Potatoes and Peas

Such a simple side dish.
1/2 tsp butter
2 potatoes
1/2 cup frozen peas

Melt 1/2 tsp butter in fry pan. It only takes a little for a wonderful flavor. I used leftover baked potatoes, but if you don't have a leftover, just scrub and microwave potatoes on high for 3 minutes. Cut into bite sized pieces (leave skin on) and put in fry pan. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add peas until warm. Salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Enchiladas (Flat)

From Grandma Anna C Whitney

Serves 4

Sauce:

2 – 8 oz cans tomato sauce (or I use 1 can tomato sauce and one 15 oz can diced tomatoes)

¼ tsp garlic powder

1 Tbs. chili powder

pinch of sugar

Mix together in saucepan until hot.

Enchiladas:

8 corn tortillas

2 Tbs vegetable oil (I always use olive oil)

1 cup grated cheddar or Mexican blend cheese

8 tsp. sour cream (or I use plain yogurt)

1 – 15 oz can kidney or black beans (or Grandma used ½ lb browned hamburger)

4 fried eggs

1 cup shredded lettuce

Brush tortillas with olive oil and heat in fry pan over medium heat, about 1 minute per side.  Place on plate and put a couple of spoonfuls of sauce on tortilla. Place ¼ cup beans on top of sauce, then 1 tsp. sour cream. Sprinkle with cheese. Add another tortilla and repeat the same steps. Put in oven turned to 200° to keep warm as you make the next one. Fry egg and place on top, then put on one more spoonful of sauce.

Top with a ¼ cup shredded lettuce. 

Spoon on sauce

Add beans and sour cream

Sprinkle with cheese

Two layers with egg on top

Main Dish Idea List

Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato Sandwich
Balsamic Grilled Chicken

Bar B Q Ribs

Barbecue (SloppyJoe)

Box of flavored noodles or Rice a Roni with added chicken and veges

Breaded Chicken Strips
Breakfast Sandwiches

Burritoes

Buttered noodles

Butternut squash soup

Cashew Rice

Chicken Dumplings

Chicken Fajitas

Chicken Noodle soup

Chicken with Alfredo noodles, Tortellini Chicken Alfredo
Chicken and Rice Casserole
Chicken Pot Pie
Clam Chowder

Crepes

Crispy Southwest Wraps

Enchiladas (rolled or flat)

Fried rice

Grilled Cheese sandwiches and tomato soup

Ham and Lima Beans

Hamburgers

Hamburger or Steak Hash

Hot Dog Casserole

Lasagna

Lentils and Barley

Meatballs and rice
Meatloaf
Navajo Tacos

Pasta Salad
Pasta Dishes
Pasta with Tomato and Basil
Pita Pizza

Pizza
Pizza (cheater)

Pizza Fondue

Potato Soup
Pretzels (soft)

Quesadillas

Roast beef sandwiches au jus

Salad
Salmon Patties (or tuna)
Salmon (Teriyaki)

Scones (Chicken Sandwich filling is yummy)

Spaghetti
Steak on the Grill

Stew

Taco Salad

Taco Soup

Teriyaki Chicken

Three bean soup
Tomato Basil Soup

White Bean Chili

Main Dish List

I had an inspiration about this blog while sitting in the temple this morning. Yes, you read that right. It is ok. I know that we can receive revelation for all parts of our life when we sit still and listen. Everything we do is important to the Lord.
Here it is. The Main Dish Idea List. I put it as one of the first posts and I keep editing it as I think of more to include. I'm sure it will never be complete. This is what I will do.  As I post recipes that are on the list, I will create a link that can take you to the recipe. I hope that will make it easier to find and use. I will label it as Main Dish List so you can easily access it on the side bar.

Some Thoughts

I know this is a recipe blog and you didn't think you would have to sift through thought posts, but here I go anyway.
This whole blogging thing has surprised me in a good way. I didn't think I would like doing this, but it is rewarding to me. I felt like I should start this a while ago, but it sounded so time consuming and difficult. I like to cook, but I didn't think I wanted to write about it. It is challenging and takes time, but I like it.
Some things I like about it:

1. The positive feedback I receive. I like feeling that I have something worth sharing. Your encouragement makes me feel wonderful. Thank you.

2. It feels good to share and help someone else. I have been helped for years with recipes and ideas.

3. McKay thinks I'm awesome.

4. I like the challenge, I'm in a good place in my life to do this.

5. I'm so glad that it prompts me to get organized in the cooking part of my life. I know it will never be a finished product, but it is improving.

6. I like sharing a talent (Yes, I finally realized I have a talent for cooking) I enjoy for my posterity. Maybe some grandchild will take to cooking like me and can connect with me on that level. I love that my Grandma Christensen was a fabulous quilter and my Grandma Whitney was an excellent seamstress. I share their love for sewing.

7. I like thinking about how I learned to cook. I had a unique experience in high school. Mom was ill and so I took over some of the cooking responsibilities. I had a 'in house' expert to guide me as I learned. I vividly remember taking a pan off the stove and taking it to her room to show her how something was cooking and getting her instruction on what to do next. Very valuable experience. I learned gravy, white sauce, breads, enchiladas and many more with my Mom available to me. PS I still miss her.

Whole Wheat Bread

Makes 4 loaves
4 cups hot water (from tap) 

1 Tbs plus 1 tsp. instant yeast 
5 cups wheat flour (made from hard white wheat)

Mix with dough hook, cover and let rest for 10 – 15 min. (This bread can be made in a Bosch mixer or a Kitchenaid or by hand, I've tried it all) Then add:

½ cup oil
½ cup honey
1 Tbs plus 1 tsp salt
1 Tbs dough enhancer (optional: makes bread stay fresh longer)
2 Tbs gluten (optional: makes bread less crumbly, texture is better when added)
¼ cup flax seed (ground) (optional: I grind in a coffee grinder) 
1/4 cup chia seed (ground) (optional: I grind in coffee grinder)
5 – 6 cups more wheat flour

Add all the ingredients except the flour. Turn mixer to low and then add flour one cup at a time. Mix until dough leaves sides of bowl. Dough should be just a little sticky for the best bread. Too much flour makes dry bread. Turn up and mix on high for 10 min.

Divide dough into 4 equal portions. To handle dough, spray hands with Pam or put butter on them. To make loaves equal, I weigh each loaf on a kitchen scale. They should be about 1 1/2 pound loaves. Shape into loaves and put in greased loaf pans. (I use Pam for this) Let rise in oven with light turned on and a bowl of hot water in the bottom for 40 min. (don’t turn oven on yet)

Take loaves out of oven and pre heat to 350 degrees. (325 convection) Add loaves to oven and bake 30 min. Turn out of pan and cool on rack. After bread is cooled to room temperature, bag and put extra loaves in the freezer. When you are ready for them, let them thaw at room temperature or defrost in microwave. This bread freezes well and tastes fresh when thawed.

Tip: When measuring oil and honey, put oil in cup first, then add honey. This makes the honey slip right out of the cup.

Ingredients for 3 loaves

3 C. hot water

4 C. whole wheat flour

1 T. instant yeast

Stir, cover and let sit for 10 min. Add:

1/3 C oil
1/3 C honey

1 T. salt

3/4 T. dough enhancer

1 1/2 T. gluten

3 - 4 cups flour

Measure oil

Then add honey

Weigh each loaf

 

Ready to rise

Risen, ready to cook

All done

Some optional ideas for specialty breads:

Before putting loaf in pan, add 1/2 tsp minced garlic, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of Italian seasoning. Mix in by hand and then form loaf. Cook as usual. This makes really good toasted cheese sandwich bread.

Or add 1/2 tsp orange zest and 1/4 cup dried cranberries. This one is good with cream cheese on it.

Or add 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds.

Or add 1/4 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 cup raisins. This one is good for French toast.

Baked Beans

From Grandma Jane Matthews

2 cans pork and beans

¼ cup brown sugar (Grandma's original recipe called for 1/2 cup, but we like it better with 1/4)

½  cup ketchup

5 strips cooked bacon (cut into small pieces) or 1/4 cup bacon bits

½  tsp. dry mustard

Mix all ingredients in casserole dish. Bake at 325 for 30 min.

Teriyaki Marinade

1/2 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons olive oil
Juice of 2 oranges
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons sesame seeds

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Brush marinade on chicken or fish as you grill it.

We had this on chicken tonight. McKay was the grill master and he said that he brushed on the marinade 3 times, each time he turned the chicken. This covered 4 pounds of chicken tenders. 

Grandpa Sauce

from Grandpa Bert Whitney
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cans tomato sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 hot pepper

Add all ingredients to a sauce pan and stir until smooth. Heat thoroughly and serve with tortilla chips or enchiladas.

Aunt Glenda Sauce

from Glenda Matthews
1- 8 oz. package cream cheese
1 can no-bean chili
1 cup grated cheese
1 shake of tabasco sauce or red pepper  (optional)

Put cream cheese and chili in a microwave safe dish. Cover and cook in microwave on high for 1 -2 minutes. Stir. Add cheese and heat for another minute. Stir again and add hot sauce.
Serve with tortilla chips.

Note: Tonight we didn't have any no-bean chili, so I put a can of regular chili in the blender and blended until there were no bean chunks and then added it to the cream cheese. The texture was a little different but it was still good.