Caramelized Onion and Blue Cheese Sauce (with steak)

Submitted by Heather

My family has a tradition each Christmas season, where every member of the family randomly picks a dinner category (main dish, beverage, etc.) out of a hat.  This allows each person full license to pick whatever they want to in that category - it doesn't have to match the rest of the meal.  Some years we've had really wacky combinations - smoothies, Cheetos, burritos, scalloped potatoes, etc.
This year we actually had a very traditional meal.  Except for the strawberry and raspberry shakes which were our beverages, that is.  One of my children picked steak for the main course.  I rarely make steak, so I looked around for some recipes, since I didn't want to just plunk down a hunk of meat for the meal.  I found a few good suggestions, but was won over by the praises given to this caramelized onion and blue cheese sauce.

If you think the potatoes look weird, just hold on!  They're wonderful and my family LOVED them.  Recipe coming soon!)

Even if you think you don't like blue cheese, give this sauce a chance!  I wasn't super excited about a recipe with blue cheese.  I don't hate blue cheese, but I don't love it either.  But I was looking for something to jazz up the steaks, so I went for it.  I'm so glad I did, because most of the family ended up loving it.  And I ate it for days (since I'd doubled the recipe)!  If you really, really don't like blue cheese, I think you can safely substitute another cheese for it, though it may be best to have an easy melting cheese rather than cheddar, etc.  Even just the caramelized onions with cream are good enough on their own, maybe with a little extra salt and pepper thrown in.  When the steak was gone and we still had some sauce left, we just slathered our leftover potatoes with it and might have loved it even more.

Ingredients:

2 whole Ribeye Steaks
2 Tablespoons Butter
Salt
Pepper
4 Tablespoons Butter
1 whole Very Large Yellow Onion, Sliced
1 cup Heavy Cream
1/2 cup Crumbled Blue Cheese

Preparation Instructions:
Salt and pepper both sides of the steaks. Grill in 2 tablespoons butter until medium rare.

Saute onions in 4 tablespoons butter over high heat. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until dark and caramelized. Reduce heat to simmer and pour in cream. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until reduced by half. Stir in blue cheese until melted. Serve steaks on generous portion of sauce.

Source:  thepioneerwoman.com

Blackberry and Apple Cake Bake

Posted by Lisa

Source:

Adapted from : Easy Cranberry and Apple Cake

2010 Barefoot Contessa How Easy is that?

I saw Barefoot Contessa the other day and this recipe was being made and it looked delicious.  I knew my kids wouldn't come near it with cranberries so I switched it up a little and used some blackberries I had from the garden in my freezer.  I just tasted it and it was really good.  Ice cream with it would be great.  I did find it a bit sweet, so below I reduced the amount of sugar.  I am sure if cranberries had been used, the original sugar amount would have been just right.  This is a great comforting dessert for a cold evening inside with the family.  Enjoy!  Thanks Ina!

Ingredients

• 12 ounces fresh or frozen blackberries (thawed) (she used cranberries)
• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and diced
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed (she used 1/2 c )
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest (2 oranges)
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 1/8 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Combine the cranberries, apple, brown sugar, orange zest, orange juice, and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs on medium-high speed for 2 minutes. With the mixer on medium, add 1 cup of the granulated sugar, the butter, vanilla, and sour cream and beat just until combined. On low speed, slowly add the flour and salt.

Pour the fruit mixture evenly into a 10-inch glass pie plate. Pour the batter over the fruit, covering it completely. Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar and 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon and sprinkle it over the batter.

 Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean and the fruit is bubbling around the edges. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

Submitted by Heather

Okay, this isn't really a brand new recipe, it's a variation of one I posted already on this site.  My family really loves these pumpkin muffins - they're moist and soft and turn out perfect every time.

I find, though, that for different people in my family, I have to modify them a bit.  The older kids like regular sized muffins with chocolate chips throughout the muffin.  My preschooler loves the mini muffins with mini chocolate chips.  Or maybe I love to give those to him because they fit so perfectly in his little fist, and the small chocolate chips make it so that he doesn't make quite so big a mess.  Then there's Daddy.  He doesn't really like the chocolate chips in the muffins at all.  Weird, I know.

So, years ago I found a streusel recipe and I've been topping these muffins with it ever since.  It's crunchy, has fiber and makes the muffin feel special (but maybe you don't care how the muffin feels).  The best combination, in my opinion, is a regular sized muffin with chocolate chips inside AND streusel topping.  Now everyone is happy!

Here's the link to my favorite pumpkin muffins:
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Streusel Topping:
3 T. flour
1/3 C. brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 C. All-Bran (or you can use crushed bran flakes or even Cracklin' Oat Bran chopped up!)*
3 T. softened butter
1/4 C. chopped pecans (or walnuts if you prefer)

Mix all ingredients until crumbly and divide among muffins before baking.

*The muffins in this picture have streusel with Cracklin' Oat Bran in them.  It's all I had on hand and it worked great.  Chopping the cereal was a bit difficult but the chunks just lent to the crunchiness of the topping.
                          

Source: unknown

Pumpkin Roll

Since I gave my father a "baked good of the month" club birthday gift this year...I am now looking for new ideas to make for him.  I decided to go with something seasonal for this month and found this recipe for the pumpkin roll.  We grow both carving pumpkins and baking pumpkins.  I cooked one of them up in the oven, and used that to make this roll.  The family really liked it....I haven't heard from dad yet!

Posted by Lisa

source:Recipe from The Essential Mormon Cookbook.

3 eggs
1 c. sugar
2/3 c. pumpkin
1 tsp. lemon juice
3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. powdered sugar
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese
4 Tbs. butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Beat eggs and sugar together. Add pumpkin and lemon juice and mix together. In a separate bowl sift together flour, baking powder, spices, and salt. Fold into pumpkin mixture

Line a 15 x 10 1/2 inch pan with waxed paper. Grease lightly. Spread pumpkin mixture evenly in pan. Bake at 375 ° F for about 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

 Turn out immediately onto a clean towel sprinkled with powdered sugar, removing waxed paper. Sprinkle more powdered sugar on top of cake. Start at on end, carefully rolling towel and cake together. Cool on counter top.

Combine the 1 cup powdered sugar, cream cheese, butter and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Gently unroll cake, removing towel. Spread cream cheese filling over top. Roll back up.

Cover with waxed paper and chill in refrigerator. Best when made a day ahead. Will keep in refrigerator 6 to 10 days (well wrapped). Freezes well. 

Cut cake roll into slices using a bread knife. Makes approximately 20 servings.

***I baked one of the pumpkins from my garden and used that for this recipe.  I then froze the remainder for later this winter.  Just cut the pumpkin in half, scrape the seeds out, put face down in baking dish and bake at 350 until fork tender.  Then scrape out of pumpkin shell and use just like you would canned pumpkin.***

The Best Coffee Cake. Ever.

I forgot to take a "final" plated picture!  ARGH.  Oh well, it was so tasty that 

I didn't have a chance, ya that's it. : )  

It was a really good recipe.  I would make it again.  I did have to cook it longer than it

suggested, because the middle didn't seem done, but the edges then got a 

bit overdone.  So, next time I will just add a few minutes and check it often.

Very good recipe though!

source: The Pioneer woman

The Best Coffee Cake. Ever.

Added by Ree on June 17, 2010 in Cakes, Desserts

Ingredients

• FOR THE CAKE:
• 1-½ stick Butter, Softened
• 2 cups Scant Sugar
• 3 cups Flour, Sifted
• 4 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1-¼ cup Whole Milk
• 3 whole Egg Whites, Beaten Until Stiff
• _____
• FOR THE TOPPING:
• 1-½ stick Butter, Softened
• ¾ cups Flour
• 1-½ cup Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Cinnamon
• 1-½ cup Pecans, Chopped

Preparation Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. 
• Beat egg whites and set aside.
• Cream butter and sugar.
• Add flour mixture and milk alternately until combined. Don’t overbeat. 
• Fold in beaten egg whites with a rubber spatula.

 Spread in a well-greased 9 x 13 (or LARGER!) baking pan. A cake pan with higher sides would be best.

In a separate bowl, combine topping ingredients with a pastry cutter until crumbly. Sprinkle all over the top.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until no longer jiggly. Serve warm—delicious!

Tomatillo Chicken Stew

Posted by Lisa
Source: www.simplyrecipes.com

I received a bag full of tomatillos from my father.  The first night I made a variation of chicken chili (with tomatillos) inside an egg roll wrapper...although good, it wasn't blog worthy.

Still having 3/4 of a bag left, I searched for a new recipe and found this one.  The whole family was leery to eat it because we are not very familiar with this little vegie (or fruit?).  

Everyone (except Haley) agreed that they liked the flavor and found that it had a natural savory/sweetness to it.  I will be putting this into my "make again" recipes.

(mine was more like a soup because I added lots more chicken stock, and we served it with a buttered roll)

Ingredients:

Tomatillo Sauce:

1 1/2 lbs tomatillos

1-2 jalapeno chile peppers or 2-3 serrano chili peppers ( I used 1 can green chilies)

1 clove garlic chopped

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp lime juice (or lemon)

pinch sugar (didn't use that)

Stew:

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs (I had cooked /shredded chicken already in fridge so I used that)

Salt and Pepper

olive oil

2 yellow onions, chopped (I added 2 tbsp flour when onions were cooked, then added the stock)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander (didn't use...was out)

1 1/2 c chicken stock (used about 4 to 6 cups )

2 cups tomatillo sauce (above)

1 tsp dry oregano (didn't use...was out)

1/2 c packed chopped cilantro (about 1 bunch rinsed and chopped, stems and leaves..I didn't use the stems)

(I added 1 bag of shredded carrots also, it added a nice texture)

1 Make the tomatillo sauce. Remove the papery husks from the tomatillos and rinse well. Cut the tomatillos in half and place them cut-side down on an aluminum foil-lined roasting pan. Broil for 5-7 minutes until blackened in spots. Let cool enough to handle. Place the tomatillos, any juice they have released, chile peppers, garlic, salt, lime juice and sugar in a blender, and pulse until well blended. If you make ahead, refrigerate until needed.

2 Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large, thick-bottomed pot on medium high heat until almost smoking. Pat dry the cubed chicken parts with paper towels. Sprinkle salt and pepper over them. Working in batches so as not to crowd the pan, and adding more olive oil when necessary, brown the chicken pieces on two sides. When you place the pieces in the pan, make sure there is room between them (otherwise they will steam and not brown), and don't move them until they are browned on one side. Then use tongs or a metal spatula to turn them over and don't move them again until they are browned on the other side. Do not cook through, but only brown. Remove the chicken pieces from the pan and lower the heat to medium. There should be a nice layer of browned bits (fond) at the bottom of the pan.

3 Add the onions to the pan, and a tablespoon or two more olive oil if needed (likely). Add ground cumin and coriander. Cook a few minutes, stirring occasionally until onions are softened and the browned bits from the chicken have been picked up by the onions and are no longer sticking to the pan. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more, until fragrant.

4 Add the browned chicken, the tomatillo sauce, chicken stock, and oregano to the pan. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook, partially covered, for 20 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Add the cilantro to the stew in the last minute or so of cooking.

Serve over white rice, accompanied with sour cream if needed to offset the heat from the chiles. The stew will thicken as it cools.

Green Monster Soup (Split Pea)

Submitted by: Heather

Never heard of Green Monster Soup before?  Well, desperation requires creativity.  Earlier in the week I had served a pesto and chicken pasta dish, and going with the green theme, I added frozen peas to the pasta.  The kids were less than thrilled and when I went to pack up the leftovers I found a pan full of peas, with very little pasta left.  So, the kids are obviously not fans of peas.  

I'm in pantry clean-out mode, though, and coming upon both a frozen ham bone in the freezer and a sadly neglected bag of split peas in the pantry, I decided to make split pea soup.  The last time I'd eaten split pea soup I remember really liking it.  This time was no exception.  In fact my husband and I wondered why I hadn't made it in so long since we both repeatedly filled our bowls.  I also didn't hear any complaints from the kids - even my picky little 5 year old!  The trick was in the name (okay, okay, and the homemade bread sticks I served along with it).  Not once did I bring up the fact that this was made out of peas.  My kids were clueless to all the vitamins they were consuming and I was happily adding a delicious soup to our dinner line-up.  Give it a try - I think you'll be surprised.

I made a double batch of the following soup and it was perfect for my family of 7.  I omitted the celery, not because I don't like it, but because I was out of it.  I chopped more carrots to make up the difference. I also used a ham bone from a spiral cut ham instead of a pork hock, and it imparted a lot of wonderful flavor.

Yield: Serves 6


2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped peeled carrots

2 cloves of garlic
1 1/2 pounds smoked pork hocks (or a ham bone, left over from a spiral ham, etc.)
2 teaspoons dried leaf marjoram (or thyme)
1 1/2 cups green split peas
8 cups water


Melt butter in heavy large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery and carrots. Sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Add pork and marjoram/thyme; stir 1 minute. Add peas, then water, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Partially cover pot; simmer soup until pork and vegetables are tender peas are falling apart, stirring often, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Transfer hocks/ham bone to bowl. Puree 5 cups of soup in batches in blender and return to the pot. Or use an immersion blender to puree most (but not all!) of the soup.  Cut meat off bones. Dice meat and return it to the soup. Season with salt and pepper. Can be made 1 day ahead. Refrigerate until cold, then cover. Rewarm before serving.

Source: adapted from Epicurious (Easy Split Pea Soup)

Roasted Rosemary Sweet Potato Fries

posted by Lisa
Source: First magazine October 2012

This was a dish my mother made for us one night along with baked pork chops.  Although the kids weren't very fond of them, the adults did like them.  Next time however we would cut down drastically on the rosemary.  It over powered the dish.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled

1 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary

1 tbsp. roasted garlic

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 tbsp. chopped fresh chives

Heat oven to 425.  Lightly coat the baking sheet with cooking spray.

Cut potatoes into wedges.  In large bowl, toss potatoes with rosemary, seasoned salt and oil.  Spread potatoes in single layer on prepared baking sheet.  (tip....if you heat up the sheet before you put the potatoes on it, they won't stick to it...you still should spray it though)

Bake 30 min or until tender and golden brown, turning once.  Sprinkle with chives when done.

Sun Dried Tomato Spinach Puffs

Posted by Lisa

Source:  First magazine October 2012

My mom made dinner for the family tonight and had this recipe she wanted to try out.  I actually put it together for her, but she had it picked out to go with the baked pork chops and sweet potato wedges.  It was a really good dinner!

(next time I would greatly reduce the sun dried tomatoes..very strong flavor.  I would probably add a bit more cheese and maybe a bit of garlic or bacon for more flavor)

Ingredients:

1 cup packed spinach, chopped
1/4 cup minced scallions
1 pkg. 8 oz refrigerated crescent dough
1/4 c diced sun dried tomatoes
1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 350.  In greased skillet over medium heat, cook spinach and scallions 1 min.  Let cool.

On work surface, unroll dough;  spread with spinach mixture.  Top with tomatoes and cheese.

Roll dough into log.

Cut into 10 to 12 equal pieces(we did 10 and put them into regular sized muffin tins)

Place slices into greased wells of muffin pan.  Cover loosely with foil.  Bake 20 min or until

done.  Remove foil after 10 minutes.  (we didn't use any foil)

Posted by Lisa
source busy for women first magazine Oct 2012

Fritter Bread

My husband recently ate at a little truck stop with some co-workers and they offered a french toast made out of fritter bread.  He ordered the berry one and hasn't stopped talking about it since. 

He said it was the best thing he has ever had! 

(ok, I am thinking he exaggerated a bit)  

So, I looked up fritter bread because I had never heard of it and I gave it a try.  I made this recipe just as is, then I made a batch with blackberries and halved the filling part.  

Both were delicious and I will be making them again soon.

posted by: Lisa

source: www.flourmewithlove.com

Ingredients are as follows:

Dough:

3 C flour

1 package yeast

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 C brown sugar

1/4 C water

1 egg, beaten

3/4 C milk

1/4 C butter

Filling:

6 small apples, peeled & diced

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 C brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 Tbsp. butter

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tbsp. cornstarch

Glaze:

1 Tbsp. butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 C powdered sugar

3 tsp. half & half (or milk)

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9 x 5 bread pan. 

In a skillet, cook apples, lemon juice, brown sugar, vanilla, butter, cinnamon & cornstarch until mixture is thickened.  Set aside to cool.

Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles; remove from heat. Add the butter and stir until melted; set aside.


Put flour, yeast, brown sugar and salt in a bowl, mix well.

Add the water, egg and milk/butter mixture.

Mix until dough forms into a ball; knead for an additional five minutes.

On a well floured surface, roll dough into a rectangle. 

Evenly spread apple mixture over dough.

Cut dough into even squares (I got 20 from my dough).

Carefully stack pieces of dough onto each other forming four piles.                                      (use a spatula, it makes stacking much easier!)

Place piles of dough into prepared pan.

Bake 45-50 minutes; until golden brown.  Immediately remove from pan.

Mix butter, vanilla and powdered sugar into a bowl.  Add half & half; stir until you get a creamy consistency. 

Pour on glaze and allow to setup for a few minutes.

I also did it with blackberries.  I followed all the same ingredients, just subbing the blackberries for apples.