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Monday, February 2, 2015

I moved my blog!

I'm back and blogging again but I've moved to a different location. Check out the new recipes at Dinner Up! http://dinnerup.blogspot.com/

Monday, December 19, 2011

Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups warm mashed sweet potatoes
1/3 cup granulated sugar
4 T melted butter
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/3 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
(cinnamon or nutmeg optional)

Topping:
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup pecan pieces
1/4 cup flour
4 T butter, melted
dash salt

Preparation:
Combine mashed sweet potatoes, sugar, butter, egg, milk and vanilla; mix well. Pour into a buttered 1 to 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Mix light brown sugar, pecans, flour, melted butter or margarine, and salt. Pour over top of potato mixture. Bake at 350 for 20 to 30 minutes.

Serves 4.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Anything Goes Breakfast Bake

Ingredients (basic)
4-6 slices cubed day old bread
(or substitute thawed frozen hash browns if you want a heartier bake)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
6 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried herbs: basil, rosemary, or thyme; OR 1 Tbsp fresh chopped herbs
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Additions (if you have the time, add a few of your favorites)
1 diced onion
1/2 cup peeled, chopped tomatoes
8 oz mushrooms sliced (zucchini, bell peppers, almost any veggie will do)
1/2 cup chopped broccoli (cooked or raw, raw will turn out crunchier)
1 cup cubed ham and/or cooked and drained sausage/bacon


Preparation:
Saute any vegetables, cook and drain bacon or sausage. Place bread in a well buttered 9x13 inch baking pan. Arrange additions over the bread; sprinkle with cheese. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and seasonings. Pour slowly over cheese layer. Refrigerate overnight or bake immediately. If refrigerating overnight, take casserole out of refrigerator about 1/2 hour before baking. Bake at 350° for 40 to 45 minutes, until set in middle. If browns too soon, tent with foil. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 6 to 8.

From the kitchen of: Megan H.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Vegan Cupcakes & Frosting

Ingredients
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups almond milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup safflower oil, (or almond oil)
1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 12 cup muffin pans or line with 18 paper baking cups.

2. Measure the apple cider vinegar into a 2 cup measuring cup. Fill with almond milk to make 1 1/2 cups. Let stand until curdled, about 5 minutes. In a large bowl, Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond milk mixture, coconut oil and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until blended. Spoon the batter into the prepared cups, dividing evenly.

3. Bake in the preheated oven until the tops spring back when lightly pressed, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool in the pan set over a wire rack.


Lemon Orange Buttercream Frosting
1/2 c vegan earth balance butter (room temperature)
2 c confectioners sugar
1 T each orange and lemon juice
1/2 tsp each lemon and organe zest
1 tsp vanilla

Combine all and blend until smooth. Frost cupcakes when cool.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Cooking Light Cheese Fries

1 ½ lbs. baking potatoes, peeled and cut into thin strips
1 Tbsp grated Parmesean
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp paprika
¼ tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss well. Arrange potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 450 for 35 minutes or until golden, stirring occasionally so they brown all over and don’t stick to the pan.

From the kitchen of: Heather K.

Healthy Burger

Lean Ground meat (beef or chicken or mixed)
Chopped spinach (if frozen make sure it's dry)
a little bit of Milk
1 piece of bread
Salt, pepper and a bit of garlic seasonings.

Put the bread slice into the milk and let it stand for a bit until the milk is absorbed. Mix with ground meat, seasonings and spinach. Form into small patties and cook.

From the kitchen of: Maisie S.

Cantaloupe Teething Smoothie

½ a ripe cantaloupe (buy it a few days ahead, let it sit on the counter till sweet)
a few big spoonfuls of mascarpone cheese
a few spoonfuls of butternut squash baby food
a big spoonful of chocolate Ovaltine
a complimentary juice, or milk—use enough to get the smoothie to a thin consistency, so little ones can get it through a straw without frustration
optional: other available fruit (strawberries, blueberries, frozen raspberries, banana)
optional: yogurt, or vanilla ice cream
optional: peanut butter

Mix with a stick blender, or in a conventional blender, until smooth and thin. Serve in a kiddie’s straw cup.

From the kitchen of: Heather K.

Onion Soup Roast

7-bone roast (or the boneless cut, which has a different name—ask your butcher)
Lipton Onion Soup mix

Cut two layers of foil, longer than the meat. Fold them tightly together lengthwise to make a seam. Shake the soup package to mix before opening. Place foil on a baking sheet. Put half the soup mix on the foil, then place the meat on, and put half the soup mix on the meat. Tent the meat in foil, leaving an inch or more between meat and foil. Bake at 350 for 1-½ to 2 hours (about ½ hour per pound).

From the kitchen of: Heather K.

Outrageous Oatmeal Cookies

1 ½ c old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick cooking)
½ c all-purpose flour
¼ c dark raisins
¼ c golden raisins
¼ c dried cranberries
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
½ c packed dark brown sugar
¼ c granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 Tbsp dark raisins (topping)
4 Tbsp golden raisins (topping)

Preheat oven to 350. Blend together oats, flour, raisins, cranberries, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add egg, cinnamon and vanilla; beat until combined. Gradually add oat mixture; beat until combined. Combine raisins for toping in separate bowl and set aside. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto two baking sheets. Place 1 mounded teaspoon of raisins on top of dough. Bake until cookies are golden brown but still soft, 12 to 16 minutes. Cool 5 minutes on sheets; transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

From the kitchen of Starbucks

Friday, March 19, 2010

Crispy Kale

This recipe is from Stephanie Gallagher on about.com: Cooking for Kids
"Kale recipes aren't normally on the top of most parents lists when they're looking for vegetables the kids will like. But I urge you to try this crispy kale. It is really extraordinary. Although the kale is roasted, not fried, it becomes crispy and salty, almost like french fries.

This kale recipe is incredibly healthy, too. It boasts a whopping 309% of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A, 201% vitamin C, 14% calcium, 10% iron, 3 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber, and it only has 112 calories and 1 gram of saturated fat per serving!"

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes


Ingredients
6-8 cups chopped fresh kale, hard stems removed
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt or sea salt

Preparation
1. Place a rack on the lowest shelf of your oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Spread kale out on a sturdy baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and apple cider vinegar. Toss to coat completely.

3. Place on the lowest rack of the oven and bake for 10 minutes.

4. Remove from oven and stir so that kale can get crispy all over.

5. Bake another 8 to 12 minutes or until kale is crispy. It should be just lightly browned and crispy to the touch.
If kale still bends, rather than crackles, when you touch it, it isn't done yet. Return it to the oven. Turn down the heat if it is getting too brown. Continue cooking until crispy.

6. Remove from oven, and sprinkle with sea salt (Maldon sea salt makes it taste fantastic) and serve immediately.

Submitted by Heather K. - From the Kitchen of Stephanie Gallagher on about.com: Cooking for Kids

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Perfect Baked Bacon

Here's a great foolproof way to bake perfect crispy bacon in the oven.
Prep: 5 min
Cooktime: 17-20 min
1. (optional) Line a baking sheet with foil. This will make cleanup easier later.

2. Arrange bacon slices on the foil and place the baking sheet on the center rack of a cold oven. Close oven door. Turn oven on to 400°F. Walk away.

3. Come back 17 to 20 minutes later. As soon as the bacon is golden brown, but not excessively crisp, it's done. The exact time will depend on the thickness of the bacon slices, and also on how quickly your oven reaches the target temperature.

4. Remove the pan from the oven. Transfer the bacon to another sheet pan or plate lined with paper towels to absorb the fat. You can pour the liquid fat into a heat-resistant container to save for other uses. To render the bacon fat, pour through a strainer lined with cheesecloth to filter out any crunchy bits.

From the Kitchen of Danilo Alfaro on about.com: culinary arts

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Hello Dolly Bars (aka 7 Layer Bars)

Melt 1 stick of butter in an 8 inch square pan (I use a 1/2 stick).

Add 1 cup of crushed graham crackers (I like TJ's Cinnamon Graham Crackers) and press in bottom of pan.

Sprinkle 6 oz chocolate chips, 6 oz butterscotch chips, 1 cup coconut, 1 cup chopped pecans.

Pour 1 can of condensed milk over ingredients and bake in 35 oven for 10 minutes.

(I usually refrigerate the bars to help them congeal.) Enjoy!

From the kitchen of: Laura T.

White Chocolate Popcorn

1 (3.3 oz) bag butter-flavored microwave popcorn, popped
1 cup salted mixed peanuts
1 cup dried cranberries
1 (12 oz) package which chocolate morsels
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Mix nuts, cranberries and cinnamon in large bowl. Stir in popped popcorn, discarding any un-popped kernels.

Microwave white chocolate morsels in a glass bowl on HIGH for 1 1/2 minutes or until melted and smooth. Stir chocolate at 30-second intervals to avoid burning. Pour chocolate over popcorn mixture, stirring until evenly coated.

Spread mixture in a 15 x 10 inch jelly pan. Let stand 15 minutes or until chocolate hardens. Break into pieces, serve immediately, or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Enjoy!

From the kitchen of: Rhea Y.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Minted Zucchini and Fresh Corn Salad

From Weezie Mott Cooking School Serves 10-12.

Prep the following and set aside:
2 medium size sweet onions, finely chopped; such as Maui or Vidalia, etc.
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 pounds small firm unblemished zucchini, use dark green outside part only slcing off 1/4 inch think pieces on 4 sides of each zucchini (don't use middle, too much moisture)
Cut each piece of zucchini into 1/4 inch julienne (thin match like strips or small french fries)
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh oregano, finely chopped
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
3 Tablespoons well packed fresh mint leaves finely cut with scissors
1 1/2 cups corn kernels, pre-cooked and cooled (yellow corn looks better than white). Use frozen or canned corn if out of season or if corn isn't fresh.

Putting the salad together
In a large skillet heat on high:
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Add: 1/3 of the prepared zucchini julienne, toss then gently until lightly browned 3 - 5 minutes
Transfer to a large bowl.
Add another Tablespoon olive oil and another 1/3rd of the zucchini strips to skillet and repeat procedure until all zucchini julienne is cooked and transferred to bowl.

Reduce heat to medium-low and add the chopped onion to skillet.
Cover with small lid so onions can sweat with less air. Cook onions until soft.
Add the chopped garlic and cook covered another few minutes.
Do not allow garlic to brown.

Add the vinegar and oregano.
Simmer all ingredients together for 2 minutes, than pour them over the cooked zucchini julienne. (Turn heat up until liquid disappears, it may take more than 2 minutes.)
Blend in the thinly cut fresh mint.
Allow the mixture to cool completely.
Add the reserved corn kernels.
Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Arrange attractively on a large platter.
Garnish with fresh mint sprigs.

Recipe From:
Weezie Mott Cooking School
1630 Dayton Avenue
Alameda, CA 94501
http://weeziemott.weebly.com/

Weezie Mott is 90 and teaches cooking classes in her home in Alameda. She's an exceptional chef and instructor. This recipe was from the best cooking class I've ever taken.

From the kitchen of: Weezie Mott

Pita Pizza

Prep and Bake Time: 10-15 min

Simple recipe the kids can make and everyone enjoys to eat.

Ingredients
4-6 pita bread rounds (white or whole wheat)
1 cup of pizza sauce
2 cups mozzarella cheese
toppings of your choice (veggies, cooked meats, cheeses)
Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spoon pizza sauce over pita rounds. Top with mozzarella and desired toppings.

Place on baking sheet and cook for 7-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Serve.

From the kitchen of: Kim H.