Glazed Poppy Seed Bread

I found this recipe on Pinterest and made some tonight without knowing that it was one of Ross' all time favorites! Score! Happy husband = happy wife!


Poppy Seed Bread 
Recipe adapted from Beneath My Heart (my additions indicated by *)

3 cups flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1 1/2 t. salt
2 1/4 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups oil
1 1/2 T. poppy seeds
2 t. butter flavoring
2 t. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp almond extract*

Mix together the above ingredients and beat for two minutes.
Fill 5 or 6 mini-loaf pans 2/3 to 3/4 full.
Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Glaze
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1 tsp almond extract*
1/2 t. butter flavoring

Mix in a glass measuring cup. Pour over hot bread when removed from the oven. Let stand for 30 minutes.

New Mexican Lasagna

I always come back from New Mexico inspired to cook---I think it's mostly about New Mexican green chiles. Yum! So, upon arriving home from our trip last week, I made this dish. Ross named it New Mexican Lasagna. I was trying to make a dish that we had at his parents' house. It was different than his mom's dish but it was also so good!! I had made enough {I thought} for two meals worth. Well, Ross had other plans! I went to put the baby down for the night and came back to a tiny sliver left in the pan! So much for leftovers! I just LOVE when he likes something so much. It makes me feel like a good wife :)

New Mexican Lasagna

1 lb ground turkey (or beef)
1 can low fat cream of chicken soup
1 can green enchilada sauce
15 corn tortillas
a few handfulls crushed tortilla chips
1 1/2 cups reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
fajita seasoning
chopped green chiles (not jalapenos)


-brown turkey. drain fat. stir in green chiles and sprinkle with fajita seasoning.
-in a separate bowl, mix together cream of chicken soup and green chile enchilada sauce. reserve about 1/4 can of enchilada sauce for later.
-spray bottom of 8x8 pan. layer 5 corn tortillas, sauce mixture, meat, cheese and repeat three times. (you will probably have to tear up the tortillas to make them cover the entire pan)
-top with crushed chips. pour remaining enchilada sauce over chips. top with cheese. bake for about 30 minutes on 350, or until cheese is nice and bubbly.

Sweet potato souffle

I was skeptical about making this...I wasn't sure if Ross would be down with sweet potatoes for dinner...He couldn't stop eating it! It's a twist on the traditional carrot souffle and is divine. I think it could be served as a dessert.

2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup melted butter
3/4 to 1 cup white sugar (depending on desired sweetness)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
2 tablespoons powdered sugar


Boil sweet potato cubes until tender. Drain and mash. Stir in melted butter.


Beat eggs until almost fluffy and add vanilla.


Add about 1/3 of the mashed potatoes to the egg mixture and quickly beat, so that the eggs don't cook. Add in remaining potatoes and stir. In a separate bowl, mix together remaining dry ingredients. Add to the potato mixture and beat well. Transfer into 2 quart baking dish.

Generously dust top with powdered sugar. This will make a crust on top, so don't be shy with the topping.


Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.

Chicken-chile emPIEnadas

I was looking through my kitchen a few days ago, trying to come up with a dish that didn't require a trip to the store. This is what I came up with and they were amazing...so good, in fact, that Ross wants them again this weekend! They are kind of like empanadas made with pie crust and baked.


2 refrigerated pie crusts
2 cooked chicken breasts, cut into tiny bites
3/4 block of cream cheese, softened
2 tsp chopped green chiles (adjust amount to taste)
1/4 cup shredded cheddar
1 tsp beef fajita seasoning
1 egg
Coarse sea salt (optional)

-Mix together chicken, cream cheese, green chiles, cheddar and fajita seasoning.
-Cut pie crusts into circles. I used a large cup to cut the circles. It made about 12 empienadas.
-Spoon about a tablespoon of chicken mixture onto each pie crust circle. Fold crust over mixture to form a half circle shape. Press the edges of each closed firmly with a fork.
-Place onto a lightly greased baking sheet.
-Scramble the egg and brush over each empienada. This makes them beautifully brown and crispy in the oven.
-Sprinkle tops with sea salt. This is purely decorative :)
-Bake for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown, at the temperature on the pie crust box. It varies by brand.

We ate them all and didn't take a picture. Here's the site where I got it.

Cracker-crispy pizza dough

Last night I made margherita pizza using the Thin n’ Crispy Pizza Crust from this site. Ross is big on crispy pizza, so it was a hit. I added my notes in green.



Ingredients
1 package active dry yeast (2-1/4 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup warm water (100 to 110 degrees)
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons yellow cornmeal
Italian seasoning

Directions:
Dissolve yeast and sugar in 1/2 cup warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Stir 1-1/4 cups flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt into yeast mixture to form a soft dough. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes); add enough of remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands.

Place dough in a large bowl coated with coil, turning dough to coat. Cover; let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size. (Press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, dough has risen enough.)

Punch dough down; cover and let rest 5 minutes. Roll dough into a 14-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Place dough on a pizza pan or baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Crimp edges of dough with fingers to form a rim.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Drizzle dough with a little olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt (this is important!) and Italian seasoning to taste. Now, using a fork, poke lots of holes all over dough, to prevent bubbles. Place pan on lowest oven rack; bake at 450 for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven; top with desired toppings and bake an additional 7-10 minutes or until crust and cheese is lightly browned. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Seriously, the BEST peanut butter cookies ever

This is my recipe for the best peanut butter cookies ever. I've been tweaking it for a while and now I think it's pretty perfect.


INGREDIENTS:

1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 bag of Reese's peanut butter chips
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

DIRECTIONS
1.Preheat oven to 375. Cream together butter, peanut butter, vanilla and sugars. Beat in eggs.
2.In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add slowly into batter. Fold in peanut butter chips.
3. I use a mini-ice cream scooper to make evenly sized cookies or you can roll into 1 inch balls. Put on greased baking sheets. Bake at 375 for about 10 minutes (in my oven, 11 minutes is perfect) or until cookies begin to brown. Do not over-bake.

Tostadas

I made these for dinner tonight and Ross couldn't stop ooohing and aaaahing! Nothing makes me feel better as a wife! Plus, they were super super easy!



Ingredients
8 Corn tostada chips
1 lb ground beef
1/4 block Velveta
Lettuce shreds
3 tbsp salsa
Beef fajita seasoning
Shredded cheese
Refried beans

Directions
1- Heat tostada chips in oven for 6-7 minutes.
2- While tostadas are baking, brown beef and drain fat. Mix in salsa, fajita seasoning and velveta until melted and well mixed.
3- Warm beans and spread over tostada chips.
4- Sprinkle with cheese and broil until melted.
5- Top with beef mixture and lettuce.

Verde Chicken Enchiladas

These are in Ross' top 3 favorite dishes that I make. Lucky for me, they are yummy and easy!

Ingredients:
4-6 large flour tortillas
1 can Hatch green chile enchilada sauce
1 cup (or so) shredded cheese
2 large chicken breasts, cut into small bites
Adam's Beef Fajita Seasoning
Olive oil

Directions: Sautee chicken pieces in olive oil and sprinkle with fajita seasoning. Cook thoroughly. Roll up 1 tbsp sauce, 1/4 of chicken and some cheese inside of each tortilla. Roll each tortilla tightly and place crease down in 9x9 square cooking pan. Pour rest of sauce from can over enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake in oven until warmed through and cheese is melted. (about 10 minutes on 375)

Chicken Fried Rice

This is one of Ross' top 3 recipes that I make....good thing it's so easy to make! It is also a great way to use leftover chicken or rice.



Ingredients
3 large chicken breasts thawed and cut into bite sized pieces
1 1/2 cup white rice (uncooked)
3/4 cup chopped onion
2 tbsp(ish) minced garlic
soy sauce- I would guesstimate about 1/4-2/3 cup--just to taste
Sunbird fried rice seasoning- 1 packet
2 or 3 eggs scrambled without butter or seasoning
2 tbsp(ish) olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions
I cook this in a wok, but any large dutch oven or skillet will work just fine. Cook rice and cool. (This is important so that it doesn't overcook later on.) Saute onions in olive oil for a few minutes and then add garlic. (You add the garlic later so that it doesn't burn) Add chicken and cook until done--season with a little bit of salt and pepper. Add rice, fried rice seasoning, soy sauce and scrambled eggs. Mix together gently so that the rice doesn't get mushed up. Cook just until thoroughly heated.

***Serving suggestion: I like to serve this with stir fried veggies in a Szechwan or sweet and sour sauce. I also top it with the sauces pictures below. I like the sweet chili sauce and Ross likes the spicy one.



Pictured from left: Sweet Chili Sauce (the kind I grew up eating, but any will be great), Chicken Man Sauce (That is, of course, not the real name, but we don't know what it is really called. It's spicy chili sauce), Sunbird Fried Rice Seasoning (I get it at WalMart)

Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad

This is a quick and easy meal great for hot summer days b/c it is served cold. It is also a great way to use left over chicken!

One box of your favorite short pasta cooked al dente (I like shells, penne or pinwheels)
3 cooked chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces (left overs work great here)
Pesto (it's on the same isle as spaghetti sauce)
Red pepper flakes
Cherry tomatoes cut into halves

Once chicken and pasta are cooked, mix together with 3 or 4 tbsp of pesto. Add red pepper flakes to taste. We like it spicy, so I use a lot. Cool in fridge until ready to serve. Top with cherry tomato halves before serving.

Thin Mint Knock-offs

So we all love when the Girl Scouts come knocking on our doors and we get to stock up on their amazing cookies....especially those Thin Mints. The only problem is that these girls only come once a year! I have a solution. These are my version of Thin Mints. I'll admit that it sounds like an odd combination, but trust me...they are a hit!



Ingredients:
Ritz crackers
Andes mints baking chips
Crushed peppermints (optional for garnish)
Wax paper

Directions:
Melt chocolate mint chips slowly over double boiler or low heat. Once melted, dip Ritz crackers in chocolate. Place covered crackers on wax paper. Sprinkle peppermint crumbles on top to make it look pretty. Let crackers cool and devour! I like to store them in the freezer....yummy!!

Yaya's FAMOUS green beans

Ok- This is a dish that is served at every Fotiades family function. Ross asks for them ALL the time.

Canned cut green beans: well drained (be sure that they are NOT french cut)
-I usually use the huge can and once you taste it, you will see why
Olive oil
Minced garlic
Cavendar's Greek seasoning

Make a few circles of olive oil around the pan. Heat up and add a few teaspoons of minced garlic. Sautee until it starts to brown. Add drained green beans. Season with lots of Cavendar's Green seasoning. Stir and cook until they shrink down and get small. I like to cook them for about 20 minutes. Add as much seasoning as you want and ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!