Thursday, August 8, 2013

Pizza toppings


Here at the Hurst household we cook a lot of pizza (best when grilled) and calzones. I am always looking for new delicious topping combinations. This week I tried a delicious combo that I would love to share:

Alfredo sauce
Feta cheese
Artichoke hearts
Chicken
Caramelized onions
Spinach
Tomatoes

Make sure you cook your dough for awhile before topping, or the middle of the dough will stay soggy. And if you are making calzones, leave the sauce on the side for dipping. What are your favorite pizza toppings?

-Briana

Friday, August 2, 2013

Sweet Potato Egg Boats

Hi family,  I made these tonight and they were delicious I recommend you all try them.  I found this recipe on edible perspective

potatoboat (4 of 9)



Sweet Potato Egg Boats [yields 2 large potatoes, inspired by Baked Egg Boats from Spoon Fork Bacon]
  • 2 large sweet potatoes [about 7-8” long and 3-4” diameter]
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/3c baby portabellas, diced
  • 2Tchives, finely diced
  • 2T cream cheese, room temp
  • 1/4t salt
  • black pepper
  1. Preheat your oven to 400 and wash your potatoes.
  2. Place on a pan [or right on the rack] in the middle of your oven for 35-40min, until about about 2/3 of the way cooked through.  Do not prick with a fork.
  3. Whisk together the egg + cream cheese until smooth then whisk in the mushrooms, chives, salt, and pepper.
  4. Remove from the oven and carefully carve out a bowl in the potato using a knife to make the cut and a spoon to scrape.  Try to make sure the hole you carve out is the about the same width from end to end.  Scoop slightly deeper on the thinner end.  This will help ensure the egg cooks evenly and doesn’t overflow.  Start about 1” from each end.  Remove about 3/4c of potato from each.  Reserve and/or cook the excess potato if you like.
  5. Place potatoes on a baking sheet, sprinkle the carved potato with a pinch of salt, then pour in half of the egg mixture to each.
  6. Bake for another 25-32min until the egg is set. 
  7. Broil on the top rack for 1-3min until golden brown.
notes:  If your potato is smaller than the specified size above, adjust cook time if necessary.  You also may need more potatoes to fill with the mixture.  It’s best to carve out the potato with a spoon, not a fork, so the egg mixture doesn’t seep into the bottom half of the potato. 

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Strawberry Glaze Pie

Strawberry Glaze Pie
Mom

1 9" baked pie shell
6 cups fresh whole strawberries
1 cup sugar
3 TBSP cornstarch
3/4 cup water
optional - few drops red food coloring

Slice enough berries to make 1 cup. Finely chop or mash berries, set aside.

Combine sugar and cornstarch in saucepan. Stir in water til cornstarch is dissolved, add mashed berries, and bring to a boil over med hi heat, stirring constantly. Turn down heat to med lo (making sure that it keeps bubbling) Add food coloring if desired, and continue to cook and stir for 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
Cool for 10 minutes.

Halve or quarter remaining berries (Halves are pretty on the top layer)

Spread about 1/3 cup glaze in bottom of pie shell. Arrange half of berries in shell and spoon on half of remaining glaze. Arrange other half of berries on top and spoon on remaining glaze.

Chill til set 1- 2 hours. Best if eaten same day. Serve with whipped cream if desired

Monday, April 8, 2013

Crockpot Chicken Tacos

I have been looking for a crockpot recipe to submit, but I have a hard time finding crockpot recipes I actually like and would make repeatedly. I found one! So easy and healthy too. Nolan, you have to try this one, even Ellie loves it. You can use it for tacos, taco salad, enchiladas, nachos, quesadillas, etc. You can make chicken tortilla soup with the leftovers or freeze it.

Crockpot Chicken Tacos
Recipe from Tasty Kitchen
Serves: ~12 people

1 envelope Taco Seasoning
6 pieces Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 16-ounce jar Salsa

Dump everything into a crock pot and give it a little stir to blend the seasoning with the salsa. Cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours.

When done, the chicken should shred easily when stirred with a fork. For tacos, serve the chicken with soft flour tortillas, guacamole, lettuce, shredded cheese and sour cream.

Sunday, March 3, 2013

soup and paninis

Well I am going to post for February's theme even though it is already March. February was a month of not wanting to think about food for me and the lil baby. I am feeling a little better though and have cooked dinner almost every day this week!

Here is a quick dinner that I make at least once a month
1) This fancy yet super easy tomato soup: http://jennysteffens.blogspot.com/2011/01/recipes-tomato-basil-soup-best-grilled.html
2) And grilled sandwiches with anything and everything on them. I try to have some veggies on it for health purposes. Ideas for sandwiches:
-mozzarella, tomato slices, and basil
-lunch meat and cheese
other yummy toppings:
-pickles
-banana peppers
-spinach
-hummus
-the spread that laura put in the family cookbook
-pesto
-sun dried tomatoes

-Briana

Friday, February 1, 2013

Broccoli-Cheese Soup

 


This recipe is from From Season 12.  Dustin loved this soup, I made it for dinner on Halloween I thought the green soup would be fun and some vegetables before all the candy was a good idea.

I like to know why certain things work when we cook so I thought you also might find the following info interesting.  Overcooked broccoli has a sulfurous flavor, but we discovered when we cooked our broccoli beyond the point of just overcooked—for a full hour—those sulfur-containing compounds broke down, leaving behind intense, nutty broccoli. Its texture was fairly soft, but that was perfect for use in a soup. Adding baking soda to the pot sped up the process, shortening the broccoli’s cooking time to a mere 20 minutes. A little spinach lent bright green color to the soup without taking over the flavor.
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 pounds broccoli, florets roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces, stems trimmed, peeled, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
  • 1 medium onion, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard powder
  • Pinch cayenne pepper
  • Table salt
  • 3–4 cups water
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2cups low-sodium chicken broth (see note)
  • 2 ounces baby spinach (2 loosely packed cups)
  • 3 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (3/4 cup)
  • 1 1/2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated fine (about 3/4 cup), plus extra for serving
  • Ground black pepper
Instructions
  • 1. Heat butter in large Dutch oven(I don't own one so I used a regular pot) over medium-high heat. When foaming subsides, add broccoli, onion, garlic, dry mustard, cayenne, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 6 minutes. Add 1 cup water and baking soda. Bring to simmer, cover, and cook until broccoli is very soft, about 20 minutes, stirring once during cooking.
  • 2. Add broth and 2 cups water and increase heat to medium-high. When mixture begins to simmer, stir in spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Transfer half of soup to blender, add cheddar and Parmesan, and process until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer soup to medium bowl and repeat with remaining soup. Return soup to Dutch oven, place over medium heat and bring to simmer. Adjust consistency of soup with up to 1 cup water. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve, passing extra Parmesan separately.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Pumpkin Curry Soup

I have had a difficult time thinking of a soup to share. I haven't made as many this winter as I have in years past due to the extreme difference in climate in which I now reside. I wrote down this recipe while browsing through weight watchers recipe books at a grocery store a couple years ago. It has good flavor and a little spicy kick to it. And it is a weight watchers recipe so it is kind of healthy. I usually didn't serve it with bread since I was using it as a lighter meal.

Pumkpin Curry Soup
Ingredients:
-3 cups chicken brother
-15 oz can of pumpkin puree
-2 tsp chili sauce with garlic (found in the Asian food section. I used the Hokan brand)
-1/2 tsp curry powder
-1 cup coconut milk
-1 TBSP lime juice
-chopped cilantro

Directions:
Mix broth, pumpkin, chili sauce, and curry powder in a pan. Bring to a boil.

Whisk in coconut milk and lime juice

Garnish with cilantro

Enjoy!

-Briana

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Soup

Love this soup - it is one of my favorite go-to soups. You can easily make substitutions to get the flavor you want.

Chicken Pasta Soup
serves 6

1/4 cup olive oil
8 oz mushrooms sliced (any kind, mix and match)
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth (canned, or use bouillon in water)
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, do not drain
2 9 oz pkg. refrigerated chicken tortellini
1/3 cup sliced fresh basil
pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

I have

  • substituted any variety of pasta for the tortellini
  • added cooked shredded (or canned chicken)
  • used plain diced tomatoes - or fresh- and added dried basil, garlic and oregano
  • used dried basil
  • used canned mushrooms
  • added pesto in place of basil
  • added spinach and/or arugula 5 minutes before serving 
1. Heat oil in large pot over medium heat until hot. Cook mushrooms and garlic 3 to 4 minutes or until mushrooms are softened. Stir in broth and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Add tortellini; simmer 9 to 10 minutes or until tortellini are tender ( if using other pasta, cook until pasta is tender); stirring occasionally.
2. Stir in basil (other greens)(chicken) and pepper simmer for 2-5 minutes until greens are wilted (and chicken is hot).
3. Serve sprinkled with cheese.

I like any roll or hearth bread or crusty bread with this.