Wednesday, November 26, 2008

French Bird

This was made for me by Linda Spiker, original recipe from Catherine Fullmer (not her professional name.) It came over as a Relief Society meal when I was in need and roast chicken has never been the same. Even if you are not a raisin or dried fruit kind of person, the sweet and savory flavors are an intoxicating combination. And by the way, Linda has never made a bad meal so if a recipe is in her file, it is a keeper. Check out her cooking school at http://theorganickitchen.blogspot.com/

Incidentally, this is Linda, not the bird.

1 chicken, clean and pat dry
olive oil
salt
pepper
chili pepper
1/2 stick of butter
2 large potatoes, quartered
3 carrots, sliced in large chunks
1/2 bag of raisins (or combination of dried fruit)
1 onion, quartered

Take the bird and rub it down in olive oil. Sprinkle it with salt, pepper, garlic, chili pepper (or use Chef Prodomes chicken seasoning.) Put the butter in the cavity. Place in roasting pan and distribute vegetables and fruit around the bird. Salt and Pepper veggies. Squeeze orange juice over everything. Slice the same orange and place slices over everything. Cook at 350 degrees for 2 hours. covered and 15-30 minutes uncovered to brown.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Cafe Rio Ranch Dressing

Salad dressing, dip, or suck it down with a straw; it doesn't get any better than this.

1 Buttermilk Ranch dressing packet

Make it according to the directions.

In a food processor, pour in the ranch mixture and add:

2 tomatillos
1/2 a bunch of cilantro
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno (remove seeds, unless you like to live dangerously)

Process until smooth. Can be used and stored the same as regular ranch dressing.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Pretzel Hugs


Synder's square pretzels
Hershey's Hugs Kisses
M&Ms

On a covered baking sheet (cover with foil, parchment, or my personal favorite: a silpat) line pretzels on baking sheet and place a hug in the middle of each one. place in oven at 200 degrees for about 5-6 minutes. They should just be shiny not melted.

Remove from oven and squish an M&M down into the hug (like above). Place in fridge for awhile to let harden.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Lion House Crescent Rolls (with a little modification)


2 tablespoons yeast
2 cups water warm
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 teaspoons salt
2/3 cup dry milk powder
1 egg
5 1/2 cups flour
melted butter


Warm water to between 105 and 115 degrees. Mix yeast, water and 1 tsp of the sugar and let stand 5 minutes. Add the rest of the sugar, butter, salt, dry milk, egg, and 2 cups of the flour. Beat together till smooth. Gradually add remaining flour till soft dough is formed. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead till smooth and elastic. (It takes me about 15 minutes.) Place in greased bowl; cover and let rise till double in bulk. Punch down; divide into thirds. Roll out one-third of dough into circle; cut into 12 pie-shaped pieces. Starting at wide end, roll up each piece into crescent. Place on greased baking sheet with point on bottom. Repeat with remainder of dough. Brush tops with melted butter (or margarine). Let rise till double. Bake at 400 degrees F. for 15 minutes. Makes 3 dozen rolls.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Citrus Punch

The first time I tasted this punch was at our wedding open house. We had our reception in Northridge, where I was raised. One week later, we drove up to Livermore to have an Open House at Ryan's parents house. I did not eat much that day, with all the meeting and greeting. But I did have the punch to quench my thirst. LOVED IT.I have made this punch for many occasions. I love to make it for Christmas breakfast or General Conference breakfast. When served really cold, it is gone fast. I usually make it into a concentrate and then add the water when I need the punch bowl or into two separate pitchers because it does make 1 gallon.

1 12oz can of frozen orange juice concentrate
1 12 oz can of frozen lemonade concentrate
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
1 1/4 cup sugar

Stir all together until well blended. When ready to serve, add 12 cans (using the concentrate can) of water or just add enough water to make a gallon (it should be the same amount.)

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Orange Ginger Fruit Dip

I fell in love with this when I was a student at BYU. I usually took early morning classes and then would go eat in the Cougareat. My favorite breakfast was a bowl of oatmeal and some fresh fruit with this dip. This dip is my favorite for fruit. Yes, it is as sweet as it can be. But it also has the fresh ginger which gives it a kick and a more unique flavor. I found the recipe years later and adjusted it to my taste. A little more ginger, a little less cream cheese.

1 8oz package cream cheese
1 16 oz jar marshmallow creme
2 Tbsp orange juice concentrate
1 teaspoon minced FRESH ginger

Whip the softened cream cheese with the marshmallow creme until completely smooth. Add the concentrate and ginger. Stir until well blended. Refrigerate at least two hours before serving so the flavors can meld. Serve with any and all fresh fruit.