Yummy Quinoa

Seriously, this is one of the yummiest recipes I've tried.  It tastes like delicious fresh salsa.  I served it with hot homemade braided bread, and it's a fabulous meal. I bet it's yummy cold, too, as leftovers.  Yum!

Yummy Quinoa

1 tsp olive oil

1 red onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 c uncooked quinoa

1 1/2 c broth (I use chicken broth)

1 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

salt and pepper

Heat oil in saucepan. Stir in onion and garlic. Mix in quinoa and cover with broth. Add spices. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer 20 mins.

1 cup frozen sweet corn

2 roma tomatoes, diced

1 T lime juice

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 c cliantro, chopped

Stir in corn, simmer 5 more minutes. Add rest of the ingredients. Sprinkle with feta

Fish lake menu

Monday
Dinner:
Frozen pizza?  Something easy?- What time do we get in?


Tuesday
Breakfast
Hootenannies
Sausage
Fresh Oranges
Steamed milk or hot chocolate

Lunch
BLT's w/ avocado or loaded sandwiches with everything from peppercini's to sprouts with Kneader's sauce?
chips
mini carrots

Dinner
Creamy vegetable soup in soup bowls

Treat for the evening
caramel corn drizzled with white chocolate and brown chocolate from Jamie Cooks it Up

Wednesday
Breakfast:
Crepe Bar

Lunch: Cheese Quesdillas with avacadoes and fresh salsa or nachos with cheese



Dinner:
This is the day the men are on their own. I propose the men make Paninis again (if we do quesadillas for lunch on this day and then have the men make Pakistani's (spell check suggested it) for dinner then we could do them for lunch on Thursday. I think this will give us a little variety so we are not eating sandwiches 2x in one day or Mexican food 2x in one day.)


Thursday
Breakfast
Cold cereal (Men on their own)

Lunch
Panini's

Dinner: 
Cafe Rio Salads? We could buy the rice, beans, and metal containers from Costa Vida in Provo to make it easier and then make the meat, dressing, and tortillas at the cabin. Let's buy those uncooked tortillas to make it even easier. - What time do we get back from Provo?

Friday
Breakfast
Ebelskivers

Lunch:
Leftovers.  There's bound to be leftovers

Dinner:
Noquis (John-directed)
with John's sauce  (Who's willing to get their hands dirty?)

Saturday
Breakfast: 
Cold Cereal and smoothies


Lunch: Butternut Squash Risotto and a salad? When are we leaving


Dinner:  Are we having our New's Year Eve party at Fish Lake?  Should I (Em) bring more floating lanterns?


General Food needed:
Cinnamon rolls
Kettle corn (I'll bring my popper and the supplies) yum!
Soda?

Holy Saffron Risotto with Butternut Squash

Ingredients
1 butternut squash (2 pounds)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
2 ounces pancetta, diced
1/2 cup minced shallots (2 large)
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice (10 ounces)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon saffron threads
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds, and cut it into 3/4-inch cubes. You should have about 6 cups. Place the squash on a sheet pan and toss it with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, tossing once, until very tender. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the chicken stock in a small covered saucepan. Leave it on low heat to simmer.

In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the pancetta and shallots on medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until the shallots are translucent but not browned. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains with butter. Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes. Add 2 full ladles of stock to the rice plus the saffron, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir, and simmer until the stock is absorbed, 5 to 10 minutes. Continue to add the stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring every few minutes. Each time, cook until the mixture seems a little dry, then add more stock. Continue until the rice is cooked through, but still al dente, about 30 minutes total. Off the heat, add the roasted squash cubes and Parmesan cheese. Mix well and serve.

Cilantro Pork Tacos

This is a recipe from (who else?) my friend, Sara.  It's a great one to have for company because it makes a lot, and with the meat in the crockpot and the dressing waiting in the fridge, you can come back from an expedition of some kind and have dinner on the table in less than 15 minutes.

Cilantro Pork Tacos
corn tortillas
Sweet Pork (recipe below)
Cilantro Slaw (recipe below)
2 lg. cans black beans, warmed (optional, but I'm just learning to like beans, and this is a great way to have them)
8 oz. cheddar or pepperjack cheese, grated (optional--I like it better without cheese, but my kids like it with the cheese)

Warm the tortillas on a large griddle.  Have each person compose their own taco from the ingredients.

Sweet Pork
4-5 lb. pork roast (I used boneless loin, because I like how lean it is, but you can use anything)
1 19-oz. can enchilada sauce (mild, medium, or green, whatever you fancy)
1 20-oz. bottle Dr. Pepper (I've tasted it with Dr. P, and it's good, but I have used a 12-oz. can of Sprite or 1 cup of orange juice, both to good effect.  You just need something with acid and sugar to tenderize the meat.)
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1-1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 onion, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Combine everything in the crockpot and cook.  I split it between two little crockpots and it's done on high in 2-3 hours or low for about 6 hours.  Remove the pork, shred it, and add it back into the sauce.

Cilantro Slaw
1 package coleslaw shreds (or shred your own head of cabbage)
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup fresh cilantro
3 cloves fresh garlic
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. lime juice (I used the juice of 2 limes)
1/2 tsp. cumin

Put all ingredients except the cabbage in the blender and blend until smooth.  Store in the refrigerator until just before dinnertime.  Put cabbage in a big bowl and add enough dressing to make everything moist and delicious.

Apple Nachos

I got this idea from pinterest (of course), and we made them for our family home evening treat last night.  I think it looks festive, and it would be fun for a shower or potluck.

Apple Nachos

6-7 apples (I did half granny smith, half gala)
1/3 bag caramel bits
2 tbsp. peanut butter
2 tbsp. water
1/4 cup white chocolate chips
2 tbsp. mini chocolate chips

Slice the apples crosswise.  Use small  circle cookie cutters to cut out the core portion of each slice.  Arrange slices on a platter.  Melt caramel with peanut butter and water.  Drizzle over apple slices.  Melt white chocolate chips in microwave and drizzle on top of caramel.  Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips.  Chill in fridge until everything is set up.  Delicious!

Two delicious new recipes

This last week, my Bountiful Baskets subscription overwhelmed me with produce, so I've been trying some new recipes.  Both were AMAZINGLY delicious, so I'm passing them along.

#1  Caprese Flatbread Sandwiches (from here) That site has too many pictures for me to copy and paste the recipe.

#2  Peaches and Cream Pie (from here)  I used a premade graham cracker crust because I'm lazy like that, and it was still absolutely fabulous.  (I didn't use almond extract, just vanilla.  I think the cooked peach filling would be even better with a teeny bit of lemon juice in it, but I didn't have any to add.)

Fresh Peaches ‘n Cream Pie
**Depending on how big your pie crust is and how large the peaches are, you’ll probably have quite a bit of leftover peach filling and cream cheese filling. If you work it right, it could technically make 2 pies.**

1 cup sugar
3 T. cornstarch
1/2 c. water
2 T. butter
1/2 tsp. almond extract

5 large peaches

baked pie crust (either homemade or store bought–I just used what I already had. I have also used a graham cracker crust with success!)

Take 2 peaches, slice them and then mash with potato masher or whisk. Combine in a pot with the sugar, cornstarch and water. Cook on medium heat until it thickens, then bring to boil for 1-2 minutes. Take off heat, then add the 2 T. butter and almond extract, stir well and let sit. I like to let it cool down a bit.

1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. cream (I use heavy whipping cream and I whip it up with my Kitchenaid)

3 oz. cream cheese

Add sugar, almond extract and vanilla to the cream cheese and beat until smooth and fluffy. Fold in whipped cream. Spread evenly in pie shell. Chill in the fridge.

Slice up the remaining 3 peaches. Lay them on top of the cream cheese filling.

Then add the cooked peach filling on top–bigger spoonfuls around the edge and then fill in the middle. Chill until ready to serve.

Have you guys seen this blog?
http://basicbites.blogspot.com/
Its amazing

Chicken Enchiladas With Green Salsa

This is one of the yummiest enchilada recipes I've ever eaten!!!! The green salsa just makes it sensational!

Chicken Enchiladas With Green Salsa | Real Simple Recipes

Linguine with Shrimp Scampi

I made this the other day and it's one of my new favorites!! It's a Rachel Ray but I changed a few things. I bought a bag of frozen shrimp at Sam's Club about 2 months ago and made 4 meals from it which is how I could afford buying shrimp. Try it!!!!!!

Linguine With Shrimp Scampi

Veggie Oil

Salt

3/4 p. Linguine (I used half a box since it's just Mike and I)

3 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter

2 1/2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1 1/2 Tbsp. Minced Garlic (4 cloves)

1 p. Shrimp, peeled and deveined, (about 16 shrimp)

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/3 C. chopped fresh Parsley, (I used Fresh Basil cause lets be honest Fresh basil is AMAZING!!!)

1/2 Lemon Zest

1/4 C. Fresh Lemon Juice (2 Lemons), -1 Lemon if using just half a package

1/1 Lemon, thinly sliced into half rounds

1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes (I didn't have any so I substituted 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper)

Drizzle oil in Lrg. pot salted boiling water. Add 1 Tbsp. salt and Linguine. Cook till al dente.

meanwhile, in heavy bottomed pan, melt butter and olive oil over med-low heat. Add garlic, saute for 1 min till fragrant. Add shrimp, 1 1/2 tsp. salt and pepper. Saute till opaque, about 5 minutes, turning often. Remove from heat, add parsley (BASIL!!!) zest, lemon juice, lemon slices and pepper flakes. Toss with drained pasta in pot and serve.

Wingless Buffalo Chicken Pizza

This is one of my favorites!!! It's a Rachel Ray Recipe.

• 3/4 pound chicken breast cutlets
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• 2 teaspoons grill seasoning, (recommended: McCormick Montreal Seasoning) eyeball it
• 1 pizza dough, store bought or from your favorite pizzeria
• Cornmeal or flour, to handle dough
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, eyeball it
• 2 to 3 tablespoons hot sauce, medium to spicy heat
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, a few generous handfuls
• 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Preheat grill pan to high.

Place chicken on a plate and drizzle extra-virgin olive oil over the chicken then season with grill seasoning. When grill is hot, add chicken and cook about 3 minutes on each side.

Stretch dough to form pizza using cornmeal or flour to help you handle it. If you let it rest and warm up a few minutes it will handle even easier. Set pizza on pizza pan to the side and clean board.

In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt butter and stir in Worcestershire, hot sauce, and tomato sauce.

Remove the chicken from grill and thinly slice it. Add chicken to sauce and coat. Cover the pizza dough with the saucy Buffalochicken, cheeses, and scallions. Bake 18 minutes or until crisp

Note: I only baked mine for 10 minutes and it almost over cooked so keep an eye on it!!!!! And 2 Tbsp. of Chalula Sauce makes it just spicy enough without roasting my face and Ruth would eat it. And that McCormick Montreal stuff is a new staple in my kitchen. I use it just about every time I make chicken now.

Flank Steak/Fajita Marinade

1/2 c. tomato juice
1 tsp (ish) chopped garlic
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp pepper
If you are making flank steak stop here. If you are making fajitas add:
juice of 4 limes

Combine all ingredients in a gallon ziploc. Add flank steak or chicken. Marinate at least 8 hours. Do not discard marinade!! Grill the steak outside or if you don't have one you can broil it in your oven.You want the middle to still be pink because it will still cook a little while you let it sit. Let it sit for about 10 minutes (covered with foil) before you slice it. Meanwhile bring the remaining marinade to a rolling boil, slice meat very thin against the grain and serve with the marinade poured over it.
For flank stake I serve this with roasted red potatoes or a rice pilaf (I love the Near East brand), a salad, and sometimes a vegetable.

Argentina Cake

This is the cake John requests for his birthday every year.  And, since it's delicious, and easy, and pairs perfectly with either ice cream or strawberries and whipped cream, it gets requested at a lot of other birthdays as well.

Argentina Cake (1-2-3-4-Cake)


1 pint of cream (light or heavy whipping--we've used both to good effect)
2 cups sugar
3 cups self-rising flour (or 3 cups flour, 1 tsp. salt, 4 tsp. baking powder)
4 eggs
1 drop of vanilla (but really, I use a tsp. of vanilla)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Mix cream with sugar.  Add eggs and beat well.  Sift flour (or flour + salt + baking powder) into mixture and mix gently until thoroughly combined.  Pour into 9x13 pan and bake for 1 hour.

This cake is terribly temperamental.  If you don't bake it too hot, it overinflates and then falls.  If you overbeat the cream, it overinflates and then falls.  However, even if fallen, it's still delicious.  So, never fear.

Peanut Wraps

I found this recipe at Little Birdie Secrets (of granola fame), and I love it.  It's super mild, so my kids loved it (but you could always add some sriracha or other chili sauce for a bit of a kick), and it's super fast, so I loved it, and it's super delicious, so we all loved it.  I added the changes I made in italics below.

Peanut Wraps 

Ingredients:
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 tbs cooking oil (I used canola)
4 cups broccoli slaw (I used regular cabbage coleslaw because that's all I could find at the store)
1 medium red onion (I used half of a red onion and half a package of green onions because I thought it would go over better with the girls.)
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
Tortillas (Whole wheat from Meijer are the BEST!)

Peanut Sauce:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter (I used creamy, but I bet chunky would be good for some extra crunch)
3 tbs soy sauce
5 tbs water
3 tbs cooking oil
1 or 2 cloves freshly pressed garlic cloves 

Directions:
Season chicken strips with garlic salt and pepper. In a large skillet cook chicken in hot oil on medium-high until no pink left. Put aside and keep warm. 
In same skillet add broccoli mix, onion, and ginger. Cook until crisp but tender.  (Like 2 minutes.)

Make peanut sauce while veggies cook. In a small saucepan combine sauce ingredients, heat and stir until dissolved. 

Serve by layering the veggies, chicken, and sauce in a tortilla. Wrap it up. Eat it up. Lick your plate. Makes 6-8 wraps. (Makes a great salad too!)

Argentine Noquis

These are John's specialty.  In fact, other than honey-mustard chicken (ingredients: honey, mustard, and chicken), this is really the only recipe John cooks.  Oh, and he sometimes bakes bread, which is actually quite a bit more delicious than mine.  Anyway, here it is.

John's Noquis


Peel 2 kg. (5 lbs) of russet potatoes, cut them into chunks, boil them in salted water, and mash them.  Add 3 eggs to the mashed potatoes and beat well.  Start adding flour 1/4 cup at a time (it ends up being between 1-2 cups, depending on the moisture of the potatoes and the size of the eggs) until it becomes more of a dough than mashed potatoes, but it will still be sticky.  Flour the counter and roll the dough into long snakes approximately 1" in diameter.  Cut the snakes into pieces 1-1/2 inches long and roll the pieces over a fork to give it the classic noqui shape.  Boil the noquis in salted and oiled water until they float, then retrieve them with a slotted spoon and boil some more.

The following portion of the recipe is word-for-word from John.  He's very particular about the sauce.

John's Noqui Sauce  
Heat 1 tbsp. finest extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet.  Add 2-3 cloves of garlic, freshly minced, and saute until fragrant.  Add 4-5 whole bay leaves and 2 [14 oz.] cans of the finest Italian-style diced tomatoes [side note:  Great Value from Wal-Mart have the best texture for this.  The others are too runny.]  and let it simmer while the rest of the ingredients are being prepared.  Then comes the spinach.  Get 1 package of fresh and tender baby spinach.  After rinsing, each stem should be removed and the leaves should be diced.  Add the diced spinach to the sauce.  It will look like a lot of spinach, but it will cook down.  Then dice 1-2 packages of lunch meat ham, only the finest will do.  [Another side note:  We use cheap, cheap, cheap thinly sliced.  Don't believe his "only the finest" garbage.]  Add it to the sauce. Drizzle 1/4 cup heavy cream into the sauce.  Season with salt, pepper, oregano, and basil to taste.  (The amounts of each of these will depend on what Italian tomatoes you used at the beginning.)  Serve with your noquis.


Back to Em:  Here's the thing.  John's super particular about the sauce and the ingredients when he's making it, but I think it's still delicious when I make it, and I'm not so particular.  Also, the homemade noquis are the worst part, and John's recipe is not the most clear-cut.  I'm sure you can find another recipe out there that uses the same ingredients but gives more specific quantities.  Here's the lesson we've learned, however.  If you add too much flour, the dough is really easy to work with, but the noquis are super gummy.  You don't want gummy noquis.  Oh, and I just buy frozen noquis when it's up to me.  I'm not up to all that work.  :)

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

I made these today for a meeting I am going to tonight. They are delicious. The recipes is from a blog called Stephanie's Kitchen. I love her dessert recipes. Please don't mistake this for my sister in law, Stephanie Nielson. I seem to be in a cupcake mood lately.

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes w/Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
makes 18 cupcakes

1 1/2 cups cake flour (or add 1 tablespoon cornstarch per 1 cup all purpose flour to make your own cake flour)
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup milk

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside. Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla. Slowly add the flour and milk, alternating between the two until well incorporated. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl whenever needed. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. You will need 18. Evenly distribute the batter between the cups. Bake at 350 degrees for about 18-20 minutes. Top with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting and sprinkle a bit of cinnamon-sugar on top for extra prettiness.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
4 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Cream the cream cheese and butter until creamy and smooth. Add half the sugar, milk, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix until smooth. Add remaining sugar and beat until light and fluffy and creamy.

Happy Baking!

For Annie:)

Red Thai Curry

1 Tbsp. Veggie Oil

1 Tbsp. Red Curry Paste (i use Thai Kitchen)

1 (14oz) Can Coconut Milk (canned c. milk is in the Asian isle which is also generally the mexican isle)

1/2 C. Chicken Stock

1 Pound Chicken/Pork/Beef diced (1 or 2 chicken breasts cooked over med-high heat about 5 minutes each side, let them sit at least 3 minutes afterwards before slicing so juices don't run out)

3 C. Assorted Veggies ie.snow peas, diced carrot, broccoli, bell peppers

2 Tbsp. Julienne cut FRESH Basil

1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar (you can substitute it with honey which is nice)

1 Tbsp Fish sauce (i've made it with and without and can't really taste a difference. fish sauce reeks!)

4-6 C. cooked rice

Heat oil in skillet on med. heat. Add curry paste to oil and cook, stirring till fragrant. Add stock and coconut milk and bring to simmer over med-high heat. Stir in sugar and fish sauce till well blended.

Stir in meat and veggies and simmer till veggies are crisp-tender. Remove from heat a stir in Basil. Careful!!! Broccoli over cooks easily and then it's yuck! Serve over rice.

Note: if you like the sauce thick let it simmer a bit before adding the veggies.

Makes 4-6 servings depending on appetite.

Nancy's Mom's Light & Crisp Waffles

I got this recipe off of Sweetpea Nancy blog. This recipe is so good.

Ingredients:

2 whole eggs separated

2 cups milk (or buttermilk)

2 cups flour

1 Tablespoon Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cups canola oil

Preparation Instructions:

Beat egg whites until stiff. In a separate bowl, put remaining ingredients and beat on low with a hand mixer until moistened. Increase speed to medium and mix until smooth. By hand, gently fold in beaten egg whites. Pour 1/2 cup batter onto hot waffle iron. cook until lightly browned. Serve with your favorite toppings. Enjoy!

Chicken Corn Chowder (Mexican Style)

People, I had an emergency dinner situation this week.  Our neighbor Guang had a baby over the weekend, and I mentioned casually to Olivia that I wanted to make dinner for them.  Olivia immediately passed that information on to Simone (Guang's daughter), and at 3:00 p.m., Simone came over to express her mother's appreciation and ask what time dinner would be there.  So, I got this recipe from my friend Larissa.  She had made it for playgroup before and assured me it was both easy and fast.  (I already knew it was delicious).  It's the perfect winter soup--just different enough from our normal soups to be interesting, but still comforting and . . . um. . . just perfect, really.

Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder

1 chicken breast (pan seared, then shredded)

1/2 cup chopped onions

1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tb butter

2 chicken bouillon cubes

1 cup hot water

1/2 to 1 tsp cumin

2 cups half and half

2 cups shredded cheese (Monterey Jack or cheddar)

1 (14 oz) can cream style corn

1/2 bag frozen corn kernels

1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies, undrained

1/4 tsp hot sauce

1 medium tomato, chopped 

cilantro

Melt butter in pan, then brown the chicken adding onions and garlic at the end.  Dissolve bouillon in hot water.  Add to pan along with cumin; bring to boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.  Add half and half, cheese, corn, chilies, and hot sauce.  Cook and stir over low heat until cheese is melted.  Stir in chopped tomato.  Serve with cilantro on top.

Just a few of my own notes- like I said, I shred the chicken for texture.  And, once the half and half goes in, make sure it doesn't get too hot or else it'll get grainy.