Easy Greek Feast!

Greek Salad and Souvlaki

This is Di! Today is Greece's independance day, so we had to celebrate. Why? Because it's a reason to eat Greek food! I looked up some recipes on the internet that were so easy and turned out so well, that I had to share! Our menu consisted of Greek kabobs called souvlaki, white rice, and Greek salad with baklava for dessert. Then enjoy your favorite Greek movie like My Big Fat Greek Wedding or Mama Mia.

Keep in mind I had to convert the measurements, so they aren't exact.

Souvlaki
3 lbs tender pork or beef (I used a pork roast)
3 T olive oil
Juice of 2 lemons
3 T oregano
1 T thyme
Salt and Pepper

Cut meat up into cubes removing any fat or gristle. Thread on to skewers (if you're using wood skewers they need to be soaked in water for a few minutes) brush with olive oil, season with oregano, thyme, and lots of salt and pepper.

I cooked mine on a grill pan under a sheet of aluminum foil. This traps the heat in so they cook faster and more evenly. Over medium heat, they need about 3-5 minutes per side. You can use a thermometer to check if they're done, it should register at 170 degrees. These are also good cooked on a bbq or you could broil them in the oven.

When thoroughly cooked, put the skewers on a plate and pour lemon juice over them. I garnished it with some lemon peel, that is why you see yellow chunks on it in the picture.



Greek Salad

Make a yummy salad with romaine lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, feta cheese and Greek olives. Top with red wine vinegar and olive oil or your favorite salad dressing.

Baklava
Filling:
1 lb chopped walnuts (since my mom is allergic, I used almonds, and that was really good too!)
1/2 c. sugar
1 t. cinnamon

Mix together in a bowl

Pastry:
8oz. Fyllo dough (you find this in the refrigerator section of the store)
1/2 c. melted butter (you may need more)

Butter the base and sides of a 9X13 pan. Put a sheet of fyllo dough on the bottom of pan, brush with butter, then another sheet and brush with butter, repeat five times. Keep in mind the dough may be too big for the pan, but it will shrink. Sprinkle some of the filling on. Layer more dough with butter brushed between each layer 3 times. Then sprinkle more filling, then layer 3 more sheets brushed with butter. Add the remainder of the filling. Layer the rest of the dough (there should be about 8 sheets left). Be sure to put a lot of butter on the top layer so the pastry gets nice and brown. Cut the pastry halfway through-don't cut it all the way to the bottom-in diamond shapes with a sharp knife. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes then reduce heat to 350 and bake 20 minutes longer. Cool, pour the syrup over the top. It will be a little soupy, but that just makes it yummy. The pastry slowly soaks in the liquid, so this dish is good for days after it's made.

Syrup:
1 c. sugar
1 c. water
2 cinnamon sticks or 1 t. cinnamon
2 t. lemon juice
a few pieces of lemon peel
2 T honey

Put all the ingredients except the honey in a saucepan. Dissolve the sugar in the water simmer for 6-8 minutes. Add the honey, simmer 5 minutes more until it thickens.

Baklava (Obviously, I made two. You can't just make one and expect everyone to be happy!)

I got these recipes from http://www.greek-recipe.com/

Aunt Kathy's Debut Post...

Aunt Kathy's Black-Eyed Pea Dip
1 15-ounce can black-eyed peas (drain and rinse)
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
2 Tablespoons minced onion
1 Tablespoon diced jalapeno pepper
1 Tablespoon jalapeno juice
1 1/2 cups grated sharp Tillamook cheddar cheese
1/4 cup butter
1 3ounce can deviled ham
3 ounces grated mozzarella cheese
Cook peas two minutes and drain. Lightly mash peas and mix with salt, and mix with next 6 ingredients. Pour into a 9-inch round baking dish. Top with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Serve warm with chips, crackers and veggies. Enjoy!

Di's Sweet'n'Sour Chicken!

I got this recipe from a friend a few days ago and thought I'd try it out. She says that she and her husband always fight over who gets the leftovers, and Boy is that true! This stuff was soooo yummy, I wanted to share it with you lovely ladies. And to my surprise I see that Di has already posted the EXACT same recipe! I'm glad I have cousins with such great taste!

I did, however, double the sauce and add some red and green peppers, onions, and pineapple! And I ate it over warm fluffy rice! MMMmmmm Mmmmm! If you haven't tried this yet, please do! It is scrumptious!

Hoping my husband hasn't finished the leftovers yet,
Adrianne

New Favorite Chicken Dish

Here's a fun spin on chicken for dinner. Sophie ate ALL of it; it was that yummy! Success...especially because she wouldn't even touch her Mac'n'Cheese! It's really easy!

Tomato Basil Chicken
4 boneless, chicken breasts
3 Tbsp butter
2 tomatoes, chopped (or ¾ can petite diced tomatoes)
1 small onion, diced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 c heavy cream
2 Tbsp basil, chopped

Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, melt 2 Tbsp butter. Cook chicken for 8 min or until chicken is no longer pink, turning once. Remove chicken and set aside. In the same skillet, melt 1 Tbsp butter and sauté tomatoes, onion and salt stirring occasionally, 3 min or until tomatoes are tender. Stir in broth and cream. Reduce heat to low and return chicken to skillet. Simmer uncovered 6 min or until sauce has thickened and the chicken is heated through. Garnish with basil and parmesan cheese. Serve alone or over rice, noodles, or asparagus.

Enjoy!

-Emily

Cherry Vanilla Cupcakes

Di came over and we made these little delicacies:The kiddos were little angels just eating their fruit:It was the mamas that were having a hard time. After one boiling hot pot of ramen and a brand spankin' new gallon of milk dumped all over the kitchen floor, we were finally able to sit and enjoy this site (for a minute): Yeah...they're that good. Go ahead, try them for yourself:

Cherry Vanilla Cupcakes
1 box yellow cake mix
1 sm vanilla instant pudding
2 c pitted cherries
½ c sugar
½ c water
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp cornstarch

Cook cupcakes according to package. Add cherries, water, and vanilla to a pot. Cook for 10 minutes over medium-high heat. Stir together sugar and cornstarch then stir into the cherries. Cook until thick, about 20 minutes. Fill cupcakes using the cone method once the filling has cooled. Top with frosting and a rinsed and dried maraschino cherry.

Vanilla Buttercream
1 stick butter
3 c powdered sugar
vanilla
milk

High-five team!Enjoy!

Chicken Enchiladas

Hey Ya'll... so married life is good, and I gotta admit I've enjoyed cooking real meals so much! It seems I've been doing so well, until I look at the GG blog and realize how amateur I really am! Yikes! Well, i looked through and didn't see anything similar to this, so if you all know it already, please forgive me!

When making these chicken enchiladas, i looked at a couple of recipes and just kind of did my own thing with what I had in the Cupboards! I have never been a real fan of red sauce, so this is a creamier, less severe version (that I'm sure you've all had before).

Ingredients:
2 large chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
about 6-8 ounces of sour cream (I eyeballed it here)
1 half (give or take) of an onion
Handful of fresh mushrooms
1 small can of diced green chillies
Mexican blend cheese
2 cans of green enchilada sauce
8-10 flour or corn totillas (or even spinach totillas, YUM)

(Let oven preheat on 350 degrees)
First, I started by sauteing chopped onion and mushrooms (i didn't saute them together though, in fear of the muchrooms taking in too much onion flavor)
Next, grill 2 chicken breasts on the George Foreman Grill-- cube when fully cooked
Combine chicken, onions, mushrooms, chillies, a handful or two of cheese, cream of chicken soup, and sour cream (with some salt and pepper, and a dash of ceyenne pepper, if you want)
Fill totillas, roll, and place in a sprayed 9x13 pyrex
Top with two cans of green sauce and spinkle with cheese!

Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, or until bubbly and delicious!


Seriously-- you will love this!

--Newest newlywed, Adrianne Jayne Young

(this was just off the top of my head-- I'll add more recipes later)

Am I the only one who always has left over pesto?

I don't know why, but whenever I make or buy pesto I always have too much.  I also don't know why, but I HATE pesto plain.  So I had some left over pesto and I had some sun dried tomatoes left over from a salad.  I stuck them both together and voila!

 (totally not my pic...but that's pretty much what it should look like)

So...what do you do with left over pesto?  Make this:

Sundried Tomato Pesto Pasta

place several sundried tomatoes in a bowl of water (I had 7 and it made about 4 servings of sauce) and let them sit and plump up for an hour or so.  When you're ready to eat.  Make your pasta of choice and reserve some of the cooking water.  Boil the tomatoes in the pasta water for a few minutes to soften them up.  Then place them in a food processor with a few Tablespoons of pesto and a little olive oil.  Chop it all up and pour it over the pasta.  Toss and garnish with some parmesan cheese.  Quick, different, delicious.  

Enjoy!

-Starving in Seattle

Emily

P.S. So fun to see so many of you at Cami's.  I'm going to be back down next week and I want to have a cousin cupcake party.  Let me know if any of you are interested in getting together to fill and top a bunch of different types of cupcakes!

P.P.S. I HATE January.  I get so bored.  I tag Di, Jordan, Adrianne (Young Love WOOT WOOT!), Mandy, Beth, and Cami to post a favorite pick-me-up meal.  Or post whatever you think might add some spice to my life!  Thanks!

Aunt Kathy's Sweet Potato Souffle

Ok, this is slightly belated, since Thanksgiving was last week, but make it now anyways—it’s sooooo good! It’s my favorite dish at Thanksgiving, and in between times too!

Aunt Kathy’s Sweet Potato Soufflé (Casserole)

3 cups sweet potatoes
½ C sugar
¼ C butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 t. vanilla
1/2 C milk

Topping:
1/3 C melted butter
1 C brown sugar
½ C flour
1 C chopped pecans

Peel and chop sweet potatoes, boil till tender, mash (use an electric mixer). Add the rest of the soufflé ingredients and spread in a greased casserole dish. Mix topping ingredients together and put on top of casserole. Make 350F for 30 minutes.

If I remember correctly, Aunt Kathy uses the yellow sweet potatoes, not the orange “yams,” but I don’t really like those and you can’t find them where I’ve been living anyway, so I just use the sweet orange ones! Also, I substitute honey and maple syrup for the sugars, slightly reducing the amount, and it tastes even yummier!

Make it today while supplies are cheap--your husband and kids are going to love it!

Love you all! Mandy

Spinach Tortellini

I adapted this from a Cooking Light recipe I found. Seriously...try it...NOW. It's so good and a great change from traditional pasta dishes! Happy cooking!Spinach Tortellini – Emily Bohman
1 large package fresh cheese tortellini
¼ c pine nuts
1 tsp olive oil
6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 packages fresh baby spinach
½ c shredded Parmesan cheese
pepper to taste
crumbled bacon

Cook pasta according to the package, drain, and transfer to a large bowl. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and toast pine nuts for about 2 minutes until toasted. Add nuts to bowl. Heat oil in the pan and sauté the garlic lightly. Add spinach and cook for about two minutes or until the spinach wilts. Stir constantly. Add spinach mixture, cheese, bacon, pepper, and toss well. Serve immediately. Serve with watermelon, cantaloupe, or honeydew melon wedges on the side.

Di's Donuts

As much as I would like to, I cannot claim these donuts as my own. I got the recipe in my Foods class in high school. I never went to class, in fact, I missed the day that they did these donuts. I got the recipe and through many years of trial and error, I think I finally have it right. Because they have potato in them, they are actually Spudnuts.

Spudnuts:
2 pkg yeast
1/2 c. warm water
2 c. scalded milk, cooled
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. instant mashed potatoes ( I find the potato flakes rather than the pearls mix in better and taste better)
2 eggs slightly beaten
2 t. salt
1 t. vanilla
1 t. lemon extract (DO NOT substitute lemon juice. The extract is a MUST!)
1 t. nutmeg
1 t. mace
6 c. flour, divided

Prep the yeast by adding it to the water and letting it sit for five minutes. During this time, I heat the milk for 2 minutes in a microwave-safe dish in the microwave for 2 minutes. Then I add the instant potatoes to the milk to let it cool faster. (I like to use a Bosch mixer with the kneading hook when I make these, but a Kitchen Aid would work. Up until last year I always made them by hand, so that would work too. )

Mix all ingredients together except for 3 cups of the flour. Mix until smooth. Add the remaining 3 cups of flour. Cover and rise until double. Fold the dough together (punching it down will keep the donuts from puffing up as much in the grease), and let it rise until doubled again. Roll dough until 1/2" thick. Cut into donut shapes either with a donut cutter or a round cookie cutter and a smaller, round cutter for the middle. Let them rise for at least another 30 minutes.

Prepare the fryer by adding oil and heating it to 375 degrees. Drop into the fryer turning until both sides are golden. Using the handle of a wooden spoon through the hole of the donut, dip the donut in the glaze while they are still hot. This is a two-person operation. One person to cook the donuts, the other to glaze them.

Glaze:*
1 2 lb. bag Powdered sugar
1 t.Vanilla
HOT water

*The glaze is a little bit tricky. The glaze will thicken as it cools, so you want to keep the glaze warm, and dip the donuts in it while they are still hot. It takes a LOT of sugar. I use about one 2 lb. bag of powdered sugar for every batch of donuts sometimes more. Poor the sugar into a microwave-safe bowl, add Vanilla, then very carefully and slowly add hot water while whisking being careful not to add too much. Whisk until all the lumps are gone and it has the consistancy of syrup. If you do add too much water, then add more sugar.
If the glaze starts to thicken too much while you are still cooking the donuts, stick it in the microwave for 30 seconds.

Enjoy! Honestly, I think the donuts are even better on the second day, so don't get discouraged if they don't all get eaten right away... like they wouldn't!! ;)
Questions?

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Carmel Apples

Happy Fall! To get into the mood for fall, we made these deluxe goodies in mommy's group. I just melted a bunch of Kraft carmels in the crockpot but I put one of those crockpot covers in so there was no mess to clean up! We dipped the apples in the carmel and then rolled them in chopped pecans, peanuts, toffee bits, and coconut. We drizzled white and dark chocolate over the top. My absolute favorite is the carmel apple dipped in white chocolate and then rolled in cinnamon and sugar. It tastes like apple pie! This was so much fun and it would be a blast to do with the kiddos or for FHE or something. I tied a bunch up in celophane bags and gave them away. People were shocked at the 'gourmetness' which made me feel all proud (hey no one has to know how easy it is right?!). Have a happy delicious fall!

-Starving in Seattle
(Em)

Girls' night cuz party!

Cutie cousins! Thanks Sunnie for the super fun evening! You have such a cute house! It was so fun to see you girls!

Hommos Dip from Jerusalem

Sorry Mandy! It has taken me months to remember to finally post this recipe! The best hummus I have ever had was in Galilee. The chef told me it was just garbonzo beans, olive oil and garlic. This recipe is from our chef at the Jerusalem Center, Nassar. He was totally awesome! I am typing this recipe exactly how he did. You'll get a kick out of his grammer!

Hommos Dip
1 c chick peas
1/2 c tahenny
1/2 c lemon juice
3 cloves garlic
clean, wash, and soak one cup of hommos over night. Drain and cover with cold water and boil until soft. pass through vegi mincer. add the tahenny sauce as follows: measure tahenny in a seperate deep bowl, mix with a little of the water in which the hommos has been boiled. add lemon juice and crushed garlic. pour over hommos and add salt to taste. serve in a flat dish and garinsh with minced parsley and a little oil.

If you want any more recipes from Nassar he gave me quite a few. Let me know!

Girls' Night

I know this is really late notice, and probably none of you will get this in time, but just to be on the safe side, there is a girls' night at Sunnie's tonight. It's for all the FEMALE Goodrich cousins over 18. Bring your favorite treat and meet there at 7:30. Sorry for those of you who can't make it. We'll do another one really soon! Love you all! Watch for pics from the partay!

Outback Chicken

Happy Back to School! In honor of another first day of school for Logan (believe you me, I'm so looking forward to only having to make one more of these), I made this yummy dinner. It's the chicken from Outback Steakhouse. It's seriously so good! Oh and it's blackberry season here so we've been picking baskets of blackberries and baking various treats. This berry crumble is our favorite so far. It's just the Betty Crocker recipe if you want to try it!

Outback Chicken
Marinade:
½ c Dijon Mustard
½ c honey
1 ½ tsp vegetable oil
½ tsp lemon juice
Chicken:
4 chicken breasts
10-12 sliced mushrooms
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp butter
dash salt, pepper, paprika
8 slices cooked bacon
1 c shredded Monterey jack cheese
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
2 tsp finely chopped fresh parsley

Use an electric mixer to combine the marinade in a small bowl. Whip the mixture for about 30 seconds. Pour about two-thirds of the marinade over the chicken breasts and marinate them, covered, in the refrigerator for about 2 hours. Chill the remaining marinade for later. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and sear the chicken in an oiled frying pan for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until golden brown. Remove the pan from the heat, but keep the chicken in the pan. As the chicken is cooking, in a small frying pan sauté the sliced mushrooms in butter or the bacon drippings. Brush each seared chicken breast with a little of the reserved honey mustard marinade (not the portion that the chicken soaked in), being sure to save a little extra you can serve on the side later with the dish. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and dash of paprika. Transfer chicken to a baking sheet. Stack two pieces of cooked bacon, crosswise, on each chicken breast. Spoon the sautéed mushrooms onto the bacon, being sure to coat each breast evenly. Spread 1/4 cup of Monterey Jack cheese onto each breast followed by 1/4 cup of Cheddar. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is thoroughly melted and starting to bubble. Sprinkle each chicken breast with parsley before serving. Put extra honey mustard marinade into a small bowl to serve on the side.

I hope you all had a lovely summer and I look forward to seeing all your new recipes!

Happy Eating!

-Emily

Zucchini out your ears...

Hey all,
I've been hearing too many complaints about zucchini. I don't much care for zucchini unless it is sliced and sauteed. That is all. Plain and boring. My friend Natalie, however, has posted some zucchini recipes on her blog. So don't complain to me any more. Try these recipes because I probably won't.
Love ya!!!
Di

http://nataliespot.blogspot.com/2008/08/zucchini-out-your-ears.html

We tried your curry Di...

and this is what happened!
I made your curry and rice as an introduction into curries and spices for the boys...and they loved it! It's hard to please so many men and it worked! Thank you! There weren't any leftovers (sad) but I won major sister-in-law points! Thanks Di!

Alfredo Sauce

Thanks, Emily, for your Spaghetti Sauce recipe. My sister Cami Jo made it for us for lunch today and it was awesome! I really haven't been satisfied with mine lately, so thanks--and Di, I remember from our college days that you make a fabulous one too! I'd love for you to share your recipe!

To tempt you into sharing your Spaghetti Sauce recipes, here are my other favorite pasta sauces that I really think are to die for:

Thai Peanut Sauce (serve over pasta or rice, also great with chicken)

1/2 C milk
1/2 C chicken broth
4 T peanut butter
1 t soy sauce
1 clove pressed garlic or garlic powder if you're feeling lazy...like I often am
Heat in a saucepan until boiling. Continue to boil until thick and bubbling. It takes about ten minutes. Somewhere towards the end of the thickening process add some diced, fresh, sweet red pepper (frozen is fine too) for flavor and color. Sometimes I also throw in some ginger(powdered, pickled or fresh).

Alfredo Sauce

This recipe has all the bad and expensive stuff, but it goes a long way and the flavor is worth it, I promise! Matt requests this every week, so maybe it could qualify as a romantic meal--since it's his current favorite and mine.

melt in a saucepan on medium:
1 cube butter
Add:
2 cloves pressed or finely grated garlic (don't cheat with garlic powder this time)
1 C heavy whipping cream
till just heated, then add:
1/2-3/4 C freshly grated Parmesan
Heat until fully melted, about 6 minutes. Then add:
3/4-1 C shredded mozzarella
At that point I take it off the burner and put the lid on for the mozzarella to melt so it doesn't overcook. Keep the temperature as low as your patience will allow throughout this recipe.

Serve over fettuccine, garnished with fresh parsley, if you have it. It's great with shrimp or chicken or grilled-in-butter mushrooms and make sure you have a side of fresh green beans. We use our leftovers as sauce for a fantastic Alfredo Pizza!

And while I'm posting--Beth--if you run across that hummus recipe you got in Jerusalem, will you pass it along?

Thanks and love,
Mandy

Messy Meals Tag

So Jerica tagged me awhile back for a messy meal. I wanted to come up with something awesome, maybe like eating spaghetti off a tarp with no utensils, but I couldn't come up with anything good. So here's a few homemade goodies for the kiddos and one fabulous enchilada recipe that will leave your kitchen messy. Happy cooking!

-Starving in ALASKA
(Em)

Oh don't forget....Mandy still wants your favorite pasta/sauce recipe! Happy 4th!

Fingerpaint
2 c water
¼ c cornstarch
food coloring

Bring water to a boil. Add a small amount of water to the cornstarch to make a paste. Add paste to the boiled water and stir well. Bring to a boil again. Remove from heat and add food coloring for your choice. Cool before painting.

Edible Playdough
¾ c peanut butter
½ c powdered milk
½ c sugar

Mix ingredients together and knead well.

Beef Enchiladas - Emily Bohman
1 lb ground beef
1 onion diced
1 tsp crushed garlic
chili powder
1 small can tomato sauce
1 large can red enchilada sauce
1 small can diced chilies
1 packet taco seasoning
1 can kidney beans
12 burrito size tortillas
shredded cheddar cheese
1 small can chopped olives

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Brown meat with onion and garlic. Season with chili pepper, salt, and pepper. Add tomato sauce, ½ can enchilada sauce, taco seasoning, chilies, and kidney beans. Simmer until all flavors combine. Fill tortillas and lay in a greased casserole pan. Cover enchiladas with the rest of the enchilada sauce, cheese, and olives. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve with fresh avocado and sour cream.

Raspberry Cake (Jerica)

Okay I am a little embarrassed about this recipe because it is SO easy and I wouldn't even put it on here but its time for a new post. Anyways its an easy way to make a boring cake look a little more fun!

Take a bag of frozen raspberries and let completely thaw. Then drop them in a blender, add about 1/2 cup sugar and blend until smooth. Pour into a plastic bag and cut a tiny hole in the corner (that's my favorite trick). Set aside. Bake a cake using the directions on the back of the Betty Crocker box, and top with a cream cheese frosting. Drizzle that raspberry delight on top!

Okay so I stole the picture from google and my cake would never look like that but you get the idea right?