Farm Favorites!

I can say "amen" to the other favorites already listed! I have really enjoyed the variety of recipes and good ideas from the blog! Keep 'em coming! Here are a few of our favorites down here on the farm!

Pasta Melissa One of my favorites!
Dutch Babies Zoe can eat 1/2 of the 9x13 pan on her own and would eat them EVERY morning for breakfast!
Chicken Chowder with Chipolte Nate's absolute favorite soup and one of the few "leftovers" he will eat!
Hawaiian Haystacks Tanner would eat this for dinner every night if I would let him!!

faves faves faves

Mandy seems to have already posted three of my faves (spicy creamed corn, tomatillo burritos, and barley soup), so here are the other two:
cajun chicken linguine
mediterranean pasta

for good measure, a few others I really like:

baked french toast
tortilla soup
sweet snack mix

Love Fruit Treats

I got the ideas for these by looking at fruit pizza recipes. They turned out really yummy and pretty but you need to eat them right away or the cookie will get soggy.

Cookie

6 cups flour

3 tsp. baking powder

2 cups butter

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. salt

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Mix dry ingredients and add a little at a time to butter mixture. Mix until flour is completely incorporated and the dough comes together. Chill for 1 to 2 hours Roll to desired thickness and cut into hearts. Bake on ungreased baking sheet at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until just beginning to turn brown around the edges.

Cream Topping

8 oz. cream cheese
7 oz. marshmallow cream

Mix together with an electric mixer and chill until you are ready to spread on the cookies. This is also what I use as a fruit dip. It is great for strawberries.

Fruit Topping

Strawberries
Kiwi
Apricots
Can of mandarin oranges

Chop up fruit and spoon over cream topping. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Molten Chocolate Cakes

Alycia, my sister, found this recipe somewhere and we usually have it with ice cream. Last Sunday I just had to have a molten cake so we tried it with fresh strawberries and melted white chocolate on top. The strawberries were fabulous with it because it was like eating chocolate covered strawberries. You really couldn't taste the white chocolate but it looked pretty.

4 squares Semi-sweet baking chocolate
½ cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
6 tbsp flour
Whipped topping or homemade whipping cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 Butter 4 (3/4) custard cups or soufflé dishes. Place on baking sheet.

Microwave chocolate and butter in bowl on high for 1 minute or until butter is melted. Stir with a wire whisk until all the chocolate is melted. Stir in sugar until well blended. Whisk in eggs and egg yolks. Stir in flour and divide batter between prepared cups.

Bake 10-14 minutes or until sides are firm but centers are soft. Let stand 1 minute and carefully run knife along the edges and invert onto plate. Top with topping and serve warm.

Chicken Pot Pie with Sweet Potatoes & Peas

Crust
1 cup flour - I'd like to try wheat flour but haven't yet
½ tsp. salt
¼ cup and 2 Tbsp shortening
3 Tbsp. cold water

Filling
¼ cup butter
¼ cup wheat flour
1 Tbsp. finely chopped onion
2 cups chicken broth (2 cups water and 2 bullion cubes)
1 ½ cups cooked chicken, chopped
¾ to 1 cup Broccoli crowns, chopped (nuke for 1 minute in the microwave).
1/2 cup frozen peas1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed (I recommend nuking it in the microwave for 3 minutes. This will speed up the cooking time).

1. In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, 1/2 tsp of salt. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water until mixture forms a ball. Divide dough in half and shape into balls. Roll one ball out to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Place bottom crust in pie plate. Roll out top crust and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
3. In a large saucepan, melt ¼ cup butter. Blend in wheat flour and onion. Gradually stir in chicken broth. Cook, stirring constantly until smooth and thickened. Stir in chicken, broccoli, peas, and sweet potatoes. Mix well and pour bottom pie crust. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top and allow steam to escape.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown, and filling is bubbly.

Mandy's favorites

I'll go first. And I'll break the rules, because I want to. I have too many favorites, so I broke them down into a few categories:

Entrees:
italian baked chicken
tomatillo burritos
tortellini soup
chicken parmesan
Brookie's ziti
barley soup

Sides:
spicy creamed corn
Pancheri cornbread
cheddar bay biscuits

Treats:
brownie bites
homemade oreos
whole wheat zucchini bread
lemon-blueberry muffins

So, this little recipe experiment has been going strong for over a year now and I have to say, I love it! We have so many things to choose from and I know I've found new favorites along the way. Now for the request. Sometimes the sheer number of recipes is overwhelming and it's hard to find a really great meal. I think we should all create a post with our top 5 favorite recipes from the blogs and include the links, using the tag 'favorites'. What do you all think?

Sweet & Easy Vegetable Stir-Fry

You definitely get a sweet, orange flavor from the sauce. If you prefer, decrease the OJ and increase the soy sauce for less sweetness. And have fun playing with the vegetable combo!

2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup soy sauce (reduced-sodium, preferably)
2 garlic cloves, minced
Olive oil
2 large carrots, peeled & sliced
2 cups broccoli florets
2 cups cauliflowerets
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
1 cup fresh snow peas
1 can (8 0z) sliced water chestnuts, rinsed and drained

Stir together cornstarch, sugar, and ginger. Add orange juice, soy sauce, and garlic; whisk until thoroughly combined and smooth.

Heat 1-2 tablespoons olive oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir-fry carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and onion for about 4 minutes. Add snow peas and water chestnuts; continue stir-frying until all vegetables are crisp-tender, about 3-4 minutes more. Stir orange juice mixture again and then add to vegetables. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened and all vegetables are coated, about 4-5 minutes. Serve over cooked rice.

Black Bean Rice Burgers

I can't believe I didn't think to post this one before!

1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons salsa

Using a fork or potato masher, mash beans in a bowl. Add rice, onion, egg, and salsa, and mix thoroughly. Coat a nonstick pan with cooking spray. Drop bean mixture by 1/2 cupfuls onto hot pan; press each to about 1/2" thickness. Cook for 5-6 minutes on each side, until well-browned and firm. (Note: If there is a secret to flipping these things without them falling apart, I haven't discovered it. I just sort of reshape them after flipping.)

For a great burger topping, combine 1/4 cup salsa and 1/4 cup sour cream. Use instead of ketchup, mayo, etc.

Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

I found this one in the diabetic-friendly section of a magazine recently. They're really, really good. For those of you who care, each muffin has 167 calories, 6 g fat, 1 g fiber, and 4 g protein.

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup fresh or frozen (do not thaw) blueberries

Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, and nutmeg. In another bowl, beat egg and butter together; add yogurt and blend thoroughly. Stir into dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in blueberries.

Fill paper muffin cups 3/4 full with batter. Bake at 400*F for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Dinner-Size Texas Chili Cheese Fries

I never knew cheese fries could have so much flavor and taste so gourmet....

4 large Idaho potatoes, cut lengthwise into 6 wedges
2 tablespoons grill seasoning
2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus additional, divided
2 to 2 1/2 pounds lean ground sirloin, turkey or chicken
1 large onion, chopped
3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons (about 2 palmfuls) chili powder
2 teaspoons (half a palmful) ground cumin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons tomato paste
Hot sauce, to taste
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 bottle dark beer, such as Negro Modelo, or 1 1/2 cups beef or chicken stock {i used the beef stock}
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 cup milk
1 cup chicken stock
1 1/2 to 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1 seedless cucumber, chopped

Preheat oven to 450ºF.

Place the potatoes onto a baking sheet. Sprinkle them with the grill seasoning and a good drizzle of EVOO. Toss to coat, then transfer to the oven and roast, until crispy golden brown, about 40 minutes. Turn them once halfway through cooking time. {I skipped this step and just used frozen steak fries...}

While the potatoes are roasting, place a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons EVOO, about 2 turns of the pan. Add the ground meat to the pan and cook until brown, about 6-7 minutes, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks using a potato masher or back of a wooden spoon.

Push the meat to one side of the pan and add the onion, garlic, jalapeño, chili powder and cumin to the pot. Cook until the veggies soften, 5-6 minutes, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.Add the tomato paste to the pot and cook for about 1 minute, until it smells sweet and has caramelized slightly. Add the hot sauce, Worcestershire and beer or stock to the pot. Bring everything up to a bubble, then reduce the heat and simmer the chili until thickened, about 10 minutes.

While the chili is simmering, place a medium-size pot over medium-high heat and melt the butter. Sprinkle the flour over the melted butter and cook it for about a minute. Stir the mustard into the butter-flour mixture, then whisk in the milk and stock. Continue whisking the sauce until it has thickened up, then remove the pot from the heat and stir in the cheese until melted. Season the cheese sauce with salt and freshly ground black pepper and reserve.

In a large salad bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup EVOO along with the red wine vinegar, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the lettuce and cucumber to the bowl and toss to combine. To serve, divide the fries between four plates and top each one with some chili-cheese sauce and some salad alongside.

a Rachael Ray

Mom's Carmel Twists

Hi, I am Tiffany Sheppard from Mandy and Jen's ward. Jen asked me to join, so here I am. This is one of my favorites.

Sweet Dough

4 1/2C Flour
1/4C Sugar
1tsp salt
3/4C margarine
2 eggs
1 pkg dry yeast (2 1/4T) dissolved in
1 1/4C hot water

Cut margarine finely into dry ingredients. Add eggs and dissolved yeast mixture. Refrigerate for 2 hours, or overnight. Divide into 3 parts. Roll each part out on a floured board into 9x18 inch rectangle. Fold in thirds to make a 3x18 inch rectangle. cut into 1 inch strips. Twist strips and place side by side on the caramel mixture. Let rise for 1/2 hour. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Invert immediately onto cookie sheet. Makes 54 rolls.

Carmel
2/3C margarine
1/4C light corn syrup
1 1/2C brown sugar
1C nuts (ground)
Bring to a boil and add 1T water. Stir and pour evenly onto 12 x 18 inch jelly roll pan. Sprinkle nuts on top.

100% Whole Wheat Bread

My Mom's famous bread recipe... for any of you that know how awesome it is...

14 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. honey
2/3 c. cooking oil
1 T. sugar
4 1/2 c. hot/warm water
2 T. salt
3 T. yeast

1. Set yeast in 1/2 c. water with sugar to rise.
2. Put all liquids in bowl and mix.
3. Add 13-14 c. flour while mixing into #2.
4. Knead 10-15 minutes.
5. Form into 4 loaves. Let rise til double.
6. Bake at 325 F at 40 minutes.
   

A change will do you good.

Do you love or hate it? Be honest with me people. Mandy thought it was time for a new look and this is what happens when she gives me free range...

Pork Chops Italiano

This is another Michelle original and a new Sunday favorite at the Kotter household.


4 chops, 1 inch thick (season with salt & pepper on both sides)
½ lb sliced mushrooms
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 green pepper, cut into strips
23 oz. tomato sauce (one 15-oz and one 8-oz can)
1 bay leaf
2 T lemon juice
1 tsp sage
1 tsp oregeno
1 tsp basil


Season pork chops and lay in bottom of crock pot. Layer mushrooms, onions and green pepper on top. In separate bowl, combine tomato sauce, garlic lemon juice and seasonings, and pour over pork and veggies. Cook 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.


This is fantastic served with {real} mashed potatoes and steamed veggies.

Yogurt Fruit Salad

24 oz. Strawberry Yogurt
3 bananas, diced
16 oz. frozen sliced strawberries, slightly thawed and undrained
8 oz. crushed pineapple, undrained

This is good fresh, but it is also very yummy if you spoon some into paper lined muffin tins and freeze. Zap in the microwave for about 15 seconds after removing from freezer and serve while still slushy.