Friday, October 24, 2008

The best CORNBREAD ever!

1 yellow cake mix
1 box jiffy corn muffin mix
1/4 cup oil
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk

Mix Well and pour in 9x13 dish. Bake at 350 for 25 min.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Peanut Butter and Milk Chocolate Chunk Cookies

This is my new favorite cookie for the week.

You can also see a demo of them being made here. (I think I want their new cookbook now.)

1 3/4 cup of all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter, softened, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup creamy peanut butter
6 ounces good milk chocolate, coarsely chopped

Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside

Beat the butter and sugars together until fluffy. Scrape down the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. The mixture will look light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and peanut butter and beat until just incorporated.

Add half of the flour mixture and mix for 15 seconds. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix until just incorporated.

Using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the chocolate. Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (or grease the pan like I did).

Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons (or use an ice cream scoop) onto the prepared baking sheets, at least 2 inches apart. With the palm of your hand, very gently press each cookie down so it forms a very tall disk shape. Do not press too hard and do not press it flat.

Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with granulated sugar and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the tops of the cookies just begin to brown.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Chicken Pot Pie

This recipe was extremely tasty and easy to make. I made it for the first time last night for the missionaries and I couldn't have been happier with how it turned out.

1/3 cup margarine/butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
¼ teaspoon pepper
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¾ cup chicken broth (about 1 can)
2 cups cooked chicken
Pie crust (I just bought the pre-made kind in the store - so much easier!)
Any cooked vegetables (carrots, peas, potatoes)

1.) Cook chicken and any veggies that you are using (carrots, potatoes, etc.)
2.) Melt butter and sauté onions on medium heat.
3.) Mix flour, salt, and pepper and add to butter and onions. It makes a paste-looking substance. 4.) Remove from heat. Stir in broth and milk.
5.) Put on heat again and bring to a boil stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minutes. Sauce will start to thicken.
6.) Stir in chicken and vegetables.
7.) In a pie pan, place crust on bottom and pour chicken mixture in. Place a second crust over the top. Seal around the edges and cut several slits in the top. Cover edges of crust with foil. Cook at 425 degrees for 30 minutes, removing the tin foil after 15 minutes. Cook with a cookie sheet under pie pan in case pie boils over.

I like pot pies really huge and billowy, like you would find in a restaurant, so I used about 4 carrots, 5 potatoes, and about 1.75 pounds of chicken. It looked fantastic! This also doubles really well.

Friday, October 3, 2008

Baked Potato Soup


This was really good but would be so much better when it's actually cold outside. I planned all my meals for this week thinking it would start to get cold, but we are still waiting here! I was surprised how little time this took, and if you keep the two canned ingredients + potatoes stocked it could be a good backup recipe. I served it with cooked broccoli which we ended up also throwing into the soup for more variety.

2 large or 3 medium baking potatoes, baked or microwaved
Cooked and crumbled bacon (optional)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 can (14.5 fl. oz.) chicken broth
1 can (12 fl. oz.) evaporated milk
Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
Sliced green onions (optional)
I always add some dill, too...

MELT butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 to 2 minutes or until tender. Stir in flour. Gradually stir in broth and evaporated milk. Scoop potato pulp from 1 potato (reserve potato skin); mash. Add pulp to broth mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes just to a boil. Dice remaining potato skin and potato(es); add to soup. Heat through. Season with salt and ground black pepper. Top each serving with bacon, cheese and green onions, if desired.

VARIATION: For a different twist to this recipe, omit the bacon, cheddar cheese and green onions. Cook 2 tablespoons shredded carrot with the onion and add 1/4 teaspoon dried dill to the soup when adding the broth. Proceed as above.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Lemon Crusted Chicken

from This Week For Dinner

i tried this out last night and the chicken was great. very moist and yummy. i liked that it had a different taste to it. It's not good as leftovers though so don't make too much, oh and I had to cook it in the oven for about 13 minutes instead of 8.

LEMON CRUSTED CHICKEN
2 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Dipping Mixture:
Blend: 2 egg whites
2 tsp cornstarch
Juice of 1⁄2 lemon

For the Crusting Mixture:
Combine:
1 cup course bread crumbs
1 T. chopped fresh parsley
1 t. kosher salt
1⁄4 t. ground black pepper
Zest of one lemon, minced

Saute chicken in:
3 T olive oil

Preheat oven to 450˚. Prepare chicken breasts by slicing each piece in 1⁄2 lengthwise. Place chicken in ziplock bag with small amount of water, and lightly pound till uniform in thickness. Blend egg whites, cornstarch, and lemon juice with a fork in a shallow dish; set aside. Combine bread crumbs, parsley, salt, pepper, and zest in another wide, shallow dish. Dip both sides of the chicken breasts in the dipping mixture, and transfer to the crumb dish. Pat crumbs on both sides of chicken –its ok if some crumbs fall off. (Here, the recipe says to air dry on a rack for 20-30 minutes, but for the sake of time, I never do this. But feel free to do so if you wish). Saute chicken in oil in a large, nonstick, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. Carefully turn with a spatula, and transfer the skillet to the oven to finish cooking. Roast chicken just until done, about 8 more minutes.

This makes a very moist and flavorful chicken.