Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Bread

http://therecipecritic.com/2014/09/bread-machine-cinnamon-swirl-pumpkin-bread/

Ingredients

• ¾ c. canned pumpkin puree, room temp.
• ¼ c. warm water
• ⅓ c. warm milk (microwave for 20 seconds)
• 1 Tbl. vegetable oil
• ¼ c. brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. nutmeg
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 3 c. bread flour, approximately
• ¾ Tbl. instant yeast
• Cinnamon Sugar Swirl:
• 1½ Tbl. melted butter
• ½ c. light brown sugar mixed with 2 tsp. cinnamon

Instructions

1. Add ingredients to bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. The following is how I prepared mine.
2. Add pumpkin, water, warm milk, vegetable oil, brown sugar, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and egg to the bread machine pan. Add the flour. Make a well in the top of the flour and add the instant yeast. Turn the bread machine on the dough cycle and let it do all of the work (my dough cycle takes 1½ hours). You will want to check it at first while it is mixing, to make sure you have enough flour. The dough should be slightly sticky to the touch, but will stay in a ball as the bread machine mixes. I used exactly 3 cups of flour and it was perfect. If your dough is way too sticky, add a little extra flour, but don’t over-do it.
3. Once the dough cycle has finished and the bread has risen, punch down dough and remove from bread machine pan. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead a few times, just to release the air bubbles. Roll out dough to a 9”x22” rectangle. Brush top with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mixture, leaving a ½-inch border around the edge.
4. Roll up tightly, beginning with the short end and pinch end together to seal. Place in a greased 9”x5” bread pan; cover with a kitchen towel and allow to rise until almost doubled. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake for 30 minutes. Tent with foil for the last 10 minutes to prevent the crust from browning too much. If you tap on the bread, it will sound hollow when it is finished. When finished baking, run a knife around the edge of the pan and remove bread to cool. Slice and enjoy.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Got this recipe from Jaclyn

http://www.afamilyfeast.com/soft-pumpkin-chocolate-chip-cookies/

Ingredients

• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup oil (canola or vegetable)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda mixed with 1 teaspoon milk 
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional but highly recommended)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper sheets (or lightly grease the cookie sheet if you don’t have parchment paper).
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine pumpkin, sugar, oil, vanilla and egg. Mix until well combined.
3. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In a small bowl, dissolve the baking soda with the milk. Add both the dry flour mixture and the wet baking soda mixture to the pumpkin mixture. Mix well.
4. Add in the chocolate chips and nuts and stir until evenly combined.
5. Using a medium cookie scoop(medium scoop is equal to 1 1/2 tablespoons), drop mounds of the cookie dough on the prepared cookie sheets.
6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool for slightly before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Apple Custard Pie

Makes enough filling for at least 2 pies

2 uncooked pie shells

Apple Filling:
10 c. sliced apples
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Custard:
3/4 c. Sugar
2 Tb flour
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 3/4 c. buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Streusel:
2/3 c. flour
1 tsp cinnamon
2/3 c. brown sugar
5 Tb chilled butter, cut in pieces

Apple filling: Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Add sliced apples, sugar, and cinnamon. Cook until apple is tender, stirring occasionally. Spoon apple mixture into pie crust.

Custard: Combine sugar, flour, salt and eggs, stirring with a whisk. Stir in buttermilk and vanilla. Pour over apple mixture. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes, then reduce temp to 300 (do not remove from oven). Sprinkle streusel over the top and bake 40 minutes more until set. Let stand 1 hour before serving. Keep cold.

Streusel: Combine flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in medium bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or fork, or do it in a food processor. Combine until it resembles course mill. Keep chilled until ready to use.

Micheal Chiarello Italian Meatballs

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground sirloin
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 cup fine dried bread crumbs
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Grey salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups water
• Red Sauce (Gravy), recipe follows

Directions

In a large bowl, mix together the meat, egg, cheese, parsley, oregano, basil, onion, bread crumbs, and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Add 1 cup of the water. Knead the water into the meat mixture with your hands. Knead and roll meatballs into about 1 1/2-inch balls. Place them in shallow saucepan on stove, add another 1/2 cup of water over them, and cover. Turn heat to medium, and steam for 35 minutes.
Drain the juice out of the bottom of the pan. Cover with Red Sauce sauce, and toss with a pasta of your choice before serving, or serve as is.


http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/michael-chiarello/meatballs-recipe/index.html

Pioneer Woman's Spaghetti Sauce

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2012/09/spaghetti-sauce/

Vegetarian Black Bean Enchiladas

These were a hit with the hubbs. The kids, not so much, but you can't win them all!
Found on Pinterest:

http://www.canyoustayfordinner.com/2011/03/01/vegetarian-black-bean-enchiladas-2/

Lemon Chicken Cordon Bleu

This was so good! I served it along with salad with a lite honey-mustard dressing. My hubbs loved to dip it in the dressing.
Found it on Pinterest:


http://www.canyoustayfordinner.com/2011/01/14/the-easiest-lemon-chicken-cordon-bleu/

Broccoli-stuffed Fish

This fish recipe was AMAZING!! It was really easy too, but looked like it took forever. I made a few changes, though. The recipe calls for sole, but I used tilapia that I got from Costco. I cut the fillets in half because each fillet is about 8 ounces, and you need 4, 4 oz fillets. Also, the filling made enough for 8, not 4!
Also, the sauce calls for white wine. I couldn't taste this at all, so you can omit it and use more milk instead. I ended up having to use a lot more milk because the sauce was way too thick.


http://www.recipe.com/broccoli-stuffed-sole/?sssdmh=dm17.594078&esrc=nwdr050412&email=3850933366

4 (This recipe made enough filling for 8)   4-ounce fresh or frozen skinless sole, flounder, or other fish fillets, about 1/4 inch thick

1 cup frozen cut broccoli, thawed (I used leftover fresh broccoli that I had cooked the night before and chopped it up really small)

1 beaten egg

 

1 8-ounce container soft-style cream cheese with chives and onion

 

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

 

3/4 cup herb-seasoned stuffing mix (This is about 1/2 a box of Stove Top)

 

2 tablespoons milk (I had to use more since the sauce was so thick)

2 tablespoons dry white wine (I couldn't really taste this, so you can substitute with more milk or chicken broth)

 

Directions

1.

Thaw fish, if frozen. Rinse fish and pat dry with paper towels. For stuffing, drain broccoli, pressing out excess liquid. Combine egg, half of the cream cheese, and the Parmesan cheese. Stir in broccoli and stuffing mix. Spoon one-fourth of the stuffing onto an end of each fillet. Roll up, securing rolls with wooden toothpicks. Place fish in a greased 2-quart square baking dish. Bake, covered, in a 350 degree F oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork and stuffing is hot.

I uncovered it for the last 5 minutes to let it brown a little.

 

2.

Meanwhile, for sauce, in a small saucepan cook remaining cream cheese, milk, and wine until heated through, stirring often. Serve sauce over fish. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition information

Per serving: Calories 376, Total Fat 23 g, Saturated Fat 12 g, Cholesterol 172 mg, Sodium 500 mg, Carbohydrate 11 g, Fiber 1 g, Protein 29 g. Daily Values: Vitamin A 29%, Vitamin C 20%, Calcium 14%, Iron 6%. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken

I only halved this recipe and Matt was so mad. This was AMAZING! If you've ever had the teriyaki chicken at Mo Betta Steaks, this tastes just like it, but better! Mo Betta tends to burn their chicken.
Anyway, without further ado, here is the link to the recipe:
http://lakelurecottagekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/08/crock-pot-teriyaki-chicken.html

and in case this link is ever broken, here is the recipe!

CROCK POT TERIYAKI CHICKEN

12 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 3 pounds)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce (gluten free)
6 tablespoons cider vinegar
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
4 1/2 teaspoons cold water
Hot cooked long grain rice

Place chicken in a 4 qt. slow cooker. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, soy sauce, cider vinegar, ginger, garlic and pepper. Pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken to a serving platter; keep warm. Skim fat from cooking liquid. Place liquid in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Gradually stir into liquid and stir until sauce is thickend. Serve with chicken and rice.

Note: I halved the recipe and it still worked fine in my crock pot. It might not need the full 4 hours time.

Chile Colorado Burritos

I used half a flank steak from Costco and only halved the recipe because my kids don't like this kind of thing. It made two big burritos. I also used Enchilada sauce from an envelope mix and vegetarian refried beans with fat free tortillas and not nearly as much cheese as it calls for. One burrito was plenty, and because it was smothered in sauce, you couldn't tell the tortillas were fat free.
I cooked the meat in half the enchilada sauce and then poured the rest on the assembled burritos.

http://food-pusher.blogspot.com/2010/08/chile-colorado-burritos.html

 1 1/2-2 lbs pounds stew meat or other beef cubed (top sirloin is great)

1 large can mild (red) enchilada sauce* (at least 19 oz.)

2 beef bouillon cubes

1/2 can refried beans (optional)

5-7 burrito size flour tortillas

1 cup or so of shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Put beef, bouillon, and enchilada sauce*** into a crock pot and cook on low for 7-8 hours**, or until meat is very tender. (Can also cook on high for maybe 3-4 hours.) I've also cooked it in a dutch oven for about 4 hours at 325 degrees. More meat, more time. A third option is to cook it in a large heavy saucepan--bring it to a boil on high heat, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the meat is tender. If you go with a method other than the crock pot, make sure the pot is covered and pretty well sealed to minimize evaporation of the liquid.

When beef is done (very tender and flakes off when stirred), taste and add more salt, if desired. Heat up refried beans in the microwave (covered and in a microwave-proof dish, of course)and put your oven on broil. On an oven-proof plate, or cookie sheet even, lay out a tortilla. Place on tortilla about 1/2 cup of the meat, drained by using a slotted spoon, and a spoonful or two of beans. Roll into a burrito (hopefully you know how to roll these). Pour some of the remaining enchilada sauce from the crock pot over the burrito to cover it. Sprinkle with some cheddar cheese. Broil until cheese is bubbly, about 2-4 minutes

Will make 4-7 burritos depending on how full you fill them.

Naan

I got the recipe off Pinterest, but it's found here:

http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com/2010/09/naan-127-recipe-016-serving.html

Di's Notes:
This was the best naan recipe I have ever found! You will want to double it, at least! Roll it out fairly thin because they do puff up as you cook them. Be sure to roll them out right before you cook them. Don't roll them all out at once and then cook them. Roll one out, and while it's cooking, roll out the next one, and so on. Be patient! It's worth it! You'll want to double this recipe!

2 t yeast
1 t sugar
1/2 c. water
2-3 c. flour divided (whole wheat flour can be used, but be careful not to use too much)
1/2 t salt
1/2 c vegetable oil (I subsititute butter)
1/3 c. plain greek yogurt
1 egg, beaten
Melted butter

Combine yeast, sugar, and water in mixing bowl. When it's frothy, add the oil, yogurt, and egg until combined.
In another bowl, combine 1 cup of flour with salt. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture slowly to incorporate both ingredients. Add more flour a half a cup at a time until you can no longer stir it with a spoon (about 1 1/2-2 cups)
Knead the dough for about three minutes, adding more flour if necessary. Dough should be smooth and soft, not sticky.
Loosely cover the dough and let rise until double (45 min)
Gently flatten out the dough and divide it into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a small ball.
Heat a lart skillet over medium heat and keep it at medium heat. Spray with cooking spray. Working with one ball at time, roll it out until about 1/4 inch thick or about 6 inches in diameter. Place rolled out dough onto the hot skillet and cook until underside is golden brown and bubbles have formed on the surface. Flip the dough and cook the other side until brown as well. Brush with melted butter. Serve with your favorite Indian Food dish!

See the website for step-by-step photos

Super Easy Tandoori Chicken legs

This is a very low-calorie, flavorful dinner. My kids actually really liked it, and there weren't any leftovers! We had it with brown rice and vegetables. It smells amazing as it cooks, but the flavors are really mild.

Ingredients:

12 chicken legs (about 1 ¼ pounds)
1 1/3 cup of plain Greek-style yogurt
4 teaspoons of tandoori seasoning (see below)
Juice from 1 lemon
½ teaspoon agave or honey
Black pepper grinder

Tandoori Seasoning Blend:

3 Tablespoons paprika
1 Tablespoon ground coriander
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons sea salt
½ Tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
½ Tablespoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon crumbled saffron threads or 2 teaspoons turmeric
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
(Makes ½ cup. Store remaining seasoning in a Ziploc bag for later use.)

Directions:

Make the Tandoori seasoning blend. Mix the yogurt, lemon juice, agave, and tandoori seasoning in a bowl.
Place the chicken and yogurt marinade into a Ziploc bag. After sealing the bag, squish everything around to make sure the chicken legs are well coated.
Store the bags in the fridge for about 8 hours.
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Arrange the chicken legs on a wire rack greased with coconut oil over a foil-lined baking sheet. Crack some black pepper over the chicken and pop the tray in the oven.
Bake the chicken for about 40 minutes, flipping the pieces at the halfway mark. Make sure you end up with the skin-side up so it’ll brown nicely.
Makes 4 servings

Easy Sugar Cookies for Fruit Pizzas and Frosting

1 c. Vegetable oil
1 c. margarine (butter will make them cook faster)
1 c. powdered sugar
1 c. white sugar
2 eggs
4 1/2 c. flour
1 t. salt
1 t. cream of tartar
1 t. baking soda

Beat first five ingredients together with mixer. Add flour, salt, cream of tartar, and baking soda to the blended mixture. Roll into Tbsp sized balls and flatten onto cookie sheet. Bake 375 for 10 minutes or until set. Makes 100 cookies

Frosting
2  8 oz packages cream cheese
1 c. white sugar
4 t. vanilla
Mix together and refrigerate 2-3 hours.

Frost cookies and top with fruit.

From joyisathome.blogspot.com

Chicken Parmesan

This is probably my husband's favorite dish I make. I'm not a big fan of chicken parmesan, but this is pretty good. It's adapted from here.

I saw Tyler Florence make it on TV, and it always turns out perfect.


4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 c. flour seasoned with salt and pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten with 1 T. of water until frothy
1 c. dried bread crumbs seasoned with salt and pepper and dried Italian seasonings (opt.)
Fresh mozzarella with the water drained off
Fresh parmesan cheese, grated
Cooked spaghetti noodles
1 jar or equivalent of favorite spaghetti sauce

Preheat oven to 450

Put chicken breasts on a cutting board side by side with plastic wrap over them. Pound them until about 1/2 inch thick. Coat each piece in flour then dip in eggs then bread crumbs. Heat 3 T. olive oil in a large, oven proof skillet.* When the oil is nice and hot, add the chicken and fry for 4 minutes on each side until crispy, only turning once.
Ladle spaghetti sauce over the chicken and place a slice of fresh mozzerella over each piece. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Serve hot over spaghetti noodles.

*If you don't have an oven-proof skillet, just use a frying pan and transfer the chicken to a 9X13 baking dish.

Baked Potatoes-- The best way

Here is my new favorite way to bake a potato. I actually bake them on a rack on top of a cookie sheet rather than directly on the oven rack. It makes a mess of your oven racks otherwise. Here is the tutorial:
http://howtobakeapotato.com/

It is to basically clean the potatoes, poke with a fork to vent steam, roll them in olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place on a rack in the oven at 350 for about 1 hour 15 minutes. Mine always need a little longer, an hour and a half. If they are golden brown, crispy, and puffed up a little, stick a fork in them to make sure they're soft inside.

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup

I am no longer going to buy the canned stuff. I have tried to make homemade cream of chicken to use in recipes, but I've never really liked the result. This recipe is the best I've found. It yields 3 cups or about 2 cans worth of cream of Chicken soup. I like to use homemade chicken broth from when I make my shredded chicken from this.

Here is my favorite cream of chicken soup recipe from:

http://www.tammysrecipes.com/homemade_cream_chicken_soup

Yield:

3 cups (about 2 cans)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups chicken broth*
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon onion powder**
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder***
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt (or less; taste to test)
1/4 teaspoon parsley
dash of paprika
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup flour (Can probably use cornstarch to make it GF)

Instructions:

1. In medium-sized saucepan, boil chicken broth, 1/2 cup of the milk, and the seasonings for a minute or two (longer if using fresh onions or garlic).
2. In a bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 cup of milk and flour. Add to boiling mixture and continue whisking briskly until mixture boils and thickens.

Additional Notes:

*I use the broth from my oven-roasted chicken. Refrigerate broth and then take fat off the top. If you're using chicken bouillon + water for your broth, you may want to add a little extra seasonings, such as lemon pepper, extra garlic, or seasoned salt, since my broth normally has bits of those in it. You can also add bits of chicken, but if you have good rich chicken broth, you probably won't need any chicken in it.
**Or, diced onions (boil with broth for a few minutes)
***Or, fresh minced garlic (boil with broth for a few minutes)
This recipe was featured in 10 Fabulous Foods We Make At Home (Not Buy!) :)

Preparation Time:

5 minutes

Cooking Time:

10-15 minutes

Tammy's Review:

I think this is an excellent substitution for the store-bought cans of condensed soups. It's so flavorful (even without MSG)! ;) I like to make this with leftover chicken broth (or even turkey broth!) and then freeze in 1 1/2 cup sized portions. Then, when I need a quick "can" of soup for a recipe, I just thaw some! I have made this in large batches (3-4 quarts at a time) and it saves even more time rather than having to make a small amount each time you need some. My rating: 10/10.

O'Henry's

1 c. sugar
1 c. corn syrup
1 c. peanut butter
1 c. salted peanuts
3 c. rice Krispies
6 oz milk chocolate chips
6 oz butterscotch chips

Bring sugar and corn syrup to a boil
Add peanut butter and peanuts, stir until melted
Add rice Krispies and mix well. Press into a buttered 9X13 pan. Pour chips on top and let melt a little and smooth over the top.

Peanut Butter Fingers

1 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
2/3 c. peanut butter
1 t. vanilla
2 c. flour
1 t. soda
1/2 t. salt
2 c. oats
1 c. chocolate chips
preheat 350. Grease cookie sheet. Bake 20 minutes. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top.
Frosting:
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. peanut butter
1/4 c. heated milk
Drizzle over all

Beth's Brownies

4 squares 100% margarine
1 C. cocoa
4 c. sugar
8 eggs
4 t. vanilla
2 2/3 c. flour

Melt margarine and cocoa together and cool. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Bake 350 for 20 minutes.

Cream Cheese Pie

Crust:
1 1/2 C. graham cracker crumbs
3 T. sugar
6 T. butter
1 t. cinnamon

Press into pie pan.

Filling:
8 oz cream cheese
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 c lemon juice
1 t. vanilla

Cream the cream cheese and milk together Add lemon juice and vanilla. Refrigerate 3 hours then pour in pie shell.