2 recipes!!

I know I know! It's been forever since I have posted a new recipe! I'm sorry!!! Things have been so busy with Christmas and coming home to visit our families it just sort of got away from me! To make up for it I will share TWO recipes with you today!! Although I don't recommend eating them together...probably wouldn't taste very good :P

First up is....


Baked Potato Soup

This recipe is perfect for cold nights, and is super easy and delicious to make! This recipe tends to taste a lot better when its doubled, but I will give you the recipe for a single batch of it although I strongly recommend doubling it! :)

You will need:

1 can of cream of chicken soup
1-2 teaspoons of Lawry's Seasoning Salt
8 oz of sour cream (DON'T GET THE LOW FAT STUFF! doesn't taste near as good!)
1 1/2 cups of milk (again don't use skim milk, use 2% or whole)
2 large potatoes
1/4 cup of bacon

Bake potatoes at 400 for about an hour, peel then cut into small chunks
While the potatoes are cooking mix together milk, soup and sour cream until it is smooth. Then add the salt and stir. Taste to see if it needs more salt added (we usually add about 1-2 tsp more than what the recipe calls for) Next add the chunks of potato and bacon and stir until warm. Serve with shredded cheese on top




Our next recipe is....

Candy Cane Biscotti

You will need:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
8 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2/3 cup + 3 Tbsp finely crushed peppermint candy canes (about 8 canes)
14 ounces fine quality white chocolate, melted


Preheat oven to 350° F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.

In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat together butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Add dry ingredients and mix until combined – stir in crushed candy.

Evenly divide dough into 4 pieces on a lightly floured surface. Shape each piece into 9″ x 1 1/2″ round log. Place logs 3 inches apart onto parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until tops are cracked and ends just start to turn light brown, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and reduce temperature to 325° F. Cool logs 10 minutes on cookie sheet.



Cut each log diagonally into 1/2″ slices with sharp serrated knife (discard ends, if you want). Arrange pieces standing up back onto the baking sheet.
Bake until cookies are light golden brown and crisp on both sides, about 12 to 15 minutes. The centers may still be a little soft, but will firm up as they cool. Place onto cool rack and cool completely.



Dip half of each biscotti into melted chocolate – shake off excess. Immediately sprinkle with additional crushed candy canes and set on a parchment or wax paper lined baking sheet until the chocolate has set. Makes about 42 biscotti.




Bon Apetit!!

Chicken in White Wine and Broccolini

Holy cow!!! I made this for my husband and I dinner tonight because it seemed quick and easy to make..we just finished eating it and it is probably one of my more favorite recipes I have tried out!! Seriously this is one of THE most delicious dinners ever!


Chicken in White Wine and Broccolini

For the Chicken you will need:

4 chicken breasts
1 can of cream of chicken
1/4 cup of white cooking wine
1 tsp of salt and pepper
1 cup herb flavored stuffing mix
1 stick of melted butter
slices of swiss cheese

Put your chicken breasts in a greased casserole pan. Mix together cream of chicken and white cooking wine in a bowl, then stir together until smooth and well mixed. Next, salt and pepper the chicken in the pan, and layer two slices of swiss cheese per chicken breast on top. Then spread your cream of chicken and white wine mixture over top the cheese. Sprinkle the stuffing mix so that it covers the chicken then pour the melted butter over top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. While your chicken is in the oven....

Broccolini

2 heads of broccoli
1-2 TBS of olive oil
1 clove of garlic
1/4 cup of almond slivers
1 TBS of lemon juice


Cut off the florets of broccoli and steam for about 5 minutes. While they are steaming pour the olive oil into a skillet, mince your clove of garlic and add to the oil, as well as the almond slivers and let simmer until the garlic becomes toasted. Keep an eye on it because the garlic can toast pretty quickly if your heat is too high!!

Pour oil, garlic and almond mixture over the steamed broccoli, sprinkle with lemon juice and serve!!


Hope ya'll enjoy this dinner as much as we did, because it sure was delicious!!! :)




Bon Appetit!

Vegetable Quiche

I looove making this quiche! It is quick and easy to make, and it smells soo delicious coming out of the oven with all of the spices in it! Yumm!!! Hope ya'll enjoy this as much as we do!! :D


Vegetable Quiche

For the dough, mix:

1 cup of all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoons of thyme
1/4 teaspoons of oregano
dash of salt
3 tablespoons of crisco shortening
3 tablespoons of butter
3-4 tablespoons of milk

Mix together the flour, thyme, oregano, and salt. Add in the crisco and 3 tablespoons of butter one tablespoon at a time. Mix together until the flour mixture starts to clump together into little balls. Next add the milk one tablespoon at a time, stiring inbetween each one. Roll the dough into a ball and then flatten out on a lightly floured surface so that it will fit a 9 inch pie pan. Press the edges of the dough up along the sides of the pan before adding in the filling.



For the filling, mix:

2 cups of sharp or mild cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon of oregano
1/2 teaspoon of thyme
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/8 teaspoon of pepper
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/4 cups milk
3 eggs, beaten
1 bag of frozen mixed vegetables (thawed)

Combine all the ingredients in one bowl, except for the milk and eggs which you will mix together in a separate bowl. Once mixed pour the cheese vegetable mix into the pan over the pie crust. Next pour the milk and egg mixture over the vegetables. Bake at 350 for 45 to 50 minutes, or until you can stick a knife down into the quiche and have it come out clean. Let stand 10 to 12 minutes before serving

Also, I will usually sprinkle a little extra cheddar cheese and some mozzarella cheese on top of the quiche before baking it (Cheese is a must in the Goodding household!)


All ready to go in the oven!!


Delicious!!!!


Bon Appetit!!

Cinnamon Rolls

Who needs Pillsbury when you can make your own cinnamon rolls from scratch?! It may take a little longer, but its much more fun and tasty than store bought cinnamon rolls! :) This recipe is pretty easy, the only trick to it is getting your dough right. I'll give you some tips along the way to help :)



Ingredients:

2 packages of dry active yeast
1/2 cup of hot water
4 eggs
1/2 cup of sugar
2 tsp of salt
5 cups of flour
2 sticks melted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

First mix the yeast and hot water together in a bowl and let sit until it starts to bubble slightly.
In a separate bowl mix together eggs, sugar, and salt, then add in the yeast/water mix. Stir together until mixed. Next add a stick of melted butter and mix together.

Add in your flour one cup at a time (If you are lucky enough to have a Kitchen Aid use your dough hook, however if you are like me, I would recommend hand stirring it with a spoon other wise it will gum up your hand mixer). After adding the 3rd cup of flour you should notice your dough start to become a little gummy. When you finish adding your flour you want your dough to not feel gummy or sticky. If your dough is still sticky to the touch add in more flour a little at a time until you are able to pick it up without it sticking to your hands like chewed gum would. After your dough is ready put it in a greased bowl, cover it, and let it sit for 1 hour.



After the dough has sat for an hour, sprinkle your counter surface with flour, then place the dough on top of the counter and roll it out to a rectangular shape. Next melt another stick of butter and brush it over the dough. Cover the dough with the brown sugar, followed by cinnamon. Next roll the dough up like a log and cut the ends off. Then cut 8 sections from the dough roll and place them in a circular greased pan. Let this sit for one hour, and after the dough has risen bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes until the tops are golden brown.





For the icing mix 1.5 cups of powdered sugar, 1 teaspoons of vanilla extract, and 3 tablespoons of milk together. (I always like to add a few drops of food coloring to make the icing a fun color.) After the cinnamon rolls are done, pour over the top and let sit for a few minutes before serving.




Bon Appetit!!

Cheesy Lasagna with Veggies

Honestly, I don't think just "Cheesy Lasagna with Veggies" is very accurate...it should be "CHHHEEEESSSYYY Lasagna with Veggies" instead. My husband can't get enough of this recipe (he is addicted to cheese!). It's so delicious though! Trust me, one slice won't be enough, you will definitely be coming back for seconds with this dish!
One thing I have yet to learn in the kitchen is the order of making things. I always start the noodles too early when making this dish, and end up having to rush making everything else, so I'm going to give you the recipe in the direction that I have learned is best to make it without having to rush at the end to get it all in the pan before the noodles get too soggy! :)

You will need:

12 lasagna noodles
2 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese
2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 slivered carrots
2 heads of chopped broccoli
1 chopped onion
2 heads of chopped cauliflower
1 chopped red bell pepper
3 minced garlic cloves
1/2 cup of flour
3 cups of milk
3/4 cup of parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp of salt and pepper
1 cup chopped spinach
8 oz small curd cottage cheese
24 oz ricotta cheese

Directions

1) Sauté your vegetables

2 heads of broccoli; chopped
2 heads of cauliflower; chopped
2 carrots; slivered
1 onion; chopped
1 bell pepper; chopped

place all the vegetables in a frying pan, put in 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and add 3 minced cloves of garlic. Let sit for about 7 minutes, occasionally stirring until soft.

2) Cook 12 lasagna noodles until al dente, drain and set aside

3) Make your sauce (while noodles are cooking)

1/2 cup of flour
3 cups of milk
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups of chopped spinach

Mix flour and milk in the frying pan and stir until it is well mixed, then allow to thicken up slightly. Once the flour and milk has thickened add in the parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Stir until well mixed, then add in chopped spinach. Set aside 1/2 cup in a small dish to top your lasagna with at the end.

4) Make your cheese mix

8 oz of small curd cottage cheese
24 oz of ricotta cheese

Mix together in a small bowl and set aside.

5) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish and spread 1/2 cup of the spinach mixture across the bottom, then 2 cups of mozzarella cheese. Lay about 3-4 noodles over top, then add some of the ricotta mix spreading it evenly across the noodles followed by half the vegetable mixture. Continue to layer the cheese, vegetables and noodles, ending with a layer of lasagna noodles on top. Top the noodles with the reserved 1/2 cup spinach mix, 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of basil.

6) Bake at 375 for 35 minutes until it has browned on top. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.



Bon Appetit!!

Dill Chicken and Rice

This is one of my husband's favorite recipes :) It's one of my favorites too because it is so easy to make, and once you have the ingredients to make it once, you'll have enough to make it a few times over in the future. It's one of my go to recipes when I don't have much to make, and don't want to put a lot of time into making a meal. Enjoy!!

Dill Chicken and Rice

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup uncooked rice (NOT THE MINUTE RICE!!)
2 cups of chicken broth*
1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of dill
5-6 tablespoons of butter

*Note: You can either use ready made chicken broth, or get chicken boullion cubes at your grocery store and boil 2 cups of water and put in 2-3 cubes and let them dissolve. I like the cubes better because they last longer for making more in the future instead of buying the containers of broth each time.*

Take out and thaw the chicken breasts. While you are doing this put the uncooked rice in a 9x13 baking dish. Pour in the chicken broth, then lay the chicken breasts out over the rice. Salt and pepper the chicken, then put your butter all over the rice and chicken (I usually use a little more than 5 tablespoons and put one table spoon on each chicken breast and then a few smaller spoonfuls on the rice). Next, add the lemon juice all across the pan followed by the dill over top the chicken and rice.

Cover your pan with tin foil and put in the oven to back at 375 for about 30 to 45 minutes. If the rice still is a little hard stick it back in the oven for a few minutes longer until it has softened!





Bon Appetit!!

It's country fried steak ya'll!!

So my husband has been asking me to find a country fried steak and gravy recipe for a while. We are living down south now after all! This recipe turned out much better than I thought it would be! The really awesome thing is you can make it in the skillet, or deep fry it! :)

Country Fried Steak and Gravy

4 pieces of cubed steak
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup of flour
1 tsp lawry's seasoning salt
1 tsp pepper

mix egg and milk together in one bowl, and mix flour, salt and pepper in another bowl
season steak with salt and pepper and coat both sides in the flour mixture. Then put in the egg/milk mixture and coat both sides, put in flour mixture one more time, then put coated steak in a skillet with heated oil.

Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes on medium heat until the meat is cooked. Put cooked steak on a paper towel and pat off the excess oil.

For the gravy mix 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 4 tablespoons of flour in a skillet. Heat until it is well mixed. Add 2 cups of milk and about 1 teaspoon of basil,1 teaspoon of salt, and two pinches of pepper. Stir and allow to thicken. (If the gravy is still runny add another tablespoon of flour) Serve over top of the steak







Bon Appetit!