Options Mom Cooks

Potato Corn Ham & Cheese Chowder

2016-01-03T11:01:00.002-08:00

A good recipe to deal with leftover holiday ham.

Ingredients

4 russet or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
1 can corn, drained 1/2 carrot, peeled and diced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cans chicken broth plus about 1/2 cup water
1 cup half and half, or 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1/2 cup milk
3 tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 cup shredded cheddar
1 cup diced ham
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
pepper to taste

Instructions

Cook the diced onion in the oil until soft and golden. Add carrot and cook for another minute.
Add broth, diced potatoes, 1/2 tsp salt. Bring to a boil, then lower to simmer and cook about 20 minutes until potatoes are soft.
Add corn and heavy cream (or 1/2 cup of half and half). Whisk the 3 tbsp flour into the remaining 1/2 cup half and half (or the milk) until completely mixed in without lumps, then add to the soup mixture. Stir and cook until thickened.
Add ham and shredded cheese, cook until cheese is melted.
Add parsley last. Adjust salt and add pepper to taste. Serve with more shredded cheese on top if desired.

Sugar Cookie Recipe

2015-11-17T17:10:00.000-08:00

Sugar cookie recipes are very basic and are no secret as they can be found everywhere online and in recipe books. This is my favorite sugar cookie recipe, the dough is a really exceptional texture to work with, not crumbly at all. It withstands rolling and re-rolling extremely well. The cookies still come out very good. I think the cookies are a little sweet if frosting or sugar is added on top of them, but others think they are perfect and even...addictive. This is my go-to recipe for all the kids' bake sales, class parties, holidays, etc. In 2014 I started a baking business and have made a lot of these decorated cookies since then.

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature*
2 cups sugar (13 oz)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour (17.7 oz or 500g)

* OR 1 stick butter plus 1/2 cup (3.5oz) vegetable shortening

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine and whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt until mixed.
In another large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until combined. With the mixer at medium-low speed, gradually beat in the flour mixture just until blended.
Gather the dough into a ball and divide it into half or thirds. Roll each portion to 1/4 inch thickness between sheets of plastic wrap or wax paper and refrigerate on cookie sheets until the dough is cold, 2 hours or overnight is okay. I roll out the dough using two 1/4 inch pieces of wood under the rolling pin to get even thickness.
Cookie dough can be also be tightly wrapped (airtight) and frozen for up to a few months.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Get out the cookie cutters.
Remove chilled dough from refrigerator and run the rolling pin lightly over the top to smooth any bumps. Cut the dough into as many shapes as possible. Arrange on a prepared baking sheet, spacing about 1 inch apart. Gather the scraps of dough together and re-roll and cut more cookies. The cookies can be decorated now with sprinkles, or you can wait to add frosting/icing after baking. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Bake for 14 to 16 minutes (depends on the size of the cookies) until the cookies are pale golden brown at the edges on the bottom. With a spatula, transfer the baked cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
Frost with royal icing, cookie icing, or whatever frosting you like.
Store in a tightly covered container, separating and cushioning the layers with sheets of waxed paper.

This recipe makes about 30 cookies of approx. 3 inch diameter size.

Source: (This book has a lot of good recipes; I adapted the sugar cookie recipe)

Chocolate Sugar Cookies

2015-11-17T09:32:00.000-08:00

It's basically just substituting some cocoa (we like Hershey's) for flour in the regular sugar cookie recipe, a little less flour since the cocoa absorbs more moisture.

Ingredients

2 sticks or 8 oz butter*
1 3/4 cup (12.3 oz or 350 g) granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 - 1 tsp baking powder (use less if you don't want cookies to spread too much)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened (1.75 oz or 50 g)
3 1/4 cups (407g) all purpose flour (use up to 14.8 oz or 420 g flour, to get desired dough consistency)

*or use 1 stick butter plus 1/2 cup or 3.5 oz vegetable shortening

Instructions

Let butter soften to room temperature. Combine butter, vegetable shortening (if using), sugar, salt, baking powder and vanilla extract in large bowl. Use mixer to cream butter with the other ingredients. Add the two eggs and mix until combined. Add cocoa powder and mix until combined. Add flour last, mix until a dough forms together. Do not overmix. If dough seems to sticky and soft, add a little flour at time until it holds together for rolling out.
Preheat oven to 350°. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
Roll dough into 1/4 inch thick sheets. Refrigerate or freeze for about 1/2 hour, then remove and cut into shapes. Reroll the scraps and cut more cookies. Arrange on cookie sheets with some space between cookies.
Bake regular (about 3 inch) size cookies at 350° for 15 minutes or until just golden brown on the edges. You may have to adjust time for different sizes of cookies. Remove from oven, let cool on the sheets or 1-2 minutes, then use spatula to remove cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Use royal icing, cookie icing, or whatever icing you like to decorate. Store cookies in airtight bags or containers for 1-2 weeks, or freeze.

Red Bean Paste

2015-08-17T11:13:00.001-07:00

Homemade red bean (adzuki bean) paste for traditional Chinese or Asian pastries.

Ingredients

one 14 oz package of dried red beans
1 cup sugar (more or less to taste)

Instructions

Rinse beans, then soak overnight covered in water.
Drain beans and discard soaking water. Cover beans with fresh water and stir in the sugar.
Simmer over low heat (or cook on low in slow cooker) for 3-4 hours, or until beans are soft and the mixture is thick.
(optional) Let mixture cool, then transfer to a blender or food processor to puree. Add more sugar if needed, to taste.
If the mixture is too runny, return to low heat in a saucepan and cook until the moisture cooks off and the mixture thickens to the desired consistency.
Store in jars or containers in the refrigerator, or freeze.

Ways to serve red bean paste

Mixed with cold milk in a bowl to make a kind of sweet breakfast food
As filling for mochi
As filling for pastry or moon cake
As filling for mochi cake
Mix with whipped cream or dessert topping for a kind of bean pudding dessert

Energetic Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

2015-07-07T13:08:00.001-07:00

The addition of sunflower seeds, nuts and raisins give the illusion of cookies that are actually somewhat healthy which we know deep down on our hearts isn't really true.

Ingredients

2 sticks (1 cup or 8 oz) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup oat flour (made by processing rolled oats in the food processor until flour-like)
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup raisins or dried cranberries
1/2 cup toasted sunflower seeds (I used toasted salted sunflower seeds, they taste better)
1/2 cup chopped nuts like walnuts, pecans, or almonds (whatever you like)
1/2 cup chocolate chips, optional but highly recommended

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F
In a large bowl cream the butter, sugars, salt, and vanilla extract together. Add the eggs, cinnamon, and baking soda and mix well.
Add the flours and mix until combined. Add the oats and mix, then stir in the raisins, nuts, sunflower seeds and chocolate chips, if using.
Scoop the batter into tablespoon size pieces onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 10-12 minutes, until edges look golden brown. Cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheet, then transfer to cooling rack.
Store in airtight container.

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

2015-05-20T17:01:00.000-07:00

Not vegan with butter, but you can use coconut oil - it will change the flavor. I made for my coffee drinking, donut-eating mom friends.

Ingredients

3/4 cup almond flour (almonds ground up really finely)
1/4 cup sweet or glutinous rice flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter or coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup honey (can also use maple syrup)
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 oz chocolate chips or chopped up chocolate (gluten free)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F; line cookie sheet with parchment.
Mix all the dry ingredients together. Add melted butter or coconut oil, honey (or syrup) and vanilla extract. Mix together thoroughly. Stir in chocolate chips.
Refrigerate dough for at least 10 minutes to give the flours time to absorb the moisture in the dough. Scoop cold dough onto prepared pan and bake for about 11 minutes. When golden brown and done, let cookies cool on the baking sheet before removing with a spatula. Cookies will be soft but will firm up when cooled.

Macaroni and Cheese

2014-03-11T18:10:00.003-07:00

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman - we don't use nearly as much cheese as she does.

Ingredients:

1 lb of pasta
1/2 stick of butter (1/4 cup)
2 Tbsp flour 1 tsp salt 2 cups whole milk (or 1 cup skim milk plus 1 cup half and half)
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 egg, beaten
4 slices American or Cheddar cheese

Instructions:

Cook pasta according to package directions
In a saucepan, melt butter. Add flour and whisk for 2 minutes until the flour is cooked.
Add milk, mustard and salt. Whisk until it starts to bubble and thicken slightly.
Lower the heat to low.
Pour about 1/4 cup of the hot milk into the bowl containing the beaten egg. Whisk until blended.
Pour egg/milk mixture back into the saucepan. Continue to whisk until blended.
Add cheese and whisk over low/medium heat until cheese is melted and blended into the sauce.
Taste the sauce and add more salt if needed. (Important)
Pour hot sauce over pasta to serve.

Gingerbread Cookies with Royal Icing

2013-12-03T10:20:00.001-08:00

I like this cookie because it's not too sweet, so it can take a good thick coating of royal icing and still taste perfect.

Ingredients

1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1½ tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 eggs
about 4½ cups all purpose flour
Royal Icing for Cookies (below or use this one)

Instructions

Into large bowl, measure molasses, brown sugar, butter, baking soda, salt, all the dry spices, eggs, and 1½ cups of flour. With mixer on low, beat ingredients until just mixed. Increase speed to medium; beat 2 minutes. Blend in about 3 cups of remaining flour to make a stiff dough. Switch to spoon to mix when dough gets too stiff for mixer. Shape dough into a ball, wrap with plastic and refrigerate or use immediately.
Preheat oven to 350°F. On lightly floured surface, roll half of dough 1/8 inch thick. Cut out cookies with cookie cutters. Place cookies on baking sheet about 1/2 inch apart.
Bake cookies 12 minutes or until edges are firm; immediately loosen cookies from sheet and remove to wire rack. Repeat with remaining dough and trimmings.
If not decorating cookies right away, wrap and freeze.
ROYAL ICING FOR COOKIES: Mix 2 cups confectioners sugar, 1/8 tsp cream of tartar, and 2 egg whites (or powdered egg white equivalent) until just mixed. Increase speed to high and beat mixture until stiff enough for a knife to draw a clean-cut path through the frosting. Spoon into piping bag fitted with a small round tip, like for writing. Pipe decorative outlines and designs on cookies.

Source: Good Housekeeping Nov 1989 issue

Thanksgiving Turkey in a Bucket

2013-11-21T18:20:00.000-08:00

Recipe for brined turkey, used once a year at Thanksgiving. I use a big 5 gallon bucket from the hardware store which is marked, "Turkey Bucket" and stored in the closet wrapped in a plastic bag.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup salt
1 cup sugar
2 gallons water
1 turkey, approx. 15 lbs.
1/2 stick melted butter

Instructions:

Dissolve the salt and sugar in the water in a large bucket. Clear out some space in the fridge for the bucket (I remove one shelf).
Rinse the turkey under cool running water. Pull out the package containing the liver, giblets and neck and store it in the refrigerator. I cook these on Thanksgiving day separately from the turkey - the neck is good for chewing on, and the other parts are good for the dog.
Plop the turkey into the brine. It should be fully submerged, with perhaps only the tip of the tail peeking out of the solution. Carefully transfer the bucket into the fridge and let it sit for 2-3 days. Turn the turkey over a couple of times during its soaking time.
Do this brining step on Tuesday before Thanksgiving at the latest. Which means start defrosting the turkey in the fridge on the Sunday at the latest before Thanksgiving (Saturday is preferable if you don't want a rock hard turkey to deal with). I have been known to stick a partially frozen turkey into the brine because it will defrost fully over the 2-3 days. The turkey, therefore, must be purchased from the store by Sunday at the latest.
On Thanksgiving morning, take the bucket out of the fridge and dump the brine out. Rinse the turkey well and put it onto a roasting rack/pan set-up. Let it sit out on the counter for 1-2 hours at room temperature. It will cook better if it is not so cold.
Preheat oven to 350°F. I have to remove one oven rack to fit the turkey in, so here is the reminder to remove it before it gets hot!
Wipe the turkey with some paper towels to dry it. Coat the entire skin surface with melted butter.
If desired, stuff a few carrots, celery stalks and onion quarters into the cavity for extra flavor. But no extra salt - that was the whole point of brining.
Pour a couple of inches of water into the bottom of the roasting pan to keep things moist. The juice drippings on the bottom have a tendency to dry up and burn in my oven. Refill the water as needed throughout the cooking.
Usually I don't truss (tie up) the turkey but if the legs and wings are hanging out too much, a tie-down might be needed.
Roast in the oven until internal temperature of the thigh meat is 165°F.* Start checking the temperature periodically with a meat thermometer after about 2½ hours. For a 15 lb. turkey it should be about 3 - 3½ hours oven time.
Remove from oven and cover with a tent of foil while the bird rests for 20-30 minutes. The internal temperature should rise that final 5 degrees at this time. After resting, the turkey is ready to carve up and serve.

* White meat is considered done at 160°F. Dark meat is considered done at 170°F. Therefore the compromise is 165° which can lead to dry white meat, but the brining and the water in the roasting pan seems to help keep everything moist.

Easy Beef Stroganoff

2013-11-18T09:45:00.001-08:00

I got this recipe from Trader Joes last week. The irony in our house is 1) beef stroganoff is one of the favorite dishes in our family BUT 2) they DON'T EAT MUSHROOMS. How is that possible? It's because the McCormicks Beef Stroganoff mix is basically gravy and doesn't contain any visible mushrooms. They must freeze dry the mushrooms and pulverize them into oblivion, how appetizing.

Not so with this recipe, which I sampled last week at the store. It was delicious, but I doubt I can get those portabella 'shrooms and little onions through around here. Maybe if I puree the soup I can get away with it. I'll leave out the onions or chop just a few up really small and mix them in. Wish me luck...

Note: I was told that the Portabella Mushroom Soup is a seasonal, or limited time only, item at Trader Joes. This was around early November/pre-Thanksgiving time.

Ingredients (all from Trader Joes):

1 package Pot Roast, chopped up
1 container Portabella Mushroom Soup (11 oz)
1 cup heavy cream
1 bag parpadelle egg pasta
1 bag pearl onions (16 oz)

Instructions:

Warm pot roast, mushroom soup, onions and heavy cream in skillet.
Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.
Combine together.

Icing for Sugar Cookies

2013-06-24T16:11:00.001-07:00

For decorating delicious sugar cookies.
A. Royal Icing
Ingredients

3 Tbsp meringue powder
1 tsp vanilla extract (use clear extract if you want white)
1/4 cup water, plus more to adjust consistency
4 cups (16 oz or 455 g) powdered sugar

Instructions

In a mixing bowl, combine meringue powder, extract and water and mix on low until blended.
Add powdered sugar; mix on low until combined. Turn up mixer to medium-high and beat until icing becomes fluffy, white and makes stiff peaks, about 5 mins. Add water during the beating process, a little bit at a time, if mixture seems too stiff and dry.

B. Corn Syrup Based Icing
Ingredients

1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp light corn syrup
2-3 tsp milk, more or less as desired
Food coloring, optional
1/4 tsp vanilla, almond or other flavor extract

Instructions

In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice and corn syrup. Add vanilla, almond, or other extract as desired for flavor. Add the 2 teaspoons of milk and whisk in to make a thick, spreadable consistency. Adjust consistency with more milk if needed.
If using liquid food coloring, add a little less milk so as not to thin out the icing too much.
The icing can be kept stored, covered and refrigerated, for up to 1 week.

Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies like Chips Ahoy

2013-06-12T10:48:00.004-07:00

Makes 42 cookies using the 1¼ inch cookie scoop which I bought from my friend at the Pampered Chef. The cookies are crunchy like the Chips Ahoy packaged cookies instead of soft and chewy like the Nestle Tollhouse recipe. Crunchy cookies travel better in lunch packs and road trips.

Ingredients

1¾ cups sifted flour (sift flour before measuring)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1½ tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment.
Sift or whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
Cream butter and both sugars with electric mixer. Add egg and vanilla and beat until egg is mixed in.
Add flour mixture and stir until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips.
Drop onto the parchment lined cookie sheets using cookie scoop or rounded teaspoon and bake for 12-15 minutes (or longer) until the edges start to brown. The baking powder prevents the cookies from browning quickly, so it seems the cookies can bake a longer time and become crunchier without burning or getting overly brown.
Remove cookies from the baking pan after cooling for a couple minutes. Let cool completely on wire rack. Store in airtight container.

Source: Cookiemadness.net

Apple Crisp

2013-05-03T17:55:00.000-07:00

This recipe is modified from Apple Crisp - Joy of Baking.com to produce more topping, which is the only part K is interested in eating. I keep telling her it wouldn't be apple crisp without the apples.

Ingredients

Filling

6 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced into 1 inch pieces
3 Tbsp sugar
Juice of 1/2 lemon, about 2 Tbsp

Topping

2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
1/8 tsp salt
2/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (don't use quick cooking kind)
1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, or substitute 1/4 cup more rolled oats
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter or spray an 8 or 9 inch baking pan with cooking spray. You can also make 8 ramekins.
In a food processor, blend all the topping ingredients until the mixture is crumbly and there are no more big chunks of butter visible. You can do this by hand or with a pastry blender.
In a large bowl, toss the apple pieces with the lemon juice and sugar until they are mixed well. Transfer apples to the prepared baking dish. Spread the topping over the apples.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes (20-25 minutes for individual ramekins) until filling is bubbly and the topping is golden brown. Remove and cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes before serving. Store cooled apple crisp covered in the refrigerator.

Noodles with Peanut Sauce

2013-05-02T14:20:00.003-07:00

Ingredients

Sauce ingredients:

4 Tbsp Smooth peanut butter
2 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 clove garlic, smashed and chopped very finely
2 scallions, trimmed and chopped
Juice of 1 fresh lime
1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
Salt to taste

1/2 lb dry linguine, spagetti, or rice noodles

peeled and sliced cucumbers, or other toppings (bean sprouts, snow peas are good)
(optional) sliced scallion or cilantro, for garnish
(optional) cooked chicken

Instructions

Cook noodles in boiling water according to package directions. Drain, rinse, and chill if desired.
In a food processor, blend all the sauce ingredients until smooth. The sauce can also be whisked together in bowl. Add salt as needed, to taste. Toss the cooled noodles with the sauce. until the noodles are well coated. Serve with cucumber and scallions on top.

Slow Cooker BBQ Country Style Pork Ribs

2013-02-14T13:01:00.000-08:00

Country style pork ribs, on the bone or boneless, are often sold in value or bulk packs at a good price. They are a bit leaner than regular or baby back ribs, and since you're not paying for all the bones, they are much more economical. Preparing them in the slow cooker is easy.

Ingredients:

3½ to 4½ lbs country style pork ribs
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
A bottle of your favorite barbeque sauce (we use Tony Roma's)
Hamburger buns

Instructions:

Cut off and discard as much visible fat from the ribs as possible.
Place ribs, garlic powder, salt and pepper in slow cooker pot. Add enough water to cover the ribs at least two-thirds of the way. Cover and cook on low heat setting for 3-4 hours, until the meat is falling off the bone tender.
Gently remove pork from the slow cooker and take out any bones. Place on a foil lined baking pan. Pour barbeque sauce over it and heat in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until sauce is bubbly and hot.
Shred up the meat and serve (on buns, if desired), with extra sauce on the side.

Chipotle Style Dinner

2013-02-14T12:59:00.001-08:00

My family loves restaurant fast food, so more restaurant copy cats here.

Ingredients:
For the Chipotle style rice

1 lime
4 cups uncooked long grain white rice, or a 50/50 mixture of brown and white rice
Chopped cilantro, on the side
1/2 can Black beans (canned)
1/2 can Corn, (or fire roasted frozen)

On the side

Shredded Mexican or cheddar cheese blend
Sour cream
Grilled chicken breast, cut into small cubes or shreds
Shredded iceberg lettuce
Tortillas
Baked corn tortilla chips, or bag tortilla chips

Instructions:

Steam the rice in a rice cooker or on stovetop. When rice is done but still hot, squeeze juice of half to a whole lime over rice and mix well. Add black beans and corn, stir.
Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, chicken, and shredded lettuce. Can wrap in tortillas like burritos, or serve like a rice bowl.

Baked Potatoes for Dinner

2013-02-14T12:51:00.003-08:00

This is one of the dinner menu entries for my new iPad app, Menu Planner.

Ingredients:

4 large Russet potatoes
Shredded cheese
Sour cream
Turkey bacon, cooked and chopped
Green onion, chopped
Butter

Instructions:

Rinse off potatoes and wrap in foil. Bake in a 400°F oven for 60-75 minutes, until done. Pierce with a sharp knife to check for doneness.

In-n-Out Style Burgers

2013-01-31T16:26:00.002-08:00

This family says it's is the best homemade meal of hamburgers they ever had. It's a clone of the California icon, the In-n-Out burger, thanks to The Burger Lab. So I must document this recipe as I foresee having to reproduce it many times in our future.

First, the sauce, basically a thousand island dressing like the kind my mom used to make. Mix up in a small bowl:

2½ Tbsp mayonnaise
1 Tbsp ketchup
2 tsp sweet pickle relish (and make sure you get a little pickle juice in with that)
pinch of sugar, to taste

Did you know that many California schools have In-N-Out Burger days as fund raisers? Or that kids that make honor roll get a In-N-Out day as a reward for their good work?

Second, the onions, they need to be slow-cooked until they are soft and brown and caramelized. Dice a yellow onion and saute over low/medium heat in some oil in a skillet. When they start looking dry, add some water and return to the stove to keep cooking. Repeat the adding of water (will take maybe 4 times) whenever they look dry, and cook until they are soft and caramelized. Leftover grilled onions can be frozen.

Third, the buns. I used Honey Wheat hamburger buns from Trader Joes, lightly toasted in the oven or toaster oven. I know wheat buns are not strict In-N-Out style, but we don't use white bread if we can help it. These are one of the few wheat buns I can find without all those flaky wheat things on top. They have a few sesame seeds on them, but only a few.

Fourth, the meat patties. I have this burger press from Williams Sonoma that works great! Thanks to my BIL and his wife for giving this for Christmas! I used 85/15 ground beef. According to The Burger Lab guy, the fast food chain uses a much higher fat ratio - that's what makes restaurant burgers so juicy, after all. But in my experience, the greater the fat content, the more the burger shrinks down and I wanted a full size, and healthier, alternative. I measure out quarter pound portions and press into the mold. It's a pretty thin patty, but that's what the fast food burgers are like. For adults, a slightly bigger beef portion, like 1/3 lb. might be advisable, or just do a Double Double like at In-N-Out.

After the onions are cooked and removed from the skillet, just use the same to pan-grill the burgers on medium high heat until cooked thoroughly with a brown crust forming on the outside. Put cheese on them after they are flipped to the second side so it can melt while the burgers finish cooking.

Fifth, the fixins. Just slice up a tomato and some iceberg lettuce. With square white American cheese, for my group, I'm done. They're not into mustard so I ignored the whole mustard grilling section thing. If someone wants mustard (no one does here) they can just squirt it on afterward, thank you very much.

At this point the burgers can be assembled to the individual tastes of each person.

Last, the fries. Peel and cut up 6-8 "Gold" potatoes (about 2 lbs of potatoes), toss them in olive oil and sprinkle on some kosher salt. Oven fry them at 450°F on a baking pan lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray. Turn/toss the fries around after they start browning. Keep baking until the edges are crispy and golden brown. Serve with plenty of ketchup.

I had to do a cost analysis for this meal of 4 burgers: $7.75 for cheeseburgers and fries.

8 buns, $2.49 so $1.25 for 4 buns
1 lb ground beef, $3.69 for 4 patties
American cheese, $5.99/lb package says 22 slices per lb. so $1.09 for cheese
Onions, $.50/lb, 1 onion weighed about 7 oz. so 22¢ for onion
Gold potatoes, 5 lbs for $2.99 so $1.50 for potatoes

Grand Total: $7.75

I didn't count the sauce ingredients because it's such a small amount and even I'm not that anal.

Cost of one hamburger at In-N-Out, no fries or drink: $1.90
Cost of single cheeseburger: $2.20
Cost of fries: $1.50

Total for 4 cheeseburgers and fries would be: $14.80

Cost of hamburger meal: $4.65
Cost of cheeseburger meal: $5.15

Four meals would be $20.60 for the inclusion of drinks and fries. So yeah, we are so doing this again. With my luck, though, K will stop liking In-N-Out at some point, just like she stopped liking chicken and a few other things.

Healthy Oat Nut Whole Wheat Breakfast Cookies

2013-01-31T12:44:00.006-08:00

One of the reasons I bake a lot is to bring stuff to my weekly women's Bible study group breakfast meeting. I am always looking for good nutritious baked goods recipes to try. Sometimes it's better to bake untried recipes for the ladies at church as guinea pigs. More people will try it and I won't be stuck with a big batch of something that no one else in my (somewhat picky) family will eat.

Of course I would never bring something for church that I myself don't try first to make sure it is good, just sayin'...And these cookies are really good, kind of addictive, even. It was the first time I made homemade nut butter, out of almonds. I bought most of the ingredients from the bulk barrels at my local Sprouts Market.

Ingredients

1/2 cup almond (or other nut) butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil or coconut oil
1/4 cup honey or agave nectar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
up to 1/2 cup dried fruit, like raisins, cranberries, cherries - chewy is good
up to 1/4 cup chocolate chips - if you use too much, you can't call it "healthy"
1 cup almond flour (or other ground up nut flour)
1½ cup rolled oats (not the quick cooking kind)
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup ground flax meal
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
To make nut butter, I use roasted nuts like almonds, walnuts or hazelnuts. You can use peanut butter, too. For 1/2 cup of nut butter, put 8 oz of nuts in the food processor and grind them up until you get a smooth paste consistency. Scrape down the sides of the food processor occasionally.
Just leave the nut butter in the container and add the egg, vanilla extract, honey or agave nectar, brown sugar, and oil. Pulse to blend thoroughly. Add the dried fruit and the chocolate chips and pulse just a couple of times to mix them in without grinding them up.
Scrape out the wet mixture from the food processor into a large bowl.
Add oats, flax meal, whole wheat flour, and nut flour to the food processor. (Don't bother cleaning the container or blade.) Add the baking soda and salt. Process until the oats and flax meal are chopped up to a fine texture, so that the mixture is like a coarse flour.
Add this dry mixture to the wet ingredients in the bowl. Use a heavy duty metal spoon to mix the ingredients until well combined. Use your hands if you must! Scoop out spoonfuls of dough shaped into balls onto prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until lightly browned. Start checking at 8 minutes especially if you want a more chewy soft cookie. They will look kind of puffy. Remove from the oven and immediately use a spatula to flatten down each puffy ball down into a cookie shape. One pat of the spatula per cookie should do it. Let them cool for another few minutes on the cookie sheet before removing them with a spatula to a cooling rack.

If I use the small cookie scoop(1 tbsp) I can get about 30 cookies out of one batch. And a note to self: make one batch at a time, the double batch was kind of a lot of dough making it difficult to stir up well.

The recipe is from allrecipes.com.

Basic Bruschetta

2013-01-21T10:41:00.000-08:00

Major garlic breath warning! Good for munching at a Super Bowl party ( but maybe not so much for a romantic evening.)

Ingredients:

12 to 14 Roma tomatoes (about 1.5 lbs)
2 Tbsp fresh minced garlic
2 Tbsp minced shallots
1 cup fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1 tsp lemon juice
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
about 1/4 cup additional olive oil, for toasting the bread
Baguette of crusty french bread or rustic bread
Grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Instructions:

Dice tomatoes and toss with garlic and shallots in a medium bowl.
Add basil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Mix well.
You can do all this in a food processor as well, just like making salsa. Be careful not to over chop and turn it into tomato sauce!
Slice the bread. Brush slices with additional olive oil and toast the slices on a baking pan in a 350°F oven until warm and just starting to get crusty, but not brown. (unless you like it toasty brown, it's up to you).
To serve, spoon tomato mixture over bread. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired, and serve immediately. Store unused portion in refrigerator.
The bruschetta mix gets more flavorful if you let it sit for a day in the fridge. Just let it get up to room temp. before serving.

Pizza Dough

2013-01-17T09:31:00.002-08:00

My regular, frequently used recipe for pizza dough. I use the Whole Wheat Dough in my Pizza Salad recipe all the time.

Basic White Dough

Ingredients:

1 cup warm water (from the tap, put into Pyrex measuring cup and microwave for 10-12 secs for just the right temp)
1 pkg or 2¼ tsp active dry yeast
2½ to 3 cups bread flour
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

Instructions:

Add yeast and warm water in food processor and stir to dissolve. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Add olive oil and salt.
Add bread flour, one cup at a time, pulsing to combine. When 2½ cups of flour have been added, process for about 2 minutes to "knead" the dough. The dough should feel a bit warm after this process. If the dough is too sticky, sprinkle in more bread flour and process until the consistency is smooth and elastic but not too sticky.
Remove the dough and put into an oiled large bowl; cover with a kitchen towel and let it rise for at least 1 hour, until it has doubled in size.
After the first rise, punch the dough down and knead a couple of times.
Divide the dough into 2 or more parts and roll them into balls. Cover them with the towel and let rest for 20 minutes.
After this, the dough is ready to be shaped, topped and cooked.
Unused dough can be wrapped in a freezer bag and frozen.

Basic Whole Wheat Dough

Ingredients:

1 cup warm water (put into Pyrex measuring cup and microwave for 10-12 secs)
1 pkg or 2¼ tsp active dry yeast
1-2 tsp honey or sugar (optional)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1½ to 2 cups bread flour
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

Instructions:

Follow same instructions as above, except dissolve the sugar or honey, if using, along with the yeast and water in the first step.
Add the whole wheat flour first, then follow with bread flour.

Mushroom Croustades

2013-01-12T09:00:00.000-08:00

In my Harry Potter party, these little appetizer cups filled with creamy mushroom stuff became our Cauldron Cakes.

Ingredients:

24 slices firm-textured thin sliced white bread*
3 Tbsp chopped shallots or onion
1/4 cup margarine or butter
8 oz mushrooms, finely chopped (can use up to 16 oz mushrooms and still turns out good; just increase onion, parsley, salt and pepper to taste)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp snipped fresh chives
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
Dash ground black pepper
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
Sour cream (optional)
Additional snipped fresh chives or parsley (optional)

Instructions:

Lightly grease 24 2½ inch muffin cups. Cut 2½ inch rounds from each slice of bread. Carefully press each round into prepared muffin cup to form a shell. Bake in a 400°F oven about 10 minutes or until golden brown.
For filling, in a medium saucepan cook shallots or onion in butter for 4 minutes. Stir in mushrooms; cook, uncovered, about 15 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in flour. Add whipping cream all at once. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1 minute more. Remove from heat. Stir in the 2 tbsp of chives, the parsley, lemon juice, salt, ground red pepper, and black pepper. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Remove bread shells from muffin cups. Place bread shells in a shallow baking pan. Spoon filling into shells; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, in a 350°F oven for 15 minutes.
If desired, top with sour cream and additional chives or parsley.

*You can also use Asian type dumpling wrappers, tortillas, pastry or phyllo dough instead of bread to make the cups.

Source: Better Homes and Gardens Mushroom Croustades

Panera Style Broccoli Cheddar Soup

2013-01-11T10:00:00.000-08:00

Our home copycat version of K's favorite Panera soup.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp butter or olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups half-and-half
2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1/2 lb fresh broccoli, cut into small pieces
1/2 carrot, grated or fine julienned
1/2 tsp nutmeg (optional)
8 oz grated cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Saute onion in oil or butter. Set aside.
Melt 1/4 cup butter and cook with flour using a whisk to stir over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and add the half & half.
Add the chicken stock. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat 20-25 minutes.
Add salt and pepper to taste. Soup can be puréed in a blender but I don't.
Return to heat and stir in cheese and nutmeg, if using. Heat until cheese is melted and combined.

Source: Food.com #150384

Shepherd's Pie

2013-01-10T09:20:00.000-08:00

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
2½ tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large carrot, diced
1 small onion, diced finely
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
black pepper, to taste
1 clove garlic, crushed and chopped
1-2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce or dark soy sauce, to taste
1-2 packages prepared instant mashed potatoes
1 egg, beaten (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Add vegetable oil to large skillet and saute onion and carrot until the onions turn golden. Add 2 cups water, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer for about 10 minutes, until the carrots are cooked.
Meanwhile, make the mashed potatoes according to package directions.
Transfer the vegetables/water mixture to a bowl. Use the same skillet to brown the ground beef, then drain the fat. Return beef to the skillet and over medium heat add the garlic, salt and pepper. Sprinkle flour over beef, mix well and cook for about a minute. Add the water/vegetable mixture; add the Worcestershire sauce. Heat until bubbling and the sauce thickens (add more water if needed). Add frozen peas and stir until they defrost in the hot mixture.
Transfer beef mixture into casserole baking dish. (Optional -Mix beaten egg with mashed potatoes.) Spread mashed potatoes over the top. Bake in oven for 20-30 minutes; serve hot.

Chocolate Cupcakes, Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

2012-09-29T16:52:00.001-07:00

Used this recipe from Food Network. The batter is pretty runny and the cupcakes stick to the wrappers when freshly baked, but after sitting for a while they settle down and peel off just fine. This recipe makes about 36 regular sized cupcakes, or 24 regular sized cupcakes plus 24 mini-cupcakes.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup good cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra large eggs, room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pans with liners.
Sift flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt into large mixing bowl. Mix with a whisk until combined.
In a medium bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. With mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir justo combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Fill the cupcake pan two thirds full and bake for 15-18 minutes*, until a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean. Start checking at 15 mins.
Cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove cupcakes from pans and cool completely on racks.
Frost with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (below), or Vanilla Bean Frosting.

*Bake times: my oven = 15 mins for full size cupcakes; 10 mins for mini-cupcakes

Chocolate Buttercream FrostingIngredients:

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
2 2/3 cup confectioners sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tbsp Rich Chocolate Ovaltine powder
1/3 cup half-and-half or cream

Instructions:

Cream the butter in a bowl. Beat in the cocoa, sugar, Ovaltine, and vanilla. Blend in the cream or half-and-half in small increments until the desired consistency is reached.
If frosting is a bit soft, chill for a while before piping or spreading onto cupcakes. Store frosted cakes in the refrigerator.