Hash Brown Omlet

I feel like I'm spilling all my secrets here, but this breakfast dish is too good not to share.

*Important Tip: It took me a couple trys to get this recipe down. I found that the trick is to let the egg mixture set (covered) before adding the bacon and cheese. By cooking the hash browns for about 7 minutes FIRST, then letting the second layer of egg mixture cook and set over that (don't forget to cover for quick even cooking), and then sprinkling with the bacon and cheese, you can ensure each layer is cooked properly for a perfect finish.

As with any omlet, feel free to alter the ingredients (I usually leave onions and peppers out)

Ingredients:
4 slices bacon
2 cups refrigerated shredded has brown potatoes (about 10 oz)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green sweet pepper
4 eggs
1/4 cup mik
1/2 tsp salt
Dash ground black pepper
1 cup shredded chedder cheese (4 oz)
Bias-sliced green onions (optional)

Directions
1. In a large skillet cook bacon until crisp. Drain bacon on paper towels, reserving 2 Tbsp. drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon; set aside. Combine potatoes, chopped onion, and sweet pepper; pat into the skillet. Cook, uncovered, over low heat about 7 minutes or until crisp and brown, turning once.
2. Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl beat together eggs, milk, salt, and black pepper; pour over potato mixture. Top with cheese and bacon. Cover; cook over low heat for 5-7 minutes or until egg mixture is set. Loosen omelet; fold in half. Turn out of skillet onto plate. Cut into 4 wedges to seve. If desired, garnish with green onions. Makes 4 servings.

Hot Artichoke Dip

Here's another amazing recipe from the kitchen of Pam Griffis. This appetizer is easy to prepare and absolutely delicous. The only problem is trying to leave room for dinner!

Hot Artichoke Dip

2 jars (6 oz) marinated artichoke hearts
1 pkg. frozen (10 oz) chopped spinach (thawed & drained)
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayo
3/4 cup parmesan

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Drain and coursely chop artichoke hearts. Mix remaining ingredients. Bake 20-25 min. Serve with bread, veggies, crackers, or tortilla chips (my personal fave is small baguette slices or small tortilla chips)

Ice Cream Pie

Need a wow dessert in a hurry? Here's your answer.

*Tip: In this case, do not buy generic brand cake mix or frosting. I did try it, and though it worked, is was not nearly as moist. Also, be sure to not overcook the crust! Lastly, if desired, for an elegant finish, sprinkle with decorative topping such as chocolate sprinkles or crushed oreos.

1 pkg. Pillsbury Plus Devil's Food Cake Mix
3/4 cup Pillsbury Ready to Spread Chocolate Fudge Frosting Supreme
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup oil

Filling: 6 cups (1 1/2 qts.) ice cream, softened

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease bottom, sides, and rim of two 9 inch pie pans. In large bowl, blend all shell ingredients at low speed until moistened; beat 2 minutes at highest speed. Spread half of batter in bottom of each pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE! Cakes will collapse to form shells. Cool completely. Fill with softened ice cream. Let harden awhile in freezer if possible.

Chicken Lasagna Alfredo

I love making this dish for company because it is unique, delicious, and I can prepare it ahead of time, allowing me to relax with friends while it is in the oven. You will not be dissapointed with this meal.

Tip: I have never made this dish without being asked for the recipe. I suggest keeping extra copies of this recipe on hand if you prepare it for guests!

10 uncooked lasagna noodles
1 jar (16 oz) white Alfredo pasta sauce
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
3 cups coarsely chopped cooked chicken
1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts in water, drained and chopped
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, pressed
3 cups (12 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 pkg. (4 oz) crumbled feta cheese
2 cups packed fresh baby spinach leaves (about 4 oz)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook noodles according to pkg. directions, using shortest cook time; drain. In small bowl combine Alfredo sauce, milk and oregano. Whisk until blended; set aside.
2. Coarsely chop chicken. Chop artichokes, bell pepper, and onion (food chopper makes this quicker if you have one); place in large bowl. Press garlic over bowl. Add mozzarella and feta cheeses; mix well.
3. To assemble lasagna, spread 2/3 cup of the Alfredo sauce mixture over bottom of rectangular pan. Top with half of the noodles, overlapping to fit. Layer half of the spinach leaves over noodles; top with half of the chicken mixture. Repeat layers, starting with half of the remaining sauce. After layering, pour remaining sauce over top of lasagna.
4. Cover pan with aluminum foil. Bake 45 min. Carefully remove foil. Continue baking 10-15 min. or until bubbly. Remove from oven; let stand 15 min. for easier serving. Cut into squares. Yield: 12 servings

Straw and Hay Alfredo with Roasted Asparagus

*I prepared this lastnight, and really enjoyed it. My only comments are that it does need a little more salt and pepper in my opinion and, if you don't have whole wheat pasta on hand, making it with just regular pasta is fine.


"This dish derives its name from the color contrast of the two types of pasta. Because it mixes the earthiness of whole wheat with the familiarity of regular pasta, it's a delicious introduction to whole-grain pastas. Truffle oil adds a pleasant, earthy undertone; you can substitue extravirgin olive oil. As with all alfredo dishes, serve immediately."

2 cups 1% low-fat milk
1/3 cup (3 oz) cream cheese
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup (4 oz) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces (about 2 cups)
Cooking spray
8 oz uncooked whole wheat spaghetti
8 oz uncooked spaghetti
2 Tbsp. truffle oil
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Combine first four ingredients in a blender;process until smooth
3. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic; saute 30 sec. Add milk mixture to pan; cook 3 min. or until mixture simmers, stirring constantly. Cook 2 min. or until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in cheese. Cover.
4. Place asparagus on jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. bake at 425 degrees 10 min. or until browned, stirring once.
5. Cook both pastas according to package directions, drain well.
6. Place pastas and asparagus in a large bowl. Add cheese mixture, tossing well. Add truffle oil and pepper; toss gently. Seve immediately. Yield: 8 1 cup servings

Peach Pie

From Grandma Porter's kitchen...

7 cups of fresh peaches
1/4 c. flour
1 c. sugar
Mix together. Put in unbaked pie shell, cover and bake.

Edit: To prepare the peaches you can boil them whole in boiling water for less than 1 minute. Put them in cold water (so you don't scald your hand) and the peel should come off quite easily. Cut them up into slices and take the pit out.

White Chicken Chili

As the crispy fall weather arrives (we're feeling it a bit prematurely here in Michigan), so does the craving for the comfort of hot, tasty soups, stews, and chilis. Here's one of my faves. I admit, it's not the healthiest recipe ever, but really easy and delicious.

*tip: Be careful that your salsa isn't a hotter variety than your taste, because the pepper jack cheese already causes the chili to be spicy.

White Chicken Chili

Chopped chicken (I don't have a measurement -- I just usually do a few chicken breasts)
1 jar of salsa
8 oz grated pepper jack cheese
48 oz northern beans

Cook chicken with can of salsa. Add the rest of the ingredients, heat through -- ENJOY!

Chicken Taco Soup

1 whole chicken
1 chopped onion
1 large can tomato sauce
2 large cans diced tomatoes
1 large can kidney beans
1 package Taco seasoning
1 can whole kernel corn
rice (optional)
grated cheddar cheese
tortilla chips
sour cream

Boil and debone chicken. Reserve 5-6 cups chicken broth. Saute onion. Add chicken,
tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, beans, taco seasoning, and corn. Add 5-6 cups chicken
broth (may substitute 3 soup cans of water). Simmer 30 minutes.

Serve: Crush tortilla chips in bottom of soup bowl. Add soup, sprinkle cheese and add
sour cream.

Unforgettable Pesto...

Stephanie,

When Joshua and I were out west last, you and Michael made a fabulous pasta/chicken dish with pesto sauce. It was clearly memorable, because I'm still thinking about it! Do you think you could post the recipe, or even just the recipe for the sauce?

Salad Ideas

Salad is one of my favorite foods, and I am always looking for ways to spruce it up. I thought I would share a couple of my preferred additions:

*Mix some chopped cilantro into your greens. This gives a zesty flare to your salad. If desired, toss in some chopped avocado as well.

*Toss fresh mint leaves into your greens. This makes an ordinary salad especially tasty.

Flank Steak with Shitake Mushroom Sauce & GInger-Scallion Rice

I made this pair for dinner last week, and I LOVED it. What made this meal so fantastic was the tangy mushroom sauce and the uniquely flavored rice. The only thing I altered in these recipes was that I left the green onions out, and I used less mushrooms.

Warning: This meal can be a bit expensive. I went to the store for Shitake mushrooms and discovered that they run almost $10/lb. In this case, I did buy Shitakes, but I only used 3.5 oz. Next time, rather than skimping on the amount of mushrooms, I will try a cheaper variety.

FLANK STEAK WITH SHITAKE MUSHROOM SAUCE

STEAK:
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 (1 lb) flank steak, trimmed
Cooking spray

SAUCE:
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups thinly sliced shitake mushroom caps (about 1/2 lb. of mushrooms)
1 cup less-sodium beef broth
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup minced green onions

1. Preheat broiler
2. To prepare steak, sprinkle salt and pepper evenly over both sides of steak. Place steak on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil 5 min. on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove the steak from oven, loosely cover with foil.
3. To prepare sauce, heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add 1/2 cup onion and garlic; saute' 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, saute' 4 minutes. Add broth, wine, and vinegar. bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and cook until reduced to 1 1/2 cups (about 6 minutes). Add green onions, and cook for 1 minute.
4. Slice steak diagonally across the grain into 1/4-inch slices. Serve steak with mushroom sauce. Yield:4 servings (serving size: 3 ounces steak and about 1/3 cup sacue)

GINGER-SCALLION RICE
Heat 1 Tbsp. canola oil in a medium saucespan over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 cup chopped green onion bottoms, 2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger, and 2 minced garlic cloves, saute' 2 minutes. Stir in 1 cup uncooked long-grain rice, saute' 1 minute. Stir in 2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth and 1/3 teaspoon salt, bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in 1/4 cup chopped green onion tops.

The easiest strawberry shortcake! EVER!!!!!!!!!

INGREDIENTS:

Strawberries.
Angel food cake.
Sugar.
whipped cream.

First you cut your strawberries and let them soak in sugar.Then you cut your angel food cake,and put the strawberries on top and add a scoop of whipped cream.
TIME TO EAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Zuchinni or Carrot Muffins

Here is a healthy snack for you to enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups grated zucchini or carrots (any combination)
½ c. oil
½ c. honey (brown sugar or molasses can be substituted)
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 ½ c. whole wheat flour
½ t. baking soda
½ t. salt
1 ½ T. cinnamon
½ c. raisins
½ t. nutmeg
½ c. chopped nuts (optional)

Steps:
1) Grate carrots and zucchini.
2) Beat together oil and honey. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
3) Sift dry ingredients together and add to liquid mixture.
4) Bake in greased muffin tins at 350 for 12-15 minutes.
5) Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Invert onto wire rack.
6) Wrap, label and refrigerate or freeze if not eating that day.


Tip: Measure the oil in measuring cup first, and then measure the honey. Both will pour out quickly without the honey sticking to the side of the cup.