Puff Oven Pancakes

from Make-A-Mix Cookery

4 Tablespoons butter	Strawberry jam, frozen is best
4 eggs	2 sliced bananas
2/3 cups pancake mix*	1/4 to 1/2 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 450°. Put 2 tablespoons butter each in two 9-inch pie plates. Put in preheating oven to melt butter. In a blender, combine eggs, milk and pancake mix. Pour batter into pie plates. Bake 18 minutes, until pancakes are puffy and browned. Do not open oven while pancakes are cooking. Spread strawberry jam on each pancake; top with sliced bananas and a sprinkling of brown sugar.

*Use purchased pancake mix or make this recipe ahead of time and store it in an airtight container.
10 cups flour
2 1/2 cups instant nonfat dry milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup baking powder
2 tablespoons salt

Caramelized Onion Chicken

from The Best Family Slow Cooker Recipes by Donna-Marie Pye

4-5 chicken breasts, skinless	1/2 cup raspberry jam
1/2 tsp salt	1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp black pepper	1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp butter	2 tsp grated ginger root
1 sweet onion, sliced	1/2 tsp dried rosemary leaves

1. Place chicken in slow cooker stoneware and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. In a medium skillet, melt butter on med-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 10-12 minutes longer, stirring often, until onions are tender and golden brown. Spread over top of chicken.
3. In a bowl, combine jam, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger root and rosemary. Pour over chicken and onions.
4. Cover and cook on Low for 5 to 7 hours or on High for 2 1/2 to 4 hours, until chicken is no longer pink inside.

Cook'n Recipe Software

A couple years ago I went on a massive internet search for an easy-to-use, works-for-me program that would allow me to enter my own recipes and print them out. Good grief! Who knew there were so many. I investigated each one thoroughly. There were always some nice features, but none did everything I wanted it to do in an easy and useful format.

I was just about ready to give up when I found Cook'n. This product filled every demand I asked it to and more. I know I sound like a salesman, but I don't get any kickback for writing this blog. The only reason I'm taking the time to write about Cook'n is because I think it's fabulous and I know there are others who are searching for recipe software like this.

This page will provide a brief summary of the features.

Some of the features I really like:
*I can add my own recipes, along with pictures
*I don't have to type out complete words for each ingredient, i.e. cup, large, onion; as soon as I start to type the word the program completes the word for me.
*If a word or product isn't already part of the program I can add it.
*I can plan a weekly menu and Cook'n will provide me with a shopping list.
*There are tons of cookbooks available to incorporate into Cook'n, such as Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, Taste of Home, Gooseberry Patch and even one for Cook'n with Weber.
*It will adjust ingredient amounts for different serving sizes.
*Organizes the shopping list into dairy, meats, frozen, etc.
*It provides nutritional analysis - even for my recipes!

If you are interested you can view a 13 min. demo that shows you how to use all the features.

The reason I bought this product is so I could easily enter my own recipes, add a picture of the recipe and then print a book for me and each of my children. I hope I get that done before I die. I've started two cookbooks within the software - one for me that will include all sorts of delicious recipes, both family favorites and those the kids turn their nose up at but that Candleman and I really like and another one for the kids that will only include family favorites.

Roasted Beet Soup with Pumpernickel Croutons

I first tasted beet soup (Borscht)in a Russian restaurant in Chicago (2007). It was to die for. This recipe, though quite different and from a Jewish Cookbook*, was every bit as delicious. I highly recommend it and will be making this again.

5-6 lg beets, scrubbed	2 cloves fresh garlic
olive oil	1 cup apple cider
3 slices pumpernickel bread	2 cups chicken stock
18 walnut halves	1 cup water
1/2 tsp ground sage	1/4 tsp sea salt
1 large red onion, thinly sliced	sour cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Rub each beet with 1 tsp olive oil, coating all sides. Wrap individually in aluminum foil and place onto a cookie sheet. Place into the oven and roast for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until tender.

Remove from oven and allow to stand until no longer hot to the touch. Using a paper towel, rub off the skins & discard. Cut the beets into quarters and set aside.

Meanwhile, prepare the roasted walnuts and croutons: Slice the pumpernickel bread into bite size diamond shapes. Place the bread and the walnuts into a med bowl. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and the ground sage. Place in a single layer on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and place in the hot oven for 5 min, until slightly toasted and fragrant. Set aside to cool.Toss to coat.

Heat 1 tsp olive oil into a large woup pot over medium-low heat. Add the red onion slices and cook. Add the crushed garlic and cook for 2 more min. Pour in the apple cider, stock, and water. Add the beets. Simmer for 5 min, until heated through.

Using an immersion blender puree the soup. This can also be done in batches in a blender or food processor. Season with salt.

*2-10-09 I misread the recipe and used 2 large red onions and the soup still tasted great. I didn't have sage on hand so I used poultry seasoning, which turned out tasting good. I don't think I would bother with the walnuts next time, but the pumpernickel bread croutons added a wonderful pizazz to the soup, although it would be delicious without them. Myke, Mom and I liked the soup a great deal. One caution: Don't completely puree the soup. The texture is much more pleasant with some chunks.

*Recipe from Kosher by Design Lightens Up by sSusie Fishbein

Cowboy Potatoes

This is a yummy recipe that I got from my sister, Susan. Last year I couldn't find my copy of the recipe so I called Susan and asked her if she could read it to over the phone. She had no idea what I was talking about! She had never even heard of Idaho Potato Delight. As I describe it to her she did know what I was talking about but they call it Cowboy Potatoes. That name fits it better so I'm slowly working that name into my family's repertoire.

5 - 6 potatoes, baked	green onions, chopped
1 lb ground beef	mushrooms, sliced
1 pkg dry onion mix	cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 - 1/2 cup water	sour cream

Bake potatoes at 400 degrees for 1 hour. Meanwhile brown ground beed.
Add onion soup mix and water; let simmer. To serve: Split baked potato, top with hamburger, sour cream, onions, mushrooms and cheese.

Hamburger-Corn Bake

This recipe comes with a story. My first semester at BYU (summer of 1969) I signed up for a beginning mythology class. I knew nothing about Greek or Roman mythology so this seemed like a good class for me. The teacher told us that the main thing to know was that it was important to appease the gods and in this class he was the god. We could appease him by bringing treats; his favorite was cinnamon rolls. I thought he was teasing. He wasn't.

After our final exam we were going to have a potluck picnic. He told me I better bring a really good casserole because I did so poorly on the exam. "None of that tuna casserole stuff," he said. That's what I had planned on because I was a poor college student. So I hunted for another casserole recipe that I could afford. The teacher loved it and gave me an A- for a grade. I still don't know anything about mythology, but I do know it's important to appease the gods.

1 lb ground beef	1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 med onion, chopped	1 C sour cream
12-oz can corn	1 can cream of chicken soup
salt & pepper	3 C cooked noodles (6-oz)

Brown ground beef and onion; drain. stir in corn, soups, seasonings. add sour cream and noodles. Warm through.

Funeral Potatoes

24-oz frozen, shredded hash brown potatoes
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
4 oz cream cheese, softened
6-8 green onions, chopped
1 C shredded cheddar cheese
salt & pepper

Place potatoes in a big mixing bowl and let partially thaw. In a smaller bowl mix together soup, sour cream, cream cheese and green onions. When potatoes are thawed add cheese, soup mixture and salt and pepper. Stir; pour into a 9x13 baking pan. Sprinkle with more cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 min.

Menu Plan Monday 2-9-2009

Monday
Ham
Funeral Potatoes
Tossed Salad

Tuesday
Roasted Beet soup
Dilly Bread

Wednesday
Confetti Chicken
Faux Potato Kugel
Brussel Sprout Poppers

Thursday
Chicken-Corn Bake
Tossed Salad

Friday
Leftovers

Saturday
Idaho Potato Delight

Sunday
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Tomato Soup

I had a plan last week that included at least 3 of the meals planned for this week. I had a few bad days so things didn't pan like I'd hoped, but I have the ingredients bought and in the frig for all the meals through Wed. I won't have to go shopping until Thursday. YAY! I'm late posting my menu plan, but I already have everything made for dinner tonight. I will try and get recipes posted soon. Since Tuesday and Wednesday are new recipes, I have to try them out before I bother typing up the recipes. Candleman and Katie love it when I plan ahead. So do I. The biggest draw back is having more dishes to wash. I don't have that problem with fast food.

Menu Plan Monday 2-2-2009

Over the year I have seen several blogs doing Menu Plan Monday. I used to plan a weekly menu when my children were home, but don't do it regularly now days. I know we eat healthier and save money when we eat homemade meals rather than dining out (if that's what you call eating at Burger King, Wendy's, McDonald's and Taco Bell.) Not to mention how much better they those meals taste.
Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie hosts this weekly event. I am going to try really hard to do this every week. So here's my plan for this week.

Monday - Dining out because I put together my menu plan too late in the day. (Off to a good start, aye?)
Tuesday - Chicken Fajitas
Wednesday - Ham, Funeral Potatoes, Tossed Salad (Candleman's cooking)
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Confetti Chicken, Faux Potato Kugel, Brussel Sprout Poppers (recipes from Kosher by Design Lightens Up)
Saturday - Roasted Beet Soup (from Kosher by Design Lightens Up), Dilly Bread
Sunday - Tuna Sandwiches on Dilly Bread, fresh vegetables