recipe-exchange

Sandy's Easy Appetizer/Chili

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 20:39:52 +0100

When I first started MasonMetu, I was a better blogger and I wrote a post about winning a Superbowl chili cookoff with this recipe my Mom gave me. I made it last night for my card group and got so many compliments that I wanted to post the recipe in our recipe section. I made this as a hot appetizer in the trusty ol' crockpot but it can easily be converted to a chili if you add some extra tomato sauce. You could add shredded chicken or hamburger to make it heartier.

Sandy’s #1 Superbowl Chili

Taco seasoning packet
1 can whole corn (drain)
1 can black beans (rinse & drain)
1 can kidney beans (rinse & drain)
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can 8oz tomato sauce
1 can chopped green chilies
½ cup chopped onions

Mix all together in a crock-pot, cover and heat on low for 5-7 hours. Serve with tortilla chips.

Special K Bars from the Dining Diva

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 14:31:36 +0100

This week, I am so excited to introduce a new featured blogger, Dining Diva (a.k.a. Susan Vanell-Charpentier). She forwarded me the recipe for her Special K bars. They look so yummy.

photo courtesy of Dining Diva

From Dining Diva: "These are a family favorite. We take them as a special treat on vacation, and we have to ration them out or they would all be gone on day one. My tip? Cut them into smaller pieces. They are very rich, and everyone will want one.

1 c sugar
1 c Karo syrup
1 ½ c peanut butter
2 tsp vanilla
6 cups Special K cereal
2 c butterscotch chips
1 c chocolate chips

Boil sugar and Karo syrup for about 1 ½ minutes. Place peanut butter in a large greased bowl. Pour boiled sugar mixture over and stir. Add vanilla and mix. Stir in cereal. Mix well. Place in greased 9X13 pan. In bowl microwave melt butterscotch and chocolate chips. Spread over top and cool.

Best Cheese Ball Recipe EVER!

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 19:01:30 +0100

Okay, so I'm looking at our recipe page and realize that it has been really neglected (last post was in February - oh my). But I got inspired after getting together with some girlfriends and eating this delicious dip. My friend, Trisha, made it and we all loved it. It is sooooooo yummy and so easy to make plus it looks really pretty (see picture).

Here's the recipe:

2 blocks cream cheese - reduced fat of course, softened
8 oz feta cheese
4 tbsp of each : Balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil
bunch of basil
4 to 5 tomatoes
1tsp minced garlic or one to 2 garlic cloves minced
some chopped green onions

Mix first 2 ingredients into ball - set aside

Mix rest of ingredients - you can let these marinate or pour over cheese ball. Serve with chips, crackers or loaf of french bread.

Warning: You will not be able to take just one or two bites and you may end up fighting with your friends for this dip.

Meatball Calzone - Mommy Hates Cooking

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 03:02:51 +0100

Our featured blogger for March is Kristy from Mommy Hates Cooking. I love her blog and getting all her great recipe emailed to me. Kristy shares a link to her Meatball Calzone recipe which includes a link to a recipe for spinach meatballs from $5 Dollar Dinners (shhhh, don't tell the kids). On a side note, Erin Chase from $5 Dinners, is a local Ohio Mom who has a great blog with lots of terrific recipes to make all with your budget in mind. What a small world.

All this talk of cooking is making me hungry - doesn't bode well at 10:00pm on Oscar Night. Munchies be gone!

photo courtesy Mommy Hates Cooking

Tammy's Yummy Noodle Kugel

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 15:25:11 +0100

My friend, Tammy, makes this delicious Kugel. Lucky for us, she is sharing her recipe. I want some right now but I there is no magic Kugel baker here. Enjoy.

Tammy's Yummy Noodle Kugel

1 lb bad of wide egg noodles, cooked according to package
5 eggs
4 cups milk or cream (or both)
1 cup ricotta
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins
1 can crushed pineapple, undrained

Whisk eggs in very large bowl, add milk/cream until frothy. Add the rest of ingredients. Then stir in cooked egg noodles. Pour into well greased 10x13 pan. Put that pan in a larger pan and fill the bigger pan up 1/2 way with water. Bake for 1 hour at 350. Best served warm, but good cold, too!!!

Thin Mints are almost here......Make some After Dinner Mint Triangles

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 22:55:04 +0100

Both my girls will be selling Girl Scout cookies for the Cosmos Girl Scouts of Western Ohio this year and they are really excited. The sale starts Jan. 21 so you may be seeing some sweet little faces trying their cookie best at your doors very soon. My all time favorite Girl Scout cookie is the Thin Mint. I LOVE them. I especially love them frozen. Yum.

My friend, Chris Burke, sent me a recipe that would put those Thin Mints to good use. Chris is a consultant for Pampered Chef so she has tons of great recipe ideas not to mention some great products. One day I'm going to get that large Deep Covered Baker stoneware cooker - you can put a whole pork roast in it, season it, add some green and red peppers and pop it in the microwave and voila - dinner is done.

Okay, I digress. Here is the recipe, courtesy of Chris Burke and The Pampered Chef:

After Dinner Mint Triangles:

Crust
2 pkg (10 oz each) fudge-covered mint cookies
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Filling & Topping

10 oz vanilla almond bark or confectioner's coating candy melts
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 tsp peppermint extract
6 drops green food coloring
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Directions:

For crust, place half of the cookies in large resealable plastic bag; crush into very fine crumbs using flat end of Meat Tenderizer. Place crumbs into Stainless (4-qt./4-L) Mixing Bowl; repeat with remaining cookies. Place butter and chocolate morsels in Small Batter Bowl; microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 1–11/2 minutes or until butter is melted. Stir until smooth. Add chocolate mixture to crumbs; mix until all crumbs are moistened. Spread evenly over Medium Sheet Pan; using hands, firmly pack evenly into pan. Place in freezer at least 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, for filling, place almond bark into Large Micro-Cooker®;. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 2–3 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds with Classic Scraper until bark is mostly melted. Remove from microwave; stir until smooth. Using Stainless Whisk, whisk cream cheese in Stainless (2-qt) Mixing Bowl until smooth. Whisk in extract and food coloring until smooth. Add bark; whisk well. Spread filling over crust; set aside.
Place remaining chocolate morsels into (1-cup) Prep Bowl; microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 30–45 seconds or until melted, stirring every 15 seconds. Place small resealable plastic bag into Measure-All® Cup. Pour chocolate into corner of bag. Twist top of bag; secure. Cut corner off of bag. Drizzle chocolate over filling. Let stand until chocolate is firm. Cut dessert into 16 rectangles (four rows of four rectangles each). Cut in half diagonally to make 32 triangles.

Yield: 32 triangles
Nutrients per serving: (2 triangles): Calories 480, Total Fat 31 g, Saturated Fat 16 g, Cholesterol 30 mg, Carbohydrate 49 g, Protein 4 g, Sodium 180 mg, Fiber 2 g

Some Great Gift Ideas for Teachers, Co-Workers, Neighbors….. Simply prepare and package in cellophane gift bags or decorative gift boxes for great gifts!

© 2010 The Pampered Chef used under license.
www.pamperedchef.com

If you ever want to host a party and enjoy a fun night with friends, then book a party with Chris. She's great and really makes some yummy food to taste. Plus if you're a hostess you get discounts on products and you may qualify for some free items too. Call (513)754-8312 or visit Chris's Pampered Chef site.

Grandma Scott's Meatloaf

Sat, 27 Nov 2010 21:03:23 +0100

Thanks Courtney H. from Mason, Ohio for sharing another great recipe.

Ingredients:

1 ½ lb. ground sirloin
1 lb. ground pork, ground lamb, ground turkey, or any combination of the three
1 ½ c. herbed stuffing mix
½ onion, minced
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 ½ tsp salt
½ c. cinnamon applesauce
1 pack maple brown sugar oatmeal
½ c. water
Bacon (3-4 slices)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º.
Mix together stuffing mix, onion, beaten eggs, salt, applesauce, oatmeal
and water in a large bowl
Add meat and mix until well blended
Spray loaf pan with non-stick spray and add meat mixture
Cover with bacon
Bake 1 hour 20 min. to 1 hour 30 min.
Let rest for at least 10 min. after removing from oven

Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Lemon Glaze

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 03:03:56 +0100

Happy Accidents...and a Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Lemon Glaze from The Comfort Table - Meredith R., Mason, Ohio

"In cooking and in life, things don't always turn out how you plan. Maybe there are metaphors in cooking...like when your incredible brown sugar nut topping sinks to the bottom of the cake during baking. Who cares. What the hell...sometimes things look better upside down...giving you a whole new perspective. That's what happened the day I baked this cake. So, when you bake this cake, your topping may stay where it should...on top. Or...your topping may sink...and everything will be ok." :)

Enjoy

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 11" springform pan
For the topping:

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
3/4 C light brown sugar
1 C finely chopped walnuts
1T ground cinnamon
2 T All-purpose Flour

In a bowl, combine the melted butter, brown sugar, walnuts, cinnamon and flour. Set aside.
For the Batter:

3 C Cake Flour (yes...it does matter)
2t baking powder
1t baking soda
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp
2 C white sugar
4 extra large eggs at room temp (yes...this matters, too)
1 C sour cream
2t vanilla extract
1 c blueberries (you can add more if you like)

In a mixing bowl, sift the flour with the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 min. Add the eggs, one at a time. Mix in the sour cream and vanilla. Slowly add the dry ingredients, taking care not to over mix.

Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with blueberries. Pour the remaining batter over the blueberries. Sprinkle with the topping. Bake 50 - 60 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack and remove from the springform pan. Transfer to a serving plate and drizzle with glaze.

For the Glaze

1/2 C confectioner's Sugar
2T milk
1 T fresh lemon juice

Whisk all ingredients together until smooth. Drizzle over the cake.

This cake gets better every day. It is super moist. It is very sweet.

Mediterranean Mahi

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 02:52:54 +0100

Thank you Courtney H. for this great summer recipe.
If anyone needs any mint, I have a jungle of it growing in our garden in the box.

4 Mahi Fillets
½ c mayo
¼ c feta
3 TBSP fresh mint, chopped
2 TBSP fresh dill, chopped
1 tsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
8 thin slices of lemon
olive oil spray

Preheat broiler with rack 8 inches from broiler.
Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Place fish skin side down on parchment paper and season with salt and pepper.
Stir together mayo, feta, herbs, and lemon juice in a bowl, and spread mixture over each fillet.
Top each fillet with 2 lemon slices per fillet.
Spray olive oil over each fillet.
Cook 14-16 min.

3 Bean Salsa

Sat, 01 May 2010 03:41:43 +0100

This recipe was so yummy that I made my friend Trisha S. from Loveland, Ohio share it with all of you. It is a light, refreshing dip perfect for a hot summer day.

3 Bean Salsa

Black beans
Black eyed peas
Garbanzo beans / chick peas
Pinto beans or hot chili beans
Can of Corn
Medium onion finely chopped
Red bell pepper finely chopped
4 to 6 jalapenos seeded & finely chopped

In saucepan, bring the following to a boil:
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 tbsp water
¾ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup vegetable oil
¾ cup sugar (or splenda)

Rinse and drain all the beans & corn. Pour them in a big bowl. Add all the chopped items
& mix together

After mixture has boiled for a few minutes (sugar has dissolved) pour over all ingredients
and let cool in the fridge for at least 2 hours
Before serving drain the liquid.