Black and White Delight

This recipe is something Gma Walkley always made for family picnics, though my sisters don't seem to remember it.  She always had it frozen so we could eat it in our hands, but I kind of prefer it refrigerated and eat it with a spoon.

1 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup walnuts
1/2 cup melted butter
Mix in 9x13 pan, bake 350* for 15 min, mixing every 5 min. Remove all from pan, then use 2/3 of mix and firmly pack down into pan to make crust.

8 oz of soften cream cheese
2/3 large tub of cool whip
Mix together and spread over the crust

1 package of instant vanilla pudding
1 package of instant chocolate pudding
3 cups of milk
Mix together then add remaining 1/3 of cool whip

Pour over cream cheese, cover with rest of nut crumble and refrigerate. Can freeze it.

Curry Chicken Divan

I'm a little surprised that it's taken us this long to write up this recipe... It's pretty much the go-to casserole in our family.  This is the original recipe from mom:

2, 10 oz packages frozen broccoli
4 whole chicken breasts

Sauce
1 can cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup fat-free evaporated milk (any milk will work)
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Topping
1 Tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs

1. Grease a 9" x 13" pan. Barely cook and drain broccoli. Spread broccoli in pan and lay
chicken pieces on top.
2. Mix sauce ingredients and spread on top of chicken.
3. Melt butter and mix in dry bread crumbs. (Whole wheat crumbs will work just as well
without butter.) Sprinkle on top
4. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.


Susie and I have altered it a bit.  We've been using fresh broccoli cut up into smaller pieces, and boiling it for about 5 minutes.  We also use shredded chicken, instead of whole chicken breasts.  I think we just like it to be a little more casserole-like.
Just serve it on top of rice, and it's amazing!

Abdullah's Curried Chicken - Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania

This recipe is from my husband's mom.  When she was a teenager, she spent two years living with her family in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.  This dish came from there, and it is mighty tasty!

Saute 1/4 c butter, 1 large onion quartered, then quartered again, 6 stalks of celery sliced in 1/2" pieces til tender.  Stir in 2 tsp (or so) curry powder, 1 tsp salt and 1/4 cup flour.  Remove from heat.  Gradually stir in 2 cans chicken broth.  Heat to boiling, stirring constantly.  Boil for 1 minute until thickened.  Stir in 2 cups cubed cooked chicken (I like to use shredded chicken from a rotisserie chicken).  Heat through.  Serve over rice (about 3 cups).


Toppings:


Chopped or sliced hard boiled eggs
Peanuts*
Raisins*
Bananas*
Mandarin oranges*
Grated cheese*
Chutney
Tomatoes*
Coconut

Some of these toppings may seem a little strange, but I guarantee you if you try them, you will love them.  The starred ones are the ones I use most often (mostly because they're ingredients I have on hand), but try any combination of them!

Chicken Salad w/ Blue Cheese and Grapes

This is an amazing summer dish!  Seriously, the most time consuming part is cooking the chicken (and I shredded it).

Ingredients
2 small heads Boston or Bibb lettuce, torn into pieces
4 stalks celery, sliced on the diagonal
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
2 cups (about 1/2 pound) green grapes, halved
3 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt and pepper
1 3 1/2- to 4-pound rotisserie chicken, meat thickly sliced

Directions
In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, celery, onion, grapes, and blue cheese.
In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
Divide the salad and chicken among plates. Serve with the vinaigrette.

I definitely didn't go hardcore, I just put lettuce in bowls and spooned everything on top.  Super simple, a nice light summer dish!

Fruit Cobbler

Easy, delicious, and great with ice cream.  Can't go wrong!

Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
2 cups of sliced fresh peaches or nectarines, or whole blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries or a combination of fruits (or a 12-ounce package of frozen berries)
1 tablespoon sugar


Directions
Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position, and heat oven to 350 degrees.
Put butter in an 8-inch square or 9-inch round pan; set in oven to melt. When butter has melted, remove pan from oven.
Whisk flour, 3/4 cup of sugar, baking powder and salt in small bowl. Add milk; whisk to form a smooth batter. Pour batter into pan, then scatter fruit over batter. Sprinkle with remaining 1 Tb. of sugar.
Bake until batter browns and fruit bubbles, 50 to 60 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream or a small scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Gma's chocolate chip cookies

The official name of these cookies are "Oatmeal Crisps", but we grew up with these as our standard chocolate chip cookie.

Ingredients:
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup butter (although I think gma used shortening)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1½ cup flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ cup finely chopped walnuts
1 cup chocolate chips
½ cup flaked coconut

Directions:
1. Roast rolled oats in a 9"x13" pan for 20 minutes stirring every 5-10
minutes. Cool.
2. Cream shortening and sugar together. Add vanilla. Add eggs one at a
time; beat after each addition.
3. Stir together flour, salt and soda. Stir into egg, sugar mixture.
4. Blend in chopped walnuts, coconut, chocolate chips, and oats.
5. Drop by spoonsful unto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for 10
to 15 minutes; cool on wire rack.

Note: Dough may be stored, tightly covered in the refrigerator.
Cookies freeze well. Peanut butter or raisins may be added - flatten
with fork and bake until set.

It's pretty funny making these now, because everyone seemed to forget that the cookies had coconut in them.  It doesn't add much, just a touch of nuttiness that regular chocolate chip cookes are sorely lacking.  I don't think we ever used walnuts either, but they might be a nice addition.

Peanut Butter Bars

These are CRAZY addictive.  We had some shredded wheat leftover from making "nests" for Easter, so I decided to make the recipe on the box.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup reduced fat peanut butter
3 cups shredded wheat, coarsely crushed
3/4 cup raisins

DIRECTIONS

MIX sugar, honey and peanut butter in large microwavable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 1-1/2 to 2 minutes or until bubbly at edge; stir until well blended. STIR in cereal and raisins. Press firmly into 8-inch square pan sprayed with cooking spray. Cool. CUT into bars. Store in airtight container. Makes 16 servings, 1 bar each.

TIPS & SUGGESTIONS

Use Your Stove:
Mix sugar, honey and peanut butter in large saucepan; cook on medium heat until smooth and bubbly, stirring occasionally. Continue as directed.


Amazing.  The kids love them as much as the adults do.

Baked Brie with Caramelized Apples and Onions

Our family loves brie.  Our family also loves caramelized onions.  Put these two together with a pie crust, and we're in heaven!
I happened to have leftover pie crust from the last time I made pie, so I used that instead of the puff pastry.  Probably would have been better to use the puff pastry... it ended up being REALLY buttery.  I also used the leftover butter from caramelizing instead of melting new butter, since there was a lot left.  I also didn't roast garlic... as awesome as it may be, I'm too lazy.


1 head garlic
1/4 cup butter
1 yellow onion, sliced
1 Granny Smith apple - peeled, cored and sliced
1 (8 ounce) wedge Brie cheese
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 tablespoon melted butter


 Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Place garlic on a baking sheet, and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, or until soft. Set aside.
Meanwhile, melt 1/4 cup butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir onion and apple in butter until tender and browned. Set aside.
Arrange brie on top of thawed puff pastry. Top the cheese with the apple and onion mixture. Fold puff pastry over the cheese, and pinch closed. Brush with melted butter.
Bake about 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm. Garnish with whole cloves of roasted garlic.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

I've definitely been on a pie kick lately, and I'm not sure why.  Probably just because they're amazing :)
This pie was pretty easy to make... the only changes that I made were to add an extra tbs of cornstarch to the original recipe and to have 3 cups of strawberries and 3 cups of rhubarb.

3 cups rhubarb, chopped
3 cups strawberries, sliced
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup plus 1 tbs cornstarch
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 pie crusts

In a bowl, combine rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and cinnamon.
On lightly floured surface, roll out half of the pastry and line a nine-inch pie plate. Spoon in filling.
Make a cutout top crust or cut into strips to make a lattice top
Bake on a baking sheet with sides in a 425 degree Fahrenheit oven for 15 minutes.
Reduce heat to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 50 to 60 minutes longer or until rhubarb is tender, filling thickened, and the crust is golden.

The original recipe says to let it stand for 15 to 20 minutes, but I would let it cool almost completely before cutting.  We tried serving it after half an hour, and it was a crazy mess.  The filling ran out of the other pieces and we could barely tell where they were cut.  After the pie cooled, the filling completely firmed up.

Strawberry Bruschetta

This is so easy to make, and it's delicious!  I made it for dessert, but this would be a really good thing to take to a bbq or potluck brunch... or basically eat anytime of day.

1 baguette-style French bread
1 (8 ounce) container cream cheese
1 tablespoon honey
2 cups strawberries, sliced
1/4 cup strawberry jelly

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Cut bread into 24 slices about 1/4-inch thick. Place in a single layer on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake about 10 minutes or until lightly brown, turning once.  (If you're making this for kids, it might be better to not toast the bread)
Stir together cream cheese and honey; spread on one side of each bread slice.
Arrange strawberry slices on the cheese.
Heat jelly in a custard cup in a microwave oven on high power for 30 seconds; stir (or heat and stir in a small saucepan until melted). Brush jelly over strawberries.
Serve with a few whole berries to decorate the tray.

We had raspberry jam open, which I thought added a nice depth.  Definitely don't forget the jelly on top, it tastes sooo good with it!  If you're making it to take somewhere, I think it looks better to only brush jam on the strawberries... it makes the cream cheese look a little icky after a while (but it still tastes amazing)

Chicken Couscous Salad

This was a pretty easy dish to make, the most time consuming part was chopping the ingredients. I made it for Susie's family as a main dish, but I think it would be better as a side dish... Maybe with some falafel!

Salad:
1 1/4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (5.7-ounce) box uncooked couscous
1 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken (about 6 ounces)
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup diced radishes (about 3 large)
1/2 cup chopped seeded peeled cucumber
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
Dressing:
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced




To prepare salad, bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan; gradually stir in couscous. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Spoon couscous into a large bowl; cool slightly. Add chicken, onions, radishes, cucumber, parsley, and pine nuts; toss gently to combine.
To prepare dressing, combine vinegar and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss to combine.

Award Winning Blueberry Coffeecake

I've been making this coffeecake for YEARS.  It started with 4H demonstrations and sending it to the county and state fairs, and now I make it on special occasions (like Easter breakfast this year).

1/2 cup margarine (or butter)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup light sour cream
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 teaspoon cinnamon

In mixing bowl, beat margarine, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat  in sour cream.
Sift together flour, soda, and salt.  Add to creamed mixture and beat well.  By hand, fold in blueberries.  Set aside.
In smal bowl, comine brown sugar, nuts, and cinnamon.
Spread almost half of the batter in greased 9x13 pan.  Sprinkle half of the brown sugar mixture evenly over batter.  Dollop remaining batter on top, gently spread.  Sprinkle remaining brown sugar mixture over batter.
Bake in preheated 350 degree ovenfor 45-50 minutes.

I say almost half of the batter because the batter is pretty thick, and super hard to spread over the brown sugar mixture.  Definitely easier to do if you have more batter to work with.  I last made this with half whole wheat flour and half white, and you can't tell at all.

Dutch Apple Pie

This is what I did with my pie crust:

Pie filling:
5 1/2 cups peeled cored sliced cooking apples
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg


Topping:
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup butter (or margarine), room temperature


Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Fit pie crust into pie plate.
In a large bowl, mix sliced apples, lemon juice, both sugars, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Pile into crust.
In a medium bowl, with a pastry blender or a fork, mix flour, both sugars, and butter until coarsely crumbled.  Sprinkle evenly over apples.  Bake for 50 minutes.

I've made this twice for Susie's family, and both times it's gone over well.  The second time I used up leftover strawberries, which I definitely preferred.  There was maybe a cup of strawberries, but you could add more.  Just keep the amount of fruit the same.  I've also been making this in a cake pan (couldn't find Susie's pie plate), so I'm not sure how this would turn out in a more shallow dish.  Always bake a pie on a cookie sheet in case it runs over!!

Pie!

A while ago I got this huge craving for pie, and Susie decided it would be a good idea for me to make one. I definitely didn't get the crust right the first time, but I think I've figured out the best way to make it.

For one crust:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup ice water

The very first thing you do when you decide you want to make pie is put the stick of butter in the freezer. Combine flour and salt into a large bowl. Using a cheese grater, grate the frozen butter into the flour. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water, a tablespoon at a time, until mixture forms a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
Roll dough out to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Place crust in pie plate. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate.

Some tips:
-Don't touch the butter or dough too much. The heat from your hands will melt the butter.
-Don't over work the dough. It doesn't take much to mix the ingredients together!
-Keep the dough cold. I suggest putting the dough back in the fridge after putting it in the pie plate, while you get the filling ready.
-Use milk to form the scalloped edge, and beat an egg into the leftover milk to brush onto the dough.  Start on the edges and go to the middle (otherwise you end up with a puddle of egg wash in the middle)
-If you have leftover pie crust: brush with your egg wash or melted butter, and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top.  Bake with the pie for 8-10 minutes.

Mashed Potatoes

I know, I know, mashed potatoes needs it's own entry!?  But as much as I LOVE this side dish, I realized that I didn't really know the proper way to prepare it, besides boiling and mashing.  This website explains everything, from what kind of potato to use, to the correct order of adding butter and milk.  There's a recipe on the site for 2 lbs of potatoes, but here's the basic recipe:

Starting with salted cold water, bring chunks of potatoes to a boil.  Allow potatoes to simmer until done.  Mash with salt and pepper.  Add butter.  Add milk.

If you need to reheat mashed potatoes, warm them on the stove with a little extra milk- don't microwave!

Parmesan Breaded Tilapia

I first made this for Susie's family, and then again for the boyfriend.  Both times it seemed to go over well, and it takes very few ingredients.

Parmesan Breaded Tilapia

1 1/3 pounds tilapia fillets
1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoon lemon juice
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Olive oil cooking spray

Thaw and wash tilapia fillets if frozen; pat dry.

Combine crumbs and parmesan on a plate, mixing well.  On a different plate, pour 1 tbsp lemon juice.

Working 1 at a time, place a fillet on the plate in the lemon juice, sprinkle with desired amount of kosher salt (needs very little if any, because of the parmesan and seasonings), black pepper, and garlic powder. Turn the fillet over in the lemon juice and sprinkle seasoning on the other side.

Dredge fillet in the parmesan and crumb mixture patting it all over to coat.

Place in an baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking oil spray; repeat with remaining fillets.

Sprinkle a little lemon juice over fillets and drizzle or spray them lightly with olive oil.

Bake at 425ºF for about 20 minutes or until they easily flake with a fork and edges begin to brown.

This makes waayy too much breading, so next time I'll probably use half of each (just keep them 50/50).

The second time I made this, I definitely missed being in Susie's amazing kitchen.  She has this great oil mister that uses pressure to spray oil (instead of aerosol), which is a lot easier to use than drizzling oil.  It's not impossible to drizzle instead of spray, but I found there were pools of oil in some areas.  When I tried to spread it around, it also spread the breading mixture.

Chunky Tomato Soup

Perhaps you're wondering what to eat with your cheesy bread? Here's a version of tomato soup that's much tastier than the one that comes from a can. At first, I thought cooking the tomato paste for so long before putting in the other ingredients was odd, but it ended up carmelized and naturally sweet. I might try that technique the next time I make chili.... You don't need the gremolata, but it adds a nice, fresh touch.

Ingredients
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and finely chopped
4 thyme sprigs
3 tablespoons tomato paste
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 cups water
Two 28-ounce cans peeled Italian tomatoes—drained and finely chopped, juices reserved

Directions
In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil. Add the onion, fennel and thyme and cook the vegetables over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion and fennel are softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add the water and the tomatoes and their juices and bring to a boil. Simmer the soup over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced by one-third, about 30 minutes. Discard the thyme. Transfer half of the soup to a blender and puree until smooth. Return the puree to the pot.

Serve the soup with Pan-Fried Potato Croutons, Fennel-Orange Gremolata and diced Fontina cheese.

Gremolata
Ingredients
1/4 cup chopped fennel fronds
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil Salt

Cheddar Biscuit Bread

Five months of cold and dreary weather has been craving comfort food. For me, that means cheese. And bread. Preferably together. This will give you both. Don't think too much about the ingredients -- just enjoy. Preferably with a cup of tomato soup.

INGREDIENTS
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick cold butter, diced
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1/4 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, grated, plus an additional 1/2 cup grated cheese for topping

DIRECTIONS
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Combine the flour with the baking powder and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender, fork or two knives, until the butter bits are pea sized. Lightly beat two of the eggs and mix them with the buttermilk, then add the mixture to the rest of the ingredients above. Using a wooden spoon, mix until the dough begins to come together. Add the grated cheddar and mix until everything is incorporated. Place the dough in a cake pan, and sprinkle additional cheddar cheese on top. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown, and serve.

Easiest Baked Ziti EVAR

This recipe come from my mom, but I've made it even easier by using whole packages.  It may not be authentic Italian, but it's a great weeknight dinner!



Baked Ziti
1 lb dry ziti, cooked
1 16 oz container cottage cheese
8 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 24 oz jar pasta sauce (I like the Classico Four Cheese)

1. Mix cooked ziti, cottage cheese and mozzarella cheese in 9x13 baking dish.
2. Pour pasta sauce over ziti mixture.
3. Bake for 1/2 hour at 350°

I'll Make You Banana Pancakes

Pretend like it's the weekend now...

Ok, it is the weekend.  I don't normally anything special for breakfast, but once in a while I feel the urge to whip something up.  

I don't have a go-to pancake recipe, but have recently been finding a lot of good things from my new favorite website, Smitten Kitchen (C introduced me to this site).  Today's recipe was based off of this one.  One thing I will mention was that these were very sweet, so I would definitely omit the sugar, which I didn't.  But it was a big hit with the kids and the husband :)

Banana Pancakes

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 eggs

1-1/2 to 2 cups milk

2 T melted and cooled butter, plus unmelted butter for cooking

2-3 bananas, thinly sliced

1/2 cup chocolate chips (give or take)

1.  Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium-low heat.  In a bowl, mix together dry ingredients.  Beat eggs into 1-1/2 cups milk, then stir in 2 T of melted cooled butter.  Gently stir this mixture into dry ingredients, mixing only enough to moisten flour; don't worry about a few lumps.  If batter seems thick, add up to 1/2 cup more milk.  Stir in chocolate chips.

2.  Place a teaspoon or two of butter on griddle or skillet.  When butter foam subsides, ladle batter onto griddle, making pancakes of any size you like.  Adjust heat as necessary (I cooked these on fairly low heat).  Add sliced bananas and press into cooking pancake.  You can add more chocolate chips, if you find it necessary.  Flip pancakes after bubbles rise to the surface and bottoms brown, after 2-4 minutes.

3.  Cook until second side is lightly browned.  Serve, or hold on in an ovenproof dish in a 200-degree oven for up to 15 minutes.

Ranch Cheddar Chicken

The first recipe!  Susie actually made this first for her kids (I did the research though).  The first night it didn't go over very well, but when the kids had it as leftovers, they ate it all up.  I've also made this for my boyfriend, with some changes.

Ranch Cheddar Chicken
Ingredients:
¼ Cup Ranch Dressing
1 T Flour
¼ Cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
¼ Cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Combine flour with ranch dressing in shallow bowl.  Coat each chicken breast with dressing mixture.  Place on ungreased baking pan.  Sprinkle cheeses on chicken.  Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until juices run clear.

When I made this for my boyfriend, he didn't have flour in his apartment.  He did have bread crumbs though, which worked really well.  This has turned into one of those recipes where you don't have to measure anything... Thicken dressing, coat chicken, load chicken with a TON of cheese, and bake until done.  Super easy, and the ingredients are always in the kitchen.