Category Archives: Vegetarian

December 5, 2010 · 9:25 pm

Cat Cora’s Southern Cornbread

I FINALLY got a chance to look through my November issue of Food Network magazine last night. I am always looking for a new cornbread recipe, so I thought I would give this one a try.

Ingredients:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk (shake before measuring)
2 large eggs

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and position a rack in the middle. Butter an 8-inch-square baking pan.

Melt the butter in the microwave in a microwave-safe dish in three 15-second intervals on high or in a small pan on the stove. Set it aside to cool.

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

In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and the eggs. Add the melted butter. Add the flour-cornmeal mixture and stir just until combined. Pour the batter into the pan. Bake until the cornbread just begins to brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 18 to 23 minutes. Cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

We had this with chili and some grapes.

What did the family think? Everyone liked it and decided it was much better than the last time I made homemade cornbread. I grew up eating Jiffy cornbread, which is fine and certainly inexpensive, but cornbread is so easy I really would prefer to make my own. Also, everyone decided this cornbread is really moist, so if you like your cornbread dry and crumbly, this is NOT the cornbread for you.

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Filed under Bread, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Vegetarian

December 4, 2010 · 8:53 pm

Roasted Herbed Potatoes

These are pretty easy and super yummy…

Ingredients:
1/8 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine oil, garlic, basil, marjoram, dill weed, thyme, oregano, parsley, red pepper flakes, and salt. Stir in potatoes until evenly coated. Place potatoes in a single layer on a roasting pan or baking sheet.

Roast for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, turning occasionally to brown on all sides.

Did I change anything? I left out the dill…not a huge dill fan.

What did the family think? Hubby and I loved them. Our oldest is sick and didn’t eat dinner, but he would have really liked them and our youngest acted like he was going to die if he had to eat them.

from allrecipes.com

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Side Dish, Vegetarian

December 2, 2010 · 11:13 am

Cinnamon Baked French Toast

The only thing tricky about this recipe is that you have to plan ahead a little bit. If you plan on eating it for breakfast, do the prep work at night. If you are going to have breakfast for dinner, do the prep work in the morning.

Ingredients:
Butter or Cooking Spray
1 loaf Crusty Sourdough Or French Bread
8 whole Eggs
2 cups Half and Half
¾ cups Sugar
2 Tablespoons Vanilla Extract

Instructions:
Grease 9 x 13-inch baking pan with butter. Tear bread into chunks (or cut into cubes) and evenly distribute in the pan.

Mix together eggs, milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla. Pour evenly over bread. Cover tightly and store in the fridge several hours or overnight.

When you’re ready to bake the casserole, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 45 minutes for a softer, more bread pudding texture. Bake 1 hour or more for a firmer, less liquid texture.

Scoop out individual portions. Top with butter and drizzle with maple syrup.

We had this with scrambled eggs and sausages for dinner.

What did the family think? They thought it was super duper yummy because it is and it makes your house smell fantastic.

from thepioneerwoman.com

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Filed under Bread, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Lent, Make Ahead of Time, Six Ingredients or Less, Vegetarian

November 14, 2010 · 9:21 pm

Pumpkin Scones with Cream Cheese Frosting

The scones are good, but with the frosting…me oh my!

Scones
Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
7 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
6 tablespoons cold butter
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3 tablespoons half-and-half
1 large egg

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Lightly oil a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Using a pastry knife, fork, or food processor, cut butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly and no chunks of butter are obvious. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, half and half, and egg. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Form the dough into a ball.

Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a 1-inch thick rectangle (about 9 inches long and 3 inches wide). Use a large knife or a pizza cutter to slice the dough twice through the width, making three equal portions. Cut those three slices diagonally so that you have 6 triangular slices of dough. Place on prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 14-16 minutes. Scones should begin to turn light brown. Place on wire rack to cool.

Icing
Ingredients:
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners (powdered) sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Instructions:
In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese until soft. Add confectioners sugar and vanilla extract; beat until smooth. Add enough milk to make a good spreading consistency. Frost the scones while they are still warm.

What did the family think? Anything with cream cheese on it is good, but when you put cream cheese on a pumpkin scone…yowser!

from whatscookingamerica.com and food.com

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Filed under After School Snacks, Bread, Breakfast, Desserts, Everybody Ate It, Vegetarian

November 10, 2010 · 11:56 am

Magic Pretzels

I have made these for several years around Christmas time for teachers, neighbors, our librarian, etc. They are SOOOO good!!! They are the kind of snack that I don’t even take a teeny tiny nibble of because if I do, I will have another bite and then another and then another….

Ingredients:
1 cup corn or canola oil
1 envelope (1 ounce) dried ranch salad-dressing mix
1/2 of a 1-ounce envelope dried garlic-flavored salad-dressing mix (pour the envelope into a measuring cup and spoon out half)
1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
1 teaspoon dried dill
1 pound hard sourdough “beer” pretzels, broken into pieces (“hard” or “beer” pretzels are in the snack section of your grocery store; if you can only find a 13-ounce box, that’s fine to use instead of 1 pound)

Instructions:
Put pretzels in a gallon-size ziplock back and break them into smaller pieces with a hammer…don’t hit them too hard. You still want them to look like pretzels, not pretzel dust.

Put oil, salad-dressing mixes, lemon-pepper seasoning, and dill into another gallon-size ziplock bag, seal it, then shake hard to mix. Add pretzels and toss until they’re completely coated. Allow the pretzels to “marinate” for at least 1 hour, giving them a shake whenever you think of it.

Heat oven to 300. Spread pretzels and their flavorings on a large, rimmed cookie sheet lined with foil and bake, stirring every 10 minutes, for 30 minutes.

Let pretzels cool completely, while stirring often. Store them in an airtight container (they’ll keep for 4 to 6 weeks).

What did the family think? These are SOOOO good! They are especially yummy when they have been out of the oven for just a little bit…when they have cooled off, but they are still warm.

from Wondertime magazine

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Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Vegetarian

November 4, 2010 · 10:57 am

Buttermilk Syrup

I had never even heard of Buttermilk syrup until my friend and former neighbor, Valerie, wrote about making it on her blog. Valerie is an awesome cook, so I knew it had to be good.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c butter
1 1/2 c buttermilk
3 c sugar
1 t vanilla
1 T baking Soda

Instructions:
In large saucepan (make sure it is big enough to accommodate the syrup foaming when the baking soda is added), combine butter, buttermilk, and sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring regularly.

Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla and baking soda (it will foam up at this point.) It is now ready to serve.

Did I change anything? No, but I will tell you this makes A LOT of syrup. Next time I am only making half. Also, once you make it, let it set for about 15 minutes. It needs to rest and thicken up a bit. It’s kind of weird at first while I was waiting for it to cool off a bit…it’s thick and kind of bubbly… and I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it AT ALL, but it was awesome! Trust me. It’s good. You can thank me later. 🙂

What did the family think? Heavens to Betsy this stuff is good!

from whiteonricecouple.com

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Six Ingredients or Less, Vegetarian

· 10:46 am

Pumpkin Pancakes

Dad was out of town so we had breakfast for dinner last night.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar

Instructions:
In a medium bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt.

Stir the dry mixture into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

We had these with scrambled eggs. I also made some Buttermilk Syrup to go with them.

What did the family think? They loved it!

from allrecipes.com

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

November 3, 2010 · 2:31 pm

Calzones

We used Italian sausage and spinach, but you could use pepperoni, mushrooms, green peppers… whatever you like to have on your pizza could go in this calzone.

Ingredients;
2 cans Pillsbury pizza crust
8 ounces Italian sausage
2 cups fresh spinach leaves
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan
1 egg
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
Pizza sauce OR marinara sauce

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cook sausage in skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through using a wooden spoon to crumble.

Add spinach and water to skillet; saute 1 to 2 minutes until spinach is wilted; drain.

Combine ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan and egg in a mixing bowl. Stir in Italian herb seasoning and garlic salt; set aside.

To make calzone, unroll one pizza crust on a non-stick cookie sheet. Use a knife to cut the pizza dough into four equal rectangles. Put 1/4 of the ricotta mixture in the center of each rectangle then put 1/4 of the sausage mixture on top of the ricotta mixture.

Place the second pizza crust on top of calzone fillings. Use a knife to cut it into four rectangles. Press the edges down with a fork or your fingers so the filling won’t leak out.

Bake 15-20 minutes or until dough starts to get golden.

What did the family think? This was a huge hit in our house.


image from yumsugar.com

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

November 2, 2010 · 10:08 am

Stuffed Shells

We are a pasta lovin’ and a cheese lovin’ house, so I knew these would be a hit!

Ingredients:
1 (12 ounce) package jumbo pasta shells
2 eggs, beaten
1 (32 ounce) container ricotta cheese
1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
8 ounces grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 (28 ounce) jar pasta sauce, divided

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and run cold water over them too cool them off.

In a large bowl, mix eggs, ricotta, half the mozzarella and half the Parmesan until well combined.

Cover bottom of 9×13 dish with thin layer of spaghetti sauce.

Stuff cooked shells with ricotta mixture and place in baking dish.

Pour remaining spaghetti sauce over shells and then sprinkle remaining mozzarella and Parmesan on top.

Bake in preheated oven 45 minutes, until edges are bubbly and shells are slightly set.

We had these with a salad, but I wish I would have made some nice warm yummy garlic bread to go with it, too.

Did I change anything? I actually ended up using two jars of sauce. I used just a little bit of the second one to finish off the top of the noodles. I just felt like it needed a little bit more sauce.

What did the family think? It was a hit! There was a little bit leftover and I was already dreaming about having the leftovers for lunch. Apparently, so was our oldest. He asked me if he could have the rest in his lunchbox for the next day. I reluctantly said yes. Next time I will have to make more. 🙂

adapted from a recipe on allrecipes.com

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Italian, Lent, Six Ingredients or Less, Vegetarian

November 1, 2010 · 1:53 pm

Leftover Halloween Candy Cookies

These cookies are so much fun! The best part is you can mix and match any way you want…so you might have an M&M and Milky Way cookie or just keep it simple and stick to Snickers or put three or four different kinds of candies in one cookie.

Ingredients:
8 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks/chips
Halloween Candy (e.g. M&M’s, Rolos, Snickers, etc.)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat butter and brown sugar until creamy. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Beat in baking soda and salt. Add flour and stir until it is mixed in.

Stir chocolate chunks/chips into the dough.

Scoop 1/4 cups of dough onto cookie sheet and flatten slightly into mounds. Leave about 3 inches between cookies because they will spread as they bake. Press candy (decoratively) into cookie mounds. Mix and match it any way you would like.

Bake 14-16 minutes or until cookies are almost set. Do not overbake; centers should be slightly soft. Cool on baking sheet for about 7 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Makes about 12 cookies.

Did I change anything? Yes, I reduced the amount of chocolate chips…I figured there’s enough chocolate in the candy, but then I actually tasted the cookies and realized I should have put the whole cup in. Live and learn. 🙂

What does the family think? They are all at work and school right now, but I don’t think they are going to object to fresh, warm, whimsical cookies…although the kids might be a little ticked that I got into their candy. Oh well! 🙂

from Coffeehouse Cookies

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Filed under After School Snacks, Desserts, Easy, Vegetarian