Salsa

Just in time for the Big Game in a week! This salsa is so fast and easy to make, and the happy thing is, people will never know you did it in 5 minutes!!!

Salsa

1 lg can of Hunt's whole tomatoes
1 Serrano or jalapeno pepper
1/2 of a small onion, cut into chunks
1/4 tsp garlic salt
pepper to taste
chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Drain the juice from the tomatoes into a blender. Add the Serrano or jalapeno (for a milder flavor, remove the seeds) and the onion and salt. Blend well. Then add the tomatoes and pulse 2-3 times. Add pepper to taste and chopped cilantro if desired.

*Note* If you get a spicy pepper and would like to make the salsa more mild, you can add 1 can of tomato sauce. This is really good with the Tostitos Lime Chips!
Also, we like the Hunts brand of tomatoes. This is one thing that I buy name brand on. We bought the Kroger brand once and there was literally a lot of juice and 3 tomatoes out of that whole can.

Recipe courtesy of Debbie B.

Crispy French Toast

 

Hey -- here's one of the recipes from the breakfast calendar I won in the WCGL giveaway! (Thanks, Deb!) This calendar is filled with delightful, delicious, decadent breakfast recipes. We tried Crispy French  Toast the other night.

Think State Fair meets breakfast: there's a crispy coating and some deep-frying involved. Yummy -- and  a fun change from regular, ol' boring french toast. Give it a try...
 

Crispy French Toast

8 cups vegetable oil for deep frying
6 thick slices of white bread (Texas toast)
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 cups cornflakes

Preheat deep-fryer to 375° F. In a large bowl, combine eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar. Beat well. Place cornflakes in separate bowl. Dip bread slices in egg mixture and press into cornflakes.

Carefully slide coated bread slices into hot oil. Fry on each side until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.

 Hints:

► It doesn't say to crush up the cornflakes in the original recipe. Do it. Smaller cornflake pieces make for a more uniform, crispy coating.

►  More eggs, a little less milk -- the coating will stick better.

 original recipe: Beyond Oatmeal, 2010 calendar from Carlene Duda

Baked Blueberry Stuffed French Toast

Baked Blueberry Stuffed French Toast

14 slices of Texas Toast, with the crusts removed, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 cup fresh or frozen (then thawed) blueberries, picked over and rinsed
12 larges eggs
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 cups milk

For the sauce:
2 cups sugar
4 Tbsp cornstarch
2 cups water
2 cups fresh or frozen (then thawed) bluerries
Zest of 1 lemon (optional, it just makes the flavor pop a little more)
1 Tbsp unsalted butter

Cut the crusts off the bread, then cut into 1 inch cubes

Arrange half the bread in a buttered 9x13 inch glass baking dish. Scatter the cream cheese over the bread, and sprinkle the blueberries over the cream cheese.

Arrange the remaining bread pieces over the blueberries and cream cheese. In a large mixing bowl combine the eggs, maple syrup and milk. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the bread mixture.

Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Bake the French Toast, covered with foil in the middle of a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake for an additional 30 minutes until it is puffed and golden.

To make the sauce:

In a saucepan stir together the sugar, the cornstarch, and the water and cook the mixture over medium high heat, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, or until it is thickened. Stir in the blueberries and simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes, or until the berries have burst. Add the lemon zest if you want it then add the butter and stir the sauce until the butter is melted. Served topped with freshly whipped whipping cream if desired.

Recipe was slightly adapted from a recipe from Emory Creek Victorian Bed and Breakfast.

Happy Anniversary!

Thirteen years ago today, Cory and I were married in the Salt Lake Temple. I am so in love with this good man of mine. Together we have been through sicknesses, pregnancies, loss of loved ones, as well as laughter and fun memories. With Jason being only 1, we couldn't go and escape the world this year, so I tried to recreate the breakfast we had at the B&B we stayed at. Here is a recipe that is amazingly yummy! (The B&B we stayed at closed it's doors, so I couldn't get their exact recipe, but maybe that was a good thing, because this recipe for Baked Blueberry French Toast is even better!!) Cory said it was the best breakfast he has ever had!! See the recipe above and enjoy!

Easy Herb Chicken

I love this easy, fall-off-the-bone-tender-goodness crockpot recipe.

Easy Herb Chicken

1 whole chicken (giblets removed)
poultry seasoning
salt

1. Rinse the chicken.

2. "Blacken" the chicken with poultry seasoning and sprinkle salt on the chicken.

3. Put the chicken in the crockpot. Cook on low for 8 hours.

Stuffed Manicotti

I can never get a picture of this one-- we eat it too quickly!

This is Aunt Liz's recipe (see p.108 of the the family cookbook) and I've been making it since I was a newlywed. It's so good and so easy. I haven't been able to tolerate toast or crackers for the past 3 months (morning sickness, bleh)-- but I could eat this!

Stuffed Manicotti

8 uncooked Manicotti noodles
1/2 lb mozzarella cheese, grated
1/2 cup cottage cheese
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp butter, softened
1 jar Prego spaghetti sauce
2 Tbsp Parmesan or Romano cheese, grated (and some extra to sprinkle on top)

Combine mozzarella, cottage cheese, beaten eggs, 2 Tbsp parmesan or romano cheese, soft butter, salt and pepper. Stuff uncooked noodles with the sauce and place in a 9 x 13 baking pan.

Heat spaghetti sauce to boiling and pour over the noodles. Sprinkle generously with extra parmesan or romano cheese.

Cover the pan with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Noodles will be a little firm, but not mushy.

(Adding hamburger or sausage is optional)

Jen's Soft Italian Bread Dough

Matthew won't eat Mac and Cheese. He won't eat Spaghetti-O's. He doesn't even like pizza. BUT, he will eat pizza if I make the dough using this recipe. I call it "Jen's Bread Pizza." (You can also use it to make breadsticks.) Jen found this recipe on "Taste of Home." See bottom for credits.

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Jen's Soft Italian Bread Dough

1 cup water (70 to 80 degrees)

3 Tablespoons butter, softened

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3 cups bread flour

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

Topping (if making Breadsticks)

1 Tablespoon butter, melted

1 Tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

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Directions:

1. Put water, butter, salt, flour, sugar, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and yeast in the bread machine pan.

2. Select the dough setting (after a few minutes, check your dough. Add 1 to 2 Tablespoons of water or flour if needed to get the right consistency).

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For Pizza:

Once the dough cycle is complete, roll the dough onto a cookie sheet (cut in half if desired) and add pizza sauce and toppings. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.

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For Breadsticks:

1. Roll on a floured surface. Cut in half. Then cut each portion into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a 4 to 6 inch rope. Place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 20 minutes).

2. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.

3. Immediately brush with butter and sprinkle on the parmesan cheese. Serve warm.

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"Soft Italian Breadsticks." Christy Eichelberger. Taste of Home. http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Soft-Italian-Breadsticks.

Give-a-Way!!!!

First Prize is a $20 gift card to Target and a 2010 Calendar by Carlene Duda called Beyond Oatmeal. Each month has a new recipe for a breakfast or a dessert, including Smooth Cream Cheese Pancakes, Lemon Almond Pull-aparts, and Blueberry Peach Cake. What better way to start those New Year's Resolutions than with a calendar with beautiful pictures of food!!

Second Prize is a 2010 Michael VaughAn Calendar of Black and White pictures of Temples, which include the Oquirrh Mountain, Nauvoo, Provo, Mt. Timpanogos, Salt Lake, Bountiful, Rexburg, Manti, Draper, St. George, Jordan River and Logan Temples.

I know that this isn't a food related prize, but I saw it and loved it and thought that it might make your day too!

To enter, add a comment to this entry of the blog and a winner will be chosen on Friday morning (January 8th 2010). Your entry can be a note about a recipe that you tried on the blog and liked. It can be an entry on what your favorite entry was on this blog. It can even be your favorite food related Holiday Tradition (Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, Halloween, etc.) You can do as many entries per day that you want.

Thank you so much for checking in with our blog! We truly treasure our friends and love to sit and chat while cooking and eating great food!