Sweet Corn Muffins

Goes great with Chili!

Sweet Corn Muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup yellow corn meal
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cups milk (I use whole milk in all of my cooking.)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup canola oil
3 tbsp. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or line 18-20 muffin cups.

Combine flour, sugar, corn meal, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Combine mil, eggs, oil and butter in small bowl; mix well. Add to flour mixture; stir just until blended. Pour into muffin cups filling 2/3 full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes before serving.

Chili

This is how my children like their chili (no chunky tomatoes or onions):

Chili

1 lb. ground beef, browned (can use ground turkey)
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 can water (just fill up half the used tomato sauce can)
1/2 - 1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 - 1 tsp. onion powder
1 tbsp. BBQ sauce (optional)
1/2 - 1 cup frozen corn (optional)

Mix all ingredients in slow-cooker (crockpot) and cook on high for 4 hours, stirring occasionally, or on low for 8 hours, stirring occasionally. Serve with grated cheddar (or Monterey Jack) cheese and/or sour cream, or whatever toppings your family likes.

I always make sweet corn muffins or homemade biscuits to go with ours.

Vietnamese Honey-Roasted Chicken

This is a family favorite!

Vietnamese Honey-Roasted Chicken

Marinade 1

2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. sesame oil

Marinade 2 (I often double this marinade.)

3 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. sesame oil

Combine marinade 1 ingredients. Rub onto the outside and inside of whole chicken. Let sit one hour in marinade.

Set chicken in baking dish. Combine marinade 2. Pour half of marinade 2 over chicken and inside. Place in oven at 375 degrees F. Baste chicken with the remaining marinade every 15 minutes until done (about an hour or so). Cut the chicken up and assemble on a serving platter. Serve with jasmine rice and sliced cucumbers. The leftover pan drippings can be used as a sauce over the rice.

(I have used this recipe on a turkey before--just make sure you double or triple the marinades.)

Cincere Lee's Pasta Salad

I received this recipe from my very good friend, Cincere Lee and it is the BEST pasta salad ever!

Cincere Lee's Pasta Salad

Dressing:
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup vinegar
3 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon parsley

Blend all ingredients in blender or food processor (you can make this ahead and refrigerate, if desired).

Cook 1 pound of pasta (I use bow tie) according to directions on box. Drain. Add pasta to a bowl and add some of the dressing, toss. It is best if the pasta is marinated and cooled in the fridge for a few hours before serving.

Salad:

bunch of spinach leaves, chopped
head of ice berg lettuce, chopped
Head of green leaf lettuce, chopped
3 tomatoes
1 bunch green onions, diced
1 cup feta cheese
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
1 cup craisins
1 cup nuts (I used chopped almonds)

Toss together with remaining dressing (use as much or as little of the dressing as you prefer) and marinated pasta. Serve immediately. (You can add cooked, cubed chicken to make it heartier.)

Corn Salsa

I received this recipe from a book club friend. It is delicious!

Charise's Corn Salsa

1 can white shoe peg corn , drained
1 can blackeye peas, rinsed and drained
1 red pepper, diced
1 green pepper, diced
6 roma tomatoes, diced
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
3 jalepeno peppers, seeded and minced
1 bunch green onions, diced
4-6 ounces zesty Italian dressing
2 avocados, cubed
3 gloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. cumin

Mix together. Serve with tortilla chips.

Chocolate Pudding Dessert

As a child, this was my very favorite dessert. My mom always let us choose our birthday dessert and I remember many a birthday where this was chosen by me or one of my siblings.

Chocolate Pudding Dessert

1 Lg. package Cook & Serve (not instant!) chocolate pudding
1 Sm. package Cook & Serve (not instant!) chocolate pudding

Follow directions on package to cook pudding. Set aside (I often cook my pudding the day before and leave it in the fridge overnight).

For the crust:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Mix together ...

2 cups flour
1 cup butter
1.5 cup chopped nuts (I use pecans.)

and press combined ingredients into a 9 X 13 pan, pressing down firmly. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool when finished.

Mix together one 8 oz. package of cream cheese (at room temperature) and 1 cup of powdered sugar. Fold into 12 oz of Cool Whip (I actually make my own homemade whip cream--it tastes a lot better). Add in layers with the pudding over the crust--cream cheese mixture first. Once all the layers are added, swirl the layers together with a spatula and then smooth out the top. Place in refrigerator until ready to serve (best if cooled for several hours).

Frozen Raspberry Mousse

This is my husband's absolute favorite dessert. He asks for it on his birthday every year.

Frozen Raspberry Mousse

1 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I use pecans.)
1/2 cup melted butter

Combine by stirring with wooden spoon. Spread into a baking pan (do not press down) and cook in a 350 degree F oven for 20 minutes. Remove and set aside.

3 egg whites
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 pkg. frozen raspberries
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 cup whipping cream, whipped

Combine in a LARGE bowl (the ingredients will make a huge mess). Beat until peaks (very frothy). Fold in whipped cream.

In a 9 X 13 baking pan, press 2/3 of crumb (flour/nuts) mixture. Spread fruit on top and smooth out evenly. Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture on top. Put plastic wrap and/or tin foil over top and freeze at least 3-4 hours before serving.

Orange Roll Photo

Here is a photo of the best orange rolls you'll ever eat!

Greek Chicken Photos

I finally uploaded two photos of my Greek Chicken recipe. It is so yummy. Now you have to give it a try! ;-)

Caryl's Crab Dip

This is a recipe from Tim's Aunt Caryl, who never forgot our kids' birthdays and always sent a card. She was a lovely lovely woman who battled cancer for many years and then passed away last year. She had a lot of yummy recipes.

Caryl's Crab Dip

1 cup of mayonnaise
1 can of sliced water chestnuts
2 cans of crab (rinse & drain)
1 tsp. soy sauce
2 green onions (sliced thin)

Mix all ingredients and chill. Serve with crackers and/or vegetables.

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

Our family love these! They are absolutely delicious!

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

You will need the following ingredients (mostly found at an Asian grocery store) ...

rice paper wrappers
rice noodles (thin ones)
raw shrimp (1-2 pounds, peeled and de-veined)
butter and garlic (to cook the shrimp in)
fresh basil
fresh mint

First you get a pot of boiling water and add the rice noodles, stirring them quickly. Cook for a couple of minutes, until soft, and then pour into strainer/colander to drain. Rinse cold water over noodles to stop the cooking process. Set aside in a bowl.



In a pan add butter (tonight we used 3 lbs of shrimp and 1/2 cup of butter), garlic and shrimp. Cook until shrimp is pink, stirring frequently.



Wash mint and basil leaves well and set aside.



Get a large bowl of warm/hot water. Take 3 or 4 rice paper wrappers and add to water. They will only need a minute or so to get pliable.



(These are the wrappers we buy.)



(This is what they look like before you put them in the water.)



(And here is what they look like in the water.)

Now you are ready to assemble your spring roll.



Take a rice paper wrapper and spread it out gently on a plate. Add a little bit of the rice noodles (maybe between 1/8 - 1/4 of a cup per wrapper).



Add desired amount of mint and basil leaves (1-2 of each) and 3 shrimp.



Then you will roll it up like a burrito--bring one side in and then the other; then put one end in and roll tightly (but gently) to the other end. It should look like a little burrito or egg roll. This part is tricky business and mine never look that great. However, they are delicious.



We dip ours in a sweet chili sauce that we buy at the Asian market. We have also used Nuoc Mam or Nuoc Cham. At a Thai restaurant we frequent, they use a sweet, spicy peanut sauce, which is also quite yummy.

Tuna Sandwich

This is how we make tuna sandwiches at our house:

Tuna Sandwich

7 oz. can white albacore tuna (drained)
1/3 - 1/2 cup Best Foods Mayonnaise
1/4 - 1/3 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon pepper
dash of onion powder
dash of garlic powder

Mix altogether and spread onto your favorite bread.

Shotgun Cake

When I was growing up, my mom made this cake occasionally. I loved it. It is like a poppy-seed pound cake. But what I loved the most, was its name.

Shotgun Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup canola oil
12-13 fluid oz. evaporated milk
1/4 cup poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl mix flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, oil and evaporated milk. Mix well. Add poppy seeds and blend them into batter well. Pour into greased bundt pan and bake for 1 hour. Cool 10 minutes in pan, then remove to wire rack.

Vicki's Brownies

My friend Vicki shared these yummy brownies on her food blog and I am posting the link here, so I can find the recipe easily next time I make them.

Brownies From Scratch



(These were what mine turned out like. I added pecans and white chocolate chips. They are super yummy.)

Street Tacos

Our family loves to drive to downtown Salt Lake and get tacos from a street stand. They are delicious. The other night I had quite a bit of leftover pork roast and decided to try to make street tacos with it. They turned out wonderful!

Street Tacos

The day before you want to make street tacos, put a pork roast (I used a 4-5 pound pork butt roast) into a crock-pot/slow-cooker. Add water (2-3 cups or so), salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Put it on high for 6 or 8 hours. I actually ended up cooking mine on high (kept re-setting it) from about 9 am until about 7 pm. It is so tender this way. Make sure there is always some water in with the roast. Add more as needed. Once it is finished cooking, remove roast from the water, de-bone it if needed and put it in a container and into the refrigerator.

When you are ready to make street tacos, you will cut up the roast (easier to do when cold) into smallish pieces (it actually looks like shredded pork). In a heavy skillet or electric skillet, you will add a generous amount of canola oil (like 1/2 a cup or so for a 3 lb roast). Cook on medium to high heat, stirring frequently so all of the meat is heated through and some pieces get slightly crispy. Keep warm.

On a griddle, lightly brushed with canola oil, heat up corn tortillas (between 300-350 degrees). You will want to flip them after about 2-3 minutes.



To assemble: take a corn tortilla, add pork, shredded green cabbage, fresh salsa (or chopped onions), and cilantro. Squeeze a little lime juice over taco. You can also add chopped radishes and/or guacamole. Delicious!

Mississippi Mud

My mother-in-law introduced me to this delicious cake that she has made for her family for many years. It is so moist and incredible.

Mississippi Mud

Melt 2 sticks of butter (1 cup) in a medium sauce pan. Add 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. In a large bowl, mix 2 cups of granulated sugar, 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 4 tablespoons cocoa powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Add butter/water mixture to dry ingredients and beat slightly. Add 2 eggs, 1/2 cup buttermilk and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat well. Bake in greased and floured 17" jelly roll pan at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes.

Frosting

Melt 1/2 cup butter (1 stick). Add 2 tablespoons cocoa powder and stir. Add 6 tablespoons milk and 1 cup of small marshmallows. Stir well and cook slowly until completely melted and smooth. Add up to 1 pound of powdered sugar (you want a fairly runny consistency) and mix well. If desired, add a cup or so of chopped walnuts or pecans to frosting. Pour frosting over warm cake while frosting is still hot.

Sugar Cookies

I received the sugar cookie recipe from my mom and the frosting recipe from a friend. The combination is divine, in my humble opinion. They are the best sugar cookies I have ever eaten.

Sugar Cookies

1 pound butter, softened to room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream sugar and butter. Beat in eggs and vanilla, mixing well. In a separate bowl mix the baking powder and soda and flour. Add half of the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture and mix well. Add the other half of the flour mixture and mix well. Refrigerate dough for 20-30 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out and cut into shapes. Bake on a lightly greased cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes. Cool on cookie racks and then decorate.

Frosting

1/2 cup (1 cube) melted butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/3 cup evaporated milk
4 cups (or so) powdered sugar

Mix together the first four ingredients until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar and mix until creamy and smooth (you can add more powdered sugar if mixture is too runny). Add desired food coloring and decorate cookies. We like to add a few cinnamon red hots to each cookie, as it adds a nice flavor. They are great without them, too.

Easy Chicken Enchiladas

I received this recipe from a friend I met who was living in Viet Nam, serving a humanitarian mission for our church. She made this for me one Sunday when I was living in Viet Nam trying to adopt my oldest son. I fell in love with it and have made it many times since.

Easy Chicken Enchiladas

Premix:

About 3 boneless/skinless chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
1 can (14 or 15 oz) Cream of Chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1-3 tablespoons milk

Mix altogether in a bowl.

You will also need ...

1-1.5 cups grated cheese (I use a mix of Monterey Jack and Cheddar.)
1 small can chopped green chilis
1 small can sliced black olives
1 package corn tortillas (You can fry them in oil first--do not make them crispy. I do not ever fry the tortillas.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a casserole dish (I spray it with Pam first) you will spread a little bit of the premix onto the bottom before layering in the following order: corn tortillas, premix, some cheese, green chilis and olives. Repeat until the casserole dish is full. Bake for 35-40 minutes. It goes well with a nice garden salad.

Poppy Seed Chicken

Poppy Seed Chicken

1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons celery salt
1 tsp. paprika
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
5 whole chicken breasts, boneless/skinless and halved
1 1/2 cups crushed Ritz crackers
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Combine first eight ingredients in a container suitable for marinating. Add chicken breasts and marinate overnight in the refrigerator. Remove the coated chicken from mixture and roll in crushed crackers. Arrange in a single layer in a 9X13 inch pan. Pour half of melted butter over chicken. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes at 350 degrees F. Spoon remaining melted butter and the poppy seeds over the chicken and cook for 15 minutes longer.

Photo for Broccoli Cheese Soup

I finally uploaded a photo for my Broccoli Cheese Soup recipe. Give it a try! You will not be disappointed.