Cream Cheese Potato Soup

2 cups dehydrated diced potatoes

1/4 cup dehydrated minced onions

6 cups water

4 tsp chicken bullion

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes (ground with finger)

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp season salt

Pressure cook on high for five minutes. If there isn't a lot of water add one cup of water and turn to simmer--I added 1 cup of water. Once mixture is simmering add 8 oz cream cheese cut up into cubes. Soup is ready to eat once cream cheese is all melted.

This soup was very rich and full of flavor. We didn't have any left. The original recipe is found here: http://www.food.com/recipe/paneras-cream-cheese-potato-soup-150863

Enjoy!

Peanut Butter and Banana Cookies

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 egg

1/2 tsp banana flavor (I didn't have so I didn't add)

1/3 cup diced ripe banana (I used freeze dried bananas)

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 3/4 cup quick oats

3/4 cup chocolate chips

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Mix sugars and butters. Add flavoring and bananas. Mix in dry ingredients and chips. Drop by tablespoon full--flatten a little prior to baking.

Recipe from The Baking Sheet; King Arthur Flour; Autumn 2011

Banana-Carrot Muffins

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 1/4 cups mashed banana

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 cup finely grated carrots

1/2 cup diced pecans (optional)--I didn't add

1/2 cup diced crystallized ginger or dried pineapple chunks (optional)--I didn't add

Combine all wet ingredients and mix in dry ingredients until combined. Scoop into muffin liners or well greased muffin tins. Bake at 375 for 24-27 minutes--don't over-bake. Makes 12 muffins. * I doubled my recipe and scooped the batter into muffin liners and froze the batter. Then I could have fresh muffins without the mess. I stuck the frozen muffins in the muffin tin and placed them in the oven while it was preheating to 375. It took about 25 minutes or so.

Recipe from The Baking Sheet King Arthur Flour; Autumn 2011.

Chicken Breast Pierre

Ingredients:

6 chicken Breast halves

1/4 cup flour (only if you decide to coat your chicken, I didn't and it was still delicous)

1/2 teaspoon salt (didn't use)

1 pinch of ground black pepper (I used even though I didn't flour my chicken)

3 tablespoons of butter (didn't use)

1 (14.5 oz) can stewed tomatoes, with liquid

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon mustard powder

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

1 clove garlic, minced ( I used two tablespoons)

1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Note: It really isn't that spicy so don't skimp out on the chili or hot sauce or you wont get the great flavor:)

Directions:

If you are going to coat chicken combine flour,1/2 tea salt, and pepper. Coat the chicken with flour mixture. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat and brown chicken on all sides. Remove from skillet and drain on paper towel. I boiled my chicken.

I used my large soup pot and combined the tomatoes, water, bown sugar, vinegar and Worchestershire sauce. Then add chili powder, mustard, celery seed, garlic and hot pepper sauce. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and add chicken to skillet. Cover and simmer for 35-40 minutes, or until chicken is tender, no longer pink.

Since I boiled my chicken before I just put my chicken into simmer for 30 minutes, turning occasionally so my chicken was coated in the sauce. I also added fresh basil shredded.

When your ready to serve make sure to put some of the stewed tomatoes on top and sauce. It's really yummy...one of my favorite chicken recipes so far. We ate it with a healthy apple, snap pea, and dried cranberrie salad and rolls.

Recipe from: Allrecipes.com

Cherry Chip Cookies

1 box of Cherry Chip Cake mix

1/3 cup oil

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

6 oz mini chocolate chips

Mix together and bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Fish Tacos with Lime-Cilantro Cream

Picture by Randy Mayor, recipe from Cooking Light @ myrecipes.com

Cream:

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

3 Tbsp mayonnaise

3 Tbsp sour cream (I used fat free)

1 tsp grated lime rind (I didn't use since I didn't have it)

1 1/2 tsp lime juice

1/4 tsp salt

1 garlic clove, minced

Tacos:

1 tsp ground cumin

t tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/4 tsp ground red pepper

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1 1/2 pounds red snapper fillets (I used Pollock)

8 corn tortillas (I used homemade flour tortillas)

2 cups shredded cabbage

I also sliced radishes and put them in the tacos

Combine first 8 ingredients for cream and set aside.

To prepare tacos mix seasonings and coat both sides of the fish in it. Place fish on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425 for 9 minutes or until fish flakes with fork easily*. Top fish, cream, cabbage, and radishes on tortilla and enjoy!

*I didn't bake my fish I cooked it in a skillet over medium-high heat.

Barley Soft Tacos

1 cup pearled barley

2 1/2 cups water

2 tsp chicken bullion granules

2 tsp taco seasoning

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups frozen corn

1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies

1 red pepper diced

chopped chives

chopped cilantro

grated cheese

sour cream

Cook barley with water, taco seasoning, and chicken bullion granules in pressure cooker on High for 10 minutes. Quick pressure release and add pepper, corn, beans, and tomatoes. Cook on high for 2 more minutes and quick pressure release. Serve on tortillas with chives, cilantro, cheese, and sour cream.

The Best Flour Tortillas

Picture and recipe from KingArthurFlour.com

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/soft-flour-tortillas-recipe

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 cup warm milk

1 tsp instant yeast

Combine all ingredients and beat at high speed for one minute to make a soft, slightly tacky dough.

Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.

Divide dough into 12 round balls, cover with saran wrap and let rest for 15 minutes on greased surface.

Flatten each ball with the palm of your hand and cover and let rest for 15 more minutes.

Roll out each ball paper thin and cook in heavy cast iron skillet over high heat until dark spots appear--about 20-30 seconds on each side.

Place cooked tortillas on a paper towel wrapped in aluminum foil.

These were the best tortillas I've made. I used them also for gyro wraps since they are thick and soft--like a flat bread. Very yummy. You will want to double the recipe.

ft,

Yield: 12 tortillas.

State Fair Corn Dogs

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup of flour
1/4 teaspoon salt (we didn't use)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon honey (I didn't measure, just squirted)
1/4 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg
1 cup Milk
1qt veg. oil
1-2 packages of ball park hot dogs
Popsicle sticks or wooden skewers

In a bowl combine cornmeal, flour, salt, pepper, sugar, and baking powder. Stir in eggs and milk. Put mixture in a tall cup so that you can coat the hot dog easy. Heat your oil in your pan or skillet, we had the skillet temp. at 425. Make sure that it gets hot, but not to hot that it burns the cornmeal. When your oil is up to temp drop your first corn dog into oil (we tested just one to make adjustments if needed). We learned that if you started turning the corn dog right after you dropped it in the oil that the cornmeal stayed together and cooked a perfect corn dog.

We also made mini corn dogs and took string cheese cut in half and covered in the batter mixture for some yummy fried cheese.
It made about 14 Corn Dogs and 5 fried cheese. Enjoy it's yummy fried food!!
Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com

Lamb gyro's

package of flat bread

tomatoes chopped

Romain lettuce

Cucumber sauce recipe

Tandoori Chicken Kabob recipe (without the chicken of course)

Feta cheese

When making the Tandoori marinade we added dried oregano, lemon juice, more garlic, white wine vinegar, a little bit more olive oil, dried basil (only because we didn't have fresh), and two bay leaves, dried onion, and a little bit more garam masala. We didn't measure this extra stuff we just put what we thought would be good. Smells are delicious while we mixed in a bowl then poured over the lamb chunks in a gallon bag, mix good and set in the fridge for a couple hours. The spices will do their job and after putting the lamb on the skewers and grilling you will defiantly be eating tons of them.

Making the gyro:

Take the flat bread, spread cucumber sauce around bread, put a leaf of romaine lettuce in the middle of bread, put about two skewers of lamb on lettuce and sprinkle with tomatoes and feta cheese; fold over and enjoy!!

Tandoori Chicken Kabobs

1 lb. chicken breast tenderloins (I just cut chicken breast in half)

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 tsp. garlic paste ( I used minced)

1 1/2 tsp. garam masala (you can buy it in the spice isle)

1 tsp. grated fresh ginger

Toss chicken with 1 tablespoon oil, garlic paste, garam masala, and ginger. Thread each piece onto a skewer (soak wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes first).

Cook on the grill over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until cooked through.

Recipe tested from Parents magazine

Cream Cheese Cranberry Muffins

This recipe and picture came from the Taste of Home Easy breakfast and brunch magazine--also on their website.

1 cup butter, softened*

1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened*

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries (I rinsed my frozen cranberries but didn't thaw completely)

1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Drizzle:

2 cups powdered sugar

3 Tbsp milk

(I also added a little bit of almond extract~1/2 tsp)

Cream butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beat in vanilla. Add dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Fold in cranberries and pecans.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes and drizzle sugar mixture while warm.

* I used 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup oil--I didn't want to use up all my butter. I also used fat free cream cheese. These muffins are light and fluffy with great texture!

Basil Parmesan Orzo

2 Tbsp butter

1 cup uncooked orzo pasta

2 tsp minced garlic

1 pinch red pepper flakes

2 cups water

2 tsp chicken bullion

2 tsp dried basil

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1-2 cups chicken cut into small pieces

In a skillet, saute uncooked orzo, red pepper flakes, and garlic in butter until orzo is lightly browned~ about 5 min over medium heat. Add chicken and saute 2 minutes. Add water, bullion, and basil. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add cheese and eat while hot.

This is very simple and easy to make. We all loved it!

Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

Whole Wheat Bread

Tessa this recipe is for you. I hope it will turn out for you just as well as it did when we made it together!

2 1/2 cups warm water

1 Tbsp instant yeast

1/4 cup gluten

1/4 cup oil

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 Tbsp salt

1/8 tsp citric acid

5-6 cups whole wheat flour

Soak yeast, 4 cups whole wheat flour, and gluten in warm water for at least 30 minutes. Add in oil, sugar, salt, and citric acid and stir. Mix in enough flour so dough cleans off side of bowl but still kind of tacky. Grease bowl and let rise until doubled. Divide, shape and place into two loaf pans. Cover and let rise until almost double. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Lava Cakes

Picture and recipe from Food Network http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/molten-lava-cakes-recipe/index.html

6 oz bittersweet chocolate (I only used 4 oz Ghirardelli)

2 oz semisweet chocolate (I used 4 oz Ghirardelli)

10 Tbsp butter

1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

3 large eggs

3 egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract (recipe called for 2 tbsp orange liqueur)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Grease 6 (6-ounce) custard cups. Melt the chocolates and butter in the microwave. Add the flour and sugar to chocolate mixture. Stir in the eggs and yolks until smooth. Stir in the extracts. Divide the batter evenly among the custard cups. Place in the oven and bake for 14 minutes. The edges should be firm but the center will be runny. Run a knife around the edges to loosen and invert onto dessert plates. Do not overcook or you won't have a "lava cake".

Potato Gnocchi with Creamy Pesto Sauce

Picture from King Arthur Flour

This was so good! Marshall couldn't get enough of the gnocchi, he kept cramming them into his chubby little cheeks. :) Read the King Arthur recipe on how to make the gnocchi, it makes more sense once you see how it is done.

Gnocchi:

1 1/3 cup instant potato flakes

1 1/3 cup boiling water

2 eggs

1 tsp salt

2 cups flour

--Mix potato with water then add eggs and salt. Mix in flour to make a soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface (I used my silpat with a little bit of flour).

--Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Roll each piece into a 20 inch rope. I had to use a fair amount of flour to keep from sticking.

--Lay all the ropes together and cut each rope into 1/2 inch pieces with a bench knife. Place pieces on lightly floured surface and toss in the flour so they won't stick together.

--Use a gnocchi board to form the ridges with each piece of dough. (see the link)http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2011/02/08/its-easy-being-green-gnocchi-with-pesto/

--Cook gnocchi in boiling water for two minutes once the gnocchi floats to the surface--about 4 minutes total.

Sauce:

1/2 onion

8 cloves garlic

1/4 cup butter

2 Tbsp flour

2 cup milk

1 cup Parmesan cheese

1 packet dry McCormick pesto sauce

1 can diced tomatoes with garlic

Saute the onion and garlic in butter until softened. Whisk in flour and dry pesto seasoning and add milk. Mix well add cheese and tomatoes. Add cooked gnocchi and serve warm.