Baked Broccoli

by Julie // March 4, 2019 // 4 Comments

I like broccoli. A couple of my kids like broccoli. My husband likes broccoli. But now, we LOVE broccoli. Seriously, we went from buying some once a month or so to buying the BIG bag from Sam’s (we used half that big bag the other day for dinner!).

Ever since trying this recipe (first seen on Pinterest), I crave it. I have kids asking for thirds, for crying out loud! I don’t know that I will ever make broccoli any other way again.

Baked Broccoli

Ingredients:
fresh broccoli
olive oil
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash broccoli and make sure it is cut into bite-size pieces. That big ol’ broccoli tree on the right will still be tasty but trust me, you want smaller pieces for cooking time and for taste. Trust me. I know we don’t know each other well, but you really can trust me. Honest.

2. Spread out in pan and drizzle with olive oil right in the pan. I don’t measure because I don’t always make the same amount. I just fill the pan in a single layer of broccoli and then drizzle the oil and toss with salt and pepper. Right in the pan. (sorry for the blurry pic…I was my own photographer and “I am not left-handed!”)

3. At this point, try to look over the broccoli heads to find any dry ones. Take these dry heads and brush them around on the pan to pick up some olive oil. As you can see, they are not swimming in it. Best case scenario, they all have shiny but not drippy heads.

4. Place in oven for 30 minutes. When the broccoli comes out, it will have shrunk and have brown crunchy spots (these are mighty tasty!). Serve immediately. (You may like your broccoli more tender or more crispy…play with the time till you get it right. Remember that the more crowded the pan, the longer the broccoli will need to cook.)

Enjoy!

Source: adapted from several recipe sources found on Pinterest; some use lemon juice and steak seasoning, but I really enjoy the plain salt and pepper

Originally published on March 19, 2012.

Baked French Toast

by Julie // February 25, 2019 // 280 Comments

Originally posted on November 16, 2011.

It’s not my day to post a recipe, but I couldn’t help sharing this absolutely delicious recipe with y’all! It. is. so. good.

I found it last night while searching for a make-ahead recipe for breakfast (I’m trying to get as much done the night before as possible so I can get all my exercising in early….which is a good thing ‘cuz this ain’t no diet-friendly recipe!). I started searching Pinterest for overnight breakfasts, but then thought, “Oooh, I bet P-Dub has something good on her site!” I was not disappointed.

I told my kids this morning that we were trying a new recipe from Pioneer Woman. My oldest daughter said, “Oh, then it’ll be really good.”

And it is.

Really good.

Like, make you wanna slap yo’self good.

Ingredients:
1 loaf sourdough bread (I used Pepperidge Farm, 1.5 pound loaf)
8 eggs
2 cups milk (I used 1%)
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. vanilla

Topping:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stick cold butter, cut into pieces (1/4 lb.)

1. Grease a 9 x 13 pan with butter. Tear bread into bite-size chunks and place evenly in the pan.
2. Mix together the eggs, milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla. Pour evenly over bread. Cover tightly and store in the fridge for several hours (I put mine in overnight….it was about 12 hours).
3. In a medium bowl mix together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until it all looks nice and crumbly (like small pebbles, according to P-Dub). Place in a ziploc bag and put in fridge.
4. When ready to bake, take pan and bag out of fridge. Remove wrap and evenly sprinkle the crumb mixture over the top. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees (or 45 minutes if you like it more soft and pudding-like).

Notes:
Update: IMPORTANT!!!!!!! You must use a dense bread or this dish will turn out soggy. After getting a few comments below about soggy outcomes, I figured I’d better make sure you understand that. You can’t use regular ol’ sandwich bread because it will NOT soak up the egg mixture! I highly recommend starting with the bread listed in the ingredients above as this has ALWAYS turned out perfectly for me.

You can serve with syrup, but we made a quick glaze with powdered sugar and milk. Delish!
If you don’t have brown sugar, mix 1/2 Tbsp. molasses with 1/2 cup sugar until well blended.
Like I said, you can bake it for less time if you like it softer, but I love how the top gets crispy when it’s baked for an hour. The underneath part is still somewhat soft. One hour in my 350-oven was just right.
The directions said to scoop out, but I wanted to be able to control the portions so I cut it into 12 servings (they were large, and this is rich, so you could serve other breakfast dishes and use this as more of a side dish and get 24 servings).
If you have a hot oven, cover the dish with foil for the last 15 minutes or so if you notice that it’s starting to get too brown (I have never had to do this, though).
If you don’t have a pastry cutter, use two knives moving away from each other to cut in the butter for the topping. Do NOT use a fork to mash! It will be a globby mess!

Makes 12 large servings

Source: slightly adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Budge

by Julie // February 21, 2019 // 3 Comments

Originally posted on November 28, 2011.

This recipe comes from Worldwide Ward Cookbook by Deanna Buxton. I’s original title is “Chapel Fudge” but we renamed it in honor of our toddler, King Henry V (well, Henry, but he’s the fifth child and pretty much rules our kingdom).

We named it Budge in honor of Henry for two reasons: (1) when he tries to say “fudge” it comes out “budge”, and (2) while it was cooling on the counter, he proceeded to dig into it with his hands, prompting an emergency bath!

Whatever it’s called, it’s good. I’m not normally much of a fudge eater, but I really do like this recipe and plan to use it often.

Ingredients:
4 cups sugar
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk (1 1/3 cups)
20 large marshmallows
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup butter
1 (12 oz) package semisweet chocolate chips

1. In a large pot, cook sugar, milk, and marshmallows on medium to medium-high heat, stirring constantly. When mixture comes to a rolling boil, set timer for 10 minutes and continue stirring constantly. (I had to reduce the heat a bit here as it start to burn just a tad.) Remove from heat and add vanilla.
2. Place butter and chocolate in a large mixer bowl. Pour the hot mixture into this bowl, over the butter and chips. Beat for 5 minutes. (I used my Kitchen Aid with the whisk attachment.)
3. Spread into lightly buttered 9×13 pan and let cool. Cut when set. (This took several hours in the fridge.)

Makes 35-40 pieces of fudge

Source: Worldwide Ward Cookbook by Deanna Buxton.

Pink Grapefruit Sorbet

by Julie // February 14, 2019 // 2 Comments

I loooooove Ruby Red grapefruit. So when I saw a recipe for it on Pinterest, I had to give it a shot. But when I cut into what should’ve been two Ruby Reds, I was shocked to see just your regular ol’ grapefruit. So disappointed. But then I remembered that I had a large can of pink grapefruit juice in the pantry. Surely that would do, even though fresh would be so much better. So I used it, and it worked! So delicious.

My next step after that was trying it with Agave Nectar instead of granulated sugar. Still delicious! If you love grapefruit, you’ll love this. You can adjust the amount of tart to sweet by adjusting the amount of juice and sweetener. Taste it just before you’re ready to put it into the machine and make your adjustments accordingly.

Ingredients (original):

1 1/2 cups fresh or canned grapefruit juice

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

1. Combine sugar and water in saucepan and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until sugar is dissolved. Cool completely.
2. When cool, add grapefruit juice and stir to combine. Pour into freezer bowl of ice cream maker. Turn machine on and freeze until slushy. Transfer to an air tight container and freeze until firm, about 2 hours.

Agave recipe:
1 1/2 cups fresh or canned grapefruit juice
1 cup agave nectar
2 cups water

1. Combine juice, nectar, and water and stir until well mixed.
2. Pour into freezer of ice cream machine and freeze as stated above.

Source: can’t remember, sorry!

Sausage Pancakes

by Julie // February 11, 2019 // 4 Comments

Originally posted on February 25, 2011.

I hate cooking sausage patties. Love the flavor, but hate cooking them. They never seem to get done in the middle unless the outsides are overdone. Cooking ground sausage, however, is much easier. (We often mix sausage crumbles with scrambled eggs and shredded cheddar and serve that on toasted English muffins, like a breakfast sandwich.) If you love the flavor of sausage and maple syrup, you will love these pancakes. They are very filling. My pickiest eater requests these all the time.

Ingredients:
2 cups flour (white, wheat, or a mixture)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs (or use egg powder)
2 cups buttermilk or sour milk*
2 Tbsp. oil
1 lb. ground sausage, cooked and drained

1. Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
2. Mix eggs, milk, and oil together with a whisk until well blended.
3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Do not over-mix.
4. Pour on hot, greased griddle and cook on both sides till golden brown.

*Sour milk–place 2 Tbsp. white or apple cider vinegar in a 2-cup measure. Add milk to the 2-cup measuring line. Let sit for a few minutes.

To freeze, layer pancakes with wax paper in between them and place them all in a freezer bag or container.

Source: The Hows and Whys of the Year Supply by Melissa Coombs

Nutella Hot Chocolate

by Julie // February 7, 2019 // 2 Comments

Originally posted on November 7, 2011.

I love Nutella. Love, love, love it. And once again, Pinterest provides another scrumptious idea on how to use it. This is yummy, quick, and easy. You can play around with the amount of Nutella to suit your personal taste.

And how many ways do you think there are to use Nutella in your life?

Ingredients:
1 cup milk (I used 1%)
1-2 Tbsp. Nutella (I eyeballed it)

1. Place milk and Nutella in a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat, whisking until Nutella is fully incorporated into the milk. (You could probably use one of those little cocoa machines with the spout too.)
2. Pour into your favorite mug and enjoy.

Source: found on Pinterest (no original source cited there)

Butter Dips

by Julie // February 4, 2019 // No Comments

Originally posted on September 5, 2011.

These are great quick bread sticks. We usually have them with pasta and salad. My kids love them.

Ingredients:
1 stick butter
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
2 1/2 tsp. salt
garlic powder to taste
1 cup milk
shredded Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place butter in 9 x 13 pan and place in oven. Take out when butter is melted.
2. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and garlic powder in bowl. Add milk and stir until well-combined.
3. Roll or pat dough out onto a floured surface. Form a 5″ x 13″ rectangle. Cut dough into strips 1″ wide. Make twists out of each strip. Carefully place strips into buttered pan, turning to coat. (I start with 5″ long strips because as you twist and transfer them to the dish, they stretch.)
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle with shredded Parmesan cheese.

Source: My friend

Comfort Potato Salad

by Julie // January 31, 2019 // No Comments

Originally posted on July 19, 2011.

I admit it. I am a potato salad snob. I grew up in a very different potato salad culture than most people, I think. And I have yet to taste a potato salad that is anywhere close to my mother’s recipe.

Still, growing up, there were things about my mother’s potato salad that I did NOT like. So, a few years after I got married, I decided to give this family classic a good makeover (although I have included my mother’s ingredients at the end of the recipe in case these foods really float your boat).

And the result? One of our family’s favorite dishes. Simple but so, so good. SO good, in fact, that my husband and kids cannot resist picking at the bowl before I am even done making it. I hope you enjoy it.

And I won’t be offended if your personal potato salad culture makes it impossible for you to like mine!

Ingredients:
5 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (pictured are gold, purple, and red potatoes from our garden)
1 1/2 c. mayo (NOT Miracle Whip!….wait, that’s a mayonnaise culture thing)
1 tsp. celery seed
4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. prepared mustard

1. Clean potatoes gently in water and place in large pot. Cover with water to and at least an inch above the potatoes.
2. Boil potatoes until tender, about 20 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes.
3. Drain potatoes and place them on a cooling rack set in a cookie sheet.
4. While potatoes are cooling, make the dressing in a large bowl.
5. When potatoes are cooled enough to handle (still warm is really yummy!) cut potatoes into bite-size chunks (leave the skin on) and place in the bowl with the dressing.
6. With a rubber spatula gently toss the cut potatoes until they are evenly “bathed” in the dressing.
7. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Source: My Mom

My mother’s recipe differs in that she:

adds 1 large green pepper (chopped), 1 small onion (chopped), and 1 large jar of chopped pimento.
uses red potatoes only (I find them too water-y).
peels the potatoes before cutting them up.

Chewy Brownies

by Julie // January 28, 2019 // 8 Comments

Originally posted on July 20, 2011.

Call me crazy, but I love brownie-mix brownies. I love the flavor, but I especially love the texture of them. Every once in a while I’ll try a recommended brownie recipe, but I’m always disappointed in the results. I found this recipe in a Google search for “scratch brownies that taste like a mix”. This recipe is good enough to keep using, in place of the box mix, until I find an even better one. It’s awesome with warmed up peanut butter for a sauce with Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce and 3 Ingredient Ice Cream.

Ingredients:
1/3 c. cocoa
1/2 c. plus 2 Tbsp. boiling water
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
4 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/2 c. plus 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 c. sugar
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. salt
6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, cut into 1/2″ pieces

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving about a one-inch overhang on all sides (do this in two foil layers). Spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Whisk together the cocoa and boiling water in a large bowl until smooth.
3. Add unsweetened chocolate and whisk until chocolate is melted.
4. Whisk in melted butter and oil (mixture may look curdled).
5. Add eggs, yolks, and vanilla and continue to whisk until smooth.
6. Whisk in sugar until fully incorporated.
7. Add flour and salt and mix with rubber spatula until combined.
8. Fold in bittersweet or semisweet chocolate pieces.
9. Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted halfway between the edge and center comes out with just a few moist crumbs on it, about 30-35 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack and cool 1 1/2 hours.
10. Using foil overhang, lift brownies from pan. Return them to wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour. Cut into 2″ squares and serve.

If you like thicker brownies, just bake in a smaller pan and increase cooking time.

Makes 24 brownies

Source: Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce

by Julie // January 24, 2019 // No Comments

Originally posted on July 29, 2011.

This is great served over vanilla ice cream with toasted coconut and toasted almonds. Or on a Chewy Brownie sundae with 3 Ingredient Ice Cream and warmed peanut butter as a second sauce.

And by the way, this peanut butter thing is one of the most amazing secrets I’ve ever found. While on vacation at Disney World one year, we visited the wonderful ice cream parlor, Beaches and Cream. I ordered something with hot fudge and peanut butter sauce and was in utter ecstasy! When I asked how they made the peanut butter sauce I was floored when they said it’s just warmed up peanut butter. Now whenever we have sundaes at home, we always have this peanut butter “sauce” with this chocolate sauce recipe. Yeah. Utter ecstasy.

Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce

2016-03-02 07:43:48

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Ingredients

1/4 c. butter
1 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. cocoa
1/4 c. half and half, whole milk, or heavy cream
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla

Instructions

Place butter and unsweetened chocolate in a small saucepan and melt over low heat, stirring constantly.
Add sugar, cocoa, half and half, and salt. Stir until combined. Bring slowly to a gentle boil withOUT stirring (well, maybe you could stir a couple of times). If you let it go too long, the sides begin to burn; but if you don’t let it go long enough, the sugar crystals won’t dissolve and the sauce will be gritty.
Remove from heat and add vanilla.

By Julie

Adapted from Betty Crocker Chocolate Cookbook

Mormon Mavens https://www.mormonmavens.com/

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