Cheesy Orzo

This is one of Matt's favorite side dishes. It is really easy and a great substitute for rice or potatoes.

Cheesy Orzo - (Rachael Ray, Link)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 cans (14 ounces) chicken or vegetable broth or stock
• 2 cups orzo pasta (enriched rice may be substituted)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano or Romano
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat a 8 inch pot with a tight fitting cover over moderate heat. Add oil, onion and garlic and saute for 2 or 3 minutes. Add broth to the pan and bring to a boil. Stir in orzo and return broth to a boil. Cover pot and reduce heat to simmer. Cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until liquid is absorbed and pasta tender. Remove lid and stir in cheese. Season with salt and pepper to your taste. You favorite fresh herbs may also be stirred into the orzo or rice to strengthen the flavor even more

Notes:

1. I was able to find really good orzo. It is thick and looks about two time the size of a grain of rice. It was from a bulk buy though. I have bought barilla brand before but it is smaller and I don't like it as much. Hopefully you can find one you like at your stores.

2. I don't use the olive oil for my onions and garlic.

3. It serves our family of three eaters with left overs for Matt to take to work.

Peanut Butter Bars

No Bake Reece's Peanut Butter Bars (source - Our Best Bites )

1 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs

1 lb (3 1/2 C) powdered sugar

1 1/2 C creamy peanut butter

1 C (2 sticks) real butter, melted

1 12oz bag chocolate chips (milk, semi-sweet, or dark, you pick!)

2 tsp shortening

In a large mixing bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar and peanut butter and butter and beat until combined. Press into a parchment (or waxed paper or foil) lined 9x13 pan. Place chocolate chips and shortening in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 30 second intervals, stirring after each one, until melted and smooth. Pour chocolate over peanut butter mixture and spread out evenly. Place pan in the fridge just until chocolate is set and then cut into bars. Tip: If the bars chill until the chocolate is too hard to easily cut, use a sharp knife and score the cuts first, then gently cut through. Can be stored in the fridge or at room temp. They will stay firmer if stored in the fridge.

Notes:

1. A tip from their website said to add peanut butter instead of shortening to your chocolate. I did that and it worked out great.

2. I used lower fat peanut butter because it was all I had on hand and I was worried that it wouldn't turn out as well but it held up great.

3. A cup and a half of graham cracker crumbs was one of the three packages of crackers that come in the the box.

4. They have a very similar flavor to scoobs but these were a little more rich. They are really good.

Fried Rice

• Ingredients
• 
  
• 2 cups enriched white rice
• 4 cups water
• 2/3 cup chopped baby carrots
• 1/2 cup frozen green peas
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• soy sauce to taste

optional

sesame oil

4 cups broth (for the rice)

meat

1. Make the rice

2. In a small saucepan, boil carrots in water about 3 to 5 minutes. Drop peas into boiling water, and drain.

3.Heat wok over high heat. Pour in oil, then stir in carrots and peas; cook about 30 seconds. Crack in eggs, stirring quickly to scramble eggs with vegetables. Stir in cooked rice. Shake in soy sauce, and toss rice to coat. Drizzle with sesame oil, and toss again.

Notes

1. I cooked my rice in beef broth for flavor and I think it was really good that way. It gave it some extra flavor so it wasn't just soy sauce.

2. We cut tiny pieces of bacon and put it in there and it was very tasty.

3. The sesame oil is optional. It was good with it but you can definitely taste it so if you don't want that to be a dominant flavor, don't use it.

4. The soy sauce is about 1/3 cup. Not a ton.

5. We used this with some pot stickers and loved it.

Sugar Cookie Bars

I made this recipe yesterday and loved it. I really liked a good sugar cookie but it is a lot of work sometimes to roll them out, bake 3-4 pans and then frost them. This was a perfect solution. They taste just like a sugar cookie but much less work. I didn't decorate mine but you could if you wanted to make them for a ward function or school party.

Sugar Cookie Bars

from Anissa’s Kitchen

I got it from The Repressed Pastry Chef (photo and recipe from the link)

1 cup butter; room temp.
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
5 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp soda

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each egg. Add vanilla & mix well. In a separate bowl combine flour, salt & soda & stir with a whisk to combine. Add to wet mixture and mix just until combined. Spread on a greased baking sheet (use a 13 x 18 pan). Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 min, until light golden brown or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely and frost.

Frosting
1/2 cup butter; room temp
1/2 cup shortening
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
4 cups powdered sugar
5 Tbsp milk
food coloring (if desired)

For frosting combine butter and shortening until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla and salt. Add powdered sugar in 1-2 cup increments until combined, then add milk & mix until smooth and spreading consistency. Spread over cooled cookie, then cut into bars.

Notes:

1. I used a regular size cookie sheet. I would spread it as smooth as you can on top. I found my hands were the best choice for that.

2. The frosting makes just enough to cover the whole thing. I used 1/4 cup shortening and the rest butter since i don't love the flavor shortening gives frosting but I wanted it to hold up better than just using all butter.

3. It makes a lot. I had plenty for our family and gave away five plates to friends.

Savory Spiral Stuffed Rolls

Savory Spiral Stuffed Rolls

*Makes 12-16 rolls

1 recipe roll dough (that yields about 12 rolls), (I used this recipe)
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
2 cups chopped ham (leftover ham or deli ham works great here)
1 1/2 cups finely chopped broccoli
2 cups shredded cheese (Swiss, Cheddar..options are limitless)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup finely chopped green onions

Follow the recipe for your roll dough until the dough has risen. Punch down the dough and roll the dough out into a large rectangle about 1/2-inch thick (using the french bread roll recipe, I rolled my dough to about 13 inches by 17 inches).

In a small bowl, cream together the butter and cream cheese. Spread the rolled out dough with the butter/cream cheese mixture. Top with the ham, broccoli, cheese, Parmesan cheese, and green onions (see the pictures below). Roll the dough up, pinching the seam to seal. Slice the roll into about 1-inch segments. Place the rolls on a lightly greased baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Let the rolls rise until nearly doubled and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, until lightly browned and bubbly.

Taken from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Notes:

1.I used this recipe for the dough. So good.
2. My kids LOVED these. Pair it with a veggie and/or salad and you have yourself a meal.
3. It might be a little time consuming but they are worth it. The only time consuming part is that you have to wait for the dough to rise so if you are planning to make these, plan a couple hours in advance!

Bacon Wrapped Green Beans

1 lb. green beans with the ends snapped off (buy or pick about 1 1/2 pounds so you'll have 1 lb. after the beans' ends have been snapped)
8 slices lean, regularly sliced bacon
3 Tbsp. real butter (no substitutions!)
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. white sugar
1 Tbsp. minced red onion
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.

When the water is boiling, briefly boil (blanch) the beans for 2-3 minutes or until you start hearing a popping noise and the beans have turned bright green. Quickly drain and rinse in cold water until the beans have cooled.


If you're planning on completing the beans immediately, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

On a cookie sheet, divide the green beans evenly into 8 piles.

Carefully bundle each pile of beans with one slice of bacon and return to the baking sheet.

This step can be done up to a day ahead of time.

When the oven is ready, place the pan in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the bacon is crisp and sizzling. While the bundles are in the oven, melt the butter over medium-high heat in a small saucepan. When the butter is bubbly, add in the onions and garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes or until the onions are softened and fragrant. Reduce heat to low and add in vinegar, sugar, and salt. Remove from heat and set aside.

When ready to serve, place bean bundles on a serving platter and drizzle with sauce. Serve immediately.

From Our Best Bites.

Notes:

1. These were really good. Brent thought he was in heaven. Maybe it was the bacon.
2. You only use a small amount of onion so you might want to find another recipe so you don't waste a whole onion.
3. These were not as savory as I thought they would be. Once I got over the fact that they weren't going to taste like bacon wrapped little smokies, they were very tasty!
4. I only used 12 oz of beans and got 12 bundles.

now that's a good burger

1 ¼ lb. ground beef (that extra quarter pound is absolutely essential; if you don't have it, your burgers will fall apart when you try to cook them.)
3 Tbsp. A1 sauce
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
½ tsp. Kosher salt
¼ tsp. pepper
2 cloves minced garlic
¾ tsp. dry oregano
1 Tbsp. dehydrated onion

Grill for about 7 minutes on each side over medium (or until they're as non-pink as you want them.)

Taken from Our Best Bites.

Notes:

1. I don't use 1 1/4 pound. I just use one pound of hamburger. I get 4 burgers from that. (I use 93% and the burgers do tend to fall apart a little. I would go less fatty but know that I probably would have taco meat by the end and not a burger. Probably tastes better with 80/20 hamburger!)
2. This is a really good burger. If you don't liek oregano, don't put it in. You can definitley taste it but for Brent and I, we really like the flavor it adds.
3. Get a good bun.

Served with oven fries and grilled corn on the cob.

lemon mousse cups

24 jumbo cupcake liners
24 pecan shortbread cookies (pecan sandies)
1-3 oz. package lemon jello
1 cup boiling water
3 TBSP lemon juice
1-8 oz. package cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1-12 oz. can evaporated milk, well chilled

Place metal bowl, beaters & the can of evaporated milk in the freezer for 1 hour.

Place cupcake liners into cupcake pan. Press a cookie into the bottom of each liner. Set aside.

Dissolve jello in boiling water. Add lemon juice. Cool in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes,
until syrupy, then beat until light.

In a large bowl, beat together cream cheese, sugar & vanilla. Add to jello mixture. Mix until all blended.

Whip chilled evaporated milk, on low speed, until full volume or beaters leave a soft peak. Blend & fold with jello mixture. Spoon into cookie lined cupcake liners. Refridgerate overnight. Top with fresh raspberries & raspberry sauce.


{Fresh Raspberry Sauce}
1 half-pint package fresh raspberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 cup seedless raspberry jam
In a small sauce pan cook together raspberries, sugar & water. Bring to a boil, turn down heat & simmer for 4 minutes. Pour into a food processor. Add raspberry jam. Beat until smooth. Cool completely.

Notes:
1. At the party I helped with the other night, these were the most popular dessert - and I wasn't even going to serve them since they didn't look that great.

2. I don't think I whipped my evaporated milk long enough. So after a few minutes after being out of the fridge they started to fall apart - but they were still a huge hit.

3. These were very easy to make. Easier than the recipe looks. And they can be made the night before which is always perfect for a dessert. The raspberry topping is optional but I served it with it.

Taken from Our Recipe Club

black bottom coconut bars

CHOCOLATE BASE

1/2 cup unsalted butter, plus more more pan
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Preheat oven to 375°. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving an overhang. Butter bottom and sides of foil.

Using a microwave-safe bowl, melt butter in microwave. Whisk in sugar and salt. Whisk in egg, then sugar and flour. Mix until smooth. Spread evenly in prepared pan.

Bake for 10-15 minutes. The sides should be beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan. Set aside to cool.

COCONUT TOPPING

2 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
7 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut – reserve 1/2 cup for sprinkling on top
Whisk eggs with sugar and vanilla. Mix in flour and coconut.

Drop mounds of topping onto chocolate base. Spread and press into base with moistened fingers. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup coconut.

Bake 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs attached. Cool completely in pan. Then, remove from pan using aluminum foil overhang. Peel off foil and cut into bars. Store in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

Makes 24 bars.
Picture and recipe from Bake or Break

Comments/ learn from my mistakes

1. I didn't use unsalted butter and the brownie part was a little salty. It tasted fine but probably would go with unsalted next time.

2. These were really easy. They made a lot and they were pretty tasty.

3. The moistened fingertips tip was really helpful when working with the batter.

4. I might even throw a layer of sliced almonds on there. A little almond joy brownie!

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce

2 C low-fat milk
1/3 C (3 oz) low fat cream cheese
2 T flour
1 t salt
1 T butter
3 garlic cloves
1 C grated Parmesan cheese

Toss the milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt in a blender. Process until smooth and set aside.

In a non-stick sauce pan, melt butter on med-high heat and add garlic. Let the garlic saute for about 30 seconds, you don't want to burn it.

Then add milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for about 3 or 4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more. It should be much thicker now.

When it's nice and thickened remove the pan from the heat. Add the cheese, stir it up and then cover immediately. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before using. It will continue to thicken upon standing. Also, if you have leftovers in the fridge, the sauce will thicken almost into a solid. Just re-heat and add a little milk and it will be back to normal again.

From Our Best Bites

Notes:

1. I made this because Mere made it and said it was pretty good. It tastes a lot better than jarred Alfredo sauce.

2. Mine got really thick. REALLY thick. I was using a small pan and that was part of my mistake I think. It got really thick when I added the parmesan cheese and I think it didn't mix in smooth enough.

3. I made a parmesan chicken with it per Mere's suggestion. It was tasty. I would probably just do a grilled chicken next time to go with it.

4. I would make this again. It was very easy to make.