Broccoli Salad

This recipe is Grandma Smithson's and it's oh so good!

Ingredients for Salad:
1 lg head of broccoli, cut into florets
1 C. seedless red grapes
1 lb bacon, fried and crumbled
1 small onion, chopped
1 C. raisins
1 C. sunflower seeds
1 C. sliced celery

Ingredients for Dressing:
1 C. Mayonnaise
1/4 C. sugar
1 Tblspn. Vinegar

Directions:
Toss ingredients except the dressing in a large bowl. Combine the dressing ingredients and add to the salad. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (the longer it sets, the better!)

Tater Tot Casserole

This recipe is thanks to my Great Aunt Karen George and comes out of the Kanosh Town Cookbook! (bet you can't find that on the map!)

(Picture to follow)

Ingredients:
2 lbs ground beef (lean is best)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can green beans (original recipe calls for french cut, but I'm not going to lie, I have yet to use those).
1 pkg. frozen tater tots

Directions:
Press uncooked ground beef in the bottom of a large casserole dish. Season to taste. Layer soup, green beans, and tater tots on top. Bake at 325 degrees for 1-1/2 hours.

Personal note: I always "halfed" the recipe, because our family isn't big enough *yet* to require that much; however, I always use the entire can of soup (because seriously, what are you going to do with the rest of it?), and sometimes I use all the green beans, or I'll save some of them for later, depending on my mood. It has always worked out just right, and my girls love it!

Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

1/2 cup warm water (about 105 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit)
2-1/4 tpsn (1 package) regular or fast acting dry yeast
1-1/4 to 1-1/2 cups flour
1 tspn olive oil
1/2 tspn salt
1/2 tspn sugar
cooking spray

Directions:

1. In a medium sized bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Using a wooden spoon, stir in half the flour, and all of the oil, sugar, and salt. Stir in enough of the remaining flour (1/4 cup at a time) until dough is easy to handle.

2. Sprinkle flour unto a counter top or large cutting board. Place dough of floured surface, and kneed dough for 10 minutes. Sprinkle surface with more flour if dough starts to stick. Dough should be smooth and springy. Spray a large sized bowl with cooking spray. Place the dough in the middle, turning the dough to grease all sides. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes. (For a warm place to rise my bread, I also stick a small cup of water in the microwave for 1 minute. After the minute is up, I put the bowl in the microwave, with the cup. DO NOT start the microwave, just let everything sit for the full time.)

3. Gently push your fist into the dough to deflate it. Recover, loosely, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (but no longer than 48 hours). If the dough should double in size during refrigeration, gently push fist into dough to deflate it

4. Ensure the rack is in the middle position. Preheat oven to 425. Place dough on the center of an ungreased cookie sheet, or 12-inch pizza pan. Press the dough into a 12-inch round, using floured fingers. Press dough from center to edge, so the edge is slightly thicker than the center. Spread sauce over dough, and top with favorite toppings and cheeses.

5. Bake 15-20 minutes, until crust is golden brown and cheese are melted.

(Thank you Betty Crocker!)

Fresh Tomato Pizza Sauce

Ingredients:

2 lbs Plum Tomatoes (I have used other types, Roman tomatoes also make good sauces)

3 Tblspn Tomato Paste

1/4 tsp. Basil

2 tsp. Sugar

1 Clove Garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. Salt

1/8 tsp. ground pepper

Directions:

1. In a large pot, bring water to boil. Put tomatoes into boiling water and boil for 1-2 minutes. Then put tomatoes directly into an ice water bath to cool immediately. Now you can easily peel the tomatoes. Using a paring knife, remove skin, seeds, and liquid. Finely chop tomatoes.

2. Put all the ingredients into a large sauce pan. Cook on a low simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened. If you are in a bind and need to cook it faster, you can cook it for only 30 minutes and then use. It will work, but the flavors won't be as "developed".

Put on your favorite pizza dough and enjoy! As always, you can add or change the spices used.

Apple-Chicken Quesadillas

Ingredients:
1 c Cooked and Diced Chicken (I seasoned mine lightly before I cooked it)
1-2 medium Apples, sliced
1/2 c. Cheddar Cheese (I have used Colby-jack cheese and been satisfied as well)
1/2 c. Mozzarella Cheese
1/2 c. fresh or frozen Corn, thawed
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
6 Tortillas (I use small tortillas, but I think bigger ones will work too, you'll just want more apples.
Optional: sour cream and salsa

Directions:
1. Preheat Oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a bowl, mix first 6 ingredients
3. Spoon mixture evenly into the 6 tortillas, fold, and close with a tooth pick.
4. Bake for 8-10 minutes then turn and bake for another 5-6 minutes (until golden brown and cheese is melted).
5. Remove from oven, remove tooth picks, cut and enjoy!

Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:
1/2c. solid veg. shortening
1/2c. butter, softened (If I'm just frosting, and not decorating, I'll use 1 cup butter and no shortening)
1 tsp. clear vanilla
4c. confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar)
2 Tblspn milk

Directions:
Cream together the shortening and butter. Add vanilla, cream. Add the powdered sugar (to keep it from "poofing" out when you mix, put a damp cloth over the bowl). Mix well (using an electric mixer). Add milk until you get your desired thickness. Frost!

*If you want to venture out of the ordinary, you can substitute 1/2 cup of fresh raspberries or blackberries for the milk and vanilla! yum!

Lemon Cupcake

*This recipe is thanks to Jenn McKinlay and her novel Sprinkle with Murder.

Ingredients:
1c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter @ room temp.
2c. sugar
4 extra large eggs
1/3c. Lemon Zest
3c. Flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/4c. fresh lemon juice
3/4c. buttermilk @ room temp
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cupcake pans with liners.

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy (about 5 min). With mixer on medium, add the eggs, one at a time, and the lemon zest.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, combine the lemon juice, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternatively to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour.

Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full. Bake 20 min. Yields 24 cupcakes.

Swiss Chard with Garbanzo Beans and Tomatoes

I got this recipe from allrecipes.com. You can find it here.

Ingredients:

Olive Oil (2 Tblsp)

Shallot (chopped)

2 Green Onions (chopped)

1 can of Garbanzo beans (the original recipe calls for 1/2 cup, but why waist the rest?)

Salt and Pepper to Taste

1 Bunch Swiss Chard, rinsed, and chopped

1 Tomato, sliced (I used a yellow tomato)

1/2 Lemon, Juiced

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the shallot and green onion. Saute for about 3-5 (until they are tender and give off a fragrance). Add the bean, salt and pepper to taste, and heat thoroughly. Add the chard and heat until the leaves have wilted. Add tomato and lemon juice and heat thoroughly. Plate and Serve.

Tortilla and Black Bean Casserole

Ingredients:

2 cup chopped onion

1-1/2 cup chopped sweet pepper (2 peppers)

1 - 14-1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes (un-drained)

3/4 cup bottled salsa (red or green, I prefer green)

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 - 15oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed

*12 - 6" corn tortillas (I used 4 taco sized flour tortillas, I prefer flour over corn)

2 Cups Monterrey Jack Cheese ( I used Colby Jack cheese, and it was still yummy)

And optional: Taco toppings (ie. lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, etc).

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, combine onion, peppers, un-drained tomatoes, salsa, cumin, and garlic. Bring it to a boil, then reduce heat and let it simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Then add the beans. Preheat your oven to 350.

2. Spread 1/3 of the bean/tomato mixture onto the bottom of a rectangular dish. Top with half the tortillas (overlapping if needed), then a cup of cheese. Spread another 1/3 of the bean/tomato mixture and then the rest of the tortillas. Then top with the remaining bean/tomato mixture.

3. Cover and bake for 30-35 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with last 1 cup of cheese. Let set for 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with optional toppings if desired.

This recipe was adapted from the Better Homes and Garden Cook Book.