Tuesday, July 7, 2009

A fun take on ham&cheese


Ham & Swiss Sliders
(ourrecipeclub.blogspot.com)
  • 24 good white rolls
  • 24 pieces good honey ham
  • 24 small slices swiss cheese
  • 1/3 mayo
  • 1/3 cup miracle whip
Poppyseed Sauce
  • 1 1/2 TBSP poppy seeds
  • 1 1/2 TBSP yellow mustard
  • 1 stick butter, melted
  • 1 TBSP minced onion
  • 1/2 tsp. worschestershire sauce
  1. In a small bowl, mix together mayo & miracle whip. Spread into both sides of the center of each roll. Place a slice of ham & a slice of swiss inside of each roll. Close rolls & place into a large baking dish or heavy cookie sheet, placing very close together.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the poppy seed sauce ingredients. Pour evenly over all of the sandwiches. Let sit 10 minutes, or until butter sets slightly. Cover with foil & bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Uncover & cook for 2 additional minutes. Serve warm.
  3. Sandwiches can me assembled a day ahead & kept in the fridge ready to bake.
These were tasty! Mine doesn't look so great because I made my own rolls and I burned them, so I had to use them upside down. Next time to save time I'll just buy some good soft rolls.

Anyone interested in quinoa?


Black Bean and Quinoa Salad
(allrecipes.com)
  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
  • 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup frozen corn kernels
  • 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (we don't like)
  1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
  2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,
  3. Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.
This is a tasty salad. And SO healthy! Don't be afraid to try quinoa, though it may be hard to find at this point. I got mine at Beehive Health Essentials, due to a cooking class that got me interested. Quinoa is a complete protein due to its complete balance of amino acids. Low-carb, high protein, high fiber, gluten-free...purely amazing. I think it tastes like couscous, but that's ok because I like couscous. So for any healthies or vegans out there, this post is for you. I'll probably make this more once I can get quinoa at a normal grocery store.

Friday, July 3, 2009

I love you blueberries


To Die For Blueberry Muffins

(allrecipes.com)

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries (I used frozen, but coat them in flour if you don't want purple muffins)
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup butter, cubed
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners. I used 12.
  2. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
  3. To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
  4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.
Mine aren't that beautiful, but they are delicious, I promise! They were all gone within a few hours.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

A quick, slightly different chicken salad


Feta Chicken Salad

  • 3 cups diced cooked chicken (I used 1 can chicken and adjusted remaining ingredients accordingly)
  • 2 large stalks celery, diced (I skipped)
  • 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
  • 1/2 red onion, diced
  • 6 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 6 tablespoons sour cream
  • 1 (4 ounce) package feta cheese, crumbled
  • 2 teaspoons dried dill weed
  • 1 pinch salt and pepper to taste
In a serving bowl, mix together the chicken, celery, and red onion. In a separate bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, sour cream, feta cheese, and dill. Pour over the chicken mixture, and stir to blend. Taste, and season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve immediately, or refrigerate until serving.

I haven't used feta cheese before, and since it's not that pricey (2 bucks for a container) I decided to expand my cheese repertoire. To tell you the truth, I couldn't really taste it, but I'm figuring it made the salad. The salad was tasty and great the next day. One can of chicken fed our whole family. And it was great on these rolls.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Black-Eyed peas and Corn Salsa

Black-Eyed Peas and Corn Salsa

  • 1 15 oz can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 15 oz can whole kernel corn, drained
  • 4-5 roma tomatoes, diced
  • 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped (I skip- don't like it!)
  • 1 bunch green onions, cut into small pieces (I diced some yellow onion- all I had)
  • 1-2 medium avocadoes, diced
  • 1 packet Good Seasons Italian dressing, mixed according to package directions. (this brand is best)
Mix all together with dressing. Add avocado just before serving. Refrigerate several hours before serving. (though I ate mine right away and it was great, but I bet flavors would mingle best this way)
Serve with tortilla chips or over a salad.

Yum! This is another one stolen from my ward cookbook, but what can I say? I'm making this again, so it's going into my tried and true file, aka my blog.

Quick chicken winner for honey-mustard lovers


Curried Honey Mustard Chicken
(allrecipes.com)
  • 1/3 cup butter, melted (I used 2 T butter and 2 T water)
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup Dijon-style prepared mustard
  • 4 teaspoons curry powder
  • 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper
  • 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I used 2 but kept sauce amount the same- you want enough to pour over rice, so double sauce if you use 4)
  1. In a medium bowl combine the melted butter/margarine, honey, mustard, curry powder and cayenne powder. Mix well. Place chicken breasts in a 9x13 inch baking dish and pour honey/mustard mixture over chicken. Cover and place in refrigerator. Marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
  2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
  3. Remove dish from refrigerator and bake, covered, in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove cover and bake about 10 minutes more, or until done and juices run clear (baking time will depend a little on how thick your chicken breasts are).
This is a delicious, easy, fast chicken recipe! I was a lot worried about the combination of ingredients, but it turned out splendidly. Read the reviews on this recipe at allrecipes.com- it got about 300 4 1/2 star reviews (out of 5 stars), and people who didn't like curry loved this recipe. I'd go more for if you like honey-mustard you'll like this. The kids liked it, as it was more sweet (but not overly so) than spicy.

Saturday, June 6, 2009

another doctored up cake mix


Poppy Seed Cake
(allrecipes.com)
  • 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
  • 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
  • 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan.
  2. In a large bowl, stir together cake mix, pudding mix and poppy seeds. Make a well in the center and pour in water, oil, and eggs. Beat on low speed until blended. Scrape bowl, and beat 4 minutes on medium speed. Pour batter into prepared pan.
  3. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. When cool, glaze if desired.
I desire to glaze! I made a glaze with a little milk, some powdered sugar and a little almond extract. I loved snacking on this cake and have made it several times.