Cookin' With Me

Sunday, October 13, 2013

BBQ Chicken Quinoa Salad

This is for all you BBQ Chicken Salad lovers, but with a twist. The twist is quinoa and it makes it so delicious!

1 cup cooked quinoa

1/2 c. corn (I use frozen)

1 can black beans or about 1 1/2 cups of beans

1-2 cups of shredded cooked chicken

1 chopped avocado

2-3 chopped tomatoes

1/2 cup (or more if you like them) chopped green onions

a bunch of chopped cilantro

BBQ sauce

Spinach or lettuce

Shredded cheese

juice of one lime

salt and pepper

Combine quinoa, corn, black beans, chicken, avocado, tomatoes, green onions, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper in a bowl. Serve over a bed of spinach or lettuce and serve with BBQ sauce and shredded cheese.

Our Favorite Sugar Cookies

We are all agreed over here that these are our favorite sugar cookies.

1 1/2 c. softened butter
3 c. white sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
5 c. flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp. salt

Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt. Refrigerate at least an hour before you want to roll them out, or overnight. Roll out to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes and bake for 6-8 minutes at 350 degrees. Don't over cook! These are the best.

Sue's Pumpkin Cake

4 eggs
1 2/3 c. sugar
1 c. oil
1 (16 oz) can of pumpkin
2 c. flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cloves

Beat eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Combine dry ingredients and add to pumpkin mixture. Beat well. Pour batter into 9 x 13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. You can bake as cupcakes as well. Cool completely and frost with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 c. butter softened
1/2 c. softened cream cheese
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar

Beat butter, cream cheese and vanilla. Add the sugar and beat until smooth.

Friday, September 13, 2013

Zucchini Bread with Lemon Glaze

This is super moist without a lot of butter or oil. My new favorite.

Ingredients

1 1/2 c. packed zucchini, shredded

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

3/4 cup butter milk (make your own by putting 1 T. vinegar in a measuring cup and enough milk to fill it to the one cup line. Let it sit for about five minutes)

1/4 cup melted butter

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour (you can use half of it whole wheat flour)

1 T. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. salt

For the glaze:

3 T. butter

juice of one lemon

enough powdered sugar to make the consistency you like (start with 1 1/2 cups and add more)

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a loaf pan. I like using small bundt pans for this. Cream together sugar and eggs. Add vanilla, zucchini, melted butter, and buttermilk. Combine dry ingredients and slowly add it to the liquid. Stir until moist and pour into loaf pan. Bake for about 50-55 minutes. Let it cool and pour glaze over it.

Blueberry Crumble

One of the best desserts I've made lately; it tastes just like blueberry pie.

Ingredients

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

3 cups of flour (you can go half whole wheat flour half white flour)

1 cup softened butter

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

4 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 T. cornstarch

Grease a 9x13 pan and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Mix together sugars, baking powder, flour, salt and cinnamon. With a pastry blender, but in the softened butter, egg and vanilla. Keeping blending until the dough is crumbly. Pat half of this mixture into the bottom of your pan.

In another bowl mix together 1/2 cup of sugar and cornstarch. Add blueberries and stir well. Spread blueberry mixture over crust. Crumble the rest of the dough mixture over the blueberries. Bake for about 45 minutes. Cool completely before serving. Enjoy!

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Carmelitas

I posted this recipe awhile ago, but after Kallie made it, we realized the recipe was all wrong. Here is the new and final version. You can buy the caramel topping at the store. You could and you'd think they are tasty. If you try making your own caramel topping, you'll find it takes this treat to a whole new level. I had to get them out of the house as soon as possible. I could really eat the whole pan.

2 c. flour

2 c. oats

1 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. butter

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix the above ingredients to make a crumbly mixture. Take a little more than half of this mixture and press it into the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan sprayed with PAM. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Take it out of the oven then top with:

2 c. chocolate chips

1 c. caramel topping mixed with 1 T. flour*

nuts (always optional, but very good)

Sprinkle the rest of your crumbly mixture over the top.

Bake that for 10 minutes at 350. You need to let them sit for quite awhile so they are set up when you eat them. You can always throw them into the fridge if you are pressed for time. The caramel really needs time to set up after you take them out of the oven. Enjoy!!

*Here's where it gets good. Instead of buying the caramel try making this caramel sauce. When it is finished, I added 3 T of flour to it and I used the entire recipe of caramel sauce in the carmelitas. You probably don't need that much caramel, but I do.

Homemade Caramel

Source: The Sisters Cafe

3/4 cup butter

1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 T. water

1/4 tsp. salt

Boil the above ingredients for about 3-5 minutes depending on how thick you want it. Remove from the heat and add 3/4 cup evaporated milk and 1 Tablespoon vanilla. Stir well and let it sit to thicken.