Steph's Recipe Book

Pine Nut Caramel Shortbread

2011-06-20T12:15:00.001-07:00

Ingredients
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

FILLING:
3/4 cup butter, cubed
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups pine nuts
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Coarse salt, optional

Directions
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Pat onto the bottom of a greased 15-in.x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Prick dough thoroughly with a fork.
Bake at 375° for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Reduce temperature to 325°.
In a large saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, honey, sugar, cream and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until a candy thermometer reads 234° (soft-ball stage). Remove from the heat; stir in pine nuts and vanilla. Spread evenly over crust.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly. Place pan on a wire rack.
Sprinkle the top with coarse salt if desired. Cool completely. Cut into bars. Store in an airtight container. Yield: 4 dozen.

Easy Braised Brisket

2011-05-16T08:17:00.002-07:00

YIELD: 8 servings
TOTAL: 4 HOURS

Ingredients
1 (2 1/2-pound) beef brisket*, trimmed
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/3 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
*I couldn't find beef brisket, so I used a sirloin tip roast instead

Sprinkle brisket evenly with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add brisket to pan; cook 10 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove brisket from pan. Add onion and oregano to pan; sauté 3 minutes. Return brisket to pan; add 1/2 cup water. Cover; reduce heat, and simmer 2 hours. Add olives and tomatoes; cover and cook 1 hour. Remove brisket from pan. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut brisket against grain into thin slices; return brisket slices to pan. Cover and cook over medium-low heat 30 minutes.

Homemade Twix Bars

2010-05-06T19:28:00.003-07:00

These are so darn delicious and super easy!

Makes a 9X13 pan, or double for a cookie sheet

Mix in a sauce pan:

1 c. graham crackers (crushed)

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/3 c. white sugar

1/3 c. milk

1/2 c. butter

Bring to a boil for 5 minutes

Layer bottom of pan in club crackers. Pour the Carmel mixture over the top. Put on another layer of club crackers and then chill for 30 minutes

Melt in microwave: 2/3 c. peanut butter and 1 c. milk chocolate chips

Spread on top and then chill until frosting is firm.

Yum.

Angel Chicken

2010-04-28T12:57:00.002-07:00

3-4 chicken breasts
1/4 c butter
1 pkg Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix
1 can golden mushroom soup
1 c white grape juice
4- 8 oz cream cheese with chives

Place uncooked chicken breasts in crock pot. In saucepan, melt butter. Add seasoning mix and blend, followed by soup, juice and cream cheese. Pour over chicken. Cover and cook on LOW about 3 hours. Shred chicken and mix thoroughly. Serve over noodles or rice.

Note: I used 1 lb chicken tenders instead of chicken breasts (because that's what I had on hand), and then halved the rest of the recipe. Delicious!

Baked Potato Soup

2010-04-12T15:45:00.002-07:00

This recipe is one that a friend created, so there isn't exact measurements, cause she just showed me how to make it.

Fry chopped bacon (or just buy pre-cooked bacon from the Costcos like me :))

Saute onions, carrots and celery in about a tablespoon of butter until carrots are oh so tender.

Add chicken or vegetable broth (2-3 cans) and chopped potatoes.

Cook until potatoes are tender and add most of a quart of half and half. Use the remaining half and half to make a thickener with some flour or cornstarch. Add that to the soup to thicken her right on up. Add the bacon here.

I put shredded cheese and sour cream on top but you can put anything that tastes good on baked potatoes in it!

Meatloaf with ricotta

2010-02-17T14:30:00.002-07:00

I came across this recipe on The Early Show - I love their recipes - and made it for dinner the other night. There were 8 adults and 5 children eating; there was a small piece left over for me to enjoy yesterday for lunch. It goes a long way and is delicious!

MEATLOAF WITH RICOTTA -- Polpettone di Manzo con Ricotta
Serves 8 or more

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup milk
3 cups day-old bread cubes, from a loaf of country bread
3 pounds ground beef
3 large eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt
1 pound drained fresh ricotta (about 2 cups), plus more for the sauce if you like
1 bunch scallions, chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into 3.4 inch cubes (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 to 5 cups Tomato Sauce

Recommended equipment: A sturdy roasting pan, 10 by 17 inches or larger

METHOD:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Pour the milk over the bread cubes in a bowl, and let soak for a few minutes, until the bread is saturated.

Squeeze the soft bread a handful at a time, pressing out as much milk as you can (discard milk, or give it to a pet), then tear bread into small shreds and toss back into the bowl. Crumble the ground beef into the bowl, and add the eggs, ricotta, scallions, grated cheese, parsley, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Fold and toss everything together, and squeeze the mixture a few times between your fingers to distribute all the ingredients evenly. Scatter the mozzarella cubes on top, and fold and mush them throughout the loaf mix.

Brush the roasting pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Gather the meat mixture in the bowl, turn it into the pan, and shape it into a fat oval loaf. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Cover the pan with foil tent it so it doesn't touch the meat -- and bake 45 minutes. Remove the foil, and continue to bake until the meatloaf is browned all over and completely cooked through, another 1 hour and 30 minutes or so. (If you check the loaf with a meat thermometer, it should reach a temperature of 160o.) Remove the roast from the oven, and let it rest for about 10 minutes.

Heat the tomato sauce to a simmer in a saucepan as the meat rests. Turn off the heat, and, if you like, stir 1/2 cup or so fresh ricotta into the sauce. Cut the loaf crosswise in the pan or on a cutting board, in slices as thick as you like. Serve topped with a spoonful or two of sauce, and pass more sauce at the table (or, for family-style serving, arrange the slices on a warm platter, topped with some of the sauce).

Note: If you love fresh ricotta, as I do, you can stir some into the tomato sauce, too, just before serving the meatloaf.

Ham and noodle crockpot casserole

2010-02-17T14:26:00.004-07:00

I know, I know. "Casserole" makes you not want to make it, right? I made this for our monthly family potluck last week and it was a hit. So I was asked to post the recipe here. Just try it; you won't be sorry you did :) (For the potluck I doubled this recipe.)

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked noodles
vegetable oil
1 cup cooked cubed ham
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can (12 to 16 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained
1 tablespoon chopped pimiento
3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
dash ground black pepper, or to taste

Preparation:
Cook noodles according to package directions until barely tender, about 5 to 6 minutes. Drain and toss the cooked noodles with 2 to 3 teaspoons of vegetable oil, just enough to coat. Add noodles, ham, cream of chicken soup, corn, pimiento, cheese, ground pepper, and green bell pepper to a greased crockpot; stir gently to mix. Cover and cook on LOW setting 6 to 7 hours. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serves 3 to 4.

Sizzling Sesame Beef

2010-02-17T14:19:00.002-07:00

(You're supposed to serve it with rice, but I didn't think of this until we were about to eat, so we had it with rice noodles instead. I would have preferred the rice, but it was still delicious.)

Ingredients
1 pound beef sirloin or rib-eye steak, cut 1-inch thick
1 cup short-grain or jasmine rice
2 green onions, white portions cut into 2-inch chunks, green portions thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
4 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
1/4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1 pounds broccoli florets

Directions
1.Place steak in freezer. Prepare rice as label directs. Meanwhile, in large bowl, combine 1 tablespoon sliced green onions, 1 teaspoon garlic, 2 teaspoons oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; set aside.
2.Cut cold steak across grain into very thin slices; in shallow bowl, toss with sugar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, green-onion chunks, and remaining garlic.
3.In 12-inch skillet, heat 1 inch water to boiling on high. Add broccoli; cook 3 minutes or until just tender. Drain well; place in same bowl as onion-garlic mixture. Toss well. Heat remaining oil in same skillet on high until hot. Add beef in single layer; cook 1 minute. Stir in remaining sliced green onions and salt and pepper (to taste); cook 1 minute longer. Stir in remaining soy sauce. Serve with rice and broccoli.

Pumpkin Bars

2009-12-02T16:25:00.002-07:00

2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cloves
4 beaten eggs (I don't beat them early. I just mix it with everything else)
2 cups pumpkin
1 cup oil

Mix. Pour into a sprayed cookie sheet. Bake 350 for 30 min.

2009-12-02T16:01:00.003-07:00

Winter Squash Soup
Serves 8

Soup
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
3 14 1/2-ounce cans low-salt chicken broth
4 cups 1-inch pieces peeled butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
4 cups 1-inch pieces peeled acorn squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 1/4 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1 1/4 teaspoons minced fresh sage
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 cup whipping cream

Melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Add broth, all squash and herbs; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until squash is very tender, about 20 minutes.

Working in batches, puree soup in blender. Return soup to same pot. Stir in cream and sugar; bring to simmer. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill. Rewarm over medium heat before serving.)

* When I made this, I didn't notice the second calling for acorn squash! oopsy! I only did 4 cups of butternut squash! The end calls for sugar to be stirred in, but there was no mention of sugar in the recipe, so I added 1/4 cup of brown sugar. It was super tasty soup, even with my mistakes! :)

Mustard-Roasted Potatoes
Makes 10 servings

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1/2 cup whole grain Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick or 1/2 ounce) butter, melted
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
3 pounds 1- to 1 1/2-inch-diameter mixed unpeeled red-skinned and white-skinned potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch-wide wedges

Position 1 rack in top third of oven and 1 rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 425°F. Spray 2 large rimmed baking sheets with nonstick spray. Whisk mustard, olive oil, butter, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, lemon peel, and salt in large bowl to blend. Add potatoes; sprinkle generously with freshly ground black pepper and toss to coat. Divide potatoes between prepared baking sheets, leaving any excess mustard mixture behind in bowl. Spread potatoes in single layer. Roast potatoes 20 minutes. Reverse baking sheets and roast until potatoes are crusty outside and tender inside, turning occasionally, about 25 minutes longer.

Transfer potatoes to serving bowl.

Do ahead: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand on baking sheets at room temperature. Rewarm potatoes in 425°F oven 10 minutes.

*Disclaimer: Unlike Steph's beautifully photographed foodies, I did not take these pictures, I stole them from the interweb where I got the recipes. Just keeping it real with full disclosure.

Artichoke Dipidity Do Dah

2009-12-02T14:56:00.002-07:00

4 Jars marinated Artichoke Hearts (drained and chopped)
*I buy the big bottle at Costco and use 1/2 to 2/3 of it.
1 cup Mayo
1 cup Grated Parmesan
1 cup chilies
1 clove garlic

Combine ingredients and bake 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes

Chicken and pasta in peanut sauce

2009-11-25T12:06:00.002-07:00

INGREDIENTS
8 oz. thin spaghetti
1 bunch broccolini, cut in 2-inch lengths
1 medium red sweet pepper, cut in bite-size strips
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Salt and ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup bottled peanut sauce
Crushed red pepper (optional, for serving)

DIRECTIONS
1.In Dutch oven cook pasta according to package directions, adding broccolini and sweet pepper during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain. Return to Dutch oven and set aside.
2.Meanwhile, halve chicken breasts horizontally. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. In extra large skillet cook chicken in hot oil over medium-high heat for 2 minutes each side, or until no longer pink (170 degrees F).
3.Transfer to a cutting board. Slice chicken; add to pasta and vegetables.
4.Heat through. Add peanut sauce. Pass crushed red pepper.

Notes: I just cooked the spaghetti in a regular sauce pan, and that worked fine. This last time I made this, I used a rotiserrie chicken instead of chicken breast, which I just put in with the peanut sauce. It's delicious both ways.

Overnight French Toast

2009-11-20T15:35:00.003-07:00

Yield: 8 main-dish servings (I halved it)
6 large eggs
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper
¼ cup snipped chives, plus additional for garnish
1 loaf (9 ounces) French bread (preferably day-old), cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
6 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (I couldn't find this cheese, so I used Swiss instead; it was delicious!)

1.Grease shallow 1 ½-quart ceramic baking dish. In medium bowl, whisk eggs, milk, Dijon, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper until well blended. Stir in chives.
2.Arrange half of bread in bottom of prepared baking dish, overlapping slices to fit. Pour half of egg mixture over bread and sprinkle with two-thirds of Gruyère. Cover with remaining bread, overlapping slices. Pour remaining egg mixture over bread; gently press down to help bread absorb egg mixture. Sprinkle with remaining one-third of Gruyère. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
3.Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until puffed and golden and tip of knife inserted in center comes out clean, covering top during last 15 minutes if browning too quickly. Let stand 10 minutes to set custard before serving. Sprinkle with snipped chives.

Bread

2009-11-19T15:38:00.000-07:00

O.k. some people have been asking for my bread recipe. Well I am too lazy to re-write it. So here is the link. It is so good! Yummy. I make it all the time. Enjoy!!!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

2009-11-19T15:32:00.002-07:00

SO SO SO Good!!! I make these and my kids and hubby eat them fast. It actually makes quite a few of them and they freeze really well!

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 (16oz.) can pumpkin
1 1/2 cups oil
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 package chocolate chips

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin, and oil until smooth. Add in dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin pans 3/4 full. Bake 16-20 minutes at 400 degrees. Makes 24-30 muffins.

Apple Berry Salsa

2009-11-13T13:29:00.002-07:00

I'm sorry I don't have a beautiful picture to go along with this recipe, but maybe you can just picture it in your head :) It's a fun one that tastes really good!

2 granny apples, peeled
1 cup strawberries
1 kiwi
1 small orange--just the juice
1 Tb brown sugar
2 Tb apple jelly
flour tortillas
cinnamon sugar

Chop fruit and mix together. Serve with flour tortillas: sprinkle drops of water on flour tortillas and then sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over them. Cut into triangle shapes (like tortilla chips). Bake in the oven at 475 degrees for 5-7 minutes or until brown. Dip in salsa!

I'm excited to try the lentil soup recipe! I'm looking for lots of good soup recipes because they're good for you and I love soup. I'm also looking for recipes using more roast beef or pork instead of hamburger. If anyone has anything along those lines, I'd love to try them :)

Easy Guacamole

2009-10-30T16:29:00.003-07:00

I love guacamole; it's one of my favorite things. I have tried many kinds, and I love most of them. There's one recipe in particular that I usually make, but tonight I had some avacados that needed to be used, and didn't have most of the rest of the ingredients for my usual recipe. I found this one online, and it was so fast and easy, and I had everything on hand. It was so good; I think it's my new favorite.

Mix together the following ingredients:
•Avocados (number according to the size of the crowd)
•About 1/4 t salt per avocado
•About 2 T salsa per avocado
•About 3/4 t garlic powder per avocado
•About 1/2 t lemon or lime juice per avocado
•Optional: Chopped cilantro, chopped onion

(I didn't add onion or cilantro. I used lemon juice and followed this recipe exactly, using two avacados. Delicious!)

Mary Jane's Lentil Soup

2009-10-26T17:04:00.006-07:00

I ended up with some lentils and wasn't sure what to do with them. Todd mentioned that he loved Lentil Soup (something I'd never had), so I found this easy recipe and tried it tonight. We both really liked it; perfect for a cold night.

Here's the recipe:

1 cup dry lentils
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped carrots
3 Tbs. fresh parsley chopped (or 1 Tbs. dried)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp. salt
pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
2 cups chopped tomatoes with juices (fresh or canned)

Rinse lentils; drain and place in soup kettle. Add 4 cups of water. Simmer covered until tender but not mushy (about 30-45 minutes). Meanwhile, saute all vegetables (except tomatoes) and herbs in 1-2 TBS. olive oil until tender (appx. 20 minutes). Add sauted vegetables and tomatoes to the undrained lentils. Simmer covered about 30 minutes longer. Season to taste.

Welcome!

2009-10-13T14:39:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Steph's Recipe Book! I hope you'll all post your most delicious recipes to share! Happy cooking!