fashionably foodie

white chocolate macadamia nut cookies: best recipe ever

2011-03-14T11:08:00.000-07:00

if I had to pay money for this recipe, I would pay alot. I've been making these cookies for years and they are my go-to cookies for surprise guests, because this is one of those recipes that tastes much more complicated than it is to prepare and they are so quick to make! these cookies take seriously under 10 minutes to get in the oven, they are FAST. they are beyond delicious and in my opinion, a must have recipe for everyone!

white chocolate macadamia nut cookies
recipe from taste of home, cookout 2007

1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup plus 2 TB flour
1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 bag macademia nuts
1/2 bag white chocolate chips

in a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. beat in egg and vanilla. combine flour and baking soda, gradually add to creamed mixture. stir in nuts and chips.
drop heaping TB two inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.
bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes until golden brown.
cool 1 minute, move to wire racks.

how to cook a perfect holiday turkey!

2010-11-24T07:51:00.000-08:00

happy thanksgiving eve everyone! i bet everyone has a sink full of thawing turkeys right now, and today is a busy day getting ready for thanksgiving. this is my favorite easy way to ensure a delicious moist turkey every year. it always turns out. i have a turkey in the oven now so i don't have a cooked turkey pic up yet. i will add one in a couple of hours. in the meantime, here's what you need to do to make a perfect turkey.

how to cook a perfect holiday turkey.

buy a turkey. most turkeys are frozen these days, but if you are getting a fresh turkey, congratulations and you can skip this part. if it's frozen and you are very lazy, make room for it in your fridge a week ahead of time. it will be ready in time for t-day. if you are more of a procrastinator (i like to say i work better under pressure,) start thawing it in cold water in your sink the day before, changing the water and flipping the turkey over every hour or two as you remember.
buy some turkey bags. the reynolds turkey bags.
once your turkey is thawed, remove it from the package. it has a neck cavity and ahem, another one. the neck cavity is where you will find a long turkey neck and a package of giblets (heart, liver) to be removed. pull these out and do whatever you need to with them. i throw them away, but i know many use them for stuffing. *shudder*
rinse the turkey well inside and out. dry off with paper towels.
using melted butter (which solidifies as it touches the turkey so it can be a little tricky) or oil, cover the whole top of the turkey, rubbing the oil or butter all over. season with salt and pepper or whatever spices you like.
stuff the neck cavity with something good. i have used lots of different things and it always turns out well. my favorite things to use: halved onions, apples, oranges, lemons, herbs, celery. i really like the combination of apples and onion, that is what i am making again this year.
cover the oiled/buttered turkey with paprika. TONS of paprika. i included a picture so you can see my turkey loaded up with paprika in every area. don't skip this! it makes your turkey golden and gorgeous like a norman rockwell painting!
put 2 tablespoons of flour in the turkey bag, open it up and set inside your roasting pan. you need a deep pan, at least a couple of inches deep. you can add some apple, orange or pinapple juice to the bag if you like- about 2 cups.
put the turkey in the bag, seal it up, slice 6 half inch slits all over the top of the bag, and tuck the top and ends of the bag under the turkey.
put in the oven and cook. if you have a small turkey you're looking at 2-3 hours, a large one will be 3-4. most turkeys have a red tab that will popout when it's done, you can watch for that. your turkey will be golden and moist and deliciously perfect!

enjoy and have a happy thanksgiving!!

currently loving: cargo skinnies, white knuckles and cocoamotion

2010-11-19T13:44:00.000-08:00

so it occurred to me that my food blog, fashionably foodie- is too much foodie and not enough fashionably! i'm going to kick off a new feature on this blog, currently loving. this is something i like do on my personal blog, and i thought it might be fun on this blog too. if you hate it or love it or want to talk this or anything else, email me at fashionablyfoodie AT gmail DOT com.
this is what's on my radar this week!

xoxo, rachelle

to eat: i'm on a pepperoni pizza kick, my two girls and I have a standing weekly pizza lunch date
to drink: it's hot chocolate time again! we love our cocoamotion hot chocolate maker. extra marshmallows please
to shop: hitting amazon, american girl and pottery barn kids in one fell santa swoop! i want to be done with my christmas shopping early this year!
to hear: ok go, white knuckles~ if prince and lenny kravitz had a beautiful baby, it would be this song, LOVE it, i am beyond, beyond obsessed with it!! (and my kids know that they can't talk during this song, i'm going to play it really really loud, may play the air guitar, and we WILL stay in the car to hear the whole song) lol
to wear: if you see me this week i'm wearing these pants. loving my army green skinny cargos. also still obsessed with revlon super lusterous lip gloss, i love that stuff
to watch: the only things on my tv these days are icarly and call of duty: black ops (that would be my six year old and my husband)
to do: plan parties! just catching my breath from my six year old daughter's birthday, getting ready for the Thanksgiving dinner for 200 and the Christmas gift Bazaar at the gradeschool and am already thinking about my three year old's birthday party... next August

Please hold...

2010-11-06T17:05:00.000-07:00

Laptop, meet computer virus. Awesome Trojans, meet laptop.

Ipads aren't for blogging, if you have one (or an iPhone). You'll understand. Auto correction nightmares. Notice all the periods and capitalization?
See you next week after the nerds resurrect my computer!

homemade pumpkin ice cream with chocolate chips and walnuts

2010-10-29T15:34:00.000-07:00

I really wanted to come up with a recipe for pumpkin ice cream that tasted like the kind you can get at the ice cream shops that mix up toppings in your ice cream on a marble slab. Since I live over 200 miles from the nearest marble slab ice cream store, homemade is as good as it gets. Honestly, it's better.
I tried making pumpkin ice cream without using a custard base, and it didn't work out. This ice cream really needs the depth of flavor a custard base offers~ when I used just a cream/sugar base it tasted like it was missing something. Your taste buds want to compare this ice cream to pumkin pie, so it needs to taste as rich. It's fantastic. Perfect with a simple sugar cookie, a warm chocolate cookie, or a drizzle of homemade hot fudge and some whipped cream. Or by itself, in large spoonfuls, late at night.
I'm taking this huge tub to a party tonight, wanna come? :)

homemade pumpkin ice cream with chocolate chips and walnuts
an original recipe by rachelle

2 cups cream
1 cup milk
2 eggs plus 2 yolks
1 cup plus 2 TB sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 (20 oz) can pumpkin
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves

later:
1/4 cup chocolate chips, blended or chopped
2 TB chocolate chips, left whole
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Combine cream and milk in a saucepan, bring to a boil and turn off immediately. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, combine egss, sugar, salt, spices and pumpkin, mix until fluffy. While mixer is running, pour 1 cup of the hot cream into the pumpkin egg mixture. Keep adding hot cream, one cup at a time, slowly, to temper the eggs. After everything is combined, pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Bring up to 170 degrees exactly, then turn the heat off. Stir in vanilla. Cool mixture overnight and prepare in ice cream maker- add chocolate chips and walnuts after ice cream has frozen at least halfway so they don't sink to the bottom.

**oh, and I added a bit of red and yellow food coloring to make the color better. i stopped counting drops after i accidentally dumped too much red and had to even it out with lots of yellow. just start out with a few drops and work from there.**

Party batch recipe:
(2 regular sized batches)

4 cups cream
2 cups milk
4 eggs plus 2 yolks
2 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
a whole huge can pumpkin
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons allspice
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 cup chopped chocolate chips
1/4 cup whole chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Hey look I used proper punctuation and capitalization today!

the classic libby's pumpkin roll (& rachelle's make it impressive tips)

2010-10-23T16:38:00.000-07:00

the classic libby's pumpkin roll. i'm not going to reinvent the wheel here, this recipe is perfection. if you've never tried it before, don't be skeered. it's really easy and the cake bakes in 13 minutes, so it's not a huge time investment either. i shot up the cream filling with a dash of cinnamon but i stuck to the classic recipe. paired with my homemade pumpkin ice cream with chocolate chips and walnuts, this recipe is a fall favorite of everyone! take one to your thanksgiving potluck, it's impressive but easy to make!

the classic libby's pumpkin roll (& my make it impressive tips)
recipe from Libby's Canned Pumpkin Co.

1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup powdered sugar (optional)

PREHEAT oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle towel with powdered sugar.
COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan.
BAKE for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.
BEAT cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake; remove towel. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

rachelle's make it impressive tips:

add an extra dash nutmeg to the cake batter, a dash cinnamon/pumpkin pie spice to the cream filling.
grease the edges of the pan and grease and flour waxed paper well. very well.
when the cake batter is in the pan, drop the pan onto a hard surface several times to spread out the batter evenly across the pan. the batter should be level.
use alot of powdered sugar on your towel. use a flour sack or a really thin kitchen towel.
loosen the edges of the cooked cake from the cookie sheet before lifting off the pan.
turn the cooked cake onto the sugared towel and then carefully peel off the waxed paper.
using the towel, starting at one end, tightly roll the cake with the towel and let cool rolled in the towel.
when you're spreading the cream center on the carefully unrolled cake, smooth it in an even layer across the whole cake, all the way to the edges.
roll it back up evenly, and if it is an uneven circle- too fat on one side, let the roll sit on that side to even out. just like shaping cinnamon rolls.
for presentation, cut a very small slice off each end of the roll to get rid of the 'ugly' part of the roll.
refrigerate overnight for best flavor before giving!

new on foodie!

2010-10-23T15:31:00.000-07:00

by request,

a new about me page, linked in a tab at the top of the blog.

(be warned, only for the extremely curious and/or bored.)

if you feel like introducing yourself or have any more comments or questions, please leave a comment or email me anytime at rachellej4ckj AT yahoo DOT com!

green chile sour cream sauce & dip

2010-10-17T17:39:00.000-07:00

i based this recipe on a dip we love that is served at the (famous) Si Señor restaurant in Deming, NM. they serve this dip with bowls of tortilla chips and salsa, and we can never get enough! it's perfect party food- stick it in your 7 layer dip instead of sour cream, or serve bowls of this dip, salsa and guacamole with tortilla chips, yum!

in addition to eating this by the bowlful with our chips, we love this sauce on top of our red enchiladas instead of sour cream, with flautas for dipping, and on top of chimichangas. it's perfectly fabtastic, a super simple recipe, but it is always gone in a flash around here!

green chile sour cream sauce & dip
an original recipe by rachelle, based on a dish from Si Señor Restaurant

1 heaping cup sour cream
1/2 heaping cup roasted & peeled green chile (we like it fresh roasted, but 2- 4oz. cans, drained will work too)
1/2 teaspoon salt, to taste
dash chicken boullion

combine in a blender or food processor, processing by pulse so some chunks of chile are left. i process the sour cream and salt and half the chile til smooth, then pulse in the second half of the chile, careful to leave it chunky. taste and season with more salt if needed. refrigerate to blend flavors at least 1 hour, preferably a few hours or overnight.

doughnut fried french toast

2010-10-16T10:22:00.000-07:00

needless to say, this french toast is beyond awesome. it is melt-in-your-mouth good. my daughter begs for it every saturday morning! we're going to try to limit this breakfast to special occasions, it's pretty naughty. just as delicious with and without the sugar coating- the regular version is pictured.

doughnut fried french toast
rachelle's adaptation, original recipe by shirley memmott, she calls it mexican french toast

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
sliced bread
1/4 cup granulated sugar for dipping

combine flour, sugar, salt and egg yolks in a mixing bowl, stir to combine. add milk and vanilla, stir. fold in egg whites. batter will be smooth and thick. heat 1/2 inch of oil in a skillet. dip bread in batter and fry until golden on both sides, flipping halfway. dust with powdered sugar or dip in granulated sugar like a sugared doughnut.

**the bread gets pretty heavy with the batter and tends to tear, i use frozen bread and carefully support the slices from the bottom, putting them on a plate to drop into the oil and using tongs to turn and remove from the oil. if your bread is torn, it's just as delish in bite sized pieces!

** edited to add: cut your bread in half diagonally before dipping in batter. it is much easier to handle this way!

halloween kleenex tissue ghost suckers

2010-10-14T21:57:00.000-07:00

even a food blogging PTA president needs a last minute idea for bake sales sometimes.
enter the super easy kleenex tissue paper ghosts! remember these??
a cute quick idea for a class party or party favor.

my husband had the idea of using little hair rubberbands as the ties and they were perfect. found some cheapie little black ones at the convenience store and they made this project so easy. i made 50 ghosts in under 15 minutes!

don't forget to make a few lady ghosts with hairbows!

homemade tortillas

2010-10-08T15:46:00.000-07:00

this recipe is it! the perfect homemade tortillas. easy and quick and cheap and after a couple run-throughs, you will be a perfect tortilla maker.
these are equally yummy with either white (classic, flavorful) and whole wheat (hearty, filling) flours.
our favorite with beans, burritos, healthy fiesta wraps (wheat,) and fiesta wraps (white).

homemade tortillas

2 cups flour (white or wheat)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup oil
2/3 cup HOT water

combine flour, salt and baking powder in the bowl of a bosch or kitchenaid. (my preference is to use a mixer, but usually tortillas are mixed by hand.)
mix to combine. add oil and hot water (i heat water in a tea kettle until almost boiling.) mix to combine. if your dough comes together in a ball, you're all set. if your dough is still stiff and not coming together, add water by the Tablespoonful until it does.

get a dishtowel soaking wet and wring it out. place dough in a ball under the wet towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.

after 30 minutes, divide dough into 8-10 balls and flatten like little discs. leave them under the dishtowel while you are rolling out the tortillas.

heat a cast-iron or stainless skillet on high while you roll the tortillas. after you get going, you may need to lower the heat a bit. you can also use a griddle (electric pancake griddle,) but crank it to the max temperature setting.

lightly dust your rolling surface with flour. roll tortillas* into circles, starting from the center every time and rolling outwards, turning between rolls to get even circles. dust more flour underneath or on tortillas as needed. roll tortillas as thinly as you can, preferably as thin as paper. my first tortillas were more like pancakes, but with practice you get better at it!

cook tortillas on both sides, watching carefully. you should get little brown spots if your pan is hot enough.
immediately put the tortillas in a ziplock with the zipper part wide open, or in a tortilla warmer. this will keep them soft!

* i think it is easiest to roll thin tortillas using a pastry rolling pin. i also love this for rolling out mini pot pies and mini pizzas. it offers more control because of its small size.

taco soup with tomatoes and corn!

2010-10-08T07:12:00.000-07:00

i started making this in college for my roommates and all the guys we wanted to impress after my grammy faye gave me a version of this recipe. now this soup is one of our favorite easy family dinners and i've passed out the recipe many many times. this soup is an easy add to the rotation- it's a crock pot dump and kids love it. my niece was over last night and asked me to give her mom the recipe (i told her i'd blog it for her,) and my five year old who isn't a big fan of eating-- told me that 'dinner was really good, mom.' this recipe makes a huge pot full, easily enough to share. warm and spicy and perfectly seasoned, it really hits the spot on a cool fall night! i brown up some hamburger while i'm making lunch and toss it in the crockpot with the other canned ingredients to be ready for dinner, that's it! we love it with a big green salad and some sweet buttermilk cornbread!

taco soup with tomatoes and corn
rachelle's recipe, adapted from fix it and forget it cookbook and grammy faye

1 can pinto beans, with juice
1 can corn, with juice
2 (28 oz) large cans whole/diced tomatoes (i like 1 can whole, 1 can diced), with juice
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1/2 can water
1 packet taco seasoning
*1 packet ranch dressing mix, optional*
1 spoonful sugar, dash salt- season to taste
1 pound hamburger
1 onion, diced

brown ground beef and onion, drain, add to crock pot. add undrained beans, corn, tomatoes, tomato sauce, taco seasoning and a dash of salt and sugar, to taste. cook on low for 4-6 hours, serve with shredded cheddar cheese, corn chips and sour cream!

*can add a packet of ranch dressing mix. i find it depends on the day and brand of canned ingredients, sometimes i add it, sometimes i don't. taste the soup about an hour before serving and season to taste. last night's batch needed and extra TB of ranch dressing mix and a few teaspoons of sugar too. if i don't add ranch mix i usually add a few shakes of onion powder and a dash of cumin.

**the corn and tomatoes really make this soup fantastic, don't leave those out! ;)

chicken and rice casserole: the best easy ugly dinner you'll ever eat!

2010-10-05T13:59:00.000-07:00

so "good looks" is not one of this casserole's best qualities. let's be honest, it's not a looker. but it is easy and delicious, so i'm not going to hold the ugly against it. this is an oooold recipe, a classic sunday dinner dish, complete with the requisite casserole can of cream of mushroom soup. it's an easy go to meal and i can come home from church during sunday school (oops, did I just confess) and shape my dinner rolls and whip this up in time for it to be ready after church. you can use frozen chicken breasts, have i ever mentioned my love for recipes that use frozen chicken breasts? love them. be sure to serve this with a colorful green and fruit salad!
this may be the best easy ugly dinner you'll ever eat! (also works in the crock pot!)

the best easy ugly dinner you'll ever eat, aka
classic chicken and rice casserole
recipe by michelle j.

2 heaping cups rice
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
6-8 chicken breasts, seasoned (frozen is perfect!)
2 cans cream of mushroom or chicken soup
4 cans water
1 package dry onion soup mix (for flavor and browning, need this!)
1 onion, sliced

grease sides and bottom of 9x13 dish. pour rice evenly over the bottom of the dish. sprinkle the salt over the rice. arrange seasoned chicken (can use frozen chicken breasts, yay) on top of rice. blend mushroom soup and water. pour over chicken, sprinkle onion soup and sliced onion over top. cover tightly with foil and bake 1.5 hours at 350 degrees. (or cook in crock pot all afternoon on low.)

*feel free to season that chicken well, and if you run out of dry onion soup mix you could sprinkle dry gravy mix over the chicken for flavor and browning.

2010-09-30T22:27:00.000-07:00

I don't know who Robbi is or why she has the best dang M&M cookie recipe in the whole world, but she does and I could hug her for it. After making these cookies several times by assignment (as in hey! you---you will make MM cookies, whether you ever have or not, which I had not,) they are now my new favorite cookie. Which says alot if you have ever tried a Ginger Crinkle. Somebody get Robbi an award. Speaking of awards, guess who got assigned to bring M&M cookies again? Better believe I did! Go make these right now! They are seriously the best!

Robbi's M&M Cookies
Recipe from Allrecipes

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups M&M's
                   *in MX we can only buy individual packs of M&M's , takes me about 3-4 for a single recipe, 7 packs for a doubled recipe, I always wonder if the cashier thinks I'm binging today when I buy 7 packs at a time, lol :)

In a large bowl, mix sugar, eggs, shortening, and vanilla thoroughly. Add flour, salt, and baking soda to creamed mixture. Blend well. Add 3/4 cup of M&M candies.

Drop dough by teaspoonful onto cookie sheet. Slightly push a few candies on top of each dough ball with remaining candies.   ( I like to push them down a bit.)

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 9 to 11 minutes, to your liking.

This is the scoop I use to make these, I lurve it, makes cookies even easier:

quick tip: strawberry slicer!

2010-09-28T21:08:00.000-07:00

My girls kids think it's so fun to use this egg slicer-turned strawberry slicer that I need a second one to avoid fights over it. (Ya, I'm sure that'll stop it, lol) They use it to help me chop mushrooms for meal prep, but their favorite is when I give them bowls of banana chunks and/or hulled strawberries to slice their own snacks. I've sent it to school with my Kindergartner and she and all her friends have fun slicing up fruit at snack time. If you don't have any small people at your house (can I call you and listen to the quiet please??) it makes quick work of strawberries for coulis and shortcake and quick yogurt & fruit salad too! while we're talking strawberries, don't miss easy fresh strawberry pie, even though there's no slicing involved in making that :)

quick fruit & yogurt salad

2010-09-27T10:49:00.000-07:00

this fruit salad can be thrown together in under 2 minutes, seriously. i like to use a mix of fresh and canned fruit to make it even quicker- always at least 2 types of fresh fruit in the mix, but after that, any combo works. this salad is perfect for when you've left sides for the last minute or you have surprise company and need something extra. you can add a dash of poppy seeds for texture, or coconut or chopped nuts. a dollop of canned whipped cream can add a little touch of sweetness, and stir in a couple spoonfuls homemade whipped cream if you have it on hand. so easy and it really is good!

quick fruit & yogurt salad
an original recipe by rachelle

2 types (or more) of cut fresh fruit (apples, strawberries, bananas, kiwis, mangos, oranges, grapes, etc)
1-2 cans fruit, drained, (peaches, pears, mandarin oranges, pineapple, marachino cherries, mixed fruit, etc)
1 cup yogurt, any flavor is yummy
optional: sprinkle of poppy seeds, or coconut, or chopped nuts

mix everything together and serve! yummy with a little dollop of whipped cream mixed in or on top!

i dream of buttercream

2010-09-25T17:02:00.000-07:00

honestly i can't even look at a picture of a cupcake with fluffy creamy buttercream frosting without drooling. the perfect buttercream frosting is one of my joys in life! this is a great recipe because it holds its shape for decorating but it still tastes delicious. if you are making white frosting you need to use clear vanilla so the brown vanilla doesn't turn your white frosting tan. any extra frosting can be frozen in a ziplock bag and defrosted in the fridge as needed. i may or may not have gone into the freezer and eaten a pinch of frozen buttercream after writing this.

i dream of buttercream
rachelle's recipe
large batch: enough for 48 decorator frosting cupcakes

1 cup butter (2 sticks, at room temperature)
1 cup crisco (butter flavored crisco tastes better but will add color if you are making white frosting)
1 tablespoon clear or regular vanilla
2 pounds powdered sugar (1/2 Sams Club pack or 2 Walmart sized)
3+ tablespoons cold milk (up to 6-7 for really fluffy soft frosting, less for holding decorating shape)

mix it! ;)

rita's famous meat rolls!

2010-09-21T17:15:00.000-07:00

in the small town where i live, there is a woman famous for these delicious meat and gravy filled dinner rolls. her name is rita and everyone knows that she is an awesome woman and cook. it's almost worth having a baby to know that she will deliver a huge bag of these hot rolls to you!
these are favorites because they are an easy lunch and can even be packed in a sack lunch. they freeze well and can be microwaved for a minute straight out of the freezer like a homemade hot pocket!

rita's famous meat rolls
recipe by rita wagner

1 recipe roll dough, (I use my sweet dinner roll recipe)
1 pound ground beef (she uses sausage and ground beef)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1-2 teaspoons pepper, to taste
salt, to taste

cook the hamburger and onion until the meat is browned. add soup and salt and pepper to taste. cool. pinch off roll dough about the size of an egg. with a small rolling pin roll the dough into a circle. put 2 tablespoons of the meat/gravy mixture in the center, bring up the two sides and seal, then bring up the other 2 sides and seal. put on a greased cookie sheet with the sealed side down. Leave about 1 1/2 inches between the rolls. let rise until double. bake at 375 degrees until browned, about 15 minutes.

*rita's original recipe calls for 1 lb sausage and 2 lbs hamburger and 1 tsp sage. :)

sweet dinner rolls

2010-09-13T09:41:00.000-07:00

this is my tried and true fave recipe for rolls! i have taught youth groups to make these, passed the recipe on to tons of friends, and made them hundreds of times and they are always perfect. i love this recipe and use it for tons of things (ideas to follow.) it is super easy to make because it uses a breadmaker to make the roll dough, so you just have to roll and shape and rise and bake! nothing makes a meal more special than a hot delicious roll! i usually make these into a crescent shape like the top picture but you can fix them into any shape you want. in the bottom picture the rolls have a cooked hamburger and gravy center- rita's famous meat rolls!

sweet dinner rolls
classic recipe from allrecipes

1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup warm milk
1 egg
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons bulk yeast)

1/4 cup butter, softened

Directions
1. Place water, milk, egg, 1/3 cup butter, sugar, salt, flour and yeast in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Dough/Knead and First Rise Cycle; press Start.

2.When cycle finishes, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 12 inch circle, spread 1/4 cup softened butter over entire round. Cut each circle into 8 wedges. Roll wedges starting at wide end; roll gently but tightly. Place point side down on ungreased cookie sheet. Cover with clean kitchen towel and put in a warm place, let rise 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

3.Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden

(i always put the water, milk and butter in a pyrex dish and microwave for about a minute, then dump in the breadmaker pan with egg, adding the flour, sugar, salt and yeast on top.)

My gem of a breadmaker, as awesome as it is cheap, mine's celebrating it's 9th birthday:

fun freckled banana smoothies

2010-07-02T13:48:00.000-07:00

these banana smoothies are the easiest way to use the starting to get old freckled bananas about to go bad on the counter. you actually need well ripened bananas for their sweetness. just pop one in the blender with some milk and a couple more things and you will have a nice little treat, snack or a sweet drink to serve for breakfast. my girls love these!

fun freckled banana smoothies
an original easy recipe by rachelle

1 cup milk
1 overripe banana
1 Tablespoon sugar, to taste
dash cinnamon
1 handful ice

blend together until smooth. serves two.

quick tip: freezing cookie dough

2010-02-01T06:00:00.000-08:00

i just taught a mini-class about organizing food and meal planning. it was a really fun evening, and this quick tip about freezing cookie dough was a standout favorite!

making a batch of hot cookies is one of my favorite ways to make a quick lunch, after school snack or last minute meal special- especially if company just happen to stop by. my husband has five brothers, so i keep my freezer stocked for their last minute visits!
you can whip out fresh hot cookies in fifteen minutes flat using this technique, it just takes a minute of extra work to toss the cookie dough in a bag the next time you make cookies!

quick tip: freezing cookie dough

make your favorite recipe for cookies, place dough on ungreased cookie sheets.
instead of putting all the sheets in the oven, put one or two in the freezer.
set the timer for an hour. after the little cookie balls are frozen-ish, put them in a freezer ziplock bag.
label the bag with the type of cookie, time and temperature for cooking.
cook frozen dough on a cookie sheet in a preheated oven the same as you would fresh dough. the cookies turn out a bit taller than fresh cooked dough, so you can flatten them a tiny bit with a spatula after you pull them out of the oven. i promise they are as good as fresh made!!

hot oatmeal breakfast drink (atole)

2010-01-29T08:44:00.000-08:00

this is a comforting hot drink that is filling enough to be breakfast. it tastes delicious, like a bowl of sweetened oatmeal, but is convenient because you can drink it out of a mug. it is so perfect for cold mornings.
it took my kids a few tries to get used to the 'new oatmeal,' but they now like it- my husband loves it and requests this 'oatmeal drink' often!

hot oatmeal breakfast drink (atole)
an original recipe by rachelle

1 heaping cup oats (instant or regular, both work well!)
2 1/2 cups water
dash salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups milk

heat water, salt and sugar in pan until boiling. add oats, cook for 2-3 minutes.
meanwhile, heat up milk in microwave for 2 minutes or bring to an *almost* boil in another pan.
pour milk in blender and add hot cooked oatmeal mixture.
start blender on low and hold onto the lid with a towel- this is a full load for a blender so start slow.
increase blender to high and blend until smooth.
serve in mugs. add a sprinkle of cinnamon if you like!

cran-raspberry butter

2009-11-06T16:08:00.000-08:00

a must-have recipe for the holidays;
as pretty as it is delicious!!
serve with hot dinner rolls. a show-stopper!

cran-raspberry butter

1/2 cup canned whole-berry cranberry sauce
1/4 cup raspberry jam
1 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons powdered sugar
pinch salt

whip softened butter; add cranberry sauce and raspberry jam. beat on high for 3-5 minutes until creamy. spoon into a serving dish; cover and refrigerate 24 hours.

*for a party, or thanksgiving dinner, spoon soft mixture into several serving bowls or small (4oz) mason jars.

**yummy as raspberry butter year round. omit cranberry sauce and increase raspberry jam to a heaping 1/2 cup.

so,

2009-10-02T13:40:00.001-07:00

first i was busy with morning sickness.
then i was busy with being fat, pregnant with my third baby (and lazy.)

baby boy is here (and precious!) and this momma is ready to rock and roll again!

i'm back in the kitchen.

***look forward to new recipes!!!*** (finally)

healthy fiesta wraps with tomato vinaigrette

2009-05-05T17:00:00.000-07:00

while the original fiesta wraps are fab, this version is healthier and has even more hearty, filling flavor. (it is actually completely different and i love them both.) this wrap is my version of my favorite wrap from a health food cafe that is now a 15 hour drive from me.
my hub loves this dish and always begs me to make it more often!

healthy fiesta wraps with tomato vinaigrette
an original recipe by rachelle

wheat tortillas, preferably homemade
black beans, cooked
brown rice, cooked
yellow corn
diced tomato
diced onion
diced avocado
diced jicama
shredded cheese
raw sunflower seeds
tomato vinaigrette

layer rice and beans and veggies in the middle of a whole wheat tortilla. top with cheese, raw sunflower seeds and a drizzle of tomato vinaigrette. roll into a large open ended burrito and serve on a plate to be eaten with a knife and fork.

this is how i make this:

first i whirl together the tomato vinaigrette in my mini food processor and stick it in the fridge to chill.
i start a pot of black beans in my pressure cooker- 45 minutes on high, quick release. (no soaking necessary.)
then i start the brown rice in my rice cooker, it takes about the same amount of time as the beans.
while the rice and beans are cooking, i pull out a bowlful of frozen corn and thaw it in water to cover.
then i make homemade whole wheat tortillas and while the dough rests (30 mins)
i chop the tomato, onion, jicama and avocado.
i start cooking the tortillas and while the rice and beans cook.
when the tortillas and rice and beans are ready, everything else is prepared and ready for assembly.

** this dish is made super easy by using leftover brown rice, leftover black beans or canned black beans, warmed on the stove with a couple of shakes of minced onion and garlic powder. i often plan to make this for lunch the next day after i serve brown rice with dinner.

tomato vinaigrette
an original recipe by rachelle

heaping 1/2 cup tomatoes (3-4 whole canned tomatoes)
2 1/2 Tablespoons vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon basil

combine in blender or food processor. chill until ready to serve. drizzle over healthy fiesta wraps or serve over green salad.