Homemade Miracle Whip

Oh my goooooodness gracious! Like all of the other reasons for recipes here - I am trying to get healthy. In order to do that I am trying to make as much of my own healthy stuff as I can.

I ran into this recipe at Recipezaar and thought I would give it a try. I did. It was good but not great so I tinkered. Here is my version:

2 egg yolks (or 1/4 cup egg beaters)
1 package of artificial sweetner of your choice (stevia for me)
1 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs vinegar
1 1/2 c of salad oil

Using an immersion blender (stick blender) bet the eggs, sweetner, lemon juice and vinegar until it starts to lose its glossy-ness.

SLOWLY drizzle in the oil until it turns into what looks like mayonaise.

Now in a small microwave safe bowl combine:

1 1/2 tbs cornstarch
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 cup hot water
1 tbs vinegar
1 tbs lemon juice
3 more packages of sweetner (trust me)

Put into the microwave for about a minute - long enough for it to look like the inside of a jelly bean.

Using the stick blender again, mix this into the "mayo" stuff.

Now you have miracle whip!

Easy Fried Rice

OK - this is the first time I have ever made fried rice - kind of made it up as I went along...

2 packages of Uncle Ben's microwaveable rice
1 medium onion
1 cup of broccoli
1/2 cup of baby carrots
1 cup snow pea pods
1 can of bamboo shoots
1 can sliced water chestnuts
2 eggs
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tsp of sesame oil
2 tbs of vegetable oil

In a large wok - sautee all the veggies until they are warm in vegetable oil. Open both packages of rice - break it apart with your fingers in a large bowl. Add rice to the wok, toss well, add soy suace and sesame oil. Scramble the eggs in a separe skillet and add to the rice. MMMMmmmmmmm.

Chicken Carbonara

Here is another of my favorite pasta dishes. Not exactly traditional Italian - but it is tasty!

Cast of Characters:

1 package of either boneless thighs or breasts or a combination of both
2 tbs olive oil
2 cups of chicken stock (not broth)
1 lemon
1 bunch of Italian parsley
1 medium onion
2 cloves of garlic
4 eggs
1½ cups of parmesan cheese
1 small box of fetucinni noodles

Put on a pot of water large enough to cook the entire box of past in. Salt the water well.

Dice the chicken and onions and chop the garlic. In a non-stick skillet, cook the chicken in the olive oil until it is golden brown. You should have a ton of brown goodness on the bottom of the skillet, add the onions and garlic and saute until the onions are soft.

Finely chop the parsely. Zest the lemon. Combine them in a large mixing bowl. Add four eggs and all the parmesan cheese. Mix well.

Juice the lemon into the chicken broth and add it to the chicken/onion/garlic. Bring to a boil and reduce by about a third, make sure you scrape all the delicious brown bits off the bottom of the skillet and let them dissolve into the broth.

When the noodles are done drain them but do not rinse. Put the hot noodles on top of the cheese/egg/parsely mixture, then add the chicken mix and TOSS well!

The aroma will likely say "Eat me NOW!" but it's best to let it sit for about 5 minutes to thicken up.

I serve with garlic bread and a salad!

Lasagna

Again - one of those VERY personal dishes that I make different than even my mom does. When I was in California and I made this dish my friend Kevin commented that I start every recipe the same way: Chop two onions and look for a recipe.

Cast of Characters:
1 pound of lean ground beef
1 chub of Bob Evans Italian Sausage
2 onions chopped
1 48 oz. can of Prego Sauce of your choice (I like mushroom)
3-4 large cloves of garlic
1 carton of button mushrooms
2 eggs
1 large container of Ricotta cheese
2 tbs of Italian Seasons
1 cup of parmesan cheese
2 LARGE bags of good quality Mozzarella Cheese
1 package of lasagna noodles

Put a LARGE pan of water on the stove to boil. Add a good palmful of salt. Boil the noodles until the are pliable but not MUSHY.

In a large bowl combine ricotta, parm & mozz (just a handful) cheeses, eggs, and Italian Seasoning. Set in the fridge

Cook the burger, sausage, onions, garlic, and mushrooms until the meat is browned and all the fat has rendered. Drain WELL! Add the sauce.

Layers:

1. Two ladles of sauce
2. Noodles
3. Sauce
4. Noodles
5. Ricotta Cheese Mix
6. Noodles
7. Sauce
8. Mozzeralla Cheese
9. Parmesan Cheese

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes at 375° for 30 minutes, then remove foil and bake for 30-40 more minutes until the cheese is golden brown on top. I suggest putting a sheet pan under the lasagana pan to catch any drippings.

Banana Split Cake

My cousin Sally first made this slice of heaven about 10 years ago and I have LOVED it ever since. About three years ago I made it and took to my mom's house for Christmas - where my Aunt Cheryl got hold of it - now guess what I have to bring EVERY year for Christmas to mom's?

Cast of Characters:
1 box of Nilla Wafers
2 sticks of butter
½ cup of sugar
2 eggs
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp of vanilla
½ tsp of salt
3 bananas
1 pt of strawberries
1 can crushed pineapple (WELL drained)
1 large tub of cool wHip
1 bag of Toll House Mini-Morsels

Crush the wafers, by whatever means necessary (I use my food processor). Melt butter, add crushed wafers, sugar and butter to a 9x13 pan, mix until well combined. Bake for 20 minutes in a 350° oven. COOL COMPLETELY!!! I can not emphasize this enough!!!

Set the butter and eggs out until they are at room temperature. Crack the eggs into a bowl, and add the butter. Mix on hgh speed until well blended, add the powdered sugar and mix slowly until all the sugar is incorporated, add the vanilla and salt, then beat on HIGH for no less than 20 minutes!!! Put mixture on the completely cooled crust, refrigerate over night.

Slice the bananas, and strawberries, drain the pineapple in a colandar, then put it into a kitchen towel and squeeze out the last of the juice. Layer bananas, berries, and pineapple. Cover with cool wHip, and top with morsels.

White Chili

MMMMMm - there are as many chili recipes in the world as there are stars in the sky. This is one of my favorite variations on the classic tomato and beef recipe.

Cast of Characters:

1 package of Chicken tenders
1 package of boneless skinless thighs
1 large can of chicken broth
1 large yellow onion
1 yellow bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 can of garbonzo beans
1 can of canellini beans
2 tbs of cumin
1 tbs of chopped garlic
2 cups of water
1 tbs of oil
2 tbs flour
2 tbs oilive oil

Dice the chicken and cook over medium-high heat in oil until lightly browned. Remove chicken, add diced vegetables saute over medium heat until the vegetables are soft. Add the rest of the ingredients. In a separate small skillet, combine olive oil and flour, lightly toast the flour in the oil making a nice roux. Let the chili boil for an hour, add the roux and cook until thick.

Let me know what you think...

Alpha Inventions

This is a MUST for all bloggers, you go to this website alphainventions.com and post the address of your blog, the next thing you know you have 40 hits in 20 minutes! I posted my Soup Blog, as well as my Child Care Answers blog (childcareanswers.blogspot.com) and they are both now doing incredibly well.

Why can't I think of this stuff?