Thursday, July 30, 2009

What's For Dinner Tonight?

I usually have an answer to that question. Today I decided to make Randy some pork chops but not just any ole pork chop either. I get the inspiration from most of my recipes just by looking at what ingredients that I have on hand and then create the dish from that. This really seems to work out the best for me and it is interesting to see what things I can come up with.

Gingery Apricot Pork Chops

2 pork chops 1 inch thick
12 ounce jar apricot preserves
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium size bowl, mix preserves, brown sugar, salt and ginger. Stir until everything is blended well. Coat chops completely on both sides. Arrange chops in a 2 quart baking dish. Bake until pork chops are cooked through.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Eggs, Eggs, And More Eggs


I have an over abundance of eggs and need to do something with them before they go to waste. You may ask yourself why do I have so many, well Randy gets eggs given to him from his coworker. Since it was breakfast time I decided to make eggs, I looked in my recipe book and found the perfect recipe that called for 14 eggs, yes that is right 14 eggs. That did use up quite a few but I am still left with many more. If anyone has any suggestions I am open to any ideas.
Scrambled Eggs with Cream Cheese & Mushrooms
14 eggs
1/4 teaspoon pepper
6 tablespoons butter
1 8 ounce package cream cheese, diced
2 small cans mushrooms
In a large bowl, beat eggs and pepper until just blended. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add egg mixture. As egg mixture begins to set, with rubber spatula , stir slightly so uncooked egg flows to bottom.
When eggs are partially cooked, add diced cream cheese and mushrooms. Continue cooking until egg mixture is set but still moist, stirring occasionally.
Very delicious.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Chicken and Some Changes Ahead


There are some changes that I am hoping are going to happen in the next few days if not the next week ahead. It is not that I want to keep everyone in the dark but I just wanted to let this little tidbit of information out. I am hoping that everything works out and things go the way I want them to. If this change does occur, it will have some affect on my blogging but it will only be for the better. Sorry I can't reveal anymore but I will keep you posted. Now on to the chicken recipe that is our dinner for tonight.

Noodles and Stir-Fried Chicken Medley

1 package whole grain noodles
2 cups cooked chicken, cubed
1 package stir fry vegetables
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
soy sauce to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions, also cook vegetables . In a large skillet place cooked vegetables and chicken. Add garlic powder and soy sauce. Blend together well. Serve over hot noodles. Enjoy!

Thursday, July 23, 2009

More Blueberries


Yesterday I made some blueberry biscuits and yes, Randy did end up trying one and saying it did taste good. Well that is probably because I said, It is a biscuit with blueberries in it and it tastes so good. I guess that did the trick. LOL. I thought that since I had some delicious biscuits that today I would make some cobbler to go along with them. My two coworkers are in for a treat because I am bringing in some for them tonight.
Blueberry Cobbler
2 pints blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
In a medium size saucepan, stir blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, water and lemon juice. Mix until blended well. Serve over biscuits.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Biscuits And Blueberries

I know I have probably told everyone more than once that I love biscuits. I really, really do. Well this morning I decided to try a little something different when making some homemade biscuits and added some blueberries that I had and didn't want to go to waste. I am not sure if Randy will like these since he really doesn't like biscuits, but hey you never know. I am thinking with the addition of the blueberries he might just change his mind. I will let you all know the reaction.

Baking Powder Blueberry Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 450. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. With pastry blender or 2 knives used scissors fashion, cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in milk; quickly mix in blueberries and mixture forms soft dough that leaves side of bowl.
Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead to mix thoroughly. With a floured rolling pin, roll out dough, 1/2 inch thick for highm fluffy biscuits and 1/4 inch thick for thin, crusty ones.
With floured 2-inch biscuit cutter, cut into biscuits. Place biscuits on ungreased cookie sheet, 1 inch apart for crusty biscuits, nearly touching for soft-sided ones.
Bake 12 to 15 minutes until golden.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Made For Karen

This post goes out to Randy's boss Karen. Hope this will be a big hit for you. Since I had to work a 12 hour shift yesterday, I decided to make this yesterday and post for today. The recipe may seem a little detailed but these are so easy to make and taste awesome.

Black And White Cheesecake Squares

vegetable oil cooking spray
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 ounces (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 325. Coat a 9-113 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Line dish with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on both long sides, then spray parchment.
Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Cream butter and granulated sugar with a hand mixer until smooth. Add 2 eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla, and beat until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture. Increase speed to medium; beat until incorporated.
Reserve 1 cup of dough; cover and refrigerate. Press remaining dough into bottom of prepared dish. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Bake until base is set and edges are puffed, about 25 minutes. Let cool in dish on a wire rack.
Mix cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and remaining egg and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in a medium bowl. Spread over cooled base; crumble reserved dough on top. Bake until filling is set, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in dish on wire rack, then lift out using overhang. Cut into 24 squares. Squares will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 3 days.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Is It Finally Summertime?

My answer is yes. Yesterday was such a beautiful day. Today is already looking to be even better. Finally summer has arrived in the north country, and what better way to enjoy such a nice day then with a tasty summertime salad. A fruit salad that is.

Creamy Dreamy Fruit Salad

1 1/2 cups cantaloupe, watermelon and honeydew
8 ounce package cream cheese
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup marshmallow creme

In a large bowl place all the fruit. In another large bowl add the cream cheese, butter and marshmallow creme. Blend together with hand mixer until blended well. Add fruit dip to the fruit and mix throughly. Chill for an hour.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Views Close To Home

I was thinking with the temperatures going to be on the rise for the next few days, I would share some pictures from the recent walk that Randy and I took into the village of Morristown. The above picture is at the harbor in Morristown with Canada off in the distance.
This picture is another shot from the harbor with a little closer look at Canada. It was a very warm night and the river was very calm.

This is from the road we live on as we were descending down the hill. It is such a great view. How lucky we are to live in such a wonderful place, with such amazing sights.


Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Back At It Again


I am back into cooking and posting. The last few days have been very busy and I did not have the chance to do any cooking or baking. Yesterday was my day off and I spent part of the day finding some new recipes to try and this is one I found and knew I wanted to try. I made this to go along with the chicken I made. Randy worked the later shift yesterday so this will be his dinner for tonight.
Broccoli with Lemon Almond Butter
2 cups fresh broccoli
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup blanched, slivered almonds
In a large skillet on medium heat, melt the butter. Add the lemon juice and stir. Next add the broccoli and almonds. Cook until broccoli is tender and everything is blended together.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

What To Do With Potatoes?

That is the question I was asking myself this morning. I had a few potatoes left in the bag and I didn't want them to go to waste. What is better than potatoes roasted in the oven with the seasonings of your choice? A nice addition to any meal.

Oven Roasted Potato Wedges

4 medium size potatoes
2 tablespoon olive oil
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a medium size bowl, mix the butter, oil, cheese and salt until it forms a thick paste. Throughly coat the potatoes completely. Place on a greased baking sheet. Bake uncovered at 450 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes or until tender, turning once.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Nothing Beats A Muffin


Pineapple White Chocolate Muffins
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1 8 ounce can pineapple chunks
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a muffin tin with non stick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, and baking powder. In a small bowl, beat egg, milk until blended; stir into flour mixture just until moistened. Fold in chips and pineapple chunks.
Spoon batter into muffin cups. Bake 25 minutes until golden. Immediately remove muffins from pan; serve warm or cool on wire rack to serve later.

Friday, July 3, 2009

Cupcakes for the 4th

This evening Randy and I are leaving for Pennsylvania for the 4th of July weekend. We are going to be visiting with some of Randy's family. In honor of the 4th I made some cupcakes. I did cheat a little in making these and used a cupcake mix and can frosting but my love and goodness went into making these.

4th of July Cupcakes

1 box confetti cupcake mix
1 can vanilla frosting
red food coloring
blue food coloring

Prepare cupcakes according the directions on the package. After the cupcakes have cooled, it is time to decorate. In 2 small bowls, mix together the red and blue food coloring with the frosting.
I went with the red, white, blue to represent the flag.


I hope that everyone has a safe and wonderful 4th of July.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

I'm In Love With...

the Cooking Light Magazine. I have been buying the magazine for the past couple of months but I have finally decided to subscribe to it. I am very impressed with all the amazing recipes and all the informative articles this magazine has. One of the amazing recipes that just so happened to catch my eye was from this month's issue.

Banana-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (I used White Chocolate Morsels)
July 2009 Cooking Light

1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (1 medium)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white chocolate morsels

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; beat on medium speed using a hand mixer until smooth. Add egg; beat well.
Combine flour, oats, baking soda and salt in a medium size bowl. Add flour mixture to banana mixture in bowl. Beat with mixer at medium speed until well blended. Stir in white chocolate morsels.
Drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls (I used a cookie scoop instead), 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. The first batch I used the cookie sheet with spray but for the next two batches I opted to use the air bake cookie sheets. I had better luck with this because the first batch seemed to crisp up.
Bake at 35o for 18 minutes or until golden. Cool on pans for 2 minutes, remove and place on wire racks to cool completely.

Of course after the cookies were done I did have to try one, love the blend of flavors. Such a great tasting cookie!

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

It's Strawberry Time


It is strawberry picking time. I haven't had a chance yet to go but I am hoping to. With thoughts of this I wanted to make something with strawberries and found this recipe for strawberry sauce served over chicken. It may sound like an odd combination but the taste is fantastic. This is Randy's dinner for tonight and I am hoping he feels the same way too.
Strawberry Sauce Chicken
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 cups fresh strawberries, cut into pieces
1/8 cup sugar, or more depending on taste
Bake chicken at 350 degrees F until no longer pink and cooked through completely. Set aside.
In a bowl mix together cornstarch, lemon juice, strawberries and sugar. Pour mixture into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook, boiling for about 2 minutes. Serve over hot chicken that has been set aside.