Basic Crepes

I love crepes & a friend asked for my recipe. Here is the basic recipe for making crepes. The fun part is what you put in the crepes. Mine depends on the mood. Sometimes I like sweet fruit but then other times I like vegetables & cheese. The possibilities are endless with crepes.

Ingredients
1-1/2 c 2% milk
4 eggs
1 c all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
8 tsp butter

Directions
In a small bowl, whisk milk & eggs. Combine the flour, sugar & salt; add to milk mixture & mix well. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Melt 1 teaspoon butter in an 8-in. nonstick skillet over medium heat; pour 2 tablespoons batter into center of skillet. Lift and tilt pan to coat bottom evenly. Cook until top appears dry; turn & cook 15-20 seconds longer. Remove to a wire rack.
Repeat with remaining batter, adding butter to skillet as needed. When cool, stack crepes with waxed paper or paper towels in between. Yield: 16 crepes.

Chocolate Mold Pretzels

Last year after Christmas I purchased Wilton pretzel molds on clearance. I love dipping pretzels & so I thought I would give these a try. I made these cute little Santa's for my daughter's preschool classmates. I bought cellophane treat bags at the dollar store to put the pretzels in & tied ribbons to them. They made the perfect little gifts & the kids loved them.

Ingredients

Chocolate Bark Coating or Candy Melts

Pretzel rods

Wilton pretzel molds (like the ones found here)

Directions
Melt chocolate in a double broiler or according to package directions. Lightly coat the pretzel with chocolate then place it in one of the molds. Spoon in additional chocolate to fill the mold. Lightly tap to allow the chocolate to settle. Continue until all of the molds have been filled with pretzels & chocolate. I sat my pretzel mold on top of a cookie sheet. Then once I filled the molds up, I put the entire sheet into the freezer to speed up the process. After about 5 minutes in the freezer I removed the sheet. The pretzels popped right out of the molds.

Royal Icing

Ingredients

3 tbsp Meringue Powder (see picture above)

4 c powdered sugar

6 tbsp warm water**

Yield: 3 cups of icing

Directions

Beat all ingredients until icing forms peaks (7-10 minutes at low speed with a heavy duty mixer, 10-12 minutes at high speed with a hand held mixer). For piping, place icing in a decorating bag. You can also tint the icing using food coloring. Be sure to keep icing covered or inside a decorating bag because it hardens very fast.

Note: keep all utensils completely grease-free for proper icing consistency.

* For stiffer icing, use 1 tbsp less water

**When using large counter top mixer, use 1 tbsp less water.

Recipe courtesy: Wilton

Gingerbread Cookies

I have been making gingerbread cookies for several years. And I must admit I have been using a refrigerated Pillsbury dough, until this year. I couldn't locate it anywhere in this town! We could not have Christmas without the gingerbread cookies so I decided to make my own. I searched many recipes & decided to go with Paula Deen's. They were delicious! I think the best thing was the smell that came out of the oven & filled my entire house. Awesome!





Ingredients
1 stick of butter, softened
3/4 c brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1/4 c molasses
3 3/4 c all purpose flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt



Directions
Using an electric mixer, cream the sugar & butter until well combined. Add the eggs & molasses & mix until combined. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg & salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture & combine with a spoon (I found it easier to combine with my hands). Remove the dough from the bowl & wrap in plastic wrap. I decided to make smaller balls of dough (rather than one large ball) & wrap each in plastic wrap (see photo below). Place dough in refrigerator until firm, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Allow the dough to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes, until pliable. Take about 1/2 cup of dough at a time & roll until about 1/8 inch think. Cut out with gingerbread cookie cutter(s). Transfer to a cookie sheet. Bake for 7-10 minutes. The recipe called for 10 minutes but I started with 7 minutes & found that sufficient. Transfer to wire racks to cool. I like to decorate mine with Royal Icing (click for recipe).



Recipe courtesy: Paula Deen

Mediterranean Grouper

Another great recipe from my brother. He works so hard to catch all those fish from the Gulf of Mexico so that he can enjoy eating them. We actually worked through the ingredients of this dish together. It's too bad I live too far to get a taste!

Ingredients

Grouper fillets

Mushrooms, sliced

Artichoke hearts, coarsely chopped

2 tbsp capers

1/2 c cooking wine

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1/2 c Greek olives, chopped

Greek seasoning

Lemons

3 green onions, chopped

2 tbsp Parmesan cheese

Olive oil

Linguine

Directions

Place olive oil in pan & heat. Lightly season grouper fillets with Greek seasoning & place in pan. Pan fry for several minutes on each side. Set fillets aside & keep warm. To the pan add cooking wine, capers, green onions, Greek olives, garlic, artichokes, mushrooms, and juice of one lemon. Cook on high heat and render down. Cook linguine according to package directions. Stir in Parmesan cheese & parsley into cooked pasta. Cover the top of the pasta with the rendered down "sauce" & place a grouper fillet on the top.

Crunch-top Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients
6-8 large sweet potatoes
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c butter, softened
1/2 c granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon

Topping

1 c brown sugar

4 tbsp butter, room temperature

1/2 c self rising flour

1 c chopped pecans, optional

Directions
Scrub potatoes under running water. Place whole, unpeeled potatoes in a large pot. Add water to sufficiently cover. Boil potatoes until done (I test them for doneness by sticking them with a fork. When they are easy to pierce they are done). Drain water. Remove skin from hot potatoes. I found the easiest way to remove the skins was by holding the potato with an oven mitt. The skins should slide right off. Place potatoes & rest of ingredients in a large mixing bowl (or place back in the pot). Mix until all ingredients are combined & potatoes are smooth. At this point you will need to taste & add butter & granulated sugar as needed. Sweet potatoes can vary in the level of sweetness so that is why you will need to taste & add sugar, if needed. Now you are ready to put the potatoes in a baking dish. This dish can also be prepared & placed in the refrigerator until ready to bake (don't put the topping on it until you are ready to put in the oven). Topping: Combine the brown sugar, butter, flour & pecans (if using) in a separate bowl. Crumble the topping over the sweet potato mixture. Bake at 400 degrees until heated through & top is golden brown (25-30 minutes).

Chocolate Covered Marshmallows

Ingredients
Marshmallows
Coffee stir straws, cut in half
Chocolate coating (you can use the Wilton chocolate discs or the candy bark coating)
Favorite candy bars, chopped/crushed

Directions
Melt the chocolate according to package directions. Place a coffee stir star into the center of each marshmallow. Dip the marshmallow into the melted chocolate. Sprinkle or roll through the crushed candy bars. Rest on waxed paper until set. You can also place in the freezer for a few minutes to speed the process. Yum! Also make wonderful gifts for teachers & co-workers.

Recipe courtesy: Michelle R of Ohio

Chicken Breasts with Mushrooms

I personally like mushrooms (but I am the only one in my house who does). I don't make a lot of things with them because the family will revolt, but I sometimes do it anyway. This was a recipe I first made many years ago. If you like mushrooms like I do, you will love it!



Ingredients
4 boneless chicken breasts
1/4 c butter
1 lb fresh mushrooms, chopped
3 tbsp flour
1 c cream of mushroom soup or cream of celery soup
1/4 c evaporated milk


Directions
In a large skillet, brown chicken breasts in butter. Place each chicken breast in the center of a large piece of foil (12" x 18"). Saute mushrooms in same skillet. Add flour to mushroom mixture & stir over medium heat. Divide evenly over the (4) chicken breasts. Combine soup & evaporated milk. Pour evenly over the chicken breasts. Close foil into loose bundles. Place the foil bundles into a shallow pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

Lentils & Rice

I really like lentils & I love rice. This is one of those yummy dish combos!



Ingredients
1/3 c olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 c water
1 c rice
1 c lentils
salt & pepper, to taste



Directions
Lightly brown onion in olive oil. Add all remaining ingredients. Cover & cook about 20-25 minutes or until rice is done.

Roasted Winter Vegetables

Don't you think broccoli & cauliflower just go together? I certainly do & this recipe will not disappoint. It's a nice winter side dish.



Ingredients
1 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tsp tarragon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 stalk broccoli
1/2 head cauliflower
2 small red onions



Directions
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Put butter, tarragon, salt & pepper in a shallow roasting pan. Place in oven to melt butter. Cut broccoli, cauliflower & onions. Roast onion for 5 minutes, then add cauliflower & broccoli. Roast 25 minutes.

Vegan Lasagna

This recipe comes from a beautiful, young lady that I used to babysit. Now she is married & has a lovely daughter of her own. Stephanie is a vegan & shared this delicious recipe. While I am not a vegan or vegetarian, it sure sounds yummy.

Ingredients
Whole wheat organic lasagna noodles
Organic veggies of your choice (I like green/red peppers, onions, spinach, mushroom & eggplant)
Daiya brand vegan 'cheese' (you can also use any other vegan cheese you like)
Tomato sauce of your choice

Directions
Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cover the bottom of a large baking dish with sauce. Next, layer lasagna noodles then top it with sauce, veggies & the 'cheese'. Repeat the layers until you reach the top of the dish. The last layer should be noodles, sauce & cheese. Spray foil with organic non-stick spray. Cover the lasagna with the foil & bake for 35-45 minutes. During the last 5 minutes, remove the foil.

Recipe courtesy: Stephanie N of Ohio

Teriyaki Steak

We love this! It is so simple that you won't believe how great it actually tastes.

Ingredients
3# round steak
1 c soy sauce
1/2 c brown sugar
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Directions
Marinate meat in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Grill meat until desired doneness. Let rest for 5 minutes. Then slice into thin pieces.

Freezer Directions
Mix all marinade ingredients together in a mixing bowl.  Add the round steak to a freezer bag and pour the marinade over the meat.  Seal and freeze flat.  To serve, thaw and prepare as above.