Chili's Copycat Salsa

http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/11/chilis-copycat-salsa-recipe.html

If I had a choice I would still prefer a fresh salsa recipe over this one but I wanted to save it because it was really easy and good for being that easy. I didn't need any fresh ingredients to make it.  I used a small can of diced jalapenos.  It was spicy--maybe  a little too spicy for me but not for Mark.

Creamy Tuscan Pasta Sauce

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2013/04/creamy-tuscan-pasta-sauce-quick-20-minute-dinner.html

This was good and pretty easy to make but it was really rich.  To make it a little less rich, we added a little olive oil to each serving and mixed to thin it out a little. It didn't take much of the sauce to give the pasta flavor so I still have half left over in my freezer.  I wanted more in my pasta so I also added frozen peas and a little diced onion.

Divine Breadsticks

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2009/10/divine-breadsticks-2.html

I liked these because they were good and easy.  They only take 30 min. to rise. I made these to go along with some pasta.  I did mostly wheat flour.  I didn't twist them but rolled them out in my pan and cut them with a pizza cutter.  I used garlic salt, parmesean, basil, oregano, and rosemary to season.  Good combo I think.

Veggie Curry

I still think this needs a little kick so I am going to keep playing around with it but I am adding this because I think it has a lot of potential.  I served this with naan bread and egg noodles. I think it needs more red curry spice sprinkled in it but it seems everyone only sells yellow curry spice.  So frustrating!  I like red curry better so that is why I decided to try a new recipe when I found a Thai kitchen red curry paste bottle at Walmart and used the recipe with a little twist of my own from the back of the bottle.  It is supposed to be for shrimp but meat just never sounds good to me so I made it veggie.

 You will need about 3 C. sliced Veggies.  I sliced one green pepper, one red pepper, and pea pods. Then separately sauteed a can of sliced mushrooms and a small onion. All of these made up my 3 cups.

Bring 1 14 oz can of coconut milk to simmer.  (got mine from Trader Joe's).  Stir in 2 T.  Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste and 1 T. brown sugar.  Bring to a a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 5 min.  Stir in peppers and pea pods and let cook for 3-5 min or until crisp tender. Add mushroom and onion mixture and salt to taste.    

Naan Bread

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2011/04/naan-indian-flatbread.html


I made my own naan bread and it wasn't very hard!  I used my little tortilla press and it was perfect for these.  I had room to cook 3 on the stone at the same time.  I did 1/2 wheat and 1/2 white and only let them raise for 30 min  (didn't do the 2 hours like the recipe said for the first rise).  They turned out perfect and fluffy.  We had this with veggie curry.

Yield: Makes about 12 pieces of naan

Note: as with all yeast doughs, I never use the flour amount called for in the recipe as a hard fast rule (unless a weight measure is given and then I pull out my kitchen scale). Because humidity, temperature, altitude and a multitude of other factors can impact how much flour you need in your yeast doughs, I always judge when to quit adding flour by the texture and look and feel of the dough rather than how much flour I’ve added compared to the recipe. This tutorial on yeast may help identify how a perfectly floured dough should be.

Ingredients

• 3-4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon active dry or instant yeast
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3-4 tablespoons, melted butter

Directions

1. Pour the milk into a liquid measure and heat in the microwave until warm to the touch (about 110 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer). If using active dry yeast, mix the sugar and yeast into the milk and let it sit for 4-5 minutes until the mixture is foamy and the yeast has activated. Once the yeast/milk mixture is foamy, pour the mixture into a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and add the salt and 2 1/2 cups of the flour (proceed with the second paragraph of the recipe). If using instant yeast, pour the warm milk into a large bowl or the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Add the sugar, instant yeast, salt and 2 1/2 cups of the flour. Proceed as directed below.
2. Mix well to combine. Continue adding flour gradually in small amounts, until a soft dough is formed that cleans the sides of the bowl. Knead the dough by mixer or hand until it is smooth and elastic, about 3-5 minutes in the mixer or 10 minutes by hand.
3. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and let it rest at room temperature, covered lightly with greased plastic wrap, for about 2 hours.
4. After the dough has rested, turn it onto a lightly floured surface (I like to use my roul’pat for this) and divide the dough into 12 equal pieces, rounding each into a ball shape. Cover the pieces with a towel and let them rest for 30 minutes. While the dough rests, preheat your oven to 500 degrees F and place a pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven. (If you don’t have a pizza stone, try grilling the dough on a lightly oiled outdoor grill or use a hot griddle to bake the naan – you’ll have to experiment with cooking times but I’ve seen either of those methods used with cooking naan also.)
5. Once the dough has rested for 30 minutes, one by one, roll each piece into a circle about 6-8 inches wide, depending on how thin or thick you want your naan. Lay the circle of dough on the hot pizza stone and spritz lightly with water. Close the oven and bake the naan for 2-4 minutes, until it is lightly puffed (some pieces will puff more than others) and brown spots begin to appear on the top. Remove the naan from the baking stone and place on a cooling rack. Brush lightly with melted butter. Stack the hot naan on top of each other as it comes out of the oven. Cover with a towel and let the naan cool completely or serve warm.

2.5

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/naan-indian-flatbread/

Printed from Mel\'s Kitchen Cafe (www.melskitchencafe.com)

Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Evil Shenanigans

Veggie Fajitas

http://www.thegardengrazer.com/2013/03/corn-and-black-bean-fajitas.html
Another winning meatless recipe.  We both loved this one. We had it with costco tortillas,  limes, cheese, salsa, and plain yogurt.  I used her recipe for taco seasoning.  Yummy! I usually double the mushrooms in this because I love them but it takes the seasoning down a bit so I think I"'ll try only doing one can of black beans next time.

French Toast Muffins

http://velvetlava.blogspot.com/2009/02/i-am-now-in-muffin-loop.html
 Yum yum!!! Couldn't get enough of these.  I used wheat instead of white and I accidentally put the butter mixture with the cinnamon sugar at the end but it worked great spooning it on the muffin tops and dipping them in. I wish I could eat one right now!

Summer Garden Vegetable Soup

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2010/08/summer-garden-vegetable-soup.html
Garden Vegetable Soup

This is the  best summer recipe I have!  Love it!

Yield: Serves 8

Ingredients

• 3 medium zucchini, chopped into bite-size pieces
• 4 medium tomatoes, chopped into bite-size pieces
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried basil (or 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• ¼ cup flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk (can use fat-free or low-fat)
• 1 ½ cups frozen or fresh corn kernels
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the zucchini, basil, parsley and onion and saute, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes. Add the flour, salt and pepper and stir and cook for one minute. Gradually add the chicken broth, whisking or stirring constantly. Add the lemon juice; mix well. Bring the soup to a simmer, stirring to prevent sticking, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the zucchini is tender but still has some bite to it (it will continue cooking for a few more minutes). Add the tomatoes, evaporated milk, and corn.
2. Bring the soup to a boil and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover the soup and simmer until the corn and zucchini are tender. Stir in the cheese just before serving.

2.5

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/summer-garden-vegetable-soup/

Printed from Mel\'s Kitchen Cafe (www.melskitchencafe.com)

Recipe Source: slightly adapted from my wonderful friend, Jenna

Dinner Muffins

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2011/05/whole-wheat-dinner-muffins.html
 These tasted a lot like corn bread muffins to me. Either way it gives me another option if short on rising time.

The Best Zucchini Bread

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2011/08/the-best-zucchini-bread.html

I made this, substituted the white flour for wheat, and never wrang out the zucchini like it said. Turned out perfect and tasty.

Mini German Pancakes

http://momathonblog.typepad.com/momathon_blog/2008/07/recipe-mini-german-pancakes.html

This is a nice variety from the puffy oven pancake I make from my betty crocker cookbook.  I like these best with powdered sugar and lemon juice.  I always use whole wheat flour.

Healthy Banana Blueberry Muffins

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2012/09/healthy-banana-blueberry-muffins.html

I have made these a couple of times using the costco frozen mixed berries.  They turn out big and yummy. I never grind the oatmeal and they taste great.

Mint Buttercream Frosting

Adapted from Betty Crocker's Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

3 C. powdered sugar
1/3 C. softened butter
1 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
1-2 T. milk

Mix sugar and butter on low speed.  Add extract and milk.  Mix.

Unbelievable Chocolate Cake

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2010/09/the-best-chocolate-cake.html
This was definitely my favorite chocoate cake I have made.  I ran out of buttermilk so I made my own with milk and vinegar.  The comments said that there was too much batter to fill  the pans so I also filled up a little loaf cake pan too so it wouldn't spill in the oven.  Glad I did because it seemed about right. I did two round pans and didn't follow the instructions to put parchment paper on the bottom.  I was sorry I didn't because I had to piece the cake together to form a circle after I finally got it out of the pan. I made this with mint frosting and it was so yummy!  What a good birthday I made for myself. :)

Marshmallow Caramel Popcorn

Marshmallow Caramel Popcorn. 1/2 c. brown sugar 1/2 c. butter 9-10 marshmallows 12 c. popcorn. Microwave brown sugar and butter for 2 minutes. Add marshmallows. Microwave until melted, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Pour over popcorn.

 

I got this from Julie's pinterest board.  I would love to give credit to whoever created this recipe but there wasn't a link so I have no idea where it came from.

 

I love this popcorn!  This is what Mark and I have been loving lately.  We do the popcorn trick in the microwave where you put about 1/4 c. of popcorn in a folded over lunchsack, set it on it's side, and cook for a couple of minutes.

Hawaiian BBQ Pita Pizzas

http://www.thegardengrazer.com/2012/04/hawaiian-pita-pizzas.html
You wouldn't think that something this easy to put together would taste that great but we really liked the combo of cilantro along with this.  Mark heated up some canned chicken from Costco in some BBQ sauce to add to them and it was even better. 

Bean Tostadas

http://www.thegardengrazer.com/2012/04/bean-tostadas.html
We made our homemade refried beans and used them for our recipe.  Another good meatless meal.

Loaded Veggie and Black Bean Quesadillas

http://www.thegardengrazer.com/2012/09/loaded-veggie-black-bean-quesadillas.html

Another meatless, filling, yummy, good meal.

Quinoa Black Bean Burrito Bowls

http://theshiksa.com/2012/05/01/quinoa-black-bean-burrito-bowls/

This was such a refreshing recipe for quinoa.  I didn't even notice I was eating it because I loved the flavor of the other ingredients.  I actually got full off the meal too and it was healthy! We didn't top it with guacomole or salsa because we didn't have any. 

Slow Cooker Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2012/10/slow-cooker-tomato-basil-parmesan-soup.html
I have tried a couple of different tomato soup recipes and this one is my favorite.  My complaint on this one is that it wasn't the easy throw it all in the crockpot recipe.  You have to make a roux 30 min before.  It probably would have been better too if I had used fresh basil instead of dried like I did.

Garlic Bread Pizza Crust

http://www.howsweeteats.com/2012/03/garlic-bread-pizza-crust/

This crust tasted a lot like crazy bread.  I didn't let it rise at all. The only other change I made was use half wheat flour and half white flour using only 2 1/2 cups of flour instead of 3. This recipe definitely beat the one I have been using of Emilee's pizza recipe she got in junior high. :)

Easiest Brownies in the World

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2008/09/easiest-brownies-in-the-world.html
I made these last night and they were good.  I don't know why but I would rather use cocoa than a whole bag chocolate chips to make brownies so that was my only complaint.