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Showing posts from 2013

Lemon Bars

My husband is a big fan of these lemon bars. Give them a try! I made these to take to a friends' house when we were invited to dinner. The brownies I made from a box and I lucked out that the lemon bars and brownies turned out the same height to make this checker-board pattern work out.  The lemon bars are pretty quick and simple. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Blend together (cut in): 1 cup softened butter (substitute: Smart Balance and/or shortening.*)  2 cups flour 1/2 cup white sugar Press into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until firm and golden. In another bowl, whisk together: 1 1/2 cups white sugar 1/4 cup flour Whisk in: 4 large eggs 6 Tbsp lemon juice (about 2 lemons juiced) Pour over baked crust and bake for 20 minutes. Cool to firm and cut with a pizza cutter. Top with powdered sugar. *I used 1/2 cup Smart Balance and 1/2 cup shortening

Shish Kabobs

When making shish kabobs a while back, I started without realizing that I only had a few sticks left. So, out of desperation, I decided to stick with my grill plan and use the aluminum foil method. It all turned out as great as I could have imagined and didn't take as long poking all the pieces onto sticks too.  Great flavorful meal!

Layered Enchiladas a Little Different

I made these delicious enchiladas using this  recipe for the sauce. I made a lot of the enchilada sauce mix and it's so easy to throw it together for a meal that way (Scroll down for the sauce mix recipe and instruction).  Enchilada topped with fresh Pico de Gallo. I added an unusual ingredient to these enchiladas, green cabbage, chopped small. It gave them added moisture (since the cheese is lacking and can't accomplish that) and nutrition and honestly, none of us could taste it in there, even though I put like half a head. In the bowl of chopped ingredients: grilled chicken, cut bite-sized Cabbage cut small Black and Pinto Beans Finely chopped red bell pepper. Coarsely chopped cilantro Garlic Salt Boiling Enchilada Sauce Coating tortillas and layering ingredients. You can make the sauce each time you make enchiladas using THIS RECIPE , or you can make some dry sauce mix in advance to help dinner preparation be more speedy.

Potato/Sweet Potato Chips

These are an easy and tasty addition to a meal. Using my new Simple Slicer from Pampered Chef, I whipped these potato and sweet potato (or yam) chips up in about 20 minutes.  Seasoned lightly with garlic salt and sprayed ever-so-lightly with cooking spray/oil spray. I love how the yam chips curled up and browned so nicely. Both tasted great and were loved by young and old in our house. 

Whole Wheat Rolls ~ SUCCESS!

Perfect 100% White Wheat Bread or Rolls Add to a large bowl in this order: 3 Cups hot water 1 ½ Tbsp yeast (Optional 1 tsp white sugar to help activate yeast and allow to sit for a few minutes until mixture is bubbly) 1/3 Cup oil 1/3 Cup honey 7-8 cups whole white wheat flour 1 Tbsp salt 1-2 Tbsp dough enhancer Mix well, knead on floured surface for 10 minutes, adding flour as needed to obtain a smooth, non-sticky dough.  Divide into rolls and place on greased glass pans. Before rising Cover with damp towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 45-60 minutes. Rising in my oven, heated slightly since it's cold in my house. Risen, before baking Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes (rolls) or 25-30 minutes (loaf).  Here's that secret ingredient, Dough Enhancer. I got this small can for about $2 at the Walmart on Country Club and Baseline (Mesa, AZ) in the Emergency Preparedness section (with

Parsnips

I discovered a new vegetable thanks to a random bountiful basket order a few weeks ago.  Parsnips I like them! I have now made Parsnip Fries  in the oven and stove-fried parsnips with potatoes, carrots, yams, ham and onion. Both with olive oil with some sea salt and pepper to season. Parsnips taste a little like carrots, but have a stronger "spicey" flavor. They smell sweet when they are being cooked/baked.  Yam, red potato, parsnip, onion, ham Parsnip Fries 2 1/2 pounds medium parsnips 2 tablespoons olive oil Coarse salt and ground pepper Directions Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Peel 2 1/2 pounds medium parsnips; cut as directed above. On two large rimmed baking sheets, toss parsnips with oil; season with coarse salt and ground pepper. Spread in a single layer. Roast until tender and golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating baking sheets and tossing parsnips halfway through baking time. I didn't take a picture of the fries.