Creamy Enchiladas

This is not the greatest picture because I forgot to take one until after I'd put the leftovers away. These are mild but flavorful. My children love them because they aren't spicy.



2 chicken breasts, cooked & cubed
1 Tbsp. butter
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 4-oz. can green chilies
1 8-oz. package cream cheese
1 c. cream (or whole milk)
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
1 c. grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 c. salsa, optional
6 tortillas

Saute' the onion in the butter. When the onion is translucent, add the green chilies and cream cheese. Cook and stir until the cream cheese melts. Add chicken and toss to coat with cream cheese mixture. Remove from heat. Fill tortillas with chicken mixture and some of the grated cheeses and roll up. Place in a greased 9X13 pan. Right before baking, pour the cream over the top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Dilly Dip

1 Cup Sour Cream
1 Cup Mayonnaise
1 Tb. Minced Onion
1 Tb. Dried Parsley Flakes
1 Tb. Dill Weed or Seed
1/2 tsp. Season Salt

Combine all ingredients. Let refrigerate for a few hours so flavors mix. Use as a Veggie Dip.

Baked Spinach Artichoke Dip

This is the recipe that Brittany and I made and loved over the summer. I serve it w/a French baguette that I thinly slice. I layer the slices on a cookie sheet and put it under the broiler to toast one side. Then, I flip the pieces of bread and toast the other side. Crackers are also good to dip in it.


1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
salt and pepper to taste
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts (not the marinated kind), drained and chopped
1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a small baking dish.

In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese, garlic, basil, garlic salt, salt and pepper. Gently stir in artichoke hearts and spinach.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top with mozzarella cheese. Bake in the preheated oven 25 minutes, until bubbly and lightly browned.

Perfect Hard-boiled Eggs

Dave's family has a tradition of eating deviled eggs as an appetizer before Thanksgiving dinner, so I took this picture before I made deviled eggs this year. Here's how I achieved those pretty, yellow yolks:

Perfect boiled eggs have fluffy, yellow yolks. So that your eggs will taste as good as they look, put eggs in a large pot, in a single layer and cover with COLD water. Turn on the heat under the eggs and as soon as they come to a full boil, remove them from the heat and let them sit in the hot water for about 15-20 minutes. I always cover the pan after removing from heat. After they are done, I pour off the hot water and add lots of ice and water to stop the cooking and to quickly cool them.

Fresh eggs are harder to peel than older ones. But, any egg is easiest to peel if you start from the fatter end where the air pocket is located.

How Fresh Are Your Eggs? To make sure your eggs are fresh, put raw egg in a glass of water. If it lays on the bottom, it's fresh. If it is on the bottom, but the small end is up, it's still fine. If it is floating in the middle, but not on top, it should be safe, but not very fresh. If it floats, throw it away, it's a rotten egg.

Pumpkin Pancakes

Also called "Flap-Jack-o-Lanterns," these are delicious served with maple syrup. Our favorite way to eat them, though, is to just put a dollop of whipped cream on top. It tastes like pumpkin pie for breakfast! The last time I made these, I made a double batch, and my kids would take a leftover pancake from the fridge and eat it plain for a snack.

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (or 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, and 1/4 tsp. ginger)

2 eggs

1 3/4 cups milk

3 tbsp. melted butter plus 1 tbsp. for frying

1/2 cup cooked and mashed pumpkin or canned pumpkin

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and pumpkin pie spice in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and milk. Add 3 tablespoons of melted butter and the pumpkin to the wet ingredients and whisk together.

Pour the mixture over the dry ingredients and stir just until blended--a few lumps are okay.

Heat the remaining butter on a griddle over medium-high heat. Then pour 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. When the flapjacks bubble on top, flip and cook until brown on other side. Makes 20 pancakes.

Rachel Ray's Mega Meatball Pizza

1 pizza dough, store bought or from your favorite recipe or pizza shop

A palm full all-purpose flour or cornmeal

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling, plus 2 tablespoons – 2 turns of the pan

2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary leaves, a couple of sprigs

Coarse salt

1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin

1 medium onion, finely chopped

4 to 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Black pepper

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano A

handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1 teaspoon dried oregano (I only use 1/2 tsp. I think 1 tsp. is too much)

3/4 pound fresh mozzarella or brick mozzarella, your choice, sliced or grated

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

On a round pizza stone or pan or on a rectangular baking sheet, using flour or cornmeal to dust the dough, spread out the dough to form your crust. If you are using a baking sheet, drizzle pan with extra-virgin olive oil then set crust in place. Poke the pizza dough in several areas with the tines of a fork. Drizzle the dough with extra-virgin olive oil then season it with finely chopped rosemary and a little salt. Place in oven 10 minutes.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, then the meat. Brown and crumble meat a couple of minutes, then add onions and garlic. Season the meat with salt and pepper then work in the tomato paste using the back of a wooden spoon to combine. Stir in the cheese, parsley and oregano.

Remove pizza crust from oven and top with meat. Arrange cheese over the pizza, working to edges. Return the pizza to the oven and bake until cheese is golden, another 10 to 12 minutes.

Cheesey Beef & Rice

This is a recipe my children often request. In lieu of the garlic clove, parsley, salt, basil, and minced onion, I add 1 Tbsp. Homemade Gourmet's Garlic Basil Seasoning Mix.

1 cup uncooked long grain rice (brown rice doesn't work in this recipe)
1 garlic clove, minced
2 T. butter or margarine
3 cups water
2 medium carrots, shredded
2 tsp. beef bouillon granules
1 tsp. dried parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried minced onion
1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained (I usually use a bag of browned ground beef or turkey from my freezer)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a large saucepan, saute rice and garlic in butter until golden brown. Stir in water, carrots, bouillon, parsley, salt, basil, and onion. Bring to a boil. Stir in beef. Cover saucepan and steam for 20 min. until the rice is tender. Then, add the cheese on top to melt.

Ground Beef/Ground Turkey Meal Starter

Every 2-3 months, I buy a bunch of ground beef or ground turkey (I wait for ground beef to go on sale, but I always buy my ground turkey at Costco). Then, I cook some of it up and freeze it to have ready to put in soups, spaghetti sauce, Cheesey Beef 'n Rice, casseroles, lasagna, and any other recipe that calls for browned ground beef or turkey.



For every 1 pound of meat you're going to cook, add 2 Tbsp. Homemade Gourmet's Garlic Basil Seasoning Mix. Mix thoroughly with your hands in a bowl. It will look like this:


I cook the meat, about 2 pounds at a time, by placing a steamer basket in a large pan. Add water to the pan, then the steamer basket, then 2 pounds of meat.

Cook on medium-high heat. Stir the meat like you would if you were browning it normally. I usually put the lid on in between stirring so that it steams and cooks more quickly. The grease will automatically drain off into the bottom of the pan. After it is fully cooked, transfer the cooked meat to a container to cool. Repeat process until all meat is cooked. I never pour the water/grease down the drain . I wait until it's completely cool and the fat has hardened so that I can throw the fat away and then pour out just the water. When the meat is cooled, place in quart-size freezer bags. I usually put 3/4-1 pound portions in each bag. Place in freezer and save lots of time when making future meals!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cream Pie

I came up with this recipe during my college days because I missed this pie after I left the dorms (they served it every Sunday). It is now a family favorite. I will make it for Christmas dinner and post pictures when I do, especially so that the consistency of the peanut butter crumbs can be shown. I have never been able to come up with exact measurements for some of the ingredients because the amount needed varies due to humidity, etc. I do it by how the consistency looks, so pictures will help.

1 9-inch pie shell, baked according to recipe/package directions, cooled
1 6-serving size pkg. Chocolate Jell-o Pudding (I use Cook-n-Serve, but you can use Instant)
2-3 cups milk (depending on pudding type)
1/3 cup peanut butter
granulated sugar
all-purpose flour
1 cup whipping cream (or you can use Cool Whip instead of these last 3 ingredients. I always whip my own cream.)
powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla

In a medium bowl, combine peanut butter, 3 Tbsp. sugar & 3 Tbsp. flour for starters. Beat with an electric mixer. This peanut butter mixture should be crumbly when it's done. If it isn't crumbly after beating, continue to add desired amounts of sugar and flour and beat (depending on how sweet you want it--more flour than sugar is usually needed to meet desired consistency, though). Crumbs should be moist, the size of peas or smaller, and not too dry. They should stick together a little bit. Sprinkle crumbs along the bottom and sides of pie crust. Set some crumbs aside to garnish the top of the pie. This is what the crumbs look like:

Mix pudding and milk according to package directions. Pour pudding into pie shell. You may want to spoon the pudding into the pie shell to avoid displacing any of the peanut butter crumbs. Refrigerate pie and allow to set.

Before serving, whip cream. When it's beginning to thicken, add powdered sugar to taste and vanilla. Finish beating until soft peaks form. Spread whipping cream (or Cool Whip) over top of pie. Sprinkle top of pie with remaining peanut butter crumbs. Then, cut, serve, and enjoy!

Chicken tortilla soup

1 Tb. vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
1 onion, minced
1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, and minced
1 Tb. chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups chicken broth
1 pound chicken breasts
2 Tb. lime juice

tortilla chips
tomatoes, chopped
avocado, chopped
1/2 whole fresh cilantro leaves
shredded cheese
*Layering is the key to this soup. Layer in crushed tortilla chips, cheese, shredded chicken, tomatoes, avocados, and cilantro; finally the broth is ladled on top.

Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onion, jalapeno, chili powder, and garlic. Cook until the onion is softened, about five minutes. Stir in the broth and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken and simmer until no longer pink. About 15 minutes.
Remove the chicken and let cool. Continue to simmer the broth for 10 minutes. Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Remove broth from heat and add lime juice.
To serve layer ingredients into bowls and cover with broth.

This soup was so yummy and fun to put together! I really enjoyed everything that was going on in this soup. And it had the perfect amount of spice.

Cinnamon Cream Syrup

This is a delicious, old family recipe.

1 c. sugar
½ c. light Karo syrup
¼ c. water
½-3/4 tsp. cinnamon
½ cup evaporated milk

Combine the sugar, Karo syrup, water, and cinnamon in a pan. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook and stir 2 more minutes. Remove from heat. Let cool 5 minutes. Stir in the evaporated milk. Serve warm. Makes 1 1/3 cups. This keeps well in the fridge.

Herb Roasted Chicken

I got this recipe from the cookbook, Stop and Smell the Rosemary, which a friend gave me last Christmas. The cookbook and this recipe are fabulous!

1 large whole chicken (4 pounds)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
1 tsp. chopped fresh oregano or marjoram (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
1/4 tso. freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rinse chicken inside and out with cold water. Remove pockets of fat just inside chest cavity (those I'm pointing at below). Pat dry.

Blend garlic, rosemary, thyme, oregano or marjoram, pepper, salt, and olive oil to make an herb paste. Rub herb paste over chicken and under skin.

Roast, breast side up, 20 minutes.

Turn and roast another 20 minutes. Turn again and roast another 35 minutes. Remove chicken from oven. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest 15 minutes prior to carving. Serve chicken au jus with crusty bread (this is the BEST part!!!). The chicken juice makes an incredibly delicious dip for the bread.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

This has been a family favorite since a friend brought it to us after our first child was born. When we lived in CA, I made it using Claim Jumper BBQ Sauce (because I could buy it at the grocery store) and Gouda cheese (that I bought from Trader Joe's). Now, I use KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce and mozzarella cheese.

1 pizza crust (Boboli or any pre-made crust works. I make crust in my breadmaker and cook it for about 6 minutes before topping it.)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1/2-1 cup BBQ sauce, divided
red onion, thinly sliced
fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
2 cups mozzarella or Gouda cheese

Toss the chicken with 1/4-1/2 cup BBQ sauce to coat. Spread remaining sauce over cooked crust. Top with chicken, cilantro, red onion, and cheese. Bake at 400 for 12-17 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and golden.

Poached Chicken Meal Starter

The above pictures are my chicken ready to cook and 5 bags of meal starters. I LOVE having cooked ground beef and cooked, cubed chicken in the freezer. Eliminating that step when it's time to make dinner saves so much time. It can also be a great money saver. I wait for chicken breasts to come on sale, purchase quite a bit and then poach and freeze it. Chicken meat used in soups, salads, sandwiches, and curry dishes is usually poached.

Here are some meals I use poached, cubed chicken in:
BBQ Chicken Pizza
Super Southwestern Bake
Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Chicken Enchiladas
Chicken Quesadillas

Here's how it's done: To poach chicken, simmer the chicken in salted stock or water to which 2 ribs of celery, 1 onion, and 1 bay leaf have been added. Cook the chicken until just tender, approximately 20 to 30 minutes. It is important to simmer and not boil the chicken. Boiling yields tougher meat. A low simmer yields more tender meat. Allow the meat to cool. Chop 2 chicken breasts, place in freezer bags (eliminate as much air as possible before sealing), and freeze for future use.

Vegetable Soup

2 Tb. olive oil
1 onion, minced
2 ribs celery, chopped fine
2 carrots, peeled and chopped fine
2 garlic cloves minced
Salt
5 cups vegetable broth
2 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed and chopped medium
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
Pepper

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-low heat until shimmering. Stir in onions, celery, carrots, garlic, and 3/4 tsp. salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are very soft, about 20 minutes.
Stir in the broth, potatoes, and tomatoes. Bring to simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Off the heat, add the peas. Let the soup stand for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.

This soup was really yummy and my whole family enjoyed it.

* To turn this soup into Minestrone replace the potatoes with one 16-19 ounce can of white beans that have been rinsed. Garnish bowls of soup with pesto and grated parmesan.

Coconut-Pecan Frosting

4 egg yolks
1 can (12 0z.) evaporated milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 C. sugar
3/4 C. butter
1 pkg. sweetened coconut (about 2 2/3 C.)
1 1/2 C. chopped pecans (optional)

Beat egg yolks, milk, and vanilla in large saucepan with wire whisk until well blended. Add sugar and butter; cook on medium heat 12 minutes or until thickened and golden, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add coconut and nuts; mix well. Cool to desired spreading consistency.

German Chocolate Cake

4 oz. Baker's Chocolate
1/2 C. Water
2 C. Flour
1 tsp. Baking soda
1/4 tsp. Salt
1 C. butter, softened
2 C. Sugar
4 Eggs, seperated
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 C. Buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350. Cover bottoms of 3 9 inch round cake pans with wax paper; grease sides of pan. Microwave chocolate and water in a bowl for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, or until chocolate is melted.
Stirring after 1 minute. Stir until chocolate is completely melted.

Mix flour baking soda and salt; set aside. Beat butter and sugar until creamed. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in melted chocolate and vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beating until well blended after each addition.

Beat egg whites in small bowl until stiff peaks form. Gently stir into batter. Pour evenly into pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool layers completely and frost.

* Baker's makes a german sweet chocolate which is what I used. I think you could substitute another kind although it may change the flavor.

Red Velvet Cake

1 C. butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 C. sugar
1 Tb. cocoa
2 oz. red food coloring
2 1/2 C. cake flour
1 tsp. salt
1 C. buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In the bowl of a mixer, cream together the butter, eggs and sugar. In a separate small bowl, mix together the cocoa and food coloring. Add the paste to the shortening mixture. Sift the flour and salt together in a bowl. Add to the batter alternately with the buttermilk in 3 additions, beaing well after each addition. Blend in the vanilla extract. Fold in the baking soda and vinegar. Pour the batter into 2 greased 9-inch cake pans. Bake for 30 minutes or until an inserted cake tester comes out clean. Let cool on a cooling rack. Invert the cakes from the pans

The batter is such a cool color. This recipe makes 24 cupcakes. They need to cook for about 12 minutes. Of course top with your favorite cream cheese frosting!

Bugs On a Log

2-4 celery ribs

peanut butter

craisins, raisins or dried cherries

Wash and dry celery. Cut ribs into 2-3 inch lengths. Spread peanut butter into the celery rib and top with dried fruit of your choice!

I debated about posting this simple recipe. I really want this cook book to be a place where I can flip through the posts/pages and remember all the things we love to eat. Especially when they are this healthy! I think we know so many recipes that we forget them, or forget we know them. I'm so glad we are gathering them all here!

Pictured here are cockroaches and fire ants on a log!

14th Ave. Cafe Fried Rice

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 teaspoons)
1 rib celery, chopped
2 strips bacon, chopped
2 oz. cooked ham, chopped (1/3 cup)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
4 C. cooled cooked white rice (1-1/3 cups uncooked)--I often use brown rice.
1/2 C. mixed frozen peas and carrots, thawed
3 Tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce
Pinch black pepper
1/4 C. chopped green onion

Heat a large skillet or wok and add the oil. Add garlic, celery, and bacon and cook, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes. Add ham and eggs; cook, stirring, until lightly browned. Add rice, peas and carrots; toss well to mix thoroughly. Add soy sauce and pepper; stir-fry about 5 minutes. Add green onions; cook, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes longer or until done.

Chocolate Chip Cookies (w/Pudding Mix)

This is my family's favorite cookie recipe (w/out nuts).

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Instant Pudding & Pie Filling, any flavor (I use vanilla)

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

2-1/4 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 pkg. (12 oz.) chocolate chips

1 cup chopped pecans

Beat butter, sugars, pudding mix and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs; mix well. Gradually add flour and baking soda, beating until well blended. Stir in chunks and pecans. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 375°F for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheets. Cool on wire racks.

Glazed Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe came to me from Kelly Peterson. There are no eggs called for in this recipe.

Cookies
1 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
½ cup shortening
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375. Mix sugar, pumpkin, and shortening. Stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop dough by teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until light brown, 8-10 minutes. Immediately remove from cookie sheet; cool. Spread with glaze.
Glaze:
¼ cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1-2 tbsp. milk

Heat butter in small saucepan over medium heat until delicate brown. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla. Add milk until smooth.

Rice Mush

1 C. rice (3 C. cooked rice)

2 C. milk

2 beaten eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

sugar to taste

In a heavy pan combine all ingredients over medium heat till warm and slightly thickened. Sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired. 

We love this for breakfast with leftover rice! This is a recipe from Grandma Aleen. Steve remembers his mother making this many mornings too!

P.S. The flat pancake post is up. Look for it below. I started it awhile back so it is further down the page!

Super Southwestern Bake

I got this recipe from "Child" magazine (4/99 issue), and it's been a family favorite ever since. I always use cubed, cooked chicken and skip step one.

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 ½ lbs. ground beef (or ground turkey, or cubed, cooked chicken breast)
1 15-oz. can black beans, drained
1 9-oz. can whole kernel corn, drained (or ¾ C. frozen corn, which is what I always use)
1 medium onion, chopped
8 oz. sour cream
1 C. mild salsa
3 cups crushed tortilla chips
8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
1 medium tomato, chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, washed and coarsely chopped (optional—this is my addition)

1. In a large skillet, heat vegetable oil. Saute beef (or turkey or chicken) for 5 to 6 minutes, until fully browned; drain.
2. Place meat in a large mixing bowl and combine with beans, corn, chopped onion, sour cream, and salsa. Stir until completely blended.
3. In a 2-quart casserole dish, spoon enough of beef mixture to cover the bottom. Arrange half of tortilla chip pieces on top of the meat mixture. Cover with half of remaining meat mixture. Sprinkle half of cheddar cheese over beef. Repeat this layering pattern with remaining beef mixture, chips, and cheddar cheese.
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cheese is fully melted. I often cook for 15-20 minutes and place a piece of foil over the pan after the first 10-12 minutes. This keeps the cheese from getting too brown and allows the casserole to heat thoroughly. Immediately after removing from oven, top with chopped tomato and sprinkle cilantro over the dish.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Separate the pumpkin seeds from the fiber. Then, combine the following ingredients:

1 Cup unwashed seeds
1/4 tsp. Worchestershire Sauce
1 Tablespoon butter or margarine
1/2 tsp. salt

Spread in a shallow baking pan and bake for 2 hours at 250°. Stir occasionally (every 15 minutes or so) until the seeds are crisp, dry, and golden.

Flat Pancakes aka. Swedish Pancakes!

2 eggs

1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 C. flour
1 C. milk
1/4 C. butter

1 C. water



Beat eggs in large bowl; add sugar and salt. Add 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 flour; beat smooth (use electric mixer). Add remaining flour and milk; beat smooth. Melt butter; add to mixture. Beat again to mix. Add water and mix.

I'm not sure this picture is helpful, but the batter will look quite runny after you add the water.

Heat a large electric skillet to 380 degrees. (Best to have a skillet with a handle on it) Spray with Pam. Scoop 1/3 - 1/2 C. batter into hot pan and tip pan immediately to completely cover bottom of pan. Cook until edges turn dark brown, then turn with pancake turner and brown on the other side.

*Note: I cannot find an electric skillet with a handle anywhere. Grandma said she had to special order hers 10 years ago! So I just use my non-stick skillets on the stove. It took a couple of times to figure out exactly where to put my knob to get my heat right. So, I have included a few pictures of the pancakes in hopes that it will help you to know what they should look like.

This is my stove set-up so I can cook two at a time!

This is what I like mine to look like!

Steve prefers his like this!

Place on warm plate; sprinkle with sugar. Roll them into a cylinder and eat.

I have two plates next to the stove so I can flip the pancakes onto them. Steve sprinkles the sugar on and rolls them while I start on the next two!

The final product!

We fold ours in half so the sugar doesn't fall out the bottom!

Most people like to eat these with their fingers . . . the children certainly do! They are also good spread with jam. Please do not confuse these with crepes, they are not the same.

This recipe is from Steve's maternal grandma, Aleen Madsen. The very first time I stayed with her in Bountiful, UT (while Steve and I were still dating) she made us these for breakfast. We've had them every time we've been back! Steve remembers sitting around with all his siblings and cousins devouring grandma's flat pancakes. We love them at our house too! They are Byron's most requested breakfast, sometimes even a Sunday night dinner! We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

As a final note we always double this recipe for my little family. There is usually just enough batter left for Steve to cook some up the next day for his breakfast.

Cobb Salad

Every time I make this, I wonder why I don't do so more often. My children even loved it when I made it a couple weeks ago.

Romaine lettuce, washed and chopped
Tomato, diced
Carrot, grated
Cucumber, sliced
Avocado, diced
Bacon, cooked and crumbled
Turkey, chopped
Cheddar cheese, grated
Hard boiled eggs (1 per person)
Croutons
Ranch or Blue Cheese Dressing

Toss first four ingredients together. Arrange remaining ingredients in bowls or on a plate. People can assemble their salad with what they like on it, and the leftover cheese, avocado, and croutons won't go bad in any leftover salad. Other optional ingredients: thin slices red onion, corn, celery, etc.

Spinach-Stuffed Chicken

I got this recipe from my friend, Tara Smith, who calls this Easy Chicken Cordon Blue. Because I'm so particular about things sometimes, I couldn't stick with that name because this recipe is so different from traditional Chicken Cordon Blue. It is delicious, though!

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts seasoned with salt and pepper
2 handfuls chopped spinach (fresh is best)
zest of one lemon
4-5 ounces of blue cheese crumbles
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
4 slices uncooked bacon

Insert a knife into the fat end of each seasoned chicken breast and twist to make a "pocket" for the stuffing. Set aside. In a bowl, mix together spinach, lemon zest, blue cheese, and garlic.
Shove spinach stuffing into the "pocket" you made in each chicken breast. Wrap each breast with a piece of bacon and place on a cookie sheet. Bake in oven at 425 degrees for 20-30 minutes, or as long as it takes for the bacon to crisp and the chicken to cook through.

Cinnamon Rolls

This is the recipe for a single batch--I double it every time, which makes two 9X13 pans with 12-15 cinnamon rolls in each.

4-4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 tsp. yeast
1 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
3 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

In a large mixing bowl or Bosch (or similar) mixer, combine 2 cups of the flour and yeast; set aside. In a medium saucepan heat and stir milk, the 1/3 cup sugar, the 1/3 cup butter, and salt just till warm and butter almost melts. Add milk mixture to dry mixture along with eggs. Beat on low to medium speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl. Beat on high speed 3 minutes. Mix in remaining flour. When it comes to adding the last cup (or two if you're doubling this recipe), add the flour slowly. The dough should be sticking to the sides of the bowl some but also not be too sticky. It should look like this:

Allow dough to knead for 5 minutes after the correct consistency has been reached. Cover with a damp cloth and allow it to rise until doubled in size (30-60 minutes), like this:

Beat down the dough. Turn out onto a floured surface. Let rest for 5-10 minutes. Prepare melted butter and cinnamon sugar. If you made a double batch, divide dough in half. Roll dough into a rectangle that is 1/4 inch thick. Spread with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar:

Starting at the wide side, roll into a cylinder, pinching the edges of the dough onto itself. It should look like this:

Next, cut roll into 1-inch thick cinnamon rolls

Place in a greased pan with some space around them.

Cover again with the damp cloth and allow to rise for about 30 minutes (this is key--sometimes I want to reduce this rising time because I can hardly wait to bake and eat them, but they have a much better texture if you're patient and wait until they look like this):

Bake in a 375-degree oven for 15-20 minutes or till golden. Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes, then frost with this frosting recipe (I think it’s very close to Cinnabon’s frosting):

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. butter
1/2 lb. cream cheese
1 lbs. powdered sugar
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preparation Instructions:
Allow butter and cream cheese to reach room temperature. Beat cream cheese and butter together in a bowl with a mixer. Slowly add in all powdered sugar. Once all of the sugar is in the bowl, mix for at least an additional 12 minutes. When almost done, add in the extracts. Enjoy!

Kristin’s note: The above ingredient amounts for the frosting are cut in half. The original would make a HUGE amount (it called for 1 lb. of margarine and cream cheese, etc.). Even if you only make half of the above recipe, it could cover 2-3 batches of the cinnamon rolls. If you don’t want any leftover, you might want to cut the above amounts in half. I wouldn’t store the frosting for more than a week. I did, and the frosting was still good, but not as tasty as it was when it was fresh.

To make the cinnamon rolls into a wreath (a family Christmas morning tradition), roll up the dough jelly-roll style as usual. With a good, serrated knife, make cuts in the roll, 1 inch apart, but don’t cut it all the way through (just almost all the way through.) You will end up with a segmented jelly roll. Carefully lift the roll to a cookie sheet (or, if you are giving it away, you can bake it on a square of cardboard covered with foil--which should be sprayed with cooking spray). Attach the two ends of the roll to make a circle, and seal the dough together. Arrange the dough in an attractive manner and let raise according to the directions in the recipe (until doubled). The middle of the roll often takes the longest to cook. You can place a piece of foil over the top midway through baking to prevent the top from burning before the middle of the wreath is done. Or, you can cut the cinnamon roll as normal and simply arrange the rolls in a circle to form a wreath (as you would to display cookies, etc.). I did this for the first time last Christmas, and it worked quite well. It seems to bake more evenly that way. It looks like this:

Caramel Apples

1 pkg. Kraft Caramels, unwrapped
2 Tbsp. water
5 Granny Smith or Braeburn Apples, washed and dried well
5 popsicle sticks (they usually come in the Kraft Caramels bag)

In a medium-sized pan, warm caramel and water over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Place waxed paper with butter rubbed on it on a large plate. Hold each apple by the stick and place in the pan of caramel. Using a spoon, drizzle caramel over the apple to coat. Lift apple and scrape the caramel off the bottom of the apple. Place caramel-coated apples on a plate. Put the plate in the refrigerator for one hour or until ready to serve.

This picture is called "Apples in My Apron." Fun, huh?

The finished product (this batch wasn't the greatest--the caramel got a little scorched, which is why there are darker caramel specks on the apples. They were still good). YUM!