Need Simple but Yummy Recipes

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SizzlininIN

Master Chef
Joined
Sep 14, 2004
Messages
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Location
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I'm putting together a recipe collection for my best friend and her daughter to give to them as one of their Christmas gifts.

Please share your simple but yummy recipes so that I can add to my collection:

Thanks :D
 
Here's one, Siz. I'll post some more when I've finished my day job for today.

Hot Chocolate

4 oz. good bittersweet chocolate, crumbled into pea-sized bits
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar

Heat milk, cream and sugar til tiny bubbles form around the edges. Remove
from heat, add chocolate, and stir til melted.
 
here's one I stole from crewsk....

Playful Peanut Butter Dough - crewsk

1/2 larg sized jar creamy peanut butter
2Tbsp. honey
2C. powbered milk
raisins
mini marshmallows

Mix peanut butter, honey, & 3/4 of the powbered milk in a bowl. Mix with your hands. Add more powdered milk until the doughy feels soft & playful. Use like play dough & add raisins & marshmallows for docorations. Eat your creations!
 
Here's my favorite simple one:


Pineapple Yummy Cake


Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 each eggs
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 (1 lb. 4 oz.) can crushed pineapple & juice
ICING
1 can (5 oz.) evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup margarine, cut into pieces
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup nuts (pecans or walnuts)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Make icing first to allow time to cool. Combine milk, sugar & margarine in medium saucepan. Boil 2 min. or until thickened to consistency of thick soup. Remove from heat. Stir in coconut, vanilla & nuts. Let cool.

Lightly coat 13x9x2" pan with cooking spray. For cake, beat flour, sugar, eggs, soda, & pineapple on low speed until well blended, about 1 min. Pour into pan. Bake 30-35 min. until golden. Cool in pan on rack. Pour icing over cake & spread. Icing not fat free.

Description:
"Easy fat free cake" :P
Yield:
"24 slices"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
 
Strawberry Cobbler

Serves 8

5 c. frozen strawberries (packed in sugar), defrosted
1 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1/2 c. chopped pecans (opt.)
1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, melted

Crust:
1 1/3 c. flour
1 1/3 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/3 c. heavy cream, (whipping cream)

Spray a 13 x 9" baking dish with cooking spray. Melt the butter; pour into cassorole dish, making sure butter covers bottom.

Add strawberries, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and almond extract to a saucepan
Cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved.

Prepare crust by combining flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Mix with a wisk until blended. Wisk in heavy cream. When crust batter is smooth (no lumps) pour into cassorole
dish over butter. Evenly spread strawberries over the crust. Sprinkle pecans (if desired) over the top. Place in a 350F. oven, bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.

Serve with a scoop of your favorite ice cream.

Note: Evaporated milk or regular milk may be subsituted for the heavy cream if desired.
------------------------------

Denver Chocolate Pudding

3/4 cup sugar
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 square chocolate (semi-sweet)
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Melt chocolate and butter together.
Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together. Add chocolate and
butter. Add milk and vanilla.

Pour into buttered baking dish (I use a 1 1/2 qt glass casserole dish
w/o the cover.)

Over the top, scatter, WITHOUT MIXING:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
4 Tbsp cocoa

Pour over all this: 1 cup cold water. DO NOT MIX!

Bake 40 -- 60 minutes at 325 deg. F.
------------------------

Creamy Caramel-Peach Parfaits

2/3 cup caramel ice-cream topping
1 (8-ounce) container frozen whipped topping thawed
1 (29-ounce) can sliced peaches drained and cut into pieces
5 soft molasses cookies broken up

Fold ice-cream topping into whipped topping in small bowl. Layer
cookies, whipped topping mixture and peaches in 6 parfait or other tall
glasses.Sprinkle with cookie crumbs, if desired. Serve immediately, or
refrigerate until serving time. Yield: 6 servings.

--------------------

Apple and Banana Aside

2 Bananas, peeled and sliced
2 Apples, peeled, cored and cut in slices
Juice of half a lemon

Topping:
1/4 c Packed brown sugar
1/4 Flour
1/4 c Butter

Note: Use about 1 banana and 1 apple for each two diners to increase
recipe. Do not decrease.

In a buttered casserole, arrange a layer of apple slices and banana
slices. Drizzle with lemon juice, dot with butter and sprinkle with a
little sugar. Make another layer of fruit.

Cream together (until crumbly) the topping ingredients; sprinkle over
fruit mixture.

Bake at 325 F. for 30-40 minutes. Serve over vanilla ice cream.

----------------------

Snickers Chimichanga

7 (2 ounce) Snickers candy bars
4 (12-inch) burrito-size tortillas
2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine
Vanilla ice cream
Maraschino cherries and whipped cream, optional

Cut 6 Snickers bars into 4 equal pieces. Arrange 6 pieces in the center of each tortilla. Fold up burrito style; seal ends with a toothpick. Transfer to small cookie sheet. Brush all sides of each burrito with the melted butter then cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1 hour. (Can be made ahead. Refrigerate up to 24 hours.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake burritos until golden brown and crisp, 20 minutes.

Coarsely chop remaining Snickers bar. Place each chimichanga in a shallow dessert bowl. Serve with ice cream, whipped cream, cherries and chopped Snickers bar.
 
Thanks to a quiet evening, I actually had a few moments to jot these down on the laptop. All are very simple and frequent favorites around our house...


Simple Fruit Salad I

2 medium ripe bananas, sliced
1 pint fresh strawberries, quartered
1 can (20 ounces) pineapple tidbits, drained
1 can (11 ounces) mandarin oranges, drained

Dressing:
1 container of strawberry yogurt, thinned with about a tablespoon of milk and a tablespoon of honey

Combine the fruit into a medium-sized serving bowl and drizzle with the dressing, or serve on the side.

Simple Fruit Salad II

4 apples, peeled, sliced into wedges, core removed, and chopped into bite-sized pieces
Fresh chunk pineapple, juice reserved
1 pint strawberries, stems removed and halved
¼ cup honey
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ cup of the reserved pineapple juice

Combine the honey with the lemon and pineapple juice and mix well in a large bowl. Add all the prepared fruits and toss to coat well. Serve!


Steamed Salmon Dinner

Salmon steaks, lightly salted and peppered (1 per person)
Zucchini and Yellow Squash, cut into long, thin slices (1 each per person)
Asparagus stems, trimmed
Small Red Potatoes, scrubbed and sliced in half
Lemon
¼ cup Butter

First make a Court Bouillion of water and various aromatics, like green onion stems, lemon slices, fresh rosemary sprigs, bay leaf, etc. Add steamer basket, cover and bring to boil.

Steam potato halves first, in a single layer for about 7-8 minutes. Carefully remove and set aside, season with salt and pepper, and keep warm.

Next place the salmon filets in the basket and surround with the sliced vegetables and asparagus. Steam these together for about 5 minutes until the salmon flakes when done.

Melt the butter and add the juice of half the lemon and blend.

Plate the filets with vegetables and potatoes and drizzle all with lemon butter and serve.


Savory Baked Corn on the Cob

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 green onion bulb, minced
1 teaspoon minced parsley
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 medium ears sweet corn, silk and husks removed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a small bowl, combine the mayo, garlic, green onion, parsley paprika, salt and pepper, and mix together well.

Lay each ear on a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil (large enough to wrap up the ear), and spread a fourth of this mayo mixture over each. Completely seal the corn in the foil.

Bake in a preheated 350-degree (F) oven for 30-35 minutes, or until tender.

Alternatively, the foil-covered ears may be grilled over medium heat for 30-35 minutes, turning occasionally.


Maple Baked Apples

4 large tart apples
raisins
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup maple syrup
Large pinch ground cloves
Large pinch ground cinnamon

Core apples, remove the seeds and peel away a bit of skin around the top of each apple. Stuff each apple with raisins and place in a baking dish or “apple bakers” (if you have them).

Combine the butter, lemon juice, syrup and spices and pour over the apples. Bake, uncovered, in a 375-degree (F) preheated oven for about 45 minutes, basting often. Serve warm. This is especially good served with a glob of vanilla ice cream on the side!


Tofu Dill Dip

1 cucumber, peeled and sliced into ¼ inch slices
1 lb. tofu (soft or silken tofu is best)
1 tsp. dill weed
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Place all of the ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend until creamy. Serve with raw vegetables and crackers.

Not Your Usual Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 cup butter
1-1/2 cups (15 ounces) applesauce
1/2 cup molasses or maple syrup
2 large ripe bananas, peeled
1-3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup raisins or chopped dates

Cream together the margarine, applesauce, molasses or maple syrup, and bananas in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Drop a rounded tablespoon of batter at a time on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.

Bake in a preheated 400-degree (F) oven for about 8 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool for about five minutes before removing from cookie sheet. Makes about 3-1/2 dozen cookies.

Variation: Add ½ cup chopped walnuts or chopped apples to batter. (The apple addition is really good!)

Chocolate Chip Chocolate Meringue Kisses

2 large egg whites
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
1-1/4 cups superfine sugar
¼ cup cocoa powder, sifted
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (F). Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat the egg whites and salt with a mixer on high until they are foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat until soft peaks form. Beat in the sugar a few tablespoons at a time. Continue beating until you no longer feel any sugar when you rub a little of the mixture between your fingers. Beat in the cocoa powder until it is completely incorporated. Slowly fold in the chocolate chips.

Drop by tablespoonsful onto the prepared cookie sheets, and leave a little peak at the top of each one to resemble a chocolate kiss.

Bake for 1-1/2 hours. Then turn off the oven, prop the oven door open slightly (I place a hot pad in the door and close the door on it), and allow the kisses to cool completely in the oven.

Peel the cooled kisses off the parchment paper and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks.


Now, this last one IS NOT EDIBLE, but a cool recipe that kids enjoy. I do, as a big kid myself, and make tons of baskets in a variety of shapes and sizes for gift baskets at Christmas and Valentines Day, etc.

Salt-Bread Dough for Baskets

4 cups flour
2 cups salt
1-1/2 cups of hot tap water
clear gloss varnish (spray is best)
ovenproof dish, round or oblong, square, whatever

Mix the warm water with the salt in a large bowl. Let it cool down and then slowly add the flour until you have formed a firm dough. Knead the dough until it feels elastic. Cover it with a damp cloth and let it rest for at least 30 minutes before using.

Measure the diameter/dimensions of the ovenproof dish. Roll out the dough to the desired thickness and cut it into strips of about an inch longer than the diameter of the dish. Lay the strips in one direction:
Lay the strips across the dish - from the top of one side, downwards across the base of the dish and then upwards on the other side, to the top of that side. Continue laying the strips, leaving an even gap (of about 1 inch width) between the strips.

Weave the strips in the opposite direction: Lift up every alternate strip that has already been laid and move the one end to the other, so that both ends are next to each other. Place another strip of dough across the dish in the opposite direction. Gently pull back the strips that were previously lifted. Use this method to "weave" the other strips across the dish as well. Trim any uneven edges with a knife.

Make the rim by rolling out thin strips of dough of about 5 inches long. Place the strips of dough around the edge of the dish. Lay the next piece of dough carefully next to the last piece of dough - continue this until the rim is covered. Take a tiny piece of an old, damp and clean pair of pantihose, cover your index finger with it and gently wipe over the edges of the dough covering the rim - this is to ensure a smooth finish to the rim. Take a sharp knife and deftly, make slight incisions into the top part of the rim - to give a ribbed effect.

Bake in at a low heat (about 250 degrees Fahrenheit) for about 1 and a half to 2 hours, or until the dough is a light golden brown in colour. The dough must be hard to the touch. Remove from the oven and let it cool down completely before removing the basket from the dish.

Paint the basket with clear varnish. Let it dry and then add an additional layer of varnish.
 
Wow.......thanks guys.....they all sound really good!! I truely appreciate you taking the time to type it all out. :D
 
Forgotten Cookies

2 egg white, stiffly beaten
1C. chopped nuts
2/3C. sugar
1C. chocolate chips


Make sure all utensil & bowls are free of any oil or the egg whites will not get stiff enough. I use all glass or metal bowls when making these.
Gradually add sugar to stiff egg whites & gently fold in nuts & chocolate chips. Put double layer of aluminum foil on cookie sheet(s). Drop mixture by tablespoon fulls onto foil. Have oven preheated to 350 deg, place cookies in heated oven & immediately turn oven off. Leave cookies in oven overnight. Do not open oven door at all! These do not spread so you can put them pretty close together on the cookie sheet.

You may leave out the nuts if you like. Also try substituting mini M&M's for the chocolate chips for a more colorful cookie.[/b]
 
Over-night Coffee Cake

2C. all-purpose flour
1C. sugar
1/2C. firmly packed brown sugar
1tsp. baking powder
1tsp. baking soda
1/2tsp. salt
1tsp. cinnamon
1C. buttermilk
2 large eggs
2/3C. melted butter

Mix first 7 ingredients, add buttermilk, butter, & eggs. Beat a tmedium speed w/ an electric mixer for 3 minutes. Spoon batter into a greasd & floured 9x13x2 inch baking pan.

Mix 1/2C. brown sugar 1/2C. chopped pecans, & 1/2tsp. cinnamon, sprinkle over batter.

Cover & refrigerate overnight. Uncover & bake at 350 deg. for 30-35 minutes.



Butter Pecan Bars

These came from AcraMax.com. They are really good & quick!


2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 and 1/3 cup flour
1 and 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2/3 cup pecans, chopped

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Pour into a greased 13 x 9-inch-baking pan and bake for 20 - 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Allow to cool and cut into bars.

The Skinny: Use your favorite egg and sugar substitutes. These bars will be pretty dense. If you want to lighten them up a little and make them more cake-like, add 1/2 tsp. of baking powder.
 
CHEX SNACK MIX:

12 oz Rice Chex (1 box)
12 oz Corn Chex (1 box)
24 oz Wheat Chex cereal (1 box)
10 1/2 oz Cheerios cereal
16 1/2 oz pretzel nuggets
1 (15.25oz) box pretzel sticks
garlic toast croutons
1 lb mixed nuts

Seasoning:
1 cup oil
4 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp garlic salt
1 tbsp seasoning salt

Mix up dry ingredients in a large wok or casserole dish. Mix up seasoning seperately, then pour over the top of the dry ingredients. Bake at 250°for 2 hours, stirring occasionally (approx every 1/2 hour).

30-MIN BEEF STROGANOFF:

1 nonstick cooking spray
1 lb round steak, cut into 1/4 in strips
2/3 cup water
3 oz mushrooms, sliced, canned
1 package dry onion soup mix
1 cup yogurt, plain, lowfat
2 tbsp flour
6 oz cooked egg noodles

In a frying pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, brown meat. Add
water, mushrooms (including liquid), and soup mix. Cover and simmer
for 15 minutes. In a small bowl, blend yogurt and flour; add to meat
mixture. Cook and stir on low heat until mixture thickens. Serve over
hot noodles.

NOTE: For greater flavor, substitute no fat beef broth or some wine for part of the water called for in the ingredients.

24-HR FRENCH BREAD:

2 tbsp active dry yeast
2 1/2 cup water (110-degrees)
7 1/2 cup bread flour to 8 cups
1 tbsp salt
1 egg white (for glaze)
1 tbsp water (for glaze)

In large bowl of electric mixer, dissolve yeast in
2-1/2 c water. Add 2-1/2 to 3 c flour; stir 1 minute. Batter will
have consistency of soft pudding.

Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place, free
from drafts, overnight or at least 8 hours. The longer the sponge
ferments, the better the flavor will be.

The next day, stir in salt and 1 to 1-1/2 c of remaining flour. Beat
at medium speed with electric mixer 6 minutes, or beat 600 vigorous
strokes by hand. Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough.

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Clean and lightly flour
bowl. Knead dough 15 to 20 minutes or until smooth, elastic, and no
longer sticky.

Place dough in floured bowl. Dust surface lightly with flour; cover
with a slightly damp towel. Let rise in a warm place, free from
drafts, until tripled in bulk, about 1-1/2 hours.

Grease 2 large baking sheets or 4 French-bread pans.

Punch down dough. Knead 2 minutes. Cover and let rest
10 minutes.

For oblong loaves, divide dough into 3 or 4 pieces, depending on
desired thickness of loaves.

On a lightly floured surface, shape each piece into a smooth log,
gently tapering ends. For round loaves, divide dough in half. Shape
each half into a smooth ball.

Place shaped dough on prepared baking sheets. Cover with a dry towel.
Let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Adjust oven racks to 2 lowest positions. Place a shallow roasting pan
on lowest shelf; pour in 2 c boiling water.

Preheat oven 15 minutes to 425-degrees.

Slash tops of oblong loaves with 5 diagonal slashes each. Slash tops
of each round loaf with 3 horizontal slashes and 3 vertical slashes
in a tic-tac-toe design.

Brush loaves with cold water.

Bake 15 minutes.

Brush loaves with egg-white glaze; bake 10 minutes longer.

Brush again with egg-white glaze. Remove roasting pan from oven.

Bake loaves 10 to 15 minutes longer, for a total of 35 to 40 minutes,
or until bread sounds hollow when tapped on bottom.

Remove from pans; place loaves directly on oven rack.

Bake 5 minutes longer. Cool on racks. Makes 2 to 4 loaves.

3-STEP CHEESECAKE:

2 package cheam cheese,softened (8oz)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 9-inch graham cracker crust

Mix cream cheese, sugar and vanilla at medium speed with electric
mixer until well-blended. Pour into crust. Bake at 350'F. for 40
minutes, or until center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate 3 hours or
overnight, Makes 8 servings.

NOTE: You can also use lighter Neufchatel-type cheese.

Variations: For chocolate, melt four squares of semi-sweet baking
chocolate; add after eggs and mix until blended. For candy version,
sprinkle 1 cup of chopped candy bars on top of cake before baking. For
pumpkin, add 1/2 cup canned pumpkin, 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
and a dash each of nutmeg and cloves in the first step. Then add eggs
and proceed as directed.

JULIENNE SALAD:

1 medium lettuce, iceburg, chopped
4 tomatoes, diced
1/2 lb cheese, swiss, julienned
6 oz ham, julienned
3 oz turkey, julienned
2/3 cup olives, spanish, pitted
3 tsp cheese, romano, grated
1 lemon, juiced

Dressing:

1/4 cup white vinegar
1 cup olive oil
8 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Put lettuce in mixing bowl. Add tomatoes, ham, turkey, and cheese. Top withspanish olives. Pour dressing on top and add grated Romano cheese and lemon juice... Serve on chilled plates.

Dressing: Put into bowl minced garlic, oregano, and Worcestershire
sauce. Beat until smooth with whisk. Add oil gradually and finally
add vinegar, beating continuously.


I know these aren't all sweet recipes.. but I got carried away.
 
Ardge said:
can someone host a picture for me? It is a picture of a cheesecake dessert platter I made for a party that my singer nikki (yup, i'm in a band) held.

cheesecake souffle cupcakes. simplicity at it's finest.

rj

Ardge, check you private messages. :D
 
Here ya go Ardge! :D These look wonderful! Would you mind mailing me some?

cheesecakes.jpg
 
Crewsk, thank you SOOO much!

what you see up there is 3 dozen of a 4 X batch.

Here's the formula that makes 1 dozen, plus a few more.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees


16 ounces cream cheese (2 packs)
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 T vanilla bean paste

12 vanilla wafer cookies
12 paper cupcake cup liners

1 large can of pie filling, any flavor


Cream the cream cheese and sugar till fluffy. Add vanilla on slow speed. Add eggs one at a time. Beat on high until the batter gets 1/3 bigger in volume.

While you're waiting, drop the liners in the muffin tin and place a vanilla wafer cookie flat side down in each liner. With a 3 tablespoon (size 20) ice cream scoop with a swipe release, plop a heaping scoop of batter in each cup, on top of the wafer cookie.

Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes or so. I just made some and pulled them at about 24 minutes. Perfect.

When they are cool to the touch, take them out of the pans and place them on a plate. Drop some filling in the fallen part, like a pool of fruit.

Chill at least a few hours before unwapping. The moisture will be needed for them to be peeled right. This is why you can't use foil wrappers by the way.

Enjoy!

RJ
 
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