February 2009 Weddings
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Recipe Exchange II
Here it is ladies!!
Cut & Paste your two entrees, and one dessert in here... be sure and put your email at the beginning of your post so I can send you the recipes when we're done collecting them.
Thanks, can't wait to see what you've got!!
~ Carrie ~
Re: Recipe Exchange II
Email: carriestephens27@gmail.com
Mama Jane?s Pasta Sauce
Combine 1 cup of chopped onion, 1 cup of shredded carrots, and the garlic into a medium to large size pot with the olive oil in it. On medium heat, cook the onion, carrots & garlic until the onion starts to become a little transparent?add a little salt & pepper to your liking. Add the diced tomatoes (drain before putting in pot), oregano, and ? a packet of the Italian Seasoning dressing mix. Stir everything very well, and let simmer for an hour?taste after cooking for 30 minutes to see if you want more seasoning or not. This is a chunky sauce and goes great on penne pasta, plus it can be frozen up to 6 months?enjoy!
Chicken Enchiladas
Wrap tortillas in foil ? heat in 350 oven for 10 min. to soften. Cook the diced chicken & set aside.
Sauce: Saute onion, garlic, coriander & pepper in butter until onion is tender. In a bowl, mix flour into sour cream. Add flour/sour cream mix into the onion mixture. Stir in broth & green chilies all at once. Cook until thickened & bubbly. Remove from heat & stir in ? cup of Monterey Jack cheese.
Filling: Stir ? cup of sauce into the cooked chicken. Ladle the chicken mixture into each tortilla & roll. Place tortillas, seamside down, into a lightly greased baking dish (13x9). Top with remaining sauce. Baked covered at 350 for 35 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, then bake uncovered for 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Sprinkle on the olives & green onions. Let stand for 5 minutes & serve!
Serves: 3-4 enchilada lovers!
Chocolate ? Raspberry Cooler
Combine all the ingredients in a blender, in batches if necessary, and process until smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour into 4 glasses
My e-mail is kenanbm@resurgens.com
I am cheating....I am doing a app...just because it is that good! I have to think of a dessert that I really like to make and I will post it later tonight.
Spicy Chicken Dip
3 Chicken Breasts
1 cup of Ranch Dressing
1 cup of hot sauce
1 block of cream cheese
? shredded cheese
Boil chicken breasts, I use boneless, skinless breasts. Shred chicken. Then add chicken, hot sauce, ranch dressing, and cream cheese to crock pot. Let cook for some time and stir occasionally. The cream cheese will melt and make a wonderful dip! Sprinkle shredded cheese over the top and serve with tortilla chips. I just serve mine right out of the crock pot.
**recently I tried just cooking the chicken in the crock pot, so I didn?t have to watch for it to boil and it worked great. Put chicken breasts in crock pot with a about ? cup of water or chicken broth. Let it cook for about 4 hours or until you notice the chicken is cooked. Pour out the left over water and just stir chicken it should just shred from being tender.**
Easy BBQ
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
? cup of water or chicken broth
1 container of favorite bbq sauce (we use Famous Dave?s, famous sauce)
Put chicken in crock pot with water or broth. Put on high for 4-5 hours or low for 6-8 hours. After chicken is cooked stir up to loosen chicken and shred then add in sauce to your liking and let cook for about 20 min and serve as sandwiches or alone with coleslaw!
**I put the chicken in my crock pot before work on high, when I got home it was boiling like crazy, so if you have a newer crock pot I would recommend putting it on low.
mlk0517@gmail.com?
?
Seasoned Salmon Steaks
6 salmon steaks (approx 6 oz each)
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 tsp seasoned salt
2 tsp Italian seasoning
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp grated lemon peel (I usually omit, because i don't have a zester, and just use a pinch more lemon juice)
dash cayenne pepper
Place salmon on greased broiler rack. Broil 4-6 inches from the heat for 8-10 minutes. Combine remaining ingredients. Brush some over salmon. Turn and broil 10 mins longer, or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Baste with remaining mixture.
Safety note - When you are broiling (esp w. butter!!) you have to leave the oven open a crack. Kevin learned this the hard way and set our oven on fire and I promise, its no fun to clean the powder from a fire extinguisher and it will stink up your house. ?Crack the oven door. Just do it. ?
?
Italian Chicken
chicken
Italian dressing
Ok, so I know this is a simple one, but its one of my standbys (and favorites). Marinate chicken in your fave Italian dressing (we like Wegmans Parmesan Italian) - I've gone as short as an hour, but if I remember, I put it in there in the am. I also cut the chicken into smaller pieces so as to increase the surface area and give the yummy-ness more places to seep in. Grill or bake for about 20 mins at 350 degrees?Fahrenheit, until juices run clear. Oh, also, if you bake it, use a pan with a lip and cover the chicken with a little extra - in the oven, the flavors of the dressing get really nice, it bakes out the tangy and leaves the yummy.?
?
Fruit Pizza
1-2 pkg sugar cookie dough (depending how thick you want your crust)
1 block cream cheese, softened
sugar and vanilla, to taste
any berries or fruit you like (I would stay away from melon, its too watery)
?
Spread cookie dough on bottom of a pan (I usually go 9x13, one package is enough, but sometimes i like a little thicker on the crust). Bake according to directions on package. I'm sure you could make your own cookie dough, but 1 - I'm a dirty rotten cheater and I like to take shortcuts and 2 - this is supposed to be quick and easy. Once the cookie is done, let it cool.
Meanwhile, mix your cream cheese with sugar and vanilla. I usually start with 1/4 cup of sugar and 1 tsp vanilla, and go from there. If you think you will like a thicker layer of frosting, go for 2 bricks of cream cheese. It's all about simplicity here, people. And adaptability. Spread an even layer over the cookie crust.
Top with the fruit of your choosing. I usually stick with strawberries, raspberries and blackberries, but blueberries, pineapple and kiwi would also be good.
My e-mail is: collagechic at gmail dot com
Raspberry Balsamic Chicken
(adapted from Cooking Light magazine)
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp salt, divided
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin
1/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste
1. Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion; saute 5 minutes. Sprinkle rosemary, salt and pepper over chicken. Add chicken to pan; saute 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm.
2. Reduce heat to medium. Add preserves, vinegar and pepper to pan, stirring constantly until preserves melt. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve immediately.
Yield: 4 servings, 4 WW points per serving
Shrimp Scampi with Tomatoes and Feta
1 tsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 (14 oz.) cans diced seasoned tomatoes (I use del monte), drained
? c. fresh parsley, divided
? lb. large shrimp, peeled and de-veined
? c. (2 oz.) feta cheese, crumbled
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
? tsp fresh ground black pepper
Angel Hair Pasta
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic; saute 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and 1/8 cup parsley. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes. Add shrimp; cook 5 minutes.
3. Pour shrimp mixture into a 13 x 9" baking dish; sprinkle with feta cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley, lemon juice and pepper. Serve over pasta. Makes 2 generous servings.
Apple Cake
3 c. flour
2 c. sugar
3 tsp baking powder
2 ? tsp vanilla
4 eggs
? c. oil
? c. orange juice
6 large apples, peeled and diced
5 tsp sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
In mixer, combine above ingredients through orange juice. Mix remaining ingredients together (apples, cinnamon and sugar). Grease and flour a bundt pan. Pour batter alternately with layer of apples.
Bake at 350 for 1 hour, 15 min. Cool in pan 1 hour before removal.
Canon 50D, Canon 50mm f/1.4, Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8, Speedlite 430EX II
Jenny: iteachkids81 AT gmail DOT com
DESSERT (because dessert should always come first!)
Peanut Butter Cups
mix together 1.5 C graham cracker crumbs
1 C peanut butter
2 C powdered sugar
1C melted butter
Spread into a 9x9 cake pan
?Melt 2 Tbsp butter with 6 squares of semi sweet bakers chocolate. spread over the peanut butter mixture. Refrigerate. slice into bars and ENJOY!!!
ENTREE 1
HAWAIIAN SURPRISE
3 or 4 sweet potatoes, 1 can of pineapple chunks, ?small ham
peel and dice your sweet potatoes as you would potatoes for mashed potatoes. boil them until they are soft enough to mash.
mash them and place in a 9x9 casserole dish. (you can add a little butter and brown sugar if you want)
drain the pineapple
cube the ham into ?pieces roughly the same size as the pineapple chunks. put the ham and pineapple on top of the sweet potatoes. (as much as you like)
bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 mins.
?
ENTREE 2
Italian Zucchini Skillet
3-4 small zucchinis
2 medium tomatoes
1/2 onion
as much garlic as you like
1 can of mushrooms or as much fresh mushrooms as you want. (optional)
Chicken (1 breast per person eating)
mozzarella cheese
seasonings.
?
Dice your onions, and garlic. cut chicken into strips Slice the zucchini into medium slices. Place onoins, garlic, chicken and zucchini in a pan with some olive oil. (mushrooms too if using them) Cook on medium. While that is cooking, cut your tomatoes. (I cut them in wedges and halve the wedges)?When the rest of the veggies are softened, add the tomatoes.?
Season with salt and pepper, italian seasonings.
top with shredded mozza cheese. (put lid on and turn the heat down a bit) just to let the cheese melt.?
I like to eat this just as it is, but you can also serve it with pasta. (cook pasta of your choice, and then after it is drained toss it in with the veggies and chicken.
ENJOY?
Sorry I got so busy yesterday and totally forgot! Here it is:
Chicken Parmesan
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
? cup low fat or fat free mayo
2 cups Italian bread crumbs
4 slices Mozzarella or Provolone (you can also use shredded cheese)
Spaghetti Sauce
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat each piece of chicken with mayo and dredge through Italian bread crumbs. The reason I use mayo is because it keeps the chicken moist, otherwise it will dry out. Place chicken on aluminum covered pan. Once oven is pre-heated cook chicken for 45 minutes. Take chicken out of oven and spoon spaghetti sauce on top of chicken and cover with cheese. Place back in oven and bake for 15 minutes. Serve with your favorite side.
Sheppard?s Pie made Easy- (I stole this one from Publix; it is so easy and simple)
18 oz. Premade BBQ Beef or Pork
1 Can Mexi-Corn, drained
1 large Onion (I usually get the pre cut onion)
1 box Garlic and Cheese instant mashed potatoes
1-2 Cups Cheddar Cheese
Saut? onions in large, oil coated skillet until soft. Add bbq beef and corn stirring until hot. Add half of the cheese and stir. Place potato mix in microwave safe bowl; add butter and 3 ? cups water. Microwave on high for about 4 minutes. Stir potatoes and place on top of bbq mixture. Cover with remaining cheese and simmer for 2-4 minutes.
Apple Sauce Cake?AKA Grandpa?s Cake
1 box Chocolate or Devils food Cake mix
1 Jar Apple Sauce
1 tub cool whip (any kind)
Prepare cake mix according to directions; you can substitute apple sauce for oil to make it healthier (I usually do this). Split mix into two round pans and bake according to directions.
Once cake has cooled place on platter. Place apple sauce between the two layers and frost with coop whip.
This is really easy and was always served as my grandfather?s birthday cake; it was always his favorite type of cake.
kristine7@aol.com
Can you tell we're big fans of garlic?
Lemon Garlic Tilapia
4 tilapia fillets
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
red pepper flakes to taste
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Saute garlic in olive oil and butter under medium heat until garlic begins to darken.
3. Add lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and parsley. Saute a minute or two longer.
4. Rinse tilapia fillets under cool water, and pat dry with paper towels.
5. Place fillets in baking dish. Pour sauteed mixture over the fish.
6. Bake in preheated oven until the fish is white and flakes when pulled apart with a fork, about 30 minutes.
Penne Arrabiata
1/2 cup olive oil, divided
6 cloves garlic, sliced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with garlic
and olive oil
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 bunch fresh basil, chopped 1 (12 ounce) package dried penne pasta
2 eggs
2 cups bread crumbs
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 pound thin chicken breast cutlets
Directions:
1. Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, and saute for a few minutes. Sprinkle in the red pepper flakes, and saute for another minute. Pour in the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce, and add the basil. Simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne pasta, and cook for 8 minutes, or until tender. Drain.
3. In a small bowl, whisk eggs with a fork. Place bread crumbs in a separate bowl. Stir the garlic powder, salt and pepper into the bread crumbs. Dip chicken cutlets into the egg, then press into the bread crumbs until completely coated.
4. Heat remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry chicken for about 5 minutes per side, or until the coating is a nice dark brown color.
5. Remove chicken, and cut into slices. Toss the chicken slices into the sauce, and simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir in the cooked penne, simmer for a few more minutes to soak up the flavor, then serve.
Double Layer Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 1/2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
1 cup cold milk 2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla
pudding mix
1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, whisk together cream cheese, 1 tablespoon of milk, and sugar until smooth. Gently stir in whipped topping. Spread into bottom of crust.
2. Pour 1 cup of milk into large bowl, and thoroughly mix in pudding mix, pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. When thickened, spread over cream cheese layer.
3. Refrigerate 4 hours, or until set.
FINALLY!!!! i'm posting them....sorry!!
Texas Two-Step Chicken
1 1/2 cups Picante Sauce
3 tbsp. light brown sugar
1 tbsp. dijon mustard
4 boneless skinless chicken breast
Mix Picante sauce, brown sugar and mustard. Place chicken breast in 2 qt. shallow baking dish. Pour picante mixture over chicken and bake. You can serve over rice.
Diet Coke Chicken
4-6 Raw skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1-2 2 liter diet coke
1 small onion chopped
1/2-1 cup ketchup (or more if desired)
1 bag of baby carrots
1-2 large russett (brown) potatoes cut up or several small new (red) potatoes
Salt and pepper to taste (not much)
Mix everything together in large dutch oven (pot with plenty of room and cook on medium-low until carrots are tender. Cook with lid on dutch oven.
Dessert:
Cherry Crunch
2 cans dark sweet cherry pie filling
1 cup chopped nuts
1 box yellow cake mix
1 stick butter melted
Pour 2 can pie filling in 9x13 pan. Sprinkle cake mix evenly over the cherries. Sprinkle nuts over the dry cake mix. Drizzle melted butter over all. Bake on 350 degrees (325 glass) for 30-40 minutes (till light brown on top). Variation: i like to use a lemon cake mix and use canned peaches instead of the cherry pie filling. You can use different filling (blueberrie, fruit cocktail) and they are all good. You don't have to use nuts and you can actually just cut the butter up into smaller pieces and place all over the top. Another name I call this is Dump Cake cause you just dump all the stuff together