TIA GFY Recipe blog

I got this recipe from www.allrecipes.com and it’s one of my favorites!

Ingredients:

1 (16oz) package penne pasta  (I use wheat)

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 skinless, bonless chicken breasts - cut into thin strips

2 cloves garlic, minced (I love garlic and usually use TONS more)

1-1/4 cups heavy cream

1/4 cup pesto

3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1.  Cook the pasta

2.  Heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Saute the chicken and garlic until the chicken is almost cooked.

3.  Reduce the heat and stir in salt, pepper, cream, pesto and parmesan cheese.  Cook until the chicken is no longer pink inside.

3.  Stir in cooked pasta and serve.

I usually substitute half of the heavy cream for seasoned chicken broth and thicken the sauce with cornstarch.

An apple and dried apricot pie is a great winter pie!

• 1.5 cups diced dried apricots
• 2 cups apple or apricot juice (apricot will make it more apricoty, apple - appley)
• 2 or 3 slices of lemon
• 5 cups peeled, cored and sliced tart apple (Granny Smith)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 Tablespoons flour
• 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1.5 cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces

I used a basic butter crust, but the original recipe actually called for a cream cheese pastry. Make sure the oven rack is in the center. Preheat to 400 degrees.

Poach apricots in juice with lemon (remember to use nonreactive saucepan). Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cover. 20 minutes. Remove from heat and drain the apricots, reserving the liquid. Return the liquid to saucepan. Remove lemon from apricots and discard the lemon.

In large bowl combine apples, sugar, flour, lemon juice and cinnamon - toss well. Stir in apricots. Let stand for 15 minutes.

While fruit sits, reduce apricot juice liquid. Bring to boil until down to 1/4 to 1/3 cup. Pour over apple mixture and toss. Pour into chilled pie shell. Dot with butter (I forgot to do this, so it’s not absolutely critical). Put top crust on.

Place pie on center rack and bake for 25 minutes. I usually use a pie edge guard to prevent premature browning on the edges. You can also wrap aluminum foil around it. After 25 minutes, reduce temp to 375, remove guard and rotate the pie 180 to promote even browning. Bake 25 more minutes, and don’t forget the drip pan underneath.

Cool on wire rack for at least one hour before serving. If you cut into it immediately, the juices will be too runny and you’ll lose inner goodness. WAIT!

1 can beer at room temperature

2 eggs

3 cups self-rising flour

4 tablespoons sugar

Mix all the ingredients together.  Grease a bread pan and pour bread mix into the pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 1-hour or until a toothpick put in the  middle comes out clean.

This is a modified Rachel Ray recipe that DH makes for me.  So yummy, and healthy too!

Salt
1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
1 tablespoon grill seasoning (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick)
1 teaspoon, 1/3 palm full, fennel seeds
1/4 cup tender sun-dried tomatoes (available in pouches or tubs in produce section)
1 cup, 20 leaves fresh basil, divided
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus some to drizzle
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, eyeball it in your palm
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
Pepper
Whole wheat pasta (any kind)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place chicken in a medium bowl with grill seasoning and fennel seeds. Pile sun-dried tomatoes on top of each other in small stacks then slice into thin strips. Coarsely chop the thin strips and add to bowl. Stack the basil leaves together then roll them up into a log. Shred the basil by thinly slicing the log. Add the half the basil to the bowl. Drizzle extra-virgin olive oil over the bowl. Mix chicken together, roll into mini balls, 1 1/2 inches across, and arrange on a nonstick cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees F for 10 to12 minutes or until firm and lightly golden.Heat a large skillet over medium heat. To the hot skillet, add extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan then the garlic, onions and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook until tender, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce and season sauce with salt and pepper. Drop the pasta in boiling water and cook according to package directions.Stir basil into sauce to wilt it. Drain pasta. Remove balls from oven and add to pasta, equally distributing them.  Then top with sauce and gently toss to combine.

1 box chocolate cake mix
1/2 c carmel (you can the stuff made for on top of ice cream or my favorite is the tastefully simple stuff)
1/2 can of sweetened condensed milk
1 bag of chopped heath
1 container of cool whip

Make the cake mix as directed by the box. Bake, let cool completely and poke holes in the top of the cake. (I use a kabob stick or a butter knife, this isn’t exact science). Heat the carmel and the sweetened condensed milk together on the stove until they are mixed well. Pour over cake slowly so it soaks into the holes. Let cool for about 3 minutes, then sprinkle the heath over the carmel mixture. Save some Heath to garnish the top with. Once that has cooled completely, spread the cool whip over the top. I normally garnish the top with heath, and zig zag lines of carmel and chocolate.

Sauce:
1 can tomato puree (28 oz) + 1 can of water
1 can tomato paste (12 oz) + 1 can of water
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
2-4 pork short ribs or 3 pieces of chicken or a package of italian sausage/brats
2 green peppers, cut into halves or quarters (easier to remove from sauce at the end), seeds removed
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
Basil, oregano and crushed red pepper to taste
 
Stir above ingredients together and put on medium-high heat. Let it come to a little bubble while making meat balls. Watch to make sure it doesn’t scorch.
 
Meat balls:
1 lb ground chuck
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup romano or parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 tsp salt
pepper (to taste)
1/2 cup parsley
1/4 cup milk
 
Mix above ingredients together in a bowl with hands until very well-mixed. Form into balls and drop into sauce. After all meat balls are in the sauce, turn heart to low and let it cook (just a few small bubbles) for 2-3 hours. You’ll need to stir it every 15 minutes or so.
 
Tips: We use the italian sausage or brats and the day I make sauce we just have brats with good buns from the bakery or something. It’s really good. Another option is to either double or increase by 50% the meat ball recipe and make meat ball subs. You’ll want the meat balls to be fairly good sized.
You’ll need a really big sauce pan for this (the biggest size there is). And have some tupperware ready to freeze sauce when you’re done, for there should be plenty left over.

3 ounces cream cheese
1 cup flour
1/2 cup butter
jelly or jam (any flavor)
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar

Cream butter and cream cheese then mix in flour.  form into a ball and refridgerate for one hour.  Roll out the dough and cut into circles.  Put a small dot of jelly in center.  Use water to seal edge of dough before you fold in half.   Fold and crimp the edges with a fork.

Bake for 12 minutes at 375…roll in sugar/cinnamon mixture when they come out of the oven.

1 Package Small Flour Tortillas

Cinnamon

Sugar1 Pink Lady Apples (if you can’t find them, a gala apple will work fine)2 Kiwi Fruit7-8 Large Strawberries

Chop all the fruit into small pieces and mix. Allow to sit for a while before serving so the juices come out of the fruits and mix.  Cut the tortillas into wedge shapes, lay flat in a single layer on a cookie sheet, spray with Pam and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 250 for 20-25 minutes or until crispy.

A family favorite from an old Central Wisconsin restaurant.

For the meatballs:                                          For the sauce:
3 lb ground beef                                              2 bottles chili sauce
2 cloves garlic                                                  3 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4-1/2 cup chopped onion                           1/8 cup vinegar
3 eggs
Salt and pepper
1 cup bread crumbs

-Combine all ingredients for the meatballs and form into small balls.  Broil them for approx. 5 minutes per side
-Meanwhile combine all ingredients for the sauce and simmer on the stove for 10 minutes
-Put meatballs into a crock-pot and pour the sauce over them.  Continue to heat them 1 hour on a medium setting before serving

You can make your own meatballs or use a bag of frozen meatballs

2 cans diced tomatoes

1/4 cup water

1/3 bag brown sugar

2 T lemon juice

Bring ingredients to a full boil, then simmer for 1 hour.

Add 1/2 bottle Heinz Chili Sauce.

Heat for 5-10 more minutes.

Add cooked meatballs.

Simmer 10 minutes.

Serve over rice, noodles or put out with picks as an appetizer!