Jamie'sPoppy Seed Salad Dressing

Jamie's Poppy Seed Salad Dressing:

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup veg. oil
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground mustard
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
3/4 cup of sugar
1/3 or 1/2 of a purple onion
can add one or two strawberries or raspberries for color.
~blend it all together and refrigerate

For the salad I use spinach and roman mixed together
with almonds(slivered- sometimes I candy them with sugar), pomegranate seeds, (raspberries or strawberries), thin sliced purple onion, mushrooms, and feta cheese, I don't like feta, but I know a lot of people do- I have used Parmesan before too.
If I don't have all the items I just put what I have. And if I am in a hurry I sometimes just use the "Brianna's poppy seed dressing."

Amy's Sugar Cookies

These are the best sugar cookies ever. They always bake up soft and delicious.

2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
4 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon flavoring
1 cup sour cream
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
6-8 cups flour

cream sugar, butter and eggs. Add remaining ingredients and enough flour to make soft dough. Chill. Roll out and cut in shapes. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 stick butter
3 ounces cream cheese
1 lb. powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese and butter till smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix well. Add milk to thin.

Delicious Buttery Dinner Rolls

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups of milk
3/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 egg
1 Tablespoon salt
2 Tablespoons yeast
2 cups of warm water
about 9-10 cups of flour
at least 1 cup of butter
Directions
Scald 1 1/2 cups of milk, 3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup of butter, in a microwave safe bowl, for about 2 minutes. Cutting the butter into pieces helps it melt faster. There will probably be some little cubes of butter still floating in the hot mixture, they will melt.

Add yeast to this hot mixture, but it will be too hot to just dump the yeast straight in (it would kill it!). To cool it down add 1 egg and 1 Tablespoon of salt, and leave it to cool for a couple of minutes. Meanwhile, in a measuring cup dissolve 2 Tablespoons of yeast in 2 cups of warm water and 1 Tablespoon of sugar. Let it sit for a couple of minutes until it is bubbly. You can stir in 1-2 cups of flour to the milk/butter mixture to cool it down further. Make sure your milk mixture is just warm, not boiling and add the yeast mixture!

Using a fork or wooden spoon, gradually stir in 9-10 cups of flour. I would recommend only adding 2 cups at time and stirring in between. These rolls turn out so much better when they are mixed by hand. At the end the dough will be dense and sticky, and may be hard to stir, you can use your hands to incorporate the rest of the flour if needed. Be sure not to add too much flour. Then smooth the dough out and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Leave it in a warm place and let it rise. (about 1 hour)

Cover your working space with flour to prevent the dough from sticking. Dump your dough out and divide it into 4 balls. Eyeball the sizes, then lift them up and feel the weight of each ball. Try to make them even, but they don't have to be perfect. Using one ball of dough at a time: roll the dough into a circle on a floured counter. Once it is rolled out spread the top with soft butter from edge to edge. You will use about 2 Tablespoons per circle of dough.

Cut the dough into quarters using a pizza cutter. Then cut each quarter into 3 pieces. You should end up with 12 triangles from each circle of dough. Roll each triangle starting with the wide end. Tuck the tail of the triangle under the roll and place it on the buttered cookie sheet. You will make 3 rows, with 8 rolls per row. This will give you 24 rolls per pan. Two balls of dough will fill 1 pan. You will get a total of 48 rolls!

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Place the pans of rolls in a warm place (on top of the oven if possible) to let them rise. Once they are touching and full in size, cook (one pan at a time) in the oven 'till they are golden brown. About 10- 15 minutes. (it was about 14 min for mine)
Keep a close eye on your first pan to get the right time for the second.

While they are still hot and fresh out of the oven run a stick of butter over the tops of the rolls for a delicious buttery glaze.Today tested out the rolls I talked about a few days ago. They turned out great. So I guess I'll be making them again tomorrow to take to Christmas eve dinner. Now what to do with all these rolls I made today?

Gingerbread cupcakes

Gingerbread Cupcakes, makes about 20 mini sized* cupcakes.

Needed: 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon ginger, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, a pinch of cloves, 3/4 cup softened butter (1 and 1/2 sticks), 3/4 cup sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons molasses, 2 large eggs and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.

In a bowl cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and stir until just combined. Now add all of the remaining ingredients and stir until nearly no lumps are left in the batter. Spoon batter into lined baking cups, 2/3 full. Bake at 350 F for 18-20 minutes.

Buttermilk Frosting, makes about 2 cups.

Needed: 1 cup softened butter (2 sticks), 1-2 tablespoons buttermilk, 1 1/2 to 2 cups powdered sugar and a pinch of cinnamon.

With an electric mixer cream the butter and buttermilk together. Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time (creaming in between) until you reach your desired frosting consistency. Then stir in a pinch of cinnamon and pipe or spread the frosting on your cupcakes.


These sound yummy and festive!

Taco Soup

Amy's Taco Soup

1 lb. browned ground beef
2 large cans diced tomatoes
1 cup water
2 cans pinto beans
1 pkg. frozen corn
1 pkg. taco flavoring mix
Bring to a boil and serve with fritos, sour cream and cheddar cheese.

Mom's scones

Mom's scones (my very favorite thing she ever made!)

2 cakes yeast or 2 packets dry yeast.
1/4 cup lukewarm water
2 cups boiling water
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons shortening
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon salt
2 eggs
5 cups flour, approximately

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup lukewarm water, set aside. through mix 2 cups boiling water, sugar, shortening, butter and salt. Cool to lukewarm. Stir in dissolved yeast and eggs. Mix well. Add flour as necessary to make a dough easy to handle. Knead for 5 min. Put in an oiled bowl. Cover. refrigerate overnight. When ready to use, roll to 1/4 inch thick on a floured surface. cut in squares, or oblongs. Let rise until double in bulk (about 1 1/2 hours). Drop into hot fat (365). Cook one side golden brown, flip and cook other side. Drain on paper towel. Serve hot with butter, honey or jam. Note: while scones are rising, make sure they are on a well-floured surface.
Yield about 3 dozen scones.

Cheese Potato Soup

Cheese Potato Soup... from my friend Angie Richards

In a microwave safe bowl, boil 2 quarts of water, and then dissolve 3-4 cubes of chicken bouillon. set aside.

In a saucepan put:
2 sliced carrots
4 med. cubed potatoes
3 stalks celery cut
1/2 med. onion, finely chopped
just barely cover with water, add a little salt and boil until the veggies are done. (do NOT drain water after cooking)

In a large soup pan, melt 3 cubes butter, then stir in 1 1/2 cups flour. Cook until bubbly. Add 1 quart of the water w/bouillon. Cook and stir until smooth.

Melt 15 oz. jar of cheese whiz in the microwave (remove lid and cook for 30 seconds, stir, repeat until melted) Stir the cheese whiz into the large soup pan. Add the veggies with the water, and about 5 oz. of frozen peas. Stir in more water with bouillon until you get the consistency that you want. Its a thick soup. Simmer, don't boil.

dinner rolls

One of my favorite things about Sunday dinner growing up were Mom's dinner rolls! So good. I feel bad, I don't think my girls have ever had a roll made by me (we are lucky to have anything for Sunday dinner other then tortilla and cheese). I love the tradition of homemade rolls so I am determined to try until I get it right. I found this recipe online that shows step by step directions and photos- maybe that will help me get this skill down. I'll let you know how it goes.

PapaMurphy Pizza Crust

Ingredients

* 1 ¼ cups warm water * 1 packet active dry yeast * 1 ¼ tablespoons sugar * 3 ¼ cups flour * ½ teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Mix together water, yeast and sugar in a glass container with a two cup or large capacity. 2. Allow to sit for eight to ten minutes. The mixture will froth somewhat. 3. Place flour and salt in a large bowl. 4. Add liquid to flour and mix thoroughly for four to six minutes, adding flour or water if dough is too dry or wet. 5. The end result should be slightly sticky and firm. 6. Remove from bowl and place in an airtight bag, do not close completely to allow gases to escape. 7. Leave in a warm place for an hour and a half for proper rising. Do not allow to rise more than two hours. 8. Place on a fourteen inch pizza sheet for thick crust and a sixteen inch sheet for thin crust. 9. Roll out and prick with fork. 10. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise fifteen to twenty minutes more. 11. Prick with fork again. 12. Top pizza as desired. 13. Preheat oven to 475 to 525 degrees (thicker toppings will require a higher temperature) and bake until crust is golden on the edges and cheese has browned and is bubbly.

Great Ghana Chocolate Cake

This recipe is from a missionary couple that is distantly related to Rob.

Ghana Chocolate Cake

1 Cup sugar

1 1/2 Cup flour (Whole wheat, white or a mix)

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 Cup cocoa

1/4 tsp salt

Stir together and add

1 Cup water

1 Tbs. vinegar

1 Tbs. vanilla

1/3 cup oil

Bake at 350 or 25-30 minutes in a 9x9 greased pan

Frosting:

1/2 cup real butter

14 cup cocoa

2 Cups powdered sugar plus or minus

1 tbs hot water (add slowly, just amount needed)

1 tbs. vanilla or almond flavoring

Stir together and frost

Chicken & Broccoli Braid

Preheat oven to 375

1 cup cooked chicken (chopped) (sometimes I use a rotisserie chicken, or even canned chicken or tuna)
1 cup broccoli
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 tsp garlic
3/4 cup grated cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp dill
1/4 tsp salt

Mix all of these ingredients together in a bowl.
On a cookie sheet spread 2 pkgs of crescent rolls out.
Spread chicken mixture down the center, and braid over the top.
Bake 20-25 minutes or until dough is golden brown
Cut and serve

*When Julia was born a cute girl in the singles branch brought this to us for dinner. She was in cooking school at the time. Her recipie includes this-
Lab sequence
1. preheat oven
2. wash, chop broccoli
3. cut up chicken
4. prepare mixture
5. roll out dough onto cookie sheet
6. spread chicken mixture on dough (down center)
7. braid top
8. bake
9. clean kitchen
10. eat, evaluate, enjoy



This is a favorite in our house. Rob even requests this for his birthday dinner.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

1 pizza crust
3 chicken breasts
1 1/3 cups barbecue sauce, divided
6 ounces Provolone cheese, grated
6 ounces Gouda cheese, grated (I just use mozzarella)
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

In large ziploc bag, combine chicken and 2/3 cup of barbecue sauce. Marinate in fridge for 4 hours or overnight.

To cook, place Chicken and marinade in small baking dish and bake for 30 minutes at 325 degrees. Let chicken cool, then slice into thin pieces.

Sprinkle half of the grated cheeses over crust. Spoon 2/3 cup barbecue sauce over cheese; cover with chicken and onion. Sprinkle on remaining cheese. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 450 degrees. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve. Makes 1 12" pizza.


Pizza Crust
1 package dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
2 1/2 to 3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
3/4 cup cold water

Dissolve yeast in warm water and let stand for 10 minutes. In mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, olive oil, honey and cold water. Add yeast mixture and knead with dough hook (or by hand) for 5 minutes. Form into ball and place in oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise about 1 hour. Divide dough in half and shape each half into a 12" round (I just put it all on a cookie sheet). Prebake crust for 10 minutes at 450 degrees before adding toppings. After topping pizza, bake again for 10 to 12 minutes.


*from "Favorites," everyone in my family loves this pizza!

Rachel Ray's Shepherd's Pie

I got this one off the internet and made it a few weeks ago...it was a hit with the boys in our house....i didn't follow it exactly but it was still yummy, i think i'll make it again for dinner tonight...

30 MINUTE SHEPHERD'S PIE

The ultimate in comfort food, this Shepherd's Pie is also a hit with kids. Serve with 5 Minute Bread Pudding.

Shepherd’s pie, a British invention, was originally created as a way to use up leftovers from Sunday dinners of lamb and potatoes. If dinner was roast beef, the leftovers were baked into a potato-crusted casserole and called cottage pie. –RR

by Rachael Ray | on 10/10/07

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INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds Russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 tablespoons sour cream or softened cream cheese
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 cup cream (for a lighter version, substitute vegetable or chicken broth)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  
• 1 3/4 pounds ground beef or ground lamb
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup beef stock or broth
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce (eyeball it)
• 1/2 cup frozen peas (a couple handfuls)
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves, chopped

Serves 4

PREPARATION

Boil potatoes in salted water until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain potatoes and pour them into a bowl. Combine sour cream, egg yolk and cream. Add the cream mixture to potatoes and mash until potatoes are almost smooth.

While potatoes boil, pre-heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add EVOO to hot pan, about one turn of the pan, with beef or lamb. Season meat with salt and pepper. Brown and crumble meat for 3-4 minutes. If you are using lamb and the pan is fatty, spoon away some of the drippings. Add chopped carrot and onion to the meat. Cook veggies with meat for five minutes, stirring frequently.

In a second small skillet over medium heat cook butter and flour together for two minutes. Whisk in broth and Worcestershire sauce. Thicken gravy, about one minute. Add gravy to meat and vegetables. Stir in peas.

Pre-heat broiler to high. Fill a small rectangular casserole with meat and vegetable mixture. Spoon potatoes over meat evenly. Top potatoes with paprika and broil 6-8 inches from the heat until potatoes are evenly browned. Top casserole dish with chopped parsley and serve.

crock pot teriyaki chicken

Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken

- Chicken ( 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts)
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 T oil
(you can double the sauce recipe above)

Place chicken in crock pot. Mix all other ingredients together then pour over top of chicken. Cook on low eight hours. (or cook for about half that time at high since.) Once chicken is cooked, shred with two forks and mix with sauce. Sauce will seem too thin, but once the chicken is shredded and mixed in it will be perfect.

Serve over rice.

you can substitute – rice vinegar and and add white grape juice and don't add the oil.

*I got this recipe off a blog, I have not made it yet, but it sounds yummy and easy, so I wanted to save it. I'll report back after I try it.

Meat and Veggie Spaghetti

I use this recipe as a guide a lot, usually substituting whatever vegetables we have on hand and also whatever kind of meat we have. Here is the original recipe though:

1 Cup chopped cabbage

1 grated zucchini

1 grated carrot

1/2 Cup onion chopped

2 cloves garlic chopped

Saute until tender

Separately brown 1/2 lb ground turkey or beef

then add:

1 spaghetti seasoning pkg(i usually just add italian seasoning spices...oregano, basil, thyme...whatever)

2 8 oz cans tomato sauce

1 4oz can italian diced tomatoes(or i sometimes use fresh tomatoes)

Add sauteed veggies to the meat mixture and simmer for 10 min. Serve over pasta. It's really yummy. We usually use whole wheat or whole grain linguine noodles.

Old Fashioned sour cream cookies

Old Fashioned Sour Cream Cookies {Christina Lund's recipe, a friend from Cleavland days}

1/2 c. shortening (or butter)

1 c. sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

2 2/3 c. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 c. sour cream

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Mix shortening, sugar, egg, and vanilla thoroughly. blend dry ingredients together, add to sugar mixture alternately with sour cream. Divide dough; roll out to 1/4 in. thick on well-floured surface. Cut with cookie cutter, place on greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with sugar or leave plain if you want to frost them.

Bake 8 to 10 min- or until lightly browned. These bake up super moist, thick, and delicious!


*this is an old picture of Jules from Feb. 2010, when we made these cookies

Recipes from The Africa West Area Wives

The following are from Delores Dickson:

Baked Spaghetti

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped green pepper

1 TBS butter or margarine

1 can (28 oz) chopped tomatoes with liquid

1 can mushroom stems & pieces (4 oz)

1 can (2 1/4 oz) sliced ripe olives drained

2 tsp dried oregano

12 oz spaghetti, cooked and drained

2 cups shredded cheese

1 can (10 oz) cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1 lb ground beef, browned and drained (optional out of Ghana)

In a large skillet, saute onion and green pepper until tender. Add tomatoes, mushrooms, olives and oregano. Add ground beef . Simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes. Place half of the spaghetti in a greased 13x9 baking dish. Top with half of the vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Repeat layers. Mix the soup and water until smooth, pour over the casserole. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered, at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until heated through.

Beef Stroganoff

Cut 1 pound of beef sirloin into 1/4 inch strips. Brown in skillet with a little oil.

Add a can of sliced mushrooms, 1/2 cup chopped onion, and one clove of minced garlic. Cook until soft and meat is cooked through 4-5 minutes.

Add 1 can beef stock, a can of cream of mushroom soup, and heat through. Adjust seasonings with garlic, salt and pepper.

Just before serving add 1/2 cups dairy sour cream according to taste. Serve over rice or noodles.

She said these are her family favorites when not in Ghana. If you try them let me know if they are good. She is a great person.

The following are favorites of Gladys Sitati, one of my all time favorite people:

Barbeque Chicken

6 chicken pieces skinned

3 tsp vinegar

3 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 Tabasco sauce, or 1 tsp chili powder

2 tsp. paprika, 1 cup catsup, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 1/2 cups water

Mix and heat all ingredients except chicken. Pour sauce over chicken and bake at 325 F. for 2 hours. Do not cover. Serve with baked potatoes

Grilled Island Chicken

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 1/2 table soy sauce

1 clove garlic, finely minced

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

4 chicken breasts

Combine all ingredients except chicken in a mixing bowl or large airtight plastic bag. Whisk or shake well until the marinade is well mixed. Add the chicken breasts to beh bowl or plastic bag so that they are covered by the marinade. Refrigerate and marinate up to 10 hours

Grill or bake in 350 oven for about 45 minutes.

From Jane Curtis - They just came so I don't really know her but I thought her favorites sounded good.

Granola Recipe

Mix in very big bowl:

8 cups old fashioned oats

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

1 12 cup untoasted wheat germ

1 to 1 1/2 cup unsweetened, wide coconut

1 cup raw almonds-slivered sliced or chopped

1 cup raw cashews

13 cup raw sunflower seeds

Mix together and heat enough to melt peanut butter, then poour over above mixture:

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup p-nut butter chunky

2 tsp vanilla

Mix thoroughly the dry and wet ingredients. Spread onto 2 large jelly roll cookie sheets. Bake at 250 for a total of 1 hour and 15 minutes. More for crunch. Stir every 30 minutes. Let cool and store in air tight bags. Can add raisins or cranraisins.

one pot salmon with snap peas and rice

hands-on time: 25 minutes Serves 4

This is a great salmon dish, I can't remember where the recipe came from. I think I may have found it in the Real Simple magazine years ago. This is an old picture, but I was just thinking this sounds yummy. I usually double it because when I cook I always want to have lots of leftovers. The cooking times seemed to stay the same except the salmon needed just a few more minutes.

1 cup long-grain white rice

1 pound salmon fillet, skin removed

salt and pepper

4 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed

1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce

4 scallions, trimmed and sliced

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon grated ginger

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

Mix: the rice and 2 1/3 cups water in a medium skillet. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

Slice: the salmon on a diagonal into four 3/4 inch thick pieces. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place on top of the partially cooked rice. Cover and cook 7 minutes.

Scatter: the peas over the salmon and rice. Cover and cook until the rice and peas are tender and the salmon is opaque and beginning to flake, 3 to 5 minutes.

Mix: the soy sauce, scallions, vinegar, ginger, and sugar in a small bowl.

Spoon: the sauce over the salmon, rice, and peas and serve.

Dinner in a Pumpkin

I got this recipe from a very talented lady I visit taught in SLC. I tried this recipe last fall and it was yummy, easy and quite festive! Happy Halloween everyone!

Dinner in a Pumpkin

1 pumpkin (about 10-12 inches across)

2 Tbsp. cooking oil

2 lbs. ground beef, browned

1 small can tomato sauce

1 chopped green pepper

15-20 baby carrots, chopped

4-5 small potatoes, cubed

2 1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. oregano

2 1/2 Tbsp. finely chopped or grated onion

1 tsp. vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced, or garlic salt to taste

3 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and remove top rack. Place pumpkin on a jelly roll pan, cut out top of pumpkin, clean out seeds and guts, rub oil on the inside of pumpkin and cook with lid on for an hour at 350 degrees while you prepare what will go inside. (If you don't pre-cook the pumpkin a bit, it doesn't cook sufficiently for you to scrape the sides of the pumpkin at the end.) Brown the meat while you boil the carrots and potatoes to a semi-soft state. To the meat I add the tomato sauce (2 cans of sauce sometimes) and the cut green pepper. In a bowl I combine the last 7 ingredients. When the veggies are cooked, add them to the meat mixture and then pour the bowl mixture on it all. When the pumpkin is ready, remove the lid and add the meat and veggie mixture, replace lid and cook for another hour at 350 degrees. Remove from oven, remove lid and serve, scraping the sides of the pumpkin to add to the yummy meat mixture. It may need some Spike or additional salt and pepper.

Halloween lunch idea

here's a fun kids Halloween lunch idea