Thursday, October 6, 2011

Soup Du Jour

On this cold, rainy, September day, I opted for soup for dinner.  I have been dying to try my new idea, to take the enchiladas I sooo love but soo hate to make and turn them into a tasty soup.  Here goes!
Enchilada Soup
Ingredients:
1 large can enchilada sauce
1 can black beans
2 cans chicken broth
1 (costco size) can shredded chicken
8 oz velveeta
8 oz cream cheese
3 cups crushed chips
1 tablespoon chile powder
Directions:
Put enchilada sauce, broth, velveeta and cream cheese in a large pot and bring to a boil.  Simmer until cheese is melted.  Add the rest of the ingredients and cook on low for 30-60 minutes.  Serve hot with cheese, cilantro, sour cream and a warm tortilla- YUM! :)

Strawberry PIIIIIEEEE

I know, random time of year to make this, but hey, it sounded yummy and I had some strawberries I needed to use, so there you have it: strawberry pie on a rainy day!  Now, I will disclose that this is not my baked delicious strawberry pie- that one will have to wait until I have more time on my hands- but the freshly-glazed-more-time-friendly-strawberry-pie!  So, here it is:
Crust
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup shortening
5-8 tablespoons water
Directions:
Mix flour and salt together.  Cut in shortening a little at a time with a pastry cutter.  Continue mixing with the pastry cutter until mixture starts to ball up- sit tight, this may take a while if you're weak like me!  Slowly add water ONE TABLESPOON at a time.  (I know, lame, but because of the moisture in the air, it really differs each time, and this could make or break your crust!)  Mix until a ball forms.. you want it to be nice and soft- not too sticky, but able to stay together.  Chill for one hour.  Roll out and fit in pie pan.  Prick with fork and bake at 350 for 10-30 minutes.. you pretty much just have to check it every 10 minutes.  You want it browned, since you will not be baking it again.
Strawberry Filling
Ingredients:
3-5 cups hulled strawberries (not cut up and depending on how deep your dish is)
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 water
85g pouch of strawberry jello
Place strawberries in cooked pie crust. 
Boil together sugar, cornstarch and water.  Add the Jell-O powder.  Cook until thick and pour gently over sliced peaches.  Chill at least 2 hours, serve with whipped cream.
VOILA!  Enjoy!  Oh, and this is also good with peaches.. just use 5 cups sliced peaches and peach jello instead of strawberries!  Also, very yummy!

Friday, September 30, 2011

Fall Into Fall

Fall is finally here: I have officially baked my first PUMPKIN DUMPCAKE of the season!  If you're anything like me, you have spent year after year making, perfecting, and slaving over pumpkin pies.  Okay, maybe that is just me, I LOVE those things.  Well, the time has come and me, the queen of all that is not only decidant and delicious, but easy and effortless, have found the replacement!  I know, to true pumpkin pie lovers it sounds blasphemous, but, I assure you that you will agree.  Here were are to the oh-so-easy recipe:
Pumpkin Dump Cake
*1 Large Can Pumpkin
*1 1/2 cups Sugar
* 1 teaspoon Salt
*2 teaspoons Cinnamon
*1 teaspoon Ginger
*1/2 teaspoon Allspice
*4 Eggs
*1 can Evaporated Milk
*1 French Vanilla Cake Box
*1 cup Melted Butter

Directions:
Mix ingredients pumkin-evaporated milk in large bowl until well mixed.  Pour into 9x13 pan.  Sprinkle cake box on top of pumpkin, and drizzle with butter.  Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes until lightly browned on top.  DEVOUR!  Then go take a nap and still have more time on your hands than if you had just made a pie crust! :)

CASA RIO

Last night, I did what any non-Utah-living Mormon would do and recreated a Rio fav!  If you are not familiar with Cafe Rio, you haven't lived in Utah, apparently!  It's a little Mexican chain with some amazing food, such as: chicken salad.  Now, in true Cindy form, I had to put my own twist on this dish.  So, instead of a lime chicken, I made a bbq chicken, while still staying true to the rice and dressing (let's be honest, it's the dressing that makes the salad, anyway!)  This is the EASIEST meal I have made in a while, and the combo of sweet/sour/spicy was D-lish!  So, here you have it:
Chicken:
*2-3 pounds of Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breast
*12 oz Root Beer
*1 (18 oz) bottle of your fav BBQ sauce- I used sweet baby rays (is there really any other?!)

Place chicken in Crock Pot and pour Root Beer over.  Cook on Low for 6-7 hours, or until tender. Drain and shred chicken. (I did this part the day before, pouring 1 cup of juices over the chicken and refrigerating)  Put shredded chicken back in Crock Pot and pour bottle of bbq sauce over, then cook again on low for another hour.  Serve.  (also would be good for pulled chicken sandwich, and totally works with pork, just use a 2-3 lb pork tenderloin instead of chicken)

Rice:
*4 cups water
*4 tsp chicken bouillon
*4 tsp garlic, minced
*1/2 bunch of cilantro
*1 can green chilis
*3/4 tsp salt
*1 T butter
*1/2 onion
*2 cups rice

Put water and bouillon in pot and bring to boil.  Blend the rest of the ingredients, except butter and rice in  food processor. Add with rice and butter to boiling water, cover. Simmer 30 mins, or until rice is tender.  Let sit a couple minutes to thicken.

Dressing:
*1 buttermilk ranch dressing pkt (prepared)
*2 tomatillos
*1/2 bunch cilantro
*1 clove garlic
*juice of 1 lime
*1 jalapeno

Blend with food processor. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes prior to serving.

ASSEMBLY:
Tortilla (I used the cook-yourself ones from Costco), lettuce, chicken, black beans, rice, tomatoes, alvacado, cheese, and dressing.  Eat and enjoy! :)

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

UPGRADED Shimmy Shimmy Cocoa Puff

Okay, so every now and again (well, let's be honest, I'm obsessed with improving recipes, even mine) I find a flaw in a recipe and set out to improve it.  This post is an improvement to the previous post on chocolate/banana cupcakes.
First off, leave out the hershey kisses.  Instead, but one can of chocolate frosting.  Once you've filled each liner 1/2 way with batter, spoon in about 1tsp frosting, then bake as directed.  This makes and explosion of gooey goodness in the center of the cupcake!  DELISH!  Top off with some Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting, and you are ready to party!
Although in the previous post I suggested that it might be acceptable to use a can cream cheese frosting, I am resigning that statement, because it is not- here's the recipe.. so easy and SOO much tastier!
*2 8oz packages cream cheese
*1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
*3 cups powdered sugar
*1 tsp vanilla
*1/2 cup peanut butter
Combine all together and whip for a good 3-5 minutes until nice and fluffy.  Now, wasn't that worth it??  :)

Cindy's Award-Winning Chicken Tortilla Soup

Okay, so last year I entered the Templeton Ward Souper Bowl... and WON!  LOL!  Well, I can't totally take credit for this recipe, as it's an upgraded Pampered Chef recipe.. But, those of  you who know me know that I LOVE PC recipes- easy & delish- which are my two FAVORITE words when it comes to cooking!  So, here it goes:
Bag 1:
*1 can diced tomatoes w/green chilies
*8 oz velveeta, cubed
*1 TBS Chipotle Rub (PC Spice, but you can use Taco Seasoning instead)

Bag 2:
*1lb chicken, grilled in 1TBS veg oil and cubed
*2 cups frozen corn
*3 cups crushed tortilla chips

So, the bags are referring to freezer bags, and you just put the stuff in and put it in the freezer. (bag 2 can be sealed and put in bag 1 to keep them together.) Once you're ready to make it, you put ingredients from bag 1 and 2 cans chicken broth and 1 can black beans, undrained, in a pot and boil. Let simmer for about 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Then add contents from bag 2 and let it come to a boil again, then cook for about 5 minutes, until hot. I always add fresh chopped cilantro at this point, about 2TBS, but it’s optional. Then serve. You can have tortillas, shredded cheese, diced avocado, crushed chips, diced tomatoes, sour cream, or whatever to serve along with.

Pantry Panic

Hey There, it's been a while, but don't you worry, I have been busy at work in the kitchen!!

So.. my goal the last couple of weeks has been to eat what is in our cupboards and not go to the grocery store.  Sounds crazy, but we are going on vacation and I hate to buy a bunch of food that will just go to waste.  So, now that we're down to the final days, this has gotten more tricky.  I always have a pantry full of canned foods and a freezer full of meats, it's just the extras I run out of.  Here's the run-down of what I had:
*cooked steaks (left-over from dinner with my parents)
*canned corn
*cream of chicken soup
*8 oz cream cheese
*8 oz velveeta
*spaghetti
*milk
Sounds random, but I combined it all, and it was actually really tastey!!  Here's what I did:
*Cook entire package (1 lb) of spaghetti
*In a large skillet, heat 1 TBS of olive oil then add cooked meat (can be any meat-chicken, ground beef), corn, cream of chicken soup, 1 cup milk, and seasonings (I used about 1 TBS each of garlic salt and chili powder).
*Cube cream cheese and velveeta then add to meat mixture and heat until cheeses are melted.
*put cooked spaghetti on bottom of 9x13 pan then cover with cheese mixture and combine in pan until noodles are covered.  Sprinkle your favorite cheese on top along with some extra sprinkles of chili powder.
*Bake in oven at 350 for 10-15 minutes.  Serve hot and enjoy!

Always remember, a filled pantry leaves no room for panic- so keep those cupboards packed for that rainy day!

Thursday, March 31, 2011

The Looky Loo

 So, lately I've been contemplating opening up a cupcakery online... I'll be sharing with you some of my creations.  First, I'll start with my personal favorite: The Looky Loo:

Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:                                                                          Topping:
*2/3 cup whole fresh or frozen strawberries,            *3 cups powdered sugar
    Thawed                                                              *1 cube unsalted butter
*1 ½ cups flour                                                      *2 8oz packages cream cheese
*1 teaspoon baking powder                                   *1 teaspoon vanilla
*¼ teaspoon salt
*¼ cup whole milk, room temperature                               Crust:
*1 teaspoon vanilla                                               *1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
*½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature            *1/3 cup butter, melted
*1 cup sugar                                                        *¼ cup sugar
*1 egg, room temperature
*2 egg whites, room temperature

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 12 muffin tin with cupcake liners and set aside.  Mix crust ingredients and place 1 tablespoon of graham cracker mixture in the bottom of each liner, packing in with the bottom of a cup.  Bake for 3 minutes, just until lightly hardened.
2.  Place strawberries in small food processor and puree.  You should have about 1/3 cup of puree.  Set aside.
3.  In medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.  In small bowl, mix together milk, vanilla, and strawberry puree.  Set aside.
4.  Using electric mixer, fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy.  (5 min) Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until well combined and fluffy.  Reduce mixer speed to medium and slowly add egg and egg whites until just blended. 
5.  With mixer on low, slowly add half the flour mixture until just blended.  Add the milk mixture until just blended.  Slowly add remaining flour mixture, scraping sides of bowl as necessary, until just blended.
6.  Divide batter between muffin cups, filling to about 2/3 full.  Bake until tops are just dry to the touch, about 22-25 min.  Cool completely before icing.
7.  While cupcakes are cooling, combine the powdered sugar and butter with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed for 4 minutes, until fluffy.  Slowly cream in cream cheese and vanilla.  Frost cupcakes, then dunk in left-over crushed graham crackers, so lightly dusted with crumbs.

Salsa Lasagna

So, I realize, it's been a while.  And, yes, I have been cooking/baking up a storm behind your back! :(  BUT, I am going to do my best to get caught up and share all my fave recipes that have been overwhelming my kitchen lately!  First up: Salsa Lasagna.. and it is worth this long wait!  So, this came about by having an excess of tomatoes, tortillas, and ground turkey that I needed to use up: see what I created:

Ingredients:
*8 flour tortillas (i used the uncooked ones from Costco, but regulars will work, too)
*6 large tomatoes sliced and diced
*1 green bell pepper, chopped
*1/2 onion, chopped
*1 clove garlic, chopped
*cilantro, to taste (I LOVE it, so I put about 2-3 TBS)
*handful of chopped mushrooms (optional)
* 1 can black beans
*1 lb ground hamburger or turkey... or chicken, or no meat, whatever floats your boat
*1/2 can olives
*1 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
* 8 oz sour cream
*a couple handfuls of shredded cheese (any kind, I use Mexican blend)
* I think that's it..

Directions:
*(FYI, this makes two 9x13 lasagnas... I try to always make 2 meals and freeze one when I'm cooking!)  Heat oven to 350.  Layer 2 tortillas on the bottom of two 9x13 pans.
*Cook meat until browned.
*Put 3/4 of the tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, garlic, cilantro, and mushrooms in food processor and whip it good.  Should be pureed and liquefied.
*Mix cooked meat, beans and 3/4 of the salsa mixture together.  Divide into two portions and layer over tortillas in each pan. 
*Combine cream cheese and sour cream.  Pour half into each pan and smooth over meat mixture.  Layer two more tortillas in each pan.
*Drizzle remaining salsa over the tortillas in each pan.  Throw the olives into the food processor for 2 seconds, so they are just slightly chopped up.  Sprinkle olives, remaining tomatoes, and shredded cheese on top of each casserole.  VIOLA!  Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, until top is browned at edges and cheese is thoroughly melted.  DEVOUR!  (if you're not using the 2nd lasagna, let cool then cover and freeze for up to 2 months, then thaw, and bake at 350 until heated through)