Sunday, March 29, 2009

Jiffy Cinnamon Rolls


This is a quick and easy recipe. I will definitely be making these cinnamon rolls again.
Jiffy Cinnamon Rolls
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cold butter
7 to 8 tablespoons milk
Filling
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons butter, softened, divided
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in milk, a tablespoon at a time and toss with a fork until mixture forms a ball. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface; roll into about 7 inch square. Spread with 2 tablespoons butter. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over butter. Roll up jellyroll style. Cut into six even slices. Place cut side up in greased muffin cups. Bake at 400 degrees F for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Melt remaining butter, brush over rolls. Serve warm.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Cocoa Pebble Treats


Before I give the recipe for this delicious treat, I want to give an update on the post Apple Cinnamon Pork Chops that I made yesterday. I made the pork chops for my lunch and for Randy to have for dinner. Randy called me last night while I was at work and wanted to know if I had made anything for dinner or did he have to pick up something. I said I made some pork chops with cinnamon, Randy did not comment about that so I decided to wait until I got home later that night to ask him what he thought. At first Randy thought the sliced apples on top were potatoes but then after taking a bite he realized it was apples. Randy said the pork chops tasted really, really good. I will just have to make them like this again since they were a big hit. Now on to my post for today. I have been in the mood for rice crispy treats but I didn't have any rice crispy cereal except for the cocoa pebbles but it is the same thing just has cocoa in them. I always just used rice crispy cereal so I was in for a wonderful treat when I decided to use the cocoa pebbles. Of course I had to try one after they had finished cooling. Yummy tasting treat for all ages.

Cocoa Pebble Treats

1/4 cup butter

1 (10 ounce) package regular marshmallows

6 cups Post Cocoa Pebbles cereal

Melt butter in large saucepan over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. In a large mixing bowl, place the 6 cups of cereal. Pour melted marshmallows into the cereal until well coated. Using lightly buttered spatula, press into a buttered 8x8 pan. Allow mixture to cool. Cut into bars.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Apple Cinnamon Pork Chops



Apple Cinnamon Pork Chops

2 (1/2 inch thick) pork chops
1 large apple - peeled, cored, sliced
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup hot water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place chops in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover the chops with apples. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon and water. Pour over chops. Cover and bake for 30 to 45 minutes.

This has such a wonderful flavor!

Monday, March 23, 2009

Chocolate Raspberry Bars



Chocolate Raspberry Bars

1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 (10 oz.) package frozen raspberries, thawed
1/4 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon cornstarch
3/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and butter. Press the mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 8x8 baking pan. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine raspberries, orange juice and cornstarch. Heat to a boil; let boil and stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the baked crust and spoon the raspberry mixture over the top. Return to the oven and bake 20 minutes more or until raspberry mixture has set. Remove from oven and cool. Cut into 1 x 2" bars.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Finger Lickin Good




That is exactly what these ribs were. I made them the other night for dinner along with a green bean casserole. I don't really care much for ribs but having these has certainly changed my mind. I am sure it had something to do with the ingredients I used for the sauce. This is something that I definitely will be making again.

Ribs

4 pork loin country style ribs
1 cup thick' n spicy honey barbecue sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon minced onions
1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke

In a medium bowl mix together barbecue sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke and minced onions. Place ribs in slow cooker. Pour sauce over the ribs and turn to coat them completely.
Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours or until ribs are tender.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

It's Delightful



Applesauce Muffins

2 cups biscuit/baking mix
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 egg
1/2 cup blueberry delight applesauce
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

In a bowl, combine the biscuit mix, sugar and cinnamon. In another bowl, beat the egg, applesauce, milk and oil. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 400 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Happy St. Patrick's Day


Reuben Sandwich
2 tablespoons butter
4 slices rye bread
4 slices deli sliced corned beef
4 slices swiss cheese
1 cup sauerkraut, drained
1/2 cup Thousand Island dressing
Preheat a large skillet on medium heat. Lightly butter one side of bread slices. Spread non buttered sides with Thousand Island dressing. On 2 bread slices, layer 1 slice swiss cheese, 2 slices corned beef, 1/4 cup sauerkraut and second slice of swiss cheese. Top with remaining bread slices, buttered side out.
Grill sandwiches until both sides are golden brown, about 15 minutes per side. Serve hot.

Monday, March 16, 2009

One Tasty Cookie



I wanted to make some cookies, so I went on the hunt for a good recipe. I found a recipe for Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Coookies in Martha Stewart's Cookies book. Instead of just adding the chocolate chips, I also added some peanut butter and cinnamon chips as well. I got the inspiration from another recipe that was in the book, Chunky Peanut, Chocolate and Cinnamon Cookies. All the different flavors blended together make a delicious tasting cookie.


Soft and Chewy Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Cinnamon Chip Cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/4 cup each of chocolate, peanut butter and cinnamon chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk together flour and baking soda in a bowl. Put butter and sugars in another bowl and using a hand mixer, mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add salt, vanilla, and eggs; mix until well blended, about 1 minute. Mix in flour mixture. Stir in all the chips.
Drop heaping tablespoons of dough on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges turn golden but centers are still soft, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment paper in airtight containers at room temperature up to 1 week.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

A Real Italian Calzone



You may ask yourself is there such a thing as a real italian calzone. The answser is yes, a real italian calzone is made without tomato sauce inside of it. I wanted to make calzones for dinner and this is the version that I decided to go with. Randy and I both really liked them. Yummy!

Real Italian Calzone

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup diced pepperoni

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add the oil, sugar and salt; mix in 1 cup of the flour until smooth. Gradually stir in the rest of the flour, until dough is smooth and workable. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes, or until it is elastic. Lay dough in a bowl containing 1 teaspoon olive oil, then flip the dough, cover and let rise for 40 minutes, or until almost doubled.

While the dough is rising, combine the ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and pepperoni in a large bowl. Mix well, cover bowl and refrigerate to chill.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. When dough is ready, punch it down and separate it into 2 equal parts. Roll parts out into thin circles on a lightly floured surface. Fill each circle with 1/2 of the cheese/meat filling and fold over, securing edges by folding in and pressing with a fork.

Bake for 30 minutes. Serve hot with a bowl of tomato or spaghetti sauce to top if you choose.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Apple Fritters


I had a few apples left in the bowl on the counter and I couldn't decide what to do with them. Randy came up with the idea to make apple fritters. I had to look up a recipe since I didn't have one in my cookbook. I found a very simple one on AllRecipes.com, I have found this is my new place to find my recipes. I had to sample one after they were done, it tasted really good. Randy has yet to have one but I am sure he will have a few for breakfast Sunday morning.
Apple Fritters
AllRecipes.com
1 quart vegetable oil for deep frying
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 cups apples- peeled, cored and chopped
Heat the oil in a deep fryer or electric skillet to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Pou in the milk, eggs and oil and stir until well blended. Mix in apples until they are evenly distributed.
Drop spoonfuls of the batter into the hot oil and fry until golden on both sides, about 5 minutes depending on the size. Fry in smaller batches so they are not crowded. Remove from hot oil using a slotted spoon and drain briefly on paper towel.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Oven Fried Chicken


Oven Fried Chicken
2 cups low fat sour cream
6 chicken drumsticks
2 cups italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 cup french fried onions
3 teaspoons dried sage
3 teaspoons oregano
3 tablespoons garlic powder
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place on cooling rack on top of a large cookie sheet. Spray the rack with vegetable spray.
In a medium bowl, mix together sour cream, oregano and garlic powder. In another bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, sage and french fried onions. Coat the chicken with the sour cream mixture, then roll in the bread crumb mixture. Arrange the chicken on top of the cooling rack.
Bake for 1 hour in preheated oven, until meat is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Chewy Granola Bites

Chewy Granola Bites
The New Good Housekeeping Cookbook, page 620
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup orange juice
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 1/2 cups granola cereal
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
Into a large bowl, measure first 9 ingredients. With hand mixer at low speed, beat ingredients until well blended, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Stir in granola cereal and chocolate chips.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls, about 2 inches apart, onto cookie sheet. With fingers, smooth mounds slightly. Bake cookies 15 to 20 minutes until lightly browned. Remove cookies to wire racks to cool. Repeat with remaining dough. Store cookies in tightly covered container.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Souperior Meat Loaf



It didn't take me too long last night to figure out what I was going to make for dinner. I knew I wanted to make meatloaf and found the perfect recipe on a packet of Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion Soup Mix. It turned out great and tasted delicious. Randy gave this dish a thumbs up.

Souperior Meat Loaf

1 envelope Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion Soup Mix
2 pounds ground beef
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
2 eggs
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup ketchup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. In 13 x 9- inch pan or a bread pan, shape into loaf. Bake uncovered 1 hour or until done. I had to bake for 1/2 hour longer because of the pan that I used. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Mandarin Orange Breakfast Bites



Who wants a delicious tasting breakfast all in one bite? Well then you are in luck, because that is exactly what you get with these little bites. I was not only impressed with how easy this was to make but how flavorful it tasted.

Mandarin Orange Breakfast Bites

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 sugar
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup cold butter
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained and diced

Topping:

1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted

In a large bowl, combine first five ingredients. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, and extract. Stir into crumb mixture until moistened. Fold in oranges. Fill greased mini muffin cups two-thirds full.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Combine sugar and cinnamon. Dip tops of warm muffins in melted butter, then in cinnamon sugar.

Sunday, March 8, 2009

It's A Shell of An Idea



Chicken and Cheese Stuffed Shells

12 jumbo shells
2 cups cooked chicken, diced
1 egg
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 jar marinara sauce

Cook pasta according to package directions.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine all other ingredients except marinara sauce. Stir until well blended. In a 13 x 9 x 2 -inch baking pan, spread 1 cup of marinara sauce evenly. Fill each shell with chicken and cheese mixture (about 1 rounded tablespoon), and place open-side up in the baking dish. Pour remaining marinara sauce over the filled shells. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Homestyle Cube Steak


Homestyle Cube Steak
1 pound cube steak, cut into bite size pieces
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup long grain white rice
1 cup water
1 12 ounce jar beef gravy
6 small mushrooms, sliced
In a skillet over medium heat, melt butter and saute the cube steak until evenly browned.
In a medium pot, mix the cooked steak and juices, rice, water,mushrooms and gravy. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer 25 minutes until all liquid has been absorbed.

Friday, March 6, 2009

Cocoa Raspberry Squares



I had bought some raspberries and wanted to make something with them and this is what I came up with. I got some ideas from a recipe that I found in the Winter 2008 issue of the Taste of Home's Cooking for 2. The original recipe was Cocoa Ripple Squares but I changed it up and added the raspberries to it instead.


Cocoa Raspberry Squares

1/4 cup shortening
8 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup fat free milk
1 tablespoon baking cocoa
1/2 cup fresh raspberries

In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Beat in egg. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and baking cocoa; add to creamed mixture. Blend together well. Add the milk and mix well. Slowly add the raspberries and fold into the batter.
Place the batter into a 13-in. by 9-in. greased baking dish.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Pizza Stuffed Mushrooms



Pizza Stuffed Mushrooms

6 large fresh mushrooms
2 cups pizza sauce
1/4 cup pepperoni, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 cup shredded cheese, pizza blend
4 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

In a medium size bowl, mix together the pizza sauce, pepperoni, half of the shredded cheese and the grated parmesan cheese.
Remove stems from mushrooms (discard stems or save for another use). Fill each mushroom cap with the pizza filling.
Place on foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 16-20 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Sprinkle with the remaining shredded cheese.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Crumb Topped Scallops



Crumb Topped Scallops

1 pound bay scallops, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
1 tablespoon lemon herb seasoning

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a bowl combine bread crumbs, parsley, lemon herb seasoning and butter. Mix these ingredients together well.
Stir in scallops and mix well, until they are coated with the crumb mixture.
Place into a casserole dish that has been coated with spray butter.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Chili Macaroni



I have been trying to plan ahead of what things to make for the week. I also want what I am finding to make to be in smaller portions since it is only Randy and I. I have a stack of Taste of Home's Cooking for 2, where I am getting the inspiration for the recipes I will be making. This recipe got my attention because I had been in the mood to make some chili and with the addition of macaroni, I thought that was an excellent idea. I did change up the recipe somewhat to what ingredients that I had.

Chili Macaroni
Taste of Home's Cooking for 2

1/3 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
1/3 pound lean ground beef
1 cup canned diced tomatoes (I used zesty chunky chili style tomatoes)
3/4 cup canned kidney beans, rinsed and drained (I used mexican style chili beans)
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano

Cook macaroni according to package directions. Meanwhile in a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
Add the tomatoes, beans, chili powder and oregano. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes.
Drain macaroni; add to beef mixture, heat through.

Monday, March 2, 2009

Blue Cheese Macaroni


I wanted to make some macaroni and cheese but I wanted to try some different cheese in it. Boy, am I glad that I did. If you like blue cheese then this is the kind of mac and cheese for you. Even Randy who likes his mac and cheese made with velveeta said this was really good. I was quite surprised about that.
Blue Cheese Macaroni
2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
3/4 heavy cream
1/3 cup all purpose-flour
1 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Directions:
Cook macaroni according to the directions on the box.
In a large saucepan, mix together the cream, flour, blue cheese and parmesan cheese. Stir these ingredients until they are blended together well.
Stir cooked macaroni into the cheese mixture.
Serve hot.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Bacon 'n' Cheese Omelet Roll



On our days off Randy is usually the one that makes breakfast. The choice for breakfast for him to make is pancakes. I thought for a change I would make us breakfast. I started looking through a couple of the Taste of Home Cooking for 2 magazines and found just the recipe I wanted to try. For a quick and simple breakfast, this is the thing to try. We both enjoyed our breakfast very much.

Bacon 'n' Cheese Omelet Roll
Taste of Home Cooking for 2

3 eggs
1/2 cup fat free milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup bacon (cut up into small bite size pieces)
3/4 cup colby-monterey jack cheese(cubed)

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, flour. Por into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Bake uncovered, at 450 degrees for 7-9 minutes or until eggs are set. Sprinkle with bacon and 1/2 cup cheese. Bake 3-5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.
Loosen edges of omelet from baking dish with a knife. Using two spatulas, carefully roll up tightly, jelly-roll style, leaving it in the dish. Sprinkle with remaining bacon and cheese over omelet roll. Bake for 3-4 minutes or until cheese is melted.