Pizza Dip

(FYI:  pictures below are from my personal blog and are watermarked with that address)

When I found this recipe on--where else?--Pinterest, I figured it would be pretty good.  I didn't know it would be AWESOME.  I made the original dip but also made a second dip with different toppings.  Both were a hit. But I have some bad news. If you make this for an event or party, you will have no leftovers to enjoy.

Ingredients:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup pizza or spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
pizza toppings of your choice


1.  Mix the cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, 1/2 cup mozzarella, and 1/4 cup parmesan together in a bowl. Spread this into a shallow dish, like pie plate.
2.  Spread the pizza or spaghetti sauce on top. Sprinkle on the remaining cheeses and whatever toppings you like (I chose mini pepperoni slices for one and pineapple tidbits and Canadian bacon for the other).
3.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until it all looks deliciously melted and slightly bubbling along the edges.
4.  Serve with crackers of your choice, bread slices, breadsticks, etc.

For serving:  I got baguettes and sliced them diagonally, about 1/2" thick.  I drizzled them with a little olive oil, sprinkled them with salt and pepper, and baked them for about 8 minutes in a 425 degree oven.

Grandma's Brownies

Brownie's 2 day's in a row!  These are my Grandma's brownies. I love them!

1 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
2 heaping Tblsp. Cocoa
2 cubes melted butter (be careful pouring this in so as not to cook the eggs)
1/2 c. chopped nuts if desired.

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.
Mix all ingredients together and place in greased 9x13 cake pan.  Bake for 40-45 Min.  Top with frosting (I usually make my frosting to taste using butter, powdered sugar, cocoa, and milk)

Source: Grandma Larson

Lunch Lady Brownies

Shut the front door!  Slap yo' Mama!  Have mercy!  Best danged iced brownies I have EVER sunk my teeth into (and I don't like my brownies with icing).  I am so dang serious.  This recipe came from Saltbox House  via Facebook or Pinterest.  I don't know.  Last week was a busy blur, so I have no clue.  I made a double batch (baker's half sheet pan worked great) right from the get-go because family was coming to grill out and Mike also needed something for a Relay for Life bake sale at work.  This will be my brownie recipe of choice from now on, and my family will expect nothing less.  Are you ready for this?

Ingredients:

For the batter--
1 cup butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
4 tsp. vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

For the icing--(make this while the brownies are baking)
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
dash of salt
1 tsp. vanilla (I added this ingredient.  Just thought it tasted better.)

1.  Melt the butter in the microwave and put into mixing bowl.

2.  Add cocoa and mix until smooth.

3.  Add flour and sugar.  Beat together and then add eggs, vanilla, and nuts, if desired.  Mix until combined.  Do not over stir.

4.  Spread evenly into greased and floured 9 x 13 baking pan (I used baking spray with flour and it worked fine).

5.  Bake 20-25 minutes at 350 F or until done.  Check at about 20 minutes. Toothpick inserted into center should come out clean.

6.  Remove brownies from oven and wait only about 10 minutes to frost them.  You want to frost while they are warm, not hot.

Results:  fudgy, cakey deliciousness!!


Source:  Bonneville Junior High School Brownies via Saltbox House (see link above)

Chicken and Gnocchi Soup (Olive Garden style)

Olive Garden Copycat Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

     Thank you so much for inviting me to post on this wonderful blog! I love to cook and try new things, so I am looking forward to being here very much. 

    For my first post, I will share a wonderful soup we tried a few weeks ago. If you have ever tried Olive Garden's Chicken and Gnocchi soup, you will be as excited to try this as I was. I was pleasantly surprised by how easy this was to put together. We all loved it (kids included)! It is hearty, silky, and satisfying. And let's be honest, Gnocchi is just fun to say.

Chicken and Gnocchi Soup (Olive Garden Style)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon EVOO
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1 quart half and half
• 1/2 cup celery, finely diced
• 1 cup onion, finely diced
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1 or 2-14 ounce cans of chicken broth (adjust to desired level of thickness)
• 1 cup carrots, finely grated
• 1 cup chicken breasts, cooked and diced
• 1 package gnocchi, cooked  (usually in the pasta or prepared food sections of the store)
• 1 cup of fresh spinach coarsely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (optional, but you should use it!)

Instructions

Saute the onion, celery, and garlic in the butter and olive oil over medium heat until the onion becomes translucent. Cook gnocchi according to directions. Stir in flour to make a roux and cook out the raw flavor of the flour for about one minute. Add half and half. Add in the carrots and chicken. Once the mixture becomes thick, add the chicken broth. Stir until the mixture thickens again, add the cooked gnocchi, spinach, and seasoning. Simmer until soup is heated through. May season with additional salt to taste.

Notes: I used home canned chicken for speed and it was delicious. You could also use a Rotisserie chicken, which would give it an added flavor boost.

For those of you who don't know, Gnocchi is Italian for potato dumplings. 

Source: Copykat.com

Crock Pot Mac and Cheese

This is probably the recipe I get asked for more than any other. It is heavenly! If you like creamy, cheesy, gooey mac and cheese, this recipe is for you! The youth at church ask me to bring it to every pot luck dinner, and they scrape the pot clean! 

Crock Pot Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:

4 cups dry macaroni noodles

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 cans evaporated milk (you can use regular milk if you don't have this)

3 cups milk (Ok, I never measure this...I just add it until it looks almost right. See photo and note below.)

4 eggs, beaten

8 cups shredded cheese (I personally like the shredded Mexican Blend, but sharp cheddar is yummy too.)

Salt and pepper to taste 

Directions:

1. Cook macaroni noodles in salted water until done. Drain off water and put into crock pot.

2. Pour in melted butter, evaporated milk (or a few cups of milk), beaten eggs, salt and pepper. Stir until mixed.

3. Add about 6-7 cups of the shredded cheese. (You want to save a cup or two to spread over the top.) Mix in the cheese and add a few more cups of milk. Keep adding a little milk until you have it just right. You know you have enough milk when you pull back the noodles, and you can see milk a little below the surface. See photo. I have never measured the milk, because this is how my grandma and mom taught me to do it. : )

4. Put a cup or two of shredded cheese over the top of the mixture and cover with lid.

5. Cook on HIGH for 45 minutes to 1 hour (until it's nice and hot), and then turn it to LOW or WARM for another few hours. In my crock pot, if I leave it on LOW, it will burn the edges and overcook it, so I turn it down to WARM. It's done when the milk and eggs are absorbed and set.

6. Enjoy every last bite of this delicious macaroni and cheese! 

Notes:

1. This recipe makes enough to fill a huge 6 quart crock pot. If you have a smaller crock pot, you might want to half the recipe. You can also cook a half recipe in a casserole dish in the oven. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. It's done when the milk and eggs are absorbed and set. Some people like to take the foil off and let it bake uncovered for about 10 minutes so the cheese gets crusty. I like creamy and melty cheese, so I keep mine covered the whole time.

2. You can use whatever cheese you like, and as much or as little as you like. I have a friend who puts in some Velveeta cheese, although I would never do that because I am crazy over cheddar cheese. My point is, use your favorite cheese and make it your own!

3. I often make it without the evaporated milk and just use 2% milk or whatever I have in the fridge. I've even used reconstituted powdered milk and it turned out great. 

Source: I have made this for years and years and cannot remember when or why I first made it, or who might have given me the idea. All I know is that it is the best mac and cheese I have ever had!

Lemon Curd Cheesecake

We served this cheesecake on Easter. It was unbelievably good! The lemon curd was so fresh. Homemade tastes so much better than jarred. It'll be worth your time to make it. It is the perfect Spring or Summer time dessert. Enjoy!

Lemon Curd Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Crust
2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup butter, melted

Filling
3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Glaze
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons grated lemon peel
6 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions
1. Combine the cracker crumbs, sugar and butter. Press onto the bottom and 2 in. up the sides of a 9-in. spring form pan. Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until set.
2. Place pan on a wire rack (leave oven on).
3. For filling, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
4. Add eggs; beat on low speed until combined. Stir in the lemon juice, lemon peel and vanilla just until blended. Pour into crust.
5. Return pan to baking sheet. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
6. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen, but do not remove ring; refrigerate overnight.
7. Remove the ring when you are ready to glaze.
8. For glaze, in a small heavy saucepan, whisk the eggs, sugar, lemon juice and peel until blended.
9. Add butter; cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is thickened and coats the back of a metal spoon. Transfer to small bowl; cool for 10 minutes.
10. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. Spread glaze over cheesecake.

Refrigerate leftovers or freeze individual slices.

Source

Baked Halibut Cakes

Hi all. My name is Becca and I am new to the Mormon Mavens in the Kitchen! I am so excited to be a part of this blog. 

The first recipe I am sharing is a twist on my mom's Halibut Cakes. I lived in Alaska growing up and we had a lot of fresh fish. One of my favorite dishes was my mom's halibut cakes. Lately my husband and I have been working on losing weight and so I wanted to try and lighten up the halibut cakes by baking them instead of frying them. To make sure they had a nice crisp crust, I used Panko breadcrumbs instead of the original breading of crushed saltine crackers.

Halibut Cakes

1 lb. halibut or other mild fish chopped into small chunks
2 large celery stalks-diced
1 small onion-diced
3 slices white bread-cubed
1 egg-beaten
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. chopped parsley
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1-2 tsp. old bay seasoning

For breading:
1 1/2 C. panko crumbs
S&P to taste
Old bay seasoning

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Or you can set it to broil on low.
2. Saute onion and celery until tender.
3. Mix chopped fish, bread, mayo, parsley, lemon juice, egg, sauteed veggies and seasonings. Shape into patties.
4. Coat patties in breadcrumbs, place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Broil/bake about 3-4 minutes per side, or until the crumbs are golden and patties are cooked through.
Serve with tartar sauce and lemon wedges.