Sunday, July 4, 2010

Chicken Pot Pie

1 10-oz. package frozen mixed vegetables
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup milk
2 1/2 - 3 cups cut-up cooked chicken or turkey
Pastry for 9-inch two-crust pie

1. Rinse veggies in cold water to separate, drain.
2. Melt butter in 2-qt saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour, onion, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in broth and milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 min. Stir in chicken and veggies; remove from heat.
3. Heat oven to 425 F.
4. Make pastry. You will have enough filling here to either make one square 9 x 9 x 2 inch pot pie, or 2 regular 9 inch round pot pies. You can choose what to do with that.
5. Bake about 35 minutes or until golden brown.

Grape- Mint Salsa

Here's a new one I haven't even made yet, but it sounds so good. I think I will make it for our church's next craft night. (Marty hates sweet salsas, so he won't like it- which is why I haven't made it yet.)

2 cups green grapes, chopped
2 cups red grapes, chopped
2 T chopped chives
2 T chopped mint
1 T lime juice
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

Combine in a medium bowl. Cover and chill at least 1 hour.

Grilled Romaine Salad

Though this salad is quite time consuming (for a salad), it is absolutely delectable. You have to try it.

"Sun-dried" Tomatoes
1/2 cup olive oil
3 T sugar
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
8 roma tomatoes, halved or quartered

Dressing:
2 shallots
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 T brown sugar
1 3/4 cup olive oil

Salad:
4 romaine hearts
1 T olive oil

1. Heat oven to 225 F. Mix first 6 ingredients in a plastic bag. (You can do this the night before, and marinade them overnight.) Shake in tomato halves. Place tomatoes cut side up on baking sheet. Bake 2 1/2 hours.
2. In blender, finely chop shallots. Add vinegar and brown sugar until smooth. Slowly add oil, process frequently to thicken.
3. Preheat grill to high heat. Brush romaine hearts with olive oil. Place on preheated grill. Cook 5-10 min. turning frequently, until charred, but not heated through. Serve warm on salad plates surrounded by tomatoes and drizzled with shallot dressing.

Spinach and Berries Salad with Curry Dressing

The best part of this salad is the dressing.

6 oz. spinach
1 cup sliced strawberries
1 cup blueberries
1 small red onion, ringed
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Dressing:
2 T balsamic vinegar
2 T rice vinegar
4 T honey
1 tsp curry powder
2 tsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper

Wash and dry spinach leaves. Whip together dressing, and toss with spinach. Add berries, onion and pecans. Toss lightly, and serve.

Hummus

This recipe blows store hummus out of the water. If you think you like hummus try this; it's super easy and VERY good.

1 16-oz can garbanzo beans
1/4 cup liquid from beans
3 T lemon juice
1 1/2 T tahini (optional)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp salt
2 T olive oil

Put all in a blender and blend until creamy. Serve with veggies and tortilla chips for a great summer lunch.

Chewy Granola Bars

4 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup butter, soft
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 cups raisins, nuts, craisins or whatever you like

1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Lightly grease 9 x 13 inch pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine the oats, flour, baking soda, vanilla, butter, honey, and brown sugar. Stir in the 2 cups assorted stuff.
3. Press mixture into pan. Bake for 18 - 22 min. or until golden brown. 2 or 3 times during baking, press the bars down into the pan with a spatula. Let cool for 10 min. then cut into bars. Let bars cool completely before removing from pan.

Baked Oatmeal

This easy breakfast recipe can be altered in almost every way. I use raw sugar instead of brown, and you can replace the raisins with craisins, chocolate chips, or any fresh or frozen berry. I put in about 1/2 cup walnuts, or almonds, pecans, or whatever you like. It's fast to mix up, and a great filling breakfast.

2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup raisins
1 T walnuts
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup applesauce
2 T butter, melted (or use oil)
1 egg

Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease an 8 or 9 inch pan. Mix all ingredients together and pour into pan. Sprinkle brown sugar on the top, if desired. Bake 30 min.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Six-week Muffins

1 20-oz. box raisin bran
1 cup brown sugar (I use raw sugar)
1 qt. buttermilk
5 tsp. baking soda
1 cup oil or applesauce
4 eggs
5 cups flour (I use half wheat and half white)
2 tsp salt

In a LARGE bowl mix dry ingredients together, then stir in the rest. Store covered in fridge up to 6 weeks. Pour in greased muffin tin, bake 20 minutes at 400 F. Marty likes them with brown sugar on top. Sprinkle that on before baking (optional).

All-American Potato Salad

Note that this recipe calls for celery seed, not celery salt; if only celery salt is available, use the same amount but omit the addition of salt in the dressing. When testing the potatoes for doneness, simply taste a piece; do not overcook the potatoes or they will become mealy and will break apart. The potatoes must be just warm, or even fully cooled, when you add the dressing. If you find the potato salad a little dry for your liking, add up to 2 tablespoons more mayonnaise.

2 lbs (3-4 medium) russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 in. cubes
Salt
2 T distilled white vinegar
1 medium celery rib, chopped fine
2 T minced red onion
3 T sweet pickle relish
1/2 cup mayonnaise (see note)
3/4 tsp powdered mustard
3/4 tsp celery seed
2 T minced fresh parsley leaves
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 large hard-cooked eggs, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch cubes (optional)

1. Place potatoes in large saucepan and add water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to boil over medium-high heat; add 1 Tbls salt, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring once or twice, until potatoes are tender, about 8 minutes.
2. Drain potatoes and transfer to large bowl. Add vinegar and, using rubber spatula, toss gently to combine. Let stand until potatoes are just warm, about 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in small bowl, stir together celery, onion, pickle relish, mayonnaise, powdered mustard, celery seed, parsley, pepper, and 1/2 tsp salt. Using rubber spatula, gently fold dressing and eggs, if using, into potatoes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour. Serve. (Potato salad can be covered and refrigerated for up to 1 day.)

This recipe is from Cooks Illustrated.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Chinese Cabbage Salad

2 T soy sauce
2 T olive oil
1 T grated ginger
1 small bok choy, or 1/2 regular cabbage, sliced thin
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced thin
2 T dark sesame oil
2 T sesame seeds, toasted

In a small bowl, mix soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, and olive oil. MIx cabbage, bell pepper together in a large bowl. Drizzle with dressing and top with sesame seeds.

Fresh Salsa

4-5 roma tomatoes, diced
1 cup frozen corn
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon chili sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 -1 teaspoon cumin
2 ripe avocados, peeled, seed removed, and diced in medium chunks

Mix everything but the avocados together in a big bowl. Taste on a chip to see if it needs more salt or spice (remember it will be weaker after you add the avocados). If it tastes too seasoned, it's good; add in the avocados and stir gently, or you will end up with guacamole. Serve with chips, for a great summer meal. Eat it all in one serving, leftovers will only last until the next day.