Up For Grabs!

So this blog is up for grabs to any of our current authors. I would just delete it, but there are so many great recipes on here that I hate to. Anyway, if you're interested in taking the helm and reinventing this here bloggy, let me know!

The Blog Was Looking Lonely....

so I thought I'd add the following easy, fast recipe for pizza crust:

1 package dry yeast dissolved in 1 c. lukewarm water

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 Tbs. olive oil

2  1/2 c. flour

Dissolve the yeast in the water.  In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients.  Add water/yeast mixture and olive oil, stirring to combine.  Knead until smooth and well-blended.

Let rise for 10 minutes in a warm place, free from draft.

Spread a few tablespoons of olive oil on a cookie sheet or pizza pan, then pat out the dough on the cookie sheet.  Add pizza sauce, cheese and the toppings of your choice.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and crust is lightly browned.

Wendy Says: I always use at least a cup of whole-wheat flour, and the crust is still soft and delicious. 

Sandwiches

so i have never been ambitious enough to ever post on here... but one day i was making these AMAZING sandwiches (which i thought of myself) and i actually took pictures. :) go me!
what you need:
-bread
-turkey
-fresh mozzarella
-tomato
-avocado
-sprouts
-apple
-hungry people

cut the mozzarella, apple, tomato, and avocado all into thick slices. Next, toast the bread and then assemble... and there you have an AMAZING sandwich. :)

Ritz Chicken

Okay, I haven't posted in ages, but here's a good quick, easy recipe for you all.  I got it from a cookbook I got as a bridal shower gift.  It's pretty much just a collection of the Huffman family's favorite recipes.  (Note, I do not know who they are, but somehow one of my mother's recipes ended up in there.)

There are no exact measurements to this, so it's a little bit of trial and error.

Ingredients

Chicken breasts (as many as you need for however many people you have)

Ritz crackers* (1.5-2 sleeves should do it for three to four chicken breasts)

Grated parmesean cheese (in the bag or fresh, not in the can)

Garlic powder

Seasoning salt

Pepper

Butter

Cut your chicken breasts up into strips or nuggets, whatever you want.  You could probably even leave them whole.  Crush up the crackers and add the remaining ingredients (except butter).  I use a  big ziploc bag with the zipper closure, makes things so much easier.  Melt some butter in a dish.  Dunk the chicken in the butter, toss the pieces in the bag, close it up and shake to coat.  Put chicken on a cookie sheet.  Preheat your oven to 350.  Bake chicken for about 30-40 minutes.

*I use the low sodium Ritz.  You add quite a bit of salt with the seasonings.

Spinach and Strawberry Salad

I used to be very against fruit in a green salad but this has won me over! I got his recpie from my "aunt" Stacia. I say "aunt" because I am a year older than her! :) Thanks Stacia!

In a bowl combine:

Bag of spinach or you can use romaine (or use both!)

mushrooms (sliced)

sugared almonds (optional)

red onion

strawberries (sliced)

Dressing:

1/2 cup of sugar

1 cup of olive oil

1/3 cup of white or rice vinegar

1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp poppy seeds (this can be optional!)

and some of the red onion chopped

add all of the ingredients into a processor or I use my blender and mix it together.

It is so good and I have been using it with the Parmesan Chicken dish instead of the lemon vinaigrette salad. A very nice fresh and light summer salad. I have cut the dressing recipe in half before . It just depends on how much of the salad you want to make.

Parmesan Chicken

I got this one from the Barefoot Contessa. It is a little more work but totally worth it. My husband loves this one and actually asks me to cook it. Just so you know I usually cut the recipe in half and that is plenty since you are pounding the chicken flat. Anyway, on to the recipe!

4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup of flour
1 tsp. of salt
1/2 tsp of ground black pepper
2 extra large eggs
1 tbsp. of water
1 1/4 cups of seasoned dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
butter
good olive oil
salad greens for 6, washed and spun dry

Recipe for a Lemon Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/2 cup good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt


Pound the chicken breasts until they are 1/4 inch thick. You can use either a meat mallet or a rolling pin.

Combine the flour, salt and pepper on a dinner plate. On a second plate, beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water. On a third plate, combine the bread crumbs and 1/2 cup of grated parmesan. Coat the chicken breasts on both sides with the flour mixture, then dip both sides into the egg mixture and dredge both sides in the bread crumb mixture, pressing lightly.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan and cook 2 or 3 chicken breasts on medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Add more butter and oil and cook the rest of the chicken. Toss the salad greens with lemon vinaigrette. Place a mound of salad on each HOT chicken breast. Serve with extra grated parmesan.

**I also cut the chicken breasts in half before I coat them with the mixtures. They seem to cook more evenly that way. Also, if you happen to use plain bread crumbs (as I have!) add some italian seasoning to the flour mixture.**

Fruit Dip

I've been thinking about the whole food/memory assignment for a while now, and I've realized that almost ALL of my memories have to do with food. One of my strongest food memories is from two years ago. The night we brought Julianne home from the hospital, a friend in the ward offered to bring dinner over. This was exceedingly kind of her since she herself was due in only a few weeks. I'd obviously been eating hospital food for a few days, and was craving real food. Something with substance, something with nutrition, something with flavor. I was grateful for their offer, but silently hoped they wouldn't bring McDonald's. When she and her husband showed up, they came with TRAYS of food. GOOD food. A huge pan of chicken enchiladas. Rice. A platter of fresh fruit. It was exactly what I wanted. That night, Damien and I were watching "Gladiator" on TV and eating the fruit, which was accompanied by this amazing dip whose ingredients I could not figure out. So I called. I asked. It's not anything fancy, but it was absolutely perfect that night.

Fruit Dip
1 cup sour cream
A few spoonfuls brown sugar
A couple of teaspoons cinnamon (to taste)

Stir to combine and enjoy.

Memories

We made chicken enchiladas last night (see recipe below), to which I have some memories attached.  I think food can be strong memory keepers for us.  It reminds us of good times, bad times, special times.  So your next assignment is to share with us a dish that you have memories with and share those memories with us, too.  

And thanks to Jenny for that photo!  I haven't tried that recipe yet, but I want to because it looks SO good!  I've been wanting to take photos and post them with my dishes but haven't gotten around to it.

Chicken Enchiladas

I got this recipe from my college roommie Eva. Whenever I make it for my family I always think of her and the delicious things she made us whilst in college. When I got married this was one of the recipes I tentatively tried out on my husband, hoping with crossed fingers and bated breath that he would like it, and he did! When we were first married we made it all the time. He would hold the tortillas while I spooned the filling in and then he'd roll them up and put them in the pan. So, I always think about that, too, when I make these.

You Will Need:
3-4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 can cream of chicken soup
Milk (enough to fill soup can 1 time)
1 small can green chilis
Tortillas
A whole heap of grated cheddar cheese.

Preheat oven to 350.
Mix chicken, soup, milk, chilis and half the cheese. Spoon mixture into tortillas, roll them up and stick them in a 9x13 pan. Pour remaining mixture over the enchiladas and cover with the rest of the cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Makes up to 10 enchiladas.

*This can also be adjusted so that you can make more or less. When I make it for us I only make about 5 and put them in a 9x9 pan. Be sure to spray the pan so they don't stick!

Not A Recipe...

I tried something out, it worked, and I thought I would pass it along. Last time (okay, the only time) I made the sweet yeast rolls, a thought struck me. Could I underbake them by a few minutes, freeze them and then finish them in the oven when I want to serve them, a la those bagged frozen heat & serve dinner rolls? The answer, my friends, is yes. Yes, I can. And so can you. I think I took them out of the oven about three minutes early (would've been a good idea to write it down, huh?), and after they cooled I froze them in a ziploc bag. When I wanted to serve them, I baked them at 350 degrees (F) for 7 or 8 minutes. They tasted exactly like the freshly-made ones. So, you can bet I'm never paying $3 for a bag of ten frozen rolls again. Or at least not until I need them and haven't made a new batch and don't have time to make them at that moment. But, you know, other than that- and a few other forseeable scenarios- NEVER AGAIN.