Comments

We would love to hear from you. If you have made any of our recipes let us know how you liked it and if you have any recommendations. If you would like to suggest a recipe to be posted, send us an email at icookandtell@gmail.com. Thanks for cooking with us!

Friday, December 17, 2010

Peppermint Patties


I found this recipe in my Family Fun magazine and decided to make them this Christmas season. They are the addictive classics, with a snappy, minty middle and a luscious chocolate coating. My biggest tip for making them would be to keep them cold! I split the batch in half and kept rotating them out of the freezer as I did each step. Also, do not try to do them without parchment paper, Silpat mat, or similar. They will stick! Other than that, they are easy and make a pretty presentation. You could also experiment making them with other flavors such as lemon or orange.

Ingredients
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon water
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (I used half this)
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract (I used 3/4 this)
• 1 (1-pound) box confectioners' sugar (3-3/4 cups)
• 1 tablespoon shortening
• 10 to 12 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
• 6 hard mint candies, crushed in a Ziploc bag with a rolling pin

Instructions
1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, stir together the water, corn syrup, lemon juice, and peppermint extract, then sift in half the confectioners' sugar. Add the shortening. Beat on medium, then slowly sift in the remaining confectioners' sugar until the mixture is well combined.

2. Knead the mixture into a ball (it will be very stiff; if necessary, add 1/2 teaspoon water to make it workable). Use the bottom of a glass pie plate to apply firm, even pressure to flatten the ball between sheets of waxed paper into a circle about 9 inches in diameter and 1/4 inch thick. Lay the waxed-paper-covered disk on a cookie sheet and freeze it until it's firm, about 15 minutes.

3. Place the frozen disk on a cutting surface and remove and reserve the waxed paper. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment. With a small round cutter (ours was 1-1/4 inches), cut out circles from the disk, then place them on the cookie sheet. Gather the scraps into a ball, use the pie plate and waxed paper to flatten it again, and cut more circles until the entire disk is used up. Freeze the circles for 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water. Coat the patties one at a time: balance each on a fork and dip it (use another fork as needed to flip the patty in the chocolate), then shake off any excess chocolate before returning the coated patty to the parchment. Sprinkle each patty with a bit of crushed mint candy. Add more chocolate to the double boiler as necessary until all the patties are coated.

5. Harden the finished patties in the refrigerator for at least an hour, and preferably overnight. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge, layered between sheets of waxed paper, for up to one month. Include tags with your gifts instructing recipients to keep the patties refrigerated. Makes 5 dozen.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Easy Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas

These are still "Americanized" enchiladas but taste a little more authentic than some I've had. I love this recipe and make them often for company. Can't beat comfort food!

1 can (10 3/4) oz. Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup Pace Picante Sauce
2 tsp chili powder
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
6 flour tortillas (6"), warmed
1 small tomato, chopped
1 green onion, sliced
other toppings as desired, olives, cilantro, pico de gallo, avocado

1. Stir the soup, sour cream, picante sauce and chili powder in a medium bowl.
2. Stir 1 cup picante sauce mixture, chicken and cheese in a large bowl.
3. Divide chicken mixture among tortillas. Roll up the tortillas and place seamside up in 2 qt shallow baking dish. Pour remaining picante sauce mixture over filled tortillas. Cover baking dish.
4. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. or until enchiladas are hot and bubbling. Top with tomato and onion.

(I add green chilies to the chicken mixture. I remove the foil half way through baking to crisp the tortillas a bit.)

Monday, December 6, 2010

Collard Wraps


This easy lunch has quickly become a family favorite. It doesn't even need a recipe really. It can be varied with whatever veggies and greens are in season. But here are a few hints for newbies to raw recipes so that it still tastes just as yummy every time with slight variations no matter what you use.

The necessary ingredients:

-Collard leaves. 1 big one per wrap.
-Your favorite Hummus. I used the Meza brand from Costco for this one because it's cheaper to buy in bulk, but at the Good Earth store there's also a yummy one called Lilly's smoked Tomato and Basil Hummus that I use from time to time.
- 3-4 slices of avocado

Filler Ingredients (Get creative with these and change them up, but here is what I used today):

-Cherry tomatoes sliced in threes
-Diced bell pepper (better source of vitamin C than oranges)
-Clover sprouts (great source of vitamin K for pregnant women)
-Radish sprouts
-Celery (chopped)
-tiny bit of Spinach or other green of your choice
-Cucumber
-One sliced Pickle
-diced onion
-a tiny bit of minced fresh garlic (great for winter sore throats)
-a sprinkle of lemon (optional)

Take your collard leaf and rinse off. Spread a spoonful or two of hummus and lay avocado slices in them. This gives your wrap a nice burrito-like filling. Then pile in the filler ingredients the best way you can and roll up the collard leaf to make a quick wrap. You don't need much of each filler ingredient. Just a small amount will fill the wrap quickly. Or you could pick just a few veggies and keep it simple if you want more of a certain filler ingredient. Sprinkle with a little lemon if you want and that "wraps" it up. There's no way to do this wrong. And if you don't want extra greens, no worries. Your wrap itself is already made up of dark leafy green. It's a collard leaf. High source of protein. Then eat away.

Trust me, you'll want another wrap after this one is gone. This recipe is a great way to take any leftover tossed salad that didn't get finished and stuff it into a savory treat. I usually make salads out of the filler ingredients anyways and so when I do have leftovers, I just make wraps and then you can avoid having to think too hard to make anything else. Hope you enjoy as much as I do.

Raw Almond Yogurt with Diced Apples



I know I haven't posted any recipes in a while. As mothers, kids keep us busy I suppose. But I would really like to start doing more raw and vegan recipes. For our little family, this journey of healthy eating has been somewhat of a struggle. I won't lie. But every now and then, we are suddenly inspired and set ourselves on crazy mode for finding yummy new recipes again. After a setback this last Thanksgiving (because we decided to have a traditional dinner) we needed some new recipes to regain some immune strength and our health. This easy recipe requires a little prep work the night before, but is super easy and surely hits the spot.

Almond Yogurt with diced Apples

-2 Cups of Almonds (soaked in water overnight) You can peel the skins for an extra creamy yogurt but you don't have to. I didn't like it at first. It seemed tedious. But someone told me it was therapeutic so I kept doing it for a while and now I really like doing it. It's like popping bubble wrap or something.
-1 3/4 Cups Water
-4-5 Ice Cubes
-1/4 Cup Agave Syrup
-1 teaspoon Danncy's Mexican Vanilla
-2 TBSP Lemon juice
-2 pinches of Salt

-6 diced of you favorite, fresh, organic Apples
-1 Cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Blend the first 7 ingredients all together in a VitaMix or other good blender until creamy and smooth. Spoon out mixture into a bowl. Toss the diced apples into it. Add walnuts or any other nut or granola in it if you like. You can do whatever you want. Or you can change the fruit. Since apples are in season, I did apples. Super yummy. Serves about 6-8.

Friday, November 19, 2010

My Morning Greens

I have several family members who have "gone raw" or mostly. I am not ready to do that nor is it even my ultimate goal. I do however see the benefits and want to start adding more raw foods to my family's diet. We eat pretty well at my house. I cook mostly from scratch, I don't buy much processed or refined foods, we eat out very rarely, and sweets and desserts are for special occasions. Even at that, I looked down at my lunch one day and realized there was not one raw food in it. I again noticed this with my supper later that day. So my goal is to add one raw food to each meal. Not too hard.

I remember when Kellen and I were dating. I was at his house when I watched his mom make a "green drink." She put carrot juice, spinach, parsley and some other ingredients in a blender and . . . DRANK IT! I thought that was so disgusting and knew I would never do it. Well, the picture below is MY typical breakfast! What a great way to start out the day. I love it and I know my body loves it. My kids love it too. They will drink a full sippy each of "shake-a shake-a" every morning and usually ask for more. I drink two glasses worth and Kellen makes his own version, leaving out the milk and vanilla and adding protein. I think that accomplishes my goal of adding raw foods pretty well. Not only is it raw, it's greens and a lot of 'em! It's more than I would eat, and definitely more than I could get my kids to eat, in a day.

Here's the combination my family has found we like. If you know of anything great I could add let me know. It's an easy way to sneak in healthy foods that are hard to eat on their own.

Purles Shake-a Shake-a
(These are all estimated quantities. I just dump, then taste and adjust.)
  • 1 cup milk/water
  • 1/2 cup orange juice or 1 whole orange
  • 3 Tbsp omega oil blend
  • 2 Tbsp wheat germ
  • 1 pkg dry oatmeal
  • couple spoonfuls plain yogurt
  • 3 packed handFULS spinach (then I taste it and add more if it tastes like I can hide it)
  • a couple kale leaves
  • 1-3 carrots
  • wedge of purple cabbage
  • wedge each of lemon and lime, rind on
  • frozen fruit - banana, strawberries, grapes, pineapple, berries, peaches, mango
  • splash of vanilla (I think this is the key to masking the taste of the other stuff. I can add twice as much spinach since I started adding vanilla.)
  • honey or agave, to taste, if needed. (This usually depends on the sweetness of the fruit.)
Blend until smooth. Add ice if needed. I use frozen fruit so I don't usually add ice. Plus it gets through a sippy easier if giving it to kids that way. Chow down! Literally! You know, it's good to chew your smoothies too. This starts the digestive process by stimulating production and mixing in the saliva!

* Tips and Tricks - I make my own fruit blend of whatever is on sale or in season. I stock up when grapes and strawberries are .79/lb. or when pineapple is .99/ea., or when people are begging for help eating all the fresh peaches off their trees. I bring it home, wash and chop it so it's ready to throw in a shake. Then I lay it out on a cookies sheet and put it in the freezer. Once frozen, I put it in a bag and it's ready to go. Inexpensive and custom made fruit smoothie blend!

Friday, November 12, 2010

Salted Nut Bars

16 oz jar dry roasted peanuts
12 oz peanut butter chips
3 Tbsp butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk
10 oz bag miniature marshmallows
1 tsp vanilla

Grease a 9x13. Sprinkle half of the peanuts in the pan. Melt the chips and butter for 2 minutes in the microwave or over low heat on stove. Add milk and cook for one more minute. Remove from heat or microwave. Add marshmallows and vanilla. Stir to coat. Pour into pan and press down. Sprinkle remaining peanuts onto and press down. Refrigerate until cooled and set.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Fit For a Hero Chocolate Cake

A member of the single's ward made this amazing cake for the luncheon after my brother's, Clark, funeral. I don't think that one person who tasted it didn't rave about how moist, rich, and delicious it was. My mom said, "Lucky is the man who marries the woman who made this cake!" We did our digging and got the recipe. (Now we are those women too so men, count yourselves lucky!) It is now a go-to favorite amongst our family. Clark became a hero to many during his illness and this cake is nothing short of being fit for a hero.

  • 1 box chocolate fudge cake mix (I used SuperMoist's Triple Chocolate Fudge, but any chocolate kind with pudding in it works - the fudge is definitely better than Devil's Food, promise!)
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 1/3 cup orange juice
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 3 eggs
  • 6 oz. chocolate chips (3/4 cup)
Mix together everything but chocolate chips (easy, no?) - I followed the box's recommendation of 30 seconds on low and then 2 minutes on medium. Then mix in the chocolate chips.

Pour into a well-greased (with shortening - NOT oil), well-floured bundt pan. I can't stress this enough! The greasing and flouring are essential for the cake to not stick, so be thorough.

Bake at 350* F. for 40-45 minutes.

When the cake has cooled , drizzle with chocolate glaze, which is made by combining:
  • 3 Tbsp. butter (you can melt it; I just used softened butter and then zapped the whole glaze for 25 seconds to make it pourable)
  • 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 Tbsp. hot water
  • 6 Tbsp. cocoa
I recommend serving along with some vanilla ice cream.

Hit the Spot Ham and Potato Soup

I have been dreaming about ham and potato soup for awhile. I made a few different recipes and none of them satisfied my craving. Then I made this one and I couldn't get enough! It was just what I was looking for. It is also a good base recipe for variations.

Servings: about 8

3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes (about 2 1/2 lbs.)
1/3 cup diced celery
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1-2 cloves garlic, or to taste
3/4 cup diced cooked ham
2-3 carrots, small dice
3 1/4 cups water
4 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules or 4 cubes
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk

Stove Top Directions:

Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.

In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.

Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.

Slow-Cooker Directions:

Combine all ingredients except last three in slow-cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours. Combine the butter, flour, and milk then add to slow-cooker. Cook on low 1 hour more.

Add Ins or Substitutions:
corn
green beans
Instead of ham add Italian sausage and peppers,
or chicken and broccoli,
or clams.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Tin Foil Potatoes

I have to admit, canned potatoes have not been my favorite to use. However, I have enjoyed them in a few dishes like soups and casseroles, or this tin foil packet. They are always nice for food storage in case of emergencies too.

I make these potatoes often whenever I'm grilling meat to make the best use of my grill time and keep the mess out of the kitchen. Nothing fancy but simple, fast, and tasty.

1 quart potatoes, drained and rinsed
onions and peppers, large dice
olive oil
seasonings to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir to coat. I seasoned mine with Jonny's Garlic Spread and Seasoning from Costco. Taylor used a potato seasoning packet and I think she added corn to hers also.

Wrap in a thin layer with a large piece of tin foil. Since the potatoes don't have to cook, they don't take long just to heat. I leave mine on for the whole time I'm cooking the meat, turning once, so they get crispy.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Pass the Recipe

I'm requesting recipes using home-canned potatoes.

Kristen, Taylor told me you did a tin-foil dinner type one on the grill and I'd love to hear about it!

Thanks!

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Cranberry Vinaigrette



Until my sister introduced this recipe to me, I wasn't a big fan of vinaigrette dressings. This recipe, however, is more sweet than vinegar, thick and creamy. Served over spinach, candied pecans, cucumbers and feta cheese it was almost like eating dessert! It makes about a quart and stores well in the fridge.

Ingredients:
1 Cup granulated sugar
2 Teaspoons dry mustard
1 Teaspoon salt
2/3 Cup vinegar (I used white vinegar, but use what you prefer!)
2 heaping Tablespoons Mayonnaise
2/3 Cup Craisins
1 1/2 - 2 Cups vegetable oil (I used 1 1/2)

Directions:
Combine all ingredients, except oil, in a blender or food processor and process until well combined. With power on medium, add the oil in a slow and steady stream until the dressing emulsifies.
Store refrigerated in an airtight container.

Monday, June 7, 2010

Sweet Potato Dip



This sour cream dip pairs perfectly with Taylor's sweet potato fries. A cool and tangy alternative to the typical ranch dip.

Ingredients:

¾ cup sour cream
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
¼ teaspoon minced garlic
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon lime zest

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Yield: ¾ cup

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Grandma Larson's Rhubarb Sauce

I love how food can take you back to a time and place like nothing else can. Rhubarb does that to me. It is very nostalgic and transports me about 15 years back, right into my grandma's kitchen on a hot summer day. It was fun to have my mom here in my home, and to watch her make this rhubarb sauce using her mother's recipe and rhubarb from her original plant. What pleasure it brought to then serve it to my kids.I got this recipe from my grandmother who is a champion cook so I don't hesitate in admitting it is wonderful. For you rhubarb lovers, give it a try and you'll be hooked. Serve it over cakes, ice cream, eat it plain or with half and half, make a malt, or even serve it over bread, it is sure to please.

Grandpa told the news once that the secret to his long life is sugar. Here's a way to put a little more into your diet!

Rhubarb Sauce

Rhubarb
Water
Sugar
Jello

Put cut up rhubarb into a sauce pan. Measure water you add to bring level of water even with rhubarb at top. Bring to a boil and then add 1 cup of sugar for each 2 cups of water used. Turn down heat and cook about 5 minutes more. When done, add one small (3 ounce) package of strawberry or raspberry jello for each 2 to 3 cups of water used, depending on how sweet you like it. Let cool or eat it warm. "We love it warm with some half and half added. My sister loves it made into malts. My father loves it with a slice of fresh bread. Actually, rhubarb is best made into pie, hahaha."(Mom).

Limeade Slush

This recipe is from my good friend, Heidi Bartlett. It's a great party punch. So light, refreshing, and completely simple to throw together at the last minute, as most of the preparation needs to be done ahead of time.


8 cups water

3 cups sugar

1 (12 oz) limeade concentrate

2 (12 oz) water

3 (2 liter container) Sprite

Boil sugar and water until sugar is dissolved. Add the concentrate and water. Cool. Pour evenly into 3 Ziploc bags and *freeze. For each bag of frozen mixture, combine with a 2-liter of Sprite.


* I typically like to freeze punch concentrates in a bunt pan, or other decorative shape to provide a nice presentation as it floats in the punch bowl. Don't worry about anything like this for this recipe, however. You will want to break up the ice with a knife so that it slushes up.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Whole Grain Banana Bread


Most banana breads are really banana cakes. They seem like they should be healthy, but they aren't. This one is exceptional, for taste and nutrition. It comes from a favorite blog of mine.

1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup of white sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons coconut oil
3 tablespoons kefir or buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 medium bananas
2/3 cup barley flour
2/3 cup oat flour
2/3 cup soft white wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 5x9 inch loaf pan. Cut a 5x9 inch piece of parchment and place in the bottom of the pan.In blender place syrup, sugar and egg. Blend on low for 45 seconds. Add oil, kefir, vanilla and bananas. Blend again for 30 seconds. Place the remaining ingredients on top of mixture. Pulse until mostly combined, finish mixing with a spatula and pour into loaf pan. Bake for about 45 minutes.

Be sure to check the bread a couple times in the last 10 minutes for doneness. Press gently on the middle of the loaf, firm is done. When you remove loaf from the oven, let cool 5-10 minutes in the pan, then turn out on a wire rack and peel the parchment from the bottom.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Millet, Quinoa, and Corn Chowder Soup



This hearty chowder is a great way to add different grains into your diet. Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) is a complete protein, containing all nine essential amino acids. I adapted this recipe from "Whole Grains Every Day, Every Way," by Lorna Sass.

Serves 6

Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups finely chopped leeks (white and light green parts)
1 cup finely diced celery
1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt; plus more to taste
1/4 amaranth or millet
1/2 cup ivory quinoa, thoroughly rinsed
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
4 cups fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels
4 cups stock (chicken, turkey, or vegetable)
1 cup whole milk
2 Tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley
Pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. In a large heavy pot, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. Stir in the leeks, celery, red bell pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.

2. Stir in the amaranth or millet and 3 cups of stock. Bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the quinoa and thyme. Return to a boil. Reduce the heat slightly and cook at a gentle boil, partially covered, for 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, puree 3 cups of the corn kernels with 1 cup of stock. When the quinoa has cooked for 10 minutes, stir the corn puree and the remaining corn kernels into the soup. Add salt to taste. Reduce the heat and simmer until the quinoa and amaranth or millet are tender, 3 to 5 more minutes. When the quinoa is done, there will be no starchy white dot in the center of each grain, and some of the germs' "tails" may unfurl and float freely. On close inspection, the amaranth or millet will look like tiny opaque bubbles floating on the surface.

4. Stir in the milk and remaining tablespoon of butter. Add more salt, if needed, and pepper to taste. Divide into portions and garnish each with a little parsley.

The soup thickens upon standing; thin as needed with additional milk, and add salt to taste.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Loy's Grapenut Bread

Easy! Delicious! Nutritious!

Loy's Grapenut Bread

Serves: 10
Loy always has grapenut bread on hand and you'll drive a long way to find any better, if then.

4 eggs, beaten
4 cups buttermilk
3 cups sugar
2 cups grapenut cereal
8 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt

Bake 45 minutes at 350*

Mix all ingredients together until blended. Divide into 2 greased loaf pans. Sprinkle with additional sugar across top. Bake.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Prudence Pennywise

So I got to talking with my Visiting Teacher about cooking on a budget. Who knew, but her sister is Prudence Pennywise, a famous blogger with a natural knack for cooking. I checked out her blog today and was instantly hooked. The top recipe was for Chicken Curry Soup in the Crockpot. The picture looks amazing, curry is my favorite, who can beat the ease of the crockpot, and it's cheap! The other recipes look just as good. This will be one I check in on regularly.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Vegan Artichoke Dip

This is one we enjoy very much when watching movies. It is super creamy.

1 pound Fresh Spinach
3-4 Artichoke Hearts
1 Cup Cashews
3/4 Cup Water
2 Cloves fresh Garlic
1 tsp. Sea Salt
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
Pinch of Cayenne (optional)

Process Artichoke Hearts and Spinach until chunky. In a blender, blend the rest of the ingredients until smooth. Stir the two together and serve with your favorite tortilla chips.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Raw Strawberry Cheesecake

So this has become our family's favorite recipe. You won't believe it's not cheese. After much trial and error, we finally found a recipe we can't do without. After one bite, you'll want another, and yet, it is so dense that a little goes a long way. This cake will last, and that's a good thing.

Crust
1 Cup Pecans
1 Cup Almonds
1/4 tsp. Salt
4 Medjool Dates, pitted and chopped

Filling
3 Cups Raw Cashew pieces, soaked overnight (or at least 3 hours)
1/2 Cup Agave Syrup
1/4 Cup Water
1/4 Cup Fresh Lime juice
1 tsp. Vanilla (preferably Danncy's Mexican)
3 1/2 Cups of Strawberries
3/4 Cup Coconut Oil, melted

Strawberry Coulis (Fancy word for pureed sauce)
2 Cups Strawberries
3 Tbsp. Agave Syrup

In a food processor, fully grind almonds and pecans. Add dates and salt and keep mixing. A nice dough should form. Press into a cake or pie pan and set aside in a fridge. This solidifies the nut oils a bit. For the filling, in a good blender, combine cashews, water, agave, lime juice and vanilla. A VitaMix is ideal for this if you have one. If not, add the cashews a few at a time along with the strawberries until the mixture is smooth. Scrape down occasionally. Add melted coconut in a steady stream. Pour the filling right over the crust and smooth out. It will look like a smoothie that will never set. Let chill in the fridge for about 4 hours or more. We couldn't wait 4 hours so our center turned out a little gooey. It was still delicious though. When ready to serve, simply puree the strawberries and agave and drizzle over the cake. YUM YUM YUM!

Friday, January 15, 2010

Oat-Sun Burgers

My upbringing was PACKED with nutritious foods (something I'm trying to get back to). As wonderful as it is to eat that way, not everything was wonderful to taste! This one, however, I remember loving. For those of you wanting to introduce some healthier items to your menu, give this one a try! Pictures yet to come.

Bring the following to a boil and simmer for 3-5 minutes.

3 cups water
1/4 cup Bragg Liquid Aminos
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 tsp. sweet basil

Then add the following and stir:

3 cups quick rolled oats
1/2 cup raw unsalted sunflower seeds (may also use chopped pecans or walnuts)

Return mixture to a boil. Remove from heat and let set for 5 minutes. Form into burgers while mixture is still hot by pressing into a wide-mouth jar ring. Remove ring and repeat.

Bake at 350* on a sprayed cookie sheet for 30 minutes. Then flip burgers and bake 15 minutes longer on second side. Serve with gravy or in a sandwich. These can be made in advance and be frozen for later use.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Sun Oat Burgers

Taylor,

My mom made these years ago but could never find the recipe again. I was thrilled to hear that you have it and have been craving them ever since. Also a great recipe to make for our husbands who are trying to trim their waist lines. PLEASE PASS THE RECIPE!

Thanks!

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Softest Play-Dough In The West

I'm kind of a Scrooge when it comes to play-dough. I have to admit I hate the stuff. It's selfish really. Play-dough is messy, you have to make sure kids don't eat it, it's something you have to play WITH them, and it's SO messy! That being said, I know that kids love it. I have gotten better. I just prepare myself for the task by setting aside a good chunk of time I can dedicate to playing with it with her, and clean up. I've made a few different homemade play-doughs and this is my favorite.

5 cups flour
1 cup salt
2 Tbsp alum or cream of tartar
6 Tbsp oil
4 cups boiling water
* To make colored play-dough - add food coloring to the water, or powdered tempura to the flour.

Boil water. Add oil. Stir in dry ingredients and mix well. Knead until soft. Store in an air tight container for months.