Sweet Potato Fries

Prep time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 30 minutes


1-2 sweet potatoes
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
Dried sweet basil (or Italian seasoning)
Lawry's seasoning salt
Red pepper (for spice!)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Peel one large or two medium sweet potatoes. Cut into thin pieces shaped like fries, I like them about a quarter of an inch wide on each side. The closer they are all in size, the more evenly they will bake.

Place fries in bowl, pour oil over them and mix. Add cumin, coriander and basil and mix well. Spread the potatoes out onto the baking sheet in a single layer, making sure they don't touch (they can be close though). Sprinkle with Lawry's and red pepper.

Bake for 30 minutes, turning over after 15 minutes (not necessary if you're lazy like me, but it makes them more perfect), until slightly browned. They should be crispy on the outside but soft in the middle!

Waldorf Salad

Prep time: 10 minutes

Place in bowl in this order to make it look pretty using however much you want of each- I like lots of fruit:

Greens (I like to use the Tender or Spring mixes)
cut up strawberries
cut up apples (bite-sized pieces)
sliced bananas
feta or gorgonzola cheese
pecans or walnuts

Top off with some homemade Poppyseed Dressing and enjoy this delicious and refreshing salad!

Poppyseed Dressing

Prep time: 5 minutes


1/2 cup mayo (I usually use a little less)
1/2 cup sugar (I usually use more like 1/4 or 1/3 to cut back a bit)
2 tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp milk
2 tbsp poppy seeds


Mix well! I like to put it in a dressing container and shake it up. It separates easily, so you can keep it in there for awhile and just shake before using it! It's amazing on spinach salads, as well as Waldorf Salad.

Rosemary Bread

This bread tastes just like Macaroni Grill bread- serve it with some olive oil sprinkled with freshly ground pepper and it's perfect!

Prep time: 10 minutes

Bake time: 3 hours (or whatever your bread machine requires for a 1.5 pound white loaf)

• 1 cup milk (use water if you want crispier crust)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary (fresh would also work well)
• 2 1/2 cups flour (I use whole wheat)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Place all ingredients in bread machine in the above order, and run for a white bread 1.5 pound loaf cycle. 

When it is all finished, brush the top with a little bit of oil and additional Italian seasoning and rosemary to make it pretty :)

It smells delicious while its baking and tastes even better. We ate the whole loaf with my Pumpkin Black Bean Soup- an amazing dinner!!

Royal Icing

Prep time: 5-10 minutes

• 3 tbsp meringue powder*
• 4 c powdered sugar
• 6 tbsp water

*This can be bought in the craft section at Walmart or any craft store. It is by Wilton that does all the cake decorating supplies.

Beat all ingredients (add water slowly) at low speed for 7 to 10 minutes, or until icing forms peaks. 

TIPS:

1. Use gel food coloring to color the icing, not liquid as it will change the consistency.


2. Keep icing covered with a wet paper towel as icing can dry out quickly.

3. Use this original recipe to outline your cookies using either a pastry bag and decorator tip or a ziploc with a reinforced corner (Scotch tape works great!) with the tip cut off (this is what I used) I found that the thinner my outer line, the better the cookie looked when finished, so don't cut much off the .tip.

4. Once you outline your cookies, water the icing down until it is pretty runny. Put the runny icing in a bag with a bigger tip cut off, and use it to fill the rest of the cookie in. You may need to spread with a knife, toothpick, your finger, or the tip of the icing bag to fill it completely in.

I found that it took a few tries (test cookies, then you get to eat them!) until I got the hang of this, but it was easier than it looks. I don't have a steady icing hand, so this was an accomplishment for me :) 

The babies and binkies were found at the dollar store. I love the dollar store :)

Sugar Cookies

This recipe is compliments of Coralee- thanks girl! Still the best I've ever tasted, and everyone that's tried them agrees :)

These were for my friends baby shower. Babies and binkies are from the dollar store!

Prep time: 10 minutes + cutting out
Chill time: 2 hours (not necessary, but helpful)
Bake time: 8-10 minutes

2 c. sugar
2/3 c. butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 c. sour cream

1. Cream first four ingredients together, then add sour cream.

Add to mixture:
5 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

2. Mix well. Chill about 2 hours. This is not necessary, but it helps the dough be less sticky.
3. Roll about 1/2 inch thick and cut into shapes. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.
4. Cool and decorate with Royal Icing.

**Hint: I usually only make half the recipe. It makes a lot. Or I make it all, make half into cookies and save the rest of the dough for cookies a week later :)

Triple Peanut Butter Pizza Pie (Death)

"Deathly" version:
Prep time: 20 minutes

Bake time: 15 minutes + chilling time

1 pkg (16 oz) refrigerated peanut butter cookie dough
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups chopped peanut butter cups 

1. Press cookie dough onto a greased 14-in. pizza pan. Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes or until deep golden brown. Sprinkle with chocolate chips; let stand for 4-5 minutes. Spread melted chips over crust. Freeze for 10 minutes or refrigerate until set.

2. In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, brown sugar and vanilla until creamy. Spread over the chocolate. Sprinkle with the peanut butter cups. Chill until serving. Refrigerate leftovers. Makes 12-14 slices.

"Less-Deathly" version:
Prep time: 20 minutes

Bake time: 15 minutes + chilling time

1 pkg (16 oz) refrigerated sugar cookie dough 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips 4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups chopped peanut butter cups 

1. Press cookie dough onto a greased 14-in. pizza pan. Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes or until deep golden brown. Sprinkle with chocolate chips; let stand for 4-5 minutes. Spread melted chips over crust. Freeze for 10 minutes or refrigerate until set.

2. In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, brown sugar and vanilla until creamy. Spread over the chocolate. Sprinkle with the peanut butter cups. Chill until serving. Refrigerate leftovers. Makes 12-14 slices.

Dump Cake (Cobbler-ish)

Easiest, cheapest, and one of the yummiest desserts out there (not one of the healthiest, but hey, it's dessert right!?) You deserve it!

Prep time: 5 minutes

Bake time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

1 box cake mix (any flavor, we like Confetti or Strawberry)

2 cans fruit (any canned fruit or pie filling, we like peaches)

1 stick butter

1. Grease a 9x13 pan

2. Dump fruit in pan with all its juice. I like to cut the peaches into bite-size pieces.

3. Dump the cake mix evenly on top of the fruit.

4. Cut the stick of butter into small slivers and place all over the top of the cake.

5. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes, or until cake is golden.

Falafel

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  This is a fairly authentic version of Middle Eastern falafels. They taste just like the ones I ate in Israel and Egypt!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Prep time: 15 mins
  Bake time: 25 mins
  Total time: 40 minutes
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  • Make cucumber sauce first and chill in fridge while baking falafels. Mix:
  • 1 (6 ounce) container plain yogurt
  • 1/2 cucumber - peeled, seeded
  • 1 tsp dried dill weed
  • 1 tbsp mayo
  • salt and pepper to taste
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Falafels:
• 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
• 1/2 onion
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 dash pepper
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup dry bread crumbs
• Pitas

1. In a food processor, chop chickpeas, onion, parsley and garlic until very fine. Stir everything together.
2. In a small bowl combine egg, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, lemon juice, baking powder and olive oil. Stir into chickpea mixture. Slowly add bread crumbs until mixture is not sticky but will stay together.
3. Form mixture into small balls, roll into additional bread crumbs, and then flatten between your hands and place on a cookie sheet. HINT: I use a cookie dough scooper to make mine all the same size. It usually makes about 15-20 falafels, which will feed 4 people.
4. Bake patties in 400 degree oven for 15 minutes on the top shelf, flip them over and cook an additional 10 minutes.

Serve in pitas with cucumber sauce and your favorite veggies- tomatoes are our favorite!

Baklava

• Prep time: 45 minutes
• Bake time: 40-50 minutes
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• Pastry:
• 1 (16 ounce) package phyllo/filo dough sheets*
• 1 pound chopped nuts (I used pecans and walnuts)
• 1 cup butter
• 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup sugar

Sauce:

• 1 cup water
• 1 cups white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup honey

*This can be found in the frozen food section of most grocery stores. I found it by the frozen berries at Smiths. It is about $3.25 there.

1. Make sauce first. Boil sugar and water until sugar is melted. Add vanilla and honey. Simmer for about 20 minutes, then put in fridge to cool (this is key!).
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottoms and sides of a 9x13 inch pan (Pam).
3. Chop nuts and toss with cinnamon and sugar. Set aside. Unroll phyllo dough. You may need to cut the whole stack in half to fit, each sheet should be about the size of the pan. Mine was already cut to the right size when I bought it.
4. Place two sheets of dough in pan, brush butter on with a pastry brush**. Repeat until you have 8 sheets layered.
5. Sprinkle 2 - 3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top of the 8 layered sheets. Top with two sheets of dough, and more butter and nuts.Continue layering, but save 8 sheets for the top layer.
6. When you have 8 sheets left, layer them two by two with butter in between, just like the bottom layer.
7. When you are done, use a sharp knife to cut the baklava into diamond or square shapes (see bottom picture) all the way to the bottom of the pan. Bake for about 40-50 minutes until baklava is golden and crisp. I did half the time on the middle shelf and half the time on the top to ensure that it gets golden brown and crispy.
8. Remove baklava from oven and immediately spoon the cold sauce over it. Let it cool for a few hours. Leave it uncovered so it doesn't get soggy, or you can freeze it.

**NOTE: A pastry brush is ideal to have but not necessary. I made it without and it was fine and much faster. These instructions were for if you have a pastry brush. If you don't, do 4 sheet layers (instead of 2) and just spoon the butter on and spread it around with the back of the spoon. It worked fine :)

If you have any questions or a better way to make this, let me know! Enjoy!!! Thomas said it was the best baklava he has ever had, so I was pretty happy with it :)

Mango Salsa

1/2 sweet onion

1 jalapeno

1 clove garlic

1 ripe mango, peeled and pitted

1 tbsp lime juice

1/4 bunch cilantro

2 (14.5 oz) cans stewed tomatoes

salt and pepper

Remove seeds from jalapeno. Using food processor, chop onion and jalapeno and set aside. Mince garlic. Chop mango into small chunks. Snip cilantro into smaller pieces. Put lime juice, cilantro and tomatoes into food processor. Pulse until tomatoes are consistency you want. Add onion, jalapenos, mango and garlic. Add salt and pepper to taste. Store in refrigerator for 1 hour for flavors to blend. Eat with your favorite tortilla chips!!

Chicken Crepes

Crepes:

1 cup flour (I use whole wheat)

1 egg

1 1/4 cup milk

1/4 tsp salt

3 tbsp butter

Blend well. Batter should be very thin and will still have some lumps. Cook like pancakes in a greased small skillet over medium high heat- using about a 1/4 to 1/3 cup batter to just cover the bottom. Make sure to not over cook, you want them pliable.

Filling:

1 cup sour cream

1 can Cream of Chicken soup

1/4 cup chopped black olives

1 can rotel (diced tomatoes and chili peppers)

2 cups diced chicken (canned or from cooked chicken breasts)

Optional: any veggies you like- mushrooms, onion, celery, peppers, etc.

Spoon filling into each crepe, wrap like an enchilada and place in a 9x13 pan. Place them close together, they will cover the whole pan. Save a little filling to spread over the top. Bake at 325 for 20 minutes, pull out and cover with shredded cheddar cheese. Bake about 5-10 more minutes until cheese is melted and inside is hot. Enjoy!

English Toffee

Cook on medium-high in a saucepan for about 10-20 minutes, until it becomes the color of a brown paper bag:

1 c butter

2 tbsp water

1 c sugar

Coat a jelly roll pan with 1 c chopped walnuts. Pour toffee mixture on top of nuts. Cover with chocolate chips while it is still hot, and as they melt, spread them into an even layer covering the toffee completely. Let set and enjoy!

*You can do this without the nuts, just pour the toffee mixture directly into jelly roll pan.

Pesto

Thank you Evan, for this delicious recipe that we dream about often :)

2 c fresh basil

3/4 parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 c pine nuts

2 large cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2/3 c olive oil

8 oz cream cheese

1/4 c butter

1 tbsp milk

In dry skillet, lightly toast pine nuts over medium heat until browned.

Blend in food processor: pine nuts, basil, garlic, parmesan, salt, pepper and olive oil.

Mix in a separate bowl cream cheese, butter (both softened but not melted) and milk.

Layer in a dish the cream cheese mixture, basil mixture, repeating until mixtures are gone. Chill and serve.

Serve on bread or with chips.

Spinach-Artichoke Dip

Thank you, Evan, for this delicious favorite!

1 (15 oz) can artichoke hearts

1 tbsp butter

3 packages frozen spinach

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 c almonds, sliced

sprinkle of paprika

1 c swiss cheese, shredded

Drain and halve artichokes. Saute in butter. Cook spinach as directed. Drain well. Mix spinach, artichokes, cream cheese, salt, pepper and almonds. Pour mixture into casserole dish. Top with swiss cheese and paprika. Bake at 350 F for 30-40 minutes. Enjoy on bread or with chips!