Fondue

I have not actually made this, but a friend of mine sent me this and said it was just as good as the stuff she's had at the Melting Pot, I'm going to try it sometime soon hopefully!

2 bay leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced (Tripp would probably use more since he's obsessed with garlic ;o)
2 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp black pepper
2 cans beef broth (I used Campbell's, which is what the original recipe recommended)
1 packet French onion soup mix (I used Lipton Recipe Secrets Beefy Onion)
Half a bottle of dry red wine (I used Merlot)

Mix all ingredients in a medium saucepan and simmer 1 hour. Bring broth to a boil when ready to start cooking. Yummmmm!!!!

Easy Southern BBQ

What you need: 1 pork tenderloin, 1 bottle of bbq sauce, 1 crockpot

What you do: Put pork tenderloin and bbq sauce in crockpot, cook all day, shred and serve.

Seriously, it's that easy.

Ok, here's a little more detail: I buy the two pack of pork tenderloin at cosco. I use one and freeze the other. I use Trader Joe's bbq sauce but you can use any kind (or make your own if you're Tripp). The first time I made it, the pork was not frozen, I put it in with most of the bottle of sauce and cooked on low for 5 hours, shredded it, added the rest of the sauce, and cooked on high for 2-3 more hours. The second time I made it the pork was frozen so I cooked on high for the first 3 hours (with most of the sauce in it) and then low for the next 5-6 hours. I shredded it and added the rest of the sauce about an hour before it was done. Both times tasted exactly the same (and were delicous). I'm pretty sure you can't mess this recipe up so do it however you want.

Orange Chicken!

Made this in my cooking class at BYU, really tasty.

4 chicken breast halves
1 beaten egg
1 Tbs water
1/4 c. cornstarch
2 Tbs butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. orange juice
1/4 c. vinegar
1 Tbs cornstarch in 2 Tbs water

Dip chicken pieces in egg wash made of beaten egg and water, then coat with cornstarch. Brown with butter until golden brown and place in shallow baking pan or casserole. Combine remaining ingredients except cornstarch and bring to a boil. Add cornstarch slurry as needed for a thin sauce. Adjust seasonings. Pour over chicken pieces and bake, covered, for 20 minutes, then remove cover and bake an additional 15 minutes.
Yield: 4 servings

I serve it with rice!

Cinnamon Rolls

Mmmm, I got this recipe here, a great food blog! My frosting was in the fridge overnight and we didn't have powdered sugar, so we took regular sugar and put it in the food processor :), so it didn't spread as nicely as hers does, but they were really really good! I kept eating the frosting by itself. Nothing like butter, sugar, and cream cheese.

Ingredients:
DOUGH:

4 cups flour (I sift 4 cups of whole wheat flour)
1/2 oz yeast
1/2 cup hot water
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup milk, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt

FILLING:
1/2 cup butter, creamed (which apparently means mix it for 10 minutes with a little sugar)
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve 2 packages of yeast in 1/2 cup of very warm (not more than about 100F) water and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Let sit. In a small saucepan, warm butter and milk to about 100F. Using an electric mixer with a dough hook (or by hand with a spatula) combine dissolved yeast and the butter mixture on low. Slowly add 1/2 cup of sugar, then the egg.
Add salt and 2 cups of flour on low, mix until smooth. Slowly mix in the remaining 2 cups of flour. The mixture should become a sticky dough at this time. Scrape out the dough onto floured counter top. Knead dough until it doesn't stick to your hands, adding small amounts of flour (up to 1/2 cup) as needed.
Place in a greased bowl. Cover with damp cloth and let rise for about 45 minutes or until it doubles in size. Preheat oven to 350. Remove dough from bowl and place on a floured counter. Roll out in a 12 by 24 inch rectangle. The dough should be about an inch thick.
Using your fingers or a spatula, spread 1/2 cup of the very soft, creamed butter over dough. In small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon for the filling. Sprinkle evenly over the buttered dough. Roll dough into a tight log. Cut into 1 inch thick slices.
Place in 2 ungreased, 9 inch round cake pans, forming a circle with one roll in the middle. Allow to rise about 1/2 hour until they are about level to the top of the cake pan. Bake for about 15 minutes, then test for doneness. Pay careful attention to the creases where the rolls touch each other. Return to oven 5-10 additional minutes as needed. Remove to a wire rack or invert on a plate and ice.

Cream Cheese icing

Ingredients:
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:
In a medium sized bowl, combine all ingredients thoroughly. Spread over warm sweet rolls.

Before:
After:

That Wife's Bean Soup

This is from my friend Jenna. I made it and it was really good!

Ingredients

(All ingredients are optional and interchangeable. Go ahead, mix it up a little bit!)

Lots of cans of beans (In this batch I used chickpeas, black, kidney, pinto, and ranch style)
1 Can of crushed tomatoes
1 Onion, diced
1 Packet of ranch salad dressing mix (the dry stuff)
1 Packet of onion soup and dip mix

Directions

1. Find a really big pot.
2. Pour some water in the pot. I probably use like 6 cups or something (I'd suggest using more than this, at least a cup or 2 more).
3. Pour all of the beans in the pot, with their liquid, except the black beans (you should drain and rinse those).
4. Add everything else to the pot.
5. Boil for hours. I’m not joking, for hours. Once I boiled it for 4 hours. Just boil it down so that it is nice and thick and a little bit salty. Stir often enough that it doesn’t burn to the bottom of the pot because then it tastes bad.

Nutrition Stats

(As weighed, measured, and calculated by me)
Serving Size: 1/2 lb, or 8 oz

Calories: 209
Fat: 2g
Sat Fat: 1g
Cholesterol: 0g
Sodium: 513 g (This number may be off because I’m not sure that it includes the salt used in the preservation of the beans)
Potassium: 501 mg
Carbohydrate: 38g
Dietary Fiber: 11g
Protein: 11g

Dinner Rolls

I made these tonight and they were so good. Not healthy, but good :). I halved it and made a little more than 2 dozen, which 6 people devoured (made it with the taco soup).

1/2 c. warm water
2 Tbs yeast
2 cups scalded milk (microwave 1 min per cup or do this) cooled for 5 minutes
1/4-1/2 c. sugar
1/4-1/2 c. butter
2 tsp salt
2 eggs
5-6 c. bread flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Set aside. Combine scalded milk, sugar, butter, and salt with 3 c. flour. Beat until smooth. Beat in eggs and dissolved yeast, then add additional flour to make a soft dough. Knead well. Let rise until double (30-45 minutes). Shape as desired. Let rise again. Bake dinner rolls at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

Yield: 4 dozen dinner rolls.

G-Ma's / Josh's Broccoli Casserole

From my head...
3 eggs beaten
8 oz of Mexican cheese
1 big ol dollop of sour cream or mayo - what ever you have... - SC is the better of the two
1 small onion chopped and sauteed in butter
1 can of cream of chicken soup - or cream of celery - chicken is the better of the two
4-5 heads of broccoli steamed
1 package of Ritz crackers browned in 1 cube of butter

Mix everything but the crackers and broccoli in a mixing bowl.
Steam broccoli
Brown crackers

In cooking bowl put broccoli then pour everything over it. (I stir it all up.) Spread crackers on top.

Cook for 30 min @ 350. (sometimes I go for 5 more minutes.)
Let sit for 5 minutes.

Apple Crisp

2 cups thinly sliced apples
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
1/8 tsp water

½ cup flour
½ cup sugar
1/3 cup butter

Mix apples, cinnamon, salt, and water

Mix together flour, sugar, and butter and drop in spoonfuls over apple mixture

Bake at 350 degrees 40 minutes

Raspberry Ganache Pie

1 pkg. (8 squares) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup whipping cream
6 Tbsp. seedless raspberry jam, divided (seedless is very important. I learned this the hard way)
1 OREO Pie Crust (6 oz.)
2 cups raspberries
1 Tbsp. water

PLACE chocolate in medium bowl; set aside. Mix cream and 2 Tbsp. of the jam in small saucepan. Bring just to boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Pour over chocolate in bowl. Let stand 2 minutes.
BEAT with wire whisk until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended. Pour into crust; cover. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
ARRANGE raspberries on top of pie. Microwave remaining 1/4 cup jam and water in small microwavable bowl on HIGH 30 seconds; stir until well blended. Brush over raspberries. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Made this as a 21st birthday present to myself :). Delish.

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

3 chicken breasts
1 package frozen broccoli spears (not chopped broccoli) or 3-4 heads broccoli
1 can cream of chicken soup (maybe plus a little more)
1/2+ of an onion
½ cup evaporated milk
2/3-cup mayonnaise
½ cup grated cheese
1 tsp lemon juice
½ cup breadcrumbs
2 tbs butter
½ tsp curry powder

Heat oven to 350. Grease pan. Stew or bake chicken and cut it into bite size pieces. Steam broccoli, cut up and layer bottom of casserole pan. Layer chicken pieces over broccoli. Saute chopped onion. Mix mayo, soup, cheese, milk, onion, lemon juice, and curry. Pour mix over chicken and broccoli. Melt butter; mix it with breadcrumbs and sprinkle on top. Bake for 25-30 minutes.


*Best thing I learned while at BYU. Love this.

Pan-Roasted Gazed Salmon

A lovely combination of sweet and salty, this all-purpose glaze works just as well on boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, or on chunks of firm tofu. Serves 6.

1-1/2 to 2 lbs salmon fillet, skin removed, cut into 6 serving-size pieces
Kosher salt
Coarse ground black pepper
2 tsp olive oil
3 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce OR 2 Tbsp dark soy sauce
1 Tbsp agave nectar, or more to taste
Scant 1/2 cup orange or mango juice

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Season fish all over with salt and pepper. Add olive oil to a roasting pan, and then add the fish. Over medium heat on top of the stove, cook the fish for 3-4 minutes until the bottom is firm. Do not turn the fish! Add remaining ingredients, stir to combine, and spoon some of the liquid over the fish fillets. Place the roasting pan in the oven and cook for 10 minutes, or until the fish is just firm. Remove fish to a serving platter, and cover loosely with aluminum foil; place the roasting pan back on the stovetop. Bring pan juices to a boil, and cook until reduced to a syrupy sauce. Drizzle sauce over the fish, and serve.

*Found this when I was living in San Diego and I was trying to figure out how the heck to prepare salmon. It was really tasty! I used the leftovers and made the dish below.

Salmon Fried Rice

Serves 4 as a main dish.

2 Tbsp peanut oil (I used coconut...or maybe olive)
3 scallions or 1 small yellow onion, diced
1-1/4 lb salmon fillet, cut into 2-inch chunks
6 oz shiitake or button mushrooms, stems removed, sliced (I omitted this)
1 Tbsp sesame oil (Yeah...coconut oil again)
2 cups cooked Nishiki or other short-grain rice, or leftover rice from a takeout meal (Used leftover brown rice)
3/4 cup mango nectar or orange juice (Used mango acai from Trader Joe's)
2 Tbsp oyster-flavor sauce (Um, nope, skipped this one)
3 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce (Used some kind of teriyaki soy sauce from TJ's)

Heat a well-seasoned or nonstick wok, and add the peanut oil and scallions or onion. Stir fry for 30 seconds, and add salmon. Stir for 1 minute, or until salmon is lightly browned on the outside. Add mushrooms and sesame oil, and stir for one minute. Add rice, and stir for 2-3 minutes, until rice is heated through and grains are separated. Add remaining liquids, and stir until well mixed. Serve hot.

*Obviously, I didn't exactly follow this recipe, but it was dang good!

Taco Soup

1-2 lbs ground beef browned

2 onions

5 cloves garlic minced

2 cans chili (1 hot and 1 regular)

1 bag frozen corn

1 can kidney beans drained

1 can black beans drained
1 28 oz can chopped tomatoes or 2 14.5 oz cans

1 8-oz can tomato sauce

1 pkg taco seasoning

Brown meat 2/ onion and garlic, add taco seasoning with the amt of water that the packet says to use. Simmer for 15 minutes. Combine all the ingredients and simmer 2 or more hours. It's really best the next day, so it wouldn't hurt to make it the night before you plan on eating it.

Pecan Pie

1/2 c butter

1 1/4 c sugar

1/2 c dark corn syrup

3 eggs

1t vanilla

1 1/2 c pecans

Heat butter and sugar in sauce pan until sugar is dissolved. Add corn syrup. Mix well. Remove from heat and cool (until cool enough so that when you add the eggs, it won't cook the eggs). Beat eggs and stir into sugar mixture. Add vanilla. Add pecans. Stir together and pour into pie shell. Bake 375 at least an hour. It will be soft in the middle.

Gramma's Brownies

2 sticks of butter*
4 ounces of unsweetened baking chocolate OR 3/4c cocoa and 4TBS butter
2 cups Sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups flour
1 bag of chocolate chips

Melt the butter and baking chocolate together. When it's all melted, remove from heat and add the other ingredients in order that I wrote them. (I added the sugar last once and it was a very weird texture) Pour into a greased 9x13 and cook for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. They taste better slightly underdone.

Brie, did I forget anything?

*1 cup earth balance