Raspberry Punch

1 bag frozen raspberries, thawed
1 can Cran Raspberry Concentrate, thawed
2 bottles Cherry 7-up
Optional Raspberry sherbet

Mix concentrate and 1 1/2 bottles cherry 7-up. Add in thawed raspberries. Optional- serve with a scoop of raspberry sherbet.

Whole Wheat Bread

This is Tisha Bierman's Recipe:

This recipe is for 5 loaves of bread.
12 Cups wheat flour
2 Tablespoons yeast (instant)
5 Tablespoons vital wheat gluten
2 Tablespoons salt
6 cups warm water
2/3 cup honey
2/3 cup oil


Combine 4 cups of flour, yeast, wheat gluten, and salt. Mix well. Add water, honey, and oil. Mix until creamy. Slowly stir in remaining flour to make stiff dough. Add more flour if needed. Knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Form into 5 loaves and let rise 20 min. Bake at 350 for 30 min.

*I cut this recipe in half when I make it because my mixer can't handle 12 cups of flour.

Chocolate Trifle

This one is easy, quick and yummy. Lots of variations to use like adding a layer of bananas or strawberries, or drizzling caramel sauce over the candy bar layer, or change the flavor of cake mix...etc.


1 pkg chocolate cake mix
1 lrg pkg instant chocolate pudding
1 12 oz carton cool whip, thawed
6 candy bars: snickers or heath/skor bars, diced into small pieces

Bake cake according to directions and let cool. Make pudding according to directions. When cake is cool, break up cake into crumbs and reserve 1/2 cup. Place half of remaining cake crumbs into bottom of clear glass bowl. Then layer with 1/2 pudding, and then a layer of 1/2 of cool whip. Then place 1/2 of candy bar pieces on top of cool whip. Repeat layers ending with cool whip and candy bar pieces and sprinkle rest of cake crumbs on top. Store in the fridge.

Southwest White Bean Chili

1 Tbsp. oil (opt. Pam spray)
2-4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 can mild salsa
3 cans small white beans
3 Tbsp. mesquite marinade
1/3 c chopped cilantro
grated Monterey jack cheese (opt)

Saute chicken in oil or pam; add onion and garlic-saute until chicken is lightly browned. Reduce heat; add salsa, beans, marinade and cilantro. Simmer 3-5 minutes. Serve with cheese and cilantro. Makes 4-6 servings.

Food Budgeting

Okay-technically this post isn't a recipe, but it does affect what I cook. Cooking from scratch is much cheaper than buy prepared/frozen meals. This is my monthly food budget breakdown:

$520 Groceries
$50 Scott-lunch @work (it's not enough for everyday, some days are leftovers)
$50 Food storage money (3 month supply/long term food storage)
$30 School lunch money (the kids get to buy a school lunch once a week)

For a grand total of $650/month. It's exactly this amount every month because I get it all in cash. That puts a ceiling on the amount of money I spend. Food storage money is for when things like chicken go on sale, or I stock up on food at Sam's club. It also goes toward buying things at the cannery. Happy budgeting & shopping!

Banana Crush

This is a punch recipe from my mom. Thanks Mom!

4 cups Sugar
6 cups Water

5 bananas, crushed
6 oz. can orange juice concentrate, thawed
42 oz. can pineapple juice
1/2 c lemon juice

Stir sugar and water til dissolved. Crush bananas with fork. Add all remaining ingredients to sugar & water mix and freeze. Thaw to a slush. Serve in a glass with 1 part slush and 1 part Sprite.

Broccoli-Bacon Salad

2 Heads broccoli, cut into small bite-sized pieces
1 small red onion, chopped
2 T. Bacon bits/real bacon cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup sliced/slivered almonds

Toss all ingredients together.

Dressing:

2/3 c Miracle Whip
1 1/2 T. apple cider vinegar
1/2 c sugar

Mix together and pour over salad, and toss.

Chocolate Carrot Cake

Click here for recipe from Taste of Home.

This is one of my favorite chocolate cakes to make. I frost it all over and top with chocolate chips. I keep it in the fridge before serving because the chocolate cream cheese frosting tends to melt a little a room temp. Sometimes I like to buy the half size pirouette cookies and place them standing up around the outside of the cake and then tie a cute ribbon around it.

Ham with Pinapple Sauce

This one is so easy! I buy a small sliced portion of ham. Ham is precooked, so all I do is heat it up over low to medium heat briefly either in a skillet or in the microwave. Just don't overheat it or it will get leathery and tough. I make the pineapple sauce and serve it warm to put on the ham.

Pineapple Sauce for Ham
2 small cans crushed pineapple (since my kids aren't crazy about this I use 1 can)
1/2 c brown sugar
cornstarch and water

Mix a couple of tablespoons of cornstarch with a little water. It should look like whole milk (too much water makes it look more like skim milk). It doesn't take very much water. Place pineapple and brown sugar in pot and cook til hot. Add cornstarch and water mix and bring to a boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

*I drain a little juice from the pineapple, but not all of it. The cornstarch acts as a thickener.

Whole Wheat Pancakes

This recipe comes from the San Diego Cooks blog. I add extra white flour (around 1/4 cup) to make the batter a little thicker.

1 1/4 C. whole wheat flour
1/4 C. sugar
1/4 C. oil
1 tsp. baking soda
1 heaping tsp. baking powder
Dash of salt
1 1/4 C. milk
1 egg

Whisk all ingredients together, then spoon onto a hot griddle. Flip once the bubbles pop. Butter, then serve with syrup or powdered sugar. Yum!

Banana Bread

This one is from my sister-in-law, Elizabeth Earl. It's a Mrs. Field's recipe.

3/4 cup butter/marg
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
2 large eggs
3 cups mashed bananas (about 7 bananas)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, bananas, and vanilla. Continue beating while you sift flour, baking soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients to banana mixture. Add nuts. Bake at 350 for 60-70 minutes for a loaf, or about 20 min for muffins.

Roasted Chicken with Rosemary

This is another one of those extra recipes that I love, but don't make on a regular basis.

Taste of Home- Roast Chicken with Rosemary

Crunchy Baked Pork Chops
Serves 4

This recipe was developed using natural pork, but enhanced pork (injected with a salt solution) will work as well. If using enhanced pork, eliminate the brining in step 1 (see related How To Cook). The bread crumb mixture can be prepared through step 2 up to 3 days in advance. The breaded chops can be frozen for up to 1 week. They don't need to be thawed before baking; simply increase the cooking time in step 5 to 35 to 40 minutes.
Ingredients

* Table salt
* 4 center-cut boneless pork chops , 6 to 8 ounces each, 3/4 to 1 inch thick, trimmed of excess fat
* 4 slices hearty white sandwich bread , torn into 1-inch pieces
* 1 small minced shallot (about 2 tablespoons)
* 3 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* Ground black pepper
* 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
* 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
* 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
* 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour plus 6 tablespoons
* 3 large egg whites
* 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
* Lemon wedges

Instructions

* 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Dissolve 1/4 cup salt in 1 quart water in medium container or gallon-sized zipper-lock bag. Submerge chops, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 30 minutes. Rinse chops under cold water and dry thoroughly with paper towels.
* 2. Meanwhile, pulse bread in food processor until coarsely ground, about eight 1-second pulses (you should have about 3 1/2 cups crumbs). Transfer crumbs to rimmed baking sheet and add shallot, garlic, oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Toss until crumbs are evenly coated with oil. Bake until deep golden brown and dry, about 15 minutes, stirring twice during baking time. (Do not turn off oven.) Cool to room temperature. Toss crumbs with Parmesan, thyme, and parsley.
* 3. Place 1/4 cup flour in pie plate. In second pie plate, whisk egg whites and mustard until combined; add remaining 6 tablespoons flour and whisk until almost smooth, with pea-sized lumps remaining.
* 4. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees. Spray wire rack with nonstick cooking spray and place in rimmed baking sheet. Season chops with pepper. Dredge 1 pork chop in flour; shake off excess. Using tongs, coat with egg mixture; let excess drip off. Coat all sides of chop with bread crumb mixture, pressing gently so that thick layer of crumbs adheres to chop. Transfer breaded chop to wire rack. Repeat with remaining 3 chops.
* 5. Bake until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of chops registers 150 degrees, 17 to 25 minutes. Let rest on rack 5 minutes before serving with lemon wedges.

Pizza Dough

This recipe is from Kaci Perkins. I have substituted from one to one and a half cups of whole wheat flour for white flour and no one in my family could tell.

In a large bowl combine:
3-4 cups of flour (I start with 3 1/2 cups)
1 T. yeast
1 T. sugar
1 T. brown sugar
1 tsp. salt

In a separate bowl combine:
1 1/2 cups warm water (I heat mine to about 105 to 110 degrees)
2 T. oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pour the water/oil mix into the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula/scraper. Dough will look kind of rough/shaggy. Turn it out onto a floured surface and knead til smooth. Adding flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking to the counter. This is where the other 1/2 cup gets worked into the dough. (usually somewhere between 3-5 min) Let dough rest for 10 min on counter. I take the bowl I was mixing in and turn it upside down to cover the dough. Mostly so Paige won't steal bites of dough.

Grease the pan you'll be cooking with. I use a cooking spray. Spread dough out in pan using hands. Add toppings and bake for about 10-15 min.

My Extra Recipes

I have some recipes that I love, but don't make all the time. This pot roast is one. It is a little more work and time than most recipes, but it's the best pot roast ever. This is our Father's Day dinner.

Pot Roast with Vegetables
(Cooks Illustrated)

1 boneless chuck-eye roast (abt 3 1/2 lbs)
salt and pepper
2 T. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped medium
1 small carrot, chopped medium
1 small celery rib, chopped medium
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. sugar
1 cup canned low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup canned low-sodium beef broth
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 - 1 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 lbs. red potatoes
8 medium carrots

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Thoroughly pat roast dry with paper towels; sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

2. Heat oil in large heavy-bottomed dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering, but not smoking. (I don't have a dutch oven pan so I used a large stock pot or large deep frying pan). Brown roast thoroughly on all sides, reducing heat if fat begins to smoke, 8-10 min. Transfer roast to a large plate; set aside. Reduce heat to medium; add onion, carrot and celery to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and sugar; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chicken and beef broth and thyme, scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Return roast and any accumulated juices to pot; add enough water to come halfway up sides of roast. Bring liquid to simmer over medium heat, then place large piece of foil over pot and cover tightly with lid; transfer pot to oven. Cook, turning roast every 30 min, until fully tender and meat fork/sharp knife easily slips in and out of meat, 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

3. When roast is almost tender add 8 medium carrots, sliced 1/2 in thick; and 1 1/2 lbs small red potatoes, quartered, to pot submerging them in liquid. Continue to cook until vegetables are almost tender, 20-30 min.

4. Transfer roast to carving board; tent with foil to keep warm. Allow liquid in pot to settle about 5 min., then use wide spoon to skim fat off surface; discard thyme sprig. Add salt and pepper to taste; boil over high heat until vegetables are fully tender, 5-10 min., Transfer vegetables to serving platter. Transfer roast to platter with vegetables.

5. I added about 1 T. of cornstarch (mixed with a little water) to liquid in pot to thicken it a little. Use like gravy.

Spinach Dip

This is Zoila Schank's recipe for the dip that she brought to the piano recital.

Knorr Spinach Dip
1 pkg (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 container (16 oz.) sour cream
1 cup Mayo
1 pkg Knorr Vegetable recipe mix
1 can (8 oz.) water chestnuts, drained and chopped (optional)--I left these out.
3 green onions, chopped (optional)--I usually use 4.

Combine all ingredients and chill about 2hrs.
Serve in a bread bowl with favorite dippers.

4 Cups Dip/Prep Time: 10 minutes/ Chill Time: 2hrs.

3 Month Supply

Once you have your list of dinners for the month you can create a master list of ingredients. This helps with planning a 3 month supply. I have mine figured using amounts for a 1 month, 2 month and 3 month supply. That way when there is a sale on something I use I know how much of it to buy. I use the money I have set aside for food storage. Happy Planning!

Fruit Salad

Just tried this yummy fruit salad recipe!

Sunday Best Fruit Salad

Raspberry Vinegar Spring Salad

Mixture of lettuce ( use iceberg, red leaf, romaine, green leaf) to fill a big bowl or a total of 2 heads of lettuce cleaned and chopped.

2 granny smith apples, peeled and diced
1 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled (I usually buy the precooked bacon)
1/2 c craisins
4-6 green onions, chopped
1/2 c shredded parmesan cheese (not grated)
1 1/2 c sliced almonds (put on cookie sheet, spray with butter, sprinkle with sugar and bake at 325 til brown) (I never have much luck with this, so I buy a bag of salad accents)

Mix above salad ingredients well.

Dressing:
1 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp salt
1 c oil
1/4 c sugar
1/3- 1/2 cup raspberry vinegar (could sub. red wine vinegar)
2 T. poppy seeds

Put dressing ingredients in a blender and puree well. Stir in 2 T. Poppy seeds. Pour over salad before serving. Dressing will keep in fridge for up to 2 weeks.

*This is also really good with a rotisserie chicken cut up and tossed in.

Chicken Wings

1 pkg chicken drumettes/wings
1/2 c flour
1/2 c cornstarch
3 eggs, beaten

Sauce:
1/2 c chicken broth
1/2 c vinegar
3/4 c sugar
1/2 c ketchup

Combine flour and cornstarch in flat pan. Dip wings in flour mix, then eggs and brown in pan with a little oil. Place in pan and pour sauce over all and bake 1 hour at 350, basting occasionally and turning.

I buy two packages of chicken wings, but I don't double the ingredients. The recipe makes enough for two packages.

*For chicken broth I buy the chicken broth granules. 1 tsp of granules in 1 cup of water makes 1 c chicken broth. I heat 1/2 c water in the microwave and add 1/2 tsp. granules.