feta cheese goodness

Tonight we had a great salad that Heather's cousin Heidi shared with us so we thought we'd share it with you.  This is a great light summer salad to enjoy after a long hot day (4 hours)  fixing the car because the stupid designers insisted on putting the parts under other parts so I couldn't get to them.  Sigh....Oh well, here is the recipe.

Feta Cheese Salad

• 1-2 Romaine lettuce
• 1/2 lbs bacon
• 1/2 purple onion sliced
• 1/2 feta cheese
• 2 cans madarin oranges

Dressing: (you can half this if you like)

• 1 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. poppy seeds
• 1 tsp. Sesame Seeds
• 1 tsp. dry mustard
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. salt

Put on the dressing right before serving

mini meatloafs

Okay, so sometimes meatloaf gets a bad rap.  I mean, it's meat, its shapped like a bread loaf...what could be so bad?  Perhaps it's the cafeteria connotations that go with meatloaf that put it in a bad light.  But one thing I think most people agree on is that the outside is the best part, the baked goodness that has all the flavor.  That's what makes this recipe the best.  Each person, every bite, gets the best part.  So, for a great little dinner that can be made the day before, give this a shot.

Mini Cheddar Meatloaves

(Can be done a day in advance)

1/2 Cup Milk
1 egg
1/2 tsp. salt
1 lb. ground beef
4 oz/ shredded cheddar chesses (1 cup)
1/2 Cup chopped onion
1/2 Cup quick-cooking oats
2/3 Cup ketchup
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. prepared mustard

• Coat 13X9 inch pan with nonstick spray, set aside
• Combine milk, eggs and salt in large bowl, whisk to mix well.  Add beef, cheese, onion and oats, stir to mix well.  Shape mixture into 8 loaves, using scant 1/2 cup mixture for each, place in prepared dish. 
• Combine ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard in small bowl, stir to mix well.  Spoon over meatloaves.  Preheat over to 350 degrees and bake uncovered, 40-45 minutes or until loaves are cooked through.  If you want to make them ahead of time make them and cover and put in the refrigerator overnight.  The next day, let meatloaves stand at room temperature 30 minutes before cooking and finish just like above baking directions. 

carrot cake glory

Okay, so this is one recipe you might want to give a try if you ever want to have the best carrot cake on the planet.  If not, go ahead and keep thinking some carrot cake from your favorate restraurant is best.  But if you want to really have some good cake, give this a shot.  It's not for faint of heart, or cooking.

Best Carrot Cake (Jami Platt)

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp. Baking soda
½ tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Ground cinnamon
3 large eggs
2 cups sugar
¾ cup vegetable oil
¾ cup Buttermilk
2 tsp. Vanilla extract
2 cups grated carrot
1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 (3 ½ oz.) can flaked coconut (almost ½ Cup)
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Buttermilk Glaze (see below)
Cream Cheese frosting (see Below)

• Line three 9-in. round cake pans with wax paper; grease well and flour wax paper.  Set pans aside.  (Can also us a 9X13 pan for sheet cake style)
• Cream together sugar and oil
• Beat in eggs
• Stir buttermilk and vanilla
• Stir flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon
• Fold in carrot, pineapple, coconut and nuts. 
  Pour batter into prepared cake pans and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
• Drizzle buttermilk Gaze evenly over layer; cool in pans on wire racks 15 minutes.  Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.  Might need to use wax paper this cake is very sticky!!! (You don’t have to do the glaze it just makes it more moist)
• Spread cream cheese frosting between layer and on top and sides of cake.
• Refrigerate until ready to eat
• Yield: 1 (3 layer) cake or 1- 9X13 cake

Buttermilk Glaze

1 cup sugar
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
½ cup buttermilk
½  cup butter or margarine
1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Bring the first 5 ingredients to a boil in a large pan over medium-high heat.  Boil, stirring often, 4 minutes.  Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla. Yields 1 ½ Cups

Cream Cheese Frosting

¾ cup butter or margarine, softened
1 (8 oz.) pak. cream cheese, softened
1 (3 oz.) pak. cream cheese, softened
3 cups sifted powder sugar
1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract

Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add powder sugar and vanilla; beat until smooth.  Yields:  4 cups

recipe monday

Tonight we had a favorite salad that is so simple and yet so good.  It is so good that Brielle kept asking for more and then made the request to have it made everyday.  Cooper even got in on the eating.  So here you go, a great cabbage salad that goes with just about anything.

Chinese Cabbage

Napa Cabbage

1/2 c. olive or veg. oil
1/4 c. vinegar
1 tsp. salt
Pepper to taste
1/2 to 1 tsp. dill weed
1 garlic clove, minced

Combine oil and vinegar with whisk. Add other ingredients. Pour over chopped up cabbage just before serving. The size of the head of cabbage determines how much dressing is needed so be careful when adding the dressing!

pancakes anyone?

Cooper’s favorite food are Pancakes.  He doesn’t just like them he LOVES them.  Every morning he comes out and ask for “pam-caks.”  It is so cute how he says it.  So one day Colby and I made him his own HUGE plate of pancakes.  Don’t they look yummy.  We also made some homemade syrup and put it in my Grandma Flake’s Cow (any cousin reading this has to remember the yellow cow).  They loved the cow and the pancakes.  It was so fun and delicious.  If you want to try our favorite pancake use the recipe below and make them.  I bet your going to want to make them right now they are sooooo yummy.  Here is also a really yummy syrup recipe without all the preservative, additives, high fructose corn syrup, etc. that the syrups you buy at the store have in them.  This recipe is a family favorite also.  

Best in the West Pancakes

6 TBLS. oil   
1 large egg
1 1/4 c. milk   
1 1/4 c. flour
2 TBLS. wheat germ   
2 tsp. baking powder
3 TBLS. sugar   
1/4 tsp. salt

Place liquid ingredients in blender and blend well. Stir dry ingredients together and slowly add to liquid mixture. Blend for about 30 seconds after stopping blender a few times to scrape down sides. Pour on griddle, turn and serve with 1/2 c. honey whipped until light and fluffy with 1/2 c. butter.  *You can take out the wheat germ if you want

Simple Maple Syrup

(Nancy Brannon)

1 Cup WHITE SUGAR
1 Cup BROWN SUGAR
1 Cup boiling WATER
1/2 tsp MAPLE FLAVORED EXTRACT
1/2 tsp BUTTER FLAVORING

Directions:

1.)  In a saucepan, combine sugars and water.
2.) Cook and stir until sugars are dissolved.
3.) Remove from heat, and stir in flavorings.  Serve warm.