My interpretation of Jdawgs

So I endeavored tonight to make a pseudo Jdawg. It turned out tasty, just not tasting like the original. Oh well. I'll take good tasting food in any form.

I googled recipes for the sauce and this is what I came up with:

• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tsp. cider vinegar
• 1 tsp. soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder

(I added a couple tablespoons of water to this mix to get a consistency like the original sauce, though, the taste still isn't quite right. I halved this amount too and we ate 4 dogs, just f.y.i.).

We cooked turkey bratwursts and ate them on whole wheat buns with pickles. I was definitely missing the banana peppers and kraut. I'll make sure I have those on hand the next time I make psuedo Jdawgs.

When eaten alongside some yummy sweet potato fries, this makes for an excellent meal! Hope making a Jdawg brings joy to your heart as it did mine! Good Provo memories!

Something Funny

Here's a quote from this months "Cooking light" magazine:

"Not everyone loves pie, I suppose, but surely they are wrong, or just weren't served proper pie in their childhoods, and probably don't like puppies either."


How true. How true.

S'more Cookie Bars

Anna has already posted a recipe for a cookie version of s'mores...I think I'll add to the stack. Because s'mores are delicious...in any form

S'more Cookie Bars

1 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs (appx. 14 full-sized graham crackers crushed)
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 regular sized Hershey's chocolate bars
2- 7oz packages marshmallow creme/fluff (not melted marshmallows)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease an 9x13" baking pan.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Beat in egg and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, mix flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add dry mixture to butter mixture and mix at low speed until just combined. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan.

Place chocolate bars over dough. You may need to break the chocolate into pieces to spread evenly.

Spread marshmallow creme evenly over the chocolate layer. This is the tricky part. If and when you get frustrated at this point, remember you will have a delicious dish at the end of all this.

Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the creme. This is made easiest by taking small spoonfuls of dough and flattening in your hands then placing on top of the creme.

Bake for 30-35 min, until lightly browned.

Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Makes 32 cookie bars.

Enjoy!

{ Herb Dip with Feta and Greek Yogurt }

Yum Yum Yum Yum! I was craving some kind of dip to go with my pita chips, and this absolutely hit the spot. Thank goodness my dear sister in law has inspired me to always have feta in my fridge. I did not however have all the fresh herbs the original recipe asked for so I substituted dried for a few of them and it was still delicious. Here is what I did. The link will take you to the original recipe.

Adapted from Bread and Courage

1/2 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp dried parsley
6 leaves of fresh basil (I have this in a planter so I had fresh available)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 green onions, white and green parts, minced
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 a package of fat free cream cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all together in a bowl and dip dip dip!

Potato Pepperjack Cheese Soup

As a forewarning, this soup can get a little spicy. It's not like 10-peppers-in-my-som-tum kind of spicy (Thailand reference, sorry), but it's got enough kick to get your nose running by the end of your bowl. For some, the spiciness is a turn-on, not so much for others. Just thought I'd warn you.

Ingredients:
2 cups diced potatoes (I used 4 red potatoes-they hold their shape well)
1 green bellpepper, diced
1 red bellpepper, diced
1 carrot, diced
1/2 large onion (or 1 medium onion), diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 strips bacon, cooked to crispiness and crumbled (use as much bacon as you want! don't let me limit your bacon use!)
cooking spray
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. thyme
4-6 oz. pepperjack cheese, grated
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 cups half&half (this was definitely hearty enough that you don't need cream. You could even split and go half milk and half half&half)
For the roux:
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup flour

Directions:
Boil potatoes in a pot of water. While potatoes cook, saute other vegetables over medium-high heat in medium sized frying pan, covering pan in cooking spray. Once potatoes are soft, drain the water from the potatoes. Add the sauted vegetables to the potatoes in the pot.

Cook your bacon and crumble it somewhere in all this.

Add to the vegetable pot the chicken broth, half&half, white pepper, salt, thyme, and cheese. Set over medium-low heat to simmer. Try not to burn this mixture. That would not be very delicious.

While the big pot is simmering, get a small pan and melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, add the flour and whisk together. Once mixed well, add directly to the soup pot and stir in to thicken.

Enjoy!

Serves 4-5.

Oh, and best served with some yummy homemade bread or rolls!

My last disclaimer: I love eating healthy, but I do not want to kid anyone into thinking this is a healthy dinner. It's loaded with saturated fat to be sure! But, that doesn't mean we can't enjoy it! Just load it with vegetables, limit the bacon, use your half&half and you're good! Well, sort of...

Isareli Couscous with Grilled Chicken and Vegetables

*You can use any vegetables you want in this recipe. If you stick with everything exactly on this list, it makes for an interesting grocery store trip. We went a little "Mediterranean" with this one and it was definitely yummy, but go for anything (well not just anything, but you know...)!"

2 cups uncooked whole wheat pearled couscous
2 cups water with 2 cups chicken broth
1 TBSP fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried oregano
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
Favorite marinade (I used lemon garlic and loved it)
Asparagus, approx. 15-20 stalks; woody ends removed, chopped in bite sized peices
1 red bellpepper, chopped in bite sized pieces
1/2 lb mushrooms, chopped in bite sized pieces
1/2 2 onion, chopped in bite sized pieces
Julienned sundried tomatoes (I omitted this, but I'm sure it's delicious with them. I used fresh tomatoes instead- still good)
1/2 can artichoke hearts, cut in bite sized pieces
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup spinach, thinly sliced
Balsamic vinegar, to taste (I used about 2 TBSP)
1/2 cup feta cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Bring chicken broth and water to boil in a medium saucepan. Add the couscous and oregano, cover and simmer until the chicken broth is absorbed, approximately 15-20 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Marinate chicken then grill on gas stove or grill (I pan cooked it in bite sized pieces and it was still delicious. I just don't have a grill. Sad face). When cool enough to handle, cut into bite sized pieces.

Toss the asparagus, red pepper, and mushrooms with olive oil to coat. Heat a grill or pan and cook until vegetables are tender crisp. Saute the onion in olive oil until golden brown.

In a large bowl combine the couscous with the chicken, vegetables, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, garlic, and spinach. Toss with balsamic vinegar. Toss in feta cheese and pine nuts. S&P to taste.

{Burrito Bake}

This was a deliciously creamy dinner. I was in the mood for something "satisfying" last night and this is what we came up with. Rob and I had worked out hard that morning and were both starving by dinner. This hit the spot:

Ingredients

4 tortillas

1 can cream of chicken soup

1lb ground beef

1 onion, diced

1 can of sliced olives
1 can of corn

1 package of taco seasoning

1 C sour cream ( or in our case, whatever is left in fridge )

1 can of beans, what ever you prefer, re-fried, black, pinto, red, or none at all

2 C shredded cheese ( I think a Mexican blend or pepper jack is the best)

Hot sauce or salsa

1) Pre-heat oven to 350 

2) Combine the cream of chicken soup and the sour cream together in a bowl.

3) Brown the hamburger with the diced onions. Drain the fat. Add the taco seasoning. If you use re-fried beans stir them in at this time.

4) In a casserole dish, lay down layer of the soup and sour cream mixture. Top with half of the meat mixture, olives, corn, beans and cheese. Add hot sauce or salsa here if desired. Then tear up 2 of the tortillas and layer on top. Repeat with the remaining halves, but with-hold the cheese until after you top the casserole with the tortillas. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of this. 

5) Bake uncovered for 20-30 mins. The cheese will be bubbly and the top tortillas will be a bit crunchy. Serve warm with some extra salsa. Enjoy! YUM.

Curry-Spiced Sweet Potatoes

This recipe came from the My Recipes website as featured in "Cooking Light"...my favorite magazine! It was mighty delicious. I used a little bit of the unflavored cooked potatoes, with a dash of curry powder, to make some baby food as well. Two birds with one stone. Enjoy!


INGREDIENTS

• 6 1/2 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled sweet potato (about 2 pounds)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1/3 cup half-and-half
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

PREPARATION

• 1. Place potato in a medium saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until tender. Drain well; return to pan. Keep warm.
• 2. Melt butter in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add shallots to pan; cook 6 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in brown sugar, salt, curry powder, cumin, cinnamon, and red pepper; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add shallot mixture, half-and-half, and lemon juice to potato. Mash potato mixture with a potato masher to desired consistency.

Fresh Peach Pie

Two posts in one day- Anna won't believe it!

Yesterday, our ward had a pie making competition for the Pioneer day celebration activity, and I thought I would participate. Being summer, I thought it only fitting to bring a fresh fruit pie. I debated only shortly between strawberry and peach once I remembered I'd read this recipe on Debbie's blog. So peach I brought- and Third place I won!

Now what to do with my prize of canned imitation snow and Utah Jazz thunder sticks?

Peach Pie

Step 1: Bake Pie Crust (you can make your own, or just buy the Pillsbury pie crust and then bake it) I used the recipe from Annie's eats blog. It was delish!

Step 2: Jello Mixture
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
5 TBL corn starch
Bring to boil and cook on stove top until thick
Add 6 TBL peach jello (1 pkg)
1 tsp vanilla
2 TBL butter
Let this mixture cool

Step 3: Cream Cheese Filling
Mix 8 oz. softened package of cream cheese 1 cup of cool whip
1 cup of powdered sugar
Smooth in bottom of pie crust

Step 4: peel and slice 10-12 peaches (My pan only allowed for 6 peaches)

Line pie crust with cream cheese filling, sliced peaches, and top with jello mixture and chill.

*Slight alterations I would recommend: Add the peaches to the jello mixture before you put it all in the pie pan. And I served it with fresh whipped cream!

**This is NOT a healthy dessert. But some things are worth the calories...

CHICKEN CURRY POT PIE

This is a delicious recipe I am posting that I got from my sister-in-law, Afton. I've made very slight adjustments as noted below:

For the filling:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup of chicken stock
1 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon red curry paste
1 teaspoon curry powder (I used more of both kinds of curry)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 red onion, sliced into half moons
2 sweet potatos, peeled and cubed
1 chicken breast, cooked and cubed
1/2 cup frozen peas (I used shelled edamame)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro


1. Melt butter, add the flour, and stir the paste for a while. Add the chicken stock and stir. Add the coconut milk and stir. Add the curry paste, curry powder, and salt.
2. Add the onions and sweet potatoes to the pan, and simmer until the potatoes are tender.
3. Add the chicken, frozen edamame, and chopped herbs. The filling is done!

4. Make some pie crust. Fill up the ramekins with the filling, then cover with a circle of pie crust. Cut a slit in the crust. You can freeze them at this point, or cook them for 15-20 minutes at 325 right away. (Mine needed 25 min)

Note: I like to use the whole can of chicken stock and the whole can of coconut milk, so I don't have leftovers. I just guess on all the other ingredients, increasing them by about 50 percent. In my opinion, you can't have too many sweet potatoes or too much curry paste and powder. Then I just make as many pies as I can with the filling I have. This recipe as it is should make about four ramekin-sized pies, I think.

Sweet Pepper Sauce

I am addicted to this sauce! It has deliciously increased my intake of fresh vegetables and has made sweet peppers, from Costco, a staple in my fridge. Enjoy over anything from tilapia (our favorite) to potatoes, or as a dip for pita chips or a butter toasted baguette. I like to serve this over tilapia with an accompanying dollop of mango salsa and fresh avacado bits, with buttered bread on the side. I just had it for lunch today over a baked potatoe with some sour cream.


INGREDIENTS
10-15 Sweet mini peppers or equivalent amount of red, yellow and orange bell peppers
*DO NOT USE GREEN PEPPERS they will make the sauce a very unappetizing brown color
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 tsp lemon or lime juice
salt & pepper to taste

It's that simple and it's delicious! Enjoy.

Oatmeal Pancakes

As per Anna's request, I am posting another recipe to our food blog. I have some more recipes saved up on my computer, so lucky for you, Anna- I'll be contributing a lot more hopefully! And soon.

Oatmeal Wheat Pancakes
Adapted from Smitten Kitten

Makes about 18 pancakes

3/4 cup oat flour (you can make this by pulsing rolled oats into a food processor or blender until finely ground; 1 cup of oats yielded 3/4 cup oat flour for me)
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon Kosher or coarse salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups buttermilk (may need more depending on how your batter looks)
1 cup cooked oatmeal (cook separately- 1 cup water with 1/2 cup dry oats)
1 tablespoon honey
2 large eggs

Whisk the dry ingredients (oat flour, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt) together in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk the butter, milk, cooked oatmeal, honey and eggs together until thoroughly combined. Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Using a light hand is important for tender pancakes; the batter should be slightly thick with a holey surface.

Heat a griddle over medium heat until water sizzles when splashed onto the pan. Working quickly, dollop 1/4-cup mounds of batter onto the griddle. Once bubbles have begun to form on the top side of the pancake, flip the pancake and cook until the bottom is dark golden-brown, about 5 minutes total. Continue with the rest of the batter.

They taste delicious with buttermilk syrup and fresh fruit. How's that for Fiber? I love it!

P.S. Here's the syrup:

Buttermilk Syrup

1 1/2 cup white sugar
2 TBSP corn syrup
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla

Heat on medium heat: sugar, corn syrup, butter, buttermilk, and baking soda. Bring to a boil and cook for 7 min. Remove from heat. Add vanilla.

{ Deviled Eggs Get Even Better! }

Thanks to The Neely's, the latest library cook book on my shelf, I have found the next best thing to add to hard boiled eggs since mayonnaise and mustard were invented...BBQ sauce!  Just add a bit of this winning ingredient to you next set of deviled eggs or egg salad and man will you be saying pass me some more lickety split! 


This whole cook book is chalk full of delicious southern comfort food. And I must say I'm such a big fan of their show, "Down Home With the Neely's"! Can you see Hubby and I hosting something like that? Maybe?!

{ Traditional English Bread and Butter Pudding }

I'd like to give a big thank you to TLC for posting this recipe and hosting "The Take Hom Chef" show, and to Netflix for streaming it, so I could find this delicious dessert. It's wonderful.


Ingredients
3 1/2 C milk
3 C cream
1 1/2 C granulated sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp vanilla
9 whole large eggs
9 egg yolks
1 C raisins
6 croissants (each torn into 8-10 pieces)


1) Preheat the oven to 275°F.  Stir the milk, cream, sugar and vanilla in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the milk mixture is warm, about 10 minutes.

2) Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Whisk the whole eggs and the yolks together in a large bowl, then gradually whisk into the warm milk mixture. Place the croissant pieces in a 13x9-inch baking dish.

3) Pour the custard over the croissant pieces and sprinkle the raisins over. Press gently to submerge the croissants and raisins. Let stand for 20 minutes to allow the croissants to absorb some of the custard.  Place the baking dish in a large roasting pan. Set the roasting pan on the oven shelf. Add enough warm water to the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the baking dish.

4) Bake until the pudding is firm to the touch, about 1 hour and 20 minutes.  Serve warm.

You can add an even more delicious and extravagant touch by melting some white chocolate and pouring it over the top as a sauce.


"Traditional English Bread-and-Butter Pudding"  30 June 2010.  HowStuffWorks.com.  03 May 2011.

{ Tex Mex Slow Cooker Soup }

I've been checking out a different cook book from the library each time I go and boy have I been finding some delicious recipes. This is my latest concoction based off a recipe from a slowcooker book. It was easy to substitute and like all good slow cooker recipes you just toss in the ingredients and leave it, unless you feel like giving it a good stir occasionally. Oh and slow cooking always makes your house smell delicious all day!


Ingredients:

1 onion (I didn't have an onion for once in my life so I just used onion powder and liked just as much.)
2 chicken breasts (Cubed and cooked or slow cooked then shredded. BTW the soup would be equally good without any chicken.)
16 oz of salsa (I didn't have this much salsa so I put what I had in and added some leftover tomato paste that I had in the fridge.)
1 heaping spoonful of minced garlic (I don't measure out cloves thanks to my Cost Co can of minced garlic.I'm under the impression that the more garlic the better in pretty much any recipe.)
8 oz Velveeta cubed  or 1 C cheddar
3 or 4 shredded potatoes or a bag of hash browns
1 can of chicken broth
1 package country gravy mix
2 C milk
Tortilla chips
Cilantro

Directions
Stir up gravy mix with 2 cups milk in a separate bowl. Combine the mixture, with everything else, in the slow cooker except the Velveeta, tortilla chips and cilantro. Cook on low for 4 hours if the chicken is already cooked. If not just cook longer 8-10 hours and make sure the chicken is no longer pink and the potatoes are cooked. Add the Velveeta in about 3/4 of the way through just so it can melt. Serve warm with tortilla chips, and cilantro. Enjoy!

{ Pina Colada Dressing }

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup pina colada drink mix
1/3 cup apple cider or rice vinegar
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup vegetable oil.

Blend all ingredients except oil. Wait till the end and add slowly while blending. Enjoy on any green salad, particularly ones with pineapple, mandarin oranges, coconut and macadamia nuts. Mmmmm!

{ S' More Cookie Bars }

We found this recipe on the back of the butter package and it is a sure-fire winner!  I am a s'more addict so this was an amazing find. It's a super quick dessert that harnesses the finest of campfire flavors and brings it indoors. Please add anything you want...Peanut butter is delicious, white chocolate could be good, you could use a variety of other candy chips. Yum, yum, yum!

Ingredients
3/4 C butter
3 C graham crackers
1 package semi-sweet or milk chocolate chocolate chips
1 C butterscotch chips
1 C mini marshmallows
1/2 C coconut
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Directions
Preheat over to 350 degrees. Melt butter and crush the graham crackers In 13x9 inch baking pan, combine melted butter with crushed grahams and press into the pan to form an even crust layer. Evenly sprinkle with chocolate chips, then butterscotch chips, then mini marshmallows. Pour condensed milk evenly over mixture. bake 25 minutes or until bubbly. On wire rack, let cool completely. For easier cutting, refridgerate for 1 hour. Enjoy!