Crisp Coating Mix(for chicken, pork, or fish)

My kids like it when I make Chicken Nuggets, especially Kaleb. This is a spin on my original recipe that I use, and with some added good for you ingredients. This recipe is from the MAKE-A-MIX cookbook, by Karine Eliason, Nevada Harward and Madeline Westover. It originally calls for cornflakes and since I am not a fan of cornflakes, I use Crispy Rice(Rice Krispies generic brand)cereal instead.
This mix I just keep in a container and take out what I need, when I need it. I found the picture from myrecipes.com

Crisp Coating Mix
8 cups Crispy Rice cereal
1 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup sesame seeds
4 teaspoons dried parsley leaves, crushed
1 Tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon onion salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Pour all ingredients into food processor or blender, whir till small crumbs are formed and it's evenly distributed. Pour into a 5-cup container with a tight-fitting Lid. Seal container. Store in a cool, dry place. Use within 2 months. Makes about 4-1/2 cups Crisp Coating Mix.

This is what I do:
When you're ready to use the mix, put about 1/2 cups into 1 pie dish, 1 cup flour into another pie dish, two eggs, beaten into another pie dish. Dip your meat(cut however you want)first into the flour, shake excess off, dip into eggs and then in the coating mix. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake as you normally would. Enjoy.

Blueberry and Nectarine Sauce

This was already posted on the first post of the blog, but now that I've tried the sauce, and the Challah Bread, I thought I'd go ahead and post it. I couldn't wait to try this because I had never tried the combined flavors of a nectarine and a blueberry before. This will be a new staple for pancakes and french toast now. I REALLY liked it. I found the blueberry pic at thedailygreen.com.

Blueberry and Nectarine sauce:

1 1/2 cups blueberries
1 cup thinly sliced nectarines
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon rind
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon of allspice
Place the sugar into a heavy saucepan. Heat until the sugar melts and becomes a golden brown color. Remove from the heat and add the water. The water will start to bubble and spit so be careful. Place back on the heat and simmer until the sugar is melted again. Add in the lemon juice and continue to cook for a minute. Add in the blueberries, nectarines, lemon rind, cinnamon and allspice. Cook slowly for about 10 minutes the sauce will reduce and become thickened. Taste for sweetness, add more sugar if the fruit is on the tart side. Serve cooled or warm.

Pico De Gallo

I like that you can make it as spicy as you like. Click on the title for the recipe and picture. These are great on Tacos, and many other dishes.

Ingredients
6 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/2 cup minced onion
1 jalapeno chile, minced (seeds and ribs removed for less heat)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Coarse salt
Directions
In a bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, and lime juice; season with salt, and mix to combine. Let stand 15 to 30 minutes to allow the flavors to develop.

Raspberry Freezer Jam

The title takes you to the pic of the red raspberries, but I found the pic of the raspberry jam http://laurarebeccaskitchen.blogspot.com/2006_06_01_archive.html here.

I didn't realize how easy it was to make freezer jam! More fruit and less sugar. Taste is just perfect. My friend Nicole brought her two kids and I brought mine, and we picked some raspberries. It was great fun, and a good experience for the kids. I made a run to the grocery store so I could have some pectin and some freezer containers to put them in. It seriously took me no more than 15 minutes to make three batches. It's a simple recipe that comes on the packet of Instant Fruit Pectin-Ball brand. It looks like a seasoning packet. Costs about $1.40 each. No cooking needed!

Raspberry Freezer Jam(works for all fruit, except peaches)
4 cups crushed fruit(apricots, berries, cherries, grapes, pears, plums, or other tender fruit)
1 1/2 cups sugar
5 Ball 8oz Freezer Jars or Jelly Jars

1. STIR sugar and pectin in a bowl.
2. ADD crushed fruit. Stir 3 minutes.
3. LADLE jam into clean jars and let stand 30 minutes. Enjoy.

Refrigerate up to 3 weeks, or Freeze up to a year.

Homemade Pizza Sauce

The title takes you to where I found the image, but the recipe I use is below. This sauce is super easy, and you can add or use spices you like. I like to keep it simple, and this is really cheap, yet very flavorful.

Sauce
1 can tomato sauce(15oz. can)
2 teaspoons oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Mix all ingredients. Let stand at least half an hour for blending of flavors(I include the cooking time for this to speed it up). So, before making your dough, whip this up and then by the time you're done baking, it will be perfect. :)

Homemade Pizza Dough

This recipe is my FAVORITE pizza dough of all time. It's fast, easy and tastes great! Brandon's Aunt Katie and Uncle Paul gave us a great pizza stone when we got married, and inside it came with a Pizza Recipe. I've been using this one for almost 13 years now, and it's still my favorite. It came from Pfaltzgraff brand pizza stone. The sauce, also comes from here. I hope you give it a try and enjoy it as much as we do here!

Pizza Recipe
The pleasure of pizza is as endless as the topping possibilities you can dream up. BUT first the crust, where all good pizzas begin.

CRUST
2 packages active dry yeast(I use 3 teaspoons because I buy bulk)
2 cups warm water
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
up to 6-7 cups all purpose flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water in large mixing bowl. Stir in sugar, salt, and 4 cups of flour.
Mix until smooth. Stir in enough flour to make dough easy to handle.

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic (5 minutes). (Dough is ready if an indentation remains when touched.)

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Let dough rest for a couple minutes before rolling. It will make it easier to roll. Roll dough to whatever shape pan or stone you will be using(sprinkle your pan with corn meal, or spray with cooking spray)

Spread your sauce and add your toppings. Bake at 400 for about 15-20 minutes, or till done.
This is the same recipe as the breadsticks I posted, just doubled, but with less yeast.

Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix

I know it's not Winter right now, but it's been raining and it's making me want Hot Chocolate again. I looked at a ton of Hot Chocolate Mix recipes and I mixed them all up and came up with this. I was buying the can of Nestle Rich Milk Chocolate hot cocoa mix, but discovered their list of ingredients, is not what I want in my families bodies. Have you ever looked at the label? I've been drinking these for years and I finally looked back in January. Anyway, among other ingredients, it has partially hydrogenated and hydrogenated oils that we, as a family, have been trying to stay clear of. So now I just fill the old can with this recipe and then I feel better about giving this to my kids. The title will take you to the Martha Stewart web site where I found the pic.

Hot Cocoa Mix

10 cups dry, instant milk powder
6 cups powdered sugar
2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/4 cups Ovaltine(Rich Chocolate Mix)or you can use Carnation Malt

To make the instant powdered milk and the ovaltine into fine powder, pulse in a food processor or in a blender until super fine. Add all ingredients in a large bowl, mix and keep in an airtight container till use. If this isn't sweet enough, just add some honey. You can easily add a sprinkle of cinnamon or peppermint or whatever to make it your own to your cup of hot cocoa. This makes quite a bit, so if you're nervous about making it and not knowing how it tastes, come on over, I'll make ya a cup. :)

I still use this in the summer and throughout the year, thrown into an after school snack smoothie. I'll have to post my smoothies now that I mention them. Yum!

Jackie's Ribs and Sauce

Jackie is Brandon's Maternal Grandma, and from what I hear, a fabulous cook. This is by far our favorite barbecue sauce in our home. I just make up a batch, use what I need for Baby Back Ribs, Chicken, or BBQ chicken pizza, then keep the rest in the fridge. The kids love to dip their chicken nuggets in it too. I wish we could have Baby Back Ribs more often than we do, but it's just not the case, so I make this sauce and do everything the recipe says, only I use chicken because it still tastes AWESOME and is much cheaper. :) The title takes you to where I found the pic.

Jackie's Ribs and Sauce
Baby Back Ribs (3-5 pounds)
1-28oz Ketchup (Organic has no High Fructose Corn Syrup)
1 Cup Honey
1/4 cup liquid smoke
2 Tablespoons molasses
1 cup brown sugar

In a large pot, bring water with a little salt and pepper to a boil. Add ribs, boil for 1/2 hour. Mix all sauce ingredients in a sauce pan. Cook and stir until heated through. Place ribs in a 13 x 9-inch pan. Pour sauce over ribs. Cover with foil. Bake at 300 degrees for 3 hours.

Stir rib sauce and spoon over ribs, every 15 minutes. Trust me, it's worth it!

Pesto for Pasta, Salmon or Chicken

This recipe is from my fabulous Aunt Diane Bland. Brandon and I just love this. We put it on sandwiches for lunch. I can just taste this now. I found the picture at bakecookeat.blogspot.com.

Pesto for Pasta, Salmon or Chicken

1 cup firm packed basil, whole leaves (no stems)
1/2 cup firm packed whole spinach leaves
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1/4 cup "pine nuts", walnuts, or almonds (I use almonds)
1 large clove garlic, quartered
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil or cooking oil

Blend cheese and nuts together first in a blender (I use my food processor), then add the remaining ingredients. Blend well. Refrigerate.

Avacado Salsa

I had been waiting for a big gathering to bring this to, and we just celebrated my Grandma's 82nd birthday today, so it was a perfect time to make it. If you like Avacados, this is the recipe for you! If you don't like Olives, like Brandon, leave them out, like I do. Still yummy, either way! This is also great on burgers, and it's good for you too. Again, the title is the link to the recipe. It's a Taste of Home recipe that my Mother-in-Law, Paula made a while back ago, and both Brandon and I loved it! I really recommend this one! MMM, tortilla chips and salsa. I want some more!

A More Natural Chile Con Queso

I love that this recipe doesn't use Velveeta processed cheese, it's the real deal here! I added everything on the ingredient list, except the cilantro (I like it, however Brandon doesn't like it). This was pretty good, but much better when I added it to a can of Refried Beans. I added the cheese slowly on low, like she said, but mine started to seaparate. I've made cheese sauces before, and I've always thrown all the cheese in at once, so next time I make this, I'll do that, so I can get it off the heat faster. So, this was a good Chile Con Queso dip, but better as a bean dip. Oh, just a side note here, wear gloves when you are preparing the peppers and removing seeds! It's been a while since I've cooked with any peppers, so I wasn't thinking. I barely was able to finish making dinner that night, and at about midnight my fingers stopped feeling like they were on fire. Ice packs were my friend.

Crust for Chicken Pot Pie

 

This recipe can be doubled if you like a thicker crust, one for bottom and one for the top of the pie. I personally like a thin crust.

Crust for Chicken Pot Pie

1 1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, chilled and diced
1/4 cup ice water

In food processor, add flour, salt and butter, whir till small crumbs form. Slowly drizzle in the ice water and whir until it forms a ball. Remove and cut in half.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough thin to fit in an 8 x 11-inch baking dish. Place on bottom and sides. Repeat with second half.

Homemade Tortillas

These are seriously really good. I've tried several homemade recipes for these, and have been disappointed every time, but no more! I was looking for one that didn't use lard, or crisco (I don't believe in those). I got the picture off of gourmet.com, but the recipe from Everydayfoodstorage.net. There is a how-to video (yay!), just click on the Title of this post, it will take you right there. She claims that you'll never buy another Tortilla again, and I agree with her on that, they just don't compare! I'm also including the recipe here on the blog.

Tortillas (or Gorditas if you make 'em thicker)

2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
heaping 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup canola oil
2/3 cup hot water

Put first three ingredients in food processor, process till combined. Add the wet ingredients and process until it forms into a ball then stop (Gluten will develop if it's mixed too much). With a damp paper towel or damp cloth, cover dough and let it rest for 15 minutes.

Separate dough into sections(about the size of a golf ball, doubled for a burrito, less for smaller, more for Gordita size). Roll each section, by hand into a ball. Cover with a damp towel and let rest for 15 minutes to 1 hour.

Press each ball flat by hand, then roll out really thin. Roll on one side, flip over and roll on other side. Keep doing this till you get the size you want. They don't shrink so what you see is what you get.

Use skillet, griddle or a pan, whatever you have, on medium-high heat. It will be done cooking on one side when you see it start to bubble, then flip. Don't cook too much, they still need to be able to roll up into a burrito.

Makes 4-5 burrito sizes.
Enjoy!


Just a note here. I have made these several times, and the first few times I made these, they were too sticky and then I added too much flour to them. I rolled them out on a floured surface too. But, with practice, I have come to realize that they need to be a little on the sticky side, and from the oil that is in them, it makes it perfect for rolling on the counter. So if you find it's sticking to your roller, just add a little bit of flour at a time till it stops sticking to your roller and then you know it's the perfect amount.

I have made chips with these, and are pretty good, just cut and put under the broiler, flip and broil again till they are done. Good with Hummus or with Salsa. You could even spread some melted butter on them, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar before you stick it in the oven. Then top with mixed berries- yummy!