Pages

black and white

9/28/15

Peach Cobbler

Cooking is something that my family loves! Some of my kids best memories with their grandmas are cooking. My 10 year old little boy is always asking when he can go over and help grandma bake again. I decided that every Sunday I would teach one of my kids how to cook something. My oldest has been cooking for awhile now and he even makes at least one meal a week. Last Sunday my 12 year old and I made peach cobbler from scratch. I involved all the kids in peeling and cutting up the peaches. It was actually a lot of fun. Then he mixed all the ingredients and made the fruit part and then the cobbler. If a 12 year old can do it, so can you :0)

I have been using this recipe for 16 years. I have used it for apple cobbler or peach cobbler and make it just the same. I have never found a better recipe for cobbler.



FRUIT MIX
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbsp. flour
1 c. flour
6 cups peaches (or apples etc)
MIx well and pour into a pan. You can use a 9x9 pan or a 9x13 pan depending how many people you are serving.




COBBLER:
1 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
mix above ingredients.
Cut in 1/4 cup (room temperature) butter
Add:
1/4 c milk
1 egg

(If you are putting this in a 9x13 pan double the cobbler recipe to make more)

Mix well. Make into balls or use a cookie scoop. Put over the top of the fruit mixture. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes or until golden brown.



9/20/15

Spice rubbed grilled pork

epicurious.com

THIS RECIPE HAS TO BE MADE AHEAD OF TIME TO MARINADE (1-8 hours) My hubs and son are really good about helping with meals. This is one they made and we all loved it. It was a little bit spicy so make sure you cut back on the cayenne, chili powder, and pepper if you don't want it as spicy. My kids just dipped there piece in ranch to take away from some of the heat but even though it was SPICY everyone of my kids ate there whole chop.


doesn't it look so pretty :)


3 tablespoons sweet paprika
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon coarse salt, either kosher or sea salt
3/4 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne, depending how hot you want it.

Six to eight 10- to 11-ounce bone-in pork rib chops, 3/4 to 1 inch thick

Vegetable oil spray


At least 1 and up to 8 hours before you plan to grill the pork chops, prepare the dry rub, combining the ingredients in a small bowl. Coat the chops with the spice mixture, place them in a large plastic bag, seal, and refrigerate.

Fire up the grill, bringing the heat to medium (4 to 5 seconds with the hand test).

Remove the chops from the refrigerator and let them sit covered at room temperature for about 20 minutes.

Spray the chops with oil and transfer them to the grill. Grill for 18 to 20 minutes total. Turn onto each side twice, rotating the chops a half turn each time to get criss-cross grill marks. The chops are done when just a hint of pink remains at the center. Serve hot.

3/25/15

Ranch Chicken

http://life-in-the-lofthouse.com/ranch-chicken/

I am a little hesitant with pinterest recipes because we have all spent the time and money on pinterest fails right. But when I seen this one I thought it looked pretty simple and sounded pretty darn good. So I made this the other night and I have to say it is definitely one of the better ones on there. It is so easy to make and it was so good my husband took it for lunch for 2 days in a row.





3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 (1 ounce) packet Ranch dressing seasoning mix
1 cup crushed Corn flakes
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese


Preheat oven to 375° degrees F. Spray a 9×13 glass baking dish with cooking spray.
Combine the Ranch seasoning mix, the crushed Corn flakes and Parmesan cheese into a large freezer baggie.
Shake well to mix all together.
Dip each chicken breast into the melted butter, and then drop into the baggie. Seal the bag shut and then shake well to coat with the seasoning mix. After well coated lay chicken into the baking dish. Repeat with all of the chicken.
Once all chicken has been coated, sprinkle the remaining seasoning mixture onto the tops of chicken.

Bake chicken for 40- 45 minutes. (Towards the last 15 minutes of cooking you may need to lay a piece of foil over the top to prevent from burning.)

3/16/15

Lemon Chicken with Asparagus

http://pinchofyum.com

This is a great meal that is actually easy on your waistline. It was so good I found myself wanting more, which I never have seconds. I love that it is easy to cook and yet still has an amazing flavor. (If you leave it sitting on the lemons too long it will get very lemony)




1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
¼ cup whole wheat flour (all purpose will work, too)
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
1 cup chopped asparagus
2 lemons, sliced
INSTRUCTIONS
Cover the chicken breasts with plastic wrap and pound until each pieces is about a ¾ of an inch thick. Place the flour and salt in a shallow dish and gently toss each chicken breast in the dish to coat. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat; add the chicken and saute for 3-5 minutes on each side, until golden brown, sprinkling each side with the lemon pepper directly in the pan.
When the chicken is cooked through, transfer to a plate. Add the lemon slices and chopped asparagus to the pan. Make sure the lemon slices are on the bottom so that they caramelize and pick up the browned bits left in the pan from the chicken and butter.
When the asparagus is done and the lemons are golden brown, add the chicken back to the pan and rearrange everything (lemons on top) so it looks nice for serving.

2/25/15

Croissants

The baker upstairs

Just hearing the word croissants makes me hungry. Especially knowing you can make your own and eat them fresh out of the oven. These are so good that I have made them twice this last week. They go perfect with everything... turkey dinner, soup, salad, etc.




1/3 c warm water
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/3 cups milk, warmed (I used skim, but I'm sure it would be great with whole)
3/4 cup butter, room temperature, divided
1 large egg, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 cups flour, more or less as needed

In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine water, yeast, and a pinch of sugar. Let stand until yeast is foamy. Add sugar, milk, 5 tablespoons of butter, egg, and salt, and mix until well combined. Mix in two cups of flour. Slowly add remaining flour and mix until dough is smooth and elastic, and slightly sticky to the touch. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, 60-90 minutes.

After the dough has risen, punch it down and divide into two equal sized balls. Roll each ball out into a circle and spread each with two tablespoons of butter. Cut each circle into twelve wedges (I usually use a pizza cutter to make it easier). Roll each wedge up, starting at the wider side, and place point side down on a lightly greased baking sheet (I can fit 24 rolls on a single large baking sheet.) Cover and let rise about one hour, or until doubled in size.

While the rolls are rising, preheat oven to 375. When the rolls have risen, bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush lightly with remaining butter

2/16/15

Baked Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs

justataste.com

Everyone is looking for healthier recipes right now, including myself. These are healthy and also very good. If you want an Asian flair without the same old meal than try it in these moist meatballs. I wouldn't add the salt it calls for in the meatballs, I did use the low sodium soy and I still think it was salty enough.




For the meatballs:
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 1/2 lbs. ground chicken
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2 Tablespoons minced scallions
2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup crushed pineapple (juices drained, save juices for sauce)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

For the sauce:
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 Tablespoon water

Preheat the oven to 500ºF. Spray a mini-muffin pan or baking dish with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, stir together the milk and Panko breadcrumbs and let sit for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, garlic, ginger, scallions, soy sauce, crushed pineapple, pepper and soaked breadcrumbs. Use your hands to thoroughly combine the meat mixture and then shape it into balls using 2 to 3 tablespoons of meat per meatball.

Place the shaped meatballs into the prepared pan and bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the meatballs are fully cooked. While the meatballs are baking, prepare the sauce.

Make the sauce:
In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, whisk together the soy sauce, water, pineapple juice, brown sugar, garlic and ginger. Cook, whisking constantly, until the sugar has dissolved fully.

In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch with the water to make a slurry. Whisk the slurry into the sauce and simmer until it has thickened to the consistency of syrup, about 5 minutes.

Remove the meatballs from the oven and transfer them into a large bowl. Pour the sauce on top and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Kelly's Notes:

The meatball mixture will be very wet while you are shaping it into balls, however the added liquid from the milk and crushed pineapple helps guarantee the meatballs will be very moist.

1/14/15

Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookies

lovintheoven



You have probably tried the oreo cookies you can make with a cake mix but what about oreo cookies with oreos AND chocolate chips in them.... I got your attention right ;)

1 stick softened butter
6 Tablespoons sugar
6 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ¼ cup flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt*
11 broken pieces Oreo Cookies
1 cup chocolate chips
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream butter, and sugars until well combined. Add egg and vanilla until mixed well.
Place flour, baking soda and salt into a large bowl, stir to combine. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients then stir in oreos and chocolate chips until just combined.
With a medium cookie scoop, scoop onto baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until cooked, but still soft. Let cool on baking sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.


* I would use less salt they seemed a little salty.