Vegetable Noodle Soup

Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 rib celery, sliced (about 1 cup)
1 medium carrot, sliced (about 3/4 cup)
1 clove garlic, smashed
1/4 medium onion, about 1/2 cup
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup orzo or other small pasta or egg noodles or broken up spaghetti
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (1 quart box, or 2 cans)
Small handful fresh parsley leaves, basil or dill, chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
1/2 lemon, juiced (about 1 tablespoon)
Freshly ground black pepper
Serving suggestion: Whole-wheat crackers and cheese sticks


Directions
Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat; add all the vegetables, garlic and onion. Season with the salt, and cook until tender, about 6 minutes. Add the pasta and cook until slightly toasted and golden, about 2 minutes. Add broth, and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook, covered, until pasta is just tender, about 8 minutes.

Stir in whatever herb suits you and lemon juice. Season with pepper and additional salt, to taste.

TIP: This soup freezes well, so freeze any leftovers or make a double batch to have plenty on hand. Also, you can stir in some cooked chicken or mini-meatballs, if desired, for another meal.

Makes 2-3 big bowls.



from foodnetwork

Heavenly Bread Pudding

INGREDIENTS (see also sauce below)

6 large croissants (Costco)

8 large eggs

1 c. sugar

3 c. heavy cream

2 tsps. vanilla bean paste (available at Williams and Sonoma, but regular vanilla can be substituted)

DIRECTIONS

Butter a 9x13 dish.  Slice the croissants in half lengthwise.  Layer half of croissants, crust-side down, in bottom of pan, then layer the other half, crust-side up, on top.  In a bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar; then whisk in the cream and vanilla paste.  Pour slowly over the croissants and smash down with a spoon and allow to soak for 10 minutes.  Place the 9x13 pan inside a larger pan for a water bath fill the outside pan with water ¾ full and bake at 350 for 1 ½ hours (check the pudding after 1 hour 15 minutes and take out of oven if it is golden brown).  Make sure the eggs are all cooked.

Dish into bowls and pour a couple spoonfuls of sauce on top.  Sprinkle with raspberries, boysenberries, etc.  (I get the Costco berry mix in the frozen food section and add some sugar.). Serve warm or at room temperature.

**I covered the pudding the first half of the bake time with tinfoil. I tented it and cut a few holes in it to allow steam to escape like Ina suggests in her bread pudding recipe.

**You can add raisins, nuts, chocolate, coconut etc to the pudding. Just place it between the two croissant pieces (make sure it is covered or it may burn)

SAUCE

1 cube butter

1 c. sugar

½ c. heavy cream

1 tsp. vanilla

Melt butter in small saucepan and add other ingredients.  Stir on medium-low heat until sugar is dissolved.  Do not boil.

Pavlova 2

This makes a small size pavlova for 4-6 people. Double the mix for a good family size pavlova.

 PAVLOVA
2 egg whites (large eggs)
1 ½ cup sugar (C&H is finest)
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon cornflour (cornstarch)
4 tablespoons boiling water

Put in a bowl and beat until peaks form and are very very stiff.
Bake at 300° for 10 min & 200° for 1 hour.
Top with freshly whipped cream , strawberries, kiwi and passionfruit.
Tips:
Leave in oven to cool, do not open oven door during cooking. Put on lightly greased foil covered flat tray. Heap the mixture in center as high as you can, use spatula to raise the sides as high as you can make them. Make sure no egg shells get in and make sure bowl is freshly cleaned and dried.

Recipe from Annette Smith who got it from Barbara Baker, both Aussies

Michelle's Australian Sausage Rolls

1-2lb jimmy dean pork & sage sausage
1 lb hamburger
1 small onion, diced finely
6-8 slices white bread with crusts removed
Pepperidge Puff Pastry



Place bread in bowl and cover with just enough water to soak in for 5 min (not soggy) Squish (very technical term) out excess water.
Add to meat and onion mix
Cut Pepperidge Puff Pastry in half long ways.
Pipe meat mix along pastry. (Can use ziploc bag with corner cut to pipe)
Roll pastry over meat and brush with beaten egg
Bake 425 for 10-15 minutes then lower oven to 350 bake a further 10-15 or until golden.

P.F. Chang's Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons oil
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (or ground chicken)
• 1 cup water chestnut
• 2/3 cup mushroom
• 3 tablespoons chopped onions
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 4 -5 leaves iceberg lettuce

Special Sauce

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon hot mustard (optional)
• 2 teaspoons HOT water (optional)
• 1 -2 teaspoon garlic and red chile paste (optional)

Stir Fry Sauce

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

Directions: ** you might want to use a food processor to speed things along!

1. 1 Make the special sauce by dissolving the sugar in water in a small bowl.
2. 2 Add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice and sesame oil.
3. 3 Mix well and refrigerate this sauce until you're ready to serve.
4. 4 Combine the hot water with the hot mustard and set this aside as well.
5. 5 Eventually add your desired measurement of mustard and garlic chili sauce to the special sauce mixture to pour over the wraps.
6. 6 Bring oil to high heat in a wok or large frying pan.
7. 7 Saute chicken breasts for 4 to 5 minutes per side or done.
8. 8 Remove chicken from the pan and cool.
9. 9 Keep oil in the pan, keep hot.
10. 10 As chicken cools mince water chestnuts and mushrooms to about the size of small peas.
11. 11 Prepare the stir fry sauce by mixing the soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar together in a small bowl.
12. 12 When chicken is cool, mince it as the mushrooms and water chestnuts are.
13. 13 With the pan still on high heat, add another Tbsp of vegetable oil.
14. 14 Add chicken, garlic, onions, water chestnuts and mushrooms to the pan.
15. 15 Add the stir fry sauce to the pan and saute the mixture for a couple minutes then serve it in the lettuce"cups".
16. 16 Top with"Special Sauce".

Pineapple Upside-down Cake

Have all ingredients at room temp before beginning. Have ready a 9-inch skillet or a 9x2 inch round pan or bunt pan.

INGREDIENTS:
7 slices canned, unsweetened pineapple (from 20 oz can)
3 TBSP unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
19 maraschino cherries (optional)
19 cooked pitted prune halves or quarters (optional)
19 pecan halves (optional)
2 large eggs
2 Tbs buttermilk (to make your own: mix 1/2 Tbs white vinegar or lemon juice with almost 1/2 cup milk. Let sit 5 min. You will use 1/2 cup total in this recipe)
1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt (don't add if using regular butter)

6 Tbs (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened
6 Tbs buttermilk


DIRECTIONS:
Drain pineapple and place on 1 layer on paper towels to absorb the excess juice

Place butter in the skillet or cake pan. Place the pan in the oven just until the butter is melted, or melt it on the top of the stove. Tilt to coat all sides with butter. The extra butter will settle in the bottom of the pan.

Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over the bottom of the pan.

Place 1 pineapple ring on the brown sugar in the center of the pan and arrange 6 more around it. In the center of each ring and in the spaces between them, place cherries, prunes or pecans (all optional).

Whisk together eggs, buttermilk and vanilla with a fork.

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt for a few seconds with an electric mixer in a large bowl.

Add softened butter and  6 Tbsp buttermilk (8 Tbsp total)

Beat on low speed just until moistened. Increase speed to medium with a hand held mixer and beat for exactly 1.5 minutes. The batter will be stiff. Add 1/3 egg mixture at a time, beating for exactly 20 seconds and scraping the bowl after each addition. Scrape the batter over the fruit in the pan and spread evenly. Bake until toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove cake from oven and tilt pan in all directions to detach from the sides. Let cool 2-3 minutes before unmolding. Invert a serving platter on top of pan and flip. Scoop remaining fruit/topping from pan and spoon over cake.

Recipe from The Joy of Cooking Cookbook

Kneaders Chunky Cinnamon French Toast

Ingredients
1 loaf Kneaders Chunky Cinnamon Bread cut in 8 slices  
8 eggs
3 c. milk
1 T. brown sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
1 T. vanilla
2 T. butter 


Preparation:
Butter a glass baking dish generously (9" x 13").  Place the bread flat in the baking dish.  Mix all remaining ingredients, reserving the butter and pour over the bread. Cut butter into pieces and dot over the top. Refrigerate over night or at least 1 hour.   Bake 45 - 50 minutes at 350 degrees.  Serves 8

Kneader's Carmel Syrup
1 c. Brown sugar
1 c. Creme
1 c. Light Karo Syrup
Blend together and heat on stovetop until sugar is smooth.
Serve warm.

Thai chicken wraps

Ingredients:

• 6 8-10inch plain, red and or green flour tortillas
• 12 ounces skinless, boneless chiken breast strips for stir-frying
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 4 cups package shredded broccoli (broccoli slaw mix)
• 1 medium red onion, cut into thin wedges
• 1 tsp. Grated gringer root (optional)
• 1 recipe peanut sauce

Instructions

Wrap tortillas in paper towels. Microwave on 100% power (high) for 30 seconds to soften. (Or, wrap tortillas in foil. Heat in a 350 oven for 10 minutes)

Meanwhile rinse chiken; pat dry. In a small bowl combine garlic salt and pepper. Add chiken; toss to coat evenly. In a large skillet cook and stir seasoned chiken in hot oil over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until no longer pink. Remove from skillet; keep warm. Add broccoli, onion, and ginger root to skillet. Cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender.

To assemble, spread each tortilla with about 1 tbsp peanut sauce. Top with chiken strips amd vegetable mixture. Roll up each tortilla, securing with a toohpick. Serve immediately with remaining sauce.

 

Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:

1/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. creamy peanut butter

3 tbsp soy sauce

3 tbsp water

2 tbsp cooking oil

1 tsp bottled minced garlic

Instructions:
In a small saucepan combine all ingredients. Heat until sugar is dissolved, stirring frequently. Makes about 2/3 cup.

Cafe Rio Recipe - Pork

Sweet Pulled Pork:

3-4 lb pork loin roast
1 cup brown sugar
1 12-14 oz bottle of mild/med taco sauce
1 12oz can of Coke (I heard that Costa Vida uses Dr. Pepper)

Put all the ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on high for at least 6 hours. Take pork roast out and shred on a cutting board (I also removed the fattiest pieces). Return shredded meat to crock pot and let it heat/soak while you get everything else ready.

Tomatillo Ranch Dressing:

3/4 c. buttermilk
1 t fresh squeezed lime juice
1/2 c. cilantro leaves
1 c. mayo
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch powder
1 small tomatillo, quartered
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced
3/4 can chopped green chilies

Slop everything into either a food processor or a good blender.

Cinnamon Toast

Mix together:

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 and 1/2 t. cinnamon

Spread butter/margarine on bread and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over it generously. Toast in a toaster oven or in a regular oven on broil. Eat immediately.

If you all remember, this was a family favorite growing up!

Ham and Pasta Casserole

Ingredients:
8 ounces spaghetti, cut into small lengths
1-2 cups diced cooked ham
3 tablespoons butter
4 to 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
4 to 6 green onions, trimmed, thinly sliced (I use regular onions instead sometimes)
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon garlic seasoned pepper or other pepper blend
dash cayenne or other hot pepper, as desired
more seasoning and pepper, to taste
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese plus additional for topping if desired

Preparation:

Cook spaghetti in boiling salted water, following package directions. Drain and rinse in hot water; put in 8X8 casserole dish. At the same time, do the following:

Heat butter over medium low heat; add sliced mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are tender; add green onions. Gradually stir in most of chicken broth and milk reserving some to mix with flour. Whisk remaining broth/milk with flour then add to the rest of the mixture. Add seasonings. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Taste and add more seasonings, if needed. Add in ham and cheese and pour over spaghetti and mix together. I like to put a little extra cheese on top (with tinfoil on top of the dish while baking). Place in an 8X8 casserole dish and Bake at 325° for 25 to 30 minutes, until bubbly and cheese is melted.

Crepes (the recipe we had growing up!)

3/4 cup flour

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

1 cup milk

1 egg

1 Tbsp melted butter

1 tsp vanilla (for dessert crepes)

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients. beat with electric mixer just until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl. Cook (I'm sure you all know how!)

Suggested toppings:

strawberries, bananas or any fruit

powdered sugar

whipping cream

nutella

syrup

Bread Pudding

Preheat oven to 350
Ingredients

• 2 slightly beaten eggs
• 2 1/4 cups milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 cups day old bread, cubed in 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup raisins

Combine eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Stir in bread cubes. Stir in brown sugar and raisins. Put into 8 X 1 3/4 inch round cake pan. Place pan in pan with water and put into oven. Cook for 45 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

Preheat oven to 375
Ingredients

• 1 cup pumpkin
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 egg
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp milk
• 1 heaping cup chocolate chips
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Nuts (optional)

Dissolve baking soda in milk; set aside. In large bowl add pumpkin, sugar, oil, and egg; stir. Add in flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda mixture. Mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and vanilla. Spoon onto cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until done.

Mountain Man Dinner

Ingredients

• Can of pineapple chunks, drained
• Hot dogs
• Bush's baked beans

Cut up a few hot dogs and fry them in a pot on the stove for a few minutes. You can also fry up the pineapple chunks if desired. Add in baked beans to pot and heat through.

Lindsay's Lasagna

Preheat oven to 350
Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
48 oz spagetti sauce
1 package lasagna noodles
8 oz sour cream
8 oz cottage cheese
1 egg
1 1/2 lbs monterey jack cheese (about 6 cups)

Precook lasagna noodles. Brown beef and add spaghetti sauce. Mix together sour cream, cottage cheese and egg. Grate cheese. Layer meat, then noddles, sour cream mixture, then cheese; repeat 2 more times. Bake for 30 minutes or as long as the noodles you are using say to bake.

Taco Salad

Ingredients

• tortilla chips
• 1-2 avocados
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 small head lettuce
• 1 cup jack or cheddar cheese
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 lb hamburger
• 1 packet taco seasoning, optional

Cook hamburger and add taco seasoning per packet instructions. Mix all ingredients in large bowl.

Dressing

• 1 1/2 cups salsa mixed with mayo. Mix as much mayo in as you want for taste.

Tavia's White Chicken Chili

Ingredients

• 1 lb chicken, canned or fresh (shredded, cooked or cubed)
• 1 medium onion, chopped (steam in water until translucent)
• 1 (16 oz) can chicken broth
• 1 (16 oz) can cream of chicken soup
• 1 small can chopped green chilies
• 1 cup water or more, depending on consistency
• 1 can (11 oz) green giant brand mexi-corn
• 2 (16 oz) cans of great northern beans
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder or fresh garlic
• 1/2-1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• ------------------------
• 1/2 cup whipping cream or evaporated milk
• 1 cup sour cream (you can also use the entire can of evap. milk and omit sour cream)
• cheese
• tortilla chips

Mix first group of ingredients together and heat through. Just before serving add the whipping cream and sour cream. Top with cheese and tortilla chips.

Also tastes great dairy free (no cream of chicken soup, evaporated milk, sour cream and cheese)

Gulliver's Corn

Ingredients

• 1 lb frozen corn
• 12 oz cream (not whipped)
• 1 1/2 TBSP butter
• 2 TBSP sugar
• 1 1/2 TBSP flour
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1-3 TBSP parmesan cheese, if desired

Combine corn and cream and bring to a boil, simmer 2-3 minutes until tender. Drain and save cream from corn. Make a paste with butter, flour and about 1/2 cup of the cream. Blend the paste into the remaining cream. Heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add salt, accent, sugar and corn. Bring to a boil SLOWLY. Remove from heat. Add parmesan cheese right before serving.

Pavlova

Preheat oven to 250

Ingredients

• 4 egg whites
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tsp white vinegar or lemon juice
• 1 tsp cream of tarter
• 1 TBSP vanilla
• 1 TBSP cornstarch
• whipping cream
• fruit- strwberries, kiwi, bananas

Place wax paper on cookie sheet (or just grease a cookie sheet) and dust it with powdered sugar and cornstarch. Beat egg whites until stiff, then slowly add the sugar, beating until stiffer. Fold in corn starch, cream of tarter, vinegar, and vanilla. Pile high on cookie sheet and 7-8 inches across. Bake for 1 hour. OR, cook in several circles and cook 30-45 minutes. Do not allow to color on top. Cool, then spread with whipped cream and fruit. Leave door open after cooking until pavlova cools.

Alt recipe ingredients:

• 4 large egg whites (room temperature)
• 1 cup castor sugar
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1/2 tbs tapioca starch/flour
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract