Friday, October 2, 2009

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

This was the second recipe of the week that I made. It's very chocolatey but so yummy.

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 c. oil
2 1/4 c. sugar
2 c. peeled and grated zucchini
3 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 c. sifted flour
1/2 c. cocoa
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 (8oz) bag mini chocolate chips (large ones sink to bottom of loaf)

Mix eggs, oil, sugar, zucchini and vanilla in bowl. Sift and measure flour add to zucchini mixture. Add and mix remaining ingredients. This bread comes out of pan better if you line bottom with wax paper. Grease pan whether or not you use wax paper. Makes 2 bread size loaves. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. It may need longer time depending on your oven. Check middle with toothpick.

Banana Bread

I've been baking a lot this week. I love to bake. The only problem is I eat these sweet treats along the way. Baking what I have been this week reminds me of fall and of the holidays and makes home smell so good. This was the first recipe that I made.

Banana Bread

1 c. sugar
1/2 c. shortening or butter
2 eggs, beaten
2 c. flur
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. nuts (optional)
3 or 4 very ripe bananas
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix sugar, shortening, and eggs together. Add dry ingredients and nuts. Add bananas and vanilla. Makes 2 loaves. Bake at 350 degrees. Check after 45 minutes.

Oven Chicken Fingers

Since I've been trying to eat healthier I haven't been cooking a lot of different or new recipes. But last night my mom made this recipe for a family in the ward and we made extra for the rest of our family. It's really good and great for kids. We didn't make the sauces for it but I'm sure they are delicious with it.

Oven Chicken Fingers

1 c. Italian bread crumbs
2 T. grated parmesan cheese
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 c. vegetable oil
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

Honey Mustard Sauce
2 T. cornstarch
1 c. water, divided
1/2 c honey
1/4 c prepared mustard

Cranberry Orange Sauce
1/4 c. sugar
3 t. cornstarch
1/2 c. fresh or frozen cranberries
1/2 c orange juice
1/4 c. water


Directions:
In a plastic bag, mix bread crumbs and parmesan cheese, set aside. In a small bowl, combine garlic and oil. Flatten the chicken to 1/2 -in. thickness: cut into 1-inch wide strips. Dip strips in oil: coat with crumb mixture. Place on greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Directions for sauces:
Combine the sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Add cranberries, orange juice and water; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring contantly. Cook and stir 2-3 minutes more, crushing the berries while stirring. For honey mustard sauce, dissolve cornstarch in 1 T. water in a saucepan. Add honey, mustard and remaining water; bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Serve with chicken for dipping. Makes 6 servings.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

SUMMER FRUIT PIE

I LOVE this recipe. It's from Dr. Fuhrman's website. It's his diet plan that I am following. It really satisfies my sweet tooth and is so refreshing. Me and my family have made it the last couple of nights because it is so good.

I would love it if anyone has any other vegetarian recipes that they would like to share. You can email me at lindsey_pfeil@yahoo.com or comment on this post. Thanks!

SUMMER FRUIT PIE

Ingredients:

Pie shell:
1 cup almonds
1 cup dates, pitted (medjool are preferred)

Pie Filling:
3 bananas, sliced
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 kiwis, sliced
1 quart organic strawberries, sliced
1 pint blueberries
1/2 cup vanilla soy milk
1/2 bag frozen strawberries or 1 pint fresh organic strawberries
2 dates

Instructions:
Make pie shell by placing almonds in a food processor and processing until very fine. Add dates and process until chopped and mixed well. Press mixture in a pie plate to form shell.

To make the filling spread bananas on the crust, pressing down slightly. Sprinkle lemon juice over the bananas. Place kiwis, strawberries and blueberries over the bananas. Place the soy milk, frozen strawberries and dates in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour blended mixture over the fruit. Decorate with fruit as desired. Cover and freeze for at least two hours before serving.


Monday, August 3, 2009

BUTTER BEAN SOUP

I really like this recipe. I had never tasted a butter bean until this soup. It's really filling and has a lot of veggies in it. Soup goes a long way and helps me to feel full and pretty much everything in it is good for you.

BUTTER BEAN SOUP

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups celery, finely chopped
1 cup carrots, finely chopped
3/4 cup onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 cups of water
1 can of vegeatable broth
2 cans (16 oz) Bush's Butter Beans, drained (Large, baby, or speckled)
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon basil

In large pan, cook celery, carrots and onion in oil until soft. Add flour; cook and stir for 1 minute. Gradually add water, stirring until smooth. Add remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 20-25 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste.

My new way of eating and BEAN ENCHILADAS

I know it's been over a month since I posted a recipe. Noelle has kept me pretty busy lately. I've also started a new diet I guess you could say. So everything I'm eating for now is almost all vegetarian. More like vegan. Almost everything I'm eating is all natural. It's all about loading up on fruits, veggies, and beans with a couple extras on the side such as some low calorie dressing, nuts, bran flakes, soy milk, and whole weat breads and rice. I'm not saying that I will never have sugar or meat again. Heck no! But I'm learning a lot about food and health and I'm feeling pretty good as well.

So the recipes I'm going to post are going to be mostly vegetarian. I'll try to find new recipes for Michael but not as much, for now anyway. Don't worry. Michael is okay with that. He helps me to resist the food that, for now, I don't want. Here is a recipe that we made last week. Keep in mind there is not a lot of salt in these recipes. So if you like salt you have to add it to your liking. I love this recipe because it gives me variety when sometimes all I eat is salads.

BEAN ENCHILADAS

Ingredients:
1 large can of enchilada sauce
1 green pepper, chopped
1/2 c sliced onion
1 c salsa
2 c canned cooked beans
1 c corn (frozen)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chopped cilantro
6-8 corn tortillas
1-2 Avacados, chopped

Heat enchilada sauce in pan on stove, on low-medium heat. Saute green pepper and onion in a skillet with 2 tbsp of salsa, until tender. Stir in beans, corn and seasonings. Dip tortilla in hot enchilada sauce, spoon about 1/4 c - 1/2 c of bean mixture on each and roll up. Place in baking dish. Pour extra enchilada sauce and bean mixture over the top of enchiladas. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 min. Place chopped avacodos in a bowl to serve over enchiladas.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

coming soon...

Don't worry, I'm still alive. We have had a busy couple of weeks and are getting things ready to move so I haven't really tried anything new. We've tried to make things as easy as possible as we have both been super tired and now Michael is sick as well. No fun. I have a lot of new recipes that I am dying to try. (Is that how you spell 'dying'?) So coming soon...more yummy recipes.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

CRISPY RANCH CHICKEN

This is probably one of the quickest, easiest, and yummiest things I have made. I got this recipe from Utah's Fox news channel. They always have the best recipes and they are always different and interesting. For Utah's Fox 13 recipe archive go here . This recipe is from June 5th. Hope you like it!

Ingredients:
2 cups semi crushed rice krispies
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
2 eggs, beaten
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs or 5-6 chicken breasts
1/4 c melted butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine rice krispies, parmesan cheese and ranch dressing in a large bowl. Stir together. Dip chicken into beaten eggs and then coat evenly in cereal mixture. Arrange chicken pieces on a well greased baking dish. Sprinkle remaining cereal mixture on top. Drizzle melted butter over chicken and bake until golden brown for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve hot.

Friday, June 5, 2009

A few of my favorite (food) things

Newman's Own Low Fat Sesame Ginger Dressing
I love this dressing. I use it in stir-fry all the time and on rice. It's really good on salads too. And it's pretty low in fat.
Not the best tasting stuff but it gives me energy and as far as I know helps with keeping the cold away. And it's safe to take when you're pregnant. Thanks to a friend I take one of these packets almost every day.This is just one of my favorite snacks and it gives me my sweet fix. I love the apple turnover flavor.

Thank you people of Chile for giving me this amazing food at almost every meal. Yes I even would eat it for breakfast on toast, and sometimes still do. Avocado rocks!


More to come later.

What are your favorite food things?

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

GROUND BEEF WELLINGTON

This recipe was given to me by my friend Brittany. She got it from allrecipes.com. I was also pleasantly surprised by this recipe. It turned out really good and was pretty easy. My husband didn't think he would like it but ended up loving it. I've added my variation and tips at the end of the recipe. I didn't follow this exactly. I like that I can actually feel comfortable doing my own thing with a recipe. Good feeling.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
1 Tablespoon and 1 1/2 teaspoon butter
1 Tablespoon all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon pepper- divided
3/4 cup half and half or cream of mushroom soup
1 1/2 egg yolk
3 Tablespoons finely chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 pound ground beef
1 1/2 packages of crescent rolls or pastry roll
1 1/2 t dried parsley flakes


Directions:
In a saucepan, saute mushrooms in butter until softened. Stir in flour and 1/8 teaspoon pepper until blended. Gradually add the cream or soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove and set aside. In a bowl, combine egg yolk, onion, 2 Tablespoons of the mushroom sauce, salt and remaining pepper. Crumble beef into mixture and mix well. Roll meat mixture up into the pastry roll or crescent rolls. Should make approximately 4 small loaves. Bake at 350 degrees for 24-28 minutes. They should turn a slightly dark,golden brown. I cut them in half to make sure the meat was finished cooking. Warm remaining mushroom sauce and add parsley flakes. Serve sauce over Wellington's.

My variation/tips:
*I used a 1 full cup of mushrooms.
*I used a whole can of cream of mushroom soup and it was super thick. I added about 1/2 can of water. You could probably use milk also.
*I used a full pound of ground beef.
*I used 2 egg yolks.
*I used 2 teaspoons of dried parsley flakes.
*For the dough I used Pillsbury recipe creations (crescent). It comes in a skinny can and is a full sheet of dough. I used two of these. I split the beef mixture in half and spooned it on the sheet and rolled it up. I cut that in half and pinched both ends to make sure it was sealed tightly. After doing this with both dough sheets I had 4 loaves.
*After they were done I cut all 4 loaves in half and served that way.

Monday, June 1, 2009

MUFFIN ROLLS

Okay, so I don't really know the name of these rolls. Some friends in our ward invited us over for dinner and had these and said they were so easy and fast to make. They are also pretty good. I call them muffin rolls because I cooked them in a muffin pan. I guess you could cook them on a normal cookie sheet. They are very soft and I love that. They also have a muffiny texture to them. So if you don't want to take time to let dough rise and want a different kind of roll, this is the recipe you want.

Ingredients:
2 C self-rising flour
2 T sugar
1 C milk
4 heaping T mayo

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 12 count muffin pan, set aside. Combine all ingredients together, mixing well. Dough will be sticky. Spoon dough in muffin pan, filling each one 1/2 - 3/4 of the way full. Bake in oven for about 8 minutes or until bottom half of muffin is a light brown. I actually poked a toothpick in the middle to see if the dough was all the way done. You can brush butter on the top to keep them moist. These rolls should be pretty soft when finished.

* I did not have self-rising flour. But here is how you can make your own self rising flour:

For every cup of self-rising flour the recipe calls for, use:

1 C All purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN

This recipe was given to me by my sister-in-law Nina. She got it from her friend Jill. Thanks Nina and Jill because this is so good. It's really not that hard and just takes time. I'm sure after a while a person could get really fast at this. It is messy to make but very worth it.

Ingredients:
4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
white flour
4-5 eggs (may need more if you want to use more chicken)
any kind of cooking oil

Sauce Ingredients:
1 C sugar
1/2 C white vinegar
4 T ketchup
2 T soy sauce
2 tsp salt (it calls for this but I suggest not using it, soy sauce has PLENTY of salt)

Directions:

Mix the sauce beforehand and put to the side. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In two separate bowls, put flour and eggs. I usually start out with three eggs in a bowl and then add more as I need them. Whisk the eggs and put the bowls to the side. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces. Put oil in frying pan and put on the burner at a little higher than medium heat. Wait until pan heats up. Grab a handful of chicken pieces and put them in the flour. Make sure the chicken is completely coated, then put it in the egg. Carefully put the pieces in the pan, the oil will splatter more if you drop it in. Using the not eggy hand, turn and cook the chicken pieces until golden brown. Put in a glass baking pan and keep doing that until all the chicken is browned. Now mix the sauce again because the sugar will have settled and pour over the chicken. Bake, uncovered, in the oven for 25-30 minutes, stirring halfway through baking. Serve with rice and vegetables.

* I used 5 chicken breasts and used a 9 x 13 glass baking pan. It was the perfect size.

thanks

Just wanted to say thank you Brittany for your email. That's exactly what I wanted. I'm looking forward to trying the stuffed chicken breasts and ground beef wellington and I'll post them here soon.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

please...

If you guys try these recipes let me know what you think, if you have any suggestions, or anything else. Thanks! Oh and PLEASE email me recipes that you like! I really need help.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

MOM'S MEATBALLS

This is a tangy meatball recipe from my mom. I grew up with it and love it!

Meatball ingredients:
*You can use precooked/frozen meatballs if you don't want to make them from scratch.

1 lb hamburger
1 c bread crumbs (I substituted this with a cup of oatmeal)
1 c finely chopped onions
1/2 c milk
1 egg
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. pepper
* I didn't have nutmeg and they still turned out really good.

Meatball sauce ingredients:
3/4 c water
1/4 c white vinegar
1 c ketchup
2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
2 heaping tsp. chili powder
3 TB sugar
1/3 c finely chopped onion
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:
Thaw hamburger. Mix all hamburger ingredients together in a medium bowl. Use a plastic spoon or your clean hands. Set aside. If you use frozen/already cooked meatballs just thaw in refrigerator or microwave. In a crock pot combine all meatball sauce ingredients. Stir well. Put on warm or low setting. Cover with lid. Stirring occasionally. Start forming meatball mixture into golf ball sized balls. Place 8-12 meatballs on a microwave safe plate. Place in microwave for about 4 1/2 minutes or until cooked all the way through. As the meatballs are finished put in crock pot with the sauce. Once all meatballs are finished leave in crock pot to heat. Stirring occasionally. We like to eat it with rice or baked potatoes.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

EASY WHITE BREAD

My mom got this recipe from a lady in her ward who taught it to the young women. It's easy and pretty good. This was technically the first bread recipe I tried on my own. Yeah, I'm still learning and proud of it :).

This recipe makes two loaves.

Ingredients:

5 3/4 C all purpose flour
2 TBSP yeast (about three packets)
2 tsp sugar
2 TBSP sugar
2 tsp salt
1/4 C oil
Warm water

Directions:

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 c warm water and about 2 tsp sugar. Combine 2 c of flour, 2 TBSP sugar and salt in large bowl. Add 1 3/4 c warm water, yeast, mixture and cooking oil. Beat with hand mixer until well blended. If you don't have a hand mixer just use a fork or wire whisk to mix. Stir in 3 1/2 c flour, reserving 1/4 c for flouring kneading surface. Mix with wooden spoon until well mixed. Turn dough on floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (approx. 5-10 min). Grease bowl and put dough back in to it. Let it rise until it's doubled in size. Divide in half and put in floured and greased bread pans, let double in size. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes, until outside is light, golden brown.

Tips:

* If you want the crust to be soft, lightly brush butter on the top of the bread right after you take it out of the oven.
* The bread will rise faster if it is near a warm area. I'll turn on the oven and leave it slightly open and place bread near it. To double in size it takes between 30 minutes to 1 hour.
* Do not use wheat flour unless it is all purpose. It comes out dry and stale and does not rise properly. I would suggest getting a completely different recipe to make wheat bread.

Monday, May 18, 2009

BOWTIE SALAD

This is my favorite salad EVER. It's so good and addicting. The taste is a little strong at times but it's delicious. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 Box (lb) bowtie pasta (mini)
6 0z spinach
1 small can sliced olives
1 can artichoke hearts (not marinated)
4 oz of feta cheese that is already cut up/crumbled
1 Avocado
1 small pkg or about 2 cups of grape tomatoes
1 purple onion
1 bottle Girard's Romano Cheese dressing

Directions:

The night before you serve salad- Cook pasta and cool. Put salad in a large bowl. Add 1/2 of the bottle of dressing, stir well. Cover and refrigerate over night.

The day of serving salad- Drain olives. Drain and chop artichoke hearts. Cut up avocado in small pieces. Chop purple onion. Add these ingredients along with the spinach, cheese, tomatoes and the rest of the dressing to the pasta. Add ingredients right before serving to keep the ingredients from becoming too soft or mushy.

Important to know:
* The Girard's Romano Cheese dressing is hard to find sometimes. My mom and I have found it at Smith's and Harmon's. We literally drove around to like 5 different stores trying to find it. We haven't used another dressing with it because this stuff is sooo good. If you try it with another dressing and you like it, let me know which kind it was.
* After a day or so the avocado will start getting dark and mushy.
* If you double the recipe still only use 1 purple onion, unless you want it REALLY strong.
* The salad can taste stronger or weaker depending on the particular onion.

Enjoy!

Friday, May 15, 2009

COFFEE CAKE

Here's the first recipe post. It turned out much better than I thought. It's really good and easy to make and made our home smell like cinnamon.

COFFEE CAKE

Ingredients
:

Topping:
* 1/2 cup brown sugar
* 1/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour (sift before measuring)
* 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
* 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cake:
* 1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour (sift before measuring)
* 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 egg, beaten
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 1/3 cup melted butter
* 1/2 cup milk
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation:
Topping: In small mixing bowl, combine topping ingredients. Blend with fork until crumbly. Set aside.

Sift 1 1/2 cups sifted flour with baking powder and salt into a bowl. In a medium bowl, beat together beaten egg and 3/4 cup sugar and 1/3 cup melted butter. Add milk and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture and mix well.

Pour batter into a greased and floured 8-inch square or 9-inch layer-cake pan. Sprinkle topping crumb mixture evenly over batter. Bake at 375° for 25 to 30 minutes, or until cake tests done. Partially cool in pan on wire rack. Cut coffee cake into squares while still warm.

I just doubled the recipe for a 9 x 13 pan.

Here it goes

I am a new mother, and still I guess a new wife. I always thought that I didn't mind cleaning or cooking. Before getting married I was pretty good at cleaning up and keeping things somewhat organized. Over the last year I have found out that I do not like cleaning, at all. I hate doing the dishes, and desperately wish I had a dish washer. I am a clutter queen and I'm really embarrassed that I have to say that. I have gotten better and am working on not being hard on myself for not being good at this.

Cooking is not something I enjoy. I am NOT a natural at this, in any way. I mostly refer to cooking dinner. However I do enjoy baking. Maybe because I like the end result better. I can follow a recipe but really struggle with wanting to cook for my family. However when there is a recipe that is new, sounds good and I know tastes good, it gives me more of an incentive to try it. That is why I decided to create a new blog. As I am not a great organizer I decided to make this my place to organize my favorite recipes and any other random thing that is on my mind, hence the "etc" in the title. If any of you have a recipe (or anything else) that you love PLEASE share it with me. Any advice you have, I need it, so please share :). And so, here it goes...