My Favorite Kitchen Tools

Admittedly, I love to cook.  This fact has necessitated better cooking tools, and let me just say, it makes ALL the difference.  Invest.  You won't know how you lived without them.
  (My apologies on the formatting of this.  New Blogger is not very cooperative).

The Garlic Press

Mine is from The Pampered Chef.  Note:  If you put it through the dishwasher, don't run the dry cycle because it is hard on the finish.  I use garlic in almost everything and it's so cheap if you buy it in the produce section.  Plus, you CAN'T beat the flavor of fresh garlic.  So much better than the powder.

Meat Mallet

I got mine at T.J. Maxx for under $5.  Make sure you get a metal one, the plastic ones just don't suffice.  I pound out all my chicken breasts, yes every one, and here is why. They are just too darn thick!  If you pound them out they are more tender, it seems like you have more meat, and it cooks more quickly.  Using a meat mallet is essential if you are grilling.  There's nothing worse than eating a big thick piece of chicken. As an aside: no, I don't know this fellow but I couldn't pass up using this swell picture.

 A couple of good knives:
I have one from The Pampered Chef and two made by Wusthof.  They were an investment but so worth it.  They make cutting so much easier.

Amazing Chex Mix

My friend Mandy makes this and we request it for every gathering.  It is soooooo good.  Kind of reminds me of cereal treat with a twist.  Not a low calorie food, but great for a party.

1 box of golden grahams


1 box chex cereal

3 cups of shredded coconut

2 cups of cashews (I think it would be delicious with almonds)

mix together in a large bowl

2 1/2 cups of sugar

2 1/4 cups of karo syrup

3 cubes of butter

boil together for 4 min

remove from heat and add

2 1/4 tsp vanilla

pour over chex mixture and mix until coated. place ingredients spread out on wax paper to cool.

warning it makes a ton!

Taco Soup

This is my twist on the traditional taco soup. It's a fabulous meal because it's so easy. Also note that it utilizes all of your food storage (you can omit the hamburger and add another can of beans-- protein a plenty). My friend adds a packet of dry ranch dressing mix, never tried it but you can't go wrong with ranch dressing.

Taco Soup

1/2-1 lb lean ground beef
1 onion, diced
2 cans kidney beans (or 1 can kidney, 1 can black beans), undrained
2 cans corn undrained
2 cans tomato sauce
1 large can stewed tomatoes (I use tomatoes I bottled a few summers back)
1 pkg taco seasoning
1-2 t. chili powder
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 lime
1 T brown sugar (to cut acidity)

Brown ground beef, add onions and garlic, then add kidney beans, corn, tomatoes, tomato sauce, lime (juiced), brown sugar and chili powder. Stir well. Simmer until heated through. Serve topped with garnishes of your choice. (I like cilantro, guacomole, and fritos. Patrick likes sour cream and cheese.)

Nicole Martin's Dinner Rolls

Marybeth and I are working on perfecting this recipe. Nicole says to touch the dough as little as possible. She rolls them out and cuts them with a circle cutter, be careful not to roll too thin or your rolls will be like frisbies. Also note that they take quite a while to rise.

I used this recipe for cinnamon rolls and it's probably the best one I've tried.

Dinner Rolls (30 – 36 count)

2 c. warm water
½ c. sugar
1 egg
~ ¼ c. dry milk
1 Tbsp yeast
1 cube margarine, melted
1 ½ tsp. salt
~ 6 c. flour


I put all but the flour in a bosch. Add ½ the flour, mix in. Add the rest of the flour. Dough should be sticky but not too soft. (If you’re in a hurry, err on the sticky side.) Knead the dough until it looks elastic.

Let dough rise until double (at least an hour). The more you let the dough rise, the lighter your rolls will be. From that point on, handle the dough carefully. I gently roll the dough on a floured board and use a cup to cut out the rolls. Put the rolls on a large cookie sheet; wait again to rise (at least an hour) until doubled.

Bake at 385˚ for 13 – 15 minutes.

Swedish Creme

(From Nicole Martin)

2 c cream
1 c sugar
1 envelope unflavored gelatin, (dissolved in
¼ c cold water)
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp almond extract
2 c sour cream
1 c fresh or frozen raspberries w/2 tsp sugar



In sauce pan, combine cream and sugar.
Cook and stir constantly over medium-low heat until steam rises. (The recipe also says until candy thermometer reads 160˚, but I don’t worry about that.) DON’T BOIL.
Stir in gelatin until fully dissolved and every calorie and gram of fat have evaporated.
Remove from heat and add extracts.
Cool in pan for 10 minutes.
Whisk in sour cream.
Pour into 8 dessert dishes and chill for at least 1 hour (more) or until set.
Before serving, top with raspberries.
Enjoy!

*At the wedding reception, this was also served with chocolate shavings sprinkled on top w/ the raspberries.

Meatloaf

I've never cared for meatloaf, until I tried this recipe of my Mother-in-law's. Now I find it delicious.

Meatloaf

2 eggs
2/3 c. milk
3 slices bread, torn into pieces
½ c. chopped onion
½ c. grated carrot
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
1 T chopped fresh parsley
1 t. salt
1 t basil or thyme
¼ t. pepper
1-1/2 lbs ground beef

Topping:
½ c. tomato sauce
½ c. brown sugar
1 t. prepared mustard
In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add milk and bread; let stand a few minutes or until the bread absorbs the liquid. Stir in the onion, carrot, cheese, herbs and seasonings. Add beef’ mix well. In a shallow baking pan, shape beef mixture into loaf (I usually separate into two loaves and freeze one). Bake at 350 for 45 min. Meanwhile, combine topping ingredients. Spoon some topping over meatloaf. Bake until no pink remains, occasionally spooning topping over loaf. Let stand 10 min. before

Favorite Pizza Sauce

Admittedly, I am a canned pizza sauce kind of girl. Well I was out and came upon this recipe (allrecipes.com). I found it oh so delicious and will never use store-bought sauce again. I do think some stewed or pureed tomatoes would be a nice addition.

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
Water-- add to dilute sauce to desired thickness
ground black pepper to taste
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

Water to thin sauce-- 1/2-1 cup

Mix together the tomato paste and olive oil. Mix well. Add garlic, salt and pepper to taste, oregano, basil, and rosemary. Mix well and let stand several hours to let flavors blend. No cooking necessary, just spread on dough.

Chicken Tacos

From all recipes with modifications. Can be served in tortillas, a top a salad, or any way you like.
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken
breast meat - cubed
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Saute chicken in a medium saucepan over medium high heat for about 20 minutes. Add vinegar, lime juice, sugar, salt, pepper, green onion, garlic and oregano. Simmer for an extra 10 minutes.

Heat an iron skillet over medium heat. Place a tortilla in the pan, warm, and turn over to heat the other side. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Serve lime chicken mixture in warm tortillas topped with tomato, lettuce, cheese and salsa.

Cereal Treat

Cereal Treat ala Grandma Westerberg

4 C. Cheerios
4 C. Special K
4 C. Rice Chex
4 C. Kix

2 C. sugar
1 C. butter
¾ C. Karo
Dash of salt
1 C. cream or half & half
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix cereals together in a large bowl. Bring butter, sugar, karo, and salt to a boil. (out lid on to dissolve sugar) Add cream and cook to soft ball stage. Add vanilla and our over cereal.

French Chocolate

Grandma Johnson's French Chocolate (Christmas Morning)

2 squares unsweetened chocolate
1/2 c. cold water
1/2 t. salt
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. whipping cream, whipped

Combine chocolate and cold water in saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickneed. Add salt and sugar and continue to cook for 4 min. Remove from heat and cool half an hour. Fold in 1/2 c. whipping cream, whipped. To serve, use 1 T. chocolate mixture per cup and add hot milk. Serve piping hot.

Raspberry Jello Salad

I'm going to start posting our traditional Christmas foods. So, in no particular order:

Grandma Johnson's Raspberry Jello Salad
1- 6 oz pkg sugar-free raspberry Jello
1 pkg frozen unsweetened raspberries
1 can crushed pineapple
2 bananas, sliced in circles

Make Jello according to package directions. Mex raspberries and pineapple and refridgerate. Add sliced bananas before Jello solidifies (otherwise they will sink to the bottom).

Garlic Lime Chicken

We eat a lot of chicken. Since I was tired of Parmesan Chicken, I wanted to sample something new. This is similar to Parmesan Chicken in consistency. (I served it with green beans and sweet potato fries)

I've found the key to making good chicken is using a metal meat mallet to pound it thin. This not only makes your chicken go farther, but makes it nice and tender. If you don't have one, invest. I got mine at TJ Maxx for $3.99

Garlic Lime Chicken
Ingredients
2 T. butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lime, juiced
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs (If you use Italian style, you don't have to add parsley or oregano)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (or less. It really doesn't need much)
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded thin
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat, and cook the garlic until tender, about 5 minutes, then add lime juice.
3. In a shallow bowl, mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Cheddar cheese, parsley, oregano, pepper, and salt.
4. Dip each chicken breast in the garlic butter to coat, then press into the bread crumb mixture. Arrange the coated chicken breasts in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Drizzle with any remaining butter and top with any remaining bread crumb mixture.
5. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Sweet Potato Fries with Honey Lime Dip

Baked Sweet Potato Fries
2 medium-sized sweet potatoes* (I boiled them just until they were tender on the first layer. This really helped make cutting them into fries easier. I peeled them just as you would a Russet Potato.)
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1/2 t cumin (The cumin seemed a little strong. Next time I don't think I'll use it)
1/2 t oregano
1/2 t coriander
1 t kosher salt
1 t parsley
fresh ground pepper (about 10 turns of a pepper mill)

Put the sweet potatoes in a bowl and drizzle the olive oil over them. Use your hands to make sure each one is coated. Place the fries on the baking sheet. It's very important that they are not touching, After 15 minutes take pan of oven and flip the fries. Put the pan in the oven and cook for another 15-20 minutes. Just keep an eye on them. They should be nice and golden brown.

Honey-Lime Dip for Sweet Potato Fries
(Note: this recipe made more than enough. You could half it and be just fine)
6oz container plain, low-fat yogurt
1 T mayo (I used fat free)
1/2 T honey
1/2 lime
1/4 t cumin
1/8 t oregano
1 t parsley (I didn't see add the last 3 ingredients by mistake. Turned out to be delicious without them)
1/2 t granulated onion
3/4 t kosher salt

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

I really hate sourcream enchiladas, so I've been searching for an alternative. I found this on the 61st Ward Wives site and made some changes. It's completely different from what you'd expect in a homemade enchilada, but it's absolutely delicious. Even dairy boy himself gave it a thumbs up. It would also be good on a salad with some torilla chips on top.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas
9 TBS honey
7 TBS lime juice
1-1/2 TBS chili powder (to taste depending on how much kick you want)
1/2 t. cumin
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 lb. chicken, cooked and shredded (2-3 large breasts)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed.
1 can corn, drained and rinsed.
4-6 flour tortillas (I use Smart & Delicious high fiber tortillas. They are only 50 calories and taste better than other wheat tortillas I've sampled).
monterey jack cheese, shredded
16 oz. green enchilada sauce

1. Mix together honey, lime juice, chili powder, and garlic, and cumin together and toss with chicken. Let it marinade for a few minutes before adding corn, beans, and cheese (I don't really think it needs cheese. I probably added a very small handful, but it's not necessary unless you have calories to spare). Mix well. 2. Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on bottom of 9x13 pan.3. Fill tortillas with chicken and cheese and put in pan. 4. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over tortillas and sprinkle with cheese.5. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until brown/crispy on top.

Artichoke Chicken

I really liked this recipe. It is quite easy as well. Patrick just thought it was "OK" but I think he is prejudiced against fat free ingredients. I served it over rice with a side of roasted asparagus.

From all recipes with modifications.
Artichoke Chicken
Ingredients
1 (15 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup mayonnaise (fat free)
1 clove garlic, crushed
pepper to taste.
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the artichoke hearts, Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, and garlic. Place chicken in a greased baking dish, and cover evenly with artichoke mixture.
3. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is no longer pink in the center and juices run clear.