Thursday, December 6, 2007

Homemade Flour Tortillas

3 c. unbleached flour
2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
4-6 T. vegetable shortening
About 1-1/4 c. warm water

Mix dry ingredients together. Add vegetable shortening and cut into flour mixture with a pastry cutter or two knives. Add warm water a little at a time until the dough is soft but not sticky. Pull off dough pieces to form 10-12 small dough balls and let them sit 10 minutes or longer. Heat a frying pan or skillet to medium to high heat. Dust each ball with a little flour and roll each out into a thin tortilla shape. Cook only a few seconds on each side in the skillet (until nice brown spots appear around the tortilla). Keep warm in a towel until ready to serve.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Spicy Shredded Beef

This is a great recipe for sandwiches, tacos, burritos, etc. We like it best on sandwiches. It's spicy and delicious!

1 chuck tender roast (or any other beef roast)
1 pkg. Good Seasons Italian dressing mix
1 jar sliced pepperoncini
1 c. water

Brown the roast on all sides in a pan, then move the roast to a roasting pan or baking dish. Pour the packet of Italian dressing mix over the top of the roast, then cover with half the jar of the pepperoncini and juices. Add water and cover roast with foil. Bake at 200 degrees for eight hours. This can be done all day or overnight. A crockpot works well, too. Shred the cooked roast with two forks and mix around in the juices and peppers. Serve on toasted rolls or in tacos.

Monday, November 26, 2007

Candy Cane Cookies










INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red food coloring

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).

Mix well the shortening and butter, sugar, egg, almond and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix flour and salt and add to shortening mixture. Divide dough in half.

Blend red food coloring into one half. Roll 1 teaspoon of the red dough and 1 teaspoon of the white dough on lightly floured board into 4 inch strips. Place strips side by side and press lightly together and twist like a rope. Curve top of rope down to look like the handle of a candy cane.

Bake 9 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove while still warm. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup crushed peppermint stick candy and 1/2 cup sugar (optional).

*These may not be super easy but would be great if you are having a holiday party.

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Candied Yams











Here is the recipe I'm using for Robby's family of at least 40 for Thanksgiving.

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INGREDIENTS
1 (29 ounce) can sweet potatoes
1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Place sweet potatoes in a medium baking dish. Distribute butter pieces evenly over the sweet potatoes. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Layer with miniature marshmallows.

Cover and bake in the preheated oven 25 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are tender and marshmallows have melted.

PREP TIME 15 Min
COOK TIME 25 Min
READY IN 40 Min
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I'm also in charge of two different types of Jello and a pie. Easy Jello recipes would be appreciated. Thanks!

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Jiffy Muffin Mix


"Quality and Value since 1930"
And it looks like that is how old this box is but it's actually good! It only costs about 50 cents per box and they give other recipes on the side.
They have a good variety including Raspberry and Blueberry and make easy and wonderful Sunday muffins.
Try 'em out! You won't regret it!
~
1 pkg. Jiffy Muffin Mix
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Grease muffin pans or use paper baking cups.
Blend ingredients. Batter will be slightly lumpy.
Fill muffin cups 1/2 full.
Bake 13-15 minutes or until golden brown.
Makes 6 muffins per box.
Cool and serve. Yummy!

Friday, November 9, 2007

Italian Chicken and Egg Noodles

OK. So this one didn't look so great. But apparently SOMEONE liked it!


Itailian Chicken and Egg Noodles (for 2)



2 Chicken Breast cubed


1 bottle (small) of Itailian Dressing


1 red bell pepper


1/2 bag egg noodles



Start cooking your chicken in a skillet with a little oil until the outside isn't pink. Then add about 1/2 a bottle of Itailian chicken (more if you want more) and let it cook at medium heat for about 15-20 mins. Cook as many egg noodles as you would like to eat. Follow the recipe on the bag. Add sliced red bell peppers the last 5-10 mins to your chicken. Place egg noodles on your plate and then scoop the chicken and bell peppers on top. Sometimes I will also throw corn on top of that. Serve while hot!!

Hawaiian Chicken


This sounded easy. The e-mail I got was one of those recipe club deals. Anyone interested in receiving it? Let me know.

Hawaiian Chicken

Ingredients:

boneless skinless chicken breast per person
1 slice of ham per chicken breast
1 slice of swiss cheese per chicken breast
1 ring of pineapple per chicken breast
rice

Directions:

bake chicken breast until done. Remove from oven and place a slice of ham on top. Top the ham with the ring of pineapple and then the slice of swiss cheese. Replace in oven until cheese melts and ham and pineapple are hot. Some top with a cherry--I don't like them so I don't bother. Serve on sticky rice or whatever. Really good. Aloha

Mexican Soup

I just got these recipes in an e-mail and decided to share.

Mexican Soup

1 roasted Chicken carcus and chicken (leftovers)

1 can black beans

1 can pinto beans

1 medium onion chopped

1 large can chopped tomatoes

1 can green chilies

1 cup frozen white sweet corn

½ cup rice

1 Tblsp ground cumin

Salt and pepper

1 Tblsp chicken soup base

Boil chicken carcus in water to cover for 1-1/2 hours; remove from heat, remove bones

And strain broth.

Sauté chopped onion until transparent

Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes minimum.

Season to taste.

This soup tastes better after it has set and flavors meld

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Mexican Quiche


1 8 or 9 inch deep dish pastry crust
1-lb lean ground beef
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup salsa
2 cups shredded cheese,
1 small onion, finely diced
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
salt to taste
sour cream
cilantro,
chopped diced tomatoes
black olives
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown ground beef in a large skillet. Add onion and cook until they are soft and translucent. Drain beef, stir in spices and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in salsa. Add eggs. Fold in cheese and pour mixture into pastry crust. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and let stand 15 minutes. Cut into 6 or 8 wedges and top each wedge with a dollop of sour cream, cilantro, tomatoes, and black olives
I always use extra cheese in mine and eat it with extra salsa.

Super Easy Asian Stir Fry

I'm not much for measuring, but here's a rough estimate:

1 bottle Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into small pcs
2 c. chopped broccoli (fresh is best)
1 c. thinly sliced carrots
1 pkg. sliced mushrooms

Start by steaming broccoli and carrots (this just speeds up the process). While they're steaming, sautee chicken and mushrooms in a small amount of canola oil until chicken is nearly cooked through. Add the dressing into the chicken/mushroom pan, anywhere from 1/2 to 3/4 of the bottle, depending on how saucy you like it. Bring to a simmer, then add in broccoli and carrots. Cover, reduce to low heat, simmer for about 10 minutes, until broccoli and carrots are tender.
Can be served over rice or pasta.

Tips: I added in a small amount of garlic powder, ginger, and cayenne for added flavor. Also, if you'd like a thicker sauce, mix up about 1/4 cup's worth of corn starch and water and mix in before covering. I also sprinkle Fresh Gourmet Garlic Ginger crunchy tortilla strips on the top--excellent. This is a super easy dish with lots of flavor and good-for-you stuff!

Substitutions: Beef can be used instead of chicken, or shrimp can be added to the chicken, or substituted. Just about any veggies can be added--fresh snap green beans, asparagus, green onions, red bell peppers, and so on!