Homemade Moist Dog Food Recipe...

 

Disclaimer:  I am not a scientist or specialist of any kind.  I did online research to determine what is and isn't healthy for dogs, and I ran the ingredients and preparation method past our vet at our last visit to make sure it sounded okay to her.  Doing your own research and using your own best judgement in regard to feeding your pet are advised.

As per my research, I try for a variety of meats, brown rice, and vegetables that provide vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber that support the health of the entire dog...joints and bones, skin, eyes, digestion, immune system, etc.  

Today I did the math.  I actually thought that store-bought canned food might come out less expensive than the homecooked version.  BUT it turned out that one can of the brand we used before is about 50¢ more expensive than an equivalent amount of my homemade; even considering that I buy ingredients like boneless/skinless chicken thighs and frozen chopped vegetables for convenience.  It may not seem worth the trouble to everybody, but for me it is.  Especially since I just put it in the slow cooker and add different ingredients during the cooking time, and I only have to make a batch about once per month to six weeks.  (And especially since the first benefit we observed was no more stinky flatulence!  I can't make any promises that your dog would have the same benefit.) 

Homemade Moist Dog Food...do not add any seasonings in the making!

Step 1:

Beef Shank bones (our meat department sells these, I use one or two per batch, or use any bones you may have.)

3 or 4 carrots, washed and sliced

6 cups of water (approximately; bones need to be submerged)

Place above ingredients in slow cooker.  Cook on low overnight to make bone broth.  In the morning remove the bones placing any marrow back in the broth in pot.

Step 2:

2 to 3 pounds Chicken Thighs (Boneless/skinless cost more but are much more convenient.  If you use bone in, remove skin before cooking, and remove all bones before shredding meat.)

Place the chicken thighs into the beef broth, and cook on high for about 4 hours or till cooked through.  Remove the chicken and shred it with forks, or pulse in food processor to get a rough chop.  Place the chicken back into the broth.

Step 3:

1/2 of a 16 oz bag of frozen Chopped Broccoli

1/2 of a 16 oz bag of frozen Peas & Carrots

1/2 of a 16 oz bag of frozen Cut Green Beans

1/2 of a 16 oz bag of frozen Whole Cranberries

15 oz can of pumpkin puree (not pie filling)

1 1/2 to 2 cups brown rice

Make sure there is at least 4 cups of liquid in the slow cooker with the chicken.  Place the brown rice and canned pumpkin into the slow cooker and stir to distribute.  Then add about half of each bag of vegetables, and if they are above the level of the liquid, use a spoon to push them into the liquid (they can be a little above the liquid level).  Continue cooking on low for about 4 hours, or at least until rice is tender.  (Reserve unused portions of frozen vegetables and return to freezer for next batch of homemade dog food.)

• When the rice and vegetables are tender, let cool for an hour or so.
• I separate into 12 oz containers, and attach lids.
• I use painter's tape to label lid with dog's name and the date the batch was made, and store in the freezer.
• We remove a container from the freezer a day or so before it will be needed to give it time to thaw in the refrigerator.  Can be placed in microwave for a minute or so if needed to thaw/warm
• We feed a combination of purchased dry food with the homemade food stirred into it.
• Adjust amount used according to dog's size and/or if you use dry kibble with the homemade,  Rudy is a 19 pound Jack Russel terrier, and very active.  We feed him about 1 cup of purchased dry food and about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the homemade moist food daily.  Using in this way and amounts, one batch of homemade food lasts us about 5 weeks.
• I would suggest monitoring your dog for weight increases or decreases and adjust food accordingly.

Homemade Brownie Mix...

This photo does not do them justice.  They are soft and chewy with flaky top.

I found this recipe at the Healthy Homesteader linked here:  https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8iV70XSStw/?igsh=dGx3cXZ1cXJrcmRj

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

6 cups sugar

2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp sea salt

2 tsp baking powder

Directions: 

Mix all ingredients together and store in an airtight container in a dark cool location.  (I measured all ingredients into a gallon jar, put the lid on, and shook until all ingredients were evenly mixed.)

To make small batch of brownies:

Preheat the oven to 350° F and grease an 8" x 8" or 9" x 9" pan.

In a large bowl, mix 2 1/4 cup brownie mix with 1/2 cup melted butter, 2 eggs, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.  Mix until batter is smooth. Pour in greased pan, and bake for 20 - 24 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

To make a double batch of brownies:

Preheat the oven to 350° F and grease a 9" x 13" pan.

In a large bowl mix 4 1/2 cup brownie mix with 1 cup melted butter, 4 eggs, and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract.  Mix until batter is smooth.  Pour into greased 9" x 13" pan, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Store baked brownies covered at room temperature.

Easy and Quick Thin-Crust Pizza...

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

1 teaspoon of yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup of water

1 Tablespoon plus 3 Tablespoons of oil, separated

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425° F.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, yeast, sugar and salt.

Add in the water and 1 Tablespoon oil to the dry ingredients, and mix together using your hand until dough clings together in a ball.

Once the pizza dough forms a ball in the bowl, add in the remaining 3 Tablespoons of oil and mix so that oil just coats the outside of the pizza dough ball.

Notes:  

• After adding in the 3 Tablespoons of oil, the dough will look very oily which is normal.  The dough will not taste oily once baked.
• For easier spreading the dough out on the pizza stone, make sure your fingers have a little oil on them.  (I run my fingers over the sides of the dough bowl, and then rub my hands together to oil surfaces before moving dough from bowl to baking sheet.

Let dough rest in the bowl until oven is fully preheated, and then press into desired shape/size on a pizza stone or baking sheet with your hands.  (Dough may have small tears as you press it out.  Do your best to keep them small, but don't fret...as dough pre-bakes it will rise a bit that will close small holes.)

Pre bake crust in oven for 5 minutes.

Remove from oven, top pizza crust with desired pizza sauce and toppings and bake for another 15 minutes.  ( +/- depending on oven and personal preference)

I had no pizza sauce, so I just used part of a jar of spaghetti sauce.

I was hoping to make half pepperoni and vegetable, and the other half bacon and pineapple.  But after searching the pantry, I found no pineapple, so just threw everything I had on the dough: sauce, a little shredded mozzarella cheese, pepperoni and cooked bacon, sliced mushrooms, sliced onion and green peppers, and topped with more shredded mozzarella cheese.

Buon Appetito!

Easy No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Easy No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Crust:

• 1 Keebler Chocolate Ready Crust

Filling:

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened @ room temperature
• 1/2 of 8oz Cool Whip, thawed
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Mix first three ingredients in a large bowl with a mixer till fairly smooth

• 1 large box of instant chocolate pudding mix
• 1 1/2 cup milk
• 2 Tablespoons of smooth peanut butter

Add the pudding mix, milk, and 2 Tblsp peanut butter to the bowl, and mix on low till it starts to come together, then increase speed to medium or medium high and mix till well combined.

Turn the filling into the Keebler chocolate Ready Crust smoothing the top.

Top with the rest of the container of Cool Whip

•  2 Tablespoons peanut butter

Place the second 2 Tbsp peanut butter into a small microwave safe bowl.  Heat it for 30 seconds on high, then stir.  Heat for another 20 seconds on high, then stir again.  Once the peanut butter is smooth and melted, drizzle it on top of the Cool Whip topped pie.

Place pie in refrigerator to chill for about 3 hours before serving.  Could also be covered and frozen, then thawed in refrigerator before serving.

Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes with Chicken...

Twice-baked Sweet Potatoes with Chicken

This was an off-the-cuff experiment, and they were fabulous and very filling!  I'm putting recipe here so I can remember how next time!  I didn't serve anything with these, but a salad would go nicely.

Ingedients:

2 or 3 frozen chicken thighs

2 or 3 strips bacon

2 large or 3 medium sweet potatoes

2 Tablespoons butter

1/4 cup sour cream

1 Tablespoon Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix

1 teaspoon of Tajin seasoning

1/2 cup Monterrey Jack cheese

Directions:

Lay the frozen chicken thighs side by side in bottom of slow cooker.  Lay strips of bacon across the tops of the chicken.  Set on Low for 4 hours.

When the chicken has been cooking for 3 hours, flip the chicken and bacon, so that the bacon is resting on bottom of slow cooker, and chicken is on top of it, and continue cooking for remaining time.  Wash and place the sweet potatoes on a foil lined baking sheet.  Cover with foil, and place in a 350° F oven for 50 minutes.  (Rather than individually wrapping the potatoes, the bottom and top covers simplify the preparation later.)  At the end of 50 minutes remove from oven and set aside the top layer of foil.  Pierce the sweet potatoes to be sure they are cooked through, if they are, place them on what was the top layer of foil, then pick up the foil and potatoes and place over the first piece of foil on baking sheet.  This is just to make sure that any sweet juices that leaked from the potatoes during baking won't harden and make potatoes stick to that first layer of foil.  Let sit for a few minutes while you use a fork to shred chicken and bacon,

Slice one long side of each sweet potato and scoop out most of the flesh (leaving about 1/4 inch to line the skin) and place flesh in a medium size bowl and mash.  Add the remaining ingredients (except for the chicken/bacon) to the bowl and stir to combine.  Add the flesh back to the skins, top with shredded chicken and bacon, and sprinkle a little more cheese on top.  Return to the 350° oven for about 10 minutes or till heated through and cheese on top is melted.  Enjoy!

Kale Salad Dressing

Tonight's supper was kale salad with wild rice, roasted vegetables, and salmon. (And avocado, because I love avocado with any kind of salad).  

Wash and trim kale.  It is SO good with a hot salad dressing poured over it, and plating with  roasted vegetables and a grain.  I'll put the dressing recipe at the end of this post.

The roasted vegetables included butternut squash, carrots, beets, red onion, and mushrooms (both white and baby bellas).  The firmer vegetables I cut a little smaller than the mushrooms.  I put them all in a single layer on a foil lined baking sheet and drizzled on olive oil, salt and pepper, and about a tablespoon of soy sauce (to harmonize with the soy in the kale dressing) and tossed them by hand on the baking sheet.  I popped them in a 425° F oven and let roast for about 20 minutes, then stirred and returned to oven for another ten to 15 minutes.  When I took the vegetables out of the oven, I put the salmon in at same temperature setting.

Once the salmon was done, I assembled the plates starting with a bed of kale, topping that with some wild rice, topping the rice with baked salmon, then placing roasted vegetables and sliced avocado around the plate perimeter.  So, so delicious.  And enough left over to make two bowls for lunches, without the salmon, but just as filling and just as yummy cold.

Kale Salad Dressing (from Green Vegetarian Cuisine)

In a small saucepan, combine:

1/4 cup oil (I used olive oil)

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced or crushed

2 Tablespoons of soy sauce

1 Tablespoon of red pepper flakes

Simmer for 3 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat and immediately pour over kale in a large bowl.  Toss and let it sit while you get other ingredients finished up.

Zuppa Toscana, aka Tuscan Coddle...

 

Kasey made Zuppa Toscana for Sunday family supper a month or so ago.  We all liked it, and Jared, noting the similarities to our favorite Dublin Coddle, asked if it was Tuscan Coddle, so that's how I think of it now.  Kasey texted me the link to the recipe found at 40 Aprons.  Their version is Full 30 compliant.

The original recipe calls for link sausage sliced in rounds, but I had ground italian sausage which I needed to use.  In fact I made several additions/substitutions based on what we had on hand and/or needed to be used up.   My added/substituted ingredients are marked by an " * " below.

Ingredients:

• 6 slices bacon
• 1 pound Italian ground sausage*
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 pound new red potatoes, halved or quartered to bite size*
• 6 corn on the cob mini ears cut into 2 or 3 rounds*
• 4 cups chicken stock
• salt, pepper, garlic powder* to taste
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning

• 4 cups milk*
• 1/2 cup sour cream* 
• handfuls of fresh baby spinach*

Directions:  

Cook the bacon and sausage until done.  Drain some of the rendered fat, then add the onion and cook till translucent.  Place in slow cooker and add potatoes, corn, chicken stock, and spices.  Cook 4 hours on high.  Temper the milk (if using sour cream, whisk it into milk first) by adding a little hot broth to the milk in stages to warm the milk up enough so that it doesn't break (curdle) when added to the soup pot.  Then add the baby spinach, and continue cooking for about 15 minutes.

Beef & Winter Vegetable Stew...

My recipe was inspired by a recipe from Mary Roe, a friend of a friend.  Her version had only sweet potato and cranberries with the meat .  I love winter vegetables, and thought that more vegetables could only make it better.  This has some sweetness with the sweet potatoes, parsnips, cranberries, and cider.  The salty base of the French Onion soup is a good balance.

Ingredients:

1 to 2 pounds beef stew meat

1 leek, sliced thin

1 small to medium onion, sliced thin

4 to 6 parsnips, peeled and sliced

1 rutabaga, peeled and cubed

1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed

1 to 2 medium white potatoes, cubed (I used multi-colored new potatoes whole)

1/2 cup fresh cranberries

2 cans condensed French Onion soup

2 soup cans of water

1 soup can of apple cider

salt and pepper to taste

dash of cinnamon and nutmeg

Directions:

Heat a little olive oil in the bottom of a large pot.  Add stew meat in a single layer and brown on all sides.  Season with salt and pepper while browning.  After well browned, remove meat and set aside.  Add leek and onion to the pot and let cook till translucent.  Add meat back to the pan, and add remaining vegetables.  Stir to combine.  Pour the cans of French Onion soup, water, and apple cider over top of meat and vegetables.  Add a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg to the pot and stir to combine all.  Bring to a slow boil, then reduce and simmer for a couple of hours.  Test vegetables to make sure all are cooked tender.  Serve with cornbread, or a dark crusty bread would also be good.

(My Ninja slow cooker has a stove-top setting, so I did the meat browning and assembling vegetables and liquid together on the high stove-top setting.  Then I switched to slow cooking mode and cooked 4 hours on high slow-cook setting.)

Pancake/Waffle Mix...

Original recipe from Kathryn at Do It On A Dime.  Thanks, Kathryn!

Ingredients:
10 cups all purpose flour
9.5 ounces instant dry milk
1/2 cup sugar
4 Tablespoons baking powder
1 Tablespoon salt

Measure all the dry ingredients into a very large bowl.  Whisk together to mix well.  Transfer the dry mix to a one gallon glass jar to store.

To make batter:
Put 2 cups of the pancake/waffle mix into a bowl.  Add 1 cup of water and 1 egg and stir till well combined.  Pour batter onto a griddle or waffle iron and cook till golden brown.

My notes:  We like breakfast for supper at our house.  But every time I want to whip up some waffles, it seems I am short of milk.  The dry milk in this mix makes that a non issue for me.  

On my first batch of mix, my batter turned out too thick to pour.  I assume that my flour had settled in the canister and so my mix is flour heavy; I should have whisked the flour in the canister before measuring.  I just added another egg and another cup of water (so in total, 2 cups mix, 2 eggs, 2 cups water).  My batter was pretty thin, but it cooked up fine and had a nice rise.  I'm sharing this to let it be known that the mix is pretty forgiving. 

Kathryn puts a label on her storage jar that says: 2 c mix, 1 c water, 1 egg.  No forgetting!

Shrimp Salad...

Ingredients:
1 pound shrimp, cooked and roughly chopped
3 ribs of celery, diced
1/4 of a small onion, finely diced
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons sweet pickle relish
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 teaspoon Tony Chachere Original Creole Seasoning
salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

4 tomatoes
Salad greens

Cocktail Sauce:
1/2 cup catsup
2 to 3 teaspoons  prepared horseradish

Townhouse Crackers

Directions:
For the cocktail sauce, stir together the catsup and horseradish well.  Set aside.

Combine first 7 ingredients.  Adjust seasoning to taste.

With a sharp paring knife, remove the stem core from each tomato.  Starting at top of each tomato,  cut into six wedges without cutting through the base of the tomato.

Arrange salad greens on a plate.  Top with a tomato, carefully spreading out the wedges so that it stays intact.  Scoop a generous portion of shrimp salad into the center of each tomato.  Top with a dollop of cocktail sauce, and serve with Townhouse crackers.

Mom's Cinnamon Rolls...

I make the dough from my mother's recipe for bread.  It makes two loaves of bread or a big pan of cinnamon rolls.  

Ingredients for dough and filling:
2 cups warm water (warm, not hot)
1 packet yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (approximately)

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sour cream

1 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons of cinnamon

Ingredients for icing:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
     (cream cheese is optional, if omitted, use a little more milk instead)
1/4 cup of butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon of milk (or more as desired)

For the dough:
In a small bowl, place about 1/2 cup of the warm water, 1 teaspoon of the sugar, and the packet of yeast.  Let sit for about 10 minutes to activate...it will begin foaming a little.

In a large bowl combine salt, remaining sugar, remaining water, vegetable oil, and the yeast mixture.  Gradually add in about 4 cups of the flour, mixing with your hand between additions, scraping the sides of bowl to incorporate all the flour.  If the dough is too loose and sticky, gradually add in a little more flour at a time until it is smooth and pliable.  Lightly flour your counter top, and turn the dough out onto the floured surface.  Flour your hands, and knead for about 3 to 5 minutes, adding in a little more flour if needed until it feels rather light and smooth and not sticky.  Butter a glass bowl, and put the dough in it, turning the ball of dough to let a little butter coat its surface.  Cover the bowl with a tea towel, and set it in a warm part of the kitchen.

While the dough is rising, stir together well brown sugar and cinnamon and set aside.

After about 30 minutes, the dough should be approximately double in size.  Punch down the risen dough, and turn it out onto a floured counter. Flour a rolling pin and roll the dough out to about a 12" x 18" rectangle.  

Spread dough with 1/4 cup of soft butter, then spread with about 1/4 cup sour cream.  Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over the entire rectangle of dough, and starting on the long side, roll it as evenly as possible until it is rolled and seam side down.  

Lightly grease a pastry scraper or chef's knife and cut the roll into 1" slices.  Place the spirals onto a large buttered baking pan, leaving a little room between the spirals.  Top with plastic wrap sprayed lightly with cooking spray so the dough won't stick to the plastic.  Let rise for about 40 minutes.  

Preheat oven to 325.  Remove the plastic from the rolls, and bake for about 20 minutes, turning the pan after about 12 minutes so they bake evenly.  They should be just lightly browned.  

For the icing, mix together the softened cream cheese, butter and vanilla.  Add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth.  If you want to thin it slightly, you can add a Tablespoon of milk at a time until it is the consistency you desire.  Spread it evenly over the cinnamon rolls while still warm.

Oven (or slow cooker) Jambalaya

(apologies for the poor photo quality)

Ingredients: 
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
3 to 6 celery ribs, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tblsp olive oil
1 pound fully cooked smoked sausage, cut into 1/2-inch slices
3 cups chicken broth
2 1/2 cups uncooked long grain rice
2 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cups chopped green onions
2 Tbsp minced dried parsley
1 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoons hot pepper sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
1. In a large skillet, saute the sliced sausage.  Stir the onions, green peppers, celery and garlic in with the sausage until crisp-tender.  Add the remaining ingredients, and stir to combine.

2. Transfer to a greased shallow 3-qt. baking dish. Bake at 375 degrees F for 45-50 minutes or until rice is tender.

--or--

Transfer to slow cooker and cook on HI for 4 hours.

My Notes: I have a Ninja cooking system, so I did all steps in one pot. After adding rice, I set it to 'oven' setting at 250° for about 1 hour or until rice is done.

You can also add shrimp to the recipe, but wait until the last 20 minutes of cooking time before stirring them into the casserole/pot, so they don't overcook.

Slow Cooker Dublin Coddle...

I've blogged before about Dublin Coddle.  My friend LB reminded me that it needed trying in the slow cooker.  It turned out SO delicious and was so much easier since I didn't bother with the layering and oven-cooking steps.

Part of what makes it so easy is my Ninja Slow Cooker.  (not a sponsored recommendation, I just LOVE my Ninja.)  It has stove-top settings, which makes browning of meat in its non-stick liner so convenient, and no extra pan to wash.  I just sliced the sausage and bacon and put it in the liner and set on 'high' stove-top setting.

While the meat started cooking, I chopped the onions and sliced the potatoes.  Carey had picked up baby carrots instead of whole carrots, so I used those straight from the package.

As soon as the vegetables were prepped, I stirred them into the liner with the bacon and sausage.  The bacon and sausage weren't fully cooked yet, but that was okay since it was going to slow cook for four more hours.  

I poured a can of Campbell's Condensed French Onion Soup over the top.  Then I almost filled the empty soup can with water and poured that over the top too, twice (or about 2 cups of water).  I pushed the potatoes down into the liquid as much as possible.  The soup is salty enough that I don't even add additional salt...maybe just some ground black pepper if I think of it.

Then I added as much torn kale (with large stems removed) as I could fit into the room that was left at the top of the pot to steam.  I put the lid on, and switch from stove-top setting to the 'high - 4 hour' slow cook setting.  When it's done, I stir the kale into the rest of the ingredients before serving.

It is SO good, and it is everybody's favorite...much more flavorful than it is photogenic.  Jared said he could eat it every day, so I make it often, as I almost always have everything on hand.  And now it's even easier in the slow cooker!

Ingredients:

1 pound smoked link sausage, sliced

1/2 pound thick sliced bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 onion, roughly chopped

5 to 6 potatoes, washed and sliced (I leave peel on)

3 carrots, washed and sliced (I leave peel on) or baby carrots

2 to 3 cups tightly packed torn kale, 

      washed and large stems removed

1 can Campbell's Condensed French Onion soup

2 cups water

Directions:

Cook the sausage and bacon a bit.  In the slow cooker liner mix the onion, potatoes, and carrots to the meats and toss.  Pour soup and water over top.  Top with kale.  Cover and cook for 4 hours on high slow cooker setting.  Stir the kale into the rest of the ingredients before serving.

Hungarian Goulash Fusion...

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons olive oil

3 lb beef stew meat (or roast cut into 1 to 2 inch cubes)

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground pepper

2 teaspoons garlic powder (or 3 cloves garlic finely diced)

2 large onions, roughly diced

2 bell peppers (optional)

     2 - 3 Tablespoons paprika

     2 teaspoons caraway seeds

          1 can tomato paste, 6 ounces
          1/4 cup brown sugar

          1 can mushroom stems & pieces

          1 can Campbell’s Condensed French Onion soup

          1 cup water

          1 or 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

               ¼ cup golden raisins

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan.  Add stew meat to the pan without crowding.  Season meat with salt, pepper, and garlic.  Once seared, add onions and bell pepper to the pan and stir; let cook for a few minutes until onion is translucent.  

Transfer all to a slow cooker.  Add paprika and caraway seeds and stir well so the spices don’t clump.  Add tomato paste and brown sugar, and stir to distribute.  Add mushrooms, French Onion soup, water, and sweet potato.  Let cook on high for 8 hours or low for 4 hours.  About 15 minutes before end of cooking time, add raisins and stir to distribute. 

Serve over rice.

My note:  This is started out as a Hungarian Goulash, but when I came across missing items in my spice cabinet and noodle canister, it became somewhat of a curry-less curry with the addition of sweet potato, raisins, and served over rice.  But the family loved it!  :)

Toll House Chocolate Chip Pie...

I found this recipe at Very Best Baking by Nestlé.

The filling ingredients for one pie are:
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts ( I left these out since not all our kiddos like nuts.)

You will also need an unbaked pie crust (I use My Favorite Pie Crust), and some good vanilla ice cream is strongly suggested.

Beat the eggs till light and fluffy.  Add the flour, white sugar, and brown sugar, and mix well.  Add the softened butter, and mix thoroughly.  Stir in the chocolate chips (and walnuts if using) till spread evenly throughout the filling.  It will be very cookie dough like, but not quite as stiff.  

Spread the filling evenly in the pie crust.  Bake at 325° F for 50 to 60 minutes.

Remove from oven, and let cool for about 30 minutes before serving warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

My notes:  It turned out fabulously yummy.  And the scoop of vanilla ice cream puts it over the top!

Pasta Caponata with Chicken Breast...

Ingredients:
1/2 sleeve of Ritz or Townhouse Crackers, crushed
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon Garlic & Herb seasoning
4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts


1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium eggplant (cut into about 1 inch dice)
1/2 red onion (1 inch dice)
2 ribs celery, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper (1 inch dice)
2 Tablespoons capers (drained)
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon dark brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 to 1/2 cup water

1 box penne pasta

parsley for garnish

Directions:
Fill a large pot with water, and allow to come to a boil while cooking chicken and sauce.  Keep hot in preparation to cook pasta.

In a large non-stick skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat.  Stir together cracker crumbs, Parmesan, and Garlic & Herb Seasoning mix in a dish.  Dredge chicken breasts in cracker crumb mix and place in hot oil.  Brown lightly on both sides.  Remove from pan, and set aside on a paper towel.

Add eggplant to the skillet.  (Eggplant will absorb all the oil in the pan, but it will release it again as it cooks.  Let cook about five minutes, stirring occasionally until brown on all sides.  Remove to a plate covered with a paper towel.

Place onion in skillet, and cook stirring occasionally until tender and beginning to caramelize.  Add the celery, bell pepper, and capers and cook, stirring occasionally, about five minutes.  Add the tomato paste and stir to coat vegetables.  Add eggplant back to pan.  Add raisins, red wine vinegar, brown sugar, and water, and stir to blend all.   Place the chicken breasts on top of the caponata sauce, cover, and simmer on low while cooking the penne pasta.

Cook penne as per package directions.  When penne is done, plate chicken and penne, and ladle caponata sauce over the penne.  Garnish with parsley.

Lasagna...

Sauce Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon whole basil
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cans (15 ounces) diced tomatoes
2 cans (6 ounces) tomato paste

1 box lasagna noodles (I use about 8 noodles, and save the remaining)

Cheese Layer Ingredients:
3 cups cottage cheese (I puree in food processor, but that's optional)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
2 Tablespoons parsley flakes
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1 pound Mozzarella cheese, shredded or sliced very thin

Directions:

Brown the ground beef in a large, deep skillet.  Stir in remaining sauce ingredients, and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.

Place a large pot of water on heat, and bring to a boil.  Cook the lasagna noodles as per package directions.  Once done, drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking process.

Place all the Cheese Layer ingredients in a bowl, and stir to combine well.

Preheat oven to 375° F.
Grease a 9" x 13" pan.  I put a very small amount of thinned sauce in the bottom.  
Place 4 lasagna noodles in the pan, sides overlapping slightly if necessary.
Spread half of the cottage cheese mixture over the noodles evenly.
Top with half of the Mozzarella cheese.
Dot the meat sauce over all, and carefully spread to cover evenly.
Repeat layers ending with sauce.
Bake for 30 minutes, then let cool for 10 minutes before cutting into squares to serve.

My notes:  This is from a community cookbook I received as a wedding gift.  Back then ethnic food ingredients were not as readily available in local grocers as they are today.  Ricotta is probably a more authentic cheese choice, but cottage cheese is probably less expensive so I continue to use it.  My kids never liked the texture of cottage cheese, so I have always pureed it in the food processor so it wasn't easily identified.

Cornbread Salad...

Ingredients:

2 6-ounce packages corn bread mix

8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

2 eggs, hard boiled and chopped

2 tomatoes, chopped

¼ cup chopped green onions (bulbs and stems)
¼ cup chopped green pepper (optional)

1 cup mayonnaise, or to taste

salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

Directions:

Bake cornbread as directed and let cool.  When cool, crumble in bowl.  Add eggs, tomatoes, onion, green pepper, bacon, and mayonnaise to the cornbread (reserving very small amount of tomatoes, green onions, and crumbled bacon to garnish top if desired).  Stir to combine well.  Chill until ready to serve.  Serves 8

My note:  I don't make this often (probably because I think of it as a summer salad, and I usually only bake cornbread in the cooler months), but if I find myself with leftover cornbread in the spring or summer, it makes a great side.