Monthly Archives: December 2011

December 22, 2011 · 10:16 am

Crock Pot BBQ Brisket

This is the first brisket I have ever made and it turned out perfect! It was moist and flavorful and it was SO easy! The only trick is remembering to put it in your CrockPot in the morning because it has to cook for at least 9 hours. This would be perfect for a Christmas or New Year’s dinner, too. Happy eating!

Ingredients:
5 1/2 pounds beef brisket
1 3/4 cup barbecue sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoons garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

Instructions:
Combine all ingredients, coating the brisket well. Marinate overnight.

Place brisket and marinade in in crock-pot on low for 9 to 10 hours.

Slice into thin strips, across the grain and serve on rolls or buns.

We had this with applesauce, creamed corn and 7-Up biscuits. We also had some extra BBQ sauce on the side for dipping.

Did I change anything? Well, I forgot to marinate it overnight. Oops. It still turned out perfect. We also didn’t have ours on rolls.

What did the family think? Husband and I thought it was FABULOUS. The kids were less impressed.

Where did this recipe come from? About.com

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Make Ahead of Time, Sandwich, Super Easy to Make

December 20, 2011 · 10:36 am

Crock Pot Apple Butter Pork Loin

Anything that has apple butter in it has got to be good and this is no exception.

Ingredients:
2 pound boneless pork loin roast
2 cups apple juice
1/2 cup apple butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Ingredients:
Put pork loin in Crock Pot. Pour the rest of the ingredients on top of the pork loin and cook on high for 6 hours.

We had this served on potato buns with BBQ sauce with a green salad and fruit salad on the side. If I could do it over though, I would have added a little cornstarch and water to the broth that was left over from cooking and put it all in a saucepan to make some gravy to serve over mashed potatoes. Yum!

What did the family think? Everybody ate it! The kids just didn’t have it with the BBQ sauce.

Where did this recipe come from? Allrecipes.com

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Pork, Super Easy to Make

December 19, 2011 · 11:40 am

Red Velvet Cheesecake Cookies

This is the only recipe on this whole blog that I have not personally tasted, but it didn’t make a ton of cookies and I was making them for the teachers at the kids’ school. So I just crossed my fingers and hoped they were good. They must have been because my cookie tray was returned to me with a post-it on it that said “Delicious!”. Not only are they delicious, but they are also very festive since they’re red.

Ingredients:
For the cookies:
1 box red velvet cake mix
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the cheesecake filling:
4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the white chocolate drizzle:
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips, melted

Instructions:
To make cookies, in a large bowl combine cake mix and flour. Whisk until clumps disappear. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together cake mix, flour, eggs, oil and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap. The dough will be oily. Refrigerate for at least two hours.

While the dough is in the frig, make the cheesecake filling since it needs to hang out in the freezer for a while. To make the cheesecake filling, using a mixer, combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. Using a teaspoon, scoop out cheesecake filling and place on a plate. Continue scooping out cheesecake filling into teaspoon balls until you have 10. Place plate in the freezer and freeze for at least two hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. To assemble the cookies, take about 1/4 cup of red velvet cookie dough and flatten in your hands. Place a teaspoon of cheesecake filling in the center and wrap the cookie dough around the filling. Gently roll into a ball and place on prepared baking sheet. Scoop onto lightly greased or parchment lined baking sheets. Only bake 3 cookies at a time. The cookies are large and will spread. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until the cookies begin to crackle. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Remove from baking sheet to a wire cooling rack and cool completely.

Melt the white chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl or over a double-boiler. Drizzle the white chocolate over the cooled cookies. Let the cookies set until the chocolate hardens. Serve and enjoy!

Did I change anything? No, but take note that these cookies take a while to make. If I had read the whole recipe ahead of time I would have noticed that they have to sit for two hours before you can actually bake them.

What did the family think? No one here got to eat any, but the teachers thought they were great. 🙂

Where did this recipe come from? Two Peas and their Pod

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Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Everybody Ate It, Make Ahead of Time, Vegetarian

December 18, 2011 · 11:39 am

Cinnamon Apple Granola

Now that I’ve discovered that granola is actually very easy to make, I have been trying all kinds of different varieties and variations. I made this one yesterday and it turned out great.

Ingredients:
3 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup flax seed
2 medium apples , chopped
1 cup honey
1/4 cup oil
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

Instructions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a 8×10 pan with aluminum foil and lightly oil.

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients thoroughly.

Evenly spread oat mixture on pan.

Bake 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.

If you like crunchier granola, cook an extra 5 minutes.

Let cool and store in an airtight container.

Did I change anything? I added the wheat germ and the flax seed. Those can be left out if you don’t have them.

What did the family think? No one eat the granola in this house except me.

Where did this recipe come from? Adapted from a recipe from Food.com

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Filed under After School Snacks, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Vegetarian

December 14, 2011 · 9:14 am

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Waffles

We had breakfast for dinner last night and these were a HUGE hit!

Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1 egg, separated
1/2 cup plain pureed pumpkin
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbsp canola oil
2 Tbsp brown sugar
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg

Instructions:
Preheat waffle iron.

In a large bowl, combine milk, egg yolk, pumpkin, vanilla, oil and brown sugar together.

Pour in remaining dry ingredients to the wet and slowly incorporate.

Spray waffle iron with non stick cooking spray. Pour about 1/2 cup of batter onto waffle iron. Close the top slowly. Cook about 2 minutes or until waffles are crispy.

Did I change anything? Well, since I didn’t read the whole recipe through before I started cooking, I put in the egg yolk and tossed the egg white before realizing I was supposed to beat the egg white to stiff peaks and then fold it in. So, I skipped that whole step and the waffles turned out just fine which is why I didn’t include it in the recipe above.

What did the family think? Yum!

Where did this recipe come from? The Spiffy Cookie

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Filed under Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Lent, Vegetarian

December 13, 2011 · 8:51 am

Creamy Green Chile Soup

My husband isn’t always a big soup fan and was complaining just a teensy weensy bit when he realized we were having soup for dinner. I think it was at around the third bite when he said, “Wow, this is really good.”

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
1/2 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 large ribs celery, diced
1-7 oz. can whole fire roasted green chiles, drained & diced
6 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
salt & pepper, to taste
2 large carrots, peeled and finely diced
1 cup frozen sweet corn
2 cups diced, roasted chicken {optional}
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup all purpose flour {optional}
grated cheddar cheese (garnish)
chopped cilantro (garnish)
broken tortilla chips (garnish)

Instructions:
Heat large pot over medium heat. Melt butter and saute onions and celery until onions are translucent, 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and green chiles and saute 3 minutes. Pour in chicken broth, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper and bring to boil. Cover pot with well fitting lid and reduce to simmer. Simmer soup 10-15 minutes and then remove from heat. Using an immersion blender, puree soup and return to heat. Stir in carrots and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in corn and chicken.

Place flour into small bowl and slowly whisk in cream to prevent lumps. {If there seems to be lumps, you can always pour it through a strainer first!} Pour this mixture into hot soup and cook until it thickens slightly. Taste and readjust seasonings adding more salt and pepper, if needed.

Serve hot with any desired toppings.

We had this with some fresh pineapple.

Did I change anything? No, but I was thinking the next time I make this that I could add some lentils instead of chicken. The lentils would thicken it up a little more and add protein.

What did the family think? The boys didn’t eat this, but hubby and I did and we REALLY liked it.

Where did this recipe come from? Lauren’s Latest

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Lent, Mexican, Stew/Soup, Vegetarian

December 10, 2011 · 2:02 pm

Mini Eggnog Muffins with Eggnog Glaze

These are the yummy treats I made last night. They are very Christmasy and you don’t have to like eggnog to like them.

Ingredients:
For the muffins
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup eggnog
2 2/3 cups all-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon salt

For the glaze
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup eggnog
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 2 mini muffin pans. Set aside.

In a large bowl, using a mixer, cream together the butter, canola oil, and sugars till smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla and egg nog, beating to combine.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and salt.

Add the dry ingredients into the butter mixture making sure everything is thoroughly combined.

Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pans, filling the cups nearly full. Bake the muffins for 10-12 minutes, or until they’re a pale golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the middle of one of the center muffins comes out clean. Remove muffins from the oven, and let them cool for a couple of minutes.

To make the glaze, combine butter, sugar, eggnog, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth. Dip the tops of each muffin into the glaze and let cool on a wire cooling rack until glaze sets up.

Did I change anything? I simplified the steps and I didn’t sift the powdered sugar as the original recipe instructed. The next time I make these, I will use less sugar. They are sweet!

What did the family think? The family didn’t eat them because we had to take them to a function at church this morning. They will also be going to a violin recital this afternoon!

Where did this recipe come from? I got it from Two Peas and their Pod and they got it from King Arthur Flour.

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Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts

December 6, 2011 · 11:15 am

Creole Salmon

A little bit spicy, but it can definitely be tweaked so it’s not so spicy.

Ingredients:
4 teaspoons creole seasoning
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 salmon fillets (6 ounces each)
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley (I used dried.)

Instructions:
In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the first three ingredients. Add salmon; shake to coat.

Place salmon on a broiler pan or baking sheet. Broil 6 in. from the heat for 10-14 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Sprinkle with parsley.

Did I change anything? I left out the ground pepper that was in the original recipe.

What did the family think? Hubby and I liked it and it was a good departure from how I have been making salmon lately.

Where did this recipe come from? Taste of Home

Photo from Taste of Home

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Fish, Lent, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make