Carmelitas

1 1/2 C. butter melted
1 1/2 C. brown sugar, packed
2 C. oatmeal
2 C. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
2 C. chocolate chips
1 bottle caramel topping
6 Tbsp. Flour

Mix butter, brown sugar, flour, oats, salt and soda together.  Spread 1/2 of the dough mixture in a 9x13 inch pan.  Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven; Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Mix 6 T. flour with caramel topping and pour over chocolate chips.  Crumble the remaining dough mixture on top.  Bake 15 more minutes at 350.  These are easier to ruth into squares after 2 hours of cooling.

Asian Spinach Salad

Ingredients:
16 oz bowtie pasta, cooked al dente
1 (10 oz) bag fresh spinach
1 (6 oz) bag craisins
3 (11 oz) cans mandarin oranges, drained
2 (8 oz) cans water chestnuts, drained
1/2 c. cilantro, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/4 c. toasted sesame seeds
6 oz honey roasted peanuts
2 c. cooked chicken, cut into small pieces (i only use this if the salad is going to be the main course)

dressing:
1 c. vegetable oil
2/3 c. bottled Teriyaki sauce (better to use a high quality sauce like Yoshida's)
2/3 c. white wine vinegar
6 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Blend dressing ingredients together in blender.  Mix dressing and cooked pasta in a large freezer bag or bowl and marinate for two hours.  Combine rest of salad ingredients in large salad bowl, add pasta and dressing, toss.

Tip for freezing soup

I made that wild rice soup the other day (YUM) but it was too much for my little family to eat.  I wanted to freeze it for later, but hate de-thawing a giant lump of soup.  So I poured the cooled soup into muffin tins and let it freeze overnight.  In the morning I put the bottom of the muffin tins in hot water and the soup popped right out. Then I put these frozen circles of soup on a freezer bag and then later when you want them you just throw three or four circles in the microwave!  It freezes really well and should last about 6 months that way.

Lion House Rolls

Ingredients:
2 Cups Warm Water (110-115)
2/3 Cup nonfat dry milk
2 Tbls. dry yeast
1/4 Cup Sugar
2 tsp. Salt
1/3 cup butter
1 egg
5 to 5 1/2 Cups all purpose flour

Preparation:
In mixer:
combine water & powdered ilk and stir until dissolved.  Add yeast, sugar, salt butter, egg & 2 cups flour.  Mix on low speed until moistened.  Turn to medium speed for 2 minutes.  Add 2 cups flour.  Mix on low speed until moistened.  Mix on medium speed for 2 more minutes.  Mix in remaining four by hand.  Dough should be soft, not overly sticky and stiff.  It is not necessary to use all of the lour.  Scrape dough off side of bowl and pour 1Tbs. vegetable oil around side of bowl.  Turn dough over in bowl so it is covered with oil.  Cover with plastic wrap & allow to rise until doubled in size.  Sprinkle board with flour and put dough on flour.  Shape into rolls and place on greased baking pan.  Let rise until rolls double in size.  (approximately 60-90 minutes).  Bake a 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.  Recipe makes 30 rolls.

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

INGREDIENTS:
½ cup butter
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
½ – 1 cup frozen corn
½ cup chopped celery
½ cup carrots, sliced
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
½ pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
¾ cup all-purpose flour
6 cups chicken broth
2 cups cooked wild rice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon dried parsley
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup slivered almonds
2 cups nonfat half-and-half (use normal half-and-half if you prefer, but you won’t believe how delicious this is with the nonfat variety!)

DIRECTIONS:
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, celery, corn, chicken and carrots and sauté for 5-7 minutes until vegetables are tender and chicken is cooked through. Add the mushrooms and sauté 3-4 more minutes. Then add flour and stir well. Over medium heat, gradually pour in the chicken broth, stirring constantly. Bring the soup just to a boil and then reduce heat to low and let simmer, while stirring, for 5-6 minutes, until it has thickened slightly.

Next, add the rice, salt, curry powder, mustard powder, parsley, ground black pepper and almonds. Allow all the ingredients to heat through and then pour in the half-and-half. Let the soup gently simmer for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. The soup should not boil but should simmer over low heat so that it thickens slowly.

Recipe and Picture via: melskitchencafe

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients
1 1/2 C butter
3 C Milk
3 T Chicken Stock
5 Chicken Breasts
16 oz Boiled Egg Noodles
1 1/2 Flour
12 C Chicken Broth
3 C Baby Carrots
3 C Celery
1/2 C Parsley
2 tsp. Thyme
3 C Mushrooms
2 C Onion

Preparation:
Melt butter in saucepan.  Blend in flour, add milk & broth.  Stir and cook until mixture boils and thickens.  Stir in chicken, noodles & bullion.

Chipotle Chicken Skewers with Creamy Cilantro Dipping Sauce

yum!  I loved these. The sauce is delish too.  I served with rice (I would recommend Cafe Rio lime rice) but the chicken and sauce would be really good in a taco too.

chicken skewer ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts ( about 5 medium breasts)
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, minced
• 1 chipotle chiles in adobo, minced
• 2 teaspoons adobo sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• nonstick cooking spray

dipping sauce ingredients

• 3/4 cup low-fat sour cream
• 1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup lime juice, from 2 to 3 limes
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, minced
• 2 scallions, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
  

  Directions

  1. FOR THE CHICKEN: Slice the chicken breasts across the grain into 1/2-inch-thick strips (you should have about 30 strips). In a large bowl, toss the chicken with the brown sugar, cilantro, chipotle, adobo sauce, salt, chili powder, garlic powder, and pepper. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the flavors meld, about 30 minutes. (The chicken, covered, can be refrigerated for up to 1 day before cooking.).
  2. FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE: In a bowl, stir all the ingredients together. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until the flavors meld, about 30 minutes. (The dipping sauce can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Season with additional lime juice, salt, and pepper to taste before serving.).
  3. Meanwhile, adjust an oven rack to the top position and heat the broiler. Line a broiler pan bottom with foil and top with a slotted broiler pan top; spray the broiler pan top with nonstick cooking spray. Weave each piece of chicken onto individual bamboo skewers; lay half of the skewers on the broiler pan top and cover the skewer ends with foil, making sure not to cover the chicken. Broil until the meat is lightly browned and cooked through, 5 to 8 minutes, flipping the skewers over halfway through. Transfer the skewers to a serving platter and serve immediately with half the dipping sauce. Repeat, broiling the remaining skewers and serving with the remaining dipping sauce.

Mini Pumpkin Pies

I have been trying a few recipes off of pinterest lately.  Some have been major fails, but some have been great, like this one:

I made these for Hannah's preschool Thanksgiving Party.  They needed bite sized samples of Thanksgiving food.  These are so cute and they are surprisingly easy and delicious too.

2 refrigerated ready-to roll pie crusts

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Use cookie cutter to cut 12 pumpkin shapes from each pie crust. You will need to roll the dough thinner than it comes out of the box.
Press dough shapes into a 24 cup mini muffin tray. (Make 12 at a time, alternating cups to make sure pie crusts don’t overlap each other.)
Apply egg whites from one egg to the top edges of each pie.
Mix cream cheese, sugar, canned pumpkin, remaining 2 eggs, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice together until thoroughly combined.
Spoon mixture into each pumpkin-shaped pie crust.
Bake for 12-15 minutes.
Remove pies to cool and repeat with second pie crust. Place the muffin tray in the freezer to cool it quickly for re-use.

Makes 24 pies. Keep refrigerated.

To decorate, melt chocolate in a heat-proof bowl in the microwave on medium. Heat in 30 second intervals, stirring in between until melted. Add a little vegetable oil to make the chocolate more fluid. Transfer to a re-sealable plastic bag and cut the corner off. Drizzle or draw faces on pies.

Note: The cutter I used was 3 3/4 inches wide, but if you don’t have one, don’t worry. Just use a round cutter around that size or slightly smaller to cut circle shapes out of the dough. Then make stems with the scraps. Press each stem over the edge and down the side of the dough before filling.

Pumpkin pie spice is a mixture of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice.

Enjoy!

Great Pumpkin Dessert

Serving Size:
12
Prep Time:
10 min
Cook Time:
55-60 min

Ingredients:

• 1 29 oz  can Pumpkin Puree
• 1/2 12 ounce can Evaporated milk
• 3 eggs
• 1 Cup White Sugar
• 4 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 1 Yellow Cake Mix
• 3/4 Cup Butter, chilled

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly grease 9x13 baking dish.
In large bowl combine pumpkin puree, milk, eggs, sugar, and spice.  Mix well and pour into 9x13 baking dish.
Sprinkle dry cake mix over the top of the pumpkin mix.  Slice butter in very thin slices and space evenly over the top of the cake mix.
Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean and top is golden brown.
Serve with whip cream.

Spinach and Black Bean Pasta

I got this recipe from my mother-in-law, Ruth.  She is a very healthy eater, and recommended this healthy recipe.

Serving Size:
8

Cook Time:
30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 (16 ounce) package whole wheat rotini pasta
• 1.5 cups chicken broth
• 2.5 cups chopped fresh spinach
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup frozen chopped broccoli
• 1 cup diced tomatoes
• 2 oz freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp. oregano

Preparation:

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.  Add rotini, and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, bring the vegetable broth to a boil.  Reduce heat, and mix in spinach, onion, garlic, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper.  Stir in the black beans and broccoli.  Continue to cook and stir 5-10 minutes.

Stir the tomatoes into the saucepan, and continue cooking 10 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender.

Serve over cooked pasta, and garnish with parmesan cheese.

Suggestions: try adding some oregano and upping the cayenne pepper for extra flavor.

One serving: 231 calories, 3 g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 42.4 g carbohydrates.

Image Via: AllRecipes.com