Toothpick Sandwiches

It can be hard to get kids to eat :( so we came up with this idea. On a large plate put in bite sized pieces, or cubes the following:
Apples
Cheese
Bread
Turkey
Ham
Cucumber
Carrots
Raisins or other dried fruits
(and whatever else you like)
Give each child a toothpick to design their own "sandwich" or eat one thing at a time off their toothpick. If your kids like (mine don't) here is a dip that is very tasty to serve along side this, or any raw veggies.
Yogurt Dill Dip
1 cup plain yogurt
1 TB parsley
1 TB dill (opps, that sounds like a lot, and I just misplaced the recipe. I'd start off with a tsp and go from there)
1 cup mayo
1 TB dried onion (I use onion powder because of the chuncks the dried onion makes)
Mix all together and let set for 30 minutes in the fridge. You can even venture out to make your own yogurt, which I have done with some success depending on the method I use. I like what Yo-gourmet produces; it's a pouch you purchase at Whole Foods to make yogurt from.

Doctor Richard Hardy's High-Fiber Cookies

Heat together to soften fruit:

1 cup raisins or cut up prunes

1 cup water

Blend and mix with water and fruit:

1 cup oil or margarine or butter

1 cup sugar

Add to previous ingredients:

3 eggs

2 cups grated carrots or zucchini squash

1 cup All Bran cereal (any flaky cereal will work, just won't have as much fiber)

Finally add to all of the above:

2 cups whole wheat flour

2/3 tsp. baking soda

2/3 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup chopped nuts

2 cups 1 minute uncooked oatmeal cereal

Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes

History of this recipe: In South America, Dr. Richard Hardy served several missions as medical advisor and attended to the needs of the missionaries. He found that they often had problems that were directly related to their diet which lacked fiber. He developed this recipe for them. They can be a breakfast cooke or a snack during the day. They are very moist. These cookies are colorful, healthy and delicious.

Grandma's Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

These cookies truly are so delicious!

2 ½ cups flour
1 t. baking soda
1 cup butter, softened
¼ c. granulated sugar
¾ c. light brown sugar
1 pkg. (4 serving size chocolate or vanilla instant pudding mix
1 t. vanilla
2 eggs
1-12 oz. pkg. chocolate chips
1 c. Nuts, chopped (optional)


Mix flour with baking soda. Combine butter, sugars, pudding mix and vanilla in large mixing bowl. Beat in eggs. Gradually add flour mixture; then stir in nuts and chips. Drop onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.

Two Pumpkin Cookies

I love anything pumpkin this time of year! Here are two recipes I've made this fall and my whole family loves!

HINT: If you buy a big can of pumpkin, you can make a double batch of the iced cookies and a regular batch of the CC ones.

Iced Pumpkin Cookies

(courtesy of my neighbor Sandra)

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 egg

1tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl combine four, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, netmeg, cloves and salt. In a large bow, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg and 1 tsp vanilla to butter mixture and beat until cramy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoon. Flatten slightly and bake for 15-18 minutes. (I flatten them with a wooden spoon about half way through, it helps the glaze not run off.) Cool then drizzle glaze with a fork ( I use my little wire whisk).

Glaze

2 cups confectioners' sugar

3 TBS milk

1 TBS melted butter

1 tsp vanilla

Combine all ingredients and stir with a whisk. Glaze should be runny. Drizzle onto cookies.

_______________________________________________

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies with Oatmeal

(courtesy of Allrecipes.com)

INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup canned or cooked pumpkin
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Beat in egg and vanilla. combine flour, oats, baking soda and cinnamon; stir into creamed mixture alternately with pumpkin. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheets. (I just used my silpat.) Bake at 350 degrees F for 12-13 minutes or until lightly browned.

Ziti with Chicken and Broccoli

I found this recipe in a magazine called "Dan's Real Food." (The picture is from there too.) I made it last night for dinner and we loved it so much, I just had to share it. In the article it said, "The trick to this dish is tossing the pasta with the sauce for a minute or two in the pan so that the flavors have a chance to mix and meld."


1/4 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 pound 1 1/2-inch broccoli florets (about 3 cups)
1/2 t. salt
1/3 cup white wine (I substitued chicken broth)
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 1/2 cups diced roast cheicken (skin removed and any juices)
1 t. chopped fresh thyme (I didn't use this)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 pound ziti

Cook ziti according to instructions on box. Heat oil and garlic in a large skillet or saute pan over medium heat, stirring, until garlic starts to brown and becomes very fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add broccoli, raise heat to medium high, sprinkle with salt, and cook, stirring often, until broccoli turns dark green and starts to brown, about 2 minutes. Add white wine (chicken broth) and cook, stirring, until it almost completely reduces, about 2 minutes. Add broth, chicken and thyme, bring to a boil, cover, and cook until broccoli is crisp-tender and mixture is hot, about 3 minutes. Sir in half of the cheese and a generous sprinkling of black pepper. Remove from heat.

Drain pasta and return to pot. Add chicken and broccoli, and cook over medium heat, stirring, for 2-3 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Season to taste with salt and pepper, sprinkle with remaining cheese, and serve.

Cake Cookies

So everyone probably already knows this recipe, but just in case there is anyone else out there who was in the dark like me, I will go ahead and share it.

These are the easiest cookies I have ever made and they were very tasty!!

One package white cake mix (you can actually use any flavor)

1/3 cup oil

2 eggs

Blend together (it will be pretty thick)

*If you want to you can add sprinkles or any kind of fun decorating sugars. Also you can use funfetti cake mix, it makes fun colorful cookies.

Roll into balls and place on a greased cookie sheet (I refrigerate the dough for about 20 minutes just so they are easier to handle but it isn't necessary.)

Bake at 375 degrees for 6-8 minutes.

I know the picture is not the best. :( The cookies didn't last long enough on a plate to get a good picture. YUMMY!!!

Toffee Blondies

1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup toffee candy bits (I only used 3/4 cup and it turned out good, one cup looked like so many)
Preheat oven to 350. Either spray or foil line an 8 inch baking pan.
Mix butter and brown sugar until well combined. Add eggs, vanilla and salt. On low add flour and mix just until combined. Fold in toffee bits by hand. Spread into pan and cook until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean, 30-35 minutes (mine cooked for 37 minutes). Let cool completely before cutting into 16 squares. Stores up to three days in air tight container at room temp.
This is an "everyday food" recipe, I mean, from a compilation of dessert recipes put out by everyday foods. I'm going to try butterscotch chips instead next time.

Creme Brulee

Linens n' Things was going out of business and when I saw ramekins and a torch for super cheap, I was all over it. I love creme brulee. I went to allrecipes.com and found the following recipe and incorporated the suggested omission. This was so much easier than I thought it would be and every bit as yummy as I hoped for!

6 egg yolks (tip: leave eggs at room temp before beating)

6 TBLS white sugar, divided

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 TBL brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees

2. Beat egg yolks, 4 TBL white sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl until thick and creamy.

3. Pour cream into a saucepan and stir over low heat until it almost comes to a boil. Remove the cream from heat immediately. Stir cream into the egg yolk mixture, beat until combined.

4. Pour mixture into ramekins (other dishes may be substituted, infact, this made enough I used small, glass bowls, but kept the amount shallow to cook evenly with the ramekins).

5. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool to room temp; refrigerate 1 hour or overnight (I prefer overnight).

6. Preheat oven to broil (if you do not have a torch)

7. In a small bowl, combine remaining white sugar and brown sugar, sift over custard. Use torch to carmelize the top, careful not to scorch the sugar. If you don't have a torch, place dish under broiler until sugar melts, about 2 minutes; watch carefully.

8. Allow to cool

9. Enjoy!

Spaghetti primavera

(I actually meant to post this in the summer, happy late summer!)

1 cup sliced zucchini

Salt

2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped (or a can of diced tomatoes, which is what I actually do)

3 T. olive oil, divided

3 cloves garlic, mashed, divided

Salt and pepper to taste

10 fresh mushrooms, sliced

8 T. butter, divided

1 1/2 cups brocolli pieces, blanched

1 1 /2 cups snow peas, blanched

6 asparagus stalks, blanched and sliced

1 lb. spaghetti, uncooked

1 cup heavy cream, warmed

Basil, chopped (to taste)

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

chopped parsley

Sauteed whole cherry tomatoes

Put zucchini in colander and sprinkle with salt. Set aside 20 minutes. Rinse with cold running water and drain. Pat dry with paper towels. Saute chopped tomatoes in 1 T. oil with 1 mashed garlic clove, salt and pepper, until tomatoes render their juice. In another pan, lightly saute mushrooms with remaining garlic in 2 T. butter and remaining oil. Add zucchini, broccoli, snow peas and asparagus; cook only until heated through. Cook spaghetti al dente and drain. Melt remaining butter. Toss spaghetti with butter and warm cream. Add basil, salt and pepper to taste. Toss with cheese and vegetables. Sprinkle with parsley. Garnish with cherry tomatoes. (You will feel like you are eating in a fancy italian restuarant. Don't cut down on the cream and butter though, I have tried and it doesn't taste so good!)

Golden Squash Soup

Celebrate fall!!
1 large onion, chopped
4 medium carrots, chopped
5 Tbl. butter
3 lbs butternut squash, peeled and cubed
6 cups chicken broth
3 medium zucchini, peeled and sliced
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1 cup half and half cream
1/2 c. milk
grated parmesan cheese, optional

In a dutch oven or soup kettle over medium heat, saute onion and carrots in butter for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add squash, broth, zucchini, salt, thyme and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. Cool until lukewarm. In a blender or food processor, puree soup in small batches until smooth; return to kettle. Add cream and milk; mix well and heat through (do not boil). Garnish with parmesan cheese, if desired. 12-14 servings.

(I have omited the cream in this, and it turned out great--with less calories).