Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing Recipe

INGREDIENTs

• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives
• 1/4 teaspoon of dry dill (or a teaspoon chopped fresh)

METHOD

1 In a medium bowl, stir together the buttermilk and mayonnaise until fully mixed. Add in the other ingredients, adjusting for taste.

Keeps for a week, covered in the fridge.

Yield: Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Ingredients

• 3 boneless- skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 tsp sea salt (divided)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp cayenne pepper or to taste
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp onion powder
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Oil for deep-frying

Directions

1. Cut chicken into bite size pieces.
2. In a large bowl combine the buttermilk, 1 teaspoon salt; then add the chicken. Refrigerate and marinate 1 hour or longer. (I was pressed for time and one hour worked out fine)
3. Meanwhile in a plastic food bag combine the flour, 1 teaspoon of sea salt, baking powder, cayenne pepper, oregano, turmeric, onion powder, and add black pepper to taste.
4. Preheat deep fryer to 350F.
5. Using a slotted spoon to drain off the buttermilk remove the chicken several pieces at a time; about enough that your deep fryer can hold without crowding. Shake chicken in the bag of flour mixture to coat, shaking off any excess flour.
6. Deep fry chicken until juices run clear, or an internal temperature of 165F is reached.

Serve with your choice of sauces

Carla Hall's Buttermilk Pie

Get the full recipe here

Ingredients 

• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 3 eggs (beaten)
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pie crust (store bought or homemade) 
• whipped cream

Directions

1. preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Put piecrust in owen for 8 minutes then take out and cool. 
3. in a large bowl-- combine sugar & flour. Stir in one egg at a time. Add butter, buttermilk, salt and vanilla.
4. pour mixture into piecrust shell. 
5. bake for 15 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350 and bake for 30 additional minutes. cool and serve with whipped cream.  

Homemade Traditional Pie Crust

With the holidays in just a few short months, this recipe is perfect for making homemade pies and custards. It is a traditional pie crust which can be used in countless different recipes. I can't wait to make a pumpkin pie this season! 

Ingredients

         1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

         1/4 teaspoon salt

         1/2 cup butter, chilled and diced

         1/4 cup ice water

Directions

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. 

Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. 

Stir in water, a tablespoon at a time, until mixture forms a ball.

Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

Roll dough out to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Place crust in pie plate. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate.

Easy Zucchini Quick Bread

Get the Full Recipe Here

 

Ingredients

• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, cinnamon and sugar. In a separate bowl, combine oil, eggs, water, zucchini and lemon juice. Mix wet ingredients into dry, add nuts and fold in. Bake in 2 standard loaf pans, sprayed with nonstick spray, for 1 hour, or until a tester comes out clean. Alternately, bake in 5 mini loaf pans for about 45 minutes.

This recipe is so versatile, Carissa made a butternut squash quick bread and it was amazing!

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

I found this recipe from pintrest, and it is AMAZING. Just like the soup at Panera, all I need is a bread bowl! (adapted from Sugarcrafter)

•                1/4 cup butter

•                1/2 chopped onion

•                1 clove garlic

•                1/4 cup flour

•                1 cup half-and-half

•                1 cup milk

•                2 cups chicken stock

•                1/2 lb fresh broccoli, chopped

•                1 cup carrot, shredded and chopped (I added left over carrots and celery) 

•                1/4 tsp nutmeg

•                1/4 tsp cardamom

•                 10 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese

•                Salt and pepper to taste

Sauté the onion and garlic in the butter over medium heat. Add in the flour, stirring constantly. Add in the half and half, milk, and chicken stock. Bring to almost a boil.

Add the onions back in, along with the broccoli and carrots. Simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes.

Season the soup with the salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cardamom. Stir in the cheese and let simmer for 10 minutes longer before serving.

Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

Recipe adapted from http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/09/spaghetti-squash-lasagna.html

Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 1 lasagna Calories: 291.0 • Fat: 13.7 g • Protein: 19.6 g • Carb: 21.0 g • Fiber: 2.7 g Sodium: 358.3 mg   

Ingredients:

• 2 cups marinara sauce (I made my own sauce using tomato paste, dried basil, dried oregano, olive oil, 1 clove garlic, salt and pepper) 

• 3 cups cooked roasted spaghetti squash

• 1 cup part skim ricotta

• 8 tsp parmesan cheese

• 6 oz part skim shredded mozzarella 

Preheat oven to 375°.

Using a 9 X 9 oven-safe baking dish, put a layer of marinara sauce (i just evenly spread a thin layer) on the bottom. For the next layer, use the roasted (3 cups) spaghetti squash to spread it evenly over the sauce. The ricotta is the next layer (I used about 1/3 cup and broke it into pieces). Sprinkle parmesan cheese and mozzarella on top of the ricotta. Add the remaining sauce, parmesan and mozzarella cheese.  

Cover with foil and bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the edges begin to bubble; uncover and cook an additional 5 minutes.

Roasted Spaghetti Squash & Seeds

Roasted Spaghetti Squash
Servings: 6 • Size: 1 cup 
Calories: 41.9 • Fat: 0.4 g • Protein: 1.0 g • Carb: 10.0 g • Fiber: 2.2 g • Sugar: 3.9 g Sodium: 27.9 mg

Ingredients: 

• 1 large ripe spaghetti squash
• salt and fresh pepper

Directions:   

Cut the squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and fibers with a spoon.Place on a baking sheet, cut side up and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Once out of the oven, use a fork to scrape the sides of the squash. It will separate and look like spaghetti. You can either eat as a side plain or as a main dish like the Spaghetti Squash Lasagna.  

Roasted Spaghetti Squash Seeds

Don't forget to save the seeds from your spaghetti squash!! They are a perfect snack or addition to salads. 
Rinse seeds in water & once clean, add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. 
Spread seeds evenly on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt. Bake for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Then enjoy! 

Can you see how it gets it's name?

Spaghetti squash & seeds in the oven

"And the the mornin' i'm making waffles"

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat waffle iron. Beat eggs in large bowl with hand beater until fluffy. Beat in flour, milk, vegetable oil, sugar, baking powder, salt and vanilla, just until smooth.
2. Spray preheated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Pour mix onto hot waffle iron. Cook until golden brown. Serve hot! 

Rainy Weather Chocolate Cake

This cake was perfection. I enjoyed eating it, as much as I enjoyed baking it. It is very rich, so I suggest cutting small slices & sharing with friends! 

Mexican Chocolate Cake
 From The Pastry Queen by Rebecca Rather

Cake

• 1 cup unsalted butter 
• 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt

Glaze

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
•  1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup high-quality cocoa powder
• 2 cups sifted powdered sugar (sift first, then measure the 2 cups of sugar out)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees and heavily grease a 9″ tube pan or a Bundt pan.
2. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat and whisk in the cocoa until smooth.  Add the water to the cocoa butter mixture and whisk until smooth, then turn the burner off. Add the sugar, eggs, buttermilk and vanilla to the cocoa mixture and whisk until ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt all at once and whisk until everything is, again, fully incorporated 
3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and slide it in the oven to bake for 40-45 minutes, until firm yet springy to the touch and the edges start to pull slightly away from the pan.
4. Take the pan out (leave the oven on) and let the cake cool for 20 minutes in the pan, then invert the cake on to a wire rack to finish cooling.
5. Once you take the pan out of the oven, spread the pecans out on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven for 5-7 minutes.  Let them cool for a few minutes and then coarsely chop them.  I like lots of big pecan pieces so I didn’t chop them up too much.
6. Melt the butter over low heat in a medium saucepan, then turn off the burner.
7. Add the milk, cocoa and powdered  sugar and whisk until glossy.  
8. Whisk the vanilla and salt into the glaze.
9. Carefully move the cake onto your desired serving dish and pour the warm glaze over the top of the cake.  

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Carissa made pulled pork sandwiches and they are TO DIE FOR! The apartment smelt amazing all day while she slow cooked the pork in the crock pot. The pork just falls apart & I love the hints of asian spices.... Here is the recipe:  http://carissacooks.wordpress.com/

ENJOY!!

My amazing cousin, Amy, has a photography blog & you should checkkk ittt. Her pictures from her Nicaragua mission trips are always fantastic!!

http://mayme-photography.blogspot.com/

Brownie Pie with Graham Cracker Crust & Banana Cheesecake topping

Amazing with whipped cream on top... 

Get the recipe here:
http://carissacooks.wordpress.com/2012/09/03/brownie-pie-with-graham-cracker-crust-and-banana-cheesecake-topping/

Tailgating Season

Low-fat Vegetable Dip 

1 cup fat-free Greek yogurt

1/2 cup light sour cream

1/2 cup mayo (or use light mayo for even less fat, but I like full-fat mayo for flavor in this)

2 tsp. dried dill weed

2 tsp. Bon Appetit Seasoning Salt, Beau Monde Seasoning, or Trocomare Seasoning

 Add all ingredients to the bowl and stir together with a whisk Chill an hour or so before serving. This will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks.

*Serve with carrots, celery, broccoli, and cauliflower.