Spiders and Webs, Oh My!

In honor of Halloween check out Bakerella. She has the cutest spiders and web cookies here. Wish I had seen these sooner; I might have tried those cookies. A good excuse to buy Trix!

Happy Halloween!

Cinnamon Pancake Cubes

Here's a yummy treat for breakfast or anytime of the day! My kids & hubby gobble these tasty bites up! When you make pancakes, save some aside to give this recipe a try. You're kids will love it!

Cinnamon Pancake Cubes

Ingredients:

1 T. butter or margarine
2-3 pancakes (about 6 inches), cut into 1-in pieces
1 T. sugar
1/8 t. ground cinnamon

In a skillet, melt butter. Add the pancakes, sugar and cinnamon. Cook over low heat until heated through, about 3 minutes.

Servings: 2
Recipe Given By: Quick Cooking, J/F ’02

melt-in-your-mouth good!

Is someone trying to sneak a bite?

Burritos de Huevo con Chorizo

Mark and I used to attend an adult Sunday School class where each family was on a rotation to bring in a breakfast treat to share. You can imagine that we got the typical pastries, doughnuts and fruit breads so it was a big hit when one day these Mexican Breakfast Burritos were brought in and shared. I knew right away my husband would want the recipe! We don't eat this very often, but once fall campouts begin in Boy Scouts, Mark breaks out this recipe to share with the other Dad's. He's always kind enough to leave a few behind for me when he heads to the hills.

Burritos de Huevo con Chorizo

Ingredients:

2 T. oil
1 lb. sausage (Logan’s Mexican style chorizo)
1 T chopped onion
6 eggs
salt to taste
6 flour tortillas (or up to 10-12, see hint below)
1/2 bag of frozen hash browns (*our addition, you can leave it out)

Heat the oil in a skillet, add the chorizo and onions and sauté for about 5 min.

In a bowl, beat the eggs lightly and add the salt. Pour into skillet and mix with chorizo. Cook for about 3 min or until eggs are set, stirring occasionally.

At the same time, cook the frozen hash browns according to the package directions.

Heat a dry skillet (large enough for 1 tortilla) over moderately high heat until hot. In skillet heat tortillas, 1 at a time, turning frequently, 30 seconds, or until softened, and transfer to a work surface. Divide filling AND potatoes between tortillas and roll up burritos.

You may spread refried beans on the tortillas before adding the chorizo and egg filling.

Recipe Given By: Judith Rivera
Hint: We make a double batch and use 1lb. spicy chorizo and 1 lbs. mild chorizo and combine for an extra tang. Just freeze and enjoy for a quick on-the-go breakfast. **We get 20-24 out of a double batch that includes the added potatoes so be prepared to make more than 6 burritos.

Creamy Chicken & Rice, Acorn Squash

Last night I tried my first Pioneer Woman recipe. We had picked out a couple of Acorn squash at the pumpkin patch with the intent of baking them and Pioneer Woman posted a recipe recently that looked yummy so we gave it a try. Love You, Pioneer Woman, but not your squash!
You can see her recipe here.

Here they are after 20 minutes of roasting with the sugar/butter paste added.
Lookin' good so far.

They weren't quite done when the recipe said they would be. I had a Chicken casserole in the oven set at 425 degrees. I popped the squash back into the oven at that temperature for another 15 minutes. At the end of that time, they were fork tender.

At first my husband LOVED them, then he LIKED them, then He said, "We should try it differently next time." ??? He ate almost half the dish.

The olive oil, brown sugar and rosemary was an interesting combination. They smelled delectable, but the flavors just did not gel for me. I ate two wedges to be polite. Each of the kids took one bite and looked like they were going to die - not pretty.

We'd like to try Acorn squash again, but this time we'll leave off the olive oil and substitute some other non-healthy fat, I'm sure. The rosemary? Maybe a little less or something else. The sugar/butter mixture...that can stay!

Here's what we had for dinner last night - Creamy Chicken and Rice, Acorn Squash and Steamed Broccoli. It definitely felt like a Autumn Comfort Meal.

Creamy Chicken and Rice

Ingredients:

4 C cooked rice (2 dry)
½ C butter or margarine, divided
¼ C flour
2 C milk
2 t chicken bouillon granules
½ - 1 t seasoned salt
½ t garlic powder
¼ t pepper
4 – 5 C cubed cooked chicken
12 oz. process American cheese, cubed
2 C (16 oz) sour cream
1 ¼ C crushed butter-flavored crackers (@ 32)

Spread rice into a greased shallow 3-qt. or 13x9x2” baking dish; set aside. In a saucepan, melt ¼ C butter; stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add milk, bouillon, seasoned salt, garlic powder and pepper. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 min or until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; add chicken, cheese and sour cream; stir until the cheese is melted. Pour over rice. Melt the remaining butter; toss with cracker crumbs. Sprinkle over casserole. Bake, uncovered, at 425 degrees for 10- 15 min or until heated through.

Serving: 6-8
Recipe Given By: Quick Cooking M/A 1999 p. 28

Homemade Chicken Soup

We've had some sniffles at our house lately and when we're feeling run-down, I like to break out the Chicken Soup recipe. I start feeling better as soon as I pull out the stock pot.

Homemade Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

Whole fryer chicken (or any amount you desire)
1 med onion, cut very fine
3-4 carrots, cut very fine
pkg of egg noodles
2 chicken bouillons(to enhance flavor)
salt and pepper

Clean out chicken, cut up and boil in water in a stock pot. Skim fat off the top. (Cook until looks done – about 30-40 min) Remove chicken, debone, remove skin, and cut into bite-size pieces. Return chicken to stock pot, add onions, carrots, bouillons, salt and pepper. Simmer until carrot are tender, about 10 min. Then add egg noodles and boil until done, about 8-9 min.

Serving: 16 C liquid, 10 people
Recipe By: Angie Martens

Good Health to You!

Cajun Chicken Strips

This is a quick main dish that we serve with macaroni and cheese and corn bread muffins. Although we eat dinner most nights at the table, this meal lends itself to sitting around the tv at our house...it's just has that comfy laid-back feeling to us.

Cajun Chicken Strips

Ingredients:

1 T flour
1t poultry seasoning
¾ t garlic salt
½ t paprika
¼ t pepper
1/8 – ¼ t cayenne pepper
1 ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts,
cut into ½” strips
2 T butter or margarine
Italian parsley and chili peppers, optional

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the first six ingredients. Add chicken, half at a time, and shake to coat. In a large skillet, cook chicken in butter for 8-10 min or until the juices run clear. Garnish with parsley and peppers if desired.

Serving: 4-6
Recipe Given By: Quick Cooking Premiere p. 23, * see recipe at Taste of Home

(mine look more like nuggets comparatively, but bite-sized works for us.)

Mini-Focaccia Rounds

Fast, easy and delicious dinner bread! Give it a try!

Mini-Foccacia Rounds

Ingredients:

1 pkg (11 oz) refrigerated soft breadsticks dough
2 T olive oil
1 T Parmesan cheese, grated (use real!)
1 t. dried rosemary leaves, crushed
1 t. dried basil leaves
1 t. instant minced onion

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray 15” baking stone with vegetable oil spray. Remove dough from pkg. Separate into 8 coils; DO NOT UNROLL BREADSTICKS. Place coils on stone. Press each coil into a 4” circle. Drizzle with oil. In small bowl, combine Parmesan cheese, rosemary, basil and onion; sprinkle over dough. Bake 10-15 min or until golden brown.

Serving: 8
Recipe Given By: Pillsbury/Pampered Chef p. 3

(I've served it with Meatloaf Miniatures, mashed potatoes and steamed baby carrots.)

Do-It-Yourself Teppanyaki

On May 9th I shared a Fried Rice Recipe with you that included an amazing sauce. Many years ago, our dear friends, the Valenzuela's, had us for dinner and served us a Japanese meal that centered around food cooked on a griddle in the middle of the table. It was accompanied by The Sauce. Here's the recipe and pictures of us sharing the meal with my in-laws.

The Sauce

Ingredients:

½ C soy sauce
½” of ginger, sliced
¼ C water
1 t. sesame seeds
½ C brown sugar
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 drops Tabasco

Boil these ingredients for 1 min., then strain and serve as a dipping sauce. (Can be doubled.) Serve with white rice.

Heat a griddle and spread with margarine. Cook cook raw beef, skinless chicken breast, scallops, shrimp, Napa cabbage, bean sprouts, onions, mushrooms, zucchini, Chinese eggplant and peppers.

Recipe Given By: Sofia Valenzuela/Jon Sugimoto

We try to keep the shrimp and scallops to the outside so they don't get overdone and the chicken right down the middle where the griddle is hottest. Napa cabbage lays across the cooked meat or vegetables and wilts as it steams.

Here's what our table layout looks like. We keep the raw meat separate from the vegetables. You can see Katie in the background taking photos for the blog.

This photo shows our place settings. We each have a small bowl of rice and a small bowl of the dipping sauce. The margarine is on hand in case the food begins to stick. Most of the vegetables taste better with a little margarine coating the cooking surface anyway. We try to have forks to turn the food and chopsticks to eat with, but when it's family we don't follow that rule strictly.

This is a do-it-yourself teppanyaki meal.

Japanese: teppan (griddle) + yaki (broiling).

douzo omeshiagari kudasai (Japanese: Enjoy your meal!)

Green Chili Enchiladas

This is one of my quick-and-easy recipes for a night when I've got to get food on the table quickly. Mark and I were introduced to this recipe by a family in California who invited us over for dinner when we were newly married. We're now coming up on our 21st anniversary so it's been with us for a good, long while.

Green Chili Enchiladas

Ingredients:

2 cans (@ 10 oz. each) of green enchilada sauce
2 C shredded cheddar cheese
2 C shredded Monterey Jack cheese
@ 10 flour tortillas (soft taco size - @ 7" across)

Put a little sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pyrex or glass dish. Use just enough sauce to cover the bottom so the tortillas don't stick. Put about 4-5 T of the cheeses in a tortilla, drizzle 1 T of the sauce over the cheese. Roll up the tortilla and put in the dish. Continue with the rest of the tortillas. When the dish is full of tortillas, spoon the remainder of the enchilada sauce over the top. Sprinkle the remaining cheeses on top, as well. Bake at 350 for 30 min.

Serving: 10
Recipe Given By: Angie Martens
Hint: some extended family members add chicken; our family doesn't care for the addition. We cook up a big batch of white rice and add a quick vegetable for a full Mexican meal.