Kat's Recipe Box

I first tried this quiche at my friend Carol’s house. I am not a big Asparagus fan but I actually liked this. The only change I made was to use a frozen puff pastry instead of a pie shell which Carol used. Of course the asparagus can be changed out for another vegetable if you would like. It makes a very thin quiche so if you are looking to use this for a meal, I would double the recipe. I am going to try to make this with out a crust as well.

10 bacon strips, diced

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 unbaked pastry shell (9 inches)

3 eggs

1/2 cup half-and half cream

In a skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels; drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings. In the drippings, sauté onion until browned; drain. Cut eight asparagus spears into 4-in.-long spears for garnish. Cut remaining asparagus into 1-in. pieces. In a saucepan, cook all of the asparagus in a small amount of boiling water until crisp-tender; drain.

In a bowl, toss the bacon, onion, asparagus pieces, cheese, flour, salt and pepper. Pour into pastry shell. In a bowl, beat eggs and cream; pour over bacon mixture. Top with asparagus spears. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean and crust is golden brown., Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

Yield: 6-8 servings.

2 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup diced fully cooked ham

1/2 cup chopped fresh broccoli

4 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon dried minced onion

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1. Place hash browns in a greased 9-in. microwave-safe pie plate. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 4 minutes or until thawed. Press onto the bottom and halfway up the sides of the plate. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 3 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese, ham and broccoli.

2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, milk and seasonings; pour over ham mixture. Cover with waxed paper. Microwave at 70% power for 10-12 minutes or until set. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.

Yield: 4-6 servings

This used to be my pop pops favorite potato salad and then little brothers. It is best served warm.

4 cups of sliced cooked potatoes
1 – 2 onions
4 or more strips of bacon
½ cup of white vinegar
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. celery seed
Fry bacon until crisp, remove from pan and drain. Mix sugar, salt and vinegar and pour into bacon fat. Break bacon into pieces and add into hot sliced potatoes. Add the onion. Pour in hot fat and vinegar mixture. Sprinkle in celery seed, mix well.

My mom made this dip for years and it was always a favorite. I just came across it as I was cleaning out a cabinet and thought I might share. Serve with your favorite crackers or a celery stick.

½ cup of celery
1 tsp. grated onion
1 small can of shrimp
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp. of mayo
1 tbsp. ketchup
1 tsp. mustard
Dash or garlic powder

Mix above.

This recipe was given to me by a man I work with and he claims these are the best pancakes ever. This recipe was passed on to him thru his girlfriends Gram. Rick says the extra effort is well worth it, although he cautions not to over mix and that the batter should be thick and lumpy.

3 cups flour
4 tbsp. baking powder
2 tbsp. sugar
2 cups milk
2 tbsp. oil
2 eggs
1 tsp. salt (optional)

Combine ingredients gently.

Not to long ago, I had pecan pancakes in a restaurant and although they were good at the time I couldn’t help thinking they could be better. The restaurant had actual pecans included in the pancake batter. Anyway, I was looking for something more and decided to throw a few things together for our pancakes at home and this is what I came up with. There are no exact measurements so you are going to just have to wing it. The amounts should coincide with the amount of nuts you are using and how many pancakes you are making.

Enough chopped pecans for the amount of pancakes you are making
A dash of cinnamon
About 1 tbsp. of brown sugar…use your judgment
Enough maple syrup to cover the nuts to make them loose enough to pour over the pancakes

As per your request…thanks mom.

1 ½ cups quick cooking oats
2 cups rice krispies
2/3 cup chopped dried exotic fruit
pineapple, mango, papaya
½ cup chopped pecans
1 stick butter
½ cup light corn syrup
3 ½ ounces white chocolate broken into pieces

1. Line a muffin pan with 12 paper cups

2. In a bowl, combine the oats, rice krispies, dried fruit and pecans. Put the butter, corn syrup and white chocolate into a saucepan and heat gently until melted. Stir in the dry ingredients until they are coated.

3. Divide the mixture among the paper cups, pressing down lightly. Store in the fridge.

I have no specific measurements for this recipe…it is all based on how it tastes and how much pizzazz you want so I will give you the basic ingredients and you can take it from there.
Balsamic vinegar
Grape tomatoes
Kosher salt
Ground pepper
Garlic
Olive oil
Onion
Fresh mozzarella
Fresh basil
Onion

Wash and slice the grape tomatoes in half and set aside. In a bowl, pour in to start about a ¼ cup of balsamic vinegar and with a whisk gradually add while whisking your olive oil until you have about ½ cup of liquid in the bowl. If you have a lot of tomatoes you might want more liquid to cover the tomatoes. Add the tomatoes to the balsamic and oil and stir. Add the kosher salt and pepper to taste and at least on minced garlic clove…the garlic is to taste also. Chop a few leaves of fresh basil and chop onion and add to the mixture all the while tasting until it is where you want it. Add fresh mozzarella. I usually buy the small mozzarella balls in water and cup them in half or leave them whole…mix and serve.

You can serve the bruscetta on Italian bread or we sometimes put it over grilled chicken.

This recipe is great to use up some extra berries that you might have left laying around. I chose fresh blueberries and strawberries.

2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/ 2 cup of vegetable oil
2 cups flour
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup sour cream
1 ½ cup fresh berries
Beat the eggs and gradually add the sugar. Slowly pour in the oil and vanilla. Combine the dry ingredients into a different bowl and add the sour cream and egg mixture alternately. Fold in the berries and spoon into paper lines muffin cups and sprinkle with the topping below.

Topping:
2 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon; combine and sprinkle over muffins.

Bake muffins at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

This is my all time favorite lemon cake!!! It takes a bit of time to make but it is well worth the effort. I usually make my husband help me with this recipe…he was he zester and juicer while I did the rest. Fortunately for him, I got an electric juicer so the job is not all that difficult anymore. This cake has three different steps so it seems like a lot of work but once you get the hang of it it isn’t so bad. Use only fresh lemon juice and zest for this recipe.
½ pound of unsalted butter at room temperature
2 ½ cups of sugar
4 large eggs at room temperature
1/3 cup of lemon zest (about 6 to 8 8) I cant get rid of the smiley face…hmm?
3 cups of flour
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. kosher salt
¾ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
¾ cup of buttermilk, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla

Simple syrup:
½ cup sugar and ½ cup lemon juice.

For the glaze:
2 cup confectioner sugar
3 ½ tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, grease two loaf pans with butter and flour them. I cut a piece of parchment paper and place it on top of the greased/floured surface just for a little extra help.

Cream butter and two cups of sugar in a bowl with electric mixer, beat until mixture is light and fluffy: I recommend about 5 minutes. While the mixture is on low speed, gradually add the eggs one at a time and the lemon zest. My mixer has a habit of collecting the zest on the paddle so I am constantly cleaning off the paddles to make sure the lemon zest is well incorporated into the batter.
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl. In a smaller bowl, combine the butter -milk, ¼ cup of lemon juice and vanilla.
Add the flour and buttermilk mixture to the egg mixture in an alternate pattern, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat until this is well combined. Divide the mixture into the two pans and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Once the cakes are done, let them cool for about 10 minutes before you take them out of the cake pan. While the cakes are cooling, go ahead and make the simple syrup. Turn the cake out onto a cooling rack and lightly pierce the bottoms of the cake with a fork and spoon the simple syrup over the bottom of the warm cakes and let set. Overnight would be great but not necessary.
Before serving, make the glaze with the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice. Drizzle over cakes and serve.

I made this easy crock pot recipe for my brother, his wife and my dad tonight..it was so easy and so good. I am a big fan of the crock pot now so I am always searching for something new and easy…well, this is it.

2 tbsp. olive oil
3 lb. beef rump roast
Salt and pepper
1 ½ cups roasted garlic and herb tomato sauce
¾ cup Madeira wine
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 ½ cup frozen pearl onions
1 cup slice carrots
Heat oil in skillet on medium high heat. Season beef with salt and pepper and add to skillet and brown on all sides.

Meanwhile, in a bowl combine, tomato sauce, wine and garlic and mix. Add slow carrots and onions to crock pot and top with beef. Pour sauce over beef. Cover and cook on high heat for 4 hours or low heat for 8 hours.

I made this easy recipe for my father in laws birthday and everyone seemed to like it. It is a great dessert to make in a pinch as the ingredients are something that are easy to keep on hand. It takes just minutes to prepare and minutes to bake and I haven’t had a complaint yet.
1 stick of butter
½ cup brown sugar
1 21oz. can apple pie filling
2 cups sliced granny smith apples
1 refrigerated pie crust
2 tbsp. apple juice concentrate, thawed
1 tbsp. sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Melt butter in an oven proof skillet and add brown sugar, cinnamon and apple pie filling and simmer for 5 minutes. Add granny smith apples. Heat until mixture becomes bubbly. Unroll pie crust and lay over skillet. With wooden spoon press edges down into skillet and brush with apple juice and sprinkle sugar on top. Bake for about 30 – 35 minutes or until crust is golden brown

Recently we had the twins 6th birthday party and I was trying to come up with some recipes that I hadn’t made before. G-Ma and G-Pa were grilling sausage and a pork loin and I wanted some type of side that would be barbeque-ish and I came across this spicy corn casserole and thought it would be a perfect addition. There was not much left afterwards so it must have been alright.

4 cans of whole kernel corn, drained
½ cup of butter
1 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup of canned evaporated milk
4 tablespoons of flour
4 seeded and chopped jalapeno peppers

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the drained corn into the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish and spread the corn evenly over the bottom.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, melt the butter and cream cheese over medium heat stirring frequently until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the milk and flour and continue cooking until the mixture is smooth and creamy, for about 5 minutes. Stir in the jalapenos.

Pour mixture over corn and mix well. Bake for 30 minute or until edges begin to brown and mixture is bubbly.

I am not a big drinker and only occasionally drink an alcoholic drink and then I usually only like the fruity ones. I just came across this recipe and it sounded like something I would enjoy…it was so yummy. This recipe makes a large amount; as a matter of fact I still have a bit left over. You have to be careful as it tastes so good; if you are anything like me you might get a case of the giggles.

1 46 oz. can of pineapple juice, chilled
1 32 oz. bottle of cranberry juice, chilled
1 12 oz. container of frozen lemonade concentrated, thawed
3 cups of lemon flavored rum
1 2 liter bottle of ginger ale chilled

Combine all the above and stir.

My stepdaughters just turned six and we decided to celebrate their birthday along with their grandfathers and the fourth of July on the same day. This was going to be a pretty big get together as some of my husbands family was also visiting from Texas. I was in charge of a fruity dessert and some appetizers. I found this recipe in a magazine and it sounded perfect for the occasion. Although the original recipe called for strawberry jelly, we all decided that the jelly made the Trifle a little to sweet so I will omit it for this recipe. I also found that the Trifle bowl that I had was a bit too small for the amount of ingredients so be sure to have a large or extra large trifle bowl on hand or cut the recipe in half. Also, the berries could be changed out for your favorites. Since it was the fourth of July I used blueberries and strawberries.

1 16 oz. container of cool whip or frozen non-dairy whipped topping thawed
1 8oz. package of cream cheese softened
1 7 oz. jar of marshmallow …I used Fluff
1 tablespoon of lemon zest
2 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
½ cup of confectioners sugar
4 cups of fresh blueberries
4 cups of fresh sliced strawberries
1 already prepared, store bought angle food cake cut into 1 inch pieces

In a large bowl combine the whipped topping, cream cheese, marshmallow, lemon zest and lemon juice and mix well until creamy smooth. Gradually add in the confectioners sugar.

To assemble, add a layer of the cream mixture to the bottom of trifle bowl and top with half of the cake pieces. Put the four cups of blueberries on top of the cake layer and reserve a few for garnish. Top the blueberries with the remaining cream reserving a small amount for the top as a garnish. Put the remaining cake on top of the cream and top with the sliced strawberries. Garnish the top with the rest of the cream and sprinkle the reserved blueberries on top of that and top with a strawberry.

I came across this recipe in a magazine last week and decided that I had to try it because it was so simple to make. My son’s grandparents were coming to visit and so I knew they would be perfect to try this recipe out on. So, I sent my husband to the store for the fruit and left the decision of which fruit to get in his hands. He chose peaches and I have to say, I was surprised. The recipe was so easy and was just delightful. You can choose any kind of canned fruit that you would like, blueberry, cherry, strawberry, blackberry, the possibilities are endless.

1 20 oz. can of crushed pineapple in its juice
1 21 oz. can of fruit pie filling…the choice is yours. We used peach.
1 box of butter recipe yellow cake mix
1 cup chopped pecans
¾ cup of melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour the pineapple with its juice into a 9×13 baking dish and spread evenly over the bottom of the pan. Spoon the pie filling over the pineapple and sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the top of the fruit and even out with a fork. Sprinkle the pecans over the cake mix and drizzle the melted butter over the top.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

I made these crab cakes for the first time a few years ago and they were a big hit. I had never made them before and I asked a neighbor who manages the seafood counter at a grocery store what the best crab meat would be to use, his suggestion and we have since used only this crab meat was Phillips canned Jumbo crab meat. This recipe can be easily doubled. I am posting this recipe because my brother who is at this minute on vacation in the Outer Banks is going to attempt to make them…enjoy.

3 tbsp. butter
1 green onion
2 tbsp chopped red onion
1 garlic clove minced
3 tbsp. heavy cream
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 egg
½ tsp. fresh minced parsley
Cayenne pepper
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup bread crumbs
1 lb. jumbo crab – gently go through to make sure there are no shells.
2 tbsp. vegetable oil

Melt 1 tbsp. of butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute onion, bell pepper and garlic for about three minutes. Add cream, mustard, 1 egg, parsley and cayenne pepper and ½ cup of bread crumbs to taste mix well, fold in the crab meat. Form the mixture into patties. Combine the remaining bread crumbs with the Parmesan cheese. Pat toppings onto both sides of the patties. Refrigerate for about 2 hours until firm.

Using the skillet you cooked the onion in, melt the remaining 2 tbsp. of butter and the vegetable oil and sauté the crab cakes on both sides for approximately 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
My preference is to also bake the crab cakes in the oven at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes as I like to have a dryer and crunchier crab cake.

Ok Barb, here it is…Kevin’s salmon dip…enjoy! Let me know how you do.

Smoked salmon
½ cup mayo
1 celery stalk
8 oz. cream cheese
1 onion, chopped
Let cream cheese come to room temperature and cream. Add salmon, onion, celery and mayo and mix well. Serve with your favorite crackers.

Kevin and I recently found a little restaurant in Kutztown PA, Kevin’s home town, called CC’s. We stopped in for lunch and apparently, I am a very picky eater and the menu seemed to be limited and not much to my liking as I am not a rib person. So needless to say, I was pretty mad at Kevin and to top it off, they served only local bottled soda like, cherry, root beer, orange cream well, you get the picture. As a Philly girl if it isn’t coke or Pepsi, I don’t want it. So in reading the menu and not finding much I wanted to eat he knew he was going to pay for it later. I have to order sometime and I see, ribs, chicken with sausage together on a Sammy….no way, not a big sausage fan. I spy a hamburger, ok I am in…Do you have American cheese? Are you kidding me…what is horseradish cheese??? Can I have fries with that, no fries…salt potatoes???HuH??? So, I order the burger on a slathered roll (what ?) with the horseradish cheese and baked beans…Kevin, the chicken and sausage Sammy with the salt potatoes and a black bean soup. Well long story short, and much to my surprise, it was one of the best burgers I have had, the beans awesome and the salt potatoes interesting and very good…Kevin, loved everything even the soup. The atmosphere was wonderful and the owner super nice. Kevin couldn’t stop talking about the soup so he gave us the recipe…well at least the basics and we went from there. If you are ever in the area…stop in. Haven’t had a bad meal…I hear the ribs are awesome. I am hoping to get the bean recipe next…fingers crossed!

1 lb bag of black beans
1 chorizo sausage
1 lb. of hot Italian sausage
2 boneless chicken breasts
Garlic
2 carrots
1 medium onion
2 stalks of celery
Chicken broth
1 cup of white rice
1 tbsp. cumin
2 bay leaves
3 tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups water
1 bouillon cube

In a large pot, soak black beans in water or follow directions on the bag for the quick cook, once beans are tender, drain and return to pot.
Meanwhile, sweat the chorizo and Italian sausage in a sauté pan with 3 tbsp. olive oil until cooked thru. Chop one onion, 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks and about 6 cloves of garlic and add to the sausage mixture and sauté until vegetables are tender
Once veggies are tender add to the black beans; reserve the liquid from the sauté veggies and sausage to cook the chicken in. Once chicken is cooked thru, shred and add to soup mixture along with the liquids. Add two cups of water and enough chicken broth to cover the vegetables and meat. Add the cumin, bay leaf, bouillon cube, rice and salt and pepper to taste and simmer for at least one hour.

Continue to add chicken broth as liquid evaporates until you feel there is enough to make it a soup consistency.
The amount of vegetables, meat and rice can be more or less depending on your personal taste. For extra heat we have in the past added 1 chopped habanero pepper. Should you want a thicker soup, decrease the amount of water and broth.

Well, recently I have decided that I needed to make some changes in my life so you know what that means, diet. I have been following weight watchers for about a year now and have been maintaining my weight for about that long but am constantly looking for different “good for me recipes” So, last night I decided to attempt a turkey burger, they are suppose to be good for you right. Well, having never made a turkey burger I needed some advice and who do I turn to, my friend who does not cook but does eat healthy. Nicole and I have been friends for a long, long, long time and she is the one that always calls me for cooking advice so what was I thinking? But, she actually came through for me…she has never made them but offered advice that worked out!!! Go Nicole, my best friend who never cooks.

2 lbs. of ground turkey
1 package of bag n seasons meatloaf mix
Onion
Garlic
Teriyaki sauce
1 tbsp. butter

Sautee onion and chopped garlic in 1 tablespoon butter until tender and add to ground turkey. Add seasoning packet and 6 dashes of teriyaki sauce and shape into hamburger patties. Grill and top with your favorite cheese.

I served mine on whole wheat buns…you know how those weight watchers points go.