Betty’s Tortilla Soup

Betty’s Tortilla Soup

1 cup of frozen onion 3Tablespoon of chopped jalapeño I use jarred 1Tablespoon of minced garlic, I probably double/triple that 1 Tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil *Sauté onion, jalapeno, and garlic in the EVOO 1 can of crushed Tomatoes I use a large one 6 cups of Low Sodium Chicken Stock 1 cup of Low Sodium Tomato Soup I use the large one *Stir thoroughly, add: 1 Teaspoon of Ground Cumin 1 Teaspoon of Chili Powder 1 Teaspoon of Salt 1 Teaspoon of Pepper ½ Teaspoon of Lemon Pepper 2 Tablespoons of Worcestershire Sauce *Simmer for 1 to 1 ½ hours uncovered between medium and low via Amanda Skelton Yocum, Betty is her sweet mama.

Jenna’s Cookies

 This is my go to cookie recipe. I like to change it up with different types of chips. Peanut butter, butterscotch, etc. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

- 4 cups flour (see note)

- 2 eggs

- 1.5 cups butter, softened (see note)

- 1.5 cup white sugar

- 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

- 2 tbsp cornstarch

- 2 tsp baking soda 

- 1.5 tsp salt

- 2 tbsp real vanilla (or 1 tbsp almond extract)

- 2 bags milk chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. 

2. In large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. It will take a couple minutes. 

3. Add eggs and vanilla, mix well. 

4. Add cornstarch, baking soda, salt. Mix well. 

5. Add flour, one cup at a time. Mix well. 

6. Add chocolate chips and stir in by hand. 

7. Use a cookie scoop to dish into cookie sheet. 

8. Bake 9-11 minutes, until edges are just browned. The middles will look undone. This will mean they stay chewy. If you like crunchy cookies, leave them in until the tops are brown. 

9. Allow to cool on pan for a few minutes, then slide the parchment and cookies off the pan onto a wire rack to cool completely. Store in air tight container.

Notes:  

1. Do not pack the flour. It’s best to use a smaller measuring cup and lightly scoop the flour into your one cup measure. 

3. Softened butter is important. Do not melt it! If you have time to take the butter out of the fridge and let it come to room temp, that is best. However, here’s a secret. Take three sticks of butter (1.5 cups) and place them on a plate. Do not unwrap them if they are in paper wrapping. Place the plate in the microwave on high for 15 seconds. Rotate the sticks, meaning flip them onto another side. Cook another 15 seconds. they should now be soft, but not melted. If you need a little more time, rotate again and put them back in for another 5-10 seconds. 

4. A cookie scoop is going to give you uniform cookies. Highly recommend. If you don’t have one, you can form balls by hand, using about 2-3 tbsp of dough. 

5. Don’t overbake, unless you want crunchy cookies. 

6. Mix up the add ins. This recipe works great with m&ms, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips, or any mixture of the above! Use what you love. 

7. Want to make the chocolate stand out even more? Add a generous dash of good cinnamon when you add the flour. 

Vanilla Custard French Toast Casserole

 Vanilla Custard French Toast Casserole 

8-10 slices of thick Texas toast

6 eggs

2 cups french vanilla creamer(or milk)

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup sugar of your choice

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Spray 9x13 casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place your bread, stacking like shingles as you go. 

In a separate bowl whisk all ingredients together until well mixed and then poor over bread saturating each piece. Cover with aluminum foil and place in refrigerator overnight. 

Take out at least 1 hour before baking. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake uncovered for 55-60 minutes or until tops are browned. 

Remove from oven and let rest and cool. Check in the center with butter knife, if it comes out clean, it’s fully done. 

Big Soft Ginger Cookies

These are just what they say: big, soft, gingerbread cookies. They stay soft, too. 

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup margarine, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons white sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Almost Soupplantaion/Sweet Tomato's Pinto Bean & Barley Soup with Basil

Almost Soupplantaion/Sweet Tomato's Pinto Bean & Barley Soup with Basil

Ingredients:
1 small pkg pinto beans (16 oz)
1 c  low sodium vegetable broth
2 c or 2 stalks sliced celery (not diced)
1-1 1/2 c sliced carrots
a heaping 1/2 c chopped red onion
2 bay leaves
2 1/2 tsp basil
1/2 c fresh chopped parsley
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
garlic powder ( I didn't measure this, but start with a couple of good shakes-you can always add more later. I wanted to used minced garlic but was out)
4 c vegetable broth
8 c water
1/3 c barley
cayenne
optional: hot sauce, Parmesan cheese, Mrs. Dash ( I especially like the tomato basil flavor, but the regular one will do.

Prepare beans as you like for cooking. You can presoak them overnight, but it is not necessary.  Sort and wash beans. Put them in a soup pot covered with water 2 inches above where the beans are. Also add 1 c vegetable broth . Bring to a boil, then turn down and simmer for 1 hour.
After an hour or so, drain beans and rinse them. Rinse the soup pot out too to get all the foamy, dirty residue out of it.
Put beans back into the pan.  Add celery through water. Stir to mix together and bring to a boil once again. Put a lid on it, turn down heat, and simmer several hours to all day.  You want your beans to be tender and falling apart.  Add more water or broth as needed to make sure you keep a good amount of liquid in the pot. About an hour before serving, add barley, a little cayenne, and more garlic powder if needed. Simmer till its done, maybe about 45 minutes or so. It's better to start with a little cayenne and then have to add more later because you want just a little kick...nothing too overpowering. When barley is tender,  discard bay leaves and put some of the soup in a blender ( I did 1 1/2 c beans and veggies mixture & 1- 1 1/2 c. liquid). Blend to mix well, then pour back into soup pot. If it's still not the consistency you want you can blend up some more. This adds consistency to your soup and thickens it up. Stir and serve.
Use optional toppings if you choose.

Re-blogged via: Banana Boats & Cabbage Patches cause I went to Soupplantation today, and I could eat this soup for days! ~mms

Loaded Potatoes & Buffalo Chicken

LOADED POTATOES AND BUFFALO CHICKEN!!

2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, cubed (1")

8-10 medium potatoes, cut in 1/2" cubes

1/3 cup olive oil

1&1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp. black pepper

1 Tbsp. paprika

2 Tbsp. garlic powder

6 Tbsp. hot sauce

Topping:

2 cups fiesta blend cheese

1 cup crumbled bacon

1 cup diced green onion

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9 X 13" baking dish with cooking spray. In a large bowl mix together the olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and hot sauce. Add the cubed potatoes and stir to coat. Carefully scoop the potatoes into the prepared baking dish, leaving behind as much of the olive oil/hot sauce mixture as possible. Bake the potatoes for 45-50 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes, until cooked through and crispy and browned on the outside. While the potatoes are cooking, add the cubed chicken to the bowl with the left over olive oil/hot sauce mixture and stir to coat. Once the potatoes are fully cooked, remove from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees. 

Top the cooked potatoes with the raw marinated chicken. In a bowl mix together the cheese, bacon and green onion and top the raw chicken with the cheese mixture. Return the casserole to the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the topping is bubbly delicious.

Serve with extra hot sauce and/or ranch dressing.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Betty Crocker red cookbook recipe:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter (Natural)
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 c butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
1 1/4 cup flour (I have found this to be not enough so after I add all the rest of the ingredients I usually add 1/4-1/2ish cup more until the dough isn't sticky anymore)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Bake at 375
Beat 1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter, shortening, butter and egg in large bowl on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Sitr in flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Shape into balls and flatten...you know the drill...

Here is the most important part: cook for 8-9 minutes but not all the way done. Then take cookie sheet out and let cookies stay on there to keep cooking a little for about 2-4 minutes. Then remove them to cool. This make them SO soft and chewy! The other thing is you have to use natural peanut butter (the kind with no sugar)



Photo by Jamie

Apricot Chicken

Cook Time: 1 Hour
Ready In: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
Yields: 6 servings

INGREDIENTS:
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 (1 3/8 ounce) packages dry onion soup mix
1 (8 fluid ounce) bottle Russian-style salad dressing
2 cups apricot preserves
2 teaspoons Madras or Mild Curry powder

Oven DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place the chicken pieces in a 4 quart casserole dish. Mix the soup mix, dressing, curry powder and jam together, and pour over the chicken.
3. Cover dish and bake for 1 hour in preheated oven.

This can be done on the stove. Just brown the chicken and then add the sauce mixture, cooking on a medium low heat until done.

I've also let it cook all day in the crock pot, and the chicken is so tender and perfect! Crowds LOVE it for a big pot-luck! Definitely adding it to my arsenal. Thanks Amy!

Apple Crumb Pie

This delicious apple pie has a soft and sweet crumb topping.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 8 tart apples, cored, peeled, and thinly sliced (6 cups/2lbs)
• 1 9-inch unbaked pie crust (can use a frozen pie crust)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine

Preparation:

Put sliced apples into a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix first four ingredients. Stir this mixture into the apple slices. Put this apple mixture into the pie shell.

Combine the remaining flour and sugar in a small bowl. Using a fork or pastry cutter, add the butter or margarine until the mixture is very crumbly. Sprinkle this over the apples.

Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes. If the pie crust is browning too quickly, cover the edge with foil. Let cool, or this pie can be served warm, if desired.

C&H Sugar 1001 Cookie Starter

5 cups - all-purpose flour 
3 3/4 cups - C&H® Pure Cane Granulated Sugar 
2 tablespoons - baking powder 
2 teaspoons - salt 
1 1/2 cups - plus 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened 


In a 4-quart bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir until thoroughly blended. Add butter and use pastry blender or clean hands to work into dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse meal. Makes 10 cups. For best results: Be sure that your baking powder is less than a month old when putting together the mix. If using margarine, do not choose diet, whipped or soft. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer. Do not press the mix. Let Cookie Starter Mix come to room temperature before use.

1. Assemble the 1001 Cookie Starter – this homemade baking mix becomes the base to easily create a variety of cookie recipes. The 1001 Cookie Starter makes 10 cups, and you know exactly what goes into each one, including the sweetness of pure cane sugar. You can use the Cookie Starter right away or save it, either frozen or refrigerated, for when you are ready to bake.
   
   Storage Tip: Divide 1001 Cookie Starter mix into 1 cup portions before freezing. Use plastic resealable bags or air-tight containers.
2. Add specialty ingredients along with cups of the 1001 Cookie Starter to make various cookies: gingerbread, sugar cookies, fudge balls, brownies, pinwheel cookies and more. Try a few of our recipes below or experiment and create your own recipe with these helpful tips:
   • For sweeter, crispier cookies, add 2-4 tablespoons of C&H^® Light Brown Sugar and/or you can use 2-4 tablespoons of butter or margarine.
   • When making cookies, if your mix is slightly dry, add 1-2 tablespoons of milk at a time, until dough-like consistency is reached.
   • Experiment with spices, such as ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves or allspice.
   • Enhance the flavor of chocolate cookies by substituting 1-2 tablespoons of brewed coffee at room temperature for another liquid in the recipe. Or, if no liquid is called for in the recipe, in addition to the coffee, add equal parts of cocoa powder.
   • Add 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of flour to a recipe to give it a consistency that can be rolled and cut. Remember to allow dough to chill before cutting.
3. Wrap up all your different cookies to give as holiday gifts, then wait for the smiles! See all of C&H^® Sugar's unique Holiday Gift Ideas for more delicious holiday recipes, tips on adding an extra touch to your baked gifts and also some free gift tags you can print at home.

For more recipes, see C&H 1001 Cookie Starter homepage.

Carrot, Beet,Ginger, Lemon, Grapefruit Juice

This juice combo was fantastic! ! It included 1 golden beet, 3 medium carrots, 1” knob ginger, 1 lemon, and 1 grapefruit. So good.

There's a good chance I'll become a crazy juicer lady... You've been warned!

Best-Ever Pie Crust

Best-Ever Pie Crust

yield: Makes 2 pie crusts (enough dough for 1 double-crust pie, 1 lattice-topped pie, or 2 single-crust pies)

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup chilled lard or frozen nonhydrogenated solid vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
5 tablespoons (or more) ice water

Preparation:
Blend flour, sugar, and salt in processor. Add butter and lard; using on/off turns, blend until mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer mixture to medium bowl. Add 5 tablespoons ice water and mix with fork until dough begins to clump together, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dry. Gather dough together. Divide dough in half; flatten each half into disk. Wrap each disk in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour. DO AHEAD Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep refrigerated. If necessary, soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.



Via: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Best-Ever-Pie-Crust-238816#ixzz1gXIhWk8e

Summer Peach Pie with Vanilla and Cardamom

Tip: No need to peel the peaches — the peel provides great color, texture, and flavor. Just gently rub off the peach fuzz with a kitchen towel.

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 vanilla bean, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon (scant) ground cardamom
• 3 3/4 pounds firm but ripe unpeeled peaches, halved, pitted, each half cut into 4 slices (about 10 cups)
• 2 Best-Ever Pie Crust dough disks 
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• Whipping cream (for glaze)
• Vanilla ice cream

Preparation: 

Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Combine 2/3 cup sugar and vanilla bean in processor; blend until vanilla bean is very finely minced. Sift vanilla sugar through strainer into large bowl; discard any large bits in strainer. Mix flour and cardamom into vanilla sugar. Add peaches to flour-sugar mixture and toss gently to coat.

Roll out 1 pie crust disk on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Trim dough overhang to 1/2 inch. Spoon peach mixture into crust; dot with butter. Roll out second pie crust disk on lightly floured surface to 12-inch round. Drape dough over peach filling; trim overhang to 1 1/2 inches. Fold top and bottom edges under, pressing together to seal. Crimp edges decoratively. Using small sharp knife, cut 2-inch-long X in center of top crust to allow steam to escape. Brush crust lightly with whipping cream; sprinkle with remaining 2 teaspoons sugar.

Place pie on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until crust is golden, peaches are tender, and juices bubble thickly through cut in top crust, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Transfer pie to rack and cool until lukewarm, about 2 hours.

Serve pie lukewarm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream.

Via: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Summer-Peach-Pie-with-Vanilla-and-Cardamom-238821#ixzz1gXHpqi4M

Layered Pumpkin Butter Dip

Layered Pumpkin Butter Dip

• 8 oz Cream Cheese at Room Temp
• 1/2 Jar Muirhead Pecan Pumpkin Butter (sold at William Sonoma)
• 1/2 Cup Chopped Pecans
• 3 Slices Bacon Crisp and Crumbled
• 2 Tablespoons Chopped Green Onion

• Spread cream cheese in a small baking dish or gratin. Top with pumpkin butter then bacon, pecans and green onion Serve with crackers.

Microwave Caramels

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup light Karo syrup
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients.
2. Cook 6 minutes, stirring every two minutes.
3. Stir and pour into lightly greased dish.
4. Let cool.
5. Cut, wrap in wax paper & store in air tight container.
   

Baked Fontina

Baked Fontinasource: adapted from How Easy is That? by Ina Garten
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs Italian fontina, rind removed and cubed into 1-inch pieces
• 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Adjust top rack of the oven so that it sits about 5 inches under the broiler unit. Preheat broiler.
2. Spread cheese out in the bottom of a 12-inch cast iron pan.  Drizzle olive oil over the cheese.  Mix together the garlic and herbs in a small bowl and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the cheese.  Sprinkle salt and pepper over the top of the cheese.
3. Bake for 6 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and melted through.  Carefully remove the pan from the oven and set it on a heatproof surface – the pan will be hot!  Serve immediately.
   
   
   

Whole Wheat Bread

(Breadmaker)
IN A MICROWAVABLE BOWL COMBINE:
1 & 1/4 CUPS WATER
2 TBLS. OIL
1/3 CUP CLOVER HONEY
1 TBLS. LIQUID LECIT-HIN (Lecithin makes whole wheat bread lighter)
1 TSP. SALT (**DONT LET SALT AND YEAST TOUCH)
MICROWAVE FOR ABOUT 1 MINUTE. POUR MIXTURE INTO BREAD PAN MIXER.
ADD:
3 CUPS FRESHLY GRQUND WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR (OR 2 WHOLE WHEAT & 1
WHITE ALL PURPOSE FLOUR)
3 TSPS. YEAST
1 TBLS. VITAL WHEAT GLUTIN (KEEPS WHOLE WHEAT BREAD FROM
CRUMBLING).
Program for full Whole Wheat mix. Not rapid mix for this recipe. My bread maker takes
about three hours and twenty minutes.

Sherrie's White Bread

(Breadmaker)
1& 1/3 C WATER (Luke warm)
2& 1/2 TBLS. BUTTER (Real Butter either salted or non. I use salted)
1/3 C HONEY (Clover)
1&1/2 TSPS. SALT
3 CUPS FLOUR + 1 CUP (SCOOPED & LEVELED)
1/4 C DRY MILK (NOT INSTANT)
1&1/2 TSPS. YEAST (I use Fleischmen's Bread Machine yeast).

Baking Bread Tips & Tricks

Notes on Yeast

·         Bread Machine yeast has a finer texture.

·         Regular Dry yeast has a coarser texture. It is best started in warm water with a pinch of sugar, especially if it is older. Water should be warm to the touch but not burn your finger.

·         Rapid Rise yeast

·         Stores well in freezer

·         “1 package” = 2 ¼ teaspoons (some sources say 2 ½)

Types of Flour

·         All-Purpose:  Use for everyday baking of cookies, cakes, and some breads.

·         Bread Flour:  Has a higher protein content and gives a better rise for yeast breads.

·         Whole Wheat Flour:  Most recipes are best with a combination of whole wheat and white flour but all whole wheat can be used. Grinding your own wheat provides the freshest and most nutritious flour. Whole wheat bread can be dense and need a little help to rise well and have a better texture. Adding lecithin, vital wheat gluten, and/or other dough boosters/enhancers helps.

·         There are many varieties of flour to try such as rye and specialty “artisan” flours.

Kneading Bread Dough

Bread dough must be kneaded to develop the gluten, which allows it to rise. With heavy-duty mixers (e.g., Kitchen Aid, Bosch) and bread machines, not very many of us knead by hand anymore. For those of us who like to handle the dough and form our own loaves, here are a few things to keep in mind:

·         You can use a bread machine set on “dough cycle” to make just about any kind of bread dough.

·         After removing the dough from the bread machine, you will need to knead it to remove the air bubbles and get it ready to form into loaves.

·         Work on a lightly floured surface (wooden board, counter top, canvas cloth or other specialty mat/cloth)

Forming and Baking

A few tips for forming your own loaves and baking in the oven instead of the bread machine:

·         To form a loaf roll the dough out into a rectangle and then roll it up (as if you were making cinnamon rolls but there’s nothing in the middle). Pinch the dough to close the seam and pull some of the dough down and under at each end to make it nice and smooth.

·         Let the formed loaves rise in a warm place until they have about doubled in size.

·         Cover loaves with a clean, damp cloth while they rise to keep them from drying out. 

·         Always preheat the oven. If you are baking the bread on a stone, leave the stone in the oven while it pre-heats.

·         French and other artisan-type loaves can be baked on a stone or in special pans with perforations.

·         Steam is the key to chewy, crunchy crusts. Spritz the oven with water when you put the loaves in, place a pan with a little water in it on the bottom rack for the first several minutes of baking, or bake in a covered cast-iron or ceramic crock.

·         Bread is done if it makes a “hollow” sound when you tap on it. If in doubt, go for a few more minutes. It takes quite a while to really over-bake or burn bread.

Bread samples tonight include Sister Rydalch’s whole wheat, harvest, and rye, as well as her famous white, and Andrea’s French from a starter and oatmeal English muffin. If you would like recipes or information on starters, let us know.  

Oatmeal English Muffin Bread

5 ¼ C flour

1 C oats

2 pkgs yeast (about 4 ½ t)

1 T brown sugar

2 t salt

¼ t baking soda

2 C milk

½ C water

  

In a large bowl, combine 2 ¼ cups flour, oats, yeast, brown sugar, salt and baking soda. Combine the milk and water and heat the mixture until it is very warm but not hot to the touch. Gradually add it to the dry ingredients and beat well. Stir in remaining 3 cups of flour to make a stiff batter. Spoon into two greased loaf pans. You can coat the greased pans with cornmeal if you wish. Cover with a clean, damp cloth and let it rise in a warm place for 45 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove from pans immediately. To serve, slice and toast.