Beans and Greens

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups kale, washed, stems trimmed and chopped
1 (15- ounce) can cannellini beans (white kidney beans), drained
3/4 cup chicken stock


Heat olive oil over medium heat in a frying pan or pot.

Add onion and garlic slices. Saute until tender about 3 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes and salt and pepper; stir until fragrant. Add the kale and let saute until it cooks down slightly. Add the beans and the chicken stock.

Cover and let cook for 10 minutes.

This delish dish comes from my roommate Carrie.  It's surprisingly yummy!  and probably super good for you.

Tres Leches

Yellow cake mix with pudding (plus the ingredients to make it)

1 can sweetened condensed milk (Eagle brand)

2 cans evaporated milk

whipped cream

strawberries, sliced (optional)

Make the yellow cake according to directions on the box.  Let it cool, then use a fork to poke holes throughout the top.  Mix the sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk in separate bowl.  Pour milk mixture over the cake (make sure to get around the edges) and put in the fridge for several hours  or overnight.  The milks should be absorbed and the cake should be moist and spongy.  Frost with the whipped cream just before serving.  Garnish with strawberry slices, if desired.

I had a friend who was on an eternal quest to find a recipe for Tres Leches that was just as good as Cafe Rio's.  He said this was a close contender.  I hear that the recipe found here is even better, but it has WAY too many ingredients for me.  So, I'll let you be the judge.

Mango Chip Dip

1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (16 oz) bottle Pace Picante sauce
1-2 avocados, diced
2 mangos, diced
juice of 2 limes

Mix.  Eat with chips of your choice.

I love mango salsa.  I have never tried this recipe, but found it in a ward Relief Society recipe book and thought it looked delicious.

Bread Bowls for soup

2 TBS yeast

2 1/2 cups water

4 TBS sugar

1 TBS salt

5 TBS oil

7 cups flour

1 TBS dough enhancer

Start yeast in 1/2 cup warm water and set aside. In Bosch, combine 2 cups warm water, sugar, salt, oil and half the flour. Mix well. Add yeast mixture, dough enhancer and the remaining flour Let rise. Mix down and let rise again if time permits. Shape dough into 8 equal balls and place on two large cookie sheets. Brush with egg whites. Let rise until double. Bake at 350* for 20-25 minutes until golden. Cut tops off and hollow out for soup.

Seriously, who doesn't love soup in a bread bowl?? This recipe comes from the wife of a counselor in the bishopric. Maybe someday when I have more time on my hands and a Bosch to do all the dirty work, I'll actually try making these myself!

Meatball Soup

20 meatballs (homemade or store bought)

1 TBS olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove of garlic, minced OR 1 tsp crushed garlic from jar

1/2 cup diced carrots

4 cups chicken broth
1⁄2
1/2 cup orzo pasta, uncooked

3 cups spinach, de-stemmed and chopped coarsely (1 cup if using frozen spinach)

1/4 cup fresh parsley

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil. Saute onions, garlic, carrots.

Add chicken broth, orzo pasta, and meatballs. Bring mixture to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add spinach and boil for 5 minutes longer.

Ladle into soup bowls. Garnish with parsley and Parmesan cheese.

Serves 4-6.

This soup is from Trader Joe's cookbook and is officially called "Italian Wedding Soup." My friend Carrie invited me over to have some when I was having a very bad day. It filled my tummy and evening with happiness!

Cookie Sandwiches

Purchase the boxed cake mix of your choice + whatever frosting you would like to pair with it (or make your own!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine:

Cake mix of your choice

2/3 cup shortening

2 eggs, beaten

Place walnut-sized balls of dough onto a baking sheet that has been sprayed with Pam (or whatever you prefer). Bake cookies for 8 - 10 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, move to a cooling rack until completely cool. Spread frosting onto the backside of a cookie and top it with another.

Typically makes about 45 cookies = 22 cookie sandwiches, plus a bonus cookie to eat as you frost. :)

Try these AMAZING combinations!!!

• spice cake mix w/cream cheese frosting
• chocolate cake with peanut butter (or cherry...or vanilla...) frosting
• lemon cake with vanilla frosting

My coworker made the lemon cookies w/vanilla frosting and they were AWESOME!

Hiker's Stew

Potatoes, peeled and diced (or leave on the skins if you use red potatoes)

Onion, cut into big slices

Carrots, peeled

Celery, cut in large chunks

Beef of some sort (I used browned ground beef. Stew meat would be awesome. Leftover roast would work, I'm sure.)

1 can golden mushroom soup

1 pkg. onion soup mix

Water

Seasonings to taste (I used pepper, Mrs. Dash, and Creole seasoning)

Throw everything in a crock pot and turn on low. Leave and go for a long, long hike. Come home, salivate as you pull into the driveway because you can already smell it, and eat three big bowls.

Ok, so maybe you can enjoy this even if you haven't been hiking all day. But it definitely tastes ten times better if you have.... :)

Strawberry Salsa

SALSA:

2 granny smith apples

1 kiwi

1 cup strawberries (fresh is best, frozen will work)

2 TBS jam (raspberry/strawberry)

2 TBS orange juice

Chop fruit into tiny pieces. Mix in jam and orange juice. Let set in fridge for at least one hour.

CHIPS:

10-15 medium sized flour tortillas

butter

cinnamon sugar

Butter entire tortilla. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top, covering entire tortilla. Cut into chip-sized pieces. Place on cookie sheet. Heat in oven at 375* for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool completely before serving.

Oh my heavens! If it's this delicious in the middle of January when the fruit is out of season, I can't wait to try it during the summer!  I found this recipe in my former roommate's family cookbook. (Thanks, Nancy!)

Soupy Turkey Madness

Dump all these ingredients in a pot and simmer.  Everything is to taste (sorry).  2-4 servings.

leftover turkey, cubed/diced, however much you want

1 can cream of chicken soup

milk, 1 cup-ish

frozen peas, lots (yum!)

2 baked/boiled potatoes, peeled and diced

curry, 1-2 tsp (or more?? be generous!  this is what makes it good!)

crushed red pepper, couple shakes

pepper

One starving Lisa + leftover turkey = culinary masterpiece!  I didn't measure anything, so the quantities are...open to interpretation.

Demon Eyes Deviled Eggs

Hard-boil 12 eggs. Remove shells, rinse and dry. Slice in half lengthwise. 

Remove yolks and place in medium bowl. Use a fork to mash yolks well. Add mustard and Miracle Whip in a 2-1 ratio to create a paste. Add pickle juice if mixture is too dry.  Add a little green food coloring.  

Fill egg white halves with yolk mixture, rounding and smoothing top of each.  Use black olive slices to create the eyeball effect.  (Optional: use pimiento-stuffed olives...the pimientos look like the pupils). Use a toothpick dipped into red food coloring to draw tiny wiggly red lines on whites, to simulate capillaries.

Yay for the internet!  I made these for a work Halloween potluck.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

2 cups pumpkin seeds

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

3 TBS butter or margarine, melted

1 tsp salt

Rinse pumpkin seeds until pulp and strings are washed off.

Boil seeds in salt water for 10 minutes.  Dry seeds on a paper towel.

In a bowl, combine Worcestershire sauce, melted butter/margarine and salt.  

Add seeds and mix until seeds are coated with mixture.  Spread on a baking sheet.

Bake 1-2 hours at 225*.  Stir occasionally and watch for burning.  Seeds should be crisp.

It was an assignment in my 1st grade class to copy this recipe off the chalkboard.  Ma still has the original recipe written in my very best 6 year-old print.

Italian Chicken and Couscous

This is couscous (pronounced cooz-cooz)

1 TBS oil (olive)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 can (14 1/2 oz) DICED stewed tomatoes, drained and 1/2 cup liquid reserved

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch strips

1 medium onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings

1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves

1/8 tsp pepper

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise in half, then cut crosswise into 1/4 inch slices

3/4 cup couscous

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat.  Cook garlic in oil, stirring frequently.  Stir in reserved tomato liquid, chicken, onion, oregano, and pepper.  Heat to boiling; reduce heat.  Cover and simmer about 10 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink in center. [NOTE: cooking with raw chicken makes me nervous.  I will use a rotisserie chicken or chicken that I have previously cooked.]  Stir in broth; heat to boiling.  Stir in zucchini, couscous and tomatoes; remove from heat.  Cover and let stand about 5 minutes or until couscous is tender and liquid is absorbed.

Couscous is super tiny pasta--little tiny balls that make it look like a grain.  Find it in the pasta aisle or with the ethnic food.  College roommate Jess introduced me to the beauties of couscous.  I don't know if I've ever made this recipe with zucchini (since I never buy it).  Usually I use bell peppers. 

Rice Pudding

1 cup water

1/2 cup rice

4 cups milk

3/4 cup butter

3 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1 TBS vanilla

Boil water.  Add rice, cook until water gone.  Add milk and butter.  Cover and simmer for 1 hour.  Whip eggs and sugar together with beaters.  Pour slowly into rice mixture, stirring as you go.  Simmer 5 more minutes.  Add vanilla.  Mix and serve.

I'll be honest...the thought of rice pudding always made me a little nauseous.  But I've had TWO roommates now that make it when they need a little comfort food in their life.  And comfort food it is!  Good stuff, warm or cold.  When it's cold, it's reminiscent of ice cream.  Yum.

Ratatouille

(yes...like the movie)

1 medium unpeeled eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

2 small zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch slices

1 medium green bell pepper, chopped (1 cup)

1 medium onion, finely chopped (1/2 cup)

2 medium tomatoes, diced in large pieces

1/4 cup oil (olive)

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Cook all ingredients in large skillet over medium heat 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until zucchini is tender.

This is courtesy of Betty Crocker.  (And, according to Betty, it's only 12o calories per serving!)  I tried it out because I visited a farm and had lots of fantastic fresh vegetables (including the eggplant.  I've never cooked eggplant before!--hence the new recipe.)  I ate this with yummy wild rice and it would be great accompanying some teriyaki/grilled chicken.  Eat it for dinner then watch the movie!

Pasta with Ham and Asparagus

1 lb bowtie pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 shallot (related to an onion), thinly sliced
1 lb asparagus
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 lb prosciutto (ham), chopped
1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (you can use freshly grated Parmesan or Romano)
1 cup fresh basil leaves (abt. 20 leaves)

Cook pasta. While that is going, saute sliced shallot with garlic in olive oil. Halve each stalk of asparagus lengthwise, then cut into 2 inch pieces. Add asparagus to shallot/garlic. Add a couple ladles of water from the noodles and cook until asparagus is tender-crisp. Drain pasta and add to asparagus. Add peas and prosciutto. The peas should warm through quickly. Toss with cheese and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper and serve in shallow bowls with lots of fresh basil on top.

Don't let the fancy ingredients fool you--this is really very easy. It's from my neighbor Ashlee and it's one of my favorite meals that she makes. It's pretty impressive looking, too. Fool all your friends into thinking you're a gourmet chef.

Chicken, Rice and Asparagus

Grilled Chicken Breast--salt and pepper them (lemon pepper is good). Then pop them on a George Foreman Grill for about 6 minutes. Make sure to let them rest when you take them off so all the juices can redistribute. The chicken will be moist, succulent and yummy.

Brown Rice--cook the brown rice in chicken broth and add a little pepper.

Asparagus-- Steam them to your liking.

Yummy sauce--1 part butter to 2 part honey. (2 tab butter and 4 tab honey is good). Play with the ratio. It just depends on how sweet or thick you like your sauce. Melt honey and butter together and drizzle the sauce over everything, but pay special attention to the asparagus. Top with toasted pecans.

I stole this off a friend's blog. I haven't tried it but it looks so yummy. We never ate asparagus growing up, but since moving out I discovered that I like it. This post is for JAnd, whose HUN-ee loves asparagus. Hope this helps you use up all 2 pounds that you bought! :)

Marshmallow Krispie Bars

1 package Chewy Fudge Brownie Mix
1 package (10 1/2 oz) miniature marshmallows
1 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter
1 TBS butter
1 1/2 cup Rice Krispies

Preheat oven to 350*. Grease bottom of 9x13 pan.

Prepare and bake brownies following package directions for basic recipe. Remove from oven. Sprinkle marshmallows on hot brownies. Return to oven. Bake for 3 minutes longer.

Place chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter in medium saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until chips are melted. Add rice cereal; mix well. Spread mixture over marshmallow layer. Refrigerate until chilled. Cut into bars.

Makes about 2 dozen bars.

The cooking teacher at my school made this and shared it in the teacher's lounge at lunch. I had to accost her after school for the recipe.

Potato Wedges...AKA Oven-baked French Fries

Potatoes
Oil
Seasonings (I like SeasonAll, garlic powder and ground red pepper)

Cut the potatoes into wedges or french fries (you can peel them if you want). Pour oil into a bowl with sliced potatoes. Make sure all potatoes are coated. Place on baking sheet or 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with seasonings. Bake uncovered at 425* for 25-30 minutes.

A variation of a Betty Crocker recipe. In the cookbook, it suggests making it low-fat by just spraying the potatoes with cooking spray instead of using oil.

Tuna Tomato Pasta

3 cloves garlic, chopped small
2 TBS oil
1-2 cans stewed tomatoes
1 can tuna, drained
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt

In a large skillet, saute the garlic in the oil for a couple minutes, until softened. Dump in the tomatoes, juice and all, and mash them up with a fork or potato masher. Add the tuna and seasonings. Stir. Bring to a boil, them lower the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Toss with hot cooked pasta and sprinkle with lots of grated Parmesan cheese.

Makes enough sauce for 4 servings of pasta.

It sounds really weird to have tuna in a pasta sauce, but it really is pretty good. You can hardly even tell that it's tuna. This is a good recipe for when you need a fast meal (you don't have to spend time browning hamburger) or for when you are feeling poor and can't afford hamburger. Like most of my recipes, this was discovered and loved in college. From the cookbook Clueless in the Kitchen.

Wanna-be Fried Chicken

4 large boneless-skinless chicken breasts

In a separate bowl, mix:
2 cups bread crumbs/crushed crackers
1 tsp seasoned salt
3 TBS parmesan cheese
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Coat both sides of the chicken breast with the above ingredients. Place in greased 9x13 pan or baking sheet. Bake at 375* for 25 minutes, then turn pieces over and bake for another 20 minutes.

This was a college favorite. I think it's a combination of a couple recipes.