2-3 tablespoons additional all-purpose flour and knead until it does.  Don’t add more!) continue to knead dough for 5 more minutes.  Add seeds (if using) and knead for another 15 seconds.  Transfer dough to lightly floured counter and knead by hand until seeds are dispersed evenly and dough forms smooth, round ball.  Place dough in large, lightly greased bowl; cover tightly with plastic and let rise at room temperature until nearly doubled in size, 45-60 minutes.
Grease two 9×5 inch loaf pans.  Transfer dough to lightly floured counter and divide in half.  Press 1 piece of dough into 9×6 inch rectangle, with short side facing you.  Roll dough toward you into firm cylinder, keeping roll taut by tucking it under itself as you go.  Turn loaf seam side up and pinch it closed.  Repeat with second piece of dough.  Spray loaves lightly with water or vegetable il spray.  Roll each loaf in oats to coat evenly and place seam side down in prepared pans, pressing gently into corners.  Cover loaves loosely with greased plastic and let rise at room temperature until nearly doubled in size 30-40 minutes.  Dough should barely spring back when poked with knuckle.
Thirty minutes before baking, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.  Bake until loaves register 200 degrees, 35-40 minutes.  Transfer pans to wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes.  Remove loaves from pans, return to rack, and let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours, before slicing and serving.
Storage: Bread can be wrapped in double layer of plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.  Wrapped with additional layer of foil, bread can be frozen for up to a month.
For those without a stand mixer, Cook’s Illustrated recommends:  “Stir wet and dry ingredients together with a stiff rubber spatula until the dough comes together and looks shaggy.  Transfer the dough to a clean counter and knead by hand to form a smooth, roughd ball, 15-25 minutes, adding additional flour, if necessary, to prevent the dough from sticking to the counter.  Proceed with recipe as directed.”

From: Our Best Bites

Oatmeal Cookies

1 pound of butter
2 cups sugar
2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
4 cup flour*
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
4 cups oatmeal
3 cups nuts
2 (12 oz) packages of chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugars, add eggs, beating well. Add vanilla. Sift** together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add flour mixture to the butter/sugar/egg mixture.

Add oatmeal, nuts and chocolate chips.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Do not over bake.

*I usually use whole-wheat flour for all of the flour. For each cup of whole-wheat flour you substitute, add 1 extra teaspoon full of baking powder.

**I NEVER sift while using this recipe, but it was included on the original recipe, so I thought I would pass it on to you.

***We never put nuts in it, but I'm sure they would be good with nuts.

****This makes a lot of dough and the baked cookies don't taste as good after a few days. We make a sheet or two of cookies and freeze the rest. Use a cookie scoop to make dough balls, place side by side on a cookie sheet with wax paper and put it in the freezer. Once they are frozen transfer them into freezer zip lock bags. We usually have enough dough to use two gallon size zip lock bags.

From: Amy Bishop

Make a Week of Steel-Cut Oats in 5 Minutes

Ingredients
1 2/3 cups steel-cut oats
4 cups water
Large pinch salt
Mix-Ins:
Milk or soy milk
Cinnamon or other spices
Raisins or other dried fruit
Walnuts or other nuts
Jam
Honey

Equipment
5 pint-sized Mason jars with lids (I used wide-mouth jars)
Large saucepan
Ladle

Instructions

1. Collect your jars and other equipment. I like pint-sized jars for this as they allow a little more room for adding nuts, raisins, and milk later. But you can also use half-pint jars.
2. Bring the oats, water and salt to a boil. Simmer for about 3 minutes then turn off the heat.
3. Ladle the oats and water into the jars. Cover the jars tightly with their caps and rings. Leave on the counter overnight. (This is how I make my oatmeal and I have had absolutely no problems with it, healthwise, but if for some reason you are not comfortable leaving hot oatmeal out overnight, you can also refrigerate the jars. The oatmeal won't be quite as well cooked in the morning; it will be a thinner, less creamy oatmeal. But it will still be fine.)
4. The next morning, put all but one of the jars in the refrigerator. Take the cap off one jar and stir up the oatmeal inside. Microwave for 2 to 3 minutes, or until quite hot. Add any milk, raisins, or other mix-ins. Enjoy!
Additional Notes:
• You can also add your raisins, cinnamon, or other mix-ins to the rest of the jars before putting them away in the refrigerator. Then all you have to do is grab one and go on your way out the door.

From: http://www.thekitchn.com/

Hot Spiced Cranberry Cider

Ingredients

• 2 quarts apple cider
• 6 cups cranberry juice
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 1 1/2 teaspoons whole cloves
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced

Directions

In a large pot, combine apple cider, cranberry juice, brown sugar, cinnamon sticks, cloves and lemon slices. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove cinnamon, cloves, and lemon slices. Serve hot. 

From: Mary Jane Bryan

Blueberry Stuff (aka- Blueberry French Toast)

My mom makes this for Christmas morning every year. She also makes it for breakfast for birthdays and other special occasions- our family LOVES it.

12 slices day old white bread
2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese
1 c fresh or frozen blueberries (JD and I use mixed berries instead- we like that better)
12 eggs
2 c milk
1/3 c maple syrup or honey

Sauce:
1 c sugar
2 T cornstarch
1 c water
1c blueberries (or mixed berries)
1 T butter

Cut bread into 1 inch cubes; place half in greased 9x13 pan. Cut cream cheese into 1 in cubes; sprinkle over bread. Top with blueberries and remaining bread. Beat eggs, milk, and sugar together in large bowl. Pour over bread mixture. Cover and chill 8 hours or overnight. Remove from fridge 30 min before baking. Cover and bake at 350 for 30 min. Uncover and bake 25-30 min longer, or until set.

In saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch; add water. Bring to boil over medium heat and boil for 3 min, stirring constantly. Stir in blueberries, reduce heat. Simmer for 8-10 min, or until blueberries burst. Stir in butter until melted. Serve over french toast.

Potatoes Benson

I've tried many variations of this, but this one is easily the best!

6-8 medium potatoes
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 c butter melted
1/2 pint sour cream
1/4 c chopped green onions

Topping:
3/4 c grated Cheddar cheese
2 handfuls corn flakes, crushed coarsely
2 T melted butter

Boil potatoes until tender. Grate or slice and put in bottom of 9x13 pan. Mix soup, 1/2 c melted butter, sour cream, and onions. Spread on potatoes. Put on topping. Bake 25-30 min at 350.

Chocolate Eclair Cake

We haven't made this one as much over the last couple of years, but I have fond memories of this dessert. It's so pretty when it's done.

Pastry:
1 cup flour
1 cup water
1 stick margarine
4 eggs
1/4 tsp salt

Bring water and margarine to a boil until margarine is melted. Add flour and salt all at once. Beat until mixture forms a ball that leaves the side of the pan. Cool slightly. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each. Spread mixture in ungreased jelly-roll pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 min. Pierce bubbles in pastry with fork and cook completely.

Topping:
2 T margarine
1 cup confectioner's sugar
3-4 T milk
2 (3 oz) pkg. French vanilla instant pudding
2 1/2 c. cold milk
8 oz cream cheese
12 o Cool hip
3 oz chocolate chips

Mix pudding with milk. Add softened cream cheese. Beat together. Spread over cooled pastry. Spread Cool Whip over pudding mixture. Melt chocolate chips and margarine and mix. Add confectioner's sugar and milk until a thin glaze forms. Drizzle over whipped topping. Refrigerate for 1 hour or more. Cut into squares. Store in fridge. SHORTCUT: use Magic Shell chocolate topping instead of making chocolate glaze.

Frog Eye Salad

It's a crime in the Sangster household not to have this salad for holiday meals.

1 box Acini de Pepe pasta
3 cans (11 oz) mandarin oranges
2 cans (20 oz) pineapple chunks
18 oz carton Cool Whip
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple

1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbl flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 3/4 cup pineapple juice
1 Tbl lemon juice

Combine sugar, flour, salt; gradually stir in pineapple juice and eggs. Cook over moderate heat until thickened, stirring frequently. Stir in lemon juice. Cool to room temperature.

Cook pasta with 2 tsp salt and 1 Tbl oil until done, about 8-10 minutes. Rinse. Cool to room temperature. Combine with egg mixture. Refrigerate overnight or for several hours. Add remaining ingredients. Makes a ton- double at your own risk!

Holiday Salad

When my mom was a teenager, she decided to make dinner for my grandparents for their anniversary. She found this salad and made it and it has been present at holiday meals ever since.

2 small packages of raspberry jello
3 cups boiling water
1 can jellied cranberry
1 package frozen raspberries
1 cup sour cream

Dissolve jello in water. Add cranberry jelly and raspberries. Mix, then pour half in 9x13 pan. Set. Set the rest to a jelly consistency.  Spread sour cream on firmly set jello. Top with remaining jello mixture and set.

Hot Apple Cider

Ingredients

• 4 whole Cinnamon Sticks
• 1/8 teaspoon Ground Cloves
• 8 whole Allspice Berries
• Orange Peel From 1 Orange
• Lemon Peel From 1 Lemon
• 1/2 cup Maple Syrup
• 6 cups Unfiltered (fresh Squeezed Is Great) Apple Juice
• 1/2 cup Dark Rum (optional)

Preparation Instructions

(Adapted from AllRecipes.com.)
Place cinnamon sticks, ground cloves, allspice berries, orange peel, and lemon peel in a medium saucepan. Pour in maple syrup and apple juice, then bring to almost a boil. Reduce the heat to its lowest setting and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and serve in mugs.

From: Pioneer Woman

Mini Corn Loaves with Cranberries and Pecans

Ingredients

• 1 cup Yellow Cornmeal
• 1/2 cup All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• 1 cup Buttermilk
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 whole Egg
• 1/4 cup Shortening
• 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1 cup Dried Cranberries
• 1/2 cup Chopped Pecans
• MAPLE BUTTER
• 1 stick Softened Butter
• 2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
• Extra Maple Syrup And Melted Butter, For Brushing

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine corn meal, flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, milk, egg, and baking soda. Stir to combine. Add melted shortening, stirring constantly. Add vanilla extract, then stir in dried cranberries (you can use a little more or a little fewer if you’d like) and pecans.
Pour into a greased mini-loaf, mini-muffin, or muffin pan, trying to make sure cranberries stay evenly distributed. Bake for 12-15 minutes or so, or until golden brown. Cool for a few minutes after removing from the oven, then turn out of the pan and allow to cool. Mix together a little melted butter and maple syrup, then brush it over the tops of the loaves.
To make the maple butter, combine the softened butter and maple syrup. Stir until totally combined, then spread into a ramekin, drizzle the top with maple syrup, and serve with the warm muffins. (Butter can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge.)

From: Pioneer Woman

Wedding Waffles

2 c (10 oz.) flour
1 Tbl. sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 c dried buttermilk powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 c sour cream
2 lg. eggs
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 1/4 c. unflavored club soda

Combine dry ingredients in large bowl; mix sour cream, eggs, vanilla and oil together until combined.  Add to dry ingredients.  Stir in club soda.  Don't overmix.

From: Sherri Sangster

Penne with Artichokes

1 lb. penne rigate
1 small onion, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
8 artichoke hearts, quartered
1 1/4 cups canned diced tomatoes
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

In a skillet over medium-high heat, sauté the onion and the garlic in the olive oil. Add the artichoke hearts. Cook to a pale gold color over high heat, then add the tomatoes, seasoning to taste. Simmer 15-20 minutes over medium heat.

Cook the penne rigate until al dente according to package directions in boiling, salted water. Drain and add to the artichoke sauce. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and grated Parmesan.

From: Chicho's Kitchen

Pot Roast

Ingredients

• 1 whole (4 To 5 Pounds) Chuck Roast
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 whole Onions
• 6 whole Carrots (Up To 8 Carrots)
• Salt To Taste
• Pepper To Taste
• 1 cup Red Wine (optional, You Can Use Beef Broth Instead)
• 2 cups To 3 Cups Beef Stock
• 3 sprigs Fresh Thyme, or more to taste
• 3 sprigs Fresh Rosemary, or more to taste

Preparation Instructions

First and foremost, choose a nicely marbled piece of meat. This will enhance the flavor of your pot roast like nothing else. Generously salt and pepper your chuck roast.
Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Then add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil (or you can do a butter/olive oil split).
Cut two onions in half and cut 6 to 8 carrots into 2-inch slices (you can peel them, but you don’t have to). When the oil in the pot is very hot (but not smoking), add in the halved onions, browning them on one side and then the other. Remove the onions to a plate.
Throw the carrots into the same very hot pan and toss them around a bit until slightly browned, about a minute or so.
If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the very hot pan. Place the meat in the pan and sear it for about a minute on all sides until it is nice and brown all over. Remove the roast to a plate.
With the burner still on high, use either red wine or beef broth (about 1 cup) to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a whisk to get all of that wonderful flavor up.
When the bottom of the pan is sufficiently deglazed, place the roast back into the pan and add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway (about 2 to 3 cups). Add in the onion and the carrots, as well as 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary and about 3 sprigs of fresh thyme.
Put the lid on, then roast in a 275F oven for 3 hours (for a 3-pound roast). For a 4 to 5-pound roast, plan on 4 hours.

From: Pioneer Woman

Italian Goat Cheese and Pesto Spread

4 oz. goat cheese

8 oz. cream cheese

salt, pepper

3 Tb tomato paste

3/4 c. minced, sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil 

1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 c. pesto (must be thick)

 

Line medium sized bowl with saran wrap, edges hanging over.  Spray saran wrap with Pam.  Combine goat cheese, cream cheese and salt and pepper with electric mixer until smooth.  Reserve 1/3 cup mixture.  To reserved 1/3 c. mixture, add tomato paste, sun dried tomatoes and balsamic vinegar.  Mix with spatula until smooth.  Take half of goat cheese mixture and spread on bottom of bowl.  This part can be a little tricky since the plastic wrap likes to stick to the cheese and not the bowl as you’re trying to spread it!  I would suggest using a large, flat spoon (like a serving spoon) and run it under hot water until the spoon is warm.  Then using the back side of the spoon, gently press the cheese mixure along the bottom of the bowl.  (The warmth of the spoon will keep the cheese from sticking to it. If it starts sticking again, go run it under the hot water again.)  Next spread with pesto, then with sun-dried tomato mixture.  Smooth remainder of cheese mixture on top using the warmed-spoon trick.  Cover and refrigerate for one hour.  Serve with toasted baguette slices

 

From: Sisters Cafe

Shrimp Scampi

1/2 lb linguine
1 T. butter
4 cloves garlic
¾ lb shrimp
1 tsp Kosher salt
A few grinds of pepper
1 T. dried parsley flakes
½ lemon, zested
¼ c. lemon juice
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
Parmesan cheese
Cook linguine, following instructions on the package.
Meanwhile, melt butter in large skillet and add the garlic.  Sauté for 1 minute, being careful not to burn it.  Add shrimp, salt, and pepper and sauté until the shrimp just turns pink, about 5 minutes, stirring often.  Remove from heat, add parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice and red pepper flakes.  Toss with the linguine and serve with parmesan cheese.

From: Sisters Cafe

Authentic Italian Red Sauce

3-4 TBsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4-8 fresh garlic cloves (Karen says she uses 8 or more- I used 6)

1 (29oz) can of tomatoes (for a milder sauce add more)

1/4 cup tomato paste

1/4 cup fresh basil, or as much as you like (I left this out because I didn’t have any)

1 tsp Better than Bouillon, beef flavor, or 1 bouillon cube

Mild cayenne pepper (optional)

Blend up tomatoes until fairly smooth.  Put olive oil in the pan with the minced garlic, just until the garlic starts to really sizzle.  Do not over cook the garlic.  Add tomatoes to the garlic and oil  and bring to a simmer.  Add tomato paste, bouillon, fresh basil, and cayenne.  Bring to a simmer.  Let cook a minute or two.  This does not need a long time to cook.  It will actually lose it’s pungent flavor if you do.

ENJOY!!

From: Sisters' Cafe