Luscious Slush Punch

www.allrecipes.com

I don't like carbonated drinks so I didn't try this but I took it to a baby shower and it was VERY popular!

2 c white sugar (reduce to 1 c for more tart drink)
6 c water
2 (3 oz) pkgs strawberry flavored gelatin mix
1 (46 oz) can pineapple juice
2/3 c lemon juice
1 quart orange juice
2 (2 liter) bottles Sprite

In a large saucepan, combine sugar, water and gelatin.  Boil for 3 minutes.  Stir in pineapple juice, lemon juice, and orange juice.  Divide mixture in half and freeze in 2 separate containers.

When ready to serve, place frozen contents of one container in punch bowl, and stir in 1 bottle of Sprite until slushy.

Chicken Artichoke Cacciatore

(Sunni West)

Sunni brought us a sample of this yummy dinner earlier this week.  Erin, who really likes a very limited number of dishes, inhaled it and asked when I could make some.  I only used half the amount of chicken; next time I'll half the sauce also or add extra onion and mushrooms to compensate.  (It was too saucy).  A few days later, I cooked the left-over sauce down and served it over spaghetti squash.  Yum!

2 (6 oz) jars marinated artichoke hearts with liquid
1 T butter
3-4 lbs chicken (pieces or breasts)
1 c flour
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 lb sliced mushrooms
3 cloves garlic
1/2 t dried oregano
1/2 t dried basil
1/2 t rosemary
28 oz whole tomatoes in liquid
s & p to taste
1/4 - 1/2 c apple juice
16 oz linguine

Drain artichoke hearts, reserving liquid.  Set aside.  Place marinade and butter in skillet and cook over low 10 minutes.  Dredge chicken in flour.  Brown in butter mixture over medium heat.  Transfer to 9x13 or crock pot.  Keep drippings in skillet.  In same skillet, saute onion, mushrooms, garlic and seasonings until tender.  Stir in artichokes, tomatoes, salt & pepper to taste.  Pour tomato mixture over chicken.  Bake at 350• for 50 minutes or in crock pot on low 5-6 hours  Just before serving, stir in apple juice.  Serve over linguine.  8 servings.

Carrots Lyonnaise

(Kelly Neilsen)

Kelly brought these to our annual Pumpkin Carving Party last year.  They were delicious!  I made them for the first time this week and they were a big hit with everyone here.  Wish they didn't have so much butter - I'm pretty sure the amount of butter counteracts any nutritional benefit from the carrots!  We'll save these for special occasions - they are yummy!!

 

1 lb. carrots
1 chicken bouillon cube
1/2 c. boiling water
4 tbsp. butter
1-2 med. onion, sliced

1 tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
Dash of pepper
3/4 c. water

 

Pare carrots and slice or cut in julienne strips about 1/4 inch thick. Dissolve bouillon cube in the 1/2 cup boiling water. Add carrots and cook covered for 10-15 minutes. Don't overcook. Meanwhile, melt butter in skillet. Saute onions until done. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Add the 3/4 cup water. Bring to boil. Add carrots and chicken stock. Bring to boil. Simmer 1 minute, stirring gently.

Crock Pot Cabbage Rolls

Everyone liked these.  I made meatballs out of the extra meat; we served it with mashed potatoes.  (Note: Joni made them this week and has a better idea -- skip the wrapping and just dump cut up cabbage in the bottom of crock pot, layer meatballs over and pour on sauce.  Same great flavor, less than half the work.  Great idea!)
 
Ingredients:

1 cabbage
1 pound ground turkey
1/4 cup uncooked brown rice
1 egg
1 finely chopped onion
1 finely chopped carrot
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 can tomato sauce (8 oz)
Toothpicks

Directions:

Drop whole cabbage into boiling water and simmer for 5 - 10 minutes. Cool.

In the meantime, mix ground turkey, rice, egg, onion, carrot, salt and pepper in a bowl. In another bowl, mix vinegar, brown sugar and tomato sauce.

When cabbage is cooled enough to handle, remove 12-14 large leaves. Chop up the remaining cabbage and place in the bottom of crockpot. Place approximately 2 tablespoons of meat mixture in the center of each cabbage leaf. Wrap up envelope style and secure with a toothpick. Place in crockpot. Pour sauce mixture over all.

Cook on low setting for 8-10 hours.

Tiff's Spaghetti Sauce

For years I've tried to convince my family that homemade spaghetti sauce is better than Ragu.  They wouldn't go for it.  Then we visited my friend Tiffany and she made this sauce.  I nervously watched her add all the veggies (and meat, which I knew Jason didn't like) and hoped my family would eat it.  They ate it and they loved it!  We've been making it ever since.

1 lb ground beef or ground pork (we use ground turkey)
1 1/2 c sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 c chopped onion
1/2 c chopped green pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 16-oz cans tomatoes, cut up
1 6-oz can tomato paste
1 t sugar
1 t dried oregano, crushed
1 t dried basil, crushed
1 t dried thyme, crushed
1 bay leaf
6 c hot cooked spaghetti

Cook meat, mushrooms, onion, green pepper and garlic until meat is brown.  Drain fat.  Stir in undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, oregano, basil, thyme, bay leaf, 1/2 t salt and 1/4 t pepper.  Bring to boil; reduce heat.  Cover; simmer 30 minutes.  Uncover; simmer 10-15 minutes more or to desired consistency, stirring occasionally.  Discard bay leaf.  6 servings.

 

Magic Muffins

As a teenager, my friends and I visited SLC regularly where we usually stayed with my Grandma.  She always had a pot of my favorite homemade Chicken Noodle Soup on the stove and often served us bran muffins for breakfast in bed.  This isn't her recipe but is similar (and I like it a little better).  They are still a favorite and I love that I can make a large batch and have fresh muffins once a week for 4 weeks!  They also freeze well.

1 box (14 oz) Raisin Bran cereal
5 cups flour (3 c white, 2 c wheat)
3 cups sugar (can reduce to 2 cups and/or use 2/3 c agave in place of 1 c sugar)
5 t baking soda
2 t salt  (1 t)
4 c buttermilk
1 c vegetable oil (or 1/2 c oil + 1/2 c chia gel)
4 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 c dried, sweetened cranberries (or raisins or dates or a combination)

Combine cereal, flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in large bowl; mix well.  Combine buttermilk, oil and eggs in separate bowl and whisk well.  Pour egg mixture into cereal mixture; stir until just blended.  Fold in cranberries.

Place tightly covered container in refrigerator overnight.  The batter will keep for 4 weeks and improves over time.  Do not stir at any time after refrigerating or when preparing to bake muffins.

Preheat oven to 400•.  Grease muffin cups (do not use liners).  Spoon batter into prepared pan.  Bake 18 minutes or until done.  Cool in muffin tins 10 minutes.  Serve warm or remove to wire rack to cool completely.  Makes 4 dozen.

170 calories, 6g fat, 3g protein, 29g carbs, 1g fiber, 300mg sodium (original recipe)

Dad's Pancakes

I love these pancakes - they are light and fluffy and delicious with peanut butter and dad's homemade maple syrup or with yogurt.  They remind me of my childhood - and my dad!  He likes to add mashed bananas and/or pecans (and, more recently, chia seeds!)
 
1 c whole wheat flour
2 T oil (can substitute chia gel for 1 T oil)
2 T brown sugar
1 T baking powder
1 c milk (or 1/3 c powdered milk + 1 c water)
1 egg, separated
1/4 t salt

Mix all except egg white.  Beat until stiff, then add to other ingredients.  Makes 16 4" pancakes.
(add 2 T oil for waffles)

Fruit & Yogurt Muffins

This recipe was sitting in my in-box when I woke up Sunday morning.  I had all the ingredients so I couldn't resist making a batch (one of the many benefits of 11:00 church!)  I "healthified" them a little but they were still yummy....I used 1 c wheat flour & 1 c white; reduced sugar to 3/4 c; used vanilla yogurt; used 2 T butter and 2 T chia gel (and threw in a little ground flax just for fun!)  The blueberries bled so they muffins turned out BLUE but everyone ate and liked them anyway.  Very moist!

www.allrecipes.com

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (1 c wheat, 1 c white)
• 1 cup white sugar (3/4 c)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 (8 ounce) container blueberry flavored yogurt (vanilla)
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted (2 T butter & 2 T chia gel)
• 2 cups blueberries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 12 muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.
2. Stir together flour, sugar, baking soda and baking powder. In a separate bowl, combine yogurt, egg, vanilla, butter and blueberries. Stir mixtures together just until combined; batter will be very thick. Scoop into prepared muffin cups.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 205 | Total Fat: 4.5g | Cholesterol: 28mg

Pear Muffins

These muffins are amazing!  The perfect way to use the abundance of pears we have every September!
 
3 c all-purpose flour*

2 c sugar*

2 t baking soda

1 t ground cinnamon

1/2 t salt

2 eggs

1 c canola oil*

1 t vanilla

4 c chopped peeled ripe pears (about 6 medium)

1 c chopped pecans (I left these out)

Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, combine eggs, oil and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in pears and pecans.

Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Serve warm. Yield: 2 dozen

259 calories, 13 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 18 mg cholesterol, 160 mg sodium, 34 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 3 g protein

*  Healthier version (SO good!):
1 c wheat flour
1/2 c applesauce in place of oil

Chocolate Mint Brownie Cookies

source: www.prudencepennywise.blogspot.com

Estimated Cost: $3.50 for about 2 and 1/2 dozen

 

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups (9 oz.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels, divided
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3/4 cup chopped nuts (I left these out - why ruin a perfectly good cookie by adding nuts!?)

 

MELT 3/4 cup morsels in small, heavy saucepan over lowest possible heat. When morsels begin to melt, remove from heat; stir. Return to heat for a few seconds at a time, stirring until smooth. Cool to room temperature.COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, peppermint extract and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in melted chocolate. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in remaining morsels and nuts. Drop dough by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.BAKE in preheated 350° F. oven for 8 to 12 minutes or until sides are set but centers are still soft. Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Brussel Sprouts (Crock Pot)

www.crockpot365.blogspot.com


Turns out we have a house full of brussel sprout fans - who knew?  I don't have a lot of experience with this particular veggie (last time we made them, we roasted them) but this was easy and delicious.  The girls and I loved them!
 
1 pound brussels sprouts

3 tablespoons butter (I used 2 T or less)

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup water

The Directions.

Use a 2-quart slow cooker. Wash and trim the ends off of each Brussels sprout, and cut in half. Toss into the cooker. Add butter, mustard, salt, pepper, and water. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours, or on high for 2 to 3. Stir well to distribute the sauce before serving. The sprouts on the edge get brown and bit crispy on the outer edge. This is a good, and not something to worry about!

Won Ton Soup

This soup has been making it's way around the neighborhood for a few weeks; we've received samples from two homes and the girls, who LOVE it, have been begging me to make it.  It was easier to make than the long list of ingredients would indicate, mostly because they helped assembl the won tons.  Next time I will add the bok choy first, then the won tons since our won tons got overcooked and the bok choy didn't get cooked well enough.  They ate it anyway but it looked nothing like the beautiful samples we'd received earlier!  :-)
 
1 bunch green onions, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, divided
6 fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 pound ground pork
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 egg
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (16 ounce) package wonton wrappers
8 cups chicken broth
16 uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (optional)
1 medium head bok choy, torn into 2-inch pieces
6 snow peas
1 dash soy sauce, or to taste (optional)
1 dash sesame oil, to taste (optional)

Directions

1.Dice the green onions, and set aside all but 1 tablespoon. Slice the mushrooms, and set aside all but 1 tablespoon. Finely chop the 1 tablespoon of green onions and 1 tablespoon of sliced mushrooms, and place in a bowl with the ground pork, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, egg, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper. Stir to thoroughly mix the pork filling.

2.Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the pork filling onto the center of each wonton wrapper. Use your finger or a pastry brush to lightly moisten the edges of the wonton wrappers with water. Fold one corner of the wrapper over the filling onto the opposite corner to form a triangle. Press the edges together to seal. Moisten the two long ends of the triangle, fold them together, and press them firmly to seal.

3.Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Drop the wontons, one by one, into the broth, and let them cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until they float to the surface. Reduce heat to a simmer, and gently stir in the shrimp, bok choy, and reserved sliced mushrooms. Let the soup simmer 2 more minutes, until the shrimp turn pink, and then drop in the snow pea pods. Garnish with the remaining green onions and a dash of soy sauce and sesame oil, and serve immediately.

Crock Pot Lasagna

This one gets 5 stars based on simplicity alone!  And it's yummy!

 

 http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/01/super-easy-crockpot-lasagna.html

 

--put a ladle-full of pasta sauce into the bottom of your crockpot (add seasoned meat, if desired)

--top with a layer of dried lasagna noodles

--smear ricotta cheese on top of lasagna noodles
--layer veggies, mushrooms, eggs and spinach on top of the ricotta cheese (I used grated carrot, sliced mushrooms and a few handfuls of baby spinach)
--add a handful of the shredded cheese
--ladle on some more of the sauce
--top with more dry noodles and repeat layers until crock is to desired capacity.
--put 1/4 cup of water into your empty pasta jar and shake. Pour tomatoey juice over the whole pile of food. 
--cover and cook on low for 8 hours, high for 4.
--Check noodles an hour before serving, and push the top ones down into the liquid if they are getting too hard or are curling up. 

** note to self:  next time, tear spinach leaves so they are not as easily detected! 

Thai Chicken Pasta

From the Recipe Shoebox. 

The ingredients:
12 oz. uncooked whole wheat spaghetti noodles (or fettuccine)
2 cups salsa
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup orange juice
2 Tbs. honey
4 tsp. soy sauce
4 cups chicken breast, cubed and cooked
1/4 cup chopped peanuts
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile in large sauce pot, combine the salsa, peanut butter, orange juice, honey, and soy sauce.  Heat until sauce thickens and add chicken; heat through.  Drain pasta.  Serve with chicken mixture.  Garnish with peanuts and cilantro.  Enjoy!

Salsa Chicken

3-4 frozen chicken breasts
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 can black beans, drained
1 bottle salsa (Favorites:  Costco Mango & Peach or Safeway Southwestern)

Cook on low 6-7 hours (high 3-4 hours).  Shred chicken.  Cook additional 30 minutes.
Serve on tortilla or over chips.

10-12 servings

Tomato-Basil Parmesan Soup in the Crockpot

everyone LOVED this soup!  (and by "everyone" I mean me, Madison, her friend & Erin.  As usual, Dallin wouldn't eat and Jason was gone)

From the Recipe Shoebox.

The ingredients:
2 cans (14-ounces each) diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup finely diced celery
1 cup finely diced carrots
4 cups chicken broth
1  onion, finely diced
1/2 bay leaf
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 Tbs. dried basil
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour (I used whole wheat)
1 cup Parmesan cheese
2 cups half and half, warmed (I used 2% milk)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Directions:
In a large crockpot, combine tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, bay leaf, oregano, and basil.  Cover and cook on low for 5-7  hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft. 

About an hour before serving prepare a roux:  Melt butter and whisk in flour until smooth.  Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup from the slow cooker.  Add another 3 cups soup and stir until smooth. 

Add all back into the slow cooker.  Stir and add Parmesan cheese, warmed half-and-half, salt, and pepper.  Cover and cook on low for another hour until ready to serve.  Serve with fresh hot bread.   Makes about 2 quarts--6-8 servings.

Lime Zucchini Muffins

From the Recipe Shoebox

The ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1-2 tsp. lime or lemon zest*
2 Tbs. lime or lemon juice*
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups shredded zucchini

TOPPING:
1 Tbs. sugar
1/4 cup sliced almonds, slightly crushed

Cream butter and sugar.  Beat in eggs, zest, and juice.  Stir in dry ingredients, then zucchini. Spoon into well-greased or paper lined muffin cups.  Sprinkle with sugar, then almonds.  Bake at 325° for 18-20 minutes.  Makes about 15 muffins. 

* I used orange zest and orange juice instead.  And omitted the almonds on top.

Healthy and Hearty Chicken Quinoa Stew

This is good soup.  Loved the texture of the quinoa and the spice from the hot sauce.   Half this recipe next time; makes a lot!

www.sisterscafe.blogspot.com

Recipe Source: Picky Palate

2 T extra virgin olive oil (I always skimp on this just a little)

1 large onion, chopped

5 stalks celery, chopped

4 large carrots, peeled and sliced

2 Cups sweet pepper, chopped

1 large zucchini, quartered and sliced

64 oz chicken broth

15 oz can diced tomatoes

5 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cubed into 1" pieces (get the Yukon potatoes, it's worth the extra few dollars)

3 cups cooked quinoa

4 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked, shredded and lightly seasoned with salt and pepper

2 T Dijon Mustard

1 T Hot Sauce (I used 1/2 T to pacify the kids, would have been good with more!)

Kosher Salt, fresh cracked black pepper, Garlic Salt, and Parsley to taste

1 1/2 cups fresh parsley chopped

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onion, celery, carrots, peppers, and zucchini until softened. This takes about 5 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, tomatoes, and potatoes. Increase heat to high just until broth starts to boil Reduce to medium high and cook potatoes for 10 minutes or until fork tender. Reduce heat to low and stir in quinoa, chicken, dijon mustard, hot sauce. Season to taste with kosher salt, pepper, garlic salt. Stir in fresh parsley and simmer until ready to serve.

Peanut Butter Pancakes

Love love love the texture of these pancakes!  Try adding mashed bananas?  YUMMY! 

From the Recipe Shoebox.

The ingredients:
1/2 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup white flour
2-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 Tbs. sugar
2 Tbs. oil
1 egg (I used 1/4 c egg whites)
1 cup plus 2 Tbs. milk

Mix wet and dry ingredients separately, then add wet to dry. Mix till just moistened. Cook by 1/4 cupfuls on griddle. Makes about 12 pancakes.

Note:  Made these again with some changes:  1 T oil + 1 T chia gel, 1/3 c powdered milk + 1 c water.  Couldn't tell a difference.  Still delicious!  Also used all white flour (not by choice -- we were temporarily out of wheat) and they were extra fluffy but lacked the texture of wheat.  Still good.

French Toast Casserole

 I liked that this had normal ingredients and was a little healthier than some of my other breakfast casserole recipes.  Everyone liked it except Madison who said it was "too eggy."  Try with egg substitute next time?

 www.allrecipes.com

• 5 cups bread cubes
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup white sugar, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon margarine, softened
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly butter an 8x8 inch baking pan.
2. Line bottom of pan with bread cubes. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, 2 tablespoons sugar, salt and vanilla. pour egg mixture over bread. Dot with margarine; let stand for 10 minutes.
3. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle over the top. Bake in preheated oven about 45 to 50 minutes, until top is golden.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 207 | Total Fat: 7.2g | Cholesterol: 146mg

Colonial Brown Bread

• 4 cups buttermilk
• 4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Pour in buttermilk, and stir until all of the dry mixture has been absorbed. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared loaf pans.
3. Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted into the crown of the loaf comes out clean. Serve warm. Store leftover bread wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator. This reheats well.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 144 | Total Fat: 0.8g | Cholesterol: 2mg
www.allrecipes.com


Not our favorite bread but good.  And easy!