Crêpes

Ingredients:

4 eggs
¼ cup sugar (2 tbsp if planning to use with savory filling)
½ tsp salt
2 cups whole milk
2 cups water
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ cup vegetable oil or melted butter (I use oil, but sauté them in butter later) + a bit of oil for a pan

About ½ stick of unsalted butter for brushing the crêpes later

Preparation:

In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, sugar and salt. Add milk and water, stir.
Sift the flour with baking powder and add to the wet ingredients in the bowl. Whisk well, you don’t need any lumps in the batter. Add the oil, whisk again.

Heat an 8-inch frying pan or a crêpe pan (if you have one) over medium heat. Very lightly brush it with oil and pour a shy ¼ cup of batter onto the pan (use a measuring cup). Wait until the surface doesn’t appear wet and the crêpe is lightly browned on one side, about a minute, flip the crêpe onto the other side. Brown this side as well, take it out off the pan, put on a plate and brush the crêpe with some melted unsalted butter. Or you can just dot the crêpe with tiny piece of butter and let it melt by itself. This will give the crêpes even more flavor and prevent them from sticking together. Go on with the rest of the batter. You can serve them right away with sour cream, honey, maple syrup, lemon curd or your favorite jam. Or wait until they are cold enough to handle and fill them with the filling of your choice. Before serving, sauté the crêpes in melted butter over medium heat until they nice golden 

Pappardelle With Corn

I saw the picture of this dish on the cover of Foodnetwork Magazine, and knew that if I did not drop the 4 bucks for that particular issue, that I would regret it for the rest of my life. I was RIGTH! This pasta dish was everything and more of what the cover picture promised!!! I LOVE it!!! It is wonderfully delicious! It's easy to make and beautiful to behold! Easy and beauty combine when you put it in your mouth and they become something amazing! A must make spring/summer dish! You won't regret it! (ps. I, the carnivore, always add grilled chicken to this! mmmm!)

Recipe courtesy Food Network Magazine

Prep Time:

7 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

13 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

4 servings

Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• 2 ears corn, shucked
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 cups grape tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 12 ounces pappardelle pasta
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 small bunch scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan, plus more for topping
• Torn basil, for topping

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the corn and cook until slightly tender, about 3 minutes. Remove with tongs, reserving the boiling water. Let the corn cool slightly, then cut off the kernels.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the tomatoes, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook until the tomatoes soften, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute. Add the wine and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pappardelle in the corn water as the label directs. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta. Add the chicken broth and corn kernels to the skillet and bring to a simmer.

Add the pasta to the skillet; add the scallions, parmesan, the remaining 3 tablespoons butter and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Toss to combine, adding the reserved cooking water as needed. Season with salt and pepper. Top with more parmesan and basil.

Per serving: Calories 635; Fat 22 g (Saturated 12 g); Cholesterol 61 mg; Sodium 256 mg; Carbohydrate 86 g; Fiber 8 g; Protein 21 g

Boston Butt Pork Roast

VERY GOOD!

Boston Butt Pork Roast- bone in

3Tbls. Brown Sugar

1Tbls. Sugar

1Tbls. Garlic Powder

1&1/2 Tbls. Paprika

1Tbls. Cumin

1Tbls. Kosher Salt (I think I would put more)

1/2 Tbls. Pepper

1/2 tsp. Cayenne
Large onion

Mix rub, pat roast dry and rub with spices. Let marinate for 30 min.

Meanwhile slice large onion and saute in a small amount of oil on high in the bottom of the dutch oven (roasting pan). De-glaze pan with 1 cup chicken stock or broth.  Set roast in the dutch oven, cover and cook @275 for 6 hours (250 for 7 hrs?)

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars

This is a dessert that a good friend of mine makes and I HAD to have the recipe! (You can also find it on the Pillsbury website.)  These are dangerously easy to make and even more horrifically easy to eat!!!  Too easy! Too good! Too big (for my pants!!!)! 

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1/2cup sugar

1 egg

½ cup coconut, if desired

1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated chocolate chip cookies

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In small bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and egg until smooth. Stir in coconut.2. In ungreased, 9- or 8-inch square pan, break up half of cookie dough. With floured fingers, press dough evenly in bottom of pan to form crust. Spread cream cheese mixture over dough. Crumble and sprinkle remaining half of dough over cream cheese mixture.

3. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch. Cool 30 minutes. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or until chilled. For bars, cut into 4 rows by 4 rows. Store in refrigerator

Rockyroad Peanut Butter Candy Cups!

The name speaks for itself!! I'm actually a little reluctant to post this on here because they're so dazzling and exceedingly wonderful, that I feel a little... selfish. However!.. I am not one to keep "Secret Recipes" in "The Family".  There are a few recipes that you have to REALLY want before I'll divulge, (this would be one of them) but overall I think sharing a recipe is a simple delight that you have, and give of yourself to another person when you share! :) And if you're looking through my blog, then you seek it out and so I am satisfied. :) (Not that I even OWN the recipe! See how ridiculous it would be for me not to share! :)  The other reason I have second thoughts about posting it is that it is SO FLIPPIN EASY!!! You'll see that I'm really just a fraud TRYING to look like a Chocolatier!  But now you can be too! ;)

• 11-oz. package peanut butter and milk chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter 
• 1 cup crispy rice cereal
• 1 cup miniature marshmallows
• 3/4 cup unsalted roasted peanuts, chopped
• 
  
• 1. Microwave peanut butter and milk chocolate chips in a large glass bowl on high for one to 2 minutes or until melted, stirring every 30 seconds. Stir in peanut butter until well blended.
  2. Stir in rice cereal, miniature marshmallows and chopped peanuts. Spoon mixture by heaping tablespoonfuls evenly into miniature paper candy cups. Chill one hour or until firm.

Manderine Chicken with Sweet and Sour Sauce

So, well... When we lived in Provo and my husband finished up his BA at BYU, we lived next door to a couple in our ward who was also attending BYU and in very much the same situation. We each had 1 child the same age, we would often get together as couples and play games, and since neither of us wives worked we had all this time on our hands to hangout, let the children play and COOK! We both enjoyed cooking so it was great!  We became and stayed good friends through the years, kept in contact etc. that is until.... She told me that she wouldn't be my friend anymore... ??? What the???  :(

C'est la vie and what can you do? But BEFORE she disowned me I got this recipe from her! :)

 Of course it's good! Why else would it be on here?  It's breaded, fried chicken with a sweet and sour sauce. What else is great is that it's quite easy actually.  A friend was wanting the recipe recently so here it goes!

Manderin Chicken:

Cubed Chicken

1C. Flour

1 Egg

1 tsp. Sugar

3/4 tsp. Baking Powder

Oil to fry in (I use about 1&1/2 inches I'm guessing)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl then add enough water to make a semi-runny consistency (kind of like really runny pancake batter, not thick though! The batter should easily drip in a line from the spoon, but not too watery! You'll get the hang of it. :) Just remember; you can always add more water, but not so easy to take it out! ;)  Mix in 4 drops of yellow food coloring (if you want to, I never do).  Stir the chicken into the batter and spoon out batches of chicken with a fork or whatever you find works, heat oil over medium-ish until a drop of water sizzles in it. Fry until golden. Tip: Before you start cooking, turn the oven on warm and place an oven safe bowl in there with paper towels inside of it. Then when the chicken is done you are able to keep it warm and crisp until service. Serve with rice and top with sauce!

Sweet and Sour Sauce:

1 C. Crushed Pineapple

2 Whole tomatoes

3 C. Sugar

Double Dash of Accent

2 Tbls. Soy Sauce

1 C. vinegar

1 C. Onion, chopped

1 Green Bell Pepper

Red Food Coloring (if you want it to look the same as the sweet and sour sauce at the restaurants :)

Simmer all ingredients about 20 min, then whisk in 1/3 C. Cornstartch that has been  dissolved (if you will) in 1/2 C. Water  Wait for it to thicken :). If it doesn't get thick enough, add more cornstach/water mixture.

Homemade Strawberry Syrup

This is my favorite strawberry syrup!  For me many other's pale in comparison because they don't have what this has     -BUTTER-!  I love it! It's divinely wonderful on waffles and pancakes! It gives your breakfast foods the richness they were starving for! But it's not just for breakfast, it goes well on desserts too! Treat yourself with this syrup that says "I love you" because you're worth it! ;) 

1C. Sugar

2 Tbls. Cornstarch

3/4 C. Water

1&1/2 C. Sliced frozen, or fresh Strawberries

1/2 Stick Butter (REAL butter, folks! If you want it to live up to it's potential, feed it REAL butter! ;)

Mix sugar, starch, and water in a pan and cook over medium hear until boiling and thick. Add berries and butter. Stir until blended.