Rice Pudding

1 cup boiling water

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup rice (pearl rice if possible)

Combine and cook 7 minutes.

2 cups milk

2 cups Half and Half

4 Tablespoons butter

Add to rice mixture and stir.  Simmer on low 1 hour, stirring frequently.

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons sugar

Slowly stir into simmering mixture.

(Might want to temper those eggs first.)

Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes longer.  

Remove from heat, cool for two minutes.

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 raisins

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (or grated orange rind)

Slowly stir in vanilla, raisins, and nutmeg.

Rice Pudding is a Heritage Recipe from Grandma Carlene (Palmer).

Grandma's Easy Stuffing

For each 6 oz box of Stove Top Stuffing (Chicken or Turkey), saute 1/2 an onion and 1 rib of celery (both small dice) in 2 Tablespoons butter on medium low heat for 10-15 minutes.  While the onion and celery are cooking, boil 1 1/2 cups water.  When the onion and celery are done, pour the stuffing mix and boiling water into the onion/celery mixture.  Stir well.  Remove from heat.  Cover.  Let sit for five minutes.  Fluff with a fork and serve!

Orange Chicken Quinoa Salad

1/2 cup quinoa

1 cup water

2 green onions, thinly sliced

handful raisins

handful toasted pine nuts (or slivered almonds)

1 can mandarin oranges, drained

1 cup chopped cooked chicken

drizzle of extra-light olive oil

splash of apple cider vinegar

salt and pepper 

In a fine-mesh strainer, rinse the quinoa under running water until water runs clear, not cloudy.  In a small saucepan, combine water and quinoa and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until water is completely absorbed, about twenty-five minutes.  While quinoa is cooking, combine next five ingredients in a large bowl.  Drizzle with oil, splash with vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.  When the quinoa is done, fluff with a fork then add to ingredients in the large bowl and mix well.  Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Note:  The recipe above serves 2.  Pictured is this recipe times 4.  :)

Chutch Chutch Chicken Salad

2 cups celery, chopped

1/2 cup green onions, chopped

2 cups red grapes, sliced in half

6 chicken breasts, cooked and diced

1 16 oz box of butterfly noodles, cooked, drained, rinsed in cold water

1 16 oz bottle Kraft Coleslaw dressing (or homemade)

1 cups mayonnaise (do not use Miracle Whip)

1 8 oz can cashews

Mix everything but cashews and refrigerate.  Stir in cashews just before serving.

Note:  I whisked the Coleslaw dressing and mayonnaise separately and didn't add the entire amount.

Strawberry-filled Marble Bundt Cake

Simple and delicious, this is just a marble cake (using extra light olive oil instead of vegetable oil), baked in a bundt pan, drizzled with ganache (8 oz. chocolate chips and 1/2 cup heavy cream melted and stirred over a double boiler), and filled with fresh strawberries.  Nothing could be finer.  :)

Lime 'n Chili Chocolate Covered Nut Clusters

1 cup Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate Chips

1 can Blue Diamond Bold Lime 'n Chili Almonds

In a microwaveable bowl, melt chocolate chips for 1 minute.  Stir with fork.  Continue to microwave fifteen seconds at a time and stirring until chocolate is smooth.  Pour in almonds.  Stir until well coated.  On wax paper, mound nuts (three to four nuts each).  Let cool and set.  Enjoy!

Flourless Double Chocolate Cookies

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons cocoa*

3 cups powdered sugar

pinch of salt

1 3/4 cups walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped

1 cups chocolate chips*

4 egg whites, room temperature

1 Tablespoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixer bowl, combine cocoa, powdered sugar, salt, walnuts, and chocolate chips.  Mix on low, one minute.  Continue mixing on low and add the egg whites and vanilla.  Mix on medium for three minutes, until the batter thickens slightly.

Scoop heaping tablespoons of batter onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving room for the cookies to spread a little.

Bake for 14-16 minutes on the center rack.  If you want to bake two sheets at a time, place racks in the upper and bottom thirds of the oven and then switch pans halfway through baking.  Thin cracks appear on the surface when the cookies are done.  Pull the parchment paper onto a cooling rack and let the cookies cool completely before removing from the paper.

*For best flavor, use Dutch-process cocoa and Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips.

Inspired by One Sweet Cookie and here, here, here, and here.  :)

Gretta's Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 cup unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup light brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

2 cups sifted whole wheat flour (sift first, then measure)

1 cup flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cream butter and sugars.  Mix in vanilla and eggs.  In a separate bowl, combine flours, baking soda and salt.  Gradually blend flour mixture into butter mixture.  Fold in chocolate chips and drop onto a greased cookie sheet.  Bake 8-10 minutes.  Drive to Mexico.  Enjoy!  :)

Hollilyn's Orange Cranberry Bread

Mix:

2 teaspoons salt

4 1/2 teaspoons yeast

2 Tablespoons sugar

2 Tablespoons oil

3 Tablespoons honey

2 1/2 cups flour

Warm following mixture to about 110 degrees:

Orange juice + water = 2 1/4 cups liquid

juice squeezed from 1 1/2 to 2 oranges)

Grated peel of 1 orange

Mix dry and wet mixtures. Add 2 1/2 to 4 1/2 cups flour until dough can be handled.

Add one cup Craisins. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic.

Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place until doubled (30-60 minutes). Punch down dough and form into two loaves. Place in greased bread pans. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place until doubled (30-60 minutes).

Cook at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until loaf is light brown.