Chinese Chicken Salad

So my big sister gave me this recipe and it's a copy cat from Paradise Bakery. We had it for dinner last night and it was so good. Usually this time of year all I want to make are soups and chilis so it was refreshing to have something light and cool.

1 head of Napa Cabbage - shredded

carrots

celery

edamame

green onions

grilled chicken

dressing:

soy sauce

red wine vinegar

oil

For those who need exact measurements like I do let me know and I can tell you what I did. Very tasty would make a great lunch too!

And for some reason I couldn't take a clear picture. Sorry.

Broccoli / Cauliflower Salad - LOW CARB!!

This is Sarah's recipe but since I tried it at her house last summer I've made it a ton of times. For all you low-carb dieters (is that a word?) this is a great, filling salad. I never quite do the same quantities, I pretty much just toss it all in a bowl.

Broccoli 2 to 3 heads chopped into bite size pieces

Cauliflower 1 head chopped into bite size pieces

3 or so tomatoes seeded and diced

1 bunch green onion chopped

Large handful of crumbled bacon

dressing:

1 cup mayo

2 tablespoons vinegar. I've used apple cider and red wine vinegar so use what you have.

1/4 cup sugar/splenda

Blend together and pour over salad mixing it all together. ENJOY.

Pumpkin Soup

This recipe is from Kraftfoods.com. I made some slight changes, but basically it's the same.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1- 29 oz. can of pumpkin
1- 14 oz. can of chicken broth
2 cups water
1 tsp. curry powder
dash of red pepper flakes
4 oz. cream cheese, cubed
sour cream to garnish

Directions:

Heat olive oil in pot over medium-low heat. Add onion and salt and cook for 8 minutes. Add brown sugar and cook 2 more minutes. Add pumpkin, chicken broth, water, curry, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, and add the cream cheese. Stir with whisk until smooth and creamy. I made this before church because I didn't have time after, so I put it in the crock pot on low while we were gone, and it was fine. We put a dollop of sour cream on the soup, and I think it needed some extra salt and pepper also.

Sorry, no picture this time, but I'm sure you can imagine what pumpkin soup looks like.

Kettle Corn

My parents invited the kids and I to go to the "Soldier Hollow Classic" with them on Labor Day. It's a "dog show," as my kids call it, that has the splash dogs, sheep hearding, and duck hearding events. Andy, Christy, Wynn, and Gracie came too. They also got to see and pet a camel, sheep, some kind of mule, and ride ponies. They had a great time! Anyway, as I stepped out of the car the first thing I smelled was kettle corn. Mmmmm! I tried to talk myself out of it, but to no avail. I bought the largest bag. (Thankfully, I had a lot of help eating it.) It was warm, sweet, salty, & yummy! Brook said, "Mom, do you have a recipe for kettle corn?" To which I replied, "No I don't." Then Brook said, "You really need to get one and make us some of this stuff. It's DELICIOUS!" Well, Fax and Jake are on their Father and Sons camp out, so I figured the girls and I could experiment. I think I tasted pretty good. I think next time I'll add a little more salt, but not really necessary. Cut me some slack on the picture. My kitchen is a wreck, so I took the picture against the wall.

Kettle Corn

Ingredients:

1/3 - 1/2 cup sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)
1 tsp. salt (more or less to taste)
2-3 Tbsp. water (depending on how much sugar you used)
1/2 cup unpopped popcorn
1/4 cup oil

Directions:

In a large pot (6-8 quart), combine sugar, salt, and water. Heat over medium heat until sugar boils (stirring constantly). Then add popcorn kernels and oil. Make sure to keep the pan moving constantly. You will want to put on some type of lid. I think that tin foil with a few holes punched in it works best. It lets the steam out, but also keeps you from getting spattered with blazing hot sugar. Anyway, keep moving the pan until the popcorn starts popping. Once the popping slows, remove the pan from the heat and rinse the outside of the pan with cool water. Then dump the popcorn into a large bowl.

And now, with that recipe, enjoy this picture of Andy at the "Soldier Hollow Classic." It's classic!

Quiche

I know this sounds like something kids would never eat, but mine LOVE it!! Summer was cheering the last time I made it. If you buy the frozen crusts it is one of the easiest dinners EVER!! (You can buy two in the freezer section for about $2.00. Less if you buy the Walmart brand.) You, of course, can make your own crust. (If you'd like a good recipe for one, see my apple pie recipe.) I have to say, that the only thing I'll make a homemade crust for is real pie. Like blackberry or pumpkin. Anyway, here's the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:
1- 9 inch deep-dish pie crust (unbaked)
5 eggs, beaten
1 cup half & half (you can use milk, but also add 2 TBSP. flour)
2 cups shredded cheese

Options:
frozen spinach, thawed and drained well (about 3 squeezed handfuls)
~OR~
cooked and crumbled bacon (I use the pre-cooked, crumbled bacon pieces from Costco)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375 F. Combine beaten eggs, milk, cheese and either spinach or bacon and mix well. Pour into pie crust and bake for 45-60 minutes or until center is mostly not jiggly. (I usually cover this with aluminum foil about half way through so the crust doesn't burn.) I also usually make 2 quiches. One with spinach and one with bacon. Can you guess which one gets eaten first? WRONG!!! The spinach one. I know, I have a hard time believing it too. And that's even with Fax eating with us!
I usually serve this with muffins since this meal is kind of all-inclusive.

Whole Wheat Pancakes

This recipe is so easy that it may-as-well be from a package. But I think the pancakes are much tastier, and they're probably better for you also. You can make these with all white flour, but I'm trying to find ways to add whole grains, and my kids have never complained about these pancakes. Fax will eat them also. So here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
2 Tbsp. oil

Directions:
Mix dry ingredients in small bowl and set aside. In larger bowl beat egg (a bowl with a pour spout is very helpful), then mix in milk and oil. Add dry ingredients to wet and stir to combine. (Don't over mix or your pancakes will be rubbery. A few small lumps are no big deal.) Heat griddle to 350 F. Spray with cooking spray and pour on the batter. Turn when edges are dry enough to get the spatula under them. Enjoy!

*I usually double this recipe and then we have pancakes for the next day too. I have also frozen the pancakes by separating each with a small square of parchment paper and putting them all in a gallon Ziploc bag. At our house these only last a day or two, so the refrigerator is fine.
I have never tried this recipe with all whole wheat flour. I think you'd have to add more baking powder. But if you do, let me know how it turns out!

OPTIONS:
We also like to add things to our pancakes occasionally. After pouring the batter on the skillet, you can sprinkle in chocolate chips, blueberries, etc. You can also stir a mashed banana into your batter before cooking. My son, Jake, likes to use the pancakes to make a breakfast sandwich with sausage, cheese, and a fried egg. It's our homemade version of a McGriddle. He even dips it in syrup!

Blackberry Pie Bars

I found this recipe on the "Joy the Baker" blog. It is fabulous. I was looking for blackberry pie recipes because we have A LOT of blackberries right now. Her recipe says to make them in a 13x9 pan. I did that, but it just wasn't quite right. So I kept the crust the same, and did a 1-1/2 for the filling so that I could bake it in a sheet pan. SUCCESS!!! So here is the recipe for baking them in a sheet pan. The problem is that you may not have 8 cups of blackberries, or really not want an entire sheet pan full of delicious blackberry bars calling your name and trying to convince you that even though they are full of butter and sugar, because they have blackberries, they're healthy. Anyway, half this recipe for a 13x9 pan, or quarter this recipe for a 9x9 square pan. A 9x9 pan will make about 9 squares. Which is plenty for even a large family.

Crust and Topping:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups butter (3 sticks) I used salted. If you use unsalted, add 1/4 tsp. salt
1-1/2 cups sugar
zest of 2 lemons

Blackberry Filling:

6 eggs
3 cups sugar
1-1/2 cups sour cream
1-1/4 cups flour
pinch of salt
juice from 2 lemons
8 cups of blackberries (if you use frozen, thaw and drain them)

Optional: Fresh whipped cream to top it. These are delicious with, or without. You can also substitute blueberries for blackberries. If you do this, you will only need 6 cups of blueberries. And don't add them to the batter. Spread them out around the crust, and then pour the batter over them.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray sheet pan with cooking spray. In small bowl, combine sugar and lemon zest. In larger bowl, combine flour and butter. (The butter should be cold, and cut into small pieces.) I tried using a hand mixer, but it didn't work very well. That's when I just got my hands in there and mixed it. When the butter is pea-sized, mix in the sugar and lemon zest. Reserve 1-1/2 cups for topping and press remainder onto bottom of sheet pan. Bake for 10 minutes and start making filling.

For filling, begin by beating eggs with a whisk. Add sugar and sour cream and mix well. Then add flour and salt and mix well. Don't beat. Stir in juice from lemons. Gently stir in blackberries. Pour onto crust once it has finished baking. You will probably need to spread out the blackberries so that they are more evenly spaced. Then sprinkle the top with the reserved crust. Return to oven and bake for 45 minutes. Allow to cool for about an hour. Refrigerate left-overs.