Citrus Basil Vinagrette

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbs orange juice
1 tbs lemon juice
1/4 lemon, zested
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs honey
1/8 cup chopped basil
1 tsp cider vinegar

Mix all ingredients together in a jar. Shake to combine.

For the salad, I used romaine with diced chunks of fresh mozzarella, grape tomatoes, and croutons. The dressing will last about three days. If you strain the basil out, it is good for two weeks.

Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour
⅓ cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen
½ cup raisins (or dried currants) - see notes below
½ cup sour cream
1 large egg

1. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, mix flour, ⅓ cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Grate butter into flour mixture on the large holes of a box grater; use your finger to
work in butter (mixture should resemble coarse meal), then stir in raisins.

3. In a small bowl, whisk sour cream and egg until smooth.

4. Using a fork, stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture until large dough clumps
form. Use your hands to press the dough against the bowl into a ball (The dough will
be sticky in places and there may not seem to be enough liquid at first, but as you
press, the dough will come together).

5. Place on a lightly floured surface and pat into a 7 to 8 inch circle about ¾-inch thick.
Sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar. Use a sharp knife or bench scraper to
cut into 8 triangles; place on a cookie sheet (preferably lined with parchment paper)
about 1-inch apart. Bake until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes
and serve warm or at room temperature.

Cherry-Almond Scones – Add ½ teaspoon almond extract to the sour cream mixture and
substitute dried cherries for the raisins (We also like the
almond extract with cherry flavored dried cranberries). - This is what is pictured above.

Lemon-Blueberry Scones – Add a generous teaspoon of finely grated lemon zest to the
dry ingredients and substitute dried blueberries for the raisins.

Cranberry-Orange Scones – Add a generous teaspoon of finely grated orange zest to the
dry ingredients and substitute dried cranberries for the
raisins.

I make these a lot. I really mean a lot. It's the best of both worlds between a biscuit and a muffin. We usually do a mixture of two of these. We like cranberries with almond extract. I haven't ever made these with raisins or currants. Be sure when you're running the butter over the grater that you rotate the sides you're grating. Otherwise, the sides touching your hands start to melt and will be difficult to pass through the grater. I've heard of people using nonstick spray with their box graters. This isn't something I've done because mine has a nonstick coating, but I could see the spray being helpful here. After you've finished grating the butter, be sure to scrape off the interior (if using a box grater) or opposite side (if using a flat grater).

Alfredo Sauce

I love this recipe because it is easy, fast, and tastes just like Olive Garden (my all-time fav!!). My two year old usually has 2-3 helpings too! This recipe is also nice because I usually double it and then freeze the remaining sauce in two ziploc bags. Then when you need a quick meal, run it under some warm water, stir and it's ready!! I love this on bowtie noodles, although you can use fettuccine, spaghetti noodles, anything you have!! Enjoy!!

1 pint Heavy Cream (I have used half-n-half and even milk before and it still works)

2 TB. Cream Cheese

1/2 C. Butter

3/4 C. Parmesean Cheese ( I use the powdered stuff in the can)

1 tsp. Garlic (powder or fresh)

pinch of parsley (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

In medium sauce pan, combine butter, cream, and cream cheese. Simmer this until all is melted and mixed. Add the parmesan cheese and garlic powder. Simmer for 15-20 minutes stirring frequently over low heat. Serve over noodles.

Concoction Enchildadas, Chicken three ways

I realize the name is a little odd, but concoction is the name Michael gives to anything I make that doesn't have a definite recipe. These enchiladas are different nearly every time. The only constant is that there is always cheese and tortillas. You can substitute nearly anything that you like wrapped in a tortilla in this "recipe." The quantity of filling determines how many tortillas you'll need. If you make too much filling, refrigerate it and make some more enchiladas, or cook more rice and serve it over top. I know the directions look long, but the actual dish doesn't take that long to make.

Ingredients
10-12 tortillas (I like corn, but have used flour before - if using corn, read the hint on the left side of this page)
2-3 chicken breasts, or a Costco rotisserie chicken, shredded* see explanation below
chicken broth* see explanation below
about one cup of cooked rice, if desired
about one cup of black beans, if desired
about one cup of corn, if desired
about two cups of cheese, shredded
2 cans of 10 oz. enchilada sauce (I use one red and one green)
8 oz. cream cheese on occasion

*For chicken three ways, bake, grill, or otherwise cook a whole chicken (or go to Costco and buy one). Serve with whatever side items strike your fancy. Meal number one. Shred remaining chicken to use in enchiladas (or some other meal). Meal number two. For meal number three, put remaining chicken (bones and all) in a pot filled with water. Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Allow this to simmer for as long as you have time for; I've done it for as long as three hours. When you've waited long enough, remove the bones and skim the fat off of the top. Add carrots, celery, onion, and/or any other vegetables you like. When those have nearly finished cooking, add some noodles, and voila - meal number three is chicken noodle soup. Now, back to enchiladas.

*If you are using raw chicken, boil the breasts in a pot with enough broth to cover the top of the meat with one inch of broth. Bring broth to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 20-60 minutes (the longer the better, but it usually takes about 20 minutes for the chicken to be fully cooked). If you allow the chicken to simmer for the longer amount of time, be sure to check on it every so often so it doesn't cook dry. When chicken is cooked, remove from heat - don't drain, shred chicken.

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Add chicken and one can of sauce to remaining broth (if using the raw chicken method). Heat this mixture to a simmer and allow to simmer until you need the filling - this is where I use the red sauce.
3. Spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick spray. If using cream cheese, add to the second can of sauce - this is where I use green sauce. Cover the bottom of the pan with about 1/2 cup of the second can of sauce. Be sure all other ingredients are prepped.
4. Add rice, beans, and corn to the chicken mixture. Get ready to start rolling.
5. Add some filling and cheese to a tortilla, roll it up, and place it seam side down in the 9x13 pan. Repeat until filling is used up or tortillas run out.
6. Pour remaining can of sauce over top of rolled enchiladas, being sure to spread it evenly. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake for 20 minutes. If the cheese isn't browned after 20 minutes, turn the broiler on to low, and broil until the cheese has browned. It doesn't take long for it to turn from melted pale cheese to browned to black, so watch carefully.
7. After removing from oven, allow the enchiladas to cool for about five minutes. Serve with sour cream, salsa, guacamole, avocado chunks, olives, etc. Enjoy!

Cake Mix Cookies

These are so easy to make. They are quite a bit softer than regular cookies. I suppose if you substituted butter for the oil, it would give you a crispier cookie. Here are some variations I thought you could do. Lemon cake - dried blueberries, spice cake - toasted pecans, chocolate cake - dried cherries, really the possibilities are endless. To be quite honest, these aren't the best cookies I've ever had. They are good enough for a quick cookie fix though.

1 box any flavor cake mix
½ cup flour
⅔ cup oil
2 eggs
6 oz. chocolate chips, any other flavored chips, dried fruit, nuts, etc

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients except the chocolate chips. Mix well. Add chocolate chips; mix well. Scoop a teaspoon sized ball onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Makes 2-3 dozen cookies.

Cheesy Ravioli Bake

This is a very simple, quick dish which I usually have all the ingredients for. I have used both frozen and fresh ravioli. Of course the fresh tasted better, but the frozen is just fine. I usually just use mozzarella instead of the Italian cheese blend, but use whatever you have on hand that melts nicely. There are lots of other things you could add to this dish (sausage, veggies, etc) to make it your own; I probably wouldn't add more than one cup's worth of extras. Be careful of water based ingredients (mushrooms, zucchini, spinach, etc), they could flood the dish unless you cook them first. I love this dish for Sundays. I put it together in the morning, leave it in the oven during church, and have the time bake function set. When I get home, all I have to do is take the foil off, and finish baking it. Within 30 minutes of coming home, dinner is ready - with very little effort.

1 26 oz jar spaghetti sauce (unless you have homemade on hand - who does?)
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes (if you don’t like chunks, use crushed)
½ c water
2 lbs frozen ravioli (or enough to make two layers in a 9x13 pan)
2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend
2 tbs grated Parmesan cheese

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Mix sauce, tomatoes, and water. Spoon 1 cup into the bottom of a 9x13 dish.

3. Layer ½ ravioli and 1 cup shredded cheese over the sauce in the bottom of the pan. Top with remaining ravioli and sauce mix. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the sauce, and top with the Parmesan. Cover with foil.

4. Bake 30 minutes then uncover. Bake for additional 15-20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Frozen Peanut Butter Pie

In my mind, there is no better combination than peanut butter and chocolate. Mint is a close second, but peanut butter takes the cake, or in this case the pie. If you're really ambitious, you can make your own crust, but why? I normally make this with a chocolate crust, but graham cracker is what was in the cupboard, still good. Enjoy!



8 oz softened cream cheese
½ cup milk
¾ cup extra chunky peanut butter
8 oz whipped topping
1 cup powdered sugar
1 9-inch chocolate or graham cracker crust
Chocolate Syrup

1. Mix cream cheese in medium bowl with electric mixer on low speed until soft and fluffy. Mix in peanut butter and sugar until incorporated.

2. Slowly add milk, beating until well blended. Fold in whipped topping.

3. Spoon into pie crust, mounding the top. Freeze until firm. When solid, cover with foil. (Pie may be frozen for several weeks.) Go ahead and throw the lid away that comes with the store bought crust, it won't fit on.

4. To serve, remove pie from freezer 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Drizzle chocolate syrup over individual pieces.