I'm a Dutch Oven fan. A big one, although I don't cook that way nearly often enough. I've got to find a way to cook like I'm camping while not having to actually camp! I think one of my all time favorites is this Peach Cobbler.
4 (15oz.) cans of peaches (drained)
1 Yellow cake mix (dry)
1 can of Sprite or 7up
butter slices to taste (optional)
Pour peaches in Dutch oven. Layer the cake mix on top. Pour Sprite/7up on top of cake mix making sure that the cake mix is fully covered by liquid. Sometimes I use butter on the top and my kids like it better that way, but the cobbler is great alone, too. Place 12 briquets under and 12 on top of oven and cook for 45 minutes.
1/2 cup warm water
1 1/3 cup milk, scalded and cooled
2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 cups flour
Combine 2 packages yeast and 1/2 cup warm water and set aside. In large mixing bowl combine remaining ingredients, mix until smooth. Stir in yeast. Add 3 cups flour and mix, knead until smooth and no longer sticky (you may need more flour). Place dough in greased bowl, cover with towel and set in warm place to raise until double in size (about 1 hour). Roll out and shape rolls, place on greased baking sheet.(for extra flavor, melt 1/2 stick of butter and pour onto baking sheet before placing shaped rolls) Cover rolls with towel and raise for 30 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned. Brush tops with melted butter,remove from baking sheet and cool on wire rack.
I got this recipe from Laurie over at Treasure the Little Things. I've had these rolls, and I can't even tell you how delicious they are!
1 red bell pepper diced
1 green bell pepper diced
1 yellow bell pepper diced
½ red onion diced
1 can corn
1 can black beans drained and rinsed
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro chopped
¼ c. olive oil
4 TBLSP red wine vinegar
1 tsp. lime juice
Mix all together and serve with your favorite brand tortilla chips.
Avocado and tomatoes make a great addition.
1 to 1 ½ lbs lean ground beef
¾ c. rolled oats
2 eggs slightly beaten
½ c. finely chopped onion
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
½ c. milk
1 tsp. salt
few grains of pepper
Combine all ingredients, mix well. Form into about 18 (approx 2 inch in diameter) balls. Place in a casserole dish, and cover with the below sauce.
( I usually double the sauce)
½ c. brown sugar
¼ c. vinegar
1 tsp. prepared mustard
¼ c. BBQ sauce
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Combine the sauce ingredients and blend thoroughly. Heat in the microwave for about 1 minute, (until the B. sugar is dissolved), and pour over meatballs.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes
This is another gem from my cousin Stacey. She likes to serve it with brown rice.
A friend of mine just sent me the link to this blog. 365 days of crockpot recipes. I'm so excited about this blog as I'm a huge fan of the crock pot.
For a great, easy Pizza Crust, try this recipe that my cousin Stacey sent me.
Yummy Pizza Crust
1 TBS. yeast
½ tsp. sugar
1 ½ c. warm water
Dissolve the above ingredients in the warm water and let sit for about 10 minutes until frothy.
In a separate bowl, combine the following:
2 TBS. sugar
½ tsp. salt
2 c. wheat flour
1 c. white flour
Add the wet ingredients into the dry stuff, and stir until well blended.
On a floured surface, knead the dough until it forms a ball. (Add flour as needed so the dough is not too sticky.)
Let rise for 10 minutes and form into either pizza crust, or calzones.
Top or stuff with your favorite toppings.
Place onto greased pans or a baking stone sprinkled with corn meal.
Bake at 450 for 16-18 minutes.
Enjoy!
Per special request, my cousin Kristin sent me this easy recipe that is a kid and adult pleaser.
Okazu
In a pot mix:
1/2 C. Soy sauce
1/2 C. Water
1/2 C. sugar
Bring to a boil, stirring, till sugar is dissolved.
Turn heat to low
Add in layers:
1/2 Sliced onion
1# sliced London Broil very thin, against grain.
4-5 carrots sliced in thin sticks
1/2 pkg frozen green beans
Cook on low till carrots are tender and green beans done. About 15-20 min.
Serve over rice.
Spinach salad is one of my salads of choice, but I couldn't persuade my children to eat it, for anything. So, when I make this salad for dinner, the kids get this: Top Ramen with egg and sugar snap peas
My kids love hard boiled egg sliced on the top of their Top Ramen. They aren't so fond of the snap peas, but I have to offer them something green.
In case you'd like to throw together a Spinach Salad like mine, here's what I throw in:
Washed and dried spinach leaves
sliced hard boiled egg
sliced mushrooms
grape tomatoes
thinly sliced purple onion
crumbled bacon
tossed with Catalina dressing
These recipes came compliments of Nancy at Turk Talk. Thank you so much. It looks delicious, and I learned something new!
Maryland Crab Cakes with Lemon Remoulade
5 Tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 Tablespoons minced shallots
1 Table spoon drained capers
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
Dash hot pepper sauce
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Chesapeake Bay seasoning - I use Old Bay
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 pound crab meat - I used canned since it is out of season, but you can use thawed frozen or lump crabmeat
1. To make the remoulade, combine 3 Tablespoons of the mayo, parsley, shallots, capers, lemon zest, and pepper sauce in a small bowl; cover refrigerate.
2. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons of mayo, the egg, mustard, Bay seasoning, and Worcestershire sauce in a large bowl; gently stir in the crab meat.
Shape mixture into 8 patties. Place on a plate; cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
3. Spray a large skillet with canola nonstick spray and set over medium-high heat. Add crab cakes and cook until heated through and well-browned, about 3 minutes on each side. Serve with remoulade.
Goes well with:
Roasted Asparagus with Lemon and Chives
1 (1 pound) bunch of asparagus, trimmed
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1. Preheat the oven to 425
2. Put the asparagus in a shallow roasting pan. Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper; toss to coat evenly. Spread in a single layer and bake, shaking the pan occasionally, until tender and browned in spots, about 20 minutes. Transfer the asparagus to a platter; sprinkle with the lemon juice and chives.
For the worlds best stroganoff, you must try this recipe. An absolute favorite in the Lee family.
Saute:
1 large onion
1 clove garlic in 1 TSBP. oil
remove from pan
Braise: 3 pounds sirloin tip or london broil cut into bite size pieces (about 1/4 of the meat at a time)
Add: 1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can mushrooms with liquid
1 bullion cute or 1 tsp beef granules
Cook all ingredients in a slow cooker, crock pot or heavy kettle until meat is done, stirring occasionally, about 3 hours on the stove, 4 hours at #4 on slower cooker or 8 hours on slow in the crock pot. About time to eat, add 1-2 cups of sour cream and heat through. Do not boil.
Serve over rice, or noodles.
A friend of mine from Massachusetts gave me this recipe, and if you are a bread lover like me, you'll LOVE this one. I've made this with wheat flour and it's delicious. Much denser, but tasty. I usually don't use as much butter, either.
1 egg
1 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening
4 1/2 cup flour
2 tsp yeast
1 tsp salt
1 /2 cup butter
Mix all ingredients except the butter. Melt butter in bundt pan. Let dough rise until double. Roll 1/2 inch flat and cut into rounds. Dip tips of rounds in butter and place in a bundt pan. Bake @ 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. You'll have to keep checking to see when it's done depending on your oven and bundt pan. Turn upside down and remove from pan.
This isn't the easiest rice recipe ever, but it is the best. My sister in law Debbie threw this one my way.
2 medium tomatoes quartered
1 onion peeled and quartered
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cups rice (not minute, basmati works well)
4 garlic cloves minced
3 jalapenos chopped finely
2 cups chicken broth
1 Tsp. tomato paste
1/2 cup minced cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Puree tomato and onion until smooth (should be 2 cups). Heat oil in pan and add rice, saute until golden. Stir in 2/3 jalapeno and all of garlic, cook until fragrant. Stir in tomato puree, broth, paste, and 1 1/2 tsp. salt. Bring to boil. Pour into 9X13 baking dish and cover with foil. Bake until rice is tender. Stir 1/2 way through at about 15 minutes. Total bake time about 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and stir in cilantro and remaining jalapeno.
The first year of the twins life we lived on crock pot dinners since that's all I seemed to be able to manage. This recipe is by far my families favorite:
Put 4-6 chicken breasts in the bottom of crockpot.
Mix together and pour over chicken:
8oz block of cream cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pkg Italian dressing seasoning mix
1/2 cup water optional
Cook all day on low and serve over rice.
This recipe was given to me by my friend Tanya and it's tried and true. The crepes are super easy, always turn out, and are always a crowd pleaser.
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
3 Tbs. melted butter or oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup flour
Mix all ingredients in a blender and pour on griddle to cook.
My sister in law Susan gave me this recipe and it's my favorite soup recipe ever. It's hearty, it's versatile and it tastes delicious. You can substitute almost any vegetable and it's always wonderful.
1 head chopped cauliflower
1 chopped onion
1 medium carrot
1 medium potato
1 1/2 cup cheese (added at the end)
enough chicken broth to cover the vegetables in the pan
Add all vegetables in a pan and cover with chicken broth. Cook until the vegetables are tender and then puree. Add half and half to taste and then add the cheese.
The Seven Clown Circus dinner philosophy is pretty simple. Everyone eats the same thing and although I try to make meals that everyone will enjoy, I'm not always successful. The kids must try everything I've prepared. If they don't like it, fine. They don't have to eat it. But, that's it. No special meals to make up for it, and no snacks. Casserole type dishes are usually not a hit, rather, my kids prefer something simple like chicken, a green vegetable and rice or some other starch. Simple is golden here, and as the chief cook, I wouldn't have it any other way.
My cousin Stacey sent me these recipes, and although I haven't tried them, her family has and they are their absolute favorites.
Breakfast Pizza
1 package (12oz.) Breakfast Sausage links
1 package refrigerated crescent rolls
1 cup thawed hash brown potatoes
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
4 eggs
¼ c. milk
¼ tsp. dried basil
dash of cayenne pepper
½ c. grated parmesan cheese
Cook sausage until no longer pink, and slice into coin size pieces.
Unroll crescent roll dough, separate into 8 triangles
Arrange on an ungreased 12 inch. Pizza pan, placing the points into the center.
Press seams together and press over the bottom and up the sides of pan to form a crust.
Top with hashbrowns sausage and cheddar cheese
Combine the eggs, milk and spices, pour over cheese.
Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
8 servings
Overnight French Toast
This is a simple one, but a favorite on a cool fall Sunday morning…..Enjoy!
A- 3-5 cooking apples ( I use green granny smith) peeled and diced
B- 1 c. brown sugar
C- 1 cube of butter (don’t use margarine)
D- 1/3 c. karo syrup
E- 1 Tbsp. of tapioca (or flour if tapioca isn’t available)
F- loaf of good and fresh French Bread (or I use Texas Toast)
G- 1 c. milk
H- 4 eggs
In the microwave cook B-D one minute at a time. Stirring in between minutes until very well melted, and combined. Usually takes 3 or 4 minutes to make a good thick syrup..
Pour out into a 9x13 pan
Spread apples out evenly over syrup and sprinkle tapioca/flour over them.
Cut bread into thick slices and dip into mixture of egg and milk well whipped.
Layer soaked bread over apples like fallen dominoes.
Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Bake at 375 uncovered for 30-45 minutes until golden brown. I sometimes cook with the foil on for half the time, and then take it off for the last half to keep the bread softer, not so crusty.
YUMMY!
I don't know about you, but when I'm an ingredient or two short, I don't have time to run out to the store and that's why this substitution guide from Kraft is so handy.
