Aunt Kathy's Orange Syrup

1 c. sugar
1 stick butter
1/2 cup orange juice concentrate

Cook and stir until bubbly and melted and sugar is dissolved.

plantains & chimichurri

Our family loves this-even the little ones down to Sophie. It is our version of the Americas and Amazon restaurants in Houston that we miss lots.

Fried Plantains
3 plantains, peeled and thinly sliced ( I use the food processor)
Heat oil and fry in a skillet until browned. Remove and salt.

Chimichurri
2 cloves garlic
1 bunch parsely
1/2 bunch cilantro
juice of lime or lemon or both
olive oil
Kosher or sea salt to taste

I put all in the food processor and then add more olive oil to get the right consistancy for dipping or spooning over grilled chicken, fish, or steak.

I crumble some cotija cheese over the warm plantain chips (a tip from a Thunderbird wife from Venezuela)

We never have any leftovers.
Serve with grilled meat, thinly sliced cooked carrots, avacado & black beans.

Homemade Oreos

Heather Gray made the first batch I tasted. Yum! This might not be the exact recipe but it's all good.
Homemade Oreos
2 Devils Food Cake mixes
1 1/4 C Butter
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
Mix well. Roll into balls. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-13 minutes.


Cream Cheese Filling
(1) 8 oz pkg cream cheese
1/4 C butter
1 tsp vanilla
3 1/2 C Powdered Sugar.

Mix well and spread between cooled cookies.

Baked Salmon and Potatoes w/Lemon

from Karen Smart of Cedar Hills:

salmon fillets (one per person)

thin potato slices ( I use my apple peeler, slicer,corer to do the potato, kids like the spirals)

Salt/pepper

lemon slices

parchment paper

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. On parchment squares, place one piece of salmon, layer some potato slices and a few lemon slices.  Salt/pepper the food and wrap tightly in paper. You can also add any other veggies you like. We've used carrots, asparagus, green beans, etc  Just be sure they are cut into a size that will take the same amount of time to cook as the potatoes. 

Place salmon packets onto a baking sheet and bake until fish is cooked through.  

Sprinkle dish with fresh cut parsley and more lemon juice. 

A Favorite Snack

Sometimes the most simple treats are the most enjoyed...here's proof. 

Adapted From a Jamie Oliver Treat: 

Peel and separate an orange, tangerine or clementine.

Take a standard sized Hershey bar and break into rectangles

Top each orange slice with one piece of chocolate.

Dust with cocoa powder. Or not. 

Eat together. This is key. 

 

We also like this with Ghiradelli squares. And Hershey's kisses, and semi-sweet chocolate chips, you get the idea. 

My new favorite breakfast, lunch dinner and snack

Martha Stewart Living
Alex's Red Berry Risotto Oatmeal

Thanks Alex, whoever you are. Not too sweet and really creamy, yet chewy, not mushy. Try it this weekend if you have the time...This might be our new "Birthday Breakfast" treat. Enjoy.'

Click on picture to enlarge printable recipe.


I also have a quick version of this:
pre-made rice pudding
old-fashioned oats
berries
milk
cook the oatmeal how it says on the box.
add a 1/3 c. rice pudding
add frozen berries
heat in micro for 30 seconds, stir. add milk.

Garlic Cheese Bread

Slice your bread into 1/2 or 1-inch pieces
drizzle with olive oil
sprinkle with kosher salt

cut a garlic clove in half and rub over bread slices
place slice of provolone cheese on each slice
broil until cheese is bubbly.

Ally's Favorite Eggs

Boil eggs
Cut eggs in half
Take out yolks and place in bowl
Add mayo and mustard to egg yolks
Salt and pepper
a little vinegar
mash all together

Place this mix into a ziploc baggie and cut off the corner.

Fill eggs with mayo mixture then put a drop of Sriracha sauce (secret ingredient) on each one.

Jenna's Orange Rolls

Jenna’s Orange Rolls

The sweet citrus glaze and classic knot shape have made Jenna's Orange Rolls a top Rhodes recipe that is requested again and again.

12 Rhodes™ Dinner Rolls, thawed but still cold
1 medium orange rind, grated
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted

Citrus Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
3 tablespoons orange juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix grated orange rind with sugar. Roll each roll into a 9-inch rope. Tie in a loose knot. Roll each knot in melted butter and then in rind/sugar mixture. Place on a large sprayed baking sheet. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap and let double in size. Remove wrap. Bake at 350°F 15-20 minutes. Remove from pan and place on cooling rack. Brush with citrus glaze while still warm.

Granola Almond Macaroons
My friend Heidi-Heidi found a recipe that is so good if you like coconutty cookies. I'm posting it so I don't lose it! I'm planning on making them tomorrow so I'll try to get a pic if they turn out. Thanks again Heidi.
Granola –Almond M acaroons
1 Roll sugar cookies 18oz
1 pkg almond paste 7 oz
4 oats and honey granola bars -crush them
2 ½ cups coconut
1 tsp almond extract
½ cup coarse sugar

Directions- Heat oven to 350*. Spray cookie sheets with cooking spray. In bowl, break up cookie dough and almond paste; with hands knead mixture until combined stir in granola bars,coconut and almond extract.
Shape into balls and roll into sugar put on cookie sheet.
Bake 12 to 14 min or until edges are brown.

Chocolate-Cream cheese Swirl Cookies-from a blog

1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. softened butter
1 3oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
2 c. flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 c. semisweet chocolate chips, melted and slightly cooled

my addition: add 1 c. chocolate chips at the end before baking.

oven 350. In lg. mixing bowl, combine sugars, butter, cream cheese, egg and vanilla. Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Beat at low speed until soft dough forms. Fold melted chips into dough until lightly marbled. (add choc. chips) don't overmix.

drop dough by heaping teaspoons 2 in. apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool completely before storing.

Martha's Cherry Cobbler-Mom Beeson

1 c. sugar
1 c. flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
dash of salt
3/4 cup milk
1/4 c. butter
2 cans cherry pie filling (4 cups)
Stir together sugar, flour, baking powder, salt and milk. In a dep 2 1/2 qt. casserole, melt butter. Stir in sugar mixture. Spoon cherry pie filling over batter. Bake at 350 for about 50 minutes. Serves 8.

Bundt Cake from Shannon (From K. Granum)

1 yellow Cake mix
1 sm. instant chocolate pudding mix
1/2 C. Sugar
~Mix with a wire whisk to remove all the lumps

ADD: 3/4 C. Vegetable Oil
3/4 C. water
3 eggs
1 C. Sour cream
1C. Semi sweet choc chips

~Spray Bundt pan, and Pour mix into the Pan
Bake at 350 for 60 Min.

To make other flavors just switch out the cake and pudding mix flavors. Chocolate cake with cheesecake pudding is good and lemon cake with lemon pudding with 3 T. poppyseeds is a winner too.

Aunt Martha's Texas Sheet Cake-Elizabeth Banks/Heidi Swapp

1C. water
½ C. oil
½ C. margarine
2 C. Sugar
2 C. flour
1 tsp. soda
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
½ C. buttermilk***
4 T. cocoa

In a saucepan, melt the marg(or butter) and mix in water, oil and cocoa. Bring to a boil, dissolving cocoa well. Remove from heat. Add sugar, flour and eggs and beat well. Dissolve soda in buttermilk, and mix in with vanilla. Bake in a 10x17 inch greased cookie sheet (the kind w/ sides) at 325 (degrees Fahrenheit or 163 degrees Celsius) for 20 minutes.
***if you don’t have buttermilk, you can add ½ teaspoon of lemon juice to regular milk and let it stand for about 10 minutes to substitute.

Frosting:
1 lb powdered sugar
¼ C. cocoa
¼ C. milk
½ C. butter

put all ingredients in saucepan. Stir well over medium heat until everything dissolves. Remove from heat and add 1 t. vanilla and frost while warm

FOR MUD PIE: (this is how I like it)
Remove cake from oven and cover with mini-marshmallows and return to oven for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and wait just a couple minutes, then pour the frosting over all the top.
ENJOY-

Strawberry Romaine Salad-Sarah Jones

1 c. oil
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. paprika
1/4 t. pepper
1 lg. head romaine lettuce
1 head Boston lettuce
1 pint strawberries, sliced
1 cup monterry jack cheese, shredded
1/2 c. chopped walnuts, toasted

Combine first 7 ingredients in a large jar with lid. cover tightly and shake vigorously. This dressing may be refrigerated for a week.

Tear lettuce into bite-sized pieces. Combine lettuce, strawberries, cheese and walnuts in a large salad bowl. Pour dressing over salad just before serving and toss gently.

Penne with Five Cheeses-Good enough for company

Penne with Five Cheeses Copyright, 2002, Barefoot Contessa Family Style, Kosher salt 2 cups heavy cream 1 cup crushed tomatoes in thick tomato puree 1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano (1 1/2 ounces) 1/2 cup shredded imported Italian fontina (1 1/2 ounces) 1/4 cup crumbled Italian Gorgonzola (1 1/2 ounces) 2 tablespoons ricotta cheese 1/4 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced 6 fresh basil leaves, chopped 1 pound imported penne rigate pasta 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butterPreheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Bring 5 quarts of salted water to a boil in a stockpot. Combine all the ingredients except the penne and butter in a large mixing bowl. Mix well. Drop the penne into the boiling water and parboil for 4 minutes. Drain well in a colander and add to the ingredients in the mixing bowl, tossing to combine. Divide the pasta mixture among 6 shallow ceramic gratin dishes (1 1/2 to 2-cup capacity). Dot with the butter and bake until bubbly and brown on top, 7 to 10 minutes.

Garlic Lime Chicken-Flylady

1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
1/4 t. paprika
1 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. onion powder
1/2 t. thyme
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 T. butter
2 T. olive oil
1/2 c. chicken broth
4 T. lime juice

In a bowl, mix together first 7 ingredients. Sprinkle mixture on both sides of chicken breasts.

In a skillet heat butter and olive oil together over medium high heat. Saute chicken until golden brown, about 5 minutes on each side. Turn down the heat, remove the chicken (keeping warm) and add the lime juice and chicken broth to the pan, whisking up the browned bits off the bottom of the skillet. Keep cooking until sauce has reduced slightly. Add chicken back to the pan to thoroughly coat and serve.

Ginger Snaps-Sarah Jones

1 1/2 c. shortening
2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. molasses
4 c. flour
2 t. ginger
4 t. baking soda
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. salt

Mix all ingredients together in mixer. Refrigerate mixture then shape into balls, roll in sugar and bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

ChimmiChurri

Chimichurri--We use this as a dip for plantain chips or as a sauce for grilled steak. I put the parsley and cilantro into the food processor with garlic and vinegar or lemon juice. Slowly drizzle olive oil in until desired consistancy. Season with salt and pepper. 1 bunch parsley 1 bunch cilantro 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/2 cup olive oil

Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Submitted by: Dr Amy Rated: 5 out of 5 by 1098 members

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 12 Minutes

Ready In: 55 Minutes Yields: 42 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup butter, softened 1 cup packed light brown sugar 1/2 cup white sugar 2 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 3 cups quick-cooking oats 1 cup chopped walnuts 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (we use raisins instead)

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2.	In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Mix in the quick oats, walnuts, and chocolate chips. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.
3.	Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.