Monthly Archives: April 2011

Zucchini Alfredo

30 Saturday Apr 2011

Posted by in pasta, yummy stuff, zucchini, zucchini alfredo

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Zucchini Alfredo is a great way to use up your summer bounty of zucchini. It is an alfredo sauce with zucchini in it.
Quick and easy.

Serve it over pasta.
Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons cooking oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup milk
4 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil. Use 1/2 or 1/3 dried if needed.
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese for sprinkling

Heat your water for the pasta.
While the pasta cooks, make the sauce.
In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.
Add the garlic and cook and stir a couple minutes.
Add the zucchini and cook for about 10 minutes or until most of the water has evaporated. Stir frequently.
Add the milk.
Cube the cream cheese and add that to the skillet.
Stir until the cream cheese is melted and smooth.
Stir in the basil.
Taste and season with the salt and pepper.
Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.

Serve over the cooked and drained pasta.

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Yorkshire Pudding

28 Thursday Apr 2011

Posted by in roast, Yorkshire pudding, yummy stuff

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Yorkshire Pudding is a nice compliment to a roast. Try it instead of mashed potatoes for a change.
The texture is like a bread pudding and when it bakes in the oven it puffs up like a popover but deflates when you cut into it.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of roast drippings
4 eggs
2 cups milk
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Bake your roast until done as you like.
Take out of the oven and raise the temperature to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Take the roast out of the pan and cover to keep warm while you make the Yorkshire pudding.
Measure the drippings and return 1/4 cup back to the roasting pan.
In a bowl, mix the eggs, milk, flour, and salt until smooth.
Stir it into the drippings in the pan.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until it is puffed and golden.
Cut into wedges or squares and serve with the roast.

Xavier Dumplings

28 Thursday Apr 2011

Posted by in dumplings, Xavier Dumplings, yummy stuff

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Xavier Dumplings are Italian. They are classic Parmesan cheese dumplings.

 
 You will need a buttered cookie sheet.
 
 Ingredients:
 
6 oz flour
1/3 cup butter
6 oz Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 egg
1 egg yolk

Combine the flour, butter and parmesan cheese in a saucepan over low heat.
Stir until the butter has melted and is incorporated into the cheese and flour.
Add the cream a little at a time until you have a solid dough. 
Remove from the heat and work in the salt, pepper, nutmeg, egg and egg yolk. 
It should be like a very soft dough that you could pipe out of a frosting bag.
Either put the dough into a pastry bag and pipe out pea size amounts onto the baking sheet or drop pea size amounts from a spoon onto the sheet. 
Let them stand for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring some salted water to a boil.
Drop in the dumplings and cook for 5 minutes.
Drain.


Add to the soup or stew of your choice.


Sorry, I don’t have a picture for these.
When I get one I will put up with the recipe.
Thanks to my sis who found me this recipe.

Whole Wheat Waffles

27 Wednesday Apr 2011

Posted by in Belgian waffles, breakfast, waffles, whole wheat waffles, yummy stuff

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Waffles are so yummy! These are a whole wheat version and they are awesome!

You will need a waffle baker.
I have a Belgian waffle baker and the waffles are big with deep pockets.
If you have a smaller one, you may need to adjust the amount of batter you use per waffle.

Preheat your waffle baker

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup butter, melted
1-3/4 cup milk
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs until fluffy.
Add the rest of the ingredients and beat until fairly smooth.
If you have some lumps, that’s fine.
Pour 1 cup batter onto the center of the waffle baker and cook for about 3-1/2 minutes or until the waffle maker signals that the waffle is done.

You will get  4  Belgian waffles.

Serve with your choice of toppings.

Vanilla Pudding

26 Tuesday Apr 2011

Posted by in Pudding, vanilla pudding, yummy stuff

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Pudding is great. It’s healthy. It’s yummy. good for kids and adults.

Why not try making your own?
 You might want to try the butterscotch pudding too.

Serves 6.

You will need a medium sized saucepan.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
3 cups milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 Tablespoon butter
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In the saucepan, mix the sugar and cornstarch.
Stir in the milk.
Cook over medium heat until bubbly. Stir constantly.
Cook and stir for another 2 minutes.
Remove from the heat.
Gradually stir about a cup of the milk mixture into the beaten eggs.
Pour the egg mixture back into the pan with the rest of the milk mixture.
Turn the heat back on and cook until the mixture JUST starts to bubble. Stir constantly.
Turn down the heat so the pudding does not boil or the eggs will start to cook.
Keep stirring over the heat for 2 minutes.
Take off the heat.
Add the butter and vanilla extract.
Stir well.

Pour the pudding into a bowl and cover.
Chill.
You can also divide it into 6 individual bowls.

Apple Upside Down Cake

25 Monday Apr 2011

Posted by in apple, apple upside down cake, upside down cake, yummy stuff

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 This isn’t the upside down cake you are probably used to seeing. It has apple instead of pineapple. It would also be great with peach.
It is so yummy!

You will need a 9″ square pan.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Ingredients:

CAKE-
1-1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg

TOPPING-
1 large apple, peeled and sliced OR 2 smaller apples
3 Tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons lemon juice

To make the cake, put all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat on medium until the batter is smooth.
Set aside.

For the topping, pour the butter into the bottom of the baking pan. Tilt the pan to coat the whole bottom.
Mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Sprinkle evenly over the butter.
Lay the apple slices over the brown sugar mixture.
Sprinkle with the lemon juice.

Pour the cake batter over the apple slices and spread evenly.

Bake for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean when stuck in the cake.

Lay a plate or flat pan (that is bigger than the cake ) over the cake pan and invert.
Leave the pan for a few minutes.
Lift off pan and cake should be on the plate.

Serve warm or cold. Plain or with whipped cream or ice cream.

Serves 9-12.

Taco Seasoning

23 Saturday Apr 2011

Posted by in taco seasoning, yummy stuff

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Sometimes you want tacos, but don’t have the seasoning or need the seasoning for making something like Mexican Lasagna.
Instead of going and buying one, just mix this up instead.
You probably keep these ingredients in your pantry anyway.

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon minced onion
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon sugar

Mix together.
Makes the equivalent of 1 taco seasoning packet.

Shrimp Stir-fry

22 Friday Apr 2011

Posted by in shrimp, shrimp stir-fry, stir-fry, yummy stuff

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Stir-fry is really very simple to make. It is also pretty healthy. It is low in fat and chock full of veggies.

You will need a wok or a large skillet.

Ingredients:

1 lb. shrimp, shelled and deveined
3 Tablespoons red OR white wine vinegar
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
3 Tablespoons water
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 Tablespoon cooking oil
3 cups frozen stir-fry vegetables OR fresh veggies like broccoli, carrots, peppers, and onions

3 cups cooked rice for serving

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, water, and cornstarch.
Set aside.
Stick the wok or skillet over medium high heat and add the oil.
Stir-fry the vegetables for 5-6 minutes until crisp-tender .
Put the vegetables into a bowl.
Pour the vinegar mixture into the skillet and bring to a boil.
Quickly add the shrimp and cook stirring constantly until shrimp has turned pink.
The sauce will coat the shrimp nicely.
Add back the vegetables and stir and heat through.
Serve over rice.

Serves 4.

Rhubarb Pie

21 Thursday Apr 2011

Posted by in rhubarb, rhubarb pie recipe, rhubarb recipe, yummy stuff

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Rhubarb is pretty sour on its own, but made into a pie, it’s fabulous.
April in Iowa is when rhubarb starts to make it’s appearance for the season. So, it’s the perfect time for making this pie.

You will need a 9″ pie pan
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Ingredients:

simple pie crust for a double crust pie
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 cups fresh or frozen rhubarb

Mix the sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
Add the rhubarb and stir well to coat.
Set aside while you make your pie crust.
Make your crust and roll out the bottom crust and fit into the pie pan.
Pour in the rhubarb filling.
Roll out the top crust. Either make a lattice crust or just a regular top crust.
Put over the top of filling and seal to bottom crust.
Moisten the top crust with milk and sprinkle with a little sugar- this is optional.
If you are using the lattice crust, it is ready to bake.
If you have a regular top crust, make 5 slashes in the top to allow steam to escape.
Put in the oven.
Cover the edge with a foil ring or pie shield to prevent overbrowning.
Bake for 25 minutes for fresh fruit OR 50 minutes for frozen fruit.
Remove pie shield.
Bake another 20-30 minutes or until top is golden.
The juices should be bubbling thickly through the lattice or slits.

Cool on a wire rack.

Serves 6-8.

If your rhubarb is extremely juicy, add up to 2 Tablespoons more flour.

Chicken Quesadillas

20 Wednesday Apr 2011

Posted by in chicken, chicken quesadillas, quesadillas, yummy stuff

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Quesadillas are so simple and yummy. They are great when it’s hot out and you don’t feel like slaving over a hot stove.
These come together in a matter of minutes.

You can buy a quesadilla maker or just make them on the stove with a griddle or skillet.

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast half
salt
pepper
cumin
1/4- 1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/4 – 1/2 cup green chili pepper OR bell pepper
6 -8 ( 7 ” ) flour tortillas, depending on how much you want to stuff in them
2 cups shredded cheddar-jack OR cheddar cheese

Cook the chicken breast half and season with salt, pepper, and cumin.
Cool slightly and chop into small pieces.
On each flour tortilla, add some chicken, onion, pepper, and cheese to one half.
Fold the tortillas in half.
Heat the griddle or skillet.
Cook the quesadillas 2 at a time, unless you have a large griddle and can do more
Lay  tortillas on it and cook for a couple minutes until cheese has started to melt and the bottom is crisped or lightly browned..
With a wide spatula, carefully turn over the quesadilla and cook for another 2 minutes.
Keep the quesadillas warm in a 300 degree Fahrenheit while you cook the remaining ones.

Serves 3-4 people as a meal.
Serves 6 as an appetizer.