Spinach Salad

Delicious salad!

Sorry about the picture but I remembered to take it when the salad was almost gone.

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INGREDIENTS:

1/2 gallon chopped spinach

1 c sliced fresh mushrooms

4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 c grated cheese (Swiss, Mozzarella, or Monterrey Jack)

2 small cans of mandarin orange slices

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Sugared Almonds:

1/2 c sliced almonds

3 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp melted butter

Blend sugar and melted butter well. Coat almonds and spread on a baking sheet. Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes. When lightly browned remove from oven, loosen with a metal spatula and let cool completely.

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Place salad greens in a serving bowl and top with mushrooms, bacon, cheese, mandarin oranges and nuts. Serve with poppy seed dressing. Enjoy!

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Poppy Seed Dressing:

1/2 c white vinegar

2 tsp poppy seeds

1/2 tsp salt

1 c extra virgin olive oil

1/2 c sugar

1 tbsp grated onion

1 tbsp prepared mustard

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Blend all ingredients but oil until sugar is dissolved. Gradually add oil, whisking it into dressing.

Butterscotch Cinnamon Rolls

This is another recipe found in my family cookbook. It was super fast and easy to make and most importantly...it was really good.

INGREDIENTS:

1 c chopped pecans

28 frozen Rhodes rolls

3 oz pkg regular butterscotch pudding mix (dry, do not use instant)

1/2 c butter

3/4 tsp cinnamon

3/4 c brown sugar

Place nuts in bottom of greased bundt pan. Add rolls. Sprinkle pudding over top. Melt together in saucepan the butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Pour over rolls. Leave rolls out overnight to rise. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 to 30 minutes.

Note: Try and assemble everything late at night. I started mine about 9pm and by 7:30 am, the rolls had risen so much they were overflowing.

Apple Pancakes

This is a recipe found in a family cookbook. We tried it a couple of weeks ago while we had some family over. They turned out really good!

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 c flour

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp baking powder

4 tbsp sugar

2 c milk

2 eggs

4 tbsp oil

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

3/4 c apple sauce

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Mix dry ingredients, set aside. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, milk and oil. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well. Cook pancakes and top with cider sauce. Enjoy!

Cider Sauce

This is a syrup for apple pancakes

2 c sugar

4 tbsp cornstarch

4 c apple juice or cider (or apple sauce)

4 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 c butter

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Boil in sauce pan until thick. Pour over apple pancakes.

Pudding Cake

What I love about this cake is that it's light, it doesn't make you feel bad after you eat it. It's so delicious!! It's our new favorite cake, and it just made my mouth drool after seeing the photos again!

Bake a yellow cake by the directions on the package. Let cool.

When cake is cool, take the end of a wooden spoon and poke holes, moving the spoon around to make the holes a little bigger.

Make a large box of chocolate pudding and pour about half over cake, before pudding sets up. Spread over cake a few times to work pudding in to holes.

Take remaining pudding and mix with half regular container of cool whip. Spread on top of cake, as icing.

It's a "Piece of Cake" to make! Enjoy.

Spicy Chicken Shawarma

A few months ago I subscribed to "Cooking Light" magazine to check out their recipes. I came across this recipe and really wanted to try it, it is a Middle-Eastern dish. The recipe calls for a spice (Tahini) that I was not able to find and therefore made a small change to the recipe, the recipe still turned out great. You will need pita bread and you can find a recipe for this on my previous post. Let me also say, that this turned out to be such a good summery dish, it must be the cucumber in it. I suggest you read the recipe completely before making so you note the changes I made and see what works for you.

INGREDIENTS:

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley (I used cilantro instead)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (I used 1 tsp)

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/8 tsp ground coriander

5 tbsp plain low-fat yogurt, divided

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice, divided

3 garlic cloves, minced and divided

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, thinly sliced

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 tbsp tahini

4 (6-inch) pitas, halved

1/2 c chopped cucumber

1/2 c chopped plum tomato

1/4 c chopped red onion

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Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl; stir in 1 tablespoon (I added just a bit more) yogurt, 1 tablespoon juice, and 2 garlic cloves. Add chicken; toss to coat. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken mixture to pan; saute 6 minutes or until browned and done, stirring frequently. The chicken turned out delicious!

Ok, here comes the change I made, but before I tell you, I will write the original instructions for the sauce: While chicken cooks, combine remaining 1/4 cup yogurt, remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice, remaining 1 garlic clove, and tahini, stirring well. Spread 1 1/2 teaspoons tahini mixture inside each pita half.

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I decided to skip the tahini mixture since I couldn't find the tahini. Instead I decided to use the sauce I make when making Pakora's (see Middle-Eastern label for recipe). The sauce is made with plain yogurt, fresh cilantro, jalapenos and salt. It is a very yummy sauce and personally thought it went great with this dish. I don't know the taste that the tahini gives, but just the mixture I made without the tahini didn't convince me at all and that's why I decided to use this sauce instead.Anyway, after spreading the sauce inside each pita half, divide chicken evenly among each pita. Fill pita halves with cucumber, onion and tomato.

Add more sauce to the top of each pita if you like. Enjoy!!!

Pita Bread

I wanted to try a recipe that required pita bread. I had actually never tried pita bread before and wasn't sure how this was going to turn out. I didn't want to go to the store to purchase them so I decided to look for a recipe and make them at home. The bread turned out really good and it was very easy to make, totally recommend it. I found the recipe on "about.com." I will write the recipe here, but you can also go directly to their site for the recipe by clicking here.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pkg of yeast, or quick rising yeast
1/2 c warm water
3 c flour
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 c lukewarm water

Dissolve yeast and 1/2 cup of warm water. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Let sit for 10-15 minutes until water is frothy

Combine flour and salt in large bowl. Make a small depression in the middle of the flour and pour the yeast water, slowly also add the 1 cup of warm water. Stir with a wooden spoon until elastic.

Place dough on floured surface and knead for 10-15 minutes. You have kneaded successfully when the dough is smooth, elastic and no longer sticky.

Coat large bowl with oil and make sure your dough is coated as well. Place covered bowl in a warm place for about 3 hours, or until it has doubled in size.

When ready, roll out in a rope and pinch off 10-12 small pieces. Place balls on floured surface, cover and let sit for about 10 minutes. In the mean time, preheat your oven to 500 degrees farenheit and make sure the rack is at the very bottom. You should also preheat your baking sheet.

Roll out each ball of dough with a rolling pin into circles (about 5-6 inches accross and about 1/4 inch thick).
Bake each pita for 4 minutes until bread puffs up. Turn over and bake for an additional 2-3 minutes. Remove from baking sheet and continue baking the rest of the pita bread.