Friday Food Day

Chicken Salad

(Recipe from Heather Dance, made at the Relief Society picnic)

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1-2 chicken breasts (2 cups chicken)

1/2 cup mayo (I may have used less - I put a scoop in and stirred until I felt like it was enough to get all the chicken. I like to go easy with mayo)

1 cup apples chopped 

1 cup celery chopped 

1 tsp curry powder (you can add more to taste - it doesn't seem very strong so a little more could be added for flavor)

salt and pepper to taste

Dried cranberries and halved grapes can also be added or substituted for apples or celery. 

I generally just cut up and apple and 4? celery stocks. It really depends on how much you like the add-ins. It's all about preference. The curry does a great job in adding a hint of flavor

1-2 chicken breasts (2 cups chicken)

1/2 cup mayo (I may have used less - I put a scoop in and stirred until I felt like it was enough to get all the chicken. I like to go easy with mayo)

1 cup apples chopped 

1 cup celery chopped 

1 tsp curry powder (you can add more to taste - it doesn't seem very strong so a little more could be added for flavor)

salt and pepper to taste

Dried cranberries and halved grapes can also be added or substituted for apples or celery. 

I generally just cut up and apple and 4? celery stocks. It really depends on how much you like the add-ins. It's all about preference. The curry does a great job in adding a hint of flavor

Friday Food Day

4th of July drinks!

Layered drinks are actually pretty easy to make and so much fun! The drink with the highest sugar content stays on the bottom.  So pick any drinks you like and get lots of ice!  Here is an example using red white and blue:

 When picking your drinks just pay attention to what the sugar content is.  Start with a cup and your drink with the highest sugar content.  Fill about 1/3 of the cup with your first drink then fill the glass to the top with ice.  Then poor your second drink slowly and directly on top of an ice cube. Then do the same with your third layer.

Friday Food Day

Heather's Hummus Recipe

Thanks Heather for another great recipe!

1 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 teaspoon salt
pinch cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1/4 cup water
1/8 teaspoon paprika

Mix it all in a blender or food processor until smooth.

Variation ideas: add some basil and sun dried tomatoes... or... 1/2 lime juiced and 1/3 cup cilantro

Friday Food Day

Black Bean Soup

This recipe was sent to me from Sarah Belcher, it looks fantastic!

She said:
It is so fast and simple and my go-to quick dinner. I don't use the dry sherry b/c I've never had it on hand (surprise), nor do I think my kids would be interested in the complex flavor addition (and it doesn't seem like it would cook off either.) We always eat it with shredded cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips. My kids love it (although I do use my stick blender to make it totally smooth), and as a bonus I can hide other puréed veggies in there if I am up to it. I've added carrots and spinach before, and my kids were none the wiser ;)

Ingredients

• 1 cup store-bought fresh tomato salsa, plus more for serving
• 2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 to 2 tablespoons dry sherry (optional)
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 lime, quartered (optional)

Directions

1. Heat the salsa in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in the beans and broth, then heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Cool slightly, then spoon half the soup into a food processor or blender and puree.
4. Return the pureed soup to the saucepan and heat through. Stir in the sherry (if desired).
5. Serve with the sour cream, additional salsa, and lime wedges (if desired).

recipe source: realsimple.com

Friday Food Day

I love that Watermelon is in the store now!  Try one of these cute ways to serve Watermelon.

Watermelon on a stick, such a fun idea!

I've been cutting my melon all wrong! :)

The possibilities are endless with this idea  

Watermelon Lime Frosty

Recipe:
3 cups watermelon, cubed and frozen
1 ripe banana, peeled and frozen
2 Tablespoons agave or maple syrup
zest from 2 limes
juice from 2 limes (about 4 tablespoons)
1/2 cup water

Blend all ingredients until smooth, adding more water as needed to keep the mixture moving.

Friday food day

Tortellini Soup

This recipe is from Heather Dance.  Someone requested this recipe, it took me a few months but I finally got it out of her :)
It looks really easy and yummy!

Ingredients:

1 onion diced
olive oil
1 can tomatoes (28oz)
1 can kidney beans
2 cloves garlic,minced
18oz package of tortellini
2 cups spinach
chicken, cooked and cubed (optional)

Directions:

In a large pot, saute onion in the olive oil.
Add everything else then follow the tortellini directions for cooking at the end

Friday Food Day

Mothers Day Desserts

Are you treating your mother to something special this sunday?  This week I tried two new recipes and they were both keepers!

Knock You Naked Brownies

sometimes you just need a gooey rich brownie.  This recipe is perfect.

Ingredients

• 1 box (18.5 Ounce) German Chocolate Cake Mix (I Used Duncan Hines)
• 1 cup Finely Chopped Pecans
• 1/3 cup Evaporated Milk
• 1/2 cup Evaporated Milk (additional)
• 1/2 cup Butter, Melted
• 60 whole Caramels, Unwrapped
• 1/3 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 1/4 cup Powdered Sugar

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, chopped pecans, 1/3 cup evaporated milk, and melted butter. Stir together until totally combined. Mixture will be very thick.

Press half the mixture into a well-greased 9 x 9 inch square baking pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and set aside.

In a double boiler (or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water) melt caramels with additional 1/2 cup evaporated milk. When melted and combined, pour over brownie base. Sprinkle chocolate chips as evenly as you can over the caramel.

Turn out remaining brownie dough on work surface. Use your hands to press it into a large square a little smaller than the pan. Use a spatula to remove it from the surface, then set it on top of the caramel and chocolate chips.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for several hours. When ready to serve, generously sift powdered sugar over the surface of the brownies. Cut into either nine or twelve helpings, and carefully remove from the pan.

*Adapted from the classic "Knock You Naked Brownies" recipe, based on a dessert at the Salt Creek Steakhouse in Breckenridge. These brownies don't really knock you naked...but almost.

recipe source: The Pioneer Woman

 Lemon Creme Crumb Bars

Lemon bars are my favorite dessert so when I found this recipe I was really excited.  They were easy too, I enlisted my oldest to make them for me.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 tsp + 1/8 tsp salt*
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 Tbsp finely grated lemon zest
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/2 tsp lemon extract

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, rolled oats, salt and baking soda. Stir in granulated sugar and brown sugar and mix until no clumps of sugar remain. Stir vanilla into melted butter and pour mixture over dry ingredients. Using a spoon, stir mixture until evenly moistened. Sprinkle half of the crumb mixture into the bottom of a greased 8 by 8-inch baking dish and gently press into an even layer. Bake in preheated oven 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside (leaving oven heated at 350 degrees).
• In a mixing bowl, whisk together sweetened condensed milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, egg yolks and lemon extract until well blended. Pour mixture over crumb crust in baking dish and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle top evenly with remaining crumb mixture. Bake in preheated oven 23 - 26 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool at room temperature, once cool cover and refrigerate 30 minutes - 1 hour (I actually loved this cold), then remove and cut into squares. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.
• *If using salted butter reduce salt amount to 1/8 tsp
• Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

Friday Food Day

Cinco de Mayo

Are you planning a feast for Cinco de Mayo this Monday? Try out one of these tried and true salsa recipes!!

Blackened Tomato Salsa

Restaurant Style Salsa

from The Pioneer Woman

Easy Bean and Corn Salsa

Friday Food Day

Crash Hot Potatoes

from The Pioneer Woman

I love these simple crispy and flavorful potatoes.  They are made with just a few simple ingredients, you can use New Potatoes or any other small round potato.

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 12 whole New Potatoes (or Other Small Round Potatoes)
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt To Taste
• Black Pepper To Taste
• Rosemary (or Other Herbs Of Choice) To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make and cook them until they are fork-tender.
On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. Place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet leaving plenty of room between each potato.
With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes, rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again. Brush the tops of each crushed potato generously with more olive oil.
Sprinkle potatoes with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and fresh chopped rosemary (or chives or thyme or whatever herb you have available.)
Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown

Friday Food Day

Easter Story Cookies 

This recipe is from Sis Sweet.  These cookies would make another great Family Home Evening activity for Easter.

What you will need:

Bible
1 cup pecans
1 tsp. vinegar
3 egg whites
pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
1 qt. or gal. size zipper bag
wooden spoon
tape

*Before you start, preheat the oven to 300 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper

Directions:
1.  Have your helpers crush, smash and beat the pecans and while they do it share with them that this is what the Roman soldiers did to Jesus body, Read John 19:1-3

2.  Before you add the vinegar to the mixing bowl let the children smell the vinegar.  Explain that this is what Jesus was offered to drink. Read John 19:28-30

3. To the vinegar, add egg whites.  Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life.  Read John 10:10-11

4.  Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand and let them taste it.  Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sins.  Read Luke 23:27.

5.  Next, the story turns sweet.  Add 1 cup of sugar, explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us.  He wants us to know and belong to Him.  Read Psalms 34:8 and John 3:16

6.  Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12-15 minutes until stiff peaks form.  Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been forgiven.  Read Isaiah 1:18 & John 3:1-3.

7. Fold in the broken nuts.  Drop the mixture by spoonful onto the cookie sheet.  Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid.  Read Matthew 27:57-60

8. Place the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF.  Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door.  Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed.  Read Matthew 27: 65-66.

9.  GO TO BED.  Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight.  Jesus' followers were in despair went the tomb was sealed.  Read John 16:20

10.  The next morning....open the oven and remove the cookies.  Notice - the cookies are hollow!  On the first Easter, Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.  Read Matthew 28:1-9.

Friday Food Day

Resurrection Rolls

Resurrection rolls are a cute and yummy way to remind us what Easter is really about.  Make this recipe with your kids for a fun Family Home Evening night.  They are easy to make, all you need is: crescent rolls dough, melted butter, cinnamon and sugar and marshmallows. You can talk about the resurrection story as you make these rolls with your family!

  Follow this link for more specific instructions:  Thank you thehappytulip.com!

Friday Food Day

Milk Chocolate Buttercream

I love this frosting recipe, it's soft and creamy and has the prefect milk chocolate flavor.  Try it with Chocolate Crazy Cake!

Whipped Milk Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

http://comfortablydomestic.com/2012/02/14/milk-chocolate-buttercream/

Yield: about 2 ½ cups

Prep Time: 20 minutes, Cook time: 0 minutes, Total Time: 20 minutes

1 C. unsalted butter, softened
2 ½ C. powdered sugar (or more, depending on desired consistency)
4 Hershey’s Milk Chocolate candy bars (1.55 oz. each), chopped (Do NOT use chocolate chips!)
¼ C. heavy whipping cream
½ tsp. vanilla extract

1. Put the chopped milk chocolate bars into a small bowl.  Heat the chocolate in 30 second increments in the microwave set to 60% power.  Stir after each increment, and continue to heat 30 seconds at a time, until the chocolate is melted and smooth.  Set aside and allow to completely cool.
2. Once the milk chocolate has cooled, sift the powdered sugar over the butter, in a large bowl.  Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
3. Measure the whipping cream into a cup, and stir in the vanilla extract into the cream.
4. With the mixer running on low speed, gradually pour the cream mixture the bowl.
5. Once the cream mixture has been incorporated into the frosting, fold on the melted (but cooled) milk chocolate until incorporated.
6. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high, and beat frosting for an additional 3 minutes.
7. Makes about 2 ½ cups of frosting.

• This makes a medium consistency frosting, which is very spreadable and creamy.
• For a stiff decorator frosting: add more powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time, until desired consistency (about another cup or so.)
• For a thinner consistency to fill cupcakes or sandwich cookies, add about ½ cup less powdered sugar.

Friday Food Day

This recipe has been requested, Enjoy!

From Jessy Cook:

I love this recipe because it is made of ingredients that I usually already have!

Honey Curry Chicken

3 tbsp butter

1/2 cup yellow mustard

1/2 cup honey

1 and 1/2 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp salt

3 cups of shredded chicken (if I don't feel like cooking chicken, I use a rotisserie from Wegmans!)

Preheat oven to 350.  Melt butter in a large bowl.  Add mustard, honey, curry and salt.  Mix well.  Add chicken and coat evenly.  Spray a medium baking dish with cooking spray and add the chicken mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.  Serve with jasmine rice and broccoli.  Voila

Friday Food Day

There were so many yummy looking desserts at the ward Spaghetti Dinner and Auction.  This one comes from Ellyn St.Peter and her mom Joan Hendershot.  Joan says: It is a very old recipe that I got from a southern girl who got it from her grandmother and it isn't for the calorie conscious. It makes 6 big loaves but can probably be cut in half.

Cinnamon Sweet Bread

Start: Proof yeast in water with 1 tbsp sugar. When yeast bubbles,

add the flour and evaporated milk.

Let stand till mixtures rises.

2 pkgs dry yeast

1 can evaporated milk

1 1/2 cups warm water

4 cups flour

I always use my mixer on this first step then the next step needs to be done by hand unless you

have a real heavy mixer.

Then add:

8 beaten eggs

1 lb. melted butter or oleo

2 cups sugar

10 to 11 cups flour.

Mix all together until blended shiny. Let rise double. Cut into 6 or 8 equal pieces (depending on pan size)

Flatten each piece by hand into a rectangle. Spread with soft butter or oleo and sprinkle with sugar

and cinnamon. Roll up from long end like a jelly roll and pinch end closed. Put into greased pan

pinched side down and let rise in pan. Bake 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Take out, brush

with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar.

This bread may also be made without the sugar and cinnamon step. Then it becomes a tea bread.

It is also great toasted.

Friday Food Day

St. Patricks Day Food Inspiration

Green fruit skewers, healthy and easy!

I love the gold treat at the end of the rainbow!

Rainbow Water - a St. Patrick's Day Drink for Kids

Friday Food Day

Oreo Truffles

This super easy recipe has been one of my favorites for many years. Enjoy!


Ingredients:

1 package Oreo cookies
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
16 ounces chocolate, melted for dipping

Directions:

1. In a food processor, process cookies into fine crumbs.
2. Add the cream chesse, and mix until well blended.
3. Roll mixture into 42 balls, about 1 tablespoon each.
4. Dip the balls in melted chocolate and place on wax paper.

Friday Food Day

Chocolate Crazy Cake

These simple Cake recipes go by a few different names, Crazy, Wacky or Depression Cakes.  I love them because I always have the ingredients on hand, You don't have to dirty very many dishes, and they always come out great.  This particular recipe I found at sweetlittlebluebird.com, it's identical to other cakes I have made, but I really love her picture tutorial, plus she has a few other flavors that look fun to try too.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 3 Tbsp. cocoa
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. white vinegar
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 5 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 cup water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix the first 5 dry ingredients in a greased 8inch square pan. 
3.  Make 3 depressions in the dry ingredients - two small, one larger.  Pour the vinegar in one depression, vanilla int he other and the vegetable oil in the large depression.  Pour water over everything and mix until smooth. 
4.  Bake for 35 minutes (check to make sure a toothpick comes out clean)  Top with your favorite frosting and Enjoy!

Friday Food Day

We had a great Valentines Enrichment meeting last night, making cards and chocolates.  Liese brought some Healthy chocolate cookies for us to sample and they were a hit!  They are so simple to make.

2 Ingredient Cookies

Ingredients:

1. 2 large old bananas
2. 1 cup of oats (quick or regular! If you use regular, we'd suggest chopping them a little so everything holds together better)

*Then add in what sounds yummy to you! (or nothing) We love:

• a handful of chocolate chips
• crushed walnuts
• cinnamon
• raisins

Directions:

Since all bananas are different sizes, the needed measurements can vary.  If it seems too runny and the cookies would flatten out too much, add in more oatmeal.  And make sure to not add in TOO many mix-ins as the cookies won't hold together very well.
This recipe makes about 16 cookies.  Cook them at 350 degrees for 15 minutes on a GREASED cookie sheet.

Friday Food Day

Chocolate Waffles

I haven't tried these yet but they look too perfect and easy!  I'm sure you could use any of your favorite cake mixes, and topping options are endless.  What a fun way to eat cake.

Directions:

Make cake mix according to package directions.  Cook in waffle iron, and top with your favorite ice cream or berries and cream. 

Friday Food Day

Bacon Wrapped Brown Sugar Smokies

Also know as "meat candy".  Make these for your Super bowl party. You wont be disappointed!

Ingredients:

1 pound sliced bacon, cut into thirds
1 (14 ounce) package beef cocktail wieners
3/4 cup brown sugar, or to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

2.  Wrap each cocktail wiener with a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick (optional, i usually don't).  Place on a large baking sheet.  Sprinkle brown sugar generously over all.

3. Bake until the bacon is crisp until sugar is bubbly.  To serve, place in a slow cooker and keep on the low setting.