Musical fruit

For you Lins! With a splotch of beans on the side of the recipe.

Perfect Sugar Cookies

Sugar Cookies

5 oz Butter (2/3 cup)
10.5 oz White Sugar (1 1/2 C)
2 Eggs
1 t. Vanilla
2 T. Milk
2 1/2 t. Baking Powder
1/2 t. Salt (I used 1 t.)
14.6 oz Flour (3 1/4 C)

350 degrees 7-9 min. until lightly browned.

Frost w/ Buttercream Frosting

Buttercream Frosting

16 oz Butter (4 sticks)
32 oz. Powdered Sugar (2 lbs. or 8 C)
2 t. Vanilla
4-7 T Milk

Cream butter and Powdered sugar till dry and hunks of butter gone. Add milk and Vanilla, ship till light and fluffy.

Ah the perfect sugar cookie - light, fluffy, sugary, melt in your melt goodness. And the Frosting - wow!

Thank you cookies master Missy Hintze for the recipe and for teaching us how cookies enrich our lives. Great tips from Missy:
To reduce cleanup time: weigh all ingredients and use parchment paper. You will only need to wash the one weighing bin and mixing bowl. No measuring cups or cookie sheets to wash (parchment paper can be thrown away after about 7 uses). So clever!
For a fluffier cookie - add more powdered sugar and/or milk.

Super Healthy Super Easy and Super Quick Super Bread

2 1/2 Cups Spelt Flour

1/2 Cup Seeds (you can use any kind of seeds or nuts, I use Chia Seeds and Flaxseeds)

3 tsp Aluminum free baking powder (you can use regular baking powder)
1tsp Salt
2 Cups plain Kefir
1 1/2 -2 Cups hot water

Mixed the dry ingredients and then slowly add the Kefir and the hot water, use only enough hot water to make it all stick together.

Bake for 30 minutes on 320 F.

All the ingredients are available at Giant in the Organic department.

Banana Muffins with White Chocolate

1 dl melted butter (that's one stick)
2 1/2 dl flour (one cup)
2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1 dl sugar (about 1/4 of a cup - Splenda works fine if you want to keep the calories down)
1 tsp vanilla extract (or 1tbsp vanilla sugar)
2 tbsp cocoa
2-3 ripe bananas
white chocolate (or regular which ever you prefer)

mixed together- you don't need a mixer you can just use a spoon.

Bake on 435 for 12 minutes

This is super easy and quick and kid friendly. My kids love helping out when we make these.

Maybe not the prettiest muffins but they sure taste good.

Enjoy

Jana F

Crockpot Thai Chicken

2 cups salsa
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup orange juice
2 Tbs. honey
4 tsp. soy sauce
3-4 chicken breasts
1/4 cup chopped peanuts
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

rice or pasta

Combine all ingredients (except peanuts and cilantro) in crockpot and cook 4-6 hours.

Serve over rice or pasta with chopped peanuts and cilantro.

This recipe is YUMMY! And super easy. Care of my friend Marie in VA.

Best Ever French Toast

French Toast

The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, Revised Edition

Serves: 4

Prep time: 5 minutes

Total time: 45 minutes

Many types of bread can be substituted for white sandwich bread, including cinnamon-raisin bread and challah.  The recipe can be doubled and the cooking time sped up by preparing batches simultaneously in two skillets or by using an electric griddle.

8 slices of high quality white sandwich bread

6 tablespoons of unsalted butter

1 cup milk

1 large egg

2 tablespoons of sugar

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1.   Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 200 degrees.  Arrange the bread on a wire rack set over a baking sheet and bake until slightly dry, about 15 minutes.

2.   While the bread is in the oven, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and whisk it together with the milk, egg, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.  Slowly whisk in the flour until smooth.  Pour the batter into a large shallow dish. 

3.   Transfer 2 pieces of the bread from the oven into the batter and soak both sides, about 30 seconds per side.  Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until beginning to brown, swirling to coat the pan.  Remove the bread from the batter, allowing excess batter to drip back into the dish, and lay in the hot skillet.  Cook until golden brown on both sides, about 2 1/2 minutes per side.  Transfer the French toast to the wire rack to keep warm in the oven.  Repeat with the remaining butter, bread and batter.

Test Kitchen Tip: Flour does the trick

            All too often, French toast is as soggy on the outside as it is on the inside.  To remedy this, we experimented with a number of techniques.  In the end, we found that adding flour to the batter, although a bit odd, was a highly successful solution.  It lends crispness to the French toast that milk and egg alone cannot provide.

Jen’s variations:

            I use my multigrain bread and skip the drying in the oven.  I also use my electric griddle to cook 4 at a time. I use a shallow baking dish that can accommodate 4 pieces of bread soaking at the same time.

*** I would 1 1/2 the batter because I ran out of batter when it came down to my last 2 pieces of toast! 

***We used this buttermilk syrup from Linsy on top...so GOOD!

Crockpot Lemon Butter Chicken

Ooooooo, you ladies ready for the ultimate easy chicken staple? This comes to you care of my friend Tiffany. It is TASTY and makes your kitchen smell yummy! You can enjoy its savory deliciousness tonight and then - because it is a basic, versatile recipe - so you can use leftovers for any recipe that calls for chicken (think BBQ chicken sandwiches tomorrow, tortilla chicken soup the next day.)

• 4-5 breasts chicken (I use frozen)
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 4-5 tablespoons butter
• 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
• seasoning salt (I use Lawry's brand) to sprinkle on top

Throw all ingredients in the crockpot together and cook on high 4 hours or low 6-8 hours.

Sausage Tortellini Soup

1 lb Italian sausage, browned and drained

1 c. coarsely chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 c. beef broth

1/2 c. water

1 lg. can crushed tomatoes

1 med green pepper chopped

1 c. thinly sliced carrots or baby carrots sliced lengthwise

1/2 t. basil

1/2 t. oregano

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

1 1/2 c. sliced zucchini

1 (10 oz) pkg. cheese tortellini

-Brown sausage and drain.

- Sauté onions and garlic in sausage pan.

- Add all ingredients except zucchini and tortellini.

- Simmer until carrots have cooked some.

- Add zucchini and continue to simmer just until barely tender.

- In a separate pot, prepare tortellini as directed on package, but undercook a little. Drain and add to soup.

- Thin soup with more beef broth if you would like.

Makes 6-8 quarts: ten to twelve big servings. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. This tastes even better the next day!

My sister-in-law Alyssa made this soup for us this week. AMAZING!

Leslie's No Bake Cookies

These cookies are amazing! This recipe nails it. Its the stuff of dreams.....

- 2 cups sugar

- 1/2 cup milk

- 1/2 cup butter

- 4 tablespoon cocoa

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1 tsp vanilla

- 1/2 cup peanut butter

- 3 cups quick oats

Mix the first four ingredients, bring to a boil.

Remove from heat.

Add salt, vanilla, peanut butter. Stir till PB melts.

Add Oats

Scoop by spoon-fulls and drop on sprayed wax paper.

Amber's Thanksgiving Rolls

1 ¼ ounce packet active dry yeast or 2 ¼ teaspoons yeast (I use Saf-instant yeast in 1 lb pkg)

½ cup sugar

7 ½ to 8 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting (I use King Arthur unbleached all purpose)

12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus softened butter for brushing

2 cups whole milk, at room temperature

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling

Place the yeast in ½ cup warm water(almost as warm as a warm bath) with 1 tablespoon sugar added . Let sit until

it bubbles and froths slightly. Set aside.

In mixer with a dough hook attachment:

Mix melted butter and milk at low speed. Add the eggs and mix until blended. Scrape the yeast mixture into

mixing bowl and mix until incorporated. Add ½ cup sugar, 7 cups of flour and 1 tablespoon of salt; mix until the

dough forms a ball, 2 to 3 minutes, adding up to ½ cup to 1 cup more flour if the dough is too wet and sticky.

Brush a large bowl with softened butter. Transfer the dough to the bowl, cover with a towel and let rise in a warm

place for 2 – 2 ½ hours until dough doubles in volume.

Preheat the oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Dust with flour a clean flat surface or use a

non-stick silicone mat and turn the dough out onto it. Flour your hands; gently press the dough into a 16 by 8 inch

(or larger) rectangle, about ½ to ¾ inch thick. Don’t use a rolling pin.

With the long side of the dough in front of you, cut the dough lengthwise two times with a floured knife or pizza

cutter. You will nowhave 3 strips of dough. Don’t separate the long strips but cut the strips into 12 equal parts –

you will end up with 36 rolls.

16”

To form rolls, pick up each roll, fold the roll unevenly in half so the top part slightly overlaps the bottom half, then

tuck the overhang underneath. Place the rolls seam-side down on the prepared baking sheet in 3 tightly packed

rolls. (If making in advance, wrap the baking sheet tightly in plastic wrap and freeze up to 3 weeks.

Bake (at 375)until the rolls are bursting at the seams and golden brown – 18 to 20 minutes. (If frozen, bake 25

minutes at 325 then 10 minutes at 375.) Remove from the oven and brush with softened butter. Sprinkle with

kosher salt and serve immediately.

Pistachio Granola

I love this granola with yogurt and fresh fruit. I am a huge pistachio fan and got the idea to make this after I had an amazing pistachio granola yogurt parfait one morning following a crazy night in Vegas.

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

• 1/4 cup apple cider
• 2 cups regular oats
• 2/3 cup chopped pistachios
• 2/3 cup nutlike cereal nuggets (such as Grape-Nuts, Kashi 'Go Lean Crunch')
• 2/3 cup dried sweet cherries (or cranberries)
• 1/2 cup sunflower seed kernels
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• Combine sugar and cider in a large nonstick skillet; cook over medium-high heat 3 minutes or until sugar dissolves, stirring frequently. Stir in oats and remaining ingredients; cook 5 minutes or until granola is lightly browned, stirring frequently. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to a week.

Rather than combining in a skillet, I combine all ingredients and bake for 10-15 minutes at 350. Also, I'm sure honey could be substituted for the sugar, although I haven't yet tried it.

Sara K's Breakfast Casserole

• 12 Eggs
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 cups cottage cheese
• 2 tsp sugar
• 4 cups cheese
• 2 cans diced chilles
• 2 cups diced ham (sausage, bacon)
• 1/2 cup butter

- beat eggs until yellow and frothy.

- mix in baking powder, flour and salt/pepper

- mix in cottage cheese (getting most lumps out)

- Add butter, chillies and ham

- stir in cheese

- bake @350 for 35 min or until the top is lightly browned in 9x13 greased pan

Thank you Sara K for this amazing recipe! It was delish at a ladies brunch a few weeks back and I can't wait to make it again!

Grilled Chicken Bruschetta

What a great idea, it's healthy, it's fresh, it's delicious and it just screams summer.

This recipe comes from this fantastic recipe blog http://www.skinnytaste.com. Seriously everything this lady posts looks amazing and the recipes are mostly very healthy. So I recommend you check it out.

So my new favorite summer dish - Grilled Chicken Bruschetta

Ingredients:

3 vine ripe tomatoes

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup chopped red onion

2 tbsp fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 tbsp extra virgin oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Kosher Salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

3 oz part skim Mozzarella, diced

1.25 lbs (8 thin sliced) chicken cutlets

(I'm not too worried about exact measurements - and I used chicken breast because that's what I had in the fridge and I just used the regular tomatoes I already had , I don't have Kosher Salt but it still turned out fantastic)

Directions

Combine onion, olive oil, balsamic, salt and pepper. Set aside a few minutes

Chop tomatoes and place in a large bowl. Combine with garlic, basil, onion-balsamic combo. Set aside and let sit for at least 10 min. or overnight. Add the cheese when ready to serve.

Grill your chicken, best if only seasoned with something plain like salt and pepper.

Put the bruschetta on top of the chicken (that way the chicken absorbs the taste from the bruschetta) and serve.

For pictures and the recipe you can also see it on skinnytaste.com

Enjoy

Jana

Best EVER Banana Cake and Cream Cheese Frosting

This is per request of all the people who have asked me to post this OH SO DELICIOUS recipe. I wish it were mine originally, but it's not, it's some lady's named Rhonda J on Recipezaar, but THANKS Rhonda, it is the BEST ever!
She says to cook it at 275, but it takes it a LONG time in my oven on that temp, so I do the first half hour at 325 and the last half at 300, if still not cooked in the middle add another 5-10mins at 275. But try it first at 275 your oven might be different???
Once it's out of the oven you need to do the "freezer-trick" method, where you wrap the top with saran wrap and put it in the freezer for 45mins.
You can half the frosting recipe if you are hoping for more of a glaze look or the whole for a more frosted cake feel...

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups bananas, mashed, ripe (You can even throw black banana's into the freezer until you get enough for 1 1/2C. It takes about 4-6 banana's.)
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 3 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 1/8 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk (Or substitute with milk and lemon juice)

Frosting

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 1/2 cups icing sugar

Garnish

• chopped walnuts
• I like to add fresh fruit to the top. Blueberries, strawberries and raspberries are perfect addition!

Directions:

I think there is about 30 mins prep time, 1hr+ cook time and 45 mins resting time, so keep that in mind when making. You could make this the night before and wait to add the frosting. It's best when cooled thoroughly.

1. 1. Preheat oven to 275°. (Or 325 if you follow me.)
2. 
   
3. 2. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan. I use my Demarle Sunflower pan for this recipe and it works perfect! I think you could do a nice two layer cake as well, there is a lot of batter!
4. 
   
5. 3. In a small bowl, mix mashed banana with the lemon juice; set aside.
6. 
   
7. 4. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
8. 
   
9. 5. In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter and 2 1/8 cups sugar until light and fluffy.
10. 
    
11. 6. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in 2 tsp vanilla.
12. 
    
13. 7. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk.
14. 
    
15. 8. Stir in banana mixture.
16. 
    
17. 9. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for one hour or until toothpick inserted in center 
18. comes out clean.

1. 10. Remove from oven and place directly into the freezer for 45 minutes. This will make the cake very moist.
2. 
   
3. 11. For the frosting, cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth.
4. 
   
5. 12. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla.
6. 
   
7. 13. Add icing sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high speed until frosting is smooth.
8. 
   
9. 14. Spread on cooled cake.
10. 
    
11. 15. Sprinkle chopped walnuts and or fruit over top of the frosting, if desired.
12. 
    

ENJOY friends!

XO

Jen

Chicken Crescent Rolls

This is one of my favorite recipes from my mom that we don't make anymore (cursed milk allergies!), but I really miss it, so I thought I would share it so others could enjoy it. :0) It's pretty simple, and oh so good!
------------------
1/2 pound chicken breasts
2 packages Pillsbury crescent rolls
1 package Cream Cheese
1/8 - 1/4 cup milk
Garlic powder to taste (maybe a tablespoon if you like garlic)

Cook and cut up two chicken breasts). Unroll 2 pkgs of Pillsbury crescent rolls. Keep them in rectangles (they normally would be divided into 8 triangles). Squeeze or "smoosh" the lines together in the middle of the rectangle so the dough will hold together.

Soften a package of cream cheese with a little milk (to taste, but less than a quarter cup - you want the sauce thick) and stir in garlic powder to taste. Use a whisk so it all mixes well.

Add chicken to cream cheese mix and put a mound in middle of dough rectangle (about the size of an ice cream scoop). Fold sides of rectangle over chicken mix and squeeze edges to seal.

Bake in oven for 11 to 13 minutes at 375 (follow the instructions for the rolls), and enjoy!

Chocolate Rice Krispies Treats

This is the Rice Krispies Treat we make in Iceland, no marshmallows but what's better than that??? Yes CHOCOLATE. The recipe isn't very accurate and I apologize for that- but you don't have to worry it's super easy and super yummy.

In a large saucepan combine and melt together

5 tbsp golden cornsyrup

100 grams Chocolate (that's about 3.5 US ounces)

100 grams Butter (one stick of butter is usually 113 grams so almost a stick)

Add Rice Krispies and cover it with the chocolate mix. I don't know how much Rice Krispies I add - I just pour it until it seems to be using up most of the mix. With a spoon but it in papercupcake forms and cool it until they are sticking well together.

Hershey's Double Chocolate Mint Brownies

Just for you Linsy (and anyone else that is interested, of course Ü)! Sorry it has taken me almost a year to actually remember to post this recipe. Ü Enjoy!

BROWNIE
1 c. flour 4 eggs
1 c. sugar 16 oz. can of chocolate syrup
1/2 c. butter

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into a greased 9 X 13 pan. Bake at 350* for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely and then spread with mint layer. Then chill again before putting the chocolate layer on top. Cover and chill again before serving.

MINT LAYER
2 c. powdered sugar
½ c. butter
1 T. water
½ t. mint extract
A few drops of green food coloring
(Beat until smooth.)

CHOCOLATE LAYER
6 T. butter
1 c. milk chocolate chips
(Microwave for 1 to 1 1/2 min. Stir until smooth.)

Coconut Macaroons

I have been meaning to post this for months!

1 16 oz bag of shredded coconut (though I usually have two bags on hand just incase, you will see why.)
2 egg whites
3 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp almond extract
2 tsp vanilla
1 can sweet and condensed milk

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  (one recipe said 250, but that never worked for me)
In a bowl whip the egg whites until they begin to form soft peaks.  Add the sugar and the extracts to the egg white mixture.  Continue to beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.

In another large bowl dump the coconut and stir in sweet the sweet and condensed milk.  You don't want to dump the whole can at once.  You want just enough of the sweet and condensed milk to create a sticky batter.  It takes awhile to get the sense for what that is you just don't want the mixture to be runny.  If there is too much sweet and condensed milk the macaroons don't cook right.  I will sometimes have to add more coconut to get the right texture if I have added too much milk.

Gently fold in the egg mixture into the coconut batter until completely incorporated.  Spoon teaspoon sized balls onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.  (I use the Silpat, seriously couldn't live without it!)
I use the pampered chief ice cream/cookie scoop it works perfectly.  Place the pan in the oven on the center rack and cook for 30 minutes.  Here is the important part.  When the timer beeps, turn off the oven, crack it open and leave the cookies in the oven until it cools.  Then remove the cookies from the oven and place them cookies on a cooling rack.  Sometimes I drizzle melted chocolate on top, other times I just leave them.
Enjoy!

Maple Butter Blondies

I made these for a Christmas Eve dessert and they were pretty dreamy. Look what is in those bad boys... nothing but rich, sugary gooeyness. Recipe from my sister and her friend's recipe group.


Brownie

1 ½ c flour
1 t baking powder
½ t salt
1 ½ c margarine or butter
1 ½ c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ t vanilla
1 c white chocolate chips
1 c chopped walnuts or pecans
(the nuts can be added to the brownie or served sprinkled
over the top of the finished dessert – or both)

Blend butter and brown sugar together. Add baking powder, salt, vanilla and then eggs. Mix in flour. Stir in white chocolate chips and nuts.

Put brownie batter into a greased 9x13 pan and smooth mixture with a spatula. Bake at 350 degrees for 22 – 25 minutes. Oven temperatures may vary, do not over bake. Top should be shiny and firm when you touch the center with a finger.

Maple Butter Sauce


1 1/3 c sugar
1 c whipping cream
2/3 c butter
1 ½ t maple flavoring

Combine sugar, butter and whipping cream in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Cook for 2 – 3 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and stir in the maple flavoring.

To assemble:

Cut brownies into 12 pieces. Place a brownie on a plate and top with vanilla ice cream. Drizzle with sauce and sprinkle with more nuts.

Super Easy Sloppy Joes

This is my mom's recipe, and it's really fast and absolutely delicious!

1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion
1 can tomato soup
1 tbs mustard
1/4 tsp salt
Dash of pepper
Hamburger buns
Cheddar cheese slices

Brown the hamburger with chopped onion. Drain off the fat. Add the tomato soup, mustard, salt and pepper, heat it all up together. Serve on hamburger buns with cheese.

Dessert for Breakfast

My magazine arrived yesterday and I had everything in the cupboard- we had the simple crepes with chocolate-hazelnut and bananas this morning. They were a hit. Can't wait to try them with goat cheese and roasted veggies!

Simple Crepes (Everyday Food, Martha Stewart, Jan/Feb 2011)

1 cup flour, spooned and leveled

1 tablespoon sugar

¼ teaspoon coarse salt

1 ½ cups whole milk

4 large eggs

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

In a blender, combine above ingredients. Puree until mixture is smooth and bubbles form on top, about 30 seconds. Let batter sit at least 15 minutes at room temperature (or refrigerate in an airtight container, up to 1 day; whisk before using). Heat a 12” nonstick skillet over medium. Lightly coat with butter. Add 1/3 cup batter and swirl to completely cover bottom of skillet. Cook until underside of crepe is golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Loosen edge of crepe with a rubber spatula, then with your fingertips, quickly flip. Cook 1 minute more. Slide crepe out of skillet and repeat with remaining batter.

Chocolate-Hazelnut and Banana Crepe

After flipping crepe in the skillet, top with 2 tablespoons (I used half that amount) chocolate hazelnut spread such as Nutella and ½ banana, thinly sliced. Cook until spread melts, about 1 minute. Fold into quarters.

Crepes with Vegetables and Goat Cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Place 4 crepes on a rimmed baking sheet. Place 2 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese and ½ cup roasted vegetables such as bell pepper, eggplant, mushroom and onion, down the center of each crepe. Season with coarse salt and pepper. Fold edges over filling. Bake until cheese softens and filling is warm 5 minutes. Makes 4.