Liz's Granola Recipe

Tried this great recipe for homemade granola yesterday and it was delicious!  So thanks, Liz, for giving Nathan the recipe years ago!  (And I'm so glad we stumbled upon it while cleaning out the music room.)

7 cups rolled oats
3 1/2 cups wheat germ
4 cups rice puffs or puffed millet
1 cup sunflower seeds
3/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup ground flax seeds
1/8 cup sesame seeds
3/4 cup coconut flakes
1 cup sliced almonds
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1-3 tsp ground cinnamon

1 Tbsp vanilla
1 cup canola oil
1 cup honey
1 cup water

Mix all desired dry ingredients together
Combine all wet ingredients together and add to dry ingredients and mix until moistened

Spread evenly on cookie sheets (about 3 cookie sheets)
Bake at 250 degrees
Stir every 15-20 minutes
Bake approximately 45-75 minutes until golden or desired color
Add 1 cup raisins/craisins, if desired

Zucchini, Anybody?

While growing a brand new little baby girl this summer, we have also been growing zucchini.

Lots and lots of zucchini. 

And when we grow zucchini around here, we don't mean just any normal, ordinary zucchini.  We are growing massive zucchini.  Enormous zucchini.  GIGANTIC zucchini.

Zucchini that rival the infant girl in size.

Yep.  When it comes to zucchini, we don't mess around.

So, the inevitable question that arises with zucchini of that size is what to do with it.  And, never fear, the answer is here... What follows are my favorite of the zucchini recipes I have tried this summer.  When I show up at your doorstep bearing armfuls of zucchini and begging you to take some, these are the recipes to try!

Main Dishes

Zucchini Pizza Casserole (source: the interweb)
4 cups shredded unpeeled zucchini
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups (8 oz) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1 cup (4 oz) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can (15 oz) Italian tomato sauce
1 medium green pepper, chopped

1. Place zucchini in strainer; sprinkle with salt.  Let stand for 10 minutes.  Squeeze out moisture.
2. Combine zucchini with the eggs, Parmesan and half of the mozzarella and cheddar cheese.  Press into greased 13x9 in baking dish.
3. Bake, uncovered, at 400F for 20 minutes.  Meanwhile, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.  Add tomato sauce; spoon over zucchini mixture.
4. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses; add green pepper.  Bake 20 minutes longer or until heated through.
.
Yield: 6-8 servings

Baked Stuffed Zucchini (source: Judy Kanagy)
Cut one medium (or larger!) zucchini in half.  Take out some of the middle.
Mix one 8 oz box of cream cheese until smooth.  Mix in one box of cooked Stove Top stuffing.
Fill in the middle of the zucchini.  Top with strips of bacon.
Bake for 40-50 minutes at 350F or until soft.

Zucchini Garden Chowder (source: Simply in Season cookbook)
2 T. butter
2 med. zucchini, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 med. onion, chopped
2 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 T. fresh basil, chopped
1/3 c. flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 c. water
3 chicken or vegetable bullion cubes
1 tsp lemon juice
2 c. tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 c. evaporated milk
2 c. corn
2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Melt butter in soup pot over med. heat.  Add zucchini, onion, parsley, and basil.  Saute until tender.  Stir flour and seasonings into vegetables.  Gradually stir in water to make a smooth stock.  Add bullion and lemon juice and mix well.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.  Add tomatoes, evaporated milk, and corn.  Return to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until corn is tender.  Just before serving add and stir cheeses until melted.  Garnish with chopped fresh parsley (opt.).

Ground Beef and Zucchini Fry (source: modified from a couple of recipes on the interweb)
1 lb ground beef
6 cups zucchini, sliced
1/2 cup green onions
1 tomato
2 cups mushrooms
4 tbsp Italian salad dressing
4 garlic cloves
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
1/2 cup colby-jack cheese, grated
Parmesan, sprinkled on top
Brown ground beef.  Drain well.  Add zucchini, onions, tomato, mushrooms with salad dressing and garlic cloves.  Simmer on low until veggies are cooked.  Add cheeses and remove from stove burner.  Cheese melts and ready to eat.


Veggie Bake (source: Judy Kanagy)
1 med. potato, peeled & cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 med. yam, peeled & cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, seeded & cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 carrots, peeled & cut into 1/2 inch pieces
5 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, thinly sliced into rings
2 small or 1 large zucchini, cut crosswise into 1/4 inch thick pieces
salt & pepper
2 large ripe tomatoes, cut crosswise into 1/4 inch thick pieces
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
2 tbsp dried Italian style bread crumbs
fresh basil sprigs, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 F.
Toss the potato, yam, bell pepper, carrots and 2 tbsp of olive oil in a 13x9x2 inch baking dish to coat.  Sprinkle with salt & pepper & toss until coated.  Spread veggies evenly over the bottom of the pan.  Arrange onion slices evenly over the veggie mixture.  Arrange the zucchini over the onion.  Drizzle with 2 tbsp oil.  Sprinkle with salt & pepper.  Arrange the tomato slices over the zucchini.  Stir the Parmesan and bread crumbs in a small bowl to blend.  Sprinkle the Parmesan bread crumbs over the veggies in baking dish.  Drizzle with last tbsp oil.  Bake uncovered until the veggies are tender & the topping is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Garnish with basil.

Breads

Zucchini Harvest Bread (source: Land O Lakes Treasury of Country Recipes cookbook)
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 c. butter or margarine, melted
3 eggs
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1 tbsp vanilla
2 c. unpeeled, shredded zucchini
1/2 c. walnuts

Heat oven to 350F.  In large mixer bowl combine all ingredients except zucchini and walnuts.  Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed (2-3 min).  By hand, stir in zucchini and nuts.  Spread into 2 greased 8x4 loaf pans.  Bake for 50-65 min. or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool 10 min.; remove from pans.  Cool completely; store refrigerated.

Lemon Rosemary Zucchini Bread (source: the interweb)
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp minced fresh rosemary
2 eggs
1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt (omit if using salted butter)
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp lemon zest
3 cups grated zucchini

1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Prepare two 4x9 inch loaf pans, either coating with butter or spraying with baking spray.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt (if not using salted butter), and rosemary.
3. Beat the eggs in a mixer (or by hand) until frothy.  Beat in the sugar.  Beat in the melted butter and olive oil.  Stir in the lemon zest and grated zucchini.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, a third at a time, stirring after each incorporation.
5. Divide batter/dough into 2 loaf pans.  Bake at 350F oven for 45-50 min.  Test after 40 min.  If you gently press down on the surface of the loaf, it should bounce back and a knife inserted should come out clean.
6. Remove from the oven.  Let cool for a few minutes and then remove the loaves from their pans to cool on a rack.

Enjoy!

Pear Crumb Coffee Cake

We recently had a very large number of pears (and apples) made available to us at work.  I helped myself to some pears, searched for a recipe online and whipped up this delicious coffee cake with some of them.  It was quick, easy, and very tasty.  (from Cooks.com)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

     Cake:

1-1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup 1% milk
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
2 ripe pears, cored, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Streusel:

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Spray an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.
 

For Cake:  Combine first 5 ingredients in medium bowl.     In a separate bowl, mix milk, butter, and egg.
Pour into flour mix. Stir in pears, transfer to pan.

     Streusel:  In bowl, mix sugar, flour, and cinnamon.
     Stir in butter to form crumbs. Sprinkle mix over batter.

     Bake for 30-35 min or until golden and dry on top.
     Cool completely in pan.

Enjoy!

February Brunch Bunch

It was so fun to have the girls over for brunch bunch this month.  And the added bonus was that I got to meet Tammy's new baby, Zach!  (Jack was being a bit of a camera hog while we were taking the picture!)

I tried out a new recipe I got from a co-worker on the girls and it turned out to be a big hit.  Definitely one I want to make again soon.  Maybe this weekend....

Spinach Quiche

9" unbaked pie crust, well-chilled

(I used the recipe for pie crust that I found here and chilled the crust in the refrigerator while I put together the rest of the recipe)

butter or margarine

1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

1/2 pound Swiss cheese, shredded (2 cups)

2 cups chopped spinach

mushrooms (optional)

1 Tbs flour

3 eggs

1 cup half-and-half 

(my co-worker uses regular milk)

1 tsp salt

pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Spread pie crust with 1 Tbs butter or margarine.

In a small skillet over medium heat, in 2 Tbs of melted butter or margarine, cook onions until tender, about 5 minutes.

In a small bowl with wire whisk or hand beater, beat eggs with milk, salt, and pepper.

Mix in onions, cheese, spinach, mushrooms, and flour.  Pour into pie crust.  Bake 10 minutes.  

Turn oven control to 325 degrees and bake 30 to 35 minutes longer until knife inserted in center comes out clean (I ended up having to cook mine for about 45-50 minutes before it was ready).

Makes 6 servings

While we were relaxing downstairs on the sofa, Jack took a blue crayon and decorated the wall... right in front of us!  He was quite proud of his handiwork and happy to pose for a picture with his work of art.

Tilapia with Peppers and Olives

I found this recipe in the October, 2009 issue of Real Simple magazine.  It is delicious! (I wish I would have taken a picture of it, because it's also very pretty!)  I can't wait to make it for my parents when they visit in October!

2 tbsp olive oil
4 6-oz tilapia fillets
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup pitted green olives
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 tbsp fresh lime juice

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Season the fish with 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper and cook until opaque throughout, 4-5 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a second large skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook the peppers and onion, stirring often, until tender, 8-10 minutes.  Stir in the olives, parsley, lime juice, and 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper.  Serve with fish.

Enjoy!

Chicken Salsa Pizza

Friday night is pizza and movie night at our house.  Nathan and I don't get to go out much anymore so we have a "date" every Friday night after Jack goes to bed.  Admittedly, we usually order our pizza for those nights, but I would like to change that.  So, I am on a mission this summer to find 5 tasty pizza recipes that will motivate me to make the the pizza myself.  Recently, I found the first one!  This pizza recipe came from the Taste of Home Ultimate Five Ingredient Recipes book that my friend Raquel gave me.  It is surprisingly unusual and, with a salsa as the tomato sauce, I was less than convinced that I would like it.  But I loved it!! And it was so easy!  This one is definitely going into the Friday night rotation.

Chicken Salsa Pizza
1 prebaked Italian bread shell crust (14 oz)
2 cups (8 oz) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 jar (11 oz) salsa
1 cup cubed cooked chicken

Place bread shell on an ungreased 12-in pizza pan.  Sprinkle with 3/4 cup of cheese.  Top with salsa, chicken, and remaining cheese.  Bake at 450 for 8-10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.  Yield: 4 servings

Another Favorite Baby Food Recipe

Lentil & Vegetable Puree

 ~makes 10 portions~

1 medium onion, finely chopped (I used 1/2 onion)

2/3 cup celery, trimmed and chopped

1 cup carrots, peeled and chopped

oil or margarine for frying

1/4 cup split red lentils

2 1/2 cups vegetable broth or water

Fry the onion, celery, and carrot in a little oil for about 10 minutes until tender.  Add the lentils and pour over the broth or water.  Simmer covered, for 20 minutes.  Make into a puree in a blender or put through a mill.

Jack's Favorite Homemade Baby Food

I have enjoyed making most of Jack's baby food recently.  I began by making a couple of basic purees- one sweet potato and one apple.  Jack definitely preferred the sweet potato and it took some time and a little coaxing (namely, watching daddy eat it first!) before he would eat the apple puree.  Since then I have tried more complex recipes, most of which have come from the The Healthy Baby Meal Planner.  Here is a recipe I tried this week that Jack just loved.

Gratin of Carrots

~makes 6 portions~

3/4 cup diced carrots, pureed

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup grated Swiss cheese

1/2 teaspoon fresh tarragon (optional)

a little margarine

Make a carrot puree, add remaining ingredients and bake as in recipe above for 10-15 minutes.

(I actually baked it much longer than it recommends before it seemed ready, but that might have more to do with my oven than the recipe.)

So, do any of you mom's out there make your own baby food?  If so, what have you made that your baby loved?

St. Patrick's Day Treat

My teammates made these for us at work today and they were so tasty, I promptly made one for Nathan when I got home from work (although I substituted frozen blueberries for frozen pineapple and put an entire small banana in mine)!

Pina Colada Green Smoothie
1 packet of No Sugar Added Classic French Vanilla Flavor Carnation Breakfast
1/2 c. pineapple or orange juice
1/2 c. frozen pineapple cubes
1 c. of fresh spinach leaves
1/4 c. vanilla fat free yogurt
1/4 banana
1 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 c. ice cubes

Place ingredients in blender, cover.  Blend until smooth.

Beer Cheese Soup

I found this recipe online and have tried it twice now. It's been a big hit both times!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon margarine
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle light beer
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• bacon bits
  

Directions

1. Melt the butter or margarine in a 4 1/2 quart soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and Worcestershire sauce and stir well. Add the beer and raise the heat to high and boil for 3 minutes to evaporate the alcohol. Add the chicken broth and bring the soup back to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer.
2. Combine the cornstarch with 3 tablespoons water and stir until smooth. Set aside.
3. Add the half-and-half and shredded cheese to the soup. Stir constantly until the cheese melts. Then stir in the cornstarch mixture. Stir constantly until the soup is thick, about 2 minutes. Serve garnished with bacon bits.

Spinach Ravioli Bake

2 cups spaghetti sauce
1 pkg (25 ounces) frozen Italian sausage ravioli or ravioli of your choice
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 pkg (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Place 1 cup spaghetti sauce in a greased shallow 2-qt. baking dish. Top with half of the frozen ravioli, mozzarella cheese, spinach and Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Zesty Crock Pot Chicken

4 boneless, thawed chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pkg Good Seasons zesty Italian salad dressing mix
1 cup water
1 tsp parsley
1 pkg cream cheese

Place chicken in crock pot. Blend soup, dressing mix, water, and parsley. Add to crock pot. Cook on low 6-8 hours. One hour before serving, add the package of cream cheese. Serve over rice or egg noodles.

Cinnamon Rolls

To make the cinnamon rolls for the family reunion, we used a recipe from the More-with-Less Cookbook. Here it is...

Edna Ruth Byler's Potato Dough Baked Goods

(makes 100 cinnamon rolls)

Dissolve:

3 pkg dry yeast in 1 c. lukewarm water

Mix in large bowl:

1 qt. scalded milk (heated to almost boiling)

2 c. mashed potatoes (no milk added)

1 c. fat (half butter, half margarine)

1 c. sugar

Let cool to lukewarm, then add:

yeast mixture

6 c. flour

Let stand until mixture foams up (about 20 minutes).

Add:

2 eggs, beaten

1 T. salt

11-12 c. additional flour

A little more flour may be needed, but dough should be soft. Turn out on floured board and knead until satiny. Let raise in warm place until doubled in bulk.

Prepare a mixture of butter and margarine and a mixture of sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Roll a piece of dough to about 18x9". Spread dough with butter mixture and sprinkle over some of the sugar mixture. Roll up the dough as for jelly roll. Cut 1 1/2" chunks and place in greased pans, pressing down lightly on eacch chunk. Cover and let raise in warm place until nearly double. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until browned. These may be iced with doughnut glaze as soon as they are taken from the oven.

Doughnut glaze:

Combine...

1 lb. powdered sugar

1 T. margarine

1 t. vanilla

enough rich milk to make thin icing

(so it drizzles nicely over the cinnamon rolls)

My mom and sisters tell me these cinnamon rolls freeze well!

Chicken Salad Sandwich Recipe

I had some leftover chicken tonight after using what I needed to make dinner, so Nathan suggested I try to make chicken salad with it.

He had a very good reason for this suggestion.

One of the only foods I have really craved since getting pregnant are the chicken salad sandwiches served at my favorite local coffee shop, Nemo's. Nathan and I stopped there after my last doctor's appointment and I made the mistake of ordering a small salad. Nathan ordered their chicken salad sandwich and I just could not stop stealing bites of it. Since then, I have thought of that sandwich often. Unfortunately, Nemo's doesn't have the most convenient hours for sandwich cravings (at least not for a working woman) so I have yet to get my hands on another one.

I will, though. Soon.

In the meantime, I modified a recipe I found on the Internet and I think it will substitute nicely!

Enjoy!

Chicken Salad Sandwiches
3 c. finely chopped cooked chicken
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
3 tbsp. sweet pickle relish
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 c. mayonnaise

Sandwich bread

Combine first 5 ingredients and chill in covered container until ready to serve.

Cooking These Days

Currently, Nathan and I are homeless.

I guess that's not exactly true since we have a house... at least we pay a mortgage every month for one, but we don't live there right now. If you've been following this blog, you've seen the work we've been putting into our new abode (and more will be coming, I promise).

Meanwhile, we live elsewhere. And, I have to admit, the living is easy where we are now. We are lucky to have a place to stay for virtually nothing while we finish the house.

There's just one little thing that's been a bit more difficult since moving.... cooking.

There is a lovely kitchenette where we are staying with decent counter space and a good deal of cupboard space, considering. What there isn't though, is an oven. My challenge for the past few months has been coming up with meals I can make on an stove top with only two burners.

I miss having an oven.

But through this sort of challenge, wonderful recipes have emerged. Searching the Internet and scrounging for ideas has paid off. I have cooked some terrific meals that I might never have discovered otherwise and I would like to share the one I made tonight. I found this one on the Internet and it gets 2 thumbs up from Nathan and me!

Italian Zucchini-Mozzarella Patties

4 cups coarsely grated zucchini, packed
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 small onion, finely chopped (or use green onions)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2-3 tsp. fresh minced garlic (or 1/2 tsp. garlic powder)
1/3-1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (can use cheddar)
1 tsp. seasoning salt
1-2 tsp. fresh coarse black ground pepper
olive oil (for frying)

1. Hand squeeze out as much of the moisture in the zucchini as possible (this is important).

2. Place the zucchini in a large bowl.

3. Add in all remaining ingredients except oil.

4. Mix well to combine and adjust seasoning salt and black pepper to taste.

5. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.

6. Drop the zucchini mixture by heaping tablespoons into hot oil and fry on both sides until golden brown.

Serves 4

Honey Baked Chicken

On Saturday night Lauren came over for dinner and a movie. I made a recipe that was a favorite in my home growing up. My mom made Honey Baked Chicken all the time and we loved it! It had been so long since I made it that I forgot just how easy it is to prepare! Lauren and Nathan both liked it so I thought I would share.

Honey Baked Chicken

serves 6

Remove skin and fat from 12 chicken pieces. Place chicken pieces in baking dish in a single layer. Measure 2/3 cup of honey into 1 cup measuring cup. Add:

1 tbsp refrigerated mustard

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. curry powder

Mix well and pour over chicken pieces.

Cover with foil and and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Remove foil and turn each piece over and bake another 15 minutes uncovered.

Serve over steamed rice.

Fettuccine with Sweet Pepper Cayenne Sauce

I tried a new recipe this evening. It was pretty tasty and very easy so I wanted to share it.

12 oz. dry fettuccine pasta
2 red bell peppers, julienned
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cayenne powder
1 cup reduced fat sour cream
3/4 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

2. Meanwhile, spray cooking oil in a large skillet and saute red bell peppers, garlic and cayenne pepper over medium heat for 3-5 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.

serves 4

*NOTE: The original recipe calls for 3/4 tsp. cayenne pepper, but that was way too hot for me (although Nathan liked it) so the next time I make this I will only use 1/2 tsp.

Mommy Sue's Chicken Divan

This is a superb recipe that was passed to me by Nathan's mom, or Mommy Sue as we like to call her. I made a double batch of it this week and took some to a friend who recently became a mommy herself. I hope they like it because it's certainly a favorite in this household!

2- 10 oz. pkgs. of frozen broccoli or 2 bunches of fresh broccoli

2 cups cooked chicken or 3 chicken breasts, cooked and boned

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 tsp. curry powder

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Topping:

1/2 cup soft breadcrumbs

1 tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

OR

French-friend onions (my favorite)

Cook broccoli in boiling salted water until tender; drain. Arrange stalks in greased 11 1/2 x 7 1/2 x 1 1/2 inch baking dish. Place chicken on top. Combine soup, mayo, lemon juice, and curry powder; pour over chicken. Sprinkle with cheese. Combine crumbs and butter (or open french fried onion container!); sprinkle over all. Bake casserole at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes, or until thoroughly heated. Trim with pimento strips if desired. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Cinnamon Rolls

Yesterday, Nathan and I went to Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp with the youth from our church to help them make cinnamon rolls. They do this each year as a fundraiser to earn money to attend the church convention which this year will be held in Columbus, OH. Here are some pictures from our busy morning and afternoon...












Mary, the camp cook, helped direct and supervise the youth's cooking so the youth sponsors were able to relax a little! Mary is a wonderful cook and, since Nathan worked at RMMC for three summers, she seems to have a particular fondness for him.

And, boy, does Mary spoil Nathan!

On Saturday, she snuck Nathan and me to the other room and shared with us a little treat she had cooked up on the sly! It was divine! Mary shared the recipe with me (which actually came from the Taste of Home magazine, Fall 2008 edition) so I am going to share it here with you. Unfortunately, I've not tried to make this myself. Mary made it look easy, but I get the feeling that she has a knack for baking. Mary also made her own dough so I'm sure the extra special care that went into that process was part of what made the treat so delicious. But, can you really go wrong with almonds, cream cheese, and cinnamon? I didn't think so.

Almond Cream Cheese Bundt
1 cup sliced almonds, divided
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
24 Rhodes dinner rolls, thawed but cold
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar

Glaze-
1 tbsp. butter
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 tbsp. water
1/2 tsp. almond extract

Coat a 10-inch fluted tube pan with cooking spray (Mary actually used a regular pan to cook hers); sprinkle with 1/4 cup almonds; set aside. Cut cream cheese into 24 equal cubes. In a small bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Roll cream cheese cubes in sugar mixture and coat completely. Wrap a roll around each cube to completely enclose cheese. Dip each filled roll in sugar mixture until coated.

Place 12 filled and coated rolls in a prepared pan and sprinkle with half the remaining almonds. Combine the butter and brown sugar in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave 30 seconds or until sugar is dissolved; stir to combine. Pour half of the brown sugar mixture over rolls in pan. Sprinkle with remaining nuts and any remaining sugar mixture. Top with remaining butter mixture.

Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until dough reaches the top of the pan. Remove wrap and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. To prevent over browning, cover with foil the last 15 minutes of baking. Invert pan immediately onto a serving platter (it is natural for the bread to settle). Combine glaze ingredients and drizzle over warm bread.

Yield: 12-14 servings

Quote of the Day:

"She's all buttered up and ready to go!"

Spicy Garlic Chicken Pizza

Nathan's birthday is on Friday. Being the devoted and caring wife that I am, I generously offered to cook his favorite meals this week. He picked three meals (Wednesday we have youth group and have to get something on the run and Friday we're going out to celebrate) for me to make. Yesterday we had Homemade Mac & Cheese and tonight I made Spicy Garlic Chicken Pizza. It has been a while since I have made this meal (since before we were married, according to Nathan) and I was reminded how tasty it is! (Thanks, Tammy, for this great recipe!)

Spicy Garlic Chicken Pizza
1 lb. chicken, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp rice wine (or white wine) vinegar

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 cup sliced green onions, divided

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp cornstarch

1 cup Monterey Jack cheese

1 cup Mozzarella cheese

2 tbsp sliced almonds

1 pizza crust (Boboli)

1. Combine soy sauce, vinegar, 1 tbsp olive oil, crushed red pepper, pepper, garlic, and half of the green onions. Cut chicken into 1 inch cubes, marinate in soy mixture for 30 minutes.

2. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in frying pan. Remove chicken from marinade with slotted spoon. Reserve marinade. Cook chicken until no longer pink. Stir cornstarch into reserved marinade. Pour into pan with cooked chicken, stir until thick and bubbly (about 2 min).

3. Pour chicken mix on top of pizza crust. Top with cheeses. Bake at 450 degrees for 8 min. Top with remaining green onions and almonds. Bake 3 more minutes.

(Nathan also requested pizza on Thursday. Yes, my husband LOVES his pizza!)