Hi everyone! Thanks so much for inviting me Megan to this blog. I'm excited about sharing recipes. I love to cook, especially new recipes. Here is a great coffee cake recipe Justin and I found online at allrecipes.com. I wanted a coffee cake for my birthday and Justin was making it. His first cake ever! :) This recipe is so easy and very delicious. He did a fabulous job! My mother-n-law is making it for me again this weekend :)

Cinnamon Coffee Cake II

INGREDIENTS

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix (Duncan Hines or cake mix without pudding in ingredients)
2 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
1 cup water
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup of applesauce
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together the cake mix, vanilla pudding mix, Add the eggs, oil,applesauce, and water, mix until well blended. In another bowl, stir together the brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts. Pour half of the batter into the pan, spread evenly. Sprinkle with half of the nut mixture. Cover with the rest of the batter, and sprinkle with the rest of the nut mixture.

3. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, then turn the oven down to 325 degrees and bake for an additional 35 minutes. Check the oven though to not overcook.

Creamy Broccoli Soup:
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup diced zuccini and or squash
1/2 cup diced onion
3 tbs oil
2 cans chicken broth
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup instant white rice
2 cup milk
4 1/2 cup broccoli florets
1/4 cup parmesian cheese

Sautee vegetables(not broccoli) in oil. Add broth and pepper, bring to a boil. Add broccoli and rice cook until broccoli is tender. Transfer to a blender or food processor and blend together. (I use a hand mixer, I like to leave some chunks of vegetables). Return to pot, add milk and cheese. Cook until heated through.

Great whole-wheat pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting.
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
16 oz can pumpkin
2 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350'. Cream butter and sugar. Add egg, vanilla, and pumpkin. Add all dry ingredients. Mix together. Add chocolate chips. Drop onto cookie sheet with spoon.
Frosting: Cream together 3oz cream cheese and 1/2 cup butter. Stir in 1tsp vanilla. Slowly add 2 cups powdered sugar, beating until creamy. (I like to add a little almond extract to my frosting-great flavor)

Cold Noodle Salad

1/2lb. to 1lb. - Linguine or thick Spaghetti, cooked and drained
1 large to medium - Cucumber, seeded and cut into strips
2-4 carrot stalks - Carrots, peeled and cut into strips
2 tbsp. - Sesame Seeds, toasted

Sauce:
Whisk the following together in a bowl or pour into blender to blend:
1 cup - Vegetable Oil
¼ cup - Rice Vinegar
1/3 cup - Soy Sauce
1 ½ tbsp. - Sesame Oil
1 tbsp. - Honey (optional)
¼ cup - Brown Sugar
2 cloves - Garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp. - Ginger, grated
1/2 cup - Peanut Butter
1 tsp. - Salt
1 tsp. - Black Pepper

Pour sauce over noodles and gently stir in vegetables.
Top with Sesame Seeds.
Serve cold or room temperature.
Great dish for a potluck.

- - -
the recipe above came from my co-worker's mother-in-law, who is Chinese and a very good cook! it's delish.

sorry i haven't been posting, but i no longer have a kitchen. B & I are living with my parents, while I finish a dreadful grad school semester. we are so grateful God gave us a place to live while we are rent our primary residence, plus our 3 investment residences, during this real estate market meltdown. in a nutshell, right now my mom is my gourmet cook, so i just print recipes like these out and request them!

Well girls, haven't been blogging since I lost my paper with passwords on it. But, since Megan is growling at us I thought it would be easier to just get a new password than to hear her complain! HA! Just giving you a hard time Megan! You know I love you! Hey, you get no pictures with my bloggs so hope you have good imaginations.

Megan called me for this recipe so I thought I would just share it with all.

Granny Mag's Stack Cake
3 1/2 C. flour (or more) 1/2 Tsp soda
1/2 C. Lard or shortening 1/2 Tsp salt
2 eggs 1/2Tsp. vanilla
1/2 C. buttermilk 1 1/2 Tsp. ginger (or more according to taste)
2 Tsp baking powder 1 1/2 C. sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together shortening, sugar and eggs. Sift together dry ingredients and add to sugar mixture alternating with buttermilk. Mix well. This should be a stiff dough like cookie dough. If not gradually add flour until it is. Knead in a container of flour or on a floured board until smooth. Pat into 3- 9in round cake pans or iron skillets and bake until who knows how long, my granny just says,'until it's done hunny'. You should probably go with about 30 minutes just so that it is starting to brown and completely firm. Just watch them closely and you should be able to tell. It's just like cooking a big gingerbread cookie, which is in essence what you are doing. Back to the recipe: Once the cakes have baked, let them cool...completely... I would dare to say overnight even, if at all possible. Then, stack them with either cooked dried apples or apple butter(this is what my Granny Mag used).

Let me share with you my screw ups when attempting this recipe so that you don't do the same. First of all, when the batter started getting thick, I stopped adding flour, thinking the batter should look like cake batter instead of cookie dough. Mistake! Second of all, I did it in a rush, as I do most things. So, I took the cakes out of the oven when they were cooked as a moist cake would be, not a cookie. Finally, I did not let the cakes cool enough because I wanted them for dinner that night and didn't start them until probably 5:00. Ha! My result was a cake that tasted great but was about the ugliest thing that you have ever seen. It completely fell in the middle and I couldn't cut it but had to scoop it out like a pudding. Rather interesting!!! Well, good luck Megan. Learn from my mistakes and let me know the results. A picture would be nice too, since you are a bit more computer savvy than I.

Go Hannah--way to try to keep this thing going :)
Now that we are headed into fall, I'd love to start getting some ideas for meals from everyone. We went apple picking last weekend and I have been making homemade applesauce in the slow cooker. No sugar. Just apples, a bit of water, and a sprinkling of cinnamon. It is so yummy!
We've been eating alot of beans and rice lately. Tonight I am making homemade chicken pot pie since it is 50 degrees outside and I am in need of some warming up!
I'll try to be more faithful at posting. I am in the kitchen all the time with the boys but just have been slacking when it comes to sharing our food ideas with you all.

Hi Ladies,
How are things in your kitchens? Well, I have been in a slump with cooking lately. We've been eating cereal, quesadillas, frozen pizza and other "convenient" foods lately. So I have nothing fun or exciting to share. Hopefully things have been going better in your kitchens. Pass along some menus and dishes!
love, Hannah

Canaan's created dessert

Canaan wanted me to share this with you all. It is his very own creation. An apple with chocolate and marshmellows, put in the oven. I didn't try it but he said it was good! :)

TACO SALAD

a Smith household favorite...

This is a great way to get your little guys (or big guys) to eat their veggies. I make ground turkey with taco seasoning. In a bowl I start with lettuce which I cut thinly, add all sorts of veggies like corn, green peppers, red peppers, etc... Top that with crushed chips. Then add salsa, sour cream, cheese,and a bit of ranch dressing. Yummy!!!

Parmasean Crisps......
really easy and really yummy. Make ahead for your next party!



LEMON PEPPER PARMASEAN CRACKERS
1 1/2 cups finely grated fresh Parmesan (about 1/4 pound)~ I used store bought
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
3/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper plus additional for sprinkling the
crackers
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons water
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

In a bowl stir together the Parmesan, the flour, the zest, and 3/4 teaspoon of the pepper and with a pastry blender blend in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Make a well in the center, add the water and the lemon juice, and combine the mixture with fork until it just forms a dough. On a work surface knead the dough until it is just combined, transfer it to a sheet of wax paper, and using the wax paper as a guide form it into an 11- by 1 1/2-inch squared-off log. Chill the dough, wrapped in the wax paper, for 1 hour, or until it is firm enough to slice. (The dough may be made 2 days in advance and kept wrapped well and chilled.)
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cut the dough into 1/4-inch-thick slices, arrange the slices 1 inch apart on baking sheets, and bake them in batches in the middle of the oven for 10 minutes, or until they are golden around the edges. Transfer the crackers carefully with a spatula to a rack, let them cool, and sprinkle them with the additional pepper.

Makes about 44 crackers.

Gourmet
May 1993

** I made the log ahead of time and put it in the fridge wrapped really well. Then just as the friends arrived I cut it into super thin cuts and popped them in the oven. They were so yummy! I served them with a cream cheese layered dip. Super easy!

Blackened Salmon from Jael Robitaille

Here is that salmon recipe - there really is none better than this!!!

Blackened Cajun Salmon

4 8 oz. salmon fillets
2 T. margarine (I use Can't believe it's not butter)

Cajun Blackening Seasoning

1 T. paprika
1 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. cayenne
3/4 t. ground black pepper
1/2 t. ground thyme
1/2 t. oregano
1/2 t. dried basil
1 t. onion powder
2 t. salt

Mix all the seasonings together. Sprinkle liberally over salmon fillets.
Place seasoned fillets with 1/2 T. of margarine each in a very hot cast-iron
skillet (we grill). Sear for 2 min. then turn and blacken for another 2
min. Old cholestrol cookbook says, "This is a spicy dish and goes best with
a cold glass of beer." Serve with rice and carrots. Produces a lot of
smoke.

SUMMERTIME




Our summer meals sometimes consist of either a layered yogurt parfait or a smoothie (which is all the parfait ingredients blended in a blender :)
Not a whole lot of "gourmet" in that but it is so stinkin simple and yummy!

**Ok Gals-- this is the recipe from Epicurious that I originally used.
BUT It turns out GREAT in the slow cooker. I just saute the onions and add in the
cilantro and chilies. Then I dump it all in the slow cooker with the meat (the pork is good but I like boneless chicken breast as well). Then I just let it cook all day. Serve it as it states on the recipe. It is super moist and delicious. Give it a try!

Pork and Chipotle Tacos
(as revised by Megan)

1 2 1/2-pound bone-in pork butt (works great with chicken too!!)

2 tablespoons corn oil
2 large onions, chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons chopped canned chipotle chilies

12 5- to 6-inch-diameter corn tortillas
2 15- to 16-ounce cans black beans, rinsed, drained

1 1/2 cups chopped green onions
2 avocados, pitted, peeled, diced
Purchased tomatillo salsa
Lime wedges

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place pork on baking sheet; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until brown and very tender, about 2 hours. Cool. Shred pork.

Heat corn oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Add shredded pork, cilantro and chopped chipotle chilies with their sauce; stir until heated through. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Wrap tortillas in foil. Heat in oven 10 minutes. Stir beans in saucepan over medium-low heat until heated. Coarsely mash beans.

Arrange tortillas on work surface. Spread mashed beans over. Top with pork. Sprinkle with green onions and avocados. Serve with salsa and lime.wedges.

Here is a recipe my cousin sent me. I tried it today. Not too bad, not my favorite banana bread, but not bad. Very healthy, though. It didn't call for splenda, Les, but you might wanna give it a try. Hannah
WHOLE WHEAT BANANA NUT BREAD:
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup mashed bananas (I put in 3 bananas)
1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2tsp baking soda
1/4 cup hot water
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In large bolw beat oil and honey together. Add eggs and mix well. Stir in bananas and vanilla. Stir in flour and salt. Add baking soda to hot water-stir to mix and then add to batter. Add nuts. Spread batter into greased 9x5 loaf pan.

Request for healthy recipes?

Anyone have any tried&true recipes with whole wheat flour and splenda together?
I keep trying some but they aren't worthy of repeats.
Please post them.
Thanks!
Leslie

Food Adventures: introducing your children to flavors from around the world

...for those of you with children, looked like a neat cookbook.

Hey Ladies, Just wondering what everyone is cooking for their warm summer evenings. We've done a lot of bbqing of chicken, hamburgers and carne asada. We do veggies on the grill too:sliced zucchini, tomatoe, green onion, bell peppers, white onion, all wrapped in aluminum foil with olive oil and Mrs. Dash seasoning. Tonight we went Thai-thanks to Marisa sending me all those fabulous recipes and season packets. We had stir fry veggies, Jasmine rice, and stir fry chicken with the Holy Basil paste. Wow, it was HOT, but the flavor was incredible! Even my kids tried it and liked it, but it was too spicey for them to eat much. When my aunt and uncle from Thailand were here, she fixed us a couple of Thai meals using the seasoning packets you sent me. So thank you again, Marisa for the fabulous flavor you sent my way!
Hannah

Ok, we are at Sondra's house and have to run so we are going to let her type some stuff now. bye

Okay, so Mike and Megan had to hog tie me to get this picture. I haven't been willing to do this on my own because I haven't brushed my hair in months. So, do enjoy!! I love the apron! It matches all of my summer entertaining stuff. So, can't wait to entertain in it. So, thanks again Hannah!!

Trenette with Pesto, Potatoes, and Green Beans

This is a great FAST side dish. I use premade pesto from the store but go for it if you are inspired to make your own! Its super yummy and good for you too. Canaan loved it as well.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/354

YUMMALICIOUS!!!!

2 days ago, our fantastic friend and pastor, Kevin, came over for coffee. Reminded by Mike that Kevin is watching his weight, I was clueless as to what little treat to make to go along with coffee. Looking through a cooking light magazine at the dr.'s office this week I came across this recipe and decided to give it a go.......
It was YUMMALICIOUS for sure! It was very low fat and INCREDIBLY EASY and INCREDIBLY DELICIOUS! I am serious girls, very easy and very good. Try it.

Cafe con Leche Cream Pie

3/4 cup chocolate wafers crumbs (I used choc. graham crackers)
4 teasp. butter, melted

3/4 c. extra strong brewed coffee
1 1/4 teasp. unflavored gelatin
1 (8 oz) block 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1 (8 oz) block fat free cream cheese
1 (14oz) can fat free sweetened condensed milk
3 cups frozed fat free whipped topping, thawed
1/2 t unsweetened cocoa

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. COmbine chocolate wafer crumbs and butter, tossing with a fork until well combined. Firmly press into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan (ok...at this point, don't worry about springform. It is something you can just scoop out at the end so use what ever 9 inch pan you have)
Bake at 350 for 10 minutes, cool completely
3. Pour brewed coffee into a medium microwave safe bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over coffee, let stand 10 minutes. Combine cheeses and milk in a food processor (or with beaters); process till smooth. Microwave coffee mixture at HIGH for 20 seconds. Add coffee mixture to the cheese mixutre, and process until well combined. Pour mixture into prepared crust. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Spread the whipped topping evenly over filling; sprinkle cocoa over pie. Chill 1 hour before serving.
Enjoy!!