Mini Quiches

Cheesy Miniature QUICHES*

 

2 c. all purpose flour

½ c. butter, melted

1 ½ tsp. salt (or less)

¾ tsp. ground red pepper

4 c. shredded sharp cheese (or more)

4 eggs (may need to double)

¾ c. milk (May need to double)

8 oz. bacon, cooked and crumbled

½ c. veggies-red onions, chopped, green peppers, chopped

Optional:  spinach

Garnishes:  cucumber slices, carot curls, green onion, etc.

 

 

1. Process flour, melted butter, salt & red pepper until combined.

2. Add cheese, process until well blended.

3.  Spray muffin tin. * For larger muffin tins, take 2 TB. Of the dough and push in the bottom of pan. 

4.   Preheat oven to 350*.

5.  In a bowl, whisk eggs and milk.  I always add a bit of the cheese here. Stir in bacon and other veggies.

6.  Spoon 2-4TB. Filling on top of the dough. 

7.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until center is set.  Cool in pan for 5 minutes.  Remove and serve warm.

 

*I have a fairly large muffin tin pan.  I can never fill the pan up with the filling, unless I double the recipe.

Sweet & Sour Sauce

*Found and adapted from allrecipes.com

 

¾ c. white sugar
1/3 c. white vinegar
2/3 c. water
¼ c. soy sauce
1 TB. Ketchup
2 TB cornstarch

 

Mix sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan.  Add vinegar, water, soy sauce, ketchup in.  Bring to a boil. 
Stir continuously until the mixture has thickened.

Vedana's Salad

2 Heads of Romaine Lettuce (or packaged mix)
1 Jicama (Peel, cut in Julienne slices)
2 c. strawberries, sliced

Candied almonds: (forgive me for posting this :)
1 1/2 c. slivered almonds
6 T. butter
1/3c. sugar
Melt the butter, add almonds and sugar. Cook and stir for 2-3 minutes until it coats nuts. Pour out on pan to cool, break apart.

Mix lettuce with almonds. Place jicama and strawberries on top. Serve dressing on side.



Dressing:
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. rice vinegar
1 c. vegetable oil
1 pkg. dry italian dressing

Easiest Crock pot Lasagna EVAH!

1 jar spaghetti sauce (24oz). You can always make your own, but we are going for the easiest lasagna evah!

1/4 c. water

1 container of cottage cheese (16oz) or ricotta cheese

1 box of lasagna noodles

1 bag of shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Spray the crock pot with cooking spray.

2. Mix the water and sauce together. Put some sauce at the bottom of the crock, so the noodles won't burn.

3. Layer: Put uncooked lasagna noodles on top. ( I usually have one noodle in the middle and 1/2 pieces on the side.)

Cottage cheese, sauce, lasagna noodle, cottage cheese, sauce, mozzarella cheese

4. Cook for 4-6 hours. I have made it for longer (8), but it ended up burning around the edges.

*If you have a chance to be home when making it the first time, you can see when it starts to brown too much.

Peach & Berry Cobbler

This is such an easy, thow-together recipe....I basically bake it in a 9x13 pan.  When I realized that I didn't have enough peaches, I threw in some frozen berries..and it worked!!

1-2 (big) cans of peaches
1 bag frozen raspberries
1 box yellow cake mix
1 stick of butter.

Preheat oven to350*F.  Spray the bottom of a 9x13 pan with oil/EVOO/canola oil.  Mix the peaches and berries in the bottom of the pan.  Sprinkle the cake mix over the entire thing...and then cube the butter and place over the top.

Start it in the oven at 20 minutes.  (Normally 30 minutes)
Watch for the edges to brown and the middle/edges to bubble.  Do not let it overcook!

Hot Wassail

Boil 2 C. water

Add
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon

Simmer 10 minutes

Add 2 c. sugar, juice of 3 lemons (1 lemon =3-4 TB), 1 small frozen OJ concentrate.

Add 3 qts. Hot water

Easter

Every year I always have a brain lapse of what we did the year before...for Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter...you get the point. 

So, here is our Easter menu in one single place!

Ham
We cook the ham in the roaster oven (saves us oven space for the potatoes and other misc.) at 325* for 2 hours.  We actually set it in a 9x13 dish, covered with pineapple juice, brown sugar and then I toothpicked the pineapples and covered in foil.  I put that in the fridge about 1 1/2 hours BEFORE we cooked it!

Creamy Potatoes Au Gratin from Allrecipes. 

Makes 8
8 russet potatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch slices

2 onion, sliced into rings

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups milk

3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Butter a 1 quart casserole dish.
2. Layer 1/2 of the potatoes into bottom of the prepared casserole dish. Top with the onion slices, and add the remaining potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. In a medium-size saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Mix in the flour and salt, and stir constantly with a whisk for one minute. Stir in milk. Cook until mixture has thickened. Stir in cheese all at once, and continue stirring until melted, about 30 to 60 seconds. Pour cheese over the potatoes, and cover the dish with aluminum foil.
4. Bake 1 1/2 hours in the preheated oven.

Deviled Eggs
6 boiled eggs
1/4 c. salad dressing
1/4 tsp. dry ground mustard
1/2 tsp vinegar
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Paprika

Remove egg yolks, mush.  Add ingredients and then add more to taste.  I added more salad dressing, mustard and vinegar to get the right taste and texture.  They were delish!

Asparagus
Boil water.  Snap off ends of asparagus and add to water.  Cook for maximum 3 minutes.  If they are thick 3 min. thin...much less.  I usually go by the look of them..they change to bright green!

Hollandaise sauce
from a packet!  Unless I am much more brave and then by hand, but it is tedious and takes a long time.  I made the mistake of buying McCormick this year...buy Knorr's if you can!  Different taste..not a fan.

HUGE SALAD with extra boiled eggs :)

Loni brought rolls
Amy brought cookies

I bought Angel food cake, strawberries and whipped cream

Family Favorite Mac & Cheese

Homemade goodness!  This is from Betty Crocker, but I have made some changes to fit our family and taste preference. My changes in RED.

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (7oz) I used 16 oz of penne pasta
1/4 c. butter or margarine
1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. ground mustard (Make sure it is ground mustard!  I used prepared on accident and not enough flavor..but the family still loved it!)
1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 c. milk
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

2 TB Olive Oil
1/4 c. +/- Panko bread crumbs
Garlic Salt
Parmesan Cheese

1. Heat oven to 350*.
2. Cook macaroni as directed on package.
3. While mac is cooking, melt butter in another saucepan over low heat.  Stir in flour, salt, pepper, ground mustard and Worcestershire sauce.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly.  Stir in milk and heat to boil; stir constantly.  Boil 1 minute.  REMOVE from heat and stir in cheese.  Cook, stirring constantly, until cheese is melted.
4.  Drain macaroni.  Gently stir in cheese sauce.  Pour in ungreased 2-quart (9x13) casserole. Add panko mixture to top Bake uncovered 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.

This was delish!  We even added a bit of ketchup to spice it up.  I think that if I would have READ the ground mustard vs. prepared the flavor would've been more intense.

Makes 6 serving (3/4c. each)

Cheese-filled Shells

Servings 8:
Jumbo Shells (abt. 40)
32 oz. cottage cheese
16 oz. mozzarella cheese
3/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
3 eggs
3/4 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp pepper

28 oz prepared spaghetti sauce


Cook jumbo shells until 1/2 of recommended time.  Drain.  Cool in a single layer on pan or waxed paper.  Combine cheese  eggs, oregano, s&p.  Fill each shell with 2TB. mixture. 

Serving Directions:
Thaw (or cook right away).  Spread 1/2 C. spaghetti on bottom of 9X13 pan.  Arrange shells in dish.  Pour remaining sauce over shells.  Warm at 350* for 30 minutes.

Cafe Rio

*Click to make larger

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c. butter, softened
1 c. packed light brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 c.  quick-cooking oats
1 c.  semi-sweet chocolate chips and butterscotch (half & half)

1. Preheat oven to 335*. 
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth.
3. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla.
4.  Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt;  stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. 
5.  Mix the oats and choc./butterscotch chips. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.
6.  Bake for 12 minutes.  Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

*revised by me :)

Brownies

1/2 c. butter

1 c . sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder

Frosting:
3 TB. butter, softened
3 TB. cocoa
1 TB honey
1 tsp. vanilla
1 C. powdered sugar

1.  Preheat oven to 350*.  Grease & flour an 8 in square pan.
2. In a saucepan, melt butter.  Remove from heat and add sugar, eggs and vanilla.  Beat in cocoa, flour, salt & baking powder.
3.  Spread butter into pan.  Bake 25 to 30 minutes. 
4.  Frosting:  Combine ingredients and frost brownies while warm. 

Italian Fajitas

Chicken breast
Italian Dressing
Red onion
Green Peppers
Toppings:  sour cream, salsa, olives

Cook chicken with 4 TB. of Italian dressing.  Set aside.
Cook 2 TB italian dressing with the veggies.

Eat in a tortilla.

CHicken Tostada pizza

Thanks Kristin!

Pizza dough recipe:

2 c. hot water                                     2 tsp. salt

1 Tbls. sugar                                      2-4 T. butter

1 Tbls. yeast                                       Garlic powder

4 c. flour                                             Onion Salt

Combine sugar and yeast in a medium sized bowl.  Add hot water to sugar and yeast.  Bubbles should appear.  Stir in flour and salt.  It will be sticky.  Throw damp towel over bowl.  Let sit for 30 minutes.  Take ¾ of the pizza dough and press flat in a jelly roll pan.  Melt butter and brush over dough.  Sprinkle lightly with garlic powder and onion salt.  Bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes.

Toppings:

1 c. salsa (or more so it spreads over whole pizza crust)                         Crushed Tortilla Chips

1 c. black beans                                                                                             Shredded Lettuce

1 c. canned corn                                                                                            Fresh Lime Juice

1 c. chicken, cooked and shredded                                                             Ranch Dressing

4-6 bacon slices, cooked and crushed                                                        Avocado

2 Roma tomatoes, diced

1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped small

1 (8 oz) pkg.  pepper jack cheese, shredded

When you pull pizza dough out of oven, spread salsa over the crust.  Add black beans, corn, chicken, crumbled bacon, tomatoes, jalapeno, and pepper jack cheese.  Bake again @ 375 degrees for 18-24 more minutes.  You can top each individual piece with crushed tortilla chips, shredded lettuce, freshly squeezed lime juice, ranch dressing, and avocado. 

Pesto Pizza

Thank you Kristin for this recipe!!

Store bought pizza dough

Pesto Sauce (I buy mine at Costco)

½ c. parmesan cheese, shredded

3 Tbls. Romano cheese, shredded

1 ¼ c. olive oil

Toppings:

Caramelized onions

Red peppers

Toasted pine nuts

Grilled Chicken (marinated in soy sauce and Italian dressing)

Artichokes, chopped

Olives

Roma Tomato Slices

Mix your store bought pizza dough together as it says on box.  Spread out on a greased cookie sheet.  Add pesto sauce to the top of the crust.  Add parmesan and Romano cheeses on top of the pesto sauce.  Then drizzle olive oil on top of the cheeses.  Apply desired toppings to pizza crust liberally.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-20 minutes, or until cheeses have melted and crust on pizza is golden brown.

Pesto Alfredo Lasagna

*I have not tried this as of 1.28.12, but I plan to put it in to our recipe rotation.  Read the recipe BEFORE making.

12 lasagna noodles

2 c. fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
1 c. flat-leaf parsley, lightly packed
16-20 cloves garlic
1/3 c. olive
¼ c. butter
¼ c. flour
2 c. milk or light cream
1 c. parmesan cheese, shredded
6 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
6 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Cook noodles according to directions; drain well. 

In a blender or food processor, combine basil, parsley, garlic and oil.  Blend until nearly smooth.  Transfer half of pesto sauce to a freezer container.  Freeze for another time.  Set remaining sauce aside. 
In a medium pan, melt butter.  Stir in flour until smooth.  Add milk all at once.  Stir constantly.  Stir over medium heat until thick and bubbly.  Stir in parmesan cheese and reserved pesto. 
Spread ½ c. sauce into a 3 qt. baking dish.  Lay 3 noodles side by side in the bottom of the dish; spread with ½ c. sauce and sprinkle with a heaping 1/3 c. each remaining cheeses (mozzarella and Monterey jack).  REPEAT LAYER 3 TIMES. 
Bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees for 30 minutes or until heated through.  Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.