Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
2-3 cups of powdered sugar (to taste)
1 teaspoon vanilla

With an electric mixer, mix the butter and cream cheese together for about 3 minutes on a medium speed until very smooth.  Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl and the bottom of the bowl.

Add the vanilla and mix a few seconds.  Slowly add the powdered sugar.  Keep adding until you get the desired sweetness and thickness.

I find if you are going to piping with this recipe it is best to refrigerate it for a few hours first.  I generally make it first thing in the morning and stick in the fridge until I'm ready to use it!  I always get complemented on this frosting.  I like it with a strong cream cheese taste, so I generally only add about 2 cups of powdered sugar.

Variations:

If I'm using this recipe for a Carrot cake I will add some freshly ground ginger to it.

Add some scrapings from a vanilla bean is great for a Red Velvet cake!

Add some grated for dried coconut to it for a Coconut cake!

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

Thank you Pioneer Women for this new recipe! It was a great new Ground Beef recipe to add to my rotation! It was super yummy and will make great warmups! This made a TON! So, for a smaller family, you could probably 1/2 this and do it in a 9x9.

Also, next time I may add a LITTLE milk or cream to the sour cream and cottage cheese before I mix in the noodles. It's not that I thought it was dry, but I think it would be nice to have a little more sauce to it.

Ingredients:

• 1-¼ pound Ground Chuck or Ground Beef
  
• 1 can 15-ounces Tomato Sauce
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 8 ounces, weight Egg Noodles
• ½ cups Sour Cream
• 1-¼ cup Small Curd Cottage Cheese
• ½ cups Sliced Green Onions (less To Taste)
• 1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Get water ready on the stove for boiling noodles.

Brown ground chuck or beef in a large skillet. Drain fat, then add tomato sauce. 1/2 teaspoon salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Stir, then simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.
Cook egg noodles until al dente. Drain and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine sour cream and cottage cheese. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Add to noodles and stir. Add green onions and stir.
To assemble, add half of the noodles to a baking dish. Top with half the meat mixture, then sprinkle on half the grated cheddar. Repeat with noodles, meat, then a final layer of cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until all cheese is melted.
Serve with crusty French bread.

Homemade Pizza Dough

I decided to have all the little Haslem-cousins over to make personal pizza's and to play! I got this recipe from my friend, Lisa! They make pizza's every Friday night and she said this is the ultimate Pizza dough and SHE WASN'T LIEING! It was freaking delish. Perfect amount of sweetness! It makes 8 small personal pizzas or 2 big crusts. If I were doing pizza's for just my family (2 adults and 2 kids), then I would take half the dough and wrap it in saran wrap and place in a freezer bag and freeze it for a short time. Or if you want bread sticks you can quickly make bread sticks out of the second half.

Place in KitchenAid:
1 1/2 c warm water
1 Tbsp yeast
pinch sugar

Let proof until its foamy and then add:
1/3 c sugar
1 tsp salt
4 cups flour or until dough pulls away from the bowl and looks smooth.

Roll into a nice ball (DO NOT flour counter-top before rolling. It can make the dough to dry. To prevent sticking spray your counter-top with cooking spray). Place ball into a bowl and cover and let it rise for about 30 mins and then I roll it out. Be sure to bake for about 8-10 minutes at about 425 BEFORE you add your sauce and toppings. Pull it out of the oven and add sauce, cheese, and toppings. After adding toppings, brush the top of everything with a little melted butter and season with Garlic Salt if you would like. Put back in the oven for another 8-10 minutes. You will know when it is done.

Enjoy!

Pizza Sauce

This was seriously the easiest and yummiest sauce ever. I got the recipe from my friend, Lisa, who got it from All Recipes!

1 (6oz) can tomato paste
6 oz of warm water
3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
2 med garlic cloves, minced
1Tbsp honey
! Tbsp Marsala cooking wine
3/4 tsp chopped onion flakes
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp pepper

In a small bowl combine all ingredients and make sure to break up any clumps of cheese. Allow to sit for 30 minutes to let flavors blend. This was enough to do 2 full pizzas. Feel free to make extra and freeze for your next Pizza night!

Enjoy!

Asparagus Rolls

4-6 Tortilla Wraps (depending on the size of the tortilla)
18 asparagus
Chicken (You could do fresh, but I use 1 can of the Chicken Salad from Costco)
1/2 c. nuts (optional)
1/2 c. Craisens
4 oz. regular cream cheese
1/2-1/3 of container of Garden Vegetable Cream Cheese (judge this to taste)
1/4 c. Mayo
Garlic Powder

Mix the Chicken on down all in bowl. Judge to your liking in taste. I usually use closer to 1/3 container of the Garden Vegetable Cream cheese, but I like it with a stronger taste.

Spread the mixture on a tortilla. Roll the already cooked asparagus into the tortilla. I usually use about 4 or 5 per tortilla. Cover the roller tortilla in Press N' Seal and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours or overnight. Then cut into little bite size pieces and ENJOY!

Beef and Broccoli

I got this recipe from my friend Lisa! It is super super yummy and actually quite easy! Enjoy!

1 pound top round beef steak
1/4 c soy sauce
2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 c apple juice
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 cup water
2 c fresh broccoli
4 Tbsp oil
2-3 cloves garlic
2 tsp sesame oil

Cut beef steak into thin strips, set aside. Combine soy sauce, sugar, water, juice, and cornstarch in small bowl and set aside. In large skillet stir fry broccoli with 2 Tbsp oil for about 2-3 minutes. Do not overcook. Set broccoli aside in a dish. Pour remaining oil into skillet and add beef steak and cook until well browned on all sides. Add garlic and cook until fragrant but not more than 1 min. Pour soy sauce mixture over meat and cook until slightly thickened. Stir in sesame oil. Remove from heat. Stir in broccoli serve over rice.

Michelle's Nutty Torte

1 c flour
1 stick butter
2 tbs sugar
1/3 c (or more if desired) chopped walnuts
8 oz cream cheese, softened
13 oz Cool Whip
2 boxes any flavor instant pudding (I use 1 small chocolate and 1 large vanilla)
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
2 3/4 c milk

1st layer: Mix and press into a 9x13 pan; 1 c flour, 1 stick butter, 2 tbs sugar and nuts. Bake 8 to 10 minutes at 375. Cool.

2nd layer: Mix and spread over 1st layer; 8 oz cream cheese (softened), 1 1/2 cups powered sugar and 1/2 bowl of Cool Whip.

3rd layer: Mix 2 boxes of instant pudding with 2 3/4 cups of milk. Mix with a whisk (mix only until moistened, don't mix until setup) pour over the 2nd layer.

4th layer: Top with cool whip.

Puffy Oven Pancakes

These were known as Puffy Oven Pancakes in my house growing up, but you may know them as German Pancakes or many many other names! Enjoy!

Melt 4T of butter in the bottom of a glass 9x13 pan.

Beat together well:
6 eggs
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
dash of salt
optional: vanilla and sugar

Pour in pan and bake at 400 for approx 16-20 minutes. Serve while puffy with butter, syrup and/or powdered sugar!

Easiest Bread Ever (from Lisa)!

My friend, Lisa, got this from her friend. Lisa has been making it for a few months now and I absolutely love it! I have also (with the help of Lisa) made homemade Cinnamon Rolls out of this recipe! This is so easy! I'm going to try to start making a couple loafs a week! Thanks Lisa!

Words from Lisa on the bread: You can make it in 1 hour from start to finish. I use it for everything now. Cinnamon rolls, rolls, scones, pizza...everything! The yeast and soy lecithin might be something you can only get in Utah at stores but it can be ordered off the Internet. Best part is it costs .25 cents a loaf to make this. We only eat homemade bread in our house now! I make a half recipe on Sunday and we eat a warm loaf of bread with dinner and use the other loaf for sandwiches and toast during the week. When we do Movie night on Friday I make a second half batch and use half for pizza dough and make another loaf of bread. Pantry Secrets has classes on how to make this bread and perfect it.

• 10 ½ cups White unbleached bread flour (NOT all purpose- they do not have enough gluten)

• ½ Cup Sugar (white or brown or you can use 1/3 honey or molasses but it will not freeze well)
  

• 3 rounded/heaping tablespoons Saf-instant yeast (Macey’s sells it, keep in freezer and add to the recipe directly from the freezer, it does not have to warm up)

• 3 tablespoons liquid Lecithin* (use instead of oil, it’s made of soy, it cleans arteries has a 4 year shelf life and you can buy it at Kitchen Kneads, Bosch or any health food store and buy the liquid in squeeze bottles not the granules)

• 4 cups hot tap water (you can use powdered milk and for Wheat flour you add 1 cup applesauce in place of hot tap water) mix for 10 minutes.

Mix dry ingredients. Add lecithin and water. To add the lecithin, squeeze or pour approximately 3 tablespoons of lecithin directly into the bowl. Do not measure, it’s too sticky. (An amount about the size of a quarter equals 1 Tablespoon)

Mix for 1 minute and check consistency. If dough is too dry, add more water a little at a time but only 2-4 Tbsp. If dough is too moist, add more flour (You want nice soft dough). It’s better to be on the sticky side than to be too dry and hard. The stickier dough will stretch out better when you roll it. Mix for 5 minutes in mixer or knead by hand for 10 minutes. Do not add water or flour to the dough after it has finished mixing or it will be unstable.

Spray counter and pans with Pam (do not put flour on counter; it will dry out your bread, the gluten doesn’t develop in the extra flour and the dough won’t stretch as well and the breads will crack. Get a little Pam on your hands. Cut; don’t pull the dough into four pieces, shape loves and cover with a dish towel to keep the dough moist. Let raise 25 minutes.

Bake at 350º for 25 minutes on the middle rack in the oven. This recipe makes four loaves of bread. You can half the recipe for 2 loaves of bread.

For a year’s worth of bread (4 loaves a week)
6-25 bags of flour
6 pkgs of Saf-instant yeast
4-6 bottles of lecithin

You can keep a loaf of dough overnight in the fridge. Spray the inside of a bread sack with Pam. Put dough in and tie loosely. Put in Fridge. You might have to punch down the dough before you work with it. Great for pizza, scones, braids, etc. Might not form a pretty loaf of bread though.

Parmesan Chicken Divan

This is from my mommy! She made it all the time for us growing up!

1 bag frozen broccoli
1/4 c. butter
6 Tbs Flour
2 C. Chicken Broth
1 C. Parmesan Cheese
1/2 pt Whipping Cream
3 Cooked Chicken Breasts, cubed
1/2 t salt and pepper


Melt butter in a large sauce pan. Blend in flour with a fork. Add salt and pepper. Add Chicken Broth. Cook and stir until mixture thickens. Stir in whipping cream.

Pull out a 13x9 pan. Layer the bottom of the pan with the broccoli. Pour about 1/2 of the sauce over the broccoli. Now make a layer of chicken.

With the remaining sauce add the Parmesan cheese. Pour over the chicken. Sprinkle top with Parmesan Cheese.

Cook for 20 minutes at 350 Degrees F.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

My friend, Kendra, gave me this recipe. I'm not sure if I was just out of the loop, but my chocolate chip cookie recipe was not nearly this good. You all for sure need to try this recipe out!

Makes 4 to 5 dozen.

Cream together:
2 cups Crisco
1 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 1/2 cup sugar

Add to above:
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

Add to above:
2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
5 c. flour (I don't always put this much. I just add until it doesn't stick to my finger.)

Add chocolate chips

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. I only cook them 8 minute, because I like them SUPER soft! Mmmm.... Oh, and I don't usually add chocolate chips. They are yummy enough without them! ENJOY!!

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

I got this recipe off my friend, Brenda's, cooking blog and it was FAN-FREAKIN-TASTIC! The chicken had such a great taste!! I have amended a few things to clarify and to add one little step! ENJOY!

6 tablespoons honey
5 tablespoons lime juice (1 large lime)
1 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded (I use 2-3 chicken breasts)
8-10 flour tortillas
1 pound Monterrey Jack and Colby Jack cheese, mixed and shredded
1 1/2 - 16 ounces cans green enchilada sauce
1 1/4 cup heavy cream

Mix the first four ingredients and toss with shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least 1/2 hour (I tossed mine together in a Ziploc bag in the morning and let it sit in the refrigerator all day). Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce with 1/4 cup heavy cream on the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese and drip about 1 tablespoon of the mixed sauce (green enchilada sauce and heavy cream) and roll. Fill pan with rolled enchiladas. Save about 1-2 cups of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas. Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the remaining cream. Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with leftover cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.