Our Favorite Recipes

Phil's Citrus Basil Salad

2009-12-22T10:46:00.002-05:00

Ingredients:
1 orange, peeled and cut into chunks
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
1 cup sugar snap peas, cut in half
1 cucumber, peeled and cut into chunks
8 fresh basil leaves, sliced
1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

In a medium bowl, mix together orange, bell pepper, peas, cucumber and basil. Sprinkle with vinegar and season with black pepper. Toss and serve.

Bruschetta

2009-07-31T13:49:00.002-05:00

8 to 10 Roma (plum), chopped and seeded

1 clove of garlic crushed

About 6 leaves of fresh basil leaves, cut up

1 tbsp of olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Mix all together and refrigerate overnight if possible. In the morning add 1/2 tsp of kosher salt and stir. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serve with Pita chips.

Jeanette's Cheese Puff Egg Casserole

2008-01-03T10:43:00.000-05:00

Jeanette and her husband Tony had some people over on New Years Day this year to hang out, eat and tell stories of the previous nights antics. One of the dishes that Jeanette made was this Cheese Puff Egg Casserole. It was SOOO goood!!! I couldn't stop eating it! I highly recommend this for your next party!

Cheese Puff Egg Casserole

10-12 servings

Ingredients
10 eggs, beaten to blend
1 pound Monterey Jack cheese (3/4 lb.= 4 cups cheese)
2 cups cottage cheese
½ cup (1 stick) melted butter
½ cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Lightly butter 9X13 inch oven-proof glass baking dish. Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Pour egg mixture into prepared pan. Bake until lightly browned and tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Serve immediately.

Christmas Crunch

2007-12-10T17:47:00.000-05:00

3 c. Rice Chex
3 c. Corn Chex
3 c. Cheerios
3 c. pretzels
2 c. mixed nuts
12 oz. M & M's (holiday ones if you so desire!)
1 lb. white chocolate

Melt chocolate.
Mix with Chex, Cheerios, pretzels and nuts.
Continue to mix & break up until white chocolate is completely dry.
Add M & M's.
Enjoy.

Pumpkin Bread

2007-10-21T18:34:00.000-05:00

1 1/2 cups sugar *(may substitute 3/4 cup of Splenda for Baking instead)
1 2/3 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 whole egg + 2 egg whites - well beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 325. Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the eggs, oil, water and pumpkin - beat until well blended. Add nuts.

Pour the batter into 2 buttered/floured loaf pans. Bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool for 5 minutes in the pans, then turn out onto a rack.

Cooked loaves may be frozen.

I use my kitchenaid mixer to make this and just mix all the wet ingredients first, then pour in the dry ingredients, which I have mixed in a bowl or a large plastic ziplock bag.

I have made this several times w/ Splenda instead of sugar (make sure to use the Splenda for Baking, which is a Splenda/sugar mix) and the only difference is that it does not rise as much, but the taste is exactly the same - no one has noticed the difference and it still gets eaten just as quickly!

Grilled Shrimp Scampi

2007-08-29T19:11:00.000-05:00

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon minced garlic
ground fresh pepper to taste
crushed red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
1 1/2 lbs medium raw shrimp, peeled and deveined.

Mix all ingredients except shrimp. Add shrimp and toss to coat. Marinate for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
Preheat grill for high heat. Thread shrimp onto skewers, piercing once near the tail and once near the head. Discard remaining marinade.

Lightly oil grill grates. Grill for 2-3 minutes per side.

Enjoy!

Diane's Mint Brownies

2007-08-27T17:17:00.000-05:00

Mint Brownies
1 cup of sugar
1 stick of unsalted butter (8tbsp)
4 eggs
1 can of Hershey's Chocolate Syrup (if you can't find the can -- you can buy the bottle, but only use 16 oz (2 cups) of it)
1 cup plus 1 tbsp of flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt

Mix first three ingredients well with hand mixer. Add Hershey's syrup and mix well. Sift flour, powder, and salt into separate bowl. Then add to wet ingredients. Mix well.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes in a well-greased 9X13 glass pan. (I use cooking spray and then wipe down twice)

Cool completely.

Frosting #1
2 cups of confectioners sugar
4 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature
2 tbsp milk
2 tsp peppermint extract
green food coloring

Beat first four ingredients until smooth. Add food coloring until green. Spread on cooled brownies; chill in fridge until firm.

Frosting #2
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
4 tbsp of unsalted butter

Melt together in pan on stovetop. When smooth, spread evenly over top of brownies. Chill until firm. I keep them in the fridge and once the top has hardened cover them with foil.

Enjoy!

Crabbies

2007-07-30T21:05:00.000-05:00

10 whole english muffins, split
1 lb backfin or jumbo lump crabmeat
12 oz cheddar cheese spread (the recipe actually calls for Kraft Old English cheese, 2 jars, but I have a hard time finding that, so I buy Wispride cheddar spread)
2 tablespoons mayo
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 sticks butter, softened
***I also add 1 teaspoon of Old Bay

Beat together cheese, mayo, garlic powder & butter. Fold in crab meat. Mound crab meat mixture onto muffin halves. Freeze crab muffins on a cookie sheet for at least 30 minutes then split each muffin half into quarters. At this point you can either freeze them in baggies, or cook them. To serve, bake the frozen muffins at 400 until hot and bubbly.

Sangria

2007-07-30T14:57:00.000-05:00

1 Box of Red Wine (I used Frazier Cabernet Sav)
1 2 L of Diet 7 Up
1 1/2 - 2 Cups Brandy
3/4 - 1 Cup Sugar
Chopped Fruit - Apples, Oranges, Lemons and Limes

Pasta Fresca from Noodles and Co.

2007-06-29T12:43:00.000-05:00

This is the recipe for the Pasta Fresca dish served at Noodles and Company. This is one of my favorite things to get there and I like to add Shrimp also.

NOODLES & CO. PASTA FRESCA

Sauté Instructions:
In a very hot sauté pan, add:
2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 1/2 cups pre-cooked farfalle (bow-tie pasta)
1/4 cup cubed roma tomatoes
1 tbs. diced red onions
2 shakes of kosher salt & cracked pepper

Sear noodles, stirring occasionally until steaming hot

Add:
1 oz. baby fresh spinach
1 oz. fresca sauce (recipe below)
Toss to combine, serve with freshly shaved parmesan cheese

FRESCA SAUCE:
(for 15 servings)
1/4 cup fresh garlic
2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup sweet white wine
1 cup extra virgin olive oil

From: Noodles & Co.

Sautee'd Vegetables

2007-06-14T11:19:00.000-05:00

Ingredients:
1 large red onion, peeled and sliced
4 sprigs rosemary, leaves stripped from stem
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lb. asparagus, ends trimmed
2 yellow squash or zucchini, chopped in large pieces
1 green bell pepper, cored and seeded, cut into large pieces
1 red bell pepper, cored and seeded, cut into large pieces
1 orange bell pepper, cored and seeded, cut into large pieces
3 cloves garlic, whole
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup favorite olives
1 cup vegetable broth

Preparation:
Separate onion pieces. Heat 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil in a deep pan. Over medium heat, saute onion and 4 sprigs of rosemary. Stir until onion is slightly opaque. Add in small batches 1/2 pound asparagus, with the ends trimmed, 1 yellow squash chopped in large pieces, 1 green bell, 1 red bell and 1 orange bell pepper, cored and seeded and cut into large pieces and 3 cloves of whole garlic and stir constantly. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste over the vegetables. Add 1/2 cup of your favorite olives if desired. Add 1 cup vegetable broth. Turn heat to high. Cover pan and let vegetables steam for another 5 minutes.

Grilled Salmon

2007-05-23T17:59:00.000-05:00

Salmon fillet approximately 1/2-1lb (can be cut into smaller pieces for quicker cooking)
2 tsp soft margarine
1/2 tsp dill weed
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

Place salmon fillets on a sheet of non-stick aluminum foil. Fold up edges of foil to make a foil pan. Spread top of salmon with the soft margarine.

Mix all spices together and sprinkle over salmon.

Grill, covered (I fold in the foil) for 15-20 minutes, until cooked through and fish flakes easily.

Sushi

2007-05-14T19:29:00.000-05:00

Tonight we decided to try to make sushi at home. This is the second time that we have tried. The first time was pretty disorderly and took forever, but we learned from that experience.

This afternoon I made a trip over to the Asian Market near our house, Han Ah Reum, and picked up some sushi grade Salmon and Tuna and some Eel.

I made the special sushi rice that my little sushi book said to make. It's basically just short grained rice and then you add this rice vinegar, sugar and salt mixture to the rice after it's cooked.

After you cook 1 3/4 cup of rice, you mix together 3 tablespoons of rice vinegar, 2 1/2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 teaspoons of sea salt and then sprinkle the mixture over the rice and then fold the mixture into the rice (don't stir). Make sure your rice is cool to "body temperature" before making your sushi.

After you get past the rice, the real fun begins. Basically, you have to keep your hands wet enough so the rice doesn't stick to your hands too much but not so wet that you make the rice and sea weed wet and soggy.

We made ...

Tuna Nigiri

Salmon Nigiri

Eel Nigiri

And a couple Spicy Tuna Rolls, a Salmon Avocado Roll, and an Eel and Avocado Roll.

It didn't all come out that pretty... but it sure tasted good!

Salad with Seared Tuna and a Wasabi Vinaigarette

2007-05-06T19:25:00.000-05:00

Tonight we made Seared Tuna. I decided to make mine over salad with a Wasabi Vinaigrette dressing. It turned out pretty good considering we have never really made Seared Tuna and home. Also, this meal was really fast and easy! We'll be making this dinner again sometime soon.

I started out by making my salad on a plate. I threw in some romaine lettuce, roma tomatoes, cucumbers and some mushrooms.

Then I made the Wasabi Vinaigrette. It was easy!
1 Tablespoon of Rice Vinegar
1 Tablespoon of Soy Sauce
3/4 Teaspoon of Wasabi paste
Stir together with whisk until Wasabi Paste is dissolved.
Whisk in 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil.
Voila!

I seared the Tuna by heating up a large pan, pouring a very thin layer of olive oil across the pan, and allowing it to heat up. I lightly salted and peppered both sides of the tuna. I poured in a couple tablespoons of Wasabiyaki in the pan then added the tuna. I poured a little more of the Wasabiyaki onto the tuna. I let the tuna sear for about 2 minutes, then turned it over. I seared the other side for just over a minute because I was worried I would over cook it. I removed it from the pan and cut it into thin slices to place on top of my salad. It was a good thing I pulled it off early, it was perfectly cooked!

I placed the slices of tuna on top of my salad and drizzled the salad and tuna with the Wasabi Vinaigrette. (Don't use the entire serving of Vinaigrette that you made, unless you have a big salad)

YUM!

Salmon, Wild Rice and Asparagus

2007-04-05T16:21:00.000-05:00

Last night for dinner we made some Salmon accompanied by some Rice and Asparagus.

We picked up this pre-seasoned Salmon from Giant. It was seasoned with Black Pepper and Tea leaves. It sounded interesting and different so we thought we would give it a try.

We cooked up on the grill and it came out looking quite yummy! Conclusion: It was ok. I added a little Lemon Pepper to zest it up a bit.

We also whipped up some Rice-a-Roni (it was fast and easy) and some some fresh steamed Asparagus. This meal was a pretty easy, balanced and unorignal meal to throw together.

The leftover Rice and Asparagus made for some good leftovers for lunch today too!

German Style Beer Fondue

2007-03-29T16:39:00.000-05:00

1 clove garlic
3/4 teaspoon caraway seeds
2 cups Pilsner beer
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 lb fully-cooked turkey sausage or any type of wurst, cut into 1/2 inch slices
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp worchestshire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons whole grain mustard
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 loaf rye or pumpernickel bread, unsliced
3 granny smith apples, cut into chunks
1 potato, baked and cut into chunks
Rub bottom of a heavy 4 qt saucepan w/ garlic clove. Add caraway seeds to pan & toast over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, about 1-2 minutes. Pour in beer and stir until foam dissipates. Stir in lemon juice & sugar. Bring mixture to a boil; add sausage pieces, reduce heat to medium low & simmer uncovered for 8-10 minutes. Remove sausage from pot & cover to keep warm. Leave beer mixture over low heat. In large bowl, toss cheese w/flour until evenly coated. Slowly whisk into the beer mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until cheese is melted. Whisk in the worchestershire sauce, mustard, salt & cayenne pepper until blended.
Transfer mixture to a warm 1 1/2 qt fondue pot.
Serve with the sausage slices, chunks of bread, apple slices & potato cubes.

Enjoy!

Crab Cream Cheese Wontons

2007-03-11T21:26:00.000-05:00

1 package of Wonton Skins
1 lb Crab Meat
16oz Cream Cheese
1 egg yolk
Garlic powder*
Soy Sauce*
Old Bay*

*to taste- Sorry, I can't remember the exact measurements I used, I was just playing around with this recipe. Next time I make this I will update the measurements.

Combine all ingredients into a mixer and mix.
Place 1 tsp of mixture onto a wonton skin.
Fold up the corners of the wonton skin so the tips are all touching each other. Use the egg yolk to 'glue' the tips of the wonton skin together.
Place wonton into deep fryer until light brown.

Serve with Sweet & Sour Sauce, Hot Mustard and Soy Sauce.

Double Caramel Chocolate Delights

2007-03-11T21:18:00.000-05:00

One of my favorites!

32 Caramels
1/2 Cup of Half & Half
1 Cup uncooked, multigrain cereal/granola
1 Cup Flour
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 tsp. Salt
3/4 Cup Chilled Butter
1/2 Bag Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/2 Bag Butterscotch Chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1) Melt Caramels & Half & Half in a sauce pan over low/med heat
2) In a blender, mix cereal, flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Cut in Butter.
3) Set aside 1 cup of the mixture
4) Press the remaining mixture onto a 13 x 9 ungreased casserole dish, bake 10 mins
5) Pour caramel mix over cereal mix in the casserole dish
6) Sprinkle on Chips and remaining cereal mixture
7) Bake 15-18 mins until the chips are soft/melted

Ohio Buckeyes

2007-03-11T21:09:00.000-05:00

1 Jar of Peanut Butter (chunky or smooth, depending on your preference)
4 Cups of Powdered Sugar
2 Sticks of softened butter
1 Tbsp Vanilla
1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 stick of baking wax (parafin)

1. Slowly beat butter, sugar and peanut butter until creamy, then refrigerate for about an hour
2. Melt Chocolate Chips in a double boiler and add wax
3. Roll Peanut butter mix into balls
4. Poke the balls with a toothpick, dip them into the chocolate, and place on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper
5. Refridgerate for best taste

Thanks Lisa V.

Oven Baked Chicken

2007-03-11T18:32:00.000-05:00

Oven Baked Chicken by Betty Crocker

This oven baked chicken is very good. It has the same crispiness as fried chicken without all the bad stuff that you find in traditional fried chicken!!

Prep Time:10 min

Start to Finish:1 hr

Makes:5 servings

1	tablespoon butter or margarine
2/3	cup Original Bisquick® mix
1 1/2	teaspoons paprika
1 1/4	teaspoons salt
1/4	teaspoon pepper
1	cut-up whole chicken (3 to 3 1/2 pounds)

1.	Heat oven to 425°F. Melt butter in rectangular baking dish, 13x9x2 inches, in oven.
2.	Stir together Bisquick, paprika, salt and pepper; coat chicken. Place skin sides down in dish (dish and butter should be hot).
3.	Bake 35 minutes; turn chicken. Bake about 15 minutes longer or until juice is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut.

Nutrition Information:

1 Serving: Calories 350 (Calories from Fat 180 ); Total Fat 20 g (Saturated Fat 5 g); Cholesterol 100 mg; Sodium 940 mg; Total Carbohydrate 10 g (Dietary Fiber 0g); Protein 33 g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 12 %; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 4 %; Iron 12 % Exchanges: 1/2 Starch; 4 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Fat

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Pesto Cheese Blossom

2007-03-05T12:51:00.000-05:00

8 oz thin sliced provolone cheese
2 8 oz packages of cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 ounces oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes

Line a medium bowl w/plastic wrap, leaving enough overhang to cover the top. Set aside 3 slices of provolone. With remaining provolone, line the bottom and sides of the bowl, overlapping slices so that they form into a daisy shape.

Mix cream cheese and 1 garlic clove together in a bowl, divide into 3 portions, and set aside.

***Process the basil, parsley, pine nuts and 1 garlic clove together until blended. Dissolve the salt & pepper in the olive oil and mix well. With food processor running, add the oil in a fine stream. Scrape this mixture into another bowl and set aside.***

Drain tomatoes, reserving the oil. Puree the tomatoes with a small amount of the reserved oil.

Spread approximately 1/3 of the cream cheese mixture over the cheese slices lining the bowl. Next layer the pesto mixture, then another 1/3 of the cream cheese, then the sundried tomato mixture, and finally the remainder of the cream cheese.

Cover with the remaining slices of provolone. Bring the edges of the plastic wrap together over the top and secure. Freeze until firm. Remove plastic wrap and invert the mold onto a serving platter. Serve with crackers.

This will keep in the refridgerator for up to 3 months.

***May substitute store bought pesto if you wish.

(I have even thought about adding some crabmeat to the cream cheese for an added twist).

Fettucini Alfredo

2007-03-05T12:47:00.001-05:00

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup flour
16 oz heavy cream
2/3 cup freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese
1 tbsp minced garlic
salt to taste
1/4 tsp pepper
16 oz linguine or fettucine noodles

Melt butter; add flour, cream, garlic, salt & pepper - stir constantly over medium heat until thickened (about 20 minutes). Cook noodles in boiling salted water. After noodles are cooked, put a little butter or olive oil on them to keep from sticking. Add noodles to the cream sauce, then stir in the cheese and toss to coat.

Really Easy Beef Stew

2007-03-05T12:02:00.000-05:00

1 1/2 pounds stew beef or other decent quality beef cut in chunks
1 can of tomato soup
1 can of french onion soup (preferably progresso brand)
carrots
mushrooms
green beans
any other vegies you want to put in

Put all ingredients into a crock pot and cook on low heat for 8 hours or more.
If you wish to thicken the sauce prior to serving, all 1-2 tbsp of cornstarch to the liquid for the last 1-2 hours of cooking.

Serve over noodles or rice.

Risotto with Wild Mushrooms

2007-02-17T19:24:00.000-05:00

Risotto with Wild Mushrooms

This is a great recipe. It's pretty easy even though the instructions seem long. I found this recipe on the internet a few years ago and have slightly modified it to make it even better. Enjoy!

1/4 cup Dried Porcini Mushrooms
1 cup Cold Water
4 cups Vegetable or other stock
1 Tbs Olive Oil
1/4 cup Shallots, chopped
1 cup Arborio Rice
1 Large Portobello mushroom, sliced
1 1/4 tsp Salt
3/4 tsp Pepper
1/2 cup White Wine

1. Soak the porcini in the cold water for 30 minutes. Remove from the water squeezing the water from them them into the water they were soaking in. Dice up the mushrooms and set aside. Strain the porcini water through a sieve and add it to the stock.

2. Heat the stock until it reaches a low simmer, then keep at a simmering level.

3. Heat the olive oil over low heat in a wide heavy port. Add the shallots and saute them until they begin to soften (3-4 mins). Add the rice and stir well so all rice is coated. Add the porcini and portobello mushrooms and saute for 2 mins.

4. Add a ladle of stock (about a cup). Stir until the liquid is absorbed. Add the salt and pepper. Keep the heat at medium and liquid simmering.

5. After adding 3 or 4 ladles of stock, add the wine. Continue to stir frequently and to add a ladle of stock at at time. When the rice is almost cooked (about 20-25 mins), reduce the amount of stocke added each time. As soon as the rice is cooked, remove it from the heat and serve hot.

Marinara Sauce

2007-02-17T19:10:00.000-05:00

1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, cut in half
1 can (1 lb 12 oz) plum tomatoes with basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil (or 6 leaves of fresh basil)
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley (Italian parsley if available)
1/2 cup (4 oz) dry white wine

Preferably in an 8 or 10 inch skillet with a lid, place the oil and heat the pan. Add the garlic and brown. Meanwhile, place the tomatoes in a blender at the lowest speed for a few seconds ( you don't want them to be pureed). When the garlic is golden brown, turn off the heat and let the pan cool for a few minutes. Then add the tomatoes and turn the heat back on. Add the oregano and dried basil (fresh basil is added later). Add the salt and pepper, bring to a boil, and let simmer for 30 mins with the pan covered. Then, add the wine (and fresh basil, if using it), let simmer another 5 mintues and turn off the heat. Remove the garlic and the sauce is ready to serve. Serves 4-6.