Grilled Jam Sandwich

When we were in Texas, we went to a restaurant called Cheddar's and had the Monte Cristo sandwich.  Delish.

Although this is not the same, when I saw it that is what it reminded me of.  It's so good.  It's kind of like a warm jelly-filled donut, only much easier to make!

I got the recipe from Real Simple Magazine.

I don't think I need to put step by step directions on here, but you just make a jam sandwich (I used strawberry, but anything would be good).  Then you butter the two outside pieces of bread and cook it in a frying pan over low heat until it is golden brown.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar for a fancy look.

Carmelita Bars

Carmelita Bars
***These are so tasty, so please don't automatically disregard them when you find out how much butter they have in them!***
--also, read the notes at the bottom--

2 1/4 cups melted butter
3 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups oatmeal

6-12 ounces chocolate chips
17 ounces caramel ice cream topping

Combine first six ingredients.  Spread half of dough on an ungreased jelly roll pan.  Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.  Sprinkle chocolate chips over the dough.  Pour caramel topping evenly over chips.  Use remaining dough to press into palm-sized sections and place on top of caramel.  Bake for 10-12 more minutes.

***Notes***
***** This makes a pretty big recipe -- I cut it in half and just use a 9x13 pan.  It works out great.
***** Instead of pressing the second half of the dough over the top, I just crumble it over, trying to spread it evenly.  It prevents you from having to touch the hot cooked part, with the melting chocolate chips and caramel.

White Chili

This rockin recipe is not mine to take credit for, but my friend Missy's. She had a super fun recipe exchange party at her house when we lived in Monterey and I think that is when I got this recipe from her.

White Chili

1 pound small white beans, soaked overnight
2 chopped onions
48 ounces chicken broth
4 cups cooked chicken, cubed
7 ounces diced green chilies
2 teaspoons dried oregano
4 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6-8 cloves garlic
1 cup sour cream
3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Combine beans, onion and broth, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 2 hours. Add chicken, chilies, and seasonings. Cook until thick, 30-60 minutes. Add sour cream and cheese, stir until cheese melts.

Lemon Chicken Alfredo

Sauce:

Tonight I was in the mood for chicken. And lemon. So I was broiling a bit of lemon pepper chicken in the oven when I thought of a yummy sounding recipe. So I googled it, and lo and behold, it is an actual recipe. I followed this recipe from Mmm...Cafe and just changed it a little bit. Sadly, I forgot to take a picture of it!!! Anyway, if you like lemony chicken goodness, you'll love this recipe!

I did one large chicken breast, covered with olive oil and lemon pepper, in the oven at 400 degrees. Then once it was almost done, I took it out, cut it up into bite-sized chunks, and stirred it in a bowl with a little bit more oil and lemon pepper (so all the sides of the pieces were exposed) then put them back in the oven for a few minutes.

Then I used the recipe for alfredo sauce (below) only I added another shake or two of lemon pepper (because I didn't have lemon peel) and 6 Tablespoons lemon juice.

Then prepare your noodles (I like linguine) and pour the sauce over and top with the chicken.

Hopefully I'll get a picture soon -- (Davis asked if we could add this to our regular rotation of favorite meals, so I'm sure we'll be making it again :)

Alfredo Sauce

I found this tasty recipe for alfredo sauce and it is really easy and good. Plus I like to think that because it has a little chicken broth that means it has less fat in it. Ha!

1/4 Cup butter

3/4 Cup flour

1 1/2 Cup 2% milk

1 1/2 Cups chicken broth

3/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

1 tsp. Parsley Flakes

2 tsp. Oregano

Melt the butter on low heat. Add flour, milk and broth and cook until slightly thicken. Add Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup at a time. Heat until parmesan is melted, then add parsley flakes and oregano.

These are a fun little treat for April Fool's Day. Although the recipe is quite simple, I've had many requests for it, so I'll share.

Nilla wafers
grasshopper cookies
frosting (yellow and red)
green-colored coconut - put coconut in a bag with a few drops of green food coloring and shake the bag to evenly spread the green around
sesame seeds for the top "bun" - moisten the top with a little bit of water or juice to make them stick

Fried Ice Cream

1 cube butter - melted

In a separate bowl, combine:
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/3 cup coconut
1/3 cup chopped pecans

Pour butter over and stir.

Add:
2 1/2 cups rice crispies

Stir. Spread out on cookie sheet, bake at 300 degrees for 21 minutes Every 7 minutes turn/stir/fold so it gets brown all over. While topping is baking, take 1/2 gallon of vanilla ice cream out of freezer to soften.

Divide topping in half. Place half on bottom of greased 9x13 pan. Slice ice cream and spread evenly over crust. Sprinkle remaining topping over top of ice cream. Cover and freeze overnight. Cut and serve with caramel topping.
Sorry - no picture of the finished product! Trust me, it's good!

roasted tomato soup

I combined a few recipes to get my own version of yummy soup. I got my inspiration from Barefoot Contessa and Bobby Flay. I also threw in some things from this recipe. I really love thinking of a recipe that sounds good and then looking at several different recipes and creating my own based on what I want it to be. I wanted to make this because when we lived in California, I LOVED the Tomato Basil Soup at Safeway. I have searched for a long time for a good recipe that matches, and haven't found one.

Given my newfound love of all things roasted, I figured roasted tomatoes would easily find their way into the category.


Recipe:

5 pounds roma tomatoes
olive oil
salt and pepper
minced garlic (6 cloves total)
1 onion, diced

2 cups chicken broth

1 1/4 cups half and half

I used just less than 5 pounds of roma tomatoes (I wanted a lot of soup!) and just cut them in slices. Lay them in a cookie sheet (mine overlapped) and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and minced garlic (I used 4 cloves). Roast at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, turning once halfway through.

In a large saucepan, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil, saute the onion and garlic until soft (but not brown). Once the tomatoes are done, add the contents of the pan (juice and all) into the saucepan. Add the chicken broth, heat through. Add the half and half. Put in batches in a blender, then back into the saucepan to heat more until ready to serve.

chocolate bowls with brownies, white chocolate mousse drizzle, and white chocolate and almond cream

I saw this recipe and thought it would be the perfect dessert for our Valentine's dinner. I made something like this once with white chocolate and muffin tins, but this was so much easier! You use a balloon to create the bowl shape. First, melt some chocolate slowly in a glass bowl, over a slightly simmering pan of water. I just used semi-sweet chocolate chips because that's what I had. I figured the dessert would be really sweet and the semi-sweet would be a nice balance.

Next, you take some balloons. The smallest I could find were 7 inches and I wish I could have found water balloon size. Oh well, I guess that's what I get in February. I actually rinsed the balloons out in the sink before I blew them up to get any powder or anything off them.

Then I blew them all up (I made 6, just in case some didn't turn out - and if they all did, I would have leftovers) to make sure they were about the same size. I didn't blow them up all the way, so they weren't perfectly round but it didn't matter.

Next, dip the balloons in the chocolate. I just did it once, but I suppose if you wanted it thicker you could do it again. *I didn't even eat my bowl because it was such a rich dessert - so I don't recommend this, I'm just saying you could.*

Next, set the balloon on waxed paper. I put mine in the fridge so they would set faster, but I don't recommend doing this. when I popped the balloons, they stuck to the chocolate so I had to wait until they were room temperature to peel the balloons out of the bowls. So either way is probably the same amount of time. So after they are set, pop the balloons. Be sure to wait long enough so the chocolate is set or else you'll have sprayed chocolate all over. (One of my balloons popped on its own just as I was setting it on the waxed paper, and it went everywhere).

Next, I filled my bowl with little brownie bites (about 1 inch squares) topped with the mousse and cream.

White Chocolate Mousse Drizzle and White Chocolate and Almond Cream

3 cups chilled whipping cream
1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
1 pound good-quality white chocolate, finely chopped
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1. Bring 1 cup cream and butter to simmer in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until butter melts. Remove from heat. Add white chocolate and stir until smooth. Whisk in vanilla. Pour 1 1/2 cups white chocolate mixture into a small bowl; cover and freeze until cold, about 1 hour.

Let remaining white chocolate mixture in saucepan stand at room temperature until lukewarm, about 20 minutes.

2. Using electric mixer, beat remaining 2 cups cream and almond extract in large bowl until peaks form. Working in 3 batches, fold in lukewarm white chocolate mixture. Refrigerate whipped cream just until medium peaks hold, folding occasionally, about 3 hours.

Lemon Brownies

1 Dry Lemon Cake Mix
1 Cube Melted Butter
4 Eggs
1 8oz. Package of Cream Cheese
1 Lb. Powdered Sugar

Directions: Beat cake mix, butter and 2 eggs together. Put in bottom of 9X13 pan. Mix the cream cheese, the powdered sugar, and the remaining 2 eggs. Put this mixture on top of the first (do not mix) and bake at 350 for about 40 minutes. Do not under cook it. The secret (which is no longer a secret) is to cook it long enough so that the edges are a crisp brown and the soft
part in the middle is just cracking.

from the amazing kitchen of Sue Beutler