This recipe gives me perfectly cooked rice every time!
I grew-up loving Rice-a-Roni! However, now that I've become more of a food label reader I rarely buy it. This recipe has thankfully brought it back to my table. It is instantly devoured by my family!
It sounds silly, but it has taken me a long time to find the perfect hard boiled egg recipe. Here is it.
Put desired number of eggs in a saucepan and cover with water so all the eggs are covered with one inch of water. Bring to a boil. Boil for one minute. Turn off heat and cover pan for 12 minutes, while keeping the pan on the warm burner. Rinse with cool water and refrigerate or eat.
I love these potatoes! They are the perfect side dish and so easy to make.
2 lbs red potatoes
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
Wash and cut potatoes into 1" pieces. Using a large bowl or Ziploc bag combine all ingredients and mix. Place in 9x13 baking dish or cookie sheet. Bake in preheated 425 oven for one hour stirring after 30 minutes.
I am not a lover of brussel sprouts but my sister-in-law just turned me on to how she makes them and I cannot stop craving them! I am headed to Costco right now so that I can buy a big bag of them and eat them all.
Brussel Sprouts
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut brussel sprouts into quarters and layer on a cookie sheet. Drizzle olive oil over sprouts and cover with salt and pepper to taste. Toss together until all are coated, careful to not cause the sprouts to all fall apart. Cook about about 15-20 minutes, until they're a little blackened and soft. Yummy!
My husband made this recipe last Thanksgiving. It was a crowd favorite and a new family tradition. It is from Tyler Florence from food network. Enjoy!
1 medium carrot, peeled and rough chopped
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
1/2 bunch fresh sage (about 3-5 stalks)
1 1/2 pounds loose sweet Italian sausage
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 cups cubed sourdough bread, crusts removed
1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 large egg
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and butter a 9 x 13 baking dish.
In a food processor puree the carrot, onion, celery and sage until you have a fine pulp. Set a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown the sausage in a little olive oil. Once you have a nice brown color and the fat has rendered - about 5 minutes, use a slotted spoon to remove the sausage and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the vegetable pulp to the pan and saute until most of the moisture has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper. Add to the mixing bowl with the sausage and also add the bread cubes.
Mix together chicken stock, cream and egg. Pour this wet mixture over the dressing mix. Season and fold everything together. Pour out into dish and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown on the top (if it gets too brown before the 30 minutes is up, tent with foil).
I got this recipe from a Chinese friend. She makes some amazing food! This recipe is very labor intensive so I have only made them once but the result was really worth it and it makes a lot so you can freeze them!
8 oz napa cabbage
1 lb lean ground pork
4 oz shrimp meat, finely chopped (optional)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tblspn chopped chives
1 tblspn minced garlic
3 tsp salt, divided
1 tsp sugar
1 tblspn soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tblspn Shao Xing rice wine
1 pkg (1 lb) potsticker wrappers (thick variety)
dash of pepper to taste
water for sealing
Cut the cabbage across into thin strips, mix with 2 tsp salt and set aside for 5 minutes. Squeeze out the excess moisture.
In a nonstick skillet add ground pork and cook, add shrimp. In a large bowl mix the cabbage, ground pork mixture, and all remaining ingredients.
Since it is Superbowl Sunday I thought I would post something festive. This nachos recipe is very semi-homemade Sandra Lee style. It is a collection of my favorite store-bought items all combined to create a yummy goodness masterpiece. Vary the amounts based on how many you are feeding.
Tortilla Chips
Salsa con Queso (like Tostitos brand)
Chili con Carne with Beans
Salsa or diced tomatoes
Green onions, diced
Sliced olives
Jalapenos, fresh diced or canned sliced
Avocado, chopped or guacamole
Sour Cream
To avoid having soggy chips heat all applicable items individually and then combine. You can warm your tortilla chips on a large cookie sheet in the oven at 350 for 5 minutes. If you want to get a bit more fancy you can substitute a shredded beef roast and canned beans for the chili. Personally I love to use the queso dip with my nachos but feel free to use real cheese, about 2-3 cups. Melt on chips under the oven broiler.
This recipe makes for a really easy complete Sunday dinner.
6-8 large baking potatoes
4-5 lb pot roast
1 package dry onion soup mix
1-26 oz can cream of mushroom soup
Scrub potatoes and wrap in heavy foil. Place in oven at same time as roast.
Place roast on a large piece of tin foil. Sprinkle dry soup mix over top of roast. Spoon mushroom soup on top. For more gravy add a second can. Wrap tightly in foil. Place in roasting pan and bake at 350F for 4 hours. Unwrap roast carefully to avoid spilling gravy. Slice thinly. Serve with baked potatoes.
I think my favorite part of Thanksgiving is stuffing. My little secret is that I love to eat it as a cold leftover. Don't tell. It sounds kind of gross but I love it.
This recipe is my favorite. It is a very basic recipe. It is really easy to make it fancier by adding golden raisins, sausage, using cornbread, etc.
1 large loaf of bread, cubed
1 cube butter
1 can evaporated milk
2 tsp rubbed sage
1 small onion, diced
2 stalks celery, finely diced
Preheat oven 350F. In a very large bowl, toss bread and 1 tsp sage together. In a skillet melt butter; add onions, celery and 1 tsp sage. Cook until softened. Slowly pour butter mixture evenly over bread. Toss with fork to evenly distribute. Add milk and mix until milk is absorbed. Pour into greased 9x13 pan and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 45 minutes. Cool slightly and serve. Can easily be doubled.
Essential for Thanksgiving dinner!
Mashed Potatoes
2 1/2 pounds potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks, about 8 cups of cut up potatoes
1/2 cup evaporated milk or half-and-half, or more to taste
1/4 cup butter
3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Place potatoes in a 4-quart saucepan; cover with water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
Drain potatoes thoroughly. Transfer to a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients to the bowl. With an electric hand-held mixer, beat potato mixture until light and creamy. Careful to not over mix potatoes or they will become paste.
Turkey Gravy
A basic gravy is 2 tablespoons of fat + 2 tablespoons of flour + 1 cup of liquid to make 1 cup of gravy. First you need to determine how many pan drippings you have and then add flour and liquid to keep the correct ratio. You can add butter if you want to make more gravy then you have pan drippings for. The recipe below is for six cups of gravy. You can increase or decrease the proportions depending on how much gravy you need to make. Simply Recipes has some nice pictures and instructions.
3/4 cup Butter (use turkey drippings and make up the difference with butter)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
In a medium saucepan (or you can use your roasting pan), combine warm turkey drippings and flour. Cook for about 5 minutes (to remove the flavor of the flour). Gradually add the chicken broth while stirring. Bring to a simmer while stirring to avoid lumps. The gravy should begin to thicken immediately. Season with poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Simmer until almost desired thickness, about 5 minutes. Gravy will continue to thicken as it stands. If your gravy separates you can use a gravy separator then transfer to your serving dish. Depending on the thickness of the gravy the fat may not separate.
In place of chicken broth you can use another flavor of broth, milk, heavy cream, or substitute a portion of it with white wine.
This dish is so good. It could easily be transferred to a pie crust and eaten as dessert!
3 cups (3-5 medium) cooked, mashed sweet potatoes
1/3 cup butter (add to potatoes while still hot)
Combine:
3 eggs (beat until lemon colored)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp Vanilla
Mix with potato mixture. Cook in 2 quart baking dish, 400 degrees, 10-15 minutes. Take out, add topping, bake 10 more minutes.
Topping:
2/3 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups crushed corn flakes
1/2 cup chopped pecans
The recipes I choose for the holidays are my favorites. Some are new and some are old. Some are flavors I grew up eating, some I have incorporated from my husbands family or have found on my own. For me the flavors are full of happiness and memories.
I have included two recipes here. One is "Nana's Recipe" that has been passed down from mother to daughter over the generations of my family and the second is a more traditional sauce. I always make enough cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving dinner and for all the leftover turkey sandwiches too! It is better if you make it a day ahead.
Nana's Recipe
1 small package of raspberry jello
1 cup boiling water
1 cup cranberries, coarsely chopped
1 cup apple, coarsely diced
1 cup sugar
Boil water, pour into jello powder. In a large bowl combine cranberries, apples, and sugar (I use a food processor to chop/dice the cranberries and apples). Fold jello mixture into fruit and stir until sugar is dissolved. Refrigerate. Stir a couple times until set. Stir just prior to serving.
Traditional Recipe
1 12 oz bag fresh cranberries
1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1 cup sugar
zest from 1 orange
In a sauce pan, combine juice, sugar, and zest and bring to a boil while you stir. Add cranberries and return to a boil. Reduce heat and boil gently for 10 minutes. Cool completely at room temperature. Cover and chill. Make the day before!
A great recipe from Martha Stewart!
3 egg whites
Course salt and fresh ground pepper
3 baking potatoes
1 1/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a wide, shallow bowl whisk the egg whites with 1 teaspoon salt until frothy. Cut each potato into 6 long spears, add to egg whites, and turn to coat.
One at a time, lift the spears out of the egg whites, shaking off excess; working over a plate, sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese until coated (do not shake off excess). Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake, without turning, until the potatoes are fork-tender and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
These fries are also great without the Parmesan.
Okay, so this recipe makes all fries less healthy but I just have to spread the love of the fry sauce. I know it's a Utah thing so some people just don't get it but here it is for the taking.
It is so easy!
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup ketchup
Mix it all up and enjoy!
I have barbeque's so that I can make these beans! I'm not kidding. They are actually really easy and really good.
There are a million recipes out there to make them more healthy by starting from scratch and soaking your own beans. If you prefer that idea look at this recipe. I've not made it her way, but her recipes are generally really good, it will just take you more time.
1 28 oz can Baked Beans (I usually use "Bush's Vegetarian Baked Beans")
1 small Onion, chopped
½ cup brown sugar
5 strips Bacon, crumbled
2 tblspn Ketchup
1 tsp Mustard
Fry bacon until crisp (may also use pre-cooked bacon). Set aside. Sauté onion until tender. Add mustard, ketchup, and brown sugar. Stir in the beans. Put in casserole dish, top with bacon and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
I got this recipe from a women I work with. She had brought this tasty, chunky dip/salsa to a potluck we had. It is tangy and full of great ingredients.
It is great to bring to any get together.
2 tblspn red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp hot sauce
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 ripe Haas avocado
1 can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed (black beans work too)
1 can whole kernel corn, drained and rinsed
2/3 cup cilantro, chopped
2/3 cup green onions, diced
1/2 lb roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped, seeded
salt to taste
Tortilla chips for dipping
In a medium sized bowl, mix together the vinegar, oil, garlic, and pepper. Cut the avocado into 1/2 inch cubes and add to the mixture, mixing gently. Add remaining ingredients and season with salt to taste. Serve with tortilla chips or corn chips.
We went to dinner at a local Greek/Italian restaurant and the salad they served was pretty much this and I could not get enough of it. This is so easy and great for a hot summer day.
Add amounts as desired!
Chopped tomato
Chopped cucumber
Thinly sliced red onion
Bite-size romaine lettuce
Your favorite Italian dressing
Crumbled feta cheese
Kalamata Olives
Another lovely recipe from Martha Stewart. This is a great salad for a baby shower or when you want something easy that feels fancy. You can also add some crumbled gorgonzola cheese (about 1/2 cup). I sometimes double the candied nuts because they are so good.
1/2 cup walnut halves (pecans work well too)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
4 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
course salt
fresh ground pepper
8 ounces baby spinach
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/2 cup dried cherries (you can substitute with cranberries)
Place walnuts and sugar in a skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves into a light brown liquid and coats the walnuts. Remove walnuts from skillet, and spread them out on a sheet of aluminum foil to cool. (You can also buy walnuts or pecans already candied at Trader Joes if you have one near you)
In a large bowl whisk together the vinegar, mustard, and oil until combined and thickened; season with salt and pepper. Add the spinach, onion, and cherries to the dressing; toss to combine. Top the salad with the candied walnuts (and gorgonzola) and serve immediately. You can also add sliced pears.
These are so good with Thanksgiving Dinner!
4 medium sweet potatoes (about 8 ounces each), peeled and cut into a large dice
1/4 cup buttermilk, warmed slightly
1/4 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons orange zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, optional
Steam the potatoes in a large covered pan fitted with a steamer basket until they are tender, about 8 minutes.
In a large bowl mash the potatoes with the buttermilk and orange juice. Stir in the zest, salt, and nutmeg. Serve the potatoes topped with the butter, if desired.
