Chicken and Fruit Salad

I came up with THE BEST salad! We ate it one night and then a couple of days later we just had to have it again, and as I am preparing my grocery list for the week, I am making sure that I buy the ingredients to make it yet again. It really is that good! I hope that you love it too.


Candy 1/2 c. slivered almonds by browning them in a pan with butter and brown sugar. Be careful not to burn them. They may seem soft, but will harden as the sugar cools.

1 pound chicken breast, cooked, shredded, and cooled
1 pint strawberries, sliced
1 can Mandarin oranges, drained
1 bag "7 Lettuce Blend" or salad mix of your choice

Combine the following in a blender to make the dressing:

1/3 cup red wine vinegar or raspberry vinegar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 onion, minced
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

Toss the candied almonds, chicken, salad, and fruit together with desired amount of dressing.

December 16, 2009

Hair, hair, hair, 5 Buck Pizza, and holiday baking.


Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour
5 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 cups granulated sugar
1 (15 ounce) can LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans.
2.Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Combine sugar, pumpkin, eggs, vegetable oil and orange juice in large mixer bowl; beat until just blended. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Fold in cranberries. Spoon batter into prepared loaf pans.
3.Bake for 60 to 65 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

*Bread can also be baked in mini loaf pans for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
** To add just a little something extra, I made a simple frosting recipe, adding a few drops of Orange Extract, and piped it onto the loaves. Delicious!

Today's Activity: Holiday Baking

Our Week

I have sure had a hard time keeping up with my blog! The season has quickly changed, bringing on cold weather and lots of yummy fall foods, our family has certainly changed, tossing my world upside down, and I'm not quite sure where it goes, but time is sure flying by.

I fell in love this week. A few of my friends in my old neighborhood bought me a baby gift that I treasure. I will admit that I didn't know if I would even like it, but it has been my lifesaver more than once since I figured out how to use it! It is a Bugaroo Baby Sling. Cohen nestles right in that thing and falls asleep. If you are interested in a Bugaroo, check out the website. It is www.bugaroobaby.com.


Now I would like to recap the Williams family highlights from this past week, and here it goes:

Sunday (9-27-09)
Apple Crisp

Here is the BEST Apple Crisp recipe ever! Chad hates baked fruit, but he'll down this any day.


10 cups all-purpose apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 dash of nutmeg

2 cup quick-cooking oats
2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degree C).
Place the sliced apples in a 9x13 inch pan. Mix the white sugar, 1 tablespoon flour ground cinnamon and nutmeg together, and sprinkle over apples.
Combine the oats, 2 cups flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and melted butter together. Crumble evenly over the apple mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 45 minutes.

Monday (9-28-09)
Fruit Dip

We were invited to our neighbors house for dinner tonight. We brought along fruit and fruit dip to share. I was reminded how much I LOVE this dip. I was eating it by the spoonfuls. It is easy and fabulous.


1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 (8 oz.) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (7 oz.) jar marshmallow cream

Combine ingredients in a mixing bowl until smooth. Chill and serve with fruit.

Tuesday (9-29-09)
Thanksgiving Point Farm

It was time, once again, for Mrs. Amee's annual Thanksgiving Point Farm field trip. Nixin was super excited about it and had a lot of fun there.



Wednesday (9-30-09)
Molasses Cookies

My friend Shandell is a great cook. She makes the world's best chili, and would you believe that she drove to my house from Riverton just to drop off a bowl for me. Some of you might not think that is too big of a deal, but I do. Chad hates beans, and will not eat chili, so I never get to make it. This particular week, I was craving chili. Really craving it. And here she comes. What a great friend.

Anyways, I got side tracked. Nothing says fall to me like Shandell's Molasses cookies. They melt in your mouth. I absolutely love them and so I must share this recipe too.


2 eggs
1 ¼ c. shortening
2 c. sugar
½ c. molasses
2 tsp. ground cloves
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. salt
4 tsp. baking soda
3 3/4 c. flour

Cream together the eggs, shortening, sugar, and molasses. Slowly mix in dry ingredients. Roll into balls and roll in extra sugar. Place on cookie sheet and flatten with a cup. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes.

Thursday (10-1-09)
Thrush

My boobs were KILLING me, to the point of tears rolling down my face when I was feeding Cohen. I got online looking for solutions to my problem when I came across a site that mentioned that my problem might just be Thrush.

Thrush is a yeast infection that for one reason or another develops in the baby's mouth, causing white spots on their tongue, cheeks, gums and lips. I had noticed that Cohen had a white tongue, but thought it was just "milk tongue". After reading the article, I tried scraping the white stuff off, and guess what- nothing came off.

So, back up to the doctor's office we went and sure enough, it was Thrush. Unfortunately the doctor said it is very painful for the baby (as well as mom!) and said that he would probably be grumpy for a couple of days. But the good news was that there is medicine for us both and we got started on it right away. The spots have started to disappear and will hopefully be gone soon.



Friday (10-2-09)
Hyrum

We spent today in Hyrum and my dad and Debbie's house. It is great there, so peaceful and fun. I love for my kids to go there and experience the country life. It is so different up there than it is down here. They rode horses, drove the tractor (riding lawn mower), and picked apples from the apple trees. We finished our day trip up with a yummy turkey dinner. Gotta love Hyrum!










Saturday (10-3-09)
Ice Cream

After eating a late lunch, we decided that it would be okay to have ice cream for dinner. We stopped in to our local Baskin Robbins, a place that we have not frequently gone to in the past. It was yummy! I found a new favorite flavor, Jamoca Almond Fudge, mmm.... I say that ice cream for dinner is a great idea!



Sunday (10-4-09), Monday (10-5-09), and Tuesday (10-6-09)
Waaa! Waaah!

Wow! This Thrush thing makes a grumpy baby. Cohen has cried so much the past couple of days that he is starting to drive me batty. He wants to eat, poop, be held and be held while he sleeps. He is not giving his mommy much of a break. I feel so bad for him and hope to have this past us soon! Oh well to showers, dishes, clean sheets, etc. I'll get around to them one day :)

Tomato Cream Sausage Pasta

Here's one for you- A delicious pasta recipe that makes us say "Mmmmmm!" every time. It is so easy to prepare and different from your every day pasta. The original recipe does not call for the sausage, but we love this dish even more since adding it. Enjoy!


1 lb. Rigatoni or any other pasta of your choice
1/2 lb. Country-style sausage
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced*
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
1 tablespoon dried basil leaves
3/4 teaspoon white sugar
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream*
1 tablespoon butter

Prepare pasta according to package directions.

Brown sausage in pan. Set aside and keep warm.

In a saucepan, saute onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat. Make sure it doesn't burn. Add tomatoes, basil, sugar, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to boil and continue to boil 5 minutes or until most of the liquid evaporates. Remove from heat; stir in whipping cream and butter. Add browned sausage. Reduce heat and simmer 5 more minutes. Toss with prepared pasta.

*I usually use regular whipping cream and omit the onions for my onion hating husband. The results are still fantastic!

Bow Tie Chicken Ceasar Salads

This is one of our all time favorites. I never think to share this recipe because I don't actually have it written down anywhere. But we love it, and I am writing it down now. It is so easy and makes a great meal on a hot day. The measurements here are only approximate. Adjust to your families liking :)

1 head Romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 lb. bow tie pasta, cooked and cooled
1 grilled, sliced chicken breast or 1/3 lb. deli chicken, thinly sliced (We love it either way)
1 c. croutons
1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese
Light House brand Caesar Dressing (It is the best!)

Toss everything together and enjoy!

Farmer's Strata

My favorite website, http://www.allrecipes.com/, has come through for me again! Every General Conference Sunday, we get together for breakfast with our friends, the Hoggans. I made this strata and took it with us. It was AWESOME!


3/4-1 pound sliced bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 pound country style sausage*
1 small onion, chopped (optional)
10 slices white bread, cubed
1 cup cubed cooked potatoes
3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
8 eggs
3 cups milk
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 dash salt and pepper

In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp; add onion. Cook and stir until onion is tender; drain. In a separate skillet, cook sausage until cooked through; drain. Add sausage to bacon and onion.
In a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish, layer half the bread cubes, potatoes and cheese. Top with all of the bacon mixture. Repeat layers of bread, potatoes and cheese.
In a bowl, beat the eggs; add milk, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt and pepper. Pour over all. Cover and chill overnight.
Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees F for 65-70 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
* The original recipe called for 2 cups of chopped fully cooked ham. If using this, add to the bacon when adding the onion.

Our family has always had the tradition of eating what we called a "souffle" at Christmas morning breakfast. As I have taken on this cooking hobby of mine, I have learned that what we were actually eating is called a strata.

I have always loved eating this strata for breakfast, but the recipe really could have been better. I have tried a couple of different recipes and liked them, but this is the new keeper. It will be in our family for years to come as our new Christmas morning tradition.

Hot Chocolate Cake

I altered a recipe that called for coffee and came up with this delicious cake recipe. Ashley has suggested that I put it on my blog, so here you go!



1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup hot chocolate
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans or one 9x13 inch pan.
In large bowl combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center.
Add eggs, coffee, buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Beat for 2 minutes on medium speed. Batter will be thin. Pour into prepared pans.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and finish cooling on a wire rack. Fill and frost as desired.

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

While I'm on a recipe-posting kick, I have to share one more, my very favorite soup recipe. It really is fairly easy and well worth the effort. My kids even eat it up without complaining (very rare these days!). We like to eat it in bread bowls.

4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 cooked, boneless chicken breast halves, shredded
1 cup cooked carrots or cooked, sliced carrots
3/4 cup sauted celery
1 (4.5 ounce) package quick cooking long grain and wild rice with seasoning packet*
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
2 cups heavy cream

In a large pot over medium heat, combine broth, water, chicken, carrots and celery. Bring just to boiling, then stir in rice, reserving seasoning packet. Cover and remove from heat.

In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper and flour. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in contents of seasoning packet until mixture is bubbly. Reduce heat to low, then stir in flour mixture by tablespoons, to form a roux. Whisk in cream, a little at a time, until fully incorporated and smooth. Cook until thickened, 5 minutes.

Stir cream mixture into broth and rice. Cook over medium heat until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes.

*I use Uncle Ben's Quick Cooking Long Grain and Wild Rice.

Fry Bread Tacos

Holy Crizzap! We had an awesome dinner last night. I tried two new recipes and both were so fabulous that I had to share. Chad's exact words were "I am blown away at how good this is." That was after his "this dinner looks like it is going to be interesting" comment.

I cannot remember a time in our marriage that I have fried anything, so I was nervous about that part. It was not hard at all. I also did not have a thermometer to tell me what temperature the oil was, but I just threw tiny pieces of dough into the oil until it looked like it was working. The fry bread is similar to a scone, but not sweet.

Don't waste any time, try it today. Seriously.


TOPPINGS:
1 pound ground beef
1 package taco seasoning mix
1 can refried beans, heated
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
1/2 cup picante sauce

FRY BREAD:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
4 cups oil for frying, or as needed

In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef with taco seasoning mix according to seasoning mix package directions. Cover, and keep warm while you prepare the fry bread.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in milk, and mix until the dough comes together. Add more flour if necessary to be able to handle the dough. On a floured surface, knead the dough until smooth, at least 5 minutes. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.

Heat oil in a large, deep heavy skillet to 365 degrees F (180 degrees C). Oil should be about 1 1/2 inches deep. Break off 3/4 cup sized pieces of dough (to make 6 pieces), and shape into round discs 1/4 inch in thickness, making a thinner depressed area in the center. Fry breads in the hot oil until golden on both sides, turning only once. Drain on paper towels.

Top fry bread with beans, ground beef, lettuce and cheese. Spoon picante sauce over. You can also top with other of your favorite taco toppings, such as onion, sour cream or guacamole.

S'mores Bars

I got this recipe from our ward recipe site, http://www.8thwardrecipes.blogspot.com/. I had tried it months ago and remembered that it was good, so we made that for dessert last night. Can I say holy crizzap again? Wow! Thanks for the recipe Amy!



1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/3 cups flour
3/4 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs (about 6 sheets)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
4 (1.5 ounces) Hershey milk chocolated bars
1 cup marshmallow creme

Preheat oven 350. Grease an 8-inch baking pan. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with electric mixer until creamy. Add egg and vanilla until combined. In a small bowl combine: flour, graham crackers crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and beat until combined. Press half of dough in the pan, spreading evenly. Lay chocolate bars on top of dough, breaking apart as need to create an even layer of chocolate. Spread marshmallow creme over chocolate bars. Spread remaining dough over marshmallow cream and chocolate bars. Bake 30 minutes.

*I doubled this recipe and baked it for 35 minutes in a 9" by 13" baking dish.

Poppy Seed Salad

A couple of years ago a good friend brought this salad to a party. I loved it and immediately got the recipe. It sat in my recipe book all of this time and I had kind of forgotten about it.
This past week we were invited to a birthday party and asked to bring a salad. I started skimming through my recipe book and ran across this one. Remembering how amazing it was, this is what I chose. It got rave reviews at the party and I loved it more than I even remembered so I had to share it. Thanks for the recipe Shandell!


Dressing:
¾ c. sugar
½ tsp. salt
1/3 c. cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. fresh onion juice
1 c. oil
1 ½ Tbsp. poppy seeds

Salad:
1 bag or 1 head torn Romaine lettuce
1 lb. bow tie pasta
1 jar artichoke hearts in juice
1 can large olives
1 tomato
1 jar baby corn, optional
fresh mushrooms, optional


Combine sugar, mustard, salt, vinegar and onion juice. Beat in oil. Slowly beat in poppy seeds. Cook pasta according to directions on package, drain and let cool. Add all ingredients in a bowl. Add dressing right before serving.

Tips from Shandell:
*Make the dressing the night before, allowing the flavors to mix together, and it tastes a lot better.
*Always use fresh onion juice; it does not taste the same without it. To make onion juice, grate an onion on the smallest side of a grater.
*Add a little bit of the dressing to the pasta while cooling to prevent it from sticking together.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Every time I make this recipe I fall in love with it again. It is easy and so delicious. It is certainly not the normal (red) sweet and sour chicken that most of us are used to. Try it and let me know if you love it too!

1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks
1 ½ green bell peppers, diced
1 c. chopped celery
1 (8 oz) can sliced water chestnuts
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. vinegar
¾ c. brown sugar
¼ c. flour
1 1/2 lb. cooked chicken, cut into strips

Drain pineapple and reserve juice. In a large saucepan over medium low heat, blend reserved pineapple juice, soy sauce, vinegar, and brown sugar. Mix in flour and stir until thickened. Stir in bell peppers, celery, and drained water chestnuts into the saucepan. Mix in chicken. Cook and stir until heated through. Stir in the pineapple chunks before serving.

*This time when I made this recipe I added about 1/2 cup of grated carrot. I really liked that and will probably make it again that way.

Homemade Applesauce

My kids have a new favorite food, Homemade Applesauce. It is so easy and it is delicious!









4 apples - peeled, cored and chopped
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a saucepan combine apples, water, sugar, and cinnamon. Cover, and cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until apples are soft. Allow to cool then mash with a fork or potato masher.

Lemon Drop Cookies

Thanks to my friend Camie for getting me her mom's AMAZING cookie recipe! I've made them for events twice in the last week and both times they were a huge hit. I've had many requests for the recipe, so I had to share it on my blog. I hope you love them as much as everyone else has!

1 cup butter
½ cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp lemon extract
2 ½ cup flour

Mix and roll dough into cylinder. Cut dough to create flat, round circles. Bake at 350 degrees for about 9-12 minutes or until the edges become golden. Cool before frosting.

Frosting:
1/4 cup butter
1 Tablespoon milk
1 1/2 Tablespoon lemon Juice
Powdered sugar

Beat butter, milk and lemon juice. Add powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached. Frosting can be spread on cookies or piped on to make them look a little more fancy.

Peanut Butter Whopper Sandwich Cookies

My friend Kim got me hooked on pickypalate.blogspot.com where I have found many new recipes that I can't wait to try. Last night I gave these cookies a shot and they were awesome. We love them and will definately be making them again. Not only do they taste amazing, but they look great as well.

1 stick softened butter*

½ cup Peanut Butter

½ cup sugar

½ cup brown sugar

1 large egg

½ teaspoon vanilla

¼ cup flour

¾ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

3.5 oz container Peanut Butter Whoppers, coarsely crushed
sugar for rolling
1 container whipped vanilla frosting (or a homemade frosting of choice)

1 big handful of mini marshmallows, cut in half the long way

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a stand or electric mixer, cream the butter, peanut butter, and sugars until creamy. Add egg and vanilla until well combined.

2. Place flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl, stir to combine. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients on low speed, then add whoppers until just combined.

3. Scoop dough with a cookie scoop, roll into sugar then place onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until cooked but still soft.

4. Stir the frosting and cut marshmallows in a medium bowl, spread between 2 cookies and Enjoy!

*I always substitute butter flavored shortening for the butter in my cookies. Just remember to add 6 tsp. water for every 1 cup of shortening substituted.

Chicken Salad

I have another favorite recipe to share with all of my recipe collecting buddies! I have made this several times already this summer and I'm sure that I will make it several more. It is so yummy! We eat it on bread as sandwiches. I hope you like it!


2 1/2 cups diced and chilled, cooked chicken meat
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup sliced, seedless grapes
1/2 cup sliced almonds
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

In a medium bowl, whip cream to soft peaks.
Combine meat, celery, grapes, almonds, parsley, salt, and mayonnaise with whipped cream. Chill.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love to spend my time cooking. Unfortunately I don't do it as much lately as I would like to. But last night my boys and I whipped up a batch of some pretty awesome cookies and I had to add the recipe to my blog. The cookies are a yummy combination of oatmeal, peanut butter, and chocolate chips.

1 c. butter flavored shortening
6 tsp. water
1 c. white sugar
2/3 c. brown sugar
1 c. peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. rolled oats, lightly ground in food processor
2 c. chocolate chips*

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a medium bowl, cream the shortening, water, white sugar, and brown sugar. Stir in the peanut butter, vanilla and eggs until well blended. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the batter just until moistened. Mix in the oats and chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Drop by 1/4 cupfuls onto a Silpat lined (or lightly greased) cookie sheet. Bake for 15-17 minutes until the edges start to brown.
*Instead of using only chocolate chips, I chopped 2 large candy bars (Swedish chocolate from Ikea) into large chunks and also added 1 c. of semi-sweet chocolate chips.