Whole Wheat Thin Crust Pizza Dough

Combine:
1 c. warm water
1 Tbsp. yeast
pinch of sugar

Add:
1 1/2 c. flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. olive oil

Knead until dough is smooth and elastic. Add more flour as necessary. Cover and let rest 20-30 minutes. Makes 2 12-inch pizzas. May pre-bake crusts at 425 F for 10 minutes.

Mini Tiramisu Eclairs

1/3 c. hot water
2 tsp. instant coffee granules
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
2 (3 oz.) packages ladyfingers, split
1 (8 oz.) package mascarpone cheese*
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar, divided
2 Tbsp. chocolate syrup
1/2 c. semisweet chocolate morsels
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. whipping cream

Stir together first 3 ingredients until sugar is dissolved; set aside 2 Tbsp. mixture. Brush cut sides of ladyfingers evenly with remaining coffee mixture. Stir together mascarpone cheese, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, and chocolate syrup until blended. Spoon or pipe (I would pipe) mascarpone cheese mixture evenly onto 24 cut sides of ladyfinger halves; top with remaining ladyfinger halves, cut sides down. Microwave chocolate morsels, butter, and cream at high for 30 seconds or until melted, stirring twice. Place chocolate mixture in a small heavy-duty zip-top bag; seal bag. Snip a tiny hole in 1 corner of bag, and drizzle over eclairs. Let stand until firm. Stir together reserved coffee mixture and remaining 1 cup powdered sugar, stirring until blended. Place coffee-powdered sugar mixture in a small heavy-duty zip-top bag; seal bag. Snip a tiny hole in 1 corner of bag. Drizzle eclairs evenly with coffee-powdered sugar mixture. Keep refrigerated until serving.
*1 (8 oz.) package of cream cheese, softened, may be substituted.

Bacon Appetizer Crescents

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
8 slices bacon, crisply cooked, crumbled
1/3 c. grated parmesan cheese
1/4 c. finely chopped green onion
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp. milk
2 cans (8 oz. each) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

Preheat oven to 375 F. Mix cream cheese, bacon, parmesan cheese, onions, parsley and milk until well blended; set aside. Separate each can of dough into four rectangles; firmly press perforations together to seal. Spread each rectangle with 2 rounded tablespoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture. Cut each rectangle into 12 wedges. Roll up wedges, starting at short ends. Place, seam-sides down, on greased baking sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.
I gave up on the crescent shape and just made rectangle-ish ones. Just as good.

Mini Cheesecakes

1/2 (12 ounce) package vanilla wafers
1/4 c. butter, melted
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line miniature muffin tins (tassie pans) with miniature paper liners. Crush the vanilla wafers, mix with melted butter, and place 1/2 teaspoon (heaping) of the mixture into each paper cup. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy. Fill each miniature muffin liner with this mixture, almost to the top. Bake for approximately 8 minutes. Cool. Top with a teaspoonful of cherry pie filling.

Some changes: Next time I'll leave out or cut down on the vanilla extract. It was good, but too much of it. I also used fresh strawberries and shaved some chocolate on top instead of the cherry pie filling (as you can obviously see from the picture).

Tomato and Mozzarella Bites

20 grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
20 fresh basil leaves
20 small balls fresh mozzarella cheese (often labeled bocconcini)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
20 toothpicks

Using a toothpick, spear a half of a tomato, a piece of basil, a mozzarella ball, and another half of a tomato. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Place on a serving dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper (be quite generous; maybe more than you'd think). Mix the vinegar and oil together in a small bowl and drizzle over bites before serving.

Corn Casserole

1/2 cup butter
1 box of corn muffin mix
1 can creamed corn
1 can corn, drained
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream

Mix together and bake in a greased 9x13 pan for 30 minutes at 350 F.

When you look at the big pan full of corn casserole you think "I made too much," but when you start eating it you think "I didn't make enough." That is my opinion. This is from Renee Byler, by the way, and she says you can add things like green chiles, cheese, etc.

Pesto Pizza

Crust:

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

1 cup warm water

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/4 cup wheat germ

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon honey

1/8-1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Toppings:

1/4 cup prepared pesto (or as much as needed)

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425 F. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. In a large bowl combine flour, wheat germ and salt. Make a well in the middle and add honey and yeast mixture. Stir well to combine. Knead in Parmesan cheese, basil and oregano. Cover and set in a warm place to rise for a few minutes. Roll dough on a greased pizza pan and poke a few holes in it with a fork. Bake in preheated oven for 6 minutes, or until desired crispiness is achieved. Spread pesto sauce over the crust. Sprinkle with mushrooms, mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Bake 6-8 minutes longer or until golden brown.

I took two recipes and combined them and Jose and I both agreed that it was delicious. I didn't have wheat germ so I just added some more whole wheat flour and it was fine. I thought that adding chicken, sliced tomatoes, etc. would be good as well. If any of you try this I'd be interested to know how it is with wheat germ, and what other toppings you put on.

Fettuccine with Sweet Pepper-Cayenne Sauce

12 ounces dry fettuccine pasta
2 red bell peppers, julienned
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup reduced fat sour cream
3/4 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Meanwhile, spray cooking oil (or use olive oil) in a large skillet and saute red bell peppers, garlic and cayenne pepper over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Stir in sour cream and broth; simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheese.
4. Toss hot pasta with sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste; serve.

I've made the title a link to the original site I got the recipe from so you can see the nutritional content if you'd like. I don't normally go for red peppers or parmesan cheese, so you know this must be pretty darn good for me to post it. :)

Scrambled Eggs with Zucchini

This isn't really a recipe, I just wanted to pass this great idea along (which I sort of got from my mother-in-law).

grated zucchini, about 1 cup
diced onion, about 1/4 cup
1 fresh banana pepper, seeded and diced
Saute these together in some oil, and add a little salt and pepper.

When the vegetables have been cooking for several minutes, add about 1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped tomato. Saute for another minute or so, then add 4 eggs, well beaten. Add a little more salt and pepper to the eggs. When the mixture is cooked to your liking, top with about 1/2 cup grated cheese.

It might not sound that great, but it was a lot tastier than it seems like it would be!

Kirk and I ate the whole thing for supper, so I guess it serves 2. Although, I eat for 2 right now, so maybe it serves 3. Anyway, I would add more zucchini next time; it just adds a great flavor to the whole thing.

Unbaked Lemon Slice

Melt together:
1/3 cup butter or margarine
1 250 g can sweetened condensed milk

Mix together:
1 cup coconut
250 g plain cookies, crushed (here I use something like digestive biscuits, you could probably use graham crackers or something with a matching flavour - lemon or coconut)
butter/milk mixture
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Press mixture into a 9" square pan and chill till firm.

Mix together:
1 1/2 cup icing sugar
1 tbsp melted butter
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Spread over bars and cut into squares. Store in the fridge.

This is just a quick, easy recipe that's really tasty. Sorry about my bad mixture of metric and otherwise, but I got this recipe from an Australian website, and converted some stuff and didn't know the rest.

Rich Sweet Dough for Cinnamon Rolls

When Matthew and I got married Granny wrote out a little notebook of recipes for me. I treasure having those recipes in her handwriting and have used them often. For the life of me, I don't know why I haven't made a point to try every single one. For instance, one entitled "Rich Sweet Dough for Cinnamon Rolls." Cumbersome title, no? The line underneath reads "a no-knead refrig. dough that makes a rich, tender product." It doesn't lie. No kneading, and it makes some of the best rolls I've ever made. And don't even get me started on the part about the dough being in the fridge for up to three days! That means it's possible to have hot cinnamon rolls for breakfast without getting up before 3AM.

Here goes:

Scald 3/4 cup milk; stir in 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 cup margarine. Cool to lukewarm. Measure 1/2 cup warm water into mixing bowl. Sprinkle with 2 Tblsp yeast; stir until dissolved. Stir in milk mixture and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in 2 cups of flour to make a stiff batter. Cover tightly and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Dough may be kept in fridge 3 days. To use: cut off desired amount and shape into cinnamon rolls, buns or crescents. Let rise for 45-60 minutes and bake at 375*F till lightly browned.

Enjoy. I can tell you that I will make these for company breakfasts and most likely Christmas morning. Easy peasy. :D

Strawberry Cake

Cream 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup sugar together. Blend in 2 eggs and 1 tsp vanilla. Stir in 1 cup flour, 1 tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt. Spread in lightly greased pie pan. Cover with sliced strawberries, sprinkle with sugar, and bake at 350* for 45ish minutes. Eat warm...preferably with whipped cream. How easy is that??

Chicken with Spicy Peanut Sauce

1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar (don’t add this if you have sweetened peanut butter)
1 tbsp vegetable or olive oil (I reduced this already, and might try to leave it out altogether next time)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (this amount just lets you know the red pepper is there, it’s not really spicy…of course, I think that I’ve had my red pepper since we got married. Hmmm.)
4 cups broccoli pieces

3 small onions cut into wedges
4 chicken breasts, cut into strips (or equal amount of deboned, cooked chicken)

Mix first 7 ingredients together until smooth. Set aside. Saute chicken in small amount of oil for a few minutes. Add broccoli, onions and ¼ cup water. Cover tightly and steam until broccoli is slightly tender and chicken is done. Pour sauce over chicken and broccoli and stir gently. Serve with rice.

Ok, I’m the only one in my family who liked this, but I really love it. I found it on a blog and made a few changes, but basically this is the way it was. I think I’ll add carrots next time. (Believe me, I will make this just for myself.)

Naan

1 Tbsp. yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 cups flour
butter

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for about an hour.
When ready, punch down, and break off into small balls about 2" in diameter. Roll very thin, and cover the rolled ones with a towel. When they're all rolled out, you can start frying them (it's good to let them rise for a few minutes while you finish the others. No need to wait too long though).
Heat a skillet, just on medium heat. You can adjust the heat as you go. I like to use my cast iron. Put just a dab of butter in before you start frying, and every so often. You don't want them greasy, but just a bit is good. Fry until golden and puffy, then turn over.

*It's really good to have some cucumber/tomato/yogurt salad to dip these in.
*I forgot to count how many pieces this made, but it was plenty for our family.

Indian Butter Chicken

I don't know how proper it is to copy recipes off of another website, but I did anyway...This is from allrecipes.com, and credit goes to the original poster. It is SO good.
1)It's really rich, so I'd save it for a special occasion if I were you.
2)Don't think about substituting anything for the heavy cream. I and another friend have both tried substituting, and it didn't turn out right.
3)Make sure you serve it with some type of flatbread for dipping. Preferably naan.

1 cup butter, divided
1 onion, minced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
3 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon garam masala

1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized chunks
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons tandoori masala

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Melt a few tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic, and cook slowly until the onion caramelizes to a dark brown, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile melt the remaining butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat along with the tomato sauce, heavy cream, salt, cayenne pepper, and garam masala. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low; cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then stir in caramelized onions.
While the sauce is simmering, toss cubed chicken breast with vegetable oil until coated, then season with tandoori masala and spread out onto a baking sheet.
Bake chicken in preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 12 minutes. Once done, add the chicken to the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes before serving.

Monkey Bread

Mix together:
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp soda

Cut in:
1/3 cup margarine or Crisco

Mix in:
3/4 cup buttermilk (or a little more, make it a sticky dough that forms a ball)

Lightly grease a 8" cake pan and drop the dough into it by teaspoonful. Don't pack it in, drop it lightly. It will make more than one layer.

Mix together:
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Pour evenly over dough in pan.

Bake at 350 for about 20ish minutes, or until it's browned and the dough in the middle is done. Cool for a few minutes and then invert onto a plate. Enjoy.

I found this recipe online, but it called for 2 cans of refrigerated biscuits. This biscuit recipe is the one I always use, and it worked fine for this. If you like nuts, I'm sure they'd be a great addition.

Lisa’s Fruit Tea (or as Larissa calls it “Ice Fruit”)

Brew 8 tea bags in 4 cups boiling water. Discard tea bags and stir in 1 ½ -2 cups sugar. Add 1 litre orange juice, 1 litre pineapple juice and ½ cup fresh lemon juice. Add water to make one gallon (like how I’m switching from metric to imperial and back again?) Chill thoroughly.

I use sweetened orange and pineapple juices, so I only use 1 ½ cups sugar (or less, sometimes), but if you have unsweetened juices I’m pretty sure you’ll want more sugar.

This is a very refreshing drink for a hot day.

Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Mix the first three ingredients. Add the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Stir in the zucchini and nuts. Bake in a 9x13 pan at 350 for 20ish minutes. Cool for 30 minutes. Ice with the following:

6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup margarine
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Melt the margarine and cocoa together. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients.

I got this off of allrecipes.com, and it’s really rich. I already lowered the sugar in this version, but you might be able to lower it even more. The “batter” is really crumbly looking when it’s ready to bake, but it turns out fine. Also, the icing is so rich that I would probably only use half when I make them again.

Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

Cream together:
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup of unsalted real butter

Add:
1 8oz cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract (I didn't use this and they're still really good)
3 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder

Refrigerate for 8 hours, or overnight. Preheat oven to 375. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough 1/2 at a time to 1/4 - 1/2 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place 1 inch apart on cookie sheets. Bake for 5-7 minutes in the preheated oven, or until light and golden brown (and very doughy). Cool cookies completely before frosting. Make sure you frost with Anna Mae's icing, or else.

King Arthur Flour Classic 100% Whole Wheat Bread

Combine:
2 1/2 tsp. instant yeast
1 1/3 c. lukewarm water

Add:
1/4 c. oil
1/4 c. honey, molasses or maple syrup
3 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. nonfat dry milk
1 1/2 tsp. salt

Mix together and let rise 1 hour. Shape into 1 loaf, cover, and let rise 30-60 minutes. Bake at 350 F for 40 minutes, tenting it lightly with tin foil after 20 minutes.

My notes:
I use olive oil and honey in this, and sometimes I use a little white flour instead of all wheat. Be careful not to overbake it; I think 40 min. is almost too much. At least in my oven. By the way, it has the wonderfully long name that it does b/c it comes from the bag of King Arthur whole wheat flour.

Sweet and Spicy Cashew Chicken

**Robyn told me about this recipe from Best of Bridge, and it is awesome... enjoy!

Sauce
1/2 c. ketchup
4 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 c. chicken broth

The Rest
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
3 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1/4 c. oil
2-3 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 sm. onion, chopped
2 red peppers, cut in strips
2 carrots, thinly sliced on diagonal
2 c. snow peas
1 1/2 c. cashews (I used peanuts)
Sprinkling of sesame seeds, toasted

Are you ready? combine sauce ingredients and set aside. In a bowl, combine cornstarch, sugar and salt. Add chicken and toss. Heat wok or frying pan to highest heat. Add oil. Heat to hot, not smoking. Add chicken, ginger, garlic and onion. Stir until chicken is opaque (about 1 min.). Add pepper and carrots. Stir 2-3 min. Add peas and sauce. Cook until sauce comes to a boil. Add cashews and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

Cuban Pork Sandwiches

Relish:
1 small red onion, thinly sliced (I used yellow)
1 c. water
1 jar (7 1/4 oz) roasted sweet red peppers, drained and chopped
1/3 c. cider vinegar (I used white)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. ground cumin

Sandwich:
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1 pork tenderloin (about 1 lb.)
1 tsp. olive oil
8 slices sourdough bread (I used whole wheat Kaiser rolls)
8 slices swiss cheese (I used 1 slice of Muenster for each sandwich)

For relish, in a small saucepan over medium heat, bring onion and water to a boil. Cook and stir for 1 minute; drain. Transfer to a bowl; add roasted peppers, vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper and cumin. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Discard garlic. (Relish can be made ahead and stored in refrigerator.)
In a small bowl, mash the minced garlic, cumin and salt. Rub over tenderloin; place in a shallow baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 425 F for 25-30 minutes or until the meat reaches 160 F. Let stand for 10 minutes; thinly slice pork. (I put water in the bottom of the pan, and it wouldn't hurt to grease the pan a bit.)
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Top four slices of bread with pork, relish and two slices of cheese; top with remaining bread. Cook sandwiches for 2-4 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Makes 4 sandwiches (2 cups relish). (Since I used rolls, I just toasted them in the toaster over instead of frying them in oil.)

This recipe is from Taste of Home. It is really, really good and worth making. At least make the relish and then put it with meat and cheese on bread. And toast it. Don't forget to toast it.

Two-Tone Fudge Brownies

Brownies:
1 c. chocolate chips
1/2 c. butter or margarine, softened
1 c. sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 c. flour
3/4 c. walnuts, chopped (optional)

Cookie Dough Layer:
1/2 c. butter or margarine, softened
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. sugar
3 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. flour
1 c. chocolate chips

Brownies: Melt chocolate chips. Set aside, allowing to cool slightly. In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, and baking soda. Mix well. Stir in melted chocolate. Add flour to batter and mix. Stir in walnuts. Spread into greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 F for 16 to 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes our clean. Let brownies cool (or mostly cool).

Cookie Dough: In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Beat in milk and vanilla. Gradually add flour Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoonfuls over cooled brownies and carefully spread over top. Cut into squares. Store in refrigerator.

This is from the Nisly cookbook. As I was making it, I was hoping it was worth the effort b/c both batters are kind of annoying to work with. I'm pretty sure it was worth it.

Chicken Vegetable Pasta - My version*

(pictured here without the pasta)

Sauce:
Melt 2 Tbsp butter in sauce pan.
Stir in 1/2 tsp dry thyme
1 tsp rosemary
1 clove garlic, minced
Combine:
1/2 C chicken broth
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 C water
1/2 C white wine (I didn't have any so I just used more broth)
2 Tbsp milk
2 tsp lemon juice
Add to butter mixture and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then remove from heat.

Chicken:
Combine and let marinate about 1 hour.
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into chunks or thin strips
1/4 C olive oil
rosemary to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
juice of 1/2 a lemon

After marinating, fry until almost done, then add the following:
(These measurements are all approximate and you can put in whatever you want)
Vegetables:
6 stems asparagus, cut in 1" pieces
1 C broccoli florets
1 C carrots, julienne cut
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 C spinach (I used frozen)
3/4 C frozen peas
(I've also added green beans and you could add zucchini, red pepper, snow peas, etc.)

-Cook vegetables until tender crisp, adding tomatoes and spinach last.
-When everything is done to your liking, pour sauce over it.
-Toss with bowtie or shell pasta. (I don't remember how much I made, but this amount of sauce was good for a nice big portion of pasta for our family, with some leftovers.)
-Pass the parmesan cheese!

*I got this off the Olive Garden website and made a few changes.
I want to say it's SO GOOD, but if it wasn't, I wouldn't be putting it on here, now would I? Hmmm?

Mocha Cheesecake*

Crust: 8 chocolate graham crackers, crushed (in the blender, of course)
1/8 c. sugar
5 tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

Filling:
6 oz. semisweet chocolate
3 pkg. (8 oz each) cream cheese
1/2 c. sugar
2 lg. eggs
1 c. heavy cream
1/3 c. very strong coffee
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 F. Melt the chocolate, set aside. In large
mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until light. Add the eggs,
one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in heavy
cream. Pour melted chocolate slowly into cheese mixture, then add
coffee and vanilla. Stir well to blend ingredients Pour into crust
and bake 45 min. or until edges are puffed up slightly. Cool in oven
with door cracked open, then cool to room temp. Chill thoroughly
(preferably overnight).

You'll probably be tempted to overbake it...don't do it! It might be
a little shaky when you turn off the oven, but it will set up. Also,
try not to overmix it. I think those 2 things are the leading cause
of cheesecake cracks.

*all credit and side comments go to Karla

This is Not a Recipe

but since it concerns food, eating, etc. I thought I would share it here. I didn't find this on my own; Christina D gets credit for this.

1. Go to http://www.thedailyplate.com/
2. Join (for free)
3. Search for the foods you've eaten today
4. Look at how many calories, fat, sodium, fiber, etc. you've consumed
5. Enter in the exercise you've done today
6. See how many calories you've burned
7. Set some goals for yourself (if you want)

You can choose to gain, maintain or lose weight, and then it will calculate for you how many calories you need each day. As you enter foods in throughout the day, you see how many calories you have left for that day. As you enter your exercise, you "gain" calories for that day. The website is kind of "busy" looking and almost info overload, but once you get going it's not as bad as it seems at first. I am finding it quite helpful, although it will take some time to see if it really is helping me or not. Let me know what you think!

The Broccoli Cheese Soup

Boil:
3 c. water
3 chicken bouillion cubes
broccoli, frozen or fresh (about 3 crowns)
Cook just until broccoli is tender

Add:
2 to 3 c. milk
When it's boiling add about 6 oz. thin pasta, broken into small pieces.
Saute some fresh mushrooms and 1 or 2 cloves of garlic in margarine.
When the pasta is cooked, add 8 oz. Velveeta cheese or Cheez Whiz. When the cheese is melted, add the sauteed mushrooms (aka deliciousness) and about 1 tsp. parsley.

This is based on a recipe in the Nisly book.

Yummo Chili Cornbread

Brown in large skillet:
1 lb. ground turkey or beef
1 small onion, diced
1-2 cloves garlic
a little salt and pepper

Add:
1 can Mexican style chili beans
1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles (don't drain either can)
random spices that sound good to you, which may or may not include:
Montreal steak seasoning, chili powder, more garlic, pepper, liquid smoke...whatever

Cornbread "shell" (as Kirk thinks it should be called):
1 c. flour
1 c. cornmeal
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. oil
2 eggs
1/2 to 1 c. shredded cheese (the more the merrier)

Mix dry ingredients together. Mix buttermilk, oil and eggs separately, then add to dry mixture. Stir cheese into batter. Pour the chili into a 9 x 9 square pan*. Pour the cornbread batter evenly over the chili. Bake at 400 F for about 35 minutes. It is especially good with hot sauce (such as Frank's cayenne pepper sauce). Serves 4-6. I thought this would get soggy and gross as leftovers, but it is as yum as the day it was born.

I imagined this and thought it would be good, but as I made it I started wondering what I was thinking. Turns out I was right in the first place. The moral is: I'm never wrong.**

*Two things:
1) you may want to lightly grease the sides
2) the pan I used was deeper than average and it was none too deep for this concoction

**This may not be true.

Lazy Woman's Turtles

Melt some semi-sweet chocolate. Using your trusty kitchen shears, cut up a bunch of Kraft caramels into 6 pieces each. Put them in a bowl with some chopped pecans. Stir in the melted chocolate. Drop spoonfuls onto waxed paper and chill until hardened. Enjoy the taste of turtles without all the work.

Seriously, these were surprisingly good for taking all the shortcuts and I'll happily make them again someday.

Healthy(er) Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cream together:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup applesauce (I used pumpkin)
2/3 cup white sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 egg white

Add:
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 tsp. baking soda
8 oz dark chocolate chips

Bake at 375 F for about 10 minutes. Makes 3 dozen.

These are quite good, even though they sound a little...different. And here's the link so you can see the original recipe.

Moose Marinade

That’s really the name that I found this recipe under in a Taste of Home type magazine. Ironically, I’ve never used it with moose meat, but it makes a tasty zebu steak! We’ve used this for our last two Christmas dinners.

1 cup oil

¾ cup soy sauce

½ cup lemon juice

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

¼ cup mustard

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

2-4 cloves garlic (or more)

Mix together and pour over 1 kg of steaks. Marinate 6-18 hours and grill as you like it.

I usually make ½ recipe for 1 kg of meat.

Sourdough Bread Twists

Starter:

Combine 1 cup (250 ml) flour and 1 tsp (5 ml) rapid-rise yeast in medium bowl. Blend in ½ cup (125 ml) very warm water. Beat with mixer at medium speed until smooth, about 4 minutes. Cover with damp tea towel and let stand at room temperature (at least 30 minutes, up to overnight).

Dough:

Combine 1 ½ cups flour, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp rapid-rise yeast and starter in large bowl. Blend in 1 ½ cups very warm water. Stir in 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 ¼ cups flour to form soft dough. Beat at medium speed until smooth, about 4 minutes. Add ¼ to 2/3 cup flour and knead till dough is smooth and elastic, about 5-8 minutes. Divide into 4 equal pieces, place in lightly oiled bowl and cover. Let rise 30 minutes.

Lightly oil baking tray and sprinkle with cornmeal. Roll each piece of dough into 12” (30 cm) rope. Join the ends of two ropes, twist 3-4 times and join the other ends. Repeat with remaining dough. Place loaves on baking tray, about 4” (10 cm) apart. Sprinkle loaves with cornmeal. Let rise about 30 minutes, or until doubled.

Preheat oven to 450 F (230 C). Place small skillet or baking tray on bottom of oven (or lowest rack). When oven is hot, pour 1-4 cups water into tray and quickly close oven door. (Less water makes a darker crust. I used about 2 cups.) Wait one minute and then put bread into oven. Reduce temperature to 400 F (200 C). Bake until loaves are brown and sound hollow when tapped, about 40 minutes. Cool loaves on wire rack.

Makes 2 large loaves.

I had never made anything with sourdough before this recipe, so I didn’t know what to expect. Let’s just say that I could eat massive amounts of this bread, and it gets a lot of compliments. It’s really delicious and not actually as complicated as it looks.

My Very Own Cheeseball

(According to my husband, this is one of those rare recipes that I can truly claim as my own.)

8 oz (250 g) softened cream cheese (the soft type in the tub works well)

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 cup grated cheddar cheese (please be generous)

1 Tbsp ranch dressing mix

½ - 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/8 – ¼ tsp onion powder or 1 tsp very finely chopped onion

1 can tiny shrimp, drained

Mix all together and chill. Serve with crackers.

Oatmeal Cake

1 c. quick oatmeal
1 1/4 c. boiling water
1/2 c. margarine or shortening
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/3 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda

Pour boiling water over oatmeal; let stand for 10 minutes. Cream margarine and sugars together. Add to oatmeal, then add eggs. Add dry ingredients to oatmeal mixture. Bake at 375 in a 9x13 pan for 20-30 minutes. Remove, then turn oven to broil.

Frosting:
2/3 c. brown sugar
6 tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
4 tbsp. cream (I use milk)
1/2 c. quick oatmeal, nuts, or coconut

Put frosting on cake and back into oven until frosting bubbles, about 2 minutes.

This is a combination of two recipes in the Nisly cookbook. For the frosting, I use 1/2 c. oatmeal and about 1/4 cup pecans. It really doesn't matter, you can't go wrong with this cake.

Apple Dumplings

i'm mostly putting this recipe on here in case i lose it again, but also it's just a darn good one and i think it deserves to be posted.

2 c. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 c. butter
2 c. water
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

mix all ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a boil. wrap 8 cored, peeled apples in pie dough and place in a greased pan 1" apart. pour sauce over all. bake at 375 for 30ish min. (i poured about 1/2 of the sauce over top at first, and then when they were mostly baked i poured more on. when i served it i put more of the sauce over ice cream.)