Best Recipe Ever

Okay, so I normally don't post recipes here on this blog, but this delicious one I just couldn't resist.  I got the idea for this recipe from an envelope in the mail.  In the envelope was a schedule for the upcoming events showing at the Kennedy Center this year.  After drooling over this one particular item on the schedule, Glen and I carefully concocted this recipe.  After a bunch of research and  a few set-backs along the way,  months and months later, we've  finally got the recipe just right.   Here it is for your enjoyment! 

Click here for printable recipe. 

The ingredients:
1 theater loving Daddy
5 up-and-coming theater loving children
1 excited wife (and throw in a sister for good measure)
1 medium size minivan
1 GPS (optional, but highly recommended)
20 dollars for parking
1 camera
4 rows back (preferably center seats)

Directions: 
Take the 7 (+1) family members and toss them into a medium-size minivan.  Buckle tightly.  Drive approximately 15 miles  to the Kennedy Center parking garage.  Beware of small signs and overgrown pigeons.     If seating has not yet opened, take some time to have a potty break (or two) and enjoy the fresh air.  Take some pictures.  Maybe even a self-portrait or a squinty eyed one staring into the sun.  Don't forget a family picture in front of the Wicked sign.  Take one more potty break for the small bladdered among you (no names mentioned...Adam...). 

Enter the theater and find your seats.  Take care not to hyperventilate upon seeing that your seats are 4th row, smack dab in the center (again, no names mentioned....Cami...).   Sit back and enjoy the amazing show! 

Make  the day complete with a rocking taco salad at the brand new Cafe Rio in Manassas, then go home and work on your callings.  Finish off with a late-night trip to three different Targets for stocking up on glue sticks before the sale ends.  Collapse into bed with "Defying Gravity" and "For Good" wafting through your brain.  Enjoy! 

Oatmeal Pancakes with Lemon-Apple Topping

Lucky you!  You get a sneak peek at one of my upcoming recipes on the Recipe Shoebox.  These wholesome pancakes were yummy in and of themselves, but topped with the lemon-apple topping they were out-of-this-world.  Certainly perfect for a cold winter morning (like today)! 

 

Click here for printable recipe.

The ingredients:

OATMEAL PANCAKES: 

1-1/2 cups hot milk

3/4 cup old-fashioned oats

1 egg, beaten

2 Tbs. vegetable oil

2 Tbs. molasses

1 cup all-purpose flour

1-1/2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

3 egg whites

LEMON-APPLE TOPPING: 

2 Tbs. butter

5 medium tart apples, peeled and sliced (I used Granny Smith)

1 Tbs. lemon juice

1 tsp. grated lemon peel

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tbs. cornstarch

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

Directions:  In a large bowl, combine milk and oats; let stand for 5 minutes.  Stir in egg, oil, and molasses.  Combine dry ingredients; stir into oat mixture just until moistened.

Beat egg whites until soft peaks form; fold gently into batter.

 Set aside.  

For apple topping, heat butter in a skillet until foamy.  Add apples, lemon juice, and peel; cook, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Combine sugar, cornstarch, and nutmeg; add to apple mixture and cook 2 minutes longer.

While apple topping is cooking, cook oatcakes by pouring batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a hot greased griddle.  Cook until bubbles form; turn and cook until browned on other side.  Serve warm with hot apple topping.  

 Serve warm over oatmeal pancakes.  Makes 6-8 servings.

Enjoy!

Need some election day comfort food?

What could be more comforting (or celebratory) than some good old-fashioned apple pie? So here's an illustrated tutorial on how to make my favorite apple pie with perfectly flaky crust just in time for election night blues and Thanksgiving!

Pie Crust--this crust was a Maryland State Fair winner from 1979. After experimenting with a million different ones over the years, this is by far my favorite (and everyone else's too)!

1 cup shortening (Crisco)
2 ½ cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 egg + enough ice water to make ½ cup liquid

Directions:

Cut shortening into flour and salt until the size of peas. Add egg/water mixture and stir with fork until just barely clinging together. Knead with hands for thirty seconds just bringing in some of the loose crumbs. I think the crust handles best when used right away, but you could cover and refrigerate the dough at this point. Yields two 9” crusts.

Divide the dough into two equal sections. Then on a generously floured pie mat (mine's from Pampered Chef) or piece of wax paper, use your hands to pat the dough down until relatively flat. You'll want to flip it over a few times, reflouring the surface each time.
Making sure you start with both sides of the dough and the mat well floured, use the rolling pin to form the crust into a somewhat circular shape. Make sure that you rotate the whole mat a few times while rolling out the dough to ensure that the thickness is even throughout.

After rolling it out to your desired thickness, carefully lift the entire mat into a centered position in your pie pan. Be careful when removing the pie mat/wax paper, so that you can try to minimize any rips or sticky spots in the crust.
Whew! The hardest part is done! Now it's onto the filling part...

No Fail Apple Pie--seriously this is SO easy!

1 ½ cups sugar divided
¼ cup flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
salt
½ tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. ginger
6-7 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped
2 Tbs. butter

Start with the pie crust rolled out into a 9” pie pan. Sprinkle ½ cup sugar, ¼ cup flour, and a pinch of salt over the crust (this step seems weird to a lot of people, but I promise it turns out fine. I forgot to take a picture, but basically you'll just pour the flour, sugar, and salt into the empty pie crust and stir it around lightly with your fingers).

Then fill crust with half of the apples. Sprinkle on another ½ cup sugar, then add the rest of the apples. Then sprinkle on another ½ cup of sugar, pinch of salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Cut butter up into small clumps and place evenly over the top of the apples.
Roll out top crust and place over pie (using crust directions from above). Cut half an inch from the edge and tuck and form as desired,(I use the extra dough to cut out seasonal shapes with cookie cutters to adorn the crust)Make sure to poke a few holes to allow steam to escape, then brush the top with some milk, then sprinkle with about 1 Tbs. sugar.

Bake at 425° for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 375° and bake for an additional 45 minutes. Watch the pie carefully the last 20 minutes or so, being ready to place some foil over edges or top if they are browning too quickly. The filling will bubble out slightly when the pie is done.

Serve warm with cool whip or vanilla ice cream and voila....you've got comfort for the most depressing of election days.

Oh and I guess I should tell you that my bishop informed me that my calling and election were made sure after I brought one of these pies to him....

I wish it were only that easy, but I'll take what I can get.

Chocolate Chip Brownie Recipe

Cami asked for this recipe from her Aunt Karey, after sampling some of these scrumptious treats at baby Lincoln's blessing. The recipe originated with Karey's mother, Kathy Vaughn.

1 cup butter, softened
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 Tbs. vanilla
2-1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Additional toppings as desired (such as white chocolate chips, mint chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, chopped nuts, creamy peanut butter, etc)

In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; stir into creamed mixture just until blended. Pour into greased 15x10x1 inch baking pan. Sprinkle with desired chips and nuts.

Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until brownies test done.

Enjoy!

O Henry Bars--a yummy summer treat!

Here is a recipe for one of our favorite treats any time of the year, but they are particularly good to make in the summer since you won't have to turn the oven on.

1 cup sugar
1 cup light Karo syrup

Mix in a large saucepan and bring to a boil, then take off heat immediately*. It is really important to make sure it doesn't boil too long, as it is quite easy to over-cook them and have them become too hard.

Add: 1 cup peanut butter

Stir together and then add 6 cups of Rice Krispies

Pour into greased 9x13 pan

Melt: 1 cup of chocolate chips and 1 cup of butterscotch chips in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring every thirty seconds and watching carefully not to burn or over-melt them. (I usually just use 1 pkg. of whatever chocolate chips I have in the house).

Spread melted chips on top of Rice Krispies mixture and give it a couple of hours for the melted chocolate to harden.

One of our favorite winter meals...

This is one of the few meals that passes muster with every single person in our family...

Potato Soup

6 cups water
6 chicken bouillon cubes
4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 large onion, diced
2 carrots (or one sweet potato), cubed
1 Tbs. parsley
3 cloves garlic, pressed

Saute onion and garlic in 1 Tbs. oil for 2 minutes. Then combine with the remainder of above ingredients and simmer until the vegetables are soft.

Keeping the heat at low, add:
2 cups half & half (I usually use milk, since I rarely have half and half around)

Make a roux with:
1/3 cup butter
2/3 cup flour (I often use whole wheat flour)

Spoon some of the hot liquid from the vegetable/cream mixture and mix slowly with the roux until it thickens and is smooth. Add roux to soup while stirring quickly. Heat for another 2 minutes. Serve hot inside of bread bowls. Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese and bacon bits.

Bread Bowls

1 Tbs. yeast
1-1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
4-5 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup lukewarm water. Combine in one large bowl the remainder of the water, sugar, salt, and yeast mixture. Add just enough flour until dough is stiff enough to handle. Knead well (in Kitchen-Aid of course). Cover and let rise for 1 hour (I'm usually in too big of a hurry, so I skip this step).

Then divide dough into 6-8 sections and form into round shape. Place on greased baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal and allow to rise about 1/2 hour. Before baking, generously brush each bread bowl with an egg white mixed with 1 Tbs. warm water. Bake at 425° for about 20 minutes or until golden.

When they are finished baking, cut a shape off the top of each one (making a lid). Then scoop out the soft part with a spoon reserving it for dipping in the soup if desired.

Enjoy!

"Rass Coco Pie" Recipe...by Emma & Elena

Emma and Elena are only a week apart in age and they have been good friends since they were in preschool together.
Tonight they decided that they would make a delicious dessert for everyone to share.



Here is their original recipe, consisting of a graham cracker pie crust, melted chocolate marshmallows, strawberry/raspberry sauce made in the blender, and a crushed graham cracker topping.


After a lot of happy giggles, sharing of great ideas, a couple of crashes, and only a few marshmallow-y footprints on the floor...the final result was sticky, tasty, and enjoyed by all the children!

Emma's Masterpiece

If it wasn't bad enough that I like to bake...and then Cami took a strong liking to baking...now Emma's creating culinary masterpieces. I'm afraid these 20 lbs. will never go!

Masterpiece Pizza

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup tiny marshmallows
2/3 cup peanuts
1/2 cup mini M & M's

Mix butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and sugar. Then add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Then add the flour and beat just until mixed.

Spread out dough into a circle shape on large cookie sheet and bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

Shortly after removing from oven sprinkle the center of circle with chocolate chips. Let stand 1-2 minutes or until softened. Then carefully spread the melted pieces over the circle. Then sprinkle with marshmallow, peanuts, and M & M's...or anything else that strikes your fancy.

Put cookie sheet back in oven and bake for five minutes more or until marshmallows are golden brown.

Slice like a pizza and enjoy!

Apple Pie

In the spirit of autumn time here is my favorite apple pie recipe...and it really is "No Fail", which is a good thing for me!

No Fail Apple Pie
This recipe is from one of my college roommates, Emily.

1 ½ cups sugar divided
¼ cup flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
salt
½ tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. ginger
6-7 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped
2 Tbs. butter

Start with the pie crust rolled out into a 9" pie pan. Sprinkle ½ cup sugar, ¼ cup flour, and a pinch of salt over the crust. Fill crust with half of the apples. Sprinkle on another ½ cup sugar, then add the rest of the apples. Then sprinkle on another ½ cup of sugar, pinch of salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Cut butter up into small clumps and place evenly over the top of the apples.
Roll out top crust and place over pie. Cut half an inch from the edge and tuck and form as desired, making sure to poke a few holes to allow steam to escape. Brush over the top with some milk, and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake at 425° for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 375° and bake for an additional 45 minutes. Watch the pie carefully the last 20 minutes or so, being ready to place some foil over edges or top if they are browning too quickly. The filling will bubble out when the pie is done.

Pie Crust
this is the 1979 Maryland State Fair winning recipe and the best one I've ever found!

1 cup shortening (Crisco)
2 ½ cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 egg + enough ice water to make ½ cup liquid

Cut shortening into flour and salt until the size of peas. Add egg/water mixture and stir with fork until just barely clinging together. Knead with hands for thirty seconds just bringing in some of the loose crumbs. It handles best right away, but if you're making it in advance then keep tightly covered and refrigerated until ready to use. Yields two 9" crusts.

Zuppa Toscana Soup Recipe

Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana

1 lb. italian sausage (mild or spicy according to your preference)
3/4 cup onion, diced
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 1/4 tsp. garlic, pressed
1/3 cup chopped bacon (I use the good bacon bits)
4 cups water
4 chicken bouillon cubes
1 cup kale or spinach leaves, chopped (I use spinach)
1/3 cup cream

Remove the casings from the sausage and cook sausage in frying pan, like you would for ground beef. Set aside.

In a saucepan add chopped potatoes, diced onions, and bouillon to the water. Boil just until potatoes are tender, then add garlic, sausage, and bacon bits. Simmer for a few minutes then add chopped spinach and cream and simmer for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and serve hot with breadsticks and a salad. Yummm!

How Lucky Am I...

Cami is the queen of making treats---cookies, peanut butter bars, apple-walnut pancakes, and scrambled eggs are all a part of her ever expanding repertoire. She keeps getting invited to live with friends and family who want their own personal chef as well.

So the other morning she was excitedly concocting a breakfast that had her asking me all sorts of unusual questions...where's the yeast? Where are the potato flakes? The evaporated milk?

...Then a shriek...yeah she got her hair caught around the springs of my KitchenAid.
After a quick snip with the scissors all was well again, and Cami finished making cinnamon rolls--FROM SCRATCH!!!
It took her two hours to make them and me another two hours to scrape the caked flour and sugar from every surface of the kitchen...

but it was definitely worth every second. They were completely perfect--soft and delicious. I'm pretty sure I never cooked with yeast until I was about 25, and then it took a few years from there to become reasonably adept at it.

So there you have it, I have an amazing 10-year-old!

For the recipe for these delicious treats click here.

Cafe Rio Taco Salad Recipe

I've had a few requests for my Cafe Rio Taco Salad recipe, so here it is...a very good knock-off of the original. I usually will make the dressing and get the chicken started early in the day. Then do the rice and finish the chicken about 1 hour before we're ready to eat, and then the tortillas and black beans right before. Yummm.

Café Rio Dressing

1 buttermilk ranch dressing packet (make as per recipe)
2 tomatillos (tomato like vegetable with a husk around them)
½ bunch of cilantro
1 clove garlic
Juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeño (Use the seeds too if you like it spicy. You could substitute a few drops of green tobasco for the jalapeno.)
Use a food processor to blend all the ingredients well. Refrigerate.

Cafe Rio Chicken(not pictured: chicken breasts)

1 small bottle Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
3 cloves garlic—minced
2 lbs chicken breast
Cook all together in a crock pot for 4 hours, shred meat and cook 1 additional hour--this is what the instructions say. I cook my chicken in the crockpot with water and onion for 6-8 hours and then drain the water, shred the chicken with a fork, and add the dressing and spices about 1 hour before we're eating.

Café Rio Rice

6 c water
6 chicken bouillon cubes
4 t garlic –minced
½ bunch cilantro
1 can green chiles—or equivalent fresh
¾ t salt
1 T butter
½ onion
3 c rice (I like to use brown which takes longer to cook but is healthier)

I saute the dry rice and onion in the butter until it is just browned. Then blend cilantro, green chiles and another 1/2 onion together in food processor (with 1 cup of the water for easier blending). Bring water to a boil and add all ingredients, simmer covered 30 minutes or 50 minutes if using brown rice.


Brown both sides of the flour tortillas (we use whole wheat) on a lightly buttered griddle, sprinkling a little cheese to one of the sides after it is browned. It should be slightly crisp.

Serve with the crisp cheesy tortilla on the bottom, then layer the black beans, rice, lettuce, chicken, and dressing.

Enjoy!

Cami's Creation

Cami is the official treat maker in our home. So when we were invited to a cook-out at a friend's house for Memorial Day, Cami eagerly volunteered to make our family favorite, Layered Pudding Cake. As you can probably tell it's loaded with chocolate and sugar, but it always gets gobbled up quickly (that's why we only make it to share with friends, otherwise we would eat it all). °Ü°

It's so easy to make it's just:
2 brownie mixes (baked)
3 boxes chocolate pudding (prepared)
1 large tub of Cool Whip
4-6 butterfingers or Heath bars (crushed)
You start with the brownies, then pudding, Cool Whip,
candy, then do it all again and refrigerate. Yummmmmm!