Homemade Turtles

The Holiday season brings out the best in our Epicurean delights.  And here is a family favorite that just goes to show you--it doesn't have to be hard to be completely delicious! Homemade Turtles are the best!!  You only need 3 ingredients to get started-pretzels, Rolo candy, and pecan halves.  And for as many as my hungry crew can go through--I like to make a few extra to hide for later..., if you know what I mean. [I have a friend, Amy, that named her favorite Pea Salad her "Costco Salad" because it was the only salad she could make where all the ingredients could be purchased at Costco.  That got me chuckling when I realized that I don't make these unless I buy everything in bulk--at Costco, no less.I should just rename these "Costco Candy" now, right?.]

You start by spreading out the pretzels onto a jelly roll pan.  Then one piece of Rolo candy goes on each pretzel.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and then turn it off.  I set the pan of pretzels inside the oven for 5 minutes.  That softens the caramel and chocolate so that you can push a pecan half on top.

As the candy cools, the chocolate won't be melted anymore--and they can be easily stored in a container...if they last that long.  The salty, chewy, crunchy, sweet combination covers the entire taste spectrum in one bite--and it is a real WINNER!!

Minestrone Soup

My sister, Becky, sent me a "Make a Mix" book about 13 years ago. A lot of the recipes were once-made wonders--with beautiful flashy pictures and calling for unusual ingredients--destined to not be repeated. But it is one of my favorite cookbooks, because it has the best Minestrone soup recipe in it. I've made it several times a year over the last decade, and it has become a reliable favorite at potlucks, socials, and around the family dinner table.

Minestrone Soup

1 can kidney beans beans 4 beef bouillon cubes-crumbled
1 tsp basil
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp oregano

1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

1 lb sweet/mild Italian sausage--cooked
2 stalks celery--chopped
2 carrots--peeled and chopped
1 medium onion--chopped
1--28oz can of dice tomatoes
8 cups of water
1 cup elbow macaroni or small pasta
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook and cut up sausage into bite-size pieces. Wash, peel and chop the vegetables. Place everything, except macaroni and Parmesan cheese, into a 6 quart crock pot and add 8 cups of water. [I tend to add more vegetables than the recipe calls for. Adding an extra teaspoon of bouillon and another cup of water would be fine when adding 1-2 cups more of the produce. I've also added extra tomatoes instead of water...the recipe is pretty forgiving of a few alterations--just don't add too much that will suck up all the broth and flavor.]

Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Add the macaroni about half an hour before serving. Serve with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top and crusty french bread. I love it on cold and windy days--the perfect soup for Fall!

*I prepped all the ingredients for this soup last night and then turned it on before I went to bed.  It cooked all night.  I added the pasta right before lunchtime--and we had an instant meal that was very tasty...and the house smelled wonderful.
**This recipe also originally called for a 1/4 cup of green split peas. I quit adding them because I was lazy. They are really good if you want to take the time to add them.

Pumpkin Cookies

Fall is one of those times of year that there are a lot of great pumpkin recipes circulating and being made. Pumpkin rolls, breads, muffins, soup, cakes, and cookies. Out of everything--I think I love the cookies the most, because they don't require any more work then normal mixing and baking.

And for a full confession: they are a year-round favorite in our house because they are moist, soft, and utterly delicious. It's been tried and tested a hundred times without fail. And no one has ever been disappointed in this recipe either!

Pumpkin Cookies

1--29oz can of pumpkin
3 cups of white sugar
1 1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
3 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp vanilla
Mix all these things together in a mixing bowl. Then add the following:
6 tsp baking powder
3 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
6 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts--optional

Mix well with the well ingredients until the dough is smooth and shiny.

It's a "wet" looking dough--so don't be alarmed.

Drop by the teaspoon onto cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes. YES! That is twelve minutes! You don't want to over bake these--but you don't want to under bake either. The cookies rise. This recipe makes almost 10 dozen cookies. [Don't worry--there's plenty to share and pumpkin is very high in Vitamin A and fiber--if you need some justification for eating a lot of them!]

Store the cookie in an airtight container or cover with saran wrap. They will be glossy and smooth the next day--and if possible, even more delicious! Enjoy.

Sensational Salmon

I love the salmon that you get from Costco. It's a little pricey...but it's cut nice and thick, it's fresh, and it's totally bone-free. Not only is it a northwest favorite-it's definitely a family favorite as well. I've always prepared it rather simple, because at $9 a pound, I want to know what I'm eating.

But a couple of years ago--Kristine told me how her mom prepared it--with a brown sugar and Dijon mustard glaze. Now, I've never had Arlene's yummy salmon...but I was intrigued my the concoction she glazed it with. I tried it--and it was AMAZING. But I've gotten a little lazy over time, and instead of Dijon mustard, I use whatever mustard I have in the fridge...which is generally, the regular yellow stuff. But no worries. It still turns out amazing.

In my old age, I've learned a few things about cooking too. I now use parchment paper to cook the salmon on. It's kind of funny, but I still have one baking sheet with the lines and grooves of the fish still emblazoned into the metal. The brown sugar tends to caramelize around the fish as it's cooking, almost creating a seal for the juices from underneath. While it's the most delicious piece of fish to eat-it was a nightmare to clean-up. So the paper has become a lifesaver in the kitchen and there's no more soaking the pan in water overnight!

I season the salmon with McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning. You can use anything--I just like their combination of these flavors the best. In fact, I use it on almost everything...chicken, beef, pork, and most definitely--salmon.

I mix about 1 cup of brown sugar (not packed) with at least 2 tablespoons of mustard in a bowl until it reaches a nice pourable consistency. Usually I just squirt the mustard down into the sugar until it looks like those couple of tablespoons. I can add more if it's not wet enough. Then I pour it across the fish until it's entirely covered. You don't want the sugar too be so loose and liquidy that it slides right off...but almost like a thick batter instead.

I bake the salmon at 350 degrees for about 35-40 minutes, which may seem longer than some recipes. But since the salmon is cut rather thick, it tends to need more time then the frozen fillets or portions with skin on them. The meat should be flaky when checked with a fork. The brown sugar is bubbly and the meat is firm to the touch. My family loves it best with scalloped potatoes and green beans with bacon. The flavor is so amazing that it makes it very hard to try new or different glazes...especially when salmon is a treat more then a weekly option on the dinner menu. Enjoy.

ORANGE ROLLS: A Baking First for Me

Orange Rolls
I got this recipe off of pinterest by a fabulous contributor by the name of Lisa Poulsen. http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2009/04/conference-brunch-orange-rolls.html Pictures are worth a thousand words...and I liked the pictures of her rolls :) I've never worked with yeast, and it seems a little intimidating to me, but I wanted the rolls more than I didn't want to work with yeast! So I went gangbusters yesterday and decided if I was going to make the effort and chain myself to the kitchen for a big production--I'd make twice the amount--so there would be enough to share after my crew dug into them. They turned out wonderful. [I'm still in a little awe that they were so light and fluffy--because I wasn't too sure what "not sticky" anymore really meant...not having any experience with real live dough!] And I wasn't quite sure how thin to roll the dough out to...but it said "crescent"....and so I went to the thickness of a Pillsbury crescent roll. The buttery sugar and orange juice mixture was oozing out of the dough before it started to rise too. I guess that's normal.



Rolls:
2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
3 teaspoons salt
6 cups flour
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons (2 packages) yeast
1/2 cup warm water
Filling:
1/2 cup (1 stick) soft butter
1 cup granulated sugar
grated peel of one orange
Glaze:
Mix together 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar and juice of one orange
(I juiced the orange and then added the sugar to the taste and consistency I liked. I had to made more...and just used orange juice as well.)

Stir milk, sugar, oil, and salt until sugar is completely dissolved. Add 2 cups of the flour and beat well. Add 2 eggs and stir in. Dissolve the 2 T. yeast in a 1/2 c. warm water and add to flour mixture. Mix in the remaining 4 cups of flour. Put some flour on a pastry board or counter and knead until dough is smooth and not sticky (more flour may be added if sticky). Put dough into greased bowl and let rise until double (about an hour) in a warm place. Divide dough into 6 parts and roll each into a circle. Spread with 1/6 of the filling mixture and cut into 8 wedges. Roll each into a crescent shape. Cover and let rise at least 1 hour in a warm place. Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Do not overcook! Pour on glaze when rolls are still warm.



They were a little time consuming...five hours or so. I did make dinner and get the dishes loaded while I was waiting for the dough to double in size. We started a movie for FHE (The Hiding Place--the Corrie Ten Boom story...which I highly recommend). And by the time the movie was done...it was time for warm rolls. Perfect way to spend an evening with the family.

Peanut Butter Cake

It was one of those days that I actually felt like cooking. Oh, don't get me wrong. I cook every day. But there are a lot of days that I'm not feeling the love of it...if you know what I mean. But I made a fabulous marinara sauce and cooked another round of those perfect meatballs. Then I made the Chicken Tortilla Soup...YUM! And I wasn't done yet. I needed a treat. And I had just the right thing to make. I had just seen a picture of a Peanut Butter Sheet Cake from http://www.pioneerwoman.com/ that looked like it would satisfy that home-cooked, "gotta-have-a-sweet" craving. You make the cake and frosting from scratch--why wouldn't it be good, right?

Peanut Butter Cake
2 cups Sugar
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
2 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
2 sticks Butter
1 cup Water
1 cup Peanut Butter
½ cups Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
2 whole Eggs
Frosting:

1 stick Butter
½ cups Peanut Butter
6 teaspoons Milk
1 pound Powdered Sugar

In a large bowl, mix together sugar, baking soda, flour and salt. Set aside.
Combine butter, water and peanut butter in saucepan and bring to boil. Pour over flour mixture. Add milk, vanilla and eggs. Mix. Pour in large cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. Bake at 400F degrees for 20 minutes. To make the Frosting:
Bring butter, peanut butter and milk to boil in saucepan. Add one pound of powdered sugar. Pour warmed frosting over cooled cake.

**I added crushed Reese's Peanut Butter cups for some color and sheer yummy-ness! It was a hit. I took half of the cake to Pack Meeting and still have enough left to enjoy a piece with cold milk for breakfast! Protein--does a body good, right ;)

Chicken Tortilla Soup

A few weeks ago I wrote an entry on my couponing blog (savingspokane@blogspot.com) about the tremendous deal in a Rotisserie chicken. I've been challenging myself to get at least 2 full meals for my family of seven out of one $4.99 bird. I'm on the third chicken--and I've done it every time! Woo Hoo!!

So last night I made the creamy enchiladas with the breast meat. I quartered the rest of the chicken and put it in a stew pot with all the fixings for Chicken Tortilla Soup. I finished it today--and boy...is it delicious!! This is one of my new favorite recipes because I love the flavors combined with the heartiness of lots of beans, chicken, and hominy. I love using the rotisserie chicken to add flavor to the soup broth as well as adding dark and light meat to the stock.

I've been doubling the recipe amounts for everything except the chicken. I can usually get a dinner for seven and side for lunch out of the finished pot. It's still loaded with meat and serves up fabulously topped with avocado, crushed tortilla chips, green onions and shredded Monterrey Jack cheese.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
1 onion--chopped
3 minced cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1tsp pepper
1 tsp cumin
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 (10.5 ounce) cans condensed chicken broth
1 1/2 cups water
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can white hominy
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chili peppers
1 (15 ounce) can black beans--rinsed and drained
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 a rotisserie chicken or 2-3 boneless chicken breast halves--cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces

In a medium stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic in oil until soft. Stir in chili powder, oregano, tomatoes, broth, and water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in corn, hominy, chilies, beans, cilantro, and chicken. Simmer for 20 minutes. Ladle soup into individual serving bowls, and top with crushed tortilla chips, avocado slices, cheese, and chopped green onion. [This makes a great recipe for the crock pot as well. Just don't add the cilantro till the last 10-15 minutes before serving).