Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Twice Baked Potatoes

I got a new serving platter and wanted to try something pretty on it. I also have a few potatoes left in our cold room. Twice baked potatoes it is!


Bake 5-6 potatoes.

Everyone does this differently.  I like to poke the potato with a fork and bake at 400 for an hour.

While the potatoes are cooking mix:

1 cup sour cream
4 T butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup cheese
8 green onion, chopped

Then remove potatoes and slice in half. Scoop out the insides, leaving about 1/4 inch around the peel to keep its shape.

Mix the potato insides with the sour cream mixture. Add:

1/2 cup milk

Top with:

cooked bacon bits

Spoon the filling back into the potatoes and place on a baking sheet. Place baking sheet back into oven for 10-15 minutes.

note: I like to cook my bacon in the oven. 400 degrees for 15 minutes

Pineapple Chicken

I had a wonderful friend bring me chicken and rice when I wasn't feeling well. I have been craving it ever since. I made something similar that I'm really happy with!  And it's super EASY!

In a crock pot place:


6 chicken breasts, cubed
1 bottle Lawry's 30 minute marinade Hawaiian  
1 can crushed pineapple

Cook on low for 6-8 hours

Serve over a bed of:


chopped lettuce
hot rice

Top with:


peas
mandarin oranges (I didn't have any on hand)

Monday, January 30, 2012

Orange Rolls


I have been craving orange rolls for a long time and finally tried them out. I've made orange rolls in the past and they have turned out very dry. These turned out very moist! I used an orange butter on the top, but next time I'm going to try an orange glaze - Just orange juice and powdered sugar! I think I would like the glaze better than the butter. It would be just a bit more sweet.

I used the recipe from my German pastry.

In stainless steel bowl or in your mixer mix:

2 cups white flour
1 T yeast


In a glass pyrex or liquid measure cup dump in this order and then microwave for about a minute. You want the butter to be almost melted, but not scorching hot:


1 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
1/2 tsp salt

Now add this to the flour and mix until incorporated. Now add and mix until incorporated:


2 eggs

Now add and mix for 2 minutes:


2 cups white flour

Allow the dough to rise for an hour. Punch down. Let rise 10 more minutes. Then roll out in a rectange about 1/8 inch thick. Butter and zest an orange over top.
Now roll up the length wise and cut out your "cinnamon rolls." Place in a 13x9 greased baking dish. Allow to rise about an hour.

Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes. When the rolls come out of the oven drizzle butter on top.

For the orange butter I mixed:


3 T butter
1 cup powdered sugar
3 T fresh orange juice
zest of 1 orange

Enjoy!!

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Sausage and White Bean Soup

Soak overnight:

1 cup navy beans

About 2 hours before you want to serve dinner. Drain the water and cover beans in fresh water and simmer.

In a separate pan heat:

1 T olive oil
1 lb. Italian smoked sausage (I used Hillshire Farms Hot and Spicy)

Add:

1 cup chopped onion

Cook onion for about 5 minutes. Then add:

3 cups chicken broth
1 bunch Kale, washed chopped

Add:

cooked navy beans and about 1 cup of the cooking water
1 cup milk mixed with 1 T flour (mix milk and flour real good before adding)

Serve!

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Baked Southwestern Burritos

This recipe has been floating around pinterest as an egg roll recipe. I had a lot of tortillas I needed to get rid of, so I tried the recipe as a burrito instead. They were gooood!

Mix:


2 cups corn
1 can black beans, drained
10 oz frozen spinach, thawed, drained
2 cups mexican mix cheese
4 oz. diced green chiles
4 green onion
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne

Fold burrito around 1/4 cup mixture.

Spray sheet and spray tortillas, then salt.

Bake 425 for 15 minutes. Serve with warm salsa and sour cream.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Fudgy Brownie Cake

I don't know what to call this delicious dessert. This is what I call it. It is a marriage between brownies and cake. Yumm!

I have always cooked it in my 9 inch cast iron. I bet you could bake it in a 9x9 glass dish or pie plate or springform.

mix with a fork:


1 package chocolate cake mix
1/2 cup oil

Reserve 1 cup of this crumbly mixture.

Add to the rest of the crumbly mixture:

2 eggs
1 cup applesauce

Pour the batter into your baking dish.

On the stove top or in the microwave mix together and slowly melt:


1/3 cup evaporated milk
1 cup chocolate chips

The chocolate chips don't have to be completely melted. Spoon this melted mixture over the cake.

Take the 1 cup of reserved crumbs and add 1/2 cup walnuts. Sprinkle over the cake.

Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes.