The BEST chicken salad ever

6 cups cubed cooked chicken breasts
1 cup sliced water chestnuts(towel dry)
2 cups chopped celery
1 can crushed pineapple(towel dry)
2 cups red seedless grapes
2 cups slivered almonds
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/4 c chutney
3 cups mayo
2 T lemon juice
1 T soy sauce
1/4 t curry powder (don't leave out! )

Mix together in a big bowl and serve on bed of lettuce with show mein nooldes on top or in croissants as sandwiches.

Favorite Salad

I am having a christmas brunch this week for my visiting teachers and I went looking for my favorite salad recipe and I could not believe I didn't have a single salad on my blog! this one I got from Louise Hill years ago- I call it Louise's Salad:
Romaine Lettuce- I use half spinach
Crasina
feta cheese
Cut up apple, pear or strawberries
pecans or pine nuts
sliced red onion

Amy Moffat's Dressing:
1/2c sugar
1 t dry mustard
3/4t salt
1/4c red wine vinegar
Blend these ingredients in a blender, sloly add 3 T chopped bermuda onion(1/4)
Slowly add 1/2 c oil- I use olive oil. Blend unitl frothy and refrigerate
I double the dressing then I have extra.

Brownies

I just got back from Utah and had the best visit with my best friend Kathleen. This is her recipe and she is the best cook! Brownies are one of those this I do not like from a mix.

Mix together:

4 eggs

1 3/4 cups sugar

Mix together and add to egg mixture:

1 cup melted butter

1/2 cup cocoa

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

Add:

3/4 cup flour

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (opt)

1 cup chocolate chips (opt)

Mix together and pour into greased pan.

Bake @ 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes

or until knife comes out clean in center.

Do not overcook.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar or

ice with chocolate frosting.

CARROT COOKIES

This recipe is from Holly Tribett and I made them all the time for my kids when they were little...
Cream:
3/4 c sugar
3/4 c shortening or butter
1 egg
1 c cooked carrots, mashed coarsely, cooled
1 teas vanilla
Add:
2 c flour
1/2 t salt
1 teas baking powder

Drop by large tablespoons- I cook them till just brown-they should be soft
Bake 375 for 15 minutes

Frosting:
1/2 c orange juice
1 T butter
1 c powdered sugar

modified:

1 cup butter I use 1/2 c with 1/2c applesauce
3/4 c sugar I use 1/2c and a little less flour
2 eggs
1 c carrots, cooked and smashed ( can use canned)
2 1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4t salt
1 tsp vanilla

Cream butter, sauce and sugar. Add one egg at a time then carrots. Add dry ingredients then vanilla. Drop by tablespoons on cookie sheet, sprayed with PAM
Bake 375 for 10-12 minutes till pale.

Icing
1/2# powder sugar
1/4 c orange juice
orange rind, opt
Mix till smooth and frost cooled cookies

Ginger Cookies

I was visiting someone who asked me if I had a good gingersnap recipe and I couldn't believe that I had not put this one on the blog yet. I got the recipe from the Horton's and it is our favorite. I hate using shortening but it is a must...So I usually make them a Christmas time and stack a 10-12 in a sac, tie with a ribbon and give away.

Mix: ¾ c shortening

1c sugar

1/4c molasses

1egg

Add: 2 c flour

1/4t salt

2 t soda

1t cinammon, cloves & ginger

Roll in sugar—Place on ungreased cookie sheet

Bake 375 6-8 minutes

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

2 eggs

2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 325.
2. Use a mixer to combine the butter with the sugars until creamy.
3. Add peanut butter, eggs, and vanilla and mix until smooth.
4. Add flour, baking soda, and salt to moist ingredients. Mix the dought until it is smooth and well blended.
5. Drop rounded tablespoons of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Press the dough flat with a fork.
6. Bake 15 minutes or until edges of the cookes begin to turn light brown.

Best Banana Bread

Makes ONE loaf

1/2 cup of oil

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

4 bananas, pureed with a hand blender

Mix together with

2 cups flour, I use 1/2 WW

1 T. Baking soda

1 pinch salt

opt: 1 teas vanilla or 1/c mini choc chips

Grease and flour pan. Bake 350 for 25-30 mins.

Pumpkin Bread

I love making bread in the fall and I want to try both of these recipes I found on friends blogs to see which one I like best...

Here is one from Laurie Marsh's blog and I love that it has whole wheat flour in it

GREAT HARVEST PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP BREAD

2 1/2 cups white flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

3 cups sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

16 oz cooked or canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling)

1 cup oil

4 eggs, beaten lightly

2/3 cup water

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two (9x5 inch) loaf pans or three (8x4 inch) loaf pans.

Mix flours, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together in a large bowl; set aside.

Mix pumpkin, oil, eggs, and 2/3 cup water together and stir into dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips. Place batter in prepared pans.

Bake 60 or 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

This pumpkin bread is pretty light and airy (almost like pumpkin pound cake). It makes 2 loaves. Tisha M.

1/2 cup butter, soft
1 pkg (8-oz) cream cheese, soft
2 1/2 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 (15-oz) can pumpkin
3 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp allspice

• Preheat oven to 350. Spray two bread pans.
• Beat butter, cream cheese and sugar until well blended.
• Add eggs one at a time; mix well after each egg.
• Blend in pumpkin.
• Gradually add dry ingredients. Mix just until moist.
• Pour into greased pans. Cook 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center
• 
  

Pumpkin Bread - Kathy G.

1 cup butter - softened

3 1/2 cups sugar

6 eggs

1 large can Pumpkin

Mix together until well blended.

In separate bowl mix together well:

5 1/4 flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 Tbsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cloves

1 tsp nutmeg

Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture alternating with:

1 cup milk

1 Tbsp vanilla

Chocolate chips or nuts can also be added.

Mix until just blended and then spoon batter into greased bread pans.

Bake @ 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes -

or until cooked in the center. Cool on wire racks.
Makes 3 large loaves - or 4 regular sized.

Delicious warm with butter - or cool by itself!

• comes out clean.

Bruce's Pizza Crust

Someone asked for Bruce's pizza crust recipe and I can't believe I didn't have it. What would I do if something happen to him! He has entertained all summer our many guest with his pizza making skills. For our crew- we double or trip the recipe.


Place Pizza stone in oven and heat to 425 degree.

In Bosch:

Dissolve 1 T yeast in 1/4 c warm water - let sit for a few minutes
Add:
1 1/4c warm water
4 cups flour, bread is preferred and can use 1/2 WW
1 teas salt

Knead for 10 minutes and let rest till starts to rise.
Dump on floured counter an divide into 2 balls. Stretch and roll out into large 14"circle
Add: ( make on well floured wood paddle to slide onto hot stone )
1/4-1/2 c Prego Sauce
1-2 cups Mozzarella cheese, shredded toppings
Favorite Toppings: pepperoni slices, ground sausage, sliced mushrooms, strips of peppers

Cook for 12-14 minutes. Remove from oven using paddle.

For Margaret: brush with olive oil and crushed garlic and add sliced fresh mozzerella and dry tomato(take out center), top with fresh basil

BBQ Chicken: Brush crust with 1/4-1/2 c favorite bbq sauce, chopped grilled chicken and onions, top with mozzerella cheese

Whole WheatZucchini Bread

It has been a busy summer and actually wonderful weather in Colorado- sunny and warm (80's) thus our garden grew like crazy but for some reason we got 1 zucchini- not sure how that happen since last year that was all we got....so I had to make sure I used it in the best way possible.
This recipe is Hallie's recipe and I love it. Second fav is chocolate zucchini cake.

2 c sugar
3 c WW flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1 c cooking oil
2 tsp vanilla
2 c shredded raw zucchini, unpeeled
nuts & raisins opt
Mix sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, soda and baking powder. Stop the mixer and add eggs, cooking oil, vanilla, zucchini and knead well. Add nuts and raisins, blend in.

Pour into 2 greased and lightly floured loaf pans

Bake 60 minutes at 350 degrees

Angel food cake

Angel food cake....Alton Brown

I love Angel food cake and Bruce has never liked it till I made this! Now I make it all the time since it fat free.

• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cake flour, sifted
• 12 egg whites (the closer to room temperature the better)
• 1/3 cup warm water
• 1 teaspoon orange extract, or extract of your choice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a food processor spin sugar about 2 minutes until it is superfine. Sift half of the sugar with the salt the cake flour, setting the remaining sugar aside.

In a large bowl, use a balloon whisk to thoroughly combine egg whites, water, orange extract, and cream of tartar. After 2 minutes, switch to a hand mixer. Slowly sift the reserved sugar, beating continuously at medium speed. Once you have achieved medium peaks, sift enough of the flour mixture in to dust the top of the foam. Using a spatula fold in gently. Continue until all of the flour mixture is incorporated.

Carefully spoon mixture into an ungreased tube pan. Bake for 35 minutes before checking for doneness with a wooden skewer. (When inserted halfway between the inner and outer wall, the skewer should come out dry).

Cool upside down on cooling rack for at least an hour before removing from pan.

Upside down pineapple cake

Made in a slow cooker or dutch oven

6T butter

2/3 c brown sugar

8 slices pineapple

1/4 c pineapple juice

yellow cake mix

Turn cooker on high and melt butter, stir in b sugar
lay out pineapple slices..can place a mars cherry in each one....
cover with pineapple juice
Prepare cake mix as directed and pour over pinapple

Cook on high for 2-4 hours till cake is set

Take a knife and release the sides of cake then dump upside down

Date Bars

This is definitely the recipe of 2009. We went to Salt Lake and stayed with Bruce's parents and they had these sitting on the counter, we could not stop eating them. Uncle Red had the recipe from an old bakery and gave it to Dad to make (since he loves to bake). We now make them all the time but they do not sit on our counters long. They are really called Fruit Bars.

2 c sugar
3/4c shortening
3 eggs
1/3 c Honey
3 T molasses
2 tsp Cinnamon
3/4 c coconut
1 1/4 c dates
1 c nuts, chopped
1 c raisins
1/2 c rolled oats
4 1/3 c flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp soda

Cookie Glaze

Cream together sugar and shortening; then beat in eggs. Stir in honey and molasses. Sift together flour, salt , soda, and cinnamon and stir in along with remaining ingredients. Mix with hand, if needed, to blend, add a little water if mix is too dry to form into rolls.

Shape dough into rolls 2 inches in diameter, length of cookie sheet and arrange on greased cookie sheets. Slightly flaten rolls with fingers. Makes 4 rolls -2 per large cookie sheet.
Bake at 375 for 11- 12 minutes or until golden brown and test with a toothpick.
Cut crosswise into bars while warm. Frost or drizzle with cookie glaze. Makes 3 dz large or 6 doz small bars.

Cookie Glaze

1/2 c sugar
1/4 c water
1 T corn syrup
11/3 c powdered sugar

In a small saucepan, stir together sugar, water and corn syrup. Cook over medium hear, stirring constantly until mixture boils, remove from heat. Cool for 5 minutes. Gradually stir in powdered sugar, beating until smooth after each addition. Mixture should have syrup consistency.

Homemade Rolls

I have always had a hard time making rolls, I want to blame it on that we have moved around so much that I keep trying new ones, but wherever we have lived, this one has seemed to work the best, just have watch the amount of flour to get the right consistency- it takes practice... so it is going to be the one I use so I can work on making them perfect.

2 T instant yeast

1 Tblspn sugar
Warm water to dissolve yeast
1 cup milk
1/2 butter - the original recipe calls for oil
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp salt
approx. 5-6 cups flour

Step 1:
Put yeast and sugar in a large glass measuring cup, cover with warm water and stir with a fork. Set aside till foamy-about 5 minutes.

Step 2:
Put milk in a glass container and microwave for 2 minutes or you can scald it on the stovetop in a small pan. After scalding the milk, put the stick of butter in the container of milk. This melts the butter while also bringing the temperature of the milk down. In another bowl, beat eggs with sugar and salt.

Step 3:
In the mixer, add the yeast mixture and the milk/butter mixture. Then add the sugar, eggs and salt and mix together.

Step 4:
Add the flour 2 cups at a time. Mix well after each addition. Add the last cup slowly, may use more or less then 1 cup*. Once all the flour is added, mix for at least 4 or 5 minutes.
*The dough should pull away from the side of the mixer but still be sticky to the touch. If you have too little flour, the rolls won't hold their shape. If you have too much flour, they are too dry. If you added too much flour, you could add another egg.

Step 5:
Leave in mixer, cover and let raise for about an hour.
Run the mixer (I do this on the lowest setting) for a few revolutions. This is supposed to make the dough finer.

Step 6:
Roll out the dough on a floured surface. Form rolls into desired shape.
For Cresants: roll into 4 equal circles and slice into pizza shapes and roll up starting with wide end.
Knot rolls: Using a sharp knife, slice the dough into strips (approx 3/4 inch wide) and then cut the strip into 3 or 4 smaller sections. Tie each piece in a knot and tuck the ends under the roll. Place formed rolls on a greased pan.

Step 7:
Let rolls raise another hour or so.
Bake at 350 degrees until light brown - maybe 10 minutes or so.

Option for refrigerator rolls:
Step 5: Cover dough in bowl (remove beaters) and let rise till triple in size.
Punch down and divide dough into 3-4 equal parts as if you were going to roll it out. Place bowls with a lid and refrigerate overnight.
Step 6: Remove from refrigerator and roll into shapes while cold. Brush dough with melted butter before or after formed into shapes.
Step 7: Let rise 1-3 hours.
Bake 350 for 10-15 minutes depending on desired doneness.

Notes:
This recipe usually two nights of rolls for our family or one and a batch of cinnamon rolls.
To freeze:
After I form the rolls, I grease a pan and put the rolls on a cookie sheet. I cover the cookie sheet with sprayed saran or foil and freeze (don't let them raise for the second time before freezing). Once the rolls are frozen, I take them off the cookie sheets and put them in ziploc bags (laid out flat) in the freezer. I then just take out as many rolls as I need. The rolls need about 2-3 hours to thaw and raise after being frozen- perfect for sundays.
You can doubles the recipe in a Bosch. When doubling- use 2-3 Tbsp of yeast.

World's Best Rolls

2 c. whole milk or 1 can evaporated milk with milk to make 2 cups
½ c. + 1 Tbsp. sugar, divided
1/3 c. (5 -6 Tbsp.) butter
2 tsp. Kosher salt
2 T dry yeast
2/3 c. warm (105-115-degree) water
8-9 c. all-purpose flour
3 beaten eggs

Combine milk, 1/2 c. sugar, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until butter melts. Remove from heat. Allow to cool to lukewarm.

While the milk mixture is cooling, dissolve the yeast and 1 Tbsp. sugar in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes- till bubbly.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 3 c. flour and milk mixture. Beat on low for 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl constantly. Add yeast mixture and beat on high for 3 minutes.
Add beaten eggs.

Stir in as much remaining flour as needed to make a soft dough. This dough should be very soft and sticky- just coming away from sides. Place the bowl in a warm place and cover with a clean towel; allow to rise 1 hour.

Punch down dough. Lightly flour your work surface and turn dough out onto surface. Divide in half.
Spray 2 9x13 glass pans with cooking spray. Roll first portion of dough into a rectangle and then cut it into 12 equal-sized pieces. Shape each piece into a ball and place in prepared pan. Repeat with remaining dough in the second pan.

Cover with a clean cloth and allow to rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. When dough has about 15-20 minutes to go (depending on your oven), preheat oven to 375.
Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden-brown

When done, remove from oven. Rub a stick of cold butter over the tops of the rolls.

Using this filling or these fillings, this dough makes fabulous cinnamon or orange rolls. Just bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Cowboy Roast

One sunday I was looking for a recipe for a cross rib roast I bought on sale that I could cook while at church, my oven does not have time bake (that is how old it is) so I am limited to cooking for 3 hours or a crock pot. I came across this recipe and it work beautifully...I have made it a few times now because Matt has to have beef on sundays!

4-5 pound Cross Rib Roast, thawed and leave rolled up
Marinate for at least 3-4 hours in:
1/2 c ketscup
1/4 c soy
2T red wine vinegar
2T salad oil
1 tsp grd ginger ( I use 1T fresh grated)
1 clove garlic, minced ( can use 1 tsp powdered)
1 bunch of green onion, chopped
Mix marinade in a ziploc bag and add roast covering well.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Remove roast from marinade and drain off excess in bag and set aside
Place in a roasting pan with a rack and Roast for 1 hour then turn off oven, DO NOT open the door and leave for 3 hours(thus perfect for sundays) then baste the roast with marinade and cook for 20 minutes at 325 or till beef rare temp. Remove and slice up to serve
While roasting, heat up extra marinade in a pan and then add the drippings from the roast to make a great gravy ( thin but sassy) to pour over the meat.