Beckka's Food Blog.

Amish White Bread - All Recipes

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 04:58:00 +0000

Amish White Bread

Ingredients

2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2/3 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 cups bread flour
Directions

In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam.
Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9x5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes."

This was a really great recipe. It's a bit of a sweet Bread, next time I will scale back the sugar next time. Make sure you really grease the sides & bottom.

50+ ways to not waste food!

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:40:00 +0000

This site had some great ideas on how not to waste food, I've copied the list here for preservation sake and added a few comments of my own. http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/ways-avoid-waste-food.html

Using Up Vegetables

1. Leftover mashed potatoes from dinner? Make them into patty shapes the next morning and cook them in butter for a pretty good "mock hash brown."

Adding a little chopped Garlic & Onion in either the mashed potatoes or in the morning gives them a wonderful flavor.

2. Don't toss those trimmed ends from onions, carrots, celery, or peppers. Store them in your freezer, and once you have a good amount saved up, add them to a large pot with a few cups of water and make homemade vegetable broth. This is also a great use for cabbage cores and corn cobs.

Could also be used for Chicken Stock Flavoring too

3. Don't toss broccoli stalks. They can be peeled and sliced, then prepared just like broccoli florets.

The stalks are just as yummy as the regular part, and great for soups.

4. If you have to dice part of an onion or pepper for a recipe, don't waste the rest of it. Chop it up and store it in the freezer for the next time you need diced onion or peppers.

5. Roasted root vegetable leftovers can be turned into an easy, simple soup the next day. Add the veggies to a blender, along with enough broth or water to thin them enough to blend. Heat and enjoy.

6. If you're preparing squash, don't toss the seeds. Rinse and roast them in the oven, just like you would with pumpkin seeds. The taste is pretty much the same.

7. Celery leaves usually get tossed. There's a lot of good flavor in them; chop them up and add them to meatloaf, soups, or stews.

8. Use up tomatoes before they go bad by drying them in the oven. You can then store them in olive oil in the refrigerator (if you plan on using them within a week) or in the freezer.

9. Canning is always a good option. If you're doing tomatoes, you can use a boiling water bath. If you're canning any other type of veggie, a pressure canner is necessary for food safety.

10. Before it goes bad, blanch it and toss it in the freezer. This works for peas, beans, corn, carrots, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and leafy greens like spinach and kale.

11. Too many zucchini? Make zucchini bread or muffins. If you don't want to eat the bread now, bake it and freeze it, then defrost when you're ready to eat it.

12.Pickle it. Cucumbers are the first veggie most of us think of pickling, but in reality, just about any vegetable can be preserved through pickling.

Ideas for Cutting Down on Fruit Waste

13. Make smoothies with fruit before it goes bad. Berries, bananas, and melons are great candidates for this use-up idea.

14. Jam is really easy to make, and will keep for up to a year if you process the jars in a hot water bath. If you don't do the water processing part, you can keep the jam in the refrigerator for a month, which is a lot longer than the fruits would have lasted.

15. Dry your fruit and store it in the freezer or in airtight containers.

16. Make fruit leather.

17. Make a big fruit salad or "fruit kebabs" for your kids. For some reason, they seem to eat more fruit if it's in these "fancier" forms.

18. Use up the fall bounty of apples by making applesauce or apple butter.

19. Don't throw out those watermelon rinds! Pickled watermelon rind is a pretty tasty treat.

20. Make a fruit crumble out of almost any fruit you have on hand. Assemble and bake it now, or leave it unbaked and store it in the freezer for a quick dessert.

You can also add fruit to cake & bread mixes.

Putting Extra Grains to Good Use

21. Make croutons out of day-old bread.

22. Turn day-old bread into homemade bread crumbs.

23. Freeze leftover bread. This way you'll have day-old on hand whenever you need bread crumbs, or croutons rather than using fresh bread.

24. All of those little broken pieces of pasta in the bottom of the box? Collect them and mix with rice and veggies for a simple side dish.

25. A few tablespoons of leftover oatmeal isn't enough for a meal, but it is great sprinkled on top of yogurt.

26. Add chopped bread to a soup. It will dissolve and thicken the soup.

27. Made too many pancakes for breakfast? Put them in the freezer, then toss in the toaster for a fast, tasty weekday breakfast. Ditto waffles.

28. If you make plain white or brown rice with dinner, use leftovers for breakfast the next morning by adding them to oatmeal. This provides extra fiber and allows you to use up that rice.

29. If you our your kids don't like the bread crusts on your sandwiches, save these bits and pieces in the freezer to turn into bread crumbs later. Just throw the crusts into a food processor or coffee grinder to make them into crumbs. Season as you like.

30. If you have just a smidge of baby cereal left in the box, and it's not enough for a full meal, add it to your babies pureed fruit. It adds bulk and fiber, and keeps baby full longer.

Make the Most of Meat

31. Don't toss those chicken bones after you eat the chicken. Boil them to make chicken stock.

32. Ditto for bones from beef and pork.

33. The fat you trim from beef can be melted down and turned into suet for backyard birds.

34. Turn leftover bits of cooked chicken into chicken salad for sandwiches the next day.

35. Use leftover roast beef or pot roast in an easy vegetable beef soup the next day by adding veggies, water, and the cooking juices from the meat.

Use Dairy Before It Expires

36. If you've got a few chunks of different types of cheese sitting around after a party, make macaroni and cheese.

37. Eggs can be frozen. Break them, mix the yolks and whites together, and pour into an ice cube tray. Two frozen egg cubes is the equivalent of one large egg.

38. You can also freeze milk. Leave enough room in the container for expansion, and defrost in the refrigerator.

39. Use cream cheese in mashed potatoes or white sauces to give them thickness and tang.

40. Put Parmesan cheese into the food processor with day-old bread to make Parmesan bread crumbs. This is excellent as a coating for eggplant slices, pork, or chicken.

Herbs and How to Get the Most Out of Them

41. Chop herbs and add them to ice cube trays with just a little water. Drop whole cubes into the pan when a recipe calls for that type of herb.

42. You can also freeze herbs by placing them in plastic containers. Certain herbs, such as basil, will turn black, but the flavor will still be great.

43. Make pesto with extra basil or parsley.

44. Dry herbs by hanging them by their stems in a cool, dry location. Once they're dry, remove them from the stems and store them in airtight containers.

Don't Waste a Drop

45. Leftover coffee in the carafe? Freeze it in ice cube trays. Use the cubes for iced coffee or to cool down too-hot coffee without diluting it. You can do the same with leftover tea.

46. If there's a splash or two of wine left in the bottle, use it to de-glaze pans to add flavor to whatever you're cooking.

47. If you have pickle juice left in a jar, don't pour it down the drain. Use it to make a fresh batch of refrigerator pickles, or add it to salad dressings (or dirty martinis).

48. You can also freeze broth or stock in ice cube trays, and use a cube or two whenever you make a pan sauce or gravy.

49. If there's just a bit of honey left in the bottom of the jar, add a squeeze or two of lemon juice and swish it around. The lemon juice will loosen up the honey, and you have the perfect addition to a cup of tea.

Finally....

50. If you can't think of any way to use that food in the kitchen, compost it. Everything except for meat and dairy will work in a compost pile, and at least your extra food can be used for something useful. Such as growing more food!

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 02:37:00 +0000

* Exported from MasterCook *

Mediterranean Chicken and Vegetables

Recipe By :

Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories : All-In-One

Marinade

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup apple juice

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons Spices -- Greek

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 teaspoons garlic -- chopped

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon

Chicken

6 pieces chicken thigh

2 large Potato -- cut in 1" pieces

2 medium zucchini -- cut 1" thick pices

1 whole bell pepper -- cut 1/2" thick pieces

1 medium onion -- cut into 1/2" pieces

In a small container, mix ingredents for Marinade In a large resealable storage bag, place chicken thighs, in another bag, add potatoes, veggies and onion. pour half of the marinade in each bag. seal both bags, and mix the bags around to cover all items in the bag with the mariade. (I mixed it all in a bowl, I also pealed most of the veggies, my mother isn't fond of them so I was trying to hide them.)

Heat the oven to 400F and line a large cassarole dish with foil. place chicken thighs, skin side up on one side of the pan, and vegetables on the other side. pour any remaining marinade over the chicken and vegetables

bake for 35-45 mintues or until juice of the chicken is clear and the thickest part is 180F. spooning juice in pan over chicken & vegetables half way through the bake time.

Cuisine:

"Mediterranean"

Source:

"Pillsbury: Money Saving Meals"

Tweaked by Me :)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 328 Calories; 21g Fat (57.8% calories from fat); 18g Protein; 17g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 79mg Cholesterol; 261mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 2 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 1/2 Fruit; 3 Fat.

The Simple Dollar � Making Your Own Homemade Oatmeal Packets: A Visual Guide and Cost Analysis

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:45:00 +0000

The Simple Dollar � Making Your Own Homemade Oatmeal Packets: A Visual Guide and Cost Analysis

Herbal Ice Cubes

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 19:07:00 +0000

This is another great tip that came across in my email. Thanks Richard!

Herbal Ice Cubes

To preserve fresh herbs freeze them in ice cube trays. Chop leaves of
your favorite herbs, pack into the trays, cover with water, and freeze.
Store cubes in plastic bags in the freezer and pop them into soups this
winter.

__._,_

StillTasty: Your Ultimate Shelf Life Guide - Save Money, Eat Better, Help The Environment

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 17:59:00 +0000

StillTasty: Your Ultimate Shelf Life Guide - Save Money, Eat Better, Help The Environment

Here is a great site to help you get a better idea on the shelf life of items. Though I always recommend a thorough examination of anything questionable. (Smell, Texture, Visual Inspection, etc)

Lower-Fat Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:45:00 +0000

Lower-Fat Soup

Love the convenience of canned soup, but not the added fat? Here's a way to enjoy canned soups guilt-free! Store cans of soup upside-down in the fridge. The fat in the soup will congeal and remain in the can, leaving you with a lower-fat quick soup to make!

This will only work with broth based soups. The fat will appear as white clumps.

Recipes - Greek Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:48:00 +0000

The Power of Family Meals� - Recipes - Greek Salad: "Greek Salad

Prep Time: 20 minMakes: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

1 (14 oz.) can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1 large cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, sliced crosswise
2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 small sweet onion, halved and sliced
1 (3 1/4 oz.) can ripe black olives
OR kalamata olives, for a more intense flavor
5 tablespoons Crisco� Pure Vegetable Oil
2 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
Salt and pepper to taste
4 to 6 cups assorted salad greens, washed, dried and chopped or torn
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Preparation Directions

1.PLACE artichokes, cucumber, tomatoes, bell pepper, onion and olives in large serving bowl.
2.WHISK oil, vinegar, oregano and lemon peel in small bowl to blend. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.
3.POUR dressing evenly over vegetables; marinate about 30 minutes.
4.ADD salad greens, toss to coat. Sprinkle with feta cheese. Serve."

Recipes - Lemon and Garlic Lamb Chops

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:47:00 +0000

The Power of Family Meals� - Recipes - Lemon and Garlic Lamb Chops: "Lemon and Garlic Lamb Chops

Prep Time: 5 minCook Time: 10 minMakes: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 tablespoon Pillsbury BEST� All Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 lamb shoulder chops
1/4 cup Crisco� Pure Vegetable Oil
Preparation Directions

1.MIX flour, lemon peel, garlic powder, salt and pepper in large plastic food storage bag. Add chops. Shake to coat. Set aside.
2.HEAT oil in large skillet. Add chops and any remaining flour mixture. Fry over medium-high heat about 10 minutes, or until chops are golden brown, turning over once. Drain on paper towels."

Recipes - Apple Dumplings

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:47:00 +0000

The Power of Family Meals� - Recipes - Apple Dumplings

Apple Dumplings

prep Time: 40 min

Cook Time: 35 min

Makes: 6 dumplings

Ingredients

Crisco® Butter No-Stick Cooking Spray

Classic Crisco Pie Crust

6 baking apples (about 3 inches in diameter), peeled and cored

1/3 cup chopped pecans

1/3 cup raisins

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 bottle Smucker's® Caramel Sundae Syrups Ice Cream Topping

OPTIONAL PASTRY GARNISH

Classic Crisco Pie Crust

Egg wash made with 1 egg mixed with 1 teaspoon water

Green food coloring

Small artist's paint brush

Preparation Directions

1.HEAT oven to 425ºF. Spray an 11 1/2 x 8 x 2-inch baking dish with no-stick cooking spray.

2.PREPARE dough according to recipe. Roll out two-thirds of pastry into 14-inch square on lightly floured surface. Cut into 4 squares. Roll remaining pastry into 14 x 7-inch rectangle. Cut into 2 squares.

3.PLACE 1 apple in center of each pastry square. Combine nuts, raisins and cinnamon. Spoon into center of apples.

4.MOISTEN corners of each square. Bring 2 opposite corners of pastry up over apple and press together. Repeat with other corners. Press pastry seams together along sides of dumpling. Place dumplings in prepared baking dish.

5.BAKE 40 minutes or until apples are tender and pastry is golden brown. Spoon syrup over dumplings several times during baking. Serve warm, drizzled with caramel syrup.

OPTIONAL PASTRY GARNISH

1.HEAT to 400°F. Roll out pastry; cut with leaf-shaped cutter (or cut by hand with a small, sharp knife). Transfer cut outs to a piece of parchment paper. Place egg wash in a small bowl. Add a drop or two of food coloring; stir to combine.

2.BRUSH each leaf cut-out with colored egg wash. Transfer colored cut-outs to a baking sheet; bake 6 to 8 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 10 minutes on the baking sheet; remove to rack to cool completely. Use to garnish dumplings.

Fifty Things to Do With Leftover Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 20:33:00 +0000

I found this on another site, and thought it was a great list.

Fifty Things to Do With Leftover Chicken

Never Fail Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 00:25:00 +0000

This video & Recipe comes from www.indorecipe.com

5 - 6 cups bread flour

1 heaping tbsp active dry yeast + 1 scant tbsp active dry yeast

2 cups lukewarm water

1 tsp salt

4 heaping tbsps vegetable oil

8 tbsps sugar

Preparation:

Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water, let stand until foamy. Meanwhile in a separate bowl, mix sugar and bread flour well.

When water mixture already foamy, mix in salt and oil, mix well. Mix in flour one cup at a time.

Knead dough on a floured surface. Place in an oil greased bowl, turn dough to coat. Cover with damp towel, place in a warm place for an hour or until doubled in size. Punch down dough.

Divide in half. Knead each for a bit and shape to loaves, place in loaf pans, let rest for another half hour. Loaves will rise in size again.

Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.

Notes:

you can also dissolve the sugar in the lukewarm water before dissolving the yeast, either way is fine. If you don't have bread flour, mix half wheat flour and half all purpose flour, this would work as well.

Pizza Hut Style Pizza Dough

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 16:51:00 +0000

Pizza Hut Style Pizza Dough.

1 1/3 cups water
2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp cornmeal
3 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp yeast

Add ingredients to bread machine, according to manufacturer's settings, and run dough setting. After the machine beeps, roll out the dough. Recipe makes enough dough for two 9x13" or into two medium pizzas or a large pizza and an order of breadsticks. Bake the crust with a drizzle of olive oil on it at 450 degrees for ten minutes. Remove the crust and add sauce and toppings. If making breadsticks, add your breadsticks at this time. Place into the oven for another ten to fifteen minutes or until golden and bubbly. Enjoy

To make a slightly fluffier crust, after you roll out and place on the sheet you are going to bake it on, cover and let rise for 20-40 minutes.

Found this Recipe at: The Mother Load: Frugal Momma's Test Kitchen: Pizza Dough- Take Six - The MomAdvice.com Blog

Spicy Skillet Chicken Recipe from Betty Crocker

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 05:18:00 +0000

Ooh this one looks super good, can’t wait to try it.

Prep Time: 25 min
Total Time: 25 min
Makes: 4 servings

1 to 2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 lb)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 can (15 oz) Progresso® black beans, drained, rinsed
1 can (11 oz) Green Giant® Mexicorn® whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, undrained
1/3 cup Old El Paso® Thick 'n Chunky salsa
2 cups hot cooked rice

1. In small bowl, mix chili powder, salt and pepper; sprinkle evenly over both sides of chicken breasts.

2. In 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken; cook 8 to 10 minutes, turning once, until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (170°F).

3. Stir in beans, corn and salsa. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer 3 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are hot. Serve with rice.

1 Serving: Calories 510 (Calories from Fat 80); Total Fat 9g (Saturated Fat 2g, Trans Fat 0g);Cholesterol 85mg; Sodium 1070mg; Total Carbohydrate 63g (Dietary Fiber 11g, Sugars 5g); Protein43g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 6%; Vitamin C 4%; Calcium 8%; Iron 25% Exchanges: 3 1/2Starch; 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 4 1/2

100 Things you can make yourself : Thrifty Mommy - Time and Money Saving Tips from Thrifty Mommy

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 18:25:00 +0000

This is a great site, with lots of great ideas. I've personally made applesauce, spaghetti sauce, guacamole, salsa, hummus, gravy, chocolate kisses, pizza and pasta, bubbles, playudough, jewelry, bread, pretzels, donuts, and bagels.

100 Things you can make yourself : Thrifty Mommy - Time and Money Saving Tips from Thrifty Mommy
(copies just in case her site goes away)

100 Things You can Make Yourself

All purpose household cleaner

Solar power generator

4th of July sparklers

Deboning A Whole Chicken.

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:28:00 +0000

I'll be the first to admit, I have no idea on how to cut up a whole chicken. While I could all ways call my cousin the Butcher, driving that far to get a chicken cut up isn’t exactly an option. So I stumbled across this helpful little video.

Technorati Tags: Technorati Tags: Cooking From Scratch,Cooking,How-to,Fresh,Frugal,Tips,Video,Chicken

Beef & Potato Tacos – Photos.

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 01:55:00 +0000

A while ago, I posted a recipe for Beef & Potato Tacos, Which I made again today. Here are some pictures.

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Mediterranean Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:39:00 +0000

This is a great salad for the summer. It came across to me from one of the many mailing lists I am on. Sounds super Yummy!

18 C. torn romaine (about 2 large bunches)
1 medium cucumber sliced
1 C. crumbled feta cheese
1 C. cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 small red onion thinly sliced
1/2 C. julienned roasted sweet red peppers
1/2 C. pitted Greek olives halved

Dressing:
2/3 C. olive oil
1/4 C. red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove minced
1 t. Italian seasoning or Greek Seasonings.
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper

In a very large salad bowl combine the first 7 ingredients. In a jar with a tight fitting lid, combine the remaining ingredients; shake well. Drizzle over salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

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Strawberry Spring Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 04:05:00 +0000

Was making a post to my other blog and saw this blog, and some of the recipes just looked so yummy, I had to post. I can’t wait to try this. Now if my strawberry plant would produce strawberries!

The Power of Family Meals� - Recipes - Strawberry Spring Salad: "Strawberry Spring Salad

Prep Time: 10 min Makes: 6

Ingredients

1/2 cup Smucker's Strawberry Fruit Syrup (Or other strawberry syrup or Jam)
2 tablespoons Crisco Pure Canola Oil
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 (5 oz.) package spring salad greens or other salad greens mix
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 tangerine or small orange, peeled, seeded, cut into bite-size pieces
12 strawberries, sliced vertically
1/4 cup sunflower kernels
1/4 cup blue cheese, crumbled
Preparation Directions

1.COMBINE fruit syrup, oil and vinegar to make vinaigrette. Whisk until blended.
2.PLACE salad greens, green onion, orange pieces, strawberries and sunflower kernels in a large salad bowl.
3.ADD vinaigrette. Toss lightly. Crumble blue cheese over top. Serve immediately."

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Our 4th of July BBQ, a Day late

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 22:50:00 +0000

Due to all the rain, we had to have our 4th of July BBQ a day later. My sister made hamburgers and brought over sausages. My mother made a salad, and we grilled up some corn. It was a very low key BBQ, but still a lot of fun. My sister got the meat at Cost Co. My father & brother-in-law were in charge of grilling the food. I tried to get some good pictures, but the smoke from the grill was screwing with the auto-focus on my camera.

BAKED APPLE DUMPLINGS

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 06:43:00 +0000

These look so good, I want to try them at some point.

BAKED APPLE DUMPLINGS

1 stick butter
5 apples, sliced
10 count can biscuits
2 c. sugar, extra sugar
2 c. water
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
Pinch of salt

Roll out biscuits the size of saucers. Put half of each apple in
biscuit; sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Pull biscuit, pinch
together. Repeat for each biscuit. Boil 5 minutes 2 cups water, 2
cups margarine, salt and vanilla. Pour over dumplings. Bake for 40
minutes at 375 degrees.

ZUCCHINI PARMESAN

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 06:42:00 +0000

ZUCCHINI PARMESAN

4 cups of thinly sliced zucchini
1 tablespoon of water
1 teaspoon of salt
3 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese
1 small. onion, chopped
2 tablespoons of margarine
Freshly ground pepper

Put all ingredients except cheese in skillet. Cover and cook 1
minute. Uncover and continue cooking and turning with wide spatula
until just tender. About 5 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese. Toss.

Home-Made Lemonade!

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 06:40:00 +0000

HOMEMADE LEMONADE

A Summertime Favorite!
Great For That 4th Of July BBQ!

SERVINGS: 2
METHOD:
TIME: Prep: 15 min. + chilling
Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup lemon peel strips (about 1-1/2 lemons)
3/4 cup lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
1 cup club soda, chilled
Directions:

In a small saucepan, heat sugar and water over medium heat until sugar is dissolved, stirring frequently. Stir in lemon strips. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Cool slightly. Transfer to a pitcher. Stir in lemon juice; cover and refrigerate until chilled.
Discard lemon strips. Stir in club soda. Serve over ice. Yield: 2-1/2 cups

Chicken Schnitzel

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:47:00 +0000

Click here for more Photos!
One of my favorite ways to make chicken stretch is to make Chicken Schnitzel. As my mother wants me to teach her how I make mine tonight, I figured I would post my Recipe, so here it is! (The Recipe is for 6-8 servings)

What you need for the Meal:
3-4 Chicken Breasts, Cleaned and cut butterfly style, and then cut to make two thing breasts each. (Can also use Chicken Thighs.)
2 Eggs (mix the eggs together, as if you were making scrambled eggs, can thin with either milk or water. I prefer water)
1/2 cup of flour
1-2 cups of bread crumbs
2-4 teaspoons of olive oil (regular oil can be used as well.)

Preparing the Chicken:
Lay the chicken on a cutting board and cover losely with plastic wrap (I usually just lay it over the chicken). Take a meat pounder and pound out the chicken as thin as you can. (1/8 to 1/4th of an inch thick). I usually let the chicken rest a few minutes while I prepare the eggs, flour, and bread crumbs into different bowls used for the breading process.

The Breading Process: (Easiest to do with your fingers, though it can be a bit messy.) First I coat the chicken with the flour, making sure to get rub it into all the little tiny cracks that might have appeared in the slicing & pounding stages, I do this with all the breast, then I dip it in the eggs, making sure it's fully coated. Then I take the chicken breast and do the same with the bread crumbs, making sure to push in as much extra bread crumbs as I can to get a really full coating.

Cooking! I heat my frying pan up before putting anything in it, I pour the oil in and then put the chicken in right away. Fry on each side for about 4-5 minutes depending on how thin you manage to pound down the chicken. Turning only once. The less you turn, the better your breading sticks.

After both sides are cooked, remove from the pan, and set on paper towel to drain any excess oil and grease off. Serve with Apple Sauce or a Chicken Gravy.

Bulgogi

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 18:41:00 +0000

Yesterday, we had one of my Childhood Favorites.

1/4 cup Japanese or Korean dark soy sauce
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more for grilling
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
3 medium garlic cloves, crushed, peeled, and grated
3 scallions, root and dark green ends trimmed, and 6-inch stalks minced
2 pounds marbled sirloin or rib steak, sliced paper thin against the grain (Other cuts of thinly slice Beef will do well, you don't want something super tough too)

Whisk together the soy sauce and sugar in a bowl until the sugar is completely dissolved. Stir in the vegetable and sesame oils, sesame seeds, garlic, and scallions until well combined. Add the beef, tossing it with your hands to make sure it is evenly coated on all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate it, allowing the meat to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

YOu can stick on Skewers or grill flat. Serve with Rice.