Split Pea Soup with Barley and Ham

Okay okay, I know what you are thinking (Camille) ;) I was seriously skeptical about this recipe because I remember really not liking split pea soup. After reading all the the rave reviews (from Mels, slightly modified) I decided to give this recipe a try. It is seriously so good that I have made it at least three time since it's discovery, with plans to make it again this week. It's cheap, easy, and delicious.......my kids even love it. I tell them it's witch's brew (due to the color)

*Serves 4-6

1 cup dry split green peas
1/2 cup medium pearl barley (not quick-cooking barley)
2 cups chopped ham
3/4 cup chopped carrots
3/4 cup chopped yellow onion
3/4 cup chopped celery
5 cups water
2 chicken bouillon cubes (or 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
about 1 cup of milk
1/2 stick of butter

In a medium bowl or liquid measure, combine the water, bouillon cubes and spices and whisk to combine (it’s ok if the bouillon cubes don’t completely dissolve).

In a medium round slow cooker (about 4-quart), layer peas, barley, ham, carrots, onion and celery. Do not mix. Pour in the water/spices mixture and add the bay leaf to the slow cooker. Don’t stir! Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for four hours or on low eight hours, until the peas reach the desired creamy, soft texture. Remove the bay leaf, stir well, and add salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Stir in butter and add milk until desired consistency (it will thicken significantly when it cools, the milk keeps it from being too thick). Serve immediately.

Skillet Summer Vegetable Lasagna

Also from Mels, very easy and a good use of those extra noodles in the lasagna pkg. I also made it with a half a box of bowties one night to make it look prettier and we loved that!

*Serves 4-6

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped fine
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28-oz.) can diced tomatoes
Salt and pepper
10 curly-edged lasagna noodles, broken into 2-inch lengths
1 small zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 small yellow squash, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1/4 cup shredded fresh basil
1 cup part skim ricotta cheese
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a large 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Drain tomatoes into a 2-cup liquid measure. Add water to tomato liquid to make 2 cups. Add tomato/water mixture and 1 teaspoon salt to skillet.

Scatter noodles into the skillet, layer tomatoes over the noodles and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, covered, stirring occasionally (so the noodles won’t stick!) for about 10 minutes.

Stir in zucchini and squash, cook, stirring now and then, until noodles and squash are tender, about 8 minutes. Add basil and half of the rictotta cheese and half of the Parmesan cheese to the noodles, stirring until the sauce is creamy. Dollop remaining ricotta cheese over the noodles, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.

The Cornbread

Slightly adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. I've been looking for a good cornbread recipe for awhile now and have tried several that are just so-so, but when I found this one and tweeked it ever so slightly, I found my go to recipe! It really is just so good, and goes with any meal.....and is pretty quick too!

½ cup cornmeal
1 ½ cup flour
1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup oil
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 ¼ cup milk

Mix dry ingredients together, make a well in the middle and add oil, butter, eggs, and milk into the center. Stir until just mixed (batter will be runny – don’t be alarmed!). Bake in an 8” square pan at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. This doubles perfectly for a 9X13-inch pan.

Sweet or Savory Corncakes

This is a recipe from Emily. Sorry I took so long getting it on here.

For a savory breakfast, top corncakes with sour cream and store bought salsa verde mixed with scallions, fresh cilantro, and lime juice. The recipe did not specify amounts on the toppings, so it is up to you how much cilantro, etc, to put in the salsa verde. For a sweet version you can spread it honeybutter, or honey and Greek yogurt, or just maple syrup.

1 can (14.75oz) creamed corn
1 cup yellow cornmeal (divided in half)
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lg egg
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs sugar (optional)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Heat creamed corn in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in 1/2 cup of cornmeal. Whisk in water, oil, egg. In a bowl mix the remaining 1/2 cup cornmeal with flour, salt, sugar (optional), and baking powder. Stir in wet ingredients into dry ingredients. The consistency is a thick batter, not like pancake batter). Heat griddle over medium heat (brush lightly with olive oil, we have a nonstick griddle so we didn't do that). The original recipe said to drop it in batches of a 1/4 cup onto the griddle. I did it with a 1/3 cup. I dropped it on and sort of spread it out a bit because it is pretty thick it doesn't really spread out on its own. Cook, turning once.

These corn cakes are dense. They made 8 for me. Really yummy with the sour cream and salsa verde. We liked them.

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

from Mel's

Very Yummy, and I love the dipping sauce! This is a very light meal....I served it with rice. Ohh, and it's gluten free!

For the Rolls:

2 pounds chicken breasts or boneless pork chops
about 30 10-inch diameter spring roll wrappers (rice, tapioca, etc.)
1 pound fresh bean sprouts
1 red bell pepper, cored and sliced thin
1 large English cucumber, cut into thin strips
large bunch of fresh herbs, washed (I used basil and cilantro)
large bunch of fresh lettuce leaves, washed
warm water in a large shallow bowl or pie plate (large enough to accommodate a spring roll wrapper)

Meat Marinade:
juice of 2 limes
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chile-garlic paste to taste

Hoisin Peanut Dipping Sauce:
8 oz hoisin sauce (the Y&Y brand is gluten-free)
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 tablespoon rice vinegar (I usually add more vinegar)
2 cloves garlic, crushed or pressed through a garlic press
1/2 teaspoon chile-garlic paste

Whisk together all the marinade ingredients until sugar is dissolved. Pour into a ziploc bag. Place the meat in the bag and marinate, refrigerated, for an hour or two. Grill or broil the meat until it is cooked through. Set aside to cool. When cool, cut into 1/4 to 1/2-inch slices.

For the sauce, mix all of the sauce ingredients together until combined. If the sauce is too thick, add hot water and mix in until you achieve a desired consistency. Set aside.

Assemble the spring rolls by dipping one spring roll sheet into a shallow bowl of warm water for a second or two and setting it flat on your plate. Layer lettuce, herbs, vegetables, and meat in a small strip about 1/3 of the way from the edge nearest you. Roll from the edge nearest you and tuck in the sides as you go if you wish. Roll tightly, but not so tightly that you tear the wrapper. Serve the rolls with the dipping sauce on the side.

For step-by-step instuctions go here

Red Coconut Curry Noodles

Love this recipe because it's yummy, gluten free, and low cal (if you use the light coconut milk). Just make sure that you add the noodles carefully because the easily stick together!!!

Also from Mels Kitchen Cafe

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips (last time I made this I used pre-cooked shrimp and added them at the end to warm them up.....yummy)
1 tablespoon oil
2 cans light or regular coconut milk
1 tablespoon red curry paste
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cups sweet Thai chili sauce
2 ¼ cups chicken broth
1 (13.5 ounce) package rice noodles (about ¼-inch wide)
1 yellow onion, sliced into thin half moons
2 red peppers, cored and sliced thinly
1 cup broccoli slaw or thinly sliced matchstick carrots
1 teaspoon salt to taste

In a large pot over medium heat, scoop the cream off the top of each can of coconut and put it in the pot. (If using light coconut milk, there won’t be cream to use, so use the 1 tablespoon oil called for in the recipe). The cream will be used as the “fat” instead of oil or butter. Along with the cream, add the curry paste and ginger. Let this simmer, stirring constantly, for about one minute.

Add the chicken and onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is no longer pink, about 5-6 minutes. Add the coconut milk, sweet Thai chili sauce, cilantro, and chicken broth. Bring this to a simmer.

Add the red pepper, broccoli slaw (or carrots) and rice noodles and salt. Simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent the noodles from sticking to the bottom, for about 5-8 minutes. The noodles will thicken and plump up as they absorb the liquid. The mixture will be slightly soupy when the noodles are finished cooking.

Take the pot off the heat and let the noodles sit for about 5 minutes. The mixture will continue to thicken. Garnish with more cilantro, if desired.

Soft Wrap Bread

Soft Wrap Bread
from King Arthur Flour

can be made with wheat flour as well. I like to make several batches at once and then use for other wrap type sandwiches or easy pizza crusts!

*Makes about 8-9 breads

3 to 3 1/4 cups (12 3/4 to 13 3/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) boiling water
1/4 cup (1 1/2 ounces) potato flour OR 1/2 cup (5/8 ounces) potato buds or flakes (I used potato flakes)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons (7/8 ounce) vegetable oil
1 teaspoon instant yeast*

Place 2 cups of the flour into a bowl or the bucket of a bread machine. Pour the boiling water over the flour, and stir until smooth. Lightly cover the bowl or bucket and set the mixture aside for 30 minutes.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the potato flour (or flakes or buds) and 1 cup of the remaining flour with the salt, oil and yeast. Add this to the slightly cooled flour/water mixture, stir, then knead for several minutes (by hand, mixer or bread machine) to form a soft dough. It may look like the flour/salt/oil/yeast mixture will never absorb into the boiling water/flour mixture. It will, I promise, but you may need to take it out of your electric mixer, if using one, and knead the flour in by hand or add it very gradually into your electric mixer.

Note: You can allow the dough to go through the entire kneading cycle(s) in the bread machine, but it’s not necessary; about a 5-minute knead in the machine, once it gets up to full kneading speed, is fine. The dough should form a ball, but will remain somewhat sticky (the dough is fairly stiff, so don’t be worried – just be careful not to overflour the dough). Add additional flour only if necessary; if kneading by hand, keep your hands and work surface lightly oiled. Let the dough rise, covered, for 1 hour (I let mine rise up to 2 hours).

Divide the dough into 8 pieces (each about the size of a handball, around 3 ounces), cover, and let rest for 15 to 30 minutes. Roll each piece into a 7- to 8-inch circle, and dry-fry them (fry without oil) on a griddle or frying pan over medium heat for about 1 minute per side (I cooked mine about 2-3 minutes per side and they didn’t dry out), until they’re puffed and flecked with brown spots. Adjust the heat if they seem to be cooking either too quickly, or too slowly; cooking too quickly means they may be raw in the center, while too slowly will dry them out. Transfer the cooked breads to a wire rack, stacking them to keep them soft. Serve immediately, or cool slightly before storing in a plastic bag.

*This recipe works best with instant yeast because it dissolves during the kneading process, so you don’t have to knead liquid into the dough. If you really prefer to use active dry yeast, use only 1 cup boiling water for the initial dough, dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water, and add this mixture to the dough along with the potato flour mixture. It’ll be somewhat “slippery” at first, but will knead in and eventually become smooth.

Chicken Gyros

Another from Mel's Kitchen Cafe, slightly modified

*Note: Keep in mind this recipe requires straining yogurt which may take overnight and marinating chicken which will take 1-2 hours so plan ahead! Or just by slightly more expensive yogurt and skip this!

*Makes enough chicken and tzatziki for approximately 4-6 gyros.

For the tzatziki sauce:
16 oz. plain yogurt (I used nonfat Greek Gods yogurt and it was great, and no straining!)
1/2 English cucumber, shredded
2-3 cloves garlic, pressed through a garlic press (or finely minced)
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice (don't use too much or the flavors will be too strong)
Extra virgin olive oil

For the chicken:
4 cloves garlic, smashed
Juice of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 heaping tablespoons plain yogurt
1 tablespoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper
1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

To assemble:
Soft wrap bread (or pita bread), I recomend the soft wrap bread, it's really yummy!

Avocado slices
Fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced
alfalfa (or other similar) sprouts

To make the tzatziki sauce, strain the yogurt using cheesecloth over a bowl. Let strain for several hours or overnight, if possible, to remove as much moisture as possible. (You won’t believe how much liquid drains from the yogurt – it makes the yogurt much thicker and creamier. If you want to splurge on Greek yogurt, like Oikos or Fage, you won’t need to strain it like this.)

Shred the cucumber. Wrap in a towel a squeeze to remove as much water as possible. Mix together the strained yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.

To prepare the chicken, combine the garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, yogurt, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Whisk together until mixed well. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and mix well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

Cook the chicken as desired, either in the skillet or with the broiler. (I sauted them in a hot skillet.) Once the chicken is completely cooked through, transfer to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes.

Heat pitas. Top with chicken, tzatziki sauce, diced tomatoes, avocado, and sprouts. Serve immediately.

Apple Spice Cupcakes with Caramel Spice Filling and Cream Cheese Frosting.

This is an adaptation from the cake recipe Crystal posted awhile back. I made these for YW's and they were super yummy!

CAKE:

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 egg
2 peeled shredded apples
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional, I didn't add any nuts)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl cream together butter & sugar. Add egg & beat well. Add shredded apples & mix well. Stir in dry ingredients & mix until just combined. Stir in nuts. Spoon into muffin liners and bake for about 12-18 mins.

CARAMEL SPICE FILLING:
1 stick butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp. nutmeg

In a small sauce pan on medium heat, melt together butter, sugar & milk. Bring to boil and cook until it reaches soft ball stage (stirring constantly). Remove from heat and add vanilla & nutmeg. Pour immediately from pan into another container with out scraping sides and let cool slightly. Once cooled pour into a pastry bag and fill cupcakes by sticking the tip of bag in the middle of the cupcake and squirting until it starts to come out of the top.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

1 8oz pkg. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter. softened

2 tsp. vanilla

about 4 C. powdered sugar

milk to thin out if necessary (can use the rest of the evaporated milk)

Beat cream cheese and butter until well blended. Add vanilla and mix. Slowly add in the powdered sugar (taste after you've added about 3 cups and then add till you like the taste). If you need the frosting to be thinner at this point for spreading or piping add a couple Tbsp. of milk until it gets there. I like to put it into a piping bag without a tip on it and just swirl from the outsides in!

Squash Bake

This is the best way, in my opinion, to eat squash. I love this recipe because it takes boring squash that you can serve during the week and makes it yummy & special without making it super fattening.

This is actually a Jillian Michaels recipe, so it is pretty healthy...well depending on how much yummy buttery cinnamon pecan topping you add. I usually double the recipe for the topping because Jared always wants seconds when I serve this and he adds more topping than it calls for.

FYI: If you use the recommended amounts than the total calories per serving are 190

Ingredients

1 Butternut Squash (cut into 4 servings)
2 Tbsp. Butter, melted
1/4 cup Pecans, chopped
2 Tbsp. Brown Sugar, packed
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Ground Ginger

Instructions

Squash:
Cut squash into 4 equal servings. Remove seeds & fiber. Place cut side down in baking pan with small amount of water in bottom. Bake in a 350 degree oven 45-50 minutes or until squash is tender and can be pierced with a fork. (Or place squash cut side down in a microwave-safe container. Add a little water. Microwave on High 5-7 minutes, turning dish once. Continue cooking, if necessary, until squash is tender.)

Topping:
Meanwhile, combine butter, pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon, and ginger. Heat on top of stove or in microwave oven until butter melts. fill center of each squash half with one-quarter of the pecan mixture. Mix some of the cooked squash with the pecan filling. Serve immediately.

I serve mine directly out of the oven without removing the skin. Just place on plate add the topping and eat with a spoon.

Shaved Brussel Sprouts w/ Garlic & Lemon

I'm always looking for healthy ways to make vegetables taste better. This one is my new favorite. I never really thought I liked brussel spouts until I tried this recipe, now I really do. So give it a try.

Remember: this is really more of a method than a recipe so change it up to suit your family.

Ingredients

3 cups Brussels Sprouts
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 tsp. Lemon Juice
Extra-virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

Instructions

Clean brussel sprouts by tearing off outer wilted layers & chopping off bottom end. Shave brussels very fine with a sharp knife. Then rinse to wash of dirt.

Place a pan over the burner on med-high heat. Let it get REALLY hot. (I let mine preheat for about 5 minutes). Add the oil, let heat another 30 seconds.
(Note: the goal is to let your pan get really hot and to sear the sprouts; not to steam them. If the sprouts don't brown quickly then your pan isn't hot enough. When the sprouts are done they should still have a bite to them.)

Add Brussel spouts and salt & pepper to taste. Once you have some good color (about a minutes) add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds.

Pour the mixture into a bowl and squeeze in lemon juice. Mix well and serve immediately.

Autumn Glazed Pork Chops

This is another healthy recipe from Jillian Michaels (The Biggest Loser).

This is a pretty yummy healthy pork chop. However, I added my own step to the process, which is to brine the meat. Awhile back I tried the brine on pork chops (a different recipe) and the difference in the quality of the meat was night & day. So now whenever I make pork chops I brine them first (unless cooking in the crock-pot).

I've had this recipe without using the brine & it is still good but if you have a little extra time I would try the brine.

Ingredients

4 Pork Chops
Salt & Pepper
1/4 cup Apple Cider, or Juice
1 can Whole Cranberry Sauce
2 Tbsp. Honey
2 Tbsp. Orange Juice
1/4 tsp. Ground Ginger
1/2 tsp. Ground Nutmeg

Instructions

Preheat oven 400

Spray a large nonstick skilled with nonstick coating. Heat over medium-high heat.

Sprinkle both sides of chops with Salt & Pepper. Brown chops on each side in hot skilled, 1-2 minutes per side. Transfer to 9X13" baking dish.

In a small bowl combine cranberry sauce, honey, orange juice, ginger, and nutmeg. Pour into pan chicken was in; warm through. Pour over pork chops, making sure each chop is completely covered.

Bake uncovered for 15 minutes or until pork chops are done.

Brine

Ingredients

1 gallon Water
1 cup Sea Salt or Kosher Salt(not table salt)
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup Apple Juice Concentrate, thawed (I used apple juice & it's fine)
1 1/2 tsp. Whole Black Peppercorns
1 1/2 tsp. Thyme
6 Pork Loin Chops
Salt & Pepper

Instructions

In a mixing bowl combine the water, brown sugar, sea salt, apple juice, peppercorns, and thyme. Give it a good stir to dissolve the sugar & salt. Place bowl in the refrigerator for 2 hours to tenderize the meat. Do not brine longer than that or the meat will break down too much and get mushy.

Remove the pork chops from the brine & pat them dry with paper towels.

Strawberry Cake

Edited Sept. 2011

This is the recipe I used to make Paige's birthday cake, which turned out really yummy! I've made a few modifications and I also made it raspberry instead of Strawberry....although next time I'll just do strawberry. It makes a pink cake.....which is what I was instructed by Paige to make:) Ohh, and also it cooked up perfectly even and without any problems, which is so nice!

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups white sugar (I lowered the amount of sugar....and you could probably do even less, it's plenty sweet)

• 1/3 (3 ounce) package strawberry flavored gelatin, add slowly until the batter is a nice soft pink color. (just eyeball it....the original recipe said to use the whole pkg. but it makes it really dense and almost mushy....didn't like it!)

• 1 cup butter, softened

• 4 eggs (room temperature)

• 2 3/4 cups sifted cake flour

• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 cup Buttermilk, room temperature

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

• 3/4 cup strawberry puree made from frozen sweetened strawberries

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and dry strawberry gelatin until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Combine the flour and baking powder; stir into the batter alternately with the milk. Blend in vanilla and strawberry puree. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.

3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a small knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool in their pans over a wire rack for at least 10 minutes, before tapping out to cool completely

**Variation: Strawberry Cheesecake Cake - mix 1 pkg. of cream cheese with 2 cups powdered sugar and spoon on top of cake batter before cooking. Really Yummy!!!

14 Grain Whole Wheat Bread

So this is from one of friends in the ward (actually it's her mom's recipe), and it is really really good! Thx Camille!

9-11 cups whole wheat flour (hard white wheat)
6 cups warm water
2 cups nine grain cereal
1 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cups sesame seeds
1/3 cups amaranth
1/3 cup millet
1/3 cup flax seed (must be ground)
2/3 cups canola oil
2/3 cups honey
½ cup wheat gluten
3 tablespoons dough enhancer
3 tablespoons yeast
2 tablespoons real salt

Grind 7 cups of whole wheat flour (hard white wheat).

In a blender grind the flax seed (it must be ground to use properly).

In your mixed combine 6 cups warm water and your grains (highlighted in yellow) plus 4 cups of ground
whole wheat. Let set for 10 minutes. Your mixture will begin to sponge.

Add 2/3 cups oil and 2/3 cups honey to your mixed. Your dough should start to bubble. Add ½ cups
gluten. Mix. Add 3 tablespoons dough enhancer and 3 tablespoons yeast (never add yeast and salt to
bread dough at the same time). Mix well.

Start adding flour ½ cup at a time until your dough is cleaned off the sides of your mixer (you might not
use all 7 cups – it depends on the weather, altitude, moisture, etc...). Add 2 tablespoons real salt at the
very end.

Knead in your mixer on low for 12 minutes (or medium for 8 minutes). Take the dough out of the mixer
and form into 5 large loaves- or 6 smaller loaves. Never add MORE flour to your dough – use oil on your
hands and counter top so that the dough does not stick. Let rise until double in size – time depends on
the temperature and altitude, about 30 minutes. Bake 350 degrees 35-40 minutes. DO NOT preheat
your oven. Put your loaves into the oven when you turn the oven on.

You can buy all the grains (highlighted in yellow) prepackaged at the Bosh store for $3 in Salt Lake /Orem.
If using a kitchen aid you will need to cut this recipe in half.