Spinach Salad

After all of the holiday treats I have been eating, I thought I probably should throw in a salad..or 3! This spinach salad was served at our Relief Society Enrichment Night (women's group at church) with lasagna and garlic buttered french bread. It was really delicous! I changed the recipe to fit our likes and thought I'd share it with ya'll! The recipe calls for oil, but was substituted with water! So refreshing!

SALAD:
1 pkg. of spinach
1 pkg of iceburg garden salad
1 small red onion, 1tsp grated for dressing and slice the rest
1/2 lb. any white cheese
1/2 lb. bacon crumbled

DRESSING:
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup vinegar
1/2 cup oil OR 1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. grated red onion
1/2 tsp. dry mustard

Dump all of the salad packages into a huge bowl. Slice red onion over top and sprinkle cheese and bacon over top. Toss with dressing..really well!

Maple Hill Manor Harvest Day Soup

Ingredients:

1 lb. sausage
1 onion, finely chopped
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 (15 oz) cans pumpkin
2 t. lemon juice
2 cups hot milk
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste
chopped parsley

Directions:

1. In large frying pan, brown and crumble sausage.

2. Remove sausage and saute onion in drippings.

3. In large pot or crock pot, add all ingredients.

4. Heat until hot.

5. Serve sprinkled with parsley.

Source: bedandbreakfast.com

Crockpot Cubed Steak

My aunt would make this and my uncle would rave about it. My mom finally got the "recipe" from her and it was delicious. This is one of my favorites on Sunday (is there anything more wonderful than lunch/dinner just waiting on you to get home from church?).

Crockpot Cubed Steak

desired number of cubed steaks
Lipton onion soup (approximately 1 package for every 4-5 steaks)
cream of mushroom soup (approximately 2 cans for every 4-5 steaks)
Your crockpot

1-Put the cubed steak in the crockpot
2-Pour onion soup mix on top of cubed steak
3-Cover with cream of mushroom soup.
4-Can turn crockpot on low or high-it just depends on how fast you want it ready.

We serve this with rice and usually sauteed green beans. It's a pretty easy recipe. It makes its own gravy and you just kind of "eye ball" how much of the soup mix and cream of mushroom soup you want.

Source: Patti Branham

Creamy Potato-Cheese Soup

Does winter have you chilled to the bone? A bowl of this easy soup will warm you right up!

Ingredients:

6 to 8 large baking potatoes

4 celery stalks, chopped (optional)

1 onion, chopped (optional)

2/3 C. flour

2/3 C. butter

2 C. milk

4 C. chicken broth

8- 12 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 C. sour cream

8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 C. chopped green onion to garnish

Directions:

1. Peel and cube potatoes to desired size for soup. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add potatoes, celery and onion (if desired) to the boiling water and cook until tender (about 10-15 minutes depending on the size of the potato cubes).

2. Using a colander, drain the water from the vegetables.

3. Place the empty pot on the stove at medium heat and combine butter and flour to make a roux. Cook for 1 minute, roux will be bubbly and thick.

4. Slowly whisk in milk, and chicken broth. Salt and pepper to taste.

5. Add the potatoes (and celery/onion if using), bacon, and cheese to the soup. Mix well.

6. When the cheese is melted, stir in the sour cream. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

7. Garnish bowls of soup with chopped green onion and any leftover bacon pieces and cheese.

The soup will be thick. Add a touch of milk to reheat leftovers.

Happy New Year!

From all of us at Mormon Mavens, 

Have a Happy New Year!

Top 10 Recipes of 2011

Here are your favorite Mormon Mavens recipes from 2011.

Baked French Toast

Eventually Chicken Soup

Niki's Beans and Dawgs

One-Ingredient Waffles

Boyd's Famous Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Budge

Baked Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

Coconut Cake

Beef Tips

Chicken Divan

All of us here at Mormon Mavens in the Kitchen hope that 2012 is just as tasty!

Sweet Potato Bread

Happy New Year, Everyone! Having a New Year's Eve party? Try serving this yummy quick bread; it's full of flavor. The taste reminds me more of Amish Friendship Bread than of sweet potato, but the yams make it healthier--or at least make you think it is so you don't feel as guilty when you eat half a loaf in one day...

Ingredients:

3 1/2 C all-purpose flour

1 1/2 t salt

2 t baking soda

2 t ground cinnamon

2 t ground nutmeg

1/2 t ground allspice

1/2 t ground cloves

3 C white sugar, plus topping

4 eggs

1 C vegetable oil

3/4 C orange juice

2 C mashed sweet potatoes aka yams (I used canned; see link below for instructions on how to use from fresh)

1. If you haven't already done so, mash the sweet potatoes in a bowl with a flat bottom using a potato masher. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix most of your dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl: flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves.

3. In a separate large mixing bowl, beat together sugar, eggs, and oil. Stir in orange juice and sweet potatoes. Stir flour mixture into egg/sweet potato mixture until just combined.

4. Pour batter into prepared pans. Sprinkle tops with sugar. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour 25 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a loaf comes out clean. (This recipe yields 2 9x5 loaves. If you're making mini loaves like I did, check them after 30 minutes.)

Source: lightly adapted from Sweet Potato Bread II as submitted to Allrecipes.com by Umm Asiyah