Pink Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

I made these every year for Valentines Day when I was raising my kiddos.

Pink Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
makes 20 -24

2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 TBSP baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 or 3 drops red food coloring, to make batter pink
1 bag mini choco chips

Preheat oven to 350
Insert cupcake papers in muffin tins.
Sift dry ingredients into mixing bowl ( you can use a wire mesh strainer)
Add shortening, and milk,
Mix on low til blended.
Add eggs one at a time beating after each.
Add vanilla, and food coloring, beat on medium speed 2 minutes,s scraping bowl as necessary.
Fold in chocochips.
Pour evenly into cupcake papers and bake at 350 15-ish minutes or until toothpick comes out clean

When cool frost with pink buttercream frosting

1/2 cup butter, soft
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
a few drops red food coloring
Beat til smooth, adding more powdered sugar if needed, or more milk ( a TBSP at a time) if needed.
Frost cupcukes - Using back of spoon make heart shape as you apply frosting.

Alabama Thanksgiving 2015 recipes plus a few

Almond Vegetables Mandarin in the Kennewick 14th Ward Cookbook pg 85

Also the potatoes I make at Christmas are in the cookbook, pg 84 . side note : large meaning baker potatoes or use about 10 4 -5 inch potatoes. I prefer parboil them til done and let cool before shredding.
And I have started using more sour cream and cottage cheese - plus I cut up a half stick of butter and stir in, as well. of course s&p to taste.

Green Beans in a Mist on the same page are super yummy! Original recipe came from my Aunt Pat.


Creamy Chicken/Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

6 oz wild rice mix (Uncle Bens, or bulk or any)
5 cups chicken broth (made from bouillon is great)
1 tsp poultry seasoning
10 oz frozen chopped broccoli, more or less as desired ( I have used fresh, and leftover as well)
1 medium carrot shredded
2 tsp dried minced onion
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken or turkey
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese
sliced almonds and dried cranberries for garnish

In a large saucepan combine wild rice mix, chicken broth and poultry seasoning. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, til rice is cooked.
Stir in broccoli, carrot and onion. Cover and simmer 10 more minutes.
Add more chicken broth if too thick.
Stir in chicken/turkey.
Stir in cream of chicken soup, and cream cheese. Cook and stir over low heat til cream cheese is melted - do not boil.
Serve with almonds and cranberries



Yam and Apple Bake      
 350 1 hour

4 large yams
6 tart apples
1/4 cup dried cranberries
sauce:
1 cup sugar
4 TBSP cornstarch
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups water
1/4 lb ( 1 cube butter)

Parboil yams 10 minutes; cool, peel and slice in 1/2 inch slices.
Peel and core apples, slice 1/2 inch thick
Alternate yam and apple slices, making rows, in 9 x 13 baking dish.

For sauce , stir together sugar cornstarch and salt in saucepan. Stir in water and butter. cook and stir over medium til butter is melted and sauce is thick and bubbly.
Pour over yams and apples and sprinkle with cranberries.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour.


Marilyns Rolls
makes 4-5 dozen

2 cups butter melted and cooled
3 cups lukewarm water
3 TBSP instant rise yeast
1 cup sugar
6 beaten eggs
2 tsp salt
9-10 cups flour.

Melt butter and let cool down til lukewarm
Put water in bowl of stand mixer.
Sprinkle yeast on water and stir in.
Stir in sugar and eggs.
Add salt and butter.
Add 5 cups of flour and mix with dough hook, continue adding 4 cups of flour while mixing with dough hook, add additional flour if needed. This will be a soft, sticky dough. It will hold together and start to pull away from sides but should stick to fingers when handled.
Knead for only a couple of minutes.
Place dough in greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap and kitchen towel.
Let rise in warm place til doubled about 1 - 1 1/2 hours.
Grease hands as dough will be sticky at first.
Punch down and form into rolls, placing in greased pans.
Cover with (white cotton flour sack type) kitchen towel
Let rise in warm place til doubled 30 -60 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400, bake rolls for 7- 12 minutes until golden on top.
Remove from oven and brush lightly with butter.
Serve immediately or cool for 10 minutes in pan then remove from pan and cool on a kitchen towel.



Mini Pecan Tarts
 325  25 minutes
makes 24

Crust:
blend together;
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
Stir in 1 cup flour.
Chill 1 hour.
Make 24 balls. press each ball into bottom and up sides of mini cupcake cups.
Filling:
Mix together;
1 egg
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 TBSP butter
1 tsp vanilla dash salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Spoon evenly into crusts, being careful not to get filling on edges.
Bake at 325 25 minutes. Cool and carefully remove from pans - using blade of knife to run around edges in case it sticks.


Creamy Tomato Basil Bisque

3- 4 lbs fresh tomatoes, skinned and quartered
Puree tomatoes in blender 1-2 minutes, press through wire mesh seive to remove seeds.
Put 3 Tbsp olive oil in pan
Saute , until tender;
1 clove minced garlic
1 onion chopped
1 stalk celery chopped
Add 5 fresh snipped basil leaves
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp sugar
and cook and stir for 30 - 60 seconds
Add tomatoes and 3-4 TBSP chicken stock (bouillon)
Simmer for 20 minutes to thicken and reduce liquid, stirring occasionally
Puree in blender, pour back into pan and add 1 1/2 cups cream.
Heat , do not boil.
Serve garnish with dollops of sour cream and snipped basil

Another recipe for leftover turkey........

Turkey Pie
bake at 350  20-25 min

1 pie crust for 9 inch pie pan
3 cups cooked turkey
1 1/2 cups chopped celery
1 TBSP grated onion
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp lemon juice
1 cup mayo
1/2 cup chopped pecans
crushed potato chips
grated cheese

Place crust in pie pan and flute edges
Mix together everything except potato chips and cheese
Spoon into pie crust and top with crushed potato chips and grated cheese
Bake at 350 for 20 -25 minutes

Jelled Cranberry Apple Salad

Grandma Foxley made this every year for Thanksgiving and Mom did too.  I got this recipe from LeaAnn Foxley (grandma) and she got it from her Mom, Nona Bingham.  It is tart, delicious and great all year round!

It needs to be prepared the day before so it has time to set.  Also it is easily doubled or tripled (depending on how big a Turkey Day dinner you are attending!)  This will fit in a 9x9 dish (use glass, not metal, as this is acidic).

Ingredients:
1 small (3oz) box of red jello. Mom uses Cherry, Grandma Foxley uses Strawberry)
1 Orange
1 Apple
1 Cup raw cranberries

Directions:
-Dissolve Jello in 1 Cup boiling hot water per the instructions on the box.  Set aside. Do not add the additional water the Jello package calls for.  The fruit and the water added when blending will provide all that is needed.
-Blend fruit. First orange, then apple, then cranberries.  You may need to add a little water to get it blend.  Mom says she usually doesn't need to, but is she does it's no more than 1/4 cup. Mom blends the ingredients until smooth.  Grandma leaves some fruity texture to them. So do it however your family likes it best.
-Stir fruit into dissolved jello and place the salad in refrigerator to set overnight before serving.

Fresh Squeezed Lemonade

I made this blackberry lemonade and it was delicious I added more sugar just till it was as sweet as I wanted it to be.  I have found that I don't like lemonade recipes where the fruit has been cooked it is just not the same

Blackberry Lemonade

Ingredients

• 7 lemons (1 1/2 cups lemon juice)
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 + 5 cups water
• 1 pint blackberries

Instructions

1. Juice the lemons. Remove seeds, strain pulp if desired.
2. Heat sugar and 2 cups water to boiling and stir to dissolve all of the sugar. Let cool to room temperature.
3. Puree ~1 cup blackberries and strain seeds..
4. Mix lemon juice, sugar water, remaining water and blackberry puree and refrigerate until chilled.
5. Serve over ice. 

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Prep Time 10 minutes 

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Yield 4 servings

The potatoes are so silky smooth in this delicious soup.  Our whole family likes it.

Ingredients

• 4 slices bacon, diced
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 cups milk, or more, as needed
• 3 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

• Heat stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; set aside. Discard bacon fat.
• Add butter and melt over medium heat. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk, and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in potatoes and green onions.
• Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes. Stir in cheese, salt and pepper, to taste. If the soup is too thick, add more milk as needed until desired consistency is reached.  I like a nice and thick like a chowder.
• Serve immediately, garnish with green onion, cheese, bacon and sour cream if desired.

Adapted from damn delicious

Award Winning Creamy Cilantro Lime Chicken Chili

 Award Winning Creamy Cilantro Lime Chicken Chili

I made this for my ward Halloween Chili Cook Off and this was the winning chili.  I made this recipe up myself but my inspiration was from this recipe for Creamy Chicken Taquitos - Our Best Bites. 

1 ½ - 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts

2-3 tbsp oil

½ cup green salsa (I used Herdez brand)

1 onion finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic finely minced

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili Powder

2 cups water

2 tsp bouillon powder

2 cans cannellini beans drained and rinsed

1 can black beans drained and rinsed

2 limes

½ cup fresh cilantro loosely packed, divided in half

4 oz cream cheese softened

1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

Salt and Pepper chicken breasts brown both sides in a skillet with oil on med high heat.  Place chicken breasts in crock pot.  Cook onions in same skillet till translucent.  Add Cumin and Chili powder and garlic sauté until fragrant about 1 min.  Add garlic and onion mixture to crock pot.  Pour one cup of water in skillet and scrape the bottom of the pan to get anything stuck including spices to the skillet up.  Pour water from the skillet into the crock pot.  Add remaining water should be enough to cover the chicken breasts.  Add the chicken bouillon (or you could use chicken stock instead of water).  Add cannellini and black beans.  Add juice of one lime and ½ of the cilantro.  Cook on high for four hours.  Remove chicken.  Add some hot broth to the softened cream cheese and whisk until smooth and completely melted.  Pour cream cheese mixture into crock pot and stir until fully incorporated.  Shred chicken with 2 forks put back into crock pot.   Add juice of last lime and stir.  Top with pepper jack cheese and remaining cilantro.

Jamie Oliver's Chicken in Milk

Jamie Oliver said "A slightly odd but really fantastic combination that must be tried"

He was right the family liked it.

Ingredients

1 3ish pound chicken(there wasn't one that small at my grocery store mine was just under 5lbs) Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 stick butter
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 good handful fresh sage, leaves picked
zest from 2 lemons(make sure to avoid the pith some reviewers said they were not careful and it turned out bitter)
6 garlic cloves, skin left on
1 pint milk

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, and find a snug-fitting pot for the chicken. Season it generously all over with salt and pepper, and fry it in the butter, turning the chicken to get an even color all over, until golden. Remove from the heat, put the chicken on a plate, and throw away the butter left in the pot(save the butter use it in the mashed potatoes or cook some veggies in it). This will leave you with tasty sticky goodness at the bottom of the pan, which will give you a lovely caramel flavor later on.

Put your chicken back in the pot with the rest of the ingredients, and cook in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours. (I covered with a lid for 1/2 the cooking time, reviewers said it would be moister) Baste with the cooking juice when you remember. The lemon zest will sort of split the milk, making a sauce, which is absolutely fantastic.

To serve, pull the meat off the bones and divide it on to your plates. Spoon over plenty of juice and the little curds. I knew my family wouldn't like the bits of zest or sage so I strained it all through a fine mesh sieve. I ate mine with couscous but everyone else wanted mashed potatoes.

I hope you all love it.  Find some great pictures and a good review here 

Best Chicken Recipe of all Time -www.thekitchn.com

 

 

 

Orange Julius

In this order put into blender:

    1/3 cup frozen OJ concentrate ( 1/4 of 12 oz can)

    1/2 cup milk

    1/2 cup water

    1/4 cup sugar

    1/2 tsp vanilla

    1 cup ice cubes

Blend til smooth - 30 - 60 seconds.

makes about 3 servings. This can be doubled

Strawberries Dessert - my favorite Easter Dessert

The night before, mix together:
    4 cups sliced strawberries
    10 oz mini marshmallows
Before serving stir strawberry marshmallow mixture and stir in:
    4 bananas, sliced
    1 can pineapple tidbits, drained
    3/4 cup cream, whipped

Marilyns Rolls

3 TBSP yeast (I use instant rise)
3 cups lukewarm water
1 cup sugar
6 beaten eggs
2 tsp salt
2 cups butter, melted, and cooled to slightly warm
9-10 cups flour
Put water in bowl of mixer, sprinkle on yeast. Stir in sugar. Stir in beaten eggs.
Add salt, butter, and 1/2 of flour, mix well. Add rest of flour up to a total of 9 cups, mixing with dough hook. While continuing to mix, add up to 1 more cup flour if needed. Mix for 2 minutes.
Dough will be somewhat soft and a little sticky. Put dough in greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and put in warm place to rise, til double. Could take an hour to an hour and a half. Punch down, and form into rolls, small loaves, or braid for challah ( makes 2 challah loaves).
Cover with white dish towel put in warm place and let rise til double.
Pre heat oven to 400 degrees
Bake rolls 8-12 minutes til golden.
Brush challah gently with beaten egg, and bake for 20 -30 minutes til deep golden.

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

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. 

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. 

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

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.

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

Broccoli-Cheese Soup

 


This recipe is from From America's Test Kitchen 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.

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

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.