mmmmmm bacon

i found a way to eat eggs and bacon that i really love.

no grease, no runny yolk, and best of all, no stinky house for three days after making these yummies.

melt white chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth.

drizzle over two pretzels, then top with yellow m&m.

rhubarb and a crisp

i guess it's no secret i like rhubarb. so i was sooo excited when i found this rhubarb at the farmers market! most rhubarb i have ever seen is equivalent to a large stalk of celery. this stuff was huge! each stalk weighed almost a pound and each was at least 3 inches wide! i asked the grower how he did it and he shrugged and said it just rained at all the right times this year. wow! someday i want to grow rhubarb like that. in the meantime i need to come up with more recipes to use it in. so i made this one over the weekend and richie (who still won't taste rhubarb marmalade because he hates all cooked fruit!) loved it! he had seconds and ate leftovers as well. definitely a keeper! my favorite way was fresh out of the oven with vanilla ice cream. seriously better than any other flavor of fruit crisp.

rolls? really?

FINALLY!

i think i have found a recipe for homemade rolls that i can't completely ruin. it's no secret that i love to cook and bake, but when it comes to yeast breads i feel like a total failure. actually that was yesterday. thanks to a recipe from a friend at church, today is looking much brighter!

"Feel Good About Yourself Rolls"

(i changed the name)

1 3/4 C warm water

1/2 C oil

1/2 C sugar

3 TBS. yeast

Combine above and let sit until yeast is bubbly. Then add:

2 eggs

5-5 1/2 C flour

1 tsp salt

Mix well, then pour onto conter and knead until smooth. Add flour as needed, but use as little as you can get away with. Spray the bowl before returning dough to it. Allow to rise until at least double in size. Divide dough into 4 balls, roll each ball into an 8" circle(or so) and cut into 8 wedges. Roll like cresents and place on greased pan. Allow to rise about 15 minutes. Bake at 375 for 10-12 min.

Can also substitute all or part wheat flour

Can also allow to rise only once(on pan).

Can also be made into sweet rolls (but they will be gone sooner)

coconut-lemon bars

by far my favorite way to eat lemon bars! perfect for a spring picnic or just to chase away those winter blues. the recipe is from this book, which i think is out of print, so hopefully it's okay to share. if you ever do find this book, buy it. i am constantly using it and have had nothing but great success with every recipe in it. i highly recommend the turtle brownies on pg. 32. to-die-for.

coconut lemon bars

Crust:

1 cup butter, at room temp.

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

Coconut-Lemon Topping:

4 large eggs, at room temp.

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. grated lemon zest

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)

3 cups sweetened flaked coconut

Peheat oven to 350. Line a 9x13 with foil, allowing ends to extend over sides of pan. Lightly grease foil. In large bowl, beat butter, confectioners' sugar, and salt until light and fluffy. Gradually add flour. Press mixture evenly over bottom of the pan. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until golden around edges.

Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat eggs until frothy. Beat in granulated sugar. Beat in the flour and baking powder, then beat in the lemon zest and juice. Add the coconut, stirring until topping is thoroughly mixed. Scrape topping onto hot crust, spreading coconut evenly. Bake for 25 to 28 minutes until edges are golden. Cool completely. Refrigerate for easier cutting. Remove from pan by lifting foil and cute. Store in refrigerator.

this is why

the colander is staying... for now. maybe i will have a kitchen of misused cookware? i found it at one of my most favorite of stores. now i just need to make a dishtowel as darling as theirs to hang on it...

bbq chicken sandwiches

by far, the easiest way to make richie's face light up when he comes home from work is to make these simple sandwiches. all it takes is 3 ingredients and a little planning ahead.

bbq chicken sandwiches

place 3-4 chicken breasts in crock pot.

cover with bbq sauce of choice.

remove rhodes rolls from freezer.

place on pan to thaw and rise.

while waiting, clean the sink, take a nap, run to the store, and do your nails.

when chicken is cooked, shred with two forks.

when rolls are nice and puffy, cook like it says on the package.

for added yum factor spread butter on tops of rolls when they are hot.

let the chicken keep soaking up the sauce until ready to serve.

add some sauce to the rolls if you want.

ok- so that's probably a few more steps than you really need to know about, but you get the point. as soon as richie walks in the door and smells the spiciness of the chicken and the sweetness of the rolls- he literally lights up.

pot roast anyone?

THIS is what i am making for dinner tomorrow. richie's jaw dropped to the floor when i showed him and said i wanted to make it. it's his most favorite dinner but i'm really not a pot roast person. i think i have only attempted such a dish once on a special richie occasion or something, but these pictures were too appetizing to pass up. we shall see if it works as well for me.

p.s. this site is so fun to browse if you are looking for something to make for dinner or just want to work up an appetite...

sweet spinach salad

currently loving this salad:

1 bag spinach leaves

sliced almonds (toasted if you like)

1 granny smith apple, cut in small pieces

craisins

feta cheese (or whatever you have)

Brianna's Blush Wine Vinaigrette (available at most stores)

Combine in amounts to taste. oh delish.

no.26 chicken n dumplings

i got the current issue of cookie in the mail today and couldn't resist making their recipe for chicken 'n dumplings. it was so heavenly after feasting on so much rich food over the weekend! we loved it! i would share the recipe, but i'm probably not at liberty to do so since it is in a published magazine. but i will tell you i used fat free half and half instead of heavy cream and leftover costco rotisserie chicken. even better- i found a link to the exact recipe! go make chicken 'n dumplings. it's such a good thing.

no.23 leftovers

forget the pie, forget the turkey with rolls, forget the stuffing, the only leftover i need is the frozen fruit salad. for some reason, this has been my favorite thing about the holiday since i was little. when i was serving a mission, the family we spent thanksgiving with emailed my family to get the recipe and i about cried when i saw them pull it out of the freezer on thanksgiving. it was as good as having my family there for real. on top of that, they let me take home all the leftovers. so sweet. so i will be eating this delicious treat for days while everyone else can have the other leftovers. what a good thing.

My Mom's Frozen Fruit Salad

1 pkg. cream cheese

1 can crushed pineapple

1 bag frozen strawberries or raspberries

2-3 bananas

1 tub cool whip

Combine cream cheese and pineapple, then stir in strawberries and bananas. Fold in cool whip. Spread in 9x13. Freeze overnight. Allow to soften before serving. Slice like a cake and enjoy.

no.21 apple peeler corer slicer

this is another of my favorite kitchen tools. we don't use it too much, but with a name like that can you really not call it a mulit-tasker and therefore worth all the cabinet space it uses? i did use it when macy was too young for bigger apple slices- and she loved to eat the thin little apples it produced. it also make apple pies quite a bit easier. or you could try it with potates for a fun twist on curly fries. you'll get perfect 1/4" slices everytime. i like to think that even though we don't use it a ton, this is something that makes life a little easier and a little more enjoyable. now that's a good thing.

chocolate. cream. pie. (no.20)

so simple. so yummy. so chocolatey. such a good thing.

German Chocolate Cream Pie
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
2T sugar
4 oz. German's sweet chocolate
1/3 c. milk, measured
1 tub cool whip
graham cracker crust
Beat cream cheese and sugar together. In small saucepan, melt chocolate with 2T milk over low heat until smooth. Slowly add to cream cheese mixture along with the rest of the milk. Beat until smooth. Fold in cool whip. Fill crust with mixture. Freeze until firm. Garnish with dark chocolate.

no.19 pumpkin pie

i can't think of a pie that is easier than pumpkin. i love the recipe on the canned pumpkin, with the addition of a little nutmeg. this was my good day.

all that's left on my list:

apple pie

chocolate cream pie

frozen fruit salad

sweet potatoes

green bean casserole

recipes to follow as they are crossed off the list.

no.17 eggnog

tis the season for more yummy drinks. have you ever tried mixing sprite with your eggnog? oh it is so delish! i like about a 3-1 ratio; 3 parts eggnog, 1 part sprite. richie can't stand it, but he does like his eggnog with lots of milk. i like either way. which reminds me, is the eggnog or peppermint ice cream out yet? mmmmm....

no. 9 caramel apple cider

one of my favorite fall drinks is caramel apple cider from starbucks. i love getting a nice drink and chatting with friends. i just wish that starbucks would give you a mug or a teacup if you are staying at the place... you know? where's the fun in drinking out of paper when you are sitting in a dimly lit restaurant? so why not make your own at home and use your favorite mug? last year a friend shared with me how to make caramel apple cider and it was so delicious.

caramel apple cider
apple juice
cinnamon syrup
caramel syrup
whipped cream
combine and heat to your liking. top with the whipped cream and sprinkle cinnamon. yep. that's all. oh, it is heavenly.

behold the power of sliced cheese (or gt no. 5)

i grew up in a house with a fabulous cheese slicer. anyone in my family will agree this was a cheese slicer worth it's weight in gold. now i understand why my mom would buy the twelve pound block of orange cheese; you know the one--napoleon's cheese... you'd want to slice all day if you had such a great tool. ahh... the memories of triple layered nachoes, perfect thickness cheese tortillas (aka quesadillas), and the cheese layer in the lasagna couldn't be beat. the slicer just sliced great cheese. you never got the chunks breaking off the block, the slices were equally and perfectly thick every time and it required very little effort on the user's part.
richie and i found this cheese slicer just after we got married at a little old kitchen store. in looks it is quite comparable, but in slicing skills, it has yet to top the slicer of my childhood. everyone needs a good cheese slicer. it can make using the dairy delight so much easier. so if you are fortunate enough to own just such a sublime cheese slicer, hold on to it, because the perfect piece of sliced cheese is definitely a good thing.

good thing no.1

here at sara etc. aka rhubarb marmalade, we believe in letting others know about good things. so for the month of november, we will be sharing a good thing a day. please note, this is an original idea, not influenced by anyone else.
i give you: annie's mac and cheese. first you have to understand that i disagree with eating anything from a box. so for this to make my good things list-- well just believe me, it's good. why? first of all, it's all organic. i don't know what that means, but boxed food can't be all bad if it's organic. also, it has quite a bit less fat than that other mac n cheese. and lastly, in about 10 minutes i can have my toddler transformed from screaming monster to happy eater. and that's a good thing.

hot chocolate

more fall comfort food. hot chocolate. it just might be the perfect hot drink. i prefer it to have quite a bit of chocolate. you know, when it's gone and there's still a chocolate residue at the bottom of the mug. that's perfect. whenever richie makes hot chocolate he is so nice to add two extra scoops to my cup. mmmm..... here's the most chocolatiest chocolateness hot chocolate ever. the best part is- we tried it with a fat free half and half and it was still fabulous. i got the original recipe here via here.

Dark Hot Chocolate

3 c. milk

1 c. half & half

1/4 c. dutch process cocoa

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. vanilla

Combine dry ingredients. set aside. Combine milk and half & half in saucepan on medium heat. When hot, whisk in dry ingredients. Scald, but do not boil. Remove from heat, add vanilla. Be warm.

butternut bisque

i love fall! but not totally for the weather. i would live in an eternal summer if i had a choice. i love the comfort food that is fall though. and this soup is definitely that. a dear friend gave me this recipe last year, we made it twice and my mouth waters every time i think of it. then of course i had to change it a bit because i seem to manage to forget at least one item every time i go to the store. so enjoy a little autumn warmth from me to you.

Butternut Bisque

1 lb. butternut squash

5c. chicken stock

4T. butter

4T. flour

1/2 tsp. curry powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

3/4c. half & half

1 T. lime juice

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. white pepper

Cut squash in half and clean out. Bake in oven at 350 for about an hour in a little water. Squash just needs to be soft enough to scoop out. Combine chicken squash and squash in blender. Puree until smooth. (you may have to do a couple batches) Melt butter. Stir in flour, onion, garlic, and curry powder. Cook, stirring over medium heat until smooth. Sdd squash puree to pot. Increase temperature to medium-high until thick. Reduce heat. Add half & half. Do not allow to boil. Just before serving add lime juice, salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley.

are mangoes on sale?

i love this salad. no. i looove this salad! the first reason would be that it does not contain bacon. what more could i ask for?

so every time mangoes are on sale, i stock up and we feast on it at our house. oh, it is heavenly. i got the original recipe from this most fabulous book, but i am loose with it, so here's what i do.

Chicken, Avocado, and Mango Salad

2 Chicken breasts

salt and pepper

bay leaf

1 lime

2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 TBSP minced fresh ginger

3 TBSP minced fresh cilantro, Plus 1 cup whole leaves

One head lettuce (any kind) chopped or torn

2 mangoes, peeled and sliced

1 avovado, peeled and sliced

1/2 red onion, sliced

Boil chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Allow to cool, then slice. Whisk together lime juice, olive oil, ginger, and minced cilantro. Toss with lettuce and whole cilantro leaves. Arrange on plate with onions, mango, avoado and chicken, or toss all together in large bowl. Sprinkle with any remaining lime juice. Then call and invite me to dinner so I can enjoy this yummy salad too!