Homemade Granola

I found this recipe on HowDoesShe.com.

Ingredients:

-12 C Quick Cooking Oats
-1/2 C Flour
-1 T Cinnamon
-1/2 t Nutmeg
-4 C Random dry ingredients (suggestions: craisins, raisins, coconut flakes, sunflower seeds, slivered almonds, small chocolate chips, peanut butter chips.)
-1 C Vegetable Oil
-1 C Honey


Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all of the ingredients but oil and honey. Mix oil and honey and microwave until hot. Pour oil and honey mixture over dry ingredients and mix well. Spread mix over 3 baking sheets and bake until lightly golden brown on top (appx 20 min). Let cool, then break up into chunks.

Zucchini Pie

This recipe is from realsimple.com.  It had really good reviews.  FYI - Some people substitued mozzerella for the provolone cheese.

Ingredients

• 3 cups grated zucchini
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup grated provolone cheese
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl, reserving 1 tablespoon of the Parmesan.
2. Spoon the zucchini mixture into a 10-inch round glass pie plate or metal pie pan that has been coated with vegetable cooking spray.
3. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with the reserved Parmesan. Cool 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

Cafe Rio Chicken and Salad Dressing

My awesome sister in law sent me these recipes.

Café Rio Salad Dressing

1 buttermilk ranch dressing packet (make as per recipe)
2 tomatillos (tomato like vegetable with a husk around them)
½ bunch of cilantro
1 clove garlic
Juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeño (Use the seeds too if you like it spicy. You could substitute a few drops of green tobasco for the jalapeno.)

-Use a food processor to blend all the ingredients well. Refrigerate.

Cafe Rio Chicken
1 small bottle Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
3 cloves garlic—minced
5 lbs chicken breast

-Cook all together in a crock pot for 4 hours, shred meat and cook 1 additional

Mexican Lasagna

I took a how to can tomatoes class at the Utah State Extension and they served this.  I thought it was good.  They adapted it from:  http://www.tasteofhome.com/.

Serving size:    12 servings

Prep time:        45 minutes

Bake time:       30 minutes + 15 minutes standing time

Ingredients:

            1-2 pounds ground turkey

            1 medium onion, chopped

            1 garlic clove, minced

1 can (14.5 ounces) stewed tomatoes, undrained or

1 pint jar home canned tomatoes*

            1 can (10 ounce) enchilada sauce

            1 to 2 teaspoons ground cumin

            1 egg, beaten

            1 ½ cups (12 ounces) cottage cheese

1 ½ cups (12 ounces) shredded Mexican cheese blend

            8 flour tortillas (8 inches), cut in half

1 ½ cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

·         In a large skillet, cook the turkey, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.  Stir in tomatoes, enchilada sauce and cumin.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer uncovered, for 20 minutes.

·         In a small bowl, combine egg and cottage cheese; set aside. Combine shredded cheeses; set aside.  Spread a third of the meat sauce into a greased 13-inch x 9-inch baking dish.  Layer with half of the cheese blend, tortillas, cottage cheese mixture and remaining meat sauce.  Repeat layers.  Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

·         Cover and bake at 350° F. for 20 minutes.  Uncover; bake 10 minutes longer or until bubbly.  Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting.

Blueberry Sour Cream Muffins

I got these recipe from one of my friends.  She brought to playgroup one time and they were yummy!


1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
2 T. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. butter or margarine
3/4 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 t. salt
3/4 c. sour cream
1/2 t. vanilla

Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Grease muffin tins.

1. In a bowl combine blueberries and flour; toss to coat well. Set aside.

2. In a bowl combine butter and sugar; cream until light. Add eggs one at a time; beat well.

3. In another bowl sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream; mix well. Add blueberries and vanilla.

4. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin, filling 3/4 full. Bake in preheated oven for about 15 min.

Zucchini Cakes

Found this recipe here.

Makes: 8 cakes
You will need:

• 1 large zucchni grated, excess water removed (Note: To do this, after you grate the zucchini, put the grated zucchini into paper towels and squeeze to release the water)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• sprinkle of ground nutmeg, about 1/8 teaspoon (Note: If you add too much it can quickly take over the taste, less is more)
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 egg
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1. Combine all ingredients, except olive oil, in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Using a heaping tablespoon form the mixture into 8 patties.
2. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Once heated, add patties and cook until golden brown. About 3-4 minutes per side. Serve.

These are great when served with a dollop of  ranch dressing. Enjoy!

Mushroom Lasagna with Bechamel Sauce

Another recipe from closetcooking.com.

Ingredients:
1 package lasagne noodles
2 tablespoons butter
4 cups sliced mushrooms (portabello, shiitake, etc)
2 servings Bechamel Sauce
2 cups parmigiano-reggiano (grated)

Directions:
1. Cook the noodles as directed on the package. (Add a splash of oil to the water to prevent sticking.)
2. Saute the mushrooms in the butter.
3. Preheat the over to 375 degrees F.
4. Spread some of the bechamel sauce on the bottom of an 8 inch by 8 inch baking dish. Place a layer of noodles on top, then more sauce, then a third of the mushrooms, and 1/4 cup of the grated parmigiano-reggiano. Repeat 2 more times. Top the final layer of noodles and sauce, and the remaining parmigiano-reggiano.
5. Bake the lasagna for about 45 minutes. The top should be a bit browned the sauce should be bubbling.
6. Allow to sit at room temperature for 10 or so minutes and serve hot.

Bechamel sauce
is the basic French white sauce and it is simple to make.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour*
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
salt and pepper to taste (optional)

Directions:
1. Heat the butter in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat until melted.
2. Add the flour and stir until smooth.
3. Add the milk and stir until smooth.
4. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper.
5. Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes.
*For a thin sauce use 1 tablespoon of flour and butter.
For a thick sauce use 3 tablespoons of flour and butter

Mushroom Quesadilla

Found the recipe closetcooking.com.

 

*makes 1 quesadilla

 

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 small onion (sliced)
4 ounces mushrooms (cleaned and sliced)
1 clove garlic (chopped)
1/2 teaspoon thyme (chopped)
2 tablespoons white wine (or broth)
1 tablespoon parsley (chopped, optional)
2 handfuls cheese such as mozzarella, swiss, monterrey jack, etc. (grated)
2 tortillas

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a pan.
2. Add the onion and mushrooms and saute until caramelized, about 20-30 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and thyme and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
4. Add the broth, deglaze the pan and saute until the liquid has been absorbed.
5. Remove from heat and mix in the parsley.
6. Melt a touch of butter in a pan.
7. Place a tortilla into the pan, swirl it around in the butter and repeat with the second tortilla.
8. Sprinkle a handful of cheese on the tortilla followed by the mushrooms and onions and top with the remaining cheese and finally the other tortilla.
9. Cook until the quesadilla is golden brown on both sides and the cheese is melted.

Tip: Place a plate onto the quesadilla and flipped it from the pan to the plate and then slide it back into the pan to flip the quesadilla.

Baked Cheesy Chicken Penne

Found this on ourbestbites.com

Baked Cheesy Chicken Penne
based on a recipe by Martha Stewart

• 6 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking dishes
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 pound penne rigate
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 8 ounces each), halved horizontally
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
• 6 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 6 cups whole milk
• 10 ounces white or cremini mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 1 cup sliced oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
• 1 1/2 cups shredded provolone* (6 ounces) you could also make that 1/2 mozzarella
• 1 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 6 ounces)

*Note on Cheese:
Sometimes provolone cheese can be hard to find.  I don’t always encourage the use of pre-shredded bagged cheeses (because ‘ve found they usually contain additives and therefore don’t melt or taste as good), but in this recipe I’ve used a *good* quality one, like Sargento, and it’s turned out great.  Actually in this batch I used Sargento’s Provolone/Mozzarella mix.  You’ll find that with packaged cheese mixes, provolone is often mixed with other white cheeses and that’s totally fine.  Just try to find one that is mostly provolone, like a 50/50 mix.  The other easy option is to go to the deli department where you can buy sliced cheese.  Just ask for a 6 oz chunk and you can grate it yourself. 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400. Butter two shallow 2-quart baking dishes. If you’re going to freeze one, use a disposable foil pan.  In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente; drain pasta and set aside.
2. While pasta is boiling, heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook until opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Halve each piece lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise.  While chicken pan is still hot, toss the mushrooms in and saute until golden brown (3-4 minutes).  Use a little extra olive oil if needed.
3. In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot (I just use the pot I cooked my pasta in), melt butter over medium. Add flour and garlic; cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking constantly, gradually add milk; bring to a simmer.  Keep whisking frequently as sauce thickens, about 1 minute more. Add mushrooms and tomatoes; cook 1 minute. take the pan off the heat and and gradually stir in provolone and 1/2 cup Parmesan.
4. Add chicken and pasta to pot; season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide pasta mixture between baking dishes.  If freezing, place remaining parmesan cheese in a zip-top baggie.  If cooking, sprinkle on top.
5. Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Freezer instructions:
To freeze, prepare through step 4 and then let pasta cool.  Cover pan well with plastic wrap.  Place extra cheese in baggie (for topping) on top and then cover entire pan well with foil.  Freeze for up to 3 months.  To bake, preheat oven to 400.  Remove foil and plastic from pan and set cheese baggie aside.  Place foil back on pan and bake for about 1 1/2 hours.  Remove foil, stir pasta, and top with cheese.  Return pan to oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until mixture is hot and bubbly throughout.

* broccoli or asparagus tips would also work well in place of the sun-dried tomatoes