Sausage & Chicken Kabobs

We had this for supper last night. It was very very good. It's from Simple & Delicious June/July 2010. Seems like many of my recipes lately have included smoked sausage. We are on a kick with it, I guess. It's just so so yummy.

Sausage & Chicken Kabobs
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp seasoned salt
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
1 lb fully cooked kielbasa or polish sausage, cut into 3/4 inch slices
4 medium red potatoes, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
2 cups cubed fresh pineapple
Ranch salad dressing, optional

In a large ziploc bag, combine first 5 ingredients. Add chicken and sausage. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 1 hour. Meanwhile, place potatoes in microwave safe bowl. Cover and microwave on high for 6-8 minutes or until almost tender, stirring twice. Drain and discard marinade. On metal or soaked wooden (so they don't catch on fire) skewers, alternately thread the chicken, potatoes, sausage, and pineapple. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until chicken juices run clear, turning frequently. Serve with ranch dressing. 8 servings.

I only soaked 6 skewers, then ended up with leftover stuff, so I just fried that in a small frying pan and Steve can have it for leftovers. Steve, Sam and I REALLY liked these. They were so so good. Nathan and Emma didn't like how there was some black stuff on them from the grill. I offered to make these on the George Foreman grill but Steve was willing to put them outside, and that's easier clean up for me ha ha. So this is definitely one to keep, it was really so so good. You should try it. Oh also I bought fresh pineapple for this recipe, but it went bad before I could use it. That was a bummer since it cost $4. It was only on the counter for a few days. Oh well. So we had to use canned pineapple chunks but it was still fine.

Big Kahuna Pizza

This is what we had for supper tonight. It's from the latest Simple & Delicious, June/July 2010. They had a contest a while back for recipes with 5 ingredients or less, and of course there were a bunch of winners in the magazine, and this is one of them. Now this is certainly not a healthy meal by any stretch, but it is probably healthier than Pizza Hut or Papa John's which I enjoy very much. I ended up spending about $10 on ingredients, which is about what you'd pay for a large pizza if you had a coupon or something. I REALLY like the Barbecue Chicken Bacon pizza at Papa John's, it is hands-down my favorite pizza. I thought this might be a good alternate version.

Big Kahuna Pizza
1 prebaked 12-inch pizza crust (I used Boboli whole wheat crust)
1 carton (18 oz) refrigerated fully cooked barbecued shredded pork
1 can (20 oz) pineapple chunks, drained
1/3 cup chopped red onion
2 cups shredded mozarella cheese

Place pizza crust on an ungreased 12 inch pizza pan. Spread shredded pork over crust; top with pineapple and onion. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Pineapple chunks were definitely too big. If you end up making this, just buy two small cans of tidbits (I don't think tidbits come in bigger cans but maybe they do). Besides that, no real complaints. Nathan and Emma had peanut butter and jelly. Samuel ate all of it. He didn't say much about it but he ate all of it. Steve said he thought he wasn't going to like it, because of the pineapple, but that he really did like it after all. So I guess I'll keep the recipe, although I don't know how often I'll make it. Maybe if the pork goes on crazy sale or something it would be good to have the recipe on hand. It wasn't quite as good as Papa John's, of course, but not a bad second, really. Also Papa John's doesn't deliver out to my house so that is one point against them.

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

I made this today, it made 2 loaves. 1 of the loaves I gave to the Stewarts for their adoption benefit yard sale thing. The other I am sending to home fellowship tonight. The dads and kids are having a camp out and it is my contribution for breakfast. So we will have to rely on Steve's and the kids' feedback which I will collect in the morning. Also when I dropped the bread off to Tiffany and told her what it was, she asked me if it was the recipe from Taste of Home. I told her it was, and she declared that it was the best banana bread ever. That's good enough for me!

Peanut Butter Banana Bread
Topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Batter:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe banana
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

In a small bowl combine topping ingredients until crumbly; set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in bananas and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon; stir into creamed mixture just until moistened. Divide half of the batter between two greased 8x4 inch loaf pans; sprinkle with half the topping. Top with chocolate chips. Repeat layers of batter and topping. Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes or until toothpick comes back clean. Cool for 10 minutes in pans before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

So whoever heard of cream cheese in banana bread? Not me. But this batter was very creamy. Steve said it was very good and that every ate it right up. Becky said it was very good too. I will definitely make it again so I can try some too, ha ha. Everyone gets to try it but the chef =0)

Butterscotch Torte

This was the dessert I made for home fellowship. It's from a Taste of Home magazine that I had. I don't know which month, because for some reason I threw the magazine away. Like 2 weeks ago, when I was making my shopping list and doing meal planning, I looked right at this recipe and wrote down what I needed to buy, etc. Then when I went to find the magazine it was in earlier this week, I couldn't find it. Then I remembered that I had thrown it away because I thought I had made everything out of it that I had marked. I looked in the garbage for a second, then gave that up. Then I remembered that TOH has a website, and I remembered the name of the recipe so I was able to find it. Yay!

Butterscotch Torte
1 pkg (16 oz) cream-filled vanilla sandwich cookies, crushed
1/2 cup butter, melted
8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 12 oz carton cool whip, thawed
2 1/2 cups cold milk
2 pkg instant butterscotch pudding mix

Set aside 1 cup cookie crumbs for topping. In a small bowl, combine remaining cookie crumbs and butter. Press into a greased 13x9 inch dish. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Fold in 1 1/2 cups cool whip. Spread over crust. In a small bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes; let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Spoon over cream cheese layer. Top with remaining cool whip. Sprinkle with reserved cookie crumbs. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Yield: 15 servings.

This was very very good. Very sweet, but very good. Once again, Tom & Pat suggested the addition of meat. They are so crazy. The cookie crust was so so good. Definitely a keeper, but this makes a lot! And you can't eat much at a time due to the sweetness. So don't make this for a family of 4 or anything...it's better for an event.

All-American Hamburgers

I have had a very prolific couple of days. This is the first of 3 recipes I have made yesterday and today. I made these hamburgers to bring to Brad & Autumn's house for a barbecue. It's from Simple & Delicious June/July 2010.

All-American Hamburgers
2 tbsp finely chopped onion
2 tbsp ketchup
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp steak sauce
1/4 tsp cider vinegar
1 lb ground beef
4 hamburger buns, split
4 slices cheese
8 cooked bacon strips (I didn't use these)
Optional toppings: lettuce leaves, tomato and onion slices (we had red onions...very strong but very yummy)

In a large bowl, combine first seven ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 4 patties. Grill burgers, covered, over medium heat, or broil 4 inches from the heat for 5-7 minutes on each side or until meat thermometer reads 160 and juices run clear. Top with cheese. Grill 1 minute longer or until cheese is melted. Serve on buns with bacon and toppings of your choice.

So I doubled this recipe, ended up with 7 burgers, not the 8 like you would think. Many times in the past when I have made burgers like this they fall apart on the grill. So I was afraid that would happen to these, but it didn't. I made them, then they ended up being in the fridge for like 2 hours before the men grilled them. They tasted pretty dry though. I had to add a lot more ketchup to my burger than I usually do just to chew it enough and get it down. Karen did too but I wasn't offended because I had done the same thing. I suggested to Autumn she might want to add more to hers but she declined. I think they were so dry because I used dehydrated minced onion instead of fresh. Also I used 90% lean ground beef. So if I was making them again, I would either use fresh onion, fattier beef, or rehydrate the onion flakes (did you know you can do that? You can mix them with twice as much cold water and they will plump up. I should have done that but I was trying to hurry. Oh well). So I already have a couple of hamburger recipes like this, but I like that I didn't have to buy anything for this one. I already had all these ingredients. So another keeper.

Molasses Sugar Cookies

When I had my surgery, my dear sweet friend Becky H. brought me a meal. Also her mom is my neighbor and this whole family is so awesome. Her parents brought me two meals after my surgery. With the first meal she brought these delicious cookies. They were so good. She brought them in a plastic container. The second time they brought me a meal, the same plastic container was there and I got all excited, hoping it was these cookies that were in it. But guess what it was? Potato salad. Ewwwww. Steve was happy but I was decidedly not. Let me tell you that these could possibly be the best. cookies. ever. She could sell them. So I asked her for the recipe, which she graciously provided. Seriously you should make these.

Molasses Sugar Cookies
3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled to room temp
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Combine butter, sugar, molasses and egg, mix well. Combine dry ingredients, then add to butter mixture. Chill until it's easy to form into balls. Roll balls in additional sugar. Bake on greased cookie sheets at 350 for 10 minutes. They may not look done but will as they cool. Be careful not to overbake.

Okay seriously make these. She also said she usually doubles the recipe because they are so good, but I say that's a double-edged sword because if you make more of course you will eat more.

Pineapple Pork Stir-Fry

So this is what I made for supper tonight. I went to my friend's house to eat Taco Bell and Steve had a friend come over to eat with him. This was a prearranged thing. It felt a bit odd to be making a meal I would not be eating. This recipe is from the May 2010 Simple & Delicious, and for one of their recipes, it was a bit complicated. But it looked great and Steve said it was really good.

Pineapple Pork Stir-Fry
1 can (8 oz) unsweetened pineapple chunks, undrained
3 tbsp cornstarch, divided
1 tbsp plus 1/2 cup cold water, divided
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1 pork tenderloin (1 pound), cut into thin strips
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp oil, divided
4 cups fresh broccoli florets (I subbed sugar snap peas..the kids hate broccoli and haven't figured out that "sugar snaps" are actually in the pea family hee hee)
1 cup fresh baby carrots, halved lengthwise
1 small onion, cut into wedges
Hot cooked rice

Drain pineapple, reserving 1/4 cup juice; set aside. In a small bowl, combine 2 tbsp cornstarch, 1 tbsp water, garlic powder and 1 tbsp reserved pineapple juice. Pour into large ziploc bag; add pork. Seal bag and turn to coat. (I skipped the "small bowl" part and just put the ingredients right into the ziploc bag) In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, cayenne and remaining water, cornstarch and reserved pineapple juice; set aside (so much setting aside in this recipe). In a large skillet over medium-high heat, stir-fry pork in 1 tbsp of oil until no longer pink; remove from skillet and keep warm. Stir fry vegetables in remaining tbsp of oil until tender. Stir soy sauce mixture and add to the pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add pork and pineapple; heat through. Serve with rice.

Okay so Steve forgot to serve it with rice. He realized it way later, after his friend had gone home. When Steve called me at Amanda's and said "oh dang I forgot the rice!" I said, "text Chris so he knows it wasn't me that forgot it!!" Because I didn't want him to think that would be due to my oversight. I do have a reputation to uphold. Hee hee. Oh well. I asked him if he liked the recipe, and he said it could have used rice. He is so funny. But he said it was really yummy, maybe a little bit salty. But I bet the rice would have cut that back some. I asked him if it was restaurant quality and he said no, because he wouldn't expect such a good thing from a restaurant. Awwww. He is funny AND he is a charmer. So I think I will keep this one and make it at least once more, so I can see how it was. It looked great, anyway.

Lemon-Blueberry Muffins

Oooh do you guys like the picture?

This is what I just made for supper tonight. We had it with scrambled eggs and sausage. And we had 2 pieces of bacon left so I had one and Sam had one. The kids LOVED the way these muffins looked, loved that they had "frosting" on them, but neither Emma nor Nathan liked the way they tasted. That's really too bad because they were SO good! This isn't the type of muffin that you cut and put butter on, although I am very fond of that type of muffin. These have the glaze on top and you just eat them like that. This is from the May 2010 Taste of Home that my sister gave me.

Lemon-Blueberry Muffins

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp grated lemon peel (I suppose you could actually grate lemon peel if you want, I used the kind in a jar)

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

dash salt

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (don't thaw if using frozen)

Glaze:

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp butter, melted

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in milk, lemon juice, and peel. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture just until moistened. Fold in blueberries. Fill paper-lined muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake @ 400 for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in muffin comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. In a small bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, butter, and vanilla; drizzle over warm muffins.

These muffins were so moist that I had a bit of a hard time getting them out of the pan. I thought it was weird that the yield for this recipe said "11 muffins" because how bizarre, why would you make 11 and not 12? Well the answer is, one of the muffins will not come out of the pan. 3 or 4 of these muffins had a bit come off the bottom, so it was okay. But one of them just wouldn't come out. It wasn't stuck but just crumbled. So we ended up with 11 muffins, just as the recipe predicted. For the glaze, after I made it I put it into a ziploc baggie and snipped the corner, then drizzled it over the muffins. I thought these were so good, I'm definitely keeping the recipe, even though I apparently could not make it for the children again. They were so moist that I didn't even miss the butter. They would be perfect for a brunch type thing. So good!

Criss-Cross Shepherd's Pie

I did not name this recipe. I don't like the name of it. But we have tried so many different shepherd's pie recipes that I guess this will distinguish it from the others. This is from yet another magazine that my sister brought me while I was laid up, Kraft Food & Family Spring 2010. Shepherd's pie is one of Sam's favorite things to eat, and I have a recipe that I really like, as well as several variations, but I thought this one was worth trying. My standby SP recipe has gravy in it (but it's sooo good!) and this one doesn't, so I thought it might be a slightly healthier version, although what this lacks in fat I think it makes up for in sodium. But what can you do? It was good...

Criss-Cross Shepherd's Pie
1 1/2 lbs yukon gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 1 inch chunks (I used more like 2 1/2 lbs, it just didn't seem like enough...I guess that's how they make it healthier, with fewer carbs...hahaha I defeated them on that...)
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 lbs ground beef
2 onions, chopped
2 cups frozen corn, thawed and drained
1 cup water
1 envelope onion soup mix (here's the sodium)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup cream cheese spread (the cheese and cream cheese are to replace the butter one would normally use in mashed potatoes. I don't know which is healthier, but I do know which one is more expensive...I'm sure you can guess too)

Heat oven to 375. Cook potatoes and garlic in boiling water in large saucepan for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Meanwhile, brown meat with onions in large skillet; drain. Return to skillet. Stir in corn, water, and onion soup mix; cook 3 minutes or until water is absorbed, stirring frequently. Spoon into 8 ramekins (these are like small casserole dishes. I don't have any. I spooned this into 2 8x8 pans, so I could freeze one). Drain potatoes; return to pan. Add cheese and cream cheese spread; mash until potatoes are smooth and mixture is well blended. Spoon over meat mixture (this was hard because these were THICK potatoes. I ended up having to do this with my hands because they were sticking to the spoon and driving me crazy...I bet if I had increased the cheese and cream cheese spread, it would have been easier, because I increased the potatoes...I didn't think of that until just now...oh well). Make decorative criss-cross patterns by lightly dragging fork over potato layer (so hence the name. But out of dislike for the name, I skipped this step). Bake 15-20 minutes or until heated through.

Predictably, the family enjoyed this. Nathan only ate the "chicken" out of it hee hee. But Sam and Emma lapped it up. The cheese in the potatoes gave them an other-worldly orange tint, and Emma said "what is this stuff on top?" I told her it was potatoes with cheese melted in. She was relieved that was all it was. So yet another keeper in the Shepherd's Pie department.

Orange-Lemon Cake

I don't know if I said this in a previous post, but I am very happy that we have a home fellowship that we go to that I can make these yummy desserts for. This is what I made for today's home fellowship. It's from Simple & Delicious May 2010. I thought this would be a good summer-y dessert.

Orange-Lemon Cake
1 pkg (18 1/4 oz) lemon cake mix
1 pkg (3 oz) orange gelatin
2/3 cup water
2/3 cup oil
4 eggs
1 cup confectioners' sugar
3-4 tsp orange juice

In a large bowl, combine first 5 ingredients. Blend at low speed for 30 seconds, then on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour into greased 10-inch fluted tube pan. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to wire rack to cool completely. Combine confectioners' sugar and enough orange juice to achieve desired consistency. Drizzle over cake.

They don't tell you this, but you should put the cake on a serving plate before you drizzle it with the icing. It would be messy and ridiculous to do it on the wire rack.

So this was a big hit. All the kids really liked it, Jonathan told me he liked it so well because of the frosting. Speaking of the frosting, I only used about half of what that made. I drizzled it like a glaze, rather than "frosting." It was good, it was easy, so I guess we'll keep this one.