Monthly Archives: September 2009

Minestrone

28 Monday Sep 2009

Posted by in Soup

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1- 14 ½ ounce can chicken broth
1- 14 ½ ounce can tomatoes cut up
1 ¼ cups water
1 cup chopped onion
¾ cup tomato juice
½ cup chopped carrot
½ cup sliced celery
1 tablespoon snipped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil crushed
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1- 15 ounce can white kidney beans or great Northern beans (rinsed and drained)
1 medium zucchini sliced ¼ inch thick
1 cup frozen Italian green beans or regular green beans
½ cup macaroni or other small pasta

Put first nine ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Simmer 20 minutes. Add white beans, zucchini, green beans and pasta and return to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes longer until vegetables and pasta are cooked. Top with Parmesan cheese if desired

Mary’s French Toast

28 Monday Sep 2009

Posted by in Breakfast

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1 loaf 16 oz Pepperidge Farm Cinnamon Swirl Bread cut into cubes
3/4 cup dried cranberries or raisins
6 eggs, beaten
3 cups half-and-half, or milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
Cinnamon sugar or confectioners sugar
Whipped butter
Maple syrup

Place bread cubes and cranberries/raisins in greased 3 qt. shallow baking dish.
Mix eggs, half-and-half and vanilla extract.
Pour over all. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or overnight.
Uncover.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes or until golden brown.
Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Serve with butter and syrup.

Chicken Spaghettini With Broccoli, Pine Nuts & Sun-Dried Tomatoes

28 Monday Sep 2009

Posted by in Main Dishes, Pasta

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500 gm spaghettini
3 cups broccoli flowerets
1/4 cup olive oil (maybe could use less)
350 gm chicken, cut into thin strips
2 Tbsp crushed garlic cloves
1/8 tsp dried crushed hot red pepper
3/4 cups drained sun-dried tomatoes, (packed in oil), sliced thin
1/2 cup grated parmasen cheese
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil (maybe more)
Salt & Pepper
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts

Cook spaghettini in boiling salted water, adding broccoli 2 minutes before end of cooking time. Drain pasta and broccoli and return to pot.

Meanwhile, heat oil in large heavy fry pan over medium high heat. Add chicken, garlic and red pepper; sauté for 2 minutes. Add sun-dried tomatoes and sauté until chicken is no longer pink inside.

Add chicken mixture to pasta and broccoli, toss. Add cheese, basil and salt and pepper to taste. Serve sprinkled with pine nuts.

Kristina’s Amazing Chocolate Cake

28 Monday Sep 2009

Posted by in Cakes, Desserts

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1 instant chocolate pudding mix (small box)
1 devil’s food cake mix
12 ounces chocolate chips
2 eggs
1 ¾ cup milk

Mix together and bake in greased and floured Bundt pan for 50 minutes @ 350 degrees.

Cool in pan 10 minutes and remove from pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Ice Cream Cake

28 Monday Sep 2009

Posted by in Cakes

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½ gallon ice cream (any flavor)
Cake mix baked according to directions
Cool whip, whipped cream or fluffy whipped frosting
Ice cream topping (to match ice cream flavor, Magic Shell works great)

Make cake mix and pour into a 10 ½ inch spring form pan. Bake 40-45 minutes and remove from oven. Immediately (with pot holders) carefully push the cake down from a rounded surface to a flat surface until the cake surface is leveled.

Cool cake in the freezer until firm.
Mix ice cream in a bowl until it is smooth and pat ice cream on to the firm cold cake. Freeze cake again. Run a sharp knife around the edge of the cake and remove the cake from the pan. Keep the cake on the bottom of the pan and frost with frosting or cool whip and freeze 30 minutes to 1 hour. Frost with a second coating and freeze for 30 minutes. Decorate with topping.

Homemade Oreos

28 Monday Sep 2009

Posted by in Cookies

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Cookies
1 box devil’s food cake mix
3/4 cup butter of margarine, softened
2 eggs
Frosting
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar

In a large bowl combine cake mix, the 3/4 cup butter and eggs. Chill about 10 minutes. Roll into small balls about 1 teaspoon cookie dough per ball. I use a cookie scoop so they turn out a uniform size. Place on a greased baking sheet or line baking sheet with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 7 to 9 minutes. Cool.

Harvest Hamburger Soup

28 Monday Sep 2009

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1 pound ground beef
½ onion, chopped
4 cups beef broth (canned or made with Knorr beef boullion cubes)
1 14 ½ ounce can chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons sugar
1 ½ cups frozen corn
2 carrots peeled and sliced
4 potatoes peeled and diced
1 teaspoon taco seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste

Brown ground beef and onion. In a large saucepan combine all ingredients . Cook uncovered until vegetables are tender. Top individual bowls of soup with grated cheese.

Gingerbread Cupcakes

28 Monday Sep 2009

Posted by in Cupcakes

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Ingredients
• 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon of ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick of unsalted butter)
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1/2 cup of packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup of unsulphured molasses (not blackstrap)
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/4 cup of grated ginger
Lemon Icing
• 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons of lemon juice

Method
1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, melt the butter and water together in the microwave, covering the top with plastic wrap.
2 Sift together the flour, salt, baking soda and dry spices in a bowl.
3 Beat together the molasses and brown sugar until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 30 seconds between each.
4 Beat in the flour mixture slowly until just incorporated. Add the butter mixture and the grated ginger and beat until smooth. Batter will be runny.
5 Spoon into cupcake papers, about 3/4 full. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for a minute to set before moving to a wire rack to fully cool.
6 Combine the sugar and lemon juice together in a bowl and stir until smooth. Allow to stiffen up a bit for 4 minutes. Spoon over the cooled cupcakes and allow to harden.

Garden Pasta Salad

28 Monday Sep 2009

Posted by in Salads

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1 pound tri-colour pasta
2 pounds fully ripe Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons dried basil
2 teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 cucumber chopped
1 cup chopped green pepper
1 cup chopped red pepper
1 cup chopped olives
10 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
¾ pound cubed mozzarella

Put tomatoes in a large bowl add basil, salt, pepper and vinegar. Allow to stand while you chop the other ingredients and cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain the pasta and rinse with cold water until cooled.
Combine the pasta and other ingredients with the tomatoes.

* This is the basic recipe. I had often eliminated the olives and I use any vegetables that I have on hand; cucumbers, broccoli, yellow peppers cauliflower etc. I have also used cheddar cheese when I haven’t had mozzarella.

Enchiladas

28 Monday Sep 2009

Posted by in Main Dishes

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FILLING
3 cans turkey or chicken breast flaked, without water
2 bunches cilantro
1 onion finely chopped
4 cups grated cheddar cheese

SAUCE
2 cans enchilada sauce
1 t chili powder
1 t cumin
1 t paprika
1 t mustard
3 cups cheddar cheese

TORTILLAS

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350. Take a handful of filling and roll in a tortilla. Place in a casserole dish. After casserole dish is full, pour sauce over the top, sprinkle with a little cheese on top of that. Bake for about 45 minutes