Christmas Candy

I am having bad luck with Christmas treats at my house. Do any of you have any good candy recipes that are semi-hard to screw up.

Sweet and sour meatballs

Jaimee, I use frozen meatballs, but if you want the meatball recipe that comes with the sauce, let me know and I will dig it out! I just like the store bought ones better.

2 cups Ketchup
1 cup grape jelly
1/2 cup brown sugar

Pour over 72ish meatballs and simmer for about 20 minutes or until heated through. Or heat in a crockpot for 3-4 hours until heated through.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

This is the original recipe. I usually substitute chicken broth for half the milk, and skip the cream. I think the broth adds better flavor.

3 1/2 cups broccoli
1 cup butter
1 cup flour
6 2/3 cups of milk
3/4 cup cream
salt
pepper
grated cheese

Steam broccoli. Set aside. Melt butter. Whisk in flour until smooth. Whisk in milk/cream or broth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat until thickened. Stir often, covering in between. When soup is thickened add broccoli. I like to puree mine, but is good with bigger pieces of broccoli as well. Serve with grated cheese.

Meatball Recipe

Hey, Jolynn, I was wondering if you could post the recipe for the meatballs we had on Thanksgiving. I couldn't stay away from those things! They were so good, and I'm usually not a fan of meatballs. I wanted to make them for Christmas Eve festivities. Thanks!

Open Faced Sandwiches

Open faced Asperagus Gruyere Chicken Sandwiches.

I decided after my total abuse of our cooking blog I would post another one of our favorites at our house. This is a really yummy recipe that I scored from my cooking buddy Wendi. It seems a little involved the first time you make it but it's not that bad the next times. Plus it's just worth. it. Don't be scared by the gruyere. That's just a splurge. You can use any kind of cheese. I think it would be best if it was a white cheese, but use whatever you like at your house. Also, the original recipe uses white wine, I substitute white grape juice and chicken broth. however there was one time when I didn't have any juice in the house and I didn't realize it until I had started cooking already, but we did have some guarana. I used it and it was my favorite ever. So I use the excuse when I am going to cook this to buy some guarana and tell Cam it was just for him:) anyway. Try it sometime. it's good.


4T extra virgin olive oil
1 onion
1 tsp Thyme
3 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper
6 Tbsp butter
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 baugette or loaf of french bread
parsley
2Tbsp flour
1/2 cup white grape juice
1 C broth
1/4 cup cream
1 bunch asperagus
1 C shreded gruyere cheese

preheat oven to 400 degrees
combine 2 T evoo, onion, thyme, garlic and salt and pepper and saute 5-8 mins until onions are transparent. Remove onion from skillet. Add 2 T evoo and 1 Tbsp Butter to pan and cook the chicken. I like to chop it into smaller pieces while it cooks.
While chicken is cooking- split bread in half (length wise) and take out center brush with butter and sprinkle with parsley then put into oven for 5 minute or until it is toasted.
When chicken is done sprinkle with flour and cook for about 1 minute. Add Juice broth and cream and mix well. Add back in onion mixture and asperagus and cook until asperagus is tender crisp. Spoon chicken and suce onto baugettes. mix bread crumbs with cheese and place on top of sandwiches. Put under broiler until cheese is melted. These are best served immediately.
Yum Yum!

Hehe...

Ok, I have figured out a way to make our little announcement without letting any of my family know. I am pretty sure that none of them look on here. (they will all REALLY REALLY freak out.)
We are pleasantly surprised to be expecting another little monster in our house the first part of July. I am about 9 weeks right now. I had no intentions of blabbing until I absolutely had no choice, but appearantly Caeli absorbs more then I think. We were trying to be careful around her and not say anything, but she told Katelyn the other day. (sorry I was a liar Kate) So appearantly she gets more than I think. I am sure we will have to tell my family before too long but in the meantime if anyone happens to run into anyone in my family... Deb, Shelle... :)
We are excited but a little scared as well. I am trying to keep all bad memories of Cohen's birth experience out of my head... anyway, I suppose we could use any and all prayers in our behalf. Lets hope it really is July when we get our new one.

Favorite Soups

Potato Chowder (or maybe it's considered corn chowder. Who knows.)

2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced celery
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter
2 cups milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 (15 ounce) cans whole kernel corn, drained
2 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS
Place potatoes, carrots, celery, onion and salt in a large pot with water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine butter, milk and flour in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir constantly until smooth and thick.
Pour milk mixture into cooked vegetables. Stir in corn and cheese until cheese is melted. Serve.

tortilla soup with chicken and lime
This makes a big pot of soup.

12 cups water
6-8 chicken bouillon cubes
1 can (14.5oz) mexican style stewed tomatoes with juices (or whatever kind of stewed or diced tomatoes you have on hand.)
1 med. onion, thinly sliced
1 med. green pepper, thinly sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 med. carrot, sliced
1 clove of garlic
2 bay leaf leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper (optional)
12 ounces shredded cooked chicken
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (or abt. 1 1/2 T dried)
1/4 cup lime juice
shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream (I use the light or low fat kind)
tortilla chips

Directions:
Combine water and bouillon in a large sauce pan and bring to a boil. Add sliced veggies, bay leaf, garlic, cumin and red pepper return to a boil. Reduce heat simmer 15 minutes or until carrots are done.

Add tomatoes, shredded chicken, cilantro and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle soup into bowls and top with sour cream, cheese, and tortilla chips.

Really your supposed to fry tortilla strips in olive oil, but I am too lazy to do that much work. :)

Re: Gingerbread :)

Okay, so I can't seem to find the recipe we used last year. But I came across this one that looks MUCH better anyways. It probably tastes better than the recipe I used before. Mike liked how it tasted, but I wasn't a big fan. :) Good luck! Make sure to take pictures.

Gingerbread

I want to make real gingerbread houses this year. Does anyone have a good recipe? I would like to have something that is edible still.... Michelle I know you make them every year....

Pasta Fagioli Soup

Mom, Dad, Kacey, Justin and Bradon came over for family night dinner. We tried this soup and it was yummy! Not one of my kids said, "Ewww, I hate this!" or,"I think I'll just wait til breakfast." Maybe they were just being polite in front of our company, who knows. Anyway, we had it with our favorite bread sticks. The recipe comes from the cookbook Girlfriends on the Go, which is a fabulous freezer recipe cookbook.

1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup grated carrots (I buy the shredded ones)
1 cup diced celery
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 (15oz) cans beef broth
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp fresh parsley, chopped (I used dried parsley)
1/2 tsp hot sauce (Tabasco)
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 small bag shell pasta
Cook noodles according to package directions (I slightly undercook mine). Place all ingredients in a large pot. Mix together. If freezing, place in freezer bag. To prepare: thaw and let simmer until vegetables are tender (30-45 min).

Hey guys how do we make a list to the side so you can click on- "desserts" "chicken" or whatever and have it bring up all recipes with those things.... I don't know what it's called but I would love it if someone would set that up on here :)

Grandma Ev's soft sugar cookies

I had to beg this lady in town for her sugar cookies recipe and she still wouldn't give it to me. Luckily, I am good friends with her granddaughter who was nice enough to pass it on. I can't make them like her. She must keep some secrets to herself. but they are still yummy.

Soft Sugar Cookies

2 c Sugar
1 1/2 c shortning
3 eggs
1 c milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp vanilla
5 cups flour

cream together sugar, shortning, egg and milk. Add Vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Flour amount varies. I start with 4 cups and then add more to make it the consistency that you need. Barely enough so you can roll it out. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

The one thing I did get out of Grandma Ev is that it makes them flakier the less you handle them. (like pie crusts). She also only makes circle cookies because smaller points tend to cook more or something like that. also don't roll them out too thin.

I would like a good icing recipe..... or tips on making good icing or something.... anyone, anyone?

Sugar Cookie Recipes, please?

Does anyone have a good tried-and-true recipe for soft, yummy sugar cookies? I only made them once, and they were brittle and hard. With the holidays coming up, I have been craving them and would love an awesome recipe! Thanks!

Fragrant Chicken Curry and Coconut Rice

I thought that I hated Curry until I had this. I think it is the coconut milk that makes it. It is especially good over this rice. It's coconut rice. Really tasty. This is a super easy recipe. It doesn't look near as good as it is. Caeli didn't want to eat it at first and she usually doesn't care, but after she tasted it she ate it and asked for leftovers the next day. Mine was a little spicy, but that is easily adjusted with the cayenne.

Fragrant Chicken Curry

2 Tbsp curry powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic
1 shreded rotisserie chicken
1 can coconut milk (13.5 oz)
1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)
1 can chicken broth (14.5 oz)

Heat oil in a pot over med/high heat. Add onion and saute 8-10 mins. Add garlic and saute until fragrant (30 secs) add spices and toast until fragrant. Add chicken and stir together until coated with spices. Add coconut milk, broth and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook untilflavors blend and stew is thick. (abt 20 mins)

Coconut Rice

In a sauce pot, combine 1 1/2 C chicken stock with 1 C sweetened shreded coconut. Bring the mixture up to a simmer and add the rice (3/4 cups). Return to a simmer over low heat and cover. Cook the rice for 18 minutes
Toast 1/2 C coconut in a skillet and stir it into the rice when cooked.

Ground Deer Meat

A lady Mike works with gave us some ground deer meat and I have no idea what to do with it. Does it even taste good? The lady Mike works with doesn't like it, that's why she gave it to us. Do any of you know what I can do with it? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. :)

Crockpot Southwestern Chicken

Here you go, Mom! BTW, This came from The Sister's Cafe.

1 small bag frozen corn
1 can black beans
2 large frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 16-oz jar medium salsa, such as Pace medium picante sauce
shredded cheddar cheese
tortilla chips
sour cream
chopped cilantro
diced avocado

Pour bag of frozen corn in bottom of crockpot. Place frozen chicken breasts on top of corn and cover with rinsed and drained black beans and jar of medium salsa. Cook on high for 1 hour, and then on low for 4 hours. Shred chicken with forks. Serve with tortilla chips and add toppings to individual servings.**It is very important that you use MEDIUM salsa in this. Mild simply isn't flavorful enough. Be sure to serve with tortilla chips, and not tortillas. The salty crunchy chips make this so good!

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

After I had this I decided that all funeral potatoes shoud be thrown out the window and we should all go with these. (I am starting to be of the opinion that cream of chicken soup should be banned.) I make this recipe different then the directions say though. I do the usual boil, peel, shred, to the potatoes. The baking and then scooping out of the peels sounded a little silly. I also just used whatever cheeses that I had in my fridge. I happened to have some Fontina when I made this and it was TASTY. But I think a combination of mild and sharp cheddars would be perfect. White cheddar is sometimes hard to find in good ol' Richfield, it's kinda expensive and tastes, for the most part, like sharp cheddar. Honestly the kind of cheese really doesn't matter. Cameron teases me all of the time because I have become a "sucker for a good cheese" so whenever I get off on a cheese tangent.... ignore me.



Ingredients
10 large russet baking potatoes (about 7 pounds total)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
3/4 pound bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
1/2 pound sharp white Cheddar, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3/4 pound mild Cheddar, grated (3 cups)
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
3 eggs, lightly beaten
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Scrub the potatoes well and rinse under cool running water. Pat dry with paper towels and prick the potatoes in several places with a fork. Place the potatoes in the oven and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until tender. Remove from the oven and set aside on a wire rack until cool enough to handle.
When the potatoes have cooled, cut each potato in half and, using a spoon or a melon baller, scoop the flesh out of the skins, leaving as little flesh as possible. Place the potato flesh in a large bowl and add 1 stick of the butter, the sour cream, heavy cream, salt, and pepper and mash until chunky-smooth. Add the bacon, cubed white Cheddar, half of the grated Cheddar, the green onions, and eggs and mix thoroughly.
Butter a 9 by 13-inch casserole with the remaining tablespoon of butter and reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F.
Place the seasoned potato mixture in the prepared casserole and top with the remaining grated Cheddar. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until bubbly around the edges and heated through and the cheese on top is melted and lightly golden. Serve hot


I like to stick a ham in the oven and make it a meal. Actually on that note I really like this ham glaze. It's in the mormon calebrations cookbook.

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup apricot jam (I used some of my homemade peach)
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

I spoon some over the ham to cook it in and then save some for individual servings.

Basil Cream Chicken Pasta

We have only eaten this dish on Valentine's Day, but I have been thinking about it lately, and thought I would post it. It's sooo good! We leave out the mushrooms for my sake, and we can never find white pepper, but it tastes great just the same.

1-1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed
1-1/3 C. finely chopped green onions
1 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 T. vegetable oil
1/2 C. butter or margarine
1/4 C. all-purpose flour
2 C. chicken broth
1 C. whipping cream
2 T. minced fresh basil or 2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. white pepper
Hot cooked fettuccine

In a skillet, saute chicken, onions and mushrooms in oil until the chicken is no longer pink. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add broth and cream. Stir in basil and pepper. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in chicken mixture. Serve over fetticcine. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Black Bean and Tortilla Bake

1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (16 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
12 soft corn tortillas
8 ounces low-fat cheddar cheese, shredded; reserve 2 tablespoons

Preheat oven to 350* F. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray. Add garlic, onions, tomato, green onion, cumin, and chili powder. Cook on medium heat until onion is tender. Add tomato sauce and cook 5 minutes more. Stir in beans, cilantro, salt and pepper.

Spray a 9 inch square baking dish with cooking spray. Layer 4 tortillas, 1/3 cheese, and 1/3 of the bean mixture; repeat 2 more times. Top with reserved 2 tablespoons of cheese. Bake 20 minutes, covered, then 10 minutes uncovered or until bubbly.

Hey everyone! Here is the start to the new family cooking blog. We all have some great recipes and I want them!! So bring them on. The last few things that I have cooked have been from My Kitchen Cafe. I made the cookie dough truffles this morning. They are tasty. I also made the Chicken and wild rice soup. It was a HUGE hit. I left out the mushrooms for Cam's sake. It is now on the top of my favorite soups list. You all have really cute blogs so you will have to help me set up the page to do everything that we want it to do. But I think it will be fun!