Honey Cilantro Enchiladas

Ingredients

• 3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro
• 1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)
• 1 small onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 cans of green enchilada sauce
• flour tortillas
• Cheese (I use moz. cheddar, when on hand. Mexican blend of Monterrey Jack and med. cheddar from Costco is also good.)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Dice onion and garlic and add to a pan with some oil. Sautee over med heat until onion is "see through." 
3. Put can of chicken in a bowl and with a fork separate chicken; add to pan. 
4. Rinse and drain black beans; add to pan.
5. Add honey.
6. Mix together (until honey is no longer thick)—to taste to see if you want to add some more honey or cilantro.
7. Remove from heat.
8. In a 9x13 pan pour 1/2 can of enchilada sauce.
9. Assemble enchildas; put some mixuture in enchiladas with a handful of cheese (to taste) and a spoonful of enchilada sauce. Roll up and put in pan. Do until pan is full and mixture is gone.
10. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over enchiladas and a handful (or two) of cheese.
11. Cover with tinfoil. Bake at 350° for about 20–25 minutes.

Pulled pork in the Crock - 3-4 lbs makes 10 servings

Ingredients:

1 (4 1/2 to 5 pound) boneless or bone-in pork shoulder

2 teaspoons salt, plus more as needed

1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

2 tablespoons neutral flavored oil

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped small

4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon mild chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 cup water

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon fish sauce or Worcestershire sauce

FOR SERVING 

Brioche (round) rolls

Coleslaw

• PREPARE PORK
Rub the pork with salt and pepper, and then set aside while you prepare the remaining ingredients. (See notes below if you plan to sear the pork first).
Heat oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic then cook, occasionally stirring, until they are sweet and browned around the edges. Stir in the tomato paste, chili powder, and cumin. Cook, stirring until the tomato paste turns from bright red to orange in color; about 3 minutes. Add the water, apple cider vinegar, and fish sauce and cook for about 1 minute, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
• COOK PORK
Rest the seasoned pork in the bottom of a slow cooker then pour the onion and spice mixture on top. Wiggle the pork around the bottom of the slow cooker so that some of the onion and spice mixture slides underneath. Cover with lid and cook until the pork can be easily shredded; LOW for 6 to 8 hours or HIGH for 4 to 6.
• TO FINISH
Turn off the slow cooker and transfer the pork to a cutting board. If the pork has a bone in it, remove and discard it. Use two forks to shred the meat. Remove the cooking liquid and skim most of the fat from its surface. Discard and set aside.
If using barbecue sauce, add it to the slow cooker and stir in the shredded pork. For even more flavor, add back some of the reserved cooking liquid. Season with more salt, addit'l vinegar.

Crock pot lemon chicken thighs

8 or so chicken thighs, skin-on, about 2 pounds

1 tablespoon Dijon grain mustard

1 tablespoon lemon zest (1 teaspoon for rub and 2  for sauce)

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)

1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken stock

2 tablespoons flour

DIRECTIONS

Make rub for chicken. Combine mustard, 1 teaspoon of the lemon zest, oregano, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of the olive oil in a small bowl. Use fingers or a brush to coat chicken on both sides with the mustard rub. In another bowl combine remaining lemon zest (2 teaspoons), lemon juice and the chicken stock. Set aside. 
• COOK CHICKEN
Heat remaining teaspoon of oil in a large oven-safe skillet or frying pan over medium heat. Add the chicken, skin-side down, and cook 3 to 5 minutes or until the skin has turned golden brown and some fat has rendered. Place chicken in slow cooker and arrange (1 layer) with the skin facing up.cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours 
• MAKE SAUCE
Remove all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the skillet used to brown the chicken. If there is not enough fat, add butter so that 2 tablespoons of fat are in the pan.
Place over medium heat until hot then whisk in the flour. Continue to whisk until the flour and fat turn into a smooth paste and look medium blonde in color; about 1 minute. Pour in the lemon juice-stock mixture and whisk until smooth. Bring the sauce to a low simmer until thickened.  When the chicken is done, transfer to a plate then skim off as much fat  as possible. There should be almost 2 cups of liquid left in the slow cooker.  Warm the lemon gravy made earlier then add the lemon broth and stir until blended. Place the chicken thighs back into the slow cooker for serving or serve with the gravy drizzled on top. Garnish with chopped parsley and sliced lemon.  Serve with mashed potatoes and green beans or peas and carrots.

Fast, cheap and tasty: Sesame Ramen and Pad Thai Ramen

Sesame Ramen Ingredients

• 2 -3 Packages of Ramen Noodles, Seasoning Packet Discarded
• 2 Teaspoons Sesame Oil
• 2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
• 1 Teaspoon Brown Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Sriracha

• Cook the ramen noodles without the seasoning packet as directed on package. Drain and set aside.
• Heat the sesame oil in a small skillet or saucepan over medium heat.
• Cook the garlic, stirring constantly for 2 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the soy sauce, brown sugar, and sriracha until combined.
• Toss the noodles with the sauce.
• Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds, if desired.

https://thesaltymarshmallow.com/sesame-garlic-ramen-noodles-recipe/

Thai Peanut Ramen Noodles

• 3 -3 Ounce Packages Ramen Noodles
• 1/4 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
• 3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Chili Garlic Sauce
• 2 teaspoons Sesame Oil
• 2 Teaspoons Honey
• 2 Green Onions Sliced 
• 2 Tablespoons Crushed Peanuts 

• Cook the ramen noodles according to package directions (without the spice packet). Drain and set aside.
• In a medium bowl whisk together the peanut butter, soy sauce, chili sauce, sesame oil, and honey.
• Pour the sauce over the noodles and toss to coat.
• Serve topped with sliced green onions and crushed peanuts if desired.

https://thesaltymarshmallow.com/thai-peanut-ramen-noodles/

CHOCOLATE AND BANANA MUFFINS

Ingredients 

1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup mashed bananas
1 10-oz. package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Recipe

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 12-cup muffin tin with muffin papers or spray with cooking spray.  In a bowl whisk together oil, sugar and egg.  Add bananas and half the chocolate chips; mix well.  In another bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.  Add to liquid ingredients; stir just until blended.  Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin, filling 3/4 full.  Sprinkle evenly with remaining chips.  Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

GLAZED DONUT MUFFINS

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups flour
1 cup milk

Glaze:
3 tbsp. butter, melted
1 cup powdered sugar
3/4 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. hot water

Recipe 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line 12 muffin cups with muffin liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray.  In a large bowl or a bowl of a stand mixer (with paddle attachment), beat together butter, oil and sugars until smooth.  Beat in eggs, one at a time.   With the mixer on low speed, add baking powder, soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and vanilla until just combined.  Stir the flour into the butter mixture alternating with milk (beginning and ending with flour) until thoroughly combined.  Spoon batter into cups, dividing equally, and smooth the tops.  Bake until muffin tops are a pale golden and springy to the touch (15 to 17 minutes), rotating halfway through baking time.  Cool muffins in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool 10 minutes before glazing.

To make the glaze, in a medium bowl mix together melted butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and water.  Whisk until smooth.  When muffins have cooled slightly, dip the muffin crown into the glaze and allow the glaze to harden.  Once hardened, dip a second time and allow to harden again.

Wendy's Chili

Ingredients:
2 pounds fresh ground beef (I would substitute ground turkey for the ground beef.)
1 quart tomato juice
1 (29-ounce) can tomato purée
1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans, drained
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, drained
1 medium-large onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup diced celery
1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
1/4 cup chili powder (use less for milder chili)
1 teaspoon ground cumin (use more for real flavor)
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions:
In a large skillet, brown the ground beef. Drain off the fat. Put the beef and the remaining ingredients in a 6-quart pot. Cover the pot and let the chili simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes. You can also cook this in a slow cooker on low for 3 to 4 hours.

I'm saving this recipe for those cool evenings that should show up in the next few months.
Found at http://donnawright.sbcspecial.com/

JONAH'S GRANOLA

Mix the following together in Kitchen Aid mixer (or can mix by hand in a big bowl):

• 4 C rolled oats (not quick oats - but quick oats will do if that's all you've got)
• 1 t salt
• 1 t vanilla
• 3/4 C chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds, macadamia nuts if you're Jonah and live in Hawaii, whatever you've got)
• 1 C wheat germ
• 3/4 C ground flax seed
• 2 C flaked dry coconut
• 1 C honey
• 1/2 C canola oil (or coconut oil - a little better that way)
• 1/2 cup raw unsalted sunflower seeds (optional)

Then add:

• 4C rolled oats (1/2 cup at a time until you can't fit any more in w/o it flying out of the mixer - I can fit about 3 3/4 cups)

Spread out evenly over two cookie sheets.

Bake at 275 for 30 mins, checking at 20 minutes to see if it's getting too brown. It's done when everything's golden and the edges are a bit brown. It'll be soft when you take it out of the oven but after cooling, it'll become quite crispy. When it's totally cooled, you can put it into a container, breaking up the big clumps as you scoop it off the cookie sheets.

• Mix in 1-2 cups raisins or craisins after cooking or upon serving if you like.

Makes the equivalent of two big boxes of store-bought granola.

Relief Society Potato Recipe

Ingredients:

-6 potatoes on 1 pkg. of shredded hash browns
-1 1/2 coup grated cheese
-1 pint sour cream
-1 can cream of chicken
-1/4 butter (melted)
-chopped onions

Directions:

-mix and pour in 1, 9x13" pan
-1 cup of crushed cornflakes
-cover with foil
-bake 350 degrees for 30 mins.

Apples w/ Raspberry Sauce [Mele Con La Salsa Di Lampone] Recipe

This dessert recipe is a request from my good friend, Trish, one of the greatest ward activity planners of all Provo-dom.

As custom dictates, proper meals finish with a fresh fruit rather than being overwhelmed by an overly sweet dessert (like more popular restaurants would have you believe.) Too often we think of this as just an apple, a pear, or some other plain piece of fresh or canned fruit, but there are broader bounds of imagination in Sicily. This dolce is a perfect example of this. Traditionally, it is made with a raspberry liqueur called aspretto di lampone, which is made from raspberries that have been aged and fermented in fruit wood. In this recipe, though, we use a good-quality raspberry [wine] vinegar, which works just as well, and has the benefit of being much easier to find.

It is light, sophisticated and surprisingly healthy ending to and wonderful meal. The main costs were $4 for the raspberries and apples, each. And $3 for the vinegar. I had the rest of the ingredients lying around. (All the better if you can pick fresh raspberries and/or apples.)


Ingredients

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

• 2 cups fresh raspberries
• 3 tablespoons raspberry jam
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• ¼ cup white dessert wine (like Moscato d'Asti) [but not really]
• 1 tablespoon raspberry vinegar - (to 2)
• 8 medium Golden Delicious/Jonny Gold/Inexpensive apples - (to 10) peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (it doesn't matter if they brown; they all dye red anyway.)
• Mascarpone cheese or sweetened whipped cream for serving
• ½ cup crushed almonds

Recipe

1. Puree the raspberries in a blender or food processor. Add the jam and sugar and pulse to blend. Add the wine and vinegar and blend well.
2. Put the apple slices in a large bowl and pour the raspberry sauce over them. Mix gently to coat the apple slices. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the mixture for 1 hour.
3. Spoon the fruit with some of the sauce into individual dessert bowls and top with a dollop of whipped cream or Mascarpone cheese [very rare, but worth it]. Sprinkle the almonds over the top of each bowl and serve immediately.

Note: To keep raspberries fresh and prevent mold from developing, remove them from their container and place them in a single layer on a paper-towel-lined dish. Cover and refrigerate.

*Sorry I don't have my own picture. Everyone ate it too fast.

[Source 1, Source 2]

Becca's Amazing Banana Bread Recipe

Dry Ingredients

2 1/2 cups plain flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
*1/2 cups brown sugar

Wet Ingredients

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup softened butter
2 large eggs
2 cups mashed very ripe bananas (about 3-5, depending on the size - the best bananas are those just on the brink of going rotten)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 TBL vanilla

Streusel Nut Topping

1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup plain flour
1 block softened butter
2/3 cup chopped almonds (optional)

0. Preheat oven to 350˚F.
1. Grease (and optionally flour) 3 small loaf pans or 2 larger ones.
2. Stir & toss together dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda) then set it aside.
3. In a large bowl combine the wet ingredients (butter, sugar, eggs and bananas) until well blended.
4. Add the combined dry ingredients with a hand mixer until batter is thoroughly blended.
5. Pour into loaf pans (or muffin tins).
6. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and flour. Then using your hands or a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. If you want, stir in the almonds. Sprinkle this on top of the loaves or muffins before baking.
7. Bake in preheated oven at 350˚F for 55-65 minutes for loaf pans, 15-20 minutes for muffins.
8. Check center for doneness with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, it's ready. Remove from oven then let cool for 5 minutes before inverting.

Baked Salmon with Brown Sugar and Soy Sauce

This recipe is one of my favorites to make when I have the money to buy salmon from Costco. I like to make it for dinner groups or other formal social events. Thanks goes to my mom for sending me the written recipe.

Serves two.

1 lb. salmon fillet, rinsed and patted dry

1/4 cup butter, melted

6 tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons soy sauce

2 green onions, chopped

Pam spray or olive oil

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Rinse and pat dry salmon. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with Pam or lightly coat with olive oil. Place salmon skin side up. Bake in 325 degree oven for 12 minutes. Meanwhile, in small microwaveable bowl, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar and soy sauce, mixing until well blended. After 12 minutes, remove salmon from oven. Remove the skin (it will come off easily) and turn the fillet over. With a large spoon, spread brown sugar sauce completely over salmon. Return salmon to oven and bake for an additional 8 minutes. Spoon some of the brown sugar sauce back up on the salmon and place under the broiler for 2 minutes to caramelize. Top with chopped green onions.

*This recipe is one that my mom adapted from Don Ryther, Salmon Expert.

The Best Chocolate Chip Brownies

This is the last brownie recipe I'll ever need. I’ve tried lots of brownie recipes: Boxes, scratch, frosting, nuts, chips, and fudge. Each of them has something to like, but depending on my mood I might want a change of pace. Not any more. I found this recipe on my weblog meanderings, and it’s perfect. I’m done looking. This is the brownie recipe that I’ll use from now on - when I have the mullah.

Ingredients

1½ cups sugar
¾ cup flour
¾ cup cocoa powder (see note below)
3 eggs
¾ cup butter, melted
½ teaspoon salt (if using unsalted butter)
¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (see note below)

Nutella COOL WHIP Popsicles

Makes 3 popsicles

• 1 cup COOL WHIP
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 Tbsp. Nutella

Place all ingredients in a blender. Process until blended, then pour into popsicle molds. Freeze for a few hours, then enjoy.

Banana Nutella Popsicles

Ingredients for approx. 8 servings

• 1 cup of Nutella
• 6 Bananas

That's it. You can add cinnamon or cocoa powder if you want but it isn't needed. Throw the two ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend till very smooth. Pour into Freezer safe container (or posicle forms, I recommend small, the ones I used hold a little over 1/3 cup). Impatiently wait for it to freeze then devour.

Danish Pastry

Ingredient List:

• ½ Cup Warm Water (105 to 115 degrees)
• 3 Packages of yeast – not fast rising
• 1 Cup Cold Milk
• 1/3 Cup sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 4 ½ to 5 Cups All Purpose Flour
• 1 pound butter – one pound block is easiest – never soft butter or marg.

Steps:

1. Soften yeast in ½ C warm water – see above.
2. Beat milk and eggs together, add yeast/water mix, sugar and flour until well mixed.
3. Place dough out floured board/ counter and knead until smooth and feels like a baby’s bottom – firm yet springy.
4. Beat butter block between two sheets of parchment paper into a rectangle about 3/8th inch thick (approx) using a rolling pin or meat mallet.
5. Roll out dough, keeping well floured, into large rectangle (16x24” approx).
6. Place butter block in the middle and fold dough ‘s two side flaps over the butter so that the original rectangle is now in thirds.
7. Turn dough/butter block over and roll and fold three more times.
8. Last time, roll out large and cut in half.
9. Fold each of these in thirds, wrap in plastic and chill for an hour or freeze for later use.
10. One at a time, roll out dough thin. Use ruler to measure for an even amount of squares.
11. Cut along ruler with sharp knife.
12. Press corners of squares to center. – Can freeze here also
13. Bake in preheated oven at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes
14. Dot middle with ¼ tsp jam ASAP after removing from oven so that it can melt in.
15. Frost with powdered sugar, water, almond extract glaze. (see below)
1. Ratio: 1 Cup Powdered Sugar
2. 2-3 TBSP Milk – any kind – or water
3. ¼ tsp Almond Extract or to taste