Whole Wheat Butterhorns

2 packages dry yeast
1 3/4 cups warm water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons. oil
1/4 cup honey
2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2-2 1/2 cups flour
6 tablespoons soft butter
 (hs note: I also ended up using one egg, lightly beaten to give the rolls a quick brush before popping them in the oven.)

1. Dissolve yeast in water.
2. Add brown sugar, oil, honey, salt, and 1 1/2 cups whole what flour. Mix well.
3. Stir in remaining whole wheat flour and enough flour to make a stiff dough.
4. Knead on a lightly floured surface for 10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise about 1 1/2 hours.
5. Divide into 3 equal pieces. Shape into balls. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
6. Roll each ball into a 10-inch circle. Spread with 1/3 butter (hs note: I used melted butter). Cut each circle into 8 wedges (hs note: like pizza slices). To shape rolls, begin at wide end of wedge and roll toward point. Place on greased baking sheet.

7. Cover and let rise 20-30 minutes. (hs note: this is when I brush the dough with the egg wash to get a nice golden crust). Bake in 375F oven for 12-15 minutes. Brush with milk or butter while still warm.

Pecan Pie sans corn syrup

Ingredients

• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, beat eggs until foamy, and stir in melted butter. Stir in the brown sugar, white sugar and the flour; mix well. Last add the milk, vanilla and nuts.
3. Pour into an unbaked 9-in pie shell. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes at 350 degrees, then reduce temperature to 300 degrees and bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until done.

Onion Mashed Potatoes

This is a recipe I got from Ellen Palsson (Craig's mom, for those who know them)

Sweet Onion Mashed Potatoes

6 tablespoon butter
2 cups chopped sweet onions (such as Walla Walla or Vidalia)
2½ pounds russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 cup milk
¼ teaspoon salt


In a small saucepan, melt butter and gently sauté chopped onions over medium-low heat for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the onions have softened and turned a rich golden brown; set aside.
While onions are cooking, boil potatoes in a large pot of salted water until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat, drain well and mash thoroughly with a potato masher.

To the onion mixture, add milk and salt and warm gently, then whisk into potatoes; adjust seasonings and serve.

Scallops with garlic butter

Ingredients:
I lb fresh sea scallops
1 tablespoons melted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons Italian bread crumbs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425. In a small heat safe bowl or measuring cup combine butter, shallot and garlic. Microwave about one minute or until butter is melted. Place scallops in a shallow baking dish. Pour the garlic/shallot butter over the scallops evenly. Combine oil and bread crumbs and sprinkle over scallops. Add salt and pepper. Bake until opaque, about 10-12 minutes.

Original recipe here.

Here's what I did differently: I didn't have any green onions so I chopped up half of a regular onion and sauteed it in the butter and some olive oil, then added the garlic (will definitely do the regular onion again). This last time I also added 3 pieces of bacon...soooo good.  I poured that over the scallops and added the rest of the olive oil (I probably put in 3 Tbs altogether) with the bread crumbs as well as some lemon juice and the salt and pepper. I took them out after 10 minutes and considered pan searing them for a minute, but didn't (though I bet it would be good). I don't usually like scallops, but these were really good! I served them over whole wheat spaghetti.

Chocolate Cheesecake Pie

Ingredients

• 1 8-inch (6 oz.) prepared chocolate crumb crust (or graham cracker, my fav I think)
  
• 1 3/4 cups (11.5-oz. pkg.) chocolate chips
• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped
• Sweetened whipped cream (optional)
• 2 oz. semi-sweet baking bar, made into curls *

Directions

MICROWAVE morsels in medium, uncovered, microwave-safe bowl on MEDIUM-HIGH power for 1 minute; STIR (or otherwise heat on the stove stirring constantly). The morsels may retain some of their original shape. If necessary, microwave at additional 10- to 15-second intervals, stirring just until melted. Cool to room temperature.

BEAT melted chocolate, cream cheese and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl until light in color. Fold in whipped cream. Spoon into crust. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until firm. Top with sweetened whipped cream and chocolate curls.

*CHOCOLATE CURLS:
Carefully draw a vegetable peeler across edge of a bar of Semi-Sweet Chocolate.

(this is the pie that Brie and I discovered last year and it's AMAZING. Brooke made it too at Thanksgiving and we all loved it!)

Originally from here.

Tropical Paradise Smoothie

Frozen strawerries, mangos, pineapples, and peaches (I buy a blend of these fruits by Dole at Walmart)
Knudsen's Coconut Pineapple juice (main ingredients: pineapple, apple, and white grape juice, coconut milk, creamed coconut)

Blend ingredients
Devour the deliciousness

Orange Julius

1/2 can frozen orange juice concentrate (6 oz)

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup sugar

lots of ice

Blend it all together, adding ice cubes a few at a time until you reach the consistency you want

*variations- add 1 cup water, add 1/2 cup sugar, add half regular sugar and half powdered sugar

German Pancakes

6 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
butter

Beat the eggs with the sugar. Stir in flour and beat until smooth. Pour in the milk and beat again. Heat a non-stick skillet (I bought a small crepe skillet that I love) and melt a small amount of butter with it.

Pour enough of the pancake batter onto the skillet to cover the whole pan in a thin layer. Once the edges have tiny bubbles, it's time to flip.

Use a large spatula for this. It doesn't take much time on the second side. Continue baking the rest of the pancakes like this.

The pancakes do not fluff up like typical American-style pancakes.

Top with your choice of applesauce, cinnamon sugar or syrup. After adding topping, fold pancakes in half with the topping on the inside and lightly sprinkle cinnamon sugar over top.

I used cinnamon and agave as well as making whipped cream. They were sooooo good. Halfing the recipe made about 7 with my little skillet, which was enough for me and Cory for breakfast.

Found here.

Chicken Peanut Thai Noodles

Yes, this dish will kill some of our family members, but maybe you could try it with sunbutter?? Anyway, I thought everyone else should enjoy this as much as I do.

Originates here.

1 lb whole wheat thin spaghetti noodles
2 Tablespoons sesame oil
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 (1 inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled
½ Cup smooth peanut butter
¼ Cup soy sauce
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 Cup hot water
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ Cup finely chopped white onion
½ Cup finely chopped red or orange bell pepper (I used 1/2 of a green pepper and 1/2 of a red pepper, and next time I would use more, but I didn't finely chop them either)
1 Cup cooked, shredded chicken breast
¼ Cup finely chopped cilantro leaves (Cory and I don't like cilantro, so I only added 1/8 cup, and it was great)
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
¼ Cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped (optional) (I love these)
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds (optional)

1. Cook noodles according to package. Drain, rinse with cold water, place in large pasta bowl and toss with sesame oil. Set aside.

2. Place garlic and ginger in food processor until well chopped. Add peanut butter, soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar and red pepper flakes. Pulse until well combined and slowly add hot water. Set aside.

3. Place olive oil in hot skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and bell pepper for 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in chicken breast, cilantro and salt. Stir until heated through. (I cut up 3 raw chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and cooked them with the peppers and onions after they were almost done, THEN I added the cilantro).

4. Add sauce and chicken mixture to noodles. Toss to coat and garnish with peanuts and sesame seeds if desired.

6 servings

For leftovers you may need a little extra sauce, so do this - mix 1 Tbsp water, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, 1/2 teaspoon peanut butter in a small dish. Drizzle over hot noodles. The peanut butter melts when you mix it in the noodles.

Easy pizza

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 cups bread flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons honey

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups bread flour, olive oil, salt, honey and the yeast mixture; stir well to combine. Beat well until a stiff dough has formed. Cover and rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Turn dough out onto a well floured surface. Form dough into a round and roll out into a pizza crust shape. Cover with your favorite sauce and toppings and bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
4. I covered mine with sauteed zucchini, squash, and onions, and slightly cooked chicken. I should have made the dough a lot thinner, but it was still good and easy. I'm sure Tripp has a much much better recipe :).
   

Biscuits

I made these this morning and it didn't take very long and they were really good. I used whole wheat flour to make them a little healthier :)

2 1/2 cups (325 grams) all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon (14 grams) granulated white sugar

1/2 cup (113 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

3/4 cup milk

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Topping:

1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and place rack in center of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs (use pastry blender, two knives, or fingertips). Add the milk and slightly beaten egg and stir until just combined. (The texture should be sticky, moist and lumpy.)

Place mixture on a lightly floured surface and knead the dough gently until it comes together and is a smooth dough.

Roll out dough to 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thickness. Cut out biscuits with a lightly floured round cookie cutter. Place on prepared baking sheet and brush the tops with the beaten egg and milk mixture and bake for about 10 - 15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the biscuit comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Serve warm with butter.

Makes about 12 3-inch (7.5 cm) biscuits.

Oven-Roasted Asparagus

I got this great recipe for aspargus here! She has lots of pictures (and tons more amazing recipes) so I highly recommend checking it out.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Take a bunch of asparagus and, after washing, cut off the bottom inch or so. Pat dry well.

Spread it all out in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.

Generously drizzle olive oil over them all (4-5 Tbs).

Sprinkle generously with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.

Roast in the oven for about 10 minutes (I accidentally left mine in a few minutes too long and they were kinda floppy, but still really good).

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken Noodle Soup

• 2 eggs
• 4 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups diced celery
• 1 cup diced onion
• 3 cups baby carrots, chopped
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 pound chopped, cooked chicken meat
• 1 (16 ounce) package frozen corn kernels
• salt and pepper to taste
• seasoned salt to taste
• 1 cube chicken bouillon

DIRECTIONS:
1. Mix eggs and milk together until well beaten and then add salt and flour. Dough should be stiff. On a floured surface roll dough out really thin, 1/8 of an inch. Let dry 30 minutes and then cut into thin slices. Place on wax paper and let air dry.
2. In a large stock pot add chicken broth, celery, onion, baby carrots, and garlic. Fill stock pot, 2 inches from the top with water. Simmer until vegetables are tender, about 2 hours.
3. Add chicken and corn. Season with salt, pepper, seasoning salt and chicken bouillon granules. Simmer for 30 minutes, checking to see if water level has decreased. Add water if needed.
4. Bring to a boil, add noodles, stirring often. Noodles should be done in 20 minutes. Serve hot.

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

I made this for dinner tonight and Josh declared it the best thing I've ever made....although he did fast all day today so that might have something to do with it;)

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 1/2 cup sliced celery
• 1 large red potato - cubed
  
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
  
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
• 1 3/4 cups chicken broth (and some extra if you want it; see recipe below)
  
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, potatoes and celery. Add water and/or extra chicken broth to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.
3. In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, garlic powder, poultry seasoning, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Prick one of the crusts with a fork and cook for about 5-6 minutes.
5. Mix the sauce and the chicken and veggies together and add a little extra chicken broth if it's not saucy enough for you.
6. Pour the filling into the cooked crust and cover with the uncooked crust. Seal the edges and cut slits in the top for steam.
   
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving. (Mine only cooked for a little over 20 minutes before the top crust was really brown.)
   

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!!!!