Recipe Round-up

Cooking is a relatively new hobby of mine. This probably surprises the family members who read this blog, because I have had quite a few cooking mishaps in my life and didn't cook much until the past couple years. Luckily, I was born into a family of fantastic cooks, so I have many people to call with my questions. This list includes my sister Caitlin who wants to go to culinary school for pastry arts. She is the biggest foodie I know, and her knowledge comes in handy because she can answer my questions about weird ingredients, and knows a lot about different coffees and cheeses (among other things). She's also down for trying weird food combos, and is what I call an adventurous eater.

My mom is also a wonderful cook, but she often cooks without recipes, and her measurements are usually "some," "a little bit," "a handful," etc. Cooking is like a weird instinct for her, and she always seems to know what flavors go together. She also has a gift for picking out good recipes (she did not inherit that trait from her mother, but that's a topic for another post). Lucky for me, she has a HUGE sweet tooth. She makes homemade caramel, fudge, and marshmallows each year for Christmas, and we devour them the second we get to my parents' house. She's the best person to go to when I don't understand a direction, or if I don't have a particular tool or ingredient. She also knows all these crazy substitutions for things, which comes in handy because I don't always have a fully-stocked kitchen.

A few people have asked that I share recipes that I've found on the 'net. Here are a few I've tried and enjoyed. (**NOTE: I do not claim to be a healthy eater/chef, and reserve the right to cook with the following: butter, bacon, cream, sugar, cheese, etc.)

Corn and Keilbasa Chowder
(from Rachael Ray Magazine)

Caitlin found this recipe and shared it with my mom who shared it with me. I did make a few changes though:
I only used about 1/2-3/4 c. of onions. Two onions seemed like way too much.
Though this was a Rachael Ray recipe, I added an additional teaspoon of butter to the onions while they were cooking in homage to Paula Deen.
I omitted the step that says "puree 1 cup chowder until smooth," because I couldn't find the top to my food processor.
I added 1 tsp. of jarred garlic (jarlic), per Caitlin's request.
I used about 12 ounces of keilbasa instead of 8.
Caitlin sprinkled some shredded cheddar on top of hers, and my mom used evaporated milk instead of cream. Both versions were tasty.

Chicken Empanadas
(Paula Deen)

The first time I made this recipe I followed the directions exactly as written. I've made it several times since, a bit different each time. For starters, I used puff pastry instead of the pre-made pie crust, and just rolled it a little thinner. Puff pastry was a good choice, because it made a nice flaky crust. The original recipe wasn't spicy enough for my liking, so in the second incarnation I added some cayenne and green chilies. Another time I added green onions and a can of the diced tomatoes with green chilies. Also, mine were squares instead of half-circles.

Quinoa Fried Rice
(Gina's WW recipes)

After the past two recipes, it's time for a healthy recipe, right? I don't do Weight Watchers, but this website has some tasty meals that even unhealthy eaters will love. I want to try her stuffed zucchini, the avocado mango salsa, the Asian turkey meatballs, and lots of others! Matt had a gluten-free diet for a while, so we ate a lot of quinoa. I made it several ways, but his favorites were the "fried rice" version and a southwest version (listed below). For the fried-rice style quinoa, I made it the same as the recipe, but omitted the fish oil because I didn't have any on hand, and added peas.

Southwest Quinoa

I made this one up on my own, believe it or not! I am not great at writing recipes, so bear with me. You can also substitute rice for the quinoa if you want, but it isn't as healthy.
4 servings of quinoa, cooked per package instructions (I cook mine in broth instead of water for extra flavoring)
stir in the following:
1 can of diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 can of black beans, drained
3 chopped green onions
1 diced avocado
1 squeeze of lime juice

Perfect Pound Cake
(Ree Drumond aka The Pioneer Woman)

I didn't make this recipe, but I ate it, which should count for something. My mom made it a few months ago, and rumor has it she is making it again this weekend. It was THE BEST pound cake I've ever had! Give it a try; you won't be disappointed.


What am I making tonight? I have no idea. Caitlin had the idea to make my grandma's famous plum cake (today would have been her birthday), which contains jarred plum baby food. It sounds weird, but it's very tasty.

What are your favorite recipes?