Quinoa Tabouleh

This is the recipe that Allison took to Frank and Nancy's for Easter. It's yummy!

Ingredients

• 1 cup red quinoa (dried)
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped
• 1/4 cup raw almonds, chopped
• 1/2 cup raw carrots, diced
• 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
• 1/4 cup green onions, sliced thinly
• 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1/4 lime juice
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin

Preparation

Cook quinoa in 2 cups water, season as you like.

Mix all ingredients in bowl and let sit at least 20 minutes before serving to allow flavors to blend.

Cook's Notes (from Allison)

Be careful with the salt because it is really intensified by the lime juice and it's easy to over do it!

I like to prepare and leave it in the fridge overnight.

Beef Goulash

Vanessa found this recipe and we both made it last night. We each made it a little differently. See the cook's notes at the bottom for details.

The prep time on this isn't too bad, but it has to simmer for about 1 1/2 hours, so plan ahead or plan to eat late.

Ingredients

• 2 med onions
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds stew meat
• 1/4 c. oil
• 2 tbsp paprika
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1/4 c. tomato paste
• 5 c. hot water
• 1/3 c. red wine vinegar
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 med potatoes, cubed
• 2 med carrots, cubed
• 2 med zucchini, cubed
• 1 can condensed beef broth
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Preparation

Heat oil. Saute garlic and onion until tender. Add beef and brown over high heat for about 10 minutes. Stir in paprika, salt, pepper, and flour. Add water, vinegar, and bay leaf. Simmer 1 1/2 hours. Add vegetables, beef broth, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer vegetables until tender.

Cook's Note

As always, I post recipes as written, but if I make any changes, they are noted here.

When she made it, Vanessa reduced the water to 2 1/2 cups which resulted in a thicker broth and served over egg noodles. I used 4 cups of water which resulted in a more soup like consistency.

The other modification I made was to simmer the meat and onion for only 30 minutes before adding the vegetables. I simmered the stew with vegetables for about 1 1/2 hours.

Lemon Chicken Breasts

I saw Ina Garten present this recipe on the Today Show. It looked good and easy. I'm trying it tonight. I'll report back.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic (9 cloves)
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 boneless chicken breasts, skin on (6 to 8 ounces each)
• 1 lemon

Preparation

When I need to get dinner together in a hurry, this is about as easy as it gets. White wine, garlic, and oregano give this chicken great flavor. I make some basmati rice or couscous with toasted pine nuts to soak up all those delicious lemony juices plus a vegetable like steamed haricots verts and I'm done.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the garlic, and cook for just 1 minute but don't allow the garlic to turn brown. Off the heat, add the white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and 1 teaspoon salt and pour into a 9 × 12-inch baking dish.

Pat the chicken breasts dry and place them skin side up over the sauce. Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper. Cut the lemon in 8 wedges and tuck it among the pieces of chicken.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts, until the chicken is done and the skin is lightly browned. If the chicken isn't browned enough, put it under the broiler for 2 minutes. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the pan juices.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

This isn't anything unique, it's just the recipe from the Quaker Oats package, but I want to have it handy.

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
3 cups oats
1 cup raisins

Heat oven to 350° F. Beat together butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Stir in oats and raisins; mix well. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire rack.

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Bars

Cake:
1 (18oz package) yellow cake mix
1 egg
8 tablespoons butter, melted
Filling:
1 (8 oz package) cream cheese, softened
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
8 tablespoons, butter, melted
1 (16 oz) box powdered sugar
1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp nutmeg

Directions:

Preheat overn to 350
To make the cake: compine all of the ingredients and mix well with an electric mixer. Put the misture into the bottom of a lightly greasted 13 x 9 inch baking pan. Prepare filing

To make Filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla and butter and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and mix well. Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter
bake for 40 to 50 minutes. make sure not to over bake as the center should be a little gooey.

Sopapilla Cheesecake

I kept waiting for mom to post this one since she found it, but since she hasn't I am posting it since it is SO good, everyone needs to have it!!

3 - 8 oz packages of cream cheese (softened)
2 pkgs refrigerated crescent dinner rolls (6 roll pack if available, otherwise the 8 pack will work)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 stick butter (or margarine) softened
sugar and cinnamon to taste for top

Heat oven to 350 degrees

Spray 9x13 baking pan with Pam
unroll one package of crescent rolls and line the bottom of the baking dish
mix the cream cheese, sugar, butter and vanilla until creamy
spread mixture over crescent rolls
unroll second package of crescent rolls and place on top of cream cheese mixture
sprinkle top with cinnamon and sugar mixture
bake for 30-40 minutes (start checking after 20 minutes to make sure sides don't get too brown)
cool or refrigerate before serving

Broccoli Cheese Soup

I found this one night when I was craving broc/cheese soup and it turned out to be really good, and really EASY...always one of my prerequisites!

6 Tablespoons butter
1 onion (chopped)
1 (16 oz) pacakge frozen broccoli
4 (14.5 oz.) can chicken broth
1 (1lb) loaf Velveeta (cubed)
2 cups whole milk
1 clove fresh garlic (or more if you are like me and LOVE garlic!)
2/3 cup cornstarch (or flour)
white pepper

Directions:
In a stockpot, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onion in butter until softened. Add garlic just before broccoli. Stir in broccoli and cover with 3 cans chicken broth. Simmer until broccoli is tender, 10-15 minutes.

Reduce heat and stir in cheese cubes until melted. Mix in milk.

In a small bowl, stir cornstarch (or flour) into last can of chicken broth until dissolved. Stir into soup; cook, stirring frequently, until thick.