Crockpot Marinara Sauce

Crockpot Marinara Sauce

This is an adapted recipe from Giada De Laurentis' "Everyday Italian" cookbook.

2 to 3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 small onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/2 teaspoon pepper or to taste
2 (32 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
2 dried bay leaves

In a small pot or skillet, heat oil and add the onions, garlic, celery, carrots, salt and pepper and saute until translucent.  Plug in your crockpot and turn on high.  Add the canned crushed tomatoes to the crockpot along with the bay leaves.  When your veg is translucent add to crockpot.  At this point I also add more salt and pepper.  Stir to mix well, cover and let cook on high 1 to 2 hours.  I usually stir mine once or twice during the cooking time.  Remove bay leaves when done. Freezes wonderfully!

Freezing Celery!  I generally hate celery so when I buy it for this recipe I have a lot leftover, but I have found that celery freezes very well.  Wash and finely chop, lay on a baking sheet and place in the freezer.  Wait about 15 minutes, then move the celery around on the baking sheet with a spoon or spatula.  Freeze for 20 minutes more then place in a freezer safe container.

Hummingbird Bundt Cake

Hummingbird Bundt Cake - last slice pictured above!
Cake:

• 1 - package yellow or white cake mix
• 1 cup crushed pineappel with the juice
• 1 cup mashed banana 
• 1/2 cup water 
• 1/2 cup oil 
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup chopped pecans - toasted or not

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour your bundt pan, you could do two layers if you don't have a bundt pan.

On medium speed, mix the cake mix, pinapple, bananas, water, oil, eggs, vanilla and cinnamon for 2 minutes. By hand, stir in the pecans. The batter will be thick. Pour into your bundt pan and bake for 45 minutes to an hour unitl golden and it will spring back when you touch it. Remove from oven and cool for 15 to 20 minutes. Invert cake from pan and cool completely before frosting.

 Frosting:

• 1 - 8 ounce package of creame cheese, room temp.
• 1 stick of butter, room temp.
• 3 3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 to 1 cup pecans, whole or chopped

Mix the cream cheese and butter on low/med until well blended. Begin adding the powdered sugar gradually until all is added. Add vanilla and mix on med/hi for about a minute. Frost cooled cake and top with whole or chopped pecans.

Yogurt Marinated Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup plain yogurt, I used Greek, but you can use regular even fat-free
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• Juice of one lemon (you can also use lime)
• Zest of one lemon (optional)
• 1 Tablespoon oil
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 4 to 6 bonless chicken breasts (I used tenders)

In a ziploc bag, combine the first 9 ingredients. Add the chicken to the bag, seal and move the bag around to make sure all of the chicken is covered well. Let marinate in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight. Broil, rotisserie or grill till done.

This marinade make the chicken very moist and tender. I always marinate it overnight for best results. Good hot and cold.

*Honey Lime Turkey Enchiladas

• 3 tabelspoon honey
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 lb cooked turkey, shredded (or chicken)
• 8 to 10 flour tortillas
• 1 cup Colby or Monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 10 oz. can green enchilada sauce
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup half n half or whole milk

Mix first 4 ingredients together in a bowl and add shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least a half hour. Pour some green enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 10x10 casserole dish. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese. Mix together the leftover marinade, the enchilada sauce, the sour cream and milk and pour over the enchiladas. Top with remaining shredded cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
Double recipe for a larger crowd.

Baked Cheesecake using just one 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese

I searched the web high and low for a recipe for a baked cheesecake that used just one 8 oz. package of cream cheese and no sour cream and there just aren't many to choose from. Most traditional recipes call for a minimum of 3 packages of cream cheese and the one's that do call for just one are usually no-bake or contian sour cream. I combined a couple of recipes and came up with this one. This recipe makes a small cheesecake that is just the right size and is nice and creamy and not too dense.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Crust:

1.5 cups of graham cracker crumbs or ritz cracker crumbs

1/2 stick of butter or margarine, melted

Combine crumbs and butter and press into a buttered 8 inch pie plate or a small spring form pan. If you use the spring form pan, line the bottom with parchment or wax paper first.

You could also use a store bought graham cracker crust.

Cake:

1 - 8 ounce pkg. cream cheese - room temp.

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 cup corn starch

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup half n half or milk

2 eggs - room temp.

dash of salt

In a medium or large bowl beat cream cheese till fluffy. Add lemon juice, vanilla and salt and mix till blended. Add corn starch, sugar and half n half and mix well. Add eggs one at a time until well blended. Pour into crust.

If you are using the spring form pan, wrap the bottom of the pan in foil and place into a baking dish, then add hot water to the baking pan till about half way up the side of the cake pan. If you are using a regular pie pan place a pan of water in the oven with your cake when you bake it and it will less likely crack when baking.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 to 45 minutes until golden on top. Your cake should not jiggle when done. Set cake on wire rack and allow to cool for one hour, then cover with foil and refrigerate at least 4 hours, but best over night.
If you are using the spring form pan refrigerate the cake in the pan. Do not remove from the pan while the cake is still warm.

Brioche French Toast....taste almost like a donut!

Brioche French Toast....the best French Toast EVER! And it kinda taste like a warm donut.
*see my previous post for the recipe to make Easy Brioche using your bread machine. You'll be glad you did!

what you need:

2 thick slices Brioche bread, cut in two
You could also use regular bread. Texas toast would probably work well.
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk or half and half
1/2 to 1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive or veg. oil
1 tablespoon granulated sugar mixed with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cinnamon

In a shallow bowl, mix the egg, milk and vanilla until well combined. Add your bread and allow to soak while you are heating your butter/oil mix in a pan on medium heat. Turn bread to coat both sides. Place bread slices into the hot butter/oil mix and cook on both sides until golden brown. Remove to a plate and sprinkle both sides with the sugar/cinnamon mixture then top with your favorite syrup if you like and enjoy.
*You do not want your butter/oil mixture to get too hot. The bread needs to cook slowly so keep it to a medium low heat.

Easy Brioche using your bread machine

Easy Brioche

This recipe comes from the book Breaking Bread with Father Dominic 2 by Father Dominic Garramone, OSB. This recipe is so easy it's stupid.

You will need a bread machine.

1/2 cup half and half or milk

2 eggs

1 egg yolk

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/4 plus 1 tablespoon bread flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons active yeast

1 egg white beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Granulated sugar for dusting

Add the milk, eggs, egg yolk, butter, salt, flour, sugar and yeast to your bread machine pan in the order suggested by the manufacturer.

Here is how I added mine.

1. milk, eggs, egg yolk

2. flour, sugar, salt

3. made a small indention in the flour and added yeast

4. cut butter into 4 pieces and placed at the corners

Select dough/manual cycle. When the cycle is complete, mine takes 1 hour 20 minutes, remove dough from machine and place in a greased medium to large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 2 to 24 hours.

Remove dough from the fridge and place on a floured surface. Cut into four equal portions and shape each portion into a ball. Place dough into a greased bread pan, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size.

The recipe tells you to gently brush your dough with the egg white/water mixture and sprinkle with sugar, but I didn't do this step.

Bake in a pre heated 375 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from pan and allow to cool on a rack.