Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chris has drill this weekend so I thought I'd make him some cookies as a treat to take with him. He of course wanted these ones as this is his favourite chocolate chip cookie recipe! I have to say it's becoming my fav as well;) The recipe, along with this background information can be found on the Neiman Marcus website: An urban myth is a modern folk tale, its origins unknown, its believability enhanced simply by the frequency with which it is repeated. Our signature chocolate chip cookie is the subject of one such myth. If you haven't heard the story, we won't perpetuate it here. If you have, the recipe below should serve to refute it. Copy it, print it out, pass it along to friends and family. It's a terrific recipe. And it's absolutely free.

Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups brown sugar
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 eggs
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups flour 3
 teaspoons instant espresso powder, slightly crushed (omitted)
1 bag milk chocolate chips (We only use milk chocolate at our house, but the recipe originally called for semi sweet. Sometimes I also use some white chocolate chips as well.)


 Directions
 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter with the sugars using an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy (approximately 30 seconds)
 2. Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract for another 30 seconds.
3. In a mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and beat into the butter mixture at low speed for about 15 seconds. Stir in the chocolate chips.
 4. Drop by large spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or 10 to 12 minutes for a crispier cookie. (We prefer the soft gooey kind so bake them for about 8 mins.) 

Makes 24 to 30 large cookies. 

 Note: This was a small recipe and we always doubled it, so I've posted the double recipe, so it's easier! 

 Note: The Neiman Marcus website says to bake the cookies at 300 degrees for about 20 minutes or until nicely browned around the edges. Bake a little longer for a crispier cookie. It also says to gently press down on the dough with the back of a spoon to spread out into a 2 inch circle before you bake them.

Honey Wheat Bread

I found this recipe online awhile ago and finally made it yesterday. I modified it slightly adding some white flour and was really happy with the outcome. I like the taste a lot better than the other whole wheat bread recipe I've been using. It's really moist and soft and I've actually enjoyed eating it with just a little butter on it...as has Jacob! The one thing I might try different next time is having it rise once first before I put it into the loaves and then let it rise again.

Honey Wheat Bread
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 c. vital wheat gluten
1 1/4 tbsp instant yeast
2 1/2 cups steaming hot water (120-130 F)
2 tbsp salt
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup honey (or 1/2 cup sugar)
1 1/4 tbsp bottled lemon juice
2 1/2 cups white flour (or wheat flour)

Using a KitchenAid with a dough hook mix together the whole wheat flour, gluten, and yeast. Add the hot water and mix for 1 minute; cover and let it rest for 10 minutes (this is sponging).

Add the salt, oil, honey and lemon juice and beat for 1 minute. Add the 2 1/2 cups of white flour, 1 cup at a time, beating between each cup. Beat for about 6-10 minutes until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl (this makes the dough very soft).

Pre-heat oven to 175 degrees and then turn the oven off. Turn the dough onto an oiled (or PAM) counter top; divide in two, shape into loaves and place in oiled (or PAM) bread pans, pushing it gently into the corners of the loaf pan to ensure it cooks more evenly. Cover with saran wrap (sprayed with PAM) and a dish towel and let it rise in a warm oven until dough rises above the top of the pan. Do not remove bread from the oven, but turn the oven to 350 F and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from pans and using a pastry brush, brush butter or margarine on top and cool on racks.

Makes 2 loaves.

Enjoy!

Extreme Chocolate Cake

Our friend Sarah found this recipe on allrecipes.com. She did a search for chocolate cake and printed the one with the highest reviews. She definitely chose well that's for sure! All recipes always has a quote right under the title of the recipe and this one says: "A rich moist chocolate cake with a chocolate buttercream icing. This is the best cake in the world!" I'd have to agree that this is the yummiest chocolate cake and as a result the only recipe I use! It makes a 4 layer tier cake, but you can of course be as creative as you'd like with the recipe!

Note: If you're wondering about the picture of the cake above, Chris made it for his brother Ben on his birthday. Chris and Ben love Volkswagen's (and are both working on restoring old VW Bugs), so Chris put the VW symbol on it!

Extreme Chocolate Cake

Cake
2 cups white sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil (you can substitute applesauce for half or all of the oil)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Icing
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
5 1/3 cups confectioners' sugar
2/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cake Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour* two 9 inch cake pans.

In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, mix for 3 minutes with an electric mixer.

Stir in the boiling water by hand. Pour evenly into the two or three prepared pans.

If you’re using two pans: bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

If you’re using three pans: bake for 20-25 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to cool completely.

Frosting Instructions

Cream butter until light and fluffy. Stir in the cocoa and confectioners' sugar alternately with the milk and vanilla. Beat to a spreading consistency.

4 Layer Tier Cake Instructions

Split the layers of cooled cake horizontally, cover the top of each layer with frosting, then stack them onto a serving plate. Frost the outside of the cake.

3 Layer Tier Cake Instructions
Instead of using two 9-inch cake pans use three 8-inch cake pans.  This way you won't need to cut the cakes.  Cover each layer with a layer of frosting and then stack them together onto a serving plate.  Frost the outside of the cake. 

Enjoy!

*Instead of greasing and flouring the pans I like to spread shortening around the outside of the pans and then put parchment paper on the bottom of the pan (I use a pencil to trace the pan and then cut it out). The cakes pop right out of the pans this way and then you just peel the parchement paper off. 

Cream of Potato Soup

It's rainy and cool today which makes me want soup, and this is my go to soup recipe. The recipe was originally for Cream of Cauliflower soup and came from one of my sister Rebekah's recipe books. It can also be made into Cream of Broccoli soup, but my favourite is Cream of Potato. Besides, Chris hates cauliflower or broccoli so I can't make those anyway.

Cream of Potato Soup
6-7 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 stick (4 tbsp) butter
2/3 cup onions, diced
2 tbsp flour
3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
2 cups half and half (or milk plus 4 tbsp flour, shaken till mixed well)
1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 - 1 tsp basil
salt, to taste
grated cheddar cheese

Cook potatoes with salt till done. Drain.

Melt butter over low heat, add onions and cook till clear, stir in flour. Cook for 1- 2 minutes and blend in the vegetable/chicken broth.

Cook over medium high heat stirring constantly until boiling.

Add the half and half, worcestershire sauce, basil and salt. Then add the potatoes (as much as you think you'll want in the soup). Stir and bring to boil, then turn the heat down and let it simmer for 10 - 15 minutes, stirring constantly, making sure it doesn't stick to the bottom or burn. I usually add a few handfuls of shredded cheddar cheese to the soup at this point.

Just before serving return to boiling and boil for one minute. Serve with grated cheese on top (and any other toppings you'd like such as green onions, crumbled bacon, etc) and with Garlic Cheese Biscuits.

*Note: Chris says the soup would be good with Kielbasa sausage added into it... I haven't tried it for him yet, but I'll make a note if I do! He has added cooked up some bacon and added it to it and said it was really good.

*Note: I like the flavour of the soup when it's made with the 1/2 and 1/2 instead of the milk and flour, but if you're not as picky as me you might not notice a difference;)

* Note: To make Cream of Cauliflower soup use a medium cauliflower. To make Cream of Broccoli soup use a big bunch of broccoli. Also, when draining the cauliflower or broccoli, save 1 cup of the liquid and use 2 cups of broth and 1 cup of the water from cooking the cauliflower or broccoli.

Enjoy!

Garlic Cheese Biscuits

I don't remember exactly where I first got this recipe, but I think it might have been from my sister Rachel. They're very yummy and are very similar to the garlic cheese biscuits from Red Lobster!

Garlic Cheese Biscuits
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 cup margarine (or shortening or butter)
2/3 cup - 3/4 cup milk
1 -2 tsp minced garlic (depending on how much garlic you like)
1/2 cup grated cheese

Mix all the dry ingredients and then cut in the margarine till crumbly (you can use a pastry blender or two knives). Add the garlic, cheese, and then the milk. (Add enough milk until the dough is sticky but not wet, if that makes sense, so add the milk slowly. If you added too much milk you can add a little more flour.) Using a fork, spoon the biscuits onto a greased pan (depending on the size of the biscuits it can make 8-12). Bake for 450 degrees for 8-12 minutes till the top is golden brown (obviously the larger the biscuits, the longer they'll need to cook).

Serve with Cream of Potato soup or my Chili/Minestrone soup.

*Note: You can also sprinkle some grated cheese on top of each biscuit before baking as seen in the biscuit on the left in the pic! It was no surprise to me that this was Chris's idea!

*Note: This is a very basic recipe and I never actually measure the garlic, cheese or milk, but just ad lib.

*Note: These are the best right out of the oven so I don't recommend you baking them earlier in the day for dinner later. If you want to get the dough ready to cook at a later time cover it with saran wrap and refrigerate it and then let it return to room temperature before cooking them.

Enjoy!

My Rose Pasta Sauce

I came up with the idea for this sauce a number of years ago when I was in charge of coordinating lunch for our Oshawa Stake Women's Day Conference. I wasn't sure what to serve and began brainstorming and experimenting. I'd recently heard that traditional alfredo sauce in Italy is made using heavy cream, which gave me the idea to add cream to spaghetti sauce. I tried it and everyone LOVED it so I decided to serve ravioli baked in this sauce at the luncheon. It was a huge hit and everyone loved it. I love it because I've never been a real big fan of plain marinara sauces (too tomato-y) or of cream sauces (they're too rich), so this rose sauce is absolutely perfect. I started calling it rose sauce and have been making it ever since! In fact, it's the only sauce we ever make. I started adding chicken to the sauce to please my dear hubby...it's just as yummy without the chicken though! The chicken goes great with the sauce, so if you want to add meat I'd definitely suggest using chicken and not ground beef!  I've been making it without chicken lately and then Chris just adds some italien meatballs from Costco and loves it with them as well.

And just so you don't feel too bad about the fact that there is whipping cream in the sauce, the amount of cream that's actually in each serving is very small.  We've recently started making it with coconut milk instead of whipping cream and it's just as good and healthier too. The taste is a little different but not a lot.

Rose Pasta Sauce
1 large can Hunt's spaghetti sauce (26 oz) OR 2 cans (8 oz) of tomato sauce and 1 can(6 oz) tomato paste *see Note below for more info
2 cans diced tomatoes (14.5 oz cans) or 1 large can (28 oz)
1 cup of whipping cream (half pint) OR 1 cup of coconut milk
1 tbsp coconut oil or olive oil
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced (or 2 heaping tsp prepared minced garlic)
1 onion, diced
zucchini, sliced
red/yellow/orange peppers, julienned
mushrooms, sliced (optional)
chicken breasts or tenders, cooked and diced (optional) - I usually poach them and then cut them into bite sized pieces
1 - 1 1/2 tsp basil
garlic powder/garlic salt, to taste
salt, to taste
shredded or Parmesan cheese

In saucepan, heat oil and cook garlic, onions and desired veggies until tender. Stir in the spaghetti sauce, tomatoes, whipping cream and basil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for approximately 20 mins, stirring occasionally. While the sauce is cooking, taste it and then add desired garlic powder/garlic salt and salt to taste (you'll need to add less because the canned spaghetti sauce already has salt added to it).

Serve with any kind of pasta with shredded cheese or Parmesan cheese on top.

*Note: If you're going to use canned spaghetti sauce, Hunt's spaghetti sauce in any variety is the best...I promise! You can also use 2 cans of tomato sauce (8 oz each) and a can of tomato paste (6 oz) and a little brown sugar instead of a can of spaghetti sauce. You'll just need to add a bit more salt, garlic powder, garlic salt, etc to give the sauce a little more flavour.

Ravioli Casserole
This sauce is delicious with ravioli (note: if you're making / using meat ravioli I wouldn't add the chicken to the sauce). To make a ravioli casserole, spray baking dish with PAM then put a little sauce on the bottom of the dish. Put the cooked ravioli in the dish and pour sauce over, stirring to make sure all the ravioli are covered with the sauce. Cover with shredded mozzarella/cheddar/jack cheese as well as parmesan cheese and cover with a lid or aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until bubbly. I usually take the foil off the last 10 minutes or so to brown the top. If necessary, use toothpicks to keep the foil off the cheese.

Enjoy!

Homemade Ravioli / Cannelloni

Ever since I started the blog I've been wanting to make this ravioli recipe. It's one of the first things I remember making... now that I've made it again I think that's because it's such a production to make and takes such a long time that the experience made a lasting impression on my mind.

It's extremely yummy, though also extremely time consuming and as a result I told Chris I don't ever plan on making ravioli again while we still have young children at home. As it turned out I decided to switch to making cannelloni about half way through as the ravioli was taking way too long to make. While I was in the middle of making everything I kept thinking "why on earth did I decide to do this today?". I obviously didn't remember how long it took to make, and kept thinking Jacob would wake up at any minute and then wondered what I'd do. Thankfully he ended up sleeping for 3 hours today (which is un-heard of) so I was able to finish everything. And it sure was delicious!!!

Ok, so the recipe is pretty much the same regardless of if you want to make the ravioli or cannelloni, but you'll want to make sure you follow the right instructions, as the instructions are obviously different.

Homemade Ravioli / Cannelloni

Pasta Dough:

2 1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup water

2 egg yolks

1 egg

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

Combine 1 cup flour and remaining ingredients and mix with a mixer at low speed.

Add the rest of the flour and mix with a wooden spoon to make a soft dough.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 mins. (While kneading, knead a little more flour if necessary, should be no more than 1/4 cup)

Cover dough and let it rest for about 30 mins.

Fillings:

Cheese Filling:

2 cups ricotta/cottage cheese

6 tbsp minced fresh parsley or 5 tbsp dry parsley flakes

2 egg whites

2 tsp salt

4 tbsp grated parmesan cheese ( or 6 tbsp shredded cheese)

Combine all ingredients in small bowl and stir until well mixed.

Meat Filling:

1/2 lb ground beef

1/3 cup minced onion

1 garlic clove, minced

1 egg

1/4 cup minced parsley

2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp salt

Combine first three ingredients in skillet/frying pan until mean is cooked. Remove from heat and spoon off fat. Add the egg, parsley, cheese, and salt and stir until well mixed.

Spinach Filling:

1 (10 oz) package frozen spinach

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 egg yolks

1 tbsp softened butter

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in small bowl and stir until well mixed.

Ravioli Instructions:

Prepare dough and desired filling. Cut dough into 6 pieces. On floured surface roll 1 piece of dough into a long narrow rectangle. Then cut it into 9 smaller pieces (should have a total of 54 pieces). Drop a tsp of filling on one side of the dough. Brush dough edges with water, then fold dough over filling and using a fork dipped in flour press the edges together. Place on a floured, clean cloth and let them dry for approximately 30 minutes.

In a large pot heat water (at least 6 qt), 2 tsp salt and 1 tbsp olive oil until boiling. Add ravioli and stir occasionally. Cook until thoroughly cooked and tender.

Drain well and serve with my rose sauce and shredded cheese. (You can of course also serve with marinara sauce.)

Cannelloni Instructions:

Prepare dough and desired filling. Cut dough into 6 pieces. On floured surface roll 1 piece of dough into a long narrow rectangle and cut into 4, 4 inch squares (should have a total of 24 pieces).

In a large pot heat water (at least 6 qt), 2 tsp salt and 1 tbsp olive oil until boiling. Add the pieces of dough and cook until tender.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Once the noodles are cooked, fill each piece with filling and roll them up, placing them in a greased 9x13 baking dish (put a little sauce on the bottom as well).

Pour rose sauce or cheese sauce over the cannelloni and sprinkle with parsley and parmesan cheese. Cover with tin foil and bake in the oven for approximately 35 minutes, removing the foil for the last 10 minutes or so.

Enjoy!

Basic Cheese Sauce

Cheese Sauce

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups half and half cream
1 1/2 cups water
2 vegetable or chicken bouillon cubes
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (or 1/2 cup grated cheese of choice)

Melt butter in saucepan and then stir in flour until well blended. Gradually add the cream, water, and bouillon cubes, cooking and stirring constantly until sauce is thickened. Stir in cheese and heat just until melted.

Serve over cannelloni.

*Note: You can of course be as creative as you want with this sauce, adding sauteed vegetables, basil, parsley, or other spices and serve it over any other kind of pasta.

Enjoy!

Authentic Chicken Enchiladas

Chris loves Mexican food...he loves it so much in fact that he organizes our Mexican Heritage night every Christmas Eve (his grandmother grew up in Mexico I believe - yes it's a little bit of a stretch, but it's fun!). Some of the girls he works with at the Hospital know how much he loves it and started bringing him different dishes from time to time (one of them is originally from Mexico and one is from Guatemala). After having their enchilada's he decided he asked for the recipe and we've been making our enchilada's this way ever since. I actually really like our other, not quite so authentic recipe we have for enchilada's, so I'll post that one at a later time. I should note that recipe is a very loose term with these enchilada's because there's no exact recipe. I should note that the first time I had them I thought they'd taste really good with rice and beans added to them (aka, less chicken) so now that's the way we make them, therefore the recipe I'm going to give you below. I have to say that they're absolutely delicious!

Authentic Chicken Enchiladas
corn tortillas
chicken breasts, tenders, or any kind of chicken
minced or chopped garlic
chopped onion
green enchilada sauce
shredded cheese
cooked rice (optional - I recommend using Cafe Rio rice - it makes a large batch and I usually store some of it in the freezer)
black beans (optional)
sour cream
olives (optional)
*Note: amounts will vary depending on how large of a batch you want to make.

Boil chicken with garlic and onions.

Make rice. Or if you're like us, you'll take a container of rice out of the freezer and just defrost it.

While the chicken is cooking, fry the tortillas in a little bit of oil, just until they're cooked slightly. Place tortillas on a plate and pat the oil off them with a paper towel.

Once the chicken is finished drain the water and shred the chicken using two forks. Add the green enchilada sauce to the chicken.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray PAM on the bottom of your baking /casserole dish and pour a thin layer of enchilada sauce on the bottom of the pan. Put a layer of tortilla's on the bottom (you'll notice as you're doing this that you might want to cut some of the tortillas in half), then a layer of the chicken mixture, topping it with a little cheese and enchilada sauce (if your chicken mixture has a lot of sauce in it you can skip this step). Put another layer of tortillas on top and add a layer of rice and beans, followed by cheese and some enchilada sauce. Repeat the layers, alternating between the chicken and rice/bean layers, finishing with a layer of tortillas on the top. Cover the top tortilla layer with some enchilada sauce and shredded cheese and cook at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream. You could also serve with olives, or add olives in with the chicken.

Enjoy!

Homemade Flour Tortillas

These homemade flour tortillas are very easy to make and are extremely yummy. They're nice and soft and are great as soft taco's, burrito's, with the Cafe Rio recipes, or with yummy refried beans, etc. I haven't tried frying them (Chimichanga's or Taquito's) because they're just so nice to eat fresh out of the pan...just ask Chris, he loves to eat them with a little butter or salt on them!

Homemade Flour Tortillas
2 cups of white flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vegetable oil
3/4 cup warm water

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. In another bowl combine the warm water and oil. Add the water/oil mixture to the flour mixture, one tablespoon at a time and mix the dough with a fork. Once the water is mixed in, add another tablespoon of water and repeat the process until all the water is mixed into the dough. *Note: The dough will be sticky.

Lightly flour a cutting board and knead the dough for about 5 mins, adding a dusting of flour when the dough gets sticky or sticks to the cutting board. Eventually the stickiness will go away and you will have a nice smooth dough.

Place the dough back into the bowl and cover it with a damp towel or damp paper towel. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes.

Divide the dough into golf-ball-size balls by pinching off the dough with your thumb and fore finger. Form each ball into a nice ball shape.

*Note: This recipe makes approximately 10, 6-7 inch tortillas. If you want larger tortillas, divide the dough into 6-7 balls.

Place the balls on a flat dish making sure they don't touch each other and cover with the damp cloth. Let the dough rest again for 10 minutes.

Preheat a skillet or cast iron pan on medium high heat. Lightly dust your cutting board with flour. Take one of the balls of dough and flatten it out on the cutting board to a 4 inch circle. Rub flour on your rolling pin and begin to roll out the dough starting from the center out. Roll the tortilla until it is 6 or 7 inches in diameter and about 1/8 inch thick.

* Note: It's difficult to roll out a perfectly round tortilla so if that is important to you, you can always trim the tortilla with a knife.

Once you have rolled out the tortilla, place it on a preheated skillet. You don't need to add any oil or butter. Cook the tortilla for about 30 seconds. You will notice brown spots all over your tortilla. Flip it over and cook an additional 30 seconds. Don't over cook it as you want the tortilla to be nice and soft. Keep your tortillas warm by covering them with a towel on a plate or in a tortilla warmer.

* Note: Tortillas are best eaten hot right off the pan, but you can make them ahead and then keep them in the tortilla warmer until you're ready to eat and they stay nice and soft and fresh. I usually make them about an hour ahead and then keep the tortilla warmer in a warm oven.

* Note: They also refrigerate and freeze well. If you refrigerate them, wrap them in foil and place them in a 250 degree oven for 10-15 mins. If you freeze the tortillas, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and put them in a ziplock bag. When you are ready to use them, first thaw them at room temperature and then wrap them in the foil and place them in a 250 degree oven for a 10 to 15 minutes. Microwaving them is not recommended as it tends to toughen them.

Just Like Cafe Rio Recipes

I love the restaurant here in Utah called Cafe Rio...I guess I should say that what I love is their salad. Chris found me recipes online for their rice and dressing shortly after we got married and we've been making our own Cafe Rio salads since then.

It's all super easy and tastes pretty similar. We usually cook our tortillas, then put some cheese and pinto or black beans on the tortilla and cook them in our toaster oven on broil until the cheese melts. Then we top it with the rice, chicken (if desired), lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, a dollop of sour cream and then the dressing. Sometimes we also make our own tortilla strips for on top too. Depending on how much you put on top of your tortilla you might want to eat it like a salad, or you can fold it in half and eat it like a soft taco. We usually just end up eating it like a soft taco... sooo yummy!

Tomatillo Ranch Dressing
1 buttermilk Ranch dressing packet, make as directed (we buy the Hidden Valley Original Ranch Seasoning mix at Costco and then make 8 oz)
2 tomatillos
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno, use seeds only if you want it spicier (you can substitute 2-3 drops green tabasco sauce instead)

Using a food processor, blend all ingredients together. Let sit in fridge for approximately 30 minutes (you can use it right away too it just won't be as thick).


Cilantro Rice
3 cups water
4 tsp chicken bouillon (you can also use vegetable)
4 tsp minced garlic
1/2 bunch cilantro
1/2 onion
1 can green chilies (4 oz)
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp butter or margarine
2 cups rice

Blend the cilantro, green chilies and onion in a food processor.

Bring the water to a boil and stir in all other ingredients. Turn the heat down and simmer covered for 30 minutes. Stir before serving.

*Note: Sometimes I make half a batch and other times I make the entire batch and put some of it in containers in the freezer to use later.

Shredded Chicken
1 small bottle Kraft Zesty Italien dressing (8 oz)
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 lbs chicken breast

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for 4 hours. Shred the chicken using two forks and cook for 1 more hour.

*Note: I don't make 5 lbs of chicken at once so I never follow this recipe exactly. Instead I put as much chicken as I want to make (usually about 6 tenders) in the crockpot, drizzle some of the dressing over it and then sprinkle some chili powder, cumin and garlic on top. I stir it periodically.


Tortilla Strips
tortillas
melted butter or margarine or oil
salt (optional)

Using a pastry brush lightly brush the melted butter/margarine over one side of each tortilla and if desired sprinkle with a little salt. Pile the tortillas on top of eachother (if you're making a lot you might want to make two piles) and cut each pile into thin strips and then cut the long strips in half. Place the tortilla strips in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for approximately 8 to 10 minutes or until strips are crisped and lightly browned.


Sweet Pork
Chris got this recipe from someone at work claiming it's Cafe Rio's sweet pork recipe.
5-6 lb pork roast
2 tbsp cumin
12 oz hot taco sauce
20 oz coke

Cover roast 1/2 way with water and cook in crock pot on low for 8-12 hours. Drain liquid and add remaining ingredients and cook on low for another 2 hours or so.

I also found another recipe online that said it's like Cafe Rio's Sweet Pork, however we haven't made this one. I thought I'd include it for interest sake.
2 1/2 lb pork roast
1/3 cup water
pinch of salt, pepper and garlic salt
1/2 cup green chili sauce
brown sugar

In crock pot slow cook 2 1/2 pounds of pork in the water with a pinch of salt, pepper and garlic salt. Once the pork is done drain the water, then pull the pork apart and add the green chili sauce and some brown sugar.

Coast Toast

When I was single we used to have breakfasts before General Conference and Sandra always made Coast Toast. It's basically an orange flavoured version of French toast! It's rich (and by rich I mean not so good for your figure), but the taste makes it worth it! Sandra had it at a restaurant on the beach in San Diego (I believe) and liked it so much that she asked for the recipe and they were nice enough to give it to her. Since then she's been spreading the love of Coast Toast so I thought I'd spread the love a little wider...it really is delicious!!!

Coast Toast
1 quart whipping cream
10 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup sugar
1 pinch salt
2 tbsp vanilla
3 tbsp orange flavouring
1 loaf soft french bread, cut in 1" pieces
powdered sugar

Place french loaf pieces in a greased 8 1/2 x 11 baking dish.
Combine first 7 ingredients and pour over bread slices.
Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour (or overnight).
Remove bread and discard liquid.
Spread butter / Pam on a flat grill and cook bread until golden brown.
Bake at 450 degrees for 5-7 mins until bread puffs up like a souffle.
Dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately with syrup on top.

Basic Pancakes

With the weekend quickly upon us I thought I'd post a couple breakfast recipes. I know pancakes are pretty basic and many would say not even worth posting a recipe for, but I do love my pancake recipe so I thought I'd share it with everyone anyway. They're nice and thick and have a touch of sweetness in every bite. In fact, I like the taste of them so much that I like to eat them fresh off the grill with a little butter on top. Though if you're anything like my hubby you'll want to slather them in as much syrup as possible!

Basic Pancakes
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp + 1 tsp double acting baking powder
1 1/2 tsps salt
2 eggs
2 1/2 - 2 2/3 cups milk, depending on how thick you like your pancakes
6 tbsps oil

Combine first four ingredients. In a separate small bowl, beat egg slightly then stir in milk and oil. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until flour is just moistened.

Preheat griddle or non stick frying pan and spray with PAM, then pour batter and cook over medium heat (I use level 4 or 4 1/2 on my stove) until bubbles form, then flip over and cook the other side.

Serve with syrup, fruit, peanut butter, or anything else you like on your pancakes.

Makes approximately 10-14 pancakes (depending on how thick you like your pancakes).

Modifications:
* Instead of 6 tbsp oil, use half oil and half apple sauce, or even 4 tbsp apple sauce and 2 tbsp oil
* Add any of the following to the batter: fresh or frozen blueberries (w/ lemon juice and lemon zest), chocolate chips, cinnamon, or anything else you like;)

* Note: I've learned the trick to getting really thick pancakes is to pour the batter onto your pan (amount depends on how big you want the pancakes) and then wait for it to set for a minute and then pour a little more batter into the middle of the pancake. This way the pancake won't get bigger, but will get thicker. Can you tell I love my pancakes nice and thick;) I usually use a 1/3 cup measuring cup to pour and end up using about that much per pancake, sometimes a little more.

* Note: I keep any left over pancakes in the fridge and warm up them up later in our toaster oven OR sometimes I leave left over batter in the fridge if I want to make more fresh pancakes later that day or the next day. The batter may start to separate a little, however if you mix it with a fork it will be just as good as the first day. I've never had my batter in the fridge for more than one day so I can't guarantee how the pancakes will turn out if you leave it longer than a day and then try to use it.

*Note: I always spray PAM on the cooking surface before I make the first set of pancakes, but not between making each set.

*Note: Place cooked pancakes in a glass casserole dish with a lid or in a tortilla warmer and in a warm oven (200 - 225 degrees) to keep warm until ready to serve.

Enjoy!