Jolene's Recipe Journal

(originally made 6/2012) Our lives have been sort of scrambled since June.  Having Tim home has totally messed with my routine and forced me to come up with a lot more meals than before.    We got into a rut of the same old things, and then we started eating out/getting takeout far too much.   With the shift in weather, I've started going through my files for new dishes to try, and I thought this would be a nice use for ground beef.   This was a Foodgawker find, from the JoCooks Blog .   Up front, I am not a huge fan of cumin so that got cut back.   The guys are also wimpy about heat, so I cut back the hot sauce.   I'd use a full tablespoon next time.    Tim felt that these needed cheese, so next time will add some to half of the batch.    I thought they needed more kick- so leftovers today will be eaten with Taco Bell Bold and Creamy Jalapeno sauce. No one offering to hold flashlights tonight, they were too busy chowing these down  :)  Beef Empanadas

(originally made 5/2011) I saw this on TOH's Facebook page last week and couldn't wait to give it a try. The farm had local rhubarb and I've got tons of frozen berries. I baked mine in an oval corningware dish and ran the topping ingredients through the food processor. Awesome! Some of the topping sunk down, but it was still delicious.  Blueberry-Rhubarb Crumble (TOH Aug/Sept 09) 6 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened blueberries 4 cups diced fresh or frozen rhubarb 1 cup sugar 1/4 cup all-purpose flour TOPPING: 1 cup quick-cooking oats 1 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 cup cold butter Whipped cream -- optional In a large bowl, combine the blueberries, rhubarb, sugar and flour. Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. For topping, in a large bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, flour, nutmeg and cinnamon; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over fruit mixture.

There's a local casual Italian place we love, and the owner is always offering us samples of new things on the menu.   A while back Tim came home with some arancini, and it was amazing.    He's had a tough time of it this summer, and I've wanted to surprise him with some for weeks, but the rice held me back.    I cannot make rice.  It comes out wrong every time.   But yesterday I bit the bullet and managed to pull off what has been one of our favorite meals in a while.  There are tons of recipes out there for arancini- some use peas (blech), some have a cube of cheese in the middle, but the common denominator is rice mixed with cheese and egg, then coated in more egg and crumbs and fried.   I put out a yell for help on a Facebook group, and was given some great advice from a fellow foodie, Peter B.    He makes lots of outstanding food, and it brings back tons of memories of food 'up the hill' at my grandmother's house. The trick to these is t

(originally made 9/2012) Tim and Jake have an addiction to Taco Bell.   It was bad, but since they've introduced the new Doritos Locos Taco shells, it's gotten worse.    Tacos were a twice monthly meal here, but they kept begging me to find a way to make the shells out of Doritos.       This was as close as I could come, and since I actually remembered to snap a picture this time, I thought I'd pass the idea along here as well  :) They sell Taco Bell brand taco seasoning now, but we prefer the Old El Paso Mild.  * Exported from MasterCook *                            Doritos Locos Nachos   Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method --------  ------------  --------------------------------   1              pound  ground beef -- browned and drained   1            package  taco seasoning mix                         water -- per pkg instructions                         Doritos                         Mexican blend cheese -- shredded       

(originally made 9/2012) We had leftover grilled chicken for dinner, so to change it up I wanted to add a new side dish.    So easy and so good, you could definitely do this in a disposable pan out on the grill as well.    Recipe is from Tasty Kitchen .   I added garlic salt, paprika, and a little rosemary. Roasted potatoes with bacon and parmesan

(originally made 8/2012) Before Tim met me, he lived on a combination of take out, Hamburger Helper and Kraft Mac N Cheese.   I've bought him the boxed HH before, but would much rather make him a homemade version.   My friend Stacey shared her recipe with me and I made it for the guys the other night.   Both of them loved it which was awesome, because Jake normally is not a fan of foods touching.     He ate 1 1/2 bowls, and asked for more yesterday for lunch!  I only had 1 1/2lbs ground beef, and I added the whole box of pasta.   I had about 3/4 of a pound of bacon, and I had 3 slices on a BLT for my dinner, so I'd say I used about 1/2 a pound, plus a little more for garnish.   This made a lot, but it reheated well and it's easily scaled up or down. Big thanks again to Stacey !    Be sure to go check out her blog, lots of good stuff there :)  Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta Skillet   Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method --------  --------

(originally made 7/2012) Crazy day yesterday, and needed something fast to throw together for dinner.   I had baked chicken with bbq3000 seasoning on it and there was plenty leftover, so I decided to make quesadillas.   I used buttermilk ranch and Sweet Baby Ray's Honey Chipotle.    I omitted the cilantro, not a huge fan.    I also diced up 4 slices of crisp bacon and added it to the filling.      I had mozzarella on hand, so that's what I went with.   I did butter the skillet before adding the quesadilla to it, and used a press to help it heat through quickly and evenly. Not the best picture.   My camera lens must be dirty or have moisture in it... struggling to get in focus pictures.  BBQ Ranch Chicken Quesadillas   Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method --------  ------------  --------------------------------   2  Fajita size tortillas   1         tablespoon  BBQ sauce per quesadilla- used Sweet Baby Ray's Honey chipotle   1        

(originally made 6/2012) Jake and Tim spent Father's day at an amusement park, so I was free to make whatever I wanted for lunch  :)   I had marked this to try during last week's Challenge, but never got around to it. I used my go-to crust, the Soft Garlic Breadstick dough.  My shallots were dried, so I let them soak for a little while with the jalapenos and oil.    I used the odds and ends of the cheese I had on hand, which was a bag of Mexican blend and some sharp cheddar.     I brushed the crush with a little oil before baking. Really enjoyed this one and definitely will be making it again.  I froze a few pieces to see how it will reheat, but it's pretty simple to scale the recipe back on the days that one of the non-heat loving guys are home and we do individual pies. I've seen this around the internet in a few places, but the recipe I used came from here https://damndelicious.net/2012/05/24/jalapeno-popper-pizza/  * Exported from MasterCook

Sunday is our day to roam. Sometimes we have a destination in mind, others we are just enjoying being out of the house and together. Today’s ride took us along a stretch of road in Southern New Hampshire that is made up of farmland. The fields are tilled for corn to be planted. The farm stands have opened and signs boast the local wares that are ready. Today what drew me in was “OUR OWN ASPARAGUS AND RHUBARB”. Those found their way into my basket pretty quickly, along with some honey sticks for my son, scallions, and strawberry milk from another local farm. We keep a cooler in the back of the truck so after a quick stop for ice, we were on our way, the sunroof open, windows down, talking about what we could make with our bagful of goodies. At home, I decided on a tried & true, family favorite for dessert- Strawberry Rhubarb Crunch . I put that together and got it into the oven, then went to work on some mashed purple potatoes. After they were fork tender, I drain

(originally made  6/2012) Had a few bananas left over from last week's challenge and had seen this idea on Foodgawker-  http://tast-e.blogspot.com/2011/07/strawberry-banana-ice-pops.html     I blended the strawberries with some honey, and since my bananas were not very firm, I also blended those with the yogurt.   I poured them into the molds and some stayed nicely layered, and others swirled a bit, which was also nice  :) Love my Tavolo molds, and definitely need to order a second set !  Strawberry Banana Popsicles   Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method --------  ------------  --------------------------------   1                cup  strawberries 1T +1t honey (from a wonderful friend in Maine who is a beekeeper!)      1/2           cup  yogurt (used greek Lemon flavored)      1/2                banana Blended strawberries and 1 Tablespoon honey in food processor. Mashed the banana with the yogurt and added a tiny bit of honey (1t) Poured in mix

(originally made 5/2011) A little while back Jill posted a recipe for a jalapeno popper grilled cheese that looked out of this world.   Today was rainy & miserable and I thought it would be a good time to take a run at it.    Thought I'd copied it into MasterCook, but I hadn't and with the search down and Tim whining about being starving, I grabbed one from my Foodgawker file instead.  The version I made came from the Spabettie blog, http://spabettie.com/2011/04/08/jalapeno-popper-sandwich-2/ and it was awesome!   The only thing that would have made it perfect would have been a thin layer of the raspberry-habanero dipping sauce that Pizza Hut used to give out with their poppers.     One side of the bread was spread with warmed cream cheese, the other covered with shredded cheddar and then a layer of sliced fresh jalapeno down the middle.     I made the sandwiches in my ridged grill pan and used a weight to press them so they browned nicely and cooked

(originally made 6/2012) I came across this one on Foodgawker for banana donuts.    Friday was National donut day and I'd hoped to get them made, but time got away from me and I made them Saturday morning instead.   I've said it before and I'll say it again- I love my donut pans.   I've got both the full size and minis, Norpro is the brand.    Jake and I have had a blast trying out different recipes! To make filling the pans easier, I always put the batter into a pastry bag or ziploc with the tip cut off. Since I didn't have any lemon or anything acidic in the house, I skipped the banana frosting because I was afraid it would turn brown and unappealing.  Instead, I made a plain glaze (powdered sugar and milk), maple glaze(powdered sugar and maple syrup), chocolate glaze (semi sweet chips, with a tiny bit of veg oil).  I also took some of the plain glazed ones and while they were still wet dipped them into some of the coconut I had leftover from a p

(originally made 8/2011) Tim has been begging me for a blueberry pie for a few weeks, but I've hesitated because I've made some soupy messes in the past.   I put out a call for help on Facebook and got some great responses.    A recipe posted by Swtcakes led me to a very similar Martha Stewart recipe, and that was what I went with. My gram tried for many years to teach me to make a pie crust.   I just did not have the knack for it.    For this pie, I used a deep dish frozen crust for the bottom and refrigerated crust cut out with a cheater lattice cutter for the top.     For the filling, I kept everything as is, except that I'd frozen my zested/juiced lemons in ice cube trays, so I defrosted one and used that.     I used fat free french vanilla creamer mixed with the egg yolk since it was what I had on hand, and sprinkled turbinado sugar over the top.  The filling set up beautifully and the crust came out perfect.    Next time I may even get brave enough

Jake and I are big fans of breakfast for dinner.   Due to nut allergies, I subbed rice krispies for the nuts.   They give a nutty flavor and crunch.   I used my beloved Presto Flipside Belgian Waffle Maker and I got 4 nice sized ones.   Tropical and fun, and they definitely are going in the keeper file! Thank you so much to Darlene B. for sharing her recipe! Here are some other waffle recipes you may enjoy: Brown Sugar Bacon Waffles Blueberry Waffles with Blueberry Sauce Banana Bread Waffles  Print With Image Without Image Hawaiian Waffles Author: Jolene's Recipe Journal Ingredients: 1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple -- undrained 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup flaked coconut 1/2 cup light corn syrup 1/4 cup pineapple juice Waffles: 2 cups all-purpose flour 4 teaspoons baking powder 1 tablespoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 eggs -- separated 1 cup milk 1/4 cup butter or margarine -- melted- used butter 1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple -- wel

Tim is very picky about his steak.   And Jake has sensory issues coupled with a bad steak experience from a few years ago.    So I searched through MasterCook, Pinterest, Foodgawker and assembled my possibilities.  I've gotten Jake to eat chicken, pork and eggplant all by breading and baking/frying, so I mulled over the idea of Country fried steak, but I am terrible at making gravy.   My friend Sue suggested steak fingers, and a quick google found me these on Allrecipes. On their own, they are a little bit bland, I'd definitely amp them up with something next time, but for a trial run with Jake, they were perfect. I used round steak with the outer fat trimmed off, beaten with a meat mallet, then sliced it thin and across the grain.   Didn't take long at all for them to brown up and cook through.    Jake had his dipped in honey, and I used Sweet Baby Ray's Honey Chipotle BBQ sauce.     Success!   He even came back and asked for 2 more fingers.     Defi

(Originally made 3/2012) Made the base waffle only- definitely will be making again along with trying the topping!  We had ours with maple syrup and cinnamon chips.    I got 3 Belgian waffles from the recipe, which I found on Annie's Eats, awesome blog!    1 cup per waffle, cooked for 4 mins in my Presto Flipside.  Cinnamon Waffles with Caramelized Apples   Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method --------  ------------  --------------------------------                         For the caramelized apples:   3              tbsp.  unsalted butter   6                     Fuji apples -- peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch slices      1/2           cup  sugar   1               tsp.  cornstarch      1/2          tsp.  ground cinnamon      1/4          tsp.  ground nutmeg      1/4          tsp.  salt   2               tsp.  vanilla extract                         For the waffles:   3                     eggs -- separated   1 3/4           cups  but

(originally made 2/2012) Procrastinated this year, but finally decided on my Valentine's treat yesterday morning and after a quick run to the store for supplies, I made these cupcakes that I found via Foodgawker on the Kitchen Simplicity blog.      I did cheat and start with a chocolate fudge cake mix, but added sour cream and vanilla to it.   These are superchocolately, but not overly sweet.    I used Nestle dark chocolate chips for my ganache because I am a huge fan. The notes state that the frosting is stiff, and to me it was almost too much so, I had to thin it down with a little additional whipping cream to make it pipeable. These are definitely the thing you want to make if you want chocolate overload!    Be sure to check out the blog, she had lots of other awesome looking recipes there   :)  Triple Chocolate Cupcakes                         Chocolate Sour Cream Cupcakes   1 1/2           cups  all-purpose flour      1/2           cup  white sugar

These were on the menu for Superbowl, but I ended up having so much other food I scrapped them.   Jake and I threw them together last night and we really enjoyed them.  I only did a few hot dogs worth, and the rest as plain muffins.    Big hit with Jake, he ate half a dozen.     I had mine with some specialty mustard I ordered from Stonewall kitchen, and would have liked them with a spicy ketchup too.    I found the recipe on the Iowagirleats blog via Foodgawker   :) Mini Corn Dog Muffins Print With Image Without Image Author: Jolene's Recipe Journal ingredients: 1/2 cup melted butter 1/2 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 cup buttermilk 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup cornmeal 1 cup all purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 8 all-beef hot dogs -- cut into 1' bites (8 to 10) instructions: 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine butter and sugar in a bowl, and whisk to combine. Add eggs and whisk to incorporate. Add buttermilk and whisk to incorporate.

(originally made 2/2012) Doesn't get much easier than this.   I'm the only fan of spicy stuff here, but Jake even gave these a try (he got through about half  lol).      I omitted the sugar, but next time I might add a little seasoning of some sort.     Good warm or cold!    Saw these on Pinterest, they are from the Village Cook blog  :)  * Exported from MasterCook *                             jalapeno pinwheels   Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method --------  ------------  --------------------------------   1                can  crescent roll dough -- (8 ounce)   8             ounces  cream cheese -- softened   1                can  diced jalapenos -- (4 ounce)-  (used about 25 rings, diced)   1         tablespoon  sugar (omitted)     roll the dough to form a rectangle, seal any openings.     Mix together to cream cheese, jalapenos, and sugar.     Spread over dough.     Roll up (longways)     Slice into two inch sections and bake

Still getting blueberries from my dad's, though it's slowly down considerably.   Saturday morning I was headed to drop of Jake and pick some more, so I wanted to use up some of what I had in the fridge.    Muffins go over well here, and Carol had recommended this recipe and I knew if she said it was a winner, it would be!    :)    I used the regular muffin tin, lined with papers which I also sprayed.   I sprayed the top of the pan, and they popped out no problem. The texture on these is so nice, and I always love the added crunch of raw sugar on top of my muffins and quick breads.     I also added a 1/2t of cinnamon to the batter.   I should have made a double batch, I gave some to my dad, Tim helped himself to a bunch last night and Jake just had one for breakfast.    :)   Thanks so much Carol!   :)  JORDAN MARSH BLUEBERRY MUFFINS (aka Famous Department Store Muffins)   Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method --------  ------------  -----

(originally made 8/2011) My grandmother used to have 150 blueberry bushes and would sell to the local bakeries and restaurants.   If you came to visit, you were given a bucket and a row and strict instructions on picking.  Roll the berries, don't take off the blue "frost".   Pick one bush clean before moving on.   And heaven help you if you picked a red or white one :)   When she passed, the bushes were split among the family and my dad ended up with 14.    They've had up years and not so great years, but it's been a banner year at my dad's patch this year.     I got about 4lbs on Tuesday and then went back on Sunday and got another 3lbs.    I've already made blueberry lemonade, blueberry milk and this morning I'm working on a pie, plus these awesome donuts. I found this recipe on the Prevention RD blog via Foodgawker, and love that it gave me another chance to use my new mini donut pans.    I never keep cake flour on hand, so I used

(originally made 8/2011) Jake and I discovered blueberry milk last summer on one of our weekly farm trips.   It's packaged in glass bottles from a local dairy and it's $4.50 a quart.    Needless to say, it's only an occasional treat at that price.   I was happy to see a blog featured on FoodGawker that had made it from scratch and couldn't wait to give it a try.    So good, and so much more cost effective!      I look forward to trying it with other berries  :) * Exported from MasterCook *                               Blueberry Milk   Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method --------  ------------  --------------------------------      1/2            C.  fresh blueberries (or berries of your choice)   3                 T.  sugar -- depending on how sweet you like (3 to 4)      1/2            C.  water   1                 C.  milk In a small saucepan, bring water, sugar, and blueberries to a boil over medium heat.  Boil continu

(originally made 8/2011) I've become a fruit lemonade addict.   Instead of soda when I go out for meals, I get strawberry, raspberry or blackberry lemonade.    So when I ran across this recipe on Foodgawker, I had to go check out Kokocook's blog.     Super easy to make, though I do admit I wasn't impressed with it on the first day.     It got better after adding lemon zest and letting it sit overnight.    Best served icy cold.  Blueberry Lemonade   Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method --------  ------------  --------------------------------   1                  c  fresh blueberries      1/2             c  fresh lemon juice      1/3             c  sugar   3                  c  water Place blueberries into a medium saucepan. Pour a little bit of water in the bottom – just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Heat until the water starts to boil. Remove from heat, and crush blueberries with a potato masher. Pour blueberries into

(originally made 7/2011) Trying to use up a bunch of fruit before we head on vacation, I made this for Jake and I for breakfast.   I subbed raspberries for strawberries and used skim milk.   Very good.   I took the extra and froze it in my popsicle molds with a few more raspberries dropped in. Fruity Cocoa Breakfast Smoothie   1          container  strawberry yogurt -- (8 oz.)   1 1/4           cups  cold milk- used skim   1                cup  fresh strawberries -- sliced-  used raspberries   1                     ripe -- medium banana, sliced   3        tablespoons  HERSHEY'S Cocoa   2        tablespoons  honey     Place all ingredients in blender container. Cover; blend until smooth. About five 6-ounce servings.     Nutritional Information per serving (6 ounces):     Calories: 140, Total Fat: 2.5g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 5mg, Sodium: 50mg,     Total Carbohydrate: 29g, Dietary Fiber: 3g, Sugars: 14g, Protein: 5g, Vitamin A: 4%DV*,     Vitamin C: