Burnt Butter Bread

I dig this bread.  I serve it with a variety of dishes & there are never any left overs.  It's a knock off of Pioneer Woman's "The Bread".  It's cheap, quick to make, & scrumptious.  Plus this bread goes great with a variety of dishes: anything Italian, BBQ, steak, chicken, and fettuccine alfredo (look for that recipe coming soon).  Here's how...
Ingredients
1 loaf of french bread
1 1/2 sticks of butter, softened
garlic powder
kosher salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut french bread loaf in half length ways.  Spread half the butter on one side & the remaining butter on the other side.  Make sure every inch is covered.  It will seem like there is too much butter... there is... it's wonderful!  Now sprinkle garlic powder & kosher salt on top to your desired taste.  Spread butter around again to mildly incorporate the garlic powder & salt.  Put bread on a baking sheet & stick in the oven until butter is totally melted, about 3-4 minutes.

 Now crack the oven door & set oven to low broil.  Let the bread broil until the edges turn black & the top is well browned.  Don't get nervous & pull it our too soon, you want the butter to kind of burn & caramelize.  Gives the bread a great taste & texture.

Slice it up in skinny pieces (it's rich, so a little goes a long way) & serve immediately.

Fair Week

You may have noticed that my posting was a little slow this past week.  That's because around here it was fair week.  For the past 10 years of our lives my husband & I have devoted fair week to working the food booths for our church.

Our church food booths are ran by our children's & youth ministry & raise funds for their entire year of activities, trips, & outreaches.  Although fair week is hot, long & greasy, it's totally worth it to see all that the young people in our church are able to do throughout the year.  I can't complain too much because I generally get to work the espresso bar, which I love.  Reminds me of when I was in college working at the coffee bar in the student union building.  My hubby on the other hand generally gets put at the grill whipping up cheesesteak sandwiches.  This is a much hotter & more intense job.  (Do you like how focused my son is in this picture.)

I love the food at the fair.  I have so many must have food items I order throughout the week.  The food at our church's booths is also wonderful, curly fries, cheesesteak sandwiches, steak kabobs, sweet potato fries, fried snickers... I love it all.  But this year our children's booth added giant turkey legs.  My hubby has been wanting to get our booth to serve humongous turkey legs for four years now.  And a the 2011 Western Montana Fair his dream came true.  Plus they tasted extra yummy!

We did manage to squeeze in a little fair fun with our kiddos.  We mostly do the free stuff, like the animal barns.  But of course grandma can't resist treating the kids to a few rides.  It was my youngest first time on a ride.  Since she loves horses & the carousel allows parents to ride along for free we did that.  She LOVED it & was a little disappointed when it was all over.

So between fair week & house remodeling I have not been cooking or blogging much.  (Do ya like my son's spurring action in this shot.  He says he wants to ride bulls, but from this pict I'd say he's gonna be a bronc rider.  My oldest seems to be practicing her trick riding.  I love that we have real horses, yet the fiberglass ones are so much more fun.)  I get to play catch up this week a little bit.  I will have some yummy recipes coming up & a whole section on zucchinis.  Anybody got way too many zucchinis in their garden?  (I'm raising my hand)

Iced Coffee

I'm not a big hot coffee drinker.  After a nice dinner I will drink a cup with some amazingly chocolaty dessert.  But other than that I like my coffee iced.  Even in the dead of winter when it twenty below I will pull up to the coffee cart & ask for an iced mocha.  They look at me like I'm crazy.  To which I respond "Honey, you don't even know crazy!"  Okay, I don't really say that, but I think it.

Back on track.  I've learned over the last year how to make my own iced coffee that I love.  I also love how much cheaper it is than buying espresso & how I don't have to get out of my pjs to get one.  Here are my steps:
*First you need to cold brew some java.  I like to use the Toddy Cold Brew System.  Not too expensive & works like a dream.  But if you don't have a Toddy you can also add a half pound of your favorite coffee (dark roast recommended) to 1 gallon of water.  Giver 'er a good stir & then cover & let sit (brew) for eight hours or so.  Strain through a few layers of cheesecloth & a colander.  Now that you have your coffee concentrate prepared stick it in the fridge until it is very chilled (no one likes lukewarm iced coffee).
* Now, find yourself a glass.  I like to throw in one tablespoon of chocolate sauce.  Then add the coffee concentrate a little below half full (about 3 ounces).  Mix the chocolate & coffee together.  Add ice cold half & half almost to top (about 8 ounces).  Give a good stir, your almost done.

 

* Here's my secret ingredient: coffee ice cubes.  Whenever there is a bit of coffee left in the pot, instead of pouring it out I put it in ice cube trays & freeze it.  Then I add the coffee ice cubes to my ice coffee.  It keeps the flavor real & doesn't water my iced coffee down.  Don't use coffee concentrate for the ice cubes, that would be over powering.  Just stick to the drip coffee for the cubes.  If you don't have coffee ice cubes on had just use regular ice.  Fill the glass the rest of the way up with ice so your coffee is freezing cold.
*Now you're ready to sit back & sip away.  I suggest using a straw, it just makes it that much better.  Enjoy.

Iced coffee is a great drink to serve at parties & BBQs as well.  To make an entire pitcher just stick to the same quantities- a little less than 1/2 a pitcher of coffee concentrate, rest of the way with half & half & then ice to top it off.  Add flavor (like chocolate) as desired.

Love This Stuff

One thing we don't lack around here are mosquitoes.  They're horrible for all of July & August.  My poor kids get eaten alive the minute they step out the door.  And they hate it when I have to spray them down with bug spray.  So you can only imagine my excitement when I found this stuff.  Not only does it smell good, it's sunscreen & bug repellent in one.  It's always handy when you have 4 kiddos if you can skip a step.  So to get sunscreen & bug repellent on in one shot is wonderful.  It's also waterproof.  I swoon, I'm in love.

You can grab a bottle of this stuff here wait patiently for a sale & you can get it for a steal.

White Enchiladas

Enchiladas are a common occurrence in our household.  We all love them in various forms.  This white enchilada is a nice change from the more common red enchilada.  It very mild & is great for kiddos or a large crowd with a wide range of taste preferences.  My version is not spicy at all, but you could easily kick up the spice by adding chili powder or hot sauce.  Some folks are intimidated by enchilada making, I know I was at first.  But in reality it is very easy.  I've done a step-by-step for you to help the process go smoothly.  Let's get to making some enchiladas!
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons canola oil
12 corn tortillas
1 medium onion, diced
2 cans (4 oz) diced chilies
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup sour cream
2 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped green onions
Directions
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a small skillet over medium heat.  Flash fry tortillas to soften, about 5 seconds on each side (do not cook too long or they will get crispy).  Place tortillas on paper towels to drain.
In large skillet heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat.  Add the onion  saute for 3 minutes.  Add chicken, one can of chilies, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, cumin & garlic powder.  Stir well & add 1/2 cup chicken broth & cream.  Cook, stirring occasionally until mixture begins to bubble.  Turn off heat & set aside.
In separate large skillet melt butter & sprinkle in flour.  Cook over medium heat whisking constantly until brown & bubbly.  Pour in 1 1/2 cups chicken broth & cook for two minutes.  Stir in the remaining can of chilies.  Reduce heat to medium-low & stir in sour cream.  Add 1 1/2 cups of the grated Monterey Jack cheese & 1/2 teaspoon paprika.  Stirring constantly cook until cheese is melted & sauce is creamy & smooth.
To assemble:

Spoon a couple of tablespoons of chicken mixture on top of tortillas.

And plenty of cheddar cheese.

Roll up

Place seam side down in 9x13 casserole dish

Pour cheese mixture all over the top & spread out to coat evenly.

Top with remaining Monterey Jack cheese & back at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Sprinkle with green onions & serve.

Grandma's Stroganoff

There are three foods that I will forever associate with my Grandma Wilma (there's a name that's hard to pass on to your children.  We used her middle name Rose instead for our oldest Maddie-Rose.  Maddie-Wilma just didn't have the same ring).  They are homemade Mac & Cheese, Vegatable Beef Soup (which I called Grandma Soup & only later in life realized that it had an official name & was made by other people in the world) & my favorite of her's, Beef Stroganoff.

 This is comfort food at its finest.  My Grandma's stroganoff had a bit of a twist that was uniquely hers.  For one, she used ground beef instead of strips of steak.  Secondly, she always threw in a secret ingredient...

... for great tasting stroganoff you've got to put in a can of diced tomatoes (okay, so maybe it's not that secret of an ingredient).  It takes the flavor to a whole new level.  Don't be shy, throw those tomatoes in!  This dish is hearty, flavorful, & appeases to youngin's as well.  My last bonus I'll give you for this dish is that is easy & quick to make.  Serve it with some salad or green beans & you'll have a completely down home & yummy meal that everyone will enjoy.  Here it is, straight from my Grandma's recipe box...
Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef/elk/deer
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 lb. mushrooms, washed & sliced
1 medium onion, minced
1 1/2 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 can diced tomatoes
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup sour cream
16 ounces Rotini noodles
Directions
In large skillet melt butter.  Add onions & mushrooms, cook for 3 minutes.  Add ground beef & cook until meat is cooked through.  Reserving 1/3 cup of the broth stir in remaining broth, ketchup, garlic, salt & tomatoes.  Cover & simmer for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile cook noodles until al dente.  Blend reserved broth & flour.  Stir flour mixture into meat mixture & heat to boiling stirring constantly.  Reduce heat & stir in sour cream.  Cook until heated through.  Pour over noodles & serve immediately.  Enjoy!

*Some folks are extremely adverse to mushrooms.  I wouldn't suggest it, but if you must omit them I think this dish would still be wonderful.

Salted Nut-Roll Bars

About a year ago my Mom started making these & they quickly became my husband's new favorite.  These bars are great for those who love salty & sweet.  Or those that just don't like (Lord have mercy on their souls) traditional desserts or chocolate.  This unique desert is a crowd pleaser & one that most people haven't had before.  If you need to bring a dessert to a potluck & don't want to duplicate make these babies, I guarantee no on else will bring them.  They are a great mixture of salty & sweet, crunchy & chewy.  Give 'em a try, here's the how:

Ingredients

1(1lb) package peanut butter cookies (like Nutter Butters)

1  1/2 sticks unsalted butter

2 cups peanut butter chips

2/3 cup light corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups miniature marshmallows

2 cups dry roasted peanuts

2 cups Rice Krispies

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat a 9x13 inch baking pan with non-stick spray.  Pulse cookies in food processor until they are fine crumbs.  Melt 1 stick of butter & add to the cookie crumbs, pluse food processor until crumbs clump together.  Press crumbs into the prepared baking pan & bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Melt peanut butter chips, corn syrup, remaining butter & vanilla in a saucepan over medium low heat.  Stir constantly until smooth & incorporated together.  Spread half cup of the peanut chip mixture over the cookie base.  Top with marshmallows & return to oven.  Bake until marshmallows puff, about 2 minutes, & remove from oven.  Do not let the marshmallows get brown.

Mix peanuts & cereal with remaining peanut chip mixture until well coated.  Drop spoonfuls of the topping over the marshmallows.  Spray a spatula with non-stick spray & smooth out the top of the bars.  Cool bars before serving.  Enjoy!