HI! :)
I haven't posted on here yet and thought what better way to introduce myself to the group than sharing the main dish that I can make... Brownies!!
My name's Kate and I live in Kamille's same apartment complex. My husband and I have been married for a year and a half and have a pretty little girl who's 6 months old. There's not much more I can say about me, but I love photography, making crafts, and spend a lot of my time as a stay at home mommy learning new things. My latest favorite is crochet and am still learning a lot about it!
Well, here's my recipe - it's an old family favorite that my mom taught me and until about a year ago, this was the only thing I could really cook :)
Brownies - Mom Smith
Servings: 12
This recipe can also be halved and baked in a 9X9 inch pan or a 9X13 pan with half the thickness. In that case, use just 1 egg.
1 cup margarine, melted
2 cups sugar
6 tablespoons Hershey's cocoa, heaping
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
Melt margarine in a large saucepan, then remove from heat. Add sugar and cocoa (make sure they're heaping tablespoons!) Mix well, then add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well in between to avoid getting portions of cooked, unincorporated egg in your batter. Beat in vanilla. Sift together all dry ingredients, then add to the batter. Mix well, pour into a 9X13 pan.
Lick the spoon and scrape out the bowl while you wait for the brownies to cook in a preheated 350 degree oven! Brownies are done when a knife inserted in the middle comes out just a little bit gooey.
**Side note: While serving my mission, I made this recipe into a personal size microwave-able recipe because I didn't have an oven. It turns out great and only takes a few mins.
1/4 cup margarine, melted in a mug
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
pinch of salt
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
Microwave approximately 1 1/2 to 2 minutes - always watching. It comes out more gooey than the baked version - but still tasty enough to fulfill a quick chocolate craving!
For what my family calls Blondies (aka White Brownies or "Sunnies" as my mom calls them) simply omit the Hershey's cocoa from the recipe and combine and bake as before mentioned. They are a delicious option for when you're either out of cocoa or not craving chocolate!
Hope you enjoy!
-Kate
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Fettuccine alla Carbonara
This recipe is straight out of the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. We were going to have tacos tonight, but I forgot to pull the beef out of the freezer last night. I figured bacon probably thaws faster and if it is a little frozen you just leave it in the microwave longer. Trying to cook semi-frozen ground beef is disgusting, and since I sort of think cooking ground beef is disgusting anyway I decided to go a different direction. Steve claims this is the best pasta I have ever made. It will definitely be made again sometime. Disclaimer: Steve LOVES bacon.
Ingredients:
6 slices of bacon cut into 1-inch pieces (I actually diced them)
6 ounces of fettuccine or linguine
1 egg, beaten
1 cup half and half, light cream, or milk
2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup snipped fresh parsley (I just used some dry parsley)
1. Cook bacon until crisp, drain. (I just microwaved it.)
2. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and keep warm.
3. Meanwhile, in a saucepan combine egg, half-and-half, and butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until egg mixture just coats a metal spoon (about 6 minutes); do not boil. Immediately pour sauce over pasta; stir gently to coat. (I didn't know what "just coats a metal spoon" meant, so I just cooked it until I was sure the egg was cooked.)
4. Add cooked bacon. Parmesan cheese, and parsley; stir gently to combine. Serve immediately.
Ingredients:
6 slices of bacon cut into 1-inch pieces (I actually diced them)
6 ounces of fettuccine or linguine
1 egg, beaten
1 cup half and half, light cream, or milk
2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup snipped fresh parsley (I just used some dry parsley)
1. Cook bacon until crisp, drain. (I just microwaved it.)
2. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and keep warm.
3. Meanwhile, in a saucepan combine egg, half-and-half, and butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until egg mixture just coats a metal spoon (about 6 minutes); do not boil. Immediately pour sauce over pasta; stir gently to coat. (I didn't know what "just coats a metal spoon" meant, so I just cooked it until I was sure the egg was cooked.)
4. Add cooked bacon. Parmesan cheese, and parsley; stir gently to combine. Serve immediately.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
This recipe is from The Essential Mormon Cookbook. I haven't changed it a bit. In my opinion it has the best mix of pumpkin bread spices I have ever had. I like a lot of chocolate chips, so I never measure those. I just poor them in until it looks like "enough" so I may use more than the 3/4 cup it calls for. The recipe is written for pumpkin bread, but it also works well for muffins. I like using it for muffins because you don't have to cook muffins as long as you have to cook bread.
Ingredients:
1/2 cups butter
1 cups sugar
2 eggs
3/4 can pumpkin (Now that I'm typing this up I realize that I lied. I do change the recipe. I feel guilty throwing out 1/4 can of pumpkin, and I have no other uses for pumpkin. I usually just use the whole amount and it works just fine, plus more pumpkin equals healthier, right. :))
1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
3/4 cup chocolate chips
Procedure:
Cream butter, sugar, and eggs. Add pumpkin and mix; set aside. In another bowl sift dry ingredients. Gradually add dry ingredients to creamy mixture. Beat until blended. Add chocolate chips. Grease one loaf pan or four mini loaves. Pour batter into pans. For one loaf, bake at 350 degrees for about an hour or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. For mini loaves, bake at 35o degrees for about 35-40 minutes. Makes one loaf or four mini loaves, or 12 regular muffins or 6 big muffins.
Ingredients:
1/2 cups butter
1 cups sugar
2 eggs
3/4 can pumpkin (Now that I'm typing this up I realize that I lied. I do change the recipe. I feel guilty throwing out 1/4 can of pumpkin, and I have no other uses for pumpkin. I usually just use the whole amount and it works just fine, plus more pumpkin equals healthier, right. :))
1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
3/4 cup chocolate chips
Procedure:
Cream butter, sugar, and eggs. Add pumpkin and mix; set aside. In another bowl sift dry ingredients. Gradually add dry ingredients to creamy mixture. Beat until blended. Add chocolate chips. Grease one loaf pan or four mini loaves. Pour batter into pans. For one loaf, bake at 350 degrees for about an hour or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. For mini loaves, bake at 35o degrees for about 35-40 minutes. Makes one loaf or four mini loaves, or 12 regular muffins or 6 big muffins.
Roasted Potatoes
I am sure that all of you out there have roasted potatoes before, but I hadn't. I found a recipe for roasted potatoes on someone's blog. Theirs was complicated. Mine is not.
Ingredients:
4-5 red new potatoes cut in fourths (or eighths if they are kind of big)
olive oil to coat
1/4-1/2 packet of ranch dressing mix
Procedure:
Put the potatoes in a gallon bag and add enough oil to coat the potatoes, shake the bag. Then add 1/4-1/2 of a packed of ranch dressing mix and shake the bag again. Pour contents of bag on cookie sheet, and cook at 450 degrees for about 30 minutes. About every 5 minutes you are going to want to move the potatoes around shake the pan, turn them over, stuff like that. I didn't do that, and some of mine burned to the pan.
These potatoes were delicious! They finished before the pork chops, and Steve and I ate them all before the pork chops were done. Yes, we are savages that occasionally eat "fork and knife" food on the couch with our hands. :)
Ingredients:
4-5 red new potatoes cut in fourths (or eighths if they are kind of big)
olive oil to coat
1/4-1/2 packet of ranch dressing mix
Procedure:
Put the potatoes in a gallon bag and add enough oil to coat the potatoes, shake the bag. Then add 1/4-1/2 of a packed of ranch dressing mix and shake the bag again. Pour contents of bag on cookie sheet, and cook at 450 degrees for about 30 minutes. About every 5 minutes you are going to want to move the potatoes around shake the pan, turn them over, stuff like that. I didn't do that, and some of mine burned to the pan.
These potatoes were delicious! They finished before the pork chops, and Steve and I ate them all before the pork chops were done. Yes, we are savages that occasionally eat "fork and knife" food on the couch with our hands. :)
Apple Butter Pork Chops
I found this recipe on this really cute blog called Our Best Bites (http://www.ourbestbites.com/2010/01/apple-butter-pork-chops.html). Honestly I prefer pork chops cooked on the stove-top with water for moisture. Yep, regular old water. I just brown them on both sides add water and cover with the lid. As the water cooks off it forms a sauce from the salt and fat in the pork chop. It is delicious; however, Steve doesn't really like pork chops that way, so I thought I would try something new. I wasn't disappointed in the end result. The pork chops were very moist. It just isn't a recipe I will add to our favorites.
Sweet & Savory Apple Butter Pork Chops Adapted from Our Best Bites
4 boneless pork chops (about 1 lb. I just got a sirloin roast, partially froze it, and cut 4 chops about ½”-3/4” thick)
1 c. high-quality apple cider
¼ c. apple butter
1 tablespoon water
1 ½ tablespoons Creole or coarsely ground mustard
1 tsp. pressed garlic
1 caramelized onion
Brown pork chops in a hot pan. (If you look at the original recipe you will notice that I cut out a bunch of steps including oiling the pan. Pork chops don't really need any oil to get a good brown.) While the pork chops are browning, combine the apple cider, apple butter, water, garlic, and mustard. When the pork chops are done browning, add the cider mixture to the pan and cook for about 30 minutes until the pork chops are done. If you run out of liquid in the pan add more apple juice. (I didn't have to add more apple juice, but I only cooked two pork chops.) The sauce will thicken considerably. Put caramelized onions on top when plating.
Sweet & Savory Apple Butter Pork Chops Adapted from Our Best Bites
4 boneless pork chops (about 1 lb. I just got a sirloin roast, partially froze it, and cut 4 chops about ½”-3/4” thick)
1 c. high-quality apple cider
¼ c. apple butter
1 tablespoon water
1 ½ tablespoons Creole or coarsely ground mustard
1 tsp. pressed garlic
1 caramelized onion
Brown pork chops in a hot pan. (If you look at the original recipe you will notice that I cut out a bunch of steps including oiling the pan. Pork chops don't really need any oil to get a good brown.) While the pork chops are browning, combine the apple cider, apple butter, water, garlic, and mustard. When the pork chops are done browning, add the cider mixture to the pan and cook for about 30 minutes until the pork chops are done. If you run out of liquid in the pan add more apple juice. (I didn't have to add more apple juice, but I only cooked two pork chops.) The sauce will thicken considerably. Put caramelized onions on top when plating.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Salsa Chicken
So I totally forgot about this SWEET blog! I was just reading through some of the recipes on here and they seem pretty fantastic and I can't wait to try it. I'll give a little intro of me too. Kamille and I were sorority sisters in Upsilon for several years and we also spent spring break together in Disneyland (still one of my favorite trips to this day). I am married and have a son who just turned one. We are currently living in Colorado.
Anyway, here is one of our family's FAVORITE meals. And the best part is that you don't need a recipe because it's so easy!
SALSA CHICKEN
- Put chicken in crock pot (as much or little as you want...I usually do about 12 or so chicken strips)
- Cover with salsa (chunky salsa usually works better)
- Let it cook for 4-6 hours until chicken is done and then shred chicken.
- I then put some more salsa in and let it cook for another hour
- Serve over chips (Costco chips are the best)
- You can also put cheese and sour cream on top
This is a great meal or appetizer. And you will definitely be hooked by the first taste!!
Bon Appetit!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Ham and Pea Risotto
I found this recipe on the Taste and Tell blog (which I love) and I was really excited for (1) a way to use up the ham my mom gave me and (2) trying something new. This was perfect for both of them, and although it was not a quick recipe, it was fairly simple, and oh so delicious. I'm talking, like the best thing I've eaten for a while.
Also. i had to read the recipe a few times to figure out how many pans i needed, etc. hopefully the way i wrote it will make it easier to decipher.
Ham and Pea Risotto
ingredients:
1 T olive oil
1 celery stick, chopped
2 T fresh flat-leaf parsley (or 2 tsp. dried parsley)
black pepper
3/4 c. ham, cubed
1 2/3 cup frozen green peas
3 1/2 cup chicken stock
4 T butter
1 onion, chopped
1 cup arborio rice
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
pan 1: saute pan.
heat the oil in a saute pan. add the celery, parsley, and some pepper. cook for 2-3 minutes.
add the ham and stir. add the peas and 1/4 cup chicken stock.
bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered until most of the liquid is gone. set aside.
pan 2: medium sized sauce pan.
put the remaining 3 1/4 cups chicken stock in the pan. simmer.
pan 3: large sauce pan or stock pot.
melt the butter, and add the onion. stir until softened.
add the rice and stir well, coating it with the butter.
gradually stir in the hot chicken stock, about 1/2 cup at a time. stir until liquid has been completely absorbed before adding more.
(NOTE: if you're impatient like I am, this only lasts about 10 minutes. after that, I just added it, covered it, and let it sit on med-low for several minutes, stirring occasionally until the liquid was absorbed)
the rice should be creamy and tender.
mix in the pea/ham/celery mixture and the parmesan cheese and serve!
this was seriously delicious. savory. and comforting.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Happy German Heritage Month!
I'm just kidding, it really isn't German heritage month. Really bratwurst was on sale at two of the local grocery stores and so I decided to follow in my Nana's (grandma) footsteps and make it with rohtkohl. My Papa's (grandpa) parents were both from Germany. I found out after I made this that the recipe my Nana uses is actually Papa's recipe, and it was borrowed from "Gabby Gourmet". The only time I ever saw my Nana make rohtkohl she "cheated" and used a jar of pickled red cabbage from a German store in SLC it is called Sigfried's, and it is delicious. They serve lunch, but not dinner. Since that's how I thought she usually made it, and I didn't want to drive out to Sigfried's I decided to try this recipe from AllRecipes.com (Ardis Stauffer). It is not very different from the Gabby Gourmet version.
Warning: Apparently I don't know what a "medium sized" cabbage looks like. I ended up having to double the recipe, and that was a LOT of rohtkohl. Pick a smallish cabbage.
Ingredients:
1 medium head red cabbage, cored and sliced
2 large tart apples, peeled and sliced
1 medium sweet onion, sliced and separated into rings
1 1/2 cups of water
1 cup of cider vinegar
1/2 cup of sugar
1 Tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon salt
6 whole peppercorns
2 whole allspice
2 whole cloves
1 bay leaf
Directions:
1. In a saucepan toss cabbage, apples and onion. Add water, vinegar, sugar, butter, and salt. Place the peppercorns, allspice, cloves and bay leaf on a double thickness of cheesecloth; bring up corners of cloth and tie with a kitchen string to form a bag. Add to saucepan, bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for about an hour (until cabbage is done).
2. Discard spice bag, and onions.
I didn't have a cheesecloth, and I was just making it for the two of us, so I just tossed the spices in. I did accidentally bite into a clove though, YUCK! I was talking to Papa later, and he told me to leave the onion whole and push the spices into it. His recipe only calls for cloves and they have the long ends that will work well for that. I think I will probably just do that next time. When I read the reviews for the recipe one woman reported that she ruined the recipe by using ground spices so I would not recommend using ground spices.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Praise for the Blog!
Would a quick intro be appropriate? I'm Melanie McClanahan, sister-in-law to Kamille. My hubby, Chris, and I live in Phoenix with our four daughters: Haley-8, Rachel-6, Caitlin-4, and Marley-2. I love to cook, and more importantly, I love to eat!
Okay, I'm not posting any new recipes right now, I just wanted to share pics of the recipes I tried this week. I've been in a menu slump lately, and Monday morning I was dreading trying to figure out what to cook this week. Then I remembered this blog, and it was like a little ray of sunshine :) I pulled off four recipes to try and really enjoyed them all. Here's what I made: (and don't mind my sloppy presentation pictures, it was always an afterthought while I had five hungry people waiting on me).
Wednesday night I made the Chicken Parmigiana. It was simple to make and was delicious. I was surprised how tender the chicken turned out, 'cause I used the last few pieces from a bag of frozen chicken that's been in the freezer for a while. I served it with boiled potatoes with garlic and dill. You'll notice the empty spot on my plate - I thought I had another can of green beans in the cupboard, apparently not.
Thursday night was Cafe Rio Pork night. Oh. My. Gosh! My husband said, "This is probably the best meal you've ever made" - and we've been married over ten years. He was literally speechless. He would open his mouth to say something about it, and just kind of look around. The rice was incredible. I love black beans, but have never really cooked with them - I was excited to finally have a recipe that I could use for them. And the pork, well, let's just say that these are some leftovers that will not be found at the back of the fridge in a month.
Okay, I'm not posting any new recipes right now, I just wanted to share pics of the recipes I tried this week. I've been in a menu slump lately, and Monday morning I was dreading trying to figure out what to cook this week. Then I remembered this blog, and it was like a little ray of sunshine :) I pulled off four recipes to try and really enjoyed them all. Here's what I made: (and don't mind my sloppy presentation pictures, it was always an afterthought while I had five hungry people waiting on me).
The first recipe I made was the Winger's Chicken Fingers. I couldn't find any actual chicken fingers at the store, I ended up using some battered chicken something-or-others. They were so good! My husband loved them. I'm thinking of trying this recipe using grilled chicken strips, to shave off a few calories. I paired it with cornbread, celery sticks, and bleu cheese dressing.
Next up was the Pork Chops & Rice. This was great because it was so simple! My six-year-old had seconds on the pork, yay! I made candied carrots to go with it (also a hit).
Next up was the Pork Chops & Rice. This was great because it was so simple! My six-year-old had seconds on the pork, yay! I made candied carrots to go with it (also a hit).
Wednesday night I made the Chicken Parmigiana. It was simple to make and was delicious. I was surprised how tender the chicken turned out, 'cause I used the last few pieces from a bag of frozen chicken that's been in the freezer for a while. I served it with boiled potatoes with garlic and dill. You'll notice the empty spot on my plate - I thought I had another can of green beans in the cupboard, apparently not.
Thursday night was Cafe Rio Pork night. Oh. My. Gosh! My husband said, "This is probably the best meal you've ever made" - and we've been married over ten years. He was literally speechless. He would open his mouth to say something about it, and just kind of look around. The rice was incredible. I love black beans, but have never really cooked with them - I was excited to finally have a recipe that I could use for them. And the pork, well, let's just say that these are some leftovers that will not be found at the back of the fridge in a month.
My ward has had a cooking group off and on for the last several years. In it's hay day, there was some pretty darn good stuff. So I got out my stacks of recipes and went through them yesterday. I pulled out 20 or so that I want to try. So hopefully I'll be able to post some new recipes here shortly! Thanks to everyone for sharing!
Monday, January 3, 2011
Beef Stew
I was really going to take a picture this time! I promise. I came home to three men eating stew at my kitchen table, and I decided that I was just going to join them.
This recipe is adapted from the little recipe packet that came with my crockpot. The original recipe calls for fewer potatoes, no carrots, more onions, and celery.
Ingredients:
2-4 pounds stew meat (we cut up a roast I don't remember what kind it was I just know that it was a LOT cheaper than stew meat)
1/2 cup flour
Kosher salt and pepper
3 cups beef broth
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
10 small potatoes, quartered (I'm estimating here, but it was a lot)
1 small onion, chopped into bite-sized pieces
4 medium sized carrots, chopped
Procedure:
1. Place meat in crockpot and sprinkle flour, salt, and pepper over meat.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well. (When I had all of the ingredients in the crockpot the broth did not quite cover, and the resulting amount of broth in the stew was just about perfect for me.)
3. Cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or HIGH for 6 hours, or until meat is tender.
This recipe is adapted from the little recipe packet that came with my crockpot. The original recipe calls for fewer potatoes, no carrots, more onions, and celery.
Ingredients:
2-4 pounds stew meat (we cut up a roast I don't remember what kind it was I just know that it was a LOT cheaper than stew meat)
1/2 cup flour
Kosher salt and pepper
3 cups beef broth
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
10 small potatoes, quartered (I'm estimating here, but it was a lot)
1 small onion, chopped into bite-sized pieces
4 medium sized carrots, chopped
Procedure:
1. Place meat in crockpot and sprinkle flour, salt, and pepper over meat.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well. (When I had all of the ingredients in the crockpot the broth did not quite cover, and the resulting amount of broth in the stew was just about perfect for me.)
3. Cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or HIGH for 6 hours, or until meat is tender.
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