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Showing posts from April, 2013

Lemon Cupcakes of Awesomeness

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These are awesome. Seriously. They get a 10 with no apologies. This recipe is from ourbestbites.com, but I altered it a bit. First, I use 10 T. butter and 2/3 cup oil instead of all butter. I cut the sugar down to 1 1/2 cups. And, I increase the lemon zest in both the frosting and the batter, as well as the lemon juice in the batter to about 1/3 cup. They are not good warm, and they are best the first day. Oh, and I cut the butter down in the frosting to 1 cup.   Lemon Cupcakes Ingredients: 1 1/2 c. (3 sticks) of REAL butter I use half butter, half oil 3 c. cake flour (no substitutions here–you really need the lightness of cake flour) 1 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. baking soda 2 c. sugar I use 1 1/2 cups 5 large eggs 2 tsp. vanilla extract 4 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice I use 1/3 cup Zest of 2 lemons (just zest the other lemons before you squeeze them) 1 c. buttermilk Instructions: Preheat oven to 325. Line 2 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake line...

Oregon Peach Pie

Okay, so I got this recipe from my sister-in-law, Ange and would give it a 9.5. I thought it was that good. I made the sugar cookie version and the one thing I will change next time is that I won't put almonds at the bottom because I don't like nuts and it gave it kind of a caramel popcorn taste (I don't like popcorn either). So if you like nuts and popcorn, stick with the almonds. Everyone else who ate it really liked it with the almonds. I've never tried it with a regular pie crust, but I'm sure that would be tasty as well.This tastes best if you use fresh peaches, so this is more of a summer dessert. Oregon Peach Pie 1 9-inch pie crust, baked 1/2 cup sliced almonds 2 tsp. butter 8 oz. cream cheese 1 C. powdered sugar 1 tsp. vanilla 2 cups whipped cream, whipped 2-3 peaches, peeled and sliced, approx. 1 3/4 cups Glaze: 2-3 peaches, peeled 1 Tbs. lemon juice 1/2 cups sugar 1 Tbs. cornstarch Cook nuts in a fry pan with butter until sligh...

Mango Chicken Tacos

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Ok, so we made this for our weekly meat meal, and it was awesome. The recipe was originally from Rebecca, and then I altered it slightly. I give this a 9. My picture looks terrible because my camera lens is smudged, but you get the picture. Mango Chicken Tacos 2 frozen chicken breasts 1 1/2 cups dry black beans that are then cooked (the beans you add to the crock pot need to be soft—PRE-COOKED; this is probably about 3 cups of cooked beans or more, 2-3 cans worth I would say) 4 cloves minced garlic 1-2 cups frozen corn 1/2 jar of the Mango Peach salsa that they sell at Costco (it’s right by the peso sauce) 2-3 T. brown sugar Put this all in the crock pot (put half of the salsa down, then the chicken, then the rest of the salsa) and cook on high for 2 hours and then low for 2 hours. Adjust as needed for unfrozen chicken. When the chicken is done, I put mine in the food processor to shred it up really fast. We served this with guacamole (a must), cheese, olives, etc. and we put...

Roasted Asparagus and Mushroom Pasta in Lemon-Cream Sauce

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This recipe came from Our Best Bites, and I give this an 8, but with my revisions I think it could be a 9. First, I used twice as much asparagus and 3 times as many mushrooms. I increase the roasting ingredients a slight bit to compensate. I have made this twice, and I will tell you what I’m going to do next time. I’m going to decrease the lemon zest a slight bit, or put some on the side. Then, I think I might just use a normal alfredo sauce recipe and double it. The one I make I reduce the fat in and substitute olive oil for the butter and use half and half instead of cream, so it’s probably the same nutritionally as the one they use, and this guiltless alfredo recipe is a bit bland. I also roasted the vegetables for less time than it said. Otherwise, this is awesome. Roasted Asparagus and Mushroom Pasta in Lemon-Cream Sauce Recipe by Our Best Bites 1 lb. asparagus, tough ends snapped off 3-4 cups whole mushrooms, thickly sliced 5-6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed 1 tablespoon lemo...

Quinoa Veggie Burritos

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I am excited to join the Culinary Goods blog. For my first recipe I wanted to share one that is tried and true.  I have been making these Quinoa Veggie Burritos for several years.  I make a big batch and then Freeze them for easy lunches.  Mike loves to take these to work.  The filling is very versatile.  They make a really good Nacho dip & Taco Salad. (Place into a baking dish for making a dip.) I rate these an 8.  Enjoy... Quinoa Veggie Burritos: 1 (15 oz.) can black beans 1 (15-29 oz.) can of Hominy (I can only find the bigger size at my grocery store.)  1 (15 oz.) can black eyed peas 1 cup frozen corn 1 cup red quinoa, cooked 1 jalapeno pepper 4 green onions 1/2 cup yellow onion 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 green pepper 2 large tomatoes 1/2 cup cilantro 1 (11.5 oz.) can V8 Juice 1/2 tsp. cumin 1/4 tsp. oregano 1 small lime 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 1 or 2 avocado's (save half to go in Ranch dip,...

Orange Cranberry Scones

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So, these are good. I give them a 8.5. Mine look ugly, but Rebecca’s looked great. I think it was b/c my dough was too wet. 2 1/4 cups flour 3 T. sugar 1 T. baking powder 1/4 cup butter 1 egg 3/4 tsp. salt 80 ml fresh squeezed orange juice 80 ml buttermilk zest of 1 orange 1/2 cup cranberries or craisins   Combine dry ingredients and cut in butter. Combine wet ingredients, add to dry ingredients, combine by stirring as little as possible. Put on a floured surface and pat it into a rectangle. Use a bench scraper and cut it into 10-12 triangles. Sprinkle each one with about 1/2 tsp. sugar before you put them in the oven. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes. Rebecca said she uses 10-15 ml extra liquid, but I did this and they were too wet. It might depend on the flour.