Wednesday, December 16, 2009

SALTINE CRACKER TOFFEE BARS

I know, I know, it sounds gross. Trust me, it's SOOOOOOOO not.

Toffee Treats

1/4 of a box of saltine crackers
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter or margarine
1 large bag of chocolate chips
chopped walnuts - optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover a large cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Grease with butter. Cover with one layer of saltine crackers laid side to side like bricks. Bring 1 cup sugar and 1 cup butter to a boil and continue to boil for 2 1/2 minutes. Pour over crackers and spread fast. Bake 5 to 7 minutes. Spread a large bag of chocolate chips over, like icing. Top with chopped walnuts if desired.

You can't believe how good these are.

Enjoy! Tiedye


Sunday, December 13, 2009

IHOP's GRIDDLE CAKES

Many years ago my mother in law told me about these. Ronny and I are not big on going out for breakfast but on this particular morning, we all had accommodated a family member's birthday request and met at the IHOP. I had no clue what to order. Boy was I glad I listened to my Mama.
NOWWWWWW, they have discontinued these delightfully unique pancakes, and I guess it's to the advantage of my hips, but I mourn them. Now that I found the recipe, I'm making them at home. Yay me. Yay my family- wow they're good.

Now this recipe makes a TON of pancakes. BUT. They freeze beeeeeautifully! Makes school mornings a snap.

3 1/2 cups plain nonfat yogurt
1/4 cup honey
28 ounces of pancake mix
18 ounces of Cream of Wheat
2 t baking powder
5 1/2 cups nonfat milk
8 eggs, beaten
1 cup vegetable oil

Mix yogurt and honey until smooth, cover and set aside in a the refrigerator.
In a large bowl, combine the pancake mix, Cream of Wheat, and baking powder; set aside.
In separate large bowl, combine milk, eggs, and oil, stir into dry ingredients and mix until batter is smooth.
Ladle 1/4 cup portions of batter onto medium hot lightly greased griddle. Cook until pancake tops begin to bubble (you guys know how to cook pancakes at this point.....) ^_^

Serve each plate with 1/4 cup of yogurt and honey mixture.

Enjoy! Tiedye

THE SOUP NAZI'S CRAB BISQUE

Again, ingredients you just wouldn't expect. That's why these recipes are so phenomenal. There seem to be a lot of ingredients, but don't get intimidated. Most of them are just pinches of spices. It really is quick and easy. I used canned crab meat- that sped up the process immensely. I used onion powder and celery seeds instead of making my own broth, and I put it all in a slow cooker instead of cooking it for FOUR hours. After the potatoes (in bold) you dump everything else in AT ONCE. It still was the best crab bisque I've ever had. WAAAAAY better even than Aspen's Lobster Bisque. THAT's sayin' a LOT.

4 pounds snow crab clusters (legs)
2 quarts water
2 quarts chicken broth
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/2 ribs celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, quartered
2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 t dry mustard
1 T chopped canned pimiento
one 16oz can refried beans
1/2 t pepper
2 bay leaves
1/3 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup heavy cream
4 T butter
1/4 t dried thyme
1/8 t dried basil
2 T Old Bay seasoning

Remove all crabmeat from shells and set aside.
Discard 1/2 of shells and put remainder into large pot with water and chicken broth over high heat. Add onion, 2/3 of chopped celery, and the garlic, then bring the mixture to a boil. Continue to boil for 1 hr, stirring occasionally, then strain the broth. Discard the shells, onion, celery, and garlic, keeping only broth.

Measure 3 qts of broth into lg saucepan or pot. Add water if there's not enough broth to measure 3 qts.

Add potatoes and bring mixture to boil, then add one half of crabmeat and all remaining ingredients, including remainder of chopped celery, to saucepan and bring mixture back to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 4 hours or until soup reduces by about half and starts to thicken. Add remaining crabmeat and simmer for another hour or until soup is very thick.

Refrigerate overnight. It's better the next day. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Serves 4 to 6.

REFRIED BEANS......WHO'DA THUNK IT?????

Enjoy! Tiedye

OLIVE GARDEN'S SALAD DRESSING

It's our favorite Italian dressing by far. Surpringly, there are a couple of ingredients that make it different from other Italian dressings. Guess that's why we like it so much?

Considering how expensive it is to buy this stuff at the Olive Garden, it's worth making a batch instead.

1/2 white vinegar
1 t lemon juice
2 T beaten egg
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup light corn syrup
3 T grated Romano cheese
2 T dry unflavored pectin
1 1/4 t salt
1/2 t minced garlic
1/4 t parsley flakes
pinch of dried oregano
pinch of red pepper flakes

Mix all ingredients in blender on low for about 30 seconds.
Chill in refrigerator for 90 minutes.
Serve over favorite salad.

Makes 1 1/2 cups.

Enjoy! Tiedye

OLIVE GARDEN'S FETTUCCINI ALFREDO

Same cookbook as the last recipe - and oh boy is this good and rich. BUT. It's my #1 son's favorite alfredo. Very easy too.

1 pound fettuccine
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 grated Romano cheese
6 jumbo egg yolks
salt and cracked pepper
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t parsley flakes

Cook fettuccine according to the pkg directions. Heat milk and cream in a large, heavy saucepan until it comes to a simmer. Slowly whisk in the cheeses and then remove from heat.
Place egg yolks in a bowl and slowly whisk in a portion of hot milk and cream mixture to temper. Season to taste with s&p.
Add cooked fettuccine to saucepan. Sprinkle in garlic powder and stir until the sauce thickens to desired consistency.
Sprinkle with parsely and serve immediately.

Serves 4 to 6

Enjoy! Tiedye

THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY'S OREO CHEESECAKE

Alright. I have a new cookbook. It's called America's Most Wanted Recipes, and it has the recipes for many restaurants' famous dishes. This is one that's particularly special since a few of my HTE sistahs and I sat in a booth and visited over one of these (and a couple of other flavors of cheesecake as well).

CRUST
2 T butter, melted
1 1/2 cups Oreo cookie crumbs (about 25 cookies, finely chopped)

FILLING
Three 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
5 eggs
1/4 t salt
2 t vanilla
1/4 cup ap flour
8 ounces sour cream
5 Oreo cookies, coarsely chopped, for filling

10 Oreo cookies, coarsely chopped, for topping

Have all ingredients at room temp before beginning. Preheat oven to 325.

Crust: mix melted butter with Oreo cooking crumbs and press onto bottom and 1 1/2" up the sides of a 9" springform pan. Set aside.

Filling: Beat cream cheese with elec. mixer on low until fluffy. Slowly add sugar and continue beating cream cheese until mixed well. Add eggs one at a time and continue to beat until blended.
Measure vanilla, salt and flour; pour into cream cheese mixture and beat until smooth. Add sour cream and beat.
Stir in the 5 coarsely chopped Oreo cookies with a spoon.
Pour the cream cheese mixture into the sprngform pan and sprinkle the 10 coarsely chopped Oreo cookies over.

Place the pan in the middle of the oven and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. After that time keep the oven door open and let the cheesecake stay in the oven for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool enough to place in refrigerator for 24 hours.

To serve, run a knife or metal spatula around the sides of the pan to loosen the cake, and remove the pan.

Serves 4 to 6

Enjoy! Tiedye

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

BEST SALSA EVER

I had this at a family get together this past weekend and fell in love with it. Super easy!

1/4 cup of fresh cilantro
1/2 medium onions
1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice
6 roma tomatoes, quartered
1 teaspoon of cider vineger
1 teaspoon of salt,(optional)
1/4 - 1/2 of a jalapeno pepper

You put every thing in the Cuisinart or Magic Bullet in this order, mix until all is chopped.

Enjoy!

Tiedye

CHOCOLATE CHIP PUMPKIN MUFFINS (or BREAD)

Yesssss, another pumpkin recipe. Here's the thing. I bought one of the $15 sized pumpkins at church back around Halloween. HUGE thing. I bought it for the front porch. We didn't carve it, it was just part of our harvest porch. Well it lasted, and it lasted, and it LASTED. No rotten spots like you usually see after a couple of weeks. Guess it was because the weather was cold and it preserved it. Who knows. So. When we got ready to put the Christmas porch up, I found myself with a perfectly good hunormagondous pumpkin on my hands. Couldn't throw it away. I've been bred not to do such wasteful things. So I cut it in half, scooped the seeds and strings out, (toasted the seeds ^_^ ) and BAKED the darned thing. It took BOTH ovens. The result? TWELVE QUARTS of pureed pumpkin. Yep. So here's what I did with a pint of it today:
  • 3/4 cup white sugar (I used raw sugar)
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup canned pumpkin
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • hefty pinch of ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • hefty pinch of ground ginger
  • 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
Whisk together first three ingredients until blended well. Add pumpkin and water and whisk until blended.

In a separate bowl mix flour, baking powder, soda, cloves, ginger, and salt. Add to pumpkin mixture and fold until blended. Stir in chocolate chips.

Bake at 400* for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

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Now I know this is not a remarkable recipe, but it's GOOD and it's healthy. I think it's because you don't use the traditional pumpkin spices, and so it gives it a whole different taste.

Enjoy!

Tiedye