key west chicken

I got this recipe from the Stake Women’s Conference.  I’m not a huge chicken fan, but this makes a tender, moist, yummy chicken.

6 Tbs soy sauce

2 Tbs honey

2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp lime juice

2 tsp crushed garlic

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Mix all the ingredients except the chicken.  Place chicken and marinade in a gallon ziplock bag.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes or freeze to use at a later time.  When ready, cook chicken for 6-8 minutes on each side, or until juices run clear. 

caramelized green beans wrapped in bacon

I saw this recipe on the news one night and I knew it would be a keeper.   This is a must at Easter & Thanksgiving now for the last 4+ years!  Ben doesn’t like that the beans still have a crunch so I am going to try blanching the beans before soaking in the liquid.

1/3 bag brown sugar

1 C water

1/2 C honey

green beans

bacon

In a saucepan, bring brown sugar and water to a boil.  Add honey and sinner over medium heat for 3 minutes.  Coat green beans in sauce or let soak overnight.  Wrap bundles of beans in slices of half cooked bacon.  Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes. This picture was taken pre-baking because they look prettier then!

sandwich bread

Last year when I made all of my own bread, I tried out a few recipes to mix things up.  Ben & the kids loved this one.  My friend, Elizabeth, tried it and has started making it too.  I was at her house recently and she was making bread.  Her husband started talking about how good her bread is and asking if I had tried it.  Too funny!  I love sharing recipes!  Anyhow, this is the one I make all the time for my family.  Sometimes I substitute the last 2 cups of wheat flour for white flour.  That is everyone’s favorite.  Ben likes it because he says this is a good sturdy sandwich bread.   I got this recipe from the Mesa Cannery.  It makes 2 loaves.

1 Tbs yeast

1/2 C warm water

1/2 tsp sugar

2 1/2 C hot water

6-7 C whole wheat flour

1 Tbs salt

1/3 C oil

1/3 sugar

1/2 C potato flakes, powdered milk, or wheat gluten

In a small, bowl proof (test) yeast with warm water.  To help the yeast grow add one half teaspoon of sugar.  Set aside.  Blend about half the flour and the hot tap water in mixing bowl.  Add salt, oil and sugar to mixing bowl.  Mix until well blended.  Add prepared yeast mixture.  Blend.  Add potato flakes, gluten, milk powder and enough additional flour to clean the sides of the bowl.  Knead on low for ten minutes.  On lightly oiled counter divide dough into 2 equal portions.  Shape loaves and place in greased pans.  Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place until it has doubled in bulk.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or till internal temperature is 190 degrees.

crescent ham sandwiches

I have made these for several events and people LOVE them.  You have to try them!

crescent rolls

dill sandwich spread

deli ham (not sweet), sliced

provolone, sliced and cut in half

roma tomatoes, sliced

baby spinach leaves

Cut open the crescent rolls, leaving the other side still attached to create a pocket.  Spread the dill spread on the bottom (a little goes a long way).  Layer ham, provolone, tomatoes and spinach.  Close the sandwich as best you can and stack on a tray.

dill sandwich spread

This is a part of a Pampered Chef recipe.  When I threw my tea party a few years ago, I got the idea to use it on my sandwiches.  My sister in law loved it.  I have started using it on other things like wraps too.  It makes the sandwich or wrap!

1 8oz package of cream cheese, softened

2 Tbs mayonnaise

1 small garlic clove

1 tsp Pampered Chef All Purpose Dill Mix*

Mix and spread.

*You have to use this.  It is NOT the same as regular dill.

crescent rolls

Ben’s Aunt Irene makes these for lots of family functions and they are SO good.  For our first Thanksgiving in Texas, I wanted to find the perfect roll recipe.  I tried 3-4  and wasn’t super impressed.  I made these and Ben and the kids went nuts.  I made them for dinner over at the Kurachi’s and they all agreed this was the recipe to use.  I brought them to Thanksgiving and the family we ate with were eating them with honey instead of pie!  Well, I was sold.  I make these all the time now and everyone loves them.  I split this recipe in half because I can’t fit the whole thing in my kitchen aid.

3/4 C warm water

1/2 C + 2 Tbs sugar

2 1/2 Tbs yeast

Mix and set aside for about 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, add the following ingredients while mixing:

2/3 C powdered milk

2 C hot water

5 C flour

3 eggs

3/4 C oil

Mix well and then add:

1 Tbs salt

3-4 C flour.

Mix well.  Dump onto floured counter top.  Knead, but not too much.  It is a soft bread.  Cut in half and put in two large bowls.  Cover to rise for 2-4 hours or 1 hour in a warm oven.  Once risen, take one bowl of dough and divide into 3-4 sections.  Take one section and roll it into a circle.  Use a pizza cutter to cut into triangle shapes (like a slice of pizza).  Starting at the wide end roll into a crescent shape and place on a greased cookie sheet.  Continue until all the dough is done.  Cover with a towel and let raise another 2-4 hours.  Bake at 375 for about 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.  Butter the tops while still hot.

cream cheese crepe filling

This is hard to give exact directions to, because we make it to taste.

8 oz cream cheese

sour cream

powdered sugar

vanilla

orange zest, optional

Soften cream cheese to room temperature.  Beat cream cheese until smooth.  Add a few heaping spoonfuls of sour cream, some powdered sugar, and a dash of vanilla.  Beat until smooth.  Taste.  It should still have a distinguishable, but light cream cheese taste and not be too sweet.  Adjust, adding more of whatever it needs.  If you use orange zest, start with a tiny bit because it goes a long way and you don't want it to overpower the rest of the flavors.  It should only have a slight hint of orange.

crepes

My mom worked as crepe maker in a restaurant when she was young.  Crepes are a one of our families favorites!  We usually eat them as a dessert since they aren’t very filling.  We like to fill them with our traditional cream cheese filling and top them with strawberries or blueberries. Another yummy way to eat them is to use our filling and then to top the crepes with banana’s, caramel sauce, and walnuts (candied are even better).  I’ve seen people top them with an orange butter sauce on cooking shows.  You can fill crepes with a multitude of things like meats, cheese, veggies, etc., but ours never last long enough to venture past our traditional way.  They taste great hot or cold, so you can make them ahead of time if needed.  I double this and my little family of six doesn’t feel there is enough, if we are eating them as a meal.  Dessert, maybe…

2/3 C flour

1/2 tsp salt

3 eggs

1 1/2 C milk

butter

There are two ways to make this, depending on your tools.

1.  In a bowl, whisk all the ingredients together, except butter.  Pour batter through a strainer into another bowl, using a rubber spatula to push through anything that gets stuck.  Repeat 3 times to ensure that the batter is smooth.

2.  Put ingredients in a blender or food processor and mix for 2 minutes.  Poor through a strainer, just to be sure everything is smooth.

Let the batter sit for about a half hour to an hour.  When you are ready to cook the crepes, heat a non stick skillet (about 10 inches) and lightly stir batter.  It goes a lot faster if you use 2 pans.  Use a paper towel to butter the skillet and pour a little bit of batter into the pan.  I use a 1/3 measuring cup, not quite full.  Swirl it around quickly, to make sure it evenly coats the pan and there are no holes.  Let it cook until the sides start to lift and the bottom is lightly golden.  It should be cooked through, with no liquid moving.  Flip the crepe carefully and let cook for about 5-10 seconds.  Remove from pan by sliding onto a plate.  This takes practice since they are so delicate.  The first few usually break before I get it down.  Repeat, buttering the pan before cooking each crepe.  Stack them on top of each other until you are ready to serve.

whole grain waffles

I found this recipe on allrecipes.  I was just looking for a regular waffle recipe, but this one had such high reviews that I thought I would try it.  I changed a few things and doubled it.  My family loved it and when lunch rolled around, we were still not hungry.  I could only eat one waffle because they were so filling.  I am thinking about making a bunch of these every week and freezing them for a quick and healthy breakfast during the week.

4 eggs,  beaten

3 1/2 C milk

1/4 C oil*

3/4 C unsweetened applesauce

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 C whole wheat flour

1 C flax seed meal or rolled oats

1/2 C wheat germ

1/2 C all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp+ 2 tsp baking powder

2 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat waffle iron.  In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, oil, applesauce, and vanilla.  Whisk dry ingredients in a separate bowl.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until batter is smooth.  Spray waffle iron with cooking spray and pour in batter.  Cook until crisp and golden brown.  My waffle iron fits a cup of batter and this recipe makes 8 waffles.

We like to top it with sliced strawberries, grade B maple syrup, and fresh whipped cream.

*I use pure extra virgin coconut oil, but I’m sure canola would work just fine.

whole wheat bread

I got this recipe from my friend, Jen.  I cut it in half because my Kitchen Aid can't fit the whole thing in it.  The whole recipe makes 5 loaves, but since I cut it in half I just make 2 good sized loaves.

3 C warm water

2 Tbsp oil*

2 Tbsp dough enhancer

1/4 C gluten

1/4 C honey**

1 1/2 tsp salt

3 C whole wheat flour

1 Tbsp yeast

Preheat oven to 200 and turn off.  Add ingredients into a bowl in the order listed.  Mix and let sponge for 20 minutes.  Add 3 more cups of whole wheat flour, adding more as needed.  Knead for 8-10 minutes.  Set in a greased bowl and cover in plastic wrap.  Set bowl in warm oven until doubled in size.  Punch down dough.  Roll out and shape into a loaf.  Place in bread pans and cover with a light towel or cloth.  Let rise until doubled again. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Let bread sit in the pans for 10 minutes.  Remove from pans and cool on rack.

*I use pure extra virgin coconut oil.  You have to buy it at a specialty store, like Sprouts.

**I use raw honey or raw agave.