"mah noo bes frind"

we were invited to some new friend's house for labor day. youknow, for labor day food and fun. this girl is quite passionate about cooking. in a way that is not seen often these days. they served us grilled pizza. not carbequed, but grilled on an actual grill with coals under it. the crust was amazing and she has promised to share it, but hasn't revealed her secret just yet. but i told her that i wanted it and would be putting it in this blog. for now i will just share the recipe for her amazing chocolate frosting that covered her amazing chocolate cake.
equal parts chocolate chips and sour cream. melt the chocolate chips. let both ingredients cool and warm to room temperature. combine until smooth and smother your cake. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
you won't be disappointed (unless you do it wrong.)

Spaghetti Sauce

This is the recipe I use for canning- we LOVE it. From the Better Homes and Gardens canning book.

15 pounds firm, ripe tomatoes
1/4 c. water
3 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium red or green pepper
3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 c. snipped fresh parsley
1 Tb. brown sugar
1 Tb. fennel seed (the secret ingredient)
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. dried basil
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 tsp pepper

1. Wash tomatoes. Remove cores; cut into quaters (I just quarter them)
2. Place tomatoes in an 8 or 10 quart Dutch oven or kettle. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Add water to prevent sticking. Reduce heat to medium. Cook, uncovered for 20 minutes. Press tomatoes through a food mill; return tomatoes to Dutch oven. Discard seeds and pulp. (Ok, this is where I just stick it in the blender by small batches until the whole thing is pulverized. Anything to avoid the pain and mess of the food mill)

3. Add onion and pepper. Cook until onion and pepper are soft. Stir in garlic, parsley, brown sugar, fennel seed, salt, basil, oregano, marjoram, and pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered, about 2 hours or until reduced by half, stirring frequently.

4. Ladle hot sauce into hot, clean quart or pint canning jars, leaving 1- inch headspace. Wipe jar rims; adjust lids. Process jars at 10 pounds pressure for 25 minutes for quarts or 20 minutes for pints. Allow the pressure to come down naturally. Remove the jars from the canner; cool on racks. Makes 4 pints.

* Don't let the canning piece scare you. You can use this recipe as a guide for making just enough for dinner if you want to.

Peaches and Cream Pie with Sugar Cookie Crust

I got this recipe from my friend Jen who got it from her favorite bakery. She says you can use any fruit with this, but peaches are her favorite. If you use peaches, be sure to blanch them in boiling water for 60 seconds, transfer to an ice water bath, and remove the skins before slicing. You don't have to peel nectarines, but be sure to wash the skins well. Don’t use frozen fruit. No good. You can also double this recipe and bake it in a 10X13 pan like I did.

Crust
1 stick butter (preferrably unsalted) softened
3 Tbs sugar ("sometimes I add more if I'm feeling naughty," says Jen)
1 Large Egg Yolk at room temp
3 Tbs heavy cream
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

Filling
1 pound cream cheese
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tsp vanilla extract

Topping
2 1/2 cups thinly sliced ripe peaches

preheat oven to 375*

To make the crust: In a large bowl, on the low spread of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the egg yolk and cream, and mix well. Add the flour and salt, and beat until just combined. Gather the dough into a ball and roll it out on a lightly floured surface to fit into a 9 inch glass pie dish. Fold the edges under all around the rim and crimp. Prick the bottom and sides all over with the tines of a fork, Cover the edge of the pie crust with aluminum foil, place on a baking sheet, and bake for 10 min. Carefully remove the foil and continue baking 20 min more, until the crust is crisp and golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.

To make the filling: In a large bowl, on the low speed of an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add the heavy cream and vanilla, and continue to beat at low speed until well combined.

Refrigerate the filling while the crust is cooling. When the crust is completely cooled, spread the filling evenly in the crust with a rubber spatula. Arrange the sliced peaches on top of the filling in a decorative manner. Refrigerate the pie for at least 8 hours or overnight to ensure that the filling sets.

Coconut Pecan Frosting for German Chocolate Cake

For years I thought my Mom's recipe for German Chocolate Cake frosting was a family specialty. Turns out it's from the Lion House Cookbook (the original one, page 83). Be careful with the egg yolks. The first three I put in got scrambled immediately because I had the heat turned up too high. Yuck. (I used a boxed cake, btw.)

3 egg yolks
1 c. sugar
1 c. evaporated milk
1/2 c. butter or margarine
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/3 c. flaked coconut
1 c. chopped pecans

Combine egg yolks, sugar, milk, butter, and vanilla. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened (about 10 minutes). Add coconut and pecans. Stir vigorously until it's thick enough to spread. Makes 3 cups.

Oatmeal Cookie Bars

These came with a family home evening packet from Primary yesterday. The kids balked at the raisins but they loved this cookie! I'm convinced that it is the recipe for the amazing cookies at the Hines Mansion Bed and Breakfast. Close enough!

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar (oh! this is why the kids liked it so much!)
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
2 cups oats
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup coconut
2 cups raisins

Blend butter and sugars until smooth (You could probably get away with only half of all that sugar) Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add all remaining ingredients except raisins and coconut. Mix well again. Add raisins and coconut. Spread evenly on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Drop cookies would probably be 10 minutes at 350.

Enchiladas & Sauce

I noticed a few weeks ago that this is a dish I can make without the recipe, so I thought I'd write it down. For posterity, you know.

Sauce:
5 T. vegetable oil (approximately)
4 T. flour (approximately)
1 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. chili powder
24 oz. + 14.5 oz. Hunt's tomato sauce

Pour oil into a large sauce pan over medium high heat. Add flour one tablespoon at a time and whisk as you add it. When the mixture is smooth, shake in the cumin and chili powder and continue whisking. Let it bubble for just a minute or two. Take the sauce pan off the heat and add the tomato sauce. Put the sauce pan back on the burner and stir until it's completely combined. Turn heat to low while you assemble the enchiladas.

Enchiladas:
10 flour tortillas
1 lb. hamburger
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1/4 c. chopped onion (optional)
3 c. cheese (cheddar, monterey jack, colby jack, whatever)

Brown hamburger, add onion when meat is almost done, drain the fat. Mix taco seasoning in a 1/4 cup of water, then add to the hamburger and simmer for five minutes. Put about a 1/4 cup of meat and a small hand full of cheese down the middle of each tortilla, then roll them up (leave the short ends open, don't tuck them in). In a 9x13-inch casserole dish, pour 1/2 a cup of sauce. Place the enchiladas, seam side down, in the dish on top of the sauce. Once the dish is full of enchiladas, cover them completely with sauce, then sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. (We like having these with Spanish Rice. I usually just use Rice-a-Roni's version. Lazy.)

The purloined recipe.

i am stealing these recipes from the mission tortilla strips bag. i have been getting these chips for three years now and these same recipes have been on the bag. i have wanted to try them for three years and, for some reason, have not tried them, even though i usually have all the ingredients. also, we are on the road right now and i don't want to drag an empty bag of chips across the country trying to save the recipes. thank heaven for modern technology.

Black Bean & Roasted Red Pepper Dip
1 package (1 oz.) Lawry's Taco Spices & Seasonings
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 jar (7 oz.) roasted red peppers, drained
1 package (12 oz.) light cream cheese
1 T. chopped cilantro
1-2 tsp. lime juice
Garnishes: chopped tomato and fresh cilantro
In food processor combine all ingredients except garnishes; mix thoroughly. Serve with chips and raw veggies.
makes 2 C.

South of the Border Guacamole Dip
2 large ripe avocadoes
1 med. tomato, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
2 green chile peppers, seeded and chopped
1/8 tsp. black pepper
3 T. lemon juice
Chop avocados coarsely and mash until smooth. Add tomato, onion and chiles and mix gently. Add pepper and lemon juice. Stir. Cover tightly with plastic wrap until ready to serve. Serve with chips.

Picante Queso Dip
4 green onions
1 can (4 oz.) green chiles, diced and drained
2 med. tomatoes, chopped
Bottle hot pepper sauce, to taste
1 1/2 C. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 1/2 C. shredded cheddar cheese
1 T. butter
Saute onions in butter. Stir in Chiles and tomato. Add hot pepper sauce. Simmer uncovered. Stir in cheeses until melted. Serve with chips.