Dulce De Leche Ice Cream Sundaes

Ingredients:
Chocolate sauce 1 1/2 cups whipping cream 10 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped

Streusel
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/8 teaspoon salt

Blondies
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

2 pints dulce de leche ice cream

Directions:

For chocolate sauce:
Bring cream to simmer in medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate. Whisk until smooth.

For streusel:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix all ingredients in bowl. Rub together with fingertips until small clumps form. Spread on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden, stirring occasionally, about 18 minutes. Cool streusel on sheet.

For blondies:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 8x8x2-inch metal baking pan. Using electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars in bowl to blend. Beat in egg, then vanilla. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt over; beat just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread batter in pan. Bake until golden around edges and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 23 minutes. Cool in pan on rack.

Cut blondies into 1-inch squares. Arrange 5 squares in bottom of each dish. Rewarm sauce; spoon over. Top with ice cream, more sauce, then streusel.

Source: Bon Appetit

Marinated Pork Chops

With the pork chops from my families farm, I decided that I needed to play around and see what different ways that I might like them.

INGREDIENTS:
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon and 2-1/4 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 (1 inch thick) pork chops

DIRECTIONS:
1. Combine the first 10 ingredients in a large resealable plastic bag or shallow glass container; add pork and turn to coat. Seal bag or cover container; refrigerate overnight. Drain and discard marinade. Grill, covered, over medium coals, turning occasionally, for 20-25 minutes or until juices run clear.

Source: Allrecipes.com

Baked Ziti

Ingredients:

1 box (16 oz) Ziti pasta
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb pork sausage
Salt, black pepper, garlic, red pepper flakes (all to taste)
12 oz cottage cheese (or ricotta if you prefer)
1/2 cup (4 oz) mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
8 slices provolone cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 and grease the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 casserole dish.- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, season water with salt, boil pasta till al dente; drain and set aside.- Meanwhile brown sausage and ground beef in skillet and season with desired amounts of salt, black pepper, garlic and red pepper flakes. Drain excess grease away from meats and return back to skillet. Add the jar of spaghetti sauce and let simmer until you are ready to assemble the dish.- Place enough sauce mixture on the bottom of the pan so the noodles won’t stick. Then assemble the rest of the dish- half of the cooked noodles, all of the cottage cheese, 4 slices of provolone cheese, 1/2 of the remaining sauce, remaining noodles, half of the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, remaining sauce, remaining cheese.- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Let set 10 minutes to cool before serving.

Whole-Wheat Pizza Dough

To make 12 ounces dough:
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 package quick-rising yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons), such as Fleischmann's RapidRise
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2-2/3 cup hot water (120-130°F)
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

To make 1 pound dough:
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 package quick-rising yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons), such as Fleischmann's RapidRise
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3/4 cup hot water (120-130°F)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1. Combine whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a food processor; pulse to mix. Combine hot water and oil in a measuring cup. With the motor running, gradually pour in enough of the hot liquid until the mixture forms a sticky ball. The dough should be quite soft. If it seems dry, add 1 to 2 tablespoons warm water; if too sticky, add 1 to 2 tablespoons flour. Process until the dough forms a ball, then process for 1 minute to knead.
2. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Coat a sheet of plastic wrap with cooking spray and place it, sprayed-side down, over the dough. Let the dough rest for 10 to 20 minutes before rolling.
3. Place a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet on the lowest oven rack;preheat oven to 500°F or highest setting. Roll and top the pizza as desired(we suggest a 13-inch circle) and bake the pizza until the bottom is crisp and golden, 10 to 14 minutes. Serve immediately

Make Ahead Tip: Store in a plastic bag coated with cooking spray in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before using.

Nutrition Information:
- Per 12 ounces: 766 calories; 12 g fat (2 g sat, 8 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 142 g carbohydrate; 26 g protein; 16 g fiber; 1,882 mg sodium.
- Per 1 pound: 1,032 calories; 18 g fat (3 g sat, 12 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 189 g carbohydrate; 33 g protein; 21 g fiber; 2,509 mg sodium.

Source: Amber's Delectable Delights

Zesty Red Potatoes

I needed something to go with my bbq pork chops so off to allrecipes I went. I found this recipe. I had everything but the onion so I decided to make it without. We really liked these potatoes, but next time I will try to have the onion to add to it.

INGREDIENTS

• 6 medium red potatoes, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Arrange potatoes and onion in an ungreased 9-in. square baking dish. Combine butter, pepper flakes and salt; drizzle over potatoes and onion. Cover and bake at 400 degrees F for 25 minutes. Uncover; bake 15-20 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender.

Source: Allrecipes.com

Banana Nut Bread

I am always looking for new banana bread recipes. When I saw this recipe on Katie's Blog, Good Things Catered, I just had to try it. I still have a couple more recipes to try, but this one was very good.

Ingredients:
1/2 c. shortening
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. mashed bananas (about 3 medium; the browner, the better!)
3 Tbsp sour cream
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 c. walnuts (I really like Banana Nut Bread so I added some nuts that I had on hand)

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees
-In bowl of stand mixer, cream shortening and sugar.
-Beat in eggs one at a time; then bananas, sour cream, and lemon juice.
-Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
-Slowly add dry ingredients to mixture.
- Add nuts.
-Pour into greased and floured 9x5x3 loaf pan.
-Bake for 60 minutes.

Photography

Lenny has started doing photography competitions with this online message board ever since we get the new camera for Christmas. Here are some pictures that he has taken. I think that they are awesome! Each week there are different themes.

Theme: Fences

Theme: Pollution

Theme: Pee-A-Boo

Theme: Mug Shot

Blueberry Scones

My husband loves blueberries so he bought a huge thing of blueberries from Costco. I so far have made Blueberry Waffles, Muffins, and now these. He has loved everything so far so hopefully he will love these too.

Ingredients:
2 c. flour plus 2 Tbsp, plus 1 Tbsp (I did not use the 1 Tbsp since I used fresh berries)
1 Tbsp baking powder
3 Tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
6 Tbsp butter, plus 1/2 Tbsp, chilled
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 c. half and half, chilled (I did not have any half and half so I used this substitution= 7/8 cup milk and 7/8 tablespoon melted butter, cooled )
2/3 c. frozen Maine wild blueberries (I used a cup of fresh)

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment. (I used my pizza stone instead)
-In small bowl combine frozen blueberries and 1 Tbsp flour and toss to combine. (I left this step out)
-Place blueberry mixture back into freezer. (I left this step out)
-In large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
-Take butter out of fridge, cut into chunks and add to flour mixture.
-Cut butter into flour until pea sized or smaller.
-Add vanilla and half and half and mix in with a spoon until just barely incorporated.
-Take blueberries out of fridge and knead into mixture until mixture forms a ball of sticky dough.
-Turn dough out onto floured surface and pat down into rough 9-10 inch circle.
-Cut into 8 triangles and place triangles onto prepared baking sheet at least an inch apart.
-Take 1/2 Tbsp butter and cut into 8 small pieces.
-Place one small piece of butter on top of each scone.
-Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes.
-Let cool and enjoy.

Source: Good Things Catered

Chicken Cordon Bleu

This is a recipe that my Foods Committee for 4-H used for their County Officials Dinner. I thought that it turned out amazing! Everyone there loved it.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts
4 slices Provolone cheese
4 slices dried beef
8 slices bacon*
1 cup sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
¼ teaspoon seasoned salt

Directions:
- Pound each chicken breast to ¼ inch thickness. Place 1 slice of cheese and one slice of dried beef on top. Roll chicken, tucking in sides to secure cheese and beef. Wrap one piece of bacon* around the chicken roll.
- In a small bowl, mix sour cream, chicken soup and seasoned salt. Put a few spoonfuls in bottom of greased dish. Place chicken rolls seam side down in dish. Spoon remainder of soup mixture over chicken rolls.
- Cook in oven for approximately 3 hours at 300 degrees or 45 minutes at 350 degrees, then microwave for 10 minutes.

4 servings.

* I cook bacon slightly before wrapping around the chicken.

Source: Lena Osborne (4-H Volunteer)

Surprise Hasbrowns

This is a recipe that Lenny's Aunt used to make for all their family get togethers. This was one of his favorite dishes so I decided to make it for him.

Ingredients:

12 oz sour cream

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 can celery soup

1 can cream of potato soup

1 (10 oz) cheddar cheese

1 lb. hashbrowns (the shredded kind) (I actually used almost 2 pounds)

Onion (to taste) (I did not use any onion, because I did not have any)

Directions:

- Mix sour cream, seasonings, soups, milk, and 1/2 of cheese.

- Combine in greased 9x12 baking dish with potatoes and onion.

- Put rest of cheese on top and bake 1 1/2 hour (covered) at 350 degrees.

Source: Lenny's Aunt

Lasagna

This is about the easiest recipe of Lasagna that I have ever made. Lenny loves it though. It is very meaty, I think that is his favorite thing about it. I think that next time I will try a little more difficult recipe and see how that turns out.

Ingredients:
4 Lasagna Noodles
1 pound Ground Beef
1 cup Small Curd Cottage Cheese
1/2 jar Spaghetti Sauce
1 bag of Mozzarella Cheese

Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
- In a skillet, brown ground beef. Using a fork, mix cottage cheese.
- In a 8X8 inch baking pan, layer spaghetti sauce, noodles, ground beef and cottage cheese mixture. Two layers of each will fit. Cover with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove tin foil the last 8 minutes of baking time.

Source: My Tiny Little Kitchen Creations

Roasted Red Potatoes

Ingredients:
4 red potatoes
2 Tbls bread crumbs
1 Tbls olive oil
1 Tbls Parmesan cheese
Your choice of seasonings (I used garlic power, parsley, and Italian)

Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Slice potatoes into wedges and place into medium bowl. Season with all the remaining ingredients and place into preheated oven. Cook for 30-40 minutes or until potatoes are done to your desired crispness.

Nutter Butter Frozen Peanut Butter Pie

This is one really rich pie. I was only able to eat half of this piece and I like rich stuff. It was really really good though!


Ingredients:
Crust:
24 Nutter Butter Cookies
5 Tbsp. Butter, melted

Filling:
1 pkg (8oz) Cream Cheese
1 C. Creamy Peanut Butter
3/4 C. Sugar
1 Tbsp. Vanilla
1 Tub Cool Whip Topping, thawed, divided

Directions:
- Crush cookies in zipper style plastic bag with rolling pin or in food processor. Mix cookie crumbs and butter press onto bottom and sides of 9 inch pie plate.
- Mix cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Gently stir in 1 1/2 cups whipped toppings. Spoon into crust.
- Freeze 4 hours or overnight until firm. Let stand 1/2 hour or until pie can be easily cut.

Extra Special- Garnish with remaining whipped topping and additional cookies, if desired.

Lemon Pepper Pork Chops

I am not a big pork fan, but this weekend we went home to help my parents butcher some pigs so I had to bring some back since it was so fresh! I made these pork chops and DH loved them. i know that we will defiantly be eating these again.

INGREDIENTS:
4 pork chops
1 tablespoon lemon pepper
8 tablespoons butter
8 tablespoons olive oil
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
- Tear off a generous square of tin foil for each chop, enough to wrap and seal completely. Coat both sides of each chop with lemon pepper.
-Put 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in the middle of each square of tin foil. Put the peppered chops on top of the butter and oil. Put 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil on top of each chop. Add 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce over the top of each chop. Wrap each chop tightly and place on middle rack of oven. Bake for 35 minutes.