Tried and True Recipes #21

What a great week!  The weather has been wonderful and the garden is starting to produce a few things.  We had some great recipes this week - lots of sweets!  Here are two of my favorites:

Rolo Milkshake by Life With the Crust Cut Off

Katira by Treat and Trick

Time for a new week!  Don't forget to grab a button! 

Remember the rules:

1. Link up a family recipe or craft
2. Please follow my blog - I'll follow you back
3. Please link to this post in your blogs-there is a button on my sidebar to make it easy
4. No spam, contests or giveaways please
5. Please note that by linking up your posts and projects you are giving me permission to use your photos in the featured posts and possibly on my social media outlets. All photos will be linked back to your sites and your posts
6. Visit at least two of the links and comment on the page so the blogger knows you visited

Have fun!

Eggs Benedict

My all-time favorite breakfast is Eggs Benedict.  After watching an episode of Master Chef, I realized that I've never tried to make it.  I was determined to master the ever testy hollandaise sauce.  Here are the ingredients I used for the Eggs Benedict:

2 English muffins, halved, toasted and buttered
4 slices Canadian bacon
2 sticks butter
4 egg yolks
2 teaspoons cold water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons white vinegar
Chives
Dash cayenne or paprika

The first step is to make clarified butter.  This is simple - melt the butter in a sauce pan.  Skim the bits of milk fat that rise to the top.  What you have left is clarified butter.

 Set the clarified butter aside.  In a small bowl, whisk the egg.  Add the yolks to a double boiler, whisking constantly.  Do not let the water get so hot that it starts to cook the egg.  If the water gets too hot, remove from the heat immediately.  Slowly add the clarified butter, whisking constantly.

When the clarified butter has been incorporated into the yolk, remove from heat.  Stir in lemon juice, and a dash of paprika or cayenne.  You will also need to salt your sauce.


In a saute pan, brown your Canadian bacon.  Place on top of the buttered, muffin half.

In another sauce pan, heat up water with the vinegar.  This is the water you will poach your egg.  The water should be right at the boiling point, but now bubbling.  Poach your eggs after your sauce is  made.  The egg should stay in the water 3 minutes.  Remove the egg with a slotted spoon and place on top of the bacon, which should be on top of the muffin.

Add hollandaise sauce on top of the eggs.  Add fresh chives.

Enjoy!

Penne With Chicken and Roasted Vegetables

The last recipe from the Utah trip belongs to my sister Tonette and her better half Jerry. They made a fabulous pasta with roasted vegetables and grilled chicken.  Think of a primavera pasta with chicken.  It was really good!

Here are the ingredients:

3 boneless chicken thighs
4 links Italian sausage
1 small bundle of asparagus
1 small head of broccoli
1 onion
1 tomato
1/2 pound mushrooms
1/2 bag frozen peas
1/2 bag fresh spinach
1 bottle of Italian salad dressing
2 pounds penne pasta
1 cup olive oil
1/2 bulb garlic, peeled and minced
2 cups white wine
3 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 stick butter
1 teaspoon each - fresh oregano, basil, parsley
Salt and pepper

Marinate the chicken in 1/2 bottle of salad dressing, salt and pepper.  Let that marinate for 2 hours.  Grill the chicken and sausage until mostly done.  Set aside.


Drizzle 1/4 cup olive oil on asparagus.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast in 350 degree oven.

Cut the broccoli, onion, tomato and mushrooms.  Place in an oven proof pan.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper and 1 cup salad dressing.  Roast the vegetables for 15 minutes.

Cook the penne al dente - still a slight crunch.  The pasta will finish cooking in the oven.  Right before you are ready to drain the pasta, add the peas and spinach.  Drain and add to an oven proof pan.  Pour the chicken, sausage, and roasted vegetables in the pasta.

Saute the garlic with 3/4 cup olive oil.  Add wine and chicken stock.  Add fresh herbs, salt and pepper.  Melt the butter and incorporate that into the sauce.  Pour sauce on top of pasta.

Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. 

Mangia!

Tried and True Family Recipes #20

It is hard to believe that this has been going for 20 weeks.  I have enjoyed every minute of it-finding new blogs, gaining new friends, learning great cooking techniques.  Thank you for participating and coming back each week.

This week I had a sweet tooth.  Here are two of my favorite recipes:

Mom's Applesauce Cake by BeBetsy

Lemon Curd Pavlova by My Cake Porn

Time for a new week!  Don't forget to grab a button! 

Remember the rules:

1. Link up a family recipe or craft
2. Please follow my blog - I'll follow you back
3. Please link to this post in your blogs-there is a button on my sidebar to make it easy
4. No spam, contests or giveaways please
5. Please note that by linking up your posts and projects you are giving me permission to use your photos in the featured posts and possibly on my social media outlets. All photos will be linked back to your sites and your posts
6. Visit at least two of the links and comment on the page so the blogger knows you visited

Have fun!

Lunch at Saint Raymond's

Every Wednesday, Saint Raymond's Marionite Cathedral hosts a Lebanese lunch.  My sister is the parish secretary and she has the pleasure of working with Father Mo.  I had the pleasure of visiting them for lunch before leaving for vacation and loved learning about Lebanese food and trying new food!

The first dish I tried was Kibbee - cracked wheat made into a pocket, filled with ground beef, onions, allspice, mint, salt and pepper.

The next dish I tried were grape leaves and stuffed cabbage leaves.  These were stuffed with ground beef, rice, onions, allspice and tomato sauce.  The grape leaves had a layer of lemon over the top.    They were both yummy!

The lentils and rice were the best I've ever had.  For me, it was the highlight of the lunch.

To finish the lunch, I had home made hummus and flat bread.  If you get a chance to stop by Saint Raymond's for lunch - DO IT!

Father Mo told me that he is going to have me over and give me a cooking demonstration, which will include tabouleh!  I can't wait!

El Dorado Casserole

Every two years our family gets together for a family reunion.  This year we were so happy that cousins Pat and Dan, along with their daughter Trish and Russ (husband) were able to join us.  They traveled from Oregon to Utah to be with the family.

For Patti's night of cooking, she decided to make a family recipe - El Dorado Casserole.  This casserole is great - a wonderful recipe for family night!

Here are the ingredients:

1 pound hamburger, browned and drained
1 package taco seasoning
1 can (8oz) tomato sauce
1 can black olives, sliced
1/2 pint cottage cheese
1 pint sour cream
2 cans mild diced green chilis
1-1 1/2 pounds cheddar cheese
1 bag Dorito chips

Add the taco seasoning, tomato sauce and olives to the browned meat.  In a separate bowl, combine the cottage cheese, sour cream and chilis.  Grate cheddar cheese and place in a bowl.  Crush Doritos and place in a bowl.

Spray 13x9 inch baking dish and layer as follows:

Doritos
Meat mixture
Sour cream mixture
Cheese

Keep layering with cheese ending on top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Patti served this casserole with fajitas, although the casserole is a meal in itself!  Enjoy!

Meaty, Hearty Chili

During the family reunion, Julia, my niece, made the gang her famous chili. This was a very hearty chili, with a little kick to it. It was very good and a meal to itself!

Julia and her beautiful family!

Here are the ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
1 pound ground beef
Spice Mix: 1/2 teaspoon each - ancho chili powder, chipotle chili powder, oregano, granulated garlic, cumin, onion powder, salt, and paprika
1/2 pound chorizo
1 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 large can tomato sauce
1 can each: corn, pinto beans, kidney beans, black beans

In a large pan, saute onion. Add ground beef and brown. Add spice mix and chorizo. Deglaze the pan with chicken stock. Add the tomato paste and tomato sauce. Cook for one hour. Add the cans of corn and beans.

Tried and True Recipes #19

What a great week!  The recipes were fantastic - I'm so glad to get back to blogging, but I must admit, the baby is taking up a lot of my time.  This weekend I was busy with the baby, experimenting with making baby food for him, and doing some other canning projects.

You guys posted some great recipes this week!  Here are a few of my favorites:

Mini Strawberry Tarts With Lemon Glaze by The Chef Next Door

Taco Casserole by The Pin Junkie

Strawberry Bacon and Grilled Chicken Quesadilla

by Living Better Together

Time for a new week!  Don't forget to grab a button! 

Remember the rules:

1. Link up a family recipe or craft
2. Please follow my blog - I'll follow you back
3. Please link to this post in your blogs-there is a button on my sidebar to make it easy
4. No spam, contests or giveaways please
5. Please note that by linking up your posts and projects you are giving me permission to use your photos in the featured posts and possibly on my social media outlets. All photos will be linked back to your sites and your posts
6. Visit at least two of the links and comment on the page so the blogger knows you visited

Have fun!

Spicy Spanish Chicken

My sister Karrie cooked dinner for the gang one night during our family reunion.  She cooked a delicious spicy chicken dish that had all of us going for seconds!  Here are the ingredients:

8-10 boneless chicken thighs

2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can rotel tomatoes
1/4 pound ground chorizo
Parsley
3 ears of corn, shucked or 1 can corn
1/2 green, red and yellow bell peppers, chopped
1 cup green olives, chopped
Sherry - 1/2 cup
Chicken Broth - 1-2 cups
1 jalapeno, chopped
1 Anaheim chili, chopped
1 tablespoon each:  paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper, cumin

Salt and pepper the chicken.  Grill the chicken thighs until they are about halfway cooked.  They will finish cooking in the oven.  Put the chicken in an oven proof pan and set aside.

Saute the carrots, celery, garlic and onion with a little olive oil.  Salt and pepper.  When soft, add to the chicken.

In the same sauce pan, cook the chorizo.  When the chorizo is cooked, add the canned tomatoes and the rotel.  Let that simmer for 5 minutes.  Add the corn, peppers (bell and hot), green olives, and spices.  Add 1 cup chicken broth and 1/2 cup sherry.  Let that simmer for 10 minutes.  If the moisture boils out, add a little more chicken broth.

After the mixture has simmered, add everything together, with the chicken and vegetables already in the pan.  Add the remaining chicken broth and place in a 350 degree oven.  Cook for 40 minutes.  Serve on top of faro, rice or other grain to soak up the great juice!

Enjoy!

Roasted Beet Salad

While on vacation, my family takes turns cooking for the entire group.  This year there was about 25 of us.  That is a crew to feed but we were up for the challenge!

My sister Karrie started us off with a wonderful yellow beet salad.  Her husband Art grew the beets himself!  Karrie roasted the beets in the oven, with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.

After removing the skins, Karrie sliced the beets and layered them on a dish.  She then added some fresh goat cheese, and fresh herbs.  Last, Karrie added a fruity vinaigrette to make it pop. 

Vinaigrette:

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup fruity vinegar (I'm going to try this with my cranberry pear vinegar that I purchased)
Salt
Pepper
Fresh herbs-basil and parsley

Look on the counter!  Karrie had too much wine and spilled her dressing all over!  It was hilarious!

Enjoy!

Vacation Treats!

Just wanted to share some of the great things I picked up on my travels.  From farmer's markets, to the wild huckleberries of Wyoming, I found some great food items!

My family loves wine.  I think it is ok - I'll drink a sweet wine every once in a while.   My family gave me a couple of bottles of wine.  Thanks Diane for the Quinta de Gomariz and thanks to Karrie for the Soft Huckleberry Wine.

My sister Karrie has also learned how to make her own vinegar-guest post soon!  Thanks for the red wine vinegar and Montana honey from Julia!

In Utah, my sisters and I found this great store (Mountain Town Olive Oil) that made vinegar and oils.  The store had some great spices as well.  I bought some Cranberry Pear Balsamic Vinegar, Vanilla Beans, Fleur de Sel and Black Truffle Salt.

At the farmers market, I scored some lemon pepper linguini and Vanilla-Fig Balsamic vinegar from Pappardelle's. Heber Valley had some great Cherry Rhubarb Jam.  I also scored some great garlicky Sicilian Sauce from Grandma Sandino's.

Traveling to Wyoming was great.  Apparently huckleberries are a big thing in that part of the country.  I picked up some huckleberry lip balm, huckleberry jalepeno jam, wild huckleberry syrup and wild huckleberry licorice.

In Jackson, I found this great store called Vom Fass.  This store was similar to the one in Park City, Utah.  It specializes in vinegars, oils, spices but also makes liquors and other spirits.  At this store, I picked up some almond oil and sour cherry vodka!

It was a great trip.  I can't wait to make some great recipes from these goodies.  If you are familiar with any of them and have some tips, feel free to share!

J.

Tried and True Recipes #18

Hello to all!  It has been 3 weeks since I've posted - I just got back from a long vacation.  My mother and I traveled to Utah (from Missouri) with two 14 year olds, an 11 year old, a 9 year old and a 6 month old baby!  Yes, we are crazy!

We met the rest of the family in Utah and had a family reunion.  It was so much fun to see everyone.  On the way back to Missouri, we stopped in Yellowstone and went to Mount Rushmore.  I love traveling in the car and seeing everything this country has to offer.

Of course I was able to scrounge up some great family recipes on the trip and have so much to share!  Stop by the blog this week- I hope to share some of the recipes and tid-bits I picked up on the trip!

Back to the party!   Next week I'll be back to featuring my favorite recipes.  Don't forget to grab a button! 

Remember the rules:

1. Link up a family recipe or craft
2. Please follow my blog - I'll follow you back
3. Please link to this post in your blogs-there is a button on my sidebar to make it easy
4. No spam, contests or giveaways please
5. Please note that by linking up your posts and projects you are giving me permission to use your photos in the featured posts and possibly on my social media outlets. All photos will be linked back to your sites and your posts
6. Visit at least two of the links and comment on the page so the blogger knows you visited

Have fun!

Surprise Recipe Swap

 

Welcome to the Surprise Recipe Swap hosted by Jutta at Hungry Little Girl.  The SRS (Surprise Recipe Swap) is a wonderful opportunity to meet other bloggers, build blogging friendships and explore others recipes.

Here is how it works:

Each month on the 1st you will be assigned to another participating blogger. You will then visit their blog and pick a recipe you want to cook or bake and post about it.  Posting day is always the 20th of the month!   You are not supposed to tell the blogger you are assigned to, that you are making something of their page.  Your post has to have the SRS posting format (very simple instructions will be send to you, once you get approved) and should include link backs to the original recipe, pictures and of course your own opinion!  You will be assigned to a new partner each month, so that you never have the same link backs.

This month I was assigned to Tales of a Kansas Farm Mom.  Nicole is a wife, mother, and farmer.  This is a woman after my own heart.  As I get older I have this crazy desire to sell everything, and move away from everyone.  I want to buy a small farm and get back to basics.  My husband thinks I'm crazy but I keep dreaming about it!

I loved Nicole's blog.  She has some great recipes posted and I loved the pictures of the farm.  I really liked several of the recipes but when I came across Grandma Jessie's Zucchini Cake, I knew this was the recipe I had to make.  I love recipes that have been handed down.  Here is the recipe:

GRANDMA JESSIE'S ZUCCHINI CAKE:

3 eggs                                                                                        
2 cups sugar

1 cup oil                                                                                     
2 cups ground/shredded zucchini,  (including rind & seeds, packed)

2 cups flour                                                                                

¼ teaspoon baking powder                                                       
2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt                                                                          
2 teaspoon cinnamon

3 teaspoons vanilla                                                                   
1 cup nuts

Beat the eggs.  Add sugar, oil, and zucchini and mix well.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Pour into greased 9x13 cake pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

GLAZE:

1 cup sugar                                                                             
½ cup evaporated milk

6 tablespoons margarine or butter                                          
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine ingredients in small saucepan and boil 2 minutes.  Pour over warm cake.

This cake was easy, and delicious.  I loved how the edges of the cake crisped up.  I kept dunking it in the glaze.  YUM!  Check out Nicole's blog - you won't be disappointed.

Tried and True Recipes #17

Happy Father's Day everyone!  This is normally a fun filled day for my family but it is the first Father's day without my father.  He passed away last November and I miss him everyday.  He was the best father a girl could ask for and I am so lucky that he was in my life for 43 years.

One thing I had in common with my father:  we both love to eat!  Dad would have loved all of the recipes you have been posting on the Tried and True party.  Last week was not exception!  Here are a few of my favorites:

Homemade Pretzel Rolls by A Handful of Everything

Ruby Tuesday's Copycat Recipe:  Raspberry Lemonade by Living Better Together

S'more Cupcakes by My Cake Porn



Ready for a new week?  Don't forget to grab a button! 

Remember the rules:

1. Link up a family recipe or craft
2. Please follow my blog - I'll follow you back
3. Please link to this post in your blogs-there is a button on my sidebar to make it easy
4. No spam, contests or giveaways please
5. Please note that by linking up your posts and projects you are giving me permission to use your photos in the featured posts and possibly on my social media outlets. All photos will be linked back to your sites and your posts
6. Visit at least two of the links and comment on the page so the blogger knows you visited

Have fun!

Greek Pasta Salad

Easy.  Quick.  Delicious.  Three simple words for the excellent side dish.  The recipe is easy to put together and I promise, this will be a side dish everyone will love.

Here are the ingredients:

1/2 box rotini noodles
1 can petite diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup Greek or Italian vinaigrette salad dressing
Salt
Pepper
Fresh Parsley

Simply cook the noodles and throw the rest of the ingredients in a bowl.  Mix together and refrigerate to let the flavors infuse the pasta.

Enjoy!