Christmas Eve Dinner, in Idaho

Garlic Sautéed Green Beans

Scalloped Potatoes with Gruyere

Berry Terrine and Whipped Cream

Cornish Hens with Rosemary and Lemon

Caramel Corn and Apple Cider

Baked Oatmeal

3 cups quick oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup ground flaxseed
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup melted butter
2 eggs
1 cup milk

Notes/Story:  Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix melted butter, eggs, and milk together in another bowl. Mix all together. Pour into 9x9 and bake at 350 for 25 min. Enjoy with warm milk.

Once again I was looking for something other than microwave oatmeal and cold cereal that was quick and easy after I got home from work. I refrigerate the leftovers and just put a serving in a bowl, pour some milk over it and put it in the microwave until I see the milk starts boiling. So hearty and good! I really like it with the ground flaxseed in it!

Pre-Thanksgiving 2013, in Idaho

In honor of Elizabeth's visit, we had an early Thanksgiving meal...

Greens with Goat Cheese, Pomegranate, 

Pears, Craisins, and Candied Almonds

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Roasted Carrots

Cauliflower Gratin

Baked Potatoes or Yams

Gravy

Stovetop Stuffing

Buns by Jane

Turkey

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Molasses Cookies

Caramel Apple Pie

Pumpkin Pie with Whipped Cream

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Cranberry Sprite

Coffee

Tea

Oven scrambled eggs

1/4 cup salted butter, melted
12 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 cup of your favorite shredded cheese

Notes/Story: Preheat oven to 350. Pour melted butter in 9x9 (or double the recipe and put into 9x13. May have to decrease baking time though). In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and salt. Whisk in milk. Pour into pan on top of the butter. Bake uncovered for 20 min. Take out of oven and stir in shredded cheese. Place back in oven for around 10 min until eggs are set. Serve immediately.

I was looking for an egg recipe that would have leftovers because when I come home from work the last thing I want to do is make something for breakfast. This makes great leftovers and I like these better than regular scrambled eggs on the stove top!

Taco Seasoning

1 Tbsp chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
1/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp sea salt (less if you use table salt)
1 tsp pepper

Notes/Story: Seasons about 1 lb of ground hamburger. I was looking for a good taco seasoning because I bought some in a packet and it wasn't good at all. This homemade recipe is so much better! I have used this for taco salad: lettuce, ground beef with this seasoning, mozzarella cheese, sour cream, salsa and western dressing. Very good!

Reese's Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Bars

1 1/2 sticks butter
2 c light brown sugar
1/2 c creamy peanut butter
2 eggs, room temperature
1 Tbsp vanilla
2 c flour
1 c old fashioned oats
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 c Reese's peanut butter baking chips
2 cups Reese's miniatures, chopped or Reese's minis

Notes/Story:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 9x13 pan.
Cream butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl. Add peanut butter and continue mixing.
Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each egg. Add in vanilla.
Combine flour, oats, baking powder, and salt in a small mixing bowl.
Add the flour mixture slowly stirring until well combined.
Stir in the peanut butter chips.
Spread 2/3 of the dough on the bottom of the pan. Top with Reese's minis or chopped miniatures.
Drop the remaining dough on top by the teaspoon. It doesn't have to be perfect and it won't cover all the Reese's.
Bake for about 30 minutes. Let cool completely and then cut into bars.

I found these on Pinterest and made them for the Monday night study. Delicious! 

The Best Brownies

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup cocoa
1-1/3 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt

Cream butter and sugar together.
Add eggs and blend well.
Add vanilla, salt, cocoa and flour.  Don’t overbeat.
Pour into a greased 9X13 pan. (or I used a 9x9 for thick and chewy brownies!)
Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes. (if you use a 9x9, it was more like 45 min I think)

You don't even need to frost these because after they bake there's a great crusty top that forms on them.

I found this recipe on http://www.chef-in-training.com/ which has a ton of good looking recipes and not just desserts!

Funfetti Cookie Recipe

1 package Pillsbury Funfetti Cake Mix
1/3 cup oil
2 eggs
1/2 can Pillsbury Creamy Supreme Funfetti vanilla frosting

Notes/Story: Heat oven to 375. In a large bowl combine cake mix, oil, and eggs. Stir until thoroughly moistened. Shape dough into balls, place on an ungreased cookie sheet, and then flatten with flour. Bake for 6-8 minutes. Once they are cooled, spread frosting over the cookies.
My roommate Anna R. made these cookies for our snow day (blizzard on March 18th!) and they are delicious! Very soft and chewy! Also very easy to make!

Easy Cheesecake

1 graham cracker crust, 9 inch
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, soft
1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
1 (21 oz) your choice canned fruit pie filling or make your own!

Notes/Story: Place softened cream cheese in a mixing bowl; add condensed milk, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat until well blended. Pour mixture into graham cracker crust. Chill for 5 hrs. Do not freeze. Before serving, pour pie filling on top.

This has been a favorite in the family for years, especially in February. Kristin and I made this when I came to visit after Zane was born. Always delicious.

Brown Butter Snickerdoodles

from The Ambitious Cook

Makes about 25 cookies

2 1/2 c flour
1 t baking soda

2 t cream of tartar

1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t salt
2 sticks (1 c) butter
1 1/4 c dark brown sugar
2 t cinnamon
1/2 c granulated sugar

1 large egg and an egg yolk
1 t vanilla
1 T sour cream

Rolling mixture:
2 t cinnamon
1/4 c sugar

Notes/Story: Brown the butter (takes a while but makes these cookies soooo good!) by melting it over medium-high heat, then whisking it constantly until it gets really foamy (REALLY foamy) and begins to brown. It will smell a little different at that point, too. Set aside to cool as you mix first 5 ingredients together and set aside. Using a mixer, mix butter and sugars. Add in the eggs, vanilla, and sour cream. Add dry ingredients and stop mixing right when they're mixed in. Refrigerate this dough for at least 3 hours (otherwise the cookies will be flat, believe me, I couldn't wait and tried it right away). Preheat oven to 350, roll cookies into balls and then roll them in the rolling mixture. Bake around 10 minutes. They still look underdone when you take them out, but after cooling for a few minutes on the cookie sheet, then on the cooling rack, they will be amazingly soft and perfectly cooked. Store in airtight container.

Blair requested Snickerdoodles, but they're not in my top 10 favorite cookies, so I thought I'd try a variation. Which is now definitely in my top 10!

New Years Day Dinner 2013

Herb Rubbed Sirloin Tip Roast
Baked Potatoes-with sour cream
Asparagus - tender crispy with butter
Cooked Honey Buttered Carrots-coarsely chopped -
Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Blueberry Cheesecake Dessert

Sparkling Grape Juice/Tea/Ice water

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

2 Cups salted pretzels, crushed
1/2 cup butter-melted

1 Cup sugar
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese - softened
1 (12 oz ) container whipped topping

 1 (3 oz) package strawberry jello
1 1/2 Cups boiling water
2 (10 oz) package frozen strawberries-thawed

With a food processor-crush pretzels. Mix pretzels and butter together and press in the bottom of a 9 X 13 inch baking pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes.  COOL

Beat cream cheese until smooth and gradually add 1 cup sugar.  Fold in whipped topping. Spread over COOLED crust and refrigerate. (I use 2 table knives to spread the cream cheese layer, as it is difficult to spread on the crust)

Dissolve Jello in boiling water. Add strawberries and mix well. Place in refrigerator until it begins to set-this may be :45 minutes - a couple of hours- but watch closely as it shouldn't set. When the jello mixture is thick, pour on top of the cream cheese layer.  Refrigerate until set and ready to serve.

This is an old recipe- I am not sure why it is called salad, as it could easily be served as a dessert, too. This version of the recipe is from the Lisbon, St Aloysius cook book 

Cheescake with Blueberry Sauce

Crust
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs - crushed
1/4 Cup melted butter

Mix cracker crumbs and butter together and pat into a springform pan - spray with cooking oil

Cake
4 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese-softened
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla

With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add sugar, beating until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in egg whites, lemon juice and vanilla

Pour over prepared crust.

Bake in a 350 degree oven until center of cheescake jiggles slightly - about 55 - 60 minutes.

Refrigerate at least 8 hours before serving

Blueberry sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
2 Cups fresh or frozen (thawed) blueberries
1 Tablespoon water
1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Stir together sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Add blueberries and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring until berries soften and sauce bubbles and thickens-about 4 minutes.(I used the blueberries we picked in MN during the summer-delicious)

This dessert is easy to make, and published in the 2011 Weight Watchers Cookbook.

Herb Rubbed Sirloin Tip roast

1 1/4 teaspoon paprika

1 Tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1//2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
 2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 (3 pound) sirloin tip roast

In a small bowl, mix the paprika, losher salt, garlic powder, black pepper, onion powder, cayenne pepper oregano, and thume. Stir in the ovlive oil, and allow the mixture to sit about 15 minutes.

Per heat oven to 350 degrees and line a cake  pan with aluminim foil

Place the roast in the prepared baking pan, and cover all the sides with the spice mixture
Roast for 1 hour or until minimum internal temperature reaches 145 degrees. Let sit 15 minutes before slicing

We made this for New Years Day Dinner 2013. It was easy to prepare, tasty, and tender. Very good