Monday, April 28, 2008

Overnight Apple French Toast

I found this online at some bed and breakfast site awhile ago. It's so good.

1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. butter
2 T. corn syrup
2 apples - cut, peeled, and sliced into thin slices
3 eggs
1 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
9 slices french bread

sauce:
1 c. applesauce
1- 10 oz. jar apple jelly
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. cloves

In saucepan cook brown sugar, butter, and syrup until thick, about 5 to 7 minutes. Pour into ungreased 9X13 pan. It will cover the bottom of the pan. Arrange apple slices on top of the caramel mix.

Mix eggs, milk, and vanilla. Dip bread into egg mix for around 1 minute and place on top of the apples. Refrigerate overnight.

Remove from fridge 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes.

For syrup: combine ingredients and cook until hot. Serve over french toast.

I have never made the syrup for this before. The caramel sauce on the bottom of the french toast is plenty enough for us and Tyson likes maple syrup on top too.

This is so good. Try it, you'll see!

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Lemon Bars

We love lemon bars. I looked for a recipe that uses a lot of lemon juice and I finally found one that I really like. Most recipes only call for 2 T. or 1/3 of a cup, this one calls for 3/4 of a cup! I sometimes put 1 full cup in even. Also, fresh squeezed lemon juice is the best!

Lemon Bars

1 1/2 sticks butter
2 c. flour
1/2 c. brown sugar

I use a food processor and mix all this together. It makes the best mixture. You can also mix the flour and sugar and then cut in the butter pieces with a pastry blender. Mix until find crumbs. Press into the bottom of a 9X13 pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until golden.

4 eggs
1 1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. lemon juice
1/3 c. flour
3 T. powdered sugar

Whisk together eggs and sugar. Stir in juice and flour. Pour the mixture over the hot crust. Return to the oven at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes or until set.

When bars have cooled sprinkle with powdered sugar. I never do this. It always makes people cough to eat the powdered sugar!

YUM!

Chicken Curry

My mom made this meal for me while she was visiting after I had Samuel. She can never try odd dinners with her family at home because they are not adventurous eaters. Tyson LOVED this and I have been making it ever since. It sounds really strange, but it it so delicious and creamy and very easy to make. However, I don't think it's very healthy, sorry!

4 cups chicken breast
1- 14 oz. can artichoke hearts
1- 8 oz. can mushrooms
1- 8 oz. can water chestnuts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1 tsp. curry powder (I put more like 2 Tablespoons)
1/4 cup. chopped pecans (I put more like 3/4 cups)

Cut up chicken breasts into bit sized pieces and cook on the stove top until just done.

In a 9X13 pan mix all the rest of the ingredients. I cup up the artichokes and mushrooms into smaller pieces. Add the chicken to the mixture in the 9X13 pan. top with the chopped pecans. Cook at 400 until bubbly all over, about 20 minutes.

I usually make rice and peas to go along with this meal.

It just so happens that I made this for dinner tonight, so I will include a picture. It may look horrible, but I swear it tastes good!

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Chinese Chicken Salad

This one is for you Bethany!

1 Head iceberg lettuce
3 stalks green onions
sliced almonds
cilantro (to taste)
2 chicken breasts
Chow Mein noodles
Kraft Toasted Sesame Dressing

Cook chicken in teriyaki sauce: when cooled shred with fingers
slice lettuce in very thin strips if too long cut in half
slice green onions at a di-angle
chop cilantro
toast almonds
mix all of the above
pour dressing over salad (about 1/4 of bottle)
Put chow mein noodles in last so they dont get soggy or add directly to each individual bowl so you can have leftovers

Friday, April 18, 2008

A Great Recipe Finder Website

I heard about this great new website called SuperCook.

Supercook is a new recipe search engine that finds recipes you can make with the ingredients you have at home. To begin, simply start adding ingredients you have. The more ingredients you add, the better the results will be.

Great for those of us who love to make meals with the ingredients we have on hand in the fridge, freezer or pantry.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Penne Pasta Bake

12 oz. penne pasta
1 lb ground beef
1 c chopped onion
1 can Italian style tomato sauce
1 can ready diced tomatoes with italian herbs
1 can ( 6 oz) italian paste with roasted garlic
4 cups shredded moz. cheese

Cook pasta. Cook meat, onion and drain. Stir in tomato sauce, undrained tomatoes, tomato paste and 1/2 cup water. Cook for 10 min stirring occasionally. Layer pasta, sauce and cheese in 13 x 9 pan. Repeat. Cover and bake at 350 for 20 min.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Roasted Garlic Hummus

Healthy and Easy.
We like the following as "dippers" (as Emma calls them):
Vegetables
Tortilla Chips
Pita Chips


1 can chickpeas/garbanzo beans (15 oz.)
2 tablespoons roasted garlic
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
PREPARATION:
In a food processor, process beans, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and oregano until desired consistency. If hummus is too thick, simply add olive oil in small increments(i/2 teaspoon) until desired consistency.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Baked Potato Soup

12 slices bacon
2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup flour
7 cups milk
4 large potatoes; baked, peeled and cubed
1 1/4 cup shredded cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Cook bacon over medium heat until browned. Drain, crumble, and set aside.

In a stock pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Gradually stir in milk, whisking constantly until thickened. Stir in potatoes. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.

Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Mix in the bacon, cheese, sour cream, salt and pepper. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until cheese is melted.

Brisket

Cut of brisket (about 7lbs.)
1C Soy Sauce
1 Can Beef Broth
1/3 C Lemon Juice
4-5 Garlic Cloves

Slice the meat and place some of the pieces of garlic inside. Mix all ingredients in roasting pan and let marinate overnight. Bake @ 300 degrees for 2-3 hours (start with the fat side down) then reduce heat to 275 degrees for 3-4 more hours. It helps to flip the meat once or twice during baking.

Brisket is done when the meat will pull apart easily. The "juice" will be nearly absorbed. When I am tearing the meat apart, I drag it through the leftover juice in the pan before placing it on a serving platter.

ENJOY!!!