Apple Dip

This recipe is not in the cookbook, but it is a must in our house so I thought I would blog about it. I make this often, for one it makes me eat my apples :) and Chase is obsessed with it. He seriously would eat it with just a spoon if I let him. It makes a lot so I love making it and taking some to work for snacks during the day. It is the perfect snack for our monday night get togethers to watch the bachelor :)

2 pkg cream cheese Softened at room temperature

1/4 Cup of sugar

1/2 tsp of vanilla

1 1/2 C. of Brown Sugar

Mix together and then add 1 cup of grape nuts.

The grape nuts are perfect in this! it gives it that great crunch, I have seen people who also use toffee chips as well. You can chill in fridge or just eat it right away. Enjoy!

Strawberry Bread

 The strawberries have been super cheap at the store, so we've been buying tons of them.  The ones from our garden never make it into the house.  My 18 month old seems to grab them before anyone else can.  We decided to make this strawberry bread with some strawberries we had bought and it was delicious.  It tasted like a dessert, and smelled like amish friendship bread while baking (I think because of the cinnamon).  The top was by far the favorite part by everyone, so I think next time we'll do muffins to increase crust area.

Strawberry Bread
3 c. fresh straberries, quartered
3 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
2 c. sugar
1 tsp. soda
3 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. oil
4 eggs slightly beaten

Mix together the eggs oil and strawberries.  Then add the sugar, salt, soda and cinnamon and flour.  Mix it all together and poor into two large greased loaf pans.  Bake at 325 for about an hour.  (When I make the muffins I'll leave a comment with how long it took me.)

Tumi Salad

I signed up to make a side dish for a family from Church who just had a baby. The main dish was teriyaki chicken and rice. I knew a salad would go well, but wanted to make something more than just your typical green salad. So I turned to the cook book and decided on the Tumi Salad. I loved this as a kid and had not eaten it in quite sometime. I made two salad. One with the normal dressing, and one for us with a dressing made with less than 1/4 c. oil, but more vinegar. I asked Haws to taste test them for me and he said he actually liked the one with less oil! He said it had more flavor which makes sense. So you can choose what you like on this. You can also add cooked chicken to make it a main dish. It is good.

TUMI SALAD

1 head cabbage, shredded

1/2c. sesame seeds

8 green onions, chopped

3/4c. slivered almonds

1 pkg Top Ramen noodles, crushed (remove seasoning packet)

1 TB butter

(cooked chicken breast chunks if making a main dish)

Dressing:

1/4 c. sugar

1 tsp. pepper

1 c. vegetable oil (I used 1/4 c.)

1 tsp. sesame oil

1/3 c. rice vinegar (I used 3/4 c.)

2 tsp. salt

Brown almonds and sesame seeds in 1 TB butter. Let cool. Mix cabbage and green onion in mixing bowl, add almonds and sesame seeds. Mix dressing well and then add to salad. If using chicken, mix in with salad. Top with crumbled Top Ramen.

Stuffed Pizza Rolls

These little pizza rolls are perfect for a night you don't have a lot of time for dinner, but you want something that the kids will love (and adults too!). We gobbled these right up!

STUFFED PIZZA ROLLS
1 roll of refrigerated pizza dough ( you can make your own or use any dough you like. I didn't have pizza dough and used crescent roll dough. It worked just as well!)
Marinara or pizza sauce
2 TB Parmesan
1 TB olive oil (or just spray it on like I did)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning
Mozzarella cheese (grated or diced)
any pizza toppings that you like :)

Preheat oven to 400. Roll out pizza dough onto a floured surface into a large rectangle or square. Cut into about 24 squares ( around 3x3 inches). Just eyeball it. Place cheese and other desired toppings in the center of square and then fold up the sides to make a little ball. Make sure it is sealed. Place on a sprayed pie tin (or other small casserole dish) seam-side down. Brush the top of the rolls with oil, butter or just spray them. Sprinkle the top with garlic powder, seasoning and Parmesan. Bake in oven for 15-20 min. Keep an eye on them since all ovens and doughs are different. You want them to be golden brown on top. Serve with warm pizza sauce for dipping. Wallah!

Fresh Peach Pie

We have a young peach tree, and this is our second year getting a ton of baby peaches in May. They are so good and sweet, and nothing is better than eating fruit straight off the tree. We haven't quite yet figured out how to consume all that the tree produces though. One thing we did make with this crop was a delicious fresh peach pie.

Fresh Peach Pie
8 to 9 peaches, peeled and sliced (or if your peaches are smaller - like ours that number goes up to about 20)
1 baked pie crust

Glaze:
1 1/3 c. sugar
1 1/4 c. cold water
1/3 c. cornstarch
1/8 tsp. salt
1 T. lemon juice

Place sugar and 1/2 cup cold water in saucepan. Dissolve cornstarch in remaining 3/4 cup cold water. Then gradually add it to the sugar mixture. Cook this over medium heat until it's thick. Add salt, lemon juice and 2 drops yellow food coloring and 1 drop red. (or you can do what we did. Just puree up some of your left over peaches and add them instead of the food coloring. It worked really well - and added some yumminess as well!). Pour the glaze over peaches, mix and pour into your pie crust. Chill in the fridge and enjoy!

Banana (Nut) Bread

Banana (Nut) Bread
1/2 c. margarine 2 c. flour
1 c. sugar 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c/ mashed bananas 1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. milk 1/2 c. chopped nuts
1 tsp. lemon juice

Cream margarine and sugar. Add the eggs and beat. Add the bananas, milk, and lemon juice. Next sift the dry ingredients and add them in along with the nuts. As I've mentioned before, I'm not a huge nut fan, so I left them out. Bake in a greased loaf pan for an hour at 350. Or make 3 mini loaves and bake them for 30-35 minutes.

Though we've made banana bread before, this was the first time making this recipe. It was great - so use up those old bananas.

Curried Chicken Shepherd's Pie

This chicken recipe was quick, easy and delicious!!! If you don't add too much butter to your mashed potatoes, it is healthy too :)

James was a huge fan of this one. I am always excited when there is meals I can make for Haws and I that James can eat too. This one is a winner and I will plan on making it often.

Curried Chicken Shepherd's Pie

1 lrg. onion, chopped

2 celery ribs, chopped

3 TB, butter (you can use less and it still tastes great)

1 c. frozen peas and carrots (I used just peas)

3 TB. all purpose flour

1 tsp. curry powder

1 1/2 c. reduced sodium chicken broth

1/2 c. 2 % milk

2 c. cubed, cooked chicken

2 TB. dried parsley

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 c. mashed potatoes (with milk and butter)

1/4 tsp. paprika

In a large skillet, saute onion and celery in 1 TB butter until tender. Add frozen vegetables and remaining butter; cook 2 min longer. Stir in flour and curry until blended; gradually add broth and milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 min. or until thickened. Add the chicken, parsley, salt and pepper. Transfer to a 2 quart baking dish (or 9x13). Top with potatoes; sprinkle with paprika. Bake uncovered at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until heated through.

Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Pot Pie might seem more like a fall or winter dish. But it's been cold here. It definitely doesn't feel like summer is about to begin. Aside from that, I was really wanting chicken pot pie. So I decided to make it for lunch yesterday. Luke (my 4 year old) LOVED it. He was so proud of himself for eating vegetables. So here it is.

Chicken Pot Pie
2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts
1lb. chicken breast, cubed 1/3 c. flour
1 c. sliced carrots 1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. frozen peas 1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 c. sliced celery 1/4 tsp celery seed
1/3 c. butter 1 3/4 c. chicken broth
1/3 c. chopped onion 2/3 c. milk

Preheat your oven to 425. In a saucepan or pot, combine chicken, carrots, peas and celery. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain, and set aside. In the saucepan, over medium heat cook the onions until they are soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed (i just used basil because I didn't have celery seed). Slowly stir in the chicken broth and milk, and simmer over medium low heat until it thickens.

I don't like the taste of store bought crusts too much, so I decided if I was going through the effort of making the dish - I might as well make my crust from scratch as well.

I mixed together my chicken mixture and the sauce, but the recipe in the cookbook says to place the chicken and veggies on your bottom crust, then pour the sauce over them. So I guess take your pick. Then cover with your top crust and seal the edges. Make serveral small slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape. Finally bake your pie for 30-35 minutes or until the crust is golden and the filling is bubble. Let it cool for 10 minutes before serving.

It really was delicious. I was surprised at how well the boys (4 and 6) ate it. My one year old is going through a bad eating phase right now, so she just picked at it and made a mess. I was thinking that to try and cut down on the fat, I might try just having a top crust next time. Regardless I was pleased. Good comfort food!