Oreo Truffles

And I am back in business!  I know I say this every time I start writing on this blog again, but this time I mean it.  Since becoming a mom, my time is more occupied with Zara and working one day a week.  However, I realized how much more important it is for me to come up with activities like cooking to make my day more exciting.  Don't get me wrong, I love being home with Zara, however, not every minute, hour, or day is exciting.  

I have many recipes to post, but I often forget to take pictures.  And since we all know there is nothing worse than a recipe without a pictures, I shall wait to post until I take more pictures. I better get cooking this week!  

Here is a fun dessert we made the other night.  I have to admit, all these recipes are copied from someone else.  I am not a great inventor when it comes to cooking, but I am so glad so many people out there are so I can copy them. 

These are super easy and quite delicious. 

1 (16 ounce) pakcage Oreo cookies, divided
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened (I used light)
2 (8 ounce) packages bakers semi-sweet chocolate, melted (we used just chocolate chips)

 1. Crush 9 of the cookies to fine crumbs; reserve for later use.  Crush remaining 36 cookies to fine crumbs; place in medium bowl. Add cream cheese; mix until well blended. Roll cookie mixture into 42 balls, about 1-inch in diameter.
2. Dip balls in chocolate; place on wax paper-covered baking sheet. (Any leftover chocolate can be stored at room temperature for another use.) Sprinkle with reserved cookie crumbs.
3. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Store leftover truffles, covered, in refrigerator.

Strawberry Pie

So this is the infamous Haslam Strawberry pie.  Every person in our family requests to have this for their birthday instead of cake.  Since my birthday was just a few days ago I though I should put this up.  It is so good I woke up at 445am before work to make it. 

I honestly can hardly call it a recipe: super easy.

Julie rating 10/10; serves 6-8; prep:30 minutes; need at least 4 hrs in frig before serving

2-3 lbs strawberries
1-2 (4 1/2) oz packages of Danish Dessert (here is a link if you don't know what it is http://www.junketdesserts.com/danishdessert.aspx)  I always buy the raspberry flavor for this even though it is with strawberries.  If you are making a very small pie you could just buy one box, but if you use anything more than 2 lbs of strawberries I would buy two packages-it is not very good if you don't have enough filling.  With the extra filling I put it in dessert cups and just serve with whip cream for anyone who doesn't want pie. I normally make 1 1/2 packages.
1 store bought pie crust-I have yet to find a homemade crust with as good of flavoring as the store brand or worth the time of making it-but if you have a recipe you like, go for it

Preparation: Bake pie crust according to directs.  Cut up strawberries.  I usually cut a bunch in half to put on the bottom of the pie and then in quarters for the rest of the pie.  Just personal preference.  If the strawberries are very sour, I'll put a bit of powder sugar on them.  Make the Danish Dessert according to the directions for pie filling on the back of package.  Since finished, put in frig until cool.  Stir every few minutes so it doesn't set. When the Danish Dessert is cooled you can add strawberries to the pie crust, then pour Danish Dessert over the strawberries.  Put in frig to set for several hours-I think around 4-5.  Serve with whip cream.
Best pie ever.

Thai Peanut Noodle Salad

It has been months since I last posted and now have a few recipes to publish.  Here is one I found on this website OurBestBites.com; delicious!  If you like Thai and especially pad thai I think you will like this.  I love that this website shows step by step pictures.  I think it is pretty popular because they just published a book.  The comments below are from the original publisher* 

Remember don't forget to add your own recipes to get this thing going again!

Julie and Eli rating 8.5/10   Serves 6-8.  Prep time: 30-45mins

8 oz Linguine Fini (or regular linguine)
4 C shredded greens: any combo of napa cabbage, romaine lettuce or even spinach
2 C thinly sliced purple cabbage
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 yellow pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, julienned
1/2 medium cucumber, halved and sliced
1/4 of a red onion, thinly sliced
3 C diced grilled chicken
honey roasted peanuts (about 1/2 cup)
Thai Peanut Salad Dressing (save some time and make this part ahead!)

-Start by bringing a pot of water to a boil. Add a spoonful of salt and then add your pasta. While pasta is cooking, start chopping those veggies.
-You can really use any mix of veggies you want. I have a thing with rainbows so whenever I make this type of salad I pick the vegetables purely based on color so I can have something in every shade of the rainbow.
You can play around with the leafy greens. I like to use both napa cabbage and romaine lettuce. If you're eating this right away lettuce works great, and spinach is even good in there. However, if you're taking it to a picnic, or serving it on a buffet or anything like that where it will sit a while, I recommend going heavy on the cabbage because it will stay nice and crunchy for you.
-As soon as your pasta is done drain it and run some cold water over it until it's cool. If you're not going to use it right away, add a drizzle of the salad dressing and stir to coat. This will prevent the noodles from getting all clumpy. Keep in the fridge until ready to use.
-When you're ready to assemble the salad, place noodles, veggies, and chicken in a large bowl.
Pour the Thai Peanut Dressing over everything, stirring as you go until you have enough to coat. I use it all!

Dressing:
1/2 C peanut butter
1 lime, juiced and zested
2 1/2 t sesame oil
1 T seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 T soy sauce
3 T honey
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 T minced ginger
1/2 C roughly chopped cilantro (stems and all)
1/2 C vegetable oil
1/4 t kosher salt*
2-3 t sriracha chili sauce*
2-4 T water*
*The need for salt may differ depending on the brand of PB you use. Taste first and then add.
*I use 3 t Sriaracha, but you may want more or less depending on your preference of heat levels. Again, taste first and then add.
*Lastly, the addition of the water is purely for consistency which again, depends on the PB brand you use. Add water until you get the consistency you want, or leave it out completely.
Place everything in a blender and mix until smooth. Makes about 2 cups.

Creamy Orzo with Chicken, Mushrooms, and Red Peppers

Creamy Orzo with Chicken, Mushrooms and Red Peppers
click here for picture

Another recipe that I copied? I love the vegetable in it. My advice is to get everything ready to go before you start cooking because if you follow the recipe exactly the all the vegetables will be cooked perfectly. So good.

*Note: this pasta is best served immediately as it tends to get less creamy as it sits at room temperature – so serve warm right as it finishes cooking! (Incidentally, it heated up just fine the next day in the microwave on low power.)
*Serves 4
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 average-sized chicken breasts (about 1 to 1 ½ pounds), cut into chunks
2 red bell peppers, cut into ½-inch pieces
8 ounces white button mushrooms, quartered
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 pound orzo pasta
8 ounces cream cheese, softened (can use 1/3 less fat cream cheese)
1 cup reserved pasta water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook according to package directions until tender. When the orzo is ready, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water (ladling it into a small bowl is my method) and then drain the orzo and set aside.
While the orzo cooks, in a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the hot oil and brown on all sides. When nicely browned (but not all the way cooked through), add the peppers, mushrooms and thyme. Stir and let cook for about 5 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the mushrooms and peppers have softened and browned and most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
In the skillet over medium heat, add the softened cream cheese (if you forgot to let the cream cheese soften at room temperature, no worries! Pop it in the microwave for one minute on 40% power) in bite sized chunks and stir so that the cream cheese melts and coats the chicken and vegetables. Add the reserved pasta water and bring to a simmer. Add ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Stir. Add the orzo, Parmesan, lemon juice and fresh parsley. Stir to combine and heat through. Garnish with additional Parmesan and parsley.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Found this recipe from this cooking blog. I had no idea that cooking this dish could be so easy! And surprisingly yummy. We give it an 8/10. It has just enough spice for me to love it. If you don't like spicy at all, I would leave out the jalapeno.

Servings: 3
Marinade:

1 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 tablespoons minced fresh ginger (I used ground Ginger, 2 tsp)
1 teaspoon salt
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 cup cream
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Combine all marinade ingredients except chicken. Pour sauce over chicken and refrigerate for one hour {I, Angie, marinated it about 10 hours while I was at work}. Grill or cook chicken in frying pan. Discard marinade.

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for one minute. Season with cumin, paprika and salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken and simmer for 10 minutes. Garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve over hot rice.

Blackened Mahi-Mahi Fish Tacos

Today is my first day without feeling the pressure of studying!  Now that may all change by tomorrow when I start my first real day of work on the floor.  But for now, I feel invigorated.  Today, I revamped my exercise routine and am dedicated to the finishing the SELF Challenge (the fitness part).   I also want to visit every free museum in DC by the end of the summer.  Lastly, I am determined to try new kinds of recipes and start a recipe book. So during my workout today I watched the food network for an hour and found 3 new recipes to try this week.

Here is the first.  Eli and I fell in love with blackened fish and chicken when visiting Barbados and then again just a few weeks ago after going to Puerto Rico.  We rated this recipe an 8 out of 10.  Very yummy.  Just realized that this is kind of long, but I promise it is easy.  Don’t get bogged down.

2 pounds fresh fish-I like mahi mahi or red snapper because it is mild (we used about .7 lb for 5-6 small tacos)

1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon cumin powder
½ teaspoon allepo (or cayenne) flakes
¼ teaspoon ancho powder
1/8 teaspoon coriander
¼ teaspoon sharp paprika powder
¼ teaspoon allspice
Salt and black pepper to taste

So I got to the spice isle and found that it would have cost about $15 for the spices I didn’t have.  Instead I found Phillips Blackening Seasoning for $6 and decided to go with that.  It was probably a lot better actually buying all those spices.  

Cut the fish into small fillets or even smaller for more spice.  Dip in spices and either cook in pan with a little butter or bake in the oven.  Just cook until the middle isn’t clear.  It was about 5 minutes in the pan for us. 

Use whatever toppings you want.  I used the following items
black beans and corn, cabbage
Monterey Jack or sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped
10 soft corn tortillas for tacos, or ready-made taco shells

Cafe rio dressing for the sauce (listed below)

Ingredients: MAKE HALF FOR A GROUP OF 4 OR LESS
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix (mix with 1 cup sour cream and 1 cup mayo - milk makes this too runny)
5 fresh tomatillos
1   7 oz. can salsa verde tomatillo salsa
2 cloves fresh garlic (or more)
2 jalapenos (hotter w/ seeds)
cilantro at least a handful or more
juice from a lime
salt/pepper
chili powder (chipotle if you have it)
Directions:
Mix well in your blender.

You sort of have to play around with this recipe since I got this from a person who watched them make it at Cafe Rio.  If you never have had Cafe Rio.  You are missing out .

This is the fun we had buying the fish at the Fish Market.

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pumpkin bread pudding.

julie provided a meal so i will provide a dessert. which is really my favorite part of eating anyway. bread pudding is one of my absolute favorite desserts of all time. and pumpkin anything is my favorite. period. so when i found this recipe, it was a dream come true and comes courtesy of caroline's bake shop.
and if you just want some really delicious and moist pumpkin bread, this is probably my favorite loaf i have ever had. the good news is that the bread recipe makes two loaves and you only need one for the bread pudding so you will get some scrumptious bread to eat for breakfast in the morning from this process too!

PUMPKIN BREAD.
4 cups flour
1/2 t. nutmeg
4 cups sugar
1 29 oz. can pumpkin
4 t. baking soda
1 cup oil
1 t. salt
1 t. cloves
1 t. cinnamon

mix dry ingredients into a large bowl. stir in pumpkin and oil. beat with wooden spoon (or whisk) until well blended. grease and flour 2 large (same size as the pans for wheat bread) or 3 medium loaf pans. pour in batter and bake in 325° oven for 1 1/4 hours to 1 1/2 hours. put toothpick in center to see if bread is done.

BREAD PUDDING.
even though it is my favorite, i had never made it before so i am going to include lots of pictures so you don't get worried about what yours looks like as i did.

8 large eggs
3 ½ cups milk
2 cups sugar
1 ½ cups whipping cream
1 t. vanilla extract
1 1-lb loaf pumpkin bread

butter a 3 quart baking dish. whisk eggs in large bowl to blend. add milk, sugar, cream, and vanilla. whisk to blend well. stir in bread. pour mixture into prepared baking dish, push down the bread crumbs, making sure they have all been coated by mixture. cover and refrigerate for 1 1/2 hours. cook for 1 hour, 45 minutes, or until it is set – 350 degrees (i had to up the tempurature to 375 degrees for the last 40 minutes). before serving, dribble some cinnamon caramel sauce over the top and serve with freshly whipped cream (we didn't use whipped cream but its probably a good addition...)





CINNAMON CARAMEL SAUCE
1 cup (packed ) golden brown sugar
1 cube butter
½ cup whipping cream
¾ t. cinnamon

stir brown sugar and butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until melted and smooth, about 2 minutes. add cream and cinnamon and bring to simmer. simmer until sauce thickens and is reduced to 1 ½ cups, about 5 minutes. serve warm.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

So I haven't posted in a while because I have to be honest 1. I haven't tried very many new reicipes since Thanksgiving and 2. the ones I have tried haven't been all that great. But this one was definetly a winner. Eli said it was the best I have made in a while.

Prep Time:10 Min
Cook Time:35 Min
Ready In:45 Min
Yields 4 servings

Ingredients
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 slices Swiss cheese
4 slices cooked ham

1 egg
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat a 7x11 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Pound chicken breasts to 1/4 inch thickness. (I used a hammer since we are lacking a meat tenderizer). Sprinkle each piece of chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Bath chicken in egg wash. Place 1 cheese slice and 1 ham slice on top of each breast. (I went to the deli and got four slices of each from the deli) Roll up each breast, roll in bread crumbs, and secure with a toothpick. Bake for 20 minutes with foil covering, take off foil and bake until golden brown (about 15 minutes). Remove toothpicks, and serve immediately with rice and sauce (1 can cream of chicken, 1/2 cup sour cream, lemon juice).

*if you need a visual go to youtube and "how to make chicken cordon bleu" and there are some videos on how to wrap it etc.

Spinach salad

Studying for the NCLEX has made me realize that the answer to all nutrition questions is "green leafy vegetables." Therefore, we made a New Year's commitment to eat more spinach. This is my new favorite salad. (who knew making dressing was so easy!)

Serving size 6

1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 bunch spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese(I use feta)
2 tomatoes, chopped (optional)
1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

Dressing

2 tablespoons red raspberry jam (with seeds)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/3 cup walnut oil
freshly ground black pepper to taste
salt to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Arrange walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast in oven for 3-5 minutes, or until nuts begin to brown.
In a large bowl, toss together the spinach, walnuts, cranberries, blue cheese, tomatoes, avocado, and red onion.
In a small bowl, whisk together jam, vinegar, walnut oil, pepper, and salt. Pour over the salad just before serving, and toss to coat.

Grilled Mahi Mahi and CousCous

This is easily my new favorite thing to make. I like to buy the mahi mahi bag of fish at Costco and keep it for fish tacos, so I looked up a recipe on the Food Network, then modified it to fit me and make it SUPER easy.
(hopefully we'll have a photo coming soon... I made it last night and it was super cute but I was so hungry I forgot to take a picture)

THE COUSCOUS
2 cups chicken broth or water
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup couscous
2 scallions, sliced on an angle
1 carrot, shredded or grated
1 navel orange, peeled and chopped

Boil the first four ingredients. When it comes to a boil, remove from heat and stir in the couscous. Let sit for ten minutes. Stir in the last three ingredients.
(they also have stuff like some raisins, which I never have so I skip)

THE "SALSA"
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
dash of ginger
1/4 cucumber, seeded, peeled and chopped
couple shakes of chives

Originally, this was a mango salsa, but since mangoes are expensive and rarely in season, I just omitted it. Instead, I mix this stuff all in with the couscous, since it all gets mixed up on my plate anyways.

THE FISH
2-3 mahi mahi steaks (3 because usually I eat one and Brad eats 2)
olive oil
salt
pepper
lime

Heat a grill pan/electric griddle to high. Drizzle oil over fish, rub in s&p, drizzle lime. Cook about 5 minutes on each side, or until fish is opaque.


I usually start the couscous, grill the fish, and cut up the "extras" while those two get going. Seriously, this can be done in as short as 15 minutes. It's good, and adds a nice mix-up from boring everyday same-o same-o.

pesto pizza.

need something ready in less than 30 minutes? this is your answer.

1. preheat oven to 450F.
2. slice a loaf of crusty french bread in half lengthwise (separate the top and the bottom). the one i used is "la brea bakery" that many grocery stores bake fresh daily (smiths, whole foods, costco). place halves on a sturdy jelly roll pan or cookie sheet.
3. mix 1/3 C prepared pesto (also can be purchased at a grocery store near you including sunflower market or costco) and 2 tsp minced garlic.
4. spread pesto mixture evenly on both halves of the bread.
5. top pesto bread with rotisserie chicken (my favorite is the one at costco for $4.99) and diced tomatoes.
6. sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
7. cook in oven for 10-15 minutes or until cheese starts to become golden.
8. slice with your favorite bread knife and EAT.
mm, delicious.

Zucchini Bread

So in my attempt to broaden my limited cook book I joined allrecipes.com, and now receive an email each day with a new recipe. I like this website because people rate the recipes and leave comments on how to make them better. (If you ever get a recipe off of here, make sure you read the comments because some of the changes are essential to the success of the recipe. I learned this the hard way on one recipe). I got an email for this zucchini bread recipe and saw that it has 5 out of 5 starts with over a 1,000 people rating it. Figured it must be pretty good. Eli says says its gets 5 stars.

For the recipe click here

Or here it is with my comments:

Servings: 2 regular bread size loafs (I halved the recipe and only made one because there is no way Eli and I can eat two). Oh other cool thing about allrecipes.com, it lists the serving size, but you can change them and it recalculated the recipe numbers for you. In the past I have totally messed up on a recipe because I forget I am halving or doubling and add too much or too little of one ingredient.

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 1/4 cups white sugar
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

I changed the sugar to only two cups and used half white sugar and half brown sugar (someone suggested it on a comment) and I think it turned out yummy with that. I could just taste a little bit of the brown sugar in there. Other suggestions included, using 1 1/2 cups white flour and
1 1/2 cups wheat flour. Also use 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup apple sauce. I am definitely going to try these out next time now that I know I like the recipe.
Lastly, I used a medium to large zucchini (medium to large for a store bought zucchini, not like those crazy sized ones you can grow in the garden) and it made about a 1 1/2 cups grated zucchini. Just add as much zucchini as you like. This is a recipe you can play around with. I just used the cheese size grater for grating since I had no idea and I think it was a good size. Also, I didn't have the nuts which I am sure would have been great, but it is still very good without.

DIRECTIONS
1. Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
3. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
4. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes (mine was the full 60), or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

P.S. If you haven't tried Whitney's wheat bread recipe. You have to! Changed my life. I am now making it once a week and not buying bread. So easy and so worth it.

wheat bread.

okay, i know what you are thinking.
"bread?!...i thought we were only posting simple recipes for two."
you can do this recipe. promise. its only 7 ingredients and it only takes 6 minutes to combine them. and the results are well worth the whole process. there is nothing like hot, fresh, homeade bread. tastes best with butter, butter and honey, or peanut butter. also good for grilled cheese, paninis, etc in the days following. it does make 3 loaves so if you won't consume that much bread in about 3-4 days, i suggest freezing a loaf or giving one away. also, you can buy wheat flour in a grocery store or in bulk (sunflower market in orem has it). if you get really into it, then you can buy a wheat grinder and make your own wheat flour--this was actually one of my bridal gifts and i totally love it.

Victoria’s Six-Minute Magic Bread
Put the following into the bowl of your Kitchenaid or Bosch mixer, in this order:
2/3 cup sugar or honey (either works fine)
2 tsp. salt
3 cups hot water from the tap
1 cup canola oil (or butter–if it is cold, cut it up first)
4 cups whole wheat flour (from about 2 cups whole wheat)
6 cups white flour
2 tbsp. active dry yeast
Mix all ingredients in your mixer using the dough hook attachment for six minutes. Meanwhile, warm your oven slightly (I turn mine on for 2-3 minutes). Check your dough. It should be pulling away from the sides of the bowl. If it is too sticky, add a little flour, until it comes to the right consistency. Don’t make it too stiff, or your bread will be dry.
Butter a large bowl. Turn dough into the buttered bowl, and then turn it over to coat both sides in butter. Cover with a kitchen towel and place in your warm oven (make sure the oven is turned off, and that it is not too hot... you don’t want to kill the yeast). Set the timer for one hour and twenty minutes.
After one hour and twenty minutes, form the dough into three loaves and place in lightly buttered loaf pans. The way I like to form my loaves is to press them with my hands into a rectangle that is the width of the long end of the bread pan (about 9 inches) and about twice that long. Then I roll the rectangle up, making sure to leave no air pockets (which turn into holes in your bread), and placing the roll in the pan seam-side down. One advantage of this method is that if you want to add a sprinkle of cinnamon and brown sugar before rolling it up, you can do so. This makes really beautiful round-top bread.
Place the loaves back in the warm oven and cover them with the towel again. Set the timer for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, take the towel off. The loaves should be rounded about an inch above the top of the loaf pans. If they are not, give them another five minutes. Then turn on the oven to 350 degrees (you don’t need to preheat). Set the timer for 30 minutes again. After 30 minutes, remove the bread from the oven, and immediately turn the loaves out of the pans and place upright on a cookie cooling rack to cool completely. Any loaves that you don’t eat immediately hot from the oven with butter and honey, you can place in plastic bags, but only when they are completely cool.
To make white bread, rather than wheat, just use white flour in place of the wheat. You might adjust the second rise time to about 25 minutes, as the white loaves tend to rise a little faster. You may also use just a pinch less yeast for white loaves.

buffalo chicken wraps.

gives you the yummy flavor of buffalo wings without all the calories. it is fast, easy, and easy to make for 2 or 10.

2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce
3 tablespoons white vinegar, divided
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound chicken tenders
2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons nonfat plain yogurt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
4+ tortillas
4+ romaine lettuce leaves
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup diced tomato

Whisk hot pepper sauce, 2 tablespoons vinegar and cayenne pepper in a medium bowl.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cut chicken into chunks and cook until cooked through and no longer pink in the middle. Add to the bowl with the hot sauce; toss to coat well.
Whisk mayonnaise, yogurt, pepper and the remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar in a small bowl. Stir in blue cheese.
Let everyone assemble their own wraps.
Mm, yummy.

Saydi's 40 minute pizza dough

So it has been a long time since I have posted anything. I was on the Navajo reservation in May where my diet consisted of grilled cheese, box pancakes, and cereal. Didn't think anyone needed those recipes. Now we are in Salt Lake and having to start cooking again. I got this from my sister-in-law Saydi who is probably one of the best cooks ever.


Surprisingly easy, cheap, and tastes way better than anything you can buy.

1 1/2 cup warm water
1 envelope rapid rise yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp salt

First off, turn oven to 200 until it heats up and then turn it off. Pour water in mixer. Sprinkle sugar and yeast over the water. Let the yeast sit for minute until foams. Add oil, flour, salt. Mix until dough forms. Slightly oil a glass bowl and put dough in. Put saran wrap over the bowl and put in oven for 40 minutes.

If you want the crust really fluffy, knead with hands. Eli tried it by hand and I used a rolling pin. Mine was good, but mine was more of a thing crust style. His was much more fluffy. Just go with whatever your style is.

Use whatever sauce and toppings you prefer and enjoy!
P.S. We cooked it at 500 for about 10 minutes and the crust turned out to have a perfect crisp to it.

Chicken Parmesan

I feel like this is a typical recipe, but holy crap I made it last night and it was AWESOME!

Chicken Parmesan

Serves: 4 (can be altered), Prep: about 10-15 minutes, Bake: 25 minutes

Ingredients:
2 cups (ish) spaghetti sauce
1 large egg
2 tablespoons water
2/3 cup dried bread crumbs (or saltines, or make your own, or whatever)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup olive and/or vegetable oil
2 cups shredded mozzarella
8 chicken tenderloins (Brad eats like 3 tenderloins, I eat 1 or 2. I think most people eat 2) or 4 chicken breasts
Spaghetti noodles (Brad requires these with his chick parmesan)

How to:
- Start boiling the water for the noodles. Then add them and stuff... (make the spaghetti noodles)
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Beat egg and water in a small bowl. Mix bread crumbs and Parmesan in a small dish/plate.
- Heat oil over medium heat in a 12" skillet (ish... I like a frying pan for it's non-stick qualities).
- Pound the chicken to about 1/4 inch thick; place each piece between sheets of saran wrap/wax paper and pound with a meat mallet.
- Dip the chicken into egg mixture then crumb mixture and cook in the oil until no longer pink in the center, turning once.
- Place the cooked chickens in an 9x13 dish. Cover with the spaghetti sauce then mozzarella cheese.
- Bake uncovered for about 25 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and cheese is light brown.
Serve over spaghetti noodles.


It looks hard, but I swear it's not (I can do it). And it tastes SO good (it'd better, it's fried in oil).

I haven't tried it as a make-ahead yet. If you do, let me know how it goes.

{image from here}

peanut butter oatmeal.

i may be in the middle east right now but that doesn't mean that american girls do not find a way to satisfy their cravings for cookies. today (friday) is our church day in jordan and that means treat day so this is what we are making...

1 cup butter
1 cup peanut butter
¾ cup brown sugar
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1½ cups rolled oats
2 tsp. baking soda
1½ tsp. salt
2 cups M&M candies (or chocolate chips, or both)

Cream together butters and sugars until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Stir in dry flour, oats, baking soda and salt until combined, then gently stir in M&Ms. Chill for about an hour, and then drop by tablespoonsful onto cookie sheet. Flatten slightly, and then bake at 375 degrees for about ten minutes, or until just barely starting to turn golden. Remove from pan carefully, as they are very tender until they cool.

Cafe Rio Pork

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup Sprite or Dr. Pepper or Coke
1 cup salsa (any kind will do)
pork tenderloin (I like to buy the two pack at Costco and freeze one)

Cook in crock pot on low for 8 hours. Shred with a fork.

Eat.
(I usually serve it with tortillas, cheese, more salsa, black beans, corn, rice, avocado... the options are limitless)

Serves... plenty. I like having the leftovers. I would say that at least four people with Brad appetites would be filled.

{PS - I propose that we come up with labels like "Easy," "Few ingredients," "Not as easy but totally worth it," "Desserts," "Lunch," etc. and make links on the sidebar to each category so that it's easier to search... perhaps we could even add type of food....}

Taco Soup

1  lb. hamburger

1  small onion chopped (optional i never add this)

2  1/2 c. chunky salsa (i just use the big pace kind)

1  15 0z. can red kidney beans, drained

1  28 oz. can chopped tomatoes, undrained

1  15 oz. can corn, undrained

1 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 T. taco seasoning mix

Garnishes: grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, sliced green onions, tortilla chips (all optional)

Brown hamburger and onion in large saucepan until meat is no longer pink and onion is transparent. Drain fat and place in a large crock-pot or soup pot.  Add all remaining ingredients and stir to combine. cook on low in crock-pot, or simmer in soup pan, several hours or until soup is heated through and flavors are well blended. Ladle into bowls and garnish as desired.

I just use the pan method so it is fast and easy and it is substantial enough for our boys for dinner.  Keith loves it.

Crock Pot Chicken

8 oz cream cheese
1/2 c chicken broth
1 envelope of good seasons italian dressing
1 can cream of chicken soup

Mix on low in sauce pan then put 4 frozen chicken breasts (or like 12 tenderloins) in crock pot and pour mixture over. Cook on high for 4 hours. Easy to double or half. After cooked break up or shred chicken if you'd like and pour mixture over rice.