Quinoa Burgers

I found the original recipe through Pinterest while looking for new and interesting dinner ideas. Of course I was completely intrigued and decided to give these a try. Since I seem to be nearly incapable of following most recipes exactly, I had to alter things a bit. The original called for cumin, and in my opinion, cumin and fresh veggie flavor don't seem to go together. Scott and I love quinoa and these burgers turned out incredibly delicious!!

Quinoa Burgers

2 cups, rounded, cooked quinoa
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 medium carrot, grated or finely minced
3 eggs
2 green onions, chopped, including white parts
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. Herbs de Provence (could use extra Italian seasoning instead)
Olive oil for frying

To cook quinoa:
1 cup dry quinoa
2 cups water
sprinkle of salt

Add together in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and let cook about 15-20 minutes.

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Add the cooked quinoa (can let it cool slightly). Pour some oil into a skillet and heat on medium/medium-low. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop mixture and drop onto oil then press down gently to about 1/2 inch thickness. Cook about 4 minutes each side. Serve with lettuce, tomato, avocado, ketchup, ranch, etc. Makes about 10 burgers, each around 125 calories.

White Chocolate Chex Mix

White Chocolate Chex Mix

1 pkg. almond bark
2 ½ c. Corn Chex
2 ½ c. Wheat Chex
2 ½ c. Cheerios
3 c. pretzels

Add all dry ingredients. Melt almond bark according to package directions and pour on top
of dry ingredients. Mix well. Pour onto wax paper and separate as much as possible for
cooling.

Peppermint Popcorn

Peppermint Popcorn

2-3 bags microwave popcorn, popped and kernels removed
6 crushed candy canes
½ bar vanilla almond bark

Melt almond bark according to package instructions. After melted, add crushed candy canes
and pour on top of popcorn. Stir well. Pour on to wax paper for cooling.

Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cake Bites

Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cake Bites
from babycenter.com

1 box devil's food cake mix, Duncan Hines is best
1 can dark chocolate frosting (16 oz.)
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 package almond bark
8 candy canes, crushed
Waxed paper

Bake cake according to directions on the box for 13 X 9 cake. After the cake is cool, crumble into large bowl.

Mix the frosting with 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract.

Mix the cake thoroughly with about 3/4 of the frosting. (Get your hands in there and get dirty.) Add more frosting if you think the mixture is too dry. When you can form it into a ball in your hands easily, you're good.

Use a tablespoon-sized scoop and roll mixture into balls. Place on a cookie sheet.

Chill or freeze cake balls for several hours. They can also be placed in freezer bags and kept for later use.

Melt almond bark according to the directions on package. Dip each ball about 3/4 of the way into the almond bark. Tap off excess, then place on wax paper, cake side down, until firm. Quickly sprinkle a little bit of crushed candy cane bits onto the top before the almond bark hardens.

Cover the truffles tightly and store where it's cool.

Source

**I haven't made this yet, but I will be trying it this year! It looks delicious.

Sugar Cookies

My all time favorite, so far, Sugar Cookie recipe comes from the ladies at Ourbestbites.com. I have tried and failed more times than I care to remember with sugar cookies. Either too crumbly, too sticky, too gross, etc. These cookies have a delicious butter flavor, hold their shape beautifully, and cook perfectly.

Sugar Cookies
from Ourbestbites.com

1 cup real butter (no substitutions!) at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg (make sure to use a large or extra large egg)
1 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (or other flavor of your choice, like vanilla)
3 C flour, lightly spooned into measuring cups and leveled (don’t scoop it!)
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy- about 2 minutes. Add in egg and extract and mix to incorporate.

In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt.  A very important note: It’s important to correctly measure your flour or you will end up with a dry, crumbly dough. Never, ever use your measuring cup to scoop up the flour.  Use a regular sized spoon and spoon the flour into the cup and then level it off with a knife.

 Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until completely combined.
Chill the dough in the fridge for about an hour, or use this great tip to make things easier:

When your dough is made, instead of putting it in the fridge, immediately roll  between 2 sheets of waxed or parchment paper and then place on a flat surface in the fridge.  Chill for about 20-30 minutes and then start cutting it out.  This way it chills faster and the bonus is that you don’t need to add extra flour to roll it out.  If you don’t use this tip, proceed as follows:

When you’re ready to roll out dough lightly sprinkle flour onto your work surface and roll out dough with a rolling pin.

Bake at 350 for 8-12 minutes. The baking time really depends on how you like them. If you like themreally and slightly chewy, about 8-9 minutes does it. If you like them slightly crisp and buttery, then go for 10-12.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Everyone needs a good, down home, broccoli cheese soup. 

Especially for the Fall.

This soup is one of my favorites. 

However, the past couple times I've made it, it has seemed a little watery, a little thin, and lacking some flavor. Well, I just realized why: when I copied the recipe from my mom's email to my cookbook, I failed to include the 3/4 c. of flour it calls for!!!!!! Dur dur dur. 

So, know that when you omit the flour, it is a much thinner soup. When you include it, like it is supposed to be, it is absolutely delicious! This is because the flour-butter mixture creates a roux which thickens the cream sauce that you pour into the veggies. I'm glad the light bulb finally turned on.

Obviously I don't have a picture because my last batch turned out less than stellar with zero flour and thickness, so imagine a warm, thick, creamy, incredible soup. (sorry Meagan! I owe you a new batch)

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Saute in a large stock pot:

1 TBL oil

1 c. onion, chopped

Add, then cover and "simmer" for 5-10 minutes:

1 c. celery, chopped

1/2 c. carrots, shredded (I usually just do 2, medium size carrots)

1 large bunch Broccoli, chopped into tiny florets

1 TBL parsley

Add:

6 c. chicken broth

Cover and simmer about 15 minutes.

In a separate sauce pan, melt:

1/4 c. butter

Add and stir: 3/4 c. flour

Add while beating:

2 c. milk

1 c. cream

(for lower fat: 1 1/2 c. evaporated milk, 3/4 c. milk, 3/4 c. water)

Stir frequently and heat until thick and smooth.

Stir sauce into simmering soup, can strain lumps if needed. Heat until veggies are tender. 

Just before serving, Add: 1-2 c. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Remove from heat and stir until cheese is melted. 

Salt and pepper to taste.

Disclaimer: the cheese can curdle surprisingly fast and cause a less than desirable appearance. Be sure to really follow the "just before serving" and "remove from heat" instructions with the cheese. Although, my cheese curdling problem may be related to my lack of flour problem.... Wow. I think my life changed a little.

Fall Trail Mix

When I was attending college, my mom decided to send me a Fall Care Package one season.
Getting a package as a college student is equivalent to finding a $20 bill in an old coat pocket.
Awesome.
Inside this package were a few odds and ends including my first experience with the Leaves candle (bath and body works), and my mom's new creation: Fall Trail Mix.
Of course, I became hooked on the mix, and now every October, on General Conference weekend, I make this delicious sweet 'n salty snack.

Fall Trail Mix

1 entire bag M&M's, Harvest colors (12.6 oz)

2 c. dry roasted peanuts

2 c. candy corn

Mix together in a bowl or plastic bag. Store in ziploc bag. Usually stays fresh 1-2 weeks. Makes about 6 cups.

The ratios can be adjusted depending on preference.

p.s. for some reason, the Brach's candy corn doesn't taste quite right to me, but I can't remember what brand I usually use. Oh well.