Monday, October 31, 2011

Cranapana Bread


2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup chopped cranberries (I used dried)
1 apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
2 banana, mashed

1.In a medium bowl, stir together the flour and sugar. Add the oil, milk and eggs, and mix until well blended. Stir in the cranberries, banana and apple, and stir gently until fruit is evenly distributed. Pour into a greased loaf pan.




2.Bake at 350 for 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Slow Cooked Turkey


5-6 lb Turkey Breast
1 pk lipton herb & garlic season
1 can chicken broth
butter


1. Pour can of chicken broth into bottom of slow cooker.
2.Rinse and clean turkey. Dry it and add pads of butter under the turkey skin
3.Place turkey into the slow cooker and sprinkle with the season


4. Cook on low for 5-6 hrs or until internal temp of 170 degrees

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Halloween Mini Cheesecakes

These are supposed to be a gross color they were for a Halloween party :)    

22 mini Oreos
(2) 8 oz packages of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Orange gel food coloring

1.Preheat oven to 275. Line muffin tins with paper liners, and place an Oreo in the bottom of each liner. Crush remaining Oreos in a ziploc bag and crush them up.

2.In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer until smooth. Add sugar, and continue to mix until combined. Mix in vanilla extract then add eggs and sour cream, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl using a spatula, making sure everything is combined.

3.Stir in a small amount of  food coloring, adding a little at a time until the desired color is reached. Add the crushed oreos, and stir to combine.
4.Spoon batter into liners, filling almost to the top. Bake for 22 minutes, turning pan 180 degrees halfway through the baking time. Remove from oven, and cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, before serving


Friday, October 28, 2011

Mini Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecakes



Crust
7 graham cracker sheets
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 Tablespoons sugar
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Cheesecake Mixture

2 8oz pks cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs, at room temperature and lightly beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
Pumpkin Mixture

1/3 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon allspice
2 Tablespoons + 1/4 teaspoon all purpose flour

1.Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Set aside

2.In a food processor, grind up the graham cracker sheets into fine crumbs. If you don’t have a food processor, place the graham crackers in a plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
Place the graham cracker crumbs in a bowl. Add in the ground cinnamon and sugar.
Melt the butter and add it to the graham cracker crumbs.

3.Put 1/2 Tablespoon of the graham cracker crumb mixture in the bottom of each cupcake liner. Press down the crumbs with your hand. Set aside.

4.In a bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment mix the softened cream cheese on medium high speed for about 3 minutes. The cream cheese should be smooth without lumps.
5.Add in the sugar and vanilla extract. Mix until just combined.



6.In a separate bowl, crack the eggs and lightly beat them. Slowly add in the eggs and mix in order to combine the ingredients. Use a spatula to scrap down the sides and fully incorporate the ingredients.
Now add in the sour cream and mix until the cheesecake mixture is smooth.


7.To make the pumpkin mixture, combine the pumpkin puree, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground ginger, allspice and flour. Add 2/3 cup of the cheesecake mixture to the pumpkin mixture. Stir with a spatula until the two batters are completely combined and there are no lumps.



8.In order to fill up the cupcake liners, I use a cookie dough scooper which helps in filling up the cupcake liners evenly. Fill each cupcake liner with 1 scoop of cheesecake batter. Each cupcake liner should be filled almost to the top.


9.Now place 2 dots of pumpkin batter onto of the cheesecake batter. I use a 1/8 teaspoon to scoop the pumpkin batter. Use a toothpick, knife to swirl the two batters.


10.Bake the Mini Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecakes for about 27-30 minutes at300 degrees F. Rotate the pan half way through the baking time.

11.Once the cheesecake are done baking, cool them completely in the refrigerator overnight. (keep them in the cupcake baking pan)


* This recipe makes 36-40 mini cheesecakes or 16-20 regular size cupcake size cheesecakes. I made mini ones for a party that I was going to so it was more of a finger food :) and with the extra batter made a few regular muffin size ones.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Free Halloween Recipe ebook

 Just copy and paste this link into a new folder for 35 great Halloween recipe ideas :)


http://www.mrfood.com/master_images/MrFood/MrFood%20eCookbook%20-%20Halloween%20eCookbook.pdf

Friday, October 21, 2011

Cinnamon Fruit Biscuits


1/2 cup sugar
1/2-3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tube grands refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1/4 cup butter, melted
8 teaspoons strawberry preserves or any flavor you want to use. (I used raspberry and blackberry)

1.In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. Dip top and sides of biscuits in butter, then in cinnamon-sugar.
2.Place on greased baking sheets. With the end of a wooden spoon handle, make a deep indentation in the center of each biscuit; fill with 1 teaspoon preserves.



3.Bake at 375° for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 15 minutes before serving (preserves will be hot). 

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Taco Noodle Bake


1lb ground beef seasoned with taco seasoning
1 - 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 cup red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup onion chopped
1 package (16 oz) spiral pasta, cooked and drained
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream,
1 cup (4 oz) shredded cheddar cheese, divided


1.In a large pan, combine ground beef onion,and peppers,cook until meat is no longer red add taco seasoning. Add tomato sauce bring to a boil reduce heat and simmer 5 min. 

2.Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the instructions. Drain and stir in the sour cream.

3.Place in a 8 x 8 pan sprayed with cooking spray.  Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of cheese.  Top with meat mixture.  Bake, uncovered at 325 for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, bake 5 - 10 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Chicken Pot Pie with Mashed Potato Topping


3-4 T butter
1 T olive oil
2-3 c chicken broth
5 tbsp flour
1/2 c ch onions
1 c sliced carrots
kosher salt and fresh pepper (to taste)
1 c ch mushrooms
1 c chopped celery
1 tsp dried sage
1 c half and half
1 c frozen corn kernels
1 c frozen peas
2 - 4c cooked shredded chicken
4-5 tbsp chicken granules
1 refrigerated Pillsbury pie crust
potatoes

1.Add 1 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of olive oil to large pan. Chop onion, celery, carrots, and mushrooms and place in pan. Saute vegetables for about 5 minutes or until they become soft. Add a splash chicken stock to give them a little flavor Sprinkle with salt and pepper, now add 5 tbsp of flour and stir until it bubbles. Slowly add chicken stock and keep stirring until smooth and has thickened. Add your sage. Stir until sauce begins to simmer  around 5 minutes Add frozen corn and peas and cooked chicken. Pour in half and half, stir and taste. If you need more flavor, stir in a few tablespoons of chicken granules ( I used about 4 tbsp).








Mashed Potatoes -
3 lbs russet potatoes About 6-7 med size
1/2 stick butter
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c heavy cream or half anf half
1 c sour cream
1 c shredded cheddar cheese

2.Peel and cut potatoes, cook them in salted water for 15- 20 minutes or until they are soft. Drain them and put in bowl. Microwave the 1/2 stick of butter, heavy cream, and sour cream for about 30 secs or until soft and smooth.


3.Pour cream sauce over potatoes, add salt and pepper to taste add 1c of shredded cheddar Cheese. Using you mixer, whip them up until light and fluffy.

4.I used a regular glass pie dish but would use a deep dish next time this makes a lot of filling. Roll your pie crust into dish, pour in the chicken pie mix then dollop on the mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with a couple of pads of butter and salt and pepper.

5.Bake at 375ยบ for 40-45 minutes until top is golden and crust looks done. Use a cookie sheet underneath in case it starts to bubble over mine was dripping all over the place lol.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Creamy Chicken and Broccoli (slow cooker)




3-4 chicken breasts
1-14 oz. can cream of chicken soup
1-14 oz. can of cheddar and broccoli soup
1-14 oz. can chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1 cup sour cream
6 cups broccoli , lightly steamed
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1.Pour soups, broth and seasonings in crockpot over low heat. Whisk until smooth. Place chicken in, pressing to the bottom.

2.Cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours. When chicken is cooked, shred into bite size pieces. Stir in sour cream,cheese and broccoli. Serve over steamed rice or mashed potatoes ( We thought that both were good but we liked the rice better)