Yummy Dressings....

This first dressing is similar to Cafe Rio's dressing or the El Torito dressing. It is a little bit spicy but still so yummy. I can't take credit for it but still I think it is yummy enough to pass on....

Creamy Cilantro Dressing
In your blender or food processor add:
2 cloves garlic
1 cup chopped cilantro
3 tomatillos
then add:
1 C. mayo
1/3 C. buttermilk (or use 1/3 C. whole milk, plus 1 tsp vinegar and let sit for 5 min)
1/4 tsp red pepper (more if desired)
1 pkg dry Ranch Dressing mix
Blend and Chill

This next one reminds me a little of the Balsamic Vinegerette on the Waldorf Chicken Salad at CPK.....not exactly the same but yummy...

Balsalmic Dressin:g
Take one Italian Dressing packet...I used the cheapest one which was the von's store brand.
Instead of using Red wine vinegar use Blasalmic vinegar and I used olive oil. Follow the directions on the packet. Blend in the blender or food processor to get the creamy form of the dressing. You can also add a packet of sweet in low to make it a little more sweet.
This dressing is so yummy and then if you buy the mixed greens at costco you can create your own waldorf chicken salad. So yummy!!

Peach Pie

I grew up with a peach tree. My sisters and I found this recipe years ago so we could make our own yummy peach pies. It is really yummy. I use the Betty Crocker's Buttermilk Pastry for the pie crust. It is so flaky and easy to handle, for the pie crust challenged like myself.

10 fresh peaches, pitted and sliced
1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup white sugar

1/4 cup butter

1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 recipe for a 9 inch double crust pie, use your favorite (I used the Buttermilk Pastry found in Betty Crocker's Cookbook- The BIG RED Cookbook)

1. Mix flour, sugar, butter, and cinnamon into crumb stage.

2. Place one crust in the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate. Line the shell with a layer of sliced peaches. Sprinkle some of the crumb mixture on top of the peaches, then put more peaches on top of the crumb mixture. continue layering until both the peaches and the crumb mixture is gone.

3. Top with pie pastry (either a lattice top or covered with some slits cut out for air to escape).

4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes, or until crust is golden. Allow pie to cool before slicing. Best when eaten fresh.

Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps

1 1/2 lb. Chicken breast tenders, cut into small bite sized pieces (easier to chop when partially frozen

1/3 cup Mr. Yoshida's Original Gourmet Sauce (I buy it at Costco)

1/8 cup Soy Sauce

1/8 cup Water

2 Tbsp. Oil

1 Tbsp. flour

1- 8 oz. can sliced water chestnuts, drained & sliced into strips

1 cup chopped cashews

1 head of lettuce, seperate the leaves

1 package of Maifun Rice Sticks (found in Asain food aisle), fried according to package directions

1. Place chicken in a bowl with Mr. Yoshida's sauce, soy sauce and water. Mix together and let chicken marinade 15-30 minutes.

2. While chicken marinades cook rice sticks, slice water chestnuts, chop cashews, and prepare lettuce.

3. Put oil in a stir-fry pan and put over medium high heat. When oil is hot place the chicken in the oil with the marinde and cook about five minutes. Then add the flour to the chicken and stir.

4. Mix in water chestnuts and cashews and let it cook a minute or two more.

5. Place chicken on lettuce leaves and top with rice sticks. Serve with steamed white or brown rice.

Parmesan Chicken

I got this recipe from allrecipes.com and it is titled "My Mom's Parmesan Chicken".

It was super yummy. I pounded the chicken out a little before I cooked it but next time I would just like to flatten it out a little more. Super moist and super tasty.

INGREDIENTS:
1 (2 to 3 pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces (I used four boneless, skinless breasts)

1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used white cooking wine)


DIRECTIONS:
Measure salt and pepper, garlic powder, paprika, thyme, Parmesan cheese, parsley, and bread crumbs into a bag. Shake chicken pieces in bag until well coated.
Oil roasting pan lightly, and arrange chicken in pan. Sprinkle with melted butter or margarine.
Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes. Remove from oven, and pour wine over all. Cover, and bake an additional 15 minutes.

Must I Do Everything?

So, when we started this blog I thought that my sisters were totally on board with it, but maybe they weren't. Or, maybe they are just as busy this summer as I am. I have been having camera issues again and so I haven't been bloggin the last couple months but I think I am up and running again. I am kidding about the title...I just really wish my sisters would take some time to share some of their super yummy recipes.

Here is a yummy recipes for taquitos that I got years ago. The ingredients may seem a little strange but I promise that they are super yummy for how easy they are to make. My husband loves these! Whenever we have lots of avocados around he asks if I can make some guacamole and these taquitos to go with it.

Taquitos
corn tortillas
canned roast beef
vegetable oil

Heat up a stack of corn tortillas wrapped in a damp kitchen towel in the microwave until soft . Open the roast beef, drain, and break up (shred) into a bowl. With your warm tortilla in hand, place some roast beef on one end and then roll up (be sure not to overstuff--a little meat goes a long way). Secure with a toothpick. Repeat with remaining roast beef and tortillas. Get your vegetable oil heated up in a pan, I use enough to cook up one side of the taquito and then flip when it is nice and brown. Drain on paper towls. Sprinkle with salt if desired and serve with homemade guacamole.

I know that the canned beef ingredient may seem a little strange but these really do have a great flavor.

Homemade Barley Bread & Butter

So the other day Sam and Porter were talking about what it was like for the pioneers without electricity and it sparked this idea that Sam had to make flour from our Barley food storage and to make butter in a jar to go with it. Sam and Porter used a wheat grinder to make the barley into flour.

I then researched recipes that used barley flour and told Sam that most the recipes called for a mix of barley, wheat and white flours. He wanted to use all barley flour and it was very, very dense bread. I won't share the recipe because we won't be making it that way again but Sam said from now on he wants to have some of this barley flour on hand to use in place of parts of regular flour in recipes. I told him I would try it because barley is really supposed to be very good for you.

We did make the butter by shaking about a pint of Heavy Whipping Cream in a jar for a really long time, about twenty minutes. Sam got it to the point of really thick whipped cream and then we decided to do the rest in the mixer. We threw the contents of the jar in our Kitchenaid mixer, put the splash guard on and set it to high until it separated. Once it got to that stage I drained & reserved the liquid (which is buttermilk to use for another recipe) and rinsed the butter and kind of patted it dry. If you have cheesecloth you can put the contents in there and squeeze out the liquid but we didn't have any on hand. Anyway, I then added some salt, to taste and the end result was SUPER yummy, creamy butter that made the SUPER dense barley bread yummy. When we put it on the table Carter said "that looks like butter". I think he was a little confused that we had made it but he sure couldn't keep out of it.

Many of you may have already known how to make your own butter but this was a first for us that surely won't be a last!

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cake Mix Cookies

I am not a huge fan of most cake mix cookies but these, in my opinion, are really yummy!

I got the recipe from my friend Joanna who makes some really good cookies and these are no exception.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cake Mix Cookies

2 eggs

1/3 c. butter

1/2 c. peanut butter

1 yellow or white cake mix

1 c. chocolate chips

Mix ingredients together and drop by rounded teaspoons onto cookie sheet.

Bake @350 for 8-12 minutes.

Carter is definately a huge fan!!!

(you think his face looks chocolatey--you should've seen his clothes)