Incredible 30-Minute Microwave Chicken

This recipe uses the Deep Covered Baker from The Pampered Chef.

1 whole chicken (3 ½ - 4 pounds)

1 tablespoon olive oil

Seasoning Mixture:

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1. Lightly spray deep covered baker with oil. Remove and discard giblets and neck from chicken cavity. Rinse chicken with cold water; pat dry with paper towels. Trim excess fat, if necessary. Brush chicken with oil.

2. Combine ingredients for seasoning mixture and mix well. Completely coat outside of chicken with seasoning mixture. Place chicken, breast side up, in baker.

3. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 25-30 minutes or until instant read thermometer registers 165 degrees in thickest part of breast and juices run clear. Remove from microwave. Cover with lid and let rest 10 minutes (temperature will rise to 170 degrees).Yield: 4-6 servings

Variations:

1. Use rubs and seasoning mixes to give alternate flavors to your chicken.

2. All-in-one chicken dinner – prepare chicken as directed above and place in baker. Combine 1 cup each: celery and carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces, and 3 cups of red or russet potatoes, cut into 2-inch pieces in bowl. Toss with additional seasoning, if desired. Arrange vegetables around chicken. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 35-40 minutes or until thermometer registers 165 degrees in thickest part of breast and juices run clear. Remove from microwave. Cover with lid and let rest 10 minutes.

Cookie Baking Day

So, finally, here are the recipes for the cookies we baked after Thanksgiving! We had a fun time and pretended we had an audience as we demonstrated our recipe. Hope you enjoy and get at least one new recipe idea. Happy holidays!

Heath Bar Cookies

This is the cookie Karissa made.

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

2 cups oatmeal

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

12 oz. chocolate chips

Skor or Heath bar pieces

Combine first five ingredients. Mix flour, oats, baking powder, and baking soda and mix with wet ingredients. Add chocolate chips and candy bar pieces.

Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Do not overbake. Remove from baking sheet immediately after baking.

Pinwheel Cookies

My mother made these cookies. She has memories of her mother making these cookies. They are rather time intensive. My grandmother says it is important to put the chocolate layer, which is more dry, on top of the white layer before you roll it and cut it out.

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

1 egg yolk

1 TBS. milk

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 oz. square unsweetened chocolate, melted

1 TBS. milk

Cream together shortening, sugar, and vanilla. Blend in egg yolk and milk. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into creamed mixture. Divide dough in half; to one half, add chocolate and milk. Mix.

Chill both layers 1 1/2 hours. Roll out dough separately to similar size. Place chocolate layer on top of white layer. Roll up dough into log and cut. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Chocolate Cherry Cookies

This is the recipe I decided to try. They are more difficult than I wish they had been; you have to roll the dough into balls and then place cherries on top. The recipe says to frost the cookies before baking, but I found the frosting stuck to the pan and then I couldn't get the cookies off. If I make them again, I will frost the cookies AFTER I bake them.

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
48 maraschino cherries (about one 10-ounce jar), undrained
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine flour and cocoa powder. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter medium-to-high speed for 30 seconds. Beat in sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place balls about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press down center of each ball with your thumb. Drain cherries, reserving juice. Place a cherry or cherry half in the center of each cookie.

For frosting, in a small saucepan combine chocolate pieces and the sweetened condensed milk. Heat until chocolate melts. Stir in 4 teaspoons of the reserved cherry juice.

Spoon about 1 tsp. frosting over each cherry, spreading to cover cherry. (If necessary, thin frosting with additional cherry juice). Bake in preheated oven about 10 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute. Transfer to wire racks, cool. Makes 48.

Grandma Jenning's Oatmeal Cookies

This is the cookie Jill made. Her Grandma Jennings keeps this in the freezer for visitors. I must say these are the best oatmeal cookies I've ever had. I think I'll keep a roll of these in the freezer too and bake as needed.

1 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

3 cups oatmeal

Cream together shortening and sugars. Mix in vanilla and eggs. Add dry ingredients. Roll into a long tube about 2 1/2 inches in diameter and place in plastic wrap. Make two logs per recipe. Freeze for at least 24 hours. Cut cookies from log as needed and cook at 400 degrees for 7-8 minutes.

Chocolate Candy With Misc. Add-Ins

My mother also made this yummy chocolate candy. She added Rice Krispies, and it tasted just like a Crunch bar! She said it is most delicious with dried cranberries mixed in. I think it would also be good with raisins or mini marshmallows. This is an easy candy to make to give away as gifts.

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1 TBS. oil

1 TBS. margarine

Melt in double boiler or carefully in microwave. Stir in chosen add-in and spread mixture on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Let cool and break in pieces.

Southern-Style Baby Lima Beans

I've never been 100% happy about how I cook lima beans, but these were really good and easy. Try for yourself!

2 cups water

1 chicken bouillon cube or 1 tsp. chicken bouillon granules

1/2 TBS. margarine

1 lb. frozen baby lima beans

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Place water, bouillon, and margarine in 2-quart pot with lid. Cover, place over high heat, and bring the liquid to a boil. Remove the lid, and add the frozen lima beans. Recover and bring back to a boil (about 5 minutes).

Uncover the pot, reduce the heat to medium-high, and maintain a moderate boil for 20 minutes until the beans are tender and most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir frequently. Do not let the water completely cook out or the beans will burn. Season with black pepper and serve.

Makes 6 1/2-cup servings.

Hot Dog Mummies

A Clark family Halloween tradition!

8 refrigerator breadsticks

8 hot dogs

yellow mustard

Separate breadsticks and cut in half lengthwise. Wrap two lengths around each hot dog, leaving a space for the face.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes or until the breadstick wrapping is golden brown.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Add yellow mustard eyes just before serving. Makes 8 mummies.

Potato Skin Ghosts

A Clark family Halloween tradition. These potatoes are really tasty and fun for the kids!

washed, unpeeled potatoes (depending on size of potato, expect about 3 ghosts per potato)

olive or vegetable oil

seasoned salt

onion powder

garlic salt

sour cream

scallions or lives to decorate

Cut each potato into 1/2-inch slabs. Cut rounded tip off one end to create ghost shape.

Grease a baking sheet and lay potatoes on it. Brush top of each slab with oil and sprinkle with seasoned salt, onion powder, and garlic salt.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until a fork inserts easily into potato.

Remove potatoes from oven and cool 10 minutes. Frost with sour cream and add sliced scallions or sliced olives for eyes and/or a mouth.

Candy Corn Cookies

This is a great fall cookie, thanks to bettycrocker.com.

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 egg
orange food color
2 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted, cooled

1. Line 8x4-inch loaf pan with waxed paper, extending paper over sides of pan (I didn't have any and used plastic wrap--you will not bake the mixture in the pan). In medium bowl, stir cookie mix, butter, and egg until soft dough forms.

2. On work surface, place 3/4 cup dough. Knead desired amount of food color into dough until color is uniform. Press dough evenly in bottom of pan.

3. Divide remaining dough in half. Gently press one half of remaining dough into pan on top of orange dough. On work surface, knead chocolate into remaining dough until color is uniform. Press over plain dough in pan, pressing gently to edge of pan. Refrigerate 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until firm.

4. Heat oven to 375°F. Remove dough from pan. Cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Cut each slice into 5 wedges. On ungreased cookie sheet, place wedges 1 inch apart.

5. Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are set and edges are very light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet. Cool completely. Store in tightly covered container.

Paulette's Shortcut Potato Soup

Paulette, my aunt, told me how to make potato soup ages ago. Potato soup (and oyster soup) are a family tradition for brunch on Christmas morning.

Wash, peel (if desired), and dice potatoes. Boil for about 20 minutes and drain. Add 1 can Campbell's condensed cream of potato soup (or season with onions). Add enough milk to cover the mixture. Add a couple tablespoons of margarine. Heat and thicken with potato flakes (I like a thick soup).

Sandwich Maker Oatmeal Bars

This is a very kid-friendly breakfast recipe. The batch makes 16 bars, so I am going to freeze them and get them out as I need them on busy school mornings. I got the recipe from everydayfoodstorage.blogspot.com. I'll put the food storage ingredients you can use in parentheses. You can also bake them in the oven as muffins at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

1-3/4 Bisquick

3/4 cup quick oats

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg (or 2 TBS. dehydrated egg + 1/4 cup water)

1 cup milk (or 3 TBS. powdered milk + 1 cup water)

1 cup raisins (or other dried fruit)

2 tsp. cinnamon

Mix ingredients together until moist. Fill sandwich maker or muffin pans 2/3 full and bake for 2 minutes in sandwich maker or 15-20 minutes in a 350 degree oven for regular muffins.

The Perfect Sandwich Maker Egg

A couple of years ago, my mother gave me a sandwich maker for Christmas. I'm excited to have new ideas to use it for. This recipe is quick and healthy, which makes it perfect for school mornings. I got the recipe at everydayfoodstorage.blogspot.com, a wonderful website. She shows you how to use food storage ingredients in regular recipes.

1. Preheat the sandwich maker.

2. Spray the bottom of the sandwich maker (the eggs don't actually touch the top so if you spray the tops now, it burns off before you flip the machine and the egg ends up sticking to the top).

3. Crack eggs and salt/pepper. You can break the yolk and mix it with the white if you like it better that way.

4. Close lid and cook for 2 minutes.

5. Open and spray top.

6. Close lid and quickly flip entire sandwich maker over.

7. Cook for 1 minute and 45 seconds for what I call a "perfect egg" (runny yolk, but absolutely no runny whites) or cook about 45-60 seconds more for a firm yolk.

Note from Jen: My eggs had a firm yoke at 1 minute and 45 seconds, so you probably need to experiment with your sandwich maker.

Jelly Bean Thumbprint Cookies

This is another recipe I want to try at Christmas. It would be great to make at Easter too with the pastel jelly beans. You could also use other candies, like red and green M&Ms for Christmas. I thought it would be a fun recipe to do with the kids. However, you do need to do it over the course of 2 days because the dough has to be refrigerated for 8 hours. It's from Christmas With Southern Living 2007.

1 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup powdered sugar
2 TBS. heavy whipping cream
assorted jelly beans
additional powdered sugar

Beat butter at medium speed with mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add egg yolks and vanilla, beating until blended.

Combine flour and salt; add to butter mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Cover and chill dough 8 hours.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Press thumb into each cookie to make an indentation.

Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 13 minutes. Cool 1 minute on baking sheets; remove to wire racks. Make thumbprint indentations again while cookies are still warm; let cool completely.

Meanwhile, combine powdered sugar and heavy cream in a small bowl; stir with a fork until smooth. Spoon icing into a zip-top freezer bag; cut a tiny hole in the corner of the bag and squirt a small amount of icing into indentation in each cookie. Press jelly beans into center of each cookie. Let set. Dust cookies with powdered sugar. Makes 1 1/2 dozen cookies.

Chocolate-Covered Raisin Clusters

I'm starting to get together a list of new recipes I want to try for the holidays. I'll update this with my opinion of the recipe after I try it. This recipe was in the Fayetteville newspaper, but I have changed the directions. I usually just mix clusters of raisins with melted milk chocolate, but I wanted to see if the following combination would taste better. I would probably at least quadruple the recipe.

3 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
2 TBS. dark corn syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup raisins, dark or golden

Line baking sheet with waxed or parchment paper.

Melt chocolate chips in microwave-safe bowl in 30-second increments (stir each time) until chocolate is melted. Microwave for less if using only 3 ounces of chocolate.

Combine corn syrup and vanilla with melted chocolate and whisk until smooth.

Stir raisins into chocolate, making sure they are well covered. Use a teaspoon to scoop clusters of raisins out of the chocolate and place on baking sheet. Place baking sheet in refrigerator for 10 minutes to allow chocolate to set.

To store, transfer clusters to an airtight container and refrigerate up to 2 weeks. Makes about 30 clusters.

Pumpkin Muffins

This is a good fall recipe, as long as you like pumpkin. I believe my sister makes the same recipe as cookies instead of muffins.

All you need is 2 ingredients:

1 spice cake mix

1 can pumpkin

You mix the two together. It makes 12 muffins. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

I have also included these ingredients in my short-term food supply because it's a great food storage recipe.

Perfect Pancakes

Pancakes are usually our Saturday-morning tradition. One morning, I had a little fun with them and made them into pig shapes:

My mother insists the best pancakes are made from Bisquick. Sometimes they are a little too thick for me, but you can always add a little more milk. For the basic recipe, you mix together:

2 cups Bisquick

1 cup milk

2 eggs

You all probably know the rest: pour onto hot skillet, and flip when you start to see bubbles on top.

I did try making Martha Stewart's Perfect Pancakes one time for an Enrichment Night I was in charge of, but they ended up being more like crepes! So, I've had the most success with the above recipe.

Chocolate Chip Cookies-Small Recipe

This is actually a different recipe than I normally use; I usually use the recipe off the back of the Nestle chocolate chip bag (which I can post later). I tried this recipe because it was in a recent magazine and had the title "the perfect cookies." The taste was similar, but what I really liked about it was that the recipe made only 20 cookies. So this is a great recipe to use if you don't want to have a lot of leftover cookies. Sometimes I freeze the extras or share them with others, but you don't have to worry about it if you use this recipe.

1 ¼ cups flour
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
½ cup butter or margarine, softened
½ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in small bowl and set aside.

In large bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium speed until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low; beat in flour mixture just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop dough by heaping tablespoons, 2 inches apart, on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes or until golden around edges. Cool on wire rack.

See cookie tip here.

This is T after eating one of these cookies:

Marlene's Never-Fail Bread

Okay, so this is the much-anticipated entry about my breadmaking experience. This is more a review of a recipe than an actual recipe. Someone at church said the best food storage cookbook is Marlene's Magic With Food Storage. I purchased the cookbook, and the picture above is the first recipe I tried. It is called "Marlene's Never-Fail Bread" on page 144.

She says you can also use this recipe to make cinnamon rolls, donuts, hotdog and hamburger buns, and dinner rolls. It uses such ingredients as yeast, potato flakes, and powdered milk, all of which are ingredients you would have if you were living off your year's supply of food.

The recipe makes seven loaves of bread. Since I had only three bread pans, I made three loaves of bread, one round loaf, one pan of rolls, hotdog buns, and hamburger buns.

To jump to the conclusion, I was not all that impressed. This is why:

1. The recipe made such a huge amount of dough that it wouldn't fit in one huge bowl.

2. The recipe called for kneading the dough 10 minutes. Since I had to split the dough into 2 huge amounts, I actually had to knead for 20 minutes.

3. The recipe called for 16 cups of flour, but I ended up using closer to 20 cups--which seemed like half of my bucket of flour!

4. The bread had a bland taste, which is perfect for sandwiches and buns (you don't want to overpower the toppings). It is definitely not the kind of bread you would want to eat by itself fresh out of the oven--not without a lot of butter and jam, anyway.

5. The bread had a crumbly texture.

So, I 've still got a ton of bread in my freezer that I need to find some use for...

Does anyone else have this recipe book, and, if so, have you had any luck with the recipes?

Banana Boats

I think this is a snack my mother created. I made it just the other day as an after-school treat. We used soy butter instead of peanut butter because of A's allergy. The kids loved it!

To make the banana boat, I cut a banana in half (but I usually use a whole one) and scooped out some of the middle. I filled it with peanut (soy) butter. I actually put some in a baggy and cut off one of the corners and squirted it into the banana that way. I put chocolate chips on top of the peanut butter. The kids loved it!

Any other good ideas for after-school snacks? Post a comment if you have one!

Cake Mix Brownies...Don't Do It!

I tried this wonderfully easy recipe last night that I had clipped out of the newspaper. It was a recipe for brownies made out of a cake mix and had three ingredients...but they were AWFUL.

The batter tasted like cake, not brownies. The final product tasted like cake, not brownies. But it was also dry, crumbly, and grainy. So I frosted it, but it didn't help. It ended up in the trash can, much to the shock of my children.

So, next time I will stick to another recipe I know is good...Cake Mix Cookies.

Bean and Cheese Burritos

This is a recipe from my childhood. My mother used to fry these burritos, and we would dip them in a mixture of ketchup and Texas Pete hot sauce. I've started making them again because it is a very budget-friendly meal.

I can make about 8 burritos with one small can of fat-free refried beans and 1 to 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese. Instead of frying them, I spray both sides of the burrito with nonstick cooking spray and cook them on a skillet until they are golden brown on each side (see the picture). The kids are crazy about them, and our family of 5 eats all 8 burritos in one meal!

Homemade Pretzels

This was a fun afternoon activity. It involved only 2 timeouts and 10 handwashings! This is an easy pretzel recipe because you don't have to wait for the dough to rise before you bake them.

Mmmmmm!!!

1 envelope (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup honey
5 tablespoons sugar, divided
4 1/4 cups flour
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with foil.

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast and warm water. Add the salt, honey, and 1 tablespoon sugar and stir well. With an electric mixer, blend in the flour at low then medium speed.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it's smooth (about 5 minutes). Divide dough into 16 equal pieces and roll into a 10 to 12-inch-long rope. On the foil, shape each rope into a letter, number, or other design.

Bake the dough for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned. In small bowl, combine cinnamon and remaining 4 tablespoons sugar. Brush pretzels with melted butter and sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top. Makes 16 pretzels.

Ice Cream in a Baggie

This is a recipe we had to try out at home because we are making it at a Primary activity on Saturday, and we had to make sure it worked. It did work, and we had a lot of fun doing it! After 5 minutes, the ice cream was a milkshake consistency and very yummy.

1/2 cup milk or half & half (we used whole milk because that's what we had on hand)
1 tablespoon sugar
1/3 teaspoon vanilla
squirt of chocolate syrup or other optional add-ins like mini chocolate chips

Place ingredients in sandwich-sized baggie and seal. Place in quart-sized baggie that has been filled halfway with ice and 3 tablespoons of rock salt. Seal.

Shake and dance around for 5 minutes or until the ice cream reaches the consistency you would like. We ate the ice cream right out of the baggie after wiping the salt off the outside with cool water.

Fish Sandwiches

I came up with this dish by using a technique I saw on the Food Network Channel (and tweaked some myself). Our family is tired of eating salmon, so we've switched to tilapia. The technique could be used with any kind of fish. The whole family loved this recipe.

4-4 oz. tilapia filets (we buy the 1 pound bag in the freezer section at Wal-Mart for around $3.50-there are 4 individually vacuum-packed tilapia filets in them)
flour in dipping bowl
1-2 eggs, cracked and whisked in dipping bowl
Italian-style breadcrumbs in dipping bowl
rolls (we prefer Sister Schubert's yeast rolls you can buy in the freezer section at Sam's Club)
tartar sauce

Thaw the filets per package directions. Dredge them in flour. Dip them in egg mixture and then coat in breadcrumbs. Place them on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Spray the tops of the filets to get the fried effect. Bake them at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes (I think) and place them on rolls with tartar sauce. Yum-o! Everyone loved the recipe.

Corn Pudding

I brought this dish to a ward swimming party that turned into a ward thunderstorm under a metal tent! I had many comments about this "unusual" dish I grew up with. Our family considers this a vegetable side dish and not a dessert. You decide your own preference. This is one of those recipes you can make for last-minute dinner guests, as long as you have a can of creamstyle corn on hand.

2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup milk (original recipe called for 1 cup milk)
1 tablespoon melted butter
2 cups (1 can) creamstyle corn

Melt butter in baking dish. Add eggs, sugar, flour, and milk and mix well. Stir in corn. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or microwave 4 1/2 minutes, stir, and cook 4 1/2 more minutes.

Spinach Lasagna Rollups

I made this dish for a recipe exchange. This is the recipe card I made for it on smilebox.com.

Garlic-Cheese Biscuits

I also got this recipe off the Bisquick box. It is our favorite biscuit now. They taste just like the biscuits at Red Lobster.

2 cups Bisquick
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded cheese
2 TBS. melted margarine
1/8 tsp. garlic powder

Combine Bisquick, milk, and cheese. Place dough on ungreased baking sheet by rounded spoonfuls. You can roll out and cut if you have time. Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Combine margarine and garlic powder. While biscuits are still warm, brush with margarine mixture and serve immediately. They are not as good leftover.

Ultimate Chicken Fingers

These chicken fingers are even better than the ones I love at Rock-ola! I got the recipe off of the Bisquick box. You've got to try them with the Honey Mustard Sauce.


2/3 cup Original Bisquick® mix
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt or Garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch strips
1 egg, slightly beaten
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

Heat oven to 450ºF. Line cookie sheet with foil; spray with cooking spray.

Mix Bisquick mix, cheese, salt and paprika in 1-gallon resealable plastic food-storage bag. Dip half the chicken strips into egg; place in bag of Bisquick mixture. Seal bag; shake to coat. Place chicken on cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken. Drizzle butter over chicken.

Bake 12 to 14 minutes, turning after 6 minutes with pancake turner, until no longer pink in center.

Honey Mustard Sauce

This sauce is fantastic; it is restaurant-quality honey mustard. We used it on the Ultimate Chicken Fingers. It came from Anica's food blog.

1 cup mayo (Kraft mayonnaise, of course)
1/2 cup mustard
1/4 c. light corn syrup
1/2 c. honey
1 T. onion powder

Mix together in a bowl and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Double Chocolate Swirl Bread

This is a Pampered Chef recipe that I've never made but have always wanted to. It looks SO good, and I would love to make it around Christmastime. If anyone makes it, please post a comment about how it tastes.

½ cup sliced almonds, chopped
1 cup white chocolate chips, chopped
2 packages (11 ounces each) refrigerated French bread dough
1 egg white
1 TBS. water
¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, grated, divided

Preheat oven to 375°. Lightly spray mini loaf pan (this recipe makes 4 mini loaves). Unroll one package of dough on lightly floured surface. Lightly beat egg white and water in small bowl and brush dough with mixture. Grate half of the semi-sweet chocolate chips over dough. Sprinkle with half of the almonds and white chocolate chips.

Unroll remaining package of dough directly over first dough layer, matching edges and pressing lightly to seal. Brush dough lightly with egg white mixture. Grate remaining semi-sweet chocolate chips over dough. Sprinkle with remaining white chocolate chips and almonds; press lightly.

Starting at narrow edge, roll dough up tightly; pinch edge to seal. Slice roll into four equal portions; place seam side down in pan. Make deep cut down the length of each loaf without cutting through ends. Brush loaves with remaining egg white mixture. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from oven; cool 5 minutes. Remove loaves from pan; cool completely. For chocolate drizzle, place ½ cup chocolate chips and 1 tsp. vegetable oil in microwave-safe bowl and microwave uncovered for 30-40 seconds or until chocolate is melted and smooth. Drizzle over loaves and sprinkle with additional almonds or chocolate chips if desired.

Buttermilk Syrup

I got this recipe from a friend named Lana. It would go great with Swedish Pancakes.

1/2 cup butter
1 cup buttermilk
1 TBS. corn syrup
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda

Add first four ingredients to large saucepan. Bring to a boil; stir for 2 minutes, boiling. Take off heat. Add vanilla and baking soda. Stir down (it will foam up). Let set for a few minutes before serving. Will keep in airtight container in refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

Holiday Jam

This is a simple jam to make to give away with homemade bread--a good holiday gift idea!

1 cup fresh cranberries
10-ounce package frozen strawberries, thawed
2 cups sugar

Put cranberries in blender; cover and chop by turning on and off, on and off, etc. Empty into saucepan; add strawberries and bring to a boil. Add sugar and boil until thickened. (It doesn’t thicken a lot.) Pour into jelly glasses. Jam may be stored in refrigerator for 2 to 4 weeks.

Friendship Cocoa

This is a great gift to make for Christmas. You can find cute containers at the dollar store to put this cocoa mix in. Dip a couple of plastic spoons in chocolate and then sprinkles and attach to the container for a cute gift. This is also a great way to use the powdered milk in your food storage.

1 32-ounce box instant hot chocolate
1 8-quart box instant powdered milk, dry (makes 8 quarts)
1 pound box powdered sugar
6 TBS. cocoa
1 small jar non-dairy creamer
1 small jar specialty creamer

Mix well in large container. Mix ¼ cup mix with 8 ounces hot water.

Swedish Pancakes

I was also introduced to this recipe at the Christmas in July last year at church. It needs to be served with something, like maple syrup. Click here for a great homemade syrup.

2 cups milk
2 TBS. sugar
4 eggs
1 1/3 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt butter in 9X13 pan. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine rest of ingredients until well blended. Batter will remain lumpy. Pout into pan (on top of butter) and bake for 35 minutes.

Ham and Broccoli Quiche

I was introduced to quiche at last year's Christmas in July at church. This is my favorite quiche recipe so far.

1 frozen pie crust, thawed
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 TBS. flour
4 oz. cream cheese, cubed
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup coarsely chopped ham
1/4 cup coarsely chopped broccoli
3/4 cup milk
3 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prick bottom of crust and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and reduce oven to 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, in medium bowl, toss ham, 1/2 cup cheese, and broccoli with flour; spread over bottom of crust.

Place milk and cream cheese in a small, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 1 1/2 minutes, whisking after each 30-second interval until smooth. Add whisked eggs and salt to cheese mixture and whisk until blended. Pour egg mixture evenly over ham mixture in crust.

Bake for 25 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Let stand 5 minutes and serve.

Makes 8 servings.

Easy Bacon

I buy the precooked bacon and microwave it for 45-60 seconds so it will be crisp. I will never fry bacon again--it is way too messy!

Bacon-and-Spinach Quiche

Our family is on a "quiche kick" right now; we eat it about once a week. The first time I made this, my husband ate 5 pieces, so I knew it was a keeper. The vegetable mixture (spinach, onion, and garlic) is actually enough for two quiches (it will overflow if you use all of it), so I actually make what the recipe calls for and freeze half of the vegetable mixture for next time. I also bake the quiche on a cookie sheet in case the egg mixture overflows--it is very full!

1 frozen pie crust, thawed
4 strips bacon, crumbled (I use precooked bacon and microwave for 1 minute so it will be crisp)
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 box frozen, chopped spinach (thawed)
3 large eggs
1 cup half-and-half or whole milk (I use skim milk, and it still tastes good)
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prick bottom of crust and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and reduce oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle a handful of cheese on bottom of pie crust so it will melt over holes in crust.

Saute onion over medium heat for about 8 minutes or until clear. Stir in garlic and spinach and cook for 3-5 minutes. Spread cooked vegetables evenly in pie shell and sprinkle half of cheese and all of bacon on top.

Whisk eggs, milk, mustard, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Pour egg mixture over filling and sprinkle on remaining cheese. Bake 30-35 minutes until slightly puffy and golden brown.

Makes 8 servings.

Blueberry Oatmeal Pancakes

This was a delicious Saturday morning treat. The syrup is so easy. This is one of those "power" foods (super healthy) because it has oatmeal and blueberries in it. One pancake with 1 TBS. syrup is 3 Weight Watchers points. This recipe comes from the January/February 2007 simple&delicious magazine, page 43.

2 cups flour
2 packets (1.51 oz. each) instant maple and brown sugar oatmeal mix
2 TBS. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
2 egg whites
1 egg
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Blueberry Syrup:

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup sugar

In large bowl, combine first five ingredients. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites, egg, milk, and sour cream. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in blueberries.

Spoon batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a hot griddle coated with nonstick cooking spray. Turn when bubbles form on top of pancake; cook until the second side is golden brown.

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the syrup ingredients. Microwave, uncovered, for 1 minute; stir. Microwave 1-2 minutes more or until hot and bubbly. Serve warm with pancakes. Makes 14 pancakes and 1 1/4 cups syrup.

Cinnamon Chips

I made these chips for a Bunko game. I served them with fruit salsa, but I think these chips are good enough to eat by themselves. They're best right after they've cooled from being in the oven. If you want to crisp them up the next day, just put them in the oven for a couple more minutes. This recipe comes from simple&delicious, page 11.

10 8-inch flour tortillas

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Brush tortillas with butter; cut each into eight wedges (I used a pizza cutter). Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over tortillas. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes or just until crisp. Makes 80 chips.

Peach French Toast

This recipe comes from my friend Diane, who loves to cook. She made this casserole for me, and I had to have the recipe. If I'm involved in any kind of brunch, this is what I make. In my version, I have added more peaches. Her recipe calls for just 1 29-oz. can of peaches.

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup margarine
2 TBS. water
2 29-oz. cans sliced peaches, drained well
French bread, sliced and then halved
5 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
1 TBS. vanilla
cinnamon

Bring brown sugar, margarine, and water to a boil over medium heat (not too high because the mixture can burn easily). Simmer for ten minutes. Pour into 9X13 pan. The mixture immediately hardens. Top with peaches. Place French bread slices on top. Whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla and pour slowly over French bread. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Cover and refrigerate overnight (or at least 6 hours). Get casserole out of the refrigerator half an hour before you plan to bake it (sometimes I skip this part and bake it a couple of minutes longer). Put foil over it and bake it at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 25-30 more minutes.

Glazed Ham Slice

This sweet glaze jazzes up that leftover ham. If I don't have a large ham slice, I use smaller pieces-it tastes the same! I also serve the pineapple slices separately with the meal because we do not like warm pineapple.

1 fully cooked ham slice (about 3/4 pound and 1/2-inch thick)
1 can (8 oz.) sliced pineapple
1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
2 TBS. honey
1 TBS. steak sauce
1 TBS. Dijon mustard

Drain pineapple, reserving the juice. Set aside 2 pineapple slices, refrigerating remaining slices for another use. In a bowl (or just mix together in skillet), combine cornstarch, pineapple juice, honey, steak sauce, and mustard until smooth. Add honey mixture to skillet. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat; cook for 1-2 minutes. Add ham to skillet; heat ham slices through by cooking for a couple of minutes on each side. Top ham with reserved pineapple slices. Makes 2 servings.

Sweet Potato Biscuits

My mother experimented with this recipe one evening when Brady and Karissa were visiting. At the time, I thought the idea of sweet potato biscuits was very unappealing. Then I ate one. It was delicious and very sweet. Try one for yourself!

3/4 cup mashed sweet potatoes
1/4 cup melted shortening or margarine
3 TBS. sugar
2/3 cup milk
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cup flour

Heat mashed sweet potatoes. Stir in melted margarine or shortening. Stir in sugar. Add milk, baking powder, salt, and flour to make a soft dough. Roll out dough and cut biscuits. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Banana Bread

This is the best version of banana bread I've ever had. I got it out of the Alpha-Bakery Children's Cookbook by Betty Crocker. It is a great ABC cookbook for kids, although I was introduced to it in college. You can order it here. My kids love making this bread--especially mashing the bananas. We usually make this when we have too-ripe bananas to get rid of.

3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (3 large bananas)
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a loaf pan. Mix sugar, bananas, oil, and eggs in a large bowl with a wooden spoon. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into pan. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 60-70 minutes. Let cool in pan 10 minutes, then loosen sides of loaf from pan and remove from pan. Let cool completely before slicing.

Mexican Rollups

This recipe has become a Christmas favorite to take to parties.

8 oz. cream cheese
1 large onion, chopped
8 oz. sour cream
1 1/4 oz. pkg. taco seasoning
8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded
4 1/2 oz. can chopped green chilies, drained
2 tomatoes, chopped and drained
10 flour tortillas

Combine first four ingredients until smooth. Fold in cheese, chilies, and tomatoes, blending well. Spread mixture on tortillas, then roll up. For easier cutting, refrigerate rollups until cream cheese mixture is firm. Slice and serve cold with salsa.

Cream Cheese Mints

I learned how to make these at a Relief Society activity at BYU. I now mostly make them for wedding receptions. They are so good. You can add food coloring to make them any color you want. You can also use flexible candy molds for different shapes. To make the process faster, roll the mixture in a long roll and cut the mints in slices.

3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
3 cups powdered sugar
food coloring
sugar

Stir together cream cheese, peppermint extract, and several drops of food coloring. Gradually add powdered sugar, stirring until mixture is smooth. Knead in the last of the sugar with your hands. Form mixture into 3/4-inch balls. Roll each ball into sugar and place on waxed paper. Flatten with the bottom of a glass or a fork. Cover mints with paper towels. Let dry overnight. Store tightly covered in refrigerator or freezer. Makes 45-60 mints.

Crunchy Apple Salad

Some people know this salad as Waldorf salad. I think it is the perfect combination of tastes.

4 large red apples, diced
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts
½ cup mayonnaise

In a large bowl, combine the first 4 ingredients. Blend in the mayonnaise. Cover and refrigerate. Yield: 16 servings.

Layered Jello Salad

This recipe is from my friend Diane, who loves to cook. You don’t know how cool this salad looks until you’ve made it for yourself. When you cut it, it looks like a rainbow because you can see 12 different colors of jello. It is the perfect recipe for Easter and would be great in an Easter egg mold. You could adapt it to different holidays by changing the colors of jello (ex. Red and green for Christmas).

1 pint plain yogurt
6 small boxes of jello in different colors

Boil 1 cup water and dissolve 1 box of jello in it. Divide mixture in half. To one half, add 1/3 cup yogurt and pour in dish. Place dish in refrigerator to help congeal faster. To other half, add 3 TBS. cold water. Add to dish when first layer congeals. Repeat with remaining boxes of jello.

Pink Perfection Salad

This recipe is from my mother. She makes this at Christmas and for nice dinners. It is a refreshing taste as it is served frozen, but we don't consider it a dessert. We usually freeze it in individual muffin wrappers for easy serving.

4 bananas, diced
1 can whole cranberry sauce
1 container Cool Whip
1 can crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 cup sugar

Mix ingredients together and freeze until firm.

Frito Salad

This recipe was given to me from a friend named Carrie, who made this for all the ward potluck dinners. There was never any left.

1 package Fritos
4 tomatoes, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
3-4 scallion onions, chopped
1 small bottle Catalina dressing
1 can dark red kidney beans, drained

Mix ingredients together (except for Fritos). Put salad over Fritos at time of serving (they will get soggy if you do it before).

Cranberry Salad

This recipe comes from Matt’s grandmother Ganny. She always makes this for Thanksgiving and Christmas. She adds additional sugar, but I have left that out because I don’t think it needs it.

2 packages raspberry/cranberry jello
3 cups water-1 ½ cups boiled and 1 ½ cups cold
1 orange
1 red delicious apple
2 cups chopped cranberries
½ cup sugar

Put ½ cup sugar on cranberries and set aside. Meanwhile, in separate bowl, mix jello with boiling water until dissolved. Add cold water to jello. Chop orange and apple. Combine everything and let chill until firm.

Cranberry Orange Nut Bread

This recipe comes from Matt's mother Linda a.k.a. Bigmama to her grandkids. She helped us make this bread for Christmas presents our first Christmas together. We were too poor for anything else!

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda
1 cup cranberries, coarsely cut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp. grated orange peel
1 egg, well beaten
3/4 cup orange juice
2 TBS vegetable oil

Mix 2 tablespoons of the sugar with the cranberries and set aside to sweeten. Sift dry ingredients together; stir in cranberries, nuts, and orange peel. Combine egg, orange juice, and oil and add to dry ingredients, stirring until moistened. Bake in greased 9 1/2 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool on rack.

Sausage Balls

This easy recipe comes from my father. This is the one recipe he made for my wedding reception. You have to get your hands in it. If it becomes too dry to work with, add a little bit of water. These freeze really well.

1 lb. sausage

10 oz. cheese

3 cups baking mix

Grate Cheese. Mix ingredients together and form into 1-inch balls. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

90-Minute Dinner Rolls

This recipe comes from the Law Family Cookbook, a family cookbook on my husband's side. The recipe is from Jane Law Duckett. The rolls are on the easy side for homemade rolls, and they taste similar to Parkerhouse rolls.

2 to 2 1/2 cups unsifted flour
2 TBS. sugar
½ tsp. salt
1 package active dry yeast
1/2 cup milk
¼ cup water
2 TBS. margarine

Mix 3/4 cup flour, sugar, salt, and undissolved yeast. Heat milk, water, and margarine to 120 degrees. Gradually add flour mixture and beat 2 minutes on medium speed with mixer. Add 1/4 cup flour and beat on high for 2 minutes. Stir in enough additional flour to make a soft dough. On floured board, knead 2 to 3 minutes. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces and shape into balls. Place on greased 8-inch pan. Pour a 1-inch depth of boiling water into large pan and set on bottom rack of cold oven. Set rolls on rack above water. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes with oven door closed. Uncover rolls and remove pan of water. Turn oven to 375 degrees and bake 20 to 25 minutes or until done. Remove from pan to cool.

Butterfinger Cookies

When I used to do Achievement Days, one of the girls brought these cookies-and they were so good!

½ cup butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 egg whites
1 ¼ cups peanut butter (chunky)
1 ½ tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
5 Butterfinger candy bars (2.1 ounces each), crushed

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Strawberry Cream Crepes

This recipe came from the September/October 2004 Quick Cooking magazine (now simple&delicous), page12.

1/2 cup baking mix
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp. vanilla
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sour cream
2 TBS. sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 package frozen sweetened sliced strawberries in syrup, thawed

For crepes, in a bowl, whisk the baking mix, egg, milk, and vanilla. Spray 8-inch nonstick skillet and pour 2 TBS. of batter into the center. Lift and tilt pan to coat bottom evenly. Cook until top appears dry; turn and cook 15-20 seconds longer. Remove to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining batter.

In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, and cinnamon until smooth. Spoon 2 rounded tablespoonfuls down the center of each crepe; roll up.

Microwave strawberries and syrup until heated through and serve over crepes.

Yield: 4 servings.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

I got this recipe off a computer program. It’s my favorite cookie and has become a family favorite.

1 cup margarine, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
2 cups flour
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda
2 ½ cups quick oats
1 cup chocolate chips

Cream first three ingredients together. Add sugar and brown sugar. In separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Add to creamed mixture and mix until combined. Stir in quick oats and chocolate chips until combined. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Monster Cookies

My mother made these cookies when we were growing up. The recipe makes a ton of cookies!

12 eggs
2 pounds brown sugar
4 cups sugar
1 TBS vanilla
1 TBS corn syrup
8 tsp. baking soda
1 pound butter
3 pounds peanut butter
18 cups oatmeal
1 pound M&Ms
12 oz. chocolate chips

Mix ingredients in order given. Bake 350 degrees for about 10-12 minutes.

Dolloped Sweet Potatoes

This recipe came from the November/December 2006 issue of simple&delicious, page 10. Very elegant and easy.

4 small sweet potatoes
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 TBS. butter, softened
2 TBS. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Scrub and pierce sweet potatoes. Either microwave, uncovered, on high for 10-13 minutes (or until tender, turning twice) or wrap with aluminum foil and bake for about an hour at 350 degrees. Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, brown sugar, and pumkin pie spice. Make a slice in the top of each potato; fluff with a fork. Dollop with cream cheese mixture. Yield: 4 servings.

Baked Lemon Chicken

I got this recipe from my friend Anica's food blog. It was very easy--you can make it with ingredients on hand. It was also very tasty. She got the recipe from the Taste of Home cookbook, page 166. The second time I made it, I decreased the salt by half (I used 1/4 tsp. salt) because I thought it was a little too salty the first time.

3 T butter, melted
2 T lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 c. seasoned bread crumbs
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (4 oz each)

In a shallow dish, combine the butter, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Place bread crumbs in another dish. Dip chicken in butter mixture, then coat with crumbs. Place in a greased 13 in x 9 x 2 baking dish. Drizzle with remaining butter mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until juices run clear. Yield: 4 servings.

Forget-Me-Not Cookies

This is the cookie recipe we always use for Santa Claus. The kids love making these and opening the oven in the morning to see how they turned out. My mother and grandmother both make these cookies too. I usually double or triple the recipe.

2 egg whites
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup chocolate chips

Beat 2 egg whites with pinch of salt. Add sugar gradually. Beat until very stiff. Add chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper; mixture does not spread. Put in oven that has been preheated to 350°. Turn oven OFF and leave the cookies in for 4-5 hours (it’s easiest to leave them in overnight).