Lemon Bars

Graham and Brooke made this recipe for Saturday's Dessert.  Delicious!

Pat the cookie dough into a glass casserole dish.  Usually the crust just goes on the bottom but the pan was a little small because they tripled the recipe, so they put the crust up the sides. It was still scrumptious!

Pour lemon filling into the baked cookie crust.

After the lemon bars cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut into squares.

Pre-heat oven to 350°

Combine:
1/3 C butter
1/4 C sugar
1 C flour

Mix until crumbly. Press into bottom of 8X8 baking pan. (If you double or triple, use a larger pan.) Bake until golden brown (about 18-20 minutes).

While crust is baking, mix together:
3/4 C Sugar
2 T flour
2 eggs
2 tsp lemon peel
3 T lemon juice
1/4 tsp. baking powder
Beat for 2 minutes then pour into baked crust.
Bake for 20 minutes until set and lightly browned at edges.
Cool then sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut into squares.

We learned that when you triple this recipe, you need a little over a half a cup of lemon juice. We had the bars for dessert Saturday night at the cabin. There was enough for 12 people with tripling the recipe.

Baked Halibut with Rainbow Salsa

I bought this halibut not realizing that it still had it's bones in.  It wasn't a huge deal but I had to cook it a little longer than what I have listed here.  Also, the skin was on at is was super difficult to cut through to make steaks.  It was delicious but next time I would prefer it without skin and bones!

Rainbow Salsa

1 med red onion, chopped

3 med tomatoes, chopped

6 small sweet pepper, various colors, chopped

Juice of one lime 

1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tsp. salt

Splash of olive oil

Combine the above all together then serve as a garnish on the cooked fish.

Baked Halibut

Pre-heat oven to 425°

4 steak size pieces of halibut

1/4 C extra-light olive oil

3 cloves of garlic

Sea salt a freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet. Lay the halibut stakes in pan and sear for two minutes each side. Top the halibut with garlic and put in 425° oven for approximately 5 minutes.  Should be flakey when done.

A perfect summer meal!  The day after we ate this, I mixed the leftover fish with some leftover salsa for lunch.  It reminded me of the fresh fish ceviche we've eaten in Mexico.

Key Lime Pie

This is a guest post by Chelsea! Key lime pie is my favorite dessert but it is quite difficult to find in stores so I decided to make my own. This recipe is from The New Family Cookbook by America's Test Kitchen. It is actually quite easy to make but it does require some time to sit so keep that in mind when you make it.

Graham cracker crust:
Ingredients (for crust)
8 graham crackers, broken up
3 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter

Step 1: heat oven to 325. Blend or process graham crackers and sugar until they are fine crumbs. Add melted butter and blend.

Step 2: Add mixture into 9 inch pie plate. Using bottom of dry measuring cup, press crumbs into even layer on bottom and sides of pie plate. Bake until crust begins to brown 12- 18 minutes.



Ingredients (for pie filling)
4 large egg yolks
4 teaspoons grated lime zest + 1/2 cup lime juice (5 limes)
14oz can sweetened condensed milk

Whipped cream topping
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Step 1: Whisk filling and let thicken
Whisk egg yolks and lime zest together until mixture has light green tint. Whisk in condensed milk, then whisk in lime juice. Cover mixture and let sit at room temperature until thickened, about 30 minutes.

Step 2: Pour filling into Pie Shell and bake
Pour thickened filling into warm prebaked pie crust. Bake pie at 325 until center firm but jiggles slightly when shaken, 15 to 20 minutes.

Step 3: Chill baked pie
Cover pie loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until filling is chilled and set, at least 3 hours.

Step 4: Top with whipped cream:
Before serving make whipped cream and spread on top of the pie.

Hawaiian Haystacks

I thought this was just weird when I heard of it but it's actually very good!  I rarely use a recipe for it but here's the one my visiting teacher gave me when I was a young newlywed.  I substitute 3-4 chicken breasts for cooking a whole chicken.  Much easier!

Ingredients:
1 large chicken, cooked and picked off the bone (as if!)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 C chicken broth
Pepper to taste
2 Tbs. parsley flakes
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 package chow mein noodles
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 C celery, chopped
1/2 C green pepper, chopped
1/2 C green onion, chopped
1 20 0z. can of pineapple chunks, drained
1 C grated cheese
1/2 C coconut, shredded
1/2 C slivered almonds

Instructions:  Simmer chicken, broth and canned soup for 10 minutes. Add pepper and parsley.
Have all other ingredients in separate bowls so people can choose what they want as toppings. (I choose everything!) Serve over rice.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Ruby and Wyatt were very suspicious when I made these for them last month.  Peanut butter?  It almost sounds healthy!  But then they tried them and asked that I make them again the next time they came!  Soft and chewy deliciousness! This recipe was inspired by the "Better Homes and Gardens New Junior Cook Book".

Ingredients:

1 C butter, softened

1 C peanut butter

1 C sugar

1 C brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 1/4 C flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

Instructions:

Pre-heat oven to 350°

Mix butter and peanut butter.  Add sugar and brown sugar and mix. Add eggs and vanilla. Add all the dry ingredients and mix. 

Roll into balls and place on greased cookie sheet (or use a silicone mat.) Smash down with a fork in a cross-hatch pattern. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned but still mushy.  The cookies will harden as they cool.

Hint: If you spray the measuring cup and spoon with cooking spray, the peanut butter will be easier to manage.

Russian Tea Cakes

These were my favorite cookies that my mom made at Christmastime! So easy to make but so elegant looking!  It looks like I forgot to take a picture of the final product so you'll have to wait until next year for the reveal haha! Peityn was a big help making these cookies.  She really liked trying to roll them into balls.

Ingredients:

1 c soft butter

1/2 C sifted* powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 1/4 C sifted flour

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 C finely chopped pecans

Instructions:

Heat oven to 400°

Mix together the butter, powdered sugar and vanilla

Mix in the flour.  Add and mix the nuts.

Roll into medium-sized balls.

Bake at 400° for 10 minutes.  While still warm, roll into powdered sugar.

*My sifter broke about 20 years ago so I don't sift.  I know they come out better if you do but they're already so good that it doesn't seem worth the trouble. Grandma used to also make a variation wherein she added a tsp. of almond extract and shaped the cookies into crescents.  Instead of rolling them in powdered sugar, she rolled them in colored granulated sugar. She called them "almond crescents." Stay tuned, next year I'll remember to take a picture of the finished project.

2019 So, I never remembered to take a picture of the finished project! However, here's a picture of Olive and Clara helping make these cookies today...

Aunt Linda's Rolls

I made these last Sunday for Casey's birthday.  They're, hands down, the most popular rolls I've made.  Unfortunately, They were so popular that they all got eaten before I got a picture!  I'll make them again soon and fix that!

Ingredients:
1 C Scalded milk (If you do this in the microwave, make sure the container is large enough so the milk doesn't spill over)
1/2 C butter
1/2 C sugar (I'm going to try to reduce this next time)
2 Eggs
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. yeast
1/2 C warm water
4 1/2 C flour

Instructions:
Put yeast in 1/2 C water with 1 tsp. sugar and set aside for 5 minutes.
Put milk and butter (sliced it up first) in stand mixer. 
Using the bread hook attachment, mix together then add eggs and mix a little more.
Add 2 C of flour and sugar and mix a little.
Add yeast mixture and mix for 5 minutes.
Add 1 C flour and salt and mix together.
Add enough more flour and mix (I usually add all that's left).
Cover with greased plastic wrap and allow to rise until double in size (usually about an hour or two in a warm environment)
Take out of bowl and divide into two balls of dough.
Roll each ball out into a 1/4" thick circle.  
Spread with about 1/4 C melted butter.
Cut each circle into 12 equal parts. 
Roll fat end of each triangle towards to skinny end (to make croissant shape). Allow to rise again for about an hour.  
Brush the tops with melted butter.
Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes

I know it sounds complicated but once you try it you'll see it's not that hard! Plus your family will love you!  So scrumptious!

Creamy Cauliflower Cheddar Soup

This soup is so easy to make and is full of delicious creaminess!

Ingredients:
2 Tbs. butter
1 small onion, chopped
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 C flour
2 C milk
3 C chicken broth
1 tsp. salt
1 head of cauliflower, chopped
3 C cheese, shredded (I used the Costco blend with cheddar and jack).

Instructions:
Melt butter in a large pot.  Add garlic and onion and saute until tender. Add flour  and salt and stir. Gradually whisk in milk.  Add broth.  Add cauliflower and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer to blender and blend until smooth (Only blend about 1/4 of the soup at a time). Add cheese to pot and stir until cheese is melted.

Notes: Adapted from "Creme de la Crumb"

Grilled Cheese

Everyone loves a grilled cheese sandwich.  Pete once said that my grilled cheese was the best you ever had! Pair it with a bowl of tomato soup and you have the perfect quick and easy meal for a rainy day.

2 slices of bread

2 slices of cheddar cheese

Butter

Butter both pieces of bread.  Layer cheese in between slices of bread with the buttered sides facing out. Cook in a frying pan for about a minute on each side at medium heat.

Egg in the Hole

This is an old-time favorite that we forgot about for several years! It's the go to comfort food when you don't have a lot of time or a lot of ingredients.

2 pieces of whole wheat toast

2 eggs

Butter

Salt and pepper

Toast two pieces of bread.  Butter both sides and cut a hole in the center.  Place in a medium hot pan. Crack an egg into each hole. Lift each slice of toast a tiny bit so that the egg seeps under the bread. Cook for one minute on each side. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste.

White Chili

This recipe came with my crockpot with some minor adjustments. Pei loves it!  It's supposed to have all white beans but I only had one can of white so I added one can of black.  

2 cans of great northern beans

1 med. onion chopped

3 cloves of garlic

1 7oz can peppers

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp.oregano

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

3 chicken breasts (cooked and shredded)

3 C water

3 tsp. chicken bouillon

1 can cream of chicken soup

Add at end:

1/2 C yogurt

1/2 green onions

Garnish with: chopped cilantro and chopped avocado

Put all the ingredients in the crock pot.  Cook on low for 12 hours or high for 6 hours.  Add yogurt and green onions during the last 15 minutes. You can cook on stove instead for a couple of hours.  

Spinach Lasagna

When I was growing up, my family travelled through Utah on our way to Idaho. We stopped at our friends' house in Sandy to visit.We hadn't eaten in hours so when we arrived I was starving.  The house smelled so good!  I asked the hostess what we were having for dinner and she said, "Spinach lasagna!" I was so disappointed. Spinach was something slimy that came out of a can.  It didn't belong in lasagna.  But then I tried some and I was hooked!  I never got a recipe for this but always make it up.  Hopefully this will work for you!

Ingredients
9 lasagna noodles, cooked (can use rice noodles)
1 small jar Prego spaghetti sauce
16 oz ricotta cheese
garlic powder
Italian seasoning

4 Cups baby spinach
4 C shredded mozzarella
1/2 shredded parmesan

Instructions
Preheat 350°
Spread sauce in a 9X13 pan. Lay down noodles, then spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, more sauce. Repeat until the pan is full.  Top with parmesan. Bake 350° uncovered for 35 minutes.

Mom's Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

Dough:

1 C luke-warm milk

4 tsps. yeast

1/2 C sugar
1 tsp salt
1 egg
1/3 C melted butter
4-4 1/2 C flour
Filling:
1/2 C softened butter
3/4 C brown sugar
Cinnamon
Frosting:
Use the idiot-proof recipe from the sugar cookie page, but reduce the sugar to two cups.

Instructions
In a large measuring cup, mix together the milk, 1 Tbs. of sugar and yeast.  Let if sit for 5 minutes. Mix the dry ingredients. Add the milk, egg and melted butter. Let the dough rise to twice it's size then roll out into a rectangle. Spread with butter, sugar and cinnamon. Roll it up, then slice in 1 1/2" pieces. Bake for 15- 20 minutes at 350°.

Spread with frosting just before serving.  Makes 12 rolls.

Brooke's Sugar Cookies

For years Brooke was always disappointed at how our sugar cookies turned into blobs when we cooked them. She finally did some research in 2011 and came up with this recipe that produces pretty cookies that are fit for decorating. I clipped the frosting recipe from the newspaper.  If you sift the powdered sugar the frosting comes out nice and smooth.  I hate sifting so I rarely do it.

Ingredients

3 C flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 C butter, room temperature

1 C sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. almond extract

Instructions

Mix butter and sugar until smooth.  Add the eggs, vanilla and almond extract.  Add in the flour and baking powder. Don't over mix. Refrigerate dough for two hours then roll and cut into shapes. Cookies bake best on silicone mats.  Bake at 350° for 9 minutes.  Cool then frost.  You can freeze these cookies for several weeks.

Idiot-Proof Frosting

Ingredients

1/2 C butter, room temperature

3 C powdered sugar

3 Tbs. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp almond extract

Instructions

Beat butter until smooth.  Add two cups of sugar and beat until mixed.  Add milk, vanilla, and almond extract. Add remaining powdered sugar.

Blackberry Pie

I am one of the world's worst pie makers.  I get annoyed when people say things like "easy as pie." Below is one of my best efforts and it's not too pretty.  But it was delicious!  And the berries came from our backyard! The crust is from Monette Magleby and the filling is from the Joy of Cooking.  It can be adapted for almost any kind of fruit.

First, preheat oven to 425°.
Cut the butter, salt and flour together until it looks like little peas

When you roll out the dough out, it's easier with a roller sleeve and muslim.

Mix the berries, sugar and flour together.

Pour it all into the shell and do with butter.

Put the top on and cut off the extra dough.

Cut slits or use a cookie cutter to vent.  Use you thumb and forefingers to make a fluted edge.

Cover the edges with foil. Then bake at 425° for 35-45 minutes until it looks lightly browned and bubbly.  Allow to cool for 20 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Pie Shell
2 C flour
1 C butter-flavored Crisco
1 tsp. salt
1/3 C ice water

Combine salt and flour. Cut Crisco into flour with knives or a pastry cutter.  Sprinkle with water and let set for 5 minutes. Form into a ball then roll out.

Filling
4 C berries
1 C sugar
1/3 C flour
Mix together and pour into pie shell.  Dot with butter then put top shell on.

Bake
425° for 35-45 Minutes

Wonderful Waffles

Waffles are another favorite for the cabin!  It's so easy to make them from scratch that it would be a shame to use an icky processed mix.  I modified this recipe from one I found on Pinterest.  Russell took the picture of the delicious, finished product. 

Ingredients

1 3/4 C flour

1/4 C cornstarch

1 Tbs. sugar

1 Tbs. baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 eggs

1 3/4 C buttermilk (or regular milk with 1 Tbs. vinegar)

1/2 C vegetable oil (can use melted coconut oil)

1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

Spray and preheat waffle iron. Cook for 4-5 minutes.

Let's have Pizza!

When I was growing up, my mom often made pizza for us.  I was so proud of her for being so clever! She made pizza long before Dominoes or other chains that delivered were popular.  Now pizza is is one of our staple favorites at the cabin.  To make the dough, it's infinitely easier with a bread machine or stand mixer with bread hook. If you don't have either of these, maybe you should buy the crust unless you don't mind kneading by hand.

Here's what the crust looks like when it's all stretched into the pan.  To me this is the only hard part.  I've never been able to do the flippy thing with the dough that you see in commercials.  I just use a rolling pin and then stretch it by pulling and pushing it until it looks right.

 

Brooke taking the pizza out of the oven.  She had pneumonia this weekend (thus the nightie) but pizza can cure anything, right?



















This is a margarita pizza with fresh basil and goat's cheese.  You can use any toppings you want.  Remember, when you have a lot of toppings you'll need to cook it a little longer.








Crust for Two Pizzas
1 1/2 C water
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. garlic, minced (optional)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. Italian seasoning (optional)
4 Cups flour
1 Tbs. dry yeast

Put all ingredients into bread machine and put it on dough setting.  When it's finished, take it out a form into a ball with greased hands and then roll and stretch until it fits your pan.

Preheat oven to 450°

Toppings
Start with a good quality spaghetti sauce like Prego (or make your own!)
Sprinkle mozzarella or other cheese generously. About 2 cups per pizza.
Sprinkle oregano or Italian seasoning
Place all other toppings (pepperoni, peppers, onions, tomatoes, olives, onions etc.)

Bake at 450° for about 10 minutes.

ADDENDUM:
A couple of weeks ago we were up at the cabin and I started making pizza dough for our guests that were coming up.  I thought to myself, "Wouldn't it be funny if the bread-maker decided to stop working today when I have all these guests coming?"  Well guess what? It stopped working.  What I learned is that it's not that hard to make without the bread-maker.  I'll post a couple of pictures of how the dough looked before and after it rose.  I mixed it in a large bowl and kneaded it by hand, then put it in a barely warm oven to rise.