Thursday, May 31, 2007

Waffles of Insane Greatness

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk or buttermilk (or whatever milk you have)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Butter and syrup, for serving
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; mix well. Add the milk, vegetable oil, egg, sugar and vanilla and mix well. Let the batter sit for 30 minutes.
Preheat a waffle iron. Do not use non-stick spray on the waffle iron; the oil in the batter will allow the waffle to release easily. Follow the directions on your waffle iron to cook the waffles. Serve immediately with butter and syrup.

Saturday, May 19, 2007

Chicken "Club" Salad

Tyler and I loved this salad, especially the basil Mayo dressing. It is similar to a Panzanella, So Good!

3 cups 3/4-inch cubes Italian bread (preferably whole-wheat)
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 slices lean bacon, chopped
3 pounds chicken breasts, poached, skin and bones discarded, and the meat cut into bite-size pieces (about 4 cups)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
4 scallions including the green part, minced
1/2 cup Quick Basil Mayonnaise, recipe follows
Salt and pepper
Basil sprigs for garnish, if desired
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a bowl drizzle the bread cubes with the oil, tossing them to coat evenly, and season them with salt. Spread the bread cubes in a jelly-roll pan, toast them in the middle of the preheated oven oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until they are golden, and let them cool. In a skillet cook the bacon over moderate heat, stirring, until it is crisp and transfer it with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. In a large bowl combine well the chicken, the tomatoes, the scallions, 2/3 of the bacon, the mayonnaise, and salt and pepper to taste, divide the salad among 6 plates, and arrange the croutons around it. Garnish each serving with some of the remaining bacon and a basil sprig.

Quick Basil Mayonnaise:
2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1 cup mayonnaise
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a food processor or blender blend together the basil, mayonnaise, and lemon juice. Season the mayonnaise with salt and pepper.

Yield: about 1 1/4 cups

Thai Peanut Slaw

I got this recipe from Cheryl Okelberry, I can't remember if I have eaten it or if she just said it was really good, either way it sounds yummy to me.

4 cups shredded cabbage
1/2 cup chopped cucumber
1/3 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped red pepper
1/4 cup salted peanuts
1/2 cup salted peanuts finely ground
3 Tbs. peanut or canola oil
1 Tbs. soy sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp. garlic
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

In a large bowl combine first 5 ingredients. In a small bowl combine rest of the ingredients. Just before serving, pour dressing over salad and toss to coat.

Fruit Salad

I had this at a ward party and I thought the combination was awesome.
Fresh Blueberries
Sliced and quartered Kiwi fruit
Fresh pineapple wedges
Mix it all up and Eat it

Salad Recipes

Now that summer is here and I don't love cooking in the heat, I would LOVE some good salad recipes. I am going to try the Applebees' Salad (hopefully tonight). Any other good ones?

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Grilled Burgers


I just thought I would pass on a tip for grilling burgers. When mixing the meat prior to making patties, season it with salt and pepper and any other flavors you might like such as A-1 steak sauce, but here it the cool part pour in a Tbs. or 2 of Corn Syrup. It replaces the need for an egg and acts as a binder. It keeps the burgers moist. We did it tonight and they were so good. Anyway, thought I would pass it on.

Monday, May 14, 2007

Outrageous Brownies


1 pound unsalted butter
1 pound plus 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, divided
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
6 extra-large eggs
2 tablespoons real vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided (1 cup for batter and 1/4 cup in the chips and nuts)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups diced walnut pieces
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13 by 18 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan.
Melt together the butter, 1 pound chocolate chips, and unsweetened chocolate on top of a double boiler. Cool slightly. Stir together the eggs, vanilla and sugar. Stir in the warm chocolate mixture and cool to room temperature.


Stir together 1 cup of the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the walnuts and 12 ounces of chocolate chips with 1/4 cup flour to coat. Then add to the chocolate batter. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until tester just comes out clean. Halfway through the baking, rap the pan against the oven shelf to allow air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Do not over-bake! Cool thoroughly, refrigerate well and cut into squares.

These are do good ,but not the healthiest thing, but I just wanted to share this one. They are Tyler's favorite.