Spicy Pasta n Chick Peas

Sometimes I am just inspired to create something of my own in the kitchen.  Look through the cupboards and what should I find?  An easy dinner to pull together all in one pot!

Spicy Pasta n Chick Peas
16 oz bag of dried pesto tortellini-cook as directed
1 can chick peas drained
2 cups of fresh spinach chopped
1 can of Rotel ( or use a can of diced tomatoes if you don't want spicy)
Package of turkey kielbasa
Salt n Pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.  In large saucepan sautee kielbasa, add spinach, simmer till wilted.  Add drained chick peas and can of Rotel.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stir in pasta and there's a quick healthy dinner.
Enjoy!
E.W.

Fiesta Tortilla Soupa

Gone are the days of just tomato or chicken noodle soup for choices.  This new Millennial generation hankers for something a bit more zippy.  I like my tried and true recipes, the ones that never fail, the ones that fall under 'comfort food', but this one is a keeper!  The best part of this soup is the major portion of the ingredients is to dump them straight into the pot.  Other than chopping zucchini and garlic and shredding some chicken, you are on your way.

Fiesta Tortilla Soup
1 medium zucchini coarsely chopped
1 can black beans drained and rinsed
1 can pinto beans drained and rinsed
1 bag of frozen corn
29oz vege or chicken broth
1 16 oz jar chunky salsa ( I used medium)
8oz can tomato sauce
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 cloves garlic minced
2 T chili powder
1 t cumin

Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot.  Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.  Serve with any of these toppings:  shredded cheese, sour cream, guacamole, sliced green onions, but definitely serve with crushed tortilla chips!

Enjoy!
E.W. 

Apple Cider Mini Muffins

Apple Cider Mini Muffins
 2 c flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1 1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
2 t cinnamon
1 egg
2/3 c brown sugar
1/2 c apple butter
1 t vanilla
1/3 c honey
1/3 c apple cider
1/3 c greek yogurt
2 T canola oil

Topping:
2 T melted butter
1/4 c sugar
1 t cinnamon

Spray 3 mini muffin tins with Pam.  Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine dry ingredients in separate bow.  Mix wet ingredients then add in dry.  Don't overmix.  Fill tins 3/4 full.  Bake 10-12 minutes.  After muffins have cooled a bit brush tops with melted butter and roll in cinnamon sugar.
The fragrance of fall lingers in your kitchen.  These are a tasty treat!

Coram Deo,
E.W.

Crab n Corn Chowder

O YUM!  This soup guaranteed to make friends!

Crab n Corn Chowder
4 oz bacon, chopped
1 cup onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
2 T minced garlic
3/4 chopped red bell pepper
1 bag of frozen corn or 7ears of fresh corn
1/4 cup flour
2 quarts crab stock or chicken stock
1 pound lump crab meat
1 1/2 cups peeled and cubed russet potatoes
1 T salt
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1 cup coconut milk (you can use heavy cream)
Fresh parsley for garnish

Directions:
Place stockpot over medium heat and cook bacon till crispy, about 5 minutes.  Remove bacon and drain on paper towels.  Add onions, carrots, celery and saute till veges are soft, about 5 minutes.

Add garlic and cook till fragrant, about 45 seconds.  Add peppers and corn to pot and cook for 10 minutes, stir often.  Sprinkle flour into pot to make a rue, stir constantly for 5 minutes.  Pour stock in and stir.  Use whisk to break any lumsp.

Add potatoes to pot, bring to boil, then reduce to simmer for 20 minutes.  Season chowder with salt and cayenne.  Stir in crab meat and milk. 

Garnish with bacon and parsley.
We licked the pot clean, definitely need to double this next time!

Delish!
E.W.

My New Favorite App

Avocado-Corn Relish

We went over to sup with our youth pastor a few weeks ago and they served this fantastic appetizer.  It is my new favorite thing to make.  I personally have made it a half-a-dozen times since then and people are asking for the recipe.  I have adapted it a bit from the original...

Recipe Avocado-Corn Relish
1/4 cup of lime juice
1 T red wine vinegar
1 T olive oil
1 1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
3/4 t cayenne
1 bag of frozen corn
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/3 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup cilantro, minced
3-4 avocados

Whisk first 6 ingredients together.  Pour over corn, peppers, onion and cilantro.  Let sit for 1 hour (or overnight is fine too).  Add avocado right before serving.

Serve with tortilla chips.  I have also put this on burgers, grilled chicken or fish.  It's so yummy.  Needs to be eaten up because the avocados turn brown the next day.

Enjoy,
E.W.

Pudding Cake

Simply, moist, and delicious!  I love making quick desserts that don't require alot of ingredients! 

Ingredients:

1 pkg  Butter Cake Mix
1 (3.4 oz) pkg vanilla instant pudding and pie filling
4 large eggs
1 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 bag chocolate chips
confectioners' sugar, for garnish


Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour 10-inch Bundt® pan.
Combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water and oil in large mixing bowl. Beat at medium speed with electric mixer for 2 minutes. Stir in chips. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 25 minutes.
Invert onto serving plate. Cool completely. Dust with confectioners', sugar if desired.

Enjoy!
E.W.

Grasshopper Cake

So a grasshopper walks into a bar and the bartender says, "Hey, we have a drink named after you!"  The grasshopper pauses and replies, "You have a drink named Bob?"

I digress...my children, without a blink, request this dessert for their birthday cake.  It is so simple and refreshing you just won't be able to contain a smile!

Recipe:
25 fudge mint cookies
3 tablespoons of butter
1 gallon of mint chocolate chip ice cream
1 container 8oz of cool whip

Instructions:
Preheat oven 350 degrees.  In a 9x13 pan scoop butter into pan and place in warming oven to melt.  While that is melting, blitz the 25 cookies in a food processor.  When butter is melted pour cookie crumbs into pan and press evenly to make a crust with a fork.  Bake crust for about 8 minutes.  Let cool.  Take ice cream out of freezer and let soften on the counter as the crust cools.  Once the ice cream is soft dump into a large bowl, add cool whip and mix the two together till smooth.  Pour onto crust and spread evenly then pop it back into the freezer.  How simple is that?

Enjoy your cool dessert!
E.W.

Overnite Cauliflower Salad

 Here is a recipe for an easy, yummy salad to put together the night before.  Besides being delicious, it also survives the day after you serve it.  Just toss some more lettuce in your left-overs and it perks right up!

Layer your salad bowl as follows.
*Cover 1/2 the bottom of the bowl with lettuce of your choice.  I use either romaine or a mix.
*Chop up a head of cauliflower into bite-sized pieces and lay on top of lettuce.
*Spread a thin-ish layer of mayonnaise over the cauliflower.
*Chop up one red or yellow onion and sprinkle that on top of the mayo.
*Saute 1 pound of bacon, cut into small pieces and add that on top of the onion.
*Sprinkle 1/4 cup of sugar on the bacon.


If you forget to pull it together the night before, first thing in the morning works too!


Enjoy,
E.W.

Hearty Beef Stew

This is a great recipe to double and freeze.  It also is perfect for a potluck or gathering.  Serve with crusty rolls to soak up the yummy sauce!

Hearty Beef Stew

1 1/2 to 2 lb. boneless beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons oil
4 cups water
1 can tomato sauce
4 vege bouillon cubes
4 celery stalks
2 large onions
2 bay leaf
6 carrots, cut into coins
3 medium potatoes, cubes
1 cup frozen peas
1 tablespoon parsley

Coat beef cubes with mixture of 1/4 cup flour, salt and pepper.  In large stew pot or Dutch oven, brown meat in oil.  Stir in water, tomato sauce, bouillon cubes, celery, onions, and bay leafs.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer about an hour until meat is tender.
Remove bay leafs.  Add carrots and potatoes.  Cover, simmer an additional 30 to 40 minutes or until veges are tender.  Stir in peas and parsley.  Cook over medium heat until mixture boils, stir frequently.  Serves 10.

Quick Potato Bread

This is a yummy, quick recipe to pull together for your bread machine.  Nothing makes the house smell like home than fresh baked bread!

 Potato Bread

1 cup warm water

3 Tablespoons melted butter

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3 Tablespoons potato flakes

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/4 teaspoon yeast

Place ingredients in given order into bread machine.  Set on white bread setting.  I used the light crust setting for mine.

Enjoy,

E.W.

Donut Cake

This has become a favorite treat around our house.  It is sooo easy to make you won't believe it!  This tastes just like a cinnamon donut, except it doesn't upset my tummy.

Donut Cake Recipe
box of yellow cake mix
1/2 stick butter
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 cup sugar

Make the cake as directed on the package, I like Trader Joe's yellow cake mix.  Bake in a 9x13 pan.  Mix the cinnamon and sugar together.  When the cake comes out of the oven rub the stick of butter all over the cake till it is absorbed or you could melt the butter and use a pastry brush to paint it on the cake.  Next sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top and that is it!!
Enjoy,
E.W.

Hawaiian Shrimp Salsa

Hawaiian Shrimp Salsa

Super easy 3 ingredients appetizer for you to whip up in a jif.  We went back for seconds when we were in Hawaii last year for this number.  You could certainly make the salsa from scratch, but sometimes you just want to quickly pull something together!

Container of fresh salsa-from produce section in grocery store

1 avocado

1/2lb. cooked shrimp, chopped

Mix together right before serving.  I like blue corn chips to accompany this dish.

Enjoy,
E.W.

Pink Lemonade Shortbread

Due to this week's culinary delights I must go to the gym an extra day or two...or three.  I love shortbread.  I love pink.  I love this new treat that would be just right to serve at a tea party or for Valentine's Day.

Pink Lemonade Shortbread

Crust:

1 1/2 sticks softened butter

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Topping:

4 eggs, room temperature

1 3/4 cups sugar

1 Tbsp. freshly grated lemon zest

Juice from 1 whole lemon

1/3 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

5 drops red food coloring

Heat oven 350 degrees. Line 13x9 with parchment paper.  For the crust beat butter, flour and powdered sugar in mixer until blended (it will be dry and crumbly). Press over the bottom of the pan and bake 15 minutes till golden.  Next in large mixing bowl beat eggs, sugar, lemon zest and juice, flour and baking powder till smooth.  Add about 5 drops of red food coloring till it turns pink.  Pour over hot crust.  Bake another 25 minutes til top is golden and set (a.k.a. no jiggly).  Cool in pan.  Lift parchment paper out and cut into bars.  Dust with confectioner's sugar.

Faithfully Yours,

E.W.

Beer Bread

With two hungry teenagers devouring everything in site I have had to bulk up our dinner menu.  Forever and a day I have served a meat, a starch, and a bag of steamed frozen veggies.  That is not cutting it anymore so I have had to think of a fourth dinner item.  Beer bread is a snap to throw together.  Because the beer acts as the yeast there is no delay in baking it immediately.  I buy the cheapest 6-pack of beer and tuck it in the pantry for when I want to whip this up.

Beer Bread Recipe
3 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 T sugar
can of beer
2T melted butter
Sift the dry ingredients then add the can of beer, mix.  
Pour into greased 9x5 loaf pan and pour melted butter on top.  Bake for about 50 minutes.  You can spruce it up with cheese or garlic salt.

Enjoy,
E.W.

Grammy's Chocolate Chip Cake

So half way through eating this delicious treat I thought of you and took a quick snapshot before I inhaled the last of it!  This does not meet any nutritional standard, it simply appeals to your deep desire for confectionary
delight.

Grammy's Chocolate Chip Cake Recipe
1 Yellow Cake Mix
1 Small Package Instant Vanilla Pudding
4 Eggs
1 cup water
1/2 cup canola oil
1 package (12 oz) mini semisweet chocolate chips
1 package (4oz) German Sweet Chocolate, grated and divided
Confectioner's Sugar
In large bowl combine first 5 ingredients, beat on low for 30 seconds, then medium for 2 minutes.
Stir in chocolate chips and half of grated chocolate

Pour into greased 13x9 pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until toothpick comes clean

Sprinkle with remaining chocolate while slightly warm.  Cool completely (do some sit-ups while you wait for it to cool)!  Dust with powdered sugar.

Enjoy,
E.W.

Artichoke Salsa

Give your taste buds a tantalizing treat with this uptown salsa.

Artichoke Salsa
Can of artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
3-4 Roma Tomatoes
4 T red onion chopped
1/2 cup black olives chopped
3 cloves minced garlic
2 T capers
4 T fresh chopped basil
Salt and Pepper to taste

I use a food chopper to speed up the process.  Mix everything together and chill for an hour.  Serve with blue tortilla chips.

Enjoy,
E.W.

Homemade Chicken Soup

I have had some requests about making homemade chicken noodle soup.  The first thing you are going to need is an afternoon at home and a big pot.  This recipe makes a triple batch, it freezes perfectly for a rainy day.  Fill the pot with cold water and add a whole chicken after you take out the weird stuff in the cavity,  blaahh, that just gives my the woo-ga-lee's!  Add a palm full of salt and turn up the heat!  Let it cook for an 1 1/2 hours.  It should be bubbling as it cooks, not too rapid, but bubbles are definitely needed.  You will notice that this white foamy stuff rises to the top, skim that off with a spoon as the chicken cooks.  This is the toxins being released from the bird as it boils--again so gross.  Here is a picture to show you what I am referring to...

Okay just get pass that part, think of it as the foam on top of the ocean waves at the beach...who in the world knows what that is!  After that cooks for and hour or so add the following:

2 large onions diced or leeks work great too
3-4 lbs carrots, 1" thick
6 celery stalks (if they have the leaves on them, chop them up too)
6 vege bouillon cubes
2 bay leaves
large can of tomato puree
Let that cook for about for about an hour.

Remove chicken from pot, should be falling off the bone and let cool.  Add 3/4 cup barley, 1/2 cup quinao and cook for 45 minutes.  Next add
3T parsley
1 T thyme
1/2 t. pepper

Taste it and see if it needs more salt, if it does, add another bouillon until it is the right flavoring.
Pull chicken apart (after it cools a mite) and cut into bite size pieces and add back to soup. 
Now you can add some chopped spinach and mushrooms for a hearty soup (my favorite) or in a separate pot boil some soup noodles.

Chex & NO Balances

 I bought a box of Rice Cereal and my snacking life will never be the same!  One recipe is salty and satisfies the crunch need and the other is the cure for PMS!

 

Munchie Mix

Have a snack attack with this fix.  I love Chex Mix, picking out your favorite bits, but it contains MSG and other unpronounceable ingredients.  This recipe makes quite a bit.

8 cups of popcorn

4 cups corn/rice cereal

1 cup of cashews or peanuts

1 cup pretzels

1 cup or oyster crackers or croutons or cheese crackers (whatever you have)

1/4 cup butter

4 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp salt

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp sugar

Melt butter in pan.  Stir in Worcestershire sauce, salt, garlic powder, onion powder and sugar.  Mix.  Combine all snack ingredients in a large bowl.  Pour butter mix over and coat thoroughly.  Put mix on a cookie sheet and bake for 1 hour stirring every 15 minutes at 250 degrees.  Let cool and store in airtight container.

How bad can it be for you?  Peanut butter, dark chocolate, nuts, dried fruit...that doesn't sound too bad, right?  I know, I know, it's the powdered sugar that gets ya, BUT, really and truly you inhale most of from the cloud of sugar that happens when you pour it into the bag, so how much can really be in there??  Go with me on this...
 Heavenly Mix

8 cups Rice Cereal

1/3 cup raisins

1/3 cup cashews

3/4 cup chocolate chips

2/3 cup peanut butter

1 3/4 cup powdered sugar

In a large bowl combine cereal, cashews and raisins.  In small microwave bowl combine chocolate chips and peanut butter.  Microwave on high for 1 minute, stir, then nuke another 25 seconds.  Pour chocolate over cereal mix and stir till everyone is happy.  Pour powdered sugar in large baggie and dump the coated cereal mix in this and shake, shake, shake!  Indulge at your discretion.

Enjoy,
E.W.

Mini Pecan Pie Muffins

These are fun treat to make and easy as snap to put together. I love to make 'mini' anything.  They are crispy on top and gooey in the middle...

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

2 eggs

1/2 stick melted butter

Combine first 3 ingredients.  Beat eggs till foamy and add butter.  Pour egg mix into dry ingredients and blend until moistened.  Don't over-blend.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes in greased, mini muffin tins.

Enjoy,

E.W.

Oaty Craisin Cookies

This is about as pert near perfect looking cookies that I've ever had come out of my oven!  More often than not they sprawl themselves out like a whale on the beach.  Now these cookies we could put in the 'somewhat' healthy category, vague, I know but read the list of ingrediments.  There is just something about real maple syrup and brown sugar that seems more nutritious than white sugar, okay... so I can live in my dream world if I want, they know me there!

1 cup butter-unsalted

1/2 cup maple syrup

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour (I use a light wheat)

3 cups oatmeal

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup of crushed walnuts

1/2 dried cranberries

1/2 raisins

Mix butter, syrup, sugar till smooth.  Add eggs and vanilla.  If you have restraint sift your dry ingredients together (which I never do) and add to the wet mix.  Toss in nuts and dried fruit.  If you don't have one kind, use double of the other.  My daughter likes to throw in dark chocolate chips, but that is almost too much for the cookie.  It's your cookie...you decide!

Bake, 350 degrees, until almost cooked, about 11 minutes.  They will finish cooking on the hot pan for another minute when you take them out of the oven.  Then, let them cool on a wire rack. Don't let them harden on the pan, you will have a heck of a time getting them off!  You have been warned!

These are a moist in the middle, crunchy on the edges kind of cookie...sigh.  Now go make them!

Blessings,

E.W.